• Christmas was good.  The King wanted this year to be “magical” for Babboo.  We figured we only have a few good years of him totally believing in Santa Claus and we’d better take advantage of it.  Needless to say Babboo was spoiled a little more then I’m totally comfortable with.

• For the first time in our ten year marriage The King and I sat down and wrote out actual goals for 2011.  One of them is to go out on a Date Night at least once a month (for a total of 15 times in the calendar year.)  We’re going out tonight and again next Monday.

• Speaking of next Monday….we’re going to see Rhett Miller and The Old 97’s!!!  Hooray.  We haven’t seen them since back when I was knocked up.  We’re both pretty excited.  The King’s already written up the songs he wants them to play.  And I’m trying to get up the courage to DM Rhett Miller to see if we can get back stage.  Gulp.

• One of my personal goals for the year is to post to my blog at least once a week.  Back in December I paid for my blog for the next year.  I want something to show for the money I paid.

• One of The King’s goals is to be more consistent in doing yoga.  He decided that he wanted to go off dairy to help him with his flexibility.   There are two things I don’t like about this:

• • He didn’t discuss this before hand with the rest of the family, so Babboo and I didn’t have a vote.
  • Dude, I DO NOT want to go off dairy.

• We’ve recently become obsessed with both Nick Kroll.  You must search the interweb and listen to him.  Our favoritea are El Cupacabra and the Ed Hardy Boys.  We can’t stop saying “que pasa baby” at our house. Even Babboo says it.

• And I know we’re about ten years behind on this, but we’ve also recently become obsessed with Tosh.0.  We DVR’d all of the old episodes and have been watching them the last few weeks.  Tosh.0 reminds me of why the internet is so awesome.  And for that, I thank him.

• Due to policy changes at the school district my dad has taught at for the last 24 years he was forced to retire over Christmas break.  It was either that or lose his pension.  He had two days to make the decision and once he submitted his paper work he couldn’t return to work.  No time to say good-bye to his students or prepare them for it.  They just came back after Christmas break to find that their favorite teacher was no longer there.  And so now my dad is retired and wasn’t mentally prepared to be retired yet.  He’s recently become even more obsessed with Facebook and his status updates are getting a little creepy.  I hope nobody tell him about Twitter.

• • Seriously, don’t tell him.

• While I was on maternity leave the company The King works for moved a block away from my office.  Again for the first time in our ten year marriage we’ve been meeting for lunch every now and again.  It’s pretty cool to spend time with him away from Babboo and Rerun and be reminded that we actually enjoy each others company and that we can still make each other laugh.  (I think we’re supposed to meet today. Which would mean we’re having lunch AND dinner together today.)

• I went back to Weight Watchers last week.  There is so much to say about this and yet, so little I want to say.

• We went to Vancouver, Canada last weekend.  We usually pay about $35 a day to park at the hotel.  (The hotel that we get on Priceline for less then $70.  Do the math.  We’re getting screwed on parking.)  Last weekend we tried just parking for free on the street.  Totally worked.  Saved us a ton of money.

(This is us in front of the 2010 Olympic Torch last weekend.  We’re a little late on this too.)

• The King gave me a new type of calendar for Christmas and I’ve had to learn a new way to keep track of my schedule.  It’s embarrassing how hard it’s been for me to change my way of thinking.  I guess us old people do get stuck in our ways.

• So tell me, is there something you’ve wanted to blog about for a while, but just could never seem to write an entire post about?

(I have no idea why when I use bullet points in a post my font gets all messed up.  Please forgive how lame this looks.  Unless you’re using a reader.  Then I’m sure it looks just fine.)

• I realize more and more every single day how much I rely on The King.  I could never do any of this alone.  Single mom’s have my utmost respect.
• We still don’t have a name picked out.
• After months of The King asking me to grow out my bangs I’ve decided to do it.  Whoorl is going to have to revoke my membership in the Blunt Brigade.  I hate the growing out process.  It’s isn’t pretty.
• I’m patiently waiting the arrival of my latest SDBBE book from the lovely Amy.  I hope it’s a good one.  (No pressure Amy!)
• May, my BFF in Reno, gave me an iTunes gift card for my birthday.  It still has the entire balance on it.  I NEED MUSIC SUGGESTIONS.  (Awesome music suggestions only, please.)

