Mutterings and Musings

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

2010-02-25T20:10:00.001-08:00

Hello from Nowhere Land. That's where we've been. Nowhere.

However, there have been some all important changes (note the title).

We bought a beautiful townhouse in Saratoga Springs! It is exactly what we were looking for and fits us wonderfully. If any of you are looking for a project, there is a basement here what needs finishing!!
We found our new little queen, Lucy. She's a little Shih Tzu puppy and we love her to bits. We actually found her through Sean's mom and dad. They bought her sister from the same litter and we thought that we should capitalize on free puppy-sitting/entertainment.

Look at that face!! You can't help but love that!!

Sean started school at The Art Institute of Salt Lake City. He is studying Digital Filmmaking and Video Production. So far, he really likes his classes. He actually took that picture of Lucy! Good work, Sean!!
I am actually starting on my Masters Degree next week. I'm going to be going to Argosy University and getting a Masters in Management. I'm so nervous. I haven't been to school in 3 years and the thought of it freaks me out. I know it will be a challenge and I'm looking forward to that.
So, I posted a year ago that we were going to sell the Jeep. That didn't happen – we bought a house instead. So, now we're serious. We've got the Jeep posted on KSL for your viewing and purchasing pleasure. If you know anyone that is looking for a great car, send them our way!

So, that's the low-down on the Bergstrom clan. We're very blessed and happy!

I'm going to try and blog more often, I promise!!

Still Alive…..again

2009-05-11T20:41:00.001-07:00

Hello again. It's me. The prodigal blogger. I really really want to be better at this, but I don't think about it and when I do, I feel sorry for the people that check the blog to see if anything has changed. So, what is new?

1: I'm slowly getting better from the funny tummy stuff. I had a procedure done where they found 3+ small ulcers in my stomach, a hernia between my esophagus and my stomach (keeping the valve open and letting icky acid up), and feline rings down my esophagus (from an allergy). They gave me an inhaler and prescription antacids that have been helping A LOT!

2: Sean has started a new job at eBay. It started today, but he said he really liked what he saw. 6 weeks of training, here Sean comes!

3: I keep getting the feeling that one day, the Jeep is going to just not start and turn into a lump of metal that we can't do anything with, so we're planning on selling the Jeep and getting a new car. I have convinced Sean that the next car is going to be a Subaru. J I'm very happy about that!! I'll be sure to post some information about the Jeep when the time comes.

4: Keeping happy, healthy and moving forward.

We're so happy and so blessed in our lives. I'm so grateful for all the blessings and good friends we have! I'm going to try for once a month and we'll see what happens from there, okay? Okay.

Still Alive!!

2009-01-27T20:15:00.001-08:00

To those faithful few of you that are still even looking at this blog, bless your hearts! I've been bad. Nope. I've been REALLY bad about blogging over the past few months. I think there are a few reasons for this:

1: I got a new job (in September…). I am now the Enrollment Processor at the Art Institute of Salt Lake City. I process the new applications for incoming students and maintain their files and stuff. It's a great job – it works wonderfully for a data entry geek like unto myself. I love what I do and I really really like the people I work with. I must say, liking the people you work with makes the job so much easier!

2: It's not much of a reason, but I can make it one. I am one of the organists in my ward and I've been practicing (??). I really haven't been, but it sounds like a great excuse, don't you think?

3: I've been sick. Yes, I have been sick since the end of October. It's downright miserable if you'd like to know. It's some sort of something or other with my stomach. I'm not sure what brings it on, but whatever it is, it's the pits. I was originally diagnosed with H. Pylori (ulcer causing bacteria), but I think that it got to the point where I actually have an ulcer now. I'm not sure, but that's my bet. I have an appointment with a specialist in a few weeks – hopefully he can figure it out.

4: It was Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, birthday, etc. etc. etc. All of which were wonderful occasions. I love the end of the year – I love all of the holidays that it brings. *sigh* I miss it already. I will not, however, miss the snow. I hate driving in snow. I'm ready for it to be spring already!!

5: This is probably the most truthful. I'm lazy. That's it folks. You heard it right from my own mouth. I'm a lazy girl. I don't do much, but that doing nothing takes it right out of me.

So, those are my excuses. All 5 of them. They're lame-o, I know. But, those are them. I promise I'm going to try a lot a lot harder to be good at this. I want to maintain a goal for longer than a month. Let's see how this pans out, eh?

