Sister's Weekend

After SYTYCD, Kelli stayed and we played for the rest of the weekend.

Caisa and Sam had a flag football game. They were down two players, including their QB, so sadly it wasn't as exciting as normal. Plus Kelli whined about the cold weather the. whole. time.


We ate.

We took a drive up to Sundance.


We shopped.

We went ziplining. I won't lie. I was a little nervous. But we looked so sexy in those helmets and harnesses we just couldn't resist! It was a gorgeous Fall weekend, and so much fun to be outside up the canyon.





All in all, fantastic sister time.

So You Think You Can Dance Dance Dance

When little Miss Melanie won SYTYCD the sisters decided to make a weekend out of the SLC tour stop. Kelli flew out and everything! I missed Cat introducing the dancers and dance, and Mary of course, but the show was so fun and had most of my favorite dances. I loved it. Oh, an Melanie is A.MAZ.ING. 22 dances. That's right - rockstar.

The crew


We stole Sam's camera when she asked us to take a picture of just her and Kelli. The nerve! So naturally Caisa, Candice and I took obnoxious pictures instead.


Mel was at the show too, and when she came over to say hi she made me cheese it up and take a photo with Mitchell - who was injured and watching the show nearby.


These two are ridiculous together, but thanks to them we got the VIP treatment.



Such a fun night! I can't wait for an LA trip Melanie!

whatever helps you sleep at night sweetheart

You know in the movie The Italian Job when Mos Def’s character goes:

Left Ear: I had a real bad experience, man.
Charlie: What happened?
Left Ear: I had. A bad. Experience.

Yea, I can't get that out of my head today. I think I need to watch this (classic Brooks favorite) movie again soon. What? Weird movie quotes don't get stuck in your head too?

Strikes Again

The crazy Parking Neighbor struck again.

Thanks for parking your car straight. It really helps when I back up! :)

Here I was complaining about a dusty car for a year; little did I know I was avoiding monthly notes on my parking ability. Can you say passive aggressive? For the record, I always park within the lines. The spots are plenty big; there is no reason to even need to touch the line. I do not always park completely straight because I like to have plenty of room to open my door without hitting the wall so I angle a little to give me a few more inches by the door. I don't always do this, just when I need to take things in and out of the car. But I'm always within the lines. Even the back that is angled out - still in the lines.

So, I'm taking your advice - and drawing a diagram. With one simple question:

How on earth does the angle of my car inside my parking spot impact your ability to back into yours? I cannot for the life of me understand how your car would go through my spot to back into yours. Heart you - for the next few weeks.


I'm going to miss this when I'm stuck looking for parking on the street . . . missing the comforts of my garage, even with crazies.

It's a Secret

Why would I ever go up to Park City at 10pm on a Tuesday night in the rain for an outdoor concert from a country music artist I'd never heard of?

Because Kathryn is awesome and had the inside scoop on a guilty pleasure ABC show that was taping a special episode.

Clay Walker was weird. The people watching was hysterical. The star was adorable - oh how I love curly hair. So worth the rough morning the next day. A fun evening with Kathryn, Mel, Nici, Candice and Sam!

That's all I can say until the show airs.

News

I'm officially moving to Connecticut the first weekend in November.

Pro:


Con:


I never thought I was be this sad about leaving Utah. I try not to think about it - because I get sad and then I also start freaking out because it's quickly, quickly approaching.

The timing was slightly unexpected, but it's a good thing. I'm excited for a new adventure. I'm excited to be near NYC. I'm excited for my career. I'm sad about leaving my sisters and friends. I'm sad about leaving my cost of living. I'm sad about leaving my 5 minute commute to work and 15 minute drive to the airport. I'm sad about leaving my comfortable life. But change will be good. Gilmore Girls, New England road trips, Broadway, NYC friends, beaches and EST here I come.

My Unnamed Car

I've known this day was coming for the last three years. I was even able to buy an extra year. But the end was always there. August. It wouldn't go away. Boy did I try. I tried to negotiate. I tried to scheme. I tried to close my eyes and pray that it would just go away. I'd forget about it and pretend it wasn't going to happen. This is a reoccurring theme in my life by the way. I deal with difficult situations by ignoring them. Real mature I know. I came up with some pretty genius plans. I thought about buying a bike (that was not the genius plan). I figured I could get by without a car. I would just rent one when needed. I wished Salt Lake had Zipcar. I thought about at least putting off the decision until the weather got cold and I wouldn't want to walk to work anymore. Oh the ideas I had.

My first car. Oh I loved my first car. A red Mustang convertible with a black top. I wanted the car so badly. I counted down the days until I could get it. I worked hard to earn it. I loved it.

