Life's little lessons

So, I decided to reschedule my exam for July 28th. I was originally planning on taking it July 8th, but I was just kidding myself. I realized as I was going through practice tests and getting in the 50-60% range...I wasn't ready to take this test next week! I kept saying- no if I just study EXTRA hard I can make it. But the truth is, I'm not very good at studying EXTRA hard. I kinda have a normal study amount my brain can take per day before it feels full and maxed out. I have always been the kind of person that thinks she can do anything...I still feel that way to an extent...but the scripture Mosiah 4:27 comes to mind,

27And see that all these things are done in wisdom and ^aorder; for it is not requisite that a man should run ^bfaster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.

Man oh man. How many times have I had to relearn this lesson? A lot. I'm learning it right now. I know to most of you this seems like no big deal. Your like, so what? You're taking it a month later...no biggie. For some reason it gives me a ton of guilt or something. I mean, not tons...but it took major convincing of myself to feel like I'm not being lazy or something by doing this. But, the truth is- I probably would've failed had I taken the test next week. Who knows- maybe I could've done it, but I would've been freaking out and felt so unprepared. I want to go in to the test feeling so confident and ready.

So I'll probably not take my Auditing test till the beginning of October (cause I can't test in September...and August is study time). Which is fine, I will probably need the two months to study Audit...since I only took one Auditing class in college and learned nothing (no joke).

On to other things- the weather is fantastic! It's like 80's everyday! I rode my bike two days in a row and I can already see I'm getting tanner. Everyone in Idaho whines so much about the heat...when we've only felt it for like 2 days. What the heck?! I say, "It's better than cold!" and then the classic statement, "You can always get warmer, but you can't always get cooler!" To that I say baloney. Go jump in the river. Turn the AC on. Drink ice cold water. Whatever. I don't care. AND- I can't always get warmer. Anyway- I seriously love it. It just makes for a happier time in life.

Clay and I are revving up for Harry Potter in a couple weeks. We have watched Harry Potter 1, and started 2. It was my brilliant idea to watch all of them before the next movie. And seriously- I haven't seen 1-5 in like, years. Especially 1-3. The first one was SO FREAKING CUTE! It was so innocent and fun. You kinda forget about those times in the last ones, cause they are so dark. But it just made me fall inlove with Harry Potter all over again. If you haven't read the books (cough*AMY*cough) you're crazy. They are marvelous. The most brilliant series I've ever come upon.

Well, I suppose that's all. Oh yeah- I'm feeling so much better by the way. The treatments I'm on are doing wonders. I am now a firm supporter of B12 injections (which I give myself), Vit C IV's, and Hydrogen Peroxide IV's (yep). What a difference it makes!

I'm feeling very blessed right now. I hope this feeling sticks:) I know I'm blessed always, I just don't always realize it. Call me crazy, but when the suns out, I can ride a bike, study for the CPA exam, get to work ontime, and watch movies with my husband...it's pretty hard not to feel happy. Of course there's plenty things I still want...but whatev. I am satisfied for right now. Things I want will come in due time. I feel like Heavenly Father is just...so completely aware of everything. I know good things are in store for me and Clay...and that as long as we ride out this wave with faith and hope, we'll come out on top. I know that sounds so cheesy...but it's just how I feel. Today I said the words, "Life is what you make it"...I wont go into why I was saying it or to who, but I really do believe that. I have so many reasons I could just lay in bed and be sad and sorry for myself...and people probably wouldn't even blame me for it! And believe me, I have my fair share of days where I do just that. But it never...NEVER makes me feel better, and it NEVER comforts me. I only feel better or good when I force myself to get up and live my life. So, that's pretty much what I'm trying to do.

The fourth is coming up, and I'm so excited. BBQ's, fireworks, and USA pride. 3 of my very favorite things! I am definitely proud to be an American. We are so rich and blessed here. I just wish more people could see that. I guess...I love my country, not necessarily all the people in it :) Anywho, I should end this now before I just keep ranting on about all my life lessons and stuff.