99 Things Tag

2008-10-24T11:52:00.000-07:00

I found this on a friend's blog and I thought it looked interesting. You're supposed to bold the items that you have done, but I wanted to make mine stand out, so I changed the color as well. Feel free to do this on your own blog - I tag anyone who wants to do it.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Hey, Why Not?!?

2008-10-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

In recent years, I have become a purse person. My collection is not huge, it is actually quite small, but I saw this on my friend's blog and saw and opportunity to expand - even just a little bit. :) Give it a go, you never know what might happen!

www.handbagplanet.com

Olympic Spirit Personified

2008-08-11T09:13:00.001-07:00

Well, ladies and gentlemen, that time is here. Yes, the Olympics. Now, I'm not a sports person at all, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the Olympics! There really is nothing better in my book. Sean and I have been watching all weekend, we had it on all day yesterday, all day Saturday (while cleaning, of course), and waaaay late in to the night on Friday. I love that these people are the best of the best and have an opportunity to compete on such a huge scale. Awesome!

Anyway, last night, I was about to go to bed and Sean was surprised and asked me, "You're not going to stay for Michael Phelps and the 4 x 100 relay?" I thought about it and promptly sat on the couch – anxiously awaiting another gold medal for the US of A. Apparently, before the competition, a French relay team member told the press that they were going to "smash" the Americans. Well, if that's not enough to get your riled up, I'm not sure what is. Michael Phelps was out first for the team and he, as usual, did an amazing job. The next 2 team members did a respectable job, but the best was far and away Jason Lezak. The man was probably a full body length away from the seemingly 1st place Frenchie at the last turn and he caught up to him and beat him by like .08 of a second – really like a finger's touch. INCREDIBLE!! They say that Mr. Lezak did the 100m in like 48 seconds – which is HUGE! The world record was smashed by 4 whole seconds and what's more, the pace of the race was so fast that even 5th place got in under the previous world record. AMAZING!! Anyway, the point of this story is to show you these pictures. This to me is what Olympic spirit is all about! Cheering for your teammates and winning and rejoicing in that. FAN-FREAKIN'-TASTIC!!

I LOVE THE OLYMPICS!!!

“Where the Nuts Come From!”

2008-08-04T10:28:00.001-07:00

When I was about 9 years old, my parents took my brother, sister and I to Cedar City to see the Shakespeare Festival. As a 9 year old, I wasn't sure what I would think and wasn't terribly excited about the trip. Turns out, I loved it and had a GREAT time! My first year at the festival, we saw "The Merry Wives of Windsor" and "Charley's Aunt". I didn't quite catch the Shakespearean English in "Merry Wives", but I definitely caught the jist of "Charley's Aunt". (For a show synopsis, check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charley%27s_Aunt). This is where my family found and enjoyed the comical stylings of one Brian Vaughn.

He is, by far, my favorite actor at the Festival and every year I go, I am delighted to see any show in which he has been cast. This year, we saw him in 2 shows – Cyrano de Bergerac and Two Gentlement of Verona. He is FANTASTIC! I love watching him on the stage – it is so fun and so involving.

So, if any of you ever have the chance to go the the Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City, UT, take it. If you get the chance to see Brian Vaughn in a show at the Festival, don't miss it for the world!!

Why Haven’t I Been Watching This Before???

2008-07-16T12:02:00.001-07:00

Ugg! I can't believe myself. I was turned on to So You Think You Can Dance by my good friend and I LOVE IT!!! Oh my heck. My favorite pair, far and away, is Twitch and Kherington. I find myself excited to see what they do every week and every week I am more than pleased. So far, my favorite dance of theirs is the Viennese Waltz. It is beautiful and touching and….wow. I get chills watching it!!

I also LOVE Josh and Katee. They're awesome! They haven't done anything wrong yet and they just look like they're having so much fun in their dances. This last week, they did a Bollywood routine that I loved! It was entertaining, energetic, colorful, I could go on, but I won't. Just watch…

I LOVE SYTYCD!!!

Childhood Memories…

2008-07-11T14:27:00.001-07:00

…reduced to rubble. Let me explain.

