I am pretty excited about my new skis!

I just got a new pair of skis! And I am super excited about them, yes I had to throw in "Super" because excited just doesn't cut it. I am going to try them out tomorrow for the first time and the very thought of it is what has helped me get through a very long Friday at work. Here is a picture of what they look like, it's OK to be jealous. :).

Does anyone want some bacon, because I smell pork?

Seriously is this really happening? IF you don't want to take the time to read 800 pages worth of the pork stuffed stimulus package here is a nice little outline of the debt our children will be inheriting.

$25 Million shall be available for tribal alcohol and substance abuse drug reduction as.sistance grants
$150 million for “producers of livestock, honeybees, and farm-raised fish”
$50 million for habitat restoration and other water needs in the San Francisco Bay Area
$198 million to compensate Filipino World War II veterans
$87 million for a polar icebreaking ship
$1.7 billion for the National Park System
$650 Million to the Forrest Service for hazardous fuels reduction and hazard mitigation activities in areas at high risk of catastrophic wildfire
$545 Million for Indian Health Services
$100 Million for the Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control Grant Program
$850 million for Amtrak
$150 million for the Smithsonian
$300 million for energy-efficient-appliance rebate programs
$4 billion for job-training programs, including $1.2 billion for “youths” up to the age of 24
$125 Million for the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority
$50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts
$1 billion for community-development block grants
$4.2 billion for “neighborhood stabilization activities”
$650 Million for Digital Converter Box Program, coupons and converter box installation.
$55 million for Historic Preservation Fund
$7.6 billion for “rural community advancement programs”
$150 million for agricultural-commodity purchases
$1 billion for the Census Bureau
$1.368 Billion for grants or loans for energy retrofit and green investments in as.sisted housing
$40 Million to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for Operation of Indian Programs
$1.5 Billion for NASA, Science, Aeronautics, Exploration, and Cross Agency support.
$198 Million for School Lunch Room EQUIPMENT
$ 9 Billion for ‘Broadband Technology Opportunities Program’
$1.256 Billion for NOAA, Operations, Research, Facilities, Acquisition, Construction and Management
$300 million for Violence against Women Prevention and Prosecution Programs’,
$954 Million to carry out the immunization program
$545 Million to carry out chronic disease, health promotion, and genomics programs
$60 Million to carry out environmental health programs
$50 Million to carry out injury prevention and control programs
$40 Million for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to carry out research activities within the National Occupational Research Agenda
$40, Million for the National Center for Health Statistics
$390 Million Dollars for the Uranium Enrichment Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund
$600 Million Dollars for acquiring motor vehicles with higher fuel economy
$400 million for hybrid cars for state and local governments
$34 million to renovate the Department of Commerce headquarters
$500 million for improvement projects for National Institutes of Health facilities
$44 million for repairs to Department of Agriculture headquarters
$350 million for Agriculture Department computers
$88 million to help move the Public Health Service into a new building
$448 million for constructing a new Homeland Security Department headquarters
$200 Million to the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Program
$200 Million for direct loans and grants for distance learning and telemedicine services in rural areas
$6 billion for university building projects
$4.5 billion for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
$200 Million for developing and implementing a nationwide Integrated Wireless network supporting Federal law enforcement
$1.2 Billion for TSA procurement and installation of checked baggage explosives detection systems and checkpoint explosives detection equipment
$15 billion for boosting Pell Grant college scholarships
$2 billion for renewable-energy research ($400 million for global-warming research)
$2 billion for a “clean coal” power plant in Illinois
$6.2 billion for the Weatherization As.sistance Program
$3.5 billion for energy-efficiency and conservation block grants
$3.4 billion for the State Energy Program
$200 million for state and local electric-transport projects
$1 billion for the manufacturing of advanced batteries
$1.5 billion for green-technology loan guarantees
$8 billion for innovative-technology loan-guarantee program
$2.4 billion for carbon-capture demonstration projects
$4.5 billion for electricity grid
$89 billion for Medicaid
$30 billion for COBRA insurance extension
$36 billion for expanded unemployment benefits
$20 billion for food stamps
$380 million in the Senate bill for the Women, Infants and Children program
$2 billion for federal child-care block grants
$79 billion for State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (for bailing out your local politicians overspending)
$145 billion for “Making Work Pay” tax credits
$83 billion for the earned income credit
(largely welfare now defined as a tax cut)

After 79 Years at USU ....

