Life has been a little too good lately (the kind of too good that makes me wonder if something horrible is lurking around the corner). I've got all of my paperwork sent in to KU to get me all squared away for my practicum, which makes me positively giddy with anticipation. Where will I go? What will I end up doing? It's like Christmas with the added bonus of no awkward familial obligations.
Utah had a very unseasonably warm day yesterday, and because I'm the lucky kid that gets to go into work on Saturday, I could take off early and go on a bike ride. Bike rides= love. Well, for the most part. We watched all the stages of the Tour of California and it made me want to go pro. Not because I'd get to ride all the time or that I'd get paid the big bucks to wear spandex on a daily basis, but because they clear the ENTIRE ROAD for the races. No cars (except support vehicles) to worry about hitting you, so gone are the visions of slipping on some gravel and a nonobservant vehicle running over your road rashed body. It's like holistic prozac. Of course, there were plenty of wrecks that caused several broken bones and concussions, but I think I could deal with that if I knew I wouldn't have a car running over me. I wish police officers would spend some time road cycling so they'd have sympathy for us and start enforcing the three feet law on all occasions instead of just the ones involving someone getting hit by a car. This is a fantastic list of things you can do when you're driving to make sure people like me don't die.
Oh, and Mr./Ms. UPS person? You kind of defeat the purpose of having a bike lane when you park in it. Jerk.
So I saw this video and it inspired me to get into weight lifting seriously. With Bobby in athletic training classes, I decided to take advantage of his knowledge and have him design a training plan for me. For the first couple of weeks, in addition to bike riding, I'm doing some light resistance training. So light, in fact, I'm using just me and the occasional resistance band. Push-ups, sit ups, squat jumps. I understood the need to build a base, like I do with cycling, but I thought the first couple of weeks were going to be dull and minimally beneficial. I was so wrong! Squat jumps are the DEVIL. I only did three sets of ten reps, and my bum is so sore. Three sets of fifteen reps push ups (regular, not modified) is kicking my trash on a daily basis. Bob and Jillian would be so proud.
The relief society presidency from our new ward came to visit me yesterday, and our snow boards were at the top of the stairs, our bikes at the bottom, our trainer in our living room, and pictures of us surfing and the like around the apartment. They said they were tired just looking at everything. I sleep SO MUCH BETTER when I'm physically active though. Which is fantastic, because that's usually when my anxiety gets bad.
Speaking of which, I slept very well last night, but I also had a nightmare that happened the night before, and I think it's trying to tell me something. I had a dream that three individuals were trying to kill me. Those three individiuals?
The Jonas Brothers.
And off to work!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
A night (or three) in Vegas
Las Vegas has always had an appeal to me. Anywhere you can go and potentially see a trans-vestite/gender/sexual is fantastic in my book. Ever seen "To Wong Foo: Thanks for Everything"? It's quite possibly one of my favorite movies of all time (Patrick Swayze, bless his cancer-ridden-heart, makes a beautiful woman).
So when a three-day-weekend arose, and we found out Bobby's mom and step-dad would be coming out, we decided to make the drive south to gambling haven.
It was slightly atypical.
Friday night, our arrival, consisted of dropping off our belongings at a complete stranger's home. Bobby's friend Joe's mission buddy's parents were housing us for the first night until Bobby's mom's cousin would allow us to sleep on her floor (long story). We then headed out the door ("we" being Bobby, Joe, Bobby and Joe's friend Brock, and myself) to hit the strip and meet up with another mission buddy of Joe's, and his wife. Turns out the new buddy and his wife are vying for a position on the Olympic Speedwalking Team for 2012. We went from New York, New York (for those of who you are familiar with the strip) to the Bellagio going at about a 5.5 mph pace. The intent was to go to the front of the Bellagio and look at the pretty flowers, but we instead went in the wrong way and could not access the front. We made it out of the back of the Bellagio, and went at about a 6 mph pace until we were back at New York, New York, while I asked myself the entire time when we were actually going to go into some store/casino/hotel to look around. Never happened. By the time we made it back to New York, New York, we were sweating profusely and could scarcely breathe. Thank you, speed walking champs.
So we went back to where we were staying and crashed.
