Stuff I Know

*Even though I will NEVER be that girl who looks forward to it and/or loves it, exercise is exhilarating. It makes you feel empowered and amazing. Thanks, RHC for making me go biking tonight.

*Making others listen to your shizzy music when they are calling you is really annoying. I had to call an employee four times in the last two days and this is what I know: God is Great, Beer is Good and People are Crazy. Ugh!!!!!! Makes me want to put one of my favorite Spring Awakening or Next to Normal songs on my phone while people wait for me to answer.

*It is a little bit offensive to me that really GREAT movies only play in one theater (if any) in the great state of Utah. For instance, four times in the last two weeks I've had to drive to SLC to see various films and yet the movie Marmaduke will be playing on dozens and dozens of screens across the state. It is also offensive to me that Creation is not playing in an entire region of our country but I'm not in the mood to pick a fight with The Bible Belt today so I'm going to try and let it go.

*Elevators are H-O-T!

*10.75 more weeks until my colleague comes back from maternity leave and I get to just do my job. I really need to make a paper chain to help me count down the days. Yes, it is pathetic that I'm completely overwhelmed and it is only the beginning of week 2.

*I hate that one of my favorite songs from Rent is a Macy's commercial.

*I have the coolest friends. Ever.

*iTunes rules all. That's all.

Classes, anyone?

Don't get me wrong, I love Community Ed classes. I've been taking them for years as a great way to take fun classes for super cheap and they're also very fun. I've taken belly dancing, computer classes, photography classes, cooking classes, jewelry making, pottery, and I'm sure other even more random things. Tonight, I was looking at the most recent catalog looking to see which class I should take and found a bunch that I think will help me find a husband:

Concealed Firearms Permit Course
Backyard Birding
Fly Fishing for Fun
Gold Prospecting--Really?
Tae Kwon Do and Life Skills
Managing Anger--this one is my second favorite. I'm sure you can figure out which is my first.

I can't stop giggling. I know there's nothing truly wrong with these classes but I'm pretty sure I'm not going to find a good little dirty liberal like myself at any of these places. Pretty sure. Oh, also, who in their right mind is going pay $45 to take iPhone introduction? Good hell come on over and I'll freaking show you how to use it.

P.S. RHC--I think we should actually take a class--up for one?

Ridiculous

One of my most favorite things is when the little people use big words for the first time. I still remember the first time Brayden who is now 12.5 used the word 'Actually' in a sentence. "Actually, Ang, it is the dryer that shrinks clothes--not the washer". Love being corrected by a 3 year old. As if I didn't know that the dryer is the shrinker not the washer. However, in order to get something dryer worthy it MUST first be washed. By the way, it is nearly impossible to reason with a small child. Or, when he was the same age and he told my mom he was going to be a Paleontologist when he grew up. She asked if he knew what that was and he told her that it was a person who studied dinosaur bones. How did Dave and Adri produce such a brilliant kid? Tonight, Becky had Zack (he will be three next month) tell us his new word 'Ridiculous'. I LOVE IT! It is so completely adorable.

And the Question Is...

...how many times in three hours can someone go to the grocery store?

Answer...3.

1) Winco. Not sure how I feel about that store. It is definitely cheaper than anywhere else (and I really like that) but the crowds are horrible, the floor plan makes no sense and I HATE bagging my own groceries. If I wanted to do that I would work at a grocery store. Also, couldn't find three things and so I had to drop the groceries at my house and then go to Ridley's.

2) Ridley's. Picked up the few things I missed at Winco. Went home and made cookies. They look ridiculous but taste good. Not sure if I will be taking them to the party tomorrow so had to go out AGAIN to get different ingredients.

3) Allen's. Not my favorite store by any stretch but there were only a few cars in the parking lot so I ran in and got what I needed for the cupcakes.

Love grocery shopping. Love.

Pink?

I'm not sure where it all came from but I've been a little bit obsessed with pink lately. Not so much the artist although I do love her but mostly obsessed with the color pink. I have a new pink iPod and also a new pink wallet. I didn't think anything of it until my friend Jeff asked me if I had his niece's wallet. Is it super creepy? I don't care. I like pink.

Also, I must add although I know I've blogged about this before, all of it reminds me of a conversation from over a year ago between two of my colleagues about me:

R: Shaking her head...I don't even know who she is anymore.
Z: What do you mean? She's looks great.
R: She's wearing PINK. Pink. And she has critters on her ears!

(I was wearing a pink sweater and these really great pink & orange fish earrings)

Life is Grand. Really, really Grand.

I don't feel the way I've ever felt.

I know.

I'm gonna smile and not get worried.

I try but it shows.

Anyone can make what I have built.

And better now.

Anyone can find the same white pills.

It takes my pain away.

The only way I can properly get ready in the morning—is to jig around the bathroom singing and dancing while blow drying my hair. This morning during Pain by Jimmy Eat World I had the end of an epiphany that has been building for several days—I’m happy. I’m totally and completely at peace with myself, and my life and am comfortable in my own skin--I’m quite positive I’ve never actually felt like this. And unlike Jimmy it isn’t because of a little white pill. It started on Wednesday afternoon when I was texting Julia on the way to the airport and she told me, “you may be surprised to find how happy you are to be back”. I thought she was a little nuts or at the least just in a better place than me but honestly (you can ask anyone) all day on Thursday I was so happy and relieved and just felt good about the fact that I do live here. Yes, I miss my NY friends. I miss aspects of the life I had there but in the last several days I’ve realized: I HAVE A REALLY GREAT LIFE! I have the most amazing friends. I have a fantastic job that I’m really good at and that I truly enjoy. Yeah, I live in The UC and that’s hard but it’s helping me to be a better Christian—something that I’ve been striving for in the last year. I may not be currently drinking the kool-aid but I'm a good person and I do good things. Sure, I don’t fit in but I don’t want to. I like who I am. I’m weird and nerdy. I celebrate Easter and Passover. I like learning about other cultures and people. I try not to judge others and try to be understanding of the differences and similarities that we all share. I love all things pop culture. I love that I’m independent—that I can do things for myself—but also that I when I need to I can call a friend for help. I love that I can go to brunch with a friend and then go and see a movie by myself in the same day. I don’t want to do that every day but I LOVE that I can do it. I love that I can pay bills and download pictures from my camera and fix the flat on my bike. I love that I'm out living my life and not waiting for it to begin. I love that even though the human baby incubator thinks her life is more important than mine that it actually isn't more important--it is just different. Just to prove how nerdy I am I recently remembered something from one of my philosophy classes about the Greek philosopher Epictetus, “Because you consider yourself to be only one thread of those which are in the tunic. Well then it was fitting for you to take care of how you should be like the rest of men, just as the thread has no design to be anything superior to the other threads. But I wish to be purple, that small part which is bright, and makes all the rest appear graceful and beautiful. Why then do you tell me to make myself like the many? And if I do, how shall I still be purple?” Even though sometimes it is tough to be purple and rough to stick out that’s who I am and I want to be comfortable being the purple thread. In one of the Broadway shows that I saw last week we were encouraged to find the Rapture everyday--to find the little “r-rapture” in every day things. And so as I think about all the little “r’s” in my life and I add them up I’m incredibly blessed and so terrifically happy.