Tagged

By a good friend, nonetheless. I am not one to normally do these things, but I also hate to be a party pooper, so, Emily, here you go.

FIVE RANDOMS

What I was doing ten years ago today:
1. I had just completed my fifth day at the MTC.
2. Trying to learn Spanish.
3. Realized that one of my roommates it the MTC was just slightly psycho.
4. Missing my family.
5. In the midst of this all, I was just starting to realize what I had gotten myself into, and how blessed I was to be there.

Five things on my to-do list today:
1. Change my sheets (I just bought new ones.)
2. Do laundry--ugh.
3. Go visit my family.
4. Wash my car. (That didn't happen.)
5. Blog :).

Snacks I enjoy:
1. Chocolate dipped ice cream cone. Yum!
2. Wheat Thins.
3. Cottage cheese withs LOTS of salt 'n pepper.
4. Nibs. You know, those bit size licorice things.
5. Sliced apple.

Things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Pay off my debt and my family's debt 'cause for a while there I was living like I was millionaire.
2. Buy a house(s).
3. Tithing
4. Travel--Italy, London, Spain, even China, although I won't eat their food.
5. Donate to cancer research.

Places I have lived:
1. Pleasant Grove, Utah
2. SLC, Utah
3. Jackson, WY
4. Bronx, NY
5. Bellflower, CA

In the spirit on maintaining friendships, I am choosing to NOT tag anyone else. How do you like that!? :)

Wednesday's Wisdom

I have realized this past week that keeping up with Wednesday's Wisdom is a bit of an ego blow. It is really sad when you realize that, over the course of one week, you really don't have a lot to share. My life can't be that routine and predictable, right? Eh, maybe it is. Oh, well. I did, however, managed to dig deep this week and come up with three things worth sharing.

#1. I bought three new CD's this past week or so, and all are worth a listen to if you have time. The "Old 97's" have a new CD out. I LOVE it. They have a rockabilly sound to them and great lyrics. Track number three, "No Baby I" is my current fav. Check 'em out-- www.old97s.com. I also purchased Madonna's new CD and the Leona Lewis CD. Nothing like a little "Hard Candy" followed up by "Bleeding Love" to make the hour drive to my mom's fun.

#2. Ponds Daily Face Cleanser pads are heaven sent. I love them! I used to be a soap and water girl when washing my face, but these pads have made washing my face so much easier and leaves my skin silky smooth.

#3. Went on a date this past week. Best date, in oh, let's say, a month or so. The man was a complete gentleman-- opened all the doors, paid for everything, laughed at all my jokes, didn't expect anything in return. I definitely see myself going out with him again. Who is the mystery man you ask? Well, he is the only man for me these days-- my dad! Lesson learned here is that if you are ever in doubt of how special and amazing you are, come and see my dad. Better yet, see your own. Dads make the best dates ever. :)

Hope that you all have a great week. Talk to you later!
~B

It Will All Get Better With Time

At least that is what Leona says. You know, the same Leona that also claims that she is bleeding love. She seems a little confused, but so am I. I guess that is why she and I relate so well these days.

The Man and I are back to taking separate paths. He needs to take care of some residual divorce issues that he has ignored and is heeding the very wise counsel of his bishop by not dating for the next little while-- six months to be exact. Well, at least that is what he has told me. I completely support him taking a break and taking care of himself-- he deserves nothing less than complete happiness and that will only happen if he tackles the emotional wounds of his divorce head-on. And, if that means no dating, well, then, that means no dating. I only hope that means no dating anyone else and not just no dating me.

As much as I know this "break" (we won't call this a "break-up" quite yet-- that seems way too final) is best for The Man, I know that it is also good for me. I need to take some time to focus on what really matters right now-- my family and friends. I tend to neglect these two groups when I am dating. Isn't it weird how the stability family and friends offer goes out the window for the perceived stability of a love interest? Then again, maybe it's just me. I do tend to err on the side of selfishness.

So, as much as I waiver back and forth on how I really feel (felt?) about The Man, one thing I know for sure is that Leona is right. One way or the other, time will pass and things will get better. I have my secret wish for how I hope things will turn out, but understand that regardless of the outcome, in six months I will be in a much better place than where I am at now and, that may or may not, include him. And that's okay.

~B

Wednesday's Wisdom

This past week has been filled with lots of learning experiences. Luckily, I was able to share most of them with people I love. I thought I would share some of these moments with you.

