One month to make my goals...

Why do we wait for January to look back at the year and look forward?  Well I'm doing it in December.  (I'll do it in January too, but hey, why not).  Here's the progress on 2013, with a P.S. on December goals.

General Resolutions

• Eat out less - replace eating out with friends with activities with friends
• I started strong, need to continue to try into 2013
• Get to my goal weight
• Grrrr, another 2013
• Respond to service requests, i.e. There's a service opportunity, call this person to chip in
• Grrrr, 2013 for sure.  
• Ultimately organize room
• DONE!! I did this!  Before I moved to Fairfax I loved everything about my room and all my stuff and that was great to move in this condition.

Daily Goals

• Read scriptures and pray more
• I have gotten better at this, and I'm excited to continue.  Rob actually helps me with this, he always remembers to pray before we eat.  I love that.
• Play my guitar 20 minutes or more per day
• Beginning guitar done, Intermediate guitar done.  I have a basic knowledge.  I'm starting an online class from a university.  I think it will help me take it to the next level.
• Watch less TV
• I think I've watched less just because I've been busier.  I think at this point, maybe I just keep myself to only watching my DVR shows and not extra.
• Be more kind
• I think I've done some of this, but can't hurt to keep it for 2013

Weekly

• Take pictures
• Totally did this!  Check out my deviant art account:  http://aggielou3.deviantart.com/gallery/ 

Monthly Goals

• Work on Family History
• Hum...I only did 2 ordinances, and though it was awesome, must be better in 2013
• Find a regular service opportunity
• Well, I think I just found one.  Helping kitties at an adoption center.
• Go on a date once a month - even if I ask him
• Totally did this!  AnD I met ROB!  As Brian says, put the energy out there and things happen.
• Go to the temple
• Did it :)  More to come.

December 2012 Goals

• When I'm at work, be engaged in work.  No Facebook at all.
• Do my hair at least 4 times a week - I've been really blessed with wonderful hair, and it doesn't look bad when I just shower and go, but I want to make more of an effort (even if the man I love still loves me in a ponytail and no make-up).

Adventures in Cooking and Crafting

Well here it is, the good, the bad, and the smelly!

You wouldn't think with a great guy to do things with I would have time to cook and craft, but when you have him help...it works out well.

Rob doesn't love veggies, and by that, I mean he didn't eat them before I came along.  Fortunately he humors me:

Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus with Lemon and Rosemary.  Good stuff.

Key holder near the door - Pinterest project, hehe.

Have you ever eaten Romanesco?  We have.  Rob tells people we ate little trees.  

(hint: it tastes like cauliflower)

Yeah, you're reading that right, $500 a lb. for Truffles!! No I did not buy any, but I do love when they're on the menu at a restaurant.

So I tired to make divinity.... yeah, two epic fails later.... 

Jody's going to have to teach me over Christmas.  

So begins the practice Thanksgiving Dinner.  I've never hosted a Thanksgiving Dinner.  I'm SO excited for my Dad, Jeanette and little brother Jake to come I want dinner to be great.

7UP Biscuits - not bad, not great.  This recipe will be replaced.

Supplies.  Earlier my entire table was entirely covered.  Thanks to my roommates who endured the full table, fridge and counters!

That's right, I made gravy.  Slightly lumpy, but tasted good. I'll do better next time.

The buffet on Practice Night.  Sweet Potato Casserole, Sausage Stuffing, and Gravy.

More of the fixin's.  Corn Soufflé, Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Chicken, and Biscuits.

The unsuspecting diners.  Thanks ladies and gentlemen.  Kari brought excellent bruschetta.  Since my appetizers were epic fail, I'll be replacing them with her recipe.

Here's the spread.  Yummy!

Okay, the famous family Pumpkin Chiffon Pie, and a trial Poppy Seed Cream Pie Tort.  We're keeping the Pumpkin and throwing out the Tort.  I also need to try a different crust recipe.  Good thing for practice.  It was a really fun night.  Maybe I'll practice every year, family coming or not.  The diners were happy and even took home leftovers.

