This Month Is A Difficult One

This has been a hard month.

I haven't had much to say so I guess I haven't.

November is supposed to be the month when you remember everything you're thankful for. And I wrote a post about the things that I AM thankful for, but it was hard to write. And not because I'm not thankful. I'm just having a hard time feeling anything very positive.

If you've read my blog for any amount of time, you likely know that this is the month that we began trying to have a baby...that was now seven years ago. SEVEN.

I didn't think that it would be any different than last year or the year before. It's another year. It sucks. But by now, I'm used to it. I guess, though, that I've been more depressed about it than I thought.

This month I've been rather weepy. I'm not a crier so I haven't had any episodes of falling to my knees and bawling my eyes out {although it would be nice if I could actually do that every once in awhile}. But things have triggered the internal sob / chin quiver and the misty eyes. I wasn't really understanding where it was coming from. I thought that I was just PMS'ing. Which, some of it probably was, but I tried to think about what was making me this way. And then, as if I hadn't already known it, I realized that it was just being in this month of November that was making me this way.

I also found out this month that I've officially been left in the dust. Aside from me, the last friend in my group of friends to get pregnant, is now pregnant. And while I'm happy for her {you!!}, I'm still having the selfish feelings of whoa-is-me. I am now, no exaggeration, THE ONLY ONE of my friends without a baby. And I'm the oldest of all my friends. I'm just sad.

Kyle and I have, finally, I think decided on which direction we're going to go, but I still don't feel comfortable talking about it. One, because I don't want my friends and family that read my blog to find out FROM my blog what we're going to do and two, it's still going to be awhile before we can do anything unless we suddenly come into a large amount of money. Plus we have more research that needs to be done. We haven't even told anyone yet...ok, that's a lie. I told one person only because we were having a discussion right before Thanksgiving and she knows that boat that Kyle and I have been riding in, herself. Our parents don't even know our plans yet. And while I don't exactly want to keep it a secret, I don't want to put it "out there" until we're 100% positive and have a plan of action.

I can say though, that while this has been a trying year and month, I've got more hope and faith than I did at this time last year. I'm not sure what has changed, but while I'm sad and rather depressed this month, I'm also in a better place.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,

“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

---

Mary Stevenson, 1936

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, on this Thanksgiving Day, I'm thankful for many things.

I'm thankful for my hubby and my aminals. They make my life bright.

I'm thankful for my family. They're always there to lift up and encourage me.

I'm thankful for my friends. My life would be boring without them.

I'm thankful for all of you. You make me laugh and cry and I enjoy spending my days with you.

I'm thankful for a roof over my head and a vehicle to drive.

I'm thankful that I've been able to get unemployment and keep us afloat while I've been jobless the past 9'ish months.

I'm thankful that Kyle's company is still keeping busy and while he doesn't get paid on a regular schedule, he's still able to bring in some money.

I'm thankful that we're able to continue to pay our bills.

I'm thankful that I'm able to go back to school pretty soon in order to get a better job / career.

There are many things to be thankful for and I hope each of you are able to find something to be thankful for as well today.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

Eat and drink till you have to be rolled out the door! ;0P

Just A Couple Months Late...

My 30th birthday re-cap, that is.

The day before my birthday, everyone that was able, gathered at my mom's house to celebrate me turning 30. I had family that came from over the mountain and friends and family from the area there. I was so lucky to be surrounded by so many people that I love!

My mom made this for me at Costco.com.

BFF Jewel and me

This is the only picture Kyle and I have "together" from my birthday. =(

Uncle

Aunt...my mom's sister.

Cousin's wife and son.

My Grandma's...Dad's mom and Mom's mom.

My #1 favorite nephew, Evan.

My Grandpa...Mom's dad.

BFF Riika, me, SIL Heidi.

My cousin Eve's husband Mike and our cousin DJ.

My other #1 favorite nephew, Kingston.

Friend Laura with two of her three kids.
The cake my dad got me...chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling and chocolate frosting.

My other grandpa...Dad's dad.

Cindy, I used to work with her.

Cousins other son {his wife and oldest son are up above}.

My aunt and cousin Eve.

The huge bouquet of flowers Kyle got me.

My crazy-faced aunt from just above made me the bracelet I'm wearing here.

This quilt. This crazy quilt!

My mom and I started working on it about 2 or 3 years+ ago. But the past year or so we hadn't really touched it. So my mom got her best friend to help and they completed it for me for my birthday!! It came out a little differently than we were aiming for, but they had to make some decisions on it in order to get it completed for my birthday. I love it though! I'm just afraid to actually use it. It needs a little bit more reinforcements on some of the patches and I'm afraid the animals will tear them apart with their nails if I put it on the bed. We'll get it all fixed up though and eventually I'll start using it. I'm just happy to have it {basically} done. My mom said she's going to make me a couple of shams to go with it, too.

Evan made me this card!

Eve gave me this book...I had to try to tell everyone I had no idea what a blog was! LOL {Most don't know I have a blog!}

My daddy and me.

