She was right...

In response to my last post admitting anxiety over my planned shopping trip with beautiful Quincey, she posted this song on her blog. I'd never heard it but she and the Barenaked Ladies (really, do their mothers agree with this band name?) were right. We had a great time today!! Pictures to come...

Take a deep breath.

On Monday I'm going shopping with my ultra fit, super cute, beautiful inside-and-out friend. (Think I'm exaggerating? Take a look at her picture!!) She has vowed to find me a pair of jeans that will change my life...or at least my self-concept. I have been doing all sorts of cognitive-behavioral exercises to get ready for the experience including memorizing the words and absorb the intent of this cute Wow Wow Wubbzy song. At what age do you think I will just embrace my body type and its flaws? Hopefully by tomorrow. I don't even like to try on jeans by myself, let alone with a size MINUS ZERO model-esque clinical psychologist!! Yikes. Wish me (and her!!) luck.

Another attempt:


I love this post on The Cardigan Empire about pear-shaped people. Here's the portion that I loved/hated the most:

Your closet is 92% tops, 8% bottoms. Of those 8%, 60% are skirts under which no one can determine the actual circumference of your thigh. Abomination is the noun you would use to identify skinny jeans...Feel free to exercise to your heart's content (hearts like exercise). But when you are done, you'll just be a smaller pear.

Yep. That's me.

Advice from a Snowman

Chill out. Stay cool.
Some of your best friends might be flakes.
Don't get too much sun.
Enjoy winter.
Love never melts.
Sometimes it's good to just be still
Be a jolly, happy soul.

New Blog Title

I've changed the title of the blog. I figured that even though La Bonne Vie was a nice idea--French (because I used to be able to speak it) and meaning "The Good Life" because I do acknowledge my blessings now and then--it really doesn't fit my personality or the content tone. For better or for worse I am ever-so-slightly sarcastic (hear it there?), cynical, and a bit of a Debbie Downer. To pretend like this is a blog where I report only the rays of sunshine in my life is not very descriptive or accurate.

Alors, Je l’ai changé à

Ranting Rita.

Aimez-le ou non. C’est à vous.

There's some French for ya.

The Visitor

Maybe you figured out that I like to watch movies when I have some time off. You'll be subjected to a few reviews until I go back to work. Skip 'em if you want to.

We have a Blockbuster.com membership that we really enjoy but we have also been getting a lot of our movies from RedBox lately. I have a love-hate relationship with the whole RedBox experience...
Love: The price. Only $1 a night.
Hate: If you're stupid and forget to return the movie, the $$$s rack up.
Love: There are multiple and convenient locations. My favorite place is Maverick where I can fill up on Diet Dr. Pepper after choosing a movie.
Hate: My anxiety goes through the roof when I try to quickly make a selection while a number of hooligans are waiting in line.
Love: You can reserve copies of available movies...if you think about it ahead of time.
Hate: If you don't know what you're after or if the movie you want is gone, you can get some pretty cold fingers while you search the list of titles.

Incidentally, if you register at redbox.com, you can get a promotional code every Monday for a free movie rental...Don't forget to return it by 9 p.m. on Tuesday though :)

Okay. So I went to our friendly neighborhood Maverick looking for 'Horton Hears a Who' and was disappointed to find it unavailable. There was another mom there waiting in line behind me and while she didn't fit my hooligan criteria, she looked about as spent as I was so I randomly chose The Visitor.

Synopsis (from RottenTomatoes.com):
Sixty-two-year-old Walter Vale is sleepwalking through his life. Having lost his passion for teaching and writing, he fills the void by unsuccessfully trying to learn to play classical piano. When his college sends him to Manhattan to attend a conference, Walter is surprised to find a young couple has taken up residence in his apartment. Victims of a real estate scam, Tarek, a Syrian man, and Zainab, his Senegalese girlfriend, have nowhere else to go. In the first of a series of tests of the heart, Walter reluctantly allows the couple to stay with him.

