13. Dog walking.....check!

Its been almost a month since I posted, which is probably blogging suicide if I am wanting to keep any followers....I hope I didn't lose you guys! Part of the reason I didn't post was that for the past 2 weeks of the past month I didn't have internet access, an incredibly difficult yet interesting experience. I am sure there are still some normal people out there who are not on the internet hours every day, but I'm definitely not one of them. I'm on the internet for everything - news, recipes, shopping, email, music, movies, banking, directions, education, blogging, job searching, etc. etc. My laptop has become an appendage of myself. I am scared to ever get an iphone with a data plan for this reason... I know I will become hopelessly dependent on it. I don't think I quite knew how many hours a day I spent on the internet until it wasn't there and I felt like I had so much extra time! We don't have any cable tv service anymore either so many of my usual sources of entertainment/distraction weren't there. On a positive note, our house has never been cleaner! I even started washing our baseboards I was so bored and restless! I was impressed more than anybody by my new found cleanliness. Despite all the productivity of living internetless, I'm glad to be back online!

To give a few updates...in the past month I completed something on my bucket list and helped my sister complete something on hers. First, my sister Rachel came to visit during her spring break to check out BYU, which she will be attending in the Fall (which btw I'm super exited about!) Also on her agenda and bucket list was to hike a mountain and take some topless shots (back-facing of course though!) Here is one of my favorite shots.



Now to report on my completion of #13 on my bucket list (Becoming a dog walker and getting paid to do)....About a month ago I posted an ad on craigslist and ksl classifieds an ad for dog walking/sitting services. Shortly after posting the ad I was contacted by a dog owner who was going out of town and needed someone to watch their two dogs while they were gone. Although I was super excited to watch the dogs and about getting some money to do it...I was somewhat disillusioned when the owner showed up at my house with her two dogs and a bag full of doggie diapers. Doggie diapers!?....not quite what I signed up for. Also walking her two dogs and Nacho at the same time turned out to be more of a difficult task than I had imagined. Much more time was spent untangling them all than actual walking and I got clothes lined several times! I think I have come to love my house trained Nacho so much more now after this experience. Although I love dogs I don't think dog walking/sitting is my life mission. It never hurts to try something new though! I think I will stick to walking my own dog and loving him. I love you Nacho!

Here are the two furry creatures we watched last week - Charlee and Boo

Here is Nacho being pathetically cute, Summer 2010. So much cuter right? Maybe I'm impartial though since he is practically my child.

Bucket List

Rachel (my littler sister) and I have been working on our "bucket lists" for a few months now. I'm not quite sure how we ever got started on this idea of creating a list of things we wanted to do before we "kicked the bucket" but anyhow we have been exchanging ideas for quite some time. To get our juices going we watched the movie Bucket List with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. It's an ok movie but I liked this line from the movie,

"When you die you're asked two questions, and your answers determine whether or not you'll get into heaven:

1. Have you found joy in life?

2. Has your life brought joy to others?"

I believe in some variation of this and think these are two great missions in our lives: to find joy and also spread it. In my list are of course the trips to exotic places, but I also wanted to keep it realistic and everyday things that help bring joy to my life and others. Adventures and memories are much more meaningful when they are shared with others. That's where you come in. I want to know whats on your bucket/life list! Until now I have only had a mental list but I think some good comes from writing things down. 1) I am more likely to follow through with them if they are written down. 2) Maybe someone who reads them also has this goal and would like to do something together and 3) It is incredibly satisfying to cross something off the list. So here is mine as it stands now. I may add more to it as time passes or get new ideas from all of you. I will definitely be blogging about any of my adventures and completion of any of the things on the list so keep posted about my progress!

1. Hike the Grand Canyon – go to Havasupai
2. Participate in the Empire State building run up or just climb up all 1,576 steps
3. Go ice fishing
4. Visit Jerusalem
5. Plant my own vegetable garden
6. Teach a college level course
7. Start a book club and read inspiring books
8. Fly an airplane
9. Become a foster parent
10. Do yoga on the beach to a sunrise/sunset (this would give an extra meaning to all those sun salutations)
11. Learn how to ride a motorcycle
12. Start or join a hiking group
13. Become a dog walker and get paid to do it
14. Write my personal history
15. Compete in a ping pong tournament
16. Build my own house (or at least part of it)
17. Breed dogs
18. Go bungee jumping (however, even the thought of this scares me to death)
19. Climb a tall tree
20. Create art out of unconventional materials
21. Recycle and become more green
22. Start a charity or an organization for a cause I feel passionate about
23. Start a family
24. Go to a costume party or better yet, host one!
25. Fly a kite
26. Go on a road trip with no predetermined destination
27. Drive in a convertible with the top down
28. Explore a ghost town
29. Go sea kayaking
30. Watch a meteor shower
31. Attend an air show
32. Be hypnotized
33. Coach a sport
34. Learn to play the ukulele
35. Have family rituals and traditions to celebrate holidays and important life events
36. Participate in a silent retreat
37. Join a disaster relief effort
38. Be a member in the audience of a TV show (I’m thinking the Colbert Report or the Daily Show)
39. Become a minimalist and live with less. Whittle my possessions down
40. Hike to Machu Picchu
41. See Niagra Falls
42. Participate in a pie eating contest
43. Participate in a large mass food fight ( preferably La Tomatina in Bunol, Spain)
44. Ride a unicycle
45. Collect Russian nesting dolls and nutcrackers
46. Visit an active volcano
47. Be able to donate an organ/bone marrow to save someone’s life
48. Go to a jungle
49. Visit the Kennedy Space Center and see a rocket launch
50. Witness the Aurora Borealis (northern lights)
51. Learn to cut hair and even practice on a real live male
52. Have a picnic in a really cool place
53. Go on a cruise
54. Go scuba diving
55. Go to the world cup
56. Create a bucket list scrapbook/journal documenting my progress

