Happy Birthday Seattle!!!!

It is Seattle's Birthday today! She is one of Lauren's friends and we love her! We have done so many fun things with her and her family this year. She is also in Lauren's class! I know it can be hard to have your birthday so close to Christmas. Sometimes we get so busy, it's easy to let things slide by. But not YOUR BIRTHDAY SEATTLE!!! We love you Seattle! Enjoy your day gorgeous!

I is more smater then I look!

It's official! I got my grades in and I got an A in Psych and an A in French II! I am thrilled. My parents are shocked and proud. It's about time huh? I have 18 units under my belt and a 4.0 GPA!

Finals are over!

Yes! I finally finished my finals! I keep checking my grades on line even though they are due until the 17th. I know I got an A in French. Yea me! I will have to wait and see the Psychology grade. So now I can really focus on Christmas and the shopping I still need to do.

Friday evening was the Marquette Christmas Party. It was a lot of fun! This year we had dinner at a brand new place. It's called Cucina Nassi. The owner is Valter Nassi, the same chef/owner of Cucina Toscana downtown. They took the old post office building in Sugar House and turned in into an amazing venue. It is not a full service restaurant, they only do events and receptions but the food is just as amazing as the food in the restaurant. So those of you who are looking for a different place to have a reception you have to check this place out.

The only thing I did on Saturday was take Lauren to her rehearsal for her Christmas violin recital. I love listening to all of the students play together. Some of the older students really make me want to keep Lauren in class, they are so good! If Lauren could do that in 5 or 6 years I would love it!

For those of you not in Utah, we got a lot of snow yesterday. (P.S. I LOVE the Audi in the snow!) The girls couldn't wait to play outside. It ends as it always does...about 30 minutes later, they are shivering and crying and want to sit in the tub for an hour to thaw out! Gotta love it! Here is a snowman Emily made and a snow chair that Lauren made and was actually sitting in. (I wonder why they were so cold?!)

Christmas Tag

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Paper mostly but I do like to mix it up under the tree.

2.Real tree or Artificial? Real (See yesterday's post!)

3.When do you put up the tree? As soon as I can after Thanksgiving

4.When do you take the tree down? Usually the first week after New Year's Day. I try to have it done before I go back to school

5.Do you like eggnog? It's o.k.about 2 times a year. Otherwise it's too rich.

6.Favorite gift received as a child? Rub-a-Dub Dolly. Yes I just totally dated myself.

7.Hardest person to buy for? My Dad and my Father-in-law.

8.Easiest person to buy for? John

9.Do you have a nativity scene? Yes. 2 actually.

10.Mail or email Christmas cards? Christmas Cards????

11.Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I'm sure some sweater from a grandparent. There were so many of those.

12.Favorite Christmas Movie? White Christmas and Elf.

13.When do you start shopping for Christmas? If I see something throughout the year I will buy it (but I usually forget about it by Christmas). It mostly begins in November in earnest.

14.Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think so, but I may have.

15.Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? ANYTHING! I love anything baked. Our neighbors, the Gustafson's bring us a loaf of the best Coffee cake kind of treat. It has an almond flavor with a crispy sugary top. It's really tasty but we are also fine eating the Pepridge Farms Gingerbread Family Cookies.

16.Lights on the tree? 1,500 multi-colored.

17.Favorite Christmas song? Baby it's Cold and Angles We Have Heard On High.

18.Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay at home for now but when the kids are older, I wouldn't mind spending Christmas someplace tropical.

19.Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Most of them but I get confused with Snow White's dwarfs. Sad, I know.

20.Angel on tree top or star ? Bow. I haven't found a topper I love yet.

21.Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? On Christmas Eve the kids open their gifts from John's Parents (we spend Xmas eve at their place with all the family). Then all the rest on Christmas Day.

22.Most annoying thing about this time of the year? I'm not into big crowds or rude people. Too many years of retail. (Sherilyn, aren't you glad it's over!).

