My 1st business trip in HELL

You think I'm kidding, but I literally went to hell.
Monday I embarked on a business trip for Delta Faucet Company to Carmel, Indiana. Everything was going well until we were nearly a few minutes from landing at the Indianapolis airport; the pilot got on and said "We have been informed they closed the airport for landing due to thunder storms at this time, we have enough fuel to circle the aiport for 45-50 minutes until we get further notice." My heart sank, it had already been a 2 1/2 hour flight and I was exhausted. It was already a late flight, I was supposed to arrive in Indy at 11:56p.m. So we of course circled the airport for about 45 minutes and then the pilot got on again and said, "We are still unable to land at the airport, we are making our way down to Louisville, Kentucky to get some fuel." At that point it was 1:00am, we landed in Kentucky and they wouldn't let us off the plane. There was a coughing child behind me as well as a little girl and her Grandma who wouldn't stop singing the ABC's and loud. Not only was I claustrophobic but I had had it by now. Half an hour later we got the news from the pilot that we were okay to land in Indy so we took off from Kentucky and landed around 2:00am. There was a driver holding a card with my name on it there to take me to the hotel which was...an hour away. I didn't crawl into the hotel bed until 3:30 in the morning; I had to be up for training at 8:30. I spent six hours in training the next day (listening to someone lecture for hours on end is never entertaining), was fed a mediocre lunch and that was it. By the time we arrived at the restaurant for dinner I was starving but also extremely nauseated, I figured the nausea was only food deprivation so I choked down my fetticini which was a ...mistake. I got back to the hotel room and threw up within maybe a half hour. I needn't go into detail but I spent the night on the bathroom floor-I had nothing left in my body; and another sleepless night to boot. I was sure I had to of gotten food poisoning, but after what happened next I think it was the stomach flu. I had to be up at 6am for training, I could barely stand to get ready. I kept having to do one thing at a time and then go lay back down, I was so weak and still so nauseated. After walking outside in the 94% humidity I didn't know how I was going to make it through the day. My glasses actually fogged up, that's how humid it was. Another five hours in training and of course not long after arriving the worst fever in the world came on. My body ached like it never had before, I thought I was going to shatter! Having no meds, I had to suffer through the fever aches and pains the entire time. I left for the airport at 1:00, I go up to check in and get my tickets, and the lady says, "Your flight is delayed due to tornado warnings and at this point it looks like you are going to miss your connection. Your connection is the last flight out of Milwaukee this evening so you might not have a flight until Thursday morning." Body aching, emotions rising, I felt so defeated at that point. If it wasn't one thing after another on this trip! It seems as though everything went wrong. I just said, "ok." turned, walked away and the tears started flowing. Security even confiscated the can of Pepsi I had stowed away in my purse for my upset stomach! Bastards! My options were A: to get on the delayed flight and hope that I could make my connection in the ten minutes they had allotted, or B: to get on the delayed flight, miss my connection and spend the night at the airport in Milwaukee. Get this I was the last person on the connecting flight from Milwaukee to Denver. That's how close it was, I got off the plane and ran to the gate. I felt like Kevin on Home Alone. The flight to Denver wasn't bad, I was able to get some rest and read my book. I was still nauseated so I asked for some sprite to ease my stomach. I arrived in Denver and had a two hour layover, I found a corner and layed on the floor. After the longest 72 hours of my life I arrived in SLC at 10:30p.m...proceeded to get on the wrong shuttle that was going to the wrong parking lot and wasted another twenty minutes of my life on this trip. Finally I got on the right shuttle, got to my car and got home to Jon & my puppies at midnight.

After everything I went through, I came home to this waiting for me:

On the counter was what Jon called my gift of relaxation (hallelujah!). Sweet smelling body soap, the softest loufa known to man, cucumber melon & green tea dove soap, stress & tension relief bath crystals (I had plenty of both!), juicy grape smelling body fizzer ball, & last but not least my favorite flavor of Grandma Sycamore's cookies-fudge chocolate chip. mmmm! To be enjoyed all at once would be dangerous! I carefully picked the coconut scrub, the bath crystals, and the softest loufa known to man. I've never had a better bath at 1 o' clock in the morning. I had to be at work this morning so it wasn't a long lived bath-but those crystals will last me awhile. He also left me this card, the inside caption read "...and still have my heart." He wrote the sweetest message inside and it left me feeling greatly missed and appreciated. Not only did I get all of this but the house was clean as well! Before I even left I was homesick, I missed my family and my home more than words while I was away. It felt like weeks, not only 2 1/2 days. Coming home to our beautiful Utah set a peace within my heart. Thank the Lord for the dry climate & our less than busy lifestyle. I could honestly feel the purity our state portrays in an instant. I am so grateful for everyone I have that I left behind these past few days. It's great having my family nearby and so close at heart.

