Tradition!

So, lest next year rolls around and I look at Geoff and ask him what the heck we did that we want to repeat and he looks at me blankly and says "I like everything we did last year," I'm am documenting some of the favorite traditions we have enjoyed this past Christmas.

1. Fondue (3 courses) on Christmas Eve
2. Wrapping all the presents in coordinating wrapping paper, complete with ribbons and bows.
3. Writing the "to" and "from" on the gifts with silly clues as to what is inside (not that the writer even remembers what the heck they meant come Christmas morning).  One of my favorites this year: To - Going Bananas; From -  Already Gone on this gem.  
4. Gift to the Savior (if you want more detail on that one, let me know).
5. Putting tasty treats in the dogs' stockings.  They were as excited to sit down around the tree as we were.  
6. Spicy breakfast casserole.  Oh.  My.  Deliciousness.
7. Singing together in church on/around Christmas.  
8. Stream Christmas music on Pandora all season long while I cook/clean/do much of anything around the house.

That's all I can remember for now!  What are your favorite traditions?

Happy New Year.  Hope you are all gearing up for a great 2011!

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Merry Christmas!

I don't know about you, but Geoff and I had a wonderful holiday. It was our first Christmas that was just the two of us. And, while we definitely missed having family and friends with us for the holiday, we made the most of it.

On Christmas Eve Geoff had to work, so I slept in a little bit and then got the house in tip-top shape. When he got home (early) from work, we started our day of fondue off with a cheese fondue appetizer and dipped asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower and Italian bread while we played Yahtzee and Phase 10.

Then Geoff worked on moving the presents and the tree up upstairs (where we would open everything in the morning) while I prepared the second course of the fondue - the meat course. We enjoyed three types of meat (chicken, beef and pork) cooked up in the oil fondue with 4 dipping sauces while we watched Home Alone 2.

After the meat course we went upstairs and had the spiritual part of our Christmas Eve. We decided we were too stuffed for the final course (the chocolate fondue) and we each opened a present before heading off to bed.

Christmas morning arrived and Geoff tried to get me to wake up at 6:30am...I shrugged him off and we slept until about 9am. The dogs found their stockings right away (can't hid the smell of fresh treats and chewies from them). They chewed away, happy as little clams, the whole time we were opening presents. We opened all our presents one at a time, taking turns. It was so much fun to finally see what had been hiding in all of those packages. We got tons of fun stuff (which I won't list for you here) including Geoff's long-awaited 28-inch monitor and a granite-topped kitchen island that Geoff built for me - we'll be staining the wood soon (pictured below).

I made "Spicy Breakfast Casserole" which was so delicious we each overate. For dinner we had ham, garlic mashed potatoes, cheddar biscuits, and asparagus.

Sunday we sang a duet in church (Hark, the Herald Angels Sing) despite Geoff feeling pretty ill.

Overall it was a wonderful Christmas and I am so glad to have Geoff to share it all with me. There's no one else I'd rather have by my side!

Merry Christmas!

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Reminders

I've been writing the past couple weeks about our holiday adventures: cooking, parties, shopping, wrapping (and wrapping and wrapping), family, and snow. While all of these things are wonderful and fill me with joy, I'd like to get serious on you for a moment.

I want to share my faith, appreciation, and humility for the true reason for this holiday season. It is on Christmas that we have the opportunity to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The sacrifice that He willingly made for each of us should never be overshadowed by jolly old St. Nicholas or the price tags on all those things we want.

May each twinkling light on the decorated homes you drive past remind you of the star of Bethlehem that served as a guide to the shepherds and wise men so they could come and worship the newly born Savior. May each evergreen tree remind you of the eternal sacrifice and everlasting life that we have received because of His willingness to be born of the flesh. May each present under the tree remind you of the ultimate gift that we all received many, many years ago. And may the words of traditional Christmas hymns echo in your heart the joy and reverence that we should carry year-round.

"Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace. Hail the Son of Righteousness. Light and life to all He brings, risen with healing in His wings. Mild He lays His glory by, born that man no more may die; born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth."

