Dear Old Friends . . .

Sometimes on a lazy Sunday morning, like today, when I am wide awake not inclined to get out of bed, my mind wanders.  Today my wandering mind took me to old friends.

Some of my old friends I have kept up with through the years.  I bump into them occasionally around town, or I get a Christmas card with a long letter (some people hate those letters, I LOVE them!) telling all about their families.

My college roommates, particularly those from Freshman year, I have kept up with.  We get together now and then for a lengthy lunch at a restaurant and catch up on all the happenings in our lives.

My besties from my childhood I keep up with.  I know what Laura is up to, although she has moved from PG, Nichole lives close by and I see her regularly.  Jennifer is now working with me so I get to chat with her daily over lunch.  Heather also falls into the college roommate category, and is a frequent Facebook poster.

But what about those friends who are only in our lives for a short time?  They still have an impact, at least they have in my life and I think about them from time to time.

There was a girl in elementary school.  She was tall, like I was.  Not as tall as me, but she was probably the closest to my height.  I was/am a slow runner, and I thought that meant that tall people couldn't run fast, because all the fast runners I knew were short.  I remember watching her run the 50 yard dash for that Presidential Physical Fitness thing they used to do, and she was super fast.  There went my theory.   I found out I was slow just because I was slow.  No excuses.  What a let down.  We were pretty good friends in elementary school, and drifted some in junior high and even more in high school.  In fact, I'm not sure I remember her in high school at all.  I'll have to consult the yearbook on that one.  Her mom drove a Volvo and always wore her hair in a bun.  She was the only mom I knew who wore her hair that way back then.  But as for Elizabeth, she was a good friend and I miss her.

I had a lot of good friends during my 2 years at Snow College.  I remember after leaving Snow, some of us got together for some reason.  One guy in the group was my ride home, and as we drove home he made some sort of not-thinking, off-the-cuff comment that hurt my feelings badly.  Luckily it was late at night and dark, and I spent the rest of the ride home quietly crying in the passenger seat.   He never knew I was crying.  He just kept jabbering away.  And knowing this person, I'm absolutely sure, then and now, that he never intended in any way to hurt me. But he did.  And although that was extremely painful, that moment was a life altering one for me, for the better, and I still consider him a dear friend, even though I haven't seen or talked to him in years, and only follow him through his occasional posts on Facebook.

There are others, friends who drift in and out of our lives, leaving marks (hopefully for good) upon our hearts. Even though Facebook has made the world smaller, it would still be a wonderful thing to be able to track down these good people and have a long talk with them.  A frank and honest talk. One in which I could have the courage to say to my friends that even though they have been gone from my life for a long time, they have impacted my life in ways that still matter to me today.  A talk when I could ask them, and they could be honest with me: Has life been good to you?  Are you happy? What has happened to you in the intervening years that have made you stronger? What is the most important to you?

To my readers: please know that each of you has impacted my life for good. I am grateful for you.  And even though I don't keep in touch like I should, I still think of you.

I hope life has been good to you.  I hope you are happy.  I hope the years since I have seen you have brought you experiences that have made you stronger.  And I hope that the things that are important to you are the things that bring you the most happiness.

Pedis, Facials and Movies

I never go to the movies.  Typically 1 per year.  Maybe.  One year Lane and I saw 4 movies.  It was weird for us.

So far this year I have seen 2.  I don't see anything on the horizon that catches my fancy, so that might be it for 2015.

Lane and I went to see McFarland USA on a Saturday evening.  It was good, I recommend it highly. But its . . . you know . . . a typical predictable, feel-good type movie.  And that's just the kind of movie I like.  I don't watch the super hero stuff.  I must be too stupid to follow it or something because I just get confused with too much going on.  I'm pretty simple-minded about most things, particularly movies.

Then the next Tuesday I took Addie to see Cinderella.  I was wise to leave Lane at home, because he would have HATED it.  But I loved it. It was so well done, and I liked how they included small tributes to the Disney animated version, rather than pretend that classic doesn't exist.

Including Cinderella, I've had quite a girly month.  Taylor was home for a few days for her spring break, so we went for Pedis.  I haven't had one in a long time, and apparently she never has.  She went off-character even and opted for the glitter toes.  It was a fun afternoon and now my toes make me smile.