Love you all. Happy 4th. Eat a few smores for me. I will eat a few myself I'm sure.

11 things bachelorette

1. FINALLY! FREE AT LAST! I finally realized why I loved Ashley the first couple episodes then hated her. One word: BENTLEY. Blah. So glad that's DONE. And I'm glad she had her little *bleep* you moment.

2. Dentist is gone- FINALLY. I'm so freaking sick of hearing so much WHINING about RYAN! It's obvious that when the only thing you can talk about is another guy, you don't have too much of a connection with the lady.

3. Did everyone else LOVE Constantine and Ben on the group date? They were seriously cracking me up. And I think my favorite part of the group date was that Dentist and Ryan were paired. BAHAH. Or the moment in the elevator with Ames. Teehehe- I totally giggled during that. And I loved when the door opened on them. Ames is so awkward I love it.

4. Ryan shouldn't sport the bearded look. It doesn't suit him well.

5. I was so happy she picked JP for the one-on-one date. He is totally awesome. AND he reacted so well to the Bentley thing. And I think he's good looking- but not the most handsome man I've ever seen?!?!?! Did you think that was a little bit of an extreme description of him?

7. The other guys DIDN'T react well. I really wish she would've handed out the roses and then said, "And Lucas, you need to go home. CYA". But no, she still hasn't gotten all her smarts yet. I seriously think that if they had real feelings for her, they wouldn't be so stupid.

8. Why did Ashley feel like it'd be this great thing to tell them? Of course they'll feel second best. Like...why would they feel happy about it? I dunno. Kinda silly. I get both perspectives though...

9. I think this was the first episode where Ashley didn't say "PerFACT". You know what I'm sayin? Oh dear. I thought if I heard that one more time my head might explode. Kinda like the feeling I get when I hear the name Bentley come out of her mouth.

10. Ashley loves baggy see-through shirts where her bra can be seen ever so slightly. They are cute sometimes, I really do think so- but like...every time? Shake it up a bit...wear a form fitter. Or a solid color.

11. Favorites: JP, Ben, Ames. In that order.

Did you see the preview for the rest of the season?!?! Holy cowsers this is gonna be good.

On a side note- I biked 7 miles today. WOAH! Talk about amazing. I'm gonna do it again tomorrow. Woot woot!

Thrifty Thursday

Well...I went to DI today cause I don't even remember what I was looking for. Oh yeah. A lawn chair. They had them...but they all looked so disgusting I just couldn't handle it. My hands got dirty while looking through them...and I know I could hose them off and stuff, but I just for some reason couldn't handle it at the moment. So I did my normal rounds around the store...dishes- my fav section...and came upon some AMAZING salt and pepper shakers! Holy smokes. I fell inlove right then, right there. 2 bucks. DONE.

Oh- and my father will appreciate this one- the holes are just the right size. Not GINORMO like most of the salt and pepper shakers of today. I do wish there were maybe one or two more holes..but really they are great. And I put pepper granules in the pepper grinder right when I got home and it totally works PERFECT! YES!

NICE HOLES

Then I came upon this mug! I absolutely ADORE these kind of mugs. I already have two of them. It's kinda hard to tell in the pic, but they are oversized mugs so you can like, eat cereal (if I ate cereal), eat ice cream (if I was allowed to), or put your berries in (this is my most common use). They are my favorite cause I like to eat while I watch TV, and bowls are awkward to hold, but these are cute and have handles and it's just the best. Anyway- this was a dollar. SOLD.

Then...I went to the yard area...you can find some pretty great gems in this area. I know most of you wont see my vision on this one...but trust. It's gonna be just perfect for my wall I'm creating in my mind and hopefully will come to real life soon. There wasn't a price tag so I asked the cashier and he said, "2?" and I said, "2? eh..." and he said, "How bout a dollar and a half" I said that sounds good. Hows that for DI bargaining? :)

Overall, I spent less than 5 bucks, which was perfect cause I had this mysterious five dollar bill in my wallet that I have no idea where it came from. So it pretty much was meant to be.

