Laura the Intern-No-More

NEW BLOG ADDRESS

2010-02-11T07:26:00.000-08:00

Sorry it took so long to inform, but I have a new blog address (with all my old blogs there too!)

Head over to www.laurajanebarlow.com

It is much cooler...

Friday Youtube Fun

2009-12-11T08:02:00.000-08:00

I don't know why I think this kid is hilarious. Just trust me.

(He is trying to sing Jason Mraz's I'm Yours)

And to get you into the Christmas spirit....

2009-12-10T14:52:00.001-08:00

Updates, Random thoughts, etc...

2009-12-10T12:10:00.000-08:00

I haven't really blogged for a while. So whilst I eat my lunch at my desk, I have a few random thoughts:

I am not ready for snow. Its too cold and I hate scraping a foot of snow off my car in the morning because inevitably, it ends up ON TOP of me somehow. Seriously!
I LOVE living in the Estate. What I don't love? When all 10 girls are feeling "emotional". The drama builds to about a 10 and it sucks the life out of me....(luckily, the drama is usually about boys or other people NOT living in the Estate, but still...)
I wish there was a "Medium-Biggest-Loser" show....I would totally go on that. (No jokes on how I could go on the actual "Biggest Loser", please)
The one thing I hate about the internet is that I find out results from the shows I watch before I get a chance to watch them.
I LOVE the show "Community"
I watched the movie "The Departed" the other day on FX (TV station). Judging by how many times they had to dub certain words, I think that show would have been pretty intense in the theater. But it only deepened my love for Mark Wahlberg.
I wish I could just sleep in. Just. one. day.
It's weird being the only Barlow in Utah.
Christmas shopping is hard.
I am so glad that I can finally eat apples. Honeycrisp are my favorite.
Yogurt still makes me gag.
I have had weird luck with boys lately. Not particularly bad, just weird...
The temple is awesome.
I always get a little sad when my lunch is over and I don't have chocolate.

Happy Thanksgiving back...

2009-11-25T10:14:00.001-08:00

So I always quote "You've Got Mail" on Thanksgiving and NO ONE ever gets my joke. So here's the clip.

Tuesday Afternoon

2009-11-24T12:53:00.000-08:00

Funny clips from my favorite show on television (right now):

T. Mo in San Francisco!

2009-11-20T11:17:00.000-08:00

So last weekend, my friend Tracy Morley (NOT of the Pleasanton Morley's) came home with me to visit the Bay Area! It was such a chill, fun trip. We went into San Francisco for Jane Barlow's famous insider tour and had a blast! It was a beautiful day, albeit a little chilly. My parents have a nice camera that I steal when I come home so we took a lot of pictures. (Note: There are a few single pictures of me in here, but I mostly handled the camera and took a ton of Tracy - none of which I posted here.)

If you know me at all, you know that this is my favorite place in the world and I always take pictures of it. Its just my thing. (The Palace of Fine Arts)

Many a visitor to the Barlow house has seen the infamous gymnastic pictures of Jen and I in the upstairs hallway. Tracy loved to re-create the pose.

And again.

It was the first time in a loooooong time that I had been inside Fort Point (it is not open to the public at all times). Tracy and I had a lot of fun in the stairwells.

Nope, didn't trip. Just crawling up the stairs.

This is on roof of Fort Point, about 5 stories up (underneath the Golden Gate Bridge). What you don't see is 2 boys behind Tracy making fun of us taking goofy pictures. (Double-click on the picture above for the closeup of my face. Its pretty classic)

I was not kidding when I said it was a beautiful day. Sporting my Little Mermaid pose.

I just want you to note how wide the ledge is behind me.

Tracy jumped on the ledge from the stand. However, being shorter than Tracy, I had to go to a taller stand to climb on the ledge and walk to where Tracy was. My mom freaked. A stranger lady looked at me and said "Stupid". I wasn't scared at all.

Real Conversation:

Dad: Why did the lady say you were stupid?

Me: Well, right where I was climbing up, there was a sign that said "No Climbing on the Walls"

Although the sky was blue, it was real windy....

Another Photo Op. I didn't know Tracy was getting a full-body shot.

Tracy and I were trying to be sassy. But we just look pissed.

On Saturday, Tracy and I went jogging to downtown P-Town and hit up the farmers market.

I had a blast showing Tracy my hood. What a great trip!

Picture of the Day

2009-11-10T09:33:00.000-08:00

Lydia mentioned on Twitter that she would be going to the Yankees Victory Parade in New York this year (she lives about 2 blocks from where the parade was being held). So, I swallowed my pride and asked her to take some pictures of my boy Swish for me.

Here he is (In the center, between his girlfriend and his brother):

He is still so foxy. Thanks LYD!! (See her other shots of the parade here).

Friday Funny

2009-11-06T07:52:00.000-08:00

I don't know why this video makes me laugh so much. Enjoy.

My Latest Trips

2009-10-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

OK, Its been a while since I blogged. A few weekends ago, I went to Miami AND South Dakota in the same long weekend. I attended a legislative conference in Miami. But I had already told my friend, Brooke, that I would go to South Dakota that weekend. So Thursday-Saturday, I was in Miami. Sunday-Tuesday, I was in South Dakota. Random, I know. But that's how I roll.

This is the lobby of the hotel we stayed at in Miami, the Intercontinental. It was posh. I loved the centerpiece!

*Sidenote: EVERYONE in Miami speaks Spanish. At times, it seemed like I was in a different country. Not that I felt uncomfortable or anything...I just wish I spoke Spanish.

Here are a few of the conference participants (the girl on the left is my coworker, Emily. We had so much fun!) Friday was the only night open so we went to South Beach with a few people. We had dinner at a Cuban restaurant - YUM - and then headed to the beach. The water was so warm!

So, after walking along South Beach, Em and I decided that it would be a GREAT IDEA to walk back to our hotel with our new friend James from Georgia. It didn't seem like too long when we came on the taxi from our hotel. James was scared that we were in a sketchy neighborhood. This is a sign on one of the apartment buildings.

Em and I along our walk. Right after this picture was taken, we got to the bridge we needed to cross and realized that it was a lot farther than we assumed. So we asked a taxi driver how far it was to our hotel, and he laughed and said it was about 5 miles....Yikes. (Note the glow on our faces...it was SOOOOO humid there.)

Needless to say, we grabbed that taxi and he took us across the bridge. We stopped by the outdoor mall on the water and this cover band was playing. It was probably the best cover band I have ever heard.

Miami was amazing! So warm! I had such a blast and met random, cool people from other states.

Welcome to South Dakota! I got back from Miami late Saturday night, did some laundry, re-packed, and headed to South Dakota early Sunday morning. When I got there, this is the weather I encountered. Not in Miami anymore, Toto...

This is the house I stayed in. It was so great to relax in a warm house. Thanks Hullingers!

It was too foggy to go see Mount Rushmore, so we went to the Mammoth museum. It was actually pretty cool!

Crazy Horse. This monument has a cool story. Click here. My favorite part about this memorial is that they do not accept any government funding to complete it. It may never get completed. But I love that they want to only use private donations to complete. That's a true American!

In case you're wondering....

Extreme Close-Up! Brooke, Me, and the boys.

Ah, much better. It was so beautiful! But soooooo cold....

Right below the California flag. But I am ready to go....soooooo freezing......

An example of the MANY books on the shady past of the Early West.

So final recap...It was a great weekend. I went from High temps to Low temps but I had a blast. I crossed South Dakota off my list of states I still need to visit. And I spent a crazy few days in the Miami sun. Loved it.

Winter?

2009-10-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

I know I know. I have yet to post about my trips to Miami and South Dakota. I had a few technical difficulties trying to post the pictures! But a blog is forthcoming....

But for now, I will show you what we woke up to this morning in Utah. (I like this picture because the only color you see is from the lamp posts. No editing necessary.)

Nothing Extraordinary, as of late

2009-10-05T10:35:00.000-07:00

So I have been going through this phase. Lately, as per usual conversation, people have been politely asking me "So, how are you?" or "What's new?". I respond in sort of a mumbled "good" or "not much" and quickly ask them about a facet of their life so as to steer our conversation towards their adventures. The reason for this being I have nothing going on. Really. I am super boring right now. And it only makes things worse to discuss how much of a loser I actually have been. No crushes. No fun/crazy stories to report.

