be attitudes

there is no doubt that as we get older, life gets busier and more chaotic. it seems there are a million things that need to get done and so little time to get them done. or i start to think of all the things i DON'T have instead of all the things i DO have. i start with the "if only i had this...then i would be set". at times, i find myself so caught up in the stresses of life, i forget about all of the things i have to be grateful for.
in the scriptures we read about the "be attitudes" and pres. hinckley also focused on those attitudes and the important role they play in leading a more christ like life. gratitude was one of those attitudes and i really agree that it is so important to remember those things to keep us heading the right direction.
with the holiday season fast approaching, i find myself thinking so much about all the things i have to be grateful for in my life. and when i think about it, life is pretty dang good. i don't think i can complain about a thing!
here are some of the things that bring me joy (and stress at times) and make me so thankful for this life i'm living.
living in salt lake city. i grew up at the beach and still think it is an awesome place, but these mountains that surround us are just amazing.
experiencing the 4 seasons.
family who loves me
friends that make me laugh
my dog marley
my job
my education
traveling and seeing the wonders of this world
freedom of choice
imagination
hopes for the future
a safe roof over my head
...and so many more. i just hope that when the stresses of life begin to overtake us, that we can remember just how many blessings we have and how truly lucky we are. here's a challenge...write down some of the things you are most grateful for and share them with me in my comments. i would love to hear them!

lucky hound

for the last 2 years i have been the proud mama of a boxer named marley. i adopted marley from a boxer rescue when he was around 2ish years old. i don't really know the story of his first 2 years, other than he was found wandering the streets of watts, underweight, malnourished, and no home. a teacher found him and turned him into the rescue. a few months later, he was mine! as his "mom", i of course think he is the greatest thing in the world. he has been my constant companion for the last 2 years and you know what they say about dogs being (wo)man's best friend...so true. all he wants is love and he will be by your side no matter what.

with that being said, he is not the brightest dog there ever was, the sharpest tool in the drawer, however you want to say it. he has his fair share of "issues". i find them endearing most of the time, other times, he's just plain old stupid and thick headed...literally. he runs into walls and tables with his head all the time and doesn't even skip a beat.

i live in a house on a fairly busy street and no fenced in yard. marley has actually done pretty well with not running off, but when marley sees something he wants, he has an eye single to the glory and nothing and no one can get between him and "the goal". i have tried to train him not to run in the street, but it's hit or miss if he decides to listen. a few days ago, while watching out the screen door, he saw a guy walking a dog across the screen. marley took off after the dog (our screen door wasn't latched), not seeing the busy street that lie between him and the dog. along came a truck, the same time as marley, and BAM! guess who won? now i didn't see this happen, so this is all second hand. but the story goes, the truck side swiped my poor, stupid boy, ripping his collar off, knocking him to the ground, leaving him with some nice road rash, a hurt leg, and a majorly chipped tooth. but don't think that left marley down for the count. oh no, he was right back up chasing after the dog as soon as the truck passed.

here are some of the pictures of the damage...

road rash on his leg and chin...

the chipped canine tooth. notice the dark spot on the tooth. that is the exposed root. the reason the tooth had to come out.

look how docile and sad he looks. poor guy.

the vet cleaned up the road rash and a couple days later, the leg didn't seem to tender, but that chipped tooth was a problem. it fractured down beneath the gums and the root was exposed, which equals major possibility for infection! verdict was, the tooth had to come out. for those of you who know my dog, or boxers for that matter, they don't have a lot of teeth to begin with, and this was one of his 4 canine teeth. poor guy, has to loose one of the few teeth he has.

yesterday was the day. i dropped marley off at the vet at 7am, and didn't seem him until after 7pm. it was a loooong day, for both of us. i was a little teary dropping him off (he's my kid, give me a break!), and my sister picked him up because i had to work. she was nice enough to come by my work so i could see him and see that he was okay. he seemed fine. maybe a little drugged from the anesthesia, but for the most part, his same old self, minus a tooth.

here is an after pick of the tooth surgery...

notice the lack of a tooth there in his mouth. now the poor kid has only 3 of his canine teeth.

so all in all, he's still my boy, minus a tooth, and oh, about $700+! get dog insurance people, i highly recommend it! and now that i know he's going to survive, i want to give him a serious beating for being so naughty. i hope he learned his lesson not to run in the street, but sadly, i doubt it.

californ-i-a!

