snow: pure love.

it's a transitional season, it's true -- but is it really spring? technically not, I guess. so I welcome the snow and the wintery feeling it brings. I'll miss you, false spring. but come on, we need to build up that snow pack!

I *heart* snow in branches.
I also *heart* snow on mountains.

waiting for spring

it seems these days that I'm antsy for warmer weather.

I dream of riding my cruiser bike to liberty park (and to the grocery store and to the fabric store down the road a ways).

having picnics.

slacklining.

I want to feel the warmth of the sun on my face.

today was a spring sort of day. peter and I threw the disc around our front yard (aka 'the park' aka hawthorne elementary) as the sun sank lower into the evening sky. it was warm and the mountains looked beautiful with the fresh snow.

I love spring in salt lake city.

my valentine

i've been hit

and i am in love.

I *heart* crafting

I don't believe in ground hogs.

it's ground hog's day, once again. . .

the day a little rodent tells us our future:

will it be six more weeks of winter?

or six more weeks until spring?

IT'S A SCAM!!!

seven:

I notice if people are right or left handed. For some reason it just seems to matter.

I have to eat some things in two's: frozen burritos (but not peterburrito frozen burritos, those are so yummy and filling you really only need one!), bowls of cereal, hot pockets, donuts... Now I don't have to eat a second one because I'm hungry. I'm usually not, I just feel incomplete if I don't. I'm trying to be better, though.

I don't like to throw things away. You would think I grew up in the depression. Or maybe it's just my need to reduce, reuse and recycle. But you just never know when you're going to need to use something for something else.

Peter says I always defend the downtrodden, the underdog, the little guy. Which, I've come to realize I do. I've even found myself defending criminals! Hey, maybe they've just had a hard life--we can't judge!

I always want to make stuff. If I see something cute in a store, I don't buy it because I think to myself, "hey, I could make that." I don't, though. I think it's just pure laziness. Or the fear that it just won't turn out that cute and I'll be a total failure. (things I want to make: furniture, random cute crafty things, a long board, and clothes. Specifically technical running clothes. and skirts. and maybe cute capris and long shorts? should I just be a clothing designer or what?!) I always feel the need to make things completely from scratch too.

I have an intense fear of the phone. This is an extreme phobia that many people just don't understand. It's true, though. I have a severe aversion to talking to people on the phone. So if I don't answer, or just never call you back don't be offended. It's not because I don't like you. Maybe just text me and we can meet up somewhere and talk in person. I'm into emailing too.

Moths. They FREAK me out! Seriously. I think I'm more scared of them than spiders. And that's saying a lot! I think it all started when I was at girls camp and was lucky enough to get a top bunk. I was sitting in the dark with my flashlight focused on the book I was reading, when all of a sudden fifty moths came flying out of nowhere and attacked me. It was probably the scariest thing I have ever experienced in my life. If I even see a moth now, I get that scared feeling inside. And not to mention the fact that they always want to fly at your face. Freaky.

This list was inspired by Stie's post entitled, 7 weird things about me.

sleeping with the stars (but not in that way)

I had a dream last night that I was best friends with Gwyneth Paltrow.
She came out for Sundance and we all went to dinner together.
Peter, I think you were there.
We started dancing in the Restaurant, until someone tried to attack Gwyneth.
She was out after that.
I was left, trying to chase down my friend.
But she was gone.

the top ten

some days are a little rough at first. . . but then you might find something positive about it. and then another thing. and soon you'll have a list of ten things that made you happy that day! here is my list, because today was just one of those days. . .

ten: pure hydration
nine: big yummy oranges
eight: the butterscotch pony box (from the makers of FurReal Friends - 'pony sounds, pony motion, pony friendship!')
seven: fondue parties in honor of my birth!
six: seat heat
five: assorted pastries
four: hand warmers in my pocket
three: new sharpies
two: secret notes and treats
one: my cutest husband, who rescues me daily

books galore

A while back my brother stumbled across a list of 1,001 books to read before you die, of these I have read (those I've only started reading but never finished are in italics) the following:

49. Life of Pi – Yann Martel
86. The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver
223. Beloved – Toni Morrison
315. Song of Solomon – Toni Morrison
349. Sula – Toni Morrison
399. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel García Márquez
433. The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
451. Catch-22 – Joseph Heller
456. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
464. Henderson the Rain King – Saul Bellow
467. Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Truman Capote
508. Lord of the Flies – William Golding
522. Wise Blood – Flannery O’Connor
574. The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
592. The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
608. Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
610. The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
671. The Sound and the Fury – William Faulkner
699. The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
767. The Jungle – Upton Sinclair
780. Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
825. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain
831. Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson
837. The Brothers Karamazov – Fyodor Dostoevsky
857. War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
863. Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
867. Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoevsky
876. Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
883. A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
889. Walden – Henry David Thoreau
897. The Scarlet Letter – Nathaniel Hawthorne
904. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë
931. Frankenstein – Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
938. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
970. Candide – Voltaire

I guess I need to keep reading, or just never die.

the big race rescheduled

Because of unforeseen circumstances (that mostly have to do with skiing), the First Annual All-County Swimmeet has been postponed.

I know that all of you have been practicing hard for this event and I'm sorry if this has inconvenienced you in any way. But this will just give you a little extra time to get your stroke down. I mean, you do want to win, don't you?

