Project 365

Yay! I am staying on track. Now maybe I will move on to making posts that aren't just Project 365. Here is the latest.

January Twenty-Fifth

We switched our date night to Mondays and this time we made pasta and watched a movie. At one point during the night Chris pulled out this beautiful ring to give to me. I guess he planted it there earlier. He is such a romantic.

January Twenty-Sixth

We study together in the same room quite frequently. Chris was doing some heavy-duty reading and the next time he looked over at me I noticed that he had spun his mustache into quite the do. Good work, honey.

January Twenty-Seventh

Playing a lot of Plants vs. Zombies has reminded me to tend to my own, real plants. I love these little guys and I am thrilled that they are still alive. I created them in my Horticulture class semester and they are still with me!

January Twenty-Eighth

And some more of the loads and loads of reading I get to do for school this semester. These books are for my Medical Anthropology class, which is actually an awesome class. I have spent much time with these books this week.

January Twenty-Ninth

My brother-in-law, Devin, has been training hard for months for this very day. I am so proud of him that all of his hard work paid off at a, wait for it, Scrabble Tournament! At the last minute he needed an extra teammate and so Chris got to compete. Well, kind of. He got to be the team score keeper. But still, it was fun. I came, took some pics, ate the food, and read my books. Yay Scrabble! Don't knock it. Scrabble is a great game.

January Thirtieth

Our friends Adam and Chelsea have the best dog in the world. His name his Chaco and I love him as if he were my own. Chris and Chaco like to have staring contests. It's adorable, really.

January Thirty-First

We met Adam and Chelsea about a year ago. We fell in love and spent pretty much every day last January having a January party. On this last day of January we had a little shin dig to celebrate our one year anniversary. We have a slew of new and old friends over, including my good friend Jeff Cardon, who came up from Salt Lake. One of the items of entertainment was this sticky Lizard thing. Adam sat under it, pretty much like this, for a half hour waiting for it to come down. Sometimes we would forget we stuck it up there and it would fall down and scare everyone. Good times. I love my friends.

Well, there you have it. Until next time, stay in school and don't do drugs. H.A.G.S.

Project 365: Catch Up

So... it turns out this is harder than I thought. Well, it's not hard, I just keep forgetting and not having time to post. So, sorry this will be a little longer than usual but let me just get up to date.

January Eighth

Our good friend, Seth Hanks, came to town with his band, The Archer's Apple. They played a grand ol' show and it was so good to see him.

January Ninth

I am in love. This is my new favorite ice cream. I try to stay away from dairy products, but man. This is heaven in ice cream form.

January Tenth

Christmas is officially over. This isn't a good picture but we finally dropped our tree off to go to the Christmas Tree lot in the sky. Fare thee well,old friend.

January Eleventh

Today was our two year anniversary of being wed! It was also the first day of the new semester, so we decided to keep it simple. We went to Borders and picked out an amazing vegetarian cookbook called The Moosewood Cookbook. So, we went home, made some dinner (two-rice stuffed squash and roasted pecan brussel sprouts), watched a chick flick, and had a wonderful evening together. I love Chris so much. I can't believe I ended up with a guy like him.

January Twelfth

So, Chris and I have a tendency to get hooked on certain games. One of the latest is Doodle Jump. You can get it for your itouch. I love it and this is my highest score ever! I have not gotten remotely close since. It isn't as high as Chris, but it will do. I know I'm a nerd.

January Thirteenth

To try and aid in getting rid of the extra holiday fluff we had acquired over the holidays, we decided to go on a three day apple juice cleanse. We ate and juiced a buttload of apples. Surprisingly, it was a very positive experience and I still like apples.

January Fourteenth

Logan may have crappy, polluted winters,

but sometimes it is absolutely gorgeous. I love it when the fog freezes around the trees and everything turns into an icicle.

January Fifteenth

Another icicle picture. I love it.

January Sixteenth

Right before I got married, I got to live with the best roommates I've ever had. Chris and I met up with two of them, Kristin and Andrea, and their boys at Typhoon at the Gateway. I miss them greatly and it was so good to see them. Never a dull moment with those two.

January Seventeenth

For the long weekend, we went and chilled in Springville with the fam. Sunday was spent playing another game we are addicted to. Plants vs. Zombies. It's how we de-stress ok?

January Eighteenth

We went out to eat and to a movie with Chris's family on MLK day. We ate at Ginger's Cafe, which happens to be one of my favorite places on earth and where Chris and I went on our first

date. It's on Main Street in Springville. Check it out.

