Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is the day that we give thanks! There are many things I am deeply grateful for and I thank Heavenly Father for them everyday! There is always room in the world for gratitude.

Today is also a day full of tradition. Who doesn't LOVE tradition?

Today, my family strayed from tradition a bit and instead of sitting down and enjoying a "made-from-scratch" Thanksgiving meal, my parents and all the "unwed" children of the family (there are 3 of us) attended dinner at a restaurant....The Gray Cliff Lodge in Ogden Canyon. I'd give it 3 1/2 out of 5 stars. It was pretty good! Way better than the time we had Thanksgiving at Zions Lodge in Southern Utah when I was 12. It was nice not to have the stress or clean up of a Thanksgiving at home. However, nothing beats my mom's stuffing and yams, dad's turkey and mashed potatoes, and Grandma Taggart's rolls. The leftovers will be greatly missed (sniff). There's always next year.

Today we reinstated one of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions...GOING TO THE MOVIES. It started the year "Tremors" came out. Funny movie to see on Thanksgiving, right? Everyone left me at home sleeping and I woke up when they got home (I was totally jipped). Every year after that, the whole fam (including extended family) would go see the most recent Disney flick. The tradition seemed to dwindle the last few years, but not this year. The 5 of us that were home went to the movies !

We saw "The Boy In The Striped Pajamas". Amazing! See it! It definitely reminded me of my many blessings and that I should be truly grateful.

With that, I am grateful for you!

Wishin' & Hopin'

As I'm online checking emails, reading blogs, and wasting time...I'm also watching one of Adam Sandler's greatest performances as Robby in The Wedding Singer. I found myself wishing and hoping for several things:

1. I wish I could be a wedding singer.
2. I hope I never find myself sitting at "Table 9"
3. I hope I never grow sideburns, like "sideburns lady"
4. I wish that I could meet Billy Idol on an airplane!
5. I hope I'm "totally psyched" when my fiance shows up to our wedding.
6. I wish I had a sweet Van Halen t-shirt
7. I really wish I could find a sparkly Michael Jackson glove.

Just some of my random thoughts this evening.

STONER Part 2

I'm starting to feel like an old lady...you know, the ones who only talk about their health problems. However, this was a funny, yet alarming, discovery.

I was working out at the gym the other day, on the elliptical machine and watching the T.V. I noticed that the commercial that was on was advertising a prescription medication for men with enlarged prostates....called FLOMAX. I instantly began laughing to myself.

I'm sure you're all thinking, "Shanna, enlarged prostates are no laughing matter! Hundreds of men suffer from this painful condition." Precisely, enlarged prostates are not funny! What's funny is that FLOMAX is the medication that was prescribed to me for my kidney stones. That's right, I have been taking a medication designed for men to help alleviate the symptoms of enlarged prostates.

It seems I have more to worry about than a couple of measly kidney stones.

STONER

About 3 1/2 years ago I missed my flight from Connecticut to Utah. This was when I experienced my very first kidney stone. I was about to make a 7 hour trip home-even boarded the plane-but when I headed straight for the bathroom instead of my seat, I knew I wouldn't make it. I asked the flight attendants to please get my carry-on and I raced to the jet way where an airline employee shoved a barf bag in my face...just in time. Humiliating.

When being discharged from UCONN Health Center ER I asked my doctor what the chances were I may have another stone. He shared with me some interesting statistics...

Every person has a 10% chance of getting a kidney stone.
If you've had one stone, your 90% more likely to have more..."Unfortunately, if you have a second stone, you are what we call...a stoner."

Today I officially became...a STONER. Not just a second stone, but a third as well. I drove myself to one of Salt Lake's finest Emergency rooms this morning and spent the entire work day watching "What Not To Wear" and trying to pee in a cup during commercial breaks. You'll be happy to know that I was finally able to give them a good sample for testing AND the real estate agent from Chicago LOVED her new look!

Beijings Got Game

Da__Da__DaDom...Dom...Dom...Dom__DomDom...DaDomDom___DomDomDaDomDomDom!
It is that time again! It only happens every two years...I make up for all of the time I haven't spent watching sports in 17 glorious days. Since I am trapped in "the lab" again, I've got all the time in world!

