I can't make my life up!

Why I am HATING the primaries this year

2012-02-07T11:39:00.000-08:00

This will be a political RANT, feel free to ignore if you don't care what I think and what makes me angry, politics wise.

I hate the primaires this year. Like more than any other year. It has been so annoying and here's why:

I have a bunch of facebook friends that are Ron Paul disciples. I say disciples because they aren't supporters. They are people who believe he is the savior of the American government. They truly believe that the US is right at the point of crumbling a la ancient greek and roman governments and that Ron Paul is going to be able to prevent that if he's president. They don't believe he can't win... which brings me to my next point.
A lot of people have been saying this year that electability doesn't matter. I don't know where they get that idea. If they all think Obama is the worst president ever (more on that) then their goal should be to present a candidate that the general population would feel good about, one that would be able to draw support from moderates, the moderate voters are the ones people should be concerned with. Also, the primaries show who is electable (not to mention the 2008 election) and when a candidate consistently comes in 3rd or 4th place, that doesn't mean "the establishment" is rigging elections, that means lots of voters don't think they would be a good choice for president.
I also HATE the people who tell me that if I'm Mormon I SHOULD vote for Ron Paul. Last I checked there is no official party for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Please don't take your interpretation of church doctrine and use it to try to guilt me into voting for you candidate. My personal religious beliefs are actually part of the reason why if he were to get the nomination (HA) I would volunteer for Obama's campaign. Neither of us are bad Mormons for those beliefs.
My next issue is with all the Obama hating. Why do so many people hate him? It doesn't make any sense. I understand the campaigning against him, that's fine. I understand why GOP candidates are saying he should be a one term President, they want his job. What I don't get is why so many people say he's a socialist (he's not) or they think that everything that is wrong with the country is his fault. Or that they're happy with "anyone but him". Do you really think that mindset is going to change anything if that's all you think?
Why Newt why?

I am officially an independent voter, I am also undecided. I should be someone candidates are trying to appeal to. With all of this though, I'm leaning toward not voting. I'm disenfranchised with the system. What's worse is that I don't think I'm alone.

Pinterest and I are breaking up

2012-02-03T07:55:00.000-08:00

I don't know if I'm okay with it. It was NOT mutual. And I don't think Pinterest is fully rejecting me either. It's a shaky break at best.

The other day I wanted to post something on Pinterest and I can't get into my account. :( I have sent 2 emails to them and have not heard back. It's quite devastating. So right now, I'm going to use my blog as my Pinterest till I get it back:

I think I could make these.... be awesome when I someday have a baby... unless it takes after it's Dad and is exceptionally hairy out of the womb


I just like this quote.

Infographic as a Holiday Card... such a cute idea

Visiting Morocco is on my bucket list


Himalayan Trek- yes please

Stay in a castle!

I want this bag.

I'm obsessed with Maldives- Anantara Dhigu

I still have Pinterest access on my phone, which is why I don't think it's completely over yet... I really do hope they take me back. It's a bit of an obsession, and I pin so many yummy treats, dream vacation spots and fabulous home improvement options that I really want it back. But until then I will visit THIS SITE... it's like an architecture/ interior design fake Pinterest. You can look at millions of homes/ rooms etc.

To err is human, to forgive divine

2011-11-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

Something has been weighing on my mind quite a bit and Ithought maybe just writing it out would help. Since this is a personal thought, it’s on my blog, not the one Chad and I have.

I am going to start out this post by saying thatany rude comments will be deleted.

I write this here because I need advice, if you have any. Iam not writing this to get others involved and wish no ill will to theoffenders, but I’ve been upset for too long and I carry it around too much andit consumes me. I don’t want it to consume me anymore, but I don’t know how tostop it.

I am having a hard time forgiving two people in my liferight now and I don’t know how to get over the hump. Because I don’t want tooffend or drag anyone into my bias you’re only going to get basic fact:

Friend 1- said something very hurtful to me, which reallystruck a cord because it was hypocritical and cutting. There was very littlebase to it besides the gossip of others. It has made me not want to be a friendto that person anymore, but we have a long history of friendship and I don’twant to throw it all away, but it seems like it’s been far too long now tobring it up and that it hurt my feelings. But how do I forgive and forget? Isit worth it? Should I bother trying to preserve a “friendship” where I nowbelieve that this person can’t possibly know me very well at all if they trulybelieve what they said to me?

Friend 2- did something that hurt me greatly. What they didhas tarnished a very happy memory for me. I know for a fact they knew that whatthey were doing was going to be hurtful to me because they tried to keep mefrom finding out about it as long as possible. They also didn’t actually tellme, they let me find out through the grapevine. It’s not anything they can fix,nor did they try/consider to when other implied it might be upsetting to me.

How do I do it? How do I forgive? I don’t want to still beupset, I don’t want to immediately think about how they have hurt me every timeI think of them, and I don’t want to have this angry wall up, but I’m at a impasse.I am no good at confrontation, and honestly I think in both cases it would domore harm then good.

I usually am quite good at forgiving and I don’t typicallycarry a grudge, so I guess I’ve never needed to really develop the talent offorgiveness very much so now it feels like it’s an impossible feat. Blah… anywords of wisdom/ advice?

A new blog

2011-08-19T18:13:00.000-07:00

So I haven't blogged in a bit.... Sorry! I've been so busy. I got married and it was AWESOME!!! I highly recommend it :) okay enough smug married talk here... We went on our honeymoon to the Dominican Republic, came home, loaded almost everything we own into a Ubox, Uhaul's POD service, put the rest of it in our luggage and flew out to New York a few days later. It was a whirlwind adventure to say the least, and once we're finall unpacked and living I'll post pictures.

We are in New York right now, living on a futon and eating off paper plates ( thank you Bruggemans!) until our stuff gets here. It has been pretty fantastic so far... But I'm ready to find a job and make money instead of spending it and being settled in.

Anyway, I'll be keeping this blog still as my own personal blog for my own randomness, but Chad and I are going to blog together at newlywedsinnewyork.blogspot.com so check that one more and follow it and whatnot.

I'm over it

2011-07-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

So Chad is off in the woods, and has been for the past 24 so days. Can I explain just how over it I am? I don't like that I'm making all the final decisions without his input for the wedding. I don't like that he was not here to cuddle me when I was puking everything I ate for 24 hours. I don't like that he's not here to stop me from meddling in other people's lives. I don't like that when I have a nightmare I can't call him and have him talk me back to sleep. I don't like that when I can't sleep he isn't around to talk me to sleep. I don't like not having him with me when I go out to dinner, or a movie, or a friend's house. I don't like that I never hear from him. I don't like that he's not around to be with me, cuddle me, hug me, laugh with me, talk with me.

UGH
It is a very good thing he comes home this weekend because I'm just so over him being gone.

OKAY WHINING OVER.

In 2 weeks exactly I will be exiting the LA temple married to Chadwick Steven McCombs.... yay!!!

What happened to me?

2011-07-12T15:15:00.000-07:00

The quick answer is I don't know. I just got a bit of blogging fatigue I think.

Here's a quick rundown of my life in the last little bit:
~Photographer DRAMA
~Horrible co-worker saying bad things about me
~Found a place to live in New York... but without Batman :(
~Chad is away at camp... and I miss him a ton
~Less than a month till my wedding!
~lost some weight
~got my hair all dyed for the wedding and it looks AMAZING (that's what the picture is of)
~my dress is looking like a dress now :)
~July's Saturdays: drop Chad off at camp, bridal shower, bridal shower/ cover band, baby shower/ pick Chad up, Wedding stuff!
~NOTHING new in terms of jobs... so annoyed
~Sleeping has been lame... as in I can't do it
~Massage tonight... yes!

Super Insightful

2011-06-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

Hey Mormon friends (and those friends who want to raise their daughters with a more rigid moral code),

You should read this.... " Why Standards Night is Substandard". I agree with the author... I think that the young women of the Church are sometimes given the short end of a stick and aren't communicated to properly.

Some of my favorite excepts include:

"A question welled in my throat, one that my neighbor might balk at. I asked it anyway. "Would you say Amy has power in her life?"
She looked uneasy, and I didn't blame her. Power is not a commodity we associate with Mormon girls and women. To our ears the very concept of power sounds worldly and corrupt, unless we're talking about priesthood power, which we qualify as exclusively masculine. But I wasn't talking about priesthood power, and I wasn't talking about the steel-fisted power of a political dictator or corporate mogul, either.
I tried to explain. "What I mean is, does Amy sense that she's in control of her own life? That she has the right and the ability and the opportunity to get what she wants and what she needs?"

"The balance sheet continued to change for me and my girlfriends as we emerged from childhood into womanhood. Our increasingly voluptuous bodies were reliable tools of status and control. The power was heady, but confusing, because wielding it always left us feeling empty and weak. And it was treacherous, because its force attracted not only the male peers we were aiming for, but also troubled stepfathers and leering strangers. But by the time we realized the perils, we'd grown dependent on this means of power. Of course it didn't yield true power, because it didn't originate within ourselves: it originated within the perceptions of the boys and men we hoped to entice. Yet in our economy of success, sexual attraction was the only currency we thought we held. And counterfeit money was better than nothing."

It's a great article. And my personal experience is this: I was awkward and a late bloomer in high school. NO guy liked me... I didn't have to worry about sexual purity, because no one wanted anything from me. I got attention in school by being smart, and that taught me a lesson about myself. Then I went to college and that changed and I learned all about the womanly wiles of power over men. Then I had to get into the tricky area of sexual purity... but because this power didn't come until a sense of self-esteem and maturity developed and I had a sense of self- driven power. That's what saved me from Amy's fate... I'm sure of it.

Some of this is what I always tried to teach my girls at EFY when I was a counselor. That you don't need a man to prove you're strong and powerful... that YOU are a strong powerful person because of who you are.
So insightful...

Seriously- Ladies, Moms, Dads, everyone... read it.

Stress in an image

2011-06-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

This is my life. It might look like it's better than it is... I mean I only have 77 things to go and I've done 111- that's so good.... but then if you take a closer look it's a bit more crazy. First 51 days.... that's so stinking close sounding it makes me crazy. Second, everything in the pink/peach color... that means they're overdue- they should be done already. And some of those things like pick up invitations and ceremony (as in ring ceremony) haven't been done and they need to be.Third, some of the to do's that are already checked off are things like "think about what you want your colors to be", "decide on your colors", think about... etc. Also, a lot didn't apply to a Mormon wedding so I just checked those right off too.

Blah.

Math you need for real life

2011-06-10T13:56:00.000-07:00

I was that kid that always asked when I would need to use the math I was learning in the real world. I detested the sample problems in the text book called "real life application" because in High School I knew I would never be going into Engineering nor would my job be to find the optimal viewing location of a theater screen. So I asked what I would need the math for.

After being a working professional for about 5 years I now know what math I need in my life and what was important for me to learn... please note that the math I HATED the most (negatives) is no where on this list.

Simple math- addition, subtraction, division, multiplication... if you can't do these basic functions it's just embarrassing. Learn how to do big numbers quickly, without your fingers and without a calculator. People will be impressed if you quickly tell them that 305+874 is 1179.
Quick Fraction to Percentage change- and visa versa. Your math teacher did you a favor if when you see .25 you know it is 25% or 1/4th. Be able to say a quarter when you see 25% and etc. That is key.
Ratios- I can't even say how many times I use a ratio. I am constantly writing 27/35=X/21 type equations all over my notes. So important
Finally the most important thing is Percentages. Know how to do percent changes, raw percents, how to look at 2 numbers and know how to find the percentage. Oh man. No one cares that purchases went from 782 to 934 they want to know that purchases increased by 19%. I seriously think they should spend a whole year on percentages in math.
Also- Excel. If you have an advanced knowledge of Excel you will go far.

Supposedly, when I buy a house and need to start decorating and whatnot I'll be happy that I learned all that geometry and stuff; I'm sure that's true... but it's not needed for my job. And I'm a firm believer that if I excel at my job I'll get lots of money and my interior designer will be the one that is concerned with the surface area of my dining room and the area of the living room.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-31T17:34:00.000-07:00

Chad and I have a LA bucket list since we're leaving this area soon. So this past weekend we wanted to cross a bunch of stuff off the list, so we did the following:

Getty Villa

Paradise Cove

Aquarium of the Pacific

Hiked to behind the Hollywood sign

Ran into the ocean at sunset

Cafe Rio for dinner

I had pictures to share but for some reason they will not orient the right way and I'm too annoyed to fix it.

It was such a great weekend and I wish I could have a 3 day weekend every week. I'm much more productive in my personal life.

Now off to the woods for the Hansen (Chad's mom) family reunion... 4 days of awkward family time... yay!

I don't think any of you did this...

2011-05-24T16:22:00.000-07:00

but if you did... sorry if this offends... I don't mean to offend, more just ask for tolerance...

Dear Mormon friends,

As a highly mocked and persecuted religion do you really think it is wise to mock the people who thought the rapture was this past weekend? You have a lot in common. Devotion to your beliefs, persecution for your beliefs, a general belief in a Savior, namely Jesus Christ and some beliefs that others outside the religion think are very silly, but you hold firm to.

That's all I'm saying.... let's put a check on the mockery and be a bit better than the people that mock what you believe.

I say this in love,

Michelle

also this isn't for the random, rapture is coming funny joke people... I'm seeing some serious mocking out there... that's not right.

an ode to PostSecret

2011-05-23T14:38:00.000-07:00

I, like most I'm sure, check out the PostSecret blog every week. This postcard to the left was posted this week. It's one of the most interesting post secrets I've read. I have the fun QR Reader app so I scanned those codes to see what it linked to. This one links to a text message that says, "You are beautiful". I really liked that. I was sitting here feeling fat and bloated and then I saw that, scanned it and smiled. I am beautiful. I am also lucky, blessed, happy, loved etc. This was a nice reminder.

Then I went to go to the URL so I could link the image here... the page name was heartbreaking. It said that on the back of the post card it read, "I don't believe this anymore".

It made me think of a talk a friend of mine gave at an EFY I worked at. She talked about self-worth and self-esteem. A lot of people think it goes hand in hand, that they are, in fact, one in the same. This is not the case and I think that's where the world fails itself, especially it's women. Since we were at EFY to illustrate the point she used the following example: let's say you're at the dance and you're looking pretty cute. A slow song starts to play then a boy walks up, looks at you, and walks away. At this moment- you're crushed. You're self-esteem takes a nose dive, it's shattered. It's up to you to reasure yourself that you're still pretty and great. It's a tall order.

Now self-worth it's different. It's when that boys walks away you still know that you are of great worth because you're a daughter of God who loves his children and only wants exceptional things for them. It's knowing that it doesn't matter that the boy walked away because you don't need him. You don't have to reassure yourself at this point because when you just think you're a daughter of God, the spirit floods your soul and tells you it's true. You're not going at it alone.

The campaigns, articles and ads about what the world is doing to it's women with it's "ideal beauty" is all based on self-esteem. We need to build our lives around understanding and relying on our self worth more.

I might not always have the best self-esteem (see the thought process that led to this) but I do have a solid understand of my self-worth, that's why I'm confident, even if I don't always think I'm pretty.

I'm THAT girl... ugh

2011-05-16T15:05:00.000-07:00

So in November, before Chad and I ever talked about getting married (but I might have been thinking about it) a friend of his approached him and asked if he would be the Waterfront Director at a Boy Scout Camp this summer. So he said yes thinking it was his last summer to do something like this. So now he's off in the wood of Utah this week for training. Which I am hating. Why? Because he's off in the woods without cell phone service for the entire week and so I have become that girl that is bummed and cried, yes cried, at the airport this morning. So lame.

Chad keeps trying to tell me this is just practice for when he's at the camp and will be gone for a month without cell phone service. I don't even want to think about that. It makes me so depressed... the only nice thing is it's the month before the wedding so I can just throw my all into the final prep for that and pack and stuff...

In order to stay busy this week I've set up a bunch of appointments and dinners and I'm going to start weeding out my closet and stuff in general so I can move across country. Yay busy.... also I'm thinking I'm gonna go to the gym more and sleep more- that will be nice...

big changes and realizations

2011-05-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

So Chad got into Columbia... and only Columbia so come end of August we will both be living in New York (hopefully the city and not a suburb...) I'm excited/nervous/scared/happy/proud/stressed/in awe/ every other emotion you could possibly feel.

But today it all finally felt so real. I don't know why it was today... I don't know why it didn't happen when trying on dresses or tasting cake or any of the wedding planning. What made it real was talking to Chad's sister and saying "we". WE are moving to New York, WE are apartment hunting, WE aren't going to be around for Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving etc. WE are going to be in a huge city with a million people, but it's going to be just us 2 as we start building OUR life together.

WOW. I'm excited.

This is in reference to my friend Brian's Glee-Cap

2011-04-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

which you can find here

BRIAN THIS GUY, where did he go???

Deleted

2011-04-27T11:02:00.000-07:00

My last two posts were snarky. I don't agree with what a random person said in my comments, but I do know that I accidentally offended/ hurt a family member of mine due to the rash nature of my typing in one of those posts and that's what lead me to delete it.I'm famous for not clearly explaining my thoughts... you would think that when I have the option to go back and read I would do a better job at articulating. but I guess that isn't the case.

I'm not concerned about random internet trolls and what they think of me but I do care about my family. I'm sorry.

Saga of the lost ring

2011-04-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

UGH the last little bit has been HARD! Last night I went to use the bathroom before I started driving home. As usual I took my ring off to wash my hands. I do this because the ring is slightly large for me so if my hand gets wet my ring slides right off my finger.

Anyway, I was having a bad day and I spaced and just left WITHOUT MY RING! I left work right around 5:50 and by the time I realized at 6:15 I called a co worker who was still at work and it wasn't in the bathroom anymore.

I immediately emailed the biggest company distribution list I knew of letting them all know I left it and please help me get it back. NO RESPONSE! I was a MESS. I couldn't stop crying and feeling horrible. Chad was sooo good about it- he was so sweet reassuring me that it was just a ring and that we can get a new one if needed and that it's not a big deal. That it doesn't mean we're not going to get married or that we're not engaged anymore- that it's just a missing ring. But regardless, I was super upset and just sad.

First thing this morning I checked my email- no response. I was devistated. No only did I have little hope of finding my ring (since I spent the night before digging through trash, crawling on the ground, inspecting every inch of my car and purse) but I had a final interview that day for another job I'm considering. How was I going to be on my game with this hanging over me like a little rain cloud.

When I got in this morning and finished my first thing in the morning meeting I printed up fliers and hung them EVERYWHERE! Still nothing. I was losing hope. As I was sending an email to my last resort, a friend in corporate security who I know has access to video footage of the building, I got an email from someone! It said:

Hi! I found your ring in the bathroom last night! I put it on my counter today to remind myself to bring it to work but I completely forgot about it. Come by my cube tomorrow to pick it up. =)

HUGE sigh of relief- like so much that my co worker who sits next to me said he heard it and hoped it meant what he thought it did! Oh yay! I still have to wait till tomorrow (I'm at an off site meeting but I'm forgoing lunch to run over to my office and get it) but at least I know who has it and that it's safe. I can't wait to have it back.

My Thursday evening plans? Getting it sized so I have no need to take it off ever again :)

I really like this

2011-04-19T17:22:00.000-07:00

Okay I'm done after this, but this is an amazing piece of art I have as my background on my phone that I wanted to share. It's called:

Sometimes the Spirit Touches Us Through Our Weaknesses

James Christensen

I'm really excited about this

2011-04-19T17:06:00.000-07:00

We just set up our cake tasting/ order build out appointment. I got a sweet Groupon for a custom made 4 tier cake that serves around 150 people so I bought it and now I have an appointment for 90 minutes of cake tasting deliciousness! yay! I already know what I want my cake to look like... like the picture you see right here... but flowers in my colors of course :) And in case you didn't know from the picture (which I expect you don't) those are sugar spun flowers and real leaves and vines. I think it's so beautiful and perfect... I can't wait to order it and get it delivered and then eat it at my wedding! Odds are there will be red velvet under all that frosting with cream cheese butter cream frosting on the outside... so it won't be white but ivory is my guess... Oh I'm so excited!

Did I mention they do free delivery and setup? Oh and that their Yelp page only says great things and I've already talk to them on the phone and they sound like the nicest people in the world? Yay!

An Update of Sorts

2011-04-19T13:45:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling very uncreative lately- I don't know what it is, but as evidenced by my blog title I'm kinda lame lately.

So I've been as good at blogging as I have been sticking to my diet. It's so hard to give up carbs. SO hard! So what I decided to do is not kill myself. I'm going to eat a few of Chad's fries when we go out to dinner. I'm going to get a donut at 10pm when I've had a crappy day and I'm not going to stress over it. 90% of diet is still pretty good when I use to just eat carbs and sugar.

In wedding news everything is SLOWLY coming together. I have a reception venue, a florist, a photographer... and according to the knot I only have 116 more things to-do, ugh! (72 have been completed though) I can't wait till I have more done then to-do. Anyway, I have some time, 108 days to be exact...

I've kinda found my dress. I have a friend that wants to make a dress so what we're going to do is combine my favorite elements from these 2 dresses to make the perfect wedding dress.

The fun elegance of this one and the sexy fun nature of this one. Obviously, both need a modest flare to them. And I'm thinking the time I won't be in my wedding dress I'll be in something like this dress.

Sometimes, it gets really hard to not get Bridezilla on everyone, but I think I'm doing a good job. And that's my life.... which is why I don't blog much anymore

Limbo

2011-04-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

I feel like I'm in a weird limbo. I'm in this middle ground right now. I'm waiting to find out where Chad is going to school so I know if I need to find a new job and move. I'm not really single, but I'm not married.

Because I'm engaged no one really seems to want to be my friend, but because I'm engaged I don't really feel like I much fit in at the single's ward anymore. This is a very weird time. I don't really know if I can explain it properly. Just like I'm stuck between two worlds... and that I can't plan my transition properly.

In other news wedding planning is frustrating and it takes a lot out of me to keep my thoughts, opinions, sassy remarks and brattiness in check while talking to people about it.

My diet is rough. I have sugar cravings like crazy. I lost 3 pounds Monday-Thursday but then Friday for dinner I fell off the wagon, hard and then I stayed off till Monday. It's a hard diet to follow when you're not at home all day and you're busy running around. But I'm back on and I allow myself the littlest treats occasionally (a single chocolate covered mac nut someone brought from Hawaii) so that makes me a lot happier.

Diet Day 3

2011-04-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

UGH. My friend warned me that the first week would be tough. Today has been the worst day of the bad week. All I want are the two things I can't have. Sugar and Carbs. I just want to sit down and eat pasta and bread and candy till I explode.

Okay past that I'm too busy at work... for now...

a medley of thoughts

2011-04-04T17:39:00.000-07:00

1. This blog might quickly turn very wedding and diet focused. For those of you opposed to that I say boo to you... this blog is about my life and that's what my life is right now. I don't think most of you will mind though because you're my good friends so you're interested in that right? Well be warned... those will start tomorrow and will most likely involve it would only happen to Michelle type stories so that's fun. But if you're not into it, I'll make the title clear so you can skip to all the other random stuff I'll post.

2. I am excited. I can't talk about much of it, but remember how much I say I hate my job? Well that might change, I am in the early steps of doing something about the hate. Yay me. Keep me and future in your thoughts/prayers. I just pray that I'll be happy with my job, that the right opportunities will present themselves and that if it's good for me and my future family (Chad) that it will work out. Please do the same. :)

3. In response to this talk from the most recent General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints I have decided to blog about my testimony. I don't talk about my religion here much because I am very private when it comes to my deep down personal feelings and this is one of those things, but this talk challenged me to do something with the internet and my testimony so here I am :)

My personally held beliefs about my religion:

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, more commonly known as "The Mormons". I think that our name implies something obvious, but to make it certain, I believe that Jesus Christ is the center of my religion. He is the reason that we will be able to live with our Heavenly Father, His mercy will cover us after ALL WE DO. I believe that our Heavenly Father communicates with us through the third member of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost and that the Holy Ghost can be our constant companion if we would like His inspiration and guidance in our lives. I believe that anyone and everyone can receive that personal revelation if they seek out our Heavenly Father's help in earnest and thoughtful prayer. I believe that we have a prophet on the earth today, President Thomas S. Monson. I believe that he communicates with our Heavenly Father and receives revelations from Him to help lead and guide His church and all the members of it. I believe that God's power is here on the earth today through the Priesthood that has been given to men to help further our Heavenly Father's work. I believe the Book of Mormon is scripture. It contains the doctrines that were given to prophets of old and also testifies of our Savior Jesus Christ and his visit to "other sheep, that are not of this {Jerusalem} fold". I believe that Joseph Smith was the instrument of God's hands that He used to bring the gospel to these times. I believe that I am a child of God, a child he loves and knows individually. I believe that a Family can be together FOREVER though this gospel. I know that I can't possibly know everything about the history of each member of my church, the logistics of ancient doctrine or many things people use to tear down the doctrines of my faith, but I do know that I have faith, that the things I don't know I can learn through inspiration and that I don't need to know all the answers and that I can accept things based solely on the belief that it's not important for me to know for my own individual growth. I know that I can continue to learn and discover the deep doctrines and "hidden treasures" and grow, line upon line, precept upon precept as I strive to be more like my Savior and older brother Jesus Christ.

Hi my name is Michelle and I'm a food addict.

2011-03-31T17:44:00.000-07:00

After literally throwing crasins in my mouth rapid fire I'm finally able to admit that I have a problem. I am addicted to food- it is my vice.

I have a friend who is an actual member of FAA (Food Addicts Anonymous) and she has kindly shared with me their rules. Starting Monday I will be living them. Wish me luck, pray for me and give me pep talks because their rules are NO SUGAR NO CARBS. My friend has lost a good amount of weight on this and I plan on being just like her. She said the first week was rough but that it got better. I know it's going to be HELL for me, but I needs to lose weight. Not just for the wedding but for my happiness and sanity. I've gained weight and I see it in pictures and mirrors and how my clothes fit and I need something to help. I am thinking I will blog each day so you all can keep me on track and yell at me if I cave.

Meal Plan:
Breakfast 6am-8am

8 plain fat free yogurt

1 oz oatmeal

6 oz fruit

Lunch 12 and 2

4 protein

6 cooked/ raw veggies

6 fruit

Dinner 5 and 7

4 protein

8 oz salad 2 oz have to be greens

6 oz veggies

2 tbsp fat

No less than 4 hours no more than 5 between meals

Hasta la vista la clase de Espanol

2011-03-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

So I was taking a Spanish class. It was a challenge for me. I've never been very good at foreign languages, but I thought it would be a valuable life skills. It stressed me out... I didn't have time to devote to studying, the teacher taught it as a refresher course instead of a beginning Spanish class and it was Monday and Wednesday nights which means I left work a bit early and then would spend the rest of my night in class.

So as of like 4pm yesterday I had: full time work (away from town 11+ hours a day with commuting), Spanish class, shaky job security, wedding planning, RS activities calling (which might not sound like much but I'm trying to get my committee to help me do more things...), and the possibility that I would need to find a new job and an apartment to live in in a foreign city. Needless to say I was a bit stressed out. I was getting stomachaches (it's called ulcers) and migraines like once a week. That didn't help with the stress level.

Also, did you know that when you're stressed your body produces more Cortisol. In small stress situations it's not a big deal... but when it's extended it can lead to a crappy immune system AND belly fat. See this if you don't believe me. So added to that I was getting fat. In my belly too so I was feeling super gross and fat and didn't have time to work out so there was more stress there.

So basically I was a time bomb ready to explode. And I didn't know what I could do to change it... until I said to myself, "Really? Do you really need Spanish in your life?" I never thought about that. I didn't. So I went online and dropped it. I have had zero regrets. And I can breath a little easier. It's been great for me :)

I guess I should post about this....

2011-03-18T15:19:00.000-07:00

I've been a bad blogger... but that's because my free time has been engaged in other activities... Yeah that's right, did you see what I did there? I know you all know already, but I'm engaged!! Yay I'm so excited about it. I'm really so lucky. I never understood how two people met, liked each other, fell in love, wanted to get married and then got married. It was all confusing to me. I never thought the odds were stacked in my favor that it would happen for me.

I wish I could tell my single readers some magical formula so that they too would solve that problem, but all I can say is that it just was easier with Chad. Everything just came easier with him then the rest of my relationships would... does that make sense?

Anyway, I'm now working on planning a wedding that will be on.... August 5th, 2011; sealing at 11:30am at the Los Angeles Temple with a dessert reception to follow at TBA in the evening... ahhh let the planning begin.

Oh and since you all are my good friends... here's my almost done wedding website for you to look at and let me know what I need to edit!

My wedding website

Rambling thoughts of a sick person

2011-03-09T13:05:00.000-08:00

I get sick... A LOT. I use to just power through it at work and be okay... now I opt to stay home... I think that says something about my job satisfaction, but there you go. Anyway, when I am sick I have a lot of random thoughts to share so here they are:

Running: I signed up to do another 5k. This is a scary thing for me because I'm a sprinter. Run .25 miles in 1:25.. no problem, run 3.2 miles in general? Scary. Did I mention I have environmental asthma? SO if we run by a car I will lose like 75% of my lung capacity? blah. Anyway I was going to run every day this week so I could do the 3.2 miles, but I got sick. Awesome. But the nice thing is I'll have a friend running with me! And we get metals. That should keep me running :)

My Job: When the only thing that keeps me wanting to stay at my job is a plastic rectangle that gets me into Disneyland for free I think it's time I start thinking about a new job eh? I mean it's nice and fun, but at the end of the day I dis-like a lot of the people I work with... that takes a toll on my spirit and in turn my satisfaction on the job. That could be why I don't tough through the sick anymore...

That being said I'm very excited for my next 2 trips to Disneyland. the 17th with Chad and his sister and her husband and the 26th with Chad, Brittany and Brad.

Groupon: Well if you don't know what that is then you need to do yourself a favor and sign up.... or don't actually. I'm a groupon fiend. I have SO many sitting in my email waiting to be used. I had to email Chad all of what we have so that we use them, here's the list:

$20 to Nothing Bundt Cakes- expires 28 Apr 11 (I'm thinking this can be used post 5k)

Bikram Yoga- 10 classes expires 17 Aug 11 (We're gonna start using once I'm not sick)

2 tickets to a Flamenco Show and 4 course dinner on a Thursday expires 28 aug 11 (needs to be used before classes at MPCC end)

$60 of jewelry from here (I just wanted more grown up jewelry)

Ventura Comedy Club- we have either 8 tickets for a Wed, Thurs or Sunday show or 2 tickets for a Fri/Sat show- expires 13 Dec 11

2 tickets to a movie that offers Fandago buy online ticketing. Can’t find expiration date :(

and maybe one or two more... I have a problem...

Podcast: I listened to this podcast the other day and I LOVED it. It starts out talking about what it's like to work at The Onion, which to me seems like the coolest job I can never hope to obtain. Then a girl reading tarot cards on a train... just a cool story in general. THEN they talk to some missionaries from my church that are serving in NYC... it was nice hearing them painted in a favorable light on a pretty liberal show. And the final story was about people who cry on airplanes. It made me laugh and then realize that I do cry on airplanes over silly things more than I do on land. I just feel sad on airplanes because I'm always leaving something when I get on them. It's like something or a chapter of my life just ended as I step aboard. That's emotional. So when a movie as silly as Sweet Home Alabama makes some random guy cry I realize it's just the emotions of everything spilling out when they're in that seat.

Lazy blogger

2011-03-03T16:06:00.000-08:00

So I keep starting to write blogs and then I don't finish them. I've been lazy now that my 50 days are over. So what's been on my mind? Lots- here's what I want to share.

I've been told that good managers think 6 months out. They think and plan that far out... so right now I should be thinking in terms of September. Here's the problem... There is a 60% chance that I won't be at this job in 6 months so I feel aimless and floundering and I hate that.

I am not a patient person, but I'm being forced to be a patient person for the next few months and it's killing me and making me flounder. ugh

But, I can't wait for my future to happen :)

day 50: a letter to your reflection in the mirror

2011-02-25T16:51:00.000-08:00

Hey there pretty lady,

You are pretty amazing. You're good at what you do, you have a boyfriend that thinks you're a babe and the VP of your company likes you. Oh and you're out of bad debt and you almost own your car. You're making it! Your great, don't stress things will keep being good. You deserve it!

Love,
me

day 49: hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days

2011-02-24T12:02:00.000-08:00

Wow that's heavy huh? Maybe it's heavy because I have a lot of hopes and dreams for the next 365 days and I don't know what I want to share... maybe I'll just be vauge

New Location- I love my parents, but I can't be living there much longer
Stability- a lot of decisions are being made the next few months that greatly impact my life, that needs to calm down
Gainfully employed- I would like to keep my job (lots of layoffs right now around here) or find a better one
I'm super serious about my weight loss now. I track what I eat, I work out so I want to lose weight. Is that so much to ask?
Love: I'm in love with an amazing person. He's perfect for me. My hope/dream/goal is that I don't screw it up :)

day 48: a photo of you right now

2011-02-23T16:12:00.000-08:00

I'm getting sick of these... but ya know I gotta finish... anyway here's a photo of me right now. Cool thing to note is that my sweater was my mom's. Like "her senior yr portrait she's rocking it" use to be my mom's. It's so freaking cool with the buttons, but it's so warm that it doesn't get a lot of action in So Cal.

It's a pretty awkward face because I'm at work and I didn't want someone to come by and be thinking I'm weird for taking a picture.

This picture also tells me I need to keep working on growing my hair... which means I won't be seeing Katie at the salon anytime soon....

day 47: birthday wish list

2011-02-18T13:27:00.000-08:00

Well my birthday is about 6 months away and everything I can think of that I want for my birthday I should have by then... well except my Audi TT convertible and judging my diet for today I won't be the size 8 I want to be, but that's my fault and my lack of willpower... so I guess for my birthday I want willpower or to magically lose about 20 pounds...

day 46: photos of personal things in your life (pets, family, house, ect)

2011-02-17T12:20:00.000-08:00

My Family- Christmas 2010 a rough left to right is Crespo family, my parents, Craig and Kristy, Eric/Cassie Dittman family then the single folk.

I got my business cards- finally!

I just love this dress... you can't tell but it's amazing on me... it just needs a little sleeve work to make it modest

This was last Wednesday's schedule... yeah no break

Okay I know it's lame, but we've been officially dating for almost a year... and unofficially for over a year... so we're in love and at a 50's dinner so we decided to be cute

he's mine :)

I have a great butt... and a messy room... but more importantly a great butt

I don't have a picture of my house... but this is my second home

Okay so these aren't the flowers I currently have... but they are similar

the non-human love of my life... seriously he's so cute!

day 45: a letter to yourself a year ago

2011-02-11T12:32:00.000-08:00

Dearest Future Michelle,

You're funny. I know life is just starting to turn around right now, but guess what, you're right -- this is your year! You know how you pretty much hate your job and schedule and stuff- it's going to get better. And that silly young boy you're not sure about- it's a good bet and investment. The positive thinking worked. Just stay calm, clinge to your belief that this is your year and good things will happen. Also, the money issues will go away :)

Just try to not indulge in so much food would you? It would make 2011 easier, but no now you're gonna have to to go to the gym all year to fix what you did in 2010.

Keep smiling and trusting, you will do great this year. Things will start looking up!

Michelle

Music has too much influence on me

2011-02-10T14:33:00.000-08:00

I LOVE listening to music. I am almost always listening to music. It's on when I'm in the car and it's on when I'm working. I can't even tell you how many conversations I've missed because someone comes and stands behind me at my desk (or use to because I've graduated to a front facing desk) and I don't know because I have headphones in and I'm rocking out. That being said, music shapes most of my memories and I've come to find out that it shapes my emotions too much.

Today while at work I was getting very sad and depressed and I realized it's because of this song:

I was so sad. Did I mention that I'm currently madly in love with someone, and he loves me back. In fact he told me that he would get his best friend and disappear off the face of the earth and live in the woods if I dumped him- that's how much he loves me. But this song seriously makes me think that he dumped me. (BMF- I still think about Hawaii...) I guess maybe I relate to the feelings, because I would be so depressed if it ended and there is serious emotion in this song.

So then I put this on:

(Yes I have this on my iPhone...) And I'm madly in love and to the point I want this to be my first dance at my wedding, in love. This happens with lots of the main Disney love song themes. I LOVE them. And they make me want to put on a fancy ball gown and dance.

Music moves me... sometimes I worry if it's too much.

day 44: something that fascinates you and why

2011-02-08T18:03:00.000-08:00

Shy People. haha is that weird to say? I just find them interesting. Here's the thing- I'm not shy, at all. I will say hi to anyone and talk a ton and be the center of attention ALWAYS. I will not only do it, I will thrive in that space. So I do not understand people who are the opposite. They are so very interesting to me and so I'm completely fascinated by them.

I just can't believe that there are people out there that don't want to be the center of attention. The funny thing about that is that my younger brother is one of the most shy people I know and I just don't understand it.

I just don't get it so I'm fascinated by it. It's such a foreign thing to me.

day 43: a picture of your favorite place in the world

2011-02-07T15:14:00.000-08:00

So I haven't been here... YET but here's my dream.

Antigua

And here is my favorite place that I have been to.

Hawaii

day 42: bad habit(s) you have

2011-02-04T12:57:00.000-08:00

Ugh I don't really want to highlight these, but here we go-maybe I'll be able to improve them if I tell you all them.

I bite my cuticles
I check facebook on my phone when I'm with large groups of people
When I'm on the phone and not loving the conversation (and I'm not driving) I will start saying " uh huh" and will be playing games on my phone.
I drag my feet when I walk

day 41: whatever tickles your fancy

2011-02-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

Today I've been moved by this picture. It is a deep insightful picture for so many reasons and has caused me to think some heavy thoughts.

1. Finally there is proof that humanity is inherently good. That might be an odd thing to say, but lately I've been thinking about it and my view of people in this world is dismal. Everyday I see selfish people who are rude and only care about themselves, And I know some people might say, "Well, of course, Michelle- you live in LA." Don't worry it happened a lot in Utah too. And don't even get me started on the comments on articles. But, it seems like every time I lose hope something like this happens that restores my faith a bit.

2. Sometimes I think that this country needs a good revolution. Before you call the mental hospital, let me explain. I think that it brings out the worst in people, but it also brings out the best in people. We need more "best" people showing up. I think that sometimes we all get too set on the regular everyday things and don't really think about how lucky we are. We are all so absorbed in the world we live in that we don't stop and notice the complacent state we're in. We except our government to do everything for us- and even when they don't we don't really care- we might complain to someone, but would we ever take the time and effort to bring about change? Would we be like the people in Egypt that are now saying, enough is enough, or even are we being like our Founding Fathers, who didn't care about the tax, but the principles behind it and decide to take a stand? We don't have that passion anymore.

3. We have it good. People might call us names if we were to knee down and pray in a public area, but you wouldn't be risking your life to do so. You wouldn't need a human shield to protect you while you worship. As a somewhat persecuted religious minority I will say that even when people HATED me for being Mormon never once was my life, even remotely, in question. I mean I know a few people whose car got keyed- but really what is that compared to life?

4. Passion/Faith- These people are passionate, first about their beliefs- they wanted to practice it even if it meant death. That is Faith in what you believe. Second they're passionate about religious tolerance. If you read the article below the picture it talks about how a few months prior the Muslims did the same things for the Christians of Egypt. They're passionate in believing that it's okay to worship, wherever and however you want.

5. Brotherhood. These men were willing to give their life for their fellow countryman. That is a bond. That is a brotherhood- that is putting someone else before yourself. There is an emotional reaction for all when they hear that because, deep down, every one knows what that means. It's the ultimate sacrifice, and these people are doing for people they probably don't know too well, or even associate with that much. They're doing it because they want to practice what they believe.

So now I have to internalize it- would I do that- would I be willing to lay my life down for another because my belief in tolerance is so strong? Would I be willing to step up and say that I've been taught that the worth of even one soul is so great to God that my life should be used to protect it? I sure hope so- and I know that we'll all be okay if we're willing to at least ask ourselves those questions.

day 40: a letter to a deceased person you wish you could talk to

2011-02-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

Dear Walt Disney,

Every day of my career I get at least one email shaming us because we're ruining your vision and that you would never do what we do today with your company. Would you please clarify if you would charge premium prices for premium experiences or not? Also, would you operate a business or a non-profit? Just curious.

Love

Michelle

day 39: zodiac sign and do you think it fits your personality

2011-01-31T15:00:00.000-08:00

So if you really want to know a ton about Leo's here's the super crazy long explanation.

Basically it says my good traits are:

Generous and warmhearted

Creative and enthusiastic

Broad-minded and expansive

Faithful and loving

And that my bad traits are:

Pompous and patronizing

Bossy and interfering

Dogmatic and intolerant

So yeah, with that being said I think we all know that I am very much a Leo. In fact, I have a co-worker that after working with me for 2 days asked if I was a Leo. He said he could spot it a mile away, but don't worry to him it was a compliment because he was a Leo too.

I was scanning the long one and here are my cliff notes, feel free to skip this, it's long but I find it interesting and a pretty good description of me :)

The Leo type is the most dominant, spontaneously creative and extrovert of all the zodiacal characters.
They are at their most effective when in a position of command, their personal magnetism and innate courtesy of mind bringing out the best of loyalty from subordinates.
If jealously suspicious of rivals, they will not hesitate to use cunning, lies and trickery to discredit them. Self-centeredness, greed for flattery, boastfulness, and bombast, pomposity, snobbish superiority, and overbearing
Add to them a passion for luxury, a lust for power, unlimited sexual lust, and emotional indulgence
In professional life they do well at any vocation at which there is room at the top.
If from the artisan ranks of society they will aspire to become the boss, partly because they are ambitious by nature, partly because they dislike manual labor, preferring to take charge of others doing it.
In his or her relations with others the Leo type is open, sincere, genuine and trusting. Outgoing, spontaneously warm hearted and plain spoken, though never lacking in kindliness, Leos are more disillusioned than the average if let down by those they trust.
(okay this is just funny) Physiologically, Leo governs the upper back, forearms, wrist, spine and heart. Its natives are subject to a number of ailments: pain in the back and lungs, spinal complaints, diseases of the heart and blood, sickness in ribs and sides, convulsions, pleasantries, violent burning fevers including, in former days, when they were prevalent, plague, pestilence, jaundice, and some afflictions of the eyes.
People are attracted to Leo's zest for life and their warm spirit. They have the ability to lift up one's spirits and provide encouragement when times are rough. Their enthusiasm attracts people, Leos are social butterflies, not because they want to be but because people always naturally gravitate and surround the Leo. Leos are very difficult people to not like, they are usually fairly balanced, realistic people. They never dwell on the past and they will think you are strange if you do. Some Leos might be too caught up in themselves and be very self-centered but they are never too self-absorbed to help anyone who needs it. They pamper their friends and treat them well. A Leo is the ultimate friend. They do not hold a grudge and they are very forgiving. They have respect and understanding of people's differences.
Leos are extremely sensitive but they hide that very well. Leos love praise and flattery, their egos demand respect and adoration. Leo is all about pride. This can cause them to be self-centered but the warmth of the Leo heart keeps it under control. If Leo's audience (otherwise known as their friends) do not provide the needed appreciation, Leo is too proud to ask for it and they will suffer a hurt ego, but no one will ever know and they will suffer in silence. The secret of the Leo is that they need to be needed.
Leo will never settle for second best. They want only the best which can cause lavish excessive spending habits as they enjoy their life of luxury, which is all to easily justified by the grand and magnificent Leo! Public image is very important to Leo, with luxurious possessions and ways of life, this keeps the public image in high standing. They will do whatever it takes to protect their own reputation.
Leos are very generous, kind and openhearted people. If a Leo is crossed, they will strike back with force but they are not one to hold a grudge, they easily forgive, forget and move on. Leos are always trying to make things right in the world, they have larger then life emotions and they need to feel like they have accomplished something at the end of the day.

And finally:

What it's like to date a Leo Woman:

The first step is to give her praise and adoration. The relationship will never work if she does not receive this from you. Do not look at other women when you are with her, she has to be the only one in your eyes. The thought of competition with other women completely turns her off, for she is marvelous and grand and better then any other woman (in her eyes)! Be prepared however to compete with other men. She attracts men, deliberately or not, because of her dazzling personality. She makes a good partner because she gives undying affection and love and makes you feel really mood about yourself. She is kind and supportive with an adventurous streak, she is always fun to be with. Leo woman will dominate,. But not completely for she still needs the man to lead the way and give her the desired sense of approval, she looks up to her man. Leo woman is perfect for the man who is affectionate and has a strong character but not too controlling. She needs someone who is passionate about everything in their life and who strives for the best in everything, because so does she.

day 38: a photo of your parent(s)

2011-01-28T14:25:00.000-08:00

So my mom pretty much refuses to take pictures and when she has family pictures done it takes years to get them to us... so to keep this along here's a few candid s. There's both from our trip to Hawaii.

I miss it....

