Procrastinators, Unite!

Tonight I was (supposed to be) packing to head to Utah for Christmas.  I hate packing.  It is in the top ten things I hate to do most in the world.  It's on the list with cleaning the bathroom.  Yeah, that bad.  You might think my reluctance to pack is because I'm not excited to go.  Not so, I just hate the act of packing.  I would totally go with just the clothes on my back (provided I could find something I want to wear) but I know I'd just be mad I didn't have more clothes when I got there.  And the bonus fun of packing to travel for Christmas is you not only have to pack clothes and toiletries, you have to cram gifts in there too.  

So tonight instead of packing, I wrote the following song:

(It's to the tune of "Jingle Bells")

It's ten o'clock pm
The night before I fly
I have so much to do

It makes me want to cry

I need to find my clothes
And somehow get my gifts
To fit inside my bag
I want to throw a fit!

Oh, packing sucks, packing sucks, packing really sucks!
Why can't I find my other shoe, for help I'd pay big bucks,
Oh packing sucks, packing sucks, packing really sucks!
I wish my clothes would fold themselves, but it seems I'm out of luck!

I know, I know, super talented, right?  Still beats packing.

(And just in case you wondered, I did get my bag packed, see?)

Vote!

Okay, first things first. You need to go here and vote for the image of my nephew and the pie. (It's #16.) My sister's image is one of the 20 finalists out of over 200, which I think is pretty dang cool. Voting ends December 2nd and there is only one entry allowed per IP address, so tell your friends!

And because I don't want you to be distracted by the other cute images on there (and because I like to put pictures in all my posts) here is the image you are voting for:

Lame-O

Okay, so here is the bottom line.  I SUCK at this whole blogging thing.  (Which is really sad, because I actually really enjoy it.)  My problem is that I have so much I want to say that I keep putting it off until I have "time" and I pretty much never have enough of that and I am tired of being behind.  So keeping that in mind, I'm going to go ahead and skip a few (a lot of) posts and I'll get back to them when I can.

Breaking Dawn Concert-Seattle

As you may have noticed from previous posts, I absolutely adore Stephenie Meyer and her books. You may also have noticed that I was a teensy bit excited about the release of the 4th and final installment in the Twilight saga.  In addition to being "mildly interested" about the book, I have also desperately wanted to to attend the Breaking Dawn concert series even since I found out about it.

So after much deliberation, preparation and manipulation (of my finances and plans, no people were manipulated that I am aware of) I headed off this week to Seattle to see the concert series--all by myself. In retrospect, this was no big deal.  At the time, I was scared to death, and pretty sure I was going to hurl at many different times.  I've never done anything like this--gone somewhere all by myself (for longer than a few hours) for no other reason than because I felt like it.  It was actually quite an empowering experience and I would definitely recommend it to everyone.

I flew into Seattle on Tuesday and rented a car.  Since I couldn't check into the hotel for about an hour, I drove around down by the airport and found a store where I could purchase the stuff I forgot and found some food.  (How lame is this, I went to McDonald's.  Apparently there was only so much new stuff I could handle at one time.)  I checked into my hotel down by the airport, and the best things I can say about it were it was clean and cheap.  After I got settled and rested a bit, I changed my clothes and headed into downtown Seattle for the book signing/concert.  I cruised on in (after only a minor detour when I missed my freeway entrance and got lost... thank heavens for friends with the internet and google maps) and was giddily singing along to Blue October on my iPod, trying to see everything I could while still driving, and snapping pictures out the window.  

                                     

I followed my directions into downtown, exited the freeway and made the left turn that would eventually lead me through the one way streets to where I needed to be, and nosedived.  No one told me that the streets of Seattle were steep like San Francisco.  I handled going down okay, but when I had to go up the next street, I was a ball of nerves.  I was terrified that I was going to roll backwards into a car behind me and just prayed that there was a sticker or something on the back of the car that identified it as a rental and therefore I was from out of state and give me extra room.  I found Benaroya Hall and luckily there was a parking garage just a little up the street so that I didn't have to add parallel parking (which I suck at) on top of the roller coaster streets.  I grabbed my book and hurried to get in line.

