the sacrifices I make

I cherish my sleep... and when I don't get enough I am droggy all day, I get headaches, and I am in a bad mood. I look forward to Saturday all week because it is the only day I don't have to be out the door by 8:30. lately, I have been sacrificing my sleep for some pretty important things - my job and the boy. I have been working a lot of late nights and a ton at home. and circumstances in our lives require us to spend most of our time together and on the phone late at night. and I really don't mind, except that I think maybe it is backfiring. I think the toll it is taking on me might be weighing on our relationship and my performance at work. is it worth it? worse though, am I getting old? I remember when I used to stay up EVERY night until 3 or later. and those were the days that I had to leave for school or early morning summer practice by 6:30 AM! what happened?

i'm just sayin...

okay, okay, maybe I spoke too soon about Oprah. although I did say I was sure she did some good things with her money. however, I do wonder if the tax benefits from something like that are pretty rewarding... I'm just sayin...

A to B

I have always been an A to Z thinker. I just can't help myself. I see the whole picture, I imagine the entire process from beginning to end. this is actually a great thing professionally and it has really been an asset for me in every job I have ever had. now, if I could reserve that skill for work I think I would be set, but it seems to be the way I handle every aspect of my life and it has really bit me in the butt in almost all of my relationships thus far. see, I believe the main difference between men and women is that women generally see things from A to Z and men generally see things from A to B. when I go out with someone I am not just considering a kiss at the end of the night or a second date (B) as the guy is, I am considering whether or not there is long term potential, whether I can picture myself marrying the guy (Z). talk about adding unneeded additional pressure to a first date! but, no matter how much I try to ignore that instinct it keeps pushing its way to the forefront of my thoughts. I wonder if his career path has potential, or if it is something I could live with (unlike the vet I dated... yuck). I judge his clothes, taste in music, spending habits, manners, and hobbies against mine to see if we would mesh well. and if things are okay to that point I sometimes even consider how his last name sounds with my first and whether or not our kids would be cute. this sounds crazy, right? most guys think it is, but almost all of my girlfriends admit to very similar thoughts.

I met this amazing guy last summer. he was in Iraq at the time, he is a medic in the guard, so we were limited to chatting, emails and phone calls. with most guys that wouldn't last very long, but we kept it up for 6 months and never got bored or tired of it. we always had something to talk about and we clicked like no one I had ever met before. he has been home for four months now and things have been going great. I think mostly because I have been containing the A to Z beast, or at least hiding it from him. my best friend Marti has been the one encouraging this and keeping me going. thanks, Mart. but, yesterday it reared its ugly head. he is in Venezuela right now, so conversation has been minimal for a while. when I blurted it out, it was kind of out of the blue, and I was even surprised when I said it. I guess I started slacking since he left and I'm no longer strong enough to contain it. so, I did it. I tried to force my A to Z thinking on him. he seemed to handle it well, but if I screw this one up too, I don't know if I will bounce back. I seriously don't know how people ever have successful relationships. did I ruin my chances by waiting until I had grown up before I tried to make them work? maybe I should have gone for the plunge when I was still young, clueless and impressionable so that we could grow into a relationship together... ??

I hate snow... I love snow... I hate snow

I hate snow. always have. I especially hate driving in it. there was a blizzard this morning... that was a treat. but, the problem is that it is so darn beautiful. the street I live on looks exactly like this picture right after it snows... so gorgeous! so as soon as I am done cursing the snow I get in my car, start driving and immediately begin doubting my disdain for the heavenly white flakes softly falling all around me. but, thats just it, it is only pretty to look at. I hate how cold and wet it is, I hate how scary it is to drive in it (I get headaches from the tension), I hate skiing, snowboarding, etc. but the view from my office is amazing! I can see the mountains both east and west, downtown, and a huge valley full of trees, a golf course, canyons, etc. even when it snows, and it is all covered in white, a glimpse to my right can mean endless staring and distraction from working. man, I can't wait until Spring. I actually LOVE rain. I love to see the world coming alive again. and I have a front row seat to it all. ...but, that is too far away. lets focus on something a bit closer. I can't wait until next Tuesday! yay! that is when Rob will be back, and hopefully he will save me from going to yet another family get together alone... :)

christa vs. oprah

Oprah Winfrey bothers me. she drives me crazy! its one thing to be famous and have a lot of money, but its another thing to flaunt it and waste it on ridiculous, pointless and empty parties and televisions specials. if I have it right, Oprah is the richest woman in the country. her business ventures have been very successful and are something to be proud of. but, using that money to throw glamorous parties, ceremonies, and televisions specials for other ridiculously rich, famous celebrities is something to be ashamed of. it disgusts me. now, I don't want to get up on a soap box and be preachy, but seriously, I think it is immoral for one human being to have that much money when there are thousands suffering everywhere. is it really necessary to have a 20,000 square foot house with 15 bathrooms and 17 bedrooms, a pool, a guest house, a personal chef and florist, a gym, basketball and tennis courts when there are homeless people on every street corner? how can you live with yourself in that situation?

