Bliss...Where do I buy it and How much does it cost?

It is Monday morning on the week of Christmas and I am trying to contain my anxiety, irritation and anger, and find bliss? Bliss, Bless, I kind of lump them together for whatever reason. They should always go together. Maybe I should have had girls and named them that? (Might be hooker names, as my boys would say?) It might be the only way to find it?

Every year when we sit down to write the "Christmas Newsletter" I am stuck with the same quandary, do I lie? I noticed that it is alot harder this year. So then I gave two columns, blessings and miseries. Guess which one was longest? Ok..OK...I can do this....can you turn your misery's into blessings? I am much better at this. For instance:

My Dad dies March 28, 2009 of Lung Cancer. My ex-husband's birthday is March 28th. Good one, huh?

Ok, lets try another one....I went to Tuscon twice this year and the sun felt nice. First of all I am a Ginger and I hate the heat, second of all who in there right mind would go to Tuscon when you live in a tropical paradise? I know...I have friends that live for the sun. I WENT with my TWIN, Patrick, also a Ginger. We whine alot in the heat. The reason that we went was a blessing, my Dad was really sick and we got to visit with him. The second time we went 3 weeks later, was to get my Grandmother (95) out of his house before "Cruella" sold her at a garage sale. My Dad had died the day before.

Heh, I am getting the hang of this....blessings...hmmm....we had a lovely service for my dad in April, in Richland, Washington. We put him across from his brother in a wall and it is a very pretty place. Come July, he is going to think he is still in Tuscon? (1000 degrees...)

Oh least I forget, Cruella had a lovely garage sale in Tuscon on the day of my Dad's service and sold all my Dad's things and my Grandmother's that were not nailed down. If that was his wife doing that, can you imagine what his enemies were doing? Oh..I know...they were waiting patiently across the street for it to be over, so Cruella could take the remaining stuff to HIS house. I love a grieving widow.....

BIG BLESSING...I got a girl, and I did not have to give birth to her!! I know I love to brag about my grandkids, but they are exceptional, just ask me. Kylie Renee Stewart was born July19th, 2009 in Draper, Utah. Beautiful, dark, like her Mom. She joins Jonnie the cutest and funniest little boy ever. Again, just ask me. The only misery that I can put to this is that my daughter in law Marlen, TOLD me she was going to give birth on the 20th of July and I believed her? Yes, yes..I know, she had no control over that. Austin and I were in Richland, Washington visiting my Grandmother when we got the call that Marlen was in labor. Austin and I looked at each other, threw all of our stuff in the truck, kissed Gram and off we went. 15 hours of pedal to the metal, from a girl who refuses to speed. I told Austin, "we will just tell the cop, we are having a baby and he will understand, drive faster!"

We did miss the birth, but what we got was so worth the trip.....these new fangled parents that have these rules about what you can and can't do (Do I sound like my Grandmother, yet?) Ryan and Marlen said if you hold her too much she will get used to it. Wasn't that the point? So then I had to be guarded. Whenever they left the room, went to the bathroom, if I got lucky to the market, you grab her and hold her. I saw a part of me that was not too pretty. I counted how long other people held her when they came to visit, and then I wanted reciprocal time. Seemed fair to me? I finally asked, "why did you have her then, if you aren"t going to hold her all the time?" Ok..OK...but remember my kids are perfect, LOL, and I held them all the time?

Blessing...Bliss....oh yeah, Cruella MARRIED the geezer across the street already. Blessing, I never have to see her or talk to her again, and she no longer has my Dad's last name. That's a good one, huh?

More blessings...non of my kids got arrested, totaled their cars or went to jail this year! (Remember that was last year...)

Taylor brought another animal home, a lovely 70 lb baby Malmut/Black Lab. Misery or Blessing, I have yet to decide? Bruno the Boston likes her, you pay alot more for a spay on a over 60 lb. dog. (I could have starved her for a week, had I known)

Taylor moved out on his own with a whole bunch of buddies for six months. Taylor moved back home with the dog. Blessing or misery, you decide?

Austin is obsessed with boats and now he boasts THREE in my backyard. Ooops...I must be confused, it is HIS backyard now. But blessing is he still will camp out on the boat with me one time a summer. My favorite thing to do.

Who are we down to? Julia and Greg......He works, gets paid well, gives everything he makes to the kids, and his miserable in the Pacific Northwest. Hmm... I guess nothing has changed this year?

Here we go. On your mark, get set.....I am still alive! It does not get better than that. I am 3 1/2 years out from my cancer and no tumors yet. YEAH! Yeah, yeah... I got a million things wrong with me, but who cares... I am still here.

Got fired this year in April, the week after I returned from my Dad's passing. To sickly and missed too much work.....BLESSING! MY President gave me unemployment and I have been able to rest and have some fun while going hungry? OK that is a lie, I do not go hungry.

MAJOR BLESSING, my twin Patrick and I have got to go on trips together, just the two of us and just laugh and laugh at life. Ok, so some were a downer..funeral, etc..but we can find a joke in anything.

BLESSING: My friends have warmed my heart, and been so wonderful no matter if hell was freezing over or I was ready to jump off a cliff. My friends rock!

Next year at this time, I am quite sure that everything listed will be blessings.......I will be a better liar by then......