Funniest YouTube Video EVER!

In Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I have a dream....

That one day I will have a full time job.
With a lunch break.
And weekends free.
With benefits.
And regular hours.

That I will only work one job.
That I will have holidays off and sick leave.

I have a dream...but for now that's all it is...just a dream.

Awkward

sometimes my life is awkward and i don't know what to do about it.

The Highlights of 2006

January

• I turned 24 on the 16th.
• My friend Sariah had her first baby girl Grace on the 24th.

February

• I went on a week long cruise from the 6th-10th on the Baja California Cruise.
• I worked a lot of extra hours at my Provo job because we were down 2 part-timers.

March

• I had my one year Blogaversary on March 7th.
• I went to my first Opera on March 11th. I saw the "The Magic Flute" at the Capital Theater.

April

• I switched positions at my BYU job in the middle of April. I went from Faculty Delivery Services to the Copy Center. I hated it at first, but don't mind so much now.
• Ashley and Tim had their first baby on the 24th and they named her Natalie.
• I moved to a townhouse on 9th east on the 30th.

May

• I got $30.00 back from my $200.00 deposit from Carriage Cove. I was glad to have moved out of that place!
• I played at the Villa pool a lot and loved life!

June

• The Summer Reading Program at the Provo Library began at the beginning of the month. Our theme this year was "Open a Book, Travel Through Time: Celebrating 100 years of Reading at the Provo City Library" I did a lot with the teen program and even created a blog for part of the program.
• I went to Canyonlands/Dead Horse Point National Park over Memorial Day weekend.
• I went to the Strawberry Days Rodeo on the 16th. This is the rodeo that Sariah and I have gone to for the past couple of years and I love it!

July

• I went to my family reunion in Missouri at the beginning of July. After the reunion, I went home with Ash and Tim to Indiana for a few days. It was so much fun to see them and their house!
• I walked a million steps this summer! I began counting my steps with a pedometer in May and had reached a million steps by the end of July.

August

• I paid off my car at the beginning of the month. It's nice to not have any debt!
• I moved into a house in the Tree streets on the 15th. I love living in this house and only live with one roommate!
• I received my endowment in the Nauvoo Temple on the 24th. This was the biggest highlight and blessing on my year!

September

• My sister that is 6 years younger than me started as a freshman at BYU. It's been so fun to have her out here and to build our relationship as "adults"!
• September 11, 2006 marked the 5th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center. I took some time to reflect on what I was doing that day and what lessons I have learned since then.

October

• October 6th brought me to my 100th blog post!
• October was sort of a frustrating month what with the collections letter from my doctors office and realizing that my car registration had been expired since JULY! But I learned some valuable lessons from these experiences and am thankful that I learned them while I am just in charge of myself instead of others. This experience encouraged me to update my list of places to notify when I move!
• Buck and Caroline welcomed Lincoln into their lives on the 16th. He is such a cutie!
• The last weekend in October I was asked out on a date! This is a highlight for me because I hadn't been out since January!

November

• November brought a fun Thanksgiving weekend at my grandma's house. Grandma wasn't there, but I spent the weekend with my sister and two cousins.
• I was able to see my first BYU football game when they were playing their last game of the season. We beat Utah by 2 points and it was an amazing game!

December

• I received my passport in the mail!
• I escaped the blizzard in Denver (barely) while flying home for Christmas!
• I went cross-country skiing for the first time ever and had a blast!
• I had a really fun New Year's Eve-we ate, played games, and burned stuff! What more could you want?

In summary:
I visited 1 country in 2006-Mexico
I visited 9 states in 2006 (5 of them just on my trip home for Christmas!)-California, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arizona, Kansas

I have had a very fulfilling year and I look forward to the adventures to come in 2007...I already know that I will be going on a Mediterranean Cruise in September, but I'm sure lots of little things will make 2007 both challenging and spectacular!

Passport

I got my passport in the mail yesterday. Now I can leave the country whenever I want to!!

Sad Tragedy

The story below was posted on ksl.com. I work with the dad of this family. I can't even begin to imagine what this family is going through. Please tell your loved ones to be careful with their little ones and to take their children out of their car seats when they are no longer in the car! My prayers are with this family!

Baby Dies While Sleeping in Car Seat

December 8th, 2006 @ 9:43pm

Sam Penrod Reporting

A tragedy in Utah tonight as a one-year old baby girl dies while sleeping in a car seat. The baby died this evening, after efforts to revive her failed. The baby's death ironically comes on the same day of a new international study, which says leaving infants in a car seat can be dangerous.

We've probably all done it -- you come home from a trip and the baby is still sleeping, so rather than risk waking the baby up, you leave it in a car seat like this while it sleeps in your house. Sadly tonight, a Utah baby may have died from exactly that.

Fifteen-month old Devin Justine Greer was being cared for by a neighbor this afternoon and was left sleeping in her car seat.

Sgt. Spencer Cannon, Utah County Sheriff's Office: "She had apparently fallen asleep in the car seat in the car, but was taken into the home."

The baby girl was sleeping in a bedroom, but when the caregiver went to check on her she was not breathing.

Sgt. Spencer Cannon, Utah County Sheriff's Office: "When family here at the home went into that room a short time later, they found her unresponsive and not breathing, and that's when they called 911."

Paramedics attempted CPR for more than an hour, but it was not successful.

Sgt. Spencer Cannon, Utah County Sheriff's Office: "We have detectives who are continuing to investigate to rule out any foul play, but at this point it appears to be an accident."

This baby's death could be related to what New Zealand researchers today warned is a danger for infants. A new study of nine infants who suffered "life threatening breathing problems " while strapped into a car seat where they were left asleep outside the car. The babies had their heads bent forward while they slept and that restricted their airways.

Janet Brooks with Primary Children's Hospital says the warning about letting babies sleep for long periods of time in car seats is not new, but an important reminder.

Janet Brooks, Child Advocacy Manager, Primary Children's Hospital: "Leaving kids in a car seat too long. If you take them out of the car, take them into the house. They sleep in it, they nap in it. These are all issues, not only for airways but for curvature of the spine, flatness on the back of the head , these are all issues we look at."

While it's not safe to let babies sleep for a long time in the car seat out of the car, we want to make it clear, while in a car it's a different story. There is no question that infant car seats save lives and researchers say may reduce car accident injuries by as much as 90%.

Ann-Marie's Life in Pictures-Here's what I've been up to lately:

Baking Pies with my sister Shelly for Thanksgiving!














Hanging out with cousins! Clockwise from the top: Charisse, Shelly, Me and Melanie!















Making funny faces on Thanksgiving Day!















Sleep over at G-ma's! Charisse is looking hot in a bathrobe while she does her laundry!















Being an elf for the 2nd year in a row for the Provo Christmas Parade!














Getting a new toy that I am loving!

Awesome Game

Did you see the game today! It was so good!!! So intense, but so totally fun!!! Yeah for BYU beating the U!!!

Blast from the Past

Remember this?

