January Blahs...

It occurred to me the other day that I haven't blogged in a while - since the beginning of the month! Not much has happened... school, snow, inside days (though not as many as last winter!), cold, early morning storms, commute-time storms, more school, snow, and cold. Not much to write home about!

I'm tired of winter! Come on, spring - hurry up!

I'm an Aunt!

Bo Morris Bartholomew was born (finally, much to his mother's relief!) Sunday, December 30.
I went to see Bo and his parents yesterday. Everyone is well and happy.
(Okay, so I'm not an Aunt, technically, but it's the closest that I will be for a long, long time - got that, Holly?!?)
After I left the hospital yesterday, I got to thinking about how our New Year's Eve celebrations have changed over the past few years. In 2001 and 2002, Holly and I got First Night buttons and went downtown to celebrate. In 2003, Joee joined us, and we went to the Tabernacle for their free concert of all the LDS artists you could imagine. For 2004, Lee joined us at the Tabernacle. I met Lee for the first time that night, and what a test it was for him, to see if he could tolerate crazy girls singing along to every single song. He must have passed, because by 2005, he and Joee were married, and we went to the Conference Center. 2006 was spent at home (lots of snow and ice, and no show downtown). And 2007 was spent together, but in the hospital, celebrating a different kind of arrival!
Congrats, Bartholomew family!

Book of a Thousand Days

Book of a Thousand Days, by Shannon Hale, is a great book!
It is the journal of Dashti, Lady Saren's maid. Lady Saren is bethroved to marry one she does not care for, so her father bricks her and Dashti into a tower for a 7-year stay. Dashti records their days and how they manage to survive.
I often don't enjoy Hale's books as much as I'd like because they are often terribly predictable... you know what's going to happen in the end after reading the first few pages. (Maybe I need to stop reading the end before I'm there!) But I do enjoy the twists and turns that happen to get to the end. This book didn't lose my interest, even though I knew the ending - I read it in just a few sittings!

My Favorite Hymns

We had our sacrament meeting today where people get to share what their favorite hymn is and why, and then we sing a verse of it. What a great meeting! I didn't go up, but here were some of my favorite hymn options (just in case!):

• High on the Mountain Top - #5 - 'The Mountain' meaning Ensign Peak in the Salt Lake Valley, but try singing it at Hill Cumorah and you may change your mind about which mountain (or hill) it's talking about!
• We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet - #19 -
• Joseph Smith's First Prayer - #26 - I have always loved 'Brother Joseph', but being in the pageant renewed and reaffirmed my testimony in him and his part in the restoration of the Gospel.
• Praise to the Man - #27 -
• A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief - #29 - My favorite singer of this song was Scott Morgan... I will never tire of the 'Scott and Tammy show' at church!
• God of our Fathers - #78 - because I love the fanfare
• How Firm a Foundation - #85 -
• Come, Follow Me - #116 - Among one of the first hymns I learned to play on the piano
• I Know that My Redeemer Lives - #136 -
• God Be With You Till We Meet Again - #152 - My Mom's favorite hymn, and the very first one I learned to play on the piano, just for her! We also sang it as the last song in our last sacrament meeting at the pageant... I was just fine until we sang that song! (Then, let the waterworks begin!) We also sang it by coincidence (or some higher power) when Holly and I spoke in our sacrament meeting reporting on our pageant experience (again, I was just fine until then!).
• Because I Have Been Given Much - #219 - A wonderful reminder of how much I have been given and what I need to do with what I have
• Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel - #252 - Get back to work!
• Each Life that Touches Ours for Good - #293 -
• As Sisters in Zion - #309 - My love for this hymn began at EFY when we learned the medly with this hymn, the YW theme, and We'll Bring the World His Truth.
  

See - how could I pick just one? Maybe next time I'll get my selection narrowed down in time!

Gimme a break!

Whew... Finally made it to Christmas break!
What a week it was at school. Monday we spent the morning at the school's Christmas Sing school-wide rehearsal. Tuesday, the kids made their Christmas gifts for their families - cute fleece pillows that they tied and stuffed. What an experience! I would have never known which kids can't tie their shoes without it! :) It was fun to sit with just a few at a time and listen in on their conversations - they're so funny! Wednesday, Holly came to school with me and took pictures during our two Christmas Sing performances. The kids liked meeting Holly after hearing so many stories about her (some completely true and some embellished just a bit...). Thursday, the kids watched The Best Christmas Pageant Ever in the morning and enjoyed the party in the afternoon (thanks to my great room-mom and her crew of volunteers!). I got to leave on time from school (more or less) and come home and enjoy my evening.
Today, I got to sleep in, read in my PJs, watch Pirates, and enjoy the afternoon at home.
Hooray for a break!

Scrooge Yourself

The companion site to the 'Elf Yourself' site: Scrooge Yourself!
http://www.scroogeyourself.com

Here's me - enhanced by the lovely effects of Apple's Photo Booth:
http://www.scroogeyourself.com/?id=1407144276

Top Ten Trivia Tips about Christine

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Christine!

1. Christine is actually a fruit, not a vegetable!
2. There is actually no danger in swimming right after you eat Christine, though it may feel uncomfortable!
3. There are more than two hundred different kinds of Christine!
4. It takes forty minutes to hard-boil Christine.
5. Christine is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature.
6. The water in oceans is four times less salty than the water in Christine.
7. Banging your head against Christine uses 150 calories an hour.
8. A thimbleful of Christine would weigh over 100 million tons.
9. Cats use their Christine to test whether a space is large enough for them to fit through!
10. In Japan it is considered rude to talk with Christine in your mouth.

I am interested in - do tell me aboutherhimitthem