NO-Post November

I guess that's what happened this month??!?

While all the guys (idk, maybe there were girls, too?) were doing "No-Shave November," I did my own version of "No."  

It was not purposeful.  It's never happened thus far since the inception of this blog in August 2008! 

What was I doing, you ask?!? 

It's called, "Mandatory Volunteering."  How's that for an oxymoron? 

Otherwise known as, "Volun-told." 

Katelyn was in a play, "Bye Bye Birdie," that was performed November 18-21.

So, towards the end, it got really intense.  (Like it always does with plays). 

It meant she had rehearsal EVERY day except Sunday the whole month.

Which meant that I had to drive her to and from all of those.

AND which meant that, as a parent, it was required that I put in so many hours (about 20) of volunteer time.  (They hold our $75.00 deposit over our head to ensure our compliance).

I'll be honest, during some of the rehearsals I was at, I thought: This is utter chaos!  How is a real show going to come out of this?!? 

But, it all came together (like it always does!) and was really quite GOOD and delightful! 

The play was the MAIN occupier of November, but here's the short version of the breakdown of my month:

1st weekend: Scrapbooking weekend

2nd weekend: Annual Park City Shopping weekend

3rd week: Bye Bye Birdie performances  x 5 (AND a Cub Scout Carnival that my group was in charge of putting on!)

4th week: Thanksgiving in St. George 

No wonder it ended up "NO-POST NOVEMBER!"  ;) 

Maybe I'll make it a "tradition!"  ;) 

"Privacy, Please" is the New "Barge on In"

Here's something to ponder: if you were to see THIS sign:

WHAT WOULD YOU THINK IT MEANT?

My husband and I spent the couple of days at the beautiful Hotel Park City, about a 45 minute drive from our home, this week.

                           

My husband had a meeting, so I was in our "cottage" making sure I fulfilled the meaning of, "leisurely morning" to the fullest!  (Remember, I like to do that, when I'm a guest on Matt's trips?)  I was sitting out on our deck, in the plush Hotel robe, sipping hot cocoa and eating fruit, with the tree leaves rustling, and a breeze gently swirling about me - not a golfer in sight, yet.......
...when, ding dong, I heard our door bell ring, so I start heading to the door (not even dressed in real clothes) to answer it. 
BUT, before I could even get there, the door opens up!  I was around the corner, and out of view of the door at this moment, but a MAN'S voice calls out, "Hello?" 
"Hello." I called back from where I was standing.
"Oh, I'll come back later," said the male voice.
Ya....you better not be staying!

So, I go and check the door, and sure enough, the "Privacy Please" door hanger had been put out by my husband when he left that morning, so WHY the intrusion from Mr. Hello.......???
To be even more secure, I found a "dead bolt" type knob that was also labeled, "privacy" so I turned that after he left.

.......AND THEN when Matt came back to our cottage, he was totally locked out and not able to get in!  :)  (I guess not even a key card will work if the knob is turned!)

After, we were in the back part of our cottage, getting ready for lunch (and when I say, "we," it means Matt was waiting for me to get ready) with the "Privacy Please" sign still on the door, and we hear a noise that sounds like our front door is opening, followed by a MAN calling out, "Hello?"

What?  Again?!?

Matt goes out to the front (I still had wet hair, fresh from the shower) and I hear him say, "Hey, What's up?"  And then I hear him telling someone that this is our room, and we've been here since yesterday, etc. etc.
Well, my curiosity got to me, so I walked out there to see what was going on, and there were two men in our room, with their rolling luggage and bags over their shoulders, looking like they're ready to move in to our same cottage! 
Did they not see the "Privacy Please" sign and think, Something's not right with this room!?
(Turns out, they had been given this room assignment AND key cards to it at check-in just moments before.)
So, they, being convinced that the cottage was already occupied, left.