I will be an elf in the Christmas Parade on Dec. 2nd on Center Street.

Come support your friendly elf/librarian!

What would your city be like?

The other day I was crusin' the internet and came across this little story...

Here's a fun little game I made up that's really easy to play. We played it while we were sitting around eating lunch but you could easily play it in the car to ease the time it takes you to get wherever you may be going. It's really simple and even my 14 year old played along.

Yesterday at lunch, my 4 year old son, Shorty, and I were talking about the United States and their capitals. (Shorty knows more US geography than a lot of adults I know, It's just a thing he likes. Some guys like trucks or dinosaurs. Shorty likes geography. I know - it's a little freaky to me too.) So out of the blue I just asked him what Shorty-ville would look like? For starters, he re-named it Shorty City. We started with things like what colors the houses would be and went on to discuss what types of stores and restaurants would be in "his" city. And how they would be placed - the playground would be right next to the church. Then we asked his older brother, #1 Son (He's 9 and is not a geography whiz.) what his city would be like. He jumped right in and had lots of ideas. Sweetanlo (14) helped by making suggestions of things or places that they hadn't thought of including. For the record, he'd place Shorty City in the great state of Texas. (His favorite state since his best friend moved there last winter.) Shorty had so much fun with this that he was still talking about it tonight at bedtime. Tonight he said that tomorrow we'd have to talk about our dog's city, which he cleverly named, Lucy Land, all on his own.

It was easy. It encouraged creativity and imagination. No small pieces to lose. Nothing to clean up or put away. It's portable and expandable. It didn't end in bickering or tears. This kind of game works-for-me!

What would your city look like? What would it be named? It sounds like a fun game that kids would really get in to!

Bad Day

I had a really bad day today.

I don't want to talk about it.

Weird

This is one of the strangest movies I have ever watched! I think my mom got this DVD in a cereal box. I brought it home a few Christmas's ago, but haven't watched it until tonight!

It was very much an 80's movie! If anyone want to borrow it...feel free to talk to me!

Librarian Exercise Video

Check out this funny video!

Luckiest

I went to go renew my parking sticker at BYU this week (since it expires tomorrow!) I knew that I need to bring in my registration. So I went to take it out of my glove box and noticed that the date was expired on the piece of paper. I thought, maybe this is the wrong paper...but after checking the tags on my car, I realized that my registration was indeed expired. It expired in JULY!!!

I went that afternoon to re-register my car and wasn't charged a fine for letting it expire so that made me happy. Because I was sure that they were going to charge me something.

I am just so lucky that I haven't been pulled over in the past 3 months! I guess I didn't get the renewal letter in the mail, since I moved since it would have been sent to me.

I am so thankful that I was able to get it fixed and that I was blessed to not have been pulled over and fined. I much rather learn the lesson by panicking after finding out that it was expired rather than paying a huge fine!

100 Things about Ann-Marie on her 100th Post!

1. I went on my first plane ride at age 12 and I flew alone.
2. My parents named me Ann-Marie with a hyphen because they thought it sounded so Hollywood (my mom just recently told me this).
3. Because of the craziness of my work schedule, I can eat a full meal at any time of the day or night.
4. I have had 28 roommates since leaving home for college.
5. I lived with 5 of them for multiple semesters.
6. 7 of those got engaged while I lived with them.
7. I hate the colors red and pink and never wear them! (Except for when my sister-in-law chose pink for her bridesmaid dresses and I had no choice).
8. I am starting to get over my hate for red and now have red curtains in my house.
9. I guess that I just don't like to wear red or pink. I see other redheads wearing pink and I don't think that they look bad, I just think that I look weird wearing pink.
10. Often when I say my name over the phone people think that my name is Emory. They also think that is a pretty name.
11. I don't ever correct them when they think this, because it is usually someone that doesn't really need to know my name at all...let alone what my name really is.
12. I am the president of the VL club and probably will be for eternity!
13. I have incredible friends. (oh wait, you already knew that!)
14. I supervise 4 students at my BYU job.
15. One of my students calls me Ms. Marchant after we talked about nicknames and I told him that I didn't go by Ann.
16. I love the fall season.
17. I hate being cold!!!!
18. 2 of the most lifesaving purchases last winter were a space heater and an electric mattress pad.
19. Sadly now that I have a full size bed, I can't use my twin size electric mattress pad this winter.
20. I am going on a Mediterranean Cruise next Sept. with all of my aunts and uncles and my Grandma on my mom's side of the family.
21. Most of my cousins don't know that I am going yet.
22. The ones that do are jealous.
23. The ones that don't know yet will be jealous.
24. That's what you get for being the oldest non-married girl cousin.
25. There have to be some advantages.
26. I almost never have cash on me.
27. Whenever I do have cash it seems to disappear very quickly.
28. I am currently addicted to Gilmore Girls.
29. I love pumpkin pie.
30. "Elf" is my favorite movie! I could watch it all year round. And I do!
31. As a librarian, my list of books to read never shrinks. It only grows.
32. I am currently reading 4 books at a time.
33. I often read multiple books at a time.
34. No, I don't get them confused with each other.
35. My favorite trilogy of the summer is written my Scott Westerfeld.
36. The books are "Uglies" "Pretties" and "Specials".
37. Read them today! (Ask me if you want to know more about them).
38. I don't like seafood.
39. I will have my car paid off this month!!
40. Quite a few of my best friends either have kids or will soon.
41. I love the TV show "Boy Meets World"
42. My roommate and I currently don't get any TV channels because we don't want to pay for cable and for some reason our rabbit ears don't' even pick up basic.
43. As a kid I took gymnastics lessons and ballet lessons; in college I took a swimming class. I am still not a very good or confident swimmer.
44. I looked like a princess when I went to my junior prom. (My mom just told me this the other day. Apparently someone said that about me and my mom overheard)
45. The first car that I drove was called "The Death Trap" by my mom. It was an old AMC Spirit that my brother bought before his mission.
46. My best friend Sariah named the same car the "Shortcake Mobile".
47. I learned some basic car repairs that were specific to that cars' problems and could get the car running in less than 30 seconds in the dark, when it decided not to start.
48. The repair had something to do with the butterfly valve and shoving a screwdriver into that valve before turning the car on.
49. I have never broken 100 when bowling, but think it's a fun game anyway.
50. I would like to like running, but I just can't. I hate running.
51. My mom tried to teach me to play the piano when I was younger. I didn't want to and so I never really learned.
52. I played the flute in junior high and high school, but was never great at it and didn't really care to be good at it.
53. Often during parades and football half time shows, I would pretend like I was playing my flute, but really just be looking to see what was going on around me.
54. I loved building the sets for the highschool musicals.
55. I enjoyed being in the musicals, but going to build the sets on Saturday morning are some of my favorite highschool memories.
56. I don't like pets. I don't plan on having pets, but if I ever do they will have to be outside pets.
57. I can't stand pet hair being all over a persons house. It just grosses me out.
58. I have never taken out a student loan.
59. I broke my arm in 1st grade. My brother and I were playing circus. I was the human cannon ball. I flew into the air, and then hit the wall. I wrote left handed for a while until my other arm healed.
60. I have a scar on my forehead from when I cracked my head open. I was probably 3 or 4 because we were living in Provo. Someone rang the doorbell to our apartment. I was running around the corner to see who it was an misjudged where the wall was. I had several stitches.
61. I have one freckle on my bottom lip.
62. I don't like roller coasters. I just don't like feeling out of control.
63. I am a Capricorn.
64. My favorite shape is a star.
65. I still haven't had my wisdom teeth removed.
66. I wear a size 2 shoe.
67. I get the majority of my clothing in the children's section.
68. My favorite Disney movie is "Little Mermaid"
69. I have never been to Disneyland or Disney World.
70. I don't know what my blood type is.
71. I have never snow skied. But love to waterski and wakeboard.
72. I don't remember the last time that I went to the doctor for a check up.
73. I love looking at city lights!
74. I think that I look funny in hats, even though I have been told otherwise.
75. I have 5 brothers and 2 sisters.
76. Both of my grandpas have passed away.
77. I can't whistle.
78. I have visited 18 of the 50 states.
79. I have been to Mexico once and Canada twice.
80. I will be getting my passport in a few months! (After I apply and do all of that stuff)
81. Then I will be able to escape to another country when ever I want to!!
82. I like stargazing, even though I don't know very many of the constellations.
83. I think shooting stars are the coolest and it is fun to see a meteor shower.
84. I went to my junior prom, but not my senior prom.
85. I have worked in a library for the past 7 years.
86. I have decided that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love to eat the delicious foods!
87. I like going to Rodeos in the summertime.
88. I've never donated blood. I'm not big enough.
89. I didn't like country music until my junior year in highschool.
90. Now I listen to country most of the time when I am on my own.
91. Although I like all different types of music.
92. I have lived in various housing situations throughout college and after college.
93. I have lived in an apartment, condo, townhouse, and house.
94. I think that living in a house is the best!
95. I have lived with 1, 3, and 5 roommates.
96. Living with 5 roommates was way too much for me! Too many girls and too much drama!
97. I have been white water rafting and kayaking on the ocean!
98. In my family I am the second oldest.
99. I will probably be the shortest.
100. I love the smell of fresh baked bread! And cookies!

