Shelby's Life and Whatnot

Best. Movie. Ever.

Yes folks, I didn't think it was possible, but I now have a new favorite movie. Okay, nothing can truly replace my beloved Princess Bride, which is the greatest movie ever made, but I have have a new runner-up: Little Miss Sunshine. We saw the previews for Little Miss Sunshine a number of times at other movies we went to in the theater, and each time we said "oh, we should see that!" but it was never playing at a nearby location at a good time and we missed it while it was in the theater. Which actually was good because I was able to guffaw with tears streaming down my face in the complete privacy of my home. Seriously, if you haven't seen Little Miss Sunshine, it's out on DVD. Rent it. Buy it. Treasure it. I'm not going to even try to ruin it with a description. The true description doesn't capture the whole movie anyway. Just go see it. Now.

Gullible Kids

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! We sure did. We feasted on raclette (melted cheese) and just sat around and read during the day. Kevin got me some of the things I really, really wanted--a set of silverware (thank you Honey!) and a hot chocolate pot--yum!

Today I headed back to work, and I had the funniest interaction with one family. Now before I tell the story, it's important to know that at Build-A-Bear, we have unstuffed animals and we blow stuffing in them, then sew them up. Before we sew them up, we ask the kids (or adults) if the bear is too soft or too hard, or just right. Then we can adjust the amount of stuffing to exactly what they want.

Well sometimes, kids just get insistent for no good reason. I had a kid in today and I stuffed his bear, and he kept insisting that it was too soft and that he wanted more stuffing in it. He was probably around 3. We handed the bear to Mom and Dad and both agreed it was perfect the way it was, but the boy just kept insisting that he wanted more stuffing. The parents tried to talk him out of it multiple times, but he was not to be dissuaded. I sent him over to pick out a heart and while his back was turned, the dad whispered to me "It's just fine like this." Well when he turned back to me, he hadn't forgotten the stuffing (as 3 year olds often do when you distract them with something else). So again, he insisted on the stuffing, and behind him, Mom and Dad are shaking their heads "no."

So I take the bear from him and say, "Okay, we're just going to put a little more in." I put the bear on the tube without turning the machine on, and then went "Tshhhhhhhhhhh tsshhhhhh" with my mouth, then pulled it off and handed it to him. He gave me a huge grin and declared it PERFECT! I thought the dad was going to pee his pants he was laughing so hard. Definitely the highlight of my day.

Merry Christmas, and Uh-Oh

Merry Christmas everyone! Kevin and I are enjoying a wonderful, leisurely Christmas here at home. Our daughter got her first gift from Santa--a green t-shirt with Bambi on it. She also sent Daddy a gift, which is very special. We can't wait until she comes home to see it!

The uh-oh part is that I seem to be losing my voice again! Good Lord, how did this happen? The bronchitis I had a couple of weeks ago just has not gone away, despite the Good cough medicine. Last night we celebrated a family Christmas at Kevin's grandparents and I completely forgot to bring the medicine along. Bad move. I ended up with a coughing fit, and I didn't want to hack and gag for an hour in front of all the company, I instead cleared my throat repeatedly. I'm pretty sure this is what blew it out. Egads! I hope I don't have to miss work again.

Christmas Eve

Happy Christmas Eve everyone! Dinner last night was wonderful. It was very fun to see the girls open their presents. We got lots of pictures of Jia all the way around, and even a family shot--the set-up-the-tripod and run-to-beat-the-timer variety. Tonight we're headed over to Kevin's grandparents' and that should be very fun too.

Family Dinner

Here we are, just a mere few hours before the Rosiak family dinner, and gues what? 1/3 of my niece Corie's present has failed to arrive. Ugh! It's kind of integral to the gift as a whole, since it's along a theme and this is probably the most important piece. Fie upon you, Williams-Sonoma! I guess this year Corie's going to get an explanation of the gift and a partial gift later. On the other hand, all of Seana's gifts arrived in time, and there's one I'm personally coveting. I think this will be a very fun Christmas.

