I'm FAMOUS!

Ok, myabe not famous, but I am in a movie!!!  I think I have mentioned before on this blog on a list of experiences of my life that I was in a movie...granted I was an extra on a Church movie, but hey! Now I can say I was an actress for a day.  Back in 2005 or 2006 when the 2 oldest were little and we lived in Utah, somehow I got involved with the church film makers---I can't even remember how now.  Anyhow, I had to submit head shots of the members of my family and then they would send out email requests for you to be in the films they were producing.  Joseph and I were both asked to be in one of the Old Testament films.  They actually wanted him to be one of the main extras (one step up from just being a regular old extra like me...) because of his dark hair and skin.  He couldn't do it because they were shooting on a school day he couldn't miss and they would need him for multiple days.  So instead just I got to be in the film and famous for a day.....I got a baby-sitter and had to be at this parking lot at like 4:30am or something crazy like that.  If it hadn't been for a Church production, I would have never agreed to meet someone in a van in a dark parking lot at 4:30 am....so I quickly palled up with another BYU student who was a cute girl just doing it for the experience as well.  They had shuttle buses meeting at the lot all day picking up people for different shoots.  People from ALL OVER were coming to this thing.  When we arrived at the shoot, there were all kinds of crazies...you know the people "who think they are actors."  They had their portfolios of head shots (I had submitted cropped out heads of our latest family photo....) and movies they had been extras in.  That girl and I laughed all day at them!!! For us it was just a fun and spiritual experience to be a part of it all.  They took us through costumes, accessories,  make-up, the whole real deal.  We even had tents with food and chairs for resting.  It was hilarious!  But hey, when the Church does something, they do it right!  At the end of the day we weren't even sure if we actually going to be IN the movie, but it was still fun.  The sets were incredible, just like a scene out of the old testament....and NOW....finally...the movie is coming out!  The Church really does things in advance!!! Crazy!  I am still not sure if it is a seminary video or if it is for Sunday school, but it is available from LDS Distribution (AND I get a free one!) for $6.25.  I will be happy to autograph your copy for a nominal fee. I just checked the website and it is on the front page of ldscatalog.com--"Old Testament Visual Resource DVDs" 
They are shipping my copy to me this week!  So if you are watching it in Gospel Doctrine this year, check out the Idol Worship segment....when you see one of the main extra dudes rip his idol from his necklace and it falls to the ground.....I am the dirty looking chic(they literally covered all of my skin with makeup to make me darker)  off to his left.  Enjoy studying the Old Testament this year if you attend Gospel Doctrine!

I need someone smart

Ok there has got to be someone out there besides me that needs this....only problem is I am not smart enough to invent such a doohickie.  I NEED a GPS tracker for just about everything.  You know like on the movies when they hook up a tiny little bug on people and can follow them everywhere? Ok, I need a "bug" that hooks up to one device that locates commonly misplaced objects like my keys (I will take part of the blame, but usually my kids are playing with them somewhere), my camera (once again, Andrea is known for finding the camera and is the family photographer of such great objects like kitchen magnets, flash cards and herself), Andrea's shoes (there is a common theme going on here....), my children (ok so not commonly lost, but someday I would like to "bug" them),....I am sure I can think of more, but for now, those are top on my list for tonight.,...in search of my camera at the moment....

Feeling Sad....

It has been a rough couple of days for me...I am just emotionally drained and it has affected my ability to be able function and do all of the things Christmas and motherhood require of me.  I have such a hard time separating myself from the other people's stress.  Especially my close friends and family.  So when something catastophic happens, I too feel like I was hit by an {emotional} semi.  On the radio today I was listening to Christmas music on "The JOY FM."  It is a fabulous station.  They always give little tips on how to bring more joy into your life.  Ironically today's tip was "separate yourself from the stress of others.  Instead of focusing on their hardships, better yourself each day so that you can help them with their trials."  This is going to take some work.  So keep me in your prayers....and for those of you who know my brother, pray for him too.  He needs your prayers more than I do.   

Blue Christmas

Kiya has to be the sweetest child...We have been listening to Christmas carols and I didn't even think that any of them would grasp the concept of the song "Blue Christmas."  But today Kiya showed me a letter she wrote to Jesus for Christmas...some of the words she didn't spell right so I will translate...
"I will have a blue Christmas without you Jesus.  I will really very blue Christmas without you Jesus.  I wish you were here by the side of me Jesus Christ.  I miss you Jesus.  Love Kiya Heintzelman
From Kiya to Jesus Christ
I love you Jesus!
I love you more than anyone Jesus Christ!"

