The Battle to Conquer the Kitchen

I love raspberry jam.  It's SO good.  Growing up, my mother would make it.  MMMM  Yeah, it really is that good.  I don't mind freezer jam, but the real "I was cooked" kind of jam totally rocks my knee-highs.  About 2 years ago, I made jam for the first time with Mom.  She has skills.  It was SO much easier than I ever thought it would be.

Well... Saturday, I'm going up to spend Christmas-ish time with Scuttle and his family.  I'm meeting his parents for the first time.  Ok, we Skype'd once, but that doesn't really count to me.  I was trying to figure out if I should get something for Scuttle's parents and siblings, and I just wasn't sure.  Then the thought came to me: Jam.  I can make jam.  That's something you make for your neighbors, so it's nothing too big.  Just something nice to say, "Hey, I thought of you, but this is non-committal so if you didn't think of me, you don't have to feel bad at all, but if you did think of me, now I don't have to feel bad".  (Who knew one jar of jam could say so much?)

I got my supplies, and decided today was the day.  I'm making jam.  I called Laree, got a little bit of advice, (Mom didn't answer her phone.) and started!  So, here's the deal.  I have issues.  I filched the raspberries from my parent's house.  As they thawed, all of the juice came out.  Really, almost all of it.  But, I figured that out.  I just added a lot of the juice back in when I put the berries in the blender... We don't have a blender.  But L7 said something about a blender... OH!  Smoothie maker.  That should do.  Whew.  One problem averted.  I measured out the sugar, and then measured out the berries... and I had too many.  Good news, I bought two boxes of Pectin, so I could do extra.  Let's one and a half the recipe.  But how do I know how much pectin to use?  Oh, I got it.  I measured how much pectin was in one box.  Then just halved that.  I'm brilliant!

Because I know raspberry juice stains, I put on a grubby shirt, pulled all of my pre-measured bowls close (it was like I was on a cooking show) turned up the tunes and got to cooking!  Oh, and pulled out all of my freshly washed and sanitized jars.  I was SO ready!

I turned on the burner, and started stirring.  And stirring.  And stirring.  My arms were aching, but I persisted. And then it started to boil.  And splatter.  But the directions said you had to wait for a "rolling boil".  I don't really know what that means, but I kept going.  A lot of dancing ensued as I tried to dodge all of the splatters.  Luckily, I was home alone, because anyone here would have heard me.  "Oh no!  That's a big one!  OH MAN THAT ONE HURT!  OW! OW! OH DEAR!  This is no fun.  BLAST! There's another one!  Get it off, it hurts, it hurts!"  You know, little things like that.  All I can think at this point is how in the world does Mom do this so gracefully?

I quickly added the sugar, the jam turned the right color (that's a good sign) and I stirred some more.  Let me give all of you some advice.  Don't one and a half a batch of jam, cause you will be stirring for ETERNITY!  After the "rolling boil" came back I had to stir it for exactly 4 minutes.  Once again, I started the splatter dance.  Good gravy!  No good.  And no matter where I went, my arms weren't long enough to avoid it.

OK, 4 minutes up.  Now to pour the jam into the bottles.  OH BLAST! I don't have a funnel.  Ok, bust out my mad pouring skills... where's the ladle... I don't have a ladle!  Alright, this half cup measuring cup will have to do.  Mad scooping, trying to put on the lids that I had in boiling hot water, more yelping of the burning pains cause I'm dealing with more hot stuff, flipping the jars upside down, more burning.... and DONE!

OHHH no!  Too much jam.  I don't have any more bottles.... uh... uh... well, there's a Pyrex baking dish... i guess I could put it all in there.... NO, no, that's a bad idea... uh... OH, there we go!  The remains went into the can that held the sugar.  I now have about 1/3 of a large can full of jam... that's going to take up a lot of room in the fridge... sorry roomies!

Now, lets look at my kitchen... I totally should have taken a picture.  I have a dirty blender, 2 massive dirty pots, and splatters.... ALL over the stove, all over the bread that is next to the stove, all over the cupboards around the stove, all over the floor, and my socks.  That jam has some mad splatter skills.  I think that one made it at least 4 ft!  I should enter this stuff in an Olympic event!  Do you think if I lobby enough I can get them to add in a Jam Splattering competition?  It's close to the trampoline... right?

I'm not too worse for the wear.  I probably have about 10 new burns on my hands.  But the good news is, I totally did it.  The jam is setting up.  And it tastes good.  Look out Martha Stewart.  I am SO coming for you.  And I think my show would be more fun.  You don't do the splatter dance nearly enough.

She's Mute m'Lord. It Comes and It Goes

Name that movie!  Do you remember?  It's a totally ludicrous line.  And pretty darn funny if you ask me.  Did you guess it yet?  It's from Ever After.

Why am I calling my post this?  Because apparently you can say that about me.  Atleast, it appears that way to all of the great customers that I see at work.  For example, this is a real conversation I had with a customer the other day.  Names have been changed because I have to idea what his name was.  The sad thing is, this is a perfectly normal conversation.


Fredrickson Johanson III: Do you still have those $5 footlong subs?
Paily:  Yes, Yes we do.  They are on this sign here.  *and I point at the sign* 
Fredrickson Johanson III:  Great, where are they listed?
Paily: On this sign here *and I point again*
Fredrickson Johanson III: Oh, good, good.  So... What's on the Meatball sub?
Paily: Well, it has these meatballs *I then open up the meatball container and show them to him* Your choice of Cheese, and any of the veggies that you want.
Fredrickson Johanson III: Any of the veggies?
Paily: Yes, any of them.  It's compeletly up to you.  We'll do it just as you ask
Fredrickson Johanson III:  Oh, I'll take one of those.  WAIT does it come with cheese?
Paily: (Wondering why I ever told him what was on the meatball anway cause I've now repeated almost all of it) Yes, Sir.  It comes with cheese.  You get four pieces of any cheese that we have.
Fredrickson Johanson III: Ok.  I want Swiss
Paily:  I'm sorry, Sir.  We don't carry Swiss cheese.
Fredrickson Johanson III: Are you sure?  Cause I really want Swiss.
Paily:  I am sure that we don't carry Swiss, sir.
Fredrickson Johanson III: Ok, I guess I'll just go with that white kind.
Paily: (sighing internally, because all of our cheese is at least partly white)  Did you want the circle white cheese, the triangle white cheese, the speckled white cheese, or the shredded chedder?
Fredrickson Johanson III: Well.... Do you have Provolone? (Pronounced Pro-va-lone-ee)
Paily:  Yes, sir.  We have Provolone.  (Properly pronounced Pro-va-lone.  Nothing complicated)
Fredrickson Johanson III: Alright.  I want that kind.  Now, what are the meatballs like that you have?  Can I see them?

At this point, every single cell in my body had the desire to jump over the glass, and throttle the customer, but I refrain.  I would like to keep my job, and I'm way too short to jump over the glass.

The thing that surprises me the most, is they are the one who started asking me questions.  They hear me sometimes, but only sometimes.  See?  I'm mute.  But it comes and it goes.

As I type this, I'm wearing a stocking cap that my fabulous Dad knitted for me.  I can't even tell you how much joy that brings me.  You see, my Mom has crocheted for quite some time.  She's all sorts of crafty and works with fabrics, and warm fuzzy.  She's amazing.  But this crafty with fabrics side of my Dad is totally new.  This has been quite the year for him.  He went from a rough, tough, building, grunting man (Ok, not really grunting, but you know the type, construction worker) to this kind, softer, singing, dancing, knitting man.  I mean, he's always been nice, but it's totally different to see him singing, dancing, acting and now knitting.  I've always heard that missions change young men... :)  It makes me happy.  I love you Mom and Dad!  I'm missing you this Christmas, but I'm so proud of your service.  Thank you for giving of yourself so we and others can be blessed.  You are such an example to me!  I love you!

PS. For some reason, I can't seem to get my spell check to work.  So please, forgive my spelling errors.

No These Things Aren't Related

So, those of you who actually read my blog with speakers working on your computer will notice a change in my play list. I've added most of my favorite songs from Glee! It's a fun show. Well, at least I love the music! So here you go.

