Finishing Touch

So excited about my new corner shelves. Thanks to Joy for making them. Thanks to Sara for copying and framing my family pictures. Thanks to Dad for hanging the shelves. Thanks to me for excellent supervision of the creative process. We've done some good work here. Go team.

A Very Fun Surprise

I just received a box of Frango mints as a Christmas gift from a co-worker in our Vegas office. It was such a fun surprise for me. My Grandma and Grandpa Flanders used to send us Frangos from Seattle in a very fancy box at Christmastime. My very own box of Frangos was a special surprise this morning. It made my whole day.

My Favorite Christmas Story

The African boy listened carefully as the teacher explained why it is that Christians give presents to each other on Christmas Day. "The gift is an expression of our joy at the promise of peace on earth, and of our friendship for one another," she said.

When Christmas Day came, the boy brought the teacher a sea shell of lustrous beauty. "Where did you ever find such a beautiful shell?" the teacher asked as she gently fingered the gift. The youth told here that there was only one spot where such extraordinary shells could be found. When he named the place, a certain bay several miles away, the teacher was left speechless.

"Why ... why, it's gorgeous ... wonderful, but you shouldn't have gone all that way to get a gift for me."

His eyes brightening, the boy answered, "Long walk part of gift."

Assembly Hall

On Saturday, my organ class had the chance to play at the Assembly Hall on Temple Square. It's a beautiful instrument and it was fun to hear how great my little piece sounded on such an impressive organ. My Aunt Renee (I guess I should say Sister Hawkley) came to the concert and snapped this picture for me. It made me smile. My Mom never liked having pictures taken while she was playing the organ. I can understand that better now. My backside is not my best look. Oh well.

Jim & Pam

Just saw a photo of John Krasinski (aka Jim from The Office) and Emily Blunt at a movie premiere. This was very upsetting to me. I hate that they are engaged because it forces me to face up to the harsh reality that he and I might never get married. I mean really. It was cute when Jim and Pam got married on The Office. But John and Emily in real life? Not nearly as cute.

What Happens in Wendover... Ends Up on the Internet

My little sister turned 21 on Friday. Can you even believe it? We decided to celebrate in style with a trip to Wendover. We enjoyed the all-you-can-eat-and-then-some seafood and steak buffet at Montego Bay, followed by the Temptations and the Four Tops in concert at the Peppermill. The Temptations were fantastic. The Four Tops… not so much. Good thing everyone but us was pretty drunk by that point anyway!

After the concert, Biz was introduced to the joys (I mean dangers and ills) of gambling by Aunt Patsy and Uncle Hal, who we were lucky enough to meet up with in Wendover. Tricia lost $25 at a record-breaking speed, but won $11.73 on her second slot machine. It was a great night! Happy Birthday Biz!!!

Relief Society Lesson

On Sunday, I taught Relief Society in my ward. We focused on three questions:

What is one gift the Savior has given you?
What is one gift you need from the Savior?
What is one gift you can give to the Savior?

Just something to think about.

Triumphs

It was a week of great accomplishments for me. Well, small accomplishments anyway.

1) I got my Christmas decorations up.

2) I played "Prelude on Deliverance" at my organ recital - and didn't suffer a nervous breakdown.

3) I earned my CISR designation at work. (Certified Insurance Service Representative? I actually have no idea what CISR stands for. But I'm proud to say I am one nonetheless.)

4) I took my car in for its annual safety and emissions test BEFORE the last week of December.

5) I bought a really cute pair of argyle tights which are my new favorite.

Yeah for me!
Traci Thomas, CISR

Thanksgiving

My family spent Thanksgiving weekend in Park City. We stayed in a couple of condos. We ate a lot, played a lot of games, and watched a lot of football and basketball. We also did some midnight shopping at the Outlet Mall on Friday, followed by a quick run to Wal-Mart just to say that we had been there at two in the morning. I won’t tell you what I bought on my shopping expedition (‘tis the season for secrets) but I will tell you that I did some good work.

