Update 1/24/11

Weekly e-mail on display. Some of this will be redundant...

Hey all!

Its been kind of crazy off and on (which is why I've slacked off with the e-mails... ooops). Here are the highlights as usual.

-I've been going snowboarding about twice a week this season and that's my game plan until there is no longer snow in the mountains. I've been slowly but surely getting better on the sloeps. On Monday I explored some of the more difficult stuff on the back mountain and got kind of lost (the map was deceiving. I could have gone my original route if I was willing to hike uphill 10 minutes...) When I got back to my car, I discovered that my pocket had opened sometime during the day and my cell phone was gone. I got a new phone and turns out Sundance found it and didn't call me... So, now I have two cell phones. I'm planning on returning the new one today since I don't love it like my old one. Its kind of annoying plus it doesn't play Bill Nye like my old one does. Good sign that I need to switch phones back.

-I went Cross country skiing with some friends. I came into it feeling all smart since I've been before but I realized after the fact that 1) we don't have as many hills in MN, 2) I'm used to having my heel locked into place. As a result, I ended up wiping out a decent number of times. It was fun regardless, but I'll have to remember not to hype up my mad cross country skiing skills next time I decide to go around here.

-I went Snow shoeing for the first time (bucket list check). I think it was a lot of fun although the shoes I had didn't fit particularly well. I was also REALLY tired at work the following night since I played far longer than initially planned. It was worth it though. The snow was all clean and bright, the company most excellent, we had a snowball fight, and followed everything up with hot chocolate and Cafe Rio.

-I participated in a Ninjas vs. Pirates Geocaching Adventure (another bucket list check). Geocaching is basically a treasure hunt using coordinates and a GPS. My team (the ninjas obviously since I am Ninjill) won by a single cache. Some of the caches were ridiculous like this one on a muddy slope and everyone came back to my car a mess. All in all I approve of this adventure and confirm that given the chance, I'd definitely participate in geocaching again.

-I went on the weirdest almost date on Saturday. I had gotten back from covering a shift at work and my friend Trevor knocks on the door and asks if I'd like free lunch. Considering I'm hungry and slightly a mess, I tell him sure, but to give me a second to get into some real clothes. I invite my roommate Christina to come along but she declines the invite since she already ate and wanted to take a nap. Well, I get into the car with Trevor, Taylor, and Cynthia and I realize "Even numbers, this is almost like a date. Ha ha ha" but I don't say anything. We approach El Salvador and they start joking about how Rachel, my neighbor, is going to be there and how we should sneak up on her. We all laugh but my tingling Spidey senses tell me something is seriously up. We get into the restaurant and I don't see any signs for free lunch or whatever. Trevor waves to Rachel and makes a joke about even guy to girl ratios. Yep, its a date. Well, it would seem like a date but I don't know who I was on a date with, Taylor or Trevor. Doesn't matter a whole lots since the company was good and the food delicious. Apparently Rachel had invited Trevor and Taylor to lunch with a friend only to discover he was turning it into a group date. I was a speedy fill in for the fiasco which wasn't an entire fiasco since half the people at Rachel's table hadn't brought dates. Random but fun.

-I had my pregnant married past roommate Amanda over yesterday which was fun. We made cookies and ate dinner with the apartment and friends. We visited Pemberly (a giant mansion that looks like the one from the movie) and did a puzzle. It always makes me happy to hang out with old friends, especially when that old friend is someone I love like Amanda. Plus, we're going to go see Peter Pan on Tuesday which will be AWESOME!

-Something I'll mention here but not OFFICIALLY publicize elsewhere, is that I'm planning on moving out of Provo by about September or so. I'll take a few weeks off to travel [right now the game plan includes Havasupai (last summer failed redo adventure), Nauvoo IL (volunteering), Hawaii (bucket list high priority item), Rochester MN (obviously), Germany (If I can learn German rather quickly I want to do a family history adventure. We'll see what happens. This one is looking less set in stone)], and then I'll start a new job. I am thinking of moving to Scottsdale, AZ to work at the Mayo Clinic out there and looks like a tropical oasis or maybe someplace in Colorado since it would be closer to home and have awesome snowboarding. If you guys can pray for me as I try to figure things out at this point in my life, I'd appreciate it. Life in Provo has been good but I perceive that my new adventures during the next few months will be even greater. Once again, keep this in the DL since I don't want to hear rumors flying before I've even applied anywhere and who knows, if I meet the right somebody and get in a relationship, I'd probably delay things.

