The Holidays are Magic

Happy Holiday season everyone. Thanksgiving is over. I can't believe it. Such a nice holiday to spend with family. The holiday where I think about the blessings in my life. Then I get to spend time with the people that I am most thankful for. So of course, I went to Idaho. Shelly, Dustin, and Shane came. It was nice. Mom and Dad tried to get ready for Shane to come but he found things that were not baby proofed yet. Shelly, Mom, and I even got to go shopping on Friday while the men took care of Shane. The living room looked pretty wild when we got back.
Shane is really getting big. I got the rest of his Christmas present on black Friday, the mega blocks at Wal-Mart. We did not go in at 5 but around 8 and we were fine. I should say we were fine other than trying to fit all of our purchases in my car!! That was fun! I hope you can read the sarcasm...
Rupert has a festival of trees that they call "Caring and Sharing." It is free. So Mom, Dad, Mike, and I went on Saturday night. It was nice. They probably have a couple dozen trees or so. There was even a snowman made out of quilt batting that stood about 6 feet tall!
I wrote out my Christmas cards on Friday and even got to watch 'Ugly Betty.' That is a miracle. The 'Ugly Betty' part not the card part. It is nice to get the cards done. Now I need to get them in the mail.
My house is ready for Christmas, I put my tree up last weekend. I love all of the festive music on the radio. One of the ladies at the bus stop the other day said that the Christmas music is magical. I agree with that. Maybe I choose the non cynical route for the holidays but they are magical. I know that people get carried away and all that but I choose to be of the opinion that magic is involved.

I love Thanksgiving!!

I can't help but have the Adam Sandler Thanksgiving song in my head right now. I can't remember all the words. Do you ever just part of a song going through your head? The part I can remember is "gobble, gobble, giggle, I wish turkey only cost a nickle." Then the part at the end where he sings "I love Thanksgiving."

So in honor of the day, I would like to say what I am thankful for. My quote board at work right now has something like "Thanksgiving, afterall was not meant to be shut up in one day." I can't remember the person who said that right now. I love quotegarden.com for good quotes. That is where I got that one.

Here is my list, in no particular order:
1. My family. I am very thankful for my family, I know I can call them anytime. Even if I do not live close to them I can still feel their love from far away. They are in my heart always.
2. My job. I am very thankful to have a good job and good people to work with. In times like these I am very thankful to have a job to go to when so many people do not have a job.
3. For each day. It does not always work, but I try to be happy for each day. To watch the sun come up and to get another chance to make things better. I work on this all the time (the attitude part).
4. My friends. I am very thankful to have good friends. Friends can be the family you pick for yourself. I learn alot from other people in my life and for that I am grateful.
5. My health. I am thankful to be in good health. Working in health insurance you get to find out a lot about what others are going through and it really makes me thankful that I am healthy.
6. My parents. I know I already said family but I am very thankful for my parents. They still sacrifice so much for our family that I had to list them separately.
7. My house. I am very thankful to have a nice place to live. So many people do not have this and I need to remind myself how great this is.
8. The gospel. I am thankful for how I was raised. I am thankful for the example of others in my life.
9. Good times. I am thankful to good times. They make life worth living. Spending time with famiy and friends is what it is all about.
10. To live in such a time. Living in 2009 is pretty amazing. There are so much advances in the world. I take so much of it for granted. Microwaves, lights that turn on with a touch of a button, this computer, the internet, cell phones, medical break throughs... It is all pretty amazing. Oh, I said that already, huh?

There is so much to be thankful for!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I Love It When...

I love it when things come together. Not that I am any where near done... I still love it when things come together!

This past week some of the young men in the ward came and put together a desk for me. It has been in the box WAY too long! My home teacher is the young men's president. So Wednesday was the big night. They put together the desk, moved a shelf to the craftroom from the garage, and even moved my computer from downstairs and put it in the craftroom. They got the computer hooked up and working!

They asked what they were getting paid. Just joking, I think. I told them it was good old fashioned service. It is hard sometimes to be the service project but I am so grateful that they came.

One of the boys even took a liking to my old computer desk. It was a down view model. He thought it was cool! So it is out of the house too! I asked my home teacher to take it to the DI. The boy wanted to buy it at the DI. I said that he could just have it.

