2 Days.....2 DAYS!!

2 days...and here is what i can't stop thinking about:

the four loads of laundry i need to do

the 800 pictures i need to erase off my camera

the dead iPod i need to revive before i leave

the 'undecided upon' bag i need to pack

the sleep i want to get before i go

seeing Sliv in chicago!!

eating gelato at least twice a day

people watching

drinking a lot of wine....italian wine, spanish wine....what have you

smelling the gloriousness of public transportation

not working for 2 weeks

having 2 hour dinners with missy

italian bakeries for breakfast

etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.

3 days

Well, besides being my favorite Pat Green song.....3 days means that there are approximately 72 hours standing between me and carafes of red wine, gelato, italian accents, smelly metro rides, and......finally......a vacation.

Melissa and I are so so so excited. So excited that at one point last night I thought Melissa's eyes just might pop clear out of her head in anticipation for this weekend.

However....I don't know who (ahem) didn't check the March Madness schedule when making plans to leave the country for two weeks...but with a number 1 seed in a really awesome bracket, I am a little irritated at that person.

That's alright, I will remember that when we are having a two hour italian dinner in Rome with multiple bottles of wine. Suckers.

Lastly, I am a guitar hero. B, you have two weeks two practice....good luck :)

Ugh, keeping up with a blog is like.....every other New Year's resolution

Ok, so.....i suck at this. There, I said it, its out there.

However, I am going to try, try, to get better at it. The thing is, is that what I want to blog about isn't always appropriate for public viewing.

The other thing is that I have been on a rollercoaster of emotion since my last blog entry, which was....well, you can see for yourself. So much to catch up on, and so much more I want to write. This was my 'baby steps' toward getting back into blogging. I know...alert the press, right?

My nieces

I spent a weekend in august with my brother and his family in SLC. It was a great weekend - we spent both days on the lake with their new boat, and water skiied, tubed, wakeboarded, etc. i have never been so sore in my life.....

I am finally downloading some pictures....and I couldn't resist....

Lelia and big D with their stuffed animals from gma....

my brother, the girls, and richard.

my girlies

Holy Cow...

I can not physically fathom what it is like to run this fast...Haile Gebrselassie broke the world record on Sunday, running a full marathon in 2:04:26. That is amazing.


That is a 4:45/min mile split. wow. even though i never plan on doing a full marathon again in my life (i say that, but i probably will cave sometime during a midlife crisis or something), this guy is an inspiration!

Baby Shiller!!!

I mean...how cute is Claire Abigail?!?!?! This is when she was just a day old. I can't wait to babysit her! Don't get me wrong...i miss havin the boss in the office. a lot. however, i am so excited that she gets to be home with this little bundle of joy for a few weeks. soooooo cute :) and, if she were to ever work at Vanguard, i would call her chiller.

Believe that everything happens for a reason...someday we will get the answers we are looking for

I can honestly say life has thrown several curve balls lately. Good and bad. and sometimes even surreal and surprising...sometimes i have to stop for a moment for a reality check....am i really here? is this really happening? does anyone else see this? am i dreaming?

The happy blessings of life

my boss had her baby. this has many implications :) First of all...she is a mommy...that blows my mind. Claire Abigail is honestly one of the cutest new borns i have ever seen. and it is hard for a new born to be genuinely cute...usually they just look like little awkward raisins with a conehead.

my step-sister gave birth to her 3rd little bundle of joy....Vincent Andrew. I got a call straight from the mama just yesterday...7lbs or pure excitement that little guy was. can't wait to meet him! woohoo for babies and new life...god is good.

The struggles that make you stronger

so, boss has baby, boss takes maternity leave. boss takes maternity leave, jessi takes boss' work load. jessi takes boss' work load and it goes on top of current work load. not cool. However, this is a great opportunity for me, i would have never thought that at 24 i would be managing 10+ pr accounts and two account coordinators. it has been an intense past couple of weeks, but i finally think i am getting the hang of things. there have been a couple of restless nights, of waking up and thinking about everything on my growing to-do list, not being able to shake it out of my head for a while, tossing, turning...but i think i have calmed down a bit. so weird how the human body can have such a physical reaction to stress...but it is good stress, i guess? I will admit, that there is some self-satisfaction in proving myself to a lot of people...watch out world!