My heart has been a little heavy this week because the Alpha Gamma Chapter of the Chi Omega Fraternity was officially closed at USU this past week. My experience at Chi Omega had such an impact on who I am today. And I am truly saddened that the women of Utah State will no longer have an opportunity to experience what I did. This was such an amazing organization that had such an impact on the person that I am today; it changed me for the better. It taught me important life lessons about leadership, organizational politics, delegation, graciousness, being a part of something bigger than yourself, believing in myself and my sisters and more importantly it helped me develop friendships with women I can truly call my sisters. They mean the world to me and I don’t know who or where I would be without them. I know there are countless times in the last 8 years of my life when I have called on my sisters knowing they would be there no matter what I needed.

The one thing this news has allowed me to do was to reflect on all the wonderful memories I have from my experience with the Alpha Gamma chapter. I am reminded of all the items we used to talk about in preference, and the ones we liked to add to the list. It’s hugs and excitement on bid day surrounded by a sea of new faces who in a short time will become the best friends you’ve ever had, it’s Monday meetings, and nights at the factory, sisterhood retreats, and Owl Pals. It’s a helping hand, sleepovers in the big pit, Lazy Sunday Afternoons in the chapter room and prank calls around the kitchen tables. It’s table dancing to Tiffany, Monefia and the Carpenters, big and little sis week, and laughing for hours on end about nothing at all. It’s window watching, Halloween carnivals, Chi-O-Fest and Rush. It’s remembering the dinosaurs and raising a glass to the birds. It’s knowing you have a shoulder to cry on and using it, it’s being surrounded by a group of the most beautiful and diverse women whom you share a common goal with and have the privilege of calling your sisters. I could go on for hours, don’t worry I won’t. I just felt like I had to talk out a little last goodbye. :/

I have a new obsession. I am not one of those “I know about everything the minuet it comes out people” I am more of the “oh everyone knows about this maybe I should too people” so I am sure everyone else knows about this but me, including the lady who told me about this months ago, who by the way has five children and is 41, talk about making me feel like I was behind the curve. I finally decided to see what she was talking about and I feel in love this afternoon.

What could be better than a website that plays music based on what you tell it you like or don’t like? I feel like this along with my newly decorated office are going to help get me through the fact that I am a little stuck in my job because I don’t really want to be the new kid at any company in the middle of a recession (not that there are many jobs out there for me to head to). So I am thanking Pandora.com for my new found attempt at a positive attitude towards my work day. Check it out if you’re slow like me and have yet to learn about this awesome site.

Christmas Day!

I had so much fun on Christmas Day this year. It had been three years since my family had all been together and it was so much fun. We all spent the night at my parents house which was so much fun to see the boys wake up and open all of there presents. Having kids around just makes Christmas so much more fun.

The Barrus' were supposed to come up in the afternoon so we could have our soup and game day but the weather was so bad we all decided they better not brave it. So instead we all went outside to build a snowman with the kids. It was so much fun! Here are some pictures from the day.
The Family with our Snowman


Ta-Da



Making the Snowman

So everyone keeps talking about this blogging thing, and I figured I like to ramble on so I might as well do it on cyber space, save my friends ears a bit, or just try to keep a log of what is going on in my world for future reference. So here it goes this is my first, obligatory, not really a post, post. My friends are coming into town for USU Homecoming this week, and Halloween is coming up, I have some pretty cute nephews so this should help the blogging process along :).