Happy New Years Eve

Well, another year is quickly coming to a close. As I write this it is almost 10:00 pm on New Years Eve. I just returned home from visiting with friends, Chip and Laura, their children and Laura's parents. I had a really nice time. Chelsea is at a sleepover party with some friends, so I'll have a nice quiet New Years Eve.

This will give me time to reflect on this past year. And what a year it has been. I started college almost a year ago and it has really been fun and interesting. Chelsea went to church camp which she has declared the "best week of my life", she was selected for an AYSO All Star soccer team which will now take her to Hawaii in 2008 and we had our major accident only a week ago. That accident has changed how I look at many things.

In 2007 I plan on telling people just how much they mean to me. That opportunity almost escaped me. I really am so blessed and need to tell others just how much their presence blesses my life.

I plan on continuing with my healthy lifestyle challenge. I want to lose a few pounds and get more fit. I promised my friend Tammy, who is currently in Iraq, that I would run the Standard Examiner 10K race with her when she gets back so I am training for that.

I plan on sending a letter to a few older people I know and telling them just how much they mean to me and how they've shaped my life.

I plan on telling everyone I love that I love them. I don't think you can love too many people and I have many great people in my life that I love.

I am going to sky dive once the weather gets better. I have always wanted to do this and if I should die before then this would be a major regret.

I plan on reading at least a little of my Bible every day. My faith is what keeps me going and there is so much more I can learn.

I am going to do my best to be the best mother I can be, without being the "best friend" mother that some try to be. I know that what my daughter needs most is a mother who sets rules and enforces them with love. Chelsea told my parents "it is easier to be good than to be bad" and I hope she continues to feel that way.

I plan on being a better friend to an elderly woman I used to visit at least once a month and to a woman who is my age and who suffers from a brain injury. I need to be thankful that I am still pretty healthy especially after my accident.

I know there are many other things I should do but I think that is enough for one year. Oh, almost forgot, I intend to write in my blog at least 2 times a week for the 4 or 5 people who actually read it.

Happy New Year!

Relaxing with Family

Thanks for all the prayers and words of encouragement. Chelsea, Scruffy, and I are doing fine. I am still a little sore but getting better every day. My insurance company is coming through for me as far as a rental car goes. I will be renting a full size car and driving back to Utah on Saturday. So far the forecast looks really good. It is supposed to be clear both Friday and Saturday so the roads should be good. I am more than a little nervous but need to get back on the road again. I have been driving my mother's car while I am home which helps, but I haven't been on the freeway yet.

We had a great Christmas, and enjoyed seeing everyone again. Mom and Dad's house was packed with people, which is a good problem to have. Everyone seemed satisfied with their gifts and Chelsea was THRILLED with her new electric guitar and amp. I will need to buy her some headphones so I don't have to listen to it. My nephew, Justin, came over and showed her how to use the guitar and amp, and even how to play a little, so now she is dangerous! I will definately have to get her into lessons when we get home.

On Friday we will be making and then eating home made egg noodles. This is a tradition in our family and one Chelsea and I look forward to every year.

I just finished scrapbooking with my sister, which was fun. I need to spend more time on this hobby of mine! But it's only two weeks until school starts so we'll see how much I get done!

Well, I need to get off my sister's computer and go back to Mom and Dad's for dinner! It sure is nice not to have to cook!

I don't have to worry about selling my Highlander!

Well, Chelsea and I left Utah yesterday around 1:00 pm. after my friend Norma's funeral. It was a nice funeral and a real celebration of her life. The roads were much better than expected so we made it to Missoula, MT where we spent the night.

This morning we got up at 8:30 (Mike called from the SLC airport and woke me up!). We got up, got gas and then went to Starbucks for a latte and a mocha. The roads were pretty good, but I called my parents to see how the two passes were. We didn't have to wait to find out. As we were approaching the 10,000 Silver Dollar Bar/Restaurant/ Gas Station we hit a slick spot, skidded, hit the ditch and rolled the Highlander. We ended back up on our tires!

