Dream a little dream

I had the craziest dream last night... First I was in this office with a rather attractive looking young man (sweet). I was admiring the large fish tanks in his office and we were talking about some sort of problem we needed to fix. But, much like my reality, the rather attractive man turned out to be a little bit of a nut job in that it was determined that to solve whatever problem we were discussing the best solution would be to unleash a myriad of poisonous bugs, spiders, and snakes. So a plethora of small children came rushing in with their creatures and let them go (maybe it's like the plagues of Revelation). Anyway, there was one child who was strangely similar to a child I work with at school who wouldn't let his massive (12" or so) scorpion go. (Don't worry...it wasn't an altruistic move, he's just really the type of child that would be fascinated with a 12" scorpion and would want to make it his pet)

So I talked to this look-a-like Sam (thanking him for not releasing the giant scorpion) and then went on my way. As I was walking through several shelves with a variety of board games for sale on them, I was approached by another child. This child told me that I needed to go to the concert because Elder Bednar (one of the Twelve Apostles) was there and I needed to sing. But first I needed to help him carry these things to the primary room (where the rest of the kids were). So I picked up a box of crayons and what not then went to the choir stands. On my way there my friend Amber found me, said she was singing alto too, and that she'd save my place in the choir seats. (There were lots of people at this concert, too. It kind of looked like the conference center in SLC). I went off to deliver my box of goodies to the children, but couldn't remember how to get back. 

So I got on the elevator with a bunch of other people. I thought I needed to go to the 49th floor. When the doors opened there were lots of sirens going off, nurses running everywhere. I got pushed out of the doors and the other passengers scattered and I'm standing there alone. A nurse comes running out the double doors across from me but she slips and falls. I run over to her looking around and screaming, "the scene is safe," just as another nurse comes out. (Always check the scene before administering first aid!) I explain the situation and we both help her get back to her feet and in (apparently) the hospital wing. The second nurse then asks how she can help me and I tell her I'm lost and need to get back to the concert hall. She tells me she thinks it's on the 33rd floor and that she'll walk me to the elevator. Through a strange labyrinth we walk and I get back on an elevator. 

I end up on the 33rd floor and walk into some sort of educational resource center. It's dark and there are really large (6' or so) stuffed animals sitting everywhere. Someone must of heard me because a woman comes around the corner and tells me that the center is closed but that it is a great resource any other time of day, yada, yada. I explain to her that I'm lost and need to get back to the concert hall. She puts me back on the elevator and I guess hits a button cause I'm on my way again. 

This time when I get off, it looks like another labyrinth of hallways. This time, though, there are people everywhere. I follow them and the crazy murals on the wall and eventually walk into a mall. This mall is huge. I came in on the 'food court' level and there are restaurants everywhere you look. There are also elevators everywhere you look. There is one to my right, but there are a bunch of people, one mean looking guard, and one crazy ATM looking thing that I'm supposed to put a bunch of money in. Of course (again like in real life) I don't have any money so the guard tells me I have to go to another elevator. 

I finally find this elevator and stand in line to get on. There are a ton of people! And boy is this a special elevator. Not only is it massive, but when I finally get on the elevator there are seats. There are also all these directions, like make sure your lap bar is secure, this elevator will be going very quickly, etc. Then woah! Did it ever go fast. It was like a roller coaster ride to the bottom level of this ridiculously large building. There were black lights and loud music and while no loopdi-loops, it was a crazy ride. 

So I end up getting dumped out into the main parking lot of this building. And once again I'm stuck looking for an elevator with no real idea of where I need to go. In the parking lot there are a bunch of people loitering, but there are just as many machines that supposedly give you elevator tickets (kind of like the parking pass places where you pay the machine). So I get a ticket and keep waiting near where it looks like the elevator should be. When I get on these elevator looking things however, and push a number, nothing ever happens. People are disappearing from the parking lot area, however, so I know they must be getting on elevators somewhere...

Finally, as if it opened out of thin air, I see some people getting on another sort of elevator looking thing. The operator was standing at the door giving final directions about what buttons to push when, etc. At the very last second I jump on and realize that I'm on some sort of tram (I jumped in with the driver and a bunch of people's shopping bags) and that they were going to take a tour around whatever city we were in (it kind of reminded me of Vegas). Then I looked at the clock...It was 7:29. The concert was going to start in one minute. As I resigned myself to the fact that I was going to miss it, I woke up. 

