These Are a Few of My Favorite Things...

I was all prepared to apologize for my lack of posts this month, but - I really have no excuse. I haven't been at work since mid-December, and I don't go back until the first week in January. Truthfully - I've just REALLY been enjoying my time off! (A little TOO much, I'm afraid; I've gained back 3 or 4 of the 40 pounds I lost!! ACK!!) I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and is getting ready to welcome a new year!

This past month has been a time of reflection for me. A time when I really thought about what truly makes me happy. With all sorts of turmoil churning around us in this day and age, and this incredible country, it's so easy to get discouraged. SO easy.

So, in an effort to be more positive (especially around this time of year), I've made a list of things that make me feel happy and grateful.

Who cares about warring news stations and reality T.V.?? I could watch Mark Harmon and Michael Weatherly and Sean Murray for hours! (And I DO watch them for hours. My brother gave me seasons 3, 4 and 5 of NCIS for Christmas. Woo-Hoo!!!) Don't get me wrong, I'm all about keeping up with current events; but let's be honest, NCIS makes me happy.

AAHHHH. The beach. The beach makes me happy. Especially if the sun is high and the sand is warm. This shot was taken almost 5 years ago in Laie, on Oahu, Hawaii. We truly live in an amazing country - I feel incredibly blessed to be able to experience a few things that the world has to offer, like sun, sand and water - and shave ice from Matsumotos. MMMMMM.

Coke with lime. Preferably from the Blue Iguana in Downtown SLC. Now, I could drink it all day every day and die happy. Of course, if that's all I ate or drank, I'd die young. But OH, I'd be happy! If it were medically safe (and sanitary), I'd drag an IV full of this stuff around with me.

Chocolate. Chocolate milkshakes, Ghirardelli Chocolate, Ritter Sport chocolate, chocolate macadamias, hot chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate milk, chocolate cream pies, chocolate oranges, chocolate cherries. Just thinking about chocolate makes me happy!

My family makes me happy. My parents, wacky brothers, incredible sisters, wonderful uncles and aunts, and the most awesome cousins ever. I LOVE my family, more than I could ever express! And I really shouldn't play favorites, but - I guess I can say that I have a favorite niece! She puts a big smile on my face and melts my heart whenever I see her. I would do anything for this kid.

The temple makes me happy. I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to go to the temple and serve every week. The gratitude I feel every time I walk in the doors is overwhelming. It makes me so happy to know that families can be together forever, thanks to temples, and I am so thankful for the Gospel in my life. I wish I could adequately express how much I love the temple, the Gospel, and the Book of Mormon.

What makes me happiest of all, is my Savior, Jesus Christ. My whole life, I've been taught about His birth, His life and ministry, the Atonement, and His crucifixion. But the older I get, the more it means to me. The more I study the Book of Mormon, the more I learn about Him. I was listening to some of the words to "O Holy Night" and they really got to me: "Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is love, and the gospel is peace. Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother; and in His name, all oppression shall cease." Indeed, His law IS love, and the Gospel is peace. And I've found that THAT is where true happiness lies. :)

Happy New Year, everyone!!!

Camera-less

Happy December! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. My weekend was... well, pretty perfect, actually! Very relaxing and low-key. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of the feast to post, as my camera has fritzed out... I am camera-less right now, and it is SO frustrating. Tonight I was driving home from work, and caught a glimpse of an incredible yellow moon rising over the Mount Olympus, and my first reflex was to grab my camera and get a shot of it; but alas... my camera is sitting on my desk collecting dust. ARGH.

In the meantime, I stole this shot from my brother Mike.

MMMMMMMM.... My mom's apple pie. One of the best things about Thanksgiving - AND Christmas - in my family. I'd peel an orchard full of apples for this stuff!

I Feel Like a Traitor.

When I read the Twilight books, I was ALL about Edward. I know, pretty much everyone was - with a few exceptions. I have a friend at work who liked Jacob better in the books. I wondered how ANYONE could EVER prefer obnoxious Jacob over beautiful Edward.

Now I know.

Seriously, can I switch my 'Team Edward' shirt for a 'Team Jacob' shirt??

