Diaries of a Northwest Girl

Dear Thief

2009-07-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

To whoever stole my mint green beach cruiser with the bell and the wicker basket:

Instead of being mad at you, I'm going to pretend that you took her because you really need her.

Maybe it's your daughter's birthday and you lost your job and can't buy her a present.

In that case, consider her a gift. You obviously need her more than I do.

But please be good to her.

Her name is Mary, she really doesn't like to ride up hills, and sometimes spiders live inside her bell, so you have to clean it out every couple of months.

She really likes to have stuff in her basket, so try and put some flowers or even your keys in there each time you ride her.

The front wheel is a little loose because someone tried to steal her a few months ago by taking the bolts off instead of cutting the lock, so be careful.

Just try and be grateful for her, and make sure she's happy.

And maybe ride by our house and wave once in a while.

Bye, Mary. I will miss you.

Love,
Shanna

Called to Serve

2009-07-15T15:17:00.000-07:00

We see quite a few missionaries in our office sent over from the MTC. Typically it's for broken noses, acquired on those sports fields during activity time. Anything from a basketball collision to a softball in the face. Today a missionary came in, and on his new patient paperwork this is what he wrote:

Employer: God
Employer's Address: Heaven

The Fountain of Youth

2009-07-14T15:27:00.000-07:00

One of the not as advertised abilities of our doctors at my work is that they do "Facial Plastic Surgery". This includes rhinoplasty, eye lifts, etc. and...Botox. So Sara and I asked today if the doctor would order some in and inject us.

He said "Where do you need botox?!"

I smiled and pointed to the huge crevice that shows up on my left side whenever I do so, and said, "you can see this in all my pictures."

And he said, "That's a dimple. I'm not giving you botox."

I'll try again in a couple years.

Adventure

2009-07-08T07:48:00.000-07:00

Austin and I have decided that we need to be a little more adventurous. Starting with the Yellowstone trip, which isn't all THAT exciting, but we want to do more outdoors. We're going camping this summer, and hiking in St. George, and we're going to hike the backside of Timpanogos mountain. And eventually, we want to hike the Appalachian Trail on the East coast. It's a massive trail that goes from Georgia to Maine, and people hike it all in one trip. It is 2000 miles long, and takes 7 months!! People quit their jobs and sell their houses to do the whole thing. We wouldn't be that extreme, but we want to backpack it for a month from southern Virginia, along the Tennessee-North Carolina border, and then down into Georgia. It passes through some of the most incredible scenery in the entire country. And what could be better than spending a month in nature, dirty and exhausted, and sleeping in a tent every night?! I would absolutely love it. Here are some of the beautiful things to see along the Virginia and North Carolina stretch of the trail.

And that will be me! Just kidding, I'm not blonde...

We won't be able to do it for a couple of years most likely, probably when we move to the East coast. But it will probably take us that long to get prepared for it...=)

I hope we see bears.

2009-07-07T07:39:00.000-07:00

Our Yellowstone trip is fast approaching!! I can't believe how quickly June came and flew by. I know months always feel that way in retrospect, but seriously. I think last month was set to double time fast forward. We had a very fun, very low maintenance Fourth of July, with a bonfire, S'Mores, fireworks, and Siara and Tyler! Now we are looking forward to a road trip up to Yellowstone. We had planned to stay in a little hotel in West Yellowstone, but Austin's friend from Ashton, ID has a condo in Island Park, so he offered to let us stay there (for FREE). Which is SO generous, and SO nice. Because now we save money on a hotel AND on eating out because we can just bring anything we want and cook in the kitchen there. So our cheap weekend trip is getting even cheaper, which is rare.
In order to prepare for our 3 days of hiking, we decided we should go on some prep hikes to be ready. So on Sunday (after we attended church of course!) we hiked the trail up to Timp cave. We didn't buy tickets to go in the cave, we just tortured ourselves by hiking all the way up. It's a lot harder than most people give it credit for! But in our defense, we did the normally 2 hour hike is 1 hour 15 minutes, and at 12:30 on a very hot day. So no wonder we were sweaty, tired, and sun burned by the time we got back down. But it did get us very excited to spend a few days in nature!
Austin wants to see all the awesome tourist stuff like Old Faithful, the Artist's paintpots, etc. And we have a great hiking guide book to show us where to go!