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Happy Doggydays

I've been enjoying this holiday season very much. Shopping, especially, has been very fun and surprisingly easy. I've snatched up a slew of fun presents to give to family, friends, and the hub and haven't found the process to be stressful or aggravating in the least.

As a dog owner, I'm a sucker for pet-themed items. I love little toys that squeak and candy-cane shaped raw-hides. Both my dogs have stockings and I love to stick delicious-smelling treats way down in the toe of the sock and watch them stick their whole heads inside in an attempt to find the source of the lovely smell.

So, I'm at TJ Maxx the other night when I come across their pet section. I'm finding the usual - collar tags and food bowls and toys and treats. And then I find this:

For a moment I am utterly speechless.

I mean...the "Legs Out Pet Carrier?"

"For maximum bonding time with your pet?"

My dogs are pretty laid back lil' guys...but if I shoved them into a baby carrier, I think they might turn vicious on me in a flash.

My advice to all you pet owners out there. If your idea of bonding with your dog is to wear him on your chest, maybe you should think about investing in a fish.

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Spreading Some Cheer

Don't forget to check out this blog post and vote.

I'm feeling very accomplished this holiday season.

Last year our life was in a bit of a shambles as we practically lived out of our car for a couple weeks. Right around this time of the month on '09 we had packed up the moving truck and I had finished my final day of work at BYUB. We were driving across the desert to spend a week with my family in CA just to turn around again and drive back to Utah for Christmas and then we left on the 26th for ND.

Needless to say I did not have a Christmas tree, I did very little shopping or wrapping, very little baking, I did not send Christmas cards, I gave mediocre, last-minute gifts and although we were in the spirit of good cheer, we didn't get to enjoy much about the season.

This year has been a welcome respite from the turmoil of Christmas 2009 and I am proud to say I sent my Christmas cards and have already purchased and mailed out gifts for our family scattered about the country. (Riddle me this, why does it cost more and take longer to ship to Utah then it does to California? Moreover, why does it cost more to fly to Utah then to California?) I baked holiday-shaped sugar cookies and decorated them with the hub. We've got our little tree up in the perfect place in the house and presents are dotting the base of it. We've attended Christmas parties and gift exchanges. Stockings are hung (for all 4 of us) and it is a "marshmallow" world right outside our door.

In general it's been a wonderful season so far and I'm looking forward to every moment to come. Which is sure to include friends, sledding, building snowmen, singing in church, and much more.

Merry Christmas to all. And may "God bless us, every one."

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Need Some Amusement?

Are you ready, friends? We are going to play a little game. For your reading pleasure I have compiled a list of my 10 best blog posts since my lil' blog's inception in 2008.

Please peruse them at you leisure and then come back and vote for you favorite out of the bunch. If you would like to entered to win a little holiday prize, also leave a comment here on this blog and include which blog post was your favorite.

And now, for the good stuff (in chronological order):

Voting closes December 21st at 2pm CST

Blog 1 which really must be

read in conjunction with this post.

Blog 2

Blog 3

Blog 4

Blog 5

Blog 6

Blog 7

Blog 8

Blog 9

Blog 10

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Sky Mall: The Snuggie Edition

A few months back I wrote a blog post highlighting a few of my "favorite" items from the Sky Mall catalog. I was fortunate enough to be on a business trip last week and I got to peruse the Holiday edition of Sky Mall.

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have likely come across a commercial for the confusing Snuggie product. Now, let me be frank, I own a Snuggie. However, I am as aware as you are that it is a STUPID product. A blanket with sleeves? Ever heard of a sweatshirt?

Anyhow, by whatever stroke of luck, the Snuggie has become quite a fad. So much, in fact, that you can now see 'knock-off' Snuggies practically everywhere you go. They have super-creative (note: sarcasm) names like "The Slanket", "The Cuddler", "The Dreamie", and my personal favorite "The Toasty Wrap."

So, imagine my amusement as I was flipping through the pages of the Sky Mall Catalog when I came across not 1, not 2, but 3 EXCITING new Snuggie varients.

