Well, as always life gets a little crazy and I neglect to write all about it. It hasn't been overly busy, just lots to deal with.

I work at a jewelry store (they pay me to play with diamonds....not too shabby), and there have been lots of goings on there - sales, end of year (our fiscal year ends in March) sales, and of course, the big inventory of the year. Now, when I say inventory, I mean that we have to count EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF JEWELRY!!, and in a store that's a fairly good size, that means lots and lots to account for. It usually takes a couple of hours, and this year was no different. Now, I'm not saying that I hate inventory, because oddly, I really don't mind it, but it always seems to sneak up on me.... I know it coming.... then.... BAM!!! It's here. Catches me off guard when I am busying working with clients, helping out in the store and just doing my job in general.

Then of course is what I've been major focusing on for the past year - the retreat. I don't know if you know this, but I'm a board member on a non-profit charitable organization called Evergreen. It's been around for nine years now, and while I haven't sat on the board that long, its definitely a new experience for me. Sometimes its maddening how we have to keep going back and forth on issues and where we want to focus our efforts and where we want to contribute, but when I look at what we accomplish, I'm very proud to be a small part of it. We've given to the Christmas Box House, donated hygiene kits to various disaster relief aids, send doctors and medicine to Haiti, helped out with Hurricane Katrina, given blankets to the Huntsman Cancer Hospital, teddy bears to terminally ill children, and lots and lots of other things.

What I'm getting at, is that each year, we hold a retreat. It acts as a fundraising event for the foundation, as well as helping all the members (who are all the women in my extended family over the age of 14) to have a chance to get together. We have speakers, guests, crafts, humanitarian projects, good food, and of course insanely great company. My family is awesome - really wonderful inspiring women, who even though they are often older than me, there is a lot to learn from them.

And this year, it's my family's turn to host the retreat, get things organized and come up with a theme. We decided we wanted a kick-butt kind of retreat - the kind where we hope all the women leaving empowered and uplifted. So we're calling it "Women of Strength." oh, and the best part..... we're focusing on superheroes!! :) I'm so excited!! We are helping (hopefully) the ladies realize that they are already super heroes and need to stop living as their secret identities. I mean, Clark Kent is a great guy, but he's also kind of a dork, and then BAM!!! He's Superman - and way confident and well..... super. :) We have Bam! Pow! Whoosh! signs all over for decorations, and I've drawn a comic book cover to have on the notebooks we are providing for notes, and well, I just hope it goes off as well as we have planned. My husband says we've planned way too much, but that it's like when you are going to give a talk in church, or give a lesson - you always plan more than what you actually use.

Did I mention that it's this weekend? Well, it is..... hence the rush and running around to make sure we have done our very best to make it a memorable and uplifting weekend for all who can attend. Wish us luck! Maybe I'll post pictures afterwards..... :)

Anyway, just saying that's why I haven't been super good about keeping up with this, but I'll get better. I keep following all those cute blogs out there and hoping I get as good as you guys.

And by the way -  YOU ARE ALL SUPER HEROES!!! BAM! POW! ZOINKS! GADZOOKS! YOWEE!