vanish. dwindle. disappear.

Yep.

Those words perfectly describe what's happening to the year 2009; to the past decade, actually. Honestly, where does the time go?

Noteworthy stuff I've done in the past 10 years (not necessarily in chronological order):

*high school graduation (good riddance!)
*i acquired 3 more degrees (AAS, BS, MS)
*a guy who stole a kiss from me in college is now gay (no, it's really true)
*I WENT TO SCOTLAND!
*i lived in Alaska for an entire summer
*i've made friends with terrific people who have enriched my life in a thousand ways
*got chubby in grad school and lost the extra weight through hiking, biking, and softball
*i discovered the poet within
*one magical word: Disneyland
*i've acquired 3 sisters-in-law, 3 nephews and 1 niece
*oh yeah. i have a career!
*i've tried all sorts of foods outside my comfort zone. (this really is big for yours truly)
*i backpacked 20 miles round-trip while getting over strep. (yeah, i'm proud of that one)
*other really, really cool stuff (i did this list on the spot, okay?)

Looks like the past 10 years have been good for this ginabean, huh? It's true, over all. Sure, LOTS of pain was endured (it's called grad school). But mostly it's been a good run. Here's to the next 10, right? (And maybe, just MAYBE, a husband and children will be thrown in the mix before 2020!)

One more thing, though...one of my resolutions for 2009 was to try a handful of new foods--at least 10. I've accomplished the goal (which grew to a list of 18 things, most of which I really didn't want to try, due to bad past experiences, or just because I've been too chicken). Actually, I've only tried 17 of them; I have yet to try crab. See for yourself:

The List

So. This evening, the last day of 2009, I'm going to try it. A group of us are headed to Red Lobster (for the seafood lover in you! -except there isn't a seafood lover in me-) sooner than later, and I can check it off my list.

Don't worry, I'll let you know how it went, once it's come to pass...

long-time coming...

Do you know what? My Christmas break in Utah was fantastic. It was nothing shy of fabulous; the entire thing rocked. It rocked HARD!

I took what seems like hundreds of pictures on my brother's camera. (Because my old camera died, do you remember? And Goose let me borrow his camera until Christmas morning, all out of the goodness of his heart.) ANYWAY, I uploaded the pictures to my folks' computer and then gave Goose his camera back. Care to guess what I didn't do? I didn't take my external hard drive to the Promised Land, so my lovely pictures are stuck in BC, and not on my computer.

Isn't that disappointing? I'll have to update with those pictures when the sad situation has been remedied (next time I go to BC).

In the mean time, I'll tell you of the highlights...

*A birthday party for Brent
*Watching Sense & Sensibility with Janel, who had never seen it before
*Recreating childhood memories (drive-by lights)

*Baby Jane's adorable squeaks and squawks
*Marshall, hoping against hope, that it's Santa whenever he heard a knock at the door
*O-family Christmas Eve party!
*Chasing Jackson around the house a million times right after C.E. dinner,
making myself slightly sick in the process, but totally worth his shrieks of delight...
*Taking Ike for a simple walk with Amy, complicated by 2 little boys (Seth & Marshall)
*Waking Brent up for his first Christmas home in 2 years
*The Princess and the Frog

*Hand & Foot

*Giving and receiving gifts from the heart

*Spending QUALITY TIME with family!

*Watching Jane kick her little legs, one at a time, in quick succession, in her new jumper

*Marshall climbing Goose (like a mountain to be conquered), and then jumping off of Mt. Goose

*More, more, more memories!

Yeah, it was a good time. I love my family and the terrific time I always seem to have when I’m with them.

I took a few pix with my phone and my new camera (thanks, Santa!), so here are a few visuals, mm-kay?

On Christmas Eve Eve, Mom Brent & I drove around to see the lights.

Near my gramma's old place, there was a real-life gingerbread house aglow.

This picture does nothing to capture how bright and cool the house was!

Marshall's defeat of Mt. Goose resulted in his becoming Superman.

(Not gonna lie, I love this picture!)

Janie Bug in the outfit I gave her for Christmas...

I love my family! I'll do a (very) delayed post of the O-fam Christmas Eve party when I can get my hands on the pictures...

Oh yeah, and here' my new camera.

Nuttin' too fancy, but it meets my needs.

