In my sentences I go where no man has gone before...I am a boon to the English language.
- George W. Bush

Random 10 Friday. Here's my random playlist...

1. Without You - Dixie Chicks
2. Somebody Told Me - The Killers
3. Carry On - Dispatch
4. North Pole Express - Jon Schmidtt
5. Hallejuah - Rufus Wainwright
6. Some Say - Once On This Island (Broadway Musical - Original Cast)
7. Humble Me - Norah Jones
8. Unaccompanied Cello Suite #5 in C Minor - YoYo Ma
9. If You Ever Stop Loving Me - Montgomery Gentry
10. Blinded By The Light - Manfred Manns Earth Band

Bonus: La Lune - Mutual Admiration Society

Wherever Normal is...
That is where I plan on taking us today.

It's time for our life to get back to "Normal".
Whatever that means.

We did a fun thing tonight. We got a box of chocolates that looked just like this from Anonymous Grandma. She told the Things that they needed to find someone they didn't know, and give the candy to them on Christmas and just tell them "Merry Christmas".
Thing 1 was really anxious about the whole thing. She kept telling us that she didn't know anyone who would be working on Christmas. We kept assuring her that - that was the whole point... that she wasn't supposed to know who they were.
Well, tonight the only ones interested in going were Thing 2 and Thing 3. We went first to the Fire Station and gave one to them... but the their doors were locked, so we left it on their car. We noticed the lights on at the Pizza Hut, and people were inside. The door was locked so, we left one on their car too. We went to the gas station next, and their were 2 people working, so Thing 2 &3 took the chocolates in and handed them to them and said "Merry Christmas! This is for you!" The gas station attendants looked at us funny and the Things started laughing and Thing 3 yelled out "That was fun Mom! Lets do it again!!" So we headed out to find 1 more place open. We found our Blockbuster open, with not one customer there. We walked in, I told the little worker boy that we had something for him. Thing 3 handed him the chocolates and said "Merry Christmas." Blockbuster boy stared at us and said: "How come?" I just smiled at him and said: "Just because. Merry Christmas." And we walked out of the store.
It was fun!
F.U.N.
Fun!
The things talked all the way home about doing it next year, and who they wanted to give it too.
The Policeman made the list.
Blockbuster boy made it again.
McDonalds, and a Hotel worker too.

Maybe we could do it again sometime soon...
Just because it made us all feel so good inside!
And it was fun to see the look of surprise on the peoples faces we gave them too!

You should try it too.
Its easy.
Really!

Well.
The deed is done.
Santa came.
He saw.
He left...
A plethora of presents!
Here is the funny thing.
I was the first one up.
I was up at like 5:30am.
Everyone was sleeping happily, dreaming of unopened presents.
I waited.
I kerpluffed.
I padded around the house.
Everyone still slept.
At 6:30 I finally couldn't take it any longer, and I started waking everyone up.
Jefe first.
Then I sang to Thing 3 something about Santa having come to see her.
That was all it took... she jumped up, and ran and woke the rest of the Things up...
I had to hurry downstairs to get their with the camera before they all did.
It was screaming fest.
Oh it was exciting!
Thing 3 kept grabbing everyone to show them what she got... then she would grab her pant legs and do a little scream accompanied with a dance! It was music to my ears!
Thing 1 was soo excited about the phone... then she saw the Nintendo DS Lite... and it was all over!
She was ecstatic!!!
She LOVES the Ninten-dogs game...
and the cell phone.
Well.
Thing 2 now said that she wouldn't be a nerd anymore, and he would have to stop teasing her cause she was soo cool now.
What a good brother!
Thing 2 actually gave the first gift of Christmas this year. Thing 1 & he were arguing yesterday about who would get to play Santa... and he wrote Jefe and I a note saying that He would let Thing 1 be Santa... but don't tell her!
Awww.
He is such a good boy!! How on earth did we luck out with such a kind hearted boy??

