happy Christmas shopping...

Not to be a walking advertisement for the place who writes my paycheck, but I thought that some may want a little bit of help in their holiday shopping. And if so- I've got some great ideas for you! (All pictures belong to Deseret Book.)

1)

New from Elder Holland- Honestly, that is all you need to know. But I'm gonna tell you about it anyway. I've known about this book for awhile and was even given the opportunity to read it before it was published. Believe me when I tell you that this book will hit the mark of any person on your Christmas list. This book contains Elder Holland's own reflections of the Psalms with a specific attention to the Messiah and the 23rd Psalm. EVERYONE will benefit from this book!

When I first opened the manuscript months ago, I was encouraged by the fact that it was all new writings from one of my favorite apostles. Little did I know the peace and the healing balm that his words would be on what I considered an untroubled heart. His writing is personal. So much so that I felt as if he were speaking directly to Jenny Hortin through the pages. Could he have had me in mind when he wrote it? Slightly, but only because we all deal with the same troubles. We are all trying to do our best and make it from day to day. This is the answer to the problems you didn't know you had.

AND not only is it a wonderful book, but it comes with a DVD with 2 HOURS OF ELDER HOLLAND answering questions about life. A friend of mine was able to attend the taping and she said it was a life-changing experience to sit at the feet of an apostle who knows what we are going through and wants nothing more than to help bring us closer to the light of the Gospel. If I haven't convinced you to buy the book, buy the DVD and you'll get the book for free! :) (In a manner of speaking)

2)

 This book has been out in our stores for some time but if you haven't grabbed a copy, one for your mom, or your sister, or your grandmother, or those you visit teach, then you need to! This lovely book is exactly what it appears. It contains divine instruction from Joseph Smith during the first meetings of the Relief Society in Nauvoo with personal insights from my friends, Sheri and Virginia. (They don't know me from Eve, but I figure if they did, we would be friends.) This book is a great reminder of the power of women and the role we play in the grand scheme of things.


3)

I love this book! I may or may not have two copies of it on my bookshelf at home, one being signed by the author.... In my personal, unbiased opinion, every single girl should read this book! It will make you laugh, possibly cry, and will most definitely make your romantic heart race. If I could find a man like Phillip, I'd marry him. Just sayin' Buy one for your mom, sister, and your best friends. Read it in Book Club. Carry it with you while riding public transportation. If you haven't caught on yet: YOU NEED THIS BOOK!


4) For the kids on your list:

This is the second of The Candy Shop War series so go ahead and buy the first as well. You say the name Brandon Mull and you know you are in for a good treat. Any fans of Fablehaven, or the Beyonders will be a fan of this series. I feel a personal connection to this book because of the massive marshmallow war that I helped with---if I haven't told you that story yet, it's a classic. Ask me about it one day.


5) Get a jelly watch from DB! I own the pink and through my family, we own all but the orange and green. Still, it is only a matter of time before I storm the store and grab everyone for myself. Act fast!

 

·       

proof

I work at Deseret Book, right? Well, by doing so, I get to meet really cool people. Sometimes I feel like friends don't believe me. But, dear readers, I have proof.

This past weekend was the big Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. Because I'm lucky, my occupation, and my parents love me, I was able to attend both Friday and Sunday performances. Why you ask? Because I am in love with Alfie Boe. Period.

By pulling some important strings, DB was able to schedule a signing following the Friday performance and since I have connections, my friend, Heather, asked if I would be willing to come help. Sheesh, twist my arm.

I met Carrie, Maggie and Josh at the Conference Center and we had a glorious time. I may have mentioned my poor friend, Hunter, who had to watch last year's concert over and over again to make our TV spot. He came to my desk and was showing bits and pieces of the concert to more fully convince me that the show was "boring" and the costumes were "weird." (Simply quoting.) Well, all I can say is that this year's concert kicked last year's TRASH! Everything- the costumes, the decor, the story of the Candy Bomber (side note: The Candy Bomber came to my middle school for a special assembly when I was in 8th or 9th grade. I feel like we're friends.), Tom Brokaw, and not to mention Mr. Alfie Boe- was incredible. INCREDIBLE! I laughed. I cried. I sang along. We swayed back and forth to the Christmas Waltz, and Josh convinced Maggie to get me one of those flowing dresses for Christmas. We had a wonderful time during the concert.

