Pioneer Books

Today after work I met Geoff at Pioneer Books.  It's a cute little mom & pop bookstore on state street, with TONS of old books.  I found one on the history of the Celts that looked really interesting, and another one called Discovering Britain and Ireland, by National Geographic.  It's HUGE, hard bound, and chock full of beautiful photos, history, folklore, customs, poems, etc.  I was stoked to see it priced at only $4, because it's in awesome condition, other than the paper coverlet was torn. 

We went to buy my two books (Geoff didn't buy anything, but he loves bookstores) and the elderly guy, who I figured owns the place, seemed pretty mad that the book was priced at $4 - he thought it should've been worth more, and I would agree - but he said he'd let it go and I bought it for $4.  After we left, I felt kind of bad for taking the book for only $4.  I just felt I should've paid more, and I want the bookstore to stay in business.  Oh well.  Silly to feel that way, maybe.  Anyway, I am so excited to go through the entire thing.  I'm going to take a little tour of the UK and Ireland before I actually go, ha ha.  Also, there was a kid there that was selling a Gaelic Rosetta Stone to the store - how cool would it be to learn Gaelic!  Hard though, I'm so sure.

Well then we ate soup for dinner at home, went to drop another book off at the library, and got hot chocolate from The Chocolate on the way home.  We took Gwennie in the car with us.  She's a spaz.

Also I was thinking.  Around 3-4 years ago I posted once that looking at blogs full of pictures of other people's kids is boring.  3-4 years later, I completely take that back.  Maybe it's just that I know a lot more people with kids now, but I love seeing their cute faces and reading the cute things they do!  Especially, I seriously love cute little Riley.  And the Toone triplets!  I hope my eventual kids are as cute as them!  So cute!!

Puggles

Okay so we ended up not going to the movies.  We ran some errands (fix leaky tire, pick up prescriptions, quick stop at the mall) and were so tired that we came home and napped instead!  How old are you when you prefer a nap to the movies?  ha ha oh well.  Well actually, I napped and Geoff scrubbed the bathroom.  Ha ha.  How did I get so hooked up?  I don't know but I'm not complaining! lol!  He cleaned everything but the floor (we were out of swiffers) and he even detailed it with an old toothbrush. 

After all of that, we went to Texas Roadhouse with Ashley and Brady.  It was really good food but wall. to. wall. people.  If Ashley hadn't done call-ahead seating, I would've turned around and walked right back out.  Not a fan of the huge crowds.  But, it was still fun.  We went to their house in Spanish Fork and watched The Hangover.  We brought Gwennie to play with their two puggles, Copper and Missy.  (Puggles are a mix between pug and beagle).  They were so cute!  We were sitting on a huge lovesack, and Missy climbed right on top of Geoff and rested her head on his shoulder.  Ashley always said Missy gives human-hugs but I didn't really think much of it until I saw it.  It was the cutest/funniest thing!

Today we've gone to church, ate dinner, watched a little TV, and are getting ready for a nap.  Mmmm naps. Love my naps.

Done

Whew.  So tonight is the only night this week that I have left the office before 8 or 9:00.  I'm all worked out!  But I got everything done!  And I get to go back to a CLEAN office on Monday, so that will be so nice!

Tonight we celebrated the end of the week by trying something new with dinner.  French bread brushed lightly with olive oil, tomato slices, mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil, broiled.  I got it from a friend's facebook status.  It was SO GOOD!  Tomorrow we plan to celebrate some more with a couple of matinees.  I am loving this.

So long, then

Well, two days in and already I've parted graces with the twelve hour work day. (Is that even a real phrase?  Parted graces?)  It just wasn't meant to be I guess. Too bad we have to put up with each other for a little bit longer. Geoff's taking me out for a wendy's peppermint shake (see what'd I tell ya about eating a lot) but it is something to enjoy at this moment.

And just because I can't help thinking of it at this time, but we've got a plan for the next few months and I can't blog about it right now but I also can't waaaiiiiitt.

Plunging headlong into the busiest week of the year

Today we let Gwennie play at Mom's while we went to Grandma's and watched Ramona and Beezus with her and Donald. 

Then we came home and made chocolate covered strawberries and bananas.

Basically, a perfect day.

I may not blog much this week since I'll probably be working long days/nights every day.  Or maybe I'll blog more, to relieve the stress.  Or maybe I'll just eat a lot.

Oh and we've discovered that Gwennie knows the difference between "rope" and "ball".  If you say, "Go get your rope!" she does it.  Same with ball.  We're trying to teach her "Go get Johnston!" (her stuffed animal) but she's a little slow on that uptake.  I'll have to get a video.