23.Favorite ornament theme or color? Our tree has a random assortment of colors and themes. we buy a few new ornaments every year that say something about what we did that year or something special to us. For instance, we have a new mickey mouse ornament from Disneyland this year. So, I love that next year when we decorate the tree, we can't help but talk about where we were and what we were doing.

24.Favorite for Christmas dinner? We usually do hors d'oeuvres
and finger foods but I would love to have Prime Rib. Last year we were DONE and I think I was sick so we actually had Chinese take out! It was soo Christmas Story that we had to order the duck!

25.What do you want for Christmas this year? I Think UGG's maybe? I don't really know.

26.Who is most likely to respond to this? I don't know, since like two people read my Blog. :-)

Real or Fake?

No, I am not talking about boobs! I am talking about Christmas trees. Christmas Psycho that I am, we went to get our tree over the weekend. Yes, we still get a real tree. Every year I am reminded of all the reasons why an artificial tree would be so much more convenient. I could find one that is 8-10 feet tall with out a 16-20 foot wide base. My husband wouldn't have to spend hours putting on the 1,500 lights. (I am NOT exaggerating!) I also could put it up right after Halloween if I wanted to. I would not have to trudge through snow in the dark to find the "perfect" tree. There would be no gaping holes to cover with huge ornaments or to turn to the wall. I would not have to wait with the tree naked in my house for a day until it "settles" (ask John about this, I still think he just does it to toy with me.). I would not have to shell out the big bucks for an already dying plant that I will throw away in 6 weeks. I will not step on any pine needles, barefoot in the middle of the night. I will not ruin another vacuum cleaner cleaning up after my fire hazard of a tree finally gets dragged through the house and chucked into the back yard. Wow. Why do I get a real tree every year? I will tell you, the smell (no, the candles are NOT just as good). The kids giggling and running up and down the aisles at the tree lot shouting, "This one, Mom". I know this list seems really lop-sided but we do it every year and even though I complain heavily, I will keep on "Keepin' it real".

Things I am Thankful For:

This has been a great year with so many things to be grateful for. Some of the things at the top of the list are: my health and the good health of our friends and family. That we are still doing well in this crazy economy. That we have been blessed with wonderful friends and family to lean on and celebrate with. That I have John as my partner in this life. I couldn't love him more. For the wonderful opportunity to be a mother to the amazing children (all four!) that we have together and the lessons they teach me everyday. (good and bad!). I am so grateful for all the blessings I have been given and I love you all!

Blogs Finally!

My kids have been nagging me to help them set up their own blogs. (ha-ha since I am such a pro!) I could barely post on mine much less spend time on theirs. Well, I finally did it. The Henderson Girls officially are blogging. Nothing earth changing but you never know. I tried to give them more security than I have here so it's private but just let me know if you or your kids want to visit and we will invite you.

Glittery Mormon Vampires and Fat Chicks!

First I would like to say that I do enjoy reading and I did enjoy the Twilight series. That being said, I have a life and I did not custom make my own t-shirt identifying my favorite character, nor did I dress up or do my make up weirdly. I did, however, go to the midnight showing at Jordan Landing. I had a blast! Amber and I were with about 8 other people and it was so fun. We mostly people watched while we waited for the movie to start. What a freak show! It was hysterical. We were actually asked what "our Twilight story" was. Uh, what? Uh, I read the books and I liked them so we are seeing the movie? Please do not tell me yours!

I had pretty low expectations of the movie because the books are always better but I thought the movie was good. I didn't cry or anything but I found it entertaining if you can over look the teen sappiness of the whole thing. No Oscars here folks but I will see it again with my girls and they will love it. So, all in all money well spent. But I know something very important about myself now...I am too old for that kind of thing!

Last night, we went and had the kids' pictures taken with Santa. When I say "kids" I mean, the Hendersons, The Landers, The Joostens, and the Dastrups. That was one fun group picture. I will post it when I get it. For now here is the pic of just Lauren and Emily.