I'm not saying Oprah doesn't do good things with her money. I know she donates to charities, but it seems extremely minimal compared to the extravagant crap she pulls all the time. why can't she at least lay low like Bill Gates? I'm not a fan of how much money he has and how easy his children and grandchildren are goin to have it forever, but at least I don't see it on TV and in magazines and newspapers every day. maybe the real problem is the media. maybe I should get off Oprah's back. maybe she really would rather do television specials that educate us and raise money for good causes but the media won't do it. who knows? all I know is that if I have to watch her spend more money and give more attention to celebrities I might fly to Chicago and throw up on her doorstep...

roller coaster ride

life feels like a roller coaster sometimes. lately it feels like that really big one at Six Flags, the old rickety one. you are moving too fast, things are coming at you unexpectedly, you aren't stable or secure, and you can't escape the feeling that if you let any single muscle in your body relax you will surely die. If I started listing everything in my life that recently came hurling toward me, it would take an eternity. I am having a hard time keeping all of them straight in my head. hopefully this ride doesn't last too long, and I come out okay.

the trolley square shooting happened approximately 10 blocks from my house. I still can't believe such a tragic event happened so close to me. who knew something like that would happen in Salt Lake City? I am extrememly blessed that neither I nor anyone close to me was there that night. ...why do things like this keep happeneing? I am starting to get worn out from reading the newspaper and watching the news. maybe I should just stop and start existing in a bubble again... hmmm...

i heart scrubs

scrubs is the BEST SHOW EVER! I am very disappointed that I only recently discovered it. I have been seriously missing out. well, I mean, I always knew about it, but never watched it until a few months ago. and now I can't get enough of it! zach braff is at the top of my celebrity crush list, but he has been since Garden State. I think my recent obsession with scrubs secured him for quite a while though. and hey, he said he would marry me on myspace... ;) anyway, life is crazy busy lately, with my full time job, catering, my part time job, my church calling, my charity volunteer work, my apartment search, and trying to keep some sort of a social life, so finding time to sit down and watch scrubs is what I look forward to. if I am home and it is on, I can't talk myself out of taking a breather, sitting down and watching it. if you don't watch it, I beg you to reconsider, you must give it a chance, you will not be disappointed!

a kiss is just a kiss

I went down south for a couple days last week to see my mom, help her unpack and get settled, and make sure she got some rest after her surgery. My little sister, who is going to be 16 in a couple days, had her boyfriend over pretty much the whole time I was there and they were sneaking kisses as often as they could. It reminded me of when I was a teenager and how much I loved kissing. It was pretty much what I lived for. Every time my boyfriend kissed me I felt sparks, I melted. It was the best feeling in the world.

My kissing experiences have really evolved since then. Since high school, the "knock your socks off" kisses are few and far between. I've had some really bad kisses, some blah kisses, some pretty good kisses, and a couple WHOAH! kisses. When the guy that I am dating right now (that phrase comes from another story I will share in a different post), his name is Rob, kissed me for the first time, it was one of those knock your socks off, take your breath away moments! And every time we kissed for the next few weeks it was just like that. He is the best kisser I have ever kissed, and I thought nobody would ever beat Dustin. Not only is Rob really good at it, but there is a deeper connection. I have never clicked so well with someone emotionally, physically, intellectually, and spiritually all at the same time. My knees literally almost buckle. I don't even know how to begin explaining how this all makes me feel. When he kissed me, it was like I could finally exhale... I am lighter on my toes, I smile more, and I can't wait for the next kiss. I am going to be waiting for a long time though, he is gone for 6 weeks. I miss him so much it almost hurts.

Anyway, it has only been about three months, since the first kiss and we have already gotten into a pattern of automatic "pecks" when we say hello and goodbye. Sometimes I wonder what happened. Do we lose the fascination with kissing when we get older and more settled and secure in relationships? Not that I don't enjoy the quick hello and goodbye kisses, I still savor them, I just wish there were more knee-buckling moments, I want to feel like a kid again. And what a great world it would be if every hello and goodbye were accompanied by a knock your socks off kiss!

sUnDaNcE!!

