dance

I'm going to a single adult church dance tonight? Why? Shoot, I don't know. My kids are gone (sob), I've no other plans, it's new year's eve. I haven't done anything remotely social in ages. So. Why not?

If I don't meet Rick I'll be mad that I wasted my time.

Just kidding. :) You never know, I might have something interesting to write about. Maybe Bigfoot will come. That would be interesting to write about. Maybe a creepy 65 year old will ask me to dance.

I'm scared. What if a cute guy strikes up a conversation? Seriously, what will I do??! What if a guy strikes up a conversation with me? Oh my scariness.

Gotta do it sometime, I guess. Gotta get myself out there. There, here I come.

Is it over already?

Christmas is the best ever EVER! I had the most awesome Christmas! My kids were in Nampa already and I drove there on Tuesday right after work. The roads were a little scary but I made it, and I was so sad that my kids were already sleeping. They were at my Mom's. Well, Santa was coming for my kids that night so I had some work to do. Randy was to have them Christmas morning, and he told me he wasn't doing Christmas so I had to make sure the kids had a visit from Santa.

I was so happy to see my kids, I'd missed them so much. So here's some pictures of that Christmas Eve morning.

Anna playing with a stocking stuffer:

Anna really wanted a Diamond Castle from Santa for her Diamond Castle Barbie she got for her birthday. Well, Santa couldn't afford said Diamond castle, so he got her this school and school bus for her Kelly dolls, hoping it would suffice. She was a little disappointed; she had total faith that Santa would bring her the one thing she asked for. I was sad for her, but she took it like a big girl, and I explained that sometimes Santa brings what he thinks we'll play with more rather than what we think we want at the moment. Hope she understood.

Matthias got a tool box and that batman punchbag thing from Santa. And they both got super soft and warm microplush blankets. He's playing with the slinky that was in his stocking.

Here he is unwrapping the present I was most excited about getting him, his Thomas the Train set:
Anna unwrapping her hair stuff:
My pretty princess and her pretty toys. The baby doll on the left is from Kadin's grandma, Kimmie's mom, whom she's never met! That was very nice of her. The Barbie head is from Kimmie and that was the first toy Anna wanted to play with.

Yay, Thomas! He LOVES it.

Look Mommy, Handy Manny! He loved it.

Yay, more Barbies!

Alright, Kung Fu Panda and Polar Express!

Later, Matthias said, "I love my truck. I love my Handy Manny. I love it all." Ya done good, Mom.

That'll do for now.

I've been tagged by me ebff

Where is your cell phone? Kitchen
Where is your significant other? Dunno
Your hair color? Brown
Your favorite thing? kids
Your dream last night?Ferret
Your life dream/goal? happiness/peace
The room you're in? living
Your hobby? Writing
Your fear? custody
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Nampa
Where were you last night? Broulims
What you're not? married
One of your wish list items? Marriage
Where you grew up? Idaho
The last thing you did? surfed
What you are wearing: dress
Your TV? Off
Your pet? Nonexistant
Your computer? slow
Your mood? Christmasy
Missing someone? KIDS
Something your're NOT wearing? goggles
Favorite store? Burlington
Your summer? Rocked
Love someone? yessiree
You're fave color? PURPLE
When is the last time you laughed? Kim
When is the last time you cried? Church
Your significant other's hair: away
Your life in one word: Crazy

Snow Flops

I think this is hilarious. This was December 13 2008.

Okay, this is why I don't post pictures anymore. I've been working on this blog for 45 minutes and only the following uploads have been successful. I GIVE UP!

Well so on Saturday we celebrated Anna's birthday. It was Saturday, December 13, 2003, that I became a mother. 6:36 p.m. on that date was the best minute of my life! I remember it like it was yesterday, and when I remember that teeny infant, who only yesterday was whimpering on my chest, covered in gray slime and blood, and then I see her now, I am astonished. Five years happened in two blinks! I was holding my 8 pound, 1 ounce, twenty-one and a half inches long miracle yesterday, and yesterday that same miracle turned five years old. It's all the same day to me. How is it possible? My precious, beautiful angel-princess is five years old. And now she's 45 pounds and 45 inches. She's just as beautiful, just as miraculous. How I love her!

I thought we'd do presents later in the day. I grew up unwrapping presents first thing in the morning, before breakfast, before changing clothes, before peeing. I thought it would be cool to add suspense with my kids, so I decided we'd do presents later. It was a Saturday, and as happens on most Saturdays, I want to sleep in but my kids need me out of bed for the stupidest reasons, and we fight for about 30 minutes -- me staying stubbornly in bed trying to ignore their demands, and they never ceasing with their stubborn demands: "Mom, I wanna play on Playhouse Disney! You hafta turn it on!" "Mom, I want to watch a movie! You have to put it in!" "Mom, I'm HUNGRY!" "Mom, I have to go potty!" Most of these things they are perfectly capable of handling themselves at any moment except Saturday morning. Anyway, I got out of bed at 6:11 to say happy birthday to Anna, and then I said she could open one present, thinking my generosity would buy me time in bed. She opened her Diamond Castle Barbie doll. She loved it. Then she asked if she could open another one.
"No."
"Please?"
"No, let's wait."
"Please?"
"Alright. You can open the rest."
It's hard to break tradition! So she opened the rest and we put in her new movie (Barbie and the Diamond Castle of course, which she LOVES), and even with a brand new movie, I was not allowed to stay in bed. One day, when I have a husband, I will beg him to get up with the kids at least one morning a month so I can sleep however long I want 12 times a year.