Evie-Wevie and me.

My birthday was more than I could've asked for! I loved having everyone there, especially because this is the first birthday party I've had since I was a kid. It was so much fun!!

Not Me, Monday!

MckMama's got all the rules for "Not Me!" Monday posted so if you haven't participated before, click on over and find out the scoop on all that is "Not Me!" Monday!

I am, physically, NOT feeling better!

I have NOT, however, been feeling rather weepy this week.

Being sick and dealing with PMS will NOT do that to me.

I am NOT feeling beyond boring.

I am NOT and have NOT been a bad blogger, neglecting my blog, email and the blogosphere.

My funny bone has NOT taken a vacation and left me behind and I do NOT feel like I have nothing interesting or funny to post about.

I do NOT have to be at my sisters at 6:40 this morning and I am NOT irritated with her about it.

Saturday, the "mega-tree" did NOT get put up...32 feet tall this year!! It is NOT a different set up this year and I am NOT amazed by my husbands brilliant mind time and time again!

We did NOT spend yesterday afternoon with my FIL's side of the family for Thanksgiving.

I did NOT make Paula Dean's Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle and it was NOT fantabulous!

We did NOT manage to get the entire family into a picture.

I did NOT suggest that we get a large family photo that included the grandparents because Kyle's grandpa's health has NOT been failing more and more, recently.

Yesterday did NOT turn out better than my MIL and I were thinking it would {because Kyle's uncle {60'ish} brought his "girlfriend"{75!} that Kyle's grandma "hates"... they did NOT actually seem to like each other, which surprised us all considering comments Grandma has made in the past few months}.

Today will NOT be another blogosphere neglection day since I'll be at my sisters watching my nephews.

Hopefully I do NOT pull out of this funkified mood soon!

I know you're NOT looking for a Secret Santa Gift Exchange to participate in, right? I do NOT know of the PERFECT one for you to join!! Just click on over to Tranquility...and Turmoil and jump on the bandwagon. The more the merrier!!

What have you NOT done this week?

Wordfulless Wednesday: A Sign

A sign my mom and I saw, at the base of someones driveway, when we were driving through Eastern Washington a few weeks ago.

For more Wordful Wednesdays click here.

For more Wordless Wednesday go to the WW HQ here.

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I know you're looking for a Secret Santa Gift Exchange to participate in, right? I know of the PERFECT one for you to join!! Just click on over to Tranquility...and Turmoil and jump on the bandwagon. The more the merrier!!

Blah

That's how I feel.

Stuffed up nose.

Runny nose.

Headache in my eyes.

Dizzy.

Cough in my chest.

Tired.

Blah.

I've been trying to think of something to write all day, but I don't have the motivation or energy to put much thought into a post at the moment.

So I told you yesterday that my sister had an interview with the advanced training salon that she just graduated from. It went well and they basically told her that she was 'IN'. Then she got a call from another salon that she applied at a week or so ago {and that she used to go to before going to school...she LOVES this salon} and they wanted her to go in yesterday for another interview. So she did. And they offered her the job on the spot. And she accepted that one!

Now, my mom and I both thought that she should go to the ATS because 1. the school pays for it and it's only an additional 4-5 months and 2. then she's guaranteed a job there for the next 2 years. Dawn and I only texted about this last night, but she said that she accepted the second salon job because the ATS is in Seattle {and she lives pretty far north of Seattle...about 20 minutes east of me}, doesn't pay, expensive parking and she'd have to drop the boys off at my mom's {approximately 30'ish minutes from her house} and get down to Seattle all before 8am. Very stressful. Hopefully she made the right choice. She hasn't told people yet {so fam, don't say anything...} I'm sure she'll be telling soon since they want her to start next week. I'm excited for her and I'm sure she'll get some great experience there, too.

Awhile ago, my dad gifted to Kyle and me one of his timeshares that he's had for a gazillion years. All we have to do is pay the annual dues. We're very excited to have this. We get 120 points a year to use and we can use it a day at a time or a week, or however long 120 points gives us. We weren't planning on using them this year, but we forgot to bank the points in August {and the deadline is the 31st} so I pretty much freaked out on Kyle. Such a waste, blah blah blah. I guess I sort of forgot that we could still use them this year. Anyway, it's almost the end of the year and we haven't used them yet. But today, after lots of finagalling, we have finally decided on a couple days that we can take and we're going with the inlaws up to Whistler, B.C. It's going to be a quick trip, but at least we won't be wasting the points. Although we'll still only be using 86 of the 120 points, which is a bummer, but this is what's going to work this year. We're hoping to bank the points for the next 2 years and then use those points to go to Mexico. The resort there looks AMAZING!! And it's a crazy named place so I have no idea what it's called at the moment.

This post isn't all that thrilling, but I'm not feeling like myself so this is all you get for today. I think I'm going to go and lay on the couch and try to read since I've got a HUGE stack of books that I want to read yet haven't made the time to actually sit down to do so.