I have reached the end of my list and hope that you have learned some new things about me!

Going to Work makes me TIRED!!!

Science Fiction

I have to read 2 Science Ficton books before the middle of November for my Provo job. I am not much of a sci-fi reader... Iin fact I don't know if I've ever read anything that is truly Sci-Fi.

So I am asking for suggestions for good science fiction books.

Does anyone have favorites or suggestions for me?

Nunya

So my roommate needed to take a picture of her pet and her for a contest they are doing at work. The only problem being that she doesn't have a pet!

So yesterday after church we got together to make her a pet. We found a nice rock in our yard and got crafty!

We used cotton balls for the eyes and nail polish to paint the face and spots on Nunya. Leaves made great hair and gills for the pet rock.

Then we took him outside for a photo shoot. Katie took some pictures with her camera of him by the tree and smelling some random roses in our front yard.

Here is a picture of that I took of Nunya at his family reunion.
(click to enlarge)















What is Nunya's full name you ask?

Nunya Bizness

So this week was my sisters first week of college. Since she is 6 years younger than me, it is sort of weird to believe that she is even old enough to be in college! But it is fun to have her out here and to build a relationship with her as an adult!

I remember what it was like to start college...It was fun and exciting and overwhelming, but some of the best years of my life.

People say that if they could they would go back in time and be in highschool again. I would never want that! Highschool was okay, but college was by far better!!! If I could go back I would do college all over again. And I would do it exactly the same way that I did it this time around!

I have made some of my best friends in college and I wouldn't trade my experiences in college for anything!

Google Fun

Check out this book that you can download. You just go to this website and you can download the entire book. www.55fun.com

My cousins and I played the first 2 games last night and they were hilarious!!

"Your manners suck"

Last night I was at work and a lady came up to the side of the desk. I asked her to come around to the front so that I could help her. She then said that she had printouts. As per our policy, I asked her to describe what she had printed. She proceeded to tell me that they were the only printouts that had printed in the last 10 minutes. I explained to her that all of the computers printed to this one computer and I just needed her to tell me what her printouts were. She told me and I counted up the pages. I told her how much she owed and she threw the money at me. I thanked her for paying and then as I was ringing it in the cash register she said, "You need to get some better manners. Because your manners suck!"

I just ignored her as she walked away, but I really wanted to tell her that saying "suck" wasn't really very good manners either!

junk e-mail

i was just checking my work e-mail. for some reason i get a ton of junk e-mail at my provo work. one of the e-mail subjects said "stop being obese and unhappy" :)
i just don't understand why this e-mail was sent to me instead of your mom!

bills...

i hate paying bills, balancing the checkbook and seeing that there's not much there! good thing pay day is NEXT thursday/friday!

blah!

House Hunting

So I am moving (again) in a few weeks. After looking around town for a new place and becoming increasingly frustrated with the whole process, I found some places to look at.

This place was...interesting... You walk into the living room and the bathroom is just off the living room. Then you go up a spiral staircase (carpeted in yellow 70s shag of course!) a end up in the kitchen. Down the hallway you find the two bedrooms one of which has a skylight. It wasn't the place for me...getting ready in the morning would have been so frustrating because you would have to go up and down the stairs a million times!
After looking at several other properties (actually the one we got was the first one I looked at) my roommate and I decided on this one...

It is the cutest little house! I love it already! It is furnished and perfect! It is a little 2 bedroom 1 bath just up from where I am now. We will share the washer and dryer with the couple that lives in the "studio" that is attached to the house and will split utilities with them as well.
I am so excited to move into a house and live in a quiet neighborhood! I move in on August 15th!

Million....

I walked a MILLION steps in the summer of 2006!

Winner!!!

It's time to clean house!

So my roommate is out of town for the weekend.

I decided that my apartment was in need of some cleaning and today was the day to do it! I vacummed the living room for I think, the first time since I moved in in April. I also swept and mopped the kitchen floor. I don't know why you would put white linoleum in a student apartment, but that's what is in my house. The floor was so dirty!! It didn't take me that long to clean up and I was so much happier when it was done!!

Vacation!!

