promises, promises...

A few things I thought I'd never do:

#1) I swore I'd never do this by myself ever again. Alas...my car needed it. It was filthy and sad; the last time I did it was roughly 9 months ago. Aaaand...I asked a certain someone for help, and he told me no. Twice. So on Saturday I broke down and waxed my car. Alone.

Fortunately, it was sunny and warm (but not hot) and it didn't take me as long as it did last July. I'm pleased with the results.

So shiny...

#2) I never want to ride a bike with flat tires. Any distance. Ever again.

Do you even recognize how difficult/exhausting it is to ride a bike with two nearly flat tires? Do you? It's been months since I last rode my bike; while it hung in the garage in the cold Idaho winter, the tires deflated some. Understandable, I suppose.

On Saturday, my good friend Brooke invited me to ride our bikes over to Tautphus Park to visit our friend Lisa at the Earth Day Celebration...thingy. I pulled my bike off the rack and hopped on, thinking I'd take off at top-speed and make it to the park in no time. Alas...it just wasn't in the cards; flat tires totally slow ya down. So I rode my bike to the nearest gas station to fill my tires with air. It's about a mile and a half to Sinclair from my place. My legs were like Jello, friends.

On a positive note, once my tires were full, riding was a breeze.

Brooke standing in front of the Psychedelicatessen
(isn't that a fun word?!) at the Earth Day thing.
PS The Psychedelicatessen bus sells uber delish bagel sandwiches.

#3) I never pictured myself bursting into a Saturday's Warrior song in the park with...anyone...to express...well...anything.

While celebrating the Earth this weekend, I saw this guy in the park who reminded me of Todd from Saturday's Warrior. You know...the guy Julie loves from the pre-existence? The guy who sings this song! I totally do NOT love this movie, but dang, this guy in the park made me think of him. (PS I looked all over the place for a clip or picture of this guy, but to no avail. Bum.mer.) Anyway...I tried to be stealthy, and I totally took a picture of Todd/park man.

Anyway, as much as I don't love the movie, I saw "Todd" and started singing Paper Dream to my friends so they knew who/what I was talking about.

A picture of "Todd."
Trust me, he looks more like the real deal in real life.
He even has a mullet!

#4) I never thought I'd care for Alec Baldwin in any way, shape or form. Something about him just rubs me the wrong way.

He's one of the main characters in 30 Rock, so I automatically wrote the show off as "not worth my time." But Vance and Abby insisted it's funny, and that Alec's character is actually pretty awesome. They lent me seasons 1 & 2. I've watched a handful of episodes, and it must be said...I not only like the show, but I love Alec Baldwin's character. I did NOT see that one coming...

D is for DREAM ON...

I love my life. Seriously, it's a good one.

BUT...I want to go away. Somewhere warm by the water. With a hammock in the trees.

Yeah...this looks about right.

This week has been a good one, for the most part. But lately I feel like I'm running on empty, and sometimes little things make me feel like this:

You know the feeling...

You know this one too...

Aaaand this one...

I can't help but think a nice warm get-away would help solve my little problem.

And that's why the title of this post is "dream on..." {frown/smile}

domesticatin'...

I don't know that I'm naturally a "domestic" sort of gal...although I do make a killer apple pie and I can follow a recipe with relative ease.

Anyway...lately I've had the hankering for homemade bread, so I've made several loaves in the past month or so. (Like I said, I can follow a recipe.) And really...who doesn't enjoy homemade bread? Puts the store-bought to shame. Every. Time.

Eat your heart out, Martha...

Last night for an Enrichment activity with my new branch (the Ammon 19th branch was recently absorbed into the Ammon Foothills branch), I learned to crochet. Well, I guess I'm still learning.

I think I like it. :)

Two of my favorite colors...

The work in progress...
One day, it shall be an afghan "cuddle blanket."

