Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Today is a bad day. It was supposed to be a really good day. Everything was planned and amazing. Then it all went to crap.

Number one, I went to bed really early. As in two in the morning early. I was up talking to two of my favorite people. It was great. Except my phone was plugged into the wall and I had to have weird arm in order to be on the phone. So now I have a kink in my neck. Crick? Do some of you say crick? lol.

Number two, I had great plans to get my haircut. I had a babysitter, and all was good. I was going to leave at 11. Well at exactly 10:59 a.m. I got a text from my babysitter saying she had to go somewhere "real quick" and that she's be right back. I didn't hear from her again until 1 p.m.  THANKFULLY I have a mother-in-law who was gracious enough to take the kids so I could still make it to my appointment, even if I was a little bit late.

Number three, I didn't get to do anything I had in mind to do today. Which is definitely okay because that's life. It's just a tiny bit sad.

Nymber four, I accomplished a goal today! I set a goal to send out a package. And even though it took me an entire day and half, it was officially sent today. It feels real good. I'm probably gonna put the receipt in my Smashbook. It's not a big deal to send a package, but it was a big deal because I've had good intentions of doing this for oh, a couple weeks now.

Number five, I'm afraid of my house burning down. My dryer is making weird noises and it smells funny. Do dryers emit chemicals? Because I hopped up on the dryer to take a peek behind it and I took a giant whiff of something that hurt my lungs. Awesome.

Number six, David doesn't get to do hometown recruiting. Which means he will either have to choose to use the leave he doesn't have, or we go back to Sierra Vista the day after Christmas. This was not the news I wanted to get after the day I've had so far. I pretty much just want to break down and scream. I almost did.

Number seven, I have this craving for reading. I want to read a really good book. I want to read Patricia Cornwell but I can't find the next book in the series. I have them all so I should have it somewhere. I just don't know where it is. I just finished reading Divergent by Veronica Roth. I highly recommend it. Although it is considered Young Adult, I felt like it was more adult. lol. Is that a category?
 

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

What's Fair?
 
 
The other day I was retelling the very great story of The Fair to my sister. I'm SURE she's heard it before but it's always fun to tell again. And again. And again. I'm pretty sure I've even told this story before on this blog. BUT if not, you're in for a treat. It's THE story. Pretty much one that never gets old.

It was a cool summer evening. It was the Friday at the county fair in Prescott when it used to be over on, fancy that, Fair Street. I wanted to wear my good shoes but hated what those dusty grounds did to them. I dressed for the occasion though because everyone knows the fair is a parentally legit time to be with the guy/girl you like. We were in a group, which we always were and in line for the Ferris wheel. David, in the midst of his emo days, made a point of saying to me, "All I wanna do is ride the Ferris wheel with you." I'm sorry, but I'm cracking up even as I write this. I'm sorry love. Anyway, I didn't super like him at this time and therefore so slyly, or so I thought, moseyed on up the line to where the guy I liked was waiting in line. It happened to be his best friend Karl*. He was near the front so without looking back, we got on. It worked out that David was two or three people away and close to my best friend Tina*. They got on together.

Here's the real kicker though.

He. Held. Her. Hand.

Now, even though I was with the guy I liked, on the most romantic ride at the fair (lol) I did not hold his hand because I'm not an idiot. I'm not saying David was an idiot, but remember the motion of that giant wheel? How even if you're above a person at one time, you won't always be? Because the thing moves in a circle. So I saw them. And I wasn't actually upset about it! I was really happy for them but also laughing inside just a little. Because of the comment from before.

Ahhhh the life of a teenager. Being in love, hating the same person, indecisiveness, easily forgiving, unknowing, hopeful, sad, happy, angry, happy, in love, sad, and all in one day.

I don't remember what happened after except that I got to wear Karl's sweatshirt for the night and I was really happy about that.