When I finally got inside, it was PACKED.  I was amazed at how many people were there, it was crazy!  I found my seat and to my intense delight, I was in the 4th row.  Not only that, but there was no 3rd row on the side, it was an aisle, so I had plenty of leg room in addition to the fantastic view.  (Although to be honest, I would have sat in the corner behind a pole just to be there.)  I sat there for awhile by myself with no one to share my excitement with before I finally got up the nerve to ask someone to snap some pictures of me.  Self portraits just don't cut it sometimes.  (Although you can kind of get an idea of how big the hall was behind me.)  Eventually Cyndi, the girl I bought the ticket from on eBay, arrived and we sat and chatted until the show started.

I don't even know what to say about the show.  It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.   Justin Furstenfeld  came out and sang a couple of songs (which were awesome, of course, just him and an acoustic guitar--so cool)  and then they brought Stephenie out and she sat and chatted with the audience, talked about how music influenced her writing and how some of the Blue October songs in particular applied to different parts of her books.  As she would talk about a specific song,  Justin would then sing it.   I'll be honest, that whole segment was probably my favorite part.  I tried to do videos of each of the songs with my camera, but people kept walking in front of me, so the only song I got in its entirety was "Sound of Pulling Heaven Down," which is my favorite. (You can go here to watch it. And you totally should, it's awesome.)

After they finished the music part, Justin left the stage and an interviewer came out and asked Stephenie a bunch of questions that had been submitted by the audience prior to the show.  It was really neat to listen to her talk about the books and get a little "bonus" info about some of the characters.  (She even talked a little about the Host and it's probable sequel!)

Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and there were a lot of books to be signed.  They started having people get in line based on where they were sitting, starting with the balconies.  Turns out just because you have a screaming good seat, there are drawbacks.  Front row, last in line.  (Again, so not complaining, I would have stayed to clean up for this opportunity.)  I waited almost three hours before I got my book signed, but it was so worth it.  Stephenie was so cool, she stayed until every last one of the 2000+ people got their books signed.  Sadly, by the time I got to her, I was completely tongue tied and only managed a mumbled, "thank you!" in place of the well thought out things I had planned to say before I shuffled off with my book.

The rest of the night was pretty uneventful... had to walk down into a deserted parking garage at 11:30 at night all alone with a dead cell phone, got lost downtown while trying to find the freeway, finding the freeway, but going the wrong direction, finally made it back on going the right direction, realized about half way back to the hotel that I had been driving with no head lights on, quick sandwich from the Safeway and sleep.

And if you made it this far, you deserve a cookie.  I don't have any, but you should go into your kitchen and have one.

I'm Getting There...

Just a quick post for those of you who have demanded inquired about when I was going to post about my recent trip to Washington. It is coming, in fact, I have it partially typed up, but I am fighting with the pictures, trying to get them to go where I want them and be the size I want them to be. Since this fighting usually occurs after 10 pm, I pretty much get tired and go to bed.

So no worries, my tale is on it's way. In the mean time, here is one of my favorite images from my trip. It was taken somewhere on the Olympic Peninsula, and yes... you should be very jealous. It was STUNNING up there.

The tradition continues...

When my sisters and I were younger, one of our favorite things to do was build Barbie Kingdoms.  (Yes, you have to say it with the capital letters.  It makes a difference.)  We would use anything we could find (nothing was safe) and build the most elaborate Barbie houses we could.  The building of the Kingdom would take days and usually made a pretty significant mess, but that was the fun part.  In fact, I don't even remember much about actually playing with the dolls, just the creation of the houses.  Sadly, no photos exist (that I am aware of) of these masterpieces.  

This weekend, I took the opportunity to pass the Barbie Kingdom torch to Juju.  I helped her make a very large mess in the basement and we built our very own, brand new Kingdom.  Now, she has a really nice doll house with lots of furniture and accessories, but as I explained to her, the fun part is in using everyday items.  We collected everything we could find and this was the result:

Yay Me!

So I got a phone call today from my good friends at Barnes & Noble; I won the Eclipse trivia contest!  (Turns out it pays off to reread the books right up to the very last minute.)  I won a Twilight Godiva chocolate bar and a $10 B&N gift card.  Anytime you can win chocolate and books just by reading, it's a good day.