Last night was the opening ceremonies of the SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES!!! Bottom line--magical. I was blown away by the artistry and talent. Beijings got game! It was literally beautiful. They used fireworks to make giant footprints in the sky leading up to the Olympic Stadium (nicknamed "The Birds Nest" ) where there were 2008 drummers creating, what looked like a digital clock, the count down to the start of the games.

The Bird's Nest looked like it was sparkling! Definitely YouTube worthy if you didn't see it. I get all warm and fuzzy during the opening ceremonies...the whole world coming together in the name of sport. There are always these amazing displays of humanity during the Olympic Games. The athletes are so inspiring and there is this feeling of respect between them.

I absolutely love watching the Olympics, especially the Summer Olympics! Watching the Olympics was always something we would do as a family growing up. I love it! Sadly everyday obligations--work, church, sleep-- keep me from watching EVERY minute. However, there are several events I make a point of watching:

Gymnastics!!! Women's and Men's
Swimming--Go Michael Phelps!
Diving
Track and Field
Basketball--the Dream Team is now known as the Redeem Team. We lost the Gold and took Bronze in Athens. Now is the time to bring home Gold baby!
Beach volleyball

The only downside...the constant reminder of my lack of self-discipline! Does anyone else ever wonder what event they would be competing in if their parents had shipped them off to live with their coach from the time they were 10? Mine--table-tennis or hula hooping (if it were an event). My dad would have been so proud!

FREE AT LAST!

For the first time in my life I was grateful for Monday to come! Particularly, last Monday. I spent the entire weekend (Friday morning to Monday morning), essentially trapped in a hospital room without windows. I am currently part of a clinical research study, investigating a new pain medication. This study requires 3 different 3-night stays in their "lab". Fortunately there were several other study subjects there to keep me company--9 women and 9 men (don't worry, no co-ed sleepovers). All the girls were in one hallway, sharing one custodial-like bathroom and all the boys were in another hallway.

So what did I do to bide the time between meals and routine blood draws from the IV in my arm you ask? This:

• Slept!!!
• Read a bit
• Chatted with my roomie Sally--she's 18 and getting married in Vegas two weeks from now to a boy from Bulgaria. Honestly, she is a really nice girl. I was pleasantly surprised how well we got along.
• Painted my toenails and fingernails
• Watched Juno! Love that movie.
• Watched an obscene amount of television--so much you kind of feel sick afterwards because you haven't done anything to get your blood pumping for awhile. Gross!

**Disclaimer: we were strictly told to not participate in any strenuous exercise during the course of the study (Translation: I better be really good about eating healthy. Thankfully chocolate is also off limits during the study. That will help).**

Bonus: they fed us all our meals and gave us good snacks, i.e. fruit snacks, granola bars, apples, yogurt, etc. It was also a great weekend for 80's dance flicks on T.V.; Flashdance AND Girls Just Want to Have Fun were both shown...multiple times.

1 stay down and 2 more to go. Then the $4500 is MINE! HAHAHAHAHA.

Goosebumps & Palpatations

I saw this hip-hop routine on So You Think You Can Dance last week and it STILL gives be goosebumps all over. I've never watched a hip-hop routine that has made me almost cry until now.

A little background: They are telling the story of a boy who just received his deployment papers to Iraq and he's breaking the news to his girlfriend.

*Note: If you have a significant other, you may want them close by... cause you're going to want to jump their bones!*

The credit of this next tibit of YouTube.com goodness goes to my penpal, Kawika. He told me about this particular artist. Naturally, I "Googled" him and found this.

His name is Justin Nozuka. I love his sound ...and his face. Those of you that know me well will know right away one of the reasons I'm so drawn to him. He makes my heart skip a beat (just a little bit).

This song is called "Criminal". He also plays the guitar. Only downside--he looks crazy young!

Katie

This is a formal shout out to my MOST EXCELLENT SISTER KATIE! Today is her birthday and I want her to know how much I love her and look up to her!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATIE!

