Do I Dare Say It?

Looking at my recent post history I realized something sad, but what I knew would come eventually.  Domination-station.blogspot.com may be coming to an end.  If you couldn't tell, my creative juices haven't been the usual flowing waterfall but rather a trickling stream.

If you catch my drift. 

Technically, this blog was only supposed to last a year, since it blossomed from my new years resolution of "Why Not?!" However, look how far we've come! Starting in February of 2009 (wow!), and ending up in the middle of 2011, a lot has changed.  I've cleaned up and become a distinguished American citizen!  Okay maybe I can't push it that far, but at least they are still letting me be an American citizen.  That's something eh?

Some may call it writers block, others, a shift in priorities.   I struck gold and could be moving on to some big things soon. metaphorically I realize that I will still do stupid things regardless of whether I have a medium to document them on, and I look forward to what my blonde hair has in store for me!  :)

A shout out to all of those who have followed my ramblings; you are what helped fuel this blog and most times were there with me for a lot of these experiences. 

THANK YOU!

~Much love and DOMINATION~

Hailey.

P.S. Don't stop blogging friends!  Just because I won't have my blog doesn't mean I can't stalk yours :)

Fear #54:

Say I ate uncooked ramen noodles and dipped them in the included chicken flavored sodium packet.  Say I could hear my mom telling me how bad this meal is for my health.  Say I loved every second of it.  Now, say I drink water or any other liquid after I eat these uncooked ramen noodles.  Are they going to expand in my stomach?  Doesn't that happen to birds when they eat uncooked rice?  Pretty sure birds have exploded from the expansion of the uncooked rice in their stomachs...correlation to humans?

Well if this is the end, listen to the Band Perry song, "If I Die Young" and you'll know what to do.  Oh and I'd like the "help save exploding birds and people" fund to be set up at all the local grocery stores. Over and out.

TMI

For all of you that skipped 6th grade (or have chosen to move past it... still working on it myself, nbd.)

TMI = Too Much Information. 

TMI is what I get more often than not when taking phone calls. Example? 

Well this morning I was speaking with a woman who was trying to schedule a deposition. All was fine and dandy until she added,

"Oh and if I don't answer, please do leave a message, I've REALLY gotta jump in the shower and start to get ready for the day." 

Uh Great. 

Now I'm imagining this lady in her pink footy pajamas, hair all matted and greasy, no make-up on and sleepies in her eyes.  ....Wait! I want the image of her sitting behind a desk, fresh from her morning perfume, wearing dress pants, a fitted suit coat and red heels back. 

Also, how do you respond back to that? 

"Eww gross lady, don't you have the courtesy to clean yourself up before you start making business calls??" 

Probably not the most appropriate. 

So I went with, "ha well great, ...pause... uh wow yeah I'll just have them leave a message.  Thanks."  The awkward approach, always a winner right?  This may not be that bad to offer up information on where you are at on your morning routine, but it certainly took me by surprise.  

Remember how every adult you have encountered during your teen years would tell you,

"You better be careful of (Choose one: Texting, MSN, My Space, Facebook, Internet) because people are more comfortable with that barrier and will say things they would never say in person." 

-or-

"These contraptions are desensitizing people and allowing them to be bold without facing the immediate consequences." 

Well this is all true to some extent, but very true when it comes to giving out personal information.  On multiple occasions people have opened up to me over the phone and shared a few of the following:

1] how their husband is abusive;

2] how they hate living with their in laws because their body odor is atrocious;

3] that their family traces back to ye olde times to when they were extremely rich until some peasant stole their money and now each generation has had to suffer in poverty;

4] or that their intimate life has been extremely interrupted and here is how: (censored for good reason). 

Wow wow wow wow wow.  WAY TMI!  Usually I'll get these explanations when I'm asking for the doctor's name or even what the date of the accident was... so of course I guess I can't complain because those responses are perfectly normal to these questions right?

It just proves that all we need is someone to listen to us jabber on about whatever we need to get out.  Very similar to what I'm doing now to you....?   As human beings we need to communicate.  Fortunately, I'm just here to listen and provide uh huh's and aaahh I see's when necessary.  So if you'd like my self help hot line, go ahead and dial 4's until you can't dial anymore.  I can happily provide an attentive silence which will give you more than enough room to spill your guts on. 

P.S. Sarcasm was sprinkled heavily throughout this post with absoluetly no intention to offend. Any personal information referrenced or given has been fabricated but stemmed from real life events.  

Safe and Sound

He made it!!  Jordan made it to Albania after the painfully long 3 months in the MTC.  He had a fantastic time in the MTC and loved it, but towards the end he started to hint that he was ready to get on to Albania. 3 months...can you blame him?  His email today was probably my favorite so far.   Jordan may have turned into a classic missionary no complaints but he still has his personality and humor. :)  For example:

"Well we safely arrived in Albania.  After much tribulation.  We only had a half hour layover in Munich, but for the flight to Munich we were on a German Airline, so everything was in German.  I have to admit, my High School German didn't do anything to help me out talking to these people.  And this German girl was sleeping the entire flight from DC to Munich, and kept resting her head on my shoulder, I have to admit, coming out of the MTC it was really awkward, and it was a LONG flight." 

Jordan is a "touch-a-phobe" as we used to call him when he would squirm out of a hug or be annoyed if your elbow was touching his arm on accident.  This helps to paint this situation crystal clear in my mind, I can see the panic in his face now :)

More Excerpts from his email:

"Albania looks like......every war movie I've ever watch of this part of the world.  I feel like I'm living in Black Hawk Down, Green Zone, etc. or Call of Duty.   ...All the stores have their own security guards, and they just haul around AK-47's and stuff, really cool :)"

"Everyone says my name wrong, then asks if I'm from France :)"

"I love this work and this gospel, I know that this is where I need to be in my life, and I'm so happy that I was called to Albania.  ...I love these people, they're the nicest people I've ever met in my life, and probably the most humble.  I know that the church will prosper here, and I know that we're not going to see the fruits of our labors, but we've heard many prophecies by apostles and people that the work will thrive here.  ... I hope that my labor here in Albania will help the church at some future date get a foothold and a strong point in Albania. I know that this gospel is true, and that this message is the way we can have happiness in this life."