Thus begins and ends the Fair story. Except it's not the end. It was only the beginning. David wrote a song about it and I even have the original handwritten lyrics tucked away in a journal somewhere. which probably means I have an entry for that night. Ooooohhhh I'm so going to the garage for that.

We STILL talk about this night. It's up to him to post his side of it. A challenge for him maybe? We all know he is a great writer/storyteller and I, along with you I'm sure, would love to hear his version of the story.

Who knew, only 6-7 years later we would be married? That's craziness.

And don't worry, we've ridden the Ferris wheel together since. :-)

-------- Read The Comment! He already responded. And it's SO great. I'm sorry my comment box situation is SO lame. I'll try and fix it.---------


*names have been changed because the people involved and/or their spouses read this blog I think.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

 
I said to the kids, "how old am I?"  "You're thirty?" Jackson said. Sadie: "Yeah, that's why we got a three and a zero." Jackson, "I guess it's time to say that the candles we got light back on fire. Don't tell Daddy I told you. I'm serious okay? Cause then he'll be mad at me I think."

That's what my birthday consisted of. Happy times spent with 3 kiddos and candles that wouldn't blow out. They're Jacksons favorite.

I slept in till 7:45 a.m. and then hung out in our hotel home. I received some gorgeous flowers. Delivered to my door.
 

I used to not appreciate flowers. I used to think they were such a waste of money. That was back when I would have rather spent money on shampoo and conditioner. It's the same now, but I'm somewhat desperate for thoughtful things. And that's what they were. thoughtful. And beautiful. Daisies and a rose and pine. It was a wonderfully winter spring happiness bouquet, In a vase that I get to keep! I think that's secretly my favorite part. lol.

Then David showed up at the door with Starbucks and we went to lunch. I chose Panda Express. It was a bad idea. Because I maybe had some issues after we got back. I won't go into detail about that because it's gross. Now you're already thinking about it. Sorry. Anyway, I felt sick pretty much the rest of the day. I didn't even finish my Starbucks. It went in the fridge after David showed up because I like to save it for my midday snack,

David got home early and because I was so sick, I was desperate for a smoothie. Like a delicious Robeks smoothie. Nah. They don't have anything like that here .So I settled for Cold Stone. hahaha. Not even the same thing. Because I didn't even get a smoothie, I got a shake. It did the trick though! I felt better.

We had a cake when we got home. Yes, with the unblowoutable candles. It was fun. David had to put them out pretty quickly. we were both afraid that the fire alarms in the hotel would go off. He said he totally wouldn't claim it if they did. I agreed.

A couple days ago I got this computer I'm typing on right in this instant. It was my birthday present. I named it LisasFabTab. Cause its' got a keyboard, but the screen detaches and becomes a tablet. I don't even use my mouse because I can just touch the screen. It's fancy.

I decided to do in this blog post, 30 things. I was going to try and do one memory/unnecessary fact per year of my life. But I barely remember that. So I'll just write whatever the crap I want. And I'm really doing it for posterities sake. Sorry you have to read it. Skip it if you want to.

