Blog Challenge Day Three

The worst movie you've ever seen.


Oh this should be good. I've seen a lot of doozies.

One of them was called "Driven." It was a Sylvester Stallone movie about race cars and it had the guy from "Remember the Titans" named Sunshine in it. We kept singing Sunshine! the whole time. It was the only entertaining thing about the movie. Seriously. Awful.

source

Another terrible movie: "Timeline." I don't know why the movie was so stupid, the director is good. On the other hand, this movie is also hilarious. It doesn't mean to be, it just is. Really, you have to rent it and just laugh your head off at the horrible acting, lame cast, and ridiculous lines. 

source

That's all I can think of for now. Oh, wait, yeah... there's "Babes In Toyland" with Drew Barrymore in it. Talk about a cringe-fest. And I fell asleep in the movie theater during "The Hulk" with Eric Bana. Oh! And another good one to watch just make fun of it is "The Canterbury Ghost" with Neve Campbell. Ha ha ha ha! Wow. 

**Don't forget to check out my last post and vote. Help me out!**

Blog Challenge Day Two

Why I got a blog.

That is a very good question. Why did I get a blog? My first blog was Reflections of London. It was a writing blog. Nobody that didn't share my DNA really cared about it. It fell through the cracks.

My second blog was the Dental Infernal Journal. I told funny stories about what really goes on in a dental office. You'd be surprised how many imbeciles went through that place.

The Dental Infernal Journal evolved into just My Infernal Journal. I guess I have this blog to feed my ego, work on writing, entertain, enlighten, inspire, make new friends  . . .

Hm.

I started another blog over a year ago called "Letters to Lizzie" which was a story blog about a teenage girl named Kadence who wrote letters to Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice. That one was good for a while, started getting some followers, then I got pregnant and just couldn't do it anymore.
I made a big ole grandiose announcement that Letters to Lizzie was starting again but fans of Kadence, I'm so sorry, I don't know if it's going to continue. Please don't curse my name  Chessie and Marie.

I've thought about taking one of the novels I've already written, but haven't been able to publish, and turning that into a new story blog. What do you think? 
Should I do "Warriors of Galroth?" ugh please heck no. That's my first book and will probably never see the light of day. 
How about "3124?" second book. a time travel piece. kinda teenie-bopper.
There's "Amaranth." ha ha. Not that one please. I wrote that one out of retaliation for Twilight.
One of my favorites: "The Streets of Elangard." of the fantasy genre. somewhat autobiographical. The setting is based on the city of Old York.
And my latest completion: "Fathom." contemporary fantasy. It's about mermaids.
There are others I've started and haven't finished yet: a sequel to "Fathom," a modern retelling of "Phantom of the Opera," and others.


So followers maybe I'll start calling you Hero's heroes. Hero London is my pen name . . . which one would you most like to read?

Blog Challenge Day One

15 interesting facts about my life so far.


Some of you may already know some of these things. I hope it's still interesting.

1. I was born in a lazy-boy chair. My mom was sitting in it at Graham County hospital. I was ready to come before she could move to the bed!
2. I was allergic to EVERYTHING as a kid. Milk, peanuts, soy, uh... what else, Mom?
3. I've been making up stories ever since I can remember. It started with Barbies and playing house. It evolved into pen and paper and has now turned into full-fledged novels.
4. The first time I held hands with a boy was at Skateland when I was 11. It was a "partner's" skate, he was very cute, and felt sorry for me. His name was Scott.
5. My first date was three months after I turned 16. Yeah, at that age, that's a long time to wait for a date. His name was Scott too. Not the same guy.
6. I have eaten worms. It was in junior high. Long story. They were cooked in a pizza by the home-ec teacher. Yes, I knew what I was eating. It was dis.gus.ting.
7. My favorite animal is the lion. Probably because of Aslan.
8. From age 18 to age 21 I was a dance teacher. Mostly jazz and lyrical, some ballet. I did it for two years. It was one of the greatest jobs I've ever had. Right up there with face-painting.
9. The first concert I ever went to was N'Sync when I was 17. I was pretty much in love with Justin Timberlake at the time. I screamed myself hoarse.
10. My first boyfriend's name was Kyle. I was fifteen. We never went on any dates. We never even kissed.
11. My first "real" kiss was when I was 19. His name was Hyrum. I didn't know what I was doing. Awful.
12. I graduated from Mesa High, class of 2000. Seriously... can you think of a cooler year to graduate?
13. I have never eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in my life. No really. I haven't. I'm allergic to peanut butter.
14. I like teeth. After dental assisting for seven years, it's hard not too.
15. My first car was a Jeep Cherokee. It was an '89. Red. I think I named him Stanley.

