Blogfully Yours

Hey! Where'd You Go?

2009-07-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

Fear not!

I'm still here, you just need to link over to my new blog.

www.blogfullyyours.com

Please update your RSS feed and if you link to me just update the link to blogfullyyours.com instead of this Blogspot address. Stop by and let me know what you think!

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Sometimes Men With Muscles Scare Me

2009-07-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm a pretty tough chick most of the time. I kill my own spiders (granted I freak out a little and feel like they are crawling on me for next 10 minutes, but I still do it), I hike up mountains, I take out the trash, I wakeboard, I assemble my own furniture and I hang my own pictures. I consider myself an independent woman who takes care of herself and doesn't take crap from anyone.

Yeah, I'm tough like that.

At the gym last night, right in the middle of their busiest time, I strutted up to the free weights section to work on my arms. I used to rarely venture into the "man zone" as I liked to call it, but since I have been working out with my personal trainer boyfriend ED I have become a lot more confident in my ability and my knowledge of what to do with all those dumbbells.

So I strutted up there, full of all my tough girl confidence, wearing my pink workout clothes and black workout gloves with the fingers cut out and began going through the exercises ED had shown me. I glanced in the mirror and saw two muscle heads working out together and looking at me. No biggie I thought, I'm sure I'm just blocking their view of the mirror. I scooted down a little and started on my next exercise.

The few girls who were also brave enough to be in the "man zone" slowly disappeared and in their place sweaty men with wandering eyes emerged. I continued on. A large serial killer looking man walked between me and the mirror, staring at me while he does so and positions himself next to me still looking right at me.

That's when panic started to set in.

Everywhere I looked I felt eyes on me. Man eyes on me. Apparently all of the women in the gym, including Karina the Russian, were upstairs in the Zoomba class. My heart started to race for reasons other than my work out until finally, in the middle of a set; I had to get out of there.

I left because too many men encroached in my space... at a gym… in the “man zone”.

So much for my tough girl persona.

Am I alone here? Do you ever get intimidated when you go to the gym?

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Grace in Small Things - Realizations

2009-07-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

Grace in Small Things - Realizations

1. Realizing my trip to Chicago for BlogHer is only 16 days away.

2. Realizing my trip to Mexico is only 36 days away.

3. Realizing even though it will be tight, I'll be able to afford both.

4. Realizing I don't have to buy a new wardrobe, the clothes I have will be sufficient enough.

5. Realizing summer semester will be over in less than a month.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

My 4th of July Weekend has Inspired me to Join the Circus

2009-07-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

A weekend full of surprises, that's what I had!

Surprise #1. Finding out that we would not be traveling to St. George (Utah, not the island) the night before we were supposed to leave due to some issues with accommodations. I was absolutely crushed because I had really been looking forward to getting away, but after killing myself on the treadmill I decided to suck it up and make the best of my weekend vacation time no matter what we did.

Surprise #2. Discovering that my 50 SPF spray sunscreen was not as effective as I would have liked. We went boating on Friday and Sunday at Utah lake and who goes home looking like a lobster? Me, that's who. Of course it helps that my sister is already tan and my parents keep almost all of their clothes on except when entering the water. Regardless, I got burned and it hurts.

Surprise #3. Crashing on the wake board and jacking up my sunburned neck. I fell 4 or 5 times so it's hard to be sure which one caused the damage. I think it was number two...but at this point what does it matter?

Surprise #4. Getting to meet a group of ED's best friends that he has been keeping hidden. Actually I'm not sure if it was me he was keeping hidden or them... The best part of this surprise is that they were all amazing. I loved getting to know them, and in the end they seemed to "approve" of me, and I them. I'm looking forward to spending more time getting to know them in the future.

Surprise #5. Learning how to hula hoop. Also known as making a complete jack ass out of yourself and being caught on video while doing it. FOR THE RECORD: I had no idea my future brother-in-law was recording us!
The blond closest to the camera is my older sister who brought the hula hoops and is very good, the other blond is my younger sister who has a day more practice than me and I'm (obviously) the uncoordinated brunette. I will say though, this is after practicing for about 2 hours. I'm not sure if that makes this video impressive or pathetic...

Surprise #5. Remembering how great it is to just lay on the lawn while the neighbors light illegal fireworks that they bought and paid for. No parks. No crowds. Just family, friends and a dozen or so neighbor kids running around shooting bottle rockets at each other.

Just the way our fore fathers would have wanted us to celebrate.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Instead of a Hard Hat I think I Need Some Valium

2009-07-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not huge on change.

If you are familiar with The Color Code personality tests, I'm a blue. Most people are a mixture of several colors, but not me. I'm a blue-blue. One of the traits of a blue-blue is that they are very resistant to change at first, but once they have embraced it they are the strongest supporters of said change.

My mother introduced the The Color Code to my sisters and me when we were in our teens. Growing up she used to make whoever we dated take the test so she could psychoanalyze them. She would guess what color (or color combo) they were before they took the test and most of the time she was right. I remember being a young teen sitting in our family room reading the quiz questions to a guy I liked.

"What word best describes you? a. Relentless b. Indifferent c. Suspicious or d. Naive"

"Um... what does relentless mean?"

"DAAAAD! What does relentless mean?"

What? My father is a human dictionary, encyclopedia and thesaurus all rolled into one! If I was on Who Wants to be a Millionaire and had to pick one life line, it would be him. Growing up it was a normal thing to hear one of my sister, my mother or of course me, yelling out questions to him while we did our homework.

"Dad! How do you spell conscience?"

"Dad! What's the capitol of South Carolina?"

"James! Do you say afterwards with an s or afterward with no s?"

"Dad! Can I borrow ten bucks?"

Wait, what was I talking about? Oh yeah, the Color Code... or rather my resistance to change.

I'm changing my blog and it scares the shit out of me! I am not an expert and I'm learning this whole technology/programming/hosting/domains/bribe people with booze thing as I go. I am completely dependent on friends helping me in their free time, which means it's taking a little while. WHICH IS FINE (please don't stop helping me)! I'd rather it takes a little while, you know, so I can ease into the transition and embrace the change. I'm telling you all this so that if you are a blue-blue like me, you can anticipate the change and prep your embracing skills. It will be great! GREAT I tell you!

<--Insert nervous yet hopeful laugh here.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Don't Invite Red Headed Sluts to Russian Birthday Parties

2009-07-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KARINA!!!

My lovely BFF, Karina the Russian had a birthday! Every year her birthday is a time to celebrate. This year by comparison was a lot more toned down than last years 5 day long celebration, but still an amazing time complete with the most important things: friends, food and cocktails.

The standard pre-party picture.

Staci and Codi

The girls! I love when they put me in the middle.

We were all so happy my babe ED could make it... that is until he invited a Red Headed Slut to join our party...

That bitch makes things all sorts of crazy!

Karina I love you so much! We have been through so much in such a short time. I hope that 27 (the second anniversary of your 25th birthday) brings you all the love, passion, success and "moments" you deserve! Thank you for always being there for me. You'll never know how much it has meant to me.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

PS - no actual Red Headed Sluts were hurt in the celebration of Karina the Russians birthday party. They were however consumed by way of shots

A Small Fish in an Ocean of Blogs

2009-06-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's silly I know, but my little blog really means a lot to me. What started out as a hobby and fun way to keep friends and family updated on my life, has become an accomplishment of sorts that I am actually proud of.

I started blogging just over a year ago. My very first post was called "The world is your oyster", a brutally honest raw exposure of myself. I didn't have a name or an identity to my blog then, and truthfully I had no idea what I was doing, I just knew I wanted to write.

A large part of my inspiration for going back to college was this blog. I knew I had ideas and stories I wanted to share, but I also knew from a technical standpoint my writing left a lot to be desired. So last summer, I walked into the Salt Lake Community College, 2 weeks before classes were scheduled to start, and enrolled. Again, I had no idea what I was doing. No game plan. I just knew it was where I needed to be.

Sitting here reflecting, feet propped up on a chair - laptop warm in my lap, it's fun to think of some of the highlights my silly little blog has brought me.

- I remember the first time I got a comment from a blogger I, for lack of a better work, idolized. People like Caveat Emptor, Black Hockey Jesus and the amazing Jenny the Bloggess. It may seem silly, but it totally made my day to think that something, however small and trivial, in my blog sparked their interest enough to visit AND leave a comment.

- I remember coming up with the name for my blog and asking my friend and blogging mentor Sarah what she thought of it. "Honestly I think it's fucking brilliant and wish I would have come up with it." A better compliment has never existed. She helped me register the domain name and set things up.

- I remember getting approved to have ads on my blog through the BlogHer network. It only took 6 months of having them, but I got my first check too. I celebrated by going to coffee with Sarah just this last weekend.

- As it turns out the whole being a student and a blogger really worked out in my favor recently too. I am headed to the BlogHer convention in Chicago in a little over 3 weeks. Truthfully there is no way I could have afforded it without the discounted student rate and I am so happy they offer one. I'll try not to cuss when I pay next months tuition now.

- Last but certainly not least (cliche much?), the highlight of my evening. Getting mentioned on the "Here is the good news happening around our GiST network" email for finally getting the balls to get the tattoo I have been talking about for over 2 years. Seriously, how cool is that?

I know I am rambling on a bit and a lot of these things may not seem like a big deal, but I am a firm believer it's the little things in life that count and you should celebrate ALL victories.

Thanks lovely Internet for giving me more reasons to celebrate! Oh, and the local wine store says thanks too.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

A Womans Logic is Never Wrong

2009-06-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes dating a man who does professional fitness for a living is a real pain. He goes around using "technical terms" and "facts" and completely ignores a little thing I like to call logic.

Me: "So I ate 6 cookies before coming to the gym tonight."

ED: "Six cookies! Why?"

Me: "Because I needed a snack and I knew that our work out tonight would cancel them out. That's how it works. I'm surprised you didn't know that. Plus I had milk, which is healthy, so, you know, that helps too."

ED: "Sweetheart, that is not exactly how it works."

Me: "Um, yeah it is."

***

Yesterday my amazing friends Sarah and Susan responded to my plea for relief from the bondage of homework. We met up at the Utah Arts Festival and even though they chose not to share the dress code with me (bitches) it was exactly the break I needed.

And wouldn't you know, they share the same brilliant logic as me!

We figured the calories from the wine, beer, pizza, hot dogs, ice cream and fries we collectively consumed all didn't count. You see, when you are at an outdoor festival or event nothing counts because they are so few and far between that it's practically a crime NOT to take full advantage. Plus we were out in the hot sun sweating out any pesky calories that may have gotten into our food. Also, should there have been any calories, we were totally covered because we all pretty much skipped breakfast but still managed to do individual morning workouts.

So, yeah, a day of no calorie guilt with my girls! How sweet is that?

Oh and the best part is, as an added bonus for me, Sarah and Susan both agreed that the fact I worked out on a Saturday night counts as double calorie canceling points. So in reality, I'm like way ahead in this whole calorie canceling game and can eat 6 more cookies today!

Psshh! Fitness coach my ass. I should write a book on this stuff.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Grace In Small Things

2009-06-26T13:07:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty bad about posting this week. My excuse? I'm doing some revamping of Blogfully Yours. Still the same site, with all of my crazy stories and random ramblings, but with a new semi-professional "glow" to it. I've been told that I can not rush this process if I want it to be done right, so I'm practicing that little skill known as patience. I'm also doing my research so I don't end up crashing and loosing the past years worth of posts.

Woosah.

So to put things in perspective (whilst I practice my patience), here is an installment of Grace in Small Things:

1. People who are smarter than I and willing to share their know how with me.

2. Having an open discussion with my boss.

3. Taking part in promoting National HIV Testing Day.

4. Sore muscles (it let's me know I did something to them).

5. Setting up my first 401K plan.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Deal with stomp-stomp creek-creek or lift heavy objects

2009-06-23T22:08:00.000-07:00

I've lived at my current apartment for just under 2 years, which is a record for me. I normally move every 6 months to a year. My lease is up the end of August and I must give 60 days notice if I want to move, which means I have just under a week to figure out if I want to stay put or move out.

For the most part, I have really enjoyed my little place. That is, until the past 2 months when the new upstairs neighbors from hell moved in! Now, I've lived in apartments for the greater part of my adult life so I am accepting of a lot of things, but these neighbors are ridiculous! The are night owls who like to start pacing above my bed at exactly the time I am trying to go to sleep. I know you are going to think I am just being dramatic, but I swear they wear lead boots too. They also play a game every night where they open and shut every drawer and cupboard in their place then go out on the balcony 3 or 4 times slamming the door on their way. I'm sure it's a lot of fun for them but all I hear is stomp-creek, slam, slide, creek, creek, stomp, stomp and occasionally the err err, err err of their bed while they are doing the nasty.

The worst part is, there is absolutely nothing I can do about it... except move.

But I don't want to move! What with all the packing and lifting of heavy furniture. Ugh! I've moved 5 times in the last 4 years and none of the times has been what I consider fun.

So what's a girl to do?

I spoke with the leasing office and they said I could upgrade to a newly remodeled top level apartment for basically the same price as I am paying now (guess the economy has been hard on them too).

But moving... again? Blah!

So now it's crunch time. Deal with annoying neighbors for another year or move. Somehow I don't feel like there is a right answer here.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

PS - anyone have a truck?

Every Tattoo Has a Story - Part II

2009-06-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

So I did it... After 2 years of talking about it, I actually did it and let me tell you, I forgot how freaking bad getting tattooed hurts! Call me a wuss if you must, but sitting still while someone continuously jams a needle into your back is draining!
I'd like to thank the talented Mitch Anderson of Mutiny Ink for being the one to continuously jam that needle.

Before Picture

Step One: Sketching for placement

Step Two: Drilling The Outline. The most painful part in my opinion.

Step Three: Coloring. I guess the technical term is "shading", but whatev.

Finally, after 2 hours and 15 minutes of resisting the urge to either scream or punch Mitch in the junk, we have the final product (notice Mitch in the background smiling? I swear it is not because I was showing him my boobs! He is probably just happy about the whole not getting punched in the junk part)!

I can't tell you how happy I am with the results! I'm in a shit load of pain right now, but I can't stop staring at it. ED told me he thinks it looks very sexy and to be honest, it makes me feel sexy too.
Right now the challenge is finding clothes to wear. Because of the size and location it makes wearing a bra all but impossible, but going without one is not exactly an option so I'm going to have to suck it up and find a way to make it work.

Pain is beauty, right?

Blogfully yours,

Summer

PS - While the parents were a little... um... shocked? at Fathers Day dinner, they did not react too bad. My mothers only question, "did you have to get it so big?".

Every Tattoo Has a Story - Part I

2009-06-20T09:05:00.000-07:00

In the Spring of 2007 I freed myself of a very toxic relationship. I moved in with my parents for a short time to work on getting back on my feet - emotionally and financially. One night, my father and I went for a walk along the Jordan Parkway, a walking/biking trail that runs along the Jordan River. As we were walking along the path it's really quite ugly. The plant life surrounding the trail has not yet woken up from its winter slumber. The river is a murky shade of brown and the dead reeds made the scenery down right depressing. We walked for several miles. Despite the scenery, it felt very cleansing. Then, out of no where one branch of a tree, not more than 4 feet tall shot out of the ground among the ugliness. The branch had green leaves and pink cherry blossom flowers growing all the way up it. I stopped my Father and walked through the mud to it, grabbed out my phone and took a picture. When I got back on the designated walking trail I looked at my Dad and said, "I just found my next tattoo."

When we got home I started researching the meaning behind cherry blossoms and found there are different meanings from China and Japan:

Chinese Cherry Blossom

For the Chinese the cherry blossom is a very significant symbol of power. Typically it represent a feminine beauty and sexuality and often holds an idea of power or feminine dominance. Within the language of herbs and herbal lore of the Chinese the cherry blossom is often the symbol of love.

Japanese Cherry Blossom

For the Japanese the cherry blossom holds very different meaning. The cherry blossom is a very delicate flower that blooms for a very short time. For the Japanese this represents the transience of life. This concept ties in very deeply with the fundamental teachings of Buddhism that state all life is suffering and transitory. The Japanese have long held strong to the Buddhist belief of the transitory nature of life and it is very noble to not get too attached to a particular outcome or not become emotional because it will all pass in time.

The fallen cherry blossom is not taken lightly in Japanese symbolism either. It often represents the beauty of snow and there are many connections made in Japanese literature or poetry to a fallen cherry blossom and snow. This also has been extended to the life of a warrior whose life was ended early in battle.

**

I am taking bits and pieces from both meaning. For me, it serves as a reminder of the strength it took to get out of a toxic situation, is serves as a symbol of femininity, it serves as a sign of a new beginning and it serves as my belief in finding true love.

I still have the picture I took on my phone that day, although it is save on a disk that I left in my office so I will add it to this post later. But this picture is fairly close to what I will be getting today (4PM MST), but without the Chinese writing.
Wish me luck! Follow up pictures to come!

Blogfully yours,

Summer

UPDATE: I found the original picture I took while on a walk with my Dad.

I Can’t Believe She Actually Hit Me!

