In A Nutshell

Instead of going into every horribly boring detail of my FABULOUS weekend in Salt Lake, I'm going to just go over some highlights, in no particular order:

We got to SLC early and got to meet the gang (Me, Kristi, Val, Rachael, Loreen, Salagi, Ryan and Dan) at the Olive Garden for dinner. I had three full cloves of garlic in my pasta sauce…unchopped. I thought they were little potatoes or something. Also, the waitress didn't like me, I think, because she took everyone's salad plate but mine. I was seriously holding it up for her and she didn't even acknowledge me. We had a fight later. ; )

We played games and laughed our makeup off until the wee hours of the morning at Ryan's parents' house. Just like the good old days! Watching Ryan laugh is honestly enough to entertain even the toughest audience, I think.

We stayed in the new Hampton, which was too fun. It's just a couple of weeks old and everything was nice and new. We stayed up late and played and enjoyed the room as much as we could. I even loved the bathroom!

Dan’s wedding went off without a hitch. Unless you consider 4 of Dan’s dearest friends (i.e. US) showing up late and settling into our seats JUST as the bride started coming down the aisle to be a hitch. I mean…how uptight are you? Congrats to Dan and Kim!

We cruised the 215 with the top down. It was a little windy but was so much fun and we got a lot of jealous stares. At least, I'm sure they were jealous stares and not "that girl in the back looks like Cousin It from the Addams Family" stares.

We played games and ate ice cream with adorable Lily as the center of attention.

We saw the new Indiana Jones movie and played games with Ashley and her husband, and his brother. The movie was great and the games were a blast!

We ate at the Rodizio Grill…which is like an all you can eat buffet where they bring the food to you. And by food I mean meat. Lots of delicious, perfectly cooked meat, hot off the grill on skewers. All different kinds. So so so good. Also, there was grilled pineapple that I could have eaten all night long!

We went tanning at our old tanning salon in Salt Lake. They still had us in their system, even though it's been like 7 years since we were there last. I'm happy to report that I didn't lose any of my clothing in the tanning room. Hooray for me!

Obviously I'm leaving out so many details...but I have to say that it was just one of the best weekends ever. I just love laughing and spending time with my "Utah People," and I can't wait until the next time. Though, if that time comes along and I go without the extra garlic, that'd be okay with me.

Can You Feel The Love?

Do you ever listen to those late night dedication shows on the light rock radio station? Our's is called Kosi After Dark with Delilah. Not that that matters...but you know. I like to share. Anyway...am I the only one who thinks that the DJ's on those shows have a great knack for choosing the WORST songs ever for the dedications? Like...something totally the opposite of what the person might have wanted to hear? Like, sometimes I think they get their kicks out of finding something that is totally inappropriate.

"Oh...your son just got put in jail for arson...how sad...here's "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel."

Okay...so maybe it's not THAT bad...but sometimes I really wonder if being locked up in a DJ booth all night does something to these peoples' brains. Tonight I was driving home and had the radio on, and when the song ended, I found myself listening to a caller get through to Delilah...something that she said she'd be trying to do for months. She said that her husband had passed away...(he had heart failure)...about a year ago...five weeks after they were married. Shortly after he had died, she had found out that she was pregnant. So...now she was sitting in her car, with her baby son asleep in the back seat, and she wanted to play a song for her husband, to let him know that she still loved him or and that she knew he was watching over her and their baby son.

That's a pretty heart wrenching story, huh? So Delilah said how sorry she was for the girl's loss, and then asked if she had a song in mind, or if she wanted Delilah to choose one. I was thinking...PICK ONE YOURSELF...PLEASE!!! But no...she asked Delilah to do it. So...what did Delilah choose? "The Circle of Life" by Elton John. Wow.

Now, some of you might pretend to think that it was an appropriate choice, because it symbolizes that the father had died, but that the son was born and that IS the great circle of life, after all...or something like that. But you know for a FACT that as soon as you hear that song, every single one of you think of the freaking Lion King. And somehow I doubt that as that young widow was still grieving the loss of her sweetheart, that she really had Simba on the brain. I mean...seriously...think about it!

I really hope that if I ever get married, that I never have to watch my husband die. I don't want him to have to watch me die, either...because it will just be too hard on him, I'm sure. We should probably die together...while asleep in our bed...without any pain or suffering. If, however, I DO have to deal with the loss of my husband, and I lose my mind one night and try to find comfort by calling the local radio station, it's really going to tick me off if the DJ hears my woeful tale of my husband falling from our fishing boat and drowning, and then plays "Under The Sea."

