VACA 2006, Round 2

We had yet another successful round of VACA 2006. This time we became a little more well acquainted with the central most point of downtown SLC. Some of my favorite highlights were: oatmeal-flavored taffy, our personal belhop, gleaning good luck from the wedding tree, X20, the elevator situation, the missing recommend, hidden pathways, extra lemony lemonade, 'Are you alone?', and nudging.

I'm a superstar

So we had our ward Christmas party last weekend, and we had a white elephant gift exchange. I thought it would be hilarious to bring this T-shirt I got at work that says, 'I'm a scrapbooking superstar!' It was from our big Scrapbooker of the Year contest. Anyway, I was so hoping that someone with a sense of humor would get it....and seriously I couldn't have asked for a better recipient than Garrett. He opened it up, took one look at it, and exclaimed in delight...YESSSS! He then proceeded to put it on and wear it for the rest of the night. It was perfect.

This weekend, we went to the Texas Roadhouse for Scott and Laurie's birthdays. They have one of the best restaurant birthday celebrations I've ever witnessed. When we told our waiter that we had some birthdays, he wheeled out this giant horse saddle mounted on this wooden rolly thing, and made them sit in the saddle while the whole place gave them a big Yee-haw! It was fabulous.

P.S. I have officially dropped out of "the club". Those who need to know will understand what that means.

P.P.S. Today I received one of the best compliments ever that totally made my day. Someone called me an "elf at heart". I love it! She was talking about it in reference to this contest I'm running on my website at work where people tell us their Christmas "wishlist" of scrapbooking supplies. Then I pick a winner and grant them their wish. Fun! I love trying to make other people happy and doing festive little behind-the-scenes things, so if that makes me an elf, just give me some pointy little shoes and call me Trixy.

2006 in review

Here is my annual Christmas newsletter. 2006 has been quite an interesting year for me. A lot of cool stuff has happened, and I've had a lot of cool opportunities, but it has also been a tough one for me. I'm grateful for all the opportunities in my life--both the hard and sometimes not-so-enjoyable ones, as well as the happy and exciting ones. They all make me who I am, and help me to see who I can become.

Still have some work to do

Your Travel Profile:

You Are Extremely Well Traveled in New Zealand (100%) You Are Very Well Traveled in the Western United States (63%) You Are Well Traveled in the Southern United States (54%) You Are Well Traveled in the Northeastern United States (43%) You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in Australia (25%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in Canada (20%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in Latin America (13%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in Southern Europe (13%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in Western Europe (7%) You Are Untraveled in Africa (0%) You Are Untraveled in Asia (0%) You Are Untraveled in Eastern Europe (0%) You Are Untraveled in Scandinavia (0%) You Are Untraveled in the Middle East (0%) You Are Untraveled in the Midwestern United States (0%) You Are Untraveled in the United Kingdom (0%)

How Well Traveled Are You?

This is no surprise, but I've still got a lot of work to do!

Tis the season

Here are some pictures of the annual singles ward outing to Temple Square. It's one of my very favorite holiday traditions. When I was in Argentina, everyone told me I had to go and enjoy it every single year since they would never be able to. I feel so blessed to live so close to church headquarters. It really does provide a lot of blessings that I take for granted. My friends in Argentina would give anything to come and experience Temple Square first-hand. It reminds me of when my friend Nicole from Hawaii came to Utah for the first time. I took her to Temple Square, and she took one step inside the gates, looked around in amazement, and the Spirit just hit her, and she said 'The church is true'.

Yes, it is and I'm so grateful to be a part of it.


This is one of the ornaments we made at work to decorate our office Christmas tree. Every year during the first week of December, we do the '5 Days of Christmas' at work, where we do festive and creative things like make ornaments and Christmas cards. (We gotta use up all the free paper they keep sending us! :)

Thief!

So yesterday I discovered that someone had broken into my dad's truck that I've been driving while my car was in the shop. They stole the stereo. The truck was just sitting in the parking lot of my apartment complex. Stupid thieves. So now not only did I have to pay $800 to fix my own car, I have to buy a new stereo for my dad's truck. At least it wasn't a very nice stereo.

