Thomas Family Christmas Card

Hey Roomies!  Here is my wanna be Christmas Card this year!  Hopefully I can get some real ones
out to you all...The real ones looks slightly different.  Happy Holidays, Love you all!

10-10-10 = CRUISE

Top 10 Reasons Why We Need to Take a Roommate Cruise:

#1: "Almost Paradise! Knockin' on Heaven's Door. Almost paradise, how could we ask for more?" (Checkout that arm muscle! Thank you to Jillian's 30-day Shred)

#2. This was my view while I was running on the track on the top of the cruise. Blessed Catalina Island. I like you. Kind of a lot a lot.

#3. When you don't pack for cool-ish weather, Catalina provided me with the sweat pants and sweatshirt I wore pretty much everyday for the rest of the week. Even though I sat in someone else's cigarette nastiness and got stains on them on day 2. (Gross.) This is Tina. Not me. :)


#4. Haven't you always wanted to walk on water?


#5. No make-up. All week long. Oh, and meet Butch. He's the real attractive guy on my right. Our ocean-kayaking tour guide. Pretty sure he is lusting after me in this picture. We may have seen some sea lions and cool orange fishies.

#6. You get to dress up all fancy for "Mom Prom." The best part is watching all the losers, I mean weirdos, I mean fellow cruisers get their pictures taken as if they were at prom. Oh so funny!


#7. A day at a resort came with the complete package: pools, hot tubs, massages, ping pong table, ocean, lunch . . . all precluded by a wonderful visit to a Mexican museum. My comment on the Comment Card? "More sun, less museum."


#8. If you are really lucky, and you have some AMAZING friends who live near the port of the cruise, you get to visit this little guy when you're done. Go Elisabeth. Go Tyler. Go Luke.


#9. best.people.watching.ever. This guy was my boyfriend. I know you're jealous!


#10. Towanda loved it. (If you look real close you can see the cigarette stains on the sweats. How embarrassing.) Towanda ESPECIALLY loved all the food. Basically all we did was eat. With other things on the side. And it's all FREE! Want some hot cocoa late at night? Ok! Want some fresh fruit for an in-between-snack snack? Ok. Want some pizza after lunch? Ok. Want some warm chocolate melting cake every night for dessert? Ok ok ok!!!!Oh, and the hot stone massage on our last night was the BEST thing I could have ever done. Really. If your husbands need ideas on what to get you from Christmas, I more than highly recommend. Worth every cent.

So, what do you say? Roommate + spouses cruise in 2011? We could go somewhere exotic. Or not exotic, if you want. Think about it.

My Mornings

The first thing I see when I wake up is this:
That's the pillow next to me. It's empty. Sometimes it makes me sad. But then, I look out my window and I see this:
And then I think about eternity, and heavenly promises, and then I can't be sad anymore.
(Promise the temple is bigger and brighter than that when I look out my window - guess it's time for a new camera.)

Coming soon: the update on the 10-10-10 Cruise - be excited!

Thank You

Dear Sisterhood,

I just have to say thank you to you all. You have shown so much love to Justin and me as we have struggled though our loss. The flowers you sent to the hospital were beautiful and brightened my spirits. Although my heart was aching, I could still feel love. Your messages were uplifting and gave me strength and encouragement. I am so lucky to have friends like you!

Much love,
Crystal

Ok sisterhood, I have told a couple of you that I would put a couple of pictures up from the wedding. I won't try to tell a story along with it, because I''m not a great story teller like Alicia, but the wedding was great.

Just us kissing...
Traditional pose...
Everyone who was able to make it to the temple. Crystal and Justin are in there, I promise...

Soon, I will post some pictures of Vail, CO. It is beautiful!

A Celestial Romance

Like every good little girl should do, on my way home from work last week I decided to make a stop at the temple for a session. When I walked into the Celestial room, I decided to sit on one of the couches. I usually don't, so that all the married/engaged couples can use them, but there weren't too many people, and the couches are my favorite, so I went for it. Bad idea. I'm innocently sitting there, doing my thing, when all of a sudden this man-person comes and sits next to me claiming, "Hey, I think we know each other!"