Nothing.

Now, I must explain, that I keep extraordinary company. Lydia is livin' the life in NYC. Destiny is datin' and partyin' in DC. Erin is one of the poshest mommies in Manhattan. You get the point...

I am not trying to invoke pity from anyone. Truly. I just need something. But I just don't know what that something is. So, for now, lets keep the conversations focused on you.

TV = Enjoyment

2009-09-25T15:26:00.000-07:00

Exhibit A: I have been watching NCIS religiously because the USA network has chosen to play multiple episodes at one time. More than once this week, I have been at the gym for 2 hours because I got sucked into episodes of NCIS. Love that show! (And for the record, I like Ziva better than Kate for the female role on the team...)

Exhibit B: SYTYCD is back. My summer addiction will now transform into my fall, possibly winter addiction.

Exhibit C: I look forward to Thursday nights. The Office (I am back to watching this after not watching a single episode last season) and Community (one of the funniest shows I have seen in a long time). I hope that Community lasts. I have always thoroughly enjoyed Joel McHale on The Soup, but he is hilarious in this witty comedy. If you need more convincing, watch this little nugget:

And last, but certainly not least, Exhibit D: I am very sad that The Unit was canceled by CBS. Hopefully, the USA network picks up that show as well and plays it as much as NCIS. I miss my boys!

OK, so I usually don't have/make time for television, however, my roommate has a DVR so I can skip commercials. It really is the only way to watch TV.

Great Article for a Thursday

2009-09-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

Boss-Bashing Backfires

Motown Philly Back Again

2009-09-18T22:27:00.000-07:00

Friday night. Couldn't be spend at a better venue. Boyz II Men at the Utah State Fair! What a great concert! It was a free concert with fair admission ($6.75), so it was quite the deal. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment. It was a great end to a loooooong week.

We started off in the bleachers but realized that we could get better seats quite easily.

The Boyz have great voices!

Apparently, they put out an album of Motown songs. So, they performed a few popular motown songs. They even had the "motown" moves. What a fantastic group!

My roomie, Melissa and I. (There were a few more with us, just not pictured)

Look who I ran into!!! Love that Kimmy.....

My Twin Rocks

2009-09-18T11:24:00.001-07:00

No sleep. No Good.....

2009-09-14T11:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday Night: Rockin' Party at the Estate. So much fun! Probably about 300 people throughout the night. Ended up going to bed around 4, awaken every hour following.....

Sunday Night (with no Sunday Nap): Go to bed around 10:30 p.m. Don't go to sleep until around 1:00 a.m. Around 1:30 a.m., awake to my roommate and a male voice shouting. Then roommate saying "There's someone in our house!". I am freaked. Long story short: no guy in our house. Must have been a prank. But still scared out of my mind. Can't sleep until 4 a.m., up at 7 a.m. for work.

Monday Morning (continuing on throughout the day): Hating life.

Not my original thoughts, but I think these thoughts regularly

2009-09-03T11:42:00.000-07:00

Random Thoughts of the Day (again, not my original, but I can relate to ALL OF THESE):

* I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

* More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

* Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

* Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no
one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

* I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

* The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

* Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or
FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

* There is a great need for sarcasm font.

* Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the hell was going on when I first saw it.

* I think everyone has a movie that they love so much; it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a
millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

* How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

* I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

* I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

* The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

* Was learning cursive really necessary?

* Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

* I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

* Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

* Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

* How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

* I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a Jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

* While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

* MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

* Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

* I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

* Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

* I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

* Bad decisions make good stories

* Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

* Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? I know my name, I know where I'm from; this shouldn't be a problem....

* You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

* Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

* There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

* I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

* "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

* I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

* I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darnit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

* I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

* When I meet a new boy, I'm terrified of mentioning something he hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

* As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

* Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

* I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

* Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

* Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time...

* It really ticks me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

* I wonder if cops ever get ticked off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

* I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

* The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimate d that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's nothing like
being made to feel like a fat lard before dinner.

I've been lazy...

2009-08-18T13:14:00.001-07:00

So I will just link to others' blogs...

Here is what I did last Saturday night.
Here is a comment I left on Lydia's Blog about Harry Potter:

I think you know how I feel. Here's an example from our past:

Lydia: "Laura, you just have to try to read one book. I promise you will be hooked"

Laura: "You sound like you are a salesman for the Harry Potter books"

Lydia: "Laura, These books SELL THEMSELVES"

Lydia's Dad: "That's what a book salesman would say"

hahahaha.....Another quote from you, reading Harry Potter at the airport:

Lydia: "I can't get the words in fast enough!"

Ok, enough Harry Potter memories...

Lyd's Blog of NYC '09

2009-08-14T13:31:00.000-07:00

Lydia just put up her blog of my trip to NYC '09. We truly had the best time. I think I laugh with Lydia more than anyone else.

Here's Lyd's Crazy Red Hair blog.

Gotta get my Republican in there...

2009-08-14T11:23:00.001-07:00

Lydia sent me this video. Glenn Beck seems to tap into my psyche on this one. Watch it. It is brilliant!

Have I offended you?

2009-08-06T14:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday. I get a random text from a number I didn't know:

Person X: Hey, just wanted to invite ya to my wedding reception on Sept 15

I was hanging out with friends and a movie was about to start so I just ignored it. The next day, I remembered that I had this mystery text. So I texted this person back.

Me: I'm sorry, but who is this?

Well, after a minute, I recognized the number. A number I had purposely erased months ago. And in true fashion, this person replied:

Person X: Nevermind then.

Because I knew who this mystery person was at this point, I was not shocked at all at this response. Childish, immature, mad that I had not pined for him for months. Not surprised. And I must mention that the name above should be changed to "Person eX".

Still laughing about this one.

Chicago '09

2009-07-30T20:20:00.001-07:00

Ok, I am finally getting around to posting the Chicago pictures. Part of the reason for my delay is that I have had no time since I got back. My other hesitation is that I look a little scraggly in these pics. My NYC pictures were much better.....but oh well. Here goes:

I went with my friends T.J. and Matt. Can you find T.J. and I in this picture?

T.J. loved using my blackberry to twitter and facebook.

Look who's on the cover of the Cub's schedule? (hint: #40)

Ok, picture one of day one in Chicago. Let me mention that we woke up on Friday to our hotel not having hot water! But of course, I didn't realize this until I jumped in the shower. The best I could do with the freezing water was washing my body and getting my hair wet. But then I realized that I did not bring my hair dryer! So needless to say, I looked terrible the first day.

This is after our river tour. It was great!

The craziest wedding cake I have ever seen!

The Bean. So cool. Can you find us?

At the fountain.

This is from a box on top of the Sears (Willis) Tower looking down. I love being up high!!

I sat down in the corner of the box for a picture. T.J. was really scared! His palms were sweating profusely. I loved it.

We didn't want to buy the picture so the boys hid me while I took a picture of the picture. As I mentioned earlier, it was probably best that the flash was on. I looked horrific.

The next day, we had hot water and I got my shower. We arrived at the ball park right when it opened. And this is the first player I saw. My RICHIE! Rich Harden came out to practice...I was dying.

We got hooked up with great seats! Amazing.

I had to take this picture. You will notice on the scoreboard that the A's scored 6 runs in one inning. Against the Yankees. I figure that can't happen too often!

On the bus ride home, I took a picture of T.J. and my feet. You may not be able to tell but there is about a foot of space between my feet and the floor of the bus.

That night, we met Courtney (my friend who lives in Chicago) downtown for Venetian night (Boat parade and fireworks). It was a great, last night in Chicago!

All of us. Court, her friend, me, T.J. and Matt.

We were riding the train home late. The lady behind T.J. and I was snoring SOOOOOO loudly. For some reason, I was laughing uncontrollably. Seriously, it went on for about 20 minutes. So we took pictures. I think you had to be there....

So that was the trip. On Sunday, Courtney and I walked around Wicker Park (where she lives) because there were festivals all around. We went to breakfast at this place called the Bongo Room. If you are ever in Chicago, look it up. You won't be sorry.

