Cravings

Someday I'll be pregnant. Pregnant women have cravings, right? I just hope, with everything I have, that I crave strawberries. I love strawberries. Beautiful, ripe, red, sweet strawberries. I bought some from Smith's last night, and they are lovely. I love strawberries.

One Year Older and Wiser, Too.

This is my year.

I am officially two decades old. Twenty years. This is a big deal (to me, anyway).

My parents are constantly telling me things like, "Take every opportunity to enjoy yourself," "Life's too short to be unhappy," and "Today is the first day of the rest of your life."

Why don't I listen to them? This is my year. I'll gain some wisdom and start following their advice.

I'm going to wear my hair curly. I'm going to go to concerts by myself, and dance like a crazy person. I'm going to paint my toenails. I'm going to run until I pass out. I'm going to laugh at nothing. I'm going to stay up late reading a good book, just because I can. I'm going to learn how to do new things; cook and bake, decorate, paint, sew. I want to make a quilt. I want to crochet. I want to learn how to change the oil in a car and replace a clutch.

I might even try sky diving. I'm going to talk to strangers. Get out of my comfort zone. Out of my shell. I'm going to watch movies and listen to music. I'm going to discover who I am again. It seems I've forgotten.

I'm a year older, and determined to be wiser. No more sitting back and watching my life pass me by. No more being afraid. No more looking back. Look ahead, I'll tell me. Don't look at the past. Do reminisce. Do learn from mistakes. But don't regret. I've spent too much time regretting and wondering, "What if?"

Life is too short for that. I don't have time to wonder. I only have time to live and learn. Laugh and love. Be crazy. Be silly. Dream. Think. See. Do.

This is MY year.

A New Hobby

I've been in a cooking mood lately. Wontons, tortellini, tomato soup... I've been to the grocery store at least 4 times this week. My hotmail inbox is filled with recipes I've looked up and sent myself. Fortunately, everything has been a success.

Except my tomato soup. I used organic tomato juice, heavy cream, and some spices. I forgot that usually tomato soup is sweetened. Whoops. It was beautiful, too. A lovely little bowl of tomato soup (complete with a chunk of cheese melting at the bottom) sitting next to a lovely little grilled cheese sandwich. I picked up my spoon and took a sip of soup. Nasty. I ended up dumping it all down the drain. Later it occurred to me that I could've added some honey or something and it probably would've been fine. Slow brain.

Tonight was a success, though. I bought some wonton wrappers, bok choy, mushrooms, and carrots. I carefully chopped up the vegetables and loaded them into the wrappers, closing them up tight. They steamed for about 25-30 minutes. And they...were...bee-yootiful! I probably should've steamed 'em a little longer, but I got too excited. I set them in a little dish and poured some soy sauce over them. Dee-licious. Oh man. I'm going to have to experiment with those. I wonder what else I could put in them? I've had them with ground turkey, but lately I've been leaning away from the meats. If you have any ideas, please let me know. The checker at Smith's suggested cream cheese and crab meat. And I'm thinking, "Uh, ew, gag me, please." Yeah. No.

My next adventure will be tomorrow night - vegetarian stir fry. Tofu, snow peas, carrots, onions, peppers, etc. I'm excited and terrified all at the same time! I certainly hope it turns out. Stay tuned.

Aaand yeah.

That is all.

A Note.

Once upon a time I went on a date. And then another. And another. And another. All these dates certainly were with very different boys (I use the word "boys," although they were all over the age of 22), however they all had a similar fault: each failed to walk me from the car, to the front door.

This might not seem such a big deal to some, but to me it's a major issue. Has common courtesy and gentlemanly behavior ceased to be an important and necessary characteristic in men? Is it now acceptable to overlook substandard dating etiquette? Are there any men left that are actually aware of the little unwritten rules of dating? I certainly haven't found any in quite a long time. I am astonished at the behavior of some of the returned missionary, college student "men" out there, and I'm even more shocked that they even need a reminder of how to treat a girl on a date. Especially a first date. I believe there is a standard that is not being met.

Whether the date is casual between friends or more serious, certain actions will score major brownie points with the girls. Ready for your refresher course, men?

Walk your woman to the door. Don't drop her off at the curb. Don't leave her at the Trax station (especially at midnight in the middle of a big city). Show some respect. Take her to the front door and make sure she's safely inside before taking off. Failing to do so shows a complete lack of concern for her feelings and safety. I've officially made a personal rule that if a guy won't walk me to my door, he won't get a second date. Enough is enough.

Make the effort to talk to your date. A first date is awkward enough. Don't make it even more uncomfortable by forcing us to sit in silence. I can't tell you how many times I've been stuck squirming in my seat because the one-word answers to my desperate attempts at conversation wouldn't stop. Don't put yourselves (and us) through that. Speak!

Another huge concern is the dreaded appearance of your ex-girlfriend. Ready for this? If she shows up, it's probably best to avoid sulking in a dark corner with her while the rest of the group runs around playing laser tag. That is guaranteed to not score you another date. And we'll probably be less than civil towards you if we catch a glimpse of you two in that secluded corner.

Yet another point: let us know what you're planning ahead of time. If it's a "surprise," at least let us know some of the details. We wouldn't want to show up for a hike dressed in a skirt or sandals. Be reasonable.

These are just a few of the simple guidelines that guys should already be aware of. Yes, it seems like a lot. Girls have rules, too. We just tend to remember them. Be a man. Men who have been dating for years shouldn't need to be reminded of these little rules. It's rather distressing to me that guys in their 20s are still having problems with this. Step it up a little. Earn some points in our book. We'll appreciate your assiduity and in return we'll be more inclined to like you. A little respect and courtesy goes a long way.

That is all.

Thirty Minutes?

I'll take it.