Coming to terms with all facets of human life

all human life comes to an end. however, what hurts the most is when a life is cut short. again, my highschool class lost a friend this past week. as i told hillary, i truly feel like our class is cursed...it is the weirdest thing...this stuff shouldn't be happening to us, but it is...for whatever reason, i don't know. but one of these days, i'm gonna find out. the news of Sarah, really more than anything ,surfaced the repressed sadness that i have for Jaclyn.....and it made for a baaad Wednesday.

It didn't help that i also found out on Wed. that our cleaning people at the office stole the petty cash that is in my drawer. Jerks. I hope that they really needed the money to buy food for their baby, or put gas in the car, or whatever....but really people, stop going through my stuff!

Gosh...just sitting here thinking about all of the FUN things that i have forgotten to blog about in the past few weeks....dang it. i have awesome pictures from the Toby Keith concert and good stories from the VMAs...both of which would have made for a better posting than this one.

Going to Stoney's tonight for some boot scootin' good ole hometown fun! can't wait.

when i miss home...

Two posts in one day, this is the first....

i have been in Vegas for more than two years now...and i love it. I truly do. There is rarely a time i miss home - but when that time comes, it is intense. really, it isn't that i am homesick, but rather, i am missing things in my friends' and family's life due to geography...well, that and money. For example, i missed a wedding this summer because i couldn't buy the plane ticket. My step-sister is pregnant with her third blessing, but i won't be able to be there for that either. My dad and Helen get to go to fun Arkansas football games to watch ben play - nope, don't get to go there either. Little things here and there add up.

But probably the worst feeling there is - not being home for your friend's dad's funeral. Tuesday night, one of my high school friend's dad passed away due to lung cancer. I shamefully admit that i didn't even know he was diagnosed...however, i found out that he had just been diagnosed two months ago. This was totally unexpected...and the funeral was this morning. I know that there isn't much that i could do to ease the pain, but i would have still loved to be able to physically be there for her - and for the rest of my friends.

But i guess that isn't in the plans right now - for whatever reason, i am missing out on these things...and i think i should be learning something from it. I am getting worse and worse with keeping in touch. i have no (good) excuses. I have so many people that are really important to me, but for some reason picking up the phone to call and check in, writing a quick email, or heck - even using snail mail is just too much for me to do....really? no, it isn't too much to do - i am just being lazy.

My high school friends have been through a lot - a LOT. I lost one of my best friends on Christmas Day, freshman year...and i can't even explain what kind of bond that created with my girls. They are my rocks, they will always be there for me - and it makes me feel so guilty when i can't always be there for them when something like this happens, but also that i don't always make the effort to call, write, etc.

So - to wrap up this downer of a post - life is short. I know that is totally cliche, but it is true...really really true. Don't let one moment pass where you only *think* about catching up with a friend, dropping an email, praying for them, telling them you miss them, etc....because really - you just never know when you won't have that opportunity. I promise, i am going to start taking my own advice :)

"Happiness lies for those who cry, those who hurt, those who have searched and those who have tried. For only they can appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives."

Long time, no post...but lots of vacas!

Wow, i suck at this. I attribute my lack of blogging to a couple of things

1. I have been out of town a lot...and it has been amazing...but it also really makes time fly, meaning that things don't get done.
2. When i am at home, and could be blogging, i usually just want to sit on the couch and watch tv - after a full day of work, sometimes writing, being witty, etc is just not as appealing as it should be
3. I would rather facebook or myspace instead of blog. i think that sometimes it is a nice 'release' and somewhat of a guilty pleasure to anonymously spy on other people's lives and see what my friends from high school and college are really up to these days...this is also the lazy way of 'keeping in touch.'

Chicago - cubs, drinks, cabs, food, friends, fun


















The end of July was our DG reunion in Chicago...something we had been planning for a year. Really, a year. There were about 12 of us all together...some of the girls live in chicago, a couple stayed with them, and then about 7 of us stayed in a hotel room down town. Friday we went to a cubs game...

It was a blast - and ironically enough just about 5 rows behind us were a group of our guy friends from college that were in town for a bachelor party....random.

The rest of the weekend was full of shopping, walking, eating, drinking, and trying to relive the college years...i think it was pretty successful...



I have been truly blessed with amazing friends...childhood friends, highschool friends, college friends, 'real world' friends...they have all given me something truly unique at every different point in my life. I know there are a lot of areas of my life that i may not totally have a grasp on yet..as i have a lot of learning to do, a lot of growing up to do, a lot of experiencing to do...but one thing that is certain is that my friendships rock...end of story :)

Pioche, NV...saloons, cafes, stuffed wildlife, and campside fun

Pretty sure this is looooong over due, but i wanted to make sure that our trip to Pioche and Echo Canyon went down in the history books. We went a couple of weekends ago - for Melissa's birthday. Instead of doing the whole, dinner, drinks, dancing, out and about on the strip bday thing, we decided to stop just talking about camping, and actually do it. So we did. We drove to Pioche on Friday night....stopping in Caliente for dinner at the ONLY place that was still serving food at 9pm. And the only food he served was whatever he could throw in the deep fryer. Alison, Meliss, Erin and I had our fried food, a toast to Melissa's bday, and headed to the hotel in Pioche.....and here it is...

I am pretty sure the Overland Saloon had never seen the likes of 12 Vegas girls...but i am sure they loved it. We had a few (too many) drinks in the saloon...took some pictures with the dead/stuffed elk, deer, mountain lions, whatever, then went to bed.

Echo Canyon is about 15 miles from Pioche...we set up camp, unloaded the coolers, and a couple of went for a hike. James just got a new camera...so were ever so lucky to have our very own personal semi-professional photographer with us at all times. Here are just a few:

We are such happy little campers...

There are a lot more that i could put up....but they get kind of out of hand once of the bottle of wine (random for a camping trip) was cracked open.

Ali's Bday celebration(s)... allll three of them

This a blog dedicated to Ali's birthday celebration(s)....I guess when you share your bday with a country, you are entitled to celebrate it three times, right Ali? i loved every moment of it, so i am not complaining. Not to mention she pretty much threw me the most surprising surprise bday party for me - so i think three celebrations would be the least i could do....here is recap.

Celebration #1

It started with a baseball game. We went to the 51s game on Tuesday night (here birthday eve)...and it was a lot A LOT of fun. There were 14 of us...and a combination of 118 degree heat with a few too many overpriced beers equalled a great time for all. We stayed til the end of the game...but only for the fireworks, and they were definitely worth it!

After the game, Ali and I (and Billy and Brett) headed to Fremont Street - where all classy Las Vegans go for a night on the town...and there is no better place to be classy than Hogs and Heiffers. duh.

Ok, so supposedly i like country dancing so much that i am willing to do it with anyone that can keep up. Not sure how i even met this chap...Pretty sure he was old enough to be my grandpa - whatever, he could keep up, and that was all that mattered.

And here is a close up of my dancing partner....this pic will make mama proud for sure.

HAHAHA - so my dance moves were SO good, that he even gave me a thumbs up. This picture does make me proud, though, because i am drinking water. i am so responsible :)

And then, i finally nabbed a dance partner that was more my age....although, his moves weren't quite as stellar, Billy did alright for a beginner.

Celebration #2

Wednesday i somehow managed to trick Ali into thinking that i was going to spend the day with my parents....but to her surprise, spent the day with her and our friends at April's pool. It was a loooooong and hot day, full of snacking, volleyball, sitting around, laughing, watching Joel make a spectacle of himself, flippy cup, and fireworks. Can't complain - it was just what a day off work should be....and going to work on Thursday was NOT fun...but i did it anyway.

