Welcome to an Odd year

Happy New Year! For some reason I feel really excited about this New Year. This is actually quite unusual for me as generally I just feel like it’s another day...somewhat of a lesser holiday to ease us back to reality from the previous months of “real” holidays. The fact that it’s an odd year (numerically) really surprises me that I’m so excited (I have a really weird thing about odd numbers, I don’t even know where it stems from but I have always preferred evens…just crazy I guess). Like everyone else in the world I too have resolved to be a little better this year (I know what you’re thinking, How can she possibly get any better?...It was difficult to find some, but I did set some goals…..if any of you were actually thinking anything remotely close to this….Hello, my name is Amanda. It seems we’ve never met.) I won’t bore you with the details of these personal goals but so far so good.
My vacation was lovely…although I feel more exhausted now than I did before I left. Funny how something that is supposed to be relaxing generally tires you out. One thing that my excursion to Utah helped to remind me was how much I DON’T love the snow which leads to mud which leads to a very crabby me. (No offense to you snow birds. I do love Utah, particularly in the springtime) Looking on the bright side, we made it safely and had a wonderful holiday.
I did have a bit of a run in with a pair of tweezers and now am sporting something of a quizzical brow (but only on my right side). I think it makes me look like I’m interested…hey, maybe it’ll land me a hot date!! One more thing for me to look forward to in the New Year....so if you know anybody, send them my way!
So, what are some of the things you are looking forward to this New Year?

It's the most WONDERFUL time of the year!

Christmas day is almost here, only two more days of work this year. Many of you know that I have been going to school for my elementary teaching certificate. I have recently decided that one of the main reasons that I have chosen this as my next profession is for the vacations and holidays. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m excited about it for other reasons as well and have enjoyed my training thus far, but not having to worry about working on Christmas or Thanksgiving is a colossal plus in my book.
So, since it’s almost Christmas, I’ve decided list a few of my favorite things… you know, brown paper packages, whiskers on kittens, and whatnot.
1 – I love how nice people are at Christmastime. People generally are a little more giving and kind this time of year. Although there are still those crazies that trample each other in the store, but when there are people who really have the spirit of Christ in their hearts and their lives it’s almost tangible.
2 – The yummy treats! How many times a year do you get to make decorations out of candy?!?! We build gingerbread houses. We put candy canes on the tree. We give and receive plates of fudge and sugar cookies and homemade candies and everything else to inspire a diet related New Year’s resolution.
3 – Spending time with family. I love my family and now that we are all “grown-up” we don’t get to see each other very much. But this time of year we all try to make that extra special effort to get together…even if it’s only for a couple of days.
4 – Presents!!! Of course I like to receive gifts, but my favorite thing is trying to find or make something that I know will be perfect for someone else. This year I actually started my shopping in August (it seems a bit extreme, but it has really helped my finances this year).
5 – Christmas music. I know most people really enjoy Christmas music. There are even many of you out there who fanatically start the Christmas music the day after Halloween (I’m thinking of you my dear sister-in-law) or even listen year round. I am not one of those people. I do have a little rant about the “socially conscious” Christmas music. Don’t try to use the holiday to push your social cause on me! Although they are fine causes I’m sure…I just don’t particularly care for songs by “Band-aid” or about war and other social stuff. Maybe that is shallow, but I don’t want to hear about how there is no snow in Africa…is there ever snow in Africa?

Mostly I’m grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ. This is a great time to reflect on the greatest gift of all, the gift of our Heavenly Father’s son. I hope you all have an amazing Christmas full of miracles!
Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night!!!

Meet my arch nemesis...

So, after some confusion I’ve decided to post for you all to know why Mark Ronchetti is my arch nemesis. Okay, it really isn’t to that point yet…but in all actuality I do blame him for most everything. The animosity that exists between us goes back quite a long way…to at least a year ago. Let me begin by explaining that part of my genetic make up is not to be a morning person (I’m not actually a night person either…I’m more of a late morning/early afternoon person, with a second wind between 7-9 pm). Well last winter I grumpily rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom for my normal shower routine. En route to the bathroom I usually pass by the big window in our front room…as was the case the morning of the first incident. Well, glancing out the window I noticed about seventeen feet of snow (It may have actually been anywhere from a light dusting to a couple of inches for all I knew in my befuddled morning brain…but for the sake of accuracy I will stick with my initial assessment of seventeen feet). My very first thought when I noticed Mother Nature’s wet wintery contribution was, “Stupid Mark Ronchetti…you ruin everything.” As soon as the thought passed through my mind, I laughed aloud realizing the fact that I couldn’t really blame the weatherman for the snowy day…or could I? Well, needless to say from that time forward I began to notice how much his rosy cheeked-guy smiley-grinning face annoys me. Honestly, whenever his face appears on the TV, I have to change the channel and the thought always comes…stupid Mark Ronchetti, making me change the channel…or stupid Mark Ronchetti, you don’t know...or something to that effect. Now it’s kind of an ongoing joke amongst many of my cohorts. In fact, last week we had two full days without power…I’m pretty sure that Mark Ronchetti was behind it. Okay, I suppose it’s a bit irrational. But if you have a scapegoat…why not use him?!
Anyway, we are surviving this week of snow just in time for Christmas. Other than the driving in it and freezing temperatures, it does put one in the Christmas spirit. It has taken awhile for me to really get into the swing of things but I now finally feel that familiar excitement for my favorite holiday. Our tree is up and decorated…although we decided to put it smack dab in the middle of the room this year…just because we can!!! On Sunday we took some young women and went over to an older lady’s house to decorate her tree. It was quite an experience…she wanted to put everything on a little tree. Her tree is definitely decorated now…in fact I don’t think there are any more branches left to decorate. That and the fact that her little dog peed on one of the girls made for an interesting afternoon. Oh the joys of Christmas. There are so many things I love about this time of year…what are some of yours?