January Nineteenth

Now, I'm not gluten intolerant, but this pizza crust is wonderful. We make it at least once a week with our homemade pizza sauce and fresh vegetables. I love it.

January Twentieth

I successfully beat Plants vs. Zombies! And when you beat the game they play a music video where a sunflower sings and all the zombies dance. It's pretty great.

January Twenty-first

Thursday was our date night. We went to eat at the delicious Beehive Grill and then went to Avatar in 3D. It rocked my socks. And we looked pretty fine in our 3D glasses, I might add.

January Twenty-second

I get to read this entire bad-boy for one of my literature classes. I'm quite the procrastinator, so I usually end up having marathon reads. I spent most of the weekend with this book.

January Twenty-Third

I also had to read this entire book by Monday for my Non-fiction writing class. Oh, the good times this semester is already bringing!

January Twenty-Fourth

I am finally getting around to growing wheatgrass! I have had the supplies for a few months now, but finally I got myself a nice patch of grass. And today I put some into my green smoothie. I like wheatgrass because it is good for me, but also, I miss seeing green this time of year. It's amazing how much this little tray of grass can boost my winter blues.

And there you have it. I decided that posting on Sundays will be a lot more convenient that posting on Fridays, so stay tuned! Hopefully I will never have to do this long of a post again.

Project 365: Round one

So, I'm doing it.

My good friend, Andrea, gave me the idea with her entertaining blog and many moons ago I decided I was going to do it when the New Year came. So, it's the New Year.

What does this mean for you, my faithful readers? Well, for 365 days, I will attempt

to take at least one picture a day and blog about it once a week. So, let's say every Friday-ish, expect to get a recap of the week before.

Why I am doing such a thing? I don't know. I think it will be fun. Some of my many New Years Resolutions are to just be purely myself more publicly (I know that is a weird resolution but it makes sense to me) and to blog more and make it more entertaining for myself and those that read. So, this is a great way to kills two birds, if you will. Also, I got a new digital camera for Christmas! Hazzah!

So get ready for RAW, UNEDITED, ALL RANDI, ALL THE TIME!!!!! Just like you always wanted...

January First

I was lucky enough to ring in the New Year with Tor-kul-na. A beloved creature from the nerdiest game I have experienced in real life. Heroscape. It's like a mix of Risk and Dungeons

and Dragons. It also takes at least an hour to just set up! No, I have not played it. No, I will not play it. But, but my husband has and did THREE times on New Years Day with his siblings. Happy New Year.

January Second

I have a history of being very connected to the cars I drive. From the Lobster Superstar to Glory Moses, I have decorated my car with the same nicknacks and buttons to really make it my own. A week before I got married, Chris and I both crashed Glory Moses (at

separate times and within a few hours of each other) that eventually lead to his death. So we started our marriage with a black, 1999 VW Jetta named Olga. She's a great car and has been really good to us, but for some reason, I never decorated her like she was my own. Well, two years later, after a deep clean and an oil change, I decided it was time. Buddha and lawn gnome are now proudly displayed, along with some buttons up on the roof and beads and hemp necklaces around the rearview mirror.

January Third

My good friend from Fargo, Jenny, and her boyfriend came out to Utah to experience the greatest snow on earth. Chris has a season pass to Powder Mountain for work, so we went there. It was my first run of the season, so there were some falls and some swears, but it was a grand time for all. Luckily, we got to take advantage of the hot tub at Jenny and Dave's hotel afterward.

January Fourth

Attention all ladies. For all of those that suffer from lady-time cramps, meet your new best friend. No, it's not what you think it is. It's better. And legal. It's Red Raspberry leaf tea. I have been taking an online herbology course and this is where I learned of this magical plant. I had some of this tea this week and it has worked wonders! I encourage all to partake. It is also good for pregnant women and aids in all female reproductive issues.

January Fifth

So, I couldn't figure out how to flip this around. Whateves. Behold the newest member of the Martin Family. I have had the same backpacking backpack for a real long time. Although I did love my Gregory Palisade, I couldn't help but lust over the new Osprey packs. And thanks to our addiction to checking SteepandCheap.com, I was able to get one for quite the discount. I could not resist. Too bad it's so cold out. I can't wait to use this bad boy in the out of doors.

January Sixth

Our oven has been broken since the end of September. Three of the burners worked, so we have been able to manage, but we haven't been able to bake anything for months. This saddens me, what with it being cookie baking season and all. But finally, our landlord delivered a newish oven. Chris had a hard time parting with our retro green oven. It really added character to our kitchen and matched our lovely green sink. Although it was hard for him to say goodbye, he handled it like a champ.