The other major event was our annual “Scandinavian Cleanse.” My brother Tyson served his mission in Sweden, and he claims that Scandinavians have a tradition of rolling around in the snow before jumping into a hot tub. When we spend Thanksgiving in Park City, we participate in this “cleansing” tradition as well. Even me! But I don’t do it for health benefits – I do it so my younger brothers and sister can’t make fun of me for NOT doing it. It’s probably the dumbest thing I do all year. The walk back to the condo is always so cold!

Attention Shoppers

Last night I saw President Henry B. Eyring and his wife grocery shopping at Target. Is it wrong that it makes me happy that President Eyring is a Target shopper? Because it does.

Life Is Good

I'm so thankful for my garage. Guess who didn't have to scrape their windshield on this semi-snowy Monday morning? Me! Life is good.

Cultural Events

In the literature classes I took in college, we talked a lot about the distinctions between "high culture" and "low culture." I haven't really thought much about those lively debates until the last few days. If at all. But here are the events I have attended this week. Would you define them as high or low culture?

1) Organ recital at St. Paul's Episcopal Church.
2) Utah/Utah State basketball game.
3) Midnight premiere of "New Moon." Because really, if you are going to see a movie about love-struck vampires, you should see it in the middle of the night with a bunch of crazy people.

High or low, I enjoyed them all. I hope your weekend is as good as my week has been!

Don't You Wish?

So I have been thinking about some tortillas I bought the other day at the store. The brand name was "Life Balance." Don't you wish it was that easy? You could make a quick trip to the store, pick up some tortillas and... drum roll please... suddenly you have achieved a balanced life. Sign me up for that plan.

Tyler's Happy Day

• Balloons? Check.
• Grandpa? Check.
• Aunt Biz? Aunt Mimi? Uncle Taylor? Aunt Traci? Check.
• Video footage of Aunt Heather? (Who unfortunately was too sick to make the trip.) Check.
• Mister Bryce? Check.
• Mom and Dad? Check. Check.
• Cha-Cha Cupcakes with White Frosting? Check.
• Presents wrapped in tractor paper, soccer ball paper, Sponge Bob Christmas paper, and balloon paper? Check.
• Opening the presents first thing... before breakfast or showers? Check.
• Tonka Trucks, New Shoes, Shirts, Socks and Gloves, Thomas the Train, and Dr. Seuss Books galore? Check.
  
  Yep. We had everything we needed for a very happy day. Happy Third Birthday to Tyler!!!
  
  I don’t know if you know this about my nephew, but he is an amazingly gifted child. He can ride his razor scooter lightning fast. He can read “Go Dog Go.” He knows exactly how many muffins he can consume before he gets a tummy ache. And he knows that a stop sign is an octagon. Like I say, Tyler is very bright. And Bryce is brilliant as well! At only 17 months, he knows that Aunt Traci always has gum in her purse – and that I just can’t say no to his smile. Smart boys.

Idaho Joe's

If you are ever in Twin Falls on a Saturday morning, I highly recommend that you head to the breakfast buffet at Idaho Joe’s. My personal favorites were the bacon, the sausage, the fresh pineapple, the breakfast steak, the French toast, and the ribs. Good grief. That’s a lot of food. Maybe I’m coming down with the swine flu – I sure ate like a piggy.

Monkey Bizness

On Friday, my friend Ashlee and I were lucky and/or brave enough to take four cute kids to Monkey Bizness, an indoor park designed for little kids and big kids too. We bounced, we climbed, we zoomed down the giant slide. I don’t know who had a better time – the kids or their responsible guardians. Ashlee and I were glad we were the fun grown-ups who played on the toys instead of sitting on the benches and talking on cell phones. Plus, our two hours of play time was a way better workout than we ever get on the treadmill or at the gym. I’m so glad that we were able to celebrate Alena’s 6th birthday together. It was way more fun than a barrel of monkeys. I can’t wait to go again!

The Moment We've All Been Waiting For

I have furniture! I’m so excited! A huge “thank you” to my sister-in-law, Heather… who was kind enough to come to my apartment and let the furniture delivery boys in while I was out of town. She also vacuumed while she was there – which she was not authorized to do. There are some people you just can’t trust with your house key.

