The Challenge

Well, my attempt to fulfill Kate's challenge was pretty successful, as far as I'm concerned! I probably won't continue to post nearly everyday, but still planning on a couple times a week. Y'all will miss the 5 or 6 posts a week, I'm sure :P

Happy New Year, my friends! Hope you enjoy your evening tonight and that 2010 has wonderful surprises in store for all of you and me too!

Doin' the Robot

This is LXD (the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers). I saw them on So You Think You Can Dance. I don't think I blinked during the entire routine.

Elf Quotes

Just 'cause I love the movie, and I already miss the perfect weekend that was Christmastime, here are some of the best quotes from Elf:

Gimbel's Manager: Why are you smiling like that?
Buddy: I just like to smile, smiling's my favorite

Buddy: [phone rings, Buddy picks it up] Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?

Buddy: First we'll make snow angels for a two hours, then we'll go ice skating, then we'll eat a whole roll of Tollhouse Cookiedough as fast as we can, and then we'll snuggle.

Emily: We can't just throw him out in the snow.
Walter: Why not? He loves the snow. He's told me 15 times.

Buddy: We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.

I think it must be said that I made rather merry on Christmas day. I ate a lot from those four main food groups, and I was totally sick the next day! But then, when one has such an excellent cookie-maker as my mom, one cannot help herself. Sugar cookies, ginger cookies, chocolate cookies, gingerbread cookies. Add the random candy and rich breakfast and dinner foods we only eat the once a year and I couldn't help myself. It was worth every bite!

New Swimsuits!

Retail by Norm Feuti


I finally found a new swimsuit! And it's cute! In fact, I found two cute suits! Just in time for me to go on that cruise next month! Hooraaaaay!

Details

Some are so caught up in the details of running their lives that they don't make time for much else.
- Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I am very worried that this is what I am doing. Maybe my New Year's resolution will be to focus more on "working to live" than "living to work." Take more vacations. Spend more time with family. Take pride in my work, yes, but don't plan my life around work deadlines next year like I did this one. It's necessary. I don't want my life to pass me by!

Luke 2: 10-16

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger."

Live Theatre

Cul de Sac by Richard Thompson

My first lead in a play was in my 3rd grade Christmas play. We did a non-ballet, all-singing version of the Nutcracker, and I played Maria/Clara. I had two lines, and I remember being very conflicted whether I should say "Aunts" or "Ants" (I think I decided on "Aunts").

Since then, I've had a soft spot for Christmas plays, music, and other performances. In the last three weeks, I saw A Christmas Carol, Scrooge, Babes in Toyland, Nutcracker: Men in Tights, Savior of the World, and my ward choir's Christmas program. Each has given me a little more insight into what Christmas means to me. Been an inspiring and happy three weeks!

Only one more sleep 'til Christmas Eve!

A Christmas-y House

Well, I've been working on my goals to get in the Christmas spirit, and they are working! I am enjoying the season much more, work is getting to me slightly less, and I am really, really excited for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Two four-day weekends in a row spent almost exclusively with my whole family is music to my ears!

I spent one late Saturday evening, and an even later Sunday night putting my decorations up. I think they turned out pretty cute. I look forward to coming home and plugging in the lights every night. It was fun to put it all together while watching Love Actually (edited, thanks to Aaron), and listening to Showtunes Saturday Night play songs from movie-musicals that are now classic Christmas Carols, such as "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "We Need a Little Christmas." How I love to sing and listen to Christmas Carols!

below: Instead of putting lights on the balcony where I'll never see them, I put them up over the sliding glass doors. I love them there!

This is not my Christmas tree. Just another random tree with lights wrapped around it.

My official Christmas tree

My mom painted this Santa-gourd for me last year. Isn't it darling?

These snowmen spell out "Joy" with the letters in their hands. This was a white elephant gift from work a few years ago and even though it's pretty kitchey I don't hate it.

A teeny-tiny Nativity set my mom sent me for my only Christmas during my mission.

