Gobble Gobble

Happy Turkey Day!

Today is Thanksgiving Day. A day to reflect on what we are grateful for more so than we do on other days. Let me just say that there is so much that I am grateful for and that it would literally take me forever to make a complete list. I have been so blessed in my life and am undeserving of such generosity. Here is a partial list of the blessings that I am particularly thankful for this past year (in no particular order):

1. Stuart--my husband.

2. The gospel and for the stability it brings to my life.

3. Our first home that has heat, furniture and food in the cabinets.

4. A car that is still miraculously working.

5. My loving family, that despite the distance, make me feel that they are right here with me when I need them.

6. My best friends and our fun phone dates; for all the many hours they spend listening to me ramble about random crap; and how they can always make me smile.

7. My education--despite how much I hate this school and town, I am grateful for the opportunity to receive a higher degree of education; and I am also thankful for graduation day which is quickly approaching.

8. I am grateful for my job, especially when there are so many others that are without employment.

9. My health. In freezing temperatures and surrounded by those suffering the swine flu, I have still somehow remained relatively healthy, which has allowed me to continue going to classes and work.

10. Modern appliances. Enough said.

11. My family's health and well-being. I worry about my family so much being so far away from them, and although they have all faced individual struggles this year, they have overcome much and have remained mostly happy and healthy.

12. Safety. My Heavenly Father has watched over me as I have traveled back in forth to work and in the bad weather that we have had recently. I feel that I don't thank him enough for taking care of me in this small aspect, but one in which makes me nervous and scared. I am thankful for the peace he brings me and again for the opportunities he has presented to me in my life.

I do wish I was home this thanksgiving with my wonderful and hilarious family at this time, although I did get a chance to skype them earlier today. But, I am thankful for the time I have to spend with my husband and siblings-in-law today--I guess I am just having a hard time adjusting to not being home for the holidays. But I am thankful as well for loving in-laws and a new family through marriage.

Let me close this partial list of what I am thankful for with just reiterating that I am so thankful for the many, many blessings that I see in my life. I am so beyond blessed and in no way deserve it. I wish to better reciprocate all that I am blessed with and need to concentrate more on thanking my Father in Heaven for his grace.

reason #739247961 I hate this town.

If you are reading this you are most likely one of my friends that has often heard me bitch about living here in the tiny town of Rexburg, and for this I apologize. I have really had a hard time adjusting to this tiny town full of close-minded people and students that seem to have been raised amongst cattle in a barn, and my wonderful friends have patiently listened to me as I have turned to them as my only outlet. I owe yall my life for this really...a million times thankyou!

So why stop the complaining now? Actually...I have found that I am beyond the words of complaint now and am more astonished at the sheer nerdiness and weirdness that comes with this territory. I read an article in the university's newspaper, The Scroll, yesterday and found myself in utter astonishment. The title of this article reads: "Quidditch players hit the field at Porter Park."

Let's read that again............

Yup, it says Quidditch.

So, if you happen to be completely lost right now, let me fill you in on what Quidditch is. Ever read or seen Harry Potter? Check. Know the game that they play in the story? Check. You mean the one where they fly around on broomsticks and chase this little ball that has wings because they are wizards and witches and its a fictitious story?

Check. Check. Check.

Now I'm not hatin' on Harry Potter or anything. I enjoyed the movies as much as anyone else did. The difference in ME however and these wanna-be-harry-potter-characters is that I know that Harry Potter and Quidditch are FAKE. As in NOT REAL; FICTITIOUS; IMAGINARY; MADE-UP. You can't REALLY play this game. Oh, but they did...

Sorry these pictures are a little hard to see...I took a picture of the newspaper article that they were in. But I guess its not hard to use your IMAGINATION to picture this IMAGINARY game being played in real life.

According to the article, Team Gryiffindor played against Team Ravenclaw and they had a guy wearing yellow with a gold ball attached to his hip to represent the snitch (gold flying ball). Oh, thats right, you would need a person to act as the snitch because in the story it has wings and basically a mind of its own....riiiiiiiight. How clever these weird students are...WTF?! They also noted that this was only their second game, their first one was played at Utah State. Oh, so they are a travelling team....only real teams get to travel. The Gryiffindor team captain also said that she hopes that BYU-Idaho can form a real Quidditch team and that there really are teams in the US.

This really happened here. Literally. I've got to get out of this town...

Zumba!

