Dreams

I have a recurring dream. Undoubtedly, this dream causes me to wake up in fear that I have lost my wedding rings. "My rings! My rings!" is my cry. This is one dream that I have over and over. My outburst wakes Travis up and he has to soothe me back to sleep, assuring me that my rings are safely on my fingers. Is this strange or what? What am I afraid of losing? I think I am ready to open it up for discussion and psychoanalysis. Besides having the dream where I am at school and have forgotten my locker combination or the dream that finds me at work without clothes, this ring dream is the most common. Anyone want to try their analysis? Oh yes, I also have to endure Trav's laughter the morning after. I need help!

Ready for the Weekend

Take two steps forward, one step back. That is the story of my life it seems. That statement has so many applications. One example is that I pray each day that I will "think before I speak." Not that I am a gossip, but I want to be assured that no one will be hurt by things I say. I'm just glad that I get to start over every day.

Another example where this statement rings true is that I will love my job and everything that I am doing and then some days I just struggle. Today happened to be one of those days. There is no way I'd share details on this blog but it feels good to admit "publicly" that today was a not so great day. Sometimes I wonder if I am allowed bad days. I think most people would be clueless to my bad day 'cause I can hide it quite well but I should think I am allowed one bad day every so often (that is my "one step back" reference).
I am just glad today is Friday. We have no set plans for the weekend except a haircut for me, clean the house, and finish up our taxes.

Random Thoughts

Do you ever pick up a book and want to quit reading it but feel obligated to finish? Obligated to whom, I don't know, but I feel that way much of the time. I just completed "The Eight" by Katherine Neville. It was a 598 page book so that is probably why I felt compelled to finish. It must be that darn reading contest! I wouldn't categorize it as historical fiction - it was more of a fiction with LOTS of fictionalized real historical figures. A little Napoleon, Washington, Robspierre, Richeleau, Wordsworth, Delacroix and the list never seemed to stop! It felt really forced and I hate that! It was also centered on the game of chess of which I have absolutely zero understanding. I am glad it is finished so now I can read "Patty Jane's House of Curl." I need a uncomplicated book so hopefully I won't be disappointed.

Completely different subject - I was in a 2-hour meeting today at work. I ended up skipping out a bit early because the people around me were talking/whispering and speaking out of turn. The meeting was a group of over 120 people. Have you ever been in a meeting like that? They all should know how to be polite and all the components of proper meeting etiquette. These people are supposedly professionals and many had been there for eons. It was driving me up the wall! I left so frustrated.

Topic #3 - I raided my folks CD's and have spent the past couple days downloading them to my iTunes. It is fun listening to music that I haven't heard in a long time.

What is the WORST that could happen?

Interesting experience today. I had an all-day training for work today. I was in charge of all the logistics and such. I didn't get much sleep last night for whatever reason. In the past, if I have been nervous about an event, Trav has been able to "talk me down." He asks, "so what is the worst that could happen?" This gets me thinking about all the possible scenarios and I eventually see that if any of those things occur, I can handle it. Well, one of those worst case scenarios happened. Here it goes...

We were scheduled to use three conference rooms at a Provo hotel for the training. I had reconfirmed just yesterday and all was in order before I went home last night. This morning, I got to the hotel and I peak in the two rooms that we had reserved and there was another group in there setting up food, materials, etc. My heart sank. I went to find the manager with whom I had been working. She was freaking out. Somehow, she had double-booked the rooms. She found out the night before when she had sent the custodial crew into those rooms to set up for our group when the group that had been there all week stated, "we are here for two more days." The poor manager didn't sleep a wink as she tried to figure out what to do. She told me right up front that I could yell at her and that it was all her fault and that there would be no charge. She had set up an area under the stairs and also had cleared out a suite of its furniture and set up tables.

So, what was my reaction? My first thought was that we could handle this. I told her that I had been yelled at enough in business so she was not going to get a yelling from me nor from my boss. We proceed to scramble a bit but eventually got things squared away. I noticed that as people arrived, I was able to calmly share the situation and then assign people to their "rooms" as if this set-up was normal. No one seemed to have a negative experience. The hotel staff handled it as best they could and we rolled on, only about 15 minutes behind schedule.