I love that boy man. :) It makes me so proud and happy to read his emails and to see his great progress.  I can't wait to hear more about his great adventure! Stay tuned!!

Curls

Recently, Kaylyn and I have been on a curl kick.  We've been looking up new ways to curl your hair without ever using a curling iron, and we have found some great ideas! 

Side note: For some reason,

most of these genius ideas come from women with thick accents

 who like to ramble on and on about hair product.

That was an odd consistency I wasn't prepared for. 

Last night Kaylyn and I both tried a new style (I tried the Headband one and Kaylyn tried the Sock bun) and mine actually worked!  I left before I could see Kaylyn's, but I'm expecting a good report!  Here are diagrams for both... prepare to be amazed.

 Headband curls:

This video is super long, but it taught me!



Sock bun curls:

Now introducing my newest obsession!  I want these so bad but I'm hesitant to spend this much on them.  I'm a cheap skate I know....  but look how cool they are!  I saw a lady with them and her hair looked soooo great!  They are called Curl Formers, check out the video if you so desire.

And the results?!

So there you go.  If you're ever tired of taking a year and a day to curl your hair, try these out!  Just a heads up: when you do the headband one you have a very good possibility of looking crazy.  I looked like a combination of Hayley Mills in the old parent trap...

and a boy with "wings."  Probably should have done it after Todd left and everyone went to bed.... oh well. ;)

Still Learning

My bad.  I am sure all of you noticed my error in the last post and I would like to publicly express my apologies.  If you recollect, the previous post stated something along the lines of:  "Goals in soccer are a dime a dozen."  I always figured the phrase "dime a dozen" meant that it didn't happen very often.  On our way home from work Karlie asked me what the phrase meant and I tried to explain that I figured it meant something was rare.  Trying to come up with the origin for the phrase proved to be quite puzzling.  I tried, "Well maybe it's because you rarely find anything that's a dozen for the price of a dime?"  .....Believe me, that was the best of my guesses.  So I decided to google it. 

Knowyourphrase.com put it this way:

Ooooooohhhhh.... It's the exact opposite of what I thought it was. Oops. Karlie and I chuckled and I thought, maybe no one will notice?  I didn't know what it meant so maybe I'm not the only one right?  Wrong.  I got home to Kaylyn and Anisa and we started catching up on the events of our days.  Anisa mentioned that they had just finished reading my blog.  I told her that I had apparently misunderstood the meaning of a phrase and before I could finish Anisa and Kaylyn let out a big sigh of relief.  They proceeded to tell me that they had previously discussed any and all possible ways to break the news to me that I was embarrassing my future posterity.  Alright alright so it was a bigger mistake than I thought.  Don't worry, I corrected the post and hopefully in my next post I can tie in some really big long word to boost my sophistication points.  Boisterous? Camaraderie? Ostentatious?  Stay tuned. I may or may not have googled "List of sophisticated words."  nbd. :)

Unclear Stick Figures

These people gave me a little trouble over the weekend. 

Side Note: I think having this blog has jinxed me. 

Now more often than not extremely embarrassing

things are happening to me whereas before it was

just on occasion. 

So once upon a time Real Salt Lake played a soccer game against FC Dallas, and these cool people attended.

Todd, Me, Anisa and Spencer

Forgive the poor picture quality.  The tickets came with free food throughout the game and we definitely took advantage of that.  Picking up Todd's 4th cheeseburger during half time (they were really small burgers) I suddenly felt the bathroom urge so we raced for the loo.  One side showed the man stick figure so I turned and headed opposite for the Women's.   Walking in I saw the closed stalls then shifted my glance to the left.  I stopped dead in my tracks.  Either a greater part of women are balding these days or there was a row of men up against that left wall.... which meant.... oh shoot, I'm in the men's bathroom!! I instantly turned and ran out of there, dodged a guy coming in to the bathroom, received a puzzled look from Todd and ran to the next set of doors, both with women stick figures on them. Don't worry, I checked this time.  I was greeted by women tousling their hair, putting on make up, lots of chatter and the closed stall I was hoping to hide behind forever.  Behind closed doors I could feel my face on fire with embarrassment.  I couldn't hold it in anymore and the laughter eeked out.  I don't think any of the men really saw me, but it didn't matter.  I guess I should have known what happens when you assume you're going to the right bathroom.  Bathrooms are never a place for assumptions. Then over the loud speaker you could hear, "GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!!!!"  Instant panic set in (for the second time in the past 30 seconds) and I hurried to finish my business and race out of there.  Todd was waiting anxiously and said, "We missed a goal!!!"  Shoot.  Goals in soccer games are a dime a dozen few and far between (definition: rare, scarce) and we missed it because I couldn't control my bladder.  We rushed back to our seats, I sat down and proceeded to explain what happened in my bathroom fiasco.  Once I was done, dying from laughter, Anisa leaned over to tell me a secret.  "Your zipper is undone."  Strike 3. Bathroom scenarios were not my friend that day and I'm considering getting rid of them all together. Catheterization?  Kaylyn, wanna help me out with this?  I'll never miss a thing ever again.

Other than that the game was great ending in a 2-0 win for RSL!  We did get to see the second goal so that helped make up a little for the first.  Who knows why they have two men bathrooms right next to each other when history has proved that my assumption of a man and a women bathroom next to each other is reasonable and legit.  All I know is that I will never forget to fully evaluate my options when choosing a bathroom next time.  That's a mistake I hope to only make once in my life. :)

"They're Worth So Much More After I'm a Goner"

Happy Friday!!  Now after being utterly inspired a moment ago, go on and have a fantastic weekend.  Do it, I dare you! 

P.S. 4 points to whoever can name song and artist of the title of this post.  It'll be a hard 4 points because it's not like it hasn't been played a bajillion times in the past few months.  nbd. Even still, I still like it - in a morbid sort of way :)

Conditioner on no Condition

Scenario:  Hotel staff provide certain "necessities" to occupants so that they may be able to wash themselves and not stinketh.  Recently I found a make up remover pad and bath and body works flavored soap. Going the extra mile huh? Jack pot! 

Question:  Why do hotels never provide conditioner, but almost always provide hair nets?

