RockinJer

Christmas-y

2011-12-02T22:35:00.001-08:00

I love Christmas. And I love love this little commercial. So cute.

(This is one of my all time favorite songs too, granted it is best when sung by The Smiths, but for this commercial it works.) ;)

Yup

2011-11-05T23:19:00.000-07:00

A friend posted this on Facebook today, and it seemed fitting for me right now. Plus who doesn't love a hotsy totsy picture of NPH? I do!

Its more like I'm "trying" to get more awesome, though. Sometimes I feel like I am and sometimes, like today, I don't. Maybe its because its a rainy weekend, and I am still getting over this yucky sickness I have had for 2 weeks, but I'm just not feelin' it at the moment. Right now I feel kind of forlorn, when I really want to feel like I'm getting awesome!

Any suggestions? I tried washing my car and cleaning my apt, but now I just feel clean and forlorn. I'm sure church tomorrow will help me feel better, it always does. I need perspective!

(Or maybe I need more pictures of NPH.)

Yep...ok... thats a good one.

Mmm hmm, his eyes clearly tell me I'm pretty awesome. This is helpful. I'm glad we talked it out.

'Different Technology Nicaction'

2011-10-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

This video made me laugh until I cried. Maybe because I am in one of those moods where I cry at anything, but I think its pretty hilarious none the less. (Plus I love Rhett and Link.)

As an interpreter at an educational setting, often I have had an instructor show a youtube clip of something and, in the interest of trying to be "helpful," they turn on the "CC" (closed captioning) option that is on youtube now, but its less than effective because it just. doesn't. work. So I just keep interpreting. NBD.

This takes it to the next level, and I love it:

You should also watch the first caption fail they did. Also amazing.

A couple things...

2011-10-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

First, I got my new Toms in the mail this weekend, and I am in love.

Second, I crafted my brains out this weekend, and had so much fun listening to conference, while feeling all domestic. I love my apartment, and I am loving it even more now that I am doing some fun stuff with it. I was gonna write a SUPER long post with bunches of pictures but I ran out of steam, so I will do more next time. For now, here's a couple pics of what I did this weekend:

^ This is above my couch. Its made with toilet paper rolls and love. (Which I hear is the same recipe for most marriages, right?)

Inspiration from here. But don't go there because you will like it better than mine.

Most of what's on the wall is made/painted/re-purposed by me!

It was great fun, I had about 14 projects in my mind to do, and narrowed it down quite a bit. You see, I am an all or nothing kinda gal. I get super amp'd for something and I go all crazy, and then it gets kicked to the wayside as soon as I see something else that is shiny and pretty and get all crazy about that. So when I have a moment of lasting enthusiasm for one thing, I am quite happy when I finish it. I think I have a version of ADD that distracts me, and makes me loose all motivation to do anything productive.

I give you exhibit A:

(I was trying to figure out what would look good in the frame. At least I ruled out "lion face.")

Aaaanyway, I will post more pictures in the next couple of days of my actual apartment, and show my other projects, cause I know you are just dying to hear every detail.

What? You're not?

Well, again, at least my Mom is. Hi Mom!

ps. Wasn't Conference off the hook? Er, I mean spiritually uplifting? I for one came out of it with a resolve to spend less time on Facebook/Twitter/Blogger and more time really living/being productive/serving/reading. How about you?

I want, I want!

2011-09-03T17:30:00.000-07:00

No...I need, I need.

Occasionally, very occasionally, I go to the Anthropology site, and peruse all the fun things I want.
Sometimes this is fun, and sometimes its just painful because I can't afford all that I want.

Here is my latest temptation:

Its Moroccan inspired and its just so pretty. It would go so well in my new apartment!!

Now how to justify spending the money.

{ Did I mention I moved to my very own apartment about 2 months ago? Its just so fun, and I am sans roommates. While I have had some good (and a few great) roommates, overall I have missed ever having my own place. At one point in my life I thought living alone would be depressing, but I can not tell you how happy I am to have my very OWN space. I can do what I want with decorating, I can cook and make a mess, and then clean and it stays clean! I also love the fact that I don't have to feel awkward in my own home, depending on who is there, what is happening, etc. After 10 years of not feeling comfortable in my own home (off and on), its a lovely relief! I seriously smile every time I walk in the door, I LOVE it. (And its such a cute apartment, super new, and all white cabinets, and marble counter tops, and great community.) LOVE IT! }

Portraits

2011-09-01T01:24:00.000-07:00

The end of April/beggining of June I was up in Utah really briefly to see some friends in a Concert (more on that later). I am blessed to have especially beautiful friends, and so as it works out, thier kids tend to take after their likeness, so I did a couple of impromptu photo shoots. I don't get to be around them much anymore which is not ok. Here are a few of my favorites, sorry if there are a lot!

btw:

(Boy are kids squirmy, I haven't had much practice with photographing kids, but trust me, I had more blurry ones than usable.) ;)

{click to enlarge}

Garrett knows a bunch of signs now thanks to "Signing time" (he's signing "mom" here)

Look at that adoreable face!

Here is the Fam!! They are the cutest, and Emily was around 30 weeks here, and they just had their preicious little girl, Chloe last week! She is gonna be my next target!

I cant wait to meet her!

Parker- What a goof. ;)

These next photos are of my dear friend McCall's son, Colin - the furrowed brow cutie. He is so fun to be around, and he is growing so fast! I'm so sad I am not around them either!

{click to enlarge}

Here is McCall and the little guy. Love them... and miss them! (And there is a brother or sister on the way for Colin! So exciting!)

And speaking of portraits, here is one of my Mom I took a few months back when she came to Az for a visit. Isn't she absolutely lovely!

Ok, well thats about enough of the picture overload! Have a good week-end! I have a 4 day weekend, and I plan to enjoy it!

Teacher?

2011-08-27T13:47:00.000-07:00

(^ Thats my name up there! Weird.)

I have been teaching for 2 weeks now, and it's quickly becoming the highlight of my week. I have taught informally, and done mentoring and enjoyed that, but this I love! I am teaching an ASL 1 class of 25 students. It's 3.5 hours long, and we use every minute of it. Actually we have had a lot of fun, so as far as I can tell, no one wants to kill me yet. The students are already petitioning for me to teach their ASL 2 class. I reminded them that I am the only ASL teacher they have had, so they will be pleasantly surprised to know that others can do the job too. However, I think it helps that I love what I am teaching, and had some amazing teachers that helped me do understand the best ways to teach. I am also lucky that this type of class is hands on, and most students want to be there, and they tend to get the ASL bug so they are motivated and excited about class.

So often in my life, I feel like a fake. When I became an interpreter, I waited for someone to call me out. When I interviewed for a job as staff here and there was a big 20 person interview, I thought they'd figure out I'm a fake. Now that I am teaching I keep thinking all of a sudden I wont have anything left to teach and they'll get a real professional to do the job. For some reason I have a hard time realizing I am an adult and have an adult life. I guess that goes for being a professional in Sign Language as well. When will I ever feel "Legit?" Probably never. But I enjoy it anyway.

2011-08-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

"Thinkers think and doers do; but until the doers think and the thinkers do, progress will be just another word in the already overburdened vocabulary of talkers who talk."

-E. Jacob Tailor

Ive been thinking a lot about blogging, but haven't actually done it. Now that I have internet, I will. Soon. ;)

Another "Aspkt" of Phoenix

2011-06-28T00:57:00.000-07:00

Some more pictures I hadn't posted yet, but I liked. Every city has its own charm, I like the urban feel I found in some of the nooks and crannies of Phoenix.

(click to enlarge)

Pet Peeves

2011-06-26T22:30:00.000-07:00

So its been a looong time since I posted last, and I have a lot to catch up on. I have just not felt like blogging AT. ALL. for some reason. (Maybe part of it is because I have been watching the whole last season of project runway on Hulu and have had time for little else?- I think the other finalist should have one, incidentally.)

The first part of this post though, is random. I have been thinking of some of my pet peeves, and wondered if I am the only one who has these. Its funny how I have such little patience for some things that are really trivial if I stop and think about it. Anyway, here are a few...

- When I try to take a hanger out of the closet and its intertwined in another item of clothing or hanger. I can't just untangle it patiently, I have to yank and twist, and growl angrily until it (doesn't) come out.

-When I am with a friend in a new place and I don't know anyone, but they do, and they don't introduce me and just start talking with everyone. Awkward.

-Those straws that have the little covers on them SO tight that they have no room to actually come off the straw until you jam it onto the table so hard that it splits the straw and you end up sucking air in equal parts with your soda. oy.

-People who don't turn right on red, when its legal and NO cars are coming.

-"Hot Pants." Unless you are a "never nude" these should not ever be worn.

-People who use the bathroom stall right next you yours when its a big bathroom, and NO ONE else is there! (this goes for movie theater seats too)

-When people say something like..."Are you busy tomorrow?" then they wait for you to answer. I want to know what I am agreeing to do by saying "no" or missing out on if I say "yes." But I don't want to sound like a jerk by saying, "I dunno, it depends."

-When people emphasize the term "literally" when there is nothing literal about it. ex-"It was literally 400 degrees in today." (Lets be honest, I do this too, but it bugs.)

Oh there are so many more, but these are just ones fresh in my head at the moment. :) What are some of yours??

...Aaaaaaand speaking of "Pets" I got one. I was going to name him "Peeve" so I could call him my Pet Peeve, but then I remembered I'm not a hipster.

I have been planning on getting a dog, but with my lifestyle and work schedule, there was just no way that I could get one. :( Sad, but I had to give up the dream. Sooooo I got what any single and almost 30 year old is supposed to get.

A Kitten.

Yep, I have an adorable little orange kitty. I realize the stigma that comes with having a kitten as your only roommate, but I don't care. So go ahead, make fun of m in your head about being the Cat lady, my brother already did.

My co-workers cat had kittens, so I adopted one. Well, it was a total of 2, but thats a long story. Lets just say the first kitten I got was named Rudy, and this is him and this is what he did to me...

He was adorable as can be, but was a little terror, and I was awake every hour, and he meowed his little head off if he was not around me. I was so afraid ever wake him up because when I did he would get all psycho. I was bleeding constantly from him. In an act of desperation, I traded him for his brother, Chester. (I felt really bad, but I was beginning to thing I just wasn't ready for a Kitten.)

Once I traded for Rudy's little mellow brother, Chester, and it all went the way I was expecting. Kittens are work, but they aren't supposed to attack your face at night, and shed your blood, you know what I'm sayin'?

So Chester is adorable, and hilarious- he cracks me up, and we have bonded already. He still runs up my leg but his little claws don't gouge a layer of skin off my leg. And he sleeps on my shoulder but I can move him without him getting crazy.

So, here he is:

(I won't mention the semi-explosive diarrhea that he experienced 3x in one night, and the baths I had to give him while he was hollering. Oh and how in the middle of that he locked himself in the bathroom by opening a drawer against the door. Ok so that was a panicky moment, but all is well now.) ;)

In a perfect world.

2011-05-08T11:36:00.000-07:00

In a perfect world...

-I would be able to give my mom a table full of presents.

-I would have the perfect words to tell my mom how much she means to me and what an amazing person she is.

-I would be able to re-pay her for everything she has done and sacrificed for our family.

-I would have all the time in the world to spend doing fun things with my mom.

-I would be there with my mom to celebrate mothers day.

My mom and I have had so much fun together, and been such great friends over the years and will always be. My mother's selflessness, her love, kindness and friendship has made me who I am and gotten me through many rough times.

I am grateful for a day where we can all stop and honor motherhood, because it is truly the hardest and most wonderful calling in the world.

My mom is the embodiment of this scripture:

And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Moroni 7:45

Happy Mothers Day to my mom and all the amazing moms that I know who also have these qualities!

Here are a few of my favorite mums ever...(in no particular order)

A new take...

2011-04-26T22:42:00.000-07:00

I posted this picture (among others) a while back, but have been wanting to try out more black and white, and I got something that I think is better than the original. It took some reworking of contrast, exposure, etc, but I am re-discovering why black and white is so great!

On another note, right after I posted the pics of this intriguing creature, I am sad to say that he disappeared. Now in the same large "field" ther are three beautiful darker brown horses that run, eat and laze about together. I am sad my favorite horse is gone, but maybe I will make 3 new friends.

Reason For the Season

2011-04-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

HAPPY EASTER all!

(image found here)

Don't forget the reason for the season, Jesus Christ. I am grateful for holidays where it feels like many of us are on the same page. I think the world could use more of remembering the Savior and His atonement and resurrection. I love this video clip, and I add my testimony that He lives.

Desert Hike

2011-04-20T22:10:00.000-07:00

Deserts and Hikes are 2 things that I have lived my life thinking should never go together. But this last weeked I allowed them to be together. It was actually a nice hike, albeit a pretty easy, but it was 90-somtething degrees outside, and the middle of the day. Bad timing, yes, but my roommate wanted to go, so I decided to join her.