The Things made a haul. They got everything that they wanted... plus some. Thing 2 still wants his electric guitar... I guess I really need to investigate into some sort of lessons for him, and maybe get him one as a surprise... That is the only thing that he didn't get that he has been wanting for quite a while.
Can you imagine the NOISE that would come from such a gift??
Yikes.
We would need to finish the basement first!! LOL!!
Anyway...
Christmas has now come and gone.
The Things have happily played all day with their new possessions.
Jefe had a fantastically long nap and I read my Grandmothers journal that my Father gave to us all. That was wonderful.
It made me miss her.
She has been gone now for 13 years... but I still miss her.
She really loved her family... and when she would write that in her journal, it made my heart swell.
I have had an epiphany over this past month.
I have really struggled since moving here. I missed my friends, my home, my church group... yada yada yada...
I was basically brought here kicking and screaming, and have made it known.
Quite loudly.
I have been a spoiled brat.
Well, I have been really really sick this past month. At one point I thought for sure that I was going to die... metaphorically speaking. I was THAT sick.
I don't know what I would've done if I had not had my parents around me.
At one point, I was so sick that I could hardly hold my head up, and the only phone number I could remember was my sisters. She quickly rallied my Mother to my rescue. Turns out I had taken too much medicine. Anyway. Point being that I have really had my hind end saved this month by my family. They have been awesome. I suppose that my getting as sick as I have been was Gods way of showing my exactly why its a good thing to have your family around. Maybe it was also Gods was of helping me to be more grateful. Hasn't HE said that the greatest sin that there is is the sin of in-gratitude??
Well.
If thats the case... then boy am I the biggest sinner of them all.
I have had a change of heart. I am glad that I was here. I honestly do not know what I would have done if my parents hadn't been around to help me out while I have been so sick.

I told Jefe and He asked me to print this up, sign it and then frame it so that I refer back to it at a later date.
Not necessary.
I am glad that I am here. It has been a HUGE blessing.

On another note, I am totally excited about the musical pipe/bell dealies that my parents gave us for Christmas. I am thinking that for the Elementary School Choir next year, we should use them and have the kids play some of the songs on the bells. That would be steller cool! I am the co-director of the kids Elementary School Choir. It was a complete blast... except for being soo sick. The kids were awesome at the performance, and gave me flowers and a standing ovation. Too kind. They sang awesome! I was sad that I had had to miss so many rehearsals. I can't wait for the Spring concert! We are slowly getting the hang of it, and each time they are getting better and better! Next year will be awesome!!


Well... My epistle of an entry as probably outlasted anyones attention.
It has been a wonderful day.
The Things have had a great day.
Jefe has had an awesome day.
Don't my photos look awesome? They were taken with the new camera that Jefe bought me.
He gets to go skiing...
Lucky dog!!
Merry Christmas everyone!
XOXO

Well.
We're ready.
The dinner has been had.
The P.J's unwrapped and put on.
Showers have been had.
We read our traditional poem of "Twas the night before Christmas".
We have watched our traditional DVD of the birth of Christ set to lovely Christmas music. It really is a nice video, and a much more "modern" way to do the bible version of the story. It is people of all nationalities reading the Luke 2 series of scriptures that describe the birth of Christ.
The Things were SILENT during the entire video.
If anyone talked or made any sort of noise, Thing 3 would holler "SHHH! I'm watching Mary!"

Now we are tracking Santa on our Santa Tracker... He's in Central America now!!
Thing 2 has wanted to get in his new P.J.'s since oh about noon.
He is READY for Santa!!
Way Way Ready!!
So, at 8:00pm he had everyone convinced that they should all have a slumber party in Thing3's room. They all went in there to make their various nests to sleep in, and by 8:30, he was the only one asleep.
I am excited too.
I hope that they are happy with all their various gifts!

It's all done.
Every last present is wrapped and accounted for.
The stockings are hung.
And the dog is happily having her belly scratched.
What more is there to do but wait.
And wonder.
And hope that the actual occasion outlives the hype...

On another note...
My face still hurts.
Not as bad as on Tuesday, but it still hurts, and is still very numb. I am actually quite surprised with how difficult this has all been.
There are 2 possiblities:
1) It was a much more difficult surgery than I had thought
OR
2) I am getting old therefore I take 3times as long to get better than young people.

Either way, I am taking MUCH longer to heal than I had thought. I figured that I would be up and hopping by now.
Not so.
I don't feel like hopping.
I don't feel like chewing.
I feel like laying around... and sleeping.
How boring and OLD is THAT???

I am excited for the Things to open their presents. They are all going to have total and complete COWS!!!
The one thing that we swore on a million Bibles that we would not EVER get Thing 1, we did.
GASP!
I know.
You are now dying to know what it is...
Well, check back Christmas morning... and you can have a looky lou for yourself!
Merry Christmas folks!

Holy Cow!
It's time to pull up Santa at the Northpole.com!
There are all sorts of fun things you can do with the kiddies... games, letter, pictures... more stuff than you can shake a bell at!
Plus... Norad will track Santa for you, and you can see everywhere he goes...
Check it out HERE
Way way way cool stuff!

