Bromance and New Years

So I started watching a new show on Mondays. I had to find one to fill the void that the season finale of "The Hills" would inevitably cause. And boy did I find a fabulous replacement.

Bromance

I admit...if you are looking for a show that makes you look smart...this is NOT the show for you. It is completely shallow and ridiculous.
And that is why I love it.
The other reason why I love it just might have something to do with

him

Brody Jenner

Son of Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner.
And the new object of my affection.

I first loved Brody on "The Hills". Now he is looking for a new guy to add to his group of "Home Boys". Kind of like the male version of "Paris Hilton: My New BFF".
Bromance noun: 1.Describes the complicated love and affection between two straight males. 2. an emotional attraction between two "bros". Often the attraction is expressed physically through wrestling, nuggies, and headlocks. 3. This bond is usually only shared between two males who have a deeper understanding of each other in a way no woman could ever realize.
(*Urban dictionary)
The guys on this show are hilarious. It fills a one hour vapid void in my life. I love it.
Anyway....Happy New Year! Welcome 2009! I'll be thinking about all of you out celebrating and singing and kissing while I am at work....probably wiping someone.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

I love Christmas break! All my friends come home and I finally get to feel like I have friends again...


Last night I got together with my bestest Fi Town friends...Emma, Whitney, and of course Rhiannon. We deliberated on where to go and wanted to go to Cheesecake Factory...it was PACKED with a 50 minute wait (on a Monday?) so we decided to go to Olive Garden instead. A tried and true favorite. It was so much fun and I loved hanging out with them. Laughing and talking about all the silly memories we have. I love that we have all been able to stay friends even though other members of our "posse" have grown up and gotten married and moved away! It's nice to see old familiar faces! Love you girls and can't wait to do it again!

Days of Our Lives (the Sunbeam Version)

I don't think I could ever say it enough...how much I love my Sunbeams. The things they say just brighten my whole day. Here is another update on the happenings of my Sunbeams...

Adorable Miss Kenzie Hughes came into Primary today to sit with us and get the whole "Sharing Time" experience. Kaia was sitting next to me and then Kenzie sat next to her and Kaia looked very seriously at me and said "Don't worry Sister Nelson, I'll watch her for ya".

More Kaia stories for your enjoyment...
Sister Gorge showed a picture of the SLC temple and said "Where is this temple located"
To which Kaia answered "Far away" (In her best...DUH! voice)

Jacob turned around in his seat during singing time and told me very quietly "Uh Sister Nelson....I think I need to rest my voice". So sweet.

We watched a video of Jesus's birth today...one of those animated New Testament movies and at the part where the angel comes to visit the shepards Diana said "Oh! There's the fairy!"

Kalia informed me that her dad "Knows EVERYTHING!" (which is pretty useful)

And here is my favorite. Our very own soap opera going on in the Sunbeams class. Diana was using her feminine wiles today on Simon all through sharing time. She was swinging and flipping her hair all around and staring at him with her big baby blue eyes. However they were kind of lost on Simon (who has all brothers) and he just looked at her like she was crazy and then said "Diana....put on your shoes" (a bit exasperated). I guess it just isn't in the cards for these two. Usually Simon and Kaia are attached at the hip so I'm sure for Diana's sake it's probably good Simon doesn't return the feelings. Kaia would not be very pleased if someone was moving in on her "boyfriend" (as she calls him) and trust me...we all know when Kaia is not pleased by something. I thought perhaps this little puppy love going on between Kaia and Simon was over because they don't sit by each other or talk to each other as much in class. Today when walking to class Simon was getting a drink and Kaia bounces past him and says "Nice shirt Simon"....so maybe it isn't over quite yet. Oh the drama of Sunbeams.

