the written word...

As a little exciting update, I received a letter in the mail last week from my dad.  He sent me a hand written letter thanking me for his Father's Day card.  By the second sentence I was in tears.  I will most likely frame it... it is truly one of my favorite things now and just established a place on my "Don't Forget if our House is Engulfed in Flames List." 

When Father's Day cards suddenly appear on the shelf every year, I tend to spend about a half hour reading multiple cards, trying to narrow it down to the best one, seriously consider purchasing three instead of one, and trying not to become too much of a blubbering mess while in the middle of Target.  I always end up crying by the shelf.... EVERY YEAR.

This year I found one that I thought truly captured what I wanted to say.  It was a thank you note.  A thank you note for being the kind of father that makes sure I ALWAYS know I am loved.  A thank you for the constant support both mentally and emotionally and for letting me run away to chase the dream that I found in J.  I think all the time about how he actually let me move away to a state 20 hours away for a man he had only met twice.  He wrote me a letter when I moved and it is still one of my favorite things.   I don't read it as often as I should because it makes me cry but it is cherished none the less.  He trusted me and my decision and that meant more than anything.

The song we danced to at my wedding was "My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw.  My favorite line from the song is...

"You're beautiful baby from the outside in
Chase your dreams but always know the road that'll lead you home again
Go on, take on this whole world
But to me you know you'll always be, my little girl"

I cry every time it comes on the radio because it is so accurate to me moving away and my dad's response.... yeah I am definitely a Daddy's Girl and very proud of it. 

When I gave my parents my two weeks notice (it was actually 8 days but 2 weeks sounds a little more considerate) that I was moving across the country for a boy they didn't know, J wrote them a song in reference to how I felt.  This is that song....

J calls it his "American Idol Song" ... I played it for my parents the day before I moved.  I cry each time I hear this original version.  My favorite lines are:

"You were there to see me laugh, so hard sometimes I cried.
You stood with me through the test and forgot about the rest so I'm saying my goodbye.
I wouldn't be here without you, You were as solid as stone.
And as hard as I've been trying for someone as proud as I am, I couldn't make it on my own....


I'll tell the world, tell the world your story....


I'm sure the days will pass.  And one day I will go.
But on my dying day, I know I'll hear you say that I made it on my own"



I'm a sap... but proud of it :)

Poppa Pack .... 80 and counting

A couple weeks ago, J and I celebrated his dad's 80th bday.  His mom had planned a surprise party and since he never gets steak, the destination was Texas Road House.

5 of the siblings were able to make it (2 live out of state).

We ate and talked and joked and laughed.  His siblings have this random light hearted goofiness that is so much fun to be around.  We even got his dad to sit on the saddle... the Texas Road House birthday tradition.

We don't get everyone together very often, especially without all the grandkids so it was a special evening to me.  I love spending time with his siblings and find them so fun to be around.  It was an overall fabulous evening and it was so great to see how thrilled J's dad was that we all planned the dinner and surprise!  Definitely a fun evening with great company!

UPDATE!

Well folks, I officially have my laptop back!  Up and running!  Unfortunately, I lost all of my music and all of my docs.... not to mention, a handful of photos.  So just a quick reminder... BACK UP YOUR CRAP!

This past week was non-stop!  I went to Chicago for my first National Meeting with my new company.  There were about 85 other reps there and then all the office staff.   Our company is pretty unique and I immensely enjoyed getting to meet my co-workers.  Since it's been non-stop crazy and I just barely am working on putting my laptop back to it's original state, I'll leave you with some amazing photos of my talented husband...

Our good friend took them in our living room.  I love how it's our piano in the photos.  I also LOVE how my grandpa's trunk and book are in the photos.  If you ever come up to the Rocky Mountain area, I definitely recommend Mr. Brandon Vincent!  He did our engagement photos and has taken several band photos for J over the years.  You can check his stuff out HERE.

"My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it." -Clarence Budington Kelland

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to the most WONDERFUL Father in the world.  Thank you for being the most loving father I could ever hope for and for setting such a high standard for men in my life. 

I love you Daddy

Disney down to the bone!

