Class Act

I think Conan O'brien said it best. Work hard, be kind and anything is possible. I heart you Conan!

Christmas Shoes

 I know, I know. Christmas was over almost a month ago. But some stories are good year round. And as there are many people who have asked for this, here it is. The story of the Christmas Shoes!

 About ten years ago, a Christmas song was released called "The Christmas Shoes". It's a touching song about this business man who is at the store on Christmas Eve. He is standing in line behind this little boy who is trying to buy some shoes for his mom because she is dying and needs a new pair of shoes to wear when she meets Jesus. The man in line is so touched by this moment, that he buys the shoes for the boy, who didn't have enough money. Then there is a chorus of children singing "Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my momma please. It's Christmas time and these shoes are just her size. Could you hurry sir? Daddy says there's not much time. Mom's been sick for quite some time and I know these shoes would make her smile..." blah blah blah.

Now, for those who are keeping track at home, I am not a heartless person. This is a touching song. It's based off a book by the same name and even had a Hallmark channel movies made about it. I have heard a similar story, but it's from the little boy's point a view, many years later. It is precious that a little boy wants his mom to be happy and have something respectable to wear when she passes on. I get it...

HOWEVER...

The two radio stations here in Salt Lake that become Christmas Central from the beginning of November until New Years plays this song a lot. And I mean A LOT! Ad nauseum! To the point, that about 4 years ago, my own mother said something that I never would have expected to come out of her mouth.

We were on our way to a store one November afternoon, and the Christmas Shoes song came on the radio, for about the fifth time that afternoon. I was very adamant about changing the station when my mother yelled out "Your momma don't need no shoe! She dead!" We had to pull over to the side of the road because we were laughing so hard! Why were we laughing? Well, DUH! My mother only spouts gold like that in rare times. I was laughing so hard I was crying. We were telling that story for the next year, and still laughing just as hard.

The next year came around and through a series of e-mails and conversations, my mom and I decided that we need to have a contest. We were going to present each other with some Christmas Shoes. However, there were, and still are, some strict guidelines for this. The main rule was that they were to be as ugly and gaudy as possible. Why? Well, whenever we think of Christmas Shoes, we think of cheap shoes with more bling then Mr. T could ever imagine. Think of something that your crazy great aunt would find at the Fashion Bug or TJ Maxx. So the contest was on! And ever since then, each year has gotten a little more crazy and a little more blingy.

So this year, I was pretty sure that I had won. I had spent days going to fabric and craft stores. I couldn't find gold glitter anywhere in the valley, until I found a Wal-Mart that's find of hidden away. There I found all of my supplies and spent that evening with some Mariah Carey Christmas music and a hot glue gun. So, with that said, I present my creation for Christmas Shoes 2009!

That's right, friends! There is fringe, glitter and bells! I took a nice, regular red ballet flat and transformed it into a work of art! This is something that my momma could wear to meet Jesus and these would get her into heaven! I was so proud of my work. I even received some pumpkin bread that was wrapped in some plastic and the little gold sparkley ornament. There were two. I hit the jackpot.

HOWEVER...

On Christmas morning, I opened the Christmas Shoes from my mom. And yet again...I was left speechless. I have never seen something so hideous.


We called it a tie.

Stay tuned for next year's edition of the Christmas Shoes. It is bound to be bigger and better.

Huh

So sad...and yet I couldn't resist!

Hello? Is anyone there? We have a 7:15 appointment!

     These photos were taken the day after Kiddie Kandids closed their stores. The creepy thing is that since no one was told that this would be happening, the computers were still on, the appointment book still opened on the counter and a sale sign that was advertising a 40% off sale that was to run until today...January 17th. Needless to say, that didn't happen! I was very irate to learn that none of the employees were going to be getting the paycheck that they had already earned! And they were told via e-mail. The dirty dogs that couldn't at least plan for that should be taken out behind the barn. Now if people want their paycheck, they have to go to court to settle it. It makes me sick. 

   But, as Mike and I are sick-minded people, we took this photo at South Town Mall. People were walking by, a little confused, but still laughing. It's sad to see that the world is coming to in these rough economic times. I hope the employees can find something soon.

    On a happy note, baby brother got married this past weekend. It was a wonderful day filled with good times, amazing food, and spiritual enlightenment. I will be posting more about that another time. As for now, have a great week and I hope to see you back here soon!

