Let There Be Peace

Just a quick update! I have been planning and preparing my rebuttal for all of the Edward insults. (DEFINITELY would have been one in there about his washboard stomach and how whoever said "Ewwww" in the theatre is either single with a boyfriend who's body probably looks like it's made of pipe cleaners, or married with a husband who's six pack is buried under 30 lbs. of fat.) lol. Then I realized, we don't need to turn against each other. Clearly there are people who love the Jacob type and people who love the Edward type. In the spirit of the holidays, I say: ENJOY WHATEVER FLAVOR YOU LIKE, oh... and let there be peace. ;)

In other news- I left Canon at the alter, and ran away with Olympus. I got him at Sam's Club for $99 at about 5:15 a.m. on Black Friday. So far, we're having a wonderful life together. :) He's not quite as "bulky" as Canon, a little skinnier, but well defined, and very strong. He's a little paler than canon would've been. He's a metallic silver, a little cold to the touch, sparkles in the sunlight. He's really nice to look at, and so selfless, loyal, and protective.... of my photo opportunities. There's just something to be said for that initial chemistry, you know? When you look at the camera, and something inside you gets excited and you know that it's magic and that you're meant to be together. Other cameras might be the kind you just use and then let fall by the wayside, no matter how you try to summon up that passion, you might only be able to show forth luke warm feelings of friendship. But this guy is the kind you want to keep around forever. And Christy- don't you dare try and tell me that my camera only loves me for the way I smell- you know better! LOL!!!! (Couldn't resist! But I still call for PEACE!) :)

Two Thumbs UP! :)

If you're sick of hearing about New Moon, I completely understand if you X outta here right now! :) It's just that, Ryan is taking a Sunday afternoon nap, and this is what I want to do for fun. ;)
(And DEFINITELY don't read this if you're worried it will ruin an ending for you, in the books or the movie!)


The TRIANGLE: (ugh)

I've decided that it is my personality, when reading a book, to immediately figure out which couple is supposed to be together and start cheering for them from the beginning. I pretty much block out any other possibilities. I can't even fathom cheering for someone who ISN'T going to get the girl. The first time I heard that there was a team Jacob, I had to call my sister-in-law in shock. "Did you know there are ACTUALLY people who like Jacob better than EDWARD??? Well, after New Moon their numbers are growing. :) But I'm not joining them- no matter how loveable and attractive they make the third party, and they are doing a heckuva job! :)


Things I loved about the movie in addition to the beginning, the middle and the end:


I loved the pain in Edward's face when he left Bella. I loved when she saw Laurent and Edward was there and he told her to lie, and then he said, "Lie Better". hehe. I loved how the second he recovered from his face almost being broken apart by the volturi, he jumped up and ran to keep protecting Bella. I loved the end when he was very concise in his apology for leaving her. (I thought the book should have been a little more to the point with that apology.) ;)

I loved the part with Jacob in the pouring rain. I loved a lot of what they added to his character, and what they left out (or maybe I just didn't see that side of him in the books). I loved his confidence. I loved when she threw him a slice of pizza and he caught it without looking. I loved how they played off their age difference so that it wasn't a big deal. They left out his immature whining, and the way he tattled on her at the end by bringing the motorcyle to her house. (Sorry, I've been attacked by a lot of Jacob fans, and I might be getting a little bitter. )

I was talking right out loud everytime they almost kissed. I was like, "Bella... don't you dare."
I loved Bella's hair and make-up being prettier in this movie. Possibly my FAVORITE part of the whole thing was when they faced the Volturi and Arro says something bad about Edward's soul and Bella says, "You don't know anything about his soul." I thought I might cry. Yes, I'm crazy.

I also loved the little bits of humor in the movie that come from Charlie, Emmett, Mike, etc. They break up all of the drama.

I loved the whole scene with the volturi. I also loved the werewolf scene when Bella slaps the one guy and then there's the fight, and then afterward he just blows it off with a casual "sorry". But I'm TOTALLY a vampire girl (in case you couldn't tell).

Tell me please, who chooses smelly, sweaty, shirtless (and sometimes furry) dogs over this???

Ode To My Future Camera

Dearest Canon, yes I already know your name,

I am counting the days until Black Friday when you will be mine. I sometimes imagine myself, driving through the dark, frozen streets, my misty breath fogging up the windshield in front of me, to get to you. Our union will be like the slow motion portion of every love story, I will run to you, knocking people out of the way if I have to. I know that you can't meet me half-way, but I understand... you have no legs.

