Happy Heart

These girls make my heart happy on a daily basis

Don't know what I would do without them.
Love you ladies x a million
ps: boys are hot ;)

New York, New York...

Way back in September I went to New York to spend some time with my bff, Kristen, for her 30th birthday. It was a fabulous trip and I pretty much saw, did and ate everything! 3 months later, I am now finally able to get my pictures organized and ordered. But instead of downloading them in 3 different places I thought I would just add the link where you can view the photobook I put together on snapfish. Sorry no captions to any of them but most are self explanatory. Enjoy!

Turkey Day...

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, and not having blogged in a few weeks, and the added fact I will not be able to spend the day with my family, I thought it a good time to blog about what I am most thankful for this year. So without further ado, here it is.

• My amazing, hard working, hilarious, loyal, thoughtful, supportive husband.
• My phenomenal, hilarious, stupendous, glorious girlfriends. Seriously could not get through life without them. They are more like family then friends
• A job I love and actually look forward to going to (well most days anyway), and that affords me the ability to travel and take time off whenever possible.
• My co-workers who make work enjoyable and who sacrifice everyday to do our job.
• My parents. Who, god bless them, are the most loving, supportive, forgiving and helpful parents on the planet.
• My In-laws who help Jim and I daily, both at home and life, in general.
• My siblings who challenge me and entertain me all the time.
• My health which I can say for the first time in a long time has actually been on the up and up this year!
• My nieces and nephews who are a source of great joy and entertainment and make me hopeful that I can someday be as good a parent as their parents are :)
• Both Jim and my friends who make life so much more enjoyable. We truly are blessed to be surrounded by such amazing, inspiring, awesome people.

bookworm...

With the weather taking a turn for the cold, once again I have gotten into a big ol' reading fix. I had a few comments about my last book review post, so I thought I would update on what's been peaking my interest lately.

I will start with the fiction

The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks: I love Nicholas Sparks books and have read every single one. The Notebook, The Wedding and The Rescue are among my all time favorite books, EVER. This book was good; not great. Very typical tragic romance that kept me interested but I had the tragedy portion figured out halfway through. Still would recommend it to Sparks fans but would for those reading him for the first time it would not be my highest recommendation (for whatever that's worth).

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close: I found this book through my recommended reads link on Amazon. Apparently I have a type :) It was a good, quick, easy read. The ending was a little sudden and I felt could have used a little more closure on the whole story. Overall, I liked the story and think it would be a good fun read for an all female book club. Parts of the characters reminded me of different females in my own life so the whole story was very much relatable.

One Day by David Nicholls: There was a lot of advertisements and hype about this recently since it was made into a movie starring Anne Hathaway. I have not seen the movie and the concept of the book really intrigued me, but I don't think it followed through very well. The whole book follows 2 characters throughout their adult life and every chapter basically checks in on where the characters on on the same day each year. Like I said in theory it sounds pretty interesting; but something I cannot quite pinpoint was lacking. It was a very slow read for me. The whole thing builds and builds (and builds) but then the climax and ending seemed rushed. Even though the movie did not fare so well in the theaters I still wanna check it out and see if its any better.

Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult: Another one of my favorite authors. I think I have read if not all pretty damn close to all of her books. My favorite is 19 Minutes followed closely by My Sisters Keeper (the book is 10x better than the movie)! Like Sparks, her books follow the same kinda of pattern: well developed characters, highly researched and detailed hot topics, followed by a surprising twist. She is not every ones cup of tea but I love the topics she covers, and this book was no exception. Highly recommended.

Last Night at Chateau Marmont by Lauren Wesiberger: A good, fun, quick, easy read! Perfect for a cold, snowy day when you just want some mindless entertainment. Curl up and enjoy!

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein: Pretty sure this book is a couple years old but had heard a lot about it recently and decided to check it out. Another one with an interesting premise. The whole story is voiced by the main characters dog. If you are a dog lover you will like it. I laughed, I cried, and then I went home and loved and hugged my dogs.