Happy 2010!

Well friends, we made it. It's a new year, and new decade and a new chance to break resolutions and come up with new ones in March! I hope everyone had a pleasant Christmas and New Year. Ours was spent going from family to family, laughing with the kids and mocking the adults. It was a very busy time, but it was wonderful to spend it with the people I love and remember what life is really about. I will post pictures soon, because that's what Santa Mike got me for Christmas, as well as the 3rd annual Christmas Shoes Pageant. For those who don't know about the tradition of the Christmas Shoes, this will be a new experience!

So as I sit here on Sunday night, trying not to get too depressed about going back to work tomorrow, I have been thinking about what I want to accomplish this year. Last year was full of surprises and trying to survive, but I have a good feeling about this year. There will be some changes; Andy getting married in two weeks, Mike going back to school, and paying off the copious amounts of medical bills that were racked up over the past year and a half. (Yes, they will all be paid off by the end of this year!) But most things will stay the same; working, living, loving and enjoying life.

I do have to admit something. I am kind of hoping by the end of this year that we can start a family. Yes...I said it. I want a baby! Now, this has been, and will continue to be, a back and forth thing. There are days when I would love nothing more then to be a mommy with a little one running around. Good example: Today, my niece Kiley was blessed. We all made the trek to Clinton and were treated to a sacrament meeting in a LARGE family ward. Lots of kids...very loud. My ward? Not so much. During this hour, we were entertained by baby Jack. He is one of the funniest little kids I know. My little nephew will be 2 this week, and he has such a little personality. As we sat in the chapel, two rows behind my brother's family, Jack was waving and pointing and making faces. We got the giggles. Then he came back and sat on Mike's lap while looking at a book. Not only was Mike trying to teach Jack that the three Nephites are named Larry, Curly and Moe, but Jack was making faces and saying Amen really loud after any one else did. We got the giggles. Again. But this time, we got the church giggles. Those are the giggles that you have to keep quite, but can't because you are gasping for air and trying not to be asked to leave. And the best part? Jack was telling us about his cowboy birthday planned for Friday night. I enjoyed having him on my lap and it felt like we kind of had our own little family.

But then there are moments where I want the little shits, also known as children, to shut their pie holes and go away. That would be the family that was sitting behind us during sacrament meeting. And my biggest issues with these little shits is not really the kids, but the parents, also known as big shits. They totally tune out their child and allow them to do whatever, whenever and however loud they wish to be. Perfect example: ANY CHILD WITH THEIR PARENTS AT WAL-MART!!! Because we all know that when you can hear a child crying, you have been at Wal-mart too damn long! This cures me of my desire to have children and I can go home to my quiet apartment and go to bed whenever I want. So...we'll work on that one.

So, here is my list of resolutions that I want to be better at keeping for the year ahead. In no particular order:

1. I am going to try to keep up on the dishes and other housework. I feel more calm and and at peace when my house is clean and tidy. I also don't like the way Mike does it. I know, I'm the one with the issues, so I will do it and not worry about it. It will take more effort, but if I can get into a routine, it should be ok.
2. I need to be more consistent with reading my scriptures. We are studying the Old Testament in Sunday School and I want to keep up with it. 
3. Now that sacrament meeting starts at 11, I have no excuse not to go more consistently. I have been doing a lot better about that this past month. We have a great ward with wonderful people and it's time for me to get more involved. 
4. I am going to be better about getting to work on time...EVERYDAY... and working harder. 
5. I need to be more patient as a wife. Nuff said.
6. Need to attend the temple more...for SO many reasons.

I think that pretty much covers it. I will start exercising again and getting back into shape for all of this year's 5K races that Wendi and I plan on doing. I miss that. So, here is to a new year and I hope and pray that this year will be better for everyone!

I wish I had a camera for this one...

So last night, for the first time in a long time, I felt older then I really am! I am 28. I like to think that I am hip and up on my pop culture. I don't look 28 nor to I feel 28 most of the time. However...when the average age of the people in the room is 17, I felt more like I was 40. (And there's nothing wrong with 40!!!)

I went with my sister, Wendi, and my cousin, Mandy, and her friends to the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus concert at the Murray Theater. I went because Wendi needed a buddy, and because FACE DOWN is one of my favorite songs. So we get there...there are 5 other bands that are touring with them. The first few were NOT so good. However, I fell in love with one of the bands.

