Shout-Outs!

And this week's shoutouts are...

• Outback Steakhouse baby back ribs. Mmmmmmm. Ribs.
• Victoria's Secret - thank you for giving me a free $10 giftcard
• Mountain Dew - when I needed a major pick-me-up on Saturday night, you came through.
• All those who commented during my Sunday School lesson - You rock. I love comments.
• IT guys @ work - you worked on my computer super fast to fix all the spamware that was on it
• Lifetime Movies - you are so deliciously cheesy.
• My landlord - you didn't have to give me a Christmas gift but you did.
• Scarlett Johannsen - you gave me hope to marrying Ryan Reynolds one day.

Oh PS - I watched the rest of "A Boyfriend For Christmas".... nothing else was very similar. My family doesn't throw lavish parties. I have more than two nephews. And a boyfriend from two years ago would NEVER come propose to me out of the blue. PHEW!!!

Truly Happy!

It's that time of year that engagements are like wild fires in the summer.... they are everywhere!!

I always happy when I hear someone is engaged. Envious? A tinge. But more happy than anything else.

I worked with a guy at Infotrax Systems (Orem) named Ryan Hawley. People always thought it would be funny if I married him cause then my name would be Holly Hawley. Not funny to me. Ryan loved technology - computers, networks, phones, etc. We would often joke about how he was married to technology. Ryan would at times express that he would never get married - not out of not wanting to but because Ryan didn't date. I believed it. Ryan was a cynic about love, I think. I always thought Ryan was a good guy though!

I found out he is now engaged. I am truly happy for Ryan. He's in his mid-thirties and this girl seems like a doll.

It gives me hope that love is out there and love is for everyone!

Congratulations, Ryan and Erin!

Lifetime Movie Network - you know me too well

So I just started to watch a Lifetime movie that I recorded a few weeks ago... It's called "A Boyfriend for Christmas". I thought it would be a fun holiday movie. Not to mention something I can relate to :)
I start watching. In the opening scene, there is a little girl (I'm guess 10 or 12) who tells Santa she wants a boyfriend for Christmas. Guess what this little girls name is? Holly. Uh.... ok. My name isn't used hardly at all in movies. It's usually reserved for supporting actresses, extras, etc. Not main characters. I swear I've been wishing for a boyfriend for Christmas since I was like 14. In the movie, "Santa" leaves this little girl a cute poem about when the time is right - two hearts will meet - at the end of the 20th year. Meaning, this little girl will not meet her Prince Charming for another 20 years.
Then cut to modern day - it shows a backdrop of the city they live in. Guess where it is? Salt Lake City. (Yes, I do realize I live in Walnut Creek, but STILL - I lived in SLC for pretty much my whole life). I recognize this because of the massive Wells Fargo building.
And the main character is a social worker. No, I'm not a social worker but I do have my degree in social work. And I might as well be a social worker in corporate setting because those I work with need serious social help....
I turned the movie off because a) that's a little freaky and b)it's bedtime.
Is this movie trying to tell me something? That I won't get married until I'm 30?? Please say it isn't so! I'll keep you filled in if there are any other weird similarities when I watch the rest of the movie!

Shout-outs

I'd like to give a few shout-outs to some cool things:

• Puffs Plus with Vicks - You are awesome. I can really feel the Vicks menthol on my sore little nose.
• Nyquil - You put me out for a full eight hours last night. I needed that.
• My brother-in-law Chris - You bought me that Nyquil. You rock.
• Ann Taylor Loft - You have taken the coveted spot as my #1 favorite clothing store.
• My mom - Thanks for making a comment during my Sunday School lesson. I love it when people make comments.
• The girl who came up to me after my Sunday School lesson and told me what an awesome job I did and how it's exactly what you've been praying about. That makes it all worth it.
• Modern Family - You are so funny. You also bring people together - hence the Modern Family parties that are arranged by Matt Wiley every Wednesday.
• My sister Mindy - My mint browines are going to rock the socks off everyone tonight at my Relief Society Christmas dinner thanks to you.
• 65 degree weather on December 7th, 2010 in San Ramon, CA - I would have never thought I would be enjoying such weather in December. Heck, I don't even wear a coat to work because of you.
• My DVR - I love you. Don't ever leave me. Don't ever break. You record such awesome shows from the Biggest Loser to Lifetime Holiday Movies like Christmas Boyfriend.
• Google search - You help me on a daily basis.

