Jenna Lou and other stuff too...

Baby Lee

2012-01-27T18:25:00.004-07:00

Bria don't hate me for posting these already...but I finally got to see Bria again after not seeing her for MONTHS! She wanted some pictures taken, so we went and snapped some shots around her house during our short little visit. I haven't even met this cute baby boy already and I love him! Check out how cute preggers Bria is!

Told ya so!

2012-01-04T11:23:00.003-07:00

So you know a few posts ago where I mentioned my favorite local band "Imagine Dragons?" Well, it took them way less than the year I anticipated and they've now been signed to Interscope Records. Congrats Fellas! (and lady). Velour is hoping for one last farewell performance in Provo before they are summoned by the great land of Hollywood, and asked to tour with much bigger names.

As for the rest of my playlist on my iPod, I figured I'd share...

1. Young the Giant-My Body

2. Imagine Dragons-All Eyes

3. Needtobreathe- Oohs and Ahhs

4. Mumford and Sons- Winter Winds

5. The Civil Wars- Barton Hollow

6. Sleeping at Last- Turning Page

7. The Features- Lions

8. Alexander Rybak- Funny Little World

9. The Black Keys-Tighten Up

10. The Neighbors- Risk of Disaster

Twitter

2011-12-16T10:07:00.006-07:00

I know I am probably just about the last person on this planet to hop on the twitter bandwagon, but I finally did it...Truthfully, I made an account about 3 years ago and it sat idly with one measly post until this month. I believe I have 21 tweets so far...why anyone would want to know the details of my day are beyond me. I get bored living them, for you to read them would be doubly boring! Haha, but anyways, my twitter is HERE. You should follow me, so I can follow you. Then I can entertain myself at work by reading about your day!

The COOLEST story ever told!!!

2011-11-08T11:57:00.003-07:00

Okay, I don't want to let any of you down with the title of this post, so I assure you the story is pretty slick. When I was about 8 years old, my dad built this huge elaborate doll house for me and my sister. It was 3 stories tall, carpeted, wall paper, elevator, garage, etc. Seriously way cool, and I didn't even like barbies. Anyways, when I was around 13 years old, we moved out of my childhood home, and into a much smaller place. We didn't have room to store the giant doll house in our tiny home. Sadly without asking anyone for permission, my dad took the doll house to D.I.

11 years later...My family decides to go shopping at DI to help my little brother find a Halloween costume. To much of their dismay, DI was already closed for the evening and they thought they were out of luck. Driving through Salt Lake, they noticed a new Savers store on the road. My brother was successful in finding his incredibly awesome Doctor Who costume. While browsing around, Trevor noticed a gigantic doll house in the kids section. It was painted an ugly blue and pink color, but upon further inspection realized that it was in fact, our family's doll house!

$12 dollars later, my dad loaded our childhood dollhouse into the bed of his truck and took it home. It is now perched in our garage while it awaits a new paint job :)

Hows that for a story? What are the odds?

Survey

2011-10-28T09:55:00.004-06:00

Ok that's it. I think that post first dates, the best way to determine how you did is to give the boy a survey. Just think about it, if every date was a learning experience and gave you an opportunity to improve for the next guy, us ladies would all be on top of the dating scene! Just a small slip of paper that asked on a scale of 1-10 how the date went, the likelihood of a second date, room for improvement, and additional comments. Umm genius much? I think this should have been required from the get go. Think of how much drama would be spared. If I ever run for President, I'm mentioning it in my campaign. It would be a huge contribution to world peace I think...

Why do we torture ourselves with the cruel game called dating?

2011-10-27T10:58:00.008-06:00

Seriously, that's all it is! You meet someone, you go out with them, then you either like them or you don't...But what if you like them? And what if you're a girl? Then you have to patiently wait a normal amount of time before you contact the guy or wait for him to call...or in this day and age, text. It is excruciatingly painful! Cause I haven't dated a lot recently. And I just went out on a hot date...and I like him lots. But then I started thinking afterwords last night that maybe I'm a little too weird...maybe.

Searching for Armadillos

Harry Potter midnight Premier

Accessorizing with live lizards

Britney Spears Impersonator

Favorite Band

2011-10-24T12:59:00.003-06:00

I've blogged about them before, but really guys if you have the opportunity to see these guys in concert, you should probably do it. I personally think it'll take less than a year before they are discovered and signed to a label. If you like good music and you like to dance, please give them a listen.

A Fall Must Have

2011-10-20T09:52:00.003-06:00

Ok, I am a bit addicted to Starbucks Salted Chocolate Hot Chocolate. I was forced to try it last year after spending about 8 hours at a Barnes and Noble drinking several hot chocolates. The barista finally convinced me to try their Holiday drink. SOOOOO GOOOOOOD. I was hooked on the first cup. We have a starbucks next to my work so once a week the other assistants and I treat ourselves. This drink is seasonal and only here for the Holiday season, so make sure you try it before it's gone!!!

Dear Forest Gump

2011-08-23T10:48:00.002-06:00

Dear Forest Gump,

I hate running. In fact, I don't think hate is a strong enough word for my feelings towards it. You see, I have a desk job. A very good one in fact where they feed me several times a day, take me to fancy restaurants, hold weekly events catered with delicious food. You see Forest, I love food. I don't care what kind of chocolate I pull from a box as long as it's chocolate. However, this has become a problem...I'm going on a cruise this weekend. A week long getaway to Jamaica where I will be wearing a swimsuit in front of possibly several cute boys.

So, last week upon my return from California, I decided to eat healthy for my two weeks home, while exercising frequently to lose a few pounds. Then I talked to my cousin on Saturday at my family reunion. She just had a baby...and she's tiny! I asked her, "how do you do it???" Her reply was an 8 mile run every morning?!?!?! That's fantastic? But what if I hate running? I don't mind the part of getting all ready to work out. I don't even mind the gym. However, whenever I approach running, I have this mentality every time that I will succeed in running the entire distance that I plan on covering. How hard could it be?

Let me tell you, it sucks. After about my first two minutes on the road, the only thing I can think about is how much I hate it, and want to stop. I keep trying to convince myself that if I do it every day, I will eventually like it. Well, it's been two weeks and I still hate it. I know that your way of coping with a break up results in you running across the country. Props to you for that. However, if it were me, I'd stick to a pint of ice cream and a chick flick.

Sincerely,

Jenica

Puppy in the Park

2011-08-01T09:41:00.001-06:00

Every day I take Rufio to the park...he likes it very much.

A new love affair...

2011-07-12T23:29:00.013-06:00

With cupcakes...I have never been much of a cake person...and sorry for those of you who do read my blog, but this week is like a Harry Potter special. I came across a butterbeer cupcake recipe (for those of you not familiar with Harry Potter, it basically consists of butter flavoring, cream soda, and lots of sugar). So while we are watching all seven movies before the last and final one this Thursday, we decided we needed an awesome refreshment to satisfy us while we watched our favorite silver screen hero. Also, here are the other pictures of us making our shirts...and Rufio while he sat neglected as we ate our cupcakes...

For those of you interested in the recipe, here it is:

Butterbeer Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from Amy Bites

For the cupcakes:

2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp butter flavoring
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup cream soda

For the butterscotch ganache:
1 11-oz package butterscotch chips
3/4 cup heavy cream

For the buttercream frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup butterscotch ganache
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp butter flavoring
1/8 tsp salt
1 lb powdered sugar
Splash of cream (as needed)

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake tins with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffly, about 2-3 minutes.
- Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between each.
- Add in vanilla and butter flavoring.
- Combine buttermilk and cream soda in a small bowl and alternate adding that combination with the flour mixture with the mixer on low, starting and ending with the flour.
- Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks.

- For the butterscotch ganache, melt butterscotch chips and heavy cream together using a double boiler until completely smooth. Cool to room temperature to allow the ganache to slightly thicken.
- Fill a plastic squeeze bottle with the ganache, and insert tip into each cupcake, filling until the ganache starts to slightly overflow.

- For the frosting, cream butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add ganache, vanilla, butter flavoring, and salt and mix until well combined. Beat in powdered sugar and allow it to come together for about 2 minutes. Add cream a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Pipe frosting onto cupcakes with a large tip and drizzle leftover butterscotch ganache over each.

