Economic Stimulus.

So I was pretty excited about the idea of getting my economic stimulus check from the government. They kept saying it would be anywhere from $300-$600. I told myself to only expect $300. That way if I got more, I'd be pleasantly surprised.

After filing my taxes, I waited anxiously to see my tax return direct deposited, followed by my economic stimulus check. I kept waiting and waiting. Finally my return arrived and I was VERY pleased. This year's tax return allowed me to get fully out of debt one month earlier than I had planned. Upon celebrating my new debt-free status, I promptly forgot about my stimulus check. So about two weeks ago, one night while checking my online banking, I was rather confused. A deposit of $600 even had come in from the US Treasury. "That couldn't be my state tax return." Out loud, I even said, "What IS that??" Even though I'd so been so excited at the prospect of receiving "free money" from the government, it took me a full two minutes or so to figure out what it was, once it came. Slow eclaires. I suppose I had tried so hard not to think about the free money very much (in case for some reason I didn't qualify) that I actually talked myself out of thinking I'd get anything at all.

Well, I certainly was pleasantly surprised. Free money! Who wouldn't be happy?! :) I hope you all are enjoying your stimulus checks also.

8 things.

A few days ago, (okay so it was over a week ago) Sharona tagged me (she seems to do that a lot) to complete my lists of 8. So here you are...

8 things I am passionate about:
1. The Gospel of Jesus Christ
2. Being loyal to the people I love
3. Doing things the right way
4. Understanding why people do the things they do
5. Traveling
6. Learning
7. Clean underwear
8. My rice sticking together

8 books I have read recently (umm, and enjoyed):
1. Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks
2. Night by Elie Wiesel
3. Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody
4. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
5. The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
6. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
7. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
8. Alicia by Alicia Appleman-Jurman

8 things I often say:
1. Perfect.
2. "I don't know nothin' 'bout birth and babies. (Think Mamie in Gone With the Wind)
3. That's funny.
4. "We know, don't we Mr. Merg? Indeed, we do." (Think Pollyanna)
5. Good-ness.
6. Let's play Facebook.
7. Are you driving or am I?
8. Terrible.

8 things I want to do before I die:
1. Travel more
2. Decorate my own home (that means I have to buy my own home, first)
3. Get married
4. Have babies and live to see them have their own babies
5. Go on another mission
6. Remain debt-free
7. Become fluent in a third language
8. Save the world

8 things I have learned this past year:
1. I've learned... that I am tougher than I thought.
2. I've learned... to enjoy working out.
3. I've learned... that eighteen hour bras come in handy when you're in for a long day.
4. I've learned... that men don't notice what we wear. (The entire women's group at Church wore something pink one Sunday in October in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, and I mean every last woman... and not one man noticed. Even when prompted, it took several minutes for the two most perceptive of the bunch to come up with the observation.)
5. I've learned... that sometimes my brain gets full and begins to short circuit.
6. I've learned... that Miraclesuits really are miraculous!
7. I've learned... that Blackjack is just about as fun as making out.
8. I've learned... to like pineapple.

8 people I want to do the 8 things:
1. Kim
2. Sherine
3. Jared
4. Amiee
5. Becky
6. Andrea (and Mark)
7. Suzy (she likes being tagged, even though she never wants to post it on her blog)
8. Mikol (and Gerrit)

Like a computer... :)

You Are Incredibly Logical

Move over Spock - you're the new master of logic You think rationally, clearly, and quickly. A seasoned problem solver, your mind is like a computer!

How Logical Are You?

"Isn't it nice not to have to talk to people..."

So, I've sort of been craving pizza this last week, which is a rather rare occurrence for me. I just don't eat pizza very often and, truthfully, I don't think I've ordered a pizza for delivery in over a year. But on Monday night, while Katie and I were having our family home evening time, I kept getting hungrier and hungrier and nothing I have in my cupboards sounded good to me. I finally realized that I was craving pizza. So I announced, "I'm ordering a pizza." I wasn't really convinced, but when lactose-intolerant-Katie said, "Can you get half of it without cheese?", it was all go for launch. Since we order pizza maybe once a year, I had no idea where to order from. Domino's? So I, sitting with my computer in my lap, decided to order online. Can you believe we can do that? Katie was excited, "I love that. Isn't it nice not to have to talk to people??" Hmmm, what does this say about us? Does it scream anti-social behavior to you? Maybe that's why we're not married. But seriously, it really made me laugh... Isn't it nice not to have to talk to people? Hmph.


