Yeah, Erin Did It!

 

(whenever I cheer in my head "yeah, i/you did it!" i picture porter doing this little cheer again.)

I am officially and in every way exhausted. But you know what? I don't care! I managed to finish my 32 hour foster parenting course, move homes, and expand my work duties, survive the month of February, and help assist with my aunt's mission departure. 

But mostly I'm just proud of myself for finishing my foster parenting course. 32 hours in one month is a big commitment. Seriously. I'm really looking forward to getting my life back. 

The course has been worth it. The trainer for the class was really amazing. I'd recommend taking the class from Liz any day. We learned quite a bit about abuse, diversity, child development, this whole crazy fostering and adopting process, and more. The most important thing we learned was that no two children are the same, some people will come from situations and backgrounds you can't even big to fathom, and that every child deserves a loving and understanding home. And that if you can't be open-minded enough and still loving enough to give them that home, you shouldn't try. (If I hear one more story about parents or foster parents or kin that treated their own children better than the foster child, I will seriously go on a rampage. If you want to argue that you have to take care of/provide for your own/love your own first, and then tend to the foster child, you have no business being a foster parent. All you have done is yet again reinforce in the foster child's mind that they are a third rate citizen. This is what the classes have done to me. They have caused my brain to be on a constant argument setting against people I don't even know (yet).)

Anyway, I made it. They told us at the beginning that about 50% of our class would drop out, and most of them would drop out after the sexual abuse class. And sure enough, that is what happened. Tonight out of approximately 50 original people in the class, only about 15 "graduated." I think all but 4 of the 15 are doing "kinship care" and therefore have a more pressing reason to hurry up and get licensed. 

Now I just have a lot of paperwork to finish up, bedrooms to supply and set up, and lots of major life changing events to look forward to. 

But first, I'm going to bed early. Just because I can.

Funniest.Kid.Conversation.Ever.

Today was another great day out with my "Little" from the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. We had a great time together as always. On our way home we were singing along to a CD. And as she likes to do, she kept hitting repeat and playing her favorite song over and over. When she does this we joke around that there is a ghost in the car that is controlling the CD player.
Also, you'll need to know that today she was wearing a little toy tiara or crown that she made a few months ago.

Me (right after "the ghost" had hit repeat again): Hmm... funny how the ghost is only in the car when you are...

Little: Yep, funny how that happens. Maybe the ghost lives in the test!cles of my crown?

Me (busting up laughing): WHAT?!?!?!

Little: I think the ghost must live in the little white test!cles on my crown.

Me: Honey, I think you mean tentacles, not test!cles.
(while seriously wondering about crowns have tentacles, as well as test!cles)

Little: What's the difference?

Me (thinking giving this answer would possibly get me out of giving the answer): Tentacles are like the long arms of an octopus or squid.

Little: Oh. (pause) So then what are test!cles?

Me (feeling very certain this is so not my job to answer): Um, well, they are a part of a boy's pen!s.

Little: WHAT?? THEIR WHAT??? They have tentacles on their WHAT?

Me: Yeah, I think you mean tentacles. But that's still not right, let's say spokes or spires instead.

Little: Ok.

long silent pause

Little: Are you sure it isn't test!cles?

Me: Trust me, I'm sure.

Little: Ok.

Happy Dance!

Time for another happy dance! How have I never thought of this one before?

My 2 Favorite Quotes to Live By

For several years now I have had a postcard hanging in my home of Katherine Hepburn standing on a roller coaster, in a dress, holding her skirt down, smiling and laughing like there is no tomorrow. And the quote below it says,

"If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun."

And today I heard a new quote. And along with the Katherine Hepburn quote, together they are my two mottos to live by.

"Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." 

Helen Keller.

I LOVE IT.

boring

This may seem like a strange thing to post after my happiness post. But here goes.

I'm so bored.

