My trip 3

I finally have a little time to update you (I assume you've already read parts 1 and 2). Isn't this beautiful? I actually saw that with my own eyes. It is AMAZING. I cant even begin to explain to you the wonderful day I had. This was taken on our first day in Iguassu. We went on a raft ride, which took us under the water fall, or as close as one can safely get to underneath it. The water was falling off the rocks and onto us. needless to say, we were drenched at the end of that adventure, but it was a rainy day, so that was bound to happen anyway. The rain was nice and warm too. From the raft ride, we hiked along the side of the river--right through the wilderness! It was beautiful and lush and green. It is a protected forest, so there aren't too many people who get to go deep into the wild. Just the rangers, (and probably really rich people). as we were hiking our guide pointed out some interesting plants (like the monkey's ladder), and told us about the red mold growing on some trees. Random Fact of the Day: Red mold will only grow where the air is clean, so red mold=good mold.

I don't know if you can see it in this picture, but there is a walkway that allows you to walk out to the edge of one set of falls, and look up on another set. It is quite an experience. One of the great things about going here on a rainy day was that there were very few people there. And maybe that's why I liked the Brazil side better. It was like a personal adventure, rather than a tourist zoo. There were still people around, but we didn't feel like sheep being herded through the corral, like on our day in Argentina, which was bright and sunny. And by the time we got to this point, it was after quite a hike, and there were only a handful of us who were willing to continue in the rain: my friend and I, the couple we met from Orange County, and a Spanish speaking family who were leaving as we arrived....that was about it...another group arrived shortly after us, but we were almost alone. I don't know about you, but I'm not really a big fan of groups of people...they kinda irritate me. (Don't get me wrong, I mean, I love to people watch, and I like meeting new people, I even like parties, but...) So it was wonderful to be able to focus my attention on my surrounds, and not on the avoiding the annoyances.

We also went to the Bird Zoo. It was just a regular zoo, but it was pretty cool to think that these birds could be seen wild there. At home we see...seagulls, pigeons, and crows...that's about it. and they aren't the most attractive birds. But while I was in Brazil, I heard parrots in the trees in the parks, and saw lots of colorful birds flying around. It was also fun to meet Alex the Bird Guy. He is a biologist who works in the cage where you can walk. He was kinda like the body guard for the birds. at first we were told that we couldn't hold the birds...but after a bit of convincing, (aka flirting) Alex let me take a picture with the birds that are on his shoulders. It was kinda exciting. :-)

Oh ya, and you cant forget the
random footbal--I mean, soccer team we saw running through the streets. I'm sure that the locals know who they are...but since I'm really bad at recognizing celebrities, and even worse at knowing who players are...I have no clue. but hey, it was a real Brazilian experience, because they are soccer fanatics!

my trip 2

As I was thinking about my trip, I realized that it is pretty unexciting to talk about. It would be full of "On my mission..." and "This one person..." and "...bus ride..." only to end with "I was in airports/airplanes from 8 pm on on Saturday, till almost midnight on Monday, eastern standard time--that's over 2 full days!!!" So, I really won't bore you with all the mission-related visits we did. It is enough to say that while it was wonderful to see everyone, they were bitter-sweet days, depending on the decisions people have made in their lives over the last few years.

The beginning was fairly inexpensive (aside from the plane tickets) because we stayed with friends, and they took good care of us. It always amazes me how generous people are down there. Even though they don't have much to offer, they gave us the best they had. They even abandoned their rooms to allow us to use their beds, such that the entire family was left with only one room.

The end of the trip is what proved to be most expensive. It was the part of the trip when we were tourists that we emptied our bank accounts. 4 days were spent in Foz de Iguaçu/Iguassu/Iguazu--depending on what country you are in. It is near the point where 3 countries meet: Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. since I don't have my pictures yet, I just grabbed this one from the a site. From this view, I believe the green on the bottom, with the brown/red hut is Brazil, then the green in the upper left is Paraguay, and upper right is Argentina. Here is another picture, from a different site that shows the 3 countries a little better, but I'm not sure about the angle of the picture...it looks like hut shown in the first picture is in the land in the top left of this picture, making that Brazil, the tip right Paraguay, and the bottom left Argentina....but again, I'm not positive.

The most amazing part of that area are the waterfalls. That is why we wanted to go to that city. the largest waterfalls in the world. Think Niagara falls + AMAZING. Part of what's cool here is that there are two sides. There is the Argentina side:

Which includes the "Devil's Throat." It is horseshoe shaped with falls all the way around. There is a walk way that takes you out over the river (it's probably like a mile long) to look into the Devil's Throat. It is amazing to see the power of the water rushing over the cliffs in such great quantity! According to one Indian legend, this water fall was created by M'Boy, the serpent god. The tribe's leader had a beautiful daughter named Naipi, who was to be sacrificed to M'Boy, but one of the tribe's men, Taroba, fell in love with her, so during the ceremony, while everyone else was drunk, they ran away. As they were canoeing down the river, M'Boy got angry, penetrated the earth, and created the throat falls which swallowed the canoe. That's just one tale. I'd like to know more about how that story evolved into what it is today. Was there really a great earthquake in the midst of young love's rebellion?Or was it just a chief trying to scare his people into obedience? Either way, thanks for the amazing waterfall!!! Oh ya, and also--it's like 80 meters high!!! Know how that converts, but I figure it's pretty dang tall.

