Whoa oh oh, oh Alli

Today is Alli's birthday! Since she is one of my favorite people, I thought a post about her was the least I could do. To tell you about her greatness, I made a "Why Alli is so Great" list:

• She is one of the best, if not the best running buddies I've ever had.
• She is willing to try new things(costa, BACON, etc).
• She cooks some seriously yummo stuff. Her pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are delicious!
• She is not only in school, but working 2 jobs.
• She knows lots of cool stuff to do on computers.
• She likes things warmer in temperature.
• She graduated the same time I did.
• She got me hooked on some awesome shows.
• When we go to church together, we just laugh and laugh.
• She has a fabulous sense of fashion, so shopping with her is a dream!

The list could go on and on. Happy Birthday Alli!

Like a deer in the headlights...no really.

I was on my way to Yoga...not even speeding....heading south. I noticed a deer on the side of the road and I just knew it was going to jump the fence and head in my direction. I was right. It jumped the fence and attempted to bound across the road. Lucky for me and my little car, there was a car heading north and it actually hit the deer, which allowed me to simply run over it. My little car handled it like a champ.
TEAM VOLKSWAGEN!

Where the Redheads go

In the world of professional sport, redheads are shockingly under represented.  I 'googled' red headed athletes and the only one I'd heard of before was Shawn White. Don't worry though, I've found out where all the redheads go...RUGBY!
I enjoy watching Universal Sports because they show the more unusual sports: ski jumping, track and field,  cross-country skiing, Ironman, gymnastics to name a few. The most recent I've been hooked into has been the Sevens Rugby tournament.
Rugby is like the train wreck that I cannot look away from. When I first stumbled upon it, I was horrified! Here are dude running around tackling each other with out pads or helmets and the worst part is I couldn't change the channel. The rules are a mystery to me. Here is a list of things I noticed that I cannot explain:
-One team scored. They got 5 points. The opposing team scored. They got 7 points. Favoritism? Goals scored by style points?
-Sometimes they all huddle around the ball and no one touches it. Seems counter productive.
-They do a weirdy version of the jump ball. The teams actually lift the players to get the ball, they don't just jump for it.
-They wear short shorts. I guess that makes sense...less to grab onto?
-Penalties??
-Not only do they pass the ball, they bounce it, they kick it, run with it, and it's all legal.

Can you find the "redhead"?

Rugby is a manly sport. The players look like they are carved from stone.  It takes strength, speed and stamina...Must be why the redheads go there. I'm pretty sure the All Black's will be callin' me up any day now.

What to do, what to do...

The recent weeks I've had to make some tough decisions. All had to do with a job.  I need benefits, that's all there is to it. I don't consider myself a sickly person, so I need benefits for the peace of mind. Also, I need a skill. In today's job market, there are plenty qualified people working not so quality jobs. I was one of those people.  The job I recently left was just that, a job. I collected a paycheck. It had nothing to do with my major, and I didn't enjoy it. I did however, through the help of others, find a job that had to do with what I studied, and a passion of mine. The problem? Someone without a degree could walk in and make the same as me(not cool!), the drive, and no benefits. I was about a week into the new job, when I found out that I could get a skill, and in 3 months have a job making more than 8 bucks with benefits. I could either keep my new job, or get the skill. The class for the skill(becoming a Pharmacy Tech) is accelerated. There is a class portion and an internship portion done at the same time, so it's best if you don't have to work. The class starts in June and goes to August. The problem is this: By the time I got trained at the running store, I'd have to quit if I took the class. Taking the class seems like a no-brainer...a job...with benefits...so I quit the running store. It was a hard hard decision. I feel that I needed to let go of the better to achieve the best. 