Other than that incident, I am very happy in my new place. Loving it. That's all. Have a nice day.

Just hear those sleigh bells jingling...

Happy December everyone! I just love Christmastime. Even though I hate the freezing cold, it's one of my favorite times of year. I love all the fun traditions...some of my favorites are:

-Going and seeing the lights at Temple Square
-Getting and decorating a Christmas tree
-Ice skating at Gallivan Plaza
-Making gingerbread houses and Christmas cookies
-Curling up in a cozy blanket and watching some Christmas classics like It's a Wonderful Life
-Walking in the falling snow
-Playing Risk with my bros and sisters on Christmas Eve
-Going to Granny's on Christmas with all the cousins
-Dad's tortilla Christmas morning breakfast
-Going to Christmas concerts and listening to Christmas music
-Playing in the snow
-Sitting by the fire with a yummy cup of hot chocolate or herbal tea
-Finding the perfect gifts for all my loved ones
-Driving around and looking at all the Christmas lights

What are your favorite Christmas traditions?

Speaking of Christmas music, what are your favorite Christmas songs? I love them all, but some of my favs are:

-Sleigh Ride
-O Holy Night
-What Child Is This
-Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
-Away in a Manger
-Winter Wonderland

Thankful

On this Thanksgiving weekend, there are so many wonderful things in my life that I'm grateful for. Here are a few:
-music to listen to that makes whatever I'm doing a lot more fun (driving, running, cleaning, relaxing, etc.)
-holidays
-people who like to celebrate holidays with me, even though the holiday might not be the most popular one
-my talents
-the talents of other people
-trees, mountains, sunshine, the ocean, wind, flowers, sand, and rivers
-the ability to move my body and enjoy physical activities
-opportunities to progress
-being surrounded by great people
-the plan of salvation
-my brain and the ability to think and reason and have emotion
-technology
-mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving dinner...Mmmm....

Of course there are tons more things to be grateful for but that would take up a whole book. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! And bring on the Christmas festivities!

More wasteful things to do

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The West Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.
The Midland
Boston
North Central
The Inland North
Philadelphia
The South
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

What type of person do you attract? Your Result: You attract geeks! Your stunning intellect and wit, along with your love of technology and large vocabulary allures the geeks like nothing else. Maybe it is the sparkle in your eye that makes them want to text you, who knows. Geeks make good partners, but tend to be arguementative. If you are a TRUE geek magnet, you will know if that was spelled correctly, and actually care. If it is a bad-boy/bad-girl you are seeking, you are barking up the wrong tree, unless they are just 'bad' behind a PS2 console.
You attract Yuppies!
You attract rednecks!
You attract models!
You attract artsy people!
You attract unstable people!
What type of person do you attract? Quizzes for MySpace

Bring on the geeks!

North South Jordan

I successfully moved this past weekend, and I am now an official resident of North South Jordan (more commonly known as West Jordan). You may be curious as to why I am referring to my new place of residence as North South Jordan. It's quite simple, you see, I grew up in South Jordan and our #1 rivals were those 'other side of the tracks' West Jordanites. So it may take a little getting used to before I can say I live in West Jordan.

I am loving my new place thus far. Props to my new ward's Elder's Quorum. They insisted on helping me move, and we got everything done in about 2 hours (this is including driving time). I didn't even have to ask, they just arranged everything for me. Also, I would just like to point out all the driving time I will be saving with my new locale. Everything is so much closer! For example, just look at the difference of some of my most-frequently visited places:

The grocery store:
SLC: 7 minutes
WJ: 3 minutes

The gym:
SLC: 15 minutes
WJ: 4 minutes

Target:
SLC: 25 minutes
WJ: 5 minutes

South Jordan:
SLC: 20 minutes
WJ: 10 minutes

Work:
SLC: 25 minutes
WJ: 20 minutes

So, now I will have the luxury of developing a new hobby with all my extra free time. I think I will sign up for guitar lessons.