I'll post tomorrow about the Brazilian side, which was my favorite!

Not gonna think about it.

I know I owe you all an update on my trip, and it was my intent to post at least something each time I was able to access the net...but obviously that didn't happen. There are a few reasons for that:
a) I didn't always have a lot of time online,
b) I wanted to post when I was able to include the pictures, but I kept forgetting the camera cable,
c) The posts would have to be fairly long to include all the background info,
d) The trip was an emotional roller coaster, and I've never been good at expressing emotions or telling stories.

...And now that I'm home I'm even less inclined to write about it because I don't want to believe it's over. I don't want to believe it's all in the past....and most of all I don't want to believe that I might not ever make it back...
I know I can go back, as long as I'm willing to work hard to do it. And I am also planning on visiting the rest of that beautiful country. But I also know how lucky I was to be able to visit even once. My father finally planned his trip (to return to his mission area) a few years ago, and even then it didn't work out for him to go. How blessed I am to be able to return after less than 3 years!
...And then I start thinking about how I'd have to work for another 3+ years to make it back...and I realize how much will have changed...and how much harder it will be to save money when I have to pay rent, and food, and a car loan, and grad school...and I still haven't given up on the dream of marriage and a family--if that happens soon, how would I be able to leave?

It's hard to think about, because I've been home for a day now, and I already feel a void for the completely different lifestyle that place offers. Don't get me wrong, I love it here, and I love all that I have...but...that's a part of me too. A huge part of me. A part I don't want to lose. But at the same time, I dont want to think about it because the throbbing anguish is almost unbearable. The tears are almost inevitable.

And so you will remain another day without stories from my trip. Maybe when I get my pictures back (a friend has my memory cards so we can put them all online) and can see everything I miss I will not feel such a loss. Maybe then I will write some stories for you all to read. Maybe.

New Map

So, after my recient trip, I can update my world map--So exciting!!!





...Now, if I could just make it to the eastern world...

Igudesman & Joo

Ok, so, I know that you are all waiting for an update on my current adventure, and i had every intention of writing a blog about it...until i checked my email inbox today... a little while back, Liz gave us a giggle. and from that comes today´s entry. i dont remember whether i comented with a letter or not, but i did send one. this is what it said:

"> A friend of mine recently introduced me to your...entertainment. I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate it!!! So Funny!!! But you already know that, because obviously you wouldnt do it if you didnt enjoy it, or have an audience that does. I am wondering--will you be touring around the USA anytime soon? I hope so. I also hope you will be in the LA area because I'd truely like to attend your show! Thanks again! Heather"

well, good news to all--they do exist! and they have replied!

"Dear Heather, thank you so much for your mail!Right now there is no US tour planned, but we certainly will come tothe States in future time.We will add your email address to our addressbook so you will beinformed when we come and perform in your area and updated to new DVDreleases and youtube clips.Thanks for your support! Aleksey Igudesman & Richard Hyung-ki Joo"

I love that they reply. it totally made my day!!!
...although my yesterday was pretty amazing--I´ll have to show you a video later!!!!

my trip 1

Disclaimer: sorry, but the keyboards here are different, so it's taking some getting used to--sorry for the horrible punctuation, etc. but i dont have time to fix it right now.

We are now in santa maria, we got here at like 5:30 this morning, and have been sitting in the bus station waiting for the city to come to life...we will probably get to our first stop pretty late tonight, we will stay with some of mike's friends...hopefully take a shower...hopefully the shower won't be too cold... :-) then we'll head down to one of my areas.

It~s been really fun for me to be here again. When I had to switch airports in /sao Paulo, I got to drive through the city on a bus for like an hour, and it was fun seeing all the things i'd forgotten about sao paulo: There is graffiti is EVERYWHERE!!! there is a "river" running down the side of the highway...if i~m remembering correctly, they told us it was drinking water...but it looks more like waste water....
I knew i was in the south when, as i was waiting for mike's flight to arrive in walked a man carrying a cuia, and thermus--drinking mate! and then a few minutes later a few gauchos walked in with their big pants and boots on. it made me smile.

The other thing \i "enjoyed" was how different reactions are to my portuguese...one man who spoke fairly english fairly well, was helping me find my bus in sao paulo and any time i tried to speak portuguese he got this horribly confused look on his face, so we mostly just spoke in english. Then after we got to the airport, i was talking to the lady infront of me in portuguese and she asked if i was a Sao Paulo native, and when i told her i am american she was amazed. same thing with the man at the tourist station in porto alegre--"really?! but your portugues is so good!" that gave me a bit of a boost... but it~s still not as good as i'd have hoped. sad how quickly you can loose something that was so important to your daily life...

I~ve taken a few pictures, but nothing really all that exciting--mostly just views out the plane window...so i~m not going to take the time now to find my cable to attach my camera and attatch them now. maybe next time.

Who has amazing friends?

I DO!!!

Today, as I was organizing some of my pictures, I found this one. There were actually a few like them, but I think this is my favorite.

As I was in the other room, they (I don't remember who else was there...in all honestly I don't really know when it was, aside from that date in the corner...what were we doing? I have no clue....and I think that makes it even more fun.) found my camera and took some pictures--isn't that sweet?! That way, I can find them later and have a nice surprise. I never did say thank you...but I do mean it now that I am saying it: THANK YOU!!!

