2013 Year in Review

Yes, I know this is Jean's blog, but she hasn't updated it in over three years, so I figured I'd initiate a hostile (yet, friendly) takeover; mostly because I wanted to post a journal-like entry summarizing a few points about 2013, and none of my other blogs were the right venue for such a personal post.

So, without further ado or apology, here is my 2013 roundup of thoughts (bad news first):


THINGS THAT WERE REALLY CHALLENGING TO ME:

1) From September 2012 until February 2013, I was unemployed. That was really tough. But I never lost faith, and now I'm working at the best company ever, with the best boss ever, in the best working environment ever.

2) In January, a visit to my parents in Oregon revealed the extent to which my mother's condition had deteriorated. Later in the summer, when she stayed with us for six weeks, it became painfully more evident. When Dad decided they would NOT move here to Utah, it was a tough blow, because I know we could do a lot to help them if they lived closer, and Seth would greatly benefit from having his grandparents near. After some initial bitterness, I finally had to come to terms with it and accept it - along with accepting that everything will work out for the best, as I had done all I could do.

3) Although I lost a ton of weight during a healthy living contest in the early spring, I quickly gained it all back, and then some. A lot. By year's end, I reached record high weight for me. I therefore enter 2014 with a serious commitment to reclaim my health and fitness. This will not be a "get thin quick" scheme, though; I will take my time and do it right so the weight stays off and the good habits become a part of my life.

4) Another year has passed without hitting the big time in the fiction world. My writing career basically floated along with no real progress for most of the year. I kept my goal to post a blog post a week at my fiction site, but I wrote almost nothing, until November came along, and I took the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge - and succeeded in producing more than 50,000 words of new fiction in only 30 days. Doing so meant the completion of a draft of a novel I'm working on via a collaboration, the completion of a novella sequel to AssassinWare, and the completion of another short novella. Then, in December, I finally published a new novel - the first thing I'd published in a year, and a project that had been nagging at me for over four years.

5) Despite my dear wife taking a part time job at the end of the summer, we have not made significant strides in reducing our debt. I know it will take some time to make all the budgeting work, but I really look forward to buckling down and making the sacrifices necessary to get on top of this money hole. At least we now have a specific plan, that means being debt-free (except for the house) by February 2018. If we stick to the plan.


THINGS THAT BROUGHT SATISFACTION TO ME:

1) Although I was unemployed from September 2012 to February 2013, I had the great blessing of getting hired by the best company ever, with the best boss ever, and the best work environment ever. Losing my job the previous fall turned out to be the best thing that could have happened.

2) Despite my discovery of the poor mental and physical condition of my mother, the whole experience helped me to gain some peace regarding the spiritual future of my parents. After many, many years of concern, I finally know that it will all be alright.

3) Thanks to some awesome deals I got on equipment from the old gym at work, I have been able to put together a great home workout room. I got it finished in December. It includes a really nice elliptical, my bike on a mount, a Total Gym 1000, dumb bell pairs in 5-40 lbs, a fan, and a TV on the wall with a Roku. Got everything super-cheap. Now there is no excuse, and 2014 will be the year of fitness!

4) Although my book sales for 2013 were pretty paltry - especially the last several months - I did release a new novel, JOSEPH OF NAZARETH, and the sales on that have been pretty good so far. It was a huge relief to finally get that one done, as I had been prompted to write it in November 2009. I never take that long to do a writing project, so it really weighed on me for all that time -especially since I felt I was on an errand from the Lord. Thanks to my successful NaNoWriMo, I got back on the writing horse after what had been a long hiatus. I now look forward to a prolific 2014, with at least five new fiction products planned for release this year. I am once again a writer (because writers write). Now, if I can just get one of my books to score a nice seven-figure movie deal...


5) Debt stinks, but I believe we now have a good system in place, and if we can just stick to our goals and not spend too much - that is, make the necessary sacrifices - we should be able to get as much as 30% of the way out of debt (though I am hoping beyond hope for 40%, through some miracle). I believe that achieving that goal this year will help produce a stronger character for me and my family.

6) It's not an accomplishment or anything, but I really did get a lot of satisfaction out of re-watching LOST this fall. I watched the whole series in a matter of only two months (mostly on the train during my commute). I very much enjoyed analyzing it while I watched.

