me in a nut shell

coupons!!!

2011-01-03T22:31:00.000-08:00

I never knew so many coupons existed. I had never once seen so many until the past year or so. Now, even I am learning how to eat out a little cheaper thanks to things like City Deals and Groupon. If you have no idea what I am talking about, google it and you can thank me later.

Coupons are great and I respect people who use them on a regular basis. I think it is a great way to save money and also experience other great things on a cheaper budget. but one thing that needs to be understood is how to tip if you are using a coupon or any other sort of discount. For instance, a table of 2 people come in and spend $100. They use a groupon for $70 so they have to pay $30 of their own money. Yes, many people will leave a tip or 5 or 6! Sorry, this is not proper etiquette. You tip on the total before a discount!!! You leave a tip on the food that is served no matter how much you pay.

Sorry, I have to vent! But that is one thing I REALLY can't stand!!

How long do you expect to be at a restaurant??

2010-12-20T10:25:00.000-08:00

There are many types of restaurants out there, all of which take a different amount of time to eat.

How long do you want to sit and eat if you were at McDonalds, Denny's, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, or the nicest restaurant in town?

My work may not be considered the 'nicest' or 'best' in town... But it is nice. If you come into my work and have a 3 course meal with drinks, you are probably looking at 125-150 for 2 people.

For the amount of money you are spending, we try to let people sit and enjoy their meal. We take our time. We give you a few minutes between each course so you may sit and enjoy the company you are dining with. For 3 courses, you should plan on being there anywhere from 1.5-2 hours.

If you are under any sort of time constraint when dining at any restaurant, always remember to tell your server. We like to take the time to give you an opportunity to enjoy your dinner, but we can always speed it up!

There is my venting for the day!!

Holiday party tips!!

2010-12-15T23:05:00.001-08:00

So I am full back into serving again and I really need to keep working on my blog.

Tis the season for holiday company parties!! Here are some things I have learned over the last 2 years of serving at them.

1. I fully understand how company stories are based around the company parties.. Oh, the things I have seen have included, drunken make outs-some even made it to the bathroom. I have seen parts of mostly females who wears clothing that doesn't stay in place or hold body parts in. People unable to walk a straight line. Yeah, the ones with no alcohol seem to be a lot less entertaining.

2. Always expect to be paying more then you originally budgeted for. When someone wants something, it is really hard to say no at a Christmas party.

3. just going out to dinner is a little boring.. Spice it up somehow at least with gifts or something!! I hate the ones that just eat and leave.

As some of you know, I also work at a bakery in the morning. I am in the catering department and go out on deliveries.. Here are some catered holiday party recommendations..

1. Do not call the morning you want something and expect it to go how you want.. hello!!! It is Christmas time and everyone is having parties! Most people plan in advance! We will do our best to get everything you want, but do not act put out if something can't be done.

2. Yes, people should tip on a catering delivery!!

3. Be there when you have a scheduled delivery. You are not the only delivery and we need to not sit around for you.

4. If you are having a catered lunch during your work day as your work Christmas party.. Get a new job that does something a little more exciting!!

Thank you!! Sorry it has been so long!!

my german lesson

2010-09-03T13:13:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was my last day in Munich. I didn’t get my time to walk around and see the city because I spent my time going to Dachau and also to the Disneyland castle. So before I left, I decided to do a free walking tour which had been recommended to me by many travelers.

All I can say is that I am very very happy I went!!! I am not a history buff by all means, and I am the first to admit that my history knowledge is HORRIBLE!!! Sure give me a math equation to solve; I can do it just fine. Ask me anything about history and I have no idea. But on this tour, I learned a whole lot more about Germany and it’s history then I ever remember leaning. I understand that this tour was given by someone living in Munich so maybe it is a little bias, but I will share some of my newly learned knowledge.

To start off, Munich is located in the German state of Bavaria. Bavaria is currently the only state which is pretty much separate from the country. It has it’s own laws, police force and even constitution. Side note-the constitution states that you can drink 1 liter of beer while on the job and not get fired!! After WWI, Bavaria wanted to fully break free from Germany and become it’s own. This so happened to be the time when Hitler started to be recognized. Hitler heard that Bavaria wanted to break away and called separate meetings with all departments of Bavaria and forced them to join his party. Which is now called the ‘beer hall putsch’ (check my spelling, I got the name just from a tour guide so I don’t know spelling). A huge fight breaks out between the police and the Nazi’s. Bavaria did not break away. This also now just put Nazi’s on the map. And Hilter was arrested and sent to jail where he writes his famous words that gets him out of jail early which gives him the ability to rise to power. So in all, this one incident was a huge breaking point for WWII.

I already explained that I am not a history buff. But I learned a little further into the story. Everyone knows what happened during the war. But what I didn’t know was that the end of the war led to the birth of Israel! (I guess I just thought Israel was always there) Israel was a part of land taken away from Palestine so the Jews leaving Germany would have a safe haven. The Palestinian people were not happy about losing their land.

Right about this time, here come the famous Munich Olympic games. The Palestine’s kidnap the Israeli team and starts the whole Palestine-Israeli war!!!

Dachau

2010-09-03T11:28:00.001-07:00

I am coming to my room a little early tonight so I can talk about today. Although I am writing this in Word to transfer to my blog because the internet connection does not work up here in the room.