Obviously I saw New Moon over the weekend, and while it was over-the-top cheesy and dramatic, I came away with a (dirty-old-lady, as Mug puts it) crush on Taylor Lautner. He's all I hear about when I hear people talk about the movie, and OH MAN - so worth it. But, as my sister Kate reminded me, I am 15 years older than the kid. (Thanks for the reality check, Kate.) He's still fun to look at, though. In the books he was whiny and obnoxious and Edward was selfless and beautiful. They kinda swapped roles in the movie, I thought - Edward was whiny and dramatic, and Jacob was... *drool* I almost want them to change the movies so Bella picks Jacob instead of Edward.

Almost.

So Over It

Good grief, is it the middle of November ALREADY??!? It's Thanksgiving next week, I can't believe it!! Guess I better get busy making apple pie filling!

I have SUCKED at life today. No, I take that back, I'm just really annoyed. And there is good reason for it - the Panguitch police are out to get me. (Or it's just PMS.) While travelling home from Phoenix last month, I got a speeding ticket going through Panguitch. My speedometer said I was going 38 in a 35, but the stupid cop said he clocked me at 45 in a 35. Well duh, the speed limit was 45 coming into town! When I saw the sign that said 35mph, I began to slow down; apparently not quick enough, though. So he gave me a ticket, not even listening to my reasoning, and I sat and bawled for ten minutes after he left. (My poor parents didn't know what to do, I was a wreck.) I decided to call Prepaid Legal (BEST SERVICE EVER, if you're interested let me know), and an attorney there went to bat for me at the Panguitch Court. She called and tried to file a Plea & Abeyance (which means I'd pay $50 extra, and not get any traffic citations for 3 months, then they'd wipe the offense off my record); but I found out today that the judge denied my request, saying that I had to have a clean record for three years before he'd consider a plea, and I'd gotten a speeding ticket in SLC about 6 weeks before (which I deserved, I admit). The attorney reasoned that before that, I hadn't gotten a speeding ticket in over NINE years. But the judge still said no, he "saw a speeding pattern emerging" and wanted nothing to do with me. Damn you, you money-grubbing Panguitch bast - uh, jerks! (Pardon my language, I was really upset.) So, I'm stuck with another $90 ticket and more points marked on my record, and zero respect for Panguitch Police and Courts.

SO OVER IT. I'll follow the wise advice of my brother Mike, and not waste any more mental energy on it, and just hope that all that happened for a reason.

ANYWAY, I thought I'd post a couple of pictures of my Halloween costume from this year - one of the best yet!

PIRATE! Not bad, huh? This was compliments of my good friend Holly, who is an amazing seamstress with an awesome imagination - and a VERY good friend to lend me this amazing costume. So much fun. Mar, Muti and Dan came for the festivities at my office, and they brought Addie with them. She is such a character. I baby-sat Addie for a few hours last Saturday night, and she seriously cracks me up. She combed my hair, watched Surf's Up with me, and played hide-and-seek with me. Apparently, one of her favorite places to hang out is under the end-table by the couch:

I told her to say "cheese" and that's the shot I got. She melts my heart! I'm such a sucker for this kid, seriously. She makes me forget all about the Panguitch nut jobs and feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Aawwww...

This Calls For a Celebration!

WARNING: Long rant ahead!!

Not too long ago, I was having a conversation with an old acquaintance from when I was growing up. She asked where I was working these days, and I told her that I worked as a Case Assistant for a law firm in Downtown SLC. She asked the usual questions - what was the firm called, where is it located, do you know so-and-so, and then she asked how long I'd worked there. I've been thinking about my reply ever since.

7 years. 7! SEVEN! S-E-V-E-N.

This is a big deal to me, because I've never worked ANYWHERE longer than 3 or 4 years. In high school I worked at a Chinese fast-food place in the mall for all of 3 months, and then at a dry cleaner for about 6-8 months. I worked at a Deseret Book retail store for 3 1/2 years, and at their corporate office for 6 months. I worked for Franklin Covey as a receptionist for 2 years, and then as a Certification Coordinator for two years. Then I came here, to my current job at a law firm, and... I'm still here! And I have no intention of leaving anytime soon. Partly because of the current job market, and partly because... well, the more I look elsewhere for jobs, the more I realize how good I have it where I am. I've had my ups and downs - anyone that knows me knows that I've looked for other jobs the past few years because I was feeling kinda "stuck" in my current job. So I went out looking for greener pastures. But the closest I came was a field with a few green weeds. Nothing could really compare to my current job's benefits and compensation programs. Not to mention the fact that I ADORE the people I work with (I don't know what I would do without my Emily friends at work), and my current supervisor is WONDERFUL.