This is probably my favorite decoration. Too bad it doesn't fit in the windowsill anymore because of the new windows, but it still shines prettily on my kitchen table.

The wrapping station - been a busy place in the last week!

I have spent more money than I like to think about on gifts for people I love... and I admit, some for me, too. Santa will be good to me this year! My credit card statements won't thank me next month, though. Oh well. 'Tis but once a year, and it's fun to see all of those gifts under the tree until I give them all away!

Favorite Christmas Songs

As Buddy the Elf wisely said, "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear." With that in mind, here are some of my favorite movie-moment Christmas songs:

Elf "Santa Claus is Coming to Town"

Holiday Inn "White Christmas"

Wil Vinton's Claymation Christmas Special "Carol of the Bells"

Meet Me in Saint Louis "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"

A Muppet Christmas Carol "It Feels Like Christmas"

This is Me at Work

It's funny 'cause it's true!

The Lights at Temple Square

For FHE last week, my ward went to downtown Salt Lake and saw the lights at Temple Square. I love the lights at Temple Square! I think my favorites are the red and orange ones on the big, big trees around the temple itself. It is so impressive the way they coordinate all of the trees, and that they wrap the lights around practically every twig. I can't imagine how long it takes to plan and put up.

I especially love the nativity on the reflecting pool surrounded by floating lights, and the nativity by the Tabernacle where they have a narrator telling the nativity story and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing Christmas songs. I even joined in during "The First Noel." Not loud enough to bother anyone, but I still sang. It's just so cool to have baby Jesus in the nativity right across from the north Visitors Center, where you can see the Christus statue in the window. It's a reminder of the birth and death of the Savior, and that He was born so that He could die for us. That is what I really want to celebrate during Christmastime!

We met in a room in the basement of the south Visitor's Center and watched a special showing of Mr. Kruger's Christmas. Yes, it made me emotional. The movie is cheesy as all get-out, but it's still touching at the end. I was distracted about halfway through when I realized the little girl's mom is none other than Tamara Adams, who performs in and directs at HCT all the time. Crazy! Then our group hung out and drank hot chocolate until closing when the Sister missionaries kindly kicked us out of the Visitor's Center.

It was about 10 degrees that night so I was pretty bundled up. Silly me to forget a hat on such a night! Thankfully, my scarf was long enough to wrap around my head.

above: Erin, Jana, and me
below: Erin and me

Erin and I carpooled to Temple Square, and since we didn't know each other very well but were inclined to be friends we talked and learned more about each other. She is darling! It was very nice to have a buddy to share the experience with. Fun to meet up with established friends and meet new ones. It was a good event. I will miss my ward when I finally start going to a new one next month. It's been a good situation for me as I transitioned from my parents' house into my new home and living alone again. I liked going to church and events where I spend time with single people my own age. This particular group is outstanding. I will miss them.

Bear-y Christmas Presents

**WARNING FOR ADAM AND LINDSEY -- Do not look at the photos until after Christmas unless you want to spoil the surprise! I couldn't resist posting them, so if you look I'll have to blame myself.**

Mom and I took the G-unit to Build-a-Bear this week to help him pick out his first Christmas gifts for his little sisters. Since he doesn't have a lot of experience with girly things, he relied quite a bit on Grammy and Auntie Meg's advice... and by "advice" I mean Mom and I voting down his "guitar hero" and "Star Wars" selections in favor of something pink. Truth to be told, Mom and I probably enjoyed the shopping and selecting than he did, but the bears turned out really cute. They are very soft, and I hope that the girls like them.

Putting the bears together

The finished presents -- a blue bear and a pink one. I want one of my own now!

(Mom and I are wondering how soon after they open the bears Adam and Lindsey put the sunglasses on the twins. The glasses are probably just the right size for our tiny girls.)

For some reason, G didn't want his photo taken. I got a lot of photos like this:

Finally, in an attempt to get me to stop taking pictures, G took my camera case away from me. When he realized the camera wasn't in the case and he turned to demand it from me, I shot this photo:

I promised to stop taking photos after that, even though I very much wanted a picture of the two stuffed moose Mom stowed in his hood. You can kind of see one in the photo above.

