Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Considering how often I've been online since before Christmas, I'm assuming the trend will probably continue until after this school break is over and life gets back to normal. So, I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and that you enjoy the coming New Year full of family and friends! :)

I love my husband

I love him for many reasons of course, but guess what - he figured out what my speakers were doing and made them work again! YAY! I know you all were freaking out with me, so I thought I'd assuage your fears and anxieties by letting you know.

I can listen to my playlists again! :)

And another reason why I love my husband: he drove me to work today. It's totally snowing (hallelujah!), and early in the morning, and he got up anyway and drove me. :) I truly don't mind driving in the snow, but it was nice not to have to worry about it.

And then we get to go for a night away in a fancy hotel, because in October we listened to a long and ridiculous pitch about, um, you know I can't even remember. Vacation something or other (like timeshares, only not). We just went for the free night's stay and a $25. Yeah, we mooched. And decided never to do it again. But we are going to enjoy this while it's here anyway! :)

Boo Hoo.

MY IPOD SPEAKERS ARE BROKEN AND I CAN'T LISTEN TO MY CHRISTMAS MUSIC DOWNSTAIRS ANYMORE.
:(
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Ok. Freaking out done. I'll just have to figure out how to play it on my...wait a sec. I can just move my laptop with my itunes on it downstairs where I can hear it! Whew. Immediate problem solved.

I'll just have to deal with those dang speakers later. >:)

A tree, a tree, oh what a sight to see!

I just realized I never posted a picture of our Christmas tree! So, ta da! Here it is in all its glory!

Done!

I have one last stop to make before Christmas, and it will be more of a date with my husband than shopping for presents (although it sort-of is that too...). But besides that, I'm all ready! Now I can just look forward to Christmas and enjoy all of the great holiday gatherings and activities going on in the next two weeks, one of which I don't have to work in either. YAY! I figure that's cause for celebrating. :)

Wicked

Um, I have been trying to buy tickets online and on the phone, and I can't get into anything. AARGH! I planned to surprise my husband (who has never seen it) with tickets for Christmas, but to no avail.

I'll keep trying, but my gut feeling tells me they are already sold out. I'm not surprised, just disappointed.

(sigh)

It'll come again, and when it does, I'll be ready! :)

De ja what?

So, do you ever have those moments when something triggers a memory that you are not sure is real? For example, I just saw an advertisement for the Las Vegas Bowl (BYU vs. Arizona football), and I remembered someone telling me how excited they were to go. But I can't remember who. Or when I had this conversation. And my initial thought when I think back on that is (unfortunately you're about to find out how calloused I am), "Why would I care?" But of course that all depends on who it was I was talking to, because if it was my brother, or one of my neat blogger friends, I would be really excited. But if it was the waiter at Olive Garden from the other night, I wouldn't really care a whole lot and would wonder why in the world he was telling me this.

Thus, I conclude it must have been part of a dream, in which case all the rules change and it doesn't matter a whole lot.

At least, I hope it doesn't. I would hate to get to heaven just to find out this is the key I need to get in, and I just passed it all off as a silly dream.

The Holiday rush is here!

Yikes! This is our first Christmas together, and my first Christmas as the matron of my own home, which means...Christmas at our home depends a lot on ME. I'm having fun with it, but at the same time, my mind is reeling with all of the big and little things that I find on my list (both the "to do" and the "to attend" list). Work party tonight and one Wednesday night, family parties (those have the majority), friend parties and celebrations, etc. (And honestly, I'm looking forward to every single event!) And then there's the shopping, decorations, cards, gifts, wrapping, pictures, etc. Did I forget anything? I hope not. I especially hope I remember where I hid all of my gifts. I know I put yours somewhere...

P.S. It's snowing right now. :) :) :)

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!

PLEEEEAAASSSE!!!!??!!!! I mean, come on! December just isn't December without all of that white fluffy goodness. No, not the marshmallows, (although they are quite nice in hot chocolate) but the white, fluffy, wet, cold, beautiful, silent moisture (yes, I did just use the word moisture) that falls from the sky during this time of year. Or at least, it is SUPPOSED to. I don't know what's up!

So I sing a little extra of that Christmas song and even insert it into my prayers (just a little) and hope for the weather to follow the vibes I'm sending out.

hello?



Snowflakes?