When all is said and done words can't even express how much I love these kids. They are so sweet and they absorb all these stories and love to hear them. Yes, teaching 10 kids sometimes by myself is not easy and sometimes I go home wanting to quit. But most of the time I go home with a smile on my face because something one of them said or did. I am so proud of them and the progress they have made. They answer questions and I know they understand and get the gospel. Sometimes I think these kids understand the whole concept of the gospel better than we do. We let so much take our time and influence us. For them it's totally black and white. What's wrong is wrong and what is right is right. You help people. You work together. You love Heavenly Father and Jesus. You come to church. You read the scriptures. You listen to your mom and dad. Easy.
I have a feeling I will be released this week and I am VERY upset by it. I love the kids in Primary. They teach me more than I teach them. So once again thanks to all the parents who let me have them for those 2 hours each Sunday and for all you do in teaching these kids at home- it makes my job easier!
I love each and every one of them.
Caroline has a heart of gold. She is a trooper and just so sweet.
Diana has the funniest giggle that you have to laugh at. Sometimes she can tell me a whole story and I have almost no idea what she said but then she laughs so of course I laugh too.
Jacob is one of the sweetest boys. He listens and gives me his full attention. He is full of questions and also answers to my questions.
Kalia is a bundle of energy. She comes each Sunday ready and rearing to go which helps us get excited too.
Katie has a great sense of humor. She is just so silly she can really get me laughing.
Kaia that girl has a sense of who she is and she is not going to let you change it! I like that about her. She is strong willed and it will help her get far in life.
Simon is so intelligent. He knows all the answers to my questions and he remembers everything I tell him. I love watching him learn.
Layton is just so adorable I want to steal him. He has these chubby cheeks and red hair and freckles and when he smiles at you...your heart melts. I love when he answers a question and he gets the answer right and then gives me this smile.
Morgan loves activites and stories and she loves sharing her own stories as well. She is very loving and she also loves singing us new songs she has learned.

I will miss these kids terribly but I know that they are going to do great in Primary next year! I know our Heavenly Father loves these kids so much and I'm happy to have been entrusted with the responsibility of teaching them about Him.
I hope we can all learn something from these amazing Primary kids.

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord...and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love..."
Mosiah 3:19

My Beautiful Children

Ok...so I don't really have kids. But since I'm working all day...and have nothing better to do....I have discovered this fabulous website. You pick your picture and your "partners" and then they combine your features and show you what your children would look like. So I uploaded mine and my husbands pictures and here is what we got!

To steal a line from Matthew McConaughey in "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days"

"Our kids are really...attractive."

Baby Girl

Matt Jr.

If you want to make your own kids go to http://www.makemebabies.com/

I promise you hours (or minutes) of fun!

Elf

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Baby It's Cold Outside

Picture this.
You wake up and begrudgingly get out of bed (because it is just the right temperature).
You go downstairs in the early morning hours and walk into the kitchen.
When you open the door to the refrigerator you stand in front of it for a minute because the air coming from there is actually warmer than the kitchen.
Sad.
It is -20 degrees right now (with the "wind chill").
Dear Jack Frost,
Please stop nipping at my nose.
Sincerely,
Me.
I feel like this guy.

My new best friend.

My new method of transportation.

My new home.

Christmas Must Be Something More

We had an absolutely beautiful Christmas program at church today. Jamie Page sang a song called "Mary's Lullaby". I was expecting the primary version but it was a different one that I had never heard before. It took my breath away. There was a line in it where Mary says to baby Jesus "You are a king but tonight you are mine". Gave me chills (and of course I cried)

Jeanette Marble and Camden Fordham played The First Noel on a violin and the cello and it was beautiful. Just the perfect program and the words that Bishop Kindard spoke about how Christmas is all about hope. Hope that things will get better- well it's what Christmas is all about. Hope that a small baby would become the man who would save us.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you. Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men.

I am certainly guilty of forgetting what Christmas is all about. This is one of my favorite poems of all time about Christmas and the meaning.

The Stranger

At Christmas time there was a Man who looked so out of place,
As people rushed about Him at a hurried sort of pace.

He stared at all the Christmas lights, the tinsel everywhere,
The shopping center Santa Claus, with children gathered near.

The Mall was packed with shoppers who were going to and fro,
Some with smiles and some with frowns and some too tired to go.

They rested on the benches or they hurried on their way,
To fight the crowd for purchases to carry home that day.

The music from a stereo was playing loud and clear,
Of Santa Claus and snowmen and a funny-nosed reindeer.

He heard the people talk about the good times on the way,
Of parties, fun and food galore and gifts exchanged that day.

"I'd like to know what's going on," the man was heard to say.
"There seems to be some sort of celebration on the way.

And would you tell me who this is all dressed in red and white?
And why are the children asking him about a special night?"

The answer came in disbelief, "I can't believe my ear!
I can't believe you do not know that Christmas time is here.

The time when Santa comes around with gifts for girls and boys.
When they're asleep on Christmas Eve, he brings them lots of toys.

The man you see in red and white is Santa Claus, so sly,
The children love his joyful laugh and twinkle in his eye.