My First 29th Birthday!!

No, I’m not dead…I was just in Utah. You draw your own conclusions. Shout out to all my Saltines!!! (That’s what I’ve decided to call you people from Salt Lake…I almost went for Lakers but it was a little overdone plus with the Saltines there’s a fun kind of cracker reference in there…it’s great on several levels) It was a blast and I got to see several of my good friends, my favorite big sister, my favorite brother and their families. Got to do the whole temple square light fun (we spent more time finding a place to park than actually at the lights but oh well) and several other Utah-type experiences. Way fun!!! Can’t wait to do it again in 3 short weeks!
Well, for those of you who don’t know….HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!! Yep, it’s that time of year again! (I totally just had a drug rep guy come in and tell me that it is also some catholic immaculate conception day and explained the meaning of it, which I kinda already knew…it was a little strange and uncomfortable.) So I thought I would share some of my sage wisdom and things I’ve learned now that I’m at a ripe old age (I’ve shared some of these with you so if you’ve heard this before…I must really mean it)
- You can go a lot further than you think you can when your gas light comes on. (This is one I learned literally this weekend, but I think it also has figurative layers there too…I’ll let you dissect that one for yourselves)
- Adolescence should be termed a mental disorder (Seriously, the pre frontal lobes of the brain don’t fully develop until a person reaches their late teens/early twenties which causes all kinds of impulse control issues and other problems. Looking back at my teenage years from a distance now and having several teenage acquaintances, I have to think of it as a mental disorder in order to keep my own sanity….which is somewhat connected to my next point…)
- Even if someone else’s problem seems insignificant or stupid to you, it’s still a problem for them…which is probably why it’s their trial and not yours. I think we all come across this in teenagers (see above mentioned mental disorder) as well as in other people where they are going crazy over something stupid or insignificant (which everyone may know is stupid or insignificant and which the person may one day look back and think of as stupid) but it doesn’t make their anxiety/pain/stress/problem any less real. I think we all need to realize that a little bit more and have a little more compassion for each other’s trials (even if we think they are stupid).
- Life isn’t made of checklists (although it would probably be easier if it was). I think we have all heard the saying “if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans”. Even though it’s painfully difficult sometimes, we don’t always get things in the order or at the time we think we should.
- When in doubt, blame Mark Ronchetti (This is one of those ones that most of you have heard me rant about before and I can pretty much pinpoint the decline of western civilization to him. He’s our local weather man…and he ruins everything).
So tell me some of the things you’ve learned so far…and go out and celebrate wherever you are!!!

Hey Baby, what's your sign?

Have you ever noticed all the signs that people put up on the road? Of course there are the yard sale signs and the garage sale signs and the estate sale signs. Because I live in a “historical” area (the Spanish conquistadores settled Espanola as the first capitol in what we now consider the United States before moving it to Santa Fe well over 300 years ago…and you’re welcome for the history lesson) there are often signs pointing out special historic tours. There are however, once in awhile, some signs that are intriguing. Not too long ago there was a sign up on the highway by my house that said “barn sale.” What the heck is a barn sale? I had kind of imagined a sale of barns or maybe a sale of barn type animals…you know, a table full of baby chicks…4 for $5. I know, it’s a little sick, but it does make for a funny mental image. Well it turned out to be an art sale (not that I went, but I heard the buzz around town). How lame is that?...an art sale disguised as a cool barn sale (there are also a lot of artsy fartsy weirdoes around here…sorry, I mean creative geniuses…okay, I really mean artsy fartsy weirdoes.) Well for the last couple of days there have been signs out around town that have “O ’ K” with an arrow pointing in what I assume is the direction of whatever that sign means. I’ll be honest, I’ve been tempted to follow the arrows just to see where they lead and what the heck that sign means. So, I was thinking that maybe I should make up some weird signs with arrows and paste them up around town. I was thinking that I could either stick them up so that they lead in just a big circle or have them lead to a really strange destination (I don’t know, maybe the city dump or something). I wonder how many people would just follow it to see (probably all the people like me). Anyway it was just a thought.
On a completely different note, my homegirl Bettie had a totally scary encounter at the Little Caesar’s the other night. So like any city of respectable size, Espanola has its fair share of vagrants. Every so often one is approached for spare change or whatever else a vagabond may need. Well in this manner, she was approached by a guy who asked for change…she gave him a couple of dollars. Well, he proceeds to tell her that he is trying to get to Albuquerque because he just got out of prison and was staying with his brother…but, that was working out because he just beat his brother up. She said that as he got closer she saw that he was all bloody and he then started following her to her car until a different car drove up. Totally freaky. Of course, when she got home she was totally an emotional wreck…which is way better than I would have been. Needless to say we will not be venturing out of our car at night alone anymore.
That reminds me, a couple of months ago there was a guy in Santa Fe with a sign that said “Trying to get to San Francisco, I’m Korean.” I’m glad this guy has aspirations, but really, do we need to bring race into it? I think if I were going to make a sign for myself, it would say “Need a vacation, every penny helps" or maybe "Need a new pair of shoes, please help."
So, what would your sign say?...And avoid bloody men in dark parking lots...or just in general.