Stay tuned until next week for more shout-outs!

New Challenge... to add to other challenges...

Yes, that's right. I'm piling more on myself :)
Going thru pictures of past years, I have noticed I have hardly any pictures for the last year and a half. That NEEDS to change. I figured November would be a good month to challenge myself and hopefully it will carry over... FOREVER. I have a lot of great things going on next month but actually starting this weekend - Moving! And Halloween.
My November activities include: The Jazz/Golden State game on the 5th, Utah home visit (SO EXCITED!) Nov 18 - 21, and Thanksgiving immediately followed by Black Friday. All of these things I am SO excited for. I have to remember to bust out the camera and not be afraid of being the girl that's always taking pictures. This is how memories are made and people are remembered. I also don't know how long I'll be in CA, so I need to document my time here and all the wonderful people I've gotten to meet so far!
I think it's so fun to go thru old pictures and reminisce about those people and the great times that were had.

What Can You Do In 30 Days?

I’ve been wanting to join a gym since I got out to California. I never thought I’d say that I miss going to the gym. But I do.
I’ve done a five day pass to the UFC in Concord. It was nice but you had to pay extra for some of the cooler classes and the general population classes didn’t have the weight lifting classes I like. And then it just turned out to be a little bit too expensive. There was a cheaper plan where I could have access to the gym four days a week and I had to two options of days to choose from: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday. Welllll… I’m not going on a Sunday, so that cuts both options to three days a week. And it was $35/month. Pass.
I almost joined 24 Hour Fitness but while waiting in line to get to a sales rep, I left. I had been waiting for 40 minutes and there was still one more person in front of me. I haven’t been back.
Then while applying for new jobs (long story), I heard of this gym called In-Shape and a corporate membership is only $19.50. My current job doesn’t do gym reimbursements but I thought it sounded cheap, so I printed off a 7 day pass that included first day incentives to sign up. I made my way over to this gym in Concord about 6:15 pm and parking was HORRIBLE. I ended up parking behind the gym but the “Concord Centre”. I don’t know if this “Centre” was homeless type shelter or low-income serving. It made me nervous. I go in, meet with the manager, take a tour and he sits me down to talk prices. It’s $50/month. SHOCK. No way. But he tells me if I sign up today, no enrollment fee, no processing fee, November would be free and only $30 due today. I also have 30 days to cancel. 30 days you say? And I could also be reimbursed my $30 if I cancel? OK! So basically I joined for free for 30 days. There is no way I’m going to pay $50/month for access to only one gym that isn’t even that close to where I live. I was paying $22/month at Gold Gym in Utah. I know it’s California but SERIOUSLY?
So what can I do in thirty days? If I really push myself to go to the gym five days a week, how could my body and my health change? We shall see! I did 35 minutes of intervals on the treadmill and I eeked out 7 minutes on the stairclimber. Thursday is my free personal training session – BAHHHHH!
So my challenge to you is – what can you do in 30 days? It doesn’t have to be fitness related. It could be to clean out your garage, to develop a skill, to read that book you’ve been trying to read for the past three months (that’s my issue)… your possibilities are endless!

Is this thing working?

So last week was a baaaaaaaad week. Not once did I exercise. I ate like crap. Seriously. C-R-A-P. I did get all my water in and kept up on my fruit intake - still struggling with the veggie intake. I took my vitamins Monday through Friday.
Needless to say, I wanted to skip my weekly weigh-in. I knew that I probably gained my 2.5 pounds back. So Monday morning, I did not pull out the scale. But this morning (Tuesday) morning, my curiosity got the best of me. I hesitantly pulled out the scale, tapped it on and stepped on it (made sure to NOT hold my breath). Drumroll please....... I lost a pound.

Uh, excuse me? How? Is this thing already broken?

These multivitamins must be some miracle. And the water at work must have special weight-loss power.
Here is what I do know: I'm determined to be back on track this week! If I can lose a pound doing NOTHING, then imagine what could happen if I worked out 5x this week and ate really well? Yesterday went well with eating and I had all my water done BEFORE I left work. I just gotta get the veggies down...
After this morning's weigh in, it brings my grand total to: 3.5 pounds. Doesn't sound like a whole lot, but a pound a week is good!!

Got Motivation?