• The teenage girls (and other adult leaders) I work with at church thew me a surprise baby party last week.  It was one of the most thoughtful things anyone has ever done for me.  They made me the best ABC book ever.  It included pictures of them with things that represented each letter in the alphabet.  (Yes, “R” was a picture of one of the girls holding a picture of Rhett Miller.)
• The King and I watched a birthing video we checked out from the library.  It was a little too intense and probably wasn’t the best idea.
• I keep thinking, “what in the crap have I gotten myself into?!”
• There’s no turning back now.

I stared traveling for work. The King had been the one doing all the business travel before. And honestly, I’d rather him do it. Dude, it sucks to be away from home. The thought of more trips (and there will be more) make me nervous and nauseous.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I never make resolutions. I think because I hate knowing that I failed at something. I’m not very good at setting goals. At least not at actually writing down goals I may have.

My in-laws did gift me their old treadmill. My (non written down) hope is to use it a lot.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No family members that physically lives close to me had any babies. But my cousin and his wife had a baby, and even after meeting her over Christmas, I’m still shaken up at how old it makes me feel. (They live far away, BTW.)

I did have two close friends (who were prego at the same time I was). I hosted baby showers for both of them.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

The baby I was carrying died back in March. While I’m not sure if that counts, I’m going to include it here.

5. What countries did you visit?

We went to Vancouver, Canada. A lot. Maybe too much. (While I love Canada so very much, I’d be okay to not go back there until summer 2010.) (I would make an exception if someone wants to give me free room and tickets for the Olympics!) (Go team USA!)

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

My sanity. Actually, that’s not totally true. I had my sanity for most of 2009. I would like to regain it and end 2010 with even more sanity.

I would also like to have a take-home- baby.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

March 2nd. Day of dead baby.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

The girls at church that I teach (12-14 year olds) and myself all decided to start daily scripture reading. We all chose a time to set aside each day for this. I chose to read the Book of Mormon while blow drying my hair in the mornings.

For the first time in my life I can say that I’m a daily scripture reader.

This small window of scripture reading time doesn’t really allow for a lot of reading. But I figure some reading is better then none. Plus, I’m still learning a lot and feeling the blessings daily.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I failed to have our baby. Even though the doctors tell me it wasn’t my fault, it still feels personal.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

See #4, #6, #7 and #9

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Any money I spent at iTunes is a good thing.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

I was so pleased when Babboo mastered staying dry through the night. And the day he showed me he could write his name all by himself was one of the best parenting days I had ever had.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

I want to say how upset the (now ex)husband of one of my best friends made me. But this wasn’t necessarily in 2009. Although it was so bad that I can’t seem to stop thinking about how horrible it was and how duped even I was by him.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Since we didn’t take any “major” vacations this year, I have to say most of our money went to our house. And not just for our mortgage. We put a lot of money (and time) into our back deck. And our front yard. And real live furniture!

15. What did you get really excited about?

FAKE MUSTACHES! (Don’t act like they don’t make you smile. I KNOW THEY DO!)

I was also very happy to find a medication to help with the blood disorder I’ve suffered from my entire life. I was overwhelmed with joy at being able to feel like a normal person for the first time in my life.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

“Oh No” by Andrew Bird. Andrew Bird really helped me through the better part of 2009! (Too bad he’ll never know how much his music helped me. I wish I could make him a card and mail it to him to say “Thanks”!)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

– happier or sadder? I am the exact same as I was at this exact time last year.
– thinner or fatter? I’m the exact same weight as I was at this exact time last year. But I”m much fatter then I was during most of 2009. Thanks to a raging eating disorder.
– richer or poorer? Even with The King getting aid off back in July, we have the exact same amount of money as we did this exact time last year.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Geocaching. And maybe more guilt free “ME” time.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

For the last while I’ve really disliked certain aspects of my job. The actual project and tasks are fine. It’s just all the other garbage. And because of all this garbage I complain a lot. And fret a lot. And think about it a lot. And talk to The King about it a lot.

