Giving Tuesday

I hate Black Friday. I mean, I HATE it.


(If you don't want to read all of this, skip to 'THE PURPOSE OF THIS POST' - or just click this link and read the story)


I've never been shopping during it, and I hope it stays that way. The first time I heard about someone getting trampled to death during Black Friday shopping I was physically sick. It was so sickening to me that people were so focused on the shopping and deals and gimmegimmegimme that they literally killed someone.

Black Friday can literally kill people.

And all of this happens a day after (now the day *of* - which also makes me sick) we are supposed to express gratitude for everything we already have.

The gratitude doesn't seem to last long...

Personally, I try to avoid shopping of all kinds as much as possible between Halloween and Christmas. People are mean, and people scare me.

(For the record - I'm not hating on you if you're a Black Friday shopper. But there's a good chance I'm scared of you.)


Slightly off topic, but not really - I'm a sucker for do-good stories. I love hearing stories about people helping out people, in big ways and little ways. Those stories help me not be afraid of people.

I hear about struggles that some people are faced with and often think, 'there but for the grace of God go I.' Thinking that, I try to help when I can. I've often described myself as a poor government employee. And in many ways I am. However, I try to remember that I am so much more fortunate than so many others out there. Spending a year and a half in sub-Saharan Africa really helped open my eyes to that, and I try to keep that in mind when I find myself complaining about my first-world problems.

Anyway, I'm part of this email list where this group plans and does awesome things for people. For a while I was lucky enough to be part of this micro-giving campaign where I donated just a few dollars a month, and with enough people doing that, they were able to do some amazing things.

When I was emailed about Giving Tuesday I wondered if I had been living in a hole since I had never heard of this thing. A quick google search found a website and a look at their FAQ revealed that this is the 2nd annual Giving Tuesday.

So I've only been living in the hole for a year.

Not bad.



THE PURPOSE OF THIS POST

I was emailed through this group about Giving Tuesday and helping to spread the word about this little boy and his family whose lives will be dramatically changed if they can get a wheelchair accessible van.

Here's the donation link.

I hope Christian's family is able to get the van soon. What an amazing thing that would be for them. And wouldn't it be amazing to be a part of it?

Give anything. One thing I learned about from the microgiving thing was that lots of little things can make a big difference.

A Few Things

Or more than a few things. We'll see how this goes.

1 - I've been seeing a voodoo doctor (aka kinesiologist) who's been helping me with some things. Kinesiology is very energy based. I went to him after going to a {normal} doctor who had me get blood tests done and told me my thyroid was fine but he was worried about my blood sugar and my low vitamin d. I started taking supplements that he recommended but then didn't go back to him. What he told me didn't sit right with me.

I finally went to see a kinesiologist that my mom had seen a couple of times. In my first visit he told me my thyroid was off. He also mentioned my sugar levels were a little high but didn't seem overly concerned about that. He gave me some more supplements to take, and I've gone back to see him twice more. Also in that first visit he did allergy/sensitivity testing and told me I shouldn't eat dairy, sugar, wheat, corn, avocados (I wanted to hit him for that one), chocolate, peanuts, and... I think that's it.

Isn't that enough?

Here's the magic of it all - before I saw him I had stopped eating dairy, gluten, and sugar for almost two months.

I lost 9 lbs.

I was trying to be happy with the 9 lbs, but at the same time I kinda thought, 'only 9?' For being that restrictive and exercising as much as I was, I was hoping/expecting it to come off a little faster than that.

Since the first time I saw Dr. Brady (chiropractor by education, hence the 'doctor') on October 10th, I've lost 14 lbs. In 6 weeks. And I haven't really been exercising (not bragging about it, just stating a fact). And by 'haven't really' I mean I go on occasional, very short, walks with the pups. Poor pups.

I've lost 21 lbs. total (a gain of 2 from the original 9 before seeing Dr. Brady - in case you're keeping track) and I'm planning on losing at least 30 more, but probably closer to 40-43. Currently I'm at the weight I was when I was feeling extremely over weight and desperate to lose, so I joined weight watchers and lost 30. It's amazing to me that right now I'm feeling pretty good. I notice the difference in how I feel and how clothes fit. It's all relative isn't it? I'm still pretty anxious to lose the weight, but before where this was my starting point, it's now my middle, and I'm happy that I've made it this far.