Touched by his kindness, Tarek, a talented musician, insists on teaching the aging academic to play the African drum. The instrument’s exuberant rhythms revitalize Walter’s faltering spirit and open his eyes to a vibrant world of local jazz clubs and Central Park drum circles. As the friendship between the two men deepens, the differences in culture, age and temperament fall away.

After being stopped by police in the subway, Tarek is arrested as an undocumented citizen and held for deportation. As his situation turns desperate, Walter finds himself compelled to help his new friend with a passion he thought he had long ago lost. When Tarek’s beautiful mother Mouna arrives unexpectedly in search of her son, the professor’s personal commitment develops into an unlikely romance. It is through these new found connections with virtual strangers that Walter is awakened to a new world and a new life.

This film was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. The story is tragic and believable and the characters are complex, flawed, and endearing. Sometimes films like this try to shout their social or political agenda in your face but this one does not. The bitter two edges of immigration problems in the country are central but the statement is subtle and not pious. It is also a beautiful reminder that it is never too late to find a cause or passion in life and that opening yourself to new experiences and people can forever change you.

I highly recommend this movie but be warned that it does earn its PG-13 rating by dropping the f-bomb a couple of times.

MAMMA MIA!!

I'd been wanting but wary to see this movie for a while. Because I'm a ginormous ABBA fan and I want to see the theatre performance someday, I was worried that the motion picture would be a let down. Not so. I love, love, LOVED it. I was surprised at how well but not perfectly the actors sang. Watching the disc extras about learning to sing the songs gave me a knot in my stomach at times realizing that these people really aren't singers. It's pretty daring to put yourself out there like they did and the authenticity of the voices was great. The scenery was amazing. I didn't know the storyline beforehand and was totally impressed by how the songs and script meshed together--very clever. I loved a lot of the actual story too--the mom's best friends come to support her, the 3 'dads' grow to love their 'daughter' in a short time and the experience changes them, the 'grown-ups' in the film have past regrets and mistakes but have learned and moved on. Just cute and great. I highly recommend it!

Christmas JOY

It's hard to believe that it has come and gone but we had a great Christmas! I hope you did too. Here are some fun and lovely things that made our season beautiful:

* 2 white elephant gift exchanges left me with a fishing enthusiast book-on-tape entitled, "Dances With Trout" and some light-up elf slippers which I gave to Todd reminiscent of when my mom re-gifted her white elephant gained CARROT slippers to me years ago.

* After opening gifts and giving us lots of typical *good celebrator* material, Alec played much of the day playing with an empty 2L Diet Dr. Pepper bottle. It was a rocket missle, air guitar, baseball bat, head bonker and much more. Guess I should have saved that money I spent on, you know, actual TOYS.

* We didn't wake up until 9:30 a.m. on Christmas morning!! And we woke up then only because our niece called to talk to Kenna. Awesome.

* Kenna made and/or purchased a gift for everyone in our family. The cutest thing was how thoughtful and unique each of the gifts were...a small Lego set for Alec, money (because he's saving for an expensive game) and mechanical pencils for Todd (who always needs a pencil at homework time), a Sudoku keychain for Brent, and a puzzle for me.

* I ordered and received our planned Christmas cards in mid-November and STILL only send out a handful. How lame is that?! Expect a New Year's, Human Rights Day, or Valentine's card from our family soon.

* After trying to ignite some generosity and Christmas spirit in Todd who inherited his father's apathy for gift giving, under the tree I found a paper folded in thirds and addressed to me from him:

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the tent,
Not a person was playing. Not even old Brent.
The children were sleeping, all snug in their beds,
While visions of RockBand were inside their heads.
But up in his room, a bump was hear clear,
When little Todd Z. felt a huge Christmas cheer.
He ran down the stairs and what was left out?
Guitar Hero World Tour and Todd sang from his spout,
It's the best Christmas ever. No envy or greed.
And family's what you want. And family's what you need.

