Spanish Fork Hot Springs

It's that time of year where it is beautiful to go hiking. The leaves are changing and the temperature is great... and it is the last chance to enjoy the outdoors before Winter comes. (unless you are into Winter sports... which I'm not). It is also cool enough to enjoy the hot springs. I mean... they are pretty hot.

I hadn't been to these hot springs in 9 years. John had never been... so he asked me if I wanted to go and off we went. The weather was perfect on Saturday, so I was so glad we went.

So you drive up Spanish Fork Canyon... turn off the main road... and then drive through the mountain for a while. Then you park... and it is a 2 1/2 mile hike each way. The beginning of the trail... it is open fields and lots of cows. In fact... you are watching the ground most of the time so you don't step in anything you don't want to.

Then the trail goes through the trees. This is where it starts to get real pretty.

We chatted while we walked... then, we were there. I didn't realize 9 years ago when I went how many hot spring pools there were. I stopped at the very top where there were two because that was the direction we came from. It worked out because it was beautiful and there were only a few people there and they ended up leaving and we had the place to ourselves.

A little ways down the creek, there were several more hot springs... and there were several more people. I was okay with our spot. :) They were HOT too... at least a 100 degrees. Took a little while to get in, but once I did it felt great. A little smelly, but great. :)

After spending a little while there, we headed back. It was a great day for a great activity with great company. It's a great spot if you have never been, you should go.

Cat Lady

Today my niece (Reanne) asked me if I was going to become a cat lady. Is that every single girls fate? I guess according to a 10 year old, it is.

This is not good....

Mr. Lovestruck

I'm not sure if this happens to other people... but sometimes I get random messages from people on facebook. I mean, I get random friend requests all the time. I don't know who these people are or how they found me... but they do. Since I don't know them, I don't accept their friend request.

Well, last week, I got a message from this guy in London. He is 30 and pretty cute, so I write back. Why not? I personally enjoy chatting and getting to know new people. Like having a penpal.

And so it began...

Mr. Lovestruck : I liked your picture I saw and that was why I sent you the friend request you look so sweet. It will be nice to get to know you better I hope you don't mind.

Me: No, I don't mind. Let's get to know each other. Tell me about yourself. What do you do?

Mr. Lovestruck: Am so happy you don't mind getting to know me, I don't mind getting to know you better as well... Its so nice you have such positive thought about your looks and yes indeed you are sweet and beautiful.. Good to hear you like making new friends, I like to make new friends too.... It will be nice to have you in Europe some time. I am single 30 years of age and I am interested in find a serious relationship that can lead to marriage. How old are you? And what kind of relationship do you seek? My favorite color is blue what about you? I like to eat sea foods and they are my favorite. I am mixed race by birth where my dad is from Austin texas and my mom from birmingham london, my dad died of cancer things became so had and rough for my mom so she decided to take me down to her home town which is where we are presently in other to easy her the responsibility of taking care of me alone. I am the only child of my parents i work with the less privileged here in london and I am a teach, I teach mathematics to kids between the ages of 5 to 10 years. What do you do for a living? and where are you from? I like to cook, dance and hangout with friends in my free time. I have told you about me and I will like to know about you as well for now I will stop here for now and hope to hear from you soon....

So I wrote him about myself.... nothing fancy... he wrote back saying he looked forward to my emails and they put a smile on his face, I wrote back (nothing mushy) answering his questions...


Mr. Lovestruck: Do you think we can get to love each other from online dating? is the distance a problem to you? i have never tried the online dating but it worked for my friend and he has been married for over 3 years now and i decided to give it a try. As for me the distance is not a problem for me

Me: *not really knowing what to say* I think it is pretty hard to say right now... we don't really know each other and we have never met

Mr. Lovestruck:

Thanks for your long message to me and i am so happy to read from you today, i came back from work and i went straight to the computer to see if i have a mail from you and you made my day when i saw your lovely letter. I can see i am finding you so interesting, am now eager to hear from you. i was getting so worried i did not hear from you as it was unlike you i felt i had said some thing wrong, but you have made my day now with your reply..... message continues

We wrote back and forth a couple more times... asking and answering get to know you questions. Then... things escalated quite quickly... for him.