My initial reaction (inside my head of course): "Oh blast!" (I couldn't say "swear word" in the temple.) "This guy knows me and I have NO idea how I know him!" Oh panic. Granted, he did look familiar, and I noticed him once in the session, but just figured he was someone from my home stake and didn't think much else of it. So basically I'm frantically trying to remember who he is without having too much of an awkward pause in there. Lucky for me he stuck out his hand and said, "Hi, I'm Carl!"

And then it all comes back to me. One time, THREE YEARS ago, Carl got my number at a dance and we went out. Once. Obviously I made a huge impact on him, because I'm pretty sure he doesn't remember that we've been out because all he said was, "Didn't you go to one of the Holladay wards?" Which means he thinks he knows me from his ward in Salt Lake.

Carl proceeds to chat it up with me, asking where I live, and work, etc (typical 1st-date questions). While sitting on a couch. In the Celestial room. Of the temple. (Remember how the couples on the couches are usually looking longingly into each others eyes while thinking about love and eternity and posterity? They're usually NOT having a first-date.) So I'm feeling a bit awkward talking to someone I hardly know on the Love Couch in the temple, and eventually told him I had to get going. Which then prompted the "Celestial Ask-Out."

"Well, would it be ok if I called you sometime?"

Are you laughing right now? Cause you should be. I was laughing (in my innards). I tell him "Sure" but he assures me he will forget my number if I try to tell it to him, so would it be ok if we met up in the lobby after we change? Wow - he REALLY wants my number. Either this guy's got a lot of guts, or I must have looked REAL hot in my get-up. :) (Please bless I don't get struck by lightning for that comment.) We exit the room together and 2 different temple workers were beaming at us. If they only knew. I couldn't stop chuckling to myself in the dressing room. Sigh.

I made it out to the lobby before him. The thought DID occur to me that maybe I should just leave - this whole "Celestial Ask-Out" was almost too much, but before I could make a decision, there he was, in all his temple glory. Again, we walked past several grinning temple workers on the way out. Pretty sure they all thought we were married or something. Woof.

Boy got my number. And we're supposedly going out this weekend to "explore" Bountiful. Please bless he doesn't ask me to explore the temple with him too. At least not on date #1, thank you.

I thought I had seen it all with Queer Clear, but apparently not. I wonder what's next?

Don't Judge Me . . .

. . . if I still own this shirt. Don't worry, it's going in the DI bag. Not because the trip was a DI trip, but because it's real old. Hooray for moving which forces me to get rid of old stuff. (Wait a sec, I've moved at least 4 times since we got this shirt . . . oh boy.)

ps - the reason I didn't show my face is I look awful. ALMOST as bad as I did in the following picture. Taken at 4 ish in the morning after Elisabeth and I successfully moved Jaime, Elisabeth and I from 103 to 303. Elisabeth is obviously much better at looking cute after a huge move than I. You go girl. (And sorry I look like a boy. Is that a mullet? Woof.)

Random Thoughts

I was watching Sleepless in Seattle not too long ago (does it mean anything if you watch that movie in Seattle and fall asleep in the middle of it?) :)

Anyway, remember how Dr. Fieldstone is talking to Sam (Tom Hanks) on the radio show about how his wife had died and she asks him what he's going to do now? His answer is perfect. And it describes my last almost 2.5 ish years:

"Well, I'm gonna get out of bed every morning... breathe in and out all day long. Then, after a while I won't have to remind myself to get out of bed every morning and breathe in and out... and, then after a while, I won't have to think about how I had it great and perfect for a while."

It's all about going through the motions. Which, if any of you have read Mockingjay, what Katniss says at the end about going through the motions is SO true. Not that I've ever had to kill people in the Hunger Games, I'm just sayin' . . .

So, for anyone out there who also doesn't have a perfect life, and maybe has some bad days (if you haven't read Crystal's latest post, you should go there now - love it!), here's to "going through the motions until they start to mean something." Tomorrow, I'm going to wake up at 5:44, make mush for my dad and I for breakfast, commute to work, take away a few kids' cell phones, drive home, make dinner, can salsa with my sister, try to get my nephew to say my name, and then go to bed. (With a few things in between all that. Like I'm sure I'll go to the bathroom somewhere in there. And brush my teeth.)

Anyway, there's my random thought for the day. That is all.

