Out with the old, and in with the new!

I've had my little red Jetta for the past 6 years. Yep. That's right! My little rattletrap stuck in there with me for that long! Can you even believe it? My little '92 Jetta has seen better days, but I have it to thank for transportation through most of my college days. And for 7 months afterward. :) It will be returning to live with my family, from whence it came. (My mother has missed that little red sweetie.) I don't know why, but she seems to love that little car. I love it, too...just for different reasons. :) Here's why:

1. I quickly learned how to change tires. It seems every couple of weeks during the winter, especially, I would get a flat. I know there is more to cars than the tires, but...trust me...in my mind, tires and car are a package deal. Boys would pass me in the parking lot and offer to help, but then stop mid-sentence after seeing I was basically done. I won't lie by saying I never accepted their help. :) They just usually came around too late to make a difference. Kind of like life....lol. :) I always found that particularly significant...hehehe.
2. I became an expert at finding places to wedge a drink between the seats and the emergency brake. It was the only place that could possibly be called a drink holder. Except...there are drink holders in the back seat. TWO of them. I'll never understand the logic of not putting at least ONE in the front. C'mon, VW! German cars, of all models, should have a place to put a DRINK!! :)
3. If you look on the top of the roof of the car, you can still make out a phrase written by this guy I dated once upon a time. Not sure why he decided to write how funny I am on top of my car, but that thing stayed on through rain, snow, and ice. It is a little faded now, but that was two years ago, and I can still read it. "Sometimes I forget how funny you are." Well. Good thing he wrote it THERE so he'd always remember it! :)
4. I'll miss teaching everyone how to put that thing in reverse. "Push down, then put it in the direction of first gear...AH! You still have to push down!!! *sigh of relief* Okay. Good." Phew! :)
5. Summers are the best/worst. The A/C totally works...it's just...don't use it for a long period of time, especially on the freeway! One time of overheating on a major road was one too many for me. Summer freeway driving consists of all windows down, hair a mess, cd player up as high as it can go (just to hear the music at a normal level...that little car is noisy with the windows UP!) and you're still roasting. Except for the 1.5 minutes you can risk turning on the A/C, but only if you're not in stop and go traffic. Trust me. I've got this baby down. :)
6. No matter how many times I took it in to get the stupid hose connected to the antifreeze fixed, it STILL leaks antifreeze. I can't even think about how much money I paid to get that thing fixed; multiple times! Summertime is cheaper, at least, because I can use water. My checkbook always appreciated that part.
7. About 3 years ago, I had a huge container of change that spilled in the back seat. To this day, I still find pennies or nickels on the floor, under the seats. No matter how many times I've vacuumed or cleaned it, they still show up. I'm almost convinced the car feels bad for how much it takes to keep it running; so it's slowly producing the money. SLOWLY. :)
8. I think it has a soul. Almost like the Herby movies...remember those? Sometimes it gets angry and does things just to tick me off. Other times, I swear it understands I'm having a terrible day and couldn't handle if it broke down on me one more time...so even though it's struggling, it'll hold together until I pull in the driveway. Let's not forget the sense of humor it displays as a belt decides to suddenly let out a high-pitched squeal out of nowhere...usually as I'm passing by a huge group of people. (Especially if I know them.) Or how about that time at the stop light in Logan where everyone and their dog could hear my car for miles and miles around? Yes. I have gained much character from this little red gem of mine. :)
9. My friends always lie about how much they love it. Okay, I think some of them actually DO love that car...but only because it's funny; or because they've experienced a terrible car disaster with me while riding in it. (Cali, remember that time we drove all the way down to Ryan's play just after choir tour...and the flat tire on the freeway...with all my belongings on top of the spare in the trunk?) *AH* :) And I always knew your dad was laughing at me and my car every time I drove away. Lol.
10. I learned how to be kind to everyone who ever drove in my car with me. How, you ask? Oh, remember the part where no one can ever open the outside handles on that car except for me? There's a trick. If you're not nice to them, they'll break right off in your hand. I know this because it happened to me. TWICE. (Thank you, Cache Valley winters...) The back two couldn't be opened from the outside. Inside opening only. Try doing that from the front seat all the time. OH, yeah. :) But even the two front doors that can be opened from the outside are tricky. You have to grip 'em just right...and then gently open. None of this pulling the car door open without thinking, silly!
11. I tried to keep it at a nice ten, but I couldn't possibly leave out how the headlights don't work unless they're on the "brights" setting. Yes. Yes, and how the dashboard lights only work every 23rd Tuesday, and that's only if I went over a speed bump a little too quickly between the hours of 9:27 pm and 11:04 pm. Precisely.