Ta-Ta!

Not Me, Monday!

MckMama's got all the rules for "Not Me!" Monday posted so if you haven't participated before, click on over and find out the scoop on all that is "Not Me!" Monday! And Stellan is home from Boston, SVT FREE!!! Thank you, Jesus!!! He is such a little miracle baby!!

This week was NOT a busy, busy one.

On Monday, I did NOT go and take the placement test at the college, which I already mentioned. Then on Thursday, I did NOT register for all of the prereques to start the Patient Care Tech program at the local community college. I am NOT officially a college student! Wowzers!!

Then I did NOT eat way too much hummus and pita chips...meaning, I did NOT eat the entire container. Nope, I have better self control than that.

I did NOT make my very own blog button, which you should all NOT grab and put on your blog. That would NOT make me very happy!

One day this week, I did NOT go over to a friends house. We did NOT take her kidlets and the dogs to the dog park to get nice and muddy. After the dog park, we did NOT go back to their house, eat lunch and watch the movie UP. It was NOT a cute movie that I'd never seen before.

While hanging out at my inlaws the other night, I did NOT finish my scarf...sort of...I am NOT going to add another thing of yarn to it to make it longer...once I figure out how to do that. This scarf is NOT a mess and I am NOT refusing to start it all over...AGAIN...no one will be wearing it except Kyle or myself so it will NOT be just fine the way it is.

Yesterday I did NOT start feeling like crap and get progressively worse as the day went on. Because I was unshowered and because I had no tissue near me, I absolutely did NOT use my sweatshirt sleeve to catch my {stuffed but} dripping nose. I also did NOT put it in the wash before I went to bed. I am MUCH more clean that that. Seriously! I do NOT still feel like crap and I will NOT be using tissue tonight for my poor nose.

Pam at Country Mouse, City Mouse did NOT post about her prize that she won from my One Year Blogversary giveaway. You should NOT go check it out and say 'hi'.

Today my sister did NOT have an interview at the Advanced Training Salon for the salon she just graduated from. She has NOT unofficially been accepted as the next Gene Juarez employee. That does NOT mean that she'll be doing the advanced training for the next 4-5 months {starting some time the beginning of the year} and then have a job with Gene Juarez for the next two years. We are NOT very excited for her!

I know you're NOT looking for a Secret Santa Gift Exchange to participate in, right? I do NOT know of the PERFECT one for you to join!! Just click on over to Tranquility...and Turmoil and jump on the bandwagon. The more the merrier!!

What have you NOT done this week?

Weekend Wordle / Six Word Saturday

To create your own Wordle, go here. And then download MWSnap to save the image. Easy peasy!

Join in on the Week-End Wordle with Shannon at Last Shreds of Sanity. Link up and see what everyone else is coming up with.

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Six Word Saturday:

Neighbor dogs barking for HOURS. AAAAHHHH!!!!!

Join Cate at Show My Face for more Six Word Saturdays. She's got lots of groupies that like to play along!
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Even though the neighbor dogs are driving. me. INSANE. today, I do love most dogs...

Things We Can Learn From A Dog...

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure

ecstasy.

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.

Let others know when they've invaded your territory.

Take naps and stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle him or her gently.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and

pout...run right back and make friends.

Delight in the simple joys of a long walk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upon entering a small country store, a stranger noticed a sign saying DANGER! BEWARE OF DOG! posted on the glass door. Inside a harmless old hound dog was asleep on the floor beside the cash register.

He asked the store manager, "Is that the dog folks are supposed to beware of?"

"Yep, that's him," he replied.

The amused stranger inquired, "That certainly doesn't look like a dangerous dog to me. Why in the world would you post that sign?"

The owner responded, "Because, before I posted that sign, people kept tripping over him."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Looking for a Christmas Gift Exchange to join? I know of the perfect one! Go here for more details!

Aloha Friday: Where Would You Rather Be?

It's Aloha Friday over at An Island Life!

Answer my question and make sure you post one on your blog!

After that, go relax because today is Friday!!

Question for you this week is:

If you could transport yourself to somewhere else right now, where would it be?

My answer:

Somewhere tropical. I need a nice, sun and sand-filled vacation right now.

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A little boy stops in front of a church with his bike and he sees the priest come out. The priest says "Come inside, I want to show you something". The little boy says to the priest, "But somebody will steal my bike". The priest says to him "Don't worry, the Holy Spirit will watch it".