This is Monty Are I!!!

They are from Rhode Island and I had never heard of them before. But for being a scream-o band, they were awesome to watch! There was guitars, keyboards, brass and fantastic live vocals. Go to their website or even YouTube and check out their song "One in a Million". I am in love with that song now. Of course it was during their set that people were getting hauled out by security for violent moshing. One girl got hit and was knocked out cold. Another one passed out, but that's because she looked like she needed to eat a sammich and put some meat on her bones.

The best part of the WHOLE night was when Red Jumpsuit was singing FACE DOWN and the lead singer from Monty Are I came out to sing with him. It was totally worth the almost 5 hours we had waited for them to play and the ringing ears. (Memo to me...EAR PLUGS!!!) It was wonderful. We all had a good time, but we learned some good lessons from this.

1. If there are other bands opening, don't come for at least an hour after the show starts. It was not so fun and you can save your ears. I woke up with a pounding headache this morning and I wanted to die a little.
2. Don't stand near the middle! This is where the moshing is. I had to pull Wendi out of the way a few times but she still got attacked. Hope her knee is doing better today.
3. EARPLUGS!!! Always bring ear plugs! My left ear is still ringing today. You'd think I would have learned all of this by now. I'll need hearing aids by the time I'm 50.
4. And last, but not least...always bring a small bottle of hand sanitizer! I felt so gross by the time I left and needed to wash my hands or something.

I am very glad that I went though. Wendi even had a good time. But I know if we take these lessons we learned and put them to use when We the Kings come on February 26th, we will have a much better time. The Murray is a wonderful little venue and the acoustics were awesome. And the best part? The Murray is half a block from my house. I walked home in less then a minute. SWEET!

So...if anyone is interested in coming with Wendi and I to We the Kings in February, let me know. It will be a good time.

Thin-spiration my booty!

So last night I saw a VERY disturbing news story about the new web and blog craze of "Thinspiration". If you haven't guessed, these are websites and blogs that encourage women to be thin. And I don't just mean thin, I mean been-in-a-concentration-camp-too-long-needs-to-eat-a-sammich thin. As a lady, I understand the social pressures to be thin. I too, at one time, had an eating disorder. It started as a stomach virus and then I just kind of stopped eating all together. Now, this was about 10 years ago when I was a senior in high school. I was so busy all the time with school, work, plays, choir stuff and friends that it was easier to hide. However, there weren't all these websites devoted to this life style. There are sites that will show you how to hide your eating disorder from friends and family. There are even pro-annie sites, as they are called. It wasn't until a good friend of mine stopped me one day and said "What are you doing?" It was then that I realized that I had a problem.

Now, being a theatre major, I understand the pressures to be thin. I watched many girls in my classes go from healthy looking to yuck. In the bathrooms, there was always someone talking about how they were able to drop 10 lbs last week by living on caffeine and nicotine. Or there was the diet coke and wheat thins diet. Then of course it was very common to walk into the bathroom and hear someone chunking their lunch. I will admit that there were times that it was very tempting to get back into that habit. I knew that I would have been taken a lot more serious as an actor if I was thinner. When I worked as a costume person, I was always hearing about how these 95 lbs girls were "so fat!" I finally had to come to the point that I couldn't care about being thin and being 115 lbs.

Yes, there are some people out there that are just naturally thin. I get it. They can eat and eat and it burns quicker then a spider with aqua-net and a lighter. That's great. I have nothing against thin people. I even know of people who are trying to gain weight. I think people can be beautiful at any size, depending on what's on the inside. I don't care if you're an obese lady or a super thin super model - if you're a bee-otch, you're a bee-otch! I know that this all sounds very cliché, but it's true.

I also know that being over weight isn't healthy either. That goes to the other end of the spectrum. It's ok to be big and beautiful...but there's a point in which it's time to do something about it. There are so many healthy alternatives to weight loss then starving yourself or purging after every meal. It takes effort and will power to stay with this. I need to encourage myself more. But when it comes down to it, I will never 115 lbs and still be alive. I will never wear a size 4. I will never be able to shop at 5-7-9 or be a Victoria's Secret model. I will always look stupid in skinny jeans...mainly because I can't fit my size 11 feet through the bottom of the leg hole!