She recently moved and is livin' it up in Kanab, UT. I miss her being up north with us, but I am so impressed with the way she so gracefully takes on new challenges and acts in COMPLETE faith. Within a year she moved to NYC for 6 months, moved home, and now lives in Southern Utah (how opposite can 2 places be).

Katie has always been one to forge her own path...she's fearless! I love that about her. Because she always strives to do the right thing, she's always able stand by her choices with integrity.

Katie is so wise! I feel really blessed to have my own personal life "guru" (for lack of a better word). Countless times she has been there for me when I've needed a shoulder to cry on, advice on a frustrating situation, dating advice, fashion advice, or just a good laugh. Whatever the advice, one thing is always there, and that's the spirit. She has this amazing ability to tie everything into the gospel. You can't not feel the power of here testimony when you talk to her.

Thanks for being such a spectacular sister Katie! I love you! Happy Birthday!

Quotable

I feel I know the most amusing people! Everyone is so clever...which I thoroughly enjoy. Nothing is funner to me than listening to witty banter between friends. Sometimes I feel like I could be living in a sitcom because my friends and family are so funny.

In several of the apartments I have lived, my roommates and I would keep a random quote board with the funny things we would say on them (I loved it!) Which brings me to the point of this post. Many have noticed the quote box I have placed in the top right hand corner of my blog, but in case you haven't, there it is. I like to update it on occasion with some of the clever, funny, or thought-provoking comments of the amazing people in my everyday life.

So take a minute--read-- and perhaps you'll be as entertained as I am!

FINALLY!

It has been way too long since my last post...even I was annoyed that nothing had changed. Like previously stated in my last blog, I can only access the internet at work and never have the time to post anything at the new job. Luckily, I'm still picking up shifts at the old job that allows plenty of time to read other's blogs and make some new posts. Tonight I'm working at the old job and have found the time for a quick update (starting with the last post entitled "Monticello")

• I did not find a "mom n' pops" burger joint in Monticello. Instead, we went to a burger joint in Moab that unfortunately left me unsatisfied. Mostly because it was over-priced.
• New job--LOVE IT! The people I get to work with are hilarious and really good at what they do, so I learn a lot and laugh the whole time.
• "The House of Blonde" has re-located and is now "The Duplex of Blonde"--we moved around the corner last week. I thought it would be easy to move so close, thus I did not recruit any help. I spent about 20 hours of two days moving. My back hurts just thinking about it.
• I have a pen-pal! The last time I had one was when I was in high school (sophmore to be exact) and he lived in Kearns. I know, waaaay far away (at least it felt that way when you couldn't drive). My current p-pal lives in California.
• Went to Goblin Valley--We camped. We dutch-ovened. We shot guns. We hiked. We didn't have toilets. We played "Truth, Or Truth". I disposed of a dead mouse that fell out of my roommates cot in the tent...and we had a great time!
• I attempted to ride the FrontRunner once and ended up getting off and going to CPK instead. The car was over a half hour late and way too crowded.

There you have it! Just some of the small happenings of my life. It's good.

Monticello

This won't be a lengthy post by any means, but I thought it would be fun to post something directly from Monticello, UT. My ward came down here to visit the temple and are staying in the Rodeway Inn & Suites. It is a very "glamorous" facility, mostly due to the fact that they have internet access from a community computer in the lobby (right next to where they served the free continental breakfast). Each room also is equipped with a 19" TV and a mini fridge. All in all and in all honesty, the place worked out perfectly. The lovely people here gave us a group discount and the bishop said the ward would pay for half of the cost...that means each of us only have to pay $9 (don't forget, that includes breakfast!)!

I love visiting these types of small towns. What I love most is that there always seems to be one of those amazing "mom-and-pop" type of burger/shake joints. My goal for the day is to find one before we have to leave...burger, onion rings, shake...seriously what could be better?

PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN

I got this email today from my mom who got it from my uncle. I found it very interesting and believe it just might work...

Read it and pass it along if you agree!

