December 2024

 I absolutely loved every day of this holiday season.  It went SO fast and I am really sad it is over.   I look forward to the holidays all year and I am so sad when it is over.  I really tried to enjoy it to the fullest, but I kept not wanting the days to come and go.

I feel really lucky because I received a couple of opportunities at work that I was not expecting and it is making me feel so happy and excited for the next couple of weeks.  The vacation rentals division of our company is finally moving to a new office.  We are so crammed into our current office, that we are practically sitting on each other's laps.  But before we could move in, we had to gut the building we are moving into and then we get to redecorate it.  I was able to help select the new carpet and paint.  I get to be the one to design the bathroom and kitchen.  I have been having so much fun buying stuff and the new bathroom is going to be so darling.  

We did demolition one day and we took everything but the toilet out of the bathroom.  Good thing.  It was 80's fabulous and hideous.  I also don't think the last tenants ever scrubbed the toilet one time.  There is mold growing in there and it reeks.

What the toilet paper holder?

And matching towel racks... these probably were something they picked up from the DI 30 years ago

Don't belong in a home, but for sure not in an office.  What towels could you ever hang on these in an office?  

Oh... I cannot wait to transform the gross out of these two spaces.  It will be so thrilling for me to stand back and look at both places when it is finished.  I will love to go in that bathroom and just look around.  So exciting.  I get such a delight when I decorate spaces.  I love having little projects to work on.  I love standing back and looking at the end result.  It is very satisfying.

The second thrilling professional thing that is happening to me is the aquisition of a new community.  I am now over several new units.  I have been able to oversee all of the photoshoots.  I get to go in and stage the homes and add decor to various places to spruce them up.  It is SO fun for me.  I absolutely love doing it.

I set some really serious spiritual goals for myself that I will work very hard on in 2025. 

I shared them with Rals and he was so excited to join in on them and help me be successful.

One of the goals is our temple attendance.  I cannot believe how DARLING our temple is and better than that...  is it only 4 miles from our front door.  There is no reason why we shouldn't be there as much as possible.  We set a couple's goal to go once a month.  Then we set individual goals on top of that.  

I love that he jumped right on board with me.  

I love that he has his own strong testimony and he endulges me when I come up with ideas.

We had a great night.  There weren't a lot of people in our session and it was so fun to be there at night.  I haven't ever been there at night.  I really liked that.  I loved the calmness of it all and coming out to it being dark and still.  

One sad thing that happened in December, was my assistant left to go have a baby.

I was SO sad all day.  I was in a depression and I sort of pretended all day that it wasn't going to happen.

She asked to take pictures with us and I didn't want to take them.  

When the clock struck 5:00, I cried and I could hardly say good-bye.

I know she needs to go, but dang it.  I was so sad.  

(Her cute baby girl was born on Christmas Eve)

Our Ward Christmas Party was a Pajama Party

And it was a complete success.  There were so many people there. 

We made our World Famous French Toast Casserole.  It was delicious, dare I say

the best thing on the table.

Rals' pajamas looked a bit different than the bishop's

We wore opposites

I spent the next couple of days/weeks wrapping so many gifts.

I made a mess out of  this space

But this space drastically improved

I loved it and would stand and look at it and rearrange presents

We looked a little disheveled after Christmas Sacrament Meeting.

The kids were half undressed when I yelled to come take a family photo.  

Some were happy to comply and some were not as happy.

WE were so happy

Every year on December 23rd....  hundreds of good folks in our town decorate their side by sides and drive through our neighborhood playing music and throwing candy.  We look forward to it every year.  It's fun to stand in our driveway and yell "Merry Christmas" and wave to them.  

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve.

I had the whole day off and we went for a very early morning walk and then we made some delicious crepes.  They were beautiful and looked just like they did in Paris.

We hung out and cleaned up a bit and put our name on the waiting list at Texas Roadhouse 

for Christmas Eve dinner.  Which was divine.  I had the meat sweats all night but I didn't care a bit.

I love me a half rack of ribs and at least 5 of those rolls

When we arrived back home, we all focused intently on our Gingerbread Creations

And looked darling in our new pajamas

And then we played a couple rounds of Left, Center, Right

Good thing Rals won some of our money back this year. 

And then Frosty melted all over the counter.

Christmas Morning was a complete success

Everyone had a wonderful morning

Rocky Balboa loves her new robe

And we enjoyed a delicious Brunch at Papa and Nana's house

Peyton will for sure be taller than Gracie next year.

The third professional opportunity that happened to me started with the convention that we attended last month.  We were taught by one of the speakers several ways to encorperate AI (specifically Chat GPT) into our business.  It was mind blowing to learn what we may be able to do to increase productivity and be better as a company in general by using this new technology.  To be honest, most of it was going right over my head but I tried to listen well and I tried harder to learn and incorporate what was taught into my routine.  

This month, we were issued an additional challenge from our boss.  There were gift cards on the line if we submitted an idea where we use AI to help us improve our jobs.