Plus, mine is the one in the bottom left corner (the teal-blue one!). I loves it...

can't stop smiling...

Yesterday I kept staring at my feet. This is why:

Aren't they cute? I got 'em for a steal of a deal too...
AND they're super comfy and warm.
Merry Christmas, self...

I had a gift exchange with some friends on Sunday. I think I can honestly say that I could have a completely wonderful Christmas without gifts, as long as I get to spend quality time with friends and FAMILY. For reals.

Having said that...when someone gives me a gift from the heart, all neatly wrapped in pretty paper, something comes over me and I am like unto a child: I love unwrapping gifts, and sometimes I feel like it's hard to curb the child within. Oi. Anyways, I got some fun stuff; my friends know me so very well. For example, Brookie gave me my very own slow cooker! I love the magic of slow cookers! I also got a couple of stellar gifties from Brooker. I cannot mention one of them (not yet!) because Brooker did the same thing but different for most of her friends, and they haven't received them yet. But I can show you the super awesome necklace she gave me. Behold:

I love it for so many reasons...
Firstly, blue and brown are my fave colors.
Then there's the whole "O" thing.
You know what that stands for...(my last name)

Another thing that makes me super smiley? I had dinner with Uncle Shawn and fam Sunday night. They are the coolest people ever, do you know? I'm so lucky to call them family! I over-ate for the first time in several months (I hate that feeling!) and had myself a heated debate with Shawn over Phantom of the Opera and Alvin & the Chipmunks (the new one, not the original). Heated. (I try so hard not to care, but I can't not...you know?) Anyhoo, my heart bleeds for the Phantom (especially Gerard Butler's Phantom; I pull for him every time, even if I can't justify it). Long story short: the uncle and I came to an agreement: I'll watch Alvin and he'll give Phantom a shot. (I still think I'm getting the raw end of the deal, but whatev...)

Are you ready for something random? This morning, my client earned some coloring-time, and she chose to color a picture of one Sheer Khan. Suddenly it struck me how dang cool tigers are. And now, the tiger is probably my favorite animal. Because how could you not love the orange fur with black stripes?! That's Sheer Awesomeness!

Coo-uhl!

And HEY! It's the week of Christmas, did you know? How awesome is that?! Also, it's my baby bruddah's golden birthday today (Happy Birfday, Brent!). After I finish posting this, I'm going to finish packing (quickly!), then head back to work. Then I get to meet my good friend Cookie (who I haven't seen in years!) for lunch! Then I'm going down to Zion shortly thereafter to enjoy the heck out of the rest of the week. HERE I COME, FAMILY!

stolen...

One of my Brooke roommates (I have 2 you know; that's a lot of Brookes!) posted the following gem on facebook in the wee small hours of the morning, so I stole it, in a sense. I've never done the "Elf Yourself" thingy before...and I'm kinda glad that Brooker chose a snowball fight rather than a dancing number. Just sayin'...

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

In this shot, we have Brookie, Lisa, Brooker, Kylee and Moi...We have fun when we're together, we do!

Speaking of fun we have together, on Monday for FHE the branch went Christmas shopping for some families in the area. My group consisted of Brookie, Brooker, Kylee and Ashley. (And me. But that's a given.) We had a stupendous time, if I say so myself...Brooker took some pictures to remember the night, because she's like that.

the crew: Ashley, me, Kylee, Brooker & Brookie

DOGPILE! theginabean, Brooker and Sara

I won't tell you about the completely innocent remark I made, but something that sounded much, much worse in that particular context (in the church, no less!). Oi...my life...

This guy was Christened "Rambo" by Megan
when she discovered his middle initial starts with an R...
All he's missing is the headband, right?

Is it just me, or is there a lot of attractive smashed into a small space?

Mad Hatters...
Brookie, Presidente, yours truly, Sara & Brooker
(and in the background, Ricky tricksed us by being in the picture without our knowledge)

The bumbum shot...
Brooker and I have the exact same pair of jeans.
One of us has more junk in her trunk than the other. Obviously.

On a totally unrelated note, do you know what I love? If you guessed Christmas music, you're right, but that's not what I was going to say. I'm really diggin' the Newsies soundtrack right now. Such a terrific movie, isn't it? And it's not even because the Newsies were dreamy in my youthful eyes (although they were. Especially that David!). It's a classic as far as I'm concerned, and I have been listening to the soundtrack in my spare time. What fun...