Secondly, I want to welcome Scuttle. Yep, I believe he is finding my blog very soon. He said he wanted to anyway. So, potentially Welcome, dear Scuttle of mine. I know, that's super lame and sappy. Sorry friends! This also makes me super nervous. I mean, the rest of you... well at least most of you, already love me. And you won't stop just because I'm a lame blogger. As for the rest of you, I don't know you, so who cares. But Scuttle... Well, he's not the type to stop dating me cause I'm a lame blogger, but still... it makes me nervous. I'll get over it.

And now on to some serious things.... I know, it's rare that I get serious, but here we go.

Today in Relief Society, we had a lesson on Christ and Joseph Smith. Focusing on the Atonement and the Martyrdom. It was a good lesson. I'm pretty passionate about both topics. Some days I just want to stand up and shout from the rooftops about my knowledge of these great men. Yes, Joseph Smith wouldn't have really done anything cool if it was for Christ. I am very aware of that. And the Martyrdom wouldn't have meant anything if it wasn't for the First Vision (Shout out to Palmyra!!) This is not at all what I wanted to tell you about, but it's cool too.

The coolest part for me though, was the closing hymn. We sang A Poor Wayfaring Man Of Grief. (I believe you can listen to it here) I've sung, and or listened to this song for a very long time. It's good. I usually sing the 1st, 6th and 7th verse. Today we sang 1-3. Something about the last line of the 3rd verse really touched me. Just the fact that the singer says that they drank and never thirsted more. What a beautiful picture this painted in my mind. I think it was Heavenly Father watching out for me a little. You see, I had apostate tendencies today. After sacrament meeting I was SO ready to be done. I don't leave after only one hour of church though. That's like paying 33% tithing. Not cool. So I stayed. Sunday School was fine. The lesson in Relief Society was good, but it felt SO long! And then we sang. And I felt the spirit. And I wanted that. I want to drink from this cup that Christ is offering me. I don't want to be thirsty anymore. I'm not just talking about being lazy, and not wanting to go to the kitchen... although I'd take that as well. I just realized that it is so true. I can drink from the cup that Christ is offering me. I don't have to thirst anymore. I can be filled. Yes, there will still be hard times. Yes, I will still struggle, but I don't have to have doubts. I can know of the truthfulness of all of this. I find it important to point out that the lyric says nothing about being tackled to the ground while this water was forced down your throat. It's a choice. How often am I offered a drink but I don't take it, cause I'm stubborn. That's stupid! And yet, when I am stubborn, as soon as I reach for the cup, I get it. It's not pulled away from me. I'm not told, too bad. In fact, I think he smiles at me. There may be a bit of a "it's about time" look in that smile, but that's ok. It's still there. He loves me. I don't have to thirst. Sometimes I don't feel deserving, but I'm working on deserving it. I just need to figure out how to stop messing up. I'll get there eventually. (I'm not being proud, I'm using the language of faith. It's very important to do.)

Yeah, life's pretty great!

Mystery Guest

I like to people watch. And I like to make up stories about said people. Boy did I find a great story the other day!

So, I'm sitting at work, and in walks a group of three people. Two men, and a woman. This woman was wearing a pink hat, like so:

Actually, it looked nothing like this hat, but I can't find a picture of the real thing.

She was also wearing a big black coat like this one:

AND she was wearing stylish large sunglasses like these:

She wore them indoors. She never took them off. And she had a blue tooth thing in her ear. All of this is a little strange, but not the strangest thing.

On closer inspection, I found that the two men she was with were both wearing matching red ties. Seen here:

I noticed that both men were kind of catering to this woman, doing whatever she wanted so she was happy. They were always surrounding her, and they were wearing poofy coats. The kind of coat that one could hide a gun under. That way you are prepared if anyone tries to do anything to the lady. She thought the spinach was some sort of fancy vegetable that I've never heard of. I think she's rich. AND she has body guards. So this is my question... Who do you think I served? Cause she's famous and I need bragging rights!

Yeah for Xerox!

I think that this is a great program! Take a look, take a minute, and send a card to show your support!

Short But Sweet

So, I would like to update all of you on my life. I'm not good at calling people to let you all know this in person.

The deal is: I'm in love. And so is Scuttle. (That works nicely doesn't it.)

It makes me happy.

Have a great day!

Just In Case

So, you know that scene in Toy Story 2, when Mrs. Potato head packs Mr. Potato Head's angry eyes, just in case?

Today there is no "just in case"!

Here's the deal. I'm the mom of an FHE family. We have major issues getting anyone to come to FHE. My co-leader (He's not the dad, that ticks him off) doesn't really have any desire to magnify his calling. As a result, he ticked off all 3 of my roommates last week. But I'm trying to be nice and not take sides and be supportive. But honestly, why would you assign out calling everyone in our group when you have never tried it. In fact, you never have any contact with anyone in our group and you make me do it all every week.

Sorry...

So, we have this great plan, and we are combining with another group, because they also have horrid attendance. We are going to go build a fire up the canyon, roast marshmallows, and the other group is in charge of the lesson. Then this morning Mr. Co-Leader bails on me. No warning, no reasoning, just, "Hey, can we do something else, cause something came up and I'm not going to be there." Oh, sure. It's not like I already announced what we were doing. It's not like the whole fire thing was your idea anyway. Sure. So we change the plans. I am now in charge of the activity and the treats. Bummer. Ok, I'll make it work. So I go to work, work my tail off cause "We're too slow to have this many people here, even though you always get slammed and then people think you are a slacker because the customers have to wait in line, and you don't get all of the cleaning jobs done."

On the way home from work, the leader of the other group says, "I couldn't find anyone to teach the lesson... can any of your roommates do it?" Oh, yeah right. They don't even come to FHE, they all have work till 7. It's fine that I'm tired, and I've been running around like a crazy woman all day. I like being in charge of FHE. With absolutely no help. That sounds ideal. FHE starts in 90 min. So instead of getting things ready (like working out the activity and planning a lesson and going shopping for a treat, and I still need to shower) I'm blogging. If everyone else can be a slacker, I can too!

I'm totally busting out my angry eyes!

(Small update. I don't have to do the lesson anymore. Good thing, cause I did it last week. Yeah!)

My Purpose

I think I missed my true calling in life. Forget the education, forget all the time I've spent learning in and out of the classroom, and the homework, and the tests, and the book reports, and the 10 page papers about the Loch Ness Monster. (Yeah, I really did write a paper about her. It was a follow up on the 8 page paper I wrote about Aliens.) I could have skipped this. Because I know what I was called to do in my life.

INTERPRETIVE DANCING!!!

Really. I hear the music, and I just need to move. I can see movement in my mind and I must copy it. Then as I dance, I picture others joining me, until we are all one giant mass of dancing. It wouldn't be very organized, but that's ok. It's all just what you feel.

Too bad when I try this out I look like a crazy gerbil having seizures. Where is the justice??

Quite the Tribute

Yesterday was a fun day. It had it's highs and lows, but I had quite an enjoyable time.

Let's start with work, shall we? I don't really love my job, but I love my boss. I know, we've talked about this before. We have soup at work now. That makes me happy. Especially when it's the Tomato Vegetable cause that's so tasty and only 93 calories a serving. YES! Sorry, digressing slightly.

A man wanted soup today, but we couldn't give it to him in a bowl with the lid because we didn't have any. They were coming in a shipment that was running late. As my manager explained this to him, she kept talking about how the bowls were supposed to be there and she couldn't understand what was taking the bowls so long. It really sounded like she was talking about how independent the bowls were and that they were total slackers for not arriving on time. I like to root for the underdog, so I told my manager to be nice. They have such little legs, and they don't have any eyes so they could read a map, or mouths to ask for directions... Ok, yes I'm strange.

After the customers left, I was in the back doing dishes and still thinking about the conversation. I know, move on. I turned to a co-worker and said, "If you think about it, proportionately bowls would have to have really little legs." Her response, "Yes.... But WHY would you think about it?" She wasn't being mean, she's not like that. She was honestly wondering. Why do I think of things like that? I don't know. But I do. So, we made a little bowl man, and named him Murry. Not to be mistaken with Murry, the evil-demonic talking Skull.