Not to leave out Addie, she and I went for facials later that week.  I haven't had a full facial before, just a mini-facial. And believe me, what a treat that was!  I could do that all the time!

And so continuing on with my good March karma that seems to be going, Taylor has decided to transfer to UVU this fall.  So she will be come home to live for the summer and then (hopefully) she'll move in with her cousin Stephanie and go to school.  I'm so excited to have her so much closer than Logan!  Hoping all the small details will fall into place, and that she will be able to find an affordable car for her since hers (apparently named Eileen, as in "Come On Eileen!") has died a very sad and tragic death (transmission).


And finally, today I printed off my cruise documents for Cruise 2015 which is coming up shortly.  So excited! We are doing a 7-day for the first time ever and I'm beyond excited for the time away from home and work and all the stuff that comes with home and work . . .

Jack's drumline is in its final stages, so we'll be able to see him now and again.  He's like a boarder who just rents a room and comes and goes in the dark hours of the morning and night.  He and his friend scored a 95 on the FCCLA project this year, but sadly that wasn't good enough to qualify for Nationals.  Apparently for the type of project they did, only the top 15 in the country qualify for Nationals, instead of taking the top scorer in each state.  I was bummed out because its in Washington DC and I really wanted to go.  He's bummed too, I'm sure, but again it's really all about me.

I'm Sad

Ahhh. . . Netflix.  What would we do on Sunday afternoons without you?


We binge watch TV on Sunday afternoons.  We don't get to watch a lot of TV during the week with everything going on, so Sunday is Our Day.   We squeeze in whatever is on the DVR and whatever is our current passion on Netflix.

Chuck was our passion.

But now its over.

And I'm sad.

I have no recollection of Chuck being on TV.  But apparently it started in about 2007 and ran for 5 seasons. 5 glorious seasons. 

But now its over.

And I'm really sad.

We started watching it on a whim after we finished something else.  Life, I think.  Preceeded by The Glades. 

But now its over.

And I'm really, super sad.

I really enjoyed The Glades.  It was a good murder/crime type show.  Life was good.  Another murder/crime type show.  But Chuck was easily the best.  

But now its over.

And I'm really, really, super sad.

And Chuck himself, as Addie (always the Disney princess) pointed out to us, is also Flynn Ryder.  Another reason to love him.  I mean, to love the show.

But now its over.

And I'm really, really, super, duper sad.





P.S.  I may have a deep and abiding crush on Flynn Ryder.

MC Clap Yo Handz

The Geek Hierarchy as found on Pinterest

The Princess subway art, again as found on Pinterest

Burton Guster's nicknames

Whether found on Pinterest or not, I did all the typesetting, etc myself.  The top 2 were easy, the nicknames, not so much.  It took quite some time to track down the Psych font and get everything to work out with justified margins and spacing.  I wanted to incorporate a pineapple somehow, but I just couldn't get it to work out right.  

And why is MC Clap Yo Handz so big?  Because it's my favorite, that's why.

My art, my way.

I'll need more flannel

 Jack playing the bells

For Christmas Eve it is our custom to have a musical presentation by each of the kids.  Typically, that means that Jack has to do more presentations since he can play more stuff.  Weird thing, he "accidentally" left his trombone at school rendering him unable to play that instrument for Christmas Eve.  As punishment, I had him do a vocal number with Addie.  I think he won't "forget" his trombone again.

 Addie and Jack singing "Silent Night," Taylor accompanying

 Addie on the piano

 It is another of our custom that the gifts between the kids be homemade.  Supposedly by them.  Meaning:  Mom makes the gifts.

Jack "made" for Taylor a full list of all the Burton Guster nicknames from Psych. Taylor loves Psych.  Actually, we all love Psych, but Taylor loves it extra much.

 Addie printed off some Disney Princess coloring pages. Taylor still loves to color.  Shhh, don't tell.

 Addie "made" print of the Geek Hierarchy for Jack. She found it on Pinterest.

 Taylor made (no, really. She actually did this on her own) bowls with Jack's and Addie's names on them.

