The New Adventures of Old Hannah

Haters... What are they good for?

2012-01-24T21:21:00.000-07:00

You guessed it, absolutely nothin. I realize my last post was a little angst ridden and bitter and after some self reflection, I realize, really, my situation isn't that bad. So I move on now with a more uplifting topic of the wide variety of Haters.

Now I know there are some things that just drive me crazy and I can't stand like... The Bachelor, Gretchen Wilson, and people who drive slow in the fast lane, but it doesn't matter how much I dislike them, I would never go to say, a Gretchen Wilson Fan Forum just to throw rude comments around or make fun of people who like her. Thats not my style. Rather I write about how much I hate them in blog form.

What I am trying to get at here is why is it that some people feel the need to be so hateful against one subject that they make it their mission to tell as many people or shove on as many forums as they can just how ridiculous "said" subject is? I don't get it. I get hating things. But why be so antagonistic?

Specifically I see this come out around election time because so many people think that there is only one right person who has THE right answer and so any one who thinks differently or is choosing a different candidate is ignorant and stupid. I just don't get it. And I don't know if there is a solid answer.

(Yes, the picture is a little dramatic, but it gets the point across.)

Its as complex as politics and human emotions, its as simple as preferences in soda and what kind of movies you like to watch. We saw it with the Civil Rights movement, we see it now with Gay Rights. I see it on facebook, I see it on blogs, I see it on the news. People who instigate this hatred, only breed more of it. Think about it, if someone comes at you with a condescending remark about something you love, or even like for that matter, you instantly get defensive, which immediately takes both parties off an even discussion board. Neither of you will be able to tell the other which is the right or wrong answer, because you both think you have the right answer.

I really don't have much of a point with this post, just more of a hope that even though we all love different things, can't we all just get along? And maybe, just maybe, that person who sees something else as important or of worth, is just a cool as us, they just choose to like something different.

Is it too much to ask?

2012-01-22T01:45:00.003-07:00

Here I am at the end of another saturday night. I went to a movie with some friends, laughed a ton, completely enjoyed myself and came home smiling. By most standards that would account for an exceptional evening right? Then why am I sitting here blogging with a bunch of questions and complaints running through my head.

Now to up the stakes here, I was the only female in the bunch with 3 other single guys(all eligible and attractive). Most women's dream night, because that means you are the center of attention, you get to regulate all the flirting, but that is not the case for me. And I am in no way trying to brag when I say that this arrangement (me hanging with a group of guys) is not uncommon. Its who I am. For whatever reason, I am pretty good at being the guys' best friend. Not to be confused with the Dog, who is Man's best friend. Though, I would not necessarily view that as a bad thing, in the right context. On with the point of the blog post...

Maybe its my sometimes dirty humor, maybe its my go-with-the-flow personality, or maybe its that I am not a drop dead gorgeous woman who makes guys uncomfortable. But for whatever reason, I find that I can establish great relationships with guys... as friends. Anything past that and I am completely lost.

I was recently told by a guy I had spent a year (that's a freakin marathon for me) getting to know, that he couldn't handle a long distance relationship so we had to end it. Most girls would cry and think, "What else could I have done to make it work?" or "Why doesn't he like me?" and all I can think is, "How can he not want something with me?" I may have a bit of an ego problem, but I will have to analyze that later. As much as I would have liked for it to work out with him, it still comes around to the fact that I can't find a man who likes me enough to be more than my friend. I KNOW I am not perfect, I am completely flawed, but I know I have some amazing qualities and I haven't found the right guy to share them with.

Is it too much to ask for a man who wants to take me out and treat me like a lady? Not tell a dirty or off color joke with the knowledge that there is a 90%, okay, 95% chance that I will laugh.

I don't think it is. But sadly, the men that are attracted to me are usually too shy to say anything, and my loud, boisterous personality may scare them away. And almost 100% of the time I interpret their shyness as not being interested.

There is this grown up woman inside of me that wants to come out, but I keep finding guys that are either too quiet to do anything, or they match my personality and we get along great, but there is not enough there to pursue any type of serious relationship. I guess that is the point of dating: date, move on, date, move on... until you find that person... Duh, Hannah.

Now some of you might be thinking, "Well Hannah, maybe if you didn't put yourself out there so much." Thats like telling... Barney Stinson to not be awesome. (See I told you, a little obsessed with the show.) or for those who don't know the reference, telling birds not to fly or fish not to swim. Its who they are and they can't change that.

I refuse to believe that I have to change who I am to get someone to love me. Not that I am excluding the constant changes we all must make in life to better ourselves. I whole-heartedly believe in those changes, I am more-so meaning changing my personality to better fit the social standards in order to get a guy to think I am relationship-worthy.

Well anyway, I think I am done ranting now. I don't want to give the impression that my guy friends mean nothing or that I don't value their friendships, I do, immensely. I think that is the point of my blog tonight, its just I have reached a point in my life where the friendships just aren't enough anymore. *Sigh* I need some chocolate.

The Mayan Calendar said this is where it ends... lets live it up!

2012-01-03T20:48:00.007-07:00

Its the new year! Time for people to blog about their reflections on the past year and commit to resolutions that will be broken in a few months (if they are lucky).

Which is precisely why I am not making any resolutions this year. Every year I set out with goals, hopes, and dreams to accomplish during the year. And RARELY are they met. Not that they are missed completely, usually a fraction or a good chunk of the goal is met. Maybe its my commitment issues, maybe its my lack of motivation, or maybe its just my ADD, I can't focus long enough and I find other things to fill my time. Either way, I always seem to find myself in the same place every January. Re-evaluating and contemplating what is to come. I'm not complaining by any means, I always enjoy my life. It brings so many twists and turns and new adventures and friendships. Its just, I seem to always be thinking, "Well, this is not where I planned to be a year ago." For better, or for worse.

So here is my 2011 in review since my blogging was somewhat below standard...

- Spent the first part of the year in Vegas with my friends Karin and John, saw Le Reve and LOVED it.

- Moved living arrangements 3 different times. (Reaffirmed my hatred for moving)

- Little brother Jar Jar came home from his mission.

- Tried the online dating thing... as much as I hated the idea... it actually wasn't so bad. I only had one extremely awful experience, the rest were "meh" and one was really hopeful, but not looking like anything will come of it... sadly.

- Played on 3 different softball teams between summer and fall. LOVED every minute of it. I missed playing a lot.

- Continued to be the coolest person I know. :)

- Became an aunt for the 5th time to my cute little niece.

- Bought a smart phone... I am now considered "cool" by the worlds standards. Not so good for my love/hate relationship with Spacebook (facebook). Now it is more accessible, for me to love/hate.

- Married off a dozen or so friends and little brother Jar Jar.

- Went on 2 rafting trips this summer. Within like a month of eachother... weird. Though they were incredibly fun.

- Fell in love with How I Met Your Mother. Not to mention about a dozen other TV series.

- Said goodbye to my dog Emily at the end of August. It was the hardest decision of my entire life so far, but I know it was for the best. My heart still aches for her sometimes.

- Added at least 20 new bands/artists to my music repertoire.

- Did plenty of dog sitting/house sitting. Which always makes me happy, I met some of the most wonderful people and their dogs.

- Attended 2 writers conferences... yet still... my novel has yet to be finished... I know... I'm slacking big time.

- Made some AMAZING and lasting friendships that I will always cherish.

- Spent more money on my little truck than I care to ever spend on it again. Also put probably a good 50,000 miles on her.

- Watched way too many youtube and internet clips and continue to love them.

- Quit caffeine (a month ago) and still going strong!

- I made a grown man cry... not intentionally.

- Cut my hair... twice? I think? But I am trying to grow it out really long again.

Now I am just rambling random bits... As always, every year I learn new things about myself and the world around me. Of course it had its ups and downs, but with each experience I became a better person. Looking back, I had a pretty darn good year and I wouldn't change that for anything. I think the reason I don't want to make any resolutions is because I think trying to be better person, or making changes to your life so you can be happier or healthier should be a continual thing. Not that resolutions are bad, I just think that the hype of New Years is over rated. Even though it IS the beginning of a new year, I want to continue to be as honest with myself as I am with others; I want to continue to meet amazing people and let them enrich my life for the better; I want to leave enough room in my life to allow change; I want to learn more about who I am and strengthen my testimony in the gospel; I want to, finally, finish my book.... wait a minute... these are starting to sound a lot like resolutions... OH well, guess I couldn't escape them. :) Anyway, I guess what I am really getting at is I am so grateful for all the family, friends, and experiences I have been blessed with, I only hope that I can continue to be so blessed (when really, I rarely feel like I deserve it). I also hope all the same for all of you... all three of you who read this... :) Here's to 2012 and hopefully a better year for blogging!

This pretty much sums up my life.... I couldn't help myself, I had to post it. :)

Waiter... Can I get some love with that bread?

2011-10-03T00:23:00.004-06:00

OH let me tell you about one of my most recent experiences. And by recent, I really do mean recent, as in last weekend. So I have to apologize ahead of time that I am going to have to be very vague with details, but hopefully the story itself will still carry through with its gruesome hilarity. I would be mortified if either male counterpart found this story out, but I can't help but share it.

Sometimes I seriously wonder if God is up there masterminding my fate, and sees a possible situation arise in my future that he says to himself, "I think it would be quite hilarious to see how Hannah handles that situation. Lets make it happen." And thus ensues, my last date.

Now for the set up. It was a double date, Me and Boy A (I told you, vague details, sorry, not even fake names will do) and a married couple, who happened to be mutual friends of mine and Boy A's, they were the ones setting us up. A common occurrence seen in these latter days.

Boy A's stats:

- early 30's

- recently got kicked out of his single's ward

- loves hunting and football

- has his own house and a dog

3 out of 4 works enough for me (it was the hunting and football that are deterrents). On to the date...

So we met up at the married friends house, chit chatted a bit, then piled into Boy A's car to head on to dinner. Boy A asked me, "Do you know where we are going to eat?" Which I replied, "No I don't actually." He proceeded to make me guess as he told me certain defining qualities about the restaurant. His third clue was a dead ringer for a certain restaurant in town, and it sent me into panic mode. Because this certain restaurant has something quite unique about it, that NO other restaurants have in the area..... The guy I am secretly in love with works there.

Now let me set up Boy B. He is tall, dark and dreamy. Literally, most girls fall in love with him. I initially took the route of "Psht! He's overrated." But then we became friends (the killer of all romantic intentions) And I realized why all the girls fell in love with him. But I like to think I hide my crush rather well. Even though we flirt, its just friendly flirting and seeing as how we are extremely good friends and hang out all the time, somehow me liking him never comes up. Which it probably never will because, well, like I said, we are "friends" and I don't really think I am his type *sigh* as much as I would like to be. And I am a wimp. So I gave up on him long ago knowing it probably was never going to go anywhere and I am mostly happy just being his friend. Which is why I was trying to go on a real date with Boy A who was actually making an effort for me.

Alright on with the story.... So we arrived at the restaurant. I off-handedly mentioned that my friend worked there which spurred the poor married couple to say, "Well lets sit in his section, maybe he can hook us up with free drinks." I like to think I could have protested the idea and just said we sit somewhere else, buuuut I kinda wanted to see Boy B. And, just our luck, he was working that night. And maybe just a little part of me wanted Boy B to see me out with Boy A... but just a little, plus I was looking Go-oood that night, just sayin.

Next ensued the awkward exchanges, I introduced Boy A to Boy B and the married couple. He was professional and nice... and handsome. He sat down and talked to us for a bit. Another friend of mine that works there (also happens to be male, but married) came over and said hey, all the while Boy A is sitting there. At one point Boy A asked Boy B and I how we knew eachother, which I proceeded to stumble over because what am I supposed to say, "Well, I actually kinda have a thing for him, ya know, but we're friends so nothing will ever come of it." Ugh. Boy B left to put in our orders. Boy A turns to me and said, trying for the sympathy vote,"Man, I wish I could run into someone I knew." I just laughed, because thats what I do when I don't know what to say....

As the night went on, Boy A had his A-game on, he was trying, but I had radar on for Boy B and somehow just couldn't get into Boy A. I felt trapped in some twilight zone, or some funny joke, but I couldn't tell anyone. Oh, it was just awkward. Sometimes Boy B, (thinking he was funny I am sure) would stand in my line of vision and wait for me to look up at him, where he would be wearing some stupid look on his face. His intentions were to distract me from the date and he was doing a freaking good job of it. Boy A and the Couple fell in love with him as well because of his humor and his charming ways, and he indeed hooked them up with free drinks, which made their night. They even proceeded to say, "We should make this a thing every thursday night!" Noooo, lets don't.

Dinner ended and we proceeded to exit our booth, and the crazy person inside of me slipped out and said, "Let me go say bye to Boy B." I say it was out of just being polite, but really, who are we kidding? I tracked him down at the kitchen where I just waved over the partition, said thanks and bye thinking it would just be reciprocated, but no... He quickly dumped his dishes that had been piled in his arms into the sink and turned and said, "Wait, let me walk you out." "Um... I'm on a date! Quit trying to distract me!".....Is what I should have said, but I didn't. He claimed he had to tell me a story. So we met up with the rest of the crew and I said, "Hold on, sorry, he needs to tell me a story." They all nodded and shrugged, as if to say okay. So as Boy B told his story, all I could think of is, I am sure Boy A is watching me look at Boy B with googley eyes. So I tried my best to not look at him with googley eyes. Because even though Boy B may be blind to it, I am sure other people can see my body language.... ugh... stupid, stupid stupid!!

Boy B finished his story and we continued to say goodbye again, only to have him ask, "So, what are you guys doing after this?" I awkwardly shrugged and defaulted to Boy A and the Couple, to which they replied, "A movie or something." Who knows, I wasn't paying attention. All I could think of was, 'Could he possibly, maybe be jealous? Or is he just being a protective friend?' I don't want to even begin to think in that dangerous territory.

So we left and continued the date and it went okay, nothing incredible, but it was alright. After saying goodnight to Boy A, I checked my phone, only to see that I had a text message from Boy B joking about them leaving a crappy tip. At this point I gave in and we texted for the rest of the night. I'm weak, I know. And Boy B has yet to make any move to ask me out or anything (not that I am holding out hope that he will, I know he wont) Its just this is where I get caught every time, a decent guy who might actually like me and be good for me takes me out, but I get distracted by, and apparently only fall for, the stupid guys who have no clue what they want. I didn't give Boy A a fair chance, but I have a sneaking hunch that he wont ask me out again, seeing as how I flirted with another man on our date. (I'm an idiot, I know) Like I said earlier, I think sometimes God puts us in situations because he thinks its funny, and I didn't handle it well. :)

Hannah, the reigning Queen of Singledom.

2011-09-17T20:47:00.002-06:00

Ahhh... what is the magical object that will bring Hannah out of the almost 11 month retirement from writing? Well, its the phenomena of being single. I realize that some may read this and think, "But ye are of the young age of twenty and five? How canst thou be worried with such trivial things at such a young age?" Apparently you are from Ye Olde England as well, but that is beside the point. Take into consideration where I live. Utah. This place where people get married at the drop of a hat. Where people whine and complain at the age of 20 about becoming the creepy old guy with a limp who throws old newspapers at kids when they cross the street or the old maid with millions of cats who sits on her porch cursing her neighbors. Utah.

I would say that a good 85%, I'm tempted to say 90%, of my closest friends are married (their spouses are included in that, because of that whole "what's yours is mine" thing - They inherit me as a best friend, yes inherit, not just acquire) And most of them are around my age, if not younger. Some have been married for 6 years or so and have kids, yes plural. So, if it looks a little weird for me to be saying, "I feel a little behind in life" at the age of 25; when you are surrounded with those stats, its hard not to feel that way sometimes.

So why take such a public stance on how I feel about this matter? Well, because.... I can. I have watched and experienced numerous failed/successful relationships (obviously mine have mostly failed) enough to have formed an opinion. Is it biased? Well, yes, but what opinion isn't.

Singledom - Such a wonderful, yet horrific place. It is the best of times; it is the worst of times. You don't have to constantly check in with anyone; You don't have that one person who is always concerned with where you are. Your money is your own money; You don't have anyone to buy gifts for. When you are sad and angry, you can be left alone; When you are sad and angry, there is no one there to comfort you. When something awesome happens, you can go out and celebrate however you want; but you have no one to share in your joy. Now of course there are family members and friends, but I am more specifically honing in on being single versus having a partner.

Truly, even though I sound bitter, I personally have enjoyed being single, even through all the "When's it your turn"'s and being the bridesmaid (9 times), and watching all of my closest friends marry off. I have enjoyed being single because I know that marriage is hard work and it scares the freakin crap out of me. While my biggest drama is having to put my dog to sleep and that Internet Guy (yes, there is one, don't judge me) hasn't written me back yet, they are worrying about mortgage payments and feeding their children.

I have loved the single life because it has allowed me to experience so many things. I have moved away from home to a scary foreign place and it became a second home to me. I can pick up on a weekend and go wherever I want(mostly). I have met so many people and made dozens of cherished friendships that could have been missed had I been tied down in a relationship or marriage. I came to learn who I am. Who I am. Not, who I am around Paul or Jared. Who I am and what I know and believe.

Its that knowledge of knowing who you are and what you want is the thing that concerns me about people who get married so young. Don't get me wrong, I know that people can get married young and live happily ever after for 80 years or whatever, but I can imagine it was pretty freakin hard work. Its just I have also seen a lot of friends divorce soon after marriage, at a young age. I know there are A LOT of things that factor into a divorce, but I truly think the root of them is, immaturity (because that leads to selfishness, lying, failure to take responsibility, etc.).

When we (I ask collectively) decide to get married at a young age, are we really doing the right thing if we are rushing into something with the wrong motives, or the wrong ideas? Do we really know who we are and what we are committing ourselves too? I think if you can ask yourself those questions and be freaked out of your mind, but still willing to trudge through them with your beloved, then I say go for it, I fully support you. But if there is any hesitation or concerns, I am not saying, "Don't get married" I am just saying, take a step back and work out the kinks before you submit yourself blindly to it, because then the nagging torture will creep up on you when the honeymoon phase is over.