Funniest post-post event ever...

I rather enjoy reading the comments left on my blog...but this one was the best!  Some lady who works for a promotions company read my post about the Ronzoni pasta and then offered me a sample for a company she promotes for--Dreamfields Pasta.  I did a little research to make sure she was a legit person before I gave her my address...and then low and behold today FedEx dropped off a PACKAGE of a full size box of pasta!  I just had to laugh.  Thanks to my Andrea, I have more pasta to add to my stash!!!!!

My internal clock is off...or broken...

I think that my heart knows that I am meant to be on the West Coast and not the East because I am still having a hard time adjusting to this time zone.  Part of it is that I am a night owl anyhow.  But my family and I have been living in 2 different time zones.  It is not just that I like to stay up late.....I have a hard time going to bed then I have a hard time waking up and then my whole life is off.  And when I am in WA or UT I do just fine getting up early. So I think it is this place.  Even though I have consistently gotten up early here at 4:30am, I am still always tired and never get used to it.  I haven't been getting up quite so early since I have been sick the last couple of weeks.  And after I send the girls off to school this last week I let Haylee watch Dora while I slept on the couch.  My body hasn't gotten used to it in over two years of living here....so here I am once again at almost 1am.  Only this time it is with a cup of hot lemon water instead of chocolate pudding. I was having such a hard time going to bed last night thinking about how I want to utilize my time better...so that led to getting out of bed writing down a list of things that needed to be done, the menu for Christmas Eve and Day, the family picture poses and outfits,wondered how a person with a color coded closet could have such a messy rest of her house, gave myself a french manicure, had a cup of hot lemon tea, and slapped myself silly for staying up so late which led to this morning---coughing up a storm, couldn't get out of bed and struggled to even get myelf going.  But i did end up accomplishing a few things on my list that needed to get done today.  I made a Christmas present (cute homemade tag and all...I wish it were my gift even though it didn't turn out as cute as I had designed in my head, I still want it....hope you enjoy it Melissa....).  I think I should go take a shower now since I didn't get one in today.  That is a confession that no one should know, but hey, it is late and somehow I just start rambling things about my imperfect life to the internet oblivion for all to discover.  So yes, I went to my daughter's preschool Christmas program with day old hair and some of yesterday's mascara.  I added some more to the grossness....I know I cannot be the only mom out there who has had to do this.....and I am even admitting this for all to read...including my mother-in-law.  Sorry your son is going to have to sleep with old mascara tonight...well, maybe I will go take that shower.... at least I haven't resorted to spraying myself with Febreeze.  My friend had to do that the other day.  We have one of those relationships where we can tell eachother those kinds of things and we just laugh because we understand...no judgemental thoughts just sheer happiness knowing that there is someone else out there as desperate as I am sometimes.

Chocolate Pudding Confessions...

I am sitting here at midnight eating chocolate pudding.  Oh how I love chocolate pudding. Not the thing you should be eating when you have bronchitis.  Or doing at such a late hour....but I can't sleep because I have a million things to do and my brain won't shut down.  I am starting to feel like there is something really wrong with me...besides the bronchitis and the chocolate pudding.  I just can't seem to get anything done.  I feel like I am crazy most days.  Part of my problem is that I want to do EVERYTHING.  Everything there is to do, I want to do it.  I always feel unsatisfied because I want to do it all and I want to do it perfectly.  I have a hard time letting go of my perfectionism....so hard that I let everything else around me fall apart because I do not know where to begin to make it perfect.  I love the quote my sister has on her wall---it says," Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect,  It means you decide to see beyond the imperfections."  I want to be happy.  Perfectly imperfectly happy.  Then maybe I could let go that I haven't made every Christmas craft there is and that I haven't taken quilts to orphans in Ghana and my dishes didn't get done for a few days while I've been sick.  Instead of feeling sorry for myself that my life isn't everything I want it to be, I am going to make it be everything it can be and utilize every minute possible. 
Well, now that my pudding is gone and I have confessed my imperfections, I am going to go to bed HAPPY.