Random thoughts on a Tuesday afternoon

I have all these thoughts in my head and I feel like I want to share them with someone... anyone... so I thought that I would share them with you.  I suspect that as soon as I share the weird stuff in my brain, some of you might become afraid of me.
Maybe.
But I hope not.
In some weird way, I hope that some of you think the same things as I do and you will feel right at home with my seemingly crazy thoughts.

Is it bad that I ask for extra Fuji Apple dressing when I go to Panera so that I can have a stash of it in my fridge?  This stuff is amazing!  Like OH MY GOSH amazing!  Sometimes I want to bathe in it.  Ok- that is extreme, but I really do want to dip everything in it!

My Cherry Coke from Target got me through the day today.  I shouldn't be drinking it anymore... and I have cut WAY back, but I was weak today and it really felt good to drink it.

Working with women cracks me up sometimes.  There are a couple of women that I work with who are just like clucking hens.  They get an idea in their minds or somebody rubs them a wrong way and they just can't let it go.  They "cluck, cluck, cluck" about it all afternoon.  Their laughs even sound like chickens!  It could be annoying, but I decided that I am just going to laugh.  I should record their "clucks" one day.

I am really bad at getting motivated to go to the gym.  I am really unhappy with the extra flab that has found it's way to my middle, but I just can't get my jiggly parts out the door to do something about it.  It is as if they have some sort of magnetic field and force that keeps me at home... on the couch... on the computer.  Way weird.  I need to get better at it.  Especially because I got a cute new pink gym bag that I haven't used once yet and I got it... like 2 months ago.

So Banana Republic is coming out with a second Mad Men collection.  I am pretty excited about it.  I wasn't able to get anything from the last line, so I hope to get something this time.  I really like the Mad Men series but I think the biggest reason I love it so much is because of the fashion.  DROOL.

I really like this song.  Like a lot.  It is Paper Planes by MIA.  I was singing it in my head and I thought to myself, "Self, we haven't heard this song for a while.  I want to hear it!" And not two minutes later the song came on my Pandora station!  WHA!?!?!  It was amazing.
Here is the link to the song.  I can't embed the video because it is disabled.  But go listen to it.  It is kind of violent... just an FYI.

MIA- Paper Planes

I love vintage paper.  Those of you that know me know this already.  I really do.  There is something about it that makes me very happy.  I ordered some vintage paper a week or so ago and this is what came.  It was a surprise as to what was in the actual pack and I am just pleased as punch!  I love it!

I am going to use some of this paper when I make the decorations for Harrison's Grandmother's 90th Birthday party.  I am going to make the ephemera birds that I made for one of my birthday party's a few years ago.  I also used them at Robyn's bridal shower a few years ago.  You can see them on the chalk board in the background.

I heard lots of jets and helicopters today.  They are all military airplanes.  I think I heard that they are running "red-eye" or "red-something" drills right now.  It always makes me secretly nervous when I see military air stuff flying around.  It makes me think that there is some sort of danger lurking in the distance.

Well- those are my thoughts right now.  Do they scare you?  I hope not.  I am gonna go to the gym tonight.  Seriously, I am!  Harrison has clients until semi-late tonight.  So I have the perfect opportunity to go to the gym by myself and get my body pump class on!

Spiritual Thought Sunday

Church was great today.  My thought for today came from the lesson that I gave today.  I gave a lesson to the Laurel girls on Honoring Parents.  I really enjoyed preparing this lesson.  We were short on time and I really wanted to touch on a couple of points in the lesson with the 15 minutes that I had.  I felt the Spirit of our Heavenly Father so much when I played this short video for the girls:


At the end of this little video, we were all in tears.  I know that some of the girls are having a hard time at home right now.  I mean, they are having a hard time getting along with their parents now that they are 18 years old.  It is a super hard age.  It is an age when you feel like you are finally an "adult" and you should have lots of freedom and choice to do whatever you want, but you are still a child in so many ways.  Terrified to go venture out on your own and actually "BE" an adult.  I know that this struggle exists with a couple of the girls in my class.

I felt impressed to tell the girls to hang in there.  Their parents are trying to do the best that they can.  Their parents are just as scared to see them grow up and get ready to leave their home in a few months when college starts.  I thought of my own mother.  How great she is.  Even at this tender age she always found little ways to encourage me and to show me that she loved me.

