Tampa, FL (1/09)

Just a few short weeks later here I am back in Florida! I hate the flight to Florida, it is too long! This photo is of some manatees we saw in the warm water by the power plant. They estimate that there were about 200 of them there. It was amazing to see them just floating around. They are so big (average size 10 feet and 1000 pounds). I saw an NHL hockey game (Tampa Lightning vs. Buffalo Sabres); ate a lot of sushi, and walked on the world's longest continuous sidewalk. I also spent six days in class and took a certification exam so it wasn't all play.

Amelia Island, FL (12/08)

I had a class in Florida that began the day after my meetings in D.C. so I just took a flight from D.C. to Florida without even coming home in between. It was so nice to be in Florida in December and a great change from the cold in D.C. the week prior. This photo is the view from my hotel balcony. I was lucky enough to stay at the Ritz Carlton on Amelia Island (near Jacksonville). I walked on the beach and got my feet wet in the ocean. It was a little cold but not too bad. I even saw a few turtles in the dunes between the hotel and the ocean. One day I even went to the hotel pool and had it to myself. Apparently everyone else thought it was too cold to swim outside. But, having just come from below-freezing weather and snow, I was thinking it was rather warm! This beach had more seashells on it than any beach I have seen in my life. In between classes we also had time to see the island on a horse-drawn carriage. It was really fun to look at all of the old architecture and to hear stories about which houses have stayed in the family. Just think, they've never had a mortgage payment!

The National Christmas Tree

So I've always wanted to see the National Christmas Tree. I've been in Washington D.C. at Christmastime before but never made it over there. This year, when I had meetings there the first week of December I decided this would be the year I'd see it. A few of us rode the Metro to the nearest stop and then walked a few blocks to The White House. It was cold and windy and even snowing slightly (about 30 degrees). Of course I hadn't packed a coat, hat, or gloves so I was freezing but determined to see the tree. I don't know, maybe it's because it wasn't dark and we couldn't see the lights but I gotta say I was a bit disappointed.

Craziest Parade Ever

While in Washington D.C. on December 5th, I happened to be in the right place at the right time and saw the craziest parade ever. We were checking out the National Christmas tree when we saw a sea of red coming down the hill from the Washington Monument. There were hundreds of people and they were loudly laughing and singing, clearly having a great time. As they got closer, we realized they were dressed as Santa. There were even a few elves in the mix. We asked one of them what was going on and we were told it was the annual Santa Union convention. Who knew that Santas had to unionize? They were so loud that we surmised they must be drinking. Then, one of them ran into the side of a car while crossing the street and promptly fell to the ground. That's when we knew they'd been drinking! It was so crazy! Some of the Santas were smoking and some were dressed in a non-traditional kind of way. We dubbed it putting the ho in Ho Ho Ho (read fishnets, short skirts, and the like). See my Shutterfly share site for more photos and make sure you find the one of the guy wearing green tights and a stocking, it's one of my favorites.

Project 365

One of my favorite scrapbookers, Becky Higgins, created a kit called Project 365. It challenges people to take a photo every day for a year. I've decided to take the challenge and am going to create an electronic scrapbook (shawnaproject365.blogspot.com). If you want more information about Project 365, you can connect to Becky's blog from the links on the left of this page.

Text 2 for Yes and 1 for No

I love some of the things that the kids say. I have to record some of these conversations so I don't forget about them. Like this one.

First, a little background. While driving to southern California, Chris ran over something in the road and dented our rim. We had to buy a new tire on our trip but they managed to bend the rim so it would hold air. This was about a year and a half ago. Recently, I needed to buy new tires because mine were wearing out (plus it sucked that one didn't match). When they put the new tires on, they just couldn't make the one with the damaged rim hold air. So, I was forced to spend hundreds of dollars and have a new rim shipped to us. We kept filling the tire with air but we were having a hard time keeping up with how much air was leaking out. My car has low profile tires and it's very hard for me to tell if the tire is low or not. Well, one day, I happened to say that the tire was not low but my husband disagreed. He got out the little doohickey that measures air pressure and found out it only had about half what it should have. Lots of yelling ensued. He just couldn't believe that I didn't think the tire looked flat!