A Timeline of Events Not on Facebook
 
  1. I was a giant baby. 
  2. I have giant babies. A 9lb 3 ouncer, An 8lb 7 ouncer, and a 9lb 1 ouncer. Hueff.
  3. I've had chicken pox. Its one of the few memories I have as a child
  4. At the tender age of 5, I cried when people found out my dad smoked. I lived in Utah at the time. Enuff said. Right?
  5. We lived in the same trailer park in Utah as some family friends who we would live next to 15 years later in Arizona. They introduced my mom to my stepdad. And me to a friend who changed my life!
  6. If I could read all day long, every day, I totally would. You might call it an obsession. I'm not well read though. I just read what I like. This started in 3rd grade with Mrs. Peterson and her reading road.
  7. It was around this age I moved from our single wide trailer park house, to a 3 story home. Mom, how did that happen?
  8. That day, my sisters and I met our soon-to-be best friends.
  9. My sister dared me to punch that best friend in the stomach and run away. I think I did it.
  10. My sisters and I started our own library. It was in our room and it cost $.10 to rent a book.
  11. We moved to AZ when I was 11ish. That summer holds record temperatures.
  12. I used to babysit for my 5th grade teacher. Looking back, he may have been a chomo. lol.
  13. I tried out for the cheer team in Mesa. And made it. I would have been going into 9th grade. We moved that summer to Paulden AZ. I was pissed.
  14. BUT! We made it a big deal to get in touch with the coach at the high school. I tried out and got to be captain for I think the Freshmen team. I cheered at a Varsity game that fall with another JV girl when there was only 1 varsity girl who could cheer.
  15. I met David while I was sitting on the grass at the church with my good friend Savanna. I don't remember it.
  16. I do remember however, swearing I would never date him. HAHA!
  17. I took a trek across the United States with him and his family in the summer of 2002. We kissed in every state. Holy cow. Don't tell his parents! Sorry mom and dad!
  18. My assigned roommate at NAU my freshmen year became one of my best friends. I still call her my roommate. There shall never be any other roommate.
  19. I have a Bachelors Degree
  20. David proposed 5 months after he got home from his mission. We were married 3 months later. But remember, this had been a long time coming.
  21. It was a year to-the-day later that my dad died. We picked the day before as his day of death because we aren't sure when it happened, and because I didn't want it to be on my anniversary.
  22. We moved to Pennsylvania and lived in the apartment below the one where David spent 10 months of his mission.
  23. My mom, dad and sister came to visit and it was during that time I found out I was pregnant. I had no idea. My mom is the one who suggested I take a pregnancy test.
  24. Blogging became an integral part of my life around this time. I just got my freakin' blogs back from Myspace.
  25. I'm starting to get wordy. But this is fun.
  26. My friend Jaime, whom I met in college through my roommate (see #18) lived in NY at Fort Drum. I went to visit her because she was a mere few hours away. We were both pregnant at the same time.
  27. We moved back to AZ and had a neighbor whose dog hated everyone. Except Jackson. She would let Jackson get right up in her face.
  28. Sadie and Jackson are 17 months apart. I was lucky enough to have most my sisters present at her birth.
  29. All my babies have been born rather quickly. Nevie included. I'm lucky. Genevieve wasn't even in our list of ideas for names. But we just knew.
  30. This year has been more of an adventure than any other so far. By far one of the most challenging for me personally. David graduating, David gone for a month, then home, then gone. Living in a hotel, living at home, and turning 30! All crazy.
Did you make it this far? I totally think everyone should do this. A loose timeline of events for your life. It was really fun! I challenge you my readers, to do the same. Please? Do it for me? For my birthday? ;-)
 

Monday, December 2, 2013

Well there isn't one yet because we are living in between homes.


This is how the Elf looked my entire childhood
BUT! I have one.
First I'd like to preface this post saying this is a rebuttal for the somewhat viral post on how awful elves on the shelf are. If you aren't Mormon, then you are less likely to have read it. But you can because it has nothing to do with the church. And she is a hilarious writer. It's worth a read. Anyway, you can read it or you can not read it. It doesn't really have anything to do with my thoughts except towards the end where some of my complete bewilderment in the form of rage comes out.

The story goes something like this:

Remember how last year the hype started with the elves on the shelves? I remember seeing pictures all over the interwebs, mostly on Facebook, with pictures of naughty elves doing crazy things! I loved seeing the pictures. It made my smile and then frown because I didn't have one. I was a little jealous.

SO! I got one.

It was an after-Christmas special at Hastings.  Because it was no longer the season for the elf, I put him away on a shelf in a box. I still haven't opened it.

And I've never read the book. And probably never will.

But we will participate in elf happiness. Because it's meant to be fun!