I just want to see bears.

Cankles

2009-07-02T11:23:00.000-07:00

Sara from my work and I had this genius idea a couple of months ago to start wearing ankle weights to work. We run around so much all day, we figured we could get a little extra workout in. So we both found some 5 lb. weights for each ankle (so 10 lb. total) and very excitedly strapped them on around 8:30 AM when we got into work. We felt like those 80's aerobics ladies, like we would get the perfect hot leg warmers bod by wearing ankle weights and jumping on a mini trampoline. Then about 1 PM rolled around. We both actually felt physically nauseous from hauling those things around on our legs for so long. Our office really is SO busy, and we had been defeated. We revamped the idea, and we just wore them for a couple hours a day. Or we'd put them on and do some leg lifts under our desk every once in a while. But it's been weeks since we've worn them at all, and today I pulled them out of my desk drawer and decided to give them another try. When I put them on I actually said the sentence, "Sara! These don't really feel that heavy anymore!" As though I've gotten so strong that maybe this time I'll be able to handle them all day.
Yeah.
Right.
It's 12:30 and they are coming off right when I go to lunch. My legs feel like Jell-O, and my now cankles are killing me.

I'd rather go to the gym every night.

Maybe I'll actually get a tan this summer...

2009-07-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

I wrote a post a few months ago about swimsuits, and trying to decide which one to buy. I thought that because I haven't bought a swimsuit since our cruise (2006!) that I wouldn't mind spending a little more on one this year. But, alas, my frugal poor psyche got the best of me, and I couldn't bring myself to do it. And as we have already reached July 1st and I have had absolutely NO place to go in a swimsuit yet, I'm reminded of why I haven't bothered getting one in so long. I spend all my daylight hours in a doctor's office wearing horribly unflattering scrubs. I definitely still need one though, especially for the swimmin' hole at the cabin! So I was so glad when I found this adorable one on Urban Oufitters, on sale! And they were doing an extra 15% off online orders. It got great reviews from people who bought it, and I have never been disappointed in anything I've purchased from Urban. Now I just can't wait for it to come!!

Spring Clean!

2009-06-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

Lately our house has felt really cluttered to me. I know our little apartment is small. But there's just two of us, we should have space for our miniscule set of belongings Our spare room especially has kind of been haunting me lately. Like at work I can't stop thinking about it. It's like when I try to go to bed without doing the dishes in the sink. I toss and turn and have nightmares about the bacteria growing on last night's spaghetti, until I can't take it and I get up to wash plates at 3 A.M. You think I'm kidding, but it's happened. Something else I've inherited from my mother.

Anyway...so I resolved this weekend to clean up the spare room. Austin wasn't bothered by it, because he's a boy, but regardless of his apathy I recruited his help. Mostly his manpower to lift my tupperware bins and boxes into the outside shed. We sorted, piled, scrubbed, stacked, packed, and vacuumed until there was some semblence of an actual room. We carted out loads of junk that we didn't need, and threw out even more. School papers, scrapbook junk, gun stuff of course, etc. In the end, we realized that we had five computers in there. FIVE COMPUTERS. Three desktops and two laptops. How in the world?! So we compiled everything from all of them onto an external hard drive for our newest computer, and we are selling the rest.
I also went through all of our books and movies and posted all the ones we don't want on Amazon.
And we cleaned out my car. I mean deep cleaned scrubbed down vacuumed, clorox'ed, windex'ed, the whole bit. We are going on a couple of road trips, and we need a nice clean car to travel in for sure. We even had my battery replaced and my oil changed. She's as good as new!
And tonight the adventure continues. We're moving on to organizing our tiny box of a kitchen. We're brainstorming new ways to utilize the little space that we have. It's so nice to clear out the clutter and dejunk our lives.
I'll definitely sleep a little easier now. For a few months at least.

The future of Pip...

2009-06-19T19:15:00.000-07:00

This possible future of our little Pip terrifies me. But that's what she does sometimes, she's just much smaller...it's like a horror movie. Turn your speakers down before you play the video cause it's really loud in the beginning!

