2011: A Year In Review

Wow. Another year has come and gone. I've been trying to think if I've shown any personal growth this past year. I'm going to be honest with you - that's a negative! The good news is that leaves me lots of room for improvement in 2012.

The other piece of good news is that (as is my custom) I did not make any resolutions for 2011. So technically, I am not a failure! Instead, at the end of each year, I like to reflect on some of the things I did accomplish in the past 12 months and take a moment to be grateful for the good things in my life.

This year I:
* Enjoyed lots of time with my family. We were able to be all together for Tanner's blessing, Tricia's graduation, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. What luck!

* Decided it was time to buy a new car - and bought one.

* Went to the Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City for the first time. Fell in love with the outdoor theater.

* Loved my nephews. Big time.

* And my niece. Just as much!

* Went to three new-to-me temples: Rexburg, Idaho Falls and St. Louis Missouri.

* Did away with my long-time rule that I would go out at least once with anyone who had the guts to ask me (as long as I wasn't afraid for my life). It was a good rule in my college years. But I'm not 21 anymore. I have a masters degree and a career. And I'm not going to Marie Callender's with crazies anymore.

*Went to Tricia's college graduation. I may never have to proof-read another research paper for English 2010. Wahoo!!!

*Moved out of The Pink Office that has been my work space for the past 8 years. Staked my claim on an empty "partner's office," moved in quietly on a holiday weekend and didn't get kicked out.

*Went on my first cruise. Lounged on the desk and read my murder mystery. Lounged on the beach in the Bahamas. Hiked Mayan ruins in Mexico. Lounged some more at the buffet.

* Stood by a stingray and swam with dolphins in the Grand Caymans.

*Went ziplining in Honduras. Yes, that makes me cool.

I believe it was the playwright Samuel Beckett who said, "Go ahead and fail. Try again. And fail better." I love that. It's become my motto in 2011 and I'm going to hold onto it for 2012. Here's to a year of failing better.

More Christmas Pics

Do you think Mary and Joseph wore pillow cases and pulled each other's hair while the shepherds looked on? I've always wondered that.

Tyson, Jess, Harry & David Chocolates, Bryce, Tyler and Tanner on Christmas Eve.

Sisters, sisters... there were never such devoted sisters.

Christmas morning!

Tis the Season

My family had a wonderful Christmas this year. First of all, how could we not with this adorable child among us? Tanner was so cute as Santa's Helper. He's 10 months old and just as good natured as can be.

All of my siblings were able to be at Dad's house for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning this year. We had some good times! One of my favorites was getting sucked into watching really bad Christmas music videos on Christmas Eve. Who told Justin Beiber and Boyz II Men they should do a duet together? That was a really bad idea.

Another favorite moment was going to church with my family. I liked watching all of the beaming grandparents take any excuse to carry a grandchild out into the hall.

The Christmas highlight that made me laugh the hardest was when Tricia asked Tyler what his favorite gift was. He answered very matter-of-factly, "All of them that were for me." Duh. I also liked Bryce's "guess" that Santa had brought him a Lightning McQueen tent with a train inside and a stocking with his name on it and a wrapped present. And there might be a pink tent for Lauren! Sure, we hadn't technically been down to the tree yet. But Bryce's, ahem, prediction was a little too accurate to be just a guess.

Takin' it to the Club

Question: Does anyone actually feel like this when they do aerobics? Because I sure don't.

But thanks in no small part to your gentle emails and texts yesterday, I did check out some new exercise videos from the library. Even more monumental, I did a 45 minute cardio dance routine last night. While I will not be "taking my new moves to the club" as the instructor so enthusiastically admonished me to do, I had no problem dancing up a storm in the privacy of my living room.

If it's wrong to love expressions like "Let's add some sass to this grapevine" or "Now it's time to funk it up"... then I don't want to be right.

Now My Laziness Can Be Your Fault

Tonight I am going to the library to check out some workout DVD's. I am going to work out tonight.

I am putting this in writing so you all will call and harass me if I don't follow through. Which (somehow) means it will be YOUR fault if my laziness gets the better of me.

Christmas Update

Tyler: We're coming on Thursday. Does Grandpa have sausage?

Me: Yes, Grandpa has sausage in his fridge.

Tyler: Does Grandpa have enough sausage?

Me: Well, now, I don't know.

Getting excited for Christmas. The Relief Society dinners, work parties and other "events" are pretty much over. I went to see "The Christmas Carol" at the new theater in Centerville last week. And Friday night I curled up on the couch and watched "White Christmas." So, as long as Grandpa has enough sausage for Christmas morning, I think the real magic of Christmas is about to begin.

I've Heard It Both Ways

So I've become a little bit addicted to the TV show "Psych." It's about a guy who pretends to be psychic and works with the Santa Barbara police department to solve strange crimes. Psychic Detective Shawn Spencer is obnoxious. But the writers on the show come up with some comic gems that are just too good to ignore.

One of my favorite lines was the Psych commentary on Facebook as "A place to share intimate details of your life with people you would avoid talking to on the street." As Gus would say, "I hear that."

Reasons Why Life is Good

So Tyler and I have spent a lot of time together on the phone recently. In the past few days, he has come up with a solution to the "yucky tummy" he experienced at Thanksgiving. His plan for Christmas is to eat less candy and more sausage. I'm interested to see how that works out for him.

