My favorite things... lately

My friend Em listed her latest favorite things and asked us to do the same.

My favorite things lately:

HUSKER FOOTBALL! I get so sick of BYU this and U of U that. Husker football is a religion in Nebraska and I while I have been a believer for a few years now, this year, I am truly converted!


Fish Tacos: You will realize what a disease this has become when I tell you that I know the special is fish tacos Tuesday and Saturday at Cafe Rio and they always have a salmon taco on the menu, Bajio's special is wednesday, and Rumbi grill has my favorite but they are never the special. Oh and I just found a place by my office that has $1.25 fish taco Tuesdays! I am in love!

Tofu noodles. The texture is not the same but I almost like it better when making Asian food. The best part is no carbs and the whole bag is only 40 calories. fry up some veggies, a little chicken, add a little soy sauce or some kind of Thai peanut goodness and you are set my friend. You can get them at Target in the produce section or at health food stores. My favorite is Whole Foods (because they let me sample all the expensive cheeses).

I found this tasty morsel at one of my other favorite stores, World Market. They sell food from all ethnicity's so I can grab my favorite curry, some rice paper candy, and actually German gummy bears in one trip. Anyway I am distracted. This is the pumpkin pie syrup. it makes the best steamer I have ever had in my life!

Okay I have always loved Hobby Lobby but there is finally one in Utah. They snuck in while I was in Idaho and my whole life has now improved. I spend time in here like my mom did in Home Depot. I say I'll be 5 minutes and three hours later...

Reading in the hammock swing. The weather has been perfect for being outside wrapped up in a blanket with a pumpkin pie steamer. We have a hammock too but I don't love it as much as the Hammock swing.

Thanks Heavenly Father

I am a C.S. Lewis fan. I know EVERYONE is, but with good reason. I was contemplating this one today as I drove to Park City...

“There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way”


In high school I asked Heavenly Father for a certain young man who played the guitar,
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me my youth instead.

I was positive that if one certain young man knew who I really was he would fall madly in love with me.
Heavenly Father thank you for teaching me to love myself more than that young man ever could.

I met someone who made me laugh, I was sure I had it right this time.
Heavenly Father thanks for letting me see that laughter was only the surface of that man.

I was willing to sacrifice everything that made me happy to make one young man happy forever,
He sacrificed much more to be happy right now.
Heavenly Father thank you for getting me out when you did.

In the words of a song:
Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers Remember when you're talking to the man upstairs That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care Some of gods greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.
~Unanswered Prayers, Garth Brooks

Heavenly Father, I understand that I know so very little, but sometimes this human thing gets in the way and I think I have things figured out, and I ask for a certain man. I am grateful my best interests are being looked after even when I obviously don't know what the heck they are. So in the future when I make such a request again and then get very frustrated that you aren't giving me what I want, know that I really do know that this is all for the best and I am more than willing to wait for... well, the best. I never want you to get to the point where you say, have it your way, but I am positive I will keep asking.

While I am waiting I promise to continue living by my motto: "Stop thinking of the man of your dreams and become the woman of his."

Oh and when he says his prayers tonight and asks for that one girl, you know the one, and he tells you he is sure she is "the one". Please tell him no.

What are the chances?

I almost killed my best friend Thursday. It is true. Let me tell you the story.

I was coming home from work in Union Park and my sister wanted me to stop at ten thousand villages for her. I was driving down the street not paying much attention and I almost hit a pedestrian. I don't mean like I kinda almost hit him. I mean I SLAMMED on my brakes, tires squealing, stalled my car, inches from taking him out. That's the kind of almost hit him I am talking about.

Funny thing is that I looked up and while trying to make my heart start beating again I thought to myself... That looks like Wade. Just then Wade calls me:
"I seriously almost just got hit by a car"
"Um that was me"
"No way"
"Yeah"
"What the heck are you doing?"
"Going to Ten Thousand Villages."
"Can I come?"
"Yeah what are you doing?
"Getting art supplies."
"I want to come."

So we spent the rest of the afternoon shopping together. Then I dropped him back off at his car:

"Well see you this weekend, thanks for letting me keep my knees."
"Yeah good thing I don't have money for that many balloons."

The joys of Lowes

Why this call was transferred to my desk I don't know. Maybe someone thought they would take advantage of the fact that I am only working there a few more days...

