There's a popular saying, "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade." I have something similar. "When love stinks, eat ice cream." I won't post all the details here, but today love stinks. Hopefully, my state of optimism will return shortly, but until then love stinks and, therefore, I shall eat ice cream.
My personal trainer would tell me this probably isn't the wisest course for my physical health goals, but my emotional trainer, (Hey, that's me!) thinks its a great idea. I had a bad night last night. It started off good, but then went downhill. My heart burst into little pieces. Tears were shed and I slept little. I looked awful when it came time to get up for work. It didn't help that the shower was being occupied right when I wanted to use it. So I went to work looking like crap. I felt like crap too. Seriously. Self esteem was hitting pretty low.
Thankfully, a good friend managed to reach me via facebook chat. (Its about time they had a free chat on there!) She decided that ice cream and catching up was called for. So instead of hitting the gym, I hit Coldstone. Did you know that they sing a song when they get a tip? I was tempted to tip repeatedly just for the laughs! I discovered that the company of good friends and cookie dough ice cream is great therapy. I left feeling so much better about myself. The combination of good advice and chocolate perked me right up!
So thanks to all my friends who support me through my tough times. Thanks to Coldstone for the empty calories that fuel the way to recovery, and Love, you stink.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Happy Birthday to Me!!!
Today I turned 24 years old. Guess what? That's not as old as I thought it was when I was 12. Tonight I can't complain about it at all. I have had a fantastic birthday so far. (I have family coming over tomorrow and the festivities will continue.) I got to spend the whole day today doing things that I love to do. I went shopping with my mom and then hurried to get ready for both my performances with the Ogden LDS Institute Spring Show. I was also asked to sing in one of the pre-show devotionals. So, I got to sing/perform all day long in the company of some of my best friends and there was yummy food involved. Who could ask for more?
Ok...I probably could. Speaking of which...I've been begging my parents for a new mattress since the one I've been using I have had since I was 8 years old. So what did my eyes behold when I stepped into my room less than an hour ago? That's right! A new bed!!!!! Wa-freakin'-hoo!!! I am typing this from my new bed and enjoying the experience immensely.
I do need sleep though. Therefore, a continuation of this blog will appear tomorrow. Until then, sweet dreams!
Ok...I probably could. Speaking of which...I've been begging my parents for a new mattress since the one I've been using I have had since I was 8 years old. So what did my eyes behold when I stepped into my room less than an hour ago? That's right! A new bed!!!!! Wa-freakin'-hoo!!! I am typing this from my new bed and enjoying the experience immensely.
I do need sleep though. Therefore, a continuation of this blog will appear tomorrow. Until then, sweet dreams!
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Italian Days and Nights
Whenever I do something really fun and exciting I am bound to dream about it that night or even throughout the next week. Well, last night was Girls Night Out and consisted of good company, Italian food, and a quest. These elements were also in the dream I had.
My dream started off with me and most of the girls from girls night out, including Annie, at the airport preparing to leave on a choir trip. We were getting ready to board a small jet that was to take us to an undisclosed location. None of us were worried about where we were going. After all, the directors are in charge and wouldn't do anything too strange, right? Ha ha.
Our choir was decked out in our blue and maroon polo shirts with our logos and we were all sitting in the jet anxiously awaiting our departure. We were laughing, talking and speculating where we might be going. Major Bubbles bet it was Boise, Idaho.
We took off and starting flying over Southern Utah. We flew for ages gazing at the mixture of red sandstone and green sage and cacti. We got concerned when we realized we'd been in the air for many hours and still had no clue where we were. The pilot finally landed in this little, Podunk, one-horse town and we unloaded our jet.
To our surprise, we were in Italy! Immediately Italian opera music started playing and we found ourselves sitting in a beautiful, antiquated vineyard and being fed mounds and mounds of pasta and grilled chicken. We drank gelatos and laughed at our good fortune to be in such an amazing foreign country.
The next day we set out to see the sites. We found ourselves in a "Disneyized" version of all things Italiana. Every place we went was a gift shop! One of the gift shop owners suggested that we participate in a scavenger hunt. The winner of the hunt received a fabulous prize. He then gave us a clue to find our first object. I can't remember what objects we were seeking, but each was hidden in a different gift shop and we had to give a password to the owner to get the next clue.
We raced around frantically searching for the right shops and the hidden objects. Along the way we somehow got on a big green bus. To our delight the bus took us to all the famous Italian sites in under half and hour! Yes folks, Rome, the Colosseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and more were all seen in half and hour, from the big green bus. As we passed each site, I kept expressing my awe and pleasure in louder and louder forms. Like joyful screaming. I don't know why, I'm not generally a screamer, but in my dream I was!
We got off the tour bus and ran into our final shop. Our last object needed was an oval-shaped diamond. We had to get it specifically from the shop owner. Unfortunately, the old lady keeping the shop had heard of my screaming on the bus and had decided that there was no way I was ever getting that diamond. I was not worthy. She, not so nicely, explained this to us and refused to give us the diamond. She only relented when I convinced her that I was screaming to express my joy and after I promised to not disturb the beautiful Italian countryside in such an unrefined manner ever again.
