Deletions and Dreams

Okay, let me first say that I didn't PURPOSELY delete from my blog the list of blogs that I follow. But somehow they got deleted. And try as I might to get them back up there, I'm not succeeding. I don't know if it's my computer or my stupidity. I'm banking on the latter. In the meantime, don't be offended it your name doesn't appear for awhile. I'm working on it!

And now, onto another concern. Recurring dreams. Specifically my recurring dreams.

For many years I've had the same two dreams over and over again. The first involves me losing my teeth -- slowly, one by one, until I only have a couple left. I'm left with a feeling of complete hopelessness.

The second, and I have to say, this one disturbs me even more, is where I'm looking for a public washroom. The only ones I can seem to find are ones that are overflowing, disgustingly dirty, or they don't have a door on them. After searching for a suitable one with no luck, I opt for an out-of-the-way stall with no door thinking I can finish up before anyone sees me. I quickly find out that the stall I'm in is actually in some VERY public place and I find myself in a rather embarrassing situation with everyone watching me.

Now if these aren't disconcerting enough, I've recently added another dream to the repertoire. In these I'm just going about my regular activities when I "remember" that I have a dog (and in one case a baby) and that I had forgotten all about feeding them or taking care of them for two weeks -- it's always two weeks -- and I feel terrible that I could totally forget about being responsible for them.

I really would like to know why I keep having these same dreams over and over again. I asked The Mr. if he ever has recurring dreams. His reply: "Not really."

Is this a common thing?

Does anyone else experience this?

What do they mean?

Why do I keep having them?

I could really use a chat with Joseph (and his amazing technicolor dream coat) right about now.

Dixie

Shrek-cellent

Yesterday we celebrated "Family Day" here in Alberta. Sons 1A and 1B suggested that we attend an interactive screening of Shrek. I have never done anything like that before, but I LOVED it!

Since the guys had been to one of these events before, they came equipped with crowns, swords and kazoos. But for those of us who didn't, we could select something at the door to help get us in the mood. I chose a lovely purple tiara. When we entered the theatre we were handed a program of what we were expected to do once the movie started.

Once we took our seats we quickly folded paper airplanes and made confetti from the scrap paper they gave us. And then the fun began: Cheering for the good guys, booing and hissing the bad guys, making kissing noises in the romantic parts, singing along with the songs, and of course throwing confetti at the wedding.

It was so Junior High -- and SO MUCH FUN! You are actually expected to say and do the first thing that pops into your head. How could that not be fun?

Dixie

Easy to Draw, Hard to Spell

Has anyone out there ever lived in Saskatchewan? Can anyone spell it?

Many years ago The Mr. and I spent 11 years in Saskatchewan, living in 3 different cities. I suppose that was the pre-requisite we needed to get an invite to a "Saskatchewan or Bust" party by these two cool cats:

The party was tons of fun. We played "Jeopardy" with Saskatchewan-themed categories, ate food that reminded us of Saskatchewan, and reminisced and joked about people, places, tv shows, and catch-phrases that reminded us of Saskatchewan. Here are a few of the things that came up that made me smile:

1. Mount Black Strap -- a man-made mountain, turning an old garbage dump into a ski hill. You've gotta give them props for thinking outside the box.
2. Scramble Corner -- an intersection in downtown Saskatoon where all the traffic is stopped at the same time, and the pedestrians can "scramble" whichever direction they want.
3. The Great Sand Hills -- if you drive far enough down a gravelled country road, in the middle of nowhere, you will come upon humongous sand dunes that are perfect for sliding down on pieces of cardboard.
4. Population 1,000,000 -- In 1982 the locals were thrilled to discover their province had reached one million people. That number steadily decreased until just a few years ago when Saskatchewan once again reached a million people.
5. Vi-Co -- a brand of chocolate milk introduced in the 1950's. It became so popular that no one ever referred to it as "chocolate milk". It was always "Vi-Co".
6. "Size Small" -- a children's tv show produced in Saskatoon featuring "Miss Helen" and her two teenage/adult (?) children.
7. Saskatchewan sayings -- as if the locals were trying to defend any criticism pointed toward their province.