But that was only the beginning.

Did I mention that I helped with the signing? Did I also mention that meant I was able to meet Tom Brokaw and almost able to meet Alfie.... I say almost because I didn't actually talk to him. But still. We bonded.

Don't believe me? Proof:

 Look!!!!! See me? Less than three feet away- Tom Brokaw and ALFIE BOE! Shut the front door! Yeah, I know. Look at my crazy cool life!

I like Tom. He was terribly nice but by the time we had the MASSIVE crowd out the door it was after 11pm. He was ready to go back to his swanky hotel and go to sleep. My friend, Ron, was trying terribly hard to rush both stars out the door. Tom was ready to leave but Alfie was practically dragged out of the building. He is nicer than I imagined. He spent as much time as he could talking to people, shaking hands, signing autographs, giving hugs, etc. I wanted to run after him as he was being pulled from the building but I figured Ron would tell Sheri to fire me or something else as drastic that I just watched him walk away and fell even more in love. Yes, I know he is happily married and has two kids. Never gonna happen. But in the words of Sheri Dew, "Alfie Boe is the only man that could convince me to marry a non-member." 

As I stood there gawking, Heather saw me and asked if I was alright. I explained that I wanted to go and meet him but knew better. Then--- funniest moment of the whole night--- Heather says that she will give me Alfie's Mentos. As Tom and Alfie were signing, we provided gum and Mentos to keep their breath minty fresh. Alfie left a good amount in the package and either someone was going to take them home or they were going to be thrown away. So- I got them. Thanks to my friends in the music department, I own Alfie Boe's Mentos. Be jealous.

Sunday morning, I snagged the last ticket from the four I got from Marketing and went along with Mom, Dad and Melanie to Music and the Spoken Word. Lloyd Newell spent five whole minutes telling us not to clap. "I've seen this every night so far and believe me, you are going to want to clap. Please don't. Don't clap. Did I mention not to clap?...." The video guys actually cut him off because the show was about to start. He was right. We almost had to sit on our hands to keep ourselves from clapping. Did I mention that this year's concert kicks last year's trash? Oh, I did. Good.

Melanie didn't really have a clue who Alfie was before this past weekend. I've played the YouTube video of Alfie singing Bring Him Home enough that she recognized him. Now, she is a constant follower on Facebook. She loved my stories of the signing and loves the Mentos I carry almost as much as I do. We aren't stalkers. I promise.

Here they are- the famous minty treat in the same shot as Alfie himself. Sadly, you can't see him but he's there. Just above my hand.

I meet famous people. All in a day's work.

warning you: i'm emotional

I used to be able to keep my emotions in check. I used to be able to stop myself from crying at sappy commercials or happy endings. Well, that's flown out the window. I saw this posted on Facebook through Mormon Messages today at work. No, I am not dealing with the same situation to the same degree but I have had a few weeks, especially the past few days, where I can't figure out which way is up. I know which way I want to be up and which way should be up, but getting myself there as quickly as I would like is proving to be a problem. Anyway. That's enough about my troubles.

The POINT is that even though I'm slightly messed up and way off balance,

 I AM NOT FORGOTTEN. 

(If you are a baby like me, now would be a good time to reach for the nearest tissue box.)

I was sitting in the Conference Center when President Uchtdorf gave this address. His talk then found me weeping. It was such a new sight to my sister and my mom that both asked if I was okay. The answer for today is: Not really, but I will be.

30 for 30

It has been a goal of mine to take on the challenge of a "30 for 30" for awhile now. When the other Hortin sisters talked about the idea, I was all in. Sadly, I've been a bit preoccupied to take pictures. Well that, and having pictures taken of me is not my favorite past time. Still, I tried to stay close to the rules.

If you haven't ever heard of a "30 for 30," let me explain. As a way to play around with your closet, you choose 30 articles of clothing (slacks, skirts, shirts, jeans, sweaters, shoes, whatever...) and make outfits for the next 30 days with only those pieces.
For our own, we made a few exceptional rules.
Rules:

• Saturdays are optional.
• Accessories work as wild cards except for shoes.
• Undershirts don't count.
• Outerwear doesn't count.

