New Jeans

"I wish I had invented blue jeans. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity - all I hope for in my clothes."

- Yves Saint Laurent (for you non-fashionistas he was an extremely famous French designer)

Now why I am blogging about blue jeans? (Those of you who read my Facebook page can probably guess). Yesterday I worked a 1/2 day and then went to the Church History Library to meet my parents. They've been serving their mission since June 2008 and I finally got around to going to lunch with them at the Church Office Building (bad daughter!). It was fun and I got to meet lots of their friends, fellow missionaries, and the staff they work with. After a couple of hours my feet were killing me (thanks to the adorable, but now painful heels I was wearing).

I had planned to go right home after leaving the folks but instead I decided to swing by Macy's. I had a 20% off coupon just screaming to be used. (Darn you, Macy's and your stupid One Day sales that occur every week). I really needed some new jeans. The one pair I've been wearing has gotten too big and you can only shrink them in the dryer so much.

I have really short legs so finding jeans can be a bit of an issue for me. Luckily they had a great petite selection. First I found a really cute pair that fit and looked good for only $10! Hello, you cannot pass up $10 jeans. But the real surprise of the day is when I decided to try on a pair of Levi's in a size smaller than what I've been wearing. I figured it couldn't hurt to see how far away I was from fitting into them. Guess what? They fit and they look really cute!!! I am so happy.

Amanda is going to eat some fresh strawberries & blackberries (no sugar for this girl if I want to stay in my cute jeans).

How about a little advice?

This past Saturday while at the Jordan River temple, I read a scripture that has really strengthened me lately. I've been trying to figure some things out in my life and one thing I discovered is that I am a very impatient person. I know what I want and I want it to happen NOW! Unfortunately, my time and the Lord's time do not always coincide (especially not if there are other people involved). The scripture is Mosiah 24:15.

"And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord."

Now one of my new goals to "submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord."

The other thing I want to share with you is one of my favorite quotes by Albert Camus. I like this quote because it makes me feel (in the words of our new choir director) strong and powerful. I am in charge of my life and how I let things affect me. I can choose to be happy no matter what stresses are happening around me.

"In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer."

I would love to hear if you have any favorite scriptures or quotes that you find particularly helpful or inspiring. Let's fill the Comments on this post full of good stuff.

Amanda is grateful to all of your for your friendship.

New Pictures of Me

My mom wanted some new pictures of me so this morning I asked Janna to take a few. (She's my official photographer). I think they turned out pretty cute. What do you think?




















Amanda is happy to have new clothes.

Another one bites the dust!

Just wanted to give a weight loss update. I lost another 4 pounds this past week.

Amanda is very happy.

Things I learned about hot people

It has certainly been an interesting week at my house. I got home from San Diego on a Monday (7/27) and found out that our a/c had gone out. As of yesterday it was still not fixed although the repair guy did work on it last night but he had the wrong tool or something. He's coming back tonight though.

Sadly this past week has not exactly been cool (and it has gotten a lot hotter recently). The high in West Jordan (starting with 7/28 & ending with yesterday) has been: 89, 88, 89, 89, 94, 97, 97. This is not meant to be a complaint post, however. I am going to share some of the things I have observed over the past week during our "heat wave". As a reminder, when I use the term "hot" I am referring to actual measurable heat, not trying to describe attractiveness (although it will probably be pretty funny if you go back and read this using the other meaning).

1. Hot people can get really cranky.

2. Hot people try to wear a little as possible.

(For example, on Sunday while I got ready for church I was hanging around my room in a tank top, my slip, and a silk robe). Wait, now I sound like some kind of weirdo! Oh well, it is what it is.

3. Hot people have to take more showers than usual.

Here's a fun story for you: A few nights ago I was doing some yoga (because I didn't want to get too sweaty). Unfortunately, I knocked over a candle (the kind in a glass jar) which then shattered all over my floor. Since I was in the middle of doing yoga I had bare feet. So now I had to grab the only pair of shoes near me (3 inch wedge heels) and squat down on the floor (squatting made much harder by the heels) to pick up all the big pieces of glass every where. Janna was kind enough to bring down the vacuum to me. The vacuum didn't suck very well (that sucked) so I had to pull out the filter and empty the vacuum. By the time my floor was glass free I was dripping with sweat. So much for not having to take a shower!

4. Hot people spend a lot of time on Facebook.

For some reason I have no desire to watch TV during this heat wave but I'm on Facebook every night. Actually I think my TV watching has gone way down in general.

5. Hot people listen to country music.

I don't know why but I find myself listening to more country music than usual (normally I can only tolerate Taylor Swift & Carrie Underwood). Heck, last night I was singing along to Garth Brooks' "Friends In Low Places".

I guess those are the things I've learned about hot people. I think Jane Austen can sum it up best with this quote: "What dreadful hot weather we have. It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance."

Amanda is a little giddy.