My Dad and I after finishing going down all the stairs on Diamond Head

My Mom and I at the first beach we saw when we landed in Hawaii

day 37: a song that you like to dance to

2011-01-27T11:18:00.000-08:00

I use to dance to any and everything with a beat. I was always dancing and moving, now not so much... I feel old. Anyway, there is always two songs that makes me want to move my feet:

AND

day 36: some hobbies of yours

2011-01-26T15:13:00.000-08:00

I'm really bad at hobbies, but here's a spattering of what I've tried over the years:

soccer*
scrapbooking
photography
volleyball*
track
piano* (kinda...)
french horn
violin
knitting*
cross-stitch
sewing
quilting
art
cooking*
blogging*
aerobics
sleeping****
reading*
dancing*
cosmotology
writing

Yeah I think that's enough... needless to say I do a lot of things... just not for a long time :) I've started the ones that I will still do if I have time...

day 35: a letter to an ex

2011-01-24T14:38:00.000-08:00

Dear Ex,

Thank you so much for dumping me. Goodness knows I was ignoring all the red flags and was set on making it work. It was the best decision you ever made for me, although I'm guessing it might be the worst decision of your life... since I see you've gone no where with it.

I, however, have the best life ever now and I'm so happy with who is in it. You were in my life to show me that it's okay to date a younger man and I'm grateful for that- but now I'm just grateful you're not in it anymore.

Michelle

day 34: your favorite quote

2011-01-21T11:11:00.000-08:00

So I kinda covered this here, but I have a few more. Here is my list from facebook in no particular order:

"Think about it. If you are single, after graduation there isn't one occasion where people celebrate you. Hallmark doesn't make a 'congratulations, you didn't marry the wrong guy' card. And where's the flatware for going on vacation alone?"~ Carrie SATC

"If you can laugh long and hard after you trip people will just think you're drunk" ~Conan O'Brien

Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh.
W. H. Auden

Men show their character in nothing more clearly than by what they think laughable.
Johann Wolfgang Goethe

"In order to have joy, you need to understand that, as a child of your Heavenly Father, you inherited divine traits and spiritual needs--and just like a fish needs water, you need the gospel and the companionship of the Holy Ghost to be truly, deeply happy. Because you are the offspring of God (see Acts 17:28), it is incompatible with your eternal nature to do wrong and feel right. It cannot be done. It is part of your spiritual DNA, as it were, that peace, joy, and happiness will be yours only to the degree you live the gospel."
Marcus B. Nash

day 33: what you’re craving right now

2011-01-20T14:18:00.000-08:00

What am I not craving right now is the question? My lunch was very unsatisfying. In fact, As I was eating it I was getting nausea because I was very sick of it and didn't like the consistency anymore. It was Sweet Potato Bisque from Trader Joe's, and I think it was because I didn't have any rolls/ crackers to eat it with because I forgot my pretzel roll at home, but diet goals and budget goals prevented me from purchasing/ eating anything else. SIGH

so in typical Michelle fashion here's pictures of what I'm craving:

Pretzel Roll... so yum

Add texture to my liquid lunch

ANY ONE of these... sigh

Trader Joe's= diet friendly, right?


I ALWAYS crave this. Even when I'm eating it... but I usually get Animal or Protein Style...

I just realized that this might not mean food... like you can crave things beside food... well I'm still hungry and I'm PMS-ing so leave me alone :) today it's craving food.

P.S. I, Michelle, just manipulated the HTML coding on this blog... I think I am amazing for it. Just so you know.

day 32: a photo you took

2011-01-18T14:59:00.000-08:00

I like to call this my second home... LOVE that it's the carousel, London Tower and a castle all in one picture.

I just did a hard thing

2011-01-14T16:18:00.000-08:00

I can't say much because this is a public blog... but in the span of 20 minutes I just did a few hard things... I'm shaking, but I'm proud of myself and you should be too. If I drank I'd say I would buy myself fancy champange and make everyone toast me today.

I'll just celebrate at Ladies Night tonight!

day 31: whatever tickles your fancy

2011-01-14T15:05:00.000-08:00

So about a month ago I said to myself "this musing would be an awesome blog post for when I get to tickle my fancy." (that sounds so gross!) "Self, you should write it down so you remember. Nah, I don't need to." Well here I am not remembering... oh well.

Today we will talk about life. Life is funny isn't it? It changes a lot. It's weird. I know that may sound dumb but here's what my life looked like about a year ago (brought to you by Paint)

Now my life is this:

I'm not complaining really, I'm kinda excited to find out what the Question Mark will be, but let me tell you the other plan was a lot easier to wrap my head around and plan my life around, because it was all planned out and it didn't depend on anyone else. I think that's what is crazy... other people , be it bosses or boyfriends or jerks who work at a certain Studio, co-workers or family... when my life depends on them more... it's scary.

day 30: a letter to the friendliest person you knew for only one day

2011-01-13T15:15:00.000-08:00

Since I haven't done one in a while and the last one was a bit lame... here's another post for you all.

Dear lady on the plane,

Thank you so much for all your help on my flight from Green Bay to Minneapolis. The flight was over an hour late and I needed to make my connection so I could get home to travel to my boyfriend's grandma's funeral and you kept me calm and helped me relax. THEN when you ran through the airport with me since you knew it so much better than I did so that I can find my gate... that was amazing. And when you got that guy to drive me some of the distance so I could make it... you were so kind and I didn't get the chance to thank you because I was running off. THANK YOU SO MUCH! You really are the nicest person ever, especially because air travel can be so cold and unfeeling, to take compassion on the young stranger next to you... that was so nice. You make me want to be a better person, especially when I'm flying.

Love,

Michelle

day 29 provide the hex code of your favorite color

2011-01-13T15:09:00.000-08:00

So you're suppose to go to this site and provide the hex code: I'm torn between

#1FBB53

AND

#400080

So lame, but this was hard because as you can see from my blog I LOVE COLOR!

day 28: favorite places to shop

2011-01-11T11:01:00.000-08:00

So I think I've been avoiding this because I think it's kinda lame... anyway without further delay, here's where I shop:

Ann Taylor LOFT

Charlotte Russe

Old Navy

Forever 21


New York and Company

And for the stores that I occasionally shop at that I wish I could (and someday will) buy more clothes at are:

Anthropologie

J. Crew

White House Black Market

Banana Republic

this is a really good video

2011-01-02T10:33:00.001-08:00

day 27: a talent of yours

2010-12-31T12:15:00.000-08:00

So I don't have a lot of tangible talents... but here's the list I once compiled:

I am really good at packing. Not like light packing, but making lots of stuff fit into a small space. Like all my month's worth of groceries on the convener belt at the store, all of Erica and my stuff into her Sunfire for a trip to Florida and back... things in general into my Yaris.
I am good at Dinosaur impressions, most notably a T rex and those ones that spit stuff in your eyes to blind you
I am good at embarrassing myself in public. I do believe this is a talent. I have little shame
I am good at crying and not ruining my makeup
I am good at finding my cell phone after I've lost it
I am good at making people laugh
I am good at falling gracefully
I am good at being adorable even when I have food on my face, spill my drink on myself etc
I am good at setting my friends up with men and on dates
and one of my best legitimate talents is that I'm a good judge of people

day 26: favorite books

2010-12-29T11:17:00.000-08:00

My favorite book of all time is:

I just completely love it. Past that I don't have favorites.. I love all books... I will read anything. Currently I'm reading:

And a book that I can't find a picture online to read that's called " A 100 women who have made a difference that no one knows about". It's really interesting and I'm sad I can't find a picture of it online.

UP next on deck is:

Game Change

Broken Things to Mend

Drive

Delievering Happiness

And now this since Amazon recommended it! The Remarkable Soul of a Woman

day 25: a letter to someone you judged by their first impression

2010-12-28T15:45:00.000-08:00

*Author's note: I don't like this one.

Dear World,

I can be a not nice person. Like a lot. But typically my first impression is pretty dead on. That's all I'm saying...

Michelle

day 24 time to face morph

2010-12-23T10:31:00.000-08:00

This is what my face morphed into haha

day 23 share one of your current favorite tunes

2010-12-22T12:30:00.000-08:00

This song is love.

Just need to put my opinion out there

2010-12-22T12:25:00.000-08:00

I don't care what your beliefs are on the LGBT community, I think that the It Gets Better Project is a great idea for the youth today. I stumbled across this article and it surprised me. I agree with the general statement, it's an over exaggeration of the situation, I'm sure if you look at the stats-every archetype of person in high school probably has the same rate of suicide- but that doesn't mean the message isn't important. I think it needs to be spread farther then just the LGBT community. I think everyone at that age needs to know that it gets better. That High School in general is rough for a lot of people, and even for the people who you might not think are having a hard time. It's an awkward time and teenagers are not nice people.

So to ALL teens- It does get better, life evens out and there is so much fun and joy coming your way if you just wait it out.

Love,

an ex-high school chubby/ math nerd/ choir girl/ drama club/ debate club/ jock/ tom boy/ class clown/ honor student female.

day 22: a photo that makes you happy

2010-12-16T12:43:00.000-08:00

Well this is just too easy... I saw this just today...

This may or may not be a screenshot since this is a DisneyPhotoPass pic...

and here it is in Black and White... I think it's stunning.

And here it is with a Christmas border

We took photo pass pics by the tree too..

And with a Feliz Navidad border... because why not!

Sorry for being that girl here... I just like it and it's a picture that makes me happy

In other random news... I have become an HTML code queen... next thing you know I'll be designing my own blogs and not using templates... hahahaha it's more I'm just really proud of myself and what I'm doing on my work website in terms of HTML coding.

day 21: your favorite television program

2010-12-14T12:24:00.000-08:00

Here's the shows I watch:

day 20: a letter to someone that changed your life

2010-12-10T15:47:00.000-08:00

Dear Mr. Walsh,

Thanks for believing in me. If it were not for your excellent teaching skills I would never have made it as far as I have. Thanks for taking the time to work with me on essays, papers and tests. Thank you for knowing I'm smart enough to know and understand the learning part, but that other teachers had failed me in teaching me how to properly express the ideas and thoughts in a coherent, organized manner while using proper grammar and punctuation. Thank you for taking the time to teach me this, and never just writing me off. Thank you for being a real teacher that teaches because they are truly passionate about educating people and aren't jaded by the job, or the people who teach because they don't know what to do with their life or because they think that a teaching profession is good when they mommy track themselves ( most of Utah I'm looking your way).

And while I'm at it, thank you for helping me break out of my shell, at least while I was in your class. I loved your sarcastic teaching style always made me laugh and when you called me out and I answered the question correctly it instill a sense of pride in myself that it bolstered my confidence. You treated us like adults and we responded adult-like. You truly are the best teacher I have ever had.

Thank you for your hard work, it will always be appriciated.

Michelle

P.S. Tell Mr. Nicolsi that he's 2nd best and was almost as important to me and my education too :)

day 19: whatever tickles your fancy

2010-12-09T16:09:00.000-08:00

LOVE

Love has been on my mind lately. Not because I am in love so I think everyone should be too, (although sometimes I wish I could force everyone to be in love... but that's more like one of those spread the good news things then thinking I'm superior) but just the general subject of love.

A few days ago I was driving and I was pondering on a quest I embarked on during my college years. It was to find a movie that did not have love in it. It was during a particularly long dry spell when I didn't even have a crush on anyone (shocking right?) and I didn't want to deal with romance, love or anything of the sort. I couldn't find one. I thought that since my life was so love free and movies (mostly) try to be realistic that, surely, there would be one movie that didn't have a romantic plot-line, twist or happy couple in it. Couldn't do it- it seems all movies have some sort of subplot that featured love.

So I was thinking back on this quest. Why was it so hard? There is, of course, the obvious one- romantic comedies are for the ladies who wistfully want that and are emotionally touched by movies and the romance in the other movies are for the ladies to enjoy while the men enjoy the bombs. I don't buy this.