• "Saskatchewan's not THAT flat!"
• "Yeah, but it's a dry kind of cold."
• "It's easy to draw, but hard to spell"

Notice the saying on my friend's shirt?

The party has gotten me thinking about our years spent in that wonderful province. We met wonderful people who were hard-working, friendly and down-to-earth. We had wonderful experiences including going to Law School, serving in various leadership positions in our church, and the birth of our last four children. I was able to get to know many relatives with whom I would otherwise have probably lost contact had I not lived there. I'm so grateful for my time spent there.

So, for anyone who dares, feel free to take this short trivia quiz about Saskatchewan (answers located in the comments section).

1. Which of the following first names is NOT a town in Saskatchewan: Bruno, Denzil, Ebenezer, Gerald, Kendal, Robert, Scott?
2. Name two Saskatchewan towns that have the same name as a body part.
3. How many times has Queen Elizabeth visited Saskatchewan?
4. Where was our family living when the Queen visited our children's elementary school?
5. Which city has underground tunnels that were used by smugglers and gangsters in the late 1800's?

I'd love to hear about your favorite Saskatchewan moments.

Dixie

What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor?

A few days ago The Mr. woke up and was surprised to discover that the room was spinning around. After a few hours of dizziness and stumbling around the house, he asked me to drive him to the doctor. There he was informed that he had an inner ear condition affecting his balance.

The kind that can't be healed with medication.

The kind that lasts anywhere from a week to a month.

The kind where you have to be driven everywhere you want to go.

By the time we left the doctor's office, he was feeling worse than ever. The tests the doctor had performed on him had left him feeling dizzy, weak and nauseas. He could hardly stand up without tipping over, so I had to help him walk to the car. He was holding my hand trying to look casual, but his balance was so off, that he was kinda pulling on me and making me stagger as well. To the casual observer, I'm sure we appeared more like two drunken sailors.

Once home, I became his nursemaid helping him every time he needed to change locations in the house. I often would have to ask him where he was headed, because his head was facing one way, but his body was leaning the other. As we stumbled around the house hand in hand we started giggling realizing that this is probably how we're gonna be when we get elderly.

And that's when it dawned on me:

Those elderly couples who we see holding hands and we think, "Aren't they cute? Still in love after all these years." Well, love has nothing to do with it. They're just keeping each other from tipping over!"

They're still kinda cute though, right? And probably still in love.

With a Corn Cob Pipe and a Button Nose....

A few days ago I was pulling out of the parking lot at Superstore. I happened to notice a car two spots over with a snowman buckled in the front seat. It made me laugh right out loud.

"What kind of a funny person would even think of doing that? I love it!"

I thought it would be fun to take a picture of it, but just as I was pulling out my camera, another car pulled in between us, obstructing my view, so I never got the picture.

I never really gave it another thought until just this morning when I went visiting teaching. As my partner and I pulled into our friend's yard I saw the very same car - with the very same snowman - parked beside me.

I should have known. The car belongs to Daughter #3's good friend. Who else? That kid is a riot!

The Concert-Goer

Last night I went to a Jim Cuddy concert. The two tickets were a Christmas gift from The Mr. so I figured I better take him with me. ;)

As I was mulling over the thought of going to a concert -- especially one that we knew nothing about -- it made me smile. It seems to be a pattern for me. Let me preface this by first saying that I have rarely been to a concert in my life. As I reflected on this matter, I could only count five. But not one single one of them was attended because I loved their music and could hardly wait to see them in concert. They all had different reasons..........

TROOPER (1978 - Lethbridge - 16 years old) I had just broken up with my boyfriend and heard through the grapevine that he was already moving on and taking a date to this concert. So I did what any sensible girl would do..... I bought a ticket and went to a concert I didn't have any desire to see. I'm really not sure why I went. Maybe I was trying to prove that I had also moved on with my life and wasn't sitting at home pining over him. Or maybe I was secretly wanting to spy on him.