The bonus of the strangers' home was they are dog lovers. They had four little mixes, and one of them only had one eye, so I was in doggie heaven. I snuggled and got kisses and snuggled some more, making me miss my little girl a little bit less (just a little bit).
The next morning, Bobby went on a bike ride with Joe and Brock, and I went to the Las Vegas Temple.
Of course, I had decided on a whim to go, so I didn't have my recommend, and since I live in Happy Valley, my bishop didn't remember me by my name when they called him (I've only been in the ward for two months, and with new people all the time, it's hard for names to stick). I had to go into great detail about what I do and what Bobby does before the bishop remembered me. If you're ever in Vegas, definitely go to the temple. It's beautiful. The Celestial Room is probably my favorite of all I've seen.
Of course, later that evening when we met up Bobby's mom, step dad, Bobby's mom's cousin and her husband for dinner, I was informed that the part of town where the temple is happens to be where all the shootings happen. I'm glad I didn't know that prior to going.
After the temple, I went back to where we were staying to grab Bobby and go to one of my favorite places on earth: the animal shelter. It's very sad to go if you really think about it, so I choose to just focus on giving homeless pets some love. The NSPCA is a great facility for cats. They have several rooms filled with kitty condos, cat trees, and ledges that the cats can just roam freely in. No cages! I fell in love with two kitties- one with a squidgy eye infection, and the other one's inner eye lid was fused together on its right eye, so it had a permanent glazed over look. I like animals with deformed eyes. I think it's because that makes them special.
That evening was a lot of quality time with Bobby's mom, step dad, and Bobby's mom's cousin and her family. Lots of tongue biting ensued.
Bobby's mom's cousin has a dog who lives outside. We already know I'm anti outdoor pets, so I need not go into how I feel about the dog living outside. The dog's name is Sam, and she's a black lab heeler mix. She's 8 years old, but has all the energy of a puppy (heeler mixes tend to always be energetic). When Sunday rolled around, church didn't start until 2, so I spent a lot of time playing fetch in the back yard. Bobby and I ended up letting Sam in a bit more often than her usual allotted time (she sleeps inside the house), and it wasn't long before she knew who to follow. Why have a dog if you aren't going to give it constant loving? I tried to make up for it in the short time I was there.
Church was... weird. The lessons and talks were really good, the usual good churchiness, but there was a lot of big hair. Really big hair. I was very easily distracted by it, which is definitely all on me, but it certainly needs commenting on. Weird.
We went back to the strip Sunday night to walk around, and if you didn't already know, never look down when you're at the strip. There are lots of people who don't speak english handing out cards with pictures of naked women on them, which is very sad. As a result, there are lots of these cards on the ground, and it's hard to not feel sorry for the women in the pictures, and for the people handing them out trying to make some money.
We went to MGM, where I had to see the lions. I was told I must go see the lions, especially when I said we couldn't do anything that cost money. There was ONE lion, and it was sleeping. Some guy was petting it, which was pretty cool, but it was still slightly disappointing. We went back to the Bellagio to see the plants, and I was impressed. They made pandas out of leaves, and the baby panda was adorable. When we walked out, the fountains started going off, which was really impressive. When we went back to pick up Bobby's mom, we went through Paris, which was FANTASTIC. Seriously. I ached so badly to hop on a plane and go to the real Paris. The whole floor was transformed into a little Parisian village, with shops and food, et zut, je voudrais voyager a Paris maintenant! Mais non, je doit aller a KU pour trois semestre, et je n'ai pas l'argent pour mon voyage. En temps, je pense.
Monday morning meant quick shopping with Bobby's mom and my pleading to go home as soon as possible so we could get Peli. It was the longest I'd been away from her, and it was all I could do to not call my boss every three minutes to check in on her. We picked her up at 11 p.m. Monday night, just in time for her to pee on Ronda's couch. Fantastic.
My favorite parts of Vegas? The temple. And the animal shelter. Next time, I think I'll avoid travelling so far to get my fix.
So when a three-day-weekend arose, and we found out Bobby's mom and step-dad would be coming out, we decided to make the drive south to gambling haven.
It was slightly atypical.
