Your Government Dollars Hard At Work

Today has been a complete nightmare at work. We were recently audited by UDOT and we are under the gun to be in compliance by Monday. I have been working with a woman from the UDOT office who has actually been really nice and somewhat helpful. This afternoon about 11:30 while I was on a conference call with both she and my COO she suddenly cut us off mid-sentence and said, "You know what.....let me call you back after lunch. I just bought a new puppy and I need to run check on him."

I want the job where I can feel free to check on my random puppies as often as I would like at the expense of helping the people who I am currently on the phone with. Is it just me or is this actually complete insanity?!?!

The Sauce People.......the Sauce!

This will come as no surprise to any of you when I say that I don't cook. In my defense I'm single, so cooking for me is a bit more of a hassle than it's worth. I would just as soon eat a protein bar and some string cheese and call that dinner.

But I want to turn over a new leaf. I know if I try I can be amazing at this, but in order to reach my full potential I need a shout out from all the cooks in the family. What's the secret to making sauces? This seems like the key to be unlocked. I'm all about the fresh veggies and some sort of meat, but I'd really like to shake it up with sauce.

Sidenote: Walmart packages this garlic chicken dish that is amazing. I just know if I could make my own sauces I could duplicate with both cheaper and more delicious results.

I sit here ready and waiting for the 101 brillance on this topic to pour in.

Counting the Calories

I'm currently taking Aunt Candy's challenge to heart. I want to win the wedding weight loss competion at Devry's wedding. To ramp up I'm back at the gym and counting calories.

I'm currently shaking my head at my current will power to not over indulge in the girl scout cookies and in counting all blessed 16 calories in a cadbury mini egg when I put one in my mouth. Where this power comes from nobody knows.

What gym delights have I sampled this week? Well, I went to Spin on Tuesday where a very pregnant spin instructor kicked my booty, whilst not even seeming to break a sweat her own self (unnatural). I was proud of myself for enduring the entire hour.

Sidenote: What I love about spin is that it burns about 1000 calories an hour which is a delight. Thanks goes out to Mom and Dad for the best Christmas present ever, my heart rate monitor, which allows me to know how many calories I have burned based on my own personal heart rate.

Thursday was a "make it yourself" workout. Which includes 10 minutes on 3 different cardio machines. 10 minutes rowing, 10 minutes on the stair stepper, that's the one where you climb actual stairs (kill me), 10 minutes running. Calories burned= 600.

Revealed: My sinister plan to out hottie the bride on May 6th is in full effect.

Now let's here from my competition.......anyone, anyone?

Update, Update, Update

What's happened since my last post? Plenty. Highlights since I last posted:


1. Penee's insistance that since she can't drive she will be purchasing a pony and cart. When told she couldn't possibly drive said pony or cart on Geneva Road she insisted that she would cross Geneva and take the "back roads" Can't wait to see how she parks with the Pony and Cart on her next trip to Joann's Fabric.

2. Going to my Aunt Barbara Hendrix's for a T-shirt party. Got to see her Grandson Benjamin. Who although 4 months old looks 10 seconds from both walking and talking. He is adorable, and the biggest baby I have ever seen.

3. Watching She's The Man. The movie I liked, and even laughed pretty hardily in a few spots. The real highlight however were the previews, they were amazing!! American Dreamz anyone? Look for me there.

4. Called to be the Relief Society pianist. Thanks to Aunt Candy. Finally all her years of teaching me the piano can be put to use in furthering the kingdom.

5. Miley informing me that she was going to get Dags (her dog) certified as a therapy dog so that he could be in the delivery room when the baby is born.

6. Finally.......Girl Scout cookies.

Dance, Dance No Need For Revolution

I'm a closet dance music fan. I can't tell you the delight my heart feels when I hear a little refrain of the dance music genre float through my speakers. Suddenly I feel like I missed my calling as a Solid Gold Dancer or Britney Spear's Choreographer. Trust me you haven't seen anything until you've seen the moves the like of which I throw down, I especially pride myself on my Shimmy. For good measure I also like to mix it up with such classics as the "sprinkler" and the "random squat".

Current fav's to dance to include:

Madonna either Hung up or more especially Sorry off her new album- Confessions On A Dance Floor.

Other delights I'm currently sampling is I Like The Way - Bodyrockers. You might recognize this song from a Diet Coke commercial, but let me assure you that the full length version is so much more delightful. It just makes you want to shake your booty, and believe me, when this song comes on I sure do!

Rounding out my top 5 would be Everytime We Touch - Cascada and I Like To Move It (Jens O. Mix) - Zoo Gang.

FYI: These can double as part of a kick butt running mix- if you are into that sort of thing :)

The Delights of Transformers and Playing "Horsie"

Happy birthday goes out to Quinn upon the occasion of his birthday which was yesterday. The Brijs family came down for the event and Joseph was appalled at the lack of kids movies at Devry's house. Uncle Quinn came through in the clutch however with his Transformers series. The theme was carried through with an amazing transformers cake that Devry had made for the occasion as well. Check out devryandquinn.blogspot.com for more details. I dare say they will post about such a delightful event.

I had the pleasure of playing "horsie" with Joseph. If it's possible that kid just keeps getting cuter and cuter. We had so much fun racing and going on adventures in Devry's living room. Being with him and getting to interact in that fun way made me truly grateful for all the adults in my life who took the time to play with me when I was a kid. Special shout outs to Aunt Candy and Uncle Jeff. Who even from the time I was three made me feel like we were actual friends. You'll never know how appreciative I am of that.

