Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Funky Furniture

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

My front room is kind of an awkward shape. It's long and skinny, and then makes an "L" into the dining room. I've never really known what to do with the corner of the room, so I've just had a round glass table back there to fill the space. With the purchase of my fireplace, I knew I needed to do something different. I wanted a sitting area by the fireplace so I could actually enjoy it! I went out in search of chaise lounge to fill the space, but couldn't find one that I really liked. Instead, I fell in love with this chair and ottoman in a funky floral pattern. The blue and lime green don't exactly match the rest of the decor in my house, but I thought it was something fun and a little different. It fills the space well and brightens things up a bit. I'm excited to curl up on my chair and read a good book, enjoying the warmth of the fire.

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Monday, December 28, 2009

Hitting the Slopes

Monday, December 28, 2009
I think I can count on one hand how many times I've been skiing in my life. I remember going a couple times in elementary or middle school when the school would have ski nights. The last time I went was in 1998. It was night skiing and it was icy and windy and I didn't have the best gear so I was freezing cold. I was so tense as I skied down the mountain that I really didn't enjoy myself at all. Well, unfortunately that one bad experience surfaced in my memory each time I thought about skiing or friends talked about getting a group together to go skiing. Because of that one experience, I decided I wasn't really a winter sport person and never gave skiing (or any other winter sport) another chance.

On the other side of the spectrum, my sisters have been big into the winter sports for years. They both started out skiing and are now into snowboarding. With an entire week off of work, I decided to finally give skiing another try. Beki and I went up to Bogus this morning, got our bunny hill passes and were ready for a day of fun. After a few runs down the hill, I joined a couple of my coworkers for a group skiing lesson. Once the lesson was over, Beki and I got a couple more runs in so I could practice what I had learned.

So after about five hours on the mountain, I am happy to announce that my outlook on skiing has changed! I stayed warm and didn't fall once and actually enjoyed myself the entire time (even though those boots are some of the most uncomfortable things ever!). I don't know that I'll ever be a hard core skier, but I can definitely see myself going up at least a few times each season. If only I could be teleported to the top of the mountain... I really hate driving on those curvy roads - at least they weren't snowy or icy!


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Thursday, December 24, 2009

Prime Rib, Crab, and Lots of Laughter

Thursday, December 24, 2009
What a fun evening! Since Mandi and TJ are having Christmas dinner with TJ's family this year, we decided to do a big Christmas Eve dinner. In my opinion, we only need turkey once a year at Thanksgiving and ham once a year at Easter. Don't get me wrong, I do like turkey and ham, but they aren't on the top of my list of favorite meals. A few weeks ago I texted my mom and said that I thought we should have prime rib or crab legs for Christmas dinner. My mom texted me back, "Mmmmmmm.... or maybe both!" So that's what we had tonight - prime rib AND crab legs with homemade rolls, potato casserole and salad. Let me tell you, it was totally delicious!

After dinner, we continued with tradition by each opening one present. I got volume 1 of the Old Testament Made Easier. I love these books because they have the entire scripture in the book, plus notes, quotes, definitions, and commentary, so you don't need to have more than one book out while you're studying the scriptures. I've got all the Book of Mormon and Doctrine & Covenants books, so I was excited to get my first Old Testament book since that's what we'll be studying in Sunday School this year.

After presents, Mom, Dad, Beki, and I went over to Grandma and Grandpa's house for a visit. Earlier this year, I attended a Simply Fun party where I got some fun, unique games, so I brought a few of them for us to play. We ended up playing games for a couple hours and laughed our heads off. I seriously can't remember the last time I laughed that much. Thanks everyone for a fun and memorable evening!

