It's that time of year

Thank you, Shutterfly, for another amazing Christmas card. I've never been disappointed by this company. Never.

I didn't intend to go with a "Merry and Bright" card for the second year in a row, but this layout worked for the type of card I wanted. We've been to a couple of weddings this year that had photo booths, and wow. Those things are a blast. I really wanted my card to have a photo booth feel to it, and I also wanted to incorporate the BroStache because let's face it: it's awesome. This worked perfectly because it gave us the best of both worlds: classy and goofy. The quality of the actual cards I received in the mail were top notch, also.

Oh, and hi, by the way! I'm still alive and kicking. Just doing the obligatory annual Christmas card post to get my free cards. Yes, I am that cheap. 

Regarding this blog, keep an eye out for some changes that are to come in the near future. I feel inspired to write again for the first time in a long time. But first things first, I need to clean up and do a little re-decorating around here. This place is totally outdated and overdue for an extreme makeover! 2012 is going to be a good year.

I want you to love Shutterfly as much as I do (but even if you don't, just look at how cute my Christmas card is this year)

Who doesn't love giving and receiving Christmas cards? I think my favorite part of each day in December is opening my mailbox just to see the new ones that I've received. 

And we all know that the best cards are the ones with pictures on them. It's 2010. The only people who are exempt from having to send photo cards are senior citizens. 

My Christmas cards from last year on display

That means that you should all know about the great designs and service you can get from Shutterfly. I've been using this company for the past 3 years for all my photo needs. I've had hundreds of pictures printed and mailed to me, 2 albums made, and this will be my third year going through them for my Christmas cards. Also, those 2 albums I got? They were free. They seriously give you free stuff throughout the year for NO REASON. Just another reason I love them.

Here's our card from last year: 

I'm a little hesitant to show the card that I chose for this year because I want people to be surprised when they receive it... But what the hell. Here it is:

Okay, so we're a young married couple without children. Obviously we enjoy dressing up in various costumes and drinking copious amounts of booze. But in case you have different interests (or you want your friends and family to believe you do), Shutterfly has tