Christmas Ornament - Our First Christmas

I forgot to post on Saturday.
This has been a really good exercise for me. Today's ornament I had first thought we purchased at Disneyland but as soon as I started typing I remembered, this is from my aunt!
This is our only ornament that says "Our First Christmas" It doesn't have the year but that is all good. It does have a little hole on the bottom so we put a light inside of it and it illuminates from the inside.
I am happy we have a First Christmas Together ornament.

Christmas Ornaments

A few weeks ago I came across a blog where someone was writing about their Christmas ornaments. I thought that would be a fun thing to blog about so for the next few weeks, leading up to Christmas, I am going to blog about my ornaments.
Rick and I were married on December 14th 2006. We headed to Disneyland the next day. We came back a few days before Christmas. We had a wonderful time there and were able to buy LOTS of ornaments. Today I am going to post photos of the first two I decided to buy.
I was unable to find any that had the date on them or said First Christmas so the above one had to do when it came to "First Christmas."

They did however, have an ornament that was all weddingy. I could have put in a photo from our wedding but decided on us at Disneyland. Techinically it was outside California Adventure but we all get the point. My ornaments all mean something to me but these being from our first Christmas being married mean something extra to me.

Happy Birthday Rick ~ Happy Thanksgiving

As most of you know, Rick's birthday was on Thanksgiving this year. I made a chocolate pudding pie from scratch...which for those of you that don't know it means I mixed sugar and starch and egg yolks to make my own pudding then added melted chocolate. It was incredible. I am not a rich chocolate fan and that is what this was. But those who are, told me it was incredible. I also made a cake. A turkey cake.
Notice the arm trying to hold back the wild hoard from blowing out the candles themselves? This was actually only the second thing I have ever decorated using icing tips and all that. I am very proud of how it turned out.
We went to Rick's sister's for dinner and had a great time. We had our 3 nieces, their husbands and their wild bunch of boys and one princess, each and every one we love! I was able to spend some time with the 2 year old and practice putting on lip gloss. When then went by Rick's parents house and hung out with them for a bit. Actually it is more like sitting and chatting with them. 85 year olds don't really hang out.
My aunt and cousin drove in from Kansas and we will probably see her along with my cousin who is going to BYU tonight.
Rick and I hope that everyone had a fun and happy Thanksgiving!

Draper Temple

Last night the lights were on on the Draper Temple. There has only been one other night we are aware of that they have been on. I was so excited I told Rick I needed to drive up there and take some photos. These are untouched up.
As for the Open House and Dedication:

PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE
Thursday, January 15 to Saturday, March 14, 2009 (excluding Sundays)
Tickets are available starting December 1st

RESERVATION CENTER:
801-240-7932 (Salt Lake area)
1-800-537-6181 (Toll free)
http://www.lds.org/reservations/


DEDICATION
Friday, March 20 to Sunday, March 22, 2009 (in 12 sessions)

TEMPLE OPENS
Monday, March 23, 2009

A Funny Thanksgiving Story ~ Well I Think It Is

Many many many moons ago I had a boyfriend I thought I was in love with. (I probably was at the time.) A few days before Thanksgiving he broke up with me. We had been dating for almost a year and he told me that he needed space and time to be with his buddies and space to study for finals. I thought, what a jerk but he broke my heart. He decided to go up to Idaho Falls, where he grew up, to spend Thanksgiving with his friends up there.
One night while there they were at a bar and he ended up "hooking up" with some girl. I know she hung out with him and his friends over the weekend. When he came back, we did get back together, with some conditions but still we were "together" and that is what mattered to me at the time. BUT I needed to know more about this girl. I learned that he had kissed her on her doorstep. I was pissed! I also learned that he kept her phone number in his wallet.
One evening I was at his place and he was in the other room or something, I grabbed his wallet, pulled out the number and took care of it. (This is the funny part.) There was no way I was going to let some IF hussy get to my boyfriend.
I don't think he ever noticed. He never mentioned it to me if he did.