WHERE TO BUY YOUR USA-GAS, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW. READ ON--Gas rationing in the 80's worked even though we grumbled about it. It might even be good for us! The Saudis are boycotting American goods. We should return the favor. An interesting thought is to boycott their GAS. Every time you fill up the car, you can avoid putting more money into the coffers of Saudi Arabia Just buy from gas companies that don't import their oil from the Saudis. Nothing is more frustrating than the feeling that every time I fill-up the tank, I am sending my money to people who are trying to kill me, my family, and my friends. I thought it might be interesting for you to know which oil companies are the best to buy gas from and which major companies import Middle Eastern oil.

These companies import Middle Eastern oil:
Shell.......................... 205,742,000 barrels
Chevron/Texaco.........144,332,000 barrels
Exxon /Mobil..............130,082,000 barrels
Marathon/Speedway.. 117,740,000 barrels
Amoco..........................62,231,000 barrels
Citgo Gas comes fro m South America , from a Dictator who hates Americans.
Do the math at $30/barrel, these imports amount to over $18 BILLION! (Oil is now $90-$95 a barrel)

Here are some large companies that DO NOT import Middle Eastern oil:
Sunoco................ 0 barrels
Conoco................ 0 barrels
Sinclair................ 0 barrels
BP/Phillips.......... 0 barrels
Hess................... 0 barrels
ARC0................... 0 barrels
Also: Pilot, Flying J, Love's, RaceTrac, Valero

All of this information is available from the Department of Energy and each is required to state where they get their oil and how much they are importing.

I'm feeling very patriotic right now!

10,000 seconds of my life I'll never get back!

I know that I'm no Siskel, or Ebert, or even Roeper for that matter, but I'm going to give the new film "10,000 BC" two enthusiastic thumbs DOWN. My roommate and I went with some friends from our ward to see this supposed "epic depiction of life at the dawn of civilization" and instead we were all epically disappointed. The only redeeming factors were 1) we had free passes to get in, thus not wasting our own money and 2) the ice cream cones provided by Beau and Jessi were delicious(I love swirly cones!).

When the movie was over, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to express how ridiculous I thought this movie was and would have keep my comments to myself (in order to not sound ungrateful for the free pass)...much to my delight we all agreed that:

• The story line was lame--it was like a bad rendition of the story of Moses mixed with the story of Troy, but with made up legends and names no one can remember or pronounce.

• We were all sure that the "spear-tooth" (translation: sabor -tooth) was going to start talking to the main character and offer to let him climb up on his back and take him the rest of his journey.

• The old wise-lady from the village was the scariest part.
  

...And last of all, everyone sounded like Madonna--you know, kind of spoke with a quasi-English accent and never used conjunctions (can't, won't, didn't, etc.)

Bottom line...awful. Just plain awful!

TAGGED

A: Each player answers the questions about themselves.

B: At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.



What were you doing 10 years ago?

On March 5, 1998 I was 17 and a Junior at Layton High School. I'm sure I was anxiously preparing for the California trip with the choir, nervously hoping to get asked to prom, and mega-crushing on Gabe Smith (I know....I can hear all of you laughing).



5 things on my "to-do" list today.

1. Eat healthy

2. Go to the temple with Melanie

3. Call my Activities committee members

4. Watch American Idol (I've got to check out what my competition would have been)

5. If I'm lucky...I may be able to get my eyebrows waxed!



6 Snacks that I enjoy.

Chocolate, jicama, edamame, "Spoon Me" frozen yogurt, "Diddy Reis" ice cream sandwiches (only found in L.A. folks), and Slurpees (frozen, icy, goodness)



3 bad habits.

1. I hate folding my laundry.

2. I'm a stacker...if I don't know where to put it, I stack it. The perimeter of my room is lined with little stacks of misc. stuff.

3. I can not walk past a smut magazine (i.e. People, US weekly, InStyle, etc.) without picking it up and reading the ENTIRE thing.



If I were suddenly a billionaire I would...

I would definately pay off the debt of each person in my family and make sure each person is set, give to charity, buy a house and everything that comes with it, travel the world, make my money work for me--INVEST, and buy Natalie and Lydia spots on the next "Survivor"!



