"You's a Fine MF, Back that {thang} up"

That's right ladies... Back that THANG up!  And by thang, I mean hard drive.

Late Sunday evening, my computer took a turn for the worse.  My beautiful little Macbook... a full blown toddler now... suddenly froze.  I did what any wonderful mommy would do and hit REBOOT.  I waited lovingly for the computer to restart but nothing... just a sad sad black screen.

Finally... after much sweet-talking... the screen came back to life! I was elated!  Until I realized that this was not a normal toddler tantrum... this was bad... oh VERY bad! 

It was a blue screen with a blinking blue file folder that contained a blinking blue question mark.  Never has "?" looked so ugly and vile! Screw you, Vile Screen!

I immediately texted my computer savvy friend (Rob):
"My computer freaked out and now I have a blinking file folder with a "?" in the middle... is this bad?!"

Much to my despair... he called to let me know that my wonderful little laptop has gone cu-putz. 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It's a hard drive problem... which means, he could possibly salvage some stuff by running some sort of fancy computer disk or I can pay a lot of money to have it professionally done but either way, I need a new hard drive and whatever isn't backed up is LOST!  Yes, on an island of missing photos and damaged files.

Ohhh.... the sadness.  I actually cried when telling my husband... but HEY, that is where I have stored EVERYTHING since I moved to Utah!  My digital storage unit is a complete loss. 

So... a word to the wise... back up!  And OFTEN!   Luckily my husband bought me a hard drive for Christmas so I have backed up sometime between then and February.  The problem is that I can't remember what I backed up!  I know I got some photos, but what about my tunes?!

Oh, it will be a long road to Macbook recovery but here's hoping I backed up more than I thought I did!

In the meantime, I will be sporadically using my husband's laptop to fill the Macbook void.   Oh sweet addiction.

Barack On!

Back when we lived in Vegas during the last Presidential Election, J and I were given stickers featuring Obama that said "Barack On!"  .... I thought it was the most hilarious/amazing piece of political merch and have been hooked on the silly little saying ever since.

And... I can't not say how truly excited and thrilled I am that OBL has been brought down!  It is such a day of jubilation and joy... not for his death as a man, but for his death as a symbol of hate and fear. 

I felt honor that a man so hated was still given a proper burial.  I think it showed tremendous respect to honor a man's depth of religion even if he would not grant us the same courtesy.  Obama's address to the nation continued to show the utmost class and I appreciated his mention that the war has never been against Islam. 

I wonder if the announcement will burn in my memory alongside 9:02am on April 19, 1995 or September 11, 2001.   I hope that one day I will recall the tragic tale of these events to our kids and I will speak of his death as a moment of hope for the American people...  that we are resilient and strong as a Nation.  As a People.  As Friends.  As Family.  As Human Beings.

I hope nothing more than that we continue to learn from all the misfortunes of the past so we continue to make better choices in the future.  

Well done Mr. President!  I've been behind you from the start and am still proud to call you our President!

When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy. -Proverbs 11:10

Dear Bands: A Letter of Douchebaggery

This past Friday night, my husband and I went to see a band who was playing a local bar in SLC.  This band is really talented and put on a GREAT show.  They generally tour with larger bands so seeing them in such a small venue with a small crowd was exciting.

The show went off without a hitch!  It happened to be the singer's birthday so a surprise birthday cake was brought out mid set and all the band members wore birthday hats, etc.   It was one of the most fun shows I have been to in a while.

With that being said..... I have to take a minute to vent about one of my biggest pet peeves...

Fake Encores. 

That's right.  FAKE Encores.

Don't do them.  They are ridiculous and make you look like idiots!  Such a buzz kill for an awesome set!  This was the second band that's done it this month.  And with none of my usual sober grace, I believe I loudly cackled laughed and made it known that it was a STUPID poor choice for an otherwise awesome band. 