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Monday, December 21, 2009

Hanger Snob

Monday, December 21, 2009
A few years ago, my Aunt Kathy game me a box of black velvet hangers. I have to admit, at the time I thought it was kind of an odd gift (sorry Kathy!) - I had already replaced all metal hangers with plastic hangers and wasn't sure why I needed these "fancy" velvet hangers. Well, sometimes it takes a while for things to grow on you, but I LOVE these hangers now. Here are some of my favorite features:
  • They are thin, making more room in your closet - WAY thinner than the plastic hangers... more room for more clothes!
  • The velvet makes them non-slip, so no worry about tanks or other shirts falling off the hanger.
  • I think the clothes just hang nicer on the velvet hangers.
Okay, this might be silly, but I am officially a hanger snob. Last year I bought another box of velvet hangers so I could completely get rid of the plastic hangers in my main closet. The plastic hangers were all moved to my secondary closet where I hang older t-shirts and sweatshirts. The only problem was, when I bought new clothes, I didn't have enough velvet hangers anymore (unless I moved something to my secondary closet or put it in my DI pile)... so a couple weeks ago I went out and bought another box of velvet hangers :-) I now have enough hangers that I can get rid of my plastic hangers all together (except for maybe my front coat closet). Thanks Kathy for introducing me to velvet hangers!

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Faux Fur Throws

I remember the first time I went to Jen's house to watch a movie - I curled up on the large leather chair with a Pottery Barn faux fur throw blanket. The blanket was so warm and so soft. I never really imagined having a faux fur blanket, but I fell in love with these. The only problem was that they were expensive, but I have been watching for sales! Last year I got a deal on a small, thin tan blanket, and just this weekend I used a 20% off coupon on an already reduced large brown one (second from the bottom in the picture). I know... you now want to come over and curl up on the couch with one of my blankets. Well, you're welcome any time!

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Toasty Warm

When I bought my house almost 6 years ago, the one thing I wanted that the house didn't have was a fireplace. I decided for my Christmas present to myself this year (I don't think there's anything wrong with buying yourself a present!) that I would buy a fireplace! I looked for several months and was discouraged with everything I saw - most were small or the fire looked fake. A few weeks ago, I finally found a brochure with a fireplace I wanted and placed my order immediately. It was delivered and installed today and I love it! It's large and is a beautiful piece of furniture. I'm excited it came before Christmas so I can decorate the mantle and hang stockings!

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Sunday, December 20, 2009

FEED Bag

Sunday, December 20, 2009
Jen mentioned a few weeks ago that she was excited to give me my Christmas present... and yesterday I found out why she was so excited. She gave me the coolest present ever - a FEED bag. I had never heard of or seen a FEED bag before, but I quickly found out the amazing meaning behind the bag. The purchase of my FEED bag feeds a child for an entire year through the UN World Food Program.

According to FEEDprojects.org, over 350 million children go to bed hungry each night. Hunger and malnutrition kill more people than AIDS, malaria, and TB combined. In fact, every five seconds a child dies because he or she is hungry. I think it's exciting that Jen and I can make a difference for one child - the meal that they receive as a result of the purchase of my FEED bag may be the only meal he or she will receive all day. And look what kind of company we are in - celebs such as Jennifer Aniston are helping with the FEED mission too! Thanks Jen - I it's absolutely perfect.

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I'm Done!

I bought my last couple Christmas presents yesterday, and everything is wrapped and under the tree. Less than a week until Christmas :-)

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Saturday, December 19, 2009

2.5 Miles in Leg Warmers

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Today was the annual YMCA Christmas Run. This is my favorite race of the year because everyone dresses up in Christmas costumes. I went shopping last night at the Costume Shop to try to fun something fun to wear. I was originally hoping to find some Santa skirts, but was stoked when I found some fuzzy red and black leg warmers, and then found scarves and hats to match. I'm guessing these were Beki's first pair of leg warmers, but it brought me down memory lane... leg warmers, stirrup pants, etc :-) We ran the short course - 2.5 miles, but I was excited to run the entire way without walking. I haven't been running in quite a while, but it actually felt good to be out there. Maybe I'll have to pick it back up again. Here we are at the end, sporting our leg warmers!


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Jealous


As a season ticket holder, I got to buy Fiesta Bowl tickets prior to them being available to the general public. As I mentioned before, I can't go to the Fiesta Bowl because it's during a vacation blackout period at work, otherwise I would spend my New Years in sunny Arizona. I ended up getting tickets for a co-worker's brother. They came in the mail this week, and I am more than a little bit jealous. I totally want to be there! I guess just holding the tickets in my hand for a couple minutes and then watching the big game on my projector in my own home will have to suffice.