So, we met the Albretsens at a restaurant for dinner and they had to listen to Chris yell at me about the tire. Later, when we went to leave the parking lot, the Albretsens turned right and Chris turned left (we should have turned right to go to our house). Chris wanted to try out the new tires on the Interstate.

So, that's a lot of back story, right? Well, following is a transcript of the text messages that Tyler jokingly sent me:

Tyler: "Are you going to be OK? Have you been kidnapped? Text 2 for yes and 1 for no."
Shawna: "1 LOL"
Tyler: "Did you mean SOS?"
Shawna: "ROTFLOL with tears in my eyes. Even Chris is LOLing"
Tyler: "OK"

That Tyler. He sure is a funny kid and he sure knew how to change the mood.

And for those of you who see me on a regular basis. Please tell me if my tires are low because apparently I can't recognize these kinds of things!

Christmas Photos

Who wants to see my Christmas photos? Ummm....I can't believe I didn't take a single photograph on Christmas. What is wrong with me? Chris and I stayed over at the Albretsens (you have to do that when you don't have any kids of your own!). On Christmas day we watched Tyler and Codey open their SURPRISE presents, ate breakfast, sat in the hot tub, and then watched Mamma Mia, including all the special features. It was a fun and relaxing day. Too bad I have nothing to show for it! Maybe Colette took some photos. Who am I kidding? Of course she did!

Cakewrecks

I am loving the blog called cakewrecks.blogspot.com. Some of the cakes are making me laugh so hard. It's a great way to pass the time while I'm sitting inside trying to stay warm. The site features cakes made by professional bakeries that have misspellings and are just downright ugly or scary. To their credit, they even post some gorgeous cakes in the mix. Too much fun.

Update on Chris' Collar Bone

Chris did end up having to have surgery. Because the bone was 100% displaced they had to put a pin or a rod in. He's in a lot of pain but the doctor assures us he'll start feeling better very soon. No more racing bikes.....at least for this year.

Thanksgiving in Las Vegas

On Thanksgiving Day we ate dinner at Table 10. It's the newest restaurant in Las Vegas by Chef Emeril Lagasse. This is the fifth Emeril's restaurant I've been to. Maybe some day I'll get to see them all. We were joined by my parents, the Albretsens and two of the players from Tyler's soccer team. Almost the entire table ordered the hot turkey sandwich. And none of us had to wash the dishes!

Chris' Trip to the E.R.

Chris and Codey went to Salt Lake last Friday night to race their BMX bikes. Around 8 pm, I got a call from Chris telling me he had crashed. I met him at the E.R. and we spent a few hours there. As you can see from the photo, Chris has a broken collar bone. He has to see a surgeon next week to decide if they are going to operate. I have one word to describe the x-ray and that word is wrong!

Faux Thanksgiving

This year we celebrated Thanksgiving a bit early. Lots of people (even more than those pictured) came over and we had a great time visiting.

We were very entertained by the kids. The Albretsens have a hammock on their deck and little Gracie kept saying that she wanted to get "caught in the net." Grandma Wilson gave Carson an old typewriter and he said she made his week. He had been wishing for a typewriter. Too funny. We had to show them how to load paper in it.

Birthday Brulee

For my birthday this year, my friend Casi gave me a creme brulee set. Tyler and Codey eagerly volunteered to make them for me for a birthday treat. I like to think they wanted to make it for me because they love me so much but the truth of the matter is they probably just wanted to play with the torch.

Halloween for High School Boys

What do you get when high school boys make Halloween costumes? A "gynecologist" named "Dr. Phil Good" offering free mammograms. The funniest thing about it was some of his friends hadn't ever heard the words gynecologist or mammogram before!

Codey's Soccer Team Wins the Utah State Cup

Codey's soccer team won the Utah State Cup for their age group! Hooray for the new U14 State Champions! Codey plays goalie and only had one goal scored on him during the entire State Cup series. He made some great saves in the final game, which ended up going into overtime. His team now gets to play at the Far West Regionals in June 2009.

Last year, his brother's team won State Cup so this year it's Codey's turn. Tyler's team made it to the semi-finals this year.