Too Much Time on My Hands?

So, I just watched Stranger than Fiction and in it Harold asks his friend what he would do if he knew he was going to die - he said Space Camp, but I don't think I share that dream. So I made a list of what I want to do in this life. No, it's not a "bucket list" because I haven't even seen the movie and I have made variations of this list long before that movie ever came out! Ask Robyn - we talked about them in high school! I wish I could find the ones I've started before, but oh well.



My "To Do" List:

1. Travel to at least one country on every continent (especially Scotland and Switzerland, where my ancestors are from, even though I've already been to Europe a few times)
2. Skydive
3. Write a book
   
4. Be a mom
5. Ride a tandum bike again
   
6. Run a successful floral business
7. Sing in church
8. Learn to play the piano well and learn how to play the guitar
9. Take a road trip across the United States stopping at all of the cool, historic stuff
10. Knit an entire scarf without giving up at potholder size
11. Take a dance class (ballet/jazz/whatever)
12. Meet Michael Buble in person. Oh! Oh! OR JK Rowling! or both...both good, both favorites
    
13. Learn how to really cook
14. Go fishing at least once, but not have to clean the fish or eat it or anything
15. Fly in a helicopter
16. Learn how to interior design
17. Learn how to paint and then paint something really cool
18. Be at least half as good of a friend as mine have always been to me
19. See "Chicago" (the band) live
20. Go to a Broadway Production in New York
21. Pet/kiss/ride a dolphin
22. Touch a (tamed) Porcupine
23. See a real, live moose (already did that in Alaska, but it really was on my old list)
24. See Brian Regan live - so funny!
25. Overcome my fear of birds, fish, snakes...animals in general
26. Be able to touch flour and not cringe - seriously, it's like nails on a chalkboard for me
27. Be fearless
28. Magically find some athletic coordination so I can be better at sports, etc. Dude, I struggle!
29. Really learn my left from my right
30. Read/study the entire Bible from cover to cover
31. Do yoga on the beach every morning again, like I did on the French Riviera. So peaceful, sigh.
32. Be in a real life musical
    

Ok, that's enough. You get the picture.

Hmm, what to do, what to do?

Oh! I know! Sit in my room eating a bag of Andes mints, read other people's blogs, and get ideas on what to post for mine. Ta da! Thanks Mindi and Susie for something to fill my boredom time.

1.YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
-Frank Caliber
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
-Cookie Dough Sugar
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) - Mbra
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
-Green Puppy
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
-Dawn Raymond
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)
-Brame
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
-The Brown Diet Coke
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
-Robert Gordon
9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)
-BlackXS Reese's
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names )
- Lee Mark
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
-Wolsey Whichita
12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)
-Autumn Gerber
13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
-Strawberry Scarfie
14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
-Special K Willow
15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)
-The Boarding Rain Tour

OK make me laugh ..... copy, paste, and join in the fun !!!!

A Glimpse Into My Mind...

Here are some of the things I think about on a daily basis:

1. Is my fly down?
2. Do I talk too much?
3. I wish I didn't get so excited when I talk to people that I interrupt them.
4. I hope I don't get lost on my way home tonight.
5. How long can I really hold out on being unemployed?
6. What should I wear?
7. Am I really an artistic person, or do I just hope that I am?
8. Do people think I'm fake or mean? I hope not.
9. How self-centered am I?! Look at this list. I'm stopping.
10. I wonder what my family is doing.
11. How much longer do I really have to wait?
12. Seriously though, what does my future hold in the next 5 years?
13. Can I really do this floral thing and be successful?

Honestly, these are things I think about all the time. Pathetic.

Oh...I have to say something else. I got the best compliment the other day! I was driving to Hayden Island with a girl from class - Alyssa - and she said I have a nice singing voice. Whoa! First time ever! Woo hoo!

President Gordon B. Hinckley

I'm so sad. I just heard that President Hinckley passed away. What an amazing prophet he was and what a lasting effect his life and work have had on millions and millions of people. It was such a blessing to have him as a prophet for so long.

NaTasha Meyer

I've been thinking about my cousin Tasha a lot today, since it was three years ago that she passed away. I had to teach the RS lesson in church and it was on "Enduring Together" and bearing one another's burdens. It was so appropriate and the whole time I was reading it this week I kept thinking about Tasha and her family. Everything happens for a reason and I don't think it was coincidence that this lesson fell upon this day. I found a little video online of Tasha's life, but I couldn't get it to upload on to my blog, and my pictures of her wouldn't work either. Boo! So go to www.natashameyer.com and try to watch it. She's a beautiful girl, with a great smile, contagious laugh, goofy personality, and a huge heart. We are so blessed to have her in our family, and we will be with her again someday. I'm sure she and Grandma are playing Rook or something up in heaven together. :)

Going to the Temple and We're Gonna Get Married!

