He is Risen

Easter is one of my favorite holidays. Is that strange? *Shrug* I love the celebration of life, even if it's in the form of the Easter bunny and eggs. I love the candy (a little too much, unfortunately). I love seeing everyone in their "Easter finest." I love that people who otherwise don't come to church pick at least that one time to go and show their gratitude to their Savior.

I may have said it before, but I think it's weird that we celebrate Christ's birth for two months, and the resurrection for barely a day. I suppose the one allows for the other, but His death and resurrection is just as miraculous as His birth! We got to sing all of the Easter songs in the hymn book today, and I wanted to cheer! Hooray and hosanna for the resurrection of my Lord!

Today, I am thankful to my Savior, Jesus Christ, and His atonement. He not only gave me a way to be forgiven of my sins, but He patiently teaches me how to overcome my many weaknesses so that I can hopefully be a little better every day. It truly is the greatest gift.

Happy Easter, my friends!

Who will love them as they are?

Me! Me! I will love you!

Wow. Seriously? Who can sing this well that high?!!

For a video of the original rendition, click here.

Happy Friday, my friends. I love YOU!

Liebster Award Nominations

My sweet friend over at One Crazy Girl's Kitchen nominated my blog for a Liebster Award*! I don't know that there is an actual award; it kinda sounds like a gimmick to get our friends to branch out and try new blogs... and I'm totally on board with that ;D

The Fun Rules:

• The nominee must link back to the blogger who nominated them.
• The nominee must state 11 facts about themselves, and then answer the 11 questions provided for them by the person who nominated them.
• The nominee must then nominate bloggers with less than 200 followers, who they think deserve the recognition, and pose 11 new questions for them to answer.

Random facts about me:

1. I am very wary of the chicken in t.v. dinners, unless it's breaded or fried. Otherwise, it always looks like there's fat or sinew or something on it and it's so gross!! I'll eat it, but I have to gag it down.
2. I found Keebler alternatives for Samoas and Thin Mints that I can buy year-round, but I still buy Girl Scout cookies. They're for a good cause and they're cheaper. The knock-offs are pretty good in a pinch, though!
3. The next foreign country I want to visit is Italy, or maybe Croatia. Definitely someplace Mediterranean.
4. I'm only about 100 pages into Mansfield Park, but I identify more with Fanny Price than I care to admit.
5. My Spring allergies have already started to bug me.
6. My first community play was a musical version of The Wind in the Willows. I have had a fondness for the story ever since!
7. I have plenty of Easter candy at my house, but I was still tempted to stop for a cupcake today.
8. I have all my Barbie stuff in storage in case I have any daughters who want to play with them.
9. I own exactly one item of yellow clothing, and one of orange (not including pajamas). Obviously I don't think either is my color.
10. As a teenager, I wished I looked like Catherine Zeta-Jones.
11. Eureka just isn't the same since I went out with the a guy who, in hindsight, reminds me of Sheriff Carter.

Answers to One Crazy Girl's Kitchen's questions:

1. What is your favorite color and why?   This is hard, because I bounce between blue and purple. Right now I'll go with blue, because no matter the shade I always feel pretty when I wear it.
2. Who is your greatest inspiration?   It's cliche, but my inspiration is my mom. She can do almost anything with her hands, is nonjudgmental, kind, thoughtful, service-oriented, and always trying to better herself. I wish I were more like her.
3. What is the strangest thing you've ever eaten?   Rattlesnake. My dad caught one at Lake Powell and roasted it up for us. As I recall, it tasted like chicken ;)
4. What is one talent you wish you had?   I wish that I could stand up for myself during confrontations.
5. What is your favorite movie?   I've blogged about how difficult this question is for me, but I think at the moment it's The Holiday. 
6. What is your favorite vacation memory?   To no one's surprise, it involves Disneyland. I remember the first time I went on Star Tours -- the year it opened. When the little Wall-E robot asked if it was my first ride, I replied "Yes," and then I was amazed when he said it was his too! I've had a soft spot for that ride ever since. That place will always be magical for me!
7. What is one food you refuse to eat?   I won't eat seafood, especially lobsters, crab, crayfish. Nothing that eats sea-feces is going in my belly. Nope!
8. How long have you lived in your current home?   Just a little over four and-a-half years.
9. If you could live anywhere, where would it be?   I've always wanted to live in London, or nearby!
10. What is your biggest pet peeve?   Cell phones in movie theaters. I have no tolerance whatsoever.
11. What is one thing you couldn't live without for a day?   My mind is drawing a blank. The first thing that came to mind was access to a toilet. I'd accept a port-a-potty if that's what's available. Sorry if that's TMI.