Then in NYC I fell in love with public transportation. I know. I know most of you think I'm crazy. But I loved the subway. I loved the downtime. The time to read. Not having to think. Letting someone else control how I got from A to B. (Yes, I realize how weird that is for a control freak.) Now don't get me wrong, I also dreamed about having a full time driver at my disposal. But not dealing with traffic or car repairs or gas prices. It was nice.

But now here I was, in need of buying a car and I had no idea what I wanted. I really like the look of the Volvo XC60. Sure Volvo is a soccer mom car, but I didn't care. While driving past the Volvo dealership downtown one day I randomly pulled in. I had not done a single minute of research. I had no idea what features the car had. I had no idea how much it cost. I knew nothing. All I knew was that it looked cute. I never realized how little I actually know about cars. So there I was talking to the salesman and thinking to myself, "Wow. Volvo's are considered a luxury car. Wow. This is kind of expensive. It's just a Volvo. I'm not buying the Audi or BMW." I drove away and reality set-in a little bit. I needed to buy a car. Cars are expensive. Cars are a commitment. Cars are a decision.

So naturally, I didn't do a single car related thing for the next month. And that date kept popping into the back of my head - annoying me whenever it dared remind me of the future.

My Dad kept asking, "Have you looked at a Hyundai? Just go test drive it." Um no offense Hyundai owners, but no. No.

And then I finally went and test drove a Hyundai. As soon as I left the dealership I called my sister and said, "I think I'm going to buy a Hyundai." To which I'm pretty sure she responded, "Wait? You're really going to make a decision and buy a car!"

So I kept going back and forth between buying, not buying, leasing, not leasing, walking, biking and not doing anything. Then I would go back and forth about a more expensive car I could afford but probably shouldn't spend all that money on a silly car and a more practical car. Then I would freak out about what color to buy. Or which sales guy to buy it from. The Nissan. The Volvo. The Hyundai. Should I just forget the SUV Crossover and just go buy a Honda Accord. Sunroof? Heated seats? Do I need those? Will a V4 have enough power? Do I really need a V6? No, I'm fine with just any old car that will get me where I need to go. Money. All that money. But it's just money, right? It wasn't about if I could afford it or not; I'm not completely careless. It was just that I didn't want to have to spend the money. Red or Black? Grey or Black interior? Oh the decisions - it's a good thing I don't drink coffee. And then I would start all over again with the back and forth between buying vs. leasing vs. not doing anything vs. holding my current car hostage. Trust me, I really thought about that.

Let me state for the record: I can normally make decisions. I'm actually very good at it. But I'm starting to think I have commitment issues. I'm starting to think all of you are laughing at me now because you've all known this all along. I'm also starting to think that buying a house is going to be impossible. And let's not state the obvious about this being a 39 month commitment vs. a husband.

I know, I'm ridiculous.

So one night I left work and decided to just go do it. I test drove the Hyundai again. I negotiated with the sales guy. I tried to pick which color interior I wanted. And nothing. The sales guy wouldn't give me anything. I felt sick to my stomach. I felt pressured. I felt annoyed. I felt like I was being treated like a stupid woman who didn't know how to do math. So at 9:25pm, twenty-five minutes after the dealership had closed and probably two hours since I first drove on the lot, I left.

I couldn't sleep that night. I pulled up my Excel spreadsheet - don't roll your eyes like that, you knew I had one. You knew I knew these numbers backwards and forwards. I got online. I read all of the reviews and reports I'd already read a million times. I was a crazy lady. The next day I called Kelli from work - she has so much more patience for me than even I have for myself - but even she was done with me and this conversation.

So I just went and did it. A completely different car. A completely different brand. A completely different dealership. I called the sales guy I had already test driven this car with twice (yep, totally that person) and told him I was ready. So I walked into the Nissan dealership and bought (okay fine, technically leased) my Rogue. I told the man what I wanted, below where he had anchored me the last time I was there. We negotiated and made a deal. I signed the paperwork and had a minor (internal) freak out while waiting for the Finance guy to run my credit and finalize the paperwork. He gave in too easy. I had left money on the table. What was I doing!? I just bought a silver car. I didn't want silver! I met with the Finance guy. I looked at the paperwork and it was wrong. It was not the price that I had agreed on with the sales guy. The sales manager came in and agreed to the original deal all over again. The paper work was reprinted. It was still wrong. The Finance guy didn't even call the sales team back in, he just did what I told him to do. I signed the paperwork and walked out feeling like a million bucks.

I had to get the Jeep back to my apartment, so the salesman followed me and then we drove back to drop him off at the dealership. On the way back he told me he was really impressed with my negotiation skills. I kept thinking he had already sold the car, but thanks for boosting my ego. Then he asked what I had studied in school. (I had received a new graduate discount.) I said business, and he started laughing. He looked at me and said, "You said you graduated from grad school, right? You got your MBA. Very impressive." I said thank you, smiled and thought . . . yes, and I can do math.

