I. Am. A. Loser.

A big, fat, loser.  I'm so sorry for not keeping up my end of the bargain with this blog; i.e., keeping you apprised of the daily drudgery (and not so drudgery) that is my life.  So here is a quick update.

I am crazy in love with this goofy guy.

I have been completely exhausted and had no energy for the past two months, so I went to the doctor yesterday and discovered I have a "sluggish thyroid" and now have to take thyroid medicine because my body evidently thinks it is okay to act like a 70-year-old woman. 

 I bought the CUTEST new shoes on clearance the other weekend.

It has been raining for two weeks, and I'm ready for it to stop.

I got a new, shiny iMac for myself with my tax return

I planted tomatoes, strawberries, onions, peas, zucchini, watermelon, rhubarb, mint, artichokes, peppers, and lots of herbs in my sweet little garden.  

I am going to Tennessee for my lovely Diana's wedding next weekend, and I'm super excited to see her cute self!

I have been officially graduated from pharmacy school for two years now, and I still feel like a kid playing house.  I also got a B+ in my finance 504 class this past semester.  On to the next!

My job by turns delights me and makes me want to gouge my eyes out.  But it's still better than retail.  

So there you are!  I'll try to be better now that I'll hopefully have a little more energy and can get by with less than 14 hours of sleep a day.  Hopefully.  :)

Hooray for Vacay!

So, I'm off to Florida with D.H. for 10 days...and it couldn't come at a better time, because after being 70 degrees here earlier today, it is now snowing.  A lot.

Hello my darlings...

Sorry for the belated post!  Things have been fairly busy for me lately.

-I am taking Introduction to Corporate Finance this semester, one of the four classes I need to finish with my MBA.  So far I have learned one very important lesson: I am not very good at finance.

-I am in love with a boy from Pittsburgh who currently lives in Price, Utah.  His name is DH Hamilton, and he is a coal geologist for a mine near Price.  He works upwards of 50 hours a week, so we only get to see each other on weekends.  We typically spend Friday night through Sunday afternoon together, and love every minute of it.  I'm not sure if it's fate or luck or kismet that brought us together...but whatever it is, I'm very grateful.

-Work is going well - they are remodeling our building, so things are a little hectic at the moment.  Today they were glue-ing down the carpet, and the fumes gave me a migraine and I had to come home early.  But I still have the easiest job ever and it's paying the bills, so I can't complain.  

-Somehow my computer erased all the playlists from my iTunes.  I'm not happy about it.

-I'm going to Florida for 10 days in March with DH, and I'm going to meet his parents...I'm a little nervous!!  But I'm more excited than nervous, because I will get to go to Disneyworld and lay on the beach when it's still only 40 degrees in Utah!  Yay!

-I am writing this post as a way of ignoring my homework.  But I can't think of anything else to say, so I guess it's back to work!  

Is It School Picture Time Already??

It sure feels like it!!  I'm not sure of the reasoning behind it, but at work they have this wall where they have 8x10 professional framed pictures of all the pharmacists.  And because I'm fairly new, it's my turn to have my picture taken and put up on the wall!  Well, it was very strange.  I left work, went home, got all dolled up, went to the photography studio, had a bunch of photos taken, chose the one I liked best, and then headed back to work.  And here's how it turned out:

Don't I just look all professional and fancy?  The strangest part was there were two extra 5x7s that they gave to me.  What am I going to do with them?  (And why do they order them if they're not going to use them?)  I guess give them to my mom, like I did in 7th grade.  :)  

The Ten Rules

So, my ADORABLE Dad just sent me this e.mail.  (He said, "this is the way it should be.  #9 is my favorite."  He is so funny!!)

Ten Rules For Dating My Daughter

Rule One:

If you pull into my driveway and honk, you'd better be delivering a package, because you're not picking anything up here.

Rule Two:

You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below the neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off of my daughter's body, I will remove them.

