"Deck My Blog With A Christmas Background" and Other Christmas Carol Favorites

Christmas is coming!!

I know there are those of you that are rolling your eyes at me right now for decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving is even over. Just know that I'm rolling my eyes right back at you... you Scrouges you. It is never too early for Christmas. I'm getting so excited. It really starting to feel like the Christmas season. It's getting colder, the radio has begun to play Christmas music, and Christmas colored candy is showing up in the stores. I went home this last weekend and was delighted to see that my dad already put up our christmas lights. I am my father's daughter. Throughout the day, I am hit with what I call "christmas chills" where suddenly my mind reminds the rest of me that Christmas is coming and I get goosebumps and a silly grin on my face. Such a good feeling. 

So Thanksgiving is next week and I am so excited. It's going to be nice to spend some time with the family and eat Grandma Di's cooking. We always go down to St. George and spend time with the Sheets side (my Mom's side) of the family. I feel like those cousins are more like siblings than anything so it's always a lot of fun. My brother Danny and his wife Taryn will be with her family and my cousin Tom is in Brazil on a mission but the rest of us will be there. It's going to be crazy. 

Anyway, for you entertainment pleasure, I thought I'd post this: Christmas Carols for the Mentally Diseased. Makes me laugh. Each disorder has their own Christmas Carol written especially for them. Enjoy.   

Schizophrenia --- Do You Hear What I Hear?

Multiple Personality Disorder --- We Three Queens Disoriented Are

Dementia --- I Think I'll Be Home For Christmas

Narcissistic --- Hark The Herald Angels Sing About Me

Manic --- Deck The Hall and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and Fire Hydrants and.........

Paranoid --- Santa Claus Is Coming To Get Me

Borderline Personality Disorder --- Thoughts Of Roasting On An Open Fire

Personality Disorder --- You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna Pout, Maybe I'll Tell You Why

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder --- Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

ADHD -- Hark the herald angels sing ba-rum-pa-pum-pum in the little town of Bethlehem up on the housetop in a winter wonderland one foggy Christmas Eve hey how bout them Bears no I don't want to switch to Sprint but thank you for shopping at K-Mart

Retirement.

This is Mel. Mel was my mission companion for 5 months. Mel is now my roommate. When I first met Mel over two years ago, her hair was long. Like this. 

And this. 

Then one day she made me do this. I was scared. She was probably scareder. 

It was a terrifying and nerve-racking experience... having someone else's life in your hands. But I cut her hair. And then she looked like this. (She's with Nurshia and Anil, two of our favorite investigators we found and started working with.)

And life was good. 

But then over two years later(meaning last week), she wanted me to repeat the process. She caught me in a moment when I was feeling particularly confident. I agreed. I cut her hair. And my nerves about gave up on me this time. 

Therefore, I'd like to announce that I am officially retiring from the hair-cutting business. I love you all. 

8 things

Mel tagged me and accused me of pretending I hate tags... darn you Mel. You're right. This gives me a mental break in my day and I can't complain about that.

8 Things 8 shows I enjoy watching:
1) The Office
2) What Not to Wear
3) Friends
4) So You Think You Can Dance
5) the history channel
6) Whose Line is it Anyway
7) I used to be really in to Alias
8) Recess

8 things that happened yesterday:
1) stayed up late talking to Mel and then slept in (love Sundays)
2) went to Holladay to eat my favorite dinner (chicken and broccoli casserole) with my family to celebrate Taryn's birthday (and talked a lot about my niece/nephew that's coming in May!)
3) contemplated my life, my future, and myself while sitting in church
4) cleaned the kitchen
5) answered 53 text messages (I know... an insane amount... it's very unlike me)
6) vowed to straighten my room at least 7 times... and never got around to it
7) tried to figure out why at my house we tend to refrigerate multiple pitchers each containing a centimeter of water
8) listened to an incredible amount of Christmas music

8 things I'm looking forward to:
1) Christmas
2) beginning of next week
3) Thanksgiving
4) Kathy getting her mission call
5) my birthday
6) next semester
7) the snow
8) going to the cabin

8 things I love about fall:
1) it means Christmas is coming
2) the cold weather
3) leaves changing
4) hot chocolate
5) scented candles (pumpkin, cinnamon apple, pine, etc)
6) winter clothes
7) holidays
8) breathing in the crisp cold pine tree smell

8 things on my wish/dream/goal list:
1) go back to Italy
2) get some big decisions behind me
3) get a masters degree
4) run a half marathon
5) get laser eye surgery
6) live in Seattle
7) spoil my niece/ nephew
8) keep up my Italian

Our I-15 Mishap: A Story in Pictures

There are some singularly significant events that take place in a person's life in which they "wake up" to the reality of some kind of universal truth. This was one such experience. It is the story of four friends who decided to take a road trip, during which they almost lost faith in humanity and brotherly kindness. Sound dramatic? Just wait...

This last weekend, I was with my cousin Molly and our friends Joe and Jeremy. We were on our way to St. George to go biking and hiking for the weekend when Molly noticed her gas light was on. Thinking she could make it to the next city, she kept driving. But pretty soon, the car began slowing down.