It was just fun to watch G-unit be a boy and play, be excited about the Darth Vader bear outfit, eat a cinnamon pretzel, engineer fancy straws with which to drink his hot chocolate, and convince his Grammy to take him back to her house to play instead of taking him directly home afterward. What a great kid he is! I'm a lucky, lucky Aunt.

I sure do love that kid and my mom. They are a darling duo! I am glad they invited me on their trip!

New Windows! New! New! New!

After a year and a half of talking about it, I finally, finally have my new windows! The workers came and installed them yesterday morning and they are B-E-A-utiful! No more broken -- or missing -- screens, no more difficult to open bedroom window, and I can already hear that the heater isn't working as hard. Awesome!!

And, because I'm me, and I'm proud of my little home, and I am thrilled to actually have these windows (in time to qualify for the tax rebate, I might add), I took a bunch of photos. I asked the workers if I could photograph them and they said it was okay, but I felt weird about it, so I didn't. They were very nice about it, though, and very photographable, and they did a terrific job!

Below is the old sliding glass door. Notice the broken screen

The same door, completely gutted

The new "sliding" sliding door waiting for installation

Look how pretty and clean!

No more broken screen!

In the spare bedroom

In the master bedroom

In the kitchen

I worked from home yesterday, and this is what I looked like. Did I mention that it was about 36 degrees outside and the windows were torn out for a portion of the day? Notice I'm wearing a coat and gloves. (Never fear, the condo warmed up as soon as all of the windows were in and I turned the heater back on.)

The only drawbacks are so minor I can't really call them drawbacks. The new, wider, double-paned windows don't leave any room on the ledge in my kitchen for one of my favorite Christmas decorations. It's sitting on the table now and is cute there, but it's not the same. Also, the workers had to remove the settings for my shutters and now the holes are covered with the windows (because, again and wonderfully, the windows are so wide) so until I have a chance to reinstall the settings I have no shutters. It's weird having the sun shining through my bedroom window in the morning. Not bad, only weird.

Yaaaay! One more remodeling project down, and I'm happy to put off the next until the Spring. Need to save up some more money, and I just want to enjoy the winter.

Thanks to everyone at Wasatch Windows and Vinyl who assisted me with the whole process. After I asked if I could take his photo, one of the men who installed the window asked me the name of my blog. So, if you're reading this: thanks for all of your help! You were great and I am very, very happy with the result!

Watch this Show!

Okay, I'm not going to pretend I don't watch a lot of t.v. I mention it a lot, and I post a few too many videos on this blog. But... hmm... what was the "but?" *Shrug* Maybe there wasn't one.

Oh yeah! BUT as much as I talk about t.v. and movies, I don't usually say "You should be watching this show."

That is what I am saying today.

I am convinced that everyone needs to give Phineas and Ferb a try. Yes, it's a Disney channel show, and yes, it's a cartoon. I'll admit, a lot of Disney's live-action shows feature some bad, bad dialogue and over-acting, but for some reason their cartoons targeted to pre-teens and teenagers are quite brilliant. Such as Kim Possible (still one of my all-time favorites), and Phineas and Ferb.

IMDB says "According to creator Dan Povenmire, Phineas and Ferb's humor style is sort of a hybrid between Family Guy and Spongebob Squarepants, two shows that he had worked on." I realize that may not exactly be an enticement for some of you (such a description normally would not recommend the show to me). However, my nephew is a fan, and so my family starting watching it with him. My ENTIRE family, even those who aren't fans of cartoons on principle. It's just funny! It's clever! We love the kids inventions, the older sister's crush on her neighbor, the undercover platypus, and pretty much anything that has to do with Dr. Doofenshmirtz, the arch-enemy of Perry the Platypus.