2009-06-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was much like any other day. I got off work and headed to school. I pulled into a parking spot near the back of the lot, parked and began my ritual of putting on a fresh coat of lipstick and powdering my nose. I was lost in my own thoughts while looking at my reflection when I was rudely jolted into consciousness by another car pulling in and hitting the front of my car! I snapped the visor mirror shut and stared at the driver who was now backing up a few inches so that she was no longer on top of my car. The driver did not meet my jaw dropped, appalled gaze. No courtesy wave. No mouthing of "oops" or "sorry". No getting out to make sure my bumper was still attached. No, this reckless SUV driving student did nothing. I kept on staring at her, in shock of this woman's ignorance and lack of common courtesy manners. Surely at any minute she was going to get out of her car and apologize. I had no idea what I should do. Do I walk over, pound on her door and demand an apology? Do I try to out wait her (at this point she is busy continuing to act like she is oblivious to me and collecting her things) and confront her then?

In the end I did nothing. I’m not a confrontational person and I was on my way to take a math test so, I did nothing. Seriously, what does one do in this situation? No damage was done to either of our cars. Really it was only a parking nudge, but it’s the principle of this person having the audacity to completely ignore the fact that she hit me. It irks me! It also irks me that I don’t know if I should have responded or not.

What would you have done?

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Next Thing You Know She'll Be Kissing Girls

2009-06-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

Last week my sister asked me to pick her daughter Brielle (a.k.a. the worlds littlest princess), from daycare and watch her for a few hours. I told her it was no problem because I really enjoy watching her for a few hours. Emphasis on "a few hours".

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore this 3 year old princess and I am partly responsible for her princess complex. I spoil her rotten, put make-up on her, buy her toys, give her candy, cookies, yogurt and fast food, paint her nails, buy her coffee and let her watch PG-13 movies. In return she torments my cat, spills juice/water/wine on my couches, gets chocolate basically everywhere and makes me wipe her princess butt after she screams from the bathroom "SUMMER COME WIPE MY BUM!"

During this particular "few hours" visit I asked her what she wanted to do. Without hesitation she told me she wanted to go feed the ducks. We grabbed what little bread I had and walked over to the pond at my apartment complex.

Now I'm going to wager a bet that her mother is letting her watch more than just princess movies because a diva personality like this only comes from watching too much VH1 reality TV and/or pop music videos.

Watch out world! Miss Brielle Gaga-Perry is coming through!

Blogfully yours,

Summer

PS - For those of you who are not familiar with pop-culture references (Grandma I'm talking to you), "I Kissed a Girl" is a song by Katy Perry pictured above left.

Fat Kids Love Cake

2009-06-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

ED and I went on our first ever double date. It was us and ED’s best friend and his wife. We went to dinner and after we went to Poplar Street to watch a blues band play called Blues 66. They were absolutely amazing. We ended the night around 10:30 because the other couple has children and babysitters to attend to.

I know you are thinking, whoopd’y shit. What’s the big deal? Sounds very normal and boring. Well, that is where you are wrong. You see, ED and I only get to see each other twice a week and we tend to be a little selfish with our time. We have to get enough of each other on a Saturday night to last us until the following weekend and that is hard to do when you are with other people.

When we first started dating, an additional reason for our selfish exclusivity was that we wanted to be sure about the relationship before parading each other around our respective friends. Because honestly, there is nothing worse than bringing a new guy around, letting your friends get to know him only to tell them 2 weeks later that they won’t be seeing him again. Ever. It’s way too much work, plus it’s embarrassing.

So here we are, 5 months into round 2 of dating and we are doing “coupley” stuff with other couples with no anxiety or second-guessing. It’s really…cool. Finding myself in a happy, healthy relationship with potential for a future is somewhat uncharted territory for me. I haven’t been this comfortable or happy in a long time.

Sometimes I wonder when the rug is going to get pulled out from under me and when he will turn into a controlling ass hole. I’ll eye him suspiciously expecting the transformation to take place right before my very eyes! But, instead he just smiles at me and says, “Aw honey, I love you. Like a fat kid loves cake.”

Then I melt. All worry and suspicion floats away and I continue to let myself just be happy because fat kids really do love cake and I really do deserve to be happy.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

No Love Lost

2009-06-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

I had to delete a friend from Facebook.

Now, let's be honest for a minute here. There are very few things that one can do to make me feel the need to cut them out of my "virtual friend network" because really it's not like they are "real" friends. Don't get me wrong, a handful of my Facebook friends are real life friends as well as virtual friends, but I'd be lying if I told you I had over 200 real friends; I'm just not that cool nor do I have the energy to be a friend back to that many people. But I digress....

Really there are only 2 ways to get me to delete you. The first is to insult me, my friends or my family. The second is to show intolerance and/or prejudice to another race or lifestyle. In this particular instance both offenses were committed.

Delete.

Sometimes saying goodbye is not so hard. In fact, it is as simple as the click of a mouse.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

The First Time Around

2009-06-10T08:46:00.000-07:00

As some of you may or may not know, ED and I dated 2 years ago which is how he got his blog name "ED" in the first place. It stands for Environmental Dating, as in dating the same person twice or, for all intents and purposes, "recycling".

Karina the Russian was going through her pictures last night and came across this picture. ED is just so freaking cute I couldn't help but share it with you. This was during my swoopy bangs period and I think my face looks slightly retarded, but I think you can see he made me (retardedly) happy back then, just like he does now.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Hola! Me amos es I'm going to Mexico Bitches!

2009-06-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have some very exciting news! I'm going to MEXICO! Si! Es true. In 2 months I will be laying on the beautiful white beaches of the Riviera Maya with my babe ED.

We have been talking about taking a trip together in between summer and fall semesters. Both of our birthdays are in August (Leo's rule! Rawr!) and it will be the big 3-0 for ED, so we figured what better way to celebrate than by spending 6 days and 5 nights plastered in a foreign country.

We booked our trip Sunday night and of course I had to text Karina the Russian to let her know that it was really happening.

Me: OMG! ED and I just booked our trip! It's official work out, tan and save money like crazy time!

KTR: Yeah! That is so cool! OK, I'm going to start working on your to do list!

So the "to do" list is something Karina gives me before I leave on any and every trip I take. It started when we went to California last year and she made me pretend to be from England and flirt with local surfers. Then it continued when I visited ED's parents for the first time in the country and "have sex in a barn" was on the list. The most recent list came from my trip to Zions National Park where I had to scream from the top of my lungs that I was the queen of the world, much to EDs ultimate embarrassment.

KTR: 1st! Find a hot pink taco and eat it!

KTR: 2nd! Have sex in a sombrero!

KTR: 3rd! Watch a donkey show!

KTR: Drue (random new guy friend) says you need to bring me a grain of rice with my name on it too. Oh, and eat a bacon wrapped hot dog from a street meat cart!

Me: Um... we are not going to Tijuana... we are staying at a classy place!

KTR: Don't worry, I'll have more for you later. I'm watching playboy Hef and he has a new girlfriend named Christal!

Seriously I can't help but love that girl!

If you have items to add to my "to do" list for Mexico, preferably one's that don't involve donkeys or eating questionable food, let me know.

Gracias!

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Coming Back to Me

2009-06-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been distant. It's not just from you, it's been from everyone. I suppose I just let all of life's stresses catch up to me. I was getting pulled in a million different directions and something had to give.

My sanity.

Talking to ED last night he tells me, "Sweetheart, I just feel like all of your emotions are very raw right now." He is trying so hard to be patient and understanding with me when he is probably wondering how in the world his girlfriend went from happy and fun to an emotional wreck. But still, he claims to love me and I choose to believe him.

Today I am happy to report that while I am not better, I have decided to make the conscience decision to be happy, healthy, positive and productive. I'm taking The Secrets approach which is a kind of a "fake it til you make it" approach. I'm going to keep telling myself that I am happy, healthy, positive and productive until it is the truth. Over and over, that is what I am telling myself. So if you walk up to me and I scream "I AM HAPPY, HEALTHY, POSITIVE AND PRODUCTIVE!" Please do not be alarmed, I'm just in the middle of healing myself.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Damn Doctor Knows Best

2009-06-02T07:27:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I disobeyed the doctors orders and it felt great! That is, until Monday morning.

Friday I went to the X96 Big Ass Show with Karina the Russian. I was a lot more behaved than I was last year when I was running around getting my picture taken with every rock star I laid eyes on. But, when you have VIP tickets which give you access to free beer.... it would have been a shame to let it go to waste.

A few of the bands I really enjoyed watching were The Airborne Toxic Event (seriously in love with these guys! If you don't know who they are watch THIS), Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and of course Offspring. Offspring was the headlining band and they tore it up! It was so funny to watch Karina looking at everyone else sing along to the songs. "You don't know this one?" I would scream over the crowd. Then she would look at me with her of course I don't know this one I'm from Russia bitch look. I would of course laugh and she would tell me how she was going to take me to Russia and laugh at me when I didn't know the bands who were playing.

The next morning Karina and I went to brunch. I had coffee and the most amazing crab Benedict served over cornbread with an avocado relish. I'm drooling thinking about it again. I kept marveling as we sat outside on the patio at how I really felt OK. All of the symptoms from last week seemed to have magically disappeared. How amazingly wonderful for me!

Saturday night I went to 2 barbecues where the food, margaritas and wine flowed freely. I felt great and had a wonderful time. Then Sunday came along. Damn you Sunday. Such a fun wrecker. I studied for over 12 hours trying to make up for all of my play time then I had a stress induced anxiety attack.

So now here I am, back where I started. Taking several over the counter meds and eating bland foods. Apparently when they talk about school being a sacrifice they are not kidding. My body is telling me I can no longer play like I used to plus handle the stress of work, school and finances. I think it sucks. I think I SHOULD be able to handle it all. But sadly, superwoman left the building a long time ago.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Stress is a Real Buzz Kill

2009-05-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Did you know that holding stress inside for prolonged periods of time can make you physically ill? True story. In fact, it can make you so sick that you have to give up the things you love in order to get better - doctors orders!

I had written a post over the weekend (that I chose not to post) titled "Some Stories Are Not Meant To Be Told". It was basically about holding painful memories back and how it is probably the "right" thing to do.

Apparently... I was wrong.

I am now on a "bland" food diet until I get my "stress/gut symptoms" back under control. That means no spicy food, no acidic food, no greasy food, no chocolate, no alcohol, oh and no coffee or soda! Yeah, so basically what I am telling you is that holding stress inside has ruined my life... at least for the next week or so.

I highly recommend you find ways to communicate your stress, maybe see a counselor or hit a punching bag, that you will not end up like me - sober and eating oatmeal.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Grace in (very) Small Things

2009-05-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

I haven't been posting so far this week because, well, I feel like crap. Sometimes when I don't feel well, I write more because it occupies my mind.

This is not one of those times.

So today I am going to give you another installment of Grace in Small Things.

1. My Mom, or "Doctor Mom" as I have been calling her.

2. A doctors office who can see you in under 24 hours.

3. My new pink iPhone cover (courtesy of Sarah).

4. ED and Karina The Russian becoming friends.

5. Flip Flop weather.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Backhoe Drivers Are Assholes

2009-05-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I went hiking with my group up Parleys Canyon. We took 3 shuttle cars to the top of Parleys summit, drove down a dirt road and hiked the Alexander Spring Trail - a leisurely 5.3 mile which is mainly downhill.

The hike was beautiful, but then again, there are not many hikes in Utah that are NOT beautiful. We saw a lot of moose tracks and enjoyed each others company.

Here I am in my typical "Happy Hiker" pose.

When you are in the middle of such a beautiful valley, what can you possibly have to NOT smile about...?

We get to the bottom of the trail where 2 other cars had been dropped off. The first car loads up the shuttle car drivers and heads back up to the top. A few minutes later we get a call from one of the drivers saying that someone had driven their backhoe onto the middle of the dirt road so that it is blocking the trail. Going around it is not an option because on one side there is a steep cliff and the other side there is thick vegetation. There is no company name on the tractor or phone number.

Freaking-fabulous, right?

Fortunately we still had one other car with us at the bottom. Unfortunately we had around 12 people show up for this hike so 3 of us had to wait while the car ran a load of passengers to their cars a the mouth of the canyon.

As confused and annoyed as we were for our fellow hikers who were going to have to leave their cars for the night, and even though we were having to huddle together to avoid freezing to death (that may be a slight exaggeration), we still found reasons to smile.

Maybe it was the trail mix... but more likely it was knowing an ice cold beer (or two... or three) was waiting to reward our patience when we got to the bottom.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Park Lunch With the Russians

2009-05-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

I was tired (and by tired I mean too busy trying to catch up on my DVR shows) last night and didn't get a new post written. I decided to bring my laptop with me to work so that I could write on my lunch break. So, since it's lunch time and since I am sitting in a Russian owned coffee shop plus I have these adorable pictures I have not shared... here you go!

My darling BFF, Karina the Russian, often joins me for lunch and brings along her (our) 2 beautiful Russian children. On this particular beautiful spring day last week, we decided that lunch should consist of pizza at the park. The kids couldn't have been happier with this idea.

We soaked up as much sun and grease as we could. Karina commented on how it was so beautiful that you don't even need to close your eyes to "create a moment". Creating a moment is something we often do. You simply take a bite of food, shut your eyes and focus on simply being in that moment closing out all other thoughts. We even do this with the kids so when Dimitri heard his mom say this he promptly spoke up, "nut-uh! Mom you have to close your eyes to create a moment. That's how you do it!"

Not to be out done, little Pasha decided to teach us a lesson as well. Although she is better at letting us figure it out for ourselves rather than telling us. So what did we learn? Do not, under any circumstances, share a drink with a 2 year old child - especially one who is eating pizza!

Blogfully yours,

Summer

The Perfect Getaway: Zion National Park

2009-05-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

I've decided I am either crazy or dedicated to be taking summer semester classes. Either way, I knew I needed to make the most of the 2 week break ED and I shared in between semesters. We discussed lots of options on where to go. My only criteria was that it be someplace mountainey that I could hike and that wherever we stayed had a shower.

How's this for mountainey?

And how's this for a happy hiker?

What's that? You want a picture of a happy hiking couple? How about three?

In case you skipped over the title of this blog, we went to Zion National Park. It was absolutely amazing! We had perfect weather, we didn't kill each other on the drive to and from, and most importantly, I resisted the urge to push him off the mountain after he made me climb our hardest hike much faster than I am used to (that's putting it nicely). Why in the world my boyfriend feels the need to hike a 5 mile strenuous hike, which they say should take 4 hours, in under 3 (thank you very much), is beyond me!

I present to you, Angels Landing:

Honestly, that doesn't begin to do it justice.

We hiked several other hikes, we ate at amazing restaurants (highly recommend the Spotted Dog), and as for the room with a shower, we stayed at the Novel House; a cozy bed and breakfast where all of the rooms were themed around famous authors. We stayed in the Rudyard Kipling room, not because I had any idea who he was (author of Jungle Book), but because I liked the way the room looked best with it's India/Jungle feel to it.

Lastly, Karina sent me with her version of a "to do" list, as she is often prone to do. I can't share the majority of the list... but I will share item number one because it was one of the first things I did, much to ED's embarrassment.

1. Scream at the top of your lungs from the highest mountain "I'M THE QUEEN OF THE WORLD!"

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Concessions are a gift

2009-05-19T07:15:00.001-07:00

Me: "So you know that bruise I thought I got from sitting on the rock at Emerald Pool in Zion? The one on the side of my knee? Well, turns out it really is a bug bite of some sort cause it is all swollen and itches like a son-of-bitch."

ED: "Oh, you mean the one I said was a bug bite all along? Man, I really hate being right ALL the time."

Me: "Yes. That is the one. I debated telling you for that very reason. Consider my 'you were right' as an early birthday present."

ED: "Aw. Thanks baby."

Relationships are all about the give and take. Lucky for ED I'm such a giver in this one.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

I Would Walk 500 Miles and I Would Walk 500 More

2009-05-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Metropolitan… Manhattan… both start with an “M”, both sound fancy and both are in downtown Salt Lake City. One is a seedy underground club, one is an upscale restaurant. My beautiful friend Susan invited me to lunch last week…guess which “M” location I ended up at.

“Hey Sarah, I was supposed to meet Susan for lunch today and I think I am at the wrong place. I’m at the Manhattan and it looks a little…um…scary… I don’t think they even serve lunch here either… Anyway, I don’t have Susan’s number, could you text it to me?”

“I’m pretty sure you are supposed to beat Metropolitan… not Manhattan sweetie.”

“Fuck.”

I get the address from Sarah, look around at the lunch time crowds walking the downtown streets and decide, what the hell? I’m healthy and parking is a pain, I’ll just walk it.

15 minutes later I show up at the correct “M” restaurant looking wind blown and limping from walking in heels that are a half size too small.

Susan and I had a good laugh about my stupidity and she promptly ordered me a glass of wine, then shortly after, another. Thank God Susan has such an amazing sense of humor and thank God she had her car so she could drive me back to mine because there is NO way I was going to walk all the way back.

Attention to detail kiddos… trust me and my blistered feet, it is highly important.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Last Wednesday's Hike

2009-05-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

Sanity = Mountains

Last Wednesday I went hiking with my group. They go every Wednesday evening, but due to school I am not often able to go. We hiked the Bonneville Trail above the University from the Zoo to Red Butte Gardens. Nothing too strenuous, only 4 miles. But it was great to get out in nature and the yellow wildflowers were in bloom which, not-so coincidentally is what I have tattooed on my shoulder (got a few questions due to the picture in this post).

