Anyway, I just may put Christmas dresses and jammies back on the girls so that I can try and recreate some memories. Not only did we have a Christmas sans camera, but I was also busy doing a million loads of laundry due to lots of puke and leaky, runny, dirty diapers that were a large part our Christmas season this year (yet another excuse that I won’t give as to why I haven’t been blogging). So even if we had a camera for Christmas, there wasn’t a lot to take pictures of. Well, not pictures that anyone would want to see.

In the meantime, here’s a fond remembrance from last summer (that’s for you Butlers because you just may be onto something with your theory about Winter making me tired).

Stay tuned for posts from the past that will be posted in the future for your present enjoyment.

Right now it is 10:09pm and Inez is still awake! (That is an exclamation point of frustration.) The movie Hot Rod is playing on our tv because the dvd is due tomorrow. It is SO stupid and needs to be turned off RIGHT NOW but I’m too tired. Actually the more it plays the lamer it gets, so I think I’ll be able to muster up enough energy to change it to Project Runway. What I really should do though is go to SLEEP.

Did I mention how very tired I have been lately? Just this morning I feel asleep on the couch and Gwen hurt her eye and it has been puffy all day. I think I am up for mother of the year. But honestly, I am kind of freaking out about how tired I have been lately. I have a doctor’s appointment in a few weeks (the earliest they could get me in) and I am determined to get some answers other than, lack of sleep, sugar, no excercise, etc. I know those are contributing factors, but I am more than just tired from too much sugar. Especially if the only sugar I have had in a day were a few (handfuls of) chocolate chips.

If you have gotten this far in this post then congratulations! Also, two things. One: you are probably so glad that “Buns of Steel” is not the first thing you see here (I know I am). Two: Since our camera is STILL broken I apologize for the terrible grainy-ness of this picture from my cell phone. But I ask you, how could I possibly resist taking her picture when she does stuff like this?

Okay, I have to go. It’s 10:45 and Project Runway is on. But I’m going to bed right after it’s over.

I promise.

Sorry. That’s all I have to offer right now because I am tired, I have a headache (which is going on day two) and I have eaten twenty-seven too many chocolate covered cinnamon bears that I purchased tonight at the BYU Bookstore Christmas preview sale (a.k.a. crazy holiday shopping preview).

It was worth fighting the crowds though. I got a few good gifts for Dave (now safely hidden away, so don’t even try to look babe) and chocolate covered cinnamon bears (did I already mention those?) and a dark chocolate orange. Actually, two of those. The delicious dark chocolate oranges may or may not be sent in a Christmas package to my Dad who is in China. You see, I am not to be trusted when it comes to dark chocolate because I may or may not have taken a Dove dark chocolate bar out of the package that is waiting to be sent to him. Actually, two of those. I have good intentions, but you know what they say about intentions. They make an ‘in’ out of ‘tent’ and ‘ions.’

Sorry Dad.

And thanks to Brooke for a fun night shopping and Cafe Rio. At least we laughed if no one else did. Those cashiers are a tough crowd.

I am sincerely sorry that I put you through that spinning class last night. I realize that you haven’t had that hard of a workout since Gwen was born. However, it was for the best. I think I am more sorry for not having worked you that hard in such a long, long time. I also realize that I need to take better care of you and that the extra pounds you have been carrying around these past few years are even worse than the spinning class from last night. Yes, even worse.

So if you will cooperate with me, I believe it is in our best interest that we continue attending these classes. If we do so, I see a bright future ahead of us. And believe me when I say that I will feel the pain when you do.

You know I love you.

h o ll y

Thanks, Matt.

Public Service Announcement: Before you begin, you may want to use the restroom and/or grab a bite to eat. This monster will most likely take somewhere between four and five hours to get through. Good luck.

Ten books that we love:
1. One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
2. A Prayer for Owen Meany – John Irving
3. Seventh Son – Orson Scott Card
4. Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
5. Anne of Green Gables – L.M. Montgomery
6. The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
7. Harry Potter Series – J.K. Rowling
8. Gift from the Sea – Anne Morrow Lindbergh
9. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
10. The Book of Mormon

Ten Children’s books we love to read:
1. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus – Mo Willems
2. Olivia – Ian Falconer
3. Snowmen at Night – Caralyn Buehner
4. I’ll Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato – Lauren Child
5. There’s a Wocket in my Pocket – Dr. Seuss
6. The Tale of Peter Rabbit – Beatrix Potter
7. The Giving Tree – Shel Silverstein
8. Bad Case of the Stripes – David Shannon
9. If you Give a Mouse a Cookie – Laura Numeroff
10. Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak

Five comics / graphic novels that we love:
1. The Sandman – Neil Gaiman
2. Bone – Jeff Smith
3. Blankets – Craig Thompson
4. Watchmen – Alan Moore
5. Maus – Art Spiegelman

Ten songs that we love:
1. Eyes – Rogue Wave
2. Danny Boy – Celtic Woman
3. Starry Eyed Surprise – Paul Oakenfold
4. Chicago – Sufjan Stevens
5. Casimir Pulaski Day – Sufjan Stevens
6. Jaime – Weezer
7. Could you Be Loved – Bob Marley
8. Upside Down – Jack Johnson
9. What You Waiting For? – Gwen Stefani
10. Your House – Steel Pulse

Ten movies that we love:
1. Back to the Future
2. Say Anything
3. Raising Arizona
4. Napolean Dynamite
5. Amelie
6. Waiting for Guffman
7. Sixteen Candles
8. Bridget Jones’s Diary
9. Steel Magnolias
10. Pride and Prejudice

Five kids movies we can watch without pulling out our hair:
1. Curious George
2. Cinderella
3. Finding Nemo
4. Peter Pan
5. Toy Story 1 or 2

Ten TV Shows that we love (or loved):
1. Arrested Develoment
2. Freaks and Geeks
3. Undeclared
4. Extras (”pug, pug—pug, pug”)
5. Lost
6. Heroes
7. As Time Goes By
8. Gilmore Girls
9. The Amazing Race
10. The O.C.

Ten blogs that we love:
1. Authenic Boredom – Cameron Moll
2. Daring Fireball – John Gruber
3. Signal vs. Noise – 37 Signals
4. Subtraction – Khoi Vinh
5. CJane Enjoy It
6. my happy little life
7. Segullah the blog
8. Wee Wonderfuls (one of her dolls is even names Inez)
9. DISboards
10. Obviously all the wonderful family and/or friend’s blogs that we browse each and every day, some a few times a day!

Five websites we love:
1. Coudal Partners
2. Homestar Runner
3. IMDB
4. Last.fm
5. Blogger (of course)

Five gadgets that we love:
1. iPod (shuffle, nano, and video)
2. iMac
3. Panasonic Lumix DMC-F27 digital camera
4. iPhone (we will love it)
5. iTrip

Five applications we love:
1. Transmit
2. iTunes
3. Photoshop
4. Gmail (web-based app, but app nonetheless)
5. iBank

Five Podcasts that we love:
1. Mac Break Weekly
2. Filmspotting
3. This Week in Tech
4. The Treatment
5. Bookworm

Ten places we would love to go:
1. Disneyland
2. Hawaii
3. England
4. San Diego
5. Mexico (back to Dave’s mission)
6. Argentina (back to Holly’s mission)
7. Seattle
8. San Francisco
9. Nauvoo
10. San Clemente

I noticed that, instead of using bumper stickers, he had written messages on his tail gate in chalk. They were all funny, original, and biting. My favorite read “Will YOUR truck be running in 50 years?”

When he reached the pump and began to walk around the truck to start filling up the tank, I discovered something that I hadn’t noticed before. He only had one arm. His right arm ended in a stump at the elbow.

I don’t know why, but seeing this—realizing this, after I had seen him push his out-of-gas VW to the pump—filled me with an intense feeling of happiness. I’m sure that sounds lame. Like I said, I don’t really understand why it made me feel the way it did. I guess it just suddenly made me feel so fortunate, and blessed, and… lucky to have what I have and be who I am. At the same time, I felt such admiration for this man. I don’t know what else he has going on in his life and I’m admittedly projecting a lot on to him, but he just seemed so full of joy and energy and strength during the minute or two that I watched him. I was inspired by him.

Anyway… this is a strange post.

If you’re already this far into it, it’s too late and you might as well read it on through to the end.

Thanks for reading. Sorry for the heavy boringness. Don’t worry though—tomorrow, it’ll be back to ephemera as usual from me.

How do you determine which switch turns on the bulb if you can enter the room only once and after you open the door, you can’t touch the switches again?

The first reader to answer correctly will win… a… prize.

Of some sort.

Possibly.

No cheating!

This brain teaser was shamelessly stolen from cameronmoll.com.