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Every Little Bit Helps

I have started frequenting a sandwich shop in one of the buildings on campus for lunch. This particular shop takes your order on a brown paper lunch sack, and then uses that sack to put your food in. I always felt so wasteful, taking sack after sack, day after day. I had thought about telling them I didn't need a sack, but that's how they keep their orders straight, so that wouldn't work. One day last week my co-worker Mark was telling me how he and another BSU employee were discussing with each other that they should just keep their lunch sacks and bring them back the next day to reuse them. I think they were joking, but I thought it was a great idea! Not only am I reducing my footprint, but I don't have to tell the sandwich shop people every day what I want - it's already written on my bag :-) I figure every little bit helps!

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Thursday, December 17, 2009

Anchor Ourselves

Thursday, December 17, 2009
I have always been horrible at journaling. I remember when I was younger, my mom would sit us down on Sundays to write in our journals. I think I have two completed journals for the first 26 years of my life. Kinda sad. Anyway, not sure why blogging is easier for me. This blog is mainly a record of the things I do on a daily basis. I wanted a place to record things that I didn't necessarily want the world to know, so I last year I started a private blog. I don't post on my private blog much, but when I do it is usually related to personal thoughts or something surrounding my religion/faith. I debated about posting this entry on my private blog, because that's where it "fits", but for some reason I decided to post it here.

Last Sunday I attended a missionary farewell for two wonderful people who will be serving a medical mission in Ghana for the next 18 or so months. They will service 8 missions in Africa, which consists of about 800 missionaries, and will be on call 24/7. I am excited to hear about their adventures (and hope to even get over there to visit)! Anyway, part of the message that was shared at the farewell had to do with a sailboat. Anchoring a sailboat is an important part of boating. You need to anchor the boat just right so that the bow of the boat always points at the anchor, regardless of the wind or the current. The sailboat is like us, with the anchor as Christ. Do we face the Savior, regardless of what is going on in life, regardless of what storms come our way? I appreciated this comparison. I truly want to be like a sailboat - to always have my focus on Christ. I want to be more like Him, to do the things He would want me to do. This is my goal.

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The BCS SUX

I heard this on the radio this morning and thought I would post it here as well!

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Saturday, December 12, 2009

New Friends and Fondue

Saturday, December 12, 2009
Not sure how many times I can say this, but I love fondue :-) However, doing an entire fondue meal (cheese, main dish, and dessert) is a lot of work, so I don't do it very often. In fact, I don't think I've done a full fondue meal since January 2008!

Anyway, tonight some of the people I've met through BYP came over for fondue dinner. Camille and Willie, Kimberly and Scott, and Michelle joined me for an evening of dipping and grilling. It was fun to get to know them a little better and I think everyone had a good time. Mmmmmmm. I am SO full right now!

We got to talking a bit about blogging, and I was disappointed I hadn't taken a picture to document the evening. Kimberly suggested I take a picture of my kitchen at the end of the night - I think she might have been joking, but I decided to do just that! Unfortunately this picture doesn't do my kitchen justice :-) With three courses and new dishes for each course, there are dishes piled on every bit of counter space I have. Thank goodness for dishwashers! I just loaded it up and started it, and I have at least one more load once that one finishes. My goal is to do as little hand washing as possible.

Thanks everyone for a fun night... We'll have to get together again!

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Thursday, December 10, 2009

Going Bowling

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Well, we did it again. Boise State is headed to the Fiesta Bowl on January 4th. Hip hip hooray! My sister Mandi gave me the coolest gift tonight to celebrate - Tostitos chips and blue & orange M&Ms :-)

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Tuesday, December 08, 2009

I Am a Popsicle

Tuesday, December 08, 2009
This morning it was -2 degrees. Tomorrow it's supposed to be warmer... low of 3 degrees, high of 18 degrees. This sucks!

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Sunday, December 06, 2009

Fireside and Fondue

Sunday, December 06, 2009
Tonight was the First Presidency Christmas Fireside... I loved the messages that were shared about remembering the reason for this Christmas season, serving and loving others, and making sure our priorities are straight. The music by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square was beautiful.

