so i have been sick since Sunday night, and i have been in a bad mood since then. and emotional. i did not know this about me, that i get so upset when i am truly sick. see i don't normally get fevers, in fact the last time i had one i went to the hospital, and i NEVER go there, for i do not care for the place much. so i really am not trained with dealing with fevers at all.
try to imagine me standing in Meijer, in my bright blue plaid pajamas, a hoody and NO MAKEUP! my eye lashes are falling off and i am crying (in public to boot! oh the shame!) all because i hurt! i went a two months on my mission with bronchitis without complaining and still did my work, i have twisted and pulled more ankles and muscles then i can count (this due to the my lack of grace) but yet i was standing in Meijer... crying.
i also balled out my parents, both of them had crossed me in a very evil way, or so i thought. and though they did do some hurtful stuff, it didn't warrant my yelling and crying (oh really, really, i hate crying) i understand now, that when i really really don't feel good, i am not a good person to cross. best to get some drugs in me and wait for them to kick in before trying to talk to me.
just so you know. :o)

"pills are good! pills are good!" -Dumb and Dumber

i just caught my favorite red scarf on fire....
dangit. :0(
there is no healing for this pain.

Christmas Pictures

Christmas at the Fulks house was the same as always, though we had two add-ons this year, but i liked it! So, this is our Christmas tree, i can't even start to tell you all the fights that broke out over this one, but let's just say i shop when i'm mad and now i am in debt.
Mom and Inga enjoying a little after dinner resting.
Paul and I under the mistletoe. my fam suggested the pose, i was hesitant but he seemed more than a happy to oblige, interesting eh?
no set of pictures are complete, unless... there is one of me taking a picture of myself.
Dad took this picture when i wasn't looking.
i took this one when they weren't looking. So we've got, Ann Marie and Paul on the piano and Britten looking on.
this is when Britten let me know that she knew i was taking pictures, and yes she is flipping me off! :o) My dear sisters never hold back, but you see the nice thing about having Paul there was that they knew that they couldn't swear, but it was always right under the surface! :o)
Now i've learned from Patrick that it is a good thing to take pictures of food, and i was really enjoying my steak so here is a shot of the yummiest steak ever. btw it's a tradition in my house that we have a steak dinner every Christmas. mine seems to get redder and redder every year. :o)
Us posing with Dad's collection of swords. he is holding the one we got him for Christmas!
us trying to eat with the swords, but it didn't work with me, mine was just too big, i guess i need more practise working with big swords.
a pretty Christmas table!
the other add-on that we had this Christmas was a dog that i am taking care of right now, his name is Seth, and he only has three legs!
and this is proof that a three legged doggie doesn't have to lift a leg to pee!


so all in all Christmas was pretty good! we got all the fighting out the day before, (and yes i went shopping afterwards) we got lot's of good presents, watched movies and ate way too much chocolate! it was good times!
so Merry Christmas from one Grinch to all of her friends where er' they may be!

My "You Tube" obession

so.... i haven't posted anything. at all. and i've just came back from Canada! you would think that i would tell you all about my trip and my close encounter with pouteen, or maybe i would write a blog about how my mother made me go shopping during a horrible snow storm, perhaps i could touch on the fact that i'm going to be a temple worker, really the list goes on and on! but NO! i have a problem! i watch You Tube at every moment i get. and if i am eating at home, it happens, i HAVE to eat in front of the computer. it's like my stomach can't digest the food unless i am near the computer, namely You Tube!
a month ago i didn't even know what it was! because, you know it was one of those things that got really big while i was on my mission, like texting, (i never did that either before the mish.) in fact when someone frist told me to "check it out on You Tube" i searched for it under "UTube" because that made sense to me. now, i am so addicted that i listen to music on it, i watch TV on it, i talk to my friends to find out what's cool to watch on you tube. i used to quote movies all the time, now... you tube. ("somebodys going get hurt" and "10 bucks" are my favs right now)
really this is bad, i have so much to do right now, i'm not even laughing i have so much to do, i have to make that purse for Ann, clean the house, clean my room, pick up the broken mirror... so much. but i felt the need to tell you all that yes, i have a problem. it's been 10 minutes since i last watched You Tube and i'll probably watch it one more time before i go to bed.
dangit.

