Life Unlimited

The Holidays in Salt Lake City

2012-01-04T12:28:00.001-07:00

My boyfriend Christian is active duty in the Air Force and is currently living in Pensacola, Florida for pilot training. I'm lucky enough to visit frequently, but some of his training was taking place near the holidays and it looked doubtful I would see much of him. So when we found out he would be able to come home to Salt Lake for 17 days, I was beyond excited!

We spent Christmas with his family and mine, alternating back and forth for meals and holiday parties. Christmas Day we opened gifts with my family in the morning, then Christian's in the afternoon. Many of the pictures are still lost in the abyss of Christian's broken camera, but here are a few highlights from my Dad's camera in the meantime.

I have been wanting a cute, stlyish (read: not mom-looking) apron for quite some time. Christian got me this adorable one from Flirty Aprons. This Utah-based company has a great selection of sexy and cute styles.

I am looking forward to cooking more in 2012 (partially so I can wear the apron), but also to find some healthy new recipes. I discovered a new favorite last night when I made Quinoa and Avocado Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing from my new favorite cooking blog, Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body.This vegetarian dish is a great side or meal. Will make it again soon, albeit with a bit less garlic.

I love, love, love owls, and when I saw this LoveSac blanket with owl embroidery I knew I really wanted it. Santa got it for me and I've been using it every night. While LoveSac's blankets are expenisve upfront, the luxe fabric and durability make them worth it. (Especially when they're on sale! Visit LoveSac's site for post-Christmas deals.)

We got these crowns in some British-style Christmas Crackers I found at World Market. World Market is my go-to store for fun stocking stuffers, and the bright colored crackers fit the bill. Unfortunately, the contents were mostly useless. Each one contained a paper crown, joke and small toy, but they were fun to crack open and the crowns were cute on the adults and kiddos alike.

Decking the Halls at the Utah Santa Run in Provo

2011-12-07T14:31:00.001-07:00

Christmas is coming! There's no better way to celebrate than to dress like Santa and run laps through Provo, Utah. A group of my friends and I donned St. Nick's attire (included in registration fee) on Saturday for this festive annual 5K called the Utah Santa Run. Wearing a Santa suit is required and it's fun to run down the block through a sea of red.

Santa's Little Helpers (volunteers) donned elf hats and passed out milk, cookies and water at aid stations. As a note: milk and cookies are not good to eat when running. Thankfully, we weren't running to win and stopped for photos ops and leapfrog games along the way. We were also lucky enough to be running behind a group throwing out candy...couldn't say no to Dum Dums and peppermints. Though the three lap course was a little dull, the costumes and delightful atmosphere makes this event a great holiday tradition. A holiday light parade came after the race, but we couldn't bear the frigid temps. Maybe next year. See you then Santas!

My Newest Obsession: REI French Press Travel Mug

2011-11-28T13:50:00.001-07:00

Coffee that's been burning in a pot all day is not my idea of a good cup of joe. So I now make my own at the office with my REI Double Shot Press Mug. I love getting a deal and found this on sale for $19.99 (normally $29.99). The mug includes a french press lid, sipping lid for brewed coffee and air-tight canister to store grounds for your next cup.

The French press lid is easy to use and has a screen over the sipping hole to keep grounds inside, and is also great for tea! But my favorite use for the press is brewing Crio Bru. This Utah product is made exclusively from cocoa beans, but brews like coffee. I first tried it at the Pink Half Marathon Expo and couldn't get enough! Crio Bru has a slight chocolaty flavor, but doesn't contain caffeine. Instead, it gives you energy from theobrombine and is loaded with antioxidants to boost your immunity. Dr. Oz even claims this wonder drink helps burn more fat. Five varieties are available, but I'm a sucker for Cavalla, which has natural hints of cinnamon and coconut.

The company also makes delicious Crio Beans, which are cocoa beans covered in dark chocolate. The beans have an absurd amount of antioxidants and lots of fiber, making them a guilt-free treat. I keep them in my desk for when chocolate cravings strike. Yum!

You can buy Crio Bru online or locally at Harmons.