At last we had the final clue and returned to our original shop to claim our much deserved prize. Of course we were the first team back. I don't think the other teams even really existed. Our grand prize was...CHEESECAKE!!!!
Before I could eat one bite, I woke up.
I laughed so hard when I realized what I had been dreaming. Apparently the Italian atmosphere of the Macaroni Grill had affected me more than I thought. Granted hanging out with some of my favorite people in the world also makes for a good time! (This explains the choir trip part. Most of my favorite people I know from choir.) Our quest ended with one thing that I have a strong affinity for: cheesecake. If you ever want to make me happy, cheesecake does it every time. Coincidentally, cheesecake was the free dessert we got from the chef. Sheesh, I'm making myself hungry! Anyone know how to say goodbye in Italian?
My dream started off with me and most of the girls from girls night out, including Annie, at the airport preparing to leave on a choir trip. We were getting ready to board a small jet that was to take us to an undisclosed location. None of us were worried about where we were going. After all, the directors are in charge and wouldn't do anything too strange, right? Ha ha.
Our choir was decked out in our blue and maroon polo shirts with our logos and we were all sitting in the jet anxiously awaiting our departure. We were laughing, talking and speculating where we might be going. Major Bubbles bet it was Boise, Idaho.
We took off and starting flying over Southern Utah. We flew for ages gazing at the mixture of red sandstone and green sage and cacti. We got concerned when we realized we'd been in the air for many hours and still had no clue where we were. The pilot finally landed in this little, Podunk, one-horse town and we unloaded our jet.
To our surprise, we were in Italy! Immediately Italian opera music started playing and we found ourselves sitting in a beautiful, antiquated vineyard and being fed mounds and mounds of pasta and grilled chicken. We drank gelatos and laughed at our good fortune to be in such an amazing foreign country.
The next day we set out to see the sites. We found ourselves in a "Disneyized" version of all things Italiana. Every place we went was a gift shop! One of the gift shop owners suggested that we participate in a scavenger hunt. The winner of the hunt received a fabulous prize. He then gave us a clue to find our first object. I can't remember what objects we were seeking, but each was hidden in a different gift shop and we had to give a password to the owner to get the next clue.
We raced around frantically searching for the right shops and the hidden objects. Along the way we somehow got on a big green bus. To our delight the bus took us to all the famous Italian sites in under half and hour! Yes folks, Rome, the Colosseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and more were all seen in half and hour, from the big green bus. As we passed each site, I kept expressing my awe and pleasure in louder and louder forms. Like joyful screaming. I don't know why, I'm not generally a screamer, but in my dream I was!
We got off the tour bus and ran into our final shop. Our last object needed was an oval-shaped diamond. We had to get it specifically from the shop owner. Unfortunately, the old lady keeping the shop had heard of my screaming on the bus and had decided that there was no way I was ever getting that diamond. I was not worthy. She, not so nicely, explained this to us and refused to give us the diamond. She only relented when I convinced her that I was screaming to express my joy and after I promised to not disturb the beautiful Italian countryside in such an unrefined manner ever again.
At last we had the final clue and returned to our original shop to claim our much deserved prize. Of course we were the first team back. I don't think the other teams even really existed. Our grand prize was...CHEESECAKE!!!!
Before I could eat one bite, I woke up.
I laughed so hard when I realized what I had been dreaming. Apparently the Italian atmosphere of the Macaroni Grill had affected me more than I thought. Granted hanging out with some of my favorite people in the world also makes for a good time! (This explains the choir trip part. Most of my favorite people I know from choir.) Our quest ended with one thing that I have a strong affinity for: cheesecake. If you ever want to make me happy, cheesecake does it every time. Coincidentally, cheesecake was the free dessert we got from the chef. Sheesh, I'm making myself hungry! Anyone know how to say goodbye in Italian?
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Greetings Y'all!
Anyone who knows me also knows that I have exceptionally crazy and bizarre dreams. I like to think that they are the result of suppressed imagination that doesn't get used during the day, but I also know that they are just random reflections on my day too. I've had these crazy dreams as long as I can remember. One has even given me an idea for a novel I want to write.
One of the first dreams I can remember as being crazy and bizarre happened when I was about 8 years old. My family was living in Layton at the time, near the railroad tracks. This dream was rather scary when I had it, but now its just funny.
In my dream a huge storm blew into Layton. It was colossal! The sky was so dark and had a green tinge to it. Intense wind kept blowing things over in our yard. The radio announced that tornados had touched down and that we would need to find shelter. Instead of hiding out in our basement, we all ran out to our beatup stationwagon. It was one of those really cool ones with the backwards facing backseat. I loved riding back there!
We started heading down the road in search of shelter when we were suddenly surrounded by 6 huge tornados! They grew evil faces and started chasing us! We drove and drove, speeding recklessly along and swerving through subdivisions and through a field trying to lose them, but they stayed right on our tail. We found ourselves out on a rural dirt road and my dad was able to pick up enough speed to get us a little ahead of the menacing, creepy death-winds.
