hogwarts halloween...

No one throws a party like Jed. No one. This year, Jed had his annual Halloween party at his mansion/church in Ogden. And it was fantastic. His place is the old Pingrey mansion and Methodist church and the setting alone is enough to convince you you’re on movie set. The church sanctuary is picturesque (and has been used in the filming of some television series) because of its stained glass and old organ (one of the oldest in the state). Can’t go wrong with a backdrop like that.

Two years ago, when the party was in Liberty, I had invited Nikki and Brendan. It was the best Halloween party I had ever been to because it is reminiscent of an old fashioned party… Mini haunted house, mummy wrapping, caramel apples, kids of all ages, adults of all ages, costume contests and everything. This year was the second year at the mansion and church and it was a Hogwarts theme. I took my mom and met Nikki and Brendan there. I also invited Tracee (one of the girls I work with) and her cute family to go. I love going because I get to see a bunch of great friends I don’t typically have a chance to see that often and the parties are always so fun. They had the Hogwarts Express to start out and then into the church chapel for the sorting hat. After the sorting hat, you moved into the great hall where you picked yourself up a bowl of soup and a cup of cider. (And if your me, then you go ahead and eat 2 more donuts than the 3 you’ve already eaten that day…) They also had set up Diagon Alley, Potions, Herbology, and other little activities for the kiddos. After we left, my mom mentioned how much detail went into the party. Nothing was overlooked. (Of course, Jed could put me out of a job any day of the week….) And everyone of every age group looked as though they were all having a good time. And that’s saying a little bit, seeing as more than 300 people showed up.

So, thank you thank you Jed for the spectacular party. We had the best time!!


I dressed up as Indiana Jones (I’m all about the costumes I don’t have to spend any money on.. yes, I do just own a leather hat and knee high lace up boots). The only thing I ended up having to buy was a whip, which turned out to be foam. Because why wouldn't it be foam. And it was only 4 bucks. Yay! Nikki and Brendan were Lord Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange.


Tracee, Darren, and Ryder were Fred, Daphne, and Scooby. Ryder was so freakin cute.

san diego 2008

What can I say, I have a super fun book club. I’ve been in this book club for 4 years. People come and go but it’s been so fun getting to know them. A few months ago, we were entertaining the idea to all go to san diego. One of the girls has a friend who let us use his points for a couple of condos. Seven of us ended up going and we had a freakin blast.

Thursday we all boarded the same flight. Once in San Diego, we went to Filippis for Pizza in Little Italy. Then we headed to the condos to check in and hang out until we needed to head to Old Town for our Haunted Tour (THAT was hee-lar-ious). We piled into our mini-van and, following Mapquest’s directions, we set off. Only to get stuck on Hotel Circle (the Bermuda triangle of San Diego). Mapquest seriously had some issues with the directions to Old Town because we kept going around Hotel Circle. Finally, we pulled into a shopping complex and the nice people at Thomasville gave us some better directions. When we got to Old Town, we had some time to kill, so we shopped at the little street vendor stands for awhile. This is where I purchased my fabulous new handbag:



Then we met up with the Haunted Tour which consisted of 2 overly dramatic tour guides and a pimped out van/bus complete with black lace curtains, a pin-tucked black fabric ceiling treatment, and candelabra wall sconces. Really. We jetted around San Diego and stopped at a few of the haunted hot spots. The first couple of stops were in the gas lamp district which was fun to walk around at night. Then we went to some old house for more overly dramatic stories and re-enactments. We finished up in Old Towne at the Whaley House and after hearing the stories of the Whaley family, we were given ‘ghost poo’ (marshmallows) and sent on our way. As it turned out, our way was right to a yummy Mexican restaurant. I packed in a deluxe burrito enchilada style and some chips and salsa. One of the things I miss about Arizona are all the Mexican joints. And the palm trees. And the warm weather in the winter. And the tiled roofs and terra cotta color palette. Anyway, I digress.

After dinner we went to Food for Less and stocked up on Honey Nut Cheerios and all the makings for a great Friday morning breakfast. (fruit and yogurt).