1 Down . . . 179 to Go

It's official. Summer is over. I took a final bite of a delicious oreo cheesecake last night, declared it the last bite of summer, and then went to bed so I could have energy for the FDOS (First Day Of School). Not that any of you want to know what the first day of high school is like these days, but let's just say that the sign on my classroom read, "Welcome to Awkwardness," the game I played involved students moving a cookie from their forehead to their mouth - sans hands (oh, SOOOO funny), and I danced in front of the entire school with orange claw marks taped across my shirt. Pretty sure I don't remember any of my high school teachers doing anything of the sort on the first day. I must be the epitome of awkward.

Since you're all dying to know, here's a bit of an update of my life since . . . April (I've never posted about my trip to New York City. Back when Elisabeth was pregnant. Remember how Luke is 3 months old now? I'm so lame.)

New York

Probably no one reading this post could say they've had a relaxing trip to New York City, but I successfully managed to spend 4ish days in the Big Apple and returned feeling refreshed and ready for life. Tiff and I overlapped our stay by one night (we live one state apart but have to travel to NY to see each other, go figure). Shopping, eating, reading (hooray for Fablehaven 5 and the Guernsey Literary Potato book (or whatever it's called)), eating and as pictured above, we may have accidentally watched something around 9ish episodes of Pushing Daisies (while eating, of course, no, I'm not the pregnant one in the picture - Elisabeth looked adorable!). Tyler really liked watching it with us. A lot.

Jaime's Wedding

This is Jaime. And Kevin. And Mama Mabray. Moments before this picture was snapped I said, "Smile big, this one's for the blog!" Little did we know it would take so long to get up here. Such a fun wedding! I loved it ALL . . . especially the awkward Asian security guard who was worried about the possible alcohol consumption. Good times. Oh, and the ice cream bar with Blue Bell ice cream was amazing. As was the day spent by the pool. Thanks for getting married and giving me a reason to leave school a day early!

San Francisco

This is me. And Jenn. And friend Jill, in Turlock, awaiting our authentic burritos from the guy in the RV on the side of the road. Turlock=best.fruit.ever. San Francisco=lots of creepy homeless people. But I did fall in love with the cable cars (SO fun) and if any of you find yourselves in downtown San Francisco may I HIGHLY recommend taking a tour of Alcatraz. Super cool. Oh, and make sure you say hello to Jenn and Jon while you're there - they are the best hosts ever!

Palmyra & Vermont

Bet you didn't know Nephites have mullets! Here's living proof. So classic. Spent 5ish days in Palmyra/Vermont visiting church history sites and performing firesides with the Jenny Phillips choir I'm in. Seriously amazing trip - we even got to see the Hill Cumorah Pageant (puts the Manti pageant to an awkward and embarrassing shame).

Seattle

Took a last-minute, week-long trip to visit my sister and her fam in Seattle. Ever been there? I HIGHLY recommend this super-cool fountain thing. It even blows out fog. The cutest nephews in the world loved it almost as much as I did.

Franklin, Idaho

My neighbor was nice enough to let the fam take a badly needed vaca to his cabin in Idaho. It was just what I needed, and I even had the chance to play around with the camera to get some cool shots of the kids slip-n-sliding down the coolest hill ever. What are men compared to rocks and mountains?

Colons

My sister had her colon removed a couple of weeks ago, which means I became the insta-mom of 3 boys/the best hospital buddy ever. (Those of you raising boys, bless you. Boys are gross.) Fuss Pot, pictured above, is a Mama's boy, which means he likes to whine when his mom isn't around. Pretty sure I earned my ticket to the Celestial Kingdom when I took care of him while he had the stomach flu. No one should have to clean up someone else's kids diarrhea or vomit. I did both. Fuss Pot was nice enough to give me his disease. One week before school started. Let's just say getting the stomach flu is a quick-fix way to lose a few pounds. Remind me of that during the Holidays please.

So, as you can see it's been quite the eventful summer. Upcoming: Tiff's wedding in Boise on Friday, and my 10-10-10 cruise in October - you're all invited!

OH - here's an update for those of you who made it to the end of this post. I had my date with Queer Clear/Purple People Eater. Oh.my.goodness. Remember how he was wearing a dark purple shirt? Pretty sure I wouldn't have noticed except that the first thing he said when we met was, "Hope the purple shirt doesn't make too much of a statement for a first date!" I think he was being sarcastic, but it definitely left me speechless for a couple seconds. Good times!

Queer Clear!