His gift-packed sleigh is pulled along by very small reindeer,
As he flies quickly through the air, while going here and there.

The children learn of Santa Claus while they are still quite small,
When Christmas comes he is the most important one of all."

He held His head in shame, He closed a nail-pierced hand.
His body shook in disbelief; He did not understand.

A shadow crossed His stricken face, His voice was low but clear
"After all these years they still don't know." And Jesus shed a tear.

I hope we can all remember the true meaning of Christmas.
What if ribbons and bows didn't mean a thing?
Would the song still survive without 5 golden rings?
Would you still want to kiss without mistletoe?
What would happen if God never let it snow?
What would happen if Christmas carols told a lie?
What would you find?
What if angels did not pay attention to all of the things that we wish they would always do?
What if happiness came in a cardboard box?
I would think there was something we all forgot.
What would happen if presents all went away?
What would you find?
You'd see that today holds something special. Something holy. Not superficial.
So here's to Jesus Christ who saved our lives.
It's something we all try to ignore. And put a wreath up on our door. But here is something you should know that is for sure....Christmas must be something more.
And besides...who really likes Santa anyway?

My Brother

Oh Kian how much more boring my life would be without you. Today he came and sat in my class with me while I was waiting for my kids to be picked up by their parents.
Brother Wilson came to pick up Kaia and as he left Kian looked at me with big eyes and made the surprised sound (ya know when you suck in air when you are surprised?) And he made this awe inspired announcement.

"Nini...he looks like Shane from the Upside Down Show!"

Oh I love you bubby.

These Are a Few of my Favorite Things...

Can I just start out by saying that I have never quite understood why that song is considered a Christmas song? Could someone explain it to me please?


Moving right along with today's topic.
I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite things.


1. This journal set from Pottery Barn. I heart it. And I want it.

2. Mary Kay skin care line

I have been using Proactiv for years now and I do love it but my skin has NEVER looked better than it does right now. It is soft and smooth and clear and my make up goes on so great. Seriously love love love it. I pay less money than I do for Proactiv AND it helps prevent skin aging. Awesome.

3. Saturday Night Live

more specifically Kristin Wiig. I adore her.

Here are some of my favorite clips of hers. They will have you cracking up.

sisters

judy grimes:i'm just kidding

penelope

pony express

suze orman


4. Old Navy peacoats

I bought a peacoat. The one in the picture is blue. Mine is pink. I love it.

5. Tiffany Notes Pendant

There is really no explanation needed.

6. Brothers in Santa hats.

Hope you are getting in the holiday spirit!

Gravity

#1 Reason Why I Want to Live In Space



Gravity


That way when you have a cold in space you don't have to worry about waking up in the MIDDLE of the night to turn over so the other nostril can experience the JOY of breathing.

So here is what I have concluded.....

Earth= Gravity
Gravity+Stuffed Noses = No sleep
No Sleep=Grumpy me

Astronauts have all the luck.

My Name

The hidden meaning behind my name...

What Vanessa Means

You are very hyper. You never slow down, even when it's killing you. You're the type of person who can be a workaholic during the day... and still have the energy to party all night. Your energy is definitely a magnet for those around you. People are addicted to your vibe. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

I never update my blog anymore, reasons for this neglect include:
1. I work too much
2. We do not currently have internet at home
3. I work a lot
4. No one reads my blog anyway
5. My life is boring and I don't go anywhere because....
6. I am always working