Pass it on to me please!I have had ZERO motivation to work out so far this week. That leaves me to do some hard core Insanity workouts today (Thursday), Friday and Saturday. I've kind of gotten a little weary of running along the canal trail because of the secludeness of the trail and recent stories I've heard about things happening on this particular trail... I don't want to be on a news story.
It doesn't help that I am totally dragging hiney today... Two late nights will do that to you!

Weeeeeek 2!

Week 2... not as I hoped!

This past week was filled with good amounts of water, sleep, fruit, more veggies and daily vitamins. I kinda of messed up on the whole exercising five days a week... I only officially exercised two days (a weight lifting show on FitTV and an Insanity workout) and unofficially burned lots of calories on Saturday getting lost in the city in the insane heat.
Saturday I ate three chocolate chip cookies. If you understand the day I had, you would eat three chocolate chip cookies too. Then Sunday... I had two pieces of birthday cake. But it was SO good. Dang that birthday cake - I'm such a sucker for it.
So needless to say, I was nervous to get on the scale this morning.... (drumroll please)..... I lost a pound! WOO HOO! Still on track. But I can't SLACK off like I have been. Gotta cut back on the sugar still, increase the exercise and the vegetables.

It's good to see the numbers on the scale drop :)

Weeeeeek 1

So, would you like to know how week 1 of my weight loss challenge is going? Of course you do!

I did good on drinking my water. I did good on drinking no soda (I miss you DC). I did good on my fruits. I did good on my no eating after 9 pm.

I did ok my exercise. I did ok on seriously limiting my sugar intake (a cookie a day).

I didn't do so well on my vegetables.

I wasn't able to join the gym last week and maybe might be able to do it next week. I spent more than I thought on paying down some credit cards (three of my four cards will be paid off next month!!). So instead I ran along the trail by Mindy's house. I ran Tuesday. I didn't run Wednesday - too tired and then visiting teaching got in the way of the good daylight hours. Thursday I didn't run - was invited to a social gathering of new friends. I did run Friday! And Saturday! WOO HOO!

I finally bought a scale Tuesday night but didn't bust it out till Thursday night. I again weighed myself this morning (I was expecting not to have lost anything since I didn't do so well with the exercise and sugar) and I had lost 1.5 pounds - go me! I estimated I should loose about a pound a week to reach my goal. Yesssssssssss.

Hopefully that numbers sets my week off right. I have started vitamins again (thanks Tarika!) and realized that I need to run right after work or else I lose motivation and things get in the way. I also declined a doughnut this morning. Yes, DECLINED. I love doughnuts but not anymore. Now I love peaches, grapes, tomatoes, apples, bananas, almonds.... you get the idea :)

Yesterday I accidently drank a Sierra Mist without realizing it. They changed the look of the can and I thought I was drinking some Asian drink. WRONG. Ha ha.

Mission: Possible

**Disclaimer: This post has not been created for sympathy, empathy and/or attention. I know that I am at a heathly BMI and do not have serious health concerns. By posting this, it will let others around me know of my goals which will increase my chances of succeding**

Mission:

102 days (Christmas day)

15 pounds lighter

Start date September 14. 2010

Rules:

1. No soda

2. No eating after 9 pm

3. Very limited sugar intake (sugar abstinence is best)

4. Increased fruits and vegetables

5. Exercise 5x a week for at least 45 minutes (60 minutes is ideal)

6. 64 oz of water EVER DAY

Reward(s):

Better overall health

Increased cardiovascular endurance

(I could beat Ali, Syd AND Michael in a race)

Increased physical strength

Decreased clothing size

Higher self esteem

Strengthened state of mind

Incentive:

If exercised that day for at least 45 minutes, put $1 in a jar

At the end of 102 days, buy something pretty

Expected Obstacles:

Yummy baked goods at various places (i.e. home, work, church activities)

Being "too tired"

Withering willpower

Needed Materials:

Gym pass

(It's not safe to run in the dark outside)

Weight scale

(Dreadful but necessary to track progress)

Motivating and encouraging people

(that's YOU!)

I hope everyone likes me!

Tomorrow I start my new job! The first day (well, like the first month acutally) of work is something that I don't like... it's kind of like the first day of school. You don't know what to expect. You don't know how nice everyone is going to be. I'm just anxious to get on a schedule!
I did buy a "new job" purse! YAY! My friend Aubrey and I went to some fabulous outlet stores in Vacaville. The purse I REALLY wanted was at the Burberry outlet and was on "sale" for $849. Yeah, a little out of my price range... I found a really cute one at the Guess outlet store for exactly what I budgeted. Go me!

