Over the River and Through the Woods...

To Grandmother's house we go.

So goodbye Christmas on Kingsgate.

Here we come Christmas in Kaysville!

All Hail thhe King!

OK, maybe not quite the king, but our little prince charming certainly rules this household. Brooks is turning two this week and got crowned at church today. He wore the crown all afternoon and was sad when I took it off. Sorry, no crowns while napping. He keeps running around singing 'Happy Day to...' Check in for more of the celebration, sure to happen later this week.

Away In A Manger

This Christmas we are working hard to remember Mowy, Josess and baby Jesus, who lays his sweet head in... a boat that goes really fast.

P.S. Mowy gives a great high-five.

Music To My Ears

Alright, so I was given the challenge to create a CD of some of my favorite tunes. A sort of retrospect of my life. I was excited and eagerly up to the task. In preparation, I made a list of songs I thought were my faves. When the list began, it was a very manageable mix. A few songs here and there that would all fit nicely on one CD.

But soon the list grew. It grew, and grew, and grew. Out came a new list filled with far too many songs than I knew what to do with. I read my list to Bryan, certainly, he would help narrow it down, only to realize I had forgotten a few. I needed more help.

So next, to my best bet, Paige, who knows my music almost better than I do. Sure enough, as we sang for 1 hour and 45 minutes of her precious cell phone time, (sorry Paige, I owe you $$) I realized my list had somehow grown.

Then, more hours on the phone singing to friends, sleepless nights, no kidding, and way too much money on itunes, I finally had to do what I was so dreading. Dave Matthews, I am sorry, you got the boot. I still have one of yours on my list, however. Also cut were a couple of Counting Crows, Oingo Boingo, 10,000 Maniacs, only to name a few.

I realize this sounds utterly ridiculous. And it is. I just couldn't believe all the memories and emotions attached to certain songs. I couldn't just cut out memories, it would be like leaving out a piece of my life, boyfriends, stomps, crazy dates, a Land Cruise breaking down and having to jump the fence to Lagoon from the freeway, and on and on.

Needless to say, my CD was eventually finished and I was able to squeeze 21 songs onto my little disc. Even though I couldn't fit all I had hoped, The Best of Erin Massey will have volumes 1 through at least 100.

So here's the question, how is it that music can be more nostalgic than almost anything else? Second, what songs bring back the most memories for you and why? A little U2, some Pearl Jam or maybe even Neil Diamond? Who knows? Can't wait to hear.

Z is for ZEBAAAA!

Gearing up for the big night that lay ahead.Here he is...the zeba.
Happy Halloween!







Even zeba's need a break.



Sucker in hand and roarin' to go. Brooks actually had at least one sucker in his hands at all times, all night.

We had such a fun night. Brooks loved trick or treating. And now he has candy enough to last a lifetime. Yippee!

Verdict Is In.

Brooks definitely enjoyed the shaving gel more than I did!

The Best Week Ever!

So last week should go down in the history books for me. I had a great week. It started with my parents being in town. A great way to start off any week. But then after they left, the sadness had to wear off pretty quickly to let the games begin. A fabulous episode of the Bachelor, then book club with super yummy treats. You should have seen the spread. I wish I had a photo. Phoebe really outdid herself. And the book, I Capture the Castle, was great too.

Wednesday was fun. We got to watch Moses and go play at the church. That night was Young Women's in Excellence. It was a beautiful night. I have always been impressed by our Y.W. and I was not let down. They are so talented and so full of the spirit, I bawled my eyes out when I had to speak. I am such a woos bait. Then I hurried to a soccer game, completely forgetting about the caramel sauce sitting on the floor of my car. Of course, I was in a huge hurry and wasn't the most cautious driver, when I got to the game the caramel had spilt all over. But I had a game to get to, so clean up waited until later, and until Bryan was around to help! Then a beautiful birthday luncheon for dear, sweet Phoebe. I think I have benefited nearly as much for her 30 days of 30 as she has. Thanks Phoebe. A trip to Bridgeport and breakfast and my week could have been wonderful if left there. But no, alas a surprise was in store.

My friends had been talking about a GNO for a little while, the details were a little fuzzy, but I just thought I would show up and all would fall in to place. I had know idea what I was missing. Kristen picked me up to drive over to Kim's. We stopped to grab Jen and then Kristen told me she needed to drop some bread off for Teresa, for a family dinner she was having. Sounds odd now, but I bought it all. So we stopped at Teresa's, whose home looked pretty dark for a family dinner, I must say. But, Kristen reassured me it must be the following evening and the beautifully decorated table I saw through the window was just a testament to Teresa's incredible organization.

We knocked on the door and all the lights came on and people started yelling surprise! Only then did I realize what was happening. Teresa had invited all of my most favorite people over for lovely dinner in honor of me. I couldn't believe it. The tears came instantly. It was a beautiful evening. Teresa's home looked lovely, the food was fabulous and the company...just right. I felt so honored and came home feeling like I was floating on a cloud. Thanks for a wonderful evening. More importantly, thanks for the years of friendship.

I know I have said it before, I will say it again and again. I am so blessed. I really have the most incredible friends. I will look back on our time in Lake Oswego with the very fondest of memories. Thank you all for your incredible example. I will treasure you always.