This isn’t me, but I did do this

If there is one thing that most people quickly figure out about me, it’s that I am something of a daredevil. If it’s crazy, adventurous, gut wrenching, stomach flip-flopping, and typically not located anywhere near the ground, I am game. Bungee jumping? Sure. Skydiving? You betcha. Cliff jumping? Yeeha. And in Mazatlan last week I took off from the beach and shot straight up in the air for a hair-tingling parasailing adventure.

Parasailing is not really a scary or overly adventurous activity if you ask me. Unless you are afraid of heights (like The Guy is). To me, it’s just a few strings attached to my body as it’s yanked up into the air at a speed of something around 45 mph with nothing but air between me and big splat of Angie matter on the ground. See? No big deal.

The Guy helped me get a sweet deal on the ride. Instead of the standard $35, he helped negotiate another $10 off which is why I keep him around. He knows when to walk away so that they will come running after you pleading, “Si, si, senor! We will take the deal – but don’t tell nobody, okay?”

It was time to hit the sky. This set up involved a couple of Mexicans hooking me up to a parachute, waving out to a boat driver out in the ocean (the saddest looking boat, by the way), instructions to sit back, instructions on how to land (you have to guide it in), feeling the wind fill the chute, and then suddenly BOOM! 650 feet comes quickly and I hadn’t even taken a breath yet.

This is what it looks like when flying high above Mazatlan:

I was so distracted by how cool it was to be 650 ft up in the air, I forgot to pay attention to their “direction” flags. These flags basically told you how long you would need to tug on the right side to guide in the parasail and not land in the water…or on a building. I was staring across the Golden Zone, enjoying how incredibly quiet it was so high in the sky, when I started to notice people jumping up and down and up and down the beach waving flags. Is that for me? Oh, whoops. I was headed past the X Marks the Spot area. Dang it, I didn’t really want to come down. It was so peaceful up there and I could’ve flown around Mazatlan for hours. But luckily I was not in the least bit worried and I pulled and tugged until the three guys jumped up and pulled me down to the soft, silky sand. 

Once I landed, I just couldn’t stop smiling and there was The Guy, videotaping my whole fantastical flying experience.

“How was it, Angel-A? Did you have fun?”

I don’t remember exactly how I answered that question, only that I babbled on and on for about 5 minutes about “how cool” and “totally awesome” and “unbelievable” it was to “soar through the sky”. And the rest of the afternoon I kept skip-hopping up and down the beach with a smile permanently splayed across my face.

The sun was so hot I just had to go

Ohhhh, Mexico. It’s where I was for the past seven days, rolling along the Rivieria on a beautiful boat with The Guy and a few of his friends. Back in January, he gave me a call and said,

“Hey, my friends want to go to on another cruise in March or April. You wanna go?”

“Ummm, this year?”

“Yeah, it’s kind of a last minute type of thing but the cruise fares are ridiculously low. So we thought we should take advantage of it. You wanna go? Or, I guess I should ask, can you go?”

“Ummm, I think so…”

Obviously I worked it all out so I could take a week off. And it came at a time when I really needed to get away for a break where you can pretty much do whatever in the heck you want for 7 days – except for getting out of the muster drill. Those are always so fun but that’s the only place you have to be. The rest of the time? I was ‘laxin!

It didn’t start out so well. My Blackberry? Stolen. My diamond earrings? Stolen. My camera? Forgot it. This was all before I even got on the darn ship last Saturday. I had to let it go so I could still enjoy my week. But my heart felt a bit not in it for the first day. However, it’s hard to not find happiness on a boat where every staff member is at your beck and call.