Room by Emma Donohue: Lots of word of mouth recommendations on this one. This book is very good but very hard to read. I say hard simply because of the subject matter. The book is written in the voice of a 5 yr old boy who has lived his entire life in one room. His mother was abducted in her teens and has been forced to live and raise her captives child in the room. Amazing-but like I said hard. This was not something I could read in one sitting, simply because it was pretty haunting. That being said, I still highly recommend it.


Now on to the non-fiction. I am not sure why but I have been on a bit of a Non-fiction kick lately. Maybe it the gossip lover in me but I find it fascinating to read about other people's lives.

I already wrote about Thunderdog here but it bears repeating. Its a great read and I think everyone should check it out.

In the President's Secret Service by Ronald Kessler: I loved this book so much I bought it twice. I was halfway thru when I accidentally left the hard copy on a plane, so I went to my handy dandy kindle and downloaded it as soon I discovered I lost it. This book is right up my alley. All about gossip and criminal justice. What could be better! :)

596 Switch by Ryan Leaf: A must read for Coug Fans! Especially Coug fans still agonizing over the last 2 seconds of the '97 Rose Bowl. Leaf may not be the best writer known to man but he does a good job of describing what went on behind the scenes of the '97 season and make you feel like you are there all over again. By writing this Ryan also helps redeem his once shaky character and popularity.  I am once again proud to call Ryan Leaf a coug after this book.

Bossypants by Tina Fey: Hilarious. I love her. I love this book.  :)

Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me by Chelsea's Family, Friends and other victims: Hilarious. Easy. Fun. If you like her other books, you will LOVE this book.

I am currently reading Rob Lowe's book Stories I Only Tell My Friends. I am about 4 chapters in and totally into it. Lowe is a fantastic writer and story teller. Again this feeds my love of gossip, and boy does he have some. He has lived a fascinating life and his take on it is quite enjoyable.

Also waiting on my kindle are A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard  and Ashley Judd's All That is Bitter and Sweet.  I am not sure either one will be an easy read, and I may have to take some time before tackling either. I am sure Dugard's will be very difficult at times; but after seeing some interviews and a few excerpts of it I think it will, in the end, be a message of hope.

Well that's all from me, for now. If you have ready anything good lately let me know. I am always looking for new recommendations. Happy Reading!

Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Photo books are the perfect gift for any occasion.

Must love dogs...

It has almost been 10 yrs since the U.S was attacked on September 11th. I honestly can not believe it has been that long. I, as I'm sure most of you, can remember exactly where I was and how I found out about what was happening that morning. It is something that is ingrained in my mind and I am sure will never fade. Because of the looming anniversary date it has been on TV and in the media again and for some reason I have found myself more drawn to the TV specials and articles and books about different peoples stories. I just finished reading: "Thunder Dog: the true story of a blind man, his guide dog, and the triumph of trust at ground zero" by Michael Hingson. I won't go into great detail because well the title says its all. The author was on the 78th floor of the world trade center when it was hit. The book is his accounts of what happened...well his accounts and his guide dog's, Roselle. Yep Michael is blind and his dog saved his life that day. The thing is its not just a great story about the journey Michael took on September 11th; but the journey he has faced every day since he was born without sight.

I wanted to share Michael's Guide Dog Wisdom with you. It's the top 10 things Michael learned from his dog Roselle that day; and definitely something we could all learn from:

1. There's a time to work and a time to play. Know the difference. When the harness goes on, it's time to work. Work hard; others are depending on you.


2. focus in and use all of your senses. Learn to tell the difference between a harmless thuderstorm and a true emergency. Don't let your sight get in the way of your vision.


3. Sometimes the way is hard, but if you work together, someone will pass along a water bottle just when you need it.


4. Always, but always, kiss firefighters.


5. Ignore distractions. there's more to life than playing fetch or chasing tennis balls.


6. Listen carefully to those who are wiser and more experienced than you. They'll help you find the way.


7. Don't stop until work is over. Sometimes being a hero is just doing your job.


8. The dust cloud wont last forever. keep going and look for the way out. It will come.


9. Shake off the dust and move on. Remember the first guide dog command? "Forward."


10. When work is over play hard with your friends. And don't forget to share your Booda Bone.
    

Obviously some of these will make better sense once you read the book (and you should read the book!) but it just goes to show dogs are much smarter than we ever give them credit for :)

blink and you missed it...