Its true I admit it, sometimes being single sucks horridly. You go through phases of being bitter and ditching your coupled friends because its just too hard to be around them. You go through phases of finding an awesome new group of single friends to hang out with. The independence and freedom that comes from being single is liberating. There are so many ups and downs of being single. Sooner or later, the new group of single friends starts to segregate into couples and once again, you find yourself back to being with couples again. It makes you start to think, "Wow, all of these people are finding that one person that they want to share the rest of their life with." And as you lose more friends to coupledom, and experience more and more disappointing dates, it starts to dawn on you, "Well, they like me enough to share their weekends and food with, but not enough to share the rest of their life with me." This is something that I think most single people face.

So, what is it? What is that special thing that makes people settle down and get married, or pursue relationships? Because I know very well that you can be attracted to someone, get along perfectly with them, have common goals/interests, and everything seems to fit, but for whatever reason, it doesn't work out. Well, obviously I don't know. Otherwise I wouldn't be writing this. This phenomena of falling in love is extremely fascinating, and annoyingly frustrating. I know that when you do find the person you love, it is something special and amazing. I look forward to it, but until then, I guess I will continue to love/hate being single and trudge through the trepidatious wilderness that is dating.

Writers Conference!! URWA

2010-10-25T21:56:00.006-06:00

Alright, I am a little behind, but I couldn't not write about this. Two weekends ago, I attended a writers conference put on by the Utah Romance Writers Association in Park City with some wonderful ladies! Jamie Bowden, she is a long time friend from grade school and it wasn't until recently that we discovered our shared love for writing. Now, we meet a couple times a month to critique and share with each other. Lisa Henderson Bell, I met her through Jamie, and she is hilarious! She is also a very talented writer and writes more in the fantasy genre. Kristie Conrad Smith, I met her through Jamie as well, and she was the only one of the four of us who had actually finished anything! We were all rooting for her when she went to pitch her book to the agent, and so far it went well! Good Luck Kristie!

The weekend was incredible and extremely informative. We learned about finding agents/editors, querying, promoting ourselves as writers, discipline, and what is currently selling. My skin was literally tingling with anticipation while we waited for the first panel, I was so excited! We stayed at the Canyons Resort and it was so amazing and surreal. My favorite part was probably all of it. Since it was a romance conference, they had a prolific writer as our special guest, her name was Christine Feehan. I have never read any of her books, but she has like 40 of them!! Her personal story was really interesting, she has 11 kids and wasn't even published until they were all grown. I always had this idea that famous authors are recluses hidden away in the mountains, heaven forbid they be real people! :) I sat next to her daughter during one of the events, we chatted about dogs. She loves them just about as much as I do!

Now, for those of you who are like, "WHAT?!? Hannah writing? Where did this come from?" Don't worry, let me give you a quick history. Ever since I was young, I would write crazy stories, multiple notebooks worth, but I RARELY shared them because it was just this deep little dark secret of mine. Even though Jar Jar (Jaron, my little brother) would sneak in and read them when I wasn't home. Brothers. Of course, my stories always involved dogs in some way, would you expect anything different? :) As I grew older I kinda phased it out, even though every now and then I would find myself writing some random scene that was running through my head when I should have been trying to write a term paper. Anyway, LONG story short.....the passion has been re-ignited and I started writing again and I am currently working on a novel. The reason I haven't and don't really tell people is because who knows if anything will ever become of it! But, I am trying really hard to make something of it because I believe in the story and would really like to share it.

As for what it is about, I want to tell you all, but the more I tell about it the more bored I get with it, I KNOW WEIRD, but its just this weird quirk of mine! In short, it is about a girl named Jade who is a serial dater, she is a little fed up with men, so to find some fun and variety in dating she compares men to different breeds of dogs, Labs, St. Bernards, Chihuahuas, and all other sorts! The story is about her life and explores the parameters of how quick judgements can lead to wrong conclusions, the ability for people to change, and finding strength through our friends and family when faced with hard times.

I told you, dogs run a heavy theme in my writing. :) And for those of you who are thinking, "Hannah, is this just an autobiography? Do you compare men to dogs?" Answer is: First, you have to actually date, to compare them. :) Second, face it, sometimes men are dogs! I am just over 80,000 words, but that number increases every day almost.

Anyway, so there it is, I have announced my status as being a writer. Lets just hope this doesn't take me as long to finish as everything else in my life, (college, mission, etc.) :) I have a good support system in place and through them, and hopefully you all, I will be able to get it finished, if only just to share it with you all!!

Here are some photos from the event:

Jamie, Me (not my best photo), Lisa, Kristie (notice, we were the youngest attendees) I don't think they knew what to do with us!

Cheesy head shot! Ha ha, it was part of the 200 bucks I paid for the conference, so why not!

Rummaging through memories.....literally

2010-09-18T00:41:00.003-06:00

I just recently got my book shelf back in my room and wanted to fill it with some of my favorite books from the past years that have inevitably made their way to the depths of storage. While rummaging for books, I came across MANY parts of my past. Old letters from friends, teachers, and family, old report cards and school projects, random flash cards from college, pictures (which I refrained from looking at because I would have been there even longer), and an array of nicknacks and other things, such as a birthday card from my first "boyfriend" in kindergarten - Tyler Cornia. (He drew us holding hands and it said "I luv you - luv Tyler" How cute were we? Pretty sure he is married now.)

One school project in particular was a book of poems, cleverly named, "Hannah's Book of Poems". (What can I say, I have quite the imagination) 8 poems to be exact - 3 about softball, 2 about my dog Jessie(May she rest in peace), and 1 about colors and 1 about flowers. The last one was one all about me and who I was and what I liked - 6th grade me, just to clarify. It is funny to see how much I am still the same..... Here it goes.....

Hannah

Nice, Brown hair, Brown eyes, Beautiful

Lover of .... Dogs, Blue, Sports, All animals (Sports? Really? And Blue? Who says that? haha)

Who feels..... Happy when playing softball

Sad when animals are hurt

Bored when I babysit (Yep, all still spot on! Except other things now occupy the "Happy" slot, I ditched softball in 12th grade)

Who needs..... Dogs, Family, Sports (Again with the sports - I am chubby now, no need for sports! :) )

Who fears.... Spiders, Clowns, Bees (Yep, but lets add Samara from The Ring, and never falling in love - What? I have matured somewhat....well sort of.)

Who would like to see... Hawaii, Italy

and Florida (Florida? What was going through my little 11 year old mind!)

Who will some day be.... A Vet or a German

Shepherd Dog Breeder (They told me to reach for the stars, but my arm got tired at mediocrity, apparently.)

Its funny how much I have grown up and changed, yet there is still the little 11 year old inside of me who is saying, "Uh ya, you are still the same and you hate babysitting." Either way, it was an enjoyable trip down memory lane! Needless to say, but the "Hannah's Book of Poems" will most definitely be featured on my bookshelf of favorite books.

Hannah vs. The Truck

2010-06-19T21:48:00.007-06:00

After this weekend, I have decided that I am going to take a crash course in car mechanics. I have had the unfortunate event of trying to fix my truck all by myself today, yet, seeing as how my truck is still immobile, I have indeed experienced a huge fail.

Let me set up the scenario, the past three weeks I have been housesitting in Provo for some friends. Nice right? I work in Orem, so the commute has been shorter and I have saved on some much needed gas money. Its all worked out so well, until Wednesday night that is.

I made a trip up to Riverton to do a few things, and on the way home, I noticed that my cab and dashboard lights started to fade and my headlights were slowly dimming. By the time I made it to Provo my battery was almost dead.

Well, I like to live in denial, so I thought, "Hmm, maybe if I just let it sit for a day or two, it will work once its had some rest." Of course trying to avoid that fact that usually mechanical objects don't start suddenly working after some rest and relaxation. Normally I call my trusty father or brothers for such matters, but they are enjoying life in Moab, or otherwise engaged. *sigh*

I borrowed my vacationing friends car to go to work the next 2 days, all the while thinking, "It will work, it will work." Though deep down I knew I was screwed.

Enter Saturday. I go to work, reject a few offers of help, go back to the house and cross my fingers. Luck has to be on my side. I turn the ignition hoping to have the soft purr of the engine hum in my ears, though all I received was an annoying clicking sound. Sweet. Most likely not my battery. Reality sinks in. I pop the hood, rummage around in the engine, not having a clue what I am looking for or doing, but hoping that maybe, just maybe some strapping young car savvy male will come jogging by and inquire as to what my problem could be. Lady Luck must hate me.

With my limited knowledge of the car anatomy, I was able to determine from my rummaging that the oil and coolant were low. Maybe if I fix that problem then my car would spring to life, apparently still in denial at this point.

I made my way to the male sanctuary of Checker Auto Parts, taking a deep breath of confidence to bolster my female inability to know what to look for, though I am pretty good at pretending. Or so I thought.

Selecting an oil, not a problem, been there, done that, 10W-30. Though the coolant was a new endeavor. After about a minute or 2 of mulling in front of the coolant section, the store attendant approached me, "Anything I can help with ma'am?" Ma'am?! I am like 2 years older than you. But I kept my mouth shut. Apparently I was spending way too much time in one section. Doesn't he know how women shop? We mull, consider, weigh options. That takes time. I reminded myself that this was a man's shop. Men come in knowing what they need, they grab it, tell a dirty joke and leave.

"No, I am alright." Grabbing the closest coolant and walking towards the check out desk. As I prepared to pay, I briefly explained the situation of my car to the young boy. He looked at me questioningly, "If its your battery or your alternator, why are you buying oil and coolant?"

I was caught. I stammered, "Well, I don't know for sure yet what the problem is, and these need to be filled anyway." I quickly recovered. Whew. He accepted that, then continued to ask me a series of car anatomy questions that I answered with a long string of "I-dont-knows" and "I'm-not-sures." He informed me that I would need to remove my battery and bring it in to be checked, who does he think I am? Macguyver?

I left feeling deflated and worthless. I filled the respective fluids in the truck, looked at the battery longingly, willing it to work and hoping against all odds that it is the cause of all my troubles. Alas, the truck is still relaxing in a BYU housing parking lot and I am stuck with impending mechanic expenses. All of my "saved" gas money will go right back to my truck. *sigh* Who knows? Maybe my truck will find some religion and be healed. Too bad luck is not on the side reality.

Sabotage....

2010-03-21T21:15:00.002-06:00

Alright, no more depressing, life-evaluating, angst ridden posts for awhile. Back to the normal Hannah blog, albeit normal doesnt really describe my blog. :) Anyway, here goes.....

It has come to my attention that the Sleeping version of myself is trying to sabotage the Working/Responsible version of myself. Now I know you are probably thinking, "Man, she is crazy!" And you may be right, but let me tell you what has been happening the last little bit....

So, of course here is the back story. I am a sleeper. There is no denying it. Ask many of my family and friends. Sure, I can stay up till all hours of the night, but once I am asleep, I can sleep for hours and hours. A short nap for me lasts about 2 hours. Since I have been plagued with such a curse, I have had to set many alarms just to ensure that I can get up in the morning. And even sometimes that fails. There have been more than a few occasions that I have slept through at least 6 alarms.......dont judge me. I like my sleep.

With my new phone, I have about 3 - 4 alarms set. Those are just the preliminary alarms to get me out of REM. The last alarm comes from a recently purchased table side alarm clock that unfortunately is not as loud as I would like, but it does the job okay. This clock runs about 10 minutes ahead of normal time.......I told you, you may be right when you thought I was crazy. Or maybe it OCD, whatever, still, I hate this clock nonetheless. Not only does it's piercing blue LED lights burn my retinas while I try to sleep, but the Snooze button is awfully close to the Hour button.

One night I set all my alarms in preparation for the next morning. I had to be to work at 7:45am so I set my clocks accordingly, 10-15 minutes apart starting at 5:45am in hopes that I would be up by about 6:15am with enough time to be ready and out the door at 7:05-7:10am - Yes this is how I plan my mornings.

Well, the next thing I remember as I woke up with a start and stared at the table side clock which said 8:27am. Panic shot through me as I jumped out of bed. I checked my phone, if it was that late surely my work had tried to call me and I was sure that I hadnt slept through that! No phone call, thats weird, but in my haste, I didnt really look at the time on my phone. I got up and started changing into my work clothes. As I passed the window I noticed that it was still dark outside and that is what tipped me off. I went back to check the alarm clock, it said 8:31am, I checked my phone, this time paying attention to the time, 6:31am. I sat down and finally figured it out. Instead of hitting the snooze, I had been hitting the hour button, hence disrupting the snooze cycle and making me sleep later.

It has now happened another 2 times, each morning making me panic, though I make sure to check my phone before completely freaking out. Now thats not all. Sleeping Hannah really has it out for me. Last Wednesday night, a friend called me. Well I wasnt able to return her phone call till the next night. As I went to find her last missed call I noticed that her name was listed twice, once with the "missed call" symbol and above it was listed a "call out" symbol. I tried to think of when I had called her, I was almost sure I hadnt. I pulled up the recent call history. 5:55am was when the phone call was made and it lasted for about 6 minutes. WTH?!?! When and why did I do that?! So I called my friend and asked her if she received a crazy sleep induced phone call. She laughed and said I had left a message, though you couldnt hear anything on it. Thank goodness she didnt hear me snoring. But come on! So I figured that maybe I was trying to turn off one of my alarms and somehow called her instead. But no, none of my alarms were set until about 8am........Sleeping Hannah is out to get me!

Bringing this full circle to get to why I am so paranoid about this, besides the obvious reasons of sleeping through my alarms and calling random people and leaving 6 minute blank messages that seem borderline stalkerish, I had a dream last night that I had to call 911. These 2 punk kids were holding up a Hobby Lobby with samurai swords and holding us all hostages. I snuck away and made a hushed phone call to 911 but I couldnt remember the place we were at for the life of me, I kept trying to tell them Kohls, but I knew that wasnt right. And the mysterious 911 operator said about 5 times, "Well, we know where you are located at because of GPS but we need to know what store you are in." DUH! Dreams are so flippin weird. Anyway, I am off subject, somewhere in the back of my head Conscious Hannah was saying, "PLEASE, PLEASE DONT REALLY BE ON THE PHONE!!" So I woke myself up, relieved to see that my phone was not in my hand, but still......this Sleeping Hannah is tricky, so I snatched my phone off the bedside table and scrolled through the recent calls and to my immense and utter relief there was no outbound call to 911...... Can you imagine if we had the SWAT team show up to my parents house saying, "We received a tip that 2 punk kids are holding hostages with samurai swords." I can only imagine that Sleeping Hannah would think that was extremely funny.....as would normal Hannah.

Moral of the story, you shouldn't shop at Hobby Lobby. :) Just kidding, but seriously, if you get a random phone call in the night from me and I dont say anything, just know that I really am not trying to be creepy.

Its depressing, watch out.

2010-02-08T22:26:00.004-07:00

My heart is heavy with sadness today, and I just feel like writing about it. This isnt my typical post, usually they have some comical tone, but today its just depressing. I dont like being a downer, but I think writing about it will help me.

I feel like death is happening all around me, nothing too close to home, but with people I have met, worked with, went to school with, and even with the animals at my work. When we ask the big question, "Why do people/loved ones die?" Usually people come back with, "It was their time to go." or "It just happens, everything has to die." It doesnt make it any easier. And even with my religious beliefs, knowing that it is possible to see our loved ones and friends again, it still doesnt make it any easier.

I found out a guy I went to high school with died last week. I have no idea how or why. I only knew him through association, but I was still shocked and saddened. No one should have to die this young.

An old work friend from Alaska passed away last week from an awful car wreck. I dont know specifics, but I know he was in the hospital and that his family had to make the decision to take him off life support. I only knew him through work, but I always had fun when I worked with him. It breaks my heart that when I visit, I wont see his smiling british face. :) He was a phenomenal artist.

A woman brought her dog in today. It was an older dog, 14 or 15 years, and it had a serious condition, I am not sure of what exactly, but she knew she wasnt doing well. A fellow technician and I brought the dog back, drew some blood and took her back into the room to wait for the blood work. The dog seemed fine, maybe some heavy panting, but nothing to tip us off. In a 3-5 minute time, the woman came rushing out the door as I shut the lid to run the blood, and almost in hysterics asked, "Can someone come in here?!" I ran in to find the dog on the floor, taking some very painful gasps of air, extremely pale, and laying in a puddle of urine. I scooped up the dog and told the woman I had to get her on oxygen, I rushed to the treatment room calling for help, since no one was visibly in the vicinity to help me. I knew the dog was dead, but in that moment you think that it is possible for it to be resuscitated, and all I could think about was the crying woman who just watched her own dog die. Arent we supposed to be the knowledgeable ones? Arent we supposed to know when a dog is close to arresting? By the time a doctor came, which wasnt too long, the dog was completely gone. Any hopes for resuscitation were gone. I didnt cry, but I was extremely sad, we had already euthanized 2 other dogs earlier in the day. Death comes in 3's and 7's I guess. My next step was to go calm the owner down with out relaying the message to her that her dog was indeed gone. Even when she flat out asked me, "Is she gone?" All I could do was say in a soothing voice, "The doctor is working on her now, he will be in in a minute to talk to you." Which is basically saying, "Uh ya, she is gone." After the doctor told her that the dog had stroked out, the only thing I could offer her was a hug, from a complete stranger, but it was the best I could do. I have never, in the years as working as a technician, offered a hug to a weeping owner who has lost their beloved pet. Mostly because I am trying to be professional, but am I really? Or am I just trying to keep myself from feeling the hurt they are feeling, because I know it feels so awful. It felt good to lend my empathy to her, whether or not it helped. It still didnt make it any of it any easier.

I get the whole circle of life thing and that God has a plan for everyone, but still it hurts. I think it hurts so that we can remember what it feels like to love or care. If it hurts, then we know we really cared about someone, or something. I guess I am writing myself in circles, but what I have gotten most out of these deaths is that, life happens too quickly. We always think there is going to be a tomorrow, well, maybe there wont be. Why is it that sometimes we live our lives trying or pretending to be what we arent? I know I do it. Why do we always think we will call that person we have been thinking about all day, but then push the phone call till tomorrow because they might think we are "weird" for calling just to say hi, or that we miss them? Maybe its just me who does this, but I dont think so. I want to quit making excuses, I want to quit missing out on things just because I am worried that someone might judge me. I want to make sure that the people I love always know that I love them, whether or not they are here just for tomorrow or for 80 years.

