Free at last!

I would like this image a bit better if the date circled on the calendar was 15 instead of 13...it would be more accurate that way. Oh well. The important thing is that it is with great excitement that I announce to you all that TODAY, yes, TODAY I paid off my credit card balance and thereby became debt free!

Debt is a big problem in our society and seems to sink its ugly teeth into all sorts of people. I inherited some great traits from my dad, but along with those I inherited some less-than-effective money management skills, an impulsive buying streak, and an almost-impossible-to-deny urge to snap up anything that appears to be a good bargain. I begrudgingly admit that on more than one occasion my father referred to himself as "The Daddy of Discount." Did I mention that I also inherited a small bit of his goofy sense of humor? :)

Anyway, I haven't always been the best at managing my money. I had some credit card debt before my mission that I was able to wipe out and hoped I would never get in that situation again. Well, after coming home one thing led to another and I was in debt yet again. Having had the oppressing cloud of debt lifted from my life once before, I knew that I would feel much better being able to escape that weight again once and for all.

So for the past handful of years, one of my annual resolutions has been to become debt free. And while I occasionally made good progress and whittled my debts down one by one, I was always left with my principal credit card debt. To help me in my endeavors, I created yearly slogans or catch phrases as a reminder and motivation. Let me share them with you:

"Debt free in 2003"

"Debt no more in 2004"

"Debt won't jive in 2005"

"Get out of my fix in 2006"

and finally.....

"Debt free heaven in 2007"

And so this morning, at approximately 9:30 a.m., I did indeed enter the pearly gates of debt free heaven as I paid off the remaining balance on my credit card. It has not been an easy process to dig my way out...as those of you who have been or are in debt may know from experience. There were many setbacks along the way, but I am grateful that I have been able to make more sound financial decisions regarding budgeting, savings, retirement investment and becoming debt free (insert a shout-out to my "Financial Life Jacket" lessons from Kimmie.) So from now on I hope that my new and everlasting slogan will be:

p.s. I promise to return you to your regularly scheduled programming of the captivating series "Adventures in India" in my next blog so stay tuned...

Adventures in India-part 1-"Smelly Delhi"

Ok, first off let me just say that most, if not all, of India is smelly. But there is only one city that rhymes so well with said description. Let me also say that it is probably very dangerous for me to be trying to post at this hour so bear with me. I didn't have a chance to write anything over the weekend so I thought I'd take advantage of my jet lag issues and get things going.

Sunday, July 22 and Monday, July 23--All in all it took us about 34 hours to get to India. We were only supposed to have a 3 hour layover at JFK, but that turned into a 7 hour layover for a reason that was never disclosed to us. But we did get a food voucher from the airline and the chance to catch up on some much needed sleep. I was actually pretty surprised at how quickly those 34 hours seemed to go--especially seeing as how our row of the plane had electrical problems and we had no audio for the movies nor light to read by.

Finally, we arrived exhausted and a bit exasperated at the airport in Delhi. The customs process was very smooth as you have to arrange a visa before arriving in the country. We had to wait quite a while for our luggage...mine came out at least a full half hour before Heidi's and that caused some tense moments but fortunately nothing was lost. By that time it was after 3 a.m. and we were now more than 4 hours late. We had little-to-no hope that our hotel transfer would still be awaiting us...but to our great surprise they were still there. I swear to you that my name has never looked so beautiful as it did written on the grimy little paper our driver was holding!

We finally made it to our hotel and were pleasantly surprised at its offering for a 3 star (Indian standards) establishment. I think more than anything we were just happy to shower and fall into bed...especially since I had the worst cankles I have ever experienced in my life!!

Tuesday, July 24--Most of this day was spent in a complete stupor of jet lag, interrupted by three phone calls...one asking if we wanted breakfast, another from Heidi's brother's mission companion and a third asking for a copy of our reservation confirmation. I groggily grabbed the paper and headed out for the lobby, not realizing that the floor was wet and thereby falling down the stairs and landing flat on my back. OUCH!! I'm just glad noone else was around to see my moment of grace.

