Things I love...

Some people are so passionate about things they collect, a certain sports team, a hobby... I always wished there was something in my life that I was extreemly over the top passionate about.  I can be a crazy music junkie at times, I can be the biggest fan club of new or obsolete artists that I can see in real life, especially when I know them personally.  Every day I find a new favorite song on the radio but these really aren't passions for me. Tonight however, I realized there are two things you will always find in my house:

1 - Children's Books - My favorite authors are Max Lucado, Ronald Dahl, Shel Silverstein, Maurice Sendak. Some of my favorite books....

2 - Nativity Sets - BUT I am very very picky!  I don't love just random nativity sets.  They have to be unique...I have a beautiful one that was hand made for me in Egypt and Israel and I'm praying that Santa brings me the new Willow Tree Nativity set.  If not I'll just have to buy it!  I saw it at Time Out For Women and I fell in love with it.  Something about Nativity sets really bring the spirit and help me remember what this season is all about!

I know this is a random blog but reading some of your blogs tonight really got me thinking about this!  And really this post is for my Mom AKA "Santa".  We fill out a survey every year of what we want for Christmas things like shoe size, favorite perfume or jewelry, favorite church book, things we need for our car (this year my brother Kyle said gas, pretty sure I'm right there with him).  These are a few things I forgot on my list to Santa simply because I assume you know, so here it is Mom!

K...a....r....M...a..........

Let me tell you a story (for fear of embarassing her and all involved we are using fake names).  "Alicia" has been talking to this guy we are going to call "Tom" ever since she moved back to Cody.  He asked her to go to the Movie Blind Side tonight and lucky for him Alicia finally said yes...he has been incredibly patient with her canceling on him at least 8 times or more.  Probably the most patient any guy has ever been with Alicia.  All day at work however, Alicia is feeling bad about going on a date tonight because her brother and sister in law and new baby are in town from Idaho and this is their last night here for the Thanksgiving vacation. 

Around 12:00 Alicia decided to cancel with Tom letting him know that once again she was really sorry but tonight was not going to work because she felt like she really needed to hang out with her family.  Around 2:21 this guy we are going to call "Nate" text Alicia and asked her if she has seen the Blind Side. The conversation kinda went like this....N:"have you seen the blid side?" A: "I haven't yet but I want to so bad"...(in her mind she is thinking...dang that's the movie I was supposed to go with Tom...) N: "Lets go tonight..." A: "K! Sounds fun early or late? I get off at 7?"...bla bla bla...so from there Nate tells Alicia he will save her a seat and to meet him at the movie because she is going right from work.  Are you kidding...why in the world would she cancel with one guy then tell another guy yes 2 hours later...? 

The night at work was incredibly slow until 6:30 and one hair cut walks in 20 minutes before Alicia is supposed to close.  She whips out the cutest kids hair cut and rushed out of the salon trying to get to the movie on time.  Ten minutes late she walks into the theater and they tell her the movie is almost sold out but if someone saved her a seat she can go in.  So she buys her OWN ticket and walks in the theater to see Nate with...NO SAVED SEATS!  (Do I need to tell you why this dude is 32 and not married???) Needless to say Alicia walks out of the theater feeling like a Nerd once again...When the workers at the theater asked her if he had saved her seat she was too embarassed to say no so she told them he text her on her way in and said he did't make it to the early movie so they were going to the late movie...duh!  I can't believe she lied to save face infront of people that would know differently in three hours!  So what does she do?... Well I promise you there is no way at this point she is not going to the movie tonight so she calls Tom and guess what...he had just rented 3 movies and was having a drink and watchin movies with his parents...poor guy I probably would be drinking with my parents too if they weren't MORMON and if I had been ditched by a girl 9 TIMES NOW!

Then she calls Joe who had asked her to hang out tonight anyway and what does he have to do....clean his room because he is picking up his 8 year old daughter in the morning before church and if she comes home and sees the bachelor life mess in his room and house there is no way she is ever going to clean her own room. THE LIFE OF A SINGLE PARENT...he even had the audacity to ask Alicia if she had her chores done and should even be going to the movie....ARE YOU KIDDING...she is 30 with no kids....Need I say more?