"This is Annie."
"Listen I just moved here from caliiiiiifornia. It is awful down there did you know that? You can trust anyone. Anyway I was having guests over so I went to Lowe's and bought a new commode. Well that man showed up at my door with this thing in pieces, I mean it was smashed, I swear to you that it was, so he had to go get me another. Then he comes back with this other commode that was... well it was meant for male equipment. Honey, they are built different than us and this toilet was meant for them. It was... long, if I can say that. Well I hated it and I told them to take it right back. I swear to you they have charged me for both toilets! Well then they came out and measured and said they would have to order me one in special. Well I had a normal one before and what is he telling me that I have to special order one, they don't have one My size!? Well honey I swear to you they charged me for the third one."
"Ummm Hmm"
"Honey then I went back and I bought two air conditioners. I turned them on and they smelled so bad. Honey I returned them. And they charged me for both of them!" I apologize for the language you are forcing me to use but I swear I returned all this stuff and it is all on my credit card. Well I haven't paid it in some months now because I don't think I have any of those items anymore so when they call I hang up on 'em."
"Well that makes sense."
"Honey I am just so frustrated. I don't know who to call or what to do."
"Well have you talked to a manager in the California store where you purchased it?"
"No who should I ask for?"
"The store manager, or another idea is when they call you, you might take that opportunity to ask for a manager. You need someone who can look at the store invoices and inventory. I can't from Idaho figure out what happened in that store. If you want to call the credit center hit 0# three times and you will get a person. But my recommendation is to save this story for someone good. Ask immediately for a supervisor then ask them for a manager that has the power to fix your problem."
"Well you have a blessed day."

Odd... but not Bark

I find it odd that it was so hard to leave Logan when everything I was leaving had already left me. I find it even more odd that almost exactly two years later I am leaving Idaho. I am heading back to Utah (something I swore I would never do) and leaving so many good friends behind, and yet this time it seems so much easier.

My move to Utah!

I thought I would just post about it so I don't have to tell the story that many more times.

For a few months now something hasn't felt right and I knew I needed a change. But what change? New job maybe? The problem was that none of the changes I could think of seemed right. I prayed and prayed about it and just always felt the same. Change but no idea what.

Have you ever gone back to somewhere you used to live and it just felt empty, not like home anymore? I felt like that last weekend in Logan. I had some of the best years of my life there and met most of the people I call my BFFs. But this weekend it was just reconfirmed to me that it wasn't home.

It was when I was driving back to Idaho that I started to realize that feeling was the same one I was having about Idaho. Lolly then sent me a text saying I could move in with her if I ever needed to. It was weird because we hadn't talked about it before, and I didn't have any idea what I would do for a job but it just clicked. That was where I needed to be. She later told me she had the feeling to send me the text and didn't know why but she couldn't shake the feeling that she needed to.

So I went home and started making plans to move. I knew it was what Heavenly Father wanted for me and I knew it would work out. I asked everyone I knew in Utah to ask around at work for me. I have one job I want really bad and it is a miracle that I talked them into leaving the job open long enough for me to apply. One of my Bffs here offered to split the cost of a moving van with me and I accepted. Having no job yet but knowing this was what I was suppose to do. Today Ken (My step-mom's dad) called and told me that they could find work for me. I only need to call him when I arrive.

I just couldn't have asked for things to work out more perfectly and I am excited to see even more miracles as this plan unfolds.

An Ode to a Rose

Rose is my first responder.




When my mom died I called her before I called anyone else. She was there is what felt like seconds on a day where seconds typically felt like hours. Not only was she there but she was willing to do anything to help. She drove me down to my grandparents house so I could tell them in person. I am not sure she will ever know how much she meant to me that day.

She went with me to the emergency room on that fatal ward Ski night. She made me laugh when I was in tons and tons of pain and understood that I didn't want the hot ski instructor to find out I was hurt. She also found very attractive men to carry me to the car.

The year I lived in a big house alone in Logan she always seemed to know exactly what days I was feeling the loneliest, and she would show up out of the blue to take me on a walk or a trip to Formosa.

When I made the hardest decision of my life and decided to leave Logan she and her sister where the only ones who showed up to help me move. I had just had surgery on my foot and wasn't much help. The two of them loaded my entire moving truck. Even now thinking about how selfless they were on such a super hot day I was to cry a little.

There was one night I will never forget in my back yard with some friend when we were reading out of my "IF" book. We laughed so hard we almost died. Last week before church we had another good laugh when we drove up to my mom's grave and stopped along the way to steal wildflowers to put on her grave. I love that Rose was able to know my mom at least a little. She knows at least enough to know there will be no sappiness there.

My grandpa died this week. He is 100 years old and he is with his wife and my mom and my uncle Wayne. I know they are so happy now and living it up but it was still a sad day for me. Some of my mom's family can be a little difficult to deal with. In the middle of the proceedings I get a text from her that was simple inside joke but it made me smile and I knew that no matter what, it was going to be a good day.

I find that often I am not as grateful for my friends as I should be. I do however, recognize that friends like Rose are truly gifts from a loving Heavenly Father.