My family has always been pretty into Disney!  The first time I went to Disney World, I was so young I barely remember it!  I was 5 and wore this little Snow White dress because she was the bees knees!  And during the parade, Snow White saw me and waved to me and made this big production of the fact that we matched.  I loved EVERY minute of it!  The last time I went, I was 19.  I would love to go back!  My whole family went to Disney World a couple weeks ago.  J and I unfortunately couldn't afford the flights mixed in with 5 days of Disney Park Hopper Passes... so sadly we missed all the fun :(


My niece is now 3 and is every bit a Disney lover as my sister and I were.  For her first Christmas, I got her the Little Mermaid DVD.  My sis and I watched that movie religiously!  We actually won the movie and soundtrack (both on tapes of course) by winning a coloring contest.  We were hard core.  And you better believe that was the soundtrack to our lives.  It never fails that Little Mermaid songs happen to just burst out of us during holidays (with hand movements in perfect synchronization).  It's no surprise that my niece's first song was the "awwww awwww awwww awwwww awwwwwwwww" song where Ariel loses her voice in the film.  Not kidding.  She sings it quite often.

Anyways, moving on with the story....

They all went to Disney World and my brother-in-law kept me included by texting me photos of her from his iPhone.   Thank the Lord for technology!  Seriously!  Made me feel included and I enjoyed seeing the photos as the week went along.

Reese even wore my Snow White dress.... which she always tells people is "Aunt Meg's dress!"

I really wish we could have been there!  But I am so glad she had such a wonderful time!  I hope some of these memories stay with her.  I just read an article (surprise surprise) that says 3 year olds can retain their memories of events if their parents keep them talking about them.  I have a feeling that this little lady will retain some of the magic :)

Disco Night... at the roller rink!

Since moving to Utah, I have made a VERY dear and AMAZING and overall HILARIOUS friend named MK.  Or MK Ultra, as we like to call her.

MK is one of a kind and has this special zest for life that is refreshing to be around.  More than anything, she LOVES to dress up!  Costumes are her thing!  So for her 29th bday she had a Disco Roller Skating Party.

Man oh man, it was groovy.

We started out at Texas Roadhouse to get us all fed energized for the evening.

We then traveled to the Roller Rink where it was DISCO NIGHT!  Now...  we all had a more workout themed disco thing going on ...

... but my husband was quick to point out that all the "disco" outfits at the rink were in fact 80's and not 70's.  The rink looked like it threw up Miami Vice with Don Johnson look-a-likes.... not to mention, lots of men in biker shorts..... yes... BIKER SHORTS.


The night was a HUGE success!  We had SUCH a good time! Who knew roller skating could still be a hoot in late twenties/early thirties?!  

 And what's that saying?  Like Mother, like daughter?  ;)

And... after three years of marriage, I have learned that my husband is a PRO roller skater.  That boy got moves!   He was skating in and out and down and up and fast and tricky and all sorts of IMPRESSIVE. Most of the night was him skating backwards and pulling me along haha!  Again... IMPRESSIVE.  

We even got worn out ;)    ......

Overall it was a fabulous birthday!  And it even gave me a little roller skating bug... I want to go back SO BAD!  So Happy Birthday MK! I love you bunches!

Redemption of the Self

I've thought a lot lately about my friends both here and there... I've thought about the ones I still talk to regularly, the ones I never speak with unfortunately and the ones that I can pick up right where we left off even if we haven't spoken in months/years.  

I've blogged about it before but I really do hope that anyone who reads this, stops... and listens to The Avett Brothers - "The Perfect Space" .... sometimes I hear a song that stops me in my tracks and makes me hope that if I had to choose a song to be played at my funeral that my friends/fam would choose it... This is THAT song.  Morbid? Maybe.   But it is THAT song. 

To me, it's a song of redemption.   A song of forgiving who you were and loving who you've become. 

"I wanna have pride like my mother has,
And not like the kind in the bible that turns you bad.
And I wanna have friends that I can trust,
that love me for the man I've become and not the man that I was."

More and more I notice that the friends that have remained... the friends I've kept so to speak .... are the ones that have continued to grow.  The ones that regardless of whatever rough spots we've endured, love me for who I am and who I continue to grow to be.  The me that is ever changing.  And I love them the same way.   I cherish the friends that test my views and voice their convictions but still accept me regardless.  

