I Got A New Car!

So, Evan has been telling me for months that I should sell my car. He just had a feeling that my car may have some big problems coming up. Well, when my car overheated last Saturday due to lack of fluids (wasn't for very long... I pulled over before anything REALLY terrible could happen), we decided it was time to do the deed and get rid of my car. Sadly, I spent $2,000 shipping my car back and forth to and from Hawaii because I wasn't able to sell it before I moved home. Man, the things I could have done with that money!

Since Evan's brother had a similar problem with his car earlier this year and ended up having a blown head gasket within a week, we realized that I better get rid of the car AND FAST!

Well, we went to a few dealerships last night. The first one had some good prices but seemed SUPER shady. The second one we went to, we bought a car.

It's funny how at the time, I thought I was getting a "good" deal on my car, but now I realize that I really didn't get that great of a deal for the amount of miles and also my trade in value. Basically the guy got his asking price out of us without us even realizing it! We should have tried talking him down lower! Those guys sure are tricky!

Oh well... not much I can do about it now. SO, I have a new pre-owned vehicle. It's a 2004 Subaru Legacy 35th Anniversary Edition (AKA GT without the leather interior). I feel high class because it's so fancy. It has a temperature gauge, shows directions, has a special mirror that determines when its dark and lowers the brightness for your vision's comfort. Okay, so maybe these are standard features in most newer cars... but I haven't owned a car newer than '98, so this is NICE to me! :)

The pictures showing in this blog are general pictures of what my car looks like.

75 Things to Do Before You Die

Although I've never actually created a list to post on a website or blog, this morning I read a list on my friend, James' blog. He had read a list in Esquire this month of 75 things to do before you die. He decided to compile a list for himself challenged his friends and readers of his blog to compile lists of their own.

Here's the catch if you choose to create your own list according to James:
1)The list can only be comprised of things you've done. This is not a wish list.
2)It must be a one time thing. Not a life changing beatitude. This is not Seven Habits for Blah Blah Blahs.

You don't need to write 75 but you should try for something high. 10 is too low. Shoot for at least 25. If you only have 10, you need to live.

Below you will find my list of 75 Things I've Done... Hopefully there are MANY more adventures still to come in my life!

1. Learn how to surf a wave. Really learn how surf it. Standing up once for 5 seconds does not count.


2. Climb to the top of a mountain. Soak in nature. Replenish your energy. Climb down.
3. Learn another language… and rediscover your own.
4. Travel to all 50 states. (I’m on 33.)
5. Lose someone you really love. (Warning: Don’t TRY to do this!) It helps you to appreciate your life and those you who still have left.
6. Take a boat ride through Venice.
7. Do something people can be envious of.
8. Make a challenging goal… and achieve it! It’s not always easy to keep goals. Have faith in yourself and shoot for the stars!
9. Run in a race.
10. Feed a swan out of your hand at Schloss Nymphenburg in Munich, Germany.



11. Walk up the Eiffel Tower.
12. Live in a foreign country, even if only for a short time.
13. Learn what it means to have no money. You'll appreciate money when you have it and have more empathy for those who don't.
14. Do a REAL polar bear swim. That means it needs to be done in winter where the weather and water are SO cold that snow put into the water hardly melts.
15. “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” – Benjamin Franklin
16. Work in your dream job.
17. Learn to play an instrument and perfect one song on that instrument.
18. Perform in front a large group of people. It doesn't matter what. Just experience it.
19. Hike (or better yet snowboard/ski) in the alps!
20. Travel to the land of your forefathers and meet your distant relatives.
21. Skinny dip in the day time.
22. See the Northern Lights.



23. Swim in the Mediterranean Sea.
24. Tour a foreign castle.
25. Visit a monastery or nunnery.
26. Believe in something you’ve never seen.
27. Hold a baby on the day it’s born. Swaddling an hours-old baby helps you appreciate the joy of life and its transience.
28. Toughen up your feet one summer by wearing shoes as little as possible.



29. Earn a Bachelor’s degree.
30. Live in a snowy place.
31. Run through amber fields of grain.



32. Take a class you want to take, just for fun.
33. Go on a spontaneous road trip.
34. Figure out what your stupid human trick is. Everyone has one. (I can stick an entire toothbrush down my throat without gagging. I can make a FANTASTICLY fake pregnant belly.)
35. Drive limitless on an Autobahn in Germany.



36. Camp at a place you have to hike miles to get to.
37. Get a loan and pay it off.
38. Own a car.
39. Travel by train.
40. Work for a temp agency. It makes you appreciate having steady employment.
41. Fall in love.
42. Go out of your comfort zone to meet someone new.
43. Help out someone who is struggling.
44. Teach a child something new.
45. Memorize your favorite poem.
46. Be in an eating contest.
47. Eating something you’ve never tried. (e.g. cow’s stomach or sheep’s tongue)
48. Live on a tropical island.