My theory: Love is a real human emotion that everyone yearns for. I don't care how deep down some people hide it everyone wants love. Maybe not to the point where they want to go out and see a romantic comedy, but at least where they appreciate the emotional response that they experience. I think that is why people do fall in love and why people are drawn to things like romantic comedies, poems, pictures, stories, dating websites, Valentine's Day etc. because the pure emotion that is love seems like a good thing, no matter what. Love is something that as humans we yearn for. I mean even the guys you think will never settle down, do.

That is something, no wonder it has been described and the world's most powerful emotion.

day 18: set or share a goal

2010-12-08T14:59:00.000-08:00

I'm always setting goals (not always reaching them) here are a few I'm currently working on:

read more- all types of books, i just bought like 6 CS/Management books
size 8. I'm secure enough with myself to tell you all I'm mostly a size 10 sometimes a 12 and I want to get down to a always an 8 size. I'll never been super skinny and honestly I'll look like a freak if I do because of my GIANT HIPS AND BUTT, but I think 8 would be a good size for me :)
in conjunction with the losing weight one I'm running and I want to do a 5k without stopping (hehe) then a 10k without stopping then a half marathon... without stopping

That's it for now :)

day 17: a photo that makes you sad

2010-12-06T15:01:00.000-08:00

Hurt animals make me so sad. They are, mostly, so innocent and loving and it's rare they've inflicted the injury upon themselves. That's why hurt animals make me infinitely more sad than hurt humans.

Yummy McYumerson

2010-12-06T14:41:00.000-08:00

I have been really bad at sticking to my health mandated diet for the last little bit. I just really miss meat sometimes. Anyway, due to not sticking to it and using my supplements too much I've just been feeling sick and not happy- well, happy about eating meat, but not happy because it made me all bloated and blah feeling.

So this week is my cleanse. All week the only things I will eat will be food that I know I can and no supplement usage this week!

So to make this happen I walked to the store today at lunch and got a bunch of things to put in a whole wheat pita. (Blah I just looked at the ingredients of my dressing and it has fish gelatin in it- less than 2% though...) and came up with this:

So yum!

Ingredients:

Whole wheat pita

grape tomatoes

Avocado slices

Spinach Blend lettuce

Basil

Clover Sprouts

Mozerella (that wasn't made with enzymes!)

and this "Veggie Mix" that contains radishes, jicama, celery, peppers and carrots (and maybe some more) for crunch!

and the cursed Honey Dijon (Light) dressing that *might* make me a little sick.

Total Calories: 392

So basically so much yumminess with not many calories and it's a healthy balance of healthy fats, whole wheat and veggies.

Yay for lunch for the week!

day 16: provide pictures of 5 celebrity crushes

2010-12-03T10:22:00.000-08:00

My first ever Celebrity crush was Harrison Ford. What a babe!

The amazing thing is that he still looks amazing even now....

Then in my tween years it was all about JTT

In college this was hanging up in my hallway... I didn't think it was right to be greedy with all this perfection

Look at that. WOW. And for current celeb crushes... well it appears I have a type!

Dark, facial hair, generally hot...

day 15: a letter to someone you wish you could meet

2010-12-01T12:59:00.000-08:00

Dear world,

Is it weird that I don't have an overwhelming desire to meet anyone in particular? At one point in my life I felt pretty certain I was going to meet Mark Paul Gosselaar, but it didn't happen. I don't know I just enjoy meeting people. I like to get to know them...

Love,

Michelle

Love this

2010-11-24T10:43:00.001-08:00

Just an old article to share with you all. Christina Hendricks, the redhead from Mad Men, wrote an open letter to guys in Esquire a bit a go and I agree with most of it. Check it out here!

day 14: a song from your childhood

2010-11-24T10:42:00.000-08:00

This song is the first one I remember dancing and singing around to.

Paula Abdul- Opposites Attract

Baby seems we never ever agree
You like the movies
And I like T.V.
I take things serious
And you take 'em light
I go to bed early
And I party all night
Our friends are sayin'
We ain't gonna last
Cuz I move slowly
And baby I'm fast
I like it quiet
And I love to shout
But when we get together
It just all work out

I take-2 steps forward
I take-2 steps back
We come together
Cuz opposites attract
And you know-it ain't fiction
Just a natural fact
We come together
Cuz opposites attract

Who'd a thought we could be lovers
She makes the bed
And he steals the covers
She likes it neat
And he makes a mess
I take it easy
Baby I get obsessed
She's got the money
And he's always broke
I don't like cigarettes
And I like to smoke
Things in common
Just ain't a one
But when we get together
We have nothin' but fun

I take-2 steps forward
I take-2 steps back
We come together
Cuz opposites attract
And you know-it ain't fiction
Just a natural fact
We come together
Cuz opposites attract

Baby ain't it somethin'
How we lasted this long
You and me
Provin' everyone wrong
Don't think we'll ever
Get our differences patched
Don't really matter
Cuz we're perfectly matched

day 13: whatever tickles your fancy

2010-11-23T17:03:00.000-08:00

Today I am kicking everyone's butt. I woke up this morning to an email that made me mad and made me frustrated that a lot of people seem to like to walk all over me and not worry about it. So today, I'm making things happen. Vendors are getting words, friends are getting words, deadbeats are getting words. And I'm standing up for myself.

I'm done with toxic friendships in my life. Why should I put myself out for other people and try to keep a friendship there when they don't feel the need to work on said friendship. So what if that means I will be down 2 "best friends"? How best could they possibly be if they don't know anything going on in my life or even care to attempt to talk to me occasionally. I'm "friend" detoxing... I have enough fabulous people in my life I don't need them too. PLUS that just means less Christmas and Birthday presents for me to buy. Not to mention a wedding I don't have to attend now. Not too exceptionally sad about that. From now on the only people I'm keeping in my life are the ones that want to make an effort to be part of my life.

Oh, and the blog friends I have here that read this- don't fret you're not someone I'm detoxing out of my life. At least the ones that I know read this blog!

That feels good to get off my chest.

day 12: we want to see your teeth today / post a self-portrait

2010-11-22T13:47:00.000-08:00

Okay so my camera adds weird black dots, but here ya go... how I look right this second through the lens of an iPhone. I know it says see your teeth, but I'm pretty sure they have food in them.Oh and you better believe that's a Ralph's bag full of Tim Tams behind me... I'm so ready to TIM TAM SLAM!

If you really want to see them/ see how amazing I looked (and tell me that too haha) at Michele Monteforte (now Bruggerman)'s wedding this weekend I have added another picture for your enjoyment.

day 11: share your favorite recipe

2010-11-16T17:13:00.000-08:00

It's so easy to make, cheap to buy and super yummy... this got me through college.

Pasta Salad:

1 package multi-color rotini

1 can sliced olives

1 can sweet corn

grape tomatos

Zesty Italian dressing

Make the pasta, combine ingredients, add enough dressing so it's to your liking. Enjoy. SO yum and SO easy. This makes a serious amount of pasta salad, but it's so good you will eat it for days.

So this isn't mine and they use cheese instead of corn (have done that as a mix in before) but this is what it looks like. SO YUM

FYI- I use to make an amazing lemon chicken that I use to mix in; pre veg. days so here's how I did that.

1 Chicken breast

butter

lemon pepper seasoning

put about a tablespoon of butter in a skillet and let it warm. Cut Chicken breast into bit size pieces while still cold. Place in skillet. Add tons of lemon pepper seasoning-pan fry till the chicken is done and golden. SO good. If you don't want to use the butter I've done variations of this with cooking spray as well- still good.

I don't like the pain of the last one- so upbeat now!

2010-11-15T17:50:00.000-08:00

I'm a cynical romantic. It's another one of my odd contradictions. I love romantic movies and fairy tale endings, but I don't believe they're real- even though I want them to be. For instance, I know I mentioned earlier that someone I know got married INSANELY quickly. Now from a bit of Facebook evaluation it seems that it might have ended. Here's the thing- deep down I really wanted it to work. I wanted to believe this this romantic, swept away in love gesture could be real. I wanted to see a real-life fairy tale.

Then this morning I checked PostSecret and I saw this postcard.

Oh my gosh, I wanted to email in and be like "I DEMAND AN UPDATE!" For some reason, I needed to know how this was going to work out. My thought process after reading this was, "Oh I hope she says yes!" then it was "he's probably some jerk that treated her bad and so she left and she's finally free and happy". And I was torn. I wondered if she's closed her heart to him, if she is missing him and I felt so very invested in what was going to happen.I didn't know what to hope would happen.

I guess I'm the type of person who wants someone to grab her and dance with her in the rain, but doesn't think it's going to happen. I guess I'm the happy medium. I don't live in a diluted state of mind thinking that Prince Charming will just show up and whisk my off my feet, but I'm also not cynical enough to say fairy tales aren't real and have that self-fulfilling prophecy hanging over my head.

I am lucky though...I have someone who just enjoys talking to me and when I laugh "but my real one" and who when I say things like "this room just makes me want to dance" he grabs me and twirls me around for a bit. But he also is logical, rational and smart... so maybe fairy tales do exist and romantic movies can be true, they're just not as dramatic as they appear.

day 10: a letter to the person you hate most or caused you a lot of pain

2010-11-15T15:06:00.000-08:00

None of my friends did this one, but I am going to. It's incredibly refreshing to send it out there and not look back.

Sorry it's vague, but I want to leave it at this:

Dear Person,
I wrote you a letter about this, but I never sent it to you. It's the longest entry I've ever put in my journal. And even though you ruined me initially, you made me grow and learn and become the person I am today. A stronger wiser person than I would have ever been if you had not be in my life- changing it forever. So, now, I can say I forgive you and while I don't thank you for what you did, I am grateful for who I am today.

In conclusion, in the infamous words of Britney Spears, Cause now im Stronger than yesterday...

Michelle

day 9: list some of your favorite tumblrs

2010-11-12T12:34:00.000-08:00

So I should be working through the huge pile of work I have, especially since I have about T-4 hours till IT is suppose to take my computer apart and move it to another cube. I still need to do an expense report, have a meeting, write up some process documents and pack up my cube. BLAH! But, I just spent the last 2 days fixing a spreadsheet to find out that I fixed the WRONG VERSION! Kill me. Anyway, I just spent the last 2.5 hours fixing the right version (it goes a lot quicker when you have a handy reference spreadsheet with the right formulas!) So I decided I get a little break :)

So Favorite Tublrs: Yeah I don't have any, but I do have 2 co-workers I like lots with them so they are here:

Pixie Friend
Old Boss Man

Other than that I have nothing... sorry this is so lame. haha

day 8: a photo of you taken recently

2010-11-11T15:00:00.000-08:00

So this was taken about 2 weeks ago... It's from the Halloween party I went to. I was once again being silly and my costume came from my closet basically. The shirt (which I LOVE and WILL wear again) is the only thing I'm wearing I didn't already own.

I was trying to take a picture of me here at work but I remembered that my hair looks bad, I'm not wearing make up, the lighting is bad and my cube is gray and depressing behind me. I even tried messing around in CS5 but yeah it wasn't working out... you'll have to deal with 2 weeks old... stolen from facebook :)

day 7: a youtube video you find funny

2010-11-10T12:19:00.000-08:00

I'm so slow at this... another friend of mine is on Day 21.

Okay a YouTube Video I find funny...

I feel like the whole world has it, but it makes me laugh- the other two aren't actually YouTube videos, but ya these two skits from SNL are always HILARIOUS TO ME!

