Peanut Butter

I am addicted to peanut butter. I eat at least one PB&J or PB&Honey sandwich every day. I would eat them for every meal if they contained more nutrients. I work around this nutrients dilemma by eating it with celery, oatmeal, apples, Thai food, and whatever else I can put it on.

The other day I discovered these.

A whole new world of possibilities has been opened up to me. Who knew there was gourmet peanut butter? Not only gourmet, but gourmet in small packets that I can take with me everywhere.

Just adding fuel to my addiction.

Graduation, Moving On, Growing Up

Ok, I'm honestly only writing this post because I got an email from Carie requesting that I update my blog. So here it is Carie. I hope you realize how much of a sacrifice this was for you. :)

Ok, so honestly a ton of stuff has been happening in my life. I just haven't been blogging about it...

First off, I am now a double graduate! In April I graduated from massage therapy school. It is weird to me that I am officially done with school forever if I want to be! Unless I go to grad school then I may never have another homework assignment. I don't feel old enough to be at this stage of life. This is both terrifying and liberating to me.

Terrifying in the fact that I no longer have a routine set up for me by classes. I also have to start finding a real job. I don't think I can justify having 4 little jobs for much longer. Graduating also means that I have to start finding other ways beyond school to be social. My main fear though, is loans. I have to start paying off student loans. Debt sickens me, and I try to think about this as little as possible.

Now the flip side is my feeling of freedom.I can really focus on work, and can start a business and have time to actually market it! I can also do things I've always wanted to, but never had time (learning violin, reading, rock climbing, biking, painting, etc.).

Along with graduation have also come a few life lessons.

Patience. I was hoping to take my national exam to become a Licensed Massage Therapist within a few weeks of graduating. However, due to the incredibly slow processing from Provo College it has now been 8 weeks since I graduated, and I don't even have the test scheduled! The most frustrating thing about this predicament is that I can't officially work yet. To top that off my temp job at an internet marketing company has ended.

Importance of tithing. Without being able to really work let's just say that money has not been coming in regularly. There was a week where I was debating whether to pay tithing then or wait til the end of the month. I then remembered all the little Ensign stories about blessings from tithing so I paid. It worked. I was blessed. The next Monday my marketing job called and asked if I could still do some PR work for them from home even thought my job had officially ended. I also got another job as a Fitness Boot Camp Instructor, and I got a referral to give a few massages to people who were willing to pay even though I'm not licensed. I really am being watched over.

Yadda Yadda Yadda

Apparently if you look up yadda yadda yadda this is the definition you get: A phrase that means "and so forth" or "on and on;" it usually refers to something that is a minor detail or boring and repetitive.

So really I guess I shouldn't title any blog post about my life as that because my life is not a minor detail nor is it boring, and only sometimes is it repetitive.

Well I was just thinking today about how I have 3 free hours, and how amazing it is. So I was updating myself on others lives and looking at Valerie and Cierra's amazing blogs and feeling shamed at my lack of blogging. In fact my favorite part of my blog posts are the comments about my lack of blogging. Here is my measly attempt.

These last months have been overall great. A few crappy events, but nothing a good girls night couldn't fix. Work is great, I'll hopefully get my national certification in May, and then open my own business at Edgemont PT which I am so so so excited for! I am going to do massage therapy and personal training.

Any suggestions for what I should call my business?

Thanksgiving and Christmas were awesome except for when Matt and Cierra moved to the frozen tundra of Idaho.

Going home for Christmas was amazing. I love my family, and I love the desert.

These pics are from a hike on Christmas Day. Yes, Christmas without snow. I used to hate it, now I love it.

I crave the desert with the endless blue skies, and the gorgeous red rock. I crave it like I crave chocolate.

I want summer. Now.

Here is a list all the exciting events that have been happening for those of you who care...

• John Hoyt came to visit from Vermont, and we rode the Front-runner up to Ogden and went ski-joring with some friends! It's a Norwegian sport, look it up. It's pretty cool.
• That same day as ski-joring we had dinner with the diplomats. The President of the Islamic Council of Norway, and the Judicial Vicar of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church came. We fed them bread-bowls. They were actually very funny. We had some good discussion about the differences in our religions, and the politics of religion.
• I am almost done with school! One more month, and I will have a bachelors and a massage therapy license! It kinda makes me feel old to be almost done with school forever.
• I dyed my hair brown. I love it.
• We had a dinner group reunion at Craig and Rachel's new place. I love reunions.
• I want summer to come.
• I bought a plant and it's name is General Sherman.

Oh sweet dinner group. Emmy and Evan couldn't be there so we just pretended like they were.

So that is an update for you. Oh and did I mention I want summer? This morning it was nice outside. Nice enough that I ventured out for a few minutes without a jacket. Then it started getting cloudy. Then it started to rain. That turned to hail, and now it is snowing. Moody weather is making me moody.

Huh

Huh, well it looks like this thing is still here. Would you look at that...

Let's see... news. I'm guessing that's why you came here.

I started Massage Therapy school and I love it! This job was made for me. I get to be around people all day, but I don't have to actually talk to them. And I get to work with muscles all day. I seriously think muscles fibers are so interesting. I'm one of those weird people who gets a kick out of the cadaver lab. Don't judge.

I also had foot surgery on both my feet, and as a reward I got to wear awesome boots for 2 months. I am now known as the girl with the boots in my ward. I liken myself to a more intelligent Forrest Gump when he still had the leg braces on. I've had the boots off for several weeks now, but the first thing people still ask me about is my toes. I think it's a bit weird to the new kids in the ward.

Things are getting back to normal though. I think next week I'll feel good enough to try to go running! Next stop... Boston Marathon! Ok, not really. I have no desire to run that at the moment. I'm shooting for 4 painless miles by the New Year.

I started a website! It's called http://utahvalleyhealth.org/. If you want to know what it's about you should just visit it. Now I know what you're all thinking. "Lisa, you can't even update this more than once a year. Why are you starting a new thing that requires updating?" Answer: I can do whatever I want, ok? So lay off. But seriously this is something I actually care about (not that I don't care about what goes on in my life) enough to write about. It's been great so far, and has even been the catalyst in a great job offer! And this week I'm hosting a health fair! Hopefully people actually show up...

Other than that I'm just enjoying life as usual, all of it except the cold. Maybe I'll update again in another year.

For now let's just see how long it takes for anyone to actually notice I updated :)

One of the 3 who actually look at this thing...

Today I was looking at my blog, and once again thinking what a faithful blogger I am. Then I remember this e-mail that Valerie once sent me. I thoroughly enjoy pretty much everything Val writes or sends me, so I thought I would share this...

Dear Lisa Owens,

On behalf of Google, I would like to notify you of the public's increasing unhappiness with your blog. Google takes pride in it's blogging and yours has failed to live up the standard. You promised your readers at least one post a month and you have not thus fulfilled this promise. Nor have you yet to produce a certain piece of commissioned art. Though great art takes time and you have twenty-one years, twenty days, and nineteen hours before you must show some work. So in the matter of pathetic blogging, Google and I offer the following options:

1. Public flogging
2. Shunning by society as a whole
3. Death by stoning
4. Blogging, as you promised
   

Please inform Google of which option you would prefer, though based upon your blogging skills, a response isn't expected any time soon.

Sincerely,
Valerie Owens in cooperation with Google