I'm sure you'll all agree that 99% of commercials are almost embarrassingly unrealistic. But have you ever seen that Hallmark commercial where the kids are up in the attic going through all the Christmas ornaments, reminiscing about past Christmases and the memories tied to each of the ornaments? Well, that commercial--at least for me--is totally realistic. In fact, this evening, my kids and I could have been that commercial--except that we don't have an attic. But we took down and looked through several boxes of Christmas stuff --just as kind of a Christmas preview--and we all loved it. We even plugged in a few strands of lights to see if they worked. Nope. And despite the fact that those boxes are now back up in my closet, come November 27th, they'll ALL be coming out for good! For me, the countdown to the day I put up all the Christmas stuff is more exciting than the countdown to Christmas Day. Oh, that reminds me! I thought of a great business idea! I was thinking about the fact that as people get older, it becomes increasingly more difficult to get out and put up a Christmas tree, etc--especially if they no longer have children at home to do the work. And here in Florence, that's pretty much everyone. So I was thinking how fun it would be to start a Christmas decorating service where I could be hired to go to someone's home and get out and put up all of their Christmas stuff! Wouldn't that be fabulous? I could even include a take-down service after the holiday. I'm serious. I really think I could pay for Christmas this way. Anyway...

Rain drops on roses

Forget whiskers on kittens and and all that other stuff. Do you want to know what my favorite things are? Well, by Friday, December 4th, I will have decided, because on that night, I am having my second Favorite Things party. And man, I can't wait. Hope you'll be there.

Happy Birthday

Saturday was Brian's 31st birthday and my little sister Audrey's...hmmm...how old are you, anyway, Audge? Anyway, Saturday was their birthday and today is Kat's. So here's a little birthday message for you all. I love all three of you.

Positive

Wish me luck. I'll need it.

Title Shmitle

As many of you know, Melissa's youngest brother, Robbie, passed away last week as a result of a long-boarding accident. I still can't believe she was in the same situation I was in eight years ago. It's horrible... But I remembered how wonderful, comforting and uplifting it was at the time of Scotty's death to see the stake center fill with people coming to honor him. I remember being so grateful for each one of them. Most of them knew and loved Scotty, but some of them were there because they knew and loved us--his family--and wanted to show support. I decided I wanted to be one of those for Melissa, mainly, but also for the rest of her family--many of whom I've known for some time. It's interesting, because despite the irony, the funerals I've attended have been some of the most uplifting, inspiring meetings I've ever been to. I've always left being filled with gratitude for the opportunity I have to love and be loved, strengthened in my testimony of the love of our Heavenly Father and the mercy manifested in the atonement and resurrection of his son, Jesus Christ, and renewed in my resolve to be a better person. You know what I mean? Anyway...Robbie's funeral was no different. I feel so grateful to have been there. Melissa's always been a great friend to me, you know, so I want to do my best to stick by her forever. I'm grateful she has a large extended family to share the burden and the memories. I'm grateful she has a wonderful husband who adores her. And I'm grateful she has a testimony and faith to sustain her.

It's funny, because for being such a short trip (only two days) I was able to spend time with my aunt Mary (during a layover in Phoenix), with my Grandma and Grandpa Hatch, and with my aunt Becky and my cousin Allias--all of whom I rarely get to see. It was really wonderful. And because I was so delighted at the trip, I decided to treat myself with Christmas music on the three hour trip home from Portland...OK! I listened to it on the way up, too, but still....

The whole trip made me recognize all over again how lucky I am to have Brian--who didn't hesitate for a second to stay home with the kids so that I could go.

Anyway...

This Halloween was a good one--even without my fake eyelashes. And for possibly the first Halloween of my entire life, the highlight was not the candy. It was the fact that I got to see my kids run in their first races. I seriously felt like my heart was going to burst. I was so, so proud to be their mother, and to be a mother at all. Janey and Dan's race was just a hundred yards or so, but man, they (or Janey, rather) ran it well. She kept looking over at me the whole way with that darling little smile that squeezes apart her chubby cheeks. I recorded the whole race in two segments and accidentally erased the second part. Ahhhhhh!!!!
And Camp was as proud and delighted as can be to be cheered for. I think he ran the 5K in about 43 minutes or so. Amazing. I can't wait to do it again next year.

Later, we went trick-or-treating down on Bay Street, and then last night we stopped by the police station (where Camp's primary teacher was handing out candy) before hitting up our neighborhood.

Thanksgiving, here we come!





















































































P.S. I finished my chair. I didn't get to have Becky make it perfect with me because the additional material didn't arrive in time, but it will do for now. What do you think?














Also, here is another video from when Becky was here. Have I already said what a fun guest she is? The best. She has a blast with EVERYTHING, which makes everything a blast.