I'm rarely this pleased when I leave the DI. The only bothersome part about the trip was that there was a lady roaming the store that stunk STRONGLY of poop. Do I just attract these kind of people to me? I know what you're thinking...Danielle, maybe it's just you...but NO. It most certainly is not! Everytime I was away from the woman, the smell went away. Everytime I was BY the woman, I pretty much had to hold my breath. And you know that client a long time ago that yelled at me and smelled like poop? Well, she came in again this year and smelled like poop again. I also happened to know a couple of people in middle school/high school that smelled like poop all the time too...so I've come to the conclusion that it's a disease or something. I feel really bad for these people. Is there not a cure or fix for these kinds of things?!?! I really don't understand but man oh man...it's bad.

Not to end on THAT note...but, that's all I have for today. Peace out!

Funky candlestick decor tutorial

So I got this really great idea from my friend Lori. She had these adorable candle sticks and I complimented them, and she said she MADE THEM! So she told me how and I did it and I love em! They are definitely a little rusty and coulda been done better...but whatevs. I am NOT too picky.

Wanna know how to make them? EASY.

1. Get a bunch of candle sticks. If you tell people you're looking for candle sticks, they just might give some to you for free!

2. Mess with them to see which ones look best ontop of eachother. (You will need to mess with right side up...upside down...etc. Just play around with it and see all your options)
3. Glue them together.

4. Spray paint. I didn't even prime them.

Pretty easy! Since I already had all the spray paint from leftover projects, and half the candle sticks were given to me...the whole project cost me $2.18. Not bad...not bad at all. Some of them are a little funky...but I kinda like it that way! It took me long enough to do this. I saw the candle sticks at Lori's house probably like...a YEAR ago. Been meaning to do it since. I've had the candle sticks for months! Just haven't gotten around to it. Finally did it last week. YIPPEE!!!

Summer...finally!

So it was 83 degrees today. HEAVEN! There's nothing quite like blasting country music with my window rolled down, wearin my sunglasses, looking at blue skies. I love it! For some reason I don't listen to country much in the winter time. Its just this weird thing...I associate it with summer time. Hm.

Well, I PASSED BEC! The exam I took last time...I found out I passed. SO HAPPY! Oh my. So relieved. Now I just need to pass the next two tests and I'll be REALLY happy.

So I got this really great idea from my friend Lori. She had these adorable candle sticks and I complimented them, and she said she MADE THEM! So she told me how and I did it and I love em! They are definitely a little rusty and coulda been done better...but whatevs. I am NOT too picky.

Wanna know how to make them? EASY.

1. Get a bunch of candle sticks. If you tell people you're looking for candle sticks, they just might give some to you for free!

2. Mess with them to see which ones look best ontop of eachother. (You will need to mess with right side up...upside down...etc. Just play around with it and see all your options)
3. Glue them together.

4. Spray paint. I didn't even prime them.

Pretty easy! Since I already had all the spray paint from leftover projects, and half the candle sticks were given to me...the whole project cost me $2.18. Not bad...not bad at all. Some of them are a little funky...but I kinda like it that way! It took me long enough to do this. I saw the candle sticks at Lori's house probably like...a YEAR ago. Been meaning to do it since. I've had the candle sticks for months! Just haven't gotten around to it. Finally did it last week. YIPPEE!!!

Well...as always, my life basically consists of Lyme treatments and studying to become a CPA. SO exciting :) I'm pretty much freaking out about my next test, in 3 weeks. I wish I had another week to study, but the testing center doesn't have any room...as of now. Oh well. I'll just have to work super hard. Which is hard. Especially when it's so nice and hot and I feel lazy. And tired.