I blame the IPA. They were delicious.  My phone reminder to blog about this scenario alerted me today like this: "Dear bband: a leTter of deuchebqggery"  ... like I said, the IPA's were delicious!

Onward with the rant...
If you did a heck of a job, your fans will want you to play an encore... GREAT!  Do it!  But don't plan it ahead of time.... save your best songs for the end... and then proceed with a planned out, stupid finale.

Not only does it make you look like a douche-bag, the fake "goodbye" before is always terrible where bands end up looking like they're running off stage before they pee their pants.  Not attractive.


Instead, play your little heart out, engage your fans and have a good time!  You can always tell when bands are performing because they have to rather than performing because they are actually enjoying themselves and having fun.  Your crowd will then no doubt ask for an encore, and when that happens... play an older song that hasn't been played in a while or maybe a brand new one that no one has heard.  I have even seen some great encores where the band will have played all their tunes so when asked for an encore, the singer comes out with an acoustic guitar and takes a crowd suggestion!  Those are priceless and will make your fans feel like they got a genuine experience :)   

My husband has done this real encore with an acoustic version of one of their songs at some of their shows... and it is impressive how much it moves a crowd.  No joke, people cherish those special/personal experiences. 

Just a suggestion... do as you will...

And because they are my favorite band (for real)... here are 2 photos I took of my husband's band... I am quite proud of them :)

End Rant.

A Pescatarian and a Vegan walked into a bar....

I would like to report that it has been ONE MONTH of my new found eating structure.  AND I feel fantastic! :)

Yes, that is what I'm choosing to call it at the moment... "Eating Structure" ... You wonder, what is this?

Well since I'm not one to normally write about food, this post may be a little bit of a struggle for me.   After all the stomach/asthma/overall-gunkyness that I have dealt with over the last few months, I decided it was time for a change.  A big one!  I've dealt with weird stomach/allergy/asthma issues for basically my whole life and it was time to take control of the situation.

I purchased a book that I had been eying on Amazon and got busy.  The book is called "Crazy Sexy Diet" by Kris Carr and I HIGHLY recommend it!  Now don't go thinking this is some sort of diet fad, I am NOT one to diet... and this book is NOT a diet book.  It's about transforming your life by changing your eating habits.  The main focus of the book is about learning what is in each piece of food you eat and how it will affect your body from consumption to poo.  Yes, poo.   (It is also discussed in the book.)

She defines it in her book as:
"a low-fat, vegetarian (or vegan) program that reduces inflammation and balances the pH of your gorgeous body with whole foods, low-glycemic fruits, raw veggies, alkalizing green drinks, and superpowered smoothies."

The book discusses how the Standard American Diet is leading to increases in disease and obesity! There have even been studies to suggest that the next generation will be the first generation to die younger than their parents.  America needs to change, but more importantly... we need to take control of our health.  

SO after getting through half the book, I looked at my lovingly supportive husband and said "That's it! Time to take control of my health!"

 Kris' story is phenomenal and inspiring.  A young, witty, social butterfly who was diagnosed with liver/lung cancer and beat the odds by taking control of her life with her diet.  I don't want to go into too much detail about the book because I truly and honestly believe it is worth every penny and should be purchased immediately!

Anyways, my self-motivated little body got rid of the Standard American Diet and is now getting a Bachelors in a Veggie-licious lifestyle!  That's right!  I gave up all animal meats (except fish) and all dairy cold-turkey (no pun intended, well maybe).... EVEN EGGS!

Dairy?! No chicken? No cheese? This girl must be crazy!

Now listen, I am a cheese hoarding whore and a chocolate milk addict... but I did it!  Cold-turkey!  I now drink almond milk which is beyond delicious and fill most of my meals with veggies, wheats, fish, and fruits.  I surprisingly LOVE the changes!  I feel wonderful and can tell a difference in my overall mood/spirit/health!

It was difficult at first to find things I could eat (especially when in airports) but almost all restaurants have some sort of veggie alternative or fish plate.... not so hard once I learned to rearrange menu items. 

