Moving

I hate packing.

Road Trip!

I think I'm slowly saying goodbye to Utah. First, a couple weeks ago I went south to St. George (to get my dog). A couple days later I went north to Bear Lake. Today I went west to Wendover. (Apparently I'm also saying goodbye to Wyoming and Nevada).* I guess I have to head east now- does it count that I'm going east in August- the extreme east (i.e. Virgina) ( I almost wrote the far east there but that has a different connotation)?

My friend Laura and I get together every Sunday. We were emailing back and forth trying to decide what to do today when I suggested a quick trip to Wendover, to my surprise she said yes. So off we went.

For those of you who have never driven through Utah's West Desert- you haven't missed much- it's a desert. Apparently the vast emptiness of western Utah inspired this work of art...

 

Click here if you'd like to find out more about the Utah Tree and its creator.

I guess I should also include a picture of the vast emptiness that is the salt flats...

Shortly after passing the Utah Tree we arrived in lovely Wendover (for those of you who haven't been to Wendover I'm being slightly sarcastic here- Wendover is much like all small towns in Nevada (at least the ones I've been too) there are  several casinos and trailer parks (I'm guessing this is were the casino employees live) and not much else).** We went to my favorite hotel and casino- the Rainbow. I've always like the hotel rooms there, it seems like the kind of place Elvis would have stayed (only probably not in Wendover). Plus the restaurant there serves the best Monte Cristo sandwich I've ever had- they are deep-fried-licious- extremely unhealthy, it's probably a good thing that Wendover is so far away. 

But before we ate, we hit the slots. We both stuck to the penny slots- we are wild and crazy girls! After loosing most of my money (the small amount I was willing to gamble with) we headed to the restaurant. Then we played some more before heading back home. It probably sounds like less fun than it was.

The drive home was fraught with danger. We had some very tense moments. For example, here's what we saw when we stopped at a rest stop. (Sorry if that sentence seems redundant).

    

Yikes! Luckily I didn't see any snakes or scorpions- but maybe because that's because I refused to watch out for them. The toilets in the rest stop were even scarier than the snakes and scorpions! (Sorry no pic here- I draw the line at taking pictures of toilets).  Then we were stalked by a guy from the rest stop- ok so he was in front of us- but that just shows you how sneaky he was. Next we passed a NO DROWSY DRIVING sign and I yawned! Then, about an hour later we noticed water on both sides of the road!*** (This picture is of the median). 

Luckily we made it home safely with no snake or scorpion sightings or floods, and we both stayed awake the whole time, plus we lost the stalker- or he lost us- he was so sneaky!

During the drive Laura and I came up with a plan for how to handle the inevitable questions that people will ask when I'm living in a new state and they find out I am from Utah (or that they think if they don't want to ask out loud). I'm sure other Utahns know what I'm talking about- Are you Mormon? Are you Polygamist? Do you know any polygamists? Or multiple questions on Mormonism or polygamy. (In case you're wondering I'm not Mormon and I have seen polygamists around but do not know any personally- well that's not completely true I have known polygamists but they weren't the ones to tell me they were polygamist and did not talk about it- probably because it's illegal and smart crime breakers rarely discuss their crime breaking activity). I'm sure you're wondering what our brilliant solution is... I'm going to tell people I'm from Colorado. Of course I won't be able to lie convincingly about this if I'm standing next to my car- it is the Car of Truth no one can lie when they are in or near it- and I have Utah plates.

In case you are wondering, I lost $40 (twenty of my own and twenty of my dad's) and Laura broke even. I had the best luck on a machine called "Blazing Sevens" which made me think about Blazing Saddles, which I haven't seen but intend to- I've already added it to my Netflix queue.****

*Wendover is on the Utah/Nevada border and the more scenic route to Bear Lake cuts through Wyoming.

**I apologize to anyone from Nevada who is offended by this comment, especially if you're from Wendover, Battle Mountain, or Winnemucca (I'm also sorry if I spelt that incorrectly).

***In case you missed it- this is sarcasm- the ride home was not any scarier than any other ride when I'm driving. 

***Speaking of Netflix, I'm still watching 21 Jump Street, after a short break to watch Weeds. Laura, the show I was telling you about (the one where they debate creationism and evolution) is Season 2 disc 5. The episode with Brad Pitt is also on this DVD. It's hairtastic! Laura and I had an interesting discussion about how we both think less of Johnny Depp because of the way he left the show and has since bad-mouthed it. We both think that it is an insult to the other people who worked on the show (especially the actors an the people who gave him his first big break) and it's insulting to the fans who first noticed him because of the show. 

I want to ride my bicycle, bicycle...

When I move I'll live within a few miles of school and with gas prices being what they are and the fact that my car has about a gazillion miles on it, I thought it might be wise to get a bike and ride to school. So I asked a friend Melanie for some advice on what kind of bike to get and she turned me on to Electras. Melanie has a bike she calls an old dutch treat which she talks about a lot on her blog the Church of the Granny Bike. Check out her blog, it's very entertaining.