last week i took a week off of work and headed home to california for a visit. i hadn't been home since christmas and i was missing the beach so stinking much. i had an awesome time enjoying the sun (even though it was sooooo humid!), seeing friends and family, and just being on vacation. the beach is an awesome place and i truly love my hometown. i feel so lucky to have been raised there. but i must say, i don't miss living there. if anything, this trip home made me realize how much i love salt lake. i mean, it's gorgeous! we have it all, at least i think so. the mountains, lakes, the seasons, and the great outdoors in our backyard. i'm loving living here and i feel so grateful for the beauty that surrounds me.
a few pictures from the trip...
all the years i grew up in southern california, i never made it to dodger stadium...until now. dodgers vs. padres, dodgers won! it was a great time, and of course, great food.
...not to mention, a great view of an amazing sunset!
we went to lunch at this restaurant in newport and everytime i go there, there are hundreds of jellyfish in the water. it looks so cool!my future yacht in the background...maybe?

so now it's back to work, until i can plan the next trip! where to go, where to go???

back to school

I have always said Summer is my favorite season. i love the sun, the warmth, and all the things you can do with good weather like that. but in utah, the summers are so dang hot. i think Fall is quickly taking over as my favortie season. it's still warm and sunny, but much more bearable to be outside doing things. not to mention, the beautiful colors of leaves and the crisp air. man i can't wait for fall.

i also love it because of back to school time. i always enjoyed school and i think my favorite part was the back to school shopping. maybe i'm weird, but i love the smell of feshly sharpened pencils, and new school supplies. when i was a kid, i used to play "office" because i loved all the office supplies so much. i used to want to be a secretary when i grew up. the day "the container store" opened in my home town, was a good, good day.

someday i will go back to school, but for now, i am living vicariously through my niece and nephew. i get to take them to their first day of school this year. i am so stinkin excited to get them all dressed up and all their school supplies in their backpacks, and take them to school, take pictures of them at their desks. oh it's going to be so fun!

another favorite thing to do is decorate my house for the holidays. back to school time marks the beginning of the holiday season and i can't wait. i have a basement full of decorations that only get to be seen for a month out of the year.

yay fall!

worst blogger ever!

okay guys, i'm so sorry. i stink at this blogging thing! i have every intention of posting cute blogs about all the exciting things i do in life, but i have been unable to post as much as i want for 2 reasons.
1. i don't really do very many exciting things.
2. i don't have internet at home to post pictures with my blogs. and let's face it, half the fun of blogging is looking at all the pictures.
so here is my non new years "resolution". i am going to try my darndest to be more diligent at this blogging stuff. i enjoy reading everyone's blogs out there, so in return, i am going to try and give you all something worth while to read about.
so, here are the cliff's notes of my summer...
Bee's games. i LOVE baseball! summer just isn't complete without a couple trips to the ballpark, with friends, good weather, good games, and hot dogs. i was able to go to a couple bee's games this summer, and it was awesome. and let's not forget the great fireworks at the end of the game. fun stuff.
Mirror Lake. i took a couple trips up mirror lake highway and spent some time in the great outdoors. i LOVE camping, almost as much as baseball. but i wasn't able to stay overnight. but it was still great to be in the outdoors and enjoy nature. utah is such a beautiful state with so much to offer and i'm so grateful to live here. and there is still some summer left, so maybe i will get to go camping yet...
Vegas. I took a quick weekend trip to Vegas. Didn't really do much, but enjoy being out of town.
Seattle. I was able to get away for a few days to hang out with my mom and sister in seattle. i had been there once before, but it had been years. it was perfect weather and perfect timing for a vacation. we enjoyed the sun, the market, the views. everytime i go to the northwest, i just fall in love with it more and more.
Jack Johnson. Last night, my love, jack, came to town. he is perhaps my favorite artist, and i enjoy his concerts so much. he played at usana, and i couldn't have asked for a more perfect night. it was clear skies, a warm breeze, great music, and great friends and family all around. just lovely.
so there's the rundown. the last 2 months of my life condensed into a few short paragraphs. i will try to post some pictures of all these good times when i get internet at my house. and let's not forget my "resolution" to be a better blogger from now on.
next on the agenda...a trip home. finally! it is my mom's birthday coming up and i get to go home for a few days to help celebrate her fabulousness. i so look forward to seeing friends, family, and the BEACH! so there is just a taste of the exciting blogs to come.
until next time...