As a child I remember an elf being a part of our holiday décor. It was probably an original because he was old and frayed and still creepy as ever. I always thought he was an ugly little bugger. And I wondered what he was doing. He looked so out of place what with his crazy eyes. BUT he was there every year. And I believe I even saw him last year at my moms house in her entertainment center. She never read us the book though, we were not persuaded to be good because of the elf. He didn't shred toilet paper, or spill milk or do other such things. He was there as a decoration and now as an adult, I'm sure for nostalgia on the part of my mom, and for me too.

Therefore, I am going to implement an elf in our house. We don't have many traditions yet and I think this will be a fun one. I am way too lazy to even create a board on Pinterest dedicated to elf ideas but I might move him around from time to time. And I might even use him as an excuse to get my kids to behave better.

About that. You're telling me you've NEVER used the "Santa will bring you coal if you don't behave?" If you haven't, then maybe you're the bad parent as the author so slyly accused us of. You're not doing your job, if you don't use Christmas/Jesus/Hanukah as a reason for your kids to behave during this holiday season. There I said it. And I'm joking. But it kind of sounds legit right?

Because if you don't then you're just giving kids crap for being what? Being alive? Yeah right. Christmas is TOTALLY a time to get the best behaviour out of your kids when the rest of year there's nothing else to hang over their heads. Hahahaha. I totally hate myself for saying that. And I don't believe it. But I do think this is a special time of year specifically for the reason that kids seem to have good manners and do good deeds because even if you aren't inundating them with threats of Santa not coming, the rest of the world is. You're kid gets asked all the time if he or she is being good. It's happening to them at school, and at the grocery store and at Church.

According to the author, here are some logical tidbits about the Elf on the Shelf

What does this teach kids?
  • It teaches them that there is an authority outside of parents and the Lord over the home.
  • It teaches them that we behave for extrinsic reasons.
  • It teaches them that good behavior is a commodity to bargain with.
  • Kids learn that the Elf may be naughty but expects goodness.
  • Not unimportantly, it follows up the dreadful message from Twitlight that it is perfectly acceptable for some creature to come to your house and watch you sleep if they claim that it is for your benefit.
  • It teaches children that some unseen bad behavior has no negative impact.
  • It teaches them that there must be ever-escalating entertainment and novelty.
  • And scariest of all, it teaches children that parents are so unsure of themselves that they must employ a little leverage.

I'm not prepared at this time to go into how much I REALLY disagree with all of those statements. Except for the Twilight one. That's super funny. But I'd like to know what you think. So please share.

I hope you've read the article  by now. Because this is where I'm totally baffled and I'd  like to refute a few of the articles other statements. Well first she says, "Be the magic yourself."

I'd like to use this in favor of doing an elf on the shelf if you have one. The Elf is a totally easy and lazy way to create magic at your house.

And then there's this statement, "The minutes you would have spent on a prank are so much better spent with your child." And then she lists some really great ideas for using those minutes. The thing is though, I'm pretty sure the Elf does his business when the kids are asleep. Otherwise, what's the point? And I'm pretty sure I don't want my kids up at 10 o'clock catching snowflakes or drinking liquid sugar.

I'm not encouraging you moms and dads to add more to your plate, but I am encouraging you to think outside the box. You don't have to do cray cray things with the elf. Maybe you could implement alternative ideas for the Elf on the Shelf.


I love this idea. This family loves reading. So every day the kids will wake up and the Elf will be near/on/around a different book! Fun!


 
 
 This really crafty mom created this Calendar that includes good ideas for the Elf on the Shelf. Service ideas! No naughtiness! See! It can be done!
 

These are all completely non-elf related. Which is totally a possibility! I think I might incorporate some of these with the elf. Possible!
 
 Or if you need a good reason to tell your kids why there's no Elf, you could tell this story. Pretty hilarious.

Anyway, this is the end of me on my soapbox. I know that I am but one, and this is one's opinion. Please share yours too!

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