January Seventh

Here is one of my homemade business cards/punch card for my little massage business. I was a little afraid of venturing off on my own with massage but it has been going really well. I gave three massages this day and two of them rescheduled! Good times for all!

So there you have it. My first week of Project 365. I hoped you enjoyed it. I did. And next week, more merriment shall ensue. Until then, good day and good night.

Well, here it is.

Since the beginning of July, I have been pondering and praying on if I would ever really make this post. I have debated over clever titles and themes to express what I am about to write, but I have just decided to just write and see what comes out. Hopefully, it won't be too long and that boring.

A little disclaimer: If you are not of the Mormon faith, or not that familiar with Mormons, a lot of things that I mention will not make any sense. Also, this post might not even be that big of a deal to you. And to all readers, if you get bored just scan down to "In conclusion."

For those of you that know me well, you know that I love people. I love my friends and family more than anything. I love meeting people, making connections, staying in contact, talking for hours, and making silly random phone calls texts just to say hi. And I don't know if you have noticed, but you probably haven't heard from me in a while. If you have, it has only been quite recently and here is why.

I like to say that I am on a "Spiritual Journey." Now, you might say in response, "So what? Everyone is on one. Good for you." Well, with my experience in the Mormon faith, Spiritual Journeys are encouraged, but only if it fits in with the Mormon way of life and you end up in the Mormon faith. I'm not saying this is true, but I'm just saying that this is my experience. So, when I realized that my little journey would take me outside of the Mormon church, I kind of freaked out.

For a bagillion reasons, I was finding myself not spiritually fulfilled in the LDS faith. It wasn't making me happy, like it did in the past. And after guilting myself into reasons that weren't true as to why I was unhappy, I decided to finally get real with myself and with God. This was not easy. This was not fun. But, it is what I deserved to do. And I knew that if I didn't do it, I would mentally and emotionally go back to a place that I worked so hard to get out of. Luckily, I have an amazing husband that helped me create a space of love for me to do this, because I was not getting it from my bishop, even though I gave him a chance to help me.

The next series of event are some of the most sacred conversations I have ever had with God. Because of that, I will not share them here, but what I want you to know is that they happened. Some people reading this may not believe in God, or may not be able to fathom that God would lead me to these actions, but it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is what is real for me.
*And a little side note, the only thing that matters is what is real for you. Just because I receive one answer doesn't mean you will receive the same answer. So, please don't let my experience offend your beliefs or discredit things you believe to be or not to be true.

After I "got real" as to what was going on and what I felt moved to do, I felt so much peace and unconditional love inside. A feeling I don't ever remember feeling this strongly. But after I left the comforts of my own home, I realized I had to deal with everyone else. I got a huge pit in my stomach when I thought about what my friends and family would think. How would they ever understand my actions? What if this or that person knew? They would be so disappointed. Would they still love me? Would they still want me around their kids? Can they tell by what I'm wearing that I'm not active anymore? Would they wish I had never married into their family?

I know some of you may laugh at my worries, but they were so real. So, I did the only thing I could do at the time, and that was to isolate myself. Until I could gain more confidence in myself and not care so much what people thought of me, I just had to keep to myself. That is why I have been distant. I was judging all of you, before you had a chance to judge me. And, I'm deeply sorry for that. But I needed to love myself before I could let anyone else love me.

So that is really what I have been working on the most these past few months and I am happy to report that I am seriously getting there. And this blog post is a big part of that process for me. Some of you may think that this post isn't necessary. This is all personal and no one needs to know about it. Well, I am here to say, that I do need to do this. I just want it all to be out there partly so I can stop worrying about what so and so will think if they ever knew, and partly because I feel that people shouldn't feel ashamed to talk about it. In the culture that I live in, it is so hard to talk about doubts and even harder to act on those doubts. It shouldn't be that way. So, this is my way of talking about it and making it ok. I love you and I miss you. I miss being my social self and I am done with being ashamed of who I am and what I am going through.

In conclusion:

I love the Mormon church. I love that I was raised Mormon, that I served a mission, and that I got married in the Temple. I still consider those things to be sacred events in my life and I am thankful that they happened. I am not angry or bitter or anything like that. I still like being apart of events that happen in the Mormon world (well, the ones I can be apart of), so please don't feel like you can't be yourself around me. I won't be offended or mad if you talk about Mormon things around me.

