Cloud Nine

30 Day Photo Challenge: Gratitude

2012-02-11T10:39:00.001-07:00

I decided to complete a 30 Day Challenge in January...just for fun. This is the one I chose to complete.

Here are my pics - I completed some of the pictures out of order. I am in my fifth year of doing daily portraits, so some of the pictures for the challenge are the same as those.

Day 1 Favorite Food (I love apples):

Day 2 Smile

Day 3 Happiness

Day 4 Leaves

Day 5 Morning Sky

Day 6 Books

Day 7 Something Funny

Day 8 Favorite Color

Day 9 Nature

Day 10 Something Old

Day 11 Hands

Day 12 Inspiring Person

Day 13 Written Words

Day 14 Movement

Day 15 Technology

Day 16 Animals

Day 17 Memories

Day 18 Something New

Day 19 Best Friend

Day 20 Seasonal

Day 21 Where You Sleep

Day 22 Clothes

Day 23 Closet

Day 24 Gratitude

Day 25 Artwork

Day 26 Daily Routine (Daily Pictures)

Day 27 Nighttime

Day 28 Light

Day 29 Transportation

Day 30 Self Portrait

I kind of copped out of a couple of them but I am doing a new one for February, as well. It's pretty fun to see what I can come up with if I haven't planned very well.

My Favorite Super Bowl Commercials

2012-02-06T10:25:00.000-07:00

The Avengers movie ad was a very exciting one for us. I was geeking out watching it! Here's the extended commercial:

Audi Vampire Party - I got such a laugh while watching:

I liked the NFL Timeline commercial. I grew up watching football and have really grown to love the game. This was a fun one to watch:

This is such a fantastic one for Doritos...the baby in the sling shot:

The other hilarious Doritos commercial:

Okay. I'm a girl and I recognize Adriana Lima is super hot! I thought this was a great ad:

Volkswagon dog strikes back....so loved this brilliant commercial(maybe because I'm working on losing weight). I loved the appearance at the end:

I don't have a preference for Chrysler but I loved this commercial...every thing about it. It was very hopeful:

And because I love dogs, particularly rescued dogs, this one was an absoulte fave:

Healthy Recipes from Pinterest

2012-02-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

As a Pinterest addict I have multiple boards of various topics. One of the boards is Healthy Eating. This past week I decided to try two of the recipes. I mean, why not? I had all the ingredients in the house waiting to be used, thanks to Bountiful Baskets, which I just L-O-V-E, love!!!

The first recipe I tried was Pan-Roasted Chicken With Lemon-Garlic Green Beans.

It was a fabulous recipe and the food was, mmmm-mmmmm-Good! I used canola oil instead of Extra Olive Oil, because that's what I had. I'll use a little less next time, but the lemons and garlic added such an amazing zing to the taste buds!

For dessert we had Apple Pie Baked in the Apples.

I used whatever apples I had from the week's basket. I didn't have brown sugar so that wasn't used. And I hardly ever bake or cook with sugar any more; I used splenda. The apples tasted so natural and delicious.

I took extra as left overs to work and they warmed up perfectly. Definately worth the try if you're looking for some new healthy recipes to add to dinner.

Friday Night Videos

2012-02-04T00:19:00.000-07:00

I heard this first video on the radio earlier in the week. Pretty funny! Bill Hicks on Presidential Agendas:

Mr Diety video is a bit blasphemous; conversation with God:

Spelling Bee - Heron:

I am a huge fan of Joe McNally. He's a great photographer and educator. Here he is on a photography set:

Anniversary Time

2012-02-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

The years seem to be flying by faster and faster; each year faster than the previous year. I know how cliche that is.

Eric and I had our seven year anniversary on Friday. We took Friday and Monday off work for an extended weekend (which became a ridiculous drama at my work).

We went to Brio for dinner and I was, again, in awe by their food. Although I've been extending my pallet, I'm still a picky eater. The food at Brio is always amazing and Friday was no exception. I definitely recommend it. I ate a divinely rich tomato bisque, talapia and for dessert, we had the most incredible New York cheesecake and a black berry sangria.

Afterward, we checked into the Anniversary Inn and stayed in the Lighthouse room.

More than anything, I'm so happy to be married to Eric. We have had a marvelous seven years. He is my best friend and I am so in love with him. Couldn't be happier to have him in my life.

Evelyn

2012-01-29T15:42:00.000-07:00

I'm always a little hesitant to do a photoshoot, considering my lack of education on the matter. I'm excited to be in a photography class at the community college and have learned a ton of things to connect the dots from what I've learned through experimentation, to why those choices work.

A few weeks ago, I did a photoshoot with Christina's baby. I did a photoshoot with Christina back in September; this is sweet Evelyn:

I'm hoping that I will begin to see things in a newer light as I learn more about photography in my class. In the mean time, I've been lucky enough to see what I want to see through the lens of my camera.

Happy Chinese New Year 2012

2012-01-23T14:44:00.000-07:00

Today is the day we celebrate the Lunar New Year - the Chinese New Year. 2012 is the year of the dragon.

I am surrounded by dragons. I'm married to one. So what characteristics does a dragon have? According to Wikipedia a dragon has the following characteristics:
Magnanimous, stately, vigorous, strong, self-assured, proud, noble, direct, dignified, eccentric, intellectual, fiery, passionate, decisive, pioneering, artistic, generous, loyal. Can be tactless, arrogant, imperious, tyrannical, demanding, intolerant, dogmatic, violent, impetuous, brash.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Friday Night Videos

2012-01-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

Another Friday Night Videos on an early Saturday morning. I have videos stashed up from when I went off the grid in the winter, with my world of busy.

I posted this video to Facebook a few weeks ago and thought this would be another great home to feature the video:

This "Superbowl Commercial" is pretty funny - poison ivy is my favorite flower!

There's a reason I love boxers and this is just one of them. I remember when my boxer met a horse for the first time...similar response. I love the cows in this video:

Such a cute little video of baby sloths:

Friday Night Videos

2012-01-14T08:32:00.001-07:00

I realize it's been a while since I posted a Friday Night Videos so I thought it would be a good time to begin again. (By the way: I'm excited to start blogging about the election...yay!)

Starting it off with a video about my lovely state of Utah; It really is a great place to live:

I am looking forward to this movie so much! I grew up on this story. One of my fond memories of my childhood was of my brother re-counting a child version of this story. Truly a great story:

2012 is the last year of our existence according to some fear mongering individuals...in my mockery, I'd like to share this video:

Speaking of the new year, I thought that little Ormie the pig fit perfectly into my New Year Goals...

I'll end, with the cutest video I have found...I love these clever videos of the dad interviewing the toddler ... so funny:
Now that I've finally caught up on all the gazillion things I was doing in November and December, I can get back to my blogging and photography. Yay!

Favorite Pictures from 2011

2012-01-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

I've narrowed down my favorite pictures from last year. I had a busy year and I'm glad my camera was with me for most of it.
Some of my favorite pictures are faves because of the memory and others, because I really like the way the picture turned out.

#1: I went outside and there were weird little icy nubbie things all over, like old crystals beginning to grow. This was about the size of a dime and I like the look.

#2: In February, Eric and I took our nephew Chance to the boat show. After a nice morning, we went to Pirate O's. They have this tiny old car on their porch. The lighting was too good to pass up so I put Chance in front and started clicking.

#3: We had a long winter in 2011...it seemed to last forever. On a stormy morning, on the drive to work, I put the camera out the window and got this picture..

#4: This picture was taken at the celebration we had for my nephew's birthday. My brother and his wife had just split up and the kids were (and still are) taking it very hard. Elise hadn't smiled for several days and she laughed and laughed when she and Eric played together. She is a joy!

#5: Elida and Mason were in town in May and we went to Fairmont park near my house. This little girl was trying to get the birds to eat some of the bread she was so willingly sharing.

#6: On the same day, Mason was playing on the play ground and I got this shot of him. I love the look on his face.

#7: One of my favorite memories of 2011 was the U2 concert! We camped out in the rain playing cards and chatting. It was too much fun! A truly great memory.

#8: This picture made the favorites list because of what it means to me. Taken on the day we were in the path of a Trax Train. One of the scariest moments of my life.

#9: I love, love, love the lighting and color of this shot. This was one week before my cousin was married to this sweet, sweet girl.

#10: In July, Eric and I joined my brother and traveled to LA for a great concert and to see Six-Man. At the Six Man, I took this picture of Eric enjoying the beach. Definitely a favorite of mine.

#11: There were so many great pictures on this day at Echo. April and Sandy were passing through and we all spend the weekend playing in the water; and family favorite pastime. I loved the facial expressions on the faces.

#12: I was so sad that my camera was in the shop and I was using the lesser of my cameras. We were wandering the Utah State Fair when I turned around and saw this image. I was glad to have any camera at the moment.

#13: Halloween is a favorite holiday...it's fun to decorate the house and dress up. I was double checking on a few outside decorations when I saw this one: Eric standing in the black light in his costume.

#14: My mom retired in November and I love this family picture. It was such a marvelous night and being with my family made it that much better.

#15: Richard asked me to take a picture of him and the boys wearing La Celeste shirts.

#16: We went to Temple Square of Christmas Eve and this was one of my favorite shots.

There were many other favorites, but it would defeat the purpose of naming a few, if I listed them all here. The rest of my 2011 favorites are stored on Flickr.
I have previous years of favorites as well: 2009 and 2010.

Reflection on 2011

2012-01-01T15:19:00.000-07:00

2011 was....an......~~exciting~~ ~~eventful~~ interesting year. Not too heavy, not especially light on the drama, at least from a personal perspective.

One big joy and accomplishment for me was that I lost 35 pounds. Not the 70 I wanted, but half, so not all bad. I plan on continuing this effort in the coming year; something I'll address in a later post.

I didn't read the 100 books I'd wanted; I read an embarassingly low ten....10% (in fact I haven't finished reading the 10th: Lord of the Rings Fellowship...); when I made that goal I didn't account for the physical time it would take to read 100 books and still lead a very busy and full life.

I documented, through the camera lense, my life and the lives of those around me a little too much and had a hard time keeping up; especially near the end of the year.

I recieved an unexpected upgrade to my camera...one that I absolutely love. It has prompted me to take a new look at my hobby and my future.

My mom retired and we threw her a very successful party. She's a free bird now....it's nice to see her doing what she enjoys on her own terms.

We lost several family members and close family friends. A reminder that life is short, even when you've lived a full life.

I would say the most profound moment for me was the Trax accident on June 14. It has been a very sobering experience each time I think about it too long. I've stopped sharing many of the emotions because that's when things get a bit heavy. I remain grateful for the forces that stepped in and spared us and our families of the pain that could have so easily befallen us that day. I realize that I have more to do in this life. I've been miraculously spared many times and I recognize the hand of God in my life; and not just on those days of potential tragedy.

My feelings toward my past faith have not changed (if anything, they've become stronger and more resolute) but I am more defensive of what I once believed and held so dear. I don't expect that to change in the coming year. I am grateful for the ~~freedom~~ guilt free days that came from leaving it all behind.

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-31T19:14:00.000-07:00

12/24/11 - Eric and I have a yearly tradition where we head downtown to Temple Square to see the lights. It's a very local Christmasy thing to do and I enjoy seeing so many lights.
This year, Richard joined us and I think we were the only ones having any real fun while there. There were several families there wandering around, but it was a little bit like they were trying to force a spiritual experience on themselves and their families.
Midway through the picture taking, I realized we were the only ones laughing and enjoying each other's company. Kind of sad, really. Just let the time and spiritual experiences come to you...don't force it....it's a bit disingenuous that way. (just my thought on that).
I always look for the angle or shot I haven't tried before. This being the fourth year, it's hard to find a new shot, but here are the favorite shots I had:

Okay, so it's hard for me to narrow down my list of favorites...and there are many others I wanted to add, but I narrowed it to these. LOL!
It was a very nice night wandering through the lights.
Later, we picked up a family friend and spent the evening at my mom's house munching on goodies, drinking mate and listening to La Misa Criolla (a true family past time).

Dance Recital

2011-12-30T18:16:00.001-07:00

12/23/11 - Another drive up North for a dance recital. Elise and Andrew both enjoy dancing and their dance company had their holiday recital at the high school.
I become so much like a melting parent when one of them gets on stage to dance. It's so much fun to see their little facial expressions and to see how much fun they are having.

Musical Night

2011-12-30T17:38:00.000-07:00

12/15/11 - We went up north to see my nephew Collin play in his school band's holiday musical. It was surprisingly fun. I'm not sure that I expected it to be as good as it was....maybe because I was so proud of him, I suppose.

Before the concert began, his facial expression was very reminiscent of when he was a baby. It made me smile...and a twinge of pain passed through as I realized time is passing by all too quickly!

Gingerbread (Graham Cracker) House

2011-12-29T19:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks to pinterest, I found some ideas on how to make a gingerbread house using graham crackers, because who has time or energy to do real gingerbread? (not me)

At work we all brought various candies and decorating ideas and got together and made graham cracker houses.

My coworkers are very much like a family. We get along and fight and get on each other's nerves like siblings.

