Dedededadadiddlydee

That's all I got...for now...

Good Golly!

I have achieved greatness... in the form of a grilled cheese sandwich. Perfect amount of butter, which results in a perfect, golden crispy crust...Tillamook cheddar cheese perfectly melted on the inside, and just the right "flatness" to the bread...(ya gotta flatten it with a spatula). My quest for the perfect grilled cheese started years ago, when I would go to Dee's restaurant and order the #9 off of the seniors menu (a big thanks to Dee's for never telling me I couldn't order off the senior menu, since I was only in my twenties). Their grilled cheese and fries cost $2.99 and wow was it great! I still order it sometimes and it is always consistently wonderful! I just never knew the secret, though. I am in my early thirties now, and maybe it seems like ten plus years is a long time to be on a quest of such minuscule importance, but I gotta say...I wouldn't appreciate the art of making grilled cheese sandwiches if it had taken less time to figure out!

Me, my sis and a place called Vegas

I love vacations. There's nothing I enjoy more than to get out of my 10 miles of city and visit another dimension of life. I love the smell of hotel rooms; I love trying new places to eat and most of all, I love meeting new people, even if it's only for a moment. I wouldn't recommend staying at Caesar's Palace though. It seemed like it would be such a nice hotel, but the sheet was dirty and there was fresh blood on a towel in the restroom. The walk in and out of the hotel/casino was about 30 minutes. We actually spent more time walking in and out of the casino than we did on "The Strip"! On a positive note, I absolutely loved the interior design of the hotel room. It was beautiful and chic. White bedspread, with green and brown accents in the room and marble floors in the bathroom. There were two bathrooms; one with a big jetted tub (which we didn't use because we thought it might be contaminated with dirt lol) and very nice toiletries. So even with the downside of things, there were way more upsides, like hanging with my sister and going to Margaritaville. If you go to Vegas, you gotta check it out. It's a cute Jimmy Buffett restaurant and it has a great gift shop, even if you aren't a Parrothead, you'll appreciate it! The highlight of our trip was Snow Canyon. Wow, I love that park! It is always just as beautiful as the first time and numerous other times that I have been there. Word to St George though...Don't ruin this natural beauty by building houses all around this natural park! It really messes with it and you can never undo the damage that urban sprawl causes! Well, that's about it...the wheels in my head are already spinning on where to go on my next getaway!

Utahuh???

Can I go back into hibernation now please?!?

Out of hibernation

So I noticed it's been about 5 months since I've posted. This had made me realize how fast the months go by! When I posted last, I had just moved to an area near Portland, Oregon. That was 6 months ago! So now I'm back in SLC and it's snowing. I'm still adjusting to being here, since no matter what anyone says...every place is different than the next, at least in small ways. I have many new ideas, since moving away and returning. I will say that it was very cool to see Twilight (movie) up in Washington! I saw it when I came back here, and the "feeling" just wasn't the same...maybe something to do with the misty, rainy, overcast weather up there? Too many blue skies here for a vampire to exist happily!

No red rocks here!

Here's a few pics of where I live now. I traded the red, dry desert for blue water and green, leafy trees! What a difference, eh?!

Spring Hike

Flintstones Living Room

More thoughts and words

People who think too much before they act don't act too much.

The above is an excerpt from Where is Joe Merchant?
By Jimmy Buffett

Those words really made me think when I first read them. It seems that sometimes we think things through so thoroughly that we end up not acting upon anything that we've dreamt of, planned on, or set as a goal, because we think of all of the consequences. For me, I tend to think of what people will think of me. I'm very indecisive, and I find myself running in circles of indecision until I end up not acting on any choice. Thinking and thinking and thinking until I think myself right out of everything. Like right now, I can't decide on a way to wrap up this post...so for now, I'll leave it frayed at the end.