Following tradition, several friends came over after the fireside for dessert fondue. Just like last year, we talked and laughed for several hours. We even pulled out the leftovers part way through the night for "round two"! I promised them that I would have everyone over soon for a full fondue meal. Have I ever mentioned how much I love fondue? :-)

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Saturday, December 05, 2009

I Have No Fingernails Left

Saturday, December 05, 2009
Oh my goodness, what a game. No, I'm not referring to the somewhat boring 42-7 win over New Mexico State by Boise State (thanks for joining me Candice!). I'm talking about the Texas v. Nebraska game tonight. I was literally screaming at the tv and I can't bite my fingernails any shorter. If Nebraska beat Texas tonight, then Boise State probably wouldn't get a BCS bid. But Texas made a field goal with 1, yes ONE, second left on the clock to pull ahead of Nebraska and pull off the win. Wahoo! I am looking forward to Selection Sunday tomorrow, where Boise State is expected to get a bid to the Fiesta Bowl. I can't head to Arizona because that's a blackout period for vacation at work, but party at my house on Monday, January 4th!

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Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Christmas Toes

Tuesday, December 01, 2009
So I know it's probably weird to post a picture of my feet on the internet, but I love my latest pedicure. My friend Erin opened a salon last month... I knew that she had a lot of up-front expenses as a part of opening the salon (i.e. purchasing product, a shampoo chair and bowl, etc.), so I pre-paid for 10 pedicures to help out. I figured it was a win-win! Anyway, I decided I wanted fun toes for Christmas, and that's what I got... sparkly red with green jewels. Thanks Erin - I love them :-)

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Monday, November 30, 2009

November 30

Monday, November 30, 2009
I am thankful it's the last day of November and the last of my daily thankful posts! No, really, today I'm thankful for my little brother. I guess younger brother is a better way to put it since he towers over me and affectionately calls me a shrimp :-)

BJ is one of the handiest people I know. He is a super hard worker - at least when he wants to be! I appreciate how he helps me out when I need him, such as fertilizing my lawn or helping me move heavy furniture.

BJ is a sophomore in college and is majoring in welding. I stopped by his welding shop last week and was completely impressed with what I saw. He is in the middle of making a trailer. He designed the trailer himself and you can see in the top picture how his welding is coming along. The bottom picture is of him cutting the metal that will line the bottom of the trailer. He is also building sides, a gate, and a ramp for the trailer. I can't wait to see the finished product... hopefully sometime next month. Great job BJ!

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Sunday, November 29, 2009

November 29

Sunday, November 29, 2009
A couple years ago, I had an idea for a Christmas present for Mandi and TJ. I didn't finish it in time for Christmas, so gave them something else instead. I have been working on the gift on and off over the last two years... it has been a lot more work than I thought it would be. Anyway, I finally finished tonight! I am thankful to be done and that Mandi and TJ will finally get their gift this Christmas :-)

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Saturday, November 28, 2009

Cutie Pie

Saturday, November 28, 2009
I think my nephew Tanner is a cutie. I especially love his cheeks :-)

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Christmas Decorations!

I love decorating my house for any season, but Christmas is especially fun. I picked up some really soft pillows and a blanket for the couches in my front room to make it look a little more festive.
I also decided on new table decor this year. I think my dishes are super fun! I am excited to entertain this season!
And I love that I have two Christmas trees... the large, pretty tree with white lights and red and gold decorations is in the front room.
And the tall, skinny tree with the colored lights and the fun decorations that I have collected over the years is in my family room.

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November 28


As you know, my family has a tradition of decorating gingerbread houses each year for Christmas. The last couple years, my mom has made extra house pieces so I could invite a friend to join us in this tradition. Mandy and her son Noah joined us again this year and we all had a really fun time. I loved listening to Noah describe how he wanted to decorate his house... he really liked using "patterns" in his decor. I guess he's been learning lots about patterns in his class at school :-) And I LOVED Beki's house this year - she made a log cabin complete with a sledding hill... how creative! My house looks surprisingly similar to other houses I've made in the past :-) Anyway, today I am thankful for my generous mother, for not only making me gingerbread house pieces, but also making house pieces for Mandy & Noah!

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Friday, November 27, 2009

November 27

Friday, November 27, 2009
This is the third year that I attended the Idaho Foodbank's Empty Bowls fundraiser. This year was different in that it was SO cold! The wind kicked up while we stood in line (for over an hour!), and I was very anxious to get my warm bowl of soup. As we stood in line, though, we talked about what it might be like to have to stand in line for food every day, to not have the luxuries that we enjoy. The experience was definitely a little more meaningful than in the past.

