Treasure Hunt

Last night I went on a treasure hunt searching for an item in my kitchen I felt sure I must have, even if it's never been used.  Sure enough, my potato peeler was still in its protective wrapping.

I guess that's what happens when you don't like potatoes. 

PS - Five years from now, when I'm searching for my potato peeler AGAIN, will somebody please remind me that it's in the drawer with the cookie cutters?

My Saturday Night

The first two minutes of "the meet up" with someone you've been chatting with on an online dating site are pretty critical. May I suggest a couple of things you don't want to mention in the initial introductions? Any one of these will probably result in your half-date sending the menu back with the waitress, claiming they are fine with just hot chocolate. If you whip out all of them in quick succession, the other person will be gone before the whipped cream in said hot chocolate has a chance to melt.

1) I started having kids too young. I was 17 when I had my oldest son with my scoutmaster's wife. So that's why I wasn't able to go on a mission. I had a 3 year old. And I'd been disfellowshipped.

2) I live in a motor home on some property my mother owns. I choose not to live in the house because the animals have kind of taken over in the past couple of years. (Bonus points if it's horses that have made the house unlivable.)

3) My youngest sons live with their mother in Alaska. Actually they may be in South Jordan with her parents. I'm not sure.

4) I have a really good job. It's with the government and I can't really give you any details. But it is helping me pay down the $30,000 I owe in medical debt. (Bonus points here for a specific dollar amount.)

My favorite part of this encounter was the follow-up texts asking how I wanted to proceed with our relationship. I diplomatically responded that I thought we were in very different places in our lives but I wanted to wish him good luck. Very different places. But seriously, good luck.

And that is why my plans for next weekend (and quite possibly every weekend for the rest of my life) involve Downton Abby in my apartment. With all the doors locked.

My Happy Place

Sara and I decided to meet in California and spend a couple of days at Disneyland.  Best decision ever.  We had a blast.

The first thing you have to know about this trip is that the guy in front of me in line for security at the Salt Lake airport at 6:00 a.m. was wearing paint-splattered jeans and was covered in paint from head to toe.  He also hadn't showered since he finished whatever painting project he had apparently been working on overnight.  I spent 20 minutes in line wondering if there was any set of circumstances under which I would paint like a crazy person all night long, then make a mad dash to the airport without changing my clothes or showering before hopping on a flight.  There isn't.

Once in California, I jumped in our rented silver VW Passat and carefully followed my GPS directions to our hotel.  Checked in at the hotel, then swung back to the airport to pick up Sara.  We were on our way to Disneyland!

Sara with our new friend Snow White. 

Also on Saturday we saw part of a show being filmed for the Disney Channel.  At one point, we were "this close" to Austin (apparently of the show "Austin & Ally") while he rode on the Matterhorn.   Someone asked him if he was famous and he said, "I don't think of myself as famous..."  Which only a teenybopper star on the Disney Channel would say.  Loved it.

We were exhausted after a full day on Saturday, but managed to stumble into the Indian Restaurant at the bottom of our hotel.  Fantastic chicken tikka masalla.  Really fantastic.  Our waiter offered to show Sara his bed.  Which is exactly what it sounds like.  She declined.

Sunday we drove to Santa Monica and I was really proud of myself for driving through LA traffic and actually ending up where we wanted to go!  The Santa Monica Pier was well worth the trip.

Oh, so we ate lunch at Bubba Gump's on the pier.  I had a pear berry salad which I highly recommend.  But make sure your lunch buddy orders the coconut crusted shrimp so you can have some of that too.  Delicious!

 Monday morning.  Classic Disneyland welcome shot.

Outside the Tikki Room.  There is no wait for the Tikki Room - but there is a 40 minute wait for the pineapple ice cream outside the Tikki Room.  Crazy.

 At California Adventure.  We had just hopped off the big roller coaster, so it's lucky I look as calm as I do.

Sara insisted that we wait in line for-freaking-ever to take a picture with Minnie Mouse.  Good thing we did.  The picture is cute and we still got to use our fast-passes for Space Mountain.  Yay hurray!

The "cast member" who offered to take this picture thought Sara and I were sisters.  Pretty darn close. 

What a fun trip.  The weather was about 75 degrees, we got to go to the ocean, and Disneyland is the best.  I'm ready to go again!  Meet you there. 

Queen of Quite a Lot

Thanks to all for your birthday greetings!  My apartment is a dreamland of flowers and chocolate and cookies and Matt Damon movies.  I couldn't be happier.  Plus, Carly was super cute in her Valentines outfit and we caught her smile on camera. 

As an added bonus, if all goes well, I am getting my iPhone today.  (And all better go well, because if Verizon tries to deny me an iPhone one more time....  Well, I don't know what I'll do.  But it won't be pretty.) 

Oh, and tomorrow I'm flying to Disneyland. 
It's good to be Queen. 

My Happy Birthday Eve

Last night I had the luxury of going home after work without a list of tasks that I needed to/should do.  Because it was my last night to be 33 years old, I felt like I should do something significant.  After much thought, I decided to spend my free night exactly how I wanted to.  I had a bowl of Cap'n Crunch for dinner, cleaned my kitchen and got everything off the counters that didn't belong there, then curled up on my couch with a blanket to finish reading "The Yellow Birds."  It was wonderful. 

Sidenote:  I am not recommending you add "The Yellow Birds" to your reading list.  I thought it was powerfully written and I learned a lot about the war in Iraq.  But there is strong language throughout and you will also need a strong stomach to handle the graphic violence.  It's a book about war and its casualties.  I thought it was very profound, but I also wouldn't be brave enough to teach it in a high school English class.  So enter at your own risk. 

And Happy Valentines Day to one and all!

Ironic

When I log into my hotmail account, I am greeted by this young lady.  Does she remind you of anyone?  Like me?  And every time I have seen this picture, I have thought in my head, "It's not fair.  There's no way I could ever wear that color."

Which is why I had a good chuckle to myself when I got to work this morning and realized that a sweater I have been wearing for years is the exact same shade of mustard/yellow/brown.  I hope you enjoy the irony as much as I do.  And excuse the quality of the photo below.  I'm not one of those people who can take good pictures of myself.

I Adopted a Plant

Just over a year ago, a co-worker who was retiring asked if I wanted to take the plant in his office.  I said no thanks.  He regretfully left the plant behind in his "old office," knowing that the person moving into that office would most likely kill it within a month or so.

I started to water the plant every now and then, when I thought about it, because it started to die and I felt sorry for it.  Then I watered more often as the plant started growing again and looking better and better.  I started to water the plant on a regular schedule.  And checking on it between waterings.

This week I broke down and moved the plant into my office.  His name is Spencer.  I figure that once you name a plant and care for it over the course of a year, technically the plant belongs to you.

What?

The photo above makes me very grateful that Disneyland is only 15 short days away for me and my friend Sara.  Can't wait!

In other news, yesterday I had a very strange encounter at Smiths.   I was walking past a man in a crowded aisle who looked straight at me and then said "Excuse me sir."  Keep in mind I was wearing a plaid skirt and high heeled boots.  Excuse me sir?  That's a new one.