He also told me yesterday that he didn't want to be a shepherd in the little Nativity I want to put together for Christmas Eve. He wants to be a Wise Man, with his brother Bryce and (wait for it) Grandpa to back him up. Something tells me he just might get his Christmas wish. Love this kid to pieces!

Reasons I Have Been a Slacker

Missed this blog? (Yeah right.) But here are some of the reasons I have not been posting updates recently. In no particular order.

* I had kidney stones. I spent Thanksgiving in the Emergency Room and followed up with two more ER visits that next week for stronger drugs. I passed the last of my two "pebbles" last weekend and am now pretty much back to my real life. But I'm still mad I missed a trip to Las Vegas to visit family and a weekend in Boise that I had really been looking forward to.

* Davis County was hit with the biggest windstorm we've seen in the past 213 years and we were all without power for days.

* I suffered the most severe heartbreak of my 32 years (call me for details - it's not really blog material!!!) and temporarily lost all ability to function as a normal human being.

* I'm in charge of my ward's Relief Society Dinner next week. We expect about 125 women to attend. Does anyone know how many Texas Sheet Cakes it will take to feed 125 women? Keep in mind we're also serving peppermint ice cream with chocolate syrup with dessert!

Last, but certainly not least, last week I called Chilis to make a to-go order. At the end of the call (as is customary) the Chilis employee went to confirm my order. She started out with what I had called the Buffalo Chicken Ranch sandwich... but what she called the Buffalo Whatever sandwich. I have spent a considerable amount of time since then pondering why you would even bother to confirm someone's order if you were going to refer to the Buffalo Whatever sandwich.

Reality Check

Last night I caught a glimpse of myself in a flannel nightgown, knee socks, glasses, messy ponytail, carrying a plate of cheese and crackers, with toothpaste on my chin to dry out a ginormous zit.

And I marveled yet again that I'm not dating anyone.

Tyler is 5

Adventures in Babysitting

Last weekend I got to spend some one-on-one time with Miss Lauren. Tay has continued his winning streak on local radio stations and he and Heather were able to take an over night trip to a nearby ski resort.

Mostly these days, Lauren likes to walk from room to room with a huge smile on her face and something (anything) in her hand. She also specializes in being impossibly cute. We had a lot of fun together on Girls Night. The only rough spot was the diaper-and-a-half she had in the middle of the night that was bad enough I decided to throw her pj's straight in the trash. She more than made up for it though by falling asleep with me on the couch right after.

I bought Lauren the outfit she is wearing in this picture mostly because I have an outfit just like it (except for the skinny jeans... don't worry, mine are a more "relaxed" fit). She looks way cuter in hers. Good thing I like her so much or I might be a little jealous.

Now That's Scary

Last night I wandered into the Halloween Boo-Tique at the mall, wondering if they might have a fun costume I could wear to work. They really didn't have anything in the "adult women" section that any woman I know would wear to work. Whoops.

I'm An Adult, Dang It

I was checking in at a doctor's office last week and the receptionist asked if I had brought someone over 18 with me to sign the paperwork. I had to tell her I was PLENTY old enough to sign my own forms. I really don't get why this happens to me so often.

A Very Merry Un-Birthday

One of our vendors at work just dropped off a caramel apple to wish me a happy birthday. Which is great - except that my birthday is in February.

It kind of makes me wonder if it's a poison apple and someone is actually trying to kill me. But it's a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory caramel apple with white chocolate and cinnamon. So I'm willing to take my chances.

If You Like My Family - You Will LOVE This Post

My family all gathered in Farmington for Labor Day weekend. It was wonderful! Get ready for an overload of pictures.
Traci & Tanner at Lauren's birthday party.

Lauren would gladly have spent all afternoon hitting the sprinklers with Heather walking behind.

With our cousin Kristi, who joined us at the party.

Uncle Tay with Tanner. Can you tell these two are related? I can just see them a year from now, watching random You Tube videos together for days at a time.

Sunday morning with the grandkids. The only way I know to get my Dad to jump into a photo shoot willingly is to clump these four kids together. And Tyler and Bryce insisted that the beach balls be part of the pictures. Why not?

The Girls.

You know when you put four kids in Grandpa's wagon with the pumpkin patch in the background and you just KNOW you're going to be able to get them all to look at the camera with happy smiles on their faces at the same moment in time? Yeah right!

Tanner was so done with pictures. I don't blame him.

Wow. Only Tay would think to do this.

Slightly more appropriate!

Why do I look like I'm posing for a senior picture and I snatched up some unwilling baby off the street to sit with me? Can anyone answer that?

Grandpa and the boys like to eat donuts for breakfast. They ride in the orange car (look, ma, no carseats) to the gas station down the street and buy Hostess donuts, with Tyler and Bryce wearing Krispy Kreme hats. It's pretty classic. My favorite thing about this picture is that it's pitch black outside. Tyler and Bryce must have been ready for donuts before the crack of dawn.

Summer Fun With Ty & Jess

Did you wake up this morning wondering how Ty & Jess and The Boys have been spending their summer? Well, I'll tell you. They have been loving the fact that they have a house with a YARD. They have been camping at the sand dunes. And they have been wearing buckets on their heads.

Do you think these two like each other? I do.

Jess's birthday. I don't think she often wears tierras around the house. But she might. I know I would if I lived with these four!