I succeeded in staying within the 30 pieces with only a few foul ups. Today is supposedly the last day of our 30 and I have yet to post any pictures or make any posts.... So, let's just pretend like I have. 

Here you go:

shirt: H&M; skirt: gift for my birthday (DownEast); scarf: sister's closet; 

watch: Walmart; shoes: Payless :)

Thanks to Melanie for being my photographer. She's pretty great at it. We had fun "being artistic" with an unartistic camera. The hope with this was to mix textures. It doesn't hurt that this skirt makes any curves look good. Heaven knows that I have curves.

During this attempt at 30 for 30, I learned that if I really only had 30 pieces of clothing, I would still have trouble getting dressed in the morning. My mother told me that as long as I have been dressing myself, it has always been a major ordeal. I start with one idea and end up with something else. Preparing my clothes the night before is NOT an option for yours truly. On the upside, I learned that I really like pattern mixing. Give me some time to figure out the kinks of this challenge thing and I'll try this again.

bagpipers and paper-cuts

I had no idea that days in the corporate world would be so dang funny. Sit back, relax, and grab a snack as I share some of my favorite moments from the past few weeks of DB life.

I'd like to introduce to one of the company annoyances: the City Creek bagpiper. He stands next to the crosswalk that connects City Creek to Temple Square and plays all day long. I am not particularly against bag-piping.  If a man chooses to express himself by blowing into a large bag with pipes attached, he is more than welcome to in my book. If, perchance, that expression leaves others to rush to their cubicles crying, he may have a bigger problem. Also, if those people belong to DB, you know I'm gonna have a great story to go along with it.

Mr. Piper, let's be honest, is not the best bagpiper in the land. Why else would he stand on the side of the street panhandling for money? I am not an expert on piping expertise but one note of his sounds like three different squawks that are relatively in the same key. Sometimes I can catch the tune. Whenever I catch a phrase or two of "Praise to the Man" (Yes, I know the tune is some Irish song or something), it makes me smile. Needless to say, he is not the favorite musician on the street. Many of the DB associates have tried to find a way to get rid of him. (Nothing shady- don't worry. The DB hit team is still under raps...) Every time the company gets together, (or few times over the corporate email) there is an ongoing joke that whoever gets rid of Mr. Piper will win $500. (I'm sure enough of the building is willing to donate their own penny cash to whoever conquers the music bandit.) If anyone wins the money, I'll be sure to let you know.

The Case of the Paper-cuts is an equally fascinating story. A few weeks back, DB came out with a special gift to all its customers: a $5 off for a $25 purchase coupon. (Side note: if you would like a coupon, let me know. I have connections now.) It became a bit of a contest to see who would be able to hand out the most after Jeannie took hundreds over to MoTab practice for the entire choir and orchestra. The COB HR Dept. requested a good 2000 to hand out to all of their employees! As exciting as that sounds, the coupons come on rolls of close to 5000 coupons each. Meaning that someone had to roll out the correct number to send across the street. Who should get that responsibility but my friend Derek. Ergo, he would holler and ask if I would help. Scott had the awesome idea that we could measure how many coupons would line the major hallway from Dustin's office to the far end of the break room. Walking a roll of coupons down the hallway didn't seem like enough fun to me so I had the idea that Derek and I could race. He jumped on that idea! Why wouldn't he? How often does anyone race down the hallway in the corporate world?

Derek went first. He started strong for the first three feet. Then the middle of the roll decided to make an appearance and fall all over the floor. After his girlish squeals while putting the roll back together, he made a grand total of 35 seconds from start to finish. Then it was my turn. I learned enough from his experience to keep track of the whole roll while I ran. That certain development resulted in several paper-cuts all over my hands. Still, I won. The pain was totally worth it!

We decided to run twice even though it was more coupons than we needed. The second time, Derek ran like the wind! I tried to keep up and was doing a pretty good job until I hit the center of the hallway and heard the door open on my right. I remember thinking, "Oh crap! What if that's Sheri...?" and I dropped the roll. Whether it be fortunate or not, it wasn't Sheri. I am sorry to say that I lost big time on the second run.

