CONFESSION: addiction

I love lip gloss, chapstick, lip balm. You name it...I love it. I have lots of "lip" items.

When I get a new lip gloss I want to put it on every 5 minutes or so...I restrain myself and only put it on every couple of hours...but it's a struggle.

I just purchased some Neutrogena Lip Soother. It's peach flavored...and I am in LOVE!

How To: Birthday Budget

Happy Birthday to ME!

Okay, a quick lesson on how to figure out how much you can spend on yourself for your birthday:

Your age times a X = Birthday Budget!
example: IF you will be say 32, and X for you is $10, then 32 * $10 = $320 to spend for your birthday!

What is a birthday budget? It's the amount of money you can spend on yourself for your birthday with out feeling guilty.

Of course, there are lots of things that can influence X.

I love the birthday budget!

(**this does not imply I am spending $10 * my age on myself this year...it was just an example.)

I Covet...

I covet this ring. I hope one day very soon it is on my finger!

You can find it here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=35941331

BUT I CALL DIBS!

The List

I have a friend who writes a list and sends it out daily. The list is neat.

The rules of the list (as I see them...which means they are probably wrong, rules are only made by the list maker):

1. You have to be considered "special" to be a recipient of the list.
2. You have to be EXTRA special to get the list every day.
3. You can lose your status if you make a wrong move. This is really bad especially when you like getting the list each day. So, you MUST be careful to not annoy/anger the list maker.
4. The list has a new theme each day. And often there are cute pictures of famous actors. (Bonus).
5. You should (it is STRONGLY encouraged) to reply to the list with comments. And you should know this without being told.
6. You should in NO WAY expect an acknowledgment that your comments were received, liked, or disliked. Questions will not be answered if the list maker doesn't want to answer.
7. Don't EVER hit "reply all" when making comments. You will get your "hand slapped".
8. The list allows you a glimpse inside the brain, life, and character of the list maker. This is the best part of the list.

I LIKE, nay, I love the list.

Extra rule: The list doesn't have a BFF. I would like to think it is me if it ever has one. But I have been assured it doesn't.

Best thing that has happened with the list this week?

A picture of a famous country singer was on the list as someone the list maker didn't like. I replied that I didn't like the person either and that I thought she was ugly.

This was the reply I received:

"Hhahahaha... Thanks. I love you even more for that."

I love the list.

Ardell: A Joy!

If you know me, you know how much I love my mom...which is a lot.

Reasons I have the best mom ever:

1. Her name is Ardell. Such a stinkin' spunky name, it fits her.
2. She is her own person and that's the end of the story. I love it.
3. She is a true domestic goddess. She sews, quilts, cooks, preserves food, and has the biggest heart around.
4. She recently bought a new car: RED, twin muffler, sun roof, leather seats, 6 CD changer. The car totally fits her. And when she let me drive it I had EXPLICIT instructions not to open the sun roof. She doesn't know if she is going to use it or not.
5. She volunteers at the elementary 3 times a week, goes to the temple weekly, swims 6 days a week, goes to TOPS, and is an active member of the DUP.
6. She loves her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren with her whole heart. This does not mean she will not put you in your place if you need it.
7. And finally, she could be the patron saint of the underdog or needy. She has the biggest heart I have seen. She loves to help people especially those that have been neglected.

I just love her! If you ever get a chance to meet her...should to take it.

**picture taken by Chadwick Fowler www.chadwickfowler.com**

Chinese Zodiac Signs

This month at work we are celebrating Chinese New Year. With this celebration we have gotten emails about the Chinese Zodiac signs. I am a Horse, read the below description, do you think it sounds like me?

YEARS: 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014

PERSONALITY: Occupying the 7th position on the Chinese Zodiac, the Horse symbolizes such character traits as strength, energy, and an outgoing nature. Extremely animated, Horses thrive when they’re the center of attention. Always in search of a good time, Horses keep the crowds happy with their humor and their wit.

Horses are extremely intelligent so they’re able to grasp new subjects with ease. They’re also capable of multi-tasking however they don’t always finish what they start because they’re forever chasing the next opportunity. Horses are honest, friendly and open-minded. They’re perhaps a bit too centered on themselves and have been known to throw tantrums when situations don’t go their way.

HEALTH: Horses are very healthy, most likely because they maintain a positive outlook on life and because they’re athletic. Lead Horses to wide, open spaces and watch them run free! Horses will usually only feel ill when they’re trapped inside.

COMPATIBILITY: Horses are compatible with a Dog or Tiger and incompatible with a Rat or Monkey.

*the line about "running free!" makes me laugh so I hard I cry. But maybe there is some truth?

My Goal This Semester

I have a goal to get all A's this semester. Cross your fingers that I do it! For every A I am going to reward myself. Not sure what the reward will be, but you better believe it will be awesome!