Natural wonders

My immune system could only hold out for so long I suppose, because I finally caught the nasty cold/flu gambu that is going around. But as with all things in life, there is usually something good to learn out of the bad...(usually). So I decided to try the herb Elderberry, because a) I was desperate to get over this thing really fast, and b) it was one of a very few natural medicines we had in the house. I had woken up with a terrible soar throat, which I had for three days, and I couldn't sleep, swallow, or breathe. It was 4:30 a.m. and I was convinced I had strep throat, was going to be calling in sick to work, and going to see my doctor later that day. At that early hour, I looked up Elderberry online and it mentioned many benefits related to my cold/flu symptoms. So I took two and fell asleep almost immediately. Wow, I woke up with a very minor soar throat, whereas before I couldn't even swallow my own saliva! It was a wonderful discovery, and I got a peaceful sleep after that, and I went to work and I didn't have to go to the doctor. This is, of course, my own discovery, so it may not work for everyone, but heck, it was worth a try! The second part to the story is...as I was looking up Elderberry, it reminded me of something funny that happened a few years ago. I am an avid leaf collector, and at one point in my life I thought it would be fun to make some little framed, leaf, art pieces and sell them at the farmer's market. So long story short, I picked some beautiful red leaves and put them into five art works. Well, guess what those pretty red leaves were? Poison ivy! I didn't know it until a few months later when I saw a picture at the trailhead that said "Don't touch these! Poison Ivy!" I wondered where that red itchy rash on my hands had come from!

Neat-o words

I keep thinking of things to post, but I just don't take the time. So I decided to start posting a little more often, but they might be more random thoughts. I think it will be more interesting to do that than to wait for important subject matter. I like the idea of spewing frivolous ideas out to you all. So my first one is neat-o words that I really get a chuckle out of hearing. A man from po-dunk called and said "I'll be up a creek...!" It looks like correct English, but it's the way it's said that is the great part. He said creek like "crick". I loved it. I don't get to be around hillbillies as much as my bro in Texas, so when I get the chance to hear (or see) this rare species, I can't help myself! That's the only word I have in my pocket right now, but as soon as I "get" more, I'll post 'em up!

Zest

Zest, passion, interest, or obsession...Me and my sis were talking about what careers we would want to do the for the rest of our lives. She happens to be passionate about helping deaf people, so she is learning ASL (American sign language). She wants to make this her future, besides making money to support herself, she will be helping people, (which I might add is one of her greatest talents). I'm in a place of indecisiveness on what to do with my career. I already took a break from school, so I can step back and look at what I need to do. I have some talent in writing, plus I love to write. I just never take the time to do it, unless assigned at school. So, hmm, the dilemma of moving to a place that I feel comfortable learning to write, as well as having something interesting to write about is what is boggling my mind at this moment.

New year, now what continued...

I really appreciated the comments on the former post "New year, now what?". I thought they were interesting and while I've been giving some thought to the school situation, the comments helped me realize things from different aspects. I feel that I want my college degree, not just for society, but for myself. It is something that I have wanted for about five years, and it is something that I've put a lot of time and money into as well. My dilemma comes in the form of wanting a degree from a university, that I can be proud to say I attended, and successfully getting a major that I will also be proud of. Hopefully the direction I'm thinking of heading is going to fulfill those needs. Right now, I am keeping that stuff to myself, but I will definitely keep you all updated.

Crossing bridges

Quite literally


Crossing bridges


Not in my mind,


But the traveling kind...





Silly poem, but I was just thinking about all of the bridges we cross in our lives as we drive mindlessly in our vehicles. I was reading an online article in VIA magazine, which is the AAA traveler's companion and I realized that I don't appreciate bridges as much as I should. (Here's the link-http://www.viamagazine.com/) The article was written in March 2003, and referred to the architecture of the bridges along the Oregon Coast. My sis and I have traveled over at least 5 of the 8 bridges mentioned in the article. It brought to mind all of the times that we drive over these amazing structures and barely notice them. So I decided to blog about it and hopefully post a pic or two (eventually). There is also a bridge about 10 miles out of Lava Hot Springs, Idaho that I really appreciate. It crosses a 10 to 15 foot stream, but it's a long way down. There are also numerous bridges in Southern Utah that are just downright scary to cross. I'd love to hear about anyone else's bridge "experiences", so if you have any pics or stories, post them on the comments! Thanks!

