Thursday, March 19, 2009

Poems

Not many people know it, but I like to write poems. There are few people who have ever read them and I thought that it's time I share a few.
RELIEF
Somedays I feel down and weary
and life is full of stress,
but the sound of trickling bubbles
makes your stress seem much less.
With the water warm and the tide high
with wet feet you just sit back,
the water almost sounds like music
as you soak in the rest you lack.
This is a peaceful place, where all is right.
It's a place visited quite often.
The wind blows soft when you're all alone
and the trials in life seem to soften.
LIVE
To ease my pain
To escape from life
To revive my soul
To relax my mind
I sleep.
To lift my spirit
To see the same from you
To hide how I truly feel
To enjoy the world around me
I smile.
To express how I feel
To relieve built up stress
To release anger and fear
To show I have weakness
I cry.
To forever hold what I have
To momentarily have what I cannot
To be who I've always wanted
To forget what I regret
I dream.
To sleep when I feel want
To smile when I am sad
To cry without reason or warning
To dream through most the day
I LIVE.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Bathroom Utensils

When it comes to utensils that are generally found in the bathroom I have two loves. One I've had for years and years and will always be my number one and the other new love in my bathroom life has just recently made itself known. These two utensils I speak of are of course 1) my Toothbrush and 2) my Venus razor.

I LOVE to brush my teeth. In fact most times when I brush my teeth I'll brush them twice. Not twice a day but twice in a row, several times a day. So obviously my toothbrush is amazing and it is one of my most prized possessions. There are several things about my toothbrush that I particularly love.

1) It has little rubbery grips on the handle so it's nice a squishy for my fingers. And also prevents my grip from slipping so I can avoid the painful moments of having your toothbrush jab into your gums.
2) It has the uneven bristles with the longest bristles at the top to get the most quality reaching action possible.
3) It's green, my favorite color
4) Last but definitely not least, it has the cool tongue scrubber thing on the back of the head. The tongue scrubber is SO awesome. For a long time I thought that the normal bristles on a toothbrush would suffice but the day I bought a toothbrush with a tongue scrubber on it I was so amazed at the better quality of tongue scrubbing that I swore I would never go back.

Now I think it would be safe to say that mouthwash goes hand in hand with a toothbrush. I'm not sure if I should admit this or not but I've never been a huge mouthwash user. For some reason I just never took up that habit. However, about two weeks ago I was going through a container full of extra bathroom stuff; you know, things like extra shampoo and conditioner, travel size bottles from all the hotels you've stayed at, bars of soap, toothpaste and etc. I ventured into this container to get another bar of soap to replace the ever shrinking one in my shower when I came across a small travel sized bottle of Scope Mouthwash. I looked at it for a minute and then it spoke to me saying "try me". So I did, and I loved it. So that very afternoon I went to the store and bought myself a big bottle of it and not a day goes by that I don't use it at least once a day, if not more. So if you have never been a big mouthwash user or you've tried it and for some reason it just didn't stick, I would highly suggest you give it another shot, it could change your life. Just imagine the refreshing feeling of just brushing your teeth, now add the sensation you get from swishing mouthwash ooooooooooh, it burns so good! Now THAT is a clean mouth.

Now on to the other bathroom utensil I spoke of, the other love my life, my Venus razor. Shaving has always been something that a woman does to make herself feel more beautiful, at least I do. I don't know about anyone else but if I have some big thing coming up, a date for example, I will shave the full length of my legs. Now I'm not shaving because I think I'll be getting some cuddling action on the couch and I don't want some guy's foot rubbing up and down my prickly legs. I shave because for some reason it makes me feel more confident. It's in the same category as putting on cute underwear for a special occasion, not because anyone is going to be seeing it but because I feel more sexy wearing it. Maybe I'm weird but I'm pretty sure it's a girl thing.

Anyway, I've been shaving since I was, oh let's say, 12 years old, and over the years I have owned several different styles of razors. I started out with the really cheap ones, the package of 30 you get for $2.00, then I moved on to the slightly more expensive ones with a little bit of rubber on the handle and 3 blades! Then I moved up from there going on the 4 blader with a little strip of moisturizer at the top of the blades. And finally, about 2 years ago I forked out the money and got a Venus razor. I loved the Venus ever since I bought it and I've never gotten anything else since. Although my Venus has been a prized commodity it has never been a love of my life, until last weekend.

Last weekend I was at my Aunt Kris's house in Layton because my grandparents were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and to split up the chaos my family chose to stay there instead of at grandma and grandpa's house. The first morning I was there I went to take a shower and realized that my razor was damaged. I packed in a hurry and had shoved my razor into a random pocket in my suit case I guess something got jammed into it because there a was big hole in the middle of the blades. Well of course that just wouldn't do, so I had to throw the head away and I was a little perplexed because I did not pack a replacement. I started to think I was just not going to shave for several days, a little itchy but not a huge deal right? Well my mother as awesome as she is told me she had a little disposable razor in her travel bag so I decided to use that instead. Now I had no idea just how spoiled I am having been using a Venus. I used that disposable razor and I cut myself several times. Just tiny little nicks but still, they hurt! I put on lotion once I got out of the shower and I got razor burn rashes in several places and my armpits rubbed against the tank top I wore that day and my armpits were beyond irritated by the end of the day. It was at that moment that I realized I would never go back to using any other razor than a Venus.

