25% off coupon

this is super late notice, but for the next 5 days please enjoy this:

rock paper scissor lizard spock*

here are the rules:

scissors cut paper
paper covers rock
rock crushes lizard
lizard poisons spock
spock smashes scissors
scissors decapitates lizard
lizard eats paper
paper disproves spock
spock vaporizes rock
and as it always has...
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rock crushes scissors.

*compliments of sheldon on 'the big bang theory'

love story

right now brans is probably shivering in his mummybag in a tent somewhere in the mountains...
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i am not jealous even in the slightest.

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i only wish he were home, shivering in our big, cold house with me. its lonely, and super cold here all by myself.
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well, that's not entirely true... i've had quite a lot of company tonight. my bro t-ca$h picked me up from trax after work and stayed and hung out with me for an hour or so. stu came over and got a haircut. my mom called and asked if chinese sounded good for dinner - my response was "obviously... when does chinese not sound good for dinner?" and twenty minutes later the whole crew was here. grandma, mom, daddy, tay, bdawg, tan man, weasel, brindy and pie face came to have dinner with me. it was great!
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but it gets better: my aunt jan and cousins aubrey and eliza came over... i really wanted to perfect roll making, so i went to the best roll maker i know - aunt jan. we had a little 1-on-1 and thanks to a few tricks of the trade, i made delicious rolls! (i ate 4... ok 5. but i did save some for branson... well... we'll see what time he gets home tomorrow. wink)
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so my roll in thanksgiving this year seems a little less daunting - making rolls for your in-laws thanksgiving... only a little intimidating. because lets be honest, what would ruin your first thanksgiving with your in-laws than awful rolls? ok, well, no turkey/mashed potatoes or awful pies... my other assignment. pies and rolls.
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i'm not complaining - i love making pies. in fact, i love making pies so much, i may have stayed home for one too many physical science classes at byu to make pie instead... oops. well, i don't regret it.
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its just that, i really try to aim to please. and for the most part, i think i do alright. but that little perfectionist piece wants to sit down to thanksgiving dinner with everyone, say a prayer full of grace and then just sit and wait...

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oh, and i'll wait as long as it takes...

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"mmmm! who made these rolls? they are fantastic! toss me another..."
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music to my ears... i'm picturing the dinner scene in while you were sleeping when the mom says "these mashed potatoes are sooo creamy..." its that tone and type of reaction i'm dying to hear.
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so i'm practicing. and they are going to be perfect.
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truth be told, my pies do not need polishing. i've made enough pies to last a life time, other than the fact that you can never have too much pie. and soon, my rolls will be every bit as scrumptiously delicious as my pies.
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impressive in-law thanksgiving, here i come!

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but in the meantime, i'm missing my husband. in the 5 1/2 months we've been married, this is the first night he hasn't been here. *sniff* i'll be ok. i just miss him like c r a z y !
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hopefully he's warm - or as warm as you can be camping in the winter. seriously, whoever thought of that idea was crazy. i know, i know, the pioneers did it - without mummybags, mind you... and without coats and shoes. yeah well, not to belittle their sacrifice, because i truly am grateful for it. but i was born in the time of automatic heat. and fleece blankets. and down comforters. and space heaters. and fireplaces... for a reason. call my whimpy, but i like being warm. and sleeping on the ground in a bag of material when there's snow outside - i'm just not seeing the appeal.
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oh, i'll go camping. in july. camping is a summer activity.
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but i digress.
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i miss my brans-y wans-y...
lets pretend i didn't just call him that.

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i miss my wonderful companion. its times like this that i remember just exactly how much i love him and am so grateful that i was guided in my decisions that lead me to him. when i close my eyes i can see his face the first time we talked. his eyes lit up a little, and he came right over to where i was sitting on the ground. i can remember exactly how i felt the first time it was "just the two of us" hanging out. and all the times i waited and waited for that first kiss; and how his lips felt on mine when that moment finally happened. i can picture his smile when we said "i love you". how he held me so tight, i didn't think he would ever let go.
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i'm listening to taylor swift's song love story... the last chorus says:
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marry me, juliet, you'll never have to be alone
i love you and that's all i really know
i talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress
its a love story, baby, just say yes