5 Places I've lived.

Layton, UT

West Hartford, CT

Ogden, UT

LDS Hospital (this was when I was in school)

Salt Lake City, UT



5 Jobs I've had.

Arby's

Red Hanger Cleaners

Nanny

America First Teller

Rad Tech



5 Things people don't know about me (this is hard since I pretty much broadcast my life to everyone)

1. I always regret it when I broadcast my life to everyone.

2. I get such an adrenaline rush from auditions--I've tried out for American Idol, not once, but TWICE! and I tried out for Kurt Bestor's Best Singer Search last fall.

3. I am currently enrolled in a Hip-Hop dance class--Kevin Federline, watch your back!

4. I am terrible at balancing my check book...don't do it.

5. I has taken me two days to think of 5 things people might not know about me (see #1).


I now would like to tag Lydia and Kirsche! Have fun!

FYI

Many of you may have deciphered from previous posts that I was job hunting in Connecticut. The last time I was there visiting, this job opportunity sort of just fell into my lap. I applied and had an interview the day before I was leaving (kind of felt like divine intervention). The interview went well and about 2 weeks later I had a telephone interview. The day after the phone interview I was sent paperwork to authorize a background check.....suddenly I realized that this may be a real possibility--"Connecticut or BUST!"

Well, it turned out to be a "BUST." I won't be moving to Connecticut and starting a new life on the exciting east coast any time soon. I have mixed feelings about it, none of which are feelings of sadness. The interview process was a good experience and I will continue to pursue other options in other states.

The world has not come to an end.

James

I know that I'm 27 and really should've out-grown Hollywood crushes, but for some reason I can't help swooning over James McAvoy. Who is he? He's an amazing actor with an impressive resume...The Chronicles of Narnia, The Last King of Scotland, Becoming Jane, Atonement, Penelope...to name a few.

He caught my attention when I saw the previews for Atonement (see right). Then I saw Becoming Jane and last weekend I went to an advanced screening of Penelope and loved it!!! He is extremely talented and doesn't look a thing like typical Hollywood hearthrobs like Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise (which I love about him). He does, however, have a very sexy Scottish accent and piercing blue eyes.

While searching for him on IMDb.com I also discovered that he and I think alike! (see below) Which makes me like him even more.

I'm almost certain that if he were not married, we would certainly meet and fall madly in love.

"We're in a horrible, repugnant place now where kids are told it's their right and due to be hugely famous. Not good at their job, not good at anything, just hugely famous. This is not sane. Little girls think they'll be famous if they have vast breast implants and might as well die if they don't."

This is not a pitty-party post!

It's Valentines Day. It's 10:44 at night. I'm sitting at work. Am I feeling aware that I'm single right now? Hmmm.

As I reflect back on this last week I've made some funny observations...
1) I've watched 3 chick-flicks in 3 days...two of which with a Jane Austen theme. I adore Jane Austen stuff. I'm a total romantic, so much so that when I'm love sick, I'll binge on her movies and be perfectly content watching them hundreds of times (alone).

2) Every night before I've gone to bed (at 10:30) I've listened to Carrie Underwood's new album, "Carnival Ride"...mostly the slow songs. I've not always been a huge Carrie fan. In fact, I only put her on my iPod when I found she was on my roommates laptop. I'm actually okay that no one is usually home, that way I can sing whatever I want at the top of my lungs! It's entirely liberating for me.

3) Tonight as I have done the routine blog check and some good exploring, I have found that I'm usually the only "single" on everyone's blog list. I'll get excited when I see a single name...*click* Oh! what a darling picture of someone's husband and child.

And finally....
4) I had a telephone interview today with the Chief Radiation Therapist at a hospital in Connecticut and realized, if necessary, I could pick up my ENTIRE life and move there in a week (maybe two, so I could give my work notice). No prob. AND my only concern about moving out-of-state would be if there are enough dating "options", for lack of a better word.