After work I went with 4 friends of mine to a marching band competition. Quite enjoyable. Even if our waiter (who we think may be a closet knitter) was the slowest thing this side of Zimbabwe. Really, who takes 90 minutes to eat at a Village Inn? You do if you have our server!

We then quickly ran to Wal*mart cause we were now running late to buy ponchos and umbrellas. I heard L5 say something I thought I would never hear (~snicker~) and we were on our way.

I would bet that those of you not living in this state are not aware of what happened last Saturday. On the way back from a competition there was a band (Not L7's) that had an accident. One bus went off the road and fell over killing the staff member on board. She died saving her kids. The bus driver passed out and this women jumped forward and grabbed the wheel. She stopped the accident from being worse, but she died in the process. To show support for this band, many bands decided to wear red ribbons on their uniforms. I didn't want to be left behind so I too was wearing a red ribbon. It was really neat to see red ribbons everywhere. Yes, it was still a competition, but it united the bands.

At the competition, we accidentally sat next to the bulk of the student body for this suffering school. There were probably close to 200 people there. I was very impressed by this. Most of these kids had no idea what was going on (as shown by the fact that they would start cheering right after I would. That was a really cool drum break... I scream, and then they start clapping and yelling too) But they were there to support their peers. As the band took the field, they all stood and started singing their school hymn. I wished that I knew the words so I could join. The show was marched (and done very well) There was a moment of silence for the fallen director, and then this group of students started singing Be Still My Soul. Many tears were shed. But there was an amazing spirit there. I'm not a crier, but I was close.

Yes, this band swept the competition. But they deserved it. I was so impressed by the student body. They cheered for EVERY band. I didn't hear them say a single negative word. They didn't know what was going on, but they knew that their peers could use their support. They came to support the geeky band kids. (I can say that, I was one of them) People say that the teens today are selfish and mean and lazy. Maybe some are, but the ones I met last night were kind, thoughtful and quite noble. Way to be!

PS. Do you ever feel the desire to eat with a really big spoon, just because you can? Even though you have a really small mouth? I do.

Random Smatterings

It's 11:17 PM. I'm actually home for once. I tend to be at Scuttles till about midnight every night. So, instead of being responsible and going to bed like a good little Paily, I decided to blog about the randomness in my head.

I always get hungry late at night. This could be because I don't normally eat dinner. Hence me finishing off a good sized bowl of chips and salsa. It's better than the ice cream I was considering!

Institute is an amazing program. I am taking a class taught by a member of the Seventy. It's all about Christ. Every week I learn things that make my head spin... in a super spiritual, not freaky at all, but so empowering and testimony strengthening kind of way.

I probably don't help out around my apartment enough. So today I decided to be a good little sister and clean the bathroom. I don't mind cleaning the bathroom, but I always feel a deep desire to shower right after. Wouldn't you know it, right as I finished the construction guys outside hit something and there was no water in my apartment. I used bottled water to wash up to my elbows, still felt gross and went to work. (Did you eat Subway today? Cause I was gross!) The good news: The water was back on after work so I got to shower before going to class.

For some reason, Scuttle finds homework a lot more enjoyable when I am sitting in the room. I don't really find it more enjoyable though. But he does have a very interesting book to read for a class. I'm the only one who has read it so far. I'm about 1/4th of the way done. It's good, but every sentence starts the same way. He didn't.... He saw.... He thought... there is a lot of "He"s in there. But this book has changed my life. I have now made the very important promise to myself that I will never ride atop a train going through Mexico to smuggle myself across the border into the US. (Side note, I don't think I have ever used the word "atop" before in my life. Really.)

I once spelled fondue correctly off the top of my head. I didn't even stop to think about it.

I had a dream last night with Josh Groban in it. But it wasn't really cool, it was just bizarre. He wouldn't say anything to me. Instead he just kept handing me small animals. Birds, squirrels, bunnies, chipmunks... it was very strange.

I am totally craving a baked potato right now. With chili, and cheese, and maybe a touch of ranch... mmmmmm.

I've decided I don't so much love singing as I love socializing with people in Choirs. Really, they are a special breed. But I'm right in there with them, so lets make it a super cool special breed. See? Now it's a complement.

I wonder how many marshmallows I could fit in my mouth. I don't really want to shove them in there to find out, but it would be a cool stat to have that you could shout out at parties.

AND Jezebel was the only queen in the Bible to be eaten by dogs. Yeah, I totally stole that from a movie. It just seemed important to add.

An Amazing Weekend

I just can't do it. I tried to not greet you, but I can't. How do I start a post without saying hello? So... HELLO!

Let's talk birthday parties, shall we??

Oh, but small aside. First let's talk Friday night. Friday night was Homecoming. I love dancing. We doubled with another couple. It was so fun to dress up like a princess! Thanks to L3 and her daughters for doing my hair! Wearing a pretty dress, dancing in the arms of a cute boy... Wow... CHEESY! But oh, so fun.

Saturday was the day of excitement. It started early. I got about 4 hours of sleep. I got up, got ready, and L7 and I went driving. We had to go set up the end of the party. More on that later. After the homecoming parade almost ruined my life... (all of the roads were closed, crazy traffic, and I had 3 stops to make in 30 min!) I met at Scuttle's apartment to start the party. We were joined by 2 other couples.

I totally stole this whole thing from L4. But we had a spy party! Basically it was a scavenger hunt to get pieces of a map to go find a place that had a fake bomb we had to disarm. That was a bit of a problem. I had no idea how to make a fake bomb, but there is no way I would ever google that! First thing you know the Fed's would be beating down my door. Bummer!

L5 and L7 came up with half of the clues. We went all over the valley, and even got to bust out my rusting marching skills for a bit. Scuttle had no clue what was going on. His face when we listened to the first clue (which was a CD with the Mission Impossible music) was so funny! He really didn't know what to think, but I think he was kind of excited. I have an amazing family who helped out so many ways! And even though it was cheesy, Scuttle embraced it and boldy marched up to everyone and uttered the code word to get the next clue. Yes, L4, the code word was still Tutti Fruity. Good times were had by all.

This is where I should put in another picture, of what I woke up so early and dragged L7 to help me with. Here is our laser grid we had to climb through to get to the bomb. Oh, and what was the bomb? A bunch of Hot Dogs. They kind of look like dynamite if you squint and turn your head. (Now it just looks like a bunny... Anyone know where that comes from?) The hot dogs were connected to the Winnie the Pooh clock by pipe cleaner. It was a pretty scary looking bomb. :)

The party was a bit longer than expected... that could be because I got us lost for an hour. But it was a pretty drive up the canyon! I think everyone had fun. Yeah for birthday parties! Thanks again for all of your help! Love ya!

One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other

Yo mateys. I'm not sure why I feel the need to greet you every time I blog. I mean, really. Why do I need to say Hello. And I don't even say a normal "hello". I'm like this weird creepy wanna be ghetto lady. And today I am feeling very random. This could be exciting!

I like music. A lot. As in I have about 1712 songs in my iTunes. And I listen to probably 90% of them. I love to sing a long. And dance. Especially while I am getting ready. Who doesn't enjoy a nice jig with a searing hot curling iron as your microphone? I like to live on the edge.

I tend to live in extremes. As in I am either super happy and hyper, or totally exhausted and loopy, or irate, or giddy. It seems to be that I am either going full speed or asleep. There isn't a whole lot of middle ground.

I'm a talker. I know, you're all thinking, "What? Paily talks? Her mouth works?" Yes, friends, it's true. My mouth has mad skills actually. Lots of practice. I can open it and you never know what's going to come out. I am really good at getting that look. You know, the look from other people when they just have no response to what just exited my lips. They are normally smiling a bit, but they just don't know what to say. Those who have grown to love me just laugh it off. Complete strangers wonder if I should be out in public by my self.

I shouldn't dance in public. But I just can't help my self. Sometimes I just think life needs a little Ha-cha-cha. (That is said with a funny stance and spirit fingers... can you see it?) I really only have 3 dance moves. All of which look a little bit more like I'm having a seizure than dancing. I don't really care though. For some reason most dancing takes place while I'm sitting down eating. I don't get this either. I just always have a song in my head, and I can't stop rockin' out!