I was surprised to see how beautiful things can be if you look! Its a spiky-er kind of beautiful but I quite enjoy it all.

We decided next time, early morning would be better, and not so scorching!

This is the beginning of the hiking trail on south mountain in Phoenix: {and the word Mountain is used loosely here. When you've lived in Utah, these look more like "big'ole hills"}

The beautiful {& smoggy} view from the top, of downtown phoenix. We drove {in our air conditioned car} about 1/2 way up and hiked about a mile the rest of the way.

Hunger Games

2011-04-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

First of all, if you have not read these books, read them.

I love them, although whenever I tell people the premise I have to start with a disclaimer that my description of the books isn't great, but the books are. Maybe I am not explaining it right, but whenever I tell people its a post-apocalyptic North America, where the capital city of 12 districts choses 2 teens from each district to fight to the death in a reality show/battle, people give me suspicious looks.

For those of you who have read it, what do you think? Did you love the 3rd book or hate it, or a combination? Being vague because I hate blogs with spoilers, I'll just say I loved the first 2 and have mixed feelings about the 3rd and feel the last couple chapters were quite rushed, but was OK with it all in the end.

Anyway, I am reading them all again, after this lady got me to read them the first time. I found out they were making a movie of it a while ago, but they only just released who the 3 main characters would be a week or 2 ago. I have been SO anxious and nervous to see who they would be. (dramatic, I know, but I am picturing a Twilight movie-like-disaster.)

So, if you don't already know, or if you care, here they are.

Jennifer Lawrence (Winters Bone) as Katniss Everdeen, the Main Character who is the narrator of the story, who is terribly poor, and hunts to take care of her mother and sister after her father's death. She is a survivor, and is supposed to be small, thin and very plain but incredibly strong willed.

I have never seen Jennifer Lawrence in anything, but she seems awfully tall and curvy, and not scrawny or plain by any means. She got a lot of buzz at the Oscars so I am hoping she does not disappoint.

Liam Hemsworth (The Last Song), as Gale Hawthorne.

He is supposed to be Katniss's friend and hunting buddy who is like a brother, but Katniss struggles about what kind of love she has for him, and if there really is more.

Aside from the fact that he already has a point against him being most known for a movie with Miley Cyrus and also her boyfriend, and that he is supposed to have darker wavy hair, he works alright i guess. One plus is he is pretty darn hot, so I won't have any qualms watching him hunt.

And lastly but not least, Josh Hutcherson (The Kids are Alright) as Peeta Mellark. Peeta is a boy in love with Katniss that is thrust in the games with her. He has unconditional love for her which makes him tragic and sweet. Katniss struggles with what she feels for him too, and why she feels what she does. Add to the mix Gale, and its a fabulous love triangle.

For me he is the most beloved character, and the one I was anticipating the most, and consequently the most disappointed in who they chose. BUT I have never seen him before so the only thing I have to go on are looks, and I am hoping he does the character justice. His physical characteristics do not match what I pictured. Also, I feel like he looks 12 and Katniss looks 20 and a foot taller than him.

What do you guys think!? Besides the fact that I am taking this all too seriously. {Rachel I blame you.}

(photos from IMDB)

Juxtaposition

2011-04-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

Found this pretty little thing while driving back from one of our campuses. This campus is even more in the middle of no where than the one I work at is. It's pure dirt and cacti for about 100 miles each way. When we drive out there i'ts almost 2 hours each way so we only have a couple hours there before we have to come back to our main campus.
But I digress.
After that much "blah," when you see a pop of color, you tend to notice. Since spring is now here (yay!) The cacti are now starting to blossom! These are little cacti, and I would never notice them at all, but but they now have beautiful flowers! I just had to snap a picture, even though all I had was my phone. Next week, I will make sure to bring my Canon to do these blossoms justice.

Aren't they beautiful!? I love Arizona!

Spring Break-last post.

2011-04-06T22:56:00.000-07:00

Here are the last pictures of Vegas and home to California. My cousins and Aunt were in town, and we did our traditional "Swap Meet Saturday" and it was just so fun to see them. I lived just a few miles from them for the past couple years, so now that I live here in AZ I have missed them! So, here are my last random pictures from that week. (and there are A LOT)

I got the opportunity to take a few quick HDR shots on "The Strip:"

All the gals at the swap meet

{Kim, Mom, Aubree, Allison (Kims Twin), Ashley, and her friend Lex}

aaaand last but not least, another couple of my cute mom....

Spring Break part 2- Las Vegas

2011-04-03T18:40:00.000-07:00

I met my parents in Las Vegas (with my new-to-me Toyota Avalon by the way! I love it!) My Dad had won a package to Marriott, so we stayed at a super nice resort, and could eat at any of the several restaurants for free! It was great fun! Thanks Mom and Dad for letting me crash your party! :)

The Donnie and Marie concert! So silly but so fun!

The Resort: (wheres Waldo?.... er..my parents)

The Bellagio Atrium:

My (non-facebook) Status:

2011-03-30T22:03:00.000-07:00

I am happy.

Not ALWAYS-but right now, at this moment I am. And I am having more of these moments, more often. Which I like very much.

I have more hope. I have more motivation. I feel closer to my Savior. I feel the need to be kinder to people. I notice the beauty of the earth and sky every single day, I almost have the feeling like I have never seen something as beautiful/amazing/unique as "this". I talk to myself in the car, and it's not to yell at the guy who cut me off. (usually) I make silly faces to myself all the time. (The latter 2 mean "happy" for me, not "looney" I promise.)

I am grateful for an abundance of blessings in my life and for what I know to be true, and that is what gives me hope and joy in my life.

Just wanted you to know. :)

{Chandler, Az at sunset just after rain}

Spring Break Part 1

2011-03-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

Last week, I had a week off for spring break! One of the perks of working at a college, is I get some nice breaks! I met my parents in Las Vegas, and then on to California for some relaxation and time with my parents. It was such a nice week to just relax.

What would a trip to Ca be without a stop at the beach? Even if it was a little cold! :) Pics of Las Vegas to come next!

Horse With No Name

2011-03-07T21:37:00.000-08:00

I have adopted him. Informally of course, since he lives across the street from where I work. But he seems lonely, so I think he has adopted me too.

And he makes a darn fine model for my last "Portfolio" project for my photography class, if I do say so myself. Isn't he beautiful?

{These are photoshoped as well to make the details stand out, and I tried some effects for fun.}

(once again, click to make larger)

Just in case you haven't laughed yet today...

2011-03-02T18:17:00.000-08:00

I can't think of anything cuter than this. (I want one!)

Nature

2011-02-27T23:20:00.000-08:00

This month I have been doing an on-line class from Nicole's Classes, because I won that free class when I went to their Art weekend in SLC in Oct-ish. I love Nicole's blog, and her photography style. She is an amazing photographer, a very clean and classic shooter, none of the fancy shmancy tricks and gimmics people do with photoshop, and even HDR. She teaches very well too, and I love learning from her. Anyway, here are a few of the pictures I shot for her on-line class which unfortunately ends this week.

(all pics are taken across the street from where I live at the pond/park, except the last one which is down by where I work in Coolidge.)

Awake My Soul

2011-02-26T14:07:00.000-08:00

I don't know why, but I am really liking this song today. Something about the lyrics too.

How fickle my heart and how woozy my eyes
I struggle to find any truth in your lies
And now my heart stumbles on things I don't know
My weakness I feel I must finally show

Lend me your hand and we'll conquer them all
But lend me your heart and I'll just let you fall
Lend me your eyes I can change what you see
But your soul you must keep, totally free
Har har, har har, har har, har har

In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die
Where you invest your love, you invest your life
In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die
Where you invest your love, you invest your life

Awake my soul, awake my soul
Awake my soul
You were made to meet your maker

Awake my soul, awake my soul
Awake my soul
You were made to meet your maker

~Awake My Soul by Mumford and Sons~

listen here

P-Town

2011-02-21T17:44:00.000-08:00

Phoenix, that is. Downtown Phoenix. On Sunday morning before the crack of dawn I met up with a photography group who specialize in HDR photography. We met before dawn so we could take photos of a waking and soggy Phoenix at sunrise. It had been raining all week end which is the best time to take pictures if you ask me. I had so much fun, and being my first time doing HDR, I learned a lot.

{If you care, HDR means High Dynamic range, and is achieved by taking 3 pictures of the same composition with a tripod. One @ normal exposure, one @ 2 stops over exposed, and one @ 2 stops underexposed. Then you blend them together for a very dynamic picture! Some can get over the top, kind of like the church picture (2nd to last) but I tried not to get too crazy on the others.}

I forgot what the world looked like at 5:30am, it was delightful!

I can't wait to go back!

Some of my favorite shots:

(these look way better bigger, click to enlarge)

The "P" word.

2011-02-17T22:44:00.000-08:00

Are you?

2011-02-09T18:43:00.000-08:00

Found here.

Mmmm Cheeeese

2011-02-06T15:16:00.000-08:00

This is me milking "famous by association" for all its worth.
So Doritos has a "Crash the Superbowl" contest where thousands of people enter commercials for a chance to be shown during the superbowl. Some of my friends did it, and got to the top 5!! So everyone has been voting from the top 5, for the best ones, and 3 make it to actually being shown during the Superbowl. So in your watching, don't do the DVR skip though, watch for my friend standing in his boxers during the superbowl!

Here is the commercial, watch for it! (And here is a little shout out from the CW30 about them.)

Sigh Ah Nar Uh

2011-02-01T19:42:00.000-08:00

Well, peace out folks, I'm going to the ATL tomorrow, thats right Altanta, Georgia! My first time ever, and its coooolld there. Im going for a conference for work, and Im actually super excited! Im staying in a nice hotel, getting all my meals paid for, and it'll be a grand old time.

Now this next part is the highlight of this post. You need to watch this. All of it. If you can't, at least watch 1.5 mins of it. She cracks me right up. And this is where I am going.

Ciao!

Rude of me?

2011-01-30T17:22:00.000-08:00

So I have been thinking about possibly trading my car in lately because of many problems, so I went to Edmunds.com to get an estimate value for my car. They make you fill out your info, and say someone will contact you about deals they have. I checked the box saying "email only." Well all week I have been regretting that, because I have been getting calls and emails like crazy from dealers and its driving me NUTS! I keep ignoring them because I haven't researched enough to want to get roped in to anything yet.

Well, today I SERIOUSLY just got this email from a dealer that has been the worst spammer all week. He calls and leaves messages sometimes 2 a day.

Read this and tell me its not crazysauce. (last name changed to protect the "innocent")

Jerilyn
It's Joe Blahblah from CardinaleWay Mazda. I just wanted to let you know that I talked with my therapist. He says that you never responding to my messages is not an indication of your lack of interest. He says it's my own insecurities. How about dropping me an email or giving me a call? Just let me know if he is right or wrong. I do pay the guy after all!

Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you soon!

Joseph BlahBlah

Internet Sales Manager
CardinaleWay Mazda

Whaaaat??

I almost died when I read it. I thought it was hillarious, so I had to send him an email in the like, right?

Joe,

You need a new therapist. Found someone else, please don't contact me again. Thanks!

-Jerilyn

Was that rude of me? I just couldn't resist.

Politics, blech

2011-01-30T10:56:00.000-08:00

I really don't like talking politics. Really. Everyone just gets all offended and upset usually no one changes there mind about anything that has been debated. (However, I do think its extremely important to know and understand what is going on, if you can wade through all the muck.) That said, this is a video purely about perspective. It's interesting for me because I am a typical American who doesn't seem to know the difference between $1 billion and $1trillion, except that I know which pile of money is bigger. Yes I admit it, mostly I don't want to really understand because it seems crazy upsetting that we are even in the debt we are in. (Again no blaming of which president got us in to what messes for what reasons here, just an observation of the mess we're in.)

So if you're like me, this may be an interesting bit of perspective. Watch if you want, don't if you don't want :)

Hartley Family Band

2011-01-27T22:24:00.000-08:00

I have some of the coolest family around. I also come from a very musical family, none have ever been formally trained, but we all seem to have a crazy love of music. I didn't really get that "performance" gene, but I love it all the same.

My Dad brought me up on great rock music, like Journey, Eagles, Styx, Neil Young, etc. In fact, whilst still in the womb, I was rocking out at his concerts with my Mom in Canada when he was still in a band. I have grown up with him singing and playing guitar, and have tried to pick it up a little myself. (ahem, still working on that). My brother has become an amazing singer/guitarist/song writer too.

At any rate, my Dad and his brothers, Ron and Gerald come together every christmas and play music, and as of the past 3-4 years have been recording (finally) their stuff. My uncle Gerald has a mini recording studio in his house. So without further ado, I HAD to show the world some of it. I will start by posting thier most watched and enjoyed one on Youtube.

