night on the town

i told my darling boyfriend to plan a date and he really pulled through with flying colors. we attended the fashion stroll in salt lake, friday night; discovering some hidden treasures and finding shops that made me feel right at home. followed by dinner at settebello for some dang good pizza.

have a happy . . .

. . . period? this may be graphic, but it is necessary. oh so necessary. i think everyone in my life can appreciate the realness of emtion in this letter from a female regarding the infamous period.

Dear Mr. Thatcher,

I have been a loyal user of your 'Always' maxi pads for over 20 years and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core or Dri-Weave absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants.

Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? Ever suffered from the curse'? I'm guessing you haven't. Well, my time of the month is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I'll be transformed into what my husband likes to call 'an inbred hillbilly with knife skills.' Isn't the human body amazing?

As Brand Manager in the Feminine-Hygiene Division, you've no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customer's monthly visits from 'Aunt Flo'. Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it's a tough time for most women. In fact, only last week, my friend Jennifer fought the violent urge to shove her boyfriend's testicles into a George Foreman Grill just because he told her he thought Grey's Anatomy was written by drunken chimps. Crazy!

The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants... Which brings me to the reason for my letter. Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: 'Have a Happy Period.'

Are you f------ kidding me? What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness - actual smiling, laughing happiness, is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless you're some kind of sick S&M freak, there will never be anything 'happy' about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the local Walgreen's armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory.

For the love of God, pull your head out, man! If you have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something that's actually pertinent, like 'Put down the Hammer' or 'Vehicular Manslaughter is Wrong', or are you just picking on us?

Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bullshit. And that's a promise I will keep.

Always. . .

Best,

Wendi Aarons Austin , TX

*i stole this from stephanie.

go green

our trip to oregon was fabulous. although the winter has been really cold and has extended further than normal, i think that it has really proven to produce more green than i have ever seen before. everywhere we drove, the fields were super lush and i guess i never really realized how much green utah lacked, until i noticed how much oregon had. through the snow flurries we managed to pull off the road and discover this little trail, where i couldn't seem to catch all the majestic shades of green through the camera lens. ENJOY!

a day in the life

calm yourself

recently it seems like things have kind of piled up in a way. all i can say is that a great night of yoga and possibly some really decent chic flicks or lame reality tv might just be a must:)

"Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict -- alternatives to passive or aggressive responses, alternatives to violence."

leavin on a jet plane

we leave for oregon today. plain and simple . . . i am happy.

build me up

wanna feel good movie along with a great deal of laughs--try "bucket list" with the wonderful morgan freeman and jack nicholson. by far one of my top favorites of the year.

i stand corrected.

"this is true love . . . you think this happens everyday?"

--princess bride

true love is . . .

. . . Burgers Supreme. i want some guac burger, fries and fry sauce.

SPOTLIGHT

remember in primary when we had a spotlight and you had to guess who it was from the answers? i have decided to spotlight someone i care about every friday as a sort weekend send off.

This person . . .

. . . loves gardening

. . . has more patience than most humans

. . . has a passion and talent for beading

. . . always puts others first

. . . loves children

. . . commits 100% to all they do

. . . always goes above and beyond without asking for any recognition

. . . has two fabulous children;)

. . . loves watching LOST with her son

. . . was once a hippie with long-long hair

. . . listens when anyone cries

. . . is a loyal and fun friend, daughter, mother and sister

. . . has a knack for gift wrapping

. . . loves to learn new things

. . . has spent a lifetime teaching and loves it . . .

. . . is my beautiful mother.

passing the time

there are days, at work, where the time passes by like cold molasses slipping slowly off the spoon. where playing free cell wont cut the boredom and where blogging can only fill so much time until it becomes official preditating. well here's a little poll for kicks and giggles.

what do you do to fill the monotonous time?

my heritage

ever thought you might have a celebrity twin. ever been told that you look like someone famous. find out for youself : celebrity-face-recognition.

*hows my heritage?

getting to know you . . .

Tag Tag-A-Roni!!

