Ode to XANGO

After 8 awesome years at XANGO I am leaving. I found a new job with a company and I am excited for this change. It'll be a better pay that we need right now, and a change is always good, right?

I wasn't looking for a new job. I love XANGO. I love the people I work with. It has been a second home to me; a second family.

An opportunity came my way after much prayer and I am taking it. I know it was the answer I was seeking.

June 24th will be my last day at XANGO. Bitter-sweet day it will be.

Thank you for the memories, XANGO!

 

New smile

(warning...long post)

I was a thumb sucker as a kid. I came out of the womb sucking my thumb. My thumb and me were best buds.

Sucking my thumb was my comfort. It was my security. It protected me from bad dreams. It calmed my nerves.

However it had it's drawbacks - one of which was crooked teeth. My top teeth grew in around my thumb. If you looked at the roof of my mouth you'd see it.

Once I stopped (took me a long time) I had to find something else to calm my nerves...but that's a whole other blog post...

In Jr High it was standard in our house to get braces. However, I was a very shy kid. I was self conscious. My mom worried that braces would make me feel even more self conscious. So, we both decided against braces...for now.

I didn't think about it during high school, or college, until I turned 26 and realized I was no longer on my parents insurance...and no longer able to have braces covered. If I wanted them I'd have to save the money myself.

I worried still about having to have them on for a year or more. I was social and was dating. I didn't want braces, but I wanted straight teeth.

Comments about your crooked teeth are never fun to hear.

I remember when I was about 15 years old and seeing a family friend. She looked at me and Erin and said, "I can never tell you two apart! The only way I can is by looking at Shannon's teeth because Erin's are straight and Shannon's are crooked".

I'll never forget that comment.

I remember also a kid at Kiddie Kandids (where I had worked for so many years) was afraid to have me take his picture because "she has vampire teeth". HA!

Many more comments are hard to forget.

Fast forward to the past 8 years... I have been trying to figure out a way to get braces. I have HATED my smile. Hated. I know that's a strong word, but it's how I felt.

My dear, sweet, loving husband surprised me with a brand new piano one Christmas. I cried! When he told me it was either a new piano or braces I cried inside some more. While I LOVE my piano, the idea that I could have had braces was hard to swallow. Again, I love my piano! I would have probably chosen braces though if it was my choice. But, I'm thankful I have it, and now thankful for what has happened with my teeth without the expense of braces.

So...now to get to the good stuff...in February I went to the Dentist for a cleaning. I had only been to this Dentist once before for an emergency root canal. It was the best root canal ever!!! Seriously.

After they cleaned my teeth he came in to do a dental plan and talk about the work I needed. He then mentioned that he would like to do this thing called 'Dental bonding' on my front teeth (that's where the majority of the crookedness is). He explained that it would give the look as if I've had braces.

I sat up. "WHAT?!?! You can do that?!??!" I exclaimed!
"yes, I can. It's what I love to do. It's my baby." He responded.
"Oh my gosh, I'm going to cry!" I said.

I told him about my past and how I had wanted straight teeth for years and years, and how everyone of my siblings has straight, beautiful teeth except for me.

So, I went home and told Ryan and we talked about it. I didn't know if it was actually going to happen because of the expense of it (mind you it's significantly cheaper than braces and veneers, but still costs money). I kind of put it out of my mind.

Until one day he tells me I'm going to get my teeth done. I tried to fight it saying we didn't have the money. He kept coming back saying, "it's done. You're getting it done and that's final."

The appointment was set for yesterday, April 10th.

I was nervous. Excited, but nervous. I didn't think it would actually happen. In fact on the drive to the dentist I was convinced something bad was going to happen and it would prevent me from getting it done.

Well, nothing bad happened...thankfully. I walked into the office just before 2pm. They set out a few hours for the appointment since there was other work they were going to do as well. I sat in the chair, they gave me gas (the best!) and I put my headphones on and listened to Mindy Gledhill's "anchor" album.

An hour or so later I open my eyes to Ryan standing in the room talking with the Dentist. He was watching him go to work on my teeth. The dr. stepped away for a moment. I asked Ryan how they looked. He said, "different...but good". I turned on my phone and take a picture and see how they looked. I couldn't believe my eyes!!!

I HAD STRAIGHT TEETH!!!! A few tears were shed at that moment.

Finally at 5:30 I was done. He gave me a mirror to see my full smile. WOW!!!! What a difference it made!!!! I am THRILLED with the results!

Take a look!

 BEFORE

 DURING

BEFORE & AFTER...

 AFTER...

 HAPPY DAY!!!!!!!

March in pictures

 March in no particular order, because it's too hard to get them in order.

-Ryan's 39th Birthday Celebration. I made carrot cake from scratch (was yummy)

We Celebrated by going to Rodizio with Erin and Dave and Tara. At the end of the month we celebrated with them again by going to Tucano's. It pays to be on the birthday club, let me tell ya. Free meal? Yes please!