So - I think I will stay here, until they decide to kick me out, or until a miracle happens and I get married and my spouse moves us out of state.

Another reason I'm celebrating is because, FINALLY, I am a few short days away from finishing my (extremely restrictive) diet program. I know the last post I mentioned my weight loss on, I told you I'd lost around 22 pounds. Well, the grand total (depending on the type of scale I'm on) is... *drum roll*

38-40 pounds. GONE. Adios. Buh-bye. And GOOD RIDDANCE.

I feel no awkwardness in telling you all (well, those of you who don't already know) now that my diet program is the HCG Injection diet. If you want to read about it, click here. I went through a clinic, and met with a physician and nutritionist. I went in for weekly weigh-ins and vitamin shots, and made sure I wasn't losing structural fat or muscle. Now, in a few short days, I will re-introduce cheese and a little bit of bread into my diet. (Pictures of me to come soon, I promise.)

I learned SO many things on this program. Firstly, I was not eating as well as I thought I was; I took a good look at the "nutritional" value in most things I ate, and - no wonder I was chunky, I love junk food. (Who doesn't?!?) Granola bars, diet soda, 100-calorie snacks, and oatmeal are not as healthy as the vendors want you to believe. Secondly, I learned that I drank WAAAAYY too much of soda. I've not had any in over two months, and guess what? I don't miss it. At all. I may let myself have it two or three times a year (special treat on my birthday, Christmas, and maybe once in the summer), but that's it. I witnessed what I let it do to my body, and it will never happen again. Third, I learned that I have self-control - a LOT of it - buried under my cravings for food. I just have to let it out. I also learned that the things I thought tasted so good don't actually taste that great. After months of eating only fresh and natural foods, I cheated a little on Halloween and had one fun-size Snickers bar. Oh, I enjoyed every little bite. Then, the aftertaste took me by surprise... it was GROSS. The candy tasted so processed and chemical-ish... I don't think candy will be that huge of a problem anymore. (I hope.) I think my taste buds have changed.

SO - after all that, my reward was a Cafe Rio salad. Of course, I've only eaten the lettuce, chicken and pico - and not even so much as a little nibble of the tortilla - but it is still delicious. Such a great way to celebrate.

MMMM. Cafe Rio.

Halloween and the Road Trip from...

A week ago, I went to Arizona with my mom and dad, because dad had a work conference to attend, and I thought it might be fun to take some time off work and goof off with mom for a few days. We drove, taking my car, to save on airfare costs, and next time - we're flying. If there is a next time. It was a loooooong drive, and toward the end, I started to feel like Richard from Tommy Boy - my car came home with a big dent in the back, and two cracks in the windshield, not to mention a stupid speeding ticket in small-town Utah. (I refuse to pay it because it was so ridiculous, I'm SO fighting on this one.) If I have the heart to, I'll post pictures of my poor banged-up car at a later date.

We stayed at a Hilton Resort Hotel that was nice, but a little outdated and nothing to really write home about. But what I (in all my Halloween geekiness) loved most about the room was the room number:

Muahahahaha!! (I know, I'm such a nerd.) What are the odds we'd get room number 1031? I'm convinced it wasn't a coincidence. Hehe.

Arizona was beautiful - perfect weather, around 85 degrees. It's always fun to see different kinds of cactus. Even better is cactus with the ever-glorious palm tree.

The drive TO Arizona was AWESOME. The scenery was so gorgeous, I took tons of pictures through the windows, since we didn't really have time to stop much. This is a shot of Lake Powell from Page, AZ.

We went to church on Sunday, and Monday mom and I goofed off in Phoenix and Mesa. We went to the Outlets at Anthem to shop a little, and then we headed into Mesa to find the cemetery where several of our ancestors are buried - looking specifically for my great-great-grandfather, polygamist Benjamin F. Johnson. When we found his grave site, we discovered that wife #5 was buried next to him - Sarah Melissa Holman, who also happens to be the wife that I am descended from. So, here is me with Benjamin F.

