Monday, July 30, 2012

Lakes, Sales, and Farewells

It was a great weekend for Justin and I. Friday morning we met my family (Mom, Dad, Cassie, and Zach) at North Beach in Bear Lake and spent a wonderful day at the beach. Later that night we went to my cousin's cabin and had dinner with a whole bunch of cousins. It was a lot of fun! I just love love love Bear Lake. Bet you didn't know that about me huh? hahaha. We drove home that night and in the morning we (of course) hit the garage sales. In case you didn't know, Justin and I LOVE going to garage sales every Saturday morning. In fact, its kind of become my favorite part of the week. This weeks greatest finds include an almost NEW vacuum for FIVE DOLLARS and a bowling ball with bag for twenty. And of course it included the usual haul of books and movies for me.


On Sunday morning, when Justin got off of work, we drove down to Kaysville for my cousin Kade's mission farewell. He leaves for the MTC this Wednesday and was called to the Boston, Massachusetts mission. Kade's talk in church was amazing! I saw a side of him that I had never seen before and I just know with my whole heart that Kade is going to make a fantastic missionary. And yes, he had all of the girls crying. I sure am going to miss Kader Bear! He is such a beacon of light in our family. He has the most tender heart and is always so sweet. Boston is sure lucky to have him! But ugh, it was hard saying goodbye to him. Two years is such a long time. I am seriously so proud of him though! He is the fist one on that side of the family to serve a mission and I am so thankful for what an amazing example he is to all of us. Good luck Kade! We love you!!


 The First Views Of Bear Lake

The lake was SOOO pretty that day!

Dinner at the Cabin with the Fam

We went to get ice cream at Merlins and looky what we saw on the wall! It's BROTHER!!

Elder Butt

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

A Hero

The tragedy in Colorado has left us all a little worried about humanity I think. It was so pointless and such a waste of life. Even though we didn't know the victims personally, it seems like the whole country is mourning their deaths. However, when tragedies like this do occur, something good usually arises from it. For example, it's brought Justin and I closer together. Whenever we see it on the news Justin almost always grabs my hand or whispers that he loves me. As terrible as this was, it's a good reminder to us all how precious life is and that we shouldn't take one single day for granted.

Shortly after this hit the news a petition started circling Facebook asking for Christian Bale to visit the victims in Colorado. And guess what guys? He answered our call and went to Colorado. I am so impressed with this guy. I know he plays a hero on the screens, but what he did for those people was a pretty heroic act if I do say so myself. And it's not like he did anything outrageous and showy- he just went to 'mourn with those that mourn'. Sound familiar? It's just proof that the small and simple acts of kindness are the ones that mean the most. It was a good reminder for me. I need to put a little more service in my life. I am so blessed! It's time for me to bless the lives of those around me. Anyway, that's what I have learned from this tragedy and just wanted to share my thoughts. Thanks for reading.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Job Funny

So I have a question for all of you. Do you know what an iPhone is? Isn't that kind of common knowledge? Do I look like an idiot? Apparently! (Said in a Brian Regan voice). So today I had a guest come up to the front desk asking for the WiFi password. I gave it to him, but after that he didn't leave. He stayed at the front desk for approximately twenty minutes telling me what an iPhone was, how it works, and the different things it can do. I got long winded explanations of the different plans that Verizon and AT&T provide, had to watch video clips of a movie and music video to see how great the picture and sound was, and got a full overview of the Apple company. He was seriously acting like I had lived under a rock and had no idea what a smart phone is. haha I was trying SOOOOO hard not to bust up laughing! I just kept smiling and nodding like everything he said to me was a brand new revelation. Fortunately for me a housekeeper saved me by 'needing' my help with something. (Bless her!) Honestly, if she hadn't come to the front desk, I am fairly certain that I would be getting the "iPhone lecture 101" still. Well sir, I am just tickled pink that you love your new phone so much. I hope you two are very happy together! hee hee hee

Sunday, July 15, 2012

A Brand New Blog

I have decided that I need another blog. A book nerd blog. Please follow along with me if you would like.

The Readings of a Book Nerd. 

Better Safe than Sorry!

I personally know someone who was raped so this hits pretty close to home and thought I would pass this along. There were some things that I didn't know or would have never thought about. I think every girl should read over this because it's definitely better to be safe than sorry! 

