Surprised!!!

Chuck, Tera, and Lani plotted together to throw me a surprise Birthday party earlier this week.  I was totally surprised, and so happy!  Three days before Christmas is not a convenient time to plan or attend a birthday party, so I was very appreciative of the effort that went into the party.  Lani was so nice to host the party at her house. 

Tera came up with an awesome game--Chereneardy!!  It's so fun--you all should try it.  It's a lot like Jeopardy, but instead of boring facts about miscellaneous stuff, it's all about ME!  We had two teams--wanna guess?  Yep, team Jacob and team Edward, and they took turns showing off all the fun facts that they knew about my life.  Chuck supplied Tera with some well-known and some little known facts about me, and the teams competed to see who knew me the best.

Team Jacob (Go team Jacob!! )

                                                And of course, Team Edward.

There was so much good food, and Lynae made me a beautiful cake.

 

 Lynae also took all these pictures (that's why she's not in any of them).  Since I was surprised, I didn't have my camera.  I didn't even have my purse, phone, or gum.  Chuck and I had just finished dinner (at Carrabba's of course), and Chuck told me I had to pick up a Cub Scout application from Ben, and when I walked up to their door, it swung open and everyone yelled "Surprise," and Chuck drove off to let me and the girls party.

They even gave me some really great gifts!

It was so fun to be surprised!  I felt so loved and so spoiled.  Sara took me out to lunch, Chuck took me out to dinner, and my good friends surrounded me for a fun party that night.  Tera and Lani are the best!!!  Chuck came up with the idea and got the ball rolling, but my girlfriends did all the work.  I really appreciate the effort that went into pulling off the party, and even all my friends who took time out of their busy Christmas preparations and celebrations to come and join the fun.  Thanks you guys!!!!

About a Four

About a four...that's what I said when Chuck asked me how excited I was (on a scale of 1 to10) to go to his work Christmas party.  I don't think it's very fun to try to make small talk with a lot of people that I don't know.  If there wasn't a free meal involved, I probably would've said a one.  I think Chuck felt bad that I wasn't more excited to go, so he decided to make it a really fun night for me.  How, you ask?  By dancing with me.  I LOVE dancing, but it is not Chuck's favorite thing, so we rarely do it.  But at his work Christmas party, Chuck danced up a storm with me, and we both had a blast. 

Also, we won a bunch of great prizes.  Chuck guessed the closest number of Hershey's Kisses, so we won the Christmas tree filled with kisses, along with a Waterford crystal vase.  We also walked away with gift cards to Red Robin, Subway, and Fry's.  Dinner was delicious, drinks were free (I got a lot of Shirley Temples--sprite with Cherry syrup), we were lucky winners, the DJ played every song I requested, and we had soooo much fun dancing.  Chuck's co-worker, Toby even got out on the dance floor with his wife, Kara, and we had so much fun dancing the night away. 

The night far exceeded my low expectations, and ended up being a 10 instead of a 4.  :)

Ward Christmas Party

Our ward Christmas Party 

When it was time for pictures with Santa, Charlie was nowhere to be seen.  I guess he's getting too big to sit on Santa's lap.  

The Primary kids did a really cute Nativity.

Carson was one of the three kings (on the right).

Cade sang "Christmas Bells" with some of his class.

Here's Cheyanna posing for a picture.  What a little diva, huh?  The ward Christmas party was great, and the nativity was a great reminder of the reason for the season. 

The Difference a Week Makes

Last Sunday, I was facing three tests, I felt really behind on Christmas prep, I was exhausted, stressed, and my house was a total disaster.  This Sunday, I am done with my first semester of grad school, Christmas shopping is all done, wrapping is almost done, the kids teachers all received their little gifts, treats got made for Chuck's co-workers, Cub Scout caroling went great, most of my house is clean, AND I got my grades back and I still have a 4.0 GPA!  Next semester, I am going to scale back a little bit on school and take 12 hours (4 classes instead of 5).  This way, I'll only be gone one night a week, which will be a lot less stressful on my family.  I won't finish until two years from now (Dec 2011), but hopefully the next two years will be productive busy instead of crisis mode stressful.  Anyway, thank goodness last week is over.  I laughed, I cried (and cried, and cried), but I survived!  Thank goodness one week can make all the difference in the world!