I am thankful for my mother.  I am thankful for her example to me, especially concerning the standards and teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  She is one of my greatest friends.  I am thankful for her kind heart and her unwillingness to stray from what she truly believes in.  What a great mother I have.  And after giving this lesson, I missed her a ton!

After the video was over, I gave the girls a journal.  I instructed them to use it as a Circle Journal.  It is a journal between them and one of their parents.  They are to write about a topic and then give it to their parent who then writes about the same topic and then picks a new one to write about before giving it back.  I have a journal just like this that I do with my own mother.  It is really fun.  I have been able to learn quite a bit about my mom that I don't think I would have otherwise if we didn't have this extra form of communication.

I hope that you are thankful for your parents.  I know that I am.

Have a great week!

Thankful Thursday

How has your week been?  Mine has seemed to fly by!  Here are the things I am thankful for this week:

Vets
Our cat, Dude, has a bum paw and Harrison took him to the vet today to see what the deal-io was.  Poor kitty has a puncture wound on his paw and so he has to stay inside for a couple of days while it heals.  I am glad it wasn't something much worse though.  We were prepared to hear something like "broken" or "surgery" or something.  Dude didn't even need a "cone of shame"

New Hobbies
Harrison and I have taken up crocheting and knitting.  Harrison has become quite the knitter and I am getting the hang of crocheting.  It has been super fun to learn.  I am working on perfecting my stitches and I have finished a couple of dish cloths.  Harrison has already made a really cool hat and he is currently working on a pair of socks (like right this second he is knitting a sock).

My Fellow Young Women Leaders
I love the other women I work with at church.  They are seriously awesome.  There isn't a single one that I don't enjoy being around.  We are all so different (there are 7 of us) and we all have a great time with each other.  We had a meeting this last Tuesday... and it lasted until 10pm.  We always say that we are going to have a short meeting that MIGHT last an hour or so... but we talk and laugh and laugh and laugh and it takes 3-4 hours instead.  There are worse things to spend time one though I guess.  I love all of them.

Fuji Apple Chicken Salad
Yes- the one from Panera.  I have eaten it almost everyday for the past 2 weeks (and some days I have eaten it twice in one day).  It is so good!  I practically lick the bowl clean!  YUM

Mark and Mercedes in the Morning
It is my favorite morning radio show.  I listen to them every weekday morning while I get ready for work and on my commute to work.  It is seriously an awesome way to start my day.  I feel like I miss out on so much when I miss the show.

I hope your week has been full of blessings and great days.  I hope the rest of your week is awesome!

LOVE YA

Spiritual Thought Sunday

Well- after only one week of starting this weekly post, I am already behind!  But I haven't stopped thinking about this particular thought for the last couple of weeks.

We had another great Sunday School lesson on Sunday.  I was very uplifted in that hour.  Again, we are studying the Book of Mormon and we were studying particularly in Second Nephi chapter 4.  This chapter is almost entirely made up of what is known as Nephi's Psalm.

This chapter of scripture is one of my absolute favorites.  Nephi gets down on himself for a couple of verses.  To me it is as if he acknowledges that he is a human being even though he is a prophet.  But after he gets down on himself for a bit he picks himself back up and glories in Heavenly Father.  He thanks the Lord for his blessings and then asks for strength and courage to resist temptation and to do what is right.

When I first moved to Grand Junction, CO to start my life over again at the age of 20, one of the goals I made for myself was to read the The Book of Mormon daily.  One day I came home from work and I was really depressed.  I didn't know why my life was the way it was.  I was having a real pity party for myself.  I remember praying that day and I asked Heavenly Father for guidance.  I sat on my bed and opened my scriptures and began to read.  This chapter in Nephi is what I read.  I don't think it was any coincidence that I was reading that chapter at that exact time.  I was so overcome by the love our Heavenly Father had for me.  I felt like Nephi at that moment.  I felt weighed down by "the world".  I didn't really feel of value.  After reading this chapter, I had a new outlook on life.  I knew that Heavenly Father loved me and that He was aware of me.