I was thinking about it today, and I honestly can't remember if I have met even one person since moving to Utah who is single, never married, no kids, active in the LDS Church, and over 30. I really don't think I have.

It's a little hard to get out and have fun on the weekends when everyone you know has a family to tend to. No wonder I feel like such a misfit all the time.

Also, is it just me, or is it rude to ask, "So if you're single, why did you get such a big house?"
What do they expect me to say? "Because I have more money than you!" I'm not necessarily comfortable broadcasting that I may or may not be getting foster children in the near future. I'd rather wait till it is a done deal and I am getting them for sure. I don't want to tell people now, and then have things suddenly change, you know?

Anyway, there you have it. I'm bored and I'm a misfit.

Happy if you want to be

For the past week or two (or month or two) I have been thinking a lot about happiness, and what makes different people happy. I've been watching a lot of couples, families, and singles, and people as individuals inside those groupings, and watching to see who appears to be happy.

If there is one thing I have learned from my observations it is that we all have different criteria for happiness. I have a feeling this will be an on-going thought process of mine, but I'd like to share what I have observed in batches.

1. I watched one woman who appears to be able to have it all. But what makes her happy is having her essential needs met. She doesn't "have it all" in my personal opinion. In fact, I think she sells herself short, and she knows it, but tells herself she is happy because her essential needs are met. I feel truly sorry for this person. I wish she cared enough about herself to want better for herself, because she could have it. I honestly think she tells herself she's not worth it, so she doesn't care, and she's happy as is. I could be wrong. But I doubt it.

2. One woman has what I consider to be a very difficult life. She has to work harder than pretty much everyone I know. I can't describe her life too much because I don't want to break what little anonymity I want to provide here. Her essential needs are barely met each week. If she were to just break down sobbing and say she can't take it anymore, and would somebody please help her, I wouldn't blame her at all. I hope she knows I'd be there for her, and that I try to be there for her. But here's the thing, she's happy. And I think it is because she has to work so hard that she can enjoy what she has more.

3. One woman revels in problems. She just attracts the crap of life. She couldn't see a silver lining if you put it in her hand. She always seems surprised to be happy or when good things happen. Overall, she seems to be a happy person. But the closer you get to her, the more you realize she's hurting all of the time.

4. Another woman is a lot like the first woman. Her needs are met and then some. She has big goals and plans. She is the opposite of the first woman in the sense that she never stops trying and reaching. She is one of the most positive, friendliest, happiest people I know, even when she's had trials thrown at her. She's also one of the few people who's advice I actually listen to.

So here's what I've concluded from my observations. People who have to work at happiness, are happier. The people who are willing to say "this isn't actually what i want, but i'm afraid of what i might want" are never truly happy. I would venture a guess that half of you reading this thing that is a no-brainer. At least, I hope half of you feel that way. I hope happiness is that obvious to half the population. But I fear it isn't.

And this is one of the reasons I want to go into foster parenting and a few other activities. It's a little related to the old saying, "idle hands are the devil's workshop." My essential needs are met. I can take care of myself with little effort. And that brings me no happiness. it is working and doing more, trying for more, reaching further than before, that brings happiness. It isn't settling for the simplest options. To me, happiness will never be found by accepting the simple basics as good enough.

A really bad analogy.

A ham sandwich made from my refrigerator meets my basic hunger needs.
A ham sandwich from La Madeleine's Cafe makes me happy.

But when I am in financial straits and money and food are hard to come by, and I have to struggle to afford the ham sandwich from my refrigerator, I am happy to have a ham sandwich. La Madeleine's is not even on my radar. It is something other people need and want. But when my bank account is full, Oscar Mayer doesn't taste anywhere near as good.

The real question is how much do you need in life, (basic needs to be met), to be happy?

This isn't actually about money. So I'm going to keep rambling on. Also, I hate ham. I will never like Oscar Mayer. The only way I will ever eat ham is if it is fancy ham that has never been date stamped and put on a grocer's shelf.