Just as we were beginning to despair of ever reaching shelter, a church house appeared in front of us, it had clear sky above and almost screamed, "Safety here!" Dad zoomed into the parking lot and we all dashed out. The tornados were getting closer.
As we ran inside, the church changed from a church into a funeral parlour! There were coffins lying around everywhere. This old caretaker materialized and told us to get downstair with everyone else. The basement of this church/funeral home was a gigantic basketball court! It was so full of people that there was hardly room for my family to squeeze in. Just when we thought we were safe, a hundred more people tried to get in. The caretaker decided that some people would have to leave and face the fury of the tornados. Of course no one wanted to leave, so he came up with an ingenious lottery.
Since we had a basketball court and balls, it was decided that anyone who could make a 3-point shot could stay. I like sports, but I suck at them. Especially basketball. I got in line with everyone else and one by one we all had a chance to shoot the basket. (I have no idea how we had time for everyone to do this when the tornados were so close, but we did) I watched as everyone took their turn and made their required baskets. I walked up to the line and the old man handed me the ball. My heart was pounding, my palms were sweaty. I knew that if I didn't make this shot, I would be forced out. I knew that those tornados would kill me.
Slowly I raised the ball into a shooting position, said a prayer, and let it soar. It arched in slow motion across the court and THUNK! It hit the rim and bounced away. I felt immediate despair and my eyes grew dark.
Then I woke up! Thank heavens! I thought for sure I had died. To this day, I can't shoot a 3-point shot. I have no idea why I remember this dream so well from so long ago. Maybe I was supposed to learn the importance of basketball or something.
So that's the first dream I'd like to share with you dear readers. Hope you enjoyed it! More entertaining dreams will be posted soon, but since that was the first dream I can remember really well, it seemed fitting to share it first.
From happenings in the life of Julie:
Tonight I went to Salt Lake with some girlfriends for a much needed Girls Night Out. There was much rejoicing! We opted not to wait the 4.5 hours for the Cheesecake Factory, but instead ate at the Macaroni Grill. Soooo much fun! They brought out appetizers for everyone waiting and we got to meet the chef. He decided we were pretty cool and gave us free dessert. Good times were had by all!
One of the first dreams I can remember as being crazy and bizarre happened when I was about 8 years old. My family was living in Layton at the time, near the railroad tracks. This dream was rather scary when I had it, but now its just funny.
In my dream a huge storm blew into Layton. It was colossal! The sky was so dark and had a green tinge to it. Intense wind kept blowing things over in our yard. The radio announced that tornados had touched down and that we would need to find shelter. Instead of hiding out in our basement, we all ran out to our beatup stationwagon. It was one of those really cool ones with the backwards facing backseat. I loved riding back there!
We started heading down the road in search of shelter when we were suddenly surrounded by 6 huge tornados! They grew evil faces and started chasing us! We drove and drove, speeding recklessly along and swerving through subdivisions and through a field trying to lose them, but they stayed right on our tail. We found ourselves out on a rural dirt road and my dad was able to pick up enough speed to get us a little ahead of the menacing, creepy death-winds.
Just as we were beginning to despair of ever reaching shelter, a church house appeared in front of us, it had clear sky above and almost screamed, "Safety here!" Dad zoomed into the parking lot and we all dashed out. The tornados were getting closer.
As we ran inside, the church changed from a church into a funeral parlour! There were coffins lying around everywhere. This old caretaker materialized and told us to get downstair with everyone else. The basement of this church/funeral home was a gigantic basketball court! It was so full of people that there was hardly room for my family to squeeze in. Just when we thought we were safe, a hundred more people tried to get in. The caretaker decided that some people would have to leave and face the fury of the tornados. Of course no one wanted to leave, so he came up with an ingenious lottery.
Since we had a basketball court and balls, it was decided that anyone who could make a 3-point shot could stay. I like sports, but I suck at them. Especially basketball. I got in line with everyone else and one by one we all had a chance to shoot the basket. (I have no idea how we had time for everyone to do this when the tornados were so close, but we did) I watched as everyone took their turn and made their required baskets. I walked up to the line and the old man handed me the ball. My heart was pounding, my palms were sweaty. I knew that if I didn't make this shot, I would be forced out. I knew that those tornados would kill me.
Slowly I raised the ball into a shooting position, said a prayer, and let it soar. It arched in slow motion across the court and THUNK! It hit the rim and bounced away. I felt immediate despair and my eyes grew dark.
Then I woke up! Thank heavens! I thought for sure I had died. To this day, I can't shoot a 3-point shot. I have no idea why I remember this dream so well from so long ago. Maybe I was supposed to learn the importance of basketball or something.
So that's the first dream I'd like to share with you dear readers. Hope you enjoyed it! More entertaining dreams will be posted soon, but since that was the first dream I can remember really well, it seemed fitting to share it first.
From happenings in the life of Julie:
Tonight I went to Salt Lake with some girlfriends for a much needed Girls Night Out. There was much rejoicing! We opted not to wait the 4.5 hours for the Cheesecake Factory, but instead ate at the Macaroni Grill. Soooo much fun! They brought out appetizers for everyone waiting and we got to meet the chef. He decided we were pretty cool and gave us free dessert. Good times were had by all!
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