Zippity Do Da and Sew What?

I have some kind of zipper curse. I have SO many broken zippers. I don't know if it's user error or what, but it's really becoming a problem.

This zipper in the skirt pictured above is stuck in the "down" position which means I can't wear it. Some of the others are stuck in the "up" position, which means I still try to wear them by pulling them over my head. The problem with that is that the skirt gets stuck on my bosoms and the consequent tugging tends to rip the skirt.

I paid someone to repair two of my skirts with broken zippers, but it cost about as much to fix them as it does to buy a new skirt. And it's not just clothing. I liked this wallet before the zipper malfunctioned:

Here's another very common occurrence ... ripped hems:

I have several pairs of pants without hems. Sometimes I used double-stick tape to repair them, and sometimes I just wear them with one pant leg longer than the other.

And don't even get me started on missing buttons. I have a ton of shirts that are missing buttons. I just wear them with an undershirt. Yes, I at least know how to fix a button, but who has the time or energy for that?

Proper Mormon women know how to sew. (That's probably why I'm still single.)

What You've Missed

Okay, so I've been a terrible blogger lately because I have had no time. I'm not sure what the deal is but I feel like I can't catch up on anything lately. I'm even behind on TV. I haven't watched Lost or The Office in two weeks, and they are my two favorite shows ... so you know it's bad. When my DVR reached 95 percent this weekend, I had to make some choices and kill some stuff that I just wasn't going to get to. (Goodbye Earl, it was nice to know you, but since I haven't watched one episode this entire season, I had to let you go.)


Anyway, I decided that I need to update my blog more regularly because I don't want to let my faithful readers down. (Is anyone still reading my blog these days?) So, I thought I'd pay tribute to the blogs that might have been. These are things that I had intended to blog about, but ran out of time.


Like this one:

I got some very last-minute free tickets to see Dancing With the Stars and found some spontaneous girls to go with me. We had a great time. This blog post would have been funny.

Karen's Visit:

My friend Karen, and her husband Chuy came for a quick visit. We had a delicious dinner at the Silva's house where the newlyweds announced they are EXPECTING. I'm SOOO excited for them.

Brad's Surgery:

My brother, Brad had jaw reconstruction surgery. I'll spare you the gory details ... but WOAH it was intense. This picture was taken a couple days afterward. His jaw was banded shut and he had to eat through a straw for weeks.

Other Stuff:
I'm sure other fun, interesting or noteworthy stuff happened that I've forgotten about. But my head is filled with cobwebs. Oh, speaking of cobwebs ... look at this awesome one that a spider built one night on my crepe myrtle:

Pretty impressive, eh?

Okay, so I've got a couple other blog posts in my brain but I already know that I have no time to write them this week. So, I'm going to write them quickly now and post-date them (like I've done with this one. Didn't know that, did you?) Then, you'll have new blogs to read all week. :)

Excuse Me, Sir, Is That a Fire Hydrant Under Your SUV?

Exhibit A: Fire Hydrant

For at least the third time in the last couple of years, I was woken up out of a dead sleep to the sound of a drunk driver crashing into something on my street. For the second time, it was a fire hydrant.

I was all cozy in my bed Friday night when I woke up to a loud crash. I quickly jumped out of bed to look out the window and saw an SUV driving on the wrong side of the road with sparks coming out of the bottom. A couple seconds later I noticed the flood of water rushing down the street and realized just what the driver had hit and what he was still dragging: a fire hydrant.

Next, I noticed the minivan parked in my neighbor's driveway and saw that my friend, Amanda, was dropping my neighbor, Kristen, off at home after scrapbook night. (Those scrapbooking girls are CRAZY! Twice a month, a group of them meets to scrapbook until the wee hours of the morning.) Anyway, they pulled in the driveway just moments before the crazy drunk came plowing down the street.

Most sane people would probably go back to bed at this point. Not me. After calling the police and the water company, I pulled on some clothes and headed outside to take in the unnatural disaster and of course, to take pictures so I could blog about it.

Kristen and Amanda and their babies outside at 1:00 a.m.

Since we're in a major drought here and probably going under water restrictions soon, Michael and I decided to take advantage of the free water. I had a tiny bucket and was watering my shrubs and flowers. Michael got out a big 'ol trashcan and watered his whole yard.

It took the water company about an hour to come shut off the water. I wish I could have found a way to funnel it into my yard. (If only I had hundreds of sandbags stashed away for a time such as this.)