But the trip was great. I LOVE that city!

And if you didn't get enough of the Cubs game, check this out!

Pitching

2009-07-28T10:14:00.000-07:00

Life is good.

2009-07-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

So, I know I just got back from NYC '09, but I am gearing up for Chicago '09! I am leaving this Thursday with my friends Matt and TJ and headed to the Windy City! I have Friday off (bless Utah and Pioneer Day as a state holiday). I have been to Chicago once before and my friend, Courtney, still lives there, so we will meet up with her for our short little trip.

I was supposed to go camping to Lava Hot Springs last weekend (you'll remember my near-death experience from last year) but I ended up working late late on Friday and missed it. Which, according to those who came back beat-up from the river, was a good thing.

So, stay tuned for pics from Chicago '09 (which will include a Cubs game, and hopefully a Rich Harden sighting!).

After this, where shall I go next?? I need something to look forward to. Suggestions are appreciated.

NYC '09

2009-07-14T16:45:00.001-07:00

Ok, there are a lot of pictures from my trip to NY. I thought I would give the reader's digest version of the trip.

So, Thursday, I arrived in NYC at 6:30 a.m. Lydia came to pick me up and we were both exhausted. So we decided to take a cat nap so we could enjoy the rest of the day. We slept, then decided to start my trip off right, with lunch at the Shake Shack. And I must say, the Shake Shack has the best burger I have had in a long time!

Try it if you go to NY. Trust me.

We took a walk through Central Park. This picture is taken from the Castle.

I thought this wall of the castle was cool with Lydia's red hair.

As we walked through the park, we noticed something being filmed. We couldn't get close enough to see what was being filmed, but the Monocular came to the rescue. We discovered that it was a movie with Neil Patrick Harris (only, we couldn't remember his real name, so it was Doogie Howser to us).

This is what I call, The Approach. Lydia wanted me to do one of those jumping pictures because I thought this was a cool part of the park.

This was the best one that we got. Notice the people watching me. As I landed this jump (after about 4 tries), I totally bailed and ended up on the ground with all kinds of strangers laughing at me. The couple you see watching said "THAT'S what I would have taken a picture of...."(me falling)

Laura at the Plaza.

Gelato at the Lincoln Center. At this point, I was so tired and had been wearing that outfit for 24 hours straight so I didn't want any close-ups.

The next day, Lydia and I went to the Statue of Liberty island. We spent a lot of time on the island so we skipped Ellis Island. It had been a long day at that point (waiting in lines, etc.)

Lydia and I met my DC friend, Erin (who is now a fabulous Upper East Side mommy) for yogurt - appropriate for Erin and I's relationship - and then we walked to Washington Square park. It was beautiful! And great to see Erin!

OK, later that day, Lydia and I met her friends, Justin and Rachel (above in the Lincoln Center picture) at Union Square park. We went to dinner at S'Mac (Make your own Mac and Cheese..yummy) then to dessert at Max Brenner chocolate. Lydia and I ordered these sundaes and had no idea what we were getting into. Don't worry, we barely made it through half of each of ours. Soooooooo good.

Saturday, We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge to meet my friend Destiny and her friend Tara.

Lydia...hahaha

Grimaldi's. GREAT NY pizza! With my two besties......We waited in line for less than an hour and decided to get it to go and eat on the pier in Brooklyn.

We just sat on the pier to eat. Great view of the city.

We then headed back to Manhattan and ate Crumbs cupcakes in Bryant Park (my favorite of the parks). Yes, by this time, you should know that we ate REALLY well. But we also walked EVERYWHERE.

Shopping. Couldn't get away from Yankee paraphernalia.

Sunday, went to church at the Manhattan Temple with Destiny (one of the floors is for church). Sunday afternoon, lunch/dinner in Central Park. Sunday night. Lyd and I hit the Empire State Building. Here we are in the elevator. We had to take the picture fast because the elevator was filling fast.

Looking towards the upper east side (I think). This one may be more midtown, but whatever.

Looking West. Sunset at the Empire State Building.

Monday. Scouted out and found the UN Headquarters. We didn't take a tour, but we went inside the building and it was beautiful!

Lydia liked this picture. And made sure to get the guy who enforces it.

So, we walked and walked and walked the last day (no different from the other days). We had about an hour before I had to leave so we got pedicures. Well deserved pedicures.

So that's it. That's my trip. It was amazing. I could live in NYC, easily (although I would have to be better about the eating....). I had fun with Lydia and Destiny and Erin and everyone I met there! The weather was perfect. I really do [heart] NY!!

Can't wait to go back!

I know, I know, its been too long...

2009-07-08T10:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in my posting. I have been taking care of the web-related things at work and have duly ignored my own blog. I have also been fighting off a few different bugs in my system and am hoping to feel normal at some point in my life!

But for now, you get a short blurb. Nothing new in my world at the moment. Although, I am headed to NYC tonight (flight leaves at 11:59 PM). I will be scouring the town with Lydia with a few adventures with Destiny thrown in there. I can't wait. I get to see my 2 besties in the same weekend!! In true fashion, I will be taking a lot of pictures so my next post should be pretty great. (Hopefully, Lyd will be taking pictures because she is a Fantastic photog)

Other than that, I am the same boring Laura B you all know and love.

Obsessions o' the moment

2009-06-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

(I googled "Obsession" and this is one of the pics that came up....random)

Hand Sanitizer (well, sanitizing anything, really)
Roasted Garlic Triscuits
Frozen Yogurt (Fro-yo to those in the know-yo)
Anderson Cooper
SYTYCD
Sleep (obsessing about not having enough)
Summer Trip to NYC
Public Enemies....probably because I shouldn't see it
Gym
Google Translator (especially when used to communicate with my foxy Croatian mailman....don't worry, he's in his 20's)

My germaphobia pays off

2009-06-19T14:51:00.001-07:00

Can you guess who the "receptionist" with the hand sanitizer on her desk is? (I put "receptionist" in quotes because I am far more than that. I just happen to sit at the front)

Click here: Lege gets swine flu scare

Hard work did not pay off

2009-06-19T12:21:00.000-07:00

Again, the Onion is a fake news source. This is borderline messed-up, but pretty darn funny at the same time.

Gymnast Shawn Johnson Put To Sleep After Breaking Leg

Miss Independent

2009-06-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

I am a fan of Kelly Clarkson. I know, I am a nerd, but I am a fan. Anne and I went to her concert at the Orem Summerfest (summer, pffft) on Thursday and it was amazing! It has been raining like crazy here in Utah so we were up for an adventure, since the concert was outside. But the weather held up quite nicely. It only rained during "Behind These Hazel Eyes" but it was clear after that. I was trying to convince some of my friends to come to the concert, but they were afraid of the rain. But it was a great concert and I had fun with the sis!

It was general admission so there were crowds of people. Luckily, there were no big, tall people who decided to stand in front of 5'4" me! So I had a clear view.

Me and my twin...haha

A beautiful rainbow showed up around the concert.

Me and Anne loving it.

And if I still haven't convinced of the fun you can have at a Kelly Clarkson concert, watch this (I didn't know Anne was taping so this is completely authentic):

Lydia's not the only star of last week

2009-06-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

Remember my post on exfoliating my life and how less is more? I apologize that I never followed up, but I DID get rid of a lot of belongings whilst I moved. Well, the author of Makeunder my Life emailed me and asked me to share my story. So, I sent her a few pictures and a short explanation of what I accomplished in my move. She posted my exfoliation last Friday! Click here and scroll down to the entry from "Laura" (you may recognize my purple dresser...).

But in all honesty, I enjoyed getting rid of things I didn't use. Brooke commented on my post and said exactly how I feel:

I have to say... that since I have been exfoliating, every once in a while, I'll think "oh, I used to have a {insert tossed item here}" and it has never been heartbreaking, or even remotely upsetting. Because then I think "But was I really going to keep that {insert tossed item here} for 4 years just so I could use it on this one random occasion?"

Check out Lydia

2009-06-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

My friend Lydia lives in NYC and went to the Jimmy Fallon show. Check out the beginning of this clip in the right side of the screen and see a familiar face (but only familiar if you know Lydia...)

Do you think I have a shot?

