2008 in a Nutshell:

1. Where did you begin 2008?

Sitting on the couch, watching a movie with my new guy. We were going through a John Cusack movie phase. Every movie we rented the first few months had Cusack in it.

2. What was your status by Valentine's Day?

In loooooove. And surprised as hell about that. Having been burned badly in my previous relationship, I was fully expecting some scarring to go on. What can I say, I got lucky.


3. Were you in school anytime this year?

Only the School of Hard Knocks

4. Did you have to go to the hospital?

Yes, had knee surgery in February. I was at the hospital quite a bit, between the ortho appointments, the surgery, and the gushing knee post surgery. The best part of that emergency room visit is when the doctor couldn't find a pulse in my foot, leading me to freak out and think my foot would be amputated. Fun! Not even two weeks later, Zoe broke her arm at daycare (got pushed by a boy, awww!). And then Skye busted her femur in a freak sledding accident, the week after that Eme fell off the monkeybars at school and fractured her arm. So imagine 2 of us on crutches, and 2 kiddos with casts on. Mark is the only one who survived all of 2008 unscathed. Knock on wood!

5. Did you have any encounters with the police?

No, not even a speeding ticket.
(Praise the lord, halleluah!)

6. Where did you go on vacation?

Utah and Las Vegas.


7. What did you purchase that was over $100?

Groceries usually cost me more than $100. Oh, I bought a new car this year. A cherry red Prius. Felt so awesome going from 10 mpg to 45 mpg. Yay!


8. Did you know anybody who got married?

Yes, went to a few weddings this year. Puker caught the garter at one of them, I neatly sidestepped the bouquet. No thanks!

9. Did you know anybody who passed away?

Yes, my Grandpa Anderson


10. Did you move anywhere?

I moved the end of June, a whole 17 miles away. Woo!


11. What sporting events did you attend?

A few Hockey Games. I have no clue what is going on out there, but it is so entertaining. I like it when they crash into the boards, and when the helmets go flying and they are kicking the shite out of each other. Good times! And nobody minds it when Zoe runs up and hurls insults at whoever is in the penalty box. Aren't 3 year olds precocious! :D

12. What concerts/shows did you go to?

We tried to go to a Gangly Moose show but they canceled at the last minute. Lame! I've gone to 2 Alpenglow Elementary Holiday Concerts last week, does that count?


13. Describe your birthday:

The day I realized I only have a year left until I am officially a grown up.

Spent it with my honey's bestest friends, they built a bonfire for me. What awesome people!


14. What is the one thing you thought you would not do, but did, in 2008?

Move in with an (awesome!) guy after only dating him for 6 months.

15. What has been your favorite moments?

Sitting around the bonfire, listening to my friends sing drunkenly, going fishing in Seward, and Kenai, Canoeing, hiking with my honey. Good times!

16. Any new additions to your family?

I inherited a Precious cat, we renamed her Snagglepuss. Awesomest cat ever!


17. What was your best month?

Ooh. They were all good! June was difficult, that's when the dissolution was finally done.


18. Who has been your best drinking buddy?

Puker

19. Made new friends?

Yeah, I think so anyway!


20. Favorite Nights out?

Going to the pub with Melissa, Therese, and Puker. Hanging out around the campfire with my friends

21. Other than home, where did you spend most of your time?

Work. Der!


22. Have you lost any friends this year?

No. I haven't lost my keys this year either!


23. Change your hairstyle?

Not the style, but the color fo' sure. I'm thinking of a change next year, my hair is just... difficult. If I don't wear it long it frizzes out even more. Bozo in 2009, sounds like fun!


24. Have any car accidents?

No. Knock on wood!


25. How old did you turn this year?

29, sob, sob, sob.


26. Do you have a New Years resolution?

Yes, to make wiser financial investments and get my first million in the bank.
lol

27. Do anything embarrassing?

I'm so used to embarrassing myself that it doesn't even phase me anymore. So nothing comes to mind right now!

28. Buy anything new from eBay?

Yes I sure did, a few christmas presents.


30. Get arrested?

Nope, and I am knocking on wood for next year, and the rest of my life. Geez, you'd think I was superstitious or something.


31. Been snowboarding yet?

No, I'm too chicken to snowboard. Bad knees and all that, but I've been cross-country skiing quite a few times this year

32. Did you get sick this year?

Yes, seems like more than usual now that I think about it. Stomach flu, sinus infections. Ugh.


33. Are you happy to see 2008 go?

Not as happy as I was too see 2007 go buh-bye.


34. Been naughty or nice?

Can't I be both? ;)

Hostage Negotiation 101

Child custody arrangements should not feel like a hostage negotiation.

