Don't Lose out on Casual Blogger's Conference... I'm here to SAVE you!

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend, but even MORE important it is Casual Blogger's Conference!

And guess what! (In case you haven't seen the button on my right hand side bar --->), I'm GOING! I'll BE THERE!



And if you aren't going then you are a loser. I would never actually say that out loud which is why it's so awesome I get to say it on my blog. But either way, that is what I heard... you will "lose" out so you are a loser, ... don't kill the messenger.

But I'm here to help you...

I was graciously asked I begged, pleaded, sold myself to be the official "photographer/update status of the conference-er" person. I will be taking pictures and uploading them to CBC's Flicker Group, Facebook, and Twitter!!!

I'm stoked!

Follow those things so that if you DIDN'T get to go to the conference, then you won't actually LOSE out on anything, because if I do my job right... it will be like you are right there with us at the conference!!!

I look similar to this so say HI! ------------------------>

If you are going to the conference and I'm not following you on twitter, leave your twitter handle so I can follow you or follow ME @ShelleBlok!

Love,



P.S. No real losers were harmed/offended in the making of this post.

Courage, Faith, and ALS.

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but simply moving on with dignity despite that fear."

Pat Riley

We have found out that one of my BIL's, one we are extremely close to, has Lou Gehrig's disease. News like this hits you hard in the gut. I thought after my sister's baby son's death that I wouldn't be able to cry for years and years, and then one Saturday you are innocently snuggling with your husband and you get a phone call that makes you cry all day long on and off and into the next few days. Then again when you see him. Then again when you see his wife. And on and on and on.

When I found out, my first thought was, "Well how do we beat it." Like it was cancer or something one might be able to win or overcome (might being the important word there). Unfortunately Lou Gehrig's disease or medically known as, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, is still a phantom disease. They STILL don't know much about it. What causes it, how to prevent or stop the process. You slowly lose control of your muscular function until you no longer have movement at all. Your mind and heart remain 100% healthy through the process. Eventually or most choke to death. They do have medication that may or may not slow down the process but for everyone it is different. In most cases, after diagnosis, the person inflicted with the disease has 2-5 years to live. Some have lived longer, some shorter, again, everyone is different. BUT, one never knows maybe he will be the one that lives a very long time. Maybe he won't? The frustrating thing is... you just don't know, know one can tell you... or predict... or anything.

So he lives, day to day. Because right now he is fine besides the few ticks that won't stop. He has his Bucket List. He has his family. He savors his time with them. And life and work continue... until they can't any longer.

From what I have gathered and from what he has said, my BIL does not worry about death, what he worries about is his family, after he passes on, financially and spiritually. He knows and BELIEVES that he will be okay, and that his time away from his family will be short. He KNOWS that his family down here will be the ones where time goes by slower and they will miss him for much longer than he will miss them.

I was sitting in church that Sunday, the weekend we found out, and all of a sudden I thought, "Testing your faith is having to face a loved ones mortality." I don't know why I thought of this, but it seemed accurate to me. His family and him are strong in their faith. They believe in families being forever. They believe the gospel, they have faith that this is Heavenly Father's Plan for them. They are incredible.

If one doesn't really and truly believe and have faith, from what I know in THIS GOSPEL, then facing death is fear inducing and faith breaking.

Although having faith and being strong can still include crying about it, and being scared about it, and not always being okay with it... because we are human, and we feel, and as much as we believe we don't always have all the answers down here, so we soak up what we have and we gather our COURAGE and our DIGNITY to put one foot in front of the other until we find out the rest.

Hope you all have a good Sunday!

Love,

Karma and Oven Mitts

What does Karma have to do with oven mitts?

Easy. Just sit back and learn okay? Don't let this happen to you... or do.

I laugh at people. I know there are others of you out there that don't, and I wish I was as cool as you, but I do. Not usually something I can stop. I try, but it just begins in my belly and slowly makes it's bubbly way up until it bursts from me and I laugh out loud.