2009-05-29T11:14:00.001-07:00

I am bored. Maybe I will enter a Kelly Clarkson Look-alike contest. What do you think?

2009-05-28T10:33:00.001-07:00

Anne also did a birthday post for me....click here to see it.

Less is more?

2009-05-26T10:47:00.001-07:00

Today is the day to exfoliate.

Ok, not literally, but figuratively. I was reading Brookie's blog (which is amazing - Brookie has more talent in her pinkie than I will EVER have) and she presented an idea she found on yet another blog called Makeunder My Life. The idea is to "exfoliate" something superfluous in your life every week. I often feel super cluttered, especially when moving (I live a very nomadic lifestyle) and I would love to "shed" things I don't need. However, I have a hard time deciphering if I will need said extraneous item at some future point. You never know when you are going to feel the sudden urge to read that book that has been sitting on your shelf for a few years, or use that empty photo album (does anyone print pictures anymore), or wear that necklace that you bought at Target for that one outfit years ago and haven't worn since. This is an example of my train of thought.

So, in honor of moving day Saturday, I have a goal to get rid of 1/3 of what I own. (Ok, maybe closer to 20% of what I own). You are my witness. I have a plan. Check on me. No, seriously!

Weekend Getaway

2009-05-12T22:03:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was a wild one. My roommate, Kim, and a few of her friends were road-tripping to Southern California. Because I was longing to see the sun, I decided to tag along. The told me they wanted to stop in Las Vegas to see the Beatles' Cirque Di Soleil show "LOVE" and I went along with it, although I hated Vegas. Well, the trip was a little different than I had expected. It was quite a wild ride, but here goes:

We arrived in Vegas on Wednesday night and ate at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant in the MGM Grand (we wanted to check out the pool for the next day). It was a great restaurant! And not too expensive!

The next day, we shopped, and then snuck into the MGM pool and basked in the sun for a few hours. It was heaven. Then we headed off to "LOVE".

"LOVE" was WILD! It was the most amazing show I have seen! I was in awe the whole time! Even the theater was decorated pretty cool.

This was the line to get in. Our tickets said that we were to be in our seats 30 minutes before the show started. We were, of course, late so we ran through the streets and arrived at the theater just in time. It was perfect!

I couldn't help but take a bootlegged photo of the stage (although its pretty blurry). But look how close we were!

Loved it!

The next day, we woke up and drove a few hours to San Diego (a loooong few hours). Unfortunately, when we arrived in San Diego, it was cold, windy, and cloudy. So, of course, the only thing to do was have a photo shoot. Here are my best shots (remember, it was windy and I had been in a car for hours!)

Sleeping in the park, because it was too cold to swim.

So, we'd had enough. We decided to cut our California time short and head back to Vegas on Saturday night. We wanted to get one more round of sun before we headed back to Utah and back to the real world.

The City of Baker, home of the largest thermometer. Kim and I were thrilled that it was 91 degrees.

We arrived in Vegas around 10pm and ate at Serendipity, home of the famous Frozen Hot Chocolate. That is the most delicious thing I have ever tasted!

The next day, we went to church and then laid out by the pool for a few hours. Then headed home. I must say that Las Vegas and I have made peace. Las Vegas definitely showed me a good time.

It was a wild trip. But I loved it. And I got some sun!

Notes for the day

2009-05-04T17:00:00.000-07:00

Dear ADD,

Please go away. I need to focus and get some work done.

Thanks,
L

Dear Stomach,

Why are you not full? Even after fasting yesterday, you should be shrunken....I realize that the breakfast and lunch I fed you today are not wholly satisfying, but they are healthy. So learn to love them. And help me out a little bit and be full sometime, ok?

Thanks,
L

Dear Brain,

Relax. Please. Once in a while, I would like to get some sleep. It is not fun waking up every hour or waking up at 4 am and not being able to go back to sleep because my brain will not turn off. Is this just a sick joke?

Help me out. Thanks,
L

Dear American Idol,

I am angry that Matt Giraud is no longer on your show. He is my favorite. Well, was....

Thanks, but no thanks,
L

I'm obsessed with Spring

2009-04-30T15:14:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have been obsessed with the colors of Spring! So yesterday, after work, I was going to meet Jill at the Temple and did a little photo safari on my walk down the Hill. (Just click on the album to see the pictures at a larger size)

I'm trying...

2009-04-22T15:16:00.000-07:00

So I am trying to eat a more healthy and balanced diet (tips are always welcomed). I - quite surprisingly - don't have too much of a problem with the exercise, once I get in a groove of doing it. But the healthy eating gets me every time! One thing suggested to me, as a low calorie snack that's easy on the stomach, is yogurt. But for some reason, the thought of eating yogurt often makes me want to gag...BUT I bit the bullet and bought some yogurt.

Sure enough, after one bite, I felt as though I could never make it through the entire 4oz. cup. So I threw some granola in there. And it worked! The crunch of the granola helped me to get through the yogurt (I don't know what it is about yogurt that makes me struggle with it so much - I am usually NOT a picky eater). And I now have my afternoon snack for a while. This is the type of granola I used (I have been trying to eat as organic as possible to help my tum tum):

So that's my product endorsement for the day.

Well, while I'm at it...
Buy this toothpaste. It tastes amazing!! It tastes like those Wintergreen lifesavers. (I'm not sure 'tastes' is the right word - just to be clear, I am not eating the toothpaste). I want to brush my teeth all the time.

Loving this Voice

2009-04-16T10:41:00.001-07:00

I heard this song on One Tree Hill last night (I am catching up with Megan, so the episode was quite old...) and I was lovin' this voice.

The artist is James Morrison and I love him. Already.

What the...?

2009-04-14T07:50:00.000-07:00

Nick Swisher...Pitching...Hey, we could have used some of that in Oakland, Swish!

Things I love

2009-04-08T08:52:00.001-07:00

It has been a rough blogging week for me. I have felt less-than inspired. So I thought I would do a "misc" blog that would include a few thoughts:

Here are some things I love:
- I love Erin's blog. It just rocks. I envy her blog.
- I love that Lydia has seen every SNL vid I post (and shares my love for Andy Samberg)
- I love that Destiny is coming to SLC this weekend
- I love Easter Candy
- I love Settebello (the best Italian pizza this side of the Rockies)
- I love it when Lyd says "Magic School Bus"....seriously, it makes me laugh every time (inside joke)
- I love California. And my family. I still get homesick. And I'm 25.
- I love that Abbie got so excited and screamed when she told my fortune with playing cards on Saturday and found that I am going to marry the boy that I love (the cards said so)
- I love traveling. I think NYC is my next stop, seeing as Lyd and E both reside there (although Europe is somewhere on the horizon)
- I love that Anne always cooks for me when I visit her.

Some things that drive me crazy:
- I can't sleep. Ever since Session ended, I have not slept well at all. My brain is running 100 miles a minute and won't stop. I hate that.
- Bad drivers. They are ALL OVER SLC!
- When people refer to anywhere that is not Utah as "The mission field"
- When I spell my name to people and they say "That's Law-Ra". I can be called whatever I want. Punk.
- Self-Employment Tax. Why is it so high?
- When smelly people get on the treadmill next to me

Happy Birthday Dad!

2009-04-03T08:31:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I was going to do a birthday post for my amazing dad, but Anne beat me to the punch. She posted a HILARIOUS 'ode to Steve'.....

I promise you will not be sorry. Click here to view!

What we do...

2009-03-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

At work, we are constantly working on ways to reach out to the public. Last week, the Daily Herald from Provo did an article on my boss (but there are 2 pics that I am in! haha...)

Click here to see the article (and the pictures).

Verdict

2009-03-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

Looks like the verdict is more heavily on the "No on Twitter"......

Oh well. I'm better off. It would probably just become one more thing to distract me from work.

New Project

2009-03-26T15:07:00.001-07:00

To Twitter or not to Twitter?

Let me know what you think. And watch this video my boss sent me....hilarious (and I kind of agree)

Pictures from the Yay Area

2009-03-24T17:07:00.000-07:00

My mom and I headed into the city last Wednesday and it turned into a photo safari for me. My mom was a GREAT chauffeur. Enjoy.