Once we made it through the line, picked out our bowls, and got our soup, we made a beeline for the car and turned the heater on full blast. My butternut squash soup was DELISH! I wish I knew which local restaurant donated that specific soup, because I would definitely go get some more :-) So today I am thankful that I can put food on the table, and that I can heat my house and my car!

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Thursday, November 26, 2009

November 26

Thursday, November 26, 2009
I am thankful to have grandparents that live less than 3 miles from my home. They actually lived in my neighborhood the entire time I was growing up, so as kids we could easily walk or ride our bikes to their homes. I have great memories at grandma and grandpa's house, including homemade grape juice and popcorn as a fun evening snack, the basket of toys in the closet at the bottom of the stairs, making forts out of the couch cushions, homemade waffles for Saturday morning breakfasts, playing Sleuth (the best computer game ever!) on their computer, etc.

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving by having dinner at grandma and grandpa's house. It was good food in a comfortable surrounding with great people!

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Wednesday, November 25, 2009

November 25

Wednesday, November 25, 2009
I am thankful I was able to get my hair cut today! I should have had my hair done three weeks ago, but of course I waited until the day I wanted my hair done to call and get an appointment... and surprise, surprise, my stylist Sherilyn was booked out until today. Needless to say, I was definitely looking forward to my cut, color, and style this afternoon. Thanks Sherilyn!

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

November 24

Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Last month, we rolled out two very large projects at work. I'm not sure what I was thinking setting the same go-live date for both projects, but that's what we did. Of course I wanted the roll-outs to be smooth and for everyone to love the changes and for the projects to be successful. Overall, I do think we had successful roll-outs of both projects, but they weren't perfect, that's for sure.

One of the projects we rolled out was waitlisting - allowing a student to get on a waitlist if a class is full, and then moving them into the class as seats become available (either because a student in the class drops or the department increases the capacity of the class). Pretty cool if you ask me... much better than continually checking back to see if the class has opened up. Throughout the last month since we went live with waitlisting, over 1650 students have been moved off a waitlist and into a class, and there's still almost two months until school begins. I know we'll see a lot more movement.

Anyway, I've been stressing out over the last couple weeks because we discovered a flaw in the process that we somehow missed in our testing. That's the hard thing about software testing - trying to think of each possible scenario. We spent hours coming up with a manual work-around for this semester, and I begged Jim (our development manager) to get a project scheduled in January so we could address the issue prior to Summer registration (which begins in February). We had a meeting yesterday with Jim and one of our very favorite developers ever, Greg. Greg used to be a dedicated Student Records developer prior to a reorg that happened amongst the developers in January, so we were excited to have him assigned to help with our waitlisting problem. He had done some research and offered several suggestions. We agreed to try one of the solutions, which both solved our problem and wasn't a very invasive code change. I think Greg had the change made in a test environment in like 5 minutes, and it looks like it will work for us! We will do some more testing over the next couple days, but I'm hoping the fix will be in our production environment as early as next week. Today I am thankful for Greg - for his knowledge and his expertise and for being a super star developer. He made it so I will sleep better tonight, and tomorrow night, and the next night... :-)

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Monday, November 23, 2009

November 23

Monday, November 23, 2009
Today I am thankful that I own my home. Well, technically I'm still paying for it, but it's mine and I love it. It's funny to think how different it looked almost 6 years ago when I bought it. I've really changed almost everything... the paint, counters, cabinet hardware, lighting, bathrooms, floors, kitchen counters, appliances, blinds, landscaping, etc. When I come home at night, I am happy and completely comfortable in my home. It is warm and inviting and has a good feeling about it. And it's 100% me.

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Sunday, November 22, 2009

November 22

Sunday, November 22, 2009
I'm thankful it's a short work week! I am taking vacation Wednesday afternoon for a hair appointment, and then have Thursday and Friday off work for the holiday, so that means only 2 1/2 days of work this week. Lovely!

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Saturday, November 21, 2009

November 21

Saturday, November 21, 2009
Today I am thankful for a winter-ready yard! It's amazing how much work keeping up my tiny yard can be. I have just under 1/5 of an acre, but with all my mature landscaping, that means hours of work each fall to rake all the leaves, trim the bushes, cut down the perennials, etc. After today, however, the snow can come... my yard is ready. Thanks to the Bradleys for helping me get it that way! I think there were 13 bags of leaves, trimmings, and lawn clippings in total.