(as a side note: I donated this graham house to an auction to raise money for the Utah Food Bank. It raised $50. wahoo!)

Lobby Clean Up from Festival of Trees

2011-12-29T19:01:00.000-07:00

After helping to set up the lobby at the Festival of Trees, we thought it might be fun and interesting to help take it all down. We headed to the South Towne Expo center one more time, at 9:30 p.m. and waited until we could begin the work.

I'd thought setting up the lobby was hard work, and it was; but this was more labor intensive.

We had to wrap the trees in saran wrap, and it needed to be tight, so we had to do it once and then again really tight. We dragged the trees to the pallets and secured them for use next year.

We were there until 2:00 a.m. and I was exhausted when it was said and done.

My favorite part of this was seeing all the trees that had been on display and purchased, being wrapped and prepared to be delivered to the purchasers of the trees.

Festival of Trees 2011

2011-12-03T13:00:00.008-07:00

I love the Festival of Trees. I love going to see the different tree decorations. I'm definitely not one who goes to find ideas, though. I just like seeing the trees!

I do not, however, like people...crowds of people drive me crazy! So when we go, we go on Saturday at 10:00 (right at opening) when there are the fewest amount of people possible.

These trees confused me a bit:
I didn't understand the tire tree, but if you work in a tire shop, I guess it would be perfect, right. It's for a very targeted audience.
I like pink...and I get the theme of Neon Trees, it's just not my cup of tea, I guess.

My favorite trees:
I fell in love with this Mad Hatter tree. I thought the Mad Hatter doll was perfect on the tree. There was a tea set as part of this tree and everything came together so well.
I loved the tree topper for this Up House tree. It was too perfect!
At first I wasn't such a fan of the silver and gold tree. It was one that literally stopped me in my tracks and I found that I was mesmerized by it...I still can't say what it is that I like about it, but I do like it:
This 50s tree was to stinkin' cute!! The cut out figure made the tree. Without it, I wouldn't have liked it as much:
There were amazing gingerbread houses and mini trees and wreaths. I had a moment with a lady who was appalled by my speaking to her. I had no choice but to say something to her about her lack of holiday spirit. She still wasn't happy, but it made me laugh.

Mom's Last Day

2011-11-30T15:22:00.002-07:00

A bitter sweet day, no doubt. My mom's last day at work is today. After 26 years, she's hanging up the stethoscope, turning in the scrubs and walking away from the place she has called her second home. The career where she has given her time, energy and emotions.

Her department threw a little party for her and I was there to document the farewells. Most impressive, was that one of the big directors came to express his gratitude for her 26 years.

My mom's coworkers in the dialysis unit:

Festival of Trees Decorating

2011-11-26T20:44:00.005-07:00

One way I stay busy (as if I need to add another way to my life) is from Meetup.com. I belong to a couple of groups, one of which is a volunteer group. One of the activities I joined was decorating this year's Festival of Trees Lobby. It was a lot of fun and a lot of work. I will definitely do it again next year.

We arrived in the morning to a very cold building where trucks were pulling into the main building from the opposite side and setting up their trees. Tables and walls went up in a matter of minutes. There were volunteers from all sorts of groups. It was pretty impressive to see.

Heather, the coordinator for PCMC, helped direct us to the pallets holding the saran wrapped Christmas trees. We pulled them off the pallets and 'fluffed' them up. After some fluffing, we placed and arranged them onto the large platforms.

We were all pretty tired when it was all completed, but it was really fun. I was so happy to have my mom with me.

Here are some of the pictures I took between working on trees:

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T22:50:00.008-07:00

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because there's such a sober mellowness to it. Christmas is so crazy! Thanksgiving is just mellow and relaxing (unless you are the one making all the food, I guess).

This year, we started out the day at my mom's house for a very small quiet meal: Just me, Eric, Richard and my mom. The food, of course, was amazing. This year my mom brined the turkey and then cooked it with the breast side down to absorb the liquid for moisture. After flipping it over (which was no small task), she broiled it quickly to make the skin crispy. It was amazing!! Truly!
I had to take this picture of my mom and brother asleep on the couch:
After her dinner, we went to Eric's dad's house for another Thanksgiving. Laura's food is always amazing! My favorite is her Bourbon puppies...yum! I need that recipe to post it because it's delicious.
As we were driving to their house, I took this picture of an amazing (and perfect) sunset: This year, I made Eric's family sit down for a picture. I don't think people do this often enough and there are huge gaps in people's lives because no one will allow pictures to be taken of them. I literally made them (and begged them) for a picture:
The rest of the pictures are posted on Flickr.

Addicted to Pinterest

2011-11-22T21:28:00.004-07:00

So I've become an addict to Pinterest. I love that I can create a virtual board of the things that interest me, or ideas to use in my life.

There are some who spend hours and hours on Pinterest, and although, I'm sure I could join them, I can't bring myself to spend my time solely pinning. I want to use the ideas I find, so that's what I've done.

I've even created a board for items I've tried because of Pinterest. As I try new items, I'll add them to my board and blog about them.

One recipe I tried, because of the ease, was a Pumpkin Muffin recipe:

Ingredients:
1 Can pumpkin Pure (not pie mix)
1 box spice cake mix

Instructions:
Mix the can and cake mix well. Do not add water, eggs or oil. It will be thick and sticky.
I added 6 oz mini chocolate chips.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. These are delicious and SO easy!

When we were planning my mom's retirement party, my sisters and I shared a board and placed ideas for decorations and food onto the board. When the time came to start making the decorations, the plan was so easy because we could visualize the decorations to make the theme we wanted. Here are the decorations from the party that were a result (in some way) of that board on Pinterest.
The candles in a jar with salt lit the stairs and pathway:
We created the poofs using plastic table cloths in the color we wanted. We tried tissue paper but it wasn't as good:
We used old maps to make the map garland:
Our theme was based on traveling so we covered boxes in brown paper. We used brown ribbon and rivets to make it look like luggage. We downloaded images of actual vintage luggage stickers and glued them on:
Now you see how I've been using my Pinterest addiction. I will be using it for the holiday treats and other ideas as they get closer. Yay!

LDI and Dr. Kim Alyn

2011-11-18T09:16:00.013-07:00

Dr Kim Alyn was the keynote speaker at the LDI (Leadership Development Institute) yesterday. I was very fortunate to attend and was thrilled that she was the speaker. Here are the notes I took:

There are six points or ways to improve ourselves, they come in the form of her six ups:

1.Turn up the leadership
Great leadership takes care of everything else.
She illustrated this by showing two videos of community leaders (people most in the community would consider to be leaders) and how they made a blunder:

First, is a video of a police officer in Dearborn, MI who was baking “special” brownies and then thought he was dying: (you won't need to watch the whole video)

Second, is a video of firefighters putting out a fire that had pot growing in the garage:
Both videos are pretty funny…and sad, because these are people we have designated as leaders.

Leadership is the ability to influence others. In other words, Leadership equals influence.
Good leaders know some fundamental truths:
~Build a relationship with those you intend to lead.
~You cannot influence if you don’t know the people you are meant to lead.
~Be consistent; demonstrate your values, passions and beliefs. Not just saying the words.

2.Take Up some Mentoring
Mentor people
Mentor the next generation – they need the mentoring.
The next generation is the Triple E Generation:
Electronics
Entertainment (want to be entertained)
Entitlement
A study was released earlier this year that shows that the next generation expects to make $70,000 in an entry level job! They need to learn the value of money.
Mentoring people requires patience because many coming into the workforce haven’t had to “think for themselves” and might be perceived as lacking in education:
One video she showed is one I’ve seen before of a girl who goes into the library and begins to order food:

The next video she showed is a 911 audio file of a man who cannot spell the name of his street:

She reiterated, that these are the kind of people we'll be mentoring, so patience will be required.

Part of mentoring include clarifying their values; not the values of their parents or church, necessarily.

3.Step Up and Take Responsibility
Personal responsibility is becoming more and more of a problem.
Consider these ridiculous warning labels:
Thermometer:
Stroller:
Hair dryer:
Chainsaw:

Admit when you’ve made a mistake. We all make them.
It’s really easy to let people off the hook, but they’ll never learn responsibility that way. Stick to the consequences.
If you take away the struggle of a butterfly, you cripple it for life! The same applies to people. We all have to struggle or we will be crippled and dependent on others to the level of a burden.

4.Change it Up
When initiating change, do it for improvement and not for the sake of making changes.
It is said that we all resist change, but do we really resist all change?
We don’t all resist change; but we will resist for four reasons. Consider the change of taking on more responsibility at work, or changing jobs.
1.We resist when we don’t perceive the change as beneficial
No raise? More responsibility for the same amount of pay?
2.The sacrifice is bigger than the benefit
Maybe you’d get a raise, but you’d be expected to work 60 hours or 80 hours and never see your family.
3.We resist change when we aren’t asked to help create the change; we want a say.
4.We resist change when we don’t trust the architects of that change (manager, supervisor)
This goes back to cultivating trust by getting to know the people you are to influence.

5.Face Up to Your Fears
Fear is debilitating.
Most of us are afraid of failure and the embarrassment.
Maybe we’ve tried it before and weren’t successful. Why try again?
Why does an adult elephant only need a small rope to a small peg to hold it in place? Elephants are conditioned from a baby; a chain is used to keep it in place until it learns to stop trying to escape. It’s called: Learned Helplessness.
Another example is piranhas who share a fish tank with their prey. A glass sheet separates the two types of fish. They swim into the glass and bump their heads and eventually learn to give up. Later, the glass sheet is removed and the two fish swim side by side to the point that the piranhas STARVE TO DEATH!
Mark Twain: Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.

6.Get Fired Up
Love what you do and have fun with it.
Life is too short to do something you don’t even love.
It’s okay to not love every aspect of what you do, or everybody you work with.
People want to be around people who love what they do. (this is so true based on the feedback and responses I get from people who have completed any training I have done. Months and years later, they remember me and thank me)
People want to follow leaders who love what they do (again: so true! My mentor loved what he did and it made him a wonderful mentor).
Humor builds morale. We don’t have to be so serious! It’s okay to watch a funny (clean) video or tell funny (clean) jokes.
Humor builds relationship – a common thread among couples who are still happily married after 50 and 60 years is that they can laugh together. They let go of the little things.
People who are more energized are more productive.
We have the highest stress levels than any other country; humor reduces stress to the proper perspective. Laughing is physically good for you and it cures boredom.
There’s an anti-boredom campaign. (the video she used is found in the final video segment at the end of this entry)

We need to lighten up; she showed this video from the Jamie Kennedy experiment of the lifeguard who needs a bathroom break: (the video she used is found in the final video segment at the end of this entry)

7. Stand Up and Do the Right Thing
Even if nobody else is doing it. Even if nobody else is watching you.
You give people something to believe in.
If you can’t trust your mom, dad, cops, teachers and other leaders as a child, how can a child ever learn to trust anybody? You learn to distrust everybody.
There are people in this world who have lost all hope because of their negative experiences with their perceived leaders. They need to learn to trust again. Everybody is looking for something & someone to believe in; to trust to do the right thing. Be the person/leader people can believe in.
You can commit to be that person.
One person can truly change the world; one person can change everything.
What kind of person are you?
One that Makes things happen
Watches things happen
Or Wonders, what just happened?

Here is a clip from her keynote speech (this clip is not from our group, but the speech is the same)
I have to say that we, here in Utah, are a LOT more uptight than the group this was video taped with.

finally I wanted to show the Up Time segment she ended with:

Dr Allyn’s site

LDI Video/Slide Show

2011-11-17T10:04:00.007-07:00

I wasn't given a lot of time but thought the challenge sounded fun and ... well, challenging.

When I worked on the pictures, I had a moment of frustration with one of the managers (who I have been less than impressed with in the past) who told me she was fine with me coming to take pictures but she couldn't see how "photographs will tell the story." She was very resistant through the entire conversation on the phone as well as while doing the photo shoot! I finally told her, "this is what I do; tell stories through pictures, so let me do what I do best." She left me alone after that. :)

All the other managers, though, were fantastic and immediately caught the vision and were asking me to try this shot and that angle and this room and that employee. Many had their staff "be the patient" so that we could get pictures of patient interaction. It was really fun.

When I put the pictures to the music that was written and sung by Jake Hendriksen (of Jake of the Web) , I was moved by the emotion of the song and the pictures I had collected and I really think it tells the story I wanted it to tell.

It was presented on Thursday by Hospital Administration to the hospital leaders through the LDI.
Here's the video/slide show:

University of Utah Hospital Photoshoots

2011-11-15T15:58:00.001-07:00

I was honored to be asked to put together a slide show for the Leadership Development Institute (LDI)at the University of Utah Hospital. The LDI is an all day training and motivation for all directors, managers and supervisors at the University Hospital. I used to attend when it included other leaders (like trainers) but the size has been reduced to leaders in a management role. The LDI theme was based on making change for a continued better perception.

The slide show I was asked to create was to include pictures that may or may not already exist from the public affairs office. It would also need to include pictures I would take. The pictures were to be compiled to tell the story of the growth, both physical as well as in the caliber of employee, of the University Hospital since it opened it's door in the 1960s.