Fireflies, Bojangles, and wonderful in-laws

2009-06-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

It's always been a funny story to tell that Austin's mom, while he was on his mission in California, would overnight him food from Bojangles, the coveted and famous fried chicken restaurant only found in the South. So the last week or so, all we can think about is Bojangles. It's probably because we haven't been eating out at all for about a month. But it's also because they truly have the most delicious biscuits and chicken strips and honey mustard in the entire WORLD. So Ann called Austin yesterday to inform him that an overnight package would be arriving sometime Thursday...filled with Bojangles! Ingeniously frozen and packaged and ready for us to bake up and enjoy. And as if that weren't enough, this morning I got this email from Ann, addressing my long-standing desire to see fireflies, because I never have in my whole life! (My obsession with them began when I read Bernstein Bears books, and I'm still waiting for this life-changing experience to happen for me.)

Ann, I hope you won't mind me copying this into my blog!!

"Hey Shanna,
I just had to let you know about Terry's valiant yet unsuccessful efforts to send you some lightning bugs. He got the brilliant idea to send them along with the over night package we are sending out today. He found a band-aid box and poked holes in it and then placed some grass down inside the box. So, last night we got home and we could see lightning bugs everywhere. It was beautiful. After about 10 minutes, I went outside to see how things were going. He was in the front yard and suddenly he jumped up and caught one mid air. He placed it inside the box, or so he thought. It was on the tip of his finger and flew away. The only lightning bug he was able to get in the box was one he had found entangled in a spider's web. It died!!! So, the hunt continued and would you believe that we could not see any more lightning bugs? Remember, just a while earlier, they were everywhere. So, I'm sorry to report that your wait to see a lightning bug will have to continue yet a while longer!! But alas, Terry was able to re-live a childhood memory. It was fun!!!!!"

The thought of Terry running around the yard trying to catch some lightning bugs for me cracks me up and warms my heart at the same time!! It's funny how something so silly can make you feel so very loved! =)

2009-06-16T07:29:00.000-07:00

This blog is turning into my journal. I write all the time for a short period, then I neglect it, then I have to do an entry saying that I can't believe it's been so long since I've written and I swear to write every day from now on. And included in that entry is ALWAYS a big summary of what I didn't write about. So here's my big summary blog post, and my promise and resolve to write more!

1) Austin and I were finally released from being nursery teachers. It was fun, and it was a really great calling. But it's seriously been almost a year, and it was hard for both Austin and I to hide how excited we were to hear the news.

2) Right after they released us, they called me to teach in Relief Society. I could not be more excited about any calling!! I love doing anything in Relief Society, and I get to teach this Sunday and I can't wait.

3) Ms. Pip (or the Pip Monster as we refer to her lately) had her last set of kitty shots and will be getting spayed in about a week. She is seriously a little beast. When I took her to the vet on Saturday she was screaming and hissing and growling so much that they didn't even take her temperature cause they were too scared. And it took the vet and two techs to hold her onto the table just to give her the shots. Then we got home and she was sweet as pie and went to sleep on my lap. But after witnessing her rage side, I'm a little more cautious around her.

4) Austin and I made the mistake of going car shopping at a dealership. We instantly regretted it, and paid for our folly by having to spend an hour and a half with a moron who didn't know anything about cars. It was pouring rain, and they didn't even take us around the lot on one of those golf carts. My feet were soaked, we were both freezing, and we weren't interested in anything they had at all. Lesson learned. And we went home more grateful than ever for the cars we own.

5) We are going on a trip to Yellowstone in July, and it is the only thing getting me through the days at work. We booked this adorable little cabin room at a lodge, and we're just going to hike for three days and see everything!

6) Our little garden is growing just wonderfully already. We have a huge bowl of strawberries that we picked, and our corn and tomatoes and beans are getting huge! We can't wait to take our little harvest up to Washington in August, and my mom is going to teach me how to can our vegetables!

7) My best friend Rache turns 21 years old today. She is adorable, wonderful, smart, beautiful, talented, clever, creative, and I am jealous that New York City has her right now. She is my favorite shopping partner, roommate, and Starbucks buddy. I wish I was in New York with her to celebrate, but we will have a belated party when she gets back!