We have missed so many moments already! I got a new hat, and I couldn't show any of my blog friends. Ryan and I came home from a date and found all four of our kids tucked safely into bed and fast ASLEEP! The loss of that photo opp will haunt me, possibly for eternity. The release of New Moon is so close that it's not even working for me to use Edward as motivation for my diet anymore, and yet- I will not be able to get a picture of myself standing in place of Kristen Stewart in front of the poster. sniff.

We have quite a job ahead of us when we are united at last. It's November. Surely you know what that means. Surely cameras the world over know what November means. It means family photos for the dreaded Christmas cards. It's okay, I get a little shaky when I think about it too. But don't worry! I'm working on my game plan. The location is set, the color scheme is coming along, the fat that is still on me can be hidden behind a toddler. I haven't figured out how to get Ryan involved yet, but leave it to me. You just focus on capturing that one magical picture. I have faith in you.

I hope you won't mind- I'm going to have to get a stand in for Thanksgiving, just like I did for Halloween. My Mom's camera will substitute until you are mine.

The suspense near killed me today. I was researching cameras online and Ryan came downstairs. I blurted out, "I need a camera, honey. I have to get a camera right now!" Ryan was able to talk me down off of the cliff one more time. Everyone should wait for the right time, and the right place... and the very best possible price. Bishops everywhere are nodding their heads stoically right now at the very concept. See you at about 4a.m. on the 27th.

Until then, dreaming of you...

The woman who'll love standing behind you

Part 2 Things I'm Thankful For...

(Still don't have a new camera.) I REPEAT- My Mom's hair is currently 3 times that long, my hair is currently 5 times shorter, and Luke has long since given up his binky. lol.

High heeled shoes and cocktail rings,

Seeing my kids accomplish things,
Things that make my heart all a flutter,
Things with chocolate and peanut butter,

Going to the mountains, smelling flowers,

Taking uninterrupted showers,

The Christmas season, when everyone’s merry,

The combination of chocolate and cherry,

My flannel blanket- I don’t sleep without it,

Ryan’s singing voice, I’m ALL about it!

Having New Moon tickets, real and in print,

… And anything with chocolate and mint,

Making something uniquely mine,
My Mom, reminding me everything’s fine,

Books to get lost in, eating out,

Fry Sauce, that’s what I’m talkin’ about,

Something new for a really good deal,
The way being done working out makes me feel,

Gospel truths to serve as our guide,

A Dad who’ll sleep with my kids outside!

P.S. How priceless is that?!?!

Things I’m Thankful for, Oddly Specific Though They May Be

Illustrated by pictures from the past. I have a broken camera, so I have to get really creative. I REPEAT, neither of my girls are missing their two front teeth anymore, and the one of my friends and I in crazy costumes... we were like ten years old there- I swear! :)
Part 1:

Watching a fire burn, wearing red,

Knowing my kids are safe in bed,

Changes in season, changes in weather,

Stories of how couples got together,

On Harry Potter, when they use the word “snog”

Getting comments on my blog,

Girl’s Nights Out and Bunco too,

Reality TV, admit it so are you,

The smell and feel of a rainy day,

My kids all going outside to play,

The ups and the downs of chasing a dream,

Waffles with strawberry jam and whipped cream,

Waking in the morning, not hearing a sound,
When my in laws tell me they like me around,

Memories of way back when,

Songs that make me feel young again,

Ryan’s confidence, Ryan’s light,
The way he can make everything seem alright.

A Pep Talk- From Ryan- To Me- To You :)

My husband has known me for most of my life, and he's gotten very good at injecting logic when mine has run out. :) In fact, the other day, after I had gone on a rant, he said, "You know what I'm going to tell you, don'tcha?" I begrudgingly said, "Yes." He said, "Then just tell it to yourself and we'll save time."

He has an abundance of confidence (probably my favorite thing about him), and he has more confidence in me than I do, so he gives me a lot of pep talks.

I've started reading the blogs of writers. They blog about writing, getting agents, and getting published. I LOVE reading this, but I barely feel worthy to do so. I've been thinking that it would be presumptuous somehow to let myself feel that I am one of them, to leave any comments, or even to list them on the side of my blog! Getting a book published is so hard, at times it seems better to quit before you start.

Then I opened up my YW manual to prepare this week's lesson and I knew I would learn more than anyone.