1) The Electric Body Blanket

Yes, you read that right, "the world's first electric blanket with sleeves!" This is innovation at it's finest, folks. Finally I can "answer the phone" AND "stay toasty warm on the couch" OR "in a chair." That may be a Christmas miracle right there.

2) The Wish Wrap

I'm not even sure where to begin with this one. A Snuggie wrap that you can wear "around town?" (and, please note that the girl who is willing to wear her Snuggie as a wrap is also wearing a powder blue bodysuit). But that's not even where it's at its most confusing. Read on: "It features a Wish Pocket (TM) that lets you carry your fondest wishes with you wherever you go."

Um.

Firstly, let's give them a high five for trademarking the "wish pocket." Now they are safe from some other enterprising young soul who thinks that telling you what to put in your pocket is going to make him rich. And, seriously? My fondest wishes? In my pocket?

3) The Slanket Siamese

No, folks, this is not a joke. There is now a blanket out there for your purchase with not 1, not 2, but four sleeves. Okay, guys, go out and get one of these right away because the ladies...they are gonna be so jazzed when you take them home and suggest you share a slanket (please note sarcasm).

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Holiday Daze

I'm so full of blogs, you wouldn't believe it. I just don't have the time to amuse you will all my antics as of late.

I've been adding notches to my stick as a "world traveler," entertaining a house full of wonderful guests, destroying yet another cell phone, decorating the Christmas tree, coordinating - and practicing for - the Christmas program for church on the 19th (I'm the ward music chair - more on that later), trying to finish up the letter for our Christmas cards so I can get those in the mail by the 10th, beginning my Christmas list so I can get all the gifts out to their recipients by the 15th, helping Geoff get everything settled for him to get back into the swing of school after the New Year, keeping up with some steep deadlines at work, and trying to figure out why holiday-themed commercials always make me teary-eyed.

As you can see, I've been a bit swamped. I'll try to take some time out some evening this week to do a proper blog. Here are a few pictures to keep you

satisfied until I'm able to do a little better. :)

Merry Christmas.

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Kirby rocks.

Conversation as heard through the walls of the Parker household last night:

Geoff, while vacuuming the kitchen floor with the 'sweeper' attachment of our Kirby vacuum cleaner turns to me and asks, "Have I told you recently how much I love this vacuum?"

To which I replied, "I don't believe you have." While in the back of my mind my face is growing a smile as fiendish as the Grinch himself as I plot ways to be sure that Geoff is in charge of all the vacuuming in the house...forever.

Geoff, cruising around the room finishing up his swing by the kitchen states, "Yeah, this vacuum rocks."

My response, "Yes. Yes, it does."

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Living. Room.

Well, Geoff and I have been working hard to get the house in order before the fam comes for a visit next week (YAY!!).

Here's a little sneak peek.

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Houses, and Travel, and House-guests. Oh, my!

Life has sped up like a locomotive - and it's going to be awhile before things really settle back down again. We are all moved into the new place now. There is still some serious cleaning to do at the apartment, but everything we own is officially in the house! We've got some unpacking to do yet, but the kitchen and bedroom are all set to go and we are enjoying all the space!

The fence went up yesterday and we are now just a gate away from unlocking the dog door for good! Romulus found out on Saturday how fantastic the dog door can be and ended up a few blocks down the street. Oops. He was delighted to come right to me when I called, however, and tell me all about his adventures down the street.

They also started the back deck this morning and in about a month our contractor will cut out the window in the living room into a door so we can have direct access from the living room to the backyard. It's really going to open up the living room and look great. I can't wait for that.

I leave this weekend for a short business trip to Montana. This will be my first real trip to Montana. We drove across the entire state (West to East) on our way to Fargo - but that was all at night. So it will be good to see it during the day. :)

Then I get back on Wednesday night and Geoff and I will prepare for our first set of house guests (Five of them to be exact)! Mama and Daddy G will be coming out, accompanied by my bro Matt and his beautiful wife (and you better click on that link and see the little man that is coming, too. He is the CUTEST. Ever.). They fly in on Monday the 22nd for a fun-filled Thanksgiving week.

I promise to go home and take some pictures of the fence and deck and house. It's just still a moving mess - and I don't really want to post pictures of a mess!

