"Small Town, Saturday Night"

I’m in a great mood. Want to know why?

Well, it all started with a very relaxing weekend. My family attended the Ute Stampede on Friday night. I’m not going to lie–if my weekend had ended there I’d be calling it a bust. I’m not one to call “Animal Cruelty” at the flick of every switch, and I’ve attended rodeos for as long as I can remember, but I don’t know that I’ll be going to one again in the near future. Seeing a 1,000 pound animal fall on its neck can change a person...

However, the weekend that followed was phenomenal. I typically despise dislike being in small towns. They bore me, they smell weird, everyone’s in everyone else’s business...but we spent Friday and Saturday night in Ephraim at my brother-in-law’s mom’s house. It was so relaxing. I didn’t realize it, but I think all of the moving/leaving plans have been stressing me out. The crawling slow way of life down there really allowed me to breathe. We went shooting, sat on a deck with a beautiful view, took naps, I wrote in my journal. More importantly, I didn’t check my email, I didn’t check Twitter, I didn’t play Words with Friends.

Whit and her grandma at a cute little candy store in Ephraim

I think it also helped to be away from Zipsie. Don’t get me wrong, I love her. But for 48 hours, I was free from all responsibility for anything but myself, and it was refreshing. Unfortunately, my being away seems to have had a negative effect on Zipsie. By that I mean, she’s crazy. Well, crazier. Apparently Sunday night she discovered that she can jump over the baby gate that has kept her calmly in the kitchen at night and while we’re at work for the last year. And now that she knows she can, she won’t stop jumping over it. And chairs. And bar stools. And suitcases. *Sigh*

This is the structure I put up last night that Zipsie still managed to jump over

Back to that good mood stuff...Anyone ever shopped at Tilly’s? I first visited on a Vegas trip with Jamie when I fell in love with these shoes:

Now I own them in 3 colors. Yesterday I got a delivery from Tilly’s that added to my love affair.

A beautiful purse, sassy sunglasses, two stunning nail polishes, a roomy wallet, and the decorative flip flops I set out to buy in the first place–shipped–for less than $50. Are you in love now, too?

And finally, today my friend Bonnie took me out to lunch. Some of you will remember that Bonnie and I worked together during my short 6 months at the Ogden courthouse. She trained me in front counter work and became one of my best friends. I miss her all the time. She encouraged me to get back to school and finish my degree. She encouraged me to retake the LSAT and actually apply to schools. She’s the reason that–in addition to any other type of law I practice–I want to do adoptions. She had a class on Domestic Cases in Salt Lake, so we met up afterward. Seeing her just makes my heart happy.

And that, my friend, is why I’m in a great mood!