So by the end of the night my downstairs was looking so different. Missing the box that the desk was in and the old computer desk out of the house. I felt like I had a new house.

Today I have been working on getting things settled downstairs. Thus the reason why I love it when things come together. Pretty soon it will be time to put up the Christmas tree. With things moved around I am thinking about trying out a new place for the tree!

I just love it when things come together. Sounds kind of like the A-Team, huh? Wait, that was I just love it when a plan comes together. Now I am showing my age... Oh well. Good times, though!!

Pen Protectors, Plumbers, and Little Devils!

Happy Halloween one day late!

I had a busy Halloween weekend! Friday was a fun day at work. I know fun day at work, am I crazy? I hope not! My place of employment really gets into Halloween. It is so fun to see so many people in costume. People bring in their cute little kids in costume. They even supplied lunch for us. Soup in bread bowls, it was so yummy! Of course for dessert we had sugar cookies. You have to have those!

The funniest thing that I saw on Friday had to be when a follow worker brought in her grandsons. She was dressed as a cow complete with udders and a tail. One grandson was pulling on her tail and the other was pulling on the udders! I laughed my head off!

I even dressed up. I am never very creative. This year I was a nerd. I had my shirt buttoned all wrong. I had tape on my glasses. My pants were rolled up and I even had a homemade pen protector. Pen protectors do exist. I saw them at Office Depot but they were clear. I did not buy them. You have to be able to see them to really play the part of a nerd.

On Friday night my dad called and said that he and mom could come help me with my craft room. I need to get it ready for the desk to be in there. I am so grateful that they came! It was great if not a lot tiring!

So Saturday around 8:30 or so my parents showed up! Dad started working on the kitchen sink that had some hard water issues. That meant we had to go to Home Depot a few times. He ended up replacing the valve underneath the sink and the faucet.

While Dad was doing that Mom and I were working on my soon-to-be craft room. It has become a catch all room. By the end of the day we got it under control. We took a couple of loads to the DI on our trips to Home Depot.

Then the craft room has also had problems with the lights. So Dad turned into an electrician as well. For awhile I did not electricity in the room or in the other bedroom but it is ok now. It is working. Mom and I had our doubts but dad got it fixed. By the end of the project, he was calling himself the master! That is my dad for you.

I was tired after a long day.

I did get a few trick or treaters. That is always fun. One little girl did not even carry her pillow case for her candy. Her mom did, she just came to the door and said trick or treat and kind of curtsied. Another little girl was the cutest little devil with her curly black hair. Then there was a couple of older girls complete with shoulder pads being football players.

Happy Birthday!!

October 21st is my birthday. I am a twin, so this will be dedicated to Shelly!!

Shelly's top ten list:
1. She is the coolest!!
2. She is a great friend.
3. She is a wonderful cook. She sent me yummy cookies in the mail.
4. She is a very creative person. Her cards are the BEST.
5. She has a beautiful smile!
6. She is a good mommy to Shaner.
7. She is a planner.
8. She is a cute country girl.
9. She is so smart.
10. She is the best twin sister in the world!!

Happy Birthday Shelly! I am sorry we can't be together on our birthday! I love you tons!
Lesley

Weekend Review

Friday I went to lunch with my older sister Chris. That was a lot of fun. We haven't done anything in awhile so it was great to get together with her. We ate at one of my favorites, Cafe Rio! The pork burrito is always good!

Then an exciting Friday evening complete with the rockets red glare. I live right by a high school. Homecoming game was Friday night and they started the game with fireworks, right over my house!!! Talk about a bang!!

The highlight of Friday night was Ugly Betty's premiere!! I am so glad that it started back up. It was a two hour show and I loved it!

Saturday my parents came to visit. That was nice. We drove and saw the fall leaves. I love fall and I love the colors.

Pumpkin!!!

The autumnal wind is blowing when you see pumpkins everywhere! I had to use the word autumnal. I like the word autumnal. Now I have probably used it too much! ha ha

I am baking pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and it just smells like fall! I love it! It is great the way a smell can just bring memories back and create a feeling.

I have already had pumpkin pie from Lion House last weekend. I made zucchini pumpkin bread last month. Now I am making cookies. What next?

Fortune Cookie

We went out for chinese food for my mom's birthday. This is what my fortune cookie said: "An admirer is concealing his affection for you."

