Smiling and Nodding

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89 WPM

YESSSS! I thought 89 wmp wasn't too bad. (was that correct English?). Saw this on Anjanette's blog and couldn't resist. There's something about typing super fast that is so empowering.

89 words

HAIRSPRAY

1st Row: Claudia, Tawnya, Keri, Michelle, Amber, Bryn, Lauren
2nd Row: Joy, Regi, Alicia, Me, Bree

Notice Claudia, Keri, Regi and I with our Tracy Turnblad inspired hair. I still cannot believe Lauren didn't boof it up.
Notice Link in the picture frame? He wouldn't miss our party. ( ;
Thank you, girls, for being completely fabulous. I will miss ...

• Tator tots at midnight. Little smokies. Sonic. The crunchy roll.
  
• Laughing hysterically in the theatre on cue and in unison
• Jane Austen marathons
• Celebrating Birthday weeks
  
• Collectively obsessing over Twilight. Lending our books out with corresponding CD... luring more members into our cult. No one is safe.
  
• So many more things. SO MANY!
  

After the carb sprint at the Olive Garden some of us went to Keri's for a 'healthy' helping of Paula Dean's Peanut Butter Cheesecake, continued interesting conversation, and... 27 Dresses!!!!!!!! A FABULOUS movie! MAYBE SOMEHOW SOMEONE will get it for me for Mothers Day. ( ;

A few other things...

• my car had a stroke. Seriously, Bryan's car was the one that was supposed to go first. It's got like 200,000 miles on it. I've decided to officially name my car Ruby. Ruby is at Transmission Auto patiently waiting out the weekend to receive, let's hope, only minor surgeries and a quick recovery since we're like leaving in 6 days.
  
• It's pleasantly nice to just throw away your plate and utinsels when you're done with them.
• I officially cannot wait for Roomie Party IX (jk, I don't know what number it is but I have made an official decision that it's time to keep track).
  
• Can you not guess what my favorite word is for this post?

The Screensaver

This was my friend, Claudia's, post about a week ago and I thought it was about the funniest thing EVER!...

Jon and I (Claudia) were watching television while eating lunch and a commercial of a girl in a shower trying to sell soap came on. I thought, how pathetic and very inappropriate. So then I turn to look at Jon to see if he agreed with me & noticed he was just staring at the t.v.! I turned off the t.v. and he was still staring at the screen. I said to him, "is that what you like, watching a women lather herself!" and he said, "I didn't notice. Anytime a women comes on t.v. my mind quickly turns on the screen saver and hibernates until it's safe."

Psycho Babble

Tonight I watched the recorded April 9th Episode of The Oprah Show: A New Earth Phenomenon: An Hour That Can Change Your Life.
Have you heard of this? Well, let me tell you... I LOVE this stuff. This is EXACTLY why I went into Psychology. I am absolutely PASSIONATE about this exact kind of thing.
Who is this guy... Eckart Tolle? I had never heard of him until now. His motto?: "The world can only change from within."

According to Tolle (in psycho babble terms) when you lose everything (such as going bankrupt) you become free of the 'ego' because the ego has nothing left to identify with and the basis of your life becomes the present moment. And this is the basis for everything... to come to an acceptance of the present moment.

I wish I could find some of the excellent quotes from the show... all from Tolle's book.

I really liked the story of this girl who always compared herself to others UNTIL she learned how to be present in her own life. And this allowed her to let go of the need to be better than others. It all rests within' the mind. IT ALL RESTS WITHIN THE MIND.

In this show they also explored death and Eternal Life and being Christlike. Great show.

Can't Sleep!

Can't Sleep! Could it be because I had a very freaky dream last night where this man walked into our house thinking it was his new apartment (he had unlocked it with his own new key) and he had two mouths... one on top of the other? First of all... walks right in. Second of all... two mouths. All of it.... disturbing!

Or, could it be because I went to the BOSU class this morning and every muscle from my butt down is screaming "What the .... is the matter with you?"

OR...., could it be because I just watched Extreme Makeover Home Edition and can't get out of my head all of my crazy ideas of what I would do in a house if I had never ending resources.... I think I have to mention them then so I can sleep...

• I would most absolutely have a slide from one room upstairs to a room in the basement. I'm not sure if it would be twirly or straight.
  
• It would slide into the playroom which would most absolutely have a built in wooden, round stage with curtains and a microphone.
• I would most absolutely have the master suite on the second floor where a whole corner is just a rounded wall of windows... well, actually 3 french doors that go out onto a deck. And the view is of the very spacious backyard (I vision an awesome playground to the left), and behind the fence line there is a forest of very tall trees that sway furiously in a storm. Love it.
  

Wouldn't that be sweet?

And other stuff...

• I did not end up buying the Martha books... I just coveted them and put my order out to the Universe. I wouldn't be surprised if they just show up in the mail someday. ( ;
  
• Our dishwasher broke today... Time to pack the dishes!
  