What I've done so far is probably 8 feet long or so. And maybe I don't want to tell you how long it's taken me to get that far (somewhere near the 4th row or something?) Okay, I give in; 2 hours. I started doing just one solid color and was going to switch off, but then lightning struck my brain and I decided to combine both colors throughout the entire blankie. I really like the color combo, and I figure it'll be a warmer, thicker afghan this way.

Anyhoo...for those who don't crochet, I give you permission to be impressed. For those of you who know how to crochet much better than I...umm...hello. I'm joining your ranks and intend to improve my skill. :)

I'll try to remember to post a picture of the finished product...in a few months when the daunting task that lays ahead is complete. (I think I'll work on it whenever we watch a movie and stuff...)

Oh yeah, and just for fun (and to document growth!) here's a pic of Abby and her pregnant belly from this past weekend. (I think she was in the middle of week 24?)

J is for Jackson...

My nephew Jackson just turned 5 this past week (on tax day, actually). Holy crow, he's FIVE! How does time move so fast?! Geez, I remember the day he was born! I had class till 4:30ish on Thursdays; this particular day when I walked out of class, I was affronted by two of my roommates (Jamie and Julia) who came to deliver the news that I was, in fact, officially an aunt.

LET THE CELEBRATION COMMENCE!

I went to visit Aaron, Amy and the newborn Jackson at Logan Regional Hospital that evening and I promptly fell in love. Seriously. Jackson was my favorite person in all the world.

Pretty cool that I only love him more as time goes on. I guess that's the way it goes with family. However, Jackson is a particularly cool kid. We found out he has autism when he was about 2 years old, which was a bit of a blow, but it was okay too. Jackson is such a happy little boy, brimming with energy. He lives in his own little world, but it's a happy one, and he does pretty well to let us into his life, and he sometimes gives and receives affection.**

Anyway...I went down to Utah this weekend to chill with the fam and to have a little party for Jackson. It was pretty great. We played with the kids and visited while snacking on "Jackson food."

BEHOLD:

He loves fishes 'cause they're so delicious...

Jackson's version of health food...

Beverage of choice (although Jackson appreciates any juice)...

Aaaand...let's not forget the cake...
ChoCoLatE or bUSt!



Singing to the birthday boy!!!

A lot of times you just don't know what Jackson is going to like. But I think he really liked his party. :) He was all-smiles. ALL DAY.

During the festivities, Seth was running around (with chocolate cake coursing through his veins!) and he totally bonked his head on a door. Only "bonk" is a rather delicate word. Do you realize how much head wounds bleed? A LOT. That kinda killed the party for a bit...so while Aaron and Amy took Seth to the ER for some stitches, we cleaned up the church and moved the party to their back yard. PS The Orgills of Layton have a super fun back yard now. It was already huge and fenced off, but now there is a swing set and a "caged" trampoline for the boys to enjoy the heck out of. (Oh, h0w both boys love to swing and bounce!)

Anyway, here are some pictures from the party...

the Birthday boy bouncing...

Seth...the very picture of a Capri Sun ad...

Abby also loves Goldfish and Capri Sun :)

My favorite picture of the day!!!
Oh, how I heart this boy!

**Just so you know, Seth is my other nephew, and he also means the world to me. (Who knew so much love could fit in one human heart?!) And I'm uber excited to meet my new little niece. Once she's born. In August. :)

and the nominees are...

So there's a fella I know, a guy who calls himself Eskimo Bob. (Just so you know, he is an eskimo, and his parents named him Robert--"Bob" for short.) Anyway, Eskimo Bob has a blog rather unlike any other I've ever come across. He updates his blog almost daily, and I don't always get a chance to check it or read it in detail. As I was perusing his blog, I came across a post that I somehow skipped. Which is too bad, because he named my blog as one of his faves. ("Honorable Mention" technically, since my blog is private.)

Here's what you do...
*Copy the badge and put the logo on your blog sidebar or post.
*Nominate at least 5 blogs (can be more) that for you are Uber Amazing!
*Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog.
*Share the love, and link to this post and to the person you received your award from.
*Come back and comment here so that your link could be added to the master list of awardees.