Recipe yields 18 cupcakes.

Preparing for the Premiere!

2011-07-12T15:31:00.005-06:00

So instead of dressing up for this weeks movie, Cassidy, Whitney, Cierra and I decided to make shirts instead...I personally think they turned out amazingly...and they took forever! However, well worth the effort!

WHEN I SAY HARRY YOU SAY POTTER!

2011-07-08T08:46:00.004-06:00

I am the biggest Harry Potter nerd in this country. I wont say world, because I'm pretty sure JK Rowling would trump me. She did after all create him. I have this not unusual, but crazy ritual that when any Harry Potter movie comes out, I re-read all seven books. That's right folks. Over 168 hours, I cover 3,407 blissful pages of magical goodness. So if you try and get a hold of me this next week, I'll either be doing this:

Or watching the awesome series. Some of you may wonder, who would win in a fight. Harry Potter, or Edward Cullen. Or, maybe you don't care. Either way, I don't have the answer to this question, but I have the answer to who would win in a fight against Ginny and Bella.

Baked Goods

2011-05-05T15:51:00.002-06:00

Today I sat in a really important, highly top secret adult meeting about the new upcoming City Creek project in Salt Lake City, Downtown. I don't particularly like meetings. They make me sleepy. Then after I get sleepy I have to stiffle yawns for an hour and force my eyes to not only stay open, but to appear interested on the topic. Today was not necessarily different, however occasionally we will order in lunch to eat while we listen to boring things.

We ordered from Jimmy Johns. It was truly remarkable. Just like the commercial in fact! We called them, and before we could hang up the phone, our sandwiches were being delivered! Chips and cookies were also involved (I like cookies). After eating my scrumptious sandwich, a handful of plastic wrapped chocolate-chippy goodness sat in the middle of the table while this important guy talked about buildings and stuff. Why was no one else reaching for one of these delectable delights to satisfy their sweet tooth cravings? I didn't want to be the first one to reach for a cookie, so I just sat there with my "interested" face listening to the meeting. However, while the meeting continued on, I was battling my thoughts that sounded a little bit like this:

"So next year exactly 322 days away, we will be opening..."

"COOKIES. I want one."

"What can we do for your company to best impliment..."

"I want a cookie. MMMM cookies."

"We will be expecting to focus on international sales..."

"Freakin cookie. I want a cookie. Cookies are soooo good."

For over 45 minutes, I stared at that taunting little baked, plastic wrapped cookie, dreaming of what it would taste like in my mouth. The moist, sweet dough filling my longing belly. I knew that I would not be able to concentrate on anything else that day until I had a taste. After an hour, I could no longer take it. I grabbed that mocking little wrapper and opened my cookie...And do you know what? It was disgusting. Biggest let down of my life.

MAKE IT WORK!!!

2011-05-02T08:29:00.002-06:00

I don't know how many of you watch Project Runway, but I am an absolute fan. This weekend, the host of the show flew from (no joke) the Royal Wedding straight to good ol' Salt Lake. And what a better way to welcome him than the traditional Utah weather forecast. I woke up bright and early Saturday morning with the sun shining, the birds chirping, and pleasantly blue skies. By the time I arrived at gateway to meet Jocelyn, we were standing in the middle of a December snowstorm. Luckily for Tim, upon his arrival the sun shined again and continued to shine until his departure.

Lucky Brand Jeans put on a fashion show at the Gateway where Tim commentated on the event. Afterwards, we were able to meet him and he is now on my favorite people's list! If you have ever seen the show, he is just as animated and lovely in person as he is on TV. He also called Gretchen the villain...Awesome. Jocelyn is mad at herself for not networking her new talents as an interior designer, so is now determined to meet him again! Here is a picture. Tim Gunn is awesome. Make it work!

hmm...

2011-04-27T10:08:00.002-06:00

I have come to the conclusion that little to no people read this blog, so it doesn't really matter what I post :P

Anywho, I went to this Mary Kay party a couple weeks ago because my aunt is a Mary Kay director. She called me up for this facial and makeover party. It was pretty fun. Free food, makeup, and there was also a really hot photographer...dang it, should have got his number...

Long story short, I signed up to be a consultant. I thought, what the heck. I was great at selling credit repair over the phone to a bunch of broke people...I can probably sell makeup to girls. So I paid like 45 bucks for a starter kit which got me this awesome bag filled with makeup. The day it came, I sat and played with it for hours. Even if I don't make another dime from the company, I at least got a cool bag filled with makeup. We'll see. But if any of you need mother's day gifts, we've got killer awesome girly bags with all your favorite things. Hit me up. (You see what I just did? I totally just promoted the company over my blog!)

Oh, and I give free facials and makeovers too. I am in desperate need of a girls night, so if any of you want to come to my house and use my make up goodies for fun, I can teach you the new tricks I've learned!

some of my favorite videos

2011-04-18T17:02:00.006-06:00

these are a collection of favorites.

Please share your favorites!

things i love.

2011-04-18T16:08:00.008-06:00

i love a lot of things. here are a few of them.

#1 family. this picture was obviously from jocey's wedding last year. i love these guys though :) they make me really happy :)

#2 friends. these girls know me pretty well. after living together for 2 years, we became really close. i miss these girls terribly...

#3 rufio. you should see how happy he is every day when i come home from work. it totally makes my day!

#4 music. i am always looking for new artists. youtube is amazing. locals are awesome. this week, imagine dragons are my favorite.

#5 reading. i can get away with ignoring crappy life drama when i read a book. reading is my happy place.

#6 traveling. there's a lot of the world, and a lot in it! i hope i get to see it all :) jamaica later this year!

#7 naps. i want one right now actually.

#8 pinterest. it is a collection of all of my favorite things. i'm seriously addicted. from yummy recipes, to happy thoughts, to fashion. pinterest is fun. if you want an invite to join, let me know!

#9 photography. i love to take pictures. there isn't a better way to remember your favorite moments.

#10 elephants. the baby kinds.

The Cone of Shame

2011-03-03T08:57:00.005-07:00

I have been on a three month long waiting list to get Rufio neutered. On December 1, 2010, the first available appointment wasn't until March 8, 2011. Lucky for Rufio. So, I saved the date for his impending doom, and patiently waited to take him into the vet.

This last Monday, I figured it would be best to call ahead to make sure we were set for his surgery, and to finalize any details that I may need to know. I pulled out my brightly colored, printed appointment slip signed by the clinic with all the information and dialed the number.

"Salt Lake Clinic, this is Sharon, how can I help you?"

"Hi, my name is Jenica Schulz and I was just calling to make sure my appointment for Rufio was all set for next week."

"What day were you scheduled to come in?"

"Tuesday, March 8. I made the appointment in December."

"And this is Jenica Schulz with Rufio? And you said next Tuesday the 8th?"

"Yep."

"Hmm....will you hold for just a minute?"

"Sure."
...
...
...
...

"Jenica, I'm looking at your file, and you were scheduled to come in on January 5th, not March the 8th."

"Well, that's strange because I'm holding my receipt that says 'Your scheduled appointment is March 8th. Please be at the clinic between 7 and 8:30 to drop off your pet.'"

"And your paper says you're scheduled to come on the 8th?"

(I don't understand at this point how I could be any clearer)

"Yes."

"Hold please."
...
...
...

"Jenica, would you be willing to come in tomorrow for surgery? Also bring the sheet that says your original schedule so we can see who made the error."

"Erm, ok that will work, see you then."

Seriously, if you make an appointment 3 months in advance, you still better call ahead cause they'll lose your reservation! Anyways, I dropped off poor Rufio before work yesterday and met with the doctor before I left. He gave me his pain meds and told me that he would try to "convince" me that he could NOT walk with the cone on his head, but that he was lying.

The doctor was right. As soon as you set Rufio on the ground, he becomes immobile and still. Completely petrified! He tried telling me his story yesterday when I picked him up, but as we all know, dogs don't speak English. He tried his best, but when he finished, this was the picture I took...

Things that are awkward

2011-03-01T16:38:00.003-07:00

#1 First off, the word "awkward" is pretty awkward. I don't know about you, but I think it's spelled weird. The letters just don't look right.

