random round-up

This past week has been busy and interesting. I'll try to do a little round-up of the random things that have happened.

My Nurse Practitioner recommended that I take fish oil supplements, so off to Whole Foods I went. Holy cow! I had no idea there were so many options available. After pouring over all the choices, I settled on this brand and they were a pretty penny so hopefully it helps. They don't taste fishy, but my one complaint is the size. The capsules are gigantic. I wonder how many people choke on these every morning around the world??

I have also been house sitting for a friend at work. She has two cats and one very weird neighbor. He's probably in his mid 50s, loves her cats (they eat dinner with him and "hang out"), and wears short shorts and a fanny pack. For some reason he REALLY enjoys talking to me. Twice a day, he walks across the street to chat when I'm out watering/bringing the cats inside and the first thing that pops in my head is the song from the Nair hair wax commercials who wears short shorts...So funny. The second thing that comes to mind is "go away".Strange, strange conversations I tell you!

Also, I swam laps at Steiner this week. As a side note - those swimmers bodies, oh my heart. I love it. When I stopped at the end of my lane this 60ish year-old man with a white pony tail stopped me and said I was too fast (which is a lie, I'm slow as molasses) so he was going to go lay out for the both of us. Then he told me that I had a wonderful pink and red aura surrounding me (I was wearing a pink cap & pink goggles) and asked me what my "thoughts" were. I told him that I was just happy to have a day off of work and to be at the pool and he said, "well, it sure looks great on you". I said an awkward thanks and swam away. Again, so strange.

I always leave a treat for the homeowners when I house sit. (Frank & Mike are the two cats).

I kind of laughed the other day when I looked down at my cart and every item but one was either candy, chocolate, or full of sugar. But hey, at least I bought some shampoo!

The candy was for my nephew G baby (who is now 2!). He picks out a little treat each night before bed. It gets put in a baggie taped to the wall and if he doesn't get out of bed several times, the whole treat is his when he wakes up! I thought he could use a little variety and have some new things to choose from. If I don't have a bf, I might as well spoil the favorite little guy in my life!

I am quite convinced that the Park Cafe is one of the best, if not THE best, places to get breakfast in SLC. The food is so yummy, the service is quick, and boy do those employees know how to work. They all work hard, which I think is impressive. No one is ever standing around without a task in hand. I may or may not have eaten there twice this week.

My friend paid me back in coins today. I don't know why I got so excited about it, but for some reason getting a roll of quarters was the bee's knees. I loved it.

I think I must just like getting change that is not as common. I went to Harmons a few months ago and the cashier gave me a $2 bill for my change. I've carried it around ever since. And I have decided that I am going to get a pile of $2 bills to give as tips on my next vacation.

I spent the afternoon cutting out 3"x3" squares to turn into yo yos. My sister is starting a headband business (they are adorable!) and she will be putting these on headbands.

I also made some yummy cookies with a great friend for my little niece's baby blessing. So fun to chat and sneak bites of cookie dough this afternoon.

And the thing I am most proud of is that I got rid of this journal. I was actually really surprised when I stumbled across it this morning. I wrote in this religiously when I was last dating Roger (pretty much every day). I thought I had gotten rid of this long ago, but I hadn't. I read one entry today and cringed. Knowing what I know about him now just makes the whole thing repulsive. I am so glad for the experience but thankful that my whole future was essentially spared. This found a new home in a recycle bin in the Aves (didn't want it traced back to me!) - and I couldn't be happier to let it go. I can't believe it has already been five months since everything ended. Time kind of has a wonderful way of making life so much better. I am in a really good place. Though I would not complain if a new bf came out of the woodwork at any time!!

favorites

I was looking at my debit card history the other day - here is something kind of pathetic & awesome. Pretty much 1 in 4 of my purchases are from Target! I can't keep myself away from there! It's pretty much a pattern of go out to eat, go to Target, buy gas, go to Target, repeat, repeat, repeat. If I ever dreamed up an ideal store with the best products, good prices & most captivating commercials, it would most definitely be Target. Here are some of my favorite finds this summer:

Target sells 4-pack Mambas in the dollar bins (usually there are only 3 per pack)! Sorry this picture is flipped, but I was trying to show that for the first time in my entire life I got every single flavor in the same pack . I felt so lucky!

 Some of my most favorite wrapping paper is $1 a roll there. My mom was super jealous of these prints. I drove all over creation to four Target stores from Fort Union to Centerville one morning on a mission trying to find them for her as well. I was only able to secure two of the prints.

This is my go-to baby shower present. It's a "grass" drying rack. I think it looks so cool. Can't wait to have one of these for my own baby one day! I bought these for an upcoming shower.

I found these earlier this summer and about died - plastic fruit crates!

