EVER TRIED TO GROW OUT YOUR EYEBROWS?

I've decided I want my eyebrows a bit thicker. But oh, the agony of growing them out. I'm in that awkward phase where anyone looking just thinks I'm lazy and need better grooming habits. I think the discomfort and public shame will only take another week and then, sweet eyebrows!

I read that during this "ugly" growing-out phase, I should wear fringy bangs or a hat. I can wear a fedora one, maybe two days, but then I'll just look like a suspicious Tom Landry without the respected football coaching record.

I'M TAGGED

Ali tagged me to walk down memory lane. Walk with me?

jobs i've held:
-paper girl
-car washer at USU
-hotel operator in nyc
-production assistant in chicago
-copywriter
-marketing manager
-contributing editor
-advertising account supervisor

jobs i'd like to have:
-full-time writer
-artist/painter
-mom
-triathlete
-philanthropist
-designer
-personal stylist
-crime scene investigator

movies i watch over and over:
-amelie
-eternal sunshine of the spotless mind
-cinema paradiso
-old school
-whale rider
-the royal tenenbaums
-momento
-out of africa

favorite reads, recent and old:
-the unbearable lightness of being
-immortality
-the sun also rises
-the catcher in the rye
-all Jane Austin
-candide
-the screwtape letters
-the moonstone

favorite things to do:
-sleep in the mountains
-travel, visit places I've never seen and be a part of everyday life there
-swim laps in an outdoor pool
-take photos
-write
-read good literature
-give the perfect gift
-get facials and massages
-make dinner with nate and talk about nothing in particular while we eat
-eat spicy food
-spend time with my friends
-be with my family

places i've lived:
-logan, utah
-NYC, NY
-missoula, mt
-chicago, ill
-salt lake city, ut

favorite things to eat:
-chips and fresh salsa
-sushi
-medium rare beef or buffalo steak
-fish tacos at the sundance foundry grill
-mom's pasta salad with tomatoes and cucumbers
-salmon, rice, mango salsa, vegetables {made by nate}
-polish dog with sauerkraut

places i'd rather be:
-at the beach
-in the mountains
-sundance resort
-in my cute blue house
-nice, france
-africa

words i like the sound of:
-hootenanny
-lugubrious
-salacious
-anthropomorphic
-melancholy
-my own name

FIVE THINGS

Photo from Ebby's photostream

My sister-in-Laws Dayna, Emma, and Tegan all tagged me to answer these questions. I found the first one particularly hard. I mean...ten years is a long time to recall.

Five Things I was doing 10 years ago:

• Living in Chicago (Lincoln Park) and loving it
• Packing up to move to Montana all in the name of love
• Hobbling around in a walking cast with a broken foot
• Working at my first job in advertising
• Getting engaged to someone who I never married

Five things on my To-Do List today:

• Go to the gym
• I’ve got five meetings at work
• Watch new episodes of The Office and 30 Rock
• Laundry
• Go to bed early

Five things I would do if I were a millionaire:

• Quit my job and become a much respected philanthropist
• Furnish my home and pay outstanding bills
• Take six months with Nate and travel the world
• Take my family to Europe on a lavish vacation
• Get weekly facials and do pilates with a personal trainer

Five things I'll never wear again:

• Overalls
• An “A” or “B” cup bra
• Never say never
• Never say never
• Never say never

Five favorite toys:

• Laptop
• iPod
• My brain
• Beauty products and makeup
• Rice cooker and my steamer

Five people to tag:

• I don't know anyone who likes to be tagged. I'm scared of hate mail.

I'M FREE!

