28

I had a great 28th birthday. I was able to spend it with Cody, who took the day off from school. During the day, he took care of the kids and gave me some personal time to read my book and mess around on the computer. It was a little slice of heaven.

Weather wise, it was the worst day so far this winter, with snow and ice everywhere. Schools were cancelled, roads were slick, but by golly, Cody and I still went out for a birthday dinner (kids-free, thanks to Melanie!) where I ate a lovely piece of cow. I came home to a birthday party, with hats and necklaces (thanks Claire) and some chocolate cobbler cake with ice cream. Can we say yum? Claire got me a pair of earrings that she picked out herself (I am wearing them in the picture) and Cody got me an ipod shuffle (it's smaller than a matchbook). So I have been jamming to music almost nonstop since then. It really was a delightful way to spend my golden birthday. Nothing wild and crazy, though maybe that is okay with me.

Sick days

My friend Gina asked me if it was a bummer to have a birthday in January. She has a little one who's birthday falls in this so-sick-of-the-mess-of-toys-we-have-piled-in-our-house-from-the-holidays time after Christmas known as January. No, I have never thought it was a bummer in any way. In fact, I started to brainstorm while I was sitting with her, giving her a much more in-depth answer than she possibly could have wanted. January is the perfect time for a birthday. It's there to buoy you up in that whirlwind of depression and bust that seems to follow you after Christmas. And in most places (well, in all the places I have lived) it is cold, dark and snowy in January. It's a month that needs a little more excitement that what Martin Luther King Jr. Day has to offer (because what decorations do you put up for that?). So it is a perfect time for a celebration that is entirely focused on me. I am not being selfish; that is just the nature of birthdays--it's all about me.

I am ready for my birthday. Some years I try not to mention it before my actual birthday, to see if people remember (I know, a little drama-queenish, but that how I ride), but this year I brought it to every one's attention early. Did you know it's my birthday this week? Yep, I am just spreading the word.

This is because not only have I had to deal with the post-Christmas deflation, the dark and negative-temperatured January, I have also been dealing with sick kids, for two straight weeks. I have been stuck home with kids who don't even have the courtesy to get sick at the same time. They had to overlap by a day, thus keeping us all home a little longer! So Claire stayed home from school, I stayed home from the gym (my social outings of the week), and Morgan stayed home from her job as the Michelin Man double, and I didn't hang out with anyone except my two sicko kids (I know I don't sound compassionate, but you may remember, my birthday is coming up and I reserve the right to be selfish, starting now). And all of this seclusion from my normally scheduled activities left me in a bit of a zombie state. The first time I stumbled across a friend after my long exile, all I could manage to say was, 'awwwwaahhhh'. (that is zombie talk if that isn't obvious enough for everyone).

And. . . I know you are a little bored to find out what more I could possibly say about me and my birthday. . . (I will spare you the list of famous people who share my birthday). . . Just know there is always more that can be said-- about me, by me. This particular birthday is my Golden Birthday!! What does that mean? Nothing. It just means I am turning 28 on the 28th. So I am just going to use it as an excuse to celebrate hard and shake off the January bust, cold, sick, cloudy days. And what does celebrate hard mean? . . . Yeah, I honestly don't know. I have been brainstorming with my friends and the most exciting thing us Mormon married s can think of is to go karaoking. That's really hard core. My vote is to play board games. Shield your eyes if this is too intense for ya'll. Any suggestions would be welcome. . .

All Through the Town

Well, I can definitely tell what Morgan's MMIH is. It's the stage. Just look at what a natural she is at wheels on the bus. She is so talented, that she even combined 'all through the town' into just one word, 'aaaaawwwwnnnnn'. Now that is talent.

Part of this song is pretty traumatic for Morgan. Remember how she use to get her feelings so hurt whenever anyone said 'no'? Well, she is offended with how nonchalantly that vulgar word is used in this children's song. And now for your viewing pleasure. . . Morgan.

MMIH and Such

It is interesting how different I feel this year compared to last new years. Last year I was feeling all sorts of daring, all sorts of crafty, all sorts of fire under my butt (no toot jokes, please) to try new things. Not so this year. This year all I feel like doing is simplifying. I don't really want to say that, because every one's new years resolution is to simplify and where is the excitement in that? I would be cooler if I said I want to complicate things more in my life, but you all know I am no way near that cool. A huge reason for this Oprah-esque goal is because we are moving and all I can seem to focus on is how to make our home presentable and desirable to buyers. The answer is, of course, to simplify, be organized, be clean, yada, boring, yada, and paint our baseboards. So that is what I have been doing.