I sure do hope that by being your friend, some of your greatness and creativity will rub off on me. :-)

Marine Corp Ball

I know it's been long awaited, so I begged my sister to send me the pic's last night. :-)

So here we are...you see that girl on the right? That's my friend. I am standing like that on the left, but my sister (who took the picture) didn't get me in. Oh well! :-)

It was quite the eventful day: I worked till 2...or maybe noon...I can't remember now. I think I was supposed to work until 2, but it was such a quiet day, I just decided to leave at 12. The ball was in Palm Springs, so I wanted to be on the road by 3 to beat traffic...but on days like this time is not your friend--especially not on a Friday when you are heading east (...with the hundreds of other people trying to get out of the city for a weekend at the lake). So, when we finally got there we were about an hour late. I felt really bad for it, but our date (who was there waiting outside the whole time) was all about the kindness. I know, it's fairly odd, but I did say "our date"...as in singular...as in one of him for the three of us girls. All I can say is that he was P-I-M-P!

After waiting outside for us, he walked us in as they were finishing hors d'oeuvres. And a minute later we were all invited to enter the dining hall to sit down. Since we were still close to the door, we were one of the first to get there, so we selected a table near the middle and before we were even seated the table was full: the four of us, and 5 fine young men. (plus the one that pulled up another chair later in the evening.) It was quite the evening. There were several official presentations, the important patriotic procedures you would expect, the night's motivational speaker, ceremonial cutting of the official birthday cake, symbolic presentations of the first 3 slices of cake...and then we were dismissed for food.

It was buffet style, so most of out table waited while the lines died down, but you can tell that men in uniform are used to eating on a tight schedule with a large crowd of people. When I finally went for food, some others were already going for seconds ;-). It was very good. The funny think is that after we finished eating my friend and I felt the impulse to be some how helping. We do catering on the weekends, so now when we go to weddings and other such events we don't know how to be guests...we feel like we should be in the kitchen preparing, or behind the buffet serving, or clearing tables, or checking the punch/water levels, or...

I could go on, but I'm sure I've already lost half of you, so we'll get back to the ball--just remember that there were a few minutes of awkwardness sitting there and not doing anything. ...until they turned the music up. We are all very good at dancing! When "Soulja boy" came on, we couldn't keep our friend in her seat! So we followed her to the dance floor...and the rest of the table followed within a few minutes. (Well, almost everyone did, there was a certain someone-who-shall- remain-nameless, who disappeared about this time.) It was a ton of fun!

At 10 pm sharp they announced that the first bus was there to take a load back to the base, and it was easy to see that the men in uniform are used to their schedule--which I can't really blame them for, since I've got a fairly strict curfew, too. So about then there was a mad rush to exchange numbers/e-mail addresses before running to get to the front of the bus line. Our date and one of his friends were perfect gentlemen, opening doors for us, and escorting us to our car. (Here's to you Mitch, even though you will probably never read this. Thank you for a wonderful evening! I'm so glad you invited me--er--us, even if you were forced into it by your sister.)

All in all, it was a wonderful evening--definitely worth the hours spent in the car!

Insane?

I have a friend who sends my random news articles, and today's was very interesting. Here is the quick notes version: Boy sees Girl on NY train. Boy and Girl share eye contact. Girl gets off train. Boy gets off train. Boy can't find Girl in crowd. Boy creates website to find Girl. Girl's friend sees website and replies. Boy and Girl reunite. The end.
Kinda a cute modern romance. I wonder if anyone ever created a website to find me, but since I don't randomly search for "GirlOfMyDreams" websites, (and neither do my friends...that I know of...), we have yet to be reconnected. That's a sad thought. Oh well.
My question is this: Assuming that train rides are usually more than a few seconds, why didn't Boy go talk to Girl? Because if they both got off at the same spot, that would imply that they were on the train for a little while at least, unless Boy is super lazy and rode the bus for only half a mile. In which case Girl should run away now! ...Or jog away, since obviously Boy is not interested in the physical exertion...come to think of it, walking away would probably suffice...
Moral of the story: If you are a Boy, and you see a Girl on a train, you should go talk to her. But if for whatever reason that is not a possibility, set up a website. But make sure that your website includes a sketch of yourself with an arrow pointing to your head, leading from the words "not insane."

Thanks Fireman Trav!

Ok, so I know I owe you some pictures from the Marine Corp Ball, but I have to wait till my sister decides to e-mail them to me. The formality of the event required a dressy clutch instead of my huge pink "Kaiser Permanente" tote, and between the three of us girl we could find only 1 dressy looking purse. That meant we took the smallest phone (Lisa's), camera (Cindy's), chap stick, and gum. And that's all that would fit--and even then it all had to be arranged just right or the clasp wouldn't close.