Gearing Up

Here we go! Tomorrow is our first Christmas dinner. This one is at my mom and dad's, and they have requested multiple times that the "kids" (Scout and Digory) come along. This should be a fun gathering, as always. Sunday we're headed to Kevin's grandparents' house for our Hogan family dinner. That leaves us with Christmas Day and nothing to do! We plan to keep it low-key and enjoy ourselves by taking it easy and enjoying some raclette. Hope all of you have wonderful holiday plans too!

Egads!

Is there anything worse than a blank blog? Probably, but nothing comes to mind right now. I've been working like crazy and having a great time doing it. Well, I don't particularly like closing the store, since I often don't get home until 1am, and that's when the store closes at 10. Tonight I'm closing and the store closes at 11, so I'll likely not get home until 1:30. Seriously, I am too old to be working that late. Yes, I never thought a negative word and "late" would occur in the same sentence for me, but there you go.

Luckily I don't have to work Thursday through Monday so I'll get a nice Christmas break. After some finagling, it looks like we'll be going to my parents' on the 23rd and Kevin's grandparents' on the 24th, which strangely leaves us on our own for Christmas day! We're still discussing what we'd like to do and may just take it easy here at home.

I've been doing most of my shopping either online so I've gotten several boxes, most of which I haven't even opened yet! Let's hope everything in there is okay. I've already forgotten what I bought.

My Christmas Stocking

Enter your name below, click the button, and leave me a present in my stocking!

Xmas Stocking

leave a gift for shelby your username: your gift: (30 characters or less) get your stocking

All Clear from the Cardiologist

I had my twice yearly appointment with my cardiologist and it went well. She's thrilled with my weight loss (14 pounds so far--yay!). My heart rate is a bit higher than she'd like to see it, so she wants to raise my Toprol some. Unfortunately it has some interactions with asthma and while my asthma is really mild, you just never know, so she wants to hold off on the change until the summer. I don't have to see her again until July--yay! In July I'll get my yearly echocardiogram but she doesn't anticipate any changes. Great way to end the year on the heart front!

She Speaks!

Hooray! My voice has, for the most part, returned! Kevin and I went out for dinner tonight at one of our favorite eateries, Lazy Dog Cafe (which just happens to be opening a new location in the Del Amo Mall in Torrance!). We're excited about that. Excellent food, as always.

And I've gotten sucked into a most addictive game, Weffriddles. If you've ever played Myst (or The 11th Hour ;) ), or any game similar that involves solving a bunch of riddles, this is just like that, except without the annoying pictures or narratives. You start by figuring out the first puzzle, which brings you to the next screen, and the next, etc. I'm now on #21. I don't know how many there are but I know there are 57, maybe more. If you're interested in playing, I'll give you a hint for the first puzzle. You start here, and the first clue is hidden there. I'd be happy to swap tips and clues with anyone willing to play (Mary?). Have fun!

Terrified of Santa?

My mom has a collage of a family tradition when Brad and I were growing up--the yearly picture with Santa. In the early shots, I believe there is one of Brad crying and me shrieking at the sight of Santa Claus. It's not uncommon when little kids are afraid of Santa, but it sure is funny.

Check out this collection of Scared of Santa pictures! The picture below isn't us, by the way.

And So Forth

My voice has marginally improved today, but the cough has gotten worse. Ugh. I am able to croak out some sentences, although I tend to just drop out halfway through a word or whatever. And it sounds like I've got a 6-pack a day smoking habit. Ah well. I headed over to the doctor today and he was very kind (I love this guy--great doctor). He hooked me up with the "good" cough medicine and wrote me a note for work. I can return for my Saturday shift. I was supposed to have one tomorrow and then the next was Saturday, but tomorrow is out.

I also had my FBI fingerprints (for the adoption) re-taken today. The fingerprinter had a hard time getting them last time, redoing several. So I wasn't entirely surprised to get the official letter that they'd been unreadable. According to advice I gleaned from scores of other adoptive families, I used Corn Huskers Lotion religiously for the past week or so. I don't know if it helped, but my hands are soft. Anyway, today went well--the fingerprinter only did one shot per finger, but she still said that my fingers were dry and that's why they were rejected the first time. I asked if she thought these would go through, and she said, "Hopefully. If not, they'll just send you another letter." Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence! I do have a good feeling about this, however.

