How much does it cost to be pretty???

I know, I haven't written in a while and I apologize for the delay. I have been crazy, busy, but really who isn't. This lack of time has made me spend money on things I would have been hesitant to ever consider in the past. I eat out more, I buy clothes without browsing as much and considering the cost. But, last week I bought a pair of tweezers for TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS!! I couldn't believe how much until I left the beauty supply shop. I thought that the wax I usually purchase had increased. When I looked at the receipt and saw that it was the tweezers, I was floored. It made me think about what am I spending my money on and why?

Is it the way that owning something makes us feel or is it really the quality. Take name brand jeans for example. As a 13 year old girl I had my heart set on a pair of Girbaud jeans. I knew that if I could just have a pair, then I would be happy. I begged and pleaded with my mother for a pair. Finally, Santa heard my pleas and I was given some for Christmas.

I felt so fantastic, I wore them almost every other day. However, it really didn't change my social status or my friends thoughts about me. It changed the way I felt about myself. I think sometimes we identify with things like purses and shoes or make-up (I am a recovering sephora addict) to make us feel better. Even our jobs can try to define us.

I went to a networking lunch a few weeks ago with new BYU Alumni. I had never been to one before and it was only $8.00!!! Usually I spend a minimum of $25.00. Going to this lunch I realized I have been working with seasoned networking pros for too long.

I went to this lunch and the first thing you do at any networking function is to AVOID talking about business, unless you know that person already. Why? Because you have nothing to build on. Business is done through relationships. You have to first have one to build on, otherwise you're just a car salesman. These new alums, the first thing they did was ask me "what do you do?" I of course, knew what they meant and I answered. However, then I began asking them about had they been to an alum lunch before, how long had they been a graduate. They are all hard working kids, who had probably been to very few if any lunches, yet they flashed their cards in my face and asked me about my insurance/investing. They were eager to talk about their "positions." Because they are still new and a title defines them. They've probably never been fired, laid off, downsized or let down--yet.

Sometimes we all get caught up and let others define us. We let what car we drive, where we live and even what our church positions define us. We buy $25.00 tweezers because there is no price and you like leopard print. But, its just a pair of tweezers/job/car. A better title to define me is, friend, sister, daughter, best looking person you know. (come on do you really thing I wouldn't crack a joke).

New Years Resolutions

Every year I make the same resolutions, lose weight, get in shape, run a marathon, pay off debt and graduate from college. This year I lost weight and gained it back, got in shape and ran two 5K's, now I'm out of breath walking up stairs. I finally graduated from College (Thanks for coming Dane, even thought I didn't get to see you) LOL Paid off (with the help of my parents who I'm paying back) all my debt. So, I thought I should make the lose weight goal, get in shape and run a real marathon my goals. BO-RING! I know, so instead of focusing on me, I think I'll make New Years Resolutions for others.


MTV - To make music videos or find REAL stars to make reality TV shows about. It was funny with the Osborne's and we laughed at the first couple of Real Worlds, but seriously. You hit a low with Celebrity Fit club and Dr. Drew Celeb rehab. Lets go back to, oh I don't know, music television. Crazy, I know.


Paris Hilton - Retire. We get it your family has money and you are a hoochie. No one wants to be your BFF except crazy girls.


Stephanie Meyers - write something that doesn't make girls sound whiny and boys sound like dark, obsessive, prone to violence adolescents. I'm still a little bitter.




Brittany Spears - Get it together girl. Millions of dollars and lots of fame and you are still crazy. Life is not drama, you are. Take your meds.

Fox TV - you have two good shows, the Simpsons and House. Everything else is NBC re-runs, whats up with that!


BYU Football team, can we get a good o-line next year! PLEASE! Help your quarterback.

Happy New Years Everyone!

Sometimes I can cook too...

My father is an excellent cook. I am a believer that cooking is not hard, however excellent cooking is a gift. I have not been blessed with that talent. However I do make a few things well and I did it by trial and error. So, I'll share one of my famous recipes with you, please keep in mind that I make these dishes by sight and so while I am saying a certain amount of ingredients you may have to add or reduce based on how it looks and the consistency you like.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes:

This recipe I made up based on an Tyler's ultimate mashed potatoes and Spencer's Garlic Smashed potato recipes that I mixed together. This dish serves either 7 Tongans or 20 palangi's LOL.

Ingredients:

5lb bag of Golden potatoes - wash them.
3tbs of olive oil
2 twigs of fresh rosemary
3 whole minced garlic cloves
2 cups of half & half milk (you can use regular milk, but its not as tasty)
1 cup of salted butter
2-packages of cream cheese softened

wash and then boil (1) Five pound bag of unpeeled potatoes until fully cooked. While the potatoes are boiling, in a separate pan place the chopped cloves of garlic and rosemary twigs and saute them in olive oil until lightly brown. In another pot place the half and half milk and a stick of butter and place over medium heat until the milk begins to simmer then immediately remove from heat. Once the potatoes are done boiling remove them from heat and drain the water. begin to smash the potatoes together either in a kitchen aid or with a tool of some sort, combine the potatoes with soften cream cheese. Slowly add the garlic and rosemary with the olive oil into the potatoes while stirring. Then add the milk and butter until you reach the consistency of the potatoes that you like remember you can always add more, but you can't remove it if its too runny. I like mine a little lumpy, but that's just me. Add salt and pepper to taste.

