It's the Most Wonderful (and Expensive) Time of the Year...

So, Christmas is coming. The countdown is on. And I am SERIOUSLY behind. I have shopping to do, plans to make, and Christmas cards to get sent out. All in the next 25 days. On top, of course, of finals and projects and being a mom. 911.

Enter, Shutterfly. They are holding an AWESOME promotion that will take care of one of these problems for me. They are giving away 50 Free Holiday Greeting Cards to anyone who writes a post about it! YAY!

They have so many awesome choices, and it seriously relieves me of the stress of going to the store, finding the right cards, getting them ordered, picking them up, etc etc etc. I can do it all from the comfort of my home, in my PJs. Anything I can do in my PJs makes me SUPER happy!

So this is one LESS thing that I have to worry about, which I think is pretty dang neat. You really should check it out!

Thanks to Texas Life for the heads up on this!

So get to writing, and enjoy your own 50 cards!

Go. Do it. Now. And cross one thing off your crazy holiday list!

XOXO

Some People Need to be Protected From Themselves!

I own a gun. Big Surprise, Right?!?

I'm also getting my concealed weapon license. No Shock there.

I believe that once I do that, I should have the right to carry that weapon on campus to protect myself in the event that some crazy person decides to pull a Virginia Tech.

Currently, this is quite the debate on campus.

Basically, the campus police and the hippies are on the anti-carry side. Their arguement is that kids aren't responsible enough to carry guns, and that there would be more gun related incidents, and that it would be more dangerous on campus, as well make it harder for the police to find and take care of the shooters if a dangerous gunman does show up on campus. The hippies also threw in the "we should be focusing on peace, not violence" and "knowledge trumps violence".

Last time I checked, a book will not stop a bullet. Quoting Shakespeare will not keep a gunman from shooting you.

So, here is my take on this whole situation...

All Utah Colleges, as well as Colorado State University, have been concealed carry campuses since 2003. And guess what? Statistics don't lie...
*There have been ZERO incidents involving a gun, concealed or otherwise, at any of these campuses.
*Crime rates of all kinds have dropped significantly
*Students report feeling safer and more protected

No one is running around showing off their guns. No one even knows who is carrying (Thus the concealed carry). And as far as kids running around with guns - Nope. You have to be 21 to even apply for a CCL (Concealed Carry License), and then you have to go through a rigourous training course and a complete background check. Not just anyone can get a CCL. And it comes with rules - like no carrying a weapon while drinking or in an establishment that the majority of their business comes from alcohol sales (ie bars, pool halls, etc.). Finally, guns would NOT be allowed to be kept in residence halls. Period.

There are 3 cops on duty at all times. However, if there is a shooter on campus, 2 cops have to be there to even go in. This can take a lot of time, up to 15 minutes. An AK-47, depending on the modifications, can shoot up to 30 rounds per second. So, simple math says that 15 minutes waiting on police response times 30 rounds per second = 27,000 potential bullets shot from 1 weapon before the police show up. Call me crazy, but I'd rather not be sitting around waiting for the police and hoping that one of those many bullets doesn't hit me. I'm not trying to be a hero, but I think I deserve the chance to protect myself.
Honestly, if you look at the police response to the last 3 school shootings, it has been less than impressive. Ask yourself, how many victims is too many? And how many less would there have been if someone besides just the shooter had a gun? It's easy to shoot at a bunch of unarmed kids hiding behind desks and chairs. Knowing that someone else could shoot back is an entirely different ballgame.

All I'm saying is that I deserve the right to defend myself, after proving that I am competent enough to have a CCL. Who can't agree with that?

I would hope my school would.

Thanksgiving Appreciation... A Little Late...

So this is my official Thanksgiving post. And it's only 4 days late.

And really, I have no great excuse. I haven't been doing anything that important.

I've been cooking. And eating (So much for low-carb the last few days...Oops). And shopping. And relaxing. And having nice happy family time.

And I've been loving it!

Next week is my last week of classes, which include tons of papers and projects and tests, followed by 2 weeks of "make me want to KILL myself" finals. Ugh.