Knives, Knives...don't have a cow

Oh man I can't stop laughing! "and now we return to an intentional lost episode of the Lawrence Welk show"

day 6: list of what you ate today

2010-11-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

Seeing as I have not eaten anything yet today here's yesterday's food: (warning it's boring)

banana
peanut butter and honey sandwich on potato bread
a mini baby ruth bar
a few pieces of some snack mix thingy in a car
praline and pumpkin pancakes
a bite of cheesecake pancakes
scrambled eggs
hash browns

Can anyone guess where I had dinner last night haha... hmmm so many pancake varieties there...

Oh I get it!

2010-11-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

So from what I've heard the rally to restore sanity and/or fear was insanely well attended with a lot of amazing "protest signs" here's a few I liked:

I always thought that "he's just like Hitler" was thrown around too liberally (pun!) I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels that way.

What? The two parties can exist peacfully? I know!

My favorite: the Dinosaur saying "Fact".

It's true.

day 5: a letter to your crush

2010-11-02T18:19:00.000-07:00

Dear ~~Chad~~ Crush,

Hi, I just wanted to say that I think you're really cute! Whenever I see you my heart skips a beat. I like that you always make me laugh, even when I'm grumpy and don't want to laugh. Talking to you, even if its about nothing, is the highlight of my day. I love that you don't like mushrooms and will order vegetarian food just so we can share. All romantic songs make me think of you.

You always make me smile.

Love,

~~Michelle~~ Your Secret Admirer

And in an odd twist of fate- my friend shared this site with me today... so cute!

http://www.letterstocrushes.com/

day 4: a photo of you taken over ten years ago

2010-11-01T16:19:00.000-07:00

So I found two (thank you Hayley and your photo memories album) and I'm pretty certain they're both 10+ years ago. Judging from clothes, hair and others in the pictures this first one I think was when I was when I was 16.

Can't find me? Here's a close up! Yeah pretty sweet everything there huh? I am just in awe over my shades, shirt (seriously 2 shades of army green with hawaiian flowers running up the sleeve? SO hot) and the HAIR. OH the hair... for some reason I thought I needed curlier hair so I got my butt to the salon and got a perm... blah.

This next gem is cira 1999- I think. Honestly I have no idea I just know I was in high school and that the kid in the blue shirt and hat is 2 yrs older than me so I must have been a freshman or sophomore...

Once again I'll provide you with a zoom in (funny thing is I did the "zoom" in Paint because even though I have PhotoShop on my computer (Suite 5!) I have no idea how to use it...
Judging from the hair color and style I believe this picture predates the other. I think I look younger too... So my guesses are as follows: Picture with the pumpkin is my freshman year of high school ( Fall 1998) and the top one is probably Spring 2000. Hayley can probably correct me though :)

Good thing I'm one of those people that are getting better with time huh? WOW

day 3: your favorite movie

2010-10-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

My Favorite Movie:This is really hard because I have so many movies I LOVE, but since I know I have to pick just one I'm going to go with a movie that is completely cliche, but I love me some Pride and Prejudice. I use to be a purest and say that the only version worth watching was the epic long classic 6 hour version. I mean how can you say no to seeing this:

yeah that's the stuff that great movies are made of. But since I don't have 6 hours all the time to sit and watch it, I decided to give the new version a chance. And now it feels like home. Seriously, everything melts away when I start to hear this (ignore that this guy has a baby grand in his bedroom and just listen to the music):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqVlXU6pk4A

Even now... I feel the stress just melting away. That's why it's my favorite movie... oh and it doesn't hurt that Matthew Macfadyen makes a pretty amazing Darcy... just look at that... oh and since "I'm a Jane, not an Elizabeth" Simon Woods is pretty cute in my opinion too!

day 2: make a bulleted list of everything that happened in your day

2010-10-22T14:18:00.000-07:00

Please don't think you need to react to any of these (that statement will make sense in a minute)... this is yesterday btw

Today:

woke up
hit snooze
hit snooze
shower
Dad came in and told me my grandpa died
met Danica to carpool
went to work
worked
meeting
meeting
team lunch
meeting
call with legal
work
paid LAST payment on my credit card
temple
dinner with friends
bed

What a day!

day 1: introduce yourself

2010-10-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Michelle. I'm really bad at tooting my own horn. I feel like my life can be best broken down into stereotypes that defined the sections of my life (from youth to now): drama-queen, popular, outcast, mean girl, tomboy, smarty-pants, prep, party girl, flirt, loner, new girl, optimist and now I'm just working on being Michelle- a combination of all the above.

I've spent about half my life on the East Coast and half my life on the West. The result? I'm too uptight for California and I'm too laid back for New York :)

I like colors, people, dancing, proving people wrong, rolling my eyes and laughing.
I dis-like ignorant people, water in my face, being told I can't have/do something and being a vegetarian that hates mushrooms.

My favorite quote comes from a President that I still haven't decided how I feel about; Ronald Reagan. "I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph. And there's purpose and worth to each and every life."

Stolen fun

2010-10-18T16:46:00.000-07:00

So I found my cousin's blog and she's doing this and I thought it looked like fun so I'm going to do it too! Starting tomorrow :)

Here's what you write about each day:

day 1: introduce yourself
day 2: make a bulleted list of everything that happened in your day
day 3: your favorite movie
day 4: a photo of you taken over ten years ago
day 5: a letter to your crush
day 6: list of what you ate today
day 7: a youtube video you find funny
day 8: a photo of you taken recently
day 9: list some of your favorite tumblrs
day 10: a letter to the person you hate most or caused you a lot of pain
day 11: share your favorite recipe
day 12: we want to see your teeth today / post a self-portrait
day 13: whatever tickles your fancy
day 14: a song from your childhood
day 15: a letter to someone you wish you could meet
day 16: provide pictures of 5 celebrity crushes
day 17: a photo that makes you sad
day 18: set or share a goal
day 19: whatever tickles your fancy
day 20: a letter to someone that changed your life
day 21: your favorite television program
day 22: a photo that makes you happy
day 23 share one of your current favorite tunes
day 24 time to face morph / http://morph.cs.st-andrews.ac.uk//transformer/
day 25: a letter to someone you judged by their first impression
day 26: favorite books
day 27: a talent of yours
day 28: favorite places to shop
day 29 provide the hex code of your favorite color /http://www.febooti.com/products/iezoom/online-help/online-color-chart-picker.html
day 30: a letter to the friendliest person you knew for only one day
day 31: whatever tickles your fancy
day 32: a photo you took
day 33: what you’re craving right now
day 34: your favorite quote
day 35: a letter to an ex
day 36: some hobbies of yours
day 37: a song that you like to dance to
day 38: a photo of your parent(s)
day 39: zodiac sign and do you think it fits your personality
day 40: a letter to a deceased person you wish you could talk to
day 41: whatever tickles your fancy
day 42: bad habit(s) you have
day 43: a picture of your favorite place in the world
day 44: something that fascinates you and why
day 45: a letter to yourself a year ago
day 46: photos of personal things in your life (pets, family, house, ect)
day 47: birthday wish list
day 48: a photo of you right now
day 49: hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
day 50: a letter to your reflection in the mirror

Disneyland Tickets

2010-10-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

Since so many people hit me up for Disneyland/world tickets and it's complicated to explain I have decided to write a blog about it so people know and I can just refer them to a handy URL instead.

Here's the pricing info:

DISNEYLAND PARK OR DISNEY’S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE PARK- that's one park for one day
ADULT = $69.00
CHILD = $61.00

DISNEYLAND RESORT 1-DAY PARK HOPPER- one day both parks
ADULT = $76.00
CHILD = $68.00

WALT DISNEY WORLD 1-DAY, 1-PARK
ADULT = $78.60
CHILD = $65.18

WALT DISNEY WORLD 4-DAY PARK HOPPER
ADULT = $265.51
CHILD = $233.88

Now for Michelle's detailed instructions as to how to get these tickets.

I know I work for Disney but i do not work for Disneyland. Which means I can't deliver you tickets at the park. So here's your options:

If you live near me:

You give me the money, I get you the tickets, when I have time, and then give you the tickets. Usually I need about a week lead time because I need to get to the ticket location (not in my office) during their hours.

If you live out of state:

You can mail me money or PayPal me money. Then I will get the tickets and can mail them back to you. If basic mail is too slow you'll need to include the shipping price in money you send me too. This is a few week process so make sure you plan accordingly.

Sorry if this is bratty but I've lost money and had to work late due to last minute requests and such so these are my rules now.

Oh and if anyone wants to fly me to Disney world and put me up in a hotel room... then you my friends (up to 3) get tickets for free. :)

I'm this bored at work

2010-10-08T17:26:00.000-07:00

1. Who is your hero? Why?
I don't really have one... I know it's weird, but I never met someone I want to be like completely... more everyone I respect has aspects or traits I would like to emulate.
2. When you were a little tike, what did you want to be when you grew up?
In first grade I walked in to "career" day dressed as a lawyer... I dabbled with the idea of movie star too, but lawyer was there since the beginning and stayed until life and God took me down a different path.
3. What is one goal you currently have?
ONE? Just one? okay the goal I'm closest to achieving is my goal to pay off my credit card... I'm one paycheck away from it! YAY!
4. What life achievement are you most proud of?
I have no idea... I think it might have been moving to Washington D.C. without knowing a soul there and being truly independent.
5. If you could do anything with your spare time, what would you do?
Right now I'd sleep haha... but I think I would shop a lot and then work out a lot so I can do all my 5k, 10k, half marathon, whole marathon, and triatholon
6. What is your best physical feature?
I think it's my butt... then my skin. Yeah...
7. What is the most important thing your parents ever taught you by example?
Sacrifice and giving are more important than receiving.
8. Why do you think the church is true?
This is weird. I'm not good at expressing my testimony in written words. But to me it's logical. It makes sense.

Okay now Kayla's questions:

1) What is one food you hated as a child, but as an adult you now enjoy?
Wheat bread

2) Favorite memory growing up?
Roller skating up and down the street in my popples skates
3) Craziest thing you've ever done and/or seen happen?
sky diving or streaking...
4) If you could choose any super power, what would it be?
Fly. I hate LA traffic so much I wish I could fly and not have to deal with it. AND I could go visit my friends whenever I want!
5) Favorite book, and why?
A Tale of Two Cities... the range of emotions experienced is amazing and it's such a deep story. And it's based on historical events.
6) Why did you choose the major/degree/career that you did?
Major- because I love politics and governments
Career- I loved interning at Disney World so I thought it would be fun to apply for corporate jobs.
7) Who would win in a fight: a taco or a grilled cheese sandwich?
Taco- it's Mexican and has serious street credit. Grilled cheese, although delicious,
8) Paper or plastic?
I like paper...

Now I tag: Brittany, Hayley, Brianna, Megan

Gross and creepy- perfect for Fall

2010-10-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

So I'm not going to go into my diatribe about babies in general and the many reasons they make my skin crawl; because I have been mocked and scorned for my viewpoints, but here's something that is just too creepy to ignore. It's the picture right over there --> creepy!

Okay not originally why I started this blog, but I googled babies in images and this was one of the top hits. TOP HITS, oh man oh man, it's so freaking creepy.

Anyway, what brought me to this post and that horrible picture that will haunt me and most likely cause me to have dreams about giving birth (yuck) to tiny creepy quadruplets, was something else. I am blown away by people. I know this person and they are 30+ yrs old... and they married an 18 yr old. Already super creepy and borderline pedo... but whatever... I just found out they're pregnant... yeah. I don't know, I guess I could handle it better when she was just young and married. I don't know how she's not crying her eyes out being 18 yrs old (maybe 19 now...) and pregnant. I don't want to be 25 and pregnant (ummm I just said 25, but I'm pretty sure I'm 26, but honestly all I can think about are babies... not in a good way... so I have no idea how old I am) let alone 18! The only reason I want to ever be pregnant is so that I have a handy place to rest things like books, iPads and ice cream bowls.

