My Resolutions

I'm not one to make alot of New Year's Resolutions. I usually start "NEW" in July...my birthday or September....something to do with a new school year. In fact I don't remember the last year I made a New Years Resoultion, though I do recall that I have managed to keep them.
They were
1. give a smile to someone everyday and
2. to always wear my seatbelt.

So this year I've been doing a bit of thinking and this is what I have come up with for my new list of Improvements
1. I will not eat Brussel Sprouts no matter how tasty others think they are.
2. I will walk Lucy at least 6 times every week
3. I will keep my gas tank above the 1/3 mark at all times so as to hasten my fast getaway should the need arise
4. I won't mean mug slow checkers at the Grocery store. Instead I will loudly sing along with the PA system and get others to join in.
5. I will put on a bra whenever I leave the house.....no need to scare children and small animals with my bodacious boobies. Exceptions only for trips to the mailbox

My Nobel Prize Awaits

Another hour and the year 2008 will be over.
Strange isn't it? How slowly the time drags by when we are children but races by faster and faster every year that we are adults. I've been pondering this for a while now and I think I may have the answer figured out. Imagine that........One of Life's Greatest Mysteries solved by little old me!!
I'm sure to get the Nobel Prize for this brilliant school of thought. All of you will need to spread the word for me of course after all I don't think you can nominate yourself, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility....I could win it could happen.
So here it is...wit and wisdom for the ages straight from the mind of me and my little brain to you dear reader.
It's simple really
The older we are, the more people we come into contact with. So the longer we live the more friends we make and when they are gone the more people we miss. God makes the time fly on purpose so the waiting to see them again isn't completely unbearable.
Did I mention it was 2 years today that the Frog left?

On the 7th Day of Christmas......

No swans were a swimming since they'd freeze their butts right off.

Just got back from the Taylors where we had dinner and listened to a lovely guitar concert by Aaron and his friend Char a Sister Missionary that served in Uraguay with him. She's only been playing for about 5 months she said but she sang us 4 songs that she wrote and they were so beautiful!!! Aaron sang a song too then they moved to the piano in the living room.

I have to say that the Drama that is my life continued right on thru the Holiday. But it was a really really wonderful holiday all the same.

I told Blane that it was the most fun since 1987 when the whole family came to Utah and Baby Sis stepped on Blane's head during the annual Santa Sneak. ( a time honoured tradition in the Nelson household)

The power went out on Christmas Day just as we sat down to open gifts. Thankfully, when it happened the turkey was cooked thru and waiting to be carved. We just went ahead and had fun anyway. The youngest was S, so she wore the shirt and played Santa, passing out all the gifts. She was so busy that she didn't even notice the unwrapped gift Santa left for her....a BAB named Holly Noel Bunnyrarebit! She took it everywhere with her from then on. LOL She may be 12 but she's still a little girl.

The snow from Christmas Eve just kept on coming down. Real blizzard conditions. Not hard at all to convince K & S to stick around a bit longer. We spent most of the morning Friday shoveling out T's van. Thank goodness for neighbours with snowblowers!

They left Saturday the 27th and made it to Surprise, AZ with no major problems except a short detour due to a closed road at Hoover Dam. She was meeting Rigo at the border and then the whole family was heading home to Santiago.

Part of the reason it was so much fun was that I had a bit of unexpected money. So not only did I have enough to buy food for the crowd, there was enough to pay all my current bills and a get a few gifts for everyone. But the best part was on Christmas Eve day. I gave Salina $40 to buy her own gifts for everyone and turned her loose in the store while I read in the car. She spent most of the evening wrapping presents and giggling to herself downstairs. She made cards for all of us, including Lucy to go with our presents. Everyone had little secrets and surprises. So Fun!

Blane was just laughing with glee when he opened his gift from Salina.......she gave him a huge package of SOCKS!!!! His idea of being rich is putting on a brand new pair every day. Julie gave him some too so he will be living like the rich folk do for at least a month.

I 've been thinking tonight about the Frog (Meredith gave me a beautiful FROG Pin) tommorrow it will be two years....... I was able to keep my date in the Celestial Room with him on Saturday. TK and I went and did a session in the Jordan River Temple. It was so special and so lovely.......I literally felt him there beside me as I was in the Prayer Circle with a young man who had just gotten his mission call. How I miss Steve!