Friday we got up and after our Food for Less breakfast, we all piled in the van again and set out for Coronado Island. The weather was warmer than we had all imagined. It had forecasted to be 80 degrees, but felt warmer than that. So nice. I usually FREEZE in San Diego so I was glad to be able to enjoy short sleeves. We walked around the Hotel del Coronado and some of the shops, had lunch at Panera and then ice cream from Cold Stone. (Sweet cream with brownie and peanut butter for me.) At this point, some of the girls wanted to just hang out by the pool, so we dropped them off. Nikki, Trina, Camille, and I decided to go check out Seaport Village. After a short little detour where we almost ended up in Mexico, we found our way and headed back to where we needed to be. Ooops. Seaport was fun to walk around (although to be honest, I actually don’t like Seaport Village at all… ) But since I wasn’t planning on buying anything at all, it was fun to look and walk around and enjoy being right next to the ocean and marina.

Next stop? Pick up April, Jill, and Emily and rush to La Jolla for the sunset. We hiked a little way to the cliffs and got the pictures we went for.

April had suggested that one of our nights there be a girls night. That meant jammies, junk food, and lots of laughing. We all picked out a treat and headed home to hang out. My dinner consisted of a buttermilk donut, half a slice of pepperoni sausage pizza, 2 bowls of asian chicken salad, 1/3 of a pumpkin pie (my treat of choice), half of a chocolate chip cookie, chips and salsa and a bite of a reese’s peanut butter pumpkin. I was so full I could hardly move. But it was so good I couldn’t stop eating. The conversation was super. Trina had bought a game in Coronado that was a stack of cards that all had questions on them. So we passed that around the room and all had to answer. So much fun.

Saturday was our day at Balboa Park. We got up and I ate another 1/3 of the pumpkin pie for breakfast. Because why wouldn’t I. After I ate that 1/3, I took the remaining pie, dumped it in the garbage and smashed it so I wouldn’t even be tempted. I tell you… Someone had to stop me. ;)

All of the other girls had gotten tickets to the play “The Women” which is a movie out right now. I have been a cheap skate lately and have been a lot more judicious in my spending, so I opted out of the play. Even though I was totally aware that I was the only one. I brought my book and planned on sitting out somewhere in the park to read, or call people… Well, we walk around for a couple of hours and grab a bite to eat and then it’s time for them to go to the play. I go to use the facilities and end up getting 2 calls. It was Nikki and when I had a chance to call her back a couple of minutes later, she tells me that as they were walking into the play, these cute little ladies came up to them and asked them if they needed an extra ticket. ? Um, yeah. They said they did (because they have a cheapskate friend who didn’t want to buy one) and they called me. How lucky.

After the play, we went back to the condos, changed and went back to Old Towne for some Café Coyote. I love Mexican food. It’s my favorite thing. I had a chicken tostada and a couple of tortillas. When they brought out the salsa and chips, we were all dying because it was pretty hot salsa. I typically like hot, but this had serious kick. When the server came back, I asked her if we could get some of their mild salsa. She kind of laughed and told us that it WAS their mild salsa. Too funny. Apparently I don’t like hot like I thought I did. She brought us out some salsa fresco. Hilarious. Well, we had some time with the shops and I ended up with another fabulous bag (this one bigger than the giraffe bag). This one Zebra print with red accents.

Crazy Saturday night parking story... We were trying to park the mini van on Saturday night in the middle of Old Towne. We were driving around and around the parking lot and we see some people in their car who look like they may be leaving. I get out and go over to the car to ask them if they were planning on leaving and the lady in the passenger side (who’s door was open) looks back at me and before I can even finish my question says: “We are NOT leaving.” And she had serious attitude. So I start walking away and say (absolutely loud enough for her to hear) “It was just a question.” And she says back to me all snippy, “Good BYE.” Hello. My, wasn’t she pleasant. I get back in the car and we drive around the parking lot again. When we got back to that row, we saw these people pulling out (people, this is not even 2 minutes later). Really? Seriously. Why can’t people not be a struggle.