I woke up this morning and had my all you can eat breakfast at the Frankfurt hostel. Their breakfast consists of strawberry yogurt, choice of cereal-I believe corn flakes and raisin bran or something with raisins in it, assortment of breads with butter jelly nutella and ham salami and what I considered the swiss cheese version of your Kraft singles, hard-boiled eggs, choice of juices water teas and coffee. Not sure if this is your typical German breakfast. It was good, just a little different I guess.

I really liked Frankfurt and the things I saw there. Some things I forgot to mention… I liked that they had café’s all surrounding the streets with tables outside. On a cold day, most of the chairs outside had fleece blankets on them. Just a nice gesture to help keep you warm. I know one restaurant I have seen that at was at Silver Fork up Big Cottonwood.

After breakfast, I hurriedly checked out and went to the train station which was literally a 2 minute walk. I found the train headed to Munich.

It took about 3 or so hours to get here. I made it right to my next hostel. I got there a little too soon for check-in which is at 2 so I dropped my bags, grabbed the directions and back to the train station I went.

My destination- Dachau

This was the main reason why I decided to come to Munich. When I was younger, I remember reading ‘The Hiding Place’ and instantly fell in love with the whole concept behind WWII. Ok, not the concept in the bad, but in the fact I wanted to know more. Also then came Schindler’s List. Great movie, one you just can’t watch often.

So this was my chance to finally see it a concentration camp in person.. WOW… I don’t know how to describe the feeling that you get there. Your first step into the camp is through the metal gates that read something like “through these gates, you will be free”. (that is the English meaning) The second you walk through, it is the weirdest feeling.

One of the main and largest buildings is set up as a museum filled with paintings and pictures and descriptions of what happened where and accounts from both the SS and the prisoners. I said early, I don’t like museums.. I take that back, I don’t like art ones so much, I don’t see the big deal about art, but this is a whole different story. That main building was built by the prisoners and each room had a discription about what the room was used for.

I saw things like the main shower room, the room where all prisoners were told to take off all clothes and get showered down, they had holding rooms and all. They had the barracks set up do show you what the living conditions were. But in the back was the worst… the kremetoreum.. Just seeing those rooms gives you the chills.

In the camp, the have a few memorials one of my favorites was just a large sign that in 5 or 6 languages read “NEVER AGAIN”. After seeing this, I know it still happens all around other parts of the world, but really, something like this should never happen again.

At the end, my first souvenir of the trip, a Jewish star to wear on a necklace just to remind me of the things I felt today.

One a better note, after that trip, I met some Americans from NY on the train ride back and we had a GREAT German meal at a famous place which I have no idea what it was called!!! GREAT DAY!!

Off to see the Disneyland castle tomorrow!!!

Frankfurt

2010-09-01T05:36:00.000-07:00

Let's see, I have been here just over 24 hours. I am pretty tired and am not adjusted to the whole 9 hour time difference yet. It does not help that the gentleman sleeping below me was snoring all night long!!!! But I am going to try to survive today without taking a nap so that I can get to bed at a decent time and hopefully actually sleep and help adjust my body.

But so far in my first 24 hours, I believe everything is going well!! I walked to a place they call Old Town last night. I guess it is one of the places here that survived the bombings in WWII. Places like that is what makes you think Europe is. Once I get some pictures, you will understand.

Things I have noticed so far, in no particular order...

I am not a museum person. I went to the Goethe Museum today. It is a house who where I believe some famous writer used to live.. I just caught myself walking from room to room just wondering, not really paying attention to anything. I even had an english audio guide. This is not the first time I have noticed myself not being a museum lover. If it is a museum full of art and old artifacts, I more or less don't care. If it a history museum of film or science or things like that, I am much more interested.

Starbucks serves drinks in mugs if you want to stay there!!! I think that is so fun and I don't think I have ever seen one in the US where you sit and get your drinks served in mugs!! There is just a difference in look when you see people inside with mugs that are not just thrown away. Also groups of school children re commonly seen in starbucks or sitting outside a little cafe drinking whatever it is they ordered. Maybe that is more common in other places other then Utah.

Taxi's are Volkswagen's and Mercedes!!! That is pretty fun!! And I feel like I am in the Bourne series whenever I hear the police sirens go off!! They sound different here. I wonder why that is?

So far, I love the feel of the Hostel where I am staying. I wonder why they are not so prominent in the US. Everyone staying here are just travelers, most of which are backpackers like myself. There is a big common area where everyone hangs out. Last night was just a big party. I was tired and went to bed, but everyone just hangs out and talks and meets each other and shares stories. the mornings are like that too. Most offer free breakfast, some charge a small amount. This one is free and is all you can eat!! Tons of food, but not your average american breakfast either!

A lot of bike commuting. I have seen girls dressed up and in heels riding their bikes!!!

As for my first day! Everything has been great! Keep reading and I will keep you posted!!!

Where were you?? (not serving related)

2010-03-26T12:17:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday, 6 days ago, President Obama signed the Health Care Reform Bill. As you may all know, I am pretty political and I do get pretty involved in what is going on in the world of politics. I grew up in a fairly conservative area! Hello, I grew up in Utah!! And my family, being LDS, is also all pretty conservative as well. But somehow, I learned to think on my own and have slowly realized I am more of a democrat then I am republican. This being said, I was and always have been 100% for the Health Care Reform.

