Story of my life #3...no time

So I made a cute collage of what we have done over the past month and I thought it was adorable but I guess it didn't work. So here is a verbal update of what we've been doing:
* V-Day love and prizes
* Birthday Boy (31 years old!)
* Hockey game and good food
* Dancers at hockey games? HECK NO!

So the story of my life is that I am working triple overtime and really don't have even a moment to pen something witty or profound. Check back in a month...I might be doing better then.

Next adventure:

CRUISE!

PS Who is ready for Spring already?( Me with two hands up!! ) I am totally used to the Portland climate now and have been freezing my fingers off for 4 months (forget that I make fun of you all for thinking its cold here! ) I know there are rain dances (and someone here must be doing them non stop) but I am in need of a heatwave dance! Any suggestions?

Life is so confusing. Just when I think I have it all figured out something happens that sets my mind spinning with a billion questions. On a side note, I have been sick and lazy and tired this past month and everything is kinda catching up with me. I was just starting to feel better this past week and was eying the vacuum and setting my sights on scrubbing my kitchen. You see, I try to plan my days in hope that it will lead me to planning my week (or year or life) but I've realized it just doesn't work out the way I plan so what's the point. I end up feeling overwhelmed and a little mopey and I forget something...

I AM SO BLESSED!

I got an email from my dad the other morning saying that a friend of the family had been killed in a car accident. It was a short note but it left me full of sorrow and questions. My dad shares an office with another psychiatrist and over the many years that they have worked together we have gotten to know his secretary Lois and her family quite well. We heard about the adventures and accomplishments of her husband and kids and in turn we grew love the whole family. Lois' son Ladell was married about two and a half years ago to a sweet girl Candace who I was actually roommates with for the summer before I got married. Their story was seriously a fairy tale to me (or at least a really good romantic Hollywood film) Candace had known and loved Ladell for years as he had known and loved other girls. He finally realized what a gem Candace was, popped the question and married her. They were the perfect couple too. They did everything together and respected one another and while I did not spend that much time with them they were the kind of people that you like to know.

This past long weekend on the way home from a ski trip, they were in a car accident and Ladell was killed. They had turned a corner on the highway and were confronted with a semi truck who had lost control and slid into their lane. In a split second Ladell swerved the car to the right and took the full impact of the semi essentially saving the life of his wife and her niece in the backseat. I guess you could say that it was just an automatic reaction to swerve the car that way but I know he turned that way on purpose... That is just how he was. It is heartbreaking really. Candace is 12 weeks pregnant. They were a great couple getting ready to start a family. I just don't understand...

And then I really got to thinking...

Why do things like this happen?

Why am I so blessed to have not experienced anything close to that with my family?

When is it going to happen to my family? Because it has to soon, right?

How did I get to be so blessed?

How did my parents end up with 5 righteous children all sealed in the temple to good people?

How did I end up happily married and sealed in temple? I was a major turd for a few teenage years...

I know Heavenly Father has a plan and that everything happens for a reason but I still wonder. And worse, I still question. I guess I need more faith. I guess I should try to understand that there are some trials that people go through that I would never be able to handle. Or I should understand that if anything like this ever happened to me I would find a way to handle it with the support of my family and my testimony. And in the end the most important thing I realize is that I am super blessed and that each day I live is a miracle and I should treat it that way.

Life is confusing but it is also a wonderful gift. Don't ever take the moments you have or the people you love for granted.

I love you all so much...just so you know!!

Story of my Life #2

As I was getting ready for playgroup this morning, (Hi my name is Diana. I have no children and my favorite thing to do is go to playgroup and watch all the other mothers chase their kidlets around...it is a small addiction of mine) I noticed a few wrinkly lines and some dark spots under my eyes. I thought I slept funny on my pillow causing the wrinkles but three hours later when I was heading to work I noticed that they were still there! New wrinkles....under my eyes. Oh the insanity! After some yanking and pulling at the skin that resulted in red teary eyes, I lowered my head and went to work. What am I going to do with myself?

At the gym yesterday, my trainer asked me again when my birthday was. I guess in the computer it had said I was born in 1990 and she was insistant that the date must be wrong. I laughed anxiously and told her my real birth year. She quickly responded, "Yeah no way are you only 20!" I lowered my head, asked for a refund and demanded an older trainer. Then we took some measurements and figured out my body fat % which caused the trainer to raise her eyes a bit. Screw it I said! I bringing chubby back!

When I was talking to my mom the other day, she informed me of something she had read in a magazine. If you remember your dreams and they are vivid and real, it is likely that you never reach your true deep sleep REM cycle and just have crazy dream REM cycle sleep. That in turn makes you very tired. It was my AHA moment or in this case...story of my life!

