Tuesday, December 29, 2009

I'm back!

Sorry I have been MIA recently. We just got back from a long weekend in St. George (just in time to attend Cam and Paige's baby shower, and miss seeing Sofia on her birthday, Happy Birthday!).

We left Christmas afternoon after two gift opening extravaganzas. And with little to eat most of the day we decided we should stop some where for food before we got on the road. Guess what? NOTHING is open on Christmas day. Well, except Denny's, as I was informed today. But I didn't know that on Friday. Anyway, after a fruitless search from Magna to Taylorsville, we opted to stop at 7-11 and load up on goodies. Which was ok for the trip down. Love me some Lornadoon cookies. And the Dill Pickle flavored sunflower seeds helped keep me awake. Thought of you, Jake, the whole time.

It was a great, non-plan filled trip. We saw Sherlock Holmes (highly recommend), went to the mall, had a wonderful dinner with my Aunt and her family (and her family's families...everyone has kids now!), learned to play two great new games, spent a lot of time with Grandma and Grandpa, got me TWO glaciers (they have changed them, and they are even better now!), and spent all of the trip trying to breathe.

I was sick the whole time. In fact, I am still sick. The first three days were sleepless and mostly miserable. Now I can't stop blowing my nose. Oh yeah, I took a bunch of tissues from Grandma's house. Thanks Grandma! I would not have made it through the trip home without them though. And Grandma has good tissues. Not the crap I have here at work. I think my nose may just fall off if I don't regularly apply lotion.

Oh yeah, I got a good-hearted reaming from my Grandma Dumas about not giving her any pictures since my wedding. I know! I have been horrible about getting my pictures printed out. But mom told me that you can upload the pictures to a site like Walmart and have them shipped directly to Grandma. I think I will have to do it that way. I will never remember to bring them down with me (cause who knows when I will get to go down again). So that is my New Years Resolution: Get Grandma(s) new pictures of me and Nik.

Well, I hope everyone had a happy, healthy and safe Christmas.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Frank Cross: "It's Christmas Eve. It's-it's the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we-we-we smile a little easier, we-w-w-we-we-we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year we are the people that we always hoped we would be."

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Tis the Season

With the bombardment of Christmas music around me all day, I have come to some serious conclusions about my taste in said music.

I hear some pretty crap-tacular stuff on my work radio and some slightly better stuff in my car. Here is a small breakdown of what I like and what makes me want to shoot myself.


The Good:

Hymns:
* Angels We Have Heard On High
* I Heard the Bells
* Hark the Herald Angles Sing

Traditional (ones I grew-up listening to):
* Santa Clause is Coming to Town
* 2000 Miles (The Pretenders)

Non-Traditional (been around for a while, but not "old")
* Last Christmas (Jimmy Eat World version)
* Jingle Bell Rock (not really picky here)
* Winter Wonderland (Jason Mraz version)


The Bad:

* Any version of The Christmas Song (you know, "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...)
* Any artist that sings a gender-based Christmas song, and is the wrong gender. Example: Santa Baby being sung by a man. Trust me. It's been done.
* Anything over played. Even my favorite songs can be ruined by over exposure. Example: Owl City

The Ugly:

* Taylor Swift. Sorry Mason, that's just the way it is.
* Unknown Boy Bands that sing unknown Christmas songs "with feeling"
* Anything by a Crooner that is techno-mixed with a current artist. No. Just....no.




So there it is.




I would like to know what your favorite songs are. Or even more, which ones induce seizures.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Crafty

All of the crafts I have been doing lately are for Christmas gifts, so I am not going to post details, but just know, that I am not as good as I thought I was. I had grand aspirations for these things and I was so excited to do something with my hands. Besides type. And don't get me wrong, they turned out....ok. Well, ok enough for me to still give them out. So just keep that in mind when and if you get a hand-made gift from me. Chances are it was the first time I had attempted that craft, and it just may be the last. I promise I will post at least one picture of everything after the holidays.



What have you been crafting? (Except Vivian, she has been way more crafty than me, and I just don't want to hear about it!! :) )

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

So far behind

I have done so much this last month or so and I have not posted about any of it. Instead I post random what-not cause I am at work with no pictures. Now that we don't have our web gallery anymore, I am with out my work link to my home photos. Oh well. Here is a small sampling of what I have done, and you might get pictures of it later.

* Halloween Party to celebrate being done with chemo
* Several hangouts with friends from out of town
* Making suckers for the first time
* New Moon with Kieran and Lou (and spouses)
* Thanksgiving!
* "Little" Spencer's birthday party
* Putting up the tree
* Lots more crafting than I thought I could do, and lots more to do still. (by the way, Amy, sewing your gift yesterday just about had me pulling my hair out!)
* Christmas shopping...