so... i just got off the phone with my beloved cousins Derek and Brandon VanWormer, i haven't heard form them in YEARS... like 7 years. we (the whole family) lost track of Derek when he was a teenager. so we got to chatting about life and what we have been up to, i told him about the other cousins, Heidi and Sarah then about Ann Marie. it's strange to see how all of us have changed so much, it's like we were such a big part of each others world growing up and now we are all doing different things, and hardly ever talking to each other. part of me wishes i could just close my eyes and go back to that time when everything was perfect, or at least less complicated. we were all so much more innocent and ready for life. now look what life has done for us.

i love this stuff!!

ok, i really like both the songs and the both the music videos, but i really like the dancing in the 1st one and i really, really like the song in the 2nd one. though i must say sorry not for the bad word in the little clip in the 2nd video.

but i must say that this stuff makes you want to move... :o) me gusta!

Yesterday i had the most horrible headache in the world! i could not get rid of it, i tried the message chair, i tried Ruthie giving me a message and when all else failed i tried muscle relaxers. still nothing! i blame it on the horrible amount of sweets i ate yesterday. nevertheless, it hurt! but i went to bed a little early and woke up a little late today and the headache is gone. sometimes i think that pain is worth it so that we can experience the joy of release. like the anticipation of a long over due kiss, or being away from someone you adore, when it finally happens, it makes the pain of the wait worth while! :o)

I'm trying to get rid of some of my stuff, see i'm going to be moving out soon, and i have to take everything with me. Because my parents are storing a lot of my sisters stuff so there is no room left in the house, so if i go, my stuff (aka crap) goes with me... classic.
i really hate having "stuff" because it's those little things that you just simply have in a box that you never think about till you go through that box and say, "aww, i remember this!" such good memories!
suck me sideways, i hate it! but i can't get rid of it!
because i really do forget! i forget everything, and i'm to lazy to write it all down so i can get rid of the stuff and hold just hold on to the memories! you would think after watching Clean House i would get that by now! i'm just going to have to hope that in the next world i remember all these little moments that are embodied in my "stuff" so that i can just let go and move on!
i hope that i'm not the only one like this!

the best thanksgiving ever!

... I hate thanksgiving...
it's sad but true, most people associate the smell of turkey with love and family and good eats, i think of fighting and screaming and swear words. so, i have to admit that there is nothing but a feeling of dread when it comes to thanksgiving.
but last year was amazing! We had this Recent Convert that we had spent a lot of time with, and we were still working with her Mother and Husband. her Name was Blanca, her husband was named Jorge. Now Jorge, he didn't really like us that much, to say that we were "teaching" him was a bit of a long shot. it wasn't against us, he just didn't want to be a member. but he did really want to be American. so for thanksgiving Hermana Burkhart and I made them a thanksgiving feast! with a turkey, stuffing, potatoes, jello, pies and sorts. We... or I showed them how to make a real American meal, Blanca was amazed by my ability to use a can opener and crack an egg with only one hand. she kept saying, "la Hermana Fulk ya sabe como!" when is was time to eat all gathered around but Jorge, turns out he wanted to be American but didn't like our food! but we begged and whimpered till he caved. he was so cute, because he really liked it in the end! he kept saying to Blanca, "make sure you have these recipes!"
we all really enjoyed ourselves, we had them all say something that they were thankful for, when it got to Blanca, she said that she was the most thankful for the fact that she was Baptized a member of the church. I said that i was thankful that i was able to say so in Spanish.
this year i am thankful that i have a temple that i can go to when i need help, i am thankful that i have a father in Heaven that loves me. i am thankful that i have beautiful people in my life, though at times they complicate life, it is so worth it in the end. i am thankful for music, i am thankful for goals and the ability we have to reach them. i am thankful for the missionaries. i am thankful for dreams and hope. i am thankful for those little quite moments to myself. i am thankful for life itself no matter how hard and relentless it can be. and i am still grateful that i can say all that is Spanish!
i hope that, even though i hate thanksgiving, everyone can find a reason to be grateful tomorrow, and that you all have a wonderful thanksgiving day!

THE BIG 5k!!