I've lost a lot of friends from college... something that has been hard for me to grasp.  I still do the occasional facebook message but never rarely receive a response.  I'm learning to accept it.  I grew one way and they grew the other.  It's just unfortunate that the friendship couldn't be salvaged due to those differences.  

Recently, I had a friend go through some major changes in her life.  I saw her grow as a woman and as a human being and I saw her relish every inch of life.  It was inspiring and exciting to see her grab life by both hands and jump in.  The other day, I messaged her to let her know how proud I am of her and how happy I am that she's discovered her potential and is following her dreams full force.  She responded to me:  "You are a big inspiration to me in terms of just living my life.  Hope you know that."

I was floored... I cried to be honest.  

It was surprising to hear that from someone who I feel is writing the book on living the life you desire.  I was honored.  

I realize now that some people choose not to grow.  They remain comforted with the same old thing, never reaching out for something new.  And the friends that remain are the ones that grew.... and continue to grow.  I took a big leap of faith when I moved to Utah after only seeing J 4 times ever.... but it worked out better than I could have ever imagined! Blindly following my heart and leaving everyone/everything I knew was beyond difficult.  I spent the first full year having a really hard time with so few friends and feeling completely displaced.  But I knew it was worth it.  Because J was worth it.  The friends that disagreed with my decision pushed me away... and I let them.   I didn't try to hold on to them because I was angry that they fought against my decision and what I feel was my "growth."  Who knows, maybe they felt threatened?  I've been there.  I've been the one that grasped onto everything and refused to let go.  Afraid of the change and afraid of the what ifs.  But I've learned so much since I decided to move forward and not be afraid of the journey.  To be able to look back at your life and truly know it was EXACTLY what you wanted it to be... that is the true gift, and that is what I hope to say someday. 

This song is that.  So to all my friends who have an amazing journey before you... I love you!  And I cherish you more than you know :)

"I wanna fit in to the perfect space,
feel natural and safe in a volatile place.
And I wanna grow old without the pain,
give my body back to the earth and not complain."

MIA MEG

Hello blog world!  I have been MIA, I know.  It is SO hard not having a computer.  I now have to do *all* my article reading on my phone and my facebooking on my iPod.  It is quite annoying.  I read A LOT of articles.  I usually read them once on my phone and then go look them up on the computer to see the pictures, take notes, or email it to myself for future reference.  nerd alert

Anyways, my computer is in the process of getting a new hard drive and the GOOD news is, I backed up ALL my photos up until Jan 8th 2011.  BAD news is that doesn't include any of J's bday photos.  Dang.  AND.... no computer means no current photo taking.... Double Dang. Unless you count my camera on my blackberry, but let's be honest, that camera is about as good as plastic flowers. 

So here's a little update to catch you up on the last month.  Went to New Mexico for a conference which was quite the experience and my first real experience for my new job.  I go to Chicago in a couple weeks to meet everyone at the National Meeting.  I always get so dang nervous for company meetings! When you work from home, it is SO weird to finally see people face-to-face! Not to mention the awkward navigation of the different cliques since I'm a newb.  ;)   I can't help but feel the awkward-mute-middle-schooler in me come out when trying to find a seat during each meal or activity.  I have been preparing myself for this and hope to stay my new outgoing self.  We shall see.

Other than that, I have been hitting up the Estate/Garage Sales around Salt Lake every Saturday morning!  I love getting up and scoping out the finds!  I got this little beauty last week:

For $2... and it works! Just needs film!  Pretty amazing little find.  Also got some nice silver vases/decor:

.....and many new records including Tom Waits, John Lennon, and Beatles. All for $1/each.   Not to mention these Disney Treasures!  Only $2 each and the graphics are actually embedded in the record.  I'm never seen records with pictures embedded... they are pretty neat! The pics you see below are the actual records with the cardboard cover outlining them. 

Oh how I love estate sales. :)

Since it is cloudy/cold outside, I'll write a few more updates so that I'm not so MIA ;)  Love you all!

"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!