WOW! prepare to be extremely jealous! I worked at the ESPN party at Sundance this weekend. I always knew Sundance was big, and people went there just to walk around and see celebrities, but wow! so, who did I see you ask? well, here are the celebrities I actually talked to: Josh Hartnett (he is even hotter in person, and extremely nice! I talked to him for a few minutes and he called me lovely!), Teri Hatcher (who is adorable and tinier than I thought, but also kind of obnoxious), Giada De Lorentes (she is adorable, and she actually helped me put toilet paper in the bathroom stalls!), Mark Steines of Entertainment Tonight, Christian Slater, Dante Stallworth of the Eagles (he actually kissed me 3 times-lips, but no tongue, sorry kids!), Alex Guerrero of the Vikings, and Shaun Alexander of the Seahawks, to name a few. This is who I saw at my party, but didn't get to talk to: Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Jeremy Sisto (Elton from Clueless), Omar Benson Miller (8 Mile, Get Rich or Die Tryin, Shall We Dance), Matt Leinart, about 10 Green Bay Packers, a retired Chicago Bears player - I can't believe I forgot his name!, the celebrity poker guys, etc. our party was amazing, it was the place to be! I decided I want to go to Sundace every year now! hopefully working at events again, it was a lot of fun to be a part of it. it was an amazing weekend. now all I need right now is some sleep and the $800 I am hoping will miraculously show up so I can fly to Venezuela... too bad none of the celebrities loved me enough to leave me an outrageous tip! ...wish me luck!

hectic

well, the new year started off with a bang! I don't feel like I have had time to breathe yet. we moved our office to the cottonwood corporate center this weekend. my catering business is taking off. I started my part time job with the event planner. the huntsman cancer event I am volunteering for is coming up. my mom is having surgery. I am working hard to squeeze in time with "the boy" whenever I can. and to top it all off, I found out last week that I have to move out of my apartment! that was quite a bombshell! I was finally convinced that I was settled. I was going to live here until I got married or bought a house... I didn't see this coming at all. so, I cried for a couple days and stayed up all night devouring craigs list, but I think everything is coming together. one of my friends needs a roommate at the same time I have to move out and the apartment is suitable, so thats the plan for now.

Its amazing what a full schedule like this can do to someone. Its been years since I have been this exhausted. but, at the same time, its been quite a while since I felt this fulfilled and happy. we'll see how long it lasts...

resolutions

happy new year! I don't really ever make real resolutions, but I have been thinking about them the past couple days, and I have some that I actually look forward to. maybe that has been my problem, I never pick resolutions that I really want to do. why would I be motivated if I don't really want to do it? well, 2007 is the year for me, because I really want to get these things done.

FIRST - get a passport, and get two stamps on it. I am ashamed that I don't have one. in fact, if I did, I could be going to a private island in Colombia next month. so, not only am I ashamed, I'm completely regretful of this fact right now. so, hopefully I will be able to go some other time this year. Kerstin and I really want to go to Bermuda in May, so hopefully that will work out. anyway, its way past time for me to start traveling for real...

SECOND - make my catering and event dreams come true. I am already well on my way for this, so I just need to follow through. I started doing catering on the side last month, and I have two more events coming up in a few weeks - an SUU fundraiser and a wedding reception. I made some business cards and hopefully I will generate more business from these events. I also took a part time job with an event planning company. hopefully that will work out the way the owner and I hope - with me as a full time event manager by the end of the year! its very exciting!

THIRD - become more financially stable. I have been living paycheck to paycheck for too long. I need to take this extra revenue I am suddenly bringing in and get a rainy day savings account in place. I also need to get all the little credit cards taken care of that are sort of haunting me in the back of my mind. I am lucky enough to have everything else in order and well on its way to being paid off, but all the little things are starting to pile up again... I am too young to be so bound by my financial situation...

anyway, hopefully by publishing these goals for all the world to see, I will make sure they get done. and I am actually excited about them! 2007 is great so far, lets keep it that way!

blue christmas

so, Christmas was great for the most part. my family situation was a little awkard, with the fact that my mom is already separated from her new husband, my little pregnant sister is far far away in Seattle, Amber and I are still hopelessly single, my mom still refuses to go to the extended family Christmas party, and my mom and dad actually spent Christmas together with us kids... but, all in all, it was a great weekend. well, except for the fact that I put on 3 pounds! :D I am officially back on my diet as of yesterday...

the Powell family Christmas party at the cabins was amazing, of course. I LOVE my extended family. my aunts and uncles are more like brothers and sisters to me since we are so close in age and I grew up with them. it is always good to see them. they bring me back down, remind me of who I am, where I came from, who I want to be, and what the whole point of all of this is. they know me pretty well, and I always feel better when I spend time with people that know me inside and out and still love me. it was also good to be spiritually fed by my grandparents, and jumped on and hugged by my little cousins. ...but - the party also got me a little depressed. my sister too. we are the oldest of the 35 grandchildren. well, I am the oldest, she is the 3rd oldest. there were 4 cousins younger than us that brought "significant others" with them. this was the first year anyone did that, so, of course, it was a big deal. it seemed like it was what everyone focused on. in fact, it seemed to be the theme of the party. "oh, we are so glad you brought someone! we are so excited to welcome new people into our family! you guys are such a cute couple. I'm so glad you all found each other." blah blah blah. I mean, yeah, its great and all, and I am just as happy for them, but what about the rest of us? are we failures? are we disappointing the family? are we now of little importance? is getting married all everyone really cares about? why didn't anyone seem to care that Justin took state in wrestlling, or that Kali won the spelling bee, or that I am starting my own catering business, or that Amber worked hard all year and bought a new Jeep, or that Ricki got a promotion at her job? ...so, not only do I have to face life alone, but I also have to be shunned by those that I am closest to? and if I do find happiness in being single, does that make me a rebel or a disgrace?

it doesn't feel right. maybe I am making a mountain out of a mole hill. or maybe it is my own insecurity that is making me feel regarded in this way. whatever the case, it is hard to escape. I left the Christmas party wishing they could return to the way they were a few short years ago and dreading what those parties hold for me and my hopelessly single future...

merry christa-mas!