I get laughed at a lot also, so I get my fair share back. Just sayin.

Anyway, it's getting hot here where I live. That means our cars and steering wheels get really REALLY hot. I usually put up those things that go in your window to block out the sun, and it dulls the heat on the steering wheel so I don't burn my hands.

Well the other day I'm driving and singing really loud to myself in the car, because I was

alone. As I stop at a stop light, I look over to see an older lady, looking straight ahead, holding on to the steering wheel at a good 10 and 2 position, wearing... oven mitts.

I'm smiling to myself right now remembering it. It was funny. I burst out laughing. Laughing, laughing, laughing. I mean, at the time, I'd never seen anything so funny. I started crying I was laughing so hard. Make my shoulders shake kind of laugh.

Light turns green, I drive ahead, I think to myself how silly it was that she was wearing oven mitts while driving, I laugh some more.

End Scene.

A few days later. I walk out to my car on a particularly hot day. I get in, start the car, roll down the windows, put my sunglasses on, text somebody back, put my car in R (for reverse) and proceed to put BOTH hands on the steering wheel to back up. As I turn around to check for people or cars behind me (nobody watches where they are going in that parking lot)-my mind begins to register that my hands are BURNING!!!

Forgetful me had forgotten to put the SHADE up. Forgetful me also didn't think what the consequences might be, forgetful me got my hands BURNED!

I'm not kidding. Not like a hospital emergency burn, but definitely a, OW! WHAT THE HELK! Kinda burn. It hurt, and I may have whimpered.

My mind instantly went to Old Lady with Oven Mitts. I wasn't laughing anymore. But you know who was?!?!? Karma. She was laughing. She has never been my friend.

Anybody else out there laugh at people one day and then turn around and get slapped in the face with karma? Or does she only play tricks like that on me? Is there a lesson to be learned?

Let me know in comments.

Love,

I pay money for it? So what?

Things I've paid money for that I don't regret--

1. A Jigalow.

2. Okay I kid I kid. I never paid for a Jigalow, I talked them into not charging me. I kid I kid again. But that was funny.

Okay, to be serious. I've been thinking about this and I have come up with a bit of a list. I won't name them all, but I'll highlight the best ones.

My BLACKBERRY. Now I would say my iPhone because I would have that over my BlackBerry--but I no like AT&T, so they can suck it, and iPhone too, until they let Verizon have it.

They call it Crackberry for a reason people. I always have my phone, and for the most part, am ALWAYS connected. My hubs says that my Blackberry is like my Mistress (but the equivalent to a guy that a mistress would be). I may regret fractionally the problems my mistress has caused in our marriage. My husband says HE is neglected (I chalk that up to him not understanding, ignorance ya know?)... but "SHE/HE needs me" I plead to my husband, "unlike you who is sufficiently independent, my Blackberry 'JUJU' as I have lovingly named it, is like a child, it needs me to stroke it and give it attention so it can grow into the Blackberry it was meant to be". (For some reason he doesn't find that sufficient, nor funny). I agree, sometimes JUJU throws fits and I may go a little insane on him/her, but most of the time we get along and it has been a very loving relationship. And I love JUJU... with all my heart. Someday I hope my husband understands this and allows me to have an open relationship with HIM and my JUJU.

Moving right a long...

DVR-this goes without saying much. But who would shun something that lets you watch your favorite television shows at your whim?! Can't sleep at night? Watch that episode of "Grey's Anatomy" you missed last week because of an Elementary program that seems to think Grey's isn't important and schedules their program on that night. Alone for the weekend? Hello! Let's catch up on "24" that we've missed all season. On a flight during an important sporting event? No FREAKING problem--it will be waiting for you when you get home to watch. (sidenote here: Don't get on Twitter, Facebook, or the internet in general until AFTER you watch the Sports event, because without fail some jerk, who is your "friend", decides to say something that spoils it for you)How about hate watching commercials during your show because it leaves you hanging? Forget about it, record it, and fast foward--like manna from Heaven I tell you. So I love my DVR--

My 24 inch Mac. My first ever Mac and I shall never go back. I can't even describe what a good investment that was. Seriously. Once you get the hang of a Mac and switch over, it's night and day the beauty and miracle in which it runs and functions on a daily basis. Me loves it. To go along with that... my iPod Touch/iTunes/Apps/Words with Friends... sigh...oh sigh.