I met with the public affairs office (which is a job I want to have in the future) and given many amazing pictures. I tracked down pictures of the University before it opened and the various expansion projects.

I emailed managers who were identified as leading groups that are increasing their patient satisfaction scores. I was surprised at the low number of response by these managers to be recognized through pictures in this way. The ones that did respond, however, were amazing, and it was clear why their teams are doing so well in the eyes of our patients.

Here are some of my favorite pictures taken during the several days I met with various floors, units and departments.

From UNI, a couple of pictures:
From NAC unit at the main hospital:
More from UNI (housekeeping staff):
Huntsman Hospital:

Mom's Retirement Party

2011-11-15T00:05:00.001-07:00

My sisters, bother and I threw my mom a retirement party. We rented a house and hired a caterer and invited the people who have been in my mom's life as she has developed her career.

My mom went to the University of Utah for her bachelor's degree when I was nine years old. I remember the rough years that followed; the poor years where we couldn't afford to buy clothes or shoes even from Kmart. DI and hand me downs were our source.

As a kid we had to take her word for it that it would be worth it. She wasn't wrong. Life changed dramatically once she finished her schooling and was hired on at the VA. She was a charge nurse, head nurse and a nurse manager.

She finished her masters degree in June of 1994 (a week before I left of my mission) and has worked in the Dialysis unit since that time.

Because of her time at the VA, we, in our family, harbor special feelings toward our vets and the service they have provided this country, and how much they deserve as a result of that service. Because of her time in the Dialysis unit, I have greater mercy for patients not only on dialysis but in other life changing medical situations.

I've thought a lot about how life is what it is because of my mom's courage and gumption. She came to this country having lost her own mother, with nothing more than a suit case of clothes. She left her family, language, culture...everything to come to a completely new, unknown life! What a scary and daunting feeling that must have been for her, a young woman in her early 20s. (sorry, friends, but a mission is not even close to the same reality she faced) More than 40 years later, who would have known the legacy she would build!? The one she will continue to be able to build with her family.

Congratulations, Mom! I love you! We all look up to you! I know we are all so proud of you! We look forward to helping you with your new life.

My amazing family (minus my amazing sister who is in Spain):

Mom's Retirement Video

2011-11-13T19:25:00.001-07:00

Football, Canning and Kiddies!

2011-11-05T23:30:00.000-06:00

What a crazy Saturday!!!! Crazy busy!!!!

We picked up our Bountiful Basket then went to Park City to watch Collin's playoff football game. They didn't win, but it's the first time this team has made it to the playoffs, so that's a pretty big accomplishment. It was snowy and cold so we were happy to have the end of a game. :)
I canned Salsa today. I haven't done any canning this season, so I picked up 20 pounds of tomatoes. I made one of the two batches I'll be making. This batch is a mild/medium batch and it is delicious! I'll can another batch tomorrow; that batch will be HOT and include a ghost pepper and several habaneros. Eric likes his HOT salsa, so I thought I'd make a truly hot salsa for him.

Finally, after all the craziness of the day, I have Collin, Elise and Andrew staying the night at my house tonight. I love it when they are here. We have a lot of fun playing video games and chatting. I adore these amazing kids and have loved watching them grow up.

Friday Night Videos

2011-11-05T00:37:00.001-06:00

It's always impressive to see the Marines Silent drill team:

Murmuration of Starlings - from about the 24 second mark; very cool! (Music? Not so cool):

Check under the toilet seat - makes me jump when I watch it...And I'm a little bit itchy, now, too!

enough of the creepy spider, right? Another motivational video on all the excuses we make to not get up and move or workout; made me laugh:

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T22:40:00.000-06:00

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays! I love dressing up, decorating, giving out candy...love it all.

I dressed up as a "spider queen" or something to that affect. I picked up a spider web cape and sewed about 30 spiders to the back of it (some hanging down)...it was actually pretty creepy! I put more of the spiders into my hair and glued a couple to my face using eyelash glue.

We handed out candy at work and then at home. Eric wore a jester costume with a creepy mask. Amazingly, the younger the kids were that came to the door, the more courageous they were with him; although, none wanted to see him move. LOL! It was really fun.

We had about 85-100 trick-or-treaters thanks to the great weather.

Here are the work pics:

Work Trick-or-Treaters:

This is Valeria, my coworker Veronica's daughter and she is too cute:

Home decorations and costumes:

More Football

2011-10-29T18:50:00.000-06:00

My sweet nephew Collin is getting tougher and thinning up as he grows up....here's some pictures of his football game against Park City. A game they won. yay!

One of the boys got hurt and was taken by ambulance after an injury:

Friday Night Videos

2011-10-28T23:00:00.001-06:00

I love showing motivational, feel good videos in my training classes. My brother showed me this video and I love it:

And another one I like:

A great motivational one by Michael Jordan:

One last one to share:

Elise and Andrew Dance Recital

2011-10-27T09:43:00.001-06:00

Eric and I went to Kamas to see Elise and Andrew dance in their recital. Due to a mix up from the dance teacher, Andrew didn't dance...too bad because he really enjoys it. We'll be sure to be there for the Christmas recital.

Here are my favorite pics from the night:
I love that there are three different facial expressions on these girls:

Superhero dance:

Elise and her group:

Scarecrow dance; this little girl is amazing to watch:

Zombie dancers:

My beautiful niece, Elise:

Saying Goodbye

2011-10-26T13:53:00.001-06:00

My sweet, awesome, amazing and ambitious sister, April is moving to Spain today and I am so incredibly proud of her!!! She's going to complete some schooling.

She went to Spain on vacation and has wanted to go back...and here she goes. I am so excited for her journey and sad that we won't, at least, have the option to visit her in LA. (although, now we need to get to Spain, right?)

I talked to her on the phone while she was at the airport and I had to swallow my tears as I expressed my love and pride for her.

I love you, April!!!

Leo the Lion Visits my Work

2011-10-22T19:31:00.001-06:00

Several coworkers of mine are season ticket holders to Real Salt Lake. This week they had a promotion on Facebook where they would come visit fans in their work place. My coworkers went in each day and encouraged a visit from the mascot, Leo, to our office.

I was listening to music on the headphones while I worked when I heard my manager say, "Tina, grab your camera." I wasn't sure why I was grabbing it our of the bag, but as I came around the cubie, camera in hand, I ran into Leo. I wasn't expecting it and my heart jumped. :)

They brought several cases of Pepsi products for us to enjoy and then went around visiting with the trainers and our classes as we took pictures. It turned a mundain, lame afternoon into a fun eventful one.

One of the promoters who was there taking pictures said to me, "I noticed they didn't say "do you have your camera? but asked you to bring it." I told him it's practically attached to my hip, as is the case.

My pics:

Friday Night Videos

2011-10-22T00:19:00.001-06:00

I know that by now, most have seen this video, but it's funny still:

G Club:

Very cool, very sexy belly dance:

The gamer comes out; Star Craft 2:

Photoshoot: Richard's Kids

2011-10-17T12:05:00.001-06:00

Saturday (Oct 15), after Collin's football game, we went to the canyon and took pictures of the kiddies. It was such a beautiful day! The weather and colors were absolutely perfect for pictures and general enjoyment of the lovely time of year. Here are my faves:
Collin:
Elise:
Andrew:
Marcus:
A few others that I liked, of the changing leaves:

To end it all, I told the kids I would zombify their pictures for Halloween. Here's the result (I used Picnik to zombify the pictures):

Me and my brother:
Of course, me:

Collin's Football Game

2011-10-16T22:30:00.001-06:00

As I mentioned previously, Saturday, Eric and I went to Collin's football game. It was fun to watch him play as he learns the game.

I love football! I mostly don't care who is playing as long as it's a good game. Of course we like the NE Patriots - as the NFL goes, anyway. College: Eric and I are split. I love the Utes he loves the Cougars. (Go Utes!)

Collin's team did not win the game and it was sad to watch the little fallen faces as they slunk off the field. I reminded Collin that he's still learning the game and that all the great players started exactly where he is now.

Collin has such a tender heart and always has. He's not a bully or a hitter, so it's a tough change for him to get out there and stand his ground and even hit to a tackle.

Go Wildcats!

Saturday Update: Weight and Autumn

2011-10-15T15:40:00.001-06:00

Today, it's been about a month since we ended our Biggest Loser contest. I got on the scale with a little bit of trepidation - not sure how I've been doing (eek). To my joy and excitement, I've lost an additional 8 pounds!!! Yeah!!!

I should have guessed because I've been pinning my skirts closed for work.....to the point that it might be bordering on sloppy looking. :) It's hard to want to go shopping because I don't want to spend money on clothes that are meant to be temporary as I presumably continue to lose weight.

I've been fortunate to have coworkers and friends give me their clothes as they, too, have been losing weight.

Now I really need to REfocus on what I want and why (which will come in a later post).

Friday Night Videos

2011-10-14T22:12:00.001-06:00

It's about time I start back up with my favorite feature. :)

Oh to have this talent...amazing:

Scary!!! Smart police officer...AND how does one hit a parked car on the side of the road, anyway? Really? You're not paying attention!?!?!?:

A cute Pixar short film: Mosquito:

A cool painting video time lapse video:

Caremelite Fair

2011-10-04T20:27:00.000-06:00

September has been busy. I have been out and about, taking pictures of the life I lead and I take so many pictures it takes forever to get them off the camera, (photo shopped, if necessary) and posted in places like my blog and flickr.

September 18: Eric's mom, Kathy, joined me at the Caremelite Fair in Holladay. My coworker, Tim, has invited all of us many times over the last few years and this year, I decided to go help raise money for the nuns who live there.

Here are the pictures I took and loved:
My coworker, Tim and his grandson:
Scottish dancers were fun to watch. Of course, I loved the bag pipes:
Tim gave us a tour of the chapel. I felt a little irreverent taking this picture, but he encouraged me to snap away, so I snapped fast and quickly moved on:
This statue of Mary was donated earlier this summer:
Greek dancers entertained the crowd:

Bingo Night

2011-09-22T09:40:00.001-06:00

My friend from my mission, Sandie (Crook) Wetzel, invited Eric and I to join her and her husband at drag queen bingo night at a local baptist church. The bingo night event is hosted by the Matrons of Mayhem and held on the third Friday of the month. The money raised all goes to a charity.

We joined them and had such a freaking blast!! We laughed at the various jokes and other guests and comments from the queens. I will definitely be going again.

Unexpected Camera Upgrade!

2011-09-14T19:36:00.000-06:00

My beloved Nikon D90 was broken by a little boy with a one in a million shot when throwing a toy. I took it in to be repaired a couple of weeks ago. It was still under warranty so I was expecting to get the camera fixed with no cost to me.

Well, I received a message that they were going to honor the warranty and replace the camera for me and I needed to come in an fill out some paper work.

When I was filling out the paper work, it was discovered that the store did not currently have a Nikon D90 in the store and I had three options: Wait three more weeks for a new on to be shipped in, drive out to Sandy and pick it up or upgrade the camera for an extra cost. Either way, I'd have to pay for a new warranty as the previous one was considered full filled when they are replacing it.

After a couple of days, considering my options, and a wonderful mother who insisted on giving me something (because she said that I never let her get me anything. She's right. I'm a bit too independent sometimes), we went in and picked up the upgraded camera.

Yay!!

So, meet my new camera: The Nikon D7000:

Yeah, I'm kind of in love with it. I'm a bit giddy and excited to put it to use.

Uncle Keith

2011-09-13T19:42:00.001-06:00

My Grand Uncle Keith passed away this past week. I was sad to hear the news as he is my all time favorite grand uncle.
As I reflected on my memories of him I was happy that I have great ones. As I've gotten older, I haven't seen him as much as I did as a child.
The funeral was the single best funeral I have ever been to. It was exactly as a funeral should be: about the person who passed away....sharing happy, funny and sad memories. It left us all feeling that we had been in a presence of a truly great man all of our lives.
My second cousins shared the pulpit together and shared their stories and memories. Many stories I've heard before, but it's been so long I'd forgotten. I learned a lot about him and my grandfather (like: they were in the first group of the Utah National Guard.)
As a young girl I remember asking Uncle Keith about Pearl Harbor for a report. I didn't remember the details because I'd been a kid and that kind of thing didn't really sink in for someone my age. Now that I'm older, I see the significance of his experience.
He was the first person in 1940 to enroll in the navy from Utah. He was 17 years old. On December 7, he was stationed on the US Tennessee and he was on the harbor that morning, in training. He and his classmates had heard an explosion and assumed it was an oil tanker nearby and they went out of the front of the building. There was nothing there to indicate an explosion. Then they heard a second explosion and realized it was on the other side of the building...where the ships were. He and the others ran through the building and when they came out they saw the sky filled with planes.
My second cousin, Ken, said that my uncle never shared his emotions or many of the events that followed that moment. As it did for the entire United States, that day changed everything. That day changed my uncle's life...as it would.
When he came back to SLC, he married Aunt Velma.
After my cousins spoke, their kids shared their own experiences. My cousin Tom shared a poem that my uncle used to share. He'd had to memorize it as a kid as a punishment in school. I had forgotten all about it until Tom read it. And what I remembered is sitting at The Lake (Echo) around the camp fire while he told us the memorized poem:

The Little Orphan Annie
James Whitcomb Riley
Little Orphan Annie's come to my house to stay.
To wash the cups and saucers up and brush the crumbs away.
To shoo the chickens from the porch and dust the hearth and sweep,
and make the fire and bake the bread to earn her board and keep.
While all us other children, when the supper things is done,
we sit around the kitchen fire and has the mostest fun,
a listening to the witch tales that Annie tells about
and the goblins will get ya if ya don't watch out!