Dr. Doofenshmirtz is hilarious! He has an entire song in the Christmas special about how he's apathetic about Christmas so he feels no need to put his diabolical plan into motion... until some Christmas carolers push him too far. Then he pushes the button while uttering the line, "So long Christmas! You are Feliz Navi-dead to me!"

Did I mention that the show is family-friendly? Was that implied in that it's on the Disney Channel?

This show, like Kim Possible, makes me lament that for some reason Disney doesn't put its t.v. shows on DVD. What's the hold up? They could make a fortune with the box sets. If they're afraid kids will stop watching the ever-present re-runs I'm sure they're mistaken. I own several seasons of Friends, but I still watch it when it comes on t.v.

I also love that there is an original song in each episode that somehow fits into the storyline. They are great! As an intro to this show that -- again -- I recommend to give a chance, here are a bunch of my favorite songs. Yes, four is a little much, but they are short and I couldn't pick just one!

Come Back, Perry

Evil Love Song

Squirrels in my Pants

Beach Party Song

If You Can't Say Somethin' Nice

Someone else awesome said, "Well, you know what they say: if you don't have anything nice to say about anybody, come sit by me!"

Which method of dealing with crummy situations and jerky people do you subscribe to?

Meanwhile, this was my favorite quote from Better Off Ted last night:

[Portia diRossi says this completely deadpan and as one sentence after learning that Ted asked his daughter for information after promising not to.]
Oh my god. What a hypocrite. I feel like I don't know you. Fake outrage.
Moving on, what did you get out of her?

Ding Dong Wha--?

Lion, Tiger, and Bear

A friend pointed me to this article today. It gives me hope that anything is possible, even peace and friendship between very, very different beings.

Anything for a Carrot

Hunt and Peck

I just burned my left hand with some hot water I was using to make hot chocolate, so I'm typing this post exclusively using what my mom calls the hunt-and-peck (H&P) method.

It is very slow, but effective. I used this method for many years before taking my typing class in high school. I learned to type on an actual type writer and that was also a very slow process.

When I can type properly I usually go pretty fast. I keep thinking I should check my WPM (words per minute) but haven't gotten around to it. The last time I took a test was a good 7 years ago, and that time I started on the wrong keys initially, so it wasn't really accurate. I don't even remember what the score was.

The score using H&P would be horribly low.

And now my right hand and arm are sore, so I will continue icing my left and call it a night. Hopefully this won't keep me from being able to work tomorrow... I really, really need to get my work done!

(The hot chocolate was delicious, by the way.)

See you tomorrow!

Update from the next morning: The worst burn isn't too painful anymore, and I can type with two hands again! Hooray!

Readying the Family Calendar

A few years ago, my mother requested as her Christmas present that I put together a calendar with photos of our family. I've been repeating that gift every year since, using photos from the previous 12 months. It's usually a little stressful, so I'm always grateful for those family members who submit or make suggestions on photos they like. I complain, but really I love arranging the photos, seeing what people submit, and having the whole project come together in a satisfactory way.

My brother David requested for this year's calendar that I use a specific photograph of him, Peter, and Aaron when they visited Philadelphia. All three men look rather handsome in it, don't they?


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Can you tell at first glance that I had to edit out two girls who were in the original photo?

I generally don't put photos in the calendar that feature non-family members. But when David said he liked this one I thought, "Maybe this is a good time to try out my photo-editing skills and the software on my new computer." It still needs tweaking, but I'm pretty proud of the result. (Now that you study the edited photo, you can see the flaws, can't you? I'm still trying to decide if I want to try to fix the skyline a little. The sky itself needs some work, since it's two different colors -- grrr!)

Fortunately, I haven't had to edit many of the other photos. The calendar's almost ready for the printer.

2010 is coming up fast!

Savior of the World

I hadn't seen the play Savior of the World in at least five years, so I was very excited to be invited to the play on Saturday afternoon. It was the special performance they put on specifically for deaf and blind patrons; there were monitors with closed captioning and sign language interpreters.

