Be a better blogger

So if you look at the archive on my sidebar, you'll see that 2011 has not been a good year for blogging. In fact, this entry is only my 30th for the entire year.  That's kind of sad, isn't it? I think it is.

I was thinking about it and I've come to the conclusion that I just never think to blog about the normal stuff I do every day.  For example, yesterday I brought Denae's mint brownies to work (and received no less than 3 marriage proposals: from one married man plus from two gay men.  The mint brownies are pretty powerful so consider yourself warned!)  Then after work I stopped at the King's, we ate some pizza and then I went to my last Young Women in Excellence night for the year.  I mean, it was certainly a fun day but I'm thinking the only person who wants to read a detailed account of my day is Kim and that's only because she's so far away in dang London.  But do you know who else is interested in my minutiae?

Me.

So here's my point...I'm going to try and blog about stuff I would normally never think to blog about.  Why?  Well, it's not for any of you, really. I mean, I love comments and I love feedback and I love the friends I've made through this blog (seriously, blogging has truly blessed my life.)  But it's because I went back and read some of my past entries this week and I love love LOVE that I have this little record of my life since 2008.  My blog isn't the greatest blog out there.  I haven't even updated my layout since I started, pretty much.  I'm not the best at putting pictures on here.  I know I blogged too much about television shows and I've also left a lot of the good stuff out because I'm a chicken but you know what?  I still like this blogging thing a whole lot.

So here's to more blogging in 2012!

Disneyland - the beginning

It's long past time that I should recap my trip to Disneyland, wouldn't you say?

So if you are a devoted reader of my blog, you will know that this was my first ever visit to the Magic Kingdom.  I'm not sure why I never went until now but it really was well worth the wait.  I went with two friends I've known for more than 20 years, Michelle and DeAnne.  They'd both been before so really, the trip was all for me. ;)

We stayed at the Grand Californian which was simply beautiful.  I loved being so close to the park. Here's the view from our hotel room the night we arrived.

Michelle surprised us right from the beginning by having these super cute, personalized pillowcases for us.

We got in kind of late so we decided to just walk over to Disneyland and check things out.  I loved all of the decorations for Halloween!

We got to Main Street in time for the fireworks - hurray for the photo bomb in our first group shot.  And please note the first timer pin, which actually did nothing for me...maybe it works better for kids?

Michelle will kill me for putting this picture up but I have to...so in her hand is this little bottle called "Fresh Drops."  She bought it at Safeway before she took a bunch of girls on some soccer trip.  This stuff is actually kind of magical - you drop a few drops into the toilet before you go...and guess what?  No smell.  Seriously.  It totally works.  I thought you'd all like to see this because it would make a great Christmas gift for that special someone in your life...seriously...

Okay, first day is done and now we're onto day two - the first full day of fun.  We went to California Adventure first and our first ride was The Little Mermaid.  Okay, so maybe not the best choice but there was also no line.  It was darling and fun - just not that exciting.  Oh and please note the new bag I bought for the trip - big enough for my wallet, camera and phone and super cute as well.

After our first ride, we took a quick photo together...love these girls!

We had reservations for brunch at Ariel's Grotto and look who we got to meet first off:

We sat outside, in perfect view of the closed-for-repairs California Screamin' (sadness) and waited for brunch to begin. I love my Michelley - isn't she pretty?

The food took forever to arrive so we posed with princesses while we waited.  I told Cinderella she had lipstick on her teeth just before we took our picture together.  I mean, wouldn't YOU have told her??? She's Cinderella, for goodness sake.

Belle showed me how to pose - I've got to work on how to position the hand, just so, I'm thinking. And no it's not one bit strange that a bunch of adults were taking pictures with the Princesses. Why ever would you think such a thing?

Michelley had to be with Snow White because, hello - they look alike!

Well, we waited and waited for brunch but they had something go wrong in the kitchen so we didn't get to eat.  So sad...so we left and got a corn dog (yum.)  DeAnne and I rode Mickey's Fun Wheel (swinging...I loved it when I thought we were going to sail on into the water!)

Next we went on Tower of Terror - twice.  Can I just say how much I adore that ride?  Here's the pic during my first ride - please note that I laughed my way through it, as you can clearly see.

