I'm Back!

Quick apology to all the stalkers out there :) I'll be back today with a post....have no fear.

Feeling the Spirit of Christmas....kind of

Bliss From Blessings #27, 26, and 25

25.

• My first full day of my Christmas vacation. Holla-back youngins....two weeks off...woot woot!
• Going walking with my friend Nicole. We don't get to talk often because all we do around my house is work, but she is so amazing. If anyone is an example of how to live your life happily, humble, and with courage....it's Nicole. I'm glad we get to have our morning walks this week.
• Making a real dinner for the first time in 2 or 3 weeks. My poor husband has been surviving on scrounged up garbage from the kitchen. Seriously, it has not been pretty around here.
• Dental insurance! It is so wonderful to go to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned and walk out without one penny missing from my wallet. (besides my obvious monthly payment...but roll with me here...it saves me money)
• Taking some time for myself at breakfast so I could read the Ensign and listen to the words of our living Prophet and Apostles.

26.

• Tyler surviving a fever and a small bout of flu. He's not 100%, but oh what a difference a Sunday full of sleeping will make
• Being able to sing in our wonderful church choir and totally feeling the spirit of Christmas and the truth of the gospel while we sang for our ward.
• I love leading the music in Relief Society. I pick songs that go with our lessons, but most importantly I can take some time to teach all of those wonderful ladies a little bit about music. I think it is so much fun; one of my favorite callings ever.
• Getting all of the presents in the house wrapped. There is still a few more to pick up, but everything is up to speed and under the tree!
• Laying down and not worrying about what tomorrow may bring because Monday was all to myself.

27.

• A visit from my friend Sush, from the office and his awesome wife Kristy. They came out to visit the Olive Mill near our house. They drove ALL the way across town so it was nice to visit.
• I forgot to mention this like 8 million years ago, but my cousin Morgan had her little baby girl!!! Her name is Carsyn and she looks like a beautiful little doll. If she is only half as cute as her older brother, she will be a man eater.
• A real date night with Tyler. We went shopping and he bought us two pretzels so we could sit on the bench and visit and people watch. It was so nice.
• Visiting with some awesome ladies I go to church with. Once again, amazing people. I am so blessed to see their example and have their friendship.
• An uplifting way to start my day with the final choir practice before our meeting on Sunday.

Bliss from Blessings #28

28.

• Last day of work for 2009!
• Jen's grandma is okay...what a blessing.
• My family is coming up tonight to see the Christmas lights at the Mesa temple! Yay!
• Tyler and I actually found a Christmas present for his parents....it's a miracle
• Having clean water to drink everyday. I know this is random, but I looked over at my water bottle, and I am so grateful! I take that blessing for granted far too often.

Bliss from Blessings #32,31,30, and 29

29.

• Making gingerbread houses with the crew! So fun!
• Super close to vacation time. One day to go and it's gonna be awesome.
• Going Christmas shopping with Tyler...once again...the more presents for me...the better
• A nice quiet day at my desk. Doing what I have to do, taking time to do what I don't have to do.
• More visitors! Yay home teachers! So nice to have people just check on us and share a little about the gospel

30.

• Great planning sessions at work. I am starting to formulate a good picture of the type of person I would like to be moving forward in my career. There is a lot of work to do, but it's nice to have a goal.
• A sweet secret santa at the office who brought me a yummy pastry and a gift card to get some new things for our puppies. Dishes and collars here we come!
• A capital "A" amazing team dinner at this restaurant called Wildfish. Seriously, the best fish ever - Parmesan crusted Sole with this amazing butter sauce. YUM!
• Fun while gift exchanging with the team. I picked my boss's 'bring' and got 2 portable speakers for my ipod. One is super cute and looks like a mini amplifier.
• My friend Pamela's GPS.

31.

• Visiting teachers! I love when they come over! I know and love Nicole and I got to visit with Paige. They are both awesome and we are all in very different parts of our lives so it makes for good conversation
• Hanging up my Christmas garland on my stair banisters. It makes me feel like Martha Stewart
• Having some good discussions at work and learning a lot, learning is always a blessing
• Tyler bought me some Christmas presents!!! I am such a brat...I LOVE presents, the more the better. It's terrible, I know.
• Mini pigs in a blanket for dinner. So healthy.

32.