I get to go on one more Wednesday night hike (tomorrow) before school starts up again. So much for a summer vacation! BUT, I am going to go to Zion's National Park this weekend with ED which, so long as I can keep up with him, I am very excited about!

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Mothers Day and Lowered Expectations

2009-05-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

Ahh, Mothers day. The day we show the woman who brought us into the world just how much we care. And for me, what better way is there then to place her beautiful smiling face on the internet to be adored by all.

It was a lovely Mothers day. I came over early to help my Dad cook dinner (shh! Don't tell ED, but I actually do know how to cook). My two lovely sisters came a little later. Yes, my lucky mother had all of her daughters present. I've always looked like the mailman's daughter but she and my Dad both swear I'm their spawn.

In the card I gave to my mom, I told her I wanted to have dinner - just the two of us. I said I couldn't promise it would be home made, but I could promise there would be food and quality mother-daughter time together. After reading my card she promptly pointed out that last year I made my Dad a home cooked dinner for Fathers day. To which I replied that that was back when I used to keep food at my place. Right now all I have to offer are pickles, ketchup and a few other various condiments. We laughed about it, but sadly it's true.

How embarrassing! The only good thing about having no food, is that I have lowered everyone's expectations of my domestic skills to the point where they have forgotten I have any. I am now only assigned to bring pre-made pies or a bag of ice to family get-togethers. Much easier than homemade caramel pies or fancy appetizers. Not having food is actually working out IN MY FAVOR!

Blogfully yours,

Summer

This One Will Need Some Explaining

2009-05-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

So, here is a little tid bit of interesting information about me: I sit on the bathroom counter while I do my hair and makeup. It is important that I explain this or the picture below will not make sense. I'm not sure when I started doing this... probably about the time I started to wear makeup. You see I am incredibly blind and sitting close to the mirror is helpful. So there is that, plus standing up to do your hair and makeup is so exhausting!

My beloved no-so-furry feline has been extra lovey and cuddly since the loose of 80% of her body hair. She sits on my lap while I do homework or when I am on the couch. At night she either sleeps on top of me or under the covers around my legs. Oh, my clingy shaven child. And if all that cuddling time wasn't enough, she has decided that if I have an open lap while getting ready, it should be sat on.
I had to take a picture. While this is not the first time she has done this, it is still stinking cute. Guess she is vain just like her mother. Oh, and my bathroom is the type with two side mirrors and one in the middle, in case you were wondering why there are so many reflections.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

No Sleep Leads to Paranoia

2009-05-05T07:04:00.000-07:00

Last night I got no sleep.

I laid down in bed some time around midnight only to hear my lovely neighbor SNORING! This is actually nothing new. I even wrote about it last year. So I went out of my own room to lay down on the couch where it was quiet but not comfortable. I stumbled back into the bedroom around 2... or maybe 3, I'm not really sure, to get a few more restless hours of sleep. I was wide awake a 6 which NEVER happens for me but I got up and ready for the day.

As I was grabbing my keys to head out the door, I got a text.

Mom: "Heard there was a fight and a killing at your apt complex early this AM. Did you hear anything, was it close to you?"

Me: "Awesome. Nope, didn't hear anything."

Mom: "Well I'm glad to know that."

At this point I am walking out to my car looking around for any criminals who may still be lurking. I always thought I lived in a fairly safe neighborhood, but I guess now days you never can tell. I start thinking that maybe I am going to need to move or buy mace or a gun and crap, did I lock my sliding door? When I get another text.

Mom: "You are at the Springs right?"

Me: "No... your other daughter lives there."

Mom: "Oops, got you mixed up! Your still at a reputable place I imagine!"

So now I don't know how to feel. Relieved that murders are not happening next door, or worried about my sister. Sheesh! Texts like that are more effective than coffee. I'm wide awake and jittery already!

Blogfully yours,
Summer

I Haven't Killed Them Yet!

2009-05-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I planted my first herb garden. I don't have a particularly green thumb, but for some reason it has been very important to me that I do not kill these plants. Maybe I worry it will be a reflection on me somehow. Maybe I need to prove that even though my life is crazy I can still help a plant grow. Maybe I feel the need to prove my motherly nurturing skills really do exist. Maybe subconsciously seeing them come to life and grow gives me hope that one day I'll be able to bring a human being to life too!
Ha! Then again, maybe I just really want fresh basil to make bruchetta.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Finally! A Haircut We Can Both Live With!

2009-04-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

The hair, it was a flyin' at my place last night!

I would like to go on the record with saying that I do NOT recommend anyone try this at home. Even with Jenn's professional grade electric shaver and our year of cat shaving experience, I still managed to get a few battle wounds.
But look how cute she looks in her little hooker boots, with her evil glaring eyes.

What can I say? I, like a lot of people out there, like my cat to be shaved.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Please do not report me for animal abuse

2009-04-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Truly, I had the best of intentions. You see, I have been getting my cat Aurora shaved 1 to 2 times per year for the past, oh I don't know, 4 years. I started out taking her to a vet/groomer where my best friend Jenn worked at the time. They would sedate her and she would wake up looking like a lion. It was awesome! But after Jenn left the vet and the "friends and family" discount was gone, we decided to start shaving Aurora as well as Jenn's cats on our own.

For some reason last night was the night that I felt she HAD to be shaved. Only problem was, Jenn has the fancy-shmancy professional clippers and she was not available. So I decided to pick up a pair and give it a whirl myself, and by myself I actually mean with the help of Karina the Russian.
I know I look evil in this picture... But believe me, we are both MUCH happier when she is shaved. I get to de-hair my place and she gets loved a whole lot more due to the fact that I don't get a handful of hair every time I pet her.
Truth be told I'm lucky my neighbors didn't call to complain once we got started. Cats are not easy to wrestle, even if they love you, they do not want to be restrained (go figure). Ultimately I think the problem was that I only spent $35 on clippers. They gave out about 2 strokes into the hair cut.
But we kept on trying...

Poor kitty looks like a cross between a chemo patient and a road kill victim. I feel like the mom who cuts her kids hair crooked and makes them go to school anyway. Good thing she's a cat and can't feel embarrassment or she might hate me forever.
I sent this picture to Jenn and she felt sorry for my cat and is coming over tomorrow to help me finish shaving her.
Thank god for friends who are willing to help you shave your... cat.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

*Please note that I did not make one dirty joke throughout this post. I'll leave that for you.

Getting Out of The Car

2009-04-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

There are few things better than the first true sunny spring day at the park. I work a few blocks away from Liberty Park and I often spend my lunch breaks there eating in the car. Rarely have I ever gotten out of the car, but yesterday was different. The sun was out and I couldn't bear the thought of not soaking it in - fear be damned! I spotted the perfect location, a gazebo out in the middle of the pond. No one was sitting there. It had my name written all over it. I exited my comfort zone of confined car door walls, and started the short walk over to my lunch destination. Walking along in my business attire, sharp heels aerating the lawn as I stepped on the moist grass. I felt the soft breeze swirl around me and wished I had the sense to pack a light jacket. I had been so excited to hear that the temperature would be in the 70's that nothing else mattered, outside of wearing the new sleeveless spring top I had purchased 3 weeks prior.

I continued on, walking across the wooden and steel bridge, then carefully stepping around, so as not to wake, the nesting geese. I choose a bench in the sun. Ah the sweet warm sun. Soaking it up for a minute before opening up my sandwich. A flood of memories of all the times I had come to the park and never stepped foot outside my car, except to deposit my trash, came rushing to me. I used spend 3 to 4 lunch breaks a week sitting in my car talking to the foreign man of my affection. "So, what are you having to eat today? Sandwich? So predictable."

On the park bench, hearing the birds call to each other and watching the clouds lazily float by, felt different. I felt alive, like I was finally living in the moment not dreaming of moments that would never be. I closed my eyes while taking in several deep breaths. When I opened them and once again became aware of my surroundings I took out my predictable sandwich and savored every last bite taking comfort in the fact that today, I was not predictable. Today I got out of the car.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

My First Herb Garden!

2009-04-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

In celebration of 2 days ago (4/20) I planted my first herb garden! OK, that is a total lie... I mean I did plant the herbs, but they are all of the legal strain and it was simply a coincidence that I did it on or around the same date.

I had stopped by a friends yard sale and there was this cute little herb kit for sale with pots, seeds and a book that tells you all about growing a herb garden. I asked her how much and she told me because she loves me, it was free! Score! Only one problem, it didn't come with dirt or potting soil... whatever you want to call it. Luckily, I knew a place to score some dirt.

"Hey Mom? Can I score some of your dirt? You know, the good stuff?"

"You are so odd sometimes. It's in the garage, you'll have to have your father cut the bag open."

Apparently my parents score the good stuff in bulk. I'm talking Costco size bags (yes that was plural) of potting soil. But hey, I'm not complaining because I got my free dirt to plant my free herbs. It's all about free love baby... or something like that. I was never much of a hippie, so I'm not sure...

Anyway I have been told that it is very hard to grow herbs from seeds and I haven't read the book that came with it, so any herb growing advise you have let me know!

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Table For One

2009-04-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

Sunday I had planned to go to brunch with a friend of mine but at the last minute she had to cancel. I took one look in my cupboards, opened and promptly shut my fridge then grabbed my keys, off to find some "real" food. I spend the most of my lunch breaks eating alone, so what's Sunday brunch alone, right?

I get to the restaurant, request not to sit at the bar, and am seated next to a large table of bikers who are finishing up. When the waitress finally notices me she greets me, "Oh hey there. Sorry, I didn't see you. Are you eating ALL BY YOURSELF?"

I refrained from being a smart-ass, mainly because her shocked expression caught me off guard. Truly I am OK with eating alone. I'm a very independent person and if I want eggs, by damn I'm gonna pay someone to cook me some!

Politely I told the waitress, "yes, I am dining alone. Can I please have some coffee?" I think the waitress must have been slightly embarrassed or maybe my single-dining-ness made her uncomfortable because after that she came by as little as possible and didn't say "boo" to me.

Is it really that uncommon of a thing to eat alone? Am I the only one doing it? Maybe I need to find less flakey friends... or God forbid, buy groceries. Who am I kidding? My friends are awesome flakes and groceries are overrated. I think the obvious solution here is to come up with better come back lines or brilliant stories to mess with the shocked waitresses. At least that will keep things interesting.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Get in on the AUCTION!

2009-04-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

Some of you who know me know that I serve on the board of directors for the American Advertising Federation of Utah (AAF-Utah). We are the Utah chapter of a non-profit organization meant to bring the advertising community together. As a fund raiser to keep our club healthy and active we are holding a "Not-So Silent" online auction.

Here are the details:

ANYONE can participate! You don't have to be a member of the AAF-Utah, work in advertising or even know someone who is in advertising or a member of AAF-Utah.

There are all sorts of fun activities to do in and around Utah including: restaurant gift certificates, Zoo and museum passes, massages, yoga, permanent cosmetics, concert tickets, REAL SL tickets AND CHOCOLATE (just to name a few)!

Simply click HERE to get started! Follow the instructions listed on the left hand side of the site. You will need to register, so we know who you are, by emailing info@aafutah.com your name, contact information and screen (blogger/aol/gmail) name.

So what are you waiting for? Go check it out! aafutah.blogspot.com and spread the word to friends and family!

Happy Bidding!

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Superwoman Can't Fly Right Now, Check Back Tomorrow

2009-04-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Sunday I was Superwoman, my alter-ego. I spent the morning doing homework, work projects and other obligations. Then I took a break to meet up with my family at the park to hide Easter eggs for the nieces and nephews. After hiding eggs, I went for a jog around the park then shopping at Wal Mart (no body cares if your sweaty and slightly smelly there) for some essentials. After I got back home I swept my porch and vacuumed my floors and couches, then went strait back to studying. I even made it to bed before midnight.

Yes, Sunday I was Superwoman. But now, Sunday is long gone and I'm afraid Superwoman has flown the coop.

I am utterly exhausted. I have no idea how to keep going at the rate I have been going. I know I am not the only person to work full time and go to school, but I don't know how to keep going like this. I leave my house at 7:30 every morning and don't get home until after 9 PM most days. When I finally unlock my door, drop my bags to the floor and change into my pajamas, I am spent. I want to do NOTHING but that is not exactly an option and stupid perky Superwoman is not around, so I have to literally force myself to get things done. I look like hell, makeup can only do so much to hide the dark circles from lack of a good nights rest. I am just plain overwhelmed.

The only thing that keeps me going? Just 3 more weeks until this semester is done, then I get a break.

I can do this... with or without my flaky Superwoman alter-ego.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

It's Not the Same Thing

2009-04-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

I convinced ED to come with me over to my sisters house on Friday night to keep me company while she did my hair (what can I say? Tuition is due and she does a fab job for cheap!). I did my best to explain to him that it would be fun. He could laugh at how silly I look, have a drink or two, we'll listen to music and gossip - a great time will be had by all!

Friday night comes around and ED picks me up. We are getting a bite to eat before heading over and he says, "You know, everyone agrees with me that it is kind of bull that I am coming over with you tonight."

"Everyone? You took a pole? With all of the guys at the gym? Of course they are going to say that!"

"No, the girls there agreed too! Listen, it's like if I invited you over to my buddies house to watch me play video games."

"So not the same thing! First of all, IF I were ever stupid enough to get myself into your hypothetical situation, which I would not, I know I would be flat out ignored whereas you, my darling, will be fully engaged into our conversation."

"Lucky me..."

ED ended up coming with me and in-spite of his complaining, he had a good time. He politely excused himself mid-way into our girl talk of concerts, embarrassing moments and reality TV shows, to watch The Best of Will Farell DVD with my sisters boyfriend. He did manage to snap a photo of us though.
See? Don't we look like we are having fun?

I suppose that men and women are just different. We enjoy good conversation and taking care of ourselves while men enjoy... um... Will Farell?

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Forced Positivity Does a Body Good

2009-04-10T08:28:00.000-07:00

After surviving a crazy stressful week filled with deadlines, tests, taxes and barely avoiding a mental breakdown - I figure it is time I threw in some positive thinking via Grace in Small Things.

1. A sister who is also a hair dresser. Even though I'll be sitting in her kitchen tonight instead of a swanky salon, I get to drink wine and catch up with one of my favorite people.

2. No math homework this weekend!

3. Making peace with my cat.

4. The discovery of Indian food.

5. 60 degree weather on Sunday. I plan to take full advantage of it.

Perspective is a great thing. I have to remind myself to take on one thing at a time and that it helps if you mix in one fun thing in between the required things. For example, start with a glass of wine followed by paying bills. Then another glass of wine followed by homework then... well, you get the point.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Lunch Time Studying. I've Almost Given Up.

2009-04-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

Apparently some men are much denser than I give them credit for. The following happened at a new coffee shop that a co-worker, who obviously hates me, recommended.

I'm feverishly studying at lunch - head down, books sprawled open, look of concentration on my face - when I was approached by a man on his way to the restroom.

"Excuse me", he says.

I look up from homework with an are you seriously going to bug me expression and grunt out a "yes?"

"So... you, um, studying?"

"Um... yeah."

"Oh... um... what 'cha studying?" Stepping closer to inspect my work.

"Math. Algebra." I say, using my I am not amused or interested in this conversation what-so-ever tone. Or at least that is what I was going for. But alas, he continued on.

"Wow. That looks... um... heavy."

With one final leave me alone look, I answer "Yeah", look down and continue trying to find out why in the hell it takes Sue 20 minutes longer to paddle her canoe upstream than it does Beth.

So I know I was really bitchy, but honestly it is just plain rude to come up and interrupt someone who is obviously trying to study. I don't know what more I could have done, short of hanging a "Do Not Disturb" sign on my forehead, to let him know that I didn't want to be bothered.

I guess the quest to find a peaceful place to study while getting a bite to eat continues.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Excellent Babysitter, Horrible Mother

2009-04-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

I watched my niece Brielle on Saturday for a few hours. We painted our finger and toenails (pink of course) while watching Spiderman and eating chocolate. I only have one "real" kid movie, and Bri didn't feel like watching it, so Spiderman was the next best thing.

Once we had our fill of all things unhealthy and we both started getting cranky for a nap, I called up Brielle's mom to come and get her. She cried when she had to leave. It was strangely satisfying to know that she had that good of a time.

I am obviously an amazing aunt/babysitter.

When it comes to my own demon child, my cat Aurora, I am not such a good mother. I honestly think she is either possessed or enjoys driving me crazy. She bitches (meows) at me non-stop. I pet her for a minute, but then she just goes right back to it. I let her out on the patio (I'm on a second floor and she is too chicken to jump) and she'll be happy for maybe 5 minutes then she is meow-meow-meowing again. She is getting worse too. She has now decided that I do not need to sleep. It is much more important to wake up at 3 AM to pet her. She will voice this in one of 3 ways: the traditional meowing, making noises by batting the blinds or opening drawers, and the very worst of all - licking my hair!
I have learned of only 2 things to make her temporarily shut her trap:

1) a squirt bottle of water. I keep one by my bed and one in the front room.

2) The vacuum. It will make her hide under the bed for at least a good hour.