The Heart of Sanpete County

My knowledge on Sanpete County has recently been expanded. Did you know that in Sanpete County, you will find the very center of Utah (the hub if you will)? Did you also know that a wooly mammoth skeleton was found in the mountains of Sanpete County and is now on display at the Fairview Historical Museum? I also learned what a Fat Stick is, and I learned the official song of Sanpete County. Here's to Sanpete County!! You really should take a vacation there, it's quite enjoyable. :)

Happy Halloween

I just really love Halloween. I think I even like it more now than I did when I was a kid. Although I did make a pretty darn cute blue crayon in Kindergarten.

These are some of the fun people I work with. I'm just glad I don't work in a stuffy, boring office. Even though I get frustrated sometimes with work, I am surrounded by fun, creative people. It's kind of weird sometimes because in lots of other aspects of my life, like in my family and in a lot of my circles of friends, I'm known as the creative one. At work, there are so many creative ones that I sometimes don't feel as motivated to be creative because it's not unique. Anyway, for our Halloween party, one of the magazine staffs dressed up as the characters from Clue and made this little Clue game all around the office. Another team dressed up as 'famous' scrapbookers. I'm really glad we do fun things at work to keep it interesting.


This is the home of a lady I work with. Don't you love those eyes in the window? Very cool.

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

My third annual murder mystery party was a swashbuckling success! I love theme parrrrties. I think we may have a few hoarse voices in the next few days from extreme usage of pirate lingo.

What's a proper pirate parrrrrty without a little sea shanties, grub, and of course...rum!

Can you say....ambiance? I love the way the decor turned out. We tried to make it look like an island tavern. Even though we had to drive to Spanish Fork, I'd say it was worth it. If you have any ideas for next year's theme, I'm open to suggestions.

Layers vs. the real thing

Watch this:

So, I’ve been having an “ugly” week lately. You know, when you just feel ugly. Anyway, watching this video made me feel better. Why can’t the media portray real, normal people instead of giving us an unrealistic perception? Of course I would look better if I had makeup and hair artists work their wonders on me every day and had Photoshop experts “edit” out all my flaws and had perfect lighting at all times to highlight my features. Anyone would. But let's be realistic here...and embrace real beauty instead of a fake imitation.

Ya se fue

Nathan went in to the MTC this week and I'm sad he's gone. Here he is having one last moment of "rebellion" before they put his tags on. I know eating a sucker is not rebellion, but they made him throw it out before he went inside. Another funny thing to note: He had his rubix cube in his pocket for support as he entered the MTC. Sometimes I wish I could go back and redo my mission. I made some dumb mistakes, and I wonder how it would have been had I done things a bit differently. Being at the MTC made me want to go volunteer at the referral center or something. I haven't had/made many opportunities to do missionary work lately.

The brothas and the sistas. Now I don't mean to complain (I'm currently reading the book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie and the first chapter is all about not complaining so I'm trying to work on that), but when I look at this picture I can't help but feel like the ugly stepsister. How come my sisters got all the pretty genes?

My hot water heater has been broken for over a month now, and if I have to take one more freezing cold shower, I think I'm going to have a nervous breakdown. Good thing I am moving soon. OK, venting is over.

P.S. Today is Friday the 13th. Going to a Halloween party to celebrate. Where did the superstition come from anyway that it's an unlucky day? In Argentina their unlucky day is Tuesday the 13th. My sister's roommate got married today, is that a bad omen for their marriage?

For your viewing pleasure

Watch this: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-234182513423170575&q=lone+peak+utah&hl=en

It's freaking hilarious. It's when my brother Nathan and his friend Zach scaled Lone Peak mountain. It's eight minutes long, but well worth the viewing time. My favorite is the last two minutes or so. They're planning a repeat trip in the summer of 2009 and this is their recruitment video.