I know I do not fully understand the extent of this bill, who knows if anyone has all the answers. This bill is over 2000 pages!! I also do understand some of the downfalls that come along with having a government ran Health Care system. In some countries who have a set up plan, sometimes it takes a long time to see a doctor if you are not critically ill and so forth. But I understand the meaning of why the United States needs a change.

I grew up in a family where my dad was critically ill. I didn't understand it then, but looking back, I understand more of seeing what an illness can do to a family. We were poor, and I remember my parents fighting with their insurance over and over. Now, times have changed and my mom is ill. Can you imagine what it is like to have my parents receive insurance? My dad has quite a few pre-existing conditions and now my mom has a very expensive disease as well. Even with the health insurance they have, still makes them pay a certain percentage of the care they receive. For most people, this percentage is not much. I may not know the exact numbers, but a small-medium percentage of something expensive is enough to bankrupt a person or family.

These types of situations can't help you understand that we do need a change. People should not have to worry about getting the care they need without losing their possessions. And people should not ever be denied any type of insurance because they had the misfortune of getting sick.

All in all, I love the fact that President Obama has passed this bill and I am excited to see what the outcome will be.

Because I am believe I am a fairly oppinionated person and I try to get involved in politics, I also just because a little more involved and attended the democratic caucus meeting a few days ago. I am happy to announce that I became the democratic delegate in my area!! I honestly don't know exactly what this intails, but I do know that I am so excited to get more involved!! I think it will be a great learning experience of how this country works.

The Sunday Crowd!!

2010-03-22T00:34:00.000-07:00

It is not often that I work Sundays. I like to have at least 1 day during the week where I have nothing to do or now where to go. Of course, the nothing to do is an exaggeration, I typically spend the day sitting in my apartment studying.

But today was different, I picked up my coworkers shift. Sundays can either be either pretty good, or horrible. It seems like there is no in between. Today was pretty good. I love my manager that works on Sundays, so I think that definitely helped. Also the fact that we had only 2 servers working which made the night very laid back.

If I did not want my own free time, then I think I would really enjoy working Sundays. For one, you can 95% of the time count on the fact your customers will be drinking! (Yes, I am working in the land of the LDS headquarters where a good amount of the population does not drink. No, I am not talking about your 10 diet cokes you go through either.) Drinking is nice because it increases a bill by quite a bit which in turn, normally means a high tip for me!! With an average cost of about 9 dollars a drink, and at least 2 drinks per person, do the math and you can see how much it actually helps!

So all in all, tonight was a good night. And I may kind of like working Sundays!!!

When a hood stops working

2010-03-15T13:20:00.000-07:00

My last shift was Saturday, two days ago. When I first showed up to work, the cooks were already prepping for a large party we had that evening. And during the middle of it, the hood over the grill stopped working. Being a busy Saturday night, you can imagine how smokey our restaurant and hotel looked by the end of the night. I remember walking into the hotel to use the bathroom and all their lights looked like spot lights because the air was so thick.

I know I should not complain about this especially because of my mom's lung condition, but I am also beginning to realize how sensitive my lungs are. During the horrible inversion this year, I went running. I know, I know, bad idea. But I ended up coughing for the next 3 weeks. And when I say coughing, I mean coughing. I felt fine, but I could always feel the crackle in my breathe which made me cough non stop. It is a bad thing I think, when I get happy when I actually cough crap up. Discusting, but so true!

So after a night breathing this crap caused from my work, you can imagine that by the end of the night, I was feeling the build up in my chest. I was beginning to feel the crackle in my breath. Now, 2 days later, the coughing continues!!! I wonder... Is this all normal, or I just super sensitive to bad air???

The variety of people who work in a restaurant

2010-03-11T10:32:00.000-08:00

The other day I received a text and phone call from a former employee who I have not spoken to for about 4 or so months. He was our bartender and was fired for giving our underage host a drink while at work.

Being in this business, there are always a few coworkers who I keep in contact with after we depart ways. But this, I thought was a little weird. At first he called me and left me a voicemail asking if I was around tonight. I assumed he was just wondering if some of us were going to head out somewhere after work. But I then received a text which said 'i am looking for some yeah-o, I have my reasons, any advice?' I had no idea what 'yeah-o was, but from the sounds of it, I thought he was asking me for a booty call!!! Again, totally random.. I wrote back and said, sorry I am at work.

I pretty much forgot about this incident until my last shift at work when someone brought up the guy. 'Jeff' was mentioning how much better our new bartender was because our old one was pretty creepy. I think his exact words were, 'i would not be surprised if he turned out to be a cereal killer!' After hearing that, I brought up the text only to find out 'yeah-o' is slang for crack cocaine!!!

Although this post is only going to touch base on the many types of people who I have worked with over the years, I hope to get into more details about them all in later posts.

It seems as though servers and others who work in restaurants always have a reputation for doing a lot of drugs and partying hard. Well, I have seen it all. I have had many coworkers who work every shift either drunk or high or both. I have seen the girls who have 3 children by 3 dads by age 10. I have the gays and the lesbians, the signature black server. All the cooks and dishwashers who hardly speak any english and hearing all those speak english to them is always funny. There is normally to good coworker who everyone always tries to watch their language around. You have the clicks of who likes each other and run the place and the ones who are not included in that. There are the servers who do as little as possible. The servers who don't interact with their tables and ones who interact too much. And so on

All in all, a restaurant is always a fun and entertaining place to work. The diversity is greater then in a lot of work envoirnments and therefore something excited is always bound to happen!!!