Why yes, those are little tiny plants inside wine corks.  Why no, I have not started drinking wine.  Thanks Eddy for the supplies.  They have a magnet on the side so they stick to my refrigerator.

Well that's it for the cooking and crafting for a while.  Thanks to the family cookbook, calls to aunt Trudy, my kitchen helpers, and Pinterest. 

What's new in your life? Rob

Lately when friends and acquaintances have asked me what's new in my life all I want to answer is: 

Rob!  

He's the newest and best thing in my life. We started dating in June and I'm excited to finally share some stories and pictures with my friends and family though this post.

Here's the thing though: I haven't announced it on Facebook (he doesn't have an account anyway) and I haven't told a ton of people. Why you might ask? Well after lots of thought, I think I've figured it out: I worry that they will ask me when we're getting married and put pressure on. So, family and friends, I'm excited to tell you about this awesome man, but no pressure okay?

So, what's the STORY??

It all started with baseball (we'll talk about that later), but really, the romance started with camping.  That's right ladies, I found a man with my camping skills.  ;)

I invited a couple girls from work, a few people from my ward, and Rob to go beach camping with me.  At this point I'd been friends with Rob for a little over a month.

I was impressed with how Rob helped everyone with basically everything possible.  I realized throughout the weekend how good he is at talking to and getting to know people.

I was also impressed with how he goes for what he wants.  He told me later, he knew he had to take advantage of the weekend and couldn't let the opportunity pass.  He surprised me by kissing me.  Who knew he even liked me?!  And so the story begins...

A few months later Rob took me to his work suite night.  Oh goodness, meeting the co-workers.

He works for the Nationals - Washington DC's MLB team.  He manages 10-12 staff who sell season tickets and groups.  He got his MBA in Texas, worked for an arena football team there, then the Buccaneers in Florida.

I was interested to see how he was with me in that environment, how he treated his staff, and what he was like at work.  He proved yet again he is the same man everywhere and with everyone.  He never pulls punches, he's never different, he's just the easy going, positive person that he is with me.  He was great about introducing me and making sure I was having fun.  When you meet him, ask him about 'catching' a fly ball that night...

I'm grateful to baseball and my roommie Val because she introduced me to Rob, and I got to know him by going to baseball games with her on his tickets.  (He's always so generous with tickets to the Nats.)

Birthday Date!!

Rob planned my birthday date for weeks.  He even vetted it with his co-workers.  I was so touched with how much time and planning he put into it.

We found out about a month into dating that my Grandma White's star sapphire ring, matched his Grandfather's star sapphire ring.  How crazy is that?  I've never even seen anyone else with that stone.

That is what inspired my birthday date.  It was all a surprise.  He took me to the Smithsonian to show me the largest star sapphire in the world.  It's in the picture with our rings.  The restuarant we ate at had blue in the chaneller, on the menu and Rob wore a blue tie.  How thoughful :)  The restuarant is on the Georgetown waterfront - so pretty.  You can see the Kennedy Center in the background of the picutre.  We walked along the water after dinner and then retreated when a rat the size of a squirrel ran across the path!!  Still an amazing night.

Corn Maze

Rob told me a while back what he has on this bucket list. I was surprised to find that one of them was quite easy to accomplish.  I guess corn mazes are more common in the west. By 31 you'd think he would have been to one.  :)  I wasn't complaining, I think they are fun.

I found one in Virginia and we had a great time.  We traded off choosing directions and we finished in 1/2 the time they said it would take.  Ha.  We got pumpkins and even learned a little bit about farming in Virginia.

After the maze we had a little time so we went into the little town about 2 miles away.

Another thing we match on- finding little family run or hole-in-the-wall restaurants.  We found a little little place in town and had a delightful lunch.  He let me pay.  I think that's the second time ever.  I argued that I planned the date so he had to let me pay.  :)  I always offer, and I am willing, but truth truth- it's flattering he is willing to pay.  I feel taken care of.