Random thoughts

1. So I'm sitting at my desk last week, going about my regular work day activities when the phone rings. I answer, and to my surprise it is the editor of Better Homes and Gardens magazine wanting me to apply for their interactive online editor job. They are looking to expand their websites, make them more interactive, and build more community. Now, I'm not saying this to brag, I'm saying it because I'm shocked that they're calling little old me. This is the first time I've been recruited for a job. Usually I am racking my brain trying to convince people that they need to hire me and how perfect I'd be for the job. Anyway, if I wanted to further my career in this online magazine stuff, it'd be a fabulous opportunity. But since I'm pretty sure I don't want to stay in this career for the rest of my life, and I'm almost positive I don't want to move to Iowa (where their headquarters are) I said I wasn't interested. Am I crazy?

2. I'm so stinkin' excited that it's October. That means it's Halloween season. I say season because for me, it's not just a one-day event...I try to make it last as long as possible and have as many festivites as I can manage. I love Halloween, I don't know why, but I absolutely love it....it's my favorite holiday. I think I just love the opportunity to be someone different for a day. What's your favorite holiday, and why?

3. General Conference weekend was a totally different experience for me this year. I was driving home Friday night, and the police had already started blocking off my street. There was this gigantic satellite dish on the street in front of my house hooked to a little trailer. I walked over on Saturday to see what it was and that little trailer is where they broadcast conference to the whole world. It was full of little TVs monitoring everything and tons of electronic switches and a guy with those big headphones inside controlling everything. It was pretty amazing. Then I saw Elder Perry going in the back door of the conference center, which I can see from my bedroom window. And, I could hear the bagpipe guys playing their hymns all day trying to drown out all the protestors. Anyway, it was pretty neat experiencing it all from right across the street. It also was kind of weird watching the sessions I couldn't attend on my TV from across the street. I almost felt guilty, but there was nothing more I could do to try and get inside.

Why do we do dumb things?

I'm not quite sure why I wanted to go on a 14 hour hike, jump into sub-Arctic temperature water, shimmy down 100-foot rock drops, climb out of a canyon in the pitch black, get home at 3:30 a.m. and get up at 6:30 for work the next day, and not be able to walk for 3 days after...but the Subway hike in Zions is pretty dang cool. Note to self: Don't ever go in September again unless you have a wetsuit.

This is why they call it the Subway...pretty amazing how rocks do that.
So just as we got out of the slot canyon, we heard a thunderous noise, and we all sprinted for high ground. Luckily it was not a flash flood but what if there really would have been? I can't even imagine being stuck in that canyon and getting swept away by the freezing cold water.

This is where I fell last time while trying to rapell down that rock face and I hit the rock cliff wall on the left side of this picture. This time though, we all made it safely by shimmying down that little crack and then swimming across.
Can I just say my Gramps is amazing? What other 80-year-old man would brave this one? And then get up the next day and go on yet another hike. I hope I have his genes!

Anyway, back to my original question. I think I do dumb things sometimes to add a little excitement to my life. I get bored of being in the same old routine every single day. I think it's somewhat a form of "rebellion". I think I just didn't want to go to work that day, so I almost killed myself on this hike instead. Or how about the time when I chopped off my hair and got a really ugly haircut just because I needed a change. I think I let things go for too long until I get super frustrated with the mundaneness of my life so I feel like I have to do something drastic.

Note: I think I made this hike sound like a dreadful killer. It's an extremely awesome hike--my favorite in fact--and I'd recommend it to anyone in half-decent condition. We just had some unexpected setbacks that made it a bit more challenging.

Tom Selleck graces the Utah State Fair

With Napolean Dynamite last year and Tom this year, I can't even imagine who they could possibly get for next year to top it off! This is way better than the butter cow. I also hope the Minnesota donut man makes a reappearance next year. Good times for all. Next year I will remember to bring a coat though.

What is wrong with this picture?

Today is September 16. It snowed today. Not just in the mountains, but at my apartment. What is wrong with this picture?

29.5 hours, 619 miles, 1 almost failed campfire, 10 numb toes, and $800 later...

I made it to Bryce Canyon! And was it ever cool. I have never seen anything quite like it...it was seriously amazing. It's so extremely cool how the rocks have eroded to be what they are--and so many all in one place. Wow! Really that's all I can say--WOW!

