Life, Libertyland, and the Pursuit and Happiness

This past weekend I was able to see the Statue of Liberty, Mt. Rushmore, and the Washington Monument all without leaving Utah County. Now where could one go to see all these great sites?

LIBERTYLAND!

So if you happened to be driving on I-15 Saturday afternoon, then yes...that was me riding a roller coaster through Mt Rushmore. If you haven't been, now is the time to go. For $12, you can ride the Rush-Coaster twice, take a spin around the go-cart track, and still have enough tickets left to experience Freedom Fall. And by going on these rides, you will see ever person that works at the park...all 3 of them. The gal who worked the lever on the Freedom Fall was the same gal who pulled the lever on the slurpee machine.

My sister, cousin, and I decided we needed a full redneck day so we also went to Cabela's or as I like to call it "IKEA for hicks." Have you been there? This place has:

Fish tanks

Fake animals


George W. Bush


A shooting gallery


And lots of orange!

Now I don't wanna hear anyone complain about how there is nothing to do in Utah ever again!!

T.P. Crew

On Thursday, I decided to take a little break from my lab and run up to Thanksgiving Point to visit the J. Crew Warehouse Sale. I thought I could find a little striped or argyle beauty to add to my sweater family. Unfortunately, this warehouse sale was a major disappointment, because:

1. All the clothes looked so sad. If these same clothes had been placed on clean hangers instead, I probably would have bought more. Nothing looks good thrown into a cardboard box.

2. I cannot search for clothing. I am the worst bargain shopper. The clothes need to be placed right in front of me. My hunter/gatherer skills are just shot.

3. I have never seen so many Utah moms in one place. I cannot even begin to count all the conversations I overheard that began,"Oh my gosh, I saw on your blog..." And of course, all these moms brought their little Joyellens, Starlenes, and Brextons with them and let them run all around the store. A little Johoshua even tripped me up as I reached for a marlin swimsuit.

However, my luck changed when I found the perfect pair of sweatpants...blue, soft, and comfortable. Since I practically live in sweats, I thought these would be the perfect purchase. And they were only like $3.75.

For the rest of the day at work, all I could think about was slipping into my plush sweatpants. So the second I walked into my home, I ran into my bedroom and threw them on. But my hand suddenly felt something in my pockets. Something that was much rougher than normal pocket lining...

A KLEENEX!! BUT NOT ANY KLEENEX.....A USED, WADDED-UP, GROSS TISSUE!!! WITH STAINS!

I swear...I almost threw up! My first instinct was to throw the sweatpants into a fire and take a long shower to wash the dirty off. As my friend Rachel Zoe would say "I came THIS close to losing it today." Although I guess it wasn't a total waste. The nice mom standing in line with me gave me a 10% off coupon for friends. I am not sure why she didn't give it to her to buddy Raynette, but whatever.

TAG

Yippee! I love tags. Now I have something to blog about.

8 TV shows I watch:

1. 30 Rock (it isn't currently on...but Season 2 on DVD is)
2. Top Chef (also not currently on...but I am super amped for the new season)
3. Brothers & Sisters
4. Gossip Girl
5. Chuck
6. Mad Men
7. The Soup
8. Anything on the Food Network. Like Paula's Home Cooking, Barefoot Contessa, Ask Aida...
And the list goes on and on. Like seriously. I could easily list 30 shows here.

8 Things that happened yesterday:
1. Made an AFLP gel for work and ran some great samples
2. Had lunch at the MOA
3. Bought myself a laptop!! The new MacBook.
4. Planned a potluck for work
5. Voted! Filled out my absentee ballot
6. Tried to catch up on all my TV shows for the week
7. Made chicken and couscous for dinner
8. Let Meggan do laundry

8 of my favorite places to eat:
1. Bajio's

2. Mimi's for brunch
3. Kneaders
4. Guru's
5. India Palace
6. Cafe Rio
7. Any Thai place
8. Pendulum Court. I work on campus okay? Don't judge.


8 things I'm looking forward to:
1. Election Day. So all the insanity will stop.
2. Monday...Chuck & Gossip Girl? Doesn't get better.
3. Watching all the shows backlogged on my Tivo.
4. My laptop arriving in a few days.
5. Seeing my nephew next week
6. Seeing half of my family next month
7. The Killers and Britney's upcoming albums
8. The new Bond movie! Nov 14th!



8 things on my wish list:





1. Getting into PhD schools
2. More sweatpants and slippers
3. Bajio's delivering their food
4. A trip to Boston to visit my buddies
5. A higher thyroid dosage so I can eat more and not get plus-size
6. The ability/desire to wake up early
7. More $$$
8. Sitting in sweats all day watching TV and eating the popcorn my Mom sent me...oh wait...already doin' it

What I <4

"Why 4? Cuz it's more than 3..."

While I am not at work analyzing AFLP gels or setting up field experiments...
...this are the things I am currently lovin':

Remembering how great Chuck and Samantha Who are:
"It's not happening if you don't look at it. Like poverty."

Listening to my favorite artist of the moment, Santogold:
Which I fell in love with thanks to the awesome music found weekly on Gossip Girl (seriously...get this album):
Talking like Rachel Zoe:


"You're shutting it down..."

And obsessing over the fact that I am the same age as the old people on teen shows:Seriously, I am a few months older than the teacher on the show. Next thing I know, I will be the same age as the 30-year-old parents of the 16-year-old characters on these shows. Awesome.