Then, of course, Matt & I started discussing all these "forced entries" when, ding dong, our doorbell rings.  It was one of those same guys, asking for his sunglasses that he'd left on the kitchen counter.  Yes, they'd originally come in that far and started to settle into the place, when they must've seen some of our stuff here and there, and were prompted to call out.
At least they rang the doorbell that time!  ;)

Then the next day, JUST AS I was putting myself back together after using the bathroom, ding dong, our doorbell rings.  So, then I'm trying to stumble towards the door, and finish pulling up/fastening my pants at the same time, when the front door opens, followed by.....you got it!.....a MAN'S voice calling out, "Hello?"

Again?!? Yes. Again!

"Hello." I echoed back.
Now, fully dressed, I walked around the corner to the front door, and the man there informs me, "I'm just going to check your hot tub" as he proceeds to walk further into my cottage!
To which I must've responded with a stupefied look, not moving, because then he stopped, as if he was just struck with an intelligent thought, and he says, "I'll just come back later."
Uhhh....,ya you will!

After he left, I double checked - the Privacy Please sign WAS indeed up on the door then, too.

THREE TIMES we had trespassers.
THREE TIMES that sign failed us.
THREE TIMES I was seconds away from being spotted [in a compromising situation.]
THREE TIMES I wondered if people don't know how to read anymore.

OR........
Maybe I have misinterpreted the meaning and purpose of that sign all these years?!?   If so, please clue me in.  ;)


****************
We really DO enjoy this resort - we have stayed there for 3 years in a row now - we came to the conclusion that somehow, their computer system did not register that our room had guests in it, and everyone thought it was vacant.  At least we're hoping there was an innocent explanation, and this is not a common practice......

A Sure Way to Have a Whole Month Fly By Without Even Realizing It

If time is ever moving too slow for you - just dragging on and you're wondering HOW you can make it go faster.......just GO ON A CRUISE.

Because it takes a WHOLE WEEK of pressing preparations before you can even leave:
Laundry
Writing up lists
Shopping
Making an instructions guide for our children's caretakers
Packing
Accomplishing THE LIST
ON TOP OF the extra hours at work that I had to pick up for others in trade to get the cruise week off, and Matt had to work to get all the things done that were needed for deadlines that would come up while we were gone or very shortly after we returned.
PLUS, add a daughter's birthday and party in there with my annual girls' shopping weekend in Park City on the side....

....and pretty much I was going non-stop for that first 8 days of the month.

THEN we made it on our [20th anniversary] cruise!  Aaaaaaaaaaah!!!

 The Allure of the Seas, Royal Caribbean

Relief.

No Responsibility.

Restful.

{Haha.  Matt took this "selfie" on the first evening.  

I was so worn out by the time our vacation actually started, I fell right to sleep waiting for the show to start!} 

 Recreational.

{Yes!  There is a operational Carousal on the ship.} 

Rejuvinating.

 Refreshing.

Royal Treatment.

from our awesome waiters, "Jeff" & "Lito"

 Romantic.

 Rewarding.

Sadly, that week went by way too fast.

Side Note:  My #1 tip for married couples:  Get Away Together (alone) often! (anything from a date night to an extended vacation)  There's really no substitute.....but that's a whole other blog post for another time.

And then we came back home.  Here's another adjective beginning with the letter "R" to describe that experience:  Rude Awakening. 

Not only was is COLD, but I had to now cook my own food, pick up my own towel, wipe my own nose......Oh no!!  

  
(It's been pretty much back to work non-stop again)

So, on MONDAY, I worked my shift all day and had to go to the grocery store for all the, "Mom! We're out of (fill in the blank with anything & everything)! items the kids bombarded me with upon my return.

On TUESDAY, I worked my shift all day and had to catch up on paying bills.  What in the heck was the current status of our bank account?!?

On WEDNESDAY, I worked my shift all day and did the miscellaneous "office" stuff...and finally decorated for Thanksgiving!  With a side of planning our ward's Christmas party.