Okay I am finally getting a chance to tell you about my vacation. It was a lot of fun! I flew out on Sunday the 2nd with my grandma. After a long day of traveling we FINALLY got to Ashley's parents house. We ate dinner and had fun chatting with the cousins, jumping on the trampoline, and just hanign out. On Monday we went to the church history sites that are in the area: Liberty Jail, Far West, Independance Visitors Center, and Adam-ondi-Ahman. It was a fun day! On Tuesday a bunch of us got dressed up and went window shopping at the Plaza in downtown Kansas City. We didn't buy anything, but had a fun time looking at the different stores. That night we had a BBQ, family baseball game, horseriding, volleyball game..... and lots of fireworks. We watched the city fireworks and then put on a fireworks show of our own. On Wed we went to the lake a played on pontoon boats. Everyone that had a drivers license had the opportunity to drive the boat! We went swimming off the boats, had a picnic and played card games. That night we went to a Kansas City Royals baseball game. The Royals won and we all had a fun time at the game. That night Ashley, Tim, Natalie and I left to go to their house in Indiana. It is a 8 hour trip from KC to Indianapolis. I stayed up the first 4 hours of the trip while Tim drove and then stayed up the last 4 hours of the trip while Ashley drove! I KNOW that I am now too old to pull all-nighters. I was so tired by the end of the trip! Since we got hom around 8am on Thursday morning, Ash and I just took naps and lazed around while Tim was at work that day. On Friday Ash and Natalie and I went on a walk around the canal in downtown Indianapolis and went shopping while Tim was at work. Then after he got off we went to the Indy 500 Speedway Museum. It was really interesting to learn about the history of racing and see how the cars had changed throughout the years. That night we went to the drive in and saw "Cars" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest", it was fun to go to the movies, but I did sleep through most of them because I was still so tired! Saturday we went to the Children's Museum in Indianapolis. It was so much fun and I could have spent many, many more DAYS there. We saw blown-glass by Chihuly, we explored Sesame Street, learned about dinosaurs, saw miniture houses, and learned about sea life. We also rode the carosel and just have a great time! Saturday night while we were playing games at Tim and Ash's house, Natalie giggled for the first time! It was so cute!
So that was my vacation, it was a lot of fun and a much needed break from work! I hope you enjoy these pictures...

(P.S. Some of the pictures are sort of random and I didn't know which pictures I was attaching, but that's okay!)

I'm back!

I'm back from my vacation to Missouri/Indiana. I will post pictures and tell you more about my vacation soon!

Tim and Natalie at the Beach

Tim and Natalie on vacation in Alabama. I love the look on Tim's face!!

Rodeo

Me, Grace, Sariah





I went to the Strawberry Days Rodeo in Pleasant Grove on Friday night. It was so much fun! I love watching muttin' bustin' (where little kids ride sheep), wild cow milking (where teams of 3 guys each chase cows around the arena and try to milk them) and of course bull riding, steer roping and barrel racing. My roommate Katie came with some of her friends from her old ward. And Sariah, Jake, Grace and Sariah's brother and sister-in-law and kids came. It was a really fun time!






Grace sporting a cowboy hat!
So cute!










Katie and I at the Rodeo!

Canyonlands/Dead Horse Point

A few weeks ago for Memorial day some of my Provo Library co-workers and I went to Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point for the day. It was such a fun trip! Here are some pictures of our trip!














Dead Horse Point



















Buck Canyon Overlook (I took this specifically for Buck!)



Anjie and I at an Arch



A "dinosaur" footprint (I'm not sure if they really were dinosaurs footprints in the rock or not, but I would like to think so.)

Summer Reading Has Begun

So we began sign ups for summer reading on Thursday. So far we have almost signed up more people in the last 3 days than the whole summer last year! It's out of control, but a lot of fun! You should all come visit me at the library and sign up for the program!!

Funny

Click on the comic strip to make it bigger!

Deposit

Carriage Cove made me pay a $200 deposit when I signed my contract to live there. When I moved out this is how much I got back:

Carpet fee (per contract) -$35.00
Re-hang closet doors-$10.00
Check-out cleaning-$50.00
Trash hauled out-$30.00
Bricks divided x 3- $25.00
Sofa removed divided x 3-20.00

If you do the math you can see that I got $30.00 back!

Yep, that's THIRTY dollars!!

The closet doors weren't on when I moved in, the "sofa" is a chair that a previous roommate left in the apartment. The cinder that were in my room I moved out, the remaining ones I believe where in the apartment when I moved in, along with a bunch of other crap.

I expected to be charged for not doing my cleaning check and for them hauling out trash, because I wasn't going to haul out stuff that wasn't mine. It's not even worth it to go talk to them about the closet doors.

Never having to deal with Carriage Cove and their money hungry ways-PRICELESS!!!!

Blogging about blogging about blogging about...

So I have been helping get everything ready for the Summer Reading Program at the Provo Library (sign-ups for the program begin June 1st and the program runs until July 31st all you need to sign-up is a Provo Library Card). I have been calling up sponsors and helping with the activities for the Teen portion of the program. I have been especially working on a blog that we are going to use for the Teen program. You can check it out here. Since this is the centennial for the library in Provo we are doing a time travel theme. I have learned a lot about the past 100 years in working on this project. It's going to be a fun summer, so you should all sign-up for the Summer Reading Program!

Pedometer

2,000 steps=1 mile

I've walked 47,440 steps in the past 4 days. That equals 23 miles.

I'm doing this as part of a wellness challenge sponsered by BYU. But mostly I just wanted the pedometer! It's really fun tracking how many steps I walk in a day! The goal is to get 800,000 steps between May 1 and August 25.

New Baby

Here is little Natalie Jean Hansen! She is so cute!!

P.S. I found out tonight that ANOTHER one of my friends is expecting a baby! I guess it is the season to have a child.

Now if I could just get a date...

Time Flies!

I swear that this was just yesterday! But in reality it has been almost 2 years since I was Ashley's maid of honor. Her sister Melanie will be coming to COLLEGE in the fall along with my sister! (I can't believe they are old enough to be in college!)

And this afternoon Ashley and Tim welcomed a baby girl into their family. Natalie Jean Hansen (I think this is the name they have finally decided on) was born around 2:30 this afternoon. She weighed 7 lbs. 13 oz. and was 21 inches long. She has dark hair and dimples. It was fun to talk to Ashley this afternoon and hear about her new baby girl. I can't believe that she is a mom! But I know that she and Tim are going to be excellent parents! I'll post pictures when they send some to me. I can't wait to meet this little girl in July when I go home for a family reunion and also to visit Ash and Tim at their house in Indiana!

Life after Graduation...

Nama asked me to write about life post graduation. There are really both pros and cons about life after graduation…

Pros

No Homework!

No Finals!

No Studying!

Life is more relaxed!

Less Stress!

For the most part once you are done with work for the day, you don’t have to think about your job anymore!

Cons

You miss being on campus and wearing a backpack

You miss learning different things everyday

After a while, even if you love your job…it becomes monotonous

Eventually you realize you are now an adult and that is SCARY!

Even though life after graduation isn’t always a dream come true…I would DEFINITELY recommend it! I loved college, but I’m happy to be graduated!!

p.s. can you believe that I’ve been graduated for 2 years now!!

Em is the coolest

person I know!

I really don't know what else to say... She makes my life so much fun and I'm gonna miss her when she moves away. Em is so friendly and charitable. She makes me laugh and I know that she is a fabulous teacher!
Em is AWESOME!!