So, anyway, while I wait for pictures to come, I thought I'd share with you the pictures we took with my phone on Monday. As some of you know, I have a weekend job. Well, this weekend it carried over into Monday morning for a prayer breakfast event which was held at the local fire station. During the praying portion of the event, when we really couldn't do anything because it would be too much of a distraction, we were outside by the fire engine. Now, obviously there were some very attractive firemen. I mean, really. I think that's one of the requirements for being a fireman. (I think being saved by a Hottie-McHotterson helps give fire victims a reason/motivation to get through the ordeal alive.) So, we were standing around the truck being nosey and looking in the open doors of the truck, when Hottie McFireman walked around the front of the truck. We'll call him...Trav. :-) I was obviously caught, so I said, "Oh, sorry. We're just being nosey." To which he replied "Oh, no, don't worry. You can climb all over that thing." ...So we did. We climbed in. We looked around at everything. We opened the ice chest (full of water packs). We put our numbers in the cell phone that was charging (not really, but now that I think of it, we totally should have!). And when Fireman Trav was finished with his paper work he came over and answered any questions we had. He said we could put on the hard helmet that was sitting on the back shelf--which we did. And we took pictures in it. My picture is pretty unflattering, but here is Cindy (she's always cute):

After laughing at us for playing super model with the helmet, Fireman Trav. took us around the outside of the truck and opened all the cabinets to show us what's inside. He explained the different uses of the 2.5 inch hose and the 4 inch hose; showed us the secret hiding spots for the 4 extra air tanks; the chain saw; the little Velcro pouch that has their color coded cards in it. and then, when our coworker came over to ask if we brought the "Sterno fire putter-outers" Fireman Trav said "Well, there's the hose. You girls are qualified firefighters now." And walked away, leaving us with full permission to use the fire truck as needed to put out any fires we could find. (Well, that's not a direct quote, but...) All in all, a wonderful day. I mean, it totally made my 4 am wake up worth it. And I was a happy camper when I went to my real job and then to school. :-)

Dear Publishers,

My teacher was using your company's Power point presentations in class, and I just wanted to let you know that the keystone is portrayed incorrect, or better it is structurally unsound. In the pictures of the communication archway the trust "Keystone" block is portrayed as a triangle pointing up, when the triangle should be pointing down. You should probably fix that...Unless the point you wanted to make is that we cant relly on trust to keep our communication in tact....In which case good job, and also, I'm sorry for the people who know you, and the world you all live in.
Trusting in you,
Heather
PS. I figure you will want to know this so you can make a new version and charge people $100 for your mistake (you're welcome) but can I please have a free copy of the text book? I mean, I am providing you with a good excuse to make a new edition, and thereby not allow the schools to resell old books keeping money for themselves. You still come out ahead.

Things I love about CA

The beach. Disneyland. The mountains. The freeways-I know it sounds odd, but they ARE better. Hollywood. LA. Pasadena. Claremont. Corban Canyon. Santa Monica Pier. Claremont Colleges. Botanical Gardens. Venice Beach. Knott's Berry farm. Medieval Times. 3rd Street. Laying out and feeling the sun's rays on my skin. Free summer activities. The People. Bonfires at the beach. The fact that "I'm freezing" means "it's 60*F, and I have to put on a sweatshirt. Riding bikes at the beach. All the things you find hidden. Santa Barbara. The warmth of the sun. My friends who take me to a new restaurant at least once a month. Surfers. People who encourage me to read good books. Opening the sunroof and smelling the beach air. My house is an hour from just about everything, and 3 hours from Vegas and TJ. Seeing dolphins off the coast. The ability to pick a fav store, and know that there are 12 similar shops within a mile radius if I don't feel completely satisfied. Ruby's on the pier. Governor Arnold. CSU's that cost less than 1500 a semester. Catalina Island. Tornado season-we don't have them. DCA (Disney's California Adventure). The beach.

TAGGED!

I've been wanting to post something, for a few days, but aside from "The crazy stalker hasn't gotten me yet!" I haven't had anything exciting to tell you about...except that now I've been tagged--So, here are the rules:

1. The player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.

2. At the end of the post, the player tags 6 people and posts their names, and then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog for the rules.

Here we go:
1- I Don't have a middle name. And when I was younger and we went bowling, I'd use the letter O as my middle initial to fill the 3 spaces--it makes a word, and I guess that word makes me vain.

2-My uncle is Mel Gibson.

3-I am currently enrolled in 3 Special Ed classes. As a student. That really doesnt make me sound very smart.

4-I am fairly paranoid. I blame a teacher I had when I was like 10 who told me about all the things a particular stalker does to his victims--horrifying. I've been doing a lot better lately...and even when I'm not doing so well, I've gotten a lot better at hiding it... ;-)

5-I talk to my car. She has a name. And a few nicknames. I think that if I'm nice to her, she'll be nice to me. And it's worked so far.

6-I have a dream that one day I will have a lot of money. Not because I want a big house, or lots of expensive toys, but because there are a few things I want to do. I'm really poor right now, but one day I want to be able to say "dont worry about the bill, it's on me" regularly. Just once I want to be able to say "hey, I' m taking a cruise to Alaska--you wanna come? It's already paid for" or "I am going to Africa, but I dont want to go alone, so I bought an extra ticket--will you please join me?" I will take working/service vacations and go to New Zealand and build a house like my sister did, or work in an orphanage in Austria for a month, or help teach Brazilians how to set up a school. I want to do everything and see everywhere--and while I know that will never happen (at least not in this life), but I want to do as much of it as I can.

And since everyone I know in the blogging world has already been tagged, I am going to break the chain...I will probably remain "It" indefinately, but maybe one day I will decide to pass it on...after this post is long forgotten, or I've made more friends. On second thought, I do know someone who just started a blog, and this would be a great entry to get her going, so Val--you're IT!!!

Crazies

Is there a full moon this week or am I just wearing a huge "I love crazy people" sign?