So, with that being said I would greatly appreciate a little feedback. If you're into the idea of having a fun swimmeet, where you can kick back in a pool with friends and family, and potentially win a trophy and other neat prizes, just let me know! It's as easy as that. Leave me a comment or shoot me a line.

And remember, it's for all ages and skill levels. No previous swim experience needed.

Thank you.

Anna C. Halverson
Race Director

your daily dose of cheap gear

I think I'm slowly sinking into the SAC addiction. I check it often -- mostly out of boredom, but also in hopes of finding that killer deal; the anticipation and excitement of the next random item is almost too much at times.

Now instead of one awesome deal a day, SteapandCheap has introduced the Bottomless SAC. Deals upon deals upon deals. You could waste your whole day on this thing. And believe me, people have. It's enough to make you download the RSS feed so you can have instant updates on the goings-on of SAC items.

This is impulse buying at its finest. See something you like? You better act now -- no deliberating over size, color, fit, need -- if you think too long, it's gone.

At least now you can see what you've missed. . . oh, the joys of SAC.

. . .an epilogue of the food chain discussion

Old Bones

Out there walking around, looking out for food,
a rootstock, a bird call, a seed that you can crack
plucking, digging, snaring, shagging
barely getting by,

No food out there on dusty slopes of scree --
carry some -- look for some,
go for a hunger dream.
Deer bone, Gall Sheep,
bones hunger home.

Out there somewhere
a shrine for the old ones,
the dust of the old bones,
old songs and tales.

What we ate -- who ate what --
how we all prevailed.

Gary Snyder
in Mountains and Rivers Without End

Meagan, Amini, Sariah, Jason:

To all thosewho make work enjoyable

or at least bareable

I say thank you!

simple math, chapter 2

half cookie equals whole love

a simple math equation

aj + ap = tla

me

I've recently realized--well, I've secretly known this for a long time--that I only want to blog when I shouldn't be blogging.

okay, back to work. . .

death by kayak

It's true what they say. In a matter of seconds your life can change. My life changed today by way of kayak.

I knew it was there, subconsciously at least. I've almost tripped over it many times. But today I was just in a hurry. And I couldn't see my feet. And the kayak came out of nowhere and took me down.

It might not have been so bad had I not been carrying that large, awkward GearTrade order I was taking over to the shipping department. It was some sort of metal/plastic sled contraption, which looked more like a sure way to die than have fun on the hill.

I fell hard. I'm not sure exactly what happened; if the sled landed on my wrist or if my wrist just hit the cement floor, or if it was a little combination of both. But when Cheryl, Brandon, and Brenda came rushing over to see if I was alright, all I knew was my wrist was in pain.

It wasn't broken. I could move it. But to cover all my bases I was told to go fill out an incident report. Matt, the HR guy, had already left for the day. I found a manager who could help me. Together we found the forms we needed on Matt's (extremely messy) desk. I filled out the incident report and was then given a little slip of paper for the First Med Urgent Care facility and was told I could go get my wrist checked out if I wanted to.

I went and got it checked out. I didn't want to have a hairline fracture or chronic problems down the road because of this and not have them documented. I want bcdc to be responsible for this--worker's comp!

Nearly two hours later I walked out of that urgent care facility with a splint on my left wrist and on my left knee. I got to pee in a cup ("after accident drug testing"), get my bones x-rayed, and help a doctor and two nurses figure out how my wrist splint worked. It was an exciting time.

I guess I may have slightly damaged the cartilage in my knee. I have to wear the splint for one week before going back for a follow-up knee visit. Where I fell on my wrist a fracture won't show up for two weeks. Until then I have to wear the splint just in case it is fractured. I go back in two weeks for a check-up and more x-rays.

Oh, what a fun day it was at work. And to think, I only had about five minutes left of that place.

fun for the whole family.

Peter and I want to host a swim meet. It will be at Steiner Aquatic (our home court, obviously we want the advantage) in January. So bring your swim team and join in the fun. It is for all ages and skill levels. Prizes and trophies will be involved. And hey, maybe even t-shirts. I know that's enough to get most of you right there. It's a family oriented event, so bring your little ones, old ones, not really related ones and come swim like you've never swam before.

Just remember: swim fast, win a prize!

I will follow you into the dark

The other day, at our BBQ O' Love, Katy and Jim sang us a little love song in honor of our upcoming marriage: Death Cab For Cutie's I Will Follow You Into the Dark. I heard it on the radio yesterday and these lines got me a little choked up. . .

You and me have seen everything to see
From Bangkok to Calgary
And the soles of our shoes are all worn down
The time for sleep is now
It's nothing to cry about
'Cause we'll hold eachother soon

This is Pete and Me. Tomorrow we start the adventure.

The Waxing Extravaganza

I had a sparty yesterday afternoon at Spa Vitoria. It was the full treatment. Well, the full wax treatment anyway.

If you remember my last waxing experience at all, you'll remember the pain and disaster. Eliza loves to give me a hard time: "You can run a marathon and you're so tough, but you can't even wax your legs!" Okay, a home waxing treatment is just not worth the pain and horror. I'm sensitive.

But yesterday was different. Despite the fact that the lady was ripping my leg hairs out, it was actually quite relaxing. The table was warm, the music was relaxing, the warm wax going on felt like a dream! (not so much like a dream when it was being ripped off) I felt like I was being pampered! I urge anyone who hates shaving to go in for a treatment. You won't regret it. And I know that those around you will appreciate it too. Sometimes, girls, we just have to go through a little pain for the one's we care about; do it for love!