A-Z TAG about me!

A- ATTACHED OR SINGLE:Definitely single and on the prowl
B- BEST FRIEND: Briar
C- CAKE OR PIE: Probably cake, unless we are talking my Oma's strawberry pie
D- DAY OF CHOICE: Saturday, I get to sleep in and do whatever I want.
E- ESSENTIAL ITEM: Some form of music delivery system (CD player, iPod, radio), silk pillow case
F- FAVORITE COLOR: Purple
G- GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: Going through the temple and accepting myself for me!
H- HOMETOWN: Salt Lake City, Utah
I- INDULGENCES: New release movies and DVD's.
J- JANUARY OR JULY: January because it's perfect bundling up and cuddling weather. July can be too hot!
K- KIDS: Eventually. Still looking for the right guy.
L- LIFE IS INCOMPLETE WITHOUT: Love, laughter and family
M- MARRIAGE DATE: TBD
N- NUMBER OF SIBLINGS: 2 sisters 2 brothers
O- ORANGES OR APPLES: Apples, but not red delicious. I don't like all the white stuff on the oranges.
P- PHOBIAS OR FEARS: Misquitos. I don't know why! The idea of them sucking my blood creeps me out. (I would however let Edward Cullen suck my blood!)
Q- QUOTES: “True friendship is seen through the heart, not through the eyes."
R- REASON TO SMILE:Good music, the company of good friends, and warm spring days with a slight breeze when I can lay on the grass and enjoy the sun.
S- SEASON: Spring, when everything starts to bloom and grow.
T- TAG THREE FRIENDS: Jacob, Melissa, Katie
U- UNKNOWN FACT ABOUT ME: I eat cucumbers like apples.
V- VERY FAVORITE STORE: Barnes and Noble
W- WORST HABIT: late nights
X- X-RAY OR ULTRASOUND: Uh, neither? Unless it's a really super cool x-ray related to some heinous injury with an awesome story to go with it.
Y- YOUR FAVORITE FOOD: Meat, tasty delicious meat. Dark chocolate scotchmallows from See's.
Z- ZODIAC: Pisces

16 all over again!

When I first learned to drive my dad made an attempt to teach me how to drive a manual transmission. It was a total disaster and all of our cars were automatic anyway. Fast forward 6 years and my sister and her husband were living in Sugar City just outside of Rexburg, Idaho. I wanted to go visit them but my car would not have made it so I borrowed one of the family cars, a cute little Honda Civic, with a manual transmission. I knew the basics about driving a manual, I just had never had to put my theoretical knowledge into practice. I did just fine once I got on the freeway because you just keep it in 5th. The part I struggled the most with was going from neutral to 1st. So EVERY time I stopped whether it was at a traffic signal or because traffic in front of me wasn't moving, I stalled. Added onto that was the fact that my sister had erroneously given me the wrong directions that resulted in me going over 50 miles on the wrong highway before I figured it out. Finally I backtracked to Idaho Falls and had to negotiate the streets there. I stalled so many times at one light that I had put on the hazards and some very nice people had pulled over to see if they could help me with my car trouble. Imagine my humiliation as I had to explain that nothing was actually wrong with the car except for the operator. I'm sure they thought I was a complete idiot(and rightly so!) In Idaho I hear that they learn to drive manual transmission before they turn 12. Needless to say that I became emotionally scarred after making that trip up to Idaho. Fast forward to now and I have a car that needs a new starter. I have the part but have not found anyone who has the time to put it in for me so I have been without a vehicle for almost a month now. My parents got tired of having to go out of their way to get me to work everyday. This last Friday my dad offered to let me drive the work truck for the weekend. I knew that at some point it would have to happen because I will be driving the truck to southern Utah this week. I had extreme apprehension at driving the truck because of my experience driving to Idaho. But, either I am now better equipped to do the driving or this is way easier than the Honda Civic was, because I am actually not doing so bad! I am still having issues if I stop on a hill and my shift work can still be a little abrupt but I am feeling okay about driving now. And just okay because this weekend I felt like I was 16 again and that is not necessarily something I want to repeat!

Yeah for alternative energy!