Rule Three:

I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear their trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off their hips. Please don't take this as an insult, but you and all of your friends are complete idiots. Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue, so I propose this compromise: You may come to the door with your underwear and your pants ten sizes too big, and I will not object. However, in order to insure that your clothes do not, in fact, come off during the course of your date with my daughter, I will take my electric nail gun and fasten your trousers securely in place to your waist.

Rule Four:

I'm sure you've been told that in today's world, sex without utilizing a 'barrier method' of some kind can kill you. Let me elaborate... When it comes to sex, I am the barrier, and I will kill you.

Rule Five:

It is usually understood that in order for us to get to know each other, we should talk about sports, politics, and other issues of the day. Please do not do this. The only information I require from you is an indication of when you to expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only word I need from you on this subject is, "Early."

Rule Six:

I have no doubt that you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date other girls. This is fine with me as long as it's okay with my daughter. Otherwise, once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to date no one but her until she is finished with you. If you make her cry, I will make you cry.

Rule Seven:

As you stand in my front hallway, waiting for my daughter to appear, and more than an hour goes by, do not sigh and fidget. If you want to be on time for the movie, you should not be dating. My daughter is putting on her makeup, a process that can take longer than painting the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead of just standing there, why don't you do something useful, like changing the oil in my car?

Rule Eight:

The following places are not appropriate for a date with my daughter:

•Places where there are beds, sofas, or anything softer than a wooden stool.

•Places where there are no parents, policemen, or nuns with eyesight.

•Places where there is darkness.

•Places where there is dancing, holding hands, or happiness. 

•Places where the ambient temperature is warm enough to induce my daughter to wear shorts, tank tops, midriff T-shirts, or anything other than overalls, a sweater, and a goose down parka zipped up to her throat.

•Movies with a strong romantic or sexual theme are to be avoided; movies that feature chain saws are okay.

•Hockey games are okay.

•Old folks homes are better.

Rule Nine:

Do not lie to me. I may appear to be a potbellied, balding, middle-aged, dimwitted has-been. But on issues relating to my daughter, I am the all-knowing, merciless God of your universe. If I ask you where you are going and with whom, you have one chance to tell me the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I have a shotgun, a shovel, and five acres behind the house. Do not trifle with me.

Rule Ten:

Be afraid. Be very afraid. It takes very little for me to mistake the sound of your car in the driveway for a chopper coming in over a rice paddy near Hanoi. When my Agent Orange starts acting up, the voices in my head frequently tell me to clean the guns as I wait for you to bring my daughter home. As soon as you pull into the driveway you should exit your car with both hands in plain sight. Speak the perimeter password, announce in a clear voice that you have brought my daughter home safely and early, then return to your car. There is no need for you to come inside. 

......That camouflage-painted face at the front window is mine.

P.S. The word 'rule' looks really weird after you see it a bunch of times...

New Year, New You?

I've never been one for making New Year's resolutions.  I suppose it stems from the fact that I would like to always be working toward something better - better relationships, more education, fewer bad habits, new skills - all year long, rather than just sporadically at the beginning of the year.

That or I'm lazy.

In fact, this year I didn't even remember it was New Year's Eve until yesterday, when Kelli texted me and said, "what are we doing for New Year's?"  It's strange and maybe a little sad to be so busy you don't realize the biggest party night of the year is tomorrow!  That and I have a terrible cold, so my stuffy head isn't keeping up with the facts at the moment.  (I also have a relentless cough that is raping my throat.  Ouchie.)  

Now that it is actually New Year's Eve, nearly 6 pm MST, I've been thinking a bit over the past year, and it was quite a busy one.  

In 2008 I:

1. Had three different jobs

2. Met, dated, and broke up with the love-of-my-life-so-far

3. Bought the cutest house ever! (and acquired the third of three addresses in one year)

4. Bought a lawnmower, washer and dryer, and a treadmill (all things I NEVER thought about before owning a house)

5. Made my own Thanksgiving dinner, and got my first-ever full-size Christmas tree

6. Made a handful of really great friends, and

7. Became an "auntie" to Sophia Lavelle Ainge, most beautiful child on the planet!

It makes me wonder what's in store for the next 365 days...but I digress.