My Mom got her an amazing dress, which she can't say enough about, and 2 new shirts. Awesome grandma.

Then I tried to clean the house.

Oh, wait. First it had snowed all night. Dangit. Well, it was the first real snow of the season, and since it was Saturday, I figured I had no business keeping my kids locked indoors when fresh, fluffy snow was beckoning. So I bundled them in snow bibs, coats, boots, gloves and hats, and out we went. Oh my coldness, it was COLD. In about 2 minutes, my hands were numb, and I said it was time to go inside. The kids, of course, had something to say about that, so I endured the frigid air for another 8 minutes, and that was it. The kids didn't know it was cold (how do they do that?), and they were doing belly flops into the snow. It was SO funny! I got videos, but I hate blogger right now, so I won't be posting them today.

And then it became blizzardy. Anna said, "It's a blister out there." Even so, Santa was to be at Broulim's, and I'd promised the kids a visit. So we went to see Santa. Sorry for the lack of pics, not my fault, maybe later. Then we went to Jennifer's for cake and icecream.

Anna got a present from Jennifer. It was a lovely dress. I had her try it on:

Matthias, apparently feeling left out, disappeared for a while. I called down the hall, "What are you doing, Mattie?" He said, "Changin" Hmm? Then he rushes out like this:

He had put Anna's shirt on! Silly, silly boy.

I have a video here. Not sure what it is. Anna opening presents, maybe? Considering my luck, it might be nothing. Enjoy:

Dear Santa

We all can dream, right?

Dear Santa,
Here's what I want:
-A husband. So, Santa, if you could fit a tall, handsome temple-worthy lawyer in his early to mid thirties down the chimney with you, I'd be much obliged. Plus, if I have a husband next year, I won't have to bug you. I'll ask him for the stuff I want. See? We both win.

-Jeans. I ripped my good pair at work. I didn't even know it; a coworker pointed it out to me. So I only have one pair. And, since I've gained 15 pounds in 3 months, I'll need those in a 16. Boot cut, if possible.

-A dress. Or a skirt outfit/ with a khaki skirt (more dressy than casual)

-A sweatshirt/pullover hoodie. I only have one sweatshirt and it's falling apart.

-Sweater(s)

-Shoes. I just can't have enough (though I do have plenty)

-The movies Elf and Enchanted

-Season 4 of 24

-Liposuction?

-A karaoke machine, baby!

-A laptop, for school of course

-A Wii. Why not? Everyone else is getting one.

-Super cute dangle earrings

-Makeup. Particularly foundation.

-A tropical climate

-To Kill a Mockingbird. The book.

-A castle

-A crown

Hmm. Well that's all I can think off. I hate to bother you with such a small, inconsequential list. I do appreciate your time.

All my thanks,
~Stephanie Jean (the mighty queen) Montano

I did it again

Once upon a time there was an absent minded young woman. Let's call her . . . Stephanie. She was a single mother who lived in a town 330 miles away from the father of her children. Every two weekends, she would faithfully drive the entire distance so her young children could spend the weekend with their father. She had family and friends in the area, so she never had a problem finding a place to stay while she waited for the weekend to end, when she'd drive her children back to their home.

One such trip proved to be rather eventful when the lovely family stopped at a rest area. The stop itself wasn't unusual, but Stephanie left a very important item in the stall which she used to . . . rest. [Rest area, get it?] Now, since childhood, Stephanie had been very forgetful. But this -- well, this time was the worst moment of forgetfulness yet. No, she didn't leave her child (although leaving-your-offspring-at-a-public-facility syndrome was in her genes [sorry, Mom]); she left her purse. She mindlessly loaded and buckled her children, and continued on her trip.

About 130 miles later, Stephanie needed some chapstick. She reached to the passenger seat to grab her purse, but, since her purse was in a rest area (or, worse, a stranger's hand), her purse was not to be found. Stephanie looked all over. She turned on the dome light and moved the snacks around. She looked behind her as best she could without wrecking the car. And then she remembered having removed it from the car at the rest area, but didn't remember returning to the car with it. She turned off the dome light and resigned to the truth of her embarrassing error. This resignation was followed by an embarrassing panic attack of sorts, during which several beats of her head against the her seat's headrest took place. There were also some vocal exclamations, but no words would be sufficient for how she felt, so mostly she just shouted nonsense. Had it not been so tragic, it would have been quite comical. The very moment she calmed was the moment she called her bank's customer service line and cancelled her debit card. But she was sick about her kids' social security cards that were in her purse, her I.D., her camera, her checks, and her blood donor card.