Coit Tower from the top of Lombard Street (crookedest street)

This is the Swedenborgian Church....where my parents got married.

Golden Gate Park

My favorite pic of the trip. I got the surfer!

Opposite side of the Golden Gate Bridge (see the bride in the distance)

Yes. We checked out the Log Cabin. Long story.

My favorite place in the world: Palace of Fine Arts.

With a green tint.

View from the Twin Peaks (you can see the Golden Gate Bridge in the background).

The Haight (and Ashbury...)

On our way out, we stopped at Treasure Island to get the sunset.

The Golden Gate. If you can't tell, those spots are birds.

And last, but certainly not least: My brother is a stud.

Ok, Folks: I'm back...

2009-03-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

As you all know, I have been a little out of commission since January. Our annual legislative session was a rough one this year (with budget cuts and all). All my bosses did an amazing job of keeping this state (Utah) the Best Managed State in the nation.

So now its back to the real world again. I just took a week off and vacationed in Sunny Pleasanton, CA. It was great to see my family and friends and enjoy the sun (btw, its snowing today in SLC).

But, I need to get back to reality. Here are a few goals I have:

Get back to the gym. Seriously. Like I need to live there. (Along with this, I need to lay off the sweets for a while).
Stop being anti-social. I was so boring. (Maybe still am....) When I work so much, I get tired. And cranky. Sorry, friends. If I still have any...
Do something with my hair. Its getting awkward.
Be motivated again. My office gets startlingly quiet after session and I miss the chaos. I work well when there is a lot going on around me.
Decide what I want to do with my life. Its crossroads time people.
Plan my trip to Europe (who's with me? I know Dest and Lyd are in, right?)

Well, those are the plans. We'll see how it goes. I took some killer pics of San Francisco this trip so I will post those next!

Love to all my peeps!

An extra special glimpse into my life

2009-03-04T17:08:00.001-08:00

I call this "Laura at work":

(One of the wives took these pictures and downloaded them to my computer today so I thought I would share)

MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice

2009-03-01T18:36:00.000-08:00

Ok, this weekend was wild. On Friday, I went to the Vanilla Ice/MC Hammer concert in Provo with Ashlee and Melissa. One of our friends is the promoter for such events and he got us discount tickets. It was wild! Here is a video of MC Hammer at his finest! (He's legit)

Then on Saturday, our friend, the promoter, called and asked if we wanted to go bowling with Vanilla Ice (in Provo....it was a sad day for Vanilla Ice to be bowling at Fat Cats in Provo....) But we decided it would be random and fun. We were at the bowling alley until 2AM, dancing on the empty lanes and going crazy!

So here we are with Ice. He was actually pretty cool.

Chuck, Ice's manager (bottom right corner), was stoked to have us do the star with Ice.

Stimulus.....or is it?

2009-02-23T17:25:00.000-08:00

Ok, being in the government sector, of course I hear about President Obama's great and powerful Stimulus Bill (that I guarantee, not a single member of Congress read before they passed it).

So I need to put an idea out there, related to this Stimulus package for the states.

As you know, this money goes to the Governors of the states to distribute as directed (first big mistake...haha). Well, what if the Governors of every state simply refused the money? What if they all said "No, we are not stealing from our children and grandchildren, we will find an alternative solution, become more efficient through our own means".

Ok, refusing millions of dollars does not seem like such a brilliant plan, but bear with me. If all the states told the federal government to "shove it", essentially, because this money is real and will have to be paid back at some point, maybe the federal government-Congress, namely-would realize what a huge mistake this is. The states, with a new-found sense of empowerment, would become more self-sufficient and the federal government would be forced to look inward and try to become something more than the abject failure it has become.

Again, this may seem like a crazy idea. Mostly because states like California, who are up to their eyeballs in debt, would never refuse this kind of money. But I think this stimulus bill is a big mistake. The money did not just appear out of nowhere. Yeah, for those ordinary citizens who have no idea how government works, this may seem like a life-saver. But I promise that 20-, 30 years down the road, we will be paying for it.

Do you realize that President Obama has spent over $800 Billion since he has been in office?

Viva Las Vegas!

2009-02-17T19:40:00.000-08:00

This is a story of a girl who went to New York.

Just Kidding, it was the New York, New York hotel in Las Vegas, but it looked the same.

She walked the Strip with her peeps...

...Star-Gazed. Well it was a waxy star. (Do I look wax to you?)

Hung out with the fam.

And made new friends.

It should be so easy.....

2009-02-13T12:42:00.000-08:00

Ok, a little English-speaking lesson for you:

Say This: NU

Now, Say This: CLEAR

All together now: NU-CLEAR, NUCLEAR

I realize that many people (prominent or otherwise) have a hard time with this word. It drives me absolutely batty.

We are running some renewable energy bills this week, so this word has come up a lot (And been mispronounced, A LOT).

That's all.

Yep, Found him

2009-02-06T16:57:00.001-08:00

This guy (the one in the middle) came to visit us here at the Senate. He is one bad-A. Navy seal, lone survivor of a dangerous mission in Afghanistan, 6 feet 4 inches of man.....he's funny too (he would just put on this tough face for pictures).

Watch him give a speech to the NRA here. Or his interview with Matt Lauer here.

I think we are meant for each other.

Funny thing at work today

2009-02-05T13:34:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know it has been a while since I have blogged...but this story is too funny not to (and I will be very vague so I do not get myself into trouble).

So my boss came to me today and told me that someone had come up to him and told him this:

"So I have noticed that Laura has started to dress more modestly lately and that's a good thing because it reflects well on your office."

Ok, this may not seem funny to you, but let me explain. I have changed nothing about my wardrobe. Never in my life have I been accused of dressing immodestly. I never try to dress immodestly (mostly because no one has ever accused me of using my body to get ahead in life).

Those reasons are why that statement to my boss is hilarious.

She's back, Ladies and Gentleman

2009-01-29T09:26:00.000-08:00

Kelly Clarkson breaks Billboard record

Ah, the Good Life

2009-01-09T14:27:00.000-08:00

I had a great Christmas vacation....nearly 2 weeks off with my only responsibility is deciding which taped-TV show to watch while baking cookies.

The second I got back to work (promptly at 8 AM on Monday morning) I have been swamped. For real. I'm talking pulling 10-11 hour days this whole week (intense, loooooong days).

I am truly not complaining because I LOVE being busy, but I am not adjusted to this schedule yet! However, I better adjust quickly because the pace will not slow down until March 12, when it comes to a grinding halt at midnight.

So all I'm sayin' is that if I neglect my friends (especially on the east coast - unless you want to talk at midnight, your time) or my family, please don't take offense! The legislative session is like the "Big Game", the "Superbowl", etc. in my world.

You tell me, big brother

2009-01-06T21:40:00.000-08:00

Here it is. I need a caption for this picture. Its my brother Mike and myself. Mikey, you post a picture of me, I post a picture of you.

Enjoy!

Help me out friends

2009-01-05T09:14:00.001-08:00

My brother and I are having a contest....A photo caption contest.

Click here to see his embarrassing picture of me.

I will post my picture of him later today.

A Christmas Video for you

2008-12-23T10:36:00.001-08:00

What is up with my life?

2008-12-18T09:50:00.000-08:00

Ok, so lately I have been feeling like my life is wacky. Really. Here is an example. Last night, coming home from the gym, a car passing me on the opposite side flashed their brights at me. No biggie. Then this morning, coming home from the gym, on the same road (but not the exact same spot), another car flashed their brights at me! NOW, Before you ask me all the obvious questions, let me add a few actions I took to investigate this:

I checked my brights. They were NOT on.
I was driving at a slow pace (well, the speed limit, which is slow to me). I checked the rest of the road and there were NO cops awaiting with a radar gun.
I checked my front lights when I got home (maybe one of them is out?). Both good.

So really, no explanation as to WHY these two cars flashed their brights at me.

Told you, my life is wacky.

"Really?!?" w/Gov. Blagojevich

2008-12-16T16:49:00.001-08:00

"When Illinois politicians think you're too corrupt, you're too corrupt"

Auto Industry Bailout

2008-12-12T08:38:00.001-08:00

This guy's on to something. I found this video quite interesting. This is a Republican US Senator from Tennessee and he was heavy in the negotiations for the failed bailout plan last night. I think you should watch it. Everyone. Because I promise this will effect everyone.....at some point.