Think about it. They go through all this work to try and provide high quality soaps and shampoo...to impress who?  The woman kind.  Do you think most men care whether they have sweet pea or rain forest leaves smelling lotion?  Nope, they don't.  Those details are to impress the women.  So why on earth would they not provide conditioner with their succulent smelling shampoo??  I'll trade you the lotion for some conditioner.  I have only been to maybe 2 hotel rooms that have provided conditioner and it baffles me every time.  Plus who has ever used the hair net....?  Wikipedia says that sometimes gang members use hair nets as part of their uniform.  Hotels would rather you join a gang than have soft, tangle free hair.  Think of all the violence they have encouraged.  So much for world peace.

Am I ranting?  Probably.  Is this a problem that has caused upset to more than 4 million women and thus ruined thousands of vacations due to a grumpy, snarly haired mother?  You betcha.  Any one wanna go on strike and refuse to shower until we have conditioner stationed in every hotel room?  Good me either, I smell when I don't shower.  :)

Champions

Well... I'm here to report good news!!  Introducing......

Red Devils - SF Women's League Champions 2011

We did it!!   Not only did we pull of the big 'W,'  we did it in style, 8-2 style!  This team was comprised of most of our high school soccer team members just re-living the glory days.  It felt so good to be able to play with 'my team' again.  We still had the same connection we did in high school, even after 3 years of all being apart.   Sad thing is that this is probably the last time we will all get to play together.  Something bogus about school being a higher priority.... weird.  ;) So, after 3 years, where are all of us at and where are we going?  I'll start left top and work my way to the right bottom.

RAE:  Just dominated Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer and has recovered so well!!  If she's not considered a fighter I don't know who is.

KAYLIE:  Has been married to Bryce for about a year now (most adorable married couple I've ever seen) and works as a dental assistant!

KAYLYN:  Just finished her 1st year of the Nursing program at BYU and is officially 33% of a nurse.  She'll be saving lives in no time, nbd.

BRANDI:  This girl is bound to put a smile on your face within the first 30 seconds of meeting here, guaranteed.  Home for the summer, but soon will be returning to living the dream in the SUU scene. 

ME:  Paralegal of 2 years and graduating with Paralegal Degree from UVU after this fall semester! Oh, and recently won the award for most "Dominating" person of 2011. ;) 

KATIE:  Happily married to her Dave and quickly approaching their 1 year anniversary!  She's a high rollin' nurse for a home, health and hospice agency, and a dang good one at that!

KARLIE: Finished school (yay!) and looking to teach teens all about eating disorders, nutrition, diseases and other heath matters.  Mrs. Mitchell is tearin' up the marriage scene with her hubby Jake of 1 year!

ANISA:  Taking over Idaho in one fell swoop.  Just finished her first year of Pharmacy School at ISU and soon will be treating all your prescription needs with that pretty smile!

BETSY:  Just turned in her papers to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!! With her easy going personality and beautiful face how could anyone turn down her invitation to get a little wet?!

And that my friends is what I call a great group of girls. We weren't able to get everyone together for the team, but I'm so glad we were able to get this bunch together.  These ladies will always hold a special spot in my heart, and I wish the best of luck to each of them as they conquer life with such great style.  Who knows how I got so lucky, but nevertheless, I'm grateful.

Champions inside and out.

Insert Rocky Theme Music Here

Today is the day that our soccer team rises above the competition and sets the stage for our championship trophy.  Finals start today against our arch nemesis Orange Crush at 9:00 pm.  Am I nervous?  Well... does a navy seal get nervous when faced with a plastic kiddie pool? I think not, and thus it is, I am not nervous.  For I know we are well equipt with the skills to DOMINATE! Currently we are tied with Orange Crush for 1st place and so the battle will be fierce.  We have potentially 3 games in the next two days to prove our worthiness

-good thing we went to the temple yesterday ;) -

but hopefully we can put the trophy in the bag after the first two games.  Orange Crush is a good team and always gives us a good game, but they won't be ready for our phenomenal trick plays and deep bonds of friendship.  We will be victorious!

Okay, okay I've stepped from my drama platform to normal ground now.  Sorry, once that ball gets rolling I have a hard time aborting. Courtesy of Papa Francis :)   I really am so excited / nervous for our game tonight!  I know we can pull out a win but it'll be challenge that's for sure.  I wouldn't want it any other way.  It's amazing how intense and determined I can be when the end reward is a soccer t shirt. nbd it's just a t shirt you say?  Wrong, that t shirt will have one word on it that will bring short term bragging rights. 

CHAMPIONS.

Gold's Gym

Who believes that everyone who goes here holds a hidden agenda to meet the opposite sex higher than actually working out? (Meat Market?)  Who believes that all the girls that go, weigh no more than 100 pounds and look darker than even a tanning bed could help them achieve?  Who believes that all the men that go take a shower before so it looks like they are sweaty from working out (but without the odor) and strut around grunting and staring at themselves in the mirror?  I have to admit, before a few weeks ago I would have raised my hand to all of those questions and probably had a few more prejudgments to add to the list.   Gold's Gym has always held a generally negative stereo type for me and to be honest I have no idea as to where it originated from.  However, I changed my ways and I went to figure it out for myself!  Guess what, Gold's Gym is....... a gym.... and that's about it.  Just a place where people of all shapes, sweat capacities and sizes come to work out.  Imagine that!  The best part is that there are a ton of treadmills!!  So far I haven't had to wait in a line creeping on a runner for a chance to race to an empty treadmill, and I have appreciated that. 

Since I am always so prepared I brought my iRun and headphones to help keep me motivated.  Of course each time we've got I've realized too late that I've forgotten to charge my iRun, and/or I have brought the wrong headphones so I couldn't listen to it anyways.  So instead I end up plugging my headphones into the treadmill and watch what is on TV.  Last time, the only interesting thing on (Seinfeld) was on the TV so far to the left I couldn't actually see it.  On a personal TV on the treadmill in front of me "Friends" was playing but I couldn't figure out how to listen to that one.  I was stuck.  Jerry playing in my ear but watching Rachel and Ross in counseling.  Intriguingly I started to pick up on how well Seinfeld's commentary was matching up with what I was watching in front of me.... Rachel slams her hand on the desk and Jerry said, "I just can't take this anymore! The nagging has got to stop."  Kramer bursts in and states something about succulent watermelon, right as Ross mumbles something and looks longingly towards the door.  The next scene Rachel and Ross in a fluster pass Joey on the street and Jerry says, "Oh come on, you can't leave on account of bad tuna!"  Okay so maybe I don't entirely remember the exact dialogue, but it was pretty entertaining to say the least.

