And One More Thing

There's a station that plays nothing but Christmas music from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas day. I'm going to listen to it all day at work because I love Christmas music and because I can.

This Time of Year

Thanksgiving is now out of the way. It was much easier to get through then I imagined. Not that I don't like Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving. I love eating until I can hardly move and pumpkin pie is my favorite. But, it makes me even more excited for Christmas to get here and it involves spending time with family which I never know how that's going to turn out. My family has a tendency to drive me absolutely insane and I'm horrible about trying to cover up my irritation. I think Brian hates that I'm bitchy to them, but he doesn't understand. His family is pretty normal compared to mine. His family has more drama, but for the most part any weirdness that they might have is usually kept in the privacy of their homes. Not my family. Oh, no. They like to bring their weirdness with them and show it off to the world. It's exasperating really.

I woke up early and did my after Thanksgiving shopping. There wasn't that many great deals, but we did get a free Disney snowglobe which is pretty cute and a $5 gift card to one of my favorite places. Actually we each received one. $10 off isn't too shabby. We bought a really cute Barbie outfit for Brian's 3 year old niece that would make Darby green with envy. Too bad for her. Ha, ha, ha! Just kidding. That's mean, but she'll be okay I'm sure. We didn't actually go crazy this year because we have the kids bought for already. Mainly because Brian is a good deal freak. He sees a good deal on the internet or in a store and buys it. We have a Barbie cruise ship from last Christmas we got free for ordering $50 in Barbies (or close to that amount). Of course, after ordering all the Barbies, Darby had more than enough things for Christmas, so we decided to save it for her birthday. Then another department store had an amazing deal on more Barbies so we bought those for her birthday. We are finally giving her the Barbie cruise ship this Christmas. It's crazy.

Regardless, I had to go out the day after Thanksgiving. I love it. We shopped for six and a half hours and I had fun. Plus, I do it on a matter of principle. I hate when those Fascists start spouting off nonsense about commercialism and spending so much at Christmas and the whole boycotting bullshit of spending money. Blah, blah, blah. Cry me a river.

Hmm, I don't know what that was about but I'm done. I started wrapping the presents and I have learned a new way to tie a bow so my presents will be so pretty. My colors this year are purple, blue and silver. Last year I did all purple, and I wanted to do blue this year. However, I neglected to buy Christmas decorations last year after Christmas so I have to incorporate the few blue things I have with purple. Maybe next year I can do all blue. But, I think I may want to do red and white. There will be an after Christmas shopping trip to get all the decor at half price or more. Otherwise, I won't be able to afford all red next year. We aren't putting up lights. That's okay. I'm happy with decorating the inside.

I just don't understand how some people don't like the holidays. I think it's wonderful. As annoying as they can be I do love getting together with my family. I love when the kids are so excited to open their presents and all they want to do the rest of the day is play with their new toys. And they want to do it together. They rarely fight over anything, even though they may be exhausted. I love pulling out my decorations and my snowman plates and bowls and glasses and mugs. And it's the one time of year that I can be Betty Crockerish. The one time I can be crafty and try and be creative, even though I'm not. And I get to try new recipes, such as the pumpkin cookies I made for Thanksgiving. There's just nothing wrong with this time of year. Sorry Scrooges.

This Is For My Stalker (Uh, That's A Joke)

I took a little break from blogging. Not intentionally, it just seemed to have happened that way. I, rather we, (Brian too) have been so busy lately I haven’t had time to do much of anything. We’re trying to get ready for Jordan’s 4th birthday party. We have all the decorations, the presents, and the cake figured out but we have yet to decided what we’re serving. It’s on Saturday so we really need to get our butt’s in gear.

Then, there’s Thanksgiving. Okay, so I don’t have to do much for Thanksgiving except show up for dinner. I suppose I could try and make something to contribute to the meal. I’m always scared to do that. What if it sucks? I would be so embarrassed. I just don’t know about that.

After Thanksgiving we’re going shopping because there are always awesome deals the day after Thanksgiving. Plus I love a reason to shop, plus it’s fun to get up at 4:00 am, get ready, grab some coffee, and stand in line for an hour to get into a store that happens to have that one present that someone desperately wants at a super great price. Alright this may not sound like fun to some people, but I love it. Then I probably get to come home and get all my Christmas decorations out and sort through and see what I have and what I need.

I love the holidays.

Well, there’s my excuse for not writing. Not that I really need an excuse and not that anyone really cares, but that’s the point of a blog. To pretend that people care about what you have to say. So there.