Once there was a little boy who wouldn't say his prayers,
and when he went to bed at night away up stairs,
his mammy heard him holler and his daddy heard him bawl,
and when they turned the covers down,
he wasn't there at all!
They searched him in the attic room
and cubby hole and press
and even up the chimney flu and every wheres, I guess,
but all they ever found of him was just his pants and round-abouts
and the goblins will get ya if ya don't watch out!!

Once there was a little girl who always laughed and grinned
and made fun of everyone, of all her blood and kin,
and once when there was company and old folks was there,
she mocked them and she shocked them and said, she didn't care.
And just as she turned on her heels and to go and run and hide,
there was two great big black things a standing by her side.
They snatched her through the ceiling fore she knew what shes about,
and the goblins will get ya if ya don't watch out!!

When the night is dark and scary,
and the moon is full and creatures are a flying and the wind goes Whoooooooooo,
you better mind your parents and your teachers fond and dear,
and cherish them that loves ya, and dry the orphans tears
and help the poor and needy ones that cluster all about,
or the goblins will get ya if ya don't watch out!!!

Those stinkin' goblins scared me to death! LOL!

What I remember about my Uncle Keith and Aunt Velma is that at the lake, we were always welcome at their fire, to roast their marshmallows, and chat with them about anything no matter how insignificant it would be for an adult to hear a child talk about their little lives.
I also remember going their house on Christmas and admiring their cookoo clock! I loved that clock!

Biggest Loser

2011-09-10T23:38:00.001-06:00

On March 14, I joined several people I didn't know, in a biggest loser competition. I was invited by my friend Jessica (thanks, Jess) and thought that the $50 entry fee was pretty minor.
This wasn't going to be like a Weight Watchers program, where we meet to talk about the progress we're making. We'd be completely accountable to ourselves. We'd weigh in once a month, but that was it.
I was worried because, being self accountable hasn't produced the best results for me in the past, but this time would be different.
The first couple of months were slow as I couldn't decide how dedicated I was really going to be. I evaluated my eating and non existent workout habits. I made the list of why I wanted to lose weight.....but it wasn't enough. It was the same as always....lots of talk, but not enough action.
It's not like I don't know that I'm heavy; I've read and heard all the ways to lose weight permanently: it has to be long term. But who wants that!?
I'm a procrastinator....so time went by with not a lot of action on my part.
And then the moment of change came in a very embarrassing moment: In May Eric and I flew to LA for LA Rising concert and Six-Man. It was a lot of fun and I have wonderful memories.
On the way home, we flew on a smaller airplane. Eric and I didn't have seats by each other. My row had two seats. I always get a window seat because I am fully aware of my size and I am so careful not to spill over into the neighbor's seat.
When I found my seat, there was a lady sitting on the aisle seat. I took my seat and realized my seat belt wasn't big enough to fit around me. I had to ask for an extender and was mortified. While I was collecting and extender, the lady in the aisle seat was looking at the back of the plane making hand actions and mouthing words.
A few minutes later, she went to the back of the plane and an uber thin man came and took her seat. I could tell that he knew that I was fully aware of the reason she had swapped seats and he tried to soften it by telling me that her friend was back there and she'd wanted to sit next to her.
These two moments hit my heart to the deepest place and moved me to action.
In June, Eric and I began getting our fruits and vegetables from Bountiful Baskets (as I've mentioned on this blog before). I have loved trying new recipes, eating more fruits and vegetables, and eating healthier.
Fortunately for me, I have wonderful coworkers who are also taking their own journey to becoming permanently healthier. We have all been very supportive of each other. We walk during our breaks and bring healthy foods to work to share. But there's no pressure. You don't want to participate, all is well.
Our final weigh in for the Biggest Loser among new friends was this morning. I was a bit anxious to make sure that my own scale was accurate...and it was.
My final weight loss was: 19.1 pounds, which is 6.72% - Although I didn't place in the top 3 (which had winnings in the form of money attached) I placed sixth and I am very happy with how much better I feel!!!
Now to continue the journey!

Chance's 3rd Birthday Pictures

2011-09-03T18:56:00.001-06:00

This year, Chance's birthday was celebrated at Sugarhouse Park with both of the families. It's always interesting to see the two families get together (a bit of a collision, really). Being a social person, myself, I never have a problem with either side. Thank goodness.

And if I DO have a problem with someone, the camera is a bit like a cigarette, in that I can always step out to "take pictures." LOL!

Here are the pictures I loved at Chance's birthday:
Alexis smiles at the camera:
Blowing out the candles:
Kirsten and Evan pose with Chance. It's nice that they get along:

Christina's Pregnancy Shots

2011-09-02T23:30:00.001-06:00

In August I did two pregnancy photography sessions with a friend. Darren and Christina have been married for several years and this is their first child. In my eyes, they are a very stylish, sexy couple. I've never done this kind of photo shoot before, but when Christina asked, I decided to give it a try.

The first series was a lot more formal. Here are the ones i liked the most:

While Sandy and April were in town, Sandy and I did a second shoot with Christina and Darren. We took a more ethereal approach; then we went a more traditional approach on some of the shots: the ribbon around the belly, the heart around the belly button, etc.

We ended with a humorous approach: barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen: It was really fun thinking through poses, watching for lighting and doing what I love as my favorite hobby.

Richard's Birthday at Echo

2011-08-31T12:28:00.000-06:00

August 27, 2011: While Sandy and April were in town, we spent some time at Echo Reservoir playing in the sun like we did when we were kids. As children, we spent hours in the water and sun and it was really fun to do it again.

Three of my cousins joined us at the lake for Richard's birthday and it was really nice to see them. (I didn't get pictures of Debi and Rachelle, which is kind of sad, really).

In the afternoon, we pulled out the boat and the water-weenie and took the kids for a ride. It was a hot summer day so we all took time to swim in the lake. My brother's boat doesn't have a ladder off the back and I didn't realize this before I jumped in. After jumping in and swimming around for a while, getting back into the boat was rather entertaining for me and anybody who was there. April told me the way to get back up was to "Shamu it" onto the deck, which was level with the water. Shamu it? LOL! You know when you laugh so hard and you get weak? That was me. After that, I stayed in the boat.

Here are some pictures of the kids and Lori's son, Chris, on the water weenie:

After some time around the lake, we made our way to the cliffs. I would have jumped, but then I thought about the Shamu moment and decided to just take the pictures:

As we finished out the day, one side of the sky was filled with clouds and lightening (in the distance) while the setting sun lit it up in the most beautiful way.

All in all, it was one of the most amazing summer days: my sisters, my brother, my niece and nephews, cousins, and The Lake. Perfect!
Happy Birthday, Richard!

Happy 3rd Birthday to Chance!

2011-08-29T08:35:00.000-06:00

Today is my nephew Chance's 3rd Birthday! Here's the video I made for him. Choosing the music was the hardest part.

Happy Birthday, Chance!!

Alta 20 Year Reunion

2011-08-22T21:30:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, I went to my 20 year high school reunion..... sort of.

I grew up in Sandy and attended one year at Alta High. Three days before school started in my junior year, we moved to Salt Lake, where I attended and graduated from East High. I didn't love my time there and didn't make any lasting friends in those two years.

When the time came to go to the 20th reunion, I contacted friends from Alta, who were planning the reunion, and they extended an invitation to me and Sandy. I wasn't sure I was going to see anybody I knew, but thought I'd go and see how it went.

I was so excited to run into friends from junior high and even elementary school. We had a really great time.

Here are the pics from that night.
As we arrived to Snowbird, we saw this moose in the parking lot, drinking from a puddle of water. I think we startled each other equally. I didn't have my camera ready to go, so I used my iPhone:
Greg Hunt from junior high - he also was on the planning committee:
Michael Scott, also from junior high:
Tiffany Uriarte (was Mounteer) from all the way back in Kindergarten:
Tiffany and Sonia Olsen - I didn't recognize Sonia because she was a brunet in high school.
Lisa Eggers Kimmel - from Sunbeams!!
Angie Pantuso Smith:
A group who attended Eastmont (junior high) together. There were others at the reunion, but this is the group we got together from the picture. Tiffany, me, Melanie Fathers Belnap, Liz Watt, Brandi Williams Campbell, Angie Pantuso Smith:

California Vacation

2011-08-08T12:20:00.001-06:00

We had a great trip to LA a few weeks ago. Richard, Eric and I flew to LA to spend time with my sisters. It was the first time that all of us siblings have been together in several years. We had such a magnificent time!! We spent most of our time laughing.

One of the activities of the weekend was to go to LA Rising, which is a concert series that included Rise Against, Muse and Rage Against the Machine. The energy at the concert increased in intensity as the night wore on; at one point I got a little frightened, but we had a really fun time.

Pics from my iPhone:

Other pictures from the night of the concert are found here.

We spent Sunday at the beach at Six Man - which is a volley ball tournament. There were some seriously hot bodies all around...and the volleyball was really fun to watch.

We also went to the water and played in the sand and enjoyed the sound of the waves. It was really fun to watch Sandy and April get into a sand fight....And at one point, Richard came back from playing the water and April threw sand on him. He kind of chuckled and commented on the fact that he was wet and now covered in sand. He headed back to the water to rinse off and when he came back, Sandy threw sand on him. We all got such a laugh out of the fun, playful times of being back together.

Here are some of the pics from that day. There are MANY more found here.

Eric enjoying the water:
Elida and April:
My favorite picture of the five of us:

Friday Night Videos

2011-08-06T00:27:00.000-06:00

I'm catching up after our vacation to California. That post to come soon. Here are this week's videos.

First I have two videos from LA Rising - the concert we went to while in LA. We saw Lauren Hill, Rise Against, Muse and Rage Against the Machine. The energy built up throughout the night and got very intense by the last song (which is the second of the two LA Rising Videos).

First up: Muse, Resistance:

Second: RATM, Killing in the Name:

Here are some other videos I found for the week:

I love watching his videos...He does a great job:

Dating video:

I don't watch America's Got Talent very often, but I happened to catch this and knew it would be on my Friday Night Videos:

Strawberry Banana Muffins

2011-07-26T20:27:00.001-06:00

Our Bountiful Basket had strawberries and bananas and I wanted to find a recipe where I could use these in one recipe. A strawberry/banana smoothie was an obvious (and tasty) choice but I wanted to see what else I could find.
I found a wonderful recipe for Strawberry banana muffins at for the love of cooking blogspot.

Ingredients:
½ cup of butter, softened
¾ cup of brown sugar
2 eggs
3 overripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
10-12 fresh strawberries diced
1/2 cup of chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees then coat a muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, bananas, and vanilla then continue beating until well combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together, mix well. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir until just combined. Add most of the diced strawberries and most of the chocolate chips then gently mix them into the batter.

Spoon the batter evenly into each muffin tin. Place the remaining strawberries and chocolate chips on top of each muffin.

Place into the oven and bake 18-20 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Once cooled, we ate them without any butter. They were delicious!

This Week's Basket

2011-07-23T12:21:00.001-06:00

Here's the basket we got on Saturday....I am SO LOVING Bountiful Baskets!!! I've had so much fun finding tasty, healthy recipes.

The stumper this week? Cucumbers! I know, I know! Put them in a salad, right? Not so much. I found a recipe for cucumber sandwich, which we will make in a few days. And then there's the celery, which I've given to Eric (and will give some to my mom) because, I'll at least eat cucumbers, but I really HATE celery.

This week I'm making: Banana Strawberry Muffins (with last week's overripe bananas and this week's strawberries) & Green bean salad w/Maple Dijon Vinaigrette.

Friday Night Videos

2011-07-23T00:43:00.001-06:00

Not as much a fan of the song, as I am of the dance/zombie theme: (the song isn't so bad, I guess)

Remember that Haboob in Arizona a few weeks ago (there were two, right?)...interesting video of that haboob:

Augmented reality cinema:

Funny dog loves his pool:
I had to end with that video because it's so funny!

Kale Chips

2011-07-21T08:00:00.001-06:00

I mentioned that I didn't know what to do with kale when it came in my harvest basket. I looked up recipes and found one that had pretty good reviews so I tried it. I found the recipe at allrecipes.com.