(It's 10 minutes long, but its worth it to watch all of it)

Never a Dull Moment....

2008-12-11T16:06:00.001-08:00

...when you work in politics.

Click here to see what I mean.

"All I Want for Christmas....."

2008-12-10T08:21:00.000-08:00

Yes....Its my favorite time of year. I get to listen to Mariah Carey Christmas. Which I have been doing ever since I got back from Thanksgiving break. The CD is playing in my car constantly. When I need a break, I switch to the radio (FM100.3 has Christmas music non-stop). Then I switch back.

Boo....Monday Morning

2008-12-08T10:56:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving '08

2008-12-03T08:42:00.000-08:00

So all who know me, know I don't love Thanksgiving food. I like the holiday, but really, its just something getting in the way of Christmas! But this year, I got a chance to go home. The best part was seeing my niece, Sammie (the cutest baby ever!).

Here are some pics (I can't put these up on facebook because I have had multiple people think she is MY child).....

She looks like a thug.

Don't cry.....

Kids Love Me.

My brother is a great dad!

Anne is sad to leave; I am not in the mood to fly.

2008-12-02T09:44:00.001-08:00

This blog made me laugh when Lyd did it. So I decided to do it.

Here's how it works: for every category, perform a Google image search and post your favorite picture on your blog. You can only choose from the first page of results.

My first name:
City I was born in:
A past love:
My favorite animal:
My favorite object:
My favorite city:
My favorite food:
My favorite color:
One of my bad habits:
My first job:
My future job:
Place I would like to visit:
My age:

Elder Wirthlin

2008-12-02T09:30:00.000-08:00

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, passed away last night, age 91.

I will always remember his last conference talk, "Come What May, and Love It".

"If we approach adversities wisely, our hardest times can be times of greatest growth, which in turn can lead toward times of greatest happiness."

Revelations as of late...

2008-11-20T10:35:00.000-08:00

I am really glad that New Kids on the Block got back together. Donny Wahlberg is super foxxy (I see their video at the gym every morning). He is rivaling his little bro' Marky Mark...
Andy Samberg is HILARIOUS. And attractive. His hilarity makes him more attractive. Watch this. [UPDATE: Andy Samberg just got funnier....watch this. And this. Oh and this is hilarious.]
Working out before work is surprisingly refreshing.
I am a really good speller. No, a superb speller.
Mehmet Okur (player for the jazz) was a lot more attractive with those 30 pounds on him. However, he is still the most handsome Turk I have seen....
I get REALLY offended if someone calls me a "receptionist", or says "I wish I could have your job, surfing the internet all day". Just because I don't want you snooping in what I am working on - so I minimize the window - doesn't mean I have nothing to do. Jerk.
Anything is more funny when Lydia is laughing at it. Her laugh makes me laugh a lot harder.
I am a big chicken. I found it a huge accomplishment that I took the garbage to the curb on Monday night in the dark BY MYSELF. This is HUGE!

Utah is REALLY trying....

2008-11-19T08:48:00.001-08:00

With all the talk of "boycotting Utah", our tourism peeps are really trying to beef up marketing.

What The!?!?

2008-11-13T17:50:00.000-08:00

Yanks acquire Swisher from White Sox

I can't believe I forgot to mention this!

2008-11-13T15:37:00.000-08:00

With the craziness of me chopping my hair, I failed to mention that my hairdresser (who is also one of my best friends) said that my love life is like the song "Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler. He is hilarious.

Watch this video. Its hilarious too. (By the way, click here for the lyrics).

Mom, don't be mad.....

2008-11-07T07:26:00.001-08:00

So I was in a bit of a mood last night. I walked into the hair salon and walked out 4 hours and 6 inches later.......

If you know me at all, you know that I was (still am) freakin' out! This is the shortest my hair has EVER been. I kept telling Zack (hair dresser) to tell me it was foxxy...

So even if you think it is hideous, tell me it is hot!

CHP Graduation

2008-11-03T18:04:00.000-08:00

So my big bro, Mikey, graduated from the CHP Academy on Friday. Anne and I flew back to CA for the weekend just to see him. It was an awesome graduation and I am so proud of him! Although, looking through the pictures I noticed that I am wearing the same shirt I wore all weekend. Literally, Friday, Saturday AND Sunday! I brought home a big bag of laundry so I guess it was the only shirt I had available! Oy.......

Here is a picture of Mikey with his sisters at graduation. Officer Boatwright is the tall drink of water to the right of Anne.....He was Mikey's tasing buddy. I want him to be Anne's buddy too.....

My life is like a Corn Maze....

2008-10-27T15:47:00.000-07:00

So we are closer and closer to being completely moved in. Kim brought another couch and cleaned the blinds. Soon we will be able to invite people over to the Kitraura cottage (Kim-Tracy-Laura).

Tracy and I cleaned the Estate on Saturday. No easy task for 2 tired girls. In case you forgot, the Estate is over 8,200 sq. ft. It took no less than 3 hours. Not fun.

So after all that cleaning, I could not fathom going to our new house and cleaning more! Kim had invited me to go to a haunted corn maze. I needed a break. And a little Halloween Fun. Well, it ended up being me, Kim, Matt and Jay who went to the haunted corn maze. As we were driving to said Corn Maze, a feeling of fear came over me. I am a big scaredy cat! I don't know what I was thinking! Well, long story short.....I made it about 10 feet into the haunted corn maze and ran back out. Kim and Jay were about 10 feet in front of me, and Matt was walking with me and I freaked (to give you a picture: 3 guys jumped out and scared me and I saw a creepy clown walking towards me. That was it). I screamed. I ran out of that corn maze like a bat outta hell. I was shaking, waiting outside the maze all by myself and Jay called me to try to convince me to come back, but I was terrified. Jay stopped trying once Matt told him the fear he saw in my face....So I sat outside waiting for my friends (lucky the haunted part was only about 10 minutes long).

(Funny thing was....Matt was the one who was with me when I had my near death experience at Lava....what a lifesaver!)

So that's the thought of the day.

Moving moving....oh my

2008-10-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

Finally. My roomies and I moved last night (with the help of some good guy friends). Almost everything is out of the Estate. However, we needed one last night so we decided we would sleep at the Estate. We dropped our last load off at the new house around 10PM, got our overnight bags from and headed back to the Estate. Well, I realized that I had forgotten some medicine that I have to take everyday and cannot miss. So we went back to the new house, but I had locked the back door (there are two) to which we did not have the key. We were locked out and the owner would not answer his phone. (Luckily, I found a substitute med at Smith's so I am fine).

So, after a stop at the store, we drove back to the estate, ragged and tired from moving, ready to fall asleep, and I realize that I have forgotten my gym shoes (I go to the gym early in the morning). So I went to my car - where there was a bag of DI clothes - and found some old gym shoes. They would work, I guess.

Then, this morning, after the gym, I was getting ready for work and realized I didn't bring a shirt to wear! I had 2 T-Shirts (one to move, one to sleep in) but neither would be appropriate attire for the Capitol (Unless my bosses were USU fans!). Scouring my remaining items not moved, the only thing I found was a shirt that had been in my dirty clothes for a few days. I know it's gross, but I had no choice. I was late and its not like I could run back to my new house.....we were still locked out!

And as if THAT were not enough, I then realized that I had also forgotten dress shoes! I only had 2 pairs of tennis shoes (one being the said OLD running shoes) of which, again, neither would be appropriate. So I remembered that there had been some old black heels left lying around for months in a closet. I had thought to just throw them away many many times, but I checked and they were still there! They don't quite fit, but hey, what am I if not a "Fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants" type of girl.......

At least I remembered PANTS!

So that has been my past 24 hours. Tonight, I have to move the remaining things from the Estate, clean it (and it is HUGE) and then clean and unpack my NEW house. I will be thankful when I can be settled!