{This photo is one I took at Oquirrh Lake}
That's right. I'm finally free from the office bullies and mental games. I got a great offer from an ad agency downtown and a few other options on the horizon. I walked out of the office today, for the last time, with an extra spring in my step. {Amie, there are a few of those 1oo calorie shakes left on the bookcase and they're all yours!}

Things I'm planning to do the next two weeks:
1. Have a wonderful 2nd anniversary
2. Go to the morning spin and yoga classes at our gym
3. Find a good painting class
4. Take a book binding class
5. Research cameras and look into a photography class
6. Read good books
7. Try a few new recipes for dinner
8. Meet my friends for lunch
9. Write my next magazine article
10. Try and blot the last year and a half from my mind

Sadly, I won't get my daily dose of Amie and have all those great conversations with her. But now we can just focus on being friends and scrap the whole co-worker thing.

I SOUND LIKE HER; I DON'T LOOK LIKE HER

I've been through it all. And what I'm left with is a hoarse rendering of my own voice. All the men seem to love it; surprise surprise!

UNDER THE WEATHER

Image from Getty
When Nate came home from San Francisco last week he brought a sore throat and some sniffles. But apparently, when the San Franciscan bug got a good look at my healthy throat and clear sinuses it decided to have a hay day. I've been a sneezing, sniffling, achey mess the last three days.
I'm hoping I'll feel better today so I can do some laundry and post. We'll see.

A FINE ENGAGEMENT

I finally uploaded some of our engagement photos on Flickr. Aubrey took them.

LAST NIGHT I ALMOST FELL IN LOVE WITH A TIGER SHARK NAMED DELORIS

The rows of teeth. The menacing eyes. The small but very real chance I have of being hunted, maimed and/or killed while frolicking innocently in the ocean. The Discovery Channels 20th Anniversary must-see, Shark Week, started Sunday and it doesn't disappoint.
Sunday night I learned the ten most dangerous sharks {great white is no. 2 and the bull shark is no. 1 because it can swim in rivers as well as the ocean}.
Last night I watched, "Deadly Stripes: Tiger Sharks" which was fascinating. South African Mark Addison free dives {that means he isn't using oxygen, just a snorkel. p.s. he can dive for up to six minutes on one breath at a depth of 150 feet} with tiger sharks; trying to dispel the myth that they are man-hunters. It was mesmerizing as he interacted with one tiger shark he called Deloris. He petted her, held on to her dorsal fin like a sea world performer, and scariest of all, he fed her by hand.



Just when I was buying the idea that the shark could be friendly and beautiful, I saw the beginning of Top Five Eaten Alive reliving one girl's shark attack which resulted in her losing the bottom half of her leg. I had to turn it off because I knew I was going to have shark dreams for the next year {I TiVo'd it for watching in digestible segments throughout the week}.

If you love to hate sharks like me, you must tune in for what they are saying is the best year yet.

A CLOSET FULL OF BAD DAYS

Amie is one of those girls you can talk to about anything. And what usually results from a conversation with her is a hair-brained idea or a theory about human behaviors. She is such a creative, intuitive and curious person; according to Amie, everything that happens is significant in some way.
We were having one of these conversations this afternoon about how we both react to bad days and boredom in a similar fashion. If we get a speeding ticket, or if our presentation bombs, or if our favorite jeans are suddenly too tight, we figure we deserve to go shopping and get something new. We are entitled to a new handbag, pair of shoes, sweater, lip gloss, etc. because our office bully, in true form, bullied us. What results is a slew of impulse buys and OCD items {mine used to be feminine tops with flowers, ruffles or special detailing. Now it's anything to treat my adult acne}.
Does anyone else have this problem? Why do we feel like a new purse on our shoulder or new lip gloss will brighten things up? We both have a closet full of bad days to reconcile.

THANK YOU UNEXPECTED PERSON!