49. Drink milk straight from the cow.
50. Get to know the locals where you live.
51. Date (or be friends with) someone from a foreign country.
52. Purposely break a glass dish. If it’s done out of anger, it can be somehow fulfilling and satiating.
53. Be a vegetarian for at least a few months.
54. Figure out your favorite things e.g. foods, books, albums, places, movies - and be able to list them off if people ask.
55. Drive a sports car.
56. Cliff or bridge jump into water. (Below is a picture of my first time bridge jumping.)



57. Use public transit to travel to work.
58. Do something illegal. (Don’t do any harm or damage, though, and DON'T get yourself arrested!)
59. Toilet paper a friend’s house/apartment.
60. Sing karaoke at a restaurant and dance along.
61. Sled down sand dunes in the winter.
62. Go spelunking in an ice cave. Splatter glow sticks.
63. Travel by yourself.
64. Ride on a subway in Paris.



65. Secretly do something nice for someone you don’t know and don’t let them catch you doing it. (e.g. pay someone’s parking meter)
66. Get your heart broken at least once. It helps you understand people better and love richer the next time around.
67. Read a book in a tree. It’s incredibly peaceful and liberating.



68. Get really sun burnt… spending an uncomfortable sleepless night serves as a good reminder to protect your skin next time.
69. Enjoy who you are! Sure your thighs may not be perfect, or you wish you had stronger biceps, but you are you, and YOU are wonderful!
70. Change your attitude about someone or something. It’s easy to get a negative idea into our minds and hard to get it out. Truly changing your mind about something you believe can be exceptionally cathartic… and can improve your happiness.
71. Genuinely get to know an elderly person. Listen to his/her stories. You can learn so much about history and LIFE by listening to someone who has lived 60 years longer than you have.
72. Do something that scares you! Try rock climbing, snow boarding, sky diving, talking with a complete stranger… whatever it is, do it!



73. Eat breakfast from a mountain top at sunrise.
74. Spend a day taking pictures. Life looks different through a lens. You begin to look at life in an uncommon way. It helps you to appreciate the small details we often miss.
75. Attend a concert of your favorite band or artist. Dance and sing along to your favorite song with a tear of disbelief in your eye.

Just One of Those Days...

Just one of those days, don’t want to wake up. –Limp Bizkit

Have you ever had “one of those days?” You know what I’m talking about. THOSE days… where you wished you would have stayed in bed. You had everything going for you and in spite of it all you’re pissed at the world (or your boyfriend) for really no reason at all. You’re late to work even though you left in plenty of time. The stress just piles up and, rather than dealing with it gracefully as with most days, you just become a volcano inside ready to breath fire at the next person to cross your path. Today started out being one of THOSE days.

I really had no reason to be unhappy or stressed per se. However, waking up at 3 AM and not being able to fall back asleep has sadly affected a majority of my day. I hate having sleeping problems! I’m a happy person and would like to have energy to be as active as I want to be.

Oh well! I’m feeling much better and happier than I was earlier today. Sometimes not being able to sleep really starts to take a toll on my body and my mood!

You Are What You Eat

This past week and a half, I’ve been working as the front receptionist for Magnolia Audio Video. As the front receptionist of the corporate office of a home theater company, I am required to keep the TV on and running as a constant advertisement of their products.

For this reason, I have spent some time with BBC America playing in the background. A few shows that I’ve enjoyed watching have been “You Are What You Eat” and “How Clean is Your House?”



You Are What You Eat:
Let’s talk about the first mentioned: “You Are What You Eat.” This show is designed to help obese people lose weight through a healthy change in lifestyle. Gillian McKeefe is British, refreshing, and amazing! She is incredibly knowledgeable when it comes to overall health of a person’s body. I never knew how much your “poo” or the look of your tongue could tell you about your body, eating habits, and lack of vitamins.

This show is truly shocking in so many ways! I can’t believe how much some of these people eat! For every person on the show, she gathers all of the food that they’ve eaten for a week on a table and shows it to them. If that’s not enough to make you want to eat better, than I don’t know what is!

So I’m a basically fit person, but I really want to eat better and exercise more. This show has definitely been incentive to be better at eating! I never knew how many problems lack of vitamins can cause. It can cause lack of libido, depression, mood swings, headaches, not to mention MUCH worse health problems. I’m looking into buying nutrition and exercise books just to be more healthy than I am. Any ideas?

Pride is NOT a Virtue

I’d like to think of myself as a non-judgmental person, humble person. Before yesterday, I had never considered myself to be self-righteous or preachy. However, if it quacks like a duck, flies like a duck, and–heaven forbid–looks like a duck, you probably wouldn’t call it a cow. I am a duck.

This is how the story goes. Yesterday I was minding my business studying my scriptures in German before church when I decided to go downstairs and see what the fam was up to. On my way down, I encountered my sister’s children playing games and feeding their pets on a kids’ online site called Webkinz. A Sunday rule for the kids is no internet usage. I reminded them of this rule and prompted them to come downstairs and play games with me instead. They conceded. Now, this situation did not bother me.