After the picture we went to Olive Garden and had dinner. Needless to say we kept our waiter BUSY. I hope the tip was worth it! We all had a blast. Thanks everyone!

O.K. so the amputation is over and he is doing well! It was a rough couple of days for us. I took the kids to visit him at the hospital and that was probably a mistake. He was completely out of it and the incision was pretty gruesome. It was shocking to say the least. I assumed that he would have a bandage over the incision but if i had thought about it i would have realized the near impossibility of bandaging that area. Once we got him home the next day and the heavy drugs wore off; he started to be our Bosco again and it was easier for the kids. Did I mention that he isn't supposed to go up or down stairs? Yeah, that's fun. I should say that this picture looks like he has no back legs at all. The other one is under his body.

Both girls have told all of their friends about Bosco and yesterday when we came there was a raw hide bone with a big bow and a get well card from Avery and Taylor Pizzuto-Ward. Thanks guys! That was the sweetest thing ever and Bosco loves the bone!

Bosco Update

So, I took Bosco in last week to have his staples removed and the tumor has grown back in just two weeks. It's already almost as big as it was right before we had it removed. Proof enough for us that the Vet was unable to get it all. So we really feel that we have no other options. So...tomorrow morning we take him in to have his leg amputated. Keep a good thought for me. I know the dog is in good hands. I will be a wreck! I really don't know if we are doing the right thing. I hope so. They will do another ultrasound right before surgery to make sure that it hasn't gone any further than the leg so at least will be reasonably sure that this will be the last of it. But as with everything, there are no promises. This dog will be my Christmas present that's for sure.

O.K. so this weekend was full of nothing but Science Fair stuff for Lauren. Noble Prize here we come...for our (I mean MY) ground breaking work in TOILET PAPER! Yes. That's right. We spent the weekend researching toilet paper and testing the absorbency of various brands. I am sure I will soon regret this topic choice as 5th graders really don't need another excuse to talk about these types of bodily functions. Ooh well.

Another Sweet Puppy!

So, Check out this blog! Julianne is a friend of ours who used to work with John. I blog stalk her from time to time. Sometimes I oppose her politically (O.K. a lot of the time!), but I find her writing really funny and smart. I read her blog a few days ago and saw a letter that she sent to President Elect-Obama about her dog. I thought it was cute and now she has gotten national news attention! How crazy is that? Her dog really is quite cute! http://www.julianneiam.com/

My sweet puppy

Thanks so much for all the good wishes for Bosco. Unfortunately we found our yesterday that his tumor was malignant. He has a particularly aggressive form of cancer in dogs. Hemangiosarcoma. It's a cancer that attacks the blood vessels. I don't mind telling you that I spent the better part of the day yesterday crying or on the verge of crying. It's been such a long time since I have lost a pet, I forget how they really become such a huge part of your life. We are now faced with the prospect of amputating his leg to make sure that we got all of the cancer or praying that we did and letting nature take it's course. John and I am both struggling with this decision. How much is too much? When do you stop? What will his quality of life be? We don't have the answers. All I know is that for now, he sleeps on the bed whenever he wants to.

Poor Bosco

For those of you who haven't met him. Bosco is our dog. He is the sweetest guy. (Kijah may disagree!) We rescued him so we really don't know anything about his pedigree or even how old he is but we love him. Over the summer he developed a tumor or his front leg. (Kinda where he would have a wrist.) We were relieved to find out it was benign. So in the last few weeks he has developed another tumor. This time it was on his hind leg by his "knee" joint. We had this one removed last Thursday. So far, we have been through one chewed off bandage and two replaced staples and we are anxiously awaiting the news on the biopsy. I know this may seem ridiculous but we are on pins and needles. So, keep a good thought for the dog.