The terrorist demands that I take the hostage this weekend, because he needs to let off some steam, "I need a break" says he. In return, he wants to cut into my week and spend time with our daughter on Monday and Tuesday. This doesn't work for me.

Hostage Negotiation Session 1: Texting

Baby's Daddy (BD) "I know im watching zoe this week, but can you take her on friday and sat... Would be a big favor... and id take her on the 23rd... cuz her gifts arnt here yet"

Me: "I appreciate you asking in advance. I'm not interested in trading days. I would be happy to pick her up Friday night and then you'll get her back as scheduled on Monday the 29th."

BD: "Can I have her on the 23rd?"

(I labored over my previous text message, I attempted to be as clear and concise as I could be).

Me: "I don't like the back and forth. What a mess. My deal stands, if you want me to take her early then I want to keep her until my scheduled visit is up."

BD: "Why? It'll be one day out of the week... Dont be like that... Ill just drop her off the next day"

Me: "I'm doing you a favor right? Those are my terms, take it or leave it"

BD: "Fine"

... hours later...

BD: "Im not trying to cause problems... I just thought it would be nice for zoe to see both of us close to christmas one last time." (he's moving to Oklahoma in March or so).

Without fail, whenever we attempt to discuss custody arrangements we bickertext, I'll get fed up and stop responding to his texts. I commented to my SO that sooner rather than later I would be getting a message saying Zoe is sick. He has pulled that little stunt at least 6 times in the last year.


Hostage Negotiation Session 2: Attempt to guilt trip

... 3 days later ...

BD: "Zoe is sick :-("


Hostage Negotiation Session 3: Physical Intimidation

Then today at about 4:30 I get a phone call, he's asking if I can pick up Z from daycare, because he's on call and has a VQ study to do (lung ventilation scan, typically looking for a blood clot in the lungs). Now I know I'm going to have to deal with him in person. We meet up at Target, We're waiting for him at the foodcourt. After calling him twice to see where he is, both times he says "I'm here in the front, I'll see you in a second". Twenty minutes later, he appears. With black satin sheets that he'd just purchased. Ewww. Anyway.

I could go into all the lurid details (but really they aren't all that interesting). Just imagine a 6'3" guy in his airforce uniform getting all up in my grill because I won't argue with him. Public place, hello? Zoe watching her parents fight? No thanks. Yelling, causing a scene and me ignoring him. Oh yeah, I feel like I've been magically transported back to junior high. Gah!

Resolution (because I'm a peacemaker, like most women I know): I'll take her Friday and Saturday, he'll drive and pick her up Sunday morning. So yeah. I don't want him coming to my house to pick her up, which is a lot of my reason behind not switching. We do all the drop-off/pick-ups at her daycare, it's much easier this way. Less bloodshed. Hell, my restraining order against him hasn't been expired for that long. Fun times!


End note: I've been meaning to blog a lot more, but whenever I log in I'm drawn into reading everybody's wonderfully funny and interesting posts and two things will happen.
1. I'll have immense writer's block due to self-criticism
2. I'll run out of time and then promise that I'll try again the next day. Rinse, repeat. :)

An Ode to Beaver

I traveled home for my grandfather's funeral over the Thanksgiving holiday. He has always been inordinately proud of our hometown, Beaver Utah. He wore a Beaver, UT pin on his lapel, as a "conversation starter" he would say. I would get a lecture every time I mentioned how I could not wait until I graduated so I could move to somewhere in the real world. Not that I've been living in the "real world" for 12 years, I can respect what a gem this small town is.

((Ok so by this point you have probably realized that I'm not going to talk about my big brown beaver. Oh man if I could only get a song to play on this blog, it would definitely by Primus' song about that))

So here it is, a top five list of interesting facts about Beaver, Utah.

5. The inventor of television, Philo T. Farnsworth,was born here.
4. Butch Cassidy, the notorious western outlaw, was also born in Beaver, Ut
3. Voted best drinking water in America
2. A population of 2,631, with a crime scale of 2 (10 being the highest), kids can actually play outside or walk to the park all by themselves!

And the greatest thing about Beaver, Utah?
The Eager Beaver Car Wash! haha, I so wish I had gotten a picture of that before I left town to post on here.

If you are into outdoorsy endeavors, Beaver has got it all. Golf, a ski resort, lots of atv trails, great hiking, fishing, hunting. Sure, I always tease that it's Vanilla Central (94% are white, 73% are Mormon, and 79% are Republican) but the people are super friendly and all in all I should be proud to say I'm from Beaver, Utah. Instead of stretching the truth and telling people that I'm from Colorado. Sure, my family all moved there after I graduated, but I got so tired of the questions. "Are ya mormon?" "What was your mascot?" Sheesh people!

To sum up, I'm proud to be a Beaver Beaver! Go BHS! ;)