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Secret Movers

We are officially about 98.9% of the way moved! There is still one last load of junk hanging out over at the apartment (not to mention a flurry of cleaning to be done). It's exciting! I hasn't been too bad.

I've been kind of getting the giggles about it the past couple of nights, though. We both work full time and, obviously, couldn't wait a week after closing 'til the weekend to actually move, so all of our moving efforts have been after 6:00 PM.

Which, let's be honest, is a little shady. I mean, picture it. You come home from dinner with some friends at 7:30pm. The neighbors across the hall from you are zipping in and out of their disheveled apartment carrying arm loads of boxes and furniture into a truck, suburban, and a Mercedes parked outside (backward, of course, for easy loading and a quick getaway). It looks to me like the neighbors are fixin' to slip away in the middle of the night.

But not only are we leaving under the cover of night, we are unloading at the new house as well. Our new neighbors are probably going to be shocked to find that there have been people living there for a week - and they never saw any stuff arrive!

Oh, we're an elusive pair.

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Welcome Home, Parker Family

It's official! We are homeowners!

We picked up our keys from our real estate agent over our lunch break. We picked up the dogs from the apartment and introduced them to their new home. Excellent!

We'll start moving our stuff over tonight.

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Yowza

I'm feeling a bit frazzled today. I think I'll feel better after we close on the house tomorrow.

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4 days!

We close on the house in 4 days! It's hard not to start thinking about (and searching out) all the cool things we would like to [someday] buy for the new house. Including but not limited to:

An awesome sectional for the family room:

A new vanity for the main bathroom:

A dog-door insert for the sliding glass door:

An island-type piece for the kitchen:

A new ceiling fan:

Now if only I could buy it all. :) Oh, well, internet explorer window shopping is fun anyway!

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Who Knew?

So, I have Google Analytics. Which means, yes, my blog website is currently calculating exactly how long it is taking you to read this post. Don't worry. It can't tell me who you are. It can tell me where you are, but if you wish to stay anonymous it might help you feel comfort to know that in an average 30 day span I get about 500 visits from 22 states. So, I don't really know who you are or where you happen to be. I just know a handful of options. :)

Anyway, why am I blathering on about this? Well, Google Analytics has this handy feature that explains to me where my visitors originate. It is no surprise that facebook and my mom's blog rank in the top traffic sources for my lil' blog. There is also a little section to tell you what Google searches have brought people to my site. Often people are searching for my blog, typing in gee and sis blog. More often, people search for the oddest things and end up with my blog as their result. In the last year, there have been 46 different phrases that have led readers to my blog. 11 of those searches were some iteration of the question: "how do you spell doggone?" (Stemming from this post earlier this year).

Those searching sometimes spelled it dog gone, dog-gone, dog gon, dog'gone...and so on; 11 different ways.

I feel it is my duty to set the record straight:

Doggone

It can be used as a verb, adjective or adverb and means to damn (as a verb) or damned (as an adjective or adverb). He's a doggone poor sport or I thought that was the answer, doggone it.

Carry on.

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Important tips on being "green"

I'm a California girl at heart. I was born and raised in the great state and, like it or not, I have inherited a number of traits due to growing up there.

When I moved to Utah, I was shocked to find that recycling bins were optional and pickup of recyclables cost extra. As a consequence, there was very little recycling done. Fargo is a pretty progressive place when it comes to wind power and keeping things "green."

Anyway, the topic came up at work today when one of my co-workers was drinking some soda from a plastic cup. Another co-worker turned and (jokingly) chastised him for using plastic and destroying the earth.

The plastic-cup-using offender tried to defend his cup by noting that it wasn't even his - he stole it out of the cabinet.

It was at this point that a third co-worker peeked over his cubicle and added, "Stealing is green."

I have an entirely new (and much more fun) outlook on recycling/reusing now.

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Artsy Fartsy

Remember my tables that we re-painted? Well, here they are in all of their final glory!

Don't you just LOVE my dollar store pumpkins?

And how about that amazing Shih Tzu painting that I found while browsing the aisles with birthday money at Target. It looks just like my little guy - right down to the blue bone collar.