And no, I have no idea how or where to get cocaine.. although being in this business, I doubt it is never that far out of reach.. But as for me, I like to be drug free!!

What to blog

2010-03-10T11:51:00.000-08:00

So as you can tell, I am not great at this blogging thing. Maybe it is because I am not married, no kids, not dating, and am just living the boring working student life. Yes, I turn 29 next week and I am a student. Oh well, such is life.

But I have been trying to contemplate something exciting to blog about. Something that may keep me on here and maybe give my readers something to read!! And I think I have finally come up with a good idea. I need to start blogging about the life of being a server!!

I know that many people have served over the course of their lifetime, but many have not. For all those people who have served do know the ins and outs of what happens behind the scenes of a restaurant. But to those people who have never been in this envoirnment, do you ever wonder what is really going on? Do you ever wonder what is really going on when your server goes back into the kitchen? I think everyone has heard horror stories of dropping food, spitting in food, and all the stuff seen in the movie 'Waiting'. But does that really happen?

One thing that really let me to really start this was I was looking at the reviews people have posted online about the place I work. (I will try to leave where I work and other names out of this blog so I will not copy and paste this review, but if you know where I work feel free to google it.) A guest came in with their date on Feb 13th, the saturday before Valentines day. Since the actual V-Day fell on a Sunday, you can imagine that our small private restaurant was booked to the max on that Saturday. This person commented that the food was 'great' but he/she was trying to have a romantic evening out and the place was too crowded and too loud!!! Ok people, here it is... If you are wanting a quiet, romantic, evening out.. Do not take your date out on the busiest day of the year!!!! No matter where you go, it is going to be loud and crazy just because the restaurant is going to be full!! And along with that, if you are taking your date out on the busiest day of the year, your server will probably be a lot busier then a typical day, they are doing the best they can, but they cannot give you the best service as probably another day. Your solution, plan to celebrate V-day at home. Have a fun candle-light dinner and play games. Planning a fun night out with a great dinner will be much better the week before or the week after, and even better, you will probably get much better service and may actually hear each other talk without screaming during dinner!!

A new year!!!

2010-01-04T12:17:00.000-08:00

As I was looking back over my last few posts, I was reading over my post called resolutions at the beginning of 2009 and I will have to say, 2009 was a pretty good year. There is one resolution I did not follow through with, that being to run a marathon. But I consider it a success because I did a TRI instead. In fact, I think I prefer the TRIs instead.

But I guess it is a whole new year and I am supposed to start out with making new resolutions all over again, I really don't know what I want to do. I know for sure that I want to continue to compete in Triathlons and of course stay in school, but other then that I really don't know. Does anyone have ideas? Feel free to share them..

And Happy New Year to you all!!!

Lonely

2009-11-15T23:12:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been feeling more lonely then usual. Well, I guess that is easy because I hardly ever feel lonely. For so long, I lived with my family. I always had someone at home that I could talk to or hang out with. If I wasn't at home, I worked with amazing people at the Fish House where I met my best friends. The Fish House was always a party, and it seemed like something was always going on after work too.

But this has all changed this year. I am pretty busy with my school and work schedule that I haven't been able to be with those I love as much as I would like. Yes, I see people at school and at work all the time, but those people don't really know me and it is not the same.

Feeling like this has led me to think back and miss so many other people in my life. So many great people have come into my life, and for whatever reason, some of those great people do not stay in my life.

The summer of 04 (I think, I can't keep track anymore) I had some AMAZING friends. It was probably one of the best and funnest times in my life. Right behind NY I would say. My friends and I spent almost everyday together doing sometimes nothing. I ended up being a bridesmaid at 2 of these friends weddings even. Yet, now, I could not tell you the last time I have seen or even received a call or text or invite to hang out with any of these friends. I really do miss them and I miss being a part of their lives.

I miss my late night talks with Curtis.. I miss Krystal and I spending everyday together at the Daybreak pool. I miss Krystal Cody and my Sunday brunches together. I miss being excited to see all my friends at work. I just miss seeing everyone I love.

Don't get me wrong. I am very happy with my life and where it is going. I enjoy everything I am doing, maybe I just sometimes wish I had someone to do it with.

Life

2009-10-10T01:22:00.000-07:00

Growing up, I remember my family joking that we should put up caution tape around our house with signs saying 'enter at own risk' because it seemed like so many people around us were sick or something bad. It seemed my family was cursed and anyone who knew us fell sick. Sickness and death, to say the least, has been no stranger to people around us. Things such as cancer, heart disease, accidents, suicide, hospital visits and so on, are all things that I seemed to learn about at a young age. I remember a day in New York when I got a phone call from Angela's father (Angela was the mother of the kids I nannied for) to say he just left the doctor's office and is on his way to the hospital because something was wrong. I tried reaching Angela and her husband but was unable to but I left messages and went along my daily routine and later on I took a friend to the airport. When I returned home Angela was very upset with me because I did not offer to take her dad to the hospital, nor did I go to the hospital or act like I even cared about her father.

