I've had half a dozen posts in mind but haven't found time to write them out. Now that I have the time, I can't remember any of them. Very annoying. Oh wait! They're coming back to me. Kind of.

So we had a bonfire to burn my Christmas tree. We got a fire going in one pit (and by we, I mean my boyfriend...I didn't realize we'd need lighter fluid) and set the tree up in another. We were just waiting for my roommate to come join us before sending it off in a blaze of glory. All of a sudden there was a commotion behind us and we thought, "Oh, someone else had a tree too." Then we kept turning and realized that they had taken our tree and lit it off in their own pit. I was rather annoyed. However, the story has a silver lining. We still got to see the tree burn (except my roommate), albeit at a greater distance. The high school kids who stole it looked like idiots because it fell over and sent burning ash all over the beach, and it's always fun when high schoolers look like idiots. And finally, there was a group at the pit behind ours, and with the way the wind was blowing, we would have sent burning ash all over them, which would have made us look like idiots. So really, it all turned out okay.

I've also been thinking a lot about a scripture that I always thought was a "well, duh" principle. Alma 2:25 "Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy." Men are that they might have joy. We're supposed to be happy! This life is not meant to be some big trial to be endured in misery, waiting for the life after to be happy. Yes, there are hard things and sometimes we will be sad. But real, lasting joy exists in life too. So seek joy.

I was always one of those girls who never saw what the big deal with Valentine's Day was. My parents always spent it at home with us kids. They'd exchange cards, maybe make a heart-shaped pizza, and call it a night around 9. That seemed like a good way to spend the day to me. In college, I proudly wore my "single" shirt to the gym that day and attended more than one anti-valentine party, though out of a need for something to do that day, not out of bitterness. But now I've seen the light. Valentimes is serious times. This year, I got flowers, breakfast, a walk on the beach, a museum visit, and dinner on the Santa Monica pier. And having now experienced a real Valentine's Day, I don't think I can ever go back to my carefree days of not caring. Turns out it's awesome to be spoiled for a day.

Life is good, friends. Life is good.

If you see it once, you'll never be the same again

I went to Vegas for the first time this weekend. Oh sure, I had driven through plenty of times, even spent the night at friends' houses...but I had never really been to Vegas. And let me say, it was quite a trip.

We started at the crack of before dawn so we could do a session at the Las Vegas temple (giving me three temples in three weeks). Late lunch was at Cafe Rio. I got my beloved pork salad, which is as addicting as the churros at Disneyland. By that time we could check in to the Bellagio for nap time.

View from our room

They upgraded us to the suite floor because they had run out of the room we were supposed to have. We certainly didn't complain about that. Not only did the bathroom have a phone, it had a TV. Even better, you could tune in to Channel 22 to hear the music for the fountain show. Definitely cool. "Dinner" was a crepe from Jean Philippe. They had this chocolate fountain that reminded me of Willy Wonka, only for grown-ups.


Then it was off to Love, which was fantastic. Trippy, but fantastic. My favorite was probably either the opening act of "Get Back" because of the people bungee jumping from the ceiling, or the part when they brought out two U-shaped ramps and four guys with rubber mop-head wigs did rollerblading tricks (sadly, I've already forgotten what song it was to). There was always so much visual stimuli...it was hard to know where to look.


We spent the rest of the night wandering various casinos, mocking hoochies in high heels and skimpy skirts, watching boats on the canal at the Venitian, and playing the penny slots. I lost a whole dollar in that endeavor.

Sunday morning we went to the spa. I learned that I like steam rooms, especially if they're infused with eucalyptus. Brunch was at the Hash House, where our food took f-o-r-e-v-e-r, which I really didn't handle well, having not eaten anything that day yet. Then we headed out in an attempt to beat the traffic (which we did, for the most part). And now...back to real life again.

I'm alive and I'm free. Who wouldn't wanna be me?

Happy new year, everyone! I love the chance the start of a new year gives us to reflect on our lives. I've decided mine is pretty good.

I have a good job. Yes, it stressed me out a lot last year, but I like the work and the people. Oh, and a paycheck is always nice.

I have a place to live. My house, though a little chilly at night right now, is perfect for me. It also happens to be in southern California, which means I get to enjoy beautiful weather, the beach, and Disneyland.

I have a car. I managed to replace both sets of brakes, some steering column part, and a tire this year, but most of the time it works quite well.

I have a healthy body. I didn't take advantage of that as much as I should have last year, and intend to be better about that this year. (No, this is not an "I'm going to lose 10 pounds" resolution; it's an "I'm going to take better care of myself" resolution.)

I have a phone. Even though I was only without a phone for about 12 hours, I really missed that connection to my friends and family. If I couldn't talk to my family on a regular basis, I don't think I could handle being so far away.

I have money. Not in the sense that I'm loaded, but that I can afford to buy food and pay rent, with enough left over for things like trips to Washington DC and cameras.