Okay, I think we'reall caught up. I'll post some pictures soon too!!

Man vs. Wild

2009-06-05T09:51:00.000-07:00

Prior to last night, I had assumed this show could not get any better. We've seen Bear eat gross stuff, sleep inside gross stuff, drink his own urine, and strip down to his British flag undies. What was there to improve upon? Add Will Ferrell of course! We couldn't believe what a genius idea it was to have him wander the wilderness with Bear. Austin and I pretty much peed our pants laughing the entire time this was on. But at the same time, it was really cool how much Will appreciated the solitude and serenity of being out there in the middle of frozen Sweden. You could tell it was humbling for him in the end, he was laying off the jokes quite a bit for a while. But I gained a new respect for him, that he would be willing to go through something like that. Even the preview cracks me up...

Another London Day

2009-06-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

My mom sent me an email today with a link to a blog that a professor who goes on London study abroad each year writes. He takes the UVU Theater group to London, Paris, and Scotland. Reading someone else's experiences there made me miss London extra double time today. Exactly two years ago I was spending my last week there, and I can't believe that the little heartache I get thinking about it has lasted this long. The quote at the top of his blog is by Henry James (whom I adore!) and says:

"It is difficult to speak adequately, or justly, of London. It is not a pleasant place; it is not agreeable, or easy, or exempt from reproach. It is only magnificent."

And that is really the only word for it: magnificent. It's dirty, smelly, crowded, obnoxious, chaotic, and a little depressing in some places. It makes you feel like the smallest, most insignificant person in the world most of the time. But there are these other exceptional and rare moments. Like sitting in the park when it's very early, the sun just about to come up, the air is cold and everything is uncharacteristically quiet. And you feel like it's all there just for you. The entire city and everything it has to offer is laid out just because you're there. And that's what makes London so magnificent. It works its way into your heart, and once you really experience it, you know you will never, ever be the same.

Where the Wild Things Are

2009-05-20T09:34:00.000-07:00

Each summer when I was little, my mom would take us to do the library adventure. For a certain number of books that you read, you got a clue each time to help you solve a mystery. At the end of the adventure one summer, when I had earned my final clue, I remember they handed me a huge key with a velvet ribbon on it, and I got to go into the basement and unlock a door. Behind it was an Egyptian tomb, with gold and jewels, and all sorts of exciting stuff. It was all cardboard and spray paint, and I'm not even sure what the whole mystery was even about. But I got a t-shirt and a free book, and it filled our summers with excitement that got us to read. I still remember the way that library smelled, and how excited we were to check out books or movies. And most of all I remember the "Where the Wild Things Are" images painted huge up on the walls above the bookshelves. We loved that book. I mean loved it. I almost want to cry thinking about the six year old version of me reading that book. And now I cannot wait for this movie. Tom Hanks is producing it, so I'm hoping that it's incredible. The book is only ten sentences long, so I'm excited to see how they've made a full movie out of it. Just watch the preview. Even Julie said, "it's going to make me cry!" I totally agree.

Springtime Makeover

2009-05-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

When Austin and I first got married, we bought a duvet cover with some gift cards we received for Pottery Barn. It was really cute, but for the last couple weeks, it makes me feel like our bedroom is very....blah. It's just pretty simple and almost too grown up looking. So in honor of the beautiful spring weather, and as a result of some extra money last paycheck, we got a new quilt and shams. It is so bright and cheerful, and I have wanted a patchwork bedspread for so long! We ordered it from Urban Outfitters, and they even gave us free shipping. I can't wait for it to come and make our room as summery as it is outside!

In the leafy treetops....

2009-05-12T13:23:00.000-07:00

....the birds sing good morning! This was one of my sister's favorite primary songs, and it is seriously adorable. And I've been singing it in my head all day as I look at these birdhouses on Etsy. I'm really looking to get rid of the abandoned creepy chimes (a fear from my childhood neighbors, the Rhodes) that hang on the hook by our garden shed. And I am just dying to replace them with one of these! I'm thinking the teal, vintage looking one. Which one do you think??

