Wednesday Thoughts

I've been trying to be proactive about enjoying life lately. Winter has a way of making me feel like I'm walking around with weighted bean bags on my shoulders, pulling me down. Some of it might be all the desserts I ate from November through Christmas (literal weight) but most of it is just the blahs that come with winter, and how heavy those blahs weigh. Not wanting to put my boots on but knowing I have to or my shoes will get wet with snow, which will then get my socks and feet wet and cold. This weighs me down.Not wanting to have to scrape the ice off my car windows or clean the snow off my car. Wishing I could go for a long walk without activating my asthma by breathing the frigid air. Not being able to run out to my car to grab something I forgot in there without having to put a coat, scarf, and boots on. Feeling like a prisoner inside. These things weighs me down.

But. It's only January 29th. Winter doesn't end until the beginning of April, no matter what the calendar or the groundhog say. And I don't just want to endure life until then. I want to enjoy it the best I can.

So, what works for me? So far these things work: trampoline aerobics class (SO fun), crafting (my first love), baking (not helping with the weight...), Netflix (I'm addicted to Scandal), music (trying to find summer-y songs - NO Radiohead in winter), togetherness with friends or family (being alone in winter is a no-no), books (I'm reading Dr. Sleep, the follow up to the Shining - more on that another time), online shopping (I got the cutest dang thing this week - I'll show you sometime), hot chocolate (my friend Christi got my the coolest hot chocolate maker for my birthday - I'm in love!), kids (my nieces and nephews, my friend's kids, stranger's kids [kidding] - I need more kids in my life! They make me laugh.), and searching online for warm vacations I'll never go on (I nearly booked a cruise yesterday but decided going by myself would just be irritating).

What is helping you enjoy life during winter?

If you can't go on a tropical vacation, you can always just visit my grandma. Her apartment is about 80 degrees. Some of you have been asking why I haven't been writing about her as much lately as I used to. The truth is, she's been having a hard time lately. Sometimes she loses touch with reality. It seems to depend a lot on the medicine she takes. My mom and aunt have been working hard to help her figure this out and have been taking amazing care of her. She told me last night that she was glad no one has been laughing at her for being confused at tiems. I told her of course we don't laugh - it's not funny to us because we love her and know how scary it is for her. She's going to be 94 on Friday (!!) and we're having a big party for her. She's really excited for it.

To end this week's Wednesday Thoughts, I'll share with you some random pictures from my phone:

My cute nephew cuddling when we went out for breakfast because he was cold

Same nephew becoming a world class archer

hot chocolate with homemade marshmallow

My dog best friend, Blue.

Picture taken a couple days ago. Cold. Snowy. Winter.

Happy Wednesday!

On Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is less of a celebration of love to me than it is a celebration of the color red. And this, my friends, is the main reason I love it. I love love too, but a burst of warm, bright color in the middle of nonstop white and gray is so refreshing.

Isn't that red cheerful? And because I need that in my life now, and not only in two weeks, I've started some Valentine's crafting already. I made a wreath for myself, and one for my grandma:

This picture is the worst. Sorry about that.

Then last night, I thought I'd make this cute project  I found online (directions and link here) for my nieces and nephews. Aren't they so cute!?

Little Valentine's monsters - spreading love and cheer wherever they go! Not that they can really walk. Or talk. And they don't have arms... But I guess that's not all bad when it comes to monsters. They're just cute.

Do you love Valentine's Day, or hate it? Is there any in-between when it comes to Valentine's Day?

Monday Funnies

I get really T.O.ed when I think about what's going on outside, weather wise. And don't tell me it's winter and I should get used to it. I refuse to get used to it. And anyway, this is worse than usual. But instead of going on and on and on about the weather, I thought I'd share some funny images I've come across on the internet recently.

I don't know where most of them come from. I'm assuming google.com or something but there's no way of knowing. I am responsible for none of them, though I wish I had made the "cool butt" one. That one's my favorite. Enjoy.

source

Which is your favorite?

Wednesday Thoughts

My butt was so warm on my car's seat warmer this morning that I almost didn't want to get out of my car when I got to work. On the entire 20 minute drive to work, the interior of my car barely seemed to warm up at all, even with the heat on full blast. The only warm part of me was my butt. And boy was it cozy.

Once in the office, I still couldn't warm up. Eventually I got a mug of hot chocolate, and it helped for a bit. Mostly I just cupped my hands around the mug, hoping to thaw my frozen fingers so I could type again. When I finished drinking the contents of the mug, I continued cupping the mug to warm my hands. I looked into the mug and wondered if I could read my left over hot chocolate dregs, like some people do with tea leaves.

Here is a picture of the dregs followed by their meanings, as I interpreted them.