#2 Recording your message for voice mail. You've heard the robot lady tell you exactly how to record your message like a zillion times, and you've left at least that many messages in your life. However, recording your own message is almost impossible to be satisfied with because your voice sounds unnatural when it is repeated back to you.

#3 The Double Door Dilemma. Have you ever been walking next to a guy when you are approaching an entryway and he politely opens the door for you? The problem you're faced with is another door because you are standing in a breezeway. You awkwardly open the second door and insist on the person walking before you, but the guy takes the door and waits on you. I don't know about everyone else, but I don't know how to solve this unanswered problem. Please help!

#4 First Dates. I don't care who you are or how awesome you think your life is, but you have never had a comfortable first date. Too many pleasantries are exchanged while you are educated with the person's pointless life achievements to which will bring you no knowledge on how awkward the person really is.

#5 You don't have a watch! Gladys asks for the time and you look at your wrist. To your dismay, there is no watch there and you end up looking like an idiot. If you still live in the '90s, you replay "time for you to get a watch!," or the ever so popular "it's tool time!"

#6 Attack of the watery eyes! It's 8:30am and you're still on the verge of falling back asleep. Unfortunately one of your co-workers assaults you with an early morning conversation in which they are deeply involved in. Your eyes make contact and lock. Crap. Now you're sitting there staring at them while your eyes start to water and it looks like you've just burst into tears. You can't just tell them "sorry my eyes just spontaneously decided to water," so you pretend like you've got something in there and proceed to dig out that imaginary piece of dust so you don't look like a retard.

#7 Farting in a public setting. You've done it because you're human. There is no need for an explanation. It's just awkward.

#8 The Shim. There are those poor unfortunate souls on this planet that do not have a distinct gender. It would be too rude to stare at them to try and figure it out, so you just guess with a 50/50 chance.

My Crib

2011-02-23T10:24:00.014-07:00

After months and months of searching, I found an amazing apartment 3 minutes from work. It's located on Capitol hill and was remodeled literally minutes before I moved in...I will post better pictures as soon as I'm completely unpacked, but this is what I've got for starters :)

IHop needs a better bathroom contractor...

2011-02-18T11:39:00.010-07:00

My blog posts don't seem to be very popular lately, so I thought I would try entertaining you all with an embarrassing little story...

Saturday night, I went to watch Jon's band play in Provo. Afterwards, we decided to grab something to eat at IHop. First of all, this was a bad decision for me already as I lived an hour away and it was already midnight. So here I am in Provo, sitting at a diner with 9 boys waiting for our food. I get up to go to the restroom and proceed to walk into the stalls.

Right as I'm about to sit down and do my business, Colin walks in with his charming British accent and says "Umm, Jenica you're in the mens room..."

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

"Well, I wouldn't be in here if I were lying."

So I zip back up and run out as quickly as possible to find the other 8 guys standing by the door, camera ready to catch me in action. In my defense, the urinals were built behind the stalls, and the mens room sign was fallen sideways...Also lack of sleep. Whatever, it was late.

Addiction

2011-02-13T13:25:00.006-07:00

I stumbled across this guy on youtube and now I can't stop playing his songs! Then I had to go to itunes and buy his album...Alexander Rybak is from Norway and has the freaking cutest songs I've ever heard with a slight '50's sound to it. Plus he plays a mean violin :) Seriously, if you're reading this and don't listen to the links below, we're not friends anymore...Seriously.

Please click here for my other favorite.

Happy listening!

Mamma I'm a Big Girl Now. Nananananaaaa...

2011-02-11T22:33:00.003-07:00

So after a year of diligently searching for a new job, I finally have my own desk with a nameplate, business cards, and a higher pay. It's good to know that four years of college finally did something for me. I am the new Sales and Marketing Assistant at Visit Salt Lake. Basically any groups, conventions, associations that visit the Salt Lake area contact us to book their visit together. My job is to primarily prepare business proposals for Event Directors. So those bajillion campaign projects made in my PR classes finally paid off! Woohoo!

In other news, I am the new owner of a classy new pad on Capitol Hill. I will meet with the owners tomorrow to pick out my hardwood floors, the carpet, and the wall paint. The best news isn't even that it's on Capitol Hill, it's that I have a 5 minute walk to work! Pictures will soon be posted after the big move in. I will move in next weekend after the remodel.

Craft Frenzy

2011-02-01T19:43:00.013-07:00

So I have been on this craft spree for a while now. If I see something I like in the store, my mindset is "I bet I can make it for cheaper..." A couple months ago, I found a quilt at Urban Outfitters for $100 and thought it would be a breeze to make...With the amount of time it took me to quilt it, I should have just bought the one at the store.

Mine

Urban Outfitters

They do look alike in color, mine is just a dark phone picture...

However, I have recently become a little obsessed with lace and ruffly things. I found this nifty little blog of all sorts of cool craft ideas with things you can use throughout your home. In the next few days, I think I'll be attempting to give some of my wardrobe a makeover. If you are snowed in this winter or need something to do, give this website a little visit. Warning, it's addictive...

The P.I.B.S. have arrived!

2011-01-26T10:01:00.006-07:00

I love sundance. I love the crazy LA people with their giant fur coats. We call them the PIBs (People in Black). I love watching the coffee addicts flock to starbucks at 6am. I love spotting celebrities hanging out at my old high school as they pose for pictures and sign autographs. I love that when I get off work, I can walk to main street and everywhere is a party. BUT I HATE THE TRAFFIC!

If you live in Park City, or plan on taking part of the Sundance festivities, please allot yourself a couple hours of leeway time to sit in traffic...

For many years, I took pride in myself in knowing exactly where to find which celebrity and where they would be. I swear I'm not a creepy stalker. I must be pretty rusty because I haven't had a lot of luck the past couple years. Monday my luck changed a bit :) I did run into Tobey Maguire, Eva Green, Emile Hirsch, Kerry Washington, and Dominic Cooper this year.

Sunday, the festivities will end and the 40,000 people will return to Hollywood while leaving Park City as it was before. Perhaps leaving us a little more cultured, and more grateful that the ski traffic only lasts a half hour.

Soon I will be able to participate in Salt Lake's 5pm traffic...because I GOT A JOB! Working at the Salt Lake Visitor and Travel Bureau. It's a big girl job, so I'm pretty proud. Wish me luck!

Fluffy White Stuff

2010-11-14T17:21:00.003-07:00

Why on earth did God create snow to be cold? Sure, it's beautiful and all, but it would sure be a whole heck of a lot more enjoyable if the fluffy white stuff maintained a temperature of 80 degrees instead of below freezing. Also, the simple fact that snow remains cold causes a whole lot of problems. There's hypothermia, black ice, getting your car stuck, and just the plain old miserable fact that you are outside and cold.

Just think of it. Wouldn't you be less reluctant to make a snow angel, or go skiing if you were falling into a giant, fluffy pile of warmth? Gee that sounds grand :) Also, you wouldn't have to scrape the ice off your windshield in the morning with the chance of this happening to you:

Poor guy, my heart goes out to him every time I watch that.

Happy winter everyone! Stay warm.

Black Friday

2010-11-08T11:14:00.003-07:00

So I wrote this story a couple years ago for a creative writing class, and I thought I would post it in honor of the snow, and upcoming holidays. It's a long story, but for all you bargain hunters out there, I hope you enjoy.

The Other Holiday

It was like any other day with the frigid air and frozen grass hinting the signs of changing seasons. Christmas was edging its way in with every snowflake that gracefully entered the atmosphere, and today was Thanksgiving. But not only was it the holiday of all feasts, but it was also the eve of the most frenzied shopping day of the year. The women in the Larson family carefully prepared for this night of mayhem 364 days of the year. My family was trickling into the city, and considerable amounts of bountiful food were overflowing into my grandparent’s posh apartment.

Apart from the immaculate white marble rooms where my grandparents lived, we set up for feast in the outdated 80’s party room. I knew immediately walking in that the four hour drive from Rexburg was well worth it. Thoughts lingered back to the students stuck in the tiny town without their families, without potatoes, and without my grandpa’s turkey. Decorations have been carefully placed on the table sets, custom designed by Aunt Suzanne. I think all she does at home is make decorations for our elaborate family parties. The younger boys in the family are clanking around the metal fold out chairs around the room. Every woman in the family was either frantically adding the last spice to their dish, or circling out the door buster they were determined to fight for in the holiday Christmas ads.