And I could have spent the last 5 days trying to get ahead and writing papers and working on projects. But I didn't. And I'm glad. Because now I can head into the next 3 weeks feeling relaxed and rested.

And thankful.

Despite how incredibly much I miss Colorado, and my friends, and my family, and my life there, I still have a lot to be thankful for.

I'm thankful that I'm able to complete school. I'm thankful that my babies are happy and healthy. I'm thankful that I got the chance to spend Thanksgiving with new friends. I'm thankful that I found some badass Black Friday deals that are going to make my boys super happy come Christmas morning. I'm thankful for beautiful Texas fall weather that allows for outdoor football playing in November. I'm thankful that both of my sisters have found and married the man that they want to spend their life with. I'm thankful that I'm going home for Christmas in 3 weeks. I'm thankful for the crazy, beautiful, wild ride that is my life.

And I'm thankful that people can change. Really really change.

There is a lot to be thankful for this year.

So You Wanna Know What Perfection Looks Like...

*I actually wrote this originally about 3 years ago. But it still applies. So Enjoy*

I'm constantly being told that I don't know what I want when it comes to a man... That's not necessarily true. So I promised that when I was fairly sure I knew exactly what it was that I was looking for, I'd post a blog and let the world know... So here it is, be enlightened...


First off... I'm not gonna lie... Physical characteristics are important. I HAVE to be attracted. Not like "oh my god I'm gonna jump on him now" kind of attracted (this is usually reserved for those of a Trent Tomlinson status) but a "damn, he's hot... I could do that" kind of attracted. Now, what does Bri like? Tall, Dark, Handsome, Muscular. Able to hold his own. And the eyes... I LOVE eyes I can get lost in. I'm all about a smile. I like the kinda grundgy prep look if that makes sense. Think Calvin Klein models doing the cowboy shoots with a little 5 o'clock shadow and sleeveless cut shirt... That's HOT. And yes, I realize that the average man in NOT a Calvin Klein model and I get that. I'm not looking for supermodel, I'm just saying I like the general look.

Next, personality. I want a man who is just that... a MAN. No little boy drama and teenage bullshit. I'm 26 and have 2 kids... I don't need another one. I like my men confidant, occasionally even bordering on cocky. I like someone who comes across with the don't fuck with me attitude. Someone who ISN'T gonna let me get away with everything. I want someone independant, able to take care of himself, and who isn't clingy. I want a man who is solid in what he thinks and doesn't change his opinion just because I don't agree with it. Oh, and to put up with me, you better have some serious resilence and tough skin, cuz I can be a bitch. Basically, I want someone who can "man up" and make me feel safe and secure when I need that. Oh, and don't fall in love with me in 5 seconds. Seriously. Give me a little bit of a challenge. At least make it interesting. I know I'm that good... make me prove it a little bit!

I also DON'T want someone who is gonna freak out on me all the time. The overpossessive, overjealous, overly hot tempered thing is NOT sexy. I won't put up with that for me or my babies. I want a man who is good with kids and willing to play an authoritive role in their lives. NOT looking for a baby daddy, already have one thanks. I just think that if a man is gonna be a major part of my life, that will obviously include my children, so he should be able to a) get along with them b) treat them well and c) act like an adult around them and help to lead them in the right direction. Oh, and PS, I don't want any more kids. This point may possibly be debatable in the future depending on the situation, but I really wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.

What else??? I don't do well with emotional men. I'm simply not interested in that. I get that everyone has feelings, but I don't want to have to deal with my man's on a daily basis. Again, MAN UP. I don't do men crying either. Is that fair? Probably not. But thats how it is and if you can't deal with that, cool, that just means I'm not the woman for you and you should keep looking elsewhere! I like a man who does the occasional nice thing (making dinner, sending flowers, a card) but I don't want someone who is constantly at my beck and call and trying to impress me with shit. And just to clear things up now, I DON'T do poetry. Let me see if I can put this nicely... there are many many many great male poets throughout history, and they are all either gay or killed themselves. Don't want to deal with either of those scenarios, so lets just skip the poety stuff, cool?

