My Last Thankful List of September!

I feel like it's been forever since my last post, but this past week at work pretty much took me out of all of normal life (more on that later). So here it is, the last "Thankful Thursday" list of September in all it's glory!

1) Fate and a Change of Flight! - So you all remember how I was so saddened about how I was going to miss Jaxon's first day of school???? Well, as luck, or fate would have it, I had to change my flight out to LA and the IHG Investors/Owners Conference, so I didn't have to leave until Monday morning. Which means, I was able to see Jaxon off Monday morning and see him before his first official day of Pre-K!!! I truly don't know who was more excited, him or me! Typical first day of fall here in Utah of course brought with it a horrific rain storm so we had to change-up and dress him in one of his warmer uniforms! I didn't mind all that much! He looked adorable and he couldn't wait to see his "Mssess. Millrer" again! And god bless these teachers and administrators for even trying to hold school in these circumstances. The new building is still not available, so they had to hold the first three days in pitched tents at the park next door. And the rest of the week they were able to secure the old school, move enough furniture back in, and that's where the kids will be until the end of next week. And Jaxon wouldn't know any different! Truly! He was oblivious! Chris said he loved every minute of every day! They even pulled off two field trips! Pretty impressive for a difficult first week! Kudos to his school!

2) Great Successes! I mentioned that work took me out of all normal life this past week. After 15 years with IHG, I attended my first ever annual Investors and Owners Conference in LA. Distribution Marketing had two large days planned, the usual trade show, but then my group had planned a one-day training workshop for about 60 hotels. This was held the day before the trade show. My team and I have been putting this together for the past three months and have put so many hours into this and had so much riding on it's success. We all arrived on Monday afternoon and began practicing that afternoon. We went all evening, again all day and evening Tuesday, and then Wednesday was our big day! It was a huge Smash! I was so thrilled with the outcome! We had all but 5 hotels show up and the participation and engagement was stellar! The feedback and reception from the hotels was more than we expected. It was awesome! The team was on a great high! We of course celebrated that night by taking the team to dinner at Roy's! Thursday was the trade show, and again, another HUGE success! So many hours of preparation and work paid off! We spoke to hundreds of hoteliers for about 10 hours non-stop and came away with far more success than we had expected! I don't remember being on my feet or walking as much as I did in that four days than I have in a very long time! And I am still recovering! But it was all worth it! And felt so awesome to see all of our work pay off in so many great ways!

3) Premiere Week!!!! Must See TV Week, National Stay Home Week, or just plain ol' best week of the year Week, however you want to label it, this is by far my favorite week of every year, and it absolutely was KILLING ME that I was in LA missing nearly ALL of it! THANK THE HEAVENS AND STARS above for DVR! I don't want to even relive the nightmarish days of VCR tapes and scheduled recording times, and having to be home to hit record, and only be able to "tape" ONE show at a time! Holy Hannah, how did we survive in such archaic times!

So, I could not be happier about having my DWTS back! But man, my Monday's are so full and complicated with that, Raising the Bar (TNT), and now the very BACK and HOT Heroes! Hello! So first seasonish! and Scary! Mr. Kring has got his groove back on! Mommie Dearest is a freak and someone has seriously got to do that girl in!

Biggest Loser Families...Love sitting on my couch watching those people losing weight! So inspiring! Oh wait, maybe I should put that one on the DVR in my work-out room! HA! And Law & Order, SVU! Hello! Love it! Luke Perry, what a rotten little man you turned out to be! Sick!

Americas Got Talent! I don't care how many of you think Hasselhoff is a freak, I agree, but the show rocks! And the finals were awesome! And I can't wait to see our sweet brothers from the Bronx win! BTW...back to DWTS since it was on three nights in a row, is anyone else bugged by Susan Lucci???? Is she always that weird???? Can we vote her off next? I love Maks!

Thursdays are my favorite day of the week with The Office...so stinking funny! Liposuction anyone? And poor Toby! Will that guy every get a break? And of course, Grey's Anatomy! HOTDREAMY! I could not be more happy about Uncle Sam, aka. LT. Hunt! Yeah, he was on NBC's Journeyman, but they cancelled that show, stupid suckers! But I guess we reap the benefits and I get see him live on in this role! Woo Hoo! Go Christina!

And next week there are more shows coming on...and well more to record through DVR! Oh my!

4) ER! This one gets it's own spot! I have watched this show for 14-years now. I can't say that I am thankful that this is it's last! I can't imagine not watching Thursday night ER! But I have absolutely loved this show! And as Chris is always saying, they are a part of my family because I have a difficult time separating fiction from reality! So to say the least, on the season opener and the death of Dr. Pratt, I nearly lost my mind! I have "HAD" to watch it three times now. Once in LA, once upon returning home with Chris and Cyd, and once with Abbie and Connor. All three times resulting in the same break-down! I don't think it's been that bad for me since Dr. Greene died of his brain tumor! Wow! Anyway, I am truly hoping the show's producers are not intending on putting me through this kind of emotional turmoil every show this last season! Nonetheless, I love it!