In fact shout outs to all my Aunts and Uncles. I'm truly blessed to have actual friendships with all of them and am very aware of how unique and special that is.

I love you guys!

A Shout Out To A Sick Sis

Yesterday Syd had her wisdom teeth out and as one would expect it was highly traumatic. I hied myself over to Penee and H's last night after work to console the poor child. She was most miserable and considering that I just got an IM from her reading, " come here i'm bored and in pain" I'm making the assumption that things aren't any better.

Though I do fail to see how one could help but be cheered by watching HB as he suggested a date idea, Booty Charades, and the proceded to perform for Danny Arnett the delights that only Booty Charades can bring. Maybe Syd could suggest a rousing round now to dispel her boredom. In any case this shout out goes out to my Sis Sydnee. Here's hoping that you feel better very soon.

Animals In Theory

So here is what I have discovered about myself. I have always thought of myself as one who likes animals. I mean really, I have always thought I would love a dog. Big, medium small it wouldn't matter to me. Additionally I always thought perhaps I would like a horse or at least a pony and cart.

But it turns out the truth is I only like animals in theory. Meaning, I only like the thought of animals until I have up close intereaction with them. The upclose intereaction freaks me right out.

For example over the Christmas break Lex and I went to visit Lacy and Dave in S.V. We went out to Dave's parents house where they have a golden lab and horses. I thought I would go play with the dog, and I must admit I thought myself pretty brave. I threw his toy around while Lacy and Lex cowered behind me trying to fend off the dog with lexie's bowling bag of a purse. It was all fun and games until the dog knocked me down and slobbered all over my behind.

Not my favorite moment. Additionally when feeding the horse an orange it's lips touched my hand and I found I didn't enjoy the sensation at all. Take home message? I guess I only really have love in my heart for dogs not much bigger then Queenie.

Side note: Right at this moment I find myslef adoring the baby calves in the field just down from my office. It makes me want one, but the cold hard facts are (and this proves my point about me only liking animals in theory) that once said calves grow up to be cows, the only time I'll be adoring them is when they show up as a big slab of meat on my plate at Outback. Mmmmm!!

Tai Pan Trading Company

If you have not discovered the joys of this store you must do so immediately. It is located on 90th south in Sandy, Utah and it is incredible. It's the most delicious home store and everything there (well most everything) is incredibly reasonably priced and adorable. This Saturday Penee, Sydnee and I took a jaunt up there. Penee made out like a bandit and Sydnee and I let her lean on our incredible interior decorating sense.

We then hit up the fashion place mall where I stood in line at See's candy for almost 40 minutes!! I mean is See's really that good? After a 40 minute wait I'm just not sure. The only thing that made the Fashion Place trip worth it is that Syd got seven jeans for only 6 bucks. Well that and some sort of delight called California brittle, that stuff was delicious.

We rounded off the day on the drive back to Orem with HB calling us to find out if we knew who had made some "suspicious" charges on his debit card. I was worried he'd call Dana to see if she was the culprit and ask her where the black vest was while he was at it. But luckily we discovered that it was just Penee feeding her Joann's fabric habit.

I have no doubts that HB has Dana on speed dial for all his unsolved mysteries. I'm glad in this case crisis was once again averted!

A Baby Story

Stop thinking that I am pregnant immediately! Sicko's!!! This is not about my baby story but to confess my mild obsession with the TLC program by this name. This show is to me a bit like a train wreck. I have to admit that it at once freaks me right out and makes me scared to have children but I'm fascinated and I continue to Tivo every showing. It's unexplainable really.

Plus let's give credit where credit is due. TLC invented reality TV, they do it so well and I for one can't get enough.

Dear Mr. Cadbury,

This post is to address a topic most vexing. As you know Easter is right around the corner. You can tell this by the fact that Walmart has put out all their Easter candy.
Now I know I am not alone here in the understanding that Easter candy is by far the superior candy of all the holidays.

I present for your consideration the following facts about Easter candy's greatness;

At Easter time they produce Starburst jellybeans, a most delicious concoction.
Chocolate bunnies also make an appearance, the sort that can cause a family incident (ask Dana and Lacy if you do not know to what I am referring).

But the true love of my heart, the candy I wait and long for all year round, are of course Cadbury mini eggs. One has only to try them once to find yourself uttering the words famously spoken by Frank the Tank, "Once it hits your lips, it's so good".

There is just one problem I have been scouring the Valley to find this little delight. Now you'd think this would not be a problem. I mean everyone has their Easter candy out after all. But since my search began I've become puzzled. How is it that I can find peeps, the nastiest Easter candy in abundance but not a mini egg to be found? Not at Walmart, Target or Albertson's. I mean what are they thinking? You'll stock a Peep but not a mini egg? It just seem ridiculous! I have to admit I feel much as a gamer must have felt with all that Xbox 360 madness. It seems almost as if it's some conspiracy to drive up cadbury's stock.

But praise and accolades go out to my Auntie Kathleen for coming through in the clutch. She located a bag of these delicious treats at her local Macey's. She generously agreed to share them with me for which I will be eternally grateful.

Moral of this story-If you chance upon a bag of Cadbury mini eggs snatch them up with haste. Might I also suggest that you start your search at Macey's to save your self much heart ache and frustration.