A little victory . . and some future plans.

I had a little personal victory this week. I paid my car loan off! 2 years early! My car is now MY car, not the credit union's car that I am borrowing. And I am going to drive that car 'til she can't drive no mo'. She may not be pretty or flashy, but we've bonded, and she gets great gas mileage. It took me a while to get the guts up to pay that much money all at once. I've been pretty much hoarding money in my savings account for the last year or two, waiting for disaster to strike. It never did, and even with work being much slower than it was, I'm still able to make ends meet and even have a little left over.
A couple of weeks ago, Whammo! I got the impression that it was time for me to get that car payment out of the way. Then to keep taking the same amount every month and put it towards a down payment on a house. Totally unexpected. I always assumed I'd buy a house one day, in the distant future. Houses are for grown-ups, aren't I still more or less a kid? I'll think about it later. Much later.
I want to enjoy my single, irresponsible years. . .
Sure, I'm not all that happy in an apartment. Starting to hate it, actually . . .
but still . . . Later.
After my terribly exciting life of . . . I dunno, travel and other such fun glamorous-ness.
I tried to argue these points with the impression, but the words "It's time." kept repeating in my mind. Can't argue with that, so I guess it is, in fact, time.
Now that I've decided I'm doing this, I'm liking the idea of a home of my own. Nothing big at all, probably one of the tiny 2 or 3 bedroom houses that are common in this area and throughout Sugarhouse. Decorated with my own silly but sentimental knick-knacks. Rooms painted the way I want them. A yard I can be outside in (and not have to go to the park!) with my dog, for there will be a dog. Possibly a cat. And my parakeets, who are currently being cared for by my Mom. They can squawk and squeak all the dang day, cuz there's only me and I don't mind the noise! And I will be able to be my nocturnal self. Wander through my house to my kitchen and make myself food at any hour I want and not worry about waking anyone up. Come home from trips and have that " Ah, I'm home!" feeling, instead of "Well, I'm . . . here. Again."
See?! There I go, getting ahead of myself.
I know it's going to be hard at times. Yards require lots of work. I won't have a pool. I'll be paying bills ALL by my loners. If anything breaks, I've gotta find someone to fix it and pay for it myself. Can't just call down to the office and have maintenance bail me out. I may not be ready for all that responsibility just yet, but I think by the time I have enough saved, I will be.
Or at least I'll learn real quick.

p.s. In the meantime, does anyone have advice as to the best way to start saving? I.R.A? Dedicated savings account? Some combination of the two?

So I'm a dysfunctional girl

For a while now I've had the sneaking suspicion that I don't have a whole lot in common with much of the female population of the world. At least not the female population T.V. stations seem to be targeting during the day. I work evenings most of the week, and since we have the most basic cable you can imagine, most of what is on during the day are things like "Rachel Ray", "Better" (as in "Better Homes and Gardens", but for T.V.), and "Good Day Utah". I try to get into it, but just find myself in a state of bemused detachment. I get this feeling a lot in Relief Society, and when listening to my friends discuss girly things, like movies and books. So for my own amusement I've started a list on ways I differ from friends or the ladies on television shows.

This is for entertainment only! I'm not trying to say I'm superior or inferior in any way. Just my own different self.

So, in no particular order

Why I am a dysfunctional girl:

1. I rarely, if ever, use "darling" as a descriptive word.

2. I don't see myself ever "scrapbooking". Can't I just put my pictures in an album without needing stickers? or themed paper? or special scissors? or paper punchers? Cuz really, I don't find those things exciting.

3. There are fashion/beauty magazines all over my apartment. I have never read any of them.

4. I hate shopping for clothes. It makes me grumpy and frustrated.

5. I have never shrieked and flapped my hands about because I am excited or startled. Nope. I prefer stealthy, ninja-like dropping to the ground.

6. I thought "Wuthering Heights" was twisted, and Heathcliff a creepy, brooding jerk. How is that story romantic??? I don't get it.