Today i ran my first 5k... well, i've been doing them by myself in training for the past like 6 weeks. BUT, today i ran my first "5k" if you know what i mean. and by doing so i learned a few things about running...
1) Go the the bathroom before hand.
2) Don't go dancing till 2:00am the night before (btw a stranger full on pinched my butt, i should be totally appalled and i was when he did it, but frankly i'm rather flattered that my butt is so pinchable that he just had to have it!)
3) Get up on time (hint: if you do #2, then #3 won't be as hard)
4) Run with a friend (i had Inga my dog slash "the turd")
5) If it's cold, buy one of those fancy running mouth thingies Kim had.. i always wondered what those things where for!
6) Don't get to excited when running down a hill, because that only means you have to run back up it later!... (hee... haw... hee... haw... shout out to Nicole and you know why!)
7) Run for yourself but cheer on your friends
8) OH! don't eat before hand! (stomach cramps suck!)
9) If the friend you have picked is a cute little brown dog in a pink coat, don't be surprised or hurt if people cheer her on more then you!
10) Music, music, MUSIC! (with that i'd like to thank the Killers! you fill my soul)
11) Give yourself ONE goal to do while running and stick to it.
12) if you don't think that you can run anymore, start making a list of "things learned" in your head to post on your blog later!! something worth living for i guess! :o)
...Now, for the most important thing of all i learned today....
13) I can do it! even if others didn't think i could, or if i don't look the part because i do it with mascara, i can and i did! I ROCK ALL YA'LLS DIRTY OL' SOCKS OFF!
Side Note #1:
i'm walking back to my car victoriously when i see a VERY old family friend who works at the temple on Saturdays. when i greeted up and asked how he was, he replied... "i'm writing a note to this JERK who is taking up two parking spots! two people can park where this moron put his car!!
it was horrible... it was my car... so i got in mumbling something about being late for the run and hoping that this wasn't going to be a subject of talk amongst the temple workers. i can see it now... "did you know the Fulk girl is back from her mission? yeah shes a jerk, did you see how she parked her car?"
you see, because i ignored "thing learned" #2, i slept in and only just barely made it to the run on time (hence why i didn't pee before hand! no time!) so i really wasn't paying attention when i parked and not only did i take up two spots but i parked crooked so i was kinda hang in the driving area as well... oh to shame!
Side Note #2:
some jerk at the begging of the race took one look and Inga and said... "i give her one mile!" little did he know that she'd been training with me! she sure showed that guy by taking... 1st place... in the dog category!
Side Note #3:
Jen and i were super close the whole race and the whole time i was thinking! "oh i really hope that she catches up so we can run in together!" so i was rooting her on when i could. Meanwhile, Jen was thinking, "i've got to beat Amanda! i can do that! i secretly want to beat her!" and i think that that is the funniest thing IN THE WORLD! Jen that is why i love your guts to bits!
El FIN...............

Danielle and Ashely: a tribute

so today, or yesterday i don't remember, i was thinking to myself, "self, i don't know why you write these BLOG thingies! Patrick is the only one that reads them" and though i love and adore Patrick and want to entertain him all day long with my blogs, it made me feel a little sad that no one else reads my blog. because if only Patrick read it i could just e-mail him, right? well, tonight i was at Colver's with Danielle, Ashely, Chad, Will, Nathan and Shelly when i start to tell them about my ticket, when Danielle says "oh wait i read that... in YOUR BLOG..."
HECK YEAH BABY, YEAH!
so it turns out not only do they read my blog, but they enjoy it and wish that i would post more because they like to read peoples blogs to kill time! so now i am feeling so special! i know that at least 3 people read my blog! so I'm going to have to put some more effort in this little thing, i have audience to entertain here!
but it got me to thinking, "who else reads these, but doesn't ever post comments?" so I'm going to need you all to give me a holler comment if you read this, just so i can see if there is one more out there! and if i don't know you but you read this just for fun, let me know, that would be so cool! so give me a holler, even if you are mentioned in this here post, because let's just face it, you could be the only three people that read my blog.
And one more thing, Danielle and Ashley, i thought I'd suggest some of the blogs that i follow to you guys, because they are really cool and they would be supper fun for you to read in case you want to kill some more time! (hope you all don't mind if i share your Blogs with others because I'm gonna)
i like:
Patrick's blog: because he post good pictures, has a good play list and has a random pillow fight on it, a must see, i tell you that much... carlosflynn.blogspot.com
Carolyn's blog: she is in Germany right now so she writes about all of her cool trips to cool places and pizza in Rome with pictures and all, makes me feel like i'm there!... thisiscaroland.blogspot.com
now, i follow a few more, but i think you'll enjoy these the most! so have fun ladies and try not to let the man flirting get to you to much! and i will work on moving out of my comfort zone...

