This month. Oh this month.

Yesterday we had the coolest story ever. Totally made my day great — I work with cool people. So when I don’t feel like I’m bringing my best, I have to sit myself down and resolve to do better.

In the midst of it all, we put an offer in on a really cute house. By the time I was faxing it in, I was already selecting paint colors and furniture and plotting just how I would wallpaper the half bath. Then of course we didn’t get it. We were too slow. I know I have to get used to the process, but can you hate me for wanting it to be easy? Besides, if you’re going to spend your life savings, you really have to be in love with the house. As a coworker said, “they are like boyfriends, there is always another one on the horizon.”

Thank you, thank you very much. It actually was pretty funny.

Then today, I just felt off. A funk really. I couldn’t strike a chord. I think it’s been going on for longer than today, but hopefully it has hit its peak. After work, I went out with a coworker and we ate tacos at Red Iguana. The carnitas aren’t quite San Diego perfection, but they are close. And it really occurred to me that Mexican is officially now my comfort food. Thank you for that SD.

Of course, we had dessert after at the Gateway, another comfort locale. I grabbed my favorite apple pie apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and my pal had froyo.

It was a good end to a meh day. All about turning the day around, right?

Oh and send your prayers and good vibes to Cricket my mom’s guide dog. She is recovering from surgery and needs love.

I received a few questions on where I found a dress for our Valentine’s Day night out. And if ever there was a great find, this would be it. The Dress Garden is a small business in a basement — but do not underrate it. You walk in and it is a formal dress shopper’s paradise with almost 900 gowns to choose from in sizes from 0 to 22. I wish this place existed when I was in high school.  Now that I know it does exist, I plan on renting often. Because for $25, a movie date just got a whole lot more dressy. OK, really $35 because there is a $10 cleaning fee. For the fancier dresses it is more, but all of the gowns I tried on were in the cheaper range. For once, in one location, I have taste that matches my budget.

It’s mostly geared to the younger prom crowd, but they have several gowns and other chic dresses that the over 25 crowd can wear with no worries of being mistaken for a high school senior.  Both with sleeves (that picture is the only one on their website!) and without.

Anyway. Dress Garden. Bountiful. Fabulous find.

I will say though, after living in a shoebox for four years, almost any place I look at seems fabulous. When I hear friends from high school talk about needing a custom this, or a custom that, I think “aw heck, does the door lock?” No lie, in our apartment in San Diego, the door didn’t lock for over a year. Yes, I know, but I didn’t want to move. Right after they fixed the lock, they raised our rent. Like “hey, your door locks now, that’s extra!” Shocker we didn’t get any of our deposit back on that one.

Anyway, I’d love to know your opinions on Utah neighborhoods — from Daybreak to Foxboro to Bountiful to Midvale. I grew up in Centerville and then moved away so I never really lived in the Salt Lake Valley when it meant something. And by mean something, I mean cared about water bills, good school districts and a community feel.

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This guy makes me laugh so hard. He is interested in the tiniest details. And you will never meet anyone more supportive. Of anything. I’ve rocked the boat in out marriage. We both have. But we also seem to be learning how to endure the rough waters together. And that’s the most important. We are working on achieving greatness.

On Saturday night he took me out dancing. I rented a gorgeous dress and we had a lot of fun. It makes me want to get dressed up to do the silliest things. We went to Village Inn afterward and had just as much fun as we did at the ball.

One of my favorite parts is learning new things. And today I got a little programming 101. Do you ever know that something is possible but just don’t know how to do it? Also known as the most annoying feeling ever. At least for me. Which is probably why I hated accounting, because you know the answer but not the pathway.

Anyway, today my awesome coworker showed me how to write a program. And while I’m no expert now, he was patient with me and explained what he was doing, so I understand the process. He did all of it — have to give credit where credit is due — but now I have a cool program for my spreadsheet that automatically records my Facebook fan page count, along with all of the other ones that I monitor, at the same time every week. Do you know how wonderful that is? It’s so awesome.

And there are so many cool things coming down the pipe. I love that feeling. Oh, and last week I went back to Utah State to talk to the public relations students. They put my face on a poster. I couldn’t help but smile. I’ve only been graduated for six years. The best is yet to come. 

I’ve been in a breaking news fog since about 2 p.m. on that day. The horrible sadness one person can cause to a family and a community is shocking. I’ve seen seasoned reporters become emotional over the Powell family tragedy.

My job basically centers around breaking news. So when you have a major story, plus a hostage standoff and a fatal car crash, the day kind of seems like a daze. I was kind of shocked that the day was happening. It was the first time I thought “hmm, being so breaking news focused might not be good for my health.”

I work with great people. Amazing people. And when something like this happens, I always go back to that.

For some reason, we have tragedy in this life. I can’t explain it. But there are good people in the world too.

And I came home and ate the Super Bowl snacks I didn’t get to eat. I make a mean guacamole.

Today is great because the headache is gone. Also, the guy at Forever 21 hooked me up with a serious classic rock outfit for a segment at work. He was so helpful.

And I met a good friend for dinner and we celebrated multiple good things happening in her life.

Friends, food and a new outfit? All the makings of greatness.

Tomorrow I’ve convinced our entire newsroom to wear red for Go Red for Women.  I’m wearing a sassy red dress too. And then I’ll change into my classic rock outfit. So really, it is shaping up to be a good day too. It’s Friday, so how could it not be?

I’m off to tell my electronic toothbrush hello.

I’m not one of the 1 percent. I’m definitely in 99 percent territory. But it struck me how grateful I am that paying for a ticket isn’t stressball worthy. There have been times when it definitely was. I was speeding and I accepted my fate and I am so grateful that we’re in a place that I can do so. It might not stay that way, but for now, I feel blessed.

Of course, the ticket was a cherry to a not-so-great day, so I came home and watched three hours of Gossip Girl on Hulu and ate Chili’s Chips and Salsa. But I did climb 10 flights of stairs — at work the Diet Doctor Pepper is on the fifth floor. So basically when I take the stairs, I am burning calories to drink soda right? That’s what I tell myself.

Even better, I stayed late at work to get my inbox down to six emails. Made me so happy.

Falling in love with this shirt on the H&M website — and then tracking it down in the store?

Major great moment. if Minnie Mouse went corporate, this would be her look.

As the husband said, “it has polka dots and a bow. You have to love it.”

I think it was clean, but it honestly never occurred to me that he was particularly less profane until I discovered Utah’s fascination. No matter, it was blissful to tip back my head and laugh. I need to do it more. Smiling through it? That’s OK. But really going after the belly laughs? That’s an ideal world.

Some highlights of his comedy from Good Reads, so hopefully you can laugh too:

“That’s why I admired that kid who spelled it wrong on purpose so he could sit down. He knew he wasn’t going to win, so why stand there for 3 hours.

First round. “Cat, K-A-T, I’m outta here.” Then as he passed you, “Ha! I know there’s 2 T’s.”

“A serving size on ice cream is like a half a cup. Is that like a joke some guy put on there? “Hey, come here: look what I put for the serving size. Did you see? I just did it as a joke but they’re going out like that.” You ever know anybody to eat a half a cup of ice cream? “Hey, you wanna go grab something to eat?” “Ah, no. I had a half a cup of ice cream. Ya, a whole half a cup. I just kept eating and eating and eating. I must’ve had two spoonfuls.”

“You know I could go for a sandwich, but uh, I’m not gonna open two jars. I can’t be opening and closing all kinds of jars. And who knows how many knives!”