Mr. Lovestruck:

Sweet Tracy My red heart is blue, because I am missing you. Every day, I think about you, and I imagine how great every hour, every minute, and every second would be if you were here with me. Since i met you every night, when I lie in bed, I dream that you are beside me, holding me close to you. If you were, I would whisper in your ear, how much I love and care about you. Since you came into my life nothing has been the same. I have experienced love and care to its fullest, and I have tasted a beauty that never ends, because you are where my happiness begins. I am incomplete without you, and I will never stop loving and caring for you. You are the world to me, in brilliant colors. You are my best friend, a favorite song that will never end. And together is where we should be. Someday soon. Till then i will stop here for now and hope to hear from you soonest.

Kisses and hugs Love You now and always

Me: He seemed so sweet and sensitive. I didn't want to hurt his feelings... but at the same time, I couldn't let him continue to have these sorts of feelings for me! It's just weird. We don't know each other at all. So I said...

The end of your email is very sweet... but I don't know how you love and care for me so much when we have never met. It takes me a lot longer to develop those types of feelings. I think you are great and very sweet.... but I don't know if you should be getting so attached when we are so far away and don't even know when we will have to opportunity to meet. Let's continue to get to know each other

Mr. Lovestruck:
I really can not wait for the first day we will have to meet each other face to face and have some fun together that will be one of the happiest day of my life. As i have taking you to be very important to my heart and just like i said before you have taking a very special place in my heart. Thanks for answering the questions and i must say i am okay with your answers. I want you to know i wrote that from the bottom of my heart. Just like you said you dont know how i love and care for you, I still dont know how it happened but i guess is because i am taking you serious and i am trying to trust and believe in every word you say to me. secondly you have the qualities i seek in a woman and i want you to know i am not just taking this as online penpal i want to take you serious and from the words you say to me i know we can have a good and sweet home together. I want you to bring out your heart and mind for this okay. Try and believe in me and in my words just like i have done for you and you will see the feelings in you will come out. I know we have never met but trust is what we need need now because without trust then there is no relationship. Put your trust in me and i will put my trust in you then we will have the best relationship ever. When we will meet should not be a problem for you, we should learn to develop feelings for each other and build this strong bound between us then we can then plan on how and when to meet each other. Thanks for your compliments its been long someone told me i am great and very sweet, i want you to know you are sweet and great too. My dearest Tracy there is a sea between our love, and I wish that it weren't true, for every day when I awake, I yearn to be with you. There are many miles between us, though you are always here in my heart, and every night, beneath the silver starlight, I pray for the day we will meet and never part. Till then i will stop here for now and i hope to hear from you soonest..

Take Care and have a nice and wonderful weekend. Kisses and hugs Love you now and always

So.... he didn't get it the first time. Just not sure what to say now. I just thought I had a penpal... then I don't know what happened. It started out so positive!

Flashback Friday 136

Here I am... back when I was 6.... not knowing how to sit like a lady. I'm not sure what the fox says... but I painted a picture of one. I remember being pretty proud of it too.

Confessions of a Brunette on the Internet 189

Right now, I am in my bed while I type this. I have the window open a little bit so that I can listen to the rain. I love listening to the rain while I am all warm and cozy inside. We had snow in the mountains this morning... it was 80 degrees the other day. Yep... it's fall in Utah.

I updated my phone this week to the new iOS7 or whatever on the iphone. I don't know if I love it anymore than the old version yet... but I don't hate it either.

Speaking of technology... I have evidence on my street that Google Fiber is coming... and it's exciting. I love that they chose Provo. I can't wait until it comes.

The other day my cousin Travis called me (the one I went and visited in Indiana) because "Purple Rain" came on the radio and he thought of me and had to call. We ended up talking for an hour. We really bonded over my trip. He is the coolest and I wish I lived closer to him. I would hang out with him all the time. He is going to be sending me a picture of his new fish and wants me to help him name it. :) So good to talk to him. Glad he called.

When I went to Mr. Body Builder's house, one thing he did have going for him... was an incredible view from his house. I love a good view. It's just beautiful scenery. Maybe one day I will have a beautiful view... of something. Right now, I guess I have a nice view of the mountain because we are right at the bottom of it.

Speaking of Mr. Body Builder... I can't believe what a hit that story was. Within 24 hours of posting, that blog post got 250 hits! I mean... I know it was entertaining. I was literally laughing on my way home from his house because I couldn't believe what happened and I couldn't wait to write and tell everyone about it. This got me thinking though... I already wanted to write a book about my dating life one day. However, I was going to wait to write it when I met my husband and it would just be for me and my family to read. After seeing how many people love reading about my guy stories, and talking to my sister about it, I think I just want to write it now. Still being single, ending the book with the things I have learned and the experiences have made me who I am and I am ok... even though I'm still single. My sister even said she would help me. I think people would read it. Obviously people like my stories. So I'm trying to decide which of my guy stories I should include. What are your favorites? I need to start gathering my thoughts and get an outline going.

