Elfed again with my cute Elf friends!

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I've been Elfed with my friends, Ashley, Kiki, Merrilynne & Christine

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Solid Gold

Someone recently asked me, "When you were younger, what did you want to be?" I have been asked this question many times and I always give the same answer, except I think people think I am joking when I give my answer. I AM serious. I had no illusions of being a nurse, teacher, doctor, President or a mommy. I really did want to be a Solid Gold Dancer (Yes, I know, I am dating myself)! For those of you who don't know what a Solid Gold dancer is....behold the power of YouTube!!


When Ryan was in Preschool he wanted to be a "Jelly Bean Worker"
Last week Brennan told me he wants to be a "Vegetarian" when he grows up and eat lots of vegetables.
What did you want to be?

Our Date

Saturday night: Ed was at a work function, Ryan was at a birthday party, and Brennan and I were on a date. We went to see Bolt in 3D. Look how cool we look!!!

GEEK ALERT!!!

Yo - 3
Nissa - 3
Ed - 2
Chad - 1
That is the number of times we've seen Twilight. Ed and I and our friends Chad and Nissa went on a double date last night to see Twilight. It was Chad's first time and he has never read the books and he liked it. The movie is growing on me.

Calling all Blogger Experts

So I have changed my background to a more December friendly background using Cutest Blog on the Block, but I can not figure out how to change the color of the text boxes, they are coming up brown. I think that is a remnant from the Blogger backgrounds. Does anyone know how to change the text boxes? Help!?!

Twilight Redeemed

I was one of the crazies that was there for the Midnight showing of Twilight last week. The movie made me laugh...it was a little corny.
I was disappointed. I heard from some people that had watched it twice say that it was better the second time around. So I decided to give it another shot. On Tuesday, my friend Nissa and I went to see it again. Apart from Edward's red lips, his hairy arms and chest, his lack of stylish dressing (hello, where were the turtlenecks?) and Jasper's expressions....it wasn't as bad the second time around. Now I can sleep better at night.

2 Visits from the Tooth Fairy

On Friday morning, I woke up to Brennan standing by my side of the bed and holding out a fallen tooth. This is pretty exciting since it is a first for Brennan. That night, the Tooth Fairy brought a $1 John Adams golden coin that she had been saving for such an event.

The next day Brennan woke and was very excited to get a "gold" coin. That night, Brennan had another tooth come out. The tooth fairy stressed out because she didn't have a special coin and wasn't prepared for 2 visits in a row. She searched and searched her fairy castle and was able to secure a $1 Sacagawea golden coin. Whew!!!......The Tooth Fairy has a tough job!

From the Political to the Frivolous

9 more days until the Twilight Movie Premiere. I heard on the news last night that tickets are all sold out across Utah for the premiere. Glad I got mine!!!!

Yes, We Can! - Si, Se Puede!

It's the Little Things Part II

Following up on my last post, here is the 3rd thing I am really excited about...

I just got the Kindle, wireless reading device. You can download books, magazines, newspapers and blogs right onto the Kindle from Amazon. Super excited!!!!!

It's the Little Things

This is really quite silly. But, I am super excited about two thing right now. So here goes item #1...

I have always wanted to get dinner plate chargers to set a nice table for special occassions, but have never gotten around to getting any. This week I got the circular from Bed, Bath & Beyond where they were advertising 6 chargers for $9.99. So I thought, "wow, that sounds like a good deal, I'll buy 2 sets and use my $5 off coupon". I go to BBB today and I'm looking at them and I think, "do I really need these? No, I'm going to pass, I shouldn't spend the money". I'm looking around some more because I like to "window shop" and behold in the clearance section are almost the identical chargers, sold individually. The are regularly priced at $4.99, marked down to $1.99, then 50 per cent off the lowest marked price. I get 12 for $1 each, plus I use my $5 off coupon. Hooray. I have a set of chargers. Sillly, I know, but it's the little things.

Item #2

Check out these cute boots my mom got me:

Playgoup Fun

I just love the boys, Jake and Josh, from Brennan's playgroup. These boys are the best. Today was our day to host and the boys carved a pumpkin and made a little craft. I just had to post these cute pictures of them hard at work.

