(the) jodi anne

Three little birds

2012-02-06T09:47:00.001-07:00

Sometimes leftover birthday balloons make excellent drawing boards for cute boys to explain how DNA works.

I'm totally an expert now.

No time for cameras

2012-01-23T11:53:00.000-07:00

Life lately:

I really have the best friends. I think I usually say that after I've had a hard time and have felt their support but that's not the case this time. I am just loving my friends and having so much fun in life.
My room is a disaster. I had such high hopes at the beginning of the year for organization. Right now I'm sitting so that I can't see the floor. It makes me feel better. I've gotten rid of a bunch of old clothes lately though and that is oddly cathartic.
I have a new journaling system that makes my heart happy and I can actually keep up with it.
My camera is broken and therefore my heart is broken too. Somehow the screen got smashed despite me keeping it in that protective case I accidentally stole from Rene Tate 6 years ago.
I am seeing some beauty in elitism (thank you LR) and yesterday joined several exclusive clubs. I am most excited for book club and breakfast club. Probably most excited about breakfast club because we're making shirts and I'm a fan of anything that involves shirts. Also this conversation happened:

R: We should start a super exclusive club. Just the two of us.
Me: What's the theme of our club?
R: It's about how we like each other.
Me: That's called a relationship Randy.

The last two weeks have started with a one am trip to the hospital cafe for foot long corn dogs and magic sodas. I hope this becomes a tradition. My new Cafe West favorite employee is Lydia who told me I could stand in front of the soda machine and try as many kinds of soda as I wanted.
I start ukulele lessons tomorrow. Super excited about that.

We'll use our eyes instead

2012-01-22T18:04:00.001-07:00

I think Liz Redd is one of the few people who will appreciate how happy I was to receive this birthday balloon.

Sitting on top of the world

2012-01-18T20:53:00.001-07:00

I will get this child to love me. Someday.

Yes sir I'm cut from a different cloth

2011-12-17T19:25:00.001-07:00

We're not the best chinchilla babysitters...

You better watch out...

2011-12-03T13:15:00.001-07:00

Ain't nobody who can comfort me

2011-11-15T01:26:00.000-07:00

Upon handing her medications to her with my left hand one of my girls said: Where's your ring? Aren't you married?
Me: No...
She: I thought you were married!
Me: No dear I am very, very single.
She: Well you should be married. I thought you were married! You look like someone who should be married!

Greetings loved ones...

2011-09-01T15:02:00.001-06:00

I am wearing a (thin) cardigan and I'm not hot! Few things could make me happier. I have a sudden urge to bake pumpkin flavored things. Bring on the fall.

I open my eyes

2011-08-30T10:20:00.001-06:00

I can't decide which is worse...

Sunday's horrible dream

Monday's fantastic dream that isn't happening.

Thoughts?

If I was a blade I'd shave you smooth

2011-08-27T16:11:00.001-06:00

I know you came to the internet today hoping to see a picture of my foot. I'm happy to provide one.

Tiny bubbles

2011-08-22T02:18:00.000-06:00

Maybe it's only funny to me.

Girl: Jodi! What do you do when you don't have any clean underwear?
Me:...laundry?

It's all uncharted

2011-08-01T13:16:00.000-06:00

So, once upon a time I made a list of 26 things I wanted to do this year. How about an update?

Read the Book of Mormon - I still need to work on this. Oops.
~~Do that one thing in that one place~~ - Done! Quite pleased with this one. It deserves a separate post.
~~Redesign the blog~~ - Done. I'm not terribly thrilled with the results but I also don't really care that much.
Sew at least 4 items of clothing - Yeah, I should start on that. Maybe some fall skirts?
~~Have my entire room completely clean at the same time~~ - I'm counting those three days in March when I cleaned for my mom and sister's visit.
Bake 104 things - Oh boy. Yeah, I started out strong on this but then certain things (people) distracted me. This won't be happening.
Take 4 hobby related classes - One down, three to go.
Take more pictures - This was a vague goal. Maybe I'm doing it?
Meet Kyle Beckerman - Still working on this one. Please let this happen.
Become a tourist in my own state - Slowly doing this. Not enough to call it good.
Host a party a month - Nope. Also not happening.
Learn to run - I sure think about this a lot. It can still happen.
Find a third lantern for that one corner in my room - Still looking.
Blog 10x a month - Ha.
Go camping - I'm making this happen in September.
Read one book per month - I would have to actually count but I think I'm close. Especially if I get to just count the total of books read instead of the month in which I read them.
Index 6,000 names - 350 down, 5650 to go. I actually feel okay about this one still considering I did all 350 of those names yesterday afternoon.
Sell something at the farmers market - Not yet.
Visit a new state - Not yet.
Make handmade lemonade - Not yet.
Check out Timp cave - Not yet. I should have gone with the girls last week.
Attend 5 concerts - Almost! I just counted four and I have several more lined up.
Spend at least a day working with Habitat for Humanity - Not yet.
Go to the Salt Flats - Nope
Go to another roller derby - Not yet. Soon?
Let my family know how much I love them - I don't know how to measure this. Maybe?

In summary, I haven't done much. The interesting thing to me is the things that have happened so far this year that I would have never imagined. I've learned so much and much of that learning has happened the hard way. That's all I have to say about that for now.

Make a brand new sound

2011-07-12T14:52:00.001-06:00

Today I'm grateful for beautiful canyons, beautiful weather and a day off. Plus a wonderful friend who suggested we utilize all of those things to have a leisurely afternoon of reading in the shade. Hooray for summer.

Woke up with a new tattoo...

2011-07-09T09:11:00.001-06:00

I would like to introduce you to someone special in my life. I'm kind of obsessed even after 3 years.

It's time to say goodbye to turning tables

2011-06-13T10:20:00.001-06:00

"I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming." -Goethe

I am the decisive element.

I think I wanna marry you

2011-03-14T11:26:00.001-06:00

Last night I had a dream wherein my wedding reception was held in a gas station that the groom's parents owned. We had it there because his parents thought everyone would enjoy picking out their "refreshments". Our receiving line was in front of the beer cooler because hey! we're Mormon so no one needed in there. I had no idea who the groom was.

Last weekend was my coworker's wedding reception. This weekend was 2 days of wedding celebration for my favorite cousin. Two of my roommates are engaged. I'm the maid of honor for a set of friends who are getting married in April. Several other friends are planning weddings all around me. I'm quite happy for everyone but if I keep having weird wedding dreams that happiness might fade pretty quickly.

Be careful what you do, don't go around breaking young girls' hearts

2011-03-14T01:54:00.001-06:00

If you follow college basketball at all you know who Jimmer Fredette is.
If you read my blog at all you know that I fall hard for aliens.
What you don't yet know is how these two things are related and why BYU owes me a thank you letter.
To enlighten you I would like to share a song written and performed by one of my work girls. (The homeless one for those who know.)

Havier is Not My Lover

Jimmer was a man

Wha was well loved in this town

He had a fancy car and he would drive it around

Jimmer was a star - a star in Basketball

Seemingly the man, yeah he seemed to have it all

But Jimmer actually had a secret that was bad

it was so crazy-mad

the secret that he had

OH! Jimmer is in love with Jodi Leynse.

He's an alien in disguise

Jimmer's in love with Jodi Leynse

His whole life is full of lies

Havier is not my lover!

It's really Jimmer, yeah.

Havier is not my lover!

It's really Jimmer, yeah.

People, this song is GOOD.

Cooking raw with the Brooklyn boy

2011-03-01T17:35:00.000-07:00

So, I went on the work snow mobile trip again this year and learned a very important lesson that I wish to impart to any soul so lucky as to read this blog. May my experience be a lesson to all.

Ahem.

If you happen to embark on a weekend trip to a cabin surrounded by at least four feet of snow and then upon entering your cabin find that in a basement window well two skunks have become stuck by said snow I plead with you to follow your initial instinct to call animal services. By all means do not send two clients and an intern to dig out the snow, remove the grate and place a board to act as a ramp from the window well to save the skunks. This will undoubtedly anger the skunks because they lack the higher brain functioning that would allow them to know you are there to help and not harm them. Even if the skunks do not spray your clients and the intern they WILL still spray. You will then realize just how non-airtight the window wells of older cabins are as every item you brought with you will soak in the stench despite locating your belongings as far away in the cabin as it is physically possible to locate them. This might induce headaches, fuzzy thinking or at least a strong desire to ultimate punch every skunk in the world. In any case it is helpful to note that the laundromat by Cafe Rio has free dryers until 3pm because you will want to wash out your sleeping bags. And your pillow. And anything else remotely porous*.

You are welcome.

*You will be surprised to find out how many of your belongings are porous.

A kick in the teeth is good for some

2011-02-06T11:04:00.001-07:00

This is an old picture from last season but I would appreciate if you noticed that #5, Kyle Beckerman, is not wearing any shin guards. One of the many reasons he's so dreamy and meeting him is on my list of things to do this year. I love Real Salt Lake. My dear friend Dirrty, author of this blog, bought season tickets and I'm planning on tagging along quite often. I can't wait for the season to begin!

