Who Moved My House?

BlogAway family: you are in for a real treat this week! JazznJenna has submitted a guest post for our reading pleasure. Not only is this a great topic, but it's a cool way to get to know each other better. Would you like to write a guest post? Email me!

Take it away Jenna!

I confess, I've yet to read the book "Who Moved My Cheese", although it is on my long want-to-read list.  Nevertheless, I thought that would be a good idea for my post title, as I share with you some of the reasons I'm a fan of MOVING.  No, not moving one's body parts around in an aerobic manner--although that's a great thing to do 5-6 times a week, or moving from one's assigned seat at the dinner table to another--a faux pas in our house...rather, I'm talking about moving out of one house and into another, and particularly when those two houses are in different cities, states, or countries.

I have lived in 8 different states, 1 district, and 1 country other than the U.S.A.  My father was in the navy while I was growing up, and that accounts for over half of the states that I lived in.  The rest of my moves were attributed to my marrying an eternal student who started his college career in 1993, and is currently still a student (I feel it's okay to lovingly use that term of endearment "eternal student" for my dear hubby until he actually receives his doctoral degree, sometime in 2012 if all goes well!).  I must not neglect to mention however that he is now a student who has full-time employment (hallelujah!), hence our most recent move to Pennsylvania. 

After all of my moving, I have learned to love it!  I say "learned to love it" because of course it wasn't always easy.  The most difficult move for me emotionally was probably when I was in the middle of 6th grade.  I thought my life was over, and was sure I'd never be able to make new friends.  But sure enough, I have been able to make new friends everywhere I've lived, and I can't imagine missing out on all of the amazing and wonderful people that have made my life so rich. 

And even though it's more the people and not the places that have taken permanent residence in my heart, I'd love to share with you what I remember and love most about each of the places that I've lived.

I was born in Virginia.  I can't claim any memories of VA because we moved from there when I was 2 months old.  From there, I believe we moved into my grandparents' home in Utah for awhile, which I also don't remember (I remember the house from my older childhood memories, but don't remember living there).  Then we lived in Washington D.C. for a few years, where 2 of my 5 siblings were born (I'm the 2nd oldest).  But the first home I really remember was in South Carolina.


South Carolina was palm trees, swimming at the beach and enjoying all of the tiny sea creatures there, beautiful brick homes, rain that brings frogs all over the road, and missing my dad while he was away on a navy ship for several weeks.  Collecting locust shells from the trees and sticking them all over our shirts.  Pine needles all over our front yard, and prickly "gum balls" all over our back yard. My last 2 siblings were born in South Carolina.  We lived there for 5 years, and moved on to our next state of California when I was 10.



Southern California for me meant hot summers, orange trees and lemon trees and lots of other kinds of yummy trees right on our property, avocados that were free because they had dropped on the side of the road, green rolling hills, and having lots of bilingual friends.  I began learning Spanish at this young age and even got to star as "La Caperucita Roja" (Little Red Riding Hood) in my school play in 3rd grade.  I also started my singing career in 3rd grade, when I sang "Over the Rainbow" as my first solo in front of the whole school.  Hooray for encouraging music teachers!  This is the town where I started to gain a little independence as an older child, and I loved being allowed to walk into town with my girlfriend to use my spending money at Pizza Hut and the Hello Kitty store.

In the middle of my 6th grade year, as I mentioned, we moved to Nevada, which I didn't actually learn to pronounce properly until we got there (you'd think that Californians would know that the "va" in Nevada rhymes with "hat", and not "hot").  Our town was a farmland in the middle of the desert, and is one of my favorite landscapes in the world.  I love the rolling tumbleweeds, the sandy light beige dirt we all had for front yards, and best of all, being able to see for miles.  None of those tall leafy things to obscure our view : ).  With my town being partly a dairy farming community, the smell of cows always makes me feel at home (as do Wrangler jeans and bales of hay).  I was blessed to live there long enough to graduate from high school, so I did a lot of growing up there.  High school in Nevada for me was a happy time.  It meant becoming a musician as I developed my singing voice, played a few different instruments, and furthered my Spanish-speaking skills.  I did a little dating but mostly in groups, and I had the best group of friends (many of them from church, most of them from band and choir), that anyone could ever ask for.  Nevada also gave me my first jobs, babysitting (which I loved), and working at Burger King (good times).

From Nevada, I headed off to college at BYU in Utah, but I'll save those stories and my other adult living-location adventure stories for the next post. 