Joe and I had just woken up from naps in the back seat. I asked what was going on and Jeremy grinned. "We're out of gas," he announced.

I caught Joe's priceless reaction.

The car began to coast along the side of the road. Hazard lights were turned on and Joe got out. He started pushing but it soon became painfully obvious just how far we were from a gas station. Nearly 20 miles.

So he began to try to get people to stop.... without success.

Molly whipped out her beauty queen wave hoping to play the feminine card and elicit a little sympathy. No one cared. It wasn't a huge deal seeing as we weren't necessarily pressed for time and were all together... we made it fun... but it became more and more frusterating as we saw the minutes tick away because no one would stop despite our waving and calling and pleading.

Fifteen minutes passed. No one would stop. Twenty minutes. Still no one. Twenty five. Nada. Niente. Zip. Zilch.

Finally we saw a white car pull over and Joe ran to meet them then drove off into the distance, leaving the rest of us alone. We sat and waited. And waited. And waited and waited. Jeremy decided to take matters into his own hands.

He unhooked his bike from the back of the car...

... and hooked it to the front...

... and began to tow the car himself.

We watched as the cars passed laughing and pointing... yet no one stopped. It had been thirty minutes. Then forty. No one stopped to see if we were in trouble. No one stopped.

Jeremy continued to pull with all his might when all of a sudden, disaster struck.

His bike chain broke under the strain.

It was looking a bit grim. We were loosing enthusiasm (see my right thumb).

We were still, however, trying to remain optimistic.

But more time passed and I became desperate. I began to pull. Yet, strong though I am, I simply was not strong enough.

Forty five minutes. Fifty. We saw some animals in a nearby field and Jeremy went to try to persuade them to help, but the barbed wire discouraged him.

Morale was getting low. It was looking more and more hopeless. We finally gave in and broke out the sun chips and fruit roll-ups, consigned to our fate. We were going to die on the side of I-15.

Molly enjoyed the last moments she had left with a batman fruit roll-up.

We talked about our lives and our memories, reminiscing and sighing sadly at the thought of dying so young. Joe and Jeremy were only 24... Molly and I a mere 23 years of age. Our strength began to fade and we had to lean on the car for support.

When suddenly we saw something in the distance. It was a white car. It got bigger and whiter as it got closer. A white Jeep Cherokee driving their way. Inside was Joe and Bill, Jackie, little Sammy and her dog Sassy.

They pulled over and offered their assistance. Jackie, Bill, Sammy, and Sassy drove Joe nearly twenty miles to the gas station and then all the way back. The car was given enough gas to get us on our way. Jackie, Bill, and Sammy didn't ask for anything. They accepted some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and that was it. But their selflessness was amazing.

We finally made it to St. George and went to In n' Out, happy that we had successfully overcome our near-death experience. We ate ravenously.

It was Jeremy's first time tasting an In n' Out burger. He almost didn't live to see this moment. Cheered by the idea of living long and healthy lives, we had a great weekend in Southern Utah.

We visited Grandpa Gary and Grandma Di and had a grand ole' time.

But I realized through this experience how often we overlook others. Throughout this entire hour-long ordeal, Bill and Jackie were the only ones to stop and offer their help. They went entirely out of their way to offer some assistance. They were not a wealthy family... just good people doing a good deed for a bunch of BYU students they didn't know. I watched countless other cars pass us, laughing at the sight of Jeremy towing us on his bike or me pulling the car behind me... but they just stared and drove past. People in nice SUVs or sedans who probably weren't in a huge hurry... but they pretended not to see us or pretended not to have time. I realized that I do that sometimes as well. We got back in the car after Joe put some gas in the tank and he told us a little bit about Jackie, Bill, and Sammy and we marvelled at their kindness and all vowed that we'd be better about stopping to help others.

So that is my new goal. Go out of my way to help people who look like they need it just because it's the right thing to do and it's something I would want if I was in trouble.

It makes a good story and was a great weekend.

Pomegranates.

So I love pomegranates. Funny little fruit, tart and tangy with exactly 840 seeds in each one (Fact! Strange, no?) They remind me of thanksgiving and my Grandma Di. 

But in the last few months I've realized that pomegranates are taking over my life. 

I have all of these items in my house RIGHT NOW.

pomegranate ice cream bars (they're okay...)

pomegranate 7up (it's also mediocre)

pomegranate Bath and Body Works lotion (good)

pomegranate vitamin water (my favorite kind) 

pomegranate blueberry juice (it's pretty good)

pomegranate izze soda (I love this stuff... maybe because it sounds like my name)

pomegranate trident (great at the beginning, boring once it loses the initial flavor)

pomegranate body wash (wonderful)

pomegranate Orbit (I don't recommend this one... falls apart in your mouth after exactly 14 minutes)

pomegranate Burt's Bees lip balm (smells a little weird but Burt's is Burt's)

They are very popular. They are the new cucumber melon or vanilla or coconut lime. 

Pomegranates are taking over the world, everyone.