Writers Block

I have writers block.

Not too much is happening in my life. Besides the fact that I will be moving to a different position at BYU because I didn't want to take a 30 hour position (working 50 hours a week for some reason just didn't appeal to me), and moving to a new apartment in a few weeks, I am just doing my regular day to day stuff.

Boring, but true.

If you have a topic you would like me to write about, just leave me a comment and maybe then I will have something new to blog about.

Car Loan

Tomorrow I will make my last car payment to my bank!!! I still owe my aunt and uncle some money for my car, but I am almost done paying it off!! Woo-Hoo!

Your Mom

Buck

This blog is dedicated to Buck and Caroline. Enjoy!

Beige

I was having a conversation with a friend the other night and she described a person as being beige. That is how I feel lately. That I am beige. I feel like I am lacking color and excitement and passion in my life. I know that I used to be a more colorful person and I don't know when or why I turned beige, but I want the color back in my life! So I know that this is silly and pretty lame, but I am asking the people that read my blog to help me remember the color that I have in my life. I trust each of your opinions and am seeking your advice in how to become a colorful person once again!

Em made me do it...

I edited the lists so that I didn't have to think as hard and took out the questions that I didn't have immediate answers to! If you don't like it... TOO BAD!

5 movies you can watch over and over:
1. Elf
2. Three Amigos
3. You've Got Mail
4. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
5. The Terminal

5 memorable halloween costumes:
1. Pippi Longstocking
2. Kat's Skirt
3. Clown
4. Black Cat
5. Princess

5 celebrities you believe may secretly be alien:
1. Tom Cruise
2. Star Jones
3. Paris Hilton
4. Nicholas Cage
5. Lindsay Lohan

5 occupations you know you could never do:
1. Trashman
2. Professional Basketball Player
3. Telemarketer
4. Mathematician
5. The Bearded Lady

5 books you've recently read:
1. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
2. Better than you think you are by Ardith Kapp
3. She got up off the couch by Haven Kimmell
4. Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
5. The Lion, The Wich, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

5 ways to perfectly spend an afternoon:
1. Playing at the Park
2. Reading a good book
3. Eating
4. Chatting with a good friend
5. Watching a movie

Doctor Discrimination

So my wrist has been hurting for like 2 weeks now and I am finally giving in an wanting to go to the doctor to see what's wrong.

I haven't been to the doctor since I moved to Utah and don't really care who I go to at this point.

I have called 2 different doctors (one in Provo and the other in Orem) this week to see if I could set up an appointment to see them. Both receptionists asked if I was a current patient of Dr. So-and-So. I replied "no". Their next question was "are you pregnant?" Again I replied "no". They then both proceeded to tell me that Dr. So-and-So was not taking any new patients at the time that were not pregnant.

What's a girl gotta do to see a doctor in this town???

I didn't realize how much this town was obsessed with marriage and family until they denied me medical treatment on the basis of my lack of pro-creation!

Opera

I went to the opera on Saturday night! It was a lot of fun. I went with a few of my co-workers at the Provo Library to see this.

I feel so cultured!

Mad Hot Ballroom Party

I will be having a "Mad Hot Ballroom" Party at my apartment this Friday starting at 7:30. We'll watch the movie, have some treats and just have fun!

I live at Carriage Cove and you can call me if you need directions.

It will be a blast!

P.S. You can't park in the parking lot after 9pm so you might want to initally park on the street or be prepared to move your car around 9.

Happy Blogaversary to Me!!

So tomorrow (March 7th) is my one year Blogaversary.

As I think over this past year I think of laughter, tears, crazy people and jokes about your mom!

Happy birthday little blog!!

P.S. I finally got a hold of a copy of the movie "Mad hot ballroom"! If you wanna see it give me a call and we can have a party!!

Decision

March is going to be a great month! Winter is on it's way out and the weather has been perfect the last couple of days! I'm ready to be a happy girl again, and this new weather just might do the trick!

Fun at work

I was talking to one of our "computer guys" at work (Provo) a day or two after valentines day. He replaced a floppy drive and gave the bad one to me to be thrown away. I made a snide comment like "oh this is what I've always wanted!". Later that night he brought me this!


If you can't read the bottom it says: "Just what every girl wants on valentines day, a bunch of broken hard drive parts"
This "valentine" made my day!

On a different note... tonight at the Provo Library I was talking to one of my supervisors. She was saying how there was a suspicious bag left last night at closing time. It was a black bag that sort of looked like a camera case. It was making noises and they weren't sure if it could possibly be bomb related. So they called the library director and the police. The police sent in the bomb squad and they apparently detonated the device. It turned out not to be a bomb, but someone's scriptures! That cracks me up that they blew up scriptures. That may not be "kosher" but I still think it's funny. No one has yet asked for the bag, but if they do they will have to talk to the police for causing such a ruckus!

Cruisin'

So I went on a cruise last week.

It was fabulous!

I didn't like feeling the swaying motions hours after getting off the boat. I didn't like the street vendors following me around and showing me dirty shot glasses.

I didn't really mind having an older woman "assist" me in seeing the sharks. I didn't mind so much hanging out in the airport for 5 hours, but I wouldn't do it everyday!

I loved being in 70+ degree weather. I loved eating and eating and eating. I loved Sea World and kayaking on the ocean at Catalina Island. I loved watching a sea otter play king of the hill and keep knocking her fellow sea otter friends off the rock. I loved the crazy captains messages each day as we left port.

I loved hanging out with good friends and making some new ones.


That is all.

Grace

Fresh from Heaven

My best friend Sariah had her baby early this morning!

Grace Aryn was born at 2:28am on January 24th. She weighed 6 lbs. 7 oz. and is 19 inches long.
She has curly black hair and is so cute!!!

Here's a picture of Sariah and I with Grace, although you can't see Grace very well. When I get some better pictures of the baby I will post!

International Cinema

Nama and I saw this movie tonight with my friend Sara. It was such a good movie!

24

My 24th birthday is tomorrow!
I never imagined that I would still be single at 24. I thought that I would be married and possibly have a family by now. When I was growing up and learned that my mom didn't get married until 24, I always thought that that was so old! I now know how young 24 really is. I have learned a lot in my 24 years and have had great life experiences. But I am sure when I look back after another 24 years I will see how little I knew at 24. It's interesting how life works out. There are so many things in life that I wish that I would have right now and so often I ache for a loving companion and a family of my very own. And yet, I am also so thankful for the independence and freedom that I have by being single.
I know that I have a lot to learn in the rest of my life and I pray that 24 will be the best year yet!

New Shoes

So I discovered this website a few months ago. Cinderella's of Boston makes grown-up shoes for little feet! I really like lots of the shoes they have. And this week I saw that some of my favorites are on sale. Since these shoes are a little more expensive than I usually spend, it was nice to see them on sale! So I ordered a few pairs *cough 4 cough*! I'm excited for them to come and for me to have grown-up shoes. Because frankly you can only wear Barbie for so many years before it gets old! And speaking of old a 24-year-old cannot be taken seriously while wearing Dora the Explorer sneakers!

