Spent the weekend with herself

Seriously, I spent like 66 hours of my 72 hour weekend

All By Myself.  

I think that there is a problem with that.  

Remember when it used to be a big deal to do things 

"All By Myself"

Ya, well those years have long past, like 25 years ago (at least).  

Now being able to do things "All By Myself" isn't so great.

I cleaned my closets.  All By Myself

I went running.  All By Myself

I went to the temple. With my mom and aunt. 

Which was delightful

but  it isn't like you can talk

I went snowshoeing up to Big Springs.  All By Myself

I watched a Redbox movie. All By Myself

I ate my microwave popcorn.  All By Myself

I ran a 10k (most ridiculous route I've ever run).  1/2 way All By Myself. 1/2 way with friends.

I decorated for Valentines Day.  All By Myself

I cleaned my bathrooms. All By Myself

I read. All By Myself

I read more. All By Myself

I shopped.  All By Myself.

Which actually might not be a bad thing because I can only think of one person who would have been as excited about my craft finds as me, ( also the great Melissa and Doug toys and puzzles I found on clearance), and she lives in Virginia so that wasn't really going to work out.  

I made some really great Valentine Crafts.  All By Myself

I went to a "Amber you need to come meet this great boy" Party that a married friend of mine was hosting for a bunch of her husband's law student friends. . . . . There were other people there, but I went- All By Myself, and mostly felt, All By Myself.  Also, I didn't meet the boy so it doesn't even count.

I re-potted my indoor plants.  All By Myself. 

I mopped my floor from the dirt I spilled while re-potting.  All By Myself

I slept. (obviously) All By Myself.

I went to church.  All By Myself.

I read some more. All By Myself. 

I went home for Ethan's birthday party.  

Finally NOT All By Myself.  

I'm ending  my weekend.  All By Myself 

Oh, and just like in the cover of the book pictured above, I also did my hair once again - All By Myself  

Talent I know. 

I think that there is something wrong with this picture.  However, I am getting more and more used to doing things All By Myself, and that is what worries me.  

and I also took this picture. . . you guessed it All By Myself

Doesn't let the snow stop her

I figure I might as well enjoy the snow if it is going to be on the ground right.  (Sadly, I haven't been cross-country skiing once this season).  Good thing it will still be snowing in April or May and I can probably ski on my spring break. 

Over MLK day, civil rights day, whatever it is.  Tiffany and Trish, two girls I taught with a few years back, went up Hobblecreek Canyon to snowshoe.  There wasn't a whole lot of new snow, but it was entertaining anyway.  Trying to set the camera on timer to get a good picture was probably the most entertaining part.  

No, I take that back -- My hair was the most entertaining.  

Seriously.  

Exit cute snow bunny.  

Enter scary snow lion.  

 Hello Sunshine. . . . Hello Snow!  

 Didn't quite make it. . . . into the picture, but it's a good action shot.  

 I think that Tiff's eyes are closed. 

Taking a picture of a picture taker.  

 See what I mean "snow lion" 

 Okay, so the hair is out of control, but the gloves are cute.  

I think that this is the best shot of all of us.  

 Later that night, the sky looked like this. 

 And like this.  

I think I need to try snowshoeing at night.  Maybe on the next full moon.  

is flattered

Have you ever had someone say something to you (or about you) and you weren't quite sure if they meant it as a compliment or not?  I had one such of those experiences.  Read on for detail.  Names will be left out to protect the innocent, or not so innocent.

Once upon a time there was a girl who met a boy.  After a few dates, the boy came to the girls house after an exciting (and sometimes awkward) morning of snowshoeing.  Upon arriving at the house, the girl went about her girlish duties of preparing the noon meal (now this is sounding like a pioneer story -- snowshoeing, noon meal. . . anyway).  As boy looked on he asked if he could just "take a look around" the girls house.  At this request, the girl was somewhat surprised.  She had never before had a boy she was on a date with ask to "see her house".  (She hadn't asked to see his, but that is irrelevant).  So, after giving the noon meal preparations one last go through the girl decided that she was okay with him seeing her house if she, in fact went with him (so as to help navigate and narrate the tour of her massive home). 

Albeit awkward, things were going well and he seemed to be impressed at her obsessive compulsive cleaning nature and organization skills -- even said something about her astute decorating abilities. Then, as they strolled down the short hallway to the guest room he turned around and looked at her and said, "It looks like you are ready to have 5 kids" (yes, he really did say that).  She couldn't decide at the time if she should be flattered or offended.  The only sane response she could muster was, "well, I do teach school and I have nieces and nephews".  Silence.  This is only going to get worse when he sees my basement full of children's books, manipulatives and toys.  It did get worse.  I think his reaction could be akin to utter shock at why a single girl (cute single girl if I dare interject) like herself would have so much kid stuff.  Is she desperate? prepared? hiding a small family under the bed? The tour was completed and the noon meal was served.  What she might have lacked in the foresight to shut the spare bedroom door, if in fact a male visitor wanted to tour her home, was made up for in her fine cuisine making abilities. She had, indeed added meat to the soup, which is always a winning point with the male population. He left the house full and she stayed, wondering what on earth he meant by his "You look ready for 5 kids" comment.  

