My day was awesome

In case you were wondering,

I cried through it but my talk to the YW went great.

The missionary talks were wonderful - I loved seeing the maturity and growth in these young men.  They will be fantastic missionaries.

Natalie's song was beautiful and who knew her cute husband could play the piano too?  They are so sneaky.

My friend's talk about being a light to the world was fantastic and such a great reminder to me that people are always watching us (and no, I'm not talking about in a stalker sort of way!)

Jaylene's birthday dinner turned out great.  I made enough food (17 people) and I think everyone enjoyed everything.  Jaylene was happy so that's really all that matters. We ate, played some silly games, laughed a lot and just had a wonderful evening.  Here are some pics - some fuzzy because for some reason, my flash keeps getting turned off:

Jax gave his mom 3 nickels for her birthday.

The King's gave Jaylene a Bath & Body Works gift card

Okay, one of the fuzzy ones but it made me laugh. Kenna & Jax are hilarious.

Me still in my apron and Jaylene with my gift to her - downloaded from this site. I printed several more and they are stored inside the frame. Just search under "subway art" if you want to do these yourself.

Jaylene is so excited to blow out candles! (finally figured out the flash!)

Like we would ever forget whose birthday it is, Jaylene!!!

What I'm doing on this Sabbath day

I just started thinking about everything I have to do tomorrow and it made my head hurt.  I love Sundays - seriously, I really do but most of my Sundays make me wish it was time for General Conference again.  Oh to have nowhere to go and nothing to do but sit on the couch for two days straight!

Anyway, here is what I'm doing tomorrow:

1. Skipping two ward conferences and trying not to feel guilty about it.
2. Speaking to a group of young women from another ward during their Sunday class time
3. Writing what I need to say to the girls mentioned in item #2.
4. Attending my own ward's sacrament meeting to hear an outgoing missionary speak and my friend Natalie sing
5. Attending yet another ward's sacrament meeting to hear a friend speak
6. Making manicotti and all that goes with it for 18 people.  Yes.  18 people. Well, 8 of those people are under the age of 13 but still...
7. Celebrating my sister Jaylene's 33rd birthday with said manicotti dinner. I don't seem to have a good picture of the two of us so I'll try to take one tomorrow. Instead, here's an awesome pic of her and her sweet family that I lifted off of Facebook.

Happy birthday Bethy!!! xoxo

What I've been doing lately (a blog for Leah)

Dear Leah, 

You said my blog needed a little loving and you're right.  So, for you, here's a short list of what I've been doing lately.

Like you, I got snowed/iced in.

We got 5 inches of snow one day followed by freezing rain the next.  Look at the ice!  I didn't drive to work for three days (hooray for laptops and cell phones and the ability to work from my bed.)

Leah, you had fun playing with all of your friends, sledding, drinking hot chocolate, etc. while I slaved away (um, from my bed.)  But seriously, wasn't the snow/ice beautiful???  A pain and a big mess and you'll be in school until July but so pretty.

My favorite memory of the snow last week? Well, it has to be me sneaking you and Carly and then the next day, Cindy and Lonnie into my office.  Okay, maybe sneaking isn't the appropriate word...but thank you so much for coming to visit me AND for bringing me my favorite beverage too! Snow days are the best!

So what else have I been doing?  Well, not blogging.  My life has felt kind of blah for the last little while.  Yeah, the funk keeps trying to creep in...but I'm fighting it off.  Mostly.

We started Ward Conferences this week. Like last year, I love them so much.  It's seriously such a blessing to be able to visit the youth in our stake.  I want to remember something from the first one.  Our stake YM president was leading a discussion about a young woman who went to a school dance with a non-Mormon boy.  As you well know, the school dances can be pretty awful - bad music, vulgar dancing, etc.  This young woman left the dance to sit out in the hall rather than watch the icky dancing.  Her date came out to find her and when she explained why she was in the hall, he said "okay" and went back inside and left her where she was.  Pres. A. asked the group what they would have done had they been this young woman.  Our girl Paige, said "well, I'd call Sister Shaw and she'd come get me." Love that (and her.)

Let's see, what else have I been doing?  Well, I've been playing with this cute girl. Love Instagram.

