My BFF Amy

This past weekend I went up to Boise to attend my BFF Amy's bachelorette party. Yowzuhs, was it a fun weekend! There was lots of booze, good food, and strippers. I've only been to two or so bachelorette parties, but this one takes the cake!

Amy will be married to Robert on October 17. I am a bridesmaid and can't wait for this special day! I know I will be crying tears of joy throughout the entire ceremony! Emily, you're in charge of bringing tissue!

Only 11 more days! Congrats Amy & Bob!

Exclamation point!!

Fall in Park City

The leaves have been changing to the beautiful reds, organges, browns, and yellows. It has been absolutely gorgeous here in Park City the last few weeks. The temperature has been perfect, high 70s to low 80s, perfect for hiking in the colorful mountains!

The resorts were filled with the beautiful colors, and the aspens just started changing, so Deer Valley was full of yellow!

Moose have been coming down from the higher mountains for food and water. This beast was seen just outside of my office parking lot. I have never seen a moose this big before! Trust me, he's a lot bigger than he looks in this picture! Next time I'll have to go stand by him so you can see the size.

And then it snowed.

Here is a picture taken outside my office this morning, snowy and cold. The Rocky's were expected to have 20 inches last night!

Another view from my office.

Some native Park Citians (such as myself) say that the seasons are different here. Fall begins in early August and ends in early October when winter takes over. One of my favorite things about Park City is the seasons. Every season comes and goes and every season is beautiful! We have the best snow on earth in the winter, a green and rainy spring, a hot and dry summer, and colorful and cool fall. It's perfect for people like me who love to enjoy all times of the year. When you're sick of the summer heat, the leaves are already changing and the weather is cooling down. When you're ready to put on your ski boots and head up to the mountain, there is snow on the ground and the resorts are open. When the boots are ready to come off and the slopes are icy, the resorts are closing and spring is in bloom. When the rain is enough, the heat of the summer air is just around the corner. I love it here!

My Emmy Picks Compared To Emmy Wins

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
MY PICK: Steve Carrell
PROBABILITY: Alec Baldwin
WIN: Alec Baldwin

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
MY PICK: Toni Collette
PROBABILITY: Mary-Louise Parker
WIN: Toni Collette

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
MY PICK: Michael C. Hall
PROBABILITY: Jon Hamm
WIN: Bryan Cranston (Never even heard of Breaking Bad)

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
MY PICK: Sally Field
PROBABILITY: Holly Hunter
WIN: Glenn Close

Outstanding Comedy Series
MY PICK: Weeds
PROBABILITY: 30 Rock
WIN: 30 Rock

Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
MY PICK: Neil Patrick Harris
PROBABILITY: Neil Patrick Harris
WIN: Jon Cryer

Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
MY PICK: Amy Poehler
PROBABILITY: Amy Poehler
WIN: Kristin Chenoweth

Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
MY PICK: John Slatterly
PROBABILITY: John Slatterly
WIN: Michael Emerson

Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
MY PICK: Dianne Wiest
PROBABILITY: Rose Byrne
WIN: Cherry Jones

Outstanding Drama Series
MY PICK: Dexter
PROBABILITY: Mad Men
WIN: Mad Men

My Emmy Picks

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Steve Carrell
Jim Parsons
Tony Shaloub
Alec Baldwin
Jemaine Clement
Charlie Sheen

MY PICK: Steve Carrell
PROBABILITY: Alec Baldwin

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Sarah Silverman
Toni Collette
Mary-Louise Parker
Christina Applegate
Tina Fey
Julia-Louis Dreyfus

MY PICK: Toni Collette
PROBABILITY: Mary-Louise Parker

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Hugh Laurie
Gabriel Byrne
Michael C. Hall
Bryan Cranston
Simon Baker
Jon Hamm

MY PICK: Michael C. Hall
PROBABILITY: Jon Hamm

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Mariska Hargitay
Sally Field
Kyra Sedgwick
Elisabeth Moss
Glenn Close
Holly Hunter

MY PICK: Sally Field
PROBABILITY: Holly Hunter

Outstanding Comedy Series
Entourage
30 Rock
Weeds
The Office
How I Met Your Mother
Family Guy
Flight of the Conchords

MY PICK: Weeds
PROBABILITY: 30 Rock

Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Kevin Dillon
Neil Patrick Harris
Jon Cryer
Tracy Morgan
Rainn Wilson
Jack McBrayer