Besides, I like to have a topic to write about and I just haven’t had any good ideas lately. I did read one of my favorite blogs recently, Beyond Elsewhere, and it turns out that someone decided to rudely harass her with unkind comments. I hate people like that. Really what’s the point? I can only imagine it’s to make themselves feel better about their pathetic lives. I have had my fair share of unwanted comments left and it’s still my contention that those people are a waste of life. Seriously, they have nothing better to do than bring others down in order to fill some kind of void? Don’t they have other ways to do that? I suppose not.

Side note: If it’s not obvious, I’m in a mood this week.

Yes, this whole week has simply been one irritation piled on the next. I work with this man that irritates me to no end. It’s just disgusting to me the way he acts. (I don’t really like using the word disgusting there, but I can’t find another one that is as appropriate.) I don’t know exactly when it was the line was crossed with him but I haven’t been able to see the line for a couple of months now. We are moving farther and farther away from that line each week. I swear to God if even a teeny tiny part of him ever touches me in any way or brushes up against me accidentally or anything I will go postal at my corporate job. Okay, not really postal, but there will be some kind of explosion. And I feel awful for feeling like this, but this week I can’t help it.

What else? I actually did go postal on the ex. My dog is now afraid of me because of the yelling. He actually isn’t my dog anymore, I gave him to my ex because the dog and Brian didn’t get along. I think they’re very happy together. I still miss him. (The dog, not the ex.) Anyway, we’re having a difference of opinion in regards to some issues about the kids. I don’t feel like they’re ever going to be resolved. I’m so sick of it. I couldn’t keep quiet anymore and I just freaked out. This is my problem. I hate this about myself. I never speak up about things that I don’t like. I hate confrontation and then the next thing I know I’m freaking out. It’s so unhealthy. For everyone I’m around I imagine.

I feel like I’m a big, fat complainer. This whole post is completely negative. So ending on a positive note will probably be good. In the spirit of Thanksgiving here are some things I’m thankful for. At least some things I’ve been thinking about lately.

I’m thankful that I work with a wonderful person. She is always happy and nice and doing things for others. She is one of the few people in this world that I believe is genuinely happy with her life and I’m glad we met. Plus, she has a fun name, which also makes her even more interesting.

I’m thankful that I wake up every morning with someone who I could stay in bed with all morning, and afternoon, and evening. Maybe even days, though that would be kind of gross. Regardless, we hardly ever get a chance to just lay around in bed, but if we could I would be more than happy to do nothing with him all day. For some reason that makes me happy.

I have also been thinking about something lately that has nothing to do with being thankful, it’s more of a conclusion I have come to. I have decided that I like a woman I work with. (Not in a perv way, Brian). Anyway, when I fist started my job in Transportation I had a preconceived notion of this person. She was not spoken of highly by a certain person. I was very short-tempered with her when I first started. This person who spoke of her has since lost all credibility in my book and I have come to realize that she’s quirky, but nice and has good intentions. She’s actually very personable, which I never realized because I use to not small talk with her. Now I do and my conclusion is you shouldn’t let people influence your feelings towards another person. I know it seems elementary, but it’s not. It’s easy to believe things about someone you don't know. I’m just not going to anymore. It’s dumb.

Opinionless In Idaho

I've been perusing the blogs and there seems to be a common theme amongst them since the elections. Apparently, the United States is losing several citizens. They're leaving the country.

Are they actually moving away? I don't know. Does this always happen? Every four years do people insist they won't be able to live in the US as long as so and so is in office? Or is it just this year and this election? I'm 28 years old and this is the first time I have ever voted for a President, the second time I have ever voted. I have always believed that it didn't matter whether I voted or not. Idaho isn't a very competitive state when it comes to Democrats and Republicans. Regardless of what party I claimed to be a member of the outcome would always be the same.

I changed my mind a few years ago, though I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe the company I have been keeping in the past couple of years has made me realize that I should, if nothing else, cast my ballot. I don't have to be an activist, just exercise my privilege to vote.

Until recently, I have never been surrounded by people with the same ideals as me. There were my parents, who never talked about politics in great detail, but I know who they supported. This is probably why I have the notion of Republicans that I do. My parents tried to raise me Mormon and I have a very unpleasant view of Mormons to this day, which is probably a different post and topic all together. Anyway, my view of Mormons is that they are male dominated and the women are always subservient to the husbands and fathers and leaders of the church. This isn't actually my opinion, it's fact. At a young age, early teens perhaps, I always thought my father was the devil. He was always telling my mother what she could and could not do and I hated this. No man would ever have such control over my thoughts. Ever. This is the first exposure to politics (religious politics?) that has me leaning towards the Democratic party. At this age I don't believe that I thought, "when I grow up I'm going to be a Democrat". But I'm positive this had an effect on the choice I made last Tuesday.