1. A face. This one means I have a face. It could also mean that everyone I know also has a face.
2. Freckles. I have freckles. Lots of them. Wow, this sludge reading really works!
3. Archipelagos. This means I want to go on a tropical vacation. How did the hot chocolate know!?
4. Sandy beaches. Yes, please (warm ones, only).
5. Melanoma. I really need to be better about wearing sunscreen. The hot chocolate was right about that.

Anyhoo. In other Wednesday Thoughts, I heard two bits of interesting entertainment news today! One: The cast of Full House is reuniting for a Super Bowl commercial! At least a few of them are going to be joining Uncle Jesse in a Greek Yogurt commercial. Be still my heart!

And the other news I heard is that they will not be doing a remake of Murder, She Wrote. I am very happy about this, as I am a purist when it comes to Murder, She Wrote. I was initially open minded when I heard they were going to re-do it because I liked the actress they were going to have play Jessica. But the more I thought about it, the more I wasn't really on board. I'm glad my letter writing campaign worked. (I'm kidding, I had nothing to do with the cancellation.)

Ok, I'm going to wrap this up because my fingers are getting too cold to type.

Happy Wednesday!

Buzzzzzfeed

Eventually Buzzfeed is going to run out of articles to write about Mean Girls, Justin Bieber, and Beyonce. Oh, and Ryan Gosling. And corgis. I don't know when. It could be in 2015. It could be in 2020. But people will eventually get tired of it, and move on to the next big time waster.

I am totally guilty of reading Buzzfeed. I have several friends who are above reading "listicles" but I am not one of them. I get bored, I hope over to Buzzfeed for a few minutes. And the quizzes? I can't get enough of them. So far I've learned that I should live in Cape Town, and as far as Muppets go, I'm Gonzo. Oh, and I'm Rosario from Will and Grace, and Anna from Downton Abbey.

When the well runs dry, or people start going to the new big time-wasting website, here are my ideas for articles that will keep the clicks coming to Buzzfeed: 
 
14 Reasons you're your own grandpa

21 Animals you never knew were dating 

10 Times your computer felt sorry for you
Quiz: Who are your real parents?
The secret season between spring and summer that only these people know about!
The funniest autocorrects of 1982
Kim Kardashian gives Ellen illegal butt injections
7 Ways to get out of going to CPR training

3 Ways to save a life when you don't know CPR

Preschoolers rate the best and worst episodes of Breaking Bad
Which Shirley Temple character are you?
Quiz: What's your blood type?

10 Victorian novels only 80's girls will understand!

Quiz: How'd you get that urinary tract infection?
8 Love letters you should never write
10 Times you wanted to punch Bradley Cooper in the face
15 Ways to get Sandra Bullock to adopt you
Quiz: What kind of fig newton are you?

111 Times Justin Bieber tried to illegal cross the border into the U.S.

15 Ways to spell Zooey Deschanel's name
Date night ideas to keep your Bromance alive
Kris Kardiashian's secret great, great grand daughter
Quiz: What's up with your leg?
How George W. Bush's etsy shop is keeping him busy these days
1,000 Reasons to love the Back to the Future trilogy (part 1)

Do you have any to add?

Goal

Yesterday my friend Colby sent me a gif that blew my mind. Most of you know that I make hula hoops for adults, and I love hula hooping. Just this week my friend and I brought our hula hoops to an activity at the church and everyone had tons of fun trying them out. It's a fun way to exercise! Or look like a fool, depending on your skill level.

But this.... This is a whole new level. You have to be able to do two things: hoop and climb a rope. Then you have to be crazy enough to try to do them both at the same time. I still can't wrap my mind around this!

Source

Is it too late to get this kid to Sochi to compete in the rope climbing/hula hoop competition? He definitely deserves a gold medal.

My Strange Addiction

Last night around 10:00 I had a battle with the TV. I turned it off, telling myself it was time for bed. But then I turned it back on thinking I would just keep it on for a little while I got ready for bed. Next thing I know, I'm getting sucked into a crazy tv show called "My Strange Addiction." I had heard of this show before,  but this was the first time I'd ever seen it. It is...not a show I'd recommend.

This particular episode focused on two people: a 20 year old man who is in an intimate relationship (non-sexual) with 15 inflatable beach toys, and a young mother who is addicted to black market butt injections. At the time they filmed this episode, she had received more than 50 injections. She would just meet up with a woman in a hotel room and get injected with who knows what!!!

The more I watched, the more my face did this:

At this point, I texted my friend Jesse, who I was making plans to hang out with before he heads back to LA, and warned him to prepare himself to hear a lot about this show when he sees me. This is what he texted back:

The thing about the show is that it was sad. What it came down to is that the young man has a hard time trusting and connecting with humans, and the young woman has extreme self esteem issues. Overall, I felt sad for both of them. It was also disturbing to see scenes like this:

I mean, is it a joke? Did he allow the cameras in because he believes the relationship he has with these inflatables is real? Or is he just messing with us and the producers of the show? I'm not saying people don't have strange addictions, I just wonder about the people who are on this show. And I wonder about the ethics of making such a show. Is the point for us to laugh at the people, or to learn about mental health problems? Maybe the point is just to give the viewer a shot of self esteem because I mean, I might have my problems, but at least I'm not dating an inner tube.