Celebration #3

Saturday night we went to Cherry at Red Rock. Jeff got a table, Rusty improved his dance moves, Joel kept his shirt on (for the most part), Alison should have worn a turtle neck, April got a 70 year old to dance on the pole, Angie left early due to consumption, and Peter left early to play black jack. The night ended with some sub-par Fat Burger, and I finally got home around 4 in the morning. Here is a 'family' photo of Joel, Ali, and me (and the only PG photo of Ali from the night)

going away, birthday, and father's day

it was an eventful weekend, i guess. after softball on friday, i joined the girls for heather's going away party. this is the first vegas friend that we have all really had move away....and it was sad, really really sad. for her last night in vegas, she wanted to go to Margaritaville...which is ironic, because we never go to margaritaville, but whatever. it turned out to be great though - minus the sporadic moments of bawling (slightly drunk) girls, it was a good time. i am sad to see her go, but know that she is following her heart, and i wish her the best. heather is an awesome girl, and i am pretty sure neil is one of the luckiest guys in chicago that she would pick up and move to be with him.

i went to get my oil changed yesterday morning...at walmart...after getting in at 4 in the morning friday night...for some reason i thought i would set my alarm for 7 to be the first in line at walmart...in hopes of not having to spend any more time than necessary at the worst place on earth. I was wrong...it was a 2 hour wait...and when you are very tired, and slightly hungover, walmart is just 100 times worse. however, i did walk to pet smart to buy some dog treats and almost bought two goldfish. They were 12 cents...then i decided it wasn't intelligent to make an impulse buy of two living creatures just because i was bored. but i have been thinking about it a lot more, and think i will go get the little fishies this week.

Yesterady was also my mom's birthday, and they had a party in the back yard...traditions of my mom's birthdays = keg, pizza, and tequila shots. seeing as though tequila and i are not friends after our little misunderstanding on cinco de mayo...i did not partake. as much as (i hate to admit) my mom and i are a lot alike, there are two things we will never see eye to eye on: tequila and running.

this morning i was finally able to sleep in, and went to the gym and ran 5.5 miles! the half marathon is still 6 months away, but i really want to run it at a much more decent pace than a 10 minute mile this year...

Georgia - sun, sand, sweat and sharks

Well, there were a few other things mixed in there...but that basically sums up the trip to St. Simons Island...well that and the wedding of course....





Friday was the rehearsal and dinner. The wedding was at Lovely Lane Chapel...and it was just as magical as the name :) Set in the middle of little brick cottages with huge willow and oak trees all around it....if it weren't 104 degrees with 80% humidity, i would have said it was perfect, however, i was sweating balls and that isn't my idea of perfection.

Apparently Steve 'saved' these hermit crabs' life, and was 'incubating' them back to good health in the kitchen sink....in a bake pan with salt water.....anyhow, it was time for them to go back to their natural habitat, and so i took them to the beach with me...their names were Mike and Stephanie, in honor of the bride and groom....I took a picture of them because they were part of the family for the weekend.


This is the beautiful bride...she was so so so excited all day. Actually, i have never seen her so excited.


Really, this picture just makes me giggle. Shake it mama :) (she is the one in the middle)

Last day at the beach.... which was a good thing, because then i saw him catch this shark. in the same water where i was just standing. his name was dave, he is a chef, and he has a son...named zeke. he once worked in the mirage...when i was like 7.

case of the mondays?

Case of the mondays? I think so.

or maybe it is a case of the "i just got back from a vacation at the beach." that could be it as well.

Either way, i have a case of it. And i am counting down the hours until i can leave work and go to the gym. weird, maybe...but i seriously have the urge to run....right now.

Georgia was good...all of the pics are on my home computer, so i will write more about it later. But all in all, it was a good trip. However, it was very hot and very humid. I can do hot, but humid is a whole other story....hair.was.a.mess.

Got to lay on the beach all weekend long, and it was amazing. until the last day....the guy i was sitting by was fishing, and within about 10 minutes caught a shark. no kidding. i will post the pic later. his name was Dave, and i told my mom that i thought dave belonged in a movie - he just had this presence about him that would make him perfect for the "island man that is pretty decent looking, but has a kid, but is still a charmer and fishes all day....and talks in a southern accent" role. he is a chef, and even after learning my name, still called me "vegas."

Here is the one pic i have at the office....this is my beautiful mother and me....

More to come about the trip later....i promise.

Quick update...and I mean quick

I don't have time to do this....but I have been at work since 7:30, and don't plan on going anywhere for lunch, so i think a 10 minute break to post a blog should be alright.

Life has been, for the most part, pretty great (I will explain the 'for the most part' in a second).