August was a whirlwind of a month for us. I think I was gone more than I was home. BUT I loved every second of it and really wouldn't have it any other way.

It started with an evening up at arbor crest winery celebrating Megan's birthday. If you have never been up there you should check it out. They had a live band (Sammy Eubanks!) and you just bring your own snacks and seats and hang out and drink there amazing wine. We had quite the crew this year...I am already looking forward to it again next year!

2 days after the winery we set out for our 4th annual camping trip up at priest. This is by far my favorite summer tradition and I believe it deserves its own blog post so look for that soon!

The day after camping Megs and I headed to Seattle for a 4 day all girls fest. Our friend Landis's boyfriend flew her in for a visit, THANKS MATT! We were able to be together for the first time in a loooong time! These girls mean the world to me and I don't know what I would do without them. We all communicate a ridiculous amount via email, but its so much better in person! There is really nothing I wouldn't do for any one of them, seriously these girls are my rock. I am truly blessed every single day by each and every one of them!!!!

Our time together pretty much consisted of eating, drinking, and talking...with a few excursions thrown in for good measure. Here we are the first night toasting to what else...US (and fuller and jax who couldn't be there)

here we are again that same night at Kings hardware discussing our million dollar idea. Shhh I cant talk about it yet but just you wait its BRILLIANT :)

The 2nd day we decided to be tourists and hit up the Space needle. I have never been up to the top before and it was a gorgeous day for it. I did not fare so well on the elevator up (i had to close my eyes and squeeze dawn's hand) but I was able to make it out to the deck and take in the sights.

beautiful days like this remind me why its called emerald city...it really does sparkle, doesn't it?

Our last night in town we hit up a sounders game. I have been before but a couple of the girls hadn't. it wasn't a regular season game so it wasn't as packed and intense as usual but we still managed to have a good time!

This is one of my favorite pictures from the trip-us celebrating the win and each other :)

This sign kinda epitomizes a girl trip. If you have a group of girlfriends you know what I mean. We don't do it maliciously, its just one of those things that happens. if you cant read it it says: "don't talk about yourself, we'll do that after you leave" HA! I love it :)

been a little busy...

Its been quite a while since my last real update so here is a quick run down of what we have been up to the past few months.

We went to a six de mayo party with a donkey:

I broke my foot:

Simpson, Katie and I went to a Boyz II Men concert and met the Boyz!!!

PJ and Amber got married, on a boat, in Seattle:

they had karaoke at the wedding:

I got kidney stones :(

I went to Beth Lamanna's Bachelorette Party in CDA, it was also on a boat :)

Jim and I went to an Indians game: its the summertime thing to do!

Matt and Jenah got Married...FINALLY!

And Beth and Nick got married last night:

So that brings us to today. I am finishing my last shift before our 4th annual mclasnyd camping trip commences on Tuesday... Seriously can.not wait!

Welp...

Its official, today I am 30 . I cant believe I am out of my 20’s; overall I would say the past 10 yrs treated me very well: I met the most amazing girlfriends in college who support me, love me, make me laugh and enrich my life on a daily basis. I travelled Europe for 2 months after college, thanks to my amazing parents. When I returned, I met the most amazing man and have been lucky enough to call him my husband for the past 5 yrs (well almost 5 yrs). Since our wedding day we have travelled to Europe, moved to Vancouver WA, moved back to Spokane and bought a house. We bought two pups and named them after our Alma mater. We have attended numerous WSU sporting events, seen many friends and family get married themselves, and most recently travelled to Hawaii for a much needed vacation. We have made many many many memories and even more new friends. I have had numerous jobs and finally, FINALLY, found a career that fulfills me and challenges me on a daily basis. And those are just the milestones, I have done, and seen and enjoyed many other things, that are too numerous to even begin to list.
At work the other day I had to write down my goals and what I hope to accomplish and how I hope to accomplish them for the next year. So I figured If I have to do it in my professional life why not do it in my personal life too.

So without further ado here are some of my Hopes, goals, and dreams for my 30’s:

I would like to see all of my personal relationships grow, and possibly maybe mature over the next decade.