I just realized that I haven't posted pics from Robyn's wedding and what not. I would totally claim to be a slacker, but give me a break! Might I remind you that I was moving and doing some of her flowers also?!

All of the ladies after Robyn went through the temple.
They're all old college roomies of Robyn's, her mom, her mom's besty, and me!

Robyn, Becky, and I on her last night of freedom!

The whole posse - old roomies and their husbands/babies/babies to be

Who honestly has this in their house?!
Staring contest, you and me, right now. You win, you always do.

Oh, he's a hungry fella.

Here are the kissing balls I made for Robyn's little flower girls. They were an adventure to make, but the little girls loved them, and I hear they held up all night, which is good news!

The happy couple in true, eternal bliss. Sigh.

Oh the Humanity!

Why me?! Tragedy has struck my life. It's a nice, quiet, although blustery Sunday evening. I went to church, came home and made myself some dinner, did the dishes, filed my taxes, and decided that the perfect movie to watch on this dreary Sunday evening is Singin' in the Rain. How could Gene Kelly not brighten your day? So I opened my box of DVD's by my bed, which I insisted on bringing with me for the next 3 months, and...
No...Noo...NOOOOOOO!!!! I left Gene and Debbie at home in Las Vegas. Oh, I shed a single tear. Why do bad things happen to good people?! All I wanted to do was watch my favorite movie whilst I sat alone in my room and now it can't be. sniffle.

Oldies but Goodies

Let's be honest...in my haste to move I have neglected posting some pretty awesome things. Let's see...Christmas, Matt and Renee being home, my last days in Vegas before the move, Robyn's wedding...to name a few. Let's see what I can rustle up here.

Mitch grew a mustache

Melinda and I are still hot ;)

It was super fun having Grandpa around for the Christmas festivities
and I think he had a lot of fun too.

We got some pretty wicked Tommy Wright presents, but I think Tonya's family totally scored!

Stephanie took the Belt in the Lightweight Division for Leg Wrestling again this year

Dad took the Belt in the Heavyweight Division again also.

What an attractive family

Brit the bag lady

New Year's was a blast...even if I did bust my camera right before I took this picture at midnight.

Jonas is about as precious and entertaining as they come. How can you not love that face?

Joni and I went on a date to see LOVE . Sooo good!

Matt had grown a wicked beard that somehow turned into this.
Tell me he doesn't look like Uncle Randy?!

Sushi with the girls before Joni and I left.All of Matt's dreams have come true. Jonas..a future gamer.
I shed a single tear for my own reasons.

Ok, I think that catches me up on all the pics and all the happenings up until now. Man, it's a good thing I have no friends and it's too cold to go outside in Portland! Otherwise I'd never get caught up on my blogging!

I'm Here!!!

Oh my gosh! I'm here, I made it, and I'm freezing. Why didn't anyone tell me that moving to Portland in January is a bad idea?! The house I'm living in is super old and I guess it's expensive to heat....plus it's all tile and hardwood floors and it's freezing! I don't even take off my coat, hat, mitts, scarves, etc when I come in the house! Waaaaah! Besides that though, this city is pretty cool. It reminds me of a cross between Seattle and DC. So far I haven't really seen anything besides the inside of my school, buses, and the little wandering that Mitchel and I did when we got here (some purposefully and some not). However, I'm excited to do a little touring and check everything out. I think I'm even going to try and keep my Wednesday temple schedule going here, but I have to figure out how to get around.
Anyway, so I am finally here and I must say that the trip was adventurous, but I'm really glad Mitchel was with me or I would have cried from fright. We had really great weather until Rupert and Burley, Idaho. There was a little storm there and then it was clear, but the rest of the drive was pretty foggy. As soon as we crossed the Idaho border into Oregon we hit mountain passes in the wee hours of the morning, that were completely icy, there was dense fog, and we pretty much didn't go over 35 mph for the first 150 miles. I was beat by the time we got through there because I had been driving for 12 hours. Yuck! Anyway, we made it safely, and had some fun in Portland before Mitch boarded his flight back to sunny Las Vegas even after I begged him to stay with me so I wouldn't be alone. Some brother! Just kidding! We had a fun trip and I'm really glad he came with me. Also, school has started and I am loving it! I've even made a little log blog of what my school days entail so that you all can see my wonderful work progress as I go!

