"Bye Dad"--by Tyson

Each day for a year or two now, Libby has told me the same things before I leave for work.

It started out with just a few and has grown:

"Bye dad, love you. Have fun at work, have fun on your computer, don't bump into anyone, don't slip on the ice, don't forget your cell phone, be good, don't forget your wallet. Don't do anything that's too hard."

She gets upset if I leave without hearing this and will have Jasmine call me so she can tell me.

--Tyson

F-U-N!!

The last few weeks on Facebook have been filled with copious note-tagging.
Tyson said he was going to call it the "Note Phase" and I suggested "The Questionnera". Some were fun like "25 Random Things" or "One Word" and some were just time passers. Then my friend Angie's sister, Stacie, posted this one.

I was a little worried at first because "Jasmine" is a popular exotic-dancer name, but it pulled up blogs about people's dogs named Jasmine. I'm posting it here because it's funnier than anything I could think up.

A. Go to Google
B. Type your name and the words "likes to" all in quotation marks... "Susy likes to"
C. Report back on the first ten things that come up for your name!

1. Jasmine likes to see red-hot gossip and showbiz news.
2. Jasmine likes to throw shoes.
3. Jasmine likes to share things with us.
4. Jasmine likes to trick the other dogs into getting off the futon bed (my personal favorite)
5. Jasmine likes to get her way.
6. Jasmine likes to burrow her nose into us before going to sleep.
7. Jasmine likes to grab whatever is in Joanne's hands.
8. Jasmine likes to be held and will often ask to be picked up and hugged.

Go ahead...

I really have no idea what to blog about. I often call my life boring, but I'm sure we all get a little bored doing the same things everyday. So, as I decide to blog on the fly...let's see what I can come up with.

The "to-do" list. Does anybody else find themselves with a gigantic to-do list in their head? Then when you try to write it down, it becomes even bigger?

The problem with the "to-do" list. My problem is that there are times when I don't want to do anything on my list. Then I start to get anxiety over stuff not getting done. UGH! Tyson tries to help me by reminding me that the time-frame on most items is self-imposed.

I sometimes envy people who aren't compelled to finish every project. Yes, it's nice having your scrapbooks up-to-date. And it feels great to look over a finished project....but what would it be like to start a new quilt without finishing the first? Maybe it's like the tootsie-pop question: "The Jasmine may never know."

See? Boring.

Trip Log Tuesday (last full day)

So Tuesday was the funeral. It was nice to see some people I haven't seen in awhile like "Aunt" Libby (yes she is one of the people my daughter is named after).
Seeing as how my grandmother was cremated, I thought it was a little tacky when he minister said she was living a "recycled life"....it made sense in context but it was an unfortunate choice of words. Serena said Granny whispered to her "If he says I'm recycled one more time then I'm gonna kill him."
Then we went to eat across the street at Monjuni's with most of the family. Mackenzie introduced me to "Bath Junkies" where we attempted to recreate our old home's backyard scent. Cori had done it years ago. I like the fragrance....but it was a little too flowery for most people. (It was still fun!)

We went back to Granny's house and looked at old photo albums (serena will scan and post on facebook soon), and picked out a frog to remind us of Granny. (Not an easy task considering she has thousands of them).

Then we drove back to Houston, and today I fly home. I can't wait to see my husband and kids. I sure did miss them. I had a fun time with my sisters and am newly amazed by their talent and beauty. And it was a joy to see the rest of my family.

(*whispered* J.B. Loves Granny)

Trip Log--Monday

It was still early, Mackey and I had the house to ourselves, and we weren't leaving for Shreveport til 1:00pm....so I thought MAKEOVER!! (naturally)
Mackenzie did my hair and makeup (and eyebrow). Then we photographed our work. It really was a lot of fun (and educational too).

The trip to Shreveport was pretty long, but we stopped a few times and had lots of fun singing and chatting --side note: Mack and I have concluded that Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" is our JAM!