‎”THROUGH A RAPIST’S EYES” 

  
It seems that alot of attackers use some tactic to get away with violence. Not many people know how to take care of themselves when faced with such a situation. Everyone should read this especially each and every girl in this world. THOUGHT THIS WAS GOOD INFO TO PASS ALONG…

FYI - Through a rapist’s eyes! A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:



1] The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle.
They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun! , braid, or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.

2] The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who’s clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around to cut clothing.

3] They also look for women using their cell phone, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.

4] The number one place women are abducted from / attacked at is grocery store parking lots.

5] Number two is office parking lots/garages.

6] Number three is public restrooms.

7] The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to a second location where they don’t have to worry about getting caught.

8] If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn’t worth it because it will be time-consuming.

9] These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas,or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.

10] Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you’re not worth it.

———————————————————————————————————————————-

POINTS THAT WE SHOULD REMEMBER:


1] If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk:
can’t believe it is so cold out here, we’re in for a bad winter. Now that you’ve seen their faces and could identify them in a line- up, you lose appeal as a target.

 
2] If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell Stop or Stay back! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they’d leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would 
not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.

3] If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) yelling I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.

4] If someone grabs you, you can’t beat them with strength but you can do it by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm between the elbow and
armpit or in the upper inner thigh - HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it really hurts.

5] After the initial hit, always go for the groin. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy’s parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you’ll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our
instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause him a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, and he’s out of there.

6] When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using
much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.

7] Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don’t dismiss it, go with your instincts. You may feel
little silly at the time, but you’d feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.

——————————————————————————————————————————-

FINALLY, PLEASE REMEMBER THESE AS WELL ….

I know you are smart enough to know these pointers but there will be some, where you will go “hmm I must remember that” After reading forward it to someone you care about, never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.


1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do it.

2. Learned this from a tourist guide to New Orleans : if a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you…. chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or
purse than you and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car: Kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won’t see you but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping,eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON’T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side,put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU CLOSE the DOORS , LEAVE.
 

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
a. Be aware: look around your car as someone may be
hiding at the passenger side , peek into your car, inside the passenger side floor, and in the back seat. ( DO THIS TOO BEFORE RIDING A TAXI CAB) .
b. If you! u are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
c. Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)
 

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot).

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP IT! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked “for help” into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

The post that includes flying, a toilet, a date, and a derby.

Thursday was my sister-in-laws 21'st birthday so we drove to Iggys in Ogden because that's her favorite restaurant. After dinner we went to ifly where Leslie went indoor sky diving. It was pretty much the most awesome thing I have ever witnessed! It looks super hard to do, I know there is no way I would have enough upper body strength to do it, but Leslie did great! I would have taken pictures or even a video, but my phone took a plunge in the toilet that night and yes, I did in fact have a mini heart attack. I hurried and ripped my phone apart into teeny tiny pieces and let it sit for almost 24 hours. Turns out I am the luckiest girl in the world because it's working! Not gonna lie, I almost had happy tears when I saw that it was turning on!

Last night my hubby took me on a date which was a lot of fun. We drove to Brigham City- the plan was to walk around the temple grounds and check out the new temple but unfortunately it was all taped off and we couldn't walk around. It was still cool to see the temple though and how far its come in just a few short months. I am so excited for this temple to open up- it's going to help congestion in the Logan temple so much! After our drive around the temple we grabbed some food at Peach City and took the long drive home. I don't think I have ever taken that drive back to Logan before and it was actually very pretty with some freaking huge houses out there! Who knew? When we got back to Logan Justin took me to Texas Roadhouse for dessert- he owed me. He bet me a piece of T.R. cheesecake if I would eat some sushi. I can't decide if it was worth it. As good as that cheesecake was last night, I don't know if it was worth that big ball of slimey raw fish, that got to my gag reflexes and made me want to throw up. Never again my friends. Never again! 

This morning I am at work with 40+ check outs and a remote to a TV that is broken with the TV stuck on a sports channel- which equals a pretty long day. But at least I have something to look forward to! Tonight Justin and I are going to the demolition derby- let the car smashing begin! Boo-Yeah!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

The Sorting Hat is NEVER Wrong!

The Biggest 'What the Heck?!"

So Happy.

Job Funnies

Alright, I have two job funnies today for you. The first one didn't happen to me but I was told about it and the second one was me being me (not always a good thing ha).

