Sonic Happy Hour

I just had to share something exciting I learned. I haven't been feeling that great, so I only went into work for a few hours today. On my way home, I decided to stop by Sonic to get a Diet Limeade - kind of like a 7-up with fresh lime in it. I discovered this drink a couple months ago - it's super refreshing. Anyway, I ordered a medium drink, and was shocked when I was told my total was 84 cents! When I pulled up to the window to pay, the cashier repeated, "Eighty-four cents, please." I hadn't heard wrong! When he handed me my cup, I realized why my drink was so cheap - there was an advertisement on the cup saying there is Happy Hour every day at Sonic from 2-4pm, with half priced drinks and slushies! I thought this was a pretty good deal, and wanted to pass it on :-)

Special Olympics

I have had the privilege the last couple of days to volunteer for the Special Olympics. Idaho was selected as the site for the 2009 Special Olympics World Games. As a kind of trial run for those games, they are holding a winter invitational this week. There are athletes from all over the nation and the world - Kuwait, China, Rhode Island, etc. with plenty of athletes from Idaho. Having volunteered for the SLC Winter Olympics in 2002, the volunteer experience of these Special Olympics games have seemed super unorganized to me. Everything from waiting in line for 2 hours to get my schedule to arriving at the opening ceremonies yesterday and nobody knowing where I was supposed to go. But watching the events, I have really been able to put that behind me. Yesterday, I had the honor of walking out onto the floor of the Opening Ceremonies with the Chinese athletes and delegates. You could tell they were so excited to be there. It was amazing to be a part of that. And today I volunteered at the floor hockey event. I was the "keeper of the gate" - each 9 minute period was broken into 3 minute segments to rotate the athletes. When the buzzer went off every three minutes, I opened the gate to let them off the floor, cheering and giving high-fives as they passed by. I've included a short clip of the Kuwait vs. Lewiston, ID game. These athletes truly were inspiring to watch, and I can't wait for the opportunity to volunteer at the World Games next year.

I Am Such a Crybaby :-)

I am not super sensitive in my every day life, and it's not that I cry all the time, but I do seem to cry a lot in TV shows, movies, and books. My mom tells stories from when I was younger of how I would sit on the floor crying as I read a sad part of a book. A couple months ago, I watched The Ultimate Gift - boy was I glad I watched it by myself. I literally sobbed - not just cried, but sobbed - through the entire movie. And even tonight, as I watched the last 30 minutes of Biggest Loser, I cried and cried when Mark volunteered to take one for the team and was voted out. It's not like he was my favorite player or anything, but it was a touching moment. I realized tonight that I really need to have a box of Kleenex in every room for just such occasions!

Beautiful Afternoon

I have been waiting for today for several months... This afternoon I took my first motorcycle ride of the year :-) It has finally started warming up, and the street sweepers have removed most of the sand from the major roadways (they dumped tons of sand on the road this winter because of all the snow). So this afternoon when I saw that it was over 50 degrees, I grabbed my gear and headed out. Oh how I have missed riding this winter! I love how my senses come alive when I ride... sight, sound, smell, touch. I really become much more aware of my surroundings. The snow-capped mountains, the blue sky with ominous black clouds, the cool air against my face... All I can say is that I am definitely looking forward to Spring!!!

Phew!

I just got home from my second successful ward activity as Activities Director and I'm exhausted! Tonight was the annual ward adult dinner. Now this is no small feat. I have seriously been stressing over this dinner for weeks, even waking up at 4:30am Thursday morning and 3:30am yesterday morning going over all the details in my head. I'm talking a four course meal for about 150 people - meatballs for appetizer, salad for the second course, a main dish consisting of prime rib, potatoes, carrots, and rolls, and finally brownies and ice cream with raspberry sauce for dessert. Add to that coordinating setting up the tables, decorations, finding youth to seat the adults and serve dinner, a Newlywed game activity, cleaning up, and doing lots and lots of dishes. I definitely can't take credit for it all. I couldn't have done it without a committee who helped plan and set up, the Jones family who purchased and cooked the food, my parents who helped in the kitchen, my sister Beki and her friends who jumped in at the last minute when we didn't have enough youth to help serve, and countless others. It ended up being a lovely night, and I think everyone had a nice time. Thank goodness the next activity is much more low key - a talent/variety show at the end of April :-)

Lunar Eclipse

Tonight we have the privilege of enjoying a total lunar eclipse. Over the last couple of hours, I have looked out the window probably a dozen times to see the eclipse's progress. I just think that an eclipse is beautiful - it is amazing how the sun, earth, and moon can align so perfectly. I'm glad I took advantage of viewing the eclipse tonight, as the next total eclipse isn't until December 21, 2010 - and who knows if I'll be able to see it from Boise.