So here's the funniest part. (As funny as a drunk-driving crash gets.) The fire department shows up and asks about the drunk driver. We told them to follow the gash in the street (caused by the dragging hydrant) and it might lead right to him. Sure enough, they come back and tell us the SUV was parked in a driveway with the hydrant STILL UNDERNEATH! You KNOW I had to go get a picture of that! At this point Amanda decided she was going to go home and said she'd drive me by the house first so I could take a picture. The scrape in the street led us directly to the guy's home and into the driveway where we found the perpetrator's vehicle. Jackpot. Mid-photo shoot, I notice the guy is peeking out of his blinds at me. I yell to Amanda to take off and we peeled out of there in her minivan.

But I got a good picture:Ah. Good times. Anyway, the cops finally showed up and went to the guy's house, and the water company came and turned off the water, and then I went back inside and realized I had been outside for an hour with CRAZY bed hair. (no picture available)

INSERT PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT HERE: Don't be an idiot and drive drunk. If you know you're going out to drink, make plans beforehand for a designated driver. Take a cab. Call a friend BEFORE you get drunk. If not ... the next day we could all be laughing about the fire hydrant you hit, or much worse, you could have just ruined your life by killing somebody.

Jodie B's B-day

The Birthday Girl!

(Hairstyle courtesy of Aubrey)

It just so happens, that two of my very favorite people in the world have their birthdays one day apart. Today is my friend Jodie's birthday! (We won't post her age, though. Not that she's old ... she's still very young and very fun!)

Jodie is an amazing person and I admire her so much. She is a fantastic mother and is raising two perfect children.

Jodie is a wonderful friend! She's been a great example to me and has blessed my life so much!

Unfortunately, she had to move away. We all remember THIS POST where I blubbered all about it. But, looking on the bright side, it gives me a place to visit! I've already done so once (click here for the recap and pictures) and I plan to do it again in the near future. I just wish I could be there to celebrate your birthday, Jodie. I hope it is a fantastic day and that you get to eat a VERY yummy dessert!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JODIE!!

Ryan is a Teenager!

The Birthday Boy!

... Except that picture was taken on Ryan's 3rd Birthday, and now he is 13! My baby brother is entering TEENAGEDOM. I can't believe it. In honor of the big milestone, I thought I'd share some pictures of Ryan's life so far.

Ryan was absolutely the cutest baby you've ever seen. He was so happy and giggled ALL THE TIME! He was so fun to cuddle and squeeze ... and you'd have to squeeze him tightly if you wanted to keep hold of him. He was so squirmy that became his nickname. I called him "squirmy" and "squirms" until just a couple years ago, when I realized that I was probably embarrassing him.

Below, Clockwise from Top: Brad, Nicole, Ryan and Me at the zoo when Ryan was 1

Ryan and I have always had a special bond. We even shared a room from when he was 2 to when he was 4 years old. (It was when I first moved back to S.A. and moved back in with my mom for a couple years.)

Seriously, look at that adorable face:
We've done lots of fun things together! I took him to DisneyWorld when he was 9:
Here we are at a Switchfoot concert when he was 12:
And now, he's growing up so fast! He's into skateboarding and music these days. And I'm not as cool as I used to be. He's informed me that my ipod list is "so last year".

Above: Before the haircut last month

Below: After the haircut with my sister, Nicole.

This is definitely an interesting time with lots of middle-school challenges. But no matter how old he gets, I'll always love him SOOO much and he'll always be my baby brother.

Happy Birthday, Ryan!

A Decade Ago

Today marks a somber anniversary for me. Ten years ago on this day, January 14th, my dad passed away. I have so many emotions that it's hard for me to express them. First of all, I cannot believe an entire decade has passed. It's strange to think about how different my life was back then. It's even stranger to try and imagine how different my life would be today if he were still here. He'd be 68 years old and I probably wouldn't be living in San Antonio; the only reason I moved back home was because he was sick. I'm so thankful that I did.

Here are a few photos of my dad:

I was definitely a "daddy's girl" when I was little.

My parents about 5 years before he died.
My mom thought my dad was the best dancer.

It's one of the things she misses most about him.

This was my family at my college graduation -- less than two years before he died. My dad was just starting to show symptoms, but had not yet been diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).