-I guess I need to wrap this up and take care of my errands. I've been busy with Jujitsu, Dancing, Cooking, Reading, Playing and the usual. I'm happy and well and I love you all.

Jill

Crazy for you

I've been thinking about my life and had an epiphany. Care to hear about it? I thought you might.

Guys seem to chase hard when I'm interested in somebody else. They have this "Dating Sense" that seems to tingle when I'm flirting with the somebody I'm genuinely interested in, even if they haven't met him or seen us flirting. Things in my dating life have been slow but the other day I realized that they aren't chasing because there is nobody that I'm genuinely interested in. Other then my passing whims of "Oh, he's nice", I don't think I've really LIKE liked a guy in months.

Maybe it might spice things up if I just picked someone new: Flipped through the ward menu and went "Him, I'll choose him." I'd go charging forward, flirting with a subtle ferocity and if things didn't work, oh well, I'll be getting asked out again and my dating famine will come to an end. If things did work, great, then I'll get married, have kids, and move on with my humdrum life.

But then again, would that be honest with myself if I wasn't crazy about him. Maybe that would develop if I set my heart, but what if it didn't. It could just be adding unnecessary drama to my life. Maybe I just need to hang in there until the Lord's timing is right. ::sigh::

Life Plan Update

I learned last night that somebody I wasn't expecting to be interested in day shift is planning to switch to day shift. As a result, the only opening is evening shift = destroys a dating life, so I'm not applying for it... So, as of the present it seems a lot less likely I'll be going to day shift. Everyone is still waiting to see if my manager got the job in AF so there is still hope, but I'm feeling kind of resolved at this point. It may not even be worth applying by the time its even available because of my current game plan.

The current game plan is to ride things through the spring, get things set up so I can work in Scottsdale, AZ Mayo Clinic by Sept, but take two or three months off to travel (Hawaii was on the list, MN would be an obvious option). Granted, I could start dating someone and this would throw my whole game plan off but for the present I think operation "get out of Provo" is still a go. I WILL get out of Provo one way or another...

Winter Infatuation

I went cross country skiing with some friends today. It was simply lovely enjoying the exercise, clean snow, and good company.

As we were driving back to Provo, someone suggested that we go check out Bridal Veil Falls. We pulled into the parking lot to find the following: A sled, three huskies, and a beautiful man hitching them up to his sled. There are few things I find more attractive than a handsome man with a unique and vivid sense of adventure.

I usually am pretty straight forward but I regret that I didn't ask for his number. Nobody in our group invited him to join us snowshoeing on Saturday in spite or our twittering in the back of the truck. I'll never see him or Axel, Shasta, and Boo again.

Heres to you, mysterious dog sled man. Maybe the fates will smile on us and this will not have been our one and only meeting.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

My day started out with a trip to the temple (good). It was early (bad), like 6am session kind of early (ugly) but I enjoyed myself, learned things, and had a lovely time afterwards with some friends in the Celestial room. (good)

Got home and had leftover pasta for breakfast (good) and then tried to sleep but unsuccessfully (bad). After an hour of failed attempts (ugly) I decided I'd just blow everything off and go snowboarding (good). Afterall, there had been a light dusting of snow which would probably mean really good boarding conditions.

Well, the mountains didn't get the powder (bad), but it was still fun (good). Up to this point I've been only going down easy slopes but today I decided I wanted to do some of the more difficult slopes (green circle to blue square = good). I went up the lift and felt a little like a fool (bad) but decided I'd try a milder looking slope. I used my map to follow a trail which unfortunately went uphill. The only way to get down was to take yet another lift and go down a WHOLE lot of more difficult slopes and get to my original lift (ugly). Fortunately, I managed to stay up and have a stellar time so all in all, the mistake, though ugly at first, did turn out to be a good thing.

After the trauma, I got down the mountain and decided to call it a day (good). I managed to reach into my pocket and realized it was unzipped (bad) and that my cell phone was gone (ugly).