I have been reflecting upon this all day and what I took away from this experience. Although not ideal, everyone handled it well. The hotel staff could have said "Whatever" and "Sorry, but we can't accommodate you." (Yes, that would have been stupid on their part, BUT they could have reacted that way.) I could have freaked out, cried or completely panicked, but I was so glad that I remained clear-headed and calm. I was also impressed with my entire department. They could have complained about a number of things but they were champs.

I reflected on my own leadership style and the choice that I had to either hinder or help the success of the day. I learned that even when the worst scenarios become reality, I can handle it.

St. George Post II - The End

I love coming home! We had a great time in St. George but there is nothing like coming home!

Sunday: We neglected to take church clothes so we tried to make up for slacking. We read our scriptures. We napped, read, and watched "Work and the Glory." (Doesn't that make up for not going to church??) We drove out to Apple Valley where my father had just sold some property. It is about ten miles from the infamous Colorado City (polygamous community). It was a cold but beautiful day.

Monday: We got up this morning to another cold day. We visited 6 more homes. The above photo was taken at a 10,723 square foot/$5.3 million dollar home. This was one of two pools. It was quite the home. I think there were at least 10 televisions throughout the house. Notice in the 2nd photo, a "TV appears as if out of nowhere" (that is a Friends reference). I have never seen a TV embedded in a bathroom mirror. Wow! Most of the homes today were in the Anasazi/Southwest genre. Not our favorite style but interesting nonetheless.

Overall, great trip!

St. George Post 1

So we made it to St. George at about 9:00 last night. Uneventful drive. We stopped in Fillmore for dinner. It was a diner called "Larry's". I should have known! It took 25 minutes to get our food. I ordered a cheeseburger, no pickles and no onions. So, what did my burger have on it? Huge pickles and lots of chunky onions. So disappointing.
We are staying at the Ramada Inn by the Outlet Mall. It is very comfortable and centrally located. I woke up at 6 AM and couldn't sleep because of my cough. I went into the lobby area and read for about 45 minutes. I came back to the room and slept until 8:30. This hotel has a really good continental breakfast so that was yummy.
After getting ready for the day, we headed out to visit homes. I would say the overall theme this year in design is Tuscany. Lots of browns, yellows and greens. I also think that most of the homes we visited had a lot of wasted space. Who wants a 1.5 million dollar home with only 3 bedrooms? I believe all the homes had pools and outdoor grill areas. Most also had outdoor fireplaces/pits which is a great addition. We hit 7 homes today and we'll pick up about the same number on Monday.
I know some people don't like to go to the Parade because they don't like coming home to what they own. After all the years we have done this, I don't believe I have ever felt that way. I like my house because it is "home" to us. We still enjoy being legal voyeurs though!
We spent a brief time at the Outlet, but didn't buy anything. I remember when it was the place to shop, but it has gone downhill. Finally, we went to Ruby River for dinner and it was delicious! I love their cinnamon yam and the steak was perfectly seasoned!
Until tomorrow...

Chronicles of Feeling Blah

Ok, so I thought I'd chronicle my sick day. You already know that I woke up feeling sick and decided to forgo the work thing. I stayed in bed until about 9ish. I came downstairs in my PJs and posted a blog entry. I then balanced our checkbook and paid some bills. I then checked out drugstore.com and found that they have an FSA store. They have compiled a list of all items that are approved expenses for Flexible Spending Accounts. Due to the fact I didn't have LASIK, I needed to spend about $200 before March 15th or I'd lose the money. I got a lot of things for our emergency medical kit plus miscellaneous healthcare items. I was pretty excited about finding this resource. I checked email and checked in at work (all fine, nothing falling apart due to my absence).
I finally took a shower at noon. I even shaved my legs and deep-conditioned my hair, activities normally saved for Saturdays. It helped me feel better. I read for awhile and then decided to watch/delete some of my taped DVR shows. Some Dr. Phil, some Oprah. I also went through my magazines (recycled a huge stack) and organized a drawer by my nightstand. I then caught up on my correspondence. My mom and Jilly checked in on me today. We had dinner (I had cottage cheese and tasty bell peppers) and Trav had burritos. Leftover night. I packed for our weekend to St. George. Oh, and I did three loads of laundry.
I feel better (2nd day of antibiotics) but I am still coughing and my throat is still sore. So that is it! I hate being sedentary thus the organizational type activities.