Movie

I watched "Dreamer" last night (with Dakota Fanning)at the dollar theater. It was so good! I recommend it to everyone!!

Big Baby!

Check out this video! The anchorwoman's commentary cracks me up!

New Addiction

So one of my co-workers was telling me about this game that's becoming popular all over the country:
Sudoku




















Each row and column has the numbers 1-9 in it. So does each box. You can't repeat the same number in the same column, row, or box. It's sort of like a crossword but with numbers. It's way fun!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Christmas Elf

Yesterday I was at work (at the Provo Library) minding my own business when my boss calls me. She tells me that the director of the Library would like me to be an elf in the Provo Christmas Parade on Saturday morning. Well what could I do? I mean this was my boss asking me on behalf of her boss to represent the library at the parade. So I did the only thing I could do. I said Yes and a few hours later I found my self at Taylor Maid renting a costume for said event. The city is paying for my costume rental and I am expecting major brownie points from my boss! If any of you want to see me make a fool of myself for the entire town of Provo...come watch the parade. It starts at 10 am on Saturday morning and goes from 5th West to 1st West and back along Center Street.


oh how do i get myself into these things?

Flat Tire

I was headed up Provo Canyon last night to visit some friends in Heber. I was about halfway up the canyon when I got a flat tire!
It all turned out alright though! I just called to have some of my friends help me!
I am so thankful for cell phones though! Not even one person stopped to try to help me!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I Spy....

Brother Coleman in this Strongbad E-mail.

Can you find him?

News

I was reading the news today on the internet and came across this article.
Crazy huh?

Junie B.

I just finished the newest Junie B. book.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

"I do not wreck everything," I said. "And anyway, this wasn't even my fault! You're the one who started it, May! You'rethe one who stoled my journal."
Mr. Scary looked down at me.
"Stole," he said. "The word is stole, Junie B. Not stoled."
I sucked in my cheeks, 'Cause now was not the time for grammar.
"Fine. She stole my journal."
-----------------------------------
Ohhhh....
Jingle bells,
Batman smells,
P.S. So does Maaay....
I'd throw May
Right off the sleigh,
And then I'd drive away

"HEY!" yelled May.
I laughed at that funny comment. 'Cause "HEY!" fit rigth into the song!
-------------------------------------------
Dear first-grade journal,
Mother and Daddy were not good sports about the note.
They said it is not funny to throw someone off a sleigh.
That made me laugh all over again.
I got sent to my room for a time-out.
Grown-ups do not understand humor.
From,
Junie B. First Grader
---------------------------------------
"How come you're not getting this Grampa? It's so simple," I said. "I need five dollars and you have five dollars. Boom! Do the math!"

There are so many other funny parts! You guys just gotta read the book!
or...we need to get together some time and I will read the book to you! :)

A Week in Review (The Highlights at least!)

Monday- Worked 10 hours. Hung out with my roommates.
Tuesday- Worked 10 hours. Visited Jena at the Villa.
Wednesday- Worked 4 hours. Picked up my cousin Melanie from the airport. Car wouldn't start again. A nice airport employee jumped my car. I drove up to my aunt and uncle's house in Bountiful. My uncle fixed my car and my cousins were entertained by my "crazy" grandma (on my dad's side-not their grandma).
Thursday- Worked 10 hours. We had scary stories at the Provo City Library. After work I went to my ward/apt. complex skating party at Classic Skating. It was fun, but now I am sore from skating and falling!
Friday- Worked 8 hours. Played with Alan and Jenny!
Saturday- Worked 3 hours. Went shopping. Watched Pirates of Penzance with my roommate.

Whew!

Car. Won't. Start.

So yesterday morning I went out to my car to leave for work and my car wouldn't start! It had been acting a little funny earlier in the week-taking longer to turn over, but it did start each time. Yesterday it was just DEAD!
After silently panicking for a second, I decided that I would just have to ride the bus up to campus and then deal with my car later. Of course I didn't have change to ride the bus, just at $5 bill. So some girl that lives in my complex (I've never seen her before) offered to pay for me to ride up to campus. I am so greatful to her.
Halfway through my shift at BYU I realized that I didn't have my keys with me for Provo City. So I rode the bus back home after work and then walked to the Provo City Library. I had one of my co-workers bring me home at the end of the day.
All throughout the day I was freaking out because I didn't know what was wrong with my car and I didn't know how long it would take to get it fixed and on and on.
So I called Jay to come look at it. I also called my hometeacher to come give my car a jump. It turns out that my battery terminal was pretty corroded. So I went ahead and bought myself a new battery. I'm so thankful for those boys! They were life savers to me and I really appreciate all the time they spent helping me out.
It all worked out at the end of the day, but it was a pretty stressful day!

Inspiring

The other night at work I was looking through a journal with book reviews in it. This book caught my attention, so I decided to find out more about it. This is Akaine's website. She seems like such a pure and amazing person! Her art is simply stunning! She is so young, yet so wise. I want to learn more about her and have asked that we order this book for the library!

This one is my favorite painting! It is called "Father Forgive Them"

Dinner

Yum!
CPK is one of my favorites!

Crazy Holidays

When I was at work the other day, one of the librarians called me asking me to look in a reference book for her. She was writing a newsletter for her dept. and wanted some "filler" stuff. We have this book called 'Chase's Calendar of Events' that lists what holiday there is on each day of the year. I just wanted to give you guys a heads up on what there is to celebrate in October!

October 2 - World Farm Animals Day
October 4 - National Toot Your Flute Day
October 5 - World Smile Day
October 10 - Tuxedo Day
October 12 - National World Egg Day
October 14 - National Be Bald and Be Free Day
October 15 - National Grouch Day
October 16 - Dictionary Day
October 17 - National Mulligan Day
October 19- Buck's Birthday
October 20 - Shampoo Day
October 22- Reptile Awareness Day
October 23- Mother-in-Law Day
October 24 - National Bologna Day
October 27 - Cranky Co-workers Day
October 28 - Bring Your Jack-O-Lantern to Work Day
October 30 - Haunted Refrigerator Day
October 31- National Knock-Knock Joke Day

Who want's to party??

E-Mail

I have received some funny e-mail's from some of my family members lately and I just wanted to share.

From Jenna (my 10 year old sister)

Howdy partner. I'm great today!! How ware you? What are you doing this weekend? I have no clue of what we are doing this weekend. Have you found a cute guy yet?I have not. Maybe you can find one for me. Do you have a calling in your church? I have nothing else to say so bye.

-Jenna-

I'm not sure why she thinks I can find her a cute guy, since I haven't had much luck myself, but I'll give it a try....Anyone know a cute 10 year-old boy for my sister???

This one is from my brother Eric. He is serving his mission in Brazil and has been out for about 5 months. He has a tendency to write in half English/half translated Portuguese. So I have translated it all into English for you! (Aren't I nice?)

i noticed that a good indication that the members are not keeping
the word of wisdom is when they have cases of empty beer bottles
outside their house.
i don't know maybe its just me.