7. There is no "color scheme" whatsoever in my room. My sheets do not match my blankets, and my blankets do not match each other. My furniture is mismatched. And yet I sleep just fine.

8. I don't care what "What Not To Wear" says. I refuse to wear pointy-toed shoes.

9. I don't care which famous people are dating each other or not.


10. I don't care which non-famous people in my ward are dating each other or not.

11. If I pick up a book, and the description includes "love story" or "romance", 99% of the time it goes right back on the shelf.

12. Oprah has no effect on my opinions or choices in reading material. Especially since I don't watch her show.

13. On mornings when my choices are sleeping in or doing the hair/makeup thing, sleep wins.

14. There are days I don't give a crap what I look like. I'm not going to change clothes or put on makeup just to run to the store. People will just have to deal with looking at me in sweats and makeup-less once in a while.

15. I've never fantasized about my wedding day. No ideas on colors or flowers or dress or whatnot. I'd just as soon elope and avoid the hassle.

16. I find "chick flicks" boring and/or annoying. And they give girls unrealistic expectations on what to expect from guys.

17. I will most likely live a long and happy life, and never read "Twilight". Speaking of unrealistic expectations, there is going to be a generation of teenage girls shocked and dismayed when they get to high school and find . . . . . high school boys . No beautiful immortals. Poor kids.

I could go on for a while. But I'm tired and you get the idea. Hope everyone had a Happy Easter!

Yet another blog

Seriously, this blogging thing is not as easy as you'd think it would be. Several times in the last couple months I've logged on here with the intention of writing something, only to sit staring at the blank screen. I never realized just how uneventful my life is until I tried out this blogging thing. I haven't been anywhere in a while now, so no news there. I have no cute kids to write about or take pictures of. I do have 2 bettas, PrettyBoy and Guillermo. But they're private types and pretty much keep to themselves. They are also paparazzi-adverse and seem to take exception when I flash my camera into their bowls.

So there's just me. My life is (usually) simple and drama-free. This is the way I like it, so I'm a happy kid. The downside to it is boring blogs, or no blogging at all because they would be the most boring blogs of all time. But I guess it's time to write something.

Work is still slow, as it will probably be for a while yet. We seem to be holding steady at least, with occasional dips into uber-slowness that cause everyone to get a bit nervous. There were some rumors circulating about the spa closing, but I'm not putting much stock in them. Things have a tendency to get blown out of proportion by some of the people I work with. So until I hear something from someone in authority, I'm not too worried.

After being a huge slacker all winter, I'm getting back into running. My goal for this year is to graduate to actual RUNNING, instead of the leisurely jogging I have been doing and pretending it was running. There are a couple of girls I see at the park that have these gorgeous, muscular (not manly-muscular, but feminine, shapely-muscular) legs. They traipse on past me like I'm barely moving, and yet they seem as though they are hardly putting forth any effort at all. Plus they have the nerve to look fabulous at the same time! Makes me jealous! So I've made it my goal to become one of them, that I may make other people jealous. (Although I'd settle for improved running times and not quite as stork-like legs. We shall see.)

But I know the major reason people read my blog is for my boy news. Might as well entertain people with my attempts at a dating life, right? At the moment there is Josh, who I met while dancing at a club towards the end of January. I normally have a rule that I never give my number out at clubs, but decided to make an exception since he was easy to talk to and didn't try to "grind" up against me while dancing. (Besides, he was taller than me while I was wearing heels. And pretty darn cute.) He's a good guy and we have fun being total dorks together, but no, it's nothing serious or exclusive.

So, yay for me, I have blogged. I am no longer the biggest bloggie slacker. For a little while, at least.

Boys Kill Brain Cells

Alright kids, I have been trying unsuccessfully to think of something interesting to blog about. But since life has been fairly uneventful for a while, you get to hear some random rantings instead. Ready?


Here we go.


Once upon a time, not very long ago, I was a relatively intelligent person. Seriously. I know it's difficult to believe, but take my word for it.