I am.... the most interesting woman in the world.
I never drink beer.
not even dos equis.
Stay thirsty, my friends.

Blog Challenge

I've been silent for a few days. Sorry guys. Not that there's a lot going on, I just haven't been all that inspired.

So here's what I'm going to do now.

My friend Darci over at The Page Traveler is doing a blog challenge. Since imitation is the highest form of flattery, I thought I'd copy her. *grin*

Since it's the month of May, the month of my birth, I'll start this blog challenge now. I realize I should have done this at the start of May instead of at the end, but this is my infernal journal and I'll write when I wanna.
So . . .
Here's the challenge (with some modifications and only 29 days of it)

Day 01- 15 interesting facts about your life so far
Day 02- Why you got a blog
Day 03- Worst movie you ever saw
Day 04- A habit that you wish you didn’t have
Day 05- A picture of somewhere you want to travel to
Day 06- celebrity crush and why (supply picture)
Day 07- what was your last dream about
Day 08- akward obsessions
Day 09- something that ticked you off, that normally shouldn’t tick you off
Day 10- Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad
Day 11- out of anyone in the world, who would you put in shark-infested waters
Day 12- pet peeve
Day 13- A letter to someone who has made your day
Day 14- one amusement park that you would burn to ruins
Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play
Day 16- picture of yourself
Day 17- Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have
Day 19- Nicknames you have; why do you have them
Day 20- Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future (Since I'm already married, I'm going to post about the man I chose to marry)
Day 21- A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 22- What makes you different from everyone else
Day 23- Something you crave for a lot
Day 24- A letter to your parents
Day 25- What I would find in your bag/purse
Day 26- What you think about your friends
Day 27- Why are you doing this 30 day challenge
Day 28- current wish list
Day 29- who are you?



There were 30 questions originally, but Darci said one of them was really stupid so she deleted it. What was it, Darci? Now I'm curious. 


I hope I don't bore all of you. I hope it's fun. And I hope I get a few chuckles or a few deep thoughts. 

Things I learned from my run

I've said it before, I'll say it again.
Pandora online radio is THE BEST.


So here's what I learned today:


~ Adding a new station to Pandora online radio helps my run. I got my best time today!

~ My new station, Pirates of the Caribbean; Dead Man's Chest, rocks my world. It's fun to try and play "guess that movie" with every song. Sometimes I actually get it wrong. Shocking, I know.

~ Indiana Jones is fun to listen to while running.

~ I actually liked the soundtrack to Avatar. Who knew?

~ "Duel of the Fates" from Star Wars Episode I is also very fun to listen to while running. Makes me feel like a jedi. oh don't laugh you know you'd do it too.


~ If you're having a hard time with motivation, buy some new running clothes. You can get 'em cheap at places like Ross or Marshall's.


Goodish run this morning. Learned some new things. And I went farther and faster than I thought!

Sunshine in rain

Have you ever stood in sunshine and rain at the same time? It's a peculiar feeling. Thick clouds, pouring rain, but it isn't dark . . . it's sort-of like when you find yourself breathing underwater either with a snorkel or in a dream. Two things that shouldn't be able to happen at once.

One year ago today I found out I was pregnant. Finally pregnant.
I remember the joy.
The fear.
The anticipation.
The hope.
The oh-my-heck-I-can't-believe-this-happening.
Smiling for no reason.
Barfing for no reason.
Crying for no reason.

And that little heartbeat.



Being pregnant with Ella was like standing in sunshine and rain. At last I was experiencing the incredible miracle of carrying a sweet little daughter. With the dark clouds overhead as we found out about her heart defect, I tried so hard to face the sun. While the rain poured down, we could still see small rays of light, small glimmers of hope.

Now that she's gone, life is the same way. Sometimes the storm is greater than the sun. Other times the rain is just a memory. Sometimes they go on simultaneously. But I've realized that no matter how cold and ruthless that storm is, the sun is always above it. I don't always feel it, but sooner or later,

 it will shine.

It would seem that we shouldn't be able to breathe underwater, or fly while we're falling, or feel the sun's rays as the clouds burst their guts, or even be happy when life, or death, takes so much from us.

 But the Son is still shining.
And with or without the storm, He always will.

source

Starting an etsy shop . . .?

I adore making money from painting. I could face paint all day (even though my back would hurt). I never get sick of it.

I tried to start a custom art/mural business on the side but I never advertised for it much and since my pregnancy, it has sort-of gotten lost . . . like when you drop something into your purse and it falls into the vortex of no return with all the ear-ring backs and matching socks.