Dinnertime

I'm going to post about something really dumb.  Because Dumb is my mood.  K.

Geoff just cleaned out the fridge.  This is what we have left.  Usually we let stuff expire and then throw it away, which is what happened this time.  But if we start right now and finish everything, we can say we ate all of the food in our house before we bought more!. Then we'll really have something to be proud of!  Right now, this is about what we've got:

Fridge

Half a jug of milk

Half jar of jam

Half jar of applesauce

Half jar of jalapenos

Some ham (not sure how old it is, but Geoff kept it so it must still be okay?)

Carton of ice cream

Pantry
2 cans green beans
Popcorn
A few slices of bread
Food storage creamy wheat
Food storage (fake) egg mix
Food storage (fake) taco meat

Then we've got a bunch of condiments, spices, and drink mixes taking up too much space.

Last night for dinner, I ate out of the food storage egg mix, and today I ate food storage creamy wheat.  And some ice cream with sprinkles.  Not too bad!  What could we make for dinner tonight with that stuff?  I'm thnking green beans, washed down with milk, and some fake taco meat or old ham on the side?  Maybe the fake taco meat would be good with applesauce or apricot jam on it.  I'm not touching the jalapenos, that's Geoff's domain.  I wonder if we can make it to the weekend without breaking down and buying stuff.

Oh, and we have Kibbles 'N Bits and Pup-peroni.  But we should probably save that for the dog.

Scotland trip

Looking for a friend to go to Scotland with me in May.  Geoff has opted out, and I would love to take someone with me.  I'll go alone if I have to, but please don't make me! :P

Period

Some decisions are being made tonight.

There's always more stuff to declutter! :)

Geoff had the day off today, since it's a federal holiday.  I still had to work.  But I came home for lunch to find him in the laundry closet, cleaning everything out and wiping it all down.  It looks really good, and now we have a bunch of extra storage space, and he said it's one less thing we have to clean if we move.  All we have to do is take what's there and throw it in a box!  So nice!  And he did the medicine cabinet too!  I love that he did that!

Fun Saturday

Yesterday (Saturday) I met with my old friends Rikki and Brayden for lunch at Mario Bonita, and Brayden brought his cutie little girl, Brooklyn.  I'm saying that's pretty amazing that we did it.  It's been many years since the three of us were together.  Our dads were friends in high school is how we know each other.  First Brayden was born, then me a year later, then Rikki a year later.  Then a few more years and the next round of kids came along and so forth.  Our families used to always do stuff together until I was about 15 and then it all stopped, which is too bad.  But lunch was way fun, and I miss Rikki!  She is a sweetheart and I miss the times we used to hang out.  She did a study abroad in London last summer, and they got to go to Edinburgh which she said was one of her favorite places, and that it was so beautiful.  So yeah, I don't know if a get-together like that will ever happen again (if it does then I think we should bring our families), but I'm glad we did it.

Later that same night, we hung out with Brady and Ashley, which was a blast!  We met them at the bowling alley.  (We played a game while waiting, and then the 4 of us played another two games).  Then we went to eat at Applebee's, then back to our house for a card game.  This card game lasted four hours!  It was 3 a.m. by the time they left, but it's okay because we were having too much fun laughing about stuff!  It seems like every time we hang out it gets more fun. 

Anyways, I slept until 11:30 this morning, and got up just in time to join Geoff at Sunday school and go to RS.  We let Gwennie stay up late with us last night, and I think it kind of messed her up a little because normally her schedule's pretty tight.  Poor girl was so confused this morning! Wandering in and out of rooms, poking at her food but not eating any, etc.  We'll all have to get back on a regular schedule, ha ha.

Alright well I'm gonna go spend the rest of the day with my sweetie!

SFO! My mantra!

I had an epiphany this morning.

We work with a very difficult woman.  She is an employee of one of our clients, and she does her best to make our lives miserable.  Even if it means lying through her teeth.  Even if it means bullying us around because she knows we won't yell at her (because we can't, though we would like to, all the time).  Even if it means providing incorrect information so she can make us go back and redo months of work.  This woman.  Is a Beast.

I've been very upset and frustrated with her the past few days, and I couldn't help but wonder why someone, who is 52 years old, would act like she was 12.  The surface reason is that she's mad about having part of her job outsourced.  But, I feel that it is unhappiness and disssatisfaction with her own pathetic life that causes her to lash out at us, instead of finding other ways to be valuable to her employer.