On THURSDAY, I finally had a day off work, so I got around to unpacking all my luggage.  I also tackled cleaning the stove which appeared as if a 10 gallon pot of an assortment of foods & other stuff had exploded all over it in my absence.  I also slid on in to the Post Office in the nick of time - 4:56 p.m. - to send off this month's missionary care package (a blog post for another time) for Ryan Elder Brenchley.  (It's that time again, already?!?)

So, there's another week that's gone by in a FLASH.  It's November 20th already!?!?!  That means practically the whole month is gone!  And then Thanksgiving week always goes by fast and after that, November's over.  I really can't believe how quickly it went.  Here I am left reeling.

There you have it.
Prep week + Cruise week + Catch up week.....
How to lose a month in 20 days. (but what only seemed like a few)

Thoughts about My Weekend

It was my Annual Girls' Park City Shopping Trip this past weekend.
I didn't even take my camera, so I've got no photos to share - only thoughts:

1. You SOOO don't have to pay full price for anything! In fact 60-80% off is very possible.
   
   


2. It is SOOO much easier shopping without a baby (like I did last year) but we're thinking about bringing our strollers in the future just to hold all the "stuff!"

3. Chocolate dipped Mint Oreos are SOOO good!

4. You must try on bras. Last time, I just got measured & bought without trying on. It SOOO didn't fit! This time, I got measured and tried on - and then ended up buying a different size than was recommended to me!

5. I think I'm the only one in the universe who didn't have this on their mind...
6. I need to remember that the Arby's in Park City has Diet Dr. Pepper!!

7. There IS such a thing as "Retail Therapy."

8. I have a 12 year old girl on my Christmas shopping list. So, I went to Justice for the first time in my life. Can I just say that I was SOOO out of my element while in there? I DID NOT know what to get. 0 to 8 year old girls - easy peasy! Tweens - I'm just not cool enough!!

9. When the Landmark Inn says that "breakfast is included," it is NOT false advertising. Some other hotels try to get away with that marketing line when all they throw out is toast, danishes, & coffee. Not these guys. The stay is worth it just for their breakfast. Bacon, sausage, ham, pancakes, biscuits & gravy, breakfast potatoes, scrambled eggs, eggs w/ cheese, ham, & vegetables, fresh fruit, yogurt, cottage cheese, juices, Hot Chocolate, hot oatmeal, cold cereal, muffins, bagels, cinnamon rolls, PLUS what those other hotels serve for their "breakfast."


10. I don't believe in decorating for Christmas BEFORE Thanksgiving is over (and don't get me started on it happening around Halloween time!) In fact, I have a real problem with it. I really feel sorry for Thanksgiving - it always gets the shaft. But, I found such a delightful Gingerbread House luminary to buy, that I'm almost tempted to break my "Before Thanksgiving" Rule.

But I will resist!

11. And, last but not least, Friday night was our Stake's Youth Culminating event.
They were putting on the Production of Cumorah's Hill.

I had planned to drive down from Park City to see Ryan in it and then drive back up.
As the time to go came closer, however, I just DID NOT feel like driving all that way back down. Alone. In the dark. It would mean I would miss going out to dinner with all my girlfriends and an extra couple of hours of shopping, which I felt kind of bad about. I started to rationalize that I didn't need to really go - since I was "out of town" and all. And, anyway, the performances were originally scheduled for Wed. & Thurs. evenings, so there were no conflicts when we planned our shopping trip. I couldn't control that the date was changed! And on & on my thoughts went....
But, I did drive down and see the performance.
And IT. WAS. WONDERFUL.
Like really, really wonderful!
I was SOOO glad that I went! (And I heard that the performance I went to was by far the better one!) I felt the spirit so powerfully - I asked Ryan if they (the performers) could feel it as much as we (the audience) did. He said they felt it MORE! I was uplifted & my testimony strengthened. It was reconfirmed to me that the Book of Mormon is TRUE. I knew that my Heavenly Father loves me - and also loves all those incredible youth who had taught us that evening (& had dedicated a great amount of time over the past several months in preparation.) I felt like Moroni in the last book of the Book of Mormon,
"I will not [cannot] deny the Christ."
And to think that I was toying with the idea of not going. How many times does that happen? I just don't feel like doing something, but if I do, I am richly blessed! And because of that, I think it's safe to say that Satan didn't want me to go! ;) And that's why I get these doubts & wavering feelings.