I dont mean to get all "existential angst" about it all, but I think life comes and goes so quickly that we miss out on so much, and I dont want to miss any of it.

Something To Rival The Blob

2010-01-26T17:41:00.003-07:00

*WARNING* This post contains descriptions and explanations of snot, or in other words Grossness. If you are at all perturbed or grossed-out by such things, do not read!! And it takes place in a bathroom so other things are mentioned, but dont worry, nothing too explicit. I was advised not to share this story, but it is sooo classic that I just couldn't let it sit in my head as an awful memory. You have been warned, and as always, don't judge me. :)

So last night I spent the night at my brother and sister-in-laws house to babysit the kids. And since I had to work this morning I took all of my supplies to get ready at their house so I could just leave straight from there. I have recently been plagued with a head cold that has caused much discomfort, but not enough for me to excuse myself from work. So as we all know, with head colds comes congestion, and with congestion comes, mucous or for lack of a better word, snot. Not pretty, I know, but we will get to that in a minute.

So to set the story off, I was designated to use the bathroom that is shared by the kids, and the new addition to the family, the rabbit. A kiddy-gate is set up in the doorway to keep the fluffy critter in the bathroom, but makes for a slight inconvenience when wanting to use the loo, but nothing major. Last night, I used the bathroom and pretty much the last of the toilet paper, assuming that there would be more in the closet for tomorrow morning. I readied myself for bed, drank some Thera-flu to help me sleep and drifted into an uncomfortable sleep due to the fact that my airway was only working 30% of its normal capacity. When I woke up this morning, very groggy from lack of sleep, I dragged myself up to the bathroom because the Thera-flu had indeed made it through my system, though I hadn't felt the effects. As I sat there, almost falling back to sleep, a vague recollection of using the last of the toilet paper the night before came to mind. I instantly looked at the roll..........empty........I was somehow thinking the magic toilet paper fairy had come during the night and put a new roll on for me. Well, now I was in an awkward situation.......either drip dry, or use the the cardboard roll.........cardboard won out. Like I said, dont judge me. After, I looked in the closet, much to my dismay, no toilet paper. So I continued to get ready as usual.

By the time I was flat ironing my hair, my sniffles had risen to an annoying level. I knew I had tissues in my truck so I could just wait another 20 minutes and I could properly blow my nose. But, apparently my nose couldn't wait, it wasnt much longer that I started to feel the all too familiar tale-tale signs of a sneeze coming on, the popping of sinuses, the tickle at the back of the nose, a sudden urge to close your eyes and wave your hands at your face. Before I knew it, I had sneezed and MAN, was it a sneeze! I could breathe again! But I could also feel the "blockage" slowly dripping down towards my lips. Now, I am completely DISGUSTED by snot and boogers(however you spell it) especially when it is my own. I sat there in shock looking at myself in the mirror experiencing my own personal hell, thats the best way to describe it. Who knew that much could be stored in my nose?! I quickly stepped over the kiddy-gate to check the kitchen to see if any paper towels or tissues were available to assist me, which, you guessed it, there weren't any, or at least not where I could see. I dashed back into the bathroom, almost tripping on the kiddy-gate this time in my haste. I opened the closet once more to see if maybe I had missed a secretly stashed roll of toilet paper, or one of the kids old homework assignments, ANYTHING that could take care of this bane that was ever slowly making its way further down my face. I briefly looked at the rabbit, who gave me a pleading look of "Please not me!" It only took half a second to realize that would be too messy, and really weird. I turned around to again be face-to-face, literally since I was looking in the mirror, with that disgusting creature that was taking over. In a last minute desperate attempt to rid myself of it, I turned the faucet on full blast and washed the goo from my face before it sucked the life out of me. It took me several washes of my face and hands to finally feel somewhat clean. Can I just tell you, I really hate being sick.

Dear life......

2009-09-30T21:42:00.005-06:00

Dear Winter - I am not ready for you yet! Just stay away a little longer. I am not quite ready to be cold all the time again.

Dear TV show Alias - You are so flippin entertaining!

Reasons why I love you: 1) the fact that Sydney Bristow always made being an undercover spy look so easy. 2) the fact that she could kick some serious butt, and then still be a total girl and be pissed about Vaughn having a girlfriend. 3) Marshall is hilarious! 4) You ended on a happy note.

Reasons you sometimes bugged me: 1)Jack Bristow never smiles......ever. 2) Vaughn spent half his air time either in some hospital bed looking like some pathetic invalid, or he had a look of confusion on his face. 3) All your conspiracy story lines made me feel like I couldn't trust anyone. 4) I am writing about you in my blog.

Dear Dogs - You make my world complete. Whether you are my own dog, or just a random dog, I love you.

Dear Older Folks - Now you know who you are..... These are the folks that have some more "life experience" than other people under 65.... Now just because something doesn't go your way, or you don't get to talk to the doctor you want, or because a price has gone up on something, do not take it out on me and throw a fit like you are a little kid. No offense, but I would think that by the time you reach your station in life, that you would get the concepts of patience, change, and understand that businesses have to survive too. I still respect you, but seriously, it makes you look ridiculous.

Dear Clive Owen - You are gorgeous! Please quit being a celebrity and love me!?!

Dear Logan - I miss you. I miss everything about you. Besides, of course, your cold weather. If only my situation were different I would be back in a heart beat. Its just always been the wrong timing for us. Don't worry, I will be back before you know it.

Dear New Hip Hop Artist - Considering that you say in your song that, "Imma tell you one time, that I love you." You say the phrase, "One time" at least 20 times......kinda makes you sound like a liar. And, are you a young pre-pubescent boy or a girl? I hear your song on the radio at least twice a day. Now considering I spend over an hour in the car each day, that is kind of a lot, and I still DONT know. I am inclined to think young boy, because you sing about "shawty" and "my girl" but in this day and age, you could be either. One female singer kissed a girl and liked it, so I don't know if you are following in her footsteps. PS if you are that young, Honey, you are not in love, just wait till she accidently texts you instead of her best friend about some new crush she's got goin on. I guess then you can have a blues ballad about love-lost to add to your high school portfolio.

Dear Mission - I am coming. Slowly, but surely I am coming. Thank you for keeping me focused.

Dear Grey Toyota Corolla - Okay, I understand safety and all that on the road, but seriously, it is not your job to go the speed limit in the very left lane of traffic on the freeway. Its called the fast-lane for a reason. If we want to speed (a little) then we are all aware of the repercussions, even though when we do get pulled over our excuse is that we didn't know how fast we were going.....thats beside the point though. So, when you see a line of 10 cars behind you and you are next to a 3-trailer semi, go ahead and move over. Thanks.

Dear Alaska - Oh I miss you so much! As I shivered all day I thought of how Utah has turned me into a wuss. I miss your majestic beauty, relaxed atmosphere, and fresh air. I will be back one day, even if it is just to visit. Also read my blog from May 17th, I dedicated that whole one just to you.

Dear Nathan Copier - If you are thinking that I stole this idea from you, then you are correct. :) Thank you.

Dear Debt - I hate you. Yes, you may consider this an official threat against your life.

Dear Grass on the Other Side of the Fence - You really are not that much greener so quit with the false advertising!

Most Sincerely,

Hannah

The Little Tortilla Strip That Could......

2009-08-05T08:32:00.003-06:00

My experiences with Cafe Rio have been generally pleasant. The first time I ate there, I got unbelievably ill, which in turn made me not want to eat there because I was always reminded of that burrito and its awful taste it had on its way out my mouth and into the toilet. I was constantly bombarded with people asking, "Its so good, how can you not like Cafe Rio?" Well because the last time I ate there I spent 3 days in the bathroom. So after a year or so, I gave in and gave it another try, and I loved it! Thus began my love affair with Cafe Rio, we had a rough beginning, but dont all great relationships begin that way?.......I dont know. So needless to say, it became a favorite.
Now last Monday, I was heavily craving some Cafe Rio, since I hadn't eaten there in awhile. When it was time for my lunch break at work, I called my order in and set off with anticipation for my much awaited mouth watering tostada. I arrived during the lunch rush of death and destruction, but when is any Cafe Rio not on the brink of mass chaos. Luckily, I called in my order To-Go, so I would not have to wait through the Disneyland-long line that was almost spilling out the door. Score 1 for Hannah. So I smuggly walked to the To-Go line. At that time I noticed four lovely looking Orem City Firefighters sitting, enjoying their meal in all their hotness.....So as an off-handed thought, as naturally does when I see a policeman or firefighter, I thought, "Well, I guess if someone chokes or has a heart attack, at least the firemen are here....." I know I am weird, but that is how my brain works. Then remembered my craving and focused on the task at hand; getting my food. While I looked for a table to sit and eat, the only one that was open and clean was a small square table next to the wall, just across from the firemen.......Sweet, lunch AND a show...... :)
Not much happened after that, I sat down, ate, casually glanced at the gorgeous firemen, ya know, normal stuff. As I got to the end of my meal, the firemen were more than finished and were just sitting and chatting; I took a bite chewed a bit, swallowed and BAM! One of those crunchy little tortilla strips was slicing my throat sideways and I started to panic. Initially I froze and thought, "You did this to yourself, you idiot, for thinking about choking!!" and then the next thought was, "I cant breathe!!!" Which I could, but I was panicking. This all took like half a second, but felt like forever, so my next goal was to get that stupid thing out of there and I remembered I could breathe, but I couldnt swallow because the tortilla strip was stabbing my esophagus! Next comes the REALLY embarrassing part....So I realized I could breathe, but my throat was so irritated and naturally the body's response is to cough to get something out of there, so I launched into a full on coughing fit! But to make matters worse I leaned over and turned toward the wall so as to hopefully minimize my visibility. Looking at it from another view, I would have guessed I was puking......through the ringing in my ears, I heard the sound of multiple chairs being suddenly pushed back and scraping the ground, and next thing I know there was a hand on my back, I turned up to see Mr. Fireman's concerned, but professional face, "Are you okay?" All I could do was nod, but I noticed that the three other firemen were standing around my table overlooking the chubby girl who cant chew her food. As I turned my face back down to ride out the coughing fit, in the breaks between the firemens bodies, I noticed a few, maybe 50 on-lookers all wondering what I was doing to attract the attention of all 4 firemen, and I can assure you, I did not flash them! :) Inappropriate? Eh, oh well!
So finally, I was able to stop coughing long enough to turn and thank the firemen with a shaky voice and reassure them that I really was okay, just mostly embarrassed, which they politely smiled and went back to their table.....
Time elapsed? like 1-2 minutes
Level of Embarrassement on a scale from 1- 10? 45
At this point, people were still staring so I threw all my meal stuff into the bag, got up, threw it in the trash can and walked out with my drink and no dignity. I didnt even get to eat my cinnamon mint.....
So thank you Orem City Fire Department, for responding to the damsel in distress and asking if I was okay. I would have much rather preferred you ask for my number. I'm just sayin. :)

I guess now is as good a time as any.....

2009-07-31T21:28:00.002-06:00

The past few months have been very trying, but also very blessed for me. I have been working really hard to improve myself, but to also "find" myself (whatever that means :) ) As always, here is my long introduction to the point of this blog......
March 18th, 2009 - I had been home from Alaska almost a month; I was currently living with Alaina while Josh was in basic training; I had just been offered my job at the vet clinic the day before; I still didnt know what I was doing for future goals; but life in general was looking up, besides the point that we were dropping little brother Jar Jar off at the MTC that day. Not that I wasnt happy for him and knew that it was the right thing, but I knew I would miss my little brother and his funny randomness. Just seeing Jaron's overall demeanor was an experience in itself. The boy who was slow as molasses any time you asked him to do anything, was just short of running to the reception room! I was and am so proud of him. But to get to the point, slowly of course, they showed a video that was made in the 80's (I am assuming because the hair and fashion were horrendous) but it was about missions and being called to serve. At the end of the video the hymn, "Called to Serve" is sung by missionaries in all different languages.....at this point, I was so overwhelmed by the spirit that I was almost, almost, in hysterics.....you know, the crying where you cant catch your breath, cant talk, sometimes you slobber and spit a little, not very attractive, but like we are told, "The spirit manifests itself differently to everyone." Mine just happens to be an experience of drowning in my own tears. Aaaanyway, I am sure everyone attributed my hysterics to the fact that this was the last time I was going to say good bye to Jar Jar for the next 2 years, but in reality, this was the moment I knew, without any bias or doubt, or worries or fears that in my near future I would be serving a mission!

So, there you have it. I am planning to serve a mission! I know that the next few months are going to be trying and hard, but also very valuable as I learn and prepare. My estimated time of leaving is 6-8 months because I need to get out of debt....so if ya'll need any extra work done just let me know! :) But seriously, I know that serving a mission is the right thing for me to do at this point in my life. I am going to try as hard as I can to leave sooner because I know that opposition is going to try and pull me down now that I have made this commitment, but I know that the Lord will help me. The Church is true, and I cant wait to share this wonderful news with people! So the New Adventures of Old Hannah will once again continue as I serve the Lord in who knows where, but I hope it is some place crazy, because where else would I fit in?! :) I love you all!

I dedicate Whitney Houston's song "I Will Always Love You" to Alaska

2009-05-17T21:44:00.003-06:00

So being home has been good. I really am moving forward in my life and trying to better myself, but there is a part of me that is severely nostalgic for Alaska. I have been home almost 3 months now and every now and then I catch myself daydreaming about going back. Now to explain why, I will give you a few reasons why I miss it.

1) There is no fashion police/standard in Girdwood. You literally can wear whatever you want and no one is going to say/think anything about it.
2) My lack of a stress level. Ya, work would get busy and I would feel stressed, but the majority of the time I didnt feel it. It was a very easy going feeling living there. Now being home there is more to do and deal with and with that comes lots of stress.
3) The beauty!!! Even the weeds are pretty there!! Literally, there is a tall plant called Fireweed and it is a bunch of pretty little purple flowers. Everywhere you look there would be a picturesque view. You are constantly reminded that someone mightier made all of this happen and not just some big bang. I truly think that God took his time with Alaska, making every detail beautiful. Being there brought a lot of peace.
4) The lack of people. I realized now being back that I like people, but not living around a million of them. Cities are too crowded, traffic is awful, people are pushy which results in the increasing of Reason #2.
5) My resourcefulness (dont think thats a word, but whatevs). I basically lived out of 2 suitcases for over 10 months. Now that is a big deal coming from the girl who from the second I had a job at 16 was buying things I wanted just because I could. Things just werent as available there, now being home, there is a Wal-mart on every corner. Its crazy how fast I fell out of being able to live on nothing.
6) The Sushi!!! Oh my gosh, I fell in LOVE with sushi there! I havent had any since I have been back, not for want of trying though, I just cant get anyone to go with me. Though I dont think it will be quite as good as it is there!
7) Just the overall feeling of the environment. There is no need to live up to any standards, no need to have the biggest best house on the block because everyone knows in the winter the whole thing is going to be emersed in snow. The population is joyful about life, though some of those individuals may have been joyfully influenced with drugs or alcohol, but nevertheless, people are happy there. :) Most everyone there is out being active even in the coldest weather.
8) The wildlife, even though I had my encounter with the moose, it still was an amazing experience. Seeing bears so close up and even the squirrels and birds were fun to see. Just being so close with nature all the time really brings out the best in people I think. My favorite though (even though they were not wild) was seeing the sled dogs in action. There are literally no words to explain how awesome I think that is.
9) Most of all out of everything, I miss my friends and the people there. My heart literally hurts when I think that I may never see some of them again. There are a certain few that I miss more than others, like Jake and Julie and Norah the dog. They took care of me, made me food and let me play with their dog which was AWESOME! They are great people who I admire dearly. Norah is crazy, but she loved me unconditionally, unless of course I got between her and food :). Also, Karin and her dog Bibs. Karin was my best friend there besides Norah and Bibs. She was the dearest, funniest, most honest person I have ever met. We would take the dogs on walks and talk for hours. Oh I miss her dearly! And not to mention, Bibs, he is such a loving, sweet dog who would do anything for food and his orange soccer ball. Me, Bibs and Norah were and always will be BFF's. Yes I just admitted to having 2 dogs as best friends, would you expect anything else? :) Another family, the Pearson's - Sean, Emily, and Nikki. Wow, what an incredible family! They were fun and honest and made me food. I miss their company so much! I felt like I had been friends with them forever, they are so wonderful! Also, Nicole my roommate and friend for most the time I was there. She was crazy and had her faults, she punched me in the face and broke one of our windows while she was blacked out drunk, but she had such a good heart and truly cared about those close to her. She constantly entertained me and made me laugh. She was honest and really looked out for me and made sure "no one tried to mess with her Mormon roommate, or she would beat them up!" And I am sure they believed her. We spent lots of hours talking and analyzing life and we both came from 2 extremely different backgrounds but still we were searching for the same things in life. Love and Happiness. Oh my goodness I could go on and on about all the people I came in contact with; John aka Angry Man, Glaze, Courtney, Chantell, Maribel, The whole Cardenas family, Debbi, Diane, Pres. Bell and his family, Dani, Jamie, Mike, my nutty boss Linda, Damon, the crazy foreigner kids from Poland and Russia, Tyson, Austin, Alex, Kory, and the list goes on forever and I could write a paragraph or more about them, but it boils down to this, I met the most honest, true people there and I will always treasure and miss them! Yes, even maybe Paula, but just a little. :)

A trip to Wal-Mart without feeling whitetrash...

2009-04-29T20:38:00.002-06:00

So not that I am dissing on Wal-Mart, I have shopped there my whole life, but there is a certain......stereotype that tend to flock to that place. So I went to the new Wal-Mart in Eagle Mountain (Hallelujah, Praise Heaven!) that opened today. Which I am totally ecstatic about because now I dont have to travel through death traffic that takes hours to get through just to get good prices. So ya, this new Wally World was....how can I say it.....classy, I guess. Kinda sounds like an oxymoron "Classy Wal-Mart" But its true and I will openly state my happiness with the new look/feel about the place. The company must be doing well in this "recession" to open a new store, but who am I kidding......is there even a recession? The whole parking lot was FULL.......you would not even think that we were in an economical crisis. But who am I to judge because I was there. And not to mention that the ever-looming death of smaller local businesses is just over the horizon because of Wally's "unbeatable" prices. Really, I would love to buy from local stores, and if I can I will, but Wally's just makes it so easy to shop there because it is cheap! That is the reason it supported me through my high school and college years, and now my whatever-you-call-this-stage years. The best part about my trip to the new Wally's, was that I got a case of bottled water, the flavor packet things to add to them, face wash, mascara, and gum and it all came to less than $16. That my friends is why I have a love/hate relationship with Wal-Mart.

