And the worst blogger award goes to.....

Me.

I feel terrible that it has taken me so long to get this post up, because I should have done it weeks ago, but I am hoping that my Secret Santa will understand!

I was absolutely thrilled with the gift she sent!! It was very thoughtful and the package contained some great things!! Here's what she sent:

A ball for Belle.  It's even her favorite kind....squeaky!

A journal for me.  I love that it has the quote from the top of my blog 

on the cover.  I can't wait to start writing in it.  

The package also had the board game version of Words with Friends, which I didn't take a picture of, but I am very excited about it because that happens to be one of my favorite iphone games.  

Thank you to my secret santa!! Once again, I had a great time participating, and look forward to doing it again next year!! 

Thank you secret Santa

The secret Santa gift exchange this year was once again a success!  I had so much fun deciding what to send to my recipient, and I hope that she enjoys it! She had my name last year, and I absolutely loved the gift that she sent me so I was really looking forward to sending something fun to her and repaying the favor.

My secret Santa this year really paid attention! I was so stoked to open my package when it arrived to find this:

A bottle of Sparkling Moscato, a pink and black wine case and a pink and black corkscrew.  Seriously awesome.  Thanks to Sun Child for the great gift! I have already polished off the bottle, and it was delish! The case will come in handy quite frequently, and I appreciate that you took the time to make sure that you would send something that I'd really like!! 

Thank you Pserendipity for arranging the exchange again this year, it is so much fun and I am definitely looking forward to next years exchange. 

Secret Santa 2011

It's time for this year's Blogland Secret Santa! Pseredipity has been hosting a Secret Santa gift exchange through her blog for the past three years, and this will be my second year participating. Last year was a blast, so this year I am really looking forward to doing it again. I know who I'm going to be shopping for, and I can't wait to see what she thinks of the gift I choose for her.

I know that it is really helpful for the person you are shopping for to post a few hints, since most of the participants don't know each other, so I figured I'd share some things about myself to make things a bit easier on my Secret Santa.

1. If you haven't already figured it out, I love books. I love to read and someday I hope to write a few of my own. Browsing through bookstores is a favorite past time of mine. I have a small collection of books that are signed by the author and hope to continue expanding that collection. I also have a kindle that I take with me wherever I go.

2. Pink, black and grey are my favorite colors.

3. I love things that keep me warm.  Hoodies, socks, scarfs, blankets, hot chocolate, etc. - I am not a fan of being cold, so anything that will keep me warm is always a bonus. The only thing you shouldn't consider in this category is a Snuggie. It would be a waste of your money.

4. I drink a lot of wine. I drink a lot of anything, really, but wine is a favorite of mine lately. My favorites are Riesling and Moscato. I used to have one wine glass that I would use all the time, but sadly it broke a few weeks ago.  I also collect shot glasses.

5. I love movies. It doesn't matter what genre.

6. I have a serious sweet tooth.

7. I like jewelry. I wear a necklace and earrings every day.  The only type of jewelry I don't wear are rings.  My wedding ring is the only one that adorns my hand.

Dear Secret Santa,
Hopefully this list will help you out with some ideas. Please don't feel obligated to choose something that is related to this list though. I'm sure that whatever you come up with will be wonderful! I look forward to seeing what you pick, and finding out who the hell you are.

65 Red Roses

I love reading all different types of blogs.  I like stories, and it interests me to read about different people and the stories that they have to tell.  This is why blogs are good.  You can read about different people around the world and get a glace into what their lives are like. 

I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis, and most of them are great.  Every once in a while though, a blog comes along that knocks me off my feet.  Eva's blog is one of them. 

I found her blog about a year ago, and have been combing through her archives ever since.  I have now read all of her posts, and feel like I have known her all my life.  She died last march, shortly before I found her blog. She was a beautiful woman, both outside and in, and she was my age.

Eva spent her whole life in the fight against Cystic Fibrosis.  She went through a double lung transplant, and things were looking up for her, then about a year later she suffered chronic rejection.  Her blog documents the high points and low points of her life and she is very open about what it is like to live with CF.  They also filmed a documentary about her transplant that will be showing on the OWN network this spring.  I cannot wait to see it.

