Ok Nancy, here's my list!

Someday: I'm going to go on a vacation with Donnie.

I usually: have a stash of chocolate or goodies.

I regret: that I didn't help my neighbor.

I love: my new Carrie Underwood cd.

I care: about living healthy (hey, chocolate is good for my sanity- I can indulge in moderation!)

I always: tell my kids I love them when they leave for school.

I am not: as young as I use to be.

I remember: the names of every guy I went out with.

I believe: that "prayer changes things".

I dance: with my daughter.

I sing: in the car, too!

I don't always: fix dinner.

I argue: because I know I'm right.

I write: out my grocery list.

I lose: my sunglasses all the time.

I wish: that I didn't get annoyed.

I listen: to dinner time conversation.

I don't understand: my son's soccer coach.

I can be found: reading while curled up in my electric throw.

I am scared: of my son driving later this year.

I need: my family to keep in touch with me better.

I forget: to shave in the winter.

I am happy: when everyone in my house is in a good mood.

Happy New Year!

First of all....thank you Nancy for the wonderful blog you have put together! I love how you design it! Pics are great. I don't know if blogs are supposed to be treated like letters to others, but that's what I do. I just wanted to write an update of how the Calder family is. I never have some big story to tell, just little ones. Here it is:

Me: Forgot to pay the electric bill last month; I still have a red mark on my face where I ran into the garage door the first of Dec.; was amazed to see a lady in Walmart today (why does everything happen in Walmart?) wearing a sweatshirt that said "Colorado Prisons" on the back (huh?!!); just finished reading "Return From Tomorrow" (fascinating!) and now reading "The Alchemist"; and Nancy...........you're right. I plan to see the movie. Anything with Channing Tatum is worth the $8.50, although James Franco would be better! Ha!

Kevin: Got a promotion at work! No more living on commission.

Derek: Broke up with his girlfriend; finally turned in Eagle Scout application six months after his project; is trying to get a job at the movie theatre; was mortified when he had to drive the mini-van to school.

Riley: Was handcuffed by the school police officer (it was for fun); has a LIFE size poster of some Packers player that covers one ENTIRE wall of his room; is performing in a skit at church next week.

Elizabeth: Has 14 tubes of lip gloss. I'm not joking. Enough said.

Zoe: Got a new leash. Now I need to convince someone around here to take her for a walk.

Happy New Year!!!!

Let it Snow!

The kids and Donnie had fun making a snowman this morning with our first snowfall of the season!

My first- and hopefully last- deer

I hit a deer last night about 10pm on my way to pick up Ben at the school after a play. I wasn't far from the house and I wasn't hurt. The airbag didn't even go off, but I freaked out anyway. It was scary! I can still hear the thud in my mind and see the deer flipping through the air and landing on its back in the road. It was a big deer- or so it seemed to me. I drove around it and pulled over onto a side road. Donnie came and we got Ben and when we drove nearby on our way back, a policeman was there directing traffic. The deer managed to get to the ditch, but not much else. You can see the deer fur wedged in the hood in the pictures. I'm so glad it wasn't as bad as it could've been.

Hello?

I wish someone was home with me today. They would have gotten a good laugh. I left the house earlier today to head to the grocery store. When I got out to the car I realized I didn't have my cell phone so I went back inside the house to get it. I thought it was in the kitchen but it wasn't. Then I looked in the living room, laundry room, upstairs etc. I finally decided to be smart and just call my cell phone from our home phone. I did and I obviously could hear my phone ringing. It sounded like it was laying on the counter beside me, but I didn't see it. I turned around in a circle to check the couch behind me and the stools to the left of me. I expected to look right down and see it. I started to walk around a little bit to see if my direction made the ringing louder or softer. The conclusion to this is so ridiculously obvious. I walked just to the right of me to look in the bathroom. It actually sounded to me like it was louder the closer I got to the wall!(?) It then occurred to me that it was coming from my purse that was slung over my shoulder. And to top it all...... I walked back out to the car only to find that I had left the car door open.

News Reel

Hey! This blog needs to be reactivated! Here is the latest, yet uneventful, update on the Calders.

Elizabeth: Is missing her two front teeth (she has saved EVERY tooth she has lost); is doing really good with her reading; wants to be a cat for Halloween; has a birthday party to go to tomorrow for a boy in her Primary class.

Riley: Is the only 7th grade percussionist who can play the drum set and so he joined the jazz band. He really likes it; is in the Deacon's quorum presidency; found an icicle in the backyard that was as wide and long as Kevin's arm; broke up with his girlfriend.

Derek: Helped bless the sacrament for the first time last Sunday; really likes his Biology class (which is unusual because he rarely likes any classes at school); is fanatical about his "restaurant" on his Facebook page; joined the ski/snowboard club at school.

Me: Took a chance and signed up to give flu vaccinations for the health department; bought the movie "The Proposal" ----sigh! ; about to paint my downstairs bathroom; has to play for the Primary Program this Sunday.

Kevin: Is up for a promotion at work--keep your fingers crossed; went to the store and came home with four packages of cookies, chips and dip, mussels, and ice cream cones; watches Bronco footage on the computer everyday.

And of course....Zoe. She got a haircut. That's big news to us. See ya!!!

Stowaway

About a week or two ago, Kevin and I decided to go out on a "date". We planned to go out to eat at Olive Garden. We took Derek's new jeep because the top was down and it was a nice evening. We got halfway down the street when all of a sudden Riley casually pops up from behind the jeep and says, "Hi!" It scared us to death! After the initial shock, we laughed hysterically. Apparently, he somehow wedged himself between the back seat and the back door of the jeep (where the spare tire usually is on the back of jeeps). He settled himself comfortably into the back seat- thoroughly proud of himself. He said later that he would have stayed hidden longer, but he was getting really uncomfortable. He was back there forever waiting for us to leave. We thought it was pretty funny so we kept him with us and took him to dinner. I think he enjoyed going out to eat with just us--no siblings around. Riley's antics always take us by surprise. One thing's for sure---there wasn't a trip to "inspiration point" that night! Ha!