I'll finish up with the top 5 reasons a child can love moving:

1.  Once the house is all packed up and cleaned out, it's really fun to run around and act crazy in the empty rooms.

2.  If there are any big giant furniture boxes, maybe Mom & Dad will let you use them to build forts later.

3.  Pen pals.  Who doesn't enjoy getting long-distance love in the mail?  I have one childhood friend that I've stayed in touch with for going on 30 years.  Whether they be hand-written or e-mailed, getting letters from friends is the best.

 4. Being the new kid in school can make you the cool kid that everyone wants to get to know.  And after the novelty rubs off, at least you can still wow your friends with stories of this mysterious unknown land that they've never experienced.

 5.  Okay, the truth is, children don't really love moving.  But in hind sight, it's awesome!  I LOVE that I got to experience all of those different places in my growing up years. 

Thanks Jenna! That was very moving.  :)  I'm stuck on the part about the free avocados. Heaven!!!

If you want to visit Jenna's blog, click here. She also has a business blog since she's a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. Click here for that one. 

So tell me guys: How many times have you moved? And, if you had to move right now, where would you want to move to?  

A Hysterical Winner

Thanks for the laughs gals. I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets most of my jokes from my children. (Which is good, it means the jokes are clean!)

My brain-deadedness seems to persist though. I'm thinking it's a virus. Wonder if there is an over-the-counter remedy for that. I know of many things that kill braincells, including SpongeBob, but is it ever possible to revive dead braincells? Anyone out there no now know?

This week's prize is something totally unrelated to the topic, as I couldn't think of anything that goes with laughter and jokes. The only thing I thought of was Laughing Cow ice cream, (I might have thought of that because of the cow cartoon. Subliminal cow!) but it would melt in the mail. Although, chances are, the winner will be from my neck of the woods this time. Let's see, shall we?

And it's #5 Team C!!! A new winner. I'm so happy for ya Team C! Email me your address at folksinmt@gmail.com. 

Oh ya, back to the prize (See, braindead!). It's this: 

 A $10 Starbucks card. Team C, you have to call me when you are drinking your hot chocolate and I'll make you laugh so hard it comes out your nose. Agreed? (I might have to resort to some Michael Scott-style jokes though.)

And in case y'all never saw this, this relates to last week's post. However, if you do not have love for Montana in your heart, you may not rip on Montana. Understood? Good. ;-)


Here is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about Montana…
If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, you may live in Montana.
If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don’t even work there, you may live in Montana.
If you’ve worn shorts and a jacket at the same time, you may live in Montana.
If you’ve had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you may live in Montana.
If “vacation” means going anywhere south of Missoula for the weekend, you may live in Montana.
If you measure distance in hours, you may live in Montana.
If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you may live in Montana.
If you have switched from ‘heat’ to ‘A/C’ in the same day and back again, you may live in Montana.
If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you may live in Montana.
If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both doors unlocked, you may live in Montana.
If you carry jumpers in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you may live in Montana.
If you design your kid’s Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you may live in Montana.
If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -you’re going 80 and everybody is passing you, you may live in California.
If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you may live in Montana.
If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction, you may live in Montana.
If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you may live in Montana.
If you find 10 degrees “a little chilly”, you may live in Montana.


See ya next week!

It's No Laughing Matter

Are you suffering from the malady commonly known as "The Winter Blahs?"

Are you bored? Depressed? Anxious? Unmotivated? After-Christmas poor? Then you may be one of the roughly 1,000,000,001 people suffering from this fatal, and oftentimes deadly or lethal affliction.

But! Do not despair. There is help. For the low, low price of ... FREE ... I will tell you how to beat the blahs with one simple step. It's called laughter.

Laughter, given out in doses large or small, has been known to cure the blahs and has even been known to increase longevity, vitality, and improve well-being in general. Laughter should be taken several times a day for optimum effectiveness.  Overdoses are not common but can include the following side effects: snorting, chortleing, becoming teary-eyed, and in severe cases, peeing. (It is always recommended to take your dose of laughter on an empty bladder.)

If you think you may be suffering from The Winter Blah's, please try the following samples, again, at no cost to you:

• The police want to interview me. Strange, I didn't even apply for a job.

• Why did the cookie go to the doctor? 

            Because he felt crummy.

• What did the fish say when he swam into a wall?

            Dam

• Why can't a blonde dial 911?

            She can't find the 11. 

A Polish immigrant went to the DMV to apply for a driver's license.
First, of course, he had to take an eye sight test.
The optician showed him a card with the letters

"C Z W I X N O S T A C Z."
"Can you read this?" the optician asked.
"Read it?" the Polish guy replied, "I know the guy."

  
John gets a distressed phone call from his very blonde girlfriend Buffy.
 
"I've got a problem," says Buffy.
 