Know what else? I'll be in the land of my inheritance in a matter of days! For Christmastime! I will be headed southerly on Tuesday afternoon (on Brent's birthday!), and I'm rather looking forward to spending some more time with the fam. (O-fam Christmas party on Christmas Eve! All the live-long day!) -Apparently Dad's gotta work half-day on Christmas Eve, though. This puts a very bad taste in my mouth. -But the rest of the Christmas break tastes very, very delicious...

What else? Oh yeah...technically, I ought to be at work right now; it's 8:56am, afterall. But my first client no-showed, and the next 2 canceled. (As much as cancelations ain't great, I do appreciate knowing about 'em beforehand. No-shows make me do my silent scream.)

Looks like I'm out of stuff to talk about. Don't worry, though. I'll be back, you know I will.

the secret ingredient...

I love stuffing. Just regular old StoveTop stuffing. It makes me smile just thinking about it. Reminds me of Thanksgiving with my family, you know?

the stuffing...

My momma is a cute momma, and she sent me home from Thanksgiving with a package of StoveTop so I could make some to extend the joy and deliciousness that is Thanksgiving. Isn't she thoughtful?! I love that momma of mine!

Last week sometime, I was feeling awfully snacky. (Don't even ask the Brookes how snacky I was; it toed the line of ridiculous.) Anyway, I was feeling snacky and had a major hankering for StoveTop! So I followed the directions on the package (as easy as 1, 2, 3 really) and plunged a fork into the hot fluff and...

Let's just say it was less than satisfying...

Then I remembered: I'm no good at making stuffing. Somehow I forget this fact, and every time I crave stuffing and venture to make it myself, reality comes crashing around me when I take that first bite. Every. Time. It's disappointing, to say the least.

Don't worry, I called my mom then and there and I told her how amazing her stuffing is. I don't know if she believed me at first; she may have thought I was yanking her chain, because it's, like...stuffing. Easy to make. But she said, "Thanks," and acted all gracious and stuff, because that's what my mom is.

Anyway, I followed those directions...just like I do every time...just like Ma does. But I must've missed something. Every time! I think the secret ingredient is LOVE...

I'll probably always love Mom's StoveTop above anyone's; one day, I'll tell my grandchildren about the wonderful stuffing my mother used to make. It'll be nostalgic, and they (my grandchildren) may think I'm off my rocker, because it's only stuffing. Nobody will ever quite understand; do you get what I'm saying?

Me and Momma, Christmas 2008
Which reminds me: she makes the stuffing every Christmas too!

blame it on the circulation...

Drafty Digits

by Gina O.
frozen toes and fingers too
is what I deal with all year through.
even when it's warm outside
my circulation won't abide.
then winter comes and things get worse;
i keep some gloves inside my purse--
and wear them when i go outdoors
(the elements have declared war!)
i love my socks made out of wool...
they warm my soles, make my heart full.
yet still my digits feel so cold;
i'm suffering! it's getting old!
but i'll get by; i always do
with frozen toes and fingers too...

Can you tell what I've been dealing with all my life? I'm not complaining. Well, okay I am...but I'm doing it in a cute way, right? I mean, come on, I waxed poetic! I think Dr. Seuss himself would love what I came up with, right?!

Anyway...my office is a cold place. And it's not because my boss is a jerk and keeps the thermostat at arctic temperatures. No, the boss man is a great guy who likes to keep us all happy. And warm. But the thermostat seems to bypass my office or something because it feels like Alaska in there! (I've been to Alaska, so I know what I'm talking about.)

I purchased myself a space heater. I turn that puppy on, whip off my shoes, and nessle my tootsies right up next to it. That space heater has saved my toes from falling off on several occasions.

I love the space heater...

I love me some gloves and mittens too. I especially love what I politically-incorrectly call homeless people gloves. You know, the cut-off gloves, encircled by a mitten-flap?

Like so...

I only wish the homeless people gloves had holes in the thumbs too, so I would never have to remove said gloves whilst working. (Writing and typing with gloved thumbs slows me down too much, don't you know?)

And even though beanies don't solve the Drafty Digits directly, I do love that beanies are "in" right now. (And even if they weren't what would I care? I've always preferred comfort to fashion anyway.) I have myself a little box full of beanies. And I wear them all the live-long day.

