Grandchildren Party...the last for 2 years.

To Hedo

Honestly,

How much do we all miss Brufy?

So much!

(As you could tell by my teary self during the phone call...trust me to be emotional!)

I love this:

For Hedo, we also documented the last night of 12 days...it was like saying bye all over again!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

xoxo

famous

BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT

I'm still new at this blog posting thing, so you need to read the post below this so you'll understand this post:  Once you've read it, you can then continue to read on:

I wrote this Thursday, Dec. 17, after spending the previous day at the DB offices:

"I didn't get home til 7 last night.  After leaving the office, I needed to stop down at the DB store and then make a couple stops at Gateway to get things that have to get in the mail today.  The kids knew I needed to make these stops, but didn't know how long it would take me.  I called them as I was leaving the office.  Each of them asked what was for dinner---a typical question for them, but today it made me feel very guilty. 

Marc's been in Mexico all week and it has been a kind of week where I haven't cooked dinner---not once!  (Unless you count take-out Cafe Rio.)  At one point last night I suggested that the kids meet me down at Gateway and we could go to the food court.  They all declined.  I told them how I was sorry I was such a bad mother for not having any ideas for dinner, etc. etc.  They just laughed.

About 6:30, they called (again) to see when I'd be home.  I was just wrapping it up at Gateway.  I drove home feeling exhausted, feeling like a pretty lousy mom, like maybe I wasn't fit to be a "corporate girl" again (which I really already know I'm not).  I walked in loaded down with platters from the work luncheon, computer, shopping bags.....and started to cry. 

My kids were sitting around a beautifully set table waiting for me to sit down....Our meal consisted of BBQ'd steak, funeral potatoes, frozen peach cocktail,etc. (No green salad because they all voted that no one would really eat it anyway).  :)  The kitchen/family room was spotless....which wasn't the way I left it that morning. 

The grins on their faces were priceless!

I told them they had just given me my Christmas present. 

I gladly did those dinner dishes!!!  Miracles happen."

Christmas Elves are alive and well! 

It reminded me of when Marc & I were newly married, living in the love shack duplex on Brookburn.  We were both in school, working, and very busy.  The duplex was getting messier by the day.  For someone who loved having a clean room when I was single, I've never really been able to master that while married!  I remember walking in one night after a very long day and seeing a spotless kitchen and living room! 

On the counter was a note that said:

"Merry Christmas from your Christmas Elves!" 

Mom & Dad gave us the best Christmas present that year.

Thanks Mom, Dad, Megan, Daniel, Amy, & Heidi for creating Christmas magic of your own.

I will ALWAYS believe in Christmas Elves and

Christmas Magic! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!  

New J.O.B. for Angie Shmo

It's a new job, but not a new job description.
At the end of 2009, I was told by DB that everything for TOFW was going in-house.  They didn't have the budget for "independent contractors" anymore.  I had a great 7 months off.  In mid-July, Laurel called to see if I would be willing to do 2 events in September since Chrislyn was having a baby that month and would be on maternity leave.  They were both on "double event weekends" so Laurel had to have another producer. I agreed.  Before my 2nd weekend was over, I was asked to produce one more the end of Oct that Chrislyn had committed to do and then realized she maybe couldn't do everything she thought she could with a new baby!  So I did Las Vegas.

The week leading up to the event, Laurel approached me about becoming an official DB employee.  I would be producing events, as I had in the past, but I would be paid hourly, not per event like previously.  I would also be expected to come into the office 1 day a week and have 1 other additional assignment---the handling of the partners for all the events.  For whatever reason, they could no longer have independent contractors, so if I didn't want the job, she would try to find someone else that was local.  She insists that they come into the office on a frequent basis.

Long story not so short, I took the job.  I'm not loving it.  I hate the idea that I "HAVE" to make an appearance at an office once a week.  I may like it more once we get into the production season and realize it's nice to be able to print my documents using someone else's paper and colored ink.  The jury's still out, but you needed that background so I could tell you about:
 

Where's Waldo?

Nick & I in the SLTrib

can you find us?

check it check it check it out:

For my friend Darrian's final in photo journalism she did her project on me:

 Don't know what the deal is....why can't we post links on here or HTML codes???

It's like it's disabled or something, anyone do anything with the settings?

http://vimeo.com/17865637

(you're going to have to cut & past into a new tab)

(she makes me sound way more legit than I really am)

Also,

my last final is today at 3:30 p.m.

how is it possible that I get stuck with the last final given on campus???

At 5:30 today another semester down and I have survived my first at the U!

go utes

never had a funner semester

(don't think "funner" is a word...but it sounds good, "more fun?" -yes I am a college student)

My latest accomplishment

PLEASE, PLEASE try not to be too jealous, but I can now add

"Winner of the Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest"

to my list of accomplishments!

Before

 After



Not only do I add athletic ability to the family for the women, I have become very handy with a hot glue gun!  I know some of you are very sad we don't live closer so you could borrow it.  You really have to see it in person to appreciate it's ugliness.
(if you click on the picture it will enlarge it so you can get a much better look at it!)

Jen

The Blairs house gingerbread style!

Tuesday night some friends and I got together with our kids to decorate gingerbread houses.  They were very jealous that ours came prebuilt so all we had to do was start decorating (totally my style!).  They were even more jealous when I told them I got them on clearance last year for 25 cents!  Can't beat that!  Anyway, as Emilie and Ada started decorating we all started noticing how much it was looking like the Blairs lovely house.  Here are some pictures and Heather is supposed to post a picture of their house so you can be the judge!

The front

(The 3 sour patch kids are Emilie, Ada and Sarah building the snowman)

The sides

side A

side B

The Back

The sp kids are Tom, Peter, Nick, Bryant, James and Jeff having a snowball fight.  Please notice the well placed snowballs on the house!

The close up of the snowball fight

 If you're wondering where Heather, Kate, Becca and I are on this lovely display....................we went shopping.

From the Barnes Family