I had probably the worst night ever at the hospital on Thursday night. The worst part about it was that I wasn't even scheduled to work...I picked up a shift...so instead of feeling like I wanted to take a needle and stab my (or someone else who shall remain nameless) eye out- I could have been home watching other FAKE people's hospital drama like on ER or Grey's Anatomy.
Very exasperating.
On another work note...I don't know if I posted this spring but I have many (mis) adventures....in fact that should probably be the title of my blog "The Many (Mis) Adventures of Vanessa"- a lot of these misadventrues happen when I am working at the salon for some reason and usually involves me doing something I am not a. particularly skilled in and b. is not in my job description- and for some reason it usually involves being outside. (Previous misadventures include watering the flowers here a work and oh yeah...the slight incident involving the balcony that we aren't talking about anymore....).
I digress.
So this morning we got our first real big SNOW which is cool- except when you have to walk/drive in it. And it is only pretty for like 12.4 minutes and then it ends up being brown and dirty and your feet are always cold and the bottom of your jeans are wet- I have mixed feelings about snow. I know you are thinking "On with the effin story already" which reminds me...I should probably be tested for ADD.
Ok so for real this time. We got our first snow and I went into work at the salon. Well with snow also comes the possibiliy of slipping and increasing the amount of possible injury. We don't like that because we don't want to be responsible. So...I volunteered (as always...before thinking) to salt outside. Well I had to shovel the fallen snow first. I go out and let me tell you- my hair looked ADORABLE today (if I do say so myself) and I forgot to put on socks with my super cute flats (ok maybe I didn't actually forget but socks would have ruined the outfit)- so I went out sans socks on my feet and my super cute "I'm about to get ruined by falling wet snow" hair and started shoveling. My nose started running, my hair got flat, my feet got cold, and I as usual was wondering why these things happen when a guy (namely my boss's son) isn't around to do it for me. Oh well.
Also at work today I heard the song "Feliz Navidad". I hate that song. "Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad prospero ano y felicidad...I wanna wish you a merry christmas, I wanna wish you a merry christmas, I wanna wish you a merry christmas from the bottom of my heart". There were all the words to that song. Repeat 50 billion times and then slash your wrists. Stupid stupid song. It sucks you into this vortex and it pulls you in with it's false promises of being fun and cultural, when in reality the song ends and you wonder why on earth you just wasted 3 minutes of your life listening to it. It sneaks up on you everytime with no warning. And all it takes is the first 4 seconds to play and you have it in your head ALL DAY. Like I do now because I was talking about it.
I think I'm getting grumpy.
I need a nap.
One of the other side effects of working too much.
Sigh.

Mam

So tonight we as a family started watching home movies (a favorite past time of ours) and after everyone went to bed I decided to pop in the good tapes....you know the ones labeled "Vanessa" or "Our cutest daughter Vanessa" or maybe "The best child ever to grace this earth...Vanessa"....those tapes. Little did I know what was in store for me. When I was younger I was in a performing group called "Sunshine Generation" (and yeah it's as cheesy as it sounds). We performed a song that is very well known--What A Wonderful World. And we would sign it. Well this particular performance I am 3 years old and my Mam used to always tell me growing up how because of that performance, everytime she heard that song it would make her cry because she thought of me and the words of the song. How was I to know that 18 years later it would be me that would cry everytime I heard that song. For those of you who don't know my Mam (grandma on my Mom's side) was diagosed with renal cancer summer/fall 2006. She underwent surgery and they said she was fine (they didn't even give her radiation though...an act that I am still very bitter about...they give radiation for tyroid cancer for crying out loud...but I digress). Later on she relapsed and became very sick and on June 22 2007 she died. I will never forget that phone call. The second worst phone call I've ever gotten in my life. My Mam was probably my first best friend. Because my dad was out of work at the time it wasn't financially possible for any of us to go see her before she died and I will forever regret the fact that I never got to say good bye. It has made me live differently though. I think of all the phone calls that I rushed through because I was busy or the letters and cards that went unresponded too because I just didn't have time. I wish that I could have just one more phone call with her. To tell her how much she meant to me. So I will say it now.

Thank you Mam for being my best friend
Thank you for playing with me and not complaining about it...even when I made you crawl into a small playhouse and refused to let you leave.
Thank you for those letters and cards and phone calls
Thank you for coming to all of my silly performances
Thank you for listening to me
Thank you for taking my side even when I was wrong
Thank you for picking me up when I fell down (figuritively as well as literally
Thank you for making me feel special and loved.

Sometimes it is hard for me and there are days when I forget she is gone- she didn't have a funeral so there was no place for that closure. You know when you have a dream and you forget the difference between dream and reality for a minute and then you figure out and reality just smacks you in the face? That is what it is like when I remember my grandma is gone. And then I think about all the things she never got to see me do: she never got to see me figure my life out, to finally know what my calling in life was...even though oddly enough her experiance in a hospital and ultimately her death is what sparked that passion for the medical field in me- she will never see me graduate college, get married (ha) and my kids will never know her which is just such a shame for them because she was the best. There will never be a day that I don't miss her and her silly laughs and stupid jokes. Everytime I see the movie "Connie and Carla" or eat weird Japanese chex mix- or hear our song...I will think of her. I can't wait to see you again Mam. I will try to make you proud.

I see trees of green and red roses too- I watch them bloom for me and for you and I think to myself, what a wonderful world.