{photo from dominic_nwh photostream}
I have great friends. Some are really creative, some analytical, some practical offering a much needed voice of reason. With friends stretching across the spectrum of possibilities it's odd to think that I'd ever find myself in a situation where I didn't have someone to talk to; but it occasionally happens.
I haven't moved a lot in my life but I've moved some. In chronological order: Utah, New York, Utah, Missoula MT, Utah, Chicago, Missoula MT, Utah. And the situation usually plays out as follows. I walk into a new city and into a new job. My mind feels numb from all the drastic change all at once. I don't even have a favorite place to eat yet. And in that moment of feeling like a stranger I long for friends and familiar places. But it's not part of the package; I can't expect to move and start new adventures and keep the comfort of my old life tucked in my back pocket.
So I power through. I walk around the streets until I find a place I like, a place I'll bring my friends when they visit. I locate a good bookstore and recognize the corner where I'll sit and read on Saturday afternoons. Most importantly, I'll find somewhere outside where I can go and think and watch people and learn what it means to be a local.
In Montana I was a local if I got my CDs at Rockin' Rudy's, ate soup at Catalyst, and went to the Iron Horse to whet my whistle. I was a local if I loved the children's theater, patronized the local mom-and-pop shops, and proclaimed I was a Grizzly fan. In Chicago I was a local if I new what L train to catch to get home without looking at my map. I was a local if I could recommend the best deep dish pizza in the city and if the guy at the fruit stand knew my name. I was a local if I met my friends for dinner in out-of-the-way places in up-and-coming neighborhoods. Sometimes I felt like a local and sometimes I never really adjusted, but I always tried.
All of this is just a lead into what I've been thinking about this week. Because while this post is mostly talking to people I've met in my traveling, they are all around me. Everywhere. It's the unexpected people that waltz into my life and totally change it around - then usually they waltz right back out again. Sometimes the difference these people make is quite significant and I just know I'll be friends with them forever; sometimes that happens but usually it doesn't. How long we are friends or if I have their current address today isn't the point - it's not what's important. What is important is how they changed my life; brought me out of a bad routine or taught me how to swim and encouraged me to do a triathlon. It's how they said something {or a lot of things} that have forever impacted how I think about myself. It's how they made me laugh when I was feeling the worst. I think it's so important to acknowledge the little miracles that happen every day when we meet someone who is good for us. Someone who offers us exactly what we need.
For all of these things and more, I have to thank the unexpected people who have changed my life for the better. Wherever they are.

IF WE WERE SIMPSONS

If Nate and I were Simpsons, we'd look like this. Don't be jealous. If you are curious about what you'd look like simpsonized, click here. If you get errors, keep trying. The system is very busy.

A DAY IN REVIEW

Who else's husband would secretly bake cupcakes, buy flowers and a very thoughtful gift and display it this way on the kitchen island to greet you in the morning? MINE!

Yesterday was a great day. I didn't work which may have been the best decision of the year. I tried to sleep in but couldn't and departed on a bike ride around 9am. It was so fun to be out and moving rather then stuck in traffic and cursing at other drivers.
Once I got home I took a cold shower, got dressed and drove to Provo for my appointment with Destiny. Literally, I had an appointment with my hair stylist and her name happens to be Destiny. She transformed me from a bitter 40 year old to a bouncing, nearly unrecognizable 36 year old that didn't look a day over 30! I walked out of that salon 2.5 hours later looking and feeling fabulous.
I stopped at my favorite boutique in Provo and drove home for a great lunch of fruit {apple, nectarine} and yogurt. Oh, and I had a few handfuls of Cool Ranch Doritos, too.
At home I treated all my flowers to a healthy dose of cold drink and miracle gro bloom booster. I'm telling you, it really works and you'll see a difference in your flowers in less then a week. It was so hot outside that I couldn't help running the cold water from the hose on my feet for an occasional cool-down. 102 degrees is just too hot.
I watched Oprah and painted my toenails RED.
Nate came home from work and we hung out for a little while before going to the Gallivan Center for Yo La Tengo. It seems that about 10,000 other people wanted to hear them, too. So it was crowded. We came to realize that a concert in the park can feel like listening to a CD in the park if you can't see the band. And listening to a CD in the park without comfortable seats and a cool breeze is nonsensical. Nate and I left about 9:10pm and planned to go straight home. But instead we {I} was lured to the Broadway Theater and as luck would have it, Once was playing at 9:20pm. It was a perfect way to end the day. The music was so pretty and the story wasn't, well, totally predictable. I really recommend it a long with Ali!