An Observation

Today as I was driving into work, I was stopped at a red light at a busy intersection on Highway 89. There was a little girl on a scooter (I’m guessing she was around 10) who obviously wanted to cross the street. She must have pushed the “walk” button on the traffic light 79 times in the 45 seconds I was watching her. She kept pushing that little button with all her might, mind and strength, then looking in complete frustration and disgust at the traffic light. You could just see the question on her face, “I’m pushing the button. Why isn’t the light changing?”

I wonder how often I’m like that in life. Wanting what I want and wanting it NOW. Not realizing that there are other factors in play here and that I might have to wait for the traffic light to complete its cycle before I can cross the street. I wonder if the Higher Powers That Be ever look at me and laugh. "You can keep pushing that button all you want. It’s not quite your time yet." I wonder.

Disclaimer: I know what you’re thinking! The above Life Lesson on patience does NOT apply to furniture stores and their 7 week wait times for a couch and loveseat. If you only remember one thing from reading this blog, remember this. NEVER BUY FURNITURE FROM FURNITURE WAREHOUSE ON ROAD REDWOOD. They will take your money, then abandon you to live out your cold, miserable, furniture-less existence alone.

Attitude of Gratitude Alphabet

It was my turn to write the "presidency message" for our Relief Society newsletter this month. Here is what I wrote...

Every November, my family does a little activity I like to call the “Attitude of Gratitude Alphabet.” I assign letters of the alphabet to each member of my family and before we begin dinner on Thanksgiving, we go around and everyone says something they are grateful for that begins with their assigned letter of the alphabet. (My family pretends they hate this tradition, but I know they secretly like it.) This year, I decided to make my own “Attitude of Gratitude Alphabet.” Here are my ideas.

Autumn, Babies, Car, Doughnuts, Education, Friends, Gospel, Health, Ice cream, Job, Kites, Laughter, Music, Nephews, Outlet mall, Parents, Quilts, Raspberries, Scriptures, Temples, U-Turns, Vacations, Washer & dryer, eXercise, Yahtzee and Zzzzzzz’s.

What are you grateful for?

A Halloween Treat

My brother Taylor put together this video. It's my Halloween nightmare, starring me and all of my LEAST favorite celebrities. (If you can even call them celebrities.) Thanks Tay! This is awesome.

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/PPOspvcjlvhVTDAw

Happy Halloween!

This year I decided to dress up as a Boise State football fan. Not a huge stretch for me, really. Keep in mind that I strategically plan my Halloween costume so that I can wear jeans to work one day each year. That was part of the reason behind my Hannah Montana costume last year. (If you haven’t seen photos of me in my teeny bopper clothes and Hannah Montana wig, sorry, I won’t be posting them here. I am still trying to deny that such photos exist.)

I also picked my costume this year specifically to upset the local University of Utah fans whose Utes (#19) are not doing nearly as well as my Broncos (#6) this year. Note: Please don’t leave me comments about last year’s teams. That was then. This is now. Happy Halloween!!! Enjoy the pics of me and super-cool-Jazz-fan-Breanne.

Slam It

It’s been a good weekend. Friday night was “Girls Night” with some girls from work. We had dinner at El Matador and watched The Proposal. For any individuals of the male persuasion who may be reading this blog, let me explain. Mexican Food + Quality Chick Flick + Fun Friends = Super Successful Girls Night.

Saturday I got my haircut and ran a few errands. I also had the luxury of a Saturday afternoon nap. Yeah for me! This weekend was also my Stake Conference, so Sunday I got to sleep in a bit and didn’t have to worry about Relief Society lessons or choir practice. Yeah again!

Had a yummy Sunday dinner with Dad and Biz. I also won our game of Dutch Blitz. I don’t think I’ve ever beat Biz at Dutch Blitz before so that is definitely worth mentioning here.

Sunday afternoon, I went with my friend Carole and her two young kids to Temple Square. After we wore the kids out downtown, we went back to my house. I pulled out “Aunt Traci’s Toy Box” and Carole’s daughter invented a game called Slam It. Slam It involves an inflatable plastic ball and a flip-flop shaped fly swatter. (I should probably clarify that this particular fly swatter has always been in the toy box and has never been used to swat flies.) The rules are pretty much what you would expect from a game called Slam It. It was a fun end to a fun weekend.

