It's beginning to look...

...A LOT like Christmas!

November was a good month, very good.

SYTYCD Tour, RSL becoming MLS Champions,

Birthdays for Kallie, Faye, and Damien,

and of course Thanksgiving!

We had a fun party in Tooele.

(I vote to have Dave be in charge of every

family get-together from now on.)

There was lots of good food, homemade rootbeer,

and of course yummy desserts!

Ping-pong, billiards, air hockey, fooseball, movies,

and some unforgettable karaoke!

Now it's time for Christmas!

I would hang my stockings

by the chimney with care,

but since I don't have a chimney,

I'll settle for putting up the tree,

and stringing up the lights.

It's snowing outside,

and I can't wait for

Christmas!

So You Think...

...You Can Dance?!?

Yes, they definitely can!!!

The Season 5 Tour was this weekend.

It was unbelievable!!!

Andrew, Elise, Steve and I

were lucky enough to go to the show.

It was like spending an evening

surrounded by old friends.

Addiction, Breast Cancer, and Butts!

All great dances :)

And there were many more.

They spiced up a Russian Folk Dance,

and Randi got lots of love

for being a Utah girl.

I hope every season can

live up to these standards!

A conversation...

...that includes an idea!

Garreth is 6.

It's important that life should be fair,

and when it doesn't seem fair,

You do what you can to make it so.

As every 6-year old knows.

*****

Garreth: Siobhannie, how old are you?

Me: How old do you think I am?

G: Well, you're not as old as my mom,

but you are older than Lauren.

M: Yep, that's true.

G: Lauren has a husband and a baby,

but you don't.

That's not very fair.

M: Sometimes things in life aren't fair.

G: Oh, but, it should be fair.

I know, you should just get married.

M: I don't know anyone that I can marry.

Do you know who I can marry?

G: Hmmm, I gotta think about that...

... ... ... ... ...

I HAVE AN IDEA!!

Do you know the Jonas Brothers?

You can marry them!

M: Uh, you know how I'm older than Lauren,

well, I'm also older than all of the Jonas Brothers.

G: I'm pretty sure my mom says that's okay.

M: And I don't really know them,

I only know they like to sing.

G: Well, we just need to find someone

who does know them, and then

you can know them too

and get married.

They are really nice.

I know they will marry you.

M: I am sure they are nice,

but maybe we can think of someone else,

just in case.

G: Okay, but guess what!

When you are married to the Jonas Brothers,

you can take me to their concert!

(October 2, 2009 - the highlight

of my weekend in Happy Valley!)

*****

And there you have it.

The solution to life's problems.

If only it were just that simple.

In the meantime,

I might have to suck it up

and learn a couple of songs by

the Jonas Brothers.

Which Disney Princess...

...did you wish you were?

As far as Princes go,

I don't think the Beast

had too much going for him.

He didn't behave like a gentleman,

He was way too hairy,

and don't even get me started on his teeth!

But, I always wanted to be Belle.

When the Beast gave her the Library,

I fell in love with him!

Because I love books!

Short ones, tall one, thin ones, thick ones,

Books with no pictures, books with no words,

Simple stories, complicated and detailed sagas,

Fiction, non-fiction,

drama, history, romance, comedy,

recipes, reference, and scripture.

My dream is to one day

have my very own library!

An entire room with

floor to ceiling bookshelves,

filled with all the books I love,

and then some!

Complete with a fireplace, of course!

I wouldn't even mind

if there was a handsome Beast/Prince

found hanging around.

Here's hoping that

all your wishes,

and mine,

come true!

I spent some time...

...in Happy Valley, aka Provo.

My cousin Glenn and his wife Dara

took their son Brenton to South Africa.

While they were gone,

I got to spend a weekend with the other kids.

We had a great time!

Garreth discovered the joys of an iPod,

and I discovered his inner alien.

Kendyl was an amazing helper,

and has a future as a master coupon shopper.

Tarryn and I had fun people watching

while trying to sell parking

for the BYU football game.

When I grow up, I want to be like Dara!

She is the most organized person I know.

She had dinners planned for every night,

and a cute note and gift for the kids every day.

I love my cousin and his family!

How it looked...

...in the beginning:

It's not a huge space,

but it's my space.

Soon to come:

pictures of my stuff

filling up my space.

It's official:

I've moved.

Things I am going to enjoy

about living alone:

I don't have to fight anyone for the TV,

or the bathroom.

I can cook what I want, when I want,

and no one will drink my milk.

I can leave change lying around

and it will still be there when I come back for it.

Things I might not enjoy:

No one else will cook me dinner.

No one else will clean the bathroom.

No one else will wash the dishes.

If you ever want to come visit,

just let me know.

