Saturday, December 26, 2009

Christmas 09

Well Friends. Christmas has come and gone. I can't believe it.
It was a pretty darn good Christmas at our house this year. The only bummer part is that I didn't even spend a full 24 hours with my family. I had to work on Christmas eve. Big bummer. Luckily I made it to my Grandpa Paulsen's house for the last five minutes of dinner. It was good seeing some of the Paulsen's again. We don't get to see one another nearly enough. We sang Christmas carols and read Luke. Then my grandpa talked about my grandma and how much he missed her and can't wait to be with her again. He told us all that we better not cry when he dies because he will be the happiest man that ever existed. It is so precious to me how much he loves his sweetheart. It makes my heart ache how much he misses her though.
After that we opened presents and chatted and started debates and teasing and all that fun family stuff.
So my family headed home to good old Fruit Heights and we opened up our pajamas. And oh my! Our pajamas were totally freaking amazing this year! We all had matchy matchy ones. They are red flannel boy pants (yay for the length!) and bright red Elmo face shirts. That's right, I said Elmo! They are ridiculously cool. We all got in our pj's and took pictures of course. They are on Cassie's camera but if I get a chance I will steal them from her and post them on here. My family is just too cool. So then my dad got too excited to give my mom his present (as always) and gave it to her that night instead of waiting until morning. He surprised her with a vacation to Cancun. She was so excited! My parents are so cute.
So then my parents went to bed and the siblings stayed up and watched The Grinch. Classic. My favorite line: "Fetch the stick Max! Ha! There is no stick. I'm smarter."

So then we come to Christmas morning.
Zach is, of course, the first one up. He wakes me and Cassie up and then we have to wake up Jessica because Zach is scared of her in the mornings. ha ha. Luckily Zach is a teenager now and likes to sleep in later than he usually does. Instead of the 3 or 4 in the morning, he woke up at 7. Yay for getting older! =) So then the tearing through wrapping paper madness begins. My mom is of course worrying about everything and saying "everything is take-back-able" and worried that we didn't get enough, when really we got insanely spoiled! It must be hard to be the mom on Christmas day. ha. I love her.
My favorite gift this year was a new car stereo for Buzz, an ipod, and the complete Friends series, which I have been watching non stop ever since. LOVE it!
Christmas day we drove to Preston. I drove separately because I had to work the next day and saw no point in driving from fruit heights to preston to fruit heights to logan. My mom came with me and we listened to Relient K's Christmas album (which is amazing by the way) and then we had a really good spiritual talk on Christ and his life and it totally put me in the Christmas mood.
Hanging out in Preston with my Butt cousins was way fun. Kailey got a new game called Curses and it was played a lot. That game is freaking hilarious! I totally want it now! We had an excellent dinner.... my grandma is an amazing cook.... and I finally got my craving of funeral potatoes taken care of... YUM!
After all the merriment I drove back to Logan and watched Friends and played my new Wii Game which is way way fun. I wasn't necessarily thrilled to be by myself the entire night, well, the entire weekend really, but that's the life you live when you work crappy retail jobs as a college student. I am the only one here in my entire building and it's just a little creepy. I wish I was home with my fam but I am just thankful I at least got the little time with them that I did. I don't know why I feel it so strongly this year more than ever, but I truly love my family so much and am so grateful for them. When life gets tough, they are the people that I want standing in my corner and backing me up. They are amazing people and even though we have many issues, way too much drama, and a little fighting here and there, there is a lot of love in my family and support of one another.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Sample Guidelines


I know getting free samples at the grocery store can be a tricky business, so here are some guidelines I have picked up in my current line of work. . . .

#1 The flavor of the sample does not change no matter how many times you try it. Really. You need only to try it once.

#2 There really IS such things as stupid questions. For example: "What do you feed your pigs before you turn them into ham?" is a stupid question.

#3 The products will be by the samples, not in another part of the store. This should be obvious, especially if the samples are directly in front of a giant refrigerator with the product name in giant letters on it. There is no need to go looking elsewhere.

#4 Take the first sample you touch. (I hope this does not need an explanation)

#5 Sneezing on the sample plate is not a good idea. Please aim elsewhere.

#6 When there is a large line full of eager people for free food, don't stop at the samples to discuss the product with your friends. Step aside. You can always come back if you decided to purchase.

#7 When the sample lady speaks to you, it is always polite to respond. There are never any exceptions to this rule. Well, Ok. I lied. If you are deaf, then that is indeed an exception. For everyone else, this lady is giving you free food, you should say something. Some suggestions: Hi. Thank-you. How are you. etc.

#8 Making sex noises after trying the product is in no way appropriate. There are other ways to express your delight in the product. Making these noises is uncomfortable for everyone around you.

#9 Chew With Your Mouth Closed.

#10 If there is one sample on a single plate, take the plate. If there are multiple samples on a plate, take ONE sample and LEAVE the plate. Please read this through several times until you understand this concept.

#11 Opinions on the product are not necessary. This is simply to see if YOU like the product and if YOU want to buy it. For instance, telling the sample lady that her turkey tastes like tuna is completely unnecessary. The only time you should give your opinion is if the sample lady is collecting data or giving surveys.