Remember how you all love hearing about my dating life? (Too bad if you don't!) So my uncle called me on Sunday with the usual, "I know a guy, he's great, he's tall, my daughter says he's good looking, etc etc etc, oh, and he's about 30 and never kissed a girl."

Can we say red flags here? Giant, huge ones that scream, "He's got issues!"

But since I'm single and I at least trust my uncle not to set me up with a creep-o, I say ok. And then I immediately call my cousin to see if she can give me the scoop on him. She didn't know too much, but said she'd get back to me. I promptly did some facebook stalking. Found him. Nothing huge to report.

Until the next day when cousin and I text:

Cousin: "Found him on facebook. I have a couple of friends that know him pretty well so I am waiting to hear."
Me: "I forgot to tell you that uncle told me he's never kissed a girl. Woof and weird!"
Cousin: "That explains why I think I heard he has struggled with same sex attraction. I am waiting for confirmation. I would queer clear though."
Cousin (again): "Ha ha! I meant steer. That was hilarious!" (You know how when you text it just brings up the word for you automatically? Apparently "steer" and "queer" share text words.)

So after I go out with the gay guy I'm pretty sure I've done it all. Can I be done yet? :)

The First Shall Be Last . . .

One day, many years ago (9 years ago, to be exact) a young lady named Tiffany entered the Valley of Happiness. She lived with 5 other young ladies in a small cinder block-walled apartment. She spent her days studying and her nights dreaming about the day her beautiful prince would show up and rescue her from the cinder block walls.. She was patient, and was enjoying her time in the Valley of Happiness. One day, she became saddened when she learned that one of her roommates decided to move out a bit prematurely. But she took it like a champ and was excited for the change. Along came a young lady named Alicia to live with Tiffany. She was escaping the tyrannies of the evil upper-classmen-living-on-campus. So Tiffany took Alicia under her wing. They became fast friends, and waited for the princes for many years. Thankfully, they were able to leave the confines of cinder-block-world for slightly more hospitable quarters, and remained "roommates" for the remainder of their years in the Valley of Happiness. Little did they know that each year would bring more great roommates, eventually forming a Sisterhood. As some of the roommates were rescued by their princes, new ladies were added in, and even some neighbors were inducted into the Sisterhood (after rigorous testing of course). So one by one Tiffany and Alicia attended lots of weddings for the Ladies of the Sisterhood. Recently, they attended a wedding in Dallas, where they realized they were the last 2 of the entire Sisterhood! What started with just 2 innocent young ladies, has now ended with the same 2 and slightly less innocent women. "Wherefore, the first shall be last, and the last shall be first." (Or something like that.)

And now, ladies and gentlemen (um, I hope no gentlemen actually read this blog - that would be quite embarrassing) I present to you, (drumroll please) . . . . . . . . Tiff's FIANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Meet Llyr. Llyr Christensen. (Pronounced Lear. And since I know you're all wondering, here's the story of his name (Tiff - correct me if I'm wrong) Llyr's dad went on a mission (can't remember where) and of course met some amazing people. He became so close with one person that he vowed he would name his first born son after this guy. Years later, enter Llyr's Mom (who was not present when the vow was made). She didn't want her son to be named after an airplane, so she found this alternate spelling, and was more than willing to comply with her husband's wishes. Hence: Llyr. Fun huh?!)

I have yet to meet Llyr in person, BUT he sounds completely normal (of course) and amazing (of course) on the phone. And before he knew Tiff is going to have 8 boys, he told me he wanted a big family. They are perfect. (And after I informed him he would only be having sons he stated, "I didn't want any daughters anyway!") He's turned Tiff into a true Cougar - not because he goes to BYU (which he does) but because he is a few years younger than Tiff. Go Tiff!!! (I've always said the younger ones have less baggage.) The best part about him? He loves Tiff. Kind of a lot. A lot. In fact, he loves her so much that he's willing to just do some independent study courses so he can follow her to Colorado. Pretty sure that is true love. :)

I did some stalking (thanks to Elisabeth for teaching how to stalk) and here are some pictures to help us all get to know Llyr a little better. :)

Apparently he likes to break things with his hands. Check out the hair cut - the classic "bumb cut." And Llyr must be good because if you take a close look at the old guy's face, he looks afraid, very afraid.


Told you he's a true cougar.