So then she calls her friend Jenica who is sick, and her friend Peggy WHO ANSWERS THE PHONE INSIDE THE MOVIE THEATER WATCHING THE BLIND SIDE, then she calls her friend Bart who is always getting mad at her for canceling movie nights with him...he doesn't answer his phone so tell me if Alicia went to the movie tonight....Yep! And guess who she is going with....

I wish I could tell you that some hot guy saved me from my misery but this is KARMA in action.  Had I not canceled on Tom a million times, and told him I was hanging out with my family to turn around and go with another guy I might have had a chance tonight!  Instead I got a taste of my own medicine and ended up on a date WITH MY PARENTS!

PS: Tom is still asking for a Rain check...really?!  Has anyone told him she isn't that cool!  Man...what's a girl to do!

ThaNKsGivINg Take II......

So this is take two...I ran to Wal-Mart this morning on Thanksgiving Day of all days!  I kinda feels like it's Sunday because I was so guilty going to the store like it's soely my fault that people are working on Thanksgiving day...but my mom needed MATCHING Table cloths...

The boys finally got home from Phesant hunting this morning just in time to help cut up the turkey before we were ready to sit down...(Chad just needed a little taste to make sure he wanted to stay and eat with us)

This is the Smoked Turkey...Definately my favorite! (My Dad makes a mean smoked turkey.  Will, a family friend, watched in awe...)

Waiting for everyone to sit down so we can eat!  We have had so much fun!  My brother Kyle's in-law's all came from California to spend Thanksgiving with us!  What a great day we had I'm telling you everything about this dinner was very traditional and I do not think I will eat turkey again until next Thanksgiving...ok so we will see....but here you can see the homemade rolls, stuffing, Corn-a-copia (waffle cones filled with candy) decorations, individual fruit bowls, regular turkey, smoked turkey, candied yams, cranberry jelly, bean and potatoe caserol, broccoli salad, mashed potatoes and gravy.....

Chad was feeling sick before we even started...if you have no where to go next Thanksgiving then please come hang out with us we always have WAY too much food....

So to top off the day we had an incredibly family experience that my brother and his wife let us be a part of.  Nelissa Anne Fenton was born October 14th and they waited to bless her until today at our house while we could all be together.  I have been to so many baby blessings but I'm telling you there is something about being in your own home where the spirit is so incredibly strong and you just know that Families are ment to be eternal.  It was pretty incredible to see my brother bless his first baby.  What an emotional time for all there.  Cami/Jeff and Derick/Megan we missed you guys.

Look at this pretty little girl

Nelissa and Uncle Chad...

The night wouldn't be complete without a couple Sparkler bombs from Chad and Kyle Fenton Inc.

There will be a video to follow when I figure out how to post it. The blast litterally shook the china in our china cabinet...And to top off the night...

PIES

We had Banana Cream Pie, Chocolate/Reece's Cheese Cake, Pecan Pie, Apple Pie, and Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete without Pumpkin Pie....

The day is still not over until we go Spot light Shooting....Anyone wanna' come along!

What an incredible day I have been overwhelmed with all the blessings in my life, the family and friends! It was so awesome to wake up to 35 texts all wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving! 

We are truely so blessed!

THanKsGIviNg....

Well this is the start of millions of blogs that will revolve around the things we are thankful for.  Everytime I read these blogs it reminds me of the things I am thankful for too and this year I feel like I need to post them.  In sharing these things we allow other people to learn from our life lessons without having to devluge the details...WHICH I so prefer!  So here is my unique list...which you will find is not so much unlike yours...

Loneliness - because of it I know that I still feel something...

My Sister-in-Law Megan - She is one of the few people that can appreciate our common characteristic of being a hopeless romantic, who can experience the up's and downs with me and I know that she is completely honest.  I love her!

Lander - This little town breaks up my drive to Salt Lake and allows me to see one of the greatest people I know - Jennifer Greene and my favorite Bryshawn!