Between finding this out and finding out some guy I know went from completely single on Thursday night to MARRIED on Monday night I am blown away by people and how they can't be better planners. I can't decide to cut my hair for about 3 months, let alone decide who I want to spend the rest of eternity with! AH! So much craziness surrounds me.

... as a final note, I was re-reading this for mild editing (I don't really care too much about the grammar and whatnot because here I like to write exactly how I would speak) and I shuddered again at the creepy tiny babies... gross.

Yay!

2010-10-01T14:43:00.000-07:00

So I think most of you know that at work I jumped ship from a world I was born to be a part of, Pixie Hollow, to another project, that is a good fit, but not the "flitterific good time" that is me. It's called Disney Movies Online! It was a really smart decision, better hours, better team, less stress, better pay, better title etc. so I took the job. And it's been a blast. Well it's been through it's share of trails, but what site doesn't go through stuff like that when it is trying to launch? I'm use to stuff like this in the internet industry.

There were job scares, times when I wondered if the new updates will go live, and lots and lots of stress and rushing to get it out the door within our time-line. But, it has finally gone live and everyone is breathing huge sighs of relief. The best thing is that our VP sent it to Bob Iger, the CEO of The Walt Disney Company- his reaction was positive!He's finally seeing the value in our site and is asking all the questions that we're trying to get answered so we can make our site the best experience possible. We are looking like we're going to be successful!

I'm so glad I did something very un-like me. I took a chance, I took a risk and I'm excited to see what happens!

iPathetic

2010-09-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

Like what I did there? Made the same overused joke everyone does when they talk about Apple products... I'm amazing like that... anyway I want to start out by saying I am a PC... when it comes to computers. I don't really like MACs, maybe I haven't given them a proper run, but I'm comfortable on my PCs so that's where I shall stay. But, I do have an iPhone, AND just last week my boss gave me an iPad. WOW! Lucky me. Anyway, I'm not bragging I'm just explaining my background. Now for why I'm too dependent on technology/ apps found on the iProducts.

So California is in the middle of a heat wave... it would stink if I was outside, but I'm in my office ALL day and it's freezing in here. I don't know how to dress for outside and inside. Anyway, I wanted to see just how cold it was in my office so I turned to my iPhone to see if I could download a thermometer app to get the exact temperature of my cube. Sounds like a great idea right? Maybe until you realize that it would have no idea how to tell that because it doesn't actually have any sort of themro mechanics built into it like that. Yeah... So I guess the iPhone can't do everything.

By the time I'm 27

2010-09-21T15:14:00.000-07:00

So I'm not very good at New Years Resolutions, but I seem to be good at Birthday (or after my birthday) resolutions so I thought I'd do that again this year... and now I'm posting it for the world to see to hold me accountable.

Finish paying off all my debt (minus student loans- that's still like 5 yrs out)
Size 8... it's only one size down I know I can do it!
Use my passport for somewhere other than Canada (it's embarrassing that it's the only country on that)
Run a 5k
Run a 10k
Be ready for the Disneyland Marathon (half?)
Take at least a semester of Spanish... by my birthday I could be almost done with a 2nd semester.
Love more.

This may expand but it's pretty lofty right now!

I got friends who... (la la la) help me pull through....

2010-09-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

I believe everything happens for a reason. I also believe that people are brought into your life for a reason- to help you grow in one way or another. Whenever I reflect on my life what I remember most about times in my life are the people I met and bonded with... I've been blessed with a happy disposition and the ability to make friends pretty easy and because of that I have an awesome bouquet of friends who live ALL over the country (and world...) now and they all have taught me something.... It's like each period of my life (usually broken down into where I live) has that friend that has impacted my life so much...

California (round 1)- Danica... we were the coolest set of best friends Atherwood has ever seen!

New Jersey- Michele and Nina... my life in New Jersey didn't seem like it was in order and happy until these 2 girls were my besties! It's when I finally came to love New Jersey

Utah freshman yr- Bethie... randomly became roomies... we both thought the other was weird, but then because the best of friends... most of the funniest things I did freshman year were with Bethie

Utah summer of 07 "yellow and gray brick"- BriBri and Erica... all I have to say is kicking the can!

Florida- Erica and I became the best of friends and I met people from all over the world. I loved it- I loved having friends in Norway, France, England etc. They made the time in Florida so memorable. Not to mention it was the first time I fell in love... it was a great experience and although most those people aren't in my life anymore I treasure it.

Utah- rest of college- Megs. She's so great and I love her! She was ALWAYS there for me... the original 3 best friends :)

Washington D.C.- I think what's most remarkable about this time is that I didn't have any friends really. I learned how to be friends with myself. I learned to be independent and comfortable. It was a period of growth and I made 2 new friends... myself and my Savior. Being friendless helped me draw closer to my religion and really start to build a relationship with my faith. Even though I was friendless (which is incredibly hard for an extrovert) i wouldn't trade this time for anything... and I'm glad I had the chance to experience this.

EFY 2005 - yeah I need to break this out by year... this year... it's allll about Shallie... I'm so glad we stayed friends and that our lives mirrored each others for so long! It was so amazing to have someone who I knew understood how I felt and would not only make me feel better but sympathize with me as well.

EFY 2006- Kay!! Oh my gosh I love this girl! She makes me laugh and was my only friend for most of my BYU-I experience this summer... we're still BFF and it's because EFY brought us together.

EFY 2008- Kurtis (with a K). He was my rock... I was in such a bad place emotionally and he never let me wallow. I don't know if he did it on purpose, but whenever I lost my focus and started to think about my very fresh heartbreak he would pull me out of it with a joke or a story or a smile. He was the perfect co-counselor for me during this summer.

EFY 2009- Brittany Michelle Francis... she's the reason I started working on this blog post. We became instant friends... I love her and she's amazing. She has such a strength and is such a role model to me. I'm so glad that 2 weeks together will lead to a lifelong friendship!

California (round 2) I have so many friends in CA, people who I truely LOVE, but I have to say that my original 2 female friends made it so that I didn't run away to Utah, or anywhere else for that matter! Ali and Amanda were ALWAYS there for me and so much fun! The most unlikely of friendships, but still total love. Oh and I feel like I need to say I'm really happy I stayed here... because I have a new best friend....

I love where life has taken me... and the people I've met.... I wouldn't ask for anything to change... I can't wait to find out where life will take me and what forever friend I'll meet next.

So excited

2010-08-31T12:57:00.000-07:00

So I've decided to do my week in pictures.... most won't be real because they haven't happened yet- but my goal is to fully document it so that I have real pictures to share :)

Monday:So confession... this isn't the LA visitor center that I went to, but it looks a lot like it! It was fun to see the new center and all the interactive elements. I kinda dork out about that stuff now.
This is Chad being more interested in ESPN than me while we were at The Counter for dinner, but that's okay because I'm a mess when I eat there so I was able to wipe my face off while he was distracted :)
Tuesday:
To celebrate Brittani's birthday... I'm thinking about trying something new today... and yes, that does excite me!
Wednesday:
Pedicures with the girls! and then maybe we're seeing Scott Pilgrim
Thursday and on:
Thursday evening Chad and I are hitting the road (this stock photo is great because in a very general sense it looks like the two of us) and are heading to NorCal for the long weekend. Here's a few things I want to see.... that Chad isn't completely aware of yet :)
I want to walk across the bridge.... no idea why but I do...
So Full House... I kinda wanna see this place... but I won't die if I don't
This will be easy... Berkeley is the reason for the trip
It's classic... I'm sure we will!
Who doesn't want to visit a famous jail??

I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more and like I said... I plan on actually taking pictures so maybe I won't have to google memories now :)

OH and to make sure I can do all my walking and not ruin my pedicure; look what I just bought!
I am slowly getting a bit granola... climbing shoes and harness... chacos... the next thing you know I'll be buying a performance fleece... again... much to the chagrin of Erica.

I'm so sad

2010-08-24T10:16:00.001-07:00

that whoever requested this cake is married...

because that is just so very awesome. I'm glad they found each other.

Definition

2010-08-24T00:27:00.000-07:00

masochistic- Noun.

gratification gained from pain, deprivation, degradation, etc., inflicted or imposed on oneself, either as a result of one's own actions or the actions of others, esp. the tendency to seek this form of gratification.

"The sadistic person is as dependent on the submissive person as the latter is on the former; neither can live without the other. The difference is only that the sadistic person commands, exploits, hurts, humiliates, and that the masochistic person is commanded, exploited, hurt, humiliated. This is a considerable difference in a realistic sense; in a deeper emotional sense, the difference is not so great as that which they both have in common: fusion without integrity."

Yeah...

The picture is really cool though- it's called Cirque De Masochistic

Dear Michelle

2010-08-17T14:35:00.000-07:00

Dear Michelle,

Please stop thinking, analyzing, worrying, stressing and all other negative action verbs about your life. You need to be positive and focus on what's good and enjoy what's happening now. It is okay to live in the moment and appreciate what you have now- things will always work out and it will always be what's best for you. Enjoy what is going great right now and don't worry about the future because 1. it doesn't need to be planned out and follow a schedule 2. you don't know what life holds and 3. worry lines aren't pretty.

Love

Your logical side

Introspective

2010-08-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

“Growing up is never easy. You hold on to things that were. You wonder what's to come. But that night, I think we knew it was time to let go of what had been, and look ahead to what would be. Other days. New days. Days to come. The thing is, we didn't have to hate each other for getting older. We just had to forgive ourselves... for growing up.” -The Wonder Years

Note to Self: Watch more The Wonder Years... seriously use to love that show.

So, I use to be a lot more hyper... like crazy hyper. Like actually bouncing off the walls and crazy fun. Sometimes I still get that way... but I've mellowed out a lot lately. I use to think that I've lost a bit of myself... the whole selling out and chaining my soul to corporate America (great imagery for me here) killing my youth and fun... but I realized it's more growing up then it is selling out.

~ The trick is growing up without growing old.

It's not like I'm not fun... I'm just more steady. For example, last night I went to watch the meteor show... 3 years ago I wouldn't have been able to lay still there for more than like 2 minutes without talking and moving... but last night I'm pretty certain I could have just stayed there for hours just laying there, chatting occasionally, pointing out meteors and just being in the moment.

On my drive home last night (when I didn't have the radio playing- another sign) I was thinking about it and wondering if I'm fun. I wonder if normal people wonder that, anyway, I was thinking about that and if I'm fun and who I am now and I realized it's not that I'm not fun anymore... it's just that with life I roll with the punches, I learn from them and I've grown up and matured because of them. It's okay that I'm not the crazy girl anymore... that I'm who I should be. I'm still fun, but I can enjoy the things that mile a minute Michelle use to miss.

~ If growing up is the process of creating ideas and dreams about what life should be, then maturity is letting go again. ~

I've grown up enough to know that sometimes plans change, but it's always for the better; that sometimes the best thing to do is leap into the unknown hoping you made the right choice; that you can find joy and fun in the simple moments not just the elaborate ones; that sometimes you need to let go to truly move on and that joy comes from within.

~ The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

A good day

2010-08-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

These things are making me happy today:

Some Guy making fun of Twilight

Meteor Showers like Whoa!

A Spelling Bee for Cheaters

Girls Night! Dinner is planned as well...

I'm going to have a good weekend :) Now if only I didn't have to work... I need to refocus myself and work on marrying wealthy again... I wasn't made to work long hours

oh and a last minute addition:
GENIUS