Ode to the shower....

2009-04-18T16:43:00.002-06:00

Okay, so I have not been very diligent about blogging, obviously. And a HUGE thanks goes out to Alaina for making my blog super fantastic and cute! So as for the blogging, I want to start writing more and so I have decided to make a goal that every Sunday night is my blogging night, unless I have had time in the week. There is no excuse for my lack of blogging, its not like I don't have time and its not like great, crazy things haven't happened that aren't worth writing about, but since I am not being chased by moose or constantly bombarded with crazy Asians, I have to make everyday life things into crazy adventures......which leads me to todays topic. The Shower.

I LOVE the shower! And here is why.

1) You always come out feeling clean and refreshed no matter what. And it always puts me in a better mood.

2) I always try out different shampoos and conditioners, I don't think I have ever bought the same brand consecutively. The reason being, that I just like to try them out and see if they are really that "invigorating and refreshing."

3) And I am totally weird and always read the backs of the bottles while I am in the shower. And I mean, the whole back, even like the ingredients and stuff. I cant sound most of them out, but whatever, as long it makes my hair "shiny and smooth" I am good. Whether I read them to keep me from being bored or I am waiting for a Company to actually say something different than "Rinse, Lather. Then repeat." I am not sure.

4) Their adjectives and catch phrases they use; refreshing, indulgent, invigorating, energizing, noticeable results, awakens the senses - could also be used to explain a good jog (though I would add torturous to that one), a good meal, or sex. (Calm down everyone, I haven't done it, but I hear its quite nice.)

5) Its a good time to have your alone time. I remember my first year of college I would sometimes just go sit in the shower so I didnt have to deal with the dreaded Kammi. If I have told you about her, you would understand why.

6) Last but not least, I love the shower because I feel relaxed after a nice, long, hot shower. Who needs to spend $200 at a spa when you can relax in your home for free!

This is the current product that I am using and I actually like it. The conditioner doesnt seem to work so well, because I feel like I am ripping my hair out when I am combing it, but maybe that is why they advertise the detangling spray with the shampoo and conditioner. But overall results, my hair when it is done, feels stronger and looks shiny. Honestly. And it has this mint extract in it that when mixed with the steam of the shower, totally clears my sinuses. Its nice. Just an FYI!! Happy showering! :)

Updates thus far.......April Fools!!! Jk

2009-04-01T21:11:00.008-06:00

So ya, I didnt really get a chance to use the whole April Fools plug on anybody today, but I figure I joke around and prank enough in the year to more than make up for today. SO updates eh? I know I have been a HUGE slacker with the ol blogging. SO to bring everyone up to speed, if you are just tuning in; I moved home from Alaska and I am living in Eagle Mountain with Alaina and the kids while Josh is playing Army with the G.I. Thugs. I love living with them, not only for the wonderful friendship that Alaina and I have developed, but the kids are so precious as well! I cant wait to come home and see them everyday! They really make coming home great! Other than that, I got a job!! Take that Economy, you can go recess in some other country, you aint got no hold on me!! Jk. But I am working at a Vet Clinic in Orem and it is great! I like it, I am still new and learning how they run things, but it is nice to be familiar and back around animals all the time instead of crazy asians who like parmesan cheese in their coffee. :)
Before Jar Jar left we took the kids to the Discovery Museum in Salt Lake and it was really fun! This was us in the helicopter, but they had all sorts of other fun and interesting things there to play with and explore!

Also Jar Jar left to the MTC 2 weeks ago exactly! I am so proud of him!
(My Mom was there, she was taking the pictures)
In honor of the plan of salvation we had Jar Jar's last meal at Paradise Bakery, then took him to the MTC and watched that dang movie that made me bawl hysterically!! Literally.

But I am so proud of Jar Jar and know that he is going to be such a good little missionary! Growing up me and Jar Jar always fought because we were the youngest, but the last few years our friendship has really grown and he is one of the funniest kids I know!

What? We be straight thugs, church thugs that is. And the sun was blinding us.

So I also want to talk about my other brother Josh a bit. I have never been so proud of both my brothers in my life than I am right now. Josh is doing so great and he is the best in everything that he has been doing at basic training. I have always respected the men and women and their families who sacrifice so much in their lives so that we can still live in a free country, but now more than ever I feel so much love and respect for him because of what he is doing. My big brother has always been someone I looked up to and now more than ever his example is important and inspiring to me. He is such a strong, determined, loyal person and I miss him so much, but I know he is doing the best and right thing right now. Love you Big Brother!

PS My very best friend Amy, aka, Sister Skousen comes home tomorrow!! Yay!

The Power of Imagination

2009-03-04T15:24:00.005-07:00

As I have been going about and doing my business for the past hour or so; getting my new room in order, making a to-do-list/to-buy-list, worrying about finding a job, wanting to tweak my resume, worrying about money, deciding when I should go workout, deciding IF I should go workout, listening to music, and not to mention the 8 billion other things that have been on my mind lately. But as I have been doing this, my neice and her friend, ages 4 and 5 years old, have been playing Mermaids in where they are sisters and have lost their house and now need a safe place to hide so that the bad guy (Jax the dog) does not get them. At one point I made them clean up all the water in the bathroom so I was the evil step-mother. BUT to get to my point, I miss being a kid. I miss those moments where all you had to do was think of something and it was real, and its almost as if you could see what you were making up in your head right in front of you and you could live it. And even if you are interrupted by the Evil Stepmother who makes you wipe up the bathroom floor, you can easily go right back to what you were playing. Its like the movie Bridge to Terabithia; I always loved that book as a kid and I thought the movie that recently came out was a very good adaption. But in the movie, these kids go to a place and it is just a forest, but they change it into this magical land with magical creatures with just their imagination and their sense of adventure. I dont really remember at what age I lost that sense of imagination, and to a certain extent I think I still have it, but its not "normal" to be a dreamer at age 22. :) I have had so much fun today just listening to these 2 little girls, that it is hard to be the adult and make them clean up the mess and come back to real life, because honestly, real life isnt as fun. I am so fascinated by the power of kids imaginations! Just think, if adults were not so up tight about getting the next thing on our list done, but just living in the moment and giving into our imaginations once in awhile, I truly believe that people could find happiness where before they maybe couldnt, even if it is for only a moment.

Leaving Alaska with an almost Bang!

2009-02-25T11:31:00.002-07:00

So I am now back in Utah, and it feels good, different, but good. I already really miss Alaska, and not just the place, but the people, the atmosphere, the friends, the dogs......ah, but I can always go back, which I am pretty sure I will. And I will have a post dedicated just to Alaska soon. Utah is so flipping warm! It feels like summer here!! No kidding, I drove around the past 2 days with my windows open, walked around without a jacket, and had my sunglasses on most the time I am outside! Its nice, but I never thought I would say this.....I miss winter and snow!! But it is very good to be back around my family and friends. I have and will be staying with Alaina and the kids, and Jax the Great Dane for the next few months and they are so stinkin cute! They got a room in their basement all painted and ready for me to move in and the kids made a special surprise for me by painting in the closet!! It was so cute! They have been very helpful and I look forward to spending time with them for the next few months!
Now for those of you who have followed my blog from the beginning know that I am not too fond of flying anyway because of all the "fun" experiences I have had while doing so. Well this time was no different. I am sure that Homeland Security has a watch on me now so I better be careful what I write in the blog... :) JK, but I am getting ahead of myself let me start from the beginning....
The night I left, some of my favorite people Jake and Julie, drove me into town and we saw Valkyrie and had pizza, it was great! Then they dropped me off at the airport. I almost broke down crying when they dropped me off, but I held most of it together. So I went in to check my bags, which all went smoothly, so I made my way up to security. I was there pretty early so there wasnt a lot of people going through, so I took my time making sure all my electronics, laptop, belt, shoes and other such things were placed in bins so I could make it through the metal detector without any problems. All went well, until I got on the other side and started to put back on my shoes and belt; my other items were still going through the conveyer belt when I heard the officer say, "BAG CHECK." I got a little worried because I thought I had taken everything out....*oh well Hannah, dont panic*.....Well, ya'll know I am a natural worrier and I get all flustered over the stupidest things and I hate getting in trouble, so as I watched one of the officers dig through the front pocket of my backpack and pull out tampons, garbage, random pieces of gum, and who knows what else, I started to panic a bit. He proceeded to pull out some canisters of Whip-its, they are small CO2 chargers to pressurize whip cream cans....now for whatever reason I had put them in there months ago at work and completely forgotten about them. He asked me what they were for and so I tried to explain with a my face turning red. He asked me to step aside and that it would just take a moment for them to "check things out." Uh huh, that just the same as saying that the plane is having technical difficulties, something is wrong and they dont want people to freak out!
So as I waited they continued to take swabs of my backback and all my belongings.....its was so embarrassing.....The whole time I just wanted to start crying/burst out laughing. I love emotions. Anyway, after about 20 minutes they cleared my canisters of Whip-its and told me they were okay. Well at this point I knew I didnt need them, so I said, "Honestly I dont really need them, so you guys can keep them....*uh, reel back Hannah, now it sounds like you are just trying to dump them off with them*...... "oh, I mean I can take them, I will just throw them away....." At this point the 2 officers just kinda stared at me, So the one who still had the canisters in his hand held out to give them to me, slowly pulled back his hand and said, " We will just dispose of them for you." WOW Hannah, you are really good! *Me shaking my head* So I said thanks, gave them a smile and contiued on to my gate. I sat down on the brink of tears and realized my gray jacket that I am so very fond of was no longer in my arms.....*You have GOT to be kidding!*....Nope, so normal passive Hannah would have said, "Screw it, it is just a jacket," but in my state of mind I said, "No, I am going to be assertive and get my freaking jacket back!"
I made my way back to security trying my best to look down trodden over the loss of my jacket. None of the officers, all 10 of them, had seen my jacket, so I decided to go back down to the check-in counter, thats the only other place I had been. So I said to the one Nice security officer, "I will just go back and check downstairs, which means I will just have to come back through security right?" He nodded, and in my head I thought, *Oh if I just leave my stuff here, I wont have to go through that whole hassle again* Sounded good in my head, so I mentioned that to the officer and he just looked at me and said, "No, not unless you have someone here with you." OH ya, thats why they have that continuous recording over the intercom saying "Do not leave your luggage unattended, If you see a suspicious bag notify authorities immediately." Good one Hannah. So the Nice officer walked me downstairs and I kinda unloaded on him saying that I was moving and I was stressed and just not in my right mind, he seemed to genuinely care, so that made me feel a bit better.
Anyway, no luck in finding the jacket, so I made it back up to security....ROUND 2....looking ridiculous since I didn't have the jacket that I proclaimed to go find......
So, you can imagine by now, I am so flustered and emotional and there are more people going through security at this time, so I hurriedly threw stuff in bins and walked through the metal detector.....BEEP!!....oh geez, my belt....walked back through, took belt off.....one more time through.....BEEP!!.....Seriously! What now? my earrings? oh wait, my phone and Ipod were in my front pocket of my shirt......This whole time I was cursing myself in my head and out loud. So I walked back through and placed them in a small container that the Nice officer supplied and he said, "Good morning!" I just smiled and said, "I know, right?" One more time through and I made it without a damn beep. As I once again put on my boots and belt I hear, "Bag Check!" DAMNIT, SERIOUSLY?!?!? But, a nice lady officer noticed my face, since my expletives took place in my head, and said, "Dont worry, you just forgot to take out your laptop." I smiled and impatiently waited for my stuff to go back through. So after all my stuff was back in my bag I did what any other emotional woman would do and went to the bathroom and had a cry-a-thon.
I slept a little on the plane rides home, but we all know how well sleeping in planes goes for me.....if you dont know, refer to my first post about my first flight to Alaska. But I made it home safely and strip-search free, so despite how embarrassed I was that night, I guess it always could have been worse!! :)

I left my heart in San Fran-Girdwood.....

2009-02-19T19:23:00.002-07:00

As excited and happy as I am to come home, the closer I get to leaving this beautiful, magnificent, and inspiring place........I seem to find myself having a hard time with it. But for all those, every last 2 of you, that are happy for me to be coming home, I will be arriving on this sunday the 22nd in the morning! So see you all then, and until then, I will soak in as much of Alaska as I can!

And this will officially be my last post from Alaska, so I will probably be needing to come up with another headline for my blog....any suggestions? Love ya!

My love for asians grows fonder.....

2009-02-12T22:49:00.002-07:00

SO.....this asian couple walks into a bar......I mean, coffee shop....... No really though, I was working at the coffee shop the other day, and this asian couple sauntered in and perused for a few minutes. I waited behind the counter and mindlessly wiped at the counter in boredom, until they came up to the counter. The Female asian, I will call her Koneecheewa, asked "Sooker? Sooker?" and if you refer to one of my earlier posts you see that I have some experience in translating and knowing that this lady wanted sugar, so I pointed to a small counter located behind them that contained 4 different kinds of sugars and said "Sugar." She nodded gratefully and smiled that asain smile! The Male asian, I will call him Hiro, asked for a small cup of coffee so I kindly obliged and got them their coffee. Well as I was putting their money in the till, out of the corner of my eye I saw her on the the opposite side of the condiment counter near the taco sauce, salt & pepper, mayo, mustard, etc.... Well, this lady was putting a packet of parmesan cheese in her coffee. So I went around my counter and went right up the the sugars and pointed saying, "No, no, no......Sugar is here." While she continued stirring the parmesan cheese in her coffee, she rambled something at me a little heatedly in Chinese/Japanese/Korean/I have no idea and then she picked up her coffee and left. At first I was a little shocked, but then the beginnings of a laughter outburst began to erupt inside so before she was all the way out, I waved a whole arm wave and said, "Enjoy your coffee!!!"

Christmas, New Years, and a few other assorted adventures.

2009-01-17T12:02:00.005-07:00

Well, for starters, after the moose incident, my Norah adventures did not stop there. The next day Norah decided that running away might just be the next fun thing to do, Not thinking that I would mind much, she ran off to have a good time, leaving me back at the house stunned and worried. Luckily she made it home safe. Later that day I was walking her and ran into some people and we started talking about Norah, and they said, "I think that is the dog that was up on the mountain today with all the skiers!" Yep, thats Norah for ya alright! And there were other events too, lots of stealing of gloves, hats, and garbage, but after the first week we finally pushed eachothers limits and came to a sense of understanding,.....I think. Anyway, we only had one other possible moose encounter, but luckily I was able to call the dogs back soon enough before they could see the moose.

Well, Christmas....It was my first Christmas alone, that was kinda hard, but it worked out okay. I worked in the morning, that was kinda sucky, and people didnt really tip well either! Oh well, So then we had like a 2-3 week below zero streak in weather.....it was awful and very cold!! But then over night it warmed up and it was raining the next day.........weird Alaskan weather. It got nice for awhile like 30's and 40's, but now we are back to around the 20 degree weather with lots more snow.

New Years was lots of fun!! I went to the Photonz concert and it was amazing! They are a local band and they are super awesome!

Well, as for more updates, I am moving home!!! Most people already know this, but I have been really slacker with my blog. I guess I cant call it Alaskan Adventure anymore.....:( My little brother Jar Jar is leaving on his mission to Fort Lauderdale Florida in March, and my older Brother Josh is leaving for basic training for the National Guard. So I am gonna move home and live with Alaina, Keldin, and Skylee and help them out while Josh is gone. And then since I am already going to be home I may as well try and go back to school in the fall....but that is still to be decided. So ya! There has definitely been more I wanted to write about, but I have procrastinated too long to write them down. Anyway, Hope everyone is doing well! Love you all and I will see you sometime around the 14th or 15th of February!

My Moose Encounter!

2008-12-19T16:10:00.002-07:00

So to catch everyone up to speed, I am house/dog sitting for the next 3 weeks for Jake and Julie Atkinson while they are basking in the Mexican sun. I am watching Nora their little 8 or 9ish month old Visla. She is a sweetheart, but definitely a handful! Well, my friend Karin has an 8 month old Bulldog named Bibs and him and Nora are friends, so the other day we decided to let them play together.
Well, while the dogs were outside going to the bathroom I heard Nora start barking like crazy and Bibs came running to the door, so I was in the process of getting my boots on to go get Nora, Karin yelled that there was a moose! I instantly panicked and ran around the back of the house because that is where they were. Well, to let you know, there was just a barely beaten path in the knee deep snow that I was trudging through to make my way around the house. I was calling and calling Nora, but she just kept barking. Meanwhile, the moose, trying just to ignore the frantically yelling chubby lady and the persistent barking of the little dog, was chewing on a tree twig, seeming mildly amused, but also irritated. Its like when you are just trying to mind your own business at a restaurant and eat your food, but at the next table the little kid is throwing his food at you and blabbering while the mother and father are repeatedly trying to get the kid to stop.
At this point I realized 2 things: A) I needed to get Nora away from this moose, and B) I needed to get out of the little walkway pretending to be a path, otherwise if that moose started chasing Nora, she would head right past me and I would not be about to trudge fast enough. Its like that saying, "If you are ever being chased by a bear, you only have to run faster than the person next to you." Well, I am that person who cant run fast standing next to Nora. So, After what felt like forever, but in reality was only like 4 seconds, I realized that I needed to just get out of the way of danger. So I went back around the front of the house (still calling Nora, keep in mind). Just as I came around the corner, not a second later did I see a little flash of reddish/orange fly out from around the house and down the driveway, which I assumed to be Nora, and a thundering running right behind her. As the moose rounded the corner his antlers hit the side of the house and he followed Nora to the end of the driveway. It was about here, that my life flashed before my eyes. It was a decent life, probably coulda been better. But anyway, from the pictures you can see that he basically covers most of the driveway because of the snow drifts, so Nora continued to bark but now the moose was between us. So amid Karin's and my nervous awkward laughing, and our continued calls to Nora, we even were trying to bribe her with salmon, the ultimate bribe, she was still standing off with Herman; that's what I named the moose. Finally Nora took a break for it running right along the snow drift, just within inches of his foot trying to stomp her, that is when Nora's life flashed before my eyes. YET, that still didn't deter her from barking and antagonizing the moose. Every time I would come down the stairs to grab her she would run down to the landing, if I went down to the landing, she went off it. All the while I am sure the moose was having a good laugh to himself watching our little "dance number". I think finally he got bored with us, so he decided to charge us once again sending Nora straight up the stairs leaving the fat friend at the bottom to be trampled. So I hurried up the stairs and right before I ran into the house I took a look back and saw Herman at the bottom of the landing letting out one last snort.
Karin and I proceeded to have the moment everyone has after experiencing something life threatening/adrenaline pumping and narrowly escaping. We leaned against the back of the door and laughed and rehashed the whole thing while trying to catch our breath, while the dogs ran around all excited, ready to do the whole thing all over again! Well now that the dogs lives were safe, I wanted to do a bit of nature watching, this was my first close experience with a moose in Alaska for heavens sake! I grabbed my camera and went back out to get Herman's portrait. So for a few minutes we just watched him, and finally he went to the back of the house to finish eating his twigs. And believe me, these pictures do not do him justice. He was so tall and big and he smelled awful.
Well, since then, I have been on moose watch. Every dark shadow or every movement makes me think that a moose is lurking somewhere near and it terrifies me! Especially when I am walking to and from work and I see big ol moose prints in the path because it is usually in the dark.
So, in retrospect, definitely the scariest thing that has happened to me so far, but close to the coolest. And it is also something that I do not want to happen anytime soon, or ever again.