Friday we celebrated my roommate Mackenzie's birthday. I made her a cake and decorated it... like I like to do for birthdays. We also went to Magleby's for dinner and then we came home and watched "The Host". We had both been wanting to see it. It didn't suck... it wasn't amazing. It was a fun night though. I really like Mackenzie and I'm really glad that she moved in. She is fun and chill and I feel like we relate to each other. She's awesome.

Along with her that night's birthday celebrations, she mentioned that she wanted to get a massage. I told her I have been meaning to get a massage for over a year. Pathetic for a massage therapist... I know. So we scheduled them for Saturday at Remedez. I'm so glad we went. I had been needing one so bad. I felt like a million bucks after. In fact, I felt so great that I decided I can't neglect my body any more... and since all of my massage therapist friends are flaky and don't trade with me anymore ... I signed up to get a massage there next month and will continue to schedule appointments every month. I feel good about this decision.

My visiting teacher came yesterday. I have a new visiting teacher. I mean... we were already friends. Erin is the sweetest. Her first time visit teaching me, yesterday, she brought me a cute shirt! Who does that? That is the first time I have ever received clothes as a visiting teaching gift. It's cute too... I'm pretty excited to wear it.

Weight loss update. I lost 3 pounds and an inch and a half since I last weighed in. Not bad... but I really need to get strict and not cheat EVER and start doing more core workouts so I can get tone while I lose my last bit of weight.

We are getting closer to our big Southeast Asia trip. I'm SO excited. We had a little trip planning meeting on Saturday and talked about the things we really wanted to do while we were there. We are each going to become experts on a certain area of our trip... research and then come back and tell the group. I found a place in Northern Thailand where you could own an elephant for a day. It sounds pretty legit. You get to feed them and bathe them and ride them bareback through the jungle to a temple and some waterfall. It is total jungle book style. If you had that opportunity... would you do it? I think it sounds awesome.. but I love animals. Also... any suggestions of what to do in Thailand, Cambodia or Vietnam are welcome. :) I'm super excited about this trip. Only a little over a month away.

So on Sunday we had stake conference. Usually you have a Saturday night session and then a Sunday Session. Because of the BYU football game, we had two Sunday sessions. I hated it. I don't even care about BYU football... so it made me hate it even more. However, conference was good... just made for a long day with two session and I went to a fireside that night as well.

In other news.... I didn't even mean to, but my toenail polish and my shoes totally matched my top on Sunday. I love dressing up.

Photo of the Week 187

I just love my heels. They are just so fun.

High Heels

So... when I like things.... I really like things. Example: Hat Obsession and Nail polish addiction. It is just so fun, I love it and am attracted to those things when I go to the store... and well... I just get more. I mean... they are all different after all.

In the last few years, I have really been loving high heels. And I mean high! I just love them. I feel like they are cute and they make my legs looks good and it makes me look slimmer and more fancy and dressed up. I love it. I have some really cute heels... so I thought it would be cute to get a picture... I guess there is a reason why my nieces call me fashionista. ha ha

Mr. Body Builder

I have not known many body builders in my life. When I think of body builders, I think of the substitute bus driver in elementary school who passed one of his speedo pictures around the bus for all of the kids to see. I think of fake tans and I think of the really nice guy that talks to me at the gym that I met playing volleyball that loves to talk to me about health and show me his abs and tells me about the body building competitions that he has entered over the years.

Well, now I have a new person to think of when I hear "body builder"...

It started when my roommate Mackenzie and I were at the rooftop concert. We had some time in between bands where we got a little bored. So naturally we both got on Tinder and started swiping. In my choices, we came across a 35 year old who was showing off of his muscles and it was obvious that he was a body builder. Honestly... not my type. However I thought about it. I thought... he looks like he could be nice, and he is kind of cute despite the muscles that are not proportioned to his body. Mackenzie convinced me to swipe yes... so I said why not. I mean, just because I say yes, doesn't mean that he is going to also. Well... he had. We were a match. Soon after he started talking to me. Then added me on facebook and sending me messages. I was unsure about him from the start... but I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes you can be pleasantly surprised right?