So we move to a different parking lot and we see some people getting into their car. Nikki pulls up to take their spot, but they were in a corner space and it looked like there was another car that was going to pull around and snag our spot, so I jumped out and ran over to stand in the middle of the street in case anyone had plans to sneak in ahead of us. But you’ll all be glad to know that we got the spot and happily went on with our night…

Sunday was our last day and the girls wanted to go to Café 222 for brunch. After packing up, we got there just in time for the 25 minute wait. I ordered Pumpkin Waffles. SO good. I had a hard time deciding between those and the peanut butter banana stuffed French toast. I almost ordered them both, but I managed to hold back. After walking around a bit by the marina, we went back to the airport to fly home. This is where I ate the last ½ pound of fudge I had packed and brought with me. On our way there, security had searched my bag and found the fudge. And then in San Diego, they did the same thing and searched my bag. Only to find a little ziplock with fudge in it. It was hilarious because who packs fudge?

Anyway, it was such a fun trip, a much needed break from work, and loved getting to know the girls better. Had a great time!!

a single voice

Sister Kristen Oaks (wife of Elder Dallin H. Oaks) came and spoke to our ward 2 weeks ago on Monday night. It was so fun to hear her insight and humor…

Our meeting was supposed to start at 7:00, but Elder and Sister Oaks were under the impression that it started at 7:30.. So they were just a little bit late, but no big deal. When they got there, and after she was introduced, she stood up and told us where they had been. She said that they had thought the meeting was to start at 7:30 and so they stopped by Costco for a few minutes. Elder Oaks, she went on to say, had disguised himself by putting on a hat, but that he was discovered in the detergent isle. Too funny. She then said that he was disappointed because of their timing and because he was discovered, he didn’t have time to get his Costco hotdog. Sooo funny. We all had a pretty good chuckle from that.

She had great remarks and spoke a little bit about her new book out called A Single Voice. Elder Oaks also said a few words and it was so great to hear him in a more casual setting. More casual than, say, General Conference. Nothing better than some words of wisdom from an Apostle and his cute wife.

What Kind of Car Are You?

I'm a Porsche 911!

You have a classic style, but you're up-to-date with the latest technology. You're ambitious, competitive, and you love to win. Performance, precision, and prestige - you're one of the elite,and you know it.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Tagged

Tagged by Linz.

7 Random/Weird Things About Me....

1. I LOVE recipes. Don't cook that often, but love recipes and collect them whenever I can.

2. In my college days, for a quick yummy snack, I would take chocolate chips and peanut butter, melt them together, and eat it with a spoon.

3. I'm fascinated with the old west. Love guns, leather hats, and horses.

4. Typically when I get a new piece of clothing, I rarely wear it right away. I will sometimes wait 6 months to pull it out (or until I can't return it anymore).

5. I love to read. Sometimes I have to force myself not to pick up a new book because if I do, I will neglect everything else.

6. I love pumpkin desserts.

7. I'm taking a water color painting class right now.

I tag:
Erin
Smange
Shannon
April
Michelle
Emily
Becky

8 nights in paradise....

In May I went to Kauai with a bunch of friends. And by a bunch of friends, I mean, there ended up being 18 of us in a house together. Let’s just say having the 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms helped. The house was amazing… brazilian cherry wood floors everywhere and a 2.5 minute walk to the beach. Oh, and did I mention that it was free?

This is the view from the house we stayed in.

We had a blast riding the beach cruisers, sporting our beach wear, and cruising around in a 15 passenger van. So many fun things going on. We got to go scuba diving for free as well. I had never been before (didn’t need to be certified because of the short dive depth) and I loved it. Had the best time.