If you are looking for an inspiring and amazing story to read, Eva's is the one. 

Here is the trailer for 65 Red Roses:

65 Red Roses Trailer from 65redroses on Vimeo.

Spreading Christmas Cheer

My friend Pserendipity hosted her annual secret Santa blog gift exchange again this year and I had the honor of participating.  I, along with 17 other bloggers, were charged with choosing and mailing a gift to the person that we were assigned by choosing random numbers.  I didn't really know what to expect at first, and I was worried.  I don't know anyone that was participating in the exchange other than Psonya so how would I know what to buy my recipient?  Would she like what I sent her? Would the person who was picked to be my secret Santa send me something that I would like?

Everything turned out great in the end.  My recipient blogged about what I sent her and seemed really happy with it.  Phew.   A lot of thought went into what I sent her, so I was relieved that she liked it.  Then, a few days after I sent my package off in the mail, mine showed up.

Here's what was inside:

She obviously did her research, the first item I pulled out of the package was a Martini glass.  Perfect gift for someone who is a lush, and let's be honest, I love me a stiff drink.  

Then onto the next gift, a cookbook.  It's not just any cookbook though.  It's a cookbook that was given to her by her Grandmother when she got married over twenty years ago.  Complete with a handwritten personalization on the inside cover that she altered to say our names instead of hers.  That makes it so much more than just a cookbook. 

Then there was the luggage tag with the initial to my last name on it that acted as my clue to try and help me guess who my secret Santa might be.  

TravelDiva; I want to thank you for the amazing amount of thought that went into the gift you sent me.  I am so lucky that you were my secret Santa!  I will cherish the cookbook always, and I can assure you that I will get plenty of use out of the Martini glass. :)  Hopefully someday I will get the chance to travel so that I can use the luggage tag as well.  You really went above and beyond.  Merry Christmas!

I asked, and I received

About four months ago I submitted my blog for review over at Ask And Ye Shall Receive where, as proclaimed in their blog address, they promised to fucking tear me apart.

Yesterday was the day that my review went up. You can read it here.

My reviewer was a chick named Mongoliangirl. She definitely did not disappoint on the aforementioned promise, and I actually laughed a few times while I was reading what she had to say about my blog. Not only did she tear me apart, but she did it in a pretty comical way. Her number one complaint seemed to be my lack of consistency. I am an all-over-the-place kind of blogger, and she didn't really like that too well. I get it.

She thinks that I should focus more on the monumental happenings in my life, and expand on those stories more than I have been. I can't say that I disagree, but at the same time I worry that if I focus too hard on one set of topics things around here will become a lot more monotonous. What do you think? Do you want to hear more about my hunt to find my biological father, the emotions that go along with said inquisition, and the time that Brett almost died?

Maybe I should pour my heart out a little more.

I did disagree with the part of the review where she suggested that rather than telling you the story about the time that the photographer didn't show up to take our pictures, I should've posted a back story on the graffiti covered building that we were planning on having in the background of those pictures. My only problem with that suggestion is this: I know nothing about that building to be able to write a story about it. I just know that I used to drive by it on my commute everyday, and it seemed like an awesome place for a photo shoot. So that really wouldn't have been an option. I knew the story about the photographer not showing, because I was there and I was extremely upset about it, but the history of the building is a complete mystery to me.

I also found it completely hilarious that she was so focused on the one post that I ever did about a pair of sandals. She thinks that I throw too much of my daily life into my posts, and used the phrase "a bunch of tidbits, trivia, and surface tripe" to describe the parts of my life that I blog about. The only reason that this was confusing to me is that I thought that's what having a blog was all about. Sharing stories about your life, and letting people get a feel for who you are. If all I ever blogged about were the serious, sad, and tragic things that happened in my life the stories would be too heavy, and my blog would be a severely depressing place to be. No one would want to read it.

I like constructive criticism because it helps me improve myself. I will definitely think about everything that she said, and try to come up with ways that I improve the stories that I tell and make them more interesting. As for the randomness, I don't know if that one will ever go away. I am a random person with random thoughts, and I kind of like that about myself.