So I don't really love this picture, but it's the only visual I have for the last portion of this post.  (I know, you're SO sad it's almost done) :P

When I met Rob the only experience he had with Mormons was knowing Val.  She made a good impression since he didn't run when he found out I was also Mormon.  :)  I can't tell you how amazing he has been in his approach to something that is SO important to me.  He has ALWAYS been respectful of my standards and my beliefs.  He's been a good boy and now is a good man.  The only thing he would have to change to be temple worthy is to stop drinking, and he doesn't think that would be an issue.

The most amazing part though- because my beliefs are so important to me, he decided he would listen to the missionaries, come to church, and find out for himself if the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true and if he wants to be part of it.  To me - it's an amazing expression of trust and love.

I wish all my family and friends lived here so you could spend time with us.  I miss you guys at moments in my life like these.  I want to share my happiness and I want to see if you like Rob, (I know you will).  Thanks for reading.  Love you guys!

P.S. I had Lacey proof this post.  Thanks Lace!  She suggested I give a little more info about Rob's interests and hobbies.  So here you go:  (blame Lace if you weren't ready for the Post Script ;)

Some Interests and Hobbies: 

• Basketball (he played for Texas State, coached after that, and now plays with his buddies twice a week).
• Board Games - Rob's family plays board games, cards, etc.  When his Dad was here visiting this week we played Phase 10.  Awesome.
• Cooking - well at  least he always makes me dinner when we're at his place.
• Dogs - he has the cutest dog living with his mom right now.  She was from a shelter.  Love that.

Some Interests and Hobbies he's willing to do with me (again, awesome):

• Festivals
• Ballet and Plays
• Picture Expeditions
• Camping
• Travel

Love

I had the opportunity to take pictures of some of the most important people in my life, at one of the happiest times in their lives.  Thank you Brian and Melissa for letting me share in your love and joy.  I'm honored and I love you both.

You can check out the rest by clicking here if you're interested.

New Pictures

I've updated my Deviant Art account with more pictures from this summer.  I'm loving my camera and can't wait to take more.  Let me know what you think: Lindsey's Deviant Art Gallery.

Wordle and Cookbooks

wordle.net

You insert text and it shows the most frequently used words in the largest print.  This is from my Family Cookbook.  I guess we like Grandma and Sugar.  Sounds about right!

Metro Humor

My attempt at humor...I might just try to put together a stand up routine with this for the next No-Talent Talent Show, so let me know if it's funny.  (and no stealing my material ;)

The Rush Hour Metro Car

If you've ever traveled around Washington DC you know a few things- the metro map is less confusing than New York's, the metro itself is more dim than Chicago's, more quiet than Boston, and less smelly than New York.  You also know that Rush Hour is a whole other ball game...

Let's first get the lay of the land, the geography of the Rush Hour Metro Car.
(click on the image to make it larger)

The sweet spot, yes you have to stand but no one's bag is trying to get to second base with you and there's even enough room to hold a book.

Coveted seats, the space you get if you're early or very late for work.

The seat that could have been yours if you were brave enough to ask the person to move their apparently very important bag.

Skinny Spot, the spot you wish you were thin enough to fit into.

The line, many metro commuters, and almost all 'I'm scared to miss my stop' tourists will NOT cross this line to get the the sweet spot.

The mosh pit, doesn't matter how many people there are, more seem to be added, even that guy who won't take his backpack off. Hope your deodorant is working.

The danger zone, no matter how crowded- stay away as the doors close or you'll be the reason the doors open and close 8 times.

The lean spot, I don't care what my arm looks like smooshed against the glass, I won't be falling on my neighbor with this handy leaning wall.

The Rush Hour Metro Passenger

The put together girl- cute outfit, stylish traveling shoes, versatile but professional bag, and her hair still looks good at the end of the day. Needless to say, I want to be this girl.

The nervous tourist- which train are they on? Which stop is next? Where are the Smithsonian gift bags? Oh! There's the river! Honey, did you see the river?