FINALLY!

Good news of the week - I got a job! YAY! I will be working for Coldwell Banker as an executive assistant in their San Ramon, CA office. I will be supporting the president of the western region, the president of the San Francisco region and the COO for the western region. I'm really excited about this opportunity!
I actually got two job offers on Friday (not to toot my own horn or anything...). Obviously one was from Coldwell Banker and the other was from Union Bank for an Administrative Assistant III. Both were excellent choices and both offered the same salary but I had to do some thinking about what I wanted in my life, how this job would affect me five, ten years from now. Now the hard part comes tomorrow morning when I have to call Union Bank and tell them I am declining their offer....
California is going really well. The weather out here is great and I'm really starting to find my way around. I've made a few friends and am excited to make even more! California is SO different than Utah in so many different ways. Now that I have a job, this move out here seems so much more real.
Thank you so much to everyone for your love and support!

Oh PS - My congratulatory gift to myself is a new purse - I will post a picture when I get one!

Don't Run the Red Lights

Today I ventured out on my own on the California streets. Scary, I know! I looked up the address of each stop I planned on making and looked at a google map for reference. I felt nerdy. But it was nice to find out that both of my stops were along the same main street - Contra Costa Blvd! I also noticed the the mall was along that same street, so hey, why not stop a visit the motherland? So I talked with my sister and asked her for what freeway exit I should take. FREEWAY??!! Yes. The freeway. *Que Jaws theme song music*
As my solo venture started, I stopped at Nob Hill (grocery store) to return the Redbox movie (New Moon - we had to see it again before we see Eclipse tonight!). I'd been to Nob Hill before and there is a REALLY easy back way from my sister's neighborhood. Then I made my way to the freeway.... As I got onto the 680 freeway, I felt exactly like Di and Cher from Clueless - I wanted to start freaking out and let go of the steering wheel. I knew I had to move over quickly because of exit lanes and connections to other freeways. I found the exit I needed and made my way over to Barnes and Noble to buy a lap desk (for my laptop when I'm sitting on my bed). Then made my way to the mall. Before I got out of my car, I remembered I had to fill my prescription because today is the last day that my medical insurance is effective. So I call my mom - hey, mom, will you pick up my prescription and mail it to me? Thanks! And then I call the pharmacy.... to make a long story short, the freaking insurance company had terminated my benefits THAT DAY!!! My prescription (which I get the generic pills) was going to be $57. Gah. I called my mom and told her and like the sweet, sweet lady that she is, she offered to pay for my pills this time. This was the first time I shed tears since arriving in California - over $47! Oh well. Mall time. I decided to torture myself and go in to H&M. Bad move. There were SO many things I wanted. Of course I had to touch them all. Love 'em and leave 'em. Then I saw sunglasses were on sale for 2 for $10. Wow! But then I thought... it's $10 and I have no job. No job means no money. Gah. I passed. On the way out I spotted a really cute purse. So I had to go touch the purse. And then leave. I went into Arie, looked a few things but didn't buy anything. Then went into Victoria's Secret. Soooooo many pretty, colorful bra's I wanted... And what is this?? A bra that adds two cups sizes?? Sign me up! But not for $48.... dang. I decided that I had enough rejection for one shopping trip and left. Made my stop at Bed, Bath and Beyond but couldn't find any rugs for my room. Then I drove back home. I had to remember one rule... don't run red lights. My brother in law told me that if you run a red light here, they take a picture of your license plate and send you a $391 ticket. EVERYONE breaks at a yellow light. I mean, NO ONE even chances it. It's soooo different than Utah. In Utah, everyone thinks that yellow means speed up (I admit - I thought that way too). Something else VERY different that I experienced was that bikers can ride in between cars. Even though I knew they could do this, still freaked me out when I saw one coming up behind me. But I made it home safely! No getting lost, no physical freakouts, and no running any red lights.
My good news for the day was that the pharmacist that I spoke to help me get my insurance mess straightened out and my prescription was only $10! Woo hoo!
No new happenings on the job front.... I have to remember to be patient. When I was laid off from Bach, it was over a month before I started my new job at Sallie Mae. So when I start slightly freaking out that no one has called, I remind myself to breathe. I am really hoping I get called for two jobs - NCAA and Wells Fargo. I really don't want to have to work in the city if I don't have to. I had to recruiting appointments with two different agencies in the city on Monday. My sister went with me and one of them was really good and the other one was sucky. But after riding around on BART (like Trax), I quickly realized how tiring and time consuming it would be to work in the city. So my fingers are crossed! I have to remember that I am following Heavenly Father's direction and he will put in my path what I need.
It's so weird to not have any friends (close friends - I have Timmy and Jared in East Palo Alto, like an hour away) here. I was so used to having friends always so close. But it's only been five days. I met talked to seven new people in church on Sunday - which is an accomplishment! Pretty sure I could have just stayed in my shell and not talked to anyone. The singles ward is planning a summer retreat to Santa Cruz on July 24 - sounds like fun! Making friends will be interesting.... but I gotta be patient! I don't want to be the weird girl.
So far, I am really liking it out here! Just gotta figure out to get my hair the way I want it... the humidity throws it off!