The next day, Saturday, she tried to call the Idaho Transportation Department, but, of course, they were closed. It was difficult for Stephanie not to give in to despair, but she reminded herself that even when she makes her life especially complicated, God seems to bail her out. Always. So, Stephanie dared to hope that she would either find it on her return trip, or that honest hands had retrieved it and would ship it to her home. However, she remembered that the address on her I.D. had been different for two years. She also had an address on her checks which was more recent but not current. She remembered she had a piece of mail in her purse which had her current address, but there would really be no way for the purse's finder to know which address to use. However, Stephanie was a tithe payer, and she kept her yellow tithing slips in her purse, which slips also contained her current address. She dared hope that the finder would connect the slips with the piece of mail and ship it there.

Well, she did stop on her way home but, of course, a purse simply doesn't last a weekend in a rest area. She sadly trode back to her car and completed the trip. The next day she eagerly checked her mailbox, hoping for a package. Of course this was premature; it was only Monday. And, of course, there was no package. Tuesday, no package. On Wednesday, she found a key in her mailbox! Stephanie's apartment mailboxes were very small, so when a tenant has a package, the mail person leaves a key which opens one of the two very large boxes. Stephanie was thrilled as she turned the lock in the package box, and then promptly disappointed when she saw how small the package was. It was only an eBay purchase.

On Thursday, she remembered she hadn't called the Transportation Dept. yet. Forgetful, remember? So she made a committment that she would call that day. Maybe they'd found it. She pulled into her parking space and was going to check the mail, as was her custom, when her daughter, whom we'll call Anna, said: "Mommy, there's somethin on the door!" Anna had won the race to the door again, and was able to see it long before Stephanie was. Stephanie turned, curious, and asked Anna to bring it to her. It read:

"Hi,I found a purse in a Southern ID rest area with this address inside. I tried to deliver it. Call me when you can. 351-****"

Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! were the words that bounced through Stephanie's brain. She promptly called the number and discovered that the finder of the purse lived in a town about 10 miles away. Of all the people in all the world who stop at rest areas in their travels, Stephanie's purse was found by an HONEST woman who lived a hop, skip and a jump away! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay!

The two women met thirty minutes later at a gas station in the stranger's town. And now I have my purse, my camera, my ID, my kids' SS cards, and my beloved blood donor card. Even when I make idiot choices that really mess up my life, God bails me out. Amazing.

We'd never been to St. Anthony before, so we looked around. There's a lovely river that runs through it and a short waterfall, and my kids love waterfalls more than anything in all the world, so we stopped and took a walk in the biting weather. It was very beautiful, with all the ice and snow and running water. Very beautiful. And when my fingers were icicles I said it was time to leave, but the kids didn't want to stop staring at the waterfall. I love them.

The end.

My kids' first ancestor

Ladies and gentleman, may I present my kids' great x great to the 750th power grandfather:

Look, I don't believe in evolution. But if I evolved from an animal, why not a dinosaur? How did monkeys survive the great extinction of dinosaurs anyway? Oh, that's right, first they were fish. Well. Check it out. I found out today that this very dinosaur is called the Montanoceratops. For real! Evidentally, there's a montanoceraptor as well, but I couldn't find any pictures.

How many little boys can say their last name is a dinosaur! Matthias, I think, is going to love that information when he gets older. Maybe I'll call him Matthias Montanoceratops.

They were leaf eaters. Raptors are scary, if Jurassic Park is accurate, so we'll call the kids' daddy Mr. Montanoceraptor. Hey, you gotta poke fun at the ex once in a while, right. Besides, I still miss my ex (but my aim is improving).

Hehe. Randy's not scary anyway. He's gentle, like a teddy bear I used to think.

WHAT? This was supposed to be about a dinosaur. Excuse me.

Catchup

I don't remember what day I took these but it was relatively warm for the season, I'm betting it was October. Went to Nature Park just for photos. We love it there. The kids love to feed the duckaroos. Well. Without further adieu:

Aren't they such darlings?

I was going to post more catch up photos but those five took for eh ver and now I will go to bed.

Yay! I've been Tagged!

Tagged!
Here are the rules:
1. Post the rules on your blog
2Answer the six "8" items.
3. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
8 Favorite TV Shows: (this one's hard because I don't have TV)

1. The Office

2. 24

3. Cheers

4. Seinfeld

5. Monk

6. Psych

7. Spongebob Squarepants

8. Medium
8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Worked

2. picked up the living room

3. Gave my kids a bath

4. Ate

5. Read Mel's blog

6. Daydreamed

7. Texted some friends

8. Called my brother. (Nothing exciting)
8 Things I Look Forward To:

1. Marriage

2. School

3. Child Support

4. Anna's birthday

5. Christmas, baby

6. 3:30 (when I get off work)

7. Having a Pepsi

8. Church
8 Favorite Restaurants:

1. TGI Friday's.

2. Chili's

3. Olive Garden

4. Mancino's

5. Craigo's

6. Mongolian Barbeque

7. Sonic

8. That one meat place in Meridian
8 Things On My Wish List:

1. A husband

2. Peace for my children

3. Peace for the world

4.Financial security

5. Pajamas

6. Pants & shirts

7. A haircut

8. SHOES

8 People I Tag (I'm sure I don't know 8 bloggers who haven't been tagged yet):

1. Cheris

2. Pamela

3. Michelle

4. Well that's it.

School!