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that's what i'm in - a love story. and taylor swift got it right - i'll never have to be alone... i love brans and that's all i really know (well, obviously i know other things too... like how to make a perfect pie, and soon to be award-winning rolls...) but i said yes and we are right at the heart of a beautiful love story. and i am could not be happier about it!
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so, my darling branson, wherever the freezing cold you are:
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i love you.
and i'm so glad you're mine.
come home safe.
i'll have warm rolls waiting for you...
just don't come home sick.
but if you do, i'll gladly take care of you.
i'll even make homemade chicken noodle soup,
with homemade noodles to go with said warm rolls.
and i'll keep you warm and nurse you back to full health.
why? you ask?
well, because, i am your princess.
and this is our fairy tale.
but most importantly, because i love you.
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so be safe. stay warm. and sleep well.
goodnight.
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i love you.
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love,
your little button

birthday phone call

on the way to work today, i received a phone call from a newly-turned two year old wesley.

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apparently this morning he kept saying "call shan! call reed (branson's middle name is reed)! call shan!" so kendyll called me and said "wesley really wanted to talk to you..." apparently he was really excited. i'm not sure if it was because its his birthday, or if he just really loves me... i'm going to say an equal amount of each.

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wesley proceeded to talk to me, ending the conversation with "i love you aunt shanna..."

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it was a lovely way to start out a gloomy wednesday morning.

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so happy birthday to wesley! and happy wednesday to me.

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how can you have a bad wednesday when your day starts with a 2 year old telling you he loves you?! right, you can't. more two year olds need to tell adults that they love them.

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and seriously, could wesley be any cuter? i submit that he cannot!

yes we can

i believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers and magistrates, in obeying, honoring and sustaining the law.

i also believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men. indeed, i may say that i follow the admonition of paul. i believe all things. i hope all things. i have endured many things and hope to be able to endure all things. if there is anything virtuous, lovely, of good report or praiseworthy, i seek after these things.

so many changes seemed to happen to our country overnight. i will admit, not everything turned out the way i had hoped, but several issues and elections went the way i believe was correct. however, as mentioned before, i believe in supporting and sustaining the law even , and because i live in america and have the freedom to do so, i gladly will honor those beliefs.

our country is drowning in a time of difficulty, a time of many changes, and a time where right and wrong most of the time aren't black and white. and now, more than ever is the time to stand unified, regardless of your opinion on health care, or taxes. we live in the united states of america. not the divided states of america. one nation, under God. and i am proud to be an american from those united states.

we stayed up late and followed the election results last night, eager to hear both mccain and obama give their speeches. i was impressed at the gracious and humble demeanor of john mccain. his chivalrous remarks were perfect. also, the hush and respect, almost reverence shown to him from grant park in chicago was moving. last night was a big night in our history - one that will grace history books and be taught and talked about for years to come.

president-elect barack obama gave a k i l l e r acceptance speech. it was brilliant. it pleased the democrats. it encouraged republicans. it pierced the hearts of young and old. who ever his writer is - they deserve a raise. we've known from the start that obama is a great orator, but whether or not he believes and acts on the things he says, well, only time will tell. but that speech - i was blown away. it was inspiring. i was encouraged. almost enlightened. seriously, one of the best speeches i think i've ever heard.

in this country, we rise and fall as one nation, as one people.
let's resist the temptation to fall back on
the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity
that has poisoned our politics for so long...
as lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours,
'we are not enemies, but friends.
though passion may have strained,
it must not break our bonds of affection'...

i was specifically impressed when obama uttered these words:

to those americans whose support i have yet to earn,

i may not have won your vote tonight, but i hear your voices.

i need your help. and i will be your president, too.

i know these speeches are full of promises only waiting to be broken, of words that end up meaningless. but i am hopeful that some will not. i hope that barack obama will do his best to make good on those wonderful things he said last night.

one of my favorite lines was this:

that's the true genius of america:
that america can change.
our union can be perfected.
what we've already achieved
gives us hope for
what we can and must acheive tomorrow.

i do not agree with many of obama's political opinions. but i do not think he's a bad guy. i hope - i sincerely hope that he is guided and inspired in his leadership of this country. i will pray for him. prayers and pleadings that he will be encouraged and enlightened to do what truly is best for this great country. because, i do agree with him that yes we can. we can change america, we can perfect our union. we can achieve what some see as the impossible. this is america. anything is possible. and yes we can. we can make a difference. we will see america change - sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. but we, together and individually, make that difference.

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yes we can.