The driver's side window was gone, the rear drivers side window was gone, the windshield was cracked in two places, the right and left front quarter panels were dented, both front doors were messed up, the left rear door was damaged. Both side mirrors were gone. Two tires were flat, and the rear end was messed up. Oh, and the roof near the drivers side is messed up too. But Chelsea, Scruffy and I were unharmed. That is the most important part of this story!

I am pretty sure my Highlander is totaled, but that is the only loss, and I have great full coverage insurance so I am not worried about that. Plus I bought a new Camry about a month ago, so I am not even without a car. My insurance will pay for a rental for us to get back to Utah, and then, God willing, our Highlander will be totaled out and I can put some of that money away to pay for the rise in my insurance. I didn't get a ticket so hopefully that will help.

We were so blessed because the tow truck driver was such a nice guy. He had his daughter come out to the accident and she sat with Chelsea and I in her truck for two hours before the highway patrol was able to get there. Since our accident did not have any injuries (Praise God!) we were low on the list. We went to the tow driver's house with his daughter. Her and the rest of the large family fed us and got us warm and even let Scruffy in the house. Then the driver and his girl friend drove us 100 miles to Coeur d' Alene. They were coming this way anyway to see his girlfriend's new grandnephew. They were our angels! We are fine and are now at my sister, Karin's house, making sugar cookies for Santa! I am having a much deserved glass of wine and trying to relax.

If you are the praying type, please thank God that we made it through the accident unharmed. The Highway Patrolman was shocked when he saw the vehicle and asked me twice if I was sure we actually rolled over. There were two witnesses who saw it roll, so I am sure. I LOVE Toyota's! Also pray that my Highlander is totaled because I don't know if I will be able to sell it with so much damage, even after repairs! I could not lie to someone if they asked me if it'd been in an accident. And I certainly wouldn't blame them if they didn't want to buy it.

Well, I have much to be thankful for this Christmas and so do you. Give everyone you love a kiss and hug, and make sure you communicate just how much they mean to you, because you never know, you might not have another chance. Mary

Thursday

On Tuesday my friend Norma passed away. She was about 2 weeks older than me. She had cancer for the past two years and tried everything to beat it, but it just wasn't meant to be. I am actually glad she finally went. She has been in hospice care for about 4 months now, but just held on. I went to visit her a couple of weeks ago and she didn't even know me. But she was smiling. Through all of this ordeal Norma was always smiling. She was a strong woman, who loved the Lord and her family so much. I know she is in a better place and look forward to celebrating her life tomorrow.

Chelsea and I had planned on going to N. Idaho tomorrow morning, early, however, we will now wait until the afternoon so I can attend Norma's funeral. It might be a good thing anyway since it is supposed to snow like crazy in the morning. At least by the afternoon the roads should be cleared. I've checked the forecast for S. Idaho and Montana and it looks like only a 30-40% chance of snow. Good thing I still have my 4 wheel drive!

Last night we spent some time visiting friends. We got to see my grandson/Godson, Elias. Now that boy is sooooo darn cute. And he said "Grandma"! Of course! His parents gave us a picture frame with 3 cute photos of him. Can't wait to put it up! I just love that little boy! We also saw our friends, the Fullers. They didn't say anything cute to me. But they did give me a really nice bottle of Zinfandel which I will take home for Christmas, but I won't be sharing with anyone! We also saw the Daly's new house. It's beautiful, of course, and again I have house envy!

Mike and I have kept up on our fitness routine and I am running much better, plus doing weights twice a week. I plan on taking my running shoes and some warm clothes home with me so I can keep up on it. I plan on heading back to Weight Watchers after the first of the year. I just need to get back on track!

Well, I need to get ready to take Chelsea to school and then get Mike and I off to the gym!

Is it Christmas yet?