I forgot how much I love this play. I listen to the soundtrack quite often. The first act explores the events leading up to Jesus Christ's birth, starting with the angel Gabriel's visit to John the Baptist's dad and ending with the shepherds visiting the newborn Savior. The second act skips over the Savior's entire life, and begins with the apostles and women mourning His death. It then talks about all of the people who saw and spoke with him after He rose from the dead, and the concept that He will return again. It's really cool.

My favorite song is the one the shepherds sing to Psalm 23 (the one that starts "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want). As soon as the actors started to sing that song, I started to cry... and I continued to cry through the rest of the first act. I love the shepherds! What a great blessing to be the first to know of the Savior's birth -- to hear the angels sing, and meet the infant Savior and His parents, and deliver the news to everyone that He had been born! I love the way that scene is written, and I love thinking that I might have been one of the angels who sang in that choir when Christ was born. I might not have been... but I might have!

I was struck again as I have been before watching this play that the Jews (as I understand it) were waiting for the Messiah to come and deliver them from bondage. They wanted the Savior to use His power to drive the oppressive Romans out of Jerusalem and free the Jews. They felt that salvation was very do-able and as long as they followed all of the rules they would qualify for all of the blessings. By waiting for this Deliverer to come out of the sky and perform these big, flashy miracles, they totally missed the humble baby, little boy, and then grown man who walked about healing the sick and teaching peace and forgiveness. They couldn't understand that the faith His followers displays was such a big part of His miracles. He wanted to save their souls more than getting rid of their oppressors. Teach them to control what they can and not worry about what they can't.*

Are we much different than the ancient Jews?

I mean, how often do we (or at least I) ignore the wonderful little miracles He gives me each day and complain that the big blessings I am praying and working for just aren't coming soon enough or in a form that I recognize. He will tell us and show us what to do, but we have to take care of ourselves as much as we can and let Him do the rest. After all, I appreciate things I've worked for much more than those that are handed to me. But at the same time, I'm impatient! I want my big blessings now and I want them the way I want them!

(How's that for vague?)

At least the Jews were consistent about following all of the traditions and rules. I still struggle to read the scriptures every day and get my visiting teaching done! I could learn a lot from them.

As I watched the second act of the play, I really thought I was going to make it without crying. And then, during the last song "Jesus Once of Humble Birth" the cast turned to the audience, and started signing the words as they sang. I bawled. It was amazing! It was a reminder that Jesus will help all of us no matter our situation. I talked to one of the cast members later, and they said they'd learned the sign language just for that one performance. I am so glad that I got to experience that performance! And I am grateful for the reminder that I'm not alone in my trials. The Savior is aware of me and doing what He needs to help me do what I need to do and become who I am supposed to be.

I thought of that as I slid and spun on the street behind the Conference Center thirty minutes after the play ended. It was a pretty big miracle that I didn't hit anyone and neither I nor my car were harmed at all physically. It was a huge reminder that even though I'm a grown up and I have to do a lot of things alone, there are many things I cannot control. I need to have more faith in more aspects of my life and let Him take care of me, because I know that He will.

*I apologize sincerely if I have offended any Jewish readers. That was definitely not my intent. Just trying to apply my very limited knowledge about the ancient culture to my modern life :)

A Miracle I'm Still Reeling Over

This afternoon I saw the Savior of the World play at the LDS Conference Center. I parked on Main Street right up next to 200 North -- right next to the center. Pretty sweet parking spot right? Well... it would have been, if not for the snow and freezing weather we had that day. By the time the play ended, there was a LOT of ice on the road. And to get away from the parking spot I had to go down a reasonably steep hill.

Do you see where this is going?

I slowly started to make my way down 200 North (the street right behind the Conference Center). I drove maybe 15 feet down the street before I started to slide... and spin... incredibly slowly toward a car on the right side of the road. I very, very narrowly missed that car. But then as I continued to spin and slide I moved toward a car on the other side of the road. I very, very narrowly missed that car, too. It was horrifying. My heart was racing and I felt completely helpless. There was nothing I could do but pray! I had this horrible vision of my car hitting another on either side of the road and all of them sliding to the bottom and halfway down the next block, creaming everything in their path, destroying my car, and slamming my insurance rates.