Anyway, it seems a little weirdo-dog-obsessed-lady to have just a big painting of the Rubester...so, with a gift certificate from Valued Opinions, I head on over to Amazon and picked up this gem. I will decoupage lil' Rom onto a wood frame similar to the Rubio painting and I'll have the perfect pair for the laundry room, or the 2nd bathroom, or a guest bedroom (maybe the dogs room?)...

Oh, the possibilities!

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Fencing

As you are likely aware, we have purchased a home. A home that we will officially own in just a couple short weeks. A home that will also house our dogs.

One of the most notable benefits of home/dog ownership is going to be the ability to send the dogs off to "do their business" without supervision. We have been poop supervisors for nearly three years now. And we are putting in our two weeks notice.

However, there is a little flaw in that plan. Our home is currently NOT fully fenced. It has the good fortune of already being fenced on two sides due to neighbors fences (thanks, guys!). The other side of our house, however, faces the street and is not fenced.

So, Geoff and I met with a fence company this morning to get the wheels in motion to complete our fence as close to move-in day as possible. Otherwise those dogs are just going to learn how to hold it - cuz we will be off "doody" (oh, yes, I did just type that).

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I've got boxes and tape...what's next?

Top Ten Reasons I need to start packing:

1) We close on the house in 18 days.

2) Geoff has been collecting boxes from work and the more they pile up, the more daunting it looks.

3) We only need to use about 10% of our stuff over the next 18 days. The rest can be packed.

4) It will make the upcoming move seem more "real." (Right now it feels kind of surreal)

5) Neither of us are taking and time off work for the move, so we really only have evenings and weekends to get it done.

6) The temperature is rapidly dropping, so even though we have the apartment through the end of the year, we really do want to move all our stuff to the new house before it is really winter in Fargo.

7) Mom and Pop might be coming out for Thanksgiving!

8) It will help keep me from late night snacking.

9) I've been watching way too much Hulu since Fall TV premiered.

10) We're buying a house!

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Me and Evo

I got my new phone in the mail today (one, might I mention, that I do not deserve since my last one met with an untimely demise due to my uncoordinated fingers).

It is handsome. It is SO fast. It is already playing my Halloween ringtone.

Welcome to the fam Evo.

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Wake Up Call

There's something about buying a house that has brought out from inside me a woman who just wants to do all those "housewife" things. I want to cook and clean and fit into my skinny jeans and decorate and crochet and all those good things.

Yesterday, however, I had a bit of a harrowing experience. Right after work, I was leaving to go pick up Geoff and I saw a huge wall of black smoke billowing in the [not too] distance. I picked Geoff up, and naturally, we wanted to go investigate the apparent fire. On our way down we are discussing what could possibly be on fire, we came to the conclusion that it must be an apartment building.

We were right.

When we moved to Fargo we found a total of two complexes that would let us have more than one dog. We moved into the one that was slightly cheaper. The other one? Well, yesterday it caught on fire.

Truthfully, it was a better complex. It had a pool and a workout facility. It had a tanning bed for the residents. It had bigger rooms and more open floor plans in the apartments. But, we thought that $80 a month wasn't worth the extra amenities.

The only thing I could think as I watched the massive flames engulf a good part of the building was "what if I lived there." What if my little dogs were trapped inside a building that was filling with smoke. What if I couldn't get inside and save them? What if I lived there.

Sometimes life has a way of tapping you on shoulder and saying, "See, things could be a lot worse than a burnt pot roast or some extra pounds."

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Giving Thanks

As the leaves start turning yellow and orange and red and strain to be the last hanging onto the tree, and as lights start to twinkle on homes as dusk comes earlier each night, and as the air feels crisp on your lungs and the breeze hints of the winter to come, I feel filled with memories. Memories of pumpkin carving and costume making; memories of family and friends and Thanksgiving dinners; memories of Christmas trees and cocoa and warm fuzzy socks.

As I prepare to move into a house of my own, I think there can be no better time then this time of year. Because that is what the holidays are all about - being surrounded by love and warmth and family and home. Our house is just a house right now, but it is soon to become a home; it will begin to be filled with memories and love. It makes me feel so grateful.