"One of the greatest weaknesses in most of us is our lack of faith in ourselves. One of our common failings is to depreciate our tremendous worth." Elder L. Tom Perry

"With all my capacity I encourage you to discover who you really are. I invite you to look beyond the daily routine of life. I urge you to discern through the Spirit your divinely given capacities. I exhort you to prayerfully make worthy choices that will lead you to realize your full potential." President James E. Faust

Have you ever read the Star Bellied Sneetches by Dr. Suess? I sometimes feel like a Sneetch putting on and taking off and trying to keep up with everyone else. Comparing yourself to other people is WRONG. That's another thing Ryan likes to remind me of.

"Off again, on again, in again, out again,
Through the machine and back round about again,
still paying money, still running through,
changing their stars every minute or two,
until neither the Plain- nor the Star-bellies knew
whether this one was that one or that one was this one
or which one was what one or what one was who!
Then, when every last cent of their money was spent,
the Fix-It-Up-Chappie packed up and he went.
And he laughed as he drove in his car up the beach,
"They never will learn; no, you can't teach a Sneetch!"
But McBean was quite wrong, I'm quite happy to say,
the Sneetches got quite a bit smarter that day.
That day, they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches,
and no kind of Sneetch is the BEST on the beaches.
That day, all the Sneetches forgot about stars,
and whether they had one or not upon thars."

The moral of this post is: I'm a long way from "believing in my ability to succeed", but I'm going to try and be brave.
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7).

Hallow-ver Doing It!

I'm over doing it on the Halloween post. I foresee me posting a couple too many pics and talking a little too much between each one, so ignore if you want to! :)

Alli dressed up as a gypsy. She had a crystal ball, and she made a little fortune telling die to put inside it. She would shake the ball and tell you if your future held "money", "fame", "love", or "bad luck". She got to volunteer at the school carnival for an hour and hand out pizza and doughnuts with some friends. After the carnival, she was supposed to go to a party with a whole bunch of friends, but in all of the excitement we completely forgot about it! (My parents were here for the weekend as well.) When I broke the news to Alli that she had missed the party she said, "Yeah, I realized that later, but it's okay. I got to lay with Grandpa and talk to him." I loved that response.
Alli has some completely amazing Activity Days leaders. They had the girls dress up scary, and then taught them the Thriller dance. On Halloween night, one of the leaders projected a video of it on the outside of her house. Very cool.

When Savannah told me that she wanted to be Frankenstein's Bride, I asked her what the most important part of that costume would be. She didn't hesitate to tell me that it was the really tall hair. So I had to get creative to make that work. We put 2 disposable bread pans together like a hat, and then draped an inexpensive wig over the top of them.
Savannah's friend trick-or-treated with us around the neighborhood. We started at our next door neighbors', who were serving grilled hot dogs and delicious hot cocoa to all of the passersby! (We are surrounded by amazing people, and they actually let us hang out with them.) Luke made me a very happy Mom because he got increasingly more excited as his Michelangelo costume came together. At the Halloween carnival, his favorite thing was to look at all of the other costumes, excitedly finding the super heroes.

While trick-or-treating, he got in the habit of saying, "Have a happy, scary Halloween!" at every doorstep. He also got a big kick out of being at our house and handing out the candy to "the boys and girls". :)
D-Rock was Donatello, and even he was somewhat excited when we put his costume on. He loved hanging out in the stroller and walking around collecting candy with the family. At the carnival, his favorite thing was the bean bag toss.
Possibly my FAVORITE Halloween costume of all time was worn by the boys' nursery leader. He wore a white shirt with stains and food rubbed all over it, he had a banana peel hanging out of his shirt pocket, his hair was sticking straight up, and he topped it off with a little sign that said, "Welcome to nursery". I laughed out loud! (Wish I had a pic.)
A few days before Halloween, Ryan's Mom had a Halloween party. She served chili, bread sticks, and pumpkin bars, and all of the kids wore their costumes.
My parents came up over the weekend for my sweet little niece's blessing (brother Jeremy's baby), so on Halloween day the grown ups got to have a little fun of our own and go out to lunch.

I have one more funny thing to say about my husband, the furniture guy. He saw a little girl dressed up as a magic carpet, and he told her aunt, who was with her, that the "throw pillow" costume was priceless! lol! Where you see a kid dressed up as a magic carpet, Ryan sees a throw pillow!