I don't remember how old I was, but I was young. all I wanted for Christmas was a Nativity set. I may have wanted some roller skates too, but I don't remember. I even wrote a letter to Santa specifivally asking for one. it bothered me that my family didn't have one to display during the holidays. anyway, I think this really touched my Grandma. she and I had always had a special bond. she lived up the street from us my entire life, and sometimes I think I spent more time there than I did at home. someday I will write a blog about her. she was amazing and she filled my life with beautiful memories...

so, Christmas day came and I didn't open a Nativity set. I remember being disappointed, but not enough to ruin the enjoyment of the gifts I did receive. a couple hours later my Grandparents came over to give us their gifts. my Grandma handed me a big white manilla envelope. I opened it up and pulled out a paper nativity set. it was beautiful! I unfolded it, carefully attached the pieces, and set it up to proudly display in our living room. I believe I left it up in my room for quite a few months, and remember putting it up every Christmas for a few years after that. I don't know what happened to it. I imagine it took quite a beating considering I was the oldest of 5 children with plenty of little cousins that visited often. I'm sure it was destroyed and thrown away, but I think of it every year. I relayed this story to my best friend, Jackie, a few years ago and she then gave me a beautiful porcelain Nativity set for Christmas. now it stands as a reminder of my first Nativity set, the beautiful Grandmother that gave it to me, the blessing of a great true friend that I have in Jackie, and the true meaning of Christmas.

sometimes we get caught up in the commercialism of Christmas. I know I do. check this out for instance. all of the excitement distracts us from the true meaning. we should be remembering Christ's birth, his life, and what it means to us. I am lucky enough to have an amazing extended family that gathers together every Christmas to enjoy each other's company, play games, eat food, laugh until we cry, and reflect on Jesus Christ. my Grandparents give us spiritual gifts, and have prepared a presentation complete with stories, scriptures, and testimony. we then take turns sharing our testimonies, thoughts and what we have learned that year. I am so excited to get to the cabins to see everybody and experience our annual spiritual feast, so to speak. I'm sure I will have plenty to reflect on and tell when I return. Merry Christmas everyone! I hope yours is full of love, loved ones and warmth.

blog slacker!

WOW! I can't believe it has been two weeks since I have written! life has been a big hectic whirlwind since I got back from DC. I really can't believe it has been two weeks... a lot has happened, and I have had a ton of thoughts. I better get to it.

I always put myself in overkill in December. for some reason I take on a million projects every year and I end up sleep deprived with an empty bank account! but, I am always satisfied and proud of my work - the gifts I give, the parties I throw, the delicious food I bake, the cards I make, the gift wrapping that looks like a work of art, and my cute winter apparel! I love it! I just wish it didn't wear me out. but, then again, I am happiest when I am extremely busy. when my days are full, I am too occupied to think about things. particularly the big questions like, "what am I doing with my life?" and it keeps my thoughts away from the bad situation my family is in down in Cedar City. which is good, because there is nothing I can do about it and thinking about it just brings me down for no reason. so, there's that, and also the fact that it makes me feel good. when I finish one of these busy projects it gives me a sense of accomplishment that has been steadily disappearing from my life since I graduated from college. I guess you could call me a "busy bee." I constantly need something going on in my life to keep me from making myself crazy. so, here are the things that have been keeping me crazy busy:

CHRISTMAS - shopping, crafts, baking, decorating, wrapping, travleing to parties, annual correspondence, etc.

Catering - I LOVE to cater, and I used to do it often when I lived back in DC. this weekend I finally got to do a job in Utah. I catered a huge dinner for 90 people. It was amazing, but it took up my entire weekend. I also had some business cards designed that I could hand out. my sister did an amazing job considering she hadn't used photoshop since high school.

Volunteering - I am a volunteer for the Huntsman Cancer Institute. I am coordinating the volunteers for the annual Radio-A-Thon fundraiser. It consists of lots of phone calls, emails, faxes, spreadsheets. sure, it sounds easy and a lot like what I do every day at work, but it does take up a lot of time.