AIR SUPPLY (1981 - Lethbridge) I was getting ready for work one morning with the radio on. The deejay announced that the 10th caller would win two tickets to Air Supply's concert. I was right beside the phone so I gave it a try. I WON!! At this same time, The Mr. (who I was engaged to at the time) heard this on the radio in his car on his way to work. He was pretty excited seeing as that would be one more date idea. That wouldn't cost him a cent.

HAGOOD HARDY (circa 1989 - Kindersley, Sask.) As the newest member of the Arts Council (not to mention the poorest), I felt pressured to purchase tickets to at least one show during the year. We were a small town with a small budget, so the only name on the performers roster that sounded remotely familiar was Hagood Hardy. (Is anyone out there old enough to remember "The Homecoming"?)

FAITH HILL & TIM MCGRAW (2007 - Edmonton) My sister-in-law who lives six hours away was coming to Edmonton for this concert with a group of women. They had some extra tickets, and she wanted to know if I wanted to go. I didn't know any of Tim's songs and only one of Faith's, but the promise of spending a few hours with my fun sister-in-law sounded pretty good. So I plunked down big bucks for some performers I knew nothing about.

JIM CUDDY (2012 - Edmonton) We aren't what you call Jim Cuddy fans. (In fact I didn't even know what he looked like until last night.) I had heard his voice a couple of times on the radio, however, and commented that I thought he had a really cool-sounding voice. So The Mr. surprised me with the tickets for Christmas.

(As you can tell by the empty seats behind us, we got there a little early.)

Last night's concert was actually really enjoyable. We may have to do that sort of thing more often. Truthfully, though, I'm pretty sure I prefer to spend my ticket money on musical theatre. Now there's a whole other blog post!

Dixie

Goal Setting and Record Keeping

Tonight I attended our ward's Relief Society meeting at the church. The theme was "Project Life". One woman first spoke to us about goal setting -- evaluating, planning, acting, reporting, re-evaluating, etc. It was so motivational for me!

Even though it's a new year, and traditionally we all make New Year's resolutions, prior to this evening I hadn't really given it too much thought. I knew I wanted to dejunk my house and start eating healthy again, but I hadn't really looked past that. But now that I've made some progress in those areas, I feel like I can move on to other things. Things that will be a blessing in my life, and my family member's lives.

The next two women talked about their experiences in journalling and record-keeping (Project Life). The scrapbooks they have kept were fantastic! And even though I know that's not the way I will do it, I do want to make a better effort at keeping a record of my life. Again, I'm hoping that this record will be a blessing to our family.

One of the girls quoted from Bob Dylan: "If you want to keep your memories, you first have to live them." That statement really resonated with me -- I felt like it combined both ideas of goal setting and record keeping. I came away feeling blessed with great ideas and impressions. And I'm feeling empowered.

Here's to an amazing 2012!

Dixie

Made Me Smile

The past week in retrospect -- a few things that made me smile. In no particular order....

A few days earlier I saw a crew of safety-vested workman digging in the snow in this same spot and wondered what they were up to. It warmed my heart to think that our county council members thought it was important to have this fun little ice fort and slide for the kids.

Probably not a big deal to most people, but sometimes I have a hard time finding my favorite toothpaste, because all the newer, fancier versions have replaced it. So when I found this big stack of "Colgate Regular", I had to take a picture. And buy several boxes.

Hard to tell, but this is a picture of my dashboard displaying the outside temperature of 11 degrees Celcius (52 Fahrenheit). At 4:29 in the afternoon. In January. In Edmonton!!!

The bananas on the right were an average-sized bunch measuring 7 inches. The ones on the left were a whopping 13 inches!