Huh. These things haven't made me feel sorry that I'm single, but have made my singleness more real--palpable. I do look forward to marriage. HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

So Long Mr. T

First off I want to thank Mr. T for his powerful presence on my blog, but like his acting career, it's time for Mr. T to retire.

I chose my new background based on the fact that it reminds me of a cute grandma's couch that she bought in the 1970's and still keeps in her formal living room--the ones only used for special occassions.

You know how much I love anything vintage!

If Lori had a blog...

I have several friends that have not entered the blogging world themselves, but prefer to stay on the outskirts and "stalk" others blogs. Sadly, one particular friend has a severe case of "closet-bloggism". If any of you reading my blog know Lori Lessig Tanner and have a blog of your own...you can be sure she has spent time exploring yours (Sorry Lor, call this an intervention)!

Maybe some of you are feeling invaded right now. Maybe you're wondering what is going on in Lori's life....what are some of her dreams and aspirations? Well, you're in luck. Lori sent me the most entertaining email, not too long ago, entitled "If I had a blog". I thought it would be fun to post it on my blog. Maybe if there are enough comments, we can get Lori to make more regular contributions to the blogging community.

Hey everybody, I hope this email finds everyone well. I am at home today studying for the GRE and it sucks, I take it tomorrow and just want to get my score and get it over with.

So yesterday I was bored and was looking online at everyone from high school's blogs (highly recommend it)...First off everyone has minimum two kids, we all are behind the curve on that one…and everyone is like "my life is so great, look at us I use digital scrapbook and document everyone moment of my child's life." It's like, "Here is Braxton eating his first happy meal." "Here is Emmy doing her times tables and she's is only two."

I am not saying this is bad. Who knows I will probably be just like that. I can see my blog now. This is Catherine with her kindergarten class, you can recognize her because she is the only white kid in the bunch--she is fluent in Spanish and she is only five. Here is me and little Andrew playing in the Santa Monica Park with the homeless dudes. Here is me and my family in front of are spacious two bedroom apartment. We have been here for 10 years and have finally saved enough money for a down payment on a 1.2 million dollar three bedroom one and a half bathroom house. Location is great, literally right next to the 405 on ramp. Mike and I couldn't be happier. AWESOME I know.

I love you Lor! You are you are so amazing and funny. By the way, how did the GRE go? Call me.

Fancy Tickling Things

I know that it has been a long time since the last time I posted, but after checking all the blogs I know exist, I found that I'm not the only one. That made me feel better. The good news is I've started thinking in "blog" again...this means there may be more blogs in the near future.

More good news...My parents are fantastic and gave me a digital camera for graduation! This means I will have pictures to post on the blog. No pics today because I'm at work. I have yet to figure out how to get them from the camera to the computer (I'm sure it's easier than I think). I still forget that I have it though and miss many a good pic.

Other things that tickle my fancy these days include:

• "Flight of the Conchords" --Hilarious duo from New Zealand that write songs. They have a series on HBO. My roommate Jessi bought the DVD for her boyfriend (he conveniently left it at our house) and I have watched nothing else. Definitely YouTube.com worthy!
• Holiday Specs--one of my dearest friends gave these, sort of like 3D glasses, away as party favors at her wedding and they are SPECTACULAR! You put them on and can see a snowflake in every point of light. Lights that work the best: Christmas tree lights, street lights, stoplights, car lights, house lights. I carry them with me where ever I go (for when ever I want a little magical moment). I also use them to pick up on guys..."Hey you want to look through my specs?"
• French accents-- my roommate Michelle and I got to know this Frenchman in our ward a couple of weeks ago. He has a very thick French accent and I can't help but try to repeat everything he says. It's very entertaining! The three of us are going to a French restaurant tonight...The Paris. Jeremy says it's one of the best in town. Exciting...no?!
• The Nordstrom Rack--up until about 3 weeks ago I had only gone to The Rack twice in my life. I have probably gone 4 or 5 times in the last two weeks. I went during their Red Tag Sale and ended up buying many Christmas gifts for others and myself. I've decided to take a much needed break so my pocket book can recover.

It feels really good to be back in the Blogging world and looking forward to the new year! 2008 is gonna be GREAT!