Nothing New

Sorry for being absent for so long but nothing new has really been going on here. Eric had an interview today so we are keeping his fingers crossed that he does well. At work things are going pretty good. The programs for the teens are slowly picking up as teens get used to having programs available to them. I also have the opportunity to be the staff association president for the next year. Other than that life here has been pretty normal. My calling is going well and I am able to teach on Sunday which is always enjoyable. Other than that not much going on.

Reality TV

This is partly in response to my sister's post about Wipeout and my earlier comment about liking crap TV. But Eric and I are addicted to "I Survived a Japanese Game Show". If you think anything that Americans can come with would be this funny you would be wrong. The games are the most random crazy things you can ever believe. Eric and I watch on the Internet because that channel doesn't come in real clear with rabbit ears and I work until after it is on that night. So first thing Wednesday morning we eat cereal and enjoy our show.

Let's See What You Remember

So back when email chains were all the rage I played them all and now that tagging is the new thing on blogs I am doing that too. So here is the newest game that I am playing.

1. As a comment on our blog, leave one memory that you and I had together--or you and Eric had together. It doesn't matter if you know us a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about us, we'll assume you're playing the game and we'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, we'll leave our memory of you in our comments.

Yummy

A few weeks ago Eric and I went to dinner with Travis and Bri and then hung out at their house where Jenn and Jake met up with us. Bri made homemade carmel corn and it was so yummy I couldn't resist from claiming the entire bowl myself. I am also proud to say that I didn't eat the entire bowl and even with all six of us there we didn't eat the whole bowl. But it made for some really great pictures.

I love books

I wanted to find a way to make our blog more permanent and to be able to keep it forever and I found this website that lets you download software that makes books out of your blog. How cool is that?!?!?! You upload your blog to the software and then you play with templates and colors and fonts and all sorts of cool things and then for a small price they publish your book and mail it to you! I've always wanted to be a published author. If I wrote something that was interesting to people outside my circle of friends and family I could sell it in their online store. I love computers (now Dad I know you thought you would never hear me say that).

Christmas is coming!

Okay so not really but I work in a small library with only 6 other staff members and I was worried that getting time off to go home to Utah was going to be tough or we would only get to spend like 3 days there...BUT I have almost two whole weeks off to go to Utah for Christmas! I was way excited and now I want it to be Christmas so I can enjoy my vacation. I have never had so many vacation in my life as I have had in the past 18 months (Vegas 3x, Utah, Texas, and Florida). I think I am addicted to vacations (and this is also the first time I have paid vacation time which is amazing). I can already hear Christmas carols in my head (just hear those sleigh bells ring ring ringing).

Eight Random Facts

So I was tagged to list 8 random facts about myself, so here goes:

• When it comes to books I have pretty high standards of what I call literature and considering I read a lot teen books there is a small window that I call good. But when it comes to TV shows or movies I love the silly, tear jearker, cheesy stuff. One of my favorite shows is One Tree Hill and I recently discovered that ABC puts all of their shows online! (we don't have cable so this is HUGE).


• I am not a very good cook at all. I make about 4 things really well. Right now with my work schedule Eric does most of the cooking. The hard part is food is the area where we differ the most in opinion. He loves things to have more spice than I can swallow and he thinks the food I cook is very bland (so we compromise I drink a lot of milk and he adds more pepper to his plate).


• Even though Eric is the podiatry student I am the one with the foot fetish. I love pedicures but hate manicures, will buy shoes I can only wear with one thing, love to have my feet rubbed, and own lots of crazy socks (that is always a gift I love-random socks)


• It is harder for me to spend a gift certificate than regular money. Since I have the gift certificate I want to spend it on something I really want/need and that is one of the few times in my life when I am a slow decision maker.


• Even though I spent 18 months serving a Korean speaking mission and have only been home about 15 months I have almost completely lost my ability to communicate in Korean. It is really sad. My trainer may be moving with her husband to Des Moines for school and so I might get to relearn Korean!