Anyhow, I finally got my bike a couple days ago. Now I haven't ridden a bike since I was about 10 so I'm pretty rusty. I've taken short, very shaky, rides the last couple of mornings. While I'm still kind of a spaz it's been fun. I can see why Melanie likes it so much. And apparently it's kind of a feminist activity (so maybe it helps my feminist cred recover from the fact I haven't changed a flat tire). Susan B. Anthony once said that when she saw a woman ride by on a bike, she saw "the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood."  (I wasn't sure what untrammeled meant either so I looked it up- "not deprived of freedom of action or expression; not restricted or hampered.") You can see her whole quote here. (I found the quote thanks to Melanie's blog).

I may not look so good on a bike but at least the bike is super cute (and it has a bell!)

Cuz that's how I roll, or don't

I was driving to work today (with Rusty- why not take my dog to work when I'm alone in the office almost the whole time I'm there) when suddenly my car started making a funny noise and started driving really rough. I wasn't sure what was wrong and thought I might be able to make it to work as I was only 2 exits away, but then it started to get worse so I got off at the next exit. It got better as I slowed down so I thought maybe I could make it to work after all, that's when I smelled it- burning rubber (yuk!) and stopped the car. I leaned out my door and saw my back tire in shreds- still smoking. Before I even had my hazards on an incredibly nice man stopped to help me. It was the fastest tire change ever- I was only 5 minutes late for work!  

The feminist in me is embarrassed to admit this, but I've had at least 8 flat tires in my life and I've never changed one myself (my dad changed 5 and the other 3 were changed by kind strangers- see there are nice people left in the world). 

I drove home after working 6 hours and my car still smells like burnt rubber.

Rusty had a rough day too. He was sitting under my desk at work and things got kinda hectic in the office, I was on the phone and one of the other office workers came in with her dog. Rusty doesn't like other dogs much and tried to jump up in my lap- but instead jumped into the desk- I was still on the phone when I heard a big thud and a yelp. I think I was as traumatized as he was- I was sure he was going to end up with a concussion or something. He was shaking for at least 15 minutes after it happened. Then I thought he might not realize how he hit his head and think that I hit him and would be afraid of me (because dogs always think the worst of their owners and then hold grudges- or maybe I always have worse case scenario running through my head). 

But all's well that ends well. Rusty is fine, the tire is under warranty, and I'm safely at home self medicating (read- drinking mudslides). 

Before and After

Before

After

Sorry more dog pictures...

I took Rusty to get groomed today and I took before and after pictures. He looks pretty cute either way but when I got him he was kinda smelly and had a little bit of matted fur so I figured I better get his hair cut.

You can probably tell he isn't overly fond of having his picture taken.

I wish I had a green thumb

We have to walk through an obstacle course to get to our front door, but at least it is a pretty obstacle course.

It's kind of hard to see from the picture but there is a tree on the right that's hanging over the other side of the sidewalk too, so I've started walking around the other side of the tree through the grass but now the other neighbors rose bush is growing towards the tree on that side.

Our roses are pretty too, but even better- they don't block the sidewalk.

It's actually nice walking around them- they smell amazing, it's strange I've never noticed it before- maybe I'm learning to appreciate things before I move. I have to admit our neighbor's roses are the prettiest.

Rusty

I've had Rusty for a week now and we are starting to get used to each other. He seems to like me, so far. (Hopefully you aren't sick of dog pictures yet).

At first he refused to use the stairs, but he has slowly gotten braver and will now go up and down them (he was ok with up much sooner than down). Here are some pictures of him getting used to the stairs, you can see why they made him nervous. 

He has also found the perfect place to take a nap and still be able to keep an eye on me, here he is in his new favorite place to sleep, under my desk.

Bear Lake

Earlier this week I went up to Bear Lake. My sister and I drove up to meet my other sister and her kids. We snuck the dog in with us- I don't usually break a lot of rules but I didn't want to leave Rusty the day after I got him. Bear Lake was fun. We were only there for the one night and it rained the day we were there, but it was nice to hang out, especially since I'm moving soon (I know I mention this way too much- but the count-down has begun I will be moving in less than 2 months! Yikes!)

Here are some pics of the lake and one of Rusty trying to drive...

A new member of my little family...

I got a dog! His name is Rusty he's a poodle yorkshire terrier mix and almost 3 years old. I don't think he's sure of me yet, but he is adorable- as you can see from the pictures.

I adopted him from a place in St. George, my dad and I drove down there to pick him up, (for those of you unfamiliar with Utah, St. George is about 4 and a half hours south of Salt Lake).  

You can't go to a bar to celebrate an alphabet crown

I'm no longer a home owner. It's a huge relief but sad at the same time. All the changes in my life are bitter-sweet, I'm so excited about moving but at the same time it will be really hard to move and leave my family and friends behind. 

Other exciting news- my sister is now a home owner (it is not a coincidence that she became a home owner the day I stopped being one) and my niece got her alphabet crown at school (which means she has mastered the alphabet). My family has a lot to celebrate today. 

The Benefits of Netflix

I love having Netflix, I can get DVDs of shows like 21 Jump Street without having to buy them. That show is oh so eighties-tastic! The hair, the clothes, the cheesy goodness!