Karin, Nora and Bibs playing

We caught them kissing and Nora was so embarrased!
Herman running back to his yummy twigs.
He was so massive!

I love good hair days!

2008-12-17T12:42:00.001-07:00

You know those days where your hair just does everything you want it to? Ah, I love those days and they dont happen very often. Ya thats pretty much it for today. YAY good hair days!

Tirade Soap Box Time!

2008-12-14T18:44:00.009-07:00

*Alright, here it is. It is time I put my voice out there. Okay well its just on my blog and only my friends and family are really gonna be reading this, but still its time I stand up and tell ya'll what I believe. Here is my take on Gays and Lesbians with a splash of humanity and yes it probably will be politically incorrect.

I do not agree with the Gay/Lesbian way of life. Simple as that. Not just because I was raised Mormon, but because I do not think it is right. I was reading about some of the things that have gone on in California with the past election and Proposition "Hate" as some people are calling it. This was the proposition to eliminate gay/lesbian marriage in the State of California. I am so disturbed and quite frankly pissed off, America, look just how far we have come. We have elected an African American President. Whether or not you agree with Barack Obama, this really was an amazing step for America; a little less than a hundred and fifty years ago was the end of slavery. So all you Californian gays and lesbians (not exclusively, but you are the ones causing terror in California) got pissed because they used their rights as Americans to vote on what they wanted in their country. Well guess what, I am pretty sure you have those same rights too and you used them, voted and lost. So suck it up. Ya you have made a choice in how you want to live, but face it, some people just dont agree. Try being Mormon. We deal with persecution as well. People have called us crazy and insane, brainwashed, deluded, and all sorts of interesting things. Try being Jewish, fat, black, Mexican, Arabic, wearing glasses, being poor, driving a piece of crap car and yes, even being gay I know you suffer persecution. Ya it sucks to not get what you want or not be what you want to be, but dont go around blaming a certain sect of religion just because they disagree with you. Because last time I checked the results of Proposition 8 were 52.3% to 47.7% and I can guarantee you that 52.3% of Californians are not Mormon. So quit blaming us.

Now, that aside, does that mean that I am not going to be your friend? No, not one bit. I have a few gay/lesbian friends. Does that mean that I am going to make fun of you and be rude to you just because you are different? No, I might be mean to you if you are being mean to me, but not because you like to get it on with the same sex. I just think thats gross. I love Ellen Degeneres, I think she is extremely funny and an incredibly honest person. I am am not going to discriminate and not watch her show just because she chooses to be a lesbian. Elton John, I am not a huge fan of his music, but he has contributed lots of money to many many charities and organizations. Something that I have learned is that there are good people all over this world. We are all just so worried about going out of our comfort zones and accepting that someone might think differently than us. Just take the time to get to know the person for who they really are. That is one thing that has always bothered me; when I tell someone that I am Mormon, if they disagree, they try so hard to dissuade me and prove all these facts to me that Joseph Smith was a fraud and that we are too strict, well guess what? I have heard that all before, but that still doesnt change my mind. I dont try and shove my religion and beliefs onto other people and discourage them from being gay, atheist, Catholic, Unitarian, or whatever. So just accept that people are different. That is the beauty of this world. If we were all the same and believed the same things we would be living under Hitler. Ever read the novel "1984" by George Orwell?

So to beat the dead horse, and to extend this further than just gays/lesbians and Mormons and Prop 8, We are all different; take the time to get to know someone new, do something different and out of the ordinary, dont take things for granted, realize that life will go on just because someone called you stupid or disagreed with you, Stick up for what you believe in no matter how ridiculous it sounds because I guarantee that there is someone out there who agrees with you, And last and definitely most importantly love those around you even if they are different because, really, we are not all that different.

*I say what I want.

Here is a quote from Rabbi Shifren, Check it out, I found it pretty interesting:

http://www.lawatchdog.com/RabbiShifren-WeAreAllMormons112008.html

One word questionaire

2008-12-06T01:42:00.002-07:00

TYPE ONLY 1 WORD. IT'S HARDER THAN YOU THINK!!!
1. Where is your cell phone? table
2. Your significant other? Emily-dog
3. Your hair? brown
4. Your mother? positive
5. Your father? hardworking
6. Your favorite thing? fun
7. Your dream last night? weird
8. Your favorite drink? Dr. Pepper
9. Your dream/goal? happiness
10. The room you're in? bedroom
11. Your fear? failure
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? stable
13. Where were you last night? airplane
14. What you're not? lucky
15. Muffins? yummo
16. One of your wish list items? love
17. Where you grew up? riverton
18. The last thing you did? blog
19. What are you wearing? sweats
20. Your TV? old
22. Your computer? oldish
23. Your life? interesting
24. Your mood? thoughtful
25. Missing someone? always
26. Your car? truck
27. Something you're not wearing? jewelry
29. Your summer? fast
30. Your favorite color? blue
31. When is the last time you laughed? today
32. Last time you cried? thanksgiving
33. Who will/would re-post this? ya'll
I pass this on to everyone who reads this!!

My trip home to Utah and boy was it fun!

2008-12-05T18:52:00.003-07:00

Okay so my trip home was so much fun! I absolutely loved every minute of it! It went by way too fast though, I was only home for 2 weeks and I feel like only a few days! I should have stayed better updated on my blog because there are so many stories I could have written about but I dont want to sit and write about each one so here is just a list of some of the the things I did while I was home.

-Saw Twilight twice, loved it. My Twilight obsession is a little under par since I was so busy doing other stuff, but I would have loved to watch it ten times. Seriously the minute it was over I wanted to watch it again. Of course, it was low budget and there were some things that you can get nit-picky about, but overall I really enjoyed it. Especially the kissing scene, probably my favorite part. Ya I said it. But there is one part in the movie when they are in the "meadow scene" where Edward is in the tree and he is crouching in the branches and Bella is on the ground, and he is professing his "heroin addiction" to her.....he looks like freaking Gollom from Lord of the Rings. It ruins that part for me because all I can think of is little evil creatures saying "My Precious" Which in a way I guess Bella is the Ring. OH well, still loved it.

- Fell off a fourwheeler with my Nephew Keldin, sorry dude. I possibly could have broken my shoulder, thank goodness I didn't.

- Spent lots of time with my family, they are crazy, but I love every bit of them!

-Realized/remembered how much I hate migraines.

-Played with my dog. She completes me.

-Experienced an eye exam with a doctor on speed.

-Almost missed BOTH of my flights coming home.

-Ran around a place called Fairyland. - no lie.

-Told the same joke probably 20 different times and it never got old for me.

-Committed friendship suicide.

-Dressed up as a Native American Cowgirl.

-Ate out about 10 times in a 2 week span, each time with different people, but no wonder I am chubby.

-Practically lost my voice.

-Probably took too much cold medicine for my own good. Then I mixed it with energy drinks. I'm pretty healthy though.

-Watched lots of "House M.D." I figure if I am ever deathly ill I would like for him to be my doctor even though he would probably make me cry.

-Reaffirmed my addiction to Nintendo. DS or regular, it doesnt matter. Especially stupid games like Cake Mania or Kickle Cubicle. Dont they sounds interesting? You wouldnt think so, but they are.

-Tried to take 2 dogs running at the same time, havent ever tried that before...........probably never will again.

-Played the game "The Moment of Truth" With my siblings and sibling-in-laws, very entertaining and informative.

-Repeatedly found hilarity in Jenae's son, Jaxson, trying to say "Flicka" but forgetting the "L"

-Saw lots of friends that I hold near and dear to my heart! And some strangers too.

-Campaigned for Alaska

-Remembered what good friends I have.

-Watched the same episode of Arrested Development at different houses on different days in different towns. Weird!

-Contributed to 3 puzzles being done.

-Bought some new clothes.

-Remembered you cant ever trust little kids to keep a secret.

-And definitely not last or least, but I am tired or writing, realized that I have done some stupid stuff, but I am growing up. At least sorta.

So ya! Home was good and I wish I could have stayed longer! I am sad that I didnt get to see some people. But there is always the future! So when I move home we will make sure to play then. I loved almost every minute of being home and cant wait to see you all again soon! And thanks to all those who took time to play with me!

Ah the snow...

2008-11-11T18:40:00.003-07:00

I feel like the women from the scene of "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" when they are singing and looking out the window while it is snowing. It has not stopped snowing outside all day. But not just normal snow, like so much snow that I can barely see across the street. Or so much snow that I can hear the snow plow, but cant see it. I think some people call this a "white out." But dont think I am complaining at all, because it is actually good. Besides the fact that I havent left my house all day, I showered then bundled up and have been writing in my book all day! So even though it is crappy outside, I am totally okay with it!

Is NoCouponNoPizza the next hit sensation?

2008-11-06T17:44:00.004-07:00

I have come across a new band that I think my be on its way in, and by in, I mean on their way to the big time. Their new freshman hit album "Mosquito Alarm" covers all sorts of emotions/genres/fancies/interests/etc. They made their first debut on Myspace.com, the up and coming social internet core. I having had the privilege to meet both the members of NoCouponNoPizza, Russell Pohlman and Calvin Smooth aka Calvin Kenley, I convinced Russell to get me an album before it hit stores. Now he has asked me to write a review of this new sensation we like to call NoCouponNoPizza.

Mosquito Alarm: ( I HATE alarms, but not this one!)
Warp Zone - This track is not of them singing at all, but a small compilation of old school Nintendo songs. Being a HUGE fan of Mario and his Nintendo buddies, this song takes me back to my years at college in Kampus Korner, where we would play Nintendo just about everyday. Good song.

There - Calvin lead sings this song. I really enjoy the music for this next track. A happy-lift-you-up sort of beat. I will be completely honest I have no idea what this song is about, but the song is nice. The lyrics state something about "wash the sheets, cut your hair;" So ya....really not sure.

Joy Without Pleasure - Again Smooth takes the lead. You are right Calvin, Joy without pleasure is not any fun at all. I like this song, its very entertaining.

Van Helsing Boom Box - Russell takes the lead for this song. It starts off with a sort of Halloweeny-spooky groove. The only thing I can pull out of this song is that the person has finally taken a look at their life and realized they are not where they wanted to be; with a woman that gives them no happiness and a life that gives them no joy and what they thought of their life as so good is now nothing at all......and then they realize they are the only one that can change it, but they cant do anything about it. Too deep of an insight? Oh well. The ending music is a little creepy, not gonna lie.

Where Were You - My Favorite song on the whole track. Dead Serious! The music and the melody are great!I routinely listen to it on repeat.......thats the truth. Its actually a little depressing, but I really like it. It is a person who is mourning some sort of loss of a friend or loved one, wondering where they were when they needed them most. And they could have possibly fought with this person and now they are stronger because of it. I feel like I am looking way to much into these songs, I am gonna be pissed if it is a song about Mountain Dew or something. :)

The King - Wow, I dont even feel like talking about this one, you just need to experience it for yourself. But, since I promised.......Ever heard of Elvis? Maybe, maybe not, but what Calvin and Russ have done is, they have taken Elvis's demise and put it into rap form. Yes, you heard it folks. Quite entertaining. Very medically correct though, I applaud you both for not only your musical skills, but for your genius in making a rap out of medical terminology. Russ's breakdown midway through is probably the best part of the song.......You guys are crazy!

Buttylicious -Basically, this is Calvin rapping about his butt. Yep, thats it folks. Featuring Russ as an old school gangsta. There you go.

Exhibit A......

Femme Fatale - This is obviously a song about a girl that has broken these boys hearts. Its starts out heartwarming and sweet, but then the lyrics start about a girl who teases, torments, and lies. They cant help but be in love with her even though she has millions of boyfriends aka hoochie. Future reference boys, stay away from these girls. Unless of course you are doing research for a new song.

Bang Your Tamborine - This is the song that Calvin and Russ announce who they are as NoCouponNoPizza. They say things like "We are the mighty kings of Rock and Roll," "We are your wildest dreams" Dream on boys, but entertaining song. This is your disco-crazy-dance song. Kermit the frog is even featured in this song. Go on, Bang your Tamborine!!

Vampire in Tight Pants - When Russ first told me about this song, I was overjoyed! I love Vampires and if they are wearing tight pants, thats pretty close to being in heaven, but as I listen to the song I realize what this song is really about......I think, and this is purely speculation, but it is about girls who are always out there.....and you know what I mean by out there. Girls who are ready to suck your blood/life out of you, not real vampires. If this is what it is about....then they paint a very good picture of these so called girls. The song starts off with a sort of dark, sexy appeal to it and continues on with Calvin in a falsetto sort of high pitched voice. Again very entertaining.

Happy Birthday Howard - This song illustrates birthdays as we get older and how they aren't really that much fun anymore. Very true, I miss musical chairs.....

Florida - Keith, Calvin's brother, is featured in this song through a voicemail. Apparently he went to jail for an unpaid parking ticket.......sounds a bit like a girl I know....Whitney, are you reading this? Anyway, this song reminds me of old school rap.

Well there it is, my review of NCNP's album Mosquito Alarm. Now I knew Calvin Smooth has had a career in throwing down the biz with his raps, but his lyrical rhymes mixed with rookie Russell's creative talents and musical insight, this dynamic duo present ultimate amusement. I have only been graced with Russell's operas about bagels and cream cheese, so it was nice to hear a different side of his musical capabilities. The album stays true to its name, Mosquito Alarm will wake you up and keep you going all day long. NoCouponNoPizza stay true to their name as well, They dont present satisfaction unless you meet them half way by listening, Or whatever, I couldn't think of anything clever to say.

As it says on the back cover "12 tracks of pure bliss..." Well, I wouldn't say bliss, but pure entertainment? Yes I would say 12 tracks of pure entertainment.

Footnote:

Russ and Calvin are my good friends back in Logan. Please Support them and go check out their site on Myspace, they are great guys even though they look homeless in this picture!
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=418847967

PS There Roossell....you owe me now!

I wonder......I wander.....Yes I saw Aurora, not the Princess!

2008-10-29T16:02:00.005-06:00

Just when I thought I was getting really homesick........

Okay so last night on the drive home from Anchorage, I saw for the very first time, the Aurora Borealis!!!! AKA the Northern Lights! I can honestly say it was one of the MOST amazing experiences in my life! This is not a picture I took, this is off the Internet, but this is kinda what I saw. I tried to take pictures but it was too dark so none of them worked out. We stopped right in by this pond/marsh area and beyond that was the mountains and right up above were the northern lights and the millions of stars. It is really hard to describe how incredibly humble it made me feel. There is no doubt in my mind that God does exist and that he used Alaska as his canvas to show off all the beautiful things our world has to offer! Anyway, it was pretty freakin awesome.
ALSO, another reason why Alaska freakin rocks, the other day while I was walking Rider (See below blog if you dont know who Rider is) and we were down by the river and even though the sun was shining, it was about 20 degrees. So here I was all bundled up, the sun was shining, walking by the river with a dog on a clear day........beautiful and relaxing, right? Well, it gets better, all of the sudden this ginormous Bald Eagle swoops down about 5 feet above my head, but across the river. He flew across the river and then perched in the trees right above me! It was spectacular!!! Good thing Rider isnt a small yappy dog otherwise the eagle, whom I have named Rogaine, would have swooped him up and eaten him for lunch. "Sorry your dog is gone Tyson, but it was a big eagle!" JK Anyway, So it sat in the tree. I tried, once again to take pictures, but my camera phone sucks so it just looks like a blob in some branches. Now it is not like I havent seen a bald eagle before, but it was just one of those Wow-this-is-why-I-am-in-Alaska Moments and it was unreal. I have come to the conclusion that everyone should AT LEAST visit Alaska. It is absolutely the most beautiful place in the entire world, hands down. Even the weeds are pretty. So put it on your 5 year plan chart, or even your ten year, whatever, but do it.
YAY ALASKA!!!! So as for being homesick, not really so much anymore. God is watching out for me. And I know some people have been praying for me too, so thank you!! Word ya'll!

24 more days!!!

2008-10-27T14:23:00.004-06:00

I feel like it is December 1st. Because I only have 24 more days until the best day of my life! Not only am I going to be back in Utah, BUT i am going to see Twilight!!! Yay!!!

And yes its true, I already own, thanks to Amanda and her internet skills, a ticket to this blessed event.
Alrighty, so for an update, I dont know if I mentioned before but I love my new condo. But both me and Nicole are cheap and we decided we didnt want to pay for cable and so we didnt get it. Well now we are stuck with one crappy channel. Its CBS, not my favorite network ever. I only like CSI on it. So needless to say I have had my fill of Entertainment Tonight. Da na na na na na......... just imagine the song now. There is another channel that we get, but it is really blurry and one day I was bored and I was sick of watching ET so I tried to see if I could find something on this other channel. Its Alaska's equivolent to Utah's KUED, channel 7, you know, the channel you usually skip over because it has some childish/informative show on. Anyway, guess what show just happend to be playing "Sewing with Nancy" Yep you better believe it!