In Shreveport my wonderful and generous sis, Serena, paid for us to have really nice rooms (with really heavy pillows *wink* ) We went to the buffet at our hotel/casino (nice but a tad expensive). Then we decided to go to a Karaoke bar for Mackenzie's birthday (which is today--2/4).

The bar was a small country bar with a small clientele of drunk, tone-deaf cowboys. It was pretty pitiful until.......Kristin got up to sing "Me and Bobby McGee". She has a beautiful voice and was singing very seriously til Mackey got up and started doing the running-man and the roger-rabbit and even backin her "thang" up on Kristin. It was HILARIOUS!! And totally threw Kristin off her groove.
That set the tone for the rest of the night. Cori selected "Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi and let me be the Richie Sambora to her Jon.
Cori: "wanted"
Me: "waaanttteeeddd"
Both: "dead or alive"
Classic.

We spent the rest of the night backing eachother up on vocals or just cheering eachother on. We tried (keyword) to help the other singers find the beat, we listened to three ear-splitting versions of "Turn the Page", and Kier even had us synchronizing our standing ovations (stand, clap for ten seconds, then abruptly sit down).
Mack and I sang "This is how we do it" by Montell Jordan and Kier joined in. It was really funny cause we had just sung it that morning (it was stuck in my head for some strange reason).
and I had everybody sing her "happy birthday".
The best part was when some 90 yr old man got up and dedicated a really awful version of "Bad to the Bone" to Mackenzie. He even came over and shook his booty at her.
SO MUCH FUN!!

Trip Log--Sunday

After two hours of sleep, I woke to a little noise and went upstairs to use the bathroom. I think I scared Harrison--who could not quite place me.
Then I got a nice surprise as Brooksie got up and climbed under my covers and snuggled on my chest. He said I was "mom" and there was no swaying his opinion.
I showed him pics to clarify who I was--then we started playing with the camera phone. Harrison heard us laughing and came to join in (see photo 1). Brooks played with me for over an hour.

Mackenzie and I met up with a good friend of mine from Jr. High and High School (Regina Adams) and had a really fun lunch. I think we might have annoyed the waiter by taking an hour to order. ;-)

Then we hung out at Serena's for the rest of the day. While the SuperBowl raged on, we made jewelry, took pics of the jewelry, later we had a private jam session.....but the funnest part was when we broke out the cameras.
My camera's battery was "exhausted" so you have to check them out on facebook....but the fun began when I decided to try my hand at making my sisters smile (without the clichéd "say cheese"). I said, "Corianne has man-teeth." (and no I don't know what that means).
That caused the ruckus to start and then it was a whole lot of delirious picture-taking fun.
(please note Steve's post-victory, home-made Steelers "snuggie")

Trip Log

I decided since I have three hours at the airport, I might as well get a jump start on my trip report.
On Saturday, I got to the SLC airport a couple hours early and settled in for the wait. After a few minutes of trying to tune out the TV's so I could read, I heard someone across from me ask a total stranger to watch his bag so he could go to the bathroom. I was a little disturbed because the man asking the favor was also clutching a teddy bear.
I soon made the decision to make my own bathroom trip and not go back til teddy bear-man had retrieved his bag.
On my way over, I spy this man squatting on his hunches (outside of the restroom), hugging his bear, and staring in the direction of his bag. SCARY!!
Finally, he did retrieve his bag--then set it down in a different location and walk away again. Eventually the cops detained him and took his bag...but I decided-- then and there --that I have watched way too much "24".

On my first flight, I was in the same row as a charming 18 month old boy, Jo-Jo. We had lots of fun playing peek-a-boo with the window shade.
My next flight, I was in the same row as a not-so-charming 2-yr old boy, Julius who picked his boogers and ate them!

Steve picked me up, I hung out with everyone for awhile...then went home with Mackenzie. We looked through photo albums and got to chatting and ended up staying up til 5:30 (and I woke up at 7:30 the next day).