Halloween

So I 'm not sure when it happened but at some point my daughters decided that being princesses and things with fairy wings and sparklie gowns was definitely not cool! Apparently their friends feel the same. Here is a picture of Lauren and two of her BFFs. How scary is this?

They really are the sweetest girls!

Here is a pic of Emily. She was a 60's Go-go dancer. Very cute!

John made the Henderson Chili and we had a full house. The Nelson's, Lander's, Joosten's, Drake's, Alice Ann and anyone else I have forgotten. Thanks for spending the night with us! We had a blast.

Trip to Disneyland

O.K....I know...Finally! Well, since it has been so long since I have updated I will just start with this month. The beginning of October, We took the family to Disneyland over my Fall Break. (Yes, I am still in school!) We flew in on Thursday and flew home on Sunday. We were able to get together with my Dad and his wife for dinner and to celebrate Emily's 9th birthday! This last weekend John and I celebrated our 11th Anniversary! It's pretty amazing to think about that . I know it sounds like a cliche but it really does seem like only yesterday. This Friday is Halloween and we will be doing the usual. John's famous chili! Please come by if you would like to. Here are some pictures from the trip to Cali,

On Father's Day I woke up at 4:00 am so that we could leave and be back in Utah to still spend the day with John my fabulous husband and amazing father to our daughters. We went right from the SLC airport and to brunch at Market Street so it was a long day! Then the next morning my crazy week started. As many of you know, Lauren has been taking the violin for a year or so. She is being taught the Suzuki Method. She is really doing well and is liking it a lot. So every summer the Intermountain Suzuki Assoc. hold an intensive Institute at Juan Diego H.S. here in town. They have teachers from all over the world come and teach. This year Lauren went. She spent last Monday through Friday from 9:00 to about 5:00 in various classes. She had classes in Technique, Music Theory, Repertoire, Music Theater Review, Orchestra, and a Master class. Emily had the chance to take a chorus class and an art class just for fun. They both had a great time. Lauren really learned a lot and improved her playing HUGE. She also got the chance to be exposed to some fabulous musicians and hear some great concerts and to become more familiar with the other classical string instruments. This all meant that all last week I was hanging around Juan Diego from 9-5! Not as much fun for me! I started the week tired and never really recovered. This week the kids are playing with friends and I am catching up on laundry and house cleaning, etc... I am doing NOTHING tiring.

Lauren in her Orchestra Class.

Lauren after her final concert on Saturday morning.

The week after school ended for the girls, I went on a little trip to my Step-mother's family reunion in a little town called Davis, Oklahoma. It was really interesting. Her family settled there when it was still Indian Territory. We had a great time. Oklahoma was nothing like I thought it would be. I think I expected it do be the Dust Bowl, but it was really green and pretty. The earth is really red, even more than So. Utah. We got to see a lot of tarantulas because it was their mating season (uurgh!). Every night at dusk, these hairy monsters crossed the road to do their thing. I was fascinated and terrified at the same time. We also found a bunch of fossils just by the side of one of the roads. If you look enough you can find all sorts of things trapped in the rock. Virginia (my step-mom) has some really fun family too! They made me feel right at home.

The stuff of nightmares!

This is a plaque on the side of the original funeral home building commerating the family contributions in the early days.

Beautiful Oklahoma sunset.

P.S. Don't be jealous but I have driven through Moore, OK, the hometown of Toby Keith! (Don't think that wasn't on about 4o various signs in the area.) and let me just say, WOW do they take their football seriously! The BYU v.s. Utah rivalry has nothing on them!

O.K. I know, I know...It's been forever! We have been so crazy busy! First we had the end of the year with all of the school programs. Of course my super talented kids had big parts and so that meant I was around the school most of the last month of school. It is all worth it when I hear my girls' friends say that they wish their Moms would come to class too. I realize how lucky I am to have a husband who makes it possible for me to spend this special time with our girls. Thank you John. I love you!