Now as for the title of my post.... Let's talk a little about Scuttle.

He likes music. Not nearly as much as I do. But it's all very serious stuff. Lot's of violins and stuff like that. And it doesn't have words. There is no singing along. Often I wonder if the artist is a big fan of hallucinogens. There is some crazy stuff. It makes me want to dance just a little bit. But it would have to be interpretive. And that's just a scary thought.

I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Mellow. I can finally read most of his moods. Because the amount of crinkle next to his eyes changes. Seriously, that is how I tell if he's happy or sad or angry or complacent (this is the #1 option). There is a severe lack of freaking out.

Remember how I talked about the people who just don't know what to say when I talk? Those nice people who just smile at me and laugh it off? Yep, that would be him. He does talk, quite a bit, but he puts a lot of thought into it first. As in I am getting used to the fact that most questions asked by me will be followed by at least 10 seconds of silence as he thinks. This is why people don't ever look at him like he's stupid. Lots of thought.

Dancing.... He doesn't ever have a funny little jig. He's taking a ballroom dance class. I quite enjoy that homework. So he's learning real skills, and I'm standing next to him spazzing out. He has also noticed that I tend to dance while eating. I catch myself and stop. Then he always looks at me and says, "You don't have to stop dancing..." I can't get away with anything. Mr. Observant. There is a severe lack of flighty there.

So, one of these things is not like the other. And yet, it seems to work. I don't get it either. But it sure is fun. Ok, yes, this is kind of sappy. And all about Scuttle. Well his birthday is on Sat, so I've been thinking about him. Partly because I am planning a super cool birthday party. (Thanks for your help L4, L5, and L7!) Anyway... I don't know where I'm going with this so I should just stop. But life is good!

Bust Out The Buckets

Dear People of the Land of Buckets:

I bet you thought I had gone all mushy.  Didn't you??!??  I find a Scuttle and then start talking about all of the great things in life.  Blessings, service, nice people, things like that.  Well, it's OVER!  Ok, not for permanent, but for today.  I started this blog to vent... ish, and I am going to do it today!  Ready?  Set??  GO!

As previously discussed, I work at Subway.  Its not a glamorous job, but there are a severe lack of french fries so it could be worse.  Besides, have you seen the job market out there?  And you don't know my boss.  He totally rocks my knee-highs.  Every single time I have asked for time off, he has given it to me.  And my hours right now... PERFECT!  I don't have to get up early, I can pay my bills, I get evenings off to spend with people, and I haven't had to work a Saturday in over a month.  And free food every day I work.  See, now you're all jealous.

That brings me to the problem.  Subway Customers.  Now many of you are nice.  You are polite.  You can order your sub without being too needy.  Others.... Well, lets make a list of the wrong way to handle things as a customer.

1.  Don't talk to me like I'm 9.  I know, not a hard job.  A monkey could do it.  But I am doing it.  This isn't because I'm stupid.  It's because it works with my schedule.  I know you're a Dental Hygienist/Receptionist/Construction Worker/Teacher/Hair Dresser.  Yes that takes more skill than my job.  I still have a brain.  I'm in college.  I'm smart.  Don't downgrade my intelligence.

2.  Don't tell me where to put the meat.  Seriously.  We're super busy.  We are getting all of you through the line in less than a minute each.  That means 10 people, a 10 minute wait.  That's pretty impressive.  So when I am frantically putting your sub together, I'm sorry if one piece of turkey is not perfectly folded in half, thus resulting in an 1/8 inch hang over off of the bread.  Can you get over it?  There are people behind you... we're working fast.  It's all going in your mouth anyway!  

3.  Think before you say "Yep, that's it."  If you say that you don't want anything else on your sub, we are going to very quickly close it, cut it and wrap it.  Don't blink, because you will miss our super-lightning speed hands.  Why is it every time we are almost done wrapping you have to interject, "Ooops, I REALLY need salt and pepper on that too.  Sorry."  Lets be honest.  You're not sorry.  And why do you have such severe salt and pepper needs?  That's just strange.

4.  Please, PLEASE hand me your payment.  Do you see my hand? Do you see how I am holding it out in the open position so you can easily put your 28 cents into it?  Then why are you putting everything down on the counter?  I'm not hoping to catch some random gold nugget that may fall from the sky.  I want your money.  I want your money so we can get you out of here and help the next customer.  Oh wait... they just asked for salt and pepper.  We have a minute.  But that doesn't mean I want to spend that minute picking up all of the 37 pennies you just put down on the counter. The counter is slippery.  Unless you have amazing fingernails, it is hard to pick up the change.  Really.  Why did you put it down so close to my hand.  See me?  I'm right here!

5.  Please don't expect all problems to be handled in .2 seconds.  I'm sorry that our soda fountain is having problems and the soda is flat.  Meanwhile, we have 20 other people in line.  There are only 3 of us.  That means we can't run outside and change tanks right now.  Sorry.  Drink water.  It's better for you anyway.

Most people are nice.  Most people are reasonable.  Some people are insane.  "Can I have the softest bread please?  Now will you toast it?"  "I know you're still making half of my order, but can I get that sub right now and start eating it?"  "I know that you need to ask me a lot of questions, but I'm going to stand here on my cell phone, popping my gum and twirling my hair around my finger ignoring you.. like, ok?"

AAAHHHHH!!!  Sometimes I want to jump over the counter and slap you.

That is all.  Thank you for taking all of these suggestions into consideration.

Breaking the Stereotype

Oh crazy life. Well I'm mostly moved in. Oh, did you all know that I moved in with L7? Well I did. It's fun. L7 even gave me a super cute cuddly welcome present. I love sisters! I took a break from my unpacking to go to a special lunch.

There is a family in the valley who lost a son fighting in the war about five years ago. Now, every year they have a Ride for the Fallen. It's a fund raiser of sorts to raise money for scholarships. It's a really neat thing. I know many members of this family so I decided to be supportive. I don't have a motorcycle, so I couldn't join the 300 riders, but I could go and pay for lunch! I went at about 2:00 because that is when they start lunch, and they were expecting the riders any minute. It took all of the bikers quite a while to get there, but what a sight!

It was amazing to see these 300 people riding for a good cause. And it got me thinking. Bikers really get a bad rap. We tend to see them as selfish, mean, dirty, and just not nice people. But today I saw 300 of them. All of them paid money so they could pay for gas so they could ride four hours. They didn't have to. They really got nothing out of it, except for some wear and tear on their bikes. They did it because they care. As they all pulled into the parking lot, they were all smiling. They were very organized to make sure they could fit all of the bikes in. Sure some of them looked rough and I wouldn't want to meet them in a dark alley, but they were there. They did this to serve. They broke the stereotype. It was actually almost an emotional thing for me. There was some beautiful music playing as a tribute to the men and women of the Armed Forces, there were hundreds of flags lining the parking lot and sidewalks, the sun was shining... I can't really describe it. I'm glad I went.

I'm glad for people who serve. Whether it's riding a motorcycle 4 hours, or going to boot camp, I'm grateful for them. I heard some horrible stories about protesters who say horrible things because they don't agree with the war. There is a group of people who go to funerals for the fallen and have signs saying things like, "The only good soldier is a dead soldier". That makes me SOO mad! So I just want to say thanks. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you for serving when there is opposition. Thank you for risking your life. Thank you for leaving your loved ones to help keep me safe. Thank you.

It's a Case of the Nerves

Just a quick funny story.

Yesterday at work I tried to be a good employee. We were running out of important things like cucumbers, green peppers, and onions. I entered the walk in fridge to get these tasty vegetables. I have this really bad habit when I walk into the fridge. I kind of enter my own little world. I don't just hang out in there for hours or anything, but I normally spend a few extra seconds.

Some of my best thinking has happened in the fridge. I know, weird. As I was stacking all of the contaniers, not really paying attention to what I was doing, one of my co-workers opened the door and said "Hi" or something. She didn't say anything too loud, or scary. But man did I jump!

A little jump, a little scream and suddenly we had cucumbers and green peppers all over the floor. Apparently I need to find a new thinking place, cause I can't be throwing food on the floor all the time. Yeah, pretty much I'm lame, but it was funny!