Job Funny #1
Our maintenance man comes into the office just laughing his butt off today. When he could finally tell me what was so funny he said that he had just pulled a prank. The prank was on some little girls that were swimming in our pool while he was checking the chemical content.
Little Girls: "What are you doing?"
Maint Man: "Checking to see if anyone peed in the pool. I'll know if this turns red."
Well I don't know much about pools but I guess the thing turned red and the little girls eyes got HUGE! They were very concerned about this seeing as they thought they were swimming in pee.  Anyway, he told them he was just kidding and I guess the little girls's dad was cracking up about it as well so no harm no foul. I thought it was super funny though and got a huge kick out of it.

Job Funny #2
Our head housekeeper's office is a work in progress so she doesn't have a computer. Her and I have gotten pretty close these last few months (I honestly just love that girl!) and so she asks me to type some things up for her every now and then. Well today she asked me to type up an agenda outline for a meeting that they will be having this week. The tricky part was that we have some housekeepers that only speak Spanish. So my manager told me to copy every line from the original agenda, paste it into Google Translate, then paste it into a new Spanish version agenda. Doesn't sound too difficult right? Wrong, you are forgetting that it was ME that was assigned this job. In case there is any questions, this is what it went like:
--Click on original agenda
--Right click, paste
--Click on Google Translate
-- Right click, copy
--Right click on new translation, copy
--Click on Spanish Agenda
--Right click, paste.
Okay, so do you see how this may take some skill here? I kept hitting paste when I should have been hitting copy, copy when I should have pasted, and mixing up which thing I was going into. (I haven't gotten to the funny part yet). So needless to say, I was getting super frustrated with myself and what an idiot I can sometimes be. Well my friends, I am sorry to say that I hit the wrong button one too many times and the words "Damn it!" came pouring from my mouth... and it shocked me! ha ha have you ever had a word just slip out? Well this one certainly did. After saying this naughty word I pop my head up (the counter is pretty high when you are sitting down) and look around to see if any guests had heard that. Picture a gopher popping out of his hole with a stunned expression on its face and you have exactly what I looked like. When I realized that there were no guests around, my boss was gone, and I was in fact NOT going to get into trouble for swearing at work, is when I came to find this situation pretty funny. And it wasn't even my swearing that was amusing, it was my reaction to it. It takes a lot for me to surprise, or even shock myself, but today I did and it was funny.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras

Guys! I just finished one of the greatest book series ever! Okay, so maybe it doesn't beat Harry Potter or The Hunger Games, but I really did love it! The series is known as 'The Uglies' series by Scott Westerfeld. There are four books in the series, 'Uglies', 'Pretties', 'Specials' and 'Extras'. If you plan on starting this series make sure you have a fairly open schedule because these books are page turners and oh so difficult to put down (which means they are perfect for summer!). The story line is about a futuristic community where everyone is considered ugly until their 16'th birthday. On their 16'th birthday they get to have surgery to make them beautiful- like super model beautiful. The surgery makes them the ideal height, weight, perfect skin, perfect hair, eyes, facial structure, teeth- pretty much everything about them is changed to be perfect. And after they have the surgery they get to move out of Uglyvill with its rules, schools, and uniforms and into New Pretty Town where they get to drink alcohol, party, dress up everyday, and live in mansions and do pretty much whatever they want. Not only is the plot enthralling but there is also a very important underlying message throughout the series on how big of an impact our culture, society, media, and government can really have on us without us really ever realizing it. So.... Why are you still here? Go Read! ;)

... Oh WAIT! It just got even better! Box offices here they come! Woo-Hoo!

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Red White and Blue

Happy Independence day everyone! I certainly hope that you are all having a safe and happy (and fire-less) fourth of July! I ended up having to work today, but fortunately I made it to everything that I wanted to. Yesterday I was supposed to work the night shift but my co-worker realized that he had classes in the morning so he needed to switch me. This worked towards my benefit because I was able to go to the Logan City fireworks that night (Logan is weird and does their fireworks on the 3rd instead of the 4th). All of the Palmer's (my extended in-law family) gather together in a grassy area where we chat, play games, eat dinner and yummy snacks, and watch the fireworks together. I love the Palmers. I have definitely gained some really amazing aunts, uncles, and cousins. They are some of the kindest and most welcoming people you will ever meet, and I always have a lot of fun with them!

For all of you who live in Cache Valley I certainly hope that you caught the show this year cause it was AMMMMAZZZZING! Like seriously, one of their best yet (in my opinion anyway). There were some new fireworks that I had never seen before and their grand finale was superb. I just love fireworks.