Well, when I first got back from Vegas, he invited me over to his house to watch a movie with him. Typically meaning they just want to hook up. Shortly after inviting me over to watch a movie and told him I would think about it... he sent me a picture and then a winky face. Typically I keep these guy posts anonymous and don't show names or pictures, but I HAVE to show this picture...

I blew him off. Told him no. The picture just helped confirm my decision. I mean... do you see his pose? I didn't really feel like it anyway. A few days later I get a text from him calling me a flake. OK... one thing I am NOT is a flake. If I say I am going to do something, I do it. I never committed to anything, therefore, I am not a flake. I asked him what he was talking about.... seemed like kind of a dramatic text to send. More and more things are not going in his favor.

Somehow... he convinced me to come over tonight. So I did. My roommates and I had already been laughing about this guy... I told my roommate Sabrina that I was going to go meet him and maybe I would come back with a good story. Well.... I got one! Ha ha.

I show up at his house and he is short. Which I figured. Then he gives me this long awkward hug and thanks me for the long hug in which I felt I had no control over. I walk into his place and he has music playing... there is a big bouquet of sunflowers on the table and candles lit EVERYWHERE around the apartment. I sat at the table while he got me a drink so that he knew I wasn't going to get comfortable and made it very clear to him that nothing was going to be happening with the two of us while I was there. He claimed that was not the reason he invited me to his house and he got really defensive and said he didn't take rejection well and was just acting weird. Conversation was terrible. He was defensive about everything I said. He wouldn't let me talk and when I did try and talk he was rudely ask me if he could finish first before I talk. I don't think I was even giving him pleasant looks while we were talking. Then he goes to sit on the couch... obviously wanting me to follow. I sat on the other couch. He didn't like that. He gets me to sit on the couch next to him.... With his hand grabbing my leg, he starts telling me about how his dad left when he was little and was abusive to his mom and he grew up wanting to beat up his dad and then his dad came around once he started winning body building competitions. He also mentioned that he has a hard time keeping all of the girls straight because he has been getting "so much action" on the few online sites that he is on. *which makes me wonder why he cared so much that I came over*

This is where things start to get real interesting....

All of the sudden, there is a loud bang on the door. Mr. Body builder just sits there. I suggest that it is okay for him to get the door. He says he isn't expecting anyone, so he is not getting it. They knock again loudly and ring the doorbell and couple of times.
Me - "ummm... maybe you should get it."
 He gets up and walks by the door and asks who it is. It's an officer. He doesn't say anything and then walks back and sits back down on the couch.
Me -  "uh, aren't you going to get that?"
Mr. Body Builder -  "no, I have company over and I don't want to deal with it. There is no business with me, so I don't need to answer the door."
The officer knocks again and rings the doorbell again.
Mr. Body Builder -  yelling "Go away!"
The officer -  also yelling back "I'm not going anywhere until you open the door"
Mr. Body Builder - "Well then you can sit there on my front porch all night for all I care"
The officer - "Will you please just answer the door so I can talk to you?"
Mr. Body Builder - "No, you were very rude with how you knocked on my door"
I sit... speechless and slightly frightened when the officer goes to the back window by where we were sitting and shines the flashlight in the window. Mr. Body builder doesn't go anywhere.
Me - "Are you in some kind of trouble?"
Mr. Body Builder - "No, I'm sure this has to do with my old tenant"
Me - "Well... then don't you think it would just be easier and less awkward for everyone if you just answer the door and tell the officer that so this will all go away?"
Mr. Body Builder - "You know what, this is none of your business and I don't like that you are telling me what to do in my house"
Officer is still knocking at the door and ringing the doorbell.
Me - "Well, I don't think that he is going anywhere anytime soon, so if you are not going to do anything about it, I'm going to go..."
Mr. Body Builder  - "Do you feel uncomfortable?"
Me - "Yes, very much so!" *I was looking for an excuse to leave anyway, so this was perfect*
As I am getting up and grabbing my purse...
Mr. Body Builder - "Ok, I'm sorry you feel uncomfortable. I don't want you to leave, but if you feel like you want to, go ahead, just close the door behind you.

So I left. Slightly still frightened but mostly just relieved to no longer be in that house with him. As soon as I walked out, the officer saw me and called me by name. Probably looked up my license plate since it was in the driveway trying to figure out what was going on. Asked me if Mr. Body builder was always so rude. I said I had no idea, I didn't really know him but left because I felt uncomfortable and would not have handled the situation in the same way and gave the officer as much information about Mr. Body Builder that I could and he thanked me and I went home.