"What happened?" You may wonder. Well, let me tell you. . .

Boys happened.

And now, I am getting dumber by the day.

Coincidence? I think not.


For most of my life, guys were hardly on the radar. I never bothered to learn the fine art of flirting. During my years in Junior High and High School when your average girls are perfecting these skills, I was shy to the point of being anti-social. Probably didn't help that I was overweight and had bangs that resembled a buffalo stuck to my forehead and tended to wear clothes that were not exactly flattering. (No, I'm not being mean to myself. Just stating facts. I do have photographic evidence if required.) So the male population and I blissfully ignored each other. And although I was disappointed that life was not like what was depicted on "Saved By the Bell", at least my brain cells remained intact.


Then I got a little older and came out of my shell a bit. Not entirely sure this was a good idea. Couple years ago I even started dating. Not entirely sure this was a good idea, either. About this same time, I have noticed a drop in my I.Q. Why else would I do these things that show a remarkable lack of reason and intelligence? For example:

- My mood can be changed dramatically by a text or e-mail (or lack thereof). We are talking Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde territory here.
- I have stare-downs with my phone when I naively believe that a guy will call when he says he will. My phone is very good at this game and wins 9 times out of 10. I suspect illegal doping.
- I'm actually scared to text guys, because I absolutely HATE the period of waiting to see if he'll text back or not.
- Calling is even worse. I'm scared that he'll answer and I'll be expected to put together comprehensible sentences. If he doesn't, I wonder if he's ignoring me.
- I have the almost-irresistible urge to hit married/involved people who claim to miss dating. I'd trade this "exciting" phase of my life for the "routine" feeling of having someone there no matter what any day. I know marriage/exclusive relationships have their own sets of issues and problems. But it would be a welcome change from this insanity.

See? I know all these behaviors are ridiculous, and yet I can't seem to help myself. What other conclusion is there but that boys cause brain damage?

Case dismissed.

Cruises and Bruises

So I am a big blogging slacker. I know it's been many weeks, and I apologize. Instead of trying to get everything that's happened (because really, there hasn't been much.) I'll just start from where I am now.

The major event would probably be my Caribbean cruise. Instead of boring you all with a day-by-day description, I'll just post some pictures to prove I was there:


Judy, me, Indra the Bartender, Kristi, and Ben the E.M.T

Me, Judy, Pete the monkey, and Kristi

All of us at dinner. The big guy is Nate, Kristi's cousin

Me and some native dancers at Roatan

The girls

I have a bunch more pictures on my facebook and myspace (yes, I have both. I am just that dorky). We all had a great time enjoying the tropical weather and making new friends. Not to mention eating obscene amounts of very yummy food. I miss my 2 A.M. frozen yogurt runs!!

Christmas was also a good time, as usual. No longer the frantic run from place to place like it was when I was younger. Different, but sill good. This year my mom and dad picked me up Christmas Eve Eve and we took the Frontrunner up to Layton. Well, first we were too slow getting to the door, so there was an unscheduled stop in Clearfield, but luckily there was another train to take us back. Christmas Eve was spent buying last minute gifts before enjoying some tasty pizza while watching movies.

Christmas Day we went down to the Zauggs for breakfast and the opening of presents. Delicious french toast made by Preston! Finally Arden got to open those packages she's been having to stare at for so long! She's getting to be old enough to understand about presents and Santa and all that good stuff. Dax was happy as long as he had interesting things to explore with his mouth. We had a good day of opening and playing with presents.

For New Years I'll be going up to my friend Jeana's for a party. (Weather Permitting) I was invited to go to Disneyland, but too short of notice and short of funds to take this trip. Not too sad since I'll be going in February! Yay Disneyland!! I'll be in serious need of a break from winter by that point.