But does it make me a bad parent/pet owner to use either method, just to get her out of my hair? It seriously makes me wonder what I would do with a screaming child! Right now I am considering hiring a pet psychic, THAT'S HOW BAD SHE IS! I just need to understand how to make her happy.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

At the risk of ruining my bad ass image...

2009-04-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

I am a fairly sensitive person. Even when I was a little girl my mother would tell me that I "wear my heart on my sleeve". What's worse it that I am very in touch with my crying genes.

Sad movie? Watch out for the waterworks because there is no stopping them.

Emotional television show (Greys, Private Practice, Brothers & Sisters, etc)? I keep tissues by the couch because it's inevitable.

Country music? I had to boycott it because I would be driving down the street and almost get in a wreck because I couldn't see through my stupid tears! I hate country music.

Recently my crying genes got the best of me while at school. No, it wasn't over a test or out of frustration. It was because my math teacher, who I have had for 2 semesters in a row, shared the story of having to put her dog down because cancer had ravaged his body. We all knew that her dog was sick and that he was her world. She would often talk about it to some of us before class got started. So when I came into class to see her eyes red, I knew something was up. She apologized to the class in advance stating that she was sorry if she seemed distracted, then continued to share the story of bringing her beloved pet to the hospital, his final moments and even some pictures that her friend had taken of their last moments together. I bawled. I wasn't alone either. The entire female population of the class was crying and some of the guys too. Honestly, how could you not?

After it happened, I told ED the story. He called me a sissy. I couldn't argue. If by sissy you mean that I am in touch with my emotions and my heart reaches out to people who are hurting and the only way it knows how to do that is through ruining my make up, then yes, I am a sissy.

I know some people will think that it was unprofessional of the teacher to take up class time to share her story, and maybe it was. I didn't mind though. Teaching is about all she has. She is a single retired woman who teaches because she loves it and honestly she is an amazing teacher. She lost the companion who was always waiting for her at home. It seems a little heartless to complain.

"Sissy"-fully yours,

Summer

Wesley

2009-04-02T07:42:00.000-07:00

Me: Hey babe, did you get a chance to read my post about going to the country?

ED: Yeah, I liked it.

Me: Oh sweetie! You are getting so good at giving the standard boyfriend answer instead of telling me what you really think! Have you been practicing?

ED (ignoring my comment): You were right about the comments. It's pretty sweet that the Kel person called me hot and she made me laugh when she said she wouldn't call me ED.

Me: Yeah, but unfortunately you are stuck with it now. You are ED!

ED: What if you called me Wesley?

Me: Wesley? Why would I call you Wesley?

ED: You know, "farm boy, fetch me that pail of water." "As you wish."

Me: Great Princess Bride reference babe and that would be appropriate... but I'm sorry, I named you ED and ED you will stay. We are past the point of no return.

ED: OK, but just remember, people thinking I have an erectile dysfunction or that I'm emotionally disturbed reflects poorly on you too!

Me: Noted. I'm still not changing your name.

ED: It was worth a try.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Netspeak: OMG WTF

2009-04-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

I debated posting this at all, but decided I'd give it a try and see how the response was. I present to you, the first half of my cause analysis essay for English:

“LOL! OMG ur so funny! ROFL! When am I gonna c u nxt? WTF? Its been like 4ever! I miss my BFF! :)” For those of you who are not fluent in Netspeak, the literal translation would be: “Laughing out loud! Oh my gosh, you are so funny! I’m rolling on the floor laughing. When am I going to see you next? What the fuc0k? It’s been like forever! I miss my best friend forever! (smiley face)”

Netspeak, a form of internet/text slang used to shorten keystrokes through the use of acronyms, keyboard symbols and by abbreviating words (Wikipidea), is fast becoming one of the foremost communication tools among youth. What started out as a casual internet conversation tool between web programmers has grown to encompass email, instant messaging (IM), text messaging and most recently social networking sites such as Twitter.

It makes sense that as technology and our means to communicate advances, so should our written communication language. Unfortunately, to a large segment of the population, this is not the view shared.

There are several reasons for disapproval. First, the continuous use of Netspeak has had a negative effect on the spelling and grammar in children born from 1990 onwards. One teacher who was responsible for grading essay’s for the state, recently came across a paper in which the student simply wrote “IDK”. The teacher stated that she wasn’t sure what to be more worried about, the fact that the student didn’t write an answer, or that she was too lazy to write out the three words, “I don’t know.” (Matthews). Another teacher stated that the most common form of Netspeak she was exposed to came in the form of using “u” for you, “r” for are and “l8tr” for later (Jones).

Many fear that today’s youth will be ill-equipped for college or to enter the workplace when they come of age. Using abbreviations, along with spell check accepting common forms of Netspeak, is downplaying the importance of learning to spell. That is, until you need to hand write a correspondence or someone looks over your notes.

The second largest cause for concern is the decrease in proper verbal communication skills. Many find it is much easier to converse through the various forms of written Netspeak. The pain of rejection is lessened exponentially when it is served in a written format, making a look of disappointment and trying to interpret body language a thing of the past. People are simply forgetting how to communicate face to face, and when they do, improper dialog is getting worked into the conversation. Go to a mall or a Jr. High School and you will hear countless examples of Netspeak being used in verbal format. This may not be a problem when speaking among friends, but in business situations it can make one appear to be unintelligent or juvenile.

...

* If you are interested in the second half of this essay, write me an email (blogfullyyours@yahoo.com) and I will send it to you. Otherwise, your comments and constructive criticism on the topic are always welcome.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

There's no crying in the country

2009-03-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

So last week I told you that I was going to the country to meet my boyfriend ED's parents and see the farm he grew up on. I asked for your opinions as to what to wear and you did not disappoint! Your advise was spot on! I know this because I didn't listen and wish I would have. Ah well! I always did have to learn my lessons the hard way.

Designer boots or no designer boots? That was my original question. You convinced me not to take them and I decided to bring my hiking boots instead. Well, I decided to, but I actually forgot to put them in my bag so I showed up bringing only the lightweight tennis shoes I had on. Doh! Strike one for the city girl!

Let's see, what other advise didn't I listen to? Oh, the whole get up early part. I half way listened. I got up about on time, jumped through the shower, did my hair and put on some light makeup. Little did I know that the day they had in store for me was one of manual labor. Luckily ED's mother, let's call her Mama ED, was kind enough to tell me to leave my fancy purse in the room (so I don't get mud on it) and handed me a pair of leather work gloves and some sunscreen.

First chore - dig a ditch with a tractor.
Second chore - get tractor unstuck from the mud.
Third chore - dig ditch by hand.

Mostly I was on supervision duty along with stacking random pieces of wood from dead trees in the burn pile (score one for me not having appropriate shoes!). Luckily I had the guidance of ED's 5 year old nephew to show me the ropes.

Fourth chore - set the field on fire.

After watching the field burn and pretending not to have anxiety about fire containment and whether or not the reported the fires to the proper fire burning officials, we stopped for lunch.

Although I was ready for a nap, I sucked it up and found a way to redeem myself by 1) learning to drive a tractor and 2) hauling tree branches that ED and his brother were chainsawing, onto the trailer bed and then onto another burn pile.

This post is getting quite long and there is probably no need to tell you EVERY detail so I'll try and wrap things up.

Day two - the wind was incredibly strong so they decided that the days chores would be to cut down a tree that had fallen in front of their grandfathers farm "just across the way". That's right, because wind and sawdust go perfectly together. However, lifting heavy tree stumps was totally worth seeing the way ED can swing an axe. I literally had to tell myself to stop eye-raping him before someone noticed.

Joking and eye-raping aside, I had a great time. ED's family is amazing. I finally understand where he gets his incredible work ethic. I am sore, bruised and exhausted. I got to see so much. Like regular horses, baby horses, all sorts of bunny rabbits (I even held one, but not the one with the red eyes because it looked evil...like it would chew your head off if you gave it the chance), chickens with feather shoes on and a crap load of farm cats and dogs. When I asked ED what the bunnies names and the chickens names were he told me that "not all farm animals get names." I told him that on my farm, ALL animals would be named - even the chickens. Granted their names would probably be Shut-the-hell-up-noisy-ass-bird 1, 2, 3, etc.

Farm life is great but I'm glad to be home.

The end.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

P.S. Do I label this post as a vacation? That just seems not-quite right.

Computers will be the death...or salvation of me!

2009-03-27T07:31:00.000-07:00

My personal computer at home is a custom built PC laptop that I bought over 4 years ago with my ex-husband. Luckily in the divorce I ended up with it. Unluckily, I know nothing about it, or any other computer for that matter, outside of how to turn it on, close all the pop-up anti-spywear thingys and get onto the web.

Computer savvy I am not.

The other day I brought my laptop to work on a paper during my lunch break. I booted up, entered in my not-so-clever password and the bastard decided that it didn't feel like working today. No, instead it felt like restarting itself over and over again, like it had some sort of compulsive disorder and no amount of sweet talking (my normal way of getting it to work) was going to calm it down.

Good news? The place I originally bought it from, Superior Computers, is still in business and has a lifetime service warranty! Woo Hoo! No out of money expenses for my computers therapy!

Bad news? I have been without a computer for 3 days! Holy cow I didn't realize how dependent I have become on one. Luckily I have my lover the iPhone, only he has his "short comings". I can't exactly type up my 5 page essay for English (that is due on Tuesday!) on him, but he has been there in most other ways. Stroking my hair, telling me everything will be ok and playing me a happy song when I need it.

Now I know what most of you are thinking, "you should get a Mac," yeah, well I can't exactly afford one right now because this starving college student made a mistake on her federal witholding form and now has to pay on her taxes. So unless someone has an extra Mac notebook laying around they want to donate to help the cause, and by cause I mean me, I'm stuck with my manic PC.

Oh well, could be worse. I could be without a computer all together!

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Sure, I'd love to see your farm!

2009-03-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have great news! This weekend I am going to hang out on a farm somewhere in the middle of no-where Utah! Yay me!

The other day ED asked me, over a plate of cheese fries from The Training Table, what my plans for the weekend are and what my homework load was looking like. I told him that I didn't really have any plans and that homework outlook seemed low, then added suspiciously, "why do you ask?". Then my darling ED told me that he was going to go to his parents house for the weekend, along with his brother, to do some work on the family farm. Then he oh so casually asked me if I would like to join him... at his parents house... for the weekend! I am happy to report that I did not jump across the table and kiss him, nor did I start hyperventalating from a full blown panic attack. I kept it cool and collected and simply said, "Sure, that sounds like fun."

Later I got a call from my best friend Karin The Russian (that's right she started her own blog) to tell her about my conversation. We went over all of the important details, like what the deeper meaning could be, how I felt about things and what the traveling arrangements would be.

We got off the phone, less than 2 minutes later Karina called me back up.

Karina: "I totally forgot to ask you the most important question! What are you going to wear? I think you should wear the new shirt you got from bebe yesterday! You look so sexy in that!"

Me: laughing "Well, I am going to be on a farm, so I don't think a silk blouse from bebe is the best choice. Plus, I don't want to appear all uppity fancy-shmancy high maitenence. I was thinking I would just wear jeans and casual tops and my cowboy boots."

Karina: "So let me get this strait... you won't wear a bebe shirt, but you are going to wear your DESIGNER cowboy boots? What the hell is wrong with you?"

Me: "Boots are boots! They won't know the difference. I just can't wear them out in the mud...come to think of it, that might give me away."

Karina: "Whatever. OK, here is your To Do list items while you are there. Are you ready? Number one: Wear overalls! Number two: Have sex in a barn!"

Me: "Oh. My. God! You are too funny!"

Karina: "I expect a full report on these two items. Just make sure that you do not have straw stuck in your hair when you go back in the house. But if you do, just hurry and put in your mouth and they will think you are one of them!"

Good old Karina. Always looking out for what is important!

All joking aside, what do you wear to meet the parents? I'm slightly out of practice here folks. In fact, the last parents I met, were my x-husbands. Wow... "but I am So not going to do what everyone thinks I am going to do, which is totally FREAK out!" Sorry, had a Jerry McGuire flashback for a minute there.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Furthering My Social Marketing (i.e. nerd) Training

2009-03-21T17:13:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late to get this post up, but better late than never (story of my life!), right?

Last Thursday I went to my first Social Media Club of Salt Lake City (SMCSLC) meeting. I had a great time. Actually... I had social anxiety until I recognized some happy familiar faces, Erin (Finding SLC/Poor Penmanship) followed by Susan (Off The Chest).

Most of the time (surprisingly) I understood what everyone was talking about, although I still always end up with a worried look on my face in pictures. Good news was that I sat next to the lovely Roby Storms who kept me laughing and tried to answer my questions on the "harder" stuff like where to pick up the latest Social Marketing fashion trends or why mommy bloggers tend to dismiss other bloggers as unimportant.

Luckily my transition to nerdom has been underway for a little while now. I had my iPhone with me, which turns out is a good thing because it serves as a pass to get into the "cool kids club".

All kidding aside, I had a great time. I am truly fascinated by the new revolution that is Social Marketing. For my industry, it is one of those ships that comes sailing through and you either need to jump on board or get left behind. I've obviously chosen to jump on board and I am looking forward to attending future events and to growing my knowledge which will (hopefully) make me a more marketable/sought after employee.

Cheers! Hope to see you at the next one!

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Could You Please Just Lie To Me?

2009-03-19T07:45:00.000-07:00

I'll be the first to admit, sometimes I fish for complements. It started when I was little girl. My Mother would take my sisters and I shopping for school clothes and when we got back we would force my Dad to sit there while we did a fashion show of all of our new digs. With each new outfit I would ask "Daddy, what do you think of this one?" and being the well trained man that he is (having a wife and 3 daughters did the trick), he would always respond that it was "very nice" or "cute". If his enthusiasm wasn't quite what I hoped for I would give him THE LOOK. You know, the look that says Dad this outfit deserves much higher praise and if you don't recognize that I might just cry, or at the very least pout! To which my Dad would either validate with higher praise or give me a hard time because he is mean like that.

ED has not received proper training. He keeps insisting on this whole honesty thing. "Babe what do you think of this top? Do you think it is too tight or can I pull it off?" Pause... More of a pause... I give him THE LOOK... Still more of a pause! Finally, as I am already yanking it off to find something else, he starts in with "no, I think it's OK. I'm just trying to thing of what everyone else will be wearing and yes, I think it will be OK."

I realize that is a very minor example, but he is like that with almost everything. The other day I read a blog post from Wasatch Woman's Magazine that was talking about honesty and giving opinions and it got me thinking further about this component to my relationship with ED. I have to admit that I really do like dating someone who has an opinion. He is constantly opening my eyes to different points of view and it keeps things interesting. I also know that he will never let me leave the house looking inappropriate, which truth be told is really a good thing. But every now and then, when he doesn't give me the simple complement I am fishing for, when he over analyzes and complicates things, I look at him and say "could you please just lie to me? Right now I don't want to hear the truth."

Is that so wrong?

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Pain is Beauty - St. Patrick's Day Style

2009-03-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

Now I remember why I haven't worn these shoes in almost a year.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! May your day be filled with the luck of the Irish and may your shoes not be 4 inch heels that are half a size too small.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Spring Breaking It!

2009-03-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

I successfully survived the first weekend of my very first Spring Break as a college student! Since I am going back to school later in life, I never fully understood just how awesome Spring Break actually is.
My original plan was to party every night to make up for all the boring weekend nights that I have spent staying in to write an English paper or to study for one test or another. I didn't really stick to that plan completely for 2 reasons.
1. I am no longer a wreckless 21 year old.
2.I am old(er) and partying takes it's toll on me. Recovery time seems to take a lot longer.

Friday nights original plans were to go to a Wine Gala, but it was canceled for one reason or another. Instead I went to the gym then over to my sisters house, played card games with her boyfriend and passed out watching Knocked Up. WOO HOO! Party animal!

Saturday night however, I made up for it. My beautifully crazy friend Ariane had the rare experience of having a sitter for her 2 beautiful children and ~~demanded~~ asked me to join her for a girls night out. Everything that Ariane does is in grand fashion so it was no surprise that she was able to get us a VIP booth at Harry O's in Park City for the Spring bebe fashion show. Since Park City is a good 20+ minute drive up a super winding canyon, she also got us rooms to stay at over night. Not too shabby, right?

I got all dressed up (in bebe of course!) and headed up with 5 other girls. Inspite the the fact that Harry O's is known to be a bit of a meat market and that ED the boyfriend wasn't thrilled about me staying over night with a bunch of single chics, I had good time. The fashion show was small but really cool to see, I got to dance my ass off all night which is awesome because I haven't gone dancing in what seems like forever and last but not least, VIP booth = Champagne!

Girls night out are rarely without drama and of course this night was no exception. But the important thing is that even though we got less than 4 hours of sleep, we made it home safe.
I'll tell you though, after a night like that I'm fairly positive that I will be celebrating the rest of my Spring Break by catching up on my DVR and snuggling with ED. There is far less recovery time that way!

Blogfully yours,
Summer

My Mom The Drunk

2009-03-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

I can't stop laughing. Just typing the title to this post is cracking me up. You see, my Mother is an incredibly religious woman. She dragged my, as well as my sisters, collective asses to church every Sunday. She was Young Woman's president, Primary president, and held a million other positions. Growing up she placed a "Return With Honor" sign on both the front and back doors. She makes Sunday dinners every week and before anyone can touch their food, a traditional Mormon blessing is said.