Overall Gold's Gym has been a fantastic experience!  Both Kaylyn and Todd have passes to Gold's, so I have people to go with!  After braving my first meeting with Mr. Gold, I have learned my lesson (yet again) to never judge a gym by my preconceived notions.  Gold's Gym is pretty impressive, and I can't wait to start some of their classes! So...if anyone wants to gym it up at Gold's, give me a jingle!

Landlocked

I can't wait until our San Diego trip... hello beach! Only 3 weeks!  Shizuka!

New word I just discovered.... any takers?

Just me, okay great, I'll add it to my list of words that annoy Kaylyn. :)

Oh and p.s. it's friday.... have another comic :)

 (or 4 more....)

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to FB

Today my dad came into my office and excitedly said, "Guess what!"

Me: "What?!"

Dad: "Mom and I are friends on Facebook." :)

He broke down and finally activated his Facebook.  I don't know what brought this on, but he was shooting out friend requests like it was no one's business.   Then he asked me, "So, what's the advantage of being your friend?"  I realized at that moment that my father was sizing up my contribution to his friend bank and my donations must not have been holding up very well.   Now that he had joined up with the rest of the world, he had to make sure he was a selective Facebooker.  I tried to prove that our "friendship" was in fact worthwhile, but didn't make a very good presentation.  "You can... keep updated with me and see all my pictures!"   He went along with it to satisfy my lame excuses.  Really there was no dire need for our facebook friendship, but I was shocked at how slighted I started to feel when my dad was questioning the 'validity' of our friendship.  As I thought about it, I would have a hard time arguing that anyone should keep me as their facebook friend.  If someone was weeding you out of their friend list, what would you say to keep your spot?

You can stalk me all you want?  Greeaaat!

I have really fascinating status updates about

choosing Skippy over Jif Peanut Butter?!

They definitely need an update on my

latest purchase of Vans shoes right??

sarcasm font needed.

Yeah I don't know how many people would be convinced by those arguments.   After all, a lot of my friends on Facebook are there for when I can sneak the occasional update on their last vacation, or to investigate their latest boyfriend/girlfriend.  The feeling is mutual though,  they are friends with me for the exact same reason and that's just fine!    Well it took him 30 minutes max to be bored with Facebook and he was done.  Maybe next time he gets on we can chat.. you know since we are official friends now. :)

P.S. Remember this song?

Oldy but Goody - Love it.

J-Dawg

Can I get a shout out for the best dad around? 

With Father's day taking place yesterday we are all a little more aware of how fantastic our dads are.  No matter what the situation, we each can find something about our father that has positively influenced us for the better.  J-Dawg (not the hut selling hot dogs, but rather a nickname for my father) has influenced me in so many ways I don't even know where to begin.  He raised me with morals and great character traits such as hard work and patience, he passed on his witty sense of humor to me, and best of all, through his example he showed me the importance of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and how easy it can be to follow faithfully.  He has always been a huge support and such a great example to me.  Not only my dad, but I am grateful for all the dads out there; for all the contribution they have in molding each of us into who we are today. Thank you for everything you've done for me Dad.  I love you!

Little Miss KSJM

KSJM = Karlie Sue Jensen Mitchell*
*Such middle names may or may not have been fabricated by Kaylyn Swanson, and have stuck due to persistence and repetition.

Happy birthday to one of my best friends!!  This girl has been there for me through thick and thin, and I don't know where I would be without her! I am so lucky to be able to still keep in contact with her and I'm grateful to have her in my life!  Don't take my word for it!  Click here to see how great she really is...  Love you Kar!

The Need for Generalization

Once again, I've come to the realization that men have it easy.  I'm sure most of the women out there could list off situations that make the previous statement true.  Some situations including but not limited to: their lack of having to deal with child birth, labor pains, hormones, and that they can go to the bathroom standing up.   However, putting all those argument starters aside, I've got a new one for you. 

Men are politely referred to as Mr. ____ and that's it.

Women on the other hand feel the need to be labeled even more specifically. 

Ms.

           Miss.

                             Mrs.

Really?  Three options?  Mr. can be applied to a married or a single man so no matter what the situation, you are covered.   However, what happens when a lady is recently widowed?  If you say Ms. they could get extremely upset due to their loss, but if the next day they were waiting for the doors to open at the insurance office then maybe they would be upset if you called them Mrs.  You have to make a quick judge of character in order to get that one right.  What about Miss?  Does this apply to only 12 year old little girls or women wearing a ridiculous hat at a tea party?  Now in normal conversation these don't usually cause a problem because by now we have lost all respect for anyone and usually catch their attention by shouting "Hey You!"  However when you are trying to construct a letter to a person you just briefly spoke with on the phone, this decision is quite a stressful one. A lot of emotion can be attached to those prefixes.  Honestly, even if someone were to ask me which I preferred I probably wouldn't know the difference between Ms. and Miss anyways.  Does anyone have an algorithm that will solve my problem?

Back in the Saddle Again

Well hello! My absence from the Utah scene and the lack of blogging this past week was due to a much needed vacation!  My mom and I teamed up with Southwest and the Monte Carlo and headed to VEGAS for some sun, shopping and other adventures.  We had the fantastic opportunity to attend the Phantom of the Opera which knocked my socks off!! Even though we were a little far away, it was a superb performance!  We visited Madame Tussaud's Celebrity Wax Museum, which to be honest was a little creepy.  It was awesome how real they looked, but at the same time I half expected them to turn their head and wonder why I was pretending to kiss their cheek.  Either way, it was pretty cool kickin' it with Michael Jordan, J-Lo (who's booty is surprisingly far from large), Arnold Schwarzenegger yes I had to look up how to spell his name..., Matthew McConaughey and his, Will Smith, Eva Longoria and Marilyn Monroe to name a few.  We shopped our little hearts out and I came back with an overstuffed suitcase filled with goodies!  I added #9 to my Vans family and even converted my mother to her very first pair of Vans!  It wasn't even against her will either, bazinga!  We ate a large spectrum of great foods and sealed the deal with a Haagen Dazs Mint and Brownie Dazzler shake.  It's a good thing food there is so outrageously expensive or else I probably would have had to request two seats on our flight home.  Nevertheless my mom and I hit the gym a few times (testing out my bright new running shoes!) and soaked up plenty of rays by the pool.  Oh I told you that our hotel had it's own wave pool and lazy river right?  No? Well it did, and it blew my mind. nbd.  One of my favorite places though had to have been the Venetian hotel.  We went there for both shows and also to just look around the hotel/shopping center.  Inside the hotel it has a river/canal running through it with gondolas!!  It was a magical place with romantic restaurants, gondolas, fantastic architecture and the smell of somewhere fascinatingly foreign.  It was straight out of my dreams and I loved every second of it.  One day I'm going to go back and ride in one of those gondolas!  Little slice of heaven right there. 