Dancing with the Stars/So you think you can Dance - This has been my sanity for the last three months!  Until of course the last Tuesday night...Am I the only Mormon who was not "thankful" Donny Osmond won?

Temple - This is truely the one place that Heaven and Earth unite and I am able to feel the true happiness that we were ment to feel in this life! I have to make sure I drink at least 24 ozs of water so I'm not dehydrated when I leave.  Sometimes I wonder why feeling the spirit makes us cry but the other night I realized that for me it is the humblest expression of emotion I can feel and cleanses me from all the other garbage we are allowed to feel in our life.

My Sister Cami - Who taught my nephew to say 'lish' non stop and her strong example of obedience that makes me wonder if I'll ever be as great as she is.

Time-out-for-Women - What an incredible legacy of Women I have all around me! For two days I felt so connected to the rest of the women in this universe and wanted so badly to insure their happiness for the accomplisments in their life. They motivate me to be better!

White trucks in Denver Traffic - this is one thing I will always be thankful for because it was probably the most humorus moment in 2009 history!

Feeling Giddy - Whether it's from the excitement of going on a date with a cute guy, re-uniting with an old friend, or random road trips without having to tell anyone where you are going...what a rush!

My incredible Parents - those of you who know them know what I am talking about!  Their patience is unyeilding. I love them.

Singles game nights - Nate I will beat you one day! Even if it is at Wii Golf!

Ugg Boots & Red Hoodies - My two favorite peices of clothing!

People who speak Foreign Languages to me - I can pretend they are saying what ever I want them to say!!!

People - I meet so many incredible people in a day that I can't name them all but I promise my life would not be complete without them.

Jamie Pieper's Blog - Teaches me that it's totally ok to have an opinion about everything!

Candy Bars Hidden under my Parents Bed - I still feel like a kid with a hand in the cookie jar!

Puppies - even if I can't keep them forever!

Girls Nights out in Salt Lake - Ladies you know what I'm talking about - what was his name..."FLoooooo", and the Trax, O what a night!

Vickie Layton - All of her life experiences that have taught me how incredibly blessed I am and her strength to continue through this life and each new day.  You are truely and inspiration to me!

Tanya Johnson - This aside from my Mom, is the most incredible person I know.  She has inspired me to continue to do "me" the best that I can, she has taught me that laughing is best to do in crowded resturants, speeding cars, or anywhere that everyone around you can be so jealous because they have no idea what you are so happy about but secretly wish to death they could be part of the fun...so much so that they inch as close to you as they possibly can without making it obvious!  And..really those Snu....Snu...Snuggies...LOL which we will be wearing till the day we die!  She has also taught me that showers are better if you have to fold yourself in half to fit in them, that things don't happen by coincidence and the friendships that come from them are because we desperately need that person in our lives.

My Dad - who moved me to Utah on August 6th and picked me up September 6th and loved every minute of the city driving pulling a trailer!  Well even if he didn't love it he loved me enough to do it!

Bumper stickers - on beater cars that say "Don't let the car fool you, my treasure is in Heaven", how true this is!

Flight vouchers - the freedom to know that I can go where ever I want when ever I want!

DVR - Need I say more?!

Young women - those incredible girls in Laramie who are so uniquely talented and beautiful in their own way who remind me how mnay incredible people I have had the opportunity to meet in my life!  Don't ever settle ladies!  We can be roommates one day and I promise that will be better then settling!  I'm a blast!

Forgiveness - the awesome feeling of forgiving those we have been hurt by, and the ability to forgive ourselves!  What a miracle and a blessing!

Heath Streeter - You have been one of my best friends my whole life...the good, the bad, and the ugly and you still manage to be one of the best friends anyone could ask for.  Thank you for all the late night chats, advice and a million motivational speeches when I'm feeling like I just can't do it on my own!

Spell check - because right now I can't find it on blogger and I'm leaving all the spelling errors just so you can all see that I'm really not as perfect as you think ;)!


...I'm sure there will be more to come but today I have been thinking about all I am so thankful...the little random things in life that make it so much more worth living!