The second time, we decided to pose and did a little jazz hands aka Just Jack!

We did a bunch of other rides too - Soaring over California, Monster's Inc, the Muppets, Turtle Talk and more.  At the end of the day, we went on the Grizzly River Run.  Michelle assured us we wouldn't get that wet.  She said "it'll just be a mist."  So we went...and as you can plainly see, we got pretty wet.  

So that's our first two days...stay tuned for more (before 2012, I promise!)

Did you know...?

That I'm the thirstiest ever on Sundays? I cannot drink enough water on days like today.

That going to a Messiah sing-along is sure to fill you with the Christmas spirit?

That despite the influx of Christmas spirit, I might not put up my tree this year?  I'm just not feeling it.

That sometimes your prayers are answered by a sweet little 4 year old girl who invites you to sit with her during church and then proceeds to hug and kiss and love you right out of your mini-funk?

That yesterday I filled 7.5 bags up with clothes that are too big?  

That it's physically impossible to ever really be done with laundry?

That whenever you feel like you have problems, people get up during church and talk about their pain and then you feel like a total dork because your life is so dang good the way it is?

That my mom is the absolute best because she is going to wrap all of my Christmas presents for me?

That my hair is the longest it's been since I was like 5 years old?

That I'm spending one whole day this week baking treats for people I love with one of my most favorite friends?

That I can't think of anything else to say?

I'm thankful for...

Because I'm waiting for a cheesecake to cool enough to put it in the refrigerator and because I have too much on my mind to sleep tonight anyway, I thought, hey, why not blog?  So without further ado, here is a list of things I'm thankful for (but no pictures because I'm lazy...don't hate.)  I'll get the meaningful/serious stuff out first...keep reading for the lighter stuff.

I'm thankful for my life.  It's not perfect.  It's not easy.  It's not always rosy.  But it's a good life and I like it most of the time.

I'm thankful for my family.  We're not perfect but when it comes right down to it, we really love each other.  I know it and they know it. There is a peace and contentment that comes from that knowledge that cannot be matched.

I'm thankful for so many people I can't even begin to name them all.  But basically, if you read this blog, you're probably on this list.  If you text/call/email me, you're on this list.  If you call me Jeanellie or Sister Shaw or Sh-Shaw or Shimmy-Shimmy-Shaw, you're on this list.  If you smile at me, make me laugh, hug me or tell me you love me, you're most definitely on this list - and quite possibly near the very top.

I'm thankful for my testimony.  I'm thankful to know that my nature is divine.  I'm thankful to know that we have a living prophet on the earth today.  I'm thankful for Joseph Smith.  I'm thankful for my older brother (and yours) Jesus Christ. I'm especially thankful for prayer.

I'm thankful for work -- both in the church and in the world.  I have been blessed with the greatest calling and I've been blessed with a wonderful job, working with (mostly) wonderful people.

And on a slightly lighter note...in no particular order

I'm thankful for my iPhone, the color red, crushed ice, my ability to bake, cute pajamas, and that I'm a girl and not a boy.  I'm thankful for makeup and hair dryers and pretty purses.  I'm thankful for music - especially the new Michael Buble Christmas CD and pretty much any show tune. I'm thankful I weigh less this November than I did last November. I'm thankful for Eclipse gum and bagel thins with peanut butter.  I'm thankful for the movie "Pride and Prejudice."  I'm thankful for sheets and pillows and blankets and memory foam mattress toppers.  I'm thankful for those dark chocolate acai berries at Costco.  I'm thankful for fun watches and cute earrings. I'm thankful for inside jokes.  I'm thankful for babies and cute little kids. I'm thankful for hope.

There's the timer!  I can put my cheesecake in the fridge now - yay!  Happy Thanksgiving to all and to all a good night!

Happy birthday, dear Cindy

Singling out one special young woman is a risky endeavor for me because others could be sad that I haven't done the same for them.  But I hope each girl who is part of my life knows for a certainty that they matter to me, that they hold a gigantic place in my heart, and that, truly, they ARE my heart whether I've blogged about them yet or not.