Family Pics

My friend, Amy Griner took these pix for us a few weeks ago. 

Charlie is 12, Carson is 10, Cade is 7, and Cheyanna is 5.

Temple pics

We stopped by the Mesa temple on Thanksgiving Day, and took some pictures.  I love the beauty and peace of the temple, and it is nice to take the kids there to feel that too.

Thanksgiving

The past two Thanksgivings we have been out of town, so it was nice to be home this year and be able to spend Thanksgiving with Chuck's parents.  I kind of wimped out on the cooking though, and we decided to go out to dinner for our Thanksgiving meal.  It was a lot less effort, but not quite the same as having a home cooked meal.  I did make a pumpkin cheesecake that turned out pretty good though.  :)

The day after Thanksgiving I got up early and was out the door by 4:20am to get some good deals.  There were lots of great deals to be had, and I got almost everything on my list.  That night, Chuck's mom (Jennie) cooked us a turkey dinner, so we did end up getting our home cooked Thanksgiving meal (and I didn't have to make it)! 

Saturday morning Chuck and I took Charlie to the temple to do baptisms for the dead.  It was the first time we had done temple work for family names, and the first time being in the temple with Charlie, so it was a really neat experience.

It was a great Thanksgiving weekend, and we thought a lot about how much we have to be thankful for.  We are so blessed in so many ways, and it is great to have a day to think about and appreciate all the good things the Lord has given us.

The Suns are Hot!

Chuck has always been a huge Phoenix Suns fan, so he is super excited that they are off to a really great start this year.  Right now they have the best record in the league!  Last Wednesday, Chuck and Carson went to the Grizzlies game, and they had a blast watching the Suns blow out the Grizzlies.  They got to be on the TV on Fox Sports Arizona halftime show, and after they game they got free Jack-in-the-box tacos.  Here's hoping the Suns can keep their winning record going.  GO SUNS!!!

Karaoke Night

Karaoke Night at Stacey's house was so much fun! Tera, Rebecca, and I sang our hearts out on, "Then he kissed me."

Love these fun girls: Jessica, Tera, and Autumn

Karaoke is so exhausting that Lani and I performed "Complicated" from the couch! :)

All the girls, sing!

Cherene's New Moon Review

OK, I am going to be presumptuous, and assume that someone out there cares about my opinion of the movie New Moon. First let me say that I LOVE the book Twilight, but I didn't love the book New Moon. I loved the Bella and Edward love story until he left her, and broke her heart, and sweet Jacob was there to pick up the pieces. That's right, I am team Jacob all the way (and I have been ever since reading New Moon). SO, about the movie: I thought it was a great movie. It was entertaining and was really true to the book. But, since I have issues with the storyline, those issues are still there with the movie. I love Jacob, and I wish Edward would've stayed away, and let Bella live a normal, happy (non-vampire) life, raising kids, and growing old like a normal girl should.

But back to the movie. Here are my gripes: Taylor Lautner is so good looking that Edward doesn't look so appealing anymore. After seeing Jacob running around shirtless the whole movie (not complaining), when Edward strips of his shirt at the end, it didn't have quite the effect I think it was supposed to. Edward is supposed to be chiseled, marble-like, statuesque, etc. But Rob is scrawny, hairy, and pale compared to Taylor. So I think Edward gets out-shined in the movie, and it's not supposed to be that way.

Things I liked: I love the way the movie shows Bella's heartbreak when Edward leaves. I cried (and cried), but it wasn't overdone. I also loved how we got some insight as to what Bella was thinking and experiencing through her e-mails to Alice. The books are from Bella's perspective, so you are in her head the whole time, but in the Twilight movie, you didn't quite know what she was thinking or feeling. So that was great.