You are welcome anytime.



anytime.



no, really.

Gifts of Love

My original idea for this post was an expression of my feelings and frustration over some changes and the normal (but sometimes painful) steps to progression of life. But then I read a letter written by my dad to my missionary brother (yay Aaron and the Tokyo Japan mission!). If anyone has anything to complain about, he does. But did he? No. Instead I read his wonderful letter full of thanksgiving and love, and I no longer want to complain. Instead, let me attempt to pass along that truly beautiful spirit to you.

I am so grateful for: a loving family continually supporting, feeding, serving, and being an example to me, including my new family of in-laws; a brother diligently serving the Lord and sharing his testimony every day; another brother preparing to serve next year and doing all he can to be righteous and fulfill his responsibilities (they are really all like that, actually); and another brother with his sweet and very forgiving girlfriend, and their happiness together; my incredible husband without whom I would be lost; living prophets and apostles; a personal relationship with my savior, Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven; marriage and eternal families; my unborn child; great friends who put up with me and whom I can always talk (or blog) to; extended family and their friendship and love; rain that falls and snow that turns everything white; purity; faith; love and charity; trees that give shade, and especially those that bring forth fruit (yum!); plentiful gardens of flowers, vegetables, and more fruit; :); humor; and so many other things.

I know the power of love and faith, and the blessings that come from living those virtues. May you also find this knowledge today! :)

Happy Thanksgiving! And More!

Ok, I started out pretty well, but then went out of town. But Thanksgiving was wonderful up at our little cabin in Island Park, Idaho. The "new" part was built in 1946, and the original part was built in 1921. So fun, and so full of memories.

I might not get on here for a day or two, as this week is finals week for hubby, and he has first dibs on the computer. :) But I'm still here!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TIME! I put the lights on our tree yesterday. Pictures coming.

Frequency

So, at this get-together (see previous post) I promised to post more often.

Three posts in less than ten minutes! I'm on a roll!

Fun Get-togethers!

I had so much fun meeting old friends and new blogger friends yesterday evening! Good food, great company and conversation, good advice and it was pretty much a good couple of hours. We ate Cafe Rio (or, we ate AT Cafe Rio...), then broused through Old Navy. I bought a shirt, that I later realized would be huge on me. Good thing I'm pregnant; maybe I'll fit into it better in a few months. :) But hey, it was $6.

Girls, thanks for the fun! We'll have to gather again sometime.

Chinese Movie Make-overs

So, in class we were watching "Peter Pan" in Mandarin. The voices were dubbed in (is that the correct terminology...?), but there was something particularly different about this movie. ("'The Lion King' video worked out just fine, why does this one seem so strange?") I couldn't quite put my finger on it until it came to the pirate part. The background music distinctly came from "The Little Mermaid." You know at the beginning, when the sailors are singing, and then later when Ariel sees Eric for the first time...yeah, that music was playing at Hook and Smee talked about finding Peter Pan. I guess they didn't like the original score, and decided that both parts dealt with being on a ship, so... (Can you sense my shrugging shoulders and raised eyebrow?) Hm. I think next time I'll make sure I have Mulan available...

Tribute

She always had a bright smile for me,
and a tight hug too.
Her hands worked miracles
with colors and cloth, thread and needles.
She could whip up a creative casserole
and it'd taste like the best food ever!
Her patience and long-suffering gave her
wisdom. Lots of it.
She deserves this rest and peace now,
and hope she tells grandpa "hi" for me.

I love you Aunt Kara!

In memory of Kara Jean Holmes Hoopes, died November 19, 2008 after a long battle with colon cancer.

Ta da!

Look what I made! Ok, ok, so I had a little help...

The yellow smudge should really say "baby," but our camera is a little old, and doesn't like to focus. But it's not that different from the original anyway. Baby Saunders is almost 11 weeks old, has a strong heartbeat, and is growing bigger all the time!

Yay for adding to the family! :) And yay for decreasing morning sickness! (I went all day yesterday without throwing up; of course, maybe the three times this morning discounts that...)

Looking Forward

News to come in the next post! And hopefully pictures (if I can get the old camera to work...). So stay tuned!! :)

Just a note

Don't worry, it won't be huge. I just want to express my joy at elections being OVER!!! And although I don't particularly like the outcome (ok, honestly, I'm not sure I would have liked any outcome that the choices presented), I do have to express respect for our President elect and his pretty awesome acceptance speech. Frankly, it's the general voice and desires of the American public that I worry about!

