Skyler's cheese

Some things that happened a long time ago are still worth mentioning, months later.
You know--important things...
Like that time back in July when Skyler brought his own cheese to the BBQ
And I saw it sitting there unattended. What do you do with a whole brick of cheese?
You dare Kylee to take a bite out of it.
This is not the sort of dare either of us could back out of.
I wonder why Skyler went straight to me, first. When I told him, "Those are NOT my teeth!" He immediately turned to Kylee to match the dental molds.
Man, we're funny.

But how did he KNOW it was us?

Out of character... and then quickly back in.

So, I am who I am. That really means nothing, does it? Why do people say that? Is that some sort of self-condoning twist, like unto Lady Gaga's "Born This Way"? (I HATE that song, by the way. Hate it. I mean, it's like negating the entire doctrine of overcoming the natural man. I don't mean to go all preachy on this but, c'mon, Lady. You should know better.)

I've been having some "getting to know you" conversations with a new friend of mine. We're sending facebook messages and random texts and just having fun swapping stories and random facts about each other. What's interesting to me is that she continues to be surprised. Am I that unexpected? When I take a step back and think about it, nothing I've shared fits into any sort of mold. I think people who don't know me well are often surprised when they get to know me better.

It's fun to be random. A few facts that I've shared with her that have caused some laughter:
I HATE my scrawny wrists/neck. Many people like the "elegant" look. I see "awkward weakling." Therefore, I will ALWAYS wear my hair down and load up on bracelets.

Every time I do laundry, I have to fight the urge to slide down the stairs inside my laundry baskets. My limited knowledge of physics tells me that will not end well. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to try.

I hate smelly lotions/candles/air freshener. More specifically, I hate the ones that smell like food. Sugar cookie or raspberry should NOT be the scent of a person. I should never be tempted to eat my own hand. If I smell vanilla, I want to be able to eat a cookie.

I hate shopping carts. I will cut the circulation off my own hand by carrying a 30lb plastic basket around the store before trying to maneuver a cumbersome shopping cart. It slows me down. I have no patience for that.

I love artsy things, but I HATE making them. Again, with the patience thing. I'm addicted to etsy.com because I'd much rather pay someone else to make something simple than try to figure out how to do it myself.

I love clothes, but I hate hair and makeup and heels and fingernails. I like looking good, I just hate the effort it takes. I only recently have started experimenting with braids and other hairstyles. But I won't do anything that takes more than 2 minutes. No blow dryers for me!!

Those things being said, I did some things recently that are totally out of character for me. (Assuming that, with my randomness, there is such a thing as "in character.")

 I got my first manicure. Mom re-gifted a gift certificate she got from work. Of course, they were immediately smudged and rough-looking, but I LOVE the color and had to go buy my own bottle so I can do it again myself. (And by "myself", I mean I'm going to ask Gina to do it. When I paint, it looks like a 6-year-old did it.)











I created an earring holder out of a place mat. I've been checking out earring display ideas on Pinterest and this is NOTHING like any of them. But it was innovative and colorful and TOTALLY me! I'm pretty danged proud of myself. I didn't technically have to "make" anything. I hung a place mat on my wall and then stuck my earrings in it. But still ...







Also, out of character for me: I missed the "make a silly
face" memo in our Zumba picture! Really, the story's funnier than that. Valerie (mentioned in my previous post, and also the recipient of aforementioned "getting to know you" messages) claims to be pretty reserved. But I don't believe a word of it. A couple of weeks ago, she was my Zumba buddy at a fundraiser they did for Special Olympics. The two of us had a BLAST trying to follow new choreography that included awkward stops and even a bit of air guitar. Then, those of us who attend the Zumba Sisters' class got together for a group photo. They had us do a few silly ones. And sweet little Valerie leans in to stick her tongue in my ear! I was so distracted and laughing so hard that I totally missed the picture. Although, this zoomed in version still makes me pretty happy! Look how pleased she is with herself! :)





It's pretty "in-character" for me to be inappropriate and immature, so I don't have to explain the ideas behind this next picture other than, mom and dad were out of town and mom has a LOT of crafty letter blocks. SOMETHING had to be done with them! Letter blocks + Suzie + Gina + pizza make for one fun party!