Breaking Dawn!!!

For those of you who know me, you know how giddy-stupid-excited I have been for the release of the final installment of the Twilight Saga by my favorite author, Stephenie Meyer. I have been not-so-patiently waiting for this book for over a year now, ever since I went to the "Eclipse" book signing at the Tattered Cover last August. I am absolutely IN LOVE with this whole series, and if you haven't read them yet, you need to run to your local bookstore and get them in hardback--they are that good.

Here is a synopsis of the first three books that I borrowed from The Twilight Saga (They summed it up better than I could...):

In Twilight, Bella Swan’s move to Forks could have been the most boring move she ever made. But when she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, her life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Bella.

Star-crossed lovers Bella and Edward return in New Moon to find themselves facing new obstacles, including a devastating separation, the mysterious appearance of dangerous wolves roaming the forest in Forks, a terrify

ing threat of revenge from a female vampire, and a deliciously sinister encounter with Italy’s reigning royal family of vampires, the Volturi.

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger in Eclipse, the third novel of The Twilight Saga. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob — knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

Anyway, being as excited as I am, when I found out that Barnes & Noble was doing a midnight release party, I immediately knew I HAD to be there. Katie and I went down to the bookstore at 9:00 a.m. to pick up our wristbands this morning, and to our excitement, we were near the front of the queue!!! We snagged the #34 & 35 slots!  (This may not sound super exciting to you, but last year for the Eclipse book signing, we were #312 & #313... it mostly means waiting for well over an hour for your book.)

I was so excited all day, I had a hard time concentrating on anything, but 

I made it thru the day and Katie & I headed out about 10:00. 

We hung out, had some Starbucks 

(who also stayed open for the release and even created a new "Vampire's Kiss" drink that I had to try--it was a vanilla bean blended creme with raspberry sauce...tasty!), listened to music, filled out the trivia contests and waited impatiently.

Midnight finally arrived, and we were 4th & 5th to get our books in our line. After we gladly shelled out our money (Katie has been saving hers since her birthday) we immediately headed home to get started. (Okay, it was just me, Katie was smart and went to bed.) I personally sat up until 4:30 a.m. reading and I finally had to force myself to go to sleep. It is that good! I won't say anything now, I don't want to spoil anyone else's experience. I am now torn between tearing thru the rest of it because I am dying to know what happens next and dragging it out because I don't want it to be over. I know all good things must come to an end... but what am I going to read now???

(This is Katie & I with our books last night/early this morning.   Aren't we cute??)

What I Am

I got this one from Holly... I promise I really do have other things to post, I just can't seem to get the time to sit down and do it. So for now, here is another fun one. Well, I was cracking myself up with it, anyway...

Here is what you do:
1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, MP3 player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write that song name down no matter how silly it makes you look.
4. Title this blog what the answer to your last question is.
5. Good luck and have fun!

IF SOMEONE SAYS 'ARE YOU OKAY' YOU SAY? The Small Print (Muse)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF? Everything Around Me is Changing (Sinead Lohan)
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? Mr. Midnight (Garth Brooks)
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY? What You Waiting For? (Gwen Stefani)
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE? Beautiful Girls (Sean Kingston)
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? God Put a Smile Upon Your Face (Coldplay)
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? Whisper (Evanescence)
WHAT DO YOU OFTEN THINK ABOUT? In My Heart (Moby)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Missionary Man (Eurhythmics)
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? Sparkling Diamonds (Nicole Kidman, Moulin Rouge Soundtrack)
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Penny Lane (The Beatles)
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? The Remedy-I Won't Worry (Jason Mraz)
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? AM Radio (Everclear)
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR? Shotgun Blues (Kalai)
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? Holly Holy (Neil Diamond)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? No One Sees You Like I Do (Plus/Minus)
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO NAME THIS BLOG? What I Am (Edie Brickell)

Happy Birthday Luke!

I can't believe how fast time has gone! Today is Luke's first birthday. It's hard to believe that it has already been a year. It seems like just yesterday he joined our family. He is such a happy even-tempered little guy and I just love hanging out with him. He is such a joy and we are so blessed to have him!

Happy Birthday Katie!