With all my dejunking this past week, I was also able to get rid of two VERY HEAVY solid wood desks -- university study carrels, actually -- that we have been lugging around with us for the past 17 years. I was ecstatic when the Salvation Army said they would "gratefully accept" our donation. That ecstasy quickly faded when I realized that it would only be me and The Mr. trying to lift them into the back of our truck. (I'll be the first to admit I'm a weakling.) Imagine my delight when a VERY NICE man from our ward showed up at the door. I swallowed my pride and asked for his help. It was the best thing I've done in a long time.

I wish I had taken a picture of him to add to this "happy things" post.

But I do have a picture of a different guy who made me smile.....

The Mr. has been a great help to me this past week. After all these years, he's still my favorite guy in the world. And I think he kinda likes me, too.

Dixie

It's a Dirty Job, But Somebody's Got to Do it!

I've got the cleaning bug. And I've got it bad. No room is off limits!

• Dejunking my costume room Did I really need three rabbit costumes? Although having said that, Daughter #3 and her two friends did have fun with them a few Easters ago delivering treats to unsuspecting children at the park.
• Efficientizing (?) said costume room This idea of knowing where to find something when you need it is great! Hmmm......I wonder if other people know about this.
• Rearranging three bedrooms The new bedspreads, cushions and curtains I purchased months ago are finally getting put to use.
• Downsizing the CD collection Wow! I can see the top of my stereo now!
• Scouring a neglected shower stall Eeeewww! Enough said.
• Revamping my closet layout It's funny how a double-decker closet rod and more shoe shelving can bring such peace of mind. And a cleaner closet floor.
• Arranging food storage It will be nice to stop tripping over the Superstore green bins that had taken over the storage room floor now that the food is put away. Oh, and I can use my bins again instead of paying 5 cents each for bags.
• Cleaning up Christmas I've decided I really have some ugly Christmas decorations, but I'm having a tough time getting rid of them. I guess there's a fine line between "this is ugly" and "but it's a tradition".
• Organizing the storage room Just having the food storage and Christmas stuff put away is a big help, but there's still more to be done! If we haven't used certain camping gear in over 10 years, it should be okay to donate to goodwill, right? Now I just have to convince The Mr. of that.
• Hauling a boatload of stuff to the second-hand store Do other people love this as much as I do? It's so liberating!!

The house is not the only thing I've been dejunking. I'm also doing a liquid cleanse for my body. (Too much junk in there from the holidays.) Good thing I've been at home cleaning all week. I can't be too far away from a bathroom!

Nip, Tuck and a Murder

Everyone has Christmas traditions. Somewhere along the line our family picked up a strange one that has nothing to do with the holiday -- our annual Murder Mystery.

THE CAST:

Dr. Beau Tox

Cosmetic Surgeon

Dr. Den Chures Mae Kittbetter

Orthodontic Surgeon Nurse

Dr. Phil Sleepie

Cosmetic Surgeon

Dr. Fay Slift

Cosmetic Surgeon

Dr. Anna Lyst

Psychologist

Kim Plant Rich Zucker

Patient Patient

Staff and Patients of the Cuttendash Clinic

Note to Daughter #2: We missed you and your Mr. Handsomepants. And yes, those were balloons!

Dixie

The Resident Entertainer (Part 2)

For the past couple of weeks I've struggled with posting my thoughts, but since this blog has become my only form of journalling, I know I need to do it. I even WANT to do it, but not sure how to pay tribute to the most influential woman in my life -- my dear mother.

Seven months ago I posted about my mom, the resident entertainer. To me she always has been, and always will be an entertainer.

-- She had a knack for rearranging words and music, and always seemed to be working out the details for her latest variety show.

-- She always had a new joke to tell us. Half of the time she couldn't remember the punchline, but that was usually the funniest part of the joke.

-- She could chord to any song on the piano, and always had us kids and grandkids gather around to sing old-time favorites.

-- She had a never-ending supply of costumes and hats, which she loved to dress up in, hoping others would join her.

-- She had a natural gift to tell stories. As my sister once noted, "Mom, it's not WHAT you say, it's HOW you say it."

-- She could make the FUNNIEST faces. She didn't care how unflattering they made her look -- she was always willing to take one for the team.

