Keeping pace...

I don't know how but I seem to forget from year to year a couple of things! First, that I get no sleep in December. It's worse this year because now I exercise every morning so my days start earlier than previous years! I figure right now I'm averaging 5 hours a night. The pace of each day is non stop! There are just so many things to do that you don't dare let a moment go unused. I'm forced to now and then because every time I sit still for a minute or two I fall asleep! I believe in power naps! Last Saturday it was snowing so beautifully - and I LOVE SNOW-that I just wanted to sit home all day and watch it snow. But no, I couldn't afford to let a whole day go. I only have Saturday's and evenings so I couldn't justify staying home. So, I went out into the storm and did get a lot done. I had to scrape snow off my car 3 times and I'd sure like to know who took the scraper out of my car! I like snow but scraping with your bare hands is not fun! I also had trouble with the gas pump and so I stood extra long in the blizzard that had developed trying to get the cold, hard, metal pump to work right! Finally I was done and got to go home and snuggle down for the rest of the day. It was good.

The other thing I forget from year to year is how strung out on anxiety my kids get! It's getting slightly better as they grow up but Sally especially can hardly stand the build up and the wondering what she is going to get. I can't get either one of them to think about what they want to get for others. Christmas anxiety makes them even more selfish than kids typically are! Text-guy is starting to break out of that a little. His little girlfriend told him she 'already had his present' a couple of weeks ago so he figured he better get her something. He found it when we were waiting for family pictures-Build A Bear! So earlier this week he took Sally (as a cover so he wouldn't feel silly in the Build-a-Bear store) and they went and built her a bear. It turned out really cute and I think he's excited about giving it to her so maybe there's hope for turning around the selfish attitudes! What makes me the craziest is that the Christmas anxiety makes them pick at each other and fight more! They just keep at it till they 'hate' each other and I am at my wits end and then we each go to our rooms and cool off. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, the season doesn't always bring out my best qualities either! My patience with the kids wears thin and fixing meals is the last thing I want to do.

Anyway, enough whining! We got our tickets for the Las Vegas Bowl (Joel and Brian's main Christmas present) and got our reservation in Mesquite so we are set for our little get away next weekend. It should be fun. We'll drive down on Saturday to Mesquite and check in and then Bri-guy and Text-guy will go on to Vegas for the game and Sally and I will hang out at the hotel and go to dinner with my cousin and his family who live there. Then we'll drive back on Sunday, stop home for a minute and then head for Morgan for the family Christmas party. Sunday will be a big day but it should be fun too. It will be good to have some family time, just the 4 of us-no friends! I'm sure we'll have a good buffet in Mesquite, probably one for breakfast too! Last week we got a new DVD player in the van so that will make traveling nice. Maybe I'll finally see Pirates 3! I realized when we bought the DVD last week that I had never seen it. Don't know how I missed it but I haven't. I also bought HP 5 for Christmas and will have to decide whether to break it out early so we can see it on the way.

The thing I'm worried most about is leaving the dogs! Last Sunday we went to Morgan and didn't get home until about 11:15 and we had a message (at 10:10) from our next door neighbors asking us to bring the dogs in because they were barking so much. I don't know why they were barking so much but I feel bad that they were disturbing the neighbors. She was really nice about it which makes me feel even worse! I've got a plate of cookies I'm taking over tonight to say we're sorry. So, we'll have to have someone let them in about 10 and then out again in the morning. I hope it works out okay.

I've rambled too long. Some Billy to finish on....'In the middle of the night, I go walking in my sleep, through the mountains of faith to the river so deep. We all end in the ocean, we all start in the stream, we're all carried along, by the river of dreams.' Here's to sleep walking-if I ever get to sleep!

It's been a while....

When last I wrote we were on our way to play East High. Well, we WON! It was a great game and the same star player that fumbled at the end of the Orem game made the touchdown that put us out of reach at this game. It was great! East wasn't too happy and were quite poor sports. They were picked to win out till the final game so it was a huge defeat for them. They shuffled our players and students on to the buses right off the end of the field and they still got called names and yelled at all the way. It's sad that they were such poor sports but I was proud of our guys that they didn't retaliate, they just ignored it and cheered each other.