5) The Fall!!! This is my favorite time of year! And I am so excited it is finally here! I love the change in the air. The crispness in the air. I love the excitement in the air from the start of school. The changing of the color of leaves and the falling of those leaves! Halloween! Thanksgiving! All of it! This is the best time of the year! Hope you all are going to enjoy it as much as we are planning on to!

Thankful Thursday!!!

Today has been one of those days that starts out not so good, but then turns out not so bad! And I figure it's because I get to do my list of things that I'm thankful for and it always gets me out of whatever gloomy mood I may be in and reminds me of why I insist on doing this list in the first place! So here it is!

#1 - Being Together Forever - Today my baby sister and her awesome husband were sealed for Time and all Eternity in the Salt Lake Temple! It breaks my heart that I was unable to be there with them and my family on this very special day, but I couldn't be happier for them! It's their one year Anniversary today which makes this day all the more special! I love them both so much and I am so proud of them for this accomplishment! What a special blessing!

#2 - Support of great Friends/Neighbors - Once again we have had great neighbors and friends help us out this week with Jaxon while I have been here in Atlanta. Due to the start of his school being delayed because of flooding, we have been without daycare. And of course we had great friends come to our rescue again! Nothing is worse than worrying about your kids while you have to work, let alone worrying about them while you are out of town. So thank you Kym and Kathie! We owe you big time!

#3 - Team Work! - This past weekend the website for the government project that I have been heading up finally went live! I am so excited, but couldn't have done it without the help of the best technical team at IHG! These guys are miracle workers and I am so proud of all that have done and for all that they have tought me over the past year! They worked so hard and the end result is unbelievable! I can't thank them enough!

#4 - Recognition! - After unveiling the website to my boss, his boss, and another VP of our organization it was awesome to recieve some recognition for all the hard work put in on this project. When you poor your heart and soul into your job and all that you do, it always feels good when your employer and stakeholders recognize that. It feels good to receive those Kudos!

#5 - Reconnecting! - Every marriage has it's struggles and it's ups and downs, and mine is not immune. But lately Chris and I have really been focusing on working through those struggles and it's been nice reconnecting. I just want him to know I appreciate all that he does for me while I am away, and how much I love him and miss him! I'll be home soon! XOXO...me!

Midnight Sun...On Hold Indefinitely...It's A Bad Day!

This isn't exactly new news, but I have had many of you ask for an update on what has taken place with the "Midnight Sun" scandal! Unfortunately, someone that Stephenie Meyer trusted with a copy of the manuscript of the first 12 chapters of "Midnight Sun" leaked that copy and downloaded it to the Internet. There were several versions out with variations, so Stephenie is aware of who leaked the copy. But nonetheless, due to this, she has decided to put the finishing of the book, and release on hold indefinitely. This of course is heartbreaking news for those of us who have been waiting for Edward's Point of View to be released. I for won am devastated. I cannot blame Stephenie for feeling betrayed and for not wanting to finish this book, but I sincerely hope that she will have a change of heart. As much as I was waiting for the release of "Breaking Dawn", well I was that more excited about this book. To be inside of Edward's head for several hundred pages is more than I can stand to hope for! And that's just what I will keep doing!

If you do want to read the 12 Chapters that Stephenie posted, you can go to her website. The link is posted below!

OME!!!! I need thee!

Thankful Thursday!!!

My list this week is going to be all over the place because that's just how I'm feeling right tonight! It's been a really funky weird week! So much has been going on each day that it has felt like several weeks jammed into one week, but not necessarily in an overwhelming way. So I guess that's good! All in all, I have several things I'm feeling good about right now and thankful for, so here they are! Enjoy!

#1 - Good Politics! Man this election has been kicked into high gear this past week and a half since the announcement of Sarah Palin as the VP choice for Senator McCain's running mate! I have been so over the election for months now and the battle of of the democratic nomination between Senator Obama and Senator Clinton. And finally that was put to rest, and with this announcement we have ourselves some real excitement going on! It's been great fun listening to all the talk shows and news reports this week and of course both party's conventions the past two weeks! I know so many of us have different opinions and beliefs, but what I love about the circles we all run in is that we can all debate and still exist with one another. And it looks like we've got ourselves an exciting two months ahead of us!

#2 - Humor and Friends... Friends are like butt cheeks. Crap might separate them, But they always come back together. (I laughed my butt cheeks off when I read that one earlier this week! and I had to share it!)

#3 - Sleepovers! - I've had two sleepovers this week! The first was on Monday night with Mel and her Daughter Caitlin! We stayed up until almost 2 AM regardless of the fact that we all had to be up just a few hours later. We laughed all night long! I made my famous Parmesan popcorn and we had a total blast! The second was with my sweet Cydnee! Chris was in Seattle for a few nights on a business trip and so she and I had a sleepover together! We stayed up watching t.v. and laughing and eating ice cream! I love my little girl! In fact I love all three of these girls! And I couldn't be more thankful for these mid-week sleepovers!