Overall the vacation went really well!!  Most were curious why we were in Vegas if we didn't drink, gamble or attend clubs, and sometimes they had me wondering as well, but it turned out to be a really great time! Thanks mom for a fantastic week!!

Now back for some adventures in the (801)!

There's Not An App For That

Any of my music lover friends ever heard of the App called "Shazaam?"  It's a little blessing to this world that allows you to know the title and artist of any song you can hear.  For example:  A while back Jordan came up to me and showed me a new song he had found.  I asked where he got it and he said, "Well, just now I was going to the bathroom, heard a catchy tune, Shazaamed it and now it's mine." Needless to say, this App is fantastic!  However today I type for the possibility, not for what has already become.  Wouldn't it be great if there was an App that could break down food and spit out the recipe to make it?  Really I'm imagining a little something like this:

1] a little compartment that you open up on the side of your phone;

2] ability to shove a peice of cake in above referenced compartment;

3] turn on phone digestion; (sound effects could be included if desired)

4] and then tada! Recipe! 

Think about it, everyone knows of a special sauce out there that you wish you could figure out how to make at home, because then you could fulfill your fatansy of bathing in it.  The only downside that I can forsee would be that all of the 'secret ingredients' would be revealed.  Chefs would be robbed of their secret recipes and their creativity would be accessable by anyone and everyone.  Solution?  Sharing is caring.  Caring is nice.   Nice is how it would be if I could figure out how to make the creme filling inside this peice of cake in front of me.  Thus, sharing = heavenly creme filling for the masses. Win-Win! 

So which one of you geniouses wants to invent this App?  I'll give you all the credit your heart desires and we'll probably become millionaires.  nbd.

Kid History

Since yesterday was so fantastic I'd like to start today off right as well! If you're having the morning blues and need a little pick me up, you've come to the right place. One of my besties Karlie told me to watch these, and I haven't been able to stop laughing since I did! So far I've only watched the first two, but I will be back to watch the rest! that's for sure.

Warning: Be careful where you watch these because laughter will undoubtably be exploding from your face.

Here's the second one!



Happy Wednesday :)

Fortune Cookie Anyone?

NBD.

The Counter

We all know that guy that sits on the far corner of the stand who's job is solely to count. When I was a child, I may have been a little frightened by this man staring at all of us, but now fear has turned to intrigue. Yesterday was Sunday, and that means CHURCH! I went to my home ward for my cousin Michael's farewell and was able to sit with my family again. Love that. This sunday, I observed the ward counter as he slowly walked down the aisle with his paper and pen in hand. How does this man do it?! He walks slowly, but a lot faster than I would if I was trying to count everyone in each row. Do you think he ever gets distracted and has to start over? Or maybe even if he loses count he keeps walking and pretends like everything is fine. I'd probably do that. Does he ever get to pay attention to the first 3 talks given? How is he not distracted by the little kid staring at him with his finger up his nose? What about when he passes the row with his wife on it? Does he chance a smile at her or does he have to be strickly business? Why is it that I have an urge to see if I can startle him, see if it will mess him up and to see what he will do? All these questions trouble me at night before I go to bed. Thankfully, all they want from me this semester is to serve more compassionately. Done and done.

Happy Monday, have a comic :)

She's Legal!

Guess who's birthday it was yesterday?!?!

Yup that's right, it was Kaylyn's! Sorry Kay, I had to put this picture up sometime... For those looking at the previous picture and concerned that we have an animal abuser on our hands, don't be. She was actually just petting the cat, until it decided to want a little more than the casual scratch behind the ear. :)

For Kay's b-day we reverted back to our early high school days (we seem to be doing a lot of that lately...) and surprised her for a morning birthday breakfast kidnapping! Animal abuse, kidnapping....sheesh we sound like a bunch of delinquents.

Waking her up pretty early, she had only enough time to put some clothes on and we were out the door! Karlie, Jake, Anisa, Tycee, Trevor and I all ate a smashing good meal at IHOP (nothing else was open at 6am) and enjoyed the company of our birthday girl! --Word to the wise, get the cinn-a-stack french toast, sugar coma never felt so good.--

Now we only have one left to turn to the ripe old age of 21 and then we'll all start knitting, swapping wrinkle stories and exchanging dentures. Who ever knew the KKAH would grow up and still be best friends.

I knew.

70th

Guess what! My grandparents are the bomb.com. (sorry, old slang I know...) On Sunday we helped them celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary!! Holy Canoli! These two have been livin' and lovin' each other for at least the past 70 years and are still going strong! What a standard to live up to right? They've lived through some hard times, but love kept them together. I hope to be just like them someday. It was really great seeing everyone come to support such a great milestone. This occasion just re-iterated my knowledge that despite all the craziness, one thing remains true - FAMILY. Happy days, and happy rainy Tuesday. :)

IKEA!!!!

What a weekend! Saturday Kaylyn and I went to one of my favorite places in the entire world....

If you've never been, go. Now. Or tomorrow.