Also with those, I have to mention the new baby I picked up a few days ago (I have saved and saved for this beauty) and for which I'm typing on now to do this post. The Mac Book Pro laptop. Let me just say I cuddle this cute thing and feed it and burp it and want to take pictures with it and have totally fallen in lust with it. I get all giddy just trying to find excuses to play with it. (there is a joke in there somewhere, but I'll leave it alone.)

Hair appointments. I can't ever regret paying money to feel beautiful. I have a hair stylist that I adore and when I leave there I feel like I have just walked off the cover of a magazine, and until you have felt that power, you can't play hate. It's worth every penny I spend. That goes alone with the waxing of the eyebrows and such.

Expensive Jeans- When you find that pair of jeans that when you slip in them they make you look skinnier and make your butt look like those of the Gods... how can you fault that? HOW I SAY!? Don't judge. When you've searched the whole world (I may be a tad dramatic with that) to finally find that pair that works miracles, you buy them, and you get down on your knees and you thank the man upstairs for creating somebody who was genius enough to come up with them and bring them to life. Just sayin.

Okay, I'll stop. For now.

Anything you have paid money for that you don't regret?

Love,

P.S.--Full Disclosure--That isn't my butt up there showing off the jeans. All Images were stolen off of Google images.

P.S.S.--Go check out what Real World has going on today!

Secrets...Go ahead, UNLOAD.

Have you ever said something that you wish you could take back the INSTANT you said it, or typed it?

That was me yesterday.

I divulged information, told a secret. It was MY secret. It wasn't one I was holding for someone else, yet I still wish I wouldn't have said it. I WISH I would have had a secret box to dump it in and forget about.

But NOOOOOOO... my fingers had to type or my mouth had to run off and I spilled my secret.

See I'm one of those people that can't carry the burden of a secret. If someone tells me something that they don't want me to tell anyone else, I have my go to person,the one person that actually can keep a secret, that I can unload or share the secret burden with, usually my hubs, (I tell him because anyone that is anyone KNOWS he's part of me... if I know, he knows). Or I would write it down. But what if my GO TO person is the person the secret is about!? Then who do I tell? Not that that is the case, I don't have anything to tell my hubs about my hubs... but you know what I mean. I have this secret to carry around all by my lonesome with no one to help carry the load... ya know?

And then it eats and eats and eats at me... until I unload it.

I so wish I would have had somewhere to unload it so I didn't say anything.

And now I just feel dumb. Again, just so we are clear, the secret was MINE, not someone elses.

Anyway--I thought I'd do all of you a favor and do the SECRET BOX today. Unload your secrets here anonymously or not... only if you don't do it anonymously then it isn't really a telling of a secret as much as it is a confessional. Leave your secret in comments, get rid of it, and BE FREE! Or not.



Like I wish I would have been yesterday afternoon.

Your.Welcome. I'm always letting you guys learn from my mistakes. I'm a giver.

Love,

Guest Contributors Please?

HEY so I'm not looking for CONTRIBUTORS, but I'm looking for some GUEST CONTRIBUTORS over at my Real World Venus vs. Mars blog! (Okay I'm kinda begging) I want to change things up a bit. We are thinking, Vlogs and Podcasts

Please go over there and check out the whole scoop. Just click the Button below and it will take you there! I have listed some topics and I need YOU to help me out! ;)

And also, I know you guys are quality people, and I need that. So clicky click.

Love,

Inspiring.

Nie Nie. We all know their story. We followed it and were inspired. This doesn't let us down. It's amazing. I hope you take the time to watch it. If you haven't already.