AND now here's a brief photo summary of last weekend's trip to Utah:

I met up with Lisa for dinner and some shopping. Also, I brought her step kids down from Idaho to spend the weekend with them. I was scared to drive down with a 6 year old and a 4 year old, but they slept the whole way!

My job for the bridal shower was to make the signs and set them up on the street corners. Sydney helped me. You gotta jump really good to get these suckers into the ground!

 

Cousins Hampton, Brooke & Sydney at the bridal shower. I really love Hampton's happy grin in this picture!!

Sydney put together a "How well do you know each other?" game. Amanda and Lee had no idea what to expect when they got an answer wrong! We kinda made a mess of Grandma's living room. But it was so fun!

Kim, Hampton and me. I can't get enough of these ladies!

Alex, Brooke, Amanda and Sydney. These sisters are SO MUCH fun! I think I love my cousins more and more every time we get together. I'm pretty lucky that I have the best family in the world!

Mama and Grandma Ruby.

My cute mom and her cute mom.

I went shopping with Kim and Hampton. I bought a bookcase at IKEA and Hampton helped me push it out to the car--with STYLE!

There are also some Silvester cousins down in Utah! This other cousin Amanda is probably going to be angry at me for posting a pregnant picture. Whatever. She's adorable. And her unborn child already kicked me.

My best regards to 2011

I'm sorry, 2011. You got the blog shaft.
I'm hoping 2012 will get the upper hand. But it's early yet. And it's not off to a super great start. So, only time will tell. I have good intentions.
Don't feel totally shafted, 2011. You really had it good.
For instance, 2011 brought me THIS:

Life's greatest blessings come in the form of friends who will listen to you whine, help you streamer a friend's bedroom, tell you that you're not as hopeless as you claim to be, flirt with the Chukars mascot, tough out some SERIOUS drama with you, demote you from being Captain to merely "steerer", celebrate earth-breaking triumphs, and leave random treats in and on and under your car. (and hold you up when you're squatting at a concert because your hips hurt.) I met Kari in 2010, but in 2011, she turned into a HUGE blessing for me, and I'm SO grateful for that blessing!

Through 2011, the Post Register newspaper continued to pay my bills while I stressed and screamed and went crazy booking their advertising and laying out the newspaper. The PR and I continue to have a tortured relationship and may be seeking counseling.

In 2011, I hiked, Zumba'd and volleyballed my a** off. And by saying that, it would imply that I ever had an a** to begin with. I never did. But, since the other squishy parts of me still exist, I'm going to say that it was my a** that was most affected. Hmm. I probably shouldn't have ever gone here to begin with. 


In 2011, I did a lot of hiking, Zumba and played a lot of volleyball. I'm starting to get pretty nervous that my joints and my energy level are not aging in unison. I LOVE to play and I don't ever want to have to slow down. But, I have definitely been fighting my share of knee, hip and shoulder pains. Nothing I'd ever go to the doctor for, of course.

 hike to Union Falls (17 miles?) with Cameron, Kari, Gina, me, Brooke, Jared, Tanner, Melissa and Keri.

I played on 3 recreational volleyball teams in 2011. This was our team for the women's league. Melissa, Jessica, me, Andrea and Kylee with Kim and Heidi in the front row. It was such a fun collection of girls from all over the place. Kylee and I have had a blast playing together for awhile now and I just LOVE having that tradition with her! I even called my childhood friend Andrea out of retirement to come join us! (she's the shmoe in the back with the antlers.) 