Here’s what I discovered during this last week:

• Baja California is a bit cool…until you get further south
• Going down to your first stop a ship will go sooooo slow so that you feel nothing; coming back, man, they are in a hurry and you will feel every little swell
• Unlimited drink card = 43 pina coladas (virgin of course, and so gosh darn good)
• Working out can happen any time that I want
• Running on a ship is CRAZY when the boat is going UP and DOWN and you try to turn on the front of the ship and BAM! The wind just about knocks you down
• The beautiful mult-course meals you have at the beginning of the cruise become sort of “unh” by the end (“We have to eat again?“)
• Zip lining in a rain forest in Puerto Vallarta is totally AWESOME
• You can make a bargain with anyone; never accept the first price offered. They will come down!
• Sometimes you just have to learn how to deal
• Mazatlan has the best sand of the three stops (PV and Cabo)
• You can fit in Lovers Beach, jet skiing, a yummy lunch at Cabo Wabo in just about 4 hours 
• Dolphins love to swim around tender boats
• A gray whale is not gray – it’s more purplish pinkish
• Everybody needs a time out
• Bath & Body Works Patricia Weixler face cream with SPF 30 is simply fabulous (no sunburn all week)
• Spray sunscreen goes fast – next time, 4 bottles
• The ocean is the most beautiful and scary thing ever
• Nothing beats a day on Deck 7 with my Kindle, my beach towel, sunglasses, ipod, and the sound of crashing waves against the boat 
• P.S. The best kept secret is Deck 7 on the Sapphire Princess
• The Sapphire Princess was the setting for The Love Boat, which, coincidentally ran in the afternoons on the ship’s tv (man, everybody and anybody was on that show!)
• Massages in Mazatlan are $30 for an hour of total bliss
• Being on a boat with 3,000 people can sometimes be the loneliest place in the world
• Everyone deserves a bit of kindness
• You never know what people may be dealing with so it’s best not to pre-judge
• Life happens whether you are on a boat or at home…but at least on a boat someone can still bring you a yummy pina colada

These are the only two pictures I have from the trip because at the very least I remembered my lovely Polaroid. The Riviera was beautiful, the weather was gorgeous at each stop, and now I’m sitting back at home looking at a monster snowstorm. At least I’m a little tan!

It’s my Mom’s day

March is the month of birthdays when it comes to my parents. My dad celebrated his a couple of weeks ago and today is my lovely mom’s birthday.

My mom is one of those women that everybody just loves. They think she is the most soft spoken, gentle, kind, creative person who is genuinely a good-at-heart kind of person. And they are absolutely right. Unless you happen to be by my mom when she is cheering on her kids (and grandkids) at a sporting match. WOW. Watch out because this mother bear is fiercely protective of her brood. But she seriously wouldn’t hurt a fly. We all get a kick out of Mom in these situations.

Another thing about my mom that makes us love her more is her absolute love of spiders. HA! The woman is petrified and frozen in terror at the mere sight of an eight-legged buggy, whether it’s so miniscule you can hardly see it or the size of those horrendous spiders we sometimes find in our basement (thanks to the woodpile that used to be outside of our house). I have to admit that we kids – and Caden – have really taken advantage of her phobia and for that, Mom, I would like to deeply apologize. But it sure is dang  funny…and the sounds and pitches that you can make just send us into a fit of giggles.

Thanks for keeping us laughing, Mom, and for putting up with all of your kids, your in-law kids, and your grandkids. And thanks for calling me the other day to go to Art & Soup with you. I love that you know what I love to do – and you want to do it too.

We all love you oh so much and want you to have the happiest birthday ever! (of course, I think I win today for flying Katie and Sam down from Oregon; favorite daughter status secured…for this week)

Make some bracket!

It’s here. The time in Spring when drool starts to seep sideways out of the mouths of men everywhere. The eyes lose focus, the loss of hair increases, the sleepless nights are never ending. And what resonates in their head? “Did I make the right picks in my bracket?”

Now that the first couple of games are done in what is popularly known as March Madness, I can breathe a little sigh of relief…because my tournament winner pick (Memphis) was not taken out by a #15 seed. Whew! 

As to another team that I knew would lose (BYU) all I have to say is this: How could you possibly lose so badly? Considering you played them last year? Could you not be just a little bit more prepared? Sheesh!! No, I didn’t pick you to win but if you had, it least would’ve shown that the Mountain West Conference has some talent and should not be overlooked. But no. You had to do what the Y always does: lose in the first round of the tournament since 1993.

