Welcome to the 21st Century

I usually save the year-end wrap-up comments for the week after Christmas. But I’ve been thinking about this wild and crazy year as I am getting my Christmas newsletters ready. I have learned a lot over the past year, but just for fun, I thought I might list some of my discoveries of 2005.
~ Pajamas.
O, my. I love my pajamas.
This is not so much a discovery as a re-discovery. I had several sets of pajamas that made up my wearing apparel during the months I was bed-bound before the birth of my youngest child, Adam. But darn it all, they wore out, and I had a hard time justifying the purchase of more pajamas since I had nightgowns.
But my beloved Ya-Ya Scrappers left me a set of Tweety Bird Pajamas in September and I am so happy! I have since purchased some Sponge Bob Square Pants pajamas, too.
~ Digital photography.
David bought me a 3.2 point and shoot for my birthday/Christmas present last year and revolutionized my scrapbook pages. I love the option of taking a bazillion photos and deleting the shots that just don’t work for me. After I started my part-time job with the local newspaper and they gave me a D-Rebel, I started to blow the doors off my old photographs. I love digital so much, we are going to give our sons ages 7 and 11 inexpensive digital cameras for Christmas.
~ The internet.
We briefly had the internet in our home when I was pregnant with my youngest child. But when I became bed-bound we decided to disconnect it since I wasn’t using it and it was costing us money. What with one thing and another, we haven’t been able to afford it since. But when I landed my job with the newspaper we needed the internet so I could file my stories from home. I can’t believe how much easier it is to be a reporter with the resources available through the internet. Hay, Alleen, welcome to the 21st Century!
~ Cell phones.
Again, welcome to the 21st Century. Since I am a SAHM I had no need for a cell phone before. Frankly, I was an anti-cell phone snob because I couldn’t imagine why you would want to talk to people when you went grocery shopping. Wasn’t being in the grocery store stressful enough? But on the day we were school shopping and my boss called while I was in Olive Garden for dinner, I decided the cell phone had its advantages. Then on Sunday when I didn’t have my cell phone, and couldn’t find a working phone, and needed to call my husband, I decided the phone was about to become a necessity.
~Psycho Death Kill.
Hot diggity dog, my new computer rocks! Don’t get me wrong, I was totally in love with my Performa. It had seen me through many a scrapbook page, Christmas newsletter and the birth of the family newsletter, “Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch.” But the Psycho Death Kill is smokin’! I can download photos and print them on my next great discovery.
~Scanner, printer combo.
Ye Haw! I can print photos at home. I can print them any size, in black and white or color or a combination of the two. What a blast!
~ Adobe Photoshop 3.0 elements.
See above post. Seriously, this is a great program, I have so much to learn about it, but I’m having fun learning it.
~Blogging.
What can I say that I have not already said? Check out my blog and find out!
~Free Sail at the Great Salt Lake
My husband, children and I were treated to a ride on a sailboat on the big, salty lake so close to my new home. I have been fascinated with the Great Salt Lake since moving so close to it four years ago, but this summer as we were sailing with Captain Joe I had a spectacular time. If we had the money, and the time, and the training … But the free sail is something I’m sure we will remember for a long time.
~Mega M&M’s.
M&M,s only bigger. With more chocolate. Merciful heavens! I do believe I gained 10 pounds, due to these wonderful candies.