So the little boy goes inside and the priest says, "Let me show you how to do the sign of the cross. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen. Now you try it". So the boy says, "In the name of the Father and the Son, Amen". The priest says, "What happened to the Holy Spirit?" The boy replied "He's outside,
watching my bike".

~~~~~~~~~~~

Once upon a time there was a pastor. He was driving down the road and his car broke down. He got out and started walking. Soon, he came to a farm. He asked the farmer if he could borrow a horse. The farmer agreed, but warned:

"Sir, this is no ordinary horse. You have to say "praise the Lord" to make it go, and "Amen" to make it stop".

The pastor said "Oh, that's easy, I'm a pastor.

So he jumped on the horse and said "Praise the Lord!" and the horse took off down the road. About an hour down the road (close to his destination), a rattlesnake came out in front of the horse, and the horse, rather startled turned and ran off the road, through the woods, straight for a cliff.

The pastor forgot what to say, so he said a prayer, and at the end of the prayer, of course, he said "Amen".

Screech!! The horse stopped right at the edge of the cliff!

The pastor looked down and sees all of the thousands of feet down that he had almost plundered... and to give thanks to God, he yelled out "Praise the Lord!!!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~

Three older ladies were discussing the travails of getting older. One said, "Sometimes I catch myself with a jar of mayonnaise in my hand in front of the refrigerator and can't remember whether I need to put it away, or start making a sandwich."

The second lady chimed in, "Yes, sometimes I find myself on the landing of the stairs and can't remember whether I was on my way up or on my way down."

The third one responded, " Well, I'm glad I don't have that problem; knock on wood," as she rapped her knuckles on the table, then told them "That must be the door, I'll get it!"

~~~~~~~~~~~

Looking for a Christmas Gift Exchange to join? I know of the perfect one! Go here for more details!

"Last Chance" Secret Santa Gift Exchange: About Me

To participate in this gift exchange, put on by my cousin Eve at Tranquility...and Turmoil:

Blog about this gift exchange with an introduction of yourself and some of your interests or hobbies (bonus: this will give your partner a little reference for their gift search), then sign into the McLinky at the bottom of this post (link to your 'Last-Chance' gift exchange post).

I am sort of going to cheat on this a little bit and copy some of the questions and answers from when I've participated in other exchanges that have taken place with the help of Elfster.

How do you like to spend your free time?
Online; with friends / hubby / dog; reading; watching tv; new hobby of knitting; at the beach; sometimes shopping...

What is your favorite color?
greens, blues, browns / earth tones, dark burgundy

What colors do you dislike?
I don't like pink and bright red (darker reds are ok).

What are the first names of your family members in your immediate family?
Megan (me), Kyle (dh), Chewy (yellow lab), Milo (black & white cat)

Do you collect anything?
Yes! We collect moose. Some day we plan to have a "log cabin", which will not be a cabin at all, but a huge log home and we plan to have lots of moose items.

Oh, I also "collect" cookbooks. I have an obsession with them, actually.

I hope that this gives my partner in crime the gift exchange a good starting point.

Also, you should really think about signing up!! It's going to be a blast!! Just hop on over to visit Eve and sign up!!

Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop: I Picked Up The Phone...

...and I could not believe what I was hearing...

**Ring, Ring**

Hello?

Meg! I have THE BEST IDEA!!

Who is this?

Your most favorite cousin in the world, silly! Listen, I have the best idea! Do you want to hear it?

Oh, hey!! Definitely!! What's this idea you've got?

Well, I wanted to participate in a Secret Santa Gift Exchange, but there's NONE LEFT to join!! I'm SO sad about it because I LOVE Christmas and I REALLY wanted to do something fun like this!

That's a bummer. All the deadlines have already come and gone?

YES! Can you believe it?! So my idea is to do one of my own and I'll call it the "Last Chance" gift exchange!

That's awesome! Go for it!

You think? Do you think you'd want to help me out with it?

Sure!! Anything for you!! I'll share it with everyone I can think of!!

Yay Yay Yay!!! I'm so excited!! Here's the details for signing up if you want to share them with everyone. This is going to be SO MUCH FUN!!!

To sign up:

Send Eve an email with your name and mailing address by November 25th - that's two whole weeks left to let your friends and family know!
(the only other person who will see your address is the person Eve partners you with).

Oh, and grab the button from the sidebar {or below} - share the last minute fun!

For the rest of the nitty-gritty details, visit Eve at Tranquility...and Turmoil.

You should definitely participate. It will be a ton of fun to see what kinds of things we all receive from our Secret Santa!!

This gift exchange is open to anyone living in anywhere (but please let Eve know in your email if you feel that you can only ship to a certain area and she will partner you up accordingly).



<a href=" http://steintranquility.blogspot.com/2009/11/join-me-for-last-chance-christmas.html " target="_blank"><img src="http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr256/mangoritacolada/button.jpg" border="0" alt="Tranquility… and Turmoil" /></a>


To see more of Mama Kat's prompts and participants, visit her at Mama's Losin It and link up!!

Veteran's Day: Always Remembered

Hardly a day goes by that we don't hear of more soldiers being injured or killed. It is because of their ultimate sacrifice that we're able to have the freedoms that we do. For that, I am forever thankful and grateful to our Veterans.