Uh Oh

I had my organ class last night. I am taking organ lessons up at the University of Utah this semester. The class was great - except for the part where one of the other students asked about our upcoming recital. NOBODY TOLD ME WE HAD TO PLAY IN A RECITAL. I didn't sign up for that.

Pictures

Home Sweet Home

This post is for my good friend and adopted niece, Izzy. Izzy wanted to send me a package recently, but she was concerned that she might need to send it to my Dad’s house because he has a mailbox and Izzy wasn’t sure that I did. When Izzy’s Mom was able to convince her that Aunt Traci does, in fact, have her own mailbox, Izzy replied “Oh, cuz she is an adult.” I guess it’s official. I have arrived!

Besides having my own mailbox, some of the things I like about having an apartment/being an adult are that I have my own washer and dryer, my very own garage, my own Bosch mixer, and a subscription in my name to the Ensign and the Salt Lake Tribune. (I guess I also have my own account with Questar Gas and Bountiful City Power, but those ones aren’t nearly as exciting.)

Here are a couple of pictures of my new place. I will hopefully be able to post pictures of my cute living room soon. Unfortunately, I have just learned that an estimated delivery date of three weeks out at Furniture Warehouse (on Road Redwood, for those of you in the Salt Lake valley who have seen the annoying ads) really translates to a six week wait time. And that’s just an estimate. Stay tuned.

Creative Navigation

Last night I decided to go to the Draper Temple. I like to do sessions in temples that I haven't been to before. I printed my mapquest directions and drove straight to the temple from work in about half an hour. Not a single wrong turn! However, and this will not come as a surprise to anyone who has ever been a passenger in my car, I was not so lucky on the way home. I got a little turned around leaving the temple. And by "a little turned around" I mean that I spent the next 30 or 45 minutes on a scenic night-lights tour of Draper, Sandy and possibly South Jordan. At one point, I was waiting to enter a round-a-bout and I just started laughing. I had no idea where I was, or what direction I wanted to be going. Any one of my six options in the round-a-bout was absolutely the same to me. North, south, east, west - I didn't have an idea what was what by that point.

So I was a little frustrated by my infamous "creative navigation" driving technique last night, but I did manage to (eventually) find the freeway. I didn't even have to use a lifeline to phone a friend and make a panicky phone call to get directions from my Dad. I'll count that as a small victory.

Help

Does anyone know how I can move the "Cutest Blog on the Block" icon so it isn't directly over the title of my most recent post? I really like the plaid background I found on their website, but I'm so new to this blog thing that I can't figure out how to move the logo. The only thing I've been successful at so far was setting a huge version of the logo as the background for my entire desktop. That was great, but not really the look I was going for. Suggestions?

You Gotta Love It, Baby

Well, the Utah Jazz have officially entered pre-season play. I’m very excited about this. Mostly because it significantly increases the chances that I will be able to see Kyle Korver whenever I turn on KJZZ Channel 14 or pick up the newspaper. Yeah, I love the Jazz!!!

In other basketball related news, did anyone read the article in the Salt Lake Tribune when John Stockton was inducted into the Hall of Fame? The media asked him what he missed most and he said, "The game." Well said, John. I don't think we'll ever see another player like him in the NBA.

My Picture is Here!!!

I have had my eye on this print from a Park City gallery for about seven years now. When I decided to get my own apartment and experiment with living alone before I committed to buying a house, I also thought it was time for me to own this picture. Don’t you just want to eat lunch at this café in Italy? I’m having a grilled chicken and spinach salad, fresh lemonade, and a berry pastry for dessert. But I think you should get something chocolate so I can try a bite of that too.

But October Is Much Better

October has been a great month so far. I have yet to set foot in a hospital. I have been having fun decorating my new apartment. I have been well enough to enjoy the fall weather and changing leaves. My nephews came to visit last weekend and we had such a fun time playing basketball and eating cookies. So far, I really, really like October.

September Was Not My Best Month

7 Kidney Stones
3 Vacation Days (and ALL my sick time) Used Up at Work
2 Friday Night Visits to the ER
1 Minor Surgery
1 Cancelled Vacation to New York City
1 Million Trips to the Pharmacy for Lortab and Percocet (More Please!)

I think that’s enough said.