Apparently he likes to wear sweaters around his neck. And golf. And drink wine. (Tiff, have you seen this picture? Just making sure you know what you're getting into.)


Pretty sure anyone who can grow a mustache is either really cool, or a pedophile. We'll assume he's cool.


At least during times of homelessness he doesn't sleep on the park bench. Concrete is way better.


Llyr - you picked a good one! Welcome!!! (Oh, and the date is yet to be determined.)

Random Good Stuff (and some gossip!)

This just in! Someone in the sisterhood has a new boyfriend. I'll give you only one hint - it's NOT me. Happy guessing!

AND - do you King Henry girls remember when Julia pulled out her voodoo magic (not sure if a piece of thread is actually voodoo, but I don't know what else to call it) and predicted how many kids we were going to have (AND their genders)? I really don't remember much of it, except for the fact that Tiff is supposed to have 8 boys (how could we forget that). Do y'all who are married remember this? And did Julia's voodoo make any accurate predictions? I was talking about it with the aforementioned boyfriend, and he wanted to know if this "voodoo" actually works. So...does it? Inquiring minds would like to know.

Oh, and those of you who are mothers of boys: just a friendly reminder to teach them that when they ask a girl out, they should NOT ask her to drive to their house. Especially when you've never met before. And especially not twice in a row.

And while at the demolition derby tonight (totally awesome) the little kid sitting in front of me was making friends with the kid next to him. They were showing off scars and such when one of them said, "Do you want me to show you how I can shoot boogars out my nose?" Thankfully his mom intervened at that point.

That is all. :)

Happy Spinster Day!

For no real reason at all, I declare today Spinster Day. Take a moment and appreciate the spinsters in your life. And for your reading enjoyment, here is a quote from one of my favorite books, Little Women.

"At twenty-five, girls begin to talk about being old maids, but secretly resolve that they never will be; at thirty they say nothing about it, but quietly accept the fact, and, if sensible, console themselves by remembering that they have twenty more useful, happy years, in which they may be learning to grow old gracefully. Don't laugh at the spinsters, dear girls, for often very tender, tragic romances are hidden away in the hearts that beat so quietly under the sober gowns, many silent sacrifices of youth, health, ambition, love itself, make the faded faces beautiful in God's sight. Even the sad, sour sisters should be kindly dealt with, because they have missed the sweetest part of life, if for no other reason; and, looking at them with compassion, not contempt, girls in their bloom should remember that they too may miss the blossom time; that rosy cheeks don't last forever, that silver threads will come in the bonnie brown hair, and that, by-and-by, kindness and respect will be as sweet as love and admiration now. . . . Recollect the good aunts who have not only lectured and fussed, but nursed and petted, too often without thanks; the scrapes they have helped you out of, the tips they have given you from their small store, the stitches the patient old fingers have set for you, the steps the willing old feet have taken, and gratefully pay the dear old ladies the little attentions that women love to receive as long as they live."

Post Script...

I submit that we give our blog a new face lift...All in favor??

Pretty

Well I Just Found some pictures and thought you were pretty...so I figured...What the H...lets post em! (Im a mother now...shouldn't swear) xoxo

Seriously you guys are attractive. . . And so are all the other roomates whose pictures I dont have. . .

I did it, I posted!!!

So, I am probably, by far, the worst roommate at posting on the blog. As I was talking with Crystal last night, to wish her a Happy Birthday, she had asked if I had seen pictures of Luke Tyler. I got the text from Elisabeth, but it was cut off and so I had to tell her, no. Crystal then proceeded to tell me about the blog that Elisabeth is so faithful at keeping up to date. So I got onto the Sisterhood Blog and then to check out little Luke Tyler, who is absolutely perfect. (You did well, Elisabeth!!! I love him already.)

So this week is a big week in the roommate world; Crystal had a birthday (even though she was feeling like pooh, it was still a good day full of moving and trying not to throw up and Jaime is getting MARRIED!!!! Kevin will enter the brotherhood of the sisterhood on Friday June 4th at approximately noon, central time. We are so excited. Alicia, Jen, and I will hold down the fort for the sisterhood while in Dallas and will let you all know how it goes. Well, Alicia probably will before I do, because I seem to post about once a year. Anyways, I will try to be better, especially as I move off to the mountains of Vail, CO. You will get to hear all about the craziness of that adventure. I love you all!