My cousins Amanda and Alex joined me at Zumba before our family reunion! I'm kind of a Zumba nut. Who'd have EVER thought that would happen? I've always been the uncoordinated, lazy girl who'd rather eat a cookie than work out. Well, THAT hasn't changed. But I LOVE going to Zumba and sweating out my uncoordination! Honestly? The highlight for me is the fun I get to have with friends. In 2011, I got Gina, Keri, Lisa, Bethany and Shayla all coming to Zumba. Then we have to count the amazing Tami and Amy who teach and have become close friends as well. Also, there's this girl.

Valerie has brought SO much sunshine into my life in such a short time! We met at Zumba, but it took us awhile to both creep out of our comfort zones and become friends. But, now that we have, it's amazing how close we've become so fast. I just love this lady! I don't have any pictures of us together yet. Don't tell her I stole this from her facebook page. ;) Thank you, 2011, for bringing me Valerie. 2012, it's up to you to keep this going! And I really can't wait! 

Is it obvious that PEOPLE are my favorite THINGS? 2011 brought me lots of good people and good experiences. Here are just a few more:

This guy. I think he entered my life in ... 1994? But 2011 taught us how crazy-similar we are. Apparently "dork" runs in the family. (he's my 17-year-old cousin.) Makay has been cracking me up all year! We've started a tradition of giving each other "the bird" which means finding some bird figurine that Grandma uses as decoration in her house and handing it to one another. Makay and I also shared an epic canoeing trip down the river with his brother, Dallin. We played dueling banjos with our canoe paddles. I did NOT teach Mak how to paddle a boat. Which end's up? Seriously. This kid is hilarious. And we get along alarmingly well.

Then, there's my cousin Kim. 2011 (and every year for the past ... 5 years?) has brought on a lot of heart-warming conversations. Last year was particularly monumental. Thanks so much for sharing your love, support and insight, Kim!

You know, I could go on forever about 2011 and we all know there are plenty of gaps to fill, since my posts have been PATHETIC, but how can I really make up for a year's worth of blogging in one post that anyone's actually going to read? If you read this all the way through ... well ... I don't believe that anyone really will.

Anyway, maybe I'll do some quicker, smaller, more event-based posts in retrospect. Anyone want to hear about Halloween? ;) Oooh! I really want to post about Kylee eating Skyler's cheese. Another day.

As for this re-cap, I'll just show you one more thing that 2011 brought me:

 hello, baby.

Right after work on a Friday:

I have no idea how to be loved.

I find great accomplishment in the fact that I've arrived at work by 10:00 every morning this week. (okay, 10:15, but still.) I'm giving NO credit to daylight saving's time for this.

I can never type the word "silver" without it becoming "silvester."

I've completely revised my sock preferences. I need to clean out my sock drawer.

Even good things go uneaten in my world. I'm a food hoarder. These milk chocolate-covered caramel- macadamia clusters that my boss brought back from Hawaii are going to go bad before I eat them all.

I used to only do laundry once every 2-3 weeks. Now, I need to wash my volleyball shirt before every game. Laundry once a week is so annoying.

Laundry's my favorite household chore.

Our volleyball team is ranked #7 out of 12 teams. Whatever. That's GOOD.

I'm addicted to Pinterest. I feel more fashionable when I can pin pretty things, even if I don't own them.

My definition of "pretty" is so different from most people's.

I hate all shoes with heels--it's not just a comfort thing. Most of them are just plain ugly. I also don't like a lot of shiny things.

I'm more obsessed with Harry Potter than I ever gave myself credit for.

This week, I've listened to almost an entire season of Friends while I work. I can't focus unless there's something worth paying attention to.

I like my wood iPhone case more than I like the actual phone. There's another crack in it. We're onto our 4th glue job. The day I can no longer fix it is the day I throw my phone away.

Heroins

Source: hardlybreathe.livejournal.com via Brooke on Pinterest

I'm a crappy blogger

as consolation, here's a treat for you all.
It's been stuck in my head for 4 days now, and I'm still not sick of it.
Enjoy.