Also, there had been some talk that week of people going sky diving. I have a brother who had a roommate years ago who died sky diving, so it has always made me a little nervous, but on Saturday morning, my friend Dale came into our room and said that there were people going and was anyone in. I told him that I was in and he said, “great, they’re leaving in about 15 minutes.” All the way there I wasn’t really nervous about it. Kind of excited, actually. There were about 9 of us going, but only 4 people in the plane at a time (2 jumpers and 2 jump instructors). 2 of the girls went first and then Suzanne and I went next. Still, I wasn’t really nervous until we were in the plane in the air and Suzanne asked her jump instructor how high up we were.. He said we were at 2,000 feet. I’m sitting there thinking that we were just about there until she then asked him how far we were going and he said 10,000 feet. I threw up a little bit in my mouth, it’s true. When my jump instructor opened the door and I looked out, I thought, “Hmmm. Maybe I was a bit too hasty in my decision this morning. Maybe I’ll just head back down with the pilot.” (Although considering the plane and everything, jumping was probably just as safe as trying to get back to land in that tiny thing.) While I was sitting on the edge of the plane over the open sky below (later having watched the video of me, my jump instructor is high-fiving all around the plane at this point) I kept looking down and my jump instructor kept pulling my head back so that I jumped correctly. He did this a couple of times and the next thing I knew, we were falling through the sky. People have asked if it was hard to jump. Let me just set the record straight. I didn’t jump. My jump instructor did and I just happened to be attached to him. It was the craziest experience. I always thought my stomach would jump into my throat (and perhaps it’s because you’ve just jumped out of a plane at 10,000 feet) but I didn’t feel my stomach at all. Just felt like I was on the freeway with my head out of the window… And laughing all the way. Amazing. Loved it. After he pulled the chute (which is when I fully relaxed) we just sat sailing at a comfortable 10 miles an hour over the gorgeous blue water and green backdrop of Waimea Canyon. I can’t believe people would sky dive anywhere else. It was SPECTACULAR. We did a few twirls in the air and eventually landed on the grassy patch by the ocean. So great, so fun.

Other highlights from the trip: swimming in waves that were kicking our trash; sudden rain storms; the Hindu temple; going to church; kayaking to a waterfall; the rope swing; fresh pineapple, banana, coconut smoothies in the morning; Macho Nachos; 2 pina coladas from Kalypso’s everyday; and of course our Mexican Fiesta. Aint no better way to celebrate Cinqo de Mayo than with a guac-off, good friends, and some asphalt pie in Kauai.

Had a great time…..

82 Degrees and Breezy

The weather today, that is...

This morning after 35 minutes on the treadmill (since the time in my life has come that I just can’t NOT exercise any more) and making the most amazing banana peanut butter shake for breakfast, my mom and I went to the outlets in Park City. Because, to be honest, even though I am no longer a student, I still feel the need to go ‘school shopping’ for myself... But it turns out that I only ended up with a tooled leather wallet, a dark brown short sleeved button up shirt, a charcoal gray skirt and some fantastic black wood and brushed gold jewelry. All on super sale. Niiice.

Then, after a stop at the Park City TJ Maxx, my mom and I went to lunch in Heber at The Hub. Quite possibly the most ghetto truck stop joint in North America but I love it all the same. The scone with honey butter was the best part… aside from my trip to the restroom. Let me explain. So we get there and nature calls. I go to the back and try to open the women’s restroom door, but it feels like it is locked. So I wait. After a few minutes, I’m wondering what is taking whoever is in there so long. Well, there was a guy who had gone in to the men’s room and then had come out in the time I was standing there. I go and try to open the women’s door again thinking that maybe I was just confused. No, it’s still locked (and I can hear someone in there). I go back to my waiting area when a different guy comes walking out of the men’s room. Now I’m really confused because it wouldn’t make any sense to have 2 stalls in the men’s room and have only a single seater in the women’s room… So I go over to the women’s room door to jimmy the handle and it opens onto some lady cleaning the joint. She says, “Sorry honey, I’ll be done in a few minutes.” Well, by this time, I just need to be finished with this whole thing (and who knew how long she was going to be mopping the floor), so I think going into the men’s room will be ok if I just lock the door. Good plan. So I do it. I go in there, lock the door and proceed to take care of things. While I am hovering (yes, hovering... not the biggest fan of public toilets) I hear someone open the door and come in. What?!?!? Ok, would have been nice to know about the faulty lock BEFORE I camped out in the stall. Some guy comes in and does his business at the urinal with me in the stall right next to him DYING and trying not to let him see my pretty pink toenails at the same time. I was so dying. Thinking, what if I asked him if he would hand me a paper towel. Instead I waited until he left before I hurried and washed my hands and scurried away.