Friday night, our arrival, consisted of dropping off our belongings at a complete stranger's home. Bobby's friend Joe's mission buddy's parents were housing us for the first night until Bobby's mom's cousin would allow us to sleep on her floor (long story). We then headed out the door ("we" being Bobby, Joe, Bobby and Joe's friend Brock, and myself) to hit the strip and meet up with another mission buddy of Joe's, and his wife. Turns out the new buddy and his wife are vying for a position on the Olympic Speedwalking Team for 2012. We went from New York, New York (for those of who you are familiar with the strip) to the Bellagio going at about a 5.5 mph pace. The intent was to go to the front of the Bellagio and look at the pretty flowers, but we instead went in the wrong way and could not access the front. We made it out of the back of the Bellagio, and went at about a 6 mph pace until we were back at New York, New York, while I asked myself the entire time when we were actually going to go into some store/casino/hotel to look around. Never happened. By the time we made it back to New York, New York, we were sweating profusely and could scarcely breathe. Thank you, speed walking champs.
So we went back to where we were staying and crashed.
The bonus of the strangers' home was they are dog lovers. They had four little mixes, and one of them only had one eye, so I was in doggie heaven. I snuggled and got kisses and snuggled some more, making me miss my little girl a little bit less (just a little bit).
The next morning, Bobby went on a bike ride with Joe and Brock, and I went to the Las Vegas Temple.
Of course, I had decided on a whim to go, so I didn't have my recommend, and since I live in Happy Valley, my bishop didn't remember me by my name when they called him (I've only been in the ward for two months, and with new people all the time, it's hard for names to stick). I had to go into great detail about what I do and what Bobby does before the bishop remembered me. If you're ever in Vegas, definitely go to the temple. It's beautiful. The Celestial Room is probably my favorite of all I've seen.
Of course, later that evening when we met up Bobby's mom, step dad, Bobby's mom's cousin and her husband for dinner, I was informed that the part of town where the temple is happens to be where all the shootings happen. I'm glad I didn't know that prior to going.
After the temple, I went back to where we were staying to grab Bobby and go to one of my favorite places on earth: the animal shelter. It's very sad to go if you really think about it, so I choose to just focus on giving homeless pets some love. The NSPCA is a great facility for cats. They have several rooms filled with kitty condos, cat trees, and ledges that the cats can just roam freely in. No cages! I fell in love with two kitties- one with a squidgy eye infection, and the other one's inner eye lid was fused together on its right eye, so it had a permanent glazed over look. I like animals with deformed eyes. I think it's because that makes them special.
That evening was a lot of quality time with Bobby's mom, step dad, and Bobby's mom's cousin and her family. Lots of tongue biting ensued.
Bobby's mom's cousin has a dog who lives outside. We already know I'm anti outdoor pets, so I need not go into how I feel about the dog living outside. The dog's name is Sam, and she's a black lab heeler mix. She's 8 years old, but has all the energy of a puppy (heeler mixes tend to always be energetic). When Sunday rolled around, church didn't start until 2, so I spent a lot of time playing fetch in the back yard. Bobby and I ended up letting Sam in a bit more often than her usual allotted time (she sleeps inside the house), and it wasn't long before she knew who to follow. Why have a dog if you aren't going to give it constant loving? I tried to make up for it in the short time I was there.
Church was... weird. The lessons and talks were really good, the usual good churchiness, but there was a lot of big hair. Really big hair. I was very easily distracted by it, which is definitely all on me, but it certainly needs commenting on. Weird.
We went back to the strip Sunday night to walk around, and if you didn't already know, never look down when you're at the strip. There are lots of people who don't speak english handing out cards with pictures of naked women on them, which is very sad. As a result, there are lots of these cards on the ground, and it's hard to not feel sorry for the women in the pictures, and for the people handing them out trying to make some money.
We went to MGM, where I had to see the lions. I was told I must go see the lions, especially when I said we couldn't do anything that cost money. There was ONE lion, and it was sleeping. Some guy was petting it, which was pretty cool, but it was still slightly disappointing. We went back to the Bellagio to see the plants, and I was impressed. They made pandas out of leaves, and the baby panda was adorable. When we walked out, the fountains started going off, which was really impressive. When we went back to pick up Bobby's mom, we went through Paris, which was FANTASTIC. Seriously. I ached so badly to hop on a plane and go to the real Paris. The whole floor was transformed into a little Parisian village, with shops and food, et zut, je voudrais voyager a Paris maintenant! Mais non, je doit aller a KU pour trois semestre, et je n'ai pas l'argent pour mon voyage. En temps, je pense.