Why do I tell you this story? I was in the kitchen thinking about Thanksgiving and what I have done on Thanksgiving in the past. This Thanksgiving happened to pop into my head and I thought I would just share that story with you all. Basically I am very protective and can be sneaky sneaky if needed.
I am contemplating writing down other Thanksgiving stories but not sure that I feel like taking the time. I have things to do, places to go, people to see...ok not really...sometimes I really do get tired of the computer.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Looking for Employment

Many of you who read my blog already know this but many don't; Rick was laid off last week. I have decided to help him with networking as much as I can that they is what I am doing on here. If you have a good head hunter or know of any jobs out there related to Human Resources, or Operations Management. (I can always send you Rick's resume if you would like.) Any thoughts or connections you might have would be greatly appreciated and we do pray that all of you continue to have employment in your homes.

Do You Bleed Red?

Last Saturday was the big Utah/BYU game. We were invited to a party are our friend Darci's. We didn't know anyone besides Darci and her husband and we had an awesome time! I haven't uploaded the photos I took yet so I just stole these from Darci's blog. Besides, I am not in the ones I took!
We had people rooting for both sides and it was so much fun. I just can't get over what a great time it was.
THANK YOU DARCI and FAMILY!!!

The Tale of Mr Wow

Most of you don't know the old Michele. You really only know the married Michele. Prior to dating Rick, heck even the first few months of dating Rick, Michele dated and she not only dated but she dated a lot. There were weeks where she would go on a date with 3 different guys. Granted there were times in Michele's life where she didn't date. She could go months without a date but when it rained, it poured.
So there was a time when Michele was dating a guy, let's call him Mr Wow because that is what Michele thought at the time and even called him. This guy was smart, seemed down to earth, came from a similar background and heck his family even had money. (He too like Rick when to Cottonwood, just at a different time.) So Michele would hang out with Mr Wow on and off for probably 18 months. A few times here and there. Michele couldn't really figure things out with him so she just did her own thing too. He wasn't ashamed of her, he did take her out in public and introduce her to his friends but he never committed. (Don't worry he wasn't married or anything like that. He just had a commitment problem.)
As time went on Michele got tired of this...even though she still thought he was seriously hot and had great intellectual conversations with him, but seriously, the making out was great. Michele isn't even sure what happened and why they stopped talking but they did. But life went on and fortunately Michele was able to get over him without much heartache. (She also learned at some point that about half the time they were hanging out Mr Wow was high on pot. He admitted to this at some point because he thought of himself being so smart that he "had to smoke pot just to bring himself down to the level of other people. I think this really helped Michele in getting over him.)
Mr Wow had a nephew who happened to be good friends Michele's youngest sister. Michele heard that he had decided to go back to school for his Doctorate in psychology. (We won't even go into the psycho analysis he did of Michele.) She also heard he was getting married. Michele was a bit shocked at this but thought, wow this chick must have something to get him to commit. Good for her. Then Michele forgot all about him.
Years later for some reason Michele happened to have Mr Wow cross her mind. At one point she thought he might be, "the one that got away". One this specific Sunday, Michele was REALLY bored so she decided to google his name. It was ALL over the place. This guy had gone back to school, had taught at this Blue school and had since moved to Florida and was teaching there. Not only did Michele find information from students rating him, which were highly entertaining because people actually mentioned how good looking he was....seriously ~ Who says that their college professor is hot in a public forum? But she also came across his wife's blog which was NOT private. (One more reason to be private, crazy x girlfriends, or boyfriends in my case who want to stalk me.) She had some photos on there as they happened to have had a baby not that long ago. Michele was able to find a photo of Mr Wow on there, but here's the thing...she had to look at more photos just to make sure it was him!
Michele knows that she has gained weight since dating him...like 40 pounds but she also knows she basically looks the same in the face. Not so for him. Mr Wow isn't Mr Wow he's hot any more. He is now Mr Wow has gained a ton of weight and aged! Michele almost felt sorry for him. She thought that maybe he carried all the baby weight for his wife.

