Small and Simple Things...

If I hadn't been laughing so hard at myself this morning, I'd probably be crying. It was just one of those mornings! I ran out to catch the bus and as I was navigating the little incline out of my complex to the street corner, I lost my footing in the mud and slid...and by slid, I mean feet over head fallin'! My headband flew off-the force was that great! Of course, I chose to wear a skirt today, and not just any skirt, but a flowy skirt that flew over my head as I landed on my butt/back. Think Marilyn Monroe...minus the sex appeal. It was definitely one of my more graceful moments (I'd like to thank my mother now, for inheriting her gracefulness). Even with such a lovely morning, I found some small and simple things to be grateful for...

~My tights are sturdy...my ankle may have a large run up it, but my tights don't.
~Only half the neighborhood and 2 school buses were waiting at the light this morning.
~None of my usual bus friends/ward members (that I know of) witnessed the show.
~Just one of my creepy neighbors was quick enough to snap a pic of my skirt above my head...I'm sensing some internet fame coming my way!
~Only half my skirt, the arm of my coat, and the bottom of my purse have any mud/dirt remnants.
~I noticed my cute red headband in the dirt before crossing the road.
~I remembered to pack my lunch (leftover stir fry) and a coke.
~I was able to get the rice kernels and broccoli out of my purse before my fav bag took on too much of a teriyaki scent (my cheap container cracked during the fall-they don't make tupperware like they used to!).
~I found my contact before it had completely dried out. (After picking myself up and getting on the bus, of course my contact popped out of my eye!)

So all in all, this morning wasn't too bad. It really could have been worse...

View from the Top...

Maybe it was the 300-stair climb, or the bone chilling wind and rain, but I'm pretty sure it was the amazing views from the top that took my breathe away!









I felt pretty lucky to get on top of the Capitol Dome-it requires a personal tour from someone who really is "on top" (a Senator or Representative). I tagged along with Congressman Bishop (thanks to Wayne and Shule) on a jaunt up the Capitol Dome (~180 feet). Mother Nature wasn't really cooperating. It was icy and rainy and cold, but so worth it!





Seeing the "Apotheosis of George Washington" up close and personal made me realize how impressive our Capitol really is! I can't believe HOW HIGH Brumidi was as he painted and HOW LARGE that painting really is...just crazy!

On a side note, Congressman Bishop showed us the prayer room just off from the Rotunda. The room was peaceful and had the most beautiful stained-glass window with George Washington kneeling in prayer and the words to a prayer on it. Separation of church and state? No matter what some may say, this nation is what it is because of the grace of God!

Five Girls plus...

equals the perfect Valentine's Day! On this day of love, the roomies and I decided to splurge a bit (on calories not price) and take ourselves out for a good ole' fashioned burger and fresh cut fries from Rigby, Idaho potatoes! Happy Valentine's Day!

Tag...

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B: Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C: At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

What were you doing 10 years ago...
I was 12 years old and a 7th grader at Alice C. Harris Intermediate School (say that 5x fast). I'm pretty sure we were having our first school dance around this time...and I was stoked! I remember I asked my crush Blake to dance and thought it was the most romantic moment of my life! The song, of course, was way too short, my hair was big and curly (I'd gotten up early to put it in hot rollers), and I was wearing my fav outfit (ugly black jeans, with a gray sweater vest-eww!) I thought I was looking F-I-N-E (pics from that era of my life tell a different story). Sad to admit, but I went home that night and wrote every little detail about the dance in my journal and probably prank called Blake at least once or twice...so he'd fall in love with me of course :)

5 things on my "to-do" list today..
1)Meet up with my friend for dinner.
2)Send Kalli her Valentine's package (better late than never I say!)
3)Call my grandparents to thank them for their sweet V-day Card!
4)Watch a movie???
5)Make the trek out to institute!

6 Snacks that I enjoy…
1)Nothing beats a Coca-Cola Classic
2)Crackers and Salsa (Toppers and Wheat Thins are the best!)
3)Avocado
4)Nuts (a new fav)
5)Anything chocolate (chips, bars,
6)Fruit Snacks ( I really like the Scooby

Bad habits...
~Blogging and g-chatting WAY too much!
~Eating out...but never eating a real dinner (usually a coke, crackers and salsa)
~Waiting to go Visit Teaching until the last day of the month :)

If I were suddenly a billionaire I would...
Buy all the land in Riverside and give it to my dad to farm. Buy a personal jet...fly home whenever I wanted, and around the world, too. Of course I'd loan it out to all my friends and family. Open a bakery and shoot my very own cooking show on location at the bakery!

