I'm a Model

A friend called this morning asking if he could use a picture of me on Cozycush.com and after much deliberation, I said yes. He sent me the picture he wanted to use and I laughed. Find my testimonial* below.

" Its always nice to come home after classes and just relax and forget about the stress of school for a hour. My Cozy Cush is the perfect place to shut my brain off "
- Shelley M. Penn State

*No, I did not attend Penn State and those are not my thoughts about cozy cush products and yet, I do enjoy watching football while lounging on high quality foam.

Hot Stuff

As per tradition, my sister, nephew Syden, and myself met my dad for breakfast at the Eastern Idaho State Fair. Wimpy's has the best breakfast sandwich which I begin craving a week or two before the fair. We placed our order and talked with Glenn's(Wimpy) family. My nephew Syden turned to me and said "Shae, that guy is staring at you." What guy, I asked. "The guy over there." I'm still clueless and Syden says "Shae, the guy on the hot sauce is staring at you. You know, I can find someone like him if that's what you're interested in dating."

I believe

My nephew Syden and I went to the Bull Riding event at the Eastern Idaho State Fair. As we were leaving the fairgrounds, there was a 3 year-old boy being taken to Security because he had been separated from his family. My dad, Syden, and I briefly listened as the police questioned the young boy. On the drive home, Syden asked me over and over again "What happens if the little boy's family doesn't find him." "Will the parents remember they have a son?" As we walked into my parent's home, I asked Sy if he would like to pray for the young boy. My father offered a prayer and then as I drove Sy to his house, we were able to talk about my experience with prayers being answered. Although we don't know the ending of the story for the lost little boy, I believe Sy gained a greater understanding of faith and prayer. Each moment provides an opportunity to teach and learn.

Falling for...

I love fall for many reasons: leaves changing colors, cooler weather, and of course football.

Go BYU!

HOPE*FRIENDSHIP*COURAGE

This morning I was a volunteer during the Sweatin' For Sarah 5K, a benefit run for a friend who was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer in June. Approximately 400 people attended the event starting at Highland High School, winding through the streets of Sugarhouse and passing Sarah's house before returning to Highland High. My spot was the turn before runners passed Sarah's house and it was emotional to see Sarah greet friends, family, and community members running to raise money for Sarah. I met a couple celebrating their wedding anniversary by running for a person whom they had never met. I'm sure it was overwhelming for Sarah to see how many people love her and support her during this fight. Often, we do not get to see how many people truly care for us while we are living and I vow to make greater effort in this area to give to those around me.

Dating advice

I went to Alaska last week(pictures to come. I promise.) and stayed with a family of four. The 7 year old daughter Ainsleigh spent time telling me about dating and marriage. I think my nephew must have talked to her before my trip because I felt I had heard her words before. "Be nice. Go on a date. Say yes when he asks you to marry him." Pretty simple. She gave this advice and then told me that she isn't get married because she wants to be a Spinster and stay home and watch tv all day. I wished her well.
The last night in Anchorage, we went out for dinner. Our male waiter was probably 23 years old and Ainsleigh decided I should date him. Each time the waiter came to our table, she would hit me and look up at the guy and smile. It was awesome. When it was time to go, Ainsleigh and I walked out together and we ran into the waiter. He smiled and said have a great night at which point Ainsleigh jumped up and down in excitement and continued to talk about my future with the waiter. If things work out with the guy whose name I don't know and will never see again, Ainsleigh will definitely be a bridesmaid.

Watch

I went to a funeral this morning and watched a friend and her husband grieve for the loss of their child who had yet to take a breath in this life. The daughter they had been waiting for and in one tragic moment, she was gone. My friend has spent the past seven and a half months protecting and caring for this child growing within her only to have the child act as a human band-aid in a car accident and save her mother's (my friend) life.
Her physical pains and injuries are and will continue to heal in the coming months and years. Her emotional pains will take longer.

Just Another Manic Monday

I arrived at my 1p meeting and was feeling confident, well dressed, and prepared...and then I realized my cardigan was inside out. Awesome. Luckily I discovered the problem as I entered the building and laughed all the way to the restroom to make the correction. I should note that I decided at the last minute to drive to Park City to look for a dress and apparently was in a hurry while in the dressing room. I bet I was quite the sight while walking out of BP. This is my life!

Idaho

I've spent a lot of time in Idaho this summer and I must admit that I love that place. Below are just two out of a kazillion reasons why I consider Idaho home.

Yes, that is a rope going from the tree to the pick-up.

And this is Martha. Please excuse her attire as her dress is being cleaned for winter.

Federal Court Update

Sentencing for the case in which I testified was scheduled for February and then moved to May. I left a message for the witness advocate after searching the internet and finding nothing on the case. This is the message I received: Vanessa was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison, 3 years of supervised release following the prison term, and required her to pay $1,054,260 in restitution to Medicaid. Co-defendant Bret passed away in March 2010.

