11.18.08

Hi Dad,

It's me, D'Nell. I just wanted to say hello. I didn't realize I would miss you as much as I do. People ask how I am doing and I tell them I an doing great...which is the truth, but then 5 minutes later I am a little sad.

You know how I call mom everyday? Usually in the morning, afternoon, and evening to check on her? Well, that kind of makes me a little sad because I know I can't ask how you are doing, or see if you are behaving. I won't hear mom tell me she has to change your TV program or feed you lunch. But I still have to call her, I know she is a little lonely.

Mom told me today she purchased pomegranates before you passed away to make you fruit salad. You always loved mom's cooking. She didn't get it made for you before you died. Now I will have to eat your fruit salad...don't be mad or jealous...that's just the way it is.

Be well Dad,

Lot's of Love,

D'Nell

(p.s. Isn't your granddaughter Megan an amazing photographer? I think so...)

Almon Dean Gillespie - Obituary

Almon Dean Gillespie, returned to his Father in Heaven November 7, 2008. Dean was a beloved son, brother, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle and nephew. Dean was born May 12, 1928 in Fillmore,UT. He married Ardell Swasey (Duchesne, UT) in the LDS Manti Temple, on July 22, 1954. He attended Millard High school. After high school he served in the submarine division of the US Navy for 5 years. He played football for the US Navy and then later for BYU. Dean graduated from BYU in 1957 in Mathematics and Education. He taught math for 27 years. He taught in Kamas, Kanab, Fillmore, and Davis County. “Mr. G” was greatly admired for his ability to teach math and was respected by his peers and inspired his students to learn.

Dean loved swimming and taught swimming at the Fillmore City pool. Our father loved reading. When he was able, he read the paper everyday and always had several books on hand. Always a consummate learner he also was a journeyman electrician and owned and operated Gillespie Electric in his spare time. He also served as a reserve police officer for Salt Lake City, UT for 8 years. He loved horses and owned many during his lifetime. Even after he was unable to ride he still continued own horses and loved to take his children and grandchildren up to feed the horses with him.

His greatest joy was his wife, children and grandchildren. In the last years of his life he told us often how much he loved us and delighted in spending time with his family. He loved to tell us of his life.

Daddy

Almon Dean Gillespie

May 12, 1928 - November 7, 2008

We love you.

We know you love us.

Oh! How lovely was the reunion with your sons.

Lots of hugs, kisses, and laughter.

Don't worry about Mom, we will take good care of her.

We will miss you.

The Right To Vote

I voted today.
Left work early.
Waited in line at the Bountiful Library for an hour.
Gave my name.
Verified my address (okay my parents address).
Handed my picture ID.
Then proceed to the electronic voting machine.
Inserted card.
The moment I have been waiting for was finally here: Casting my vote for President.

John McCain or Barack Obama or John McCain or Barack Obama or John McCain or Barack Obama...wait...what about Ralph Nader? Hmmmm....

Decision made and vote cast.
Click
Click
Click
Judges? Do I really have to vote for JUDGES? Who are these Judges anyway? What have they done for ME lately?
Amendments to the constitution....hmmm....should have read a little more about them....
Click
Click
Click
Click
Click

Cast Ballot?
YES

And then I got my "I Voted" sticker.

I love being able to vote. I seriously love it. I would have stood in line for a lot longer than an hour for this right.

And now, I am glad I am done.
This is an interesting election.
I have a lot of mixed feelings.
It will definitely be an interesting 2, if not 4 years.

Good Job Sally, Pass It Along

Today I made a resolution: I will increase the number of times I leave good feedback for someone. Three instances have prompted this resolution:

1. Each staff meeting with our department we end the meeting with positive feedback employees in our department have received from other departments/individuals. The reading of compliments and recognition adds a positive feeling to our floor and makes me more engaged as an employee.

2. I met with the Enrichment Leader of our ward on Monday. I thanked her for the great job she did on a huge preparedness activity recently. This was her response "I am a person who needs reassuring words. A simple "thank you" for my actions makes my effort worth it and I am more willing to do it all again."

3. I taught Relief Society a couple of months ago, my bishop happened to sit in that Sunday. Later that week I received a note from him. It was really nice.