The Dreaded 4 Way Stop

I would just like to say, for the record, that I hate 4-way stops. There is one, in particular, that is really the only one I hit on a regular basis. I really should just change my route to work, so that I never have to hit it. If people did what they are supposed to do at a 4-way stop, it wouldn’t be a problem. But in all seriousness, 4-way stops turn people into complete idiots! I HATE it when I come up to it and there is a car coming up to the sign across from me…like 2 seconds before me. And I’m turning left, so I wait…I mean, they are going straight…so they should have the right of way, right? Especially since they stopped before me...but even if we both arrived at the same time, they should go, right? But of course sometimes they just sit there. And I have my freaking turn signal on…so they should KNOW that I’m waiting for them. And I’m like…”Do they think I got here first? I think they got there first…they should go…but obviously they aren’t going…so I guess I’ll go.” And then as SOON as I start to go, so do they. So we both slam on our brakes. Then we both wait…AGAIN…for the other one to go. And then we both, simultaneously, begin to do the “go ahead” wave. And in my mind…I would really rather that they just go. If they go…then I know that I’m not going to crash into them. But if I go, and then they somehow get the wrong idea and they go, too…they are going to crash into me. Finally though, I usually relent, and when I go, I’m honestly bracing myself for the whole turn…waiting to be side-swiped. And I’m sure that they are over on their side thinking that I’m a complete idiot, too…but no…I’m right, they are wrong. End of story.

Summer Summer Summertime...(sing it, Will Smith)

Just in case you were wondering how the summer is treating me, here's a picture of my car as I headed out to go to work this morning. Nice, huh? And you can't really tell from the picture, because the camera on my phone isn't like...supercamera...but it was still snowing pretty heartily at that time.

The thing about snow in May is this...I know that I should be used to it, living in Laramie, and people tell me that all the time. And I AM used to it...but that doesn't mean I have to LIKE it. And in all actuality, I didn't even care that it snowed last night...just that it was snowing this morning...for a couple of reasons.

First of all...I don't care where you live...you don't want to see snow in May. I mean...the green grass is emerging...the flowers are blooming! I hate being teased by the weather. Make up your mind already!

Secondly, Kristi and I have been doing a really good job of getting up early in the mornings and going walking. We like to pat ourselves on the backs pretty hard about it, because 5:45 in the morning is NOT our preferred "out and about" time. Some people might think we're crazy to get up so early, but...we do it because it feels good to get out...the morning air is nice...and it's just a nice start to the day. We are not so crazy that we'd go out walking in a blizzard, however...we do have SOME brains. So...my morning walk was SHOT because of the freaking snow. : (

Finally, and this is probably the most important one...the snow is annoying because I have a little bit of a vanity problem. I don't know if you knew. But when I spend the majority of my "getting ready" time trying to ensure that my naturally "just wavy enough to be ugly" hair is pin straight, I don't like it so much when I'm out in the snow, cleaning off my car, and the moisture is just enough to turn my hair into a disgusting, 33% curly, 33% wavy, 33% straight, 100% UGLY mop. (I know the three factors only add up to 99%. I can't say for sure, but my best guess would probably be that the final 1% is obvious dark roots.)

Needless to say...I wasn't happy this morning. I should have stayed in bed. Of course, I can usually find a pretty compelling argument in favor of my staying in bed EVERY day...but this time, I'm almost positive that it would have been justified.

My Hero

Just thought I’d do a little testimonial/consumer review for the handful of people that actually read my blog. Hee hee. I just want to say, today, that Zicam is my freaking hero. Seriously…that stuff rocks my socks!

I started to feel the comings on of a cold on Monday night, while I was playing games with some friends. That faint tickling in my throat, that little suggestion of on-coming congestion in my nose…I know the signs all too well. I went home, determined to start using some Zicam immediately. I’d had success with it in the past, and was eager to give it another go.

I began pretty strict “Zicam Therapy” Tuesday morning. I use the nasal gel, but they have several different kinds for different “tastes.” There are no real “directions” on the box as to how often to use the gel…so I found that I did it about every hour or so. It is PHENOMENAL, decongestion-wise. Probably within 30 seconds of using the Zicam, my nose immediately unplugs, and I’m able to get to blowing my previously blocked like concrete sinuses clean. I love that about it…if nothing else.

I was sick most of the week…and it WAS a nasty little cold. There was one point, on Wednesday night, when I was pretty sure I was going to die…but I battled through.

I woke up today, Friday, feeling a million times better. In all my life, I have never had a cold last less than close to two weeks…and usually, some of the symptoms (cough, congestion) hold on for closer to three. I’ve used Zicam on two different colds now, and have found that they last 3-4 days tops. SO GREAT.

I’m still a tiny bit congested, but all of my other cold symptoms are gone. I credit Zicam fully for my swift recovery. It’s kind of pricey…(10 bucks or so for the nasal spray)…but to get rid of a cold this fast, it is totally worth it!