Now, for the Random 10 Friday... Holiday edition.
Are you listening to those holiday tunes yet? We are.
I'm getting a little tired of Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer, and all the various renditions of that song that the Things know.
Oh Well.
It's only 1 time a year...
So, in honor of Christmas arriving in less than 3 days...
Here is the Holiday Random 10.
Enjoy!

1. O Tannenbaum - Charlie Brown Christmas
2. Only You Can Bring Me Cheer - Alison Krauss
3. Peace - Norah Jones
4. Frosty The Snowman - Dan Tayminski
5. The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole
6. God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman - Trans-Siberian Orchestra
7. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Frank Sinatra
8. Edwins Tale - 1862 - Peter Breinholt
9. I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In - The Cheiftans
10. The Carol of The Bells - Mannheim Steamroller

Bonus: The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) - Alvin & The Chipmunks

I had my surgery today, and I feel like death warmed over.
Actually, what I feel like is 2 pounds of crap in a 1 pound bag.
Horrid.
Awful.
Throbbing.
Kill me now cause that would definitely be better!

I hope I get better quick, otherwise an all liquid diet for Christmas Eve and Christmas day will really suck for everyone else!

Good for me... Just imagine how much weight I will loose with an all liquid diet!

It's hit that time again...
That time when I start panicing.
Do I have everything?
Is it the right stuff?
Will they like it?
Maybe I should go out and buy them something else...
Oh no!
They just changed their list!
What will I do now?

This is the part of Christmas that is the worst!
The waiting.
All the shopping is done.
All the presents are wrapped.
Now I just have to wait...
And stew...
And fret...
And hope that we exceed their expectations.
And keep myself from going to the store and buying more stuff...

We had such an adventure yesterday.
The Things were all wanting to play with their various friends... So, I told Thing1 that she could play with her friend, if she walked Thing 3 over to her friends house.
Thing 3's friend lives next door, and between our houses is this gigantic mud hole.
Every little boys dream, every Mothers nightmare!!
Anyway, I went out in the garage to say something to Thing 1, thinking that she would be walking on the sidewalk.
Oh no.
That would be too simple.
She thought it would be much much faster to cut across the yards.
And, it would have been, had their been grass there.
I could see them standing there, not moving and Thing 3 was howling like a banshee.
She was stuck in the mud.
Up past her ankles!
Thing 1 was trying to free her, but to no avail. She got stuck too.
Thing 2 came running from his friends house, and tried heroically to save his sisters.
He lifted Thing3 up out of the mud, just to promptly fall backwards into the mud.
His feet were stuck too.

Thing 1 was stuck.
Thing 2 was stuck... laying backwards in the mud.
Thing 3 was laying on top of Thing 2 howling.
I was standing there watching this all unfold... I was horrified because of all the mud... and yet it was a comic act!
I was wearing flip flops, and I went into the abyss, trying to not get stuck myself.
It was squelching and squelching all the while mud was oozing up through my toes.
I hate that.
I pulled out Thing 3.
Then I pulled out Thing 2, and almost fell backwards myself.
Thing 1 got herself out... and we all sulked home.
Filthy, and covered in mud.
I wish I would've had my wits about me so that I would've thought to take a photo!

Thing 3 howling: Ear piercing!
Dirty, muddy clothes: 4 times washing them to try to get them clean!
3 kids stuck in the mud: Priceless!

It's random 10 Friday again...
whatcha listening to?

1. Waiting On The World To Change - John Mayer
2. Trouble - Ray Lamontagne
3. When I Look To The Sky - Train
4. Walking After Midnight - Cowboy Junkies
5. The Prettiest Thing - Norah Jones
6. The Hardest Part - Ryan Adams
7. Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk - Rufus Wainwright
8. Thinking About You - Trisha Yearwood
9. When You Say Nothing At All - Alison Krauss
10. What I am - Edi Brickell & The New Bohemians

Bonus: Savin' Me - Nickelback

That's how my face felt all this past week.
I think that actually happened.
Maybe that's why I feel better today.
Hummm.
Deep thoughts.

Since I was closer to death on Friday than listening to music, I missed the Random 10 Friday.
I missed it last week too 'cause my computer decided to do a freakout on me.
So, that being said...
Here is our Random 10 Friday...
On a Sunday.
What are you listening to??