Today was Katie's 16th birthday. Wow... now that makes me feel old. I first met Katie when she was about 4 years old. I had seen her before, in the nursery at church where my mom was working. That summer, the Hunchback of Notre Dame came out in the theater and I had gotten tickets to a special screening that the Disney Store was doing. I ended up with an extra one, so I called up Sandy and asked if I could take Katie to the movies with me. Trusting soul that she is (she had no idea who I was, just my mom from the nursery) she agreed to let me take her first born to the movies. The rest, as they say, is history. Mwahahaha! (Did you like that evil laugh?)

I was watching her at her party tonight and it's hard to believe how quickly time has passed. From that sweet little girl I took to the movies, Katie has grown into a awesome young woman. She is crazy and silly and a great sister and friend. (Yeah, I posted the video, haha... you knew it was going to come back and bite you one day.) And since I am making myself mushy now, I will just say, Happy Birthday, KP! I love ya!

Memory Game

This is something fun I got from Heather... jump in!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. Enjoy!

Okay, okay...

It's time for some updates. Bear with me, I have a few and you will need to scroll down to see them all.*

*EDIT: So it turns out that this is taking me longer than I thought it would and so far there is only one new post. But it is now late and I need sleep. Stay tuned... more is coming....

Father's Day

I decided at the last minute to fly to Idaho Falls this weekend to spend the holiday with my entire family. (I cannot possibly express how I LOATHE being left out of things, and the fact that everyone else was going to be up there was just too much for me.)

I flew up late Friday night after work and the plan was to surprise my dad, who didn't know I was coming, but it turns out that at the last minute two of my ditzy sleep-deprived family members spilled the beans. The exciting part of the travel portion of my trip was that although I had a short direct flight from Denver to Idaho Falls, United still managed to lose my luggage, along with the luggage of about 5 other people. Turns out it never made it onto the plane in Denver. Lovely. Thank heavens for 24 hour Wal-Mart and the foresight to carry my make-up with me.

We spent most of Saturday shopping and running errands. Jake had to work, but I got to hang with the parents, my sisters and the Pip. OH! And, most excitingly, I got to experience the thing I had been looking forward to for quite some time. I had a delicious snow cone. I know, I know, that may not seem like a big deal to most people, but I have been wanting one BAD and they just don't have those "SNO-SHACKS" or whatever here in Colorado, more's the pity.

On Sunday everyone got together at Mandy & Jake's for awhile before Mom and Dad had to head home. The cousins had a good time and we even managed to get a family picture with everyone this time! We haven't had one since before Tanner was born, so it was definitely time. Later that evening after the parents left (which always makes me feel unsupervised) and Stephen & Heather took their boys home, Mandy, Kimberly, Jake, the Pip and I went to Jake's brother's house for banana boats. Can I just say delicious? Basically, you slice open the banana long-ways and then put in marshmallows, chocolate chips and nuts, close it back up, wrap it in tin foil and put it on the grill. Then when it's done, serve it with ice cream. YUM.

Monday Kimberly and I got to babysit the Pip and that is just one of my favorite things in the world. We attempted to have a mini photo shoot with him, but it turns out that nap time is a stupid time to do that. >You'd think the aunties would have been smarter than that, but turns out no. (Okay, it was mostly just this auntie.)



I also got to go over to Stephen & Heather's to hang out for a bit before my flight and hang with my two other favorite boys before my flight.

We mostly just played and visited and I stole sneaky attack hugs from Vance, which I like to tell myself he secretly loves. (I also finally got to try out MarioKart on the Wii. Fun stuff.)

Then about 30 minutes before my flight, I reluctantly decided that maybe we should head to the airport if I was going home. I love small airports. I checked in, went through security, and headed to my gate (from which I could still see the parking lot) and had plenty of time to spare. (Oh! And my luggage managed to make it to Denver, with my flight. Just saying.)

It was a really fun weekend, I just wish we all lived closer so we could do it more often...

Grrrrrr.....

So I walked back to my car after lunch today, and this is what I saw:



Since you probably can't tell, that is the passenger side of my car, right behind the wheel. Some bozo hit my poor little car! I have no idea when this happened or where. I know it wasn't at the restaurant today because that side of my car was parked against the curb. Needless to say, I am royally ticked off.