Catching up with family results in endless amounts of hugs, and conversations with grandparents and great uncles that you can’t get yourself out of, such as: “Did you know in 1902 so and so built that building across the street for such and such?” I think my grandpa should be on jeopardy. He could definitely beat out Ken Jennings. Beware, if this conversation starts, you just end up nodding and agreeing with everything they tell you until someone calls your name for help, and you run gratefully to their aid.

I am utterly convinced that my grandma has Mary Poppins’ oven. As you set your eyes on the hot plates making their way to the table, logically it doesn’t make sense for them all to fit in her kitchen. Turkey, ham, casseroles, potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, endless pies, gravy, rolls, and other concoctions that don’t yet comprise a name.

After more helpings of food than your stomach could handle, you patiently waited for the fathers to be ready to head home. Of course they always chatted for a few hours more. We then slugged our tired bodies to the car, clamored ourselves in, and took another drive to our aunt’s house. To our mothers, the next day was as much of a holiday as the first. Tomorrow was Black Friday.

* * *

The night didn’t end with full stomachs and pumpkin pie breath. The hour drive to Provo provided us with the sleep we would need to keep us up for the next few hours. Mom and Aunt Mel chatted with Diet Coke’s in hand, the miracle serum that keeps their blood flowing without the need to stop shopping.

The unwritten rule that Christmas music wasn’t legal to play until Thanksgiving was strictly followed as Harry Connick Jr. serenaded us with “White Christmas,” and we would pull up to the driveway, taking our time to slump our way to the front door. This was usually our cue to wake up our brain. A ten pound stack of Christmas ads sat on the table with notepads and pencils. The kid’s only job tonight was to write out our Christmas list. Not unlike Ralphie from A Christmas Story, the kids traced the words “What I want for Christmas” on the top of their paper. As a child, it’s seemed to be the most important piece of literature you would turn in all year.

Boxes of holiday movies emerge from the depths of the basement to bring Christmas cheer for the next month. I change into my pajamas, turn into the living room where the movies are already playing, and find my niche for the night where I plan to wake up the next morning. Before the movie is over, Mom and Aunt Mel have already left.

Just for fun I click on the news. The main story on late night news is not about any tragedy, or even about celebrations honoring the holiday. Instead, the camera pans over restless mothers standing outside in the snow flurries, eager for the next twenty four hours they’re about to spend. They each dawn a poofy jacket, hat, gloves, and even blankets. The Christmas season had empowered their spirits.

Packets of used hand warmers lay on the ground. Complimentary hot chocolate men walk up and down the sidewalks, trying their best not to be mauled by the thirsty, cold mothers. Christmas ads lay marked along the sidewalks with the number one gifts, and stores to hit, marked one, two, and three. At this moment people of all kinds were patting their pockets, feeling the burn where the hole would take place in the later afternoon. At this point in time, these mothers only had to remember one thing: line buddies were not your friends.

One desperate woman in the front of the line expecting to be interviewed gets her wish. “I skipped out on Thanksgiving dinner to be here! I’m first in line every year!” she says.

The parking lot flashed lights where cars lined bumper to bumper, determined to get a spot in the parking lot. Disregarding the freezing temperature, the lucky ones would take their place in the back of the line, wishing on stars that not everyone in front of them was in line for what was one their child‘s Christmas list.

I don’t see my mother or aunt standing in line. Somewhere in the Provo area, they were laughing in the cold, anticipating the store doors to open. Only a few hours longer. Of course, they never told us where their first stop was. They succeeded every year in making Christmas a surprise.

Finally the clock strives 5am and the race for holiday bargains is on. Shoppers flock stores seeking discounts while people fight against the newest season must haves. Shelves were cleared out, and store clerks cover themselves for near death experiences. A clerk helping a mother without her black Friday doorbuster was just as dangerous as sitting in a hungry lion’s den.

The retail world was alive. Screaming, crying, laughing people filled the department with their holiday woes and triumphs. Check out lines backed up around the stores. Retailers promised to give shoppers some of the best deals on their products, and they delivered. The term “shop till you drop” gave a whole new meaning on the busiest day of the year. The holiday jingles were hardly heard over store intercoms. The day was nothing short of complete chaos.

* * *

Around eleven in the morning I toss around the couch and decide to wake up. Christmas cartoons are playing on the television where I had neglected to turn it off before falling asleep. My sisters were already awake.

After a morning of hot chocolate and pancakes, my sisters, my cousin and I decided to call Mom and Mel to see how the troops were holding up. After a couple rings my mom answers while yelling over the receiver. “Hey sweetie! How are you?”

Before I had a chance to respond, I hear something that sounds like an African stampede coming from the other end. “Sorry honey, I’m going to have to call you later.” Click. From the sound of it, my mother was winning the battle. She was a true bargain hunter.

Around ten in the evening and six Christmas specials later, Mom and Mel opened the door to the house, concentrating hard on moving their feet one step more. Wide-eyed and smiling, they look at each other with a job well done, and the glance of complete satisfaction. They had conquered. I knew that if I were to glance into the driveway, I would see stacked parcels of Christmas goodies piled in the car, waiting to be placed under our future Christmas tree.

No questions asked, Mom and Mel were off to bed. Any adventures they had to tell would have to wait until morning.

After twenty-two years of my life, I have yet to have a Black Friday adventure. I live off the tales of the brave souls who dare to face it each year. For those of you who dare to try, I say good luck, and well done.

new new new! lotsa new stuff!

2010-10-31T22:34:00.010-06:00

Ok, so there was Halloween, there's the new car, and the new dog. Also, I carved some wicked awesome pumpkins.

I found this car on ksl about a month ago for a really good price. It's got a new motor in it, and in really good condition, so let's hope that this one lasts me more than a year :) here is a picture! I need help naming it...

Also, when I was working yesterday, I get a call from my little brother saying my parents went and picked up a new dog...Apparently they have been planning on adopting this little bugger for about a month now, and didn't bother to tell any of us. She is a maltese, and she's 6 years old today. Halloween doggy :) Her name is Punky. Her and Rufio are best friends now. He's so happy to have a little playmate! Ginger wasn't one for playing.

Next up is Halloween! My costume wasn't really extravagent, but definitely original. I was Holly Golightly (aka Audrey Hepburn) from Breakfast at Tiffany's. Dumb stores were all out of long, black gloves though. Oh well...

And here are my awesome pumpkins. I made a pirate and his parot. So there you go people. I participated in Halloween! Gold star for me!

Who knew I had such great pumpkin carving skills? Go me!

Attempt #2 at Halloween...

2010-10-21T23:07:00.008-06:00

If you have followed my blog since the very beginning, I have mentioned a few times on how Halloween is not my forte. I guess I just don't have the haunting spirit. Year one at college, my Halloween consisted of numerous exams, followed by comforting my best friend through her first breakup. Needless to say, no costumes, parties, or candy was involved.

Year two was my absolute favorite. Bria and I got out of class and both agreed we didn't want to go to the Halloween dance. We decided to spend our evening at Arby's and talk about random TV shows we had recently watched. If I recall correctly, we talked about some woman getting a parasite stuck in her head from some lettuce in her salad. Anyways, we ended up going to redbox afterwards to rent a "scary movie." Something to know about me is I am the biggest baby on the planet. I don't do haunted houses, and I don't do scary movies. To tell you the truth, the cover of this movie would look quite frightening to any child under the age of 6, and the movie itself was considerably laughable. It's called "The Curse of King Tut's Tomb." If you're having a cheesy movie night, please go and rent it.

Year three was such a bore that I don't think it deserves an entire paragraph. Garret and I stayed in while watching some movie at my apartment. The movie was forgettable because I don't even remember what we watched...

Year four was my first attempt at any Halloween festivities. My sister and I dressed up as Indians. We looked through our closets and makeup, and threw together whatever we had. We then attended our wards Halloween bash for about an hour before returning home. I'm quite the party animal.

So it's the time of year again where Halloween lovers of all ages dress in their ghoulish best, and set out to have fun. I actually have come up with quite the fabulous getup this year. Pictures will post after all hallows eve. This year, I'm going all out!