Today, November 21, is the 19th birthday of a girl I first met back in February of 2010 through my calling as assistant stake YW camp director.  She wasn't in my ward but I knew of her and I knew her older sister.  I called her "Cynthia" for the first little while because that was the name on my list and I was too busy to ask her what she preferred to be called.  I soon realized that while Cynthia is her given name, she is totally a Cindy.

Cindy didn't understand anything I told her about camp at first. I think it was because the lingo of camp, the schedule of camp, and everything ABOUT camp can seem almost like a foreign language to a newcomer.  As a newly baptized member from a recently re-activated family, she’d never been to YW camp before and now she was expected to serve as a Youth Camp Leader, teaching the young women who were younger than her all about the way we camp in our fabulous stake.

I remember exchanging phone numbers with her after seeing her face go blank while we were training and instructing the girls in all that they would be doing that summer.  I remember telling her to call me, anytime at all, with her questions and I’d give her a YW Camp 101 training session.  She finally did call me one night, at about 11:30 PM and we talked for quite awhile.  I remember trying hard to not talk too fast because when I’m excited or passionate about something, I talk fast.  But I wanted her to love camp as much as I did.  I wanted her to be excited about this amazing adventure she was about to go on.  I wanted her to be as awesome as I could see that she had the potential of being.

We got to camp and she was just that – awesome.  Like the other girls in what turned out to be my last year as assistant camp director, she was positive, happy to serve, fun, spiritual, kind, loving and patient.  (I still can’t believe I had an entire group of girls exactly like her during my last year of service in that capacity – what a way to go out!)

We had a special program one night at camp and I went around hugging each girl, one by one.  I told each girl how much I loved her and meant it with all that I had.  When I got to Cindy, I told her I loved her and thanked her for coming to camp and then she said something to me that my still single and childless self will never ever forget.  She whispered in my ear, “will you be my mom?”  

You see, Cindy’s mom left their family about a year and a half prior to our meeting. I knew this before meeting Cindy but that question was still so unexpected.  “Will you be my mom?”  I told her, yes, of course and that I would always be there for her, whenever she needed me, however she needed me.

After camp, we saw each other occasionally in the halls at church and at mutual activities.  We always hugged each other tightly, laughed, talked, and caught up on our lives.  Of course, we texted now and again whenever we happened to think of each other and then things changed a little when we started getting ready for our pioneer trek this past summer.  Cindy and I started walking together to prepare and I think that’s where we really started to bond.  We shared secrets, hopes, dreams and of course, lots of laughs on those walks.  We realized right away that we had a connection between us that was different than one we had with anyone else. We introduced each other to our families and I bonded quickly with hers and she just as quickly with mine.

On trek, she would frequently find her way to me, stopping for a hug or to tell me something she’d experienced.  I loved that she sought me out but I loved more watching her grow from the trek experience itself.  She took her role as big sister very seriously and worked so hard to be a good leader and family member.  Once trek was over, we started spending even more time together – movies, shopping, dinners, road trips and on and on.  We never seemed to run out of things to talk or laugh about.

Cindy is fun and smart and hilarious and talented and loving.  She is a spiritual giant who teaches me so much and makes me want to be better.  No, she is not perfect.  At times she challenges the people who love her the most but she is also the most loveable girl you will ever meet. My mom has taken to her almost as much as I have.  They sat next to each other when they came to watch me in our recent youth musical program and Cindy told me later that night “your mom held my hand the whole time.”  It was all I could do to not cry when she told me that. I love that my mom loves my girl almost as much as I do.

I don’t know that I feel like Cindy’s mother or that she feels like she’s my daughter.  The term "best friend" doesn't really cover our relationship either. I just know that long ago, before we came to this earth, she and I decided that we needed to be in each other’s life at this time.  We needed someone who would love us unconditionally.  We needed someone who knew exactly what we were thinking pretty much all the time. We needed someone to support and lift and guide us.  We needed someone to just be there when we needed a friend.  We needed someone who would fill a void that each of us had in our lives – a void that we both thought we were doing a pretty good job of managing but one that was in desperate need of filling.   