My nominations are:
*Cake Wrecks-Some gal I've never met (maybe her name is Jen?) started this blog and updates it daily. She posts pictures of professional cakes gone awry. We're talking awfully awry. Seriously, check it out. It totally kills me. In a good way.
*We'll give a nod to my brother Aaron, over at Travels With Gilly. He seems to blog about whatever hits him while he's at the computer; sometimes it's about the antics of his 2-year-old, sometimes he gripes about shoveling snow after spring has "technically" begun, and every so often there's a survey. (The survey can be anything from "best burger joint" to "worst movie" and so on and so forth.) Sometimes he's more serious, but usually he's just funny. I like Aaron and his blog.
*Nobody knows the real author of Seriously So Blessed, but she goes by Tiffany/Amber/Megan/Nicole (aka TAMN) and her stuff makes me laugh good and hard. My explanations can do it no justice, so just stop on by and check it out for yourself. -Keep in mind that it's a spoof--do NOT take it seriously!
*I'm not sure my friend would want her blog linked, so I'm not gonna do it. But I'm still nominating Suzanne over at What's Happen'n With the Hopes. It's a blog she started to keep friends and family up-to-date with her own little family. This girl is hilarious and FUN! She celebrates the heck out of Johnny Appleseed Day and National Popcorn Day. Stuff like that. If a day gets boring, Suzanne refuses to let it happen and prepares "theme dinners"--like an all-white dinner to celebrate winter. Awesome, I tell you...
*Ok, let's give one to Eskimo Bob himself. He's completely RanDoM. There's no other way to say it. But his random stuff makes me giggle. And sometimes he even makes me think. :)
*2 Words: Dwight K. Schrute. You know...the Dwight Schrute. From The Office! He has his own blog, posted by the man who plays his character, Rainn Wilson. Every time I read his blog I laugh. I really dig it. Too bad he only posts once a month or so...
*Aaaand...let's make it an even seven. I also watch a blog called Storm Chaser. Seriously cool stuff. Ryan McGinnis is a real live storm chaser. Maybe I think it's cool because I think Twister is a rad movie. Or maybe it's just because his photography of crazy storms is just plain awesome. Plus, I learn stuff about storms from this blog. Learning is fun.
*One more: DeeAura. Dee and I have known each other since the awkward days of middle school. I wish I could say I'm the reason she's so darn funny, but I had nothing to with it. Unfortunately. :) DeeAura blogs about her life and antics; I'm not sure how fun her job really is, but her wording makes that office seem like one happen'n place! Oh, DeeAura, your verbage is the stuff of which legends are made...

Now if you weren't nominated, chin-up! Pretty much, if you're on my blogroll/private blog link list, I totally dig your blog! I was just following the rules. I'm very good at following the rules.

And now...I am done.

B is for Bravery, C is for Choke...

I've kind of taken a break from my New Years Resolution to try new foods. I wouldn't say I've been avoiding it. But I haven't really been going out of my way the last couple of months either.

Well, tonight Lisa provided ample opportunity for me to put on a brave face and taste some different foods. Back in 2000, Lisa went to Ghana for some sort of humanitarian aid thingy, and she came back with a few recipes (as well as some excellent memories and all that jazz). She's been getting the itch to make some African cuisine lately, so today she made Red Red. She made 2 varieties: chicken and shrimp.

Now...shrimp was never on my list of foods to try this year; I already know I dislike it. But my brother Aaron has insisted that I need to try, try again. So I did. Just for him.

If you have a sympathetic gag reflex, go ahead and skip the video...

Honestly, it's not even the flavor that I hate;
it's that nasty pop when you bite into it.
And also the yucky texture...

Anyway, I tried it. And that gag is GENUINE, people!

Moving on...