At school on Monday I gave this kid directions to whatever he was looking for, and then my class happened to be on the way there...so we walked together. But then he wanted to walk down the stairs and into the building of where my classroom was...Fine whatever--I'd never see him again...Right? WRONG--when I came out of class 3 hours later he was there waiting for me. He thought it would be nice to walk me to my car--but he wanted to stop by his car first. I said " no, that's ok. I can see my car from here. You can go to your car, and I'll go to mine." But he insisted that I wait for him to go to his car because he had something for me...I was pretty weirded out by this, since I didn't know him, and seriously, what would this kid I met today have for me? In his car? Weird. So anyway, I waited in the institute parking lot while he went to his car to get whatever it was...And do you know what he came back with? Here's a picture of it:

Thats right--a flower. A red Rose. That was nice of him...but along with the 150 personally invasive questions he'd already asked it was a little too much, way too soon.

And last night I went to my fav. little coffee shop to get a hot coaco and read my book club book, but instead of getting nice quite time by myself, I had the peasure of spending an hour entertaining another young man who was a little too forward in his attempt at kindness. I'm flattered, I really am, but are you really so ignorant to nonverbal cues that you think I will kiss you at the end of the intrusive evening? Or did you just think I'd find your lip-infusion gloss irrestable?

Can I get a day off for emotional trauma?

So, on my way to school yesterday I was driving along on the freeway, as I've done so many times before, when traffic started slowing. We are used to that here in So. Cali. Some random genius decides that his foot has to be doing something at all times, so it's either gas or break. (I don't think some people understand that if you just take your foot off the gas you naturally start to slow down, but whatever.) And then once 1 person brakes everyone around them sees the red lights and brakes also, and next thing you know you are going 30 mph for no reason. Well, when this happened yesterday there were tragic consequences. I didn't see what happened right before, so I don't know if someone cut into the lane or what, but as I was slowing down, I noticed that the SUV on my left was not going to stop in time. And apparently the he noticed this too, so he swerved into the carpool lane on his left--where another car had to slam on their brakes, but was luckily able to avoid an accident. But the story doesn't end there. The SUV had turned so sharply to the left that he would have hit the wall, so he started over compensating swerving right and left and right again, and unfortunately he did hit the wall--which swung the car around so it was facing us, then it continued to go and rolled over onto it's side, where it rolled over like twice, finally resting on it's side. There were about 10 of us who got out of our cars there on the freeway and ran to the SUV. I could see him trying to get out of his window which was now shattered across the freeway, but since his car door was on the ground, that wasn't quite possible. so 3 men helped him climb out the passenger window. He seemed fine (for which I am incredibly grateful!), a few scratches, but walking around okay...so the first lady there was on her phone with 911 and helping him and I was blocking traffic, so I had to move my car...And when I got about 10 miles away was when I finally realized that if he had pulled his steering wheel in the opposite direction, he would have been in my lane...kinda alarming.(Dear SUV driver, I'm glad you walked away from that accident. I'm sorry I had to leave so quickly, but I had class...although, if I'd thought I could be some help, I would have been more than willing to stay...but, really--I'm kinda useless in times of emergency. Thank you for not turning right, and into my lane, when you were avoiding the stopped car. Love, Emotionally-Tramatized-but-not-as-much-as-you Heather) So, my point is this: Shouldn't I be excused from class? Because, really, there was no way I was going to be able to pay attention when I was shaking and in a constant state of borderline panic attack. I know I wasnt even involved in anything, but still...emotional trauma.

PS--You would have all gotten a random "I love you" text message from me, except that I was afraid of texting while I was driving.

Now That's Talent!!!

Gerry Phillips plays his hands on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Late for work...but worth every second.

I know that being late is bad, and I know that I should be punctual and present myself as a professional (even though I was still the first person here today). It's just that I couldn't get myself out of bed this morning. Yes, I was up really late last night, but that's not my fault. I have class till 10. But that wasn't really the issue here. This morning as I was desperately trying to find the off button on my alarm clock, there were 2 gorgeous men wanting me. "In my dreams!" you say? Why, yes. Yes, they were in my dreams. Well, one dream in particular. The one my alarm was interrupting. The one I was desperate to get back to. And luckily, I did get back to it. That's right, I went back to sleep and dreamed a marvelous dream that could only ever be a dream, and slept right up until 10 minutes before I was supposed to be at work. Oops! But, oh well. I don't get to do that very often. I don't usually remember my dreams. So today, I took advantage of it.
And I'm so not sorry.

PS--
Dear Dream Men,
Thank you for loving me. Thank you for making my night wonderful, and starting my day with a smile. Do you visit me every night? If you do, I'm sorry I don't always remember. I'll try to do better. I'm sure that if the dream ended with a good bye kiss, I'd be more likely to remember it-just a little tip. I miss you already.
Love,
Heather

Scavenger Hunt at the Fair

Just because I thought this was so fun, I put it on here. :-) My dad made this up when he took some work-people to the County Fair.

5 points for every person that you run into that you know. (Team members excluded)
10 point bonus if they work for (Your company)*.
50 point bonus if they are your employee and they called off sick today.

1 point - Spotting a person with a Disneyland article of clothing.
10 point bonus if they are wearing a Mickey mouse hat with protruding ears.

1 point for a napkin with an advertiser's logo or name on it
5 points for a "stick" with a logo or name of a vendor. (Stick being the handle of some food article upon which it was served)
20 points if you find me a peanut butter and banana sandwich on a stick.

20 points for the autograph of a "famous" personality.
100 point bonus if the celebrity is good looking and willing to have a picture taken with the whole group.