That was the first time it hit me that hospitals and sickness were not something everyone knew about or were accustomed to.

A few weeks ago, I witness and took part of a miracle! My dad and I complete our first Triathlon. The worst part about it, was the fact my mom was there------to watch and cheer us on. She was not racing with us. My mom, a lady who has ran 4 marathons who was always up before school running. She is an amazing lady who held our family together during my dad's sick times. She held countless jobs just to try to make ends meet. I didn't know it then, but I can look back and really see how much we actually struggled. But that was then, and this is now.

My parents seemed to be doing much better. My dad's health is better then I have ever seen and they even built a new house a few years ago. That is until this summer. My mom, the amazing person she is, decided to finally get off pain medication this summer. Once she did, she thought she would feel better, but her body slowly declined. And she was just diagnosed with Mixed Autoimmune disease. Which, in my little understanding, is an autoimmune disease where your body suffers symptoms from all sorts of autoimmune diseases and normally will slowly manifest itself to just one.

As for now, my mom is struggling. All her joints are swollen. She can't even bend her arms enough to do normal daily things. The medication she is on helps but makes her sick. I wonder what this means to her and I wonder what will happen. How will this effect the greatest love of her life, her piano playing?

I have learned a lot about sickness throughout my life. My dad has been amazing and has helped countless amounts of people dealing with his illnesses, but the roles are beginning to turn and it is hard. I love my mom so much and I hate to see her like this. I wish there was something that could be done. For one thing, I know my mom is strong!! She has been through so much in her lifetime and I know that this will in some way make her a stronger person.

I love you Mom!! And I thank everyone for their love and support for our family!! We will get through this together!!

The RACE!!!

2009-09-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

So it has been a week and a half since the TRIATHLON!! And what a big accomplishment it was to finish!! It was a very different adventure then I had originally planned. Exactly 3 weeks before the race, I woke up with a sore throat and my voice was GONE!! And to say the least, this sickness lasted FOREVER!! I can honestly say that I don't think I have been that sick in a very long time. During those 3 weeks before the race, I believe I went on 3 or 4 bike rides and swimming only once, all of which did not go over well. The Monday before the race, I was at work and feeling horrible and I kept telling myself there was no way I could race. But Wednesday came around. I woke up and I felt better!! I was no where perfect and my cough was horrible still, but my body felt ok! So I knew I could not back out!! I couldn't let all my training go to waste. I just told myself that I don't need to push myself and if I needed to walk a bit during the run, then I could. But I knew I wanted to race!!!

Ah, then the dreaded email!!! To start this part off, I can't help but mention that my dad swam in the Daybreak lake almost everyday for the past few months for his training. But just 2 or 3 days before the race, the Utah Health Department came in and said there is roundworm confirmed in the lake and the triathlon swim is better off not happening in it. For me, I was almost thankful because I am a horrible swimmer, but my dad was really looking forward to the swim and absolutely loves swimming in the lake. So the race ended up a little different. There was a 75 meter swim in a neighborhood pool, which led to a mile or so run to the transition area, then the bike and run remained the same.

Even though the start was a little different then a typical race, the race was amazing and so much fun!! And to top it off, I finished and I felt really good!! I didn't push myself as hard as I maybe could have due to being sick still, but I never had to walk!!! My official time was 1:39:41!!! Now I can't wait to do another!!

Aly and Greg are amazing race directors and I appreciate everything they did! I will tell everyone to race in a USTRISPORTS triathlon!! They are amazing and so much fun.

And thank you to all my friends and family who came to support and cheer me on!! and Krystal for letting me borrow all her gear!! Thanks also to all the volunteers and support teams that helped put on a great race!!!

Here are some of the awesome pics!!!

And again, I am a new blogger. I have no idea how to add photos the right way!!!

Oh yeah. And my dad HAS ROUNDWORM!!! It just makes the story better!!!

My dad

2009-09-02T00:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know it has been forever since I have blogged. In fact, it took me about 10 tries to sign in because I could not remember what email address and what password I used to sign in. But I will try and do better.

But there has been something on my mind lately that I think I should share with everyone!! And that is my dad.

As some of you may know, I will be racing my first triathlon in less then 3 weeks!!! I can't wait. I know I won't come close to being in 1st place or anything, but I am excited just to experience it all. The training has been harder and funner (still don't know if that is a word) then I expected and now I can't wait for race day!! Sept. 19th in Daybreak! You should come watch and volunteer as well.

But not only am I racing, my dad is competing as well!!! Who would have ever thought that my dad would be doing a triathlon 10 years ago?? I will be the first to admit, that I never did. My dad grew up as a swimmer and was a GREAT swimmer from what I can tell. He then excelled in basketball until he injured his hand. To this day, I can still tell the love he has for basketball. He still hardly misses a shot. But growing up, this is not the dad I knew.

A lot of you know my dad was sick when I was growing up, but the details are not talked about much. He was diagnosed with MS when I was around 2nd grade, and by the time I was in High School, the diagnosis changed to something I still don't know what it is, but something fairly similar (dad or someone correct me if I am wrong!) With this illness, he also was diagnosed with a type of lung cancer and a type of bone marrow cancer. All in all, he was not healthy. He had little to no feeling in parts of his body. His muscle movement was bad enough he walked with a cane, and from what I know, his doctors were wanting him in a wheel chair but my dad would not have it.