So here's just a few things I am grateful for:

1) A hub who makes me feel beautiful and hilarious and fun...and all things I probably am, but tend to forget about myself.

2) A wonderful family who loves me SOOO much.

3) The two best lil' munchkin dogs around.

4) A job I really enjoy.

5) Some of the greatest friends - my friend list in life may not be the biggest one, but it's the best.

6) Cell phones, Facebook, blogging, e-mail - all the awesome ways I get to keep in touch with all those awesome people who are thousands of miles away.

7) Diet Mt. Dew.

8) The North Dakota accent that sometimes sneaks its way into my speech - I'm trying to fight it, but sometimes it sneaks up on me.

9) Thrift Shops and Dollar Stores full of fun holiday finds.

10) Low interest rates to keep our mortgage payment nice and low!

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Fresh Paint

Geoff and I went out to some thrift stores this weekend to see if we could snag any deals. I was mostly hunting for some nifty Halloween decorations (which I did happen to come across). While we were out hunting, though, we found some really cool, mod tables. There was a coffee table and a side table.

The downside: The color. They were this yucky light yellowish that looked just terrible. And old. And outdated.

The upside: The price and the design!

We snagged them right up. And, a couple coats of spray paint later, we've got some awesome new furniture (that Rom keeps bopping his head on...cuz he can't see the glass above his little pea head)!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

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Parkers = Homeowners?!

It is with great excitement that Geoff and I announce the news that we have purchased a home! We still have to go through the inspection process and all the finalizing, but if everything goes as planned, we will be closing on our new home on November 12th!

A few details about the house:

• It's on a corner lot of a little cul-de-sac and has a perfectly sized yard for our little dogs!
• It is a 4-level floor plan. The main level has the (large) kitchen and dining room. The upper level has a living room, 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. The lower level has a family room, 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. The basement has the laundry room and large utility area.
• It is 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms.
• It is 1700 sq feet (not including the basement area).
• There is a large deck off the dining room.
• There are 6 mature (and lovely) trees on the lot. Two in the front yard and and 4 in the back.
• The backyard has a large garden area, so Geoff and I can try our hand at gardening in the spring.
• The location is close to great access road to get us everywhere we need to be quickly.

There are so many more things that we love about it. It is the perfect floor plan for our lifestyle and we are so grateful to be able to purchase a home!

I don't have any other pictures that do the interior (or the awesome floor plan) any justice, so hopefully we'll be able to get some pics when we have the inspection next week.

Yay!

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Highly Gifted

In honor of turning 24, I wanted to make a list. But 24 whats?

For you: A list of 24 of the greatest presents I've received. Please note, this list is missing MANY, MANY, MANY wonderful gifts and this list is NOT in any sort of order of importance.

So here you have, The Top 24 Reasons I'm a Lucky Lady:

1. Trip to Disneyland with my mom, pop, and BFF for my 16th birthday.
2. My engagement ring.
3. My first car, given to me the Christmas after my 16th birthday - a Ford Probe. It blew up shortly after Geoff and I got married in 2007.
4. My iPod touch Geoff got me for my birthday in, I believe, 2008.
5. My iMac laptop I got for my high school graduation.
6. A few hours at a recording studio to record a few of my favorite songs to sing on a CD of my very own. That was a blast.
7. My paper rose that Geoff got me for our first anniversary (the paper anniversary). It's gorgeous - and will last forever, just like us!
8. My dad took me to a playoff game (A's vs. Red Sox) on my 17th birthday. The game went into extra innings and we (the A's. of course) won via sacrifice bunt. It was awesome.
9. In spring of 2009, my mom came out to Utah and took me to St. George for a shopping spree!
10. My BFFs AD and Krista came out to Utah my sophomore year of college for an awesome visit.
11. Shortly after we got married, my grandpa bequeathed his 6 month old puppy, Rubio, to us. He is now an integral piece of our life. We love that little guy.
12. Valentine's Day 2009, Geoff showed up at work and left behind some wonderful surprises for me - the most amazing of which was my own personal, awesome, computer chair. I still sit on "The Throne" every day at work.
13. The Christmas after our wedding, Mama G got us a calendar printed for the coming year without wedding photos as the calendar images.
14. Last year for my birthday my mom gave me a true, real Tiffany bracelet. I never knew how magical it could feel to open that little blue box.
15. When I turned 14, my mom took me to get my hair colored for the first time. I got blonde, kind of streaky, highlights.
16. For my birthday sophomore year of high school (hey, I was only 15), I got tickets to see The Backstreet Boys on their Black and Blue tour.
17. Last year I found out that my brother and his wife were gonna have their first baby! That was quite a gift!
18. One present that has always stuck with me and I don't know why: for Easter when I was...young...I got a Disney Fox and the Hound VHS. That movie still makes me cry.
19. My class ring that I got my senior year of high school.
20. For our wedding, a family friend gave us a one-night stay at their timeshare in San Francisco for the first night of our honeymoon. It was perfect!
21. My fake Uggs my mom bought for me, like, 5 Christmases ago. I still use them to this day, even in Fargo winters.
22. I got to work today and from my co-workers I had 24 Diet Mt. Dews, 24 Bite Size Red Velvet Cakes, 24 cookies, 24 stickers, 24 twenty-fours, 24 suckers, and 24 Reeses sticks. Welcome to work!
23. Last year for my birthday, Geoff surprised me by re-doing my office at work. It was such a fantastic surprise!!
24. Another year! Here’s to fast approaching a quarter century of life.

As you can see above, it’s been a great one so far!

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Winner

Top Reasons Coming Home to my Hub is Awesome:

• He always picks me up at the airport with a bouquet of beautiful flowers. This time it was sunflowers and yellow roses.
• He also always picks me up at the airport with a fresh, icy cold 44 ounces of Diet Mt. Dew.
• He took the doggies for haircuts while I was away. They are so cute that it's almost ridiculous.
• He also got himself a haircut and was looking pretty freakin' handsome himself.
• My house was totally clean when I walked in close to midnight.
• He cleaned out my car of all the mail and...well, let's be honest...junk I had left behind.
• He still looks at me like I'm the most beautiful woman he ever saw (even after I spent the last 8 days eating my weight in food in Texas and feel like I've gained about 10 pounds).
• AND He found out that ANTM started 3 weeks ago and still waited for me to get home to watch the episodes with me.

Now THAT'S a keeper.

Love you, Geoff!

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Cahoots

So, I've been in Texas now for 8 days. With all the traveling I do, I'm forever grateful for my Sprint phone that comes with Sprint GPS to keep me on track - most of the time.

It seems that the Dallas/Fort Worth area is in cahoots with Sprint to maximize their tax dollars. I met my SIL (sister-in-law) on Friday night for a movie in Dallas. The drive there (as guided by said GPS) was smooth sailing. Only one freeway connection.

On the way home, however, things changed. My GPS had led the way so efficiently that I didn't even give it a second thought when I punched my hotel address in and started the trip back. My GPS had plans for me, however, including a detour that would take me onto the George Bush Expressway - a toll freeway.

So, I cruising along when I see the "warning" signs that I'm about to enter a tollway. Well, I don't know my way around well enough to get off and try to navigate a non-toll route, so I continue on, following the guidance of my good ol' GPS. About 3 miles later, my GPS has a mini-freak out. I had apparently traveled outside of the bounds known to the GPS mapping. It showed me driving out in a field of blackness and was yelling at me to get back to "N Western Lane." This was not helpful. First off, the GPS had gotten me where I was to begin with. Secondly, N Western Lane, as far as I was concerned, could be ANYWHERE.

Well, I got off the freeway and quickly turned around and got on going the other way (racking up another toll $, by the way). After regaining my 3 miles, the GPS "re-routed" me and put me on another freeway and guided me home.

Thanks, Texas, for bribing the GPS company into taking me on the tollway. Now the only sure way to get around in foreign states has been rendered untrustworthy to me. Now I have to learn how to read a map. That just isn't fair. I was born in the late 80's. I'm not supposed to have to do stuff like that. ;)

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