Oh something else exciting...my BFF Kim sent me a cute package of my favorite Easter candy all the way from London!  How amazing and wonderful is she?  (and Kara wrote the note...doesn't she have the nicest handwriting?  Now you can see why I would always have her do writing projects for me for camp.)

And lastly, one of the best things I've done lately is Skype with you and also with Nikki and Emily.  So fun.  Let's do it again soon, okay? 

There, now you have something to read during 6th period.

Love you so much!!

Shimmy Shimmy Shaw

Another way to avoid the January blues

So I had some unbeknownst-to-them helpers in my quest to avoid the dreaded January depression.  On Thursday, I arrived at my desk to find this little beauty waiting for me:

One of the guys I work with usually brings me my favorite beverage when he is going to be in the building. Such a lovely surprise.  A couple of hours later, I got a call from the receptionist that I had a box waiting for me downstairs.  Here's what was waiting for me in the lobby:

I know, right?  Yet another of the nice guys I work with surprised me with some beautiful flowers - just because.  Who doesn't love getting flowers?

(Don't) Bring in Da Funk

So as some of you may know, I tend to get pretty depressed in January.  (You can read about the most recent occurrence here.)  I’m fighting hard to not feel like that again this year and one of the ways that I think will help me to ward off the sadness is to keep a psychotically busy schedule.  As I was emailing what I’ve been doing lately with my far-away friend Kim (FYI – you can move back now) she commented that my schedule exhausts her.  I thought it would be fun if I’d capture the last week of my life here for you, dear readers.  Of course, the times are all estimates and the schedule doesn’t include stuff like work, phone calls, answering emails (for example, I got 28 church related emails on Sunday alone…28!), laundry, etc. Yes, I know you're all busy too - I'm just sharing my version of busy.

January 4 - Wednesday

5:15-6:45 Ben’s basketball game

7:30-10:30 Camp meeting

January 5 - Thursday

6:00-8:00 Hair appt

8:15-8:45 Grocery shopping

8:45-9:15 Drop off curtains at the King’s

January 6 - Friday

4:45-9:30 Ben’s basketball game (I stayed for all 3 games – when a 15 year old boy says “stay and hang out” you do just that.)

January 7 - Saturday

11:00-3:00 Bake pumpkin bars/make peanut butter chocolate ritz for tonight’s party

3:00-6:00 Hobby Lobby with sisters & mom

6:00-1:00 Party with the girls

January 8 – Sunday (get ready – this is a doozy)

9:00-11:00 Attend another ward’s sacrament meeting & Sunday school

11:10-11:20 Visit their YW to give camp announcement

11:30-1:00 Attend my own ward

1:10-1:20 Give camp announcement to my own ward

1:30-1:45 Travel to another church building

1:45-2:30 Visit with friends/wait

2:30-2:40 Give camp announcement to another ward

2:45-3:00 Travel back to my church building

3:10-3:20 Give camp announcement to another ward

3:30-6:30 Bowl of cereal, quick nap, work on script for upcoming dance festival

6:30-7:00 Travel to another church building

7:00-8:30 Dance Festival production committee meeting

8:30-9:30 Travel back to the Lyons’ house, deliver leftover pumpkin bars, eat spaghetti, chat

January 9 – Monday

5:15-10:00 Dinner at Robinson’s

January 10 – Tuesday

5:00-6:15 Impromptu dinner at King’s

6:30-8:30 Blog makeover at Natalie’s

January 11 – Wednesday

5:15-6:30 Ben’s basketball game

6:45-7:10 Drive Cindy home

7:30-9:00 Stake YW Presidency meeting at Panera

I really, really, really love my life and I prefer to have lots to do as opposed to sitting at home on my couch or you know, cleaning or sleeping.  I also know that my posting this here will make some people think I never have time for them which is so totally untrue.  I can and do fit things in whenever necessary. I also don’t want anyone to think they can’t ever call me to do something.  Got it?  Okay, good. 

So far, the crazy busy schedule is working - I've not turned into a blubbering mess at church nor am I sitting at home saying "woe is me."  There are 18 days left in the month though, so we'll see how it goes.