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Friday, November 20, 2009

November 20

Friday, November 20, 2009
I had been looking forward to the Boise State vs. Utah State football game for a while now... not because I thought it would be a really great game, but because some of my coworkers and I had planned a road trip to Logan to watch the game. I am thankful to Mandy and Mike who let me bum a ride to Logan with them. I loved seeing all the cars traveling down with Boise State car flags and car magnets. Other people donned in blue and orange waved as they passed us on the freeway or gave us a thumbs up. At the rest stop and the gas station we chatted with other Bronco fans headed to the game like we were all old friends.

I was totally impressed with what a $40 dollar a night hotel room looks like in Logan. Can't get much cheaper than that! We stayed in a Super 8... complete with a microwave, refrigerator, and free continental breakfast.
The game was a blast. We all thought it was going to be freezing, so dressed in tons of layers and came prepared with blankets, hand warmers, foot warmers, mittens, etc. It ended up being much warmer than we thought and we were all comfortable throughout the game. In fact, I don't think we ever even zipped up our coats (granted we had on several layers under our coats)!

It was also fun to see my college roommate Emily, even though it was only for a few minutes before we headed to the game. Emily was so sweet and brought us some popcorn for the game. She also took our picture... Here's some of the crew: Mike, Mandy, me, Jami, and Jason.
And here we are at the game - Kim, me, and Mandy. Our Broncos rocked once again and crushed the Aggies 52-21.

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November 19

I am thankful for friends that are crazy enough to join me for midnight showings of popular movies :-) Tonight Kris and I endured high-pitched squeals of delight from the teenage girls who joined us in our theater for the movie New Moon. They especially got excited whenever Jacob was on the screen with his shirt off :-) The movie was great, but now I'm off to bed... gotta get a little sleep before boot camp in the morning!

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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

November 18

Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Today I am thankful for my good health! Each year, Boise State hosts a Health Fair for students, faculty, staff, and community members. I took some time to drop by the Health Fair today and it was really great... there were lots of booths with excellent information. I always love the Idaho Dairy booth - probably because they give out free chocolate milk and string cheese :-) I was also excited to see Brett Adler there, organizer of the Boise Rec Fest. Brett is creating the Rec Fest to fill the void left by the River Festival and as a way to celebrate and promote the recreational opportunities we have here in this great state. I am definitely looking forward to the Rec Fest and hope to become more involved.

My favorite part of the Health Fair was the free chair massage I received! I had actually been thinking I needed to schedule a massage because my muscles have been sore and tight (probably because of my killer boot camp classes). Anyway, it was so nice to relax and have someone work out the knots in my back.

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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

November 17

Tuesday, November 17, 2009
I remember trying to change the oil once in my 1980 full size Chevy Blazer when I was younger... I was definitely not a fan. From the pictures, you'll see that I probably wasn't really much help, and that my dad and BJ did most of the work...
Anyway, today I am thankful that there are places I can take my car to get the oil changed so I don't have to change it myself! I used to take my car to WalMart to get the oil changed, but anyone that knows me knows that I am not a fan of WalMart, and I really didn't like walking around that store for an hour while they changed my oil. So I started taking my car to a shop close to my home and would just read while they were changing my oil. Well, three months ago, I got smart! I realized that I can get my oil changed at Sears, and then I can spend the 30-45 minutes walking around the mall :-) Definitely the perfect scenario. Oh, and look what else happened today - my Blazer hit 100,000 miles! It was actually at 99,999 when I got to work this morning, so I drove around the parking lot until the odometer clicked over so I could get my picture!

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Monday, November 16, 2009

November 16

Monday, November 16, 2009
Both my college diplomas hang on the wall in my home office just above my computer monitor... I think about all the years of hard work that I put into receiving those two pieces of paper, and I am glad that I stuck it out. Believe me, I had a break down or two when I thought I wouldn't get the grades I needed, but I somehow pulled through. I have always believed education is important, but think so even more now that I work at Boise State. So today I am thankful for my formal education... and I hope to have the opportunity to further my education in the future.