Ingredients
1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 pinch sea salt, to taste

Directions
1. Preheat an oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Cut away inner ribs from each kale leaf and discard; tear the leaves into pieces of uniform size. (I made my pieces about the size of a small potato chip.) Wash torn kale pieces and spin dry in a salad spinner or dry with paper towels until they're very dry.
3. Put the kale pieces into a large resealable bag (or use a bowl if you don't mind getting your hands oily). Add about half the olive oil; seal and squeeze the bag so the oil gets distributed evenly on the kale pieces. Add the remaining oil and squeeze the bag more, until all kale pieces are evenly coated with oil and slightly 'massaged.' Sprinkle the vinegar over the kale leaves, reseal the bag, and shake to spread the vinegar evenly over the leaves. Spread the leaves evenly onto a baking sheet.
4. Roast in the preheated oven until mostly crisp, about 35 minutes. Season with salt and serve immediately.

The first time I made the chips, I had the oven at 250 degrees and baked them for 30 minutes. They came out perfectly crisp and I thought they were so tasty. I didn't think I would like them, and I thought I would have one or two and that would be it. I ended up eating a ton of them and loved them!
The second time I made the chips, I followed the directions and baked them at 300 degrees. They burned. Eric still liked them, though.

I will make them again, for sure. Kale is SO healthy for you. According to Web MD, kale is one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet. Check out the article here the talks about all that you get from eating kale.

Harvest Basket

2011-07-19T10:59:00.000-06:00

Saturday, we picked up our 2nd basket from Bountiful baskets. I have been loving the addition of fruits and veggies to our home and diet. I have had a blast finding and trying new recipes.
Here's this week's basket: I will use all these fruits and veggies. Eric dug right into the black berries, which were perfectly ripe. This basket included two large bundles of kale! Kale! What am I going to do with kale!? (I will find something, right?) And there is a unique melon that I am eager to taste.

Last week I didn't know what to do with the figs that came in the basket, so here's what I did. I made a wonderful appetizer: Figs with Goat Cheese, Pecans and Bacon.

Ingredients
6 figs, halved
6 ounces goat cheese
1/2 cup toasted, chopped pecans
3 slices bacon, cut in half

Directions:
Preheat the broiler.
Stuff fig halves with goat cheese. Press pecans into the cheese. Wrap each stuffed fig half with half a slice of bacon, securing with toothpicks.
Arrange on a medium baking sheet. Broil 5 minutes, or until bacon is evenly brown and crisp and goat cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

*the only problem I encountered was that the bacon, if uncooked, took too long to cook in this manner and the figs got burned. So I purchased precooked bacon, and then it got over cooked. Next time I will use the precooked bacon, but move the top rack down one level and hope it comes out perfect.

Either way, the figs were marvelous!!! Yum!

Nate and Shannon's Reception

2011-07-18T08:33:00.001-06:00

My cousin Nate got married on Friday (which is why Emily has been in town). I don't know Tammie's kids as well as my other cousins because they moved out of state when they were all very young.

We are FB friends, mind you, and I've gotten to know them via their FB profiles and comments, but it's nice to get to know family face to face, if you know what I mean.

Richard and my mom joined me at the reception, where it was so nice to catch up with many of my cousins who were there. I think it's time we had a cousin reunion. None of the 'adults' or parents...just the cousins. We talked about that idea for a little while and we all agree it would be nice...so that will be coming soon. I am one of 26 grandchildren on the one side, so seeing cousins is pretty fun.

My cousin Nate and Shannon were married earlier in the day and they had a beautiful reception at Noah's South Jordan. They were catered by Leatherby's! I had no idea that was even an option....so there was an ice cream counter with waffle bowls! Yum!

Of course, I was running around taking pictures, because that's what I love to do.

Tammie's Birthday

2011-07-16T15:36:00.000-06:00

July 13, 2011: My aunt Tammie turned 50 this year. My cousin, Emily, is in town for her brother's wedding, so she threw a surprise birthday dinner for her mom. She made the most impressive (and delicious) cake. We all went to Porcupine Pub & Grill for the surprise.

I got a picture as Tammie was realizing we were all there for her...yeah, she looks like she's overwhelmed.

It was a very nice evening. Here are some of the pictures I took.
Emily and her son Carson:
The family, minus my cousin Derek:

Work BBQ/Picnic

2011-07-16T13:44:00.000-06:00

July 13, 2011: My team has a new manager we have been trying to get to know. And, we have added a new team member. AND, we are all a little burned out. So, we decided to take an afternoon for a team picnic at Liberty Park.

Lori's husband grilled chicken for us. We brought the sides and we played some boccie balls (which I'd never played before). Overall, we had a very enjoyable afternoon. The weather cooperated with an overcast, yet very warm (not hot) day.

We watched the squirrels jump from tree to tree and declare their territory with tail waves and loud squeaks. We watched the dogs walk by and suddenly stop in their tracks as they caught the fast moving squirrels in their vision.

We had a marvelous cheesecake from the cheesecake factory and it wasn't until we'd each had a slice that someone decided to read the nutrient information. It was shocking! 800 Calories! eek! Saturated fat: 29 grams!! carbs: 62! SIXTY TWO CARBS! yeah, well, that ended my love of the cheesecake factory plain cheesecake! (even their low carb, made with splenda is still 570 calories, 37 carbs, 26 sat fat.)

It was a very enjoyable afternoon. My coworkers are like a family, which is nice. Here are the pics I loved:
Two Squirrels:
Veronica, a new coworker.
Lisa:
Tasha and a baby puppy:
A friendly game of Boccie Balls:

Friday Night Videos

2011-07-15T23:32:00.001-06:00

Here are this week's videos. I was having a rough week last week, so here are the videos for this week.

We made our first journey to Echo Reservoir for the summer. I took these videos of Richards adorable kids (watch them in HD):

I thought this little commercial was too funny:

A funny video about Jack Sparrow...my brother showed me this one. I think it's awesome that Michael Bolton makes fun of himself. F-Bombs ahead, so put on the headphones!:

John and Kathy's Birthdays

2011-07-14T14:02:00.000-06:00

Eric's mom and dad celebrated their 60th birthday in July. They are literally only days apart in age.
To celebrate, the family had a 'surprise' dinner, that wasn't a surprise. We went to Market Street. I love Market Street, but this was the first time I wasn't entirely impressed with the service or the food....too bad, because it normally is top notch on both counts.
I enjoyed the halibut, which had an amazing tarter sauce. The tarter sauce made that dish. Without it, the fish was bland, bland, bland.
We embarrassed them both with a happy birthday song and later went to John and Laura's for an evening of conversation.

Very nice evening.

Here are the pictures I loved from that night:

Me with Eric's Mom and Dad:

Mushroom (Garlic) Bread

2011-07-13T12:51:00.000-06:00

So I made this fabulous Mushroom Bread recipe last night that I'd found on allrecipes.com. I am not a mushroom fan. Generally I don't like the texture and will eat them if they are with pizza.

When I saw the mushrooms in our pack from Bountiful Baskets, I figured I would just let Eric eat them his way and not worry about it. Out of curiosity I searched out recipes for some of the other items in our basket and ended up searching for mushrooms. When I found recipe, I thought I'd just try it and if I didn't like it, I'd give it to Eric to finish up.

We had steak for dinner and I made the bread and my taste buds were dancing with delight!! The flavor is fantastic and went really well with the steak. I had some left over steak for lunch, and one piece of the mushroom bread and even reheated, it was oh-so-good!

Tuesday's Thought

2011-07-12T18:44:00.001-06:00

Slippery fingers pushed 'enter' a couple of times while putting this post together and it posted with nothing in the content....grrrr! Anyway, here's this week's REAL thought:

Courage
“Climbing with Courage”
--Alexander Lockhart
Courage, contrary to popular belief, is not the absence of fear, but the heart to act in spite of fear. It is doing what you’re afraid to do, taking risks, and growing bigger through strength and confidence when the odds look like they may be against you. Courage enables you to accept opposition and then guides you with determination to conquer it. By discovering specific fears that are inhibiting the growth of your full potential, you can then develop the courage to manage these fears and direct your choices in life with decisions which enhance your well being.
Sometimes before we begin to reach high and climb toward our dreams we often look back at a time when we may have experienced a setback and fallen backward. It then becomes hard for us to bring forth the courage to continue. As you encounter challenges in your life, they may seem as hard to overcome as climbing a mountain, but if you persist, you will learn and grow from them and develop the courage to continue forward.
Once, a team of mountain climbers set out on an expedition to try to conquer Mount Everest. The first attempt failed, as did the second. Then, on their third attempt, despite careful planning and extensive safety precautions, disaster struck. An avalanche hit, and most of the team was injured. A few weeks later, a group held a glorious banquet to salute the team for their great act of courage and their attempts at greatness. As the leader of the failed expedition stood to address the group, he walked over to face a huge picture of Mount Everest which hung like a silent unconquerable giant behind the banquet table. He then made a fist and pointed to the picture and said, “Mount Everest, you defeated us once; you defeated us twice; you defeated us three times. But, Mount Everest, we shall someday defeat you, because you can’t get any bigger but we can.”
Courage is the mastery over fear. It is not allowing fear to take over and control our lives. Courage means persevering when life has dealt you a seemingly losing hand. It is turning your crisis into an opportunity. Each time you are willing to face your fears, you are summoning the courage to rise above disappointments, take risks, and grow stronger. Dare to dream big and awaken the courage within yourself to face adversity and to go forth with your desires. With courage your fears can’t get any bigger, but you can!

Fruit & Veggies Basket

2011-07-09T10:41:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into my diet for a long time. The problem is that I am very picky about flavor and texture of the fruit. I don't mean to be that picky, but I am. I do not like fruit that is over ripe or too under ripe.....it's hard to get one that's just right. So I'm trying to re-teach myself to like fruit and vegetables by letting my pallet start over as an adult. I wonder if my tastes will change?

This interest began to develop after some tastings I did with my sisters a couple of years ago at their home....and when I watch any show on the Food Network, there's always talk about mixing flavors. Flavors I have convinced myself that I don't like...but what if that was young Tina's pallet? Time to find out.

A few of my coworkers get weekly fruits and vegetables from Bountiful Baskets and I thought I would start there for two reasons: 1. It's affordable. $15 a week and you get a variety of vegetables and fruit. 2. It's fresh produce and I can use it this week in meals or as a healthy snack.

The picture above is the basket I received this morning. The first thing that made me excited was how colorful it looks! My mouth watered. I've allowed myself to get into the brown foods and stay there (breads, meats, cereals, etc).

There were a few items (specifically, figs) that I didn't know what to do with. So I searched out some recipes that will use the spices and proteins I have on hand (which isn't much) and made a menu for the week. The last time I had figs was in Ecuador and it was prepared as a fermented dish....and it was grody! (and I was a hungry missionary who learned to eat everything, but couldn't down that dish.) So it should be interesting.

As it turns out, this is a busy week for us, and a lot of the meals I thought I'd be making for dinner, will end up being our lunch.

Once I have made the recipe, I'll attach a link to the recipe, but here's what I've come up with so far:
1. Harvest Salad, Grilled Steak, and Mushroom Bread

2. Almond-Crusted Halibut, and steamed Broccoli & Cauliflower

3. Baked Chicken w/Gorgonzola & Red Pear Risotto

4. Chicken Walnut wraps, and Figs w/Goat Cheese, Pecans & Bacon

5. Salmon with Pineapple Tomato Salsa

Not Feeling It

2011-07-09T00:55:00.000-06:00

No Friday Night videos tonight....The ones I've found will have to wait until next week.

Wasatch Roller Derby

2011-07-06T22:08:00.001-06:00

On June 26, two coworkers (Bonnie and Lisa) and I went to see the Wasatch Roller Derby bout. We had been given the tickets by a trainee who had attended our training session weeks earlier.

We didn't know the rules, so I spent some time on my phone looking it up on wikipedia. Here's what I learned:
1. Two start lines are marked on the track: a jammer line, and 30 feet ahead of that, a pivot line.
2. two pivots may stand on or behind the pivot line; all blockers must line up behind the pivot line, in any order they choose.
3. The eight pivots and blockers together are called the pack. The two jammers start 20 feet behind the pack on the jammer line.
4. The referee signals the jam formation by blowing a whistle. During jam formation, the pack moves counterclockwise. When the last person in the pack has passed the pivot line, the referee blows the whistle again, signaling the jammers to take off.
5. A jam is a 2-minute period, during which the jammers attempt to score points. passing the pack the first time, jammers earn one point each time they lap an opposing skater. Only jammers can score points.

There are other rules, and I got confused a few times, but it was really fun and I will probably go again soon.

Here are some of the pictures I took. A few minutes into the game, there was an injury on the opposing time. I was pleasantly surprised to see all participants go to one knee and wait.

The final score: (The Utah team, Wasatch, won the bout.)

Tuesday's Thought

2011-07-05T21:29:00.000-06:00

I got this thought from my friend, Katie Wiscomb's facebook as one of her favorite quotations. I babysat Katie when she was three years old and now she's in school for social work....she's a beautiful young lady and I am so proud of her.

here's the quote...it wasn't attributed but it's touched by heart:

"As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken, probably more than once, and it's harder every time.You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose somebody you can't live without. You'll fight with your best friend, and lose friends you thought you would always have. So take too many pictures, laugh too much and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend angry or upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back! You're Whole Life Can Change in Just One Moment... In the end, it will all be okay. Remember, it's not the end."

