Festival of Colors!!

(The crowd... there were so many people behind me too)


(before the event)







(lighting the fire)







(in front of the temple)





Red, Yellow, Orange, Blue, Green, Pink, Purple... all colors that landed on my face, my hair and my clothes. This weekend I went for the first time to the Festival of Colors. A Hindu tradition of welcoming spring and scaring away the demons of winter, they light a wood witch on fire and at that moment all of these colored corn starch is thrown up in the air. According to the Deseret News, 15,000 people were there at the Harry Krishna temple in Salem, UT. It was so crowded as bands played music with only two words to their songs... "Harry Krishna" everyone with their painted faces danced around. Photos have been included so that you can enjoy this special event with me!

FYE

"Hello my name is Jennie Mower and I have a movie addiction" ("Hi Jennie" the monotone words are said around the circle. I take my seat next to an overly large plump man with a handle bar mustache who smells like cheap whisky.)

I realized this weekend that I have an addiction... some may say its not one to worry about but as I stare at the shrinking space on my book/movie case I realized I either need to get a bigger movie case or (gulp) I need to slow down on my movie purchases.

For those of you who have seen the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic, I feel that in someway I can relate to my dear sister Isla Fisher who walks into a dept store and feels at home. When I see those three letter F Y E something inside draws me toward those automatic doors. As if a magnet was placed inside of me during one of my many nights of slumber. A mother ship calling her troops back home and I am being beckoned to return. The staff there greets me with a big smile and an offer to assist me in anything I may be looking for. I hate to be rude but I simply wave them off... never could they possibly help me find what I am searching for, because even I don't know what I am searching for. I don't waste my time with the new releases, or the non-previewed DVDs... I walk straight back to my own personal Heaven... the USED DVDs! Before I say anything more... the person who decided to sell their already viewed DVDs for a lesser cost could possibly be my favorite person. Pure Genius! I begin with the Dramas, ensuring that I look at each one of those little White Cards with the different movies that are sorted under it in Alphabetical order. From there I move through Action/Adventure, taking a quick peek at Horror and ending in Comedy. After an hour and seven or more DVD's in my hands I have to sit in their brown comfy chairs and make some of the most important decisions I have made that entire day. Which movies do I ultimately need and which ones do I set back... Torture. Pure torture.

I went on Saturday (having slight with drawls not having been there in over a month) and was able to purchase six movies (yes I said six) for $20. A steal of a deal! I squeezed these six onto my already tight bookshelf/movie stand adding to my 200 movies I already own. Thank you FYE for bringing me such entertainment!

For those of you concerned...please avoid an attempt for an intervention... I will not go easily.

The Water Works

Its amazing how much water the human body can hold... I mean each one of us is made up of 2/3 water! Each day we are constantly loosing the water that we intake, through working out, using the restroom, even breathing we loose 250ml on a daily basis!
Assuming you're not reading my blog to get a biology lesson, I talk about water because I am amazed how many tears I was able to produce over the last three days. I don't write to reach out to you for sympathy or total concern. I don't need the hundreds of comments asking if I am ok or if an intervention needs to take place. I write as somewhat of a tribute to a great man that I cared for a ton, and to express my amazement of the human body.

For those of you who don't know I am originally from Colorado. Moved out here almost seven years ago. I transferred with the company I was working for at the time (and still am working for). Four years ago while working in our Orem location we recently got a new store manager. At the time I didn't care for him too much but over the months he began to wear on me. He was the age of my father and being away from home with no family out here, it was nice to know that I could look to him for advice. That was the start of our friendship. Skipping the details and the boring stuff lets fast forward a little... John got a promotion he was hired to be our new District manager. He left me in the stores after a year of working together. (No more water fights, marker fights or running races) I was devastated. I cried. I slowly moved on still seeing John once or twice a month walking our store and seeing our progress. Fast forward again...(hit play... now!) John's admin at the time decides to move into a new position. I apply for the open position as John's admin and am hired. John and I started a new path again... A year of laughs, frustrations, tears, trips, advice... a year of learning for me to say the least... has just ended. The beginning of this week, John told me that he would be leaving the company... to take some time for him and his family and then look for something else. It felt like my heart dropped into my stomach. The next three days have been a lot of tears.... (me curling up in a ball, sucking my thumb with my pink blanket... ok not that bad) but this now leads me to my amazement of the human body... who knew that so many tears (I mean three days of on again tears off again tears) can come from one body. I didn't drink much either. (You emotional girls know how it is... sometimes we don't eat or drink when we are upset). I think I could have won a record of how many tears were produced these last few days.

Needless to say... John is going to be missed. The days of pounding on the fax machine hoping it will work, throwing all the paper from the shredder onto the floor, or yelling at the UPS truck for its annoying beeps... won't happen anymore. Something good will come (by no means better) but I will definitely miss those days with John.

Taylor: More then just a singer!

I like to find songs that really have emotion and feeling. Something that I can scream to when I'm driving down the freeway while other drivers almost swerve off the road due to their stares at me. Mostly though, I like to find songs that explain exactly how I'm feeling and so far Taylor Swift has been able to express my exact emotions in her songs. I have become such a huge fan of hers.
Recently her Fearless album has consumed my life, I listen to it in the car, I listen to it while I'm getting ready for work. I consider taking it to work with me and listen to it there, but I don't think it would go over well. She has faced the same dilemmas with the same type of guys and I almost feel like we share a common bond. Like I could call her and we could compare notes. Tell our horror stories of the guys we have come in contact with, how much we hate them, love them, wish they would recognize us etc.