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Sunday, November 15, 2009

November 15

Sunday, November 15, 2009
I can't wipe the smile from my face right now. I love my baby sister Beki! Okay, so maybe she's not really a baby (she's a sophomore in college), but I remember when she was a baby :-) Thinking of her makes me smile. She is one pretty cool girl - I often wish I was more like her. She is so fun and easy-going. She's got the yellow personality, whereas I'm all red with a little blue in the mix. Anyway, we were texting back and forth tonight, and I'm so excited for her to come home next week. We've got some fun plans... hitting Empty Bowls, going to the Boise State game, etc. I am thankful that Beki is my sister. I found this picture on Facebook, and it made me love her even more :-)
That made me realize I never blogged about going to visit Beki and Sunny in Rexburg a few weeks ago! I think I didn't blog because I was bummed that somehow my camera ate my pictures :-( I loved my visit with them. Not only did I take a much needed break from work, but I completely enjoyed eating Thai and cupcakes with Beki and my cousin Katie (who I've only seen a handful of times in my life!), going jean shopping with Beki in Idaho Falls, and chatting and watching Gilmore Girls with Sunny. I also oooohed and awwwwed over Sunny's amazing food storage. She's got this great storage room with shelves and shelves of food, much of which she grew in her garden and then canned herself! I was totally impressed. I'm hoping to spend a week with Sunny learning the ropes of canning.

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Saturday, November 14, 2009

November 14

Saturday, November 14, 2009
I am thankful for Costa Vida :-) I know I've blogged about Costa before, but I really think some days I would starve without it. I love those delicious sweet pork salads with the vinaigrette dressing. Mmmmm... I could seriously eat them every day. Good thing that Costa is only a mile from my house so that I don't have to drive far for my sustenance!

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63 to 25 = Domination

That's right, Boise State creamed the Idaho Vandals in today's game. The dominance was partly due to an excellent BSU offense and defense, and partly because of the SEVEN Idaho turnovers. Yep, seven. Sorry Vandals, but you were no match against Bronco Nation. Even though it was freezing cold (with highs in the 30's), Jarom & I had a great time watching our Broncos score, and score, and score again. Can't wait till next week's game!

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Friday, November 13, 2009

November 13

Friday, November 13, 2009

Every other month, I get together with some friends and we make scrapbook pages. I know it sounds silly, but I am thankful for these evenings that we have to spend together. I used to really be in to scrapbooking. I would think in scrapbook - ya know, taking a bunch of pictures at each event and imaging the cool layout I would be able to put together. Well, for the last three years, I've thought in blog. It seems like so often now, I only take one picture at each event, because I only need one picture to post on my blog... But when we together and create a page layout, I remember how much I really enjoy scrapbooking as a creative outlet. I've been having fun taking lots of pictures and actually getting them printed. I've even put pictures on some of my scrapbook page layouts :-) I'm really hoping to get back into scrapbooking this winter and finally get through some of my boxes of pictures. Wish me luck!

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Thursday, November 12, 2009

November 12

Thursday, November 12, 2009
My Blazer is cured :-) Today I am thankful to have my Blazer back and running... and I'm thankful to my mechanic who, even though he is retired, replaced my alternator the day he came back from vacation!

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Wednesday, November 11, 2009

November 11

Wednesday, November 11, 2009
I am thankful for all the men and women who serve and have served this country so that we can enjoy our freedoms. Happy Veteran's Day!

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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

November 10

Tuesday, November 10, 2009
My sister Mandi and her family moved to Boise a few months ago. I don't think I've lived in the same town as Mandi since college. Tonight Mandi invited me for a delicious dinner of ribs, mashed potatoes, and salad... she knows me well! The food was great and so was the company. I got to learn about Mandi's latest coupon adventure (she saved over $40 and only spent $3!) as well as TJ's adventures at the hospital (he's in his 3rd year of medical school). I am thankful to live close to Mandi, TJ, Hailey, and Tanner and look forward to spending more time together.

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Monday, November 09, 2009

November 9

Monday, November 09, 2009
I love Fall... I love the changing leaves and the cooler weather. I love the colors of fall - the oranges and reds and yellows and browns. Fall is definitely my favorite season when it comes to decorating my house :-) I am thankful to live in an area where we get to experience all four seasons!