Apparently not photographed is the Princess subway art type thing that Jack "made" for Addie.  I'll have to include it in another post.  It turned out really cute.  Another Pinterest find.

Actually, Pinterest was my best friend this Christmas.  For once I actually made some stuff I had pinned, and it even turned out!

 Addie in her Christmas pajamas, with doll pajamas to match.

 Doll clothes I made . . .

  . . . and more doll clothes that I made (Pinterest) . . .

  . . . and an apron and chef's hat (Pinterest)  . . .

  . . . and still more that I made . . .

 . . . and yet even more that I made.

I sewed more this Christmas than I have in recent memory.  I had all kinds of fun, paced myself well, and got it all done with time to spare.  In fact, the matching doll pajamas weren't part of the original plan, I just found myself with extra time.  Crazy!

 Taylor asleep

 Jack playing a new video game

 I made this Christmas tree skirt.  I had been thinking about it in my head for a year, but couldn't figure out how to get the angles right so it would actually make a circle. So I asked Jack.  He figured it out in about 2 minutes.  It was embarrassing.

 Again the doll apron and hat

And finally, the doll sleeping bags and pillows I made.  (Pinterest)

I also sewed aprons for both my girls.  Addie's, of course, matches her doll's.  And I made some oven mitts to match Taylor's apron.  I used up tons of my fabric scraps, so that's always good. 

Jack does stuff just to get under my skin.  He argues with me for no reason.  He, in short, pokes me with a sharp stick just to get a reaction.  Case in point: Who would EVER eat a Kit Kat like that?  It's just wrong beyond words.  Just looking at the photo is painful.

Lane is officially a graduate of U of Phx.  It's been a long, long journey filled with plenty of weeping, wailing (Statistics) and gnashing of teeth (Photoshop).  As it turns out, the timing was perfect since the job he went back to school to be eligible for became available in December.  He applied, interviewed, and was offered the job.  He is now the Plant Hygienist.  I'm not entirely sure what that means in English, but I know it means this:  He can get up with me at 4:45 am and go with me to the gym.  And he get to have an office with real walls and everything (he calls it a closet).   Funny how it all timed out so perfectly.  Further evidence of how blessed we are.

During the Christmas break while I was off work I sewed up a baby quilt for a friend who had her first baby.  It turned really cute.  Cute enough that the new mom was impressed with all the hard work I had gone to to make something so nice.  Truth be told:  5 hours of work, including the time spent shopping and cutting out the squares. It's the worlds easiest and most forgiving quilt. 

The Favorite Family Quilt is dying, so I guess I'll make this type of quilt to replace it.  Maybe more than one since everyone fights over the Favorite Family Quilt at Sunday Afternoon Nap Time.

There is still time for Panic

 This dog is hillarious.  He loves this stupid squeaker toy that Santa brought him last Christmas.  It's really hard to take him seriously when he is squeaking like crazy.  The kids (and Lane) love to throw it for him to fetch because he can't stop (or start) very well on the wood floor.   He slides into stuff when he can't stop or looks somewhat like a cartoon character when he tries to go fetch: his little feet are moving wildly, but he doesn't go anywhere.  It's so much fun to watch.  The dumb dog has now decided our wood pile is his personal chew toy and has dragged wood all over the yard to gnaw on.    Well, I guess that's better than digging.  He gets upset when I'm in my sewing room and barks at me through the window.  I think he's freaked out because I'm underground.  Who knows?  I think our dog has serious mental problems.  We've already established he has some degree of separation anxiety.  And then there's the whole cowardly thing which I've addressed at length.  Its also fun to put Taylor on the speaker phone.  He can't figure it out.  He must be thinking, "Where is she?  I can hear her, but I can't find her.  And I need her to pet me."  He looks all over.  Stupid, cowardly dog.  But we love him.

 The week before Thanksgiving was the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert in SLC.  Sadly, Taylor couldn't get away from school to come with us.  We went up early enough we had time to visit the City Creek Center and Temple Square.  They had some lights on at Temple Square.  We took Trax up and back, which is so much better than trying to drive around downtown this time of year. 