We ate food at the little restaurant (more like cafeteria) while watching people filter in and out. I don't know why people watching is so captivating, but for some reason I can't get enough of it. Also while eating we noticed a kids play area down below. Our discussion started with, "Oh that's so nice to be able to have some place to put your kids while you shop throughout this huge store!" and ended with, "I would NEVER leave my kid in one of those places!" Quite the change I know, but once we watched the whole "check-in" procedure it made me think twice. It went a little something like this:

1] Bring child to check-in counter

2] Fill out a waiver (undoubtedly releasing IKEA from any liability if their child loses a finger, gets rabies or needs stitches)

3] Receive a bin for the child's shoes, socks and jackets

4] Receive a sticker with a number that corresponds with the aforementioned waiver

5] Place said sticker on child's back

6] Receive a blinky disk that vibrates when your child has encountered one of the previous conditions

7] Open the big check-in counter and release your child into the unknown

Sounds pretty great eh? I understand that this is probably a lot like daycare, but it still makes me nervous. You don't know these people, and for all we know some 14 year old could be practicing voodoo on my child. Maybe we were over-exaggerating, but Kaylyn and I came to the conclusion that we wouldn't bring our kids to IKEA if it meant we had to lock them in the child prison.

After eating we started to wander in and out of bathrooms, bedrooms and kitchens. We played house and tested out a few appliances. (surprisingly all of them weren't working.... weird) We tested the chairs for support and overall comfy-ness and marveled at the luxurious kitchen set ups. We both decided a big kitchen is a must in our future houses.

Isn't she the cutest??

We continued on our adventure, until we met this.

What is it? Who even knows. What was my first reaction? To grab a newspaper and pop a squat. Gross? Definitely. I have reason to instantly think this cabinet thing is made for such activities because we found it in the bathroom decor section. If you ask me, this seems quite odd.... but hey it's modern so it's okay right? Not okay.

Question: What is modern? I believe it to be the new, slightly odd but radiating cool-ness that only the artsy people can pull off. However, haven't we had this "modern" stuff around for at least 10 years now? Does the "modern" style ever change? If not, can it still be considered "modern?" Obviously I don't understand decorating, but this subject really baffles me. Hey, let's make a table that looks like a banana, surround it with chairs that are too small for anyone over the age of 4, paint it a metallicy color and call it modern. Huzzah!

Joking aside, I liked looking at all the modern stuff, I just don't quite understand it yet. Maybe when I get a few more wrinkles I'll start to figure it out. Until then.... Huzzah to those that love the modern marvels!

P-Diddy

Well I had planned to post this yesterday, but Blogger wasn't working..... So here it is!

Happy Birthday Parker!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This guy turned the big 16 yesterday and to celebrate we went to Pizza Factory for dinner!! Can I just say that I forgot how much I like that place? Don't worry, my memory has been refreshed and I would now like to eat there every meal for the rest of my days. Exaggeration? Maybe just a litte.

16 is a crazy age. You are all of a sudden allowed to "like" members of the opposite sex (because we all know we did not even think about this until we turned 16.... Never.), you are released onto jam packed, construction filled freeways by yourself and you start wondering about where you fit in this crazy world. Fortunately I think Parker's got it down and he's prepared for this monumentous age. His smashing good looks will carry him right along his dating adventures, he's scared spittless of semi trucks, and he somehow already seems to know where he fits. He's a jokester with a great smile and laugh who is loved by lots of family and friends. Okay, before I embarrass him to death I just have one last thing to say. I love you Parker, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Watch out ladies, this stud is armed with witty charm... can't beat that.

Advertising

Whenever I see an awesome commercial or advertisement I always have this urge to tell the company how great it was. I know that it must have taken a lot of time to produce that 30 second ad, and I think they should get the credit they deserve! You know, some first hand feed back, not just looking at sales percentages to see if the ad was effective. Well I still haven't figured out a way to do that, but it's constantly on my mind. Especially when I see ads like this one:

hahaha Watch it again. Go ahead, watch it again. It gets even more funny the 3rd and 4th time. Maybe I could invent a like button that would attach to your phone or car. You could simply push this button as soon as you witnessed one of these jems. It would track where you were at, what you just saw and send the "like" to the corresponding company. Even though this may be a stretch, I certainly hope those that work on these ads realize how truly great they are.

Currently there are awesome McDonalds ads that say, "Any size drink for a (insert picture of a buck/bone)." I LOVE these ones! So clever. I couldn't find a picture of any of them on the internet, but I did come across some more advertising treasures! McDonalds seems to have the best ads, especially the ads in different countries.

How about inspiring advertisements?

How about these?

I love seeing these Mormon Channel ads. They have done such a good job on them!! Also, the Mormon Channel app is absolutely FANTASTIC! I highly recommend everyone who can, to download it. Every time I see one of these ads the phrase, "To bring the world his truth!" always pops in my head. Slowly but surely, the church is spreading and bringing more members to the truth. All I can do is smile at the knowledge of what really is spreading... happiness.

Weekend Warriors

Sun. Friends. Volleyball. Soccer. Softball. Free time.

I'd like to make a shout out to a fantastic weekend. Jam packed with Domination as well as the fun things listed above, it was a great way to kick off the summer! Since my apt complex has a sand volleyball court we have played every night this weekend and I'm slowly getting better! Volleyball and Softball are the two sports (that I am currently aware of) that rip up my previously claimed title of the "Athletic Type" and smash it in the trash can. To say the least, I struggle. However, practice and a lot of pity cheers have definitely proved to be helping! Thankfully I have the best friends in the entire world who like to compliment each other even when we fail miserably. Some might find it embarrassing that you are being told "good job!" every time you touch the ball, even when you project it into the parking lot repeatedly, nearly missing the tight rope walkers; but not me. I love it.

Now to touch base on the last two words in my list above.

Free time.

Personally I didn't know this even existed in real life. Wanna know a secret? It does, and I was apart of it this Saturday! I woke up in the morning feeling like P-Diddy then grabbed my cleats, brushed my teeth with a bottle of water... and headed to my soccer game. (Yup, I just made a Kesha reference) Guess what, we killed it! I won't lie, we are a little rusty due to aging, and the lack of Virginia here to whip us into shape. Pulling out the "W" with 6-1 felt pretty great, and even better to be doing it with some of my best friends! After soccer, we went to the pool to soak up some rays. Utah weather finally pulled through for the weekend and I received a little more rays than I probably should have. Feeling pretty warm and toasty we headed back inside to just hang out. I even watched tv. I watched 20 minutes worth of an infomercial on the Genie Bra, just because I could. Life at my new apartment seems to be working out quite well, and I'm loving every second of it. Coming up this week: Bowling League, Soccer Practice, Softball Game, Soccer Game and some volleyball thrown in there somewhere. Bring it on!