The only positives from going away were working 47 hours in four days, losing five pounds (hooray for stomach flu!), and the glorious views from the planes (once I caught them). The first photo is of Lake Michigan, it was huge! There is nothing quite like soaring through a blanket of clouds, it's odd looking down on clouds and up at nothing but blue sky. The sun shining through the plane window put me to sleep.

Luckily I have tomorrow off, so I'm planning on spending the weekend catching up on some rest, slowly introducing food to my body again, in the yard, and with my family. Bliss.

80 hours and six flights later, I have returned from hell; it feels so great to be back.

Three years & counting...

Well J and I hit our three year anniversary mark, does that mean we aren't newlyweds anymore? I can honestly say that would make me happy-to me it would mean we made it over the biggest humps in any couple's experience. We have been through so much but it makes our time now so much sweeter. Nothing of true greatness is ever easy...that's what I keep telling myself! ;)

I have such an amazing husband; he is unique to me and to our relationship-that's all that really matters right? I suprised him with a night away the weekend following our actual anniversary ( June 8th ) up to Park City. We enjoyed the drive up, it is always beautiful-we were able to talk and listen to good music, we shopped around at some outlets and had a great dinner at The Red Rock Brewing Co. (try it!) We had a wonderful room at the luxurious Holiday Inn Express (splurging on a budget doesn't exist!) but the room was actually perfect, a jacuzzi suite! We enjoyed sleeping in Saturday morning and making open plans for the rest of our day. We ended up driving into SLC to the Gateway where we had lunch, continued to shop (sO lucky my husband enjoys shopping with me, he always has!) & saw The A-Team. I couldn't have asked for a better time. This anniversary was more special than the rest. I am truly hoping that by the time our next one rolls around that we will either be expecting or have a little one here already! My plan is to have one here already, but nothing ever goes the way it's supposed to so I'm leaving it in the Lord's hands and trying my anxious best to live with that. Needless to say, we had to get out of dodge for a minute to celebrate the last opportunity we may have with just the two of us.

Jon,
Thank you for all you have given me the last seven years of our fulfilling relationship. I am sorry for all the grief I have caused you in the past, but I hope you see that it was worth it to stick through to the end. We will have trials in our future, but I am forever confident that we can get through anything. I have the will to spend the rest of my life with you and I can only dream that you feel the same. (I have a pretty good idea!) I love the way we are together, to name a few-african dances in our kitchen, the endless variety of oddball nicknames we give our dogs and loved ones, & for the nights we set out to get to bed early but spend an hour or more talking and laughing about nothing in particular. I am so comfortable with you and I can't imagine being able to be me with anyone else. For that I am forever indebted to you. I won't get in to much of it because that is private and something that I only want you and I to share as a couple...but in a way this is a tribute to you. To my two readers...I am not afraid to express my love and devotion to my wonderful husband! That good enough for you, babe? ;)

To the last seven and the next 80 more, may we always have what we've gained up until this point.

All my love & forever yours,
Smabs

Meet our little Tula!

About a month ago Jon and I saw a puppy on KSL and acted spontaneously! Within an hour of seeing her online we had her in our arms. Tula would be child #3 for us and what a handful. She has been so much fun and we couldn't have picked a better time, we are getting new carpet in a couple of weeks! haha. At first Attika was reluctant, we'd notice her scuzzing us out of the corner of her eye-man that dog can sneer! But I've noticed the past few weeks that she is playful with Tula and that makes me happy. We took them both to the vet, Tu to get her second set of puppy shots & Atti to get caught up on parvo & rabies. The vet talked me into getting Atti spayed even though a surgery scares the hell out of me-he said it would be beneficial to her in the long run and that's all I can really hope for. Anyone who knows me knows that she means enormous amounts to me. I couldn't live without her, it's funny how pets can become the best of friends. He also said that getting a new dog was a good move-that having a puppy around would breathe new life into Ms. Atti, which I've noticed, and that made me happy too. She is only six years old and the vet said over and over that she isn't old but I couldn't help but get a little teary eyed in the veterinarian office just talking about her getting older. He also broke the news that she's 3lbs overweight-so she's currently on a diet and we're taking nightly walks around the neighborhood. I've just noticed that this post is supposed to be introducing Tula and I'm talking all about Atti!
We really do love the puppy, she is so funny already and I've seen quite the personality sprout from her thusfar. She is the perfect combination-she is playful and fun but she also is the greatest cuddler. I would reccommend a dacshund to anyone that was asking, they are a marvelous breed.

p.s. Wish us luck with the operation-we'll get both of them spayed eventually.