After the front desk/stair fiasco I went back to bed for a bit but eventually we decided to rouse ourselves and venture outside in search of the internet and bottled water. The hotel staff led us to a travel agency where some guy let us use his computer and proceeded to talk to us about our options while in India. We decided it was better for us not to commit to anything in our stupor but promised to come back the next day.

Wednesday, July 25--Our first real day in India began with hiring a driver to take us around to the sights. We first went to Jama Masjid, India's largest mosque. Our excellent planning in having skirts in our backpack allowed us to actually enter the mosque. It is quite an impressive building and there were many people there (as I soon came to understand, there are many people everywhere in India.) We encountered people staring at us as if we were aliens and others who took pictures of us or with us as if we were celebrities. I'm sure we looked as interesting and unique in our own right as they did to us.

I neglected to mention that our driver suggested we move around Old Delhi via bicycle rickshaw as parking in the area is difficult. Heidi and the driver rode in one rickshaw and I rode in the other. It is a great way to see things but I have to admit I felt guilty having this little Indian man try to pedal the big American around in unbearable heat! One of my favorite things was when he told me to put my feet on the metal bars hooking the rickshaw to the bike and said "This is your seatbelt." :)

Anyway, we proceeded to head to the market area of Chandni Chowk, which holds a number of markets for the locals including a spice market, wedding market and jewelry market. It was amazing to navigate maze of the narrow alleyways of the market right along with throngs of people, motor bikes and other rickshaws. I wish I could have truly captured the experience, but the best I could do was a short video which doesn't do it justice.

Afterwards we were dropped off at the Red Fort. By this time we were feeling pretty dehydrated. I was so hot I could hardly stand it. The bottled water for sale near the entrance looked a bit "iffy" so we opted for orange soda instead. It was so miserably hot that it was all I could do to put one foot in front of another. The fort is a pretty great place but I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I could have if my body hadn't entered a nuclear meltdown. Here's Heidi outside the fort:

Anyway, the whole point of going to the Red Fort was to meet up with Boddu (Heidi's brother Adam's mission companion.) Apparently "Indian Time" is similar to "Latin Time" or "Mormon Standard Time" and so we toured the Red Fort waiting for him to show up. He was finally there when we resurfaced on the outside and it didn't take long for us to realize why Boddu is one of Adam's favorite companions. He is definitely our favorite Indian. We made a stop at India Gate which is a memorial to the Indians who lost their lives in World War I. This is me and Boddu at the gate.

Heidi had a list of things she needed to buy for her brother so we headed for an area called Connaught Place and entered a spiraling underground shopping area called the Palika Bazaar. This was our first introduction to the very persistent Indian vendors who tried to attract our attention by calling out "excuse me madame!!" By the end of our trip I was so tired of hearing this phrase that I thought I was going to pull my hair out. Anyway, Heidi was able to buy some of the things on her list and also bought an outfit for herself after being assured that the store carried "Ma'am-size options" (if you want the full story on this you'll have to ask in person...needless to say it was our ongoing joke for the whole trip!)

Boddu then took us to a nearby restaurant serving vegetarian Southern Indian food. He ordered this sampler type thing for each of us that consisted in a large steel dish that had a banana leaf on the bottom and small shot glass type steel containers of different types of sauces or concoctions. In the middle of all this was an Indian bread called roti that we ripped pieces off of and dipped into the various sauces and concoctions. Some of the stuff was okay but a lot of it was too spicy for my delicate palate. I did enjoy the roti and another bread called poori though...very tasty.

We eventually made our way back to the hotel to await Candice's arrival from Bangalore. Her flight was delayed but she arrived safe and sound. It was good to see her after so long. After much effort on our behalf, the hotel finally provided us with the extra bed, which consisted of a folded wooden platform that laid out semi-flat and had a thin mattress on top...hmmm! We talked for a while and then crashed to rest up for the next day of sight-seeing.