Saturday was a blur of activity with practice for the Christmas play, and then the play itself. There were two kids who didn't show, one who had a major part. Her mother told me "She told me last week she didn't want to be in the play." Do you think the mother ever thought she should tell someone, like me or the other director??? Or maybe the church office or the Pastor, or anyone else?? NO! But we found subs and it all worked out perfectly. I can't think of one problem with the whole program. Those kids are just so darn cute that it doesn't matter if they don't always get everything just right.

On Sunday the wind was blowing about 70 mph in N. Ogden! Fences were blown down, shingles came off roofs, garbage cans rolled down the street! Fortunately the church didn't seem to suffer any damage. I spent the afternoon doing some baking so I'd have something to give my neighbors. I made sugar mint surprise cookies (and I can't tell you any more than that because it wouldn't be a surprise!), banana bread and chocolate oatmeal raisin cookies.

Today I took Scruffy to the vet. He got his distemper shot, heart worm test and a microchip. He was a good boy, but he is too fat so now he is on a very serious diet. Poor baby! But it's for his own good!

I have spent half the day trying to get my printer reinstalled. It hasn't worked for several days and its making me mad. I've been emailing back and forth with HP support and hopefully this last trick will work! I'm about ready to through the darn thing in the garbage! It worked fine for a year and then just suddenly disappeared from my computer! I've tried reinstalling several times, but no luck.

I skipped the gym today because of Scruffy's appt. but I plan on going tomorrow. I think I may have tasted a few too many of my baked goods. But I had to make sure they were okay. I couldn't give them to my neighbors without being sure they were fit to eat!

TGIF!

Well, I am done with school for this semester! I took my last two finals on Tuesday. I think I did pretty well on my math final and I got a 98% on my computer final. I should get my grades next week.

This week Mike and I went out to the base to check out the new gym. It is wonderful! It is the nicest gym I've ever been in, on or off a base. We decided to go to the gym together every day. I ran 3 miles today and I felt really good!

Chelsea has a party tonight and Mike and I are going to dinner with my friends, Chip and Laura. Laura actually met Mike about 3 years ago but Chip has never met him. I hope we all get along! :)

I am almost done with Christmas shopping, but I still have a few gifts that need to be made. Tomorrow night is our Church Christmas play and I am going to be glad it's over. My friend Carol has done most of the work but it will be one less thing I need to think about.

The other day I found out my mortgage company overpaid my property tax by $900. I get an exemption because I'm a disabled vet and just have to pay the $154 fee for secondary water. So I contacted them today and I think they will get it all straightened out and I should get around $500 back, but I am going to just apply it back to my mortgage. So far I've paid cash for all my Christmas purchases and plan on paying cash for gas and food on our trip home, so I won't need that money for anything else. I am taking my Highlander home and then dropping the price way down to get rid of it in January after we get back.

I have most of my Christmas cards addressed and now I just need to get Chelsea to write our newsletter. She wants to write it this year and I figure since its always about her anyway, I might as well let her.

Well, its about time to go, so I'll try to post more after the play tomorrow!

A lazy day

Today is a lazy day because the past two days haven't been. On Friday Chelsea had 12 girls from her soccer team over for a Christmas party. It was a fun night and the house didn't get too trashed, so that was a good thing. I finally got to bed around midnight.

Then we had to get up early Saturday because her Girl Scout troop was taking lap quilts to an Assisted Living facility. It was so nice to see how happy the residents were to be getting something so nice from young girls. They don't often see teenage girls so that was an extra bonus. The girls sang a few songs, which the residents loved, with many of them singing along. That was a good way to start the day.

From there we went to see our friend Caitlyn dance in the Nutcracker ballet. This was her first time dancing in a production this big, but I have to say that she was one of the best dancers there! There was a part of her dance that was very difficult and who do you think was front and center??? Well, if you guessed Caitlyn you were right! And that, I believe, means her dance teacher thought she was the best dancer in her group! It is obvious she loves dance and I look forward to seeing her perform in the future.