So you can imagine my surprise when I read the following text message from her:

Mom: "So funny! I am at a church chili cook off contest right now. The winner of 30 entries is sitting at a table. He is my neighbor. I quickly got up so I could try a bowl of his chili. When I took my first bite I thought I tasted alcohol, I asked him. He grinned and said yes. I think that is so funny!

Me: "Wow mom! Not sure which is worse... The fact that there is booze at church or that you recognize the taste of it!"

Mom: "I'm a woman of vast experience."

Who knew! St. Victoria had a crazy side to her at one time. I am thinking of ways to use this information to my advantage. I haven't come up with any yet, but it's just a matter of time.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

3 Reasons not to Work out with ED

2009-03-12T07:52:00.000-07:00

1. "Come on! Suck it up Sally! One more! It's the last one that makes a difference! Hate me now - love me later!"

2. "That weight must have been to light for you, you hardly struggled at all. I'm going to up it by five."

3. "No, the 15 minutes of cardio we already did was to warm up. We still have 30 more to go. Let's head up to the step machines now."

There were too many witnesses around to strangle him and now I am too sore to even try. He did make up for abusing me by spending 2 hours cooking me a fantastic dinner (rack of lamb anyone?), so I can't really stay mad at him. Plus my arms are starting to get some killer definition... so I suppose I'll keep him around for a little longer. At least until I'm ready for swimsuit season anyway.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Dream Fasting

2009-03-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

The other night I went over to Karina The Russians house after I got out of school. I had a long day and really missed having some quality BFF time. We put her (our) Russian children to bed, opened a bottle of wine and started to share our days with each other.

Somewhere, near the bottom of our first glasses of wine (Russian style to the brim), something remarkable happened, we started "Dream Fasting." Don't act like you don't know what I am talking about! Really? Seriously? You have no clue? OK fine! I'll refresh your memory....

So you know the cult movie from the 80's, The Dark Crystal? Remember? Yeah I thought you might. So there is this scene where the guy Gelfling character, who for some reason is named Jen, meets a girl character while he is stuck in the mud. She reaches out and gives him her hand and BAM! they can actually see each others memories from the time they were little! Jen asks her what is happening and she tells him they are "Dream Fasting."

THE SAME THING TOTALLY HAPPENED TO US! I kid you not! I have all these images of sweet little 7 year old Karina walking through snow up to her waist in SIBERIA wearing 3 pairs of pants and with scarfs wrapped all around her face so that only her eyes are showing! I see the beautiful icy frost patterns on the windows! I see her grandmother! I see her neighbor checking in on her while her mother is away for weeks at a time! I can see her walking her (at the time) emotionally unstable mother to and from work! I can see them tricking her father to sign to let her come to America! I can see everything and it is wicked cool!

But then wait! What is it that Karina is seeing? It's little Summer walking home near a field smelling something funny burning. WHOSH! Now she is walking from school singing songs to angels and talking to Jesus. WHOSH! Now she is overhearing her elementary school teachers reporting that "she has her head in the clouds." What now? It's tween Summer in braces with the first boy to hold her hand. WHOSH! WHOSH! There she is finally recognizing the impact of one family members dark secret and then slammed with a sad realization of anothers!

Whoa!

What just happened? Did Karina slip me another roofie? Was there hallucinogens in the wine?

No.

We totally f'ing "Dream Fasted."

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Baby Steps

2009-03-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not very good at relationships, truth be told. I tend to freeze up, close off and sabotage them some how. This is not a confession, this is the truth.

I am not very good at relationships.

When the boyfriend and I started dating, we agreed to take things slow. Real slow. We are both romantics turned realists who have gone through the wringer several times with bad relationships. To say we are jaded or damaged is too cliche (even for me) as I believe that almost everyone who has ever dated ends up with some sort of emotional baggage. The good news is that we know we have personal issues and are still committed to making an effort to overcome our damaged selves.

This is round two for us. Moving forward has been one foot slowly in front of the other. We are using honesty and sometimes forced communication to avoid making not only the same mistakes we made the first time, but also the mistakes we've made in other past relationships.

ED and I have been dating for just over 2 months and things have been going really good! I have tried my best not rush things along. A few weeks ago I tried to push him to re-meet my parents, but he wasn't ready. Once I understood that I backed off, recognizing that he just needed time to do things at his own pace. So you can imagine my surprise when last week he asked me if I wanted to have dinner at his brothers restaurant, and by the way, his brother and wife will be joining us for a drink afterward. I held my enthusiasm and nervousness in. You see, while ED met my family during our first go round, I never met his.

Despite my nervousness, it ended up being a really great night. ED and his brother greeted each other with an enthusiastic "Brother!" It was very amusing for me to watch them interact. Their mannerisms and the way they speak is so similar. I guess my younger sister Staci and I are the same way. We ate amazing wings, shared a few pitchers of beer and watched the March snow fall. Honestly I couldn't have hoped for a better casual meeting of a beloved family member of his!

ED and I are opposites in so many ways. Sometimes I start to fall into my same horrible self sabotaging ways of closing off and distancing myself, but he catches me doing it before I even realize and calls me out, asks me to communicate and actually listens to what I say, now that's a first! While it's not easy to be called out on my childish lack of communication skills when it comes to matters of the heart, it is pretty damn cool to have found someone who is starting to recognize it and cares enough to say something.

We are not running a marathon or even speed walking. It's baby steps all the way.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

A first for us

2009-03-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

One of the down sides to dating a personal trainer is that they work on the weekends. Something about needing to be available when the clients need them or whatever. So ED and I have never had the opportunity to spend a lazy Sunday together. That is, until yesterday and let me tell you, it was awesome! ED canceled his sessions and neither of us had pressing homework or obligations, except to each other. We spent the entire day doing nothing but eating, watching movies, napping and cuddling. The best part was, we actually got along the entire time AND I am not sick of him! Now that's a first!

I didn't get my couches cleaned, I didn't make it snowshoeing, I didn't touch my homework, I didn't make it over to my parents for dinner and I didn't get to see the new Nordstrom. But you know what? I don't regret it at all. Being lazy totally kicked ass. Plus, there is always next weekend to be productive.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

My transformation to nerdom is almost complete

2009-03-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

As I was driving home from school I started thinking about my day. I went to lunch with my friend Sarah and was reflecting on our "we only have an hour so lets catch up on everything that has been happening over the past 2 weeks" conversation. We talked about the stresses of juggling both school and work. Then we discussed blogging and Google Analytics. Next up was the BlogHer convention we are going to in July. We followed our lunch up with talking about iPhones and whether or not to use them as iPods as well. I think we discussed boys for a total of 5 minutes (ED don't be mad. It's not that you are not important or interesting baby, because you are... and special too....and you can bench like 350 lbs so that's cool too.)

I remember a time, not so long ago, when my conversations were all about who is dating who, where I went out to last weekend, Oh my god where did you get that outfit!, sex, and other fun trivial topics. Now I discuss technology and school. I Twitter. I blog. I facebook. I wear glasses more often than not and right now I am sitting with a pencil in my hair.

The worst part, I ACTUALLY considered making a pie chart to illustrate my social life now versus a year ago! Yeah! I have become that girl. People used to call me to see where the action was at!

But never fear! I promise not to get boring on you (or me for that matter)! Spring break is only a week away and I plan to take full advantage of it.

I WILL HAVE A LIFE AGAIN... even if it only lasts for a week.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Here goes something

2009-03-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

So my good friend Sarah encouraged me to check out or rather sign up for the Grace in Small Things website. She told me it is great for when you don't have anything "good" to blog about. So I thought, sure, why not? I'll check it out. I looked at it and I'm still not really sure what it is all about, but it encourages you to write about 5 positive things everyday and claims it will send you "challenges" every day. Don't worry, I won't really be doing that - except for this post. Not because I have nothing to write about, but because I've had a stressful day and I think a little forced positivity never hurt anyone... at least not seriously... that I know of.

Here we go! 5 Positive Things!

1. My cat. God I sound pathetic but she is rubbing against me right now (she hates when I ignore her) and it is really sweet, plus her fur is soft against my leg.

2. I get to see the boyfriend like 4 or 5 times this week! Normally we restrict it to 2 - 3 nights per week. OK restrict is the wrong word... it's just that we are both so busy and both have school so that is about all we can fit in. But not this week! I played hookie from school last night to do homework so he came over and he is actually on his way over as I write this. So this week is looking good!

3. As I was cleaning up and organizing my filing box last weekend, shredding old stuff and what not, I came across the most horrible sight! About 4 years ago, when I was still married, I had let myself go and was probably 15 lbs heavier than I am right now. In an effort to get motivated, my ex-husband and I took pictures of ourselves in swimsuits from all angles as well as wrote down our body measurements. Why in the world I still have these pictures I have no idea. They are incredibly disturbing to look at BUT seeing them made me appreciate how far I have come as well as realizing that I never want to look like that again! PLUS, of course I had to measure myself to see what I am now and I am like 2-3" smaller in most areas! Hells yeah!

4. HEROES! I am so totally addicted to this show. The boyfriend and I keep renting the DVDs and staying up until 1 to watch them. It is not great for the sex life but DAMN are they good! We are midway through season two and although I have been watching all of season 3 simultaneously it is so cool to get caught up on what I have missed. Yeah, I know I am a dork, but my Dad raised me to like comic book type shows.

5. Last but not least, writing. I was thinking about it a lot today and I do a lot of writing. I am sure right now you are thinking that it doesn't show because my grammar and punctuation is always off, but I really do dammit! For work, for school, for myself and for you lovely Internet. I absolutely love it. It is a release and a chore. It helps define me as well as challenge me. Without it I'd probably end up in a mental institution talking to myself.

Whew! So that wasn't so bad right? I feel more positive and healthy (mentally) already. I don't know what "challenges" this Grace in Small Things will throw my way next, but don't be surprised if the good ones end up on here occasionally.

Peace out!

Blogfully yours,

Summer

I think the flower distracted them

2009-03-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

Saturday night was an event that I look forward to all year, The ADDY Award Gala. For those of you not in the advertising industry the ADDYS are awards given to advertising agencies as well as in house agencies for their creative work. The award gala is a formal affair and of course I LOVE formal affairs. Any chance to get all dressed up is one I will take! Of course I had to buy a new outfit (yeah, twist my arm right?). I ended up going with a black fitted knee length pencil skirt and a light pink halter top with a ginormous flower at the top.
Only problem was that I am pasty white. I decided to get my first ever spray on tan, just enough to "give me a glow". Little did I know how serious spray tanning needs to be taken. I ended up with one arm darker than the other, my right wrist looks dirty and my left wrist looks freckled.

Luckily my dashing date ED chose to make the right decision and pretend like it wasn't so bad. He's a smart man. We ended up having a lovely time and ED got exposed to the advertising world that I work in, complete with all of the egos that fuel us. I didn't take a full length shot, but here are the two that I do have.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Russians say it best

2009-03-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

One of the things that I love about my best friend Karina the Russian is that she has no filter. She always says exactly what is on her mind and uses the word vagina more than a gynecologist. She is one of my biggest supporters (a fact that she is very vocal about), she spells words how they sounds and she is constantly revealing parts of the story that I am leaving out. Her crass comments leave me in stitches on a daily basis so I thought I'd share some with you!

"A cautionary Tale"

"Everyone else is doing it"

" Kicking 8.5 miles in its mountain ass"

"I'm positively positive"

"The year for my girls"

"Environmental Dating"

"Happy 2009"

"Worlds greatest TV show: Crotch Mafia"

"Tacky Christmas Party"

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Still haven't found what I'm looking for

2009-02-27T07:40:00.000-08:00

I am on a quest to find the perfect lunch break study joint where I can get food, some peace and quiet and internet access. I have been rotating through 3 local coffee shops but hate that when I leave my hair always smells like toast for the rest of the day.

Downtown Salt Lake has a new incredibly beautiful library that I have heard is decent to study at, so yesterday I headed there. There was no street parking so I headed to the underground parking garage. I HATE underground parking! Is it just me or do they always seem like a murder scene? No one is around, every step you take echos, it is poorly lit... the man walking towards me with a baby stroller looks like he is going to pull a chainsaw out of it and start chasing me as soon as he gets closer. I have to remind myself that this is Salt Lake and not a slasher movie.

Anyway, parking at the library is free for the first 30 minutes and $1.25 for every 30 minutes after which seems a little steep to me. I walk down the hall where there are little cafe shops but realize quickly that you can not take food into the library with you so I pass them by. I walk through the metal detectors and it really is beautiful. Glass walls overlooking the city and the smell of old books. I start looking around trying to scope out a good place to hunker down for the next 45 minutes, carefully assessing the people around. I see no less than 4 (presumably) homeless guys hanging out. I head up a level to look for a more secluded area. I find a work station in the corner by a window. Shortly after I have all of my books out and am starting to add polynomials, one of the homeless dudes from down stairs comes and sits at a chair 2 desks down from me. No big deal until he falls asleep and starts SNORING very loudly. I breath deep, curse myself for not bringing headphones and keep working. Then snoring homeless guys buddy from downstairs comes and sits right across from me to read the paper. It's a public library, people can sit wherever they like, I get it. But I purposely found a place away from everyone and there were other empty desks close by so I start feeling like he did it just to fuck with me. I become a little paranoid and can't concentrate. All I hear is the snoring snoring snoring and I keep getting waves of the scent of cigarette smoke and dirty clothes from the guy sitting across from me who is intently studying a Sears ad like it is breaking news.

Finally I pack up my stuff and start to head out, half positive that the homeless duo are going to start following me, which of course they don't but it doesn't stop me from looking over my shoulder anyway. I feel like everyone is watching me as I walk out and I swear to you they were! I tell myself I am being ridiculous and if anyone IS looking at me it's just because they don't see many 6 feet tall women walking around and maybe I am a freakshow to them. I hustle out and as I am waiting for the elevator to go back to the slasher parking garage, another homeless guy who looks a little like Jesus, if Jesus had a lazy eye, won't stop stairing! I hit the elevator button again and sideways glance over and he is STILL stairing! Which if you are going to kill me fine, stair away. But if not, it's just considered rude! I finally make it to my car, pay the toll booth and head back to work.

After committing this story to words it is very apparent that I must have some serious fear of public places... or homeless dudes. Either way I don't think I will be going back to the public library anytime soon. I'll stick to the safety of my little coffee shops where I can see my car from the window thank-you-very-much. Obviously I am not cut out for life in a really big city. I'd be having anxiety attacks daily. I'm actually a little dissapointed in myself to be honest. I pride myself in being an independant bad ass chick. I don't like seeing myself as the stupid girl who when running from the chainsaw guy trips and just starts screaming while he keeps coming towards her. I want to be the girl who laughs in his face at his weak weapon then drop kicks him to the floor while yelling "IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?" because that is what a bad ass chick should do.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

I'm dating a freak

2009-02-26T07:18:00.000-08:00

Text conversation with the boyfriend:

Me: "What do you think about me making you dinner tonight?"

ED: "Sounds good to me."

Me: "Any requests?"

ED: "Nope. It's up to you."

Me: "Well I was thinking I'd skip the gym and go grocery shopping instead as I have no food in my place since the Secret has not delivered it to me yet. Plus then you'd be able to see me in my sexy business clothes. ;)"

Me: "OR I can go to the gym, pick up Greek food and you will get sweaty, hair in ponytail Summer and I will still not have food at my place."

ED: I don't want to hurt your health and fitness so Greek food sounds great. :)"

Me: "How did I know you would say that? Fine... I'll go to the gym, but just so you know, I am in a skirt today AND I curled my hair. Neither of which you will see. :-P

ED: "It's a damn shame, but I care about you and don't want your health to suffer because I'm selfish. :) Besides, I really like sweaty post workout Summer too. :)

Seriously? Serves me right for dating a personal trainer. I try to get off the hook, with somewhat legitimate reasons, and he doesn't bite. WTF? I guess should have known better than to try and seducing him with food and business clothes. He has non-human will power.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

I'm positively positive

2009-02-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I got depressed. Normally I am a happy-go-lucky type of person who is generally an optimist... but I wasn't happy, I wasn't go-lucky (whatever that means) and I sure as shit wasn't an optimist. I wasn't myself at all.

I'm not sure why it happens, but every once in a while I let the weight of the world that has been piling on my shoulders come crashing down around me. I over-extend myself and instead of turning into the superwoman I think I should be, the one who can juggle everything, I shut down and do nothing. Then because I am a bit of a control freak and feel like I am not controlling my actions how I would like, I get depressed and do nothing but sleep. Yeah. That is the best psychoanalysis I can come up with for what happened.

Luckily I was in enough of a frame of mind to recognize that I needed to do SOMETHING to pull myself out of it before beginning my work week or I would never survive. Sunday night I swung by Karina the Russians place to borrow her DVD of The Secret. I came home and watched it while attempting to do homework and you know what? The stupid show actually really helped me out! I started telling myself little positive reinforcements and visualizing things happening the way I wanted!

