Daylight Savings

I pulled up to church yesterday and noticed that the parking lot was full to capacity. Several thoughts entered my head, including: "Is it Stake Conference?" "Was there some sort of pre-church meeting?" "Why isn't anyone pulling up at the same time as me...I am not that early?" Then it dawned on me...the clock in my car said 12:45 p.m. alas...it was 1:45 p.m. I have lived in Utah almost 10 years and have missed daylight savings in the spring almost every year.

Well, at least I am consistent.

Crosswalk

I don't think the flashing lights on a pedestrian crosswalk are just suggestions.....just sayin'.

The LOVE month

I have never really been a fan of Valentine's Day. All this hubbub to proclaim love to people that should really know that I love them anyway. That is why I have declared the month of February LOVE month. A big month of just pouring out love to my peeps and even to strangers. So far, LOVE month has ROCKED. Ever since the infamous Valentine's Day of 2009, I couldn't help but realize how much more fun Valentine's Day is with really good friends.

Keri Payne, my BFF from high school, came out to see me. Talk about LOVE! Her amazing hubby and children let her come and spend some crazy girl time with me....ME!! The laughing till it hurts philosophy rings so true when we are together. Just a couple highlights:

• We visited my favorite consignment shops. Really, I could use some more pink objects in my house...and these little hidden stores are the perfect places to find such items. If you have never been to great consignment or antique shops in SLC, let me know....I will tell you where they are and even go with you. Though we didn't hit all of them in one day, some beauties are Emilie Jayne, Home Again, Secondhand Chic, Now and Again...I could go on...but those are my faves. A new one also opened up around 2100 South and 900 East, but it is a little pricey.
  
  
• We tried on clothes at Decades, this amazing vintage store on State street that really only carries vintage-wear. Talking with the owner, I asked him where he gets all this amazing stuff. He said he used to go to estate sales, where the elite of Salt Lake City collected amazing clothing, jewelry, purses, shoes, hats, records...you name it and he would buy it. He then told me that now, people just bring things in to the shop. It was unbelievable the amount of cool things he had. I found this flirty and fun black dress and Keri found some sensational jewelry. We were talking about how fun it would be to take pictures, but the owner told us that camera's are banned from the store...makes sense I guess....I think people would have WAY too much fun ;)
  
  
• We went to my favorite Italian restaurant, Cafe Molise that is right in the heart (get it) of downtown Salt Lake City. This is my favorite place for several reasons. First, instead of using an overwhelming amount of heavy marinara sauce on their spaghettini, they use a light garlic-butter sauce and then squeeze fresh tomatoes on top, adding fresh basil and leaving the tomatoes in the pasta. Covered with Parmesan cheese that is lightly melted, the dish is served straight from the chef's hands to mine. I knew Keri just had to experience a party for her pallet, so we went there. Second, the ambiance is refined and romantic. Third, they play live jazz and when they don't, they have it playing over the sound system adding to the ambiance. It was awesome to take a girls night and explore refined cuisine!
  
  
• Ah...the symphony. One of my favorite past times. I didn't tell Keri what we were doing post-amazing-eating. She quickly figured it out as we walked from the restaurant to the symphony doors. It was Keri's first time at the symphony...which made it even that much more fun for me! It always fun being with people who are experiencing first's. We had the opportunity to listen to Ruth Crawford Seeger, who experimented with string music that collided and broke apart...very modern. We then heard amazing pianist Jean-Phillipe Collard play Mozart's Concerto No. 23 with the symphony. His eloquence and presence on stage was appealing, and his fingers were so light and tempered, which enhanced the brilliance of the piece. We then heard one of the most amazing pieces I have ever heard. Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 was like a story for my ears. I was enthralled by the intensity of each separate movement. I kept turning to see how Keri liked it. We were both so moved by it all!! It was a brilliant night out on the town.
  
  
• The next day was perfect. After going to a single's breakfast that the boys in our church cooked for the girls in our church, and to offset our hectic day before, we decided to see as many girl movies as possible. We went to Jordan Commons to see When in Rome. After an excursion shopping for jewelry hangers at Hobby Lobby and visiting a long-time friend of Keri's, we went back to the Commons to see Valentine's Day with my other girlfriends. Both movies were adequate and I give them both 3 stars. It was fun just to relax and not have anything to do but catch up on chick flicks.
  
  
• Sunday was all about the food. Keri surprised me with Valentine's Day jammies!! I LOVE THEM! Oh, and I can't forget to mention the loofa shaped like a heart...and a little sinful chocolate. After visiting my single's ward, where we got to tell everyone about our weekend adventures and where Keri was asked to give the opening prayer and was asked if she was on Facebook...where she promptly responded that her married name was Payne ;) we baked and experimented. The day before we made cornbread hearts. I was afraid that the heart-shaped tins I got to cook muffins in would make them look like little butts. To my utter happiness, they look just like hearts!! We then made tri-layered chocolate sin, which we ate straight out of the bowl...even though it could feed an entire evening party.
  
  
• Then, Keri helped me decorate my wall. This ended up being our doubled-over-in-laughter-pain moment. To read our joint-post, visit Keri's blog. Some of my favorite moments include listening to my favorite songs and when the Top Gun theme song came on Keri said "I love this song. It is so sad that Patrick Swayze died." I said, "Oh, I agree. What about the music from Top Gun with Tom Cruise made you think of that?" We burst out laughing and couldn't settle down. It was one of those nights!

I was so lucky to have Keri as my Valentine and thank her hub and chillins for sharing her with me! I was talking with one of my other friends about my feelings of Valentine's Day and how they have completely changed over the past couple years, and she had a very profound statement saying that if we could just recognize it as LOVE day...it makes it SO much more fun and a little less overwhelming.