Its called "Seven Bridges Road." A cover the Eagles did a while back. (Originally written by Steve Young which if you read any of the comments, its been quite a disscussion, lol)

{L to R: Gerald (youngest brother), James (my brother), Larry (my Dad), uncle Ron (oldest Brother)}

Watch and enjoy!

THIS is another of my favorites (amazing harmonies) although maybe not as well known. Its called "Helplessly Hoping" by Crosby Stills and Nash.

Feel free to watch others if you have some time to kill :)
A few more suggestions though:

~My Uncle Ron wrote this BEAUTIFUL song. I am learning to play it. Its Called "Sunshine and Rain."

~Here is their cover of Teach Your Children Well, for those who may not recognize the others. (really well done version- i love it)

~And last but not least... my uncle Gerald whose house they are recording this in, is an amazing soloist and guitar player, and jack of all trades. Here is one of his most recent, and I love it. I LOVE his voice. And no, he is not one of a set of triplets, this is just The Gerald Hartley band. :)
Go HERE to watch. (ps check out the coolest guitar ever he is playing.)

Check Your Neck!

2011-01-24T17:59:00.000-08:00

Happy Thyroid Awareness Month!

While thyroid disease is not something happy, early prevention of the disease is! January is the designated month, so everyone stop what you are doing right now, and CHECK YOUR NECK! It literally takes 5 seconds - Just put your head back, and feel around for any abnormal lumps or unusual "enlarged glands."

Your Thyroid is at the base of your neck, by the middle of your "clavicle" but you could have a lump anywhere. Remember, I found mine up near my chin on the right side.

While I had cancer, many suffer from Hypo/Hyperthyroidism. Now that I have no Thyroid I am forever Hypothyroid, and have to counter that with medication. Here are some signs that you could have it.

Facts about Thryoid cancer:

Thyroid Cancer is growing seven times faster than Breast Cancer

Thyroid Cancer is growing six times faster than Prostate Cancer

Thyroid Cancer is growind five times faster than Testicular Cancer

Famous Celebs who battled Thyroid Cancer:

Sofia Vergara from Modern Family

Catherine Bell From Army Wives

Roger Ebert

Katee Sackhoff from "24", "Battlestar Galactaca"

Happy Hunting!

John Deer Certificates, Rodeo team and Gila Monsters...

2011-01-15T13:07:00.000-08:00

... are all a part of my new life. I have been warned on more than one occasion at work to watch for rattlesnakes, and Gila Monsters (pronounced like Heelah, and looks like a big scary lizard). Our school is quite proud of our Rodeo team, and John Deer program and I haven't quite figured out why yet, but I get emails warning me to stay out of the "range" at our school because there is shooting going on out there. Guess I should figure out where that is so to avoid getting shot at.

Anyway I am HERE! Its crazy in AZ! Not really, that just rhymed. But it IS crazy that I am in a totally new place and really don't know hardly anyone, and my job is very different than I am used to. I have realized that I can not compare this life with what I have been used to in other areas, especially the job. I am still just getting my feet wet but I think I will really like it when I get settled. So far so good!

I have now been here for 2 weeks. My parents helped me move out and drove down with me and moved me in here. They are SAINTS! I would have been so overwhelmed without their help, but with them here it went smoothly and quickly! Thanks again parents!

Some interesting things: (the word "interesting" is being used loosly)
-My commute is a smooth, traffic free 35 minutes from Chandler to Coolidge (south) and its dry, flat, empty desert for 30 mins of the drive.
-I use my GPS on my phone to survive, but get semi-lost everyday.
-Our college has 3 campuses and 7 centers accross Pinal (yes, Pinal) county where students take classes and it takes anywhere from 30 mins to 90 mins to get to each one from the main Campus I work at.
-I have done a lot of traveling to the different campuses already to do "Diversity" training. I was really tempted to do my best Michael Scott impression, but refrained.
-The theme in Az is "Pueblo" apparently. It seems to be a requirement.
-Really like my apt, have 2 roommates who seem nice, but not a ton of interaction w/ them yet.
-I now have trader joes! And Chipotle! And warm weather!
-I am finally starting to interpret on Tuedsay(when school starts)!!!

So here are some Pics~

My new digs:

MY DRIVE TO WORK IN THE AM:

The school, and Building I work in:

COME VISIT ME!!! PLEASE!

Funny cuz its true.

2010-12-16T13:23:00.000-08:00

(FYI: ASL Interpreter humor.) These are questions that we have gotten countless times. Usually not all at once, but crazy that we even get them at all. Love it.

I couldn't pick which to post, so I picked 2, first is for the Educational Interpreters, 2nd is for the Freelance interpreters. Really they apply to both though. Enjoy :)

Guess what...!?

2010-12-08T12:46:00.000-08:00

...I'm moving to Arizona in 3 weeks!!! Whaaaat?

Yep, I have been offered a job at Central Arizona College, and am starting on January 3rd, its true. I have loved living here and have made such good friends in the 2 1/2 years I have been here, so it will be sad to leave. But I feel really good about it, and feel it came at the right time for me. People are asking why, and I'm not gonna lie, the increase in salary is a significant pull. I have been so grateful for this position as Staff Interpreter here, because of great experience, benefits and retirement, but benefits don't pay the bills. Also there are some other things going on that make me realize it is time to move on, and I have been keeping my eyes open for a job with benefits and better pay, and found it! I just gave my 2 weeks notice, which I am relieved about (its always awkward), so now I can be excited about it.

The job is basically the same with additional counseling responsibilities, but I will be the only full time interpreter on campus, and there are only a few deaf students compared to 50ish at UVU. I will be living in the Phoenix area (really more like Chandler/Tempe). I have 2 good friends {who happen to be married to each other, and they have 2 of the cutest kids!} who live in Gilbert, so I will only be 15 mins or so away from them-exciting!! I have felt increasingly good about accepting the job, and am so grateful for prayer, and family to help me make the right decisions for this next part of my life. I am not looking forward to the "starting over" feeling, because it takes me so long to get used to an area and make new friends, and the packing and unpacking part doesn't seem so exciting either. But through prayer I know its right, so I have no real worries about it. { I will miss some of my dear friends here, but I know we'll keep in touch, and I will visit often!!}

Yay! Wish me luck!

Pointless Purchases Please

2010-11-03T22:42:00.000-07:00

I love "window" shopping on-line. I found a website here that has ~~stupid~~ random gifts that one feels are so novel that you have to buy it. I try to think of which of my friends I think NEEDS the item, so I can justify buying it. Then I think, "wait, do I really need to spend $10 on bacon band-aids, and $15 on a hamburger phone?"

These are all things that I would buy if I had money to burn, just because of the dumb little kid in me. If you feel you need any of these, I am pretty sure that it would not be very hard to convince me to buy it for you.

Stationary is a weakness of mine. i love it.

Cutest tape despenser ever, right?

This has fun pages inside...see below

Its like Willy Wonka's Magical edible land!

Milk Jug!

USB drives!! Cute!

Guitar Spatula!

I love coloring. And indie rock.

Crazy Cat lady ACTION FIGURE

My family needs this.

Makes me want to make more Jewish friends.

Shower Curtain


A nose is a nose like a rose is a rose... (these are called "Pick your nose" cups. clever.)

lots

2010-11-01T16:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I have had no internet at home for the past several weeks, so I have been MIA as far as blogging goes. I have been dying without real internet!! I have been able to barely attach to someones internet for a little "sharing" but its not reliable and its slower than slow on a slow stick.

I have one thing I need to check of my 30 Before 30 list though! Yay! I am checking off #5, "Buy and learn Photoshop more proficiently." Note: while I am definitely not proficient I am getting a lot better. I learned SO MUCH at the Art Weekend in SLC put on by Nicole from A Little Sussy and her clan. I had SO much fun, I just loved it. I felt like I learned a years worth of material in just 3 days, and so I have a years worth of homework to do from it. A friend just pointed out that I am in pictures on her blog, here too. (see if you can find me-I'm there twice) :) I would much rather be behind a camera than in front of it though. (as you may be able to tell from my head being down.)

Also because of that, I have gotten further in some of my other goals on the list, and will hopefully be cheking more off soon.

Here are some pictures of what I have done with photoshop since going to the classes (click on picture to make larger) :

(these are pictures my Grandpa sent me that he has been wanting to get repaired/retouched.)

The above is a picture my of my maternal Great Grandfather at my grandfather and grandmother's wedding. It is the only good color picture we have of him, and my Grandpa wanted to see if I could make a "whole person" out of him. Its my first attempt, but I think it worked pretty well so far.

The below picture is of my Grandfather and his Brother when they were young, and while, its not perfect, its certainly a lot better.

(again, click to make larger)

This one below, is also of my Grandfather when he was in college in Canada. It was a large picture of a huge class of students, and this is scanned and enlarged. The picture says "Normal School" but I have no clue what that means. I am glad he got in though, I would hate to have to tell you this was a picture of him at "Abnormal School."
Anyway, I love this one, and think it turned out great! I think it was about 1917, right before he flew in the RCAF in WWI (Royal Canadian Air Force).

you're welcome.

2010-10-04T16:37:00.000-07:00

I never posted this picture from my cruise last year, but I thought it was appropriate today, we'll call it a little gift from one friend to another.

yippie doodle do.

2010-09-22T16:56:00.001-07:00

This week has been icky.
So, I'm glad that I have something to look forward to!
I literally have to have something to look forward to or my life gets too monotonous and I get in a funk. That is one reason that I decided to go to this exciting workshop series, which I found through one of my favorite local Blogs, "A Little Sussy." I have been wanting to go to a class held by Nicole Hill for a couple years, since I found her blog, and have now saved up some money and convinced a friend to loan me his DSLR so I could have a better camera for the workshop.

These are the classes offered (click for larger version):

I am basically taking all the Photo/photoshop classes, plus a screenprinting class, and party planning 101! F.U.N.!(this will also help me get more on my way to ticking of #4, 5 and 6 off my "30 before 30" list!)

And now I invite anyone in the area, (or not in the area who wants to come to SLC) to join! You can see the cost of each class, or the discounts for multiple classes here. So far, I am just going alone, but it would be fun to have someone else there too! Even if it was for just one class. :)

Yay! I can't wait!

Aging is yucky.

2010-09-13T21:43:00.000-07:00

(I ensue in much petty yet casual bitterness in the following paragraph... You have been warned.)

I am disgusted. I have a problem with getting "older" and I don't like reminders that the earth is spinning and time is ticking away. That is why I am becoming less fond of birthdays where I bury another year of my 20's and wedding announcements of "kids" I used to babysit, and HS reunions. That's right, HS reunions. My 10 year reunion for Fountain Valley H.S. is next month. Most likely, I will not be attending, due to the time of year and its in California, and the fact that I refuse to admit I have been an "adult" for 10 years. Also, I already keep in touch with those I want to keep in touch with, and most importantly, I don't have enough money to "rent" a muscular piece of hotness to be my fake husband for the evening.

On a lighter note, here is a blast from the past, probably only interesting to those who know me and or the other people in this picture. I will point out who I am in each one, because although I think its easy to pick out who I am, I recently showed a room full of my peers one of these, and NO ONE could tell I was even in the picture. Basically they thought all the girls were pretty and didn't believe I was one of them. Yeah, I don't think there are even any positive ways to spin that. :) At any rate, I love these pictures, they remind me of the "good 'ole days" and my days of being a choir nerd..."Glee" style.

My school yearbook pic.(freshman/sophomoreish year)

Heather and I looking all "hot" in our loose flowered shirts and high-water semi-casual slacks.

"Besties" in our Troubador dresses Junior year.
(Becca, Heather, Emily and Me)

Janny, Me, Brandon and Heather (B and H are happily married now w/2 little cuties!)

Senior year. Me, Colleen, and Heather ready for the Homecoming dance.
(this is the one no one believed was me)
16th B-Day party - Summer Between Sophomore and Junior year.

My Bro James and I in Hawaii my Senior Year.

You guessed it, Choir again, I am top middle left.

Heather and Me, we often got mistaken for sisters, or for each other. (my Dad is in the background too.)Some of my very best friends in HS!
{Emily, Brandon, Carrie (Em's cousin), Brad, Becca, Kirk, Heather, Me}Prom, Senior year. I'm in the middle. Graduation!

Lastly....I promise to go to my reunion if I can find 2 other peeps to do this Dance with....this is the only way to do a HS reunion. Watch it, you wont be sorry:

Quotes for a Sunday Evening

2010-09-12T21:52:00.000-07:00

"Dance like the photo's not being tagged, Love like you've never been unfriended, Tweet like nobody's following."
Post Secret's recent Tweet

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln

"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." -Winston Churchill

“If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” – Thomas A. Edison

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”
– Milton Berle

"Sometimes I think you have to march right in and demand your rights, even if you don't know what your rights are, or who the person is you're talking to. Then on the way out, slam the door."-Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy

i love this...

