Condensed Version of Our Lives Since November

I had these great big, grand plans for being totally on the ball for the Holiday Season (yes, the 2011 season). Here we are, post-Valentine's and I find myself trying to figure out how to sum up the last three months. I'm a bit at a loss. You know when life throws you a curve ball that you weren't expecting and you play catch up for who knows how long before you feel like you are standing on your own two feet again? Enter: the day before Thanksgiving.

There I was, happy and ignorant in my Young Women's advisor bliss, looking forward to the upcoming Christmas party, and then on to 2012 with the auction, Girl's Camp, on and on. I had grand plans for a quiet Thanksgiving at home, decorating for Christmas, and then being fabulously on time with the Christmas cards. The Christmas stockings that have been so elusive for a couple of years now would be finished, and stories would be read beneath the Christmas tree each night. . . My goals may have been a tad lofty, but at the time, I felt, attainable. Then, I got called to the Principal's office. Well, in this case, the Bishop's office. My life suddenly became, once again, all about Primary, but on a grander scale than I'd ever experienced. One of the few things I remember about that meeting with the Bishop was when he said, "And you thought the only thing you had to worry about this weekend was cooking a turkey."

While a few of those things I'd planned were missed, what I remember is the happiness and joy of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my family. I loved that we could attend church and partake of the Sacrament on Christmas.
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You can all be jealous. I'm telling you, right now, be jealous. I had my New Year's Resolution DONE by the 4th week in January. I know. I'm just that good. I didn't even have my resolution SET until the 2nd week, and it was done by the 4th. I know. You wish you were me. My resolution was to get the Christmas decorations put away before February rolled around and I DID IT! Woot! With a couple of days to spare! See? I told you!

I'd just like to take this moment to thank Dave once again for making my dreams come true and helping me accomplish my goals (and/or resolutions), even if he has to do them for me. . .I'm so lucky :)
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Sidebar: apparently, I'm a terrorist. Ty, Abbie, and I were having a discussion this morning on the way to school. One of those, "we need to think about how we could have handled this situation better" type of discussions. I was suggesting to Ty that instead of butting in on Abbie and kicking her off the piano, he could have actually asked her if he could play. His response to that was, "Why? Why should I ask her? Terrorists don't ask. They just do what they want." My response to this, for better or worse was, "Are you a terrorist? Do you think that's what I'm raising you to be?" and in a huff, they exited the car. I think I'll set aside the reasoning that treating your sister like a terrorist is acceptable and just focus on the fact that they were fighting over the piano.

So, some day (wishfully thinking/hoping) soon, I plan to download a few pictures. Among them will be some details of the following:
A few highlights:
Pinewood Derby
Flying to China
Saying Goodbye
Basketball and Basketball
Running-something I swore I'd never do.

Looking forward to:
Abbie in Fiddler
Wicked!
16th Anniversary
High School forecasting
Spring Break

Just a little hint of what we've been up to, or will be up to, in case it really is another three months before I do this again. . .