This is what LOVE month is all about people! Let's keep it going....

Steak or Cereal

I have been swimming almost every morning since the beginning of the semester. I just love swimming so much that I enrolled in two swim classes, one that meets on Monday's and Wednesday's and one that meets on Tuesday's and Thursday's. I am certainly a fan of getting better and improving something that I am passionate about, which I why I am especially glad to have such wonderful instructors who really take the time to introduce me to new techniques in areas that I have not previously focused on.

One thing I have realized about swimming early in the morning is that eating right before (for me) is a big no-no. So after my class gets out at 10:30 a.m., I am generally famished. By the time I get home I often wonder if I need to feed my body breakfast or lunch. The question always becomes "Do I want steak or cereal?"

Today

Steak: 1
Cereal: 0

Gray

My mood lately seems to have matched the wintry landscape of gray that inhibits Salt Lake City right now. A very dull color, this gray allows nothing for the imagination. I wake up and though the sun is shining, a gray musk fills the air. I don't blame inversion...that seems to have somewhat gone away...but this cool, dry earth is damp with despair. It's as if it is crying out, begging for blossoms. I know I sure have been.

However, today I feel lucky. Traveling down the gray road, passing and stopping behind gray cars, traveling past gray restaurants and shops, and seeing gray sad-looking faces, I noticed an inflated pink balloon in the middle of the road. It skipped along calmly and coolly as traffic whizzed by it. A very Joe v.s. the Volcano moment...everyone was rushing to their next appointments...did anyone notice the balloon? I watched as it danced from lane to lane. As if it wasn't worrying whether or not it was hit...because it was invincible. It was almost as if I could hear it saying, "Weeee!" I found myself smiling. Even amongst the busy grayness of the world, all it takes is one moment to raise my gray to a salmon shade of pink.

High School Locker Drama

I had another dream where I was in high school...again, and I couldn't get my locker open, thus making me late to class. This dream, however, was very different than my other I-can't-get-my-locker-open dreams. This time, the principal found me and when I thought I was going to get in trouble she reassured me that she knew who I was and knew I wasn't trying to slack off and would forgive my tardiness. Instead of feeling dread for missing the first couple minutes of class and potential repercussions of being tardy, I felt like I was important and known. I felt like despite the fact that I was going to be late to class that I would be OK because my principal knew my intentions and knew that I was prepared, just delayed. However, during the dream, I recall thinking that this circumstance didn't give me an excuse to be late all the time...but that I should always strive to be the best student I could by arriving to class on time.

I love remembering dreams.

I have my own interpretation for the dream...anyone else?

Relationships and the Economy

It's funny how everything seems healing when you are searching for things that can heal, especially after experiencing disappointed hopes. I was reading Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan, as part of my assignment for my Governance and Economics class. I not only LOVE this book for its insight into the science of governance and the economy, but also for the little bits of healing I have found and somehow managed to thwart into my own little category of 'failed relationship science and application.' Here is what I learned:

Lesson 1: When discussing financial markets, Wheelan gives an example of being at the grocery store and determining which line is shorter and therefore would be quicker to get through. He determines that, "It's the things you can't predict that matter" (Wheelan, 2002, p. 130). This spurred in me an ah-hah moment especially in relationships and life in general. How BORING would it be if life was predictable...if every relationship went the way I wanted? Predictability lacks excitement.

Lesson 2: Again, referring to the grocery store analogy, Wheelan suggests to "pick a line and stand in it" (Wheelan, 2002, p. 130). I kinda laughed because at this point, I am just waiting for someone to pick my line....and if my assets are "priced efficiently" everyone is better off in the long-run.

Lesson 3: I LOVED this, especially when I thwarted it with my theory. "Human beings make flawed decisions. We are prone to herdlike behavior, we have too much confidence in our own abilities, we place too much weight on past trends when predicting the future, and so on" (Wheelan, 2002, p. 131). How many times have I heard that one or two or even three relationships haven't worked out because so much of it was based on fear? There are a lot of us single people out there who have experienced some tragic (and I am actually being serious, not facetious) relationships. We are on guard, we take time to trust other people, and sometimes what has happened in the past effects current and even potential relationships we can have with other people. Oh, if only we could have confidence that things were going to work out. I think a lot of people lack the faith that it will work out and allow the fear to take over.

Lesson 4: In any economic circumstance, besides saving, investing, diversifying, etc, it is important to take a risk every once in a while. Wheelan stated, "Risk is rewarded-if you have tolerance for it" (Wheelan, 2002, p. 134). Hmm, makes me think that maybe taking risks for a long-term relationship will be a good thing.

Lesson 5: "The odds are stacked in your favor if you are patient and willing to endure the occasional setback" (Wheelan, 2002, p. 135). No explanation needed.

Lesson 6: "Indeed, if we all believe that the economy is likely to get worse, then it will get worse. And if we all believe it will get better, then it will get better" (Wheelan, 2002, p. 157). Just like relationships, if we think they will get worse, then they will. But if we have hope in them and think they will get better, they will.

Lesson 7: "Recession may actually be good for long-term growth because they purge the economy of less productive ventures" (Wheelan, 2002, p. 158). This made me think that failed relationships may actually be good for long-term growth because they purge me of those relationships that could be potentially hazardous for my soul....I am being a little sarcastic, but you catch my drift.

So, all in all, I would have to say that relationships are much like the economy... unpredictable, didactic, exciting, lesson-learning and something to look forward to in the future. And that, ladies and gentleman, is a GREAT study day!