Thursday, July 26--Thanks to the time difference, I was able to place a call this morning to wish my mom happy birthday back in the States. We then headed out with a new driver to tour the sights of New Delhi. We started by driving past the president's palace and some other government buildings. Following this we went to Humayan's tomb, which was a predecessor to the Taj Mahal. There were a lot of cool structures here and it wasn't entirely swarmed over with people so that was nice.

We then continued on to Qutb Minar which is the world's tallest brick minaret (spire.) This was a really cool tower and I just couldn't believe how tall and well-preserved it is. The tower is 239 feet tall and was completed in 1230 AD. There is also a lot of detail work and really neat carvings all around the complex. Just to show you the impressive size of this structure, I am the tiny dot in the center at the bottom of the tower. Wow!

Afterwards we went to the Lotus Temple of the Baha'i Faith. We had to take our shoes off to go inside and I swear my flesh was grilling up right there on the pavement it was so hot. The temple is beautiful though and is reminiscent of the Sydney Opera House. Perhaps the best part of all is that you are not allowed to speak or make any noise inside the temple, which was a very welcome change from the utter chaos of the streets of Delhi.

We did a little more shopping that afternoon thanks to a recommendation from one of Candice's Indian coworkers. As we finished, we spied a Pizza Hut across the way and decided that would be a safe way to curb our hunger. The pizza was slightly different, but good nonetheless. As a side note, in restaurants, menu items are denoted vegetarian by a green square with a green dot in the middle next to the item, while non-vegetarian items are denoted bya red square and dot. We made it back to the hotel and enjoyed just relaxing and talking more before hitting the hay.

TO BE CONTINUED....

The curse of jet lag!

Ok, maybe you thought (or hoped) that I had completely given up on my blog...but alas, that is not the case. Internet access in India was not the greatest...essentially we had to kick some employee off of their work computer either at or hotels or the travel agency to even check our email. Therefore I didn't feel that it would be very appropriate to take the time to post a blog entry.

Nonetheless, we have been back in the States for a few days now. I promise to post my travelogue when I have a bit more time (perhaps this weekend.) In the meanwhile, I wanted to make quick mention of the curse of jet lag. I'm beginning to wonder if I am getting too old to travel half way around the world because jet lag is still kicking my trash at this point.

I don't remember how badly I suffered from jet lag coming back from Thailand a couple of years ago...although I do remember how completey trashed I was tyring to go back to work the very next day after getting home--BAD idea! Needless to say, I opted to give myself a couple of days to recover before jumping back into life with both feet.

My first attempt at sleep did not go well. I ended up going to bed at 4:00 in the morning on Saturday when we got home but then the dog wanted to get up at his normal time of 6:30. Although I tried to get him to go back to sleep with me, I couldn't rest much for fear that he would either pee on my bed or jump down unbenownst to me and destroy my house. Fortunately at around 9:30 a.m. Heidi's sister came and rescued me. I then passed out until 1:00 p.m. and decided I should get up so I could try to get back on schedule.

Saturday night went a little better, although I couldn't fall asleep until late and didn't feel rested getting up. Sunday night was a complete mess as I fell asleep at 1:00 a.m. and found myself wide awake at 4:00 a.m. I do not suggest attempting one's first day at work after vacation on only 3 hours of sleep. Another tip is to NOT have your picture taken for a new ID badge on that same day. I look slightly drunk/stoned/challenged in the picture...as if my coworkers didn't have enough fodder to back up that idea anyway. Hmmm...

The past couple of nights have gone a bit better thanks to Benadryl. However, I find myself fighting with the alarm clock for over an hour every morning...which isn't usually like me. And then there's that nasty fatigue wall I hit between 3:30 and 4:30 in the afternoon that completely sucks the will to live right out of me.

A coworker mentioned to me that it takes him 2 weeks to adjust back after going to China. For everyone's sake, let's hope that isn't true in my case. Perhaps I should head to COSTCO to stock up on some industrial size Benadryl. :) Any other suggestions/remedies? Wish me luck, time to hit the hay for tonight.

To the other side of the world...