She did say that she thinks my writing is clear and straightforward, and she thinks that I have potential, which is pretty cool. She also said that she is going to put me into her reader and see if I can improve, which I appreciate. I was really glad to see that she didn't hate my blog template. That is one thing that the reviewers tend to have a problem with when they review blogs.

Thanks MongolianGirl for reviewing my blog, I'll be interested to see if you change your mind about me in the future.

Two Hundred

When I first started this blog I had no idea that it would end up being such a big part of my life. I just figured that it would be a good way to keep family and friends that didn't see us very often updated from time to time on what we were up to. Now I find myself compiling posts in my head during the commute home, or when I'm grocery shopping. I am always thinking about what stories I want to tell next, and trying to find the best words to express how I'm feeling at the moment. I have fallen in love with having a place to come and share my words.

Not only have I been able to reconnect with some old friends, but I have found some really great new friends through blogging. I feel like most of you {the ones that I know of anyway} are people that I would get along with well in real life, too.

I never would have thought that I would still be here 200 posts later, but I sure am glad it turned out that way.

Thoughtful gifts {by Jasmine}

{Jasmine & Levi}

The best gift I have ever received was from Levi for my birthday this year. He's an amazing artist, and I have absolutely fallen in love with so many of his paintings. The problem is that every painting I've ever fallen in love with always ends up getting sold. So for my birthday this year, Levi made a painting just for me, never ever to be sold. He designed it so that it would match our living room perfectly and is even making a frame for it by hand! It's so special to me because it's something he made with his own two hands with me in mind. I've never owned a real, original painting or piece of art before, and now, not only do I own one, but it was created just for me. I don't think anyone will ever be able to beat that gift....well,Levi might beat it eventually. He's always one-upping himself. :)

xo
Jasmine


Thanks to Jasmine at An Experiment in Poverty for contributing to our thoughtful gifts segment!! If you'd like to share your story send us an email: scothernsblog@aol.com

Thoughtful gifts {by Erica}

{Erica & Malia}

When we were dating, my husband, Zach, and I went on a weekend trip with several of our friends to a cabin in the woods. It was one of those trips that you never forget and you can never recapture. We had so much fun. One of the days we went on a little nature walk and Zach picked some wildflowers for me. When we got back to the cabin I was going to throw them away. I know, not very sentimental of me; but I am a practical girl. My friend Malia, who has been known to save a plastic cup (for years, mind you) that a high school crush once used to drink a sip of water out of, was to say the least; appalled that I was about to throw away flowers from Zach. She took them from me and I forgot all about them.

Three years later on my wedding day, I was getting ready in the bridal room surrounded by my family and bridesmaids; ready to walk down the aisle and marry, Zach, the absolute love of my life. One of those bridesmaids was of course Malia, and she told me she had a gift for me. What I opened was a pressed yellow flower mounted in a beautiful black framed shadow box. I was flooded with emotion. I can't think of a more perfect and more thoughtful wedding gift than a forgotten flower from my soon to be husband. To me that flower represents my relationship with Zach and the little things he does that I sometimes forget to appreciate, as well as my friend Malia - She is full of thoughtfulness and sentimentality that I can definitely learn from.

Thanks to Erica over at Tartraz for participating in our thoughtful gifts segment, and being our first official guest blogger! If you'd like to share your story, send us an email: scothernsblog@aol.com

The one where my head explodes

About two months ago I entered a giveaway on a blog I had never read before. It was a giveaway hosted by a woman in the Salt Lake area who is trying to get her photography website up and running, and she was giving away 15 photo sessions. With how expensive professional photography is, we have never been able to afford to have our pictures taken. We didn't even have the money to hire a professional photographer for our wedding. Instead, we recruited one of Brett's sisters to do pictures, and another one of his sisters to do video.

I'm not a particularly lucky person, and I've only ever won a few things in my life, so naturally I was ecstatic when I received an email a few days later informing me that I was, in fact, one of the winners. This kind of thing never happens to me.