This at the Provo Game-is he praying?

Then it was on to meet Skyview in Smithfield Utah. It was quite a drive and good game, our guys fought so hard but in the end we lost. Even though they were sad, they really should have been proud of the season they have had. To go from winning only 1 game last season to being 7-4 this season is a huge victory. 2 of the 4 teams we lost to played for the state final and the other two were Skyview that we lost to in the quarter final and then Orem which is a rival game and so is pretty unpredictable. I know I'm very proud of Text-guy and all his team mates for the season they have had. It feels so good to have all the hard work pay off.

Text-guy is #75

Well, Text-guy did his usual end of season mope for about 2 weeks but it finally over it and is now attending a speed training camp two days a week to stay in shape and keep up his conditioning. I hope we can continue to fund his extra training. I'd really like to see him get a scholarship and play college ball. He wants that too and has put the rest of the package together with grades and such so hopefully it will happen.

Bri-guy is selling cars like crazy lately! He's had his two best months ever and seems to be enjoying work more. The trick is getting paid! The loans have to fund before he gets paid and they seem to be really slow getting funded right now. We sure could use it at this Christmas season! It's just nice to see his hard work paying off and see him enjoying some new confidence.

Sally is getting excited for Christmas. She wants a Nintendo DS and about a million other things! She's still doing the 11 year old drama thing and making me absolutely crazy! Right now she's not speaking to her best friend. Sally dropped her cell phone the other day and her friend accidentally stepped on it and broke the screen. Well, Sally got mad because her friend didn't seem sorry enough about it which hurt her friends feelings and she's as stubborn as Sally so they are at a stand off. It's sad because the night before Sally said that she was like her sister and her best friend ever and they would always be friends. They really are good little friends and they probably will be friends forever but I get so tired of these little time outs they take and their stupid fights. This one might take a few days more but I'm pretty sure it will resolve and they'll be friends again. Kids waste so much time on the stupidest things! But, you can only encourage them to see things differently. You certainly can't MAKE them do anything!

Bri-guy and I went to the Billy Joel concert last week and it was great! We had a nice day shopping together and went to lunch at our favorite restaurant (stuffed ourselves silly!) and then went to the concert. It was a great day. Billy was awesome as usual. I wished he had played longer (only about 2 hours) but I'm sure it would never be enough for me. He played many of my favorites and a lot of the same show he did in NY. He threw in a few little ditties of Christmas songs. It was fun and he even had one of his roadies come up and sing AC/DC's Highway to Hell while he backed him up on guitar. It was pretty funny but he did a great job! The evening ended with the usual, Piano Man and his trademark line, "don't take any shit from anybody!" I couldn't help but feel as he walked off the stage that it may be the last time I see him in concert. He's set financially for life and I can't see him touring too much more. He's happily (as happy as celebrity marriages are) married now and I think it would be easy for him to settle into a quieter life. I'm sure touring and performing is exhausting. I'll be sad if it is the last time but I kind of had a feeling it was. Oh well.

I'm trying to get ready for Christmas. It really came up fast for me this year and I am quite unprepared! The house got decorated the day after Thanksgiving but my shopping is far from finished. The parties have begun and that stressed, overwhelmed feeling is upon me. I love this time of year but haven't figured out completely yet how to escape the madness of it all.

I'm still losing weight, believe it or not. I'm down a total of 83.4 lbs now and want to reach 100 by Feb 15th. Then if I can find ANY way, I'm getting a tummy tuck and getting rid of my 'fat apron.' My doctor says there aren't enough sit ups in the world to get rid of it. It's just excess skin, tissue and fat that I can't do anything about. So, that's what I'm hoping for next year. It seems on the vain side but two years of hard work and a true lifestyle change deserves some reward and if there's no way I can do it on my own, I just want it gone. Life is so much better as a thinner person. I'm never going back. Here's a little before and after picture. You can't see me too well in the after picture but it's all I have at the moment, I'm always the one behind the camera!

Before-that's me on the left and Jo on the right

After-That's me in the middle, Text-guy on the left and Sally on the right, Bri-guy in front

Anyway, enough for now. I'll get back to writing regular soon. A little Billy to finish on... "It's still rock and roll to me..."