A Unique Gift

I believe we were all born with special talents. However, I have yet to find a way to turn my special gift into a positive. I can pick the worst of everything - the longest, the hottest, the most crowded, the noisest, the most expensive.

If I am at the grocery store, I will pick the worst line EVERY TIME. Even if it looks the shortest, don't be fooled. The lady in front of me the other day had at least 10 coupons, and then when one item came up $1 more than she thought (a dozen doughnuts), she insisted the price was less and they had to track down someone at the bakery to verify it. I was THIIIIS close to giving her a dang dollar so she would just pay already and leave the store. Another time I was behind an older woman who wanted to use a check - well, no one writes checks anymore so the teller just scans in the check and gives it back to her, much like a debit card works - the woman insisted they keep her check, saying she had to pay still. This went on for awhile - I seriously have a hard time being patient.

If you give me a rack of dresses I can pick out the most expensive one without looking at the price tags because it will be my favorite.

If I go to the movies (a rare occasion these days) I will choose to sit in front of the person with a cell phone that goes off multiple times, and the worst part of it is, they ANSWER it during the movie. A close second here is annoying teenagers who talk through entire movie.

I could go on and on - but I think the problem is really me, at least for the waiting in line thing. I am just always in a hurry - I am never just hanging out, casually shopping - it's go, go, go and on to the next thing. Maybe I just need to slow down so people stop annoying me... nahhh!

TV Time

So am I the only one not watching 24? I hate to say it, but I watched seasons 1 and 2 and it was like the same terrorist attack only slightly different circumstances. So we gave up. Maybe I quit too soon...

We are watching (and by watching I mean using the DVR):

1. Lost
2. Biggest Loser
3. 30 Rock
4. New Adventures of Old Christine
5. The Office
6. My Name is Earl
7. CSI - Las Vegas
8. Bones reruns
9. Wrestling (this is Matt's, don't tell anyone) :)
10. Top Chef

I think I have to give up on some of my crime shows - when they involve kids I just can't watch them anymore. I usually record Law & Order: SVU but lately once I read the description I have to delete it. Same thing with Without a Trace, although they are less graphic.

New Photos - Christy Cropper

My friend Christy took some pictures of Claire and McKinley over the weekend. She is starting up her photography business so check out her website.

Here are some of the pictures from the park. The first four are the ones she finished up in PhotoShop, the others are raw, just as a disclaimer.

Sister Visit

My sister and her family came to visit this past week/weekend. It was her birthday - for some reason when she turns a year older it makes me feel older than when it's my own birthday. We are only 18 months apart.

Here are a few pics from our hanging out and going to the Bellagio - we only go down there when we have friends in town, but I really do like it once I'm there to see the flowers (Chinese New Year) and the water show. It's the getting there and parking and fighting the crowds that usually keeps me from going. We had fun though, and actually had a babysitter and went out on the town.

Can You Hear Me Now?

On a call with a friend today my phone cut out, a typical occurence in Las Vegas. Then comes the annoying part - you call back, but your friend is calling you back at the same time. You go to their voicemail. So, you wait a few minutes and try again. Your well-meaning friend did the same thing! Voicemail again. This can go on and on until one of you gives up, or just leaves a message saying - hey, just call me later.

So I thought I'd share a cell phone rule that my sister and I implemented a year or so ago. We were both getting more than our fair share of hang ups and bad cell reception. It's quite simple and has made our cell phone calls so much easier.

If you were the one to make the call in the first place, when your phone cuts out or goes dead, then you are responsible to call back, not the recipient of your call. That way everyone knows their job and you can put an end to the five minutes of trying to get back through.

I hope this little tidbit will be useful :)

Cameo

Claire got to appear in a commercial for one of my clients, the Dept of Air Quality. You might see them running now on all four networks and Univision. She is the baby on the swing - in case you miss it.

The bubble represents clean air - clear, fragile, perfect. Hopefully the metaphor is not lost on the general public.

New Words

A few weeks ago I was in SLC with my sister and she was doing the classic "don't make me count to three!" to her daughter. She said, 1...2... and Claire said "three!" My sister said - she is a freak of nature!! In a good way, of course. Claire is a little copy cat and she says a lot of words for being only 15 months old. Her first word was "Hi" at about 8 or 9 months old. She is getting really good at repeating what we say, and adding to her list of words. While we talk, she listens very closely and watches our mouths to see how they move so she can copy us. I tried to get her to say all of her words in one sitting, but of course that didn't happen. So here are a few that she says in video.


For journaling purposes, her words/sounds include:

1. Hi
2. Hello
3. Mama
4. Dada
5. Matt (repeated after I yell up the stairs for Matt)
6. Apple
7. Banana
8. Boo!
9. Moo (cow)
10. Uh oh
11. No (of course)
12. Up
13. Down
14. Bye
15. 1, 2, 3
16. Elmo
17. Em (Emily)
18. Grandma
19. Woah!
20. Dog
21. Cheese
22. Thanks
23. Hot
24. Mine
25. Roar! (Lion)
26. More
27. Ooh Ooh Ah Ah! (monkey)
28. Cock a doodle doo (rooster)
29. Choo choo! (train)
30. Eye
31. Nose
32. Ruff Ruff (dog)

Day at the Park

We decided to get out to the park on Saturday to enjoy the clear weather and hang out before we had to go back to work on Monday. It looked nice out, but turned out to be windy and chilly. I guess it is January afterall... I don't pay attention to seasons in Las Vegas really, aside from the recent snowfall. I am trying to do more of the things that moms do - like take their kid outdoors sometimes :)

Another reason was we got a new Nikon camera as our couple Christmas present and we wanted to test it out. I love it because it takes pictures really fast - I am always missing the cute things Claire does with our little point and click digital camera.

Claire is a little dare devil - she is not afraid of the big kid slide, she loves to swing high, and she is not happy when she has to leave the freezing cold wind tunnel park.

2009 Slogan?

Today is New Year's Day - can't believe it is 2009! This may be jumping the gun, but I keep wondering how we will refer to the year 2010... Just saying "in the year ten " will sound kind of weird. Anyway, happy to be entering 2009, and hoping that it will be a fabulous year.



My friend Karry has a slogan for each year, something to guide her with style throughout the next 365 days. We were brainstorming ideas over her b-day dinner earlier this week.

Feeling Fine in 2009!
Wine and Dine in 2009!
Here's Your Sign in 2009!
And my favorite - Lookin' Fine in 2009.

Maybe I need my PR hat on for this one - but can you think of any other slogans we should try out?

Happy New Year!