Note. To. Self.

Notes to Self:

• Just because you want to pretend it's spring, going outside in 1 degree weather without your gloves is ill-advised.
• Dike is a word that people are actually allowed to use (something you did no know growing up).  In fact, they are building a dike a quarter mile from your house.  
• Although you are proud of the fact that you managed to screw on your plastic-bag-holder-thingy-from-Ikea to the cabinet door, it would have been a lot faster to have waited for Geoff.
• Rom isn't finding ways to sneak out of the backyard because he wants to run away, he's just a teenage boy.
• Don't admit it out loud, but you are kind of excited for your next business trip (in a couple weeks) because you'll get to take and use your new pillow pet mini on the plane.
• Hulu+ really isn't worth the $7.99 you are paying for it - but you're not going to cancel.
• Answering the question "where are you from" is getting increasingly complicated (well, I grew up in X, but went to school out in X and lived there for 5 years, and my parents now live in X, but I currently live in X).
• You are going to be 25 this October.  Maybe it's time to finally take Geoff to Disneyland.
• You and Geoff are singing in Stake Conference in a couple weeks.  It may be time to practice. 

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Just Drive.

Geoff and I loaded our stuff and our pups into the car this weekend and took a trip to Minneapolis as kind of a belated Valentine's Celebration.  We had a lot of fun.  The weather took a turn for the worst and ruined some of our plans, but we managed to make the most out of it anyway.

In order to not worry about kenneling the dogs or finding them a baby-sitter, we had to find a pet-friendly hotel that would also allow you to leave the dogs at the hotel (many hotels require you to take the dogs with you when you leave).  We also wanted to get a good deal.  We ended up finding a place at the north end of Minneapolis and we spent a lot of time in mid-town and south Minneapolis so we did a lot of driving to and fro'.  Neither Geoff nor I know our way around the Twin Cities, so the GPS was our best friend.  We took the same route 2 or 3 times.  Since I wasn't driving, I never paid attention at all to the route or how to drive it without the GPS.  However, I think the GPS figured out we had already taken the route before.

The first time we drove that way, I recall the GPS telling us "keep right at the fork," "keep left at the fork," "merge onto Minnesota 45 S," etc...  The second time, the same.

The third?  Well, the third time (I kid you not), we hear this direction: "Follow signs for Minnesota 45 S."  And then?  Silence.  Apparently she was tired of giving us the play by play.

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When Empathy Strikes

Each of us have those emotional strengths and weaknesses that make us unique.  I have been blessed (or cursed, as it may be) with a pretty strong sense of empathy.  I regularly cry on behalf of others or feel compelled to stand up for a person or opinion with which I may not be friendly or find myself in agreement.  I do this because I, seriously, feel angry or hurt for the person/opinion that is being attacked.  Anywho, this is getting more serious than intended.  

So, anyway, this empathy can hit me at the wrong moment and really cause me to make a fool of myself.  The hub is used to my crying during Swiffer commercials because I'm sad for the mop who is no longer loved or melting into a blubbering mess when a :15 commercial for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition teases me with some sad story about some amazing child or family overcoming adversity that makes my whole soul feel heavy with sorrow.  

Strangers on planes, however, are not prepared for the moment when the seemingly normal girl next to them is sniffling and wiping at her face with her sleeves because Secretariat just won the triple crown (in a movie, mind you, where winning the triple crown was a certainty from the moment the movie started).  

What a weirdo...

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Oh, Where is my Hairbrush?

Hello friends.  Sorry I've been a bit sporadic in my blogging as of late.  It's a busy life I lead.  I'm typing this from a lodge in a small town in Illinois, in fact.  In the next few weeks I'll be spending time in California (not work-related, thankfully), Detroit, and Arizona.

Anywho, I had a quick, amusing story to relate. 

About a week ago, Geoff made the obvservation that my hair was long overdue to be colored and encouraged me to head off to the salon for some pampering.  I (gladly) accepted his offer and head out after work one evening to get some blonde highlights.

It was a particularly window day in Fargo.  Geoff had a study session on campus until late.  When I arrived at the house around 8:30pm, the wind had blown a 2-inch snow drift on the driveway.  And, of course, snow started to fall from the sky at the same time.  I parked the car across the street and proceeded to blow the driveway clear with the power shovel.  The power shovel blows snow about 20 feet.  Which is good.  Usually. 

It's not so good when the wind is blowing 20 mph at you.  By the time I'm done shoveling, snow has landed on my head...melted from the heat of my body...and re-frozen due to the wind chill temps below zero.  Once I get into the house, my head begins to defrost. 

Needless to say, my new hair looks scary.  Very scary. 

I go to brush it out before Geoff gets home so I can dazzle him with my lovely locks.  But I can't find the brush. 

I look on the bathroom counter when I know I left it.  No brush.  I look in the bathroom cabinet.  No brush.  I look in the bedroom.  No brush.  I look in the office.  No brush.  I look in the kitchen.  No brush.  I'm running out of ideas. 

I text Geoff to see if he remembers seeing it, "Do you know where my brush is?"

Moments later he responds, "Possibly in my bag..."

I may have to rethink encouraging him to grow out his hair...

Categories:

Rawr

Happy Chinese New Year.  

As we enter the year of the Rabbit, I thought I'd reminisce a little about the year of the Tiger.  Literally.  I was born in 1986 - the year of the Tiger.  My mother is also a Tiger.  My nephew, born last year, is also a Tiger.  Excellent.  THREE generations of Tigers.  Rawr.  

Anyway, so I googled Tigers hoping to find some awesome Tiger-related information to explain how entirely awesome we are.  While I found plenty of that, I got distracted.  The following excerpt comes from ChineseZodiac.com (sounds legit, right?):

"Career: Tigers have a continual need to be challenged which may explain why they jump from job to job. This isn’t necessarily a problem because they’re smart and able to quickly master new subjects. The best jobs for Tigers are those that will lead them towards positions of leadership. Some suitable careers for Tigers include: advertising agent, office manager, travel agent, actor, writer, artist, pilot, flight attendant, musician, comedian and chauffeur."

I emphasize to you, "Some suitable careers for Tigers include: advertising agent, office manager, travel agent, actor, writer, artist, pilot, flight attendant, musician, and chauffer.

At first I was surprised.  How random is that to add to list.  However, my mother, fellow tiger, might argue that she spent most of her life chauffeuring me around.  

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