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this is our time, obama said, to reclaim the american dream
and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that,
out of many, we are one;
that while we breathe, we hope.
and where we are met with cynicism and doubts
and those who tell us that we can't,
we will respond with that timeless creed
that sums up the spirit of a people:
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yes we can.

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i truly believe that we are blessed to live in this great nation. we are privileged to live in a place where we are free to express our opinions, whatever they may be. last night, america proved to the world and to itself, that anything really is possible. we live in the promised land. a blessed land that i have no doubt, God will watch over.

so even if obama wasn't my first choice, or my second for that matter, he is my president. he was elected by the majority of this country. and because of what i was taught in my youth, i will sustain him. for better or for worse. whether i agree with him or not. and i will pray for our country and our leaders. because i believe in being subject to presidents and honoring and sustaining the law. and as has been said and proven before, the great thing about america is that it can change. if we're unhappy, give it 4 years and we have a chance to change it again. yes we can. and we will.
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so let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other.

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and may God bless the united states of america.

because,

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yes He can.

i voted

today, i exercised my right to vote.

i voted for who i thought would be the least evil. ha.

i have to admit, i am not too pleased with either candidate.

i don't feel like either one represents me and what i believe in.

but nonetheless,

i voted.

and i'm proud to say that i voted. we have been given the right to express our opinion, to sway politics in one way or another. it is a privilege we have been divinely given, i think. people died so we could have the right to vote. and i would hate for them to have died in vain.

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last week, i was engaged in a conversation with someone who hadn't registered to vote in over a decade. he didn't feel like his vote really counted. and maybe he's right. maybe in the state of utah, one vote isn't going to sway the state one way or another, but i was kind of taken back... why would you not register to vote? the right to vote is one of the blessings of living in this great country. and yes, i still think its great in this time of economic downfall and plummeting stocks. i still think this country is great amid troops over seas and casualty reports. i still am proud to be an american even if it means our country is in a "recession" of sorts for the next decade. i am blessed to live in a free country, where i can cast my vote to make a difference, albeit small and possibly negligible at times.

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i am close to a woman who is so upset at the state of our country. so much so, that all she does is complain about how rotten it is, how awful it is here, and how nothing is ever going to get better. well, i disagree. i'll admit, times are getting tougher. but the prosperous united states of america, relatively speaking, is still prosperous. we are blessed with so many things, so many resources at our disposal. we have cars to drive us, with heaters to keep us warm during our commutes to heated buildings with nice chairs that we sit in all day. we have millions of choices of different foods to eat daily - we're not living on rice and beans. we are prosperous. but with that prosperity, comes responsibility.

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in this book i read frequently, with a lovely blue cover and a gold-lettered title, there is a recurring theme of a "pride cycle." the people are prosperous, but get prideful. and along with pride, comes greed. and because of that greed, they fall into a famine. the prosperity ceases and the prideful are humbled. once the people are truly humble, prosperity returns, and so forth. that is what our great nation is caught in - a pride cycle. and until there's a little humility, true prosperity cannot return.

but i digress.

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today, i voted.

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what an interesting time to be alive. what a blessing it is to be able to say that i voted. i voted! for better or for worse. tonight we'll find out what this country really thinks they want. 'mavericks' vs 'change'... i'm not convinced either is what we need. but i am convinced that things will get better. they may just get worse first.

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but either way, i can say that i was a part of the 2008 election.

i did my part as an american citizen.

i cast my ballot.

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i voted.

november

november... what a splendid month!

things i am looking forward to for the month of november:

our 5 month wedding anniversary - time has seriously flown by!

raking leaves with branson

parking in our garage and not having to scrape the windows

making pies

thanksgiving, of course

left over turkey to make turkey noodle soup

more pies

pie face's birthday

the byu vs utah game

the fall colors

sitting in fron of our fireplace(s) watching snow fall

decorating our house for the holidays

have i mentioned pie yet?

wearing sweaters

sending chad and austin christmas presents

taylor swift's new cd

buying a christmas tree

watching elf multiple times

exercising to look great for the holidays

(and hopefully not gaining it all back on thanksgiving)

hosting rachel's bridal shower with elizabeth

listening to christmas music

making christmas cards

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obviously my list could keep going, but november is one of my favorite months. it is the month focused on gratitude, and let me tell you, i am grateful. for so many things. my grateful list gets longer every day.

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and i am excited. this november is going to be a great one. i can feel it.