Here's another little gem - camera shaped appetizer plates. I fell in love with these immediately!

                                    

These fruit dish towels are another well-loved find. I bought a few to tuck away in case I need a cheer-me-up gift for someone in the future. The fruit prints make me so happy.

Other non-Target finds:

This bicycle shirt. I originally saw someone wearing this in a picture on fb. I googled for a solid hour trying to find where it came from with no success. Luckily my cousin is good friends with the girl wearing it so I texted her and she found out it was from Urban Outfitters. I drove down immediately to buy it...

and was over the moon when I found out it came in two colors. Pretty sure I will love wearing these with patterned skirts - love a little pattern on pattern.

Costco socks - who does not love these? I was really jazzed about this particular design. I always wear ankle socks to work because I get so hot running around all day. Pretty sure these make me 10x more excited to start my shifts!

Last, but certainly not least is this little gift. I worked at the hospital all day on Wednesday and then went straight to Margaret's. When I finally put her to sleep, I was beyond tired. I went to get my things ready to go to bed and this beauty fell out of my bag - yes, I have an awesome mom who snuck this into my bag!! I was drooling over how hot Ryan Lochte is! Best surprise ever.

25!

I am officially into the second week of my 25th year, which I gladly welcome. I'm pretty sure my 24th year was the hardest yet, so I am definitely happy to be moving right along. My sister gave me the cutest stamp set for my birthday. To say I love it is an understatement. 

With any big event, I am always thinking of things I could improve, change, or do better. Of course there are things I wish would happen for me right now, but I am learning that I just have to be patient. And sometimes it is really hard. But I have decided that I can think of at least three ideas I can control, and all of them would make me very happy.

1) I went on a tour of the conference center last Monday for FHE and learned some new facts. One of which is that they are always looking for RNs to volunteer at different events held at the conference center. I was thrilled to hear this and couldn't believe I didn't think of the idea before. I made a phone call to the church headquarters and spoke to a really nice guy in HR who put me in contact with a lady who is in charge of the clinic. I sent all my paperwork and references in right away and I'm hoping to get started soon. I think it would be fun and another avenue to circulate and put myself out there. (the pic is taken on top of the conference center - such pretty views up there!)

2) It comes as no surprise that I have been inspired by the olympic swimmers' hot bodies...I mean, athletic ability. I was a decent swimmer in high school and love being in the water. I went and bought a new cap and goggles to motivate me to become good friends with exercising again. It has been a LONG time since we've seen each other.

3) I don't have a picture for, but I have decided to start taking piano lessons again. I would love to become really good at the piano and also learn how to play the organ. Now I just need to find an awesome teacher!

The last picture I threw in for good measure. I haven't been feeling very well the past few weeks (really tired and unfortunately, my body has turned into a giant balloon), so I went in for some lab work. I also wanted to get my cholesterol checked (Last fall I was a super kind gf and had my cholesterol checked because the boy I was dating had sky high cholesterol and had tons of labs drawn, so I figured if I was making him get poked/see the doctor frequently/have a change in lifestyle, I would do it with him). I'm almost positive my cholesterol has hit a small speed bump since then, so I wanted to see where I was at now (you know, since I'm working on the olympic body). Well I started fasting last night at 10 p.m., thinking that I would be able to secure a morning appt. Boy, was I wrong. I got the last appointment left at 3:45 p.m. I wanted to cry from being so thirsty and a little hungry, too! 

You can imagine how I felt when I went to the Dodo with a good friend after FHE tonight:

heavenly.

And someone pointed out that my sandwich is in the shape of a heart. I would like to think that is not a coincidence. Isn't summer the best time to fall in love?

one year

It's kind of hard to believe that it has been a whole year since my grandma, Shirley, passed away. In some ways it seems like it has gone by so fast, and in other ways I feel like it was just yesterday that I was sitting on her couch eating dinner and watching Wheel of Fortune. Oh, how I wish she was here!

Today we celebrated gram. My mom and I started out at the Bountiful temple. Usually we go to the Salt Lake temple, but since it is closed for renovation, my mom picked Bountiful. I'm pretty sure that was no accident because when we got to the celestial room, the stained glass and couches were all YELLOW! (gram's favorite color). It was so nice and peaceful to be there.

Then we went and got lunch at Zupas (another one of gram's favorite places we frequented). My mom and I are finishing the day off by going to the dreaded Jo-Ann's (gram's least favorite fabric place but one we always seemed to stop by weekly for notions & supplies).

It was a hard day for all of us, but especially my mom. Jenny gave her the beautiful sunflowers above (gram's favorite flower) and I gave my mom gram's favorite treat in a yellow bucket and some cheerful dish cloths with big oranges and lemons on them.

