"A tiny sweet thing,
for you and your kids,....

We wish you a
Merry Christmas and
a Happy New Year!"

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

This weather is very unusual for Las Vegas. The snow is exactly what we needed to shake things up around here. We got out our warmest cloths and headed to the back yard. There isn’t much, but the kids figured it was enough for a snowball fight. Xander got hit in the cheek and he was done for the day.

We had to come in before it really started coming down, we don’t actually have any coats and the three layers of jackets just weren’t enough.

Over-Time Overload

Let me be perfectly clear, it’s not that I’m not grateful. I am thankful for extra money around the holidays and especially when we’re trying to buy a house. That being said…

I have had enough! Tom is working 84 hrs (sometimes more) per week…at one job! He comes home, has dinner and falls asleep. I feel like a single mom (who doesn’t have to worry about finances). Not to mention that the kids have been on track break for almost three weeks. (The other day Tom noticed I was frazzled and asked me when Track break starts….are you serious?) I feel like I am about to breakdown. I am lonely for adult interaction, sick of house hunting alone, over whelmed with housework, and tired of being a referee to my kids.

Enough of the overtime!…..Tom come home!

Sammy the Mantis Our Christmas Pet

We have had a Preying Mantis somehow get in our house 3 times the past few weeks, so today I finally said he could stay. Kaylee named him Sammy W. Greenie Simpson (Warner calls him Mantis, and Xander just screams when he sees him). First they constructed as house for him complete with swimming pools and viewing windows, but he was relocated by the landlord, and now resides in the Christmas Tree!

4x's ... But I'm Not Obsessed

It’s not that It’s my favorite movie, or even a really good movie,.. But it represents a book series that I really loved. The book evokes a lot of emotion and when I see the movie I remember how I felt when I read the book. Plus, It’s not like I’m going to say “no” when I someone else is already going.

The1st time I went, like I said before I enjoyed it because of the emotions I had when reading the book. However, I was very critical, They left out too much and didn’t explain things well enough.

The 2nd was just fun, after I knew what to expect I wasn’t so negative about it.

The 3rd I was critical again, they should have done this instead of that or they could have left that out, mostly details, but by now I really like all the actors for the characters, and the set.

Aren’t we hot stuff…going to a Vampire Movie as Vampires?!?

The 4th time was the best. I felt like an expert sitting next to Tom while he would ask me deeper questions about the book. I also noticed a lot of cool details from the book that were included, special , clothing, jewelry, and tiny glimpses of things that are only on the screen form a flash.

Tom was so embarrassed to take this picture in the theater…”what do you think all these people will be thinking?” He asked. As a non-reader he really liked the movie, he said it was definitely worth seeing in the theater (that’s how he rates movies, theater or rental). Plus I know he had a good time, just for the fact that we rode his motorcycle to the theater. This will be my last time before I buy it on DVD.

A few weeks ago, my Communications Professor suggested that I enter a speech festival. He told me that there was no time to think it through, I had to sign up right that minute and if I didn’t follow through that I would fail the course, but if I made it to the finals I would get an automatic “A”. It’s not that I’m not grateful for a good grade, but I’ve pretty much been a straight “A” student my whole life. So why then, you may ask, did I sign up to give a public speech, competing with 300 other hopefuls? Well… it just sounded good… my Professor enticed me with words like… “shiny trophy.”

I gave a 9 minute speech called “Make me a Match,” convincing everyone that more marriages should be arranged. (That’s why I’m wearing a veil in the picture. By the way did you know that traditionally brides wore a veil to keep the groom from running away before they said their vows?.. It’s true!)

I was very surprised when I was called to be a finalist… but when they began calling all the runners up after three rounds of competition, I thought it was a mistake that my name wasn’t read….then they called “3rd place….2nd place…and finally, the 1st place winner of the 2008 college Speech Festival,… Rachel Simpson.” I don’t know if I’ve ever gotten first place in anything before, so excuse me for a moment while I bask in my glory! As I was brushing my teeth tonight I realized that all those hundreds of people there to compete, all the professors, the department head, and all the judges, they were all there to find the best speaker…they were there to find me!