Merry Christmas, Mom. --Todd

* We hosted the 3rd annual Zimmerman Christmas Eve party at our house. We missed Grandma and Grandpa Zimmerman who are basking in 75 degree Lima, Peru on a mission for the LDS church but we made it through. I got choked up every time that I imagined them so far away from us at Christmastime. We also missed Brent's older Brother, Steve and his family, and 2 of his younger sisters, Suzanne and Sheri and their families. To add some bulk to our smaller numbers, we enjoyed the company of Brent's sister-in-law's family who were visiting from Arizona. They were good sports to add more winter travel to their holiday for a too basic Christmas feast and hang out with mostly nerds. We loved having them and they made us believe they enjoyed it too :)

* The last gift that I opened from Brent was a pair of running socks and running gloves that actually heat up when they get wet. (Could have used those in St. George last October!) The last gift that Brent opened from me was running socks and running gloves. Cool. After nearly 16 years, we have a "shared" hobby and kind of get each other. I love him very much.

* We participated in several charity experiences this Christmas including subbing for Santa for a Head Start family identified by our school district, shopping for neighborhood families with donated money from a Christmas Block Party, sorting and wrapping donated items for ward members, and anonymously helping out friends and family members. I feel blessed and humbled to have 'enough PLUS'. Brent avoided layoffs at work despite being on the newer employees list about 3 weeks ago. We know that it is a difficult time for many. Giving to others helps me remember and be grateful for what I have been given.

In some past years, I have been thankful for the END of the Christmas season. Off-balance priorities, spending too much on us and not enough on others, and focusing too little on the Savior's birth takes a toll on what should be a peaceful, beautiful time. This season I have been busy and sick but overall, have felt more balanced and joyful. I have noticed much love, humility, generosity, and light in those around me. My brother and sisters love me and love each other. (We even love each others' spouses!) We were raised by good parents who love the Lord and try their best. My children are grateful for the things they have, love each other, and are growing into good people. My sweet husband loves me and that is not always easy to do. He is constant. We have a warm home, working vehicles, and plenty to eat, wear, and play with. In my too-few quiet moments I have felt the love of my Lord and Savior. I hope that you allot yourself some refection time this season too. Merry Christmas.

Help out an old lady.

One of the fun gifts Brent gave me was a music card for 25 MP3 downloads. I'd love to know what hip or retro songs you can't live without...especially for working out/running. Give me some ideas in your comments.

Lost Love

'Tis better to have loved and lost Than never to have loved at all.
-Alfred Lord Tennyson

I am mourning the loss of a loved one. Although we were together for only a brief time, I developed a love deeper than I thought possible. I can only write about this having finally come to acceptance, although the stages of grief were very difficult for me. (The above picture is of me in stage four.) Who knew that Wendy's Buffalo Chicken Salad was a limited time special? From the first time I laid eyes on it I knew it was meant for me and I still dream of its spicy goodness.

The devastation of being prematurely separated from my fast food soul mate was intensified by the traumatic manner in which we were ripped apart...

Mouth watering, I stood in line at the 123rd South State Wendy's. The siren song of my love's poster started my digestive fluids rushing and my stomach grumbling. The juicy words dripped from my mouth to the teen-aged cashier's ears as I ordered the delight of my life. As it turns out, they discontinued the salad before they removed the picture from the menu. The guy at the register informed me they had sold the last one less than an hour ago.

Grief stage number one. DENIAL. I argued that they could not be out of salads as the picture was clearly still posted. The cashier was insistent that my love was no longer around.

Stage two set in quickly. ANGER erupted and I strongly recommended they remove the poster to save others from the emotional anguish that I was thrust into.

In stage three, rational thought tried to emerge as I BARGAINED and asked if they could somehow approximate my delish dish by throwing some of that irresistible sauce on some nuggets or something. They wouldn't.

Stage four. DEPRESSION. See above photo. I allowed three customers behind me to place their orders as I took a moment to honor and grieve my gone goddess before I was able to gain enough composure to settle for the sloppy seconds of the Spicy Chicken Sandwich.

ACCEPTANCE, stage five. I am relieved to pronounce that I can fondly recall the times my love and I were together and rarely cry anymore. I credit my supportive psychologist wife and Winger's Sticky Finger Chicken Salad with my nearly complete recuperation.

[Thanks to Rita for writing most of this post.]