Every year my in-laws host a big Fourth of July omelet breakfast where my father-in-law whips out some of the best omelets you have ever tasted. Seriously. I don't even like eggs that much but I ended up eating two! I don't know if it's the fresh ingredients, the outdoor skillet, or his chef like abilities, but for some reason this breakfast is probably the best breakfast of the year for Justin and I.  And of course they invite pretty much every family member in the universe, so its also a lot of fun! This year I was able to sneak off with my niece where I got to be alone with her for more than a half hour. This was pretty rare because usually everyone is playing 'pass the baby' with her. Have I mentioned that I love her? Because I really do. Guys, she is so cute. I can't get enough of her. She is starting to smile and make funny faces and she just cracks me up. I had to give her up today because she had an explosion in her diaper and boy did I feel it! hahaha baby farts are super funny, but the noises and faces she makes while she is farting and pooping are pretty much priceless. I was quite enjoying my time with that little stinker!

After breakfast we all headed to Hyrum for the huge parade that they have. My favorite float was from Twizzleberry. Some of the workers walking around had a sign on their shirt that said 'free hugs' and they were walking down the street hugging everyone. They were also passing out coupons though and I got 20% off my next frozen yogurt. SCORE! I also got some candy, a water bottle, two otter pops, and a carpet cleaning coupon.

After the parade we walked around the booths that they had but they didn't have much and by that time we were all suffering from heat stroke so we didn't stay very long. On the way home Justin and I went to lunch at The Pizza Place with his parents and mmmm it was yummy. We then drove back to their house where I jumped in the car and headed for work. Kind of a bummer that I work tonight, but it's alright because I got to do a lot of fun fourth of July things and I sure do love that holiday pay!

Since Leslie (my sis in law) was taking pictures with her camera I only ended up with three and they all have Tenley in them haha. (I told you I loved her). But here are the ones that I got...




Monday, July 2, 2012

Excitement! Excitement! Excitement!

Do you remember how a few weeks ago I wrote a blog all about this new house that we thought we were getting? And then it fell through and I felt really dumb about posting it all over my blog and Facebook? Well, I  can now tell you with confidence that Justin and I have finally found a home! And we are beyond ecstatic about it! You see, the same day this home went on the market our awesome realtor called us up and said that we HAD to see it! So we set up an appointment with her later that same day to do a viewing. I must admit that falling in love with this house was not a 'love at first sight' ordeal. It was nothing special on the outside, and walking through it for the first time it just felt cold and uninviting. But it did have some really great things about it. While we were viewing it another realtor showed up to show the home to his clients, and that's when we knew that this home was going to go fast. It was too much home for too little a price not to. So Justin and I went home that day with a LOT to think about. And the more we thought, the more we started to fall in love with this home's potential.  And when I say potential, I am not talking about all the repairs and things that needed to be done to it, because virtually nothing needs to be fixed. I am merely speaking of the potential that if offered me and Justin, and our future family. I realized that the reason it was cold and uninviting is because the single woman that lives there has almost nothing on the walls, is pretty much a clean freak, and it just doesn't have that 'homey' feel to it. Which of course is easily remedied with some goofy family pictures on the wall, a little splash of color, and our own unique touches that we can bring to it. The next morning while I was at work Justin put an offer on the house... and it was accepted! The house was not even on the market for a full 24 hours! In fact, they whisked that puppy off the internet so fast that the link that I sent to a few family members and close friends that same night wouldn't even work. I believe that our two week window to back out is coming to a close, but we are definitely not backing out of this one. We got it inspected and everything looked great, just some minor cosmetic things that he suggested. Our insurance agent approved of it as well so things are definitely looking up! This process was so much smoother and far less stressful than that last house we put an offer on. I keep waiting for some doubt to trickle in, but so far I just feel really good about this decision. And from the piles of boxes that we now have stacked to the ceiling in our tiny apartment I can tell you that it's pretty much official: we close on July 31, and can move in Aug. 1. LESS THAN ONE MONTH! Boo-frickin-yeah- baby!!!

Some Facts:
4 bedrooms (technically only three because one doesn't have a closet)
2 bathrooms
2 living rooms
Huge laundry room
2 Car Carport (Justin may need to turn it into a garage in the future)\
A shed that is painted like a barn that I absolutely LOVE
0.15 acres, doesn't sound like much but our backyard is actually pretty decent size!
Garden
Steal roof
New paint!
DISHWASHER! YESSSSSS
A cute deck with a dog kennel built underneath
1 fabulously large tree in the front yard
CENTRAL AIR!
And all of this adds up to two very happy people!

Due to it being taken offline so quickly I wasn't able to nab any pictures, but I promise that as soon as we get moved in, pictures are coming!

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...