I must say that we had quite the adventure. We could not start a fire for the life of us, so we just left to set up the tent after burning all the paper we could find, and left our tin foil dinners in the fire pit, hoping they'd cook in the heat of the burning paper. But when we came back, the logs had finally lit on fire. I can't explain how it happened, but it was unbelievable. Then I had an unfortunate mishap with a tree as I was backing out of the campground,which is why this trip cost me $800. Don't worry, the tree is OK. Hopefully my car will be too. At least the trunk still shuts. And now I have an excuse to get the stalker key scratches fixed.

And now the summer is officially drawing to a close. I think I'll wear black all week for proper mourning. But to celebrate the last day of summertime (OK, I know it doesn't officially end til the 21st or so, but we all know it really ends on Labor Day.) I went hiking, and had a blast. Goodbye summer of 2006--and hello fall! Season of football games, corn mazes, apples, the fair, pumpkins, and my favorite holiday--Halloween!

Summer Staples

It's the last week of August, and the end of summer is drawing nigh. Summer is my favorite season, and I feel like this one went by especially quickly...and I'm sad it's practically over. I feel like I didn't even do much this summer. For me to feel like summer is complete, I have to participate in all my summer staples, and I just haven't gotten to do all of them this summer. It's just not summer without:

camping
going to the cabin
outdoor movies
lounging about by the pool doing absolutely nothing
enjoying fireworks
BBQs
corn on the cob and other fresh garden vegetables
homemade ice cream
concerts in the park
hiking with Gramps
a summer vacation
demolition derby
rodeo
boating at the lake
sleeping out under the stars
mowing the lawn (or at least smelling the freshly cut grass)

I guess I still have a few weeks left to complete my summer checklist. What are your summer staples?

Because I haven't posted in awhile...

Here's a few random things to report on.

Story #1. Family pictures. I feel like I should be on a yaught with these preppy colors. I tried to put in my two cents about wardrobe color choices, but no one would listen. Maybe someday I'll get to be the one in charge. P.S. I have no idea how to spell yaught.

Story #2. My bro Nathan and his friend made their annual hike up to the top of Lone Peak mountain. They do this every year and bring this gi-normous flashlight and shine it from the top, then call everyone they know to see how many people can see it. You can see it from both Salt Lake and Utah counties...pretty cool. They also wore lederhosen since apparantley there is some meadow up at the top that looks like it should be in The Sound of Music. Anyway, the funny story is that some people from the valley mistook their flashlight as a cry for help, so they sent the airmed people up to rescue them. Nathan and Zach saw the helicopter coming and thought it was Channel 2 so they started waving to it, but as it approached, they realized it was airmed and started waving it away. Well, the copter landed anyway and cussed them out and left. Then it was reported on the news as some pranksters (in lederhosen) who alerted airmed unnecessarily. HA!

Story #3. Went to a yoga class this week, it was a little bit ridiculous, but at the end of class as we were laying on mats on the floor with these eye pillow things over our eyes, the instructor was telling us to take this moment to appreciate our bodies and what they do for us. And I was thinking about how many little pleasures come from our senses. You know, stuff like feeling the warmth of the sun, the smell of bread baking, hearing birds chirping, etc. And to be honest, life would be quite boring without stuff like that. So, here's to yoga and body/mind appreciation.

That's all for now.

Kiss Me, I Belong in Ireland

You Belong in Dublin

Friendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions. You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town.

What European City Do You Belong In?

We are FAMILY

Ahh...family reunions, gotta love 'em. Here we are at Brian Head down by Cedar City. It was pretty fun, even if my Grandma did have every second of our day filled with summer-camp-like activities. The cabin we stayed was utterly amazing--seriously like a mansion-cabin with an amazing view. I've never heard of a cabin with a sauna inside!


We did encounter a mouse in the cabin, which was the cause of much drama, but other than that everything went pretty smoothly. Except for the fact that I forgot all the words to my part of the lip synch.