Monday morning meant quick shopping with Bobby's mom and my pleading to go home as soon as possible so we could get Peli. It was the longest I'd been away from her, and it was all I could do to not call my boss every three minutes to check in on her. We picked her up at 11 p.m. Monday night, just in time for her to pee on Ronda's couch. Fantastic.
My favorite parts of Vegas? The temple. And the animal shelter. Next time, I think I'll avoid travelling so far to get my fix.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Is there any truth to this?
Defense asks for no Mormons on murder trial jury
February 11th, 2009 @ 10:10am
OGDEN, Utah (AP) -- An attorney for a man charged with aggravated murder have filed a motion to keep off the jury any members of the Mormon church who might believe that the only way for him to be forgiven by God is to be executed.
Sharon Sipes, a public defender for Riqo Perea, filed the motion in 2nd District Court. She says a belief among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that the only way to receive true forgiveness from God after committing a serious offense is to shed one's own blood.
Sipes says that although the church has indicated blood atonement isn't part of official doctrine, members widely believe it.
Perea, 21, is charged with two counts of aggravated murder in a gang-related 2007 shooting. Perea could face the death penalty.
------
Information from: Standard-Examiner
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Because no one told me. And I'm anti capital punishment. But tell me what you think/have heard.
My eyeballs hurt.
My latest addiction is www.babysteals.com. No, I'm not pregnant, but since we started on Dave Ramsey's plan, I'm always looking for good deal. Technically, we shouldn't be buying anything until our credit cards are paid off, but I feel deserving to treat myself now and again. And I'm a sucker for baby shoes (always have been).
I've been reading about Obama's stimulus plan, and say what you want about what it's going to do to the economy (good or bad), I'm really excited about it. Simply put, I'm going to feel a lot better about life when my credit card debt is gone. We'll still have student loans to pay off, but those are legitimate-- the church is actually okay with education debt. The credit card debt was just us being stupid. Some of it is medical bills, but I don't even consider that legitimate (darn my lack of grace).
Beautiful.
Yes, we're spending more money that we don't have. Yes, it could kill the economy even more. How? I don't know. I spent most of economics class knitting or sleeping. As a social worker, I have a lot of job security, so I'm not exactly concerned about it personally. It's very unfortunate for other people, but they should have had the foresight to go into the best field ever! Kidding. Kind of.
So last week, I got off of work early on Friday for my massive hours I put in on the previous Saturday for a grant that we thought was due, but wasn't (but three cheers for having all the data for it for when it is due!). We went to Dragon Dreams Boutique simply because it reminded me of a store I'd see on Mass Street in Lawrence. I'm not really into dragons, but I do like wind chimes and zen gardens and incense and soothing music. They had pretty fountains and jewelry made by a lady from South Africa, and I loved every bit of it (except for maybe the dragons). They even had a DOG in the store. I could have taken a nap there. Anyway, Bobby bought some nag champa and I got a goddess charm that I'm currently wearing around my neck. For everyone who buys something, you enter a drawing. Bobby started filling it out, but I snatched it from him because a)His handwriting is like a boy's and b)He never wins anything. Before we got married, I won pretty much any drawing I entered. So I filled out my information, and yesterday, I got a call telling me I'm a rockstar and I won a big basket full of organic soaps and stuff.
In other words, it's been a good week.
If you haven't already, look at my previous post and tell me about your Blackberry. I'm not kidding, folks! I need your input. I have no expertise on the matter with my flip phone with no features. Someday I'll catch up, but only out of necessity-- not by choice.
I've been reading about Obama's stimulus plan, and say what you want about what it's going to do to the economy (good or bad), I'm really excited about it. Simply put, I'm going to feel a lot better about life when my credit card debt is gone. We'll still have student loans to pay off, but those are legitimate-- the church is actually okay with education debt. The credit card debt was just us being stupid. Some of it is medical bills, but I don't even consider that legitimate (darn my lack of grace).
Beautiful.