Back to the resolutions.  Is there a reason people have decided that the beginning of the new year is the time to get into shape, or lose 10 pounds, or quit smoking or whatever?  I understand the 'new beginning' concept, but why is it that the resolutions are always so trite, so cliché?  What would be really great if everyone could look deep inside themselves and decide to become kinder, more open-minded, more patient, more loving, more optimistic.  What a fantastic world it would be then!!

At least for a couple of weeks.  You know by February everyone's given up on their resolutions.  So have any of you resolved anything for the new year?

The List of Done and Done Nots (mmm...donuts)

Go ahead and copy the list, and then highlight the things you have done...

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a Praying Mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (um...does Vernal count?)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michaelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted (had it drawn.  by a class of art students.)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in movie
55. Been in a movie (movies of Christopher and I singing the Elephant Love Medley count, right?)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (I like to eat Girl Scout cookies.)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial (many, many, many times)
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt 
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car (hey, it was new to me!)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (ew.)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (of course, it wasn't just me...there were nurses and doctors there, too.)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one 
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Talked your way out of a ticket (I think the crying helped, too.)

How have I never swam in the Great Salt Lake?  What kind of a Utahn am I??

Christmastime According to Tonya

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?  Hot Chocolate...I've never actually tried eggnog that I can remember, but the thought of drinking raw eggs does not make me feel happy.  I ADORE the new hot chocolate at Starbucks: salted caramel hot chocolate.  It's full of salty/sweet deliciousness.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?  Neither - Santa sets our presents out grouped with our stockings on the couch or chair.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?  I had to search high and low for those big white Christmas lights this year to put on my house.  I prefer white lights on my house and tree, but I like them all except the plain blue ones.  How is blue Christmas-y?

4. Do you hang mistletoe?  If I could find mistletoe anywhere, you bet your bottom dollar I'd hang it!  I'd probably carry some around with me, too.

5. When do you put up your decorations?  Typically the day after Thanksgiving, but this year I was on call for work and had to stay home, so I put up the tree on Thanksgiving day.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish?  Dad's glazed ham, Rayma's pumpkin roll, spiced apple cider

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?  I can never remember specific memories from my childhood.  I loved driving around on Christmas eve looking at lights, then hanging out at Grandma's with all the cousins, going ice-skating together on Christmas day, and opening our presents together.  Also our rockin' cousin Christmas party and our crazy white elephant games.

8. Have you ever seen Santa?  You betcha.  Did you know on Google maps you can track Santa's progress on Christmas Eve?  

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?  Indeed we did.  We still do, in fact.  And the past couple of years Levi has had to work on Christmas day, so we opened all our presents on Christmas eve.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?  White lights, silver, red and gold glass balls of assorted sizes, and a few sentimental ornaments like my Bawlmer pink flamingo ornament.

12. Can you ice skate?  Yes I can, but it takes me a minute to get back into the groove after a whole year without skating.  Also, the only way I know how to stop is to run into the side wall...

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?  Honestly?...no.  I was super excited about my huge doll house when I was little.  In high school I was super excited about my letterman's jacket.  In college I was mostly excited to be home with the family.  I get more excited about the gifts I give.

14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you?  Spending time with family and friends, eating amazing food, not getting stressed out, and decorating with tons of lights.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?  I'm a fan of dessert in general, I don't recall any that are only made around the holidays.  Maybe fudge or homemade toffee.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?  White elephant games at the cousin Christmas party, with everyone attempting to bring the gift that will be fought over the most.

17. What tops your tree?  A silver star

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?  Absolutely giving.  I've always LOVED the feeling of getting someone a gift you know they will just adore.  That's probably my favorite part of the holidays, is having a reason to buy fantastic gifts for everyone.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? O Holy Night, The Christmas Song, Baby it's Cold Outside, Carol of the Bells

20. Do you feel Christmas is too commercialized?  Yes.  Yes I do.  I don't understand why anyone would rather be stressed out and too busy and going into debt for Christmas  than just taking the opportunity to be with people you love and appreciating the season for what it is.  

