TGIF!!!

gosh sometimes i still wish it was 1990- don't you?

EMBRACING YOUR GEEKNESS...


i'm missing new england fall this year and i am also missing out on my most favorite activity in the fall... apple picking. okay that's fine, i can deal with that... but please don't ask me to miss out on everything i love about a new england fall!!

story time:

about 4 years ago, i had gone with my ward to our ward camp out that was (up until this year) held at camp joseph (joseph smith's birthplace) in vermont. while among the beautiful trees and such a friend of mine suggested that a few of us go to "town" not far from the campground and get some treats at the local store. once at the store we encountered a man that has forever changed the way i look at apple pie (okay i know i am being dramatic... just go with me). this man was standing in the middle of this small grocery store handing out free slices of apple pie with a scoop of ice cream.

it was AMAZING!

come to find out that we were eating VERMONT MYSTIC APPLE PIE, a frozen pie that had just been heated up and handed to us by the owner. after much inquiry, we found out that he had just recently started this company and that yes, he had just started selling his pies to some WHOLE FOODS in the boston area. we were thrilled.

after returning home we ran to the nearest whole foods and purchased our very own pie for thanksgiving that year... we were not disappointed!

ever since then it's been a love affair.

so this year, as i have had much time on my hands, i became homesick and in need of surrounding myself with things of the home i just left, i got online to see if there were any whole foods in utah. lucky me... there are. then i looked up the VMAP website (go here) to see if they sold their pies out here... THEY DO!

so the other day while i was in salt lake city, i stopped into the whole foods to find my pie! they didn't have it and because it was so important to me (because i am a major geek), i ended up in a full on search with the frozen produce man who helped me try to locate a pie in the salt lake area. when that failed he looked up the product in their book and low and behold-- found that my pie was available for purchase.

i was overjoyed!

then the man looked at me and said- "well how badly do you want this pie- because if we order this for you, you have to buy a full case (6 pies)."

i hemmed, then hawed... then realized that it was worth it! hahaha!

so now in the next few weeks i can expect a full shipment to come in and i am so excited to have a little piece of home with me on this my first thanksgiving in utah in over 5 years!!

but umm... i don't need all 6... does anyone in utah want to buy an amazing pie for $10???

3 a.m.


hello from 3 am... this is peggy reporting that absolutely nothing interesting happens when you suffer from insomnia and are pointlessly awake at 3 am. so now that i have made the necessary trip to the bathroom, read 10 pages in the Book of Mormon (the story of ammon gives me chills every time!), and checked both email accounts-facebook-blogs-and my bank account, i have run out of things to do to pass the time. so now i will just pontificate.

did anyone else just feel that general conference today was overwhelmingly amazing? i just didn't want it to end. i was soaking in all of the spiritual juices like an old crackly sponge that hadn't seen water in years. and president monson makes me feel like grabbing a cozy blanket and curling up at his feet to listen to his stories and feel his warmth. gosh i LOVE being a member of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints. people that mock and scoff just don't get it- it's amazing and i'm lucky.

so i am getting really tired of flaky people. i get it that we are all busy (and when i say WE i really mean YOU because i don't have anything better to do than sit around and wait for my life to work itself out) but the fact of the matter is-- if you can't commit to something- than don't say you're going to do it and then not do it... it's rude and annoying. and so to the people in my life that have been doing this lately-- i love you- but you suck!

the other night i had this most amazing conversation with someone very dear to my heart and because of that conversation i have decided to take up crocheting (by the way i totally had to look up how to spell the word crochet). i am actually very excited to go to the store tomorrow- or rather today- and buy some yarn and some needles or hooks or whatever you call them and then take a few lessons. the goal now is to have a scarf made by christmas. oh and i was also thinking as i lay here that also learning how to play the guitar could be cool.

in the past year i have been on dates with two guys that remind me so much of each other that it's actually uncanny. they have a few things in common- both of them talk incessantly about themselves- both of them asked me questions about myself and after i started talking, interrupted me to continue to talk about themselves- both of them attempt to mask their insecurities by ingratiating themselves and using money to impress and last but not least both of them have honestly asked me the question (and this is AFTER i just got done listening to them talk about themselves for 2 hours) "so do you have any more questions about me?" are you kidding??? who asks people to ask questions about them??? or maybe people do that and i missed the memo. honestly- i would have asked if i had questions! but they didn't give me a chance to catch up to them after sharing their entire life story with me in a 2 hour setting. so when this most recent dude asked me that question, toward the end of our date, i responded how i responded to the first guy that had asked me that "well do you have any questions for me?" i'm sure this comes across as a selfish way to respond-- but for a guy that 'seems' so into me- it seems he doesn't really want to know anything about me. props to guy #2 for actually asking a question because guy #1 said (and i'm not exaggerating) "no, i don't think so." hahahah! anyway post date, guy #2 texted me the usual post-date-schmoo and i responded and then, i kid you not, his very next text said and i quote "if you have more questions about me, don't hesitate to ask, work is really boring on fridays." SERIOUSLY?!? what could i possibly need to ask? he didn't leave anything out on the date!! so i responded with, and i know this was not the response he was looking for- but i couldn't help but just be straight with the dude- "i think it's funny that you keep asking me to ask questions about you, is there something your dying to tell me that i haven't asked you about?" his response to that took roughly 4 or so hours and then i haven't heard from him since. sorry dude #2- but just like dude #1- it's just not going to work out. but i just can't help but feel sorry for these guys who mask their insecurities in this way. and i know they just can't see how they are coming across and how unattractive it is. gosh i wish there were penalty cards for dating and if you get yellow carded by someone you're on a date with you have to attend a mandatory class on social skills and proper ways of interacting or you can't go on any more dates!