Yes, we're spending more money that we don't have. Yes, it could kill the economy even more. How? I don't know. I spent most of economics class knitting or sleeping. As a social worker, I have a lot of job security, so I'm not exactly concerned about it personally. It's very unfortunate for other people, but they should have had the foresight to go into the best field ever! Kidding. Kind of.
So last week, I got off of work early on Friday for my massive hours I put in on the previous Saturday for a grant that we thought was due, but wasn't (but three cheers for having all the data for it for when it is due!). We went to Dragon Dreams Boutique simply because it reminded me of a store I'd see on Mass Street in Lawrence. I'm not really into dragons, but I do like wind chimes and zen gardens and incense and soothing music. They had pretty fountains and jewelry made by a lady from South Africa, and I loved every bit of it (except for maybe the dragons). They even had a DOG in the store. I could have taken a nap there. Anyway, Bobby bought some nag champa and I got a goddess charm that I'm currently wearing around my neck. For everyone who buys something, you enter a drawing. Bobby started filling it out, but I snatched it from him because a)His handwriting is like a boy's and b)He never wins anything. Before we got married, I won pretty much any drawing I entered. So I filled out my information, and yesterday, I got a call telling me I'm a rockstar and I won a big basket full of organic soaps and stuff.
In other words, it's been a good week.
If you haven't already, look at my previous post and tell me about your Blackberry. I'm not kidding, folks! I need your input. I have no expertise on the matter with my flip phone with no features. Someday I'll catch up, but only out of necessity-- not by choice.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Help.
So I'm writing an article, and I want it to be fantastic. To me, fantastic-ness requires diversity (hence my struggle in happy valley. Kidding! Kind of.), so I'm reaching out every where to get as large a sample size as possible. What important topic requires such outreach, you ask?
Blackberrys.
They're an addiction, and it's fantastic. My husband couldn't imagine surviving without access to his emails as soon as they are sent. He has forgotten what it's like to wait until you get home to check and see if you won whatever it was on eBay you were bidding for or what it's like to not get angry emails from in-laws when you're driving (grrrr).
So tell me your story. But first, tell me your
Name:
Profession (Student, job, stay at home mom, super hero to the stars):
Can I use your name if/when I quote you?:
Then on to the good stuff.
1. Which Blackberry do you have?
2. How is your life different since getting your Blackberry?
3. What happens if you leave the house and have forgotten your Blackberry?
4. What makes the Blackberry different than other cell phones you’ve had?
5. What is your favorite feature?
6. What is the most interesting thing you can tell me about your Blackberry (its name, an experience you’ve had with it, etc)?
7. Anything else you might add.
You can answer in a comment here, or you can email your response to me at kaitlin.stewart@gmail.com. I'm hoping for a smashing article (and it will be about Blackberry addiction, not about how you're a fool because you can't part with it-- it's a societal norm expose, not a you're-a-freak expose), and if you like, I'd be willing to email you any parts that include you in it when I send it in to my editor. I don't want to send out the whole thing, or people are less inclined to check out the paper :).
So if you're willing, I'll love you forever. And give you my kidney if you ever need it.
Thanks!
Blackberrys.
They're an addiction, and it's fantastic. My husband couldn't imagine surviving without access to his emails as soon as they are sent. He has forgotten what it's like to wait until you get home to check and see if you won whatever it was on eBay you were bidding for or what it's like to not get angry emails from in-laws when you're driving (grrrr).
So tell me your story. But first, tell me your
Name:
Profession (Student, job, stay at home mom, super hero to the stars):
Can I use your name if/when I quote you?:
Then on to the good stuff.
1. Which Blackberry do you have?
2. How is your life different since getting your Blackberry?
3. What happens if you leave the house and have forgotten your Blackberry?
4. What makes the Blackberry different than other cell phones you’ve had?
5. What is your favorite feature?
6. What is the most interesting thing you can tell me about your Blackberry (its name, an experience you’ve had with it, etc)?
7. Anything else you might add.
You can answer in a comment here, or you can email your response to me at kaitlin.stewart@gmail.com. I'm hoping for a smashing article (and it will be about Blackberry addiction, not about how you're a fool because you can't part with it-- it's a societal norm expose, not a you're-a-freak expose), and if you like, I'd be willing to email you any parts that include you in it when I send it in to my editor. I don't want to send out the whole thing, or people are less inclined to check out the paper :).