Fall Break in San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico

We love the beach, but Brennan refuses to get into the ocean, too much Shark Week on Discovery Channel. This is a first!
Me, relaxin' with my Dad on the beach. Doing absolutely nothing but watching the kids.

I love it!!!

This is a shot I got before the sun came up over the horizon. It was beautiful. I was by myself, lost in my thoughts, enjoying this wonderful view.

My brother Luis and Brennan.

Ryan with my brother Fernando and nephew, Elias.

My brothers, Fernando and Luis.

Elias, Brennan and Angie

Brennan practicing writing his name on the sand.

This is Ryan getting out of my brother's truck. They went out to buy fireworks and my brothers let Ryan DRIVE!!!!! On the road...in Mexico.....I was a little freaked. They said he even passed a police car!!!!

I feel bad, I don't have any pictures of my mom. She was probably cooking all that yummy food. Thanks mom, dad, Luis and Fernando for the great vacation. We are loving this beach vacation tradition. Love you guys!

Caught on the Wii

I have to post this. This is Brennan playing on the Wii Fit. I've tried to catch him before but he hates it.

National Public Radio

Last week being Fall break the boys and I went on a road trip to California, then Mexico. Part of our 10 1/2 hour drive was filled with National Public Radio (NPR). I gotta say, I love NPR and I miss it. Back in my career days, when I had a 45 minute drive into downtown Denver, I would listen to NPR every weekday. My head was filled with random tidbits of information that I often found very useful. My colleagues were amazed by my knowledge on all sorts subjects, my sentences would often begin with, "I heard an interesting story on NPR this morning...". I was exposed to different types of music through their artist profiles, I heard differing views on many subjects and heart wrenching stories on people.

As you can imagine, currently there are a lot of stories on NPR focusing on the national and global economy. There was even a story on how to talk to your children about the economy and your personal financial situation. This opened up a great topic of conversation for the boys and I. They asked questions about how the economy affects us and our family. It was great to get that opportunity to discuss with them something that had been pressing on my mind. Thanks NPR, I feel smarter already.

Dodger Blues

Today being Game 1 of the World Series, I am reminded with great sadness the Dodger let down of last week, as they did not make it to the World Series. Earlier this year, I told Ed that I wanted to get back to my roots and made a commitment to follow the Los Angeles Dodgers this year. Having grown up part of my childhood in Los Angeles, my dad and as a result my brothers and I were big Dodger fans. We watched baseball all the time. It was our religion. It's been two consecutive disappointing baseball years, last year the Colorado Rockies, this year the LA Dodgers :-(

Curse you BlackBerry!!!!

No, I'm not talking about the yummy rubus fructicosus:

I am talking about this devil, the BlackBerry, otherwise known as the CrackBerry:

This is an excerpt from National Public Radio (NPR): A lingo has sprung up around the devices, with heavy users calling themselves "Crackberry" addicts, referring to the highly addictive form of cocaine. The surreptitious glance downward, head bowed, to check for e-mail during a meeting is referred to as a "Blackberry prayer." While many users say Blackberries make them more efficient, some researchers -- and some spouses, as well -- say the wireless devices offer their owners new ways to distract themselves, often annoying others in the process (January 25, 2005).
Sad to report I am one of those spouses referred to by NPR. I don't even know what else to say on the matter, other than, "I am freakin annoyed!!!" Any one have any ideas on how to stage an "intervention?"

Darn Dancer's Pose

For those of you who know me, you know that I have been practicing Yoga off and on for many years and that I am an aspiring wanna-be Yogi . I have never had a bad experience with yoga until Thursday night while I was at my yoga class. I was in the middle of Dancer's Pose when I started to feel a kink in my back, it came out of nowhere, and I was surprised because I have done this pose hundreds of other times and I didn't feel like I was pushing myself. I asked myself, "what could have caused this"? and I realized that my water intake was zero that day. I don't know if that is the reason, but I do know that you can be more prone to injury if you are dehydrated. The result.... I have been in pain almost all weekend with a pulled muscle. Reminder to self, drink more water!