So here she is. My Nissan Rogue. I love her. And "she" doesn't have a name, just "her" and "she." I've never really named my cars before.



So there you have it. The long saga of my life. Yes, I know, poor me that these are the decisions that consume my Saturdays. But this was big for me. I bought my first car. The first new car I've ever had. All shiny and smelling like a new car.

Anything but a "C" Summer - 73%

I turned the heat on at 5C today. Big changes are ahead, and not just with the weather. It's time to put to bed "The Non 9-to-5 - Playing Hard to Make a Living" Summer List.

1. Work less, Play more: +1 There is something about summer and light nights that helps me get out of the office. It's getting darker earlier, and I'm already back to staying late. Summer, come back.
2. Create (or should I say finish) my wall gallery: +1 And I love it!
3. Reupholster (or should I say pick fabric and find an upholstery shop) my ottoman: +1 And I love it!
4. Create another "home" project: +1 The campaign dresser may have started as a disaster, but now I love it.
5. Continue to read: but this year I'm challenging myself: three, at least three classics: +1 Success!
6. Keeping with the theme, watch three classic movies I've never seen before: +1 I did watch Flashdance (Classic! When I was little I remember there was a tape where my mom had recorded Footloose and Flashdance from TV on the same VHS - and while I've watched Footloose a million times we were never allowed to watch Flashdance. Watching now was quite entertaining.) and Citizen Kane (I stopped half way through and finished it about a month later. True story.), and I swear there was another one that I just can't remember. Gone With The Wind, but I've definitely seen that one before. I would say that this is because I read and was outside instead of watching TV all summer but . . .
7. Watch a "classic" TV show on DVD (this is becoming my favorite "I'm bored in some city in some hotel room" ritual): +1 I started the summer off with Dawson's Creek. After three seasons I became bored with the teenage angst, so I moved on to another classic - Veronica Mars. I watched all three seasons from the beginning to the end, which I don't think I've done since the first time I was introduced to Ronnie. Oh how I love. And I can't forget finishing FNL with a Season 5 marathon. I do not have a high school TV show problem. Okay, maybe I do. I'm not ashamed to admit it.
8. Take a class - on anything: 0 Fail. I looked at some cooking classes but could never make anything work.
9. Re-read an old school book or notes (Things from school pop in my head all the time at work, maybe I should start acting on those and actually remember what I learned!): 0 Epic fail. Why am I so ambitious with these lists. Although I do think about picking up a book or HBS article all the time.
10. Spend too much money on gas driving to Provo to enjoy pool days with Caisa and Samantha: +1 Success. Between the pool, SYTYCD evenings and even Seven Peaks it was a great summer with the sisters when they were here.
11. Make a point to see friends often: +1 I saw Holly, Paige and Angela in AZ. Dinners with long chats and movies with Kathy. The Cedar City road trip gang. A pool day with Connie, Elisa and Jen. The Sound of Music ladies at Sundance. TV nights with Kathryn. Movies and Bachelor Pad with Mel. A work trip via Kansas City to see Miss Liz Liz How You Is and her adorable little Claire. Bryndee visiting UT. The rodeo with Cassie, Joe, Helen and Lisa. Dinners with KK, Rachel and little Jane. I'm sure I'm forgetting someone important, but needless to say it was a fun summer . . . and I do actually have friends.
12. Drink Diet Coke. Last year I denied myself for no good reason.: +1 No problems here! McDonald's $1 DC, I'm going to miss you.
13. Create something fabulous out of my recent favorite purchase: an antique Coca-Cola wooden tray: +1 I really love the way this one turned out.
14. Make homemade ice cream: +1 I made pumpkin ice cream - so what if it was just a few weeks ago well after Labor Day.
15. Go to a Braves Game: +1 Success!
16. Go to a Yankees Game: +1 Success! A fun trip to the Bronx with coworkers after a long few days of meetings.
17. Visit NYC: 0 Wow I really don't think I was ever in the city this summer. Sure I flew into JFK and LGA and visited Yankee Stadium, but I don't think I ever took a drive to Manhattan. Shame on me.
18. Maybe an LA SYTYCD trip (Bubba!?): 0 Oh Sam went during her epic summer travels but sadly I was stuck in Bentonville for work
19. At least plan, if not go, on an international trip: 0 Major fail! But I'm still planning in my head! I'm just not sure when I'll execute.
20. Give Diamond Medallion status a run for it's money: +1 I really feel like my travel schedule slowed down this summer, but then I looked and I earned about 35,000 miles (excluding two award trips I made using miles). I guess airports, airplane and hotels seem so normal I don't even realize what "slowed down" really means.
21. Eat Mellow Mushroom pretzels until I can't eat any more pretzels in Hilton Head: +1 Rude, now I want some! Dear HHI, I miss you.
22. Tan my little heart out: +1 While I wasn't as tan as "usual," it was still a beautiful bronze summer.
23. Enjoy another beautiful summer night in Park City at the Deer Valley Music Festival: +1 I want to have this gorgeous mountain night every year.
24. Try something new for me: The Utah Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City: +1 A fun roadtrip with friends, Shakespeare and even a little food poisoning.
25. Buy flowers at the Farmer's Market: +1 I love fresh flowers. Future BFs take note.
26. Run 3.1 miles covered in mud: +1 Laughing the whole way . . . with Bieber
27. Ride a bike: 0 Nope, it's still been years since I was on a bike. But I did seriously consider it when I was trying to figure out the car buying situation.
28. Celebrate my golden birthday in style: +1 Low key but perfect.
29. Sparklers, lots of sparklers: +1 I bought some to celebrate my "golden" birthday, but then I forgot them in SLC and it also rained. But I've used some . . . plus there is always HHI.
30. Host a party: 0 Does Book Club count?
31. Write; I think about it all the time, now DO: +1 I was pretty good at the beginning of the summer . . . not so much now.
32. Organize my card collection and actually send cards instead of just buying them: +1 I actually did this! Boy do I have a lot.
33. Somehow successfully avoid buying a car: +1 I'm giving myself the point. I do have a new car (and have been meaning to blog about that experience for a while!), but I'm happy about it - plus it's technically leased.
34. Use my phone to make phone calls - yes, I realize this may mean a new phone: 0 Epic fail. I really just like talking on the phone, but when I find the time those long conversations really are so great.
35. Host a spendover: 0 Fail. I think I've had a few pre-airport drop-off visitors, but that's it.
36. Use my camera; I've someone completely stopped taking pictures despite keeping it in my purse all the time: 0 Um not really. I carry it around, but rarely use it still.
37. Swim: +1 I did some, but not as much as I should have.