If it's dark outside it's too early to be awake.

What is it about 2:30am that makes my body think it's time to wake up?  For the past couple of weeks I've been having this problem: I wake up at 2:30-ish and can NOT go back to sleep.  Sure, I'll lay there for two or three hours, willing sleep to come back to me.  I'll get up and use the restroom because maybe that will fix it.  I turn on one side.  Then onto my belly.  Then onto the other side.  I push the covers off.  I turn back to the first side.  I pull the covers back on.  I lay on my back.  Meanwhile I've looked at the clock about 75 times.  Then I finally decide to get out of bed, but don't have anything to do.  What do you do at 5 am if you're not sleeping?

I guess you update your blog.  

Thanksgiving was lovely.  I had to stay home because I was on-call for work, but I made myself a little turkey dinner, complete with stuffing, rolls (from scratch!  for the first time!), cranberry sauce (also from scratch-delish), and gravy.  I put up my Christmas tree and got some stuff done around the house, and I only got called into work once.  It was a good day.  

Yesterday was my birthday, which was also lovely.  At work I got donuts and the girls took me to lunch.  I also took myself out for a pedicure, and mom and dad bought me a ladder and a crock-pot.  (You know you're old and lame when you're that excited for a ladder.)  I'm now 27 years old, which for some reason seems old to me.  Logically, I know it isn't old.  I realize I'm still a baby, but it feels old.  Probably because I still feel like I'm 17 and just playing at all this work/house/grown-up life.  This week I also put Christmas lights up on my house, which was an exciting adventure - climbing around on the roof like a monkey.  My neighbor was a little nervous for me, I think.  She kept coming out to check on me.  :)  She's cute.  

The Cutest House on the Block!

(You should be able to make the pics bigger now, if you'd like...)

Thank you, my friends, for being so patient...and let me assure you, it was totally worth the wait!  I finally have my house mostly set up the way I want and now you, too, can enjoy the darlingness that is my home sweet home.  Let me give you the tour...

First, the front and back yard, and the view of the house from the street (I'm not even kidding, there are no words for how much I love this tiny house.)

Moving inside to the front room:

And my little 'home office' area and the giant armoire that is my coat closet:

This here is the kitchen (by the way, I didn't have to paint or do anything...it was already this adorable.)

...and the so called 'dining room' which has yet to be dined in

The little restroom:

The smallest spare-room ever, which has become my exercise room:

And finally, my wonderful bedroom:

Decisions...

I have decided that I'm only making myself more miserable dwelling on things I can't control or change.  I'm letting go of those awful feelings of sadness and anger and being inadequate.  Welcome to my much more cheerful blogspace.  :)

i

I am...excited to see some old friends this weekend!
I think...my house is the cutest EVER!
I know... how to sniff out a bargain on pretty much anything
I want... to go dancing this weekend
I have... around 25 handbags
I wish ...I didn't get irritated so easily
I hate... meatloaf, rude people, windy weather
I fear... losing people who are important to me
I feel... productive - I've already raked leaves AND done my workout for the day!
I hear... some good music coming from the back bedroom
I smell... apple cinnamon air freshener
I wonder... what I'll take to Pam's this weekend
I regret... letting myself be too vulnerable
I love... naps, ice cream, doggies, my family
I always... follow my instincts
I am not ... big on drama
I believe... in myself
I don't always... remember to take out the garbage on trash day
I win... because I have the raddest friends EVER
I lose... a lot of things because I'm too forgetful and easily distracted (if anyone finds my Banana Republic card...)
I never... am on time for anything!
I listen... to my own fears and insecurities more than I should
I am scared of... ghosts and spiders
I read... whatever I can get my hands on, whenever I have time
I am happy about... my independence and my ability to rely on myself

Five is easier than eight

Thanks Kami...I'm sure everyone was DYING to know these things about me.
5 things I was doing 10 years ago ...
1- That was a long time ago...1998.  Sheesh, I was a junior in high school.  
2- Taking calculus and AP Literature
3- Hanging out with Kaysie a lot (but that was most of the 90s.  :))
4- Skipping seminary with Greg and going to McDonalds for breakfast
5- Making Christopher my new best friend...and he still hasn't gotten rid of me.  Mwah hah hah!