Red Rock Relay Recap

2011-10-18T13:13:00.000-06:00

When I feel stressed, nothing is better than grabbing my iPod shuffle and heading out to run. But when I'm looking for fun, racing a team relay is my favorite way to run. I recently ran my first relay, the Red Rock Relay Zion, with a group of twelve friends and we had so much fun that we are planning on coming again next fall!

Check out our race video made by team member Ingrid Herbas.

I also wrote an article on this for Outdoor Sports Guide Magazine: Running the Red Rock Relay Zion: 185.3 Miles of Pain and Glory. I would love to hear what you all think about it!

Here I am finishing my second leg of this challenging, incredible race.

Using Exclamation Points!

2011-10-07T15:39:00.006-06:00

The exclamation point. This little punctuation mark has caused a big ruckus in the writing world, and has been overused by texters, tweens and great writers alike. One of America's best authors, F. Scott Fitzgerald said this about the exclamation point:

"Cut out all those exclamation points. An exclamation point is like laughing at your own jokes."

While I think removing ALL exclamation points is excessive, I generally agree that people could reduce their use. However, there is one instance when an exclamation point is not only beneficial, but in my opinion, vital to a conversation.

That time is when you win a prize and must email a response back to collect said prize.

As a magazine editor, I have the pleasure of giving away lots of prizes to our readers. Most people are thrilled when they win vacations, gear, etc., but some are about as unenthusiastic as a potato. After picking a winner from a slew of entrants and finding it's someone who doesn't seem excited about the prize, I'm tempted to give the prize away to someone else. Maybe that's mean, but all I'm asking for is a little punctuation love.

Case in point:

We recently gave away movie tickets at my magazine.

My email to the winner:
Congratulations, you are the winner of two tickets to the Warren Miller Movie! We have tickets for Friday October 14 or Saturday October 15 at Abravanel Hall. Let me know which day works for you and I will set them aside for you at our office. Thank you!

Response:
Thanks Jenny
Saturday the 15th would be best.
Thanks,

What kind of response is that? I was more happy about her winning than she was! However, this reply can easily be salvaged.

Thanks Jenny! Saturday the 15th would be best. Thanks again!

In the future, if you win something from me, or anyone else for that matter, grant the giver the satisfaction of an exclamation point, which is the text equivalent of screaming on the phone when you win concert tickets on the radio. Don't you hate the people that win awesome front row seats and then just mutter a dismal "Thank you" into the phone? Yeah, we all do.

Help Homeless Pets in Utah!

2008-12-09T10:23:00.003-07:00

I haven't blogged in about a million years, but this is a worthwhile cause. You can help homeless pets in Utah by simply going to the link below and voting for No more Homeless Pets in Utah. If they win, $10,000 will be donated to help them continue saving pets. It's totally free and will really help animals in need. Right now Utah is like number five on the list, let's get up to number one!

Goodbye to Barkly

2008-02-26T10:46:00.004-07:00

I find that writing about loss is my biggest struggle.I always get stuck imagining ways that things could have been different and mentally rewriting the past, as if what actually occurred was simply a sad dream. The loss I'm writing about in this entry is that of my 14-year-old black lab cocker spaniel mix, Barkly. I haven't written much since he left my life.

Though we knew his health was declining, he declined rapidly on Sunday, November 18, 2007 and my family was forced to make every pet owner's most difficult decision. Three months later I can finally find moments where I remember the fourteen great years, instead of the final sad day.

So in this post I want only to write about the things I miss about my four-legged friend, family member, buddy and as I'll always see him, my puppy.