First, 34 is my new favorite number. NO, that is not my age (I am 31, thank you very much)but, it is the count from my mom's latest CA-125 test. What? What is a CA-125 test, you ask? It is the test to measure a certain protein attributed to various forms of cancer, including Ovarian Cancer. My mom was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer in February and has since endured with amazing courage, a major surgery to remove the bulk of the cancer, and 3 sessions of chemotherapy-- she has 3 more to go. To give you an idea of how well she is fighting this disease, let me give you some background. When she was first diagnosed her count was above 500. After surgery it dropped to around 130. After the first round of chemo it dropped to 93, and then, after the second round, it dropped to...wait for it... 34!!! I can't wait to see where it is at after this third round of chemo. A normal CA-125 test is anywhere from 0-35. I am so thrilled that my mom is doing so well. This whole experience has been life changing for me. I love my mom so much and feel so loved by our Heavenly Father. I know that he is taking care of us Harmon's. Hopefully, I will have a new favorite number in a couple of weeks :).

Scott Marsh is my hero. I went to a singles conference this past weekend with my sister, and one of my best friends. It was one of those "over 30" conferences, so feel free to insert a joke of your liking here. Now that we have all stopped laughing, let me just tell you that the workshops were fantastic. One was conducted by Scott Marsh. He is a BYU professor in finance and also leads financial workshops for major companies. He is a-maz-ing. I learned that preparing for retirement is not that scary, nor that big of a financial commitment at my age. This workshop gave me the kick in the butt I needed to finally get rid-- not just pay to get more--of all my debt. Here find yourself motivated and visit www.powerpay.org This is a nifty site developed by Utah State University to help the public manage and pay off their debt in a reasonable amount of time. Besides being highly motivated by Mr. Marsh, I was able to spend some quality time with two of my favorite women. Thank you again for going with me:).

Finally, to wrap things up for the week, here's some good ol' advice from mom: Trust what one does, not what they say. Now, this doesn't mean to never trust what someone tells you, but as a general rule of thumb, if someone tells you they like to take out the garbage, but then never actually take it out, it would be safe to assume that one doesn't really like to take out the garbage. Or, as another example, if someone expresses that they find you humorous, but then fail to laugh at any of your jokes, it would be safe to say that they really don't find you humorous. You can see that this advice applies to feelings, emotions, etc. that we all say we have, but it is only in expressing those thoughts, feeling, emotions, that another can trust that they are true. Know what I mean, jellybean? Or, maybe Mom and I are just bitter. I'll let you be the judge on that one :).

So, there you have, another week's wisdom.

Peace out-
B

Wednesday Wisdom

Okay, so this is going to be quick. I have realized this week that wisdom should be a cherished commodity. I tend to get it in spurts and then experience periods of drought where I have none. Seems like this week was a season of drought for me. BUT, not to disappoint my audience :), I have come up with a few things.

1. Always, always, always, carry a spare set of tweezers with you. You NEVER know when a crazy eyelash, misplaced eyebrow hair, or chin hair (oh, and don't act like you don't have them!) will show up.

2. Second chances may lead to happy endings.

3. Neil Diamond's new CD is a must have. The insert photos prove that Jewish men age very well.

~B

Logical Schmogical

Check this out:

You Are Pretty Logical

You're a bit of a wizard when it comes to logic While you don't have perfect logic, you logic is pretty darn good Keep at it - you've got a lot of natural talent in this area!

Looks like I have a talent after all!

See if you have one by clicking here:
http://www.blogthings.com/howlogicalareyouquiz/

Seriously? Shayne?!

So, for those that may not know this deep, dark secret of mine, here it goes. I am an avid Bachelor fan. Before you all go telling me how trashy the show is with all its choreographed make-out sessions (which, by the way, are always well done), liquored up girls (how else are they going to get the make-out sessions?), and incredibly handsome, but one huge tool of a man, let me just agree with you right now. I know the show is trash, but as a good friend has said (hi there, Sarah) one sometimes needs a little trash TV. I know I do.

Anyway, tonight was the finale-- the MOST dramatic, romantic rose ceremony ever. Grant ( the gorgeous tool) had to chose between Shayne-- the LA starlet looking for love, not her big break; or Chelsey, the home town girl that can arm wrestle with the best. Guess who he proposed to? It really shouldn't be a big surprise, but I was a bit shocked when he dumped poor Chelsey right in front of national TV (makes my recent break-up a bit more humane. I just got dumped the old fashioned way via text-- but more on that later. There are updates. Good ones.) She was a good sport about the whole thing. She only stopped once on the way to limo to send her on her way to call Grant out on the foolish mistake he was making. I have to admit it was quite dramatic. Then Shayne pulled up. And, I got sucked in. I was happy for her. And, I believed it when she said she loved Grant. Then he proposed. Then the sunset. It was seriously the most romantic rose ceremony ever.