So true

I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I'm Tough

My friends Dave and Lori talked me into going to a Krav Maga class. I was supposed to attend last week but instead decided to sit on the 7th row at the Jazz game. I enlisted Meags to attend with me and in preparation for the class, I watched Krav Maga videos. I'm not sure that was a good idea. We arrived for the class and Dave and Lori were nowhere to be found. We waited and decided that if they didn't show up by 7:14p, we would head home. At 7:13, Dave and his son drove into the parking lot and my heart stopped beating.
The class started and we ran in one direction. Dropped to the floor. Ran in the other direction. Push-ups. Jumping Jacks. We found a partner and did knee kicks and punches for what seemed like hours. Ran more and people then went outside to puke. Not me. I'm tough.
The next part of the class involved learning how to protect loved ones. I learned to take a gun from someone and then the choke hold. I'm pretty sure I will recall these moves if ever attacked, but I would kindly ask the attacker to recreate the exact things I learned in class to make it easier. I came away with some killer moves and a bruised jaw, courtesy of a Krav Maga instructor.

Note to Guys

Just a thought: "Wow. You gals look like you've had the work out of your lives" is probably not the best thing to say when greeting friends at the gym.

Exhaustion

Dear Olympics,

I counted down the days until the start of the Olympics and I've faithfully watched events almost every night for the past two weeks. Ice skating is not my favorite event, but I lasted through the short and long(very, very long) program to see Evan win gold. In addition, I spent many afternoons watching hockey, cross country skiing, and curling while at the gym or working from home. I researched stories on the athletes and feel as though we are friends. One might say I'm obsessed with the Olympics and I will have to agree. BUT, I'm tired and need a break. I could turn the television off, but if I have learned anything from the Olympics, it is that I should never give up. So, I will continue watching as many events as possible and then will go into hiding for a week to catch up on sleep.

Go USA!

Sincerely,

Shelley

Update: Missing

Gabriel, Jessica, and Kalea Morris were found this morning in Virginia. I am glad that no one was harmed during the arrest and yet, I know that this is ordeal is not over as there are many unanswered questions.

Message

I awoke this morning to find I had 650 emails. At first, I thought I misread the number of messages and then noticed that the emails kept coming. I then wondered if maybe all 650 of my friends had sent me an email wishing me a happy birthday but that was not the case. I soon received an email from the state explaining that the server was set to run the email notification for missing information every 25 minutes before the new version was deployed and the setting was not changed after deployment. The funny thing is that much of the 'missing' information has already been completed.

Missing

A childhood friend of mine, her husband, and their 4 year-old daughter are missing. They recently moved from Blackfoot, ID to Banden, Oregon and were last seen in the Mesa, Arizona area. My friends husband, Gabriel Morris, faces aggravated murder charges in the deaths of his mother and her boyfriend. Jessica did not show up for work at the beginning of February and her co-workers called the Coos County Sheriff's Office who then went to the home and found a crime scene.
I find myself searching the internet for any updated information and at times it seems unreal. I see the faces of missing children on milk cartons. I read similar stories in the newspaper and watch newscasts on missing persons and yet, I still felt disconnected. Until now.

Oblivious

I went to a meeting with a client this afternoon, and at the end I asked if there was anything else the client would like to talk about. "Yes, Shelley, there is something I need to say. I don't want you to marry Ivan." I was shocked as everyone in the room stared at me so I started to explain the situation. On Friday, I saw this client with a staff member at the Special Olympics Volleyball tournament and we talked for a few minutes. It took me awhile to figure out that he was flirting with me and soon other staff members were encouraging the relationship. Obviously my client had no problem figuring out what was going on during the conversation. Ivan warned me to be careful with some guys because they are jerks and psychos. Thanks for the tip. I reassured my client that I would not be dating his staff and he said it's okay if I date Ivan and receive a ring from him, but I am not allowed to marry him.

Bad Hair

I was talking to Pip this morning and she proceeded to tell me a story about my niece Avry Shae. Avry was upset about something and said "I want Shelley." Ah, my heart began to melt. Pip continued with the story. "Avry, do you want the cat or Aunt Shelley(Shae)?" Uh, wait a minute. There is a cat named Shelley?! Apparently, my niece and nephew think so highly of me that they decided to name a cat after me. Bless them. "I want Shelley. The one with the tangled hair." Whoa! I think this girl is confused. My hair is curly, not tangled.

Scared of the Tax Man

I approach the road that leads me home when I see him. The tax service sign holder. You know, the guy who wears the statue of liberty outfit and has a large red foam hand he waves as I drive by. At first, I would smile and wave, but now I avoid. I think he's memorized my ritualistic comings and goings and just when I think I've made it home without a tax man sighting, 'Ta-Da,' he appears out of nowhere.

*Disclaimer: I understand the tax man gets paid to wave at me and really, I should think of him as my own person welcome home committee. On the flip side, maybe I like to keep a low profile and I think he may be logging my every move in some secret notebook he keeps on his person.