By the way, the pizza hit the spot.

Have we forgotten God?

I ran across this quote from Honest Abe, and couldn't help but wonder if he spoke these words nearly 150 years ago, how much more do they ring true today? Let's not allow them to be a commentary on our lives. On an individual basis, we can change.

"We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in number, wealth, and power as no other Nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God who made us. It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended power, to confess our sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness."

Abraham Lincoln, in an 1863 resolution

(John Wesley Hill, Abraham Lincoln, Man of God, 4th ed., New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, p.391.)

The Nile: The Life-Blood of Egypt.

One year ago, Katie was teaching a unit to her 6th graders about ancient Egypt. She enlisted me to help grade their end-of-unit tests. So late one night, we sat on the couch, reading the answers aloud to keep from falling asleep. The whole experience was quite entertaining for us and has proven to be a source of many laughs since.

The test question that yielded the most amusing responses was: "In at least one paragraph, explain why the Nile river is often called the "life-blood of Egypt."

The answers below are real answers from 6th graders, grammar errors and all. Enjoy!

• It could be because it meant every thing to them. It would give them water. I gave them water for there plants. It gave them the ability to travel faster and cary hever things that they would trade. It expeshally helped them for wars and other things like that.
• They used it to live, for irrigation, and for their cows. They drank the water, grew crops. And fed their cows who gave milk. Which left them with strong bones to get more water from the Nile.
• The Nile river is called the life-blood of Egypt because it provides water. A nother reason why is it grows plants like the reed plant other nowen as papyrus. And it helps grows food. the farmers use it to grow there crops. It helps ceep animals and the Egyptians alive and usually fish live in water.
• The Nile was how the Egyptians survived, it was used for irrigation, building, water, the animals needwater so the Egyptians could have bacon ect.

In my 30 years, I've learned...

Today is my birthday! For those of you who know me well, I love my birthday. I openly admit that I am much like a seven year old with regard to the level of anticipation and excitement I feel about my birthday. I may not manifest that excitement the way a seven year old would, but I love my day nonetheless! My birthday always gives me the chance to look back at where I've been and look forward to what may lie ahead. This birthday, I've thought quite a bit about what I've learned and about significant experiences which have affected the course of my life. Here are a few quick thoughts.

1. I've learned... that life is better without television.
2. I've learned... that when you're in love, it shows.
3. I've learned... that just one person saying hi to me makes my day.
4. I've learned... that having a child fall asleep in my arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.
5. I've learned... that being honest is always the best choice.
6. I've learned... that forgiveness (both giving and receiving) is a sweet feeling.
7. I've learned... that I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.
8. I've learned... that no matter how serious life requires me to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.
9. I've learned... that sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.
10. I've learned... that simple walks with my mother when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.
11. I've learned... that we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.
12. I've learned... that money doesn't buy class.
13. I've learned... that it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.
14. I've learned... that under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
15. I've learned... that we all express and recognize love differently and that I should strive to love others in ways they recognize as love.
16. I've learned... that to ignore the facts does not change the facts.
17. I've learned... that being debt-free is almost as liberating as skinny-dipping.
18. I've learned... that life isn't always about me. In fact when it's not, it's more enjoyable.
19. I've learned... that God really loves me.
20. I've learned... that everyone I meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.
21. I've learned... that no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.
22. I've learned... that life is tough, but I'm tougher.
23. I've learned... that opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones I miss.
24. I've learned... that when I harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.
25. I've learned... that some things are really better left unsaid.
26. I've learned... that one should truly treat others as he wishes to be treated.
27. I've learned... that a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
28. I've learned... that I can't choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.
29. I've learned... that the hardest things in life are ultimately the most rewarding.
30. I've learned... that learning is a lifelong endeavor and I've only just begun.

My Life.

So I believe that the last year or so of my life can be related closely to these quotes:

1. "When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." ~ President Franklin D. Roosevelt
2. "Keep in mind: whatever is not within your reach today will certainly be sometime in the future. Just be patient." ~ a wise man
3. "Plead with the Lord for peace." ~ Scott Anderson
4. "It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are." ~ Walt Disney
5. "The opportunity of a lifetime must be taken within the lifetime of the opportunity." ~ Elder Neal A. Maxwell
6. "The Lord's plan is a plan of happiness." ~ President Gordon B. Hinckley

Hi! My name is Friend.