Men.
For some women, all they need is a man who can provide A, B, C. It isn't about finding a man who excites them and they can't wait to be with him. It is about having their essential needs met. (without making this a Pride and Prejudice discussion, this woman would best be described as Charlotte Lucas). But for other women, it is about A, B, C, and love. They want to be excited by their man. (Elizabeth Bennett) And now we have a new type of woman in this world (yes, I'm one of them) that says, I can give myself A, B, and C. All I want is D. Why would I settle for essential provisions, when I can do that for myself? And I guess, what I am wondering tonight, is about those women who wanted just A,B,C. Do they stay happy forever? Or do they just stay in their routine because they were never "reachers" to begin with? I personally can't imagine being happy like that. But I accept that there are some people who might.

And yes, I do realize, and we can skip right over this discussion, that there are many women who went for "D," and lost it in divorce. I'm not looking for a discussion on whether or not it is right. I'm looking for a discussion on happiness without goals or expectations, and whether or not that is possible.

I hope that makes some sense.

Thoughts?

I'm tired, stop me if you've heard this one before

Have I ever gone 4 whole days without blogging before? Wow. Even I am astounded.
It was an overwhelmingly busy week. Unpacking, going to classes, finish packing and cleaning at the old place (still not done), working, yada yada. Oh and breaking out in hives three separate times.
Here's a picture for your random amusement. It looks more like a rash than hives here because I had been scratching it. I had it all over my face, down my neck, and all over my torso.

Every time I break out I have to take a Benadryl which knocks me out. So in spite of being painfully busy, I've also had to take long unscheduled naps I didn't have time for. A few major things didn't get done as a result, like getting my car inspected, joining the gym, getting a UT license, and getting finger printed for foster care stuff. Oh well, there's always tomorrow and the next day, right?

Sidenote: I have moved into a corner lot house. Things I have learned this week: my driveway is the bus stop for apparently 3 different buses in the morning. (And none in the afternoon, go figure.) Also, my yard appears to be where all the neighborhood dogs and cats stop to get their pee-mail.  My indoor cat, who so desperately yearns to be an outdoor cat, is beside himself with excitement. Every few minutes there is yet another person stopping to walk a dog in my yard (so far they all seem to be picking up after their dogs. i think the little gifts scattered through the yard belonged to the dog that lived here before us.), or a child cutting across the yard to the bus stop. This is cause for non-stop cat excitement, as he must run from windowsill to windowsill, and then to the front door, "chattering" at them. I'm going to have to get this on video just so you can see how insane it is.
As I wrote this post, suddenly what sounded like every dog in the neighborhood started barking. My cat ran from the bed to the empty corner bedroom, where suddenly I heard a loud crash. I got in there to find the blinds torn down (he must have been in a hurry to jump in the windowsill), and the cat in the window hissing at an invisible dog outside.
Crap, and it just happened again. I guess I'm pulling those blinds down for good.

 

More Pictures of the House (and my arm)

I'm sure you are all just anxiously awaiting pictures of the new house. Because obviously my move consumes you just like it consumes every minute of my life right now. So I thought I'd share more pictures. The downstairs is almost all put together now. Except for the part where I want new couches, and I want to paint a wall, and get a new TV and a new TV stand. Other than that, oh and hanging the huge picture I can't decide where to place, it's all done.

This is the view from the kitchen into the living room. You can't tell, but the cat is on the couch posing for you.

 

And the view into the kitchen from the living room. 

And this is what my arm looks like after I sit outside holding the cat on the front steps and a diesel truck goes by. It hurts. A lot.

Sidenote to TRS: you suggested I hang the albums "brady bunch style." That's so funny! We really do think just alike. In my last 2 homes where I had the albums up I had them in exactly that style. But the walls here are just too big and wide for that to fit so far. But I may still rearrange everything and do it anyway.