One of those days....

2009-05-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

....when I want to go home from work early, put on pajamas, take some ibuprofen, cuddle up on the couch with my kitten, and watch Roman Holiday, An Affair to Remember, Friends, and Love Actually until it's time to just go to sleep and start over again tomorrow.

Because that's me right now...

5:30 pm please come fast.

Summertime!

2009-05-07T11:23:00.001-07:00

The sun is shining, there's dew on our grass, and it smells like fresh spring air. It's the most wonderful time of the year in Utah! We're planting our garden tonight, and we mowed our lawn for the first time last week. And of course, it's almost swim suit time! So I've been looking for the perfect one for this summer, as I plan on spending way more time by the pool than I have for the last couple of years. Plus with my parents in California, we'll obviously have to get down there to the beach! I have been scouting for suits, and I found this one today that I think is absolutely perfect...

But I also LOVE this one! It's so very Marilyn Monroe, and looks so flattering. Plus I could get a great tan to look good in the black. Tell me what you think, and help me solve my summertime dilemma! =)

Never too old for that

2009-05-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

I inherited my mother's tendency to cry about everything. No seriously, everything. Commercials, game shows, cartoons, just about anything in church. And lately I find myself tearing up at work more often than usual. Most of my day here is spent running around, stressed out and never slowing down. But today one of our patients, a younger man, came in with his daughter who was only about four. He was the one being seen, and as I seated him in the room, she climbed up on his lap and said "Don't worry Dad, I'll hold your hand". I put the blood pressure cuff on his arm, and she got a very serious look on her face as she took his hand in both of her little ones. I had to turn and just look at the computer to keep from crying right there. I think we could all use a little bit of that sometimes. Someone who doesn't care if we have legitimate reason to be scared, but just wants us to know that no matter what, they will hold our hand and we will be okay.

It's A Wonderful Life

2009-04-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

Lately has been pretty busy, so I haven't blogged as much as I should! But don't worry, things have been absolutely wonderful.

I got to spend several days with my amazing family last week. I love it when all my brothers and my sister get to come along for the festivities! And even though cramming 10 people into our tiny apartment got a little claustrophobic, it was so great to have them close for a while. We had to say goodbye to Scott and Nicole and little Bailey (I'm not gonna lie, I went home and cried for a while) but we are so excited that they have a great job to get to!

Our little kitten Pip is adorable, and we can't get enough of her. She is so much fun to play with, and is even sweeter when she curls up with us to go to sleep. Having her around has brightened up our lives, and I always have someone to talk to when I'm waiting for Austin to come home from work. She'll be going in for her first set of shots this weekend hopefully, and we'll make sure she's all healthy!

My first semester of Nursing school is officially finished. Anatomy is such a huge hurdle that I am grateful to have completed. And my finals for that class and Chemistry went really well, and I'm lucky to have a brain that can memorize so well!

Rachel, my dearest darlingest best friend, is graduating this weekend. Cum laude, by the way. For her graduation present her parents are giving her a trip to her grandma's time share, and me and Jess get to go!! I can't think of anything more incredible than spending a week with those girls in Hawaii. (Or possibly Mexico or Florida, we're still deciding for sure) It will be like London part 2, and maybe even better. I'll be looking forward to it all year!

I am setting a new goal of trying to take more pictures too, so I will get more on here soon!

Tell me your happy and your sad

2009-04-19T13:42:00.000-07:00

When we were little my mom used to come to tuck us in at night, and she would say "tell me your happy of the day, and tell me your sad". I have a happy and a sad for this week that I wish my mommy were here for me to share them with. Cause I know she'd be excited for me about my happy, and would make me feel better about my sad. So my very happy this week is that we got the most adorable little kitten. She is absolutely wonderful, she is playful and fun and has brightened up our little home. Her name is Pip (Tyler named her perfectly!) and we could not love her anymore.