Work has really been kicking my butt lately...which is good. I am taking on a lot more account executive responsibilities, meaning more ownership of projects, more client interaction, and more pressure :) However, it also makes the day a lot more enjoyable...i can leave at the end of the day and feel very accomplished...kind of a personal/professional satisfaction feeling. I also had got a great hit for one of MY clients last week, and have been recognized and praised both from the client and our partner in Salt Lake on my work for it - which is very encouraging.

My step sister is getting married this weekend in St. Simons Island, Georgia...and i am SO excited for it....i love getting out of town for the weekend, and we are staying on right on the beach. Although, i just checked the weather and i think it is supposed to rain all weekend, boo to that.

Got a pedicure last night....the lady took the liberty to cut my toe nails really short without my permission, and not 5 minutes after i left the place did i smudge the polish on the gas pedal in my car. Did i mention that i also broke the heel of my shoe yesterday as well? yeah..just my luck. whatever, no use crying over spilled lemonade.

And perhaps what is VERY exciting news...my 'sister' Blaney is back in town for the summer...and i am so excited to see her soooooon.

Now for the sad news. A family friend from El Dorado has passed away. Charlie was in Prague for just a couple of weeks studying abroad when he was found unconcious and unresponsive in his room. Charlie's family has gone through a lot in the past year - losing their mother pretty much unexpectedly to cancer....anyhow...his whole family is pretty close to my family (dad and mom's side)...and Charlie was a groomsman in my step-brother's wedding...so his loss has affected a lot of people. Not to mention he made going to the Mad Hatter that much better with just a mere hug ;)

http://www.legacy.com/Kansas/DeathNotices.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=88712735

Remember, life is short...never pass up an opportunity to tell someone how much they mean to you.

Let me just say...

I love Carrie Underwood
I very much dislike Joe Perry stooping so low to play guitar for Sanjaya

I love Elizabeth Hasselbeck
I very much dislike Rosie O'Donnell

I love running
I very much dislike sit ups

I love people having their own voice, opinions and views
I very much dislike people who think everyone else should see it the same way

I love waking up in the morning to my radio
I very much dislike waking up to my neighbor's five dogs howling at their pet monkey

Taiwan

I came across my travel journal yesterday - and considering that I am lucky i have even kept track of it since my trip to Europe....i thought i should go ahead and transfer my Taiwan entries to the blog...in the rare (or not so rare) chance that this baby gets lost in my room. So, bare with me...here is a recap of the most amaing Asian trip ever...

First, some background - my college roommate, best friend, confidant, etc etc, Emilie, has been in Chia-Yi Taiwan for almost a year now serving God as a missionary and English teacher...molding the young minds of taiwanese middle schoolers. So, i went to visit her.

Sunday, April 1:

Alright, first of all, i am not even sure what day it is. I flew out from LV on a Thursday morning, and got to Taipei late on Friday night. The flight was long, obviously...but really really, it was long. At the airport in LA, the people at the EVA gate (the airline i flew) questioned if i was in the right line - as i was the only white girl within view. Yes, i am in the right line, thank you. I found $40 at the gift shop, I tried to give it back, but the cashier told me to keep it, so I bought Emilie $40 worth of English magazines.

Our flight was a little late, so i arrived in taipei around 11pm. however, soon enough i was reunited with Em, and it was amazing. It was such a great feeling to see her after so long, and so many miles! It was so surreal to think that we were together, in asia. We took the bus back to Chia-yi....a 3.5 hour ride! eeek. So, i didn't get to see much of taiwan yet. I am pretty sure that all of the sleeping taiwanese people were probably very annoyed with the two white girls catching up on their gossip for a whole 3 hours, but oh well...

We got back to her place around 3:30am, and mind you, my body has noooo idea what time to think that it is.

The next morning, we woke up early, and headed to the school bus. They go to school every other saturday, when they have 'clubs.' Well, em was asked by the community service club to go to the nursing home and play guitar while they sang worship songs. Yes, the first place em took me to in Taiwan = nursing home.