Friday Night Videos

2011-07-01T21:56:00.000-06:00

I had a very mellow week. I love that the weather has finally cleared up and we have sunshine!! I love sunshine - even if I hide from the sun constantly. I love summer! The smells and leaves and people out in mass enjoying their families and friends.

Here are the vids I found this week.

You know I love Adele. Linkin Park did a cover or Rollin' in The Deep. A very nice version. Chester is amazing!!!

I found a video earlier today of this boy, Brenden Macfarlane. Here are two videos of him. I posted this on facebook:

Money:

A brilliant video of the world that didn't come to an end on May 21:

Very excited for Pottermore:

Happy Birthday!

2011-06-24T23:24:00.000-06:00

Today is the day that Sandy and I celebrate our day. It's the best birthday to have because it's the half way mark to Christmas and as kids we always knew it was six months away. LOL!

Anyway, here are a few pictures of the two of us as kids.

A few months old:

Our first birthday:
My favorite picture of the two of us (of all time!) I loved that purse! I remember what ruined it. I put red jello squares in there as my treasure and they melted and ruined my beautiful purse:
Our third birthday:
Our ninth birthday. I hated taking showers or baths, so my hair is all greasy (LOL!)

I love my sister! I can't imagine life without her and it has been my pleasure to walk through this life with her! We've had some fun memories! I love you, Sandy!!!

Friday Night Videos

2011-06-24T22:45:00.000-06:00

I thought I'd post the songs I've recently added to my summer playlist. And in most cases, they've been added to my walking (attempt at jogging) playlist, as well. I will say this: it's not the videos that got my attention, rather the rhythm and sound.

A good song for warming up or cooling down. Linkin Park - Iridescent:

Adele - Rolling in the Deep:

Taio Cruz - Dynamite:

Pink - Raise Your Glass (has some swears and it's a weird video)

Cage the Elephant - Shake me Down:

30 Seconds to Mars - Closer to the Edge:

This one isn't surprising because it's the song used in one of the videos from a couple of weeks ago...it's a keeper. It's one song that keeps my goal in mind for myself....keep walking, keep walking, next step, next step, next step and it will pay off! Lady Gaga - The edge of glory.

The Pageantry

2011-06-23T21:19:00.001-06:00

So I was watching TV the other day and there was 'nothing' on....so as I'm flipping through channels I catch Toddlers and Tiaras and pause to watch the episode. The episode I got was one where the 'famous' toddlers, MacKenzie and Eden, are going to face off against each other.

I cannot believe how ridiculous it was!!

First off: these kids are waited on hand and foot and have ZERO restrictions! Lots of whining, temper tantrums and fighting for attention in the most obnoxious ways.

2nd: the mom's are crazy!! "it's whatever Eden wants to do and mama's going to be right here pushing her." yeah, that's right, the FIVE year olds run the house!

I must get the ultimate grand supreme title! That said, I think it's okay to allow a girl to explore her competitive side in this way, but there has to be some level of parenting going on.

So, not being a mom, maybe I don't understand. What do you mom's think? Could you dive into the world of pageants if your daughter wanted to?

Tuesday's Thought

2011-06-21T08:34:00.001-06:00

It's the first day of summer!! Yay! I had to find some summer quotes:

“I miss the days when summer vacation was about relaxing and hanging out with friends. Now it’s all about working and squeezing your friends in when you can.”
-Unknown

“Summer is kind of like the ultimate one-night stand: hot as hell, totally thrilling, and gone before you know it.” -Unknown

“So here’s to all those summer nights when my feet hit the sand and the waves break my fall and all my friends around me out number the stars.” -Unknown

My favorite things about summer (to name a few):
1. Sunshine
2. Long days
3. Water for boating, skiing, swimming & jet skiing
4. Summer rain storms
5. Camp fires
6. Everybody seems happier
7. Fun family outtings
8. Late night ice cream runs
9. Walking into the nicely air conditioned house

Friday Night Videos

2011-06-18T10:05:00.000-06:00

I took a muscle relaxer last night so I wasn't awake to do my Friay Night Videos. I've had an emotional week with the accident and a funeral of a wonderful girl who I only met a few times, but her departure has left a family with a broken heart.

First, I have a video made by my sister Elida. She is a Farmer's agent in California and made this commercial and then used the sound bite to make the video.

I have Killer Queen - well done:

I love this commercial...it always makes me laugh. Of course, I like Frank Sinatra, too:

Cereal Killer...don't know who made it or why, but I thought it was very well done:

Witness to a Miracle

2011-06-15T12:10:00.001-06:00

You may be aware from seeing my facebook, that I was involved in a car accident yesterday...24 hours ago. I am still in shock of how the events have played out. Let me share from the beginning. (The shortened version.)

Here's the set up:
My coworker, Bonnie and another coworker, Lisa and I decided we wanted to go to lunch. We decided to leave around 11:40 to get ahead of the lunch crowd. 400 S has a trax train track going down the middle of the road. Many of the left turn lanes on this road are on the actual train track.

We work in research park, so we headed down 500 S which changes to 400 South. 400 S (at 700 E) has two turn lanes (you can see it in the picture below). The left side of the two turn lanes is on the train track. There was already a car on the right hand side of the two turn lanes. We pulled into the left side lane and waited at the red light. (I've highlighted in yellow, where we were stopped.) Traffic was heavy on 700 E.

What happened:
Bonnie was driving her car. I was in the passenger side of the car. Lisa, was in the back seat behind me. Once we were stopped at the red light in the turn lane, Bonnie expressed her concern about being stopped on the train track and wanted to be sure it was an actual turn lane. Lisa and I pointed out the two turn lane signs that indicate that we were, in fact, in a turn lane, even if it is on the train track. I looked at the girl in the car to my right (who was in the right lane of the two turn lanes). We smiled at each other.

I heard a train horn and looked around and saw that there was a trax train coming in the opposite direction up 400 South. I mentioned it to my friends in the car, "the horn is from the Trax [coming Eastward up the other side]." No big deal. I looked back at the girl in the car next to me and then heard a very loud BOOM!! And then we jolted forward hard as we were hit from behind!

The instant it happened, I knew it was a train and I remember my head went completely clear before I thought, "well, this is it." It was the only thought I had as I waited for more...I waited for us to be hit by the traffic on 700 E...for the train to keep going right through our car....for our own screams and the sound of metal twisting. I waited for the physical pain that was surely coming.

I waited.....it didn't come. My head swam and I saw stars from hitting my head on the back of the seat. There was silence for a moment that lasted forever. I sat in my seat frozen...terrified to look around....to see if my friend was still in the back seat. I half expected to turn around and see myself in the twisted car as if in a movie where a ghost is confused by seeing it's own body. I was terrified to move at all, so I stared forward. All of this happened in mere seconds.

Finally, I looked at the girl in the car next to me who was looking at me with her mouth wide open. She was on the cell phone, now. A moment later, the light turned green and that lane moved through the intersection and made their turn.

The movement of the cars must have snapped us back to reality.

Bonnie asked if we were okay and Lisa answered first that she was, in fact, okay. I was so relieved. I made a mental note that I could feel my whole body...IN TACT and confirmed that I, too, was okay. I looked back at Lisa to verify her condition and noticed that the back window was completely blown out...and right behind us sat the full front of the Trax train! If it had a nose, I'd have been looking up the nostrils.

I called 9-1-1 and I heard my own voice, calm and collected, from a distance: Hello, my name is Tina and I am at the intersection of 700 East and 400 South and we've just been hit by a train.

The operator asked me how many cars were involved. I didn't look around, I knew it was just us and the train; I told her it was just our vehicle. She asked me if we were okay, I told her we were...and I remember it began to sink in that it was too unreal that were all okay. She must have thought the same thing and asked me again, "you said you were hit by a train, right? A trax train, right?" I told her yes. She told me she was sending the police. I asked her, confirmed with her, that we shouldn't move our car. She told me to stay where we were.

I kept thinking: "am I really here? I am alive, right?" It didn't make sense and I was confused by it.

UTA Trax:
I'm not going to go into all the detail of how shady UTA Trax behavior was...shooing us off the track and then taking pictures when we were off the track but not while we were on the track. But it was ridiculous! The Trax officials had us park in a nearby parking lot.

We got out of the car and found that there was not even ONE PIECE of glass in Lisa's hair...not one! The back window had shattered into the back seat where she was sitting. None was in her hair.

Several Trax police officers arrived and not one asked how we were doing...not one! They looked at us and congregated across the parking lot in a discussion with the two orange vests.

The first SLC Police officer arrived on a motor cycle and asked us how we were doing. He talked with Bonnie a while. Lisa and I were walking around taking pictures of the car with my cell phone and talking about the absurdity of the fact that we were WALKING AROUND! I could feel the tears waiting for me.

I called Eric to let him know the quick details and I lost it. I couldn't get out any words at first and finally squeaked out what I could: "Car accident....Trax train....we're okay....can't believe it......gotta go...." He reminded me that he loves me. More tears.

We began to talk with the various police officers that were arriving from Salt Lake City PD. There were about 10 or 11 officers and I'm sure passers by thought we'd just robbed the bank.

Several times the police officers went out the track and looked on the ground....I overheard them talking amongst themselves that the Train driver had mentioned that he'd hit the emergency break. When they do, sand drops from the train and there was none on the track. One officer mentioned to the other, "and it's not a windy day. There should still be sand on the track."

We finally found out why we were being grilled about our details. The train driver/operator had said in his statement that we'd pulled out from a parking lot or changed lanes at the last minute and essentially cut him off. Of course, we clarified that we'd sat at the red light long enough to have a full conversation about the turn lane being on the track, and making eye contact with the car next to us and the horn that sounded well after we'd been sitting there.......It felt like we were there FOREVER answering questions.

We were finally released (after two and a half hours). We were shaken and sore but it did not escape us how bad it really could have been.

My Theory:
So I think the driver of the train was slowing down for the red light (the same one we were stopped at) and didn't see us until it was too late. Maybe because he's used the the track guiding his train and he doesn't have to worry about staying in his own lane. Maybe because he was off in a daze through the monotony of the day. I don't know. But it's clear he was going slow for the red light. It's also clear that he didn't see us until just before he hit us because we were in the turn lane for a while before the honking began. And it's clear that if he'd been going any faster, I wouldn't be here typing up my story.

Reactions:
When we got back to work, one person told me that we have the worst luck because a train hit us. I told him that I was choosing to look at it a little differently....that we have to be luckiest people on the earth at this very moment.

Another person said, "could this day get any worse?" I was pretty shocked by that question because of the obviousness of the answer. So I told him, "It could have been the worst, and final day of my life, actually. So, yes, it could have gotten a whole lot worse."

I am fully aware of where this day could have gone......that has been the most emotional part of this day. I've been pretty stunned.

There's More
The story doesn't end here. The girl in the car next to us had left the scene. When she had turned, both Lisa and I noticed a pizza sign on her car. I didn't see what company, but we tracked her down and she has given her statement to the police detective in charge of our case.

She remembers us for this reason: She looked at our car when we pulled up and saw me in the passenger side of the car, chewing and sniffing my hair....It's an odd habit I've had since I was a little girl. Many people have made fun of that habit. She remembers it because she does the same thing with her hair and that's why she noticed me. She remembers that we were sitting there for about 30 seconds before we were hit by the train from behind.

Go ahead. Count out 30 seconds the next time you get to a red light and see when you feel safe from being hit from behind. I promise you, it won't be very far into your count.

How we're doing:
I'm still in shock and not sure how to express the confusion I feel inside. My mind wanders into the possibilities of what could have happened and I become overwhelmed. I am so grateful that we are okay! okay! We were hit by a train and walked away!
Walked away!
It's unbelievable!
I believe all things happen for a reason. There's a reason we were on that track at that moment.

I am sore. My back, neck and shoulders are sore. My head is still swimming a little bit; my vertigo hasn't loved that jostle. My back, neck and arms are slowly getting stiffer. I am going to the doctor this week just to have it on record just in case the pain gets worse. BUT! I'm okay! My friends are in the same place....sore with some pain, but we know how much worse it could have been.

This story can't be told without mentioning the car that absorbed the bulk of that impact. Clearly Bonnie's Dodge did it's job. I'm glad that cars are made in a way to lessen the impact to the passengers. I don't like the thought of me in Eric's small car (that we love) up against that train in the same circumstances.

Everybody who has heard the story has clarified: you said a train, right? I thank the powers above that kept us safe. We were being watched and it's humbling to think someone stepped in on our behalf. I can recognize a miracle when I see it. And this is a true and pure miracle.

Pictures of the car:

Thank you for the comments of support on Facebook. I know that I am incredibly grateful to be here today.

Tuesday's Thought

2011-06-14T10:15:00.000-06:00

I thought this was a good piece of advice:

And the second thought is one we've all heard a million times but, it seems appropriate to say it again here. As my cousin, Lindsay put it: "life is precious... it can change in an instant... savor every moment with your loved ones!"

Friday Night Videos

2011-06-10T22:28:00.001-06:00

eeek! I'm as giddy as a school girl! Cannot wait for this movie to be out in theaters. Yay!!