#2 - Vanilla Cupcakes with Pear Frosting

2011-02-05T12:34:00.002-07:00

Here we see #2 of 104 bakings I will attempt this year. Yes I know bakings isn't a word but I really think it should be.
These are vanilla cupcakes with pear frosting. Not much to say about these, they're just simple and delightful. It was my first time using flavored oils in a frosting. The label said the oils were quite strong so I went pretty easy and probably could have used a little more.

The blue shell is coming so I'll go ahead

2011-01-14T10:37:00.002-07:00

You can tell it's Friday because the two things I came here to post are both of questionable quality.

First? One of the best texts (I feel) I've ever written.

After a friend suggests I call in sick to work to watch a movie I respond:
"I wish I could but since my people have turned what was a mere creek of trouble into a full blown river of feces I, as supervisor, get to captain our paddle-less vessel tonight."

Perhaps it was funny to me since a certain Garth Brooks song popped into my head? I don't know. Clearly I'm looking forward to work tonight.

Secondly I have this video to share with you. It's a thing of beauty.

#1 - Pineapple Upside Down Cake

2011-01-11T12:14:00.004-07:00

Well, I've started. Saying I would bake 104 things this year has both seemed like a daunting challenge and then a underachieving goal. I realize that I'm crazy. Once I started trying to choose what to actually begin baking for my goal so many things looked good. So many that I thought I was going to end up baking 4 things last weekend. Luckily for my behind I only ended up baking two things, the first of which was this pineapple upside down cake. I was especially excited because I got to use several of my Christmas gifts in the process. (Look mom! They're not just gathering dust!)

Anyway, about the cake. I used a recipe from one of my favorite Food Network dudes, Alton Brown. It was tasty but the very center of the side without pineapple was kinda dry but apparently not dry enough to keep my coworkers from scarfing it down. Another plus? My apartment smelled like the caramelized dark brown sugar for a few days.

Mmmm.
Would I bake it again? Sure, but I would make a few adjustments so it isn't so dry on the cake side.

I’ve got a rocket, you’re going on it

2011-01-10T13:00:00.001-07:00

Dear Seven People Who Read my Blog,

I have a special treat for you today! I would like to present to you a story written by one of my girls, typos included. Consider yourself lucky.

Love,
Jodi

The Ultimate Space Search

There were three girls named Jodi, Brittany and Rachel. They were about to go off in the ultimate space search for the ultimate burrito. Finally, the day came and they blasted off. Brittany and Rachel were very excited and ready to explore looking for ingredients. Jodi on the other hand had more on her mind. She was growing old and was ready to settle down and make mini-mormons.

"Oh well, " she thought, "how could I manage a relationship wile in search for the ultimate burrito?"

She decided to not tell her BFF's, Brittany and Rachel, because she didn't want them distracted. First, they blasted out of the galaxy and headed for a yellowish planet to the right. They arrived to the planet and discovered it was full of Jewish chinchillas. They headed toward the main one who was sitting on a throne.

"Squeak, squeakers," he spoke.

"Oh no!" said Rachel, "we don't speak chinchilla!"

"I do! Don't worry, I'll translate," said Brittany. Brittany chit-chatted a bit with the king chinchilla and discovered his name was Joseph Smith. Brittany discovered that they make a special cheese on the planet. Eager to find it she scurried after Smith who wanted to give her a tour. Brittany first told Rachel and Jodi to just entertain themselves. As soon as they were alone an English speaking chinchilla came up to them and said, "You've fell into our trap," and whistled. Rachel and Jodi got very scared, and before they knew it they were surrounded by chinchillas. They started to attack and repeated the phrase "all hail Sean Kingston".

"This is so un-Mormon" Jodi yelled as she flung a chinchilla off her leg.

"Mormon? We aren't Mormon. Were wicken and obey our leader Sean Kingston!" Suddenly a blue space ship swung down and grabbed Rachel and Jodi. To there suprise Brittany was in there too sitting with two large blue aliens!

"Those chinchillas were evil! Thank God were saved, Oh! This is Havier and Cliff," said Brittany. Brittany had already explained there situation to Havier and Cliff. They had told her no one had ever survived the search for the ultimate burrito. Jodi found Cliff, and Havier especially attractive. She didn't know why but she kept finding herself strangely staring at Haviers beauty. He finally asked to give her a tour of the ship. Jodi nodded yes.

"Jodi," Havier said as they waslked off, "You are such an amazing Mormon! You're always showing you're inner Mormon. I love you!"

"Oh Havier! We need to have you come back to Utah, I love you too!" yelled Jodi.

They ran back to tell Cliff, Brittany and Rachel of there plans and headed back to earth. The girls got there old jobs back, and Havier became 4^th staff. A few months passed and Jodi and Havier got married. They had found true Mormon love and lived happily ever after.

Later I'll delight you with a picture of Havier the girls made for me.

I know the heart of life is good

2011-01-08T10:57:00.001-07:00

Quote of the day:

Girl: I've been here almost two years!
Me: Oh yeah?
Girl: Yeah! It will be two years in August!

The 26 List

2011-01-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

Last year I never got around to making any specific goals and therefore never really accomplished anything major that I would have like to accomplish. This year, in an effort to do more, I've complied a list of 26 things I want to do before I turn 27. I've got a year and two weeks to get all of this done and I totally think it's possible.

Read the Book of Mormon
Do that one thing in that one place
Redesign the blog
Sew at least 4 items of clothing
Have my entire room completely clean at the same time
Bake 104 things
Take 4 hobby related classes
Take more pictures
Meet Kyle Beckerman
Become a tourist in my own state
Host a party a month
Learn to run
Find a third lantern for that one corner in my room
Blog 10x a month
Go camping
Read one book per month
Index 6,000 names
Sell something at the farmers market
Visit a new state
Make handmade lemonade
Check out Timp cave
Attend 5 concerts
Spend at least a day working with Habitat for Humanity
Go to the Salt Flats
Go to another roller derby
Let my family know how much I love them

I'm too excited to be creative with a title for this post

2010-11-21T20:12:00.003-07:00

PEOPLE WHO READ MY BLOG! (All two of you...) I'm now super famous and in a commercial. This soccer season I fell in love with Real Salt Lake. For what would end up being the last playoff game we went all out with with face paints and the like. See if you can find me! My friend Dustin is the guy yelling at the very end. I painted his face.

I wanted love, I needed love

2010-10-04T23:23:00.000-06:00

I feel like it is finally safe to post these. For about a month someone was trying to sell my truck.

The first time it was a funny joke.
The second time (a thousand dollars less asking price) not as funny.
The third time not funny at all.

Every time I would wash my windows someone would come back the next day and my truck (complete with terrible grammar) was for sale again. These are pictures of the second time it was for sale. The third time was the worst especially when I got stuck in traffic on my way to work and had 5 phone calls, 3 texts and 1 man follow me to the parking lot at work.

It would have been funnier if it happened to someone else. Actually, someone wrote on Danny's car something to the effect of "Lonely "cougars" call ______" and "Baby maker" and that was hilarious.

Moral of the story is: if you're looking for a good prank, put someone's car for sale using window paint. But not mine. That's been done before.

I cannot text you with a drink in my hand, eh?

2010-10-03T22:33:00.003-06:00

Texts worth remembering:

Oh Miss Jodi. What have you gotten me into.
Logical. Motivational. Inspirational. I like it!
They give me awkward anxiety.
I was made to understand there were grilled cheese sandwiches here.
She hase a tummy ack.
I do have a tumy ack!
Kid in class today said, "men are anal(ly?) dependent on their mothers." Professor said, "gross."
I have become Scott's Jodi for the evening. I have a feeling I'm going to want to kill him by the end of the night.
You have just filled my soul with a strange combination of rage, envy, love and admiration.
Oh yes your mother does know how to text! You may think yo momma stupid but she not! (From my mother of course)
It's like the cereal Special K!
I see. So Gunther is then the obvious choice.
Word of the night: Insected. Meaning felt like an insect.
I just discovered a sleeping spell in ____'s stuff. She wrote it down.
So ______ says she is completely torn between Mormonism and being a Wicken. Three cheers for magic powers!

And, to conclude, a picture I sent myself from the work phone to my own phone of the two Emu's I had to herd back to their home using just my body:

Thunder and lightening, very very frightening

2010-10-02T23:48:00.003-06:00

I almost didn't make it today. On day two. Oops. I have a headache now, probably from the high bun I've been working all day (an AZN bun to you Piz). Was your day as delightful as mine today? If I could just take out the 45 minutes I was on the phone with Comcast it would have been near perfect. As is tradition I had a conference breakfast with friends, watched both sessions and then during the priesthood session of conference some great ladies and I went up the canyon to toast a few marshmallows and starburts. I'm just going to say that I believe we got the fire started more efficiently without any boys there.