I sent her a text recently where I said “every time I think it’s not possible to love you more than I do, I talk to you or see you and then I just love you more.”  She responded, “I know.  Every time we laugh, I’m like ‘how did I ever have fun before?’” That’s really how it feels for me.  I can hardly remember what life was like before I knew her and I certainly cannot fathom my life without her in it.

Happy 19^th birthday to my darling Cindy Bob.  FYI, you seriously fill my heart with joy every single day.  Thank you for being such a light and a blessing in my life.  I love your guts!

Most Excellent

Tonight I had the great pleasure to attend a Young Women in Excellence night for one of the wards in my stake.  It came at the end of an especially trying day at work which was followed by an afternoon of dance festival meetings at two opposite ends of town, a 15 minute stop with Meesa for a quick dinner and then a drive through rain and traffic to yet another opposite (lol) end of town.  So basically, my day was kind of, well, it was pretty much a stinky day.

I arrived at the church and walked into the room where the special event was to be held and was immediately greeted by a chorus of "Sister Shaw! Sister Shaw" from the girls.  (Seriously, how great is it to be me?  Trust me.  It's really great.)  The program began and after the opening prayer, we stood and said the Young Women theme.  The Holy Ghost bore witness to me so powerfully that the things we were saying were true.

We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us and we love Him.

We will stand as witnesses of God 

at all times, and in all things, and in all places

as we strive to live the Young Women Values, which are:

Faith

Divine Nature

Individual Worth

Knowledge

Choice and Accountability

Good Works

Integrity and

Virtue

We believe as we come to accept and act upon these values,

we will be prepared to strengthen home and family

make and keep sacred covenants,

receive the ordinances of the temple,

and enjoy the blessings of exaltation.

Three of the young women then took turns talking about important activities they had participated in this year:  Young Women Camp, Pioneer Trek and various service projects.  At some point, I leaned over to Meg who is in the stake YW presidency with me and said, "we have the best callings!" and she agreed.

The girls then sang "My Grateful Spirit Sings" which was one of the songs we sang in our recent youth musical.  I could no longer hold back the tears as I looked at each one of their beautiful faces and thought "I love each one of these girls."  I'd had a feeling like that once before, many years ago, when I was a newly called ward YW counselor, wondering if I'd ever be able to love all of the girls in my stewardship.  I'm grateful that even though my group of young women is much larger now, I have been blessed by my Heavenly Father with the capacity to love each one of them completely and unconditionally.

The young women each then took a turn describing a personal progress value project they had completed or were still working on.  Three or four of them mentioned our recent musical and what an impact it had on their lives.  I love that our stake programs, while sometimes challenging and often time consuming, provide faith-promoting and testimony building experiences for our youth.  The church is so great!

I'm so grateful for the blessings I receive because of my church service.  I'm thankful every day that I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I know that I'm a daughter of God and that He loves me.  I know that Jesus Christ is my brother and that He died for my sins.  I know the Bible and the Book of Mormon are the word of God.  I know that we have a living prophet on the earth today and he is Thomas S. Monson.

Sweet is the peace the gospel brings...every minute of every day.

Tell me what you want, what you really, really want

I want to have normal sleeping habits.

I want to blog about my Disneyland trip.

I want to blog more, period.

I want to be able to wiggle my nose like Samantha on Bewitched and have my house clean and laundry done.  And let's be honest, I'd be pretty cute wiggling my nose like that.

I want to start listening to Christmas music, and yet I don't.

I want to get to work on time.

I want to be a better daughter, sister and friend.

I want to use the phrase "waxing and waning" in a sentence and not sound like a dork whilst doing it.

I want to also say "veritable cornucopia" more often.

I want to know why chargers will no longer fit into my iPhone properly.

I want to know if I should baby my breaking phone along until the new version comes out in 2012 or if I should just suck it up and get the dang 4S.

I want to see Kim while she's so close and yet so far away in Utah and not in dang London.

I want to not freak out about all that's required of me in my life.

I want to be able to read a complete book in less than three months.

I want answers to the questions I'm obsessing over.

I want to upload this year's camp videos to Facebook and to have it actually work on my first try doing so.

I want to fly across the country so I can see Callie and hold baby Maggie.

Brazenly lifted off Facebook

I want to be able to look at this photo of them and not weep.  (My Callie is a momma!)