Dude, I'm Not Even a Real Student...

Classes at the local university started yesterday. That means everyone I know is super stressed. Worried about fitting everything in that they need to, getting books, understanding teachers, doing homework, balancing this with everything they want to do, but now can't because summer is over. You know, all that jazz type of stuff. I've seen this coming for quite a while and I've been a little internally snotty about it. I've been in school all summer... ok, maybe I've been a slacker and haven't done as much homework as I should have, but I knew things weren't going to change that much. No stress for me! HA, HA, HA!

But I, being the type that doesn't like to be outdone by anyone....

Ok, you'll remember my last post where I freaked out for ever. I have the nicest, bestest, kindest, most charitable parents in the world. As a result, Saturday morning I got to go pick up my new car. Car doesn't have a name yet. Heck, I haven't even picked a gender. When we picked it up, Mr. Salesman informed me that when they had detailed it the night before they left the lights on so the battery may have some problems. "Just let it run for a bit," he said. So I did. I drove my friend around a little, and let the car run. But it didn't really start very well. And each time it had a harder time starting. Until I got in it Sunday afternoon to go worship. It wouldn't start at all. Saturday I had given Mech his car back. I was going to be right on time to everything on Sunday, but apparently that wasn't an option. I got out of my car, picked up my things, got on my phone and started walking the 4 blocks to Mech's house. He told me that I could use his car again. But now I was running late. So I was powerwalking, in heels to get the car. Yep, I totally got blisters. It is now Tuesday, and Car still isn't running. Daddy-o wants me to take it to a place to see if it's the starter.... but it won't start so I can't drive it. Lame!

So I'm dealing with car stuff. And I'm moving. As in Saturday night I will be sleeping in my new place. I am so not ready to move. I had a plan, but it's just not working out. (lack of real car could be a big part of that) Moving always stresses me. Changes stress me. So I'm stressing.

Then there is Scuttle. He's cute. We have fun. He no longer has a job that means he is gone for days at a time. And I like him. That means I want to see him pretty much every day. Oh, and he seems to want to see me every day too. Isn't that cute?! Except for the part where I'm going through lots of changes right now and already stressed. Yes, he's good at de-stressing me, but I should probably be doing something really good and productive. Well, we did do homework for 2 hours together yesterday. So that's productive. But there is always a little bit of relationship drama. Not really with us, cause we're all good. The drama is from everyone else. We've been dating almost 6 weeks. (Hey, it's a transfer! I like thinking in transfers!) Apparently anything over 3 weeks means it's time to cue the marriage jokes. REALLY????!!! Hello! 6 weeks. That's nothing. That means nothing. Get over it! Stop it already. I don't like the pressure. And Scuttle doesn't like it either. I'm about ready to never go to any sort of social thing with him. If we don't do things with other people then they can't crack jokes cause we aren't there. See? Eh? Good idea? Ok, no. It's totally lousy. But I am tempted.

So here I am, thinking that this will be a stress free time of life. I'm not a REAL student. I'm doing on-line school. I have time... and yet, I'm stressing. I guess I should get used to the stress option. Although, my friend found out yesterday that if you're in Europe you can often fly Internationally for only $30 a ticket. Maybe I'll just teleport to Europe and then vacation. Ignore all of the stress.... OHHH that sounds great. I'll send you a postcard from Sunny Spain!

Stress and Blessings

It's official. I'm back in my slacker blogger stage. Sorry friends! I'll work on it.

I spent quite a while looking for a great video that illustrated part of my story. Unfortunately I didn't succeed. What story is this? The death of Hexadecimal. It's tragic really. My car is dead. She sits at my friends house. Barely a limp inside of her. I didn't know that I could be attached to a car. But I really am sad about this. And stressed. But even though I don't have a car right now I still feel very blessed. Let me tell you about the events surrounding Hex's death.

I went to a farewell Sunday. It was for one of my sons. (That needs some explanation. I'm in Institute Choir. They organize us into families to help keep track of everyone and foster a social environment. I was made a mom of a family. Hence having a son.) I am so excited for this son/friend of mine to serve his mission. He's going to the Greece Athens mission. I learned that this mission covers all of Greece and has exactly 5 branches in it. That translates to a lot of people for him to teach! There are a TON of people there who need the gospel. So after telling my son that I was dating his father, (that was really fun. He was very surprised and thought it was a joke at first. HA HA.) We (meaning Scuttle, another friend and I) left. It was a happy drive until we encountered an accident on the freeway. Hex then started to have problems. But I had no way to fix said problems and she was still moving forward quite well so we continued to travel. We made it up the first big hill up the canyon one must pass through to get back to my house. Then as we started up another hill Hex started making funny noises. And smelling funny. But she wasn't running hot. I was so confused. Then I realized that despite how much I was pushing on the gas pedal, she was slowing down. Oh dear. I pulled off the side of the road and wanted to cry.

This is when I became very grateful for cell phones. I made one call and got us a ride out of the canyon. (Thanks sis!) I then sent a text to a friend who was still in Church. Let's call him Mech. That's short for Mechanic. He's good like that to me. Mech and a friend then spent the rest of their Sunday evening getting Hex off of the mountain and getting her to start again.

Side note, I then took a cute picture with Scuttle. Well, not super cute because we were both SO tired and our smiles look pasty. But our clothes are cute. You can't see our clothes, but trust me, they are cute. :)

Mech and I spent a few hours and $140 doing all we could to breathe life back into Hex on Monday. All to no avail. She's dead. It's official.

So there has been a lot of stress. I really need a car. But I do need to keep telling myself of all the blessing that occurred through this.

1. Having Cell Phone Service: Really, I was in the canyon. Who has cell service in the canyon? I don't normally. But I did. So we didn't have to sit on the mountain forever.

2. (Warning intense smultz ahead) Scuttle's Support. I was really freaking out while sitting in the car waiting for L7 to come get us. Scuttle doesn't know anything about cars. But he tried so hard to help. He opened the hood of my car and remembered to turn on my hazards while I just sat there not knowing what to do. Then he tried to distract me with a game. When he realized I just wasn't up to it he stopped that. And then he just held my hand. I know, it's a little thing, but he was just doing what he could to support me. And I really appreciated it. I've been sick for the past week, and he's doing all he can to take care of me. Sick, stressed and freaking out. He just keeps being there and helping me. He doesn't do anything big. He's just there. Ok, sorry, end of the shmultz.

3. Sisters willing to drop everything for me. I don't know what L7 was up to when I sent out my distress call. But she was there picking us up in her very nice running car in about half an hour. That means she left her house very quickly after I called her. Thanks for dropping everything to come save me!

4. Mech and all of his work. Really. If I had paid someone to go tow my car to a shop and then the Mechanic who worked there it would have cost me close to $1000 to get Hex even moving again. But instead I had Mech and his friend. They were willing to work on Sunday. The ox was in the mire. And they did it because Mech is just that good of a friend. I had to pay for parts, I owe Mech a home cooked meal, and Mech's friend just wanted some doughnuts and chocolate milk. I feel very blessed to have a friend who would do all of that for me. He totally saved my hide. Oh, and to top it off, he's letting me drive his car today. Just so I don't have to walk to work. He has a dirt bike so he's freezing, but now I don't have to walk. What a good heart! I love my friends.

5. Loving parents who care about me from 4 states away. I called my parents crying a few times. I don't know exactly what is going to happen, but they are talking and trying to figure out a way to help me. I am so indebted to my parents. They taught me the gospel, they loved me, they taught me how to work, and they still take care of me. Even though I'm 25 and should be all sorts of self-sufficient. They love me enough to help this poor Paily girl in her times of need.

6. The Power of the Priesthood. I was SUPER stressed. I'm not a crier. But I probably cried for about 3 hours straight Monday night. My dear mother is a smart woman and told me I needed to get a blessing. Last night Scuttle and Mech served me in one more way. I am so grateful for the power of the priesthood and to have good friends who I love and trust who are willing to serve me in this way. Yes there are still problems. But I feel so much better.

Anyway, there is my current life. I know, long post. Not funny at all. But there you have it. It will all work out. Whew!