On my drive home.... Mr. Body Builder calls me twice. Leaves a message. Obviously I didn't answer. The message basically was saying that he wanted to talk to me about what happened... tried to explain why the officer was there and then told me he wanted to talk to me about it because he was uncomfortable with me telling him what to do when someone was knocking at his door and was uncomfortable with how I left and understands if I never want to see him again, but that I needed to talk to him about it first.  Yeah.... I didn't call him back.

Then he sends me a text saying "Why won't you talk to me? I was really enjoying your company!" Yeah... didn't reply to that either. Make up your mind, do you like me or are you upset at me for telling you what to do in your house? ha ha

He calls again... This is the message he left.
"Good afternoon Tracy, this is Mr. Body Builder. All I'm asking for sweetheart is one call that's all. I'm new to online dating and if I offended you or disturbed you ... uh... any of that stuff that's negative, I would like to speak to you just about the situation in general because of being online and the new dating stuff, we talked about that before and I would at least like to have a conversation with you. I know you aren't interested in being my friend because you deleted me as a friend on facebook and I understand, I'm happy to go my own way and stuff... I just want to have one simple conversation with ya. So if you could be kind enough and give me the courtesy for that sweetie and your welcome to call me anytime you want to just talk to me for a couple of minutes to have a simple conversation about it and then I will feel better. I would appreciate that very much so. Thank you, I look forward to hearing from you. Bye now."

If you are thinking... I bet she didn't call him back... You are totally correct. I wish he stopped there. He decided to send a couple more text messages before he hopefully has given up.

"One call that's all :-) give me that Tracy Mills"
"It would mean a lot. You know I get so emotional over this online dating stuff"

Dear Mr Body Builder, You will NEVER hear from me again! Please move on to all of the other "action" you have going on online. Good luck with dating and good luck with the cops. Thanks for providing another guy story for my blog. It had been a while.  Sincerely, Tracy

Full Moon Ski Lift Ride Take 2

A couple of years ago, I went on the Full moon ski lift ride at Sundance for the first time. I LOVED it.  I don't know why I haven't gone since... maybe because I wanted to go on a date for it next time and I hadn't been invited. This year I put it on my fall bucket list. I also happened to be asked on a date to go. Win win.

Last time I went it was SUPER crowded! This time, we pretty much just walked on. One reason being, the BYU vs U of U game was going on. Thank goodness John and I both don't really care about that. Second of all, it was a little overcast... so the moon didn't light up everything like it did last time I went. It was still wonderful though. I just love it. It is so relaxing and peaceful. Utah is so beautiful and I love taking full advantage of my surroundings. It was John's first time and he really enjoyed it as well. It was pretty hard to get pictures since it was so dark... but we tried...

We went on the last one for this month. They will be doing it one more time for a few days before and up until Halloween and then they are done until next summer. If you have never done  it, I recommend it. It's a fun date... gives you an excuse to cuddle up. :)

Provo Farmers Market

I went to the farmers market last year and enjoyed it, so I felt like I should go again this year (even though I can't eat fruit right now and that is a lot of what they sell). I wanted more local honey, so I was willing to go just for that. So this morning, my roommate Mackenzie and I went. 

There was a lot of food trucks and stands more than there were produce. Maybe that is just because it is the end of the season? I'm not sure. 

We had some live music again this year. Always love that. 

Then of course there was produce. Mackenzie bought lots of peaches that looked amazing. 

Then I got my local honey AND some hot sauce. Sampled it and it was pretty tasty, so I'm excited to try it on some meat. Oh! And the best part of farmers market... we stopped to look at this nativity made out of banana leaves. The couple was at the stand was from Kenya and said that is where the nativity was made. I told her that was awesome and that I had been to South Africa. She asked me if I had been on a safari and I said yes and she told me I should go to Kenya. I told her I want to go to Kenya next time I go to Africa... besides Egypt. She told me they go every march and told me I should come. I didn't think she was serious until she gave me her card and told me to get a hold of her if I wanted to go with them. I said I would. Not going to lie... it would be pretty sweet to go to Kenya with a local. More than anything, I loved how friendly she was and that she actually invited me to come along with them. How great is that? Go to Provo farmers market, get invited to Kenya. 