IT'S TAKEN ME 36 YEARS TO LEARN:

1. Waiting 12 weeks to have your hair done is a real zinger on your self esteem {especially if you have ANY gray}.
2. Adult acne is just as complicated and embarassing as the teenage prototype.
3. I've been blessed with funny, thoughtful, stylish and gorgeous friends.
4. You should only compare yourself to yourself.
5. Having a home to live in is one of the best feelings. EVER.
6. I feel sorry for every other girl because she doesn't know the joy of being married to Nate.
7. Drinking water should be the 11th commandment.
8. I need the mountains.
9. I was born with the opposite of a green thumb; I have an orange one.
10. If Drew Barrymore met me she would want to my best friend.
11. PMDD is real and terrible and living in my house!

DUMPSTER DIVING: KEEPING IT REAL

I have an abusive relationship with our garbage. You'll remember the traumatic time I had a while ago just taking it out to the curb on trash day. Well, this morning may have been more traumatic from an olfactory perspective. And definitely one of those things that, while it's happening, I find myself saying, "really? Is this how things are gonna be today?"
Let me explain. Over the last few weeks Nate and I have had lots of house guests {yay, that's one of the reasons I wanted a house in the first place}. Our guests have included diaper wearin' babies, and meals have typically generated a lot of table scraps, from the younger kids especially. Sidenote: did I really only take a few bits of food a day when I was six? And if so, where did I get the mentality lately that my plate must be licked clean?
Anyway, with all the extra trash we filled up the regular can provided by the city and had to over-flow into our "recycled trash only" can. Since we couldn't take this can out to the curb containing un-recyclable trash, it had to sit in our garage {for two weeks. And it's been over 100 degrees several days in a row} getting raunchier and raunchier.
This morning I knew what had to be done. And I had to psych myself up for it. I dragged the normal everyday trash can into the garage and had to dumpster dive into the recycle can to fish out all the trash bags full of parishable items {food, diapers, need i say more?}. The smell I was exposed to this morning might have been of nuclear strength. I can still smell it because it somehow got trapped in my nostrils. I've never been the kind of girl who can't get dirty or has expensive acrylic nails but I am a girl who will retain a particularly offensive smell or taste in memory for decades {read: chorizo at iHOP}
All this because Nate conveniently travelings on Wednesdays. One word to describe todays dumpster dive. "EW", and with that I think I just threw up a little in my mouth.

UP EARLY

This morning my alarm sounded at a very early 4:50am. Nate's brother Ryan, his wife Holly and their two cute girls Lydia {4) and Violet {1} stayed at our house lastnight in order to catch an early flight out of Salt Lake City. Nate and I are just a 30 minute drive to the airport. It was a lot of fun to have them stay and hang out a bit; Although we were limited on hang-out time by the understanding that 5:00am comes painfully early.
We left the house around 5:30am and I got to see a whole new side of our neighborhood and the world. I haven't been up that early since I trained for the marathon I never ran. The sunrise was pretty although smokey from the enormous fire in Southern Utah. The lake seemed peaceful and our neighborhood was so quiet with just the sprinklers breaking the silence.
I guess what I'm saying is, though life is pretty good right now, I think it would improve if I could get up a little earlier in the mornings. It was nice to muck around the house this morning, water the flowers and eat a sit-down breakfast {yogurt, fresh berries, and wheat toast}. Maybe I'll try it again tomorrow. Though I think 6am is sufficient. Let's not get too carried away!
{Image from Getty.}