Little Lion Man

Today I was in the orthodontist office waiting to get my new set of clear correct trays when I was approached by this little creature:

He would run around the area saying, "Rarrrr!!!" or "The Strong lion is going to build a house with blocks." or "The big bad Lion is going to blow down your house!" I couldn't help but laugh, he was so stinking cute! Then when his mom was taking his jacket off this happened. See below. "Mom! My lion paw! I need my lion paw!" haha

Well if that wasn't going to brighten my day, the sun sure stepped in! Finally!! It's beautiful outside, and I can't wait to go on a run tonight! Speaking of sun, last night I was driving home after work with the windows rolled down. While blasting some jammin' tunes I noticed that my windshield was slightly dirty so I thought I'd clean that right up. (This is now an option since my fantastic father fixed my windshield wiper recently. Thank you!) I sprayed wiper fluid, the wipers went, and I got a face full of wiper fluid spray.... Yum! It startled me causing me to jump and now that I think about it, I probably did so with a confused look on my face. Once I had realized that my blonde hair had influenced my thought process I laughed at myself. Looking over, I had a truck full of construction workers joining in to laugh at my stupidity. Love that. Guess what though! I didn't mind one bit because it's SUMMER! The sun is shining, I'm living with my best friends, and life is good. :) So in a round about way, thank you sunshine for shining down and brining summer. I very much appreciate it.

Slightly Stealing....

Okay Ashley was the real one that posted this first.... and I don't want to take it..... but I have to let you all read this! It is sooo fantastic! I shortened it a little since it was really long. Check out her blog here..... or just read below :) Nice find Ashes!

RANDOM THOUGHTS OF PEOPLE OUR AGE

By: Aaron Karo

1. Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy.

2. The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

3. Do you remember when you were a kid playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

4. There is a great need for sarcasm font.

5. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

6. I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then make sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really really gets it.

7. How the heck are you suppose to fold a fitted sheet?

8. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

9. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

10. Was learning cursive really necessary?

11. Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud," to "I have nothing else to say."

12. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

13. Answering the same letter 3 times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

14. Whenever someone says, "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart." All I hear is, "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart."

15. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

16. Every time I have to spell a word over the phone for 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss' last name to an attorney and said, "Yes that's G as in....(10 second lapse)... umm.. Goonies."

17. What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

18. While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instictively swerved to avoid it... thanks Mario Kart.

19. MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

20. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

21. I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

22. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

23. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

24. Bad decisions make good stories.

25. Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

26. Is it just me or do High School girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?

27. If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

28. Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem...

29. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

30. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

31. There is no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to fall after leaning your chair back a little too far.
32. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

33. I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

34. I hate when I just miss a call by the last right (Hello? Hello? Shoot!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

35. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

36. When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

37. I like all the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every 15 songs in my iTunes.

38. As a driver I hate pedestrians, as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

39. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

40. I keep some people's phone number in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

41. Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what to do with it.

42. I wonder if cops ever get mad at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

43. The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag I saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the resaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it and then estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself.

Muscle Men

The packing, loading, unloading, unpacking routine of moving has become quite tiresome the past week... However, the apartment is starting to look fantastic, and I am loving every second of living with Kaylyn! Soon Anisa and Tycee will move in and it will be a non stop PART-AY! Yesterday it came time to move the TV from my house to the apartment. No big deal right? NBD. Well any normal TV, or even a relatively bigger TV would have been do-able. Na, we like to super-size things around here. :) Remember the old wide screen TVs? Before they made the flat screens that you hang on a wall? Yeah these old ones they decided to make as big and bulky as possible, and as a bonus they weigh a bajillion pounds. Big selling point for more man points I guess? Anyways, my parents were getting rid of their old wide screen TV and mentioned that they might just take it to the DI. Light bulb.

"Could.... I have the TV?"

"If you can find some big buff guys to take it to your apartment, sure."

Excitement started to build inside of me as I thought of how many conversations I'd be able to start with some strapping young men, such as: "Hey, what's your name? Handsome Rob? Great, I'm Hailey, and I have a big screen TV." Instant connection. Genius right? Besides attracting big TV loving men, it'll be great to fill up some of the space in our big living room, and it'll be awesome to watch my shows on the big screen! Well I was able to round up Karlie's strapping husband Jacob, my strong pops and Kaylyn's dad brought his man strength along with the truck. They lifted that large mass with their super strength like it was no one's business, we tied it down and were off! Trent met Kaylyn, Jake and I at my apartment to help get it to the third floor. Oh yeah did I forget to mention that? Weird, I seem to keep forgetting to tell people that kindly agree to help me move heavy things that I live on the third floor...

Well the first flight of stairs went fantastic! The second and third we took a little slower but even then they lifted better than any National Weight Lifter I've ever seen. By our rest stop on the second floor I was so racked with guilt for putting these men through this and I was trying to come up with something that could repay them for all their hard work. Coldstone? Dinner? A new car? After a few more grunts and hoists we made it! It fit perfectly in our apartment and again the excitement came back for all the future movie nights we will be hosting.

I blog about this for two reasons. The first being to document that the previously impossible feat of carrying a massive TV up 3 flights of stairs is in fact possible, and secondly to publicly thank Jake, Trent, and the two dads for all their muscular man-ness. These guys are great! I am so grateful for your willingness and quick thought to serve. Hopefully you will get a lot of blessings in the days to come for this.

Movie anyone? :)

Happy One Year Anniversary!!

Today is the one year reunion of my knee surgery! I can't believe it has already been an entire year... Besides ruining my chances at becoming a famous knee model which was bound to happen eventually right? ;), this surgery has blessed me time and time again. This little knee of mine has held up stronger than I ever thought it would and I couldn't be happier. At the rate I'm going (Soccer League, Bowling League and Softball League) most would expect to see me back in the OR for my second tear. However I figure the stronger I keep it, the less chance I have to tear it again! What doesn't kill us makes us stronger right?


So.... How am I going to celebrate this special day? MOAB! A bunch of friends are heading down to Moab tonight for a nice little camping get-a-way complete with hiking, tenting, laughing and chillin' (literally... lows are suppose to be 34 at night). I've never been to Moab so this should be quite the new adventure :) I can't wait! Dirt filled pictures and posts to come!