After we were done looking around the cemetery, we went and found the Mesa temple to take pictures of. SUCH a pretty temple - although, I have yet to see an ugly temple, let's be honest. Anyhow, we had a fun time exploring Phoenix and Mesa a little!

The drive home was just as pretty as the drive there - we got into Southern Utah at sunset, and I couldn't resist a picture or two - through the bug-spattered windshield.

When I got to work on Thursday last week, it was time to dive into preparations and decorations for Halloween. Like I said in an earlier post, our floor's theme for decorations was a graveyard. Mug did a GREAT job with these gravestones (that we were supposed to write our own epitaphs on):

It was so fun. Spooky, cobwebby, creepy. LOVED it. When I walked into the office, I saw what people on our floor had been up to - they did such a great job with our Stoel Rives Cemetery!

That is the always-fabulous Mug, creator of the awesome gravestones, standing in the doorway. Everyone should have a friend like her, she ROCKS. Anyhow, the decorations were fantastic - the other floors were phenomenal. The Candy Land decor turned out to be awesome, and one other floor made their floor look like a pumpkin patch. SO fun.

The Halloween party at work was a hit, and I'd say Halloween itself was pretty successful. Fun weekend, all in all.

And now - it is NOVEMBER. Time to gear up for a Thanksgiving feast! The Holidays are upon us, people - let's enjoy them! :)

Happy Halloween!

Forgive my lack of posts... I've been busy and out of town and... well, not much going on to speak of, until the last week or two. I'll post pictures of my trip later, and of Halloween costumes and parties. But for now... These are pictures of one place my mom and I visited, and I think it's appropriate for Halloween!

This is the Mesa, AZ cemetery. I have ancestors buried there, and mom and I went to find them while we were in Arizona. But - it's a cemetery, and it's Halloween today, so - enjoy!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Halloween Nerd

Wait, no - not a nerd, an enthusiast. I get really enthusiastic about decorating for Halloween - particularly at work. I've been helping put on the Halloween party here at work for... I think this will be my 6th year. It is SO MUCH FUN. All for the kids, but - who doesn't turn into a kid on Halloween?

Anyway, this year we're having a decorating contest, to see who can make their desk/area/office look the best for Halloween. I heard that one of the floors our firm occupies is going to deck out their entire floor as Candy Land. Not to be outdone, I (along with a few friends) have enlisted several people to help decorate our floor in a graveyard theme, muahahaha!!

I stole the picture from my sister Marianne... I believe it was taken at the cemetery that inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula. Is that right, Mar?

Oh, our floor is SO going to win this contest. I went to Halloween U.S.A. on my lunch hour and got a bunch of stuff to use. This is going to be AWESOME.

HHMMM... maybe I AM a nerd.

T.V. Junkie

I guess I ought to be more specific. I am an NCIS junkie. When I was dog/house-sitting a few months ago, I watched a lot of television, because there wasn't much else to do. I came across a show I knew my parents liked to watch, so I decided to sit and watch an episode or two.

I was hooked.


I'm sorry, but Mark Harmon is... dreamy. He plays brooding, ornery Agent Gibbs well, and the chemistry the whole cast has is just awesome. You can't help but develop a crush on McGee, want to be buds with Abby the Girlie-Goth, wish you were tough like Ziva, want to give Ducky a hug, and want to slap Tony in the face. I just love it.

Anyway, on to more important things... such as OCTOBER!!! Fall leaves, football, Oktoberfest, hoodies, pumpkins, and HALLOWEEN. I've been listening to my Halloween mix on my iPod (which you are getting a taste of right now, if your sound is turned up!) and I love it. I think I might actually have to use my down comforter tonight - it's chilly in my room!!

A few weeks ago, I went camping with Steve, Shawn, Kate, Mar, Jesse, and Addie. We went down to Zion's for the weekend, and it was SO pretty! Kinda warm, but gorgeous down there. The boys hiked the Subway, and us girls took it easy and hung around camp, drove into town, and went on a little "hike" (more like a nature walk) to Weeping Rock. Other than a bit of rain we got on Saturday night, it was pretty much perfect!