Paranoia, paranoia, everybody's out to get me..

Although I hate to admit it, I find that I am something of a conspiracy theorist. Now don’t get me wrong, I generally don’t think that the government is out to get me (most of the time, but I’ve had to bust out my evasive driving tactics a few times…okay not really, but I sometimes take an unnecessary turn if I feel like someone has been following me too long which is totally not a joke)…and I’m pretty sure that the moon landing actually happened (I watched a Myth Busters about that one). When I see an abandoned car on the side of the road I automatically assume that there is a dead body somehow involved…particularly if the car is in a remote place. I’ve also noted that there haven’t been very many low riders around lately. In fact, I haven’t seen one in quite some time. My homeskillet Bettie and I were discussing this fact over the weekend. We finally concluded that just as video killed the radio star, gas prices may have killed the low rider. Don’t get me wrong, I am ecstatic over the recent price dropping (I hear the gas is down to $2.05 in Albuquerque…its still $2.39 here) but I wonder if there is a greater conspiracy at work. Perhaps there is a granola/tree-hugger environmental rage which has many a cholo upending their roots and heritage. Maybe this is why there is such an advent of the previously mentioned low-rider bicycles (see blog posted 9/11/08). I don’t have the answers, but it’s one of those things that make me go hmmmm.
I also wonder if many of these small so-called used car dealerships really are what they say. In these hard economic times I question their staying power. There are two particular ones that I am thinking of, one in Santa Fe and one in Espanola. These two “dealerships” have been around for many years…probably as long as I can remember (which isn’t saying much since I can’t really remember what day it is most of the time). Anyway, both of these “dealerships” (I’ve decided to use quotes to emphasize the fact that I don’t really think they are…if I were talking to you I would probably even do air quotes) frequently have high end cars (and I’m not just talking BMW/Mercedes high end, but like Astin Martin high end) in their crummy buildings that I’m sure were built post WW II to be gas stations. Add to that the fact that I never see anyone actually frequenting these places, I’m pretty sure that they are front for something. Mind you I don’t plan on stopping by to find out for what…like I need some guy named Guido pulling out a nine and “taking care of me” (Okay, so I watch too many movies…and maybe I’m a little less gangsta than I think I am).
So, as I was pondering my conspiracy theories I started to wonder what other people have paranoid theories about. What are some of yours?...and kudos to those of you who got blog title! (hint: it's a song)

As for me and my house...

I know that I can be a little silly and often make jokes (albeit lame ones) on my blog. But this is something I am passionate about.

"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. -Joshua 24:15"

I stole the following from my friend Kera's (who lives in California) blog. I couldn't have said it any better so I did a little cut and paste.

"As most of you know, California voters passed Proposition 8, banning same-sex marriage. It suprised me to know there were still many people who were willing to stand up for their morals. It also surprised me to see the anger and hatred from other people. There are people who are "blaming" the fact that this proposition passed on the Mormons. The one thing that doesn't surprise me is that the Church is being attacked once again. Yesterday there were protesters marching in West Hollywood, and somehow they ended up at the Los Angeles temple grounds. There were so many people, carrying signs calling the church bigoted, and saying go back to utah, so many people that the temple had to close. I haven't heard anything today about it, because I don't always follow the news, so I don't know if they are still there or if the temple is open again. It makes no sense, because there were so many other churches and organizations backing the amendment. But of course, they chose the true church to hate on... Anyway, here are some words from Elder Neal A. Maxwell. They gave me a renewed perspective and motivation, and confirmed my own personal faith. Like I said, very powerful and prophetic. (this is from 1978, by the way)

From Elder Neal A. Maxwell:
"Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not he will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions. President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had 'never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional or political life..'


"This is hard doctrine, but it is particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ. . . . Your discipleship may see the time when such religious convictions are discounted. . . . This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions.

"Resistance to abortion will be seen as primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened....

"Before the ultimate victory of the forces of righteousness, some skirmishes will be lost. Even in these, however, let us leave a record so that the choices are clear, letting others do as they will in the face of prophetic counsel.

"There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, but others will step forward, having been rallied to rightness by what we do. We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened a slumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds which was, till then, unconscious of itself.

"Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves, 'summer is nigh.' Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat."

A More Determined Discipleship By Elder Neal A. Maxwell"