I'm in the war of my life, at the door of my life

2010-10-01T10:37:00.004-06:00

Today is such a glorious day, no?

Today is Friday!
Today is October!
Today is the kick off to General Conference weekend!

To celebrate October (an Oktoberfest of sorts...except not) I am going to post every day. Seriously.

Happy Friday/October/kick off to GC! I recommend you celebrate by watching this:

I don't tell anyone about the way you hold my hand

2010-09-17T12:24:00.001-06:00

Just a friendly reminder as you head into the weekend:

These days it comes and goes

2010-08-24T12:26:00.003-06:00

ALSO!

One week from today I will be mere feet away from this man:

Couldn't be happier about that!

Italian spaghetti, singing falsetto

2010-08-24T12:10:00.003-06:00

What a difference a week makes!

My room is still somewhat of a disaster but I did get rid of that extra stuff and felt like I was being charitable while doing it. Bonus! Extra double score bonus: I have awesome roommates. I still am in that awkward space in time where I feel like I'm sneaking around someone's apartment but that feeling is gradually fading.

Some people still suck but that's a given with life. Some boys (some) are brainless but I am trying to remember that so I'm not as affected by them in the moment. Easier said than done sometimes.

Best of all though is that work did not destroy my will to live! (As evidenced by...) I was actually somewhat shocked to realize how much I missed working. I was tackled as I came in through the door by a few girls and I'm guessing there are few people in this world who don't like the feeling that someone missed them and is excited to see them. The camping trip was fantastic. There was some extreme sleep deprivation but the trip definitely exceeded my expectations in many ways. The best part of the best part is that I got PROMOTED! I've been anxious about this for a while and it is such a relief to have that anxiety resolved. Hooray for that.

If you're reading this you're very likely one of my friends. Thank you for your support. I sure do love you people.

Math, science, history, unraveling the mysteries

2010-08-16T10:50:00.004-06:00

I returned from my yearly adventure in the great state of Wisconsin last night. The trip was fantastic and included camel riding, chocolate covered bacon eating, card playing, a little family history-ing, hairnet wearing and general family merriment-ing.

I did not eat any bratwursts however and this might mean the trip was incomplete.

It's possible I had a small breakdown at the airport when parting ways with my mom and sister. I'm not really ready to be back and involved in normal life. I just moved and my room is not quite a complete disaster but needs a whole lot of unpacking and organizing. When I walked into my room last night I found that my previous roommates had dropped off any unclaimed items in what little empty floor space I had before my trip. I had to move out a few days before them to go to Wisconsin and so they left everything in my room. 98% of those things were not mine and now I get to take them to DI and the Utah Food Bank.

I don't want to deal with people and their drama. Somehow that didn't just disappear while I was in the land of cheese.

This week at work could potentially destroy my will to live. Between today and next Sunday I'll clock at least 72 hours of working time and 48 of those will be spent on a camping trip I still need to prepare for.

At the pleading of my mother I've sort of taken this morning "off" and forced myself to have a relaxed/lazy day. This is harder than I thought it would be. Every so often I have an anxious moment where I realize how much there is to be done. It doesn't help that I'm sitting on my bed and can't help but see the mountains of things to be unpacked. But I'm trying. And by that I mean in a few minutes I'll shower and go into work early to help get some things ready for the camping trip. That counts as relaxing right? Right? Oh well.

Neanderthals developed tools

2010-07-30T12:34:00.004-06:00

Hello! I kind of suck at blogging lately. No need to carry on about that though. I decided I'm going to try this 5 Question Friday thing I found. (You should do it too!) This might work or, knowing me, this could be the only week it happens. We'll see kids!

1. Did you have a favorite blanket or toy as a kid? If so, do you still have it?

I had Mousie. Mousie was a giant stuffed mouse who (if I am recalling correctly) wore a plaid dress. A few years ago we found Mousie while sorting through some old stuff. Mom showed me where she had reattached several of Mousie's body parts over the years. I'm keeping Mousie (stored away) to hopefully show my progeny.

2. Do you dream in color?
I'm going to say yes. I am not sure I've really noticed but I think if my dreams were black and white I would have noticed that. When I woke up on Wednesday I had just dreamed about going to the gym. This made it hard to get up and actually go to the gym. Too bad dream workouts don't count.

3. How tall are you? Do you wish you were shorter or taller?
I am officially 5'7" and YES I do wish I was a little taller. I'm actually a little angry about that. My dad was very tall and while growing up the Dr. always told me that according to the growth charts I was going to be 5'9". In high school I hit 5'7" and just stopped. I feel somewhat robbed of my deserved height. I also have diagnosed myself with Body Dismorphic Disorder because when I meet guys who are around 6' I think I'm just a little bit shorter than them. A guy I dated for a while sometimes called me "shorty". Clearly that relationship worked out...

4. If you could have anyone's (celeb or other) voice as the guide on your GPS, who would it be?
Absolutely without a doubt Morgan Freeman. I think he has the most wonderful voice of any human being. I don't really care about penguins but I would put on March of the Penguins, lay on the floor and just listen to Morgan Freeman. Mmmm. Is it any wonder he played God in Bruce Almighty and Evan Almighty? No.

5. Do you return your shopping cart to the corral or leave it wherever in the parking lot?
I should probably utilize carts more. I have this problem where I go into the store thinking that because I only need a few things I'll just carry them in my arms or, if I know I need several things, I get a basket. This always starts out fine but before long I've amassed too many items to make either of these methods effective ways of carrying my items to be purchased. I almost always drop things. Anyway, carts... I should use them more. I would say I put them back in the corral about 95.7% of the time.

The smell of wine and cheap perfume

2010-07-10T12:03:00.002-06:00

I'm choosing Midnight Train.

(Stolen from Reyna)

Ole! Ole ole ole! Real! Salt Lake!

2010-06-16T11:31:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I went to my first (meaning it won't be the last) Real Salt Lake game. I had forgotten how much I love soccer and being at the game made it all the more exciting. The crowd at the Real game was CRAZY. Now we've been watching the World Cup and I'm loving that even more. I'm absolutely cheering for the US and the Netherlands (it's possible my car is decorated in orange paint declaring my love for the Nehterlands. Dutch people are awesome.) and I'm dying to get my very on vuvuzela. Anyway...

It was a fun day with this crazy cast of characters:

Plus cousin Derek was in town. Bonus!

Oh Dirrty Dutch...

We may have really loved the naughty cheers from the fans in front of us.

Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very frightening

2010-06-10T13:28:00.000-06:00

Dear Provo friends,

Have any of you been to SLABpizza yet? It is tasty tasty. Normally the SLABs aren't sliced into thirds but the roommates and I were indecisive so we shared. This particular day we tried the rosemary potato and bacon, the Thai chicken, and the fennel sausage and chivre. We've tried a few other kinds since and haven't been disappointed. I think the rosemary potato and bacon is my favorite.

You should go and eat.

You should also follow them on Twitter and Facebook. Why? Because they give a free traditional pizza away daily on their Twitter and a premium pizza away weekly on their Facebook page.

You can thank me buy treating me to a SLAB anytime.

Love,
Jodi

Swindle

2010-06-06T08:02:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday in church Bishop talked with us about the dangers of pornography and encouraged us to evaluate the things in our individual apartments to see if we felt we should change anything.

Since we're kinda dorky we "fixed" this picture of our friend Swindle. I don't think he's ever looked better.

Your body is a wonderland

2010-06-03T09:24:00.000-06:00

My small friend Corinne shared this wedding invite with me and I can't keep it to myself. I blurred out the names of the people but they probably don't deserve it.

PLEASE share your thoughts.

Shot through the heart and you're to blame

2010-06-02T14:30:00.000-06:00

Last Thursday I went shooting with these people:

We shot at these things that we found in the wild (and a few of our own that be brought):

It was a lovely day...

(That tiny one closest to the center? Mine!)

...until Jeron showed us how he likes to pretend to be a terrorist when he plays airsoft. (I'm not joking.) He showed us how to tie a head wrap and then demonstrated how he "plays terrorist". Then we went home. No one was willing to stay after that.

I was born in the arms of imaginary friends

2010-06-01T16:47:00.001-06:00

Well, I guess I get what I ask for. I lamented not having pictures of anything fun and now I've got about 11 picture laden posts lined up. Let's start with the best thing that has happened to me in awhile.

Before:

After:I've been needing a haircut for longer than I'm comfortable admitting and I'm practically in LOVE with the girl who cut it. She was hilarious and really talented. The best part? I got lessons on how to do my hair the right way. That sounds a little silly to say but it has made a huge difference. If you need a new hair person let me know and I'll hook you up.

We can dress real neat from our hats to our feet

2010-05-28T10:41:00.000-06:00

Have you ever eaten a cupcake from Mini's Cupcakes in Salt Lake? (Also located in Sugarhouse) They're baked from scratch using local ingredients, delicious and almost too beautiful to eat.