We went to Cedar Breaks at the family reunion and I must say I was quite impressed. They say Bryce Canyon is like Cedar Breaks only more breathtaking. I've never been to Bryce Canyon before. And to think I've lived in Utah all these years. I am planning a camping trip to go sometime...who is game? I love Utah! I think it has some great destination points with such a variety of landscaping. I've decided I need to get a job at visitutah.com or something so I can just tell everyone about the fabulous things there are to do here.

We did it!

Hurray! We finished the 10K. Congrats to us (me, Caron, and Rebecca)! I know we look disgusting, but hey, we just got done running 6.2 miles in near 100-degree weather, and I'm dang proud of us. Thanks to all the parade watchers with their spray bottles who sprayed us down as we ran past. And I'd also like to thank Spiderman for showing up and running the race with us. Oh, and not to mention those people with "Run faster" signs along the route. Maybe, just maybe, I'll go for the half next year.

Quote of the Day

"Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections." ~Anonymous

Loooosiana

It came! Nathan's going to Baton Rouge, Spanish-speaking. He leaves October 11.

Things that make me smile

Seeing a guy who just ran a marathon approach the finish line and pick up his 2-year-old boy and run across the finish line with the kid in tow. The little boy was so caught up in the excitement, he proceeded to wave triumphantly to the crowd over his dad's shoulder.

Watching a little kid ride a shopping cart down the street.

The smell of my barbeque grill grilling something tasty.

My new sheets and pillows I purchased for my bed.

Getting a wedding invitation in the mail from a long lost friend, and just upon looking at the photo of the husband-to-be, knowing that he'll be absolutely perfect for her.

The amazing gardens at Temple Square.

Seeing Nathan get so excited about his Spanish class, drinking mate all around town, wearing my soccer jersey while watching the World Cup, and calling me to ask how to make tortas fritas for his class. And knowing it was all sparked from our trip to South America.

All the cool journals at Barnes & Noble.

Quote of the Day

"I am aware that I am less than most people prefer me to be. But most people are unaware that I am so much more than what they see."
-Douglas Pagels

Heat stroke

We went hiking the other day to the Salt Lake Overlook, part of the Desolation Trail up Milcreek Canyon. I swear this was the hottest day of the year...until today. Anyway, we thought, oh it's only 2 miles...easy stuff. Wrong! It seemed like so much longer than 2 miles. But it was gorgeous and we had a fabulous time.

I don't think I've ever been so dang hot. What is up with this weather? And to top it off, I have no air conditioning in my apt, and my air conditioning in my car broke and the fridge broke. I think I'm going to die of heat stroke!

OK, back to the hike. Here we are at the end of the trail enjoying the view. Some crazy couple brought their newborn baby on this hike...kinda random. Oh, and I can't forget our adventure at Shivers afterwards...its like a real-life Candyland game. Oh, one more thing, my 10K race is Monday...I hope I'm ready. I've only actually run 10K twice and the first time I thought I was going to die, the second time wasn't as bad as the first, but it was still quite challenging. My knees have been hurting lately though, so I think I'm going to cut back on the whole running thing after the race. Good news! I finally made it past week 8 on the running program! Yay for me! Next month maybe I'll make it past week 9.

Ahoy mateys

Christy, your pirate name is
Privateer Prudence the Drunk Heart

What is YOUR pirate name?

This will be a big help in the writing of my pirate murder mystery...stay tuned for the swashbuckling event of the year!

And while I'm on the topic of pirates, I must say I was quite disappointed with the new Pirates movie. I hate movies that don't end and this one sword-fighting scene lasted for about 20 minutes--a bit long in my opinion. And, on another pirate note, I went on a blind date this weekend and all the guy could talk about was pirates and midgets. Hmmm...

Masquerade! Paper faces on parade!

So, last weekend, I went to a masquerade ball. Let me just tell you that it was so extremely amazing. I have always wanted to go to one of these, so much that I have considered throwing one several times, but I've just never gotten around to it. I painted the coolest masks on mine and Brooke's faces. The ball was at this castle-like place down in Provo, and everyone was dressed to the nines. It was so fun, and for the first time in a long, long time, I actually felt like Christy again. I thouroughly enjoyed coming up with the mask ideas, getting ready for the ball, and showing up in style.