Anyway, I'm thrilled with how much better things are going.

{Sorry, that was a long '1.' Still with me?}


2 - A cat moved into our backyard about two months ago. She/he (we haven't become that well acquainted yet) is very friendly and comes when it's called. My parents have both said they feel bad that it's stuck outside, especially as it's getting colder. If it's invited into the house soon (by my parents, not me), I won't be that surprised. Some days I'll leave a little food out for it (not that I'm inviting it in, but I figure if it's going to live out there anyway, it may as well have food). Yesterday I saw it outside so I went out and called it (you know, the 'kitty, kitty, kitty!' and clicking tongue call). It came right over and let me pet it. It was arching into my hands, rubbing against my legs, and purring. After a little while I went into the house and brought out some food. It came over to eat and while it was eating it made these purring-but-not-purring noises and it sounded like it was talking to me. I've never seen a cat do that before. It was pretty cute.


3 - In 1993 my grandma bought a new green honda accord. She took me to the DMV to take my driver's license test in that car - and I passed. In 1999 they passed the car onto my parents and I drove it senior year of high school. My sister drove it her senior year of high school, and when my brother came home from his mission in 2001 after my sister graduated, he bought the car from my parents. Three years later when I got home from my mission, my sister and I bought it from my brother. Less than a year later when my sister got married, I bought her half. I've been driving it for a little over 9 years. I love this car.

There's a point to this.

I'm starting to look into getting a new (to me) car. My awesome little green honda is getting pretty run down. I'm sad at just the idea of getting rid of it, so it might be slightly traumatic when the time finally comes. I emailed (at my mom's suggestion) my grandma asking about the possibility of her getting a new car and passing on her current car (a 10-year old honda accord) to me. She and my grandpa were ready to give me their car when my car was stolen, so I know it's not outside the realm of possibility. But I told her multiple times that there's no pressure to do so, I just thought I'd explore this option before looking elsewhere.

Also, I think my dad has been ready to get rid of his (7-year old) pontiac whenever he has a legitimate reason to. He was also ready to pass his car on to me before my car was found. So it looks like I've got some possible options. I'd rather stay with a foreign car. They seem to hold up better - and I'm in love with Honda; but I'll do whatever makes the most sense.

I've put some money into this car to get things fixed, but each time I've done that it's been totally worth it. The money I've spent over the years doesn't come close to adding up to what a car payment would have been, so I'm really glad I've held on to it for as long as I have.


4 - I went to a training last Saturday for therapy dogs. I learned what's required of a therapy dog team (my and my pup) and what he needs to learn to pass the evaluation. I want to get Max certified as a therapy dog. He has an amazing temperament and is great with humans (and animals) of all sizes and ages. There are some people who have come to the house multiple times who aren't dog people but love this dog. He's awesome. And I'm only a little biased.

I think he's just about ready to pass the evaluation too. There are a couple of things I want to work on with him, but I don't think it'll take long to get him ready.

I won't even consider Belle as a therapy dog. First of all, she wouldn't come close to passing the evaluation. Second, just no.


5 - I left my phone at work today. Other than bothering a couple of co-workers to get some numbers from my contacts and send a text for me, I really haven't needed it. It's been good to have a little bit of a break from it. It makes me think about unplugging for 24 hours. I think I'll try that sometime.


6 - My very talented designer/decorated friend is helping me redecorate my bedroom. On Monday she told me how to rearrange things, so I did. We'll try to go look at bedding sets sometime too. In the process I've decided I made a big mistake when I bought a new bed and stayed with a twin. I should have at least gone with a queen. Two or three nights ago when Belle fell off the bed I figured that her vote would be for a bigger bed - assuming I gave her a vote. Which I don't. But I'm wanting the queen enough that she doesn't even need a vote. So I'm trying to sell my twin mattress set on ksl and I mentioned it on facebook. Good luck to me.


7 - I love, love, love this flash mob. It's my favorite. And sometimes I look it up just so I can watch it a few or 13 times.

I love the music, I love the song, I love the composer, I love that Beethoven was almost completely deaf when he composed this symphony. I love that this is called 'Ode to Joy' when he himself had had a fairly joyless life. I love that when he conducted this his directing got off and he was still leading when the orchestra and choir finished. I love that one of the singers stopped him and turned him around so he could see the crowd standing, cheering, and waving hats, handkerchiefs, and hands in the air. I love it all. I'd love to learn the song. In German. And English.