Many times after this experience I have gone back to this chapter to read Nephi's prayer to Heavenly Father.  It gives me strength and understanding every time I read it.  After reading it, I always feel that life will be possible.  I will be able to get through tests and trials in my life as long as I pray and keep the commandments that Heavenly Father has set.

Another thing I learned while studying this chapter in Sunday School is the way Nephi prayed.  As long as I can remember I was taught in church the order in which to pray.  I was taught to thank Heavenly Father for the blessings that I have and then ask for blessings I am in need of.  Nephi prayed in this exact order.  It was neat to discover this.  It is really amazing to me that even though I have read this passage of scripture dozens of times, I always learn something new each time I read it.

I want you all to know (friends, family, and even those whom I have never met) that I know The Book of Mormon is a true testament of Jesus Christ.  I have had the Lord confirm it's truthfulness to me.  I become a better person each time I read it.  I know that our Savior, Jesus Christ lives.  I know that He loves us.  I know that our Heavenly Father knows each and every one of us and he knows us by name.  He is aware of us and is ready to bless us with our righteous desires if we but ask Him.  I have a testimony of the power of prayer.  I know that the Lord hears and answers those prayers.

I hope your day is wonderful today.  Remember to smile, it's contagious!

Shark Attack

Last night was date night.  We ate dinner at Panera again... it is seriously addicting.  The Fuji Apple Chicken Salad is amazing.  I dream about it.  Anyway- after we ate, we went to Mandalay Bay to see the Shark Reef there.  I had not been to the exhibit for almost ten years before last night.  It was super fun.  We also got a locals discount on our tickets.  Man- those are the times that I truly LOVE living in Las Vegas!

It was super fun.  A great date night.  We stopped and sat in the shark part of it at the end.  We were just watching as the sharks and the big turtle swim around.  Then we realized we were the last people in the exhibit.

I seriously love sea life and learning about the ocean.  Maybe I should become a marine biologist or an oceanographer.  HHMM- something to think about.

Thankful Thursday

How has your week been?  Mine has been fabulous!  Here is what I am thankful for this week:

Stay-cations
Our mini vacation over the weekend was awesome.  I am thankful that we live in a city that has so much to offer.

Snail Mail
I have received quite a few little notes and valentines from my friends in the Project Snail Mail group on Facebook.  I haven't met half of the wonderful people in this group, but I am thankful to get mail from people I don't know who share the same love for paper, letters, and snail mail.  Join us!  We would love to have you!  Click HERE

Valentines Day
The best holiday of all time... in my opinion!  Seriously!  It is so amazing.  Here are some pictures of my Valentines Day celebrations.

Surprises
I do love them.  I am thankful for Harrison and his early Valentine's Day surprise for me!  It was so romantic and mushy and amazing!

Being able to sleep with only 2 pillows
I sleep crazy.  Like a maniac really.  I am very particular about how I sleep and how many pillows I sleep with.  I sleep in this kind of pillow fortress.  Its ridiculous really.  But I can't help it.  I always convince myself that if I don't have all 4 pillows with me- I can't sleep.  Seriously... its a problem.  But I started sleeping with just 2 pillows and I have slept like a little baby the last 3 nights.  Its a huge step for me.  Really.

Young Women's
I am so thankful for the leaders I work with at church and also the girls I get to teach and lead while in their teenage years.  It is such a joy.  I was late to our weekly activity last night... by almost an hour.  All the girls looked as I walked in and seemed genuinely happy to see me!  If I was in a bad mood before, I wasn't anymore at that point.  They are so awesome!

Laryngitis
What!?  I am thankful for my voice going away?  Kind of.  And it is for another silly reason... I can sing all sultry and scratchy in the car.  I can almost sound like Adele (in my mind I sound like Adele... but I'm sure if somebody else heard me they would disagree with me).  I have been singing Adele in the car all week with my scratchy and at times not-even-audible voice!  HA HA.  What a silly thing to be thankful for... but I can't lie.  I am thankful or it.

I hope you take a moment to reflect on what you are thankful for this week.  I had the quote of the day at work yesterday and this is what I said:

Courage doesn't always roar.  Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow."