Denicio Del Toro

I don't think I've ever expressed how much I appreciate and love Denice (my mother-in-law). It seems like from day one we made a connection and have been close ever since. She means the world to me and I cherish our conversations the most. I lucked out in the m-in-law department because I consider her a great and close friend. There are times when I just truly miss her and need to go for a visit. (I bet she gets sick of me!) She has such a wonderful sense of humor and I love how open she can be with her children, she isn't afraid to say it and I freaking love that about her. There are some nights Jon and I go over there and we laugh for literally 3 hours long. We've shared a lot throughout the years with one another and I feel even closer to her now that I'm becoming more mature. Her Father passed away last October and I feel his passing has caused her to be spiritual and deep on different levels than she was before. I know she misses him but there isn't a single doubt in my mind that he isn't watching over her with a smile on his face. He raised one incredible daughter. It's a new side to her that I have really enjoyed exploring. The love she has for her children I find in Jon, and that is comforting. I hope to one day mimic some of her techniques when I have children of my own. I'm proud to be called her daughter in law and I'm not looking forward to sharing her with Ryan's one day wife either! (I'll always be her first child by marriage, so nobody can take that from me)I love her so much, I only hope she feels the same!

p.s. She's the babe in the middle. She is so gorgeous and has aged like a butterfly releasing from its cocoon! (inside joke, lol)

Transisting Life

Days go by and with each passing year we become older and more shriveled.

LIVE HAPPILY

Namaste "Let There Be"

Last Monday was my second time doing Bikram (hot yoga) and I think this might be something I'm going to keep up once a week. I've been focusing so much on cardio the past three months-obtaining speed and trying to shed pounds, that a little bit of muscle meditation is necessary. I was always the type of person who was offish towards Yoga, I didn't get it-it never felt like it was something that would do anything to your body. Wow, was I mistaken; I woke up Tuesday morning with an aching sore body! My sister in law introduced me to a neat little place five minutes from my home and the great thing is, it's free! If you don't believe me, check out their website http://www.yogajos.com/. Come support them, it's worth it. In this week's class the instructor asked us to wrap our arms around our body & repeat after her "i love my body." It felt peculiar to me at the time-but it felt good. This coming from a girl who feels like she'll never be perfect-I don't know that I'll ever truly love my body, but I am grateful for its wellness and I should show that appreciation somehow. The two times I've gone have been such a great release-you lose so much water weight (95 degree room temp) and it feels like a release of negative and stressful energy. I've been stressed lately with a troubled mind, so it felt great getting a few of it off my chest through fitness. I'd love to obtain the body of Miranda Kerr or anybody else drop dead gorgeous-but I need to sink down to reality and face the facts. I'll never be a super model OR flawless; but I can be me!

LOVE YOUR BODY.

"The Divine in me recognizes the Divine in you and acknowledges we are the same."

p.s. The constant cardio will continue-and that also feels good at the end of a bad day. Run it off. :)

Couples Retreat

On Friday last minute we decided to go up to Bear Lake with our friends Megan and Austin. We had such a great time. The weather could have been maybe 10-15 degrees warmer and it would have been perfect. Megs and I went golfing with our boys for the first time and they sucked ass-apparently we were bad luck and won't be allowed to go with them again. haha. We got them hooked on tennis and we will be playing a lot more this summer. (They have a court in their backyard, go figure!) Jon made a bunch of amazing food-we watched movies, got in the hot tub, shared stories, and swapped gossip. I love Logan Canyon it is my favorite canyon if someone were to ask. It was weird seeing how undeveloped nature is at this point because of the shitty weather we've been having. No leaves on the trees up there! But I'd call the trip a success and we plan on going again soon.

It was super relaxing. :)

I'm feeling.. out of favor...detested..just blah

I doubt this post will make much sense but I need to get this negative energy out of me somehow. Have you ever felt meaningless in a world full of meaningful people? In our generation we have all this nonsense that began with Myspace and now it's Facebook, Facebook, Facebook. I used to be a part of that society and I'm quite glad to be away from it now. If it were just a means for communicating with acquaintances from your past then I might feel differently about it but it seems like it's a front for everybody. Everyone putting their best foot forward-posting their "best" pictures, showcasing their "best" moments in time. A bunch of posers, I guess it sort of bothers me that people out there feel the need to share all of these moments with people they wouldn't talk to or care about if it weren't for these networks that make it so easy. It's sort of ridiculous how much time people spend on there and especially the variation of age levels-shouldn't your life count for much more than Facebook status, who wrote on your wall, or what picture you have posted on your profile? When I'm 40 something with children I know that I'm going to invest my time in them and not a website. But it's almost like a double edged sword with me-I also hate that because I choose not to share parts of me with the world that I feel less significant or that I'm probably not searched for or missed. I'm just having a downer moment, it'll pass. Life is strange and it's hard to steer away from routine. I always want so much out of life and to share as much as I can of my REAL life, it's why I contribute the way I do on here. But sometimes it just doesn't feel like enough. Is it really that important to be seen? I guess that's where I draw a fine line. I am happy within my life, I have everything I want and need. I feel loved and important to my family and that should be sufficient, but sometimes it's just not. Help.