Lauren in her part in the 4th grade program, "Are you Smarter than a 4th Grader?", as one of the students. Totally cute!

Lauren and her teacher, Mrs. Winzenreid.

Lauren and Emily with Emily's teacher Mrs. Juarez. (She was Lauren's teacher last year too!)

I spent last weekend in Northern California with Jeannette, one of my friends from back in the day. When I lived in the Bay area, we were best friends but we both got busy after I moved and we haven't seen each other in a few years and I haven't been very good at keeping in touch. A month ago I got an invitation to her baby shower! I didn't even know she was pregnant! How bad a friend am I? She is due at the end of May. She already has a daughter who is right between Lauren and Emily in age. I can't imagine starting again at this point. She is so brave! Well, I spent the weekend with her at her parents house and it was like being 16 all over again! I hope to see her soon. She is having another little girl by the way..everyone I know is having a girl! What's that about?

Yes. I am a totally unfit mother! We had Lauren's 10th Birthday Party and I haven't even blogged about it yet! So here are a couple of pics. We had it at Bouncin' Off the Walls and it was so fun. She invited her entire class and almost everyone showed up and they all seemed to have a great time. (Note to self: do NOT let the children invite the whole class again!) Well, it was fun and great to not have to clean up after but I think a little bit pricey.

My Daddy

I just looked at the date and realized it's been almost two weeks since I posted anything. We have actually had a lot going on. First, my Dad came to visit from sunny California for Easter weekend. He wasn't impressed with the weather we had to offer but hey...it can't be 75 degrees everywhere, right? So we took him to Epic for dinner Thursday after we picked him up at the airport. Then on Friday, the girls and I took him to Hogel Zoo. It was fun. We love our little Zoo. Then John grilled his famous salmon. Yummy! Then Saturday we hosted John's family March Birthday Party. It was crazy but always fun. We had an Easter Egg hunt and everything. Then on Sunday, we went out to Easter brunch at Market Street. Another Yum! (Is it strange that my kids eat oysters-on-the-half-shell?) And then Trio for dinner. Not really a Weight Watchers kinda weekend! Ooh well, my Dad only comes once in a while and we like to show him a good time when he's here.

So, today is the last day of my spring break without my children. So Sad! That means it's my last day to get major stuff done since my Dad comes in tomorrow. So, today will be cleaning and that's about all. Hopefully we will get it all done. The girls will be home early and they can "help" too. This will be a fun weekend. I will post pics as we go

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

So, another weekend went by all to quickly. But this Monday I am happy because I AM ON SPRING BREAK and to top it off. My kids still are in school until Wednesday. I am alone!!!!! My Dad flies in on Thursday evening from California and I can't wait but it means I have some cleaning to do.

For those who didn't know we started a remodel in our hall bathroom. On our main floor we have three bedrooms, one bath in the master and one bath in the hall that the guests and the girls use. When they built our house they out in a tub in the hall bath but NO SHOWER. Is that the dumbest thing you have ever heard? When we moved in the bath needed updating but the girls were smaller and just having a bath tub wasn't a big deal. Well, no it's huge. My Dad's visit out prompted John and I do buckle down and start the renovations. It involved ripping out the old tub and then installing a new tub and a surround with tile. We are lucky enough to have a tile guy (Yeah, Paul!) Who stopped my from making some big mistakes. He grouted on Friday and it is done. It looks AMAZING! We are thrilled! Today (hopefully) our electrician will show up and put in some more lights. This afternoon Mark (our wonderful plumber and neighbor!) is going to install the fixtures and we will be done! Well, for two months until we get the vanity we are having to have built. Then we will do the floor, vanity, new paint and everything else. So here are a few pictures. The shape of the room doesn't allow for many angles so they aren't very good, but you get the idea.

Sorry about the long break. Since I last posted we have celebrated my Birthday, (yeah me!) and Lauren's 10th Birthday. We have had parent -teacher conferences, volunteered at the Book Fair, and gone snowboarding. It has been a long week or two!