7) I found some GREAT music this year. Some of my new favorites include Madrugada (and Sivert Hoyem solo), and Chameleon. Also very much enjoyed Doctor Who. I don't watch much on the tube, but what I like, I really like. I didn't read very many books this year (scarcely more than a dozen), but the most interesting was probably Democracy in America, Volume 1, by Alexis deToqueville. I recommend it.

8) One of the very best things about 2013 was that while I was unemployed, I got to teach Seth (he homeschooled for the second half of second grade). Loved that time with him, exploring knowledge together. Didn't care much for the stupid Common Core materials, but loved reading Wikipedia with Seth and going off on autodidactic tangents with my little knowledge-sponge of a boy. That time together, forced by unemployment, was a great blessing. But the best thing about 2013 was that I got to baptize that sweet little guy.


MY COMPLETELY UNREALISTIC WISH LIST FOR 2014:

Note: these are wishes, not goals. While some of them may overlap with my goals and plans, much of this is completely out of my control, and thus does not work as a goal...

1) We get pregnant and Jean successfully carries to term, expanding our family to two children (or three, if it's twins). Seth gets that sibling he's always longed for, and I get to expand my capacity to love.

2) One of my books (most likely CANCELED) catches the interest of some big wigs in Hollywood and they offer me a ton of money for movie rights.

3) Because of #2, we get completely out of debt. I also quit the day job and write fiction full time.

4) I lose 50-60 lbs and keep it off.

5) I honestly can't think of anything else I could wish for.

I'll do whatever I can to make those dreams come true, and leave the rest up to God.
Well, glad I got all that off my chest. Thanks for reading.

Happy New Year! What were your favorite and least favorite parts of 2013? What do you want out of 2014?

The best part of ANY year: my family.

A Little Catch Up!

Oh my! So much has happened since I last posted!

We have moved to a new house about an hour north of our old house. We love our new neighborhood and friends. It is a bigger and newer home but with less room for storage so we have been working to find creative ways to store all our stuff!

Seth turned 5 and has started school and LOVES IT! He really enjoys reading and drawing and coloring but he especially enjoys playing with his friends - aaand he still loves Thomas the Tank Engine. Seth also played soccer this season but we're not sure it's his game as he is afraid of the ball...and of groups of kids.

Michael has started a freelance writing business called Word Wizardry...since he IS the word wizard...and has a few regular clients. He is still working on his fiction career too! He is also very happy with his new job at 3form writing in the marketing department. He also works with the youth in church.

Jean is still selling Scentsy and serves as secretary in the Relief Society. She has also joined the the community choir - the first practice, she was giddy over singing Christmas music with the choir! Jean has recently started on a life change for her health. She has started working out and even RAN (something Jean really, really, really dislikes) and plans to RUN again! She prefers to lift weights but is hoping to learn to love cardio...and life without sugar...and pizza...

As I'm sure you can tell, we keep very busy! I would like to say I will be posting again soon but, who knows?

For My Mom and Mom-in-Law

You ladies probably don't know it but I am very thankful to you. I am thankful for your example and for your strength. I have learned much from you, cleaning and cooking from my mom and kindness and enjoyment from my mom-in-law. I have learned love from you both. Thank you for being who you are. Thank you for being so good to me. And thank you for loving Seth and Michael so well.

Love,
Jeanie

Silly Family Fun

Great Orators of the Century

Seth gave his first talk in Primary on Sunday, February 1st. He was all dressed up in his argyle sweater and white shirt and tie - very dashing. We practiced his talk with him on Saturday and tried to practice with him on Sunday but he wasn't very receptive...

...Before I continue with this story, I must tell you how much Seth loves to talk into the microphone. When I was the Primary Chorister (up until last July), Seth and Michael would come to the Primary room to meet me after church and Seth would go straight to the podium and start talking into the microphone. Sometimes he prayed, usually he spoke and one time he gave a very long speech about the meaning of life or something. Like the great church orator he is, he always ends with "name of Jesus Christ, Amen." Now that I'm in Relief Society, he still goes to the podium but there is no step stool...

...So, we tried to explain to him what he would be doing but he wasn't grasping it and was having a hard time practicing. Anyway, we got him to Primary and sat him in his special "talk" chair (which he thought was very cool) and waited for his turn. We got up to the podium and, at first, he was whispering like mommy (why he won't do that in Sacrament Meeting, we have not yet figured out) so I told him to speak into the mic - right about that time, they actually turned on the mic and his voice got really loud...then he was into it! He did a fabulous job, he said his words clearly and, apparently, some of the practice sunk in because he remembered parts of the talk all on his own! When he finished his talk, he yelled to Michael, who was sitting in the back of the room, "I did it, Daddy!"