After going back and forth with her for a few weeks to try and decide on a location and time that would work for both of us we finally had an appointment set, and the perfect spot in mind. I wanted to do something a little bit out of the ordinary, and thought that it would be fun to go somewhere with a lot of graffiti. There is an old abandoned building out by Saltair on I-80 that is covered in graffiti, and there is an old train car out there too. It seemed like a great spot, and she agreed that she would meet us out there. I was getting so excited! I am a really impatient person, so waiting another five weeks was the hardest part.

We are not usually the type of people who go all out for this kind of thing, but we decided that since we were going to have our pictures done professionally we should get new clothes. We had been looking for something to wear for weeks, stopping at any store we passed, and didn't have much luck. We finally found an awesome shirt for Brett, but now I needed something that matched, and it didn't seem to exist. Saturday morning we went to the mall, which Brett hates, to keep searching. After a few hours we finally found something that I loved. We ended up spending more than we wanted to on the clothes, but after the pictures were done it would all be worth it. At least that's what I kept telling myself.

After we had the clothes picked out it was time to get ready. I had my hair styled professionally so that it would look perfect, and I even went crazy and decided that I was going to wear heels. I never wear heels. This was obviously a big deal.

The time came on Saturday for us to go, and I could barely contain my excitement. We had waited a long time, and the day was finally here! We were going to have our pictures taken by a real live professional.

We got out to Saltair about fifteen minutes early, and got out to walk around. As we were waiting, a few car loads of people showed up sporadically for photo shoots of their own. Apparently we had picked a great location, and we determined that it must be a hot spot for photographers to bring their clients.

Fifteen minutes go by, and our photographer is still not there. I was starting to get annoyed, but I figured she must probably just be running a little late. We continued waiting, and watching the other people that had shown up after us as they got their pictures taken. I was getting anxious. Where the hell could she be? After another fifteen minutes goes by Brett can tell that I am really bothered by how late she is, and suggests that I call her to see what's going on. I had this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that she wasn't going to show, but I kept trying to convince myself that I was just being paranoid. I had sent her an email to confirm the appointment a week ago, there's no way she is going to blow us off.

This is the part where my head exploded.

I got her on the phone, explained that we were waiting for her, and that our appointment was supposed to be twenty minutes ago. She then proceeds to tell me that she completely forgot about our appointment. COMPLETELY FORGOT!! Are you kidding me? Then she has the balls to say "do you still want to try to do it tonight?". NO, I don't. I don't want to wait here for another hour until you can get around to showing up to take our pictures. You've already wasted my entire day, and now I would like to at least salvage what is left of my evening. Jerk.

After everything that we went through to prepare for this photo shoot, we got stood up. Now I don't know how long it will be before we'll be able to get our pictures done professionally. I can tell you one thing though, when it happens again, I will make sure to go with someone that has been recommended to me by a friend. I want to do anything I can to avoid a mess like this in the future.

Needless to say, I am extremely disappointed in the whole situation. I don't see how she will ever be able to build up her client base operating her business this way. If anything, I hope to help other people avoid having a bad experience like mine. I would highly recommend that you DO NOT have your pictures done by Rebecca Terry Photography.

The day we've all been waiting for

There is a new blogger in town folks, and it is something that I am so happy to announce! Why? Because this particular blogger happens to be my best friend. I have been telling her for months that she needed to start a blog, and until now she hasn't shown any interest. In fact, she has frequently made fun of me for blogging. I can forgive her now though, because she has seen the light.

I can assure you that her blog will keep you entertained. How do I know this? She is the most hilarious person I know. It doesn't matter what day it is, or what is keeping me down, this girl can always put a smile on my face.

{here she is just before 80's day at work}

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, may I present to you Shay's blog:

Happily Ever Schlange

What are you waiting for? Head on over and show her some love!

Feeling generous

The first 15 people to email us will recieve a FREE blog design!

The first 5 emails we recieve will get a custom blog makeover complete with header, background, button, and sidebar titles. We will work with you to come up with the perfect design to match your personality, and style.