Yay!

Yay for snow and Christmas and Thanksgiving (yes, I tend to group them all together...). We woke up this morning to 2-3 inches, and it was still accumulating. Of course, it's stopped by now, but I had to scrape my car 3 times before finally driving off to work!! Crazy, huh? I love it. :)
Just like I love these yummy ginger snap cookies I'm munching on right now.

Pictures!

Two posts in a row - it's your lucky day!!

I've been meaning for a while to put this link up, because I just don't have the patience or stamina right now to load all of the pictures we have. So, ladies and gentlemen, after three whole months of waiting anxiously (I'm sure), here is the link to see Megan and Jared's wedding photos! (at least the photographer's favorites) I promise more to come, because we had some awesome family members taking photos, but those I actually need to download - so stay tuned!

What a Joke

Ok, I just have to have a personal crazy soapbox moment and say, Cloris was finally voted off Dancing with the Stars!!! YAY!!!! She's cute and all, but come on - an 82-year-old woman?!? Whose stupid idea was that anyway? She turned the dance floor into a joke, and for those of us who actually watch the show for the DANCING, it was almost painful to watch her.

So, Hallelujah, we can finally get back to the real competition. (ok, ok, as real as that show gets...) :)

Ha ha, now you all know what I do in my "free" time (any time is actually stolen, I think). Don't laugh too hard. :P

Sharing

It's important to learn how to share. Especially when you only have one internet hook up in the house and your husband needs it to do his homework and since he is home everyother day now in order to do said homework, he gets it most of the time. I know, it's just homework - who ever does THAT anymore? But, I graciously relented computer time, and get to fill my days working and writing posts in my head. Too bad you'll never get to see those; hah!

Wait, wait, don't leave! I guess I'll put some of them up. The ones I can remember at least...I promise!

I'm Alive!!

Yeah, I know you were all wondering. I have to admit, sometimes so was I. But it's true, I really am alive and glad to be so. :) (note: No, I really didn't go through any life-threatening situations, unless you count throwing up everyday.)

So, things I haven't posted this whole week: I love fall colors and the crisp spicy fall weather. I love my husband - he totally made a delicious dinner last night (spinach lasagna and garlic bread!) while I lay on the couch and read a book. Birthdays for the in-laws (a sister and a brother); hm...gift ideas, gift ideas? New position for hubby - he now gets 3 days off to do homework (or just spend more time with me...:)). My aunt is dying; I don't think I'm going to be able to make it to her funeral (in Arizona).

That's about how things have been this week. I promise to come back and visit more often. :)

weekends

I think my weekends are busier than any other time. But they are usually filled with the nice kind of busy - family activities, dates, cleaning the house (well, ok it's not fun, but it's nice when it's done -!), shoveling snow...

what?

you don't usually shovel snow in October?

Oh. Weird.

I do. But that's only because I live in Utah, known for its unpredictable and crazy weather. It's a good thing I love snow. I almost broke out the Christmas music, but decided to at least wait until after Halloween. :)

Just because

I feel like I need more posts on here, but I have no idea what to write about. I'm sure something will pop out of my brain and I'll suddenly look and voila! A full, beautiful post will appear just how I want it.





anytime.





tick,

tick,

tick,

tick,

tick...





Well, I'm sure there's some good excuse floating around somewhere. My dog ate my brain? If only I had a dog. I do have some lovely pill bugs in the backyard.

Pill bugs ate my brain!

Or maybe it's just this I-FEEL-LIKE-I'M-GOING-TO-HURL-SO-I-SHOULD-PROBABLY-EAT-SOMETHING-BUT-NOTHING-SOUNDS-GOOD feeling. Yeah, that could be it.



So, I apologize for this nothingness of a post. But hey, I made you look. :P

blznkd

So, of all the randomness, what is it with word verification? Yes, I can type, and I can usually read anything...(Pronunciation is another thing. We just won't go there.) So why do I have to prove it?

Sheesh.

Conference Weekend!!

So, I love Conference weekend. I so love conference weekend. I love so conference weekend. I love conference so weekend. I love conference weekend so. :)

Couldn't sleep a wink

ugh.

time for a nap.

oh wait, I have to work.

ugh.