It's bizarre that most of the people in my life today never knew him. So I thought I'd share a few facts about my dad. First of all, he was hilarious and goofy. I definitely inherited my sense of humor from my dad. (I also inherited his cleft chin.) He was equally self-deprecating and self-admiring -- my family loved to mimic the faces he made when he was combing his hair in the mirror. He was very impulsive -- one time he got into a car crash and when the cops showed up to take the report, he had already walked across the street to a car dealership to look for a new car. He was strong and athletic -- he played football at Texas Tech and then with the Philadelphia Eagles. But he wasn't just a jock; he was also very hard working and ambitious. He had a Master's Degree and had completed all but a few hours on his Doctorate Degree. My dad had several careers in his lifetime. He started out playing professional football, and then he went into the management side. He owned a couple of minor-league football teams in San Antonio and then was GM of the USFL team here. He was also a college counselor, a teacher, and a special education coach for middle school and high school kids. And in his final business pursuit, he started his own nutritional supplement company. These are all things my dad would have wanted me to mention about himself. :)

Unfortunately, we were both very stubborn and didn't always get along. I have lots of regrets about our relationship, which I think makes the ache deeper and more complex. But I value the time I had with him and am especially grateful that I moved home to help care for him in the final months of his life. I admire him and love him and still miss him. I am the person I am today because of AND in spite of my father.

Resolved- REVISED

Welcome to 2009!

So, I've been debating what to write for my first post of the year. At first, I didn't want to publish my resolutions because I felt like they were too personal to be paraded before the masses (or even the fews), but then I thought, "Who better to share my goals with than my blogging buddies who love and support me, right?" I don't think I made any resolutions for 2008. I really hate to fail -- so often when I'm afraid of failure, I just don't try. There is no fail when you haven't tried. (I should put that on a bumper sticker.) Just kidding. It's a terrible personal creed and one that I'm trying to conquer by putting these goals in writing and making them public.

Goals for 2009:

Physical (Edited: Details Deleted)

Spiritual (Edited: Details Deleted)

Financial (Edited: Details Deleted)

Emotional/Social (Edited: Details Deleted)

EDITED TO ADD: So ... ever since I blogged about my goals, I haven't been comfortable. I felt overexposed -- kind of like that nightmare where you go to school/work and realize you're naked. So - I've decided to delete the specifics. I've written them down elsewhere for myself. The following statement still stands:

So, there. I'm resolved. I'm committed. I'm motivated. Onward.

Blessed

Merry Christmas!

I hope your family had a very Merry Christmas!! I have had a jolly holiday and I feel so overwhelmed with blessings. We spent Christmas Eve where we always do - at my Nanny and PaPa's house. We had a delicious Mexican food feast, and as tradition goes, we all ate way too much. This year, we added something new ... a musical performance! My friends, the Craguns, loaned me their set of pipe bells and a few of us performed "Jingle Bells" for the rest of the family. (They were so much fun, I really want my own set now.)
After dinner, we had our gift exchange. My cousin, Todd, had my name and I got an iTunes gift card (the best gift you can give, in my opinion) and a hat and mittens.

Christmas is always better with kids around!

My cousin, Shawna, and her cute little girl, Emily.

My nephew, Logan, and his new pair of boots.

Now that the cousins are all grown up and some have their own families, it's rare that everyone can make it on Christmas Eve, but for the first time in many years, we were all there and it made it a really special night.

On Christmas Morning, I went to my mom's house with two of my brothers, Ryan and Brad. My mom decorates her house so cute for Christmas and she still hangs all of our stockings from when we were kids.
Ryan received some new clothes ...

... and Rock Band 2!!

My brother, Brad, and his dog, KC:

(Brad's the one in the hat)

On Christmas night, my mom, Ryan, Jon, Nicole and I went to see "Bedtime Stories".

It was a wonderful day!

December has gone by in a flash for me. I didn't get everything done that I wanted to get done and I didn't have the money to buy as many gifts as I would have liked -- but I still think this was one of my favorite Christmases in recent memory. In addition to what I've shared so far, I had a couple other big blessings this year. First - I was given the responsibility of organizing our ward's "Giving Tree" project. Members of the congregation purchased presents for 13 families and I gathered the gifts and got everything ready to be delivered. It was amazing to witness so much generosity, especially during these hard economic times.

The other big blessing is more personal. On Christmas Eve, some anonymous angels gave a very special present to my family. We walked outside to find it right on the front porch. We were all in shock and my mom cried tears of happiness. We feel so blessed to whoever gave us such a generous gift. You have made this Christmas one that we will always remember and we feel so blessed to have friends like you. I hope you receive many, many blessings for your kindness. It truly was a Christmas miracle.