Tag Fun: My Quirks

2008-10-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

Rules
Link the person(s) who tagged you - Mention the rules on your blog - Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours

So my sisters tagged me on this tag. I am sure I have more than 6...But here goes....My Quirks:

1. I am a big germaphobe. I hate feet. I hate feet on anything I own and touch with my hands or face. I want to gag if people cut their nails in my presence. I hate people touching my face. I am an obsessive handwasher (My hands are ALWAYS dry because of it). I can't touch door handles in public restrooms. I will use the paper towel and throw it behind the door (Hey, its the store's/restaurant's/place's own fault they have to pick up my litter for not putting a garbage can right behind the door).

2. I hate sitting next to strangers. This applies mostly anywhere, but usually comes up on planes and in movie theatres. I have a fear that I will be sitting next to the guy who didn't shower (for the past 5 days) or the one who has horrific breath (really? You can't tell you have bad breath?) or the one who won't stop talking to me. Because I never get the hot, single, lds guy who enjoys a little politics and sports....Never.

3. I am a super-taster. If food has even a hint of spice, my mouth is on fire. I am also a super-smeller. Meaning my house will always smell good and fresh.

4. For some reason, when I eat, I mix my food together. I have been noticing a lot lately. I will mix my meat with the rice with the veggies (or whatever mixture is on my plate). I get every portion of the meal on my fork before I take a bite. I don't know why I do this. But I am a mixer.

5. Speaking of food, I have to drink water after I eat. No matter what I eat, I always need a swig of water. I think it is subconscious because I feel like the food will get stuck? I don't know. Along with this, I swish my water in my mouth. I didn't think anyone could notice it, but I was at Jill's house eating dinner the other week, having a casual conversation after dinner and she turned to me and asked "Why do you keep swishing your water through your mouth?".....Embarassing, but I do it.

6. When having conversation with anyone, I always say "that makes sense" after they tell me something. I don't know where it came from. But I always say it.

Love that Marky Mark

2008-10-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

Last week, SNL did a skit about Mark Wahlberg (played by Andy Samberg, Lyd's favorite) and Mark (my second favorite Actor, behind Christian Bale) was not too impressed. So this week, he made a guest appearance on SNL to straighten things out with Andy. It's hilarious. (Click here to see the original skit, by Andy Samberg).

Here it be...

2008-10-17T07:29:00.001-07:00

Well, here they are. Last weekend was the big concert. The best concert. Kelly and Reba. 7th row. Although, my one complaint was that there were more Reba fans than Kelly fans. I missed all the Fabulous-Male-Kelly-Fans (if ya know what I mean - Not that there's anything wrong with that....). They were always crazier than me....There were points in this concert when Kelly would sing and everyone around us would sit. But not me. I am proud of my fan-hood. Even if it makes me a big nerd.

So here's to Kelly touring by herself again. (Not that Reba wasn't Fantastic, I just don't know any of her songs....)

Due to our last Kelly concert experience, I was anxious to be on time to this concert. Well, Anne and I arrived and were the only ones on the floor (see all the empty chairs behind us!)

They came out swinging "Sweet Dreams" by the Eurythmics. Awesome.

Oh yes. We really were this close.

Rockin' out (I am pretty sure at this point, all the Reba fans were sitting and Anne and I were dancing and singing all the words to Kelly)

Kelly rocks.

This violinist loved Kelly.

Ah.

I am pretty sure Kelly was looking at us in this picture. Seriously.

I'm basically obsessed.....

2008-10-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

So Friday Night, Anne and I went to the Kelly Clarkson & Reba Concert.....It was amazing. One perk of being an Official Kelly Clarkson Fanclub member is great ticket-buying opportunities. So, because of my membership, we sat 7th row. Yes, I was a stone's throw away from my celebrity twin. Heck, I probably could have spit on her.

From the Deseret News:

"The prize for most fist pumping and crowd movement went to Clarkson fans, however, as they jumped and waved in unison for "Never Again" and Clarkson's soaring vocals for "Miss Independent."'

Pictures are on their way, I just wanted to add this teaser....

From the Onion

2008-10-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

Members Of Twisted Sister Now Willing To Take It

September 29, 2008

NEW YORK—In a stunning reversal of their long-stated reluctance to take it, members of heavy-metal band Twisted Sister announced Monday that, after 24 years of fervent refusal, they are now willing to take it. "I acknowledge that we promised not to take it anymore, but things change. The world is a different place today, and with that in mind, we would like to go on record as saying that, starting right now, we are going to take it," read a statement released by the band's lead singer, Dee Snider. "To clarify, we would still prefer not to take it, but as of now, taking it is an option that we would be open to. That is all." Bassist Mark "the Animal" Mendoza also stated that, in regards to what he wants to do with his life, he no longer solely wants to rock, but would instead prefer doing other things, such as raising a family and working as a claims adjuster in Rye, NY.

Dreamweaver

2008-10-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

I just remembered my dream from last night. My roomies Ashlee, Jill and I got super cheap plane tickets to Scotland for this weekend. Then I remembered that I don't have a passport. I was freaking out, trying to call Hatchie's office to get the hook up for a quick passport but nothing was working. So I couldn't go! (still dreaming...) It was so sad!

I really need to get a passport. I can't pass up another trip to Scotland.

SYTYCD!

2008-09-24T17:33:00.001-07:00

Yes. Be Jealous. Or just call me a big nerd. Last night, I went to the So You Think You Can Dance tour here in Salt Lake! It was one of the most entertaining shows I have ever been to. Especially because I am a huge fan! AND I ran into one of our greatest family friends, Megan and Trent Nate! It was random and cool!

Here are some pictures of the action.

The whole gang. Twitch was quite the showman.

The Samba. Joshua and Katee danced together a TON.

I LOVE Will. He is an incredible dancer!

The Garden.

The Russian. Joshua jumps freakishly high. My jaw literally dropped.

The Door.

Imagine. My favorite routine of the whole season.

The Winner. Love him!

OK, This is Jaymes from SYTYCD Season 2. This was not at the SYTYCD Tour last night. I recognized him at a Rooney concert in Provo a few weeks ago and my friend, Jason, who was with us, grew up with Jaymes! So I was nerdy and asked if I could take a picture with him. I look really white. But I probably made his night.

Like THEY know what they're talking about.....

2008-09-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

Although I knew I loved James Caan! (watch until the end....)

Find of the Week(end)

2008-09-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

This stuff does not come off. Seriously. Amazing.
*Covergirl Outlast All-Day Lipcolor

Thoughts for Thursday

2008-09-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

New York at Thanksgiving? I don't like thanksgiving food anyway, why not travel?
Homeless October 1st? Frustrating.
Moving out of the Estate? Depressing.
Special Session next week? Craziness. But necessary.
Movie night. Soon.
Boys? Hmmmmm......
Parents? Coolest ever.
Friends? Missing 'em.
Rooney? Love that lead singer. Big crush.
State Senate Fro-yo? Addicted.

Brilliance

2008-09-16T16:31:00.001-07:00

Tina Fey returned to SNL to do Sarah Palin. She had me at "Good Evening My Fellow Americans":

Kind of cool...

2008-09-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

My dad sent me this in an email today. Touching - You have to watch the whole thing. (I am still not sold on McCain, but I like this video).

My Find of the Week

2008-09-10T10:54:00.000-07:00

I have a thing about mascara. I always buy a different brand. I don't think I have bought the same brand twice in a row....ever. But, I am absolutely in love with this new Mascara. Buy it. Love it.

Epitome of Work

2008-09-09T16:12:00.000-07:00

This video embodies my place of work.

*For those who don't know, this video comes from "The Onion", which is a fake news source.

Delicious Snacks Distract Congressmen From Horrors Of War

Stupid American....

2008-09-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

Call it hard-of-hearing. Or slow-of-processing. Last night, I headed to my local nail salon (the one that was closed Monday) because I desperately needed a pedicure. So I walk in and there are about 10 Vietnamese people working on customers (*Disclaimer: I have no idea if they were Vietnamese, but it sounds right). So one lady yells something to me in only what I can assume is English. So I say "what's that?" in my kind, sweet tone. So she says it again. And again, I didn't catch it. So I stood there. All alone. Paused, looking like a complete mute, while all eyes were on me. I look around to the American customers for any sort of help they could venture to offer. This high school girl looks at me with a snobbish stare and says "She asked how she can help you". So I smiled and said "Pedicure".