I have good friends. They keep me sane. They make me laugh. They make me want to be a better person.

I have a loving family. My parents are incredibly supportive (even when I do crazy things like move to California). And my siblings are all amazing.

Most of all, I have a testimony of my Savior, Jesus Christ. I know He lives; I know He loves me. That makes everything worth it.

Things I've done in the past 48 hours

Work: 18 hours*
Gone to the gym: 1.5 hours
Ate: 1.5 hours
Showered: .5 hours
Had TV night with friends: 2.5 hours
Midnight showing of Twilight: 3 hours
Attended my sister's swim meet: 3 hours
Disneyland: 6 hours
Slept: ...

* All times include transit time. I actually worked 16 hours.

Where the streets have no name

I saw more of California this weekend than I ever wanted to. See?


View Larger Map

We were headed home from a camping trip and got horribly, horribly stuck because of two separate wildfires. For those not familiar with the area, we should have been able to take the 91 to the 55, which would have taken about 30 minutes from where we got stopped. Instead, we spent 2.5 hours driving all around Diamond Bar, La Habra, and I don't know where else, nor do I want to know.

Aside from that, it was an absolutely splendid weekend hanging out with friends around a campfire, climbing over rocks, and taking lots of pictures.




Yep, it was worth it.

Why I moved to California

I have lost count of the number of times I've had some variation of the following conversation:

So, are you from around here?
No, I grew up in Wyoming.
Really? What brought you out here?
Work.

Occasionally, we go deeper and they discover that I had no connections here; it was only because I got the job. Then it becomes, "Really? You're so brave!" To which I reply, "I didn't really look at it that way. I was just doing what I wanted to do."

Let me 'splain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

My last semester in college, I wanted nothing more than to get the heck outta Dodge. I even had a sign on my wall that counted down the days until I could "leave this stupid town." Trouble was, I didn't have any place else to go. Home had family, but very few job or social opportunities. Salt Lake was almost as unappealing as Provo. So I found a place to live and got permission to keep my student job, thinking that by the end of the summer, I would have found a real job somewhere new and fabulous.

Then I interviewed for a job in Springville. I called my dad in tears after the interview because I knew I was going to get the job. He said, "Sweetie, that's a good thing! They're going to give you a job." "But it's in Provo!" I sobbed back. I wasn't upset about the job; I was frustrated because I knew that taking it was the right thing to do. Frustrated because it would mean staying where I was, which was contrary to my desires. Frustrated because I was afraid I would get stuck in Happy Valley, never to leave again, to end up as a crazy cat lady renting out my basement to students and dreaming of missed chances. But I knew it was what I was supposed to do, if not why it was, so I took it. For the next several months, the conversation went like this:

So, you're done with school, right? What are you still doing here?
ARGH! I have no idea.

I had signed up for Monster.com in my initial job search. Every week, they sent me an email with newly posted editorial jobs. Usually, I just deleted them without ever reading them, but every once in a while I'd open them up to see what was out there. I even sent out a few resumes, but nothing ever came of it. One night I read of an entry-level position in Irvine, California. Huh, I thought, California could be fun. So I sent in my resume.

A few days later, I was surprised by a phone call from the editor I had sent my resume to. I took and passed their editing test. I drove out one weekend to interview with the editor and the office manager. They called my references. And finally, they called and offered me the job. This time I didn't cry, but I had the same feeling that this was right.

I was reminded of that a few weeks ago when my office was interviewing for a new receptionist. The old receptionist, who has been promoted and is one of my friends, sat in on the interviews. They had one that didn't go so well. The office manager told my friend that this interview "was even worse than Mindy's." Apparently, I had an absolutely horrible interview, but they saw some sort of potential and my resume was good, so they offered me the job anyway. When my friend told me this, I was overwhelmed with a feeling that I am supposed to be here.

So that is why I moved to California. But this certainly helps:

How I came to be dressed like this for Halloween:

It all started with this little guy.


We found him while going through the server room before the office move. Seeing prank possibilities, we moved him around the office for a few days, freaking people out (at first glance, he's very alive looking). One day, I wandered in at 8:30 as usual to find my officemates had decided to dress him up for Halloween. "We thought it would be funny to dress him up as a teenage mutant ninja turtle!" I agreed.

Except it didn't stop there. The next thing I know, the ringleader is saying, "Wouldn't it be funny if we dressed up like ninja turtles?" And for some reason, I agreed with that too. I then dazzled them with my intimate knowledge of all things ninja turtle, including who was what color. We sewed them on our lunch breaks this week (and managed in secrecy until Thursday, when everyone decided that our closed door really meant "come on in!"). We even managed to keep the turtle in the action as Splinter.

But the best part of the whole thing was our trip to Costco. We had to pick up our pizzas for the potluck lunch. Someone else was driving and offered to take us with him. So while he (and half our office) waited in line to check out, we stood at the front of the store holding two large pizza boxes and waving at all the little kids who walked by. It was awesome.