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.

PipeLINE.

I wanted to go on a hike. Jamie suggested PiPeline...because it was flat. Which was true. The trail to get to PIPEline...not so much flat as it is STRAIGHT up HILL.

I loved every minute of it. Yes, it was really hard, yes my body was so stiff for 32 hours afterwards, but I loved it. Completing the hike reminded me that I can do HARD things. I CAN do hard things. I just have to have faith and keep moving forward.

This is Jamie and I. She really is a great hiking partner. Great conversation, lots of laughs, and very patient! (Me, not looking super hot.) I look pretty happy because I think the hard part is over. I was wrong, so very wrong.

This was a beautiful part of the trail. It was getting later and the trees covered the trail like a tunnel. Also, this part is pretty darn steep.
Here I am finally on the PIpeLIne trail. It is almost completely flat.
This is from the trail...can you see our cars below? So, I am afraid of heights...and was having flashes of tripping and then falling off the side of the cliff. No worries. I am safe and didn't trip once.

The salt Lake Valley. It was so beautiful! Also, I loved my camel pack! Everyone should get one...seriously.

Worst 30 Minutes EVER

I went.
It was yucky.
But over relatively quickly, and really not as horrible as I imagined.
Almost started to cry.
Not one tear was shed.
I know it was important and it needed to be done.

DON'T want to go back, EVER.
But will.
But it might be in another 30 years...
Just kidding.
Maybe...

Ashley, Thanks for motivating me to do it.

You Are Going to Want Me Around...

I am officially CERT certified. I can triage, stop spurting blood, open airways, treat shock, put out small fires, CRIB (lift heavy HEAVY objects), and organize volunteers in a disaster situation. BASICALLY...WonDer WoMan. Face it. You want me around in an emergency...really any of my fellow CERT certified sisters.

This is the CERTS in our humble beginnings, aren't we adorable!

Action shots of the CERTS at work putting out a fire. (yes the nice firemen let us do it over and over to get cute pictures!)


Here we are at the end of the final, yes we did have to take a final to become certified. Let's be honest it was hard and during the medical portion I think some of us wanted to CRY (yes, it was me). Disasters are no laughing matter. Like I said...we are WONDER WOMEN.



P.S. This was one of the most fun and rewarding things I have done. The final really showed me that I could handle it. I heart my CERTS!

Tomorrow

Tomorrow, tomorrow,
New York City tomorrow
It's only a day a way...

TOMORROW! TOMORROW
I WILL BE THERE, tomorrow
It's only A DAY A WAY!

I am singing this to the tune of "Tomorrow" from the musical Annie.

Work In Progress

Above is my painting in progress. No worries, I don't plan on painting a landscape in all blue hues. Prof Saiki assures us this is the base coat. By they way, I love my professor. He is awesome and funny!

Since I started painting the mountains blue last week, I started looking at the world around me a little differently. I caught myself staring at the mountain trying to figure out the different colors we would be using to paint them. And then I realized...

You can look at a person and see the surface or you can look deeper and see that there are many layers of "color" that make up an individual. Isn't it great that we as humans have many different aspects and characteristics? I love it. This is something I find myself continually working on, seeing all the layers, sorting out the nice and not so nice, looking to see the good over the frustrating. Trying to like/love/accept individuals as a wonderful, messy, complete packages. Most importantly, learning about my many colors, to brighten the good aspects and blur the bad ones and to be okay with both.

Below, is my painting palette from my last class AND my attempt at an artistic photo.

I enhanced some of the colors using Photoshop Elements. I will learn how to use the program, I will, I will, I will. I think I like the opportunity to take great photos as much as I like learning to paint!

Lemon-Cream Cheese Cupcakes

This is what they are supposed to look like...(from Kraftfoods.com)


This is what mine look like...


And then I dressed them up with a strawberry slice...definitely tasty...

Lemon-Cream Cheese Cupcakes (from Kraftfoods.com)

1 pkg (2-layer size) white cake mix
1 pkg (4-seving size) Jell-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
1 cup water
4 eggs whites
2 Tbsp. oil
1 pkg. (16 oz.) powdered sugar
1 pkg (8 oz.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, water, egg whites and oil in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed until moistened. (Batter will be thick.) Beat on medium speed 2 min. Spoon batter evenly into 24 paper-lined 2 1/2 inch muffin cups.

Bake 21-24 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min., remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, beat sugar, cream cheese, butter and juice with electric mixer on low speed until well blended.

Frost cupcakes.

**DELICIOUS!**

These are the first cupcakes I have EVER made and they turned out so tasty!

Things I learned:
1. When making desserts like this have a game plan on how to get rid of them. (I am not a huge dessert eater...luckily I live with roommates or after a couple of days I would have thrown them away.) I only ate 2 and 1 bite.
2. I am not a very good recipe follower, which is why I tend to cook and not bake. It is okay to get the measurements a bit off when cooking.
3. I don't have any good bowls for baking and mixing.

Variations that would be tasty:
*Use the cake as the shortcake in "Strawberry Shortcake", yummm...
*Use the frosting as a fruit dip. One of my roommates finished the extra frosting by dipping fresh strawberry's in them.

Watch Out Bob Ross

I am taking an oil painting class on Wednesday nights. Last Wednesday was my first class. The teacher is awesome...seriously, picture Mr. Miagy from Karate Kid with a Brazilian accent. (He is Japanese but born and raised in Brazil).

Here's a secret...I am a horrible drawer. I know I have no business signing up for oil painting. BUT...after the first class I think I may have some untapped artistic genius.

This is the tree I drew. It may not look like much, but it is 1,000% better than any other tree I have drawn. Antonio (my teacher) said it was great and was very pleased. So, if each class I get even 50% better, I may be the next Da Vinci...or at least as good as Bob Ross.

Sorry friends, no pre-ordering paintings. You will just have to wait a couple of years until I have enough to sell...and then see them at a gallery (aka my house).