Well, wouldn't you know it, I'm registered for classes at BYU-Idaho! I'm pretty darned excited. Even though I have no clue how it will all work out. I registered too late to secure any online classes, so I have to actually GO to school. But I managed to get all morning classes, so I'm out by noon, which leaves the rest of the day to work. What? Did someone say homework? Hmm? Kids? Housework? Yeah . . . I don't know. It'll all work out though. It always does.

Breaking news, I have changed my major. Since the moment I could think in full sentences, I've known I wanted to be a writer. So, naturally, I'd major in English. All I know is grammar and commas. All I love is grammar and commas. I've done nearly two years of school as an English major. I wanted to obtain a master's degree and be an English professor. But you know how the story goes, love and marriage, babies and divorce. So I was faced with a dilemma. Do I continue with my original course? But, that would take years of school yet, and I have a family now. As a single mother, I was forced to reconsider my career plan. I needed something with a little less schooling, a little more job security . . . I tell you what, I was in pain trying to decide what to do. Like I said, all I know is grammar and commas! Nothing else has ever interested me! I briefly considered something like medical assisting, which has a short schooling program and a non competitive career. But. . . yuck. It's just not for me. The time came to register and then it passed and I hadn't registered because I simply couldn't decide what to do with my life. What can you do with an English major besides teach?

Then my visiting teacher and her husband came over, and I told them my concerns. Tyler told me about this great job called public relations. Of course I'd heard of it but it never occurred to me to consider it. The more he talked about it, the more I was inspired. That's exactly what I want to do! YAY! So I totally switched my major (which felt a little like self-betrayal) and now I'm going to get a BS instead of a BA (which totally feels like self-betrayal), and it's in communications rather than english. And I'm okay with that. I'm actually pretty excited about it. I'd really thrive in a job as a PR manager or something like that. So I'm pretty psyched.

Meanwhile, back at the farm, it seems like my dear sweet sunshine boy is going downhill. He's wetting the bed again, he's fighting with me more, he's more and more unhappy. It really breaks my heart. It's hard to see his behavior and not blame myself. I'm his only full time parent! I'm the only parent he sees daily. It seems like I must be failing if he's so unhappy. He's three for crying out loud, he's not supposed to be unhappy. But I don't know what I'm doing wrong, and it's very frustrating.

If you could judge a mother by her child's behavior, then my children would have two different mothers. I love my children powerfully and equally. I only want what every parent wants: the happiness and health of my children. They both bring me such inexplicable joy. But, Matthias doesn't really seem to bring his other caretakers joy. That, to me, is very very sad. Sometimes it seems like I'm the only person who likes my son. I think my mom likes him too. I know he's a bully, but other than that, what's not to like? He's the sunshine!

The Mysterious Reappearance of my Belongings

And Other Tales

Okay. So Monday evening, my neighbor comes over and tells me she has my suitcase in her home. YES! I'd asked her Friday, along w/ most my other neighbors, if they'd seen it, which she hadn't. She said she found it on the lawn Saturday and rescued it. I can't even fathom what happened to it. Where did it go? How did it get back home? Nothing appears to have been touched, let alone taken, however there is a new big black smudge on the exterior. That's okay; I have a phone that works now. HOORAY!

Random

In other news, my trip was pretty fun. I like my sister. And her husband. And her son. Oh and guess what, I set my cousin up with my friend Ben so hopefully they get married becuase I dig Ben and I'd like him to be in my family. :D Hehe.

Halloween and Twilight

Tomorrow is halloween and I am going to be a sparkly vampire. OH! Speaking of, I did finish the Twilight series, and I would recommend to stay away from it. Do yourself a favor and read Goosebumps instead. Or Good Night Moon. Your time will be better spent, trust me. The only one remotely worth reading is the first one, and if you read the first one, you have to read the second one because whatever Meyer lacks, it's not lure. She does have the talent to make you want more even if you can't figure out why. The final book is the biggest letdown imaginable. My advice: don't waste your time.

Also -- don't shoot me if you read it and loved loved loved it. We can still be friends. We'll just set aside our differences and never discuss the mess that some dare call literature.

The Economy Comes to Rexburg

Yesterday at work we were all called to a meeting with the company president. "There will be no more raises, ever" he said. Well, that's what it sounded like. No raises until the economy "turns around." Ha, as if that will happen without a war. As if that will happen in just a few months. So. Bleh. I haven't even had a raise yet. And now I won't get one. At least the meeting wasn't to let us know that there will be layoffs. I think that one's in the future, though. Hooray, I will ever be frozen at sucky-pay/hr! As Cadee (from work) would say, find joy in the moment.