-- She had an incredible assortment of musical instruments and loved to play them all, even joining a weekly jam session in her 80's.

-- She could make anything out of cardboard, and created many wonderful props to delight audiences.

-- She was a terrible cook. Okay, I know that doesn't really fit into the "entertainment" category, but because of her many culinary mishaps, she has provided me with tons of humorous stories to tells my friends over the years. Entertaining!

I love this woman! And I'll miss her terribly. As someone mentioned at her funeral, "She hasn't really died, she's just taken her show on the road."

Dixie

Lately

Just a quick list of some of the things that I've been enjoying lately:

*Meeting up with a few high school friends in Lethbridge for lunch and visiting. It was just like a great movie. We laughed, we cried....

*Running Showbiz Kids. I know I've said it before, but I love Tuesdays! And this year I'm lucky enough to get to do it on Wednesdays, too!

[Insert picture of 27 adorable children here.]

*Watching my grandchildren take part in their ward's Primary Presentation. So fun!

*Going for lunch at Cora's with a few women from my ward. When I told The Mr. how great it was he said, "You should do that more often." SWEET! This is one time when I will definitely be obedient to the counsel of my husband. (giggle)

[Insert picture of six incredibly gorgeous women here.]

*Finding a super deal on some costume hats for Showbiz Kids. Who doesn't love 75% off?

I'm hoping the fun keeps coming!

Dixie

Go Home! Go Home!

A while ago The Mr. and I went to a church social. A western-themed church social. (And let me just preface this by saying that The Mr. was so excited to have an excuse to wear his cowboy boots.) Anyway..... after the barbecued beef-on-a-bun and the steer roping demonstration, we were told to form a big circle for square dancing. This is the part I was especially looking forward to.

The professional square dance caller was especially good at his job, and quickly had us learning a few basic tricks. We knew who our partner was, who our corner was, who the side couple was, who the head couple was, and most importantly, where "home" position was. We could soon do-si-do, allemande left and promenade with the best of them.

We apparently surprised the caller with how quickly we had caught on, so he decided to teach us some more advanced steps. He warned us that things might get confusing, but comforted us with this great advice: "Remember where your home position is, because no matter how crazy and mixed up you get, you can always go 'home' until you get your bearings, and then you can start up again when you feel ready."

After a few minutes of success, our little group of eight started falling a little behind and getting tangled. We knew we were in trouble, until one of the ladies in our group yelled, "Go home! Go home!" We all promenaded back home and waited until we were ready to join in again.

I've been thinking about this and how true it really is. When life gets crazy and a little too hectic and confusing, it's so nice to be able to go home and regroup until we feel confident enough to take on life's challenges again. (Of course that only works if our homes are places of peace and happiness.)

Moving on to a different story, but with a related theme, I've noticed how my 86-year-old mother is also longing to go "home" as things here on earth are getting pretty tough for her. As her body weakens with age and leukemia, it's interesting to observe that the things she's concerned about, all have to do with going home to be with loved ones again.

I think I've always known it, but between square dancing and spending time with my mom, I'm realizing just how important home really is. I'm recommitting to placing more emphasis on both of these homes.

Dixie

Room 805

Last weekend The Mr. and I travelled to Banff to attend a Law Society Convention. The activities were being held in the historic Banff Springs Hotel. Several years earlier we stayed there on business, and were put up in a swanky room, which was quite a treat. Since we were paying for our own room this time, I knew it wouldn't be quite as luxurious as the last one, but still expected a fairly nice room. After all, this was The Banff Springs Hotel.

Upon our arrival, we were told they didn't have our reservation. After 20 minutes of waiting, we were finally told we could stay in Room 805. Apparently, in an effort to apologize for the inconvenience they had caused in losing our reservation, this was to be an "upgraded room with a spectacular view of the valley". How exciting! We could hardly believe our luck.

We took the elevator to the top floor and began to wind our way down the corridor towards Room 805. Something struck us as unusual, though, when we realized that the farther we went, the narrower and shorter the hallway became. At one point my claustrophobia started to kick in, and I began to wonder if I would make it.