A Shoutout To My Provo Friends!

Saturday I had the privilege of attending a bachelorette party for my friend Sheri. I was good friends with Sheri when I lived in Orem/Provo. I got to some of my best girlfriends from when I lived down there (Sheri, Megan, Natalie and Amy - love you all!) and it was SO much fun to catch up and reminisce. After the party, I had to drive up to Salt Lake to meet some of my other girlfriends for dinner. That's sort of a drive, so I had time to think back on all the friends I have had over the years....

Ken and Chris (not pictured)

I've been friends with this kid for a LONG time. I don't like this picture of him cause he looks like a d-bag. But Ken is actually a really good friend. He's very blunt and lets you know how it is. He is very opinionated and I didn't like him at first for his reason but he slowly grew on me. I can't find a picture on computer of Chris. I know I have a physical picture but I don't know if he wants that shown... ha ha ha. Chris's nickname is Big Daddy Yum Yum. He gets a lot of girls but won't admit it. Just give it up Chris! Seriously!

Bekah

Bekah was really funny and has a lot of sass to her! Bekah wasn't a member of the church but she never tried to get me to drink or do things that I didn't want to do. We've lost touch but I heard that she had a baby - Congratulations!

(L -R) Amy, Megan, Natalie, Me and Sheri

I know that I am going to get some flack for this picture... but hey - it's the only one I could find of ALL of us together! I absolutely adore these girls. They made everything SO fun! Amy - she is such a sweetheart. Amy knows how to have fun! Megan - oh man, the trouble I could get into with this one! I love how she can just be herself and put it all out there. Natalie - Someone called her Pebbles when they saw her in the picture... ha! Natalie was always laughing and having a great time. She was (and still is) so funny! Sheri - If I had to pick one of the classiest girls out of all the friends I've had, it's Sheri. She is so sweet and so nice! She taught me how to make fun of Cam. Ha!

Cam

I think this picture truly depicts the friendship that Cam and I had! Many people said that we were like an old married couple - always arguing! But Cam and I had a great friendship. He was one of the only guy friends I had that I could really trust and talk to. Many people at church thought we were dating because we would always be around each other at church or activities... but quite the opposite!

Ross

Saucy Rossy. How I miss him! This kid is hands down the funniest guy I know. Ross was really easy to talk to and I felt really comfortable around him. He had this thing known as the "Ross Clap". Ross can clap REALLY loud. I found this out during the 2007 NBA finals when the Spurs (Ross's favorite NBA team) won. I hate the Spurs. And I hated that clap. But now when I try to clap really loud for the Jazz, I try to think of the Ross Clap.

Billy (aka Will, William)

When you'd get Billy, Ross and Cam together, you know you'd have a good time! Billy was a really funny guy. I think one of my favorite Billy moments is when some new girls came by his condo to give him cookies (they had gone thru the ward directory and picked out the cutest guys to give cookies to) and I was there. The girls asked Billy if he and I were dating... and before Billy could respond, I said "He wishes!"... I laughed, the girls laughed, Billy did not laugh. Billy always had the best BBQ's and hosted the best Superbowl games.