Hmm, speaking of joy. I was looking for Heather's parent's house -- Heather is my cousin whom I drove to Utah -- to pick her up Sunday and head back to Rexburg. She lives on this mountain. She gave me directions. I never saw the road I was supposed to turn onto, and I kept climbing this mountain thing, and pretty soon there were no houses in sight. So I thought maybe it was around the bend. But there was nothing. So then I whip out my phone but it doesn't get service where I was! So then I started to cry. Shut up, okay, I was pretty stressed. Then I remembered Cadee saying "Find joy in the moment" and I laughed aloud! So that was pretty funny. I dind't find any joy in that moment, but I did laugh. So. There ya go then.

Verve

This blog needs some verve, yo.

Let me tell you about my way totally awesome day. I woke up a little earlier than usual (5:30) and finished packing. I'm visiting my sister. Do I have money for this? No, I do not, but I have two extra passengers who are splitting the gas equally, so I'll end up spending like $15 on gas total. Way rad. Anyway, sis lives near Lehi, Utah. OKAY. So I got up to finish packing my very large suitcase. There will be a trunk or treat in Melanie's ward this weekend so she commanded me to pack costumes. I did so, I even packed mine. I packed all our clothes (my good pair of jeans, the kids' good winter clothes, my favorite pajamas, Anna's new pajamas, etc.) and our personal stuff like makeup and deodorant and toothbrushes. Yeah, and I included my new dressy boots. And my phone charger so I would make sure not to forget it.

I lugged the suitcase downstairs to the parking lot and opened the trunk. Got the kids all buckled, and took off to work. Noticed my trunk was still open when I stopped at Matthias' daycare, so I shut it w/o bothering to peak inside. Dropped Anna off, and went to work, where I was actually on time. Neat, considering how busy I'd been.

Right after work, I was going to pick my kids up from their respective daycares and then pick my cousin, Heather up and her roommate, who were my passengers. Their families live near my sister. I was going to text Heather when I was almost there but then I realized I'd left my phone at work. Brilliant. That's never happened before, if you can believe that. Well I opened the trunk for them when I got there and that's when I realized it was much too empty. My suitcase wasn't there. You've got to be kidding me. Well, what the beans did I do with it after I took it outside? I must have just left it there in my parking lot at my apartment. Brilliant. Please, oh please let it still be there. So we drove to my apartment and it wasn't there. So I went to the neighboring buildings hoping a neighbor had seen my very large suitcase in the middle of the parking lot and had taken it into saftey. No. Whatever. So I shoved a handful of clothes into a Wal*Mart bag and hoped it would suffice. So embarrassing, cannot imagine what Heather and Kelsey were thinking of me. So then we had to go back to my work to retrieve my phone. Thank goodness it was just where I'd left it. As we're drivin to the highway, I call the police station but no one's turned in a very large suitcase filled with clothes, personal items and halloween costumes. I stop at my landlord's building to see if someone's returned it there. No.

So we just take off. It could be worse; at least I still have my purse with me. Maybe Monday it will turn up. :(

WOW. A series of poor, scatter-brained choices. Seriously, where was I today? I don't even know.

So my sweet boy is at a new daycare which I don't like at all. It's called Little Academy and I really feel uncomfortable leaving my son there. The workers seem nice, but they seem like they don't enjoy their job. I really miss Apple Tree for him. Anna still goes to Apple Tree. A.T. is a superior daycare, and now that I've seen what else is out there, I really appreciate it much more. They're so structured and organized and planned and I really like that I can count on them for that, and the kids can count on them. Chaos seems more prevalent at Little Academy. Oh well, it's only a short time. I have some good news for once, my son was "accepted" to the state Child and Family Resource Center. They work more one on one with the kids and they focus on kids with behavioral issues. I guess they believe that my son is naughty enough, and he'll start next Monday (the 3rd of Nov.). I can't wait, really. I know he'll be in much better and more capable hands and I hope he'll learn appropriate behavior. He is a very moody child. He can become very, very angry, often seemingly without reason. Like his dad. But he's only three. But he's so sweet. He's very precious and special and deserves the best only. And he doesn't need to be beating up other kids for no reason. He's so sweet.

I'm at my sister's now. My nephew, Morgan, who is 2 tomorrow, was so so excited to see my kids. I have never before witnessed such a reception. He started screaming "Anna! Anna!", and by "screaming" I mean exactly that, and he jumped and ran around the room, shrieking in ecstasy, and he threw himself to the ground and kicked his feet, screech-laughing. It was very funny.

I should be well into my third crazy dream by now. Bye then!

Weblessness

WELL I had to cancel my internet service because I don' t get paid much. Sad day for me, I tell ya. I'm at the library now, anxious that my kids over in the kid section will start screaming any minute, or that Matthias will randomly pummel and innocent child with no provocation.

My Life: The Short Answer:
Matthias was kicked out of daycare for being a bully. His daycare suggested that he might have asperger's syndrome. Odd that I never thought of that myself, since I've noticed he's a little different, and his brother Kadin has been so diagnosed. I'm now working toward a diagnosis. He does exhibit many of the characteristics. For those who don't know, Asperger's is a high functioning, mild form of autism.