I would like to see my immediate family grow…hint, hint Jim ;)

I would love to travel more: to knock a few states off my list, and hopefully a few more countries

I would like to take more risks and learn to get outside my comfort zone, and try new things more often

I would like to continue to foster my relationship with myself, so I can be a better wife, daughter ,sister, friend and hopefully mother.

I would like to learn to be satisfied and content with what I have and who I am and not always looking for bigger and better things to find fulfillment in my life.

I would like to work on my relationship with god and my spirituality; and learn that it’s a personal one and no one Else's thoughts and beliefs need to define mine.

I hope to continue in my profession, and take on more of a leadership role and “climb the corporate ladder” if you will

I hope to stay healthy and trust my body that it will continue to do what its supposed to do and stop failing me :)

I hope to keep reading and writing and learning. Whether its for fun, or for work, or just to keep my mind alert

I hope to have both of my parents around to see the 1st, 2nd, and possibly even a 3rd grandchild of mine born

I hope to see my friends get married or stay married and have lots of babies of their own :)

I hope that if and when the day comes we do have children we can see them grow up in a safe, secure, and happy home filled with love and energy and fun!

Whew! That’s quite of few things I would like to accomplish. I guess 10 yrs is enough time, or at least it’s a jumping off point. The one other thing I would like to add is to start crossing items off my bucket list, that I wrote about in this post. I’m not trying to do them all but maybe a couple here or there every year. Nothing crazy but enough to keep things fun and exciting! But for now I should probably get back to work if I really want to accomplish that corporate ladder thing :)


***please note this is not a complete list and is subject to change, grow, or shrink without notification.

maui movie!!!

Thanks to my brilliant, technologically advanced bff's, the Snyders, they made the greatest video of our time in Maui! I still cant watch it without getting a little teary eyed because our trip was that amazing...I'm sure the rest of you wont have that problem, so sit back and enjoy and live vicariously through our island time!

Untitled from Chris Snyder on Vimeo.

thanks Megs and Chris, you guys are the BEST!!!!

An island state of mind...

I know I start pretty much every post with an apology on how long its been since my last post but still I am sorry for taking so long for these ones. At first I was too depressed about being back in the snow to think about all the sun and fun we had in Hawaii, and now well, come to think of it that excuse still works. But now instead of getting depressed about it I can look at the pictures and try to transport myself back to the beach, while in reality I am still wearing my winter boots, scarves a mittens. Brrr its cold out there! I am not going to upload all of them because well that would just be a bit of an overload for everyone; so we will start with the beach/chill days where we didn't do much besides lay out and relax and drink-Ha!

Bobby doing what Bobby does


Bobby getting in the ocean the right way, all or nothing. Jim is slowing working into it.

BTW, love the skin contrast of jim's coloring vs bobby's (or anyone else on the beach for that matter)


Bobby and Chris taking in the beach and bonding :)



The boys at the bar
Chris taking in the beauty and soaking up some sun

the whole beach crew

Jim and I were so happy to see, Annie Davis. She moved to Hawaii right after college so we don't get to see her often. However, now that she's offered an open invitation that may change :)

so that's it for the first Hawaii post...I know, suprisingly short and sweet. Don't worry there is more to come. Up next, the solo girls day out on the beach while the boys golfed ...just the girls and lots of alcohol. How's that for a tease :) TTFN!

A little chuckle for your day...

My mother-in-law informed me I hadn't posted in awhile so here is something to tide her over until I can get all my pics up from Hawaii. I received this as a forward a few months ago and was just re-reading it today and still find it humorous and so true, so why not post it here for all to see. I have no idea who originally wrote this, but wish I did, I think we would be best friends! I've highlighted my favorites.

• More often than not, when someone is telling me a story, all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.


• Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.


• I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?


• Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk. I


• totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.


• Do you remember when you were a kid playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no Internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.


• There is a great need for a sarcasm font.


• Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.


• How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?


• I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.


• I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.


• The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.


• A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.


• Was learning cursive really necessary?


• Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".


• I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.


• Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.


• Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".


• I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!


• Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.


• Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.


• Bad decisions make good stories.


• Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!


• Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?


• You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren’t doing anything productive for the rest of the day.


• Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.


• I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.


• "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this. Ever.