1 point for every activity in which two or more of the group participates.
5 points for any "rides" that you go on.
-50 points if you barf on or after the ride

10 points for attending a horse race.
25 points for "picking" the winner. (Wagering is not necessary)
100 points if you wager, win and divide the winnings among the administrative (or your department) team members.

5 points for each "prize" that is awarded for participation in game or activity.
50 points for a "Kupie doll" won in a contest. (Must be larger than 18 inches)

1 point for every different animal species that you actually touch
50 points if you "ride" that animal.

5 points for every "trinket" that you get from any booth vendor.
10 points if that trinket has the vendor's name or logo on it.
20 points for any that promote a healthcare (or your field) organization.
50 points if it promotes (your company)*.

25 points if you participate in any activity where you are asked to participate in a vocal manner. (Hog calling, hollering, animal impersonating, Karaoke, etc)
50 point bonus if you get a standing ovation
100 points if you are asked for an encore.

10 points for any of these services that you receive for FREE:
- Facial
- Back/neck/shoulder Masage
- Foot Masage
- Hand softening treatment
- manacure/pedicure
- hair cut/curl/style
- skin treatment

5 points for shaking hands with a "live" mascot
10 points if you can make the mascot laugh outloud.



*I dont know why it would be a problem, but for the sake of avoiding legal issues, I removed the company name--you just never know who will be viewing this and if they, for whatever reason, are upset with said company, they could find some way to put this a negative light. Bla, bla, bla. Whatever....Deal with it.

Travel Maps

This is the coolest!!!

This is my first goal: Visit all 50 states.

create your own visited states map

second goal: visit all the countries. ...Ok, so I know I wont be visiting all of them...but most would be nice! I'd be okay with a nice sprinkling of red throughout the map. You probably didn't notice it, but there are a few little red dots all the way on the left, kinda in the north/south middle--that's Samoa. Been there!

create your own visited countries map

Apparently, I've already seen 2% of the world. Pretty cool.

Pondering

What do you do when life becomes mundane? When all excitement and intrigue is lost? When getting up in the morning is the last thing you want to do? Is it because all is so well known? Or because there are no goals? A lack of health? Or wealth?

What do you do when you have no reason to go on? And all you want to do is to curl up and disappear? Why do the tears needlessly fall, when all appears to be fine? And you know there are so many who have real problems...and yet thats not enough?

I know my life is blessed, and I'm surrounded by greatness...So why do I feel inferior? So easily forgotten? Is it becuse I am common by comparison? Or maybe uncommonly inessential? Is it all just a lack of effort? A lack of putting on the game face that would win?

Why do I feel so incomplete, when I am all alone? Without strong arms to hold me steady, can I make it through the night? Phisically alone in a world of confusion, where the immaterial seems so distant, I seek comfort in the strengths of others.

Although I'm aware that they can not save me, I see no other way to hide from myself. I know what I must do and what to avoid, and yet I fall in the weakness that I am. Fall to temptations I know how to avoid. Failing to push myself to success.

With a lifetime that has been dedicated to staying in the middle, why would I be so surprised by my blending in? I guess I always assumed people would notice the magic I have within...But that's hard to do when it isnt there...Why isnt it there?

My Fav. Quotes

“True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior.
“The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior.” --Elder Boyd K. Packer (in Conference Report, Oct. 1986, 20; or Ensign, Nov. 1986, 17).

“Thank you, brother. I really needed that.” --A man in SLC, after receiving a blessing. “Blessed are those who can give without remembering and those who can receive without forgetting.” --Graffiti in slum of Kingston, Jamaica (Stephen A. West, “Five Small Experiences,” Ensign, Feb 2004, 60–64)

...Guess it's a good week all around...or something...

I think it's about time for a new blog on here...but I have nothing exciting to share with you all. The only excitement is the dead fish I found in the fish tank 15 min ago. I didn't really know what to do, but luckily on of the guys was walking by as I was standing there staring at it in dismay. He just reached in and picked it up by the tail and stood there holding it and wanting to speculate the cause of death with me...I'm really sad, because they've kinda fallen to my responsibility lately. And I've done so well--so I thought.
Only a few weeks after I got here the owner brought asked if I wanted any plants for the office...I told her I'm really not good at keeping plants alive, and she brushed that off and told me I'd be fine...So we got 2 plants, and I take care of them. I figured out how much I can water them without flooding them. I trimmed them. I bought some really cute pots and re-potted them. And they are still looking pretty good.
Well, apparently the guys saw that and decided I could take care of fish too! They were feeding, cleaning and maintaining the tank in the beginning, but they soon began to slack off....and I felt sorry for the poor fish swimming in the darkness...so I'd turn the light on...and then I'd see them press their little noses up against the glass, begging for food, so I'd feed them...and then after a while I couldn't see them so clearly because the tank was dirty, so I'd clean it...and when I cleaned it, I noticed that the water was getting low, so asked one of the other guys here to fill it for me (I wasnt about to try to lift that 10 gallon drum full of water over my head)...and me doing it became more and more frequent, until it reached the point where I'm the only one who does it now.
...and I killed a fish.

So Cute!

Look how cute my nieces are! The three girls in the middle are mine, the rest are their cousins. I went to WA for my littlest niece's baby blessing and had the best weekend! We just played with the kids and met all of my sister-in-law's side of the family-well, we've met them before, but it's always been around huge events, like my brother's wedding, so it was nice to be able to relax and get to know them a little better.
Oh ya, and also--I could totally live on a farm...when I have a family.