Now, this was quite a funny experience. But it is only a glimpse of a problem I have suffered from for a long time. I just can't understand asian-people-speaking-english! This dates back to the days of working at Clubsport when rich-asians-who-barely-spoke-english would come to my desk and ask me questions and I would give them above said paused-muted face....

(*Disclaimer #2: If you read this and think I am a stupid white girl with no feelings, you are wrong. Well, except maybe for that stupid part.)

Productive Day Off?

2008-09-01T16:11:00.000-07:00

So as you all know. Today is Labor Day, which is also a day off for us state workers. So I had a list of things I wanted to accomplish in this, my day off.

So off I went, to the DI to discard the basket of clothes from my closet (the ones I haven't worn in a year). Nope, DI was closed. So I drove to the bank to deposit a few checks I had been meaning to deposit. Nope, bank was closed and so was the drive-through ATM. Next, I was off to get a pedicure at my favorite place, in order to try to relax. Nope, also closed. I was almost in tears. I met my roommates at a house we were looking at to rent. It was a cute house but super high priced. So we went to another house, but this was really far away and not big enough. So, depressed and discouraged, we decided to go to our favorite neighborhood bakery, Backers, to get a treat. But again, Nope, it was closed.

So, today was not as productive a day as I was envisioning. I have driven a lot. Boo........

Busy-ness, California and Babies

2008-08-25T21:54:00.000-07:00

OK, so I have been a little lazy in keeping up with my blog. But I assure you, that is the only part of my life I am being lazy in. First, I went home last weekend (well 2 weekends ago) to see some baseball. My boy Swish (Now a White Sock) played my A's quite well and was looking foxxy with the shaved head and facial hair (A's won friday, lost saturday). We also got to take my niece, Sammie, to her first A's game. Although she slept the whole time, she looked adorable in the outfit I gave her.

I also got to see my oldest friend, Jillian Johnson (Orr) , her husband, Arthur and her baby, Jake. He is so chubby and adorable.

I also watched a lot of Olympics that first week. Here is a link to some of the best moments. Make sure to check out Bela Karolyi watching Nastia Liuken.....Its hilarious.

Then, when I returned from my vacation, I started running to catch up with work and have been running ever since, from one thing to the next. Life is hectic at the moment. But don't mistake hectic for bad. Life is good and I am continually blessed by my family, friends, and job. Gotta Love It!

Cutie Sammie (look, I will be able to watch baseball AND feed my babies when I am a mom!)

Could this be MIKEY's child?

This picture is funny to me because of Jen in the background.

Little Jake....so adorable.

Best Thing I've seen all day

2008-08-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

http://www.espin.com/mash-game.php

So many thoughts....

2008-08-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

I was talking to a friend about my blog last night and I have not waxed poetic in this setting for quite some time. So here is a gauntlet of random thoughts:

I am so glad Joshua won SYTYCD!!! He is great (although I LOOOOVED Will).
I came across a girl that Lydia and I used to babysit on facebook. She is so old now! What does that mean about me?
The last 4 times I have filled my tank (car tank, with gas, that is) the amount has come to $75 even. I don't even try. I have filled up in Salt Lake and Logan and different gas stations and I don't even control it. I thought it was weird after 3 times. Then last night it happened again. Weird.
I have a book on my nightstand/table entitled "The Audacity of Hope". When I look at that title, it inspires varied thoughts every day. In a perfect world, "Audacity" and "Hope" would not be used in the same sentence. Hope should be something every person inhibits, even relishes. With the upcoming elections for the POTUS, I can't help but wonder what our country will be like in a few short years. Will we be in the exact same position economically/socially/internationally that we are now? I should hope not. But that leads to the next question: Which candidate will lead us to our desired outcome? That is a question I don't have the answer to. I find myself almost entranced by one of the candidates. That is scary. This candidate is charming and eloquent. But do I actually believe what he claims he will do? It reminds me of a quote from one of the greatest movies: The American President. I find that this quote pops into my mind a lot. Michael Douglas plays the President of the US and Michael J Fox is one of his advisors. It is set during an election cycle and the President refuses to defend his relationship with his girlfriend (his wife had died of cancer). It is hurting him in the polls. Here is the dialogue:
Lewis Rothschild (Fox): People want leadership, Mr. President, and in the absence of genuine leadership, they'll listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone. They want leadership. They're so thirsty for it they'll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they discover there's no water, they'll drink the sand.
President Andrew Shepherd (Douglas): Lewis, we've had presidents who were beloved, who couldn't find a coherent sentence with two hands and a flashlight. People don't drink the sand because they're thirsty. They drink the sand because they don't know the difference.
This is what scares me about this election. I am not sure who should win. I'm not sure I trust either candidate. But I think one of the candidates has the advantage due to his demeanor when addressing the public. I find myself unable to pull away when he is talking. Although I don't agree with a lot of what he stands for. I do think that, especially in this time, People want Leadership. So badly, that they will drink the sand....Its a scary time.
On a non-political tangent, when do I know when to say "enough is enough" and let go of someone I care about in order to move on. Speaking of hope, am I exercising hope or just refusing to let go for fear of what awaits me. Am I being patient or stupid. How do I know when to just trust that someone better for me will come along and let go of the strings that attach me to this one. How do I know that this person is being genuine in their feelings. Frustration. This situation would make great song lyrics. I, however, don't have the answers.

My Money's on Joshua

2008-08-05T12:26:00.000-07:00

Joshua should win SYTYCD. He is AMAZING! I would add a video of something he has done but I have LOVED everything.

I also loved Will but he was voted off far before his time. He was, by far, the best dancer they had. See here.

DC Never Gets Old

2008-07-31T19:38:00.000-07:00

So I went to DC last weekend. It was so fun! I took along my roommate, Ashlee Reese. She is the blond in my pictures. My pictures are two fold-The first part is DC, Part 2 is my first Philly experience.

Our layover in Cincinnati. That airport is sketch. This shuttle to our terminal went on the runway with the planes.

My home away from home away from home. That sky was amazing!

My roommate Ashlee went to the holocaust museum, but I did not want to partake. So I took pictures of myself on the mall....

Capitol Tour. My old stomping ground. This is Brigham Young, one of two statues representing Utah.

The classic pioneer face in front of the women statue.

Abe and I

Ash and I exhausted at the WW2 memorial

This picture is so funny to me for some reason. Maybe because its candid (the sun was insanely bright). I don't know, but it makes me giggle.

We were tired and hot. So we decided to rest at the Sculpture Garden (2 days in a row).

Technically, this picture is from Philly, but I am too tired to change it. (By the way, I am really good at reading maps. You should take me everywhere)

Ashlee took this picture without my knowledge. But this was the fountain at the Sculpture garden. People would put their feet in it. It grossed me out the first day, but the second day I did it. It felt so good.

NOW FOR PART II: PHILLY

Things got a little crazy on the drive to Philly.

Destiny and Laura: Best Friends by day - Superheroes by night.

The Liberty Bell was super crowded so in order to get a picture, you had to be fast. So hence, the peek-a-boo pose.....

Brilliance.

We are hard core. Like Rocky. With the Eye of the Tiger. (Just look at Dest's face-I wouldn't mess with her....)

Ok, I am no Rocky Balboa.....I'm not even at the top....but we were tired.

Ash and I being Thugs in Philly. We went to South Street and it was hoppin'! A line of white Rolls Royce's cruised by so Ash walked up to the car and asked who they were (we were hoping they were basketball players or something)...but they were just rappers. No one famous. I was hoping to see Ludacris, personally.

This guy makes a mean Philly Cheese. But he kept staring at the wagon I'm draggin....if ya know what I mean.....The Brotha's love me, what can I say.

Alas, our trip to Philly was a success. We felt like thugs in Philly. I don't know if I have a huge desire to go back to Philly but I am so glad I got to experience it.

Too Funny Not to Share

2008-07-23T10:02:00.000-07:00

Please watch this HILARIOUS video of Justin Timberlake! He is singing a song called "I Love Sports" at the 2008 ESPY awards and it made me laugh so hard! You will laugh too (as long as you are an all around sports fan, like myself)....