Thank you to all of our men and women out there that have or currently are serving in the military. You've made this world a better place!!

~~~~~~~~~~

Scroll down...two posts today. =)

Wordlessful Wednesday: Halloween Shinanigans

Today I'm being featured over at Our B Life. Go check it out!!

Do you see that button over there on the top right? Yeah. I made it!! So proud of myself!! I figured it was about time I had a button, so voila! I figured it out and now I have one and YOU should grab it!! =)

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Getting pumpkins this year was a bit of a chore.

I think it was a Sunday when we first tried to go and gather pumpkins at the pumpkin patch. For whatever reason, they decided to close something like four hours early that day.

We got in there and they told us they were closing in five minutes.

I wasn't happy...

So sometime later in the week, we were finally able to go, but it was after Kyle got home from work so then it was almost dark when we got there and turned completely dark soon after we chose our pumpkins.

I really wanted to go during the day so I could get some fun pictures, but it just didn't work out that way this year.

But that's ok. I still got a wagon full of pumpkins and now they line my porch steps. ;0)

If we were to go through the corn maze, this is what it would've been like this year:

That thing across the middle is a bridge, then the water and trees and wind. Pretty cool how they are able to carve out a picture like this from corn.

On Halloween day we were finally able to carve our pumpkins.

Kyle's:

And mine:

A few days before Halloween, I went to PetSmart and was able to score some costumes for Chewy and Milo {oh how they love me!!}.

Milo's angel costume was $2.47 {or something close to that}.


And Chewy's devil costume was $3.97!! Woohoo!!

We tried to get them together, but this is about as good as it got! LOL

For Halloween this year, we decided to hand out glow stick necklaces instead of candy. They were a HUGE hit!! I pre-assembled 100 and once the kids started coming, we could not make them fast enough! We had over 300 kids {and parents...and a frickin married couple with NO kids} come through! It was madness, but tons of fun! We sit out in our driveway because it's better to be outside all bundled up than answering the door 300 times while trying to keep Chewy from becoming BFF with everyone!

Kyle had a remote in his pocket and every time someone would come up, they wouldn't be expecting it, but he'd hit a button and this skeleton would pop up out of the {un-used} garbage can. Scared the crap out of people. It was especially funny when he got the grown men! Frickin hilarious!!

I'm sitting up there in the driveway putting together light stick necklaces.

Our house last year. There's actually three songs that play but this is just the one. We had this again this year, minus the 2 straight sticks on the sides of the fence.

For more Wordful Wednesdays click here.

For more Wordless Wednesday go to the WW HQ here.

TST: Director's Choice

As I mentioned a few days ago, my mom and her friend were supposed to go to the ballet, in Seattle, last week, but her friend double-booked herself so she wasn't able to go. She gave my mom her ticket and my mom asked me if I'd like to go with her.

Sure! Why not? The only ballet I've ever been to is The Nutcracker so I thought it would be fun to see something else. We had no idea what the name of the ballet was other than "Director's Choice". Soon after we arrived, we got the scoop.

But first, we went to dinner at a cozy little Thai restaurant in lower Queen Anne {Seattle neighborhood for those that aren't local}. It was a horribly windy and rainy day and evening, but we found street parking pretty close to the theater and the restaurant was right across the street from where we parked so we thought we'd try it out.

Because my mom has Celiac disease, that means that she can't have anything with wheat. This restaurant was very accommodating and the waitress was able to direct us to a portion of the menu that had wheat-free entrees. We got sweet basil chicken {or something like that}. It was delicious!!

After we ate, we walked to the theater {Pacific Northwest Ballet / PNB} while trying to guard ourselves from the pounding rain and keep our umbrellas from blowing inside out...or slipping on the thousands of HUGE maple leaves that were scattered all over the ground. We made it, although there were some crazy drivers, especially at night, in the rain, that we thought were not going to stop for us, therefore running us over. Quite the adventure. Haha!!

Once inside, we climbed the stairs to the top level. We hung out in the lobby for a little bit, cooling off {since walking around in the cold then entering a warm building makes you roast to death when you're bundled up...we were also told that the dancers like it hot because it helps loosen up their muscles...it was definitely HOT in there! LOL}

I asked one of the ushers to take our picture and it was like he'd never held a camera before. SO the picture that he took of us together is not the best. Oh well. What're ya gonna do?

So we found out that "Director's Choice" was a combination of four different ballets: Petite Mort, Mopey, The Seasons and West Side Story Suite.

A quote from the Chairman:

"This mixed-repertory program offers four wonderful ballets so divergent in style that you won't believe you are watching the same dancers perform throughout."

I had to be very selective in my picture taking because I did not have much room left on my memory card. Also, my camera does not like the dark, movement or zooming. It was also pointless to use my flash since we were so far away. Despite my camera, I think I was able to get some good photos.

Petite Mort:

This one was pretty short compared to the others. Very pretty!


Mopey:

My mom and I were laughing because the music was by "The Cramps".

Really? They {the band?} couldn't find another name? The PNB couldn't find some other music to use? It was just commical.