Love,

I love my wife, but she's not my mom.

I love my wife, but she's not my Mom. She is the mother of my children.

I find it hard to find an appropriate card for this day. I read every card available in hopes that I'll find one that fits what I want to say, "I don't care about the war marks our kids have left on your body, I just love having sex with you". Shelle would have said to edit that and say, "intimate with", but I'm a guy, I don't say stuff like that.

Shelle doesn't get that she's beautiful, I'm lucky she doesn't because I wouldn't have had a chance if she knew just how hot she was. I tell people all the time that she's hotter on the inside--actually, she says that all the time about people, "She/He is even better looking on the inside", but it applies to her also.

So back to finding her a card. I would have taken a picture and uploaded it here but that's to much work, I'm lucky I'm here.

So here is what it said, "I may not be the smartest man in the world..." (open card) "But then, I managed to trick you into marrying me, so I'm not a total doofus. Happy Mother's Day".

That's close. She should be able to read between the lines. I also wrote a bunch of stuff on the side that should make her cry, which is my goal, cry="intimate with" (wink, wink, nudge nudge).

My kid's card was better. I laughed by myself in the card aisle when I read it. "Everyone thinks their MOM is the best!" (open card) "Which is why I must fight everyone, one at a time, until you, and only you, reign supreme. Wish me luck!" That's funny. Even better, what my boy wrote in her card, "Mom, Happy Mother's Day, and I hope you like this card because I will fight everybody at once until our whole family is just the only people standing". That's my boy. My daughter wrote, "I love you", but she only has so many language skills, she practically said the same thing as my boy in so many words.

Anyway, Shelle we dig you. I dig you because you're hot. The kids dig you because you're a hot mom. Oh and Thank you so much for being the mother that you are for them. I love you babe, and hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day!

HEY! I got a picture on here! That's my girl! She will be mad because she hasn't messed with it (smoothed over her freckles). This is one of my favorite pictures because I LOVE her freckles and you can see them (not even as much as I like), each and every one.

Shelle Edit: I was going to post this quote for today, ""Motherhood brings as much joy as ever, but it still brings boredom, exhaustion, and sorrw too. Nothing else ever will make you as happy or as sad, as proud or as tired, for nothing is quite as hard as helping a person develop his own individuality especially while you struggle to keep your own."--Marguerite Kelly and Elia Parsons

But I think my husband deserves his time to talk about me. Babe you suck for posting that picture :) Happy Mother's Day to all my female readers and friends. I seriously love you guys--it's a cool thing this BLOGGING stuff. It's because of your writings that I realize that I'm normal, as a woman, and as a mother. Thank you.

Love,

ABOUT LIL' OL ME

I have been putting off writing this page for my blog or site or whatever I'm suppose to call this, because as much as I love to talk about myself, I'm not good at selling myself, and this "ABOUT ME" page is like selling myself...ya know what I mean?

So let me just copy what some of my other friends have done and that is make a list of things about me... I'm not going to put a number to it, because then if I can't think of that many things then I fail myself and who wants to do that?

Here we go:

1. I'm a wife. (good start right?)

2. I'm a mom.

3. I dip my McDonald's French Fries in McDonalds Hot Mustard sauce, but all other fries in Ketchup or Fry Sauce.

4. I have two kids. One boy and One girl. We nicknamed the Boy DCAR and the girl PEEPS

5. I use to be a dancer. Now I either teach it or watch it.

6. I don't have favorite sports teams. None.

7. I am, however, obsessed with Bull Riding and UFC. For some people that's a deal breaker for friendship. I understand.

8. I like to write but I hate to correct my writing, so my grammar has a lot to be desired.

9. I run Real World Venus vs. Mars me being the Venus queen. You should check that out. It's good stuff about relationships.