Woah! I rarely remember dreams in that much detail! So I grabbed my dream analysis book (it's highly scientific I'm sure) and looked some of the things up. It didn't have lost (which I think was really the whole premise of the dream) but if you go with the few things I could find an explanation for my dream is that I'm going to become deathly ill, will be bamboozled by my enemies, and will have financial trauma. But, on the bright side, I'll have a handsome lover. ;o)

Kelsey Confirmed

Confirmed: Copiously cute Kelsey is correctly a cougar. (Not everyone can be perfect and go to Utah State) And even though she's from BYU I'm still going to root for her on the Next Food Network Star, because you really can't help but like her.

...rise and yell, cougars can go to... um.... nevermind.... good luck Kelsey!

Obsession Confession

Things I click on or watch a lot!...

• Woot.com - (and shirt.woot.com I'm addicted to the ridiculously satirical commentary. It makes me happy inside)
  
• The Next Food Network Star (It's getting intense...and I swear Kelsey graduated from BYU...she's got that look about her)
• Book lists (teenbookreview.wordpress.com)
• What Not To Wear (Stacy London is my hero)
• E-bay (I haven't bought anything in a long time, but I still like to look)
• Facebook! (why oh why did I ever sign up?)
• My sister's sites (not that Sonja ever updates hers.....)
• Allrecipes.com - tasty
• Iron Chef America
• John D. Lee blog and familysearch.org (and I recently discovered new.familysearch.org)
• Ace of Cakes (though it recently moved to Thursdays at 10 so it's a little late for me to be watching)
• Take Home Chef (a hot Aussie who cooks...who wouldn't watch?)

I'm apparently far more obsessed than I'd like to admit.

In the belly of a whale

Jonah didn't want to go to Nineveh. They weren't the most delightsome of people and he really didn't want anything to do with them. So when the Lord commanded him to go there, he said, 'Sure,' but then jumped on another boat headed in the opposite direction. Well his little crew of sailors got tossed about (they're boat wasn't tight like unto a dish) and they were not really feeling the love for Jonah. Jonah also knew that he had done wrong and decided that his fellow travelers better toss him overboard. As he was drifting out to see, Jonah experienced a "natural" consequence (natural being a large fish and God's anger...not that people get swallowed by large fish everyday). As we call it here in the south, it appeared that Jonah had a 'come to Jesus' meeting with himself and decided that his attitude was all wrong. Well, luckily for Jonah, God's plan won't be thwarted and that big 'ole fish spit him right back out so Jonah could go on his way and preach the word.

Today I experienced some natural consequences. Last night I got pulled into a meeting I did not want to be part of. Then at the meeting, my work began to be heavily criticized by someone I don't even know...right in front of me. I kept my cool very well, but by the time I left school close to 7:30 p.m., I was pretty livid. My little prius needed fuel. But I was too mad and tired and poor to go and get some. I get 46.5 mpg I could make it till tomorrow... Well, on my way to work this morning I found out what the little prius does when it runs out of gas. It already has a pitiful engine and boy did it lose its get-up-and-go fast when it was running on fumes. I pulled over on the side of the freeway, called school, and made them send me a rescue squad. While I waited, my tax dollars at work pulled up in the form of Incident Management Assistance Patrol (IMAP)...these little yellow trucks with all sorts of free road side services. I see them around often, but as they drive around the beltline all day you never know where they are at any given time.

As I explained my pathetic self to the man, he laughed and assured me he sees far bigger idiots every day. He then gave me a gallon or so of gas and sent me on my way. He was an angel. He treated me just like I know my own dad would (except I know my dad would tease me to no end about it after words). Now, do I think I ran out of gas because I was mad? Yes and no. I don't think I was being punished for being upset at the meeting. But I do think that my poor attitude caused me to lose focus of the things that were important at the time and I experienced a little feather ruffling in return. Natural consequences are a wonderful thing.

I guess ultimately, I've learned on more than one occasion that sometimes important things are not always convenient. They don't always fit with our attitudes, beliefs, and/or desires. But unless I want to spend more time than not in the belly of a whale, I need to think first. I may need to occasionally have my own 'come to Jesus' meeting, I may learn from another's mistakes, or I may just get lucky and do it right the first time. But either way, I'm just glad that every time I end up in the belly of a whale, He's kind enough to spew me back out. 

Missing Mickey

I never posted any pictures from my trip to Mickey's House in southern CA, and I'm itching for a vacation something fierce right now...so this will have to do until July! :o) (they're a little cut off, but you get the idea)