"You can do this, Dixie. Just think of the end goal -- the upgraded room with the spectacular view."

Finally, at the very end of the hallway, we came to our room and opened the door with anticipation. And immediately began laughing. There it was -- Room 805 -- the tiniest little room we have ever stayed in! It was a triangular-shaped room with the corner cut off. As soon as we stepped into the room we were practically touching the bed. This picture was taken right in front of the door:

And if that wasn't funny enough, we noticed this little door cut right out of the wallpaper:

Here's what it looked like from farther away:

What's that all about?

I do have to say though, the room really did have a spectacular view ...... if you walked over to the very edge of the wall and looked out a small little window.

Dixie

Halloween Candy

True to my nature, it's 2:00 on the afternoon of Halloween, and I still haven't bought any candy yet. Every year I keep hoping that if I ignore Halloween long enough, it will go away. Doesn't look like this will be the year. I better go buy some candy.

I signed up to have the missionaries in for supper tonight seeing as how that was the only day on the calendar that they didn't have a supper invitation. I guess everyone else actually likes to celebrate on this day and had plans. (They're obviously not poor sports like me!)

The missionaries told me that they had to be back to their apartment for the night by 6:00. Apparently the mission president doesn't want them to be out on the streets on Halloween night. Aside from the obvious fact that it would be a tough night to go tracting, I suspect that rule was created so that the missionaries don't get blamed for any bad pranks. Or are the recipients of any.

I kind of feel sorry for them. I wished I had've gotten on the ball sooner to plan a spooky Halloween supper for them, complete with eyeballs, brains, and the like. I think when I go buy my candy, I'll get something extra special just for them. Maybe that will help to get them in the Halloween spirit.

Maybe it will help me, too.

Dixie

Mixed Up

I've decided there was a mix-up in Heaven. I really think I was supposed to have been born 20 years earlier. I would have loved being a teenager in the late 50's. Here's proof:

• I love wearing full, below-the-knee skirts.
• Oldies are so fun to sing along to.
• Jiving is my favorite kind of dancing.
• I would love to own my very own juke box.
• I've always been pretty good with a hula hoop.
• Some of the best toys were invented in the 50's. (Think slinky, silly putty, pez.)
• I've always wanted to wear my hair in a pony tail.
• I love chewing gum.
• I've always enjoyed doing the hokey pokey (after all, that's what it's all about).

With the exception of that last line, I'm quite serious about this. I really do wonder why I was held back for those 20 years? Any thoughts?

Dixie

Fourth Sunday

Today was our fourth Sunday family dinner. Everyone from The Mr.'s side of the family who lives in the area comes for a potluck dinner followed by games and visiting. I really enjoy these evenings -- especially the people we share them with:

• The 14-year-old who heads straight for the piano the minute he walks in the door, providing the background music for our evening.
• The sister and brother-in-law who always modify their recipes to provide a healthier alternative.
• The newlyweds who can't keep their hands off each other.
• The 20-something nephews who still give hugs goodbye.
• The various girlfriends of the 20-something nephews who have been good sports and joined right in with the games.
• The 15-year-old who sneaks away from the games to play on the computer and eat the left-over desert.
• The one-year-old who keeps us entertained with her funny antics.
• The niece (and mother of said one-year-old) who is so patient when it's definitely gotten past her baby's bedtime.
• The "occasional attenders" who we'd like to see a little more often. (You know who you are!)

I love these guys -- I feel so lucky to have married into such an awesome family!

Dixie

And It's Not Even Halloween Yet

Today I was scared half to death. Twice.

A month ago I received my driver's license renewal form in the mail telling me I had until my birthday to renew. Being the procrastinator that I am, I waited until the last possible moment to go to the Registry Office. After collecting my proof of identification, the clerk typed up my new paper license, and told me to look it over to make sure everything was correct. To my complete horror -- written in bold print under the word "age" -- it read "50". Whoa! That was the first time I saw it written. It was SCARY!