My Christmas Mix For You

THANK YOU for all who have sent me Christmas cards. I love getting them! I'm sorry that I am a bad friend and don't reciprocate. (HOWEVER - I may blog my Christmas Card this year, so stay tuned for that.)

I'm better at Christmas Mix CDs than Christmas cards. Most of my friends who have lived in the same city as me have been the recipient of one or two in Christmases past. I have a LOT of Christmas music (as most of us Christmas-lovers do). So I thought I'd spread some Christmas cheer by sharing my favorite (and not-so-favorite) Christmas songs.

First, I must say that it's a Crooners' Christmas for me. I'm all about Frankie, Dean, and Bing. There's just something romantic about their renditions that transport me to a winter wonderland. (I also love Ella Fitzgerald, Perry Como and Nat King Cole) So, unless I specifically list another artist, just know that I prefer the classics on these when available.

Let's start with the reason for the season.

Category: RELIGIOUS

• I Wonder as I Wander
• O Holy Night
• Who Would Imagine a King
• It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
• What Child is This?

Category: PROBABLY MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONG OF ALL TIME

• Christmas Waltz (Frosted window panes, candles gleaming inside ...)

Category: SONGS FOR GETTING IN A HAPPY, HOLIDAY MOOD

• It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
• I’ll Be Home for Christmas
• Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
• Winter Wonderland
• Home for the Holidays (Perry Como)
• Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow
• Baby, It’s Cold Outside (It's a draw as far as the Dean Martin or Johnny Mercer & Margaret Whitling versions)
• Cool Yule (Louis Armstrong)
• ‘Zat You, Santa Claus? (Louis Armstrong)
• A Holly Jolly Christmas (Burl Ives, of course!)
• I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm (Dean Martin)
• A Marshmallow World (Bing Crosby) (This one ranks VERY high.)
• The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

And just for fun, let's add a few more categories.

Category: CHRISTMAS-TIME MAKES YOU WANT TO BE IN A RELATIONSHIP.

• All I Want for Christmas is You (One of the only Mariah songs I really like)
• Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) (U2)
• I’d Like You for Christmas (Julie London)
• What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve

Category: IF YOU’RE NOT FEELING JOLLY, HOW ABOUT SOMETHING MELANCHOLY?

• Hard Candy Christmas (Dolly Parton)
• Where Are You Christmas? (Faith Hill)
• When My Heart Finds Christmas (Harry Connick, Jr.)

Category: DOES ANYONE ELSE FIND THE WHOLE PREMISE OF THIS SONG DISTURBING?

• I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

Category: I REALIZE THESE ARE SOME PEOPLE'S FAVORITES BUT I'M TIRED OF THEM AND PREFER NOT TO HEAR VERY MUCH OF THEM DURING THE HOLIDAYS.

• Rudolph
• Silent Night
• Jingle Bells
• 12 Days of Christmas

Category: NEVER WANT TO HEAR AGAIN. IT MAKES MY EARS BLEED.

• Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

Okay, there's my list. Now tell me your favorite Christmas song(s).

You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch

Dear Grinch,

I realize that your heart is two sizes too small, but I want you to know that you broke mine this morning. JUST when I'd found my Christmas spirit, you came and stole it from me. Literally. I wonder, what will you do with the Christmas decorations you took from my yard overnight? Will you use them to decorate your own house? More likely than that, you will probably sell them to someone else to make a few bucks. Well, I want you to know that I think you're a bad banana with a greasy black peel!!

You probably steal from lots of people, so to refresh your memory ... here's what you stole from me: (I found this picture online but they look like the same ones I had.)I just bought those lighted presents last year. Why didn't you take the spiral trees that are 6-years old now and have a short in the cord? OH ... I know why. It's because your soul is an appalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of deplorable rubbish imaginable, mangled up in tangled up knots.

Sorry. Your hatefulness is bringing out the grinch in me. I'm really debating whether to put up the rest of my lights now. What if you steal them too? But then again, if I don't decorate I guess I'm only punishing myself and then you win again.

In closing, the three words that best describe you, are, and I quote: "Stink. Stank. Stunk." And if you happen to read my blog, well that's just makes the whole thing even more disturbing.

Merry Christmas, JERK.
-Julie