The next 10 emails will be able to choose a premade background of their choice, and I will make you a header to match.

Our site is still in the works, but if you want to see what we are capable of, go here:

Scothernsblog@aol.com

The pursuit of happiness - day 1

My friend Allison did this on her blog and it seems like fun, so I'm going to play along! For 8 days straight {without fail} I am going to post the thing{s} that makes me happy for that particular day.

Today I am happy about a few things. First things first! Today is the first day of the sixth year of my marriage. I am pretty stoked about that! Second thing is the fact that I got to ride into work with Brett today. He went out to Grantsville to ride four wheelers with his dad, and my office just so happens to be along the way. So there was really no point in driving separate. I love it when I get to ride in with him for three reasons:
1} I get to spend an extra 35 minutes with him before we have to say goodbye for the day
2} It makes my commute a lot less boring because I get to talk to him the whole way and
3} We get to use the carpool lane, and in turn we don't get stuck in those horrid pockets of traffic that suck you in at the same damn places every day along the whole route when you are driving alone.

It seriously made my day! The next best part about the whole thing is that he gets to come pick me up at work too!!

Here's where you come in. I want to challenge 8 of my friends to participate in the 8 days of happiness. So the lucky 8 of you are:

Brandie - Chelsie - Day - Gwen - Janese - Jessica - Kathleen - Taylee

What makes you happy today?

The Color Purple

Title: The Color Purple

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

The Color Purple is a film adaptation of Alice Walker's novel of the same name. I read the book about six years ago, and loved it! So naturally I was up for the challenge when Psonya presented me with the idea to watch and review this movie, {it's her favorite!} in exchange for her to do the same with my favorite movie.

To be completely honest with you, I have to say that I was not that impressed with the film version of the story. I think that the book was wonderful, and I was pretty disappointed after I watched the movie. Part of the problem when making a book into a movie is always the fact that you can't cram all of the story into two hours. So naturally there were pieces missing. The cast for the film had a LOT of big named actors/actresses: Oprah, Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, and Laurence Fishburne are just a few. I think that with the cast in mind I expected the movie to be much better than it turned out to be. I do however, think that Oprah gave an amazing performance. Most of the time I forgot that it was even her that I was watching. She really did a great job of playing Sophie. With that said, I really don't think that any of the other actors/actresses gave it their all. It could've been done much better, in my opinion.

I also think that one of the things that made it hard to watch was the pace. It was so slow. I think that the story works well for a book because it is something that you read a few chapters here and there, then put it down for a while, which helps to break it up a little. But watching the whole movie at once I found myself bored.

I am really bummed that I didn't like the movie. I was really hoping that it would be as good as the book. I do find that most times the movie is never as good as the book to me though, so maybe I am just a sucker for turning pages. I also have to say that I usually tend to like movies that are a little more fast paced, and not so sad. This is truly a depressing story, and maybe that's why I think it is better for me to read it. Then I can put it down and give my brain a rest from all of the sadness.

The movie that I picked for Psonya is very different. Who knows, maybe she won't like it and it will all come down to the fact that we just have different taste in movies. We'll see! She's posting her review today, too. So CLICK HERE to see what she thinks of Green Street Hooligan's.

Sorry Psonya!!

Have you seen The Color Purple? What did you think?

I just don't get it

Why is everyone so into Twitter? I hear about it everywhere I go, for hell's sake the NBA announcers even talk about it. So the other day {really like 2 weeks ago} I decided to sign up and see what all the hype was about. My conclusion: Twitter is stupid, account deleted. The only person who needs a Twitter account is Dooce. Because lets face it, she is the only blogger on earth that has 50 billion readers who really care what she is doing at any given moment in the day. She's funny, I'm not funny. Therefore, I don't need a Twitter account. Why would I want to have a Twitter account that I send updates to when no one is reading? I already have a blog that no one reads, so why waste more time?

I guess maybe I'm just not into the whole 'social networking' thing. No Myspace, no Facebook, no Twitter, no thank you. My blog is just here to keep the few people who do care updated from time to time, and serve as a journal for Brett and I. I have reconnected with some great friends through this blog that I lost touch with over the years, and I am grateful for that. I just think that keeping up with one site is time consuming enough. I don't know how some people can do them all.