A- Attached or Single? attached
B- Best Friend? aaron makes fun of me cause i have a million: rachel, breanne, kacie, shelby, tiffany, kala
C- Cake or Pie? pie . . . for sure
D-Day of choice? thursdays, one day after hump day and one day until the weekend!
E- Essential item? my toothbrush
F- Favorite color? yellow
G- Gummy bears or worms? either way i like them stale, weird i know
H-Hometown? portland, oregon . . . so pretty!
I- Indulgence(s)? shoes, shoes and shoes, you can never have too many
J- January or July? july duh
K-Kids? i want @ least 4
L- Life is incomplete without? aaron and my family, and maybe french fries
M- Marriage date? (to come later)
N- Number of siblings? 1, lil bro
O- Oranges or apples? apples, for sure
P- Phobias or fears? small spaces, i cant even sleep with a sleeping bag zipped all the way
Q- Quotes? "smile. it inceases your face value." STEEL MAGNOLIAS truvy
R- Reasons to smile? aaron, sunshine, babies, phone calls from old friends, going home, buying new shoes, thrift shopping, family . . . want more;)
S-Season? spring/summer, basically when the sun shines-i am happy!
T-Tag 5 people? rachel, charlene, lea, holly, kacie
U- Unknown fact? i sucked my thumb as a child, and still wake up sometimes with it in my mouth . . . oooo gross huh
V- Very Favorite store? buffalo exchange and goodwill
W- Worst Habit? nail biting, gotta stop!!
X- X-ray or ultrasound? what the . . .
Y-Your favorite food? anything made out of bread or topped with ranch
Z- Zodiac? gemini, dual personalities baby;)

this may have been an overload for some of you, sorry.

it has been said "april showers, bring may flowers", so april snow, brings . . . ya, I'm drawing a blank here. what i want to know is who coined the phrase "'tis the season", because they certainly never lived in utah. so here is a greeting from good ole' utah, where you can barbecue one day and have to dig your car out of a foot of snow the proceeding day. cheers to utah.

live and learn baby

"you learn love when you’re a baby
you learn dyin’ when you die
you learn drinkin’ when you’re workin’
it’s a poison apple in your eye
you learn walkin’ when you stand up
you learn cryin when you fall
you learn earthworm, when you’re fishin’
you set the hook upon the jaw
you learn rights when you’re arrested
you learn prayin’ when you’re alone
learn to love your hometown when you’re travelin’
learn to love the highway when you’re home"

* how true is it that we only learn from our mistakes and from our experiences. here is to life experiences both tough and enjoyable; we learn from them all.

thou shalt not covet

good thing i could totally afford this. not. nice to look at though huh? anthropologie

cravin me some . . .

. . . oregon sunshine.

i literally cannot wait to go home. i am so excited to see my family again and introduce everyone to aaron. i am totally pumped to go to the coast and have a late night bon fire and eat at moe's. i am stoked to walk down hawthore again, even if it does rain. awww oregon.

the dogg is mormon?

good thing we found something else to gossip about other than our next door neighbors for a day. genious april fools.

more gems

we all need a little inspiration.

"If pain and sorrow and total punishment immediately followed the doing of evil, no soul would repeat a misdeed. If joy and peace and rewards were instantaneously given the doer of good, there could be no evil--all would do good and not because of the rightness of doing good. There would be no test of strength, no development of character, no growth of powers, no free agency. . . . There would also be an absence of joy, success, resurrection, eternal life, and Godhood."

--Spencer W. Kimball

missing bling?!

you have got to check this site out unclaimed.org!! select a state that you want to search in and then simply type in the last name that you want to investigate and view the money that is missing from your possession. i found some money for my dad and some money that is still unclaimed for my great-grandfather that passed away years ago; CRAZY. you can also do a nationwide search which is really cool too!!

APRIL FOOLS! play a prank : have a laugh : lie a little ;)

{for all those LDS viewers try this little link on your friends and family lds_news}

good review

tired of those treasure hunting movies that lack plot and orginiality, ie 'fools gold' and 'national treasure'? 'king of california' is a refreshingly abnormal movie about a crazy father/daughter relationship which becomes strengthened through funny, challenging and quirky circumstances. although i doubt it will be up for any awards it was certainly one i would recommend for a lazy afternoon. {this is for you kevin; the review. i guess i might like bad movies, so sue me. . . rottentomatoes}

gem

"So where should each of us make our stand? As we demonstrate ourdevotion to God by our daily acts of righteousness, He can know where we stand. For all of us this life is a time of sifting and refining. We all face trials. Individual members in the early days of the Church were testedand refined when they had to decide if they had the faith . . . to put their belongings in a wagon or a pioneer handcart and travel across the American plains. Some did not have the faith. Those who did traveled'with faith in every footstep.' In our time we are going through an increasingly difficult time of refining and testing. The tests are moresubtle because the lines between good and evil are being eroded. Very little seems to be sacred in any of our public communication. In this environment we will need to make sure where we stand all of the time in ourcommitment to eternal truths and covenants."

--James E. Faust