#12 A smile and/or a thank-you go a long way for the sample lady. She is standing there for a long time after all.

#13 If you are a cute stock boy, flirting with the sample lady is much appreciated and welcomed. Even if it is only to get free food. She likes the attention.

#14 If you have 7 kids, each kid should only take ONE sample. Don't let them keep coming back for more. Especially five times in one night. Suggestion: Go home and feed your kids dinner.

#15 A used toothpick is meant to go into the trash. Not on the floor. Not on the counter. And most especially not back onto the sample plate.

#16 Don't talk with your mouth full of food. No one likes "See-Food".

#17 If you are a very old man, flirting with the sample lady is not flattering. It is creepy. Because you are old.

#18 If you can not tell the difference between turkey and ham, then you need to eat more turkey and ham. They are not alike.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Soap Box

The last three days in my English class this semester were spent giving oral presentations on various topics. The requirement was that these topics had to be somewhat controversial because my teacher likes to strike up debates like you would not even believe!

One of the girls in my class got up and announced that she thinks that the legal drinking age should be brought down to the age of 18. The reason she gave was that if an 18 year old can fight in a war, they should be able to drink as well. I guess I kind of agree with that. After all, you are an adult when you are 18. BUT then she said that the biggest reason she thinks it should be lowered is because so many teenagers are drinking, and when they completely over do it they are too afraid of the law to go to the hospital and get help, and many of them end up dying from alcohol poisoning.

THAT'S WHERE SHE LOST ME.

Now don't get me wrong, it IS sad that alcohol is such a problem for teenagers today. But lowering the age limit is NOT going to solve anything! We live in a society where we no longer have to pay for the consequences of our actions. Have sex and get pregnant? Abortion. Go to jail? Buy your way out. Love McDonalds a little too much? Plastic surgery. 18, too much alcohol, afraid to go to the hospital? Lower the drinking age??? I DON'T THINK SO! If teenagers are really stupid enough to break the law, then they SHOULD have to pay for the consequences!

I don't think teenagers really get the affect alcohol can have on them. They do it as an act of rebellion, they like the high, they don't think anything bad will happen to them. WHICH MEANS: They are not mature enough to handle it!


A law should not be changed simply to decrease the number of law-breakers. It would be like saying that murder is on the rise, so let's make murder legal so that we don't have as many people breaking the law. It's completely absurd!

Anyway,this is just me on my little soap box, saying that this argument is a completely ridiculous one. I think it's kind of scary that some people actually think this way. I don't know why, but ever since that class I have not been able to get this off my mind. I don't like that consequences are disappearing. You can get away with so much these days.

Yesterday my boss said to me "I would rather ask for forgiveness than permission." That kind of summarizes our society today. Act first, think later. What a good theory to spread into the world. Sheesh!

Sunday, December 6, 2009

I'm A Poet and I didn't Even Know It!!!

This last Thursday was my last day of school in the wonderful fall semester of the year 2009. Boo-Frickin-Yeah! In my poetry class on that day we had a final, which, not gonna lie, I felt completely unprepared for. Fortunately I thought it went rather well as it was entirely essay format and, let's face it, I rock at writing essays! I am one of the best B.S.'ers on the planet, not even joking. As the exam was coming to an end however, my professor announces to the whole classroom that he would like Kristi Wright to stay after class because he has something very important to talk to her about. . . . . Uh-oh. What did I do? He sounded so serious. My poetry professor looks like Mr. Clean, to the tee! He is big and bald and VERY intimidating! I mean, he's even got the stache and everything. Needless to say, I started panicking. I started questioning what he could possibly want to talk to me about on the last day? I worried that I had failed the class and wasn't getting credit or something like that. What else could it be?! As the class was filing out, handing in their papers, I stood in the back very awkwardly. It felt like it took forever for everyone to leave. As the final person closed the door, I walk to my professors desk. I see lying on his desk a poem I had written for one of our assignments, and all of a sudden become very confused. My professor gets a huge smile on his face, and tells me that the poem I had written was his favorite of the entire classes. He then takes the time to go through each line with me and compliments me on different things I had done. And here is the big shocker! - He says to me, "Kristi. This is a very good poem. And you are a very talented writer. I strongly suggest that you enter this into the poetry contest that the school is having next semester. I think you have a really good shot at doing very well with this poem." - - - WHAT??!!! I was completely floored. Like literally. Glued. To. The. Floor. This is not what I was expecting at all! I have never written poetry in my entire life unless it was for school. What a compliment! I was so touched. There is no way I would ever enter that poem into a contest, but it felt really good to be complimented by a college poetry professor on a poem that I had written!

There have been a few very similar experiences with my other teachers this year. They tell me I am good at English. And I am. And it feels good to be good at something. Especially because more often than not, I am screwing up in every other aspect of my life. Sometimes, .... well, most times, I feel like an eternal- screw up. But when I am in my English classes, I never do. It seems like I just can't get things right in life. Like whatever I do, it will never be enough. But in English... Well, in English I have gotten it down. And it IS enough. And DANG! That feels good!


Anyway, maybe this eternal-screw up has potential after all. =)

The Divine Calling of Motherhood

It's late. I need to be in bed right now, but the pull to write is stronger than the pull of my night time meds, so .... here I am. T...