Settling

I live in Lehi now.
I keep reminding myself of that everytime I wake up confused in the middle of the night. Or when I want to go get something to eat and I realize I have no idea where anything is.
I live in Lehi now.
I'm mostly moved in. There's still plenty of random junk back over at my apartment, and I'll probably go get some of it tonight (like the pots, pans, and my vacuum). But I'm settling in nicely here. I have decided to take it room by room and not try to do everything at once. I even managed to get one wall decorated the best I can. But I'm already decided I have to paint a few walls. This living room is just way too big, bright, wide, and white. It needs more color!!
What do you think of my wall so far? I just threw it all up there. I didn't measure or anything, so I know it needs some adjusting and evening out. But at least now I'm not staring at a boring white wall anymore.

Next up will be the kitchen, just as soon as I have all my kitchen stuff here. Last night I realized I had a bit of a cooking conundrum. I had soup in cans with pull top lids, but no bowls. I had tuna and bread, but no can opener for the tuna can. And thanks to my kitchen stuff being spread out over 2 counties, that was all I had to eat. I got desperate and used a knife and hammer to open the tuna can the old fashioned way. Not as easy as it sounds when you have a cat bound and determined to help you get to the tuna as fast as possible.

Oh and this is the view from outside my living room window where I have been working the last few days. (I don't yet have my new office set up. It comes after the kitchen. And then the office. And then my bedroom. And then the kid bedrooms.)

It's not such a bad view really. It's much nicer when there isn't a massive snow cloud hovering overhead threatening to trap us in our homes for a few days.

Gonna Take a Sentimental Journey

I got a little sentimental tonight. Forgive me.
Sometimes it feels like this past year has been one big disaster and mistake after another. When I lost my job at the gun place 2 years ago, and suddenly found my whole world falling apart, and nothing has been stable since, I wondered if I'd ever feel "like me" again.
Let's recap the insanity of the last 2 years real briefly.
1. I lost my very stable job that I really enjoyed over something completely stupid and trivial.
2. Spent 3 months unemployed.
3. Against everything I wanted in life I felt God's Spirit telling me I needed to move to Utah.
4. I hated Utah.
5. I got a job in Utah. I was excited to live close to my sister again.
6. My sister's husband got a job in Nevada. They moved away the month I got here.
7. Six months at the new job in Utah and it was apparent this was not the right job for me.
8. Got 30 kidney stones.
9. Got told to hurry up and find a new job.
10. Got told to move out of my house in less than 3 weeks.
11. Got the flu.
12. Passed lots of stones, got a job, and moved. (the last 4 items happened in a 1 month period)
13. Started a new job.
14. Gave up on having a social life. Ever.
15.

Moving Day

First, thank you to Juli, Kylee, Cali, Savannah, Chris, and Rob for all their help today!!!!!!

It was moving day. We got about 90% of everything over here. I was surprised that I had too much stuff to fit in the truck. So next Saturday I've got to go back and get more stuff. And I'll probably make a few trips during the week if I can get up the motivation. When my money dries up from eating out every meal I'll probably have to cave and go back over, since all of my pots and pans seem to be at the old place.

But I'm in! I'm here. I'm in my beloved bed, in my gigantic new big bedroom, ready to fall asleep. The cat (who has spent the majority of the day in a panicked freaked out state) is curled up beside me, also ready for sleep.

This move is just the beginning of the crazy changes. Tomorrow means a new church congregation to attend. In a week or two I'm hoping to have a roommate move in (just for a few months). And then there will be the foster children. Life as I know (knew?) it will never be the same.

The only thing constant is change.