Funny family huh?

Personal Ad

At the Provo City Library I am the one that approves flyers that go the on the Community Bulletin Board. We post things that are of interest to the community.
The other day someone brought this in for me to approve.


I did not end up putting it on the community bulletin board because it didn't quite fit our specifications, but i did bring it home for all to enjoy!
I think that this flyer is hilarious!!!
Take special notice of his address!

Pen pal anyone?

The Huxtables

So I borrowed season 1 of the Cosby Show from Em the other day. I have been having a fun time re-living my childhood while watching the episodes. I remember watching The Cosby Show growing up and I still think it is as funny today as it was back then! I had never seen the pilot before, but so far the rest of them seem familiar! Yippee for TV shows on DVD.

Spell to look Magnificant

The book "Supermarket Sorceress" came in the other day. So Leah, here is the spell to make you look magnificant (as if you need it!)

Ingredients
apples
snow peas
avocado
cherries

Remember Snow White and the witch who tried to poison her with an apple? Don't believe all the fairy tales you read. Apples have long been used by witches for love, health, and beauty spells. One old wives' tale mentions eating a half tablespoon of apple cider vinegar a day to retain youthfulness. Norse legend tells how the gods and goddesses eat apples to keep their good looks. Remember the princess and the pea? Another snow job! Peas (especially snow peas) are sacred to Venus, the goddess of beauty. To place a pea pod under your pillow will actually insure that you get your beauty rest. Avocado is another food sacred to Venus. Rich in oils, it is used in countless beauty products to rejuvenate the skin. Cherries promote self-confidence and happiness, the keys to feeling beautiful.
Take an apple and cut it in half horizontally. You should find a five-pointed star at its center. This is the witches' magical symbol, representing the perfection of the human form. The top point is the head, the center points are two arms, and the bottom points are two legs. Visualize yourself glowing like a perfect star.
Color also plays a part in this ritual. If you want to look great for romantic reasons, use a red apple. To make someone green with envy or to look good for a job interview, use a green apple. Golden apples are recommended f or people in the arts or anyone wanting to make an impression upon the public. Eat half of the apple and give the other half as an offering. Simply place it on your alter or under a tree.
Now peel the skin off of hte avocado. The avocado is also known as the alligator pear. Imagine all your "alligator" traits being removed. The alligator lives in dark, swampy areas. Release all the murkey and unattractive thoughts you have about yourself, shedding them with the skin of the avocado. Slice the fruit into seven pieces and remove the pit. (Seven is the sacred number of Venus.) Mash the slices into a paste as if you were maing guacamole. Use the paste as a face mask. As you cover your face visualize all your blemishes disappearing.
Now take seven snow peas in the right hand and seven cherries in the left hand. Eat them alternatively. The left hand rules the conscious and "seen" world. What you are doing is simultaneously creating beauty both within and without. This ritual should be done at least one to three days befor you intend to strut your stuff!

I'm not exactly sure if this book is being serious, or if they are making fun of witchcraft, but it is entertaining none the less!

Happy Labor Day!!!

Buffalo Wings

At Chris's wedding reception some of us were wondering about the origins of Buffalo Wings. Here is what I have found out...

Bewitching Books....

So I buy the philsophy and psychology books for Provo City Library. Many of you may not know that the Witchcraft books are housed in this section.

As I have been going through my section lately I have been replacing many books (these books get stolen all of the time) and have come accross some interesting titles.

"Witch on the Go: A Book of Spells to Take With You"
Book Description from Amazon
Witch on the Go has the incantations and simple, easy instructions for casting spells for love, money, and more while you are stuck in traffic, flying to Aruba in the middle of the winter, and unwinding after another long day. Your spell practice doesn’t ever have to be left behind because you are constantly on the move. Just remember to pack your Portable Spell Kit and take it with you wherever you go.

"Supermarket Sorceress"
Book Description from Amazon
No cauldrons, no warts, no flying brooms...

Experienced psychic, witch and high priestess, Lexa Rosean offers spells for every occasion in this amusing, magically effective and easy-to-follow guide. Taken from history and legend, all the ingredients needed, such as baking soda, tin foil, honey, tea and more, are simple, inexpensive and as close as your grocer's shelves.

With The Supermarket Sorceress, you'll discover how:

-Apples, snow peas, avocados and cherries can help you look magnificent
-Eggs banish negativity (including feelings for a lost love)
-Kitty litter works wonders on your enemies
-You can guarantee your lover's fidelity
-Turmeric, a turkey wishbone, a feather duster and a bunch of ripe bananas will help your fear of flying
-Mothballs protect against sexual harassment

Pretty funny huh! I just had to re-order these books because I am curious to look at them when they come in!

Popular!

I didn't realize how popular I was until I went away for a week and saw how much everything piled up while I was gone. Here are some stats to show you what I am talking about...

Voicemail messages=6
Hotmail messages=12
Hotmail junk messages=41
Provo Library e-mail messages=10
BYU e-mail messages=444 (yes that is FOUR HUNDRED AND FORTY FOUR!!)
Most of the BYU messages were junk mail, but I do have about 100 resumes to look through for the 3 student positions I need to fill!

Week at Flaming Gorge wakeboarding=PRICELESS!!!

To Do...

Pack for my trip to Flaming Gorge
Prepare a talk for church
Prepare a Relief Society Lesson
Go to Institute


Even though this doesn't look like a lot to do, it sure feels like it! I am leaving on Saturday after work to go boating and camping for a week with my cousins and aunt and uncle.
I have to speak in church and teach Relief Society next Sunday, but I know that I won't have the time or desire to prepare while I am gone.

Whew...I better get going!

Funny...

So I heard a funny ad on the radio tonight about this. Check it out!

You may now call me 'Supervisor Ann-Marie'

So I got a 2nd job this week.

I applied for a part-time staff position for the Inter-Library Loan department at BYU.

I interviewed on Tuesday morning and found out this afternoon! I am really excited!

I will be supervising 3-4 student employee's. This is the office that I worked in as a student at BYU, but doing something a little bit different. I will be working with the document delivery part of the office. This basically means that when professors need library materials, my students will go pull the book and copy the articles and then take them to the professors offices. I will be doing the office work and make sure that everything will run smoothly.

I'm a little bit scared to actually be a supervisor of student employee's that will be in my same age range, but I am excited for this new opportunity!

Yea!

Last Call for Book Reviews

For those of you participating in the Library's Summer Reading Program...

We will be accepting Book Reviews until Friday at 8 PM. After that your book reviews will not be counted for this week's weekly drawing OR the GRAND PRIZE DRAWING.

Remember that the books have to be at least 100 pages and be on the teen or adult level. The books DO NOT have to be library books. You must fill out the book review forms (you can get additional forms at the library) completely and answer the questions in at least 2 sentences. Any book that you have read between June 6th and July 29th counts!