My visit to Rexytown :)

2010-09-26T22:18:00.003-06:00

So on a spur of the moment whim, I decided to take my two days off and visit Rexburg :) I called up my little newly married sissy and said "I'm crashing at your place and staying in the room that has my name painted over it!" One bus ride later, I was picked up at the side of the Hart building with my hair pulled back and messy, sweat pants, and wrinkles on my face from my pillow.

And do you know what? Rexburg has gotten significantly cooler than when I left. What the heck? The REX FINALLY went out of business and Fat Cats took over. It's about time! They actually had money to do something cool with the place. There is a full mini golf course, nerf gun room, and updated everything! They're even going to put in IMAX theaters :)

Then I went to Sammys; a new Rexburg burger joint. For once, I actually think that a small College Ave. restaurant wont go out of business. Cocoa Bean has been doing well too! So, saw a concert at Sammys, got Cocoa Bean, went to lunch with Rachelle and Chelsey at Craigos, had dinner at Original Thai (I splurged on eating this weekend!) Even made Creme Brulee with Jess and visited a bunch of friends.

Other sidenote. Rexburg is an awesome place to visit for 2 days...not to live in for more than 5 years :P But I insist you go to Sammys and eat their sweet potato fries. Yum. For all you other Rexbugians, enjoy the fall while you can because I predict hibernation is coming soon.

Jenica and...

2010-09-21T19:53:00.004-06:00

So I laughed today because as I was stalking through my list of friends on blogger, I click on everyone elses blog to see what they're up to...Then I look down their list of people to stalk their friends as well... Creepy I know, but when you've worked a 16 hour work day, there's no guests at your hotel and there's nothing left to look at on facebook, you gotta go somewhere else. Anywho, everyone's blog has a partner...

Bria and Jason
Chelsey and Miles
Lindsay and Cameron
Mishelle and Jake
Rachelle and Rick

You get the idea...

Then you see my name on their list:
Jenica

Just an FYI, my name isn't lonely. It's on an adventure :P

Have a good one :)

Bucket List

2010-09-20T18:29:00.003-06:00

I have quite a large bucket list. It grows consistently every day and I figured that I should probably write it down so I have something to measure it by...I finally made it to Puerto Vallarta this year, but what is next? My friend Jessica and I have made some plans for the next year, but the plethora of places that I want to visit in my lifetime is going to take years.

Europe:
Ireland
Scotland (Loch Ness!)
London, England
Switzerland
Nice, France
Greece
Spain
Germany
Sweden
Prague
Venice, Italy
Rome, Italy

USA:
New York City
Havasupai
Mt. Rushmore
Virginia Beach
New Orleans
Superior, Colorado

Middle East and East:
Jerusalem, Israel
Egyptian Pyramids
India (ride an elephant!)
Beijing, China
Tokyo, Japan

Everywhere Else:
Auckland, New Zealand
Sydney, Australia
All over Africa!
Argentina
Chile
Madagascar
Nova Scotia
Fiji
Jamaica
Belize

I better start earning sky miles :)

Once again, I fail at blogging...

2010-09-19T17:24:00.005-06:00

So I looked at my last post...February? How sad. Even more sad is that I have had such an eventful year and nothing to show for it on the wonderful world of webness...At least I don't suck so much at my personal journal...

For those who don't know, I am back in the GREAT STATE OF UTAH!!! (I added emphasis because I'm actually really bored here, and don't really understand why people vacation here...) I am once again working at the Marriott in the activities department, but frantically searching for a new job that has something to do with my area of interest. So, if any of you have any connections to any PR firms, give me a shout out and let me know! Also, if any of you want my job at the Marriott Mountainside, they are currently taking applications...

Here is a list of things I did this summer:

Moved to Utah
Showed my dad that he really does love chihuahuas
Bought an awesome beach cruiser!!!
Got a longboard and went longboarding down Provo Canyon
Went to Moab on a backpacking trip
Survived through 2 break-ups
Watched my little sister get married
Went on a cruise to Mexico (Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas)
Went Ziplining through the rainforest!!!
Survived my car blowing up on the freeway
Learned how to make sushi
Kissed an Israeli Fighter Pilot :P haha
Met awesome new people on the cruise
Went to the State Fair and rode the GIANT YELLOW SLIDE
Went to Dew Tour, and watched Neon Trees

There is my update in a nutshell...My summer was awesome. How was yours?

Meet Rufio

2010-02-02T22:01:00.004-07:00

He's got this big personality, and this name fits him perfectly! If you've ever seen the movie Hook, then you know what I'm talking about. He already knows how to sit, stay, speak, and dance! What a smart puppy :)

It's gonna be a good day!

2010-01-29T08:12:00.002-07:00

Ok, I still have yet to take pictures to post, BUT it will happen. So let me give you a quick update on the past week. Last weekend, I went home for Sundance...I also planned on picking up my precious pup Monday morning in Ogden, on my way back from my "supposed to be awesome" weekend. On the way down, Garret and I reached Ogden when we started hearing this rattling in my car. If you know me well, you know that I have the WORST luck with cars ever! There is hardly a long distance trip where I don't encounter some kind of problem.

After driving a few miles on this rattling noise, we noticed it getting louder and louder...to the point of 5th gear sounding like a lawn mower engine. So, I call my brilliant car savvy father who tells me to pull over and open the hood. Do you know what I saw? Nada. I can understand the underside of a car about as much as I can read a book in Egyptian characters. It didn't look like anything was out of place though to report to my dad, so we decided I could carry on, but driving the rest of the way in 4th gear.

When we finally reached my house, my dad took the 4runner for a spin concluding that the transmission was going out. Fantastic. The silver 4runner was my 3rd car up in Idaho. Cost of repairs: $1250. Well, seeing as how I had about 600 dollars in my bank account, repairing the poor truck was not an option. So, I hopped on KSL classifieds and found myself a little '95 Honda Civic. It's in pretty fair condition, lots of miles, but the guy who was selling it was a mechanic. Pretty nifty huh. He was moving to Florida in a week and was willing to give me the car for $700 if I took it out of his driveway that day. Deal. Dad paid the other hundred (thanks Dad!).

Sundance wasn't really an option for the weekend, seeing as how I didn't have a car and we were snowed in pretty badly. We went one evening for an hour or so, and after our feet were frozen, decided to call it quits. The remainder of the weekend was spent watching movies, playing games, and chillin with the fam.

So Monday rolls around and I can hardly contain my excitement to pick up my puppy. I had told the lady on Thursday that I would be in Ogden around 10am to pick up the puppy, and would call her that morning. Well, Monday morning, Garret and I called her 33 freakin times with no answer! Her sister finally called us back to tell us that she had sold the puppy to someone else. Lame. My heart sank and we continued back to Idaho (33 miles to the gallon I might add).

So that brings me to today. I have found a new little puppy to adopt, and he will be arriving in Rexburg around 5pm today! Also, my iphone gets fixed today. AND I just ate a scrumptious breakfast at the Marriott. AND my best friend Jon is coming to visit! It’s gonna be a good day :)

Falling Behind...

2010-01-19T21:01:00.004-07:00

Okay, so I realize that I am not the strongest blogger, which is why I am right now making a promise to myself to be better at it...I'm trying not to be too strict on my resolution because you never know. I have periodically held a journal my whole life, sometimes leaving months and even years in between entries. I feel incredibly guilty as I read my last entry that says "I need to get better at this! Until tomorrow night..." Yeah right.

Anyways, my last post was somewhat minimal, but straight to the point. I did graduate from college. Hallelujah! 4 1/2 years and 130 credits later, I can now patiently wait 6-8 weeks for the diploma to arrive in the mail. Don't let the fancy blue leather case fool you, it's empty.

After graduation, I remained in Rexburg for a week or so while I continued to work at my oh so glorious job at the Marriott. I actually feel quite special to have a job there at the moment because we currently have around 1,500 resumes and applications stacked up in the back office. The week after graduation was somewhat interesting. I slept on a couch for about 3 days while I waited for the guy to move out of my new apartment. That's right, I have MY own apartment.