I trust her next CD will continue to lead my life in the right direction or tell me how to deal with the next set of loser guys that come into my life. Thanks Taylor!

My TV friends

There is something about ending a TV series that brings a pain to my heart. I have spent countless amounts of hours and memorable moments with these people. Attended their proms, sat and watched as they cried alone in their rooms, I was there for their first date, their first kiss, their first breakup. I grew up with them and helped argue who they should date, how to solve tough challenges and then just as quickly as they came into my life they were out. The series finale of a show I have dedicated so much time to is like saying goodbye to some of my closest friends. I find the following days after the ending of the show alone and wallowing a bit. I long for a new episode that will give my day meaning and am left to entertain myself. I fill the void with looking up new movies they will be in and buy my tickets way in advance. As the days go on, I soon find that I am able to make it through most of the day without longing for my friends. Before long I start a new TV series, begin a new friendship and learn more about the ways of life but never forget my roots and my friends from those beginning shows. ;)

A shout out to all of my favorite characters in all of my favorite television series... thanks for the memories.

He's Just Not That Into You

(WARNING: If you have not seen this movie, some comments that are mentioned could be a Spoiler... Read at your own risk) :0)

This weekend I went with my roomies to see the new hit movie "He's Just not that into you". As I sat there mesmerized by the stories that were being acted out I realized it had been a long time since I have enjoyed a movie as much as this one. Emotions were pulled in all different directions, causing me to laugh, to cry to feel pain and sorrow, but it wasn't only these emotions that had me sitting in my chair, refraining from blinking in case I missed even a second of the movie. They picked a great cast to tell the tale of the famous book released a couple of years ago. I was ecstatic when one of the main characters was named after me (for those of you who don't know my entire family calls me Gigi). Finally, I almost believed that they took pieces of my life and made it into this movie... more then ever I related to each of those women on so many different levels.

Just one weekend prior to this movie coming out I found myself sitting by the phone, watching it so attentively like it would get up and do tricks hoping to get the text message that was from someone important. Only making up excuses on reasons why I didn't hear from him. Many occasions prior to even this one I have found myself comforting girlfriends who have been in situations so similar to mine, and to those in the movie. "Oh Sarah, he probably just got scared because he's never felt like this for someone before" "Betty don't sweat it, he'll call, he just is helping his grandmother do some choirs around the house", "Karen, stop crying he loves you and he will realize how dumb he is being for breaking up with you". How interesting it is that we are so afraid to be the bearer of bad news or give truth to an unsettling situation. I think the moment that touched me the most, the quote that made me want to stand up and start clapping was what Gigi said to Alex about love and the stupid things that girls do in attempts to make a relationship work. I stand by her in saying that I too do those stupid things, saying things without thinking, becoming interested in music, or sports for a guy in hopes that he will think I'm hip or cool. In all reality i am just another girl, the exception to the rule... but I can honestly say I am closer to finding real love then those who close themselves off from finding that.

What a joy that movie brought to my life!! (This entry may be slightly obsessive I just really enjoyed the movie.)

I've been hit!

So I was just shuffling through some of my friends blogs and found that I was tagged by my friend Angie... having no idea of this I thought it would be a fun little idea. Thanks buddy! (I had to change question one since I don't have a husband) :)

4 things I love about my siblings-
1. Joby- Singing in Borders and in Craig! Thank you for your willingness to give me everything you possibly can and more!
2. Mandy-Movie Theater Nachos (and all that those entail) Thanks for making life seem less stressful.
3. Travis- The tumbleweed. You're ability to always know what to say to make me laugh.
4. Lena- The two strangers coming into your law firm! I am so thankful that you are in the fam. You add so much!

4 movies I would watch more than once... (Really! I can only choose 4!?)
1. Remember the Titans
2. Win a date with Tad Hamilton
3. Moulin Rouge
4. Notebook

4 TV shows I would watch more than once
1. Lost
2. The OC
3. Alias
4. Friends

4 places I have been
1. California
2. Bahamas
3. Washington (the state)
4. Nevada

4 people who email me regularly
1. Mason
2. Joby
3. Holly (instant communicator count?)
4. Stacey

4 Favorite Foods
1. Fruit-all of it
2. Pizza
3. Salmon
4. Sushi

4 Places I would like to visit
1. England
2. New York City
3. Hawaii
4. Germany

4 things I am looking forward to this upcoming year
1. Getting into great shape
2. My Birthday
3. Paying off bills
4. Getting a puppy (hopefully)

4 things I love to spend my time doing
1. Reading
2. Shopping (especially at FYE)
3. Hiking
4. Watching movies

4 things I hate
1. Bowling
2. Sitting for long periods of time
3. Math
4. The movie War of the Worlds (that one is for you Angie)

4 people I tag
1. Ashley
2. Stephanie
3. Christal
4. Joby

This is a fun way for people who don't know much about me to learn a few things about me... ENJOY!