What else? Oh, I'm smart. 4.0 student. I know a lot of shit about a lot of shit. A lot of men are totally intimidated by a smart woman. Get over it, or get out. I'm not gonna dumb it down for you. I want someone who can challenge me when it comes to a stimulating conversation. I like to debate. Intelligence is hot. Knowing politics, religion, world news, is hot. There is MORE to life than Xbox and Playboy magazines and football season. Realize that. (Although I agree that football season is important and Xbox can be fun occasionally. )

I like extreme things. I like adventure. I like having fun. I want someone who wants the same. Camping, rock climbing, white water rafting, skydiving, random trips to god knows where. Hell yea! I want a man who can plan this shit and actually surprise me with it, as well as us planning it together. I want a man who is braver than me, and I'm pretty damn brave. I want someone who can show me new things that I haven't experienced yet, and we can do them together. Someone with a little knowledge and experience, who wants to show me what they've had the chance to see and do and learn.

I want a man that is faithful, committed, and that I don't have to worry about cheating and playing games. If your penis has A.D.D. and you can't keep your attention on one woman, fine. I'm not gonna judge you, I just don't want to be with you. Please don't put me or you through that, cuz I can be a real bitch when I get my heart broken. I understand that the kind of man I want would probably attract a lot of female attention, but I want to know that he's mine, and I'm his, and that's that. I don't want lies, and I don't want to wonder who he's talking to on the side and what he's doing when he's not with me. I want a man I can trust. That's HUGE.

Oh, and if you've EVER hit, hurt, abused, or otherwise damaged a woman or child, stay the fuck away. I don't want to hear your "yea, but..." story. I'm just straight up not interested. Thanks.

Finally, life status... I want a man who has a job, a career, an established life, and goals that he is ACTUALLY making strides to reach. Dreams are great, but if you aren't doing shit to make them happen, then you're really not gonna impress me. I want someone who can completely take care of himself by himself. Pays his own bills, lives on his own (the parents basement DOES NOT count), has an education, has a career, is able to do better than a paycheck to paycheck life. I'm not looking for someone to take care of me or my boys, I have my college degree and am perfectly capable of doing that on my own. I just don't want to be responsible for the man I'm with too. Like I said, I don't need another child. I expect a man to occasionally be able to do nice thing monetarily, but more than that, I expect him to completely be able to take care of himself. And I get that shit happens and rough times occur, but that should be the exception, not the rule.

Well now... that's quite a list huh??? But I keep getting asked what it is that I want, so there you go. A complete description of what Bri wants. And its probably gonna insult and offend some people and to them I say this... GET OVER IT. This is my fantasy not yours. And if you didn't really want to know what I wanted, you shouldn't have asked.

And you know what amuses me? I'm probably gonna get at LEAST a dozen responses saying "Oh, I'm that man, blah blah blah" but what they REALLY mean is "Ok, since I know exactly what you're looking for I can pretend to be that man for a while". That's stupid. Why kid me? But more than that, why kid yourself? What's the point? Because eventually we'd figure out that you're really not that man, and then we just wasted a whole bunch of time that you could have been out looking for the woman who wants the man that you actually are. K? Thanks.

XOXO

Birthday Pictures...

Both of my boys have November birthdays. 

I got to spend each of their birthdays with them. KK in Texas and JC in Colorado. (Side note- Seriously, the quickest Colorado trip ever. To my CO friends, I'm SORRY I didn't have time to see you. I was literally there for mere hours. I will be back for Christmas, and I will see you then!)

I actually got to surprise JC by showing up for his birthday. It was awesome. I swore I would never miss another birthday, and so far so good.

Here are the official birthday pics! Enjoy!

KK's Birthday Dinner at the Texas Roadhouse

Iron Man 6th Birthday Cake

Present Time

Buzz and Woody - KK's New Best Friends

JC and Mommy and the completed Lego set

8th Birthday - Toy Story Cake

Hanging out with (or on) his dad

JC and Momma

Reason 419 Our Country is Screwed...