Feeling blah

I am home sick today. Sore throat and cough and just generally feeling lousy. I always feel like things are going to fall apart if I am not at work so it is hard for me to stay home. I worry about work so I tend to not really "enjoy" being at home. So what to do today? I always think I will get caught up on my list of projects but I never do. Bills, reading, napping and getting caught up on my taped shows is probably the agenda for the day.
**So, what do you do on sick days?

Will you be mine?

Happy Valentine's Day!
The day started out with the delivery of 3 beautiful red roses to my office. How sweet BUT, we specifically said we weren't going to "do anything" except go to dinner at Macaroni Grill. Of course I love the flowers and was certainly giddy. Trav and I went to lunch and when I came back, there was another delivery. This time, it was an additional 3 fire and ice roses. I immediately called Travis and asked him if he had forgotten that he had already sent flowers. It was all part of the plan!
We had a delicious dinner and then we went to Interior Elements and I picked out this darling black ladder shelf. I love it! I also bought the cute salad plate and bowl, the black easel (on the bottom shelf) and the glass jar with cute stuff in it. This purchase was made possible by my gift certificate from Amy, Jenn, Jana, Michelle & Jill. The shelf sits at the top of my stairs. Thanks gals! I am sure I will reorganize it all the time and it will look different every few weeks.

What to say?

I have the itch to write but not so sure what to say. Well, let's see where I go...

I had a good day at work. Mostly meetings. Trav and I had appointments with the eye doctor. No surgery yet for Trav. The doctor wanted Trav to try some new eye exercises and he'll return in 6 weeks. I received my 2nd opinion on the LASIK thing. Jury is out but more promising than the first doctor I saw. Speaking of jury, I have been released from jury selection for the third time in two months. Anyways, we ran some errands after our appointment and then we came home. I made a yummy dinner - chicken fajitas. I am still licking my lips! Afterwards, we had FHE. We listened to Elder Eyring's talk from General Conference in October. The message that I took away was that spiritual preparedness is not something you can store away or put on a shelf. It was the exact message that I had been thinking about the past few days. I have this drive to continue reading the Book of Mormon and be more thoughtful in my prayers. He stated that inconsistency and procrastination were the biggest hindrances to spiritual preparation. That rang true to me. I did a sharing time on Sunday in Primary on putting on the whole armor of God. It really is the same message as Elder Eyring's. For some reason, I had really struggled in my preparation but I felt that it ultimately went well. If I am being completely honest with myself, I would say that my struggle was whether or not I was clothed in the whole armor. I may have feet shod in the gospel of peace but maybe my breastplate of righteousness is a bit kinked or weakened. I truly want to be a good example to the children and teach with the spirit. I feel a resolve to make better choices and to focus on daily spiritual preparation.

Finishing up the Birthday festivities

Have I mentioned lately that I have incredible friends?? Well, if anyone is new to this blog, let me make that perfectly clear - I do have the best friends!

Last night was another girl-fest! We ate a DELICIOUS dinner at Amy's house. Homemade tostadas (Yummy!) and we had my favorite dessert - Jenn's "Never on Sunday" Sundae. Since it was my birthday, I picked the movie. We watched the 1982 version of The Scarlet Pimpernel (Jane Seymour, Anthony Edwards, Ian McKellen) which is a personal favorite. I was then presented with the best gift - a gift certificate to Interior Elements AND the most incredible "birthday card"EVER (see photo). The "birthday card" description really is way off - it is oh so much more! Each friend wrote about the memories of when we first met plus created an individual page as creative as they are! I still find morsels of goodness each time I pick it up! It is so heartwarming to feel loved and appreciated. I had to bring it in to work and show it around. It is a beautiful thing! I just hope I can be as good of a friend as you are to me!

Well, I have been celebrating my birthday for a whole week now and people are probably saying...whopdeedoo, she's 35! All I can say (to put the birthday thing to rest for another year), is THANK YOU to all those who accept me for who I am, who love me unconditionally, and who support me, no matter what day it is! To all of you, I say "THANKS AND I LOVE YOU!"

