It's That Time Again...

Why is it that every holiday has to involve food? More specifically, SUGAR?? I mean, come on. Easter? Chocolates. Halloween? Nothing but candy. Thanksgiving? Pie. Christmas? Oh, way too many to name. And now here we are, staring Valentine's Day down. Another candy holiday. This one is the WORST for me, because I become addicted to those dang candy conversation hearts. I have a bag at work, a bag at home in my nightstand, and... I think there's even some in my primary bag! Oh, I think this is a sickness...

To go right along with the theme of the month (being LOOOOVE, not just candy), yesterday I went to a Bridal Fair at the Sandy Expo Center with my friend Audrey - even though neither of us is engaged, we were curious about it. It was actually really fun! A little awkward, because all the people at the booths kept asking us if one of us was engaged, and when our "big day" was. Neither Audrey or I had it in us to make up some giant story about being engaged (I couldn't have done it with a straight face anyway), so we just went from booth to booth getting free stuff and giggling at all the young brides dragging around pained-looking grooms, and oooohh-ing and aahhhh-ing at the cakes and dresses and decorations. There was also a fashion show, which proved to be really entertaining.

The flower girls were really cute, too:

The grooms and groomsmen were funny, dancing around the stage:

They had some really fun bridesmaid dresses and colors:

It was just really fun to watch!

I was so overwhelmed just looking at all the booths with china, flowers, photographers, cakes, catering, invitations and announcements, dresses & tuxedos, jewelry, and decorations, that I decided that when I get married, I'm eloping. That's just WAAAAAYYYY too much to do.

But it's fun to look at! :)

I Wonder What Would Happen if I Just Kept Going...

I like to drive. I know, it's funny, because I tend to get road rage pretty easy, which honestly isn't that much of a problem anymore because I've been working really hard at not getting upset at stupid drivers, because I know I'M a stupid driver too.

But I digress.

As I was saying, I really like to drive. I love road trips, and I like driving on road trips. There's something therapeutic about it for me. I commute to work every day, from Sandy to Downtown SLC (which, for those of you that may not know, is about 30+ miles round trip). I don't mind the commute, because I like driving. Did I mention I like driving? Maybe I just like driving my car. I love my car.


Anyway, I was on my way to work this morning, and thought to myself - I wonder what would happen if I didn't get off the freeway at my usual Downtown exit, and just kept driving? I've only ever driven past Wendover once, maybe I could visit there; I've never been to Lake Tahoe, I bet I could make it there later today. Or I could visit Lava Hot Springs - never been there either. I have my camera on me, maybe I could go take cool pictures at the salt flats. I COULD go north to Idaho and visit cousins there, that might be fun! Or if I was feeling REALLY adventurous, I could go to Northern California and just stay there for a few days.
I really thought about all this on my way to work! Either I really need a vacation, or I'm just bored, or I have the Winter Blues... You know, one of these days, I really AM going to just keep driving, and see where I end up.

Right along with the blues, it's time for my annual "Kick the Coca Cola Habit" in an attempt to lose a few (dozen) pounds. When I go through this phase, I make it my mission in life to find the most interesting diet drinks. I LOATHE diet drinks - I think aspartame and sucralose are worse for you than high fructose corn syrup. Anyway, I've hit most of the 7-Elevens near my house on the way to work, looking in their beverage cases for the most interesting diet sodas. Twice now I've seen a 7-Up truck in parking lots, and it advertises Diet Cherry 7-Up, which I am desperate to try, but have yet to find. (Diet 7-Up is actually not that bad.)
So the other morning, I'm at the 7-Eleven getting a Diet Pepsi Big Gulp, and I decide to scan the beverage cases for diet drinks, and I come across Diet Orange Crush.

Interesting. I have a case of Diet Orange Sunkist at home, but it has caffeine in it. (WTH?? Who puts caffeine in orange soda???) So I decide to try the Diet Orange Crush (that does NOT have caffeine), and take it to the counter with my Big Gulp. My attention was soon taken from my Diet Crush and focused on the cashier... he had the biggest 'fro I'd ever seen! But my attention was soon taken again to his face, because he was giving me the oddest expression - like he couldn't comprehend my beverage choice. "You're buying a Diet Orange Crush?" He asks me. I stared. "Um, yeah... I was curious about it," I said. He looks from me back to the Crush, and back to me. "That is so weird," he finally says.

Says the man with the giant Afro!! Give me my drinks and let me go to work!

That's my rant for the day. If you've read this far, I will by YOU a Big Gulp and take you on my road trip with me.

Should I be Worried?

Nah... I'm gonna think positive. I'm sure this too shall pass.

HA! Bet you thought this was going to be a political rant! Well, today IS inauguration day, but I don't even want to touch politics right now.