I remember my dad receiving a priesthood blessing from his dad during one of his sickest times. In that blessing he was told he would live to see his grandkids grow. That has always stuck with me because at that time, none of us were close to the age of getting married or kids and I truly did not think he would actually live to see that through.

This was all about 10 years ago... And thanks to many doctors and my Dad's own willingness to make himself better and his truly amazing mind to never give up, you should see him today!!!! He may not be as healthy as he would like and I know he still struggles everyday, but he has made the best of his life and situation and has overcome what fought against his body for so long! Dad, you are one amazing person!!!

I am so excited for the race coming up. I can't wait to compete and do the best I can. But overall, I am so excited knowing my miracle of a DAD will be out there with me!!! Thank you so much dad for teaching me to always look at the bright side and stay positive no matter what life throws in your face. I love you DAD and see you at the RACE!!!!

I'm 28!!

2009-04-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up, I don't think I would have told you that I would be single, still in school with not many grownup responsiblities. But here I am, and honestly, I love my life!!

I know I am few weeks late, but I celebrated my 28th birthday on the 16th of March, and I will say, it was a great birthday!! My actual birthday, my friends planned my evening for me. I was told to be at dinner at 7. It was at one of my favorite restaurants, Trio. I showed up about 15 minutes late because normally my friends are never on time. When I walked in, everyone was there waiting for me and the table was also decorated!!! I can't tell you the feeling I had, to walk in and see all my friends sitting there. I know I have said this many times, but I do have the best friends anyone could ask for!! I could not ask for anything more!! And not only on top of that, but my gifts were fantastic!!!

After dinner, we all went bowling as well!! What a great night!!! I love my friends!!

(PS.. it is at this point where I tried to upload my pictures, I have no idea why they are up top!!!) Oh well, At least I have pictures!!

Later on that week, I celebrated my birthday with my family. I love my family and I think I have the best family in the world!! We are all so close and I love spending time with them. I got so much stuff from them I can't even believe. My sister Jami and her family are great, they got me so much stuff for my apartment, I could not believe. I have now been using a lot of what she gave me and I could not be more thankful for the people in my life!! I love you all!!!

Herpes

2009-02-12T12:08:00.000-08:00

This may be a touchy subject and I can only guess what some people may think when reading this, but I have decided that I much rather be open about it and it almost makes it easier to deal with when I can talk about what is going on.

To start the story off, about a year ago I got "bug bites" on my knee and on my elbow. When I first got them, I was not feeling good at all, I had swollen lympth nodes as well. I went to the doctor and they never figured out why I was not feeling well. I concluded that I was having a reaction to these bites. Only weird thing is, these bites would randomly keep appearing, but I never really had the same symptoms again. No swollen lympth nodes, but sometimes a little sore.

I was watching a health show on TV one day and they were talking about how some people mistake a staph infection for bug bites!! My problem was solved!! I was positive that is what it was. So back in Nov, it came back! I went back to the doctor to get tested for staph. To my complete surprise, he told me I had herpes!!!! He ran a culture from me knee that came back positive.

I have never heard of such a thing before and was in complete shock I have never once had a cold sore, and I am 99% positive I have never had it anywhere in my "genital" area (especially now that I know what herpes looks and acts like). The doctor told me not to worry, it is not a big deal because of the locations I had it and that it isn't considered type 2 unless it is on your genitals.

I believed him for a while, but I would randomly do my own research. And through my research, I found out the doctor was wrong!! Just because nothing appears on your genitals, does not mean you don't have HSV2 (genital herpes). Right now, over 60 million Americans have HSV2 where 1/3 of those people have never had an outbreak. Ever crazier, 1 in 5 12-year-olds have it!!! But what did that mean for me?

I contacted some specialists up at the University of Utah to ask some questions. Unfortunately, they have never heard of a case like mine and did not have many answers to my questions. But I went and had blood work done and yes, I am positive for HSV2. Yet, I am the only person who is getting outbreaks in random areas, so they have no idea if I "have it" in my genital area and there is no way to test for it either unless anything ever appears there (which may never happen even if I do have it).

Right now, I had a culture done on my elbow to find out what type that area is. It came back inconclusive due to the fact the culture was done too late, it was almost healed. And I went back yesterday to have a culture done on my knee. If those outbreaks are type 1, then they will know for sure I have it in my genital area. If 1 or both come back as type 2, then it will always be unknown. Doctors are guessing they will be type 2 anyway.

But where does this leave me? I have no idea. I don't know anything. I don't know who, what, where, or why I got herpes the way I do. I am not following any type or norm. I had never been tested for it in my life so I can not pinpoint the time in my life that it appeared (since you can live years and years without any symptoms). But say I want to have sex with someone.. How do you explain that? I can say, "well, I have herpes but maybe not down there." I almost now just wish I had the full blown STD because at least I would know what to do, how to treat it, and how to never pass it to someone. Really, who ever says that??

Welcome to being a Nelson I guess!!!

At least one thing is good. If you ever want to know anything about Herpes, just ask!! I now have more info then I knew was possible!!!

School books and thanks to my great fam!!

