Can you hear me now?!

G and his buddy, Rowan

Cora and a lizard she found. Sorry about the blurriness, Gianni smeared peppermint lip gloss all over the lens.

Mike's side of the fam: Brian, Mamma Alice, Grandpa "Nonno", Matt.

Anna at the petting zoo.

Goat meets Moose

Learning horseshoes

Cora was, as she puts it, unbeatable.

The perks of hotel livin'

We had us some Christmas in September this month. Knowing that if we still live here in Wyoming we will not be making that holiday trip home, we took a final road trip of 2009. Mike's dad, Keith, spent a couple weeks with us here at home before we left, and then we headed to Pocatello, Idaho together to meet up with two brothers and a mamma. After lots of visiting and swimming in the hotel pool and eating out and petting animals at the zoo, we moved on into Boise. We had a lovely Christmas type dinner at the High House (I say Christmas type, because there were no turkeys to be found but we made due with yummy roasted chickens). Time went by too quickly, especially as we don't know when we will see everyone again, but there was plenty of fun. I forgot to take many pictures but here are the ones I got.

No news on the job front yet, but we are anticipating moving. So begins the agonizing process of getting rid of all that junk you'd just as soon not pack. The girls are going through their precious belongings trying to locate things that they'd be willing to sell at the Kohler's yard sale this weekend. They are entirely motivated by greed (we live within walking distance of the dollar store). They cannot comprehend why no one would want to buy a chewed up dog collar, a stuffed animal with a missing ear, markers without the caps, and naked Barbies with homemade haircuts, so I think I may steer them towards the idea of a lemonade stand as a Plan B.

Here in Wyoming, Road Construction season is winding to an end, to be followed, oh yippee skip, by Almost Winter. Then, naturally, comes Winter, and finally, Still Winter.

On our long drive back, we heard Brad Paisley's song, Letter to Me, and Mike, being the philosophical guy that he is, asked me what I would say if I could go back in time and talk to myself at 17. So, here goes:

Lyss,

Stop worrying what other people are thinking and saying about you. They are more than likely talking and thinking of other things anyway. Don't be afraid to be the goofy person you are inside, outside. Laugh a whole lot more at yourself, and actually mean it. Stand up for yourself, and don't apologize for things that shouldn't be apologized for. Don't try to blend in with the crowd because you don't. And while it's nice that you have enough courage to 'just say no' to so-called friends, go ahead and go one step further and refuse to hold their cigarettes while they go to the bathroom. No need to be a doormat.

Don't be afraid to try new things, even if you know you'll be terrible at them and quite possibly fail. Don't just do the things that come easily. You hate the expression 'get out of your box' now, and you're going to hate it just as much later, but the idea still holds.

Keep your good friends close. Don't trust absolutely everyone. Those people that seem to have all the answers, don't. The ones that you swear now will rule the world later, won't. The girl that had all the boys will get a divorce. The confident boys weren't really all that confident especially now that they're losing hair and gaining beer bellies. There will be deaths and situations that will be far too sudden, leaving hard questions that will make you wrestle with God himself. There will be loss of friendships that will make you sad because you know they're gone for good.

You worry about finding the perfect man, but don't worry, you will. Together you'll have crazy adventures and won't try to change each other, and you'll have some sweet kids to boot. Ten years are going to by fast and he'll still call you his love and think you're perfect.

You think now that you'll be a flawless mom someday. Well, sorry to break it to you, kid, but you won't be. Your children are going to make you grow and change so much you could spend the next decade pondering it and not come up with all the right descriptions or realizations. They'll boggle your mind with how much you love them, and the very things that you love the most will be the ones that drive you nutty and test you the most. They're going to bend your spirit and the limits of your unselfishness way more than you think possible.

Appreciate your family and the things they've done for you. It looks so easy to you, you've never really given it much thought. Do. Remember they're there for life. And when you grow up, don't leave them behind, waving sadly. After all, you'll be moving back in their basement soon anyway.

Oh, and one more thing. You're not fat. Trust me. You'll never be that size and shape again, so for crying out loud, put on a bikini and enjoy it while it you can!

On that deep, wise note,

love,

yourself at 31.