So, Friday we went up to Brighton. Parker has worked at Brighton for the last two seasons and is an expert boarder. Lauren has been boarding for 2 seasons now and Emily started this season. They are all great! John and I have never boarded. Let me say that I am a Southern California girl, born and raised. I hadn't even seen it actually snow before we moved here in 2000. John and I decided that snowboarding would be something outdoors and fun that we could do all as a family and we should learn. Well...that was the idea anyway. We took a lesson but I still didn't feel like I knew what I was doing. Parker is the most patient and supportive guy I know. Inside he must have been either hiding in embarrassment of being related to us or laughing himself sick but on the outside he was shouting encouragement and cheering us on. John did really well. I am a complete scaredy pants. I spent the majority of my day on my butt and we were very sore and are still bruised but I am pleased to report that there were no broken bones!!! I call that a success.

O.K. So...today report cards came home with the girls. Lauren, who is in 4th grade is the love of her teacher. She loves Lauren's genuine enthusiasm for learning and she is a sweet girl and is every one's best friend...but...she is reading right at if not a little below grade level and she is working hard to improve in some other areas as well. She has all 4's, 3's and one 2. (A's, B's and one C). This would all be great! Except..Emily (grade 2) is reading at the same level as Lauren and got all 4's. Yes, I am super proud of Emily, she is smart as a whip. I am also proud of Lauren but she is devastated that she got "bad" grades compared with Emily. I don't want to belittle Emily's accomplishments, but I don't want Lauren to feel worse. What do I do??? This is definitely one of those moments that I can see us discussing in therapy in ten years.

Tagged!

Thanks Jennie! This will be fun!

Getting to know me, A-Z

A- Attached or single: Attached

B- Best Friends: John and Amberlee

C- Cake or Pie: Pie

D- Day of choice: Sunday. John is home and sometimes there is football!

E- Essential item: I'm with you Jennie! Cell phone

F- Favorite color: right now I am liking anything SPRINGY

G- Gummy bears or worms: bears

H- Hometown: Riverside, CA - The Happy side is Riverside! Ha-ha

I- Indulgences: Getting my hair done

J- January or July: July

K- Kids: 2 stepsons - C.D. (22), Parker (19) and 2 girls Lauren (almost 10) and Emily (8)

L- Life is incomplete without: My Family

M- Marriage Date: October 25, 1997

N- Number of Siblings: 1 younger brother

O- Oranges or apples: Oranges

P- Phobias or fears: That something will happen to my family

Q- Quotes: "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

R- Reason to smile: my family, our health, my friends, my life

S- Season: Fall

T- Tag three friends: Annie, Amberlee, Lisa

U- Unknown fact about me: I constantly worry that I am not a good mom and I am screwing up my girls!

V- Very favorite store: I have a few favorites, J. Crew, Ann Taylor and the old standby Nordstrom

W- Worst habit: eating when I am bored or stressed.

X- X-ray or Ultrasound: X-ray! There is no happy reason for me to have any more ultrasounds

Y- Your favorite food: I love food, especially anything my husband makes! I am so spoiled!

Z- Zodiac: Pisces

The highlight of my weekend was on Saturday. We had our electrician come out and install recessed lighting in our kitchen and livingroom and hang some pendants over our island. We can actually see now. It is amazing how much of a difference it has made. I love our guy and I think we got a great deal. If anyone has a need for an electrician I recommend Copper Valley Electric. We have some drywall to repair but because of the way our room is vaulted in the living room, I was amazed they were able to give me what I wanted. As we live with all the new light, I want the pendants on a dimmer too but I love everything else. The only issue...yes I am O.C.D. is that the pendants I picked out can not be hung level because of the style of the fixture and the pitch of my roof. This may make me insane.