At work we are having a site bracket challenge that I am overseeing and today we kicked things off by bringing in a bucket load of wings from Wingers and a huge veggie platter. Nothing beats a bunch of egomaniacal overachievers covered in sticky sauce.  We were all going to sit around at lunchtime in front of our break room’s big screen TV and chow down, but just our luck – big dang TV is BROKEN. Well, that’s not entirely true. We can get HGTV, the Lifetime channel, and abcFamily. Yeaaaaah…the men were none too pleased. Let me tell you how quickly many left ( I was sorely tempted) after that to “work from home” the rest of the afternoon. Uh huh. Suuuuure.

I’m hoping I win big in The Guy’s bracket challenge. I think there’s something like $250 up for grabs which I’m crossing my fingers is headed into my outstretched hands…gimme gimme gimme!

Bring on more madness! And GO UTES! (at least in the first round)

Ice Creamy Fun

A week ago, I took Caden out to one of my fellow colleague’s Cold Stone Creamery store in South Jordan. We scooped, we mixed, we conquered the freezing cold mixing stone. How did we get so lucky to get behind the action? To get to do the dream job of hundreds? It all goes back to my company’s United Way auction we held last November. I bid on the opportunity to have a “tour” of the store and make my own creation, taking home 4 quarts of buttery fat deliciousness.

Caden thought it was “soooo cool, Mom!” that we got to go view how the ice cream gets made (it looks like mousse before they freeze it), walk inside the giant -30 degree freezer, and then get behind the counter and make our own luscious concoctions. Caden is a chocolate and cookie dough kid. So naturally, he mixed up tons of frozen cookie dough into their creamy chocolate ice cream. I decided to go a different route. I picked the Cake Batter ice cream and mixed in graham cracker, fresh strawberries, and white chocolate chips. Tasty. Fresh. And I didn’t feel so bad for wanting to eat an entire quart of ice cream because I put fruit in it. 

At the end of the whole experience, Caden whispered to me, “Do you think I can get a job here? I can make some money and take you out for dinner.” Awwwwww…and actually, the owners were pretty impressed with his fastidious cleaning skills. Give Caden a job and he takes it very seriously. As soon as he put on the uniform of apron and hat, he was all business. Such a funny kid.

Louise’s Legacy: a 10 year Race for the Cure tradition

It’s only a couple of months away so you better start warming up those legs now. It’s the annual Race for the Cure which quickly became the largest organized race in Utah. I still remember when I participated for the first time the second year of its inception and I think we had maybe 2,500 runners. Today? Try running in a sea of 17,000. It’s all for a good cause, raising money for breast cancer research.

I post about this every year but it’s time again for my team, Louise’s Legacy, to get ready to roll in honor of my maternal grandmother. She passed away from breast cancer at the extremely young age of 50, and because of her untimely death, I never even had a chance to know her. Thankfully, research in ways to combat/prevent/treat breast cancer have developed so that babies being born nowadays will have an opportunity to know their grandmothers.

I organized this team in 1999 so we are celebrating its 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY! I want all of you Taylor folks and non-Taylor folks to sign up! Or donate! Or do whatever you need to do because every bit of awareness helps. And if you know someone who has been affected by breast cancer, form a team in their honor and/or memory.

All those wishing to join Louise’s Legacy team need to register here: Louise’s Legacy TEAM. One cool thing about this year’s registration, if you join the team and sign up by April 24, you’ll save $5 on your registration fee. So don’t procrastinate.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

It was my dad’s birthday on Saturday and he and my mom decided to treat us all to the U of U men’s basketball game for the afternoon to celebrate. It’s one of those BIG birthdays – but I won’t tell anyone how old you are, Dad.

Without a doubt, my dad’s favorite thing to do is be with his family. He loves having his kids and grandkids all around (as noisy as we may be) and he never hesitates to tell any of us how much he loves us. It’s also an honor to be known as his daughter; people already think highly of me because of who he is and that has been a great blessing and privilege in my life.

But if you had to ask most people what they know about him, what his defining characteristics are, they would probably say that he is one funny guy. He always has a joke, a smile, a laugh to share with you. And most often they are jokes we kids have heard over and over…and over. He’s gets a kick out of it and we get a kick out of him. 