This was more of a modern piece. Very out of the box and different. It was just this guy for the whole piece. He did great, but it wasn't our favorite.


The Seasons:

This one was probably my favorite, but it was really long and I started to get heavy eyes after awhile.

I loved all the costumes though. They were gorgeous and it was just a really pretty piece.


And can I just say that the audience was very clap happy?

Seriously, every time someone new entered or left the stage, as well as just other random times, there was clapping.

And then after each piece where everyone came out and bowed, etc...like 5+ minutes of clapping.

I totally and completely understand wanting to give recognition, but seriously, it was crazy! I could feel my hands starting to vibrate.

There were also some VERY ENTHUSIASTIC clappers in front of us. They made me laugh. I guess maybe we're just not refined enough for "the arts". Haha!!


West Side Story Suite:

My mom has seen West Side Story in many different forms / remakes. I've never seen it at all. She said this was a VERY condensed version of it. It was awesome though and because of the singing, and more upbeatness {yes, it's a word...I said so... ;0P} of it, it woke me up a bit. It was really amazing and lots of fun!







If you ever get a chance to see this, it's wonderful and a great experience!!

Not Me, Monday!

MckMama's got all the rules for "Not Me!" Monday posted so if you haven't participated before, click on over and find out the scoop on all that is "Not Me!" Monday! {No "Not me!" post today though...}

First of all, if you didn't already know, Stellan is currently being prepped for his ablation, if he hasn't made it into surgery already. MckMama is tweeting if you want to keep up with her updates. I am NOT sending all the prayers I can their way today and the days following!

This morning I did NOT go down to the community college and take the placement test. Let's just day it's a good thing I don't need to know math for the certification program I want to get into! Bad. Very, very bad. Haha!!

Speaking of math...I did NOT go to an interview last Thursday. I do NOT believe it was going well until she brought out a calculator, scratch paper and a work sheet and told me that I needed to do these word problems to find out where my skill level was...in MATH. I did NOT tell her math was most definitely not my strong point. She did NOT tell me to do my best. I did NOT take forever and a day to do six problems, stating during that time, that I needed my husbands brain. I don't think she found me too funny. The lady was NOT going to make a decision by Friday afternoon. Am I surprised I didn't hear from her? Um, NO!

Back to going to the school this morning...when I went into the testing center, the guy there was NOT a buttmunch! He did NOT speak down to me like I was an idiot and say, "Did you EVEN REGISTER YET?" Yes, I did thankyouverymuch! "Did you pay your registration fee YET?" Yes I did, thankyouverymuch! HE was NOT the idiot in this case! Jerk!

My mom did NOT meet me at the school after the testing and go and speak with the adviser with me. I am NOT glad that she was there for moral support. I do NOT feel like a little kid dealing with all this school stuff.

I am NOT going to go to school to be a Patient Care Tech. Registration does NOT start this week and the winter quarter does NOT start January 4th. I am NOT trying to figure out where the money to do this is going to come from...HOPEFULLY my mom and dad will NOT be able to help out a bit. With the prerequisites, this program is NOT five quarters long.

On Thursday night, my mom and I did NOT go down to Seattle to "The Ballet" and we did NOT have a blast! I will NOT be writing a post about it this week.

Kyle is NOT gearing up for Christmas and getting all his Christmas lights in working order. Last week, he did NOT make these HUGE holly leaves, with berries, out of metal and LED lights. They do NOT look pretty stinkin cool! He did NOT test them out on the house last night!

What have you NOT done this week?

Worship and Praise Sunday: Jesus Paid It All

Jesus Paid It All
Kristian Stanfill

I hear the Savior say
Thy strength indeed is small
Child of weakness watch and pray
Find in me thine all in all

Jesus paid it all
All to him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow

Lord now indeed I find
Thy power and thine alone
Can change the lepers spots
And melt the heart of stone

Jesus paid it all
All to him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow

And when before the throne
I stand in him complete
Jesus died my soul to save
My lips shall still repeat

Jesus paid it all
All to him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow

Oh praise the one who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead (x6)

Its Jesus
Only Jesus
The only one
The only son

I hear the Savior say
Thy strength indeed is small
Child of weakness watch and pray
Find in me thine all in all

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We sang this song in church this morning and it's so awesome that we can praise God for what he's done for us. For dying on the cross for our sins.

Jesus paid it all
All to him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Brittany at Sweet Nothings has re-emerged into the blogosphere. If you'd like to participate, go visit her and link up.

Weekend Wordle / Six Word Saturday

To create your own Wordle, go here. And then download MWSnap to save the image. Easy peasy!

Join in on the Week-End Wordle with Shannon at Last Shreds of Sanity. Link up and see what everyone else is coming up with.

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Six Word Saturday:

Attempting to knit a scarf. Eek!!

My mom and I went to the knitting class yesterday. It was supposed to be an hour, but we ended up staying for 2.5 hours!