I also tried plantains for the first time in my life. Fried plantains. Not bad, really. One of my friends was shocked out of his gourd when he saw me finish one off and go back for another. (Something about plantains and bananas being "closely related" I guess?)

I also ate (and swallowed!) some Red Red (the chicken variety). Actually had seconds on that.

Aaaand...last but not least, I ate a slice of mango. I didn't really care for it. It had a weird flavor I didn't exactly love. I think I'll stick with the dried mangoes. (Yum-o!)

So...that's a whole bunch of new foods all in one night, wouldn't you agree?

Red Red (with chicken)...

mangoes and fried plantains...

Anyway...I think I'm gonna eat me some frozen yogurt now...

F is for FAIL...

Get comfortable...this story might take a while.

Yesterday was my friend Matt's surprise birthday party. His roommate Josh planned it and I went over a bit early to help. -Josh had called me yesterday morning to let me know that Matt had driven to work instead of taking the bus, so we should expect him around 6 instead of 6:45. My last client of the day had canceled, so I was able to run home, grab the cake and ice cream, and run over to Matt's place to help Josh set up around 5:30.

So that's what I did. I pulled into their driveway just after 5:30. I grabbed the cake, ice cream and gift from my car and made my way to the front door. And then...Matt's car pulled in. DANG! Yes, it's true. Matthew got home 30 minutes before we even thought to expect him.

In my panic, I hurried back to my car and put the stuff back in and tried to talk calmly with Matt. I told him Josh told me to come by. Matt invited me in and Josh met us at the door and said, "Hey, Gina. What are you doing here?"

Hmm. Fishy thing #2 (or 3 or 4). I could've choked Josh.

I knew Matt knew something was going on. I wanted to just leave: abandon ship! But Matt invited me in and so we talked for a few. Then Josh told Matt he needed to take his truck to his sister's house for his brother-in-law to work on, could he please follow him there and give him a ride back? But before they left, Josh told me, "Gina, you need to come up and see my new bedroom set." I followed him upstairs with shoulders sagging and Josh gave me his key to their house. Then we all drove away in separate cars.

At this point I called Brooke for reinforcement. (She had been lurking around the neighborhood already anyway...she was concerned when she drove by and saw both my car and Matt's...) So Brooke blew up balloons while I frosted the cake. Emily Haymond showed up at this point and helped us out.

Then we heard the garage door open, and the three of us ran upstairs like frightened children.

So--Matt walked in and saw our balloon mess, the birthday cake and a gift on the counter...and no one there. (We fled to Josh's room.) When Melanie Wittman rang the doorbell, we descended the stairs and threw streamers at Matt.

Talk about the worst "surprise party" ever!

We were able to laugh about it. I said, "So Matt, be honest; did you suspect anything?" To which we all burst out laughing. Matt said he had rather enjoyed watching me and Josh lie left and right. I could just die of shame. (Yeah...I can't lie. I have the truth written distinctly across my face. This is one reason I prefer honesty.)

Anyway...the rest of the party was fun enough. Pizza, cake and ice cream, and presents.

The gift...
a genuine Dwight Schrute bobblehead!

Hooray for Federal Express, by the way. The bobblehead showed up on my doorstep yesterday; I had just enough time to wrap it before heading to Matt's to kill his surprise party...

here goes...

I've been tagged to do this "picture tag" a few times in the recent past, so I'll break down and do it while I'm home for my lunch break. (Tagged by Coretta, Brooke and Madi.)

Here's the thing, though. One friend said to grab 4x4 and another friend said 6x6. I guess I'll do 5x5 (so as not to play favorites:)...

Ready?

Game on.

Moi...
Downtown Denver, 12/31/07

What do I remember about this day? I went with Cameron, Jason, Kelly and Brooke the day after Christmas (much to the chagrin of my mother) to "take up skiing" in CO for about a week. New Years Eve Day was spent chillin' in Denver (because all the ski resorts were PACKED.) That night we watched the fireworks in downtown Denver. I'm quite certain that was the coldest firework show of all time.