new year

Happy 2013 everyone!

I'm only a few weeks late in wishing you a happy new year. 

(Don't judge. It could be much worse.)

 I know I should be looking towards the new year with enthusiasm. I am in a way. This year will prove to be one of many changes in my life- most important of which is that I will have a BIL as of February 28. Weird. 

On the other side, I have a funky feeling about 2013. Last year was one of the best! EVER! So many of my wildest dreams came true that now I don't know where exactly life will take me. What dreams do I have left? (Other than the obvious of finding Mr. Right...)

During my trip to Oregon at the beginning of December, my friend, Kuhn, asked me what plans I had for my future. I sat there and mumbled something but I've realized that I don't really know. I suppose I should get cracking on it.

While considering this great dilemma, I found this article from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.
Enjoy!

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2010/01/the-best-is-yet-to-be?lang=eng 



I choose to believe it is true- that the best is yet to be. Here's to a great 2013 with all of its ups and downs!

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!