My Hubby

So, the other day I was telling Michael some of my woes and, well, I'll let the following speak for the rest...

There once was a beautiful woman named Jean.
(Take a look in the mirror, you'll see who I mean.)
She got kinda down, feelin' all outta sorts
So her husband gave her a wee kick in the shorts

He said, "Hey there my sweetie, wazza madda wid U?"
She said, "Got so much to accomplish, but nothing to do!"
He said, "That makes no sense, are you sick in the head?"
She said, "You're really not helping - I'm going to bed."

Well, her husband (let's call him Michael the Grand)
Was perplexed and befuddled and knew not where to stand
So he wrote up a poem he hoped would inspire
And sent it via email, to his only desire.

And it went a little something like this:

Jeanie, Jeanie, you're too awesome
To lay there sad and playin' possum
Gotta jump up and go go go
'Cause you'll be happier, I know

The journey of a thousand mile
Starts with step one, so put on a smile
Perhaps if we get up at dawn
And go downstairs, get a workout on

We'll have more energy and spunk
And ditch the blues and all that junk
And feel like we can take on life
With confidence as sharp as a knife

We can take procrastination
Replace it with strong motivation
If this power-poem fails to thrill
I think that we could get some pills ;)

But either way the time is now
To make a change - I'll tell you how
Use agency to make the choice
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice

No matter what I love you tons
So chop-chop girl, get off those buns!
And know that I am by your side
To overcome the blues inside.

Now, I may not be the best drill sergeant around
Nor am I a psychiatrist - but my advice is still sound
And most of all, I hope that you know
I love you so much - yes, I love you so!

Whenever you need me, my ear is all yours
And my shoulder, my knee, my pancreas, and pores
But in the end, it is you who must make the first move
Though I'll be right there beside you adding funk to your groove

My rhymes are degrading - my apologies
But there's one more word play that I'd like to squeeze
And that's this: I am sorry you are feeling this way
But I hope this little ditty has brightened your day.

Time Flies!

Time sure flies when you're not doing anything except recovering from the Holidays! Our Christmas was AWESOME! Seth was so much fun. He got a train table and wanted to play with it but he wanted to open gifts too so he'd open a gift, see what it was and then go straight back to his train table - as much as he liked everything else, nothing was as cool as that train table (thank you, Grandpa)! After a while, he totally got into opening gifts and wanted to open everyone's gifts, including the gift we bought for a baby of some friends! By bedtime, we thought he'd forgotten about that gift still sitting under the tree but just as we were ready to turn the lights out, he yelled "WAIT!" then RAN down the hall, grabbed the gift and asked if we could "call the baby" so he could open her gift for her (because earlier we had opened gifts from Michael's parents but he had to wait to open them until we could call Basi and Granddad).

Anyway, Seth played and played and played with his train table. We hardly heard a peep from him all day, except when he was ready to open another gift! We also had the sister missionaries who are serving in our area over for Christmas dinner. They are so cute! And Seth LOVED them! It was a wonderful time and we were thankful to have their lovely spirits in our home. We were also very blessed to have had such a nice Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

Here is The Brittonian, Christmas Edition 2008:

So, what’s the deal with this “time” stuff anyway? It’s like it NEVER stops!

And so here we are again at this point in our solar orbit when the snow is falling in our northern hemispheric part of the world and we are preparing to celebrate the birth of Christ at its traditional wintertime observance.

Also by tradition, the Britton family offers this newsletter, The Brittonian, as a convenient way to summarize our family’s ups and downs of the past annum and to send you our fairest greetings.

Let’s break it down into easily-digestible parts for your Christmas dinner-laden tummies:

Whole Family: We’ve had joys, challenges, triumphs and sorrows in 2008. Notably, we are sad to report the loss of Jean’s brother James, who was 28. It was a shock to us all when a motorcycle accident took his life in August. We miss him.

Seth: Our little guy is nothing short of spectacular. He is the kindest, sweetest, most polite little person around. He is sharp as a Christmas ornament hanger-thingy and says the funniest stuff. He loves to sing and read and is still obsessed with trains (especially Thomas). He loves to laugh, he’s affectionate, and he’s a wonderful example to his parents. He can be a rascal, though: one of his favorite words is “no” and he will drive a hard bargain to try to get what he wants (which usually consists of staying up later). He is very independent and wants to try to do things himself before asking for help. This year’s big triumph: he has pretty much mastered using the remote control, and going in the potty. Yay for Seth!