The "Breakfast at Tiffany's" cupcake. Mmmm...

It also helps that a gorgeous man works at their Salt Lake location. I think when I open my bakery someday I'll try to include a gorgeous man. Maybe even two.

In this maze you can lose your way

2010-05-17T01:53:00.004-06:00

Random thoughts collected:

Saturday I went from a tea party straight to a roller derby. Can you have a more radical change than that?
I now want to be in a roller derby. I'm working on figuring out my derby name.
If I'm wearing sweatpants around you it's because I like you. So, to everyone who came over to my apartment Sunday night, I like you.
I've had my favorite pair of sweats since my junior year of high school. That's a long time ago.
The warmer weather has done a sneaky thing to my laundry basket. I think because the clothing required is less bulky I thought the laundry didn't need to be done yet. My underwear drawer would disagree.
My friend Heather is going to Fiji very soon. Sounds like a fancy vacation right? It's not. She's going for the purpose of doing lots of service. Check out her Fiji blog here and maybe toss a few bucks her way.
My friend Dustin is writing an educational blog on How to Marry a Tool. He's verbose but also intelligent and hilarious. Check it out, I recommend starting at the beginning. (ML, here's something new for you to do at work.)
I need to get back in the mode of taking pictures. We do fun things around here I just don't happen to take pictures of them lately.
That's pretty much it.

I've got a rocket

2010-05-15T11:37:00.003-06:00

It's been a while since I posted any work quotes. Last night offered several good ones that kept me laughing.

While doing an obstacle course:
Girl 1 (blindfolded): How close are we?
Girl 2: We're about 85% of the way there so we've got about 25% left to go.

More obstacle coursing:
Girl 2: Put your feet in front of where your legs are.

While watching a documentary called 30 Days:
Girl 3: Day 25. So, 7 days left.

(On a different note 30 Days is a documentary by Morgan Spurlock who also made Super Size Me. In this one he and his fiance decide to see what its like to live making minimum wage and living under the poverty line. I thought it was very interesting and a good reminder of how blessed I've been in life and how some things could be changed to better help people rise out of poverty. It's worth a watch if you happen to find it.)

I'm still, I'm still an animal

2010-05-14T10:30:00.002-06:00

I had my first bidet experience yesterday. I found it to be quite... refreshing. Also, the seat was heated and that was very pleasant.

All other bathroom experiences now seem inferior.

From this bidet experience came a wonderful "that's what she said" moment from coworker/friend Ashley: I had to wiggle around, it wasn't hitting me in the right spot.

(no photos. you're welcome.)

I can't stop loving you

2010-04-19T10:50:00.002-06:00

I strongly believe Mondays would be more bearable if they all included John Mayer tickets.

On August 31st this is where I'll be: (Note the little star.)Here's a closer look of where we'll be sitting:

And here's a better idea of what will actually occur on the night of August 31st:

Perhaps I'll be making a paper chain. I'm excited.

Nothing standing in my way...

2010-04-16T15:15:00.001-06:00

About a month ago I went snowmobiling for the first time. I have lots of pictures of (mostly) happy little girls that I can't show you. The trip was a success but my snowmobiling needs a little work. Out of 2 rides I got stuck 1.5 times. Unless you count when I cruised around the parking lot. That ride was flawless.

I also learned a group "ice skating" routine that has yet to be seen by the public. It's good to know I've got that available if I'm ever called on to suddenly perform.

There's a reason strong moves slow

2010-04-15T14:53:00.002-06:00

Festival of Colors

In 2008 we stayed far away from the mosh pit craziness.
In 2009 we were in and out of the madness so fast the only pictures I got were in the car.
2010 brought possibly the worst parking experience but the most fun I've ever had at the festival despite being kicked in the head by a crowd surfer.

Before:

After:(Dan W, Zach, Mike, Josh, Becca, Leah, Chuck, Chala, Danny M, Brandon, Lisa, Christine and me!)

All the fun we had in between:

Danny's face changed colors about 8 times.
(I'm just now realizing that these three were all my doing. Oops? :) )

Leah and I are pretty cute.
Sometimes we couldn't breathe.
The boys protected us in the mosh pit.
Before the throwing actually started we had to sit down for some reason but there wasn't really room so we made a giant spoon.
Chuck was there.
Roommates!

I'm led to believe that the Festival of Colors never disappoints.
Also let's just say that a certain part of my body was dyed for about a week despite my exfoliating efforts.

Don't hold your love over my head

2010-04-08T14:23:00.004-06:00

Blog reading friends, I've wanted to tell you the story of my April Fool's day but the task of typing it all up in some clever form seemed daunting. Today though Melissa needed a story so I told her the April Fool's story and figured I would just copy and paste it here for you to read as well. It is also important to note that later in the story I mention opening the shower door to talk to my roommate. I am not a creeper, please remember this. My apartment is unique in that my roommate and I share a shower that opens into each of our rooms. When Heather and I lived together we would occasionally open the shower doors and chat while we did our own thing in our individual rooms. It's odd to have showers like this, I'm well aware, but this fact seemed essential to me not looking creepy. Thank you.

Melissa

Dearest Jodi

I need some entertainment

tell me a funny story

ready

Jodi

do you know about Scott pranking me?

Melissa

um...

only a little

I do need the whole story

Jodi

I don't know when I told you a little. I still want to kill him a little. Or a lot. Anyway..,

Last Wed I worked 9a-12p and when I came home I was tired. And I needed to pee.

So, as I enter my room bee-lining for the bathroom I note that the things in my windowsill are askew.

This concerns me but not as much as my desire to relieve myself does. So I use the toilet and wash my hands.

Because I'm the kind of person who washes their hands even when no one is looking

Melissa

me too

Jodi

(I just remembered when I told you about the prank...)

Melissa

well done

Jodi

Thank you.

But, as I go to dry my hands on my beloved hand towel I find that it is SOPPING wet.

Melissa

uh oh...

Jodi

With peeing out of the way I can start to really worry. I look closer at the window and find that not only is stuff moved around a little but there is what looks like a muddy foot print too.

To exhaust all other options I decide to ask my roommates if they opened the window for some reason. Perhaps there was a repair man for something that needed to use my window? Maybe something was leaking? Maybe they needed my towel for some reason?

I knock on Rachel's door because she is the most obviously awake. She says she doesn't know anything about the window. Right then Chala comes home and I ask her as well. She seems tired/pissed and a little evasive but not enough to send up a giant red flag. Just a tiny tiny red flag.

Christine's TV had been on moments before and was now off but I figured she wasn't asleep yet so I knocked. She not only doesn't know what happened but is very concerned for me and comes in to help investigate.

I'm kinda freaking out at this point. A. I'm super tired. B. Someone had to have broken into my apartment right?

So I spend a great deal of time being freaked out but wondering why all valuables are still intact and nothing else seems to be touched. Then, and I still can't remember why, I open the shower doors to say something to Rachel through the shower.

As I do I'm met by a trap of water balloons. Only one breaks outside the shower, a few break inside the shower and a few are unbroken.

Melissa

oooooh.....

Jodi

So Rachel starts laughing and admits that when she came home earlier in the day she found a tall man hiding in her room. When she asked him what he was doing there he said he was pulling an April Fool's prank on me.

Through some research (opening the ward directory) we determine that "tall man" is Scott. I'm immediately furious and cracking up a the same time.

I take one of the smaller unbroken balloons and throw it at his bedroom window which of course does nothing.

I had to have revenge and it had to happen that night. I decide I will tie Scott in his room so when he wakes up in the morning he can't get out.

As I am preparing my rope and scissors and attitude of vengeance I hear Rachel and Christine talking and Christine telling Rachel that she really should tell me about something.

I calmly (this is a lie) demand to know what they are talking about and Rachel informs me that there is dye in the shower head. The thing about Wednesday night is that I didn't get off work until midnight and the next day I have a conference up in the mountains and I have to meet my carpool people at 6:50 am.

I take a moment and consider what would have happened had I showered early in the morning and been covered in dye. I believe it would have involved a complete emotional breakdown.

Melissa

These are the reasons I hate April Fool's Day

I would not have handled this well

Jodi

Yeah...

I was pretty furious.

It was a little funny too but I was pretty angry. And I was so worked up that I wouldn't have been able to sleep right away then anyway.

So I take my rope and scissors and force Christine to come with me to Scott's apartment (which I discovered was unlocked when I had gone to throw the balloon). Christine didn't want to come but I was worried someone would wake up and I thought it would be far less creepy to find two girls in the hallway rather than just one.

Christine brings a large water balloon that didn't pop in my shower and we put it in their fridge so it will fall when they open it.

I first tie the front two rooms together and cut the rope. Then as I try to tie the back two rooms together I find out my rope is maybe three inches too short. This makes me very happy since I had plenty of rope at home and could have had enough had I been a little smarter. But whatever. So I tie the back two rooms together only I have to be really careful because it's harder to tie the rope without the extra part on the end plus, Cook is awake and I have to be extra quiet.

