Shumway Christmas Reunion

We only got together with my dad's side once. On Sunday night. But it was so great. Here are some of the cousins we chilled with.


Then the turkey was done and Gina got a turkey shot. It's tradition.

Then, oh my gosh what? The turkey was pregnant!?It was a joke my mom and I decided to play. We got a cornish hen - they look like little baby turkeys. And we put the cornish hen in the turkey's tummy before we cooked the turkey. Then when we pulled the turkey out we acted surprised and confused because the turkey was pregnant. We got those shumways so good!

Chrissymas!

I called my mom vaness this entire trip. Didn't even think about it, it's just what I call her now?

Gramma loved her gifts! notice the slippers she is wearing. from me.

Dad loved the watch, which was totally unexpected. First gift we've given him that he hasn't returned.

Gina seemed to enjoy the purse that came with an umbrella. She'll have bad luck in 2009.

Thank you Gina for the bling

To conclude, it was a very Merry Christmas.

Gramma Quotes

When my Grandma Kellis first noticed my hair she said "Oh I love your hair short. When you had it all long and straight you looked like a witch. I didn't tell you then but now I can."

Discussing the Christmas meal preparations:
Hallie: How about banana cream pie?
Grandma, in a condescending tone: What is banana cream pie? I've never heard of banana cream pie!

In the car on the way home from the temple...
Grandma to mom: ...then we have to go to the fabric store to get white fabric for your temple dress
Hallie: Oh you mean for my wedding dress? Grandma, will you embroider my wedding dress?
Grandma, without hesitation: I will not
Hallie: But what if you do want to?
Grandma: If I ever wanted to make your wedding dress I would break my hands so I couldn't.

packing to the third power

So I packed and moved out of my homey townhome...sniff
now I am unpacking all that junk at my parents
then I am packing for AZ because I am spending a week there beginning tomorrow
then when I get back I'll be packing for NZ

I just looked up my school and my house on Google Earth! I will live on the skinniest part of New Zealand...which can only mean one thing...

THE BEACH IS CONVENIENTLY ACCESSIBLE!

and the school I will teach at looks amazing:
Pomaria School

and I have broadband in the home I will live in. So we'll keep in touch.

313 hours!
I just got shivers all over.

Frosty the Snowman

Niece and Neph Christmas Party

^ This is how the spontaneous dance party ended up. I said, "Hey I'm a christmas donkey! Everybody hop on let's go to bethlehem!" And they did.


The whole bunch. So cute. So loving. So sweet. Totally on the nice list.

Hey mom what's the difference between Gina and me?

Gina is "bossy"
you are "It's all about me"

so basically according to my mom we are both not very nice.

I'm probably not getting any presents this year.

Destroying Christmas...starting early this year

On Tue, Dec 9, 2008 at 2:24 PM, Vanessa (my mom) wrote [to all her kids]:

My Christmas List:

Ebelskiver Filled-Pancake Pan - Williams Sonoma
Narciso Rodriguez Perfume - I saw it on eBay and google
gift card to Quilt's Etc. in Sandy
Gloves - not too thick
Slippers
Mac eye shadow
Home Depot gift card
An HDTV...

On Tue, Dec 9, 2008 at 4:56 PM, Hallie [hit reply to all, forgetting to disclude her mom] wrote:
gina and I have the pancake pan taken care of...

On Tue, Dec 9, 2008 at 4:57 PM, Hallie wrote:
da#&it! MOM WE DIDN'T GET THE PAN AND WE AREN'T ANYMORE!

Murder Mystery

it was amazing! Until I made the bread pudding sauce with a cup of salt instead of a cup of sugar. Correct me if I'm wrong but that was possibly the worst thing you could ever experience.

for lunch I have a cream cheese and olive sandwich or a shredded cheddar cheese and pimento sandwich. totally weird I know but that is all I like right now.

9 hours of my Thanksgiving break consisted of

Australia - saw it twice

Twilight - mmhm

Math teacher: "I guess I'll see you all after the break"

Hallie: "No you won't!"

Math teacher: (startled) "I guess I won't see all of you after the break?"

Hallie: "because...I will be a turkey."

a few of my favorite things

the weather

a stuffed panda from one of my students. I named it "panama?"

the thanksgiving break that is going to take all my pain away

Walking into my apartment with 24 rolls of much needed toilet paper, seeing the faces of my roommates light up, then removing that joy by saying "HO HO HO! MERRY POOMAS!"

the classroom that I love

I am taking pictures of all the classrooms in my school and this is my favorite. Because you never know when a kid just really needs to go to the back a take a nap on the bunk bed. keehehe

I put the hal in halloween

sarah palin, front right


a geisha, back left

make words that have "ee" in them

so this one kid, to be funny, asked how to spell the names of the other people in his group and added "ee" to their names. It's amazing what kids will come up with to NOT do exactly what you want them to do. Can't blame him. I was the same way.

Something different because Katherine just said:

"I keep looking at your blog and realizing that it is the same old boring thing."

go see it

why are you reading this? go see it!

NOW!

k NOW!

no seriously it is worth dropping whatever you are doing!

go go Go Go GOOOO!

Oh sorry

what I was for Halloween

at the elementary school:
a cowgirl. because the kids and teachers were NOT allowed to dress up on halloween but every friday because their mascot is wranglers you can dress up as a wrangler. So I went all out y'all

at the stake party and other lame parties:
a geisha.

at the nov 1st after party:
sarah palin.

all these are lame because the first one wasn't really a costume and the parties weren't as cool for my second costume and sarah palin lost the election. She should run next time. And by that I mean the real one. Because I was so easily confused with her it wasn't even funny.

write something!

something.

So I taught for the first time this week. Nerve racking. Kids are great though. All my classes are postponed until December while I am at the elementary school. And guess what? I am 10 times happier because I am teaching actual kids. I'm not in class, stressing about fake things. I am doing what I want to do so I have a better perspective about life.

I sold my contract for winter semester because I am going to New Zealand on January 5th 2009.
I am down with some annoying sickness.
I cut my hair off. It's like above my shoulders a-line type thing. I like it.
My elementary school has a display of fake guns that look real in the library.
It also has stuffed deer heads and other wild mammals that are stuffed.
I am watching Peter Pan at my brother's house while babysitting because they are going to find out if Shell's baby is a boy or girl. I say boy? hm. They told me I would be the first to find out. other than the doctor and them.
I can't breathe out of my right nostril.

just found out...a third girl!