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

EuroEnglish.

The European Union commissioners have announced that agreement has been reached to adopt English as the preferred language for European communications, rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty's Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a five-year phased plan for what will be known as EuroEnglish (Euro for short).

In the first year, "s" will be used instead of the soft "c". Sertainly, sivil servants will resieve this news with joy. Also, the hard "c" will be replaced with "k." Not only will this klear up konfusion, but typewriters kan have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year, when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced by "f". This will make words like "fotograf" 20 per sent shorter.

In the third year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters, which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of silent "e"s in the languag is disgrasful, and they would go.

By the fourth year, peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" by "z" and "w" by "v".

During ze fifz year, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou", and similar changes vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters.

After zis fifz yer, ve vil hav a reli sensibl riten styl. Zer vil b no mor trubls or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech ozer. Ze drem vil finali kum tru.

Video Conference.

My co-worker sent this to me via email on Friday and I couldn't help but laugh out loud. :)

I am not bald. Phew!

So yesterday morning, I was hurrying to get ready for work; I had a conference call at 8:30 am, that I had to take and I was running late. As I was blow-drying my hair, I smelled a burning smell. Yuck. But it was fleeting and my hair-dryer acts up sometimes, so I thought it was nothing. Post blow-dry, I ran some Manipulator through my hair, which is kind of sticky and helps to piece out your hair and control fly-aways. So suddenly, I notice that my right hand, aided by the Manipulator as adhesive, was covered in hair ... hair that was no longer attached to my head! Now, I'm not talking one or two strands, which is to be expected. I'm talking a chunk of hair. Nasty! So I ran my fingers through my hair again, and AGAIN more chunks of hair were stuck to my hand. By this point I seriously have chills running through my body. If you know me well, you know that I cannot stand hair which is not attached to a body. With each repeated motion I pulled more and more hair out. It just kept coming. Very easily. I mean there was no feeling like I was yanking anything out. I began thinking that I must have some disease or something that makes your hair fall out. It just kept getting creepier and creepier. Then I suddenly remembered the burning smell and realized that maybe it had something to do with sudden lost of hair. I ran my fingers through the left side of my head... nothing. Phew! So I totally burned off chunks of my hair! Gross! :) The strange part was that the burning smell had only lasted for no more than two or three seconds. And the hair didn't smell at all. Yuck. I hate even writing about this. Are you thoroughly grossed out by now? I am. So, despite pulling out what appeared to be chunks of hair, I am not bald on the right side. Thank goodness! :)

Fiercely Fast Fingers.

In my line of work, we test and screen candidates for various jobs. One of the first tests we administer is a typing test. Generally we see scores anywhere from 20-40 wpm with the occasional 12 wpm. We're really excited when we see scores in the 50s and 60s. However, about two years ago we had a candidate come in and blow us away with 123 wpm and his alphanumeric and 10-key numeric scores were nearing 18000 ksph. I mean, seriously... who types that fast?!?!?

I'm satisfied with my score on this test. I generally advertise (on my resume only) that I type 70 wpm, so this made me feel pretty good today. :)

Hope you have fun with the test.

89 words

Turn Off The Lights!

Earth Hour 2007 occurred in Sydney, Australia.
Earth Hour 2008 is a global event.



If every American Household turned off the lights for one hour at 8 p.m. local time on March 29th during the World Wildlife Fund's Earth Hour 2008, they would prevent more than 16,610 tons of carbon dioxide from being released - enough to fill every hot-air balloon at the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta seven times.

Please use my link to sign up now and join the world in the dark for Earth Hour - 8 p.m. on 29 March 2008 (your local time). It's just one hour!

Sign up here

Going Green for St. Patrick's Day!

For some, the thought of "going green" may bring to mind thoughts of skipping daily showers to conserve water, composting your waste, or wearing itchy, yet natural and organically grown hemp clothing. All of these things seem to just turn many off of being a responsible, eco-friendly member of society. However, Kermit was wrong: it is, in fact, easy to be green.