A blog makeover + a Christmas wrap-up

First, did you notice my blog is way cuter now?  My fabulous friend Natalie (no link - private blog) helped me change the layout and I love it!  I know it doesn't read well on any i-type devices (not sure why?) but it works great every other way.  Check it out!  I'll update it again after V-day is over but I fell in love with this cute layout and had to use it.  Natalie is so amazing. She's in my ward (well, was - she just moved) but I think we really got to know each other through our blogs.  She is also the most consistent commenter ever.  Love that and love her!

Okay, secondly, yes, it's January 12 but because I'm trying to be a better blogger and because my blog is for, well, me, I decided to post some of my favorite pics from all of my Christmas celebrations.  It really was a perfectly lovely holiday...fun, relaxing and relatively stress-free.

DeAnne, Michelle and Donna - friends for 22+ years! Flash was off the camera, thus it's fuzzy. Sigh.

My mom wrapped my family gifts for me! She rocks!

Dinner at the Robinson's before Christmas - the Grinch surprised us!

My niece Chelsea and her boyfriend Luke

My brother Rick and his girlfriend Jacque

Photo-bomb extraordinaires Makenna and Natalie

Nephew Kevin, Niece Randi and sister Jaylene

My  nephew Carsen aka Fluff

Ben in his new Christmas clothes

Adorable Cindy in her Christmas garb

The whole family

A crazy dinner party

My friends the Robinson's are awesome about inviting me over.  Our little joke is that I'm the sister wife (well, I'm second after Steve's iPad whom we have named Robyn...think "Sister Wives" TV show.)  Susan and I met at YW camp several years ago and since then, we have grown closer and become like family, really.  Her girls, Abbie and Emily were part of my recent taco adventure, you may recall.

Anyway, Susan was making honey lime enchiladas (YUM) and invited me to join them so I came over right after work on Monday.

Emily and me

Susan also invited the Jacobs family to join us.  Christi is in the stake YW presidency with me and I've so enjoyed getting to know her better this past year.

Christi, me and Susan WITH crazy-eyed Brooks, the photo bomb

And without the photo bomb

I'm usually bad about taking random pictures but I told the girls I needed to blog more so they humored me whenever I pulled out the camera.

Becca, Brooks, Abbie and Emily

Let's just say that Christi's son Brooks was in RARE FORM last night.  I'm thinking it had something to do with the sugar.  Well, and the fact that he had an audience of girls who laughed at everything he said or did. He's hilarious.

I knew I'd get a picture like this when I bought the Reddi-Whip.

AND like this...so love these girls!

Cute Eric came after basketball practice

3 out of 4 of the Robinson girls

I love my friends who invite me over and let me experience family craziness once in awhile. I think it's the best remedy for fighting off the dreaded January funk (you know I'll be blogging about that at some point, right?)

Fun with long-time friends

Nearly every January since 2005, I've gotten together with a small group of friends for dinner and catching up.  Our excuse initially was to celebrate two January birthdays but it's much more than a birthday party.

The group includes Patty, whom I've known since we were like 15 (she's the one I visit down south for General Conferences), Patty's sister Maile, who was my roommate during our early 30s, Lisa whom I've also known since I was a teenager and also Patty & Maile's youngest sister, Kanani.  The group also includes others I've met through these girls:  Heather, Robin and Marie.  I found some pictures of earlier gatherings:

Here's Marie, Lisa, Patty and me back in 2005.  I thought you guys would love to see my old hair.

 Patty and me in 2008.

Not everyone makes it every year but in 2010 we had Heather, Marie, me, Lisa, Maile, Kanani and Patty.  This was the white trash menu year - so many good things to eat! This was also the year that Maile and Patty didn't dress for the occasion. ;)

Here's our group this year.  Kanani was sick but Robin was able to come up from CA to join us which was awesome.  We laughed SO much and it was just the greatest to catch up with everyone.

Our food theme this year was anything pumpkin - which is Patty's favorite thing. I love catching up with these amazing women.  There have been marriages, babies, moves out of state and all sorts of other life changes and yet whenever we get together, it's like no time has passed.  We decided this year we need to add a second gathering in the summer and I hope we're able to do that.  Being with these wonderful women is exactly what I need to start my year off right.