I still drink alcohol/pop and eat chips or chocolate (hershey's syrup or bar) so it's not a super restrictive diet.  BUT I'm putting so many healthy things in my body that those few processed things aren't terribly bad.

My Standard Day:
Breakfast - blueberry cereal with almond milk
Snack - green drink/whole grain granola bar
Dinner - raw veggie or baked salmon sushi
Snack - beer/dr.pepper/fruit/etc.

Green Drinks are heaven sent!  They truly are!  Here is the standard Green Drink Recipe a la Mr. J:

• half stalk of celery
• one tomato
• half lemon
• one cucumber
• one red pepper 
• one green pepper
• one apple
• handful of spinach leaves
• half avocado (mixed in at the end with a hand mixer)

This recipe makes enough for J and I to each have a tall glass.  It is BEYOND refreshing and is alkaline in nature!  Which means it helps to offset all those acidic foods (like dairy foods and animal meats and Dr. Pepper or beer) that cancer and other diseases love!

AND since most veggies have high protein, I am actually eating more healthy protein now then I was eating the Standard American Diet.  But not exceeding the 50 grams of protein a day that ends up promoting the growth of cancer cells.   ALSO, calcium is absorbed better when paired with lemon, so I'm getting more NATURAL calcium then when I drank four milks a day! Who knew?!

A little too much information... stop reading here if you wish...

BUT... I have also noticed an increase in the old sex drive!  Crazy!  I attribute it to the reduction in the amount of estrogen I am consuming.  The book warns that this may be a side effect... well if that's what you call a "side-effect", bring it on baby!

Her book explains that:
60% to 80% of the estrogen we consume is from the dairy products we eat... since there is such a high demand for the products, they inject the cows with hormones to make them think they are always prego.... problem is, that most of those hormones are then transferred into our food.  High estrogen counts are responsible for lower sperm count, earlier menstrual cycles,  and later emotional development.  It's crazy to think that there are so many anti-birthcontrol groups but no one stops to think about the amount we're ingesting from dairy foods.  Or the amount of steroids we ingest from eating chicken, pork and beef that are laced with them to make them larger. 

Now I know you're wanting to hear the draw backs... the please-don't-make-me-think-this-is-a-good-idea, you must have sprouted-horns-and-turned-green-with-red-eyes kind of draw back. Well I can tell you the negatives of the change:

Negative 1:  I chose to eat half a mini bag of cheetos because this is not a diet so I still eat what sounds good.   The effect of said bag of cheetos was a two hour experience in writhing pain/thought I had food poisoning and wanted to cry kind of event. Damn Cheetos!  *on a lighter note, I did eat a brownie on Easter and was just fine.  The Eating Structure is all about the moderation of crap so one brownie was not a big painful health set back :)

Negative 2:  My pee smells due to access consumption of asparagus


That's all folks!  Not too dang bad!  I intend to slowly phase out the carbs and eat more raw veggies than cooked but it's all in good time.  I currently cook the veggies only with a tad bit of olive oil or nothing at all... so it's not a bad place to start.  And hey, if I ever get to a place where I feel worse then maybe I'll go back to the SAD (standard american diet).... but doubtful as of now.... I'm just having too much fun! :)

Wordless Wednesday

I never do these... but what the heck...

Winyl - or Why Wine and Vinyl should be Life Long BFF's

The night I got back from Denver (see previous post), J and I just relaxed and did our new favorite thing.  Listened to our record player.

Glass of wine in hand (sparkly champagne-ish wine if you must know). Avett Brothers through the speakers.  Husband by my side. Pup on my lap.  I couldn't help but just be grateful. 

Grateful to the extent that I got a little misty.  I'm a girl, what can I say.   But with that being said, I wanted to share my two favorite songs by The Avett Brothers.  They are priceless and need to be heard... yes, today.  No do not wait, I will be demanding about it if I must.  Do it.