I've got some paintings I'd like to sell. So I thought, why not start an etsy shop?
Hmm.
I don't know what it is about this that has me so hesitant. It's like... a ten cent investment. Stand back, Oliver Warbucks.
Maybe I just need some encouragement from those who have started an etsy shop of their own. (Jamie??) *smile*

I love Disney, so I thought I'd do paintings of a more non-traditional, out-of-the-way kind. Here are some pictures me and Bret took at Disneyland. The first one I've already started painting:

 this one is just gorgeous.

I love the sign with the castle in the background.

This one is so iconic America. Bret took this picture.

So what do you think?

I didn't run alone

Today I participated in my very first 5k race. It was Dayton's Dash, a race put together by Spencer Zimmerman for his Eagle Project. All proceeds went to the Cerebral Palsy Foundation. Below is the link to Dayton and Spencer's beautiful story.

Dayton's Legs

(watch with a box of tissues.)

My running buddy had a sick little girl, so I was on my own. I felt so dumb standing around. I didn't really know anybody, not even the people who sponsored the race Ok I did know one person but not that well and I hadn't seen her in years so I didn't talk to her. I was by myself, and I had never run a race like this before.

Fortunately I brought my earphones.

I turned on Pandora a runner's best friend

And my cardio trainer app so I could get my time

And I was off.

I'm not a fast runner. I was getting passed my people pushing strollers. Dayton and Spencer, of course, left everyone in the dust. 

But still I ran. 

And as I ran, right in my path, I spotted

a ladybug.

And I knew then that even though I was by myself, I wasn't alone. I couldn't help the tears from falling as I continued on.

Never stopping.

It was hard. It was hot. But she was with me.

A 5k is a minimal distance if you compare it to a 10k, half or full marathon, but I got to run with my Ella by my side. And that is worth so much more to me than any ache, pain, or drop of sweat. 

Enjoy?

I enjoy being a girl?
Um.... 
when I'm getting facials, shopping for a pretty dress, and getting the door opened for me, yeah.


But when guys don't do anything for their appearance,
they still look fine.


Women, on the other hand...
If we don't
exercise
put on makeup
remove our calluses
tan our skin
style our hair
cut our hair
color our hair
remove unwanted hair all. the. time. shave tweeze wax ouch! nair shave shave shave 
and otherwise "get ready"

we look like disgusting slobs.

After running these complaints by my husband,
his reply was a big, whopping
"sorry."
He went on to say more stuff that sorta dug the man I adore into a deeper hole that I chose to ignore because if I didn't, I'm a moody, angry, pms-y GIRL. oh don't EVEN get me started on that whole messy biological business.




I vote for a free National Ugly Day in which we can completely let ourselves go and our husbands still have to tell us we're beautiful.

Dear Cliche',

Thank you so much for having no place on my blog. For realsies. Thank you for allowing my words to ring with true wit and awesomeness. Can you say. . . . I heart this?
*Sigh*
Love it!
OMH, I am so glad I'll never have to hit up the cliche secret vaults then twist the words up pretty-like so all my readers will be all peanut butter and jealous of my blog posts. lol! Anyhoo, I just want to entertain enlighten my readers with lots of uber cute posts that prolly go straight to their crazy bones trash bins hearts. So cliche, I am telling you now that you are not welcome on my blog.
Just sayin'.


Sincerely,
Me


And to all my adoring fans avid readers bloggy buddies, I have to say I sooooo adore you. I hope you'll continue to visit because I just told cliche to take a hike.


You're welcome.
*hugs*


ok seriously. I hope no one takes offense to this blog post. I just sometimes think it's so funny how we try to come up with the most witty phrases to be the most entertaining, the most silly, the most quirky. I'm as guilty as any of us. Making people laugh is a great thrill to me. I hope I did this time. 
And keep up those silly phrases. 
Cuz you rock.


Shoot me some comment love and gimme your favorite bloggy cliche.

House hunting

One of my favorite shows to watch is "House Hunters." Sometimes the people are nit-picky and annoying, but other times it's fun to find out which house they pick and how they make it their own. (House Hunters International makes me want to buy an Italian Villa or an English Row house to renovate for vacations.)

Me and the Man will be moving out of my aunt and uncle's house on June 7th when they come home from their mission in Wales. So we've been "house hunting." So I thought I'd turn a blog post into an episode of "House Hunters." 

We looked at lots of different places. Here are the three we narrowed it down to.

House #1 

It's in Surprise, AZ, with 3 bedrooms, 2 bath, about 1,300 square feet and $850/month in rent.