Melissa

daring

as soon as i realized someone was awake I would have left

if I even made it that far..

Jodi

Well I'm so mad that I can't let it go. Something has to be done.

So I take the smaller rope and tie Quintin's door to the pantry door. The only problem being that Quintin isn't home. I know he's at Molly's and I just hope he spends the whole night there.

I'm so tired at this point. It's almost 2 am and I have to get up between 5:30 and 6. As I get home Quintin texts me and just says "Funny."

I make it clear to him that my beef is with Scott and I ask for his help keeping Scott in his room to which he agrees.

The next morning Scott calls me at 8

He tells me he knows I tied him in his room because I mentioned that I was considering doing the same to Quintin. I tell him I don't care if he knows it was me because I wasn't trying to keep a secret or prank him, I was only trying to get him back for what he had done to me. He lies and says he doesn't know what I'm talking about and OH! suddenly he's made it to class and has to go.

He continues to lie to me throughout the day via text message. So ridiculous.

I was at the conference for 14 hours on 2.5 hours of sleep and I was not having any of it.

So that's pretty much it. I called him out but not directly on Friday night by going to his apartment and telling Cook I had a story to tell him. I told him everything that had happened and Scott kept jumping in and making comments but I would shush him and keep going. He then tried to announce that we were now in a prank war and tried to lay out the ground rules for the war.

Melissa

whatever

Jodi

Which is totally not how that's supposed to happen. Fool. I told him, and I still believe, he doesn't know what he's getting himself into by messing with me. I'm a mastermind.

Melissa

So what's your next step?

Jodi

I'm not sure.

He tried telling me that he gets to strike next since I struck last.

THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS!

Melissa

yeah

that's not how it works

he obviously does not know how this prank thing works

Jodi

Also, let it be known that Chala was the one who let him in and he never actually came through the window. That was all planted to make it look like he had.

His whole plan was for no one but Chala to know and he did the window to cover for that part.

He is clever but not so smart.

Melissa

True

I work til I ache in my bones...

2010-03-20T00:40:00.002-06:00

Tonight at work a girl did some "Reiki"* healing on my feet. She felt around, did some hovering and gave me my diagnosis:

I need a boyfriend.

While I may not agree with her methods, the diagnosis cannot be denied.

(Also, let it be known that I use quotations for Reiki because she really had no clue what she was doing. At all. She told me my solar plexus was in my foot. False.)

I was born in the arms of imaginary friends

2010-03-18T23:31:00.002-06:00

In the spirit of March Madness...

(via Indexed)

Please note that vampires didn't even make it to the final four.

Oh, what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green?

2010-03-15T13:00:00.000-06:00

My friend Josh and I were talking last night, after my Pi Day party, about how we would like to be more social. Well, he was really expressing that he wanted to put more effort into being more social, I am maybe a little too social. Nah, that's not possible. Anyway, Josh suggested that this summer we create a "Fun Squad". A group of people who do something fun every week. We started brainstorming and coming up with things we could do and I grabbed a pen and paper to keep track. We quickly came up with more than enough things to do to fill the summer. Many things I can't imagine doing only once. Now I'm very anxiously awaiting warmer weather to get started on conquering the list.

Josh also laid out the rules for the Fun Squad:

Have fun.
No whining.

Here's what we came up with:

Baseball games
Bonfires
Roller derby
Demolition derbies
Various local city festivals including but not limited to Strawberry Days
Llama Fest
Outdoor movies at the Scera
Visiting the Storytelling Festival
Free concerts at the Gallivan Center
Jazz Fest
Tubing the river
Lazer Tag
Chinese wish lanterns
Visiting "the bottomless pit"
Fire breathing
Attending some sort of crazy convention. Trekies perhaps?
Tulip festival
Plein air event at Thanksgiving Point
Rodeos
Drive in movie
Rafting trip to Idaho or Colorado. Or both.
Riding horses
Kites
Recreating a George Forman BBQ/Rockband/Mixed drink party we once had

Do you have any other ideas for us?
Want to join us?

I feel you in my knees

2010-03-01T22:42:00.003-07:00

Hello March!

I'm very happy to see you. You see, February was not the best month ever. Not even close. So I'm looking forward to enjoying you, March. You already look very promising with a snowmobiling trip, the Festival of Colors, several birthdays, two weddings and the third annual Pi Night. Plus I need to use you to prepare my presentation for the conference. (Eek!) I'm also looking forward to your warmer temperatures and less bulky clothing.

You really couldn't have come at a better time.

Good riddance, February!

If you don't scrub that kitchen floor, you ain't gonna rock and roll no more

2010-02-27T13:40:00.005-07:00

A cautionary tale (mostly to myself):

So, today I decided to (try to) do something nice. You see, my roommates are great people but aren't so great at doing the dishes and keeping things clean. I thought that perhaps if I cleaned the whole kitchen and we had a small roommate meeting that then, maybe, it would be like a fresh start. Perhaps people would feel more inclined to keep things clean if they started out clean.

I did all the dishes. That was fine.
I emptied the trash. That was also fine.
I put away stray appliances.
I wiped down the toaster and other things that would remain on the counter.
I wiped down the counters. All fine.

Then I notice that the side of the stove could use a little wipe down and I figure it probably hasn't been swept under in a while so I decide to pull it out. I also lift up the top of the stove to clean under the burners. (I didn't know that people didn't know you could do that...) NOT fine. Apparently no one has pulled the stove out in several years. There is mold from some sort of water damage, lots of cereal, a pizza pan and a whole lot of dust. Oh, and one of those sponge things you put in water that grows into a surprise shape, this one is a dinosaur. I nearly vomited. Under the top of the stove there is some sort of goo that would explain why the kitchen stinks anytime I try to cook.

I also thought it would be a good idea to pull out the refrigerator and clean under and behind it. There are about 37 boxes of cereal on top of our refrigerator plus a few bottles of soda left over from random parties. As I'm moving the refrigerator a bottle of Coke falls and is impaled on the grate on the back of the refrigerator. Immediately soda is everywhere.

I've mopped up the soda from the floor, wall and refrigerator and I am now waiting for that to dry so I can do the actual mopping. I started this project almost two hours ago and the end is still a far way off.

I write this not to complain but to remind myself that next time I'm feeling the urge to be nice maybe I should turn and run in the opposite direction. Also, feel free to come over anytime. The kitchen will be very clean!

Tick tock, you're not a clock

2010-02-11T22:30:00.003-07:00

Not much explanation needed.

1 phone book.

2 phone books.

3 phone books.

Uh, me.

A truck.

Maybe in the future you're gonna come back

2010-02-08T01:34:00.003-07:00

Maybe I have a new fish and he's still alive!

Maybe I don't know what to name him.

Maybe I can't really talk about him publicly yet because....

Maybe I got him at the same time I got 20 feeder fish which I...

Maybe put in a certain someone's bathtub and

Maybe he hasn't figured out it was me yet.

Maybe I am okay with not getting credit but most likely I'm

Maybe not so okay with that, which is why

Maybe I'm plotting a 2nd prank.

Maybe I would welcome your suggestions.

Just maybe.

Blame it all on my roots, I showed up in boots

2010-02-01T11:15:00.004-07:00

I went to Idaho this weekend and had a great time. There will be a more legit, wordy post with pictures soon but I wanted to throw together a list of things I don't want to forget so I wouldn't...forget them. It's okay if they make no sense to you, they make my heart happy.

Druve
Ring, ring, ring... banana phone!
Scary rabbits
"This isn't fun."
Riding the bull
"Olives offend me."
"I too like to experiment with shake flavors!" and the subsequent "I too____" statements.
The lemon shake
Gas station burritos
Coconut M&Ms
The parade
Almost falling off the float and being called out via loudspeaker
Wet suits and cowboy boots
Meaningful converstation
The communal yurt dressing room
Kicking some serious ass at Mario Kart
Becoming a "pro" wii bowler and the resulting shoulder ache
Myth Busters
Plenty of rafting stories
"Is that baaaaaad?"
Kind people
Teva and Hurley
Spiderman and Wolverine
The "bad guy". Also, being woken up by "the bad guy is sleeping!"
Stoner tacos
Garth and Jonas
"You don't get on Spiderman!"
Legit. Absolutely.
"Do you give back rubs?"

Halloween. Part 3 of 3

2010-01-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

This post is very overdue, like many things in my life. Ahem.

I was looking back at old posts and realized I never posted the third Halloween installment which is, in my opinion, the pièce de résistance. My roommates and I threw a pretty awesome party. The many hours of planning and preparing were totally worth it. The following is a small sample of many pictures taken.

Milk and taco.

Wonder woman and a two faced something?

Now a greek pita.

Pimp.

Indy.

Otter pops.

Wesley.

Owl.

Zombie cheerleader.

Peacock.

Jane.

Miss Saigon.