So it's just about 4:45 a.m. as I start writing this blog entry. Heidi and I leave for the the airport in about an hour and a half. We have been up all night and I just barely finished packing. That leaves just enough time to shower and straighten things up for our dog sitters (thanks Aline and Mom Merryweather!) We have been up all night...which thing I am too old for now I might add...originally thinking it would be a good way to start trying to adjust to the time change (India is 11 1/2 hours ahead of us.) But as fate would have it, staying up all night turned out to be necessary in order to get everything done.

I apologize for being absent from my blog for the past week or so...things have been beyond busy. Last weekend I drove my family home and went to my cousin's wedding and flew back on my birthday (don't ask how old!) I was here for a few days and then had to take off to Mexico for my clinic and got back late on Friday night. I also had to put in 7 hours at work to leave stuff organized there and well...you get the picture.

Anyway, I just wanted to say goodbye to everyone for now. Wish us luck in India...it still seems so unreal! I know we'll have plenty of good stories and pictures to share when we get back. So until then...keep on keepin' on!!

My first hula lesson...

Every year my singles ward has a service auction to raise money for our ward campout. Just about anything and everything you can imagine is up for bid--from house cleaning to computer services to gourmet meals to private airplane tours of the Salt Lake valley to hula lessons. Yes, let's stop with that last one as it happens to relate to the title of my blog.

My first purchase at this year's auction was a hula lesson from my friend Tara who served a mission in Hawai'i. Why would I purchase such a thing you ask? Is it because I am a wonderfully skilled dancer who needs a new genre to conquer? Definitely not!! Let's just say if I found a magic lamp and could have 3 wishes from a genie, one of those would be to be able to cut a rug with the best of them. Not that I am completely without rhythm mind you...it's that I am a much better dancer in my own head than what my body chooses to do. I think something is lost in translation between my brain and my appendages.

The real reason I bought the hula lesson is two-fold. First, I went to Hawai'i in November of last year and ever since then I have thought about Hawai'i at least every other day if not every day. I used to wonder what the big fuss was all about but after having been there I must have been hit with the spirit of Aloha or something. I'd give anything to be there right now in fact. Second, I thought it would be fun to share this lesson with my sister during the annual family trip to Utah. Megan is by far a better dancer than I am and has taken a number of different types of dance classes so I thought she might enjoy this as well.

So a couple of nights ago Tara came over armed with some cd's and even some lavalavas (which I somewhat reluctantly put on I might add). Since Heidi was around as well, we made it a lesson for three. Tara began demonstrating her mad skills and throwing out Hawaiian words that I honestly cannot now remember. We learned the different steps and then started to put them together as choreography for a specific song.

I did much better with some steps than others. I have rediscovered that I am not very good at trying to get different parts of my body to do different things at the same time. I know I looked pretty ridiculous attempting some of the stuff although I think I pretty much nailed the "vamp" (which is just about the most simple step which is kind of used as a break during the instrumental portion before the next verse of the song starts).

Anyway, we learned a whole song in my cramped living room and it was really fun!! In the past I have been discouraged trying to learn other forms of dance. But I must say I really enjoyed learning a little bit of hula and although I am nowhere near as graceful as Tara or other real hula dancers, I wasn't a complete loss. Megan and Heidi really enjoyed themselves as well and I'm pretty sure Tara got a kick out of my lack of coordination. I tried to switch places to be out of her peripheral vision but my coordination problems were so widespread there was nowhere to hide! Here we are with our kumu (teacher) after the lesson (l-r Heidi, Tara, Megan, me):

Mahalo Tara! It was a blast!! I videotaped her showing us what the dance is supposed to look like so I can practice on my own until I get it down. So next time you see me, feel free to ask for a demonstration of my new skills...and until then...A-LO-HA!!!

The men in my life...

Ok, before you get all excited let me preface this blog with the following dislcaimer: this entry has nothing to do with my romantic endeavors, or more appropriately the lack thereof. Now that we have that out of the way I can proceed....