After that, we took a tour of the campus - and then it was lunch time, and time for my first scooter ride :). If any of you know me at all, you know that i am a BAD passenger...i am very jumpy and very paranoid...therefore, em was a little anxious to see how i would do on the back of a scooter. I think i did rather well :)

We went to Sushi express, where all kinds of different sushi dishes come out on a conveyor belt, and you just pick up whatever you want. It was amazing. Then we just walked around the street shops.....and got stared at :)

That night after a loooong nap, we got up, got some Taiwan beer, pizza, and got ready to go to Player...a club. We took a very illegal taxi ride with 4 people in the back....we were the only Americans in player for a good 2 hours. so, we enjoyed some more taiwan beer, and some great american songs sung by a very taiwanese band. Such songs as "This love." lol.

Enjoying a taiwan beer just as the taiwanese do...with ice in it...

Tuesday, April 3

Sunday we went to church. Rode the scooter, of course. I got to meet Emilie's friend, Emily, someone i had heard so much about (and was baptized a christian on easter sunday!). She was so excited to meet me, too...it was great!

Church was interesting...it was a very small room upstairs, and the whole service was in Chinese. Then a translater had a microphone in the back of the room that she would translate into for us, and we listened on little walkmans. After church, we went to eat at an amazing 'family style' restaurant...here is a pic.

Then i got my first tea experience...it was amaaaaaaazing, and i craved it every day.



After that, we took a walk in this little park in the middle of town. That night, we went to a couple of other missionaries' home.

Monday, Em had some papers to grade, so i went to hang out with a third grade class that her friend Jenny taught in the afternoon. They were soooo cute, and unbelievably smart! They had better english than a lot of the older kids that we talked to...if i had a picture of the cute third graders, i would put it here:

That night, we went to an amaaaaazing dinner....it was almost my first rainy scooter ride:

Dinner was great - they brought out ALL kinds of raw meat on platters, and we cooked it in these little grills right in our table. That pot in the middle is a hot pot...basically they put anything and everything in a 'hot pot,' with a little broth, and call it soup.

tuesday, Em and i went into town for some lunch and shopping. I bought a shirt that said "Love and Peas." It was obviously translated by a non-english native speaker...think about it.

This was also my first exposure to the buddhists burning 'ghost money.' Outside of their shops it is very common for them to set up little fire pits, as i called them, and throw in this yellow paper that is called "ghost money." they are literally (well, as literal as you can get) 'paying' their respects to their dead ancestors. They also set up a little altar by the fire where they set up a shrine to their ancestors.

ok...so this is the point where we went to Kenting. This is a beach town, where they have a huge festival every year that is comparable to spring break....they even call it 'spring fling.' Emilie has a close friend, Tony, that is in the Taiwanese army...and he invited some of us to meet up with his friends to go to Kenting. Here are some pics:

Tony was an awesome tour guide...he thought he was going to make it to LV this summer, but unfortunately he can't, and so i am unable to repay him for his hospitality.

Here is a pic of one of the food stands at the night market in Kenting...yes, those are chicken necks and feet. yikes.

TO BE CONTINUED.......

um ya, about that new year's resolution

ok, ok...so i just read my last post, and realized that it was written on December 22. woops.

well i am back. and let me tell you why.

I have realized in the past couple of weeks that in the blink of an eye, life can change...and really, it isn't that my life drastically changed in the past few weeks, but when i really think about where i was two years ago vs. where i am today, i am blown away with what has happened. And really, i wish i would have kept better track of what was going through my mind these past few years because maybe it would help me to make more sense of what i want for the future.

So, as i was running tonight (the best run i have had in probably 4 months), i decided that i owe it to myself, and my family that isn't geographically close to me to keep up my blog. Then i thought it would be really cool if i could run and blog at the same time. I really do have a lot of deep thoughts and profound ideas when i am running, but the second that i get back inside the house, my mind is void of anything of interest.

However, i did make a mental list of future blogs that i want to make sure to post....
1. Taiwan (i found my travel diary when i was cleaning my room, and i think it would be best to transcribe that to the blog rather than count on me to keep track of that thing for another year)
2. My priorities
3. How living in las vegas is much different than lawrence, ks.
4. This conversation:
Me: "Someday i am going to date a nice guy."
Ali: "Me too. And i am excited."