Flapper and mobster. A Flobster if you will.

A complete breakfast. There may have been a stare down between the two milks.

Probably my favorite costume of the night. I was hoping someone would be Tobias!

Rosie and friends.

Coworkers.

People from all walks of life are regaled with the tales of a pineapple farmer.

Diabla.

Someone said "let's take a picture of the two Greeks!" B was sad since he was supposed to be Dobby.

?

Rosie. Miss Fortune. Alice.

Awesome.

Powerpuff Girls.

Ole!

Time traveling Amelia Earhart and a redbox. The redbox was the most entertaining costume of the night. She could quote multiple scenes from all of the movies on her box. I think we tried them all.

Very good times.

You've gotta live to party!

2010-01-18T10:33:00.007-07:00

So, it turns out I'm 25 now! I had a wonderful birthday weekend that included baking cupcakes, birthday lunch, some shopping, birthday dinner and a wild party.

The only picture I got of dinner at Bangkok Grill:

Party time!

Last year (which I got all the pictures ready for but apparently never blogged) I had people paint me a watercolor. When they were all done I took them and got them bound into a pretty sweet book. This year i decided to do almost the same thing but I told people the pictures needed to be either a self portrait or a memory that we shared. I also threw in markers, crayons, and colored pencils in addition to the watercolor since apparently some people have paint related anxiety. I loved the book from last year but this one is going to be so much better, there are some pretty funny memories depicted in there.

This is only part of the future book:

Michael hit his head on the lamp many times.

I've got some very good looking coworkers. Seriously.

I made the cupcakes for the party and they were delicious! My mom thought I was crazy for baking my own cupcakes but I loved having the excuse to try out some new recipies. I should have taken a picture before they were so close to gone. From l to r we had spice cake with caramel frosting, chocolate with peanut butter frosting and pineapple coconut with pineapple frosting. The only issue I had was the appearance of the pineapple frosting. I would like to try that one again and see what I can do to doctor it up.

It really was a wonderful day, I've got some pretty wonderful friends. Thank you if you came (in person or in spirit) and participated!

The party doesn't have to end, we can dance here

2010-01-13T01:06:00.002-07:00

Today I needed this quote. Perhaps it will spark something in you too:

If you observe a really happy man you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his son, growing double Dahlias in his garden. He will not be searching for happiness as if it were a collar button that has rolled under the cupboard in his bedroom. He will have become aware that he is happy in the course of living twenty-four crowded hours of the day. - W. Beran Wolfe

(found via Dainon. again.)

Once bitten and twice shy

2010-01-12T01:38:00.002-07:00

I was messing around on Facebook today (shocker!) and found this list that was going around last year and I participated in. I was pretty impressed (depressed on a few) that everything was basically the same so I figured I might as well share.

25 Random Things.

1. I think that cheese is directly imported from heaven.
2. I recently convinced some of the girls I work with that I am Jewish. That was fine and funny until one of them said, “I respect you so much more now.”
3. I punctuate my text messages. Even if it just says “yes” I usually add a period.
4. I’m not the kind of girl that has her wedding all planned out. I just know it will be me + my best friend + a white dress at the temple. The rest doesn’t matter so much.
5. I love drinking soda. Dr. Pepper first, Coke second, but I really love any sort of drink that is not water. Why drink water when there are so many other things you could be drinking? This is also why I know I cannot drink alcohol.

6. My favorite person is probably my little sister. She’s amazing. Sometimes I call her just to absorb some of her awesomeness but most of the time she wants to get off the phone and do eleven-year old things.
7. Mark my words: I will own my own bakery one day! People keep saying to do it now but I really think that it would be the perfect thing to work on once all of my kids are in school. However, since I do not have any children yet, and it’s not looking like I’ll be working on having children anytime soon, the bakery timeline may change.
8. I love people. I think people are inherently good and that every person has something unique to contribute to life. It’s no surprise to me that I’ve chosen a career that will allow me to focus my time and energy on people.
9. My current job is extremely stressful but I can’t imagine doing anything else right now. I love my job. A large part of that love is my awesome coworkers. Thanks guys!
10. I moved to Utah essentially by myself. I knew no one in my dorm. I’m so very grateful for the friends I made, especially 4 wonderful girls that became and remain some of my very best friends. Even though we’re spread out I love knowing that I can call them anytime and I’m looking forward to the first of many girls weekends this summer.

11. When playing Rock Band/Guitar Hero there are a few songs that I just can’t stand to hear butchered.
12. I own a keyboard, a guitar and a ukulele (soon to be 2!). I could start my own band but I wouldn’t be able to actually play in the band.
13. I’m an only child, a middle child and the oldest child. It’s confusing.
14. I went to 17+ actual concerts in 2008. I love live music.
15. I love music in general. Lately I’ve mostly been into singer/songwriter music. John Mayer is my all time favorite.

16. Someone offered to burn me a John Mayer CD the other day and I had to laugh because I own more John than any person I’ve ever met. I even have his high school band.
17. I secretly want to be Polynesian. I love the culture, the dancing and the food.
18. New Zealand is the number one destination on my extensive list of places I would like to travel.
19. I love football and sometimes basketball.
20. I don’t think I could marry someone who didn’t at least like football but then again getting married is not really an issue currently in my life.

21. I love driving. Just last night I was in a funk so I put on some John Mayer and drove around.
22. As a very young child I told people that Johnny Carson was my friend.
23. I have no idea what my life would be like without the gospel and I don’t really care to find out.
24. I miss summer. Summer = bonfires, demolition derbies, car shows, sandals, BBQ, boating, outdoor movies/concerts, snow cones and road trips.
25. I’m on a quest to make the perfect sweet potato fries.

Nobody belongs to me

2010-01-11T02:03:00.003-07:00

I love my mom. We were talking about boys (men?) when this happened:

(it is helpful if you know that marathons are all 26.2 miles. there's no "little" or "big" marathons)
Mom: Is he athletic? Have him help you train for the marathon!
Jodi: Mom, it's a 5K.
Mom: Well, just tell him it's a little marathon.

And I also love Corinne who asked me this:

Corinne: Do you have a spata? Sparat? A tool thing for your car that's like a wrench but not really?
Both: (much laughter)
Jodi: I have no idea what you're talking about.

I don't belong to anybody

2010-01-05T23:32:00.003-07:00

How was your Christmas vacation? I spent a lot of mine being very domestic or receiving domestic gifts. I made a double batch of cupcakes and used extra batter to test out my "tasty-fill" mini caked pans. White cake with homemade lemon curd filling and blackberry butter cream frosting. They didn't last long; the cupcakes were eaten and the mini cakes fell into a pile of crumbs. (Note to "tasty-fill" pan users: take the cake out of the pans asap or they'll be too moist to stand up.) I also made marshmallows and creeped my family out at the same time. They were shocked that marshmallows could be made at home. I was shocked they came out tender with all the whipping and the cooking to high temperatures. I used almond extract instead of vanilla and I thought they turned out better than any store bought marshmallows I've had.

I also spent a lot of time working on my applique. And turning 80. When we were in Hawaii my mom bought me an applique pattern of my favorite fish from our snorkeling adventure. I then coerced her into directing me while I made it. I ended up liking it so much that I used the extra fabric to make two more. One for my mom and one for my aunt.

(This is just to prove that I really made this piece by piece)

Mine. WARNING: If you come to my apartment I will make you look at it. Please be nice to my fledgling applique-ist feelings.

Version two.

Anyone want to come make marshmallows with me? I want to try different flavors and try using the marshmallows to make s'mores and other sundry treats.

You get what you need

2010-01-04T02:03:00.003-07:00

People are you watching Glee? If you're not, you really should be. I often hesitate to send out a full endorsement of any show or movie because everyone's tastes vary. Does that add some validity to me telling you that you should really be watching Glee?

Where can you watch Glee?

On Hulu right here.
On Fox Wednesday night.
On my television. Meaning I bought Season 1 Volume 1 on sale at Target and I'm not sure I'm willing to let it leave my sight for the moment but I would be happy to watch with you.

Why should you watch Glee?

Witty dialogue.
Quotable dialogue.
Beautiful music.
These men:
I rest my case.

Big wheel keep on turning

2009-12-30T09:00:00.003-07:00

Proof that my step-dad is somewhat unaware of reality:

"It seems like this Twilight stuff is starting to become popular."

Also there is this that I would like to share with you:(You might need to click on it to make it bigger.)

Glad Tidings of Great Joy

2009-12-24T22:29:00.002-07:00

Behold the Lamb of God by Walter Rane (stolen from Reyna)

"At the Christmas season we contemplate anew who He is and what generosity He extended to us by coming into the world to be our Savior. As the Son of God, born to Mary, He had the power to resist all temptation to sin. He lived a perfect life so that He could be the infinite sacrifice... that we might be forgiven and go home clean. He gave us that gift at a price we cannot fathom. ... I testify that because of Him, you may have an assurance that you can go home not only at Christmastime but also to live forever with a family whom you love and who love each other."