I was then directed to the room at the back where they told me I needed to have a new picture taken. (Apparently they frown upon pictures that are 10 years old.) After taking my picture, the clerk told me to come to the computer to take a look at it. EEK!! Seeing the two pictures side by side was more than frightening -- it was horrific! It was overly evident that my chin was saggier, my eyes looked baggier, and my hair was definitely more grey. SCARY!

The clerk tried to reassure me by saying that it wouldn't look "that bad" when it's printed in black and white. Hmph. She's probably only in her 30's. Probably 33.

Dixie

Salt Lake City

Last Thursday The Mr. and I got picked up at 5:30 in the morning to head to the airport. Our destination was Salt Lake City. Our travelling companions were these 2 cool couples:

All of our husbands serve in the church together, so they know each other well, but in truth, we women really didn't know each other very well. So that, coupled with the fact that The Mr. and I have never travelled with anyone but our family before, made me more than a little curious as to how the weekend would turn out. I didn't need to worry -- it was tons of fun!

The reason for our trip was to attend General Conference, but we were able to do a bunch of other fun things as well. Things I've always wanted to do before I die. Such as.....

1) Attending a session at the SLC temple.

2) Volunteering at the Humanitarian Center.

We packed 720 school kits in all -- or one full pallet.

3) Taking a carriage ride around downtown SLC.

and...

4) Eating atop the Joseph Smith Memorial Building

in the Garden Restaurant (sorry, no picture)

Some other things we did (although not necessarily on my bucket list) were:

Touring Welfare Square

Shaking hands with M. Russell Ballard

Running into missionaries from home at the Conference Center

Eating at some great restaurants

Watching the film at the Legacy Theatre

Shopping

Enjoying amazing breakfasts at our hotel

Riding the Trax

Seeing John Bytheway in person

Making new friends

On Saturday night the girls attended "Ladies Night" at Deseret Book across from Temple Square. Wow -- it was crazy! Wall to wall women hoping to get a good deal, a coveted door prize, an autograph from their favorite author, or -- in my case -- a free cookie.

This picture is taken outside the window of Deseret Book.

That's Hillary Weeks in the forefront signing CDs.

And as if this wasn't enough fun already, Daughter #3 caught a ride down to SLC and joined us for a day and a half. So good to see her again!

Our flight home on Monday was supposed to be the end of our fun, but we were able to stretch that out to one more day when our connecting flight took off before we got there. We enjoyed one extra night and supper in Denver at the airline's expense. We were even able to share that fun with a young fellow Canadian who lost her passport and was stranded in Denver overnight.

This was definitely one of my favorite trips to SLC -- we may have to do it again sometime!

Dixie

Shopping Made Easy

So, I don't want to make anyone jealous, but I've pretty much got my Christmas shopping all taken care. Okay, I don't exactly have the gifts purchased yet, but I've just discovered a little gem for one-stop shopping.

Since I forgot to bring along a book to read on the plane the other day, boredom forced me to read those magazines that were located in the seat pocket in front of me. And there it was -- the answer to my gift-giving woes. SkyMall.com. If you haven't had the chance to browse the magazine, please take advantage of the website. You'll be sure to find a gift for everyone on your Christmas gift list.

For example who couldn't use a stainless steel wallet?

Or a pair of Monet cowboy boots?

Everyone has to use toilet paper. How about making the whole experience a little more fun?

Do you have a budding hostess on your list? Why not give her this lovely "Bob" ice cube tray.

And here's a great idea for the pet lovers in your life.

Do you have a lazy person on your list? Here's the perfect holiday gift. This "pop-up" tree will have their house transformed in less than five minutes.

And finally, my personal favorite, this sun visor with built-in wig is sure to be a hit with the bald-headed man on your list.

So there you have it. Your shopping could be done in no time at all.

Oh, and if you happen to be on my Christmas list, just pretend you didn't see this and try to act surprised.

Dixie