A few years older and I started to become exposed to the pro-life vs pro-choice issues. This time I was mostly surrounded by people who claimed to be pro-choice. They didn't have strong opinions on the subject, but they believed it was a woman's choice. Then, there was that one "friend" who didn't have this view and was somewhat vocal on the subject. All I could think was, "who is this person who thinks she can dictate what women should and should not be doing with their bodies. What makes her such an authority?" And once again a new opinion has been shaped, once again leaning towards Democratic.

When I was old enough to vote my belief was it didn't matter because the state I live in is infected with people who believed the opposite of what I believed. Then I got married into, surprise, surprise, a very conservative, Republican family. Upon learning that should I choose to vote I would vote Democratically I received a phone call from the mother-in-law. She proceeded to tell me that I was wrong to vote for Democrats. We were Republicans and those of lesser financial status, well, they were Democrats. It was us against them. Uh, hello lady. Sorry to break the news to you, but your son and I are of lesser financial status. We are poor. We have no money and while we do not collect welfare we live paycheck to paycheck, which puts us into the "them" category. And so once again I didn't vote because my vote doesn't matter. Now my perspective of Republicans are that they are bossy, rich, and pretentious. Characteristics that I'm not overly fond of. Lucky for me, I am no longer a member of that family.

So what is my point. I suppose I don't truly have one except that several blogs are so angry at people for voting the way they did. They bash people for thinking the way they do and I suppose that I don't understand this state of mind. Okay, that's a lie. I totally get upset when others don't feel the same way I do. I mean, I tend to lump groups of people together in a stereotypical fashion. Brian has told me not to do this and he definitely has a point, I'll give him that. When I told him I vote for Dems because I don't want a rich, white man telling me what I can do with my body, he pointed out that voting for Kerry would would also be putting my rights into the hands of a rich white man. So, that isn't a great argument. My argument is that I don't want anyone telling me what to do with my body or my life in respect to just living. Period.

Also, not the point. I just read these posts and wonder how someone can get mad about the way another person votes. Yes, it's disappointing that Kerry didn't win and that we have to endure another four years of Bush, but isn't it a person's privilege to vote for whomever they want? And isn't that person able to decide for him or herself who the candidate is that most represents their beliefs and attitudes? It is. Are my reasons for voting for Kerry wrong? When all is said and done I know very little about billions of dollars of debt. Please, someone break it down for me. I understand 10's of thousands of dollars of debt, but billions is a little over my head. I know a little about the war in Iraq and very little about national security. What I know is that I'm pro-choice, I'm not against people loving who they may, and I believe that everyone deserves to have a chance to pursue their dreams. I don't believe that Bush gives a second thought to someone like me. Are those reasons good enough or are they just shallow? Do I deserve to vote for the person of my choosing or am I wasting my time? Is it okay to vote even when you don't know all the issues and all the facts? I don't know. It's legal, but am I casting a worthless vote if I'm not totally and completely informed?

I realize there are people out there that know nothing. They vote because someone told them they should be voting that way. They believe misconceptions rather than the truth in regards to the issues. I personally can't stand those people either. Believe me, I have been in arguments with these exact people and the only thing I can argue is that they're stupid and ignorant. See how petty it becomes? And yet they are still able to vote, (as long as they're not a felon that is).

I've decided I'm not going to let them or this particular election discourage me, however. This year I think Kerry received 30% of the vote in Idaho and maybe next time the Democratic candidate will receive 35% or even 40%. Brian told me that this is the goal, to close the gap, not necessarily to win the state. (I'm trusting Brian on this because he is a poly-sci major and this is something he knows.) And in voting next time I will be helping in making this goal possible. I guess this makes me believe that my vote does count.

Alright, this will be the absolute last time I ever talk of politics. I'm not good at it. And in the words of Amanda, "politics are interesting, but not as interesting as say--clothes?" So true.

Halloween Photos

I finally posted the photos from Halloween. At least a few of them. There's going to be more, but we haven't actually taken them yet. We have to stage them because we didn't take enough at Boo at the Zoo. Stupid camera batteries.