The latest buzz words seem to be "carbon footprint" and "going green." Who can blame us when our cities seem to be covered in a thick haze of ozone. Not to mention the every increasing price of gasoline that sucks the money out of our wallets. I was extremely pleased to see that we aren't just resigned to relying on foreign oil and non-renewable energy sources. While driving through Spanish Fork Canyon I witnessed the blessed sight of a power plant under construction that is designed to harness the power of the wind. We have also seen the recent completion of the new fast rail line between Ogden and Salt Lake which opens officially on April 26th. Hooray! I also went to a bridal shower tonight and one of the guests made sure to point out that her wrapping paper was biodegradable and that part of her gift was reusable shopping bags. Hopefully the things we are doing to "go green" and reduce our "carbon footprint" will make a difference. But will it be too little too late?

I Love My Dog

I can't help it, I absolutely adore my dog. He is the cutest ball of fur EVER! We have a tradition in my family of unusual names for our pets. When I was younger we had a bird named Fogel (pronounced Foogel) which is the Norweigan word for bird. We also had more than one dog named Mosha, which is Norweigan for dog. When I was 12 we got a puppy and my 2 year old brother couldn't say dog, so we ended up naming our dog Kitty. So to follow our grand tradition we named our latest dog Fishy. Let me explain where the name came from. Anyone who watches Sesame Street knows Bert and Ernie. There is a sketch where Bert and Ernie are fishing on a lake and Bert can't figure out how Ernie keeps getting so many fish without even using a pole. Ernie shows Bert that he has a way of calling the fish, and they jump into the boat. "Here fishy, fishy, fishy, fishy, fishy!" Blame my dad. It also got to be a little confusing for my niece when she was learning her animals. A dog named Fish just added another level of confusion.(Not to be outdone my sister named their dog Soda) We actually don't know what kind of dog he is because we got him from the pound. We have been told 2 different things. One vet told us Labradoodle, one vet told us Australian Low-land Sheepdog. Meh, doesn't matter, he is a friendly, smart and personable dog. When we first got Fishy I was living at home and I had the privilege of having him sleep at the end of my bed every night. I miss him. I wish that I could take him home with me. So any opportunity I have to cuddle with him or take him for rides I enjoy. Here are some pictures I took recently. He's just so Muppet cute!

Media Overkill

There is no doubt that we live in a world of excess. This also applies to advertising. We see the same commercials over and over and over again. Perhaps this is why we have so many TV channels and radio stations, so that we can avoid the commercials. Because of my recent car trouble I have been commuting to and from work with my parents which means I must listen to whatever they do. Which is usually the local news station KSL. I have issue with this for several reasons. First being that the morning host Amanda drives me absolutely batty. She is so positive and upbeat that it comes across as fake. The other thing that bothers me is although I understand that the station is an unofficial subsidiary of the church, there was serious overkill today promoting the new movie "Emma Smith, the untold story." When I wasn't hearing a commercial, there was some sort of "news" story about the response people are having to a movie that only opened today! They were also over-promoting the fact that producers for Deal or No Deal are here in Salt Lake with "news" stories AND commercials. I can't wait to get my car fixed!! To top it all off I was channel surfing before heading out for another fabulous installment of Girl's Night when I discovered that TBS and TNT were both airing the newest King Kong and they were only a few seconds off from each other. There is NO WAY we have run out of movies to broadcast!

The Quiz

There is a magazine (that I won't admit to reading) that always asks the people they interview the same questions. I decided to share mine with you. I have censored some that don't and shouldn't apply to me. (ie, not appropriate)

Name: Hildegarde Cloverleaf

Nickname: Dramatica, Danish, Dani, Ica

The thing I've seen on TV or in the movies that I wish I could do in real life: Play the piano without the pain of carpal tunnel.

If I weren't in sales and marketing I'd be a: Lounge pianist or a composer

If I could trade lives with another woman for a day, it would be:

• Beyonce
• Angelina Jolie
• Reese Witherspoon
• Chelsea Clinton
• Fergie
• other: Diana Krall

My worst habit is:

• eating junk food, especially________
• swearing
• skipping the gym
• reading tabloids
• watching cheesy TV, especially ___________

The feature I get the most compliments on is my: Eyes

I am most insecure about my posture because I know it makes me look worse than I really am!

I get secretly annoyed when people call me my sister Maurisa's younger sister. I am the oldest!

The weirdest rumor I've heard about myself is that I sniff glue.

The best gift I've ever been given was a piano for my 23rd birthday.