Do you Twitter? What do you like about it?

I accept

A few weeks ago I did a post about quotes from my favorite movies. I had a lot of fun reading through the comments to see how people guessed. In the end only about half of them were figured out. I guess that this post showed me that I have a very different taste in movies than a lot of people.

My blog friend Psonya over at Pserendipity was pretty bothered by the fact that I didn't have a quote from her favorite movie, The Color Purple, listed in the post. Then when I told her that I had read the book, but never seen the movie, she left me this comment:

"You must watch the Color Purple -- really, you gotta. if you watch TCP, I'll expand my movie horizons and watch your favorite movie -- and review it on the blog. We'll do a movie trade, just tell me what to get."

So I have decided to accept her challenge! The movie that I am picking for her is {drumroll please}.....Green Street Hooligan's. Brett and I love this movie. It is seriously one of our favorite movies of all time. It's got a great plot, plus tons of intense action.

vs.

Make sure you check back next week for my review of The Color Purple!

Have you seen either of these movies? What did you think?

Cheers!

Happy 100 posts to us!

Break out the Tequila and lime wedges, it's time to celebrate!!

The Long Road Ahead

For some crazy reason I have the urge to run. Starting off slowly and only going short distances {since I have no lung capacity}, and gradually working my way up to longer distances and quicker paces. I am not sure why I have made this decision, but I have. On March 1st I am officially going to start training for a marathon. Yup, you heard me right. I said Marathon! {as in 26.2 miles of hell}

It is something that I have been wanting to do for a while now, but I never really thought I could actually accomplish it, you know? I mean how does someone who NEVER RUNS {and when I do it's not long at all} work their way up to running 26.2 miles? I don't really have an answer to that question, but I might as well try, right? You see, I put this on my 'things to do before I die' list, and just kind of forgot about it. I figured that I would get around to it eventually, I just wasn't sure when. After I lost my mom so suddenly I realized that you never know what is waiting for you around the corner, and tomorrow may never happen. I'm not saying that I think I'm going to die tomorrow, I'm just saying that I think I need to start living my life to the fullest. Just in case. I am sick of being such a lazy bum all the time.

Don't get me wrong, I love sleeping in on weekends and doing nothing but watch movies and playing games with Brett all day. But I think it's time that we change things up a bit. Maybe I'm crazy........I'll let you know in 59 weeks. {that's how long my training program will take}

If you want to see where I have been getting some of my inspiration from, go HERE {that's a link people} to read Taylee's {that's another} truly amazing story of how she ran 2 marathon's in 2 weeks! Wow!!!

Something to smile about

Guess what?

{Nie Nie is Back!}

This is such an exciting day for everyone in the blog world. It put a smile on my face today to see that she has recovered enough to come back to her blog, and inspire again. Three cheers for Nie! Congratulations Stephanie, welcome home!

Have you been living under a rock for the last six months? If so you can go here, here, here, or here to see what I'm talking about, and read her story. What are you waiting for? GO!

Need A Great Gift Idea This Christmas?

Go to my mom's blog!! She makes hand dipped chocolates that are to die for! My Grandpa and Grandma started up a candy making business years ago, and last year my grandpa decided that he just couldn't do it on his own anymore. My mom turned her basement into a candy makers dream, and took over the family business. My Grandpa still comes over everyday to help her and ensure the quality stays the way he intended it to be. They work really hard and would appreciate your orders! There are many different varieties to choose from:

• Caramels
• Toffee
• Cherry Chocolates
• Nut clusters
• Nut Balls
• Various flavors of cremes

I recommend the Caramels, nut balls, and peanut clusters! They are all fantastic, but those are my favorites. :) The best part is you won't have to spend an arm and a leg to get your Christmas shopping done! They are $14 - $16 dollars a 1 pound box (that's 24 pieces of candy!), so if you are looking for something great to buy for your family, friends, neighbors, or coworkers here's your solution!!

What are you waiting for? Go!!