Leap Day!

I have decided that I want to have fun traditions for random days.  Leap day is one of those days, and why not?  It come around only once every four years, so why not make it a fun day?

There was one thing I knew I wanted to do today...watch the movie Leap Year.  To me, it's the perfect movie to watch on Leap Day.  I'll probably plan to do that for every Leap Day.  Other than that, I'll just have to be creative, and see what else I come up with.

But, it was fun watching the movie.  Even though it doesn't necessarily have much to do with Leap Day, the title on it's own says it's the perfect movie to watch, and I'm glad I did. :)

Snow...

Snow...snow...go away!  Come again...in December!  Seriously, I feel that you missed your chance this winter.  It's almost March, and you finally decide to show up.  Really?  How about you go away and let it warm up...then try again when winter comes around next time!

...yes, I know it's wishful thinking, but this year, I just really want it warm!!

Basketball!

It's interesting to see the difference between last year's basketball fans and this year's.  I went to the BYU game today, the last one of the season.  Last year, we waited in line for about two or two and a half hours, then waited inside for another two hours before the game started.  People camped out for days in advance...tents were nearly all the way around the Marriott center.  Today, there were just a handful of tents, they opened a doors an hour and a half before the game started, and even though it did fill up, it wasn't necessary to wait for hours...or days.

I did go early and wait a little with Jared (Shayann and Janalee joined later).  After we got into the Marriott Center, we found pink sweatbands on our seats...already free stuff. :)  Once we had our seats secured (on the 8th row right in the middle), we went and played games.  The first one we had to throw a paper airplane into a basket.  If you made it, you got a Frontier Airlines t-shirt.  It was pretty hard not to win though, because if you didn't get it the first time, the man would say "one more" and hand you another plane.  It was pretty funny...there was a little kid ahead of us in line that threw at least 10 airplanes before getting one in.  We walked around, I bought a basketball game day t-shirt, and made our way to the Pinko game.  I got another shirt there...a BYU one this time (even though it does say Raintree on the back)...and a pack of gum.  Not bad in the way of free gifts.

Naturally, there was a lot of curiosity about the pink sweatbands.  There were people wearing all pink handing out more at the doors, and as we began asking, it started making more sense.  During halftime, Jimmer got up and talked to everyone about voting for Coach Rose on ESPN.  There is a charity contest and the coach that wins gets $100,000 for his charity.  Coach Rose's is the Children with Cancer Christmas Foundation.  It was fun to see the pink...people wearing all pink outfits, lots of pink sweatbands, and even the team had pink shoes.  I'm going to try to remember to vote every day...you can too.  Just go to espn.com/infiniti. :)

I really enjoy basketball games.  This one definitely didn't disappoint.  We won...by a lot, but it made for a good last game.  It was great being with my cousins too.  I just love them!

New Job

I got a new job. I finally decided to leave the Credit Union and find something more suited for someone with a Bachelor's Degree in Child Development. I'm actually going back to my old company, TURN Community Services. I left because at the time, I was really struggling with certain people there, and I didn't really have an opportunity to advance. In looking for jobs, I found an opening on KSL for a Program Coordinator...what I wanted to end up doing the whole time...so I applied. After interviewing, I basically made up my mind that I wasn't going to get it, so I decided I didn't want it. It was a complete shock two days ago when I got the call with the offer. I knew I needed to give it some thought...

So, today, after visits to the temple (Tuesday night to work in the Baptistry, Wednesday night for ward temple night), a blessing from Aaron, and lots of prayer and contemplation, I decided to accept the job. Hopefully, I can find the confidence I need to happily go when it comes time to actually start working. But, I am also scared because I never thought I would go back. I never had the desire. I hope that a new position, a new area, and new directors will prove to make it better...

However, one thing I am definitely looking forward to is a couple days off. I put in my two weeks notice and will be done March 9th...then I won't have to go to training until the next Wednesday, so I have two days with nothing to do! I'm so excited!

Beautiful Heartbreak

Last night, I had the amazing experience to go to a Stake Relief Society fireside.  The speaker was Mariama Kallon.  She is a convert from Sierra Leone in West Africa.  Her story is amazing.  She told us about witnessing the murders and torture of family members, escaping the rebel soldiers, and eventually coming to find the gospel.  She has a hygiene kit that she received from the humanitarian services before finding the church.  When she came to the United States to serve as the first African sister on Temple Square, it was one of the few things she brought with her.  Seeing her talk about everything in the kit, and explaining how everything was used and how grateful she was for it, I just wanted to make hygiene kits.  I had no idea really how grateful the people are who receive and use the kits.  It amazed me.

A few months ago, I saw a new song by Hilary Weeks called "Beautiful Heartbreak."  I found it while reading Stephanie Nielson's blog: nieniedialogues.  She and her family were featured in the music video, as well as another woman that I didn't know.  Last night, I found that other woman.  It was Mariama Kallon.  I loved this song and video before because of Stephanie Nielson an her amazing story.  After hearing Sister Kallon and her story, I love it even more.

Improvement

Last week, I woke up to the extremely loud sound of rain hitting my window during the night.  Last night, it was again, raining when I went to sleep.  I was hoping for a different outcome from last weeks storm, and I got it.  Last night was the relaxing sound of rain I love sleeping to.  It was wonderful.  I'm definitely grateful for the improvement.

