Moral Dilemma

If you buy Dove Chocolates to decorate someone's desk for their birthday... and then learn they are taking their birthday off...  do you get to eat the chocolate yourself?

When They Have Grown a Foot or Two

I have recently been informed that Bryce would like to serve his mission to Chuck E. Cheese, even though he's scared of some of the rides there.  I think it would be a good way for him to overcome his fears. 

And Tyler wants to go to the sand dunes, but he's worried that his Mission President will be mad because his mission clothes will get dirty.  It's a valid concern.

Is it weird that I'm already missing these future missionaries - and Tyler won't be old enough to leave for 13 (make that 12) years?  Probably a little bit.  But Aunt Traci will send some amazing missionary packages, I can promise you that.

I Don't Make This Stuff Up

So far this week.....

• Monday morning, 5:30 a.m.  I wake up to a car alarm going off outside my window.  I am so disturbed by this wake-up call after a long Thanksgiving weekend that  I may have thrown a sweatshirt at the wall in protest (keep in mind I was only half awake.)  It didn't solve the problem.  But I felt better.
• Tuesday morning, 9:00 a.m.  I am having a conversation with a co-worker who takes off his shoes and socks, waves his socks in front of my face, and then smells them in front of me because he knows it will gross me out.  This is the level of professionalism that I deal with in my office sometimes! 
• Tuesday evening, 5:30 p.m.  I stop at Dicks Bakery for the brownies I was asked to bring to work for birthdays tomorrow.  I don't want my Wednesday morning to be hectic, so I run this errand Tuesday night.  Because I'm on top of things like that.
• Tuesday evening, 6:30 p.m.  I order an enchilada with rice, NO BEANS, at a Mexican restaurant.  At 6:45 p.m., I am served a large platter of enchiladas with refried beans.  But I can't complain because my friend who ordered an omelet was given chicken tenders and french fries.  Our waitress explains that she messes up orders sometimes because she's from Canada and they don't speak Spanish there like we do.  WHAT?
• Wednesday morning, 7:45 a.m.  I remember that the brownies I need to take for work are still sitting on my kitchen counter.  I flip a U-turn in a busy intersection and drive back to my apartment for the brownies.  There goes my plan to be on top of things this morning.  I am 30 minutes late to work.

I'm afraid to ask - what next???

Thanksgiving 2012

Probably the best thing about my Thanksgiving this year is that I did NOT end up in the ER in Mountain Home with kidney stones.  In fact, no one in my family had kidney stones this Thanksgiving.  Now that is something to be grateful for.

My Dad and Tricia and I enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner at the Grub Steak Restaurant in Park City.  So much food.  I got a little obsessed with the puzzle we started in our hotel room but I did make time for turkey and a post-feast dip in the hot tub.  I also introduced my Dad to the "House Hunters" tv show on HGTV.  It's a really good thing I don't have cable.  I can get sucked into watching some couple search for the perfect vacation home in Mexico just like that.  And don't even get me started on TLC's "What Not To Wear."  It really is good I only watch tv once or twice a year.   



We hit the moonlight madness sales at the outlet mall in Park City.  I wasn't super productive when we went at 10 pm... and we gave up shopping entirely after about an hour.  There was nothing I wanted badly enough to wait in those lines.  But I did much better when I went back at 8 the next morning.  The crazies had gone home (or to Walmart or wherever they all went) and I was able to do my shopping in peace.

'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving

You know that last few minutes of work right before a holiday, where you have to be at your desk to answer the phone JUST IN CASE someone has a last minute insurance emergency, but you'd rather be anywhere else?

I think it's safe to say I've gone a little crazy.  But the shelf above my desk that I just wrapped like a Christmas present is making me happy at the moment.  Seasons Greetings.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The picture is not doing it justice.  But the turkey cupcakes we made last night were really cute.  Happy Thanksgiving!

The Birthday Boy

Tyler's 6th birthday was Friday.  Grandpa decided to surprise Tyler by making a trip to Mountain Home.  And I decided to surprise Grandpa by inviting myself along.

We met Tyler in the driveway when he got off the bus from school.  He was pretty excited.  Our first item of business was lunch, which was hamburgers and frostys at Wendy's.  We went home to watch "A Bug's Life" during Tanner's nap.  Which was followed by a trip to the candy store.  Grandpa does birthdays up right!

We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant and hurried home to be back for the arrival of a "special visitor."  You might be wondering who the special visitor might be, when Grandpa and Aunt Traci had already arrived.  The Easter Bunny?  No.  The Bishop?  Double no.

The special visitor was a fire engine!  And it stopped at the house!  And Tyler and Bryce got to put on plastic fire hats and get buckled into the front seat!  With their Mom and Dad, Grandpa, Tanner and Traci in the back of the cab.  The Birthday Boy even got to tell the driver when to turn right or left.  It was pretty awesome.  

The fire truck dropped us back off at the house for presents and Oreo cake.  What a day! 

Happenings

After nearly 10 years, I have enough seniority for an underground parking spot at work.  Which is great... except that our parking garage makes me feel claustrophobic.  I almost had to breathe into a paper bag after parking in my spot this morning.  I'll get used to it, right? 

In other news, I saw Cirque du Solei on Friday.  I still can't pronounce it - but I loved it!!!  The dancing, the acrobatics, the flying and the jump roping - it's fantastic.  I'm sure I was annoying to sit by because I kept saying things like "That's not possible" and "Don't they know you're not supposed to throw people across the room like that?"  But Tricia was good to put up with me!  It was an incredible show. 

Which Do You Hate Least?

I have to choose one of these photos for my "Hi, I'm Traci at American Insurance" picture.  So the question is, "Which do you hate least?"  I'm not a fan of pictures just of me.  I prefer to be chasing a niece or nephew around.