OH YEAH- I finally gained the courage to give myself the B12 shot! I have to give it to myself twice a week. I was so nervous. But I finally did it, and it wasn't so bad! And I honestly feel like I can already tell a difference. So hopefully soon I'll have more energy. I can't really describe what it's like. Before I found out I had lyme I always thought something was wrong with me cause I couldn't do things like my sisters could, or my mother in law, or mom or really lots of women. They seemed to be able to do SO MUCH no sweat. But I just honestly couldn't. Still can't. But now I realize it's because of LYME. Not cause I'm lazy or I'm not good enough or whatever. What a relief. And I don't mean to say like...I expect to be superwoman when I'm through with this. I just mean...I can make dinner and clean it up without feeling completely spent afterwards. Or...clean the bathroom and do something else too.

Anyway- all that to say, I feel like these B12 shots are gonna help lots. Thank goodness!

Well, I'm off. Till next time.

TGIF

Ah...the weekend.

Although, it's not really THAT great being that I'm not sleeping in Saturday. On the contrary, I am getting up EARLIER than normal....gotta get to Pocatello to get my blood pumped with Vit-C and other goodies. It takes about 2 hours or so...and then the driving alone is 2 hours all together...so it kinda takes half my Saturday. Oh well. Clay and I will probably take a nap when we get home...which is always nice.

I'm eating frozen custard. YUMMO! It's leftover from our date :) Clay and I basically never go on dates...it's not a good habit we've formed, but when we do go on dates, I'm pretty excited. If Clay thinks of a date, he wont tell me what it is...today he took me to Rexburg to this frozen custard place that he heard about. Pretty tasty if I do say so myself! Not to be a snob, but I'm pretty sure I've tasted better...but don't get me wrong- I'm still happy I have it to eat!

When we were in Rexburg, I was so happy. I just kept sighing...and saying things like, "Oh I love that sidewalk. I used to ride my bike to school everyday on that sidewalk by Porter Park. It was my favorite." or, "Can we drive by campus?" or, "I will always have a sweet spot in my heart for Rexburg." Then Clay chimes in with, "Why? I can't stand this place. I can't stand the stores, the driving, the students..." haha. I think I just love small towns. I love that I was able to ride my bike EVERYWHERE in Rexburg. And I love the people and students! It's got a good energy and spirit that town. AND- what I kept saying to Clay was, "This is where WE grew up together"...you know- it was our beginning, our roots. Even though the weather SUUUUUCKED, Rexburg definitely will always have a tender place in my heart.

Well I got all my studying done at work today, and so I had some free time tonight. I thought of just watching tv, cause I really didn't feel all that great...but the truth is, I just was kinda sick of watching TV. I mean...not really, cause I love tv. I'm not one to pretend I don't have time for tv or it's below me. I am a tv fan. But I just felt so unproductive, and kept thinking of this project I have had the stuff for and been planning for MONTHS. So I decided to buckle down and just DO IT! I'm so proud of myself. It will be done tonight, and I will post pictures tomorrow. Yippee!

Another thing I'm proud of- I made dinner Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday! And I cleaned up the kitchen afterwards on Tues, Weds, and Thurs! Okay AND I made shakes for us every morning. This may sound like a normal dealio for some of you- but for me, this is like EPIC! SERIOUSLY proud of myself on that one. And I really was planning on doing it again tonight, except Clay had the Rexburg plans. And seriously, I just can't believe how much better I feel about myself when I do those things. Makes me happy.

I have a confession. I totally haven't been reading my scriptures...doing personal spiritual time or whatever...for like a long time. I keep making it a goal to do...but I just haven't. And the bad thing is, that's like one of the major testimonies I have in this life...is the power of daily scripture study. Well anyway, today I finally read an article in the ensign and the corresponding scriptures...and I just always am amazed at how I ever stop these things. I just feel so good, uplifted, and happy when I read the scriptures or articles from the apostles and prophet. Why wouldn't I do it everyday? And feel that way everyday? I dunno. But I'm really hoping I get myself back to it.