I think we have enough negative feedback in the world. I am going to start leaving some positive feedback and I even started today. I had a problem with one of my accounts. I called and talked to a helpful customer service representative. She quickly and efficiently solved my problem. She did not do anything spectacular but she was kind, courteous, and professional and I appreciated it. After I hung up I called right back and asked to speak with a supervisor. I then let the supervisor know that she made me feel valued as a customer and my experience was great.

Want to know the best part? After I left the feedback I felt amazing. Like the sun was shining all around.

Soundtrack of My Movie

Awhile ago I told a friend I would send him a CD of my current favorite songs. I have dubbed these songs "The Soundtrack of My Movie". I of course would have to make my acting debut is the movie. I am unable to send the CD because I can't figure out how to burn them to a disc.

So, with most things in my life, they don't become favorites for no reason. Some of the songs I just like because they just make me smile, but some remind me of situations that were one of the following:

1. So happy I could scream.
2. Remind me of my goals and dreams.
3. Were painful, but a great learning experience.
4. Remind me of days gone by.

Enjoy! (song title, artist, album)

1. Modern Nature, Sondre Lerche, Dan in Real Life
2. The Way I am, Ingrid Michaelson, Girls and Boys
3. Falling In Love At a Coffee Shop, Landon Pigg, Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop
4. Not Ready To Make Nice, Dixie Chicks, Taking The Long Way,
5. Vindicated, Dashboard Confessional, Spider-Man 2
6. Viva la Vida, Coldplay, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends,
7. We Are Going To Be Friends, The White Stripes, White Blood Cells
8. We're Going To Be Friends, Jack Johnson, Curious George
9. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself, The White Stripes, Elephant
10. Does That Make Me Crazy, Gnarls Barkley
11. Fake It, Seether, Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces
12. Look What You've Done, Jet, Get Born
13. Suddenly I See, KT Tunstall, Eye to the Telescope
14. Little Wonders, Rob Thomas, Meet The Robinsons
15. Chasing Cars, Snow Patrol, Eyes Open
16. Best of Me, Chrisette Michele, I Am
17. Cold December, Matt Costa, Songs We Sing
18. Vulnerable, Secondhand Serenade, Awake
19. Realize, Colbie Caillat, Coco
20. Everything, Michael Buble, Everything
21. Blinded, Third Eye Blind, Third Eye Blind: A Collection
22. Everything Changes, Staind, Chapter V
23. Hey There Delilah, Plain White T's, All That We Needed
24. Lost, Michael Buble, Call Me Irresponsible

3 Things

3 things that made me happy today

1. The preparedness enrichment. It was great! All the speakers were great and I love to always hear Sister Hansen speak.
2. Hearing David accuse me of stealing Salty for the 20th time.
3. Getting 3 admissions from T.Russ about how awesome I am. It's about time you admitted it now just don't ever forget it.

Heard On The Radio

I heard this on NPR this evening and I want to ponder it further. I thought I would share in case it made anyone else think.

"If you don't know where you are going then any road will take you there."

Drop By Drop

Drop by drop
My bucket is filled.

Even though I worked yesterday and only heard snippets of conference and only was able to watch today's sessions of Conference I can fill my spiritual bucket filling.

As I have gotten older I realize more and more that specific prayers are answered during conference. Words of the Apostles and Prophet are sometimes spoken just for my heart, at least that's how I feel.

I have renewed resolve and renewed strength.
I want to show more kindness and more love.
I want, even more, to live so that my life reflects my deepest and purest beliefs.

I can't wait to listen to the talks again.
I can't wait to read and study them.

It has been a great weekend.

All About Me!

I found these questions on Jill's blog and since I want to be like her, I am copying!