Monday I was stressed because due to my comatose weekend of imitating a zombie, I hadn't finished my research paper or my math homework that was due the following day. I don't normally get out of class on Mondays until 8:30pm but I just kept telling myself all day "there is plenty of time. Don't stress, there is always plenty of time." So then Monday night my teacher lets us out of class 1 1/2hrs early so THERE ACTUALLY WAS PLENTY OF TIME! I couldn't believe it! I actually willed there to be enough time. Yeah, I was feeling pretty damn powerful right about then. I started trying to decide what to use my new found powers on next. Maybe for there to be food in my kitchen or my liquor cabinet to restock itself or maybe a free trip to someplace tropical!

I know it's only been a few days but so far there is still no food in my kitchen and I just looked and I am down to one bottle of wine. I'm giving the free trip about another week to materialize before I let go of the idea that I actually have the magical power to will things to happen. Actually, truth be told, regardless of having magical willing powers or not, it just feels good to be back to me. I like to be happy and I love to laugh. Whatever I can do, think or say to keep me feeling this way is totally worth it. Because if I don't want to be around myself, I'm pretty sure no one else would want to be either.

Yay for regaining my positive outlook!

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Moab Continued - 4 hikes, 1 day

2009-02-23T20:56:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know, I have been a blogging slacker. I have a lot of catching up to do starting with finishing writing about my amazing trip to moab!

The great thing about going to Moab with a group who has been there a million times is that they were all very concerned with making sure I was able to experience as much of Moab as possible. Truthfully, I felt like a kid visiting Disneyland for the first time. "Look at that rock! OH! No look at that one! Holy cow look how amazing this place is!" and the group would laugh at me and feel proud that they were the ones to introduce it to me. Like their little mountain child had finally found her way home.

We started out the last hiking day of our vacation with a 1 mile hike called "Park Avenue". A far stretch from the real Park Avenue not that I have ever been there, but even if I had, I'm sure I would have like this better.

Next we mad a quick stop by "Balancing Rock" we only had 5 minutes before we were supposed to be at our next location but I had to see the rock from every angle. Julie came with. When we rounded the corner to head back to the car we saw a few of them were taking off so Julie and I did some trail running back to the car. It sounds funny, but all of sudden I had this image that we were two 10 year old best friends giggling and laughing as we jumped from rock to red rock.

Next stop was "The Firey Furnace". In order to enter the laberinth that is the furnace you must have a ranger, a certified guide or take a class due to the complex maze of canyones you wander through. I was excited to have a ranger as our guide and let me tell you he did not dissapoint. He was incredibly knowlegeable, but I guess if you had done the same hike over 1,500 times, you would be too.
The funace was by far one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I tried my hardest to stay in the front of the group so that I could hear all that Ranger Lee was saying...I really am such a nerd.

After spending 3 hours weaving in and out of the furnace we finally emerged, ate a quick lunch and headed over to "The Delicate Arch". Those of you from or familiar with Utahs license plate with the red rock arch, that is what I got to see.

The hike up is a gruling 1.5 miles strait up on slickrock. So Julie, Mariah, Chris and I figured the quickest way down was to RUN IT! Wind in my hair, sweat on my back, and smile on my face, that's exactly what I did.

Lastly, I promised you "Indian Dicks."
Ranger Lee informed me that is not the technical name for them. I guess in mixed company you should call them spires, but...look at them!

Mother Nature has a kick ass sense of humor is all I'm sayin'!

Blogfully yours,
Summer

A slient protest

2009-02-20T11:42:00.000-08:00

School this week has been occupying more of my time than my cat Aurora likes. She is sick and tired of me sitting at the computer desk or the kitchen table instead of the couch where she can lay on my lap. In fact, she is so tired of hearing herself bitch about it that she has decided to try a new not-so-subtle approach to letting me know just how she feels about college.

Oh Aurora! One day it will all be over and we can be couch buddies again. Until then I guess my teachers will have to deal with homework covered in cat hair.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Kicking 8.5 miles in its mountain ass

2009-02-17T21:01:00.000-08:00

My Valentines day was spent hiking in Canyonlands trying to comprehend just how small we all actually are. I forgot my camera for this hike, luckily one of the group members, Chris, brought his. Despite my complaining, I did actually pack warm enough which is a very good thing because temperatures were in the 30's for this hike.
We hiked the Syncline Loop around Upheaval Dome. The hike starts at approximately 5,700 feet up.

You spend the first mile hiking strait down over rocky terrain carefully watching where you step, stopping every so often to look up...then down...and down some more.

After dropping down from 5,700 ft to about 4,200 ft you hike along a dried up riverbed for a few miles, then back up a "short" rock staircase into one of the most breath taking valleys. I kept trying to absorb everything I saw, to commit it to memory, but it's overwhelming. Standing in the valley, with rock walls in every direction with another hiker, Julie and I stood there spinning in circles to see the view from every angle, to memorize it somehow. Words can not describe how truly awe inspiring it was.
We stopped for lunch just past the valley. Sitting on a large rock soaking up the sun while sharing and passing around treats. It's quite a community event. "Anybody want some almonds?" "Who wants Fig newtons?"

After lunch, we looked up the narrow canyon trying to figure where the trail might lead us. Rock scrambling is where it lead us. But we all looked out for each other as we began to hike strait up over boulders the size of trucks. No one left behind became our motto.

For the first 5 or 6 miles of the hike, while you are stepping from sharp rock to sharp rock, you don't really pay much attention to your feet. During the last 2 to 3 miles of the hike where the rocks were replaced with snow then a sandy river bed it felt so good I could have literally kissed the ground we were hiking on.
When we finally made it back to the cars, we were all exhausted yet celebratory for having made it back safely. I can honestly say I have never done anything like this before. Oh sure, I'll do 3 to 5 mile hikes in the mountains close to home, but they do not come close to comparing to this.

I'm quite proud of myself actually.

Spoiler Alert: In my next post I will show you what an Indian Dick looks like, Ranger Lee and a really big rock balancing on practically nothing. Will the wonders of Moab never cease?

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Preview

2009-02-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

My hiking trip to Moab was absolutely amazing and I fully plan on blogging about hiking 8.5 miles, running down the mile and a half rocky trail to delicate arch, stiff muscles, seeing Canyon Land, Indian Dicks and park rangers. But for now, I have been studying for a math test and writing a research paper for english so I'll just leave you with these pictures of Mesa Arch in Canyon Lands.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Why yes, makeup is a requirement in Moab

2009-02-15T20:49:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday night I was packing for my hiking weekend in Moab, UT. The boyfriend came over to spend a little time with me before I go. Of course he had to tease me that I was packing WAY too much stuff to which I adamantly disagreed with because the smart hiker is always prepared (so there!).

Upon arriving in Moab I quickly realized that not only was I severely UNDER packed, but that I also forgot my makeup bag. 4 days with NO makeup is just not acceptable unless you are boating or full blown camping! This weekend consisted of hiking and staying in a motel so makeup is pretty much required.

TEXT MESSAGE

Me: I would like you to know that I am severely under packed compared to everyone else! Oh, and you will be happy to know that I forgot my makeup at home.

ED: How could you possibly be under packed? I think everyone else is just over packed and lets be honest here, you know you have some makeup with you. ;) xoxo

Me: I hate that you know me so well.

I will have a full post complete with picture (yes, I will have makeup on so don't be afraid to check back) in the next day or so. For now, I am going to crash. My aching muscles and my comfy bed are calling to me.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

I'll Get Him Trained Yet

2009-02-12T07:30:00.000-08:00

Me: "Hey babe, I need to talk to you about something and I know you are going to think I am a little crazy."

ED: "Sure Hon, what is it?"

Me: "Could you please NOT put the lid down after you use the bathroom? I know it sounds funny, but Aurora drinks out of the toilet and you are cutting off her water supply."

ED: "Your cat drinks out of the toilet?"

Me: "Yes."

ED: "You realize you are asking me to go against everything I have been trained to do right?"

Me: "I am aware. But it would mean a lot to me so I don't have to start giving the cat fresh water."

ED: "I finally understand why your cat hates everyone."

Blogfully yours,
Summer

This year I don't hate Valentines Day

2009-02-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

For the past 3 years I have pretty much dreaded, despised and cursed Valentines day. Being single will do that to you. This year however, I am not single! I am dating a great guy who is a planner with a super romantic side. Everybody now "Awwww!"

I will actually be out of town for Valentines day so the boyfriend and I decided we would celebrate early. We both agreed to get all of our homework done in advance so that we would have no distractions and to spend all day Sunday together.

To start the day off right, the boyfriend made me breakfast. Yes this is my "Goldenrod" ghetto kitchen. I only wish you could see the push button stove better.

After our hearty breakfast of steak, eggs and Ego Waffles we got ready to head up the mountain. Around 10 AM the boyfriend walked into the bathroom to see what was taking so long. "You do realize we are going skiing right?"
Flabergahsted I replied "Don't you even know me at all?" then turned to put another coat of mascara on.

We made it up to The Canyons around 11ish. The boyfriend turned out to be an excellent skiing buddy (although he is a boarder), and not just because he carried my skis for me from the car to the tram (which was excellent), but because he is so incredibly fun to be around. We ended up having a great time, even though he did have the nerve to throw snowballs at me. The weather was a little snowy but not too cold and we never had to wait in line for longer than a couple minutes.

After skiing we headed back to get cleaned up. The boyfriend made dinner reservations at Log Haven wich was unbelievably good! I had never really been there before. We had a corner table that overlooked the beautiful mountains. The service, the crab cakes, the wine, the steak and lobster - it was all fantastic. I am drooling just thinking about it again. And of course the company completed it all.

I seriously couldn't have asked for a better (early) Valentines day. This man, the boyfriend, I think I am going to have to keep him around for a while. He is starting to get to me and for once it is not a scary thing.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

4 hours with a 3 year old

2009-02-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

Saturday I woke up and had the day all to myself. Only problem with that is I'm not paticularly good at it. I scheduled myself a massage and while Miss Boney Fingers was jabbing away at my aching muscles I thought about how I should spend my day. For some reason my adorable niece Brielle kept popping into my mind. I hadn't seen her in forever. A few days earlier my sister had called and put her on the phone "Do you want to ride the train with me Summer?" Just like that. She is speaking in full clear sentences! To clarify as to why she was asking me about riding a train, last September Karina and I took her 2 kids ("our kids") and Brielle on Utah's public transportation system called "Trax". I guess my sister had driven past it and Brielle couldn't stop talking about it. It's amazing the things kids remember.

When I was finished being torchered by my sadistic massage therapist I called up my sister to see if I could borrow her daughter for a few hours. She was thrilled because she and her BF needed to do "homework". When I picked up Brielle she couldn't contain her excited because we both had on boots and hats which made us twinners.

As we left my sisters 2nd story apartment, Brielle sang a familar song I had so cleverly taught her once when I didn't have the ability to carry both her and grocierys "Stairs, stairs, stairs. I love stairs!" yet another thing I can't believe she remembers.

I took her to a bunch of really fun places, like the dry cleaners, the grocery store and the mall. She was a trooper through most of it. I will say that picking out the perfect Valentines card is near impossible with a 3 year old interrupting you every 30 seconds "can I have a teddy bear?" OK. Only if you are good. "I want some candy" No, you are getting the teddy bear. "I don't want my coffee anymore" There goes $3 out the window. "Hold me" Give me one more second princess. "I don't like this store anymore!" Until finally I choose a card, grab the stuffed animal, throw down some cash, bolt out of the store and head to my parents house for some back up support.

Honestly, how can something so adorable be so incredibly overwhelming? I watched her for a total of 4 hours and that was enough. Her way of thanking me for buying her a teddybear, putting makeup on her and letting her wear my jewelry, was to give me material I will use to blackmale or at the very least embarass her in front of a cute boy one day. I suppose you could call it a messed up parting gift of sorts.

"SUMMER! Can you come into the bathroom? I need HELP!"

I walk in and she tells me she needs me to wipe her. She jumps off the potty, turns around, puts her head down and her poopy little bum right in the air. Completely unabashed with a smile on her face.

Renting a kid is fun, but I have to say, the best part is getting to returning them.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Everyone else is doing it.

2009-02-05T08:35:00.000-08:00

Last night I hit the gym, studied for my math test, revised my essay and watched the first 2 episodes of Heros (season one) with the boyfriend. I was a blogging slacker so I'm taking the easy way out and posting what I already posted on Facebook... although numbers 8 & 9 don't really count.

23 Things about me.

1. I talk to my cat. I can't leave the house in the morning without telling her goodbye and to be good.

2. I still bite my nails. It's one of those nasty nervous habits that I have never been able to shake.

3. I ate Indian food for the first time in my life last Friday. It was amazing.

4. I started getting gray hair about 2 years ago.

5. I own my car. Paid it off last summer. I can't tell you how much I love not having a car payment.

6. I was once told that I didn't know how to be alone so I spent a year being single. Best unspoken challenge that I ever won.

7. I've never had a boyfriend with brown eyes.

8. I'm a blogger. My grandmother is my biggest fan/reader.

9. I recently created a blog category of "Posts grandma won't approve of"

10. I hate seeing wrinkles. I spend way too much money on face potions and lotions.

11. At any given time I have 8-10 tubes of lip stick or lip gloss in my purse, mascara and powder. It's slightly ridiculous.

12. I'm pretty sure my tech guys at work only tolerate my computer ignorance because I amuse them.

13. I have more condiments then actual food in my fridge.

14. I am never happier then when I am in the mountains; be it hiking, skiing, snowshoeing or camping, it is my happy place and gives me my sanity.

15. If I didn't have to work I would donate all my time to charity and write a book.

16. I love being back in school. Over the Christmas break I missed it.

17. When I was a little girl I had a lisp and talked like tweety bird - one of those stories my Dad still loves to tell just to embarrass me.

18. I got divorced 3 1/2 years ago from my High School sweetheart. We are still friends to this day though.

19. I am very close with my family. I eat Sunday dinner with my parents at least 3 times a month.

20. I have beautiful-amazing-talented

-strong-girl friends in my life. I would be absolutely lost without them.

21. I recently started to date a man I am crazy about, which is awesome cause he is crazy about me too. ;)

22. My natural hair color is a very light brown... I think. I haven't seen it in 12 years.

23. I don't watch scary movies. The Sixth Sense gave me nightmares so you can imagine what a horror flick would do.

24. I love music and concerts. I go to at least 6 concerts a year.

25. I am incredibly friendly and always like to believe the best about people. I do not understand mean or rude people. They suck.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Sometimes you just need someone to tell you that you've done a good job

2009-02-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

Last night I finished writing the first draft of my reflection paper. It is my first college English paper, written in MLA format and following all of the writing rules that we have learned so far. I have been working on it for about a week and I finally finished it at 10:30pm the night before it was due. I read through it several times and got really excited. My first real college paper! A piece I am calling "Starting Over". I was so excited that I wanted to share it with someone. But who would think I wasn't crazy calling them so late to read them a 4 page essay all about me?

The boyfriend had already gone to bed and so had the Russian BFF. I tweeted about it to see if anyone was online. My beloved friend and fellow college student Sarah, who I almost just called, responded but it was after I had already given up on Twitter. So I called the people who I knew had an obligation to be there for me, my parents.

Me: "Hi Dad, is Mom awake?"

Dad: "No she had to be to work at 5 this morning so she is asleep. Is everything OK?"

Me: "Yeah, I just thought she might find my college paper interesting and was going to make her listen to it. How do you feel about listening to it?"

Dad: "I could do that."

Me: "Are you sure? It's like 4 pages long, but I am really excited about it."

Dad: "Sure."

So I read my essay that I had poured my heart into to my Dad over the phone. Being the wonderful parent that he is he gave me his full attention and when I was done he validated that what I wrote was indeed good. My Dad is not the type to get all worked up with praises, but if there is one thing having all daughters has taught him, it's to sense when his girls really need to hear those praises. He told me my essay was well written, that it had just the right amount of personal information but not too much and that he enjoyed how it ended on such an upbeat note. I know that he is my Dad so he is all but required to say nice things, but it was still so wonderful to hear.

I suppose that every once in a while even the strongest of people need to hear that they did something good. Thank God for parents who tell you that you've done just that.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

A cautionary tale

2009-02-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

Saturday night I dragged Karina the Russian and the boyfriend (I still do not have a name picked out for him) to Port O'Call to see Royal Bliss perform. For my non-Utahan readers, Port O'Call is one of our oldest bars and it is being forced to shut down because the government wants to put a building there. Also, Royal Bliss is Utah's local band who recently released their first major record label CD. I love the band, have hung out with them on more than a few occasions and seen them in concert at least a dozen times. This particular concert was very important to me as it would be my last time ever to set foot in Port O'Call and one of my last opportunities to see Royal Bliss before they become huge rock stars.

I swear it was like pulling teeth at first to get everyone on board to go. Karina was able to get a baby sitter and even though she has a bit of a grudge against the sexy guitar player (long story), got excited to go out. I had to take the boyfriend to the gym and give him a good workout before he was able to get excited to go (get your mind out of the gutter). My sister Staci and her BF Cody were suppose to come and she actually WAS excited to go, but she got sick.

So the Russian and the sexy nerd couple headed to the show. We ended up having to pay double the amount of the tickets because they were sold out. Thank god for exercise because the boyfriend stayed happy to make me happy. We made it upstairs and were watching the show. Of course the boys of Royal Bliss did not disappoint. We ended up standing behind a slightly older man and woman who were incredibly drunk. Now, I am not going to be a prude and say there is anything wrong with having a really good time and I've had more than my share of times being the drunken fool. But when you get to be so drunk that you are spilling drinks on people, dancing into them, starting fights in the women's restroom and causing my BF to want to punch you in the face for grabbing me, it's no longer cool, it's sad.

