The family end of year letter... love it, embrace it

Happy Holidays and New Year... and all that.

Well since I was a procrastinator lazy bum of the worst sort I never got my annual email letter out to all of my friends and family and Loved Ones!!!

That includes some of you... I'm horrible, and did I mention lazy?

I just wanted you to know that MountainSport Man, Me, DCar, and PeePs are all very blessed and are so thankful for this last year. AS we could do better in all spiritual aspects of our lives, we strive everyday to be better and know more about our Saviour and our Father in Heaven and the gospel that helps us everyday get to know them better.

As far as the family goes:

School and work have gone well for MSM. He has one more semester and then we have to grow up and start our lives!!! We will be job hunting and probably moving and life will definitely change for us... and we hope for the better! :)

I have completely fallin in love with my new mistress, my photography. I have made it into a business and I have been, for me, successful. I have been able to learn and do so much with it this year that I feel as if my little baby of a hobby has sprouted legs and is taking off better than I had ever imagined. I am indeed lucky. I still work at my other airline job and absolutely LOVE, still, the people I work with and am not sure I could ever give it up... so hopefully I won't have to no matter what happens after my BFF, MSM, graduates!

DCar continues to fully involve himself in being master of his domain. That is the kids of the neighborhood. There isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't have at least 3 friends tagging along at our house. For some reason it is OUR house that they tend to migrate to. But I like it. He also plays soccer, baseball, basketball and you will usually find him either jumping on the tramp, riding anything with wheels, and/or playing Xbox or Wii. So he's a normal 7 year old boy. Next year he turns 8... I'm going to have an 8 year old! He will be baptized... I'm getting old... But the kid continues to have a soft heart, in fact, for Christmas he wrapped up an empty bucket. When we opened it and had confused looks on our faces he explained, "It's a bucket of love Mom and Dad."

Yea... I shed some tears.

PeePs is the average 4 year old going on 29 year old! She is a ham, has a mind of her own, and absolutely-positively adores her Dad! And believe you me, the guy is wrapped around her little finger. But to be honest I adore her probably just as much or more. She is a total girl. Bugs frighten her, she plays dress up, she tries to boss her big brother around with hands on her hips and EVERYTHING, and she is in dance... tap ... LOVES it!

I did try putting her in soccer this last year, and if you have read this blog for any amount of time you will know what a mistake THAT was! But I'm going to preserver and put her in again next year since I love soccer so much.

But admittedly we probably spoil her and I try to find shame in this, but I can't seem to muster it up!

All in all we are all pretty healthy and I can't complain at all about how our 2009 has ended up.

The one thing I wish I could change is that I wish my sister had more time with her son and my family could have more time with my nephew (and when I mean time I mean lived a full life) but that wasn't how things worked out and I don't regret the experience because it will be marked as one of those life changing experiences and changed me as a person for the better :)

Admittedly I thought I'd be a few pounds less but who doesn't??? Don't Judge me!!! I will however run my first triathlon and maybe a half marathon so maybe THEN those pesky pounds will melt away and never come back???

What!? A girl can dream?

Okay... well I've rambled enough. Happy New Year and hope you are welcoming in 2010 with a BANG. We aren't because no one has invited us to their house to party like it's 2009! Sigh...

Love,

The reason for the Season with Pictures...

So I've been wanting to do a Christmas post since Thanksgiving. And I just have to say that I'm all sorts of sucky when it comes to posting over here lately.

I have excuses, but who wants to hear them??? I go on automatic zombie zone when I start to read about why somebody has been neglecting their blog! So I'll spare you.

If I took the time to make those cute holiday cards and have my Family Picture taken to delicately write, stamp, and send out to all of my friends and loved ones I would have. But I didn't.

I did manage however to find the Real Santa Claus and I surprised my kids and went and saw him. If this guy doesn't make you smile from HIS smile then you have no heart. I smiled and chuckled every time I saw him pose for a picture ... he was so adorable. I threatened my kids to only ask for TWO things because some of those kids took 10 minutes going down their list of things they wanted and it was HOT in that room!

*He's Cute Huh?*

But now let me take a moment and focus on the real reason for the season.

It's not only that special feeling you get when you see someone that needs your help that doesn't have enough money for clothing or the right size of clothing... and you help them.

*it's just wrong is what it is :)*

(If someone wants this whole Christmas Special people of Walmart let me know and I'll forward it to you...hehehehe)

Look it's Sage!!! Isn't it just cute how he hunts in the deep south???

*bwahahahahahaha.... sorry that was funny right there!*

Okay no really.