Who knew there could be that much excitement in Heber. Too funny.

Memory Lane Tuesday

I stole this from Jen, so fun, so you all better do it!!

Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me 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.

Paris Top 10

The past few months have flown by… been on the road a lot. Got my mom moved into her new house, went to Paris, had my birthday and all subsequent parties, went to Hawaii, went to Vegas, and tried to catch up on everything in between.

So, in typically fashion, I am going to post about a trip I took over a month ago…. But I think it may be worthy of a post, so here it is: my Paris Top Ten.

This past April (about 2 weeks before we left), my good friend, Janice, invited me to tag along on her business trip to France. I don’t know about you, but I am not one to pass up a chance to hang out in Paris. It was spectacular. One of the best parts about the whole situation was the fact that both of us had been to Paris before, so neither of us felt like we needed to spend any time at the typical tourist sites…. The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, etc. AND neither of us is really a museum fan. Don’t get me wrong, I love history, just not the museums so much. But as with most things, there are definitely exceptions. It was fun to just enjoy the city by just being there and taking in all the sights without having to stop and get too many photos. I had a great time and it was fun to step off of U.S. soil for a few days. That being said…..

la Tour Eiffel

Notre Dame

10. (Dix) Walking past the Louvre in the pouring rain.

The quintessential Parisian moment. Wish I had a picture of that.

9. (Neuf) Seeing what you get when you think you know what you’re ordering.

In this case, it worked out. But I was not always that lucky. I took about 6 years of French back in the day. You’d think I’d be able to understand and/or speak it better than I do, but alas, I knew just enough to slide by. That 6 years of French also did little to help me out with menus, so it was a trip trying to figure out what would be safe to eat. And by safe I mean something that is fully cooked and does not resemble anything slimy or tube-esque. The French eat the most disgusting things… beef tartar, livers and intestines from any given animal, and of course, there are the snails. Ew. (These are not snails in this picture... It's actually pasta.)

8. (Huit) Beautiful Countryside

How spectacular is this scenery.

7. (Sept) Getting to wear my new white trench.

I had to layer up a bit to be warm, even in this new Banana Republic spring collection trench, but it was definitely worth the lack of thinsulate.






6. (Six) Petit Hameau

One of my favorite things about Marie Antoinette. During her reign as the queen of France, she decided that she wanted to play ‘milk maid’ with her little Queen’s assistants, so she had a little village built. Of course she did. No wonder there was a revolution. This was one of the things I really wanted to see on this trip to France. I had been to Versailles years ago, but missed going to Petit Hameau, (Amber, I can’t believe we missed that part) so it was so fun to see it.

5. (Cinq) Train Stations

We spent some serious time in lines for train tickets, but once train ticket is in hand, I love how easy it is to get around over there. On our 2nd day there, we took a train out to the Loire Valley. Amazing. I had just finished the book The Five Quarters of the Orange (by Joanne Harris) and that takes place in the Loire Valley. This is one of my favorite regions in France where the Chateaux are in abundance.

4. (Quatre) Fabulous Architecture

Everywhere you look. Picturesque. I just love how much detail there is on almost everything there and how beautiful it is.

3. (Trois) Having a great travel companion

Janice is so fun. She’s up for anything and she’s not a total cheap skate (but totally budget driven at the same time). Great travel companions make all the difference.

2. (Deux) Swanky Hotels

Since I design for a living, of course I love swanky hotels. LOVED this one. I so wish my hotel clients would let me use a feather chandelier in their lobbies.

1. (Un) Nutella Crepes

I heart Nutella crepes. They are my favorite thing in France. It’s true. I think I had a Nutella crepe everyday. Sometimes twice. And the French aren't messin around with these things.. they are pretty significant in size and sooooo good. Long live the Nutella crepe.

And there you have it. A recapitulation of my adventures in Paris. Good times 2008.

who knew

I guess it's kinda like a horoscope... always something that fits, but there are parts that don't. I cry too much to be a Type A personality. lol. What Jayna Means

You are fair, honest, and logical. You are a natural leader, and people respect you. You never give up, and you will succeed... even if it takes you a hundred tries. You are rational enough to see every part of a problem. You are great at giving other people advice. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in. You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising. You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

you know you want one.....