Places I've lived...
1)Riverside, UT
2)Logan, UT
3)St. Jorioz, France
4)Arlington, VA

Jobs I've had...
1)Kalli's Nanny/Servant
2)Research fellow at USU
3)Western Watts...phone crap
4)Dillard's
5)KSL intern
6)US Senate

5 - Things people don't know about me…
*refer to the tag below...they're described in detail.

And now I'm tagging...Mandy, Jessica, Jenny, Morgan, and Alexis!

George Stephanopoulos...

was just feet from me, and I swear we made eye contact at least twice. :) I was as close to him, as he's been to the last three presidents, almost every "household name" politician, and more importantly, the ladies of The View. Di and I went to "An Evening with George Stephanopoulos: The Media and the 2008 Political Season" (again, much thanks to Mike and his twin Tom) last night at GW, and it was awesome. I love hearing about the life and times of such a successful professional! Telling the stories of so many important movers and shakers really has given him a pretty incredible story himself! I was inspired, he makes me WANT/NEED to get back into the communications field SO badly!

Some tidbits from George:
~3 is a good rule of thumb. Ask the tough question three times, then move on if your interviewee skirts around and won't answer...unless your instinct tells you otherwise.
~Anytime you get a real response, as opposed to a talking point, you've succeeded!
~If journalism is your passion and it makes sense in your heart and in your mind...DO IT!

Why I loved him...

"What is it about American culture that has led us to become the most powerful nation in the history of the world? We believe in hard work and education. We love opportunity: almost all of us are immigrants or descendants of immigrants who came here for opportunity-opportunity is in our DNA. Americans love God, and those who don't have faith, typically believe in something greater than themselves-a "Purpose Driven Life." And we sacrifice everything we have, even our lives, for our families, our freedoms and our country. The values and beliefs of the free American people are the source of our nation's strength and they always will be!" -Mitt Romney.



Doesn't he just inspire greatness? I'm sad that he's out, but so glad he ran!

Meltdown at The Melting Pot?

My roommates and I went to The Melting Pot (our reservation was at 11:15 pm...it was the only time we could get during Restaurant Week). We ate our food...which was mediocre, but worth the experience. If you've never been, you cook your food at the table. They bring out raw meat to dip into boiling pots of oil or broth to cook. It's lots of fun, but takes a L-O-N-G time. We ate as quickly as we could, but still didn't finish until about 1:30 (we had to endulge a bit/too much on the chocolate fondue and 1200 pounds of brownies, banana, cheesecake, marshmallow, strawberries and sponge cake).

And now the real adventure begins...the manager validated our parking and we headed down to the parking garage. At this point, we're all completely engorged on food and drink and wanting to get home. We drive to one exit find the door down...drive to the next exit same...next exit, closed. We're getting slightly worried at this point that we might be locked in, but think "why would the manager validate our parking if the garage had closed?" We continue driving around trying every call box, reading every sign, pulling up to every exit in hopes it will magically open, but no...we're locked in and all in desperate need of a restroom! Horrible feeling! We have nightmares of spending the night locked in a concrete box--scary!

Finally, a waitress from the restaurant comes out and she has a pass to get out of the garage. She tells us to follow her and she'll get us out. She pulls up to the garage door, it opens and we all gun it out. Freedom, right?!? Oh no, not yet...there's an in and out arm gate-thingy next. Her pass gets her out of the prison, but we are now stuck between the garage door and the arm/gate. The girl tries and tries to get her pass to open the gate for us with no luck. In our attempts to get out we may have reved backwards at full speed at one point-with all of us screaming (a funny moment, imagine 4 girls screaming and zooming backwards straight for a large metal door) Finally, after a brief spout of profanity from the kind waitress, the manager comes out. He gives us a little wave, walks up to the gate, RIPS the arm off, tosses it to the side and then waves us through. Quite the night...fortunately the only meltdown was the chocolate!