• If a Hybrid is good for the environment... don't you think it's worth the money?
• How is it that Bryson, at 15 months, can put a DVD of choice in the DVD player and push play? DVD's are obviously a huge part of his life.... regretfully.

I want to upload the video of Bryson at Reese's party today smashing a Ding Dong into his mouth. It took him a good 10 minutes. He just held it there smashed to his mouth gnawing at it until it was gone. (Well, half of it. The rest was all over his face and in his eye.) It was cute but it would take too long and I'm going to turn into a pumpkin in 15 minutes. Yes, I am a princess.

It Happens...

I woke up crying this morning. It happens. Every girl knows that (Lyns). But usually you don't wake up crying. Mornings are supposed to be 'anew'. This morning just came at the wrong time. And so I cried. Acutely aware of the circumstances, Bryan proceeded to act with knowledge and experience. He vacuumed, cleaned, took the kids and left. GENIUS he is. And so I...

• showered (it had been a good 48 hours)
• booked a hair consultation
• went to Barnes & Noble (gawked at the cookbooks for an hour)
• went to Jimmy Johns
• purchased a donut
• drove home happy

Collateral Damage:... Decidedly a must.

...I looked through it and determined... worth every penny.

...A checkout line impulse (I seem to have a problem with that). Delicious!


Jimmy Johns #12: The Beach Club (the best sandwich ever made). Consists quite simply of this... French bread, smoked turkey breast, provolone cheese, avocado spread, sliced cucumber, alfalfa sprouts, lettuce, tomato, and Hellman's mayo. I'm sure I will try to replicate it when I move somewhere that doesn't have a JJ.

Bryan is quite decidedly... a hero!!!!

Other thoughts swimming around...

• Did not love 'Becoming Jane'. Love story not believable. Did Jane Austen really never marry? (As you can see... watching Jane Austen makes you use words like... decidedly.)
  
• 'Confessions of Fitzwilliam Darcy'! Hmmmmmmm! No explanation needed. Thanks Lis.
• Uncle Mike's Gourmet Spaghetti. (Thanks Amy). Sounds INCREDIBLE! And what wouldn't with 17 ingredients. Can't wait to test it out.
• I'm leaving Gville in about 2 weeks. Lets go to dinner everyone. Thursday at 8?
  

Morning Reportings

Well, I packed my pretty white square plates. And they'll be in that box for... 3 months. So, that puts a damper on my 'take a picture of everything I eat' hobbie.
Good news... I only have to wash Bowen's sheets every 'other' night.
Also, I didn't mention some of the other job opportunities on the grid...

• Vascular Surgery in St. George. Uh ya, I could do with that.
  
• Hand surgery/Orthopedics in Provo. Yep, I could also do with that.
• Orthopedics/Sports Medicine in Lakeland, FL (30 min. East of Orlando). Bryan loves this place. You can see why when you check out the website. But Floridaaaaaaaaaa............

Dang, it would sure be nice to know. In the meantime I'll just pack up the silverware and then wonder where the heck it is when we try to eat dinner tonight. ( :

Does a Best Ever spaghetti sauce exist? Or is spaghetti just not that gourmet?

I must watch Jane Eyre ... in Oak City... without my children. Don't you think Oak City should have a website? (Population in 2000 = 650) ( :

Idol Gives Back

I was balling, balling, balling... and laughing.

I really liked Carrie Underwood's song. Here are some of the lyrics...

"And most of us are not sure... if we have too much... but we'll take our chances...". Interesting point.

And then it talks about deserting God and then when we need Him we look up to the 'wounded' skies who say that "it's much too late" and so basically we should all be 'Praying for Time' which is the name of the song. Kind of depressing but a good message, I thought.

I have feelings!

Like my brother, Dan, I have "feelings". Let me explain...

• Bryan has a very probable opportunity with a really nice Dermatology clinic located right next to Universal Studios in Orlando. Great pay, great hours, great city. Sweet deal. The hangup... 5-10 yr. commitment. ehhhhhhhheuuuuuu
• Bryan also has an Orthopedics clinic in Pasco, WA that wants to fly us out and 'wine and dine' us for the job. Great opportunity, in the West, but Washington? Tickets booked today. Hm!
• And then there's the Orthopedic clinic in St. George. Great pay, great hours, GREAT LOCATION. But is it the ticket? Only way to find out is to personally go there and 'check it out'. We don't come to Utah for another 2 1/2 weeks. The suspense is KILLING ME!

So... my 'feelings'. I get really shiny, happy, twinkly feelings when I think about St. George. That must be a sign, isn't it? Let's hope those are 'special' feelings like Dan's.

Congrats, cuzzy Code, for founding the Pre-PA club at USU. You're in for a sweet deal.

Best Ever Big & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Best Ever! Courtesy of Amber via America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (the very best cookbook ever). Recipe here. This recipe is mysteriously similar to Lauren's Top Secret Heavenly Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Things with wheels...