I wish I could just wash my hands of thinking about work outside of work.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

We spent Christmas like we always do, at our own house with our own little family. This year Babboo actually “got” what was going on.

(I got a new coat and camera from The King. Totally unexpected and appreciated!)

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?

While I’ll be the first to admit that marriage is hard and I struggle with it probably more then most people, I love my guys.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

“How I Met Your Mother” is a family favorite at our house. The King recently found “The Big Bang Theory” and if it weren’t for the horrible theme song, it might become the #1.

(I was super into “Dexter” this season. Unfortunately it scared the living piss out of me and made it so I couldn’t walk to work without looking behind my back for a bad guy. I gave up watching it with only TWO EPISODES left. I had to. HAD TO.)

(Seriously, I even prayed about this one. “Dexter” is hott. But he’s one scary dude.)

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Dude, hate is a very strong word and I don’t like to use it.

24. What was the best book you read?

There is no possible way to give an accurate answer to this one. I simply can’t remember all the books I’ve read.

I finished reading “The Drifters” again last week. This book has been my NUMBER ONE book since I was a teenager. Reading this book will always bring joy into my life. For reals.

I read Amy Tan’s “The Kitchen Gods Wife” and was blown away by it. I wasn’t expecting such a wonder book full of such a rich history.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

There was so many. How about bullets?

• Andrew Bird
• Tilly & The Wall
• The Decemberist
• Glee
• Mates of State (I had some of their stuff before, but now I’m obsessed)
• Rhett Miller (he had a new solo album this year. Plus, HE’S FOLLOWING ME ON TWITTER!)
• Any song my BFF May sends me. (She sent me THE BEST MIX CD ever for Christmas.)

26. What did you want and get?

I wanted to feel better. And, thanks to meds, I finally did.

27. What did you want and not get?

See #4, #6, #7, #9 and #10

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

I have a toddler and a full time job which means I don’t get out to the movies that often. That being said, The King and I did see “(500) Day of Summer” and we both really enjoyed it.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Against my will, I turned 34 this year. (I know, I’m surprised I’m that old too!) I spent my birthday by flying to Utah to spend the weekend with my family without Babboo or The King.

Funny story; my family was so excited about seeing me that they all forgot that it was my birthday. Therefore there was NO MENTION of it being my actual birthday and NO GIFTS. I wasn’t upset or anything, but it was funny. (Good thing “Sixteen Candles” is my favorite movie of all time.)

Rhett Miller sent me MY VERY OWN TWEET for my birthday.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

When I hear the word “satisfying” I think of a nice cold glass of Sprite. I had a Sprite over the holidays, so I guess I’m satisfied.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

BLUNT BANG BRIGADE! (That’s me at the bottom of the page!)

32. What kept you sane?

My Sweet Babboo (and reading and music).

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Rhett Miller! (Yes, clearly photoshopped.) (He and I together is the photoshopped part. I am that pretty in real life.) (tee-hee!)

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

Prop 8 (and probably not for the reasons you think it did).

35. Who did you miss?

May. Always and forever. (Until she moves back to Seattle.)

36. Who was the best new person you met?

The King and I made some new non-Mormon friends. That’s been very informative for all of us. Hey, who knew that Catholics were so much fun?!

(That last part was a joke. If us Mormons can be so cool, then of course there must be some cool Catholics out there too!)

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.

While I didn’t actually “learn” it. I KNOW it. I just need to figure out how to DO IT.

Leave work at the office.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

God is bigger than the boogie man.
He’s bigger than Godzilla,
or the monsters on TV. (DEXTER!!)
Oh, God is bigger than the boogie man.
And He’s watching out for you and me.

(Yes, the music snob in me let me choose a Veggie Tale song. This is who I’ve become!)