Once I realized that, the "mad" started to melt away and I started to feel sorry for her.  How miserable must a person be, to treat others that way?  I'm guessing pretty darn miserable.  I wonder if she has been that unhappy for her entire 52 years of life.  How much life does she have left?  Will she spend it being equally as miserable as she is now?  What a waste of life that would be.

I started thinking about my own life.  I felt grateful that I am still only 26, and that if I once had potential to become that 52 year old bitter lady, I will not let it happen now.  I've got aways to go before I'm 52, and I'm not going to spend it like that.  Life is too short.

People who try to bring others down are only unhappy with themselves.  For people who are happy with themselves, it's easy to spread that happiness to others, to serve them, to uplift them. 

• I want to be the sort of person that uplifts those around me, not vice versa. 
• I want those I love to know that I love them, and not let little petty stuff or differences determine my actions towards them.
• And when others try to "dump their garbage" on me, I will let it roll off, because I do not want to spend my life being miserable about stuff that I cannot change.  There's no point.  The energy I were to spend being upset would only detract from the joys that life can bring.
• I want to reach old age, feeling confident that I proactively took control of my own life, having filled it with happiness and purpose, instead of only being influenced by others (both emotionally and temporally), or just floating around to wherever the wind took me.

In short:  LIFE is too SHORT to waste it being miserable, about anything!  It should be enjoyed!  Don't let others have control over your emotions and your life.  YOU are the only one who can determine the kind of person that you are.

There.  That is called "locus of control."  I know I'm cheesy.  VERY cheesy.  But I believe in this stuff.  And I know it's not the first time I've had that epiphany, nor will it be the last.  Sometimes I do need a reminder. :) Happy Friday!

What's in a name

Calee
Callie
Cali
Kally
Kali
TONS of different ways to spell my name - these are ones I've actually seen, though you could make any combination of C's, K's, L's, I's, E's and Y's and do just fine.  Here's a new one I saw come through our office today: Caligh.

Caligh?

This discovery was followed by a conversation about the futility of people spelling their poor kids' names stupidly in an attempt to be different, and some comedy bit by Brian Regan.

Anyway.  Work is super stressful right now for pretty much everyone there, but we had a good laugh attack about the nickname someone had given an acquantance, "Veleta," accidentally called her "Velveeta" over the phone once and then hung up as if nothing had happened.  Lol.  Well, we have to entertain ourselves somehow.

The Negotiator

Oh.  Apparently the shortest day of the year, or winter solstice, was on December 21st.  For some reason I've always thought it was in January.  Oh well, even better!  I thought it was a little bit lighter on the drive home from work, but figured it was my cold and sunshine-hungry mind playing tricks on me. 

I'm trying to convince Geoff to go to St. George in a couple of weekends (we've already got some stuff planned for this one).  Priceline has some good rates right now.

Geoff, William Shatner wants YOU to take your wifey on a vacay.

That's what I put in my email to him.  I'm so clever.  Think it will work?

I know it's not even what you'd call "warm" down there right now, but it's still 30 degrees warmer than here.  And I could totally go hiking in Zions in 55 degree weather, no problem.

Snowiest cities in America

According to *this article*, Salt Lake is #3 on the list of cities that get the most snow each year.  Blah!  I knew it!  And ever since we've got these ipods, we've been checking temperatures of different places, and Utah is always 0-20 degrees colder than everywhere else.  (Out of San Diego, Lincoln City OR, Las Vegas, and New York).  I'm sure there are colder places, for example Logan, UT.  (They reached the negative teens a few weeks ago. Nuts!)  Anyways.  I feel validated.  The northeast gets some pretty bad storms it seems, but we still get more snow here.  #1 spot was Denver, and #2 was Cleveland.  And we live in a desert?  How is it that we have drought worries every summer?

When's the shortest day of the year?  Soon, I think.  Then we can start looking toward spring again!  It can't come fast enough!

I want to be a sassenach, he he

I just finished the 5th Outlander book!  It's true, there were parts that were pretty slow - a couple of the scenes that just went on and on and you could tell they were there just so she could throw some of the ideas/pieces together.  But it felt like in the last 100-200 pages, she (the writer) was getting back into her groove and it was starting to feel like the first book again.  So, naturally, with a book that ends like that, I'm hungry for more.  A little hesitant to start book six at this moment because I'll become a couch potato, who neglects husband, dog, laundry, and gym, for weeks - because they do take awhile to get through, since they're so huge.  (And not that the gym is a big surprise, but still).  But I have it on the brain.