The clueless tourist- the Smithsonians closed and now they don't know where to go. Similar to the nervous tourist but without the worry.

The tired tourists- oh they are so energized when they go out in the morning, bright eyed and bushy tailed. After a hard day of walking slow in museums and dodging runners on the National Mall, they return with tired feet and a disheveled appearance.

That cute guy- he's reading an interesting book and if I were that put together girl I might just...

The two BFFs- they think everyone in the car wants to hear about how lame guy x was on Saturday.

The music enthusiast- this person is apparently is hard of hearing, or will be. Who knew earbuds could be powerful enough to be the musical background for half a metro car?

The sports fan- Capitols or Nationals, often in business attire and a ball cap (I think this is unique to DC- or at least how many there are in this attire).

The nice guy- he gave up his seat for that pregnant lady. Award? 5 man points.

The intern- proudly displaying their security badge, and wondering if their new outfit will impress the front office staff, they look around with high hopes and excitement.

The rest of us- somewhere in between all these, lies the average commuter. I've been some form of a lot of these at one time or another- even that put together girl.

Isn't it Ironic? No, probably not.

Don't you love this song?

I think it's great, BUT unfortunately, has perpetuated the incorrect use of the word ironic.  

Now let's be honest, I can't spell, I don't have perfect grammar, and there are grammar mistakes in this very blog, BUT I have decided I will learn the meaning of the word ironic, and use it correctly from now on.  

So, here's the English lesson for the day (well according the internet, correct me if I'm wrong, please!)

There are three types of irony.  Verbal, dramatic, and situational.

VERBAL:

I like to think of verbal irony as sarcasm without the intent of ridicule or mocking.  It's that remark that has an opposite intent of it's literal meaning.

For example, if you were trying to be ironic on a stormy, dreary day, you might say: “What glorious weather!”

Or if you were suffering from a bad cold, you might ironically say: “I feel like a million bucks.”

DRAMATIC:

This is in speeches or a drama and is understood by the audience but not grasped by the characters in the play. 

SITUATIONAL: 

This is the kind that I think is most misused and is my goal to use correctly.

Let's start with what situational irony is NOT:

It is not: 

• coincidence “This is the third time today we’ve run into each other. How ironic.”
• curiosity "That dog is mothering that cat, ironic."
• oddity “Yesterday was a beautiful, warm day in November. It was really ironic.”
• paradox "I've slept all day, and I now so tired.  How ironic."
• bad luck "winning the lottery and dropping dead the next day, meeting the man of your dreams and then meeting his beautiful wife." Insert Alanis song here.

It is:

An occasion where the outcome or intention of the action is significantly different from what was expected or considered appropriate.

Example 1:  I was watching The Voice tonight (yeah, I know, make fun), and Christina Aguilera made a comment about how she didn't like a contestants song because it's degrating to women.  I thought, that's ironic because you sing about and act as an object.  You yourself objectify women. 

Example 2:  A man takes a step aside to avoid getting sprinkled by a wet dog, and falls into a swimming pool.  (See it can be funny, but it also has to have a parallel)

I don't know if any of this makes sense, but hopefully I can use the word correctly in the future.  And don't worry, if you use the word incorrectly in my ear shot, I will not correct you.  I might smile, but I won't correct you ;)

References: 

http://hotword.dictionary.com/ironic/    

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/isnt-it-ironic-probably-not/   

http://grammar.about.com/od/tz/g/situationalironyterm.htm  

More Memories, but with Saving Space

A while back I posted pictures of items that had sentimental value, wrote why they were meaningful and then I threw them away. A digital record of memories. Well it's time again to clean out a box of memories.  (moving does that to you)

Marine Bear: Craig gave this to me when he left for Iraq. We dated off and on when I live in Orem in 2007. He was a dedicated Marine and even took me to the Marine Ball! He's home safely now.

Mascarade Masks: Mom helped me make these decorations for my mascerade ball in 2008. It was beautiful!