My sad is that on Saturday I put her in her new carrier and we headed off to the vet so she could have her first shots and a check up. On the way there, she was freaking out in her carrier, and I got distracted like an airhead, and as I was trying to get her to calm down in the front seat, I was suddenly smashing into a parked car....on the other side of the road. I can't think of anything else more humiliating then having to tell a cop that I was just blatantly distracted, and ran into an inanimate object. Poor little Pip got thrown into the dashboard in her carrier, as we careened into the back of a '91 Lexus and up onto the owner's lawn. Amidst the wreckage, she did finally calm down and go to sleep while we took care of insurance stuff.

Fortunately nobody was hurt, and the people were SO nice. The only injury was my pride. The cop cited me for an "unlawful turn". I guess they don't write tickets for "crazy cat lady moron who can't do two things at once". It is my first accident, but it's the last time I'll be taking Pip in the car with me by myself. Luckily we're still waiting on our tax return, so we'll have the money to pay our deductible. And we've already filed the claim with the insurance, and my car will be fixed in the next coupe of days. It's drivable still, just body damage. But I will have to drive around with the big "I got in a wreck" sign evident on my driver's side door. Luckily my happy of the week is helping me get through an embarrassing and expensive incident. Even if it was a little bit her fault, how could I be mad at her?

She loves the stack of books under the table.

And she has the prettiest blue eyes

And now here is my sad car all beat up.

But don't feel sorry for me, it was my own dumb fault. At least no broken glass, no broken headlight, and no airbags. It always could have been much worse.

Our First Birthday!

2009-04-10T11:56:00.000-07:00

Today is our marriage's very first birthday. I suppose most people call it an Anniversary. Whatever it is, I'm very excited to be having our first one! We're not doing any big celebration or gift exchange, just going to dinner and a movie. Partly because we are poor. But mainly because we shouldn't have to congratulate ourselves on staying married. I don't think I deserve jewelry or clothes just for making a commitment and actually keeping it. It's not like it has been a challenge or a chore to be married to Austin, and I need some yearly compensation for my efforts. It is a joy every single day. The only gift I need today is every year together from now on.

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy, Joy!

2009-04-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

This was our absolute favorite tape when I was little. I don't even remember hearing it for the first time, I just remember already knowing the words and loving it. Whenever we drove anywhere in the car, this is what we listened to and sang to. I even remember being driven to Joy School and listening to the song "Thank You, Caterpillar". And one of the songs says "Joanna" in it, and I used to LOVE that cause it's my mom's name. I'm so glad that my mom would play such adorable uplifting music for us. What else would you want your children to hear except songs about joy and love and friendship. I am buying the CD now so I can have it for my kids, and probably for me to listen to right now. =) Go here and you can listen to some of the songs from the CD. Sure it's for little kids, but it still makes me feel happy, happy.

http://www.hoffmanhouse.com/happy.html

Not-so-newlywed

2009-03-19T20:29:00.000-07:00

Austin and I had our first big fight in a while today. It wasn't even that big, and it was over something stupid of course. But I had to go to my two hour Anatomy lab in the middle of our "discussion", and I felt pretty horrible the whole time I had to be there. I was dreading coming home to continue with said argument, and was wishing that we could just drop the whole thing. As I pulled up I was preparing my apology in my head, hoping we could resolve things quickly. So I was more than pleasantly surprised when I walked in the door to candles and roses and a homemade dinner, and a husband scooping me up in a hug and saying sorry first.

Of course we ate this amazing dinner sitting on the floor at our coffee table because we don't have a dining room table. Or a dining room to put one in for that matter. And our little kitchen was filled with pots, pans, and bowls from the cuisine creations of Austin. And we don't have a dishwasher, and just one tiny drying rack to put the dishes in. But I felt more than spoiled, and richer than ever. We spent the rest of the evening listening to Frank Sinatra while I finished the dishes and Austin fixed our $30 dryer that stopped working today.

It was so very 1950's newlyweds.

And it was so very wonderful.

7) These cute puppies!

2009-03-12T07:25:00.000-07:00

Austin and I have always agreed on the fact that we will have a German Shepherd and a chocolate Lab. I absolutely love both of these dogs, they are adorable when they're puppies, and beautiful when they're full grown. We'll train them well, and they'll be outside dogs for sure. And they'll both beat down anyone who tries to come on our land.

Isn't this German Shepherd puppy seriously the cutest thing ever?!