RC Wiley, here I come!.....NOT!

On the first page of RC Willey's ad today was this. I found it somewhat funny and a little bit sad. Free bread and milk! Are you serious? What about the free ipad or some other cool electronic gadget? I seem to remember incentives used to be something that was really cool but probably something I really didn't need. Bread and milk seem to be way too practical to get me all that excited about purchasing a new $1300 fridge. Don't get me wrong...if someone offered me a a year supply of bread and milk for free I'd take it. Nothing is better than free stuff. I guess these are signs of the economic times though. People look to be more practical and pragmatic. Even as poor as I am I think I'd still want a shopping spree or an ipod more than bread and milk. RC Wiley, you have way overestimated my practicality!

Lots of lemons and no lemonade

I would love to keep this blog only about upbeat and positive things, but unfortunately this week has been one of those weeks where I feel like my whole world is falling apart. And when I say my whole world it really means that two or three things went wrong or not according to my plan. Melodrama in my opinion is acceptable on these occasions. To begin the week off, we got news that the townhome we have been renting for an amazing $500 a month had been sold by the owners. We understood this might happen as the townhome had been put on the market several months ago, but we weren't expecting it and not wanting that day to come so soon. The townhome had been perfect for our needs and our unemployed budget. So we have to move, something I absolutely loathe...especially since within the last year and a half I have moved 3 times already. To make things even more difficult is Nacho (who I love to death but who is also a huge pain in the butt...I'll explain that a little later). The apartment/home search becomes even less appealing when almost all apartments/homes within our budgets and that don't smell like dirty feet all emphasize in their ad, with capital letters and an exclamation point (as if they have to yell it)...NO PETS! I came close to slaughtering Nacho yesterday when I left him home for 5 minutes and came back and found him with Jesus' $350 headset for aviation completely destroyed. Of course he is a dog and has no concept of what is expensive and what is not, but thinking about replacing those right now just made me feel sick. And to top the week off I got my umpteenth rejection call from an employer. I've kind of lost track or maybe its just that I am trying not to count. When I get a call I can already tell what the news is before they even say anything. Maybe its the way they say my name or the pitch in their voice. It reminds me of the voice a doctor would use when he/she is about to tell you bad news. I still have this feeling that I should be working, and because I am not means there is something wrong with me. In the past few months since I have been doing my job searching I have only come across a few full time positions in Utah County. So I have widened my search to include part time and any social service position, not just those requiring a masters degree in social work. I have probably applied or sent resumes to at least 30 employers. Out of those I probably have only got 15 callbacks and out of those had about 8 interviews. Still no job though. Some of the positions I applied to there was a legitimate reason why I could not be selected. They required someone with full licensure as an LCSW, something I will not have for at least another 9 months. Others were looking for direct experience in certain fields which I don't have experience in (such as: medical social work or domestic violence). So my ego can kind of accept those rejections. On the other hand though when I start to apply for jobs I feel I am qualified to do and some that I feel completely overqualified for (some not requiring a degree at all) and I still do not get them my ego and confidence take a major beating. There is nothing more shaming for me than job hunting and turning up with nothing. So what did I do about all my job hunting/money/house woes... I rented a comedy and went to the grocery store and bought and then consumed a large and unhealthy amount of comfort food (of course all bought with coupons, because I still have not recovered from my couponing addiction yet). Hahaha.

Friends

One of the most valuable things I took away from the my masters program at BYU were amazing friends! They are the kind of friends I know would be there for me no matter what was going on in their lives and are also just remarkable individuals! It is hard to keep in touch with everybody because after graduating many moved to all corners of the country to find work; however some have stayed close by and I've enjoyed the times we have been able to get together. Erin has an adorable American bulldog puppy so I brought Nacho for a play date. Marilee, Erin and I caught up and completed our visit by making homemade peanut butter cups. Chocolate and peanut butter are one of those heavenly combinations that never can go wrong! I wasn't disappointed. Here is the recipe for those fellow peanut butter chocolate fans.