A California girl at heart, recycling and conservation seem to run in my blood. Okay, okay. Well, at least they run through my mind! I remember water conservation and recycling were things I never thought twice about. Reduce, reuse, recycle, right? We always had a bucket in the shower to catch all the cold water before it turned hot enough to shower. We then used that water to flush our toilet. (Yes, you can actually just pour water into your toilet bowl and it will automatically flush when the water level rises.) Sound funny? T'was totally normal for me. I didn't know any different. I may have complained about how I got cold in the shower when I turned the water off while I was lathering my body and washing my hair, but did I think twice about keeping the water on the whole time? No way. That was the way it was. We had a shower head with a little switch to turn the water off for short spurts mid-shower.

So this year, even though SLC makes it a little hard to recycle, I've decided to make a more concentrated effort to go green. Go more green. Just in time for St. Patrick's Day! My current green goals include:

1. Reusing plastic grocery bags as garbage bags. (I already do this.) REUSE
2. Using cloth bags at the grocery store. REDUCE
3. Skipping the produce plastic bags. REDUCE
4. Separating and actually recycling my paper, plastic, metal and glass waste. (We already started doing this.) RECYCLE
5. Reusing plastic ziploc bags when possible. (Already started this, too.) REUSE
6. Buying a bucket and putting it in my shower, then using that water to water plants and flush my toilet. CONSERVE WATER
7. Turning off water while brushing my teeth and lathering my hands in soap. CONSERVE WATER
8. Turning off lights when I leave a room for more than a few minutes. CONSERVE ENERGY
9. Planning my errand-running so that using less gasoline and emitting lower emissions. CONSERVE

Two things I'm hesitant to commit to working on right now are my paper towel usage and the length of my showers. I love paper towels. I hate using dish towels, probably because I'm paranoid of the germs they undoubtedly hold. And I love my showers. I don't take extremely long showers, but they're usually ten minutes. :) Those two opportunities to reduce are for another time. Baby steps, right?

So, I'll keep you updated on my new green goals and share with you websites, tips, and thoughts as I have them! Please feel free to share with me your green tips and anything you find out, too.

So don't forget, Kermit... it's so easy being green. :)

He Has Opportunities Prepared for Me.

At times when I just wish I could know how my life will pan out or what will happen next, I remember something Elder Eyring put well:

"Your life is carefully watched over, as was mine. The Lord knows both what He will need you to do and what you will need to know. He is kind and He is all-knowing. So you can with confidence expect that He has prepared opportunities for you to learn in preparation for the service you will give. You will not recognize those opportunities perfectly, as I did not. But when you put the spiritual things first in your life, you will be blessed to feel directed toward certain learning, and you will be motivated to work harder. You will recognize later that your power to serve was increased, and you will be grateful."
(Henry B. Eyring, "Education for Real Life," Ensign, Oct. 2002, 18-19)

I am encouraged by the knowledge that Heavenly Father loves me and wants what is best for me. The people He has placed in my life and the experiences I have had always seem to have prepared me for something else in my life, not to mention, have truly enriched my life. Trusting in Him that He will guide my life in such a way that is most beneficial for me keeps me optimistic and positive. Life is good! :)

I just can't get enough butternut squash!

My friend Amiee recently posted a recipe on her blog for Butternut Squash Fries, which I decided I just had to try! Delicious! Even though the butternut squash peak season is on its way out, here is the recipe along with one of my favorites for butternut squash and apple soup. Yum!

Bake-tastic Butternut Squash Fries! aka Squash Snacks
1 butternut squash
kosher salt
Pam or olive oil (optional)

Yields enough fries for 2 people to snack on.

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Peel and de-seed your butternut squash. If you're unfamiliar with handling these large items, you may have a little trouble at first. They're fairly easy to peel, but you'll need a sharp knife to cut them. Once your orange friend is peeled and sans seeds, slice it in half. Then cut it up into french fry shapes. Place on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Cover lightly with kosher salt (regular salt works, too) and spray with a bit of Pam or lightly brush with a tasty olive oil. Place tray in your pre-heated oven and bake for 40 minutes or so, flipping halfway through baking process. Fries are done when they are starting to brown on the edges and get crispy. Serve with ketchup, or however else you enjoy fries or sweet potato fries!