Time

Dear Summer-

Where did you go?! I don't even know where to send this letter to. One day we were happily playing in park, laying under the shade trees, and the next I was sitting in a classroom without windows feeling the walls close in on me. What am I going to do without you?
What did I do to offend you? Was it because I took summer school? I understand you are probably hurt by my offence and apparent lack of understanding your very essence, but I didn't mean anything by it. I thought I could do it all, but as soon as I realized that was not possible, and school is a contradiction to summer, I dropped the second class! (I had to finish the first class--did you want me to get a bad grade and have to take summer classes again next year?) I'm sorry! Please forgive me and come back. I NEED you!
...You could at least call my school and tell them it's still summer time...then we could enjoy a few more evenings in the park. I bought a light-up Frisbee so we can play. OH! Or you can tell my that it's still summer and we need to close the office. That way they will get out their wind-surfers and you can play with all of us! For a whole day! Doesn't that sound nice?
Love,
Heather

Pop-culture necessities

When I started going to institute, in the time I refer to as "the good ol' days," it was common knowledge that one requirement to be my friend was the ability to appreciate the humor of "Billy Madison." Life was simpler then. There was no urgency toward planning my life, but rather to simply figure out who I am. With each new calender I've altered my standards-lowering some, raising others, forming new ideas of what I need from others. I'll probably post more about this some other day. My intent today is to find out if you have any requirements--is there a book you think everyone should read? Something so important that if someone doesn't like it, you know your friendship will never progress past casual acquantaince?
Also, I've added a book list and would Love your input--What should I add? What are your fav. books? What books do you remember from Childhood?

What were you thinking?

I love meeting new people and finding out why they are who they are, but sometimes I have to wonder what the logic is that governs their actions. Like the guy in my office who has been passing his mail through the postage meter, then putting his exact change in the money box for at least 2 years...but then today, as I'm busily doing 3 things at my desk, with envelops and CD cases in my hands, he walks up to me and tries to give me his 2 bills with 3 quarters a nickle and 2 pennies balanced on top of it. I just gave him a confused look and told him to leave it on the desk. ...Why would he suddenly decide today that he doesn't know how to use the meter machine?

Later, when someone called with a question about her bill that I couldn't answer, I tried transferring the call to him (because it's his job to answer our customers' questions) he said "I don't know...what am I supposed to tell her? ...I'll have to ask (our boss, who isn't here today) about it." but then instead of letting me tell the customer I'd find out and call her back, he insisted on talking to her...then he put a note on my computer monitor, which I found when I got back from filling my water bottle. It said "(customer name), billing question, $1825.00, Why?" (which is all information I gave him when I transferred the call to him--in fact, I also have the name of the caller, and their customer ID Number written down on my note book...so, I'm left thinking: Why? Why did you put a note on MY desk when you were going to talk to our boss? Why did you insist on talking to the customer if you were just going to pass it back to me? Why did you wait until I was away from my desk to put the note there, instead of asking me to talk to the boss when she walked in? WHY ARE YOU SO WEIRD!?

I've decided there are only 2 possible explanations:
He is just plain OCD and weird. -OR- He has an identical twin brother who comes to work for him sometimes. It would explain also why he has 2 houses and some days goes "home" to the desert, and other days to LA.

My Birthday in AZ.

I love my birthday!!! I can already tell it's gonna be a good year. If you are wondering why I know this, I'll let this picture explain:


Yep, that's me and my new BFF, "the drunk chick." ...OK, so it's just a black square...it's not my fault it was dark! I mean, how is a cell phone supposed to get a good picture in a bar? My cousins and I went to a karaoke bar because there was a misunderstanding about the date of a party we were gonna hit up --but really, no excuse is needed to go karaoke-ing. It was so much fun! I was full of attitude that night, so I sang "I'm a slave for you" to get warmed up, then "I will survive" during which the girl at the table next to us got up and danced with me, in an attempt to empower, and lift the spirits of her cousin who just ended a 10 year relationship. Then I really wanted to sing Lisa Loeb's "Stay" but I wasn't sure I remembered the beginning of it...so I asked my new friends to help me! They said of course, and invited us to move our table closer and join their fun...so we did. :-) From then on any time "the drunk chick" had to sing, she pulled me close to share the mic and help her out. Quote of the night: "I know this song, I'm just too drunk to read the words." I sang several songs I'd never heard before, and if I can say so myself, I was pretty dang good!!! Then later the DJ sang happy birthday to someone, so my cousins and new friends made her sing to me too. The other birthday boy even came up to me later and asked what I was drinking (um...sprite?)so he could buy me a drink in congratulations of being 21 (again). He was being so nice I resisted the urge to call him grandpa--aren't I kind?
We had so much fun that night, we decided to go back the next night, and now I'm an addict...seriously--I'm jonesing a karaoke! Anyone wanna go? My sister told me there are places you can rent a room and throw a karaoke party where it's just people you invite, for only like $25/hour...and if I had enough friends who'd do it I'd totally throw myself a birthday party, since I haven't done that yet...hum...maybe I should have a birthday month...

creating a future

This week I have been trying (once again) to plan my future--pick a major, talk to advisers to plan my classes, pick a career path, decide where I want to live, etc. ...and once again I have been unsuccessful. SO, I have a new poll :-) YOU get to plan my life for me! Aren't you excited?! I'm really generous, so make me successful and we'll all go on vacation-my treat. ;-)