Driving back up to Park City afterwards didn't even seem bad at all!

Shop 'til you Drop (or 'til the baby lets you know she's HAD IT!)

I just got back from our Annual Park City Shopping Trip, a.k.a. "The Lakeland Ward Reunion." This is a group of friends I met 12 years ago from where I used to live. At that time, Ryan was only 9 months old and he was my only child. The rest of us had one or none or REALLY YOUNG children way back then, but our families & children have all grown through the years (we now have a combined 58+ children and a couple of them are GRANDMAS!) it's been fun to stay in contact all these years. In fact, only one person in this group is still living in our old neighborhood - all the rest of us have moved other places.

We start out on Friday morning at 10:00 when the Outlet stores open and we don't come home until Saturday evening! We stay at two condos that are next door to each other, but don't sleep much! We shop (duh!), go out to eat together, do a "Show & Tell" the first night...then we all go out shopping the next day and buy what everyone else bought that we loved! For the real DIE HARDS who can stay awake, they end the weekend with dinner & a movie in Layton (I rarely make it that far!)

While in Park City, we usually always go to Ruby Tuesdays and get this big back room...Here we are...(clockwise from the bottom left) Tera, Mandy, Robyn, Jamie, Kayelani, Jenny, Kay, Lauri, Kylie, Diane, Julene, Melanie, Cindy (w/ baby Lindsey) & Me (baby Brookelle was cut out of the photo!). We missed Tish, Kim & Julie this year.

Brookelle REALLY was very good considering what I was putting her through - she got to know her stroller VERY well and I appreciated all the other "Mommies" there to help me. But the interruptions to her eating and sleeping schedule took it's toll and she let me know about it at times...usually while I was half-dressed in the fitting room and couldn't escape quickly! Then she would finally "conk out!"

I always save my birthday money from Sept. and spend it here - Thanks Mom & Dad Fowers & Brenchley. I also get a start on Christmas. Well, I did manage to fill my trunk up. Just one problem...where should I put my stroller now? I even would say I "held back" a little bit more than usual thanks to the Economy being the way it is & all! :)

Thanks to my SIL, Nicole, for giving me a "Friends & Family" discount for GAP/Old Navy/Banana Republic, I got some great DEALS there and I used multiple coupons practically every else too, of course!

Here are some of the favorite purchases:

• Bath & Body Works Anti-bacterial soaps 5/$10 - Have you tried Freshwater cucumber? I like it!
• Black dress boots (that can zip up over my calf! a small miracle!) $27.09 - I really thought about getting some brown ones, too, in a different style, but I talked myself out of it thinking it was a "frivolous purchase" (blame that on the Economy, also!)
• A Pizza Stone $6.38
• A silicone scraper thingy (for pan/pizza stone/counter/griddle) $0.99
• Two LONG white "under shirts" (for when one's in the wash) to cure my "problem" mentioned in my prior blog post! $3.50/each
• A butterfly Halloween costume for next year $4.58
• Some things for Christmas that I can't mention by name because my kids read my blog $3-5
• Matt's (& the other husband's) favorite: A "Special Item" from Rue 21 - another part of our annual tradition :) - to compensate for any "pain & suffering" they may have experienced in our absence $0.99
• Not included in my trunk this year: Wrapping paper - The Paper Factory closed since I was there last. DANG! They had good stuff & I always stocked up!
• Matching dresses off the Clearance rack for all three of my girls - what are the chances that they had EVERY single one of the sizes I needed? They're thrilled to be "triplets!" $5.75-6.39

Now I need to RECOVER - Yah, right - like that's gonna happen!