Ok, so now you know what I have been up too. Combine this list with Holiday crowds at work, and I am lucky to be doing anything at all. Merry Christmas everyone!

Friday, December 04, 2009

Dear Magazine Publishers:

Please print more images Quarter-sized.





Sincerely,

Lena

Thursday, December 03, 2009

An only slightly sarcastic guide to banking.

When dealing with a Teller face-to-face:

1. Please give your account number. I know that not all institutions use deposit slips, but we all need to know where we are going.

2. If you are asked how you want your cash back and you say "I don't care." You had better be serious. None of this, "Oh wait, can I have two ten's?" crap.

3. Don't assume we screwed up. If we ask you a question that doesn't seem to make sense try asking us to explain. Either we misunderstood or we have some other steps we have to do to get there. Bare with us.

4. **Very Important** Don't get mad. It only makes us hate you. If we messed up, we feel bad enough, and know we need to fix it quickly. Having you yell at us or continuously point out the mistake only makes us hate you more. And we WILL call you names when you leave. Just so you know.

5. Please count your cash before leaving the building. If there was a mistake, it is your word against mine whose fault it was. If you count it before leaving, it can all be rectified within seconds.


When with a Teller through the Drive-Up:

1. Please, PLEASE give us all the information you can. If you can, fill out a slip. If not, write the account number on something. It is always hard to hear you through the tube mic's, and I hate yelling at you. Also, I will never turn down an ID. At the very least, I know your name.

2. Always remember that the drive-up is first and foremost a fast way to complete transactions. If you need a photocopy of your check, a print-out of anything, cashiers checks, money orders, or any extensive research on your account, please come inside. The people behind you will thank you. **Exception** Mothers with multiple/sleeping kids in the car. I know that hauling everyone in the bank is not always an option. But try to still be courteous.

3. If I ask you to repeat yourself because I can't hear you, saying it again exactly how you just said it is not going to get us anywhere. Be louder, or write it down.

4. It is not worth changing lanes. If you are in one lane and the other finishes faster, 9 out of 10 times it is not faster to move. Chances are there is really only one teller working both lanes, so you still have to wait.


When waiting in the lobby:

1. If accompanied by children, please try and keep them under control. If you bring them with you to get a loan, know that there will be some waiting time, and some time in the office where they will probably get bored Please be prepared for this. It does no one any favors to have wrangle your kids for half an hour. Oh, and don't let them mess with stuff like the blinds, the bulletin board, or the line dividers. That makes us hate you too.

2. Understand that if there is only one loan officer you may have to wait a long time. Know that we are not doing this on purpose and that we will get to you as soon as possible.

3. **General Rule** DON'T TALK ON YOUR CELL PHONE!!! It is so frustrating to try to do business with someone who is not paying attention to me. Our time together will be minimal, there is no reason not to tell your friend that you will call them back. That is all.












Can you tell that I have had a hard day at work?

In the beginning...

I'm just going to come right out and say it. Nik and I joined a gym. Mostly for me. Well, I say that cause its because of me that we actually went and signed up. Not that Nik was not into it too. His complaining about gaining weight was really getting to me. So, I am there to get back to being able to get out of bed, or get something out of the bottom drawer with out hurting myself. You laugh, and well, you should. I laugh too. It's pretty ridiculous when I can't get out of my car without twisting something. I used to be able to do stuff like that. You know, MOVE.

Anyway, I picked this particular gym because it has convenient yoga classes. And I finally made it there last night for the first time. I don't even know how to describe how this class went for me. It was only an hour long, and I think I spent at least 20 minutes in Child's Pose. And that is not counting the 10 minute cool down that I spent on my back. I can handle the easy stuff like Warrior One and Pigeon Pose (though, keep in mind here that I have to hold myself off the ground a little, cause my hips don't bend like that). But when we started doing Eagle Pose, I started sitting down. There was no way I was getting my body into that position and staying upright! And when I opted to not do the Headstand, I found that the alternative was worse. She said, "If you don't want your feet to leave the ground, just spread your feet and bend over, place the top of your head on the ground and try to put some weight on it." Oh, yeah, just bend over and put your head on the ground. I got my head to about waist level. Let's just leave it at that.

I love yoga, and I really don't want my lack of abilities to stop me from continuing to go. I know I need this. And I know that it just takes time. Maybe I just need a friend to come with me. Any takers?