Wow, so there you have it. Summer 2011.

What I Read This Summer

Summer is long over. Thankfully I'm not wearing a coat quite yet, but Fall is definitely here. It's honestly been so long since I've read these books I'm probably forgetting something. I stuck with my goal - some classics, some nonfiction, some truly remarkable, some not so much.

Let's start with the "classics", as defined by me.


The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - Like most, I read this in high school. I remember liking it. I remember watching the movie. I remember romanticizing about the 20's (or maybe it was the fashion from the movie). I remember talking Ms. Moore into just letting us write an outline of our paper instead of the actual paper. This time however, I probably appreciated Fitzgerald's amazing work, fantastic characters and beautifully told rise and fall a lot more.


The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - I actually did not read this one in high school and decided it was time. Ah, the coming of age story. The controversy! Holden Caulfield. Adulthood at times really can be falling over the edge of a cliff. When did I grow up and get old?


The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - I was given this book (a couple of times) quite a while ago and finally read it. Simplicity. Perseverance. Guidance. I'm glad I read it. "Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself," the alchemist replies. "And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity."

And then two silly and not so inspiring books.


Bossypants by Tina Fey - I had heard a few people say they laughed and laughed and really enjoyed Tina Fey. I'm still not exactly sure why I picked this up; it was okay. But I did enjoy some of the stories of her early jobs, working in a traditional male environment, getting her start on SNL, creating 30 Rock and the birth of her SNL Sarah Palin impersonation. Maybe not laugh out loud funny, but a quick read with little nuggets.


Wanderlust by Elisabeth Eaves - Documenting 15 years of traveling because of an insatiable hunger for the unknown and new. More lust and conquest than journey and travels. There were chapters I loved, but overall I'm not sure I would recommend this one.

And then a book I highly recommend.


The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot - I generally leave the science to Caisa, but I was completely engrossed in this book. In 1951 a poor black woman named Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer. Pieces of the tumor that killed her were taken without her knowledge or consent, and those cells continue to live and multiply - and become the foundation of medical research resulting in breakthroughs like the polio vaccine, cloning, fertility treatments and tons more. Through amazing storytelling we learn the human side of Henrietta and her family, plus the science and history behind medical research and immortal cells. Just trust me and read it.

And last but not least, I just finished reading this for Book Club.


The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine - Overly simplified and full of anecdotes, but taken at that level quite interesting. Women are hormonal roller coasters. Not new news, but some interesting insights on women from birth through menopause. And definitely a great discussion book for book club.

Did I really not read any young adult fiction this summer? Wow. That must be a first. Suggestions for my next round of reading?