I promise not to ask you to

cook, clean, or wash dishes!

P.S. Thanks for your help

Andrew and Steve.

I owe you...

These are a few...

...of my Favorite things!

(in no particular order)

*This picture, taken by Steve

outside the Newport Temple in 2007.

*Brand new socks - never a bad idea for

Birthdays or Christmas presents!

*JellyTots - the best candy ever,

a South African delight!

*A freshly made bed,

clean sheets and all.

*Watching anyone do the

hula hoop on the Wii.

*My mom's Sunday dinner,

especially the roast potatoes.

*Spending time with

My Family, all of them!

*Kicking it on the couch with a

bowl of popcorn and a good chick flick :)

I'm a pretty easy person to please.

Feel free to do so anytime!

Do you ever have...

...phone conversations like this:

Bob: Traffic, this is Bob.

Me: Hi Bob, this is Siobhan,

from plant 33.

B: Oh, hey girl.

Everytime I see your name

I want to say Sheboygan.

I know it's Siobhan,

but Sheboygan

wants to come out.

What can I do for you?

M: We shipped a truckload that is

marked as L*******.

B: It should be L****.

I just want to call you Sheboygan.

M: Okay, so I will just go ahead

and mark this truck as L****.

Thanks, Bob.

B: Thank you... Sheboygan.

(July 23, 2009 - 7:55 a.m. - 40 seconds)

This is the conversation we have...

...everytime!

Interestingly enough,

he is not the only person who calls me

Sheboygan.

Are you a...

...morning person?

I am definitely not,

but my friend Steve is.

These are some things

I like about Steve:

He is loyal and sticks up for me.

He is funny and easily makes new friends!

He is musically talented -

He sings, plays the guitar and the banjo.

And he is much better at the

whole blogging thing than I am.

Thanks for being a morning person

and for giving my blog some pizazz!

Steve - you are the best!

Friend...

...or Foe?

This was a rough week.

First, our work system was down.

Then, the copier broke.

Amazing how such a simple thing

can create such a headache!

I'm very happy to say

that everything is back to normal.

It definitely makes me

appreciate when things run

as smoothly as clockwork.

Sometimes it's better to...

...think INSIDE the box!

There are definite advantages

to watching a sporting event

from comfy box seats.

If you're hungry:

Popcorn, chips & salsa, hotdogs.

If you're thirsty:

Pepsi, Sierra mist, Fiji water.

Fiji water= my favorite!

I think it tastes better

because the bottle is square.

Square like a box.

It doesn't hurt that our team won!

Big thanks to the Laynes and the Mills

for an incredible adventure!

I'm not Fat...

...I'm Fluffy!

I went to a Demolition Derby

with Andrew, Elise, Josh, Cindy, and Kenny.

It was an adventure from the get-go!

Two fires, one paramedic time-out,

and several tipped over cars.

Not to mention...

the dancing man,

a naked lady tattoo,

a whopper eating contest,

frozen tee-shirts,

and my favorite

the tattoo giveaway for winning a contest!

(not related to the derby at all!)

Get your party hats on,

and I'll see you there next year!

One of these days...

...I'm gonna get up

early enough

to have a

Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit

from McDonald's

for breakfast.

Today was not the day.

We'll see how tomorrow goes.

Top Ten Reasons Why...

...I loved the weekend:

(in chronological order)

1. Homemade Cafe Rio

2. New episode of Prison Break

3. A celebration for a friend who is getting married

4. Faith Like Potatoes

5. Cheese Fries

6. Modern Pioneer vs. The American Dream

7. Yes Man

8. Texas Caviar

9. A housewarming party

10. A 3-year-old's birthday

Fun at the Nickel*Cade...

...Or as I like to think of it,

a mini casino for kids.

Friday night was full of fun.

Wendy's and then the Nickel*Cade.

with Matt, Katherine, Darrin, Ryan, and me.

There is something so satisfying

in giving nickels to a machine

in the hopes of a receiving

a large return in tickets.

With my tickets I got

a neon orange slap bracelet,

a plastic back scratcher,

and some laffy taffy's.

Let the good times roll!

Then some games -

Burst, Pit, and Scrabble Apple.

What a fantastic Friday!

Things to enjoy...

...While it's raining:

Sleeping in,

reading a good book,

watching a sappy chick flick,

working on a craft project,

dancing to the radio,

making cookies,

drinking hot chocolate.

All good things.

Spending the day at work.

Not so much!

Once upon a time...

...My hair used to look like this:

Now it looks like this:

Self-portraits are not my strongest talent

(or talent of any size, for that matter!)

but here you have it.

Before and after.

I don't know about you,

but I like it!

(the hair, not the self-portrait...)