Spiritual Thought Sunday

Well hello dear friends and family.  How has your Sunday been?  Mine has been pretty dang good.  As most of you know, I try to post every Thursday with a "Thankful Thursday" post.  I thought I would add to that with a weekly post on Sunday with something that I found to be truly inspiring, thought provoking, and testimony building.

Today in Sunday School we were reading out of the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi.  We were discussing "choosing Liberty and Eternal Life".  We were reading verse 18 and a member of our class had this point that really struck me.

We read in the scriptures that the Lord wants us to know good from evil.  We also read that Satan wants us to experience good and evil.  There is a difference between those two plans.

Our Heavenly Father's plan for us is to experience happiness and to gain knowledge.  We gain knowledge through our life and through our experience.

Satan obviously has other motives.  He wants us to "experience" good and evil.  When we are tempted and give into that temptation we are experiencing that evil.  Just like when he tempted Adam and Eve, he makes it seem like a good thing to "experience" both good and evil, pleasure and pain.  This is a cunning plan.

It was such good insight.  The difference in our Heavenly Father's plan and Satan's plan.  The former is the plan of happiness with the goal of gaining knowledge.  The latter is a plan to deprive us of our happiness and bring us down in misery.

I am thankful for our Heavenly Father's plan of happiness.  I am also thankful for my free agency.  The blessing to choose for myself right from wrong and to gain knowledge from my experiences here on this Earth.  I am thankful for the blessing of having the Holy Ghost to help me in my decisions and warn me when I may be falling to the cunning temptations of the devil.  I am thankful for our Savior, Jesus Christ, and his ultimate sacrifice that makes it possible for me to repent of my sins and get back on the path to true happiness and joy.

**If you would like to learn more about the plan of happiness and why I am so thankful for it, click HERE or HERE

A Night In Paris

Well- I have the best husband in the world.  No joke!  He is really something.  Yesterday (Friday) was an extremely hectic day for me.  I ended up getting a headache at the end of the day and I was overjoyed when our patient flow slowed down to a mere trickle at about 4:30.  I called Harrison to tell him that I was coming home early.  He told me to wait around a little longer because there was something coming and it should be there soon.

What.
Something coming?
For me?

I was excited.  I helped out where I could in the office waiting for my "something" until there was nothing else to be done.

I had a phone call at about 10 minutes to 5pm.  In kind of broken English the kind woman said, "You wait for me? I have flowers for you but traffic is very bad. I come to you. You wait for me and I come, OK?"

Of course I would wait for her.  I looked at the clock again at 10 minutes AFTER 5pm.  Still no delivery. Everybody in the office had gone home, as you can see from the picture below.  We had closed up shop for the night.

At about 20 after the hour I got another call, "So sorry, I  do not know where I am at.  I think I'm lost."

I gave her directions to the office and I finally got my delivery at about 5:45pm.  I got a delivery a beautiful vase of flowers.  What a surprise indeed.  I love getting flowers.  Harrison hasn't done that for a while and I was so pleased to get them.

Aren't they so pretty??

I got into my truck and opened up the card that was in the middle of the bouquet.  I read it and got even more excited!

What the what!?  I called Harrison and told him that I loved the flowers.  He asked me what he thought the note meant.  I told him that I had no idea.

He then told me that he had booked a room at the Paris hotel and we had dinner reservations at the Eiffel Tower restaurant as well.  He told me to head on over to the hotel and he would go get my things to get ready for the night.

What a great surprise.  I drove over to the hotel and met Harrison at the hotel elevator.  We walked into the room and it was beautiful.  We had a corner room with an absolute amazing view of The Strip and the Eiffel Tower.  Even better than that, we had an amazing view of the fountains at The Bellagio.

The room was really nice.  It was also nice to just head down the elevator and walk a few steps to the restaurant.  The restaurant was beautiful too!  I didn't think that it would be anything but beautiful, but I was still surprised at the ambiance and the view we had from our quaint little table.

These pictures aren't the greatest.  The lighting was VERY low and it was hard to get one that looked just right.  We also were not going to pay $24 for the house photographer to take a picture of us.  Anyway- the food was really good and we had wonderful conversation.