-St. Paddy's Day was full of Green and Irish. We celebrated with the Family by having Corned Beef and Cabbage. We were all decked out in green.

-My fabulous Mother-in-law, Jane, came into town and stayed for a few days. I loved having her there! We had great conversations and just had fun being together. We went to Cheesecake Factory one of those nights, hung out in Salt Lake one day buying RubySnap Cookies (the best). Love her! She even brought me a gift of her Mother's Vintage Pyrex bowls. Just missing the small blue bowl that is somewhere in her Dad's house. Love!

-My bestie Kristine had her birthday this month so we had a girls night and celebrated at Macaroni Grill. Love that girl! And I sure hope she gets to move back to Utah.

- For Easter I made Whole Wheat Crepes sweetened with Honey. We added Strawberries, bananas, whipped cream, and Nutella (optional). It was delish.

If you want a good read about Easter and Christ's Resurrection and Death. Read this. My Dad wrote it and I love it. It sure makes you think and have more gratitude for the Savior.

The Pink Glove

One day after Christmas I decided to go to Old Navy and see what things I could find on sale. I found a few things, and 2 pairs of cute/warm gloves. A black pair and a pink pair. I loved the pink pair - they were sassy, like me.

A week or so after I bought them we had a HUGE snow storm. We got dumped on here in Lehi. Perfect time to wear my cute pink gloves. I looked cute. I also wore my boots to work, which proved to be beneficial after walking to the car after work and finding the snow to be quite deep.

As I got to the parking lot and realized how deep the snow was I wanted to document it, and being the photographer that I am, I'm always ready to take pictures. So, I took one of my pink gloves off so I could get my phone out and snap some pictures of the snow.

 (for some reason blogger is uploading the picture turned on it's side...boo)

 Afterwards I got in the car and drove home. However, I couldn't find one of my cute pink gloves. I figured it was in my coat pocket but didn't want to check while driving. So I continued on. Surely I'd find it once I got home and out of the car.

I was wrong. My glove was no where to be found. Boo! I realized I must have dropped it in the parking lot when I took pictures.

The next day I scurried into work to find my glove. Sadly it was no where in the parking lot. Perhaps someone found it and turned it in to our lost and found. I checked. Nope.

I told my co-workers about it to see if they had seen it, but they hadn't. We all joked that perhaps the snow plows got it and shoveled it up with the snow. "I guess it'll be found once the snow melts", we all joked.  Each day as I came to work and saw the mounds of snow I had to remind myself that it would be found once it melted. 

It wasn't a huge loss if I didn't find it. I mean it didn't cost me an arm and a leg, but more like $2.00. However, it was a cute glove. It was a warm glove! My hands LOVED this pink glove. Sure, I still had my black pair of the same type, but the pink one was cuter.

For 2 months I had the other pair of that pink glove in the back seat of my car waiting for it's mate to come back. At times wondering if I should just toss it.

Fast forward to this morning...

Ryan took me to work, and decided to take a different route in the parking lot to drop me off. Usually he drops me off at the south door. But this morning he drove past the west door to get to the south door. Well, out of the blue he says, "hey a pink glove!" I glanced over where he was looking and there is was. MY PINK GLOVE sitting there on the grass waiting to be claimed. I jumped out of the car and grabbed it. I didn't care that it was dirty and looked totally ragged and worn. It was my pink glove and, just as I had hoped for, had been found after the snow melted.

I don't know that I would have found my glove had Ryan not drove past that west door. I had dropped it by the south door parking lot, but it had made it's way to the west side. So glad he did!

HALLELUJAH! HAPPY DAY!

(ugghhh! again, blogger won't post picture how is should be. Annoyed)

Pink gloves reunited...and it feels so good. :)

As of late...

-Ryan has school M-W evening and then another class Saturday mornings. He's doing a great job at his school work, and tests. He may not think he's smart...but I do.
-I spend said evenings alone with Max the dog. He keeps me company. We watch Downton Abby together. He likes it.
-I also go to Erin's house and hang out with her and baby Tara. Gosh, that little girl is getting so big!   Her and Kiana both.
-Erin and I workout sometimes together, sometimes alone.
-We are doing our no sugar/refined sugars thing again. It's going well.
-She and I sang for a Relief Society activity last Saturday. It was fun.
-Ryan turns 39 in a few days. I have big plans for his 40th.
-I have been trying new make-up techniques. I love it trying new things.
-I need my hair done...like really bad. The gray is taking over, and my long hair is getting crazy.
-To tame said crazy hair I have been trying new ways of styling it.
-I am itching for some warm weather.
-Work is good.
-Photography is slow right now.
-I'm working on my happiness and doing things that make me feel better. Taking time out for me.
-March is here. YAY!

I did a photo shoot with Tara and Kiana on Saturday. I like how these turned out.

Kiana and Tara with their mamas.

 They were done by the end. Ultimately we just wanted a picture of them in their blessing dresses. 

We got it. :)