"What's the matter?" asks John.
 
"Well, I bought this jigsaw puzzle, but it's too hard. None of the pieces fit together and I can't find any edges."
 
"What's the picture of?" asks John.
 
"It's of a big rooster," replies Buffy.
 
"All right," says John. "I'll come over and have a look."

So he goes over to Buffy's house and she greets him by saying, "Thanks for coming over." Buffy leads John into her kitchen and shows him the jigsaw puzzle on the kitchen table.

John looks at the puzzle and then turns to her and says, "For heaven's sake, Buffy, put the cornflakes back in the box."



OK, OK, we know that these weren't exactly LMHO, and only just slightly LOL. But we want to ease you into your medication slowly as to not cause any of the above side effects. (Also, slightly brain dead here.) But, since you're not out any money, there is no need for disappointment, right?

Obviously, we are facing a joke-shortage here at BlogAway Laugh Factory, so before we can cure the general public of Winter Blah-itis, we need your jokes. Keep them clean. Make them funny. I want to LSHMSH (laughsohardmystomachhurts). But not LSHIPD (youfigureitout).

So go ahead, MAKE ME LAUGH



***Due to the above-mentioned brain-deadedness, I am calling for submissions for guest-blog posts. You guys are all clever, funny, interesting gals (and now I have to say guys, thanks to you Steven) and we'd like to hear what y'all have to say. If you have an interesting/funny/thought-provoking topic you would like to see discussed here on BlogAway, write it up and email it to me at folksinmt@gmail.com. It would be a great way for us to get to know you better, plus point blog-traffic to your blog/ etsy shop/ etc. If you would like to donate the weekly prize, a la Wall Graffiti, that would be swell. But if not, oh well! (But it really is well to be swell!) LMK!

A Beary Nice Winner

Who knew there were so many Montana -lovers out there? I'm changing my blog. It's going to be called "I Left My Heart In Montana" and every week we'll talk about something that has to do with the Big Sky State. Next week's topic: What to do if you are trapped in your home during a snow storm. Topic for the week after that: How to drive on icy roads: an idiots guide to staying alive.

So guess what??? It's been snowing nonstop for the past two days. Yippeee! And the snow is sparkly! I love sparkly snow more than Bella Swan loves sparkly vampires. I shall try to capture it on film and share it with you, but until then, enjoy this: 

Seriously, who would by that? I think I'm going to have nightmares.

Just in case you quickly scanned the blog and saw that picture and thought, "Oh my cow, so glad I didn't win this week," I shall quickly post these pictures to dispel any disappointment.

 

Paulashawn: you almost ruined the surprise. You know me too well. The prize is huckleberry pancake batter (it's gourmet, you know. It says so right there on the label.) AND a can of Flathead cherry preserves. You don't eat them together. But, I didn't want to make the cherries feel bad for not promoting them as the best fruit in the Flathead, nor vise versa with the huckleberries. They are both SO yummy and you can never get enough in the summertime.

But wait! That's not all! If you place your order now, we'll include this beary delightful trinket.

He's a bear-bell. Get it? Wear him on your backpack to scare away real bears.What big bear wouldn't be intimidated by that jingly thing?

And again, in case you were skimming and you saw Paulashawn and thought she/he  they/them  her/sir  won, you need to pay more attention. This week's winner is #4 Jazznjenna. What? Can't you read that? Sheesh guys, you really have some ADHD or something. It's  

#4 JazznJenna!

JazznJenna really deserves to win because she lives the farthest away from Montana. I will also package up some fresh air to send to you. 

Thanks everyone for commenting and sharing the love. Montana really is God's country, aint it?

The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful

Today, I want to pause and give tribute to something I love: the state of Montana. It's a place that once you've been introduced to it's beauty and simplistic lifestyle, it makes an impression on your soul that never leaves.

Admittedly, the most-loved thing about Montana is the great-out-of-doors. I live within an hour of Glacier National Park, plus thousands and thousands of acres of wilderness areas are literately right out my back door, which means endless opportunities for outdoor fun. I certainly don't take advantage of this as much as I should. And definitely not as much as bigskyboys does. She should have her own wilderness reality show. But I love taking day-hikes and I especially love taking the kids to the lake in the summer. What lake, you ask? That depends: I have more than a handful I can pick from that are all within an hour's drive. Pretty dang amazing.