-Henry B. Eyering (found here)

Oh, whatcha say?

2009-12-12T02:45:00.002-07:00

Quote of the night:

Jodi: If you kick me again with that boot I'm going to confiscate it.
Girl: You can confiscate my shoe but you can never confiscate my soul!

Love was changing the mind of pretenders

2009-12-05T19:49:00.002-07:00

So, tonight it's either Arby's or Taco Bell depending on budgetary consideration. :)

Also, ten points if you know where the title comes from without cheating.

Finally it has happened to me

2009-11-30T14:59:00.003-07:00

The drive thru line looked long enough to make a grown man cry but it only took 12 minutes.

Mallory Grover, I will never be able to thank you enough for introducing me to the Neapolitan shake.

These are my confessions...

2009-11-24T02:12:00.002-07:00

It's about time for some more work quotes wouldn't you say?

Girl: You're a MEANIE! (complete with folded arms and lower lip pout) (oh, and co-workers, this wasn't the blond you might suspect)

Girl: Do you have gray hair?
Me: I...
Girl: You DO! Look right here!
Me: Thanks?

And this gem, which was my favorite:

(After confiscating her shampoo/conditioner the second time in the same shift because they were left out...)
Me: Where is your body wash???
Girl: I don't have any body wash!
Me: Well, what do you use to wash your body?
Girl: I don't wash my body!

Your voice comes thrashing wildly through

2009-11-17T19:45:00.002-07:00

Today is dedicated to this guy:

I'm not obsessed, just dedicated.

Then again I don't remember you

2009-11-10T00:45:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what was under the wig of the Whigs?

(via g.lock)

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 It's the Final Countdown!

2009-11-09T00:20:00.000-07:00

Do you watch The Singing Bee on CMT? I do. Not because I in anyway like watching what is essentially bad karaoke but because I like listening to this guy:

Jared Johnson.

Mmm.

Add it all up it's a deadly combination

2009-11-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

Me, in collage form:

1. What is your first name? Jodi
2. What is your favorite food? sushi
3. What school did you go to? BYU
4. What is your favorite color? purple
5. Who is your celebrity crush? John Mayer
6. Favorite drink? Dr Pepper
7. Dream vacation? The Polynesian Circle
8. Favorite dessert?Creme Brulee
9. What you want to be when you grow up? A recreational therapist
10. What do you love most in life? The gospel of Jesus Christ
11. One word to describe you? curious
12. Your nickname? Jodes

Want to do your own?

1: go to flickr.com
2: in another window open http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php
3: choose 4 columns, 3 rows
4: answer the above questions in the search bar of flickr. pick your favorite one on the first page and paste the address into your mosaic

Half of My Heart

2009-11-07T00:05:00.000-07:00

Have you pre-ordered your copy yet? I'm not even joking when I say that anytime I think about it I get a little giddy feeling inside.

Only one more month!

Bruised not broken

2009-11-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

This resonated with me:

"The wager with the highest stakes of all is with our hearts. Here is where we must accept risk, sometimes a lot of it, in order to win. In no other activity do we expect to be skilled from the outset. Everyone accepts the idea of a learning curve accompanied by sometimes-painful mistakes before we become adept. No one would expect to become good at skiing without falling down. And yet many people are surprised at the hurt that routinely accompanies our efforts to find someone worthy of our love.

To take the risks necessary to achieve this goal is an act of courage. To refuse to take them, to protect our hearts against all loss, is an act of despair." — Gordon Livingston

(found via Dainon)

All my life I wanted to see, The island called Hawaii

2009-11-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

I'm headed to Hawaii for a week to see these two people get married. It is my first time in the land of Aloha and I'm excited to get one more week of wearing flip flops in before facing winter.

Peace.

Halloween. Part 2 of 3

2009-11-03T22:40:00.000-07:00

Work party! I wish you could see my girls, they were very good. Good meaning some were very cute, some were very funny and some were very...interesting. But you cannot see them. You can see my co-workers, some who tried very hard to have the best costumes.
No one could top our costumes though.

Three awesome Oompa Loompas with one crazy Willy Wonka.
Good job team!

Halloween. Part 1 of 3

2009-11-03T13:17:00.003-07:00

Since our kitchen walls were bare my roommates and I decided to take some creepy pictures to use for Halloween decor. Our friend Emily did all of our crazy hair and makeup and another friend took the pictures. We took many, many pictures and ended up with a few acceptable ones:

And also had some funny outtakes:

Who says I can't be free from all of the things I used to be?

2009-11-02T23:58:00.001-07:00

Yesterday's CES Fireside made me think of this:(via thingsgohazy)

It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark

2009-11-01T22:54:00.002-07:00

I know I promised some of you pictures. They are coming very soon.

In the meantime, after The Taco made a dramatic exit I used his costume to become a Greek pita.
Just thought you might want to know.

What's this? What's this? It's glazed and very good...

2009-10-31T02:03:00.002-06:00

A preview of Costume #1 (a hint that there is more than one):

Definitely not a Nashville party

2009-10-28T02:43:00.002-06:00

Outside my window is a temperature that is too cold. I am not quite ready for it to be this cold.

I am thinking I should probably be in bed already.

I am thankful for the keen sense of smell that saved me from drinking an expired beverage. Whew.

From the kitchen well... I made some brownies on Sunday but other than that I haven't spent much time in the kitchen lately.

I am wearing uhhh, let's just call them pajamas.

I am creating costumes! Mine for my party and also pieces for our shift's work costumes.I predict awesomeness.

I am going to crack the whip on my to do list tomorrow.

I am reading nothing at the moment. I just finished "Uglies", "Pretties" and "Specials" a series by Scott Westerfield. I felt a general sense of 'meh' as I read them so I won't likely be reading the 4th in the series.

I am hoping to throw a Halloween party to be remembered.

I am hearing some poor loser whine on Chopped on the Food Network and two of my roommates laughing. At least I'm not the only one awake.

Around the house projects, supplies and remains of party preparations.

One of my favorite things is that this season provides many opportunities to enjoy pumpkin in soups, bread, cookies, cheesecakes, ice creams and other sundry autumnal dishes.

A few plans for the rest of the week opening my media library to poor Reyna who is suffering from the dreaded H1N1, costume construction, apartment decoration, plenty of work and coaching time. No rest for the wicked.

(Reyna, this probably wasn't the most helpful post for your quarantine. Sorry. I'll try again.)

A perfect brightness of hope

2009-10-23T11:47:00.002-06:00

Remember yesterday when I showed you this?
Well today Megan, the creator extraordinaire, is offering a giveaway of the print of your choice!

Check out her blog for details!

Hold on to that feeling...

2009-10-22T02:22:00.002-06:00

Brain dump:

It is my constant goal to teach the girls I work with my favorite Journey song: Don't Stop Believing. It was to my utter delight that the least likely (in my mind) of girls said "I know this song!" after hearing only a few notes. Every off key note that she sang at the top of her lungs was quite possibly the most beautiful thing I have ever heard. Once upon a time she and I made a "music video" of her singing some Hannah Montana song. If I could get a video of her singing Journey my life might be complete.
15 days until I leave for Hawaii. Maybe I should start looking for a new swimming suit.
For a few months now my computer has refused to make sounds. As of yesterday my CD/DVD drive has also decided to refuse to work. If I had the money for it then a new computer would be in the mail already. I took my computer to a fix-it place. The man there told me I should have never bought an HP and good luck. Thanks dude, you're about 2 years too late for that warning.
I saw Ingrid Michaelson last weekend. She was amazing as expected but what was a pleasant surprise? Matthew Perryman Jones. I'm glad we got the CD. If only I could copy it for my friends.
For Liz:

"Liz is one of the best staff to talk to."
"FALSE!!!"

We are hosting a Halloween party at my apartment. On Halloween night. You are invited.

I would very much like to be the owner of this:(Available here)

I cannot decide what to be for Halloween. I'm torn between being a Greek goddess or being a fortune telling gypsy. Input?
I just proofread this post. It's not a good time for grammar and me to be friends apparently.

Night and day

2009-10-14T04:10:00.002-06:00

At the risk of total humiliation:

This is for you Christine.

Can anybody find me...

2009-10-12T13:10:00.000-06:00

(Another old post I started but never finished. Or really wrote words to. Good times at the Festival of Colors for the 2nd year in a row. Adam, Erica and I got there right before the throwing started, bought the last of the colors, had some fun and left before things got crazy. After we showered, grabbed Ethan and Will, got some burgers and watched a movie. There's still chalk on the roof of my car.)

Good morning beautiful

2009-10-05T11:07:00.003-06:00

How was your weekend?

Mine was lovely because it mostly included watching General Conference for 8 hours. Normally listening to 8 hours of church speakers might make me want to stab my self in the eye but General Conference is different. I finish the weekend feeling edified. I have been reminded of things I need to work on, felt love and hope, and felt inwardly renewed.