The Perfect Space

The Ballad of Love and Hate

And I wanted to remind everyone that Saturday (April 16th) is RECORD STORE DAY!  That's right! How exciting!  I already have the afternoon planned out at a local record store downtown :)   SO thrilled! There's often surprise performances by major bands (as well as awesome local ones) and one-day limited edition vinyls sold... so check out this site to see what events are going on in your neck of the woods!

Van Morrison ... you're speakin' my language

I started my new job last week and spent several days in Denver for their Rocky Mountain Team Meeting.  It was great finally meeting my managers and co-workers face to face.  The meeting was a yearly recap rather than a training session but it still gave me an opportunity to have somewhat of a crash course on the job. 

I feel good about this new position and am hoping it is the blessing I have been waiting for :) 

With that being said, I actually HATE flying in and out of the Denver airport and always try to fly through Phoenix instead.  With all the turbulence and flight cancellations I've encountered there, I was not too thrilled about the flights.  Anyways, long story short, our takeoff when departing Denver was probably the scariest thing I've been through thus far.  We're talking the try-not-to-pee-myself-while-preparing-texts-to-J-to-express-my-undying-love type of scary.  Luckily, this text did not get sent. Why?

A. I couldn't pry my white knuckled fingers from the arm rest
B. I thought I might have a heart attack before being able to type the whole message
C. I couldn't make a decision on the debate of whether I should also include my selection for his future wife with me out of the picture (she's a real gem), and couldn't sum up a text to tell all my friends and fam
D. All of the above

That's right quiz takers, it was D.

So anyways, after twenty SCARY minutes of praying nonstop, the plane leveled out and it in fact seemed like we would survive that little episode.  I spent the rest of the flight contemplating life and the "what if's" associated with my little experience. 

More than anything, I thought about what I would change.  In that scary moment, I contemplated what pieces of my life I would do different, what causes I would get behind, and what experiences I craved.  It was shocking to me that of all the possibilities, I wouldn't change much.   Sure, I would spend more time with people I care about and in the "friend" aspect, I feel I already balance that pretty well other than getting to see my Oklahoma friends.  On the family side, I would visit them WAY more often and try to be there for all the major events. 

But all of the causes and organizations etc, were not a vital importance of this "last chance" life idea.  I came to two conclusions:
1. I would continue the way I am now and really focus on creating a family with J
2. I would sell everything we own and travel the world, working odd jobs along the way

When I told J about all of this he wasn't too surprised.  He said he thinks we live our life with a positive blend of both.  We travel a lot even if it's just an overnight adventure and try to keep the wandering nature with a healthy mix of responsibility. 

I felt much better about my little plane perplexities.  Not to mention, that I got to tell him all those wonderful "texts" in person :)

ALSO... he had this amazing surprise waiting for me....

And rearranged our living room to the idea I've harboring in my head.... (he searched out my living room schematic on my laptop to make sure it was right... Clever husband!)

Totally opens up our living room ...   and makes me excited to buy the furniture piece to go here...

And I leave you with a song that resonates all too well...

 

Dear Utah...

Dear Utah,

Seeing that it is officially April, I request that you stop all of this cold snow nonsense immediately.  I prefer sunny skies, a warm temp and a light breeze.  Please take care of those accordingly. 

Yours Truly,
Summer Lover

4.4.11 - three years and counting

That's right folks, our three year anniversary is here.  I can't believe it to be honest.  Man, time really does fly!  It's extremely hard to believe that I've lived away from Oklahoma for 4 years... that's right, FOUR!  Well maybe I should rephrase that ... I've lived in Utah for 3ish years with one random Vegas year in between :)

Every year for our anniversary, J and I write down what we've done or has happened in our lives since our last anniversary.  I love it because it's basically a yearly summary of the good, bad and everything in between. 

Here's a little recap of a few of my fave moments:

Our Anniversary last year in CA:

 Hosted our first BBQ! (one of many!)