When I got home, I made some lunch then sat down on the couch to catch up on some DVR'ed shows and knit some more. Some how, I started with 24 stitches and ended up with like 30 or 32. I have NO stinkin clue how that happened. I got frustrated so I started unraveling some of them and then I just decided to start over from the VERY beginning. I had gotten between 6 and 8 inches knit before I unraveled it all. Now, I'm back to four rows, I think. I'm going to attempt to get back to where I was with no mistakes. We shall see how it goes.

Join Cate at Show My Face for more Six Word Saturdays. She's got lots of groupies that like to play along!
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A highway patrolman pulled alongside a speeding car on the freeway. Glancing at the car, he was astounded to see that the blonde behind the wheel was knitting! Realizing that she was oblivious to his flashing lights and siren, the trooper cranked down his window, turned on his bullhorn and
yelled, "PULLOVER! "NO," the blonde yelled back,"IT'S A SCARF!"

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Some Randomness For A Friday

{Accidentally posted this on Thursday and it won't let me edit to post tomorrow...so...here ya go! LOL}

If you'd like to see what Audrey at Country Mom won from my recent giveaway, go on over and check it out. She posted about it, with pictures.

The other night, my mom and I met at a yarn store called Great Yarns. They have a free "knitting circle" on Wednesday nights and I'm going to learn how to knit. But because I'm a lefty and have never knit before {unless you count when I was in second grade and a friends mom tried to teach me} I need extra special attention. They didn't have any lessons that night, just knitting. So this morning, my mom and I are meeting there again and I'm having a one-on-one session with a supposed "world renowned" knitter. Don't ask me her name. I have no idea. LOL I know this new venture makes Rebecca Jo, the knitting queen, happy. haha!!

I sent this picture to Ellen for her Bad Paid For Photos. Let's see if it's bad enough for me to get on her show.

I was in 6th grade and my mom told me not to do anything funky with my hair for picture day. Obviously I didn't listen. Although, when I did my hair, I thought it looked great!

Do you have any crazy photos like this?

Today is my Mother-in-law's birthday. Happy Birthday, Val!!

I'm tired of all of this wet stuff that's been coming out of the sky recently.

On one of the recent rainy days, it was raining in the front of the house and sunny on the back side of the house. I could tell that there was probably a rainbow out there, so I grabbed my camera and took a look and voila...there was!! I love rainbows and they make me smile any time I can see one.

Yesterday I had an interview for a job, and if I really wanted a job, it would probably be a good one. They want to make a decision by today so, we'll see.

BUT...

I want to go to school, so that's why I don't want a job. If I have a job, going back to school won't be possible for the program I want to get into...only day classes.

And speaking of going back to school, I've FINALLY registered {took me long enough!} and I am going on Monday morning to take the placement test and meet with an adviser...Did I mention 'FINALLY'? I've been talking about it long enough. Feels good to actually be getting off my slacker butt and doing this.

My mom was supposed to go to "The Ballet" with a friend, but the friend double-booked herself, so I was able to go with my mom last night...and since I'm actually typing this on Thursday, I haven't actually gone yet and I don't actually know what the name of "The Ballet" is. I'll update you on how it went after I actually go. Haha!! {Did I say 'actually' enough times?}

What are your plans for the weekend? Anything fun and exciting?

Delicious Fall Soup

A couple of weeks ago, I was looking through my cookbook titled The Soup Bible and found this recipe under Warming Winter Soups that sounded interesting. I was a bit skeptical about it, but I had an open mind and decided to give it a try. I already had a feeling that Kyle wasn't going to be a fan, but I made it anyway.

Curried Carrot and Apple Soup

The cookbooks says this about it:

The combination of carrot, curry powder, and apple is a highly successful one. Curried fruit is delicious.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

2 teaspoons sunflower oil {I looked high and low and could NOT find this ANYWHERE!! I just used regular vegetable oil, I believe...can't remember now.}
1 tablespoon mild korma curry powder
3 1/2 cups chopped carrots
1 large onion, chopped
1 tart cooking apple, chopped
3 cups chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
plain yogurt and carrot curls, to garnish {I didn't have any yogurt, so I used sour cream.}

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed pan. Add the curry powder and fry for 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Add the carrots, onion, and cooking apple and stir well until coated with the curry powder. Cover the pan.

3. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until soft. Spoon the vegetable mixture into a food processor or blender, then add half the stock and process until the mixture is smooth.

4. Return to the pan and pour in the remaining stock. Bring the soup to a boil and adjust the seasoning before serving in bowls, garnish with swirls of yogurt and a few curls of raw carrot.


I thought it was DELICIOUS!!! So yummy! I ate it three nights in a row.

Kyle, the never adventurous one, took about a cup of the soup {if that} and I served the soup with french bread, and he ate about half the loaf.

The texture is a little grainy, but I still thought it was very good.

Give it a try and let me know if you did and what you thought of it.

Wordlessful Wednesday: Evan's First Field Trip

The Friday my mom and I were leaving for Moses Lake, Evan also had his first ever field trip. My sister asked me if I wanted to go...{I think more for the help and pics, but that's ok...} so of course I did.

First, she told me it started earlier than it did.