How's that for a catch-up?

I'm sure there's more, I just can't think of it right now.

Boots

I have never owned a pair of boots.

I've lived in Utah for 15 years. 

I've stolen my mom's uggs a few times to walk the dogs or deliver Christmas gifts to the neighbors. I think that's it. 

I will admit that the first time I wore the uggs I was amazed that my feet weren't cold and wet and I was walking in the snow. 

I decided it was time I owned a pair. 

And then I made it two. 

At the same time. 

Justfab.com was having a sale, so I ordered. 

And today they came (a day early thanks to the super-late mail deliver today so FedEx got them to the post office in time to be sorted). 

I tried them on. 

And took these two not-so-great pictures of them. 

I learned it's difficult to take good pictures of boots when you're wearing them and you don't want to walk to a mirror. 

Life lessons. 

Birthday Bonfire

For the first time, I started a fire on my own. With my friend Annikki. So not totally on my own. (:

I like fire. And I like taking pictures of fire.

Obviously.

Beefcake Cards

Years ago my sister introduced me to the hilarity that is 'beefcake cards.'

She told me about one that she bought for her mother-in-law's birthday that had a picture of a ripped guy on the front.

It said - you may be getting older, but this guy doesn't care...

Inside - ... He can't count that high anyway. 

Then one year she sent me one for my birthday. 

Last month I got one for a friend's birthday and today she reciprocated. 

Enjoy -

What a Way to Celebrate

Tonight I went to Madeleine's Steakhouse for dinner. A friend of mine was treating me to a birthday-eve celebration.

We went, we dove into the strawberry lemonade (soooo good) and enjoyed a plate of nachos and a cajun pasta dish (my many, many dietary restrictions were put on hold for the weekend).

We came home to put on a movie, and while doing a few other things before the movie, both of us starting feeling less than awesome.

I don't think it's food poisoning or anything - thank goodness - but something did not sit right.


If I ever go back, I think I'll only have the strawberry lemonade. (:

Puzzles

Last week on Monday a coworker mentioned that she and her mom to puzzles a lot. A 500-piece puzzle will take them one night to finish, and a 1000-piece puzzle takes them two.

I told her I couldn't remember the last time I had done a puzzle and I honestly didn't think I had ever done a jigsaw puzzle all by myself start to finish. Normally when I see people doing puzzles I'll look at the pieces until I'm able to fit two of them together and then I say, 'I'm out!'

That's the extent of my contribution.

I decided that puzzles are probably a good way to exercise your brain (I've done zero research into whether this is true or not, but it makes sense to me), and that I should probably start doing puzzles.

I went to Target after work that day and bought a 750-piece and a 1000-piece. The 750 was a panoramic picture of Times Square. It took me a loooooong time to get that one put together.

The 1000-piece had awful shaped pieces, so earlier this week I took apart the very very little that I had done on the frame (it was hard to tell which pieces were border pieces) and took it to work so my coworker and her mom could put it together. (:

And I bought a few 500-piece puzzles from the dollar store.

I finished one in two or three evenings, and I'm working on the second one now.

Morty decided to help me one night. And I've seen evidence that she jumps up on the table while I'm sleeping...

The first dollar-store puzzle I did. I don't know why the picture isn't posting in landscape...

Belle helping me sort pieces of the second puzzle.

If Max was small enough, you can bet he would have taken his turn up there too. (:

Here's to a healthier/stronger/better brain!

A Sentence I Never Thought I'd Say

'Im sorry you're sick, but stop eating your bed!'

To Max. 

After he threw up fabric from his bed. 

Yuck. 

The Flowers

Pretty, huh? (:

Flowers

I'll post a picture tomorrow, but tonight my brother came home to have some steak leftover from our dad's work party. 

He brought me white roses for my birthday (coming soon...). 

They're beautiful and now sitting in a beautiful vase we had sitting around. 

Thanks again Harps!

Tonight's Walk -

- it looked like part of the sky was on fire.

- I remembered how much I love walking on crunchy leaves.

- I was a little sad at the signs that fall is ending.