Let me just say that I am so very blessed. My family is healthy and happy. I'm happily married and get to hang out with my best friend everyday. We have jobs. Our kids are loved and seem to be growing up relatively normal (I guess that's subjective ;)

And the best thing about this time of the year is that EVERYONE no matter what their faith or creed gets reminded of our Savior Jesus Christ. Some welcome the knowledge that he atoned for our sins so that we may be forgiven and return to our Father in Heaven, some don't. Some of us celebrate his humble birth and beginnings which was followed by his spectacular life and influence, and some don't, but whether you believe in him or not you know of him. I make it a practice to remember him daily, but I love this Season because everyone gets to remember him--whether they claim his power and influence were real or not.

I hope everyone has Happy Holidays!!!

On Christmas Day over at Real World I will be showing MORE of these lovely Walmart photos so go over there if you want!!!

Love,

A list of Justifying...

Random list of Justifying why I'm not ready for Christmas:

1. Cause I've been lazy, kinda, sorta...kinda.

2. I just barely found my Christmas ornaments in storage and everyone whose anyone KNOWS that Christmas doesn't officially start burning in your bosom until you have that D*&@ (D.A.N.G.) Christmas tree up! Anybody pickin up what I'm puttin down?

3. I'm overwhelmed with those of you that feel the need to post everyday! Since my brain is fried like any character on Fraggle Rock I don't know how you do it!!! I remember those days, those days where I use to have something in my brain to spew forth everyday to feel your brains with useless chunks of knowledge...those days were good days.

4. Ummmm I broke my CLAVICLE!!! (that one was for you CoachDad ;)

5. December schedule for work sucks. No really it did. I worked all day (starting at 4am--this is also where you cue violin music) at a computer doing a schedule and then would have to come home and edit my photography clients pictures until the wee hours of the morning...although I digress, I LOVE to do photography and editing so in that case it is more a matter of trying to tell myself to STOP!

6. Don't want to face the meanies out there. Is it just me or do people seem to be more MEAN around this time of year? I mean with all the selfless giving going on, you'd think we'd be coasting on warm fuzzy feelings all season long... but NO, no can do, you are conveniently stopped at a red light and look down for ONE second to see what made your phone buzz and you have someone HONKIN their horn at you!!! What!? It was a like a SECOND!!!??? Patience is a virtue people...do as I say, not as I do.

7. You guys probably don't know this but I'm kinda a big deal...I've got to make my appearances places (hair dressers, eyebrow waxers, mani pedi- ers) or people start getting their feelings hurt. This puts a dent into my shopping time.

8. My children can't officially decide what they really want. I get one thing and then the next day I question myself as to it being the perfect gift since every time I ask what they REALLY want, one thing, it's different each time (they get that from their dad)...which is just my personality. It's gotta mean something and it's gotta be perfect! It's unrealistic but try convincing my brain of that... Go ahead I dare you. That's like trying to convince me that the 10 extra pounds I've gained post broken clavicle (that wasn't on purpose CoachDad) doesn't look more like 50. Pictures don't lie.

9. AND...cause I've been lazy...kinda sorta. In the way of lazy that I've just kept pushing it to the back of my mind and saying that infamous saying that Scarlett says in Gone with the Wind, "Tomorrow's another day, I'll worry about it then." Until another day is TODAY and you have to worry about it. That kinda sorta lazy...

So what about you guys? Anybody want to help me justify why I'm not ready for Christmas? If you are one of those over achievers...JULES...you are not welcome here at this post on this day! ;) (Just kidding, you know I love ya)

***Now tell me, whose totally bugged I stopped at 9 on my list!!! Bwahahahaha!!!

Love,

Mark this day on your calendars...

I want every one to mark this day on their calendars because I WON something with out having to pay somebody to draw my name or without whining about it!!!

I WON I WON I WON!!!

I am not the type of person to flaunt other people's losses in their face...but it feels so GOOD to win! No wonder people do that!

See over at Hot Dads (where I'm an official Hot MOM-but I did pay someone to do that so it doesn't count like me winning) they had this FANTASTIC giveaway.

They had a bunch of stuff but what I really wanted was this HARD DRIVE that SeaGate was letting the Hot Dads giveaway and this is why:

For those of you who don't know I do photography on the side.

I take a lot of pictures and my hard drives on my computers fill up fast because I'm afraid to throw anything away. So what I have been doing is burning them on a DVD and storing them in a CD case...but the process takes a long time to burn for those of us who have A.D.D. (not clinically proven that I do...but it's self proclaimed) so I rarely find the time to burn the DVD and then my pictures slow down my computer.

So I was at the store a while back and saw this nifty external hard drive that you could fit into a purse! See the other external hard drive's I have bought to store my pictures were big and bulky and a big PAIN IN THE REAR!!!