So I have started attending a new work out regime called "Zumba" and I love it! It is this culturally infused dance aerobics class that is high intensity and non-stop! Its what i've needed in my life i've decided. Ever since high school ended (which is a good thing and going on 6 years) I have been without a workout/physical exercise that I have truly enjoyed. I don't know about you, but I hate exercising; and it takes something I actually enjoy to get me motivated enough to actually do it. And Zumba is my long-awaited answer! I've tried hip hop classes here in Rexburg but have found that little white girls from Nebraska don't really have the whole hip-hop thing down if you know what I mean. Never having seen an actual hip-hop dancer would not constitute someone as a qualified hip-hop instructor...i'm just sayin...

So, yeah, Zumba is my new found hobby and I would encourage anyone to go! Its so fun but don't let the idea of it trick you into thinking it isn't a good workout. I found that I was super tired afterwards and once-again aware of muscles that I have neglected for years...so go zumba it up my friends.

1985

I'm not the biggest fan of the group "Bowling for Soup" but they are right about something...

"...Bruce Springsteen, Madonna

Way before Nirvana

There was U2 and Blondie

And music still on MTV..."

yup, thats 1985!

So, you might be wondering why I care what "Bowling for Soup" thinks of 1985. Let me fill you in on a little assignment my Public Relations Writing (yeah, it does suck if you were wondering about the title...) teacher gave us: Remember the year you were born? Oh right, because we all remember being infants. Well, find the top events from that year and bring them to class. At first I was like, this is going to be boring. Then I spent a little time on Google and actually found that I missed quite the year sleeping away as an infant. So, if you were born in 1985 as well, check it:

*President Ronald Reagan is sworn into office for his second term.

*The food and drug administration approves a blood test for AIDS and has been used since then to screen all blood donations in the US.

*Mikhail Gorbachev becomes leader of the Soviet Union.

*Coca-Cola introduces its

new Coke formula and calls it "New Coke". No one likes it so they put their old Coke back on the market within 6 months.

*TWA Flight 847, carrying 153 passengers from Athens to Rome, is hijacked by a Hezbollah fringe group. One passenger, U.S. Navy Petty Officer Robert Stethem, is killed.

*The Nintendo Entertainment System is released in U.S. stores.

*U.S. Vice President George H.W. Bush serves as Acting President for 8 hours, while President Ronald W. Reaganundergoes colon cancer surgery.

*Live Aid pop concerts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and London raise over 50 million for famine relief in

in Ethiopia. Various artists, including Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Willie Nelson, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner and Stevie Wonder, record the song "We Are The World" as USA for Africa to raise money for famine relief.

*U.S. Vice President George H.W. Bush announces that New Hampshire teacher Christa McAuliffe will become the first schoolteacher to ride aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger.

*Richard Ramirez, the serial killer known as the Night Stalker, is captured in Los Angeles.

*The comic strip Calvin and Hobbes debuts in 35 newspapers.

*Microsoft Corporation releases the first version of Windows, Windows 1.0.

*Back to the Future opens in American theatres and ends up being the highest grossing film of 1985 in the United States.

*In New York City, Mafia bosses Paul Castellano and Thomas Bilotti are shot dead in front of Spark's Steak House, making hit organizer John Gotti the leader of the powerful Gambino organized crime family. During the shootout Andrew Bearse is born in the middle of the street, when his mother is hit by a stray bullet which forces her into early labor. He survives and currently resides in Detroit, Michigan.

*The Tommy Hilfiger brand is established.

*DNA is first used in a criminal case

*the first .com is registered

*The computer game Tetris is released.

*Average Monthly Rent $375.00

*Average Price for new car $9,005.00

*1 gallon of gas $1.09

*Movie Ticket $2.75

*US Postage Stamp 22 cents

*Bacon per pound $1.65

*A joint American-French expedition locates the wreck of the RMS Titanic.

*The Unabomber kills his first victim

*New York Stock Exchange Closes For The day For Hurricane Gloria

*Mafia Boss Paul Castellano is shot on orders of John J. Gotti

*Compact Discs are introduced to American Consumers

*Michael Jackson Buys ATV Music and every Beatles Song for $47 million dollars

Popular Films

Back to the Future

Rambo: First Blood Part II

Rocky IV

The Color Purple

Out of Africa

Cocoon

Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment

A View to a Kill

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

Popular Musicians

Duran Duran

Simple Minds

Madonna with " Crazy for You "

Bruce Springsteen

Dire Straits with " Money for Nothing "

The Cure

David Bowie

Phil Collins

Lee Denim jeans cost $14.99

Remote control TV's started at $258

Bunk beds with mattress costs $148

Tandy 1000 Computer & Monitor cost $999