Now, give me a break, I am not trying to make fun or anything, but Come on! We only get one fuzzy channel in the first place and our other option is Sewing with Nancy!!! Oh well, serves us right for trying to be cheap. At least I have netflix and that is super cool. So instead of watching TV we watch movies!
So I am going to be home in 24 days and I can hardly wait!!! I had a really bad homesick day about 3 days ago, but I am over it now. I literally think I cried all day and I am not even joking. Thanks Wardle genes! But I am back to loving Alaska! Besides the fact that it has turned into one big ice cube. Everything is ICE!! I got some shoe things to wear that have studs on them so I dont slip and fall. But it is inevitably going to happen so just wait for the blog that I am sure is coming about slipping and falling. I think last winter I made it halfway through before I actually crashed and burned.
I have also started dog sitting my friends dog which is a HUGE help! I miss my little Emily SOOO SOOO SOO much and so to have a dog, even though it isnt my own, helps me feel better! The dog's name is Rider, but for some reason I keep calling him Tyson (Tyson is his owner) whenever he does something bad.......I hope I dont slip up in front of Tyson or he might not let me watch Rider anymore.
OH other big news! I have my computer back!!!! And it only cost me $150! Woo hoo! I did have to buy a new battery that cost me $140, and I bought an external harddrive for $88, so really it cost more than 150, but whatevs, it sounds better that way.
Well, now that I have my Mac-ie back I will load my pictures on here and show you guys what my Condo looks like, but that is for next time. Alrighty then, Ta ta for now!!

PS what should I be for Halloween?

Ya would think I was preparing to hibernate!

2008-10-15T16:07:00.002-06:00

Okay so it has been awhile and I miss my blog!!! So many stories to tell......Well, nothing better like the most recent!
So I work in Room Service about 3 days a week now and sometimes that is by myself and the other morning it was pretty busy for one person. To give a hopefully brief (but I am like my father so it probably wont be) explanation of how it works, Honestly I didnt know before I worked it. The people call in the order, we write it down and put it in the computer and then set up the tray. The tray is on this big rolling cart that has a hot box and shelves on it, this is what we take up to the room. Its not that complicated, unless you are busy. Those carts are super heavy and you have to wait for the elevators and so on. Needless to say they are pretty lame so I try to use them as little as possible. Anyway, I got 2 orders close together and the first one was small, just a pot of coffee and some toast. The other was a bigger order. So I hurried and got a small tray ready for the coffee and toast order so I could just carry it. I was ready in 2 minutes and went to the service elevator. Lo and Behold..............Service elevator is out of service. Curseword.
Okay, so I will take the stairs, I looked at the ticket to see what floor I was headed to. We have 8 floors in the hotel. I am located on the second floor and my order......seventh floor. More curse words. So whatever, I just suck it up and decide to do it, but its 2 flights of stairs for each floor. Fine, only 10 flights of stairs not so bad, Right? About FOS (flight of stair) 4........ okay fine 2, I was feeling winded, because not only was I quickly walking up the stairs but I was balancing a tray and trying to give myself positive mental affirmations so I could make it up the stairs. At FOS 5 I took a breathing break. And about FOS 7, the positive affirmations had turned to cursing, and persperation had started form on my brow and underarms. By the end of my escapade I was breathing as if I had just ran a marathon and sweating like a......well like a chubby person should after they hike 10 flights of stairs.
I took a minute to compose myself before I went to the room. Then went to the door, still trying to get my breathing under control. I got to the door and knocked "Room Service!" This older gentleman opens the door. I was very polite and nice, made small chitchat while I set up the order, meanwhile he is filling out the check. So he hands me the check as I am leaving the room and I say goodbye. The whole time I was trying to hide my out-of-breathness (not a word, but whatever.) So finally I head back down the hellish stairs and I can breathe normal again and I open the check to see what he tipped me. $1.05. Thats it. A dollar and five cents. BOO!! I was so mad, but oh well, I got my freaking exercise for the week. So moral of the story, Dont bite off more than you can chew because then you get chubby and one day you may have to run up 10 flights of stairs.
Oh and tip your servers decent amounts. Even if they look like they just ran a mile.

Tech-mology - huh?

2008-09-24T15:42:00.002-06:00

So I have been wanting to write all sorts of things, lots of new adventures have sprung up in Alaska that I want to write about, but my computer is currently taking a sabbatical for some unknown reason. So until I can get it up and running again, no stories. But to tickle your fancy, for the 3 of you who read my blogs; I got punched in the face outside a bar(very good story....okay not really, but arent you interested!?!) It is so freakin COLD here already!!! And not just the "oh its chilly out" But the "I'm shaking uncontrollably and cant stop because my body is frozen and even my eyes are frozen." Yeah, that cold. But I am still not ready to come home yet. I am on my roommate's computer so I dont want to take up too much time, By the way, she is the one who punched me. (arent you so intrigued to hear the story now!?) So enjoy your days and pray that my computer is fixable with no or little involvement of money! Love ya!

Srvng pepl hu dnt speec inglesh

2008-09-12T16:27:00.002-06:00

Yes you heard me. How frustrating is it to serve people who dont speak english, you ask me? Its Very Frustrating!! The last few days we have had this huge group of like 200 chinese people staying at the hotel. Well, I have been serving in the morning when we have the buffet and there tour group provides the guests with vouchers so they can come and eat off the buffet. Well serving the buffet is easy, all you have to do is give them water, coffee, or tea and then clear their plates, they take care of the rest. Well unless they are chinese! Dont get me wrong I am not racist, I have half asian friends....okay bad joke, but I am not racist. Anyway, So I ask them for there vouchers and after the first few tables of using nothing but the words "vouchers" and "paper" and numerous hand motions to show the size of the paper. I got smart and just showed them an actual voucher which they all understood and nodded "oohhh, yes, boucher" and yes I meant to put boucher. So there was that hurdle. Unless of course they forgot it and instead told me their room number so that what......I could go get it from their room? I dont know, but I just didnt charge them for that one, So help me the hotel can fire me because one little chinese lady forgot to bring her voucher.

So next I get them all water and ask them if they want coffee and some of them cant even understand what I am asking so they just smile and nod which I think is a yes, but then I go to pour and they say "NO NO NO." Make up your minds.

Then I get this table of what I thought was six, thats a big table, well then some others want to join them so then it was like 8. Well the table they were sitting at was barely big enough for 6. So while they were all at the buffet I am trying like mad to organize the table so 8 can fit, snugly, but it works. So as a stand back and admire my organizing skills the first 3 come back and start talking to me in chinese like I know what they are asking. I am sure the look on my face told them that I had no idea, so they start pointing to the booth across from the table I had just so neatly prepared. They kept saying "three, three" pointing to the booth. After I got that those three wanted to move to the booth, though slightly irritated, I moved them over, less of a hassle for the big table. Now 5 could eat at the table originally for 6 and three could eat comfortably at the booth. *Sigh* well then the other 5 come back with like 3 plates each and on each plate is like a grape or a piece of pineapple(not really, but they had these teeny portions on these huge plates.) As they are all trying to get settled, meanwhile yelling orders at one another, you could hear them across the restaurant. One of the older gentlemen get up and tris to sit at a different table!! Are you kidding me?! So as I try to tell him that he needs to go back, he is talking to me in chinese and I am assuming he is trying to tell me he wants to sit here, in walks my favorite chinese person, Jackie Chan.....Just kidding, but it was one of their co-travelers who was fluent in both languages so he told me that the guy wanted to sit here because there was not enough room over there, But then he turned to chinese-table-jumper and and told him to go back to his table, well I am assuming told him because the guy went back to his seat. I thanked 2 languages guy and went back to serving my chinese crew. The rest of the time they were there was a little more of the same, the lady would shout out nonsense words and raise and shake her hand any time she needed me, which was like every 5 minutes. It came to the point that I wouldnt even have to see her, I would just hear her nonsense words and I would go to the table. One time she had some ham or something hanging out of her mouth while she called me, I couldnt help but laugh, oh well, I dont think she could tell why I was laughing. After the third day of this, I just basically tried as little communication as possible and it seemed to work out best for both me and the chinese.

Its already starting to Snow! In the Mtns!!

2008-09-01T16:31:00.003-06:00

Hello all! So today I saw a poster on one of the billboards that was advertising a contest coming up in a few weeks in Anchorage. The Annual Beard and Moustache contest. That is right. I was laughing so hard! Anyway, I thought if my family ever moves up here maybe my dad can enter, or maybe Josh......haha! JK Joshua!

Anyway, I hope everyone had fun this past weekend. Everyone was either at the family reunion or camping. I was slightly nostalgic/homesick, but its okay. I have been working soooooo much lately! All the J-1's are leaving (those are all the foreigners that get visas to come work here for a few months. So they are leaving and everyone else has just decided to quit, so I have gotten tons of extra hours. Which is good. But since I have been working so much I finally had yesterday off so I did my laundry and watched CSI..........all day.......seriously. For like 8 hours. Yes its pathetic, but I validated it since I have been working so much.

Well, as for my future plans......I am actually not coming home till november. This is so I can spare my parents those few extra gray hairs and they can stop freaking out about me moving, but also it will give me more time to save money. So Ya, That kinda sucks because I was planning on seeing all you guys in September, but oh well. A few more months will be okay. That way I can come home for like 2 weeks. Well, Peace out!

Surely you cant be serious?! I am serious and dont call me Shirley

2008-08-22T00:50:00.004-06:00

Okay so time for an update. I have been so busy making plans to stay in Alaska that I have forgotten to keep you updated on my goings on. So the pictures, let me first explain those. The first few are of my friend Emily's Birthday. It was a themed party of Jungle, then it was Mexican, then it was Ninja, So people basically just showed up as whatever. I tried to incorporate everything, well, everything except the Mexican. So I was a panther and I wore a sword so I was a Ninja Jungle Cat! Totally lethal. Anyway, not many other people dressed up, pretty much only the people you see in the pictures, maybe one or two more. But it was a BLAST! Kavika can do those twirly Jungle sticks, but he lights them on fire and it is super cool, until he was drunk, then his coordination suffered and so he dropped it a lot. Oh well. Next is the dogs. I was having and awful day and just sitting contemplating how much life sucked and then this pack of local dogs were just running around. I thought it was the funniest thing so I took a picture of them, well, then they came over to me! So they sat and played around me which made my day! Seriously it went from being the worst day ever to being a really good day! Thanks Heavenly Father! Anyway, next photos. THe Sushi and the lobster. WOW!!! Okay so they have a japanese restaurant Teppanyaki in the hotel and it is sooooo good! Its actually one of the best places to get sushi in Alaska because everything they get and make is like within a day fresh! I even ate raw tuna and I didnt even notice, it was my favorite meal. Dani and I went there and it was fantastic. I had never had lobster before so that was a new experience. Good, but rubbery and alive looking and so it kinda freaked me out. The whole time I was pulling the meat out of his tail I kept waiting for him to turn and look at me and be like "HELLO!! I am cut in half the least you could do is quit pulling on my tail!!" But he didnt. That would have been really creepy.
So as for my plans to stay. Well, once I told the parents that I was bringing my dog and my truck up they had strokes, but recovered quickly enough to tell me that basically this was the worst decision of my life and that I couldnt do it. After some time and some hardcore convincing they are finally semi okay with it. I was surprised because I thought that the minute I told my mom that I was taking the dog from the house she would be packing my stuff for me. Anyway, still looking for an apartment and trying to make things work. Jar Jar thinks he is going to come up here with me so he can work before he goes on the mish. So we will see.
Aide moved to Anchorage to be with her daughter and grandkids and she has a good job there. So Dani moved in with me to escape the smell and terror of Paula. I miss Aide just because she is so funny and nice.
Dani leaves tomorrow. I am sad I will definitely miss her friendship. Her parents come tomorrow and then they are gonna go to the touristy traveling thing and then they are flying out in like a week or something. OH YEAH! She freaking got bit by a Brown Recluse spider! Well, at least thats what they think. Her leg was all swollen and red and the bite was just getting worse and worse so she went to the hospital and it is doing much better now. But I am slightly nervous because she sleeps right above me so if the spider bit her in my room then that little thing might be hiding somewhere......I feel all itchy now just thinking of it.
Paula is still here........the bane of my existence. I tried so hard not to let her know I was staying in Alaska, but she found out. Oh Well, I guess it was inevitable. She did say that she was really happy Dani was leaving but that she would miss me......damnit, Why?! I dont know. Crazy people are drawn to me I guess.
So yesterday I had to go in to work at 4:45am because we had this VIP Oil executive from Kuwait that wanted his effing breakfast in his room at 5:30am. His name was Al-Sultan so we all just called him the Sultan, I dont know if he really was. So I got there early did my shift, left at like 1:30pm. Well then one of my lovely co-workers called in sick. Keep in mind she always calls in sick and she only works like 2 times a week. Anyway, it was supposed to be really busy so I got called in. I worked another 4 hours. So hopefully between the 12 hours and the tips, I made some good mullah. Oh and I broke a total of 4 glass objects between the 2 shifts. I was definitely on a roll yesterday! Haha!
I sent my old job an email finally telling them that I am not coming back......still awaiting the call. I am so nervous, but I think it will be okay. If you dont hear from me in awhile it may be that they have tracked me down and killed me.
Anyway, Peace ya'll and call me. I get bored sometimes and I like to talk to people!

Looking for an apartment in Alaska?

2008-08-10T18:13:00.002-06:00

Why yes, yes I am.......I have come to the decision that I am going to stay in Alaska for at least another yearish.......Kind of. I am like 90% sure. So ya!!! Big NEWS!! Not that any of ya'll care, but that is kind of a big thing. Anyway, I still have to find a place, but I have a roommate so that is good. I will be coming home mid september to pack up my stuff and get my truck and my dog then I will attempt the 5-6 day road trip up here! I am really excited!! So my little Alaskan Adventure is going to be extended. I still have to notify my old work at the Vet clinic, which has been my BIGGEST hang up on deciding whether or not to stay, but I have realized that I have to do what makes me most happy and right now.......staying in Alaska is what I want. This was a really hard decision, but in other ways it was really easy. I just feel good about staying, though it was really hard to weigh out all the other options back home and turn my back on some of my obligations, but in the end shouldn't being happy be my foremost concern rather than worrying about other people? I think so. My mom told me that I have to live my life for me, not for other people, which I think is very smart and I didnt realize that a lot of my decisions in life have kind of been based around other people rather than myself. Anyway, I have made the decision......So wish me luck and come visit me!!!!

Back to my current situation.........I hate Paula....no doubt about it. She gets weirder and weirder the longer I stay, maybe its my patience level that is wearing thin though instead. But either way she is still crazy! Aide moved out and moved to Anchorage to be with her daughter and so Dani moved into my room, which is cool. Its nice because we both have the same schedule most the time so it all works out.

I know there were lots of other things I was planning on writing in here, but now I dont remember, so, wish me luck and I shall see you all in a month or so! Maybe we can have a big party or something to celebrate me leaving! Haha!

Pictures!

2008-07-29T23:20:00.002-06:00

So did you hear about the girl from Utah that got attacked.....

2008-07-29T22:02:00.004-06:00

Haha....well, I have been asked this a lot in the past week, both from home and from here. But No I didnt. Cooper Landing is like an hour or so South or maybe North from here, honestly I am not sure. But I do appreciate all the calls, texts and posts that you all showed me you were worried. Poor girl, She should have used the trap in the ground like I did.....okay that was a really bad joke and maybe only Karen will get it and some other skousens, but whatevs. So ya, everyone has asked me that in the past few days since she was from Logan and people know thats where I was living, they thought I might know her. But who knows, maybe one day I can swap bear stories stories with her. I know it wasnt Black Love that got her because he is a Black Bear and I think the one that tried to eat her was a Grizzly.

As far as bears go, I have seen so many now! So much for wanting to see them in the first place, I just had to be patient. All the mama's and their cubs are out, I have yet to see cubs up close yet and I probably wont unless I want to end up like Logan Girl. The picture above is the type of bears I have been seeing. They are SO magnificent to see close up, but very scary too. And they have been having trouble with these 2 adolescent bears around employee housing where I live. Their mom got shot and so they have been hanging around because of the dumpster and there is a compost a little ways away so it is almost a daily thing for them to be around which is also kinda scary. But I am trying to be safe!

My computer charger broke last week so I havent had my computer for awhile and I cant even begin to tell you how happy I am to have it back. My link to reality! Jk, it was good for me though, it forced me to read Twilight once again, and I am still in love with Edward. It always takes me a few weeks to get through the first chapters, but once I get past them then I finish it in like a day. I cant wait for the new book, though I dont know if I am going to read the other ones before I read Breaking Dawn.....hmm...still contemplating that one. Anyway, Did I mention how much I love Edward?

So last sunday afternoon, I badgered Dani, the cool roommate, to go on this hike with me. She had already been on it multiple times, but I didnt want to go alone. So ya, I know I said that one of the reasons I came to Alaska, was to better "find myself" And I did find a part of myself that had been gone since I was a child. ADVENTUROUS HANNAH! Haha, but seriously I forgot just how much I LOVE hiking and exploring!! I havent really made time for it just because I was like "I'm chubby and lazy so I am not going to do it." But I did and it was so good and not even that tiring! I was like jumping around and just oooing and aaaahing at all the beauty around me, I dont know if it was a major endorphin high, seeing as I dont do hiking all the time, Lets not forget that I am chubby, as the photos can attest to! Anyway, I honestly can say that was probably the happiest I have been up here the whole time, was up in the mountains, next to the huge river, it was so astounding! I can see now why in movies you see the people chucking their cell phones into the rivers because they are so happy in the wild and they just want to get rid of society! Haha, dont hate for that. Its true and I didnt take my phone, but I just might have thrown it in I was that happy!

We hiked to the Hand Tram. Pretty self explanatory but you basically pull yourself across this massive gorge of raging rushing water. I didnt go all the way across because their was a family waiting, but I needed to at least get my pictures on it. The other picture is of one of the young bears that keeps coming by my house. He was running away though.