I'm all about supporting local business. :)

Flashback Friday 135

Got a text from my high school choir bestie, Catherine. Seriously love that girl. It was a nice surprise. She is one of those people that I never got sick of hanging out with in high school... pretty sure we never got in a fight... she is just chill and I would love to take a trip with her one day... who knows if that would happen... but I just think the world of her. She had seen the choir video I posted a couple of weeks ago... so we were laughing about that.

So here is a picture of Catherine and I when we were freshman in high school. 1998. Good times!

Confessions of a Brunette on the Internet 188

I have been reading the 5 Love Languages book. My old roommate, Sarah, gave it to me for Christmas and I am just getting around to reading it. I"m enjoying it. It is good information even though I'm not married. I'm almost done with the book, but I still haven't figured out what my love language is. I thought it would be obvious to me... but it's not.

They just put the second season of New Girl on Netflix... guess that will tie me over for a couple of days while I still look for a new show. I also watched the entire season of The Aquabats Super Show... surprisingly. It is pretty silly... but I guess I was so blown away that they had a show that it kept me watching. Plus they hold a sentimental place in my heart. ha ha.

I didn't weigh myself again this week, so I don't know exactly how much I have lost... but I can tell you this, every pound that I lose I feel like makes a difference. I just feel more and more skinny everyday. I see pictures of myself and am just amazed because I never thought I would be this thin.... like ever. It feels great. I also signed up my second client this week to be a health coach to. My roommate. :) I'm excited that someone else in my house will understand my journey. Also one less person to put out tempting treats for me. Every week they have a conference call where they focus on one healthy habit for this program. This week they talked about yo yo dieting and my health coach had me get on the call and share my story. Even if people are not listening live, they record the call and people can call in and listen to it later. I wasn't sure what I should say, but I guess a lot of people related to me and loved my story. I guess one more reason why I should feel good about becoming a health coach. :)

We have been having a crazy amount of fruit flies lately. They are SO annoying and harder to kill because they are so small and there are so many of them. We got fed up with them. I saw on Pinterest to put out a bowl with Apple Cider Vinegar and some soap and poke holes in the lid or covering and then overnight you have killed many fruit flies. We decided to give it a shot. Turns out... it works! So if you are ever having a problem, try this. I have been keeping a tally of how many have died. I think we have 30 or so as of now.

I went out with John again. We went to the park to fly my kite because it was kind of windy out. I was actually pretty excited because I bought this kite like 9 years ago for 97 cents and it still works awesome after all of these years. Plus I am pretty impressed that I have kept it all of this time. Best 97 cents I have ever spent. :)

I have been really wanting to wear fall clothes... but I also don't want to accept that summer is over. At this point... the weather is 50/50 so I can pretty much go either way but this week has been a battle. I think I have gone half and half dressing for fall and summer. I think part of it is that I just wanted to wear some of my new clothes that I had bought over the weekend with Lolly in Vegas.

I pretty much blogged about my weekend in Vegas, but what I didn't tell you is that I got 100% on my sleep quality for the second time. First time was in July. Obviously my weekend get away was much needed.

Obviously I gave my blog a makeover. I needed the change. I gotta keep it cute and trendy. Don't get me wrong, I loved the old look, but I am LOVING the new look. I like the new header a lot... just wish I knew how to make it stretch across the whole top. I even somewhat got my tabs back. Yep... I'm happy with the new look. It is so.... me :)

So sometimes I still get Charlie Horses. I feel like I'm too old for this. Are you ever too old for Charlie Horses? ha ha. I don't know. I know that I got them all of the time in High School... but not a ton as an adult. So I don't know what is up with that. I got a bad one last night. They always come in the middle of the night when I'm sleeping... and then I wake up in pain. No bueno.

Even though my Vegas trip was totally last minute and I didn't even tell anyone I was going... well... I kind of told one of my roommates that I might go. Anyway... I just up and left and ran away from my boy problems to my best friend and did retail therapy. My roommates are so sweet and thoughtful, because even though I didn't tell them I was leaving or when I was coming back, I still came home to this... and it made my day. I felt very loved.

On Friday, my co-workers and I played softball for an hour. I mean... we pretty much just shagged balls. We didn't have enough people to play a game. It was SO fun though... at least for me. Partially because I didn't play any softball this summer because our ward didn't have a team. So I totally missed it. I love softball. I was catching lots of balls, hit almost everything that was pitched to me. So fun. I can't say this very often, but it is one of the few sports that I don't suck at. After playing softball we went out to lunch at Thai Ruby and we were gone from work for about 3 hours which I never complain about. Then it was my bosses birthday so we also had a little party in the conference room with red velvet cake (which I did not eat). Friday was a good day!