Foster Parenting Class

If you read yesterday's post you may be slightly aware of the fact that I am/was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. However, having survived this day, and sleep will be here shortly, I am doing much better now.
One of the biggest parts of my anxiety this week was the parenting class I took on Monday night. For the most part my classes are uneventful, but interesting. Monday night was a nightmare, but we were duly warned in advance. The subject matter was sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. Four hours of looking at pictures, listening to stories, and watching videos on all matters of abuse.
I'm a fairly tough girl. I can handle most things. But this was awful.
They warned us that on average 50% of the class will drop out, or just walk out, after this class. It is THAT bad.
I didn't walk out. I found myself doodling more than usual as a defense or detachment mechanism. But I survived. Sort of.
It has taken me 3 full days to really shake off the horrible effects of what we saw on Monday. I'm not normally a doom, gloom, and just give up, kind of girl. I like to think I can fight through anything, and make it all work in the end. But this class had me so upset I haven't been able to even think straight.
But I went back to class tonight. And sure enough, close to half the class was gone. Including my table buddy. I really hope she comes back next week. I really liked her. Class tonight was a simple and more typical class about developmental stages and delays in children, as frequently found in the foster care system. There was more discussion than usual about teenagers, which I really appreciated.
A new idea and subject were brought up this week as well that I keep thinking about. (I'll probably regret openly surmising on the blog like this, but hey, that's what the delete key is for later, right?) I'm contemplating taking in pregnant teenage girls. I'm not sure why yet, but it feels right. It would be a very different situation than what I have been expecting and planning for up till now. I think it would be rewarding at times to help a young girl prepare for the future, both in placing a child up for adoption, or in preparing to take care of a child. The way the foster care system works, a girl stays in the system while pregnant. But if she keeps the child she leaves the foster system (and most likely goes on welfare, and returns to the mother that wasn't taking good care of her in the first place, and within a few years the baby ends up in foster care as well. but that is the worst case scenario. sort of.). However, if she places the child for adoption, either privately or through the system, she can remain in the system. There are several other scenarios that can play out here as well.
Before I go further, let me make a quick side note here- you will never hear me use the phrase "give up the baby for adoption." I don't like that phrase. To me it implies that "giving up" a baby is negative. When in fact, choosing to place your baby in someone else's arms is the greatest gift you can ever give. I choose to use the phrase "place the baby/child" for adoption.
I think fostering a teen mother could be greatly rewarding. It could also be incredibly frustrating, and even heartbreaking at times. But for some reason, ever since I heard about it this week, it has felt right to me.
I'm not sure if I want to ask for thoughts or advice on this matter yet. My brain is still a little overwhelmed with everything. But then again, I like outside points of view.

Don't Tell Me What I Don't Want to Hear Right Now

I am officially at my breaking point. No sleep, pounding construction from a nearby apartment, packing, organizing the details of the move, parenting classes, taking on new projects at work, etc., are taking their toll on me. The end is in sight, and I think I can hold on to this rope for just a few more days. But just barely.
So I have a favor to ask the world. Don't tell me anything I don't want to hear right now. Unless it is something vital like, "watch out for that truck!" I really don't want to hear it. Seriously.
I want to hear good things. Really, tell me all the happy news you can possibly share. But otherwise, can it wait till Tuesday? I can handle a lot of things on Tuesday. But between now and Saturday, my sanity is barely there.
I do keep reminding myself that this is a much, much easier move physically than what I dealt with last year (kidney stones, job changes, etc.). And for that I am very VERY grateful. But I have probably tripled my belongings in the past year, if not more, and this isn't all that easy after all.
I know I'm being rude and selfish. And for that I will apologize profusely next week. I really will. I hate when I know I am being rude. But, please, just cut me a break, will you?
To the friend who said she just couldn't relate to my stress right now because her husband always "hires professionals" for that, I'd really like to give you the bird right now. You have no idea how much I resent you.
And to anyone who thinks that parenting classes sound easy, because, hey, anyone can be a parent, right? No. I would gladly have never endured 4 hours of looking at pictures of sexually and physically abused children on Monday night. I came home in a nearly catatonic state it was so miserable.
Oh and working from home must be so nice and easy? Ha. Sure. There's no guilt associated with wondering if you did enough work today. No stress to make sure that these people you have never met understand your ideas and explanations. It's still a job. And it is still a lot of work.
I will stop complaining now. I will get through this week. I just may not do it so gracefully.
So unless you enjoy pushing people over the edge and watching them fall, I'm begging you, don't tell me what I don't want to hear right now.
We can resume our normal conversations next week.

if this doesn't make you laugh, nothing will

The Classes

This post has been pulled down for the time being. I worded it poorly and late at night, and I'm getting attacked on exactly the things I didn't say quite right.