The moral of our story...
Stalking can produce great fruits for our labors
Mr Wow isn't always going to be Mr Wow in a good way
Michele's current Mr Wow, has never been Mr Wow, he has always been Mr Perfect for her (And yes he knows about this story and laughed as he know that Michele used to be all over the place)

A Tastee Treat - Chewy Caramel Popcorn

I came across this recipe today and made it for the football party I attended. It was quick easy and mighty tasty.

CHEWY CARAMEL POPCORN BALLS
1/2 of 14 oz. pkg. vanilla caramels 1 tbsp. water 2 tsp. butter 7 c. popped popcorn Combine caramels, water and butter in 4 cups liquid measuring cup. Microwave 1 1/2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Cook popcorn in microwave oven then pour melted caramel over popcorn; mix well. Then shape into balls.

I didn't make balls...just left it all in a big bowl and it worked out well.
Just remember, GO UTES!

Giving Thanks

I have several friends who are really cool and have been writing every day for some time now what they are grateful for in their lives. I thought that this was something really nice to do but rather than doing it everyday I am just going to post this one time. (They are just nicer people that I am I suppose hehehe)

Family
I am grateful for family. My siblings mean the world to me. I am so grateful I have a relationship with my brother where we can just sit and chat. I must admit, I actually talk with him on the phone. (I guess I know I can tell him I am tired of the phone and he doesn't get offended when I want to stop talking.)
Anyway, my point is that I sure love my siblings. I am so very attached to them and don't know what I would do without them.
Extended Family
I have the most incredible extended family ever. They have accepted me as part of the family from day one. I was called Aunt Shel from the very first time I met the nieces. There are so many different family members (Rick is the next to the youngest of 6) and his parents...they are awesome. I am so grateful to be completely accepted and loved by my extended family.

The Gospel
I am grateful for the Gospel for being in my life. It has helped me become who I am. It has helped me over come so many trials and helped me understand why I have trials. I am so grateful that Rick and I were able to be sealed for time and eternity in the Temple.
I could go one and on with specifics but I think one gets the picture.

Technology
This is a very broad range...I am grateful to live in the day and age of modern medicine, (painkillers, anesthesia etc) the age of furnaces and refrigeration. I am grateful for computers and the ability to reconnect with old friends and stay in touch with family and current friends along with the ability to make new friends.

Friends
I am thankful to have the friends who care about me and my well being. I am some incredible friends from my ward and from high school. It is amazing again how technology has made things possible for me to reconnect with these old friends.

My Job
I am thankful to have the job I do. I am blessed to work with wonderful people who want to do what is right in this world. I have been blessed to have the freedom to do the things I have needed to do, such as bed rest, as much as I have needed and be told, Take care of yourself and not once, you need to get back here. (even though I did get the, you are missed and things aren't the same without you here.)

Rick
Yeah I know it is cheesy but it is true. I am very grateful to have Rick in my life. He is a blessing that was worth waiting for. I can't imagine being married to anyone else. He is the most perfect guy out there for me.

Aladdin

I just wanted to share with the world...I sure like the movie Aladdin. Since getting married I don't watch it like I used to. Marissa and I would watch it ALL the time since it is her favorite Disney movie. Whoa ~ Just had a flash back of the first time I saw it. It was kind of a date with a guy from high school. (hehehe NO I didn't make out with him.) His siblings were with us and he was my best friend. We went to the theater that is no longer a theater on Highland and almost 3300 south. You know the one that now has rugs for sale? hahaha I guess that is fitting.

Thank you Disney for having such a great movie on tonight.

Finding a Doctor

A few weeks ago when I had my viability scan and found out that I was not pregnant I had a very interesting aka bad experience with the scan tech and the doctor. I had been going to my dr for 14 years...ok not him personally but that clinic (I saw him once when I was 18 and have been going to the nurse practioner since I was 19). He took so little time and seemed to care so little that Rick decided along with me, that I would no longer be going there. (Don't even get me started on the tech. She was a total Bitch!)
So I need to have an annual done in January and have decided to start it off with a totally new doctor. My what a quest that has been. I asked the fertility clinic to give me their recommendations...
#1. High Rick patients only - I am not high risk
#2. Not taking new patients unless they are already pregnant...well that ain't me
#3. Some guy who has been practicing for 30ish years - he is the only one I found a comment on...overall it was good BUT it did comment that he does not take lots of one on one time and does not seem very thorough. The one on one and taking time...that is part of the issue of the doctor I am leaving.
#4. Not on my insurance