Speaking of birthday's... today was my co-worker (Lauren's) birthday. Her treat of choice was Einsteins Beagles. They bought the seasonal pumpkin beagles and pumpkin cream cheese. I had to try one bite of this... you know, since I had never had it before and it IS seasonal. It was pretty good... but when you are not used to eating heavy carbs.... boy... I just felt it in my stomach. It was weird. But that one bite sure tasted good.

Last night I got a call from my dad... asking me where I was on Sunday and why I didn't come to family dinner. We chatted for a little while as he drove to pick up my mom from the airport which her flight had been delayed 5 hours. Then I get another call, this time from my mom around 10:30. Shortly after my dad picked up my mom... the car broke down and they were stuck on the side of the freeway and asked me if I would come and get them. So off I went a few minutes later to go get my parents stranded in Salt Lake. It was a little frustrating trying to find them, but once I did, we just cruised home. Made a little of a late night for all of us. After dropping my parents off in Mapleton, I ended up getting home sometime after 1am. Good thing they have a single daughter with no kids that is a night owl. :) I mean.... regardless of my circumstances... I would have gone to get them. I was just glad I didn't end up going country dancing again because  I wouldn't have been home nor would I have had my phone on me.

At Institute, some of my friends and I had noticed that we were all wearing similar colors that night. We all stood next to each other and realized that together, we created an ombre'. So of course we took a picture, because that's how I roll. Also, I just love my friends. End of story.

Photo of the Week 186

I didn't have any new pictures... so I pulled a picture from my Boston trip almost a year ago. Probably was reminded of Boston because half of my co-workers are going there in the beginning of next month. It's a great city. I hope to go back and explore more one day.

Blog Makeover

I have changed over the past 4 years... so should my blog right? I mean... I had been thinking about it for a while, but I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with it... so I didn't do anything. Well, I felt inspired today... so I'm saying goodbye to my old background and header! It has been great for me, but the change is LONG overdue! What an appropriate time too. Age 30. New phase of life... 

Michael Jackson ONE

One of the things I did in my spontaneous trip to Vegas this last weekend was go to see the new Michael Jackson ONE Cirque de Soleil show. Last Cirque de Soleil show I saw was also with Lolly... a couple of years ago. We went and saw Beatles LOVE, which I loved... so I had even high expectations with this show because I am such a HUGE Michael Jackson fan. Have been since I was in 3rd grade. I mean, I even through a Michael Jackson birthday party for my friends! Lolly had also never seen it, so we were both super excited to go. We dressed up for a night on the town (my shoes were kind of Michael Jackson style) and headed to the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino theater. We were trying to figure out what was playing in that theater before this show... we finally figured out that it was The Lion King... which I also saw there.

We got to the theater and got all kinds of excited. All of the people working at the theater dressed in different Michael Jackson outfits.

I loved checking out how they decorated the theater to honor Michael Jackson. There were dance silhouettes on the walls. A series of pictures of Michael doing the moonwalk. One of my favorites... the wallpaper, it was all of his song titles in different fonts. What an awesome idea!

The show was awesome. They had a good mix of Michael Jackson's music through the years... even a little bit of his young MOTWON. It was visually stunning as an Cirque de Soleil show is with lots of amazing stunts... but on top of that, what makes this show different from others is that they include a lot of Michael Jackson style dancing along with the acrobatics. It's awesome! Lolly and I both agreed that one of our favorite parts of the show was when the stage was dark and people were dancing with lights on their suits. They did some neat tricks and dances with this. It was seriously awesome. Throughout the show I just kept saying... WOW!! ha ha. I don't know how else to describe it. All I can say is I loved it and am SO glad that we went.

Then of course you have to take pictures next to the display outside. Lolly and I have learned from past shows and concerts... EVERYONE wants to do that after the show and it gets all kinds of crowded. We decided to do it before the show this time, that way we could just peace out after the show. We are learning. It was a good move. :) Anyway... if you are going to spend anytime in Vegas, and you like or love Michael Jackson's music, go see this show! You won't regret it. Plus, Cirque de Soleil shows are always a good idea. Seriously. Thanks Lolly for another great night out on the crazy town of Vegas!