Great Nauvoo

Well, this week I have decided that pretty much my life rocks. I was able to spend 4 days in Nauvoo with my parents. Nauvoo is an amazing place with an amazing spirit. I was surprised at the little things that really touched my heart. I know, I try to be funny here, but I am going to play the deep card today.

Right behind the visitors center there is a garden with many statues. It is called the Monument to Women. Recently I've had a few conversations with a few of my male friends about women. I've read many talks by good men about the importance of women, and part of me agrees with what they say. Not to be cocky, but I do feel that women have a divine purpose. That we are equal with men. Unfortunately I haven't spent enough time with men who feel that way. I play drums. And I love that, but in the Drum world, if you are female, you have to be better than all of the boys to be seen as equal. You are not ever allowed to show weakness. As you work your hardest to be your best so you can be an equal, you also had to realize that this wouldn't earn you respect. It would just make it so you were no longer disrespected. Things have changed, but that is the world that I lived in for all four of my high school years. As a result, I have a hard time getting my heart to match up with the things my head is telling me. I know logically that women are as good as men, but my heart doesn't' quite believe it. But I had an amazing experience as I walked through this garden.As I walked through the beautiful flowers and saw all of the statues I had an overwhelming feeling of love come over me. I was doing nothing. I was just walking, but I felt loved. I didn't have to prove myself, I didn't have to compete, I didn't have to show my skills, I was just being me. Despite my lack of doing anything, I felt that I was good enough. That I truly have a divine purpose. That as a woman I have great worth. These are words that I have heard my entire life, but I actually felt it. I saw the statues portraying a woman's responsibility, and I was looking forward to experiencing the scenes depicted there. I knew that I could do what has been asked of me. I'm not perfect. I won't be perfect in this life, but I am good enough. I am good enough that my Heavenly Father will trust me to help bring his children back to him. It is a blessing to be a woman. I realize that many woman just have always understanded this. But I didn't. For once my heart finally agreed with my head. And it felt great.

The rest of my time in Nauvoo was similar. Over and over I felt the love that my Heavenly Father has for me. I was taught over and over that I am enough. That I have worth, and that I can succeed. I have very different struggles than the great pioneers that you learn about there. But they are real struggles. And I can grow and learn and progress from letting the Lord help me through them. I feel very blessed to finally know this.

Maybe a blog isn't the right place to share this. But I do realize that all eight of my followers are people close to my heart. I don't really figure that anyone else will read this, and I know that you will all respect me. To some this is a little thing, but to me this knowledge makes quite a difference. I really do have a great life!

Busy Busy Life

Greetings from Paily!

Ok, so I don't really have much to say again. I'm just going crazy!

This last week I was able to be an EFY counselor. It pretty much rocked my knee highs. I had quite a few late nights during the week. I was able to see the midnight release of Harry Potter 6. That was great fun. Well, until it got over and I looked at my friend and said, I have an EFY meeting in 5 hours... yeah. Blast. I also had a late night DTR with my Scuttle friend. Well, now he's my Scuttle Boyfriend. That's pretty nice. Then I spent 7 hours in the Dallas Airport on my way to vacation! Life is great and I having a blast with my business!

Yep this is short, details to follow if anyone is after them.

Friends, Holidays, and Snack Food

Hello Bucket friends! How are you all? I have a ton-o-thoughts running around my head. (Anyone else think that sounds strangely like some sort of carnival ride? Ton-O-Thoughts.... Hmmm...)

This week I was able to go see one of my dear friends. He is entering the MTC on Wed. That is so soon! This friend... who really needs some sort of name... let's call him... Archie. I don't know why we are calling him Archie, but that is what I picked. Anyway, Archie and I met at the MTC. He was my district leader. Does that seem confusing? That he was my district leader in the MTC, but he is going back to the MTC on Wed? Yeah, it is kind of strange. Archie went to the MTC, actually went to NY with me, and then for multiple reasons went home. He's been through a lot in the past 3 years, but he decided to go back. It hasn't been an easy process, but he got another mission call (to the NYRM) and he is about to leave. Can I just share how much I love friends? I had the chance to go and visit him and do lunch. My cute niece (who some call Sweetie) was with me. We had a wonderful 2 hour conversation about missions, doctrine, prayer, repentance, good talks, faith promoting experiences and the like. I am so excited for Archie. He is going to have an amazing time. Heavenly Father really does know what is supposed to happen when. His timing is perfect. And I am glad that he has control over my life.

I've also been able to spend a lot of time with family in the last 2 weeks. Aren't they great? I am always amazed at how wonderful all of my family members are. I feel very blessed.

And on a totally unrelated note: I am overly addicted to some snack foods. Ritz crackers and Utz Cheese Puffs to be exact. I mean, I like other foods too, but those are my current addictions. For an example on how I like to eat them, I turn you to the great wisdom who is Brian Regan.

Are you my Scuttle?

Ok, I'm being totally facetious with that blog title. But I may have found my dream man. Not for real life. I just found a guy who is responsible, honors his priesthood, kind, funny, and loves Harry Potter as much as I do. It's pretty much a match made in heaven. But the good news is, this week is Harry Potter Week! This friend of mine is hosting a Harry Potter party every night this week. 5 nights, 5 movies. I think my life is complete.

We'll just ignore the fact that said scuttle has been sent on a mission to get information about my dating life (or lack thereof) for another scuttle. Yeah, that was an awkward conversation. But no worries. I'll just enjoy the bliss that is Harry Potter for the next week and not worry about boys. Tonight we start with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Bad acting, cute stars, staying fairly close to the book. It's a classic. I still remember going to see it opening day. That's because I had a great friend who sluffed school all day to get tickets and thought of me. How cool is that. Not that he sluffed school. Very bad and irresponsible. But that he thought of me. In his defence though, his mom gave him permission as long as he got her a ticket too. Oh good times. And to help this little walk down memory lane... Here you go:

AAAHHHHHH!!!

That's pretty much how I feel about my life. Sometimes I don't think I'm that busy. Then I look at my life. I realized today that it has been a full month since I have had any contact with my parents. As in the last time I was even in the same room with the phone when it was connected to my parental units was on Mother's day. Luckily yesterday was Father's day so that fixed that problem. I tend to leave my house, thinking I will be back soon, and then it totally doesn't happen.

For example:

Saturday I went to work, then to Summerfest, and then a friend asked me if I could take him to the store. At this point it was about 5:30. Shopping took the next 3 hours, then we had dinner, and then a mutual friend invited us over. We decided to watch Harry Potter 3. Good times. I arrived back home at 12:07ish. Who knew that could happen.

Another example:

Tonight I went to FHE at 7:00. After that I went to a meeting that is not church related because it can't be, but is basically church related (are you confused yet?). We proceeded to talk and re-hash lots of points and I kept saying I had to leave... I finally left at 10:23. I got to my car, and then my friend was walking down the street. I stopped and talked to him for "just a minute" and didn't get home till 11:00. Where does the time go?

This is my life. I do something to try to help people that I think will take "x" number of hours, and it ends up taking "x" + 4 hours. Totally lame. So yeah, that's why I am a slacker blogger. It's not that I have nothing to say, it's not that I want to be a slacker, it's that I'm just trying to find my brain and figure out my life. I don't really think I'm that busy, but I can't seem to get home before 11:00. Ever. The end.

Oh, I Like Nice People!

This week, I've just had a few experiences that I thought were cool that I wanted to share. You see, sometimes I can be pretty negative. I watch the news, and I hear about things, and see other things, and I'm just thinking, "Blast, this world is kind of going to pot. Too many people making lame choices." Then I wonder if there is really hope in the world. As a whole. I know some people that are good... Ok, I know a lot of people that are good, but ... Maybe I was just having an ornery case of PMS. Either way, I was feeling pretty negative about the world. So, on to the really good experiences.