Last Movie I Saw In A Movie Theater? Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (LAME!)
What Book Are You Reading? The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon (but I just finished Eragon last night)
Favorite Board Game? Settlers of Catan or Scrabble (I always kick Joe's trash at Scrabble!)
Favorite Magazine? Anything that gives me ideas for my current home, future home, or just creative stuff.
Favorite Smells? Red Delicious by DKNY and Lauren Style by Ralph Lauren
Favorite Sounds? Crickets at night (they remind me of Grandma and Grandpa Swasey)
Worst Feeling In The World? Loneliness and guilt
First Thing You Think of When You Wake? Wow! I really have to go to the bathroom
Favorite Fast Food Place? Paradise Bakery
Future Child’s Name? Girl: Maude, Myra, Phoebe Boy: Benjamin David
Finish This Statement—“If I Had a Lot of Money,” I would help family, go to the school I really want to get my MBA, travel, and do lots and lots of volunteer work.
Do You Drive Fast? Yes.
Favorite place you have visited? Paris, Xiahu, Cinque Terra, New York
Storms—cool or scary? Cool as long as I don't have to drive in them.
What Was Your First Car? 1978 Ford Fairmont. I had to have pillows behind me so I could sit up straight. I hated this car....
Favorite Drink? Water, and after that I would say Fresca (any flavor)
Finish This Statement—“If I Had the Time, I Would…” take all the art classes I could, sew sew sew, Travel for months at a time, spend time studying the Gospel, Work out for hours each day, and spend more time with family
Do You Eat the Stems on Broccoli? Yes
If You could Dye your Hair Any Other Color, What Would It Be? dark brown
Name All the Different Cities In Which You Have Lived. North Salt Lake, UT, Ephraim, UT, Urumuqi, China, Logan, UT, Holladay, UT. (Wow, I need to expand my horizon's a bit more...)
Favorite Sport to Watch? Hockey, Soccer, Football...really, pretty much anything as long as I am there in person. I do not like watching sports on TV.
What’s Under Your Bed? 2 boxes of crafty type stuff, dust bunnies, and a sock and shoe.
Would You Like to Be Born As Yourself Again? Yes, of course.
Morning Person or Night Owl? Morning Person
Over Easy or Sunny Side Up? I don't really like eggs to much. If I am cooking them scrambled, if I order them at a restaurant then sunny side up with toast.
Favorite Place to Relax? Top 3: Anywhere I can shop but that also inspires my creative side, chatting with family or friends, and I like being outside in nature with a book.
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor? Rocky Road

Read Read Read

So, if you know me you know I love to read. Apparently, I just like to read books that aren't listed below. I only italicized the ones that I know right now I wanted to read. I will have to read descriptions of the other books to see if I would be interested.

Take a look at the list and see how you do and if all of your favorite books are considered in the Top 100 The National Endowment for the arts estimates that the average adult has read only 6 of the top 100 books..How about you?

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Star the books you LOVE.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen*
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling *
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee*
6 The Bible*
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy*
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien (I will not be reading this. I did NOT like Lord of the Rings.)
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald*
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy*
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis*
34 Emma - Jane Austen*
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen*
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis*
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini*
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden*
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (Angels and Demons is much better)
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery*
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon*
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck*
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett*
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White*
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince- Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Disney Monopoly

Sunday night my roommates are spending quality time together. I accidentally knock the money tray on the floor and Disney dollars go everywhere. The banker (Tricky Nicky) says the following:

"If anyone pockets any of the money while we are picking it up you will have to go directly to jail. Wait, You will have to go to jail with DUMBO and you know what he is like!"

We laughed and laughed. Who knew Disney Monopoly could be so funny.

I guess you had to be there.

My Newest Purchase

This is my newest decor purchase. I have been wanting something similar for so long. I added the pearls, I may take them off and add a ribbon around the middle. It is rather girlie and I love it.

3 Things

3 things that made me happy in the last 24 hours:

1. RS Presidency meeting. Seriously these girls are amazing and make me laugh.
2. Getting up early, and I mean butt crack of dawn early.
3. Laughing at work.

1 thing that made me sad...

1. Not getting the FAVORITE THINGS list from JL.

Who Am I Really?

When I strip away all the pomp and circumstance, who am I? When I take of my mask what is left? Who is the real me?

I have been thinking about this a lot over the last couple of weeks (thanks rendezvous) and asking some people to describe me in 3 words...no holds bar.

consistent, forgiving
bitter, happy
alive, negative
anxious, idealistic
adventurous, consumed
caring, stubborn, intelligent

These are some of the words that have been used to describe me. I would agree that some could describe me all the time and some would only describe me at certain points in my life. There are some I don't ever want to be remembered about me and some I hope describe my whole life.

Hearing some of the responses made me shudder and want to cry, while others made me laugh and smile, and still others made me ponder. The words reminded me of times I treasure and times I regret.

But what words describe the real me? Do any of the above words do this? The people who offered these words, I wonder if they have seen the real me or just the me who I want them to see...or the me they want me to be?