While I could choose many favorites this man, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, spoke so movingly. More movingly than anything I remember hearing in my lifetime. He testified of the Book of Mormon. If you were not able to hear him speak or are at all curious about the Book of Mormon I would encourage you to go here and listen.

I hope your weekend was also lovely.

BEST NEWS EVER!!

2009-10-04T20:01:00.001-06:00

That might be dramatic to say. It also might not be.

(I was going through some old posts that I never finished and found this one. It was written on February 12th. I don't remember what the BEST NEWS EVER!! was.)

Strange things are happenin' to me, Ain't no doubt about it

2009-10-03T16:41:00.005-06:00

This just happened:

Text from number I don't know: (Improper punctuation/grammar included) You seem to think its funny to mess with other peoples lives but this time you didnt get much someone that is willing to give up a good life for the likes of you is not worth much anyway. I think you did me a favor. Thank goodness your brothers realtionship was strong enough I guess mine and Dave was not.

Me: Excuse me? Who is this?

Unknown number: Not this time. I just hope you make today last 4 years. Thats what you cost us today thanks with friends like you he needs to watch his back all the time.

Me: Seriously. I think you've got the wrong number. Who is this?

Unknown number: I don't have the wrong number this is mae ask david.

Crazy right? Well then she calls me. I put the phone on speaker so Chala could witness the crazy. She asked me for Mike. I told her she had the wrong number. A few minutes she calls back apologizes very awkwardly.

For a minute I thought maybe I had forgotten about a few of the lives I have ruined.

Let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the south of France

2009-10-02T12:48:00.000-06:00

Some days all you need is good friends and good Thai food. Even if the waiter is a jerk.

Boots with the fur

2009-10-01T12:14:00.004-06:00

One of my cute, new coworkers is an expert in nail art and painted my fingers to look like Burberry plaid. I was sad to have to take it off yesterday.

I did however pick up some of my own very skinny nail painting brushes and would be happy to provide you with your own set of plaid nails.

Our state fair is a great state fair

2009-09-30T11:59:00.000-06:00

The Utah State Fair was full of joy and woe. Allow me to illustrate:

1. Utah has a pigeon club? JOY!

2. A room full of pigeons meant the chickens had already gone home? WOE. (You know how much I love odd looking chickens. I'm actually a little freaked out about how many times I've talked about chickens on this blog.)

3. Lots of pretty flowers. JOY.

4. Boyz II Men? WOE. And JOY! Tickets for concerts are released at noon on the day of the show so I ran up to Salt Lake and stood in line in the hot hot sun for a hour to get tickets. Only I didn't actually get tickets. Tickets sold out 6 people in front of me. Six! I almost cried. Almost skipped the whole state fair altogether.

We ended up going anyway. I took some girls from work (who I have hilarious pictures of that I'm not allowed to show you but I'll allow you to imagine two cute girls having a lot of fun with Melissa and I.) and we went and stood outside the gate and listened to the last few songs. They opened the gates before the encore and we managed to sneak in and catch an a cappella version of a song plus more awesome dance moves.

I vow that next time Boyz II Men comes to I will camp out to get tickets. I think I can get Melissa to do it with me, right Melis?

All messed up, don't know what to do

2009-09-28T02:52:00.002-06:00

Dear You,

I was driving on the freeway a few days ago when a 311 song came on. I thought of you. You in a different car, in a different city, with a different girl and different goals. I thought of you and I was happy that you are finding happiness. It is likely you'll never see this, but if you do please know that I am happy for you.

Thank you for the things you taught me,
Me

Lady come down

2009-09-17T15:37:00.003-06:00

Today I worked on some home improvements. Previous roommates had removed what I hear was an ugly wallpaper border but then discovered that the walls now look like this:

Perhaps you can see that we now have two colors of white on the wall. Perhaps you can't see that since I had to use the flash as there is no such thing as natural light in our living room. Ah, luxurious apartment living.

Chala and I decided that since that discoloration had to be concealed and our landlords never got back to us about painting (The least of current worries if you could see my bathroom ceiling. Or our AC. Or my carpet.) we thought a ribbon might work. While not our favorite color in the world it matches our carpet:

And yes, that is What Not to Wear in the background.

Meanwhile, outside we were having some home improvements done as well:

That's striping not stripping although, Aaron did have his shirt off so maybe it's a dual service?

Fishing in the dark

2009-09-17T00:41:00.002-06:00

I haven't done any work quotes in a while.

This one was funny because it is true. Well, at least the last part.

Girl: Jodi, are you dating?
Me: What do you think? Am I dating?
Girl: Well, you're really cute but... you're here a lot.

I still don't get this one:

Me: What kind of fruit can I get for you?
Girl: UGH! You are picking on me and stressing me out!

In reference to seeing an upcoming Boyz II Men concert:

Girl: I'm excited to see those grandpas dance!

The green of your eyes says "Go, leave it all behind."

2009-09-16T22:53:00.001-06:00

Last Friday:

I may not be a Nu Skin employee anymore but I snuck into their summer party anyway (thanks to roommate Chala). It was fun to see old friends and of course very fun to ride the rides.

We decided to hit the water rides first while the sun was still out. On our first ride four of us were mostly wet but Christine managed to escape and stay pretty dry. Rather than be sensible I decided we needed to ride again so Christine could enjoy the water too. We were soaked for the rest of the night and ended up needing hot chocolate to try and warm up.

It's possible I thought I was going to die on this ride. Odd since I love it so much. I guess I just forgot how high it is!

Johanna drove slowly into the city, The Hudson River all filled with snow

2009-09-15T17:00:00.000-06:00

Do you know about The Big Picture?

The Big Picture is a photo blog from the Boston Globe. Actually, they describe it a whole lot better that I am able to:

The Big Picture is a photo blog for the Boston Globe/boston.com, entries are posted every Monday, Wednesday and Friday by Alan Taylor. Inspired by publications like Life Magazine (of old), National Geographic, and online experiences like MSNBC.com's Picture Stories galleries and Brian Storm's MediaStorm, The Big Picture is intended to highlight high-quality, amazing imagery - with a focus on current events, lesser-known stories and, well, just about anything that comes across the wire that looks really interesting.

News in pictures. I'm a visual person and therefore I like it. Yesterday's story was about the recovery from Hurricane Ike. The unusual part of yesterday's post is that the pictures transformed from before to after with a click.

Check it out. Some days they satiate my desire for world travel by showing images from around the world. Other days they make me tear up with a retrospective of September 11th.

Me, I'm gonna live forever. I feel alive.

2009-09-09T10:40:00.004-06:00

Last Tuesday: Really, this story starts a long time ago. I once loved a band named The Format. I was introduced to The Format during a time where I had a solid group of friends and their music became the soundtrack to our adventures. It was a very good year for me of pushing myself to trying new things. A year that culminated in my first out of the country experience to Costa Rica. The end of that summer our little group sort of disbanded, not because of a fight or any hard feelings but rather marriages, school transfers, people moving, and the sorts of horribly wonderful things the fall can sometimes bring. I still loved The Format but slowly listened less and less. They were tied to a place in time for me. Not too long after our group moved on The Format broke up. I remember that Feather cried. To me it seemed somewhat symbolic. Their website said something to the effect of the band members not fighting but just needing to move on.
Nate Reuss, the former lead singer of The Format has formed a new band: fun. They remind me of the things I loved most about The Format but they are noticably different. Almost older for lack of a better word. Perfect for where I am now compared to where I was when I fell in love with The Format.

I mentioned their new CD the other day and Tuesday Chala and I went to their meet and greet at Grey Whale and then their concert. It was their first headlining show of their tour and they sold out Kilby Court. (Which from what I hear from knowledgeable sources never happens.)

We were stuck in the back. The very back by the wall and also by the heating unit that I found with my head when I was jumping to try and see the band. It was a beautiful concert from any spot in the venue. Can I again say it was a beautiful show? They are very good live and I fully believe it was enriching to my soul. I'm in love with their music and haven't stopped listening to it since the show.

On the way back to the car I realized that I didn't have my keys. I was so exicted for the concert I got my camera, my phone, my card/id and put my purse (also containing my keys) in the trunk since we were parked in an unlit, slightly sketchy area. Chala posed on the car until a car pulled up next to us and sat there for a while and we retreated to a cab dispatch building with lights. Luckily they knew a guy who could get me into my car for less than half the price everyone else had quoted me.

Reunited with our signed posters.

At the end of the show we were standing by the sound booth. Since the guy in the booth kept looking at a paper I assumed he had a set list. Once the show was over I asked him if I could have it. He told me it wasn't a set list but rather the band's stage layout but I could have it if I wanted. I of course took it and was DELIGHTED to find that it also had some phone numbers and email addresses on it. Particularly the phone number of Nate Ruess, the lead singer.
I haven't used the phone number yet. But don't you think I have to at least once? That kind of information just doesn't come along everyday right?

I <3 fun.