Geez, after writing that, I wonder why I went and bought a new car! What was I even THINKING?!?!?! :) (Ahem. Okay, but seriously...I shudder to think about overcoming my commitment issues to make a monthly payment for something I've been enjoying for 6 years...) Well, maybe the two aren't EXACTLY the same. :)

I am now the proud owner of a silver, 2005 Ford Taurus that boasts not only working handles on all doors (inside AND out) but automatic locks! And automatic windows! I know, I know; I went a little crazy. OH. And did I mention the always working A/C? Or maybe the automatic mover thingy on the driver's seat? Uh-huh. AND. And. I have not one, but TWO cup holders...(wait for it...) in the FRONT seat!!!!! THIS IS MIND BOGGLING, folks!!! Do you people with nice cars out there even have any IDEA how awesome your lives have been?!?! I'm thankful for a little red Jetta who taught me how to love my car. :) Now, on to new adventures.

My beautiful Sisters!

Last night was our little Sister Katie Pulsipher's wedding reception.  By now, she is Mrs. Katie Brown.  What a beautiful little bride she is!!!  I couldn't ask for better, shinier, happier, more amazing girls to have in my life.  Every time we get together, it's like coming home again...there's something healing about every time we get together.  No matter what is going on in our lives, it is somehow always fixed after being together.  I love my Nauvoo sisters with all of my heart, and Katie, we're so incredibly happy for you!  

I've been blessed with so MANY friends throughout my life...and each one has changed my life for the better.  I think that's one of the best things about friendship; that you can come away from having known someone, and you've been changed forever - and it's in ways that lift you higher and remind you of the goodness still out there in the world; in people.  :)

Congratulations, Pulsie!!!  And thanks again for the vast amount of meatballs and pecan squares...*ahem*  :)

Vegas, baby! Summertime = Roadtrip time!

This past weekend, I went to Vegas with Susie and Rachel (two of my co-workers) and former Nauvoo companion, Sister Megan Rees. :) We originally planned to just take any old roadtrip, but then it sort of morphed into Vegas...mostly because we knew people down there we wanted to see. I'm not really into Vegas; at least not a whole lot of time on the strip or anything...I just think it's a waste of time; I'm not drinking or gambling, so...I basically go to a buffet, watch a watershow at the Bellagio, and I'm pretty much done. :) (Unless I can go to a show like...oh, I dunno...the Beatles show might have rocked.)


But there's so much more to Vegas than the strip. C'mon, people!!! :) We rented a car because I was the only one with a vehicle...and...uh...anyone who really knows my little Jetta knows we'd never ever make it! This way, we had cruise control, consistent air conditioning, and did I mention how beautiful our little GMC Envoy was? Hello, black with silver chrome! It was hilarious! We were supposed to get a normal-sized car...but they ran out or something? So they "upgraded" us for free. (If that upgrade had included a gas card to cover the extra GAS we had to get that weekend, I would have been a very happy customer.) And yes. In-N-Out Burger was the first place we stopped once we got to Vegas. Hip Hip HURRYAH!!! (That was for you, Aubs and Dans...and Jess, if you're reading this...) :)

After waking up the next morning (we stayed with Sister Hansen and her family...she's already in the MTC now, and will be serving in the Utica, NY mission!!!) and having breakfast with the Hansen's, we went to meet up with Susie's brother and his family to go hiking and sight-seeing at Red Rock. It was REALLY hot, but that dry, desert wind kept blowing, so it wasn't too terrible. (108 degrees, but...eh...) Hiking or camping around any red rock always makes me think of summer trips with my family. My mom is OBSESSED with the red rock. :)



This was at the end of our Red Rock adventure (The red rock is behind us to the other side...) and yes...I was there, but clearly I was the master taking the picture. There was one that Susie's little niece took that I was jumping in as well, but...it didn't look like we were jumping at all, soooo..lol. Oh, well. It was a great adventure, though!!! I'd love to go back and go rock climbing...there were plenty of amazing climbs. Note to self: go back soon!! After that, we went back to the Hansen's and jumped into their pool in our clothes. (Yep. None of us thought to bring a SWIMMING SUIT to Vegas...don't ask what we were thinking!) But boy oh BOY did that water feel good!!!


Later, after we'd cleaned up and actually got ready for the day, we headed down to the strip to go to a buffet in the Bellagio. But lest I forget this very important detail, let me tell you now: The Hansen's live just around the corner from Sigfried and Roy. Yes. And their tigers. Well, actually, we're not sure if their tigers still "live" there, but Hansen said they did for sure when she was little because she would lay in bed at night and could hear them roaring. Crazy, eh? And this is actually a picture of us in front of the gate across the street from their house...we didn't dare take a picture in front of their ACTUAL house (even if they get that all the time or whatever...it just feels invasive to me...) And goodness knows we wouldn't want to intrude on their lives....lol.





