Positivity

In an effort to keep Blogalicious a positive environment I will periodically post my favorite quotes, stories etc...I believe that they are very powerful. So, we'll start off with my Halloween night story: I thought I wasn't' going to dress up, I thought I would just take Timini around to trick-or-treat but then I decided that I would like to dress up because it would be so much fun! So, I got a white ball cap and stuck letters on it forming the word "pickle" and then I bought a green t-shirt which completed my costume. Also, I put green face paint under my eyes. Timini was a teddy bear and I was a pickle. We went to a halloween carnival at the junior high school and played games, I decorated a sugar cookie with licorice and candy corn and did a ring toss and won a root beer, we also ate pizza and visited with a bunch of people that we know. After the carnival was over we went across the street to the church parking lot and did the trunk-or-treat. I had so much fun! So, that was halloween night!

MM Saga

It's time to tell the Michael McLean story. First I must say that he is awesome and he is absolutely my "hero of the music writing world". That being said I must tell about why we are good buddies. It all started at ladies night out at Deseret Book a few weeks ago. I went with mom and Manda. We went to see Michael McLean perform early in the day, we showed up about 3/4 of the the way through his performance, I was able to request a song though. I requested "Sick and Tired" which describes my life perfectly. He invited me to sit right in front of him and started singing this song to me. Then, with the help of some inspiration I'm sure, he told me not to move because he was going to sing me one more song entitled "You Don't Know". Afterward we went and talked to him, did the whole "will you sign my CD" thing and we became buddies. Then the songwriting workshop happened. I emailed him my music and asked him to critique it and his response to that email was "call me, I want to talk to you about this" then gave his number. He ended up calling me on Friday morning which was a fabulous surprise. We talked for a long time and he said that he loved my music. WOW! That's a huge compliment. Before we hung up he said "well, it looks like you're stuck with me now, we're going to be best buds from now on, is that okay?" then he told me I'm the coolest and the convo ended. He's really such a neat guy. That's the story of Michael McLean an our buddiness.

Tip of the day: wear padded pants when riding a trotting horse

"Grey's" Anonymous

"Hello, my name is Cassie"
"Hello Cassie"
"I am here today because I have a problem (sympathetic look from group members). I am addicted to Grey's Anatomy (gasp). I began watching Grey's just for fun, just to see what it was about and everything went downhill from there. I must confess that I have purchased the first three seasons on DVD (looks of horror from the group). I have watched them all TWICE! I thought that watching the first episode was harmless but I seem to find myself in the never-ending cycle or addiction, spiraling out of control. I need help. I waste countless hours of my life thinking about Grey's and Patrick Dempsy and his hair, I record every episode in case I need to get a "fix" after it has ended. What do I do? Have I completely lost it? I would just like to tell all of you out there...don't even get started. This is no way to live and if you have found yourself in a situation similar to mine, please seek help as soon as possible, don't let it go on forever."
(Supportive remarks from the group)
I have just shared with all of you one of my deepest, darkest most personal secrets. I love Grey's Anatomy. Every episode seems to draw me in deeper and deeper. Not only are there a bunch of seriously cute doctors but it is also intriguing and suspensful and funny (what would we do without humor!) There are times when I just want to strangle the characters or shake them or slap them...but it all turns out in the end.
Please turn your attention to the top of the screen, you will noticed that I have recently changed the name of my blog, blogalicious has a nice ring to it don't you think?

Food of the day: Chocolate Chip Teddy Bear crackers...mmm mmm good!

Unemployment rate = 100%

I am unemployed, as an unemployed individual I make up approximately .0000001% of the unemployment rate in Utah, how special. For what seems like decades I have been actively looking for a job but, since I am still unemployed I obviously haven't found one yet. Do you know what frustrates me? I've sent out probably 15 resumes to various companies and haven't got a single stinkin' call!! Also, I had a weekend job that was supposed to start soon and was informed YESTERDAY that they no longer are offering this position...suck! My unemploymentness is starting to cause me consternation (I learned that one from my padre) and all sorts of stress. I thought "how cool, I don't have a job, I can sit around and watch movies and eat cheez-its all day" but NO this is not fun. I cannot accurately describe my boredom with this routine. Today I applied for two more jobs and I am currently using the "power of the secret" and harnessing my chi and all that weird stuff in hopes that I will get one of them.
Just for kicks and giggles I will describe to you a typical day in my life:

7:30 a.m. - hit the treadmill

8:20 a.m. - hit the shower

9:00 a.m. - hit the refrigerator

9:30 a.m. - sit at the computer doing pointless things (unless my dad has something for me to do)

11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. - wander aimlessly

After 4:00 my lovely sisters are home from school and I can bug them or we can go shopping or head to Starbucks...whatever. So, that's a day in my life, I'm not even joking.
So, everyone pray that the "job gods" have pity on me and hook me up!

RANDOMNESS

The official link http://www.memoryexpressionsthroughstory.com/ (I guess I forgot to come back and post it, don't I feel sheepish!)

Anyway, a few great things have happened in the last couple of days. On friday I went to Salt Lake with my mom and it was fabulous! First, we went to the car dealership to talk about trading my car for a BRAND SPANKIN NEW Honda Civic (it's soooo cute!) and then we went to a songwriting workshop that Michael McLean was holding and it was awesome.