MY JOB LACKS GLAMOUR

I'm in San Francisco. Glamorous. I'm sitting on the Ballroom level at the Hilton San Francisco; manning an information desk, trying to stay awake and trying to be engaged in conversations I'd rather not have. NOT glamorous.
I'm wearing a black a-line skirt and red patent leather, peep-toe shoes. Glamorous-ish. I'm also wearing a men's golf shirt with a stupid ol' company logo. Did I mention said golf shirt is beige and cut to accommodate the most pear-shaped man-body. NOT glamorous. {I'm cold so I'm putting on a red cardigan...might help, might not}.
After arriving this morning, I bought some necessities at Sephora which is just a short 7 minute walk from the hotel. Glamorous. I'm telling grown, literate men and women where the bathroom is when there are signs clearly marking these locations. NOT glamorous.
I'm carrying a walkie-talkie and my handle is mother goose. Glamorous. No one calls me on it. NOT glamorous.
I'm talking to all kinds of exotic looking and sounding people. Glamorous. I'm talking IT topics and nerdy software issues with these people. NOT glamorous.
When I was a doe-eyed seven or eight year old, I had this notion that my life would be very exciting and I'd spend my time changing the world and making a difference. I was sure people would flock to meet me and I would make a greater contribution to this world then pointing out washrooms at a Hilton in San Francisco.
Does anyone else ever feel like this? Like their life is something other then what it ought to be?
This feeling comes in waves and this one is crashing down around me pretty hard.

MY PERSONALITY DNA

I'm a free-wheeling artist. This particular test is spot-on in almost everything. It does mention that I like nights out on the town more then quite nights at home which isn't particularly true. Also, in some groups {good friends and family} I don't mind the spotlight, but I really tend to lurk in the shadows when I'm with a group I don't know.

TUESDAY NIGHT PROJECT

So a while back I was wondering if I could actually make this cute head band I spotted at Nordstrom for $58. On Friday I stopped off at Hancock Fabric and purchased the same veil netting and chenille pipe cleaner. After a quick stop at Robert's Crafts for a silk flower I am officially equipped and ready to create.
I've decided this will be my Tuesday night project. Since creating my own office {actually, by creating I mean putting my west elm desk in a bare room} I feel a little more inspired to get out my sewing machine and finish those aprons I meant to make for Christmas last year.

BAD DAY AT WORK

{photo from forever21.com}
I have a tendency to daydream. When I'm having a bad day at work, which is happening more and more often these days, I sometimes find myself staring at the gray cubical wall while I imagine what life would be like if I tossed off responsibility and became a full-time writer or something else really artistic and creative. If I did this I'd have to move somewhere inspiring; somewhere with lots of people watching and beauty and romance and the ocean.
In this daydream I'm about 20 pounds thinner and I have a tendency to walk the shoreline in deep contemplation and look like this...while the latest novel I'm working on is brewing to perfection in my pretty little head.

MARRIED + SINGLE = PERFECTION

{Nate is gone 'til Thursday, so vexing}
I never thought it could happen: to be married and still have a single experience every now and then. By single, I mean eating cereal for dinner, going to movies with friends, having long romantic phone calls with my crush, languishing in the bath with a detox mask and cucumber slices over my eyes while listening to Neko Case, watching all the best BBC epics like Pride and Prejudice and Wives and Daughters and stay in my pjs all day.

I don't yet have children but this kind of single-girl existence really isn't reality for me any longer. I used to spend Sunday afternoons painting my toe nails and watching the LifeTime Channel with my roommates {I really miss that}. Post marriage I'm more likely to be found on the back of Nate's motorcycle, exploring the Oquirrh mountains and driving down the peculiar historic Magna downtown. Saturday mornings used to go something like this: wake up, put on Juicy velours, wash face, put on BIG sun glasses, stop at Sonic for route 44 Diet Dr. Pepper with extra lime, and head off to Nordstrom for a few hours of shopping {remember Stacey?}. On Saturday mornings these days, Nate would rather get up early spend a few hours at the lake fishing.

I'm not saying one is better then the other. There are things I miss about my single-girl life and there are things I adore about my married-girl life. The great thing about Nate traveling is that I get to celebrate and enjoy some of the single-girl behaviors I miss on a regular basis. And just about the time I'm sick and tired of Mr. Darcy, Nate will walk through the back door and exclaim, "Honey, I'm home", and suddenly I'm married again.