Other loved aspects of Montana: the small-town living. (That's my town in the pic. Can you see my house? It's the one there by all those trees. No, not that group of trees. The other group of trees.) I'm lucky enough to live in a close-knit community of about 2000 people. But even cooler (kinda) is that in the summer, our population more than doubles with tourists and folks who have summer homes here. It's cool because it means that our area has lots to offer since it's such a popular tourist destination. The un-cool is that it gets crowded and not all those tourists know how to drive. One great part of small town-town living is the low crime rate. Our police reports consist mainly of neighborly disputes about chickens crowing too much. We worry more about our children getting eaten by a bear than kidnapped by a stranger. (Don't worry about the bears though; I don't know that I've ever heard of anyone getting eaten down here in the valley.)

Our downtown is called the Village, if that gives you any idea how small it is. It's historic, rustic and charming and known for it's fine dining, great art galleries, and the Summer Playhouse. (Not as in a place for kids to play, but as in live theater.) We are culturally rich here. And speaking of rich, yes, you've got to have some dough if you want to hang out downtown. (Yes, I go down there and buy bronze sculptures for my private collection at least weekly.) But back to that thing about the Playhouse. In the summer, the shows are truly amazing--some of the best live theater you'll see off Broadway. And in the off-months, it's time for children's theater. Let me tell you, it's INCREDIBLE what those kids can do. It's a really unique and life altering experience for the kids that participate in their program.

Now hold on a second; before you start planning your move to Montana, there's a few things you should know. The bad ...

Montana has crappy weather. Sorry to say it so bluntly, but it does. We joke that we have two seasons: winter and road construction. And in my valley, we get lots of precipitation, which means that we don't see the sun all that often. (Except this winter has been uncommonly sunny. I bet the tanning salons are taking a hit this year.) The other sacrifice you have to make in Montana is that there definitely isn't as much to do here as there is in big cities. It's is especially hard on the teen population: you know, the group who has nothing but time and money on their hands. But since pot is legal-ish, I think the teens are doing just fine finding something to do with their time. (You're reading that with sarcasm, right?) And then there's the lack of shopping too. You can walk our entire mall in about three seconds.

But! Since we are done  being negative, I will not leave you with a sour note about Montana. Especially since I can never be sour about my home state. If I'm ever bored or sick of the weather, all I have to do is look out my window. I am continually in awe over the beauty of Montana. Each day there is something different to see, whether it be a buck in our yard or an amazing sunset. I particularly love old barns and farmhouses.

So what about you? Do you love where you live? Tell us about it. What are your hometown's best features? Worst? Is it a part of who you are or just a place to hang your hat? Is there somewhere else you'd rather live?

Leave me a comment and you could win an all-expense paid vacation to MT! I'm kidding. But be reassured the prize will be something made-in-Montana. 

(Note, none of those pictures are taken by me. I stole borrowed them from various tourist websites.)

A Sweet Winner

Heavy topic this week ... but guess what? Our positivity worked! It brought snow! It was only a couple inches, but it was snow. AND it also got cold, which is good because it means it won't rain on top of our snow.

I loved your comments; thanks for the hug JazznJenna. It was as good as a real hug, and not at all awkward, like hugs can sometimes be, especially if you are worried that your deodorant might not be holding out.

I especially loved Janice's line on jiggly arms. I will think of that every time my flab ricochets when I wave.

This week's prize will give you as many lumps of sugar as you would like:

Choxie Chocolates. Because if you are having a problem with negativity, eating chocolate always helps change your outlook. (No, these aren't leftover from Christmas. No, I haven't eaten half the package.)

This week's winner is: #1 Jessops! You've had a dry spell, but you've hung in there and commented every single week! (Thank you! You are wonderful!) I do hope you like chocolate. And I do hope that Steve doesn't like chocolate so you don't have to share.

See you all next week, and I promise not to make you think so much!

One Lump of Sugar Or Two?

If there is one thing I've learned about life, it's this: being negative is easy, and being positive is hard. Profound, I know.

Being positive is something I struggle with. It is so easy to notice little nuisances in just about everything, and the more we notice them, the harder it becomes to see the good. This happens with how we view people in the world around us. It happens with work and government and the weather and ... I could go on and on and on. On my good days, I am able to fake positivity in my interactions with others. But what people don't know is that in my head, I hear nothing but negative, negative, negative.

One of my great faults is that I'm a negative thinker. So my inner chatter sounds a lot like this: "I can never do this." "This will never end. Ever. I'm stuck doing ______ for the rest of my life." "What did I say that for? I'm an idiot." "What did I do that for? I am an idiot." "Why am I writing this? I am an idiot."  I think you get the drift. (Wow that is so 80's. I'm an OLD idiot.)