Most of you all know that the main story of my life is lack of sleep. Tired a lot blah blah blah. I have had quite a few interesting experiences with my subscription to a lifetime of insomnia. I have sleep walked and talked and even eaten but in the past year or so I have become somewhat active at night. I thought that was why I was so tired...some nights it felt like I was literrally running a half marathon with my legs moving and flopping all over the bed. The following experinece though seems to take the cake. (Yes I love to use horrible cliches in all my posts multiple times)

I had a horrible dream that it was my sister Sara's wedding day and some old boyfriend (we'll call him Biff) had come to kidnap and reclaim Sara as his own. I was rightly ticked off and tried to encourage Biff to leave but he just laughed. My dad was trying to get rid of him too but this guy snuck around the backyard and secretly stabbed my dad in the back! Then he bragged and laughed that he was now gonna steal Sara and meet with no resistance. There were a few girls with Biff and I was so mad that they were helping him. I karate chopped one in the face and Tae Bo'd the other girl in the nose. Then I laid into Biff like peanut butter on jelly and really let him have it. I was punching and kicking and spitting and scratching and really beating the tar outta him but he kept escaping and holding me down. I would recover and resume the attack only to be held down again. Finally Biff yelled my name and told me to wake up and stop hitting him. Only then did I actually wake up to Grayson holding me down and deflecting my fists at the same time. I had really been kicking the snot out of Gray and he was so not impressed. But I honestly had no clue that my inner kung fu could show up in my sleep. I have kicked out or flailed my arms before but this was a full on metal jacket battle palooza. I like to think that I saved my sister and avenged my father but I woke up before I finished my dream. I guess I can be assured by the scratches and bruises on Grayson that I did a pretty good job in defending my family. On the other hand, Grayson has now erected a pillow barrier between us and my ninja tendencies have been discouraged. And I guess for the sake of my marriage, I should wish for dreams of bubble gum and rainbows in hopes that the violence will stop. I would hate to be arrested for domestic abuse while sleeping. That would be just plain embarrassing!

In honor of the snow that is falling everywhere across the nation but here I have hung some little flakes to remind myself that it is still winter. I mean right now with the sun shining and a brisk breeze sweeping through, it feels like a day in May back home in Canada. It almost feels wrong to be enjoying such nice weather while the majority of North America is frozen and white!

I kinda wish it would blizzard here too.

I always miss the cool extreme weather! I can think of many times when I have been absent during super cool weather. Some examples: Visiting grandma-Tornado in my home town of Edmonton...the only one ever to hit that city and I was watching soaps with my granny and playing with dirt. Moved back to Canada from Utah- SLC hit by a tornado that tore the roof off the Delta Center where the Jazz play basketball... I was tucked in a corner napping oblivious to the twister down south. Flood of the Century #2- I was away at college in Rexburg, ID where the most extreme weather is snow and lots of it... I missed the main road being flooded and the train tracks washing away. I bet some folks even pulled out their dingy's and went for a ride. All that extreme fun and chaos and I missed it!

Life's too short to let major events like that pass on by. I guess I should count my blessings. I haven't taken out my winter jacket in two years except for when I went home to Canada... I wear the same pair of shoes year round... Each day will either be sunny or cloudy with no huge changes in the atmosphere... And it either rains or shines which eliminates the need for a wide variety of accessories like scarves, toques, mittens, hats, snow pants, layers and an emergency kit in my car.

Some people call that kind of weather almost perfect...

I call it BORING!

Bring on the storm!

Story of my life #1

Since coming back from Christmas at home I have been super sluggish. Like sleep in way late and then nap a few hours later. I haven't cleaned or cooked or slept normally for weeks. At first I thought I was sick but when my only symptom was my perma running nose I realized that wasn't it. Then I thought I was prego cause a lady at church mentioned that she only gets exhausted when she's expecting. Again that was a no go (as per doctor's orders... a whole other post all together) Then I remembered that I have crazy dreams and rarely sleep through the night and I was convinced that I was just over overly tired. My best hours of alertness are when I am wide awake at 2am after dreaming that someone broke into my house and stole my wedding ring. Or when I have a nightmare that Grayson has been replaced by He Who Should Not Be Named (sorry not talking about HP either) and I cry out loud for my dear hubby back. But that too is surprising normal. I just couldn't figure out what was making me so tired and unmotivated. Ok so I haven't been to the gym in a month and I might have bed snacks a little too late at night but this was something else all together.

AND THEN IT HIT ME...

I need a cat.

Wouldn't that solve all my problems?

I would just have to get up in the morning to feed the little gaffer and then we would bond over The View and make fun of Whoppi's shoes which always makes me open my eyes a bit wider.

I would also have to visit the gym more so me and kitty could go frolic in the grass and get the mail without gasping for breath half way there. (may or may not be true)

I would have to clean my house more because kitty does not enjoy messes and since I am doing the litter box I may as well scrub the toilet too.

And of course after a long day of cuddling and cooking we would fall asleep in each others arms (paws?) and be out cold for the night.