If I had a strange addiction, my first thought would not be to let cameras come into my home and film me making out with an inflatable giraffe.

Here are some titles of some other episodes of My Strange Addiction:

Drinks nail polish/Ear digger
Eats cat food/Smells mothballs
Eats couch cushion/Furry
Dating my car/Baby powder addiction
Drinks gasoline/Smelling her dolls head

I won't be going back to watch any more episodes, that much I know for sure.

Have you seen this show? What's the weirdest show you've seen?

Wednesday Thoughts

Well, here were are again. Another glorious Wednesday. And it's mid-January, the most wonderful time of the year. Frigid, dark, icy January. I've been trying to lobby to move Christmas to late January, to make winter more bearable, but so far it's not taking off.

When thinking about what I would write about today, I thought that because it is kind of yucky and depressing outside, I'd share with you some things that are making me happy today. So here they are:

This picture. I don't know who made it. I just know I like it.

Twitter. People are so funny on Twitter. I just lie in bed at night, reading Twitter on my phone and laughing my head off. Here are some recent tweets that have made me laugh out loud, for real. Not in that fake "LOL" way. I would never lie to you about a LOL. That's my promise to you.

"I think our society really pits women against each other"
"I thought that first, Karen."
- @DCpierson

"Opened these packages of fruit snacks very quietly so maybe a part of myself wouldn't hear." - @rorynotroy

"If you're not thirty, flirty, and thriving, then you can for sure get out of my face." - @smoneall

"Really hope That Awkward Moment does well in theaters so I can get a green light on my script, This is Seriously Way Random" - @bridger_w

My hula hoop. It just feels like summer when I bust out my hula hoop and hoop my way through a favorite tv show. If you have one, you should try it!

Yoga. I went to a yoga class at the rec center last night and for the first time ever, successfully meditated. I am so bad at that. I have tried meditating many times, but I just can't shut my mind down. But last night the teacher gave us some techniques for doing so, and I was actually able to do it. Not for the entire meditation time, but most of it. It was almost a spiritual experience. I'm looking forward to the next class!

This comic I saw on Facebook. I don't know who made it. I laughed for longer than you would think though, when I saw it.

What's making you happy today?

Happy Wednesday!

Just a friend, like those I count in dozens

I know people say men and women can't just be friends, but my friend Jesse and I have disproven that theory with our friendship. I think our secret to maintaining a "just friendship" is threefold: 1. We live on opposite sides of the country 2. There's a pretty good age gap 3. He's a raging right wing nutjob person ('Murica) and I... am not (though I also love America). He calls me a commie on the regular. But we are great friends.

Jesse is in town for work this week and I invited him to come to church with me yesterday. He asked if people would think he was my boyfriend and I said they might, but that they wouldn't think I was so pathetic if they thought I had a boyfriend so that might not be a bad thing. I didn't think it would cause much of a stir.

So he came to church and sat by me yesterday. His theory was correct. It caused a minor stir. I'm not totally vain - I know that people in general aren't that interested in my life. But as the resident spinster in my ward (church), some people were obviously a little curious. I almost hated to disappoint them.

One 13 year old girl came up to me later in the church block and we had this conversation:

Her: Was that your boyfriend you were sitting with!?
Me: No. He's just a friend in town for work.
Her: Oooooohhh! But you guys would be such a cute couple!
Me: Well, we're just friends.
Her: Well, you should be more than just friends. (lots of eyebrow raising here)

An older women came up to me later and we had a similar conversation with a different twist:

Her: Who was that guy you had with you today?
Me: A friend who's in town for work.
Her: He's cute!
Me: Yeah but really, we're just good friends.
Her: Well, that's great! That's how romance should start!
Me: We're just friends. We've been friends for years! Plus, he lives on the other side of the country.
Her: That's ok! He can move here!
Me: But....Ok. (I gave up at this point.)
Her: Now I know that he exists, I know who to pray for.
Me: Ok.

(I warned Jesse that this prayer was happening so he can pray against it if he chooses.)

Then later I got a text from a girl who wasn't at church that day:

Her: I heard you brought a boy to church today!!!
Me: He's just a friend. He's in town for work.
Her: LIES!!! I want to meet him!!!!!!
Me: Ok.

Poor Jesse. The whole thing just really makes me laugh. But here's the downside: when he never comes to church with me again, people are going to think I was dumped!

So I'm putting this out there now: He's just a friend, like those I count in dozens. (Please tell me some of you get that reference?) Really!