2010-09-06T20:56:00.000-07:00

Someone on Facebook posted this, and i really like it. I like things that simplify my life :)...

"hint, hint"

2010-08-31T18:03:00.000-07:00

So I get 2 magazines in the mail now.
One is Glamour. The other is Fitness.

Only problem?
I never subscribed to them.

Is somebody not-so-subtly trying to tell me something?
(and my name is spelled correctly...highly suspicious.)

Rude.

Why couldn't the magazines be called something like The "Your Perfect the Way You Are" magazine.

This reminds me of the time I got emails from several different websites like "Baby To Bee" and "Motherhood", saying "congratulations on your pregnancy! Your baby now has head-to-toe bodily hair, and fingernails! Here is a free countdown to the happy day!"
People. I have never been even close to pregnant. They even had my home address and phone number! Someone was playing a dirty trick!
Never found out the dirty rat behind this kind gesture, but I wish I had thought of it first cause it was pretty funny.
{Except the part where they had all my info and I had to call numerous places to cancel all my "subscriptions."}

Well, I'm gonna go try out some new "Bun-bustin' work out moves" and the new "must-have lip-plumper for spring." Oh wait, no I'm not.

"insert busy signal here"

2010-08-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

Holy Mother of busyness. I have been so ridiculously busy. School started at UVU, and I not only interpret classes, but am involved with scheduling, and rescheduling all the 30+ interpreters and transcribers, with the almost 50 deaf students. That is A LOT of work. I worked a lot of overtime this week. I love all the classes I am interpreting so far though.

I also went to a GREAT concert with a GREAT friend this week. My friend Julie (from my Mission days) went to SLC and saw a free Twilight concert in the park of She and Him! (SLC puts on these concerts for free every thurs in the summer, and this was the last one. The first started with Modest Mouse.)

Anyway I, like many of you, LOVE Zooey Deschanel. She (and him) was great! They had lots of energy, and she worked that tambourine and ukulele. If they play anywhere around your city...go! It was a great time. Julie and I had a picnic, (Kneaders, yum!) and caught up since we haven't seen each other in a couple years! Love that girl!.

Anyway, I haven't had much time to blog, and this week may be the same, so just wanted to write a quick one. Oh, and as a last thought from Jerilyn the wise one, (just say it in an Asian accent and picture me stroking an invisible long thing beard.)

"I can do hard things."

I learned that this week, and it just seems more interesting with an accent. Peace out!

Such a great day.

2010-08-22T18:06:00.000-07:00

I'm getting on a soap box. But just a little one. Maybe like the size of a hotel box of soap. Ya know, mini.

Yesterday was the Candlelight Serenade Acoustic Festival. It was a charity event to raise awareness in the prevention of Child Sex Trafficking in the United states (it is just as bad as any other country). Its a pretty grim, and taboo subject, but so important. I got the opportunity to volunteer with my friend Wayne from 9-1pm, and got to sit at a booth and talk to people about different organizations and how they could help. We then stayed for the rest of the days events until around 11pm.

They had several bands that played in support of the cause, and that was also great. The bands included, Third Eye Blind, Neon Trees, Allred, Dashboard Confessional, 311, Pricilla Ahn, Reliant K, and several others including some local bands. The music was AMAZING, I just loved it.
(Neon Trees, my new favorite band, and they are from Provo but are now all famous!)

The best part of the whole day though, was just being around so many volunteers who were just there because they were passionate about this cause, and they were just uplifting and good people. Most of the bands expressed how they felt priveledged to be a part of the cause, and in between each band, they had videos, and speakers including congressmen, and film producers, and even one girl who captivated everyone by sharing her story of how she was sold in to sex slavery here in Utah. (yes, this happens EVERYWHERE.) I am so grateful I have had the life I have, nothing compares to the pain and trauma these kids have gone though.

(Nick Hexum of 311)

At the very end, the lead singer of Allred had written a song for the event and all the bands came out to sing it together, while the whole audience waved candles (electric ones, as it was windy) in the air. It gives me chills to think about it. It was such a fulfilling day, and something I was glad to be a part of.

After this big event, I just felt so much hope in humanity, especially because a lot of the the volunteers and supporters of these organiztions were my age and younger. Sometimes I really wonder about the future, especially learning about this horrible "industry", but I saw a lot of great people yesterday, and was very uplifted. It made me feel like I wanted to be a part of something bigger than me, like this event. There was a bunch of money raised, and many people signed up to help, and we wrote letters to our congressmen, in support of the H.R. 5575 bill.
Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional
(ps. seeing him fullfilled my 18 yr old self's dream even though I haven't listened to him much since HS.)

Please take a min and watch this, it is a trailer for the film "Playground." Because of the sensitive nature of this topic, people tend to shy away from talking about it, but its something NO ONE is safe from, and education is always the best prevention.

For more info on how to get involved, go to http://childrescue.org/. Thanks for indulging my serious post. :) Much love!

I'm a weener!!

2010-08-20T19:14:00.000-07:00

And by weener I mean winner! And by winner I mean I won a giveaway from one of my favorite blogs, Daydream Believer. I shamelessly entered 3 times, because she said I could, and I won a free book called The Last War. I'm sure I will do a review of it here once I have read it.

I found Jamie's blog Daydream Believer through the "Blogs of Note" section of the blogger dashboard. Her wit and humor caught me especially in her reviews of The Bachelorette shows which she totally hit the nail on the head in a hilarious way. Also she just cracks me up, like in this post which is a bit graphic for the menfolk, but so funny. Also this one about Despicable Me.

She also plugged my blog, which is not nearly as exciting or interesting as hers, but fun to have a few new visitors over round these parts. I love being a weener! Thanks again Jamie!

I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog too....

2010-08-19T20:27:00.000-07:00

At Target tonight, I noticed a disturbing trend in shoes....

Anyone else think of the wicked witch of the east, and her little dead shriveled toes? Do people really want their feet to look and/or feel like that? ew. I even tried them on in hopes that there was some amazing comfort reason for the absurd elastic placement. Nope.
As I was pondering these "shoes" a man walked over with his 11-12 yr old daughter apparently back-to-school shopping. He pointed these out to try on, and as if reading my, mind she said, "Daaaaad, they look like elf shoes!"
I literally laughed and told her I agreed. The Dad gave me a bit of a dirty look, my guess is it's because they were probably the cheapest shoes there, or he was annoyed I was reinforcing the fact that he was an "out of style Dad."

On another note...I may, or may not have bought 4 pairs of (non-withered-witch) shoes tonight. I work at a school so lets just say it was back to school shopping.

Hummus is Yummus

2010-08-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

I. LOVE. COSTCO.
I finally renewed my membership to "food Disneyland", and I am thrilled. I got my photos developed there for cheap, and pushed off weaving down the aisles on my cart with a pleased smile on my face, and wind blowing in my hair, happily knocking random items into my cart. The dude whose toes I ran over didn't even seem to care that I had just renewed my membership to pure happiness. So selfish, I mean I'm sure nothing was broken.

(uh...ps I recommend taking a list of "needs" when going to Costco. If you buy more than 4 items, you may just be dipping in to your life savings. I mean...so worth it, but maybe a list is wise. The happy feeling in my bosom was quickly deflated at the register.)

Anyhow, here are some yummies I just love from Costco:

Veggie Chips! Go great with the next item..

....Delicious Hummus...The kind I got is this brand but has sun dried tomatoes in it!!! yummus!

These yummy mini peppers are such a good snack, plain, or with hummus which I just discovered! (or the old staple, Ranch of course.)

...And last but CERTAINLY not least... Dark Chocolate Covered Acai Berries. oh my. these. these are amazing. Just amazing. But beware...these little devils make you feel good about eating them because they are a "great source of antioxidants" so there is a possibility of eating them til you are sick. At least, that's what i've heard from other people, who obviously don't have the self control that I totally have. Just sayin'.

Now I will wait for my endorsment check from Costco for the advertisment.

The pot at the end of the Rainbow...

2010-08-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

I keep thinking that one day I will finally get that pot at the end of the rainbow, and everything will go perfect, but I recently got this instead...

Not exactly what I had in mind.

Hopefully I find another rainbow soon. With something a little less....crappy at the end. Or maybe ill even be lucky enough to find a double rainbow!

#6 AND #29

2010-08-10T22:13:00.001-07:00

Just as a "progress report" of sorts, of the 30 things I listed a couple weeks ago here, I have mostly been working on #6 and #29.

#6 Enter a Photography contest: Status...taking pictures.
I have heard that the secret to entering a photography contest is to take pictures so you actually have something to enter. I don't know if its true, but the logic seems sound. ha. So I finally got batteries for my camera, and a bunch of film and took pictures. (yes film, if you don't know what it is, look it up on Wikipedia. Its a way to capture pictures from the olden days. Or in my case, photography for poor people.) Anyway I took my DSLR minus the 'D' and went to Provo canyon (Bridal Veil falls specifically), and SLC temple square, and took about 5 rolls of film. That seemed like obvious places to start, plus it was just nice being there, and enjoying the weather and the day. I have yet to develop them due to 'funding' issues though. Its a vicious cycle really, I am poor so I don't by an expensive digital camera, but my film for the regular SLR camera is expensive to buy and develop, especially since I mess up more cuz I can't immediately see my problems, delete them and fix it, like if I had a DSLR. Anyway, here's hoping I can get them developed soon, and there are at least a small handful of ok pictures in there so I can eventually shoot something that I can enter in to a contest. Notice I make no mention of actually winning. :)

#29 Learn and Memorize at least 15 Guitar songs: Status...in progress.
A couple weeks ago, I went home for a week and while I was there I had my Dad play a bunch of songs that I wanted to work on, and I filmed him playing so I could see his fingers and remember the strumming pattern or plucking pattern for each song. I am so glad I did that because I have watched them a lot, and it helps my terrible memory, when I can't quite remember how a song goes. So I have been playing guitar a bunch of late. My fingers are finally just right...nasty and calloused. It makes for more comfortable guitar playing...not so painful.
Here is a little sample of my documentation songs. And my dads skills.

Who wears short shorts...??

2010-08-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

Ok, so he's the cutest man in the world, but he IS taken. (sorry ladies) I will pretty much let some of these pictures speak for themselves, but I will just say that the leggy person I am referring to is my Grandpa.

So my lovely mother was here this week, and last Saturday, we went up past Heber, close to Park City last week, to Jordanelle and had a boating day with my Uncle Mark's newly acquired boat. He was kind enough to take us all out, and teach some of the family how to wake board. He is quite the pro boater and wake boarder now, it was fun to see his skills! It was SO nice of him to come down for the weekend from Idaho and take his motley crew of a family out! My (maternal) Grandpa hasn't had much opportunity or need to use a bathing suit, so I believe the last time he bought "swim trunks" was around 1983. That didn't stop him from being his usual self, going around to every person on the beach and on the dock chatting up a storm, using his white legs as a topic for an ice breaker. Enjoy...

The talk of the town:

Kim in the boat, and Mark, the proud owner. (of the boat, not of Kim) :)

Love it!

He was so excited to be riding around in the boat that, he videoed the whole thing...and therefore fell over several times, when we hit a big wake. Don't worry he's only 80 so he popped right back up not missing a beat.

The pro boater! He has some serious "driving-backwards-avoiding-a-collision" skills. :)

The whole crew, minus me and my Mom. I promise we were there, we just have no documentation on film. which was TOTALLY by accident. totally.

(we had to keep reminding a certain someone, that wind is not your friend when 'standing' in shorts)

THE END
(ps...happy birthday to my Dad!! We missed him this week, but he was busy holding down the fort at church and at work, while everyone else was gone. LOVE YOU DAD!)

I feel like Im taking crazy pills

2010-07-31T10:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like I am the only normal one around. Especially when driving. To describe this in more detail, I have added a graph for clarity:

So there you have it. Something tells me I may not be the only one who feels this way. But I am pretty sure I am the only good driver out there. yeah.

I really wish I had all the recordings of myself talking to other drivers. Sometimes I honestly don't realize I am talking out loud to all the other drivers around me. The comment this morning in the car that sparked this post was catching my self after following a SLOOOWW Utah driver, saying something like, "Hey moron see me!? Im in following-the-speed-limit-ville, you should join me and stay awhile." I wondered how many "clever" things like this I have come up with in the past, and I must say am glad people don't actually hear me. Maybe I AM taking crazy pills.

30 Before 30!

2010-07-20T08:47:00.000-07:00

I had a birthday this past weekend, which was great, (pics to come) but I couldn't help but think it was the death of another year in my 20's. Dramatic? Yes. So I got to thinking a couple months ago, that I really want to make the most of my 20's, and have no regrets of things I wanted to do "before 30." Now I am not saying 30 is old, but for most of our culture it is definitely a crossroads, and every time I think about being 30, my breathing gets faster, and I start sweating, and my blood pressure increases. Again, dramatic? Yes. But slightly true.