I don't know how this could be any more awkward!! An old style maturation video:

A strange tattoo indeed...I'm thinking I wouldn't want the Facebook profile pictures of my friends tattooed onto my body, but to each his own, right?

Looking Good in a Group Picture

2011-06-07T22:15:00.000-06:00

I have been asked by a few people if I know of any tips they can use when they are asked to be in a group shot, so that they'll be happy with the outcome.

As a 'bigger girl' I have had to learn how to take the most flattering shots I can get - It's not like I'm going to get a face w/out chubby cheeks or hide the hundred or so pounds I'd like to lose; but I employ a few tricks to fool the camera so that my face and body appear a little more slender. For the most part, these are the tips I offer people when they ask and they are usually pretty happy with their next group shot (work, family, friends, etc.)

In no particular order, here are my tips. Keep in mind that many people have their point and shoot cameras and the settings are preset. When I take pictures, I use manual settings to maximize the lighting and certain surroundings that are out of my control. I also keep these tips in mind and have no problem (time and event permitting) telling people in the group how to stand and where.

If you can control the location of the shot:

1. Avoid taking pictures in harsh light - direct sun light is never good because no matter how hard you try, you will squint. Using florescent lighting is not at all flattering, either, so get out of the office! You will be washed out in the picture in both of these lighting choices. The best lighting is outside in the morning and evening hours. If you are going to be in an outside picture in the middle of day, try and hold off until it is overcast - not darkly overcast, though. The clouds act like a filter and help with the natural soft lighting.

2. Don't take your outdoor group shots under trees or with something that will cast odd shadows across your face. And watch for lighting where your eyes or half your face is covered in shadow...you'll be very zombish. You'll hate the picture and wish you had a better one. It won't be one you print up and frame.

So that is the lighting aspect. What do you do with your body, then? Here is what I have found (and learned) to do with my body to get the best pictures when I am not in control of the group shot - you know the ones where someone says, "get together so I can get a picture of you guys. Lean in." (when they say to just lean in...don't! Physically move to be in the shot in a flattering angle!)

1. Turn your body a little bit so that one shoulder is more forward. Remember the pictures from school? Remember how they moved your body a little bit so that you were turned to the side a bit? That's because it is WAY more flattering to be turned a little bit than having a shot with your shoulders square to the camera (and I don't mean a side shot, either - eek!). Oh, and don't raise the shoulders up when you do this (which makes for a stiff shot)...keep them down and natural.

2. Be a turtle. Sandy taught me this trick. If you are faced toward the camera, (keeping your shoulders relaxed and slightly turned) push your neck forward like a turtle and PUT YOUR CHIN DOWN. I'm not sure why, but our instinct is to put the chin up, which creates the double chin, or at least a broader chin that you'll HATE! You don't want to look up your nose, do you? Being a turtle will help eliminate the extra chin and cheeks that everybody hates when they take pictures. And, although it feels weird, IT WORKS! (I have had many people think I'm kidding when I suggest this to them, and there are some that refuse to do it when I'm taking their picture...they laugh and then do what they want, but I promise you, it works, and you'll be much happier with it.)

I would suggest you try it...try one where you don't do it and then try one when you do. See what you think.

3. Smile a genuine smile. It's not a mug shot! (unless it is and then none of these tips will truly help you) People will spot the fake in a flash! And so will you. Show a little teeth, but not the whole mouth. I usually get one of the two extremes...huge smiles (yikes) or no smile (very serious)...and these people will sigh at me like I've messed up their picture (see! this is why I hate my picture being taken.) Well, you need to smile a genuine, good smile, but don't scare the kids away with the big smile that includes all your teeth and gums. (My, what big teeth you have!)

4. Flirt with the camera a little. Keep eye contact and tilt your head a little bit (keeping your turtle out there, still). Sounds stupid, and maybe a little vain, but practice in the mirror. Practice with your own camera. Find the angle you like the best and use it to your advantage.

5. If at all possible, find a taller person to take the picture. Instinctively we put the camera in front of us at our own eye level. So if a short person is taking the picture, no matter how turtle-ish you become, you're going to get more neck/chin than you want because the camera is aiming UP at you or straight across at you. Someone who is taller has the camera aiming DOWN at you, even if just slightly. This angle will help narrow the face even more.

6. Last, if you are trying to hide the weight in a group shot, don't stand in front taking up the full shot! Let others close ranks in front of you...and lean forward a little bit (a little bit!)...again, people lean back instinctively (my guess is it's part of that personal space we are trying to protect).

Those are my tips for getting the best picture when someone else takes it with their point and shoot (or cell, or any camera) at a work party or family reunion, or whatever the event might be.

These are the tips I give you if you are the one taking the picture of a group, whether or not you know them. Help them set the memory the best way:

1. If you are using a digital camera, use the view finder and hold the camera up at the group so you aren't getting that shot looking up at the group, rather, you're looking down at them a tiny bit. Stand on a curb while they stand on the ground below. Stand on your tippy toes...something to get a few extra inches to help with the angle.

2. Use the Zoom feature!...You don't need to get the picture of the outfits....Nobody wants their bellies, belts, shoes, legs, etc. in the picture (unless it's bridesmaids or something where the outfits are relevant. But even then, consider the group). People want the faces, so keep that in mind and zoom in a little bit to get from the upper torso on up if at all possible, and still get the whole group....have them get closer if that helps. Try to keep it as the upper body - forget the lower body.

3. Focus! Keep them in focus! Many times, this event won't happen where everybody will be together again for a while and isn't it sad when people are out of focus? If you are unfamiliar with the camera, make sure you get this one piece of instruction! Take a few shots so they have more to choose from.

4. Count down out loud..1...2...3....BUT take the picture at 2 or 2 1/2 because this helps with blinking eyes. Strange, but true. I have more blinks at 3 than I do at 2. We Americans are maniquins when it comes to the pose (I visit my family in S. America and I have to constantaly tell them, "smile.") We'll stand forever with that ridiculous smile until the pictures are taken. But we blink. This is another reason to take 2-3 shots.

Those are a few of my tips if you are caught off guard and asked to be in a group shot. I'm a total amateur photographer, but this is what I've learned as I've taken group shots at work, weddings and funerals...and even portraits of coworkers for the web site.

That all said, though, I would say it is important to be comfortable in your own skin.
My best advice is this: Don't be afraid of your own face...it's yours for life. So many people don't even want to look at their picture no matter how good the shot is. I've been there. Those of you who know me, know that I've been doing a self portrait a day for 3 and a half years, now. It was about six months into the first year before I really became comfortable with my own image. I saw so many flaws: my face is crooked! One side of my nose is bigger than the other side...and because of this, my nose leans to one side. My eyes aren't even..one is lower than the other. My smile: totally crooked. AND the one side that tilts upward in a weird way, is the side my nose leans toward, so sometimes, I see this weird criss-cross of lines on my face. And I have a weird scar on my forehead! And even though I'm 37, I still break out!!! (makes me so mad!) All that said, I've learned to be more than okay with my own image! I love those weird flaws!

On top of the weird face, I'm heavy! (doesn't help with the self loving) And even though I'm trying to lose weight, I'm still heavy! And wouldn't it be nice to be a size 6 and not have to consider that as much when taking a group shot?! But, I am very proud of who I am. I am happy in my plump body. I don't think I'll be any happier in a thinner body (healthier? yes; able to run without passing out? yes! Not necessarily happier, though)...I'll still be me in that body and I better love it now or I'll never be happy with it. So accept yourself as you are RIGHT NOW!

And then use some of the tips to love it in pictures!!

Do you have any other tips that you use to get good shots of you in a group setting?

Friday Night Videos

2011-06-03T21:49:00.001-06:00

So it totally sucks, but I have had that really terrible cough/cold thing that has been passed around.....I don't know who gave it to me, but I can say: I hope I return the favor some day......okay, maybe I don't really feel that way exactly, but I'm pretty mad.

Because this cough is so bad (I have asthma that I finally got under control), I went to the doctor because I was wheezing so bad I didn't feel like I was breathing well at all. He told me that he doesn't want me in the dirty dash, or to even go take pictures because I need to rest and do breathing exercises or I will get pneumonia. What a disappointment! A friend was kind enough to take my spot in the dirty dash and I will be home resting........truly disappointing.

Now I have plenty of time to put up my videos for Friday.

So, whenever I catch this commercial on TV, I stop what I'm doing because I love the images (can I find something new?) and I want this song!:

This video has been a hit and you'll see why. It really is a great proposal:

I can't help it, I love Lady Gaga Gaga and I think this commercial is brilliant:

This weekend is Pride and I will be resting as I walk around the festival tomorrow. I thought the next two videos were wonderful!

It Gets Better - for my friends who have struggled and been harassed in their lives for being who they are. I think the sentiment goes for anything in life, especially when we were young and we couldn't fathom how great life would be:

FckH8 - Teachers can't say GAY law - lots of swears in this, so don't watch it if it's not your cup OR wear your headphones!:

Dirty Dash Fears

2011-06-01T09:53:00.000-06:00

This coming Saturday, I'm joining several of the girls from my office to participate in the Dirty Dash. And I have to say that I am freaking out!

I'm a wee bit accident prone, so I'm feeling like this might tempt Fate a little too much to pass up. I mean, what if I fall down in the mud and no one sees me and I drown in the mud, wouldn't that be just terrible!?!? Or I fall and break my ankle and my team has to drag me (literally) down the mountain.......ugh!

And I'm incredibly out of shape and I signed up thinking it would be good to have motivation to get out and get moving...and it worked. I've been up and moving but I'm still huffing and puffing my way around the 5Ks, I mean, there won't be any running on my part. I never want to be the last one to cross the finish line; BUT you have to cross the finish line as a team and I'm anxious about being the one to hold up my team!

And as I've mentioned, we'll be in the mud and what if mud clings to my most unattractive spots, or the water is too cold or I lose a shoe in the mud or the showers after the race are cold..............it's silly, really, to be this concerned over something so trivial.

*sigh*

It should be fun, right?!

Friday Night Videos

2011-05-27T22:16:00.001-06:00

You had to know that this would be all about U2, right? LOL! Well here are my videos and then some videos from others who made recordings in SLC.

While recording I was having a tough time holding still...singing and dancing while holding still is really hard. LOL! Here are few of the videos I took with my old camera:

Bono:

Miss Sarajevo:

I found some other recordings from others from Tuesday night:
I Will Follow

Sunday Bloody Sunday (I can see Richard and Elida with their hands in the air):

Miss Sarajevo:

Pride:

Elevation:

One recorded in Denver:

360 Awesome

2011-05-26T20:43:00.000-06:00

Tuesday night Sandy and Elida (who had come into town) joined me, Eric and my brother at the U2 concert here in SLC. A friend from junior high school, Erik, also flew into town to join us and Eric's brother, Evan, came with us.

We had purchased our GA tickets for last year's concert, but it was cancelled due to Bono's back injury, so with a lot of disappointment, we held on for a year. The wait left us with a tremendous amount of anticipation.

We camped out all day on Tuesday (in the rain, in our tent, playing cards), but the clouds moved on and the sun came out and we had beautiful weather for the concert. When we finally got into the stadium, we declared a spot in the "inner circle" at the outside of edge along the bar. We had such a great view of the stage and the catwalk.

The Fray opened the concert. I have heard their music, but I'm not super familiar with their music. They were pretty good and I'm sure I'll be listening to their music more.

When U2 made their way to the stage, I was overcome with the emotion of seeing them again. A few tears escaped as I jumped up and down, screaming and cheering and singing along. They played songs I've never heard them play live: Even Better Then the Real Thing and Zooropa. I positively loved singing my favorite songs with them! I cannot say how much it is that I loved this concert!!! Love love loved it!!!

My pictures:

Here is the write up in the SL Tribune, which was the best of the paper write ups:

by David Burger

A 164-foot-tall in-the-round set, which spanned the width of the football field and towered over the Olympic torch. The Claw, perched on four legs, was topped by a glowing needle, which more pessimistic observers opined looked like a lightning rod that in stormy weather would invite death and destruction to Bono and the rest of the band.

But God didn't want to strike down Bono on Tuesday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium, as the skies were clear as the Only Band That Wants to Matter launched a two-hour-plus, 24-song epic set that thrilled the more than 40,000 audience members.

The evening had a festive mood with the crowd engaging in The Wave minutes before the band took the stage, as if the Utes were about to whip their new Pac-12 rivals.

U2 began the concert with its ultimate tribute to 1990s irony, "Even Better Than the Real Thing," but the rest of the night was largely devoted to the earnestness the band is known for, especially during a peace rally in the midst of "Walk On."

That's not to say they were not playful with one another; Bono joked to the crowd about guitarist The Edge's inability to get hot water in his hotel room for the past few days. The lead singer thanked the crowd three times for its patience, after having to postpone the concert for a year because of his back injury, "We are so much better than last year," Bono said.

The night was full of the arena anthems that have exploded inside stadiums and your car radio for three decades, but the night's best moments came during songs that weren't as high-profile as "One." During "Miss Sarajevo," Bono showed off his jaw-dropping vocal flexibility, singing the late Luciano Pavarotti's operatic aria that was in the original version of the song. Later, the title track to "Zooropa" bubbled and percolated as the band was enveloped by a illuminated steel web that descended from the top of The Claw.