On.... let's say it was Monday, cause I don't really remember. So, I live in the desert. It doesn't rain much here. Oh wait! I lied. It has rained every day for the past week, and they (as in the all knowing weather men) say it is going to continue for another week. Now, this isn't like rain in... say NY or TX. It will rain "hard" but only last for 3 minutes. But all of the desert dwellers who haven't lived in a decidedly humid climate kind of go crazy about those 3 minutes. They try not to drive, and they certainly don't want to get out of their car and go grocery shopping. Maybe they all have a recessive gene from the Wicked Witch of the West. I don't know, something. Well, when I leave work I drive past a fairly small grocery store. It's a small chain, there are 3 of them in existence. Actually, I used to work there. Good people. I noticed as I drove past that all of the baggers were hovering about the doors. My first thought was, "hey, haven't they seen rain before?". Then I realized that at seemingly random times one of said baggers would go shooting out of the door into the rain. I had no idea what they were doing, so I decided to watch closer. And this is the cool part. The were running to cars that had nice ladies or older men in them, then armed with an umbrella, they held it over the customer's head, and got very wet themselves as they escorted them to the building. Then they waited at the door to the building to find another friend, or to help someone get their groceries to their car. I know, it's totally a little thing, but I thought it was really sweet. Some may say it was a marketing ploy, but it's not like they changed their marque to read, "Shop here! We'll come get you with an umbrella so you don't get wet!".

One last story. I recently bought a season of TV off of eBay. I was crazy excited about my amazing deal. Instead of watching all of the DVDs, cause my sister was using the DVD player, I just visually checked them all. They were clean, and almost completely scratch free. Yeah! So I got online and left a positive review to my seller. Life was good. That is, until I got a chance to watch the DVDs. The first disk wouldn't work at all. So I checked all of the others, and disk 5 is also lame. Oh no! What to do. That was a waste of money. I decided to e-mail the seller and ask if they knew about this and were just mean. At this point I had already left a positive review so if they were crooked, there really was nothing I could do. The seller responded very quickly, told me that they had no idea as they hadn't watched this show for about 4 years, and offered me a full refund. This friend didn't have to do that. (Ok, morally I think it was the right choice, but the world wouldn't agree.) But they did. They apologized profusely. Then after they had process the PayPal refund, they found out that PayPal has a slight lameness to them. They won't refund $.72 keeping it as a "processing fee". Then Mr. I'm-a-nice-guy-seller offered to mail me the $.72. I am over that. I just thought it was great to see someone who I don't know if they have the Gospel being so great.

Conclusion: This world is pretty cool. There are lots of nice people. I just need to not be ornery and have more faith in my fellow people. The End.

Sometimes You Just Want To Blog

So, I'm sitting here, just thinking and I really have the desire to blog. But I don't know that I have anything exciting, thought provoking, or funny to blog about. As a result, I think you all just get to read some random ramblings from your dear Paily. Here we go.

Life's been pretty crazy lately. Lots of ups, lots of downs. I really do think that I'm having a hint of a quarter-life crisis. (Quarter-life might not be the right terminology, cause I don't know that many people who live till 100. Isn't the average lifespan actually like... 80 or something? That means I'm five years behind. Oh, Blast! Another thing to be behind in.) I'm just feeling some basic unsettled-ness. Not sure what I'm doing, or why I'm here, that type of thing. Oh, I know why I'm "here" as in on the earth. Don't you worry, I haven't forgotten the Plan of Salvation from my missionary days. Just "here" as in, my current location. Still clinging onto my childhood. Not that I want to be a child... I just... am clingy. Maybe I need to invest in a bunch of dryer sheets. Then if I rub them all over my body the cling will disappear. Oh, I like that idea! Wouldn't it be great if all of life's problems could be solved by dryer sheets?

Last Monday I went to a concert. I went with some friends. It was cool. But it was also quite interesting. I was sitting up in the nosebleeds (yeah, I'm cheap) but I also didn't want the expensive "mosh-pit" seats. It was a rock concert after all. I was amazed how many pregnant woman I saw in the mosh-pit. I mean, pregnant ladies deserve to get their groove on as much as the next lady, but in a mosh-pit? That is totally lame-o. Although, they do look kind of funny when they rock out. Not a whole lot of jumping, just the limp chicken arms and a lot of booty shaking.

Sometimes I am totally a girl. You know, the whole over analyze everything ... thing. Currently doing that about a certain thing. Ok, yes about a boy. I know, totally lame. I have a friend who asked me on a date. That's cool. I like dates. But now I'm wondering if he actually wanted to take me on a date, or if he just needed to find a date and knew I would be fun. I've decided that boys need to have a magic 8 ball for a head. So then I could just ask it, "Do you want to date me?" shake his head around a bit, and then know the answer. Dude, I am totally brilliant! That is the best idea ever!

And on a completely unrelated note: I just thought this was funny.

The more I read this post, the more I think I have ADD. Wow. Well that will do for now! Have a great day, yo's!

Pictures From My Birthday Trip

Ok, last time I talk about my birthday. But, L5 put some great pictures on Facebook, and I told some friends that I would show them pictures. Most of them are from the Sidewalk Calk Festival that we went to. People have mad skills. Oh, and the last one is a picture that I took. I was trying to be all artsy. Not sure it happened, but it's kind of fun.

My Favorite Quotes

So... I just turned 25. Random. But I went to a cool place with L5 and L7 and we laughed and had a ton of fun. This post is mostly just for me, but I want to make sure I remember my favorite quotes of my birthday trip. They went something like this:

1. (After waiting for one of us to get in the elevator) "Sorry, I was reading about diarrhea prevention."

2. (While feeding some fish) "Sorry I pummeled you over that pellet, Bob."

3. (Oh no, I don't remember #3. I'll get back to you on that)

But after a fun weekend of Celtic dancing, Side-walk chalk art contests, a severe lack of segways, pictures, and too much food, I'm 25 and life is good.

The Newest Superhero

It's official. I have some mad skills. Skills so great, that I could no longer remain my normal, every-day Paily. I have transformed and become:

You may be wondering how I have attained this alter-ego. Well, if you don't remember, you can see my previous accomplishments with Super Glue here .

Well, People of the Land of Buckets, I have done it again! Before I fixed a jacket, and now, I have fixed my glasses. Right by the hinge. Yes that's right. I can fix things with move-able parts with Super Glue and all moving parts will still be moving after I have completed my task. Stand back in awe!

"Oh, no! I have broken something with moving parts! Whatever shall I do?"

"Have no fear! Super Glue Girl is here!" (Now I just need some theme music.)

And for any of you who are wondering... yes I made that picture. No, the colors don't match. But, I was just working to make the girl look modest. That was quite the feat. Let's not talk about how long it took me. Just enjoy.

Do I Have To?

Dear People of the Land of Buckets,

I'm kind of freaking out again. But this time it's all sorts of internal shmuh. As I result, I am going back to my childhood and being as irresponsible as possible. I'm holding onto the last shred of childhood possible. Because its ending. I need to grow up. I need to be an adult. At least that is what the calender is telling me. This week the calender is yelling at me. "It's time to grow up!" "Stop being childish!" "You will never be young again!" "You're turning 25!"

Ok, lets be honest, 25 isn't "old". I'll save that title for the dear people I love who are 69 and 68. That's old (Love you, Dad and Mom ;) But to me, 25 is also a milestone. It's like the end of your childhood. I mean, I've legally been an adult for 3 years already, but most 21-year-olds are still pretty immature. In my eyes, once you were 25 you needed to be a true adult. Be mature. Know what you are doing with your life. Be all settled down. Wear your hair up in a bun and get that little chain that makes it so you can't lose your glasses. Be almost done with college. Things like that.

These options don't really work for me. I wasn't thinking, and I cut my hair so it's too short to put in a bun. I hate those little chain things. I'm not almost done with real college. I haven't even applied for the school I want to go to for my bachelor's yet. As for being settled down.... Yeah right! HA!

I had a vision of where my life would be when I was 25. I am SO not there. Don't get me wrong, I am very happy with where my life is going, and what I have done. I have had some great experiences. But as my birthday gets closer and closer, I find that I have kind of been holding onto those ideals. Those childhood dreams. I'm pretty sure there is no way that in the next 4 days I can get my bachelors, get married and have at least one child. It's ok that I don't have those things, but it is time to change my dreams. To realize that the old dreams didn't happen, but my life is good. I am happy. I just tend to cling, and then I turn 25 and have a quarter-life crisis. If I were rich, I'd go out and buy some really sweet red car. (Ok, I think that's what men do with their mid-life crisis, but I have no idea what women do so I'm stealing the men's idea. Besides, who doesn't want a really sweet red car? Ok, I don't want red... maybe... silver!)