I have been so nervous for the past few days to happen because it brings back a flood of memories from last year - the final few days of gram's life. It has been a bit sad & surreal, but I am so grateful for all the fun memories I have with my grandma. Even though she is not here, she definitely still lives on!

London 2012

I am loving the London games, especially the swimming, which is my all-time favorite sport. I am quite alright with the changes FINA made regarding swimsuits (the men's have to start at the waist, what a shame!)

I am certain the FINA panel must have been made up entirely of ladies. Bless them!

on cravings

My eating habits are kind of laughable. 1) I am SUPER picky - as in, I have the taste buds of a 2-year-old. And 2) I have a lot of cravings - and most of the time I give into them. Eek!

Here is some evidence:

The kids meal at Zupas - you really can't beat the grilled cheese, wisconsin cauliflower soup & a chocolate covered strawberry.

m & m cookie from Paradise. I don't know how they make cookies so white & soft & yummy.

Mini fruit tarts/fruit pizza - my newest obsession. I ordered a dozen the other day just because I could.

Banbury Cross donuts - probably my most favorite place to go and also where I have the least amount of self control. I can count the number of times on one hand that I have exited the building with just one donut (a.k.a. I leave with multiples and sometimes I'm a bad person and don't share).

Pizza of any kind. I have made mini pizzas from Rhodes rolls for the last three meals (which means I ate pizza for breakfast this morning, whoops!)

Funeral potatoes are truly divine. I made some at 11 p.m. the other week because I couldn't help it.

Texas sheet cake - my sister makes the very best.

The smoked turkey & swiss sandwich from the Dodo. Need I say more? It is out of this world!

Which is why at the end of the day, this pretty much sums up my feelings entirely...

 Has it been a long time or what since I last wrote on this little blog? I feel like there are thick layers of dust to brush off, but after a lot of serious thought, I have decided to rejoin the blogging world. Yesterday I started reading pay it forward stories online and had the sad & sudden realization that I hardly remember any of those stories from own life over the past year. Of course there have been lots of kind people who have come into my life and wonderful experiences - but I must have a horrible memory!! It was then and there that I decided my retro romance needed a little revival!

I'll briefly catch you up on what has been happening in my world since last JULY!


In the past year, I...

1) Fell in love & then back out.

For those of you who know the crazy story, what a road it's been. Even though there were moments where I felt like I was trapped in my own personal h-e-double hockey sticks, I am 100% glad for the experience. I can do hard things! And I am doing SO well now!

Plus, two really awesome things came out of all the hoopla.

a) My favorite purse of all time. If this doesn't scream Julia, I don't know what does. The colors, the fish scales - I get compliments on this a lot. Sometimes people make fun of me for the size, but when it comes to this bag, I honestly believe that less is not more. I carry around a ton of things!

b) I jumped on the Downton Abbey bandwagon. I love this show and am looking forward to season 3! I watched all of season two in choppy/illegal? segments online because I couldn't stand waiting for the episodes to air on PBS.

2) I got spectacles!

I had to face the sad fact that my eyes can't keep up with my age! My vision is 20/30, so not all that bad, but it was definitely enough to bother me. Kind of sad when you can't read the white board and things are blurry far away. I was in shock when I discovered what a difference a set of lenses make. The whole first week of wearing glasses, I had to keep bobbing my head up and down, playing the "now I can see, now I can't" game. I don't have to wear these all that often, but when I do, I love them. Go Ray Ban!

         

3) I finally finished the sexy hexy quilt. It was worth the wait!

And I started a new one. This print came out about three years ago and was so hard to find. I found the light blue & navy online and bought out all the shop had left. The red came from my stash, and the yellow from my sister's. I felt like I hit the jackpot when my sister gave me all her leftover yellow. It was impossible to find this print anywhere!

3) Ate in the hospital cafeteria pretty much every shift.

Why oh why does greasy food have to taste so good? And be so cheap? I can't help myself!

4) Got a new niece!

She is the sweetest little lady!

5) Stayed busy at work.

We have had lots of changes and just made the transition from paper to computer charting (what century are we in again?). Despite lots of crazy shifts, I am pretty positive that I have the best co-workers in the world and have found a lot of happiness taking care of all the little ones at work.

I also had a capstone student (someone who is in their last semester of nursing school and has to work with the same preceptor for a certain number of hours to finish up their clinical experience). My student was great and we had lot of fun and lots of laughs.

 She brought me an Anthropologie gift card on the last day (did she get to know me well or what!) and I had to laugh at the cute list she wrote inside, namely the seventh item from the top - a little on the OCD side. It's totally true, ha ha.

Well that's a wrap! Hopefully next time it won't take me so long to figure out how to use Blogger again or the next post might not be for another year!