I used to hate mixing people from different areas of my life. It made me completely uncomfortable. I did not want my family and friends mixing, my work friends or school friends definitely mixing was a no no. But now I am do not care as much. My family has met more of my friends, I am okay with mixing friends from church and friends that I met through "FRED". I think this is because I am more and more comfortable being me and being on the journey to becoming the best me.

So, what words do I pick to describe my life? You will just have to wait and see...or maybe ask me another time. But I will be sure to keep these words close to remind me of the me I am striving to be.

Dreams

(I stole this picture from Jill's Blog...Jill...don't be mad! Love you!)

This last weekend I went on to a "Rendezvous" with my ward. The theme was "The Power of Balance". I must have gone with an open heart and mind...or just been deprived lately, because I came away with some amazing ideas to mull around. I will explore more of these ideas here publicly and also privately...but the one I want to start with is this...

We had a concert Thursday night with Sam Payne (AMAZING, I love scatting), Ryan Shupe, and Ryan Tilby. One of the songs they sang had this line:

"When you dream, dream big. Because sometimes dreams come true."

I have been thinking of my dreams lately so this line struck my particularly hard. It is making my think about my dreams and are they big or small? Are they want I REALLY want or just what I think I can achieve or what will be easy to achieve? Who doesn't deserve to have their biggest dreams come true?

One of my dreams, aspirations, or whatever you want to call it: When I have children of my own I would like to be financially situated so that we can spend some or all of the summers doing humanitarian service along with vacationing in other states and countries. I would love my life long job to be a volunteer, and I would love to do it with my future husband and children. I can almost see summers spent working in an orphanage in South America, or teaching English in China, building a school in Africa, or even working to build/repair homes in the United States. I love the world and have a strong desire to learn more about the people that live here and would like to have the opportunity to do this with my future family. What a better way to learn about a culture than by serving the people? The key is me starting to work on this now...so that I have a good chance of achieving this dream, and the many other dreams I have.

So, what are your biggest dreams?

A Story About Two Lovely Ladies

A long time ago (June) two fair ladies, DaNarla and Kisterina, went on a journey to the southern region of their state. Whilst there they had a grand time. The reason for their journey was to attend very important meetings for their rulers (our boss at our job). Since they had to go such a long way they decided to have fun while going.



They went to a town that has been known to have a constant carnival (Las Vegas). They visited local industries (Hoover Dam for a DAM tour). They learned all they could about the building and construction and even ventured to go deep inside the beast. They were brave women and were not afraid.



Wanting to get into the spirit of the town, they participated in local good luck customs. (Rubbing the toes of the weird statues at Hoover Dam to be lucky in the casinos.) However, they determined later that the good luck customs did not work.



They also partook of the local spirits and food, finding both to their liking. (Mine were virgin drinks lest you get any ideas about me.) The tavern they choose to rest a while was magical in nature and had bricks of fire lining the outside.








Of course, in the new land they encountered many wondrous and strange creatures. Thinking that descriptions were not enough, they pulled out the paints to capture the creatures full beauty.



Now DaNarla, was known in her village to be very vain and loved to look at pictures of herself. It is no wonder that she had some portraits painted of her whilst at the carnival. She was assured that even though the pose was quite unnatural, she would nonetheless attract many men with just one glance. (So, I like to take pictures of myself...sue me.)


As a final act in the City of Carnival the fair maidens received the carnivals mark. Each one choosing a symbol to represent themselves. Kisterina chose a flower because she is as a delicate little flower. DaNarla choose a butterfly to represent her longing for frequent travel. The maidens were not overly concerned about their ruler finding out as they were assured the mark's were only temporary and would wear off within a fortnight.



The next day having conveyed the necessary information from their ruler at the meetings they departed for home. Whilst on their way home they were lured by signs of sweet frozen cream in the land of Beaver. Had they known before they stopped what danger laid in wait, they may have forgone the temptation. Alas, while purchasing their treat Kisterina set down the magical key to their chariot. When the fair ladies were getting ready to depart they discovered they magical key gone. DaNarla and Kisterina looked high and low to no avail. The magical key was gone.



Since they had borrowed the chariot from the ruler for this important trip they sent word and were directed to have the chariot taken to the nearest city with wizards able to produce a new magical key. Kisterina was quite distraught, for the nearest town was several leagues away (Richfield) and it would add half a work day to their journey home.





However, DaNarla upon hearing the news decided to put the time to good use and have many additional portraits drawn of her practicing the pose she learned in the City of Carnival. For she was young and wanted to snare not just one man, but many men to use and play with as her moods changed.