Addie is such a good camper. Good thing, because she'll grow up doing it a lot!


Such a ham.

Anyhow, I know you probably can't tell really well from the picture of me above, but as of today, I've lost 23 pounds. I feel better, sleep better, and my clothes fit better... they're even getting too big! Emily A., I will probably need more pictures soon! *wink wink*

Happy October, everyone!

Well THAT Can't be Right...

First of all, thanks everyone, for your positive reinforcement! You don't know what it means to me, to know that I have "cheerleaders" of sorts, rooting for me. :)

When the lab results came back from my most recent round of blood work, I was told that my thyroid wasn't functioning properly, and that I needed a mild medication for that. (Great - ANOTHER medication to go with my bad cholesterol medication.) So I am currently treating bad cholesterol and a mildly dysfunctional thyroid. Lovely. Well, at least I know why I've gained a bunch of weight during the past 6 months. But it's time to get rid of it.

I mentioned in my last post that I was going to do something about it, and go on a strict diet. Well, I wasn't kidding. I'll tell you more about how I'm doing it in a later post, but let me just say that the weight is starting to come off, FINALLY. As a matter of fact, I stepped on the scale on Monday or Tuesday, and saw the number and thought, "Wait, THAT can't be right." So I tried two or three times, but yep - it registered a 12-13 pound loss. That's right, I said loss. Don't worry, I'm still eating and going for walks, I'm not starving myself, or letting my muscles get flabby.

So far, I feel a lot better, my clothes are getting baggier, and I still have energy (except when I sit in front of a computer all day, which is... oh yeah, EVERY day). Like I said, I'll explain more later about the program I'm doing, but in the meantime, I'm learning a ton! I discovered that I tend to retain a lot of water - probably because of my love of soda and salty Mexican food. So, if anyone else out there has that same issue... here's a remedy.

Health Tip: Drinking hot/warm lemon water helps rid your body of excess water weight. Real lemon juice is a natural diuretic and combining it with warm water helps it get through your system faster. Sounds crazy - getting rid of water with water? But it works! :)

Never Challenge Satan to a Duel

*SIGH* I can't believe it's September. I really look forward to fall, but - for some reason, I'm having a hard time letting go of summer this year! Ah, well -- I will embrace the coming season change, and get ready for the leaves to change color, hoodies, football, and - HALLOWEEN! That's always cause for celebration!

At the beginning of the summer, I was feeling pretty good about myself. I was keeping busy with work, and I was actively working out, and I was loving working at the temple on Saturday mornings. I felt like I was in a good place, mentally and spiritually - invincible, almost. Like nothing could touch me. I was driving home from the temple one Saturday morning, feeling particularly untouchable, when I said to myself, "Nothing can bring me down now; do your worst, Satan, you can't touch me!"

I don't know what made me say it in my mind. Who would think something like that? WHY would they think that? I don't know - pride, I guess. (Huh... I guess he COULD get to me.) In any case, I was thinking that he couldn't touch me spiritually, because I felt so strong. But I failed to be specific in my dare, and boy did I ever learn a lesson! Satan certainly has his ways of getting to you. I may still be spiritually strong, but since that day, my self esteem has gone steadily down, while my weight has been creeping up, up, up - in spite of doctor's visits and all the exercise that I like to do. Whatever discipline I had physically has been faltering, and I know that if I don't do something, I'm going to crash and burn - and, judging from the number on the scale, it would be a heavy and fiery crash!

So, with the help of my sisters, I decided to visit a diet & nutrition clinic, get some tips, and start an extremely rigid diet and exercise program. It's going to be hard - no more Coke with lime! - but it's going to be healthier for me overall. I made a goal to run another half-marathon next summer (I'm insane, I know), but I can do it. I'm going to get my weight and health under control. I'm going to stop eating donuts...


...and start eating more apples. :)

(AND stop challenging the devil.)

The Dusk of Summer

I got so depressed tonight when I walked into the Shopko and saw all their Fall decorations out. Come ON! It's 97 degrees outside! We've only had one real month of Summer, thanks to all the rain in June! LET ME HAVE MORE SUMMER!