I will definatley have to do this again soon. Now that I have some fabulous ideas, and know how to do the masks. Next time will be even more stunning...and I won't have to fork over the $30 I spent on makeup preparing for this event!






And, I had such a good time hanging out with Brooke and her roommates. It made me miss Provo and BYU just a little. I miss having roommates and doing random things. That is how I most feel like the real Christy.

A new form of fortune telling

Here’s something kinda fun…put your iPod on shuffle and each song represents the answer to the next question. No cheating allowed! It’s better than a Magic 8 Ball!

Disclaimer: These may not be the actual titles of the songs. It’s just what I call them.

How am I feeling today?
iPod’s answer: Why Georgia?, John Mayer
Christy’s answer: More like it’s only Thursday! This week is dragging on forever.

Will I get far in life?
iPod’s answer: Better When We’re Together, Jack Johnson
Christy’s answer: I sure hope so. My lofty ambitions include: travel the world (this means go to every continent at least once, and to go to all the cool-sounding countries), raise a successful family, make a difference in the world

How do my friends see me?
iPod’s answer: Jesse’s Girl, Rick Springfield
Christy’s answer: Where is that Jesse? How can I be his girl if I’ve never heard of him?

When will I get married?
iPod’s answer: I’m Gonna Get Ya, Shania Twain
Christy’s answer: Well, someone’s gotta get me in order for that to happen.

What’s my theme song?
iPod’s answer: Honey, I’m Home, Shania Twain
Christy’s answer: Does this mean I’m going to be a thriving career woman?

What is the story of my life?
iPod’s answer: Smooth Criminal, Michael Jackson
Christy’s answer: Hmmm….this one’s interesting. I do work out by the prison. J

How can I get ahead in life?
iPod’s answer: Blue Bedroom, Toby Keith
Christy’s answer: Time to redecorate!

What is my best feature?
iPod’s answer: What a Fine Life, Newsies soundtrack
Christy’s answer: I thought my best feature was my eyes.

How is today going to be?
iPod’s answer: Stays in Mexico, Toby Keith
Christy’s answer: OK, if I must, I’ll take another trip to Mexico…you don’t have to pull my arm.

What’s in store for this weekend?
iPod’s answer: Nobody Drinks Alone, Keith Urban
Christy’s answer: Well, I have big plans to go to a very cool masquerade ball this weekend. I don’t think I’ll be drinking alone there!

What is my life like at this moment?
iPod’s answer: Believe, Brooks & Dunn
Christy’s answer: I’ve got to believe in something, but what?

What describes my secrets?
iPod’s answer: Sweet Home Alabama, Sweet Home Alabama soundtrack
Christy’s answer: I think my secrets got left in Alabama on the drive home from Georgia.

What is my current lover like?
iPod’s answer: Break Away, Rascal Flats
Christy’s answer: Well this explains why I have a non-existent lover…he’s breaking away and gallivanting and having many adventures. Maybe I should join him.

What song will they play at my funeral?
iPod’s answer: Zip A Dee Do Dah, Disney’s Greatest Hits
Christy’s answer: OK, this is NOT funny. I hope my funeral is not a huge celebration and relief that I’m gone.

How does the world see me?
iPod’s answer: You Had Me From Hello, Kenny Chesney
Christy’s answer: If only I could make this kind of first impression…something I’ll have to work on.

Will I have a happy life?
iPod’s answer: Simple as it Seems, Pants and More
Christy’s answer: It’s that simple.

What do my friends really think of me?
iPod’s answer: Where I Come From, Alan Jackson
Christy’s answer: I know you all have a hard time pinning down just exactly where I come from since I’ve lived in so many different places…but I was born right here in the good old SLC.