10. I graduated from BYU in Marriage and Family Therapy...hence my interest in starting a relationship blog.

11. I'm LDS, or Mormon, or a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

12. I have worked in the airline industry for 5 years.

13. I love to travel.

14. I love people.

15. I love to travel to meet people (like blog friends)!

16. I like to take pictures. Sometimes I get paid for it.

17. I read. a. lot.

18. Romance is my favorite. Sue me.

19. Fantasy would be my second. It's my escape. Don't judge me.

20. I can't fall asleep at night unless I'm laying on my rights side with my husband cuddling up behind me. I blame him for starting that habit.

21. I birthed my first born natural. And yes, I'm a freaking champ for doing that.

22. I used the Bradley Method to do #21. I would do it over again exactly the same in a heartbeat.

23. I birthed my second born with an Epidural to help the pain. I'm a champ for that also. And I'd do it over again exactly the same.

24. Which one would I prefer? Natural or Epidural? DUH people... Epidural, it was like running a full marathon going natural but so cool once the baby was out and you get a adrenaline burst of energy... the Epidural was like running a half marathon and then needing a few hours to recover but no pain during the marathon part.

25. I life-guarded all through high school and the first two years of college. I could save your life using CPR if I needed to or save you from drowning or bandage up a minor wound. But I can't promise I'll do it well.

26. I was on the drill team in high school. I was a super star! In my mind anyway.

27. I was also in a few plays in high school and then help with the tech crew... I was the wolf hand in "Into The Woods"... I was a Super Star.

28. I played soccer. Not on the high school team, but city league and loved it... but chose dance over soccer when I had to make a choice.

29. I have 2 sisters and 3 brothers... all taller than me. I'm the runt of the liter. Go figure.

30. I had my first kiss when I was 18 on New Year's Eve.

31. I regret not kissing earlier.

32. I made up for that regret.

33. Like lots of times.

34. I was in a work out video.

35. I have a testimony of the gospel.

36. One of my favorite book series: "Fishers of Men" by Gerlad N. Lund

37. I LOVE country music.

38. Right now the Zac Brown Band is my favorite. Listen to THIS song or their performance of Devil Went Down To Georgia. for CMA's... yum.

39. I've taken a day to fly for hours to meet up with blogger friends, just to turn around and fly home.

40. I've also drove to do that same thing. :)

41. I stare at people.

42. I talk to strangers.

43. My favorite trip was to London, England.

44. Then Hawaii, my first and second times there.

45. I love change.

46. I'm obsessed with near death experience books.

47. I love to watch movies at the theater.

48. I rarely watch movies twice with the exceptions of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", "Dirty Dancing", and "Transformers" 1 and 2 and any Disney-Pixar movie ever made since I had kids. But I didn't choose that, it's what happens when you try to entertain a kid while you do other things--pop in a movie and they become zombie's.

49. I've lived in my parents basement with my family for the last 4 years.

50. I threaten to make voodoo dolls all.the.time on my blog to scare people.

51. I don't know how to make voodoo dolls.

52. Or ones that work anyway.

53. I can't sew to save my life.

54. Or craft to save my life.

55. But I can bake a mean peanut butter cookie, still may not save my life.

56. I got first place in the Peanut Butter Cookie cook off for my 4-H thingy.

57. I pooed in a pool when I was a kid and blamed it on the boy next to me.

58. I thought I was clever.

59. They figured out it was me.

60. I hate public bathrooms because weird things happen to me in them.

62. I don't paint my nails because I bite the nail polish of of them.

63. I chew gum. a. lot.

64. I only wear Victoria Secret Body Splash. The other kinds are beneath me.

65. Love Spell is still my favorite smell of VSBS.

66. I ran a half marathon and finished faster than I set out to. I was kinda proud of me.

67. I sometimes wish still that my little sister didn't have to experience her baby boy dying because I still want to be the older sister that helps everything go away or make it better.

68. I wish my BIL didn't have the disease he has.

69. I trust in God's plan. I'm lucky.

70. I still cry thinking about it though.

71. I sing really loud in my van.

72. I always get caught by the person that pulls up next to me at a Red Light. At least I make them laugh.

73. I text while driving sometimes ... I try not to, but sometimes it's like a drug and I can't help myself.

74. I love red licorice.

75. I love movie popcorn.

76. I have a sick obsession with pistachios. I should add here that my favorite food is Italian. But some days it Mexican.