Please Bless . . .

My 6-year-old nephew prayed over dinner tonight. Besides blessing the food he asked for a few other things as well:

"Please bless we'll remember to shut the door to the play house so the animals don't get in. Please bless we will be nice to each other and make each other happy. Please bless that aunt Alicia won't have to break up with her next boyfriend . . . ."

Yes. Please bless. Thank you, Marcus.

Oh - and because next week is the last week of school (grades, yearbook distribution, etc) just in case I don't have time - GOOD LUCK to Jaime and Kevin next week! Friday's the big day. Tiff and Jenn and I will be there in real person to celebrate. Everyone else will be there in spirit. :)

Doing the Math

What a week it's been. I know I haven't posted yet about New York - don't worry, I haven't had time to even look at the pictures yet. It'll get up here at some point. Promise.

But today I'm paying tribute to the two people who have changed my life. The 2 people who I really can't honor with mere words - my meager attempt doesn't do them justice, but here goes.

Mom, sorry I'm a day late, but I figure you're probably so busy up there you don't have time to read my little embarrassing posts on this blog, but just in case . . . Happy Mother's Day! I hope you don't mind that I kind of ran away for the weekend - but being surrounded by people who didn't know to be sad for me was just what I needed. And sitting next to President Moffat and his wife in church was such a tender mercy. I tried to make things at home as you would have had them if you were here, but I'm not you and it wasn't the same and I'm sad to report that I didn't do very well. My flower arrangement of the flowers YOU planted was quite embarrassing. Sorry! Maybe next year I'll do better at honoring the best mother who ever lived, but this year was kind of hard. The house felt very empty - even when it was full of people. I MISS you! I have so much I wish I could tell you. And Linz and I didn't even get to sing you our awkward Mother's Day song this year. Well, hopefully she sang it for you - sorry I wasn't there to join in. I read through some of what you left us last night and it was perfect. How did you know exactly what I would need to hear? You truly are amazing. Thanks for being my strength, my pillar, my best friend, my hero . . . my mom. Oh, and before I forget, Happy Birthday on Friday!!!!!

Llama Linz!!!! Since the anniversary of birth is called a birthday, does that mean the anniversary of a death is called a deathday? That sounds much to morbid. So Happy Anniversary of graduating this life with the highest honors possible! Longest two years ever. Did you know I still think about you a thousand million times every day? Cause I do. And I'm kind of jealous you have Mom with you. How's she doing? Will you give her a hug for me on her birthday? Or maybe you could just stop by for a quick visit. When all the missionaries were making their Mother's Day phone calls yesterday, I secretly hoped I would somehow get to hear from you. I still miss that phone call we were robbed of two years ago. The beauty of today is that I know you wouldn't want me to be sad, and I promise that until now, I haven't cried today. I have laughed at how much fun we had as I remembered you. I didn't even cry at the viewing of our next door neighbor tonight - I'm doin' good! I listened to your funeral yesterday, and may I remind you of the remarkable life you led? Years later, people are still talking about how you affected them. Linz, I've come a long way. Every once in a while (but not very often) my mind accidentally wanders to that night 2 years ago when I was awakened around 2 in the morning with the phone ringing. I had no idea that phone call would change my life forever. I still remember the words Dad used when he told me, and I remember realizing that the sobs I was hearing were coming from me. I remember that I had never felt more alone in my entire life. But I also remember that the loneliness only lingered for a moment, before the Comforter filled the room, my head, and my heart. The Spirit has blessed my life more than I know. And while there are still times when the pain is so strong it hurts to breathe, I know the healing power of the atonement has done wonders on me and my heart. Thanks for everything you're doing up there - I know you're helping more than any of us realize. Love you!!!

So I was looking at this picture of the girls yesterday and was doing the math - 1/4 of my family is gone! That's so depressing. So instead I'll focus on what I have - 3/4 of an amazing family here to help me through everything, and 1/4 on the other side to help me with the things I don't know I need. I'd say I'm pretty blessed, wouldn't you?

Raise your hand if you remember THIS!