Where I am at now is that still don't know how I feel about a lot of things. And to me, that is really exciting. I will never close the door to the church, but for now, it is not where I need to be. There is still more for me to learn from being on the "outside," and when it is time for me to be somewhere else, I know that I will be led there. But in the mean time, I am having a great time searching and finding things that really work for me and finding things that don't. And I really am happier and at more at peace than I have been in a really long time.

Some of you may be freaking out and racking your brain as to how you can help me. Well, let me help you help me. Just love me. Don't treat me any different than you did before. Feel free to pray for me, but I ask that you pray for me to find what works for me, not what works for you. Please, don't preach to me. I love hearing what you believe if it comes up, but preaching will have a negative effect. And please, please don't worry and don't be sad. I know that some of you reading this feel those two things and it kills me inside that something that is making me happier and healthier is making someone else worried and sad. And if you choose to feel that, I guess I can't stop you, but I just ask that you trust me.

And where is Chris is all of this? Well, his story is his and if you are curious about the details, just ask him. But, I will say that he has joined me on the Spiritual Journey train, and is has been really great for us.

I am afraid this is getting too long, so if you have any questions or anything, don't be afraid to ask. If you can't tell, I'm open to talking about it. Oh, and if you know of someone that doesn't read this blog who would like to be filled in on the spiritual life of Randi, then please share it with them.

A big thank you to those who I have already talked to about this. You have no idea how much your love and support has helped me.

On a lighter note, this blog shall continue as normal. Stay tuned for some holiday adventure recaps and some new and exciting goals for 2010!

Giving Thanks 09

I am going to get a Christmas Tree today, so this is my last chance to justify writing about Thanksgiving.

And what a grand Thanksgiving it was!

I would say that the biggest thing I am thankful for over the Holidays is my family. I have an incredible immediate family, but I also got to marry into one of the best families around. They have always welcomed me in with open arms and I'm so glad that they are as weird as I am. I have so much fun with them. And this Thanksgiving did not disappoint.

For the second year in a row we have ventured out to the wonderful and magical Lincoln, Nebraska! Chris's brother, Dan, and his wife, Courtney live there.

Oh, and Rudy is there, too. Sorry guys, but he is the real reason I agree to drive to Nebraska.

Devin, Katie, Jeff, Chris, and I spent four days in Nebraska and roughly 25 hours in a car. Times were had. Here are some highlights.

Thanksgiving dinner was a hit, once again. Not bad for not having parents around. I made the Olsen family Wild Rice Stuffing and everything else went really well. I think we ate a total of 72 rolls over the course of the weekend.

Thanksgiving Day isn't complete for Devin and Chris unless they beat Mario Brothers 3 from start to finish, without warping. Here is Devin in action.

A new Nebraska tradition is goin' shootin' the day after Turkey Day. We shoot clay pigeons, so don't worry. I am proud to say that I shot three this year, which is a record for me.

We also ventured to The Omaha Zoo. Enjoyment ensued.

A lost of video games were played over the course for four days. Towards the end, the girls got a little bored, so Katie, Courtney, and I got pedi's while the boys played Smash.

It definitely was another successful trip to Nebraska. Hopefully, there will be more. And thank you Dan and Courtney for having us!

Hallowed Ween

For most girls, Halloween is a time to dress up, well, skanky. Any character, occupation, or object magically becomes skanky. Skanky pirate, skanky nurse, skanky bumble bee, you name it. Halloween is the perfect opportunity to show off some of that skin that might otherwise be socially unacceptable, especially in Utah.

I, on the other hand, have always had a different agenda. The past few years I have been far from skanky.

Notice the less than flattering full body jumpsuit I sported for my April O'Neil costume one year.

And then there was the ever so attractive Red Dwarf and Black Hole combo.

But, none can beat this year's legendary duo. I give you Wayne and Garth.

I have been wanting to be Wayne and Garth with someone since the beginning of time, so as nasty as I am as a blonde, it was worth it.

We got to sport this ensemble twice this year. The first time was at the first annual Squash Bash put on by our friends Adam and Chelsea. What is a Squash Bash, you ask? Well, it's hard to describe, but lets just say that there is a lot of singin and dancin and squash bashin. Chris and I did karaoke to Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. An obvious choice if you are familiar with Wayne's World.

The next night, which was Halloween, was spent at USU's production of Sweeney Todd, which was incredible. Some of my friends were in it, and it was top notch. Good work, friends.