My beanies keep my noggin warm...
(Hmm...I've never seen my nose from this angle before...)

Since I can't live my life in perfectly mild temperatures year-round, I'm surely glad that warmth is possible!

what did you do on YOUR lunch break?

Have you ever thought about getting your lip pierced?
Not even tempted...

Does a kiss make you feel better?
Like I'm gonna say "No." Yeah, kisses can be very uplifting...

Have you ever passed out on the bathroom floor?
The only time I ever almost-passed-out was when I was delivering Christmas goodies with my momma years ago; the house we were in was supremely warm, with a candle burning to try to cover up the smell of dog vomit. My mom saw me go all pale and faint-like and stuff, so we went outside to the cold, crisp winter air and things got better fast.

Do you start the water before you get in the shower or when you get in?
Before, for sure! There was this one time over Thanksgiving at my folks' place that I forgot to do that in the delirium of tiredness, and I feel quite confident that I'll never make that mistake again!

What did you do today?
I got out of bed at the last possible second, got ready for work, was stood-up by my first client (grumble, grumble!) and saw another couple of clients. Now I'm home for lunch. Want to know what else is on the agenda? Back to work for several hours, then off to the Temple for dinner with the branch, and initiatories. Are you jealous? It should be a good day...

Have you ever brushed your teeth while in the shower?
I tried it once and didn't really like the idea spitting where I stood.

Have you had more than 3 boyfriends/girlfriends at the same time?
Nope.

Have you ever thought about your death?
I've thought of deaths I'd like to avoid, so maybe in a roundabout way, I suppose. Obviously, the best way to go would be in my sleep when I'm somewhere in my late 70s, after a life of happiness.

What is your favorite sport?
To play, it's definitely softball. To watch (live) I rather enjoy baseball and football and I el-oh-vee-ee watching hockey. I like watching basketball too.

What color is your shower curtain?
White with large red, tan and brown polka-dots.

Have you ever had stitches?
Yes. Once when I was a wee lass, I cut open my bottom lip having a pillow fight with my brothers. And then this past June, the back of my right ring finger was sliced open; it kind of hurt.

Did you believe that boys/girls had cooties?
Nope. I knew that boys could be mean, but I never thought I'd be inflicted with cooties if we touched or anything; that idea was ludicrous to me. Plus, I think I had a crush on some boy or another from kindergarten on up...

Do you know how to use chop sticks?
Sure. Very poorly, though...

Lyrics stuck in your head?
"Don't Let the Bells End" by the Darkness is on iTunes right now, so those are the only lyrics I can even think of.

Do you like the Red Sox or Yankeess?
My brothers raised me to cheer for anybody but the Yankees.

What are you doing tomorrow?
Working and eating are surely on the agenda. Also, I think Brookie is in charge of making din-din. Aaaand I'm sure we'll be watching the Office and 30 Rock. -My weekend begins tomorrow at 5:00!

Who was the last person you couldn't take your eyes off of?
Tony Dinozzo from NCIS? I watched an episode with the Brookes last night. He's cute.

Have you ever given money to a homeless person?
No, but I've bought them dinner.

Have you ever run over an animal?
No. But a bird flew into my windshield once. It scared me too.

What is your favorite cereal?
Lately I don't really love cold cereal. I love me some oatmeal though, with some brown sugar, craisins, slivered almonds, and a tall glass of ice-cold milk.

Have you ever had an Oreo with peanut butter?
No. I don't really dig Oreos.

What are you doing right at this moment?
Seriously? I guess you might call it wasting time...

Where's your favorite place to be?
Anywhere with my family. Or else in the mountains with friends.

What's your favorite song?
That's like asking me which lung is my favorite; can't choose. My favorite Christmas song, though, is "Little Drummer Boy" by Josh Groban, played fairly loud.

Are you more of a coffee or alcohol drinker?
Neither.

Have you ever thrown shoes on a telephone wire?
No, and I never understood why anybody would do such a thing...

Have you ever been skinny dipping?
I was gonna go this one time, but it fell through. And I was so happy that it fell through.

Have you ever been arrested?
Nope.

Do you dream in black and white?
I'd love to say that I do, because it seems like dreaming in black and white (or sepia!) would be more endearing, don't you think? But I don't actually remember my dreams, so I don't know.

Do you talk in your sleep?
Not that I know of...