New Character: Lisa-the wonderful woman who writes the music to my songs

So, Lisa was able to come, I've only actually met her once, she lives in Idaho so it was so incredible to see her and talk with her more. She is a great person. The workshop was so helpful and I feel very privelaged to have gone...hee, hee and my good budy Michael (long story, saving it for another post) took a picture with me

Observe...the picture

After the workshop we went back to the car dealership to test drive the two civics I've been looking at and picked out the one I wanted. So, that was Friday. Saturday I finished my very first Heritage Makers book and because I love all of you so much I'm going to let you be the first to see it (the pictures in the book...yeah...I took them!)

Today I gave a talk in church and surprise! I volunteered to do and it was dang good, thank you very much. It seemed to go well. The second I said Amen my family was out the back door of the chapel on their way to a missionary farewell in Orem-ish area but I decided I didn't know the missionary (my mom's cousin's son) so I stayed for sacrament meeting like a good girl and now I seem to have found myself alone. I watched Carousel and for your information it was slow, boring and the actors couldn't sing and it was made in like the 40's or something, I don't recommend it.

The end!

No ball for you Cinderella

So, my mom and I are doing this totally AWESOME new storybooking business. It's called Heritage Makers (the official link to the website will follow at a later date, probably tomorrow), it's the best way to tell your story for future generations and it's absolutely priceless. Anyway, we decided to hold a workshop so we could let others know about this new exciting thing and give them a chance to tell their stories as well. We decided it would be best to plan to hold a workshop on two different days that way the people we invited could choose the best day that worked for them. We chose October 14 and October 22. Last night we got set up and even put out some yummy treats and waited....and waited....and waited. Finally at 7:15 we saw lights in our driveway signaling that a spaceship had just landed or someone had actually come to hang out with us!! It was the later. It turns out however that this neighbor had just come to get some new reading material from my dad's vast library of thrilling, mind engaging novels and then she told us that she would be coming to our "party" next week. Oh well, we tried. We are going to have an excellent turn out next week though so we can look forward to that! My mom came to tuck me in after we had cleaned up our party stuff and said "well I guess I'm turing in" and I said "turning into what?" and she said "a pumpkin" and thus the night ended.
My next rambling has nothing to do with this "no party" that happened rather it will focus on my ED group. I have been going to ED group for about a year and have made some friends. Well, during my little "sebaticle" in Cedar City recently the group changed. I showed up at group three weeks ago and there is not one single person that I know and it's scary. I skipped a week because I was nervous and wanted to watch Timini barrell race instead but I went last week. Today I showed up for group expecting to see the faces of these lovely ladies who I don't know but I was the only one who showed up. It was actually more like an individual therapy session because Robin is the group leader and my therapist as well. It was fun to hang out with her for that hour and a half. We talked about all sorts of things and laughed a little too much. This ends the my random speaking for the day.
OH! It's Fat Talk Free Week!!!! Don't forget to sign the promise! http://www.bodyimageprogram.org/action/fattalkfreeweek/

Tip of the day: don't eat vegetable soup unless it contains alphabet noodles!!

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's...bike ride?"

New character: Robin-my incredible, well educated, booty kickin' therapist
I went to therapy land today, I always love going to therapy land. I sat on the couch (it's a new couch btw, very comfy) across from Robin and got all prepared to talk about deep, dark, twisty stuff but instead we started talking about...activities! I love activities. One activity that came up was bike riding which I have develope a new love for. Robin decided this would be a good place to insert an analogy (therapist seem to be quite good at these) . She said that breaking bad habits is a little bit like riding a bicycle. For years and years you have a bad habit and then it comes time to change the habit which is like getting on a bike after not riding for a long time. At first you are hesitant and wobbly and even a little scared to get back on the bike but after a while it becomes easier and less scary. Overcoming a bad habit is scary and you feel a bit hesitant at first but the more you do the opposite of you bad habit, the more comfortable it becomes and BOOM! No more bad habit. Also, as you ride along on your bike (or new, good habit) there will be hills to climb and when you see the hills you think "oh crap, I'm gonna die before I make it up that thing!" but if you take it slow and steady you will get to the top and then you can coast down the other side! How awesome is this?

Tip of the day: don't get up at 6:00 a.m. to have your hair curled

In the fertile month of January

September 23 marked the first day of a whirwind of family birthdays. My grandma has the great honor of heading of weeks filled with celebration. After grandma's birthday we found ourselves indulging in cake and ice cream for my mom's birthday, by the way her birthday happened to be crazy awesome due to some incredible daughters (not bragging...I'm just saying...). Two days later is Aunt Teen's birthday, I think she's like 40 or something now? The very next day Amanda and Timini celebrate the day they came in to the world together only 6 years apart. This was a fun day, we had twice the presents, twice the cake and twice the balloons. October 1st came around and my cousin Braxton turned 11. I must insert a great story here: Timini was born on September 30, while my mom was at the hospital having her, my Aunt Brenda was just down the all preparing to have Braxton who did not come until the next day, thus Timini and Braxton are only hours apart from each other, the end. It is October 2nd today and it's my dad's turn to be in the "one year older" spotlight. There will be no cake today, instead we will enjoy a fresh peach cobbler complete with candles. October 7th will be the last of this massive clump or birthdays and it is my grandpa who will bring up the tail end.

Yes, January must be the fertilest (word?) month for my family because nine months goes by and BAM we have all these birthdays. Happy birthday everyone!

Recipe of the day: Cut up one carrot in the shape of wheels and put in steamer dish with 1 Tbsp of hot water, microwave for 1 minute and COVER with salt...enjoy!