So, I have compiled a list of 30 things (inspired by my amazing friend Julie who did "27 For my 27th Year.") I want to do/accomplish in the next 2 years. I have been mulling over this list, and I think it will be a good one. I am super excited about this, and will add this list to the side of my blog to keep myself reminded, and check them off when completed. (As I have said previously, I love lists, and most of all, the fulfillment I get in checking them off one by one.)

I realize several of these cost money and/or are pretty ambitious, especially having 30 of them! But I feel I can do it with planning and budgeting, and will try to report on any progress I am making at least once a week to keep myself motivated and accountable to someone/something.

So without further ado, (and in no specific order) here is my list! :

30 BEFORE 30...

1. Find and restore an old piece of furniture to make it look like a million bucks.
2. Sell hand made jewelry or crafts online. (This is a requirement if you live in Utah. ha)
3. Train for a 10K! (6.2 Mi.)!! (trust me, this is ambitious for me…I HATE running -always have.)
4. Shoot bridals or engagements. (or Wedding!!)
5. Buy Photoshop and learn it more proficiently.
6. Enter a photography contest.

7. Consistently blog or Journal once a week.
8. Get to my weight loss goal.
9. Read Jesus the Christ.
10. Travel to San Francisco, New York, or Orlando Fla.!
11. Get out of debt!
12. Go to a temple I have never been to before.
13. Save up for a down payment on my own place.
14. Pass the NIC (National Interpreter Certification).
15. Deep clean, and get rid of lots of my crap/clothes/junk!
16. Finish organizing, scrapbooking mission letters, papers and pictures.
17. Get in the habit of doing Yoga regularly. (Started 2 months ago, but injured my back last week, so I will get back asap.)
18. Learn to make/decorate fondant cakes.
19. Go to a Broadway play.
20. Go to symphony, opera or ballet.
21. Start and finish Book of Mormon again.
22. Go on Welfare Square tour again.
23. Volunteer at habitat for humanity.
24. Get a DOG!! (or other pet depending where I live.)
25. Go to live session of General Conference again.
26. Go to Disneyland/world.
27. Compile a blog book.
28. Girlfriend get-away with my girls Emily and Heather!
29. Memorize and be able to play/sing 15 guitar songs well.
30. It’s a Secret!! (Partly because I’m not sure if I wanna do this one yet, and if I change my mind, I can replace it with whatever I want and no one will know. Hah)

YAHOO! I am so excited!! Wish me luck!

I have from July 18th 2010-July 18th 2012.
In order to do all 30 in 2 years, must complete one item every 3.5 Weeks or 24 days. **biting nails nervously** On that note... *Disclaimer* I reserve the right to change any of these at any time depending on the time of the month, my moodiness, or if I've procrastinated too long. haha.

And last but not least, I invite anyone else who wants to, to do something similar. We can support each other!

Small Rant

2010-06-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

Don't worry, this really is for no one but me. And its old news at that. Its supposed to be therapeutic I guess. So in all seriousness, pay no attention to me if you don't like seemingly pointless rants. Its really about my Thyroid. **soft yell heard in the distance...."boring"** sigh...Its true.

Many people who know me, know that I had Thyroid cancer when I was 15 and 16. I feel like there are pros and cons to the fact that I was that young. It was good because I don't think I understood the full weight of what that meant, so I was protected from being very emotionally distraught by the fact that I had cancer. Of course when I heard the news I was shocked, and my Mom and I cried all the way home from the drs office. But I became used to the idea after a while, and even though it came back again, requiring a third surgery just a few months later, i was upset, but came to terms very well. Something that I don't think I would be able to do if it were at this time in my life. I also gained a very strong base of faith in the Lord, and in the power of prayer and the Priesthood, at such a perfect age. For that I truly am grateful.

The "small rant" that I am referring to, is the fact that I feel that things could have gone better if I had different drs, more knowledge on the condition and type of cancer I had, and better resources and support related to thyroid issues. Looking back, it felt like I was the only one in the whole world that had this. I wasn't quite the internet savvy person, and I don't think there even was a google at that point. If I had the knowledge I have now, things could have been quite different.

For example, my Parathyroids were "accidentally" removed during the thyroidectomy, which they said "sometimes happens." However I only found this out after I came home from the hospital and had pretty much every muscle in my entire body contracting and spasming. PS, remember your heart? yeah. That's a muscle. So that was scary to feel my heart pulling in my chest, and again, here is where prayer came in, and calmed my body down enough to get to the ER. NOW I hear that they ALWAYS give the thyroidectomy patients calcium and Vitamin D right away just in case they parathyroid glands are damaged or destroyed. I have also since found out that if they are removed, they can be found through biopsy, and re-implanted in your arm and will still work. I was never told this.

Also, after the surgery, the standard procedure at the time was to go off Thyroid meds for several weeks, so I could have a Radioactive Iodine treatment and Body scan. Basically that means I was a dangerous walking glowstick (seriously though, I couldn't be near small children and pregnant ladies, and had to flush twice and eat with disposable dinnerware. But I digress...) So because I was off meds for so long, I became puffy, pasty, weak, tired and sick, and had teachers and friends asking what on earth was wrong with me. NOW I have found out that they have something called THYROGEN, which is an injection to replace the meds during that time so your body doesn't have to go without. Would have been nice at the time.

Also, I still have quite the scar, although it has gone down quite a bit. For a while my friends called it the "space-age" necklace. I even had a number of people commenting on it. Some of my favorites have been..."Did you try to kill yourself!?", and "Your necklace is giving you a rash!", and the best one, "You have lipstick on your neck." Oh people. So funny. Anyway, mine was very thick and red for a long time, but now people who have the same surgery, have smaller fainter scars within a few months, than mine is 13 years later.

I also have bought and read SO many books on Thyroid issues, and read blogs and newsletters about the like, and while many are good and insightful, most are contradictory. I read one that says take your thyroid meds at night only, and the next one says a study claims morning is the only way to go. Another says weight gain is not a byproduct, and another that says it absolutely is. One tells me to take coral calcium, the other says coral calcium is the worst you could take. And then I have drs. that say very confusing and contradictory things but they all tell me that "they know best."

Whats a girl to do? Well I am convinced I just need to stop complaining and keep praying. And thats all I can do. I realize that it could be WAYYYYY worse, and complaining is not going to change or help a thing. I just had to "vent" a bit. I've never really said this , but I feel like I would be a very different person if it weren't for this cancer. I mean that I was affected positively and negatively. So I am grateful I had the opportunity to grow and learn to lean on my Heavenly Father. (Which i am still doing.)

One last thought. You would think after 13 years, I would remember to take my 15+ pills every day right? *sheepishly* Yeeeaahhh. Not so much. I'm what we call "my worst enemy." I've tried the notes on the mirrors and windows, and alarm clocks, and pills in the purse, in pill boxes everywhere, and on my pillow at night, but i just can't seem to be consistent. That's what I need most. Just the ability to remember those little buggers. hmmph.

Well, I'm off to go take my pills. I really, truly hope no one stayed to this point. Except maybe one person. (Hi Mom!) It really was a pointless rant, I just had to get it off my back. Next one will be uplifting, promise.

The many faces of....

2010-06-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

My Dad! Larry Hartley,
Born Aug 9th Nineteen-fmehty-shmumpthing.

(date changed to protect the innocent)
WHO IS MY DAD???
Well, a lot of things:

He is Canadian!....
(and a goofy one at that)

He is a Brother.....(and a young scrawny one here )

A life long athlete....
(finishing the St.George Marathon about 4 or 5 years ago)

A Musician....
(a mean guitar player and singer with a "Smooth-a-butta" voice)
{pictured with his band in the 80's "Roller"}

A loving husband....

The avid sports fan... (as denoted by the Kings hockey arena behind us)

The doer of Man-deeds.....
(packing my little shquata car for my first year of college away from home)

The loving caretaker of children...
(taking good care of me during my surgeries in H.S.)

And Best of all...The greatest, most loving Father in the world!
(at the MTC before my mission)

I love you so much Dad
I am so grateful for everything you do and sacrifice for our family
You have honored your priesthood,
been there for me when I needed you most,
given me love and happiness,
and been a friend when I need you.
Thank you for being you,
HAPPY FATHERS DAY!
Love, your Daughter
Jer
(ps. I love you more)

Sometimes I feel like I live in the future...

2010-06-18T14:48:00.000-07:00

...I guess I do. This is one of those things that reminds me I live in a very cool time. Where innovation can be found everywhere. Eric Whitacre, composer/conductor, has created a virtual choir. He videotaped himself conducting, then asked singers to record themselves singing their parts and send it on to him. Then, he merged their voices and videos electronically. The end result is this amazing recording- 185 singers and it sounds amazing. Incidentally, I sang many of Eric Whitacre's songs in High School, and especially love this one. Enjoy!~

Garage Saleing!

2010-06-06T21:16:00.000-07:00

Got this beauty at a garage sale! Brand spankin' new, and I think its so cute. It was marked at $25, but talked them down to $15, and so glad I did. I have been needing new luggage, most of all a wheeling carry on. So Yay! Hoping to go again next week!

Flowers, Fondue, Fun, Friends, Family, and Fotos!

2010-06-02T19:43:00.000-07:00

The last week in May I went to California again...for a "work conference." I had a 2 day conference at the Anaheim Convention Center, but took about 10 days to hang out with my friends and family since my work was paying for the flight. (last year was the interpreter cruise, this year was a little more low key.) I did get to stay a couple nights in the Marriott adjacent to the convention center, and had a friend drive down for the conference too so she got to take advantage of the free hotel too. It the conference was ok, but the first day was a little disapointing, since I expected more from the National Interpreter Conference. The second day redeemed itself though, and we decided we liked the Deaf presenters a whole lot better than the others. Our favorite was a 4 hour Mime workshop. So fun! Least favorite was the "Interpreting for the LGBTQI community" workshop. Not so much because of the content, because I learned a few good things, but it was just super boring, and after 4 hours I wanted to hang myself.

Before the conference my Mom and I went to the Carlsbad Flower Festival, which was random but really quite fun! It was a perfect day and it was beautiful. We got some good (and silly) shots too.

Also hung out with my girl Emily, we had a fun homemade fondue lunch! It was quite fun, and super delicious!

Then randomly a few days later, after the conference my friend Rebecca (aka Frank) and I went to The Melting Pot, also fondue! We had a $20 off certificate, but it was still crazy expensive. Worth it though~ yummmers~!

Alright, now on to the "fotos"! Lots of them...
ps (I'm too lazy to add photo titles/comments, so deal. I'm sure you can figure it out.) :)

Dear Mom,

2010-05-09T12:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers Day!

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor be her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts."

This quote says what I feel today, I could have written it myself if I were so articulate. Mom, I love you SO much and never feel like I say it enough, and can never repay you for all you have done for me. You are my best friend, and everything good I have in me is because of your love, encouragement, teachings, sacrifices, funloving attitude, and strength. You are the strongest woman I know, and I admire you so much. Thank you for all you have done, including all the things I will never realized you have done and sacrificed for me.
I LOVE YOU!

And Happy Mothers day to my dear Grandmothers too! I love you both dearly!!

Grandma Hartley

Grandma Head

My Milk Toof

2010-05-03T20:30:00.000-07:00

A friend posted this site and I thought it was so cute, I wanted to post it here too. People have the cutest ideas. Love it.

Here are my 2 favorite posts
this
and this

Deaf Pilot

2010-04-01T09:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, you probably thought of a deaf guy flying a plane, when in fact I mean a Pilot for a show about a deaf family. I'm excited and hope it all goes! It would be great to see some exposure to deaf culture so people can realize that deafness is not a disability. Like most minorities, there are often people that don't understand the culture and make judgments and remain ignorant to the rich and beautiful cultures they are around. its only 9 mins, hope you can take the time to watch!

2010-03-10T22:21:00.000-08:00

(Click above to see the Cafe site)

This was the most deliciously loverly little place. Its Called The Chocolate Cafe. McCall told us about it last week, and tonight we gave it a try. It was "Ladies night" at the Chocolate Cafe, (which we found really meant nothing, there were still men there, and there were no discounts for ladies, or male strippers to denote the Ladies only thing). Anyway, I love the ambiance there, so cute, and comfortable, with chairs and couches, and shabby chic decorations both upstairs and downstairs.

I definitely recommend this confectionery cafe. If I had to rate it, I would give it 3 D's. Delicious, Delectable, and Divine. (However I am currently feeling a bit ill from late night sugary goodness)

The pictures are from my phone, we all intended, but forgot to bring a real camera, sorry for the not-so-fab quality. Thanks McCall, great find, and great idea!

(Shaylee, Shaylee's friend?, McCall, and me behind the camera)

aye aye aye....