1. When he would run down the stairs and slide across the wooden floor.
2. How he would greet me at the door every time I came home.
3. How he always came running when he heard a bottle of fish oil pills being opened.
4. Doggie kisses.
5. Taking him to the dog park, just to watch him sniff stuff and run from other dogs.
6. How even thoguh he was completely deaf, he still seemed to hear me sometimes.
7. The puppy days when he caught frisbees in the park.
8. Barkly sleeping on my waterbed thorughout my childhood.
9. When he could stand up and get himself a drink from the drinking fountain.
10. When my dad would make the dog stand up and sing the "Dancing Dog" song.
11. The way he barked at everyone when we lived on Buttercup...it fit his name.
12. The way he always tried to protect my mom and I.
13. The sad face he would give me whenever I left the house.
14. The way his ears perked up and he went crazy when he heard the word "walk".
15. How he could always tell when I was upset and would try to make me feel better.
16. How he liked everyone...and wanted to show them as much.
17. The way he wacked me with his tail. It hurt, but it was funny.
18. The way he looked all covered in shaggy hair.
19. How silly he looked chasing snowballs and junping into water to fetch a ball.
20. How he couldn't deal with being left inside if we went out.
21. How he would get out of the yard if the gate was left open and walk around front and sit on the porch instead of running away.
22. The way he followed my mom everywhere she went.
23. Wrestling when he was a puppy.
24. The time he ate my history book...really he ate the book. He also ate a twenty dollar bill.
25. His love for the snow and how silly he looked with his black fur covered in white flakes.
26. His insistence on being a lap dog, even though he weighed eighty pounds at his largest.
27. How my little niece Claire acted around him and called him "Bark Bark."
28. The many nicknames we had for him, Bill, William, Alfie, Mr.Wigglebody, Puppy, the Barkster, Blacky and many more.
29. How Barkly just loved all of us...no matter what.
30. Finally, how he was just as excited to see you if you had been gone for five minutes or over two weeks.
31. The way he would take off running after cats!
32. I never finish my meat, and I miss feeding him the scraps.
33. His destruction of everything- looking back, it's very funny.
34. Tug of war with old sock...he would go crazy and then rip the socks apart.

There are so many things to love and remember and I'm sure I'll add more, along with my favorite photos, as time goes on. It's funny to me how some people don't care about pets, but after having one, and losing one, I see how his unconditional love has forever changed my perspective on life.

I still remember picking him out in the pet store and bring ing him home, a tiny wiggly puppy you could hold in your hands and watching him grow into a huge, powerful dog that could catch frisbees and knock people down and chase away chats. Then seeing him slowly become mostly a fixture on the rug or bedroom floor, an old man with energy left sometimes, but mostly just a friendly face whenever I came home.

I miss having to take care of him and seeing him when I walked in the house. Home isn't the same without a dog, and I can't imagine having lived my life without him.

If I have a hope for something in the life beyond Earth, it is that all dogs truly go to heaven and that Barkly is there waiting, running like a puppy and eager for us to throw a ball.

In dedication to My Old Friend, here are lyrics to Tim McGraw's song that always makes me think of him:

My old friend, I recall
The times we had are hanging on my wall
I wouldn't trade them for gold
Cause they laught and they cry me and
somehow sanctify me
And they're woven in the stories I have told
And tell again

My old friend I apologize
For the years that have passed since the
last time you and I
Dusted off those memories
But the runnin' and the races and the
people and the places
there was always somewhere else i had to be
And time gets thin my old friend

Don't know why, don't know why
Don't know why, don't know why

My old friend this song's for you
Cause a few simple verses was the least that I could do
To tell the world that you were here
'Cause the love and the laughter will live on long after
All of the sadness and the tears
We'll meet again my old friend

Goodbye, Goodbye
Goodbye, Goodbye

My old friend

Prepare to Pee Your Pants

2008-02-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

These are my two favorite videos of all time. They are so funny that I tihnk some people who view them may lose control...if you know what I mean.

Video #1- Numa Numa

I can't even recall how many times I did that dance in my dorm room after watching this video. Gotta love dancing like no one is watching.

Numa Numa

Video #2- Nunchucks Man

Watching people hurt themselves never gets old. I could watch this all day long!

Nunchucks

Funny Snowball Fight!

2007-12-13T16:31:00.000-07:00

You can add your photos to these videos and it is a riot! Here is one I made.

Don't send a lame Starring You! eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Angie Day!

2007-10-16T11:58:00.000-06:00

Last week we celebrated Angie Appreciation Day, for an editor that works for Simple Scrapbooks magazine. I put myself in charge of making a cinnamon cake, which I know is Angie's favorite and I couldn't resist sharing a picture of it. I accidentally cut too much of the top off the red frosting so it took me an entire tub of frosting to write Happy Angie Day. it made me laugh, but the cake was delicious, which is what really matters.