Somewhere out there, my cell phone is mastering the black diamonds and I'm all alone, wishing I wasn't so isolated. I didn't understand until I had a cell phone of my own, but losing a cell phone is like loosing a limb. All of the other kids are running, skipping, dancing, playing polo and you're gimpy, the kid who can't text or call anyone... I think I might change that first ugly to uGgGgHLlLlYyY.... : (

The Assassination

It was another peaceful evening in apartment 315. We had all gotten back from a Grub Fest: our bellies were full of taco salad, our social needs met, and all had settled on the couch for some light reading. Well, all except for Jackie who had gone off to institute. It was a good atmosphere for our scheduled apartment meeting at 8:30pm. Our apartment dictator, Jackie Warner, had declared it a mandatory affair and all were anxious to get it over with.

At about 8:15pm a visitor, Rob Stewart, makes an appearance. He had missed out on taco salad and I had volunteered to make him dinner. As he sits down with one of my old classic quesidillas, I note the time. Its 8:30, but Jackie isn't here. At about 9:40pm, Christina lets out a cry of horror. Jackie was at institute and forgot about the meeting. Our very dictator texted her to let her know she was ditching the meeting. We have a brief powwow and then at 9:00 Eimi has to leave.

That simply wouldn't do. I suddenly see Robin brandishing a nerf gun. It must have emerged while Rob and I were perusing through my new cookbook. I began hearing whispers of assassination and overthrow. At this point Rob seemed pretty full and being the well fed pacifist type, he bid us good evening.

"Jill, you should be our new dictator." Robin and Christina seemed quite convinced I was the right pick for the job.

"I don't want to be involved. I won't stand in your way, Jackie did mess up, but I don't want to shoot her down." The discontent seemed to escalate at the comment.

"Well we'll have to pick a new dictator then." they declared. Hrmmm, that wouldn't do either. I rummaged through my closet and pulled out a few odds and ends. The nun-chucks, the pink light saber, the Activities Committee sword from apt 55, my nerf gun, etc.

"Here you are." I hand Christina my nerf gun and her eyes seem to light up. i whip out some chocolate which even better satisfies the crowd. I guess I wouldn't actually attack Jackie, simply inspire the masses and then I could make my rise to power. Suddenly we hear a noise at the door.

"Eimi's home!" Eimi seems pretty tired from another long day but smiles at the warm greeting. Her expression shifts as she sees the weapons of mass destruction.

"Do you want to join us? We're going to assassinate Jackie for skipping our meeting." Eimi was about to protest until I show her my collection. It didn't take much persuading for her to suddenly be marveling over her pink light saber like Darth Vader herself.

We all patiently read and wait until about 11:30pm. A hush falls over the apartment as the door opens and closes behind Jacqueline Rose Warner, Dictator of the Three Hundred and Fifteenth Apartment. A war cry from Eimi and the nerf darts start --flying. I pause and in a last minute impulse hurl my nun-chucks at Jackie's knees.

I armed the people and fed the people. They made me their dictator. In the end I denounced the title. I prefer being the queen and a ninja assassin on the side. Jackie reclaimed her title which ended up being right since it requires far too much decision making and responsibility. However, this day is one that will be remembered. A day to remember that with great power comes great responsibility and the risk of assassination.

Odd imaginings

I have strange thoughts sometimes, especially when I'm tired. I had this conversation in the car with my roommates on the way to church yesterday.

Jill: "Aren't the mountains beautiful today. ::sigh:: So majestic."

Jackie: "Yeah, they're lovely"

Jill: "This is the sort of morning that if it wasn't cold out and if we weren't going to church, and if I wasn't wearing this dress, I would want to fly up into the mountains and just stand there and take it all in."

Jackie: "I like how you say that you're going to fly there as opposed to taking a helicopter or something."

Eimi: "I think she's planning on growing wings."

Jill: "Actually, I don't think I'd want wings. I'd want something like a fish's air bladder, except filled with gas that would let me hover and control how high I floated or not."

::Skeptical looks::

Jill: "You have to admit it would be cool to swim through the air like a fish."

Jackie: "I just had this image of you flying belly up."

Being a little bit more (but not entirely) awake this morning, I can see how physics would make the idea rather impossible... I'd have to basically fill up like a balloon and who knows how big I'd need to be in order for it to even be possible let alone comfortable....

The above is evidence that I need to get more sleep I think...