My best stress reliever is listening to music, playing the piano, or singing.

You know a guy is perfect for you when:

• You can share comfortable silences
• Your mom likes him
• He makes you laugh
• You like the same food
• You like the same music
• Other: he knows all about me but loves me anyway!

My celebrity crush is: Daniel Craig, Harry Connick Jr., and Patrick Dempsey

It's really unattractive when a guy:

• Gets jealous
• Lacks motivation
• Has a huge ego
• Doesn't listen
• Other: doesn't respect me

The superpower I'd like to possess in real life is: a gift for languages

In relationships, I usually:

• Wear the pants
• Am the more emotional one
• Can't get enough PDA
• Make all the plans
• Over-analyze everything
• Other: Want to be considered an equal

I wish I could be more:

• Uninhibited
• Organized
• Relaxed
• Sexy
• Other: Financially independent

How would you answer? Some of them I had to really think about. Others came pretty easy.

Devastation of a Young Girl's Dream

I have been very fortunate to be blessed with flawless skin. It is one of my few vanities. Until recently I could count on one finger the total blemishes (aka zits, pimples, etc) that have graced my pasty, uh porcelain skin. Until recently. To my shock and total devastation I now have a huge "thing" growing on my forehead. Now I know people are saying, "Poor baby, she got a zit." with the thickest of sarcasm dripping from their words. But here is why I say this is devastating: I don't know what to do with them. I have made the unfortunate mistake of messing with it too early. I blame this totally on my lack of experience with said blemishes. So now of course I have made it worse than it needed to be. Is the forehead supposed to be a stress area? Because just the stress from this one could make me look like I have horns...... or boils,........ or an extra nose. Am I being too dramatic? Is it wrong that my world seems to be crashing down around me? :)

The Curse of the Modern Age

I have been reminded lately that I am getting older. Not that I needed someone to tell me, but recently my baby brother started driving. (I don't know that I can really call him my "baby brother" since he is 6'2" and could probably bench press me.) I have also recently had the misfortune of paying money on a car that is not functional at the moment. Not having a readily accessible vehicle has been tough! I have enjoyed the opportunity it has given me to wander the outdoors, but for longer distance trips like to my parents house or to work, I have had to rely on the generosity of others. Between sessions of General Conference on Sunday my brother picked me up so that I could enjoy the last session and dinner with my family at their home. This was my first opportunity to ride in a car when he was driving. I had some apprehension, but I have to admit that he is actually a pretty good driver.

The reason I mention my current vehicle-less status is that I really enjoy driving! I am required to drive a lot for my job, as I go visit clients as far away as St. George and Logan. Because of this I have had the opportunity to see the best and worst of drivers. When I began this job back in November and started driving a lot more I noticed how angry I was becoming by the end of the day. I decided that something needed to change if I was going to try and stay relatively pleasant. So the attitude that I have decided to adopt is pretty simple, but one that my dad doesn't really support. I am getting paid for my mileage and for my time, so if someone wants to cut me off or be a jerk, I let them. They are not worth me getting all worked up over it and doing something stupid in return. This also applies to traffic jams. I figure that I am already late so there is no point in speeding or driving erratically which could possibly lead to an accident. So I just chill out and enjoy the drive.

A consequence of being vehicle-less has been that if I want to go somewhere relatively close, I have been getting around on my own two feet. It has been great! Despite the strange warm/cold dance that has been happening lately, I love just being outdoors. It has made me super excited to go to Moab in May and then Flaming Gorge in August. I am hoping to convince my dad to let me borrow his bike on a semi-permanent basis. I have been happy to get back to my buried natural roots. (Not my hair, no one wants to see that much gray on someone my age)

Mmm, Mmm Good

Everyone has a food that is hard for them to resist, that food that makes your mouth water at the very mention of it. I can't speak to anyone else's, but my weakness is meat. Yummy, tasty protein rich meat. My penchant for meat is strong enough that I have come to the conclusion that I must have a protein deficiency. I'm not going to go to a doctor just to prove it, they might make me take pills or something when all I need to do to satiate my craving is eat some meat, eggs or peanut butter. So in case you were wondering, I will never be able to be a vegetarian. I still do enjoy vegetables, I just don't crave them. So even though eating meat may be "murder" it is oh so tasty.