5 things on today's "to do" list...
1- Today is almost over!  My to do list is almost done!
2- Work.  For a long time.  
3- Take out the garbage can (I actually remembered!)
4- Run the dishwasher - done!
5- Wash my sheets...um...this one's waiting until tomorrow.

5 snacks I enjoy...
1- Chips and salsa
2- Graham crackers with chocolate frosting
3- Ice cream
4- Sour patch kids
5- honestly I've had to think about this question more than any other...um...string cheese.

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire...
1- Pay off my house and student loans
2- Landscape the yard, finish the basement, build a garage
3- Vacations, baby!
4- Jewelry shopping
5- More vacations.  I sure like not working.

5 places I have lived...
1- V-Town
2- WeJo
3- St Jorge
4- B'more
5- SLCUT

5 jobs that I have had...
1- Costume maker
2- Registration clerk
3- Pharmacy intern
4- Pharmacist
5- Being awesome.  Kami is my mentor.

I can see Russia from my house!

I wasn't planning on doing anything for Halloween this year, but at work people dressed up and there was a party and a costume contest so Kami convinced me to dress up as Sarah Palin.  Or, more accurately, Tina Fey as Sarah Palin.  (It was easy since I already had everything I needed in my closet.)  It turned out pretty fantastic - my hair was absolutely amazing, like a helmet of pouf.  And at work I won Scariest Costume.  After work I went to Kami's sister and brother-in-law's house for dinner and a movie, and Sarah got rave reviews there as well.  All in all it was a lovely night.  Happy halloween!

ESPN 8 - The Ocho!

Yes, it appears I've been tagged...

[eight] shows I love to watch:

1.  Arrested Development

2.  Seinfeld

3.  The Simpsons

4.  The Office

5.  Scrubs

6.  What Not to Wear

7.  My Name is Earl

8.  Anything on History or Discovery

Of course, this is all hypothetical, because I only watch about an hour or two of TV a week...

[eight] things that happened yesterday:

1.  I pretty much broke up with my boyfriend

2.  Took a bath

3.  Cried

4.  Drank a glass of wine

5.  Cried some more

6.  Got a huge headache from crying

7.  Listened to Sarah Mclachlan to calm down

8.  Cried myself to sleep

[eight] favorite places to eat:

1.  Home

2.  Cafe Rio

3.  Red Robin or Training Table

4.  That sushi place in Ogden

5.  Paper Moon (Baltimore)

6.  Cafe Hon (Baltimore)

7.  Any place with delish Thai or Chinese food

8.  People's homes on the Indian reservation I did a rotation at in New Mexico - BEST green chile EVER!

[eight] things I am looking forward to:

1.  Falling asleep tonight

2.  Not feeling like shit over breaking up with someone I still really like

3.  Paying off my student loans (in 20 years...)

4.  Landscaping my backyard

5.  Darcy visiting in the spring

6.  Seeing my brother this weekend

7.  Another glass of wine and another bath

8.  Getting a second job

[eight] things on my wish list:

1.  Having someone give me $500,000 to pay off everything I'm in debt for (school, home, car, etc.)

2.  Jeremy to call and say he wants to be with me after all, OR

3.  Stop feeling like shit about breaking up with him

4.  Live by the ocean

5.  Have enough time and energy to cook my own meals and take care of my house and yard

6.  Lose 15 pounds

7.  That gorgeous ring from Tiffany's

8.  Live by all my closest friends

And I'm sure you all feel much less depressed now that you've read this ridiculous post.  I know I do.