(((OPINION POLL))) Why Do I Blog Less Frequently

There has been a decline in the frequency of my blog posts. My friend Josh offered an interesting theory (that I can't tell you because it would bias this poll). But why do you think I have been blogging less over the last little while?

A Girl Can Dream...Can't She?

As I paid my tuition this semester, or rather saw my student loan double so I could pay my tuition this semester, I starting thinking about what I could to not have to take out loans to pay for school.

I am really stressed out about getting into more debt. REALLY STRESSED OUT.

Option 1:

Have some mysterious person offer to pay for my tuition, not strings attached (including my current student loan).

possibility: HIGHLY unlikely

Option 2:

Find a new job that pays more towards tuition than my current job. Down side: I like my job.

possibility: unlikely, since most companies have a waiting period before they pay tuition (say 6 months) plus add the time it takes to find a new job (say 6 months) and then I only have one more semester left.

Option 3: (BEST IDEA YET)

Marry a person who works for the my school then my tuition instantly gets cut in half! I would take a 50% reduction in a heartbeat. But who could I marry? I would even just marry them in name only (total SHAM wedding) and then we could divorce in October 2011. Great plan huh! I think so.

possibility: never gonna happen. I know this is unethical and maybe morally wrong. But what if I just happened to meet someone this semester (who worked for my schoo), fell in love, and got married BEFORE the next semester started. AWESOME!

Hey, a girl can dream can't she?

Looking Forward 2010

I love "new" things and that includes a new year. I have been thinking over the last month or so about what 2010 would mean for me. What goals would I set, what goals would I abandon, where would I be?

My thoughts tended to gravitate to the usual "pay down debt, diet, work out more, blah, blah, blah". I have set these goals many (MANY) times in the past and others like them and trust me when I say I don't feel like I have made a dent. Would 2010 be like other years? Or would this year be different? I often feel like I am running in place, and have been for several years. My life isn't moving in the direction I would like it to go, but feels like I am continually running in circles or taking a step forward only to take a step or two backwards. Would I break the cycle this year?

When I got home from Christmas vacation I decided to read the January Ensign and my heart was "pricked" when I read these words.

"Remember Lot's wife (Luke 17:32)...

My theme comes in the next verse. Surely, with the Lord’s counsel—“look not behind thee”—ringing clearly in her ears, Lot’s wife, the record says, “looked back,” and she was turned into a pillar of salt (see verse 26).

Just what did Lot’s wife do that was so wrong? As a student of history, I have thought about that and offer a partial answer. Apparently, what was wrong with Lot’s wife was that she wasn’t just looking back; in her heart she wanted to go back. It would appear that even before she was past the city limits, she was already missing what Sodom and Gomorrah had offered her. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles once said, such people know they should have their primary residence in Zion, but they still hope to keep a summer cottage in Babylon.

It is possible that Lot’s wife looked back with resentment toward the Lord for what He was asking her to leave behind. We certainly know that Laman and Lemuel were resentful when Lehi and his family were commanded to leave Jerusalem. So it isn’t just that she looked back; she looked back longingly. In short, her attachment to the past outweighed her confidence in the future. That, apparently, was at least part of her sin.

As a new year begins and we try to benefit from a proper view of what has gone before, I plead with you not to dwell on days now gone nor to yearn vainly for yesterdays, however good those yesterdays may have been. The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead and remember that faith is always pointed toward the future. Faith always has to do with blessings and truths and events that will yet be efficacious in our lives.

So a more theological way to talk about Lot’s wife is to say that she did not have faith. She doubted the Lord’s ability to give her something better than she already had. Apparently, she thought that nothing that lay ahead could possibly be as good as what she was leaving behind." (from the article "The Best is Yet to Be by Jeffery R. Holland")

The Spirit whispered "in 2009 you learned to stop looking longingly back. You have been moving forward." I felt such joy. Let me explain, I think it was in early 2006 that life felt perfect. Seriously. That was until one day I was counseling with the Lord about a situation and the answer I got was not the answer I wanted, so I didn't listen. I moved forward veering from the life path I knew the Lord had planned for me in this one SMALL area. I did not realize the impact it would have on my life.

In the following years I found myself looking back longingly and those seemingly perfect times and wondered how to get them back. I tried very hard. Although I didn't turn into a pillar of salt I did experience much heartache over my decision. I cried more than I was proud of, and spent WAY to many hours thinking and talking about it.

In 2009 I started moving forward, this time on the path that the Lord wanted me too. I feel lighter, more free.

So what goals am I going to set for 2010? I am not sure yet, but you can bet I will listen and follow what the Lord has planned for me.

And I will always remember "Faith is always pointed to the future."