• While watching the Olympics, I find myself cheering equally for China and USA . No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that when Chinese athletes don’t win, they are executed.


• I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?


• Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.


• It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.


• Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I’d bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...


• I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.


• I think the freezer deserves a light as well.


• The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimate d that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There’s nothing like being made to feel like a fatso before dinner.

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I hope you are out enjoying the sunny weather today, I'm working but plan on getting out and enjoying the weather soon. I will try my best to get some Hawaii up soon...maybe this weekend since I have a feeling this sun wont stick around long. Happy Sunday :)

judging a book...

I have always thoroughly enjoyed curling up with a good book. Its one of my favorite things to do on a cold, rainy weekend when there seems like nothing else to do, or when i need to relax and unwind in a steaming hot bubble bath. But it was always one of those things that I would only do when there was nothing else going on and in order to remain busy. Since I have been working graveyards (11pm-7am) my restrictions on what I can and cant do has been slightly lifted and therefore I am now able to read during my shift. This new ability of virtually 8 hrs of uninterrupted reading time plus the gift of a kindle that Jim gave me for Christmas and I have become a reading machine! (side note: I think the kindle is the greatest device.EVER!) In the 6 1/2 weeks since Christmas, I have read 16 books. 16! I thought it might be fun to do a little recap/review of what I have read so far and by posting about my new found hobby hopefully you can get an idea of what I like and I can get some good recommendations on what to read next.

*BTW, please don't judge my complete and utter lack of intellectual reads. reading for me is about fun and entertainment, and if you happen to learn something along the way that's great but not necessary. I'm all about indulging in some guilty pleasures when I read...hence the following list:

My guilty pleasure phase:

• Are you there vodka? its me Chelsea by Chelsea handler
  
• My horizontal life by: Chelsea handler
  
• Chelsea Chelsea bang bang by: Chelsea handler
  
• love lust and faking it by: Jenny McCarthy
  
• official book club selection by: Kathy Griffin
  clearly these first 5 books were all about fun and easy reads. I know the authors may not be some of your favorite people but I find them all hilarious in their own ways. I was surprised at how well written each of these were and while for the most part these were all about humor there were times where I actually learned something or thought differently about the authors after reading it. I would highly recommend any of these to anyone who wants to laugh...and who is not easily offended :)

My personal growth phase:

• the five love languages by:Gary Chapman
  I had always heard people talk about the 5 love languages and how everyone should read it. I had the time and the inclination so i figured why not, i have nothing better to do tonight. I am so glad and thankful I did! this book is A-Mazing! its so easy to read, its thought provoking and keeps you interested. I learned so much about myself and the way I am in all of my relationships, not just my marriage. Cannot recommend this book enough to any and everyone, whether you are in a relationship or not
  
• the tipping point by:Malcolm Gladwell
  
• blink by:Malcolm Gladwell
  These 2 books were all books I had to read for work. I was not super pleased with the thought of having to read some scholarly work and be bored to death while trying to keep to stay awake but I was surprised how un-boring these were. They both made me think differently about my approach to my job, my attitude and my relationships with co-workers. Gladwell's books were easy to get through and actually enjoyable...a nice surprise indeed! Recommended for people interested in social sciences or who have an interest in group dynamics and human interactions.

My recommended phase:

• A scattered life by:Karen McQuestion
  a scattered life was a book I randomly downloaded after reading a review on amazon...that and I think it was about $2. it held my attention and kept me interested. nothing profound, but nothing awful either. I know not a glowing recommendation but really it wasn't bad.
  
• water for elephants by:Sara Gruen
  a couple friends recommended it to me so I thought I'd check it out. Also, I want to see the movie so why not read it first. this was not something I thought I would really enjoy but the old saying holds true. Don't judge a book by its cover. This was excellent! and now I cant wait to see the movie. The casting of the movie has me concerned just a titch, but we shall see... maybe the movie will be prove me as wrong as the book did.
  