Jean: The mommy of the Britton family stays plenty busy, keeping up with Seth and putting up with Michael. She has been involved in a neighborhood preschool with Seth that rotates from home to home of the participants, takes Seth to karate lessons, and still finds time to keep her Scentsy wickless candles business rolling along. This year, Jean was called into a leadership position in church (2^nd counselor in the Relief Society presidency), which has also kept her calendar full. This year’s big triumph: potty training Seth. Yay for Mommy!

Michael: Michael changed jobs in March of 2008, but is still working with words for a living. Speaking of which, Michael spent two weeks in October on the Oregon coast at an intense workshop for commercial fiction writers. It was absolutely fantastic, and has opened some important doors for Michael’s career aspirations. He’s currently working on a thriller novel that he’ll be sending off to New York early in the coming year. Dedicated to his goals, he writes fiction nearly every day. Michael is still working with the young men at church (Teachers Quorum assistant) and still has big plans to start working out one day. This year’s big triumph: Honorable Mention in four out of the last five Writers of the Future contests. Yay for Michael!

We’ve had a year full of days, weeks, and sometimes even months. It’s hard to say where we’ll be a year from now, other than at this exact same place in the solar orbit. But one thing we do know: we’re glad we know you; and we’re grateful for the birth, life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Okay, that’s two things. Ah well – Michael wrote this – blame him.

With warm wishes for a very merry Christmas!

Love, The Brittons

Those Pesky Undies (yes, they're Thomas undies)

Seth has been doing really well with his potty training...in fact, I wouldn't call it training at all anymore. He can sure hold it a looooong time though! If he is really into his playing, he has a really hard time leaving it to go potty. He'll start to dance and wiggle, anything to keep from having to stop playing to go potty.

So, I say "Do you need to go potty?"

And he replies "No. I just don't want to go potty."

A minute later "Seth, I can tell tell you need to go potty."

"No. I don't have to go potty." is his very firm reply

"Are you sure?"

"No, I'm not sure!" (which means, 'yes, I'm sure I don't have to go potty.')

"Come on, Seth, let's go potty."

"NO!"

And so, he continues to dance and wiggle until he just can't stand it anymore and he'll say "Mommy, I need to go potty!" then we rush to the potty.

So, the other morning we went through this potty ritual then I told him to go into his bedroom and put his undies on. As I was waiting for him to reappear, I heard him say "Not quite right, please try again." (Which is a direct quote from a Thomas game on one of his DVD's) Then he came around the corner, taking very small steps, with both legs in the same hole of the undies, saying "Help! Help!"

Seth's First Hand made Ornament (and the Balloon Story)

Seth goes to a neighborhood preschool and they had a Christmas party on Thursday where he made an ornament and got a balloon. When mommy picked Seth up that day, he insisted on holding his balloon. Mommy told him to hold on tight or the balloon would go up in the sky and not come back. Of course, as soon as we walked out the door, Seth let go of the balloon! When Seth realized that mommy had kept hold of the end of the balloon, he was very upset and said he wanted the balloon to go up in the sky! So mommy acquiesced and Seth let the balloon go up in the sky. As he was admiring his flying balloon and saying "bye balloon", mommy asked Seth to get into the van. Seth then said "Come down balloon! Come down!" but, of course, the balloon did not obey. When Mommy finally convinced Seth that the balloon could not come down, Seth got into the van. As he climbed into his car seat, he said "Go fly van to get it?"

My Boys

I just wanted to share one of my favorite pics of Michael and Seth. I love these two boys so much, my heart almost bursts with joy.

(Per Dottie's request, I have made the pics bigger)







Seth wore his costume wonderfully for our church Halloween party and he looked so handsome and I kept telling Michael "we can get pics of the two of you on Halloween, don't worry about it tonight." Well, Seth would NOT put on his Lone Ranger outfit for preschool the day before Halloween. Halloween day, Michael had trick or treating at work so I had to force Seth - with much yelling and many tears - to put the outfit on. Again, no pics. Seth was so tired when we got home that he would not take a nap until I took his Lone Ranger outfit off and, of course, we did not get it back on. These are 2 pics one of Michael's co-workers took.