When I saw that nifty small one I realized I had to have it...but because of Dave Ramsey I couldn't buy it on credit right then, I had to save for it. So I was going to buy it for Christmas as my Christmas gift from the money we had saved for Christmas!!!

So when I saw that Hot Dads was giving one away...I entered, with no thought of actually winning, but I entered and crossed my fingers and hoped and all that other stuff.

So imagine my happy dance when HotDads main guy TentCamper told me I had won! HERE is the proof!

Let's just say I jumped up and down and almost re-broke my clavicle!!!

AND I've already got my hard drive. SeaGate must have sent it right when I emailed TentCamper my address because I got it a couple of days later!

Here is my new baby:

(That's PeePs' hand. She's four. Technically I could fit HER in my purse, but even if you had a small purse you could fit this hard drive into it!)

I'm absolutely, positively in love...and it holds all of my pictures on it! My computers are happy and working faster than ever!

So even though you guys aren't as cool as me and have won one of these adorable babies...you should go out and get one if you are in need of somewhere to store extra stuff to relieve your computers hard drive! Just sayin :)

Now...enjoy my son DCAR singing to me in the car--



Now feel free to leave in comments how totally cool I am for winning this...

Love,

I get hypnotized by Christmas music...

What is it about Christmas music that puts me in some kind of hypnotic trance?

I'm not kidding.

This is me.

I'm driving in my car, and it's like all of a sudden I think to myself, "Gosh Shelle, it's awful quiet". And it was. Absolute dead silence. I was on my way to wash my Pimp-mobile-van... (that's right, don't hate). So I turn on the power to the radio and on comes Christmas music and then...

I went into a Frankenstein trance

...and I come to-- 2 hours later with loads of crap in the back of my van and no memory of it...

Or that is what I'm telling my husband.

Santa is bringing Mama a new pair of pants and two shirts and some boots...

What about you guys? Does Christmas music have this effect on anybody else?

Love,

Yea sometimes I have an opinion!

Okay you guys, I've held my tongue for over a week now, but it has to come out!

Can we talk about Adam Lambert? Max Hall? People going to President dinners uninvited?

I kinda wanna just make fun and tell you my opinion... is that okay?

If not... then why the HELK are you reading still??? Cause you KNOW I'm going to tell you regardless right?

Okay.

Adam FREAKING Lambert. YOU'RE GAY! We get it. I'm Heterosexual. I don't feel the need to parade my sexuality all over, grant it, I didn't almost win American Idol and I'm not famous... but give me a break!

I'm twittering the day after the American Music Awards and all I read about is Adam this and Adam that and WHAT WAS he thinking. Being the open minded person that I am and the most curious person that I am, I immediately YOUTUBE searched his performance (no longer can access it)...unfortunately my little 4 year old girl, PeePs was at the computer with me...

And then starts the worst performance I HAVE ever seen, and the fact that I had to exit out of the window because it my daughter was standing right there made me feel sick! Now I can pretty much forgive almost anything if it has a good voice and a crazy beat (remember-me=open mind?) so my intention when searching out Adam's performance was to Nay Say the critics because admittedly I was an Adam fan during American Idol. Adam has an amazing set of pipes on him.

But that performance. His voice, well, for lack of a better word, sucked. The beat of the music sucked also. Then within the first 30 seconds of the song I'm watching one of his dancers put his head by Adam's most PRIVATE part...YUCK YUCK YUCK, and THEN he proceeds to walk another dancer, like a dog, on the stage, classless. Not to mention the kiss at the end.

You're Gay. Get over it. You don't need to make a statement about it in your performance.

And my Gay friend thought it sucked also... just saying.

*********************************************************

Okay, onto Max Hall, quarterback for BYU. WHY oh WHY did you have to make a statement like this:

"I don't like Utah. In fact, I hate them," Hall said. "I hate everything about them. I hate their program. I hate their fans, I hate everything.... I think the whole university, their fans and their organization, is classless. They threw beer on my family and stuff last year and did a whole bunch of nasty things. I don't respect them and they deserved to lose."

Now all you will be remembered by is this! Yea it sucks that some fans are so ridiculous, hateful, and spiteful that they do crappy things to your family...I would want some kind of revenge also, cause hey--family is everything. But it's just not classy or right the way you went about it, and HATE is such a strong and remembered word!
***************************************************
Okay the Party Crashers at the President's dinner thing.

My question is... why are we focused on the random couple and how retarded they are for attempting and successfully completing their stunt... I'm more worried that the BEST security we supposedly have to protect our Nation's President wasn't able to stop it? That they actually got IN!!!

Right?

Shouldn't that be what we all should be focusing on?

And to prove to you how immature I am. I laughed when I first heard about it.

What do you guys think about any of this?

And as always check out Real World Venus vs. Mars some great stuff there!