Derek and I exchanged YOU ROCK cards since we both won once and then attempted to get back to work. The rest of the Marketing team were sad that they missed out on all the fun. Mike and Megan came out of a meeting and began taking pictures of the mess we made to possibly post online... If you see them, let me know!

This is just a few pieces of my life here at Corporate. I still feel like I'm floundering a bit but life goes on... One day, I'll know what I'm doing. At least, here's hoping!

training wheels

I was reminded yesterday that I haven't been very faithful to my little bloggy blog or its readers.
My sincerest apologies.

Today was my first day flying solo as THE Marketing Coordinator of DB. The training wheels are off. How did it go? Well, the building is still standing so let's count it as a success. I didn't make it into the office "on time". But then I don't really have an exact time that would make me late. Reports aren't finished. The email that is due to my boss was barely done on time. I had to drive to Target for gift cards and looked like an idiot when I asked the Customer Service guy if they really worked. I helped with a coworkers birthday but then didn't know what to say so I stood around awkwardly. Sure, "it's only awkward if you make it awkward." I made that awkward.

On the flip side, I brought out some of my Brighton skills. Dustin was moaning and groaning in pain as he sat at his desk. If there if one thing that I learned at camp, it is how to get someone ice.

Here goes for another day tomorrow where I will sit in meetings, finish up reports, and pay invoices. Man, I sound like an adult!

quarter of a century

My "Birthday Week" (a month ago) was a success! I felt so loved. I am too lucky to have such wonderful people in my life that care so much.

Monday began the celebration with a dinner with my BF, Pixel. She treated me to burgers and slushes at Millie's Burgers. I love little "hole in the wall" joints that are one of a kind. Millie's was perfect! It is off of 2100 South, not too far away from the Dollar Movie Theater. I had a kiwi slush, malibu chicken sandwich and yummy fries. It was delicious but the best part was the company and my awesome birthday card. :)

The party moved over to the Dollar Movies. Pix and I were both excited to go and laugh at Kristen Stewart's acting in "Snow White and the Huntsman" and we weren't disappointed in her futile attempt. I don't recommend it unless you are in the mood for a crazy, insane movie with only a few highlights. Afterwards, we tried to think of three good things in the movie. We came up with 1. Young Snow White and William
2. Chris Hemsworth (best acting job in the whole movie) and I forget the third. The writers and the director took a few liberties to say the least. As the movie progressed, it became curiouser and curiouser... And then it was downright weird. But, I thought you might enjoy a few snipets of the best scene in the movie. (And yes, it keeps Stewart's acting little to none.)

Happy Watching!

Tuesday was a great day. I awoke to my family singing "Happy Birthday" and opened my lovely gifts. Because my dad loves me, he took the morning off to go hiking with me! It was a dream come true. We headed up Big Cottonwood Canyon to my beloved Brighton and followed the trail to Mary-Twin. It was a beautiful morning and perfect weather for hiking. 

We started off up the Mary trail and saw a moose! I told Dad that he was officially a part of Brighton now that he had seen a moose up close. Hopefully, Dad had as much fun as I did. It was the best gift he could have given me!

After hiking, Dad showed me his new office and I saw some of my old friends from my MassMutual days. Dad joked that I had attempted to "kill off my dad..." when we explained why I was still lugging around my trusty Camelbak. Then we headed back home and I watched a few of my favorite episodes of Chuck, showered, and got ready for our dinner plans.

Dinner was a trip to Gardner Village. My family and I wandered through some of the fun little shops, bought a few things, enjoyed our free fudge samples, and then went to Archibald's for dinner. It was delicious. Note: Rootbeer float fudge really does taste like a rootbeer float. Interesting party for my tastebuds.

The day ended with a lovely message from some of my Brighton pals  where they sang "Happy Birthday" to me- Brighton style. I loved it so much! Thanks friends!!!

Wednesday continued the celebrating with a trip over to The Tulip aka Tamra's house. She treated me to frozen yogurt at U-Swirl and I made every once count. I recommend trying cheesecake. It is delightful. Maggie came too and it was great fun!