STUCK!

I'm stuck. No, not in some pit of gray ooze (or purple, green, pink, orange, or black), but in a book. You see, the binding was broken, so I decided to fix it with some super glue. Yes, you can probably guess what happened then. But you'd be wrong. I let it sit like it should, and it dried fine. The problem came when I picked it up to read again; now I can't seem to do anything else! My poor husband came home to find ramen noodles for dinner and me sitting on the couch reading. I didn't even update my blog. (*gasp!* I know!) Good thing it is my husband's favorite series so he totally understands. And besides, I plan to get him back by making him read mine too. :)

Chinese blog!

I must be getting into this blogging thing; I just created a blog for my Chinese class. The post usually won't have much of interest unless you are in my classes, but if you are interested in anything Chinese, I have pictures, links to helps, and other info. If you have anything that you feel would be useful on there too, just let me know!

Weekends are great!

I can't believe what a full weekend this has been, and I've been writing blogs about it in my head. Too bad they'll just never make it to the page; this one will have to do instead. I feel like posts are a lot like jokes - timing is everything, and once the chance passes, it's just tacky to bring it back to the forefront.

Anyway, my awesome weekend. So, we went out Friday night...to the circus! I was excited to go out with my hubby, despite being a little skeptical about the whole circus thing. But it was surprisingly fun! It was one of those entertainment programs where you can't help but react. (I mean, come on, 7 people riding motorcycles in a big metal ball that shouldn't really fit more than two at the same time - that's impressive!) And I did enjoy watching the elephants, horses, trapeze artists, and scantily-clad women...oh wait, that last one was what I didn't enjoy. (sigh) There always has to be something, eh?

And then I think Saturday topped it all: the General Relief Society Broadcast!!!!! :) It's always amazing how much enlightenment, revelation, guidance, and peace comes from listening to those who act as the Lord's mouthpieces here on earth, and to feel that confirmation of the truth as you listen. AWESOME. There's just no other word for it. And they always seem to say exactly what I need to hear at that time. Hooray for a God who knows and loves His children, no matter how many mistakes we make. :) If you missed it, don't cry. You can still go online to lds.org and listen to it there! (yes, this is me trying to get you to go to the website; hopefully you will find more helpful and uplifting things than just the broadcast...hehehe)

Mm-mm Good!

I love this season, when the leaves start celebrating, the air cools down to a comfortable level, and we get to harvest stuff like zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, onions, tomatoes, pumpkins, tomatoes, and...oh yeah! More tomatoes! It's a good thing I like them so much. They are pretty versatile as well - adds great flavor to any other vegetable, and you can boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew. Wait a second. Maybe that's potatoes. Well, for all of you wondering, it works with tomatoes too. And today I did the best thing EVER with them: made yummy soup! Canned it to be exact, so this stuff will last for years - or it would if I didn't eat it so much. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

(that's supposed to be a fabulous picture of ripe juicy red tomatoes, but it wouldn't agree to my terms. I guess I'll have to go rework that picture contract again. Hmph. Greedy images.)

S. O. S.

So Outrageously Saunders, or maybe Swing Out with the Saunders (or Samba, or Salsa, or any "S" dance); Saunders Of Salem would work too, except we're not from or living in Salem. Oh well. SO Saunders - basically, S. O. S. could stand for anything, which is a major reason why I chose it. That, and the fact I could always use help; it's just too hard to go through life without it. :) And I'm wondering what you thought, or think it should, stand for. I know you are all much more clever than I, and so I appeal to you - SOS! I need help coming up with some good ideas!

I Give Up!

Or rather, in. You win. I finally decided to create a blog. "Oh come on, it's not that bad," you say; "in fact it's rather fun!" Yeah, and addicting. That would be why I'm doing it, because there are some truly awesome blogs out there, and I've found myself drawn into the whole scene and wishing I had a blog for my family (although, let's face it, there's just no way I can live up to the high bar that's been set. But that's ok, I'll just set my own. So there.:p). As part of that new bar I'm setting (don't worry, it's completely alcohol free) there will be a slight learning curve, and thus probably a lack of pictures and cute stuff at first; please be patient. And thus it is. Here I am, and my darling husband, and we'll just see where this whole thing takes us!