I'm gonna call it random Monday

So many random things are running through my head today.

1. I feel betrayed by my husband who is starting a "Man Diet" with out me. We got chubby together and dang it we need to get skinny together. I have wanted to do Weight Watchers for a long time but haven't because I knew he wouldn't want to eat the stuff I would be fixing.

2. My house needed more cleaning than I thought it would. I knew when I started cleaning this morning that it was gonna take a while but I didn't expect all the sticky spots on the floor, pretzel crumbs and countless toys under the couch.

3. I'm still not done cleaning, I just needed a break.

4. Will it ever end????

5. I can't get the red out of my hair. I have tried every color to cover and kill the red but it's still red. I think I need professional help!

6. Why did I ever start dying my hair????? Argh!

7. I think I'm prepared for the snow. I did the Okie shuffle (I think I just coined a new term?) and went to the store and got bread, milk, fruit, cereal and junk food. As you can see by the picture, the bag had mercy on me and didn't break until after I got in the house and put it on the counter.

The gift that keeps on giving

Why that saying is so often associated with negative things I will never know. On Christmas Day, I opened a gift from my brother and his wife Alicia that has made me smile everyday since then. It's a calendar with pictures of my kids, along with sweet or funny things that they have said over the year. The month in the picture is one of my favorites, it's pictures of John at the Temple and the Zoo and the text says: Hey, Mom you know that dent on our van? Uh yeah. Dad did that with a broomstick while he was teaching me KungFu in the driveway. I just love to look at these pictures and the stories that go along with them. It makes me remember how good life is, how quickly things change and how fleeting time is.

The calendar is also part of the reason for this blog, it has inspired me to journal in a way that I will keep up with (I hope). I want a way to better remember the sweet things is life. Thank you Jason and Alicia for giving such thoughtful and sweet gifts every year. You guys have really inspired me to give more personal gifts to others. Alicia's good at everything! She's a photographer, talented photo editor, scrapbooker and maker of handmade gifts that I would pay a ton of money for if I had to. Did I mention, she can spike a volleyball as good as a pro and she's an outstanding aunt to my children!
I love this picture of Jason and Alicia. Their wedding was so beautiful and fun. It is still one of the happiest days of my life. I was so happy to see my brother marry a girl that he loved so much. A girl who is kind and funny and loves him too. Plus, I felt pretty lucky to have such a sweet sister-in-law!
I can see her and I becoming even better friends over the years. One day, we will even be the old ladies of the family together...


And last but not least, I love this picture of me and my little brother. It's from when summers lasted forever and we could lay under the table in the living room and watch cartoons. The days of laughter and sweetness when our parents had young faces and Jason and I ate McDonald's happymeals and played hide and go seek. The days that I hope I will never forget. Thanks Mom and dad for our happy childhood, our safe home and all the good times. Thank you Jason for always being the best brother a girl could ask for.

So I've decided to start a Blog.

There I said it. I have wanted to do this for a long time but I always thought, why bother no one will read it anyways. Then I decided, who cares, I'll read it! Maybe my kids will too when they are older. I may even make my husband subscribe to this drivel and very possibly discuss it with him at dinner along with my opinions of American Idol, Grey's Anatomy and everything funny, cute or irritating that our kids or dog did that day. Poor Ryan...

Warnings about the blog: 1. Although I have always had dreams of writing for Rolling Stone or changing American politics by writing powerful articles, uncovering corruption and inspiring change, I am not a writer. 2. Sometimes I misspell and use the wrong punctuation and when I do it keeps me up at night thinking about who saw it on FB and how a 31 year old woman could make such silly mistakes. 3. I think I have OCD or ADD. You may from time to time see posts about my anxiety over how fast time goes or how sad I am that my kids are growing so quickly and last but not least, how upset I am that I don't look like I'm 23 anymore. So read at your own risk and try not to judge too harshly.

So the more I write tonight, the more I realize that this is going to be a good outlet for me and I need it.