77. I tell people I can't cook, but I really can. In fact, I'm pretty good.

78. I'm the kind of person that plans when someone suggests, "We should go to lunch/movie/have dinner sometime". I'm that person that pulls it all together.

79. I love being social, in fact, I live for it.

80. I'm pretty pathetically in love with my husband.

81. And then my two kids.

82. I LOVE to sleep in.

83. But have to wake up anywhere from 4 AM to 6 AM for work every morning.

84. If it has chocolate and caramel I'll eat it.

85. I struggle with my body image. Still. AT my age.

86. I broke my collar bone.

87. I broke it Cycling-it's not even a good story.

88. My only other broken bone is when I slammed my Left Pointer Finger in my Van Door.

89. I love to laugh.

90. at people.

91. and with people.

92. I try to be witty, but can't deliver a punch line to save my life.

93. I consider many people my friends, but only have a handful that I consider close friends.

94. I was a good girl all growing up.

95. Mainly because my Mom caught me the two times I tried to do something bad, like meet up with boys at a movie, or pool hop... I figured it wasn't worth the effort to out smart her.

96. I hope I'm as smart as my mom when my kids get old enough to try and get away with things.

97. I did gymnastics when I was younger. I was on a traveling competitive team. Yet I couldn't stand on my hands for longer than 30 seconds to save my life.

98. I've wasted a lot of hours in front of a computer screen reading blogs.

99. Thank goodness for crackberry's! Now I can waste my time reading them on the go!

100. I don't like to talk about myself. ;) Much.

Okay well there you go. A list of a 100 things about myself.

If you made it this far, I'm sorry, you'll never get that time back, hopefully you learned not to read these kinds of things in the future.


Love,

Finale--My final speech to Harv and the Council...

Guys... ARE YOU SITTING DOWN!?

Sit down. It's crucial that you sit down because you won't believe what I am about to say. And put that DRINK down you may spit on you computer.

Okay... ready for my big news?

Ready ready?

I MADE IT TO THE FINAL TWO OF THE SUPAH SURVIVOR!!!



bwahahahahahahaha!!!!

I know right??? Like who would have predicted? I mean you saw my VLOGS? And my attempts at creativity?

Tammy chose me to be in the final two with her. I'm thinking it was a good move on her part because she knows more people then I do, heck if I weren't me and I had to choose between her and I, I would choose her because she's friendly and pop-u-lar. If we were in the play "WICKED" she would be Glenda the Good Witch and I would be Elphaba the Green not so good witch, but I am good, I'm just saying, there had to be an opposite. Ya know?

Anyway you know how I hate to gloat or win or bring any further attention on myself. The final 7 or so have to vote on who they want to win.

WE didn't even get to say our big speech about why they should pick us...so I decided to say one anyway.

I'm not very good with speeches so here I go:

*Tap Tap*... *cough*... uh... *tap tap*

Is this thing on?....

"Okay, here it is, your choice... it's simple, her or me, and I'm sure she is really great. But Derek remaining survivors, I love you, in a really, really big pretend to like your taste in music like your creativity in "BUFF-ONs" and "Kentucky Derby Hats" and "Pimp yourself out to Harv", let you eat the last piece of cheesecake watch you stuff/eat marshmallows down your throat and see bugs crawl over your limbs, hold a radio over my head outside your window see your hold cards together, cross lines during Elephant Marches and complain on twitter of how hard THIS challenge is, unfortunate way that makes me hate you, love you. So pick me, choose me, love me."

Once you pick yourself up from the shock of it all...I think you should leave in comments why I should be the winner, just because I think that would be HEE-LAIR-IOUS!!! And exactly where I got my speech done. Although I did add my own edits in there, if you couldn't tell!

Love,