I have a great life here, but I want to move, so bad.  To the UK.  I feel this pull that I can't describe, that I just feel like I belong there... and I know that sounds SO wannabe and cheesy.  Especially since I've never even BEEN there before.  I hope, someday.

For now, it's back to the taxes.

TGIF

This new pinkish background reminds me of Seinfeld's parent's Florida condo, all 80's and old peoplish.  But it offsets and brightens up that header picture, and makes me feel like blogging again!  Hurrah!

We went to the temple last night after work.  It's the 3rd time I've been in the last few months, but the first time we've been together in about two years.  It was really nice to do that again after so long.  I really enjoy going as of late.  Sometimes it can feel like a lot of work to get dressed up, packed and out the door again as soon as you're home, but it ends up being worth it!

I got an iTunes gift card for Christmas, and I just bought Amy Grant - The Collection with it.  I love that album!  I got a cd player for my tenth birthday (some day my kids will be asking me what a cd player is) and that is the second album I ever owned - of course it got destroyed some time in the last 16 years or I wouldn't have bought another one.  It's very cheesy 80's, but I love it muchly!  Geoff LOVES the song Dynamite by Taio Cruz.  I call it his theme song since every time I hear it I think of him, lol.

Prayers needed

Wow.  If I ever needed a reminder to be grateful, and that my "disasters" aren't disasters at all.  I just read this post about Jesus and Kate on the NieNie Dialogues.  Wow.  My heart goes out to that girl Kate.  I'll be praying in my heart.  I don't know what I would do.

SFO

Been thinking about this New Year's resolution stuff and whether or not I really want to make any.  We're constantly being asked to come up with goals at work (and I do mean constantly) and frankly, I get a little sick of the "goal overload".  But, I've just thought of the perfect New Year's goal for me.  Throwing it out there:

Stop Freaking Out! 

Hereafter known as SFO.

Ta-da.  I'm known to my family as worry-wart and over-emotional, and I can feel it.  The stress just spreads and leaks through every facet of my day, thoughts, projections, even sleep.  The what-ifs take up way too much emotional energy.  I'm tired, and constantly wishing for that time of life when I can get out from under the responsibility, the pressure of things.  I long for the time when I can just relax and have nothing on my plate.  Stress-free time = freedom.

But let's face it, that time doesn't really exist now, does it?  Even if it did, there's a good chance I would still find something to stew about.

So, with that said, I guess the question becomes:   How do I learn to just brush off the "disasters" - and the potential disasters and start enjoying life more?  Here are some ideas. (I'm going to brush off the urge to use SMART here, even though it's been tattooed on my brain thanks to work.  Why analyze the dang thing to death?)

Okay, for reals though:

-Recognize, think SFO
-Take a deep breath
-Count blessings
-Know that things are never going to be so bad that I won't eventually be okay... and usually they're fine within a couple of days anyway.
-Take a vacation

I like the last one especially.  Although we are trying to save up money for grad school and moving and what if I can't find a job and blah blah blah.  See?  Maybe we should just go ahead and take that vacation.  Maybe just somewhere close and cheap, but away. 

If we're lucky, we'll get to fill the new year with lots of change, which I so much look forward to.  Really don't want to be stressed about that, because change is good.

The wheels on the bus are more reliable than the ones on my car

So I'm thinking I should ride the bus to work.  IF it will take me from here to there.  How nice would it be to have enough public transportation that a car is almost never necessary?  Like the subway in New York?  They may be gross, but think of all the money and hastle saved on car payments, car insurance, gas, property tax, and repairs and maintenance?  Cars are so annoying.  Mine has served me well, but man.  Dealing with weather and wrecks sucks bum.  I hope the insurance man calls me back, or at least doesn't ignore my phone calls, I'd like to get some money for that rear-ender.  Also I'm trying not to write about this a lot, but I wish we knew where we were going, and whether a car would be necessary.  Cuz I could maybe plan on getting a new(ER) one or just keep this one for a few more months, and would know whether or not I need to actually use the insurance money on repairs. Well, we are waiting - sometimes patiently, sometimes not, lol.  We're thinking by March we'll have some sort of answer.  In the meantime, I'm seriously going to look up bus schedules.

Nail clipper of death

We just put Gwen through a bath, ear cleaning, face wrinkle cleaning, brushing, and nail clipping.  She was really good through all of it except the nail clipping.  Geoff clips, and I hold Gwen down as best I can while she struggles and fights and makes the most pitiful sounds of pain agony misery and wo.  I really want to get it on camera one of these days because the sounds she makes are so funny.  But by the time it's done, all three of us are exhausted.

Just passing the time until bed now.