In order to overcome negative chatter, one must first recognize that the problem exists. So this is just like AA: I am declaring that I have a problem. I should feel better already! (Kinda feel awkward right now, how 'bout you?) Then the next step is to surround yourself with positivity. (That's why you guys are here!) And then the next, next step is to practice positivity. Allow me to demonstrate:

1. If, by chance, your children don't go out for any sports this winter because they want to ski, so you take the plunge and purchase season ski passes, and then for some strange reason it decides not to snow, instead of complaining about it, you should say, "I am saving so much money by not having to drive to the Mountain every weekend. AND how lucky that we get to spend so much more family time together in our crowded house with absolutely nothing to do. OK, bad example. I will try again. Even though we haven't gone skiing much, we have seen the sun this winter. Priceless!

2. If, also by chance, you haven't had much time to write, instead of kicking yourself for not meeting your goals, you can say "It is so nice to take a break from eating almonds."

3. If you happen to be having a huge acne breakout on your chin, instead of saying, "Ack, I look like such a geek," you can say, "I am so lucky to have acne. People might mistake me for a teenager."

(I couldn't use a picture from the web. DISGUSTING. Don't do an image search for acne. Don't do it. I said don't!)

So are you ready to practice? Tell me a few troublesome spots in your life, but instead of saying it with negativity, say it with positive power!

AND ... try this one on for size: if your name happens to be Martha Stewart, and you've just found out that your career is over, how do you put a positive spin on that one? Use your creativity and tell me how you would add sugar to that news. Here's what I would say, "Think of all the money I'll save not having to drive to the studio." Or, "It looks like I'll have some days where I don't have to comb my hair."

Kay, now you try!

I Believe We Have a Winner

Great predictions guys! I really, truly, hope that they come true for each of you.

Bigskyboys: I don't know how you do it. I'm so glad those days are behind me. I like my sleep too much! There's a lot of you bloggy friends who have wee-little ones. I'm so grateful that you take time to comment on my blog; I know your time is precious.

I would like to add another prediction. I predict that it WILL snow in 2012, and by that I mean during THIS winter, not the next. That might be my most unrealistic prediction yet. I probably wouldn't be complaining about the lack of snow if the kids didn't all have ski passes this year. (Murphy's Law)

This week's prize is something that will help you stay organized and productive all year. 

It's a Mom's Plan it Calendar, the Original Planning Calendar. (Because no one like an Imitation Planning Calendar.)

The winning comment this week is: no way, I can't believe this: it's #3, Seiperts! Why can't I believe it? Because today is her birthday! How lucky is that? Congrats Seiperts. I will be in touch.

And did you all see that Mitt's off to a great start? Woot woot!

Daydream Believer

Welcome back! I missed you guys. And welcome 2012. It's so nice to meet you, even though you will be the last year we ever know (or so they say).

Did y'all enjoy your holidays? I came up with a new word to describe my holidays. LAZETASTIC! One week, I was so extremely busy that I didn't even have time to comb my hair, and the very next week, I had days we didn't even have to leave the house, hence, I again didn't comb my hair. It was fantastic to be so lazy.

Here's what my hair looked like by the end of the holidays:
 

Anyone know of a good conditioner?

Are you guys excited for a new year? I am, because this is what is going to happen in 2012:
 
1. The Killers are going to release a new album. And it's going to rock. (No actual release date or word if they are actually recording, but I'm counting on them to give me music to write to. Come on Brandon, don't disappoint me!)

2. The Wilder Times series is going to make it on the Amazon Best Sellers list. How is this going to happen? Because of you, my friends! All my awesome friends will tell all their awesome friends to read my (awesome) books, and they tell their awesome friends, who tell their awesome friends ... and you get the picture. So thanks for helping me sell thousands of copies. You guys are great! (Hey, who all got e-readers for Christmas? I'm loving mine!)

 

 3. Also,  another writing-related prediction, I will publish two more books this year. ( But I have to write them first. Holy ambitious!)

(You know that's not my writing, because I would never use such a cliche. Nor would I use anything but a mechanical pencil. Or a computer.)

 4. I'm going to go on a vacation. A real vacation, where I actually leave the house (I'm fully aware that I'll have to comb my hair). Somewhere warm and sunny.

 

I may even take the family along. And if that's the case, this would be the picture I need to use:

(I can buy mouse ears and cover my hair if we go there, so it's a win win for everyone.) 

Of course, #4 is contingent upon #2 (not that #2, gross! The #2 on this list). But hey, no pressure. Don't feel like you have to go out and buy 10 copies of my books and hand them out on the street corner. I'll survive if I can't go on a vacation, especially since this is our last year on earth. 

#5. This guy is going to win the election.

So what are your predictions for 2012? And it's okay to be overly optimistic (#2 again), because what's the point in being awake if you can't daydream?