I was accepted to BYU-I and, by a miracle of God, I will start in January. Don't know how I'll collect the funds, at this point.

I got a new phone and number. Verizon screwed me so I bailed and joined a family plan with my dear sister and brother in law.

Elections approach and I don't know for whom to vote.

I love blogging because it gives me a chance to say very little in many words to very few. :D I sorta stole that.

Alright then. Goodbye.

And Another Thing

I should be sleeping but instead I'm on YouTube watching all the videos of my favorite song ever ever, The Prayer. No song has so much power over me as this one. I could listen to it for hours. This song actually makes me cry, that's how amazing it is. It's not even the lyrics, it's the brilliant music and the construction of the music -- amazing, it is. I have it on my playlist, but not my favorite version. I was actually looking for my favorite version on YouTube, but alas, it's not there either. My favorite version features Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban and Charlotte Church. The only ones I can find have just about all combinations of two of the four artists. I'm bummed. The one with the two men, though, is outstanding.

I was reading the discussions on YouTube about the various versions, and the general opinion seems to be that Charlotte Church "blows Celine Dion out of the water." So... I'm like, WHAT? Okay, Church is amazing and intensely talented. But, this is Celine Dion we're talking about here! Well I thought I'd give both a fair listen before making my final judgment and compared Dion/Groban to Chruch/Groban. Do these people even have ears? Groban totally overtakes Church in their duet during the most intense part, insomuch you can scarcely hear Church. She's amazing, but Celine Dion IS song. She sings. She sings with every part of her. I've long been a fan of that voice of hers. She is so, so powerful and I can't understand how people believe Church is a stronger companion for Groban. It just simply isn't true. If you care to compare, do it and report! Oh, and if anyone knows where I can find the version with all four, please inform me! I would save $$ for a year if it meant I could own a copy of it.

Random News

WELL today I went to pick my kids up from daycare and my dear and wonderful cousin Jennifer was there. Cool! She moved her a few weeks ago for her husband's schooling. She was planning to kidnap me and the kids and take us to Idaho Falls to go shopping with her and her kids. She and her husband are ultra invested in the betterment of my life and I don' t understand what I did to deserve their devotion, but I hope they never leave me because they have been lifesavers. Well she took us to IHOP for dinner -- the kids ate free (Yay for Tuesdays!) and Jennifer paid for me. It was quite yummy. I had a New York steak meal! MMM! Haven't had steak in a long long time and it was so delicious. It was a really good price. Then we went to Ross because Jennifer wanted a sweater and I ended up finding a fabulous, fabulous coat for Anna. She didn't have a winter coat at all and at Walmart they're like $30-$40 and I can't afford that. But the one we found is one of those 2 piece coats, with an inner jacket and an outer coat, which will be very, very warm. And it was only $18. Score! I'm a little worried because I might not actually have $18 in my account when all my checks clear, but on Thursday I'm getting $30 so I think I'll be okay if everything doesn't clear tomorrow. :) I feel like a much better mother now that Anna has a really great coat. My heart rests a little. Most of you may be thinking it's only September, but let me remind you that it snowed here on June 11th. Rexburg doesn't allow normal warmth. I have had to scrape my windows twice this month already. So depressing.

In random news, you know how sometimes we shorten words? Like "puppy" becomes "pup" or "computer" sometimes is "comp," "pictures" is "pics," you with me? Matthias has made his own shortened word, though it's not really acceptable terminology. He has shortened "daycare" to "dayc." I'm not kidding, it's so funny. "Mommy are we going to Dake today?" It took me a few days to figure out what the beans he meant.
And the other day Anna was playing with Jenna (her 2nd cousin -- Jennifer's 18 month old daughter) and Jenna had a toy that Anna was trying to get. I reminded Anna that Jenna had it first and she needed to let Jenna have it for now. Anna's reply: "But, Jenna's not the princess, only I am."

Oh dear. What have I gotten myself into? I've created a monster! I think she's right, of course, Anna IS the only princess. But... I don't think it's a healthy way to look at oneself. I'm sure her mother calling herself the queen of the world has possibly been her narcissistic inspiration. But.... I AM the queen. What do I do?

Anna has an ear infection and Matthias slammed three fingers in the car door. But no one is dying. God is blessing us.

God bless you!

Do You Want me to Spank You?

