Christmas Wish List

I saw a Christmas wish list on my sister's blog and thought, hey, maybe I should start keeping a list since I can never figure out what I want when it comes close. I know this is early. We haven't even figured out who is giving to whom, yet. Hope this doesn't make me look too materialistic or gift-obsessed. Anyway.

So I started brainstorming. Scraping the bottom of the idea barrel... I mean, come on... whitening strips and lightbulbs? Well, folks, it is amazing how the struggle to think of 2 items can quickly turn into a huge list of things you didn't even really realize you needed! :) I've survived fine this long without these items, so I'm sure none of them is going to make or break my health and happiness, but for what it is worth. This is my wish list!:

• Extremely comfortable (meaning, pretty firm) new mattress!
• stacking bamboo steamer (the round, flat tray kind) Addendum: I decided I don't need these since I discovered my rice cooker has a pretty good steamer tray attachment!
  

• dehydrator (quality kind that heats from the side, not from the top to bottom- so all dry evenly)
  
• Cetaphil face lotion Addendum: I decided I don't need these right now because I am trying out Clean & Clear
• Crest whitening strips
• brighter lightbulb in the lamp by the chair-- or a better lamp!
• attractive toy chest (that kinda matches our decor- like a dark wicker or wood) for keeping Gwen's loot in the living room more attractively sequestered away when she is not running around. Something cute and classy like this (no names monogrammed or boy/girl stuff, please-- needs to fit all future children just as well. Plus, I'd love for it to match the room)
  

• wet/dry swiffer for the kitchen
• a nice, flat-bottomed, sturdy plastic basket for under the bathroom sink that has a handle to put all the bathroom cleaning supplies in so I can carry the entire thing upstairs and downstairs without a hassle

• jeans/cords (I need pants very badly!)
• black, grey, or other dark solid color loose, comfortable, sort of flattering (if that is possible) winter exercise pants (imagine non-tapered yoga style- but not necessarily booty-tight!)

• nice fitting/flattering sweaters (no buttons or librarian styles) or long sleeved shirts (I like collars a lot)
• black, white, purple, green, etc long tank tops (modest up top- no need to be showin off... :) for wearing under other clothes (some with sleeves is fine, but make sure they are fitted)
• warm black church shoes- possibly boots, but no 4 inch heel. Need to be comfortable... but cute! Something classy but stylish, like this:
  

• gift cards to Joann's, Michael's, any shoe store, Target, Home Depot (for flowers, not hardware!) etc.
• silicone, 8-9 inch round cake pans (2 please)
• hair accessories: specifically, things that I can put in my hair on down days when I'd like to throw up my hair in a pony tail but not have it look too lazy. I have a great brown/orange/red already, but need something for purple, blue, turquoise, green, black, etc. I like the kind that are curved with two holes and you hold it in place with a decorative stick. Not like this, but I think this comb with all its stones and jewels is pretty. I like stuff like that or natural things with wood, real stones (not jeweled or fake looking), or shells. I'm all about texture, rather than color, actually.
  

• hanging flower planters (I like the pretty wrought iron ones with twiggy stuff already lining the inside so you don't see the dirt) for along the fence or from the railings of the carport for next spring

well, there you have it. and now that I've demonstrated my greedy, materialistic ways, I think I'll go read my scriptures or something more... wholesome?

2 Years!!!... and the Shoes that Started it ALL!

It is INCREDIBLE to think that Eric and I have been married for 2 years now! We celebrated our anniversary yesterday... and it doesn't seem that it has been a whole year since the last time we reminisced and walked down marriage memory lane! Wow, we've had some good times!
Since I did a 'top 10 things I love about Eric' post on his birthday, I think I'll just share a tiny tidbit of our story for those of you who may not already know it. I'd like to talk about the shoes that started it all.
Eric and I were "just friends" and REALLY that's all we were from August 2001 til April 2006! We were in the same ward, went on friendly dates, wrote each other consistently as we each served missions, came home and took an awesome class together, and continued to go on dates just to keep up with each other and have a good time together. But it was always clear in both of our minds that it was only friendship we were cultivating here. We dated other people, crushed on other people, and shared those details openly. Until I had a dilemma.
I had my first big crush since my mission. He was handsome, witty, and popular (apparently), and he was giving me mixed signals. Finally I came to the conclusion that he was struggling to make up his mind because we worked together (at the MTC)... and he only saw me in missionary attire... and couldn't disassociate me from Sister Missionaries who are definitely not "pursuable". So when he invited me to a party, I determined that I was going to look HOT so that he would get over his mental speed bump and decide I would make an awesome love interest in addition to friend and coworker. My roommate and I went to the mall and found the perfect outfit... complete with 4 inch black heels. These heels had a black strap that wrapped around the ankle and a slender band that went across the top of my foot. They were AWESOME and I felt GORGEOUS in them! Well, I'll leave out the details, but this guy made it clear that night that he wasn't interested. I was pretty frustrated. Afterall, I'd hoped that when he finally made up his mind, he would be deciding to date me, not discard me.
The next weekend was General Conference. (There's more story there about how Eric and I ended up going together, but I'll leave it for another post.) Suffice it to say, I talked his ear off on the way up to Salt Lake about this 'dufus' and how could he decide he wasn't interested when I looked THAT good? I think I planned to wear the shoes that day JUST so I could look really good walking around at General Conference just to spite him. Eric is a very good listener. So by the time we got to conference, I was already feeling very validated and supported. Since I was driving, I wore other shoes on the way up (4 inch strappy heels are tough) and stopped to change when we arrived. Of course I pointed out to Eric that these very strappy sandals were the ones I was wearing and asked "aren't they hot?" to which he could only reply "yeah, they are!"...
So the story goes from here that he looked at the shoes at my request... and then had to look again... and then couldn't stop looking the entire time we were out at Salt Lake. Somehow these sassy black sandals helped Eric to see me in a different light. I felt the change too... somehow indescribable, but flirtatious in a way we had never been before. The day was wonderful, and I knew something had changed. (I would only find out later the important role the shoes played in it all. :) He later told his roommates and described the shoes as "bikinis for feet" and determined he had to ask me out again when I WASN'T wearing the shoes just to see if the connection we had both felt was legit or whether it was just the shoes. Thus began our new adventure as our friendship was forever altered into something more! Turns out the shoes didn't work their magic on the person I originally wanted them to...but even better! They worked on the person I love more than anything in the world!