• I hate elevators and escalators! Honestly they kind of scare me. I have never personally be trapped on one but I know a lot of people who have been and I don't want to have my own experience.


• When I met Eric I absolutely swore I would never have video games in my home. Well Eric has two X boxes and a Nintendo 64. Plus my brother and my parents have both purchased a Wii. Slowly I have let that go and the other day I even played Mario Cart by myself while I was waiting for Eric .


• I am a sucker for Hollywood gossip. At the library I always flip through the People magazines and the other similar ones. It is a guilty pleasure for me. A sick and twisted one but a guilty one.

Okay I tag my sister Jenn, my sister-in-law Bri and I tag Eric to add his own to the blog.

Have You Ever?

So I copied this from Mark and Andrea's blog. The idea is to copy it and then bold the items you have done.

1. Touched an iceberg 2. Slept under the stars 3. Been a part of a hockey fight 4. Changed a baby's diaper 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Swam with wild dolphins 8. Climbed a mountain 9. Held a tarantula 10. Said "I love you" and meant it 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise 15. Seen the Northern Lights 16. Gone to a huge sports game 17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty (as high as they would let me) 18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables 19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope 20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment 21. Had a pillow fight 22. Bet on a winning horse 23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill (not to play hookie, but to go to doctor's appointments) 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Taken an ice cold bath 28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar 29. Seen a total eclipse 30. Ridden a roller coaster 31. Hit a home run 32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking 33. Adopted an accent for fun 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors 35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment 36. Loved your job 90% of the time 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied 38. Watched wild whales 39. Gone rock climbing 40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach 41. Gone sky diving 42. Visited Ireland 43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44. Visited India 45. Bench-pressed your own weight 46. Milked a cow 47. Alphabetized your personal files 48. Ever worn a superhero costume 49. Sung karaoke 50. Lounged around in bed all day 51. Gone scuba diving 52. Kissed in the rain 53. Played in the mud 54. Gone to a drive-in theater 55. Done something you should regret, but don't 56. Visited the Great Wall of China 57. Started a business 58. Taken a martial arts class 59. Been in a movie 60. Gone without food for 3 days 61. Made cookies from scratch 62. Won first prize in a costume contest (does the Jr. High Battle of the Classes count?) 63. Got flowers for no reason 64. Been in a combat zone 65. Spoken more than one language fluently 66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone 67. Bounced a check 68. Read - and understood - your credit report 69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy (how recently? I have Tinkertoys that I love) 70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did (but I've forgotten already) 71. Called or written your Congress person 72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over 73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge 74. Helped an animal give birth 75. Been fired or laid off from a job 76. Won money 77. Broken a bone 78. Ridden a motorcycle 79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph 80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon 81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing 82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days 83. Eaten sushi 84. Had your picture in the newspaper 85. Read The Bible cover to cover 86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about 87. Gotten someone fired for their actions 88. Gone back to school 89. Changed your name 90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands 91. Eaten fried green tomatoes 92. Read The Iliad 93. Taught yourself an art from scratch 94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt 96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language 97. Been elected to public office 98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream 99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care 100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you 101. Had a booth at a street fair 102. Dyed your hair 103. Been a DJ 104. Rocked a baby to sleep 105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four 106. Raked your carpet 107. Brought out the best in people 108. Brought out the worst in people 109. Worn a mood ring 110. Ridden a horse 111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap 112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe 113. Buried a child 114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play 115. Been inside the pyramids 116. Shot a basketball into a basket 117. Danced at a disco 118. Played in a band 119. Shot a bird 120. Gone to an arboretum 121. Tutored someone 122. Ridden a train 123. Brought an old fad back into style 124. Eaten caviar 125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need 126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant 127. Published a book 128. Pieced a quilt 129. Lived in an historic place 130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage 131. Asked for a raise 132. Made a hole-in-one (if miniature golf counts) 133. Gone deep sea fishing 134. Gone roller skating 135. Run a marathon 136. Learned to surf 137. Invented something 138. Flown first class 139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite 140. Flown in a helicopter 141. Visited Africa 142. Sang a solo 143. Gone spelunking 144. Learned how to take a compliment 145. Written a love-story 146. Seen Michelangelo’s David 147. Had your portrait painted 148. Written a fan letter 149. Spent the night in something haunted 150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane 151. Ran away 152. Learned to juggle 153. Been a boss 154. Sat on a jury 155. Lied about your weight 156. Gone on a diet 157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget 158. Written a poem 159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox 160. Gotten food poisoning 161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission 162. Hiked the Grand Canyon 163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks 164. Gone to the opera 165. Gotten a letter from someone famous 166. Worn knickers 167. Ridden in a limousine 168. Attended the Olympics (does a medal ceremony count?)169. Can hula or waltz 170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books 171. Been stuck in an elevator 172. Had a revelatory dream 173. Thought you might crash in an airplane 174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert 175. Saved someone’s life 176. Eaten raw whale 177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint 178. Laughed till your side hurt 179. Straddled the equator 180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing 181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival 182. Sent a message in a bottle 183. Spent the night in a hostel 184. Been a cashier (at my mom's hair shop) 185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt186. Joined a union 187. Donated blood or plasma 188. Built a camp fire 189. Kept a blog 190. Had hives 191. Worn custom made shoes or boots 192. Made a PowerPoint presentation 193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course 194. Served at a soup kitchen 195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube 196. Know CPR 197. Ridden in or owned a convertible 198. Found a long lost friend 199. Helped solve a crime 200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

