The Dillier's

I realize that Christmas was almost a week ago but I still wanted to blog about it. JP and I slept in and then opened presents. JP knew what over half his presents were but I did surprise him with a new wallet. I was surprised with a yoga mat and a weight ball. I am now ready to work out! (or at least look like I work out!?) We headed up to my parents house and opened gifts there. JP played rock band for awhile and then we headed off to Joe and Jen's. There we enjoyed a Christmas goose and duck. The duck was really good! The goose was good too. We then exchanged gifts there. After hanging out for awhile JP and I came home and packed for Vegas. We then headed back up to my parents house. It was kind of a crazy day but we were able to spend time with everyone.

Last night JP and I got to go to the Neil Diamond concert! I was VERY excited and well JP at least came and did not make too much fun. We went with my mom and dad. Originally my dad was going to go with his sister and her husband but they were out of town. JP and I were over at the ward helping with the neighborhood Christmas party and my phone rang. I was busy so I did not answer. Then JP's phone rang. It was my dad asking if we wanted to go to the concert. He had forgot he had 4 tickets but remembered I wanted to go. Of course I said Yes! (the committee won't notice I left early right!? Actually I do feel bad I left early.) JP and I left the party and headed out to the E center. We get there and no one is in the parking lot. Yeah, we will get a good spot. I ask JP if he was sure it was the E center and not the Energy Solutions Arena. He pulls out the tickets and it is at the Energy Solutions Arena. So we turn around and drive as fast as is safe downtown. Don't worry we got there before it started! It was a good concert. People were standing up dancing. Neil's first cd came out 35 years ago. If you are doing the math, yes I was not born yet. In fact I did not come along until almost ten years after that. There was this older lady with white hair on the very front row, and she was rocking out. It was fun to watch her! My first concert experience was Neil Diamond when I was about ten or eleven. We slept over night at the then Delta Center for the tickets. I remember I slept on a chase lounge. They now give out wrist bands so there is no more sleeping over, probably a good move as it is scary today than it was then! For those of you who did not make it to the concert you missed out. I had a smile on my face the whole time. I am not sure if it was because I was so excited to be there or because of all the older people rocking out. What ever it was I really had fun. JP of course would make comments here and there but he survived. I think he likes Neil Diamond he just doesn't want to admit it!

P.S. Jen mom I think I know where Joe got his dance moves from, Neil. I was laughing so hard because they dance exactly the same! JP informed me that Joe doesn't really like Neil Diamond, so maybe we should keep that to ourselves!

Growing up there were times I would say "I won't be like my mom." Like those of you who also have said this, you have probably came to the same realization I have. I am like my mom, and I like that. See my mom is a very loving, talkative, spunky person. She can hold her own when it comes to my brothers wrestling with her. Just be careful of the nails!! :) She loves Lilac bushes and passed that love to me. I recently found lilac scented laundry detergent!! One of the best days ever! (I know my life is sometimes pathetic but small things can make my month!) She can strike up a conversation with a complete stranger in line and by the time we check out she knows their whole history. She can talk her way in and out of almost anything. She LOVES coke and M&M's. Her basement is devoted to Coke paraphernalia. I find myself looking for coke bottles at the store for her. She even has a M&M Christmas tree that stays up all year round. She passed the coke love to me and I am hooked. I have changed to caffeine free though and have cut back significantly! I also don't have as many bottles, but my collection is growing. She is a great cook, one of the things I should have paid more attention too!? She makes the BEST rolls and popcorn balls around. When she makes her rolls it is an all day event! She loves sea food, as do I. YUMMY!!!!! She loves to travel. I would travel more if money allowed.

The other night JP and I went out and finished our Christmas shopping! YEAH!!!!! I think next year I am just going to give everyone cash because the stores are crazy and people are even crazier. If you want to get in the Christmas spirit DO NOT visit the mall or any store for that matter! My sister-in-law Jamie did all her shopping online and I think that is a fantastic idea. Anyways we were at Target and finally decided on things and head to checkout. Now I am like my mom in many ways and one of them is I will talk to people around me. Not all the time but I always talk to the checkers. We had a basket and so I put it on the counter and JP looks at me and asks if I am going to take the stuff out. I usually leave it in the basket, especially if it is not a lot. JP decides to be helpful and starts taking the stuff out of the basket. The girl starts checking us out and I make some comment to her about JP wanting to be helpful by taking the stuff out. The girl says hi and asks if I found everything and I say yes. She then says Thanks for talking to me. Too which I just smile and say I always talk to people, and the conversation continues. JP told her to not get offended by people not talking because it is the time of year and everyone is stressed out. As we leave I thank her and say Merry Christmas.
I never really thought about how many people must go through the check out line in one shift and how many of those are not nice. See if something rings up wrong, it is the checkers fault. If something does not have a tag, it is the checkers fault. If something could not be found, it is the checkers fault. I always laugh if something won't scan and say "It must be free today." The checker ALWAYS looks at me like I am serious and says no I just need to enter the bar code. Sometimes they laugh too but not often. Even though there have been times in my life where I have said I don't want to be like my mom, I am glad I am like my mom! Because if I wasn't like my mom, I would not have made that girl smile and have a better night.

Like most of you, my family has holiday traditions. One of them is to go to the Kurt Bestor concert. It has to be the Saturday matinee. The concert was this last Saturday, the 13. Jess and Shauntel were unable to attend as was Jeremy. We did think about you though and can't wait to see you Jess and Shauntel! (and can't wait to see Jeremy either!) Vegas has no idea what is coming! Anyways, like always the concert did not disappoint. We have been attending Kurt's concerts for about 13 years. Those who have dated and married into our family know we go every year. Thankfully we have all married people who enjoy it, or at least they pretend for our sake! After the concert we head over to Benihana for some food. Whitney had a dance this year so my mom and her left before dinner.