Young Women Quilt: I made this when I was 14, a Mia Maid in the Young Women's program. I loved my leaders growing up. They cared about me and helped me learn about the Gospel.

The backside was signed by my fellow beehives. I'm still in touch with many of them.

4-H Family Camp Flag 2007: my second year working for Utah County 4-H I brought Shalene Hardman with me, Kimi Jensen was working for us, so she came and brought Ryan. It was a great week. Kimi pulled me back from falling out of the raft in the rapids, and we were mistaken for professional camp counselors. I miss working directly with families and youth.

These are some of the ribbons I won when I was on the Utah State University Equestrian Team from 2002 to 2005  I made some of my lifetime friends on that team.  Tiffany, Annie, Pat, Mike and Leisa.  I will never forget being terrified driving on icy Montana roads, freezing at the horse shows (making Mike let me sit in front of him for warmth, my team mates asking me questions about my human sexuality textbook, mom helping with the show at USU and Rojo being one of the horses, and riding, how it was so awesome to ride while I was in college.

This was a questionnaire we filled out and also sealed in the 5 year high school box. I thought my answer to this question was worth keeping.

This small box was full of high school memories and was in a larger box the Posse sealed for 5 years with everyone else's memory items. It was fun to get together, open it and see what I thought valuable and the memories they brought back.

There is my first corsage from Homecoming 1999. This was also my first date. Reg (Craig) Bruening took me. It was a great date weekend. Reg is an amazing guy.

The horse was given to me by a friend, I can't quite remember at the moment...

There is my first 'car'. Kimi West Jensen gave me the little Beatle for my 16 birthday.

The blue bead and note, Kimi also gave me.

The drawing is from Jamie Kotter Moncur and Alli Murray Kogelschatz. - I think...they call me Lou the most.

The pill bottle was made by Ryan Willeitner when we were dating. It's a prescription for happiness. Inside are little pieces of paper with things to go, like take a bike ride, a hug from Ryan, etc.

As I've said before, I loved high school.  My friends were blessings sent from heaven.  I don't want to go back, but I will always remember the amazing times and grew from the few hard times.

Healthy Eating

Well for those of you who have not joined Pinterest, let me warn you- it's a time waster and an amazing resource all at the same time.  I wanted to share my latest obsession without Pinterest attached for those of you who are rightfully resisting (Lace).

Healthy Recipes!!

I have fallen in love with creative healthy recipes and I think it will be a long love affair.  I wanted to share some of my favorites.  The list is ever growing so keep tuned.  (Click on the words for the recipes - just a little help for my soon-to-be techie readers)

• Wonderful replacement for chocolate peanut butter ice cream/ milkshake
• Super yummy stew
• Great main dish with spaghetti squash
• Looking for a salty snack?  Try Kale Chips or homemade Salt and Vinegar Chips
• Another snack from one of my favorite blogs:  Cauliflower Poppers

Let me know if you try and like them.  Feel free to share with me your finds!

P.S.  I'm wearing my Snuggy right now.  Don't judge!  It's perfect when you're typing, watching the Grammy's and need a little more warmth!

Snowboarding in the East

That's right I said East...

Now lets start with what I'm use to:

• 8 resorts within an hour drive
• powdery wonderful snowy whiteness everywhere as you drive up
• powdery wonderful snow to snowboard on
• crisp mountain air phenomenal scenery. 

Before I describe what I got, let me say it was an awesomely fun weekend, and I am going to try to go again this season.  I find the following description so funny:

• 1 resort = 3 hours of driving (with an awesome girl, Val, in her awesome new car)
• brown brushes, trees, and fallen brown leaves everywhere as you drive up...though there there green hills with horses and cows closer to the city
• man made snow that was okay to snowboard on
• nice mountain air and good scenery

This is Val.  We went hiking the first day we were at the resort.  It was odd to go hiking one day and snowboarding the next.  Val is the best kind of friend- not only is she kind, giving and fun; she's willing to do whatever my crazy mind comes up with- even hike in January.  She doesn't really love the outdoors, but she still has fun.  