It consists of 2 floors. The upstairs contains the bedroom, which I have to admit has quite the awesome setup. I have my own pillowtop queen bed (which is amazingly comfortable considering the fact I've been sleeping in crappy approved housing twin mattresses the last 5 years), plenty of storage space, and a little niche in front of the bed where my new HDTV fits perfectly.

The downstairs has a small living room with 2 couches (which I recently discovered are futons), a small kitchen, then the full bathroom beside it. I will get pictures up as soon as I can. Surprisingly, I pay $400 a month for my trendy pad, all utilities included. That's right, be jealous. And yes, that is cheaper than BYU's approved housing.

When work subsided for a full 11 days, I spent Christmas with my family and the 26th flew out to rainy Washington to spend the remainder of my holidays with Garret and his family. I've been to his house before, but only met half his family. Let me tell you something. If you think your family are hardcore game players, it is nothing compared to the Still family. I'm not talking about video games either. This basically has FHE every night until 3am. I learned how to play RISK Godstorm, Settlers of Catan, Rook, and several others. Parent's and all would be around the kitchen table trying to claim victory until the wee hours of the morning.

Vacation finally ended, and Garret and I made the long trek back to Idaho. After sliding off the road near Boise, we decided to take advantage of my Marriott employee card, and hunkered down for the night to safely finish our drive the next morning.

It's currently a few weeks into the semester, and all I've been doing since is work work work! I'm back to Utah this weekend for the glorious Sundance Film Festival, then on my way home, I'm picking up a new addition. Yes I'm getting a doggy :) Pictures will soon follow.

Sorry for the long, boring post, but now I'm up to date!

the end

2009-12-18T09:31:00.002-07:00

I GRADUATE TODAY!!! no more school :) that's all.

Pranks

2009-10-31T14:05:00.006-06:00

Happy Halloween!!! So I'm actually not too thrilled on this holiday. For the past few years here at school, I have yet to attend a Halloween party, go to a Carnival, dress up or do anything fun. Ok, so my first year, I volunteered at the kids carnival at the elementary school, but that's it. This year I'm breaking the tradition! Wish me luck!

Anyways, while taking my online class that I horribly procrastinate to no end, I of course end up on youtube watching videos...but then they put other related videos at the end of that one and you end up watching like a bajillion movies over 2 wasted hours. The past few days, I've been watching pranks. These are my favorites...

time

2009-10-07T10:14:00.003-06:00

i hate time. i think it's cause i don't really understand it...you know when you're enjoying something and time whizzes by? or when you're waiting for something to happen and it takes a bajillion times as long to reach that point? ya...that sucks. today's going to be a long day.

White Trash

2009-10-03T10:54:00.004-06:00

So I've been shown this website that i keep looking at over and over because it keeps making me laugh :P It's called www.peopleofwalmart.com.

This website gives people the opportunity to take pictures of people shopping at Walmart while wearing the most white trash thing, or even just acting white trash. It shows their cars, their outfits, what they're buying...People take pictures of these people and submit them to the site. It's basically amazing and you're missing out if you don't take a peek :)

That's all.

walk of death

2009-09-30T01:51:00.003-06:00

Disclaimer:

It's amazing what your brain can write in preparation to a tragedy at 2am. I am not trying to be melodramatic. I am not trying to act desperate. These were simply the words that came out of my fingertips as I can't sleep tonight. This was a raw reaction to recent events. No judging please. I think it's the most sincere thing I've wrote in a while. Warning: actual pieces of Jenica may appear in this manuscript...

Walk of Death

I feel like a soldier preparing for battle. One who has been sent to the front lines and preparing for sudden death. There is that small percent that I might make the cut. I might make it out alive. I might be the special soul who gets to stay. I hope.

Tomorrow is decision day. A decision that will alter my life so dramatically that the only thing I can do is sit here staring in front of my pathetic computer screen, wishing I could skip through the next few weeks. I can only dream, only hope, and only pray that the decision I have already made will be the one that you make.

I feel like I could be walking to the gallows, my hands behind my back with the slight miracle that Zorro could turn up, freeing my from this god-forsaken pit in my stomach I’ve been carrying around the past few weeks. There might be a miracle. Maybe.

There are those blessed people on earth who experience miracles. Miracles that alter your life so much that you would be blind not to notice them.

Miracles aren’t like winning the lottery. Your life is not a gamble for which you pull the lever to receive your outcome or great reward. Miracles are blessings by the people you have met in your life. They are the decisions you have made already and miracles reassure you that the ones you’ve met and the decisions you’ve made were the right ones. They give you hope. They give you faith. They give life meaning.

You were my miracle.
Tomorrow, let me be yours.

obsession

2009-09-17T17:24:00.005-06:00

So this week, I was thinking about little things that make me happy, and little things I get a little carried away with. "Jenica's little obsessions." The word "little" is being used very loosely. I started talking to my sister last night about when I first started getting a little carried away with "loving" things. Immediately I replied "HANSON!" I remember back on my fourth grade years and my fascination with the 3 brother band...after a while I started remembering everything else I got carried away with. Here is my list. Enjoy. And I give you permission to laugh...just not too much...

Hooray! No Spam Here

2009-09-04T11:22:00.003-06:00

I love Gmail. I think it's wonderful that they put all the junky stuff they think I wouldn't like into this little folder called Spam. Then, every so often I delete all of my spam, and my gmail account rejoices. See for yourself! It makes me smile every time.

Annie Leibovitz

2009-09-02T17:09:00.015-06:00

So I've known about these pictures for a while, and they're by Annie Leibovitz. I think they're absolutely beautiful! She did these photos for 2008's Year of a Million Dreams for Disney. See if you can name the celebrities in each photo. Enjoy :)

Bruschetta

2009-08-26T20:45:00.005-06:00

Ok so two posts in one day is a record for me! So I was salivating at work thinking about the amazing looking bruschetta in the movie "Julie & Julia". I decided to make some of my own, and let me tell you, it was absolutely amazing!

All you need is some french bread, a clove of garlic, tomatoes, and olive oil. I chose to throw in mushrooms as well because I love them :) mmmm...Don't worry, for those of you that saw the movie, I didn't crowd the mushrooms :P

So you fry the bread and veggies separately, then you put the veggies on top. Simple. Fast. Delicious. All in all, I considered it a success!

Don't ever date your Manager: A True Tale

2009-08-26T17:55:00.001-06:00

So I hope that I didn’t let anyone down by not uploading my famous story last night. It really is a good one. Anyways, I have some free time right now so I will now enlighten you with everything NOT to do on a first date (actually don’t do any of these things for any date). Anyways, enjoy.

Once upon a time, there was a hard working Disney employee named Jenica. She had to wear these hideous costumes to work, which made her look super cute. While sporting the pleaded navy blue pants up over her belly button with her red and blue collared shirt, she couldn’t keep the boys away.

One day, she came in to work and met her new manager for the day. We’ll call him Wilbur. He immediately noticed Jenica’s rockin style, and couldn’t wait to ask her out. So, he followed Jenica to the cafeteria on her lunch break, just to make sure she was having a good lunch.

“Hi Jenica,” he said. “How is your food? Do you like your food today?”

Jenica politely nodded and smiled, but continued with her meal. Wilbur repeatedly watched her eat, summoning all his courage to ask her on a date.

“Jenica will you go on a date with me tonight?” He finally said. Jenica already had plans with some friends, but was also not interested in dating her manager.

“I’m sorry Wilbur. I’ve already got plans.” She did not want to give him any false hope of there being a chance for another date, so she didn’t give him another time she would have liked to go.

***
The next day, there was an email waiting in Jenica’s inbox. It was from Wilbur.

Hi Jenica
It’s me Wilbur. How is your morning going? You should go out with me tonight I think.
Wilbur

Jenica was at a loss here because she didn’t have any plans to make an excuse. She regretfully told him that she had plans again, then to the best of her ability tried to avoid him for the remainder of the day.

For the next two weeks, Wilbur asked Jenica out every day and she sadly turned him down every time. Finally one day, Jenica got an email that said:

Jenica
I know you don’t want to go out with me, but I really just want one chance. Please. Let me know what day you are free to go on a date. Please don’t turn me down. I just want one chance. One date is all I’m asking.
Wilbur

Now Jenica felt utterly horrible. Wilbur was very awkward looking, and no fun to talk to. She did not want to waste one of her fun filled evenings at Disneyworld with him, but she had no other choice. He had played the pity card. She said she would go, and to pick her up at seven that evening.