My love

I have thought about this post for two days now but haven't had much time to put it in writing. My thoughts are all about Trav. How many husbands would work along side their wives in preparation of having a girl's night out at their home? Well, Trav is just one of those kind. Tuesday night, after having a long day at work (for the both of us), I was all about cleaning the house for a shindig Wednesday night. We worked side by side for about an hour. He never once complained. I can't tell you how much I appreciated his efforts. To him, it is "just the thing to do" with no second thought. For me, it was another expression of love. We each have different "love currency" and that is one for me. Trav - you rock! LYDLL

Happy 35th to me!

What a fun day! I really felt appreciated at work and with my friends and family. I was touched that so many people went out of their way to wish me a "happy birthday." My office associates and student employees are the BEST ever! Trav gave me an iPod Nano which I really, really wanted. We went to the Melting Pot in Salt Lake City. We ate for 2 1/2 hours and it was yummy! The Hills and Addie called, both leaving me sweet birthday messages. I heard from my former boss, Susan. I loved coming home to fun mail - cards from Jilly, Suzie, Kris and Ma & Gary. Thanks to Trav's office for remembering my birthday - I was so touched! We also enjoyed a delicious dinner at PF Changs on Saturday night with my folks, Adam, Maury & Abby and Jennie. Trav wants me to also mention that the Utah Jazz won in OT!!! I guess it was a great day for everyone!!

Birthday Lunch

Wendy(my sis) and Addie (my niece) took me out to lunch at Noodles & Company for my birthday! What a wonderful treat!! We enjoyed yummy food and I felt so special!

What are my favorites?

I have been thinking about this quite a bit lately. I have reviewed my life and have come to the conclusion that I have been way too ambivalent about many things. A distinct memory is when I spent time at Joanie's house as a kid. When she'd ask me what I wanted to eat, I'd say "whatever you are having." That is the type of thing I am talking about. What if I really wanted french toast? Would I ever say? I am sure I was trying to be polite (although she teases me about this type of thing even today). Does this come from being a 3rd child? I am not saying this is a necessarily bad trait, but as I turn the magic 35 (not so sure if it is magic) I think STOP...Express your opinion and say what you want! So the following is what I like:

Favorite Color: Crimson Red
Favorite Foods: Sandwiches, Jenn's Fondue, Amy's butterscotch cookies, and Jenn's "Never on Sunday" Sundae
Favorite Books: Historical Fiction with a little romance thrown in for good measure
Favorite Car: Ok - this one is kind of hard BUT, Trav has been talking about Jags for so long, that I'd say that Crimson Red Jag at Doug Smith Auto is looking pretty great (He never reads this anyway, so don't tell him)
Favorite Book: To Kill a Mockingbird

The following are favorites that I am determined to discover...
Favorite Restaurant:
Favorite All-time Movie:

From this day forward, I vow to ponder my likes and dislikes and proudly state those preferences when asked. So, what are some of your favorites??

Ardeth Kapp came to our Stake Enrichment Night. I have always loved her. The topic was "Finding Peace Through Trials". She challenged us to get rid of the 3 Cs and 3 Ds and take up the 3 Ps.

Comparing, Competing, Complaining

Discouragement, Despair, Depression

Ponder, Pray and Prune

I appreciated her realness. She spoke of her inability to have children. She shared her own situation "not for sympathy but by way of testimony." I resonanted with that statement. She encouraged the women present to search out the reasons and lessons behind their trials. "You are better than you think you are" was oft quoted. She also stated that "self-depreciation is a sin."

Life is hard but as my mom always says, "you can do hard things." I am so glad I went tonight! I was one of the first people there because I wanted to sit front and center. It was a much needed spiritual feast.

I was reading Jill's blog about Whitney's surgery and well, this is our story...

As you well know, our family has had extensive experience with eye stuff. We visited the eye doctor today (actually a retina specialist). It has been 6 months since Travis had his retina reattached and extensive laser treatments. It doesn't seem that the brain is sufficiently doing its job and straightening out the eye. He is going to have to have the same surgery as Whitney! We are going to see a doctor in Provo. I have been seeing him for about 15 years because some medicines I take can cause blindness. I am very good about seeing him twice a year. Anyway, he is the doctor that initially found Trav's problems about three years ago. Looks like he'll be the one to do the 2nd surgery. But to quote Jill, "Argh" on all things dealing with surgery, eye problems and certainly pedantic, chauvinistic, know-it-all doctors. (Trav's retinal specialist is EXCELLENT and so is the general opthamologist we are seeing - only speaking on Jill's post and some past bad experiences.)