To prepare for tomorrow’s colonoscopy I must fast for 24 hours.  Okay, so not technically a fast.  There are a few things I can eat.

Things I can and will eat from last night until tomorrow morning:

• Water
• Sprite
• Caf-Lib (sans any type of creamer)
• Hard candy (with NO filling)
• Low sodium broth

(I usually have my colonoscopys on Monday, meaning that I can just chill at home on Sunday and not worry about eating.  But today I’m at work AND THERE IS FOOD EVERYWHERE.)

Things I will want to eat:

• the most awesome chocolate chip cookies I made with my friend Ann last night.
• the most awesome chocolate chip cookies I made with my friend Ann last night.
• Yes, I want them that bad.  They are good.  Seriously good.  (and I don’t even really like chocolate cookies.)
• Dick’s cheeseburger and fries

We’re almost to the end of the latest invitation-only round of The Super Duper Blogger Book Exchange (aka: SDBBE).  I’ve read three books so far, including the book I chose.

SDBBE books I’ve read this round, from least fave to fave:

• “Me & Emma“
• “The House at Riverton“
• I can’t remember the books name, but I liked it the best.

(I really didn’t like the first two books. They both had “surprise” endings that upset me.  Both books just dragged on and on and then like the LAST TWO PAGES it all came together.  I need more time then the LAST TWO PAGES.)

Books I’ve read on my own account lately.  Listed in no particular order:

• “These is my Words” (I really, really enjoyed the first half of this book.)
• “Sarah’s Quilt“
• “Anne of Green Gables“
• “Anne of Avonlea“
• “Anne of the Island“
• “Anne of Windy Poplars“
• “Anne’s House of Dreams“
• Books 1-7 of The Southern Vampire Mysteries

(I didn’t realize it until I made this list, but I guess I’m super into series.  Who knew?  I LOVE Anne.  But I don’t love Sookie.  And yet, I keep reading the Sookie books?  I must be desperate for something to read.)

Songs I’ve played over 20 (maybe 30) times in the past two days:

• “Singles Ladies (Put A Ring On It)“

(How did I not know about the awesomeness of this song?  It took Kanye being a douche to pique my interest.  And now…LOVE.)

Podcasts I excessively “refresh” to see if a new one is out:

• “I love Movies” with Doug Benson (YOU MUST LISTEN!)  (Your welcome.)
• “Scene Unseen” with Chris and Jimmy
• Any of the “How Stuff Works” podcasts
• “This American Life” (this one is a given)

TV shows that I have been watching and will most likely continue to watch this season (in no particular order):

• “How I Met Your Mother”
• “Gossip Girl”
• “The Vampire Diaries”
• “The Real Housewives of Atlanta”
• “Project Runway”
• “The Big Bang Theory”

TV shows I should give up in an attempt to free up some of my time for more important things (in no particular order):

• “How I Met Your Mother”

(The King and I made a spreadsheet of TV shows we watch and discussed what ones we should give up.  Yeah, nothing ever became of that.)

Apparel items that I’ve recently been introduced to and am now rocking:

• Privo shoes (thanks Operation Pink Herring, who introduced me to them.)  (The lovely OPH recently got married. And put her cat to sleep.  Talk about an emotional roller coaster.)
• Leggings

(Why did nobody tell me that when you wear leggings with a long cotton dress/T-Shirt IT FEELS LIKE YOU ARE WEARING PAJAMAS TO WORK?  And that you can buy these long cotton dresses/T-Shirts at Old Navy for like $6?!  Awesome.)

The latest outdoor obsession for the entire King family (and some of our friends):

• Geocaching

(If you don’t know what geocaching is, you must go to their website and learn about it and then go right outside to find your first cache.  It is so cool and I can’t wait to do more of it.)

This week ended the three week temp job The King had.  So he’s back to being home all the time.  Which means he’s bored out of his mind.  He’s basically finished all the house projects he had and doesn’t feel good about watching TV during the day.  So yeah, he’s bored and wants me to entertain him all the time.  Which makes me CRAZIER THEN ANYTHING ELSE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD.  In order to keep mommy sane, The King needs some hobbies.