Work - I had to stay late at work every day last week. I was in charge of our company's client gifts, Christmas cards and company party on top of my regular responsibilities. It got a little crazy at the office for me, to say the least.

right now I am experiencing the lull right before the big event. I only have two more little errands to run before Christmas day. things are quiet at work, and my mind is swirling with thoughts. the thoughts I usually try to avoid. but, I will try to enjoy swimming in them for now. here we go. ...should I go to grad school? who can I get to write my letters of recommendation? do I really want to burden myself with more student loans? do I want to get an MPP, MPA, or Masters of Poli Sci? should I really try to make christa lee catering work? maybe that would be a good lead-in to be a wedding planner. why do I want to do jobs like that when I have a degree in and a passion for poli sci? would I be abandoning my opportunity to actually make a good difference and impact in the world? ...does Rob really like me? has he lost interest? when am I going to get to see him again? should I make it obvious how much I like him? can I emotionally afford to leave myself open to get hurt again? but, I think he might actually be the one. you shouldn't try to protect yourself from the one, right? am I good enough for him though? I really do think I am a good catch, for many reasons, but does he see it in me? ...is my mom ever going to be strong enough to be happy? what in the world can I do to help her? and how is stacy going to come out of this situation? will her baby be okay? how can we get her back to Utah? is Rachel going to be okay? is my Dad going to live much longer? what if he dies before I get married? how will I handle it if my kids never get to know their Grandpa? am I ever going to be able to have my own family? am I going to be alone forever? why can't I find someone that will love me enough to want to marry me? or at least stay with me for more than a few months? ...why am I so obsessed with the chocolate phone? how can I get one? will I ever be able to afford my own apple laptop? I can't wait until my car is paid off. will I be able to stop myself from buying a new one once that happens? ...are the democrats going to be able to take back the white house? should I get on a presidential campaign again? who would I support? there are so many good ones. would America really reject a woman or a black man? if so, that is a sad commentary and I am ashamed. how long will it be before women and minorities are equal to white men? I can't believe they're not! have we even progressed since the civil war?

okay, thats enough. I need to find a project to work on. see! those thoughts are too much. I don't think I am the only one with thoughts like this though. we all deal with our own concerns - demons if you will. will any of us ever have life figured out? or are we all just doomed to wander in uncertainty forever until we finally die? okay, so that sounded grim, I promise didn't mean it like that. I just wonder if there are ever going to be any answers or sureties in my future...

I'm back!

so, I returned a few days ago and I'm still trying to get back into the groove of the dull dreary existence I am forced to call my life... let's just say that my trip back east was so close to perfect that when I landed in Salt Lake City and stepped out of the airport into the freezing cold, optimists would say "crisp", air and looked to the empty pavement before asking a cab driver for a ride, I couldn't hold back the tears. the thought of returning to this life was almost too much to bear. and the realization that I went from a city crowded with people begging to spend time with me to a city where no one cared enough to pick me up from the airport, sent me into a very deep low for a couple of days. BUT - lets not focus on that. I have since gotten over those pitiful thoughts and feelings, so lets talk about the fun things I did and the amazing people I spent my time with... this is mostly going to be a pictoral blog. I LOVE pictures!

first up - Kelly, Chris, and Sam. as I'm sure you know, this is my most favorite family ever!! I almost couldn't bare it when they moved to Williamsburg so that Chris could start law school at William & Mary. I savored every minute I spent with them. we did a million things. we spent a lot of time at Colonial Williamsburg, the new Jamestown, the old Jamestown, Yorktown, the outlet malls, and of course, Kelly and I did several crafty projects! its our favorite passtime. we made slippers, bath bombs, gingerbread and Christmas cards. Sam is the most adorable little boy I have ever met and I couldn't get enough time with him.
Chris and Kelly are two of my closest friends in the world. they are smart, sincere, caring, motivated, spiritual, strong, and they are a match made in heaven. they know me better than almost anyone and they still love me! :) they are very supportive and understanding. my goal in life is to "grow up" to be as close to as great as they are as I can be. and my future marriage has a lot to live up to...

Kerstin - although Kerstin and I only lived together for about 3 months, she is one of the best friends I have ever had. I feel like I have known her forever! she is one of the funniest people I have ever met - she has me laughing all the time, and my own humor bursts at the seams when I am around her. not many people can bring that out in me. so, to say the least, time with Kerstin is ALWAYS fun. she picked me up from the airport, and from the metro stop every day, let me stay at her house, AND dropped me off at the airport! she is great! she had an incredibly busy week. she had just moved into a new place and she was under tight, crazy deadlines at work, yet she was still there for me AND spent time with me! she even took me to IKEA and Cosi! who could ask for more? my hope is that someday she will be back in Utah so our friendship can consist of more than gmail chat while we are both either bored or frustrated at work...