Saturday night I went to dinner with Mike at McCools Irish Pub in Layton. Then we went to the mall and did mostly window shopping. After that we went to his house and watched videos. He has an HDTV tuner for his satellite dish and also a plasma TV. The picture is about 100 times better than either of my TVs. I have an older 27 " TV in my living room and a fairly new 52" rear projection HDTV in my family room, but I don't have an HD signal. I may have to change that! But I'll probably have to get a job first! Anyway, he told me he is going to start seriously for a job in Utah after the holidays. He also said he would quit looking for jobs outside of Utah, at least for a few months. That will give us an opportunity to see where this relationship is going.

After getting home about 2:00 this morning I was back up at 6:30 to get ready for church. After service we had our Sunday School kids practice their songs for the church Christmas play. The little kids all knew their songs well, however the older ones either didn't know them or were just trying to look cool by not singing along. My friend, Carol, has done so much work on this play that I know it will be a success! And who won't think that a bunch of little kids singing could possibly fail, though. I took a 2 hour nap this afternoon and now need to go and get some shopping done. Tomorrow is study day for my last two finals! By 11:30 on Tuesday I'll be done with this semester! YAY!

It has just started to snow. The weather person said this morning that we should have about 1"-3" of snow here in the valley by tomorrow, with 6-12" in the mountains! I may just have to go skiing on Wed while Chelsea is in school! Okay, I am off to buy a few more gifts and then I should be done!

Quick update

Mike just told me he turned down the job in Qatar. He said he had too many things going on here to leave. He said the timing wasn't right for him.

And now I am off to see my friend, Caitlyn, dance in the Nutcracker. I can't wait. I know she is going to look beautiful!

Hell Week!

This past week has been crazy! I finally finished 3 papers I had due this week, including a 24 page paper for my Marriage as an Interpersonal process class. It was about my family, so if you are related to me, and reading this, my professor knows you intimately!

So, I am done with my English, Marriage, and Social Work classes. On Tuesday I have finals in my math class and my computer class. I think I'll do okay on both.

Today Mike told me he got a job offer in Qatar. :( Why can't he get a good job in Utah??? So if you know anyone who needs a retired AMMO Chief, let me know! He needs to make a decision in the next few days, so we'll see. We are going to the Gateway in SLC tomorrow night to eat dinner and go shopping. This was his idea. I can't believe I'm about to lose a guy who wants to go shopping!

Chelsea had a party tonight for her soccer team. About 10 girls showed up and I am pretty sure they had a lot of fun. They ate lots of food, played games and all are safely on their way home. Her coach stopped by with his two boys and his girlfriend. They stayed for about an hour. All in all it was lots of fun. We have tons of soda left over and none of it is Diet Pepsi, so it won't get drunken by us. Chelsea doesn't drink soda and I only drink DP, so we'll just have to save it for another party!

Tomorrow we are going to see "The Nutcracker". Chelsea and I are very excited because our friend Caitlyn is dancing in this production. I am sure it will be wonderful!

Well, it is way past my bedtime, so good night!

The end of the weekend

I had a pretty good weekend, starting out with going to a party on Friday night with Mike. It was for a friend of his who retired from the Air Force. I didn't think I'd know anyone, but it turns out I knew quite a few people and met some new people. It was fun, and nice to reconnect with the military in a small way.

Saturday Chelsea and I went to Snowbasin to go skiing/snowboarding. It was really nice out but the lines were so long. That was mostly due to the fact that we haven't had much snow so only a couple of lifts were open. We only stayed for a couple of hours but we saw several friends up there and skied with Stuart on a few runs, until he got bored with us! :) That night my "grandson" came over to play. I just love that little boy. He is just the darned cutest little guy I know! And of course he knows it too! We played peek-a-boo a hundred times and he never tired of it, although Grandma did after awhile. He knows how to say "boo" and giggled every time! About 9:30 he fell asleep in my arms and then I fell asleep for a few minutes.

Today was church and then an afternoon nap. I should be doing homework instead of writing this blog but thought I should get caught up. Now I am going to get back to the paper I am supposed to be writing!