We also went to lunch at Simply Thai, my favorite Utah thai restaurant and I had my favorite coconut soup. Yum! I just can't resist bringing it up because of how delicious it is.

Missing Summer!

2007-10-03T16:33:00.001-06:00

I can't believe how cold it has gotten already.Over Labor Day weekend I spent the day in hot sun at Seven Peaks water park. I freaked myself out a little on this trip to Seven peaks because I went on the big yellow slide. it doesn't look menacing, but I definitely thought my eye was going to pop out or I was going to fly off the slide. The other picture of me and Jerson is on a Boomerang slide which is really cool because you go down one side and back up the other side. i am still afraid of it, but i managed to go down it like six times on this water park visit.

Now it is too cold for water parks and that makes me sad. I am we aring long sleeved shirts and jackets instead of skirts and tank tops. Unfortunately, the fall is going by quickly too. We had snow last weekend so the leaves are getting killed off. Hopefully I will be able to go horseback riding this weekend and see some pretty red leaves.

My Paper Layout

2007-10-02T10:49:00.000-06:00

I haven't made a scrapbook since high school so i am very proud of my new layout. This is from a night when Jerson and I visited Park City and stayed at the Washington School Inn. It was a relaxing, fun and FREE trip, which made it even better. My favorite parts were racing down the alpine slides and coasters, but dinner was nice too. i also really liked waking up in the morning to a fresh-cooked breakfast...yum yum. I definitely would recommend that bed and breakfast to anyone and I would go back in a heartbeat.

I Don't Have to Be 'Til Monday

2007-10-01T16:53:00.000-06:00

Mondays always make me think of that song. I guess I love the weekend because everything can be so different and crazy. This weekend was mostly tiring...and quiet. My Saturday was supposed to be filled with horeseback riding and a football game, but the rain kept me inside and I ended up taking a long nap on the couch. Then i spent the nights up until 5 am installing movie screens. i took pictures the first night and helped (sort of) the second night. I enjoy helping, but every time I want to do more my fear of climbing a giant ladder gets to me. I really need to get over this whole fear of heights thing. Sunday was a good day because Jerson and I got to go to breakfast at the Original pancake House...yum! I had a Greek omelet and coconut pancakes (my favorite). Unfortunately, they wouldn't let us sit in the sun outside and I sort of froze my butt off, but that is alright. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening running errands for Jerson's movie screen stuff, which ended up being lots of fun.

I was starving again by nine o'clock and went to the store for some dinner stuff. i ended up with a huge grocery bill because my eyes are way bigger than my stomach!

I wanted to scrapbook a layout this weekend for work, but didn't get around to it yet. I'm posting the ones I have done so far on here...even though they are really not to exciting. I made the quick page one from July into a box and a pencil holder for Jerson and me. I thought they were pretty neat. The second one I just made while I was dinking around with Photoshop. I like the blue outline on the photos.

As for today, it has seemed to move very slowly. I have my nonfiction writing class tonight though and I am enjoying that. I don't know how I will make time to write anything, but I am sure i can jam it into my schedule somehow. Then I have decided I need to go to the gym. I am determined to get into better shape...and sit in the sauna. :-)

My First Real Blog

2007-09-28T14:24:00.000-06:00

I attempted to blog when I worked for the Seattle PI, but what we wrote was so restricted that I never felt like writing much. I started this blog so I can write about my travels and anything else I want to talk about. I figured it would be a good place to post pictures as well. I have so many photos, but I never take the time to write the stories behind the photos while I remember them. Maybe if I blog about it I'll remember more. I want to remember things better because I am beginning to scrapbook. Working at a scrapbook magazine definitely does that, but it is really hard to find time to fit it in.

I had this picture taken for work and it is my most recent head shot. I actually can't believe how long my hair has gotten. I have had shorter hair for so long that it is kind of strange to see it in a photo and have it look so different.

That's about it for now, my blog was blank and lonely so i had to add something, but I am going to try to keep this updated.