Ode to the Peach Shake

Have you ever had the Peach Shakes from Taco Amigo? Yum...................... oh sorry, I lost my concentration. They are pretty incredible. For those of you not familiar with the Taco Amigo Peach Shake, please, allow me to explain. The peach shake is a seasonal menu item at Taco Amigo because they use fresh peaches. Taco Amigo claims that they peel the peaches within hours of having a shake made for you. I have found that the later you go in the season, the better the shakes are because the peaches are riper and tastier. I discovered the Taco Amigo peach shake last year, on the very last day they were serving them. I dreamt about the Peach Shake all fall, winter, spring and summer and was glad to see when the Taco Amigo marquis sign announced the return of the Peach Shake. I have to admit that I had 4 Peach Shakes this season (not all at the same time, @1/week), each one successively becoming tastier. Yesterday was the last day of the yummy Peach Shakes at Taco Amigo. My friend Diane, who is obsessed, no, a peach freak, called me up and reminded me that it was the last day. She was so kind as to bring me my last Peach Shake of the season. I am deeply indebted to her. Thanks Diane!! We were just about to solve the US economic crisis over our Peach Shakes.

Farewell Peach Shake, until next year.

Decorating Nightmare

I need your help and opinion...please!!!! I am helping Ed decorate the Therapeutic Boarding School and Home he is opening. Everything is going pretty well and I really like and somewhat enjoy decorating, but there is one room that I am stumped on. I am at a loss at what direction to go. This is a picture of the Foyer. This is the first thing you see when you walk in the front door. The problem is the stinkin floor. The floors in the foyer are marble white and black tiles. The white has light veins of burgundy in them. The walls are burgundy. The finish work, trims, baseboards are white. As you walk in the door there are stairs going to the right and left with natural wood banisters. The room is deep, but only 15 feet 8 inches wide, so the furniture has to be a smaller scale because to the right and left it is a traffic way, doors going into different areas of the home which are not shown in the picture. The floor transitions to bamboo in one room, travertine in another and also carpet, not consistent at all. I have received differing opinions, most everyone says I have to go contemporary because of the black and white tiles. The home is far from contemporary, the outside is a French Country/Italian Villa look. Do I have to go with black furniture? Originally we placed a dark brown/espresso colored couch, with 2 club chairs of the same color and leather. It looks ok, but I'm not convinced. We found this really cute settee. The wood is a very dark brown, but not black. The fabric are different prints, one being a leopard print, super cute, but not sure if it will fit in because of the dark brown wood. If we go with the settee, should we get 2 settees and have them face each other? If we go with one settee, we need two chairs, but what kind of chairs and fabrics do we pair this multicolored settee with? Any suggestions or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Foyer

Settee
Club chair in leather/dark brown

Brennan Turns 6

Brennan's Birthday was a success. We asked him what he wanted to do and he said he wanted to bring a birthday treat to his classmates, go to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch, The Mayan Adventure for dinner, and have cake and presents with his family. That's exactly what we did. Brennan, we are so lucky and blessed to have you in our life. You make us smile and laugh. You make us be in awe and wonder at the things you think about and the things you say. We think you are pretty COOL! Thanks for being born.

Brennan at School

The best part....PRESENTS
Cake Time
At the Mayan

The Proper Care & Feeding of a Teenager

A week and a half ago was Ryan's 13th Birthday. I can't believe it, I officially have a teenage son! When I was younger I thought only old people had teenagers. I am happy to report, that it is not the case. I still feel young and feel like the best is yet to come. As my friend Kiki says, "My spirit doesn't match my body", or something like that....
Okay, so here is the situation. What is up with teenage boys? How is it that I ask an open-ended question and Ryan manages to answer in a yes or no? Why is it that I have to ask, what did you say? about 4 times, before I can piece together a coherent sentence amidst the mumbles? How does a teenager manage to forget what I said 1 minute ago, yet remember anything concerning his cell phone? I hope I survive the teenage years!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN -- I LOVE YOU (even if you are a teenager)

The Blogger that wouldn't post--that's me!