MY PICK: Neil Patrick Harris
PROBABILITY: Neil Patrick Harris

Supporting Acress In A Comedy Series
Kristin Chenoweth
Jane Krakowski
Elizabeth Perkins
Amy Poehler
Vanessa Williams
Kristin Wiig

MY PICK: Amy Poehler
PROBABILITY: Amy Poehler

Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
William Shatner
Christian Clemenson
Michael Emerson
Aaron Paul
William Hurt
John Slatterly

MY PICK: John Slatterly
PROBABILITY: John Slatterly

Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Sandra Oh
Dianne Wiest
Rose Byrne
Hope Davis
Chandra Wilson
Cherry Jones

MY PICK: Dianne Wiest
PROBABILITY: Rose Byrne

Oustanding Drama Series
Big Love
Mad Men
Dexter
Breaking Bad
Lost
House
Damages

MY PICK: Dexter
PROBABILITY: Mad Men

This is all I can do for now. There are so many other nominations. We'll see how close I am! Tune in Sunday, September 20! Print your own ballot HERE!

Ski Season

It's hard to believe that ski season is almost here. I posted my clinic schedule a few weeks ago and am getting ready for the season to begin. I can't wait! I love the snow, I love the cold, I love everything about winter! The snow should start falling in the next month or two. I'm hoping we are going to have another epic year like we did 2 years ago. The snow didn't stop until late May, and I remember walking through a tunnel of snow just to get to my front door.

I need to buy new alpine boots this year, either coaches boots or racing boots. I'm also hoping to invest in cross country gear. I will be going to the ski swaps at Rowmark (Oct. 16-17) and Park City (Nov. 6-8). The swaps always have the best deals.

This year, I'm taking full advantage of the Gold Passes. I have plans to ski at Jackson Hole, Big Sky, Sun Valley, and hopefully Steamboat. And of course all of the Utah resorts: Snow Basin, Park City, The Canyons, Deer Valley, Snowbird, Alta, Solitude, and I'd love to ski Sundance (which I have yet to do).

How awesome would it be to have a motorhome and drive around the country with skiing at every resort you came across? I think I'll put that idea on my Bucket List!

Politics

I have decided that my lack of political knowledge is getting the best of me, whether it's through day-to-day conversation, or just knowing what's going on in my country. I want to be more involved and have a better understanding of the issues that are important to my everyday life. I may need to buy "Politics for Dummies" at the bookstore!

I just made this decision yesterday, so all day today, I have been catching up on my articles through CNN, The Washington Post, and even watching a few videos. Right now, the big issue is health care and what Obama's plan is to help the single mothers, the unemployed, etc. who don't have health insurance.

Recently, I had my annual medical exam and the whole insurance process has been ridiculous! I went to the doctor on May 6 and my insurance still has not figured everything out. Of course, I blame it mostly on the U of U Clinic that I went to. For 3 months, my insurance company had no record of the clinic ever sending in any of the claims. What a joke! I have been on the phone with them at least 5 times in the last month and I just received my bill yesterday saying that I owe nothing. Thank God! But...it's only half of the bill. There's still another $125 on my account, waiting for a payment from me, which they will never receive.

To sum this up, I'd like to have the understanding of what is going on in America today and be able to converse with others about certain issues that are affecting people's lives. If anyone has any links, I'd appreciate any literature!

A random email from a friend...

-I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

-More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

-Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

-I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?

-Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

-I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

-Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know" feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?

-Do you remember when you were a kid; playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There were no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

-There is a great need for sarcasm font.

-Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f was going on when I first saw it.

-I think everyone has a movie that they love so much; it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

-How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

-I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

- I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

-The only time I look forward to a red light is when I am trying to finish a text.

- A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.

- Was learning cursive really necessary?

- Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

- I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

- Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scranton test is absolutely petrifying.

- My brother's Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads. Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, "Cuz we beat you, and you hate us." Classy, bro.

- Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

- How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

- I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

- Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

-What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

- While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

- MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

- Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

- I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

-Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

- I would like to officially coin the phrase 'catching the swine flu' to be used as a way to make fun of a friend for hooking up with an overweight woman. Example: "Dave caught the swine flu last night."

-I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

- Bad decisions make good stories

-Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

- Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?

-If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

-Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

-You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

-Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

-There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

-I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

- "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

-I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

-I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

- I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

-When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

-I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

-Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...

- As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

-Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

-It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

-I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

-I think that if, years down the road when I'm trying to have a kid, I find out that I sterile, most of my disappointment will stem from the fact that I was not aware of my condition in college.

-Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

-Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

-My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

-It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

-I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

-I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

-I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

-The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fat bastard before dinner.