By some miracle, even though I spun and slid down two-thirds of that block, I didn't hit a single car on either side of the road, and I stopped before I could hit the one trying to get up the street from the bottom.

Thoroughly shaken, I drove south really slowly on 200 West. I really, really didn't want to slide again. I was so afraid of hitting something! I was terrified of traffic lights and having to stop at them. That fear intensified when I stopped at one, and the woman in the lane next to me started sliding toward me. Sliding really, really, really slowly. So slowly that the only reason I know she hit me was that I started moving to the right with the back of my car sliding faster than the front. Fortunately, there weren't any cars on the right side of me, so I didn't slide into anyone else.

If my heart had been racing before, it was sprinting at that point.

I looked at the woman in the other car. She was in her 70s and looked as shell-shocked as I. I mouthed the words "Are you okay?" She nodded in a freaked-out kind of way. I looked at her car and it looked a little beat up but not bad. She mouthed back "Are you okay?" I nodded, too, and then kept driving. I was in a hurry to get to another play, and since she had hit me I didn't think the hit-and-run rules applied... at least, I hope they don't.

Another miracle? When I checked my car it didn't have a scratch on it.

When I went to bed that night, I could still feel myself sliding and spinning down 200 North. I love the snow and I love winter in Utah, but I would not be opposed to going the rest of my life without ever feeling that hideous helplessness again. I'm sure it won't be the last time I ever feel that way. I am just so grateful that my prayers to come through that horrible sliding were answered. I almost can't believe that I came through unscathed. I know that Heavenly Father was looking out for me. It really was amazing.

My New Moon Song

I am a little embarrassed to admit this is yet another in what I imagine are thousands of blog posts dedicated to the Twilight book and/or movie series. What can I say? They are popular for a reason and I am a follower in many ways.

I'll tell you from the start, I am squarely on the side of Team Jacob. I read all of the books and I was very satisfied with the way the romantic triangle ended because everyone was happy, but pretty much the entire series I thought, "Seriously? Who would choose the grumpy vampire over the fun-loving werewolf?" Jacob is playful, funny, active, works with his hands, loyal, happy, and good-looking. I liked the book New Moon mostly because Edward wasn't in it most of the time. I was actually annoyed when he showed up again.

Now, I hope that my Team Edward friends are still my friends. I understand the appeal of Edward. I promise I do. He's handsome, protective, sensitive, thoughtful, intellectual, well-dressed, loves music, and lives only to serve his lady-love. That's very attractive.

Can't we all just agree that everyone isn't looking for the exact same things -- or combination of things -- in their ideal guy?

I finally got to see the movie New Moon last night and I liked it, mostly for the reasons stated above. Goooooooooooo Jacob (shouted in a cheerleader-type way)! Taylor Lautner is so charismatic. So sweet. So fun. So beautiful. Robert Pattinson is a terrific Edward -- he is very true to the character from the book and I really, really wanted to root for him and Bella -- but just like when I read the book I was kind of annoyed when he showed up again (mostly because of his scrawny, pale, glittering chest). Hold him up next to Taylor and in my head it's no contest.

This is why Bella is the one caught in the love triangle. If it were me, there would be no question. But there's no question for her and it's all Edward. So, good for her.

I do take exception with Bella selfishly begging Jacob to be her friend even though she knows he loves her and she doesn't love him. Personally, I think that's just mean. I know what it's like to have to tell a friend repeatedly that I don't love him and it's never going to happen. It is probably the worst thing I've ever had to do. He was really mad when I told him we couldn't be friends anymore because I couldn't live my life being afraid he'd never get over me. But I had to do it. As long as I allowed him to hope neither of us could move on. He deserved to find someone who wants to love him, and I deserved not to feel like a terrible person anymore. I just regret it took me as long as it did to finally break off the friendship. But apparently Bella has no problem stringing a guy along.