1. Sleeping To Dream - Jason Mraz
2. Meet Me In The Back - Melissa Etheridge
3. Torn - Natalie Umbruglia
4. Couch Potato - Weird Al Yankovic
5. To Make Her Love Me - Rascal Flatts
6. When In Rome - Nickle Creek
7. Trust Me - The Fray
8. Steady As We Go - Dave Matthews Band
9. Low - Coldplay
10. Dirty Second Hands - Switchfoot

Bonus: Desire - Ryan Adams

I have been under the weather...
Well, closer to death, I think is more accurate.
I have some major tooth pain going on... so, needless to say I have been climbing the walls!
They gave me some pain pills, which was nice for a while, but then they started not cutting it.
I was delirious with pain, and sort of took too many pills...
Soooo, I got a little...
Well actually A LOT sick. I was supposed to get the teeth fixed on Friday, but I was so sick that we had to post pone it until Monday.
It is totally embarrassing that my teeth are so disgusting. I mean really embarrassing.
I have a yuck mouth.
Yet, I do brush.
I just don't understand it.

I feel better today. Better than I have felt in days. I just may be joining the land of living. At least until tomorrow when I go and have my root canals.
UGH!

I got a new calling in my church tonight.
For all my non-Mormon friends, remember that in our church everyone gets a calling to help out. We are a lay church, which means that everything that is done in the church is done on a volunteer basis. There are various organizations that you can be asked to serve in by the Bishop (the ecclesiastical leader). I have as of late been serving in the Womens Organization-- The Relief Society. It is, as a side note, the largest womens organization in the world.
Anywhere.
Religious or not.
Period.
It is a great organization to be a part of. They offer wonderful support!
I have alternately served the majority of my adult life in the primary organization which is for children ages 18 months to 12 years. That is actually where my heart lies. Mostly because I think that my true age lies somewhere between 3-6.
No.
Really!
Some people get old people... hence their true age.
Some people get teenagers... hence Their true age
Some people get babies.... need I say more??
Some people get pre-schoolers... thats me.
I get the little kids. I like little kids. I wish my kids would always BE little kids.
I get them. I like them. They are a blast!

I don't get teenagers.

I understand adults... I like working with adults. Its fun to teach/discuss with people who think on the same plane as you do.

I don't get teenagers.

So...
What is my new calling??
Working in the Young Womens organization. That is for the teenagers-- ages 12-18.
Thing 1 will be going in to this organization this coming year.
WHAT???
Am I really old enough to have a teenager?
UGH!
So.
I am working in the Young Womens now. Specifically the Beehives... the 12 & 13 year olds. Yikes!!
I am little, well, actually a lot nervous.
Actually, terrified is a better word.

I was afraid of teenagers when I was a teenager.
This is really out of my element.
I feel like I am being thrown in with the sharks...
I hope I don't get eaten alive.

If you are looking for "Things We Never Remember..."
Well, you are in the right place.
I was bored with it, so I played around with the blog templates.
I may change again... we'll just have to see.
Maybe and thats a BIG, GIANT maybe, I will learn how to make my own template.
Wouldn't that be tricky?
Yes.
It would.
Anyhoo...
Here is the new looky-lou for the blog.
What do you think?

CURRENTLY
UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

Thing 2 turned 8 yesterday.
Yup.
E.I.G.H.T.

HOLY COW!!
Where did all that time go? He is turning into such a nice boy, and soo thoughtful.
I mean, what boy, when they get home from school, tells their mother that they like their new haircut?? How many boys even notice when their Moms get a haircut?
Mine does.
He always says: "Hey! You got your haircut! I like it!"
What a good boy!!

Jefe wanted to buy him a gun.
Yes.
A gun.
A REAL gun.
Uhhhh.
No.
Don't think so.
So, as a compromise, we settled on a BB gun.
A Red Rider BB gun to be exact.
While we were waiting in line to buy it, someone said to Jefe...
"You'll shoot your eye out!"
Ha.
Ha.
Very.
Funny.

That's what I'm worried about.
Thing 2 was soo excited. They promptly went outside to target practice. We got him some BB's and a "trap" for the BB's to go in. It has these little targets hanging on it, and then once you shoot it, it catches the BB's so that you can re-use them.
It was freezing outside, and Thing2 was happily shooting away... That boy is a good shot.
No.
That boy is a great shot!
I was suprised with how good of a shot he is!

Jefe keeps the BB gun locked up, and Thing 2 can only use it when his Dad is home.
That way, the neighborhood dogs wont start getting tortured...
or the cats...
or the naughty neighbor kids...
Well.
Maybe the poop monster will get it...
Anyway...
Thing 2 is 8. I just can't believe it! How fast time has flown.
He's a keeper.