A small tangent

This will probably not make sense to anyone who isn't a DC area native. And I know it is a dumb rant. But sometimes, I just feel like ranting.
I'm in favor of DC Statehood. I have my reasons. I don't feel like going into them now.
But one of the main reasons is because of something that happens when I have to give my city and state of birth for some security reason. The conversation will go like this.

Idiot: And for security, what is your city and state of birth?

Me: Washington, DC

Idiot: And what state is that in?
OR
Idiot: What city in Washington?
OR
Idiot: Is Washington, DC a state?

Seriously.

If for no other reason, I'd like DC Statehood to become a major issue again just so a lot of dumasses out there can figure out whether or not it is a state.

Life Comes At You Fast

My brain, yet again, is on total overload. The contents therein just spinning around like a top. And then a girl with no background, experience, or education in my field felt the need to correct me on something because (and I quote), "My dad worked in that factory for years..." Oh, so you understand the inner workings of social media marketing because your dad (who it must be mentioned is deceased) worked in a factory? Right, gotcha.

Okay, that sounded totally rude. Sorry.

I'm trying to write marketing campaigns to reach MILLIONS of people, using some of the highest profile tools currently available, and I'm getting corrected by a girl who probably can't even properly spell social media marketing, let alone define it??? Where do these people come from??

But I digress.

My busy little brain.

I've packed a few things. Not much, but some. Anything that used to hang on my walls now resides in packaging materials. If it is an electronic gadget (and I have a few) that I don't require the use of for the next 8 days, it isn't yet packed, but it has relocated to my living room floor. And tonight, I add all other gadgetry to the pile. I'm sure while I am out at dinner with my cousins my cat will pack it all for me.

Because, oh yes, here in the middle of my most insane week ever, I have to stop and make a pilgrimage down to Provo to visit relatives. I'm not complaining. I'm happy to see them. I want to see them in fact. I may even blog on it tomorrow just for fun. But it wasn't in my original schedule of insanity to drive 1 hr each way for dinner. But you know me, I'm multi-tasking it. I'm also dropping off a gift to Baby Amelia on the way, and going to my new landlord's offices to sign my lease.

Is that weird to anyone else? I don't move in for another week, but they want my rent, deposit, and lease signed now? And they are giving me the keys (which in a random turn of events, I already have) today as well? And then it is just my good word that I don't move in till next week?? I'm guessing I have rented over 20 places in the last 18 years of living on my own. And I have never done this before. I find it very peculiar. I've turned in a deposit early in order to hold a place. But I have never paid rent and picked up my keys until the day I moved in.

Whatever. Utah County is its own special world at times. Like asking me to go pick up the keys in advance and taking them to the landlord's office with me.

I had another parenting class last night. One of these days I will talk about it. So far the classes are trying to focus on what you really can expect, while pointing out the extreme cases. So many people only dwell on the extreme cases. It's annoying.

But what is really bugging me is that no one can answer what seems to me to be an easy question. When you take in foster children you get a stipend for their care. $15 a day. That ain't much. No one is going to get rich taking in foster kids. And the money probably won't really cover their expenses, and the foster parents will be paying out of pocket for them. So my question is about taxes. Do you get to claim them as a dependant on your taxes?? Or not?