... a Purse Pal, that is....

This sucker holds your handbag so you don't have to put it on the disgusting floor... Anyone who knows me well, knows that I refuse to put my handbag on the floor. Anywhere. Gross. I have never put it on the floor in a movie theater or a restaurant (I put the strap over my knee or over the back of the chair or in my lap at the movies) but I SO need a purse hook for when I go out to keep my handbag safe from being on the floor!

Just visit my friend crazymamaof6 and sign up. I know it's kinda late notice, but the contest ends tonight at midnight, so get on it.

Every girl needs on of these... because friends don't let friends put their handbags on the floor.

a work in progress...

For Brooke...

So, here are a few pictures of my condo... Or the condo I lived in before. I actually moved about 2 years ago and don't have pictures of the place I live in now... This is all the same furniture, however, and all the same color schemes. I hesitate to do this... maybe because I design interiors for a living and so there may be some expectation of what my house should be... but Brooke asked twice for me to post these... so here we go.

That being said, please keep in mind that though I like all of this, my home is very budget driven and not exactly my interior design utopia, if you know what I mean. Also, please keep in mind that I in no way find these rooms 'finished'. If I were doing this for a client of mine, there would be some finishing touches to throw in there (not many, as I like a cleaner stream-lined look). Not to mention moving some of the things around... Right now I am not interested in spending a lot of money on fixing up my house because 1. everything I would like to do costs serious $$ and 2. I like the idea that I can be totally transient if I want to be without having an entire house full of furniture to worry about.

My bedroom. In this picture, only one of the walls is painted green, in my new place, all 4 walls are painted green. The palm in the corner has seen better days, but as I said, at this point I'm just working with what I've got and I got that free... lol.




This is my dining area... I did not pick the light fixture hanging over the dining table. Sick. The glass table was $100 bucks and one day when I have the room for a real table, it will be a wood of some kind.

A picture of my living/family room. Again, please keep in mind that it is unfinished (for example... too many things on the end table in this picture).

And there you have it. I did not get a picture of it, but at the end of the hallway in this place, I painted it hot pink and put a black and white sign on it (an old Gap thong ad) that says "It's what you don't see".

I have a guest room that I am going to paint hot pink and I will post that when I am finished... Although, I'm thinking that project may not happen for a couple of months yet. Because right now, I just couldn't be bothered.

Anyway... hope you enjoy!

Month of March

Have you ever felt like you were so busy you were about to lose it? It has been so crazy for me the past couple of weeks. And it doesn’t help that I work full time… It really does get in the way of my life… ha ha. I suppose SOMEONE has to pay the bills.

For the past couple of weeks I have helped my mom paint her fabulous new house. And I just have one question. Ok, maybe two questions. Why is it that paint companies continue to produce paint colors that are mint green and prosthetic arm taupe? The other question: Why do people feel the need to BUY these paint colors and think that it’s ok? It’s not ok. My cute mom’s fabulous new house looks like someone threw up mint ice cream. Everywhere. Sigh. So we taped and painted her bedroom, her office, one of the downstairs bedrooms, the downstairs family room, and her exercise room. No casual undertaking, I can assure you. But it looks so much better and she was able to at least move in her stuff even though we only got 1/3 of the house finished. A work in progress, as it were. She is lucky enough not to have prosthetic arm taupe anywhere in her house… that is MY luxury. I just couldn’t be bothered changing it, though I thoroughly despise the color. And since I can’t afford my own services, it will have to wait. ;) I will say that taupe is one of the hardest paints to buy and get right… because if you have even the slightest hint of pink in that paint, things start to go nowhere good VERY fast.