National Chocolate Mint Day

Did you know that today is National Chocolate Mint Day? I was stoked when I read this post this morning, as chocolate and mint is one of my favorite combinations. How do you celebrate National Chocolate Mint Day, you ask? Well, by eating mint oreo cookies (they are absolutely sinful) and drinking Starbucks mint hot chocolate. Yummy!!! Thanks for the treats Ry!

I Can't Stand Omarosa

With nothing on tv over the past couple months because of the writer's strike, I have turned to reality tv. My one show of the week right now is The Apprentice. I watch it every week, and without fail get mad at Omarosa. She has got to be one of the most annoying people in the world. I seriously can't stand her. She lies and manipulates and is just plain mean. Ugh, she makes me SO mad! Donald Trump really needs to fire her so I can enjoy the show a little more!

Not Your Typical Nail Technician

I got a call last week from my sister Beki asking if I wanted to get a pedicure with her. Of course I said yes - I love pedicures :-) She made appointments for us at a nearby nail salon and I met her this morning. I was surprised to see who would be doing my pedicure - a bigger guy with low rider pants, a ponytail, tattoos on his arms, earrings, lip ring, etc. Just not the typical nail technician and definitely not what I was expecting! He did an awesome job, and I not only got a foot massage and my toenails painted, but for an entire hour, I sat in a massage chair. Ohhh that felt SO good! And to top it off, it was half the price of some of the pedicures I have received in the past. I will definitely be back!

Our Broken Primary System

This has been bugging me for a while now, so I thought I'd post about it. I am really frustrated with our primary system. As a resident of Idaho, I feel like I will have no say in who the Republican presidential nominee will be, as the nominee will likely be decided before I even have a chance to vote. Idaho's presidential primary will be held this year on May 27th. Only three states have Republican primaries after Idaho - New Mexico, South Dakota, and Nebraska. From a quick calculation, approximately 95% of all delegate votes will already be determined before I vote. What are the chances that the last 4 states to vote will make an impact or change the final outcome? Probably not that great. My guess is a 0% chance. There may be only one candidate left on the ballot by the time May 27th rolls around.

I believe it is my civic responsibility to vote for the candidate best represents me, but how can I do that when half the candidates have already dropped out of the race? Why is it fair that someone in New Hampshire got to vote for their favorite of four candidates, where I will only have one or two to choose from? I have always been told that every vote matters, and have made an effort to go to the polls (or request an absentee ballot) for each election. It is discouraging to realize that my vote will likely not matter in the upcoming primary. I hope that something changes in the next four years to "fix" our broken system so that the primaries are not so spread out. Can anyone give me a good reason for the way the current system operates?

Obama in Boise

Over 14,000 people packed into the Taco Bell Arena in Boise this morning to listen to Presidential candidate Barack Obama. And I mean packed. Almost every seat was full, and people were standing at the back of each level of the concourse - in some cases 4-5 people deep. I am glad I decided to attend this morning (thanks to Ryan, Mike, and Emily who saved me a spot in line!). I have been impressed with Obama since the beginning of his campaign. I appreciated the time he took to come visit us, even though our state is one of the smallest in the country in terms of number of delegates sent to the national convention. He spoke on important issues such as healthcare, education, the war in Iraq, and taxes. He even acknowledged those of us Latter-day Saints who are mourning the loss of our Prophet today. Obama this morning was professional, polished, had a sense of humor, and is attempting to bring people together with his message of hope. Even though, as a Republican, my views don't align exactly with Obama's, I believe he truly has the potential to bring about positive change in Washington if he is elected President.

Here's to the Writer's Strike

Have you ever seen the Will It Blend clips? I think they're pretty funny. In fact, I subscribe to Will It Blend with my Google Reader. This clip came out today and I thought I'd share. And in case you were wondering... yes, I'm still sick of the Writer's Strike!!!