This is actually pretty funny. I have a million, okay that's an exaggeration, more than a dozen of blog posts that are still in draft mode. I want to blog about something, I start, go on and on, save it as a draft because I want to tweak it or find the right picture, want to make sure I don't embarass my family and then when I finally think I can get back to it, it's old news. So, I'm clearing my drafts and am going for it. So I apologize in advance to my family for any embarassment I may cause, my English teachers for bad grammar and spelling, any one I may offend during some kind of tirade about something. Note that I am a night owl, I stay up til at least 1 am each night, I think I'm thinking straight, but after reading some of my drafts I have to ask myself, "What was I thinking?" So please comment if you find yourself asking, "What was SHE thinking?"

Take the Quiz here!

First Day of Kindergarten

It is done....my baby goes to Kindergarten. This is indeed a milestone.

Ryan - You are Rad (that is a word from the 80's meaning Cool, Awesome, Radical)

The Other Callahans'

We had a fun weekend at Grandpa Dale and Grandma Mary's house. We got to visit with Ed's Brother and my sister-in-law, Donna and their grown kids, Chad and Natalie. We don't get to see them as much as we would like because they live in Arizona. Chad is just off his mission and wants to get married, I am currently taking applications :-) Both Chad and Natalie are amazing young adults and are students at the University of Arizona.
Ryan had fun blowing up stuff, Brennan collected frogs, snakes and toads. The food was yummy, thanks Mary! And thanks Grandpa Dale for driving everyone around on the boat.

Chad and Ryan

Natalie and her Prince Charming!

Brennan the Reptile Collector

The Day at Sweitzer Lake, Colorado

Ryan, Natalie & Uncle John
Chad
Natlalie and Brennan
A Little Brotherly Arm Wrestling
Ed - Hot Stuff!!

Brennan's New Buddies

Summer is coming to a close, so that means one last hurrah for Brennan at Thanksgiving Point Gardens in Lehi. Brennan starts Kindergarten at the end of the month, so we went to the Gardens with 2 of his classmates, Josh and Jake and their moms. Brennan knows Josh because he is the brother of one of Ryan's friends, but he didn't know Jake. The boys got on great and I had fun visiting with the mom's, nothing like interacting with other adults. It also gives me peace of mind that Brennan will have some buddies in school. Jake, Josh & Brennan
Water Fun!!!
Chillin Out - Brennan, Josh & Jake
Warming Up!

All Good Things Must Come to an End

So this weekend was awesome. The boys went to Bear Lake for the weekend. I wasn't invited (that's a whole other story). They left on Friday and I was a "cleaning machine". I cleaned my whole house, organized things I've been putting off, washed all the sheets, washed my car, washed the car mats, spot treated the stains the carpet in the car, got ahead in work, scrubbed toilets, you name it I did it. This is where it gets good..... after my crazy day of cleaning, I went and got a massage, I came home, ate an uninterrupted dinner, watched 2 movies, took a bath, gave myself a facial and read til 3 a.m. My Saturday, was more of the same, watched movies, read some more, worked out, another bath, loaded on more music to my i-tunes. On Sunday, I got ready for church, so peacefully, in the right frame of mind. I didn't yell at any body to hurry it up or fought with my kids who don't want to go to church. I eat when I want to eat (I seriously think my family is making me fat), more reading, watched the Olympics. It was bliss!!!!!! Yes, I missed them, I'm glad they're back, but I feel like I'm ready to tackle life again after a weekend off.

Breaking Dawn

I missed the release party of Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. I was bummed, but I was too tired to get myself ready to go..... then I saw the pictures my friend Linda sent, and I was extremely bummed.
I had been reading all the books again in preparation for reading Breaking Dawn. Over the past couple days, I have read, Twilight, New Moon and finishing up Eclipse. I've read Twilight about 4 or 5 times now. And I am enjoying New Moon and Eclipse better the second time around. I am going to start reading Breaking Dawn tomorrow. I'm exicited. I have been so disciplined. There were some things I wanted to get done around the house before I started reading because I knew that I wouldn't get anything done after that. I have a SUPER major CRUSH on Edward! (I'm too old for this, but my Spirit is soooo young) Whew!!! Seriously, I was out of breath reading Eclipse, Chapter 8 & 20. Some pics of the party I missed :-(

Michelle, Mary, Stacy, Missy, Talina, Melissa & Linda
Linda, so stinkin cute and oraganizer of getting us gals to go.