I made Karina swear to me the next morning over breakfast at Mimi's that we would never let each other get like the ridiculous older drunk woman or her friend (or whatever he was). Seriously, it's not cute at any age, but to be 40-something and falling over drunk, I never want that to be me. Luckily I now have Karina's solemn oath that it never will be. Yet another reason why I love her.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

What's in a name?

2009-02-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

It has been brought to my attention that "ED" may not be the best code name for the new boyfriend. I originally named him that because it stood for Environmental Dating. It never occurred to me that the initials E.D. would have a few more commonly recognized meanings. Thank you to Sarah for pointing out that "Erectile Dysfunction" is it's most commonly known meaning and actually makes my post funnier when read that way. Thank you to Kel for pointing out that a common medical term for E.D. is "Emotionally Disturbed". Now, I hate to admit this, but I didn't think twice of calling him ED. In fact, I thought I was being so clever. Good thing I have friends to prove me wrong.

Over the weekend I have been putting some thought into what to call the new boyfriend. Should I just use his real name? Should I change the spelling to be Ed? Should I leave it ED as a reminder to my stupidity and for cheap giggles? While at lunch on Saturday with Karina the Russian I was telling her about my name problems as well as talking about all sweet cute things the new boyfriend has been doing and how he is talking about taking a trip together this summer for both of our birthdays. Her response, "Oh honey that is so great! He really is such a planner. In fact, you should call him Franklin Covey because he is such a planner!" Ya gotta love Karina. She never fails to make me smile.

So what am I going to call him? I have no idea. Maybe just expect that I will call him any number of combination to the above. Then again, maybe I will stop writing about him. Who knows. I'm crazy like that.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Damn cat! Damn Boyfriend!

2009-01-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

A while ago Karina the Russian and I decided that the one good thing about having an albino retard cat (Bodie), was that we could blame him for everything. House is a mess? Damn cat! No food in the kitchen? Damn cat!! Stub your toe? Damn cat!!! Start your period? Having a bad hair day? DAMN CAT!!! It has been an ongoing joke for a while now, especially over text messages.

"I've been running around all day. So tired. No gym. Damn cat!"

"Gonna be late! Damn cat! Be there in 20."

"OMG! Is this some kind of f'ing joke?? 3rd day I'm turning on the radio and Hoobastank is on AGAIN! F@*%ING CAT!

And my personal favorite, sent from Karina while trying to navigate the Denver airport.

"Did you know Island 3 and Island Street sounds the same to a Russian person?! Damn cat! I already made a few people laugh here!"

So Wednesday night ED came over. We both decided to put homework on hold and just have a quality stress free night together. We watched The Daily Show, The Soup and American Idol (Salt Lake City auditions) while munching on Kettle Corn. We cuddled on the couch, we laughed, we relaxed. It was perfect. To two busy college students, it was a slice of heaven. Before we were going to call it a night I said "Oh no! I didn't get a new blog post written!" He told me it was OK and that I could blame it on him and just say "No new post. Was distracted. Damn boyfriend!"

Boy is he going to regret saying that! Now that I have his permission, I have already come up with several ways to fully take advantage of it: I have nothing to wear. Damn boyfriend! My apartment is a disaster. Damn boyfriend! I'm late for work again. Damn boyfriend! I'm out of beer, wine AND vodka? DAMN BOYFRIEND!!!

Not quite the same as "Damn cat"... IT'S BETTER!!!

I'm so going to be single forever...

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Obsess much?

2009-01-28T07:00:00.000-08:00

I am sitting here trying to think of something note worthy to write. I thought about writing how my Dad called me at work just to see how I am doing and so that my niece could say "hi". I thought about how my most devoted reader who also happens to be my adorable Grandmother, called my Mother to inquire about the doctors appointment that I wrote about. Of course my Mom knew nothing about it because I didn't tell her and she doesn't regularly read my posts so she asked my Dad about it and he knew nothing which spurred the original phone call in the first place. Which is typical of how my family communicates and really it's hilarious if I could stop to actually digest it.

But I can't.

I can't because right now the only thing on my mind is that I got 99% on my first math test of the semester. I should be jumping up and down because I got an A, right? But instead I am pissed off that I forgot to carry the negative on a question, hence causing a 1 point deduction and the 99%.

Grrr! You may have won this time negative number but I'll be damned if I make that mistake again!

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Going Green

2009-01-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

I'm changing my stance. Environmental dating, on the rare occasion, is not such a bad thing. In fact, I am quite pleased with the results. Don't worry, I'm not going to get all sappy about liking a guy... I have Karina to do that for me.

Karina: So how are things going with you and ED? What did you guys do the other night?

Me: I like him! He is pretty freaking adorable. He came over and we had a study date... where we actually studied! I didn't realize that was possible! He was all studying at the table and I was all at my desk, then we would take a break to kiss for a second, then study some more.

Karina: OH! MY! GOD! You guys are like the hottest sexiest nerdiest couple EVER! That is so freaking cute! Oh honey! Wait... is he like your boyfriend now?

Me: Um...

Karina: He totally is! That is so cute! Honey I am so happy for you!

What can I say? He gets me. I get him. He gives me a case of the butterflies and makes me smile that big goofy smile when I see a text or get a call from him.

I can't believe I am actually posting a picture of us. It will probably be the kiss of death. Don't be surprised next week when I post the breakup post. I'm jinxing myself... but look how cute and happy we are are! How can I resist sharing him with the internet?

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Small Lake City

2009-01-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

For a week strait my BFF Karina the Russian has been talking about how we need to go to Sundance. Not that we need to watch one of the films, but that we need to go to a fancy party and meet celebrities. Unfortunately the weekend she could get a sitter was this last weekend and from what I hear, all of the celebrities went home after the first weekend. Minor details to Karina, we were going to go out and have a good time damn it!

Karina called all of her connections and we were set to get into the Ed Hardy party at Harryos... for free ($100 door cover)! That is until 10 minutes before we were going to head up the canyon to Park City. I guess our connection decided that he wanted to stay in Salt Lake instead. My heart sank. UGH! Another night out in Salt Lake! But, ever the optimists, we decided that we were already all dolled up so we would go out.

I gotta tell you, going out in Salt Lake has lost it's appeal. I must be getting old or something. You see all of the same people, hear the same music and have the same night as you did the time before. Speaking of seeing people, it was like a convention of past suitors for both Karina and me. Suitors is such a horrible word, but I can't think of a better one. Luckily for me, ED was there to thwart them off. Poor Karina saw a guy that she really fell hard for until he disappeared off the planet. Luckily she looked smoking HOTT and I think he felt like an ass for ever letting her go. Serves him right.

Anyway, I am giving up on going out for a little while. Don't worry, crazy things will find me without bars or alcohol. I just seem to have a knack for finding crazy.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

When Doctors Tell You the Painful Truth

2009-01-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

WARNING: In this post I am going to share something personal. If that makes you uncomfortable, check back in a day or two. I promise I will have more light hearted goodness for your enjoyment.

Yesterday morning I had a doctors appointment with my OBGYN. For any of the guys still daring to continue reading, that's the doctor who takes care of the female stuff. Now that I have lost all my male readers, let's move on with the story.

I have a medical condition called Endometriosis. According to WebMD, "Endometriosis is the development of uterine-lining tissue outside the uterus. Symptoms include abdominal pain, heavy periods, and infertility. Treatments include pain relievers, birth control pills, and surgery."

I have been dealing with this for over 10 years. I've tried every type of treatment from pills to shots to surgery (twice) to finally my current treatment, a simple IUD. When I was younger, doctors used to tell me to hurry and have kids then get a hysterectomy - the only guaranteed cure. Advice that may have been true, but to an 18 year old, not exactly something I was prepared to hear. However, when I was 24 and married, I did attempt to get pregnant. A year later I was divorced. I suppose this information will help explain part of this post.

Now I am 28.

I have had the same doctor, whom I love, for the past 6 or 7 years. He has seen me through treatment after unsuccessful treatment, managed pain medications and even performed one of my surgeries. At this particular yearly check up he decided that it was time to prepare me for the disappointment he fears I am headed towards. It is one thing to silently accept the fact that no matter how much you dreamed of it growing up, no matter how much you practiced playing mom with your dolls, a baby of your own is just not in the cards for you. It is quite another, I assure you, when a doctor says it.

When I left the doctors office, I cried on the drive into work.

Most of the time when the subject of children comes up, I say I don't really want any or I am undecided if kids are right for me. It is easier than explaining the truth, which is simply that I don't get to choose. Now I know what you will say, there is always adoption or the 20 grand process of in vitro which gives you a basic shot in hell. Please don't think for a second that I don't know the options out there - I'm aware.

Right now I am just reflecting. I am not throwing myself a pity party, as I mentioned this is not new news to me. It just still hurts. I think it will always hurt a little. But we all have our challenges and this is mine. It's not so bad. I've learned the process of mind of matter when it comes to pain management. Plus when that doesn't work, a glass of wine and some Ibuprofen can do the trick. I have learned how to genuinely be happy for friends and family who become pregnant. I no longer begrudge them as I once did. As for the rest of the symptoms that are a bit too personal to discuss, I am tackling those too. I could have it so much worse. I just have to remind myself of that at times... like right now.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Whoever said beauty is pain, should be shot!

2009-01-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

I'll come right out and say it before anyone has a chance to. I am a hypocrite. I go and write this whole blog post about the dangers of "Environmental Dating" then I go and do exactly what I am not supposed to do.

I met ED (like that? ED? Short for Environmental dating? Yeah, I'm pretty clever like that.) about 1.5 years ago and things didn't work out due to timing or not being at the same place in our lives or some cliche lines like that. Well, we reconnected via facebook and have been hanging out for a little while. He is cute. I like him. That's about as far into the mushy stuff as I am capable of going. Anyway, ED is a personal trainer as well as a full time student studying to be a Physical Therapist.

So Saturday I am sitting on my butt eating Carmel Hershey Kisses getting caught up on my Tivo when I get the bright idea that ED could help motivate me to get back into shape. I text him asking if he would be willing to train me, which luckily he was. We set up a time on Sunday to work out at my gym. He gets me to commit to the days I will work out as well as my time commitment. I say 3 days a week for an hour and a half. Little did I know that an hour and a half meant 45 minutes of cardio and 45 minutes of guy style weight training.

We met up Sunday, I did my cardio before he got there. 35 minutes of walking wasn't exactly what he had in mind, but he didn't push the matter. Instead he decided to punish me by making me stick out my butt as I did squats (form my ass!), lift really heavy stuff a whole bunch of times and die of embarrassment at not being able to do a pull up or a dip thingy - even on the assisted machines! To finish things off, ED helped me stretch which was the most painful feeling of release I have ever experience.

By the time we left the gym my legs were jello. I laughed it off trying to be tough and cute at the same time while cursing him under my breath, knowing full well that the stiffness I felt then would be nothing compared to the following days.

I text ED the next morning requesting he meet me at my work to carry me up the stairs to my office. He didn't show. Obviously he is not as committed to a second chance relationship as I thought he was. Maybe Karina is right that there should be no second chance, then again, maybe I just need to buck up and not let myself get so damn out of shape! Either way, I can barely move right now and I am perfectly fine with letting ED take all the blame.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Required classes require a new attitude

2009-01-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

I am a 28 year old freshman in college. I have been a business professional since I was 20 in one capacity or another. I have worked my way up in whatever field or company I have been employed with because I work hard and I am a quick learner.

As a freshman starting out there are, of course, a series of required classes you must take. I am in 3 of them this semester. My Monday night class is COMM 1010. When I told a good friend of mine that I would be taking this class he laughed and said that I could teach the class. At first I dismissed this as a kind thing to say and was pleased that he thought so highly of me, but now after attending class, reading the syllabus and skimming through the book, I am quite confident I could. This is not so much a boast on my part but a slam on how simplistic this class is. To be fair, I work in a communication industry and have for over 5 years. I am sure to some of my 18 or 19 year old classmates learning about writing formal letters and proper phone etiquette will be of great benefit to them; I'll be the girl in the back of the class hanging herself.

I am well aware that I need an attitude adjustment. I swear I am working on it! I am sure I can learn something from this class. My skills are not perfect and can always be improved upon. However, the most encouraging thought I've come up with is there are only 12 (normally 15) classes due to national holidays and the teacher taking a vacation. I can suffer through 12.

If nothing else, I can always make myself available in case the teacher needs a sub. There's one way to ensure an A.

I can do this.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Grown up dating

2009-01-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

As a teenager growing up one of my highlights was going to school dances.

Yeah, yeah, big deal right? Wrong.

In Utah school dances were and probably still are a big deal. For example, to ask a boy to a girls choice dance you do not simply walk up to them and say "hey, you wanna go to Spring Formal with me?" Oh no no no! You get their mothers permission to decorate their room with a big sign that says "I'd drop dead to go to Spring formal with you!" Put some police caution tape up around his room, outline your friends body on the floor and make it look like a crime scene. Lastly, hide your name somewhere in his room for him to find, tell his mom where you hid it - just in case he can't find it.

Oh but gets better.

The poor guy must now answer you in an equally creative way. Say, bake a cake with a toy gun on the top that reads "Shoot, don't drop dead, find my answer in the cake instead!" Leaving you to tear through a whole sheet cake to find the answer.

The day of the dance rolls around which will involve a full day of activities: games during the day (laser tag or an organized food fight in the park), a break to get ready (in matching themed shirts if it is not a formal event), dinner, the actual dance, over priced professional photos followed by an extended curfew PG movie with a group of friends at whoever has the largest TVs house. Close parental supervision will be enforced so first base is about all the guy can hope for.

Yes, I looked forward to each and every one of those stupid dances. It was the prep work, the anticipation, the "oh my gosh I hope I get asked!" followed by the relief of finally getting asked by your best guy friend who felt sorry for you.

Why am I telling you all this? Because I have a date tonight. I have a date, with a man who actually took the time to plan something fun out. I get to wear my new black suede boots on my date. I raided my closet and tried on 3 outfits (with my boots of course) to find the one that makes my butt look round and the rest of me look sexy-classy, not sexy-slutty. I thought about making him wear matching themed shirts but figured he might think I'm crazy. Best to stick with the sexy-classy.

OK, so I know this is far from the same thing, the rules have definitely changed and there will be no parental supervision, but it just feels really good to have someone put forth an effort.

I feel... special.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Dating Like A Man

2009-01-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

The great thing about having single girlfriends is that they read a lot of relationship books. It saves me time to just get the cliff-notes from them instead of actually reading the books myself. Anyway, Karina the Russian has been reading this book about how to "Date Like A Man". As you can imagine, about half of it is good and half of it is crap. Things like "Men like blow jobs" or "Men don't like to be nagged" make me think the author must be queen of No Shit or something. But there are a few areas where she actually redeems herself. For example, she recommends writing a list of all of the qualities you want in a man, like successful, driven, good with kids, artistic, handsome, blah and blah, THEN take a look at the list and ask yourself if you have the same characteristics. If you want a successful-driven-good with kids-artistic-handsome-blah-blah man, then you yourself need to have those same characteristics. Which totally makes sense because what brilliant catch of a man is looking to find a dull lifeless unmotivated jobless chick. I mean even in Hollywood they don't stretch that far. Millionaire and street hooker, yes. But she was super motivated and a good person. Anyway, I'm rambling, but you get my point, right? Right.

The author also recommends dating 4 men at the same time until you choose one to be serious with, oh and you shouldn't be serious with anyone until you have been dating for about a year. HELLO!!! Am I the only one who sees a problem with this? That sounds like a whole lot of work. Are you supposed to take notes at the end of every date to keep track of who says what? I mean I can juggle 2, maybe 3 when I am on my "A game" but right now I work full time and I am in school. I can barely find time to eat, yet alone date when I am in school. The past month has been fun because I did date a bit, but now, I guess only the dedicated persistent souls will survive, which I fear could be none.

The price of higher education - singleness.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

The Year For My Girls

2009-01-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

I am overcome with...emotions. Saturday I took my darling BFF, Karina the Russian, to the airport where she flew (on her own) to Denver for her first business trip as the manager of an Aveda store/salon. As she walked away, baby pink suitcase in tow, I have never been so proud! I wish I would have taken a picture. I felt like a mom sending her child off to school for their first day. I know it sounds silly, but there was a time when my confident Russian beauty doubted herself and didn't think she was qualified to run the show. Now, a little over 2 weeks in, she is kicking butt and taking names and I couldn't be happier for her.

Saturday I also spent the night at my baby sister Staci's new apartment. It was her and her daughter Brielle's first night there, I guess mine too. Talk about another huge accomplishment. My sister is 26 years old and has never moved out of my parents house. I understand that when you are a single mom living in a house with 2 other adults, who are always there to help you with your daughter, becomes very comfortable and hard to leave - but she did it. To celebrate we went to WalMart and bought all of the beginners grocery essentials she would need, drank a bottle of wine and watched Sex In the City. I am happy to report that Brielle even went to bed fairly easy too. I am so proud of my sister.