THEN...here comes the best part....I remembered that wonderful Amanda (formerly Rawlings) Jensen and her husband, Curt, had just moved down to Vegas about a month ago, so I called her up to see if she would like to meet up with us at the buffet. You'd think it couldn't get better than seeing an old friend. :) But Elise was also randomly in town!!! She's going to medical school at NYU right now, and just happened to be in Vegas for the weekend as well!!! It was a happy little reunion. :) Remember the times we all lived practically on top of each other and saw each other multiple times of the day? *happy sigh* Crazy how life changes...but I still love both those girls!!! Manda, I still will never forget how you helped me so much getting through that last year at USU...I have you to thank for my sanity. :) (Refrain from any cracks about my actual sanity level!!!)


Then, of course, on Sunday, we went to go hear Sister Audrey Hansen give her last talk in her home ward there in Vegas. She's ever the same Audrey...pulling everything together even at the last second, and still doing it beautifully! She's going to be the greatest missionary! I can't believe she and Woahn are already gone again! Such amazing girls!!! I sure love them. I love all those sisters from Nauvoo. Sister Hansen had Rees and I sing with her, too...of course, we only ran through it that morning five minutes before we ran out the door, but...any other way, and it wouldn't have been our Audrey!!! :) We were all exhausted by the time we got back to Provo, but the trip was worth it. It's nice to get out and do something completely out of the normal routine every once in a while. It was a break away from life, and a good time to see old friends again. :)


P.S. I'd like everyone to know that little miss Megan Rees read the second book of Twilight every possible second that human interaction was not required. Should you doubt me, please take a look at the picture below:

New Sunset Stage

I found this picture online in someone's blog (a family who lives in Nauvoo) I swear I don't snoop around stranger's blogs...EVER!!! But this one had a lot of current, recent pictures of Nauvoo and the flooding...and the father of the family is the one who did much of the concrete, etc. for this new beautiful stage. I couldn't just leave it there and not say anything about it! It is up where they used to do the "City of Joseph" pageant just up above the Visitor's Center...and it's AMAZING!! What a huge stage!!!! To all you YPMs out there, can you even IMAGINE having that much room to dance around??!?! Wooohooo!!! Anyway. :) Cool. :)

Mississippi Mud...eeeee...

I knew Nauvoo was flooding right now...the Mississippi River is quite the beast, I suppose...but I didn't know how MUCH it was flooding!!!! Just across Parley Street from this first picture is the Sunset by the Mississippi Stage...and it's GONE!!!















This next picture shows the wagon that's just behind the stage, and the poor thing is getting all beat up! :(















This last picture is back behind the stage as well...see where those trees are...the ones that are furthest out? They used to be the edge of the river. There was a log Sister Bingham and I would go sit on every night and just ponder and stare out over the beautiful Mississippi Sunset...*sob*!!! These pictures make me so sad!

My Shepherd's Pie Life

WARNING: This may make absolutely no sense to most of you. Continue to read if you wish. :)

I had a conversation with a good friend once about Shepherd's Pie. The conversation wasn't ACTUALLY about shepherd's pie...or even food, actually; but the pie was the cover for the conversation. He related all the ingredients of the "pie" to our friendship/relationship...and how it was this huge conglomeration of...things...

To be honest, I still don't fully understand the analogy. (I'm not sure he did, either, but hey - that part was his idea.) However, Shepherd's Pie has now become part of my vocabulary; and most recently, a descriptive term for my life.

I've been terrible about blogging lately. This is mostly due to my life being put in a blender (looking much like the weird combination of foods IN the shepherd's pie) because of work; leaving little or no time for a normal life. It probably wouldn't make sense to anyone to try to describe what my life has been like lately. (Plus, it's far too personal for most people, I think.) It's causing all sorts of issues I can't even begin to describe. UNLESS I use the descriptive term "shepherd's pie." Say hello to confusion and strange combinations of things that usually don't go together. I can't even figure out how to describe what I'm saying without going back to rely fully on shepherd's pie.

But I figure at least my shepherd's pie isn't as bad as Rachel's was in FRIENDS. She mixed up the recipes for shepherd's pie and english trifle. All that effort, and in the end, all Ross could say was, "This tastes like FEET." Hahahah. My life doesn't taste like feet yet. (At least I hope it doesn't!) So it can't be that bad, eh? And I guess even if it ever DOES...at least there will still be people like Joey around who will eat it anyway. :)