Playing Catch Up

Yum, yum, yummy bananas!

So, I finally uploaded pics for August, September and October! And I see lots of cute stuff so I'm going to do some back-tracking...

The picture below is from Dottie's visit in August. I cannot believe that my sweet, innocent, darling, little boy is a BULLY! Poor Olivia, who is only 1 yr. old and weighs about 15 lbs. soaking wet, was so picked on. Seth did not want her to touch his toys, his tv, his piano, his mommy, nothing that was his. And when she did, he would push her! One time, the kids were playing outside and Dottie and I hear crying - Dottie runs outside to see Seth has pushed Olivia to the ground and every time she tries to get up, he pushes her back down. What am I going to do with my little bully?


More to come!

Happy Halloween! (more Toddler Talk)

Seth and Michael are dressing as The Lone Ranger and Tonto this year. Last night we had our ward Halloween Carnival and Seth got to have his first taste of trick-or-treating around the church. He had so much fun gathering all that candy! Tonto took The Lone Ranger around and reported to mommie later that The Lone Ranger was very polite and always said "thank you". As we were talking about it, Seth got into the conversation and said "trick-or-treat" and mommie said "that's right, and then what do you say?" Seth promptly replied "more candy please!"

More Toddler Talk

As part of Seth's bedtime routine, Michael always reads a couple of verses from the Book of Mormon. The other night, as Michael sat down on his bed and opened the scriptures, Seth climbed up beside him and said, "And it came to pass..." So, even though he reads other books, plays with his trains, and climbs on his crib during scripture time- we know he's been listening!

Blessing James' Kids

James had planned to bless his children before he passed. I'm so glad Dalina (his wife) went forward with the blessings. When Dan (my older brother) started to bless J.J., I suddenly had this feeling *James is here*. It brought instant tears. I know others felt Jimmy's presence too. Dan gave a wonderful blessing to J.J. (which brought many more tears). The blessing especially reminded me of how kind Jimmy always was. Dalina's dad blessed Mariah. It was nice to see everyone again.
(I borrowed these pics from my sis-in-law's blog, thanks, Mel)

Toddler Talk

This morning I was trying to remove a huge sticker from a stock pot I had purchased. I expected the sticker to come right off but, alas, it just kept ripping (I hate it when stores do that) so I said "you have got to be kidding me!" Immediately following my exclamation, Seth responded (in a very serious tone) "No, I'm not kidding."

James Luke Scarbrough 1980 - 2008

It's been a few weeks since James' passing. Even though life seems to be somewhat back to normal, I think of him often. In the car the other night, I was listening to Josh Groban's "To Where You Are" (to hear it, click on the song title) - some of the words really struck me and I started tearing up. But I really started crying when I thought of Dalina (James' wife) and her children - they must miss him so much. I can't imagine the hole they must feel in their lives.

I wasn't a very good sister to James sometimes and I really regret that. I really hope that I can do better in the future - not only to be a better sister but to be a better mother, wife, and daughter. I love you James, and I am missing your calls saying "I don't want anything, I just want to see how you're doing." I will miss lecturing you about how much your Heavenly Father loves you - I hope you know now.

August 5, 2008 - Seth's Super Fun Birthday

Seth's birthday party was so much fun! Seth invited the few friends he plays with most and we decorated party hats and treat bags, played "freeze train", and ate yummy Thomas the Tank Engine birthday cake. But, no matter how many fun things we did, Seth kept going to the shelf where the gifts were wanting to open his "pre-ssents". He received some wonderful gifts, including a Thomas outfit, the jacket of which he would not take off until he received his Thomas jammies later that night (in 90 degree weather)! He also received an awesome track set, a mini Thomas Take-and-Play set and a bouncy ball you sit on. Oh, he also received the Thomas slippers he's been asking about for months! At the end of the day I just kept telling everyone how much fun we had...It was a really great day.

Following the Crowd...

So, now that I've yelled at everyone for not telling me about their blogs, I have been coerced into "Baaa-ing" with the rest of you sheep! That being said, I'm actually looking forward to sharing all my exciting and wonderful news with the rest of the caring world. I know you cannot wait to hear my fantastic tales of stains on my shirts, Thomas the Tank Engine escapades, and adventures in potty-training: in which, I'm finding Seth is not very adventurous.
But, you'll have to wait until I feel like typing all that poop.
(pun intended)