Anyway, I love ya! And I promise I will try and post more frequently now that I have my computer back.

PS Paula still hasnt killed me yet, but if you were able to watch the video that she was on please tell me what you think! Is she not scary beyond all reason?!

I LOVE ALASKA!!!! AND BEARS!!!!

2008-07-19T02:35:00.002-06:00

"You don't have to worry anymore, I got my bear!" "She got her bear..." (though slightly altered, name that movie.)

Its official, I can come home now, I have seen my bear! So not only did I get to see 2 bears tonight, but you get a little sample of Paula!! What a grand day indeed!!

So first off I saw one bear through the window of the hotel, the guests all had their noses pushed up against the glass and so I asked them what they were looking at, of course it was a bear and her cubs! So I looked through the binoculars and sure enough their was my bear. That just made my day! Everyone was rolling their eyes at me because I was to happy about seeing the bear, they kept calling me a "tourist" which was a title I proudly wore. So I finish the night on a high note and come home. I showered then decided to eat something and good ole Paula said she was going out for a smoke. Next thing I know she runs back in the house and says "Quick! Bear at the bottom of the steps!" You better believe I was up and out on that porch as fast as a chubby kid on cookies. HE WAS RIGHT THERE!!! He just kept looking at us like "What? So what I am a bear? Big Deal." Well, Mr. Bear, who I will call Black Love, it is a very big deal to me! I ran and got my camera, so by the time I got my camera and tried to take 2 unsuccessful pictures, he had gone quite a ways, so I opted with the recording which is even better because I was able to take advantage of the opportunity and film Paula, but the sound cuts out right before she talks!! So you don't get to hear her raspy man voice, though you see what I mean when I say she looks like a frog! Anyway, I was too excited not to share this with ya'll!! Hope you enjoy!

Okay so After 2 days of trying to get this video uploaded on Blogger it never freakin worked so here is the link to Myspace

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusaction=vids.individual&VideoID=38976576

Indiana Jones, The Terminator, and the best show possibly ever!

2008-07-16T16:40:00.004-06:00

Okay first and foremost, Yes I am still alive, Paula hasnt tried to kill me yet. She is still as weird as ever, but I am coping. So here are a few little updates and I will start witht he most important.

HARRISON FORD was here! And Calista Flockhart, but really who is more important......Ally Mcbeal or Indiana Jones? He got here last Sunday and was here until today........all I wanted was a glimpse of him......THATS ALL! But alas, Alaska has yet to bestow its mercy on me. First no bears, now no Indiana Jones and Co. Everyone got my hopes up because they were all saying "He is going to order room service so make sure your all prepared..." So I was totally pumped and I had worked out what I would say to him if I got the chance to serve him......but the stupid celebrity had to be all NORMAL and go down to the Restaurant and eat. Whatever Indiana...... My roommate Dani, the cool one, is a cook and she stays out on the buffet line and makes omelets for people that want them and so she got to make Harrison's Omelet! I hate her. Just kidding. And she got to see him at the pool. I on the other hand waited around, perused the hotel on my off time, I even walked by his room multiple times with Maribel and still nothing! Though I did touch his door. So there you have it. I touched Harrison Ford's door. Ya'll cant say that now can ya! I am not even THAT big of a fan of him, or her for that matter, but I just wanted the chance to say that I saw him, ya know, to have the one-upper on people when they would be like, "I saw the President of the US!" So I could be like, "Well, I saw Harrison Ford, so there." I have never seen so many people in such a whirlwind of excitement though. I dont think I have ever heard his name more than I have the last few days, seriously, that is all ANYONE was talking about. And most everyone got to see him, except me...... Anyway, so I am pretty bummed about the whole thing, but now he is gone, drove off into the mountains in a Hummer Jeep with the Indiana Jones theme music blasting while he cracked his whip......so long Mr Ford.

Today, Mr Governor of California Arnold Schwarrzenegger is in da house! What What! Maybe I can hit him up for some weed. Just kidding everyone! Anyway, TWO celebrities in one week is too much for this little community to handle at one time. I am not even going to try and see Arnold, if it is meant to happen then it will. I was too let down by Indiana......Jk

Anyway, I finally bought my plane ticket home! Kinda sad though. I really can honestly say that as of right now I dont want to leave Alaska. I love it here, besides the psycho roommate, I could stay here for another year or so. I dont want to leave. Life is so peaceful and calming here. I rarely feel stressed and everything is just so evenly paced. Not to mention the constant beauty. I love it here. It will be hard leaving, I just wish you all could come here and then it would be perfect!

I have found the PERFECT reality show, move over American Idol, Big Brother, Survivor, The Biggest Loser and all those other wanna-bes. Greatest American Dog has now hit the tv circuit and I am in love with it!

Yes, you can make fun of me, and you can roll your eyes, but I am telling you! For dog lovers everywhere there isnt a better show! And truly only other dog people will understand why this show makes me so happy. It is really cheesy and gay, and some of the people are really annoying and too into their dogs but overall this show is amazing! And not to mention, there are NO labs in the bunch! I cant tell you how happy that makes me! Not that I dont love labs, but I just am glad that they have a diversity of breeds on the show. There was this one quote from the old New Yorker with the Jack Russell on the show that was something like "we are all so different, but the one thing that has brought us together in commonality, is our bond and love with our dogs." Ya, thats not right, but it was along those lines and it is soo true! Its on thursdays at 7 so if you love dogs and want to see others who love them too totally tune in! Anyway, I am sure I will have a whole blog dedicated solely to the show. :)

Well, those are the big things I wanted to write about, but hopefully it wont be this long before I write again! Love you all!

A trip to the insane asylum and I didnt even have to leave home!

2008-07-09T23:25:00.002-06:00

Okay, so first and for most. My roommate is beyond all reason, the weirdest, craziest (Crazy=creepy not crazy=fun) most psycho person. Yes I said it. Okay so to start out, for those of you who have read previous posts know who I am talking about, Paula. The 50 plus year old lady who has no teeth, huge glasses and smokes every 15 minutes. Now, this post is very judgemental, so think what you want but if you had to live with her, you would have no choice but to agree. So She writes in this notebook all the time, and I never thought about it until just the other day and I was curious about what she was writing. I assumed it was some sort of journal, but then again it could be her daily hit list, I dont know! Now keep in mind, she leaves it out, open, right on the counter, you know, that area that is usually everyones area in an apartment, so its not like I was really snooping, though I was. And as many of you know, once I have something in my head I am very curious and I want to know about it. And it drives me mad until I find it out, I'm curious, ya see (inside joke for Russ and Chris, though I doubt they read this.) Well, curiosity killed this cat! She is writing in it as if it were a journal, but yet it is laid out in like time increments and it follows the same pattern of what she writes about. Like every entry it she says how many text messages she sent out that day and when she showered and whether or not she washed her hair, and her sleeping pattern...........cue the freaking twilight zone music. I was totally unnerved because she had stuff written in there like "Hannah home at 11:30" and on another day, (yes, I flipped pages to see more) she wrote "Hannah was home 2 hours after her shift ended, I wonder where she was." Also, "Hannah has to be to work at 6:30 tomorrow so I hope she gets home soon." I dont ever tell her any of this stuff!!! WHAT THE FREAKING HECK!?!?! And believe me there was plenty of other crazy stuff in there. Even though I felt sick and unnerved it wasnt just me she wrote about, Aide and Danni are in it of course too. She writes about more feelings and situations she has with Danni where as me and Aide she writes about our schedules and what we do like "Hannah ate some dinner and then did the dishes around 9:45." Seriously, whack job! And I remember she would always get so mad because Aide would go in early to work and it would bug Paula so bad, though it was none of her business. Anyway, I didnt know what to do and I was all worked up so I called Amanda and there I was freaking out and they just laughed, but its okay because it kinda is funny, I mean, didnt I ask for an adventure? Well, this is turning out to be more of a Silence of the Lambs type of adventure versus "I'm gonna go have fun in Alaska" Adventure. After talking it out with Amanda and being chastised by my mother for looking at the notebook, (even though it is always left out, I mean, if you dont want anyone to read it, then put it away in you room) They said she may have some sort of OCD or something. Whatever it is, it bothers me. Now I do HONESTLY feel sorry for her, but its hard when she is so creepy, to be nice to her and be around her. I know you are all thinking I am a terrible person and that I need to grow up, but truly you dont understand, this lady is so weird! And to have her writing crazy stuff like that makes me even more weirded out. Anyway, after the initial adrenaline kick and a night or two to sleep on it, I do feel better. I still think she is crazy, but I still have 2 more months to live with her so I just got to buck up and deal with it! Ah, venting session over....I think.

Quote of the day

2008-07-02T23:39:00.002-06:00

"Life is hard, after all, its what kills you. " - Katherine Hepburn. Word Katherine, I totally agree.

OH the places you'll go! -Dr. Suess

2008-06-29T21:53:00.005-06:00

Ah yes, here I am back again to the wonderful world of blogging! I have been really busy, which has been a first since being here because since I didnt have any friends all my free time was spent with my computer or books. Anyway, As you can tell I posted what pictures I had of the wedding. Jeremy took like 400 and when I get the CD I will post a bunch so you guys can see them all, there are some good ones! Well, Going home was really good for me. It gave me a break from Alaska, not that I am not enjoying here, but it just gave me a little reprieve so I could see my family and friends and not feel so homesick. Cassie looked absolutely amazing! She was happy and even though Cassie's natural tendency when she is stressed is to shut down and not talk to anyone, if she was stressed she didnt show it! She was excited and beautiful! I love her so much and I am so happy for her and Joseph. He is perfect for her and they are great together! Joseph's family is great as well! I got to meet a few of them the night before and I made them all race while making the fruit kabobs and they joined right in. Cassie is lucky to have them in Arizona because I am going to miss her dearly. Now that she is married I have come the realization that I am not hardly going to see her as often! OH well, thats life. The Temple was hot, the luncheon was hot and the reception was hot! I am used to the 50-75 degree weather I have daily here and not the scorching 95-100 degrees that it was while I was in Utah. Vomit! I came back with a sunburn, which was actually kinda nice, made me feel like I had actually been on vacation!

While I was home I decided to do something different with my hair, so I chose highlights since chopping my hair is out of the question! I love it! And if you look down in the photos below you can see what it looks like. Cassie was mortified that I did it and her excuse was exactly this, "Well you have virgin hair, so you can donate it. Why would you color it?" This was my response to her. A)Been there, done that, already donated my hair once and it made three wigs, so there, I made up for a few years with that. B) Well, everything else is virgin, I guess I gotta start desecrating with something! Okay well, please dont take offense to that one, just blame my family for my sense of humor. Joke! Love them!

Anyway, I sang and played the mandolin at the wedding luncheon, made a fool of myself in fact, but all was well and forgotten by the reception. Which brings me to my next point. Remind me not to invite my mother to my wedding! Just kidding, but she had a moment of freak out, which was validated, but man oh man I just hope I have a calm, cool, relaxing wedding. Anyway, all jokes aside, the reception was beautiful and went well thanks to many, MANY hands, especially Pam and Amber Sorensen who basically decorated the back yard, and an ENORMOUS thanks to the Mickelsens who took pity on us and let us use their backyard for the reception! Which again brings me to my next point, The DJ. (lets all take a minute and swoon) Alright back on our feet. My goodness he was dreamy! And I made a point of telling my brother. Bad idea number ........well, I dont know what number, but it was a bad idea. Anyway, as the night wore on and I got crazier, my brother took it upon himself to go ask the DJ if he would dance with me, OF COURSE the DJ politely declined saying that he had a weight limit with people he danced with......JUST KIDDING! But he did decline with the excuse that he has a serious girlfriend....whatever Mr. DJ, just put a record on, I wanna dance with my baby (thank you Madonna). Speaking of dancing, what a night! Basically just my family danced, but it was amazing! I love to just get out and get crazy, which I did and made a fool of myself, but oh well! Even my Grandma got out and danced! It was quite the night. The Divas made their appearance as well, I can only dream to one day aspire to be a Diva! HAha!

Well, finally the night was over and the next day I was able to meet with some friends before I left which was great! I really have the bestest friends ever. All of them! I love them so much!

Now for the flights back to Alaska! The flights to Utah were unentertaining except for the dog that whined the whole flight basically, but I had more patience for that than most, I wonder why? JK. But I flew from SLC to Las Vegas where I met these two Japanese boys who invited me to stay in Las Vegas and hang out with them, OH it was funny, but I politely declined. It was kinda awkward too. Anyway, I was so tired and I didnt want to sleep on the 5 hour flight to Alaska because I had a cold and so I didnt want to snore, its a weird fear issue I have, okay. Just let me be obsessive for a bit. Anyway, So I drank 2 energy drinks to help me stay awake. Not to mention I had to pee every 5 stinking minutes and I still ended up falling asleep, whatever. But thats getting ahead of myself. As I was walking to my terminal to leave for Alaska a huge herd of children about the age of 10 passed me. I am talking like 50-60 kids. In my head I said, and I quote myself, "Sucks to be anyone who has to fly with them." Yep, karma sucks! I went on tour once in high school with about 100 kids from school and I was annoyed on the plane with kids that I knew, so you can imagine how much I was hating my life on this flight. They kicked my seat and yelled and laughed. It was awful. Luckily the girl who sat next to me was about my age and we just commiserated together in hate for the young children. BUT it gets better! I have to back up a bit though, So while we were boarding there was this passenger at the front desk area and he looked like "The Soup Nazi" from Seinfeld. Seriously! Anyway, He was having a fit about something with the boarding attendant and was yelling about something. So ya I already had it in my head that these kids were not going to help his blood pressure. So mid flight the kids had gotten to their peak of boredom so of course they are doing everything annoying as possible and Soup Nazi guy gets up and yells, "Sit down and shut up you kids! There are other people on this flight besides you!" and slowly the kids sat down and quieted and some old guy in the front of the plane started clapping! I couldnt help but smother my laugh! I was dying! But not 20 minutes later the kids were back being annoying, but at a lower level. Well, I made it safely back to Girdwood and I didnt realize but I kinda missed it! I guess that is good right? Well, I have more I want to write but my hands are tired. So goodnight and so long and Next time I will write about the boys, I mean men, here....what a post to look forward to! JK. Love ya!

The night before the wedding, the temple and a few friends from Alaska! Yes I know, random.

2008-06-29T21:51:00.001-06:00

Back in the Saddle Again

2008-06-23T18:03:00.003-06:00

Well, I am back in Alaska now, :( But its okay because now I am another month closer to coming back for good and it was a good break! So I will write another post about the wedding and flights and so on, because there are some good ones, but I dont have the time really today.

As with all vacations, soon as you are home, the work begins! This morning was crazy, first they needed me to come in early (5:30am, yes it sucks) Which I didnt find out till I woke up at 5:20, yes neat. Anyway, throughout the busy morning I opened an orange juice carton and just kept pouring myself a small glass of orange juice. Well, because I was busy and not really paying attention to how much I was drinking, it wasnt until the last few drops dripped out into my cup that I realized I had drank the whole carton, it was a half gallon. Needless to say I am suffering the consequences.............and if you dont know what those consequences are, go drink a half gallon of orange juice and find out yourself.

I cut and highlighted my hair!! Its a little crazy and bold of me, but I REALLY like it! I will take a picture and post it. Well, word homies and peace out, I gotta go fight bears!

Oh and PS: 39 days and still NO sighting of a bear. Where's Yogi when ya need him?

Free food!

2008-06-12T15:26:00.002-06:00

Okay so last night the hotel had set up for all of room service to go up and eat at the Seven Glaciers restaurant on them! We were all totally excited because this is like 5 star restaurant quality food! So four of my other coworkers went on monday and they all said it was so amazing! My excitement level jumped ten levels! So the big night came and I got all dressed up! I think it was the first time I have really gotten ready here, well besides for church. But anyway, So we met up at the room service area, where you see the one picture of all us girls. Then we went to the tram and rode it up the mountain, it was so neat! Apparently this tram was the steepest tram in the US. Pretty cool! So the ride up was great. We got there and they sat us in their "prime seating location" which wasnt a lie because we could see everything! They really hooked us up big time, I can definitely see that there are some perks from working here. So we sat down and they told us we could each order an appetizer, soup, salad, entree, and dessert! The only thing we had to pay for was the liquor, which obviously I wasnt worried about needing to pay for!

I went up with Chantel, Nicole, and Paul. Okay, so you know in movies when the people go to this fancy schmancy restaurant and everything is clean and perfect and extremely wealthy looking, ya well this is the kinda place it was. I mean seriously I am a mop-up-my-gravy-with-bread-and-whatever-is-left-on-my-plate kinda person, I was totally out of my element. I even had to do the whole "start from the outside in" with the silverwear! Hello! Never went to etiquette school. So first they brought out the wine, they all wanted to try the red wine, and I just stuck to my water, even though they poured me a glass. Which you can see in the photo of us at the table, so no I didnt drink, but everyone else did and my goodness did Chantel and Nicole get drunk! It was so funny! But after that they brought out the apppetizers and I had the King Crab Cocktail thing....WOW it was so good, and seriously looking at it, there was no way I would have ever wanted to try it, but I did and it was delicious!!! It even had this coleslaw type stuff with it and I hate coleslaw, but I ate it all! We all swapped and they were all amazing. Next was the soup........this was the best of anything......and I mean.....Anything, I have ever tasted in my entire lifetime, And believe me, I love food!! It was some sort of Bisque, and I could eat it everyday for the rest of my life it was INCREDIBLE! Next, was the salad and I had a ceaser, honestly nothing to shout about, but it was still good. After that was finally the Entree and I had the Free Range Chicken, and it was SPECTACULAR! I tried the others King Crab and that was amazing as well. So of course last but not least, we ordered dessert. I had the Baked Alyeska, it is our number one dessert and after serving it to tons of people and drooling over it, I finally wanted to taste it, it was sooo mouthwatering delicious it is the little ball of ice cream covered in chocolate, then surrounded by chocolate mouse and all that is on top of a small brownie. To top it off, the entire thing is covered in merange so it looks like this little cloud of heaven......I could have died right then and been the happiest person in the world! Even though everything was, like as I said before about the super fancy restaurant, the servings were all very small, but thats all we needed to taste it, and the fact that we had something of everything, we were so full by the end. Our total bill came to almost $450!!! Good thing we werent paying! Well, enough of my love affair with the food. As for the drinkers, Paul really didnt drink that much because he had to drive, but Nicole and Chantell just kept drinking, and they got so drunk. Wow, drunk people are so funny! Chantell was snorting and laughing at everything which was making me laugh even harder! Oh they were killing me! It was so much fun and the entire night was great! I was able to get out with some people and do something fun! I thoroughly enjoyed myself! Seriously I wish you all could have been here to try it!!