We love you, Dad!

Happy Place

I saw this image on Black Eiffel a little while ago and it has remained in my head ever since. I want a small little space like this that I can make my Happy Place. It just looks like a warm place (even with snow outside) to relax, read, and contemplate. If I really think about it, that’s what I need the most: a place to contemplate.

So many things on my mind these days and it keeps me up late at night. I went running and to the gym last night from 10-11 pm because sometimes I have to work out the mental kinks in order that I might be able to relax enough to pass out cold. Plus, when I’m really mad or frustrated or hurt, I can hop on the treadmill, crank it up to 8.5, and run pell mell until I can’t breathe anymore. The adrenaline rush and lack of oxygen really gets me focused. Then I take a leisurely jog for a couple of miles to unwind from ramping it up. It helps, it really does. 

Someday, when I am all grown up, I want to a build a house with all my favorite contemplative places built right in.

An art studio with skylight:                                                                                          

A stone garden with crooked steps:

And neatly designed spaces to fill with books, knick knacks, and escaping thoughts:

Sigh…my happy place(s).

{This last image I’ve had saved on my computer for awhile so I can’t remember where I found it. But the other two images come from this incredible home for sale in Montclair, New Jersey. WOW.}

Hip Chicks making noise – We Chirp

One of my friends from way back when has started up a quirky, cool new site that is for hip chicks everywhere: We Chirp. Mavis and Dove are the main contributors (don’t you la-la-love their names? it speaks to their achingly adorable creativity) but they also reel in other fabulously wonderful people such as the talented dandee and more. And guess what else they have to offer that will surely lure you to check them out? How about utterly unique and deliciously delectable giveaways?!

Check out their giveaway this week (um, hurry up and enter – the contest ends at midnight March 3). You can win WHATEVER YOU WANT from Ruby Sue, a totally girly-girl designer with a kitchy throwback vibe. Oh my goodness, how could I pick just one? Truthfully, I love this one muchas muchas much:

I’m telling you, you won’t want to miss out on what We Chirp has to share. Give them a whirl and learn a few new things or discover beautiful items to decorate your home. They are overflowing with variety and vim!

Serious McSerious – and his best friend’s 3rd cousin

Yeah, I think that would be a good title to a story I would write about The Guy. Well, maybe not name the entire book Serious McSerious. Possibly just a couple of chapters. But who can take somebody seriously when they hang out with their best friend’s third cousin all the live long day?

Am I making no sense whatsoever? Maybe it’s perhaps that I’ve been stuck in a booth with The Guy for the past couple of days trying to talk people into buying his product —aaaaannnd it’s going very slow. People are scared to death about the economy, they are worried about spending money now, hoping customers will walk in their stores and buy what’s on their shelves which in turn has vendors around here are losing it.

I try to be positive. Well, mostly positive and realistic. The Guy is Serious McSerious about the whole scenario so I have to break him out of his downward spiral of “the world is going to hell in handbasket and the lights are going out and the oceans are receding and the stock market is going to drop to 4500 and these pants – I hate these pants! – and now look, my shoe is untied…” Those of you who know The Guy will be able to snicker and laugh at that.

I am just the opposite. I am really more of the “things will be okay and life really could be a whole lot worse so you should be grateful that you even have pants and we’ll all just have to buckle down and be a little  more patient because things will turn around – although it may take some time…”

After his latest bout of Sand in His Shoes, otherwise known as the Oh No’s, I came up with the idea of Serious McSerious and his best friend’s third cousin. The third cousin would be the counterbalance to the ever morose Serious, you know, the bumbling, foot-in-mouth type of guy that would be the stereotypical sidekick. I could think of a few good candidates (in reality) right now that could fit the bill…but I would never tell them that. Plus, isn’t a third cousin that’s in no ways related to hilarious anyhow?

This could possibly become a nice little motivational book for people in crisis. And since crisis seems to be looming everywhere, I think I’ve got a potential best seller on my hands. It’s like a 12 step program for people prone to negativity. First step? Recruit your best friend’s third cousin. They are always funny by virtue of being a third cousin.