I love attending the Kurt Bestor concert. When I leave his concert I think "OK, Christmas can now come. I am ready." Not that Christmas wouldn't come if I wanted it but you understand. It helps get me in the mood and reminds me why we celebrate Christmas. Like most holidays Christmas has turned very commercial and people forget why we celebrate the holiday. It is not about the gifts we get but the gifts we give. It is about spending time with family. But most importantly, it is about remembering Christ and all that he has done for us. So remember to take time out from all the craziness and thank Heavenly Father for all your blessings. It doesn't take long and it will help you really feel the spirit of the season, and help you realize just how much you are blessed every day!

So you know how there are take your kid to work days, well Friday was take your wife to work day for JP. JP was sent to Vernal to fix some gas stations. I don't work on Fridays so he asked if I wanted to come along. Why not, I thought. So off we went. We left around 10 in the morning. We stopped in Duchesne on the way and then headed to Vernal. It was very uneventful! I did take the computer though and got to watch a movie. The battery died with less then five minutes left in the movie. Thankfully it was one I have seen MANY times so I was not too upset. I also picked up some magazines to read. We did not get home until around 10:30 that night. I now know what JP does everyday and I am not going to change careers anytime soon! On the way home we stopped in Duchesne again and we were there for 2 hours! What the crap! It was cold but I took a blanket and my coat, gloves, and scarf. I also took some food. I even had a nice nap during the two hour stop. So I guess I cannot complain too much because if I were home I would have had to clean the house.

I now work four days a week! I am very excited about this because I was getting really bored. Now I don't have as much free time but that means I spend less money. My house is not spic and span but it never has been, who am I fooling if I say it has!? I still love what I am doing. Of course there are the occasional patients who I schedule with the other hygienist next time but for the most part they are all nice and friendly. I even had one patient who was on six month recall and wanted to come in every three. I had to make sure I heard them correctly because no one does that. I LOVE people who LOVE and CARE about their teeth. Those are the best patients because they have very little calculus and are happy to be at the dentist. One patient asked me if I am in a competition with the dentist. I didn't understand what he meant. He then explained: When the dentist comes in and looks at the teeth, if he find calculus does he get points for that? I just laughed. Then after his exam he looked at me and said "The dentist said there were 3 things of stuff left." He then smiled and told me I did a good job. What I think is funny is the dentist is not looking for left over calculus, he is looking at the teeth for decay. Unless it is a big piece of calculus, I don't think most dentists would notice it. I am not being mean, they just focus on other things.

Yesterday at work we were doing the Holiday postcards we send out. Whenever someone had a chance we would help. I didn't have a patient and so I offered to take the postcards out to the mail box. I take them out to the blue box on the street and come back in. I then sit down and start with more postcards. As I am putting on the labels, the postcards look funny to me. I keep going and then in dawns on me. I turn around and look at some girls I work with and say "Do you want to hear something funny?" One of them says "Like funny ha ha or.." Me "No, like funny stupid. You know all the postcards I put in the mail box? They didn't have stamps on them." The two co-workers laugh as I laugh too, then I look at them and say "It really isn't funny." They were both glad it was me and not them! So I call the post office and tell them what happened and if I can get them back. They say no. We then make a sign and tape it to the mail box for the mail carrier to see. We leave the work number for them to call. They were suppose to pick up at 2 so I waited. I waited until 2:15 and there was no sign of them. I left and came home. By the way, I did not tell my dad what happened because I wanted to be 100% sure that we could not get them back. This morning I walk into the office and what is sitting on the front desk? The 200 postcards I put in the mail box! The post woman saw the note and put them in our box. But it doesn't end there. I answered the phone around 1:15 today and it was Kathy from the post office asking if we got our cards. I told her yes and thank you. She says it happens a lot. So see I am not the only one who has been not so smart!?! Thank you once again Kathy for helping me!!

JP joined the hundreds of other crazy people and went to Walmart on black Friday. He went with my brother Joseph. JP was worried as it would be very early and Joseph is like me, he is ornery without sleep! (Sorry Joseph but you know it is true) And Joseph had NO sleep as he went into Vanity to help his wife at midnight. The good thing is Joseph lives for the hunt. He went through the adds and picked out what he wanted. He then made a game plan and while he was planning JP came over and started looking through the adds. We (I should say I but it would be family thing) have been looking at video cameras. Joseph found a nice one at Walmart for a good price and JP was in. Now JP has no idea that there is a five, six or seven in the morning. Sometimes he does know there is a eight! So I was very sceptical if he would actually wake up at THREE in the morning to go shopping. But he did. The good thing is they were in and out in now time. The bad thing is he came home with a video camera, a Garmin and a Wii. In a matter of minutes he managed to spend more then I do on clothes in a year! If he goes next year I am sending him with more supervision. Joseph called me later that day and said "Don't get mad at me." See the thing is I was thinking about getting a Wii for Christmas. The problem is I opened my mouth and told Joseph. So as they are at Walmart JP finds a Wii and says "My wife would be so mad if I came home with a Wii." To which Joseph replied "Actually she was thinking about getting you one for Christmas." Oh well now JP has bought himself the gift and I am off the hook. Right!? I know that is not how it works. I did hide the Wii though while JP was out of town because it is a Christmas gift after all. JP of course was not the most excited about this but I am sure he is going to look for it soon!

(While I finished writing this JP came up and asked me if I was really thinking about getting him the Wii because if I was he would like to get payed for it, otherwise it has to be returned. See he spent too much money and now doesn't have any. Here is one of the problems with doing finances separate.)