End of story. 

(well other things have happened with the aforementioned "he" in the story, but that is a whole separate story, that I don't really want to get into).

For any who might have been confused:  

she = me 

he = (protecting the innocent remember?!)

So, in the end I decided to just take it as a compliment that he thinks I am ready for 5 children.  Truth be told, I am.  I am flattered that someone who barely knows me would pay me such a high compliment.  I can't think of anything I would rather be than a mother.  Why hide that fact right?! 

Someday my kids are going to be really lucky to have a mom like me with so many books and games.  Until then, any small children who want to come and spend time here can. . . .  apparently I can handle up to 5.  

Seems to "lose guys"

Confession #1:  I really love the Movie How To Lose A Guy in Ten Days.  Total chick flick.  I know. 

Confession #2:  If I could look like Kate Hudson in that yellow dress she wears in the movie I would be REALLY, REALLY tempted to wear it.  However, I understand that it is not modest and so I will refrain.  

Confession #3:  I think that I am better at losing guys than keeping them, and my endings are rarely like the one in this movie.  For some reason they don't actually come running back to me. Could it be because I don't actually look like Kate Hudson and that life isn't really like the movies.  Possibly.  

Today I was thinking about how often I lose things that matter to me.  I lose things all the time.  Trivial Things:  my keys, a piece of jewelry, the book I was just reading, clothing items, the phone number I wrote down that I needed to remember for work.  Most of these items can be found in a timely matter with a little bit of backtracking and searching. . . . and othertimes they just have to replaced.  

On the other hand the things that matter most, like people, are harder to get back once they are lost and then all I am left with is the backtracking and taking every step again to see if there is any possible way I can get them back. 

them = guys I  meet or go out with

I am sure this isn't healthy, but I do think it is human and maybe, just maybe one of these days I'll get to a point where I am so with it that I don't actually lose things and actually have a "successful relationship" that lasts longer than 10 days, or 4 dates.  

When I am successful I am going to write a post that is titled:  

How to catch and keep a guy for Eternity.  

Don't hold your breath waiting for the post.  

It could be a while. . . . like an eternity. 

Post Edit #1:  I know that this movie came out years ago, it just popped into my memory this morning because one of the songs on my i-tunes was from the movie
Post Edit #2:  I have been racking my brain trying to think of ways that the said yellow dress could be made modest.  There are none.  If you added sleeves and a back to this it would not be cute.
Post Edit #3:  I don't have a body like Kate Hudson so even if I could make this dress magically modest it wouldn't help my "losing guys" problem, so I should probably stop coveting (the body and the dress)

January is one of those months

Seriously, does anyone else dislike January!? Every year I try to have a positive outlook about January.  It usually lasts about 5 days into inversion, no sunshine and gray snow and I am finished.

Whoever termed the word "Winter Wonderland" didn't actually live through a Utah January.  Maybe I am just having a bad attitude, but I don't think it is very wonderlandish.


This is what I feel like the world looks like right now 

Not too inviting right?  Interestingly the snow starts out so beautiful and white and then it just gets trampled on by people and animals and cars and snowplows who are kicking up dirt everywhere they go.

Sometimes that is how I feel about my days.  I start off great.  Brand new day, white like brand new snow.  As my day goes on little things dirty my snowy white outlook.  Sometimes the sun comes out and melts away some of the yuckyness.  (I made up that word). I am always grateful for a little sunshine.  Recently the sunshine of January has come in quite a few different forms.

Here are just a few ways that the sun was able to shine through in my life and remind me this week that I don't need to just focus on the gray dreary snow piles.  

* A thank you note from a student (these are rare)
* The Young Women in my ward
* A Visiting Teaching Interview where someone actually listened to how I was and motivated me to be better about fulfilling my calling as a VT.
* A sincere compliment from one of my supervisors at BYU.
* Playing duets with my piano students who are so excited to be able to play a "real song" like Ode to Joy in the "c position" 
* Being able to help my sister study for a test.  Something I know might have actually helped her. 
* A phone call from an old roommate.
* Chocolate cake (seriously).
* Finishing a craft project
* Getting a check in the mail from my escrow account that was overpaid.
* My mom
* Having lunch with my aunt and finally catching up.
* Wandering around a bookstore for an hour or more and then getting some new books with a gift card.
* New violin students.

Lets hope that I can make it through the rest of January and focus on the sunshine instead of the gray.  

 Truly, I'm not sure why I am so anxious to get to February anyway.  The month of "love" and myself don't have such a great track record. 

2011

"I believe laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing; kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles." -Audrey Hepburn

I believe, with Audrey Hepburn in laughing and kissing and being strong and in being happy and I believe in miracles.  

I also believe that 2011 is going to be a lot better year than 2010.  

Here's to believing. 

and hopefully kissing a lot more. 

(also, this is a sidenote but I just realized that the theme for the youth this year is "we believe" too. . . . . good things to come for sure)