I have two main men in my life. One has been around for just a little over a year and the other is a more recent addition of about two months or so. In their own respective sphere (one human, one canine), each is just about the cutest thing I have ever seen and I can't help but love them, play with them and want to spoil them. Some of you may know them, but for those who don't....let me introduce you to my boys (from L-R, Hurley & Ian):

We'll start with Ian first as he has been my main squeeze for a little over a year. Despite the fact that my friend April (Ian's mom) and I were convinced that he was a girl before the ultrasound confirmed otherwise, I couldn't be happier with my little guy. And he is definitely all boy...he's rough and tumble and likes to get into everything and play hard. For those of you who know me, I have been afraid of small children (specifically infants) for quite a while. They say that babies and dogs smell fear so I think the feeling was mutual. However, sweet little Ian has been so good putting up with his crazy "tia" and his mom has also been brave enough to allow me to get my feet wet and overcome my baby-phobia. I cherish every chance I get to hold him or play with him or spoil him rotten (my checking account has been suffering I must admit!) But how could you not love this?

Now on to the more recent addition in my life. My friend and roommate Heidi and I are both dog people and fortunately my condo is pet-friendly. Therefore we decided that we wanted to try our hands at raising a puppy. For anyone who has not gone through this experience I must say it can be quite frustrating at times and gives you many opportunities to feel like a complete failure. I also now realize why I don't have any children yet (besides not having a husband of course)...if I can't even handle raising an animal, why on earth would I ever be trusted with a human?

Anyway, at the end of May we found a classified ad and went out to look at some toy poodle puppies. It didn't take long for us to fall in love with one of the puppies and for him to fall in love with us. He practically hurled himself out of the box trying to get to us. Our little Hurley has been mostly a delight ever since. Were it not for the chewing/biting and potty-training issues he'd be a complete delight! Anyway, I am really proud of him because he really has learned a lot and is becoming a well-trained dog at his young age. Not to mention that he is the darn cutest thing you've ever seen. Everywhere we go with him people ooohhh and aaahhh over him. And he just LOVES people...he's great with everyone. You should come and play with him sometime...he's a real hoot! Here's his mug shot when he gets in trouble. But with a face like that you can imagine he never stays in trouble for too long!!

So that's the long and the short of it. These are the men in my life for now...but trust me, there is plenty of love to go around so if you know of a decent guy out there that might want to have a place in my heart along with these two, please drop me a line **shameless plug for getting set up with someone** :)

Road trippin' it!!

Ahhh, one of the great American traditions...well at least it used to be before gas got so darn expensive. In today's fast-paced world it may have become somewhat of a lost art as well. Who wants to spend 12 hours in a car when you can get there by plane in about 2? I, however, am still a big fan of the occasional road trip.

I, however, am still a big fan of the occasional road trip. I went on an awesome roadtrip last summer with Heidi as we hit 4 National Parks in 11 days (Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Glacier and Waterton Lakes in Alberta Canada). I think we covered over 2.000 miles that trip and that was only what we did by car. Who knows how many miles we hiked...probably not in the thousands although by the end of the trip it felt that way. But who could pass up seeing views as beautiful as this? I would definitely recommend a visit to Glacier and Waterton (which is basically the Canadian side of Glacier) for those of you who haven't been there. It truly is heaven on earth!

Every year for the past 5 or 6 years I have had an annual road trip to look forward to. For those of you who don't know, my mom and little sis live in Simi Valley, CA (between the San Fernando Valley and Thousand Oaks). Every summer they come up to spend a couple of weeks with me here in SLC and also have a chance to reconnect with friends and family in the area. This annual emigration usually goes like this:

1. I fly down to California, usually on a Friday.
2. Saturday and Sunday I drive the family van back to Utah.
3. We party it up and have a grand old time for 2 weeks, give or take.
4. We load up the van & retrace our steps back through the desert over 2 days.
5. I fly back to Utah and collapse for a couple of days.

Anyway, this past weekend was the first part of the annual emigration and so I am now enjoying the company of my family. However, I am completely convinced that they are far more excited to be spending time with my new puppy than they are me. I guess I can't fault them though...he is definitely much cuter and fun than I am. Here's to road trips and being together with friends and family!

Mama Donna and Meg-a-roo