the Nicest guy ever!

ok, so i went to Kinko's to make copies of myresume, i asked the man behind the counter for some help, not only did he help me pick out agood paper to print it out on, when i asked him for 20 copies,then changed my mind to 15, he still gave me the 20 not changing me for the extra five! then he gave me an extra 10 that "didn't copy as well" for free! THEN he pulled out a stack of the paper we had picked out and gave it to me for free so that i could make some more copies at home!! Nicest guy EVER! it made me super happy to know that there are still good people out there that want to make other people smile. i felt i needed to comment on that because i just watched "The other Boleyn sister" and it was so depressing, to think that people could really act that way to other human beings! so it made me think how grateful i am that i have good people in my life, and that there are nice random guys at coping stores willing to help out some poor little old people like me! :o)

Dealing with Dealerships

OK, so i am looking for a car right now.., i don't really like making decisions at all. but i know i need to do this. i hate it because they all seem to question my intelligence, one dealer (who felt greasy) tried convincing me a 1990 Jaguar was an "investment in my future", HA! really?
So anyway, my father sends me to a dealership where i could get some good deals. Now, my list of what i want it really rather small; I want a stick and i DO NOT want a silver car.

so, i get there, i tell them what i want, and the conversation goes like this....
"well Amanda, we have this one that is silver, BUT it's an automatic! nice, eh?"
"um... no"
"OK, OK, we have one that is an automatic in sliver, you'll love it!"
"well, i really don't want it in sliver... or an automatic"
"right, right i understand! look, we've got a PT cruiser..."
"i hate PT cruisers..."
"And it's a silver automatic PT cruiser! IT"S PERFECT FOR YOU!"
at this point i wonder about these people...

needless to say, i did not buy with this dealer. even though they seemed like rather inteligent indiviuals. :o) God bless them for they are his children.

the world is just so unfair!

Soooo...
on October the 12th, i was closing up the evening after hanging out with Patrick, he drove me back to the church where my car was and dropped me off there, i left from one entrance and him the other, bothgoing the opposite way on Woodward. for once in my life i was being a law abiding citizen, wasn't doing anything! but a cop pulls up behind me and pulls me over.
i'm sitting in car wondering why he had done this, when he tells me...
"well miss, we pulled you over because we pulled over your friend. (i.e. Patrick) could i see you bla bla bla..."
well, i by mistake handed him the wrong insurance card. IT WAS DARK! the one that i gave him had expired.
I said, "oh let me get the right one..." but the cop mentioned that it was ok, so i'm thinking that he just plain old believed me. he goes back to the car and comes back with a ticket for not having proof of insurance! JERK! i was a little pissed, but said to myself, "Self, no big deal, you are totally in the right, you'll just fight the ticket!"
so life went on, and I FORGOT TO CALL!! I HATE MYSELF! and it turns out if you don't call they just make you a little ol' court date, and DON'T tell you about it. so now i have a fine for not having the insurance (that i had) $25, then a $30 fee for being late AND a $100 fee for missing my court date that i didn't know about!! AHHHHHH!!!
but that's not all, they told me if i don't go down there and post a bond on the $155 soon, i'll get more fees. AND if i don't get this case dismissed, the State is going to fee me $400 more!!!!!!!!!!
so right now i'm looking at a fee of $555.00 for a car that isn't even mine "not" having insurance, and they pulled me over all because someone i knew got pulled over!!!!!!!!!!!
does any of this make sense to anyone else? how is this fair?? i know i should have called, but i think that it is really crazy how all of this just kinda snowballed in to the land-o-crap!
stupid people, dumb fines......... i'm a little upset now. ;O(

things that make me happy

So today i had a "happy moment" i was sitting in my kitchen, in my moo-moo, decorating a cake. i had music playing and the sun was shining on me, life was beautiful and uncomplicated! :o)