It's a Problem

Ok, listen... I have a problem. I am totally going What Not to Wear on myself and purging my closet again. In the process I've realized that I have a problem! When my friend Heather passed away in May, her obituary said that she was a "collector" of bags and clothing and I have to say that I share in her hobby. Our roommates used to shop in our closets in college. Seriously. But here's the problem...it's not so much that I like to shop, because I really have gotten better at holding back in the last few years, but the real problem is that I don't ever get rid of anything. Let's just talk about this - here are some of the treasures I found in a box of winter clothes retrieved from storage today: ahem...ribbed knits, velour-ish dress pants, baseball tees, thermal tees, and sweaters that used to be cute but are O-U-T now. What was I thinking?! Why oh why would I keep such things for so long? Layering pieces? No. I'm over it. So, I had to show evidence of an updated closet, which is still bursting at the seams. It's a step though, people! Oh, and pretend you don't see the mess - I'm packing!

Keeping

Keeping

Keeping - clearly this is only a small portion of my shoe collection

Also keeping...how am I ever going to get all of this to Portland?

The Treasure Box of discarded items, if you will.

Also discarded items, not to mention the two bags already in the hallway. I'm making progress!

Words That Make Me Do This....

1. Boo: as in "Girl, I want you to be my Boo!" Meaning girlfriend/boyfriend
2. Shorty: pronounced "shawty," meaning an attractive female/girlfriend or boyfriend.
3. Penetrate: in any context this word just makes me feel squishy. It feels invasive no matter what. I don't know why.
4. Ridiculous: as in "That girl was so ridiculous!" Used by high school kids these days and meaning "wicked hot!"
5. Nummy: as in "Mmmm, this food is nummy!" meaning delicious. Just say delicious people! Is your food numb? Does it make your mouth numb?
6. Alls: as in "Alls I want to do is speak better English!" It's just not proper and it sounds...retarded.
7. Beskifically: as in "I made that beskifically for you, Boo." Really?!

So, Here's the Deal...

I've been slowly removing my personal files, etc from my work computer and I removed all my pictures and the program I used to upload files. Not very smart, I realize that now. My computer at home is way too slow and unreliable to try and upload pictures, and I'm waiting to get a laptop before I upload anything else since I always did it at work, so now....you see why I have been lame on my posts? Now, to top things off I got a little too excited on New Year's Eve, did a celebretory Windmill (as in tap dancing), my camera flew out of my pocket, and smashed the screen into a rock. Happy New Year to me. Fortunately the camera is still usable, but only through the viewfinder. I'd really like to send it in to get fixed, however I'm moving in 1 week and 3 days, so that cuts my time a little short. Plus, when I get to Portland I'm going to need a camera for school. Oh what timing I have! I hope that is no indication of how my 2008 is going to be, since I smashed my camera at the stroke of midnight. Eee.

Welp, I know nobody wants to read a long journal entry, and I certainly don't want to type one so I will sum up my last week in a very short list.

1. I housesat for the Hubbs (the couple whose home I rented last year) for a week and it was fun living alone again...and not. I loved it last year, but felt a little lonely this week. I don't think I like living alone anymore. I like having people around.

2. While at Hubbbs I scorched my thumb on my flat iron and the skin is still in a very weird, non-blistered callus-like state.

3. We had a super fun Christmas, which I will post pictures of later. Dad took the Championship Belt in Leg Wrestling for the Heavy Weight division, and Stephanie took it for the Lightweight Division. I think this is the third year in a row for her. Rock on Steph!

4. Mitch and I were the only ones home for Christmas, so we slept in until 9:30 and took our time opening gifts. We had a fabulous Christmas though!

5. I've been having loads of fun with Patrick and Joni being home from school, but we miss Megan.

6. Matt, Renee, and Jonas got here on Sunday and it's been sooooo much fun having them home! It's nice to have a full house again, and Jonas is so entertaining to have around!

7. New Year's Eve was spent playing Bunko at the Burleson's and it was a blast! Joni's friends from DC came down, so it was fun to finally meet them.

All in all, life has still been really great. It hasn't really hit me yet that I'm moving and I've only done minimal things thus far to prepare for it. Next week I'm not working so all I'm going to do is pack and organize. F-U-N! I can't wait to start school again though. Also, it dawned on me that at the stroke of 2007 last year I knew it was going to be a year of change, this year nothing significant has hit me, but I feel like it might be a year of new beginnings, which I'm really excited for!