***

When seven came around, Jenica was waiting at the gate to be picked up. Wilbur drove in to the parking lot, and Jenica clamored into the date of destruction. Minutes later, they were on the freeway, driving into the unknown. Literally. Ten minutes into the drive, Wilbur looked over at Jenica and said “so what do you want to do tonight?”

Flabbergasted at the thought that he hadn’t planned out any of the evening, Jenica replied “you decide.”

The next question that followed was “Are you hungry?” Jenica didn’t want him to think she was expecting a meal, yet didn’t want to turn his idea down. So she said “Well, I could eat”. He then replied “Well if I bought you food, would you eat it?”

Frustrated at this point, Jenica replied “Yes, lets go eat somewhere.”

Wilbur continued on the road for another five minutes before mustering up the courage to ask where they wanted to eat. They ended up at his choice of a fast food restaurant where Jenica ended up holding the door open for him to walk inside. Once they had their meals, Wilbur horted his down, while Jenica enjoyed her food. Wilbur stood up, asked if she was done with her half eaten meal, and before she could respond, he threw it away. Jenica wanted to go home.
The date was not yet over. It continued to a mini golf course where things continued to go downhill. Wilbur didn’t golf very well. He started yelling at his ball, and continuously had conversations with it to direct it into the hole. He yelled that he was having no fun and drove Jenica home.

When Jenica was finally safe from her disaster of a night, Wilbur asked her out the next day. She regretfully told him that she had decided to start dating someone earlier that day. It was the only excuse left to use.

She hasn’t talked to him since.
And she lived happily ever after
THE END

Superheroes and Such

2009-08-24T21:45:00.008-06:00

So here I am sitting alone in Rexburg with nothing to do, and I thought that I should update my classy blog. My life doesn't consist of anything too exciting, but I'll tell you one thing I'm in love with lately...The Green Arrow. Yes, I have succumbed to the world of Smallville and all of its super cheesy treasures. But seriously, anyone who doesn't like the Green Arrow aka Oliver Queen is just plain crazy...See for yourself!

But really...very attractive billionare with a bow and quiver who wants to save the world? I mean, you don't run into those every day :P I need to find me one of them!

I blame my old roomie for getting me addicted to Smallville. I just warn any of you that if you start on episode one, you have to keep going. Don't do it! You'll waste the next few months of your life trying to catch up on all the awesomeness/cheesy pick up lines.

That's all I have to say for now. If you stay tuned tomorrow, I may post a blog about the very awkward date with my boss a few months ago that I promised you all...

UPDATE! GET YOUR UPDATE!

2009-08-14T15:13:00.006-06:00

Ok, so lately I have been oober busy with work. I know that is absolutely no excuse to fall behind on updating my blog, so I have no excuse. I guess I haven't really had any pictures to post, or anything to write about. So at work today, Kelly (the girl I work with) and I have been getting kind of obsessed with actions and brushes in photoshop. If you have photoshop and don't know what these are, let me enlighten you.

Actions are a nifty little tool you can install in the photoshop program that makes your pictures look all cool and stuff, without you having to do hardly any work. I became quite familiar with these around December. Only till this week have I found several different actions to play with and keep me occupied. I got Kelly hooked. Then she introduced me to brushes. When you open photoshop, the brushes installed are the boring round ones with no special use. The brushes she introduced me to are wavy ones, eyelash ones that elongate your eyelashes, feathers, hair extentions, and all sorts of cool things :) So while we have been creating masterpieces of art, I thought I should blog about my newfound love. Brushes.

You can download all you want for free at www.deviantart.com. Type in what you're looking for (i.e. brushes/actions) and it's like Christmas on a webpage! Bria came to me earlier this week saying she wanted me to put two of her wedding pictures together where her bouquet was in front of her face with just her eyes showing. I did that and sent it to her, but then I got a little carried away...See for yourself. Ok. I talk to much. It's fine. Peace out.

Awkward

2009-07-19T00:53:00.003-06:00

So do you know what I've thought about lately? How awkward it is when you walk in front of a guy right before you open a door. Especially here at BYU-Idaho. You're walking and you know that the door is approaching, but the guy is usually expecting to open the door for you, because he feels obligated. So, instead, I usually do the "hold the door open behind me" move while he walks through, and then opens the second door for me.

Every time I open a door for a guy, I get that look that's like "why the crap are you opening the door for me, I'm not a girl." Guys, seriously help me out here, because I don't know how to make it not awkward. Also, when the guy opens the door for you, and there's two doors right in front of each other and he opens both of them, is it weird that we say thank you twice? Maybe it's just me...just a thought.

Pictures With the Sisters...(and brother)

2009-06-24T09:44:00.008-06:00

So I went home for Jocey's graduation last week and during the weekend, we decided that we were going to take some pictures by the waterfall up the street. Well, they ended up being so fun we framed them for my Dad for father's day. At the end of the "shoot" I said to Jenessa, "Later on in the summer, I want to take some cool shots in the waterfall pool." She then said "I'll do it!" Then proceeded to jump in this little pond, the same day that it hailed. Crazy girl. The pictures turned out awesome though! Here are our favorite shots:

Update on Eavsdropping girl

2009-06-21T16:33:00.002-06:00

...she's still tutoring the jerk who escorts several ladies a day...I saw them studying in the library again while she had the look in her eyes "please like me, please!"

I kinda want to punch that guy in the face.

2am funnies

2009-05-28T11:48:00.012-06:00

So I discovered that one of the most entertaining things you can do at 2 in the morning is look at pictures of ridiculous pets in costumes. The other night, my roomies, Garret and I were sending things back and forth to each other via msn, and we ended up laughing for a good hour over these poor dogs where their owners had dressed them up. Most of them look pissed...except for TacoDog. He looks pretty proud. Anyways, here are a few of my favorites that we found.

Eavesdropping

2009-05-15T14:28:00.003-06:00

I'm a terrible eavesdropper. The other day I sat on the third floor of the library studying with Bria for my advertising test. Down the table, a girl sat down while retrieving books, calculator, and computer from her bag. She looked a little timid, and also looked as if she had spent an hour getting ready for her study session. She had on a purple blouse, flashy earrings, and some very bright makeup. Soon after, a guy approached her saying "You have no idea how much I appreciate you doing this. You're a lifesaver, really!" He gave her a hug, she smiled and they sat down. The guy proceeded to explain to her all of the homework he had in his chemistry class, and about his test the following day that he was clearly not prepared for. He handed her his homework assignment and as she looked over it, he received a phone call. It was another girl. It went something like this: "Hey baby! I miss you so much! Awe, you know I love you. I haven't seen you forever. So when are you going to stop by? No I'm with my FHE sister right now and she's doing my homework. She's awesome..." The conversation lasted about 10 minutes while the girls smile seemed to falter.

When he finally hung the phone up, he would look at the homework and read off the work she had just done, pretending he knew was she was doing.

For the next 2 hours, Bria and I listened to this guy receive 3 more phone calls, and a visit from another girl. The girl continued to do her homework, although Bria and I both wanted to tell her just to walk away. She obviously liked the guy, but was beginning to look livid by the end of her "study date". Finally 5 o'clock rolled around and this guy said that he had to go, but if she could finish up his assignment, and meet up with him the next day to explain the answers before his test, he would be "most appreciative". He walked out with another girl while his poor FHE sister put all her books back in her bag, and got up to leave the library. What a productive day.

You can tell that I studied a lot for my test.

Swine Flu

2009-04-30T13:58:00.006-06:00

With this huge scare of the swine flu, it becomes kind of embarrassing to walk around campus with a cold. For the past two weeks, I’ve had a minor cold that hasn’t really gotten better or worse. I have the occasional sneeze, a cough, and the sniffles. When I sit in class with a tissue in hand, in can’t help but notice the “sneaky” glances from others wondering why I dared come to school with a chance of infecting them with my disease...

For a Park City update, here's what's new: 3 children have been infected with swine flu in the Park City School District. As a result, all church services, school, Prom, and any extracurricular activities are canceled till next week. That sucks. Ha!