As for me, I am plugging along. I start school today. I am taking 3 classes or 9 credit hours this semester. I am a little worried about finding time for everything. I guess you could say that today marks the end of my social life for about 5 months. Oh well, it will all be worth it. To be honest I am actually looking forward to getting back into a rhythm with school and work. I kind of thrive on being busy. Plus it allows me to be completely selfish with my time and no one can say anything about it. When you tell someone you have homework or need to study, they always seem to understand and never give you a guilt trip. It is perfect. Honest and perfect.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Adventures in Snowshoeing Part II

2009-01-11T13:07:00.000-08:00

I am incredibly late in getting this post up but in my defense, I didn't have the pictures until Friday and I was sick on Friday. Not that you really care. But I feel better justifying why I am posting info that happened a week ago.

For my second snowshoeing adventure we had originally planned to go somewhere in Little Cottonwood Canyon, but it was 17 degrees outside and a shady canyon would have made it miserable so we opted to go to Millcreek canyon where we would be able to hike in the sun. We snowshoed along the Pipeline trail; a trail we hike in the summer and my second hike of 2008. My good friend Heidi came along to join in the fun. I think it is safe to say that we both had a great time!

Near the bottom of the trail, after veering off the trail and getting to sink our shoes in some serious powder, we were overcome with the endorphins running through our body. It was like we were on Ecstasy or something because everything became more beautiful than I ever remember it being before. The trees looked like individual masterpieces with the way the snow balanced on each branch, the bridge and stream that was half frozen over was the most picturesque image I had ever seen in my life, the snow was littered with diamond shards and the air cleansed my entire body with every inhale!

Heidi looked at me and almost in unison we said "Winter is so beautiful!"

Most days winter is cold. It is brutal, relentless, it lasts way too long and makes driving ridiculous. But on this day, way up in the mountains, winter was appreciated. Winter was beautiful.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Sick as a Dog

2009-01-09T20:57:00.000-08:00

What exactly does the expression "sick as a dog" mean? Did somebody have a really low oppinion of dogs, as in dogs are sick creatures? That seems kind of rude. For the record I am a fan of dogs. But unfortunately "sick as a dog" is how I have been the past few days. Sore throat, fever and full body aches. I slept for over 14 hours last night and woke up delirious and confused, I'm assuming form the fever. I was so out of it I wouldn't answer my phone or respond to texts. I knew I needed to take something to help my fever, but I couldn't think clearly enough to get out of bed. Any time I'd sit up I'd start shivering and lay back down again.

Eventually I did get up. I got my fever under control, ate some soup, drank some tea, got caught up on my DVR shows and I am starting to feel slightly better. I even managed to take down most of my Christmas decorations. Talk about a long overdue project. But now, I am exhausted again so off to bed I go.

Dog-fully yours,
Summer

"Environmental Dating"

2009-01-06T07:54:00.000-08:00

Did you know that according to a book that I did not read but my friend Heidi told me about, that more old relationships are ended in January and new ones formed? I'm serious, there is some sort of study that somebody did that shows that right after New Years a lot of people break up. Something to do with New Years resolutions and finding true happiness... plus no one wants to be the asshole who breaks up right before the holidays so it is perfect timing. Then on the flip side those who are smart and stay single for the holidays are also looking to start out the New Years with love and if they get moving right away they can actually form the beginning of a meaningful relationship by Valentines Day. True story.

Now that you have been updated with this news, I must warn you that there is an epidemic that has been sweeping the country. It has been going on too long, it's time somebody brought it to light. The epidemic of which I speak is Environmental Dating.

Do not be fooled by it's eco-friendly name. When Jack Johnson sang his plea to "Reduce. Reuse. Recycle." he was NOT referring to dating. Reduce your consumption, reuse your clothing, recycle your cans - not your men. I know, I know, I am one of the biggest offenders of Environmental Dating and I am sure it comes as no surprise that Karina the Russian was the one to point it out to me. She has adopted the policy of once it is over, it is over. You don't piss off a Russian, and there certainly are no second chances. If it didn't work out the first time there was a reason and time will not change that! Unfortunately, I am not so tuff. I tend to have an all too forgiving heart that lands me back in the arms of previous loves. BUT the first rule of marketing, well maybe not the first or really any rule at all, is that if you put a name to something it becomes scary!

Beware of Environmental Dating!

See? Doesn't that sound scary? Like something you really want to find out about and avoid? I thought so. You can thank me later. I'm just doing my duty as a single citizen.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Worlds Greatest TV Show: CROTCH MAFIA

2009-01-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

With a name like that, it can only mean one thing. That's right, it's time for another installment of Karina the Russian stories.

Like a lot of the ladies out there, Karina and I are big fans of the nighttime soap opera shows containing similar plots about girl power, friendships and all the quirks that come their way, i.e. Sex and the City, Cashmere Mafia, and our recent favorite Lipstick Jungle. The other night we were watching one such show, when Karina turned to me and said, "you know they should really make a show about us! I'm serious! Think about it, 2 friends, one is a sexy successful business woman advertising person and the other is from Russia and manages a hair salon. Man, the drama I have to deal with with those bitches is enough to write it's own show. Plus we get into trouble no matter where we go and we are always having adventures and man troubles. We can call it 'Crotch Mafia'!!! Oh. My. God. It's perfect! I'm serious honey, we can make a lot of money on this. Somebody who would be smart, would make a show about us."

I laughed and told her "yes, but in those shows they always have some rich guy chasing after them and trying to sweep them off their feet and that is just not happening for me."

"YET! It's only because you haven't met the right man. That asshole is out there somewhere taking his sweet ass time."

Of course the "crotch" in "Crotch Mafia" is a reference to my greatest and most bizarre complement. It has kind of stuck though. If I am ever having a down day, just say "sexy crotch" to me and I can't help but smile. Plus it's fun to say. I recommend complementing all of your girlfriends by telling them they have a sexy crotch area. See what they say. I bet they will never forget it.

DISCLAIMER: Telling someone they have a "sexy crotch" is done at your own risk. I claim no responsibility for any negative reaction such as a slap to the face, knee to the groin, or getting dumped. However, if the reaction is positive, please feel free to send them a link to my blog.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Happy 2009!

2009-01-02T08:14:00.000-08:00

Much like Christmas, Karina the Russian was my date for New Years Eve this year. We went out, we caused a scene, we took pictures! Enjoy!

In reality we are just a bunch of nerds. Sometimes we even catch ourselves on film in all our nerdy-ness. This was the getting ready pre-party at Karina's pad.

It only took 2 1/2 hours of getting ready, but this was my end result.

Happy New Years! I hope it was great for everyone.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

When the past catches up to you

2008-12-31T08:26:00.000-08:00

Last night I met up for a drink with an old friend that I hadn't seen or heard from in 2 1/2 years. I think he moved to another planet or something. It was funny because even though so much time had passed, we still remembered how good of friends we used to be. The part that wasn't funny, in fact quite the opposite, was recounting what has gone on in my life over the past 2 1/2 years.

At first I had no intention of sharing any part of my sob story with my long lost friend, but warm kind eyes and an attentive caring listening ear allowed me to let my guard down enough to talk about things that only my closest friends and family know. I shook a little telling parts of my story, I hope he didn't notice, but at the end of it all when I knew no more details were required, my friend looked me in the eyes and said, "I am so sorry. I wish I could have been there for you."

Without hesitation I responded, "I don't. You wouldn't have even recognized me back then, I was a shell of who I am today. You couldn't have been there for me - I wouldn't have let you in. You couldn't have saved me - I had to save myself. I am the strong healthy happy independent woman that I am today because I learned how to be alone. Accepting that I am OK on my own, making myself happy, those were challenges that I had to overcome on my own. I'm grateful that we are becoming friends again today because I am better now than I have ever been."

2008 has been a fabulous year for me. I traveled a lot with friends and even made it outside of the country for the first time. I started back to school after a 10 year hiatus and have generally remained busy happy and productive. In fact, I even paid off my car this year! That's right, I OWN my car for the first time in my life! All things considered, my life is pretty damn good.

Here's to an even better 2009!

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Popping My Snowshoeing Cherry

2008-12-29T07:00:00.000-08:00

Some of you who frequent my blog or actually know me personally, know I love to go hiking. It is my little piece of sanity. In fact, one of my blog categories is Hiking. So what does a hiker chick, in desperate need of sanity, do in the winter time?

Snowshoe!

This was my first experience snowshoeing, but certainly will not be my last. I was a little worried that I would not be able to keep up with the group as school and the holidays have prohibited me from working out as much as I used to. OK, so prohibited may be the wrong word, but they have served as a convenient excuse anyway. I am happy to report that I did great. I kept up with the group, I didn't pass out or keel over. I did however have a goofy grin on my face the entire time. I couldn't help it, it just felt SO GOOD to be back out in nature, I had an endorphin high that lasted all day long.

We snowshoed The Pioneer Trail up East Canyon Road at the Little Dell Reservoir. This is actually the first hike I blogged about last may. I tried to get pictures of the same spots because I am a giant nerd like that.

After hiking I called up Karina the Russian to tell her all about out. I was bouncing off the walls explaining it to her. I told her that she had to come with me next time because it was so beautiful, the air was so clean and fresh, it felt so great to be out in nature, it was a killer workout but low impact cause it didn't hurt my knees at all and it was just so amazing!
She laughed at me and told me I sounded like I was glowing and that she hadn't heard me this excited since I got an unexpected text message on Christmas from a crush, good ol Mr. New York. I laughed and had to agree except the butterflies that this snowshoeing outing gave me were actually created by me, not by a man. So pretty much that makes snowshoeing fucking rule in my book!

Blogfully yours,
Summer

The aftermath of Christmas parties

2008-12-24T07:51:00.000-08:00

My favorite part of throwing Christmas parties is getting to spent time with friends. My second favorite part of throwing Christmas parties, is leftovers. I had so much food and booze left over from my Tacky Christmas Party that I invited a few friends over the following night to prevent me from eating a whole plate of 7 layer dip by myself.
My small leftover party ended up being a lot of fun. Midway through the night, we decided to change the theme of this party into a pajama party. Which basically means take your bra off and get comfortable. I am proud to report that I have the best time for removing my bra out from under my clothes. Like, 5 seconds flat! Freedom!

I'm not quite sure why we decided my tree needed more decorations, but I think stiletto heels (or "hills" as Karina calls them) and bras made a nice addition.

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you have the "breastest" one ever!

Blogfully yours,
Summer

It's Official!

2008-12-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

I am "officially" in a relationship with my BFF Karina the Russian. I suppose it was only a matter of time. I can't even tell you how many times we have been asked if we are "more than friends." Well now, thanks to the postal service, there is proof that we are in fact "more than friends."

Our first piece of mail together! To my family Christmas party no less! I was worried they wouldn't accept my new relationship... I am so happy to see them embracing it with open arms! Maybe it has something to do with the fact that even though we are "officially" in a relationship, we still are not lesbians. That's probably helping with the whole acceptance part. Honestly I think it would be great if we were lesbians, we already make such a cute couple and all. But, sadly, we are both big of fans of the penis so until the penis fairy comes around we are content to have our non-lesbian, best friends relationship.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Tacky Christmas Party

2008-12-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

This year I let Christmas take over my tiny 1 bedroom apartment. Instantly I started regretting getting so festive once I realized that the only people who would be seeing my festive bachelorette pad, would be me and my cat. My simple remedy?
Throw a party.
Nothing big, just a few of my closest girlfriends. My place is tiny, any more than 8 - 10 would have been uncomfortable anyway. I chose a theme, which was inspired by my Mother.

Behold the tacky Christmas sweaters in all their glory!

Of course to thank my mother for letting us borrow a few of her sweaters, my sister and I took this picture which we printed out and framed for her.

I'm pretty sure my Mom thinks it was a giant party to mock her, but it wasn't! In fact, someone wanting to be like you is the biggest form of a complement. So that makes us saintly daughters. You're welcome Mom!

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Corrupt Christmas Carols

2008-12-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

Christmas songs get old really fast when you have heard the same ones your entire life. I have gotten to the point where I pretty much know every song played, word for word, without even thinking about it, yet alone the meaning behind them. Where am I going with this? Why am I writing about Christmas songs?

The other day I was driving in the car with my BFF, Karina the Russian. One of the trendy "top 40's" radio station decided to play a re-mix of the old classic "Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer". Now I have heard this song countless times, I am pretty sure we even sang it in Elementary school for a Christmas concert. It has always been just a silly, funny, harmless song. That is, until I saw it through Karina's eyes.

Karina: "Are you listening to what this song is saying? This song is so messed up! Are they saying what I think they are saying? Listen!"

"She'd been drinking too much eggnog and we begged her not to go. But she'd left her medication and she stumbled out the door into the snow."

Karina: "Oh. My. God."

"When they found her Christmas mornin' at the scene of the attack, there were hoof prints on her forehead...

Karina: "Seriously!"

"and incriminatin' Claus marks on her back. Oh! Grandma got run over by a reindeer, walking home from our house Christmas eve. You can say there's no such thing as Santa, but as for me and Grandpa we believe."

Karina: "In Russia they don't have songs like this. This song is seriously messed up. Very bad. How freaking rude and crude is that? Instead of worrying about grandma they are believing in Santa? I mean that is just wrong. That is a traditional song? What is wrong with you people? That is just sick and wrong. If my grandma got ran over by a reindeer I would not be singing about Santa. Seriously American people are so weird."

She continued on like that for quite some time. I was practically rolling in my seat from laughing so hard. Mostly because she is right. It IS a pretty morbid Christmas song.

Luckily the remixed version of the song, with all it's electronic drum beats, stopped there and mixed itself on to a different song. I'd hate to think of what Karina would have thought if she heard the rest of the song go on to talk about Grandpa watching football and drinking beer or the dilemma of opening Grandma's gifts or sending them back. I'm sure that would have made her completely loose faith in Americans forever!

What did this whole experience teach me? Something about being desensitized to music, numb to the holiday hype, oblivious to the obvious... one of those I'm sure. But more importantly, it taught me about priorities. If my Grandma ever gets hit by a reindeer, I am hunting down that fat man in a suit, along with his freakishly gifted reindeer, and making them pay. Maybe in the form of extra gifts such as designer purses, clothes, and trips. But regardless...

He. Will. Pay.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Princess Party Hell

2008-12-15T22:08:00.000-08:00

After spending Friday night partying with rock stars, I woke up mid Saturday morning knowing that I had another very important party to get going to. So I rolled out of bed and managed to get dressed. I sleepily walked into the kitchen to start some coffee only to look out the window to see 6 inches of new snow! I seriously considered just going back to bed, but the consequences of having to face my niece after missing her 3 year old princess birthday party were just too great.

My princess baby sister decided to play along and dressed up in an old bridesmaid dress. Here she is holding the birthday princess, her daughter Brielle.

A swarm of princesses buzzing around the birthday princess opening her presents.

There had to be 8-10 little princesses running around. Even my "daughter" Pasha made it, thanks to her father being an incredible sport. She was a little shy at first, but just like her mother, Karina the Russian, give her a little candy and she warmed right up! She did however feel the need to stay incognito to avoid the paparazzi.

I brought my makeup to the party and put blush, eyeshadow and lipstick on all of the girls. Of course the pink eyeshadow was the most popular color chosen. I'm slowly creating little monsters everywhere I go. Already both Brielle and Pasha ask me for lipstick every time they see me because they know a) I always have it on me and b) I am more than happy to put it on them.

So that is pretty much most of my weekend. Partying with rock stars one night and going to princess parties the next. Never a dull moment it seems. At least that is how it can seem if you only ever hear about the exciting parts of my life.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Friday Night with Hoobastank

2008-12-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

Friday night Karina the Russian, my sis Staci and I went to the X96 Nightmare Before X-mas concert featuring Anberlin and Hoobastank.

Somewhere around 6 years ago, Karin the Russian had met the guitarist for Hoobastank while working for a hotel. She has often talked about him and how much she wished that she had returned his call way back when. So I suggested to her to reach out and contact him (through the lovely myspace world) to see if he remembered her, which of course he did - vividly! Long story short, we ended up hanging out with the band before they went on stage, we stood on the side of the stage while they played their set and partyed with them at the unofficial after party. Needless to say, Karin is "in love"... again. Unfortunately we didn't bring a camera and didn't think to take many camera phone pictures so this is our only "good" picture.

The band(s), their technical people and their friends were all amazingly cool. It's safe to say we had a VERY good time. I'd like to say that I have gotten to the point where I am not star struck by rockstars, but sometimes I still am. For example, I couldn't get up the nerve to go over and say "hi" to the lead singer of Anberlin. I LOVE those guys! In fact, 3 years ago I actually got to meet them, but for some reason I lost my nerve completely. He was sitting maybe 15 feet away from me too! Guess it didn't help that I was a little tipsy and they are a "Christian Rock" band so I am not sure if they even drink or not. Regardless, I just kept picturing making an ass out of my self by saying something stupid like "Hi! Remember me? We met 3 years ago. I LOVE YOU! I have all of your albums - memorized! Let's get married and have lots of rockstar babies!" then security would inevitably be called and they would have to pry me off of him and the whole time I would be screaming "I love you! Call me!" while shouting out my phone number.

Regarless of my chicken-shit-ness, we did have a lot of fun.

Rockstars, motocross guys, tour buses, Doritos, VIP section, lots of laughing... you know, our typical Friday night out.

Blogfully yours,
Summer