Christmas 2008

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures to commemorate my Christmas day this year....so sad. It was an interesting day & quite different than any other Christmas. I started my day working at the hospital (8-12). I then made a few phone calls. Ty & Lori were way too distracted with the excitement of the day to talk much, but I got the lowdown from Zack & Michelle. When I called Mom & Dad...Dad was home alone starting dinner & working on his life story (I'm excited to read it). Mom was at the movies with Craig, Keri & Ryan.

Next, I set out to deliver a few things to my cousins & Aunt & Uncle. I struck out at the first 2 houses. This left me feeling quite sad. I mean who doesn't want to spend some time with family on Christmas? I finally found my way to my cousin's house (I'd never been there before). Here I found my aunt & uncle. I told them I had been hunting them down! It was fun to spend a few hours chatting & watching the chaos that tends to go along with the day.

My final visiting stop was @....yup....Derek's. He had his kids most of Christmas Eve & Christmas morning. (We went to the movies Christmas Eve while his kids were @ a family party with their mom) So, Derek bought a Wii & to go along with that Guitar Hero Aerosmith & World Tour. He got me started on a song and was supposed to get ready so we could try to find some place to eat. Let's just say that I got to his house about 6 PM & we ordered our (mexican) food @ 10 PM. I was starving! We did have fun playing Guitar Hero & bowling. I must say that I kicked butt in the bowling....watch out Ty! I even beat him on a few songs, but I don't really count those as he was playing on medium while I stuck with easy. I did play medium with him on one song & he got a little perterbed because he felt things should be even. (I know ahhhh...so cute, right....blah. Okay, it does make me smile a bit) He is pretty funny when we've played games. He is pretty competitive, but still tries to help me out so I don't fail miserably. We played Monopoly on his Xbox & I was the second one to go bankrupt....he said he was sorry & set out to kick the other computer players trash! :)

So, that was my day. Exciting, I know. I look forward to having Thanksgiving & Christmas off next year so I can spend it with family. It's just not the same without them. I love you all....my wonderful family (and those friends I consider family & ok....all my friends)! I hope everyone had a great Christmas & made some wonderful memories.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Oh Alright!

So I was wondering how many people would comment that I mentioned Derek's name in my last post. I certainly wasn't disappointed....so thanks! :) So there....I mentioned him again! I have to admit that there have been a couple times in the last 2 months when I thought that maybe I was more interested than him. This is such new territory for me that I am struggling with these new situations & trying not to be a psycho girl. (haha....is that possible?) He has more of a life than I do so sometimes when I want to hang out...he's busy. I don't make a big deal out of it....who wants a girl like that? I know that would be a major turn off for me. He has moved into a house. He is really happy to be out of his parent's basement. He has a cat now (hmmm...I am more of a dog person) & she is quite skittish. I have not met his kids or his family....that is up to him to decide. He hasn't met any of my family either. I thank my family for being fairly patient even though I know it's hard for you. :)

I've decided that I'm not such a fan of this "dating" stuff. Wouldn't be nice to just find someone & get married without all this uncertainty about how you feel....how he feels....blah blah blah. NO! I am not saying that I am ready to be married anytime soon. There are definitely still those times when I see a young family with adorable little kids & I long for that day to be much closer. But, there are also times I continue to enjoy being single. I think the longing for a family of my own is still much stronger than wanting to be single & have my own space. I think that dating someone has made it a bit easier to handle not having that family...does that make sense to anyone?

I hope this helps some of you & your curiosity about the Shelly/Derek situation. I still don't have pictures of him....sorry.

snow...Snow....SNOW

So we've been getting a bit of snowy weather here in St. George over the past week. I love the snow, but not necessarily driving in it. It's so beautiful to watch, especially when it's quiet with no traffic outside. Last night it really started snowing & sticking to the roads. I had a fun time driving home from Derek's last night....slipping & sliding around a few corners. I had to take some pictures of the snow. It was so pretty & I love how it seems so much lighter outside. All I was missing was a wood burning fireplace & a nice huge picture window. (sigh) Today the snow has melted off the roads & is slowly disappearing from the ground. The weather was sufficiently snowy enough so that my trip to Colorado was stopped....:(

I went to Las Vegas for a few hours with a couple friends on Wednesday. It was a fun time, but it started snowing on the way home. We had lunch at Margaritaville for my friend Karalynn's birthday. It was a fun place to eat...very tropical inside while it snowed outside.

Wednesday night

Thursday morning

I know it doesn't really look like a lot compared to some pictures I've seen...even Palmdale got a ton of snow! I heard Ty was so excited he didn't have to go to school....AHHH I remember those days. I LOVE WINTER!!!

Thankful

I know I'm a little late with this post. I am finding out more & more about who I am and it's a little scary at times. I've always thought I was pretty laid back, but have come to find out that I'm a bit of a control freak! YIKES!!! I'm also more needy & obsessive than I thought as well. These are traits I am NOT thankful for, but I guess I should be thankful that I am able to recognize them so I can limit the damage I could do with them (at least that's what I'm hoping).

Mom, Dad, Craig, Keri, Ryan, Aunt Karen & Uncle Byon all came into town for Thanksgiving @ Grandma & Grandpa Bird's. I didn't get to spend as much time with them as I would have liked as I was working, but the time that I did was fun. We celebrated Ryan's 5th birthday @ a pirate themed pizza place that is new in town. Dad helped me get more pumped up about looking for a house as we drove around & looked @ a few places. I am SO thankful for his help. We played card games & I played with Ryan. She has quite the imagination! We were playing "jail" and I got arrested for stealing a remote (what was I thinking?) Come to find out my "pretend" husband was a drug addict! (again....what was I thinking? marrying a drug addict? :) ) Later we played "restaurant" and Ryan went ALL out preparing for my "pretend" boyfriend. She pretended to decorate & was SOOO excited when he arrived. She is so funny! She gave me the biggest hug when I first saw her...I love it when all the kids get excited about seeing me! I had to include some pictures of Ryan in her pirate getup & her birthday present...dressup clothes.

I am so thankful for family & friends. How can anyone make it through this life without their support? I love you all!