Wednesday Thoughts

This little blog of mine has been sadly neglected lately. It's not my fault though, it's the fault of the polar vortex. I've been stuck inside, without computer access, catching up on Full House and Saved by the Bell.

I recently read the Laura Ingalls Wilder book, The Long Winter. It chronicles the insanely cold winter the family endured when Laura was a teenager. Because of the nonstop blizzards and freezing temperatures, the women were stuck inside for months. Laura describes her mind as getting increasingly fuzzy in this time.

While stuck inside 80% of the time this past week, I thought about that. The Ingalls family had extremely little by way of entertainment. Pa's fingers were too cold to play his fiddle, which was a major bummer for Laura. They didn't have books or magazines. There was no mail because the train wasn't able to get through because of the snow. It goes without saying that there was no tv or internet or telephones. They sewed and resewed the same things, they ground wheat to make bread, and they worked on keeping the fire alive. And then they did it all again the next day.

Can you imagine? I, and many of my friends, have been complaining about how "bored" we are. And how tired we are of Netflix. I'm trying to imagine the Ingalls family watching Netflix. Actually, I don't think either Ma or Pa would approve of it. But if they did approve, the family would have been content for the entire long winter.

I'm wondering what shows they would like...? What do you think?

In other Wednesday Thoughts, this is my "birthday week," according to blogger protocol. If you blog regularly, you are supposed to call the week leading up to your birthday your birthday week. Pretty sure people are supposed to buy you a lot of cupcakes and stuff. You guys are falling down on the job. I'm thinking about calling this my birthday month. Or maybe I'll just go with birthday year?

Lastly in Wednesday Thoughts, a friend of mine has been trying to get me to do that trick where you throw boiling water outside and watch it turn to snow. My friend lives in Arizona so he doesn't get to do these types of dangerous experiments. I thought about doing it for about one minute. Then I realized I'd somehow end up spilling or throwing the boiling water on myself and scrapped the idea. (I just read an article saying that this actually happened to many people, so my fears were not unfounded.)

Have any of you tried this? Or any other winter experiments, like freezing bubbles?

Happy polar vortex Wednesday!

Fortunes!

For the last few years, I have written fortunes to put in felt fortune cookies for New Year's Eve. The tradition
is that at midnight, everyone reads their fortunes out loud.

It's fun and silly and I force people to do it whether they want to or not. (I can't help being bossy, I'm an oldest child.)

Here are the fortunes for this year!

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In 2014, you will be in the background of a very scandalous picture of Prince Harry.

In 2014, a black cat will cross your path, causing you to drop and break a mirror while walking under a ladder. This will lead to the best 7 years of your life to date.

In 2014, you will swallow a goldfish on a dare.

In 2014, you will make awkward eye contact with every dog you meet.

In 2014, you will eat a total of 1,000 cookies.

In 2014, you will try something experimental with your hair. (Don’t worry, it will grow back.)

In 2014, you will see a UFO. You will only get probed a little bit. You will tell no one.

In 2014, you will be asked to sing a solo in church. You will fake sick that day.

In 2014, you will win free tickets to a One Direction concert. You will secretly go and love every minute of it.

In 2014, you will hate a book that all your friends love. This will make you question many friendships.

In 2014, you will get your tattoo of the Tasmanian Devil removed. You will keep the tattoo of Tweetie Bird.

In 2014, you will see a ghost in the mirror. After trying to convince all your friends that you really did see a ghost, you will discover a ghost-shaped smudge on your glasses.

In 2014, you will grow a thick, luscious beard.

In 2014, you will write notebook after notebook of Saved By the Bell fan-fiction.

In 2014, you will get in a twitter fight with Kanye West.

In 2014, you will tell your friend you think their baby is cute. But you will not mean it.

In 2014, you will lie about being a vegetarian in order to get out of eating a hamburger helper casserole.

In 2014, you will sit next to Dennis Rodman on a flight to North Korea.

In 2014, you will win $20,000 playing Plinko on The Price is Right.

In 2014, while hiking through the desert, you will be chased by a chupacabra.

In 2014, every time a Facebook friend writes a public love note to their significant other, you will write “gag” in the comment section. All will laud you as their hero.

In 2014, you will enter a recipe contest. Your recipe will be so shockingly bad, you’ll be arrested and put in jail.

In 2014, after telling a little white lie, your nose will noticeably grow.

In 2014, you’ll take a bite of fish at a restaurant and find a ring inside. The chef is proposing to you. He peeks out the kitchen door to see your response. You’ve never met.

In 2014, you will find out you’ve been on several episodes of Honey Boo Boo. To make matters worse, they use subtitles when you speak.

In 2014 you’ll get tangled in a bead curtain. You will have to be cut out by firemen.

In 2014, you will forget to vote in a local election and that punk teenager next door will be elected mayor. His first order of business will be to remove all noise ordinances.