2010-02-16T18:40:00.000-08:00

...aye just need to get back to blogging! Ok, so here are a few things I have been thinking about, or doing lately... (with pictures of course, which I think is more fun)

I have been enjoying the Olympics in the land of my birth! **sings loudly** "Ooooh Caaaa-na-da, my home and native laaaaand!"

(Canada's first Gold on their soil!)

I have been way into re-reading letters from my mission, and looking at the amazing photo books my dear talented Mom scrapbooked for me as I sent pictures home. Its bittersweet, I miss it terribly, but love the memories, friends and testimony I gained.

(Interpreting the Temple Sq. tour announcement after "music and the spoken word" along w/about 20 diff languages)

(One of my favorite companions ever! Sis. Palma From the Phillipines. -ahem- do you also notice I am representing Canada that day!?)

I am SO looking forward to a River trip in July with some of my best bosom buddies, Heather & Brandon, Emily & hubby Brad, Brad & wifey Lisa, and Scott & wifey Cindy. They all have kiddos (7 total!), and I am excited to meet some for the first time, and hang with all of them. They are some of the most quality, funnest friends you could ask for.

This is all of us the last time we were all together at the river house in I think summer 2001- (L-R) Scott, Heather, Brandon, Emily, Brad, Me, Ronnie. (Ronnie was a fun but random invite that year)

(I hope everyone is ok with me posting scantily clad pictures of us. Oh well. already done!)

I have been researching what to do with "future Me", so I have been looking in to Grad school! I am so excited about this thought, that I am 95% sure it will happen. I am toying around with the Idea of going to the U of U, for a M.Ed, starting next winter!?

I have been eating better and less, and am feeling excited about the results :) This is one of the picture's currently motivating me on my mirror to stick to it. (Its me and Heather in '02)

I have been feeling crafty and have done a few little things including the plates in the pictures below. I want to Spray paint the back white, and pair them with large black plates. I'll post the final product when I'm done.

PEACE OUT!

Unintentional blogging hiatus....

2010-01-24T22:20:00.000-08:00

...sorry about that. I know you have all been waiting in agony for my next post. No? Well anyway, I have had it on my "To Do" list for, well apparently almost 2 months, and I still haven't really gotten around to it. Even now, this isn't a real post, its just a "glimpse" of whats to come. And that's Christmas pictures. Yeah, I know its a little late but I have to do it some time. So here are a couple for now, and hopefully I will do a real post soon(ish).

This was the beautiful Arizona temple...we were there visiting James and Taylor, and her family for a few days before Christmas. It was fun to see them, I can't believe they have already been married for almost 7 months now! Craziness.

Ok, for Christmas, we went to Gerald and Carolyn's in American Fork, which was a blast. They are so fun, and hilarious, as this picutre shows. This was an "impromptu" Christmas eve Nativity Scene. Complete with Buddy the dog as Jesus, Emma (who was very serious about her role) as Mary, Gerald as the supporting Joseph, 3 wise-guys.-er- men, yeah men with gifts of...well...hmm...gifts, and the heralding angel and marker...i mean trumpet.

Well, now i'm off to bed... until next time folks!

"Twihards"

2009-12-05T13:40:00.000-08:00

This is for Rachel. Did we look this creepy when we saw it?

Yep. At least we say we're making fun of it.
Like this guy.

To Emily...

2009-11-13T23:04:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRIEND!
Its my amazing friend Emily's 28th birthday today...so here are 28 things I love about one of my dearest and best friends....

1. She has a gorgeous voice and is one of the most talented singers I know.
2. She is seriously an amazing mom...she has a sincerely perfect family.
3. She is the queen of coupons. She has it down to an art, its amazing to shop with her, when she ends up getting a cart full for approximately $5.
4. She is just plain hot. And not like, hot for a Mom, she is just hot!
5. She has the funnest laugh, that is contagious, occasionally spontanious, and always cute.
6. She is kind and giving, and thinks of others.
7. She has the most amazing blue eyes!
8. She (and her Hubby, Brad) always put the Lord first. I have never heard them NOT give credit to the Lord when they talk about how blessed they are.
9. She is stylish.
10. She is incredibly humble.
11. She is smart. Both book smart, and street smart. A good combination.
12. She is always honest. Sometimes hilariously honest :)
13. She is a rockin vocal teacher/choir director.
14. She is hilarious. We are always laughing...always.
15. She married up...and so did her husband. (that's hard to do, but it seriously happened)
16. She has two of the cutest most amazing little boys! (Parker and Garrett)
17. Shes extremely and unconditionally loving.
18. She is always positive. I rarely hear her complaining.
19. She's just fun. I love being around her.
20. She is a true friend, loyal and loving.
21. She is mature, but not too much ;) Heather, Emily and I still feel like we are giggling teenagers when we get together.
22. She gives great advice. Especially about boys, and helps me think through the craziness.
23. She is rarely if ever, in a really bad mood. Its always easy to make her laugh even if she is :)
24. She loves life, and loves her family more than anything.
25. She can fit a Pringles can lid in her mouth and carry on a comedy act with it. Thats talent.
26. She is non-judgmental, and gives people the benefit of the doubt.
27. She has always been a faithful and unwavering example of how a daughter of God should conduct her life.
28. Last but not least, she was smart enough to choose me as a friend! ;)

Love you, hope you had the best birthday ever!

October in review

2009-10-31T12:17:00.000-07:00

First of all, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I've been on a blogging hiatus due to a vacation, a lost computer cord and being sick.
So here is the past month in review.

I decided last min to hop in the car with some peeps going to Ca for the weekend, so I got to go to the beach market, frolick with the fam, go to the BYU football game, hang with my favorite people Emily, Heather and Brandon. (why didn't we take pics Em and Heather!?). It was a great trip, so glad I went!
HB Pier (we took pictures like tourists. awesome.)

Haha, the pic above makes me laugh. something about the squinty eyes, and camera shadow. it was unsuccessful to say the least.

BYU @ San Diego game. I could be way off but it was thier 400th game I think. (I love these two SOO much, it was so fun to see them.)

Then last week Alicia and I (and my cousing Aubree) decided to go to my Grandparents to make Halloween treats! She makes delectable carmel chocolate apples every year so I got to join her. We also made some halloween cupcake pops. I got the idea from my friend here, and she got the idea here. They looked so cute, but due to a series of unfortunate events, and just me being inept and uncontrolably messy in the kitchen, we had to improvise, and they took 6hrs longer (thats not an exaggeration) than planned and took on differnent shapes and colors than planned. Aubree was a trooper and hung in there with my lameness, and we all had fun. Thanks to grandma for the kitchen for the whole day too! It was a rediculously long process doing a double recipe for the pops and 3 dozen apples, but actually we had tons of fun!

Aubree was mourning the tragic death of yet another cupcake pop.

Last but not least, I went out with a couple more of my favorite people, Kristine and Brittany. Kristine is from The Land of Norweigia, or its more commonly known as Norway. She's going back in a week, so it was fun to see her last night. We went to the Fashion Place mall and then the Cheesecake Factory! It was the most divine meal I have had in a long time. Soooo yummy, and such great company- we had a riot!
Madonna's "VOGUE" was seriously playing in the backround, so involuntary vogue-ing ensued.
My lips look like dead fish with collagen injections.

Oh..... and this is our Cheesecake and my favorite picture of the night, of how we felt about that cheesecake....

I love it!

Hope you all have a fun night of tricking and/or treating!

Yet another reason...

2009-09-24T15:22:00.000-07:00

...that I am not ever going to have a baby. Ok, so since I have been around a lot more people that have had children recently, I hear horror stories of births, pain, large needles, "tearing", squishy post-baby insides, and much more. These stories do not help my desire to have children in the futre. Honestly, when I was on my mission, my bff Heather had her first baby, and she sent me a long letter about all the details of the birth and everything involved. I loved long detailed letters, but lets just say my companion thought I was reading a horror story by the reaction I was having. I guess I was more naive than I thought about the birth/labor process. THEN, I had an interesting experience while interpreting in a sex ed where they showed a birth, and just zoomed in on the "important" stuff (ah-hem) and we saw all the details. Including the "after-birth." (which she rewound while we watched everything go back in, and then come back out again.) The fact is, I'm getting a little freaked out, people. Your kids are cute (they really are), but I can enjoy them from a distance, right?

So here is the news story that inspired this oh-so-uplifting post. This is a baby that was recently born in Indonesia at 19.2 pounds. 19.2 lbs people! I am sure that it would be my luck to have a 19lb baby. ahhh! (the baby on the left is a "normal" baby to compare)

Here is another picture of a six month old Iranian baby. Ahhh again!

cute but a little bit scary!

(ok, before I get hate mail, these things are more of my musings, rather than me actually saying birth is nasty, and I refuse to have kids. Don't worry, I sincerely know there are great things attached to having kids, and am sure I will get over it.)

Higher Caliber

2009-09-17T20:49:00.000-07:00

Introducing, the new addition to my little family of one....

Its my new(ish) car!!! Its a 2007 Dodge Caliber, and its wonderful. I have been researching theses puppies for a while and found a serious deal, and seized the moment.

Some things I love about it:

great gas mileage

great in snow in general (front wheel drive)

the look of the body looks like a mini SUV

its super duper roomy

has an aux power outlet so my IPOD can directly plug into the system rather than go though the radio which sounds crappy. (this may be my favorite feature, im not gonna lie.)

drink cooling feature w/slots in the huge glove compartment

also, the cup holders light up at night. seriously.

what a cute butt!

Things I Regret...

2009-09-08T12:49:00.000-07:00

I am sure we all like to say "I live my life with no regrets," but honestly, I think everyone has regrets. Some are big, some are teensy weensy, but no matter what, they are there. I am not going to talk about all my big stuff, just my TOP 5 little ones, but they have stuck with my for some reason, and I thought it would be therapeutic to "let them go--send them to the universe."
(I know, right, I'm super deep)

REGRET #5 I should not have been afraid to be myself and laughed:

When I was 12 I had a crush on a guy named Shaw, who I rode the bus with. One day, he was being extra goofy with his friend, apparently trying to show off. It totally worked, because I thought he was ah-mazing. So, the whole bus ride home I totally ignored him because I didn't want him to think I liked him (makes total sense, right?). It was so hard for me not to laugh and swoon, but I did it and was pretty proud of myself. As we got to my stop, I started to get up to go, and he said to me "Hey! Don't you ever smile!?" Wahhhh! I was so crushed and my plan totally backfired (ok, maybe it wasn't a well thought out plan). I mumbled "ha, yeah." and got off the bus totally dejected. I steered clear of him for the rest of the school year.

REGRET #4 I should have stayed in Ballet and Tap.

I will just simply say to all you youngin's out there, (none of whom are actually reading this) when givin the option to be in fun, social dance classes, or quit so you don't miss The Mickey Mouse Club and Kids Inc., don't choose the latter. (thats why God invented DVR, right?...right?)

REGRET #3 I shouldn't have been afraid of dumb boys.

This very much relates to both of the previous ones. I LOVED soccer, and was in it for several years as a kid. One year we moved, and the soccer teams were co-ed, so I refused to join because I would have boys on my team! Boys!...oh the horror! (anyone still wondering why I'm not married?.... cricket.....cricket...stare...thats what I thought.)

REGRET #2 Joining Facebook

There goes my life.

REGRET #1 Not documenting more about my life

I really wish I would have written in my Journal more in my life. Especially in HS it would have been nice to be able to go back and see what I was like, what I thought about, etc. I have a few things I wrote (probably 10 journals with the first 2-3 pages written on) and its so interesting to see what I thought, and how I wrote because its amazing how much you forget in such a short time. Thats why I think this blog is better than nothing for me.

Cruise and some News...

2009-08-26T21:30:00.000-07:00

First...I had an amazing week cruising to Mexico which I will go into more in a moment,
and 2nd, I am now a Professional level interpreter in Utah!

I just found out today I passed my Professional Level exam! It used to be called the Level 2, because there were 3 levels, but now there are only 2 levels in Utah, the Novice and Professional. I am super excited, and its so nice to be done with that, and I never have to take another state test! Next goal... the NIC test! (National Interpreter Certification)

So, on to the cruise...

It was just plain amazing, and you can see a bit more about that in Rachel's Blog. For those of you who don't know I went on a 7-night cruise with my friend who is an Interpreter too, and it was also a cruise where we could earn CEH's (continuing education units) which are needed for certification upkeep. There was a famous interpreter/comedian, and a deaf storyteller that taught our classes while we were at sea. We had so much fun with them both in class and just hanging around the ship and Mexico.