Too Good to Be Healthy Peanut Butter Cups

Chocolate layer:

• 1/2 c. cocoa powder
• 1/4 c. coconut oil
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/8 – 1/4 c. honey

Melt the coconut oil and stir the other ingredients in; mix until smooth. Pour the chocolate into the bottom of the pan or fill the molds with a thin layer, leaving half of the chocolate for the topping. Let cool while you prepare the peanut butter filling. (The chocolate will have the taste of semi sweet dark chocolate, not milk chocolate.

filling:

• 3/4 c. creamy peanut butter
• 2 T. honey
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/4 c. coconut oil
• 1/3 c. ground nuts (we used chopped almonds)

Melt the coconut oil, stir in honey, vanilla, and then the peanut butter. When smooth, stir in the ground nuts. Spread the peanut butter filling on top of the chocolate, whether it’s in a mold or a pan. Finally, take the remaining chocolate mixture (if it’s started to solidify, heat it gently for a couple of minutes until it’s liquidy and easy to pour) and pour it on top of the peanut butter layer, smoothing it so that the top is even. Refrigerate or freeze.

Me, Erin, Marilee and daughters!

Trying my first homemade reeses

Nacho and his new friend, Diesel, waiting to come inside after playing outside in the rain

Bountiful Baskets and my Cooking Adventures

A couple of months ago I signed up for Bountiful Baskets. This is a food co-op that is all volunteer run. Every week you sign up and for $15 get a basket full of fresh fruits and vegetables. Saturday mornings become like Christmas morning as you go to pick up your basket. What will it be this week? Maybe coconuts, asparagus, turnips, strawberries, blackberries, peppers, spinach, or sweet potatoes? I realize I have paid for it but its always exciting finding out what new and different things are in your basket that week. Its well worth your money and I've enjoyed cooking and trying new things. I incorporate more fruits and vegetables into my diet now so I feel good about that. Anybody ever eaten a Jerusalem artichoke? A few weeks ago several were in my basket so I drizzled them in olive oil and roasted them. They are really tasty! I left them on the table though and as I was in the bathroom, Nacho found it an opportune time to jump up on the table and eat them! Pummelos are now up on the top of my favorite fruits list. These giant citrus fruits taste like grapefruit but are sweeter. Four weeks ago I got two heads of cabbage. Not knowing what I would do with so much cabbage, I used one head of cabbage to make sauerkraut. I absolutely love sauerkraut! I smoother my hot dogs and bratwurst in sauerkraut. My hot dogs end up having just as much kraut as meat, but that's how I like 'em! The thing is if you want to make sauerkraut the real way you have to have serious patience. I chopped up the cabbage added a few tablespoons of salt, covered it and then waited. And waited. And waited. Four weeks later my sauerkraut was ready! On Thursday I made Schnitzel and had a side of sauerkraut and spaetzle and tonight I grilled some German bratwurst and smothered them with mustard and sauerkraut. Yum Yum! I feel my German roots coming out after a week of German cuisine.

I topped the chopped cabbage with a ziploc bag of salt water. This keeps it airtight and prevents any molding

Finished product after 4 sweet weeks of waiting

Deal Seeking Insanity

I am always trying to save money. I am constantly on the prowl for a good deal and when I get one its like getting my fix of dope. All those dollars saved feel like crack cocaine to my body! There is some insanity to this whole saving money thing I do and I justify and rationalize my insane behavior like any good addict would do. I hoard coupons for things I probably never will buy and have them lying all around our whole house. This "deal seeking" consumes so much time and sometimes I end up spending more money because of it, and then I pledge to myself that my couponing days are over. Today was a good example. About a month ago I found a coupon for a $19 safety and emission test at a local automotive shop. Normally they cost around $40 so I was ecstatic to find this. Knowing that I needed to get my registration renewed soon I held on to it. After failing the safety inspection I realized why they send out the coupons in the first place. The mechanic had a long list of items that needed to be repaired before it could pass the safety test and most of the repairs were completely unnecessary. Change windshield wiper blades, air filter, tires, fix tint, etc. etc. They were happy to take care of all these repairs for a pretty price; however feeling perturbed and somewhat deceived by the lure of this coupon I felt like "sticking it to them". I spent all day going around to fix these "necessary" repairs at other more affordable shops. I went back to the shop to have my car retested. As a rule of thumb I'd say places that have good customer service don't have to persuade me that they provided me with good service and in fact if they try to convince me of their "excellent service" I think all the less of them. This is what this shop attempted to do. At the end they had to tell that they should of charged me $30 or $40 for helping me (for a few minutes) peel the tint off my rear window but that they weren't going to do. I replied with a somewhat confused, "Thanks?" Anyways so much for trying to save money.