So I haven't really explained work much. I now work as a customer service rep at a printing warehouse here in Rexburg. They print a billion wedding invitations, and related product, for several different lines. They employ probably about a fifth of the city of Rexburg. That's probably an exaggeration, but there really are a lot a lot of employees. I, again, work in the customer service department, where I take calls from bridezillas yelling at me because their order isn't shipped yet, or because their order was incorrect, or because the sage napkins don't look sage, or because Hurricane Ike delayed the shipment of their order, etc. Heaps o' fun. Ah, it's not so bad. I work for a line called "Invitations by Dawn." It was really hard at first to say that name "Dawn" several times a day because that's the name of the woman my ex traded me for. Maybe I have written this before.... I don't know. Sorry if it's a repeat. But now I'm used to it and don't think about being cheated on every time I hear "Dawn" anymore, so it's a good thing. :)

I work with super cool people. It's a little bit of a gossip fest there at times, though, which bothers me a great deal, but only because I'm totally perfect, and I feel sorry for these sinners. (please be aware that I'm being facetious.) But, really, I don't know what the point is of negatively discussing other people's absences or other people's weight gain, or discussing someone else's "she's a nice girl but she's annoying"ness. Whatever. If she's such a nice girl, why speak negatively of her? I know they talk about me when I'm not there, too. Wonder what they say. It's mostly only two or three girls who get into the gossip but it's a drag-me-down. And they don't think other people can hear but I hear it all the time. ANYWAY. All the people I work with are still super cool, despite their imperfections. Ah, if only all people could be just like me.

Nightmare.


Okay, so I sit near Cadee and Ben, which is fine by me. Actually, it was perfect because they're the ones I like the best so I was way glad to get my cubicle assignment. Cadee is my parents' age and I've somehow convinced her to care about me and she worries for me and it's sweet. She's way cool to talk to and I like having her perspective about various Stephanie-life issues. I highly value her opinion. Ben is the cool guy I trained with. He's smart and cute and just only 22 but sometimes I wish he was 32 and single. Because then I would try to wordlessly convince him to ask me out. :D Except if he was 32 and working for pennies at Artco, that would be a little sad maybe. Anyway, reminding myself that we're in totally different life stages and that he's Jaybo's age keeps me behaved. Hehe. He's not flawless anyway. He disagrees with homeschooling, for highschool anyway. And he likes Lord of the Rings. Sigh, we can't all be perfect.

Man, I'm high today, like high horse high. :D

So. Ben and Cadee are way cool to talk to. Next to Ben sits a woman. I'm telling a story that I don't know if she'd be comfortable with me telling so I'll disguise her identity for now and call her Linda. Linda is very, very funny. She cracks me up daily. She is one of those people who say the strangest things at the times, very random. She's funny without trying to be, like my Mom, which is the best kind of funny I think. She pokes fun at herself, which I think is pretty cool. I'd guess she's in her late 30s. I don't know how to describe her, she's just Linda. But what I'm about to tell you is funnier if you can picture who she is. Oh well.

So Linda was about to leave for the day. She has known Ben since he was a baby I think, so sometimes they talk about mutual acquaintances. Anyway, so she's standing up to leave and she goes, in all seriousness, with no trace of intentional humor,
"Ben, you've been quiet today- do you want me to spank you?"

My jaw dropped a little bit and I slowly turned to face her, while I'm turning I'm processing in my brain her words -- Did she really say that? No, no, certainly I heard that wrong. But I saw Ben's face and I was leaning toward, yeah, she really said that. Ben answered I think but I don't remember what he said because in my brain I was hysterically laughing and that's all I could hear (I don't hear voices; I hear laughter). I'm thinking all he said was something like "Uhhhh. . . ." So I shut my brain up for a minute to say, "Did you really say what I think you said?" to Linda. And she said some nonsense about something in her childhood and how she thinks spanking kids is now illegal. What? Well, spanking your kids is still within the legal ranks but I'm pretty sure spanking your coworkers is against legions of laws.

In her defense, I'm certain she meant nothing sexual by it and I'm certain she didn't mean to offend anyone. But, I tell ya, there was quite an awkward moment of severe discomfort. I was burnin in my cheeks and it wasn't even about me! What an awkward thing to say to an opposite-sex coworker! Can you imagine? Okay, reversal time. I'm sorry, but if any, ANY male coworker said that to me, I'd be freaking out. Especially if he was older. Wow. It's just one of those things you don't say at work. Linda's great for shock value. Never a dull moment with her. She's the greatest.

Oh, Linda. Work would be so boring without you.

Oh, the pride!

My heart is swelled with pleasure and pride for today my daughter read. It's always an exciting moment in a parent's life when his/her child shows them some new and wonderful skill, like reading. Anna is a genius and a human so I knew this day would come. Today I tried and failed to have a yard sale (the depressing details of which I will not presently reveal, but there was rain). I brought everything up to the living room and there are boxes all over. Anna found a crayon and began coloring on one of the boxes. There are a few words she can spell and write and she writes them frequently. Such as, her name, "blue," "Mom," "Dad" and that's usually about it. So I started helping her write some words. I told her to write "C-A-T" and then had her sound out the letters and she soon figured it was Cat! Then, I had her write "D-O-G" and she instantly knew what that was so I think she's already learned to spell that. She told me she was learning the letter "Q" in daycare and I asked her what Q says and she told me and I reminded her that a U almost always follows a Q and that's how you write "Quah." Then I wrote "Q-u-e-e-n" on the box and she puzzled and pondered and then shouted out "Queen!" and we both rejoiced! Then I wrote "H-a-n-d" and she puzzled and pondered and then shouted out"Hand!"