So have you heard? California is now going to give In-State college tuition to illegal immigrants!

Am I the only one who sees how completely absurd this is?

Giving in-state tuition (or welfare, or housing, or anything else for that matter) to illegal immigrants is ridiculous.

Why should they be entitled to in-state tuition at all? You have to be a LEGAL RESIDENT of the state to get that. And they aren't even a legal resident of our country. They shouldn't even be able to register for college here.

That seriously annoys me.

I can't get In-State tuition to a California college. Hell, I had to wait a year to get In-State Tuition to a Texas college. But people who aren't even supposed to be here can. Awesome.

It's like "Here you go - yes, technically you aren't even allowed to BE here, but we are going to give you free housing, food stamps, medical care, AND, as another added bonus for making it into our country illegally, cheap college tuition. Congratulations."

HELLO! No wonder we have millions of illegal immigrants. If another country offered ME all those perks just for jumping their borders, I just might take them up on it.

Thoughts?

Not That This Will Surprise Anyone Who Knows Me, But...

Further proof I am a natural blonde (In case there was any doubt)


So, as y’all already know… I’m smart. Super intelligent. Like 4.0, Honor Roll, and Mensa smart. Seriously.

But, I’m ALSO a blonde. Through and through. I figured I would share some evidence to this fact.

It will give you a good laugh or cause you to disown me. Maybe both :)

Here Goes...

Until I was a senior in high school, I seriously thought that Pearl Harbor was off the Florida Coast. Like out in the Caribbean somewhere. I couldn’t for the life of me understand why the Japanese would bother travelling all the way to the other side of the United States, or going all the way around the world, to attack us. Seriously. And I passed History. With an A.

In other things geographically challenged, I ALSO believed that Niagara Falls was in France. Don’t ask me where I get this shit.

Also, through all of high school, I could NOT figure out what the hell the big deal was with the youth in Asia. Whenever people talked about what a hot debate topic it was, I was completely dumbfounded because I couldn’t understand what the hell they were doing that kids in America weren’t. At one point I paid enough attention to figure out they were killing each other, but I still didn’t understand a) why this was a strictly Asian phenomenon and b) why I should care so much. Yep. Totally not kidding. Wow.

So, there you have it. I’m totally telling on myself :) Don’t be too harsh. I know it’s bad.

I’m going to go make myself feel better my acing a super difficult Governmental Accounting Test now!

XOXO

A Shout Out to the Veterans...

Today is Veteran's Day.

This means that everyone is saying thanks to all those brave military men and women who have served or are serving. It's kinda like the 4th of July, when everyone becomes totally patriotic and flies the American Flag and wears red, white, and blue. I think that's great.

I also think our gratitude as a nation to our military shouldn't be limited to 1 or 2 days a year.

I get the military. I was a military wife. My sister is Navy, and her husband is currently serving as a medic attached to a Marine unit in Afghanistan.

These guys work their asses off in sometimes awful locations, with terrible hours, little pay, and even less respect. I can't even tell you how many times our plans as a family were placed on hold or scratched all together because the military's needs came first. It just is the way it is. They will call at any time of day or night, and our soldiers are just required to go.

These men and women work weekends, holidays, and their children's birthdays. They don't put in 8 hours and then head home. Oftentimes, they work days at a time. Or they get to spend weeks and months away from home for training or deployment.

And it's not like they are well-paid for their sacrifice. Almost half of military families E5 and below live at or below the poverty line. The military is certainly NOT a career for those who hope to make a lot of money. Sure, military families get separation pay and hazardous duty pay when they are deployed, but ask yourself - How much money would be worth it to me to have my loved one overseas for months or years at a time, in dangerous situations, with little to no communication? Trust me, it's waaay more than the US is paying.

But they don't do it for the money. Or the benefits. Or the respect. Or the prestige.

They do it for us. For our country. For our freedoms.

And we should be able to appreciate that. Everyday.