Overall, I loved New Moon, and can't wait to see it again. I think I will always wish that Bella picked Jacob instead of Edward, but I know I'm in the minority. If only Edward wouldn't have called (when he thought Bella was dead)....oh well. I loved watching the movie with my Twilight friends. Us girls are going to get together to watch New Moon again when it comes to the dollar theater, and then you know we're going to have a New Moon party when it comes out on DVD. So, ladies, mark your calendars, and we'll see you then!

4.0

My hardest class is over! My Ethics professor had us stay for an extra hour of class time the whole semester, so now the class has ended a few weeks early. This was my class with four hour exams and the 16 page research paper. It was not fun, but now it's over--YAY!!! And the best part is that I got an A. So right now I have a 4.0 GPA at ASU. It's not going to last long, so I'm going to enjoy it (and brag about it) while I can. Here are some pictures that Cade took of me on the day I had to present my paper findings. My paper was on "Counseling Muslim Arab Americans."


As I start to gear up for finals, I'm SOOO glad I only have four classes left. The four hour class was a beast (didn't get home til 9:15, and the kids were all in bed--hated it!!!), but it's over. Thank goodness. And did I mention that I have a 4.0? :)

Cade and Cheyanna conversations

Cade: "Mom, you're the best Mom in the whole world!"
Cheyanna: "No, she's not."
Cade: "Yes, she is the best!"
Cheyanna: "No, my friend Jennifer's mom is. Jennifer can make any mess she wants and she doesn't have to clean it up, so her mom is the best."


Cheyanna: "Mom, I know why sometimes I don't say anything."
Cherene: "Because you're shy?"
Cheyanna: "No, because I just don't want to waste my talking."


Cheyanna: "Is Grace's Mom going to be home today?"
Cade: "Yeah, because she doesn't have a job--Grace's Dad will be at work because he has a job....Well, actually she does have a job, but not one where she leaves the house and gets paid. Her job is to take care of the kids."
Cherene: (so proud) "Yep--that's the most important job there is!"

Ain't Nothin Gonna Break My Stride

So I am finally in a groove with school. It took a while and was a huge adjustment, but I finally feel like I have it all under control. 4 hour ethics exam? Got an A. 16 page research paper? Handed it in yesterday. Upcoming test on a 700 page book? Yeah, I'm working on reading that one still. But I'm not stressed about it. Data Analysis concepts are getting super complicated and difficult, but hey, I can handle it. I have to keep reminding myself not to stress, but it is getting easier and easier not to. I know I said I would never take 15 credit hours again, but now I feel like I can totally handle it, especially since I'll have the hardest classes under my belt already. So I'm going to go for it. I have gotten into a good stride, and nothing is going to break it now.

Happy Halloween!

Pre-Halloween

We simplified this year, and carved one family pumpkin. All the kids helped scoop out the pumpkin guts, and Charlie did all the carving.


Cade made this cute spider at school on Friday.

Last weekend, I took Carson, Cade, and Cheyanna to a school Halloween Fright Fest.

Aha!

Right about the time I started school, I started going to a chiropractor for pain in my hip and knee when I went running. He said my joints were "sticky" and recommended that I take a supplement for joint support/health: Glucosamine Chondrointin Sulfate. I took the supplement for a couple of months, but recently discontinued it when I realized that irregular heart beats are a side effect of the supplement, and I had been having tons of irregular heart beats since starting the supplement. Sure enough, my irregular heart beats lessened tremendously when I stopped the Glucosamine, but guess what else changed too? That weird smell that I had been emanating (see "stress stinks post below")! Turns out, it wasn't stress making me smell strange, it was the Glucosamine!!! I am relieved to find the source of my problem, and so happy to have my "normal" smell back. :) Lesson learned: every medication (even vitamins and supplements) have their side effects. It's better to eat healthy and get all the nutrients you need from good food than to take a bunch of supplements. Now I just need to start eating healthier...

My Cutie Pies

Some MC friends

Last week I took some pictures of some of my Master of Counseling buddies for our student organization's bulletin board, so I thought I'd post them.

Above are (from l to r): Eve, Amy, Beth, Brittney, Jessica, Miriam, and Kevin

Jamie, Gene, Karen, Coles, and Sarah
I spend a lot of time with these guys, and they are all fantastic people. :)