The highs and lows of Turkey day

Can I just start by saying how much I love Thanksgiving? How fantastic that we are encouraged to eat so many delicious things in one day!

Well the festivities started at Dad and Christy's house. I would have to say my favorite dish is a tie between the whiskey carrots and the raspberry almond cake. Mmmm. It was fun seeing everybody I really like just sitting and talking with my dad. He could be talking about work and machines going down and management techniques and it totally fascinates me! I love it!

Thursday was a little sad for me. It was my first holiday experience without my little babies. I did however make some fantastic french toast for caydance that morning. Then I got the girls all dressed up pretty to go out with their daddy.

Richard went to visit his family in montana for the feast but sent me beautiful pictures along the way.

Moms dinner was also delicious. I would have to say my favorite was the cranberry maple sweet potatoes. And thats a huge step from dispising the orange root! I did get to spend alot more time with my baby sister Kenzie who is totally not a baby anymore.

Last night I decided to make my very own Thanksgiving dinner for the first time so I could share it with the girls and Richard. I made stuffed mushrooms(which look more like baked potatoes in the pic.) Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cheddar garlic biscuits, and cranberry sauce! Grandma B treated us to pineapple upside down cake as a thank you for sharing.

I'm thankful for a lot this year. For the girls be super cute and healthy. For lots of friends and family. And for my realization of self reliance. It's been a much better year than I could've imagined. I however am not grateful that nobody ever comments! Is anybody even reading these things?

My internal clock needs batteries.

I started training at the USPS REC on Monday. It's pretty sweet so far. I know a few people who work there already. I'm making a few new friends. I'm surprised to see how stressful sitting all day can be on your body. My back is screaming for some Advil and a heating pad as we speak.

So my training schedule, for the first 2 weeks, is 6 PM to midnight. I thought that sounded pretty awesome. There were a few things I didn't consider. For example I realized that since I was pregnant with Athena there have been few nights that I stayed up past 10. So when I reach that mark I still have 2 hours to go. Then I have the wait in the car while it thaws, the drive home, the inevitable wind-down period, and I finally fall asleep somewhere around 230. Then I wake up at 630 to get the girls. To top the whole thing off nicely they have been fighting a massive cold.

So I'm going on my 4th night of practically no sleep. It's obviously taking it's toll. I'm an emotional wreck!(LOL MORE than usual I mean) And it's like I have no control. My body needs a hard reset. Where's the sleeping sand when you need it?

I'm about to get busy!

I am so excited! I start my new job at the SLC REC Post office warehouse on Saturday. I will be happy to be making more money to pay off my debts and start saving or the fabulous things I want in my future. I also like the feeling of knowing that I am providing for me and my girls. It makes me proud.

Brad decided it would be best for us to be only coparenting business partners for now. So we don't really talk and don't see eachother. It makes me a little sad but I am already seeing an improvement. I think it will make life easier in the long rn and maybe make for a better friendship down the line.

Caydance has become mommys superhelper. She is constntly rinsing dishes, throwing out diapers, or shaking baby bottles. She has suddenly become much more playful and interactive with Athena. Her recent obsession is putting up the Christmas tree which I told her we wouldn't to until Thanksgiving and have to remind her of everyday.

Athena has decided to start talking like crazy!! Well I guess it's nore cooing and gurgling than anything else. She's much more alert and is growing into her own little personality. A smile is almost always on her adorable little face.

I have been so so lucky to get not one, but TWO getaways in December! On the 6th I am going with a group of friends to stay in a condo in Park City to celebrate our friend Fivas turning 23. (Many thanks to Heather or providing daycare.) The weekend of the 13th Richard and I are going to Wendover for drinks food and fun! I am quite excited!

MOMMY! Mommy tagged me!

Rules:
1) Post rules on your blog
2)Answer the six "8" items
3)Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving them a comment

8 Favorite TV shows:
~Grey's Anatomy
~House MD
~Bones
~Nip/Tuck
~What not to wear
~Shimmy
~Buffy
~Gilmore Girls

8 Things I did yesterday:
~Picked up the girls
~Ate La frontera left overs
~Washed dishes
~Cleaned the kids room
~Bought apples and a vegi tray
~Dropped the kids off
~Watched Shimmy
~Hung out with Richard

8 Things I look forward to:
~Starting my new job!
~The holidays with my new little family!!
~Going back to school.
~Getting out of debt.
~My 2 vacations in December
~Athena crawling. How cute will that be!
~Thanksgiving dinner x3!!! Yum-o!
~Getting back to my skinnier happy self!

8 Favorite Restaurants:
~Red Lobster
~Johnny Carinos
~Z tejas
~La Luna
~Citrus Grill
~Costa Vida
~Macaroni Grill
~Leatherbys

8 Things on my wish list:
~A better friendship with Brad.
~A home of my very own!
~The time and money to go back to school.
~A happy future
~A smaller tummy
~A big happy family
~A savings account with an impressive balance
~Inspiration to find a passion

8 people to tag:
~Ummmm I don't even know 8 people or if I can re tag someone so "I'll get back to ya"(Palin style)
~
~
~
~
~
~
~

A Job and a sick day

I finally made it around to the meeting for the USPS. I have an interview tomorrow and my friends that work there said they hire everyone who passes the background check. I was thinking long and hard and I don't remeber any felony kidnapping charges or identity theft so it looks like I'll be starting on the 22nd. It's about time ya?

I have come down with the worst cold ever. The sniffle isn't so bad. The cough is barely there. But I feel like I ran a marathon or something. Every muscle just aches. Grandma B stocked me up with Nyquil, Airborne, and chicken noodle soup. Something is bound to fix it.

What is this strange lack of noise?

Silence is so strange for me. I think it was the years in a house full of sisters and then my house full of kids. Tonight it's dead silent. The kids are at Brads house for the night. I have no date. I can occasionally hear grandma walking around but that's it!

It's like the langoliers around here!!! (A little Stephen King reference for mom.)

So I scrubbed my kitchen until it sparkled. I washed my sheets that were washed a few days ago. I reorganized the cans in my cabinets. This feeling should pass right?

On a side note, I am only a few small steps from employment. I missed my meeting to get in on account of a battery problem in the car. Many many thanks to Christy for coming to rescue us on the side of the freeway.(Why do you always break down on the freeway? Is that just one of those things like traffic when you are running late?)

The Friday Feel Good (Think Warm Fuzzies)

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items In front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the Important things- your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions--and if everything else was lost and only they Remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things thatMatter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else--the small stuff.' 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

'Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first--the things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand..'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffeeRepresented. The professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'