Epilogue: Kisterina was sent a parchment a week later containing the magical key. A distracted woman picked up the magical key thinking it was hers and did not discover the error until the next day.





Moral of the story: Losing the keys to your work car in Beaver is junky. But on the bright side I did have a lot of fun taking pictures of myself!

Fillmore, Beaver

Playing At Work

Remember that one blog I wrote about HATING plastic covered paper clips? Well, I was out of the office one day and what do I come back too?

PLASTIC COVERED PAPER CLIPS hidden ALL over my desk. On my chair, in my papers, taped to bins, inside of drawers, on my can of soup, behind things hung on the wall. Pretty much everywhere.




And who would do such a thing???
THIS GUY.
Chay.
My arch nemisis and BFF at work. I have to admit he is pretty fun MOST OF THE time to keep us all entertained.

I took me days to find all the paper clips. With the last one being found on August 6th. Every time I find one I shake my fist and then silently laugh.


But now, I have all these paper clips just hiding in my desk and waiting.Seeing them gives me inspiration in thinking up a new prank for CHAY.


Although the best thing you can do to him is stare at him. Too bad he doesn't sit by me anymore. I would stare at him for 10 minutes everyday. It freaks him right out of town and he has to get up and leave his desk. I know because I did it once and it made me laugh so hard.

(p.s. I finally learned how to use some things on my camera and took all these pictures and the pictures of the Afrikan coins. I love the MACRO setting. Thanks Megs.)

You're Going To Have To Wait...

Today I went on a roller coaster ride, an emotional roller coaster ride.

I have been happy, excited, annoyed, irritated, dumbfounded, sad, giggly, hopeful, crying sad, tired (if you don't think tired counts as an emotion...just come talk to me), proud, elated, calm, holding back tears, thoughtful, and finally NUMB.

So, if you want to see me express any emotion...you're just going to have to wait because mine are all used up.

Just consider me for the next week or so DEAD INSIDE.

(Do you ever have days like this. I hate/despise them. And then later...looking back...I appreciate them...but NOT for a long long long long time.)

(((Opinion POLL))) - This Guy

One question: ultra-fantasti-fabulous OR how about ultra-fabu-lame? Also, please feel free to tell me why you feel this way?

Insight Into My World, Just From A Sno Cone

Okay.
Don't think I am a horrible person.

BUT...

I like sno cones.
There is a tasty place that has the best MANGO flavor ever.

MMMM...Mango.

Anyway, it's called Afrikan Ice. When you get a sno cone there they give you a coin to put in a slot to help fund a woman's, who lives in Africa, business. Each coin that gets deposited helps give her money for a loan in which she uses to make her business grow. The woman then pays back the loan. There are cards above the slots that have a picture of the woman and tells her story.

ANYWAY...

I like to keep the coins.

It's not that I don't want to help the Africans...
BUT...when I go to get a sno cone I am not really in the mood to be service oriented.

I have TWO Afrikan Ice coins.
Just jingling around in my coin purse.
Maybe by the end of the summer I will decide to donate.

BUT I DON'T WANT TO BE PRESSURED INTO DOING IT.

so....

Do you think I am a horrible person?

Memory Tag

Okay Friends. I don't usually do these...but I had to give in.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Things That Must Go - Mostly Boy Habits

So two things I noticed today that I just need to get out there...

a. An employee (male employee) came into sign some paperwork. I was walking to security to meet with the employee and noticed I could smell cologne in the hallway...20 feet from the security desk. Yep, you guessed it. The person was wearing so much cologne that the smell carried 20 feet down the hall. My eyes started watering and were burning by the end of the encounter.

This too much cologne wearing business must stop. Seriously, if I can smell the cologne even from 4 feet away you are wearing too much. That is just my opinion. STOP IT.

2. By the way, the sound of someone clipping their nails at work grosses me out. One nail in an emergency...okay, but all of your nails? Seriously. Please clip your nails at home. If you are unable to accomplish this SIMPLE and QUICK grooming habit at home, then maybe you should clip your nails in your car. Or on the way into work, or in the stall in the bathroom, or at least somewhere else so I don't hear it.

The end.

Thank You For Loving Him

Last Wednesday Ardell and I went to Fillmore to attend Kenny's re-up ceremony for his military service. Kenny is my sister-in-law's brother. He chose to have the ceremony held at his brother-in-laws grave, which happens to be my big brother Ben. When my mom called to tell me and see if I wanted to go with her, I could tell she was honored that he would choose this location, in part to honor Ben.