to be honest with you- i HATE election time. don't get me wrong, electing a new president is exciting and interesting and it helps us, as a country, take a look at what we do need to change and all that jazz. but seriously i am so sick and tired of 3rd grade playground politics banter. i'm sick of reading news articles and blogs facebook messages with people making fun of senator palin for not being able to pronounce words correctly or senator biden being emotional. i think there is definitely room to make light of politics and to make fun of the mayhem that is capitol hill (go here for a great example) i know as citizens of the united states of america we want and are entitled to a smart, well-spoken, well-informed person to represent our country... there's nothing wrong with that... but seriously to bash someone else for saying words wrong is quite elementary school of you and i don't want to hear about it anymore. i can't even count on both my hands and my feet how many times i have said wrong words in public speaking moments and heaven forbid i would have someone come up to me afterward and make fun of me for it. seriously can't we just stick to the real topics? can't we just worry about the real stuff and leave someone's weaknesses out of it for a change and talk about the issues? and why do people have to get so firey about it? you really and truly HATE that person? it can't be that you just disagree with his/her view? you actually have to despise them and get into heated, ugly arguments about how they suck? okay you PERFECT people out there- you should run for office and save us all from the world of imperfection that we currently live in! ugh. i can't wait til november has come and gone!

alright- i've word vomited enough for one early morning insomnia induced session. now that it's officially 3:50 am i am going to, once again, attempt to go to sleep. have a good night- or good morning... whatever... peace out!

OVER THE LAST 6 MONTHS...

i have lost 10 pounds... gained 8 pounds... then lost 9 pounds. my weight control is starting to feel like a story problem you find at the end of each chapter in your math book. "if peggy was chubby and lost 10 pounds then was stressed out of her mind for 2 months and ate ridiculous amounts of fatty foods and gained 8 of those pounds back then got back on track and lost 9 pounds over the following 2 months, how much weight did peggy lose over the past six months? draw a graph to show your work."


i have read several am books. i shall recommend a few of my favorites:








"the life and the times of the thunderbolt kid" by bill bryson
"a great and terrible beauty" by libba bray (it's actually a trilogy... so read all 3)
"the secret life of bees" by sue monk kidd
"the known world" by edward p jones


i moved to a new place, bought a new car, got a new job (well kind of... i'm teaching theater at hale centre theatre on saturday mornings), made some new friends. new is the new old!


i have cried more than i have in a really really long time


i have had the strangest dreams. really violent and bizarre dreams that are wicked intense and really vivid.


i have watched how my father in heaven has taught me, molded me and helped me to find direction and purpose in my life. it's the kind of direction you don't notice at the time but when you take a few steps back and look at how different your life is from what you planned for yourself and you see that what you are looking at is WAY better than what you could ever have conjured up for yourself... it's easy to recognize the hand of a loving father.

BAIL OUT, SCHMAIL OUT


okay so i am plunging into the abyss otherwise known as my thoughts on the current status of our economy.

i know i'm not the only one that saw this coming. our country has too long been abusers of our wealth and success. we've taken a few too many things for granted and have been a spoiled society.

can you say: hummer, hdtv, flatscreen, bluetooth, ipod, iphone, portable dvd... i could go on.

the current standing of the stock market and economy has me a little unnerved. but then again it has me taking another look at my own life and my own way i've come accustomed to living. okay so i don't need that new iphone that i have been eyeballing. and a fancy-schmancy brand new car? yes please... but the hasselhoff should be good for now and i don't need to get him a new paint job just yet. or get a new computer that doesn't take 8 years to do anything. or a brand new ipod to make me look as cool as you think i am. and cute new clothes and shoes and bags every week? fine, i can make-do with what i've got!

so what's wrong with holding on to something until it doesn't work anymore? do i really need the latest and greatest or to upgrade just because i can? is it that necessary that i get a new outfit ever sing week to feel cute at church? well certainly not if it means that i go into debt for it. if i go out and get a credit card just so i can have these latest most amazing luxuries.

and same goes for you big dudes that still on capitol hill looking for earmarks to fund research on this, that or the other or for budgets that include your personal jet whisking you and the mistress off to cancun to have a "meeting." it's time to start living more carefully. time to save instead of spend. time to really ask if we REALLY and TRULY need all of the things we tack on to each and every bill that is trying to get passed... don't you think?

you'd think with 200+ years of making these same kind of mistakes and riding the economic roller-coaster we would have figured it out by now. but somehow the lure of THINGS and POWER and PROGRESS is far more seductive than prudence and humility and planning.

i guess until we get it, we'll always find ourselves having to ask for a loan. again.