New year, what now?

I guess the new year is supposed to bring up mostly positive feelings, ideas, emotions, and possibilities, but there are always "leftovers" from the year before that have to be taken care of first. How about college? I've never been a good student; I despised high school, and tried to like college, but after trying to get good grades, graduate, etc., for so long, I'm throwing in the book. I'm taking a break from school...It might not come as a surprise to most, but it does to me. I really thought I'd have graduated by now! It's been yeeeaarrsss! But this isn't all bad, cause guess what? I feel so much relief by making this decision! I didn't feel like I had any part of my soul left. Kudos to all of those who have ever made it through college! You have my sympathy and congrats!

Mixed emotions

I'm happy to say that my cute, independent, Portland-city sis arrived this morning! I'm so happy to see her; it's been at least 6 months! I haven't seen her since before she moved out of C-town! Time flies by us, so it feels just like old times once we get together. She really doesn't like the city I live in, and I'm sure she'll be happy to get back to her life when the end of her visit rolls around, but it's really nice to hang out with her while she's here.

Strange world!

I'm starting to wonder if I really don't like living in the city. I can never make my mind up. I get bored everywhere I go. So the reason I'm "down" on the city is because I have to ride the bus, and I'm unhappy that I am forced to experience the city in this way. When I moved here, I was so excited to just breathe in the dirty, rotten, polluted air; ride the dirty, stinky lightrail (by choice at the time); and watch the weirdos and dirty bums stagger around this lovely place we call a city. I wanted it all! I couldn't wait to leave the country of boring days and even more boring nights. SCRREEECCCHHH!!! And that's where the fun ends...and real life begins. There's nothing like waiting for a bus and being surrounded by grey-bearded homeless men, all the while they are yelling at you for not giving the money, then staring at you with a look that could quite possibly mean "kill". Well, I lived through it thanks to the kindness of a lady that was parking near a car lot and she waited with me until the bus arrived. As The Doors once said, "People are strange, when you're a stranger". In this case, I hope to stay a stranger to those guys, because no matter how friendly I am, they will always be strange.

Having trouble posting

Hi all,
I really am trying to post something new, but for some reason nothing is showing up.

July, really?

Hi all!
I can't believe my last post was in July! I am officially a procrastinator. But hey, here's a short update, then I'll post something really cool another time. First, I'm not in C-Town anymore, though I do miss some of the things about it. I really miss the fresh country air; the beautiful sunrises and sunsets that I could see from the surrounding open land. Okay, that's about all I miss. I am glad that I am living in a city, even if it happens to be this one. I am trying to find cool places to eat and spend my time. So far so good. I found a really cool restaurant the other night called The Happy Sumo, and their food is great! I felt like I was in Portland! It's nice to see that there is more innovation in Salt town than when I lived here before. I'll keep you all updated more often. I think I'm out of my funk and that always makes me happy to post more often.

Moving on up?

I'm moving out of C-town soon, so I guess that is reason enough for the "cosmos" to send endless friends my way. I've haven't hung out with anyone for at least a month, then suddenly this week I made two new friends, (girls!), go figure, not to mention their friends they've introduced me to. All instant friends. I met one girl that is my age, then went out with her where I met the other girl. So friendly, nice, they give me hugs and it feels like I've known them forever.
Secondly, I get a text out of the blue today from a guy I sorted dated when he lived here. He's coming to visit in October; I haven't spoken to him in at least two months! I also met a guy that is from Eugene, Oregon, and I feel bad that I decided not to date cause I'm moving, but wow, he's cute, 29 years old, a fireman, and cute. Oh yeah, said that. There are a few other examples of friends calling me, etc., that I had to turn a few down just to have some alone time! (I know, I'm never satisfied.) So my gosh....I can't help but think...what changed? My attitude about what I am attracting because I'm happy I'm moving, and people are picking up on those feelings, or what?

The mysteries of nature

Guess what that cute little yellow flower is? Here's some hints...it turns red and roundish and it becomes edible produce! This plant is in a pot, on my patio, and I can't wait till they are ready to eat!