The reason I'm asking myself if I should be worried is because I'm still bored at work! I'm staying on top of all my tasks, getting things done as they're given to me. I'm not behind in my work, like I usually am. So I'm sitting here at my desk, waiting for my mail to arrive so I can sort through it and get going on what I'm sure will be a major task, yesterday being a holiday and all. I'm just hoping that this isn't a bad thing... that my boss won't see me bored and decide to eliminate my job, because I really kinda NEED it. I mentioned something like that to my friend Emily the other day, and she said "Nah - just enjoy it while it lasts." Good advice! So here I am, updating my blog and adding sites for my three followers to visit, and researching anything that I can find on Yiruma. My good pal Erin had me listen to a song yesterday that is said by some to be "Bella's Lullaby" from the movie Twilight - and I found out that it's really not, because it's not on the soundtrack and I can't find anywhere that this song is actually officially associated with the movie. But I totally fell in love with the song, which I discovered is called "River Flows In You." I found a video on YouTube of a live performance ...

Watch it. Listen to it. Love it.

(Maybe someday I'll learn how to post a YouTube video on Blogger.)

In the meantime... the mail just got here! Woo-hoo, job security! :)

Bored. Just a Little.

So it's 3:00 p.m. on a Wednesday afternoon, and I'm sitting at work... bored. Now, let me tell you why I'm enjoying this: MY JOB DRIVES ME NUTS. Sometimes. Well, a lot of the time. And I guess it's not necessarily my job or the people I work with, it's the money-makers in the office - the people I work FOR - that drive me nuts. I won't go into too much detail, but for those who are not already aware, I work in a law office - specifically with the IP (Intellectual Property) group. I call them the science nerds. While extremely brilliant at what they do, trying to keep up with all their individual (and often fussy) preferences can make me want to cut my toes off and hide around corners with a sling-shot and bean them with my bloody digits.

Sooooo... I'm actually enjoying the boredom today. I'm all caught up on my workload - ahead, even. So I've been wasting time on Facebook and worked (ha ha) through my lunch hour so I can leave a little early today and hit a spin class at the gym on my way home. What better way to end my boring - but a little relaxing - day than to sit on a bike that was probably originally designed as a torture device for an hour and pedal my butt off?

OUCH. It's a good workout, though, and I'm tubby enough right now to REALLY need it. So I'm going twice a week. Double ouch.

Where Has the Time Gone??

I can't believe it's January already. I hope everyone had wonderful Christmas and New Year's celebrations! It was a DVD season for me... I got a lot of TV shows on DVD, which has actually come in quite handy this past week or so, since I've been laid up with the mother of all colds. Makes the time pass quicker. (I'm also very thankful for the invention of NyQuil, which enables me to sleep and breathe at the same time.) I'm almost done with the first two seasons of Veronica Mars, and then I'll move on to season 7 of Scrubs or season 3 of Supernatural.... ooohhhhh, I've missed the Winchester boys.

I also got an iHome from my brother Shawn... it is AWESOME. Lets me wake up to my favorite songs on my iPod.

Anyway, now that it's a NEW year, one gets to thinking about New Year's Resolutions, and after weeks of thought, I've only come up with one resolution: NO RESOLUTIONS. They're almost just a joke now. People make them just to break them, it seems. At least, that's what I do. I make resolutions and then focus NOT on the resolution itself, but how long it will take me to break them. If you really think about it, resolutions are just lifestyle changes. Break the word up: re - solution. Re-work a problem so you have a new solution. Change what you're doing, and that should change the outcome. For example, my problem is health. Specifically weight loss, like so many other women. Change what I'm doing - stop drinking so much soda and eating so much sugar and junk food - and the outcome should change. Instead of gaining weight, or idling at the same weight, I should LOSE weight, right? I realize that's kind-of a weak example, but it's the only one that comes to mind, since I actually got on the scale this morning and shed a few tears at the number I saw.

My point, and I do have one, is that resolutions are lifestyle changes - and should not only be made at the beginning of a new year, necessarily. I like the idea - a new year means new opportunities, adventures, and experiences, so new changes in one's life seems to fit right in. I don't blame anyone who makes New Years Resolutions. But for me... I think I'll just stick with no resolutions, and take this year one day, and one choice, at a time.

Anyway, speaking of fitness challenges, I reconnected with an old friend from high school yesterday, and we talked about fitness goals and running marathons and stuff like that, and he got me thinking... he's a natural at running, so he could run a half-marathon tomorrow if he wanted, beating my time after months of training no less. But I got to thinking that once I beat this stupid cold, I'm going to start training again. Maybe I will make a goal to run a marathon in 2010.

And maybe pigs will fly.

Maybe I should just start out training for a 10k...