2009-01-13T11:27:00.000-08:00

I know I am studying chemical engineering. Most people would say that is a hard degree. I know it test's my abilities at many times, but I really enjoy what I learn. What I don't enjoy is how expensive the books are!!! I went to the bookstore to price my books yesterday just to find out the average is $150!! On top of that are the study guides and clickers and everything else needed for the semester!! I am taking 4 classes and the total cost spent at the bookstore was right around $700!!!! Not am I just complaining about the prices, but just to compare, I looked at a few non-scientific related texts. Prices are quite a bit cheaper!!! Why did I choose this major? It is so expensive just to get through. It is nearly impossible to finish in just 4 years. (It takes most people at least 5, almost more.) And you can't just sit down and right a paper as your final. Our finals take hours of review and memorization of everything learned over the course of 4 months.

So with all that, I have to thank my parents and also grandparents for making this semester possible for me. The economy has dropped, therefore making student loans hard to get. (And the expect us to pull ourselves out of the regression!) I could have never made it to this semester if it was not for the help of my wonderful fam!! I love you all and thanks for all the support and love you give me!!!!

A new start

2009-01-11T22:47:00.000-08:00

I did it!!! I put in my two week notice at work last night. I can't believe it is finally happening. I thought I would be happy and relieved, but it has been bitter sweet. I love my job! I love the people I work with currently and ones I have met while working there that have also moved on. It is also a little scary going to a new place and starting all over again. I have been at McGraths for what would have been 3 years next month. I had seniority and I also had the perks of being a bartender. But now that starts all over again. Thank you to all my coworker's and guests who made my job what it was. I will miss you all!!!

Also, I start a whole new semester tomorrow. Although I am nervous for my classes, I am excited to learn again. It is going to be hard and I know I have to do better at studying, but I am excited. It will bring me another semester closer to my degree!!

It is getting late, so I am off to bed!!

Resolutions

2009-01-02T23:10:00.000-08:00

Ok, it is the start of a whole new year. Looking back at 2008, I can't help but think I had one great year!! The year started off living with my parents and Curtis. One of my favorite things about living in Daybreak was the fact that I lived around the corner from my best friend, Krystal!! We started off the year snowboarding a lot! It was her first year on the mountain and she did fantastic. I think our friendship grew a lot during this time and I appreciate everything she has done for me.

Through her, I also met and have become friends with so many people. I was able to vacation with these friends and we travelled to the Eastern Caribbean, on a cruise! I will have to say, it was one of my favorite vacations ever and I can't wait for the next one.

During this year, I also took a big step and finally moved out of my parents house. I know I know that I was a late bloomer when it came to that. I was beginning to think that my parents never thought I would do it. P.S. They still owe me a DVD player!!! (they know what I am talking about!)

Speaking of my parents, I have to give a lot of thanks to them and the rest of my fam. They are always a part of me having a great year. Nils returned home from his mission in June and it has been so fun having our family back together again. Even though Chelsea ruined it by moving to Seattle. But she has been home for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I feel almost bad to say that I had such a great year because I know so many people who have struggled this year in so many ways. But now it is time to start again and make some goals that I hopefully fulfill!!

During this year, I have also gained a passion for running, so my first goal is to run a half marathon which is planned in April! I can't wait!! If that goes well, then that goal will become a full marathon. Wow, 26.2 miles just seems like so much.

My next goal is to just stay in school. We all know how long I have been in school and how many breaks I have taken. So I need to stay in school and get away from being in the restaurant business!!!

Other then that, I just want to live a happy, fun, and honest life and see where it takes me!!

I am so excited for what this year may have in store for me and we will all see where I stand this time next year!!

I am happy!!!

2008-12-14T09:15:00.000-08:00

To start this story off, I will have to start at the beginning. Friday night when I was leaving work, I went to pick my purse up off the counter. When I did, I knocked a lid off a crock pot that was sitting by my purse. The lid fell and the handle on the top broke. The crock pot belonged to my coworker. I walked right up to her and apologized, told her I would replace it or do anything. She said don't worry about it and took it home where her husband was able to fix it like new!!

So I get to work the next day and my manager, who already does not like me for no apparent reason, pulled me aside and said, "I heard you broke Kelly's crock pot yesterday." I said I did and he asked why I never apologized. And so I told him I did apologize but he said it was very half hearted and I blew it off like it was no big deal.

Maybe I wouldn't be as bothered, but this time he attacked me as a person, not my work ethic or anything to do with the job. I am not sure what I ever did to make him not like me but this went over the edge.

Over the past little while, it seems like I am always trying to stand up for myself and prove to people that I really am a good person. But I am starting to find out that it isn't the people I need to stand up to at all. I need to be happy with myself. And just so all of you know, I AM!!! I know where my heart lies and I know it is in a good place. I know that I will do anything for anyone at any time! I love my family and I love my friends.

I am maybe not the person you thought or wished I would be. But I know that when I look in the mirror or lay my head down at night, I like the person I am. I am happy with who I came out to be. And really, that is all that matters!! I give credit to my parents and all life experiences that have shaped me into who I am. I thank my family, and all friends who support me and love me help me be a better person as well. I love you all!!!