So today, thank a veteran. Buy them lunch. Cover their bar tab. Get their coffee. Let them know how much they are appreciated by the country they serve.

And then, do it tomorrow too. And next week. And next month.

Because they are sacrificing for us every day!

Halloween Pictures

Halloween was a BLAST!

Enjoy the pictures!

JC as a pirate. Super cute!

KK bobbing for apples.

Captain Hook

Our amazing pumpkin carving skills!

Hot Cherry Pie

I love feeling 21 again sometimes.... but the college parties... wow

Total Randomness...

*Apparently my last blog made someone unhappy. Because I lost a follower. Oh well. For the record, that is EXACTLY what I was talking about. Besides, I'm pretty sure most of y'all still love me :) A girl can hope anyway.

*I am sick. Not like a little cold sick. Like 103 fever, can't get out of bed, entire body aching, sick. Thus, the blogging at 11 AM. My little man was also really sick. Today is the first day he seems to finally be feeling better. So that's good news. We've spend a lot of time in bed the last couple days watching movies and eating popsicles. It's been the best I could do. I do, however, need to get my booty out of bed and go to my Music class. So I have an hour and a half. To motivate and shower and move. We shall see.

*My ex husband has randomly appeared out of the blue after 5 years, and wants to "be a dad" again. Huh? He actually started contacting me in August, but it was totally sporadic and he was basically being the same spineless, blaming, asshole he usually is (Really, it's my fault that you have chosen not to have anything to do with your son in 5 years? Try again), so I didn't think much of it. But the last couple of weeks have been a little different. He seems to maybe be taking some responsibility for his actions. He has stopped demanding things he is in no way entitled to, and has started to make reasonable requests. Like pictures. And sending a card for his birthday. Of course I haven't mentioned any of this to KK, because I hardly plan to put my poor child through any more pain with this man who sporadically shows up for 15 minutes and then disappears for the next few years. But I guess we'll see what happens. It's a process.

*I'm going HOME to COLORADO in 3 days. I am SO excited. Granted, it's only for 2 days. But I get to spend it with JC, and there is nothing better than that. The fact that life is going to totally suck when I get back because I have so many tests and projects due that next week is beside the point.

*I don't believe in love. Gasp. This isn't new information to me, but it may be to you. Just thought since I'm sharing, I'd share. :) I just don't believe in the concept. It doesn't make me cynical, just realistic.

*School is still stressful, but I'm surviving. I still have a 4.0 GPA. Don't plan on changing that. In fact, I would probably have a total mental breakdown if I did. I know, neurotic OCD control freak. Deal with it!

I'm going to drag my ass into the shower, have some hot tea, and try to make it to school in the next hour.

We'll talk soon!
XOXO

It's Whatevs...

I learned a long time ago that simply being me and doing things the way that I do has the tendency to piss some people off. Well, to THOSE people:

I'm not apologizing for who I am and how I choose to live my life.

I understand that the choices I make are not always the ones that you would make. Sometimes they don't make sense. Sometimes they end up messy. Sometimes they suck. They are still MY choices.

I live unconventionally. And I love it. And I don't care if you do.

Sometimes what I do doesn't make sense. I get that. That doesn't mean I will explain myself to you.

Until you've lived my life, known my hurts and fears and dreams, you don't get to make judgements that I acknowledge. Sorry.

The people in my life who mean something are the ones who accept me AS IS, with all my faults, issues, and craziness. The rest don't matter.

Don't ever make me choose. Don't give me an ultimatum. Because you won't like the answer. I promise.

There is NOTHING in my life, with the exception of my children, that I can't walk away from. Nothing. I make sure of that.

I'm not going to change for you. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever. The changes that I make in my life will be the ones that I think will make me better/happier/etc. And that's it.

I don't mean to piss you off. I also don't care that I do. Your response is your choice. Own it.

I'm not ASKING you to stick around. I'm not asking you to like it. I'm simply saying that if you choose to be a part of my life, then you learn to love, or at least deal with, ALL of me.

If not...

It's whatevs.