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large)
2 tablespoons mild curry powder
5 pounds butternut squash (2 large)
1 1/2 pounds sweet apples, such as McIntosh (4 apples)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups water (I usually prefer to use vegetable broth)
2 cups good apple cider or juice

Warm the butter, olive oil, onions, and curry powder in a large stockpot uncovered over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot.

Peel the squash, cut in half, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into chunks. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut into chunks.

Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and 2 cups of water to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash and apples are very soft. Process the soup through a food mill fitted with a large blade, or puree it coarsely in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. If you don't have either, just use a potato masher and do your best to mash the apples and squash to a smooth, but still chunky consistency.

Pour the soup back into the pot. Add the apple cider or juice and enough water (or vegetable broth) to bring the soup to the consistency you like; it should be slightly sweet and quite thick. Check the salt and pepper and serve hot.

Free Rice!

Want to sharpen your vocbaulary skills and feed the hungry at the same time? Awhile back, my friend Andrea introduced me to www.freerice.com, and now I'm hooked. I listed it on my side bar of "Likable Links", but decided that it needed its very own post. Here's how it works: For every word you can correctly define, FreeRice will donate 20 grains of rice through the UN World Food Program to help end hunger. Nice! In early October 2007, FreeRice went live and they've already donated more than 21 billion grains of rice! Check it out!

Treadmill Dance.

I thought this was hilarious when my cousin sent it to me a year ago. Watching it again today, I still found myself laughing. Enjoy!

Let's be real here!

Yesterday afternoon, I went to a work meeting. A lot of people new to the company were in attendance, so we were asked to take turns introducing ourselves, telling how long we've been with the company, and answer the question: If you could meet someone famous, who would it be? I have to admit, I tend to dislike these types of questions, especially when you only have thirty seconds to think about your answer. Maybe I take it too seriously, but somehow I just feel that my answer will stick with me and say something about my character. I wished I had more time to think! As everyone started answering, celebrities such as Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matthew McConaughey, and the occasional sports figure such as Tiger Woods quickly took their places among the most popular answers. Getting more and more bothered by the answers and how ridiculous people were, I started panicking because my turn was coming up so quickly. I don't really care about meeting celebrities or movie stars! I sat there trying to think with whom I could have an englightening or inspiring conversation. I turned to my colleague, Kendra and said, "Who should I say?" She replied, "Well, someone scholarly..." I smiled. Kendra knows me well.

When my turn came, I stood up, introduced myself, and named Elie Wiesel as the famous person, whom I would like to meet. As I explained that he is a WWII Holocaust survivor and accomplished author, I successfully silenced the group. So I continued and explained further that I'm not really interested in meeting any celebrities, so I tried to think of someone with whom I could have a really great conversation. One of my colleagues laughed and loudly proclaimed, "I chose Matthew McConaughey not because I want to talk to him, but because I want to see him with his shirt off!" Please! This is just ridiculous to me. Let's be real here.

A friend once told me that if she had to describe me in one word, the word would be real. It's true. I don't like to live in fantasy-land. Disneyland was fun, but only because it was fifteen minutes away from my grandparents' house and there were some fun rides. I never once wanted to be a Disney princess for Halloween. And Halloween, for that matter... I still have to force myself to dress up if I go to a Halloween party. Why do we all want to spend an evening surrounded by ghost, goblins, and witches? :) Saturday morning cartoons weren't really even my thing. I watched a few, but really they just didn't interest me a whole lot. Apparently, I didn't even really like Sesame Street all that much. I mean what kid doesn't like Sesame Street?! My mom has frequently marveled at how she would turn on the television in the morning for me to watch "every kid's favorite TV show" while she tried to get things done around the house. But instead of watching the whole episode, I would generally get up and turn it off after about fifteen minutes. She claims that I rarely watched an entire episode. I vaguely remember this. I do remember thinking that Cookie Monster was kind of stupid. I liked Count Dracula, but that's only because he seemed smart and he could count.

So after I announced to the crowd that I'm different, I sat back down in my seat. Satisfied. I might have had a different type of answer to that question than most everyone in the room, but I'm happy with that. I'd like to meet Elie Wiesel over Matthew McConaughey any day. I mean really. Let's be real here. :) What are you going to do if you meet Matthew McConaughey? Just stare at him? We can do that online or in a movie any time. Nothing can take the place of a good conversation!