A Night on the Town!

2008-06-12T15:24:00.001-06:00

I have a pet squirrel!

2008-06-07T20:35:00.003-06:00

This is true, as of yesterday I know have a pet baby squirrel! And his name is Nutso, I know real original! Haha, okay so before everyone has a fit, and thinks the crazy animal lover has crossed the line, its really not THAT true. Yesterday while I was walking home, this little squirrel was up ahead looking for some food in the gravel, normal. So I kept walking because as we all know, squirrels run away when a huge human approaches, But this squirrel could have cared less that I was walking right up to him, not normal. He continued to sift through his gravel even though I was a foot away from him. Now keep in mind he looks very young so the poor child probably didnt know better, or he was being a rebellious teenager, not sure....okay I will stop comparing the animal to humans. So I continue walking, I turn around just to have one look at the cute little baby squirrel and lo and behold, he is following me! He ran right up to my foot and sniffed it. At this point I was worried he was gonna climb my leg and eat my face. So a slowly backed away and continued walking, and so did he, though he ran because he is small. He followed me all the way to my stairs which he cant really climb because they are grates. Anyway, he sniffed around and then went around the corner. Seriously just call me the squirrel whisperer. Haha, Just kidding, but it was a funny weird experience.

Now if I believed in reincarnation I would probably think it was some dead relative trying to connect with me, but squirrels are just squirrels and Nutso is now my friend! Here are some pictures, and NO I didnt try to pick him up mother, dont worry! :)

I am telling you, he was tiny! Anyway, Thats all for now!

OH wait! I got a new roommate! Thank the heavens and the stars, because she is younger like 22-25ish, dont know yet, but her name is Danni and she is pretty cool, though I think she hates being Paula's roommate, which makes her even cooler. I just feel bad she has to deal with her. Anyway, She is doing an externship for being a cook, she went to culinary school and everything so thats pretty neat! Anyway, love you all and have a good one! I seriously love you guys!

PS only 10-11ish more days till I am home for Cassie's big wedding! Cant wait to see you all!

The Moose, Church, and the puking episode!

2008-06-02T18:39:00.003-06:00

Okay, So there is a lot to catch everyone up on!! Well, lets start with the fact that I saw MOOSE today!!! It was sooo great! I was on the bus headed down to town and just down one of the streets we passed there were two young calves in the street and their huge mother was just on the side of the street! OH it just made my day! Not only did I just see a moose, but I saw babies! OH what a day!

Anyway, back to the agenda. Starting with last week. So I have been semi quiet because there isnt much for me to talk about when I am at work, but the other day Tyson (the one who is worried the government has aliens) was talking about getting a dog and I told him that I knew "a little bit" about dogs and that I used to work at a vet clinic. Well, he started asking all these questions about dogs and I could not shut up! I was out of control! It was like word vomit about dogs....oh well. He said "Geez Hannah this is the most I have heard you talk!" I just smiled and nodded and mentally slapped myself. But it was nice, because for ONCE in my life, someone was actually interested in my useless pathetic dog knowledge.

Well, so one night it was word vomit and then it was real vomit! Okay, so saturday night I had the worst headache. It was one of those nights where everything is awful and takes ten times longer than usual just because you are feeling terrible, well I had finally got everything finished and Tyson was just finishing the paper work and I knew I was gonna puke! But I didnt want to puke in front of him. I asked if he could leave and basically ran to the elevator. I was hoping I could just make it down to the next floor, but soon as the doors closed in the elevator, I lost it and puked in my hands. IT WAS AWFUL!! And totally embarrassing! It was seriously the worst night ever. Oh geez!

So after a good nights rest I felt better and I went to the church the next morning. The branch meets in a little catholic community center right behind where I live so its great because it just takes 1 minute to walk there. So I walked in and went and sat down, right away this older lady came and talked to me. It felt so good, there was only 28 people there and that is with 6 visitors. The regular branch members were on cloud 9 with excitement that there were so many people there! It was funny! It was fast sunday and so right after testimonies we went downstairs and ate food! So it was just a big linger longer, and the food was delicious! I dont know if I havent had real good home cooked food or it was just really delicious food, but either way it was great! And they had lots of fruit and it was the best tasting fruit ever! My Branch President has hair down to his waist that he puts in a pony tail and he has a big ol' beard, gotta love Alaska! I met three boys around my age from Wyoming, one of them is GORGEOUS! And I also met Jake and Julie Atkinson, He grew up in Riverton and played soccer with my brother and his mom and my mom are good friends! It is such a small world! Anyway, it was a really good day! I love the church! The best part of the day was the feeling of the spirit and comfort I felt. Since I moved here, everything and I mean EVERYTHING is different. My job, my lifestyle, my living situation, everything, and even though the church building was different and the people were different it was all so familiar and it was the best feeling I have had this whole time! The church is true no matter where you go.

Well, then today I saw the moose and that was about the extent of my excitement!! Sorry no new pictures. I take my camera everywhere, but I just havent taken any photos in awhile. I will try and be more diligent! Love you all!

The Breakdown....

2008-05-26T18:14:00.001-06:00

Okay Okay, I made it 11 days, we all knew it was inevitable, and it happened. Yesterday, I had my breakdown. I think that the bright and shiny newness of the adventure and being somewhere incredible wore off and I was very aware of all the people and things I am missing. It was the toughest day so far and it was filled with lots of self pity and tears. BUT, today is a different day, The Smile is back and I am being happy and optimistic! Well there is so much I have to update you all on. First things first.....my hideous uniform! I feel like a butler....askhannah.com or a freakin penguin, whatever, either way its disgusting.

This is more scenery, but actually you wouldnt believe that the time when I took this picture was almost 11 0'clock at night! Its so crazy adjusting to the light here. Its definitly not hard for me to sleep through though! Its only dark from about 11:30pm to about 4:00am and I hear that it only gets shorter!

That is one of the restaurants (FYI I just had the hardest time with spelling that blasted word, I am losing my mind and my spelling skills! Seriously I had to look it up on the internet! pathetic) Anyway, this is one of the RESTAURANTS of the Hotel. People ride a tram up to the Seven Glaciers and eat and enjoy the amazing view! Hopefully I can get up there so I can show you all just how far it is, this picture doesnt do it justice.

Just let it happen, I look cool and I have cool hair. I was very, VERY bored.
I have cool wings! Haha, anyway back to Alaska. So I now have a PO BOX! Woo hoo! So if you feel so inclined to send me a letter, card, chocolates, a good book, yourself because I miss you all so much! JK dont send anything, but I now am reachable in Girdwood. Also, I am legal to serve alcohol in the state of Alaska, I have a cool little card that certifies me too! It was the most boring 2 hours of my life!! I felt stupid though because everyone was swapping drunk stories and I just sat there. It was neat.

Here is a paragraph about some of the few people I have met and work with, they are so interesting!

Chantel - she has been my trainer mostly and she is 4'11" so I told her she is my substitute for Cami while I am here. Even if she is like 25 years older than Cami. She is my short person.

Maribel - She is a doll! I work with her and she is just a young mexican mother, she is a sweet heart.

Paulette - She is my roommate who has no teeth, bottle cap glasses, smokes non stop, she loves me and always wants to hang out with me and sadly I cant stand her! She drives me crazy, but you always gotta have one of those roommates!

Aide - my room roommate, she is 53 and it is so funny! I thought she was like this innocent sweet lady, but she makes fun of Paulette! Not in a mean way, but just makes fun of her little quirks and it is just really funny to watch her mimic Paulette. Also she is LDS.

Tyson - oh he is crazy! He is like 30 something and he has gout. He is so sad that he now has to limit his beer and meat intake, also he is so worried that the government has these aliens that are going to take over or whatever, he is so nuts!

Willie - he is the resident creepy old philapino man, his favorite line is "Hannah, you need a sugar daddy?" "No Willie, I'm good right now," "Okay Hannah, I will wait." Its all in good spirits though.

Courtney - Just met her today and LOVE her! She is fun and we get along. She swears like a sailor!!!

Anyway, that is just a glimpse of the few interesting people I have come in contact with.

K guys, I think that is it for now. Keep in touch and there should be more to come!

The Host, PHENOMENAL!!!

2008-05-23T21:54:00.000-06:00

Okay, of course I have more of Alaska to share with you, but as of 2 minutes ago, I finished reading The Host and WOW, WOW!!!! Its been awhile since I have honestly been "moved" by a book. I dont know why. Maybe its my longing for home, my family, my friends, those things familiar to me, and that "some one special" who has yet to appear in my life (and he better freakin hurry up, JK) that has me so worked up over this book! I will admit it was slow and dragging in the middle, it was good, but I would sometimes get bored. The last half of the book, even just the last 5 chapters are so....................gut-wrenchingly-honest are the only words that come to my mind! I was literally crying for the losses and the sacrifices made; I was laughing out loud at the joy, fulfillment and hope of the characters! What the freak Stephenie Meyer?!?! She has made these fictional characters mean something to me and made me feel everything they were feeling! Either I am crazy or she is one hell of a writer! Or both who knows. ;) Anyway, READ THIS BOOK! I promise you, it makes you think of those who are near and dear to your hearts and evaluate your relationships with them. I really dont know if this is just my reaction to being so far away from those people I love or if this book really is just THAT great! Please when you finish reading it tell me what you think! Oh my gosh its Amazing! Okay I am done.

My first trip to downtown Girdwood

2008-05-19T19:45:00.000-06:00

Me waiting for the bus to pick me up on the side of the road. I am totally chubby.

Downtown main street of Girdwood. Its quite the happenin' place!
The Merchantile Store of Girdwood

Okay, so I have been here 5 days and still no sightings of a bear! This slightly disappoints me, but I still have all summer. It is so weird to think that I am going to be here for a whole summer because so far it just seems like a vacation. I seriously feel like I am camping in a really nice KOA. But besides that, Saturday was my first day, and OH what a day! I started at 6:30 in the morning, which isnt that bad, the walk to work had me more nervous than my actual first day. Seeing as how it was freezing and no one else was out and that despite the fact I really really wanna see a real live bear, I didnt want it to happen while I was by myself early in the morning. But all was well. So they decided to train me in Room Service first because they are short staffed. Seriously room service is so gay. Its for lazy people who dont want to leave their rooms to eat, which if I had the money, I would take full advantage of! But still, I think it is stupid. But as they say, dont shoot a lame horse in the mouth, actually I dont know what the phrase is, but I wanted to say something profound. I was praying everytime I went to a room that they would at least be somewhat covered so I didnt see any naked people. So far so good. I like doing room service though because, for those of you who know me well, know that car washes and elevators are just about the most fun things I love to do! So I get to ride the elevator all day! Its sort of hard getting used to the kitchen and knowing where things are and how to make them, but I try and help out as much as I can so I dont look like a loser. I wanted to write about my first day that day, but I was so tired and I had a really bad headache so to my bed I went.

Today is my day off and I was extremely bored and decided to ride into town! Just the thought of riding the bus was scaring me! I think I have a little bit of some sort of some disorder because its not hard to ride the bus, but i was all worried about finding the bus stop and then if I was going to miss the bus. My anxiety level has definitely increased here. But either way the bus ride was good and it was nice to get out of my apartment and the hotel.

One thing I noticed while I was in town, EVERYONE has their dog with them! It was my first time having nostalgia here for my dog Emily, no offense to any one else. But I miss her dearly.

I walk everywhere here. To work, from work, at work, around the area, around town. and I have no choice really because I have no car. This is the first time that I havent had a car and it SUCKS!! But I am sure I will be grateful for the experience and yada yada all the feel good stuff, but since I walk everywhere Maybe, just maybe (crossing fingers AND toes, and holding my lucky rabbits foot) I just might lose some weight, but we will see. Then I wont look so appetizing if I come across a bear!

I have been reading THE HOST in my very large amount of spare time, so if anyone else is reading it I wanna know what you think of it. Anyway, SO long and I still have to get a picture of my hideous uniform so you can all see it. Later!

I am FINALLY here!

2008-05-15T17:13:00.000-06:00

So all the stress, worrying, anxiety is all in the past, oh wait, just kidding! But I am finally here, that part is over with, and surprisingly I have been okay, it is my second day and no break down yet! Haha, but seriously let me tell you about the great airports I visited - here is the descriptive itinerary for you!

I left SLC at 10pm on tuesday night, I was panicking, but holding the tears at bay. My first flight was to Las Vegas. I think my flight attendant was on crack, she was out of control! Anyway, it was quick and I got to have the row to myself.

Las Vegas Airport is NUTS! People are weird! There was this young John Lennon look alike that with diamond shaped glasses who was sitting next to me, talking to his friend about vegan marshmallows! What the Freak! Anyway, then they proceeded to argue over the price/taste/quality, meanwhile I was eyeing the slot machines wanting to try one, but I was too scared to look like an idiot not knowing how to work one! So I said to farewell to my short stay in Vegas airport at midnight and proceeded to Seattle, where I was quite sleepless.......Haha. Anyway, on the flight there I again had the whole row to myself so I laid down and tried to sleep. I couldnt sleep because there was this lady close by me that kept making these loud moaning noises and talking in her sleep, I was wondering when the flippin flight attendant was gonna go wake her up and tell her to shut up so the rest of us could sleep. Just about then the flight attendant came and tapped me........yes I was loud annoying person. I was sooo embarrassed! I rarely talk in my sleep, but I think all the stress and nerves triggered something in me, either way it was mortifying. I didnt sleep the rest of the time. We got to Seattle about 2:40am, where I wanted to sleep but couldnt really, and plus, I was worried about the previous event happening again. So I went to my gate where a few others had taken camp. I settled on down and waited to 6:00am to board the flight. We didnt leave till about 6:30 because of "mechanical difficulties". Okay, here is the deal, you do not tell people that are about to fly over mountains and wilderness, that their plane is delayed for "mechanical difficulties!" Flashes of LOST and the movie ALIVE went through my head. Anyway, I sat next to a nice fisherman who told me a few stories about fishing......I fell asleep while he was talking to me, that was pretty stupid. Anyway, I slept the majority of the time, but with frequent checks of waking up to make sure that I wasnt making crazy noises. We arrived in Alaska at just after 9am.

I was so happy to finally be here after a full night of traveling. A nice girl named Jaimie from the resort, she is actually my boss come to find out, picked me up and we went to get something to eat. Not to mention, but I started my freaking period the night before So I had to make her stop and get tampons. The drive from Anchorage to Girdwood is absolutely Amazing! There are mountains on one side and the ocean is on the other and beyond the ocean is more mountains. It was Beautiful! I will have to get pictures sometime. Anyway, we came to the Alyeska resort and I went in to get my paper work and everything taken care of. Then I came to my apartment where I came to find out I live with 2 women over the age of 50!! What the hell! Anyway, I didnt know whether to laugh or cry so I just went with it. Aide is my roommate and she is mexican. She is mormon and was so happy to find out that I was mormon too! This morning she spent an hour telling me about her family and her life and just everything, I cant understand her all the time, but most of it I can pick out. Paulette is another story, thank goodness I am not her roommate, she is messy! And I mean messy! And she looks like a fish. For those of you who have heard stories of my first roommate Kammi at Snow, this her in about 30 years. Oh well, She is nice and she has given me some really helpful information about how to get around and stuff. I love her glasses though they are about 1/2 and inch thick and about a fist-size around totally bottle cap glasses that make her eyes pop out and look huge!! OH I wish you guys could see this! I will try and get pictures with out making it look like I am creepy. Anyway, I am enjoying it so far. I fell asleep at 6pm last night and didnt wake up till 5am this morning then slept till about 11:30am- Wow jet lag is real!

Anyway, It has been good so far and there is no sign of a breakdown moment yet. I dont know when I start work because I have to wait for the drug test which I did yesterday. So for now I am just busy moving in and getting things in order, if you are still reading this I am sorry it is so long!! There will be more to come!

First day in Alaska

2008-05-15T17:11:00.001-06:00

The Start of Something New!

2008-05-11T15:43:00.000-06:00

Okay so for all of you who dont know, I AM GOING TO ALASKA!! *cheering* It has been planned for some months now and though it didnt become a REAL decision until about a month ago, it has seemed to be a good idea, so far.....
There have been more than a few bumps along the way to getting there. And by bumps I dont mean little speed bumps, I mean huge gaping pot holes that almost completely total your car....metaphorically speaking. Anyway, here is the long and short of it...
I originally planned to go with my friend Cami, then we got another girl Jean on board, then Jessi. The four of us were going to have a spectacular summer....then Cami (because of school reasons) and Jean(who knows why) couldnt go, so then there were two, me and Jessi. At least I would have someone :) Right? Wrong.....As of yesterday she is now engaged and staying home to plan the blessed event. As happy as I am for her.......I want to shoot myself! The stress is overwhelming and I dont know if I can hack it on my own. I am going to somewhere completely foreign to me and I will only have myself and the Lord to rely on, in a new job that I have NO, absolutely no, experience in.....waitressing. Not to mention a dont understand airports and I have two stops on my way to Alaska! I am freaking out! Its all gone to hell!
But, even though this has proved to be the hardest, most frustrating decision I have ever made and still have yet to experience, I know I am supposed to go. Bottom line. I have fasted and prayed about this multiple times and I know that for some distorted reason the Lord wants me in Alaska even though I have doubted quite a few times. The second time I was fasting about it I was watching TV and a commercial came on featuring this beautiful mountain range landscape and the voice over said "Come to Alaska!" No joke. So I think the Lord is sick of beating me over the head and telling me to rely on faith rather than fear.
Okay enough testimony for one blog. If you are reading this right now, my deepest condolences. But thank you. Keep in touch and check back for more updates on Alaska!!
Lets all hope I dont get eaten by a bear! :)