I hear that future Amanda is going to be wicked sweet

so on Sunday they talked a lot about conversion, they were saying that the word conversion means to change one thing into another. in the church we hear that word and we think of someone who wasn't Mormon and now is. but the way that they put it on Sunday really struck a cord with me. because conversion is a life long thing, and i am not necessarily talking about religion here now. we are all converting ourselves little by little into that person that we will eventually be. here's the question i had... who are we turning ourselves in to? hummm....
if today we are really miserable and grouchy then i think that we are more likely to be that way later or the next day. but if we want to be a happy person, somethings i think that it is a matter of just changing our minds or converting our minds, and please i don't mean to offend our manically depressed friends. but for a normal person the conversion of who we will be in say 30 years is based on individual decisions today to be happy or sad, a good cook or an accomplished reader, a pessimist or an optimist. all depending on how we spend out time and our decisions now. do we want to have a relationship with God, then we've got to put our time into it. if we want to be an amazing friend then we've got to put that first. I'm not saying that we can only do one thing, I'm just saying that we can't expect ourselves to wake up on day and be what we've always wanted to be, it's going to take time plus a decision to become that. it makes me think where do i put my time? do i really use my time for the things that will help me be who i want to be. but then that bugs the question of who the heck do i want to be... and franky i don't really know yet... but i hear that future Amanda is going to be really "awesome". :o)

20 things to do when you have nothing to do...

this list is still in the making, so if you have any suggestions feel free to note them, and the board with consider them.

1. play the Piano
2. play the guitar
3. sing (if you have a voice)
4. read a good book
5. study the scriptures
6. watch You Tube
7. find info on Jeff Dunhams tour dates (in Detroit Nov. 29th! YEAH!)
8. leave the house with out showering and make fool of self to get a movie
9. rent that movie that everyone said "sucked"
10. torture little animals in your house
11. listen to old records
12. sleep (my personal favorite)
13. write on peoples walls on face book and look at all 124 photos of one particular friend... twice
14. make annoying nosies so that those around you can also be annoyed that you have nothing to do
15. this is gross but it has to be on the list... pop your pimples
16. put oven on "broil" setting and then watch cheese melt (good one!)
17. watch ALL "Indiana Jones" movies plus special features (hate that one part to this day with the bugs!)
18 look at art, then pretend you are an artiest too!
19. eat mini pizzas that come in packs of 4 and heat very well in the microwave... even if you have wheat and dairy intolerance's, that's what makes it fun!

and now the most enjoyable thing to do when you have nothing else to do....

20. call your friends and try and drag the conversation out as long as possible... even if they don't like it...

and if that last one fails review 1- 19 on the list...

When Tragedy Strikes at Ikea...

so, there are two things that i haven't done since my mission that i really like doing, one is go to Ikea, the other is well basically privet. but... yesterday my mother asked me if i wanted to go to Ikea with her, and i was completely overjoyed to end at least one of the "fast". so i get all fancy and headed off with my mother and one of my sisters Britten. we were all in good spirits as we drove there and enjoyed the fact that the trees were starting to change colors. Clearly this was going to be a good trip.
Ikea, let me just tell you was EVERYTHING i hoped it would be and more! gal! i was in heaven, it made me want to re-do my whole house, and that is an accomplishment, because i don't have a house. we ate lunch together, all getting somthing different then eating each others food! (as it should be) i found the most beautiful dinning set in the world there, that i want. the coolest organizer thingy, that i want. a beautiful orange chair, that i want. some beautiful pots and pans, that i want! and so many cool things that i would just cut off my left arm to have! Because i am right handed and don't really need my left anyway. (side note, i KNOW that i don't NEED any of this stuff, or that i shouldn't "seek for riches and Ikea merchandise", I'm just saying that a girl can dream right?) plus, i was just looking anyway because let's face it, i have no money. But the people at the KIA dealership hand been telling me that i should open a few credit cards to build up my credit, so i applied one at my beloved Ikea!! i was so nervous as i filled out the form, thoughts raced through my head like, "will they want me?" or "am i good enough to have a credit card here?" oh the excitement, oh the anticipations...
but that's when tragedy hit....
the results... less then favorably:o(
so i tried again in Spanish, thinking that i might have missed spelled something or that i didn't understand a question, English is really confusing you know. but...
rejected... rejected by the Swedish reduced priced loving jerks!
Si Senor, they denied me in both languages... dangit. i was turned down by the very people that i adore, my own people if you think about it, because i am Swedish! maybe I've eaten one too many tortillas and they knew it! maybe if i switch back to caviar and cheese they'll forgive me at Ikea and take me back. maybe i rejected them first by falling in love with Mexico. but I've never really done anything with Mexico! Sweden will always be my first... hey who am i kidding, i got rejected big. maybe this is why i have such a fear of rejection, I'm always rejected when i really want it. oh... man, this makes me think that i won't have any luck on that second thing either...
but in the end it's all ok, i bought a desk! yes!!! it's my new: i don't need a credit card, i don't need Ikea "desk desk"
it's beautiful, i got it from Ikea!!
So the lesson to be learned is this, always look for the silver lining! and ya know, JCPennys has been look'in real good lately... grrrrr!