When I was little, my dad made it a point to spend time with us. So much so, he would take one child to breakfast on their Saturday. Since I have one brother and one sister, I was on the third Saturday (unless one of them slept in...*insert evil laugh here*). My absolute favorite place to go was Grecian Gardens. You may know the place, but never knew you knew it. It was kind of a dive on the outside, and all sorts of Grecian kitschy-ness on the inside. It was on the corner of 48^th South and State Street – white building with blue trim. Awesome!! Anyway, we would go and I would always get the French toast and my dad would always get the "Zorba Breakfast" that included these really fantastic pork chop cubes. We would go and sit in one of the many booths and be one of 5 people in the whole restaurant, one waitress serving everyone. Best French Toast EVER!

Well, I was driving past this memory treasure and the building WAS GONE!

Completely removed, gone, demolished. All that remained was the sign… *sigh*. I was so sad, but, I still have the happy memories. Thanks, Daddy-o!

Learning New Things Everyday

2008-07-11T14:01:00.001-07:00

So, here I sit at work and as I was fiddling around with my Microsoft Word 2007, I saw that I could create new blogs in Word! Well, I thought to myself, let's give this thing a try. So I did, and here we sit! Awesome!!

I just thought I would let you all partake in my joy. J

Life in an Apartment

2008-06-01T21:55:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is sad, yet true. We have been married 2 whole years and are still living the lowly life as apartment renters. Don't get me wrong, we're planning on becoming homeowners very soon, but our current circumstances will not allow it just now...*sigh*.

Anyway...we moved in to the lovely Holladay Villa apartments in April 2006. While it is true that we didn't get married until the beginning of May, all of our lovely wedding presents lived here, while we mooched off of our parents for a few weeks more. It isn't a huge apartment by any means, but it works quite well for us now.

When we moved in, we were in serious need of some furniture. Sean's dad had some extra furniture lying around that we were lucky enough to have, and I had a few things that were labeled as my very own and I could take with me. But between the 2 of us, there was no couch to be had. So, we took it upon ourselves to find a couch that we could afford and afford at that very minute. We found a couch that we really liked in the good ol' thrifties, but that was sold out from under us. Then we found another couch that we liked and even better - it came with 2 free (hideous) lamps! When we went to meet the seller of this couch, we also met his extra friendly dog, Bear. This has bearing on the story due to the fact that after we removed the couch from the seller's home, Bear was everywhere!! We cleaned the couches with our own steam cleaner and with all the hair that we found, we could have made another, larger, Bear! On top of that, the couch smelled...different. Anyway, we were going to do another cleaning of these lovely couches after we had moved in, so I lumped all of the couch cushions together in a corner. One day, we were doing our Saturday clean and I picked up the cushions that had been lumped together and they were heavier. And wetter. And smellier. Yep, you got it right, during a storm or due to the water faucet outside our window, the foundation of our apartment building sprung a leak and watered our Bear cushions. They weren't salvageable, so we went to RC Willey and found some great couches that we absolutely adore.

Moving on. So, needless to say, our couches were ruined and our carpet was ruined, but anytime we complained to the managers, they basically ignored us or waited until the carpet dried to come over and see what the problem was. Due to their laziness, they never saw the problem and we lived with it for another year and a half. During that year and a half, these managers moved out and we were lucky enough to get some wonderful new managers that were SO great. We told them about what was happening in our apartment and they were able to get the wheels moving so that the apartment could be livable.

In the past few months, we have had a foundation guy come and tear out a section of dry-wall right underneath our window and repair the foundation. But, no dry-wall guys wanted to take care of the missing 5 1/2 feet of dry-wall so we sat with an exposed DUSTY wall for about 2 months. Finally, the managers were able to get a guy to come out and replace the dry-wall and paint. On top of that, we get new carpet!!! The previous managers had had a company come and replace the carpet in the bedroom and the itsy bitsy hallway, but neglected the front room. But, ladies and gentlemen, bright and early tomorrow morning, we are getting new carpet in our front room!!! This however has created a storage problem. We have moved all of our living room stuff into our bedroom and kitchen, thus leaving barely any room for us. Take a look:

This is our kitchen in its current state. We have no access to the following: sink, stove, fridge, microwave, dishwasher, dishes (plates, utensils, glasses), popcorn, munchies. I think you get the idea...

This, my friends, is the carpet. These are either stains from the finish from the feet of our couches (crossing fingers that this is the case) or mold. I mean, it's cool that it might be mold, but at the same time, that cannot be healthy.