Do people secretly lust after me?
iPod’s answer: Swing Swing, All American Rejects
Christy’s answer: No comment

Will I accomplish my goals in life?
iPod’s answer: Wake Me Up Before you Go-Go, Wham!
Christy’s answer: Is this saying…only in my dreams will I accomplish my goals. I know I’m an idealist dreamer, but c’mon!

Will I find true love?
iPod’s answer: Better Life, Keith Urban
Christy’s answer: What exactly does a better life entail?

How do I treat others?
iPod’s answer: Joy of Man’s Desiring, Josh Groban
Christy’s answer: Oh how I hope to bring people joy!

Road trip

So, this is about hour 8 on a Shepherd family driving experience.

41 years to go

You Will Die at Age 67

You're pretty average when it comes to how you live... And how you'll die as well.

What Age Will You Die?

The death of me

I swear this running program is going to be the death of me. I was all motivated after that 5K, but now that I'm on Week 8, I think I'm going to die. And it's only Week 8! I still have 5 weeks to go, and not to mention I've got to finish that 10K I signed up for. What was I thinking?

However, I guess my original goal was just to improve my running abilities and since my running abilities were at zero before, I guess I have made progress. My other goal was to learn to like running. Well, I still don't like it, but I don't really hate it anymore...so I guess it's been a good thing. But if I die, it's the running program's fault!

Props to me

So last weekend, yours truly actually ran a 5K race. I know, something even I never thought I'd do. And I even ran (OK, jogged) almost the whole entire time. 81% of the time to be exact. Now, this is a major accomplishment for me. This is coming from the girl who hated running her whole life, the girl who would do almost anything to get out of running. This just goes to show, anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

I'd like to thank all the little people...first of all, Melissa, who talked so much about the 12-week running program every time I saw her for a year that I had to try it out; Caron, for running the race with me; Rebecca, for doing the running program, too; and Teri for talking it up so much that I actually got excited about running. (Something else I never dreamed would happen.) And, not to mention the wonderful people at Apple that invented the iPod. So, here's to me! (I figure I have some bragging rights for the time being.)

When you wish upon a star...

I finally made it to Disneyland...a dream come true! It was so much fun...I loved every minute of the almost 20 hours we spent at the happiest place on earth! It's amazing what a little Disney music and a mouse can do...it's just so magical. Caron and I got a fabulous deal on one of those last-minute trips, and then we met up with my Auntie Ginx and my brother Scott in Cali. Anyone want to go again? I'm game!


Some day my prince will come...oh wait, that's the wrong movie. Ummm...maybe I should say If you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true. C'mon handsome prince, the clock's about to strike midnight, I aint gettin' any younger.























Too cold for the beach...maybe next time. But there's something just mesmerizing about the ocean, I just can't get enough of it.















The Newport Beach temple is absolutely incredible. The outside is like an old Spanish mission style building, and the inside is super elegant and classy, with dark wood and rich murals. I love it!

I have a fun video I am trying to include in this post, but I can't seem to figure out how to upload it, so as soon as I get some technological help...stay tuned to live the magic!

Top 5 reasons to live in SLC

I would just like to point out a few of the things I like about living in SLC:



1. This is the view from the track at West High School, where I go jogging.


2. I can see the conference center, church office building and the Key bank building from my bedroom windown, and I can enjoy the sunset over the west mountains from my living room window.




3. Where else can you find a Joseph Smith sphynx? Only in Gilgal Park. You'll be amazed at what else is there, too!




4. The following are within 3 blocks of my house: Brigham Young Park (concerts start in June), the temple, conference center, Church History Museum, Family History Center, TRAX station, Memory Grove, Capitol Building, the prophet's apartment, Crown Burger, this little Mexican restaurant I want to try out, and who knows what else? The possibilites are endless!





5. I have not seen any dogs since I moved. Hurray!








OK, there are some not-so-great things, too. Here's the worst 5:



1. There is a traffic light on every block. Annoying!







2. The Laundromat.


3. There is no Marv Jenson's. I have been to every gym in the city (except for the really expensive ones) and I haven't found anything I like.


4. Smokers. Lots of them.



5. I have to fill up my car tons more than before...and with the price of gas these days....