Do you snore?
Nope.

Are you a redneck?
Not in any way, shape or form.

Funniest thing you heard all day?
I was working with a client on the "th" sound; we were playing "Go Fish" to make it more interesting. I asked him "Do you have grandmother?" and he said, "No, but that was a good 'th' sound!" Hmm...I think maybe he's heard me say that one too many times...ha! This same kid, months ago, saw me drinking a Coke and he said, "Coke is a boy drink, Diet Coke is a girl drink." Clever little man! Bwa ha!

Have you ever gotten a mosquito bite on your face?
Nope.

What are you afraid of?
Grasshoppers and moths (yes, it's true). I'm also afraid of heights (that's more rational, right?) and failure.

funny bone...

I just hit my "funny bone" and it made me want to swear, not laugh. Every time I hit my "funny bone,"I get just as perturbed over its name as I do that I actually knocked it. BLAST, it smarts!

Also, I kind of hate plucking my eyebrows. It hurts. It hurts real bad.

It makes me do my silent scream...

Look what happened to where I live:

Winter came...

The roads are slicker than snot. (I feel quite confident that "slicker than snot" isn't a real phrase outside the O-household, but it sure paints a picture, doesn't it?) It's rather uncomfortable to push on your breaks without actually stopping or slowing down like you know you ought to be. Or--even scarier--when other cars think they're invincible so they throw caution to the wind and drive like the roads aren't covered in ice...so these cars come careening down the road at uncomfortable speeds and you pray that they don't hit you or someone you love.

But do you know what's great? (Honestly, great doesn't seem like a good enough adjective. Blissful is getting closer. Or "scrumtrulescent," perhaps. What's the best adjective you can think of?) Anyway...the (insert amazing adjective here) news: I'm! Done! Christmas! Shopping! I finished Saturday morning, and the feeling is truly liberating. Oh and guess what else? All the nifty gifties are also wrapped! I'm done! (Go ahead, congratulate me...)

Something else that's good: the First Presidency Christmas Devotional last night. GREAT STUFF. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love those men. And I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

is it just me...?

So...it's December. My calendar seems to be screaming it at me every morning.

I fully comprehend that December is the month that follows November. I've known that since, like, kindergarten. It happens every year. I just don't understand how November came to be. I swear, it feels like we should actually only be in July of 2003 or something. I'm not wrong am I? -And I swear, I'm not just saying this because of the frigid temperatures outside; temperatures that seem to plummit a few more degrees every single night. It's because...well...how does time move so fast?! There are only 21 shopping days until Christmas.

What the what?!

I'd be panic-stricken if I wasn't in a state of denial over what's left to do before I'm officially "ready" for the holiday. And I'd make myself a schedule of what needs to be done by when...if I knew it wouldn't induce very real panic. (Who said that avoidance isn't the answer?)

I really am more than half-done with my Christmas shopping. But...how did I let Thanksgiving come to pass without being a LOT closer to done? Because, blaudience, Black Friday ain't my thang, and shopping between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve...well, it makes me sick to think about. I don't even like to go to the grocery store to buy milk because of all those shoppers. It sucks the life out of this Ginabean, it does!

But, do you know? There are things that make me happy too. Little things, really. Such as:

The Christmas tree and Christmas decor!

It warms the soul, don't you think?

My fleece-lined woolen booties.

These bad boys keep my feet so warm that, occassionally, I have to remove the socks

and let my feet breathe/cool before putting them back on.

And then...there's my singles branch. I'm surrounded by amazing people, you know. They're funny and charming, and they totally care about one another.

Last night we had a service auction, to raise money to help out a few families in need this beautiful Christmas season. It was lovely. I tell you, my branch...they are not a stingy sort. If they are Ebenezer Scrooge, they are totally the Post-Christmas-Spirits-Ebenezer. So generous! I love these people! (Isn't Ebenezer a weird name? I've often wondered if old Mr. Dickens invented that name. Do you know?)

A little some'm some'm to get you in the Christmas spirit...
Because nothing can touch A Muppet Christmas Carol. Nothing.

Anyway...panic-stricken or not, I really am grateful for this season and for my life. I have the best family in the wide world (proof that God cares and that He loves me). And I have a knowledge that Jesus Christ was born so that I might have peace--both in this life and the next one too.

Happy Christmas, my people!