Winter Wonderland? More like winter "I've almost died on the ice 3 times" land.

I once saw an episode of Grey's Anatomy where one of the doctors slipped on ice, fell to the ground, and then was impaled by a falling icicle. I thought to myself, "That's ridiculous! Totally impossible." Then I saw these icicles hanging off my parents balcony this morning and changed my mind.

Just a gold medal, no big deal.

Our neighbors in Alpine threw a little holiday open house tonight. They are a nice, young couple and the husband also happens to be an Olympic gold medalist (men's volleyball- Beijing). Maybe we asked him to see his gold medal. And then maybe we proceeded to do a photoshoot, with his permission, of course.

Let me tell you, a gold medal is quite the hit at a party. I've got to figure out a way to get one of those.

Winter Solstice

Bad News: Today is the shortest day of the year.

Good News: The days get longer from here.

Is it too early to start counting down to summer?

Who knew watching a bunch of 5 year olds tromp around onstage could bring so much joy?

I've seen a lot of dance performances in my day. I grew up dancing and when I quit, somehow my love for dance grew. Luckily I lived with a few dancers during college, so there was never a shortage of incredible shows to attend. I'm not talkin' mediocre dance here, I'm talkin' people that majored in dance and danced professionally. But this past Saturday I attended, hands down, my favorite dance performance (no offense Kat and Breena) ever. It was Hailey's first dance recital. And yes, I cried through the whole thing.

Hailey Bug

On December 11th, 2003 this little doodlebop was born. I can't imagine what it must be like to have your own children becasue I cannot fathom loving anyone more than I love Hailey Noel. I've been with her the last two years on her birthday, so while talking on the phone today was great, it wasn't quite the same. Thank goodness I'm headed to her house on Saturday.

Hailey's 3rd birthday at City of Hope

We celebrated her 5th birthday early during Thanksgiving. Our family has always liked the whole birthday month idea.

I can't help but wish that Robin was here to make her pancakes and throw her a princess party.

It's beginning to look a lot like...

FINALS WEEK!!!

It's five something in the morning and I just finished one of my papers. My alarm is set for 5:45. Does 13 minutes count as a night's sleep?

Holidate '08

The holiday season is wonderful for myriad reasons, but I love that it's a good excuse to put on a party dress and dance the night away.

The Girls

The Guys (We couldn't get all of them to come pose for a picture. Imagine that.)

Holid8 '08 with N8

Brandon's not too happy about being a last minute date and having a hand-written place card.

This was not easy.

Laura and Tay Tay's choreographed dance moves.

All of the guys naturally migrated from the dance floor when Beyonce's Single Ladies came on. Weird.

There's always a first time for everything.

We're nearing the end of the semester which means one thing, lots of projects and papers.

Tonight I had to meet with a group at the library for one of the said projects. Things were moving along swimmingly as we put together our power point presentation, so my mind started to wander. I wasn't really paying attention to the conversation when one of the girls asked, "Hey, does anyone here know how to give a shot?" Unsure of why she was asking, I proudly replied, "Actually, I do." (I had to learn when I was helping Robin). Little did I know that she wanted to employ my skills right then and there. "Oh good. I need some medication and I don't like giving myself shots, would you mind?"

WHAT?! Just a minute ago I was minding my own business, dinkin' around on the internet and now I have to give this girl I barely know a shot? Never mind the fact that I don't really like needles and passed out when I watched my sister's spinal tap. But I had already admitted that I was capable, so I wasn't about to back out. We headed off to the bathroom, prepped the syringe, and I took care of business. You should have seen the look on the random girl's face that came out of one of the stalls as I was administering the shot. I'm pretty sure she thought we were doing drugs or something.

It was better than I could've ever imagined.

Now I have to find something new to look forward to.

I will be listening to Coldplay LIVE in a few hours.

And I didn't even have to sell one of my organs to get a ticket.

I heart procrastinating.

I just sat here for 6.5 hours.

I love/hate running into people at the gym.

I had a ton of homework tonight, so naturally I decided to put it off by going to the gym. I think the only thing that drives me to work out is the desire to procrastinate doing school work.


Anyway, I ran into a few different friends on my little outting at the gym this evening. At first I was so excited to see some familiar faces ('cause running into people means I actually have friends in Salt Lake!), but the excitement wore off quickly when I realized that I was wearing my hair in a pineapple pony, I was wearing minimal make-up, spandex pants, and I was glistening to put it nicely. I should probably avoid the gym for awhile. At least until I have another big assignment to work on.

I'm usually a pretty good speller.

So why is it always so difficult for me to remember how to spell the word, "whoa"? You'd be surprised at how often I use it.

P.S. Even as I write this I'm unsure of the spelling.

Whitty Whit

According to my mom, I was a pretty unhappy child until November 12th, 1985. You see, Robin and Natalie were the best of friends which left me as odd man out until Whitney Jay was born.

Whitney's great for lots of reasons, like she'd stay up late at night with me when we were younger and imagine what all of our furniture would be if it were made out of candy until Natalie banged on the wall to make us go to sleep (sorry Nat); she forgave me when I accidentally hot glued her foot because I was trying to take over her 6th grade diorama project; whenever I was super stressed out in high school she'd always reference a quote from one of the million Mary Englebreit magnets in our house that was something like, "Worrying does not empty tomorrow of it's troubles- it empties today of it's strength," which usually made me want to punch her in the face and kiss her cheeks at the same time; she loves sodie and always has Diet Dr. Pepper on hand to offer to house guests; she's genuine, funny, kind hearted, adventurous, and the list could go on.

Happy happy 23rd birthday to you Whittle Sticks aka Miss Happy Head aka Giddy aka Whitty Jay. May this day bring lots of donuts, trail mix, and Its Its.

You know you're in Utah when...

You sit in on a meeting at the hospital and some of the doctors and nurses keep referring to Mr. Gallegos as Mr. Ga-LAY-gos.

Now, I'm no expert in Espanol (I don't even know how to put the squiggle thingy on the n), but my years in the central valley tell me that's not the correct pronunciation.

I voted for change: part deux

Wow, I had no idea I'd get such a strong response to my little post.

I'm a registered republican and was an undecided voter until a few weeks ago. First let me say that I think we had two brilliant, patriotic, tirelessly dedicated men running for the presidency. I decided that before I went to the polls, I needed to do some research. I spent hours upon hours on several nights discerning 1) which issues were most important to me (i.e. health care, education, and stem cell research to name a few), and 2) where did the candidates stand on these issues? After reading both candidates websites, checking out cnn.com and other news sources (with both biases), looking at the candidates voting records over the last 3 years in the senate, and listening to LOTS of political debate, I realized that I don't agree with anyone 100% and I made my decision. To be honest, I found that the candidates had very similar views on a myriad of issues, and I would have been happy no matter the outcome of the election. I just happened to agree with Senator Obama a little more on a few of my key issues.

Of course I don't agree with the president elect on certain issues like abortion. But we've had a pro-life republican in office for 8 years and Roe v. Wade wasn't overturned. I have a feeling it's not at the top of the priority list.

Anyway, all of this is beside the point. The point is, I think you're all great for being so passionate. Being able to agree to disagree is a wonderful part of this whole process. So now what? We have a new president and I sincerely hope that we can come together as a nation and support him in what is bound to be a difficult few years (granted it would be difficult no matter who was in the oval office).

"As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection." Thanks for reminding us, Mr. Obama.

So, friends?

I voted for change.

Can we still be friends?

The best things about Halloween are...

1. It's a good excuse to wear spandex to work.

(I know, I know, it's lacking a little on the creativity side, but I woke up late and realized that costumes were mandatory at work, so I was a marathoner)

2. It's the only day in the whole year when I get to make these tasty little treats.

Free? I'll take it.

Maybe it's because I'm a student or maybe I'm just cheap, but I can't turn down free stuff. Free food? I'll take it. Free pens and post-it notes at a career fair? Yes, please. Free flu shot? Umm, okay.

I was walking through the lobby at the hospital the other day and they were offering free flu shots to employees. I've never felt the need to get a flu shot in the past, but apparently I can't turn down something free, even if it's a big poke in the arm.

Hidden Talents

Have you ever wondered if you have any hidden talents that are so hidden, you don't even know about them yet? My grandpa started running marathons in his late thirties or early forties and turns out he was a super running stud. We're talkin' like over 50 marathons, a bunch of ultramarathons (over 100 miles), oh and did I mention that he held a world record and was featured in Sports Illustrated? NBD.

It got me thinking. What if I'm made to do something and I just haven't discovered it? I tried the marathon thing a couple of times, but that wasn't it.

I tried golfing. Also not my hidden talent.

Cupcake decorating? Afraid not.

I'm really good at being a bridesmaid (9 times- seriously), but I don't think that's a legit talent.

Maybe I need to get a little less mainstream/more obscure. What if I have the potential to be a master of archery or curling? I've got some new hobbies/potential talents to look into.

Two words: Sample Sale

Any day I can buy a $198 J.Crew blazer for $15 is a good day. And maybe in addition to one of those blazers, I also bought a few other ridiculously cheap treasures which made today a great day.

Anyone who has ever shopped with my mom knows that one of her favorite things to say to talk me into buying something is, "But Lindsay, it's so well made." Well mom, you'd be proud. I'm now the owner of 6 new somethings that are all "so well made."

Priorities

Things I DIDN'T do during my fall break:

1. My take home midterm

2. Any homework

3. Laundry

4. Email

Things I DID do:

1. Play beauty parlor

2. Go to a really cool pumpkin patch with Hailey

3. Let Hailey paint my face

4. Play at the lake

5. Swing at the lake

6. Snuggle and watch movies

I've got my priorities straight.

What do I win?

I just went 6 straight days without looking at a computer (that's right- no email, no blog stalking, etc.). That's got to be some sort of record these days.

Lucky me.

I love the University of Utah for one reason and one reason only: Fall Break.

Okay, maybe that's a bit extreme- I like the U of U for a few more reasons, but mostly because I have the next week off and I get to spend it with Hailey.

Hopefully we can have a few more conversations like this one:

Hailey: Lindsay Lark, what does your ring say?

Me: It says CTR.

Hailey: What does that mean?

Me: Choose the right.

Hailey: What if I choose the left?

Statistics lead me to believe...

...that I'll be single forever.

I went to FHE last night and there were 60 people in attendance: 47 females and 13 males. That's 21.66% males to be exact. I'm no master statistician, but I'm pretty sure that means I've got poor odds.

Watching a marathon is just as satisfying as running one. Kind of.

This past weekend I went down to St. George to watch one of my good friends, Melissa, run the marathon. I don't know what it is, but I just LOVE watching people finish marathons. I wish I loved running them as much as I love watching them, but I've done it a couple of times and my mind isn't quite made up. Anyway, I don't know if it's watching the culmination of a lot of hard work or seeing someone accomplish a life goal that gets me, but I'll admit it, I teared up at least 3 times as I watched various strangers (and a few friends) cross the finish line.

Almost made me want to start training again. Almost.

She works hard for the money.

I wish that statement were true. I mean, the hard work part is true, just not so much the money part. After a week full of 12 hour days spent between my 2 jobs and school, I decided it was time for a well deserved break. What better way to relax than take a vacation to my favorite state, especially when it includes seeing some of my favorite people and celebrating love?!

The weekend started with Laurel and Ryan's wedding at the Oakland temple.

After the sealing, we went to a beautiful park in Walnut Creek to take pictures. This is the part where the photographer started snapping shots while yelling things like, "Yeah, work it girls!" and "Oh baby!" I've never felt so awkward and unnatural in my entire life. Laurel, I apologize ahead of time if I ruined your wedding pics.

It was also great to spend some time with my best friend, Lauren. We live 35 minutes away from each other, but somehow it takes going to another state to actually get some time to catch up.

Then off to the reception. Everything was perfectly planned and executed. Including the cake cutting.

Luckily Bret and Whit also live in the bay area and who wouldn't enjoy gallivanting around Alameda with these two in matching shirts?

And last but not least, we made some time for one of our favorite activities, the trusty ol' jumping pictures. Now that's a weekend well spent.