At Walgreen's I made a huge find. While waiting for my cough medicine, I wandered the aisles, and found a dvd entitled, "A Collection of Christmas Classics." Ever the curious one, I flipped it over, to find "Santa and the Three Bears." Wow! I remember that being one of my favorites, but I've never seen it on dvd before! Plus "Jack Frost" (done by the same guys who did Rudolph) was on there. So I flipped it back to the front and it only cost 2 dollars. It wasn't mismarked either--the other ones said so too--haha. Of course I had to buy it. I'll let you know how it goes.

Last night we did a Charlie Brown Christmas marathon. Well, as much of a marathon as you get with a 25 minute television show. Kevin and I both loved A Charlie Brown Christmas as kids. I swear, if you told the 8 year old me that one day I'd own it and be able to watch it whenever I wanted, I would have fainted in delight. Also on the dvd is "It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown." A sequel of sorts released in 1992 that just pales in comparison to the 1965 original. It may have been a decent show on its own, but next to A Charlie Brown Christmas, it's just rather sad. Anyway, so last night I watched A Charlie Brown Christmas, then watched It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown, and then, since I wasn't done with my project, watched A Charlie Brown Christmas again. What a great special!

One-Trick Pony

Surprise! Still no voice! Sheesh. My doctor didn't have any openings today so I'm going tomorrow afternoon. Also tomorrow I'm going to get my FBI fingerprints redone. Let's hope they go through this time! I have learned from multiple internet sources that Corn Husker's Lotion, which is essentially just glycerin with some alcohol to make it evaporate, is the best for your hands. I'm putting it on religiously. I really want these done!

The Sounds of Silence

Yep, still no talking here. I missed my shift tonight and am about to call in for my shift tomorrow (9:45am - 5:15pm). Even if I get a modicum of voice back (which I doubt), I'm not going to risk blowing it out again. As far as work goes, better this week than next--we get busier as the holiday approaches. At any rate, I'm going to head to the doctor tomorrow. I've got another cough that's exactly like the one I had earlier in the year when I had the Bronchitis That Would Not Die. I need some more of the good cough medicine--the kind you need a prescription for. I have some leftover from last time and it certainly does the trick.

It's A Good Day in College Football

Not only did Cal win the "big game" against rival Stanford, UCLA beat PAC-10 champion USC in a stunning upset. Previously, USC beat Cal, knocking them out of the running for the Rose Bowl, so it's not all that upsetting to see USC be bumped from its chance at the national championship. Sure, USC will go to the Rose Bowl and Cal won't, but at least they won't be 1st in the nation.

See? College sports bring out the worst in everyone.

(Kevin is a Cal (University of California at Berkeley) alumni)

I'm Speechless! Literally!

You're going to have to imagine this whole post in whispers, because that's where my voice is right now. A couple of days ago I wrote about my nasty cold. Well I continued to feel better in the sense that my body didn't feel like it had been hit by a train, but my throat remained scratchy with an occasional cough. Friday morning I woke up with a rather limited vocal range. Now in the past, I have never completely lost my voice for more than a few hours or so. Usually I'll wake up sans voice but with a dose of cold medicine and a little bit of talking, it all clears up and I'm voluble from there on out. So I was optomistic that morning, speaking and saying to Kevin the equivalent of, "Can you hear me now?" Kevin suggested some tea and that seemed like a wonderful idea--it did the trick! I was up and talking in no time, so I decided not to call in to work. 5:00 rolled around and off I went to work, thinking I was just fine. Well, this is a job that requires a great deal of talking. And the store is crowded, people are talking, music is playing, and the stuffers are blowing, which creates a great deal of ambient noise as well. So the talking that this job requires is a rather loud talking. I started out okay, but about halfway through my shift, my voice declined rapidly. And unfortunately, there isn't really a station in this job that doesn't require talking, so I had to soldier through. By the time I got home last night I was in agony.

Things haven't gotten much better voice-wise this morning. With some more tea, I've gained some voice function back, but boy I learned my lesson last night--no more talking for me! I'm really disappointed because we were supposed to go to a wine tasting today, but in addition, Brad, Kat, and the girls were coming too and we were going to visit the Festival of the Trees which is a exhibition where people decorate Christmas trees and it's really pretty and well-done. Looks like I'm going to have to miss it. Boo!