BLAH, BLAH, BLAH...

• i miss boston. i know i have said it before but i guess i will just keep saying it until i don't need to say it anymore. it's funny but i miss the weirdest things: taking the bus/train every day. the way davis square sounds on a busy afternoon. i miss harvard square and cvs and night drives going east on mem drive. i miss the faces i saw at church every sunday and the people at wheelock that made me feel like i was part of a family. i miss the way the zakin bridge looks at night and nahant beach on saturday. i miss all of the mom and pop pizza shops and delis and dunkin donuts on every corner. i miss night swimming with my best friends in walden pond and kimball farm ice cream.
  
• my sister's dog grizz almost died last night. he had accidentally found one of my brother-in-law's heart medication pills on the floor and by the time we found him we pretty much thought we had lost him. the doctor at the emergency vet said that a normal blood pressure for a dog is anywhere between 90 and 150. grizz was at 26 when he first came in. luckily we were able to save him and he's home now. but i am still somewhat reeling from all of the adrenaline and fear.
• utah is truly the land of fast food restaurants and 24 hour super walmarts. it's no wonder why so many people suffer from obesity in this nation. it's WAY TOO convenient to find yummy, fatty foods at the drop of a hat!
• did i mention that i got a new old car? i call him the hasselhoff. i love him. he's so ugly and doesn't have a working radio. but it sure is nice to be able to drive again. i've already marked him with red sox paraphernalia and boy does he look sexy now!
• i got asked out 2 days after being here and it gives me hope that my dating life won't really suffer because i'm in "zion."
• what an interesting time to be living, no? the presidential campaigning makes me want to give all politicians a time-out for not being able to say nice things to each other and for lying to the american public. the corporate bail-out has me wondering what life is going to look like next year as i'm trying to move myself to CA and get a job and it really has me worried when a magazine such as TIME (in THIS issue) does an article asking "famous" politicians and public figures about how to change the economy crisis and they include MILEY CYRUS! are you kidding me? why are you asking a 15 year-old pop star what she thinks when the biggest problem in her pampered little world is what color extensions will match her new prada bag??!!
• i love my family. everyone has been way supportive of me in this move and the up-coming few months. i'm so grateful for each of them. and it's been super awesome reclaiming my spot at the most FAVORITE aunt! yeah that's right- i AM all that!
  

THE BIGGEST.... BABY


so i moved. it's been a week, today.

with all of the crazy travel stories to report, the craziness of getting my new car all ready to drive, getting to doctor's appointments and plain just getting settled, i had not given myself time to cry. because let's face it, boston and i were WAY in love. and i have just left my heart behind floating atop the charles river. it's been wicked hard.

so currently i am at my parent's place in st george, utah. and for those that don't know utah geography, st george is the southern most major city before crossing the nevada border... a 4 hour drive from salt lake city.

so this past tuesday i jumped in my car and headed south to spend time with my parents for the week. 4 hours of alone time is plenty of time to pull the cork from the proverbial emotional soda bottle that had been shaken for several days and is ready to burst. and burst i did.

i had had a good cry by the time i reached my parents house and had pretty much gained my composure long enough to get settled in.

my mom was gone, so my dad cooked his typical dinner (steak) and we sat in front of the TV with our dinner to watch my parent's favorite show "the biggest loser." so there i was, eating dinner and watching the first episode where we get introduced to all of the players, when i got sideswiped from two of the contestants.




tom and tom jr are a father/son team from boston. and of course we watched as the cameras followed the two gentlemen around their home town.


then they announce that tom and tom jr are both cab drivers in somerville-- my old home-- and i LOST IT!!!


tears were streaming down my face as i watched tom jr pull into the burger king that was right down the street from my house. the burger king that was a life support after a long or bad day. the burger king where late night runs that may or may not have happened on a late sunday night when a few girlfriends and i were desperate for fatty foods and a diet coke!!!

there was my poor father, sitting there helpless, watching his 29 year old daughter have a breakdown over a burger king. his fork had stopped mid stride to his mouth. and then in typical dude fashion he snapped out of it and turned back to the TV.


i, of course, took a little bit longer coming back to reality but was able to finally gain control and watch the rest of the episode without creating my own "episode!"


i would personally like to thank the biggest loser for turning me into the biggest baby. oh and for inspiring me to get in better shape!