Thursday was GAME DAY!!! I love Utah football. I live for Utah football. All members of the Hortin family, except Maggie, sat around the TV in our red and cheered on our boys. I had missed John White and I had no idea how much until he was out on the field. Wynn even held his ground! I have a good feeling about this season. Seriously, I am a "Utah man, sir, and will be til I die!" (Note that this was written before Wynn hurt his shoulder again and decided to retire.)

Friday brought lunch with my friend, Liz, who I met during my stint at Deseret Book. We became fast friends and it was so nice to talk to her again.We walked down to the Food Court in City Creek and I introduced her to Chick-fil-a. She had no idea about their lemonade or their fries. Yum yum.

Saturday brought the party into full swing as I met some friends up at Brighton for more hiking. The plan was to hike A&B, a seven-peak hike that takes all day, but the weather decided it wasn't up for that. Instead, we hiked Mary-Martha-Katherine and had a blast!

The Group: (L to R) Sunshine, Sox, Dolly's sister, Sushi, Dolly, Moon, me, Winnie, and Pippin

 The crazy weather couldn't decide what it wanted to do. When we started out, the rain clouds were threatening and we were freezing. After 20 minutes, the sun was shining and we were burning up. Later, the second half of the hike was spent in heavy cloud cover. Crazy, crazy weather happens whenever we start planning to hike A&B.

You know those times when you keep changing faces and wait to see what happens on the camera.... Good times all around.

We made it all the way to Katherine and it was gorgeous.

Singing "Little Sir Echo"

Sushi took a short cut and ended up falling in a bush. I don't know how it happened. I just know it happened,

Passing the "Frog Prince" I love that rock. So many good times happen by that rock.

I'll admit, I wasn't very excited about this particular birthday. My birthday week far surpassed my expectations and was now goes down in the history books as one of the best. Thank you, friends, for loving me so much!

correction

Going through my goals for being 24, I couldn't cross off the "Get a full-time job."

 I can now! 

"What?" you ask. 

Well, my dreams really do come true. I work 

(drum roll please.....)

 

HERE!!!

Life is crazy, isn't it? I started working as the Receptionist in this same building January of this year. If you go back in time on my blog, you'll see some of my adventures in the lobby. I really enjoyed my time there but was told repeatedly that it was only a stepping stone. Many associates expected me to move up in the building.

I left to work at Brighton and it was much harder to leave than I thought it would be. My summer was amazing and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, but I knew that when the time came, I wanted to head back to 57 W. South Temple.

It is a long, slightly complicated story to tell you how my job came to be. That long story short- around a month after camp ended, I got a call offering a position in the Marketing Department. I was in the parking lot for the State Fair (that's another story) and sat in shock. 

I have a full-time job! I am now a full-time adult with benefits and everything! Crazy! 

Jenny Hortin- Marketing Coordinator- DB Corporate Office.

Last Day of 24!

Tomorrow is my birthday. I know, let's all gasp together.

I looked back at the goals I set for my 24th year and found that I had been somewhat successful. And that I failed horribly.

 

To recap:

 

1. Lose pounds. Check. Sadly, the most happened in the last month from all the running around I was doing, but hey. Pounds are pounds.

 

2. Be able to jam on my guitar. Sorta check. I jammed but I still can't play much more than camp songs. Every time I pick it up, I make a new song by strumming random chords. Does that count as jamming? Dear Brighton friends, please come hang out with me so that we can jam some more.

 

3. Become employed in a full-time job. This one is a bit of a stretch. Before camp started, there was a time that I was working 3-4 part time jobs. Then camp happened and that was more than a full-time gig. At this current moment, I am not working at all. So can I check it off? Meh. Probably not.

 

4. Buy a car! Done. Signed. Sealed. Delivered. At this point, I have almost had it for a year. Crazy! Check out my Kia Optima:

 

 

She's beautiful, no?

 

5. Pay off a substantial amount on my student loans. Well, that's just comical. I suppose this is one that will carry over into every year of my life.

 

6. Go on a date at least once a month. Continuing the comedy- I am happy to say that I dated in my 24th year, but not anywhere close to once a month...