#4 - My Brother and Sister-N-Law!!! - Because they JUST GET ME! I love you guys! Thanks for the talk and the laughs! I don't know what I would do without you two!

We Only Get What We Give!!!!!

Well I can't believe it's only Wednesday with all that has taken place in the past three days! So I thought I would take a minute and share a few exciting items here in the Cole household. Last week during Cydnee's Back-to-School posting I briefly mentioned that Jaxon was unable to begin his school as scheduled due to his new building being flooded over the Labor Day weekend. Well Monday the school held a school wide Picnic to celebrate the beginning of the new school year and the new school building. This gave all the children opportunity to wear their new school uniforms, meet their new teachers and classmates, and best part, it gave me the opportunity to experience a little piece of Jaxon's first day of school! I have been so upset over having to be in Los Angeles on his first day of school so this was just wonderful for both of us.

Jaxon was so excited that morning. Luckily we didn't have to wait long to go. And of course he looked absolutely handsome! He was over-the-moon being able to FINALLY wear his uniform and new school shoes and that I finally let him use his brand new Cars Lunch Bag! He of course was disappointed that he didn't get to take his Cars "Pack-Pack" yet!

Jaxon's teacher's name is Mrs. Miller and she's adorable! She's newly married and new to the school! His class has 12 little adorable girls and only 3 other boys! Jaxon will look back on this one day and realize just how lucky he had it!

They had all the grades sectioned off into different areas. The three Pre-K teachers had large blankets all set-up for their kids and were well prepared for some fun for the kids. They played parachutes, What's-that-Sound, and of course their favorite BUBBLES! They all lined up in a train and went to a large grassy area for a school wide meeting before lunch where the school's principal spoke. Afterwords we went back to our area for our picnic! It was great fun and I am so excited for Jaxon to start his program on the 22nd!

The other thing that I am very excited about is that I finally finished organizing and decorating my closet! Yes, my closet! I was shopping at Hobby Lobby and the lady at the check-out asked me if I was redecorating and I said, "why Yes I am! I am redecorating my bedroom closet!" She laughed and said that most people don't decorate a closet! I laughed and said, "Well, I'm not most people!" So here are some pictures of what I've done! I'm really excited! Only took me a year to get it done! Oh, and my favorite part, the dresser you will see is entirely dedicated to my jewelry and accessories! YES! You all know I love to accessorize! Ha Ha Ha!

Thankful Monday this Week...for LAST Week!

Yep, Late again, but I guess it was worth it. It's been one busy week and weekend for me so that's why I completely missed out on my Thankful Thursday last week! But I'm getting to it now. I had a great weekend, even though I've ended it with the beginnings of a terrible cold. Hopefully I will kick it before it gets much worse! So typical of this time of year and the change in the weather! And truly, I can't afford to get sick the next three weeks, so Vitamin C and I are going to be best friends! Anyway, back to the subject at hands, my thankful items/subjects of the week!

#1 - My New Luggage! Yippee! Now I know most of you are thinking what is so cool about that, and why I would be so thankful for luggage, but you must also if you are thinking that, than you must have also forgotten how much I have to travel! And Delta is NOT kind to luggage! They have destroyed my luggage and I desperately needed some new bags. This will be my third set in three years and I have FINALLY learned my lesson in economy and quality! My prior two sets have been Large, HEAVY, Light colored, easily soiled, and EXPENSIVE, and of course easily destroyed. This set, I got through my sis who works through OGIO and she got me the CUTEST set that is dark, Durable, Light, and the best part a fraction of the cost of my other sets! I'm sooooo excited! Thanks Hayley! I love your face!

#2 - Date Night! Yeah, Not what you all are thinking. This date night that I'm thankful for was with my Pookie! My little Jaxon! Friday night Chris had to work late, so Jaxon and I got all spiffied up and off to the movies we went. I let Jaxon pick the show so he picked "Star Wars, The Clone Wars!" We grabbed our treats and Popcorn, he held onto our tickets and off we went! I don't know what all the hype was all about. I thought it was a great show. And Jaxon was in a trance the entire time! We were both thoroughly entertained! It was an awesome date night!

#3 - Organization! This weekend was all about organization! On Saturday morning, Jaxon and I got up early, did our chores together and then we headed off to Target and IKEA for a long day of shopping and exploring for organizational ideas! By the end of the day I had purchased items to redo my closed and Cydnee's bedroom and her closet!!! This is a picture of the fabric boxes I am using in my closet. Well at least one type. There is a whole theme of course that goest along with it! And the green matches the sea grass green in my bathroom and bed room of course! Yippee!

#4 - Surprises! Cydnee had left for the weekend quite sad to be leaving to her dad's. So having decided to do up her room for her I worked most of the weekend on her room to make sure it was completed for her when she returned. We built her a new desk and chair. Added a new shelf for all her pictures. Divided her room with some cool Bright pink curtains. And I organized her closet. She was so excited when she came home and vowed that she would always keep it just as she found it!

#5 Feeling Accomplished! - I am butt tired from all this work this weekend, but I am so glad that I did all of it and I feel so accomplished for having completing it all in one weekend! Whew!