What bothered me was what happened when I was on my way downstairs. I saw the kids’ parents both on the internet. I know this isn’t a big deal, but for some reason it just really bothered me that I was trying to help them keep their rule, while they were not even keeping it themselves. Can anyone say double standard? Needless to say, I was irritated. However, rather than being tactful, I judged them and said it aloud. I was angry and I wanted them to “keep the Sabbath daily holy” in the way I thought they should.

It wasn’t until later, after getting frustrated with my boyfriend for the same thing, that I realized I have become what I’ve always hated. I had been self-righteous and acting out of pride. Sure, I think that I’m right. I think it’s more important to spend the day worshipping Heavenly Father in a way other than perusing the internet. But, that’s what I think. That only applies to me. I do not wish to take away anyone’s right to choice, but that’s how I was acting yesterday.

As Evan and I were driving to church and the true nature of how I had been acting came to my mind, I was shamed for the pride I had shown. How dare I think that I’m better than someone else because of a mundane and immaterial choice in Sabbath day pursuits?

Needless to say, I now see that I must be on my guard at all times in order to beware of pride in all of its forms. I am not better than those of the Nephites and the Lamanites who were prideful. Pride led to their downfall time and again. I do not wish for this same occurrence in my life.

I know I am not better than anyone else. I have much to learn about life and the ways being kind and humble.

Audit the IRS

It's funny how when the IRS is trying to get a hold of you, you BETTER answer... or else!

Sadly, the story is very different when the reverse is true. I've been trying to contact the IRS for weeks in order to change my address with them. Two months ago, I received notice that I would be receiving my Economic Stimulus Check within DAYS. However, I never received it via mail or direct deposit. And then I moved...

Fast forward two months. I've now tried to get a hold of the IRS on several occasions. Whichever way I try to contact them, I ALWAYS get an automated recording. I've waited on hold for HOURS, literally, at a time without ever having got a hold of a "representative." On one occasion, I was on hold so long that the phone I was using actually died.

A few people have given me their opinions about these supposed representatives: Evan jokingly said that there legally has to be at least one representative, who is probably on the other line with her boyfriend and only answers one call a day. My little sister and I agree that we have begun to doubt the existence of said representatives at all. After all the times I've phone, I have yet to hear a live person's voice.

That is, until today. I finally was able to finagle the system by trying every menu option in order to actually talk to a real, live person! It was awesome for about two seconds before she cut me off and transferred me to IRS limbo where I waited on hold AGAIN for a good 30 minutes. Unfortunately, I had to hang up when I got to work. Am I ever going to get a hold of these people?

If a person tried pulling a stunt like this with the IRS, they'd get a subpeona. The IRS can do this to American taxpayers and it's okay. Talk about a double standard.

My only hope is that I can get a hold of them eventually so that I can actually receive my stimulus payment. At this rate, maybe if I keep trying, I'll get a hold of them to change my address by December. I'd really like to get that $600.

P.S. Warning: When calling the IRS, beware that they play the same two songs on repeat during their held calls. Be prepared to be singing "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" and "The Nutcracker" when you're done holding.

Never Buy a Motorola!

So, I'm really frustrated right now! My week-old replacement Motorola phone just sporadically died on me! This the third replacement phone that I've received in the last 8 months. I've had so many problems with not only THIS particular Motorola phone, but another Motorola I had last year. In addition, I know countless people who have had problems with Motorolas. All I'm saying is don't buy a Motorola if you want your phone to last. Instead, opt for a Nokia (or even Samsung). My 6-year-old Nokia still works any time I need an extra phone. It's great!

Vantage Climbing Adventure

Our Saturday climbing adventure took Evan and I this week to Vantage in Eastern Washington. It's funny that after spending a year in Hawaii, I never realized how much I'd miss being able to road trip. I mean, you drive 2 1/2 hours in Hawaii and you end up where you began. You drive 2 1/2 hours here and you end up in a desert. :) Go figure!

Yet I digress... on Saturday, Evan and I had a fun day of climbing. We started out on a fun, crazy 5.8 climb on this rock called Satan's pillar. The name alone should say it all! :) No, really it was a good climb. It just seemed a little scary because the rock is on the edge of a plateau which descends down about 30 or so feet from the 5-foot ledge surrounding the pillar. Thus, when you're on the top of the climb, you feel as if you're 30 or more feet higher than you actually are.

On the backside of that same pillar, I led another climb. It was only a 5.6, but for some reason I started psyching myself out after the last bolt, only 5 feet from the top. With rock climbing, it's best to go as fast as you can, rather than to delay and use up your strength. I guess ever since my dad's suicide from jumping off a bridge, I occasionally psych myself out about heights. Ridiculous!

Sadly, I had to come down to sit on Evan's lap for a little bit to get up the courage to go back up and finish the climb. That was definitely a sweet memory: both of us sitting there with our harnesses and the ropes still attached, Evan with his arms around me calming me dwon. Thank goodness Evan wouldn't let me say no to finishing the climb! I'm glad that he pushed me to finish. I definitely learned a lot climbing and belaying on Saturday and can't wait to go again. I decided that I'm going to work on strengthening my forearms this week before our next climbing adventure!



A picture of the Satan's Pillar climb we did I found on the web.