spring forward!

I love spring! Mostly because daffodils are my favorite flowers. They are so happy and welcoming. I think they're beautiful. These daffodils are from our front yard. I just took the pictures today. Seeing them makes me really happy. I also love spring because it means that summer is almost upon us. I have pulled out my flip flops. I have almost all colors of the rainbow, mostly courtesy of Old Navy. I just love wearing flip flops that match my clothes. I noticed the other day that I don't have any red ones. I'll definitely invest in red ones this year.

I feel so blessed this spring. I am leaps and bounds ahead of where I was two years ago. I'm not the same person I was then, and for that I am truly grateful. My pills actually work, and I'm able to see greater blessings in my life. As I prepare for school I can't help but feel this overwhelming sense of relief. I am walking into this next semester after having completed two successful semesters last year. That really boosted my confidence. I'm still nervous about school, but no more nervous than I used to be at the start of a new semester. I am happy and healthy. Thanks for all your love and support!

update

I made another entry on Journey of a Fatorexic. Feel free to check it out. The link is in the side bar.

Patty's Day

I love St. Patrick's Day for a number of reasons. It's Irish. Enough said right there. It's a drinking holiday, so I made sure I had a big glass of root beer. It's a day to wear green and orange, my two favorite colors. This year it has been my favorite day because the weather was wonderful. The sun was shining and there was a nice breeze. I spent part of my afternoon lying on a blanket in the front yard with my sunglasses on and my iPod plugged in. I was in heaven. I fell asleep out there. I think I ended up being out there for a half hour, maybe an hour at the most, and now I have a nice little sunburn on my face and arms. I don't know what the deal is with my eye, so the picture looks kind of funny.

journey of a fatorexic

I have started up a new blog. Yes, I know I have a lot. But this blog is actually doing something I've never done on my own before. I had an idea for a short story, and I decided that I wanted it to be in a journal format. Since I was already basically making blog entries, I thought I might as well turn it into an actual blog and then others could read it if they want. The story is about a girl, Sabrie Dover, with an eating disorder. I'm gearing it towards a young adult audience. Don't worry, it will have a good, happy ending. Some parts of the story reflect my own feelings and experiences, but this work is FICTION. Let me say that again. THIS STORY IS FICTION. I hope you enjoy. I will make posts on this blog as I update "Journey of a Fatorexic." Wishing you all well!

new book

For those of you interested, I added a new book review to my young adult lit blog. The link to it is on the sidebar. This book is brilliant! But definitely not for the easily offended.

viva las vegas

My birthday trip to Las Vegas was quite an adventure. We drove to St. George to stay with my uncle and aunt, Larry and Vicki, last Thursday night. It was a long drive, but Stephanie and I sat in the back seat listening to our iPods and sleeping. On Friday we drove to Mesquite for breakfast at a casino, then parted ways with Larry and Vicki and finished our drive to Las Vegas. We first went to a Titanic exhibit. We were given a card at the entrance with a name and information about that person. The exhibit consisted of artifacts that have been recovered as well as displays of what different rooms in the ship looked like. On the walls were posters with information about different people on board. At the end of the exhibit was a list of all who lived and died on the ship, and we were able to match our name and see what list our person was on. My card had the name of a girl in the second class, and she lived. Stephanie's girl was the last remaining Titanic survivor, a girl who had been an infant on the ship. Seeing the artifacts and displays was really interesting. I was glad we went through it.

That night we went to the Tournament of Kings at the Excalibur hotel and casino. This event took place in an arena. Different sections of the seats were different countries, each with a corresponding "king." We were in the Ireland section. I wouldn't have had it any other way. The kings came out on horses and had competitions like jousting and sword fighting, and we all cheered for our king. The choreography was incredible. Sparks flew off the swords as they clashed, and the horses were so well trained that when the kings would fall off of them they knew exactly where to go. While the show was going on we ate cornish game hens, broccoli, soup, and bread, all with our hands. It was a great experience. After the show we had our picture taken with the king of Ireland.

Another show that we went to was a magic/cirque du soleil show with Criss Angel. We were pretty excited for it, but were greatly disappointed. The "magic" was poorly executed and there was only one cirque du soleil act in the entire show. I've heard the the Criss Angel TV show is really good, but the live show was a big disappointment.

We spent a lot of time walking around the city. Stephanie and I are on this exercise program, so we took the stairs instead of the many escalators inside and out of the casinos. The individual themes of each of the hotels were cool, and I found it interesting how each casino had a certain clientelle according to the hotel and casino, the theme, and how expensive the games were. We also had the opportunity to drive up to the Las Vegas temple to take pictures.

I found many wonders while we were in Vegas. I was amazed at how the city was littered with glasses that had been discarded. Just about every flat surface outside was covered with glasses and beer bottles. At night men and women stood at every corner snapping their fingers and handing out cards of inappropriately dressed (or rather undressed) women. The streets were filled with these pictures at night so it made walking around difficult. I didn't want to look up at the nasty billboards, but I also didn't want to look down at the disgusting cards.

Not all the wonders were bad. I discovered frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity, a wonderful treat that resembled a chocolate smoothie. Delicious. And I at the Tournament of Kings I learned that I love to eat with my fingers. The water show at the Belagio was incredible. Set to music, the fountain shooted water probably almost one hundred feet into the air. The Mirage had a water show as well. Water and fire shot out of a volcano. It was really cool. After the Super Bowl the sidewalks were filled with drunk men. Men who had never seen each other before were suddenly best friends. They were hilarious.

Happy birthday to me.

off track

I have been pretty busy since I came home for Christmas. Of course, busy is relative. Not all of that time was well spent. When I first came home I rearranged my new bedroom. I am now in the basement bedroom. Talk about feeling like an outcast! :-) I had fun hanging up my own pictures and putting my signature on the drab walls. I want it to feel as much like home for me since I am off track right now and am home from school until April.

Even before the Meadow Park Branch had my records my branch president gave me a calling. I am the compassionate service leader. I feel inadequate to do the calling, but I guess that means that it's just right for me. I am looking forward to getting a chance to serve the other sisters in the Branch. I am also being considered for a job helping mentally retarded adults who live in group homes. I found out about it through one of my friends in the Branch. She is one of the managers. It would mean getting up early enough to be in Centerville at 7 a.m., and it wouldn't be many hours, but on the other hand I think I would feel much more fulfilled doing a job like that as opposed to retail. Although I have considered applying at Barnes and Noble. I'm afraid I would spend my whole paycheck on books. That would be like me.

So far I have enjoyed being home. Stephanie had several "girls' nights" while Mom and Dad were in St. George for the New Year. Stephanie played a Lego Star Wars wii game while I played Sims 3, and we watched all six episodes of Star Wars. It was a far cry from our usual girls' nights of chick flicks, but it was still a lot of fun. I'd never watched the entire saga from beginning to end. It's a good story.

In between sleeping, eating, and watching Phineas & Ferb on the Disney Channel I've been playing cards and listening to music on my computer. I guess this means I need to get a job so I actually accomplish something during the day.