See all the CollegeHumor Original Videos here.

Alert: Emo Post

I'm wondering if I can even make sense of things to myself. Is it a girl thing to over-think, over-analyze and be driven by emotions?
I have been SUCH a girl lately.
I didn't realize I was so needy. I didn't realize I was so fragile and so off-kilter. I knew I was confused. I knew that I had a LOT going on in my head. I knew that good things have happened that remind me of other good things, but that's kind of put a shadow over my current life perspective. Do you ever look back and reminisce over mini-triumphs and life-changing experiences, only to recognize that the HERE and NOW is nothing to celebrate? Where did those moments of clarity go? Why have I lost that purpose and sense of direction?
These past few months have been CRAZY. The specifics are not all mine to share. There's SO much good to come of all of this, but I'm having a hard time finding application and a solid ground to build that good stuff on.
I've had some amazing people in my life. And I'm not just talking about fun friends to go to lunch with and laugh with. Although, those are SO valuable. But the ones that have made such an impact lately are those who have been vulnerable.
Vulnerability is such a crazy thing. I don't understand it, and yet I'm captive by it. I used to think it wasn't okay to be vulnerable with other people. I couldn't allow myself to show weakness. But, sometimes it's forced on us. Those have been the times of greatest connection and growth. Crying with friends can't necessarily be considered "fun", but it's one of my favorite past times. I've forged amazing relationships and have taught and learned so much through these moments of vulnerability.
What's amazing to me is to see how far people have come. When you know someone at their lowest, when they trust and let you in and ask for help when it seems they've got nowhere else to turn to, you get to REALLY know them. I am reeling at how these bonds are formed. I've prayed and prayed and I know the Lord guides us in our lives to the people we need the most. I know I've felt that guidance and have been on both sides of that situation. I've felt Him direct me in what to say and do for a friend in need. Do any of you know how great it feels to truly be a "ministering angel"? When you know that, by just being there, and by being willing to love and support, the Lord has used you to bless the life of someone else. It's amazing. A-MAZING. And what's even better? Three years down the road, there's NO sign of that fragile person you loved and cared for so long ago. She's still there--but she's unrecognizable. Who she has become through the whole refining process leaves me speechless and in tears. She deserves it and I'm so proud of her.
But I can't help but be a bit jealous. Where's my transition? I certainly wasn't strong and resilient through all these painful circumstances. I look at my own life and can't help but feel that I need to be better. I know I've come a long way. I started typing that I hadn't, but I remembered that I know better. I have learned SO much and have grown tremendously. But I'm still cycling.
Just recently, I've been learning the importance of trust. I'm not necessarily talking about the difference between telling lies and telling truth, but more along the lines of loving and allowing oneself to be loved. There are few people whom I've truly let into my life, into my weaknesses and dirty laundry. Who wants to share those things? Who even wants to go there? I realize now, that I do. SELECTIVELY.
I have received the answer time and time again that I need people and I need to stop pushing them away. I need to pull them in. I've had awesome experiences with people who have been heaven-sent. I need to learn better the art of "bearing one anthers' burdens." I LOVE to care for my friends. I love to offer help and be involved in their lives. I love when they trust and confide in me. I have NO problem opening my heart to weaknesses and sharing my love when a good friend needs it. I'm a complete disaster when it comes to doing it the other way around. I want that more than ANYTHING in the world. But how do you get there? How do you ask for it, or accept it willingly when it's there? I've found that I'm so insecure. I find myself small-talking about popcorn and camouflage when I really just need to talk about something real. I find myself craving validation and bursting into tears when a friend texts me JUST what I'd been needing to hear--and then I feel pathetic for needing it so badly.
How can good experiences and memories throw my world so off-kilter? Why am I so shaken up by life's greatest joys? Why can't I hold on to the good feelings and use them?