So now you are up to speed. Oh wait, boy news: A couple of dates with some nice guys that were enjoyable, but didn't lead anywhere. I found out that Jeff now has a girlfriend, so I guess I waited too long (duh) and blew that one in specatular fashion. I pretty much figured that's what would happen, but still. Ouch. Wasn't meant to be, everything happens for a reason, live and learn, blah blah blaaaaaaahhh.

Dating straight up sucks sometimes :-( Especially when the crap I go through is my own fault.

So . . . who's gonna make me some chocolate cake?

Ummm . . .

It's been a while since I blogged.
There's a very good explaination for this.
Abso-freakin'-lutely nothing new to blog about.
Things have been pretty low-key since the last almost-moving debacle. Still waiting for whatever reason I'm supposed to stay here for to make itself known. Starting to think it never will. Work is fine. Still slow, but doesn't seem to be getting any worse, so that's good news. We keep waiting for the holiday rush to start. Hopefully it will soon.

I know people most want to hear about the guy situation. Well, it has come to a grinding halt for the time being. My own fault, really. Haven't talked to Jeff in going on a couple of months now. The last time we went out it was rather awkward. I was getting pretty attached to the boy, and my unique way of showing this is to pretty much freak out on the inside, and become an uncommunicative, emotionless shell on the outside when in the presence of the guy. ( This only happens with decent guys. When I go for the jerks I'm totally fine.) Add to that he was not in the best mood, pretty stressed over school starting and frustrated over a project due the next day. Not the most fun date ever. Since then, I have thought up every excuse in the world to not call him, even though I still think about him often. So for my sanity's sake I guess it's time to grow up, dial the digits, and deal with whatever comes after that. I've been very good at eating healthier and cutting down fairly dramatically on my junk food intake. But I foresee comfort food in the form of chocolate cake in my near future.

Speaking of eating healthier, and on a positive note, I had a "Yay for me!" moment today. I've been strength training for a few months now. I'm stuck home being on call for work a lot, can't go anywhere since I may get called into work at any moment, so this started from sheer boredom. I'm getting some definition in my arms and legs, which is nice to finally see after months and months. And this evening while getting ready to go out with friends, I noticed if I flex reeeeeaaallly hard, I can see the top two sections of little baby six pack abs. I have a two pack! Sure, I have to really contract those muscles hard while holding my breath to see it, but still I did a little happy dance in my bathroom. Gotta take the little victories where they come.

I wish I had something less drama and vanity-related. But this is all I have for now. Maybe next time.

The Universe Has Spoken

Ok, I get the hint.

Powers that are larger than myself seem to want me to be right where I am, so I am giving up my attempts to move before my lease is up.

I was up at my parent's house today when my dad told me he'd help me out with my rent for a few months if I stay where I am. It can be treacherous in the winter on the east bench, and the thought of my having to drive on those snowy roads worried him. I was just about to leave for a friend's house and was caught off-guard by the proposal, so told him I'd think about it.

After weighing the choices, I decided to take his offer and stay put at the risk of looking like a huge flake to all the people I keep telling I'm going to move, and then never following through. I called the girl who had shown interest in taking over my lease and told her I'd changed my mind. The call I was really dreading was to my friend I was going to be living with to tell him I was ditching out. I wanted to do it in person and not over the phone, so was resisting calling him all day even after he sent me multiple texts asking to call when I could. I thought if I'm going to alienate or possibly lose a good friend, I could at least let him yell at me in person.

Finally he sent a text saying: "call me asap Val . . . we're not living there anymore"

Huh?

So I called. He told me he'd caught the landlady going through our things under the pretense of looking for duct tape. He'd been suspecting that she was nosing around for a few days now, and was even sure she'd been on his computer at one point. There were some words exchanged and he let her know that we would be moving our things out of the house very soon and not to expect rent next month.

Whoa.

Sometimes life works out in strange ways. I'm not generally a lucky person, so when things fall into place so smoothly and so quickly, and best of all with friendships preserved, I can't help but think it wasn't all simply coincidence. Whatever the reason, I guess I'm where I'm supposed to be for now.