It was also the night of Bob Dylan's 70th birthday, and Bono led the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday" to Mr. Zimmerman after adding some lines of the Bono-Dylan collaboration "Love Rescue Me" to the end of "All I Want Is You." Best of all, Bono, accompanied just by his own guitar, crooned the first verse of "Blowin' in the Wind" before expanding into "Where The Streets Have No Name."

But in the end, the night was about the emotional connection U2 made with the crowd, with The Claw serving its purpose to make the stadium feel intimate. It has often been said that seeing U2 is a religious experience. But if only every day of church could be this loud, thoughtful and pulse-quickening.

God, don't strike me down.

Watch for the videos on Friday Night Videos!

Friday Night Videos

2011-05-20T23:29:00.001-06:00

I saw this commercial a couple of days ago and knew it would make my list this week. I have many friends who have suffered from severely low self esteem because of unaccepting family and friends simply because they are gay. I thought this was a beautiful project:

So, it's the end of the world tomorrow,and I found some shelter from the zombies....LOL! Well, I like the shelter, anyway:

I love listening to classical music (and really all times of music)and I found this to be very cleverly put together. (very talented yoddeling):

Another incredibly fun to watch musician:

Tuesday's Thought

2011-05-17T12:35:00.000-06:00

It was a bit somber around our house and Eric's family, coming out of the weekend.

Eric's dad and step mom had a wonderful dog, Mischief, who passed away yesterday. He was old and sick, but it's not easy to say good bye to a family member, even a dog, as many of us know.

(Gayle with Mischief) Not long after that news, we were notified of the passing of a family friend in Eric's family. It's a passing that came earlier than expected but wasn't something that wasn't expected, in time.

So, this week's thought is about the comfort one must find, in losing those we care about.

From Helen Steiner Rice

When I must leave you
For a while-
Please do not grieve
And shed wild tears
And hug your sorrow to you
Through the years,
But start out bravely
With a gallant smile;
And for my sake
Live on and do
All things the same,
Feed not your loneliness
On empty days,
But fill each waking hour
In comfort and in cheer
And I in turn will comfort you
And hold you near;
And never, never
Be afraid to die,
For I am waiting for you in the sky!

Friday Night Videos

2011-05-13T21:59:00.000-06:00

Everything comes down to the Simpsons, so here's a funny scene:

What one guy is doing to save his house and property in Arkansas:

A brilliant way to chop wood:

If I could have a super power it would be teleportation....I like the way this guy put together a fun video of practicing to teleport:

Tuesday's Thought

2011-05-10T17:28:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite quotes is really a song on the muppets:

Just One Person by The Muppets

If just one person believes in you,
Deep enough, and strong enough, believes in you...
Hard enough, and long enough,
It stands to reason, that someone else will think
"If he can do it, I can do it."

Making it: two whole people, who believe in you
Deep enough, and strong enough,
Believe in you.
Hard enough and long enough
There's bound to be some other person who
Believes in making it a threesome,
Making it three.....
People you can say: believe in me.....

And if three whole people,
Why not -- four?
And if four whole people,
Why not--more, and
more, and
more....

And when all those people,
Believe in you,
Deep enough, and strong enough,
Believe in you...
Hard enough, and long enough

It stands to reason that you yourself will
Start to see what everybody sees in
You...

And maybe even you,
Can believe in you... too!

Here the Muppets sing the song as a tribute to Jim Henson:

Collin's 11th Birthday Dinner

2011-05-09T14:55:00.000-06:00

We all went to dinner to celebrate Collin's birthday on April's birthday...so we celebrated both of them...April - long distance.

Collin loves sushi so we went to Simply Sushi. I love sushi and it was pretty good, but I told Collin that I would take him to some REALLY good sushi the next time we have a Collin-Weekend.

It's stange to see him at the age of eleven...I remember being eleven years old and it was a tough year...one of my tougest as a kid. I am committed to help Collin (and the other kids) through a rough patch in their lives.

Here are a few of the pictures of the kids:
Sweet little Marcus:
Tough kid Andrew:
The amazing Elise:

The most awesome 11 year old I know! Collin:

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T17:36:00.001-06:00

Eric and I are so grateful for our mothers. We enjoy spending time with each of them and have loved them in our lives.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Friday Night Videos

2011-05-06T23:33:00.001-06:00

Here are the videos for the week.

I thought this would be my first one this week; I was touched by it:

A pretty impressive musician:

The Landlord...shamefully funny:

With mother's day on Sunday, I have to wish my friends and my mom a Happy Mother's Day:

Tuesday's Thought

2011-05-03T22:20:00.000-06:00

THOUGHTS OF A CHAMPION

Although I am only one in a million, I am somebody and that makes me as good as the next person.

There is nothing in this life I cannot do. There is no goal I cannot tackle and have success.

If I feel deep down inside that something is important to me, then I can do it! If my mind can conceive it and believe it, then I know I can achieve it.

No longer will I drift through life feeling sorry for myself, because self-pity is the seed of destruction. I will search for my goal with enough hard work, total commitment, determination, dedication, and self sacrifice, that I know I will reach it.

I know that there will be many times when it will seem that all odds are against me and I will have to fight one battle after another, but I will not give up!

--Author Unknown

MS Walk 2011

2011-04-30T20:35:00.001-06:00

Today Eric and I joined a friend of mine at the MS Walk in Salt Lake City. Her mom has MS and we wanted to help raise money and awareness, so we joined the effort.
The weather was actually pretty good...a little cold, but that's how our springtime is. As we ended the walk and were headed for the car, the snow hit. Later the sun shined, so it was a typical spring day.

Here are some of the pictures from the day.

Friday Night Videos

2011-04-29T21:22:00.001-06:00

Looking forward to this movie, for sure!!

Scary!! I think I would have flipped out:

In a few weeks, Eric and I will join another 5K as a fund raiser and to build awareness to the issue of human trafficking and other forms of slavery: Operation 61 on May 14 at Liberty Park - if any body wants to join us)

Finally: since the wedding of the decade was all people seem to talk about these days, I found this Sims 3 parady of the wedding:

Tuesday's Thought

2011-04-26T09:53:00.000-06:00

I don't know who authored this, but here it is:

NOTHING ... is "Impossible"

Impossible is just a big word thrown around by people who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it.

Impossible is not a fact, it is an opinion.
Impossible is not a declaration, it's a dare.
Impossible is potential.
Impossible is temporary.
Impossible is NOTHING!

Friday Night Videos

2011-04-22T22:03:00.000-06:00

As mentioned in previous posts, I have been working on losing weight by becoming more active and eating healthy. When I first made the decision to make these changes, a friend of mine posted this video on Facebook and it was like a message that I had made the right decision:

What a laugh! When I was in my 20s, I would ask my dad to help me with my car. When he helped, I was charged with handing him the tools....this video made me laugh so hard when I saw it - especially the last minute of the video:

Salmon and Rice

2011-04-21T18:26:00.000-06:00

I love salmon and rice and enjoy trying out new recipes. Tonight I tried out Cuisinenie's salmon recipe. It was a little too much oil, but I have to say: "Yumminess." I didn't make the rice in her blog; I used brown and wild rice, instead.

Here's her recipe:

1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons dry white wine, or water
2 pounds salmon fillet
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. with a rack in the center. Make the glaze: In a small bowl, stir brown sugar, olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, and white wine until the sugar has dissolved.
Cut salmon fillet into 4 equal-size pieces; arrange, skin side down, in a single layer in a baking dish. Pour glaze over the fish, and turn to coat evenly.
Bake until fish is opaque but still bright pink inside, basting every few minutes with glaze from baking dish, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Tuesday's Thought

2011-04-20T12:48:00.000-06:00

I've been working really hard to change some of my habits - eating healthier and working out more. Sometimes you have to fight old habits and make yourself gut it out. This is a quote I've had hanging in my cubie for a long time:

"What’s the size of your game? The only person who can stop you from becoming successful is YOU. YOU FIGHT YOU. Increase the size of the fight in you and
face the truth about yourself. There is a BIGGER YOU inside that can create a destiny and future that’s staggering if you let it, and let the FIGHTING SPIRIT in you refuse to give up or be denied!" --Doug Firebaugh

My Friend Bethany

2011-04-18T09:04:00.000-06:00

I met my friend Bethany when our training team changed departments. When we moved to our new building, almost two years ago, my team was physically separated from each other to help us meet the department we had just joined. I was moved further away from my team and Bethany was my new neighbor.

I instantly like her. She never seemed to mind my inner turmoil; in fact she was very friendly and welcoming and was so real! I always have appreciated her real-ness.

She was our Principal trainer with the new system and she never let her stress outweigh her support of all the trainers. She may have broke down behind the scenes with my boss, but she was pretty good at not showing the world how stressed out she was.

Bethany took a new job this week and I miss my neighbor a lot, so we had a bit of a farewell lunch this past week.

Many of us will be joining Bethany and her family in the MS Walk on April 30. Her mom has had MS for 17 years and we want to help her find relief from the illness, and wouldn't it be nice to find a cure. Want to contribute? Click Here.

Bethany, you are awesome and stronger than you think, and I know you will flourish in the new position! I have loved working with you!

SLC Marathon 5K

2011-04-16T17:16:00.000-06:00

Today was the Salt Lake City Marathon, which includes a marathon, half marathon, 5K and a few other events.

We've been preparing to walk it for a few weeks....It wasn't a super rough course, but there was one incline that was my wall. I had to really push myself, but I did it in pretty good time. I really wanted to set a pace for myself that was my own pace. Not Eric's or the pace of other walkers/runners, which can be hard to do when you're seeing people pass you by.

The goal is to walk another 5K in two weeks (MS walk) and do it in less time.

For me, this was a very personal journey to remotivate myself to get back into shape. I am proud of my accomplishment as I am for the accomplishment of my friends who ran other races. Jessica ran the half marathon and should be so proud! My other friend ran the full marathon.

Here are some of my pictures. I took them using my old camera because I wasn't about to try and drag the big camera during the walk. Maybe another time.
I'll post some of the other pictures as I get them from the company that took pictures.

Friday Night Videos

2011-04-15T19:50:00.001-06:00

I'm posting early tonight because I have to be up very early tomorrow morning.

First up: a video sent to me from a friend that I find hillarious; about how a mother taught the birds and the bees to her eight year old daughter.

A very cute music video about photoshopping:

Another hilarious video.

Tuesday's Thought

2011-04-12T12:42:00.001-06:00

Today was my first day back to work after a personal extended weekend. I promptly forgot to grab the healthy lunch I'd prepared and packed (boo!). On the drive to work I got a call from a coworker that she would be unable to train the class that I was supposed to shadow (and learn). Lucky for me, I was able to train the first 40 minutes before another trainer who knows the content better, arrived to take over.

I realized I could have trained the content based on the lesson plans - and that makes me a real, honest-to-goodness trainer.

Anyway, all that aside here is today's thought:

Effort
One evening a young man came home in disgust after a football practice. He explained to his father that he felt that it wasn’t necessary to continue practicing because his team had not lost a game all season. The father took his son to his workshop in the garage and place a thin wooden board on the workbench and then handed his son a small penknife. He then asked him to take the penknife and scratch a line across the width of the board. After doing so, he locked the board and knife in a cabinet. This performance was repeated every evening after the young man returned home from football practice. Each evening the young man would walk out to the workshop with his father and draw the knife once along the deepening groove.
Then came the night when there was no groove. The last light effort had cut the board in two. The father looked up and said, “You never would have believed this possible with such little effort, would you? But the success or failure of your life depends not so much on how hard you try, but the accumulation of your efforts, and whether you keep at it.”
The persistent exercise of a little extra effort is one of the most powerful forces contributing to success. Many times we fall short of our objectives because of the lack of constant and determined effort. People of mediocre ability often achieve outstanding success because they don’t know enough to quit. They succeed because they are determined to. They know the importance of continued effort toward their goals. Philosopher James Allen defined it quite accurately: “In all human affairs there are efforts and there are results, and the strength of the effort is the measure of the result.” Every task you perform has an accumulative effect toward the achievement of your long-term goal. Everything counts. The important thing to remember is that you must do something every day, no matter how small, that will lead you toward the final accomplishment of your objective. Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned. You will always get out of things what you put into them. Just like getting interest on your money when you put it in the bank. Each effort that you make toward a desired task will at the end always pay you interest in the form of achievement.
Many people, despite sincere intentions, lofty aspirations, and a knowledge of how to achieve what they want, fall short of true accomplishment because of their unwillingness to put forth constant, never-ending effort. Thomas Edison emphasized this when he said, “I never did anything worthwhile by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by constant effort and hard work.” Your success and progress multiplies itself out of all proportion to the amount of effort you put forth. Rising to the top can always be reached by topping yesterday’s effort.
As you reach for the highest level of effectiveness in you personal and professional life, always keep this thought in mind: It is usually possible to improve a little more by putting in a little extra effort. It’s that “little bit more” that make the difference.
---Alexander Lockhart.