But guess what? I'm ok with all of this. I am fine knowing that my body isn't built for that. So all those people who are encouraging this unhealthy life style full of thin-spiration and eating disorders can kiss my wide back side! They are sick people and karma will come back and get them ten-fold! I know that this is one of Satan's tools to pull people down and ruin their self-esteem and dignity. Just remember, curves are beautiful...your hip bones sticking out is not.

PS - I want to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving. Enjoy the time with family and remember to give thanks to He who has blessed you with these things. Happy Turkey Day!

Making Waves...or something like that

Well, it's time for my monthly post. I would love to say that so much has happened and that I am bursting to tell you all about it...but it's been a lot of the same old stuff lately...and that's ok. Since we last met, Mike and I have been adjusting to our new apartment. In someways it s huge improvement from where we were. All I can say is AIR CONDITIONING! We haven't had to cook like eggs on the sidewalk this summer. Also, I have my own washer and dryer. Now, once upon a time, back in the day, which was a Wednesday you know...I could have cared less about a washer and dryer of my own. I was the one who was fighting against the traditional woman's role has homemaker and all around maid.

Now, just for the record, my mother was a stay-at-home mom and we were very blessed for that. It was back in a time where two incomes were not needed to survive and support a family of 8 children. Those days have long since past and now you need 2-3 incomes just to support a family of two! I always figured I would get bored being a housewife and would not be fulfilled as a person. However, marriage has taught me a few things that I would like to share with you at this time.

#1 - There is nothing wrong with wanting to be a trophy, housewife!
Being a homemaker is a wonderful blessing and is taken for granted by WAY too many women. Being able to not have to work, being able to keep the house clean, the laundry done, meals cooked and time for hobbies is an amazing thing. I honestly think I could find enough to do with my time if we were at the point where I didn't have to work.

#2 - Paying bills and being an adult BLOWS!
I was very blessed to have parents who tried everything to teach me about saving money and not getting into debt. We, like most Americans, have debt. Most of it is due to medical bills. BLAH! I think I have said enough there. But, I also know that each month, as we pay the bills down a little more, we are one month closer to being debt free.

#3 - Cooking is something that doesn't just come naturally...
No my friends...you must work on it! Now, I am a pretty good cook, if I say so myself. Baking is more of my specialty, but I have mastered the art of making chicken rolls. (I will post my recipe below for those who are interested.) But I have made some real nasty meals in the last year that Mike, bless him, ate and tried to enjoy. But someday, I will master the art of cooking and leave Julia Childs in the dust...may she rest in peace.

Now, I have learned a lot more then that in the last year of marriage, but those have been the main things that have been on my mind lately. I won't lie...marriage is hard. When people say it's the hardest thing you'll ever do, they aren't just whistling Dixie! It takes EVERYTHING you have to make it work and to be successful. But, in the end I am told, it will be worth it.

Also, as just a side note, Mike and I are doing a play! It's called Making Waves and it's for the Wasatch Theatre Company Page to Stage Festival. It opens on Sept. 10th at the Rose Wagner Theatre downtown. I will put more info up as it get closer. We are both actually acting in it and are looking forward to performing it. So, put it on your calender and I will put up more info soon.

Holly's Totally Amazing Chicken Rolls

1 tube of crescent rolls ( There are usually 8 in the tube)

1-2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (or 1 can of canned chicken)

2 tablespoons of sour cream

1/2 package of cream cheese, softened

2 slices of cheese, cut into 4ths (I like provolone, but cheddar works too!)

1 cup of raw spinach

1 can of cream of chicken soup

2 tablespoons of milk

Salt and pepper

Warm the oven to 400 degrees. Separate the 8 rolls from the tube and put them on a flat surface. Add cream cheese to the shredded chicken. If canned chicken is used, reduce the cream cheese to 1/4th package. Lay a few leaves of spinach on the rolls. Add piece of sliced cheese on top of the spinach. Take a spoon full of the chicken mixture and place it on top of the cheese. Roll the dough up, making sure the edges are closed and place on a cookie sheet. Let the rolls cook for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

For the gravy topping: Add can of cream of chicken soup to saucepan. Mix in the milk and sour cream. Stir frequently. Allow to simmer. This should be done the same time the rolls are. Pour over chicken rolls and enjoy your dinner!