So there....all of you devout, and not so devout readers are absolutely allowed to hold me accountable....i will keep up blogging more than once every 3 months.

blogging...it's my pre-new years resolution

okay - i am back...and because of my lengthy absence, i am going to simply sum up the month of December, and because i love you, here are some pictures to go along with it....

The 1/2 marathon...considering my not-so-stellar dedication to training, i consider my performance pretty decent. I finished 3963rd out of 7147 people...that means i was faster than 3184 people...

My mom was in charge of two things...making it to the half way point to take any unwanted clothing i planned on shedding and to take pictures. She succeeded at one...taking my clothes. This is the ONLY decent photo that i found on my camera...and it is in black and white. Apparently taking race photos is now a photographic art.

No worries, mom, some day i will teach you the intricacies of modern technology.

(i am in the white hat)

I was only sore for one day...although, that soreness was like nothing i have ever felt before in my life...

Our company 'Holiday' party was in SLC last week, and so I was fortunate enough to get a free vacation to see my family, and to hang out with Evan. Here are some pictures...

This is Dari...before we opened presents...thankfully she got some new clothes and she didn't have to run around naked anymore.

This is post-presents...playing with play dough...Dari is in her new clothes (thanks to yours truly) and Lelia is in her Snow White outfit - sans the black wig.

This is post-play dough...and my favorite time ever....LOVE her.

Saturday night was the Vanguard Holiday Party...I would post a pic of Evan and I at the party here....but, i didn't have my camera, and he has the pics (ahem). The Christmas party was a fun time - Evan and I really enjoy awkward moments such as "This is my date Evan." (awkward pause) other person replies, "oh....so are you guys...wait," "no, we are not 'together' just together....see, he never really broke up with me in highschool and now....., you know what, it is a really long story, but we do qualify for common law marriage."

That night it snowed, and it was awesome.....the next day Alison and I went to Park City on a mini-vaca, and that was amazing. Park City is like a little Winter Wonderland, and I am a huge fan.

Well, until next time kiddos -

for the sake of a friendship, i MUST post a blog

Today i was threatened to post a blog or i shall never receive any more gossip from the country of Taiwan.

i must post a blog.

the problem is, emilie, the gossip you are probably looking for is not 'blog' appropriate, but i shall do my best :)

Work - is good :) i love the two girls (women, i guess) that i work with, and it makes sitting in my cubicle in a room the size of a small apartment, that much more enjoyable. As any job, it has its ups and downs. One thing that i am struggling with, though, is at the end of the day - what really have i done? i am not sure that at the end of the day i can go home and feel as self-fulfilled as i want to feel from a job. I am constantly weighing the options of going back to school (very likely) or switching careers (which would be likely if i had any idea what i wanted to do).

This week I am house/dog sitting for the 'rents. As you may know, i am not a huge fan of dogs....BUT, watching MY dogs is different. Maggie is growing older by the second - not to mention she is as deaf as one little dog can be. That is no lie....i can lift up her ear when she is sleeping, and YELL her name....and no response. Yes, this is funny, and kind of endearing, BUT, it is really annoying when it is time to put the dogs out, and i can't find her - i can't call her name and expect her to come running, i have to go search for her, tap her on the back to wake her up, and motion to come downstairs. But i love her. Daisy isn't deaf, she is spoiled. She follows me everywhere, and when she wants me to pet her while i am in the bathroom, i have to draw the line somewhere.

The half marathon is in less than 2 months - I just got back from a 6 mile run that went surprisingly well.....training for the half is leaps and bounds better than training for the full....it isn't quite as time consuming, and i don't dread every weekend run like i did last year. I can actually say this time training is enjoyable, whereas last time training was dreadful.

i have no boy update....end of story.

My mom bought me a coach purse for watching the dogs.....i think that i might now be a purse snot, and will never be able to settle for anything less than a designer purse.....i am a sell out, and i don't like it.

Oh, and my hair is brown now. I don't have a good picture of it yet - the pics i have are from last weekend, right after i got it done, and it wasn't just brown, it was red. for a brief second, i thought of myself as a red head....luckily that all faded, and i am pretty happy with the brown that it is now.

Going out tonight, i shall let you know tomorrow if brunettes have more fun :)

love you all......take care :)