I asked for additional doctors at a different hospital since this list wasn't working. Fortunately one of the doctors listed is the doctor of a good friend of mine. (Thanks D!) I plan to call tomorrow~let's hope they are taking new patients.
I had no idea what a chore this would be. Maddy has been going through the same thing in Oregon. I now feel her pain.
I would like to make it known...my cousin ended up having a really bad time with the same doctor as me and has also changed doctors so it isn't just me being moody. I had no idea how lucky I was to have the same primary care physician since I was 16 and the same ob/gyn since I was 18. Also for the record, I do have a completely awesome dentist!

Up Date on Husband Tag

I was asked...when I first told Rick I loved him...gotta admit, I don't remember. I am thinking it was 3 weeks later. I will have to ask him cause he remembers that kind of stuff. We have a "dispute" about our first kiss. I will tell you this, I totally remember when and where he proposed to me. I think he remembers the exact time though.
As for color blindness...yeah it is cool and sad...my sisters and I used to tease him. One would say the correct color while the other two didn't. Thing is that he never knew which one of us was telling the truth. He can see light and dark. He knows when something is yellow. My favorite is this though...when I am wearing pink he thinks, hmm that looks grey, then the thinks, Michele doesn't wear grey therefore, it is pink.
He LOVES patterns. He picks them out better than anyone I have ever known. It is really rare that you will see Rick in a shirt that is NOT a pattern...

The Husband Tag

1. Where did we meet? While working at CR England

2. How long did we date before we got married? Long time...from Valentine's Day 2005 until December 14th 2006

3. How long have we been married? 2 years next month...have any ideas for our anniversary?

4. What is your favorite feature of his? His butt

5. What is your favorite quality of his? He is SO patient with me

6. Does he have a nickname for you? Shelly Belly Button

7. What is his favorite color? HAHAHA Are you serious? Whatever I tell him his favorite color is! (Rick is TOTALLY color blind, not just this red and green stuff)

8. What is his favorite food? He likes pasta but NOT with creamy sauce

9. When and where was your first kiss? At his apartment

10. What is his favorite sport? NASCAR, Green Bay, Ute Football, whatever is on... To play...Tennis

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? Hang out and have Rick make me giggle

12. Do you have any children? Nope

13. Does he have a hidden talent? Rick is very good at reading people and knowing how to deal with them

14. How old is he? I plea the 5th on his behalf but his birthday is coming up on Thanksgiving!

15. Who said "I love you" first? Totally Rick...I told him I wish I could say it back but I can't.

16. What is his favorite type of music? Classic Rock, NO Country

17. What do you admire most about him? His ability to access the situation and make the best of it while keeping me happy.

Michele and Babies

I was hanging out with some friends last night...one of which has the cutest little 5 month old. He has all sorts of hair and looks so serious. He also appeared to be a cuddle bug. I wouldn't know...I didn't hold him. It isn't that I am afraid of babies or any of that...I remembered when we got home that in reality I haven't head a child under the age of one (other than my niece Katie) in more than a year now. It isn't that I really don't want to BUT they don't like me!
Seriously...it started last year at church one day. I asked to hold a child who was 6 months old. His mom was sitting next to me and instantly - I am not talking 5 or 10 second but INSTANTLY the child started to cry. This then happened again with the next 4 or 5 babies. I don't know what it is. I used to hold babies all the time and they liked me.
Here is the thing, it isn't that these children have to be with their mommies. They go to Rick just fine. Seriously...kids love Rick. It doesn't matter what age either. They all love him. Katie would smile at Rick LONG before she smiled at me. Little Jimmy her big brother always says, HI Shel, Where's Rick? It is the standard greeting.
I really don't mind. I actually think it is kinda funny now. I know someday when I have children that I won't have problems afterall I will be the cafeteria. They will have to like me but until then, if you have children and I don't hold them, just know that it is for the well being of the child and all around...I just don't want them to start crying!