The Hotline - the 14 months I spent at The Hotline were pretty close to the best months of my life. the job was PERFECT for me! my passion is politics, particularly campaigns. at The Hotline I did research and writing about national elections. I co-produced Hotline TV, and I was a personal assistant to Chuck Todd, who some of you might recognize as a frequent guest political pundit on MSNBC. leaving The Hotline was one of the hardest decisions I EVER made. in fact, Chuck made me promise to come back and granted me a leave of absesnce for 6 months after I left. so, when I walked into the office I was greated by screams, cheers, and hugs. it was so great to see everyone again. I visited for a couple hours, and then I was able to attend the American Democracy Conference the next day at the Reagan building. click here for a run down of the amazing people on each panel, and the topics discussed. I also got to see Chris Hamby, Jen Hoar and Eric Pfeiffer there. they worked at The Hotline with me, but now Jen is at cbs.com and Eric is a writer for The Washington Times. Hamby still works at The Hotline, he does marketing, which might be good for me when I move back! It was great to catch up with everyone and get a taste of the wisdom The Hotline basks in every day. I went back to the office the next day and brought in some of my famous home made oreos for everyone and said good bye. everyone was begging me to come back, and telling them it would be a couple more years was so devastating... so, to make me feel better, I went to the National Portrait Gallery and wandered around for 3 hours! It is amazing there! I got to see the portraits of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young that caused so much controversy, as well as a million other amazing and inspiring works of art.

Jen - I got to see Jen at the American Democracy Conference and then we went to dinner together. Jen is one of the most articulate people I have ever met. I LOVE listening to her talk! she is also one of the best friends I have ever made. she is a very genuine and sincere person, and our senses of humor hit it off the moment we met. she does one of the best Dr. Evil impersonations I have ever heard! and we perfected Kit and Napoleon together as well. She is a Catholic and we have had many conversations about our religions, I have learned a lot from her. she makes me comfortable in my own skin, and I have no problem being very honest with her, she brings out the real me. we always joke about a run in we had in the bathroom at work the Monday after I moved into the townhouse. she asked how my weekend was and I said, "It was horrible. I'm glad its over." then we both laughed because with almost anyone else the usual "good, how was yours" would do, but we have something special, and we expect nothing but sincere honesty from eachother. time with Jen is like a breath of fresh air. I am very greatful for her friendship.

Gus - okay, so his real name is Michael Gustafson, and I could tell his girlfriend didn't appreciate that I call him Gus, but you can't go from calling someone Gus to calling him Mike. It just doesn't work. He is Gus... anyway, I met Gus in Iowa. we were roommates for my first two months of the Gephardt for President campaign and when I moved to my own office an hour away for the next 4 months he was my biggest help and supporter. he is one of the funniest guys I have ever met and he has one of the most unique personalities out there. we share a love for democratic politics, and a fire for campaigns that, after Iowa, has calmed down to warm coals. those were 6 of the hardest months of our lives, and we loved it, but have no desire to do it again. we also both have a humorous passion for IKEA. we are like kids in a candy store when we walk into that place. so, I got to have dinner with Gus and his girl Abby, and then I got to see him again right before I left. we went Christmas shopping for a family he adopted for the holiday. what a sweetheart! we both dream of the day we will get to live in the same city again...

that covers most of my trip. it would take days to tell you everywhere I went and everything I saw and did. just know that it was great! the weather was great - 70 degrees. I never had to wear my coat! it rained on me once as I was walking to the metro, but I didn't mind. I loved every minute I spent with my amazing friends and every minute I spent in that amazing city. I can't wait to go back.

vacations and holidays

I went down to St. George this past weekend to see my family and help my dad move into his new house. It was great, I love spending time with my family, and I love St. George. but, traveling always makes me really tired. and the short weekends driving all the way down to St. George can be pretty bad. I SOOOOOO need a vacation! lucky me, I'm getting one! I decided I need at least one semi-long vacation per year. It has been a whole year since I went on the cruise and I am itching for a trip so bad I can barely stand it. I leave for DC on Thursday - Thanksgiving morning. I am going to go spend the holiday with my best friends that are at law school in Williamsburg. I get to be there for 10 days! I am going to spend the bulk of my time in DC visiting old friends and my dearest former place of work - The Hotline. ...revisiting the past, my former life. I'm worried it might be heart-wrenching because I ache to live there again, but I am hoping that it will just be the perfect place to spend my much-needed time off. plus, I'm a total nerd and could wander around that city for days, all by myself, and be completely satisfied. so, until then I am trying to get a TON of work done so that they can handle things at the office while I am gone. I am also trying to spend as much time with "the boy" as possible. 10 days is a long time... I am going to miss him a lot. and then 10 days after I get back he heads to Venezuela for two weeks. It is going to be a long, lonely month... :( Its a good thing I have the holidays to keep me busy. speaking of which - I LOVE Christmas! my family rents two huge cabins in Teasdale every year and we spend a couple days there eating, playing games, watching movies, riding 4-wheelers and motorcycles, shooting clay pigeons, and laughing our butts off. I LOVE my family. We have a great time together. I look forward to that get-together all year long. I can't wait. finally - good things are ahead.

this thing called love

growing up, my mother drilled into my head the ideal and perfect future husband. he would be educated, good looking, sweet, mature, considerate, but most of all - he would be a mormon who had served a full time mission and kept himself worthy to marry me for time and all eternity in the temple. there is nothing wrong with this goal, but I think that maybe I took it a little bit more literally than my mother had in mind. I was told to never settle, so I haven't. but, I am also scared to death of marriage so I have been subjecting myself to horrible relationships with people that don't fit that mold in order to save myself from it. however, during all of these experiences I have realized that I could be perfectly happy with someone that didn't fit that exact mold. and I find myself a little perturbed that I have been made to believe that was the only recipe for success and happiness... after all, who fits that perfect mold anyway?