Well....  I was the least likely to obtain a cyber space gift card.

I am the first to admit that.

AI is only as helpful as your imagination and technological knowledge allow it to be.  Both things I am not gifted with.

But nevertheless, I wanted to try.  I came up with an idea I wanted to try and I used Chat GPT to help me create a proposal to send to home owners whose homes are struggling to compete.  If we determine that they are struggling because they have old photos or outdated decor that is hindering their esposure, I can send them my proposal.  I created a document (with the help of my robotic AI friends) complete with big words and photos and graphics.  In the proposal, I suggest "good, better, best"  options for their consideration.  Good being the cheapest option, best being the most expensive.  I rather unconfidently sent it to my first owner.....  I didn't have high hopes, it was mostly a "test" and sort of a joke.  

 I'll be darned if he didn't totally take me up on my BEST offer to redecorate his home.

I am so excited to get to do this.  I get to go buy super cute pillows and artwork and greenery and I get to spruce up his little home a bit and take new photos and see what that will do for his investment.

It is making me so happy and I just might be the first person in the company to get an AI gift card.

Isn't that a kick in the head.

My boss was so happy and proud of me when I turned it in.  The least likely of the group.  

I am happy to report that we are in the second year of being successful with celebrating Ryker's "waaay toooo close to Christmas" birthday.

We were victorious with our gift selections two years in a row.

We got a delicious cake. 

And he was happy all day.

We now have THREE teenagers.  I seems like yesterday (I am serious) that

we were driving, unplanned to the hospital in the middle of the night 3 weeks early 

because my water had broken....  and I was saying to Rals

"Are these kids going to be in the same grade?  Because that will not only suck, but it will be really

embarrassing.  

Thankfully, no.

We FINALLY took a new family picture.

The last one was in 2016.

Kami is updating her family wall and asked for an updated photo.

It gave us an excuse to get out there and make it happen.

I am really happy with how they turned out.

We even got KK to smile with her mouth open so we could see her braces.

I only had to work half day on New Year's Eve.

So we went to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Chubby's and then 

dropped everyone off at friends on the way home.

Peyton went to a party.

Ryker went to Big Shots

And Rals and I were cool in our room

binge watching a few shows and playing solitaire on our phones until it was time to go 

pick everyone up from their celebrations.  It'll be SO nice in 8 months when Peyton

can drive and we can make her go get everyone at the friends houses who

always seem to live NO WHERE near our neighborhood ever.

We also did our traditional Sakura lunch.  The food was especially good this year

and so was the company.

Okay... so.... as I write this, I am SO sad that it is all over.

I was in a bit of a depression earlier this week and I will most likely cry when we take down our tree.

I just love the way it looks, smells and feels in our home during the holidays.

And I have for sure loved this year the most.

I have several projects coming up that will be so fun and will definitely get me

through the stupid month of January.  

I feel so so happy about my company adding like 5 paid days off to our calendar in 2025,

one of them being MLK day.  Employers underestimate how much that helps office 

morale when employees can look forward to 3 day weekends.

I am so excited for a day off in almost every month. 

PURE GOLD

I am excited to post the befores and afters of our new office and the

home renovations.

We chose a couple of resolutions even though we don't like to make those.

We are going to work intently on our food storage room/plan, so we can feel at peace with that.

We are SO close to our 3 month savings goal.  What a good feeling it is to know that we would be okay

financially for a good solid 3 months in the event of......  whatever.

We made several couple and personal spiritual goals and I am beyond excited

to start working on those fun plans.

We have SO much to be thankful for and we have been blessed way more than we

deserve.

Every year when my favorite Christmas song of all time,

Hark the Hearald Angels Sing by Mannheim Steamroller

shuffles it's way to the top of my playlist and I have to pull over so I can really listen to it

and I bawl through the whole thing..... I do so, because I am so happy that we made it through

another year and we are healthy and together and happy and safe and I pause to be grateful for 

this life I have been given.

I am grateful for do-overs and second chances.

I am grateful for life lessons and for learning from mistakes.

I am grateful that I am able to be smack dab in the middle of the very life I always

wanted for myself with a husband that literally treats me like a queen and showers me with

genuine love and respect.

I am blessed with so many children who are healthy and smart.

Some who love me.

I am grateful and blessed to be one of the very few people on the earth 

who for some reason was chosen to be

DOUBLE PORTIONED

knowing that means where much is given much is required 

and that I have responsibilites as a disciple of Christ.

I look forward to endless opportunities to be an instrument to help bring the good news

to as many people as I can.

Thank you 2024.

Thank you for allowing my sister to recover from a devastating illness.

Thank you for a perfect for me husband.

Thank you for good jobs, financial stability, a free country, healthy family members, the gospel, St George, President Nelson, post menopause, knowledge of our friend and Savior, Jesus Christ

and his unbelievable gift that I get to participate in weekly.

Bring on 2025