Also, this is a text I received last night: "They once said that a black man would be president when pigs fly. his first 100 days and BAM, swine flu." Thanks Chris :P

Here is also a picture of the Elder's in Mexico...This is Trevor Atkinson, my little sister's boy hanging in Mexico with his companions:

Back to the West

2009-04-23T09:26:00.003-06:00

I don't want to say that coming back to Idaho was much of a culture shock, but very different than the life I've been living the last 4 months. First of all, the weather. For some strange reason, people here seem to think that 50 degrees is warm, and proceed to walk around town in short sleeves and shorts while I bundle up for the day in a big coat and sweater. Second of all, the absence of humidity. I now believe all the people from Florida that I would take on snowshoeing hikes in Park City. There is no air here! Third, there is absolutely nothing to do here. From going from the extreme to hopping onto a bus to go to a Disney park, to "let's go to Walmart" is quite the difference.

Just for those people who know me well, the day I move into a new apartment, I'm usually so excited to decorate that I stay up through the wee hours of the morning to finish creating a decorative masterpiece. This year, I'm so tired of packing and unpacking, that my clothes finally got settled into my closet yesterday, and I could care less if my pictures ever made it to the wall...

By the way, I love new classes. This semester, I'm finishing up my creative writing minor so for the majority, my classes are all English based. There is one exception. I have one Intro to Advertising class where there is this one kid who enjoys copying everything the professor says. My teacher will be talking about a commercial that aired during the superbowl and he'll say "these companies pay millions to have their product air for only 30 seconds, and it's mostly just for entertainment". In the meantime, weird kid to my left is saying "yep yep. uh huh. yep 30 seconds. Purely for entertainment. uh huh."
He does this all through class...awesome.

Anyways, class started. Have a nice day.

things and stuff

2009-03-29T23:09:00.004-06:00

Have you ever tried to make an incredible, cheesy, catchy card for that someone special and you end up doing this bit? Couch, boutch, doutch, foutch, gouch...grouch! Wait that's not nice. Houtch. I have no idea why I was just thinking about that, but I make these awesome Christmas cards for my parents every year where it's basically a play off of The Night Before Christmas. At around 11:30 on Christmas Eve, my siblings and I all sit in the basement making this card, drawing stick figures while Jocelyn is dubbed the rhyme master. Just a random thought...

On another note, I re-read the Harry Potter books this week (for those of you who know me well, don't judge). When I get into my Harry Potter moods, I go look up the movie trailers and become incredibly geekish (well, more geekish than I am normally). Apperentally I am behind the times because there is this video of Harry Potter puppets singing this incredibly annoying song, and it's been stuck in my head since the first time I watched it. For those of you who feel left out not having watched this video, feel free to check it.

Since I haven't updated my blog in forever and I am starting to get little messages on facebook to catch up, here's an update of what's been going on (which is not a lot).

I work insanely weird hours at work where I have to ride the bus a good two hours of my day. Some of these bus rides are quite epic and deserve more than just a mentioning in this blog, but perhaps I will save it for another day. I work at a hotel at Disney World where guests still complain for some reason. When you go to Disneyworld, how much time do you actually spend in your hotel room? Second, why would you complain about how far the walk is from the lobby when you're going to walk on an average of 14 miles a day in the parks? Just a thought.

When I'm not working, I'm creating awkward moments with people I work with. For those of you who have had the awesome priveledge of going out with one of your managers, avoid the situation at any cost! One of my managers at work had to be one of the most persistant guys on the face of the planet! Besides the usual stalking, messages, constant emails, high level of creepyness, I guess he could be an alright guy. However, I don't think he was ever taught the word No in the english language. For some reason, he interprets it as try again. This date alone requires its own blog which I will not be able to touch on tonight, but in the near future.

After I soldier through these experiences, I spend a lot of time mini golfing, eating sushi, making late night IHop runs, and sleeping. Oh yeah, and going to disney parks.

Here in Florida, I discovered the worlds greatest smoothie that's located at Panara. If you see a Panara, go! And also, look out for the sad depressed guy with a red mustang. Give him a hug.

Ok, pretty sure this blog doesn't make much sense, so I think I'm going to leave it here. Hopefully I'll have some sweet stories tomorrow. I'm going to Boma. The best buffet on the planet. We will finally find out if Abby can out eat Shaun (I think she's going to kick his butt). Pictures will be posted. Peace.

it's a small world

2009-02-22T18:48:00.003-07:00

So I've just decided that I will always be terrible at journaling. So since November, a few things have changed. I am in Florida right now doing a Disney internship doing vacation planning and hotel stuff at the resorts. It's pretty fun, but you get so tired! Between working 40 hours a week and playing in the parks all day long, there's not much room for sleep! My family came and visit me last week and I'll post pictures soon...Right now I'm watching the Oscars and keep getting side tracked. I will add pictures later :P But for now, here's one for your enjoyment!

twilight!!!

2008-11-26T11:37:00.005-07:00

I'm a little late on this post since it's been about a week since I saw the movie, but for all of you who thought the movie was bad, you need to re-read the book!!!

here are 5 reasons why the movie was fantabulous:

1. Robert Pattinson. He is amazing, and basically Edward. For those of you who thought he wasn't good looking enough, get your eyes checked...

2. Chemistry. Nuff said.

3. It followed the book. If you tried to write a screenplay for 500+ pages, and fit it into two hours, you couldn't do a better job.

4. The baseball scene was awesome!!!

5. You walk out wishing you were a vampire...or Bella

Yeah. That's right, the movie was awesome...

i'm moving to disneyworld...no really i am :)

2008-11-25T13:53:00.003-07:00

I have decided to take one of my internships at Disneyworld...Why not? So my mom is super jealous, and I think she may try and sneak onto the plane with me. I leave January 5th, just a few days after Bria's wedding, and stay until April 17th! So, I get to miss most of the cold winter (I'm betting Rexburg will still have snow on the ground when I'm back at school), but I get to spend the majority of it on the beach!

I'm going to be working in one of the Resort Hotels at the front desk, then spending my remainder days at the park. I've never been to Disneyworld, but I'm betting my life it's the happiest place on earth :P

Jon's Visit

2008-11-17T10:55:00.003-07:00

You gotta love the upcoming winter season. Do you know what it means? Colds, flu, and sickness...and when you live with 5 other roommates and one of them are sick, you are bound to catch their sniffles. Thanks Bria! I got hers!

The upside of the weekend was Jon flew out to visit. It was only for a few hours, but he took me on a plane ride around Idaho. He can get to Provo from Rexburg in 50 minutes. If every ride down to Utah only took that long, I would definitely visit home more often. Mom wouldn't let me fly to Provo with him, but it was still good to see him.

The plan is for me to visit his house in Kansas City in January before I head to DisneyWorld!

Halloween Shalloween

2008-10-28T10:40:00.003-06:00

So halloween is this Friday, and surprise surprise, I don't have any plans. Last year, Bria and I rented this completely horrible B movie called "The Curse of King Tut's Tomb". The title looked totallyl freaky, and we thought it would be an awesome horror for our halloween night. Wrong. This movie had terrible graphics, flying dinosaurs, and less than average acting. Do I recommend it? Absolutely! If you don't find yourself hanging on the edge of your seat because of the suspense, you'll be laughing in the back of your chair because the director tried so hard to be creative. If you're looking for a horror flick for halloween night though, my opinion would be to buy something else. Doesn't the cover look creepy though?

I need to figure this out!

2008-09-18T09:06:00.004-06:00

I'm having problems with this blog. I'm guessing no one has noticed, but I have deleted most of my posts. I can't figure out pictures. Everytime I post something, it turns out huge! I went back to an original backround, cause the html is being dumb...It's a good thing that online media class came handy...Not! Anyways, there will be more to come. I will figure this out, even if it's the last thing i do!

Sincerely,

ME

The beginning...

2008-06-04T14:00:00.001-06:00

So, for my mass media assignment this week, I get extra credit for starting a blog. Neat huh. Plus, I love looking at my cousins blogs, and it looks like an easy way for me to journal. Whether or not anyone else reads it :P There will definitely be more to come from me because if any of you know me, I'm definitely a talker. So, once I get pictures up, and more info, hopefully my blog will be a little more interesting to read. Haha. Have a good one, and enjoy...