One more thing I forgot to add

2008-10-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

I keep hearing that gay marriage is a moral issue, not political. Well did you know that before 1967, it was illegal for a black-white couple to marry? The supreme court decided that marriage is not a moral issue but that of equal constitutional rights, the right to Pursue Happiness!!! Not only did they decide this, but at the time 72% of the population were against allowing this to happen. Many people may believe that a same race marriage may be easiest, just as same religion, same economical status, ect... but over 40 years later, the thought of this being illegal does sounds ridiculous! And for the past few elections, us citizens have been given the chance to vote on this subject or same-sex marriage. Do you need any more proof that this is now political??

It is so easy to go with the norm or popular vote. But for all those people that agree with me, it is time to make your voices heard and stand up for what you believe in! Get out there and vote. Even if you don't live in California. Almost all groups except white males have fought for the right to vote, let's not let their efforts go to waste!!!

Proposition 8

2008-10-28T19:30:00.000-07:00

About a week ago I started a group on facebook called "vote NO on proposition 8". Since posting that, I have gotten many nasty comments. So I just wanted to write about my feelings about everything I have heard and what I strongly believe in. Here are some of the comments and my feelings, in no specific order.

"So if you were to raise kids in California, you're okay with them being taught that this "lifestyle" is normal and it should be accepted? They will have to teach this if they vote NO on Prop 8." My answer... HECK YES I am 110% okay with them teaching kids to be accepting of gays/lesbians. There is no way around it, kids will somehow in someway learn what a gay/lesbian is, and if they haven't been taught beforehand, they will laugh and point fingers like any child does towards something they don't understand. And not only that, they already teach it. I remember learning how gays have sex in 7th grade. So might as well teach them younger. And if a parent is so worried that this will influence them, it is their job to teach them the values and standards they believe in. It is only the schools job to teach what it is.

"[Being gay/lesbian] is not normal nor is it right. A school is not a place for this stuff to be taught, mainly because it will ruin society. You cannot compare this to discrimination against black people. They are human just as any other race. A gay or lesbian person, as good as a person they may be, is not living a proper or normal lifestyle- and it should never be considered normal or proper.....I know people that are gay, wonderful people but completely lost. Just as anyone may be depressed, or sick, these people can get help and lead a normal life. Before petitioning so much for gay rights, look at the facts and tell it wont affect children in a negative way."

I don't even know where to begin with this one. I will start from the beginning that it will "ruin society"- look at what I said above. Teaching kids this in school will only help society by making people more accepting of others. (next comment) By saying blacks are human, are you referring that gays/lesbians are not? Cause last time I checked, they were and should be treated as such. And saying that their lifestyle is not proper or normal, what is proper and normal? There is no such thing as normal. What is normal for one is not normal for another. Same goes for proper And the worst of this comment, how can someone possibly think that being gay/lesbian is a sickness???? Have you ever talked to a gay/lesbian person to hear their story? Not one (that I have met anyway) ever chose this lifestyle. They spent years fighting and trying to be straight. Sometimes, more often then not there is no "help" that works. So what then. Is it still a sickness? And when do you just let a person live the lifestyle they are happy and comfortable with. I feel so worked up just think someone could possibly think that!! No matter how a person becomes gay/lesbian, it is not a curable sickness. And let's just say it was, how does a person or society go about curing everyone? It is not a vaccine that you can just get once and be done with it. Gay/lesbians are great people and are happy with their lives. Why try and make them change when they don't want to?

A few weeks ago, my sister finally "came out" to the world on her blog. She describes the hell her life has been always trying to fight these feelings. When her lifestyle started to become public (before her "coming out"), even her best friends talked behind her back and sent her horrible horrible messages. She wanted to kill herself at times. This is not a way for a person to live. ANY PERSON!! I am not saying this because it is my sister. I believe in these rights 500% I am disgusted that there are so many people living in this country that can be so unwelcoming of a person or group or persons. So to Chelsea, Jamie, Jason, Kerby, Luis, Bruce, Adam, and anyone else I may have forgotten on my list, I support you!! I support your lifestyle! I love you and will fight for you! You deserve to live an open life and not live in fear everyday for what people may do, think, or say. I will never know the things you go through, but I will try my best to understand.

Thanks for reading

Here I am

2008-10-20T14:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, here I am...finally as many people may say. I think I am the last person on earth to create a blog. I used to think that I would have nothing to blog about. My life is pretty uneventful and not much changes when you are still single and have no kids (it seems like people mostly write about their family and kids). But then I realized that my life is still exciting and I feel as though I am doing a lot.

For all those who I haven't talked to in a while or don't know me at all, I will start off by giving a small update.

As of about 3 months ago, I finally moved out of my parents house! It took me long enough, I know, but I am a big girl now!! I live near 1300 s and 900 e in Salt lake and absolutely love it. I am slowly learning the expenses of being out, but I like the challenge.

I am also still in school. Yeah, I like to say I am on the 20 year program. But I have finally found what I am interested in and trying to stay focused. I am a junior at the U studying Chemical Engineering. I love every aspect of it and I am excited for what the future has in store for me once I graduate.

As for my current job, I am a bartender/server out in Sandy. I love what I do and the people I get to meet on a day-to-day basis, but I am happy it is not what I will be doing forever.

So all in all, I am very happy and content with my life. I love my family and all my friends. I don't know what I would do without them, they are the world to me!! Thanks for getting me started in the world of blogging.