What the...

If anyone wonders what Cameron does on his days off, here's an example. You are looking at what you might call a home-made fire-ball shooter. You simply load the duct tape ball into the paper towel holder and pull the lighter trigger. The ball shoots out with a sizable flame behind it. Yes, he came up with this contraption on his own and was using it inside my house. And I'm sure my 3 year old now knows how to construct dangerous fire-arms. If you also want to learn how to make a ginormous water balloon launcher out of household goods, Cameron's your man.

More about me- hooray!

I've been tagged again- I use to be a bit opposed to these, but now I admit I think they're kinda fun. So here goes...

1. 10 years ago I was livin' it up at Utah State as a sophomore- taking a bunch of no name classes, driving my older, more mature roommates crazy with our (you know who you are) obnoxiousness and I was dating Darren... something.

2. My to do list includes: teach my son the alphabet, exercise and put together a stuttering presentation (I told my speech study group I'd do that 6 months ago- sorry!)

3. 5 places I have lived: Bountiful, Logan, San Ramon California, Provo, Portland Oregon

4. 5 jobs I have had: Ah, jobs. Since I've had 30+ jobs (no kidding) I'll highlight my 3 favorite jobs and my 2 least favorite jobs. Favorite jobs- Being a clinician at an intense stuttering clinic, nannying in California for 2 adorable boys and delivering pizzas. Least favorite jobs- Western Watts (telephone surveys) and office manager for a scandalous real estate agent.

5. If I had a Billion dollars: Well, paying off my house and buying a boat is obvious. I would also hire a maid and cook. Now for the philanthropist in me (ha ha) I would love to set up a scholarship fund at USU for Communicative Disorder students whose parents make too much money to qualify for a grant, but not enough to help out with tuition. And then I'd set up intense stuttering treatment clinics, free of charge, for adults who severely stutter. And since it's a billion dollars and what I've listed would barely make a dent, I'd buy something huge. Like...the summer Olympics. Yah, the summer Olympics. They'd be renamed the Shannon Olympics and it would be every-other-year instead of every 4 years. Oh yah, and I'd go on a twister tour. Okay, I don't think about money that much, do I?

6. Bad habits: Hmm I'd be here all night if I listed them all...cracking my knuckles, nagging my husband, surfing the net, yelling, french fries.

7. I love the rain- the smell, the sound, everything about it! (except when it floods my basement). There's nothing like listening to the rain fall when everything else is silent inside my house.

8. People may not know that I am a "realist" in every sense of the word. I don't think I'm either overly optimistic or pessimistic, just realistic. I can't lie and I can't act to save my life. I wear my emotions on my sleeve-if I'm in a bad mood, you'll know it. I only enjoy movies that can really happen-otherwise I'm just bored. That means fantasies are snoozers and I'm incapable of getting scared during scary movies unless it is a true story and just barely happened. I have a very poor imagination. I am a reality TV junky. Before reality TV happened, I didn't watch a whole lot of television. Now I can't get enough of So You Think You Can Dance, the Apprentice, the Bachelor, Wife Swap, etc.

I tag Amber and Elisha- um, I think I've already tagged or have been tagged by almost everyone else I know who has a blog.

Back in the Saddle

WOW. After being out-of-town for 5 days followed by 6 more days of being dreadfully sick, I feel completely out-of-touch with the world. But as of today, I'm back and ready to start living again.



Valentines day was a miserable one this year since this was the day that me and Cameron's sickness overlapped and we were both in bed. A couple shout-outs would be appropriate now since we were totally incapable of taking care of the kids that day. Thanks to Karen for taking Colby for half of the day and being so willing to help out, Julie for taking over Colby's preschool Valentine's party I was in charge of, and Katrina for taking Kara and Colby for the latter half of the day and bringing us Chicken noodle soup. Also to my mom for coming over Friday and cleaning my house which was the biggest disaster you've ever seen in your life. She also went grocery shopping (with Colby), made us dinner and played with the kids. What a huge help!



Even though he was sick, Cameron still managed to get me these gorgeous pink roses

and there's still stuff in the fridge that would have been a delicious Valentine's breakfast. It really is the thought that counts so thanks babe, I love you!

I guess I'm glad I got this nasty bug first so that now I can take care of everyone else. Cameron seems to be a little better today (thank goodness, he was starting to scare me yesterday) and now Colby has it. Now if only Kara can escape this, I'll be so proud- she's usually my little sickie.

Pics and details of our latest vacation are soon to come...

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a) rapid alterations between shivering when stricken with fever, than sweating buckets when the fever breaks.

b) body aches so bad that you burn even more calories from the inability to sit, stand or lay still

*Guaranteed to keep you in bed (or on the cold hard airport floor) and nowhere near the kitchen for at least 5 days!*

*In the few moments of weakness (when the fever breaks) you are sure to think twice about indulging in nourishment because of congestion so bad you can't see straight enough to find the refrigerator. And who cares if you could- you can't smell or taste a thing anyway!*

Act now and we'll throw in a free ab tightner. The ab tightner works simply by violently coughing and hacking over and over again until vomiting. Just watch your abs turn from flab to steel, right before your eyes!

Fine print: If unable to stick with this diet plan, the chances of gaining back all lost weight plus 10% is extremely likely. We are not responsible for erratic mood swings or disastrous houses. Childcare is not available during the course of the program.

A Man for All Seasons

President Gordon B. Hinckley, the prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints passed away last Sunday, January 27, 2008.

President Hinckley served as our prophet for almost 13 years. I will remember him by his efforts in temple expansion and his tireless dedication to this church. I will also greatly miss his unique sense of humor! You could always count on a good laugh every time he spoke.

His funeral was held yesterday at the Conference Center. It was fun to hear the memories spoken of by his family and general authorities he served with and to remember and celebrate what an exceptional man he was. It was also so neat to think about the reunion with his wife and the great example their marriage was to us.

I will always remember the time I was able to sing in the Bountiful Utah Temple Dedication while standing right behind President Hinckley (first counselor to President Hunter at the time), as well as the time he attended my ward's sacrament meeting on a fast Sunday and how I bore my testimony just so I could shake his hand on the way back to my seat.

President Hinckley had a charisma that made him such a likeable person and earned him the respect of so many people. He has done so much for this church and will always be remembered.

We will miss him tremendously!

I like Snow

I like snow because...

1. It's my maiden name

2. It's pretty

3. Sledding and skiing are fun

4. It makes me appreciate my garage

5. I love being in my warm bed while it blankets my house and yard

6. Moisture is good

7. (My favorite reason I like snow) The more it snows the more Cameron wants to get out of it which means I can usually talk him into a tropical vacation every winter.

Perfect Day for Sledding

I don't think I remember a day more perfect for sledding. We took along Colby and Kara's cousin Mia. It was warm out, there was blue sky and we had the whole sledding hill to ourselves. We also used our tube for the first time and holy cow, that thing sails!

Now that's some good hat hair