We had so much fun, and too many funny times to count. Basically the highlights for me were, gorgeous beaches (Cabo was our favorite), Parasailing, free room service, people-watching (really people-heckling), hanging out with and learning from the great Keith Wann and Peter Cook and Wormy, and Rachel and I dancing the night away with them. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Inside the ship, overlooking "Main St." :

Some of the interpreters including Rachel and I, and all the presenters.
This is what we lovingly call "drunk face":

Poolside Party at about 1am....Me, Peter Cook, Mona Jean, Wormy, and Rachel:

Wormy, Peter Cook, and me at the club in on the ship called "Dragons Lair" ha. Both are deaf and put all the "hearies" to shame on the dance floor....(especially cornrows and her BF) :

Towel monkey and me:

The cruiseship as seen from Lovers beach in Cabo San Lucas, it doesn't look it, but its actually really far away from the beach:

The beach at Mazatlan where I went Parasailing:

Me welcoming everyone near and far to Puerto Vallarta:
Us sailing to Lovers beach in our glass bottomed boat with our tour guide crazy hair and an even crazier english vocabulary, which included "Scooby dooby dooooo" and "Drunk seals Stiiiinnkkyyyy!" :
Me and Rachel "canoodling" Platonically, of course. (we're pretty sure 90% of the people there thought we were "together")

Me high in the sky, away from the dock! I sail, Dr. M! I sail! (Parasail!) :

Free Roooom Service!! :

Formal Dining night:
The yummiest way to drink a fruity drink! :

Best Wedding Ever!

2009-07-28T20:40:00.000-07:00

I have been planning on writing a post about the the wedding since I got back from California, but I keep postponing it... no more. Since this is my journal of sorts, I wanted to write down the experience. First of all James and Taylor looked absolutely amazing! I am serious, they are such a gorgeous couple if I do say so myself. James had on an ascot tuxedo, which my aunt Alicia says is worn primarily in Europe (she is the family world traveler!). It was unique and super classy, and James pulled it of quite nicely! It matched with Taylor's style of dress, which was vintage looking, and she designed it herself! It was so perfect, and she was radiant in it!

To start from the beginning for me, I arrived a week prior to the wedding, and was able to help with the last min stuff, which was nice because I honestly felt like I hadn't been able to be much of a help here in Utah. It was a busy and expectedly-stressful week, but still pleasant, and we had fun. Taylors friend, Bekah, flew in and was a huge help, especially since we were helping pack both of them up to move to Texas. Taylor and I got pedicures and spray tans, and it was just fun being there with them before the wedding. It also made me realize just how much there is to do for a wedding... so many little things that add up to lots of $$ and time. But there were lots of amazing people that contributed so it went perfectly.

I honestly thought that on the actual wedding day, it would be super stressful, and things would probably go wrong that we weren't anticipating, but honestly everything seemed to just go smoothly. There were a couple of things we forgot but thanks to friends and family's help (thanks Alicia and Ash!), no one noticed, and it was acutally REALLY fun and enjoyable! I noticed that a lot of people came and stayed though out the ceremony and reception, and enjoyed themselves. No offense, but a lot of mormon weddings seem to go like this: Show up in flip-flops, drop off gift, shake bride and grooms hand, grab food, and run. It was hardly that, and fun was had by all. I think the big hits of the night were the cute and yummy candy station, and James' song he wrote and surprised Taylor with. Lots of people were in tears.

The part that I did not mention yet was the temple. Of course it is a sacred experience that I don't want to make light of on a blog, but I do want to say that most everyone there agreed that it was one of the most spiritual wedding ceremonies they had attended, and we were all taken aback by how strong the spirit was and the emotions we felt. It confirmed to us that this was a union blessed by the Lord. I think our family gained a lot of closeness in many ways by that beautiful ceremony. The patriarch who gave James his patriaracal blessing, Pres. Borquest, did the ceremony, and it couldn't have been a better person to convey the spririt like he did. I have never seen James and Taylor so peacful and happy as they were that day.

We had a lot of family (and friends) travel far (Utah, Az, Canada, etc.), sacrifice time and money to help with and be a part of the wedding, and it was so fun, thanks to everyone! I saw how much my parents put in to all of this too, and am in awe of them too, they are truly amazing people.

James and Taylor went to Mexico on a cruise for the Honeymoon, and had tons of fun, and when they got back, they loaded everything into a trailer, and moved to Austin, Texas where they both had great jobs waiting for them. (and a beautiful apt!) So far they seem to love it, and their jobs are going really well, and they are loveing married life. Looks like I will have to take a few trips to Austin!

Taylor, James and Taylor's dad, Bill

Kenny(James' friend), James, Chris (James' friend), Alex (Taylors Brother, James' new Bro!)

The grooms Family

Julie, Laurel, Michelle, Addie, Christopher, Ron

Ashley, Aubree, Kim and Alicia decorating the get away car :)

I stayed the week after the wedding, which was nice and spent some more time with family, and friends (I miss you Heather and Emily!!!), and even took a surf trip to San Diego with friends, and while I didn't catch a wave, I got severely burned which was just super. (how many times do I have to be burned from an overcast day to finally learn my lesson?!) It was worth it though, because I am hardly ever with these girls and had an awesome time in spite of the scalded epidermis.

Roxy Premier of "Dear and Yonder" about the amazing women surfers around the world
Christi and I and our free Roxy Flip flops!
Some cool surf chicks, Suzette, Gina, Christi, and Jeni

Apples are Yummy

2009-07-08T21:38:00.001-07:00

Someone had a little Christmas in July, and got a Macbook!

I am thoroughly enjoying it and, had a little fun with photo booth.... Ok a lot of fun.

I think its written in the contract that you have to take these pictures when you purchase a Mac.

Don't hate....you'd do it too if you had a macbook. ....what? you have a Macbook? you haven't done this and published it on your blog? .....oh.....

Some Things of Note....

2009-05-29T21:10:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would share some things I have been up to, nothing incredibly exciting, but since this is my "journal" (ha), i thought i'd write it down.

So a couple weeks ago, at work there was something called Summer University, which is just a couple days of workshops, and service projects, and activities for the Faculty and Staff at UVU. At first I thought it would be something that I would do just to get out of a little bit of boring office work, haha. When I went to it though, I found myself enjoying the speakers and workshops. My favorite was a keynote speaker, named Mike Schlappi, who is a paralympic athlete and has won 4 medals in basketball.

He became paralized in H.S. when he was shot accidentally by a friend. It really is amazing to hear peoples stories who have overcome so much and not just overcome it, but absolutley excelled in thier life in many ways. It makes me feel so inspired that I really can do whatever I want, no matter what I think my limitations are. The bullet that paralyzed him was stuck in his spine for several years until technology was more advanced and they could remove it. He said that when they finally took it out and he held it in his hand, he was able to let go of a lot of things, and move past all the things that upset him, and do what he wanted in life. He asked the audience to go home and think about what our "bullets" were in our lives. As corny as that sounds, I really wanted to think about it, and try to pin point something that was holding me back in my life, and try to overcome it. So I have, and I am excited to work on overcoming and getting past those bumps in my life. So what is your bullet in life??

The other thing that was of note, was last Friday. I went and volunteered at the MTC pretending to be an investigator for the missionaries who are learning ASL.

It was so fun! I loved it, for many reasons. It was the first time I had been back to the MTC since I was there 5+ years ago. (I can't believe its been so long) What a flood of memories! I saw missionaries sitting exactly where I sat not so long ago. Its weird becaue I sometimes forget that I actually went on a mission. I feel like it was dream, so it was fun to remember those feelings again. Also, it was so funny to see the missionaries struggle with teaching the lessons, and cute at the same time. They were so nervous, and it was so funny to see that one was SOO awkward and nervous, and the other seemed to want to take control(and he did) because he knew the other one was weird. :) oh memories. Plus, they were just BARELY learning the language so it was SOOOO slow and while there were a lot of hand and arm movements, there were not a lot of signs. haha. One kept looking at his companion desperatly for help in how to sign the door approach. They were SO nervous, poor guys. Luckily they only practiced door approaches in ASL, and then just taught the lesson in English. Anyway, it was fun and there seriously is a definite unique and amazing spirit there. I hope to go more often now. I was reluctant to go because I didn't want to be one of those return misisonaries who can't let go, but it really was a great experience. I can see why people enjoy teaching there.

Also, I finally moved. I live less than a mile from UVU, so its jus mins to get to work! I have my own big master bed and bath, and at a great rent. Its nice to finally get settled with all my stuff, but I can't believe how much "stuff" I have! I have 6-7 boxes I just don't know what to do with. I have accumulated and its so hard for me to let go!

Sorry this was long and boring, if you made it this far, you should get a small medal. And if you just skipped to the end... smart.

I know what I want for Christmas!

2009-05-18T21:04:00.000-07:00

I was skeptical at first, but after reading the description of this delicate duckling, I think its a must have.
You gotta love Engrish.com.

Grateful

2009-05-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

I am in St. George right now for a work conference, and most of the people I came with brought their spouses/kids so are out with them tonight, which leaves me with out a car or anything to do. So here I sit in my hotel room sort of bored, but enjoying the fact that I get a couple days to not do anything, but not feel guilty about it!

The past couple weeks have been sort of crazy, or at least eventful, but I realize that with a good healthy portion of perspective, things look a lot different to me in life, and I am grateful for the things I have, and realize what the most important things are to focus on in life. My grandma and Mom had surgery within a week of each other, and are impressively strong, and resilient and I am so impressed and grateful that they are healing well (so far). They are 2 of the most important people to me in my life, and I wish they didn't have to go through yucky things like that but they both have SO much faith in the Lord, and get through hard times because of that. That is so great for me to remember, because I need to rely on the Lord so much more in EVERY aspect-big, or small- in my life because it makes for a better experience! They both are such pure examples of trying to be the best they can in this life while having full trust in the Lord for they things they don't have control over. I love them SO much.

My car also died yesterday morning on the way to work, just a couple hours before I was to leave for St. George, and while my stomach dropped when I realized my car was dead, I also had such a feeling of relief for the blessing of being in a position where even if it were to cost a lot, I knew I had the money for it. I have NEVER felt that way before. Thanks to a good friend I was introduced to a book that has helped me get a handle on my finances and the first step was to save $1000 for an emergency fund, "just in case" any thing unexpected happened that I would normally have to go into debt for. I have also paid off a big chunk of my previous debt, which is a HUGE weight off my shoulders, and while I still have a bunch of school debt to get down, I have felt very in control. I also got a TON of money back from the govt. this year, and so I have that as well as surplus. So even after paying off the $700 car problem (which still sucks), I will have my $1000 emergency fund replenished immediately and some left over! I am blessed that I was able to start this before these little things started bogging me down. I am grateful for the Lords blessings when I see what could have happened from a different perspective.

I am also moving next week, and my dad was going to come up to help, but he hurt his back, so that is still TBD on if he can do all that heavy lifting! When it rains it pours, right!? I am excited to move, and have been so grateful to have had a place to live this whole time while saving money, and appreciate my Grandparents and love them so much.

My life is (very) far from perfect, and I still have a LONG way to go to always have a positive attitude about it, but I am trying. Even when I don't feel like it, I am trying to force myself to feel positive, which seems silly, but it actually works sometimes :)

Gifts :)

2009-04-24T22:09:00.000-07:00

I have already decided on the gifts and started making them, they are fun for me to make, so I hope you like what you get. They are all the same idea, but no two are the same, I made them just for you. And if you don't like 'em, you can always re-gift right! :) Anyway, the people that will receive them are...

Brittany Nielson
Laurel Bogar
Leah Reigle
Jessica Wilkins
Gale Bray
Shanna Scott
and Olya Tyltin

Please email me your address, at jerilynhartley@gmail.com and I will send them to you shortly :)

Payin' It Forward...

2009-04-18T17:20:00.000-07:00

This post comes from something my creative and cute aunts Gale and Leslie have done on their blogs, and I was lucky enough to get chosen by Gale to be the recipient of the most exciting little gift! Here is a picture of what I got, and I love them! I wear them all the time....just ask my co-workers. :) Thanks SO much Gale!!

(My aunt got a great deal on some look-a-likes, but they seem just as good to me, I love it!)

The first 5 people to respond to this post will receive something purchased or made by me, especially for you. (I say 5 people, but since there aren't many people who read my blog, that's flexible- considering there may only be 2-3 that respond, or just over 5.) :) ***You must respond before May 1st***

Here's the small print...

Of course there are some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I buy/make! And I don't promise it will be as cool as what I got. :)

2. What I buy or create will be just for you.

3. It will be sent sometime in the next month.

4. And last but not least...you can be out of town and even out of country...I will mail it.

More small print...

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on their blog. Oh and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it (I'm assuming this is just to prove that I kept my end of the deal)!!

(Unless you don't have a blog, in which case - feel free to post "anonymously" but post your name at the end so I know who you are and I'll still send you something anyway. Blog stalkers are welcome!)

So, there you go....please comment!!!

Sometimes you feel like a Nut....

2009-04-14T22:11:00.000-07:00

....Or sometimes you feel like this...

