Confessions

1) Sometimes I can't tell if people are in costume or not.

2) It's refreshing to me that no one at the Church Office Building uses Halloween as an opportunity to Skank. It. Up. Unexpected benefit of my new job.

A Random Collection of Thoughts

WARNING: The following post has no rhyme or reason. A couple of times in the past few days I have said to myself, "I should blog about that." So here we go.

We'll start with a picture of these cute Halloweeners. This was one of those pictures that made me want to jump in my car and head to Idaho. It doesn't seem like they should be so cute when I'm not there to see them.

Moving on... Lately I have had the weirdest songs running through my head, seemingly out of nowhere. I decided to keep a list of them for my own amusement.

Simon and G-Funk "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
"You Must Love Me" from Evita
"When I Am Baptized" Primary song
Bryan Adams "Everything I Do, I Do It For You."
"Sisters" from White Christmas

The Bryan Adams song I can blame on my hair salon, where the guy sitting next to me was singing along to the radio. Quite loudly. To a 90s era Bryan Adams song. It was really hard for me to keep a straight face.

It was also hard for me to keep a straight face during the Primary Program on Sunday. Before the program, I had a very serious discussion with my 7 year-olds about reverence and let them make up a "secret signal" we would use on the stand if I thought they were being a little noisy and needed to remember they were in the chapel. (I didn't go through Level Two of the Elementary Education program at Utah State for nothing. I wanted them to own their secret signal and feel empowered by
it.) I learned that 7 year-olds love to come up with secret signals. They also are Super Quick to ignore them when sitting in front of the congregation during church. It seriously was like they had never seen me or our "secret signal" before and, what's more, no longer spoke English or understood that Shhhhhh is pretty universal for "we don't disco dance in Sacrament Meeting." The Primary Program is so unpredictable. It's my favorite Sunday of the year.

All Things Considered

It’s looking like 2013 will go down in the record books as the year that wasn’t as bad as it could have been, all things considered. I’m not overly superstitious. I don’t like black cats just as much as I don’t like cats of any other color. However, it seems that 13 is legitimately an unlucky number and I am more than ready to get rid of 2013 and welcome 2014. Because my next birthday is 2/14/2014 – and that has to mean it’s MY year. Even though I’m not superstitious.

2013. The year "all things considered" became my most often-used phrase. The year I lost my appendix and took my first ambulance ride.  The year I gave up my volunteer commitments because who has the time? The year I did NOT reach my temple goal of attending 13 temples in 2013. The year my family rotated nights in the ICU and emergency rooms with alarming frequency. The year I rescued a dying plant in a desperate effort to save my heart-broken soul, then purposefully left it behind (healthy and flourishing) when I quit, left my job, took advantage of new career opportunities. The year I learned about panic attacks, hemorrhaging ovarian cysts, max deductible amounts, and a lot of other ugly words I never wanted to introduce into my vocabulary

But being the cheery, unrelenting optimist that I most certainly am, I refuse to give up entirely on 2013. Not just yet. I don’t usually make goals because I know I can’t be trusted to achieve them. But I am going to make some strong suggestions for myself for the remainder of the year.

 ·         I want to enjoy as many meaningful experiences with my family and friends as I can.

·         I want to get to know my new co-workers and learn how I can best contribute at my new job, all without making any mistakes that are big enough to bring down the entire LDS Church.

·         I want the kids in my primary class to know that I love them and love being with them because they’re so stinking cute.

·         I want to get my house back to the “yes, a crazy clean old maid lives here alone thank you very much” level of clean that I so enjoy.

 

I think that’s it. If I can do that, maybe I won’t have to write off 2013 as a total loss. So call me if you are up for some good, clean, relaxing fun. I’m on a mission to save 2013.We can do this!!!

Now I've Really Seen It All

Today I saw a stick figure family on a car window with the Dad crossed out and a "now auditioning" poster in the Mom's hand. I almost threw up.

Back In The Day

Growing up, I went to Wheeler Farm....

Played the marble game with my cousins...

 And decorated rice krispy treat pumpkins every October...

Although ours were pretty much required to have two upside-side candy corn pieces as eyes, one as a nose, and five evenly spaced chocolate chips as a mouth...and the next generation of Thomas's like to add crazy things like fangs... or Bryce's "pizza pumpkin" with candy corn toppings.

But even if (or especially if) they add their own twist to traditions, it's fun to experience some childhood favorites again with my kiddos.

General Conference

Yoga pants. Hot chocolate. Fleece blanket. Loose side braid.

I love General Conference Sunday. A lot.

Week in Review

Like so many others before me, I find myself with the age-old problem of what I'm going to do with my blog now that I've joined Facebook.  (Which is a decision I'm blaming on my book club.)  For the time being, I plan to keep my blog going, primarily because I like to write.  I hope I don't get lazy.  But I guess we'll see.

Speaking of lazy, earlier this week I walked the few blocks to the candy store where my family was meeting for ice cream... and called it exercise.  Because it was a walk.  And I firmly believe that both walking and ice cream are good for the soul. 

It was my first week as an employee for the LDS Church.  I love that I can walk out of my office building to this view.  The flowers, the temple... the shopping.  Downtown is a really great place to be.  I'm liking it so far. 

I've also learned that church employees use a ridiculous amount of acronyms.  (RAOA)  There is a special section on their intranet called The Acronym Finder for people who can't make sense of the alphabet soup.  I say we just USE REAL WORDS.  But honestly, that's my biggest complaint so far.  I love that people are nice when they call in on the phone.  That is unheard of for insurance and I don't think I've talked to anyone nice on the phone at work for the past 10 years.  It's been a little bit of a culture shock for me.  (LBOACSFM)  But I'm adjusting.