I think I have pretty good judgment. and by now, I definitely know what is going to make me happy and what isn't. I think it is okay for me to redefine my ideal future husband -- don't laugh, this really is an epiphany I just had and it sucks that it took so long for me to realize it. of course my religion is extrememly important to me, and I would love it if he felt the same about that as I do, but it won't be the end of the world if he doesn't. it is more important to me that we "get" eachother, that we have a good time together, and that we are willing to stand beside eachother through everything, help eachother with our goals, and be there for eachother during our life journey.

...now, excuse me for jumping the gun, but I think I found someone that actually fits this new mold I created. he even has some extra bonuses - he is a mormon that served a full time mission, he is a veteran, and he will definitely be rolling in the dough someday. so, why is it that I am putting up a huge guard and working my pants off to make sure I don't fall for him? what is wrong with me? I know that I have been hurt, and that I don't enjoy it and so I do try to protect myself sometimes, but - I also know that I want to fall in love and be happy more than anything. I guess my emotions are playing tug-of-war. ...I hope the love side wins with this one. I'm almost too scared to let him go.

you have got to be kidding me

first of all - YAY! WE WON!!! I have been meaning to post my excitement since it happened, so sorry it is so late. anyway, election night was the best. I went to Orem to Bethanie Newby's party and then hung out with my best friends, steve and marti, watching the results come in until about 3 AM. I couldn't have chosen a better way to celebrate. Bethanie didn't win, but that was expected. somehow, Utah is always an exception. I have no idea what it will take to give the Ds more power in Utah. I mean, democrats won all over the country, most of them in pretty shocking races, but Utah didn't change one bit... anyway, I'm super stoked about the national results and cannot wait until January when the 110th Congress takes power!

okay, remember when I said that the universe works against me? well, this past week was no exception. I got the flu. I was really sick, but work was too crazy and there was no way I could take a whole day off. so, on Thursday I slept in, took a hot bath, and then headed to work. It started snowing on the way and at the intersection of state and 4th South I was stopped at a red light when I got rear ended! I was the third car in the line, so it wasn't horribly bad, but my bumper got cracked. I had to wait for the police, and the paramedics wouldn't let me turn my car on so I sat there in the freezing snow filling out paper work and waiting... the good thing was that the paramedic was cute and asked for my number! the bad thing was that I was involved in another accident. this is my third bumper in the past 6 months! I am definitely tired of this. anyway, the guy's insurace got my car in the shop and me into a rental the very next morning, which is good. but, they put me in a HUGE TRUCK! haha! Its a 2007 Dodge Ram. It is nice, and only had 160 miles on it, but it is so huge! I hate driving it. and I know people see me driving it and laugh or stare. I had to call my brother so he could tell me whether to put gas or diesel in it... my friends and I drove it around Friday night though, and that was a lot of fun. the other trick the universe played on me this weekend was pretty painful. I have to be to church early so that I can print off the programs and hand them out. I was wearing my black heels and I had to park on the street because I was afraid to take the monstrosity I have been driving into the parking lot among all the other tiny cars. so, as I was walking downhill on the pavement around the side of the building, the bottom of my heel broke off and I slipped. I landed on my left knee and it slid across the asphalt. I felt the skin being ripped off! it was VERY painful. and I couldn't leave so I spent all of sacrament meeting wiping the stream of blood and clear goo off my leg. I spent all day cleaning it with peroxide and smothering it with pain relief neosporin. and today it actually hurts worse. I would post a pic, but I refuse to litter my blog. ;)

we had a girls night on Friday and went to an SUU Alumni event. we went to the hardrock and had appetizers, and then we went to the U and watched the T-Birds kick the Ute's @$$! :D It was great fun. PLUS - I got another catering job out of it! I will be catering the alumni scholarship fundraiser at Hale Theater in a couple months! I really hope this helps me get more catering gigs. I love it! plus, the money is nice... okay, so maybe things are looking good.

par-tay!