As we consider various choices, we should remember that it is not enough that something is good. Other choices are better, and still others are best. Even though a particular choice is more costly, its far greater value may make it the best choice of all.(Elder Oaks)

There aren't lots of temp jobs around(trust me, but I keep looking), and my parents desire for me to still be a productive member of society meaning I cannot just hide in my space and read. I have already volunteered to help the Jr. High Track team, and am looking into helping kids read. I am learning how to drywall, and plan to expound upon my knowledge in other areas of my life. Bread making for example. I have a harder time eating store bought bread, it's just not what I am used to. I'd consider bread to be a staple. If I was forced to leave my space(what I deemed my apartment) I'd have NO CLUE how to make the delicious bread I'm used to. I have a master teacher available, and should be taking advantage of her knowledge but have I been? Nope. Now that I have a few more hours in the day, I plan on making myself more efficient and self sufficient. Knowledge is power, never stop learning.

When you say flowers you mean G-Brown.

The Library and I are friends again. I just checked out the thickest book ever....1001 legit pages. I am nearly about .00025 finished with it. I came across this little ditty in the book that I think describes my current situation quite well:
Back story: A girl is on a boat and the Capitan tries to give her a compliment...

"you're like a flower"
"I'm allergic to flowers"
He raised an eyebrow
"No really," she admitted. "I think they are quite captivating. But if you were to give me a bouquet, you'd soon find me in a fit so energetic that it would have you searching the walls for stray freckles I might have blown free with the force of my sneezes."
"Well, be that true, I sill say you're as pretty as a flower"
"If I am, the young men my age must be afflicted with the same allergy- for they keep their distance from me noticeably"

Thank you Brandon Sanderson!

Mom. The Library Slayer.

My mom is great lady. She loves me a whole lot. How can I make such a statement? She went to the Library for me and not only took care of the missing book that I 'had in my possession' but got the 1.00 fine wiped away from my account. I can just see her being all no-nonsense with those library ladies.
Thanks Mom.

The Library and Me

I love the concept of a library. Borrowing, reading and returning all without cost, such a bargin....or so they say. The library in my home town and I are not on good terms. I promise the library ladies are out to get me. It all started when I was 17.
I've always been good to return books on time. I don't like to pay any fines. Alas, I am not perfect. At the tender age of 17, I had kept a book a little longer than I should have and got a .35 cent fine. The library fees can be steep. I paid the fine the day I got it and happily went home with more books. The next time I went to check some books out, I had a .35 cent fine. I asked for what book the fine was on and the lady said it was on the book I had already paid for. I explained that I'd already paid, but .35 cents isn't a deal breaker, so I paid it again. Low and behold, my next library outing was accompanied with a .50 cent fine. I asked about which book the fine was on, and to my surprise it was on the book I'd already paid...TWICE! The library was actually charging interest! The lady told me that the book must be at home because the library didn't have it in. I didn't want to pay the fine, again. I asked the lady to wait just a sec and I went and found the book. On the library shelf. Waiting for some unsuspecting person to get the fine it carried. When I brought the book to her, she took the .50 cent fine off.
It gets better.
The next time I went to check out books, the library lady tells me my card has expired! Do library cards do that?? She told me that I'd have to fill out some paperwork in order to check out books again. I gladly did this. At the end of the paperwork, you need to sign for it. I did, but the library lady said since I wasn't a 'legal' adult that my parents would have to sign with me. I told her I was 17 and drove myself down there so my parents were not with me. Peering over her old lady glasses with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, she took my card! The library lady actually took my CARD! She told me I'd have to have my parents come down and sign before I could get a new one. What a joke, I wanted to protest! Start a petition. Anything so I could get my card back. Once realizing that wasn't the best course of action to get my card back, I took my mom down and had her sign.
Since then, I've paid fees for books I've returned, and my card doesn't work to put books on hold. Most the time I don't even use my card for the fear that they'll take it away again. Poobie is nice enough to let me use her card since the library ladies love her.
The reasoning for my sharing this story? Apparently I have a 1.00 fine, for a book I returned. I tell ya, the library is out to get me.