I should probably be getting ready for work right now. However, I don't actually have to get ready for another half hour. Go me! Hopefully this doesn't take too long.

Lately I've been feeling less than creative. Frustrating? Very. But I'm sure (or at least I'm hoping) that I'll soon hit that high and go on a writing binge (that happens sometimes - you should see my notebook). I'll have to keep a Sharpie and my little notebook close by so I'm prepared.

Did I mention that my job is awesome? I've met some pretty influential people, and not all of them are considered "famous." Paul Cardall, Sheri Dew, Elder Nelson, Kenneth Cope are among the famous ones. For some reason, though, I like the less-than-famous ones better. My boss (we'll call her "M"), and various coworkers (M, S, H, R, V, and DCCB3) pretty much make my day...daily. It's like being in The Office. Except better. How could it possibly be better than The Office (which, I've gotta say, is pretty much the one TV show I'll watch)? Well. We listen to church music, we all are so nice to each other (well, I think so), we don't say, "that's what she said," and we are not a failing paper company. I think those are some pretty good reasons, right? Also, our HR people are SO much better than Toby. Just sayin'.

Enough about work. Let's talk about play. Or the lack of. I'm still working on finding some friends up here in "the city." (Yes, I consider Salt Lake a city.)
Enough about play.

Uhh what's with the weather lately? Can you believe that stupid, stupid snow? Luckily it's supposed to be in the sixties this weekend. We shall see. I just hope the snow storms stop before my birthday (in May).

Speaking of birthdays. I decided what I am getting myself for my birthday! Stay tuned. Because no one gets to find out UNTIL it's bought. Yay for secrets, surprises, and presents!

Also. Day 2 of not eating sugar OR carbs was a success. On to the next.

I recently read in Revelation that 666 is actually the number of the devil. Did anyone else know this was biblical? I thought it was just something Iron Maiden made up. I thought it was clever. But then, BAM. I'm thinking I should study my scriptures more often.

My half hour is up.

Employment and Averageness

Da-da-da-daaaaaa! I finally found a job! I am officially the new corporate receptionist at Deseret Book. Kinda cool, eh? My first day was Monday, and I've been loving it. Everyone has been so nice and helpful. Well, except the guy in the mailroom, who I am pretty sure hates me with passion. I have no idea why. As for my responsibilities, I pretty much just answer the phones and take care of clients and such, but It's been pretty neat. I get to wear pencil skirts (that's the best part - I love pencil skirts) and I am actually thinking about buying some heels.....maybe. We'll see. I once read (online) that heels make your boobs sag, and since I'm sag-a-phobic, I threw out all my lovely high-heeled shoes. But lately I've been seeing some pretty awesome tall shoes, so I might give it another try. I'll just buy new boobs when I hit 40. It's okay.

Lately I have been reading MyLifeIsAverage. This is going to sound so completely silly, but when I first read it I thought, "Man, I wish that kind of stuff happened to me!" I started looking for events that could be considered average. Since then, my days have been so much more positive! I am constantly finding reasons to laugh. The other day I woke up to my little brother, Micah, holding a plastic light saber over my face (this is the same brother who is constantly whistling the Indiana Jones and/or Star Wars theme songs). Also, while describing how he feels about my babysitting, Micah said, "Bonnie is like the geese at Woolsey's Dairy!" (You have to walk a wide circle around the geese, or else they come and attack you.) Nice.

A few weeks ago, I realized that soon my 11-year-old brother, Christopher, will be taller and stronger than me, and therefore able to beat me up when I pick on him. During dinner, I told my mom, "Hopefully by the time Christopher is big enough to beat me up, I'm married and pregnant." He quickly informed me that I'd better always be married and pregnant, or else I'm going to be in big trouble. I found that somewhat funny, but rather scary. I'm sure Christopher is slowly, secretly plotting his revenge for the 11 years I've been the mean big sister.

Last night, my family was talking about booby traps. My young brothers had no idea what a booby trap was, so immediately assumed that we were talking about trapping boobies. After a few seconds of stunned silence, they erupted into huge fits of laughter. Can you imagine what was going through their minds at that point? I don't even want to know! They finally calmed down long enough to have it all explained to them. It wasn't as funny after that.

Anyway, that's about all for now. I'm still looking for the "average" occurrences that bring laughter and smiles =) I definitely challenge you to start looking for them in your own lives. They definitely brighten the day!

That is all.

The Events of the Day

Today began rather uneventful. I went with my mom and brothers to a little playgroup. I went to the chiropractor and got a massage. I tagged along to the art supply shop so my younger brother, Christopher, could look at some colored pencils he wanted to buy...

When we got home from the art shop, though, we looked out from our balcony to see police cars, ambulances, and firetrucks all over the street! The building down the street had been evacuated, and a group of people was standing on the sidewalks. We thought, "What in the world is happening!" We had never seen something like this before. After watching for a few minutes, the bomb squad showed up! Apparently a "suspicious package" had been delivered to the IRS building, and they thought it was a bomb. Of course my mom and I were freaking out at that point. Our "neighbors" came over to watch the commotion with us, and so we all sat and looked out the window. Suddenly we heard a loud BOOM! and the building shuddered. The bomb squad had actually blown up the little suspicious package. I still don't know what was in the package, but it was pretty neat to watch all the fuss down there!

Also, I got a job today! =) What a happy thing. During the excitement about the bomb, a lady called from Deseret Book corporate offices and offered me the receptionist position. I so was not expecting to get that job because I interviewed with them over a month ago, and a few days after they told me that the position was given to someone else. But God must love me! Because now I have this amazing job that is just 3 blocks away and I start on Monday. Yay for having a source of income! This is the exact type of job I've been looking for.

All in all, it was a rather exciting day! I'm pretty sure Yesterday is jealous. ;)