Our waiter was funny.  He asked us how old we were.  I told him to guess.  He said that Harrison's beard made him look a bit older so he guessed about 20 years old.  I told him that he was so kind and Harrison told him to add 10 years to that.  He honestly looked shocked!  I am finally at an age where I am happy that people think I look younger than I really am (thanks for those awesome genes mommy!)

Our little "stay-cation" was so fun!  The room that we had was one of the "red rooms" .  It had red accents in it.  It is kind of like a honeymoon room.  It was quite lovely.  Perfect for Valentines Day.

I am so thankful for Harrison and for all of his hard work.  His plan went off without a hitch... almost (he planned for me to get the flowers during my work day and not at the end of the night).

Today we spent the afternoon in Boulder City.  We went to a bunch of antique shops to see if we could find any lovely treasures.  I am sad to say that our efforts were fruitless.  BOO.  There was NOTHING good.  

I am always sad when we have to come back to "real life" after our little getaways.  I love the fact that we live in Las Vegas and when we stay at one of the resorts it really does feel like a vacation.  It is almost as if we don't actually live there at all (but it is still nice that we know the secret short cuts and things that locals know).

Tonight I put more decorations up for Valentines Day.  Here is our fireplace mantle.  I love it.  My good friend Marie made the crocheted heart banner and I love it.  

What are your plans for Valentines Day?  It is seriously my favorite holiday.  I love everything about it!  I made some cute little packages for my young women class.  I was so excited when one of the quotes talked about the "heart".  So perfect for Valentines Day this week.  So, they are getting some pretty cute holiday gifts.  YIPPEE!

Thankful Thursday

Hello again friends.  How has your week been?  I hope you have things to be thankful for.  Here are the things I am thankful for:


Pretty Fabric
I love looking at fabric... especially pretty fabric.


Michaels Arts and Craft Store
I could seriously spend all of my time and all of my money in that place!  FO REAL!!  I went in for something specific and couldn't find it but I sure did find about a billion.... no.... a TRILLION things that I didn't need!  I stayed strong though.  I didn't spend a dime in that sinfully good store today.  I couldn't believe it!  The Valentines Day stuff was so-so.  There were a few awesome things but not a ton.


Income Tax Refunds
Who isn't thankful when they get a refund?  I am thankful for ours for sure.


Laura
My sister is awesome.  Actually- she is amaze-balls.  I have been able to talk to her every single day for the last month or so and it is really an awesome thing!  I am thankful for her spunk and her great personality.  I am also thankful for the ways that she shares small parts of her testimony with me.  AND- I am thankful that I have a family member who loves CATS as much as I do!  We decided that we may just need this shirt:

Out of Town Guests
Yeah- we had fun with Harrison's parents and cousin this weekend.  It is always a fun thing to go out to dinner and do things that you wouldn't normally do.  There isn't a thing about this last weekend that I wouldn't change... except for the fact that I felt like I needed to take too many naps.  Whats up with that?


Valentines Day
Have I been thankful for this already in the recent past?  Well- I am thankful for it.  It is my favorite holiday.  I love the decorations, the cards, the secret admirers, the colors, the chocolate, the hearts, the lips, the sugar, the out-to-dinners, the hugs, the gifts, the romance, and more.  It is seriously the best holiday in the world.


Find something that you are thankful for today and leave a comment telling me what that something is.  Remember- hateful feelings cannot reside in a thankful heart.  I believe that!

Another Monday Fun-Day

I figure if I keep telling myself that I love Monday's that it will come true.  What do you think?  Here are some thought I have had today:


I always get sad when out of town guests have to go home.  Harrison's parents and his cousin were here over the weekend.  We had fun.  We ate lot of food, toured some highlights on the strip and also visited Hoover Dam.  Hoover Dam is seriously one of my very most favorite places to visit.  No joke.  But this morning it all came to an end.  They had to go home.  I wish them safe and happy travels back to Grand Junction.  As soon as they left and the door closed, the house seemed too quiet.  It was like a sad quiet.  


Why do people get road rage?