All in all everyone had a lovely Christmas surrounded by LOVE, hugs, good food, a blanket or two and a ton of snow.

An Up Date

Well some of the Drama has died down K is home from the hospital without having to have major surgery. Yea! She came home with a drain and a lot of antibiotics. I'll take her in tommorrow to have that removed.
M flew home and made it there alive and just before the Spokane airport closed again because of the storm. They've got 14+ NEW inches on the ground and more coming everyday.
Lucy is having a lot of fun with all these people to play with and pay attention to her. She gives out kisses to one and all and will play fetch for hours. She is also sleeping around with everyone upstairs and trying hard to be fair and give everyone a chance at warm feet. J couldn't take her being so cuddly and jumping on him in the middle of the night cuz he moved off the couch and has slept downstairs the last few nights.
All in all I think we are ready for Christmas.

Drama, More Drama

Is it just me or does life tend to interupt your plans too?
Let me begin by explaining that I knew going in that this was going to be one of my more interesting weeks this year. Little did I know how interesting!!
Trees aren't decorated, presents are NOT even wrapped, let alone mailed....... though I do think thay are all purchased. At least they better be since I'm out of $$$$.
Sunday night my cousin K and her daughter S were coming thru on their way home to Mexico. They didn't get here til 2am because of the storm we got hit with but they made it. She had literally been driving almost 24 hrs straight in snow wind and sleet so I convinced her to hang around another day and rest a bit before trying to drive on to Arizona. We got hold of Blane and her nephew C and met up for dinner.
She collapsed and passed out at the restraunt before our food even got there and we had to rush her to the hospital!! K was screaming in pain in the front seat, S was crying and scared in the back seat, I'm white knuckle driving in the dark with a ton of traffic on I-15. I hate all those headlights! It should also be noted that I was most definitely breaking the speed limit.
Why is every ER hurry up and wait?
They finally checked her in with a temp of 105, vomiting, chills and an incredible amount of pain. An abcessed and infected ovarian cyst is what they are pretty sure caused all of this and after 3 days of full bore IV antibiotic's with no relief they are going to operate today.
In the meantime TK and her kids arrive tonite for the Holidays. My trees are not done being decorated, beds aren't made up again, laundry is not done, packages NEED to be mailed and groceries bought. Is it acceptable to just hit Wal-mart and BUY new sheets rather than take the time do the laundry?
I also had 2 dr appoinments with labs and a trip to the dentist yesterday. Miss Lucy Belle had shredded paper all over the place and even got into the YW gifts which I'd left in a bag on the bed. This was apparently much to much temptation because there was a lovely trail to her water bowl and back. I haven't returned Baby Sis's calls all week. I'm on day 2.6 of a killer migraine and my eyes are messed up so no cards mailed yet. It's snowing.
And the Cherry on Top (literally) Aunt C needs a cute verse to go with her neighbour gifts of ChokeCherry Syrup.
Stop the World I want to get off!!

My How He's Grown!

I had the wonderful opportunity of attending church in K & H's ward today to listen to their son J's report on his mission. What an amazing young man he has turned into! How blessed am I to have him as a member of my family. It was a bit of a coincidence that as I was driving over to the church this morning I was listening to the Sounds of the Sabbath on 106.5 and the song was "His Image". J truly has recieved His image in his countenance. The love that he has for the people of Guadalajara really just shines on his face as he speaks of them. I noticed afterward that a few of his former companions came to the church to hear his report. One introduced his new bride and asked about one of their families they had taught and another who had only been home a month was there too.
J is truly his father's son. Like H he is outgoing, charming, very personable and enjoys being in a crowd having fun. Now after this mission experience he just radiates light! How proud his Uncle Steve must be of him.
Over to the house a bit later, his uncle K was asking him to talk in Spanish. He finally said a few words about L. It was pretty funny. I miss the days when the whole family spoke and the missionary bore his testimony in the language of their mission. J thanked me for the pages I did for his album. I'm so glad he is home and I get to witness the wonderful man he is becoming.