 Watching Broke City perform at Warped Tour:

 Utah finally got an OU Alumni Association! And a local bar hosted all the games! 

 We sent out our first ever Christmas Card... J's mom let us know that it made us "official" :)

 We became staples of floating the river every Sunday

 Matt and Jenny's Wedding weekend in OKC!

Jessie's 26th Bday - 80s Party!

 Walking to the bowling alley all summer :)

 Seeing J play with Gavin Castleton!

 Broke City's final show!

 Everything about my 27th Bday!

 My first ride on J's new motorcycle!

 Everything about visiting OK in July and Han's Wedding!

 All the moments with this little lady....

 REAL Salt Lake!  Best Soccer team in the Ever! :)

 CHRISTMAS!! Getting to see these lovely people and my fam! :)

J's 31st Bday Weekend!

The Verrier Wedding!  (J Officiated, I was a bridesmaid)

 The Sanders' Wedding Weekend in Vegas!  (J Officiated, I was a bridesmaid)

We've had some tight times and some AMAZING times and I can't wait for what else is in store! Here's to year number Four!

Minnie Mouse in da House!

While we were in Vegas, we went to the Disney outlet.  And let's face it, I can't be around anything Disney without wanting to buy the whole store a little something for my niece!   That Walt was quite the man.... where would the millions of childhood fantasies be today without him and his little mouse?  I love me some Disney!  Yes I do.  Where else is it cool to be starry-eyed and thrilled to be around cartoons all day? 

Moving on - My whole fam (minus J and I) are going to Disney World in May.  I want to go with them SOOO bad but couldn't afford it due to the whole unemployment thing.

Anyways, when I was just a young little bean I had a Snow White dress that I ADORED!  Wore it as much as possible and honestly thought that I somehow became the spitting little image of that fair dark-haired beauty.  Fast forward 23ish years and my little niece thinks that dress is the bees-knees!  Always asks my mom if she can wear "Aunt M's" dress.  Cutest thing. 

Back to the Disney store.... I of course found the most adorable Snow White doll in the ever!  And it was the last one in stock with no plans to reorder!  Better believe I grabbed that doll and held on to it for dear life, fearing some last minute running-back-of-a-mother might realize I had the last one and trick me into giving it up.  No sir-ee!   White knuckled and jumping with joy, I made it out of that store with my I'm-the Best-Aunt-in-the World little doll.  I hope she is as excited about it as I was!

On that note:

Obsessed?  Maybe, but I don't care :)

We've got a Winner!

Hello to my 8 loyal readers ;)   Y'all will be happy to know that I have officially been hired by a wonderful company!  I will again be doing field sales and am BEYOND excited!  I fly to CO next week and officially embark on my new career adventure!

Goodbye to the world of unemployment and hello to the wonderful new challenges of my new position (and asking salary)!  Whewhoooo!   I will elaborate more on this later but all I can say now is.... God is good :)

With that being said, J and I (along with two friends) embarked on a fun last minute trip this past weekend to see a friend perform in St. George and Las Vegas.   It was a lot of driving but BEYOND worth it!  

J's friend, Matt, now plays saxophone/back-up vocals for Reel Big Fish and man, oh man...  he is AWESOME!  So much energy on stage!  I wish I could have filmed their sets, you would be thoroughly impressed!  The whole band was vibrant and fun!  I love when you see shows and you can tell the band is enjoying themselves just as much as you are!  It was incredible!   We were also SO thankful that the band wasn't using their hotel room for the night and gave it to us for free!  Thank the Lord!

Please ignore the overall being stuck in a van with 3 boys for ten hours   lack of make-up.   :)

The Vegas set was unfortunately short due to the venue putting 5 bands on the bill.... that's right FIVE.  Crazy.  Oh well.   The Vegas show was also a hoot because we got see Matt's lovely girlfriend Jess.  She is just a doll and I know if she lived in Utah, we would be really good friends!  I promised her I would come visit them soon in CA and with the new found job, I may be able to do it sooner than later :)

Overall, it was a fabulous weekend! 