Ashley, Leah, Emily and me

I met these girls when I moved into Branbury my final year at UVU. Wow - if I only knew what I was in for! Ashley (Whenever I would talk to about her, I would call her Featherbone. Her last name is Featherstone and I had two roommates with the name of Ashley spring semester) - this girls is GORGEOUS! She is such a talented dancer too. Ashley is so sweet! Leah - oh goodness. Leah. She is one of those people that just emanates FUN! When you are around her, you know you're going to have a good time! Leah and I went through a lot in the eight months living together but I will always love this girl! We helped each other see a lot of truths. Emily - HA! This girl is just so funny. Emily is very blunt and you know where you stand with her! She's a great friend and a great listener when you just need to vent.

Jared, Eric and Timmy (not pictured)

The first time I ever hung out with Jared and Eric, I knew I was in for a good time. These guys are hilarious! Eric is really funny and really loud. Eric put me a in a headlock at a Jazz game one time. All because I told him he had a big head. Ha ha ha ha. Jared is a really really good guy. He's honest but know how to put things in the right light. I can't wait to hang out with this kid all the time in California! Timmy (not pictured) rubbed my feet by force one time. If you know me, I hate feet. Timmy also told me when I had the flu, that I should eat candy, it would make me feel better. False. It did not make me feel better. Timmy is a total Rico Suave. Just ask his harem.

To all my Provo friends I've had through out the years.... I have enjoyed all the memories and fun times!! I can't believe it's been two years since I have graduated.... bananas.... but school and Orem/Provo would have been a lot less fun without you all! Love you.

Sheesh

Went to work.
UPS afternoon pickup guy did not come yesterday afternoon and I did not know that.
Temp front desk worker did not take UPS overnight packages to drop box downstairs last night when she left since UPS afternoon pickup guy did not come.
Two of the four packages had to be to certain office TODAY. Nuts.
Took UPS packages to drop box downstairs.
Discovered elevator was broken, so had to use outside stairs to go up three flights to office door.
Called UPS Customer Service to find out why UPS afternoon pickup guy has not come for four business days in a row.
Conversation started calmly enough but raised my voice eventually.
What do you mean you can't tell me who my account representative is? This is customer service, right?
How many times do I have to tell you I don't have the power to make changes to our UPS account, it's all handled at corporate.
Hung up on non-cooperative customer service agent.
Could feel my blood pressure rising.
Bad words forming in my head.
It's only 7:45 a.m.
Oh boy.

Due to Unfortuante Timing, the Cat is Out of the Bag

My boss knows.
This morning as I was making my daily bowl of oatmeal in the breakroom, my boss (Mark) pops in and says "Would you like to hear the bad news or the worse news?". My first thought is that everyone at the Bank is going to be laid off. Then I think I'm going to be laid off. I just stare at Mark and answer "Let's go with the bad news first".... He proceeds to tell me that our other bank administrative assistant (I am senior adminstrative assistant) gave her notice (bad news) and that her last day is Thursday (worse news). My heart drops. This totally ruins my plan of when to tell Mark that I'm leaving. What is the Bank going to do with no admins??
I then proceed to tell him that I was going to give him my notice... He asks if I'm serious... Yes, Mark..... My last day is June 23. I can literally see stress lines start to form on his face. I feel TERRIBLE. Mark is a great boss and an awesome employer. I go into his office and we start talking about my surprise announcement. I wasn't planning on telling him until May 27 or June 10.
Throughout the day, Mark is trying to make suggestions to me to get me to stay a bit longer, each comment is about 75% serious... like chaining me to the desk and building a port-a-potty next to the desk. Don't worry, he'd bring me food. Or hey, don't I want to stay until I actually have a job in California? No Mark.... I'm sorry.
Mark knows that this nothing personal against him or the Bank. I told him that on the bright side that I am here for another month. So he has gotten approval from an EVP (Sallie Mae is on a hiring freeze) to fill my and the other admins position. I sure hope that I am here for the interview process and hopefully can train at least one person.
I must say I have enjoyed my time at Sallie Mae Bank. It was a challenge majority of the time because I felt I was worth more. But I highly enjoy the people I work with and the atmosphere that is there. Mark is someone who treats all his employees with respect and does not act as if he is superior than anyone. Even the plant lady. I hope that wherever I end up in California, I would be so lucky to have an employer like Sallie Mae Bank.

Weekly Happenings!

So.... maybe I'll start a trend of posting things that happened to me during the week?