So, here is the plan. On Friday, I don't care what the calender says. I am turning 23 again. I kind of feel like I missed that year, cause I was on my mission for the whole thing. I didn't do any cool "real-life" things that year. So I'm taking that year back!

Oh, and on a somewhat unrelated note: I like to do strange things to myself on my birthday. At least I have for the past 3 years. And I'm out of ideas. Let me tell you what I've done: Year 22: I dyed my hair red. Year 23: I started waxing my eyebrows (that was a really good idea). Year 24: I got a Henna tattoo. Year 25: ??? I've got nothing.

Any suggestions?

Three Weeks, Three Awkward Scuttle Moments

It's official. I need people to stop trying to set me up. Yes, I'm single. Yes, I'm happy. Yes, I'm about to turn 25. That does not mean that I am doomed for spinsterhood, and I only have 2 weeks to redeem myself. I need a break. What has happened to make me say this? Oh, let me tell you.

In the last 20 days, I have been on two blind dates. The first date was with an old room mate's brother. We went dancing. He doesn't dance. So we made small talk for 2 hours while the other couple we doubled with danced.

Date #2 was with Bob. Now, that technically wasn't a blind date, but for all practical purposes it was. I knew nothing about the guy, except for what he looked like, that he took percussion in the 7th grade, and his name. (For more details about that date, look here.)

At the end of that post, I mentioned that a friend had given a guy my number. That was a week and a half ago. I hadn't heard anything, but I just figured that he didn't want to call a total stranger. I'm cool with that. Well, he called! No. Don't get excited. He called to inform me that he just got a girlfriend so he didn't want to take me on a date. Yep. That's right. I just had a total stranger call me to tell me he didn't want to date me. AWKWARD!!!

That's it. I quit. I just can't handle the lameness.

(Oh, and a side note... for those of you who don't remember a Scuttle is the name for a bucket to carry coal. It's the masculine version of Paily.)

Freedom!! … Oh, Blast. Never mind.

Earlier this week, I was feeling pretty lazy. Yeah, my last post kind of showed that off. Well, one day, I was doing my Visiting Teaching, and talking to my companion and the cute girl we visit about how I like to be lazy, but there are WAY too many meetings. You see, I was in the Relief Society presidency as the secretary. I have loved serving, but man! All those meetings! It has been pretty lame. The good news: and end in sight. My dear RS president is going home for the summer. So, today as I packed up my ginormous bag for church, I realized it would be the last time. I was getting released. WHOO HOO!!

I arrived at church and was going about my business when I was attacked and pushed into a small room. Despite my struggle, I was caught! Then the scary man in the dark suit pushed me under a bright light and started asking me questions. "How are you?" "Have you had a good day?" "Is there anything we can do for you?" They were coming in rapid fire. I could barely keep up. Then he quickly slipped in a most serious question, "Will you serve as the 1st counselor in your RS presidency?" I was caught unaware. I froze, and uttered that ill-fated word: yes.

Ok, so it wasn't really like that. My bishop is a great man, and I didn't feel pressured. This is just a more interesting account.

So, it turns out that my old VT companion is the RS president. As she heard me complaining, she was just laughing. It's true. Heavenly Father does have a sense of humor. Don't get me wrong, I am totally happy to serve, but this means...

MORE MEETINGS!

A Bad Case of the Lazies

AKA I Win!

Ok, so here is the deal. I have basically become a blog stalker. I follow so many blogs. I just have a lot of friends... and a few total strangers who fill my heart with joy as I read about their lives. But, many of my friends don't have a "Follow My Blog" section anywhere on their blog. Now I can be pretty lazy, but when it comes to following blogs, I am very lazy. I want to click on my little dashboard button, and know who out of the 3 million blogs I follow have updated. Alright, you caught me, I don't follow that many. This has been a conundrum for months. My poor little pointer finger has been exhausted from trailing over my touchy-mouse-pad-thingy that I'm sure has a name to find out what all of my friends are doing. I know, you are saddened by my plight.

Sorry, I digress. Not that this is an unusual thing for me. I am like the Queen of digression. Wow... is that really a word? Cool!

A-hem.... Today I discovered a great thing! All of you probably know about this... but if you don't, let me share my great fountain of knowledge. If you are signed into blogger, and you go to someone else's blog, at the very top of their blog you have a little bar of goodness and joy. It shows your e-mail address, and provides a link to your dashboard, all of that great snazzy stuff. Also, on the left hand side there are some cool things too. You can search, go to the next blog (but don't worry about that, it's probably in some strange language) Flag a blog because it's eeky, or.... Follow the blog you are on! There is a cute little follow button there!

So take THAT all of my non-followable friends. I thwarted your evil plan and now I am following you! (Well, all of you except for half of L6, cause one of her blogs just has issues, and even though I am following it I NEVER get updates. It's totally lame.)

I can save my pointer finger the extra stress of having to go to File, and New tab, and then bookmarks, and then down that list to the file of Blogs, and then finding that blog... It's a long journey that I can now skip!

So in other words... I WIN!

Uh....

That would be the word that I heard the most this evening. I know, I say it too, but wow. That was a lot of "Uh"-s. Where was I that I heard this so many times?

On a date with Bob.

Yep. It's true. We went on a date. And I have to be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to it. But I tried to be positive. Then he picked me up 30 minutes late. As I got in his car, he told me he wasn't sure what we were going to do. We ended up going bowling. He told me his life story. Let's just say I was very grateful to have been so blessed in my life. Because of the great example of my family I haven't experienced pretty much any of the things he has. I lived in only one house, I went to church every week, I went on a mission, I lived with good family members. I didn't go to jail, I didn't do drugs, and I didn't get fired from lots of jobs. I've also never stolen from anyone. The good news: Bob has learned the importance of the Atonement in his life. As a result, he is trying to see if he can go on a mission.

He's a nice chap. But we did have one problem. As you know, I talk quickly. And I make little jokes. Not to be proud, but I consider myself some what of a wit. Bob... not so much. He talks SO slow, thinks a lot before he starts talking, and he didn't get a single one of my jokes.

He doesn't know anyone our age who lives here. He hasn't lived in this area for 12 years. So, Bob needs some good religious friends that will help him get his life in order. And I, Paily am very happy to be able to help him in this worthy endeavor.

So for now, dear people of the Land of Buckets, that is the end of our Bob saga.

For our next installment, maybe I will attempt to understand why the cosmos are running after me. I had a blind date last weekend, a basically blind date this weekend, and a friend just informed me that she gave a guy my number and we may have a blind date next weekend too. I am SO over the blind date option. Oh well. It makes for some fun stories.

Leave A Message After The Beep

Please! Just do it! When you get my voice mail, use it. It's a nifty little tool that CRH's dad ... I forget, invented? Came up with? Provided the money for? Soldered (and that word is pronounced "sauttered" yeah, didn't know how to spell it, and if you just try to google "sauttered" you come up with a whole bunch of NOTHING!) the computer parts for? Something cool. And I think we all should use it.

Seriously, in the past two weeks, I have received no less than 9 calls from random phone numbers. And not ONE of these calls has resulted in a voice mail. One number even called me 4 or 5 different times. That makes the calls seem important, but not important enough to leave a message? I'm not trying to be an inattentive jerk. You just keep calling me when I'm at work, or in a church meeting, or in class. It's not my fault you have lousy timing. I really would answer if I could. And besides, getting voice mails makes me really happy. So, let us all celebrate the marvel that is modern communication (I totally stole that... well it was something close to that) and leave voice mails as a tribute to CRH's dad. He's pretty cool. And then I will stop going crazy wondering who is calling me.

I know, I could call them back, but that is so awkward! "Uh... Hi... My name is Paily, and someone from this number called me..." And then it would put me in the stupid position mentioned here.

Basically everyone should leave voice mails. Everyone else should check their voice mails, and then I will have one less thing to bug. We all win! So, please, leave a message after the beep.