News Break

Now that the elections are over I’m taking a break from the news. I’m not going to read it at work anymore. For at least a couple of weeks. I’m sure there isn’t anything I need to know. World events? Hogwash. I’m sick of the news. I do read US News Weekly while working out, so that will be good enough for right now. I’m sick of politics and war and natural disasters. I think paying so much attention to the news can make one depressed or insane. Seriously. I think it’s true: ignorance is bliss. Last night Brian yelled at one of the news guys, Brian Williams maybe? And called him stupid. He should take a break also, but I don’t think he can.

On election night we went to a party for the campaign that Brian has been working on all month. That was pretty interesting. Basically it consisted of everyone sitting around watching the news and waiting for all the results to come in. That part was not the interesting part. I think I was mostly fascinated by the variety of people that were there. I talked with an old lawyer guy for awhile. He was funny and drunk. He talked about the places he has been and how Idaho is his favorite vacation spot and that’s why he moved here. I soon grew weary of this conversation and Brian came and rescued me. There was also a girl with a mohawk. I’m not sure what I think about that, but I suppose it’s cool. Just not for me. I like hair. My hair is short, but I prefer hair covering my entire head. And I don’t ever want my head shaved in anyway. But, that’s just me. Those are the people that stick out in my mind the most. There was, of course, several other people I’m sure were equally as weird, but none worth mentioning. Well, there was the super tall girl. By super tall I mean freakishly tall. I’m not sure of the exact measurement, but I’m 5’4”, she was double me. Not really but it seemed like it. And there was a girl with bug eyes. That’s all I have.

Anyway, there was a ton of alcohol so I had my fair share of beers. We didn’t leave until 12:30 and I still woke up and went to work. Yes, I was late, but hey I’m a trooper. I was so tempted to stay home. That morning it was so gloomy and rainy outside. I wanted to crawl on the couch with a warm blankie and watch movies all day. That would be perfect. Maybe another day.

Speaking of movies I have a new favorite. Well, I’m not sure it can be called a favorite because I’ve only seen it once. But it was awesome. It’s called Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. It’s a love story and the whole thing could be considered sappy by some, but it was sweet. I won’t go into the details, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes sweet, sappy movies.

PS Brian fell asleep less than half way through if that’s any indication of the male perspective of the movie. Boys!

Halloween

Alright, this post is completely original, no more recycling. For now at least. Today, I am cleaning the house because it is absolutely disgusting. Brian and I have been so busy this week that nothing has been done. It's so nice to have a clean kitchen again.

Every week I make a calendar. On my calendar I put what we're having for dinner on that day and a couple of chores that I would like to get done. For the most part, I've been pretty good about sticking to it, but this week has been crazy. Brian and I have been taking care of his parent's house while they've been away, we went to a Republican fundraising party to spy (because we are absolutely not Republican), I have been working like crazy at work because the company was sold and everything needed to be finished by Friday. And of course, I've been getting ready for Halloween, because it is my favorite holiday and I had many plans for the kids.

I took Friday off to get the kids' costumes finished and take them around to see grandma, and aunt Kristina, and the people at my work. The kids enjoyed passing out Halloween treat bags to my co-workers. They were only given a couple of pieces of candy in return, but the excitement of the day was to hand treat bags to a bunch of adults. The adults also appreciated the gesture. They were all crowding around the kids and speaking with them about their Halloween plans. It was actually enjoyable. I thought it may turn into a fiasco. Three kids and me by myself, but they were wonderful. Angel like you might say.

Friday night we also carved pumpkins, had a special Halloween dinner and I made a rice crispy treat spider (which didn't turn out very well aesthetically). After that we watched The Shining. Very scary. I know--we let the kids watch , but I really think they liked it. There are some parts I would have preferred they not see, but it's not all the gory. I would categorize it in the thriller department. That's not so bad, right?

Saturday we dressed the kids up again and took them to Boo at the Zoo. It's really fun and the kids love going. It's funny though, you don't see very many animals. I think most are hiding away because it's fricking cold. But they have pumpkin bowling and face painting and trick or treating. Plus, the kids get to see each other in their costumes. Riley was an army man, Darby was a fairy princess, and Jordan was Captain Hook. I may be a tad bit biased, but they were the best costumed kids there. A little has to do with the fact that my mom sews their costumes every year and she does an amazing job. Seriously, it's amazing. And yes there will be pictures. I just need to get on it.

Afterwards, I had to take Riley and Darby back to their dad's so he could spend some Halloween time with them. Jordan stayed with us one more night and then went to his mom's Halloween evening. That gave Brian and I a chance to stay in and pass out candy. The kids that came to the door were adorable. Especially the little ones. I love them. There was one dressed as Scream. He couldn't have possibly been more than three years old. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen.

I love Halloween.