I started out with a purple Venus and then when I ran out of replacement heads for that one I got a new one and this one is my favorite so far. Like my toothbrush there are several features that I particularly like:

1) It has the squishy grip stuff on the handle so I have a good firm grip and I don't slip and slice my leg open.
2) It is a 5 bladed wonder with a swivel head which allows me to get the closest shave and be able to shave on top, under and around my knees with no problems, second only to using a Mach 3 Men's razor. I would use a men's razor but I like the idea of using a razor meant for women.
3) It is green, once again, my favorite color.
4) It has the moisturizing strip, not just at the top of the blades but around the whole outside edge of the head, which significantly decreases the chances of razor burn.

And there you have it.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

1+1 = 28 and counting

This last weekend was so fun. My mom's parents, grandma and grandpa England celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on March 6. Everyone was there. My cousin Brian whom I haven't seen in 7 years flew in from Chicago with his fiance I've never met. My cousin Matt flew in with his two little girls whom I've never met. My aunt Kathy and uncle Jim flew in from Rhode Island and Maine with their 14 year old daughter Rachel. It was just so awesome to have the whole family together again. The last time we were all together was Christmas of 2000. We were only missing two, Mason who is on his mission and my cousin Steven who had finals and other stuff going on that would not allow him to come out.

I took two days off work so I could spend some time with the family. Thursday my family and Rachel went skiing at Snowbasin. It was so fun! I'm not a big time skiier, only once or twice a year, but I love it. It had snowed quite a few inches the night before and they didn't have it all packed down the next morning so there was fresh powder to ski on and it was awesome! Right before lunch I was hitting the slopes with Ryan on his snowboard and I hit a patch of powder and it caught my skiis the wrong way. My right ski flipped and got stuck but my body kept going down the hill. Well I got all twisted up and usually your skiis will pop off when you crash but they had my bindings on tighter that usual so my skiis didn't pop off. As a result, my right knee got twisted pretty good and I could barely walk on it for a few days. It feels ok now, but it will be at least a week or so before I can run on it again. :( I'm really sad. I was just recently getting back into the running thing and getting back in shape. It seems like that always happens, whenever I make a good effort at getting back in shape something happens to hinder that. Not cool.

Friday morning the adults went to the temple while they left with the kids with the older kids AKA...me. I had the two older boy cousins but let's be honest, they weren't that big of help when it came to getting all the kids breakfast, getting them dressed, teethbrushed, hair done, cleaning the kitchen and keeping the house straightened so my aunt didn't come home to absolute chaos. Sure, they would step in and keep the kids from killing eachother when it got a little too out of hand but anything short of that they just let me handle, how kind. Friday night the whole family went out to eat at Maddox in Brigham City, which was of course really good.

Saturday morning we all got dressed up and took family pictures in front of the Ogden temple then we went to ABC Mandarin to eat an amazing chinese food lunch. The rest of the day was spent just relaxing, eating, playing games, eating, taking naps, eating, going bowling, and eating some more. I'm pretty sure I gained close to ten pounds over the weekend with all of the eating out, the junk food, and the endless bowls and bowls of gummy bears that grandma ALWAYS has set out and are magically replenished.

So now I am back at my apartment in Provo and I'll be honest, I am sad. It makes me sad to think about how many years it may be before I see Kathy's family again? How many years will it be before we're all together again? But I guess it's not good to dwell on the what ifs and how comes and instead focus on the reason why we were together. We were there to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of two people who mean the world to me. 50 years! That is incredible! I want to know their secrets. I want to know how you marry someone and love them just as much, if not more, on your 50th anniversary as the day you married them? What keeps you together? How many times do you have to re-fall in love over the years? How many times did they want to pull out or give up and didn't? How did they get through the hard times? How did they raise four children who now have families of their own? And what does it feel like to have your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren all in one room and see how your family has grown? A family that started out with just two. Now I have yet to be in that situation but I hope that someday I'll be able to know what that feels like. But from the look on my grandparents face I can tell you it will be amazing. It brought tears to my eyes as I saw tears well up and eventually spill into a stream down my grandparents cheeks as they looked around the room at each member of the family. I honestly believe they saw a glimpse of heaven in that moment and if that isn't happiness, then I don't know what is.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

We Never Change

Official Rules:1. Put your iPod or other music player on shuffle.2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.3.YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!4. Tag friends who might enjoy doing this as well.

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY? Mama Mia!
WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY? Unforgetable
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? Time to dance
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE? I will follow you into the dark
IS YOUR MOTTO? Hakuna Matata - (HA HA, no kidding that really is the song it landed on)
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?Operator
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? Wake me up when September ends
WHAT IS 2+2? One Night Stand
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? I'm not gonna do anything without you
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Is it raining at your house?
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY? This ones for the girls!
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? I finally found someone
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Why do you love?
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? Waiting game
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?For all the saints
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? Promiscuous
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST? Down on the corner
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? Each Coming night
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? Piano Man
WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN? Perfect
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET? Runaway
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH? Because we are in love
WHAT MAKES YOU CRY? Girls lie too
WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED? Stickshifts and Safetybelts
WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST? High On The Mountain Top
DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU? Hey Jude
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE? Ripped Blue Jeans
WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW? Denying
WHAT IS YOUR THEME SONG? Seduces Me
WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS? We Never Change

This is actually pretty funny, I suggest you try it sometime.