My score for my last exam should hopefully come within the next two weeks. I'm really hoping next week. But who knows. It's driving me crazy. I check the mail like 3 times a day. Literally. It's ridiculous. Even if I get the mail on the first check, I still check it 2 more times thinking maybe it was yesterdays mail even though I know it's not, but like...I dunno I just can't help it. I check it when I get home for lunch, when I leave for lunch, and when I get home from work. Crazy lady I am. I'm so nervous. I think I'm struggling with studying my upcoming exam just because I'm so nervous about my score for the last one. Bleh.

Anyone experienced in making your own nut butters? Don't bother leading me to a site or whatever...I'm just asking incase anyone I know personally has something like REAL and honest to tell me about it. Just cause you know...I have found that popular blogs can kinda glamorize things...and I want an honest opinion. From what I read, normal blenders can't handle it...but food processors are perfect for it. Unfortunately, I don't have a food processor! I've been scoping out craigslist...no such luck. Cause here's the deal...I buy these nut-butters from like, the health food store and stuff...and they are SPENDY buggers. So I was like...geesh...after I buy all these natural nut butters, maybe it would've been worth it to just buy a food processor and make my own. But then here's my other question...is making your own really that much less money than buying it? I haven't run the numbers or anything...so if any of YOU have, let me know. I really really want to make my own hazelnut butter...cause THAT stuff is like...real real expensive. And then of course, whats the best food processor. I think most of my fam uses the cuisinart one...which of course is the most expensive. But I've seen lots of people liking less expensive ones...people who have even claimed to make nut butters with them! ANYway...

Aight. I'm off to watch some television and eat the rest of this yummo desert. OH YEAH- another thing...I didn't eat any sugar or gluten Mon-Thurs either! That was good too. Till next time...

Home again home again jiggity jig

My beautiful backyard when I got home! I had to take a picture. I looove when they look like this.

Welp, I'm home! I just spent a week in Southern California, and a few days in Seattle.

California was great. Mid-nineties the whole week...it was heaven! Seriously, I love the heat. It's true. Lizzie asked me before I left if I was excited to get away from the heat, and I said without hesitation NO! Ohhh I love the feeling of being baked. No lie. It was a pretty lazy week for me, which was just what I needed.

Seattle was fine. Same as always. We pretty much just changed up the meds...it's becoming very clear I don't have such great circulation which can be a problem. But, we are working on it. Also, my hair has kinda been falling out...don't freak out or anything- I'm not balding, but it's kinda like...every time I run my hand through my hair a bunch of hairs come out...I clog the shower drain everyday...I just always have hair on me. It's no biggie...but I suppose it falls right inline with my thyroid problem, or something. My biggest symptom of this whole Lyme dealio is I'm so tired. I feel so heavy and weighted down. Anyway- we are working on that too. Clay appeared to be doing better...with his physical tests. Like...his circulation seems to be better, and his balance is really good. hah- I know those things don't sound like a huge deal, but they are good signs. But that's basically the report. We are changing our meds around and I'm really excited about that cause the antibiotic we were taking makes us extra sensitive to sunlight, AND we aren't supposed to eat dairy with them. SUCH a pain. So we are DONE with that antibiotic at least until summer is over :) YIPEE! That's pretty much it. Don't feel like talking much about it past that.

Well, starting Monday I'm back to life. BOOOO. That means studying, working, cooking, cleaning...you know the drill. Oh well. I have some fun projects I'm hoping to get to. And the weather is looking up! Life is always better when it's sunny and warm, in my opinion.

Hope everyone is happy and well. Oh yeah- as far as bachelor goes...Bentley? My goodness me. If I ever see him in person, I WILL splash a cup of water or slushy or SOMEthing in his face. I'd say do something physical to him...but I fear I'm not strong enough to make much of an effect. Meh. Anyway- what a meany-head! But, I think my favorite part of the show was probably when the masked man unveiled his face and said, "Hi, I'm Jeff". Oh dear.

Dante checkin what I'm doin from the hallway