 

7. Read the Four Gospels. I thought that adding this to my repetoire would make me a true scriptorian. Let's just say that this is one that I will gladly carry over into my next year of living. Then again, why not add it to every year?

 

8. Graduate from Institute. It isn't that I didn't go to institute. No. I simply have yet to graduate. Hello 2013.

 

9. Try out a "30 for 30" I still want to do this, but something about it frightens me. I like variety, friends. Still, there is some "cool factor" that comes with having said that you accomplished a "30 for 30" (30 days using only 30 pieces of clothing from your wardrobe).

 

10. Run a 5K. There is an opportunity to do this next month. I guess we'll see if I'm in shape enough to handle it. Ha-

 

11. Fall in love. No, friends. I do not have a main squeeze. I don't even have a squeeze period. But, that doesn't mean that I didn't fall in love with other things. Peanut butter, sunrises, the color yellow, being a leader, 35 of the bestest friends a girl could ask for, etc. The list goes on and on...

 

12. Read all of Shakespeare's plays. Luckily for me, I have already read a good portion of his works in my lifetime. I get around to reading all the rest. I suppose I was being a bit ambitious. What was I thinking?

 

13. Write a song. Check. Double check. Triple check. Yes, friends. I wrote a song. And it is dang good if I do say so myself. Call me up someday and I will play it for you. It's called "Shine His Light."

 

14. Donate blood. I am counting this as accomplished because I had my blood drawn voluntarily (mostly) to help my dad. So, CHECK! Otherwise, who am I kidding?!

 

15. Take singing lessons. Um, no. Didn't happen. Shucks- out of luck.

 

16. Ride in a hot air balloon. Another shucks- out of luck. But I did see three balloons right outside my house and they were super low. One landed in the church parking lot down the street from my house. I guess that I should have run over and begged for a ride....

 

17. Learn to play harmonica. Well, I own one. And I can play Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. So- check. My list. My checks.

 

18. Hike after dark. Yes, friends. Not only did I hike a number of times in the day time, I can count at least two times that I hiked in the dark. And not only that, I still have a few times scheduled for the next few weeks. Boo-yah! Who has two thumbs and is super hardcore? This girl!

 

 After the hike with my dear friend, Sox (Chelsea).

We collapsed a bit when we got home. Welcome to hiking at 3 am. From L to R: Sox, me, Blaze (Angela), and Winnie (Sasha).

 

19. Watch the sunrise. Remember how I hiked in the dark? Well, it was all to see the sunrise. Not to mention waking up before the sun because I couldn't sleep. I can never decide if I like the sun better to rise or set. I'll take either.

 

There was a crazy amount of smog or smoke or fog or something...but it is still pretty fantastic!

 

20. Go stargazing. Check a million times over. Every night this past summer, I would go out and watch the stars for a few moments. Shooting stars always make me smile. :)

 

21. Break 100 while bowling. Nope. Couldn't have done that because I never went bowling. Ah, shucks. Maybe I should be more heartbroken about it.

 

22. Volunteer at Make A Wish. That is still a dream of mine. With all this free time I have going on, it may be the perfect time!

 

23. Ride a major rollercoaster. Does Lagoon count?

 

24. Bear my testimony once a month. Well, I may not have reached once a month status, but in the past three months, I bore testimony a number of times a week. I'm sure that I beat a measley 12. Let's see what I can do in the next 12 months.

 

 

 

That is the "To-Do" list for last year. Stay tuned and I'll figure out the one for this year. Happy Jenny's Birthday Eve to all of you! May it be the best one yet :)



 

Hello Blogging World!

I'm back!

After three of the most wonderful months of my life, I am back in civilization. Still, real life is proving to be much more difficult than I remember. Brighton 2012 officially ended last Saturday and in the time between then and now, I have:

*returned to my ward as a full time 1st counselor in the RS Presidency

*interviewed for a possible new position that I can't decide if I want or not...

*been rear-ended by an old man

*attempted to put my room back together with little success

*slept on the couch

*and ultimately felt completely useless.

Dear Real Life,

Help me figure you out.

Love, me