I saw a huge red spider crawling on the bathroom wall Tuesday morning as I went to go turn on the shower water. What did I do? Moved anything (ie towels) that it could crawl into/under. But I didn't kill it. Mostly because there was no shoe to smash it. But then last night (Saturday night), I was having a hard time sleeping and so I turned on my lamp to pull up my covers and read a book. As I went to pull up the covers that had falled off the end of my bed, what do I see? A huge red spider. Ewwwwww. Luckily, I had a black shoe within reach and killed the sucker. Dad said it probably was the bathroom spiders brother.

I have experienced the joy of lavendar essential oil. It makes me fall asleep quicker and helps me get that more deep sleep that I feel like I so often miss.

I ran for 18 minutes straight on Monday. 15 minutes at a 5.0 mph and 3 minutes at 6.0 mph. I'm not a runner. I never did enjoy running. Go me. I credit this increase due to the two weeks I did of Insanity. That program starts back up next Monday! I gotta get mentally ready for that torture.

I bought a GPS. In California, there are a lot more freeways than Utah has. And the roads in California aren't on a grid system like Utah. So I watched for deals in the Sunday ads and looked up reviews of the GPS systems that were on sale this week. Friday I took the plunge at Best Buy. I purchased a Garmin nuvi 255w. I used it Friday evening for a trip to Lindon (cause we all know how confusing Lindon is). It was great! And I love that you can choose from over 25 "accents" for your directions to be spoken in.

I now have 33 days before I move. There is still a lot I want to do before I go! But the countdown is on! I'm excited!!

Changes

Oh man... where do I start??

I am moving to the Bay Area!! WOO HOO! No, I do not have a job out there yet and no, I'm not moving to be with my internet lover. Let's just say this is a leap of faith. I feel very strongly that this is the next step in my life. June 25 is the big day!

For the short time between now and the big move, I am moving back in with my parents. I am grateful they are letting me back in the house so that I can save a few extra bucks! It's been almost five years since I've lived there. THANK YOU MOM AND DAD!

Am I.... Insane?

I'm starting a new workout program tomorrow. The name - Insanity. From people that I know that have started this workout, the name fits perfectly. It's a 60 day program that promises great results. It comes with fourteen workouts, a workout calendar (so you know what workout to do what day) and a nutrition guide.
The makers of Insanity are Beach Body. They are the same ones who promote P90x and Chalene Extreme. And I've heard P90x is a killer.... so I'm expecting Insanity to be just that. Insane.
I'll try to keep up with my progress here, letting you know what I think of Insanity. There are a few other girls in my ward that are doing this, so I have plenty of support!

Here's the website if you want to check it out: http://www.beachbody.com/Insanity.

I'm ready to cry, sweat and scream my way to a more fit, heathlier body!

Congratulations to me!

Well... maybe the title should be "It's about time!".

I paid my final parking ticket with UVU today so they should be sending out my actual diploma! WOO HOO!

When I graduated, I had two unpaid parking tickets. I paid one about three months after graduation and have put off paying this other one. My reason? I don't have one.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T, What does that mean to me?

Today someone at work disrespected me. He raised his voice and talked down to me. I didn't like that.
I talked to my boss and his boss about the incident. My boss is the president of the Bank that I work for and is really nice to everyone. He told me that he tries to treat everyone with respect, whether it is someone that he works with or someone in his neighborhood. And that got me to start thinking "Do I respect everyone I come in contact with?"
I think that I am a nice person. I try to be pleasant and polite. But sometimes there are those individuals that you run across that really test you, those ones that irritate you. The person who is driving 35 mph in a 50 mph zone and there is no way to get around them. The person who get in the Express lane at Walmart with obviously more than 10 items. The arrogant co-worker who thinks that you are beneath him.
I pride myself in getting along with everyone that I work with and being able to work with a lot of different personalities. I feel that working in the administrative field, it's important to get along with those that you support for a more productive, friendly environment. When you don't get along with those who you work with, it makes going to work dreadful.
When individuals that you work with, that are in your church group, or maybe even people you live with are disrespectful to you, it makes you want to show them the same thing. Everyone wants to be respected though. Everyone has something good to give.
The bottom line I have come to is simple. It's something I always heard growing up: Treat others how you want to be treated. Even if they don't show you respect, it's still important to show them respect.

For me? Not so much. For you? Maybe.

So I went out on a limb... I tried something and learned it's not for me.

I created a profile on a LDS internet dating website.

*GASP*

Now this isn't something that I like to admit... But I want to people to know that I am trying.

It's been a full eight days. But today I deleted my profile. I will no longer particpate in internet dating.