Railroad tracks are for cars and trains alike...
Awesome yardsale finds must be documented. See the 4 wheeler Power Wheels below. $5. Believe it. It was a broken down piece of crap that just needed a cleanup and new battery. Sadly it didn't quite fit in our 'no-garage' apartment so we gave it to Alicia who bought a battery for it and, as you can see, put it to good use...

General Conference

I thought Richard G. Scott's talk was incredibly powerful. What an amazing and fantastic message. I had yet again another "recollection" of how blessed I am, how fortunate I am. What a horrible trial that would be to deal with sexual abuse. I know that millions deal with it; that it is not uncommon. My life is so simple; my trials are so small. My blessings are HUGE. I don't know why I felt the need to blog about it. I strongly feel for those dealing with such hard, confusing issues. Perhaps that's why I went into Psychology. I love offering the message of hope to such a horrible situation. I was amazed at the words Elder Scott spoke when he talked about how although the outcomes of abuse have a profound effect on your life THEY DO NOT DEFINE YOU! It was an amazing talk. Everyone must read it. Abuse is such a huge part of our society; effecting people we meet and see everyday. Now I shall get out my my swords and armor and stand with my children cradled behind me to fight against it. May I do everything I can to protect them and educate them and hopefully save them from having to figure out how to forgive someone against such a horrible offense.

Yums

Does this cupcake not look delectable? I CANNOT WAIT to make them someday. They're from Martha's cupcake week. Recipe here.

And here is Holly's Company Chicken which is her absolute favorite dinner besides TGIFriday's Bruschetta Chicken (which I happen to have the recipe for.) EZ and positively delicious. Bryan keeps talking about it. Bryan has also requested a repeat of Heidi's Best Ever Tomato Soup. It is a winner, I tell ya.

Just stuff.

Things are REALLY getting exciting around here. WOOHOO!!! I'd blog all about it but uh.... can't yet. Sorr-eh!

Bryan and I really want to go see "Leatherheads". I think it comes out this weekend.
Also, have you seen "Dan in Real Life"? Great movie. Recommended.

Yummies

I hit the jackpot with my neighbor, Holly, who let me 'steal' her recipe box for a day. I, of course, made a mad dash to the copy machine...

The 1st picture is of Holly's Bloomers Dip. Quite an upgrade from what I used to do... (can of chili and velveeta).
The 2nd picture is of Holly's Enchiladas. Extremely easy and cream cheesy. The reason I like these is because of the cream cheese. If you in the mood for something with some 'meat' to it, check out my other enchilada recipe (Bryan's favorite.)

Tomorrow I'm either going to make Holly's Company Chicken or Holly's Spaghetti sauce. The Company CHicken's supposed to be to die for. I have yet to find the 'best ever' spaghetti sauce. Maybe this will be it. ( : Oh, and also Keri's Lemon Merange recipe is THE BEST EVER but I just can't post the recipe without a picture. I just cannot do it. So you'll have to wait.

AI & more

I think Siyesha's gone. And don't you think that was horrifyingly rude what Simon said to Carly in front of millions and millions of people (ghast)? I secretly thing Carly should be the next AMERican Idol.

Also, today I'm potty training Bowen. As expected... UNPLEASANT! I am exhausted physically, emotionally. Why should I be so exhausted? Maybe it's because every fiber of my being revolts uncontained pee & poo. And it's exhausting to have every fiber of your being revolting something. I just looked down and noticed dried poo on my pants that I was unaware of. (sultry, whiny sigh)

What is Quinn doing in my living room...

Bowen likes to get into our binder of home videos and pick one to watch at random. I walk in this morning to find my Halloween Dance 1997 video scavenger hunt playing. Surely he'll realize this is not his Disneyland video and turn it off. No no... he was riveted and here we find ourselves, Bowen, Bryson and I, reliving my wonderful "That cannot be me..." Halloween dance activity. It was a pleasant experience watching myself in black cordorouy pants and a hot pink shirt with my fabulously long walmart plastic nails... and the wonderfully documented scavenger hunt. I decided it would make for a nice pre-9/11 documentary since we were at the airport saluting pilots, running backwards up the escalator, weighing ourselves at the ticket counter, giving wheelchair rides, super gluing quarters to the ground... it goes on. We thought we were so silly (and brave, for some reason, because it takes so much bravery to act like an idiot in public.) The good thing about our 'good clean fun' is that's all it was. And while I look back and think "You idiot, what were you thinking". The truth is that was probably the funnest date I ever went on. And while we were driving over curbs and thinking we were so 'cool' we weren't doing drugs and stuff that would be REAL cause to say "What were you thinking". There must be a moral to this story.

Top Row: Hannah & Cooper, Hali's Date & Hali (in orange)
2nd Row: Brett (Rindi's date), Casey (April's date), Stacey & Joe, cow?, Mandi & Spencer
3rd Row sitting down: Rindi, April, Bronson & Jacqueline, Me & Quinn.

I think it would be really cool if Hali, Rindi, April, and Mandi had blogs. Huh, do you guys?

Bryan is...

... a great father.