But I digress. The movie felt very, very long, but I liked it anyway! I saw it again tonight (don't judge me, I missed the first few minutes of the movie the first time) and may need to see it again in a couple of weeks. I haven't read the books in a year so I'd forgotten many of the details. It's nice to see a movie and be surprised by wonderful tidbits. I'd forgotten how funny Jessica is, and how sweet Bella's dad (who is perfectly cast in the move, by the way) is.

Perfect movie? No. Am I happy? Yes.

Meanwhile, just for fun I decided to write a song based on the movie, mostly because whenever I see the posters for New Moon, the music for the song "Blue Moon" runs through my head.

My New Moon Song:
Sung to the tune of "Blue Moon" by Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers

New moooon!
We saw her standing alone
Without a dream in her heart;
Without a love of her own.

New moooon!
She didn't know what she was there for.
Audience saying a prayer for
The one she really did care for.

And then suddenly
There appeared
Before her
A muscled werewolf
whose arms she wouldn't hold.
He said "Come, buddy"
Please adore me!
Her love for Edward
Kept her from being bold.

Oh! Oh! Oh!

New mooooon!
Now she's no longer alone
Staves off the dream in her heart
But she won't call Jake her own.

*Scatting*

And then suddenly
Italy was there
Before her.
Saw Edward glitter
And her blood ran cold.
The other vampires
Wanted to destroy her,
But goodness won
And the heros flew back home!

New mooooon!
Now she's no longer alone
With future dreams in her heart
With a sweet love of her own.

*scatting*

Ding-a-dong-dang!
New mooooon!

Pretty bad, eh? Oh well. I'll try harder next time!

I Need a Little Christmas

I saw A Christmas Carol at HCT last night, and it was excellent. Every year I think I'd probably be okay skipping the play, and every year I go and am delighted by the humor and the uplifting music and most importantly the message.

And last night I was shamed by that message. Because I had to face what has been lurking in the periphery of my mind the last couple of weeks:

This year, I'm a Scrooge.

I'm just not feeling Christmas Spirit this year. Whenever I think about Christmas I realize how little time I have left to finish my work. And then I start thinking about some of the rumors going around about the company and stressing that I won't even have a job next year. And what would I do if I lost my job? And then I want to lie down on the floor and eat a whole pan of homemade peanut butter cups. Mmmm...peanut butter cups... Except I don't feel well enough to enjoy chocolaty treats which really makes me want to feel sorry for myself.

Help!

It's sad to me that Ebenezer Scrooge is remembered as a miser and a grump, because the main message in A Christmas Carol is one of redemption. Scrooge chooses to change before it's too late. He realizes how sad and lonely a selfish life is. He learns that treating the people around him well and sharing his talents and resources would make him far happier than he could have ever imagined. He ends his days as a philanthropist who spreads joy to all he meets.

I know he's a literary character, but if Scrooge can find the Christmas spirit, it's not too late for me either.

Christmas is coming! Be of good cheer!

Hmm...feeling a little forced. All right. Let's break the process of getting into the Christmas spirit into steps. Goals to keep me from becoming a hopeless, joyless "old" Scrooge:
1. I will pray every morning for opportunities to serve.
2. I will pray for the spirit and count my blessings whenever I start to feel overwhelmed and unhappy.
3. I will to listen to Christmas music as I drive to work every day.
4. I will always have a dollar in my pocket to give to every charity bell-ringer I pass. (I did this a few years ago and loved it - felt so good to share my hard-earned money with those who need it!)
5. I will put Christmas lights on my balcony by Saturday.
6. I will buy a Christmas tree next week. (I have not yet decided if it will be live or plastic...)
7. I will buy a gingerbread house starter kit to put together on Sunday.
8. I will watch the Muppet Christmas Carol within the next two weeks. It's my favorite Christmas movie!

Still twenty-three days left to Christmas Eve; it's worth a shot! My Christmas can be saved!

If I Weren't So Blonde

I could totally be in West Side Story and dance like this:

It looks so fun!