Long story short, The Bachelor, has re-instilled my faith in love and that things will work out. See, trash TV has its purpose. Now, I know that I may not get to be part of "the most dramatic rose ceremony ever", but The Man, (here's the update) has a way of making phone calls the most romantic phone calls ever. EVER. And, that my friends, is better than trash TV any day.

Wednesday's Wisdom

Over the past week or so, I have learned several lessons. Lessons that I share with you in hopes that my heartache/embarrassment/ah-ha moments, etc. will aid in your journey. Now, I am fully aware that many of MY lessons will have already be learned by you, but please have patience with me, as I am slow to learn some of life's most obvious lessons. Because life is constantly teaching me new things, I have decided to make "Wednesday's Wisdom" a permanent part of this blog. Feel free to comment and add you own lessons-- no need to reinvent the wheel if someone else already has-- know what I mean?



#1 Heavenly Father loves me, aka "In a pinch, Super Glue makes for a handy seam repairer."

Case in point, today at work I looked down and noticed the seam on my sleeve flapping free. Not one to look unkempt, I quickly took advantage of some good ol' scotch tape only to realize that, while it kept the seam under control, it also resulted in an annoying and attention-grabbing crinkly noise that was quite distracting. Now, the attention was nice, but then having to explain what that noise was was a bit odd-- not everyone saw the genius in my quick seam fix. So, I removed the tape and searched through my desk drawer to find that, yes, God does work small miracles. Right before my eyes was a small, forgotten tube of Super Glue. I quickly dab a few dots on the flapping seam and, after ignoring the weird looks from co-workers, produced a repaired, silent seam. Blessings come in small packages. Today one came in the form of Super Glue.


#2 Money Matters/Distance Sucks/ Never be the First

I recently ended a relationship. While the man by all accounts is a gem-- a rough, unpolished one at that-- I gained several tidbits of insight into what makes a successful relationship. The first is that money matters. No, I don't need gobs of money to be happy, but I do need to have at least a gob. Unfortunately for me, The Man, at best had half a gob-ette. I tried to look over this financial shortcoming, but in the end it proved to be an issue for both of us. He felt bad about his gob-ette and I only made things worse by trying to share my gob.

Distance sucks. No matter how many phone calls, email, texts, etc. are exchanged a successful relationship needs constant, reliable face time. Long-distance relationships are not for the needy, high-maintainance type woman. I have learned that I am one of those.

Never be the first. Divorcees are wonderful people. But, they need time to adjust and get back into "the game." Now, I know that everyone out there knows of an exception to this rule, but I wasn't me. The Man and I tried our best, but ultimately, he was rebounding, I realized money matters, and distance sucks and we ended up calling it quits. Although a mutual decision, breaking up sucks. Which leads into...

#3 Friends, family, and fried food can heal a broken heart. Thank you to everyone that has listened to me over the past week lament my broken heart. Oh, and thank you Taco Time. Your stuffed Mexi-Fries have healed me. While I can't promise that conversations solely revolving around my hurt heart are in the past, I can promise that I have learned that I am loved by you all more than The Man ever could have. I guess that points back to lesson #1-- Heavenly Father loves me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!



So, there you go-- Wednesday's Wisdom. Now, go buy yourself a tube of Super Glue!



~B

I Am Here

Well, it took awhile, but nothing like a couple life events to bring one into the bloggers world. I am including my Top Ten Reasons to Blog here-- that way you will know up front what my motives are for rambling. So, in no particular order (it would've taken too much time to put them in order) here you go:

1. I am a voyeur-- blog voyeur that is, and an exhibitionist. For fellow voyeurs out there, you're welcome. I hope to give you hours of enjoyment checking me out.
2. Cheapest mode of therapy I can find.
3. Easy way to let those I care about know about my comings and goings.
4. I am single. I have time on my hands. Maybe that'll change someday.
5. What a great way to journal!
6. I, occasionally, have witty/funny/noteworthy thoughts and want to share them.
7. Found a cute blog template and didn't want it to go to waste.
8. Everyone else is doing it.
9. I like the idea of putting something out in the universe and seeing what comes back. That means I look forward to reading your comments. Hint, hint.
10. I want to. 'Nuf said.

Well, until next time, stand up straight, don't mumble, and remember who you are.

~B