(Our budget is between 800-900/month)

The inside was nice, all new carpet and tile flooring, double sinks in the master bath, all appliances included.

But the yard was hideous and we'd have to take care of it ourselves.

The neighborhood was nice, lots of jogging paths and families.

But the commute to Midwestern University is about 25 minutes in good traffic.

House #2

Also in Surprise. It's a 2 bedroom+den, 2 bath with about 1,200 square feet. The rent is only $825/month (cheap!). The outside is cute, the neighborhood seems quiet, and there's a ton of shopping within walking distance. Appliances all included.

But the carpet was kinda nasty and the house felt cramped. Also, the commute to Midwestern was about 20+ minutes in good traffic.

House #3 

Apartment Building in Glendale with 2 bedrooms, 2 bath, and about 1,200 square feet. All appliances included, also has a pool and gym. I never saw the inside of the apartments, but the Man did and he said they were really nice. Rent is about $900/month, so it's at the top of our budget. But the commute to school would only be about five minutes. We'd save a fortune on gas.

We'll also be closer, or at least more central to where all our new dental school friends live. 

So which one did we choose?

House #1 Nice interior, nice neighborhood?

House #2 Close to shopping, cheap rent?
House #3 Apartment building, close to school?

We chose...

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

The apartment in Glendale! 

Not what you expected? Exactly what you expected?

I'll tell you it wasn't what I originally wanted. I'd hoped for a little more elbow room, especially since we've gotten so spoiled used to a bigger house.

But we felt a lot better living closer to the Man's school. After budgeting all our rent costs/gas/other bills, it came up cheaper with this place, even though the rent is more expensive.

After making the decision, I felt good about it. With the other houses, I just didn't feel like I was "home."

It's going to take us a while to make it our own and we can't move in until June 17th (yep, that means 10 days of living in limbo. Not looking forward to it) but as soon as I feel it's blog post worthy (uh... will it ever be? I dunno) I'll do an update like they always do on "House Hunters" and you can see exactly how we adjust and decorate our new little place.

Can't wait.

29 things....

Today is the first day of the last of my twenties. Oy. Happy Birthday to me, my friend Rogue, George Clooney, and Gaston Leroux. In case you were wondering.
So on this lovely 6th day of May, I've decided to write down 29 things I'd like to accomplish before my roaring 20's are out.
Ahem...

1. Get pregnant with a healthy baby. That's a no-brainer.
2. Read the Book of Mormon cover to cover again.
3. Bring at least one soul unto Jesus Christ.
4. Finish writing a book.
5. Land an agent/publisher.
6. Start a new book.
7. Visit the Harry Potter Theme Park.
8. Choreograph just one more dance.
9. Repurpose a piece of furniture.
10. Read a classic I've never read before.
11. Meet a bloggy friend in person.
12. Start an etsy shop.
13. Eat a meal at The Melting Pot. fondue = yum
14. Have a complete Harry Potter movie marathon.
15. Hike a trail in Sedona, AZ.
16. Complete a 10k race.
17. Get a makeover.
18. Make a movie.
19. Spend more quality time with my parents
20. Go to a real English tea party. herbal tea of course.
21. Go back to school.
22. Buy a brand new car.
23. Lose ten more pounds
24. Take a dance class
25. Work up the courage to cut my hair
26. Be an extra in a Hollywood film.
27. Attend a temple session in a temple other than the Mesa one.
28. Ride the Phoenix Metro Light Rail. I still haven't done that, can you believe it?
29. Go see a Broadway Musical. one I haven't seen before... like Wicked or Lord of the Rings.

Some of these things will be super easy; some of them are even in the plan. But some will be harder. Some may not happen. If it doesn't, it's not the end of the world. Just the end of my 20's.

And I wanna go out with a bang.

Heart Warrior

The man's cousin has a little boy still recovering from surgery for his heart.

He doesn't have the same defect Ella did, but he's still waging a major war and he's winning!

Please remember him and his family in your prayers.

http://ourgunnellfamily.blogspot.com


P.S. May the 4th be with you.
Happy Star Wars day

Guest post

This week, Carrie over at roudystroudy.blogspot.com  (Her button, "All that is Sweet in Life" is on my sidebar) is doing a series of posts on how each of us define motherhood. I was invited by this lovely woman to do a guest post on her beautiful blog, for which I feel extremely honored.

I've never been a guest blogger before.

My post goes up today, I hope you'll check it out. 
Then I hope you'll continue to follow Carrie because she's amazing. 

She's funny.

She's SO talented (seriously, check out her party planning posts. They'll make you drool.)

Her photography is gorgeous.
She's passionate about doing good and keeping it real.

She's just fabulous.