Anyhoo, this has been a marathon post. Thanks for keeping up with us!! I'll give you a follow up once the new carpet has been installed and our kitchen is again accessible!

Wanderlust

2008-04-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

My poor travelling heart. "Poor, wand'ring one..."

I have been spoiled. I'll admit it point blank! My parents always thought it important to take us travelling and see other places. Unfortuneately, my "newlywed" state prevents me from doing so. There's so much I want to see in the world and so little money in my bank account to see it with. *sigh* This post has been brought to you in part by my parents, and their trip to Spain without me and Sean. I'm jealous and as such, am wishing I were anywhere but here. As I'm thinking about it, I just want to be on vacation. Heck, not just on vacation, but travelling. I think it's kind of different - vacation to me is like sitting on a beach chair in the sun next to a pool reading a book. Travelling is wearing full on shoes, getting lost in strange cities, going to museums, getting stuck in tourist traps, etc. That's what I want! Tourist traps!!

Places to See Before I Die
1- England (otherwise known as Sean's second home)
2- Vienna (with Sean this time)
3- France
4- Portugal (I've always wanted to see it, but since Chel has been home...)
5- Africa
6- China (The Great Wall, Terra Cotta Warriors, I could go on...)
7- Japan
8- Hawaii (but, I think this falls more towards the vacation - see above)
9- Peru (Macchu Pichu, to be exact)
10- Egypt
11- Italy (again, with Sean this time)

So, you see, I've got a lot of travelling to do before I die. I'd best get on that. I know that this list is probably just the same as anyone elses, but I really want to see all these places at least once in my life.

Here's to wishing!

Angels

2007-12-15T20:22:00.000-08:00

In past years at work, we have done the traditional gift exchange - White Elephant, Secret Santa, etc. As much fun as that has been - and believe me, we have had some pretty great exchanges - this year we decided to participate in a charity - The Angel Tree. This has been one of the most memorable Christmases I can remember.

We started by collecting from the folks at work - we received $500+ which was so exciting!! We then went and selected a few names from the Christmas Angel Tree at the Macy*s store down the street. We selected 3 children and 3 adults. The cards were so sweet and their wishes were simple - on requesting only a "calendar for the upcoming year". We did most of the shopping on Wednesday afternoon, and completed the shopping today. I am not a professional shopper like some women I have met, and I am ashamed to say I was unprepared. My feet hurt, I was annoyed by the lines that took longer than 5 minutes, and I just wanted to go home and sleep. But, as we were shopping, we saw another family that was participating in a similar sort of charity - buying gifts and necessities for others. They were racing around the store with HUGE smiles on their faces, wondering what they could do for someone who was less fortunate than they. As I saw them, I resolved to stop whining and appreciate the things I had and that I had the opportunity to participate in this. We had such a great time shopping and I hope that the Angels we selected will get as much joy this Christmas as I have had. Sean and I have decided to make this a yearly tradition. I think it is important to instill the idea that there is more to Christmas than just gifts - that it is a time that we are to think of others rather than ourselve and to spread the Christmas spirit around.

Merry Christmas to all!!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!

2007-12-11T19:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas is, by far, my most favorite holiday. Everywhere you go, there are decorations, candy to be eaten, presents to be given/received, etc. Nothing puts me in a better mood than driving down a street and night and see all the different houses with their many different decorations - how can you be grumpy when you're looking at a house all lit up with white, red and green lights? I am firmly convinced that it is not possible!

In regards to this lovely time of year, I have a beef with Political Correctness. I would rather hear someone wish me a "Merry Christmas", "Happy Hannukah", or "Happy Kwanzaa" rather than a generic "Happy Holidays". Political Correctness has its place, but Christmas is not one of them. Isn't freedom of religion one of the pleasures of living in this great country? And if so, don't we all have the pleasure of worshipping how, when, and where we please? And if that is the case, shouldn't we be able to wish people a Happy Whatever-Holiday-We-Choose-to-Celebrate? Well, this blogger will certainly be going through this Christmas season with a "Merry Christmas" on her lips!

The Beginnings

2007-11-30T18:33:00.000-08:00

So. Here we are. The beginnings of what I hope will turn out to be something that we'll look back on and enjoy. I've always wanted to be a good Journal-er, but I'm just too apathetic to start anything. But if you think about it, that's kind of a hypocritical statement - here I am starting a blog. Hmm...interesting.

Anyhow, here's to a goal to be more proactive!