Well, I DID get to go camping and barbecue up Big Cottonwood Canyon a little over a week ago for the 24th of July weekend, which was nice. My brother-in-law Jesse grilled hamburgers over the campfire. MMMMM, delish. We didn't have a spatula, so Jesse used his hatchet.


I always forget what it looks like up there; the majesty of the mountains never ceases to amaze me. I think it was my sister, Kate, that said that going up that canyon makes her feel like she's actually on vacation somewhere else, a million miles from home. It's nice that to "get away from it all" we really don't have to go any farther than our own backyard. Awesome.

Angels or Demons?

Well, they look like angels here... but man, they can really turn into demons when they're "playing."

These pooches belong to a co-worker's family - the Andersons - for whom I've been house/dog-sitting when they leave town, for probably over five years now. I think Festus (the black Lab) and Nikita (the Rhodesian Ridgeback mix) are the 5th and 6th dogs I've sat for them. They are also the most active ones, by far. Trump, Gus, Forrest and Emma have since passed; now it's Festus and Nikita.

Festus is pretty needy, he likes to come up behind you and put his head (well, his whole body, really) between your knees, and he's REALLY cuddly. Nikita likes to bite - don't leave a hand hanging by your side or it might get bitten off! She's the alpha dog in the house. But in spite of their quirks (like all dogs have), they are really fun, and I always feel safe in the house with Nikita The Attack Dog.

So this is how I spent July 4-15... feeding, walking and playing with two fun dogs. (Plus the Andersons are pretty generous when it comes to compensation. No complaints here.)

HP6

Saw it. Loved it.

Can't wait to see it again!!!

Happy 4th of July!

I know, I know, it's July 8th, not the 4th. But since I'm home sick with an obnoxious cold, I thought I'd update my blog with some pictures of some of the things I did over the holiday weekend.

On Thursday night, I was able to go to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house with some friends and their family members. It was one of the best experiences I've ever had, since I went through the open house with non-members, and was able to answer (decently, I hope) some of their questions about the temple, and Mormonism. They were some of the neatest people I've ever met! And the temple was, of course, beautiful.


Friday I got up and took the dogs for a walk - as you can see, they don't care much for pavement.



It was a gorgeous day for a walk! I think we went about a mile and a half - long enough for those silly dogs, I'd say, judging by the tongues hanging out of those mouths.

Then mom and I met up with my sister Melissa for lunch, and after tossing around different places to eat, we settled on this:



Oh yes. That is lunch and dessert in one. These guys have A-MA-ZING food, I highly recommend it! They're located on 300 South, Downtown, just past 300 West, due north of Pioneer Park. DELISH.

As for the actual FOURTH of July, I was lazy, barbecued with my family, and started dog/house-sitting for some friends. (I'll post pictures of Nikita and Festus later, they're so hyper I don't know if they'll stay still for the camera!) I didn't watch any fireworks, unfortunately, and feel the need to repent of my lack of gratitude. I haven't been feeling very patriotic lately, and I must apologize to America - the land of the free - and to those men and women who gave their blood and lives for our freedom. In spite of what's happening to our country now, watching more and more freedoms being swept out from under us, and several corrupt leaders, I must thank God for this land - it is a chosen land, and He is watching over it - and us. I feel very blessed to live here, and to know that our founding fathers built this great nation on true and everlasting principles.

God Bless the USA!!!

What I've Been Up To Lately

I've been a busy little beaver lately. Between work, working out and working at the temple, I have:

Helped my sister and brother-in-law paint their basement: (That's my brother Steve, scratching out my message to him that he stinks.)



Volunteered at an "exchange" for the Ragnar (Wasatch Back) Relay Race in gorgeous Huntsville, Utah with my brother Dan:



And spent a couple of nights at The Grand America Hotel with my mom and my sisters and my cutest-ever little one-year-old niece, where we napped, got manicures and pedicures and massages, shopped, saw movies, and ordered takeout from P.F. Chang's. This was the view from our room:


Spectacular.

Next up: Camping during the 4th of July weekend, the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house, dog-sitting at the Andersons, and the midnight showing of the upcoming new Harry Potter movie!

I think I might sleep for a week straight when the summer is over.