so, I actually did have fun on Halloween. I know - I wasn't feeling it, but I got invited to a haunted house at the last minute so I went. thank goodness for my awesome friends! generally, haunted houses aren't scary, but we got into it and my throat was sore from all the screaming afterward. I would reccomend the Nightmare on 13th to anyone in northern Utah! ...then, we took the party to my house and we watched The Exorcism of Emily Rose. I had seen it before, but it is one of my favorite scary movies. mostly because it is a true story. it totally freaks me out. then, we stayed up until about 3 AM talking about whether or not it could really be true, how it happens, what they should have done for the exorcism to work, etc. everyone there, except for me, was a returned missionary for our church so they had stories to tell and a lot of insight.

the next day I went to Cody, WY, with my boss. we didn't miss our flight this time, and I was extremely nervous to go, but it turned out to be a GREAT time! it was my first business trip and we went to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, which is my client. I had a budget, media plan, and ad concepts to present and hopefully get approved. I had never been there so the first thing we did was go on a tour. there are five museums - natural history, buffalo bill, plains indians, western art, and firearms.
they are all AMAZING! they would fit in on the mall in DC, right along with the smithsonians! I am so proud to be representing them now! anyway, the meetings went well, everything was approved, and I even came up with a new tagline after having been to the museums that we are going to use in all of our 2007 ads! :) we went out for a drink, then to dinner with the clients -which was a hoot!- and then to the local watering hole. haha! there were only 8 people there, so my boss and I had a great time. It was COLD in Cody. my boss had to buy a carhart coat. he fit right in with the locals. ...the flight, however, sucked. those little planes are SO loud! I had never been so glad to get off an airplane before!

this past weekend, I went to a party at my friend Laurie's house. we watched Wait Until Dark in her basement on a big screen with a projector. we all screamed like a bunch of little girls at the end when the guy jumped out! haha! afterward we sang karoake, and I'm afraid I made a fool of myself. but, it was fun! I sang Sweet Home Alabama and The Rose just to name a couple. I was the life of the pretty dead party. hey - at least I sound better than cameron diaz!

I spent all day Saturday (well, at least the time that I was actually awake - I was fighting off the flu) helping with Bethanie Newby's GOTV canvass. I won't go off on politics and elections again, but I really wish she had a chance at winning. she is amazing... it was a saturday well spent.

anyway, things are generally going pretty well right now if I do say so myself.

my america

my ideal America probably wouldn't have political parties. my America would consist of a population that voted for a candidate based on what they stood for and how they were going to better their lives and the general state of the union. negative campaigning wouldn't exist, and more than 70% of the eligible population would vote. I know that is seriously stretching it, but we're talking about my dream situation, right? ...I have been thinking a TON about this lately. Alex's comment got me started so I thought I would make a full blog about it...

I hate that you have to play dirty to win, and that it is all about scheming and manipulating and strategy instead of the issues and the worthiness of the candidate. I have spent numerous hours, even months of my life, trying to figure out what needs to be done in order to change the way the system works. but, the only way I can see this happening, is for the American people to change the way they react to it all. Americans thrive on it. they vote based on fear, not hope. what I wouldn't give for them to vote for the person that they believe in - the person that is going to make things better for them. instead, they vote against people. they are scared of change, they are scared of candidates that are open-minded enough to go against the system. and they are unimpressed by those that are honest and sincere. I have seen it time and time again because I have been fortunate enough to work for candidates that are great people. they were actually honest and sincere, and they had America's best interests at heart. they would have made a very positive impact on our government. but, they always lose...

I will admit that voters have probably been negatively tainted by the way politicians have acted, and that they have lost faith, and for good reason. but, that isn't what matters. we could go back and forth all day about how we got where we are, but, what we really need to talk about is what we can do to change things...

now, that aside, and I know I might get blasted for this, and I will also admit that I am a bit ashamed of it, but - I LOVE campaigns, elections, and politics. I thrive on it. and - I am good at it. I know how the system works and I have learned how to manipulate it. I do want to be a political consultant. now, I either want this because I am a bad person that somehow thrives on all of this nonsense and see this as a legit way to deceive, strategize and manipulate, or I want it because I am smart and I know the only way I can make a difference is from the top. my hope is to climb my way up and become the democratic Karl Rove, and then do what I can with my power and influence to make the changes that both of us want to see. I hope I can do it. we'll see how it goes if I ever get there.

as far as the two-party system goes, I actually like it. I do know that because of it, there will never be a party that anyone completely agrees with, BUT - hear me out. there are usually two sides to an argument. at least there are two sides that the average person can understand. I know there can be more, but the majority of people only understand or care about the two major ones. so, having two parties makes it less complicated and easier on the American people. also, I love that power goes back and forth between the two parties. both parties have strenths, and the strengths of one overcome the weaknesses of the other. so, the republicans have had power for 12 years and have done the good that they can, and now the democrats are going to come in and do the good that they can, recovering where the republicans were weak, or messed up. it sort of balances out. it takes a lot of time, and costs a lot of money, but it sort of works out in the end... that is a VERY brief and shallow explanation of how I feel about it. these are the thoughts running around in my head during this election cycle. that, and pure bliss and excitement for the results tomorrow!