...and now I'll tell you about my adventure: so, I took a half day from work on Tuesday so I could go to school and talk to a councilor, or at least get the information list of classes I need to take. I think that the program I want is through the Child and Adolescent Studies department, but I don't like them (Last year I was in CAS and when I was trying to register for classes they put a block on my registration, so I couldn't register for ANYTHING. and when I tried to figure out why no one would answer my calls, or e-mails, and I couldn't talk to an advisor till I went to some other training meeting) so I was hoping to avoid them by talking to the careers in education department...but the secretary there just gave me some other phone number to call (which turned out to be a recording for the council for professional recognition) so I went to the CAS office, which I'm inclined to believe stands for Crappy And Stupid, to try to talk to the advisor (which is apparently allowed now, since I went to their stupid training meeting over the summer where they spent 4 hours explaining a piece of paper I could have easily read myself, from the school website where I'd already found it. Thanks CAS department) unfortunately, the advisor is on vacation so I had to make an appointment for next week (that's fine, I can totally appreciate the need for vacation!)
Then, since I was already at school, I went to the one place anyone has ever been helpful to me--the career center's walk-in office. Mostly I just wanted to make sure I was talking to the right people-I don't mind fighting for what I need to, but I'd rather not waste the energy on the wrong people! Shockingly they told me that I'd already gone to the 2 places they would send me for more information...so now I just get to wait another week and hope someone can answer my questions, or at least care enough to pretend to listen.
...although, I'd definitely be willing to drop out of school and become a star if that's what you recommend.

What is Ordinary?

Last night my family was talking about some of our favorite people and all that they've done. And I learned a lot about some people I though to be "ordinary," the ones that are content to stand at the sidelines and be overlooked. Like the family who lent their car and gas card to a friend who needed to make regular trips to a far away hospital. The wife that lovingly slaves in the background of her husband's chaos. The pioneer/immigrant who wrote about the smallest details, like the name of the ship, or what they ate. My uncle who when asked when the best years of his life were, always answers "right now;"and even though he doesn't have much, gave me emergency money to take to Brazil in case I got stranded for whatever reason.

While I'm sure we all agree that these acts are far from common, I'm also sure none of these people wrote about these acts in their journal because they thought these were ordinary acts. They were just doing what they thought was right. I'm sure they didn't sit down early in life and write these things on a "to do" list. I'm sure they don't look back on their lives and say "Man, I'm really generous." And I know for a fact that they don't bring it up in a crowd of people.

I often catch myself confusing the word ordinary, for unimportant..."I haven't done anything special with my life, so I must be doing something wrong. I'm obviously not that important in the day-to-day occurrences of the world." But when I think of what the world would be like without all those so called ordinary people...it brings a tear to my eye. A world full of crazy extremists, or people annoyingly bragging about their accomplishments, or simply doing absolutely nothing. That is not something I want to experience. Sometimes I see the people who I think are extraordinary and I realize how grateful I am to be ordinary--grateful I didn't have to fight off cancer, that I didn't have to overcome abuse, or neglect, or discrimination, that I didn't have to sacrifice my home, or family, or freedom. ...I only hope that if/when my chance to be more than ordinary comes I will make the right choice, and then be humble enough to act like all the amazingly ordinary people I admire.

In honor of the annual Lions Club sponsored Fish Fry...

I LOVE the month of August! Not only because it is my birth month (yes, I am a Leo), it is summer (aka no school), and there are tons of beach parties (hello, beach always equals good), but also because of the Fish Fry. Now, I dont eat fish, nor do I particularly enjoy the smell of it (bleh!) but some how this tridition has been deeply rooted in me. My Grandpa was a member of the Lions Club, so that's where it started. And even after my grandpa passed away, my grandma maintained her connections and got us tickets every year.

I remember going to the park in the morning to husk a truck load of corn. There were competitions for who could find the most baby corns, or the biggest ear, etc. As a little girl, I'd collect all the silk thinking I'd take it home and make wigs for my dolls, and my mom was always relieved when I'd forget about it and run to the play ground so she could throw it all away before I made a pig sty of the car/house. Then in the evening we'd eat and dance and play. And with every ticketstub, you could get a little bowl of ice cream--you know, the ones with the cardboard lid that you eat with the wooden "spoon." Us kids would always offer to bring the adults' to them, and then we'd eat the ice creams that they "didnt want."

Well, now my dad is a Lions Club member, so yesterday my sister and her football team of children came out and this morning they went to work. I took my lunch break early so I could go over and help too. It's sad, because every year it's getting smaller and smaller...but you know what I've decided? I could definately live on a farm (...as long as my husband took care of the weeding, I dont think I'll ever find that on my list of Productive Uses of My Time). And I think everyone should husk corn at least once in their lives. I dont know why. But if you haven't done it yet, let me know and we'll find some corn!

feeling left out

OK, so I'm not really funny like all of you are, nor am I as gifted in terms of the english language...but I had so much fun reading all your entries that I am totally jealous and decided to start my own blog! I'll warn you, though, I am really new to the entire concept of blogs, let alone their construction, design and maintance, so DONT JUDGE ME! :-) So, I guess thats it...I probably wont have anything funny on here, just the things I think are cool. But who knows--maybe with time I can become funny!