- I felt like a little kid as I whistled my way through the tunnel to hear it echo.

Killer Guppy

A few weeks ago I went to the pet store with two of my nieces, and a nephew. I was going to get more fish for my aquarium so I let each of them pick one.

I already had two, so when I added them, I had these five.

the top two are the two i've had for a few years, the three below were chosen by jimmy, rosie, and iris (in order from high to low).

Wednesday (Halloween Eve), two of the fish died.

Thursday, two more of them died.

I decided little Rosie's rainbow-tailed guppy was a Typhoid Mary.

the sole survivor.

Then the guppy died on Friday.

I have no idea what happened.

But looks like I wrongly accused the little guppy.

RIP all those fish.


It's a good thing I don't get emotionally attached to fish. That would have been a rough end-of-the-week.

I'll have to make sure I get those same three fish right before the kids come to visit again.

Because they'll remember.


They always remember.

Halloween - Dog Parade

2nd year in a row, I got to the dog parade in Park City.

Good times -

a granny...? not really sure, but it was so comfortable sitting there, and was really cute.

chia pet.

wonder woman.

over a year ago a friend sent me a picture of a labradoodle lion cut and told me i was obligated to give max one.

i may have to try it next year.

maybe i'll give belle one too.

mine.

loved this owl.

and this raven/crow mix.

after all the social anxiety caused by being around a ton of strange dogs, belle was exhausted.

after all the fun of meeting a million new friends, max was exhausted.

i came home and made butternut squash fries. so good!

and watched hocus pocus in honor of my youngest brother. (:

Bonus -

i was idina/elphaba for work, and i left the hat on my zombie mask when i had to leave early.

Side Note - I would have been green - using eyeshadow - but was reminded last week that I had a news interview to do on Halloween in the middle of the day. Nope, wasn't going to be green for that. I hate dressing up, and I hate being on TV; there was no way I was going to do both of them at the same time.

Halloween Eve

Wednesday morning I pulled into the work parking lot, put the club on my steering wheel, climbed out of the car, and heard what sounded like sprinklers.

Except there were no sprinklers on.

As I walked to the trunk to get my purse, I saw the air gushing from my back driver's side tire. It was deflating as I watched.

Thank goodness for AAA.

He came, put air in my never-been-used (at least as long as I've owned the car - 9 years) spare, and changed the tire.

the bolt.

 

the first hero of the day.

the car with the spare.

When I left work a few hours later - headed straight for Discount Tire in Draper - I was driving no faster than 50 on the freeway (my dad had mentioned not driving faster than 55 on a spare, and some quick google searches said spare tires have a speed written on them, mine said 50) with my hazards on so people wouldn't think I was just a horrible driver.

More than halfway home my car started jerking (more than usual at freeway speeds) a lot. I pulled over when I could and checked the other tires thinking maybe I had run over something else when I parked at work. The other three were fine, and I circled around back to the spare.

Extremely flat.

Thank goodness for AAA again.

my second hero arrives.

loads the car at the risk to his life - literally.i read earlier in the day that one tow truck driver is killed every day in the States.

my sad car.

He took me to Discount Tire where the tire was fixed and the shredded spare was put back in my trunk. Now I need another spare (which I was told would cost me at least $150) or a wheel from a salvage yard and then a new tire (which will most likely be cheaper).

More Than We Expected

Yesterday I went up into Corner Canyon with a friend hoping for some pictures of the sunset.

The sky did not cooperate at all (very hazy, and sadly no sun or sunset was visible).

We decided we'd walk along a trail hoping for some fall colors. While there were a few very pretty trees, we didn't get the amount we were hoping for.

Here's what I did get -

Then on our way back to the car, we saw these lovelies who posed for us for quite a while -
(disclaimer - some of the pictures are fuzzy because I had to shoot at a really slow shutter speed since it was pretty dark by this time. also, I used iphoto to lighten them up a little since even with a slow shutter, the pictures were fairly dark.)

the 1 buck with 4 does. the does all ran away when we came across them, but he stayed for a solo photo shoot.

then one of the does ventured back.

the buck walked away...

the doe got a solo shoot.

and then she walked to where the other three were waiting.

And lastly, I "found" a view of the Draper temple that I hadn't ever seen before -

Turned out to be a great night for shooting, missed sunset and all.