Account Balance = 0

Today is a glorious day!! I have a beautiful view of some nice blossomy trees and the light snow falling (yes. SNOW.) from my office window, I'm wearing a contradictingly spring outfit, I started moving in to my new apartment yesterday and last but not least....... I just sent the check to the bank to pay off my car!!!!!!! Huzzah!! Hailey is debt free! It's a pretty fantastic feeling, and I have the good ol' tax return to thank for it. I feel as if I should hand deliver it and do a little celebration dance! Anyone else in for a debt free jig?

A Little Privacy Please?

For a long time now I have had this guilty feeling when I listen to cute, lovey dovey, mushy love songs.

Allow me to explain.

Artists create music for the public to make a living, right? However, the lyrics and music must come from somewhere, and usually they come from the artist's personal experiences. So when there is a particularly great song like "It's your love" by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, I can't help but feel like I'm stepping in on something private when I listen and love every second of it. I wonder if the woman these men sing about ever feel a little slighted that 4 million couples have this as "our song." I have a lot of respect for artists in that not many other careers broadcast their diary secrets nationally. I'm pretty sure that if someone wrote a song specifically about me and a month later I overheard a couple declare that same song as "their song" I'd be a little upset.

Not only do they expose their love lives, but they expose their family issues, personal struggles, triumphs and weaknesses. Yes, "Sara Beth" by Rascal Flatts makes me cry for the girl with cancer, but is Sara Beth embarrassed that her personal struggle has been broad casted? When a singer speaks of his alcoholic dad does the dad feel like his son/daughter has betrayed him by uncovered his 'secret' in front of the entire world? In all honesty, I usually don't think twice about the subjects in these songs...but now that I have started to, I can't stop.

Now these artists may be strong enough to open their heart to the world, but do you think they are ever prepared for the criticism they receive? "Here let me give you a piece of me and I'll let you tell me how I should crawl in a hole and die my song is so bad." I understand that there is bad music out there, but the meaning behind this music is still real. People are still producing this stuff, not robots (yet).

So now I'll step off of my soap box, but before I do I just ask that we become a little more conscious about our criticism. I'm making a goal to work on this and to try and value everything I hear for what it is - expression.

On a lighter note, I'm obsessed with this song. :) Take a listen, and then listen to it again. Hear it twice and I have no doubt you'll be bobbing your head and tapping your feet. Yes, it is a country song but at the very least Jerrod Niemann is pretty good looking so that should keep the females entertained for awhile.

Elder Jordan Tyler Francis

Today was the day that one of my best friends left his family and friends to serve the Lord. Last night Jordan was set apart as a missionary and that was a really fantastic experience. I wasn't going to be able to make it at first, (but then I realized who is in charge) and randomly my class got out just in time for me to speed down to Mapleton. He has turned into such a responsible and confident man and I am so proud of him. Of course for some reason my body associates the feeling of pride with crying, and so without my control there have been some water works the past few days. Luckily I've been able to keep my cool and not have to deal with gasping sobs. That in and of itself is a blessing for anyone around me.

All last night my mom went through Jordan's whole suitcases and explained detailed instructions for usage, dosage and washage for everything she had packed. It took about 4 times longer than it probably should have due to sarcasm and humor, but nevertheless it was still entertaining to sit and watch. After, Jordan and I went through his room and 'de-junked.' Or in our house that means, "give to someone else so that it may clutter their room instead of mine." I scored with all my new treasures!

This morning the whole family went to Cracker Barrell for breakfast after finally convincing Jordan that he could in fact leave the house as a missionary. Breakfast was great, and we had fun, but those stupid butterflies would not leave my stomach. After taking a bunch of pictures, it finally came time for us to pack up and head to the MTC.

I couldn't bring myself to talk much on the way there, because the pit in my stomach just wouldn't allow it. We drove in, parked next to a bajillion waving missionary hosts, unloaded, snapped a few pictures really quickly and left. Of course, not before I got a final hug. Again, I felt sooo proud of my little brother for being brave enough to venture off into the MTC and then off to Albania. And again, pride equaled tears.

I love you Jordan.

P.S. For my own selfishness I'd like you to hurry it up and come back already, but I know you will be the best stinking missionary Albania has ever seen. God be with you till we meet again.

Lamanites?

Once upon a time there was a fashionable shoe that in the last year or so has filled women's closets like no one's business. Recently, a co-worker was wearing this type of shoe and I attempted to compliment her on them. The conversation went like this:
Me: "I really like your shoes!"
Fellow co-worker: "Oh thanks! They are a little different, but I like them too!"
Me: "Yeah, I don't know why, but they always remind me of Lamanite Shoes."
Fellow co-worker: "Lamanite? Uh.. you mean Gladiator shoes or something?"
Me: "Oh right, of course..that's what I meant...."

In my defense, I've been reading in Alma for the past long while... However, the first thought that came into my head after this conversation was, Hailey you live in a bubble and you're such a Mormon.

Oh well, they do look like Lamanite shoes.

"I Got A Tick-Tock Rhythm Runnin' Through My Veins..."

4 points to anyone that can guess the song and artist of this post title. :)

One week ago today Kaylyn and I attended a fantastic concert held at the Complex in SLC! Runner Runner, A Rocket to the Moon, Go Radio, Valencia and Anarbor were there for a smashing time and they definitely delivered! Runner Runner was my favorite, for their music and for their faces, and A Rocket to the Moon was a close second (mainly for their music though, they look like they are little boys). I was able to touch Ryan Ogren on the shoulder as he passed me and after he said, "Hey, nice shirt." Oh that smile... He was inadvertantly complimenting himself as I was wearing a Runner Runner t-shirt (yes I looked like the typical concert junky teen... sadly enough), but I didn't mind. I could exaggerate a little and say that we had a nice conversation he and I, which I just might if I met another Runner Runner obsessor. I highly recommend you check them out. They only have one CD so far, but in talking with Nick Bailey (yeah... we also chatted) they are already working on their next album. Hooray!! It's been awhile since I've gone to a concert, and after this one I am starting to get antsy for the next! Warped Tour is coming up in August, but I don't know if I can wait that long. Here are some pictures, we are pretty nasty in most of them... so enjoy! It's not a good concert unless Stino is there!!