But my favorite part of the Halloween season is the infamous Pumpkin Blow. I posted about it last year, as some of you may recall. It happens every year on the Saturday after Halloween. This is our third year partaking in this little America splendor. Behold.

80 sticks of dynamite were used this year. Notice how it is nicely tucked away in the pile of pumpkins.

Before...

After.

I tried uploading a video of the festivities but blogger won't let me. Well just know that the explosion has never been this big before. It was literally raining pumpkins. One even whacked me in the bum; a war wound that was gladly earned.

So maybe Halloween isn't my most attractive holiday, but I have a good time. Perhaps next year will bring out a more skanky Randi, but for now I will stick to nappy fun Randi and blowing things up.

Makeover Summer results

For those faithful What the Crap readers, you may recall a blog written at the beginning of the summer called Makeover Summer. And for those that didn't read it or need a refresher, you can check it out HERE.

In this blog, I went off about some of the lofty goals I had set for the summer. Here is a report.

*Getting my body in gear: Well, I must say that this one was a success. As you may have gathered from my previous post, I got way into Yoga this summer. It is a great way to trick your body into good shape because it is so enjoyable to do and so good for the soul. I don't have "the hottest body this side of the Mississippi" like I had hoped, but I did lose about eight pounds and I look a wee bit more toned.

*Eating habits: this one was, also, a success in my eyes. I fell in love with fruits and veggies and the Farmers Market. I still eat my fair share of sweets and not-so-good things but all in moderation, my friends. Every June Chris and I are vegetarians. Just for kicks. This June Chris bailed on our little tradition but I took it on with open arms and am still going strong. I even subscribed to Vegetarian Times! I just love how much better my body feels when I don't eat meat. And vegetarian dishes tend to be healthier in general. But, I will say, even though I "wax vegetarian" I am not a full vegetarian. I still eat meat if someone cooks it for me or I just feel like it. I don't really believe in totally cutting things out of your diet (unless you have to for certain health conditions) because it messes with your head. It takes away your power to choose. Like with sweets, for example. The moment I say no more sugar, is the moment I crave it like no one's business. Again, its all in moderation. Read the book Intuitive Eating. It changed my life and my relationship with food.

*My house: A mini success. For a while there, I was getting sick of my apartment. It took going house hunting to make me fall in love with it again. There are a lot of hell holes out there and I am thankful for where I live and not having to worry about so much stuff. I did a lot of fun projects like taking down a gaudy wallpaper border and painting the wall, got some new bedding, rearranged a bit, took a big box of stuff to the DI, got new plates, painted some old frames some really cool colors and got some new art work. Even though there is still some clutter in the house, it looks a lot better and I love to be in every room, which was the goal. A huge thanks goes out to the lovely and talented Mr. Jeff Cardon. He came up one weekend and helped me re-d0 a bunch of stuff. And I got one of his paintings, which is amazing. Seriously, if any one out there needs any help with anything, he is your man.

*Wardrobe: mmmm not so much. I kind of dropped the ball on this one. I did buy a few new things and got rid of some old things but nothing to write home about. This goal is kind of a costly one. But I have been allowing myself to be more girly in what I wear. I guess I did buy a buttload of cool jewelry at the Farmer's Market. So, more of an accessories makeover than a wardrobe makeover.

*And finally, mini goals: yes and no. Yes, I did play two shows since that post. No, I did not write new music or write for fun. No, I did not decrease my Facebook time. No, I did not pay off my credit card, but I did make a good dent in it. No, I did not garden. And no, I did not build up my massage clientel. It was quite a slow summer at the Spa I work at and it's been quite a slow Fall. And so, I quit there and started working from home again, which is really exciting and I am already busier at home than I was at the spa! Good times. I did read a lot of books and I take more time to pamper myself. That was a huge one for me. I have really taken the time to fall in love with myself and get to know myself again. I know that sounds kind of cheesy, but it has been easy for me to get lost in being married and revolving my life around someone else. Over these past few months I have really made an effort to do things for me and learn to balance that with being married. And that whole process is another post entirely that maybe I will have the courage to write someday. The journey I have taken (and am still on) to get to this healthy balance isn't really one a lot of people in my life would be a fan of, but it's been really great. And I have an awesome husband.

So, there you have it. All in all, I would say Makeover Summer was a hit. I H.A.G.S. (had a great summer. Do you remember writing that in yearbooks?)
It was the perfect theme for my summer, I think. Who knows, it might even be next summer's theme. Wouldn't that be crazy? And if you didn't do it this summer, do it next summer, or next month, or next week. You never know what will happen, but I promise it is worth it.