Hobbies that have/will be suggested for The King to get involved with so that he’ll get out of the house and out of my hair once in a while:

• Find some guy friends
• Comic book collecting
• Start a scooter club
• Join the book club with the SAHM from our church congregation
• Join the local playgroup with the SAHM from our church congregation
• Clean the house so I don’t have to
• Cook new fun and exciting things for me to eat

That’s not a very good list of suggested hobbies.

So tell me, what are some hobbies you can suggest?  Maybe some that you do or that your spouse does that I can pass on to The King?

My sanity thanks you.

Hi, it’s Thursday and I haven’t blogged since Monday.

Go me.

Since today is the day that everyone (except me) is flying to Chicago for BlogHer ‘09 there really isn’t anyone on the interweb that will read any posts for the rest of the week.

So really, why bother blogging?

Why bother?  Well, I guess because there are a few of us around that are not going to BlogHer.

While I have been to BlogHer before (BlogHer ‘07 4eva!), it’s still a bummer to be at work today while so many of my fave people are converging in Chicago.  When the dates for BlogHer ‘09 were announced, I was fully intending on being 34 weeks pregnant.  So basically,  traveling to Chicago was not at the top of my list.

Once I realized I would not be giving birth in August, I gave BlogHer a thought.  But the issue of money and vacation time and abandoning my husband and child came into play and I soon realized I wouldn’t be going.

This is probably (probably) for the best since The King is currently still unemployed.

Sidenote: Anyone looking to hire a super hott guy in Seattle, let me know!

We are in no position to be spending money frivolously.  (Says the girl who can’t stop looking at shoes sales online!)  A solo trip to Chicago falls under the “frivolous”  category.

And to make this post a little more discombobulated, may I please present you with a bullet list.

Things I have thought about posting this week, but haven’t:

• My new medication is working like magic.  If this is what ‘normal” feels like, I wish I would have started taking them 20 years ago.
• This new medication makes me appreciate my husband more.  If you know what I mean.  (And I think you do.)
• The new medication has some super nasty side effects which makes my husband NOT appreciate me more.  (Namely tonsillolith and constipation.   As of this week, I think I have them both under control.)
• The King gave himself a buzz cut earlier this month.  I was 100% against this.  And now, I LOVE IT SO MUCH AND HOPE HE NEVER GROWS HIS HAIR OUT.
• Seriously, the buzz cut is making me crazy wild.
• It may also be the new medication that is aiding in my love of the new hair cut.
• We have a very religious friend (not a Mormon) who has asked to attend our church services.  This has never happened to me before and therefore, I don’t know how to deal with this.  Discuss.
• I have been reading my scriptures every morning before work.  This is a totally new thing for me.  And, low and behold, it makes for a better day.  Go figure.
• The King has had quite a few job interviews where he gets to don a suit.  Dude, my husband looks hott in a suit and a skinny tie.
• Seriously, the new medication is doing a number on me.
• The King and My Sweet Babboo attended their first Fathers & Sons camp out last weekend.  The Fathers & Sons is sort of a “right of passage” in the LDS church.  They had a blast camping.
• We’ve been searching online this week for used camping gear so that we can do some camping as a family. (Can anyone recommend good camping spots in Washington?)
• The next round of the Super Duper Blogger Book Exchange (which is by invitation only) starts in September.  I have my book and my pen and I’m ready to write on all sorts of new books.
• Our Thanksgiving trip to Puerto Rico may be off.  The couple we were going with has recently used up their vacation fund to fund fertility treatments.  (I’d rather they got their baby over us taking a vacation!)

So yeah, I have tons of things that I wanted to blog about this week, but just never got around to.  My boss is going to be gone next week too.

Maybe I’ll tackle some of these topics then.  In the mean time, I hope everyone is enjoying BlogHer ‘09, EVEN THOUGH I’M NOT THERE.