When I turned 25, my roommates (who, incidentally, were all 18) put this on the door of our apartment for all to see, with my name on it, and "Over the Hill" signs and decorations everywhere.
This was almost 2 years ago, and there are some days when I literally feel like this. Today is one of those days. Maybe its the dreary rain, but I feel like I feel like-slash-look like this today. I think I am gonna excercise tomorrow and give myself one heck of a mani-pedi & makeover. This is the ultimate frump day. But watch out, Thursday! After my frumpy feelings are over, I am gonnna be rockin the most unfrumpy me ever! (ok "unfrumpy" still leaves a lot to be desired, but its the best I can promise.)

They're Engaged!

2009-03-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

On March 15th, my bro James and his girlfriend Taylor got engaged!!! It was their one year and one month anniversary (monthaversary??). Anyway, I was lucky enough to fly down just two days later and rejoice with them :) I am so excited for them, they are rediculously cute together, and they are so happy. I am thrilled to finally have a sister too! Its extra fun because Taylor and I were friends and roomies before they started dating, so we aren't just friends cuz we have to be! :) I do have to say that I take full credit in getting these two lovebirds together. I was her Visiting Teacher, and because of that we decided to move in together, and I gave her James' phone number and the rest is history!

Isn't that the most gorgeous ring!!!

James' birthday was on the 17th (the day I arrived) which is the day Taylor was baptized 2 years ago, and Taylors b-day was on the 22nd (the day I left), so we got to do a whole lot of celebrating! It was great fun! (and boy did we have LOTS of chocolate cake) I haven't been home in about 8 months, so it was so nice to be in Ca again. I am definitely am not the type who can be away from my family too much, I miss them a lot, and love being around them. My Mom and I have a tradition of going to lunch at Olive Garden and the swap meet on Saturdays, and I have missed that, so it was fun to do that again! We also went as a family to Dave and Busters to dinner and to play Pool and some other games. My Dad and James are quite skilled at pool, and my mom and I try to look fancy, but that's all we can claim. Its always fun though :) So here are some pics of the week!

**James and Taylor will be married in the Newport Beach temple on June 27th 2009. If you haven't given James or Taylor your address for an announcement, you are welcome to email me or leave it in the comment section. My email is JerilynHartley@gmail.com.**

Word To Your Mother

2009-03-05T23:14:00.000-08:00

I'm not gonna pretend like it was a lame concert, and they were a bunch of washed up has-beens, cuz it wasn't... it was amazing. We made it all the way to the front after much hard work and toil, and had more fun than Dwight at a Star Wars convention.

Except for the part where I almost died a lot, and where I got doused with a bucket of water like I was on fire, and my camera got semi-destroyed, and the part where I was forced to spoon with smelly sweaty creepy people who occasionally had flatulence problems for 3 1/2 hours. Other than that it was "off the hook!"

All in all I wanted to end my own life at times, but it was worth it. It was actually quite entertaining to watch and listen too, and jump around and sing to. Granted much of the jumping around was just to ensure that I wouldn't get pulled under and trampled, but I rejoiced in the fact that I didn't. I went with some fun girls who I had a blast with, well, when I saw them anyway. We were torn apart by the crowd quite often. MC Hammer did his little hammer pants dance, pot-belly and button-up vest and all. They did most of the songs we wanted, including 2 Legit, Hammer Time, Ice Ice Baby, Ninja Rap, and Pray(You got to pray you got to pray, just to make it today!). We stayed for the whole thing, screaming and sweating like OJ Simpson on Judgement day. It was awesome.... here are some pictures before my camera was officially ruined. (Sorry no MC Hammer, my camera perished before he made his entrance- my friend got some, so more to come. I'm sure you'll be waiting anxiously.)

THE SWEATY CROWD...

US BEFORE WE GOT HOSED DOWN WITH A GATORADE BUCKET......

AND AFTER WE GOT DRENCHED....NOTICE HOW I LOOK LIKE A RECENTLY DROWNED CAT, AND MY FRIENDS LOOK LIKE THEY ARE SHOOTING AN HERBAL ESSENCE COMMERCIAL...

KATARINA...MARIANGELA...DROWNED CAT

Chip Chop

2009-02-19T22:17:00.000-08:00

**Caution** This post is completely done "tongue in cheek"...if you don't know what that means, either stop reading or go call your Mom and ask her, then proceed.

CHOPSTICKS
There are those pivotal moments in friendships or relationships that really change the way you look at someone. If you share things in common that are important to you, it makes you feel like you can really connect on a certain level. However if you find out that they are inept in areas that you feel are important, you tend to look at them differently. Not necessarily less, just different.
That being said, I believe that being able to use chopsticks or not is one of those things for me. Albeit INCREDIBLY shallow, but none the less, it is one. If I find out you can use them, chances are I will like you better all of a sudden. I have often said my only stipulations for marriage is that the guy is LDS, filthy rich, and can use chopsticks. I plan to hold to that as much as possible, and if I had to let go of one, I guess I could do with being upper-middle class.
Think about it; having the ability to use chopsticks says a lot about a person.
For example...

Incredible self control

-Many people try and soon get frustrated, and and "give in" to the temptation to grab the nearest fork, but not the chopstick user...he/she perseveres.

Patience

-Many people just plain give up altogether, and never even grab the chopsticks while they are in line at Panda Express. Then, when they see their very chopstick adept friend grab a pair of them, they make some insecure comment about how chopsticks are lame. But this young Grasshopper patiently practices, no matter how much defeat, and learns much more than just the art of the sticks.

Believing in Oneself

-Nowadays, many people will try to cut you down at every good thing you try to do. Especially if it makes you look better than them. But the person who uses chopsticks believes that they can, and so they do. They have a better, firmer grasp on reality, and the great things that they can accomplish with a little trust in themselves.

Accomplishing Goals

-Those who do not try, do not know the great feeling that comes with accomplishing a goal you have patiently and consistently worked at. There is no greater feeling than accomplishing something you put your mind to. The chopstick user, clearly understands the importance and value of accomplishing goals.

Now do you understand the importance of chopstick usage? There are clearly exceptional qualities about a person who has mastered this art. (granted, you don't have to be able to eat a whole meal by picking up one grain of rice at a time, just get by-eating the meal successfully.) I know that when I have children I will teach them from a young age, so that when they grow up, they too, can have these admirable qualities.

For all of you who are saying, "Oh dear, I always use a fork at Teryaki Stix," don't worry. You can still learn. Just be patient, and have a loving friend or family member help to support you, and I know you can do it. I don't love you any less if you can't, I just like you less.

P.S. There are do's and don'ts of the art.... this is a don't... (click on it to enlarge)

2 Legit to Quit

2009-02-14T10:26:00.001-08:00

"Stop collaborate and listen.......Can't touch this......Ice is back with a brand new edition....."

Seriously M C Hammer and Vanilla Ice are getting together for one night only and its in , of all places, OREM, UT at the Mckay Events center. (poor David O. Mckay, if he only knew)

Apparently they are poor and desperate, and need money from....Mormons? I'm still trying to figure out why Utah, but anyway, its called, get this.."Hammer Pants and Ice." Seriously, how can I NOT go to this. Click here for more details.

So come on all you children of the 80's, teens of the 90's. Who's with me!? Get your parachute pants out and come party with me! We'll break out our tapes and rock out to our ghetto blaster in the parking lot. Anyone (and I mean anyone, any age) who is in the area and wants to go, lemme know. tix are 30-35 bucks...so worth it.

Best Day Ever!

2009-02-05T21:27:00.000-08:00

1. I was actually early to my 830 class today which never happens, but I love when it does because it makes me less stressed

2. Most classes I interpreted were very laid back, and easy today.

3. 3 of my classes were canceled today... which is honestly a really nice break

4. I got my hair done! **PAH** its been like, over 3 months and I basically gagged every time I looked in the mirror and saw my regrowth. It feels so good, even though it sounds vain :)

5. This is the best one!! I got my level 2 Interpreter Certification results back and when I took it, my goal was to at least pass one of the 5 components, and today I found out I passed 4 of the 5!!!!!!! Im so excited! I hope they didn't mix me up with someone else, but I quadruple checked to make sure and it seems legit! YAY!!!!

The Lord is so good to me, I can't tell you how much I truly sincerely needed a good day! He has blessed me so much, and I don't deserve it. I am so grateful He loves us no matter what. :)

Help me decide!

2009-02-03T23:24:00.000-08:00

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted a Dog. Now that I am done with school, I have been itching to get one, and have (I think) narrowed it down to 2 breeds. A Puggle or a Yorkie. I have done a lot of research, and I want to be sure I am ready when I do get one. Yes, I of course want a "cute little dog," and they are both that. I don't want a big one, since I will be in an apartment probably for a while. In short, here are a few of the pros and cons of both:

Puggles- "pros" They are good in apartments, good with children and strangers, short hair- no trimming necessary, bathing only once in a blue moon, they are friendly and loyal, they don't get stressed or depressed easily, they are super cute!
Puggles- "cons" They can get to be up to 15-20lbs, they need the folds of thier face and eyes cleaned often, they can be hard to potty train, they shed, they may be prone to "digging"

Yorkies- "pros" They are loyal and loving, they are small and good in apartments, they don't need tons of excercise, can be trained well, they are easy to take around if needed, they don't dig or destroy things, they are adoreable!
Yorkies- "cons" They can get lonely easy (I work a lot), they need to be trimmed often, and brushed regularly, Must be bathed 2-4 times a month (not too bad), may have a tendency to be yippie.

I need help in making a decision, especially if you know more about either of them. OR...if you have any other suggestions for dogs, lemme know. So comment away...

MEEEEEE

2009-01-24T10:53:00.000-08:00

I have been tagged by Laurel, so here's my 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about me...

1. When I sleep, I love being cold, and bundling up in lots of big warm blankets. I absolutely can't stand being to hot, or even normal temp when I am sleeping. 50 Degrees is Ideal.
2. When I clean, it is usually at night, I get my 2nd wind after about 11, and get this desire to deep clean everything.
3. I have the greatest desire to be creative and musical, I have 700 times more interest in creativity then I do actually have creativity. I feel like Salieri sometimes(the man who was accused of Mozarts death), but don't worry I am not gonna kill any creative-types.
4. I love photography, and while I can't afford anything related to actually being a photographer, I will someday, I already have a plan.
5. I love movies, even movies that aren't that great, if they still entertain I like 'em.
6. I love soy anything. Soy burgers, soy beans (edemame), soy milk. Too bad I'm supposed to avoid all soy products cuz of my thyroid medication. :(
7. I hate feet. Don't come near me with your feet.
8. Politics make me angry most of the time. I am interpreting a class related to this topic, and while I actually find it really interesting, I cant stand how skewed EVERY single fact becomes.
9. If I have too much to do, and feel overwhelmed, I get paralized and cant do anything because I don't know where to start. So I watch a movie.
10. I really want to be married right now. I am not all crazy about it, but its true.
11. I LOVE my job interpreting, but I never feel good enough at it.
12. I love making lists. I love writing them down, and making a detailed plan and list of things to do , or accomplish, and ticking them off. Its so fulfilling.
13. I am super self concious, hopefully not annoyingly so, but I analyze EVERYTHING people say and do and everything I say and do.
14. But.... I genuinely like people and get along with almost everyone. Even if I am totally different than someone, or they are super drama, I still will most likely sincerly enjoy being around them.
15. I am DYING to get a dog right now. I have been researching it since the summer and have narrowed it down to 2 breeds, either a puggle or a yorkie. I WILL get a dog, hopefully in the next few months.
16. I really like my hands.
17. I have recently become obsessed with saving money, and I am super excited about it. Well actually I am in the stage of paying off school debt, and then I will be saving, but I have big plans, and its SO fun.
18. I avoid hugging people most of the time because I have a fear of awkward hugs. Lemme tell you though, its a self fullfilling prophecy.
19. I despise public restrooms. This is a problem since I work over 8 hours most days, I can't avoid 'em, so I pick the ones most don't know about, or try to use it when I know everyone is in class. I don't like people listenting to me or waiting for me, thank you very much.
20. My Idol growing up was Debbie Gibson. It was the first CD I ever owned. Though I did have all the tapes of Paula Abdul, and The New Kids. (thats until they became The New 'pigs' on the Block, mmmhmmm)
21. I have moved over 20 times in my life, (and thats not including 11 times on my mission).
22. I hate moving.
23. I am not a big fan of crowds, or big parties. I am a one-on-one kinda girl. I am NOT a social butterfly.
24. Music is a big part of my life. I love music, I have a wide variety of what I like, and its probably not what you'd expect. (I still haven't accepted most forms of country though, sorry)
25. My sense of humor is important to me, I have whay you might call a "subtle yet surpirsing" sense of humor. At least I like to say that, so when you don't think I am funny I can blame your inability to pick up subtleties.

Now TAG, you're it.