Vegas baby, Vegas

We stayed at the Monte Carlo, on the 31st of its 32 floors. When we first got up there the whole floor was vacant, all the doors were open and our room had some rubble beneath a wall mirror illustrating that it had just been hung. This could have been kind of creepy, like couldn't anyone sneak in and stay there? But I saw this as a great opportunity. I mean, when else can you run naked up and down the hotel floor hallway?* Yes, but can you do it sober? That's what I thought.

At the bowl game we had incredible seats. We were on the 3rd row in the corner behind BYU's end zone. When it was clear they would win, 8 seconds left in the game, we all jumped down and stormed the field. After the game Tyler and I and his brothers and sister Billy, Alana, and Bobby all went to some Mexican restaurant that was mostly empty, right across the street from ESPN zone on the strip. We were so excited about the game that we had to order a celebration drink and unfortunately, may have gotten Billy drunk.*

Tyler and I went to the fashion show mall the next day. It really didn't feel so much like Christmas in Vegas, maybe I'm too used to cold-weather Christmases, but these "ornaments" hanging in the mall looked incredible. Later we went to see a comedy show at the Riviera. Out of 3 performers, I loved Doug Benson's "marijuanalogues." He was hilarious.

It was a fun trip, but it was a huge relief to finally get home when we did. The last few weeks have seemed even busier than normal and so I hope to just relax this week.


*I wasn't quite naked and Billy didn't really get drunk, but can't those details stay in Vegas, so I can make up what happened there?

Missionary Expenses

My first car ever was my dad's old car. Actually it was his dad's car before it was his. My dad "lent" it to me when I moved to Washington, but once I moved and had a subsequent car wreck, it became mine. He fixed it up with a new bumper, and some bungee cords and pins to hold the hood down. The bumper was white and the car maroon, and there was no grill on the front. Bea Dean called it my Tijuana special.

When that car finally got donated to the kidney foundation, I bought a car from a fleet of missionary cars. Like rental cars (I used to work for Avis), missionary cars get some rough handling, but also get regular service so I bought a missionary car, also priced a lot lower than the low bluebook and only 3 years old.

It's a 2000 and recently seems to have begun its breakdown. We had the rear brake cylinders fixed 2 weeks ago and then the heat broke last Tuesday morning. Last week Tyler and I were driving down to Vegas for the BYU bowl game and surprisingly, found this never before seen piece of paraphernalia.

Given that a credit card was included, and we had to replace 2 tires on the car in Beaver, Utah on our way back from Vegas, I was really tempted to use the card for "missionary expenses." I mean, I did use the car to support the BYU cougars didn't I? It's really too bad for me that the card was expired.

Fidelity

Love this song by Regina Spektor called "Fidelity" She has such a unique sound, its sweet and rocks too.

the PMBA program

PMBA is supposed to stand for professional master of business administration--I like to call it the Pain in My Butt Administration.

I'm not sure that I learned all that much, except how to manage time better? But here's the "other things" that went on in my life since I started my program at the end of August '04:

I ended a relationship
I started a relationship
I moved
I got married
I became a stepmom
my twin sister moved away and moved back
my oldest brother got married
I changed gyms twice
I filmed 2 football seasons of games
I changed jobs
I lost contact with some friends and got back in touch with other friends
My husband and I remodeled our kitchen (he did most of the work)
I got 2 sinus infections
I quit yoga
I worked 2 Sundance Film Festivals
I went to California twice
I visited Montana once
I went to Vegas once (and again in another week! go BYU!)
I went to Nebraska for my first time (for bro's wedding)
I spent a hellish week in Denver for my job
and I made a number of camping/vacation trips in Utah
and I went to a number of concerts and movies

Thank you to all of my supporters and loved ones for helping me get through this program and still have some fun too!

Apocalypto

I loved it. But I'll never watch it again. They should have a surgeon general's warning: "If you have heart problems, please consider carefully before watching this movie. Your heart will pump at its maximum rate throughout without reprieve. Second, if you have ever had a child, please consider carefully before watching this movie, the fear and pain may be more than you can bear."

Between Term-inal Illness

I woke up feeling sick this morning. It's not that surprising given that it's December, it's cold, and most predictively--it's almost finals week. I can't really call it "finals week" because I only have one final to take and I'm taking it on Saturday. But all the symptoms exist. Much to my chagrin, I seem to always get sick between terms. It was much more extreme during my undergrad, but it has persisted throughout. So after having this crazy dream last night during which me, my sister, my college friend Meagan Koscinski, and two of my sisters-in-law Krystal and Randa were in huge trouble with my mom at my old house in Montana, I woke with a sore throat and headache, and feeling generally weak. I guess this is the last time around that I can blame it on my body holding out all semester through the late nights, early workouts, work hours and study hours to give in at the end and get sick. I won't miss it.