The first 2 years we went to this concert they did the same story and music, albeit with different backgrounds.  This was a different program altogether.  I liked the story better.  The other one was a little bit depressing, even though it ended happy. This was a happier story and the music was amazing.  Of course there are always some familiar favorites thrown in, and they always end with the wildly popular Sarajevo (their version of Carol of the Bells).  Hearing it on the radio or Spotify just isn't nearly the same as seeing it live.  For anyone who has never been to this concert, I would highly recommend it.  We enjoy it so much!  It's a perfect way to kick off the holiday season.

 After Thanksgiving we got our tree decorated.  I didn't get as many new ornaments this year as last, to Lane's delight.  There was brief speculation we were going to add another Christmas tree, making 5, but that didn't work out.  Again, to Lane's delight. 

I got a "Texas" ornament as my souvenier from my trip to Texas last July with Jack for FCCLA. 

 I fell in love with this one, the game Sorry, when I saw it in the Hallmark catalog that gets mailed out in July.  Yes, July.  Yes, Hallmark catalog.  It's one of my favorite pieces of mail in the year.  I spend waaaayyyyy too much time going through the catalog, dog-earing pages and making careful notes. 

Another Hallmark special: Olaf.  I loved the movie (although it's no Tangled) and Olaf made me laugh ("I don't have a skull.  Or bones.").  So it seemed a good addition. 



Although I have taken on quite a few sewing projects this year, and it is December 12, I have paced myself better this year than in years past and am on track to finish up on time as planned.  I may even have time to squeeze in one or two more things, as long as they are small. 

No Full-Blown-Christmas Panic this year.

Well, not yet.

But its only December 12.

Family Pictures

 

Isn't she cute?

Taylor was home recently for Fall Break and so we got some family pictures done. Thanks so much to Brandon and McKenzie Clark and Nanette Clark for sparing some time on a lovely Sunday afternoon to get this done for us.

Brandon was falling out of a tree while trying to shade the sun for the picture. It provided for excellent entertainment.

 She's so pretty.

I guess this is his official family picture shirt.  He's worn it more than once.  We're so proud of him.


Lane finally, FINALLY, finished up his degree.  It has been a long road for him, but now its done.   Which means he can't use "I have homework" as an excuse to get out doing stuff he doesn't want to do anymore.  That came in handy for him.   But what a relief for both of us to have that out of the way and done.  Now we are hoping that the degree will open up some new doors for him.

The Marching Band season is finally winding down.  The Band leaves for their Tour this week. This year they are going to Disneyland.  Since we are terrible, non-Disney parents, this is Jack's first trip to the Happiest Place on Earth, and he is super excited to go.  In their last competition of the season, the drumline took First Place against 9 other bands.  The Marching Band took 3rd place overall.  He was beyond thrilled with the 1st place win.  Winter Drumline starts up in November, so he will have a little break before he's back at it again.  But thankfully, Winter Drumline doesn't take up nearly as much time.  3 of his school classes are band stuff:  Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, and Percussion.  So yeah, music is a big part of his life.  He is really enjoying the independence that a Drivers License brings, and so am I.  Its so nice not to have to drive him around so much.  In fact, now I make him drive me around.

Addie is turning 12 at the end of this week and had her last day in Primary on Sunday, which happened to be our Primary Program.  What a nice week to have be the last one.  So she is off to Young Women starting on Sunday.  Then at the first of the year she will be part of our Sunday School class.  She wasn't too happy with that realization.

Taylor is busy at USU with 18 credits this semester.  She got a job at Kohls up in Logan and started this week.  My hope is that she won't spend her entire salary on boots.  Sadly, the job will prevent her from being at home as much over the holidays, but we are grateful she found a good job, so we will just enjoy whatever time we do get to spend together.

It is now time to start making Christmas plans.  I did very few projects last Christmas, and with my chauffeuring hours cut way down, and no longer being in Scouts, I think I might be able to take on some projects this year.  I have been pinning away like a crazy person on Pinterest, finding ways to use up my piles and piles of scrap fabric. I always prefer to make gifts rather than buy them, as much as possible.  I'm not sure the receivers have that same preference, but I guess that's the price they have to pay for the joy of knowing me.  Unfortunately, everything comes with a price.  But this price, for my poor loved ones, may be too high.  Well, at least they are kind about it.  To my face, anyway.