thanks Nicole they ARE amazing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-mqhkuOF7s

random pictures that i liked

i really have to say that I found that this is some good examples of photography at it's best. really some beautiful shoots... please take some time to enjoy them...

http://listoftheday.blogspot.com/2007/09/great-olan-mills-photos.html

I'M SORRY!!!

ok! i feel super bad for making you all say a bad word in your head!! it's not right to manipulate ya'll like that! please don't flag my blog. i'll write another one tomorrow with a bunch of spiritually uplifting experiences in it from Utah! but not now i am to pooped! sorry! you have to forgive me or else the sin will be answered upon your heads! i'm sorry!
good night...

if i could....

Soooo, i if i wasn't trying to be a good person right now, and if i hadn't given up my bad habits of swearing, and if i wasn't willing to shout out loud many a profane word... i would right now!!

#*%@ you computer! i hate you!!!!!

i spent an hour writing about my trip and all the fun stories it had with it, but i accidentally destroyed it... lost it to who knows where! gal i hate it sometimes, i guess you guys shall never know what happened there in Utah, it's a mystery now, but that's ok, it was to long anyway! :o(

and by the way, i just want to note that i didn't really swear, i just used the placement of symbols to get your mind there, and if you choose to swear i really do suggest that you repent. because i can't be blamed for where your mind morally is at... you sinner, you!

SORRY!...

i'm in a bad mood now....

we'll talk about it later....

stupid computer...

starting this whole blogging thing...

well, i should be packing right now, but i never like doing things when i have to do it, it just makes me mad... or lazy. so i thought that I'd make a blog. thankfully i have had some advice and some help from friends, that way i won't have a "lame" blog. i started by coming up with a title... it took me a really long time, and i hope that i can change it later. but as i was stressing out about this little but rather important part of "blogging" i looked to my friends blogs for inspiration. Carolyn's was very cleaver, that jerk, it only increased the presser. so i looked to Patrick's, it's called "Patrick's blog". dang it! i hated myself for not thinking of that sooner. but now i couldn't use that, because everyone would know that i copied. Chad was no help in the matter of coming up with a title, because he is such a fan of blogs he had loads of ideas (please note the tone of sarcasm) anyway, i couldn't even get him to agree to knowing someone with a blog till i promised him that i wouldn't post anything about relationships or stupid stuff in general. which leads me to the quote of my day....

this one comes from Chad concerning blogs that are "gay"...
"who are you to post this on the Internet and expect anyone to care!"
gotta love that kid. :o)

so basically to make a long story short (not that it matters it's my blog anyway) i think i am way to concerned about the small stuff and not concerned enough about the important stuff, like packing, or let's try a little something called actually going to work. because today when i got to work 2 hours late mind you, they invited me to do some, well...work, i told them "why? I'm not here to work! i just miss you guys!"
Now, the sad thing was that it really was the truth, and i really didn't do any work. but i did do a wax and only because i really liked that client, named Lanchne, amazing women!

so i guess that is that, I've started my blog. and Chad to answer your question, I am she who will post these crappy comings and goings of my world and expect you guys to read it! but hey, your reading it aren't you?

oh WAIT! i never finished my thought, (i tend to do that) i made the ever so important choice of my title "The joys of not taking life to seriously" because it's ironic given how seriously i was taking this naming my blog thing. almost as ironic as Jennifer putting me in charge of the upcoming FHE where there will be a spelling B. i can make fun of people for not knowing how to spell and little will they know that i am the worlds worst speller! it's good to be me sometimes! :o)