loving....

I'm kind of in love with this calendar.  Found here. 

why today is awesome

1. When I arrived at the gym today, there was only one other person there and the TVs had yet to be turned on. This allowed to turn on all the televisions, and turn them to this.  It only lasted for about 15 minutes before people showed up and changed a few of the TVs, but those 15 minutes were a great way to start my day.
2. I  am wearing a skirt that I haven't been able to fit in for almost 3 years. (It's amazing what going to the gym regularly and eating Oreos as 3 to 5 cookies being a serving {instead of 1 to 2 rows being a serving} can do for increasing your wardrobe.
3. I'm wearing these cute boots.
   
4. And, I'm one day closer to this. 
   

Let's just hope the rest of the day follows this trend.

count down to.....

This cutie pie!

And, these cuties as well.

I just booked my flight to Texas. Unfortunately, I have to wait 25 days and a wake-up. Hopefully it will go fast. I also can't wait for this, a little shopping here, LOTS of this, and who could forget this.

road tripping

This past weekend I took a quick trip down to St. George (ok, actually Hurricane) My friend Natalie and I decided to do the Kokopelli triathlon at Sand Hollow Reservoir (more to come on that later). My older sister lives down in Hurricane and it was a great opportunity to see her and her new house (ok, they've lived there for 2 years). I decided it might be fun to take 2 of the munchkins along so they could see their cousins. Here are a few things I learned about traveling with kids (age 10 and 8):

1. When there is silence coming from the back seat, you should be concerned. My niece wanted to play with my iPhone (what did we do before such devices?!) Well, I should have realized that there was no longer sound coming from the phone alerting me to whatever game she was playing. Apparently, she had figured out how to move the icons around and proceeded to move every single one of them. At least she was entertained and I got to spend an hour getting things back how I like them.
2. A 10 year old boy will completely forget that you told him multiple times "we will be there for less than 24 hours." Once he sees his BFF cousin. It was actually quite humorous that both of them asked multiple times if we could stay longer. I'm certain in their minds it was a completely logical request and there was no way they could be denied. I think they forgot for a brief moment that the adults were in charge.
3. How can an 8 year old eat her weight in Cheetos and candy and still be able to eat dinner? Seriously, I cannot believe how much that girl can consume (and yes, I'm a little jealous because how great would it be to eat like that and not gain an ounce)
4. Even though I traveled with little more than a coloring book and mad libs and survived long family car trips there is no reason to make these kids endure such hardship. I was advised to take both the portable DVD player and a computer so there could be no fighting over movies. Although both devices were not constantly in use, it was nice that one could watch a movie while the other played pinball or something else on the computer.
5. Fast food, root beer and lots of candy makes for very hyper (and very entertaining) kids. It was actually quite fun to hear the laughter coming from the back seat over some silly comment. They did have fun launching a grape out the window and a gummy bear against the window with the catapult built in Hurricane. I, however, drew the line when they wanted to use said catapult to launch gummy bears into each others mouths.

This was also the first road trip I've taken with Natalie and we had a great time talking and laughing at all the craziness in the back seat. It was a great trip and we had a lot of fun. And, not once did I utter, "Don't make me pull this car over" and in my book that makes it a success!

a little boat time

A couple weekends ago, Amy and Scott invited me out on their new cool boat. So, early one Saturday morning Josh and I headed out to Utah Lake for a morning of wake boarding, surfing and tubing. Unfortunately, the weather was awful - cold, windy, choppy water. The company was great and that always equals a great time. I do love those cute girls. Thanks for inviting us for a fun morning on the lake. *photo from here

reading time

I finally got around to reading "Three Cups of Tea" after it was recommended to me almost a year ago. I can't believe I've waited this long to read this book. What an amazing story about how one man truly can change the world. Greg Mortenson is making a difference through the education of women in Pakistan and Afghanistan. His initial struggle to raise funds to build one school has turned into a foundation that has built over 100 schools to date and supports many others. I was thrilled to learn that Greg Mortenson will be speaking at the BYU forum on Tuesday, October 27th. I can't wait to go hear his story in person and learn what has happened since the book was published in 2007. If you're looking for a truly inspiring story, I highly recommend reading "Three Cups of Tea." And, you can learn more about the Central Asia Institute here.

I did a triathlon......

Here's the only proof. Its blurry - not because the photographer didn't see me coming, but because I'm so fast (no really, I'm so fast I was just a blur)

when you move to provo..........

you deserve an "I can't believe I live in Utah County" gift.

Equality Utah

Last night I had the privilege of being one of Jay's guests at the Allies Dinner as part of the Utah Equality group. What a great time! Jay purchased a table and invited a great group of people. I got to catch up with some old friends and make some new friends. What an inspirational event. There is something to be said for accepting people for who they are. I often hope people forgive my shortcomings, see past our differences and find the things that make me great.

Thank you Jay for thinking of me and inviting to be part of such a cool event.

faux camping

On Saturday, I went "faux camping" Basically, we headed up the canyon, went hiking, ate yummy food and cooked s'mores. We decided that we should bring "gourmet s'mores" to share with the group. This consisted of organic graham crackers, high quality chocolate and homemade marshmallows. They were quite the hit! Contrary to popular belief, marshmallows do not come from outer space. And, they are quite easy to make. You should try it sometime with the recipe found here.

a great quote

I saw this on a blog I follow:

I couldn't agree more! As much as I appreciate email, text, IM, twitter, facebook and the like, I often miss good human interaction and contact. Maybe I'm showing my age, but there's nothing better than actually face-to-face interaction with another human being.

look what was waiting for me

when I got to work today....

Thanks Anne P! You always make holidays so much more fun around the office. And yes, I do love Peeps!

grilled cheese tour of slc, part 1

For those of you who don't know, April is national grilled cheese month. And, Meggie and I love us some grilled cheese. We've decided that the best way to celebrate national grilled cheese month, is to find the best grilled cheese in SLC. First up, Carlucci's Bakery. Monday's special is grilled cheese and tomato soup. The best part of the grilled cheese here, is their tomato soup, yum!! Don't get me wrong, the grilled cheese is quite tasty--thick homemade wheat bread and 2 kinds of cheese. But, the tomato soup is what makes it so fantastic. There's almost nothing better than tomato soup and grilled cheese. We'll definitely be going back for this one.

amazingness

I may or may not have given the following to the VP of Sales:

Why Melissa is AMAZING!!!

If you ask me to prove my amazingness in a pie chart, I will. And, I'll print it out and post it in your office.

my own piece of art

Last night I went to an open house at this art studio. It was lots of fun and there was some very cool art. Although not the most amazing piece I saw, this is probably my favorite!

I'm so glad that someone found it necessary to make some art out of my name!

love is in the air

I'm not a lover of Valentine's Day by any means. However, I think this is just the sweetest necklace. See it here. Will you be my Valentine (and please buy me this)? I think I may just have to buy it for myself.

safety first

I'm so excited about my new tires! Check out that tread--I'll definitely have no problem getting through the snow. I just wish they weren't so expensive. At least I got some Christmas money to help pay for them.