My response was stop concealing yourself and let me know who you are!!!

Snow!!!

I went home to Idaho over the weekend. Yesterday we had SNOW!! October 4th and have snow!! Come on! That is just crazy!! I did not know if I was going to leave or not but it finally cleared up enough that I thought I better head back to my home in Utah.

It was great to see the family! It was my mom's birthday yesterday. She is a great lady! I love her so much. She does so much for everyone that I wanted to do something for her. I got a necklace. It was made by Carrie at work and she did a great job. I just thought that my mom deserved something pretty for herself. She always is looking at jewelry and I thought why not for her.

I got to spend time with Mike, Mom, and Dad. It was nice. I wish that I lived closer to them!

Idaho Weekend

I am back from a weekend to Idaho. I came home with a sore throat. Do not know where I got that. No one at home had a sore throat. So I stayed home Monday but now back to work with a sore throat and a runny nose.
On Saturday we had a family reunion. It was great to see everyone. The weather was nice, that is always a plus! I did get a sunburn though. Ironically 70 degree weather and I get a sunburn. How fun!
My nephew got to open his birthday presents from Chris and I. It was cute to see him open them. He was happy with his presents I think. He has some cute expressions.
The not so good thing was that Shane was being grumpy. He did not want to get too far from his mommy. So there was a definite lack of sleep on this trip.
We went to the Cassia County Fair. That is always fun. Mom, Chris, and I volunteered at the 4H building. We were hostesses at the entrances. Really it just meant we told people that they could not bring their food and drinks in the building. While volunteering I witnessed for myself that the mullet is alive and well. Remember the e-mail entitled child abuse and everyone in the cute little family had a mullet? That was almost the family I saw. The mother did not have a mullet but father and young son did. I was definitely in Burley, Idaho.

Outcome...

The interviews went well. I could not believe how many applicants we had. I was the only one with a position open and now we have a few at my company. So I am glad that I am done with that now!! First it was down to two really great applicants. Talking with my boss we got it figured out. We had a second interview/meeting today. It went well even though I worried. All for nothing though, I offered her the job and she was so excited. I am so excited to have her start. It felt good to offer her the job. We even hugged afterwards and that never happens.

Interviews...

This week I am doing interviews at work. I am so glad I am the one asking the questions and not getting the questions thrown at me!! I am so thankful to have a job! In this hard economy I feel really lucky to have such a good place to work! Looking at some of the applicants it really shows for the job market. I get the hard decision of who to interview and then who to hire. I rewrote the questions as well. It has been over two years since I last hired anyone. Sometimes the questions just don't work for some people.
So send me some good energy for a good pick!! I will need it!

Maybe the stars were aligned...

Maybe Jupiter was in the seventh moon. What am I saying? I am not an astrologer person. It had to be something though because I went on a date. Believe it or not!! Ha! Ha! It was fun. We did the dinner and a movie thing. (That is a classic idea but why change a good thing I guess.) I do the online dating thing, not much has really happened for a very long time. I got on chemistry.com awhile ago. They send you matches and then you decide if you are interested. It was fun to go out on a date with a nice guy. They do exist!! Nice guys I mean. I was beginning to wonder. We ate at Applebee's and went to Ice Age 3 at the Gateway. It was easy to talk to him and it was just fun. What were those butterflies earlier in the day for? lol!!

Cutie Patootie!

Here is an adorable picture of my nephew Shane! I think he is the cutest thing ever. I was not at home when this picture was taken but I saw it and loved it! He is one happy boy. We like to call him Shaner. He loves to stand and acts like he could take off running or walking. He loves his mommy so much. Everyone in the family loves him. He is one spoiled little guy! I am hoping to get to see him in a couple of weeks.

Movies!

Here is an introduction: Hello my name is Lesley. You haven't heard from me in A LONG TIME! I know sorry! I am not a good blogger! But here's one for you:

I went to two movies over the weekend. For those who know my age, you might question it after I tell you which ones I saw! ha ha

My friend Jennifer and I went to the Hannah Montana movie with her niece. That was cute. It was fun to see Rascal Flats in the movie as well. Her niece loved the movie.

After taking the niece home and getting some dinner, we went to 17 Again. Am I strange or whatever if I think Zac Efron is cute? I hope not... I still think he is a cutie! Liked the movie, it was fun.