Now, most of you who know me and read this are probably laughing right now or even saying to yourself (or out loud) "What the heck!?  You should know why JAALA!"  It's true.  I USED to get road rage quite easily and I used to put myself and others in dangerous situations on the road.  Other drivers just used to make me mad on the road.  But- after my ticket last spring, I have changed my ways.  I don't speed anymore and I am a more courteous driver.  Anyway- while eating my lunch today I looked out of the window to see an older gentleman (maybe in his 60's) in a Dodge truck and a younger kid (maybe in his 20's) in a Jeep Cherokee stopped in the middle of the road and yelling at each other.  The traffic was building up behind them and the horns were blasting!  Why they were out of their vehicles and yelling at each other in the middle of the road, I don't know.  I am glad that they didn't start a fight though.  I was getting all nervous watching them.


My middle finger hurts on my left hand.  I don't know what the heck I did to it.  I cracked my knuckle during the game yesterday and it hurt pretty bad then, but it went away and I didn't even notice it for the rest of the night.  When I woke up this morning I grabbed my phone and about went through the roof.  My finger hurts so bad!  It isn't swollen or anything, but it hurts to put pressure on it.  Sometimes I have the weirdest things happen to me.  I think Harrison is tired of hearing about them.


The pumpkin muffins at Panera Bread are just about the best thing in the world.  

They are so not healthy but they are so dang good.  I share one with Harrison about once or twice a week.  Today I went to lunch by myself and I ate a muffin top instead... it is still just as good.


I am ready for summer.  The trees are starting to bud here and get their leaves back (well- the ones that even lost their leaves during the "winter").  I love summer.  Those who know me know that.  Some of the resort pools here in Vegas are scheduled to open the first week of March.  That is so amazing!


Harrison and I take a lot of pictures at Hoover Dam.  Well, not a TON, but our fair share.  I like that when out of town guests come to Vegas, most of them want to visit the dam.  In case you didn't know, it is one of the 7 wonders of the world!  Seriously!  My Great Grandpa Lee helped build it in the ate 30's and early 40's.  My Grandma Gladden was born in Boulder City while her father worked on the dam.  Here is our latest pictures at the dam.

Valentines day is in like 8 days and I haven't started my Valentines Day crafts yet.  I am starting to feel panicked.  I am sure that I can get them done, but I don't even know what THEY are yet!  I usually make valentines for my co-workers and I thought I had an awesome idea, but now that I really think about it- I think that half of my co-workers won't appreciate the gift.  I need to re-think it.  I have a ton of ideas pinned on Pinterest.  I need to look through them and find something to do I guess.


Well- these are the things I am thinking about right now.  Oh- and the guy sitting across from me at Panera keeps looking at me while I am typing.  I think he wants to talk to me.  I was going to flash my wedding ring at him, but I FORGOT IT THIS MORNING!!!  Crap!  Maybe I need to wrap this up and get back to my office... where I am ALL ALONE!

Thankful Thursday

How was your week this last week?  Mine has been pretty good.  This is what I am thankful for this last week:


My new look:
I got my new glasses a couple of weeks ago now... and I decided to change up my whole look.  New year- New look!  I was able to get my hair cut and colored as well.  Before Saturday, I had not had my hair done in over a year.  It was such a fun time!  Here are some before and after pictures:

Before Look:

After Look:

I am in love with my new look... the purple hair and all!  I can't wait to get some vintage clothing to complete the look!


Compliments:
Who doesn't appreciate a genuine compliment?  I have had quite a few compliments on my new look and especially my new glasses.  I'm glad I made the decision to get them.


Piano Music:
It is so peaceful and so calming.  Sometimes I just need to hear some piano music!  I am a sucker for popular music covered as piano music.  I love it.


No Jacket Weather:
I really do love the winter weather in Vegas.  Yesterday's high was 70 degrees.  WHAT!?  Love it!  I have not had to wear more than a long sleeved shirt almost all winter.  


The Book of Mormon:
We are studying the Book of Mormon in sunday school this year and it has only been a couple of weeks, and I am seriously enjoying it!  I am learning so much.  This wonderful book is becoming so "real" to me.  I am thankful for the blessings that I receive by reading and studying the Book of Mormon.  


Fabric Softener:
I am using a new kind of fabric softener.  It is Purex Crystals in the Lavender scent.  Oh man- I love it.  It seriously lasts for DAYS after they come out of the wash.


I hope you have a wonderful week.  Valentines Day is coming up... and I am so excited!


Talk to you soon peeps!