Here's one of their old videos to get you in the mood:


A WARNING to my Readers:  I may have found my stash of old photos while cleaning the basement and scanned them all.... which means random photos may be appearing on my blog for no reason other than I think they're hilarious.  Thank you.  


Such as these:

Asthmageddon 2011

Well folks, apparently I'm not working on my stuff as hard as I should be (see previous post).   I've really struggled with the control part and am currently seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  

With that being said - several tears, an Urgent Care Clinic, a breathing machine and some steroids later - my asthma finally seems to have calmed down a little.  I was even able to go to the gym today... though I didn't last as long as I would have liked.  It was rough!

With all that time at home I have some new exciting ideas for our home :)   We finally got a receiver at a local pawn shop that is awesome!  Which means we can finally listen to all our vinyl!  I used to have a huge selection but lost it all in the Break-up of 2005.  I've slowly been building it back up but never had much of a reason since we didn't have a record player... well problem solved!  And many new additions to our collection:

With the new record player rockin',  the design bug bit me in the butt.  Man oh man!  I have so many new ideas for our house.  I spent six hours a few minutes on Pottery Barn's design site, planning out my next masterpiece.  J and I were originally going to live in our house for 3 years then get a new one.... but now we're thinking we might stay (pending career relocation at some point).  Which means - this brick storage unit will finally become a home!   Beyond excited to actually put long term work into this place :)

Here are the current pics and the design ideas:   

(I'm wanting to stay with our intended industrial/modern theme so I'm thinking a lot of neutral colors and steel/iron additions.  Please forgive the mess and the overall disorder... it is DEFINITELY a work in progress).

Living Room:

And... does anyone know a cheap way to recover this chaise lounge?  It was my grandpa's and I can't part with it but it needs some SERIOUS love.

IDEA:

 Tan walls, buffed/stained wood floors/ white trim/ black door/new curtains.  Piano moved to outer wall/ new area rug/ table and chair added where Piano was/chaise covered/storage added by fireplace Awesomeness!

Kitchen:
Our kitchen is HIDEOUS!  No working dishwasher, MINIMAL countertop space, very few cabinets and NO pantry.  It's basically a girl's worst kitchen nightmare!  Terrible.

IDEA:
We're planning on getting IKEA countertops... they have some that look like stainless steel but are a THIRD of the cost... ohhh I can not wait! 

Cabinets added above fridge area and a dishwasher put in near the sink.  Same tan paint as living room with white trim and black cabinets. Add curtains of some sort.    Stainless steel counter tops/ dishwasher/slate floors/new light fixture  perfection!


Back Yard:
J's main point of excitement - an outside bar!  My main excitement - a fire pit!

Tomato plants near edge of house, flower bed along fence, awning from garage to cover grill area.  AND a weeping willow in the corner of the lot because I have wanted a weeping willow since I was about 6 years old.  That is bar/seating/fire pit/grill/ WeepingWillow heaven! Complete with new six foot fence around perimeter and stone patio.


GOAL:  I'm putting it out there... and this would be a BIG commitment from us but ... I would like the inside of the house to be done by CHRISTMAS!  That's right folks.... hoping for some love and funds to make all this excellence done in a 9 month span.   It seems ridiculous that it would be that far in the future but let's face it...  no current job + living here for 1.5 years and still not having it done = A DAUNTING DEADLINE.  But I am excited!  Let's bring on the housework!

We have a spare room in the basement that is currently set up as a drum room... pending some possible changes, it would look like this:

A storage area for excess music gear/instruments/giant cello  AND  my office.  With cabinets added on the shelf area for additional storage.  AND... if this actually happened, it would free up my office which would become a guest room!   I know I know... I'm going a little overboard... but how cool would that be!?

  Ignore the random piece of furniture in the middle of nowhere... not sure how that happened.  I feel like a four year old who just finished a coloring book... SO fun!