Now the creative side of me can never be pushed under the rug (as that's where all the dust bunnies hide). It's always there, thinking, planning, plotting to take over my life. But it, too, is feeling the need to simplify. I tend to be a jack of all trades and master of none. Yet I have a theory that there is a certain thing we are predisposed to be talented at and if we focus and hone in on that talent, it will be amazing. I am all over the place and I am not amazing at anything. I want to be amazing at something; I want to have that focus. My creative side is telling me to stop dating around and commit to my one and only mmih talent. I have a gut feeling what my mmih talent is, but I am too afraid to say it out loud, because what if my talent rejects me and lets me know that it just isn't that into me. You may have guessed that being fearless also isn't on my list of new years goals. But I am going to court my mmih; you can't give up on your mmih. I feel it in my very bones that we are meant to be together and that we will have a beautiful and creative future. I am serious. I can always feel it tugging at me, waiting to be nourished and developed. This is the year. This is my second goal.

I also just so happened to have been reading a slew (and by slew I mean two) biographies recently. A Girl Named Zippy is the story of an average girl, growing up in an average small town. That's it; that is the plot. I went to the library in search of a book that they didn't have, and I found myself looking around the biography section, looking for a good read. I think it's dangerous to be looking for a book cold, meaning not having had anyone you know say it is good or it is lame-o. But sometimes I like to live on the wild side. And there I was, living wildly in the bio section, glancing over all the life stories of famous people- authors, actors, presidents. None of them seemed the least bit interesting to me. Why on earth would I read about a movie star's life? Please, that's what I read internet gossip for. The book that caught my eye was Zippy, with a picture of a goofy looking baby on the cover. I was intrigued, especially when it advertised it was about an average person. Those are my favorite stories, real people. I love to hear love stories, childhood stories, funny stories about people's lives. I think memoirs are so intriguing because we, as the reader, inevitably puts our own life in the story to compare and contrast our experiences with others. Zippy burped up funny memories that I had forgot all about. Life is funny. Life is dramatic. Life is amazing. Why don't we tell our own stories more? That's a rhetorical question; please don't detail an answer as that will be too Oprah-esque.

That's the third goal I have this year, to record my life story. I have a journal, but it is incomplete. I want to remember the big things, the small things, the things that make me me. I want my daughters to read my story when I am gone, and I want them to giggle.

And my final goal also deals with words. I hope to speak kinder words. I hope to be less judgemental. I hope to be more compassionate.

And I hope to be a size 2. (okay, that one will never happen)

(ps- for those who wanted my recipes, I put some links over on the side. Happy cooking)

Reconciling

I feel like there needs to be a measuring and accounting for my past years resolutions. I had tried to make goals that would push me a little outside the box of the normal, everyday routine and excuses. This, madame (or sir), is a faithful narrative of every event in which we have been concerned together (or at least the events that pertain to my resolutions):

(+) rock star awesome (/) good effort, sparky (-) Lame-o, I suck

(-) play more board/card games: I absolutely failed on this one. I played less than the year before. This is quite possibly my least gaming year ever, (excluding the years I was in diapers). And I have no excuse.

(-) become scuba certified: Again, I failed this one, though I kinda have an excuse. I didn't make it out to Utah this year, where my father-in-law would have certified me. . .maybe this next year.
(+) take a photography class:
Finally, one that I actually accomplished! I took a photog class. And I still take pictures in auto on my camera. But I learned a lot about my camera.

(/) try new outside-my-box recipes:
Its a little difficult to give this one a plus or minus since it isn't really a quantifiable goal. I could have done better, even though I did find some new recipes that are now family favorites.

(?)expand my vocabulary (a.k.a my lexicon): No comment.
(-)play capture the flag: Bummers. I actually forgot that one was on the list. That's a no-go.

(+)take some cool weekend trips as a family: I am going to say yes to this in a major way. We took a few weekend trips to the New Jersey Shore, plus we took some rockin' family trips to Florida, Washington and Oregon State (go evergreens!), and I took a trip to NYC. It was a good travelling year.
(+) go to the Caribbean: We opted for Florida, instead, since it was cheaper, more family friendly, and we were guaranteed some excellent company. What does the Caribbean have that Orlando doesn't (besides the ocean).

(/) host a badminton tournament: I know you are thinking that I probably didn't do this one, but you are wrong. I totally hosted a badminton tourney. No, really. I did. I am, of course, the worlds worst party planner, and I didn't take into account the shortening daylight hours and thus we had about 20 minutes to play until it was too dark to see the birdie. So it was a lame badminton tournament, and to the chagrin of my friends, I am going to make another try of it come spring. Sorry, but I must. And you will come. With a smile on your face. Ready to hit some shuttlecocks.
(. . .) speak kind words: I feel like the verdict is still out on this one. I could have made more of an effort. I could have exercised a little more self-control, and I could have thought kinder thoughts. This is probably one of my most important goals and I want to continue working on this one this year. So we will view this as a progress report, rather than a final grade. . .

Let's Talk About Chaps

"Ooh, i did not. . I did not always want these. It's not fair!"

"Hey, I need chapstick for my chaps!"

"Weeeeeeeeeeee"