My daughter can read!!! We'll be working more on this skill. She doesn't even start kindergarten till next year. She'll be so far ahead I'll hate to numb her mind with learning colors and letters and numbers and shapes; she's known her colors and shapes since she was two and letters and numbers since she was three. And she can already add two numbers if they're each less than or equal to 5. She fully comprehends opposites. She understands the concept of rhyming! She frequently astounds me with her genius, and today I was just so tickled to see her read.

Studies have shown that kids who learn to read early end up no more advantaged than those who learn in kindergarten. And, really, Anna's going to be 5 in 3 months. So maybe it's not THAT special, but I'm still thrilled. Because she's my daughter and she's the smartest little girl I know.

Alright, alright

I've had a few requests for date details. I'll always indulge my readers, few though they may be.

His name is Scott. He is cute. He is 30. Great age. Never married. He was a gentleman. We talked about lots of things. He was very easy to talk to. He's got two years left of school and he's studying geology. We went to the mountains in Ashton, ID and had a picnic of sorts and hung out by the really cool river. It was cold and I was glad I brought my jacket. Oh, it was a blind date. My cousin Jennifer set us up. She just moved here (again) with her family and it AWESOME having her here.

Anyway. He showed me how to flyfish and then we fed bread to some bread eating fish. I liked him and I had a good time on the date and I'd like to go out with him again but he didn't ask. Oh well.

He does agree with homeschooling like I do. He hates TV like I do. He likes adventures and so do I. He hates movies, though, and I love 'em. :)

It was a great experience regardless whether I see him again.

Happy now? OH, Pamela, notice in that picture of me, do you see that picture on my piano? Do you remember it? You gave that beauty to me! I love it.

My Date

I went on a date last night! My first since the divorce! It was way fun. I should have taken more pictures but I didn't want to freak him out. All I took was this one of me before he got there:

And these of the awesome sunset we followed home:

MORE pictures

on our way home. So cute, they were playing with ponies together.The flight from Denver to Boise was cool because it was a little plane which made it a much more fun flight since you could feel the turbulence more. And it wasn't as high so you could see the ground better. Plus it was cool because it was cloudy.
American Falls Reservoir, bird's eye view:
I don't know what this is but I liked it:
the kids conked on this flight finally:


This is one of my former daughters, Brittany, with my current daughter Anna. I love how my daughters bonded. Brittany's like 12 now I think and Anna just loved her. Love this pic.Matthias really wanted to get in the dog carrier like his cousin Jenna did but no one would let him.
Me and the grandparents!
Joe doing his pizza dance talent:
Juliann. Michelle -- doesn't Valerie look like Julieann?

More pictures, still more to come

Talent show!Our T-shirts. Ours were the best, I have to say:Caleb and Dallin, the youngest cousins:
Our lame talent:
This was one of my favorites! You had to have been there. Here are Chantel, Sara and Amy. Chantel (which could be Shantel) and Amy are Ray's kids. Sara is Ray's son Kenny's wife.
Pretty Clara after playin in the water:Anna, Matthias and Morgan:
Jenna in the dog carrier:
Jaybo on the fiddle, Mom on the flute, Casey on the GItar. We're practicing for our lame talent.
Emmy and Morgan playing on the tables:

TONS of pictures (family reunion)

Here are just a few pics of the reunion. There will be more coming. This is more for my benefit than anyone else's so don't feel bad if you don't wanna look. :) I started from the bottom.


Uncle Matthew playing with Clara (Janelle and Josh's), Anna and Matthias:
Kaien, Clara and Emmy playing behind some stacked tables:
Gross nasty that was all over all the trees:
Look into my eyes. Uncle Matthew.
Clara and Anna playing by the water fountain. This was a very favorite activity among the little ones.
Haha, Lori eating and Tyler watching very carefully:Happy birthday Cameron. That one's my brother and it was his birthday. Behind him are Casey and Jaybo, also my brothers.
I dig this photo. I found them like that, all four folding their arms. Bryton (Mark and Gena's son), Chris (my brother), Justen (Mark and Gena's), and Tyler (my son. I mean, Lori and Mike's. I was his mom for a year though. I love him oh so much.)
Game:
Cousin Jacob's wife, Mindy. Ain't she cute?

food time. I was seriously planning to name every person in this one, but..... no.
Uncle Dan and some handsome cousins.
cousin Ashley, cousin Brittany, cousin Emalee, Aunt Arleta, cousin Tyler:
Aunt Kim, cousins Kevin, Michelle and Julianne, and Aunt Amy are in this photo:
In line for food. Uncle Curtis, Aunt Lori, cousin Diana, her hubby Jorge, and maybe cousin Sheldon

Anna's first flight. Sitting across the aisle from us and such a good sport:

Matty's first flight after he settled down:
cute silhouette:
Josh (Cousin Janelle's husband), EmaLee and her dad, Uncle Mark
Grandpa and baby Nolan, Janelle and Josh's baby.