Speaking of things going nowhere good really fast, 2 weeks ago, I went to the ladies room where I work. We are in an office building that has a shared restroom, which takes about 90 steps to get to. Depending entirely on which shoes one is wearing. (I know this because we have all counted at one point or another). Anyway, as I am walking along in my new camel colored Jessica Simpson 1.5” stacked wedge pumps, I slip on the ultra polished concrete floor. (Pretty safe to say that these people must have an extremely efficient cleaning crew.) Having personally specified colored concrete floors for various projects, I am familiar with the product, and just an FYI, they do not need to be waxed and polished. At least not to this degree. Whatever happened to the coefficient of friction and ADA compliance? At any rate, I slipped. The good news is, I did not fracture anything, but instead, I ended up pulling a ligament in my foot.

And I’ve been gimpy ever since.

Not so fun, to be honest. And not particularly fabulous timing either, considering I board a plane to France next week. So I’m hoping that my foot will decide that it wants to be better so that I can walk again. Interesting how much I take advantage of being able to walk now that I can’t so much…

But it could have been worse. So here's to hoping that by next week, this foot of mine will feel like a million bucks.

And on that note, I'm going to head out and wrap my friend, Andrea’s, baby shower gifts.

Weekend Get-Away

... So a few weeks ago (ok, ok, the weekend of March 1) a couple of friends and I went south for some warmth.

St. George.

The boys wanted to do a little mountain biking and I just wanted to hang out in some sandals without getting frostbite. It was a beautiful 72 degrees and the perfect escape from the snow storm in the north.

I also got to see a very good friend of mine (Amber) from my study abroad days in London. So fun to catch up and see her. It's been years.

The Boys.

This picture is of us in my grandma's place in St. George... Thank you Grandma for letting us hang out at the condo.

It was so nice to get away, even if it was for a day and a half.

Where do you like to escape to for a weekend get-away?

Star Valley.... Wyoming

A few weeks ago a large group of friends and I went for a weekend in Star Valley, Wyoming. Good food, good friends, and good fun. Not to mention the spectacular accomodations. So here is a look into my President's Day weekend.

Friday February 15, 2008

• 8:30 a.m. - Drive to Kwal House paints to pick up a stain sample for a client..
• 8:47 a.m. - Get a call from our director of operations that the power at our office was out due to a power line down on the next street. Power won't be on until 10:00 a.m.
• 9:00 a.m. ish - Show up at my office anyway to file the papers overtaking my desk and to get organized by the light of the window.
• 10:15 a.m. - Power still out.
• 11:30 a.m. - Nature calls.... take a candle and some extra matches to the ladies room. Have to use the facilities with the stall door open because the candle just wasn't bright enough to go through the door and it was, what we would call, pitch black in that restroom.
• 12:00 p.m. - Power STILL out.
• 12:30 p.m. - Decide that one can only do so much in these working conditions and head out for the rest of the day off. Nice.
• 2:00 p.m. - Pack and get ready for the weekend in the snow. Oh wait, I was already in the snow. Ok, pack and get ready for the weekend AWAY in the snow.
• 2:45 p.m. - Decide NOT to take my swim suit.
• 8:45 p.m. - Jump in the truck with Dave and Janice. Wait for Ann.
• 11:00 p.m. - Stop at Maverick for chocolate covered gummy bears.
• 1:00 a.m. - Arrive in Star Valley.
• 1:15 a.m. - Meet everyone who came and eat 1/2 a chocolate cake doughnut.
• 2:00 a.m. - Take a tour of the house and wonder when my ship will come in so I can get myself one of those.
• 2:30 a.m - Good night.

Saturday February 16, 2008

After waking up and chatting with the other girls in the room, I went downstairs just in time to grab some breakfast. (not entirely sure what it was, but it had egg, tomato, and sausage... so good) And since it's one of my greatest weaknesses... I ate another chocolate cake donut. My friends, Matt, Dave, Janice, and Kris were going out on the snow mobiles, so I threw on my gear and headed out for a ride. So fun. I think Matt and I got to 90 mph a few times.

The week before we went to Star Valley, I got a nasty flu and had been out of work for almost a week. Not cool. If I'm going to take a week off work, I'd rather be using my passport. So since I was still on the mend, I didn't stay out too long. Such a great weekend for hanging out by the fire, playing rock band, playing pool, watching movies, and having some great laughs.

Matt taking a stroll through the snow.

Dave and Janice. Having a moment. lol.

The group. Most of us anyway.

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