Second, it ended up being closer to my house than her house so I could've met them there instead of driving the 20 minutes to her house. Oh well, what're ya gonna do, right? lol

This was actually quite the ordeal.

Who knew there were TWO places in Snohomish, both called "The Farm"?! Yeah, no one informed my sister of this, so we waited at the wrong place for half an hour!! And a lady showed up at the first place, waited and then took off. We ended up seeing her at the second place. Nice of her to find out if we were waiting for the same thing she was. We were quite perturbed by the situation.

Anywho, we got to the correct place, late, and Evan was able to meet up with his class.

They went through a hay maze in a barn. Absolutely INSANE. Seriously. And the only way down? By a slide. Thankfully the adults were able to squeeze down the side of it and meet the kidlets at the bottom.

After that, they very quickly went through a small petting zoo. Then they sat under a big tented area and had popcicles! {Again, insane.}

This field trip was very rushed for us and it wasn't helped any by the rain.

I feel that we would've had more fun if it hadn't all started with so much craziness.

We did have fun, just because the boys were having fun, but hopefully next year it'll be an even better experience.

I didn't get to take a lot of pictures of everything because I was running around with Kingston, trying to keep his boots on his feet or him from falling in the mud.

But here's a few of the better ones that I was able to get.

For more Wordful Wednesdays click here.

For more Wordless Wednesday go to the WW HQ here.

{And hopefully I've fixed the comment program issue...I guess we'll find out. }

I Changed My Mind

No, not about coming back...

About Disqus.

I don't like it.

It's fine for commenting, but for having it on MY blog, I'm not digging it.

One, I'm not getting emails telling me that I've received comments.

Two, if someone doesn't add their blog address, I can't go and visit them.

Yes, it helps with the email issue, but then it's creating the other issue I just mentioned.

I'd rather be able to visit blogs than email, if I must choose.

SO, does anyone know how to export the comments from the previous post {and this one} back into the blogger comment option?

I don't want to post anything of "importance" till I have this issue resolved.

Anyone??

I'm Baaaaccccckkkkk!!!

Didja miss me?

I've been trying, unsuccessfully, to get through all my emails and visitors from my SITS day. I'm finding that I'm not able to just sit in front of my computer 24/7 so it's just not happening.

Because I want to blog, I'm not going to punish myself any longer by NOT blogging.

I feel insanely guilty that I haven't visited everyone. Maybe I'm just trying to be an overachiever or something. I don't know. So I guess I'll just try to visit everyone as I'm able and if someone doesn't like it that I haven't been by yet, I'm sorry. If you REALLY want me to make sure I stop by, by all means, let me know and I will. But I can't sit on my computer all day, every day, trying to get to every single person. I had A LOT of visitors that day and the days after, which I'm very thankful for, but I'm only one person and my computer is slower than molasses!

So, I'm back!!

I have lots of pictures I want to share with you.

My cousin was finally able to get me a disc of the pictures from my birthday party, so I have those to share.

Last weekend, my mom and I went to Moses Lake to see my aunt in a play and then we spent Saturday in Leavenworth visiting with my cousin, Eve, and her hubby Mike as well as taking pictures of all the fall leaves. So I have pictures from Leavenworth {but none from the play...my camera doesn't like the dark, or zooming and especially with no flash}.

I'm sure I have other things to share with you too.

Also, I've installed a new comment program called DISQUS. I'm hoping that will help with the noreply-commenter issue. It's VERY easy to register and you only have to do it one time. I'm finding that a lot of bloggers are now using this comment program so I hope you'll all register and comment.

Did you all have a fun Halloween? We had a great time! Had over 300 TOT'ers!!

Now that I'm back, I'll be by to visit as much as I can!!

Worship and Praise Sunday: Take You Back

Take You Back
Jeremy Camp

The reason why I stand
The answer lies in you
You hung to make me strong
Tho my praise was few
When I fall I bring your name down

But I have found in you
A heart that bleeds
Forgiveness replacing all these thoughts of painful memories
And I know your response will always be

Chorus:
I'll take you back always
Even when your fight is over now
I'll take you back
Even when the pain is coming through
I'll take you back

You satisfy this cry of what I'm
looking for And I'll take all I can
and lay it down before
The throne of endless grace now
that radiates what's true
I'm in the only place that erases
all these faults that have overtaken me and
I know that your response will always be

(Chorus)

I can only speak with a graceful heart
As I'm pierced by this gift of your love
I will always bring an offering
I can never thank you enough

You take me back always
Even when my fight is over now
You take me back
Even when the pain is coming through
You take me back

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This past week at bible study, we were talking about God's forgiveness and how there is no limit to how many times he'll forgive us. It doesn't matter how big or small the sin, Jesus will always take us back; he'll always be there to forgive us. Every. single. day.

I know I need this reminder repeatedly and this song, I thought, was the perfect companion to that lesson this week.

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Start your own Worship & Praise Sunday post and link up here. Please link the direct Worship and Praise post. If you need help adding a video, let me know and I'll try to help you. You can grab the button up on the right sidebar, too.