So, Amber is going to Hawaii! (jealous! yes, Jennie, of you too brat!) :-) and I realized as I started going through my capris and shorts that I had better take off all of this winter weight or I will be in serious trouble when we finally thaw out. Nothing is going to fit if I don't start now. I'm so proud of Amber for starting her walking. With the kids no less!!! So somehow if I publish my committment I will be accountable to someone other than myself. Even if it is only Amber since you are the only one who reads this! Ha-ha! So this Friday I will go back to Weight Watchers and next Friday I will post my loss! How's that for positive thinking? We'll see how it goes.

Emily is toughing it out like a trooper. She is keeping down fluids mostly but not much else. I'm not sure how much of her meds she's actually getting. Ooh well, we are doing all we can hopefully we will all be a normal family this weekend. Pray that no one else in my family comes down with this!

Wow! What a long weekend! So it's Tuesday Morning and I finally feel like a human. I still have a cough and no voice but I feel much better. Yesterday Emily spent all day in bed throwing up and so I took her to Urgent Care last night and sure enough, she has Influenza B also. The only good news is that she can take the Tamaflu! She seems better already. Well, she hasn't thrown up yet. Keep your fingers crossed!

I did get my Valentines dinner finally. It was delicious! Brie and crackers, Smoked salmon and fresh mozzarella, basil, tomatoes as an appetizer. Steak and Lobster and Au gratin potatoes (O.K. Funeral Potatoes..they are my absolute favorite). I have the best husband ever. He did a great job of holding down the fort and taking care of me. Thanks Baby! Lets hope you don't get it!

On Thursday afternoon the girls and I were running around doing our last minute Valentines errands and I started to feel horrible. My husband was cooking us a steak and lobster dinner and if you've ever eaten my husbands cooking, you know there isn't a better restaurant then Chez Henderson. On the phone we decided to postpone our dinner untill I felt better. It was too late to start another meal so we ordered pizza! We opened our gifts ( John gave me some beautiful diamond earrings!) and I went to bed for the next three days! John finally convinced me on Saturday evening that I should go to Urgent Care. I went relunctantly. I tested positive for Influenza B and the really great news was that had I gone to the Doctor a few hours earlier, I could have gotten an Rx for Tamaflu, which would cut the sick time in half and after 24 hours I wouldn't be contagious. But, no, I just missed the cut off. I do feel better but this is the sickest I have been for a long time. I think tonight will be our make-up Valentine's Dinner. I can't wait! I may be deathly ill but hey I still have my appetite!!!

Happy Valentines Day!

I am so greatful for the wonderful friends and family I have been blessed with in my life. It's really sad that we set aside one day a year to cherish those we love. That said...I am going to be so hopped up on candy today I could hurt myself! I am not sure who invented all of these holidays that center around sugar and chocolate but I LOVE HER!!! So, if you are reading this you are probably lucky (or unlucky enough) to be in my inner sanctum. I love you and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Je deteste etudier francais! C'est tres dificil. Je dois etudier tout le temps. Mais si je veux aller a Paris, je veux apprendre le francais. If I hear from anyone that I have said any of that incorrectly my head will pop off! JK-sort of

I really thought it would be fun to learn French! WOW was I wrong! I haven't worked so hard in a long time. I wonder if what I have learned will help me at all in France? I guess we will only be able to travel to Spanish-speaking countries since John is only fluent in Spanish.

O.K. Finally...My first posting. If Amber can do this everyday with her schedule and three kids, I should be able to handle it too. Right? We'll see. So today we were supposed to go snowboarding with the kids. I made arrangements with their teachers and everything and we were all really excited about it. But, as with most plans at our house, this one went aray. Yesterday Lauren came home complaining of a sore throat with a slight fever. I put her to bed with some Tylenol and crossed my fingers. Yeah, so today, we went to the doctor instead of snowboarding. Maybe this weekend we will try again. That's what happens when you try to encourage your kids to ditch school!