• I'll be honest....this was a long time ago, I don't really remember the details of the day, but I can tell you that for a Monday....it wasn't bad at all

Bliss from Blessings #35,34,and 33

33.

• A good visit with our Bishop after church.
• An AWESOME choir practice! There were so many people and they are all SO talented. It is a blessing to be a part of it.
• Finally getting my Christmas tree up and making it look as perfect as I could.
• The simple blessing of not having to do anything, and choosing to do just that...nothing
• Making a new friend

34.

• An early morning drive with McDonald's on way to Tucson
• Spending quality time with my sister in-law as she picked out fabric to make some gifts. It reminds me how much I love to sew
• Getting a quiet piece of the country life with Megan and Tommy and their horses
• Finding faith in our public officers....it's nice to have a good encounter with the police every now and then, not that I have had any bad experiences, but when you are lost, they are super helpful.
• A nice husband that will just let me be a poop every now and then.

35.

• Half day Friday!
• A company Christmas party where we just got to relax and visit and load up with sweet potato fries.
• Getting all of my family's Christmas shopping done
• An awesome White Elephant party with our new friends and some old friends. We scored the movie Footloose! That's a win if you ask me.
• That Tyler is good with mechanical stuff. It's so nice that he can do all of the work on our vehicles.

Bliss from Blessings #36

36.

• Learning a little about each person on my team by making a cd with all of our favorite songs.
• Finding a great gift for my friend Katie for graduation!
• A yummy chocolate chip cookie from my girl Tiff
• Having a home to decorate with tons of fun things for Christmas
• A nice and unexpected invitation. New friends are so wonderful! When you least expect it they pop into your life.

Bliss from Blessings #37

37.

• Trying brussel sprouts for the first time and actually enjoying them. I think I like the texture of these little power house veggies.
• Getting a little mid-day converstion with a friend. Just a nice way to break up my day.
• Talking with my roomate from my freshman year of college. Super random, but nostalgic. Freshman year was crazy and especially rough for her, so it makes me happy that she's doing well.
• Crossed some major things of the work 'to-do' list today. Now I can get some little things done and enjoy our Christmas party!
• First night of weekday freedom. Mondays were crazy with school, Tuesdays are crazy with mutual, and Wednesday we can take a breath.

Bliss from Blessings #38

38.

• A mid-morning call from the sweetheart...he's so busy it doesn't happen often so it's extra special when he does.
• Channel surfing during lunch in the kitchen with some awesome people. It felt like we were just hanging out for an hour in someone's living room. A nice break for sure.
• Looking through a few places and finding the perfect gift for someone else (and the perfect gifts for me!)
• Getting some good inspiration for home decorating ideas, now the trick is spending all that money! Yikes!
• We have everything we need, a lot of things we want, and we would be selfish to expect anything else. Blessed indeed.

Bliss from Blessings #41,40,39

39.

• RAIN!!! I love the rain!
• A great start to my morning and crossing some things off the list
• A little caroling practice with some folks at work. We are going to make a visit to a retirement home next week. Should be fun!
• Today is Tyler's last day of class for the semster!
• Getting all of my Christmas stuff out and 'doing up' the digs :)
  

40.

• I made a movie of sorts that celebrated Christmas through art and music and it was giving me some difficulty when I wanted it to play. We got it to work for the lesson on Sunday!
• Going to choir practice. It is so nice to sing in a choir again. Everyone is so talented; the pianist seriously sat down to this incredible arrangment and sight read the whole thing. Her daughter did the same. I'm excited about it
• Getting help from our friends Beth and John with their Mac. We needed to make a video for one of Tyler's classes and their computer did the trick. We totally invaded their space for a good 3 hours....but it is so nice to have that done....thanks!
• Yummy apple pie and speckly vanilla icecream. (that's what I call french vanilla)
• The dog is still alive after chewing a hole in our carpet. Enough said. She's blessed.

41.

• Waking up early and taking my time to get ready for the day
• An awesome sister in law that cleaned my ENTIRE kitchen. She wiped down every counter, mopped the floor, dusted the cabinets, washed the dishes, she is the best!
• I love me a good trip to Ikea topped off with a hot dog and cinnamon roll for only $1.50
• Getting to visit with our new friends Matt and Lacy and their sweet little baby boy
• Falling asleep on Tyler while we watched a movie on the couch