Here are a few pictures of my fall decor...

My table - same as last year!

Sprucing up the living room

On top of the armoire
Entry way wall hanging

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Sunday, November 08, 2009

November 8

Sunday, November 08, 2009
I'm not really sure why, but today was kinda rough for me. There wasn't anything particularly wrong, I was just kind of down. Jen and her dog Tucker dropped by tonight to cheer me up. We sat and visited and went for a walk... simple, but it really made a difference in my day. So today (and always!) I am thankful for Jen and for her friendship.

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Saturday, November 07, 2009

November 7

Saturday, November 07, 2009
I have really struggled to get to the gym over the last few months, and I have been feeling really out of shape... I'm hoping to remedy this by attending boot camp up to 4 times a week (as well as hopefully making it back to the gym on my lunch breaks). Today I am thankful for my trainers at Fit Physique - for their encouragement and for helping me to get motivated! That external support really makes a difference for me!

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Friday, November 06, 2009

November 6

Friday, November 06, 2009
I am thankful the Broncos pulled out a win over La Tech... otherwise I might have had a heart attack or something. I seriously almost had to stop watching the game. But I'll take a 9-0 record!

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Thursday, November 05, 2009

November 5

Thursday, November 05, 2009
My car died this morning on my way to work... I think it might be my alternator. Bummer. And of course it died right as I turned onto Ustick out of my subdivision. I was able to get into the suicide lane just as my Blazer came to a stop, but it was no fun because that's right where the road widens and the middle lane begins, so it's a pretty narrow suicide lane. I am SO thankful for my cell phone! I called my dad, who immediately left work to come rescue me :-) What did we do before cell phones???

I turned on my hazard lights and waited patiently for my dad... While I was waiting, two nice men pulled over and helped me push my car out of the middle lane and into the subdivision across the street from mine. A couple minutes later, one of my neighbors (Robert Zufelt) pulled up and offered to jump my car. His wife Anita had seen me stuck in the middle lane while on her way to work and she called him and asked him to come help me. When he didn't see me on Ustick and didn't see me in our neighborhood, he stopped by my house to see if I was there. When I didn't come to the door, he drove around until he found me. That was so nice! It took about 10 minutes charging my battery before I could drive home on my own... where I met up with my dad. We hooked my Blazer up to a battery charger for the day, and I was able to borrow a car from my parents to use until the mechanic can fix my car. So today I am thankful for all the nice people who came to my rescue when my car broke down!

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Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Halloween

Wednesday, November 04, 2009
I was a vampire for Halloween this year. My favorite part of my entire costume was my teeth. I actually got these cool vampire teeth and made a mold so they fit in my mouth and they looked pretty real (although I kind of talked with a lisp when they were in!). For Halloween night, we went to a party at Jared's house... Jen had helped plan and decorate - Jared's house was completely decked out with large bats, spiders, cobwebs, fake body parts, blood, a fog machine, etc. We had a lot of fun watching the USC v. Oregon game, eating lots of yummy food, making caramel apples, playing a game, chatting, etc. Thanks for a great party Jen & Jared!

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November 4

Yesterday I had the chance to serve as a volunteer at the cannery. I love that it's pear season - the cannery smelled delicious! I had a different job this time than I've had before - I worked toward the front of the line. Once the pears were washed, they came to my area, where we put the pears on a machine that would peel and slice them. The machine would grab the pears every few seconds, so it took a little more concentration than the quality control jobs I have had in the past, but it really was a lot of fun.

I read that between the 14 LDS canneries across the nation, 1 million cans of food are processed each year... that's a lot of food! Today I am thankful to have a good job and that I can put food on the table. I am thankful for the opportunities I have to serve others who are down on their luck or who are in need at this time.

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Tuesday, November 03, 2009

November 3

Tuesday, November 03, 2009
I am thankful that I live in a democratic country where we can vote for who we want to represent us and lead our cities and our nation. Today is election day, so I took the time this morning to stop by the polls and cast my ballot. The only elections going on are for three city council seats, but do you realize how much the city council affects us? Most of the laws and policies that affect our daily lives are at the local level, not the federal level. Policies surrounding urban development, parks, libraries, utilities, etc. typically fall under the city council's pervue... so don't forget to vote!

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