Single and Zero

I know there are a lot of good things about being single. For example, no one tries to steal my blankets or kick when I'm sleeping. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, and I don't have to report to anyone. If I stay up late to post a blog, no one cares (except me the next day when I'm tired - does 9:59 count as late? Don't answer). I can travel to cool places like New York over Spring Break (bless Elisabeth for being the best hostess ever - pictures to come, promise!) The toilet seat is always down and the bathroom stays clean. I don't have to iron anyone else's clothes (or fold them for that matter). Anyway - that list could go on and on. But I would just like to complain about this one little thing, if I may.

I finally got around to doing my taxes this weekend. Yeah, I know I was cutting it close to the dreaded April 15th day (by the way, I'm SO grateful April 15th is not my birthday) but at least they're done on time. When all was said and done, I was getting a few hundred back. (Is it "improper" to tell people over the world wide web how much you are getting for your tax refund? Let's just say it's less then $1000 and more than $500.) I was feeling pretty good about myself, when I came out to share the good news with my sister and her husband. Their response? "Oh bummer!" (With looks of despair on their faces.) "Really, you need to get married and own a house and have a couple of kids, then you get thousands back!"

Why does the government feel it's ok to punish us single people by making us pay more taxes? Doesn't make much sense to me. Single and zero - I decided this status is more depressing than not having a man on Valentine's Day. It's enough to be single, but single AND zero? Woof. Now I get that all y'all with houses and kids deserve a break, I won't argue on that one, but maybe we should make a proposal to the legislature - deductions for awkward dates and lame guys. What do you think? Then it would even out - those who aren't doing their part still pay the "single and zero" status, while those of us who are TRYING to get out of what, according to the government, must be a pretty awful situation, get a little break. Anyone agree?

Phone Boyfriend..

It's probably a little too soon to be announcing this, but.. Alicia has a phone boyfriend :) It makes me kind of giddy just thinking about it.

This is NOT a picture of her phone boyfriend. Hers is much cuter..



Have a romantic Tuesday, Sisters!

The Stay-At-Home Daughter

I told my Dad I thought it was time I quit my job to become an official stay-at-home daughter. He said ok! :) My sister said I should start my own blog called "The Stay-At-Home Daughter." Since I don't need my own blog, I thought I owed a post to it here.

Anyway - doesn't that sound great? I could stay at home and take care of the house - the cooking, the cleaning, managing the finances, having the visiting teachers over during the day, plant some flowers - you know, all the typical stay-at-home daughter stuff. I get a night or 2 off each week to go hang out with the girls. And I wouldn't be too expensive-Sounds fun to me! :)

The Family's Newest Addition

Today we welcome a new addition to the Sisterhood Family: Kevin Monson (no, he's not President Monson's grandson). He had much opposition to this weekend - the random, HUGE, snowstorm in Dallas almost defeated him. But he made it, he proposed, and for that, Kevin, we are grateful. Here are some reasons, in no particular order, why we like Kevin:

1. He knows the meaning of "Cowboy Up"

2. He's from Canada. Cardston, Alberta to be exact. (Randomly it is the only town in Canada I've ever been to - if my sources are correct Kevin is the blond kid on the back row - 3rd from the right)


3. He owns this AMAZING bug company in Dallas. Pretty sure he'll be the next boss on that show Donald Trump does (I've never been good with pop culture - at least I know who donald trump is!)

4. He's a tree hugger. (And his favorite winter sport his hockey. He's good. Real good.)

5. He plays with children who have no legs :) (yeah yeah, I know this kid really DOES have legs, but it's funny, so go with it)

6. There's a chance he MIGHT be good at "Trump THIS Succor!"

7. He wears stretchy pants while standing next to freaky army dudes

8. He has a long tongue (not quite sure why that's good . . . maybe Jaime can tell us)

9. This is what he looked like when he kissed Jaime for the first time. Who wouldn't want to kiss that?

10. He likes macs.


11 A. He likes to dress up. (A definite requirement for a member of the "Brethren of the Sisterhood") B - he likes Harry Potter (a bonus!)


12. He's so spiritual! Check out how he's praying so he won't die!


13. He's good with surprises. He crammed himself up in this box and surprised Jaime for her birthday. (And Jaime had NO idea the proposal was coming . . . partly because I'm such a good secret keeper)


14. (Fourteen because Valentine's day is on the 14th - it totally makes sense.) He LOVES Jaime. A lot. And guess what? He makes her happy! Real happy.

Hooray for LOVE! Kevin, welcome to the Brethren of the Sisterhood.

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