I asked this question in class last night. My class had a lot of extra people doing make up classes last night, and 3 of them were complete know-it-alls, and very irritating. (One was a recent graduate, no more than 24 years old, with a degree in child development. She even stood up in class at one point and totally tried to teach. I wanted to smack her. A lot.) All three know-it-alls had very different answers. One person said, yes, you can claim them. One said no. The other said you have to prove that you spend at least as much as the stipend (in other words I pay 50% of the child's upkeep) in order to claim them. And the teacher, a former foster parent herself, but only a substitute for our class, had no idea. She said "my husband did our taxes. I have no idea."

I'm just saying that if I can claim a child as a dependant there is that much more money that I can spend on the child. It isn't money for me. But for the child.

You'd think this would be easier to figure out.

And thus, my brain spins.

Definitely a moment of both clarity and chaos

After approximately 8 weeks of house hunting, and about 7 of those weeks having my heart set on one particular house, I finally got that one house today! I had to jump through hoops and show more patience than I'm prone to showing other people.
There was just one catch I couldn't work around. My lease has to start February 14. (I was really heavily in favor of my lease not starting until Feb 20 or 21.) And if my lease is going to start Feb 14, I'm going to start moving Feb 14. I'm not paying double rent if I'm not going to get to enjoy the new place!
Which means I now have 10 days to pack and move! YIKES!
I will most likely do a slow and simple move, and take advantage of the 2 remaining weeks to come back over and do the cleaning and get the odds and ends out. But I would like to get the lion's share done on the 14th.
I took "Little" over to see the new house today, and oddly enough, pick up the key to the house (even though I haven't given them the deposit or signed anything yet). Little picked out "her" new bedroom (the sunniest and biggest of the 3 children bedrooms). And she picked out which room will be my office (the room next to hers, so that I can be closer to her). And we both agreed that my entire apartment could fit into the living room and kitchen of the new house.

This is Little "modeling" in the kitchen for me. She declared the kitchen to be "the biggest one I have ever seen, except for the one at my grandma's house." I don't know that it is that big, but it is considerably bigger than what I currently have!

I'm a little stressed. 10 days to pack and move. Work my regular full time job, plus attend my fostering classes (2x week, 4 hours a night). And to start filling up a 2,000 sq ft house, after living in a 600 sq ft apartment. And then prepare for 3 children. And the part where my life changes completely.

So, uh, why am I sitting here blogging when I need to be getting up and packing?!?!

Happy Dance!

Okay, today I am bending my own rules and not posting a true happy dance. But I am posting a song and video that always makes me happy.

Ladies and Gentlemen, please enjoy "Fat Bottomed Girls" by Queen.


You know you can't help but smile when you hear this song.
"get on your bikes and ride!"

Today I will also share a few of the happy thoughts!

1. My taxes have already been filed. Assuming nothing goes wrong, I am getting back a return that makes me smile, and is sorely needed in this month of moving!

2. I didn't just attend my first foster parenting class yesterday. I actually enjoyed it. More on this experience some other day.

3. My "new" computer came back from HP today. Sadly, I did lose all the docs and pics on it, but thankfully there wasn't too much on it to lose yet. The most irritating thing is that since they did just swap out the hard drives, I lost all of my programs I used for work. That is hours of replacements!

4. I had 2 baby girl cousins born today! The little angel babies will get their own special blog post, as soon as I get the final details on who was born first. It must be mentioned though that neither little girl was due today!

5. After 3 weeks of working my butt off doing freelance work mostly came to an end yesterday. I had several major projects all due at once. I will continue working on all of my new clients, but it is nice to have the huge pressure of yesterday finally off me!

Love for Nie Nie Benefit Concert, February 2

Love for Nie Nie Benefit Concert and Silent Auction, featuring Mindy Gledhill, with special guests The Thrillionaires!

Monday, February 2, 2009

Silent Auction begins at 6:15 pm, Concert at 7 pm

Covey Center for the Arts, Provo, Utah

Buy tickets at mindygledhill.com or by calling 801.852.7007