You see, Ben was in the Army when he was killed. Ben loved being a soldier, he loved his job, he loved life. (Below, Ben and Ardell when Ben first joined and was stationed in Germany).

Ben was one of those people who was always smiling. He made the best of the situation and had a good time. He was the epitome of a "big" brother. He would get after me all the time, and I mean ALL the time. I remember once he called me at 6:00 AM and woke me up, and then told me I should already be awake because he had been up for a couple of hours. Ben was also a joke-ster. He was always laughing and teasing. When I was about 10, we were eating dinner at my parents house and he dribbled water on my head. I yelled at him and then my dad yelled at me for making a commotion. Did Ben step in to say he started it? Nope, I think he just laughed. (Below, Kenny and SGT Clonts, and Ben's headstone).

After Kenny repeated the oath, he talked about why he chose this spot for the ceremony. He said that Ben was a great example and of of the main reason's he decided to join the Army (I believe he joined after Ben died). He thought it was only fitting that he have his last ceremony at Ben's grave.


I am proud of the service Ben gave for his country. I am proud to call him my brother. But this day, I was also proud of Kenny. He is a great man and from what I have seen, has a lot of the characteristics of Ben. I am proud and grateful of the service he gives to our country. I am grateful that he loves his brother, my brother, as much as I do.

On Ben's headstone are the words "Freedom isn't Free." This day, I would add "but courageous men choose to serve anyway."

Things That Must Go - Plastic Covered Paper Clips

You think I'm joking but I'm not. I seriously dislike plastic covered paper clips. I am not sure what it is about them that is annoying, but I am betting it is the texture of the plastic.

Every time I get papers held together with a plastic covered paperclip, I MUST throw the paper clip away and replace it with a nice shiny mental one. I MUST.


So, now you are thinking I am wasteful, throwing a perfectly good paper clip away. Well it's not a good paper clip. It is bad and I hate them. So there.

If you give me papers with the wrong paper clip, you have been warned, they will come back to you with a different paper clip.

Laugh Out Loud

Below are two pictures that recently made me laugh out loud. The first was sent to me by JL. He took this at a baseball game. Can you see why he sent it?



Chay forwarded me the below picture. Who wouldn't love to throw a slurpee in some jerks face?

Did You Notice The Eyes?

I was looking at some pictures the other day and I came across this one. I may have lingered a bit...but I am seriously, super HOT in this picture. Then I noticed my eyes.

RANDOM FACT: Up until a week ago, I didn't really know what color my eyes were. Are they HAZEL, Blue, Green, the color of POO? I didn't really know. I always said Hazel...I don't really know why. Lots of people have given different answers when they tell me what color eyes I have.
I now declare to the whole world. I have GREEN eyes, with a streak or two of BROWN.

Another RANDOM FACT: Today, is the first day I could tell you the color of my parents EYES.

Ardells are blue.
Dean's are green/brown.

This got me thinking about what other color of eyes there are in my family. Today, we had our monthly family dinner, what a perfect opportunity to get pictures of their EYES! (Some who were not in attendance had their eyes stolen from other pictures.)
My big Brother Joe. I would say green with some brown.
Liberty, dark blue.
Big Dave the KoREAN, brown.
Hunter Grunter, dark blue.
Fuzzy, dark blue.
Suzan, brown with black pupils.
Elizabeth, blue. In fact the same color as our mom's.
Shannon, blue.
Inez, green.
Andrew, blue.
Megs, blue, green, and brown.
Brayden, brown. Although today he got a black eye...so now there will be a nice black, blue, purple, and yellow bruise around his eye.
Jules, light blue with a dark blue ring.

It is amazing that my family just let's me take random pictures of them. When I asked my mom she just took of her glasses and sat there. I think she has learned it is easier not to argue. Dean was confused and told me "he didn't know what I was up too."

There are lots of sayings about eyes. That someone's eyes are the gateway to their soul, that you can tell if someone is lying by their eyes, or that our emotions are displayed in our eyes. I am undecided if I believe any or all of the above statements. Although, I think it is interesting that when I look at the top picture of whole face I would describe my attitude and feelings completely different then I would of the cropped picture of just my eyes. Just something for me to think about.