Nominees (in alphabetical order):

All About Evey

Expressionism

Guy Smiley's Guts

Life Would Be Boring

Questions for nominees:

1. What was your favorite toy as a child?
2. What do you do when you are sad?
3. What did you want to be when you grew up?
4. Beavers or ducks?
5. What was the last book you read, and what did you think of it?
6. Which sports do you follow, if any?
7. What is your favorite food to pig out on?
8. If you could have a conversation with absolutely anyone -- living or dead -- who would it be?
9. What is one talent you wish you had?
10. Where is the most exotic place you've ever been? (The definition of "exotic" is up to you!)
11. Why did you start blogging?

*A quick google search turned up the following blog post about the Liebster Award's origins. I love this idea!

Dazed and drowsy

I've mentioned before that I'm not a morning person, right? Well, I've been assigned to a new project at work, and it involves 6 a.m. meetings on Wednesdays. Thank goodness I can call from my bed! The meeting averages from 15-25 minutes. The first week, I tried to fall asleep again afterwards, but I couldn't sleep. Since then, since I knew I'd be tired anyway, I've just gotten up, showered, eaten, and headed to work early (and left early -- yay!).

Last week was hard. I had to take two power naps just to make it through the work day... and then I fell asleep at the doctor's office. I was really worried I'd nod off driving home at 5 p.m. I made it home and immediately fell asleep on the couch.

I have this tulip-scented candle that I love. When I woke up from the nap, I lit the candle, ate dinner, and then settled down on the couch again to take care of some stuff. I brought my purse with me and plopped it on my coffee table. I looked down at my laptop for a few minutes... and then I glanced at the purse...

... My purse strap was on fire!

This is kind of amazing, because the candle is in a bowl, so the strap had to have fallen a good 3 inches in that thing. Anyway, I somewhat calmly grabbed the purse and ran it to the sink, where I was able to douse the fire. Later I thought of how I might have handled it more efficiently. Honestly, I'm just thrilled I caught the fire and put it out so quickly.

Guess I've learned my lesson: no more open flames when tired. At least it's decent story!

Before you ask, Yes, I have tried going to bed earlier, but going to bed does NOT equal falling asleep earlier. *Sigh* Hopefully this arrangement won't last past the summer. If it does, I'll deal. I'm an adult -- that's what we do!

Please tell me I'm not the only one these things happen to... and cross your fingers that I can get a decent amount of sleep next Tuesday!

The beauty of love

I love this video. It's a reminder not to let my stress weigh me down, and to look for and create kindness, because that is what will truly make me happy.


Happy Friday, my friends!

Why I like walking to the grocery store

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.

- Hal Borland

On this, the first day of Spring 2013, I thought I'd list why I sometimes choose to walk to the grocery store.

1. An excuse to spend some time outside in the beautiful Spring sun before it gets too hot!
2. It's a 15 minute walk each way, and I could use the exercise.
3. I love my neighborhood. Maybe I wouldn't want to walk around after dark, but there are enough stores and greenery to remind me why I moved here! My bank's in walking distance, too!
4. It forces me to be choosy about what I can buy, so I end up spending less. Sorry Diet Coke and paper towels. You'll just have to last until I remember to pick you up on the way home from work, 'cause I do not want to carry you home.
5. An excuse to listen to some music for a bit. I don't do that nearly enough -- at home I turn on the t.v., and in the car I listen to NPR. Focusing on just music is a nice change. 
6. Sometimes, maybe I dance during the walk, too.

Kinda nice to kill so many birds with one stone*.

How are you celebrating this lovely springtime weather?


*No, I don't kill birds with stones. It's an expression ;)