How I spent my Christmas break, part cinque

To wrap up this super fun (if I do say so myself) series, something else I did over my break was receive some very awesome gifts.  Some have already made an appearance on the blog like the key chain from Cindy, new perfume and my key necklace (see part four.)

I got this really cute shirt from my mom (with shopping help from Michelley.) I wore it to the New Year's Eve dance and here's a bad phone shot of me & Leah from the dance.  There's a better picture here on part 3 but I wanted to include this fun pic that I stole off of her FB.  Photo props courtesy of Oh Happy Day.

Speaking of my Michelley, she got me these fabulous earrings.  So pretty...

FYI, I kind of really like trivia.  I have so much useless stuff in my head that one of my friends thought I should have more (and he was so right.)  Love this book.

So, remember when I went to Idaho and went to Bear World?  Well, Nikki and Emily surprised me with this super adorable teddy bear who looks just like the bears we saw there.  They packaged him perfectly in a box with "haaaaaaaay" and holding a sign that said the same thing (say it with your best Southern drawl.)

My dear friend Kim sent me some fun stuff all the way from England, by way of Amazon.  One of the gifts was this:

No, not the car but eyelashes for MY car.  I love my friend even though this is probably the craziest gift I've ever gotten.  I know she wants me to put them on my car but I'm thinking it would be super fun to just surprise someone one day and have them on their car when they least expect it.

So you've all been warned!

How I spent my Christmas break, part vier

I shopped at Tiffany!  But first, a little background...

With the exception of my affection for Coach bags, I'm not a girl who is overly tied to name brand things.  For whatever reason, I got a few name brand gifts this year and it just sort of struck me funny.  They were all from people at the office, because, hello, those people owe me for all of the pain and suffering they put me through all year long (I kid, I kid.)

One day I came into work and found this box on my desk:

Inside was a lovely crystal candle holder from one of the VP's in the office.  A few days later, I got this from one of my beloved bosses:

My favorite perfume!  Thanks to KMZT for letting him know I was running low.  Then I had lunch with my other beloved boss and his wife and got this:

Yep.  The little blue box.  I was kind of excited, to be perfectly honest.  I figured this is my one and only time getting anything from this ridiculously overpriced store, you know?  Well, I untied the ribbon and inside was this:

It's a very pretty key holder that is registered to me so if I were to ever lose my keys, theoretically, some nice person would take them to their neighborhood Tiffany store and then I would miraculously get my keys back.  Of course, they wouldn't keep the key ring for themselves or sell it on eBay or something.

It was a very thoughtful idea and a really cool item to get but I have super cute key chains already.  See?

I've got this little pink/red theme going on plus I have my new favorite "Best Mom" key chain that Cindy gave me for Christmas (yeah...she's pretty dang awesome.)

So the boss and wife gave me the receipt for the key chain in case I wanted to exchange it and I decided to venture into the sort of intimidating Tiffany store for the first time ever last week to check out my options.  I had gone online and thought the key ring cost $125.  Well, I went to the store and they told me it was $175.  (Yes, you read that correctly.)  So I looked around, tried not to be freaked out by how expensive everything was and found this adorable key:

Ever since I read Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen, I've wanted to get myself a key necklace.  Isn't it pretty? I love it so much and it feels more like me than the key ring.  I told them about the exchange and they were fine with it - phew.

How I spent my Christmas break, part tres

I love Christmas break because it means some of my favorite college students are home for the holidays.

Nikki and Emily and I went to Panera for lunch.  (This actually happened just before break but it was close enough to make this post.)

Annie, Nikki, Emily, Sarah and I went to get frozen yogurt.  There's a fun place near us where you get to add your own toppings to whatever yogurt flavor you choose and we love it.  It was so great to hear all about everyone's Christmas presents and all of the rest of the exciting things these darling girls have been up to.

I chaperoned our stake's youth New Year's Eve dance and Nikki and Annie stuck with their tradition of crashing the dance to come visit me. (I look a little tense because Sassy Leah was taking the photo and as much as I love her, she is sort of an, um, interesting photographer lol.)  Sarah came later but we didn't get a picture.  These two adorable girls left this weekend for BYU-I and I miss them already.  I'm counting down the days until Spring Break because I just can't wait until all of my girls are back with me for a few days. (Bridget, you'd better be planning a trip here in April, okay???)