That's it! Make it and your family will LOVE it!

What doesn't kill us will only make us stronger...I don't buy it.

It is with a heavy heart that I report that the mighty BYU cougars...lost, that's the good news. The bad news, it was to to... the *cough* *gagging sound* Utes. What is up with THAT! I would like the Ute fans to remember that I did not rub anything in last year, or the year before.

Some people ask why I am such a cougar fan. The only response is that I was raised this way, the right way. In all seriousness, I am glad that we still have something to cheer or get excited about. College sports is a great diversion when the outlook for the economy and job losses can seem so down.

A friend of mine, who is a cougar, and I were talking and she doesn't see the point of college football. I was a bit speechless, but here is my response. Competitive sports are traditional in every culture. It is a way of binding a society together. It helps to identify a hero and a villain. Us versus them. People can get aggression out in a way which will help them to move beyond cultural differences and break barriers, sometimes without the violence associated. We can see this in Jesse Owens during the Olympics, Jackie Robinson and baseball, Tiger Woods and the PGA. Societies that aren't necessarily ready to accept change socially can accept it through athletics. Then eventually they will ask themselves, I cheer for them in sports, why can't I cheer for them outside of the sport.

Which is why I still like Max Hall. We still had a great season and I'm still a cougar.

I don't have TiVo but I love TV

It seems that everyone has TiVo or DVR these days. I WISH I had either of them. However, I do not. Instead, I watch many of my shows on Sunday on my laptop. I love it!

Television viewing used to be either you snooze you lose. However, now people can make their TV fit their schedule. I don't know if this is dangerous idea or not. I'll give you an example.

My cousin Larry Moeaki (shout out whoo! hoo!) and I lived in my family's home in Provo when I first got back from my LDS mission. He was addicted to two shows at the time, The Practice and The Sopranos. I was not allowed to talk or even think about coming home during those two shows. WHY, you ask because he had formed "The Practice" club. To which he was the only member. On Sunday's I had to either go home to Salt Lake or stay at a friends house. If I did not, for the rest of the week Larry would not talk to me. So, to get around this rule, I petitioned to join the practice club. I wrote a formal letter and all. I was accepted only after a series of what can only be describes as hazing. We did bond and I know I am his second favorite roommate EVER, after his wife.

If I had owned a TiVo we may not have been able to have those hazing/bonding experiences.

I watch the following shows on the poor mans TiVo the Internet full episodes: Greys Anatomy, Ugly Betty & HOUSE.

P.S. Shout out to Jacqueline Crowther (who is not black) my Grey's Anatomy buddy and facebook complicated relationship friend. ;)

Bad Boys vs. Good Guys

I was having a conversation with a cousin of mine this weekend. She was telling me that she is in love with this guy. He is always drunk, he's a gang banger and basically a "bad boy." She told me that she has always been attracted to "bad boys." While I was trying to tell her about her options and that she can do better, I found myself having dejavu. I have had this conversation with other friends and cousins about "bad boys." Why do women like them?

I have no idea. I think it might have to do with the idea of taming them or rebelling. I've always been attracted to good guys. I like the idea that I won't go through an emotional roller coaster. Maybe girls that like bad boys like drama. While we were having this conversation she told me about three other cousins who like bad boys. I guess I'll be having dejavu again.

P.S. I promised my cousin Larry Moeaki he would get a shout out in my blog. He's a good guy, sometimes. ;)

Am I :D or :( ... emoticons...why I can't type without them. ;)

It all began with simple ha! ha! ha!'s at the end of my sentences. Then I started writing lol. Later it was WTH-k. (I try not to swear even in text form, although I am not perfect). Now, I don't know how to type without them or worse...emoticons.

I just get nervous and question myself, will they know I'm kidding if I don't write LM@O or ;). A friend of mine who holds degrees in English and French Literature chastised me a while back after I sent her a sarcastic email with a "LOL" & :D at the end of the sentence. She commented that I had become "one of them." By "them" she meant the masses who do not know how to express themselves properly through punctuation and diction.

My main form of communication between clients is through email. I usually only speak with them when I am actually in negotiations, even then usually I type to clarify. However, I find that many of them use emoticons in business language. It makes me uncomfortable, however I feel as if I HAVE to return the LOL or ROFLM@O.

It must be indicative of the sarcastic nature of our society that we really can't just say what we mean. Our humor can be so biting and our punctuation so lackadaisical that we can not decipher what the other person means or is trying to say without them adding a :o) or a >:). I enjoy a good joke, but where does that leave our language if we can not properly punctuate. How will we understand one another? Is the English language doomed or am I just going to have to make up new ways of expressing myself. :-P.