Life Carries On

I was talking to Eric's mom last night and we both realized that when only good things are happening life can get kind of boring and trust me that was not a complaint! Recently things have been good but I feel like I am planning planning planning for activities and programs. At work I plan and host a couple programs a month for teens and now with my church calling being the Enrichment counselor I am planning enrichments for the Relief Society. But I do enjoy planning and organizing and seeing things happen.

On Eric's end he has really been enjoying his work at the clinic the last couple of weeks. He started wearing his glasses to look more sophisticated but decided to keep wearing them when he heard one of his classmates got a toenail in the eye. (ouch!) This week the doctor he is working with is on vacation so he went this morning and will have the rest of the week to relax and start getting back into school mode slowly. We have both enjoyed the low stress levels with no tests on the horizon for the first time since we met.

Things Come in 3's

So most of us are familiar with the phrase "trouble comes in threes". Well I have seen enough trouble, in groups of three or otherwise lately, that I decided to look for the good things that are coming also. So three good things that have happened in the last month or so.

1. Greg and Brittney moved in down the hall and so now we have good friends near by to hang out with and enjoy.

2. Eric was offered a job with a good company without having the stress and searching, applying and interviewing.

3. I was offered more hours at work which is a very rare thing so I can bring home a few more dollars every week.

I have realized in my life I need to be better about looking for the good when sometimes only the bad is the most apparent thing in my life.

Now I Understand

So in June I had planned to study about personal finance and also look at a budget for Eric and I. I had kept putting it off so I finally did it yesterday, figuring better late than never. After spending a few hours reading personal finance books and playing with spread sheets I realized two things: first we are very poor and only going to get poorer in the next couple years and second Heavenly Father really does bless people who pay their tithing. Every time we try and do a budget on paper we end up in the hole but in real life some how our money always covers everything. I know that we are being blessed. Yesterday as I was stressing and wondering how much I could get for my kidney on E-bay, Eric came home telling me he had been offered a job with my the company my sister's in-laws own. By the way he never applied for an open position or sent in a resume and they are revamping an old position for him. Also with my work I am only allowed to work 20 hours a week but recently I have had the option of working more hours through a grant and starting the end of July will be able to work 24 hours every week. While in the long run that isn't a lot of money I learned a long time ago every little bit helps. I am grateful everyday for the small miracles that happen to get us through our lives.