(p.s. this was my Christmas present from her- the 2 day stay, the lift tickets, yeah for discounts from Val's job and her generosity).  

Okay, here's the some of the resort.  I KNOW!!  Brown, and strips of snow where they were making it.  

Dear snowboarding boots, I'm sorry you touched dirt, I promise when you go back to the West you won't have to do that again.

Going though the snowmakers was a new experience.  You're trying to make your way through other people, get lots of turns and fun spins in, and then WHAM!  Your misted.  I used my face guard more than I ever have before!

All in all, it was a really fun day of snowboarding.  Val tried really hard and ended her day with a pulled muscle.  :(  She's a tough one though.  I took a bad spill on a blue run (they are more icy than the green runs).  My lift mates kept saying I could do the black, but by the time I got up my courage, I was tired and scared I'd hurt myself. Maybe next time.  

Yeah for snowboarding, even if it isn't in my beautiful Utah.

Resolutions for 2012

I've read that the more you tell others your goals, the more likely you are to stick with them, so I'm subjecting everyone who reads my blog (probably about 5 people ;) to my goals for 2012.
AND since we're half way through Jan. I can tell you how I'm doing on all of them.  Good accountability right?

General Resolutions

Eat out less - replace eating out with friends with activities with friends 
          I'm doing great with this.  Tennis instead of breakfast; making dinner instead of going out.
Get to my goal weight
          With support from some great girls, this is coming right along  :)
Respond to service requests, i.e. There's a service opportunity, call this person to chip in 
           I haven't noticed any requests yet, but I'm on the look out.
Ultimately organize room
           Oh this is SO happening.  I've already cleared out 4 totes, and my room my closet is looking         
           fine, fine, fine.

Daily Goals

Read scriptures and pray more
           I think I'm getting better at praying the morning.  Working on the rest...
Play my guitar 20 minutes or more per day
           Doing pretty well at this.  Beginning guitar done, Intermediate guitar class started, and awesome
Watch less TV
           Hum...I have been watching less TV, but less is more, so I'll keep trying
Be more kind
           The metro is my focus of this right now.  I've been smiling and letting people go in front of me, 
           etc. just like I did when I first moved here.  (still watching my wallet of course)

Weekly

Take pictures
           I'm reading my camera manual still, so I have taken some, but more to come.  I'm trying to       
          decide how to share them.  Any suggestions?

Monthly Goals

Work on Family History

          Good thing it's still January...

Find a regular service opportunity

          Again, I still have half a month to figure this out

Go on a date once a month - even if I ask him

          January's date just called me back.  No pressure, just a nice guy.

Go to the temple

          See 1 and 2 of this section...

My Cute Family

I just love pictures.  As, I'm sure you can see by the fact that I have pictures in almost every post I make.  I need to start writing down the things I'm thinking about when I think, oh, I should blog about that.  That will result not only in more blog postings, but also less pictures.

BUT, until then... my cute family in pictures.

Here's Dennis (step-dad) and Maynard out hiking.  Maynard was given to the family by a dear friend who has departed this life just over a year after our dear Dottie Dog also passed.  I think it's a wonderful fit.

Mom and Dennis cutting their Christmas tree.  How cute are they looking at each other?

I can't even give this a caption. Hahaha.

I was able to go to a Seahawks game with my brother's girlfriend Ashley.  Sad he wasn't there, but honestly we had a really good time!  She's a really sincere kind interesting person and we all know how big of a football fan I am...it was nice to have someone there who also didn't know what was going on all the time.

From left to right:  Ashley, Jake (little brother), me, Shawn (older brother).  Shawn got the tickets for the game, and it was a great time.  I didn't know how much he and Jake new about football and how passionate they were.  I'm glad they let the girls come ;)  

So ends the Christmas picture post.  I guess I should have take more, but maybe that's a sign of a busy fun holiday.