It seemed like the perfect idea until I mentioned it to Mr. Gray.

Diana: "Can I get a cat?"

Gray: "No!"

D: "Why not"

G: "Because I HATE cats and I will punch it in the face and you don't want me to do that!"

D: Gasp...Tear..."Hmphh"

End of discussion.

So I am back to sleeping in and feeding the hubby leftovers until I come up with a better idea to get back to only being semi tired and slightly lazy.

And I was so sure that I had the perfect solution!

Usually I hate hate hate having things on my counter but I will totally make an exception for this brand new baby...


Baa! I know!! It is a brand new Universal Plus Bosch Mixer. For those of you who don't know what that is just stare at the picture and fall in love. Thanks to Grandpa Ted (Gray's grandpa) for coming through with this amazing treasure. All I had to do was tell Grayson I wanted a Kitchen Aid and before I knew it, he had arranged a wonderful deal for me. The price for this usually $500 machine you ask....
a year's supply of Tillamook Cheese and See's Candies. A small price to pay for such beauty.
Already I am loving it...

Brown sugar on the floor and my toes= annoying
Egg innards on my shirt= frustration
First batch of cookies burned= maddening
Bonding with my new Bosch=PRICELESS!

Happy Time!

My favorite part of Christmas at my house:

The wonderful white beautiful snow! How I missed it!! Of course it was freezing cold but if you just bundle up and wait a few minutes it is perfect. I love snow!
I have also kinda sorta missed blogging. I have so much to share with the holidays and the final wedding at my house happening at the same time. I seriously love heart love home time and this trip was no exception. We left early and traveled for two days (uphill in a snowstorm...lol) to get to our beautiful Southern Alberta. We arrived to cheers and loud welcomes (not really) and settled right in. I am slapping myself now because I should have taken more pics of the wonderful, pretty pure white snow that covered everything. It has been a few years since we have had a real white Christmas and this one was perfect!
We spent Christmas Eve and morning at my house which was full of family traditions like Christmas Crackers at dinner and White Christmas before we go to sleep. The highlight of the morning was when my little cousin Jess came over from next door and announced, "I was so super bad this year and I still got presents! Not even a lump of coal!" I laughed myself silly while her older sister Lexi assured me that Jess really had been uber bad. We had a great morning of giggles and gifts and then everyone went on to the in-laws. We headed to Whitefish, Montana where Gray's family rented a condo and we spent the next few days shopping, eating, skiing, playing games, eating and sleeping.
When we got home it was wedding mode countdown so we all got busy baking and decorating. Sara is the last of the Smart kids to get married and I was super excited. The wedding was wonderful. During the ceremony in the temple, I had to cross my fingers and toes because sweet Sara looked like a deer in headlights but they got hitched and are now happily enjoying the poor student life in Hawaii while Ben finishes his degree. (On a side note, I am now looking for tickets to go visit those two and would love to take any of you girlies along for the trip...hint hint Jess P.)
Anyway the best way to show you all the fun and happy times I had is with pictures. I got a new shock/water/dust proof little camera for Christmas and spent the rest of the holiday clicking away! Here is the condensed version of my Christmas/Wedding Extravaganza!

Gray's sister Cassidy had a new little baby in November and we finally gotta see the little gaffer! I was totally in love at first sight. Archer Lawrence Burgess is so adorable and is getting me itching for my own little bundle SOON!! (As in I still need to get prego but SOON!) And I did take pics of our time with Gray's family too but none of the kidlets would smile so I will save those for another post...lol

Girls Night (10 years after HS!!)

Family Dinner Christmas Eve
Best Pic of the Holiday!
Katie and Nathan are the cutest little couple and they were so excited to have me take their photo!

Lover Birds (Wedding: T-6 days!)
Christmas!

The best present of the year! Bro in law Nate knows the perfect way to win my heart!

My sibs and I secretly saved up an undisclosed amount of money for the parents since they do so much for us and get little in return. I was expecting tears and hugs but as you can see from the pic...lol. They were greatful and a few days later on the wedding day my dad surprised the mother of the bride (my momma) with a new diamond ring with 10 diamonds in it for all the extra kids she has now (he used our little cash stash we gave them for Christmas... sigh... how romantic)

WEDDING!!

The happy kids
My lovelies

The Smart Clan
aka
The Morgans, Koegler's, Toone's, Michel's and Smart's

Mmm Cake

This is the best view of Sara's dress. It is awesome. She designed herself and used vintage crocheted lace around the middle. BEAUTIFUL!

It was such an awesome wedding and I am kinda sad that we are done marrying people off in my family. My parents' Christmas card this year was the best and summed it up perfectly. They are in the photo booth at Katie's wedding holding two chalkboards that read 'Flat Broke' and smiling huge from ear to ear! They seriously are the best....cheers to them for three weddings in four months. What troopers!