• ****The Hunger Games Series**** (hunger games, catching fire, mockingjay) by: Suzanne Collins
  OMG! these books are amazing, phenomenal, intense, excellent, and so many more synonyms for great that I don't have the words for. Seriously I am not over playing this, and I am not joking when I say probably some of the best books I have read. They keep you entertained, they make you think, they make you laugh, they make you cry, and they keep you on the edge of your seat. you feel like you are right there in the action. again the premise didn't sound super appealing to me but I was quickly running out of other things to read so i picked up the first one and I don't think i slept more than a couple hrs for the next 3 and half days until I was done with the 3 rd one. Ahhh! so so good! I cant say enough but i will stop now and let you make your own decision after you read it. which you should because its that amazing:)
  
  
• angry housewives eating bon bons by:Lorna Landvik
  the first "official" pick of the oec book cub. i think woman who have a group of fantastic female friends, who share life's big moments and are there for each other thru thick and thin will really enjoy this. you will be find yourself saying oh so and so is like that, and oh my god that's so me. or she reminds me so much of _____. its just one of those books you can relate to. Its cute and charming, but it can take a bit to get thru.
  
• heaven is for real by: Todd Burpo- super quick read! if you've got a few spare hours i recommend picking this up. very well done. makes you think and makes you realize how special gods children are. and how we should probably listen to what they have to say more often.

So there you have it my list of books and my thoughts on 'em. But now I would love to hear what your favorite books are and if you have any recommendations for me. Our hawaii trip is 1 week from today and I would love to have some good beach reads to have with me for the plane and while I'm sipping mai tai's, soaking up the sun by the ocean :)

Christmas catch up...

I cannot believe its already almost the middle of January. I guess its about time to get caught up on the comings and goings of Christmas in the McCollum household. Again sorry for the lack of pictures but by now you should really be used to it :)

I say it all the time, and I will say it again but Jim and I are truly blessed to be surrounded by the most amazing, genuine and supportive friends and family, EVER!!! Over the holidays we were able to spend some time although in my opinion not nearly enough time; with as many of them as possible and it was just another reminder of how lucky we are to have them in our lives

First things first, before we could celebrate the birth of Christ, we had to celebrate the birth of Simpson! Matt Von Stueben and his girlfriend Jackie thru a big ole bash for Jon's 30th bday up at their casa. His birthday happened to fall on Apple Cup Saturday so it was perfect timing for a get together with all of our favorite people! The game did not happen to go our way but as the saying goes win or lose we drink more booze...and that we did. It was a great time (minus the game), with great company, and great memories/stories, that will not be told on this blog ;)

In early December we also had our 4th annual McLaSnyd, {which from here on will be referred to as McLaSnydole, due to the addition of the Cole's: Matt and Ally} xmas party. Ally is Diane's best friend from Auburn and they moved to this side of the state the beginning of last year. They fit in with all of us right away and have been part of our crazy couples crew ever since.>!!!

For Christmas eve I had to work and unfortunately was not able to spend time with Jim's family but he went to dinner and had a great time at the white elephant exchange, a tradition that we started last year. For Christmas day we went to an early meal at my parents house and then it was back to work for me. Like I said not nearly enough time with family but thankfully we live in the same city as them and can get together for dinners and functions at other times as well. I got off Christmas Day at 11pm, so I rushed out to meet up with my girls at the Snyder household, for our first annual oec Christmas party. Not everyone was able to attend but I did get to spend some time with Megs, Jamie, Fuller, and Dawn (and Dave and Chris). WE MISSED YOU STONE, LANDIS, and JACQUEE

The day after Christmas Jim and I went to lunch with Jim's best friend John and his wife Sara, at The Onion (our favorite restaurant). As always the food was delish and the company was even better. John and Sara live in CA so getting to spend time with them just the four of us was a gift in itself. Hopefully Jim and I can get down to Cali for a visit again sometime soon. Or even better, they could move closer, so we could all see each other more often (hint,hint)!

New Years Eve I was back at work and but the rest of the McLaSnydole crew headed up to Priest lake. Keith Stamps happily took my place as Jim's new years date and from what I heard everyone had a rocking good time.

At 12:00 we had a mini celebration here at work with hats, horns and sparkling cider, and at 12:01 the phones exploded so that was the end of the celebration and also the reasoning behind why I said I would never go out in downtown Spokane on NYE ever again.