So if you're willing, I'll love you forever. And give you my kidney if you ever need it.
Thanks!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Bodily Pride
Lately, Bobby and I have been really good kids about what we eat. The focus has travelled a lot during our 18+ months of marriage, from diets to not caring to exercising and bulking up to more diets. Ever since I stopped eating meat, I feel more energetic, and when I do get tired, it feels more legitimate (more exhuastion and less laziness). I'm not trying to pawn off not eating baby animals on anyone else, but living in Happy Valley where skinny is a necessity, I may convert plenty. Several volunteers at the shelter have asked if I've been losing weight (which used to be music to my ears, and now I just shrug it off). I simply tell them that all I've done differently is give up meat, and they ask all sorts of questions about how long I've been doing it, what I eat instead, etc. Three cheers for saving baby animals!
Bobby and I have also made a goal of eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Ever since he started his Chronic Disease Prevention class, he's been gung ho about fixing our diet to align ourselves with nutritional guidelines as opposed to the western civilization diet. It's become a very colorful game trying to figure out how to put more veggies into every meal, and I take a lot of oranges to work to snack on. The other night, I was really craving juice. We didn't have any (we're too poor to buy 100% juice), but we did have two small oranges left. I peeled them, threw them in the blender with a couple of ice cubes, and Oh. My. Gosh. I shall never drink store bought orange juice again! It was SO good, and I knew exactly how many servings of fruit I was getting. The next morning, I wanted juice again, quite proud of my discovery, but we had no more oranges. We did have apples, though, and I'm a big fan of apple juice. Pulpy apple juice can be just as delicious, right? So I cored a couple apples, threw them in the blender, and pushed the button. I should have known right then that this was a poor idea. The apples did not blend as easily because they aren't as juicy as oranges. I added some water. And some more. I stuck utensils down in the blender to try to make it chop more efficiently. Finally, I had some consistency that resembled a beverage, and poured it into a cup. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of apples. I can relate to Lexie in Grey's when she says she hates them, and doesn't think they should be allowed to be fruit. They're good in pies, juice form, and as applesauce, but that's really the extent of it. Compared to other fruits, apples don't really do much for me. Apple juice made from throwing a couple of apples into a blender is probably one of the most heinous things I've ever put into my mouth. And because we're very poor, I couldn't let the fresh produce go to waste. I dry heaved that cup of nasty all the way down my gullet, determined to get those 2 servings of fruit.
Definitely do not try that at home.
Bobby and I have also made a goal of eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Ever since he started his Chronic Disease Prevention class, he's been gung ho about fixing our diet to align ourselves with nutritional guidelines as opposed to the western civilization diet. It's become a very colorful game trying to figure out how to put more veggies into every meal, and I take a lot of oranges to work to snack on. The other night, I was really craving juice. We didn't have any (we're too poor to buy 100% juice), but we did have two small oranges left. I peeled them, threw them in the blender with a couple of ice cubes, and Oh. My. Gosh. I shall never drink store bought orange juice again! It was SO good, and I knew exactly how many servings of fruit I was getting. The next morning, I wanted juice again, quite proud of my discovery, but we had no more oranges. We did have apples, though, and I'm a big fan of apple juice. Pulpy apple juice can be just as delicious, right? So I cored a couple apples, threw them in the blender, and pushed the button. I should have known right then that this was a poor idea. The apples did not blend as easily because they aren't as juicy as oranges. I added some water. And some more. I stuck utensils down in the blender to try to make it chop more efficiently. Finally, I had some consistency that resembled a beverage, and poured it into a cup. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of apples. I can relate to Lexie in Grey's when she says she hates them, and doesn't think they should be allowed to be fruit. They're good in pies, juice form, and as applesauce, but that's really the extent of it. Compared to other fruits, apples don't really do much for me. Apple juice made from throwing a couple of apples into a blender is probably one of the most heinous things I've ever put into my mouth. And because we're very poor, I couldn't let the fresh produce go to waste. I dry heaved that cup of nasty all the way down my gullet, determined to get those 2 servings of fruit.
Definitely do not try that at home.
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