O Christmas Tree

It took three days to decorate the Christmas tree. I must get a pre-lit version for next year. I hate stringing those lights. I'm happy with how it turned out--the new green and orange decorations match the front room's new paint job. The pics don't do it complete justice but here it is for documentation purposes. :)

An Intervention

Did you see The Office this week? Michael held an impromptu intervention for Meridith who is a total alcoholic. So, so funny and it made me remember when Brent confronted me about one of my addictions. Which of my numerous vices did he target? It was not my well-documented dependency on Diet Dr. Pepper, my problematic pattern of crawling back into bed after a cold, early morning run, or my challenging chocolate consumption.

Nope...

It was my inexplicable impulse of buying sunglasses. I just can't resist no matter how many pair I have. One day Brent brought the whole lot in from the car, spread them on the table, and ordered, "Choose two." Ever see Sophie's Choice? It was like choosing from among my children. I met his less-than-gentle request with my list of excuses:

• I like my sunglasses to match my outfit.
• Several of my collection are large and take up half of my face...useful for days when I'm not looking my best.
• I usually purchase them on sale or even at the Dollar Store so it's not a financial hindrance. (Unfortunately this is to compensate another of my issues...LOSING pairs of sunglasses.)
• They always fit no matter how fat I get.
• I squint less when I wear sunglasses. This slows the deepening of my brow-scowl wrinkle and postpones inevitable Botox treatments.

Don't you agree? I NEED them all.
In fact, if you're looking for good stocking stuffer ideas, Honey...

First Gifts of the Season

Can you say, "Thought of EVERYTHING?" Even though Brent's mom and dad are on a mission in Peru their Christmas gifts to us were delivered before Thanksgiving. (Thanks, Melissa!) Here we are enjoying Beverly's forethought, hard work, creativity, and thoughtfulness. We each got a Christmas pillowcase. We already think of them and pray for them every day but this is a fun way to remember Grandma andGrandpa Z. so far away from us this year. We love you!!

Two new jobs.

My house is totally organized and clean. I'm caught up on work at both of my assigned schools. I read to my children several times a day, volunteer in the community, go visiting teaching on the first day of the month, work out twice a day, but still have lots of extra time and energy.

YEAH, right!

Even though none of the aforementioned is true, I have taken on two new jobs:
1. Psychological testing for Washington School Online.
My sis-in-law worked as a school psychologist for Washington County a few years ago and was contacted by a former colleague and asked to do some Special Education testing for home-schooled students who subscribe to their online services. This is a new program and they are already behind so she recruited me to help out. We've only worked with three students so far but it's been kind of fun.
2. Tough Kid Parenting Class for Davis School District.
The same sister-in-law has been teaching a very popular parenting class with another school psychologist on staff in our school district. She is taking a break for the session starting in January and I'll be filling in. I'm really excited because it is a great course taught from a renowned book with solid principles that are research-based and effective. I'm hoping it will give me some much-needed motivation to practice what I preach...My poor lab rat kiddos!

So, thank you or curse you, Andrea for the added opportunities. I hope you're not expecting a percentage of each my fatter pay checks!

I'm married...again.

I lost my wedding ring months ago. (I actually think my former cleaning lady or her daughter took it but what do you do? I guess there is a penalty for being too lazy to clean your own toilets.) I have been in denial that it was really gone compulsively checking the pockets of each clothing item I dawn in the hope that it will magically return. I even ripped up the drain and garbage disposal TWICE holding my breath for good luck (and to spare myself nausea from the smell) to no avail. I finally decided that it was time to replace the symbol of my commitment after being hit on NEVER by ANYBODY. I've got to keep the dream that *I've still got it* alive for another few years so I bought myself a new band. I didn't want a giant solitaire like I dreamed of when first engaged--too impractical and would be wasted on my old, wrinkly, freckled fingers. I also didn't want an approximation of my old ring because I really am so sad that it is gone. I opted for a very thin eternity-type band. The small, channel-set diamonds are princess cut to remind me of my old ring but that's the only similarity. I guess this means Brent will have to stick out another 15 years!