Here's the story: I've had two really good friends meet and marry guys they have met off the internet. I've always said "No way, no how". Then someone close to me brought it up last week as an option. I've been really frustrated, dating wise, and I thought "what is there to lose?"... so I signed up on ldslinkup.com. My friend Jenny used this website and always going on dates with guys she met on here. Even though I was still hesitant when I set up my profile, I knew that it couldn't hurt me. They couldn't stalk me. Right?
Here's the experience: It's awkward. These poor boys are trying to send you clever messages. I started off by responding to about 90% of the boys who wrote me. But as the days have wore on, I started responding less and less. There is something about trying to get to know someone you've never seen over email that just is fake to me. I got tired of explaining what I do for a living and what I like. I did give a few boys my phone number. All of them have text me but slowly it started to turn creepy. Texting me everyday. Texting me multiple times if I didn't respond. Uh.... yeah. Then there were some boys online, that if I didn't respond to their message they wrote me, they'd write something along the lines of "Why don't you respond :(".... I even had one guy offer to call me and sing me a song he wrote. I haven't been able to bring myself to meet any of the guys I have given my phone number to.
I did end up meeting a boy that is in my ward. We got to talking and he said he would have never had the courage to come talk to me. This perplexed me and I asked why. Here is his response: I get nervous. I don't like just going up to girls in singles wards and start talking to them - I don't want to come off desperate or anything like that". DUH TODD! That's what singles wards are for. Outside of Utah, this is how LDS single people meet.
Call me old fashioned, but I want a guy to be able to start a conversation with me face to face. I feel that my generation has become too lazy when it comes to meeting people. Man up and talk to a few girls/boys.
So in the end, it just got to be too creepy for me. People have been meeting each other face to face for years and years without the help of any internet technology. I tried. And now I'll pass.
I feel that if a boy doesn't have the courage to talk to me, then he won't have the courage to do a lot of nerve-wracking things in life (uh hello, you're eventually going to have to ask my dad for permission to marry me.... now that's gotta be nerve-wracking!). Stop being a wuss!

So to those who read this and know me: Feel free to set me up. You know my standards - and if you don't, ask. While blind dates are not my favorite, I will gladly go.

Bottom Line: Internet dating is not for me.

Mystery Solved! Hopefully.

Tomorrow is going to be when I receive my promotion. Mark, bank president, talked with HR this morning and the job for Senior Admin Asst can be taken down tonight and he can offer me the job tomorrow. This means I can FINALLY know what my raise is going to be and can stop guessing. Hopefully.

Challenge Week!

Challenge #1: No sugar week.
Oh boy. I'm not looking forward to this! Myself and six other girlfriends are completing this challenge together. We start Monday and will end next Sunday night with ice cream sundaes (because what better way to celebrate your no sugarness with lots of sugar?). Here's the catch: if we cheat, we have to buy someone else in the group a pair of shoes. I sure hope someone cheats and draws my name out of the jar - I'd like some new flat boots!! So, stay away from me on Wednesday - that'll be my battitude day! (bad + attitude = battitude). We may continue this on and come up with even greater rewards than an ice cream sundae at the end of our challenge (ie girls night in Park City).

Challenge #2: Limit spending
I know that is a problem of mine. It's been a problem for awhile. I wish money grew on trees. But sadly, it doesn't. This week the only things I can spend money are a) gas b) birthday gifts for our family birthday party next Sunday and c) I can only eat out ONCE this week. Can I do it? I sure hope so!

Challenge #3: 5x this week @ the gym
I did four last week. I know that I can get that fifth day in. I have a schedule all worked out and I'm pumped! I have really come to enjoy my kickboxing class that is Tuesdays and Thursdays. I want to squeeze in a spinning/cycling class once a week too *cough Jason cough*.

I thought about one more like making my bed every morning... but lets be honest. That won't happen. Sorry Mom.

Next Sunday, I'll let you know how the challenge week went! Wish me luck!

Let me just say....

With roommates, there are things they do that irritate you to no end. They don't know that they do it but you don't tell them because it's not that important in the scheme of things.

Here is one of my roommate pet peeves: Not turning off the lights.

It's simple - if you're not in the room, turn off the light.

If the light is on and no one is in the room, then we are wasting electricity which equals to wasting money. Not to mention our light bulbs will burn out faster.

Bottom Line: Turn off the lights.