Oh heavens!

I've been gone for so long ... gone from the world of blog. And, I'm going to make an attempt to come back.



Lately, I've been too busy, tired, and busy. In 2011, I'm slowing donw. I don't want to feel so old. I don't want to feel so spent all the time. So, I'm slowing down.



I'm not sure, yet, how much I'll attempt to catch-up. But there are a few things that are important to note.



* I bought a camera! And I absolutely LOVE it!!! Well worth the frustration, inner turmoil, and research. I love this baby. Sony NEX-5. More to come on that (most likely).



* Christmas was great. It's been fun to be around family.



* I expect New Year's to be good.



* I'm going to focus much more on writing again and get my book finished.



* I enlisted Scotty and we redid the laundry room. That means: wallpaper removed, mildew removed, cracked ceiling fixed, "frosted lemon" paint up on walls, white trim almost done, and it looks good. My perfectionist streak in me is dissatisfied with parts of it, but it looks good.



* I got some awesome awesome shoes for Christmas. I love shoes, and I love these.



* I'm questioning Santa and how I want to handle his legend with our kids as they grow up. I know it's fun. But to what end? It's a battle I've been having with myself for a few weeks now. I'll have the battle with Marcus as soon as I figure it out myself.



* I have decided what makes Christmas magical is the feeling of "good will toward men" that everyone has during this time of year. I love it.



* I have also decided that New Year's is a perfect time for resolutions...because the light of Christ is so abundant during the Christmas season, it seems so appropriate that come the new year, people would want to improve themselves...isn't that what the Spirit prompts us to do? Improve ourselves to become more like the Savior? I've spent some time thinking about this.



* I know I said I'm slowing down, but this year I'm also focusing on writing. I want to keep up on our blog again. I like blogging. I just do. But I'm wondering if I should keep Lil' Samsquatch or merge them. I mean, why do I need 2 separate blogs? A lot of people do it. My initial reason for it seemed appropriate, but now I'm wondering what the purpose is. Hm. Any thoughts on this?



* In terms of writing, I'll be working on my book, continuing to be a regular contributor to Kidz, and have recently been asked to be a regular contributor to Mormon Women, a blog about Mormon Women, but geared towards those who are not members of the LDS faith. I'm really excited about it. I think it'll be good.

* I can't stop watching House Hunters and Property Virgins. I'm on another HGTV kick and I can't stop. Do you know that it's still a seller's market in Lubbock, Texas and you buy a super cute home with 4 bedrooms, living, room, nice backyard, good kitchen, walk-in closets for $155,000? Yes people. Those homes exist...just not in San Jose, CA. Of that, I can assure you.

* The woman who created the Thera-tog (the suit that Sammy wears) will be coming to San Jose and doing a week long training session with all the therapists at Samantha's CCS. Her physical therapist wants to try to get Sammy to be used as a demonstration with Bobbie Cusak! How cool would that be?

And, I think that's it for right now.