Jane Austen

In high school, I had a friend who took well known songs and changed the lyrics to create a new, funny song about something.  One of these songs is to the tune "Every Rose Has It's Thorn," and is titled  "Jane Austen."  Some of the lyrics are as follows:

She wants to watch a movie on a Friday night
And I want to sit close to her so I say "Well, hey alright"
She pulled out the video
I asked "What are we going to watch tonight?"
She said "Sense and Sensibility," and I cried

And I guess that's why they say
Every girl loves Jane Austen
Just like every bishop loves morality lessons
Just like there's a bridal catalog in every BYU girl's apartment
Every girl loves Jane Austen

Well this movie has no action; there is no real comedy
But she snuggles up so nice and close and asks what do I think
Well I think that she's cool and she's beautiful
So what I said I hope she understood
I said, "Really this movie it isn't that bad, it's just so far from good"

And I said
Every girl loves Jane Austen
Just like every boy hates Ricky Martin
Just like everyone over 40 loves to sing along to Neil Diamond
Every girl loves Jane Austen

Well, it's been two hours now, she says we're still far from the end
I'm trying hard not to sleep through the ending
'Cause if i do she'll make me watch it again
She'll make me watch it again...

I've thought about this song the last week as I have been in a Jane Austen mood.  It started a week and a half ago when I watched Persuasion with Sara.  Then I started watching Sense and Sensibility as I was getting ready for bed at night.  This week, I picked up the pace.  On Sunday and Monday nights, I watched Emma.  Tuesday, I finished Sense and Sensibility.  Wednesday, I watched Mansfield Park.  On Thursday, I set out to watch the long Pride and Prejudice.  I watched about an hour and a half that night, over two and half hours last night, and right now, I'm finishing the last little bit.

So, there's evidence of my Jane Austen mood.  In the song, Brady claimed that every girl loves Jane Austen.  I don't know for sure if that's true, but I do know that I love her movies...and one day, I'll read the books as well.  They are on my list.

Anne of Green Gables

So basically, song lyrics and movie lines make me happy, especially when I understand them and they relate to me.  My all-time favorite movie/movie series is Anne of Green Gables.  Last night, I was feeling lonely and left out and all that good stuff, and I happened to think of these movies and a specific line in the movies:

ANNE:  I know when I am being conveniently excluded.
MORGAN HARRIS: It isn't that at all! Be reasonable!
     ...and then the conversation continues on...

Okay, so maybe I've been feeling excluded...even conveniently excluded, but that's not really reasonable, so maybe I'll stop being dramatic and move on.

Boredom!

Today was a long day at work...I mean really long day.  We had a work meeting at 8:00, and that seemed to mess up everyone's normal mental schedule.  About 11:00, we were all starving, and so bored.  So what did we do?  We started playing with rubber bands.

Across and up from my teller spot, there is a ledge that is the perfect spot to shoot rubber bands.  I can basically get one up there immediately, so I decided to try something different...get it on the book on the table in the middle of the room.

This was an interesting thing to accomplish because even if I got one close to, or on the book, it would bounce off...rubber bands, go figure.

Rubber bands were everywhere...

Some got pretty close...

Then finally, SUCCESS!

So, it was time for a new game...get it in a basket on a different counter.  This one was too easy, so I moved it further away.  By that time, I got bored and didn't actually try too long to get it, but in the little amount of time I was trying, I managed to do this:

I think that's a win all by itself...even though I wasn't trying for it. :)

Unpleasant Rain

Last night it rained...basically all night.  Then it turned to a really wet snow.  Usually, I love when it rains, and I especially love it at night when I can sleep to the relaxing sound of the rain falling.  However, last night, it was not relaxing.  The wind was blowing enough that the rain was hitting my window directly and was so loud.  I woke up so many times, and now I am overly tired.  It was no fun.  Hopefully, I don't have to deal with another storm like that for a while.

BYU Gonzaga

Remember this from last year against Wyoming?

Well, we did it again...

Personally, I like last year's better, but this one was easier...I actually just followed along, having never practiced it before, and I don't think I could have last year.

Last night was definitely a better game than the one against St. Mary's.  Were there still some terrible calls?  Of course...I was pretty frustrated in the first few minutes of the game.  But that got better.  The team played better, and the student section was much better behaved. :)

The biggest problem I had with this game was that it started at 9:00.  That's so late.  We got out of there after 11:00, and today I am exhausted!  But oh well, it was basketball, and it was worth it.

Excedrin

I ran out of Excedrin at work a few weeks ago, so I went to Walmart to get some more.  I searched...and searched up and down the aisle looking for it, but it was not there.  So, I gave up, left Walmart a little bugged, and made up my mind to just look at another store.

This morning, I made a quick stop at Macey's before work.  I grabbed a few things, and looked in the Pharmacy section for Excedrin.  Again, I couldn't find it.  That got me curious.  So, I decided to research it a little.  This is what I found...

According to USA TODAY:
Some of the most common drugs in consumers' medicine cabinets were recalled last week because of concerns that they could contain whole or partial pills of extremely strong opiate medications used to treat pain.  USA TODAY's Elizabeth Weise answers questions about the recall.

QUESTION: What's being recalled?
ANSWER: Excedrin, NoDoz, Bufferin and Gas-X Prevention.  The specific lots are: Excedrin and NoDoz products with expiration dates of Dec. 20, 2014, or earlier, Also, Bufferin and Gas-X Prevention products with expiration dates of Dec. 20, 2013, or earlier.

Then I found on the Huffington Post:
Mixing of different products in the same bottle could result in consumers taking the incorrect product and receiving a higher or lower strength than intended or receiving an unintended ingredient.  This could potentially result in overdose, interaction with other medications a consumer may be taking, or an allergic reaction if the consumer is allergic to the unintended ingredient.

Well, I guess that answers my question.  I guess I won't be too upset at Walmart for not having Excedrin, but I would definitely be okay with replacing it with a new lot...soon!  I could definitely use some right now.