It was fun to see some flicks this weekend!

Question my age if you want... I wonder sometimes myself!

Thanks for Good Friends!!

It is getting late but I just have to say that it is great to have good friends. It is also great to connect with old friends. Today was one of those days. I met up with three old friends. Two that I had not seen in quite awhile. Michelle, Wendy, and Melissa! It was great to see you three today. Remember March 28th for our next get together.
After my trip down memory lane, I met another friend for movies. Jennifer is my movie buddy, project buddy, and just buddy! She is great. We went to Inkheart with a niece and nephew of hers. They are so cute and fun to be around especially since I don't get to be around kids much. Then after that we went to New in Town. We like to do double features once in awhile. Both movies were definitely worth it. What fun! Harry Connick Jr. is so dang cute.
I hope everyone had a great weekend!

25 Things...

Whitney tagged me on Facebook. So here goes... 25 random things about me. (This is going to be hard!)

1. I worked at Claire's Boutique for awhile and I pierced ears. I hated that!
2. My first real job was weeding beets!
3. My twin sister and I sometimes get confused by each other's voices.
4. I have never been to Disneyland.
5. My dream place to go on vacation is London England.
6. I love Halloween, the cute stuff like the pumpkins and scarecrows not the skeletons and coffins.
7. My twin sister and I quote Growing Pains to each other.
8. My parents are thirty years older than me.
9. I love Christmas music and am totally ok with it played early.
10. As a little girl I thought umbrellas were the coolest. I could not wait for it to rain.
11. I love quotes!
12. Baking cookies on a Pampered Chef baking stone is the way to go.
13. I plan my Christmas cookie baking a month in advance.
14. I like to read cook books.
15. I think that a house should have a Christmas tree window.
16. I love autumn.
17. I think that summer lasts too long.
18. I was the first person to hold my baby nephew.
19. In the summer, I go to yard sales with my parents.
20. I love ribbon!!!
21. I am a fast reader.
22. I wish I lived closer to family.
23. King of Queens makes me laugh.
24. My first concert was a Garth Brooks show in Salt Lake City.
25. I love sharing my birthday with my twin sister!!!

FOUR!!

Here is another questionaire with four things:

1. Four places that I go to over and over
work, Wal-Mart, Tooele, Roberts

2. Four people who e-mail me:
Chris, Jennifer, Kathy, SuzAnn

3. Four of my favorite places to eat:
Cafe Rio, Rumby, Hagerman's, My mom's house

4. Four place I would rather be right now:
Home, at the movies, in Idaho, in my bed!

5. Four TV shows I watch:
Ugly Bett, Grey's Anatomy, Gossip Girl, 90210

Girl's Weekend!

I had such a nice weekend this past weekend. It was definitely a girl's weekend. On Friday, a couple of friends and I got off work a little early and went to Bride Wars. I do not care what the critics say, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It was cute. I did not care for the comment that you are not alive until you are married but I am sure that is because "I am dead." After the movie, we went to Jason's Deli at The Gateway. The chicken potpie soup is definitely something you should try. Very tasty!

On Saturday, I hung out with my project/movie buddy. That was a great day, too. Jennifer and I worked on projects. Maybe I will post some later. Later that day we went to Valkyrie with Traci. That was such an inspiring movie.

I did not clean like I should have but the weekend was great just the same!

Oh My Back!!

I know I sound like an old lady, but the snow is not good for my back. It is probably a common ailment this time of year. Shoveling that heavy wet snow is doing wonders for my back. Now it is snowing again, so guess what is waiting for me when I get home! Winter wonderland. The snow is beautiful. I do like it, really. I just do not like to drive in it or shovel it!

2009

Wow! It is 2009! I can remember when I was a little girl and I thought that 14 was so old. I know, I know that was a LONG time ago. Then I was thinking the other day how an old roommate of mine and I used to make up mantras for the New Year. Even that was ten years ago!!! So it is 2009! 2008 was quite a year. I became an aunt. That was the most amazing thing to happen. I will never forget holding my nephew for the first time. I learned things about myself in 2008. I try not to wish the time away, because you should not wish your life away. What does that accomplish? I just have to remember that when I am going through those tough times! I haven't even thought much about resolutions. Maybe I should. Maybe I shouldn't. I have some ideas but nothing set.