Best of luck on winning a prize!

Sitting at the Bar

So I went to Applebee's today to get a gift card to give as a present. I asked the hostess where I could purchase said gift card and she told me to wait at the bar. She said that the bartender would be with me shortly.

I felt a little bit out of place just chillin' at the bar waiting for this gift card. I was the only one at the bar, but there were quite a few people in the restaurant. The bartender came up to me a few minutes later. After explaining what I needed, he asked me if he could get me a drink while I waited. I told him "no thank you" and he left.
I think that this is the first time that I have 1) ever sat at the bar and 2) been offered a drink. [Had I said Yes I would have been carded without a doubut though :) ]

I sort of laughed to myself about the situation I was in and waited for the bartended to come back with the gift card. After he came back I thanked him and left. I chuckled to myself about this incident all the way home!

Happy Birthday!

It has been 1 year since I bought my car!

I don't know how I lived without it! I love having a car!

Yet a year later I still don't have a name for my gold Saturn.

Any suggestions?

Description

The other day I was at work and I answered the phone. A girl that was probably 12 or 13 asked if I could page someone. I told her that I couldn't page someone, but if she gave me the description of the person that I would try my best to find them. She went on to give me this description:
"Okay, my mom's name is Barbara. She has short reddish/brown hair. She's elderly (I suppose "elderly" to a 12 year old means that her mom is probably in her 40's). And she has 9 fingers. If you find her have her call Cora"

I tried not to laugh as I told her that I would go look for her mom. I know that it shouldn't be funny, but it was. There I was looking all over the library and trying to look at all these ladies fingers to see if they were missing any!!

I didn't find Barbara, but if you see a nine-fingered lady wandering around Provo...ask her to please call home! :)

Harry Potter

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"-Dumbledore (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince comes out on Saturday!!

I was going to try to re-read all of the books before the 6th one came out, but I'm not going to make it. I did re-read books 1 and 2 though!

BUSTED!

Recently we have had an influx of pre-teen boys playing games on the computers at the library. This would be fine...if they followed the rules! They have found a way to bypass the system, so they don't have to log on with their library cards or keep to their 1 1/2 hour time limit.

We have talked to each of these boys NUMEROUS times and they are pretty rude and get even more rude every day. I feel bad for them that their parents just drop them at the library, but seriously, they have got to stop!

Tonight I got this e-mail from one of my co-workers regarding one of these boys. It's pretty funny!

"The Asian preteen boy who wears glasses who hangs out on the computers upstairs has been caught once again abusing computer time. Since it was his 3rd offense he has been restricted from computers for one month (till August 7th). He has been told that he is not allowed around the computer area or join anyone else on the computer. And in parting I shall share some kind words he shared with me that I had to keep myself from laughing at when he spoke. "You're a mean one Mr. Grinch" and "You have made a powerful enemy." "

Cafe Rio

I LOVE Cafe Rio! I went tonight with Ash and Tim since they are moving to Indiana tomorrow. We wanted to go together one last time before they leave town. As I was paying for my meal, I was randomly selected by the cash register to participate in an automated survey. After I call about this survey I will get a FREE dessert or juice next time I go in.

I love that place!!!

Talents

Tonight I went to see the booths on University Avenue that are in conjunction with the Freedom Festival. The Festival is going on all weekend and there are lots of groups that have set up booths across from the Provo Tabernacle. There are rides for the kids and lots of food. Businesses and local entertainment. But what I liked best were seeing all of the crafts and such that were displayed. It was fun to see cool jewelry, paintings, and photographs. I am amazed at the talents of those around me. I can't even begin to pretend that I could ever make any of that stuff! But it is simply awe-inspiring to me that beautiful things are made by everyday people. And even though I don't have the talent of an artist or a photographer, I think that one of my talents is to appreciate their hard work and the beauty that they portray.

Remember when.....

Steve and Kat and Buck were cheerleaders? That was fun!

Rodeo

So I went to the Strawberry Days rodeo in Pleasant Grove last night! It was so much fun!! I just love the different rodeo events and just people watching the rodeo crowd! The mutton bustin (where little kids ride sheep and see how long they can stay on) was so cute! It's fun to see the buckin' broncos, the barrel racing, the wild cow milking and of course the bullriding. I think little kids dressed up in cowboy gear is so cute!

I guess now is as good of a time as any to admit the fact that I like the country lifestyle. Don't get me wrong, I have never wanted to be a farmers wife and still don't, but I like country. When I am all alone, I predominately listen to country music. I think that cowboys are hot! I would be alright if a future man in my life had his day job, but wanted to be a cowboy on the weekend. I admire the hard work that farmers and ranchers do.

Basically I had a fun time last night and hope to go to some more rodeos this summer. If anyone else wants to go with me, they are more than welcome!

Arrrrrr!!

Bloody Anne Kidd here!

As many of you know the theme for our summer reading program this year is Pirates. For one of the teen activities we have them go on the internet and find out what their pirate name is! I thought that some of you would enjoy this as well!

Find out what your pirate name is and then post it as a comment!

FroggyNet
Your Pirate Name
What's My Pirate Name
Talk Like a Pirate Day Website

There a several different sites. So keep trying until you find the name that you like best!

I heart the Villa!

I love how the Villa feels like home.

I love how I can be my true self at the Villa.

I love how when I am at the Villa we can just sit around and chat and have the best time!

I love how I can flirt with the boys at the Villa and know that they don't think I am being serious!

I love how the Villa boys flirt back!

I love the Villa!

Funny how life is...

There have been moments in my life where I wanted to be in a relationship. I wanted to be dating someone. I thought that my life would be so incredibly happy and uncomplicated, if this would just happen.

But then when the opportunity has presented itself, I am just not so interested anymore. There is a guy in my new ward who has asked me out MULTIPLE times. I went out with him a few weeks ago and had a good time, but wasn't really all that interested in going out with him again. He was very persistant and just kept asking me out. Finally the other night he called again and asked me out. After telling him that I had plans for the upteenth time... he asked if he "should keep trying or just give up at this point". I had to tell him that I just wasn't interested in him like that.

I have never had to deal with this situation before and didn't quite know what to do. I wanted to be as kind as possible to him, but not lead him on. This is difficult!! I just hope that it won't be too awkward at church now.

I find it ironic that when I wanted to have a relationship I didn't ever have one. And now that I don't want one, I could have one.

I could have had him, I just didn't want him.

I'm a hiker

On Monday I went hiking in Arches National Park. It was SO much fun! I went with 3 of my co-workers. We hiked around all day and had a fun picnic lunch in the park. We saw: Delicate Arch, Landscape Arch, Double Arch, The North and South Windows, Balanced Rock, Pineview Arch, Sand Dune Arch, The Devil's Garden, The Firey Furnace, Skyline Arch, Broken Arch, and Tunnel Arch.

It was so nice to enjoy nature and just have a day outside of Provo! I want to go back to Arches again someday!!