I'm beginning to wonder.

The other day I went to the store to get myself some ice cream. They didn't have what I was looking for, so I grabbed one I hadn't heard of before. It was Ben and Jerry's Maple Blondie. Maple ice cream with blondie chunks and a swirl of maple carmel. It's amazing! I didn't notice until half way through the carton, however, the little notice on top of the carton, informing me that it is a "limited edition" flavor. *Sigh.* After seeing those words I started thinking and I realized... that what the heck! the world is soooo not on my side as far as junk foods go! Let me just give you a little history.

The reason I bought Maple Blondie is because my favorite ice cream is often omitted from among the selection. It's also a Ben and Jerry's flavor- Cinnamon Buns. Cinnamon ice cream, bits of cinnamon bun dough and a swirl of carmel streusel. Now, I don't know what streusel is, but I'm sure I like it. It's heaven, I tell you. The problem? I rarely

see it at the stores! Ben and Jerry's website leads me to believe that it is still being made, so there is still hope, ladies and gentlemen.

For me, egg nog is probably the only reason to put up with winter. Except it has to be CREAM O' WEBER'S egg nog. No other egg nog can even compare! What in the world has happened to Cream O' Weber?! They used to be everywhere! Now one of the only places I can find it is at 7-11 stores. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem going to 7-11 for my egg nog, but man- if it keeps getting harder and harder to find, that means it COULD just go completely out someday. I don't think I could handle that kind of rejection.

Let's talk about candy. Want to know my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE candy? White Chocolate Twix Bars. If you haven't had them, oh... I'm sad for you. Well... actually it's probably best that way because THEY ARE GONE. Not made anymore. It seems that they are still sold in Europe but they won't ship them here! I miss them. My second favorite candy?

Take 5 PEANUT BUTTER bars. They had a hard peanut butter coating instead of chocolate. Status: discontinued. My next favorite? Licorice Pastels. You can usually only find these in the scoopy candy bins or in the off-brand bagsof candy, but... I haven't seen them in forever. I'm starting to get nervous. And do not get to thinking that they can be replaced with Good & Plentys or any other black licorice candy because those just won't do.

Favorite chip dip? Dill pickle chip dip. Where can you buy it? No idea. Seems to

have disappeared.

Favorite soda? Mountain Dew Distortion. Judge me if you will. No worries, though. Discontinued.

So you see what I'm saying? I'm beginning to get a little annoyed with all of the best stuff disappearing. (And, yes- yes I do realize that the reason these things all disappear is because I'm the ONLY one who seems to like them. THAT, however... is beside the point.)

I'm off to go get some of my 2nd favorite ice cream out of the freezer. Haagen Dazs's Dulce De Leche. I have to worry, though. i DID admit out loud to people that I like this flavor.

Time will tell.

Perhaps the universe is trying to tell me I need to eat healthier foods...

Like sand through the hourglass... so are the days of our lives.

(First I thought that title was kind of funny. Then I wondered why I even know that it's from Days of Our Lives. I have no answer.)

One of my friends did a "decade in review" kind of a post, and it got me thinking. A lot. And after thinking a lot I decided that I might do one, as well. Now, I'm not normally the oh-it's-January,-time-to-make-goals-and-analyze-the-last-year kind of a person. I admire those people, but can't consider myself among them. My attention span is too short. This is very unusual for me, but I'm going to give it a go, anyway!

(I know, I know. Some of you are rolling your eyes, wishing that everyone would just agree that the decade resets on even years like 2010 instead of 2011. Others may be scratching their heads due to the fact that it is now February and no matter what year you think the new decade begins, the DAY and MONTH is generally accepted as being January 1st. I will address these concerns. #1- I say the decade resets whenever I most need it to reset in order to best convenience me. #2- See number one.)

How can a decade be so freaking long, and so freaking short all at the same time?! 2001 - 2011. Well... to wrap it all up in a nice little bow (preferably one with thick stripes and curled edges) I just got the invite to my 10 year high school reunion. Yup. Ten years out of high school.

Going year by year would bore us all, since I've had some fairly dry spells as far as "interest" goes, but I just want to reminisce a bit. Sorry I don't have any relevant pictures. I'd have to scan the older ones, and like that is going to happen!

Obviously, graduating from high school took me to the next phase of my life- college. Good ol' USU times.

First off, lets talk about the roommies. In talking to friends, I've discovered that I've had an extensive amount of roommates. I always sort of thought that everyone had this many, but it doesn't seem to be true. I like my roommate list being fairly lengthy. Leaves me with plenty of stories. :) I can't tell you how many I have had. Not because it is some giant secret, but because I can't remember them all! Sorry to any who may be reading... of course I remember YOU. I've had almost 60 roommates. I actually tried to make a list of them all because I wanted to get a real number, but it just wasn't doable. Some I can remember faces, some I can just remember that there was a body in the room upstairs. MANY of them, however, are friends that I hope to keep forever. My roommates have ranged from sane and normal to... anything BUT. I have some hilarious roommate stories. I mean... come on. SIXTY. Think they've all been nice and sane? Heh. Hardly. (Any roommates who may be reading- of course I'm not talking about YOU.)

Choosing a major was dang hard for me and that decision added a bit of time to the college career. No, it didn't take me the full 10 years to get my degree. Come on. It only took me most of them. :D I suppose that is what I get for switching between so dang many majors. And then switching back and forth and BACK and FORTH between a couple. The good (and surprising) fact, however, is that I finally made it.

I also got my first "real" job. Yeah... still fighting with that one. Honestly, this job is such a huge blessing. It's the best job I could ask for at this point in my life. Except... I really have no desire to talk about it right now cause it's all I ever talk about. Geesh. The important fact is that despite my constant string of complaints... I do know how lucky I am to be where I am. I've learned invaluable things in this last year and a half. Both about my career and about myself.

Another thing I've accomplished is having watched a great amount of television. I'm so proud. Moving on.

I've really had some amazing opportunities since high school. I want to list a few, due to the fact that I want to start documenting these events in detail, but need to start by simply writing them down.

My friend, Sue, and I moved to Hawaii for one summer just because we wanted to. I went back and forth between Utah and Thailand for the three years my family was there and ended up staying for quite a while. I spent three summers performing at Pickleville Playhouse up at Bear Lake. I spent one summer performing church history musicals through a service mission to Nauvoo, Illinois. I performed a few shows through the Theatre Department at USU. I sang with the Chorale choir at USU for three years. I sang with the New Horizons/Latter Day Voices choir at the institute for *cough5* years. I was able to go on 4 fantastic tours with the same choir. I have sung with the Sun Valley carolers for the past three seasons. Ummm... those are the ones I can think of right now.

I have made some fantastic friends through all these adventures. I also have come to understand how amazing my family is. I've always loved them, but I think getting older has given me an opportunity to see just how incredible they are, both as individuals, and as a whole.

Yyyyyyyep. So, re-reading this, I've realized it's a bit wordy and boring. Two things that should never come together in a post. HOWEVER. This post is more for me than anything else. I've loved thinking about this last decade and have really found some events and situations that I want to document in greater detail. Now I'm excited to go back and do that!

If you have read this post and actually made it to the end then I'll give you a candy bar. No, really. I mean it. Only... you have to come and get it. Because I'm lazy. And want visitors.

See? I even found a picture. I'm committed.