Also in December I have got to spend time with some of my friends who have I known for most my life and don't get to see nearly enough. Chad Koch came into town right before Christmas and I was able to meet up with him, Jon Abt, and Mark Spencer for a quick lunch one day downtown. I also had night out with him, Jim, and my bff Kristen. Chad and I have known each other since before 1st grade, so for those not wanting to do the math, that's around 25 yrs...and I'm not even 30 yet!!!!! I am so lucky to still be able to call him one of my best friends as we have shared so many things throughout our lives together.

As I mentioned my bff is also in town from NYC. Even though we did not get to spend a ton of time together we still got in our sisterly bonding, with sleep overs, manicures, games, dinners, gossip and wine. And we got to catch up with some more old friends at Carly and Katie's 30th birthday. The night started at the Cathay Inn and somehow ended with me getting taken out into a very deep puddle outside the Snyder's, with clearly lots of fun (and drinks) mixed in between the two. Her boyfriend, Marc, whom I love by the way, came into town the last part of December and I finally got to see them both last night before work. Unfortunately, I am heading out to Post Falls after work this morning to take them to the airport, BUT I do have a free flight coming my way soon (thank you southwest rapid rewards) so hopefully it will not be too long that I will have to go with out seeing them.

The seemingly unending stream of friends continued this week, when we got to spend time with another of Jim's high school buddies/college roommates, Jeff Peterson and his girlfriend Yvette. Again I had to work most nights but was able to catch up with him for a couple hours over drinks at the Swinging Doors. It is always great to see Jeff, he is hilarious and so much fun to be around, and I know Jim loves it when he he has someone else to rehash old high school and college stories with.

Speaking of old college stories I will hopefully get the chance to rehash some old stories when our friend Landis comes to town next weekend, and that means most of my Seattle girls will be making the trek back over the mountains to spend time with her as well. So it looks like the celebrating and visiting from friends wont be stopping anytime soon...and I for one could not be more thrilled about it :)

And I think that brings us to present day...which if you made it this far I applaud you. Sorry for the long post but I wanted to make sure not to forget anyone. If we did not see you or have not seen you in a while please know that we think of you often and hope to get together with you soon. I know its a cliche but I honestly don't know what I would do without each and everyone of the people mentioned or those of you near and far away who continually bless our lives. We love you all, and hope your holidays were filled with as much love and friendship as ours were!

Out with the old, in with the new...

Well, its a new year, and I for one could not be happier to see 2010 end! Not gonna lie, it was one of the most challenging years I have ever had to deal with and I am very excited to start 2011 with a clean slate and to see what happens next. I have never been big on new years resolutions as I don't really see the point in waiting for a new year to make a change, or start something, or stop something that you want to do. With that being said I am adopting a new slogan for myself this year. "A new year, a new you!" Clever I know but hey whatever works, right? Basically what that means is I am going to keep working on bettering myself. Physically, mentally, emotionally, and psychologically. I am going to continue to work out, I am going to continue to read and learn and grow, I am going to continue to strive to do my best at work, and continue to develop my relationships with friends, family and co-workers. With this comes resolutions of sorts but if I fail one day I don't want it be an excuse to not try again tomorrow, so hence not calling them new years resolutions. I want these to be solutions to what was plaguing me in the past, and I want 2011 to be the start of a healthy and happy new me. So here's to making this year the best one yet!

New Shift for me...

I am now working the graveyard shift at work 11pm-7am, and let me tell you it is A LOT slower than working swings. During swings I would get on average at least 60 calls a night. On graves I am lucky to get 20. Not that I am complaining, I still LOVE it and am so happy to be here, its just a big adjustment. Needless to say there is a lot of down time and not much else to do besides email, read, talk and think; so with that being said here are some of my thoughts on what I've learned from this job thus far:

• Parents were right when they said nothing good happens after midnight.
• After working on New Years Eve I never want to go out to a bar on nye in downtown again.
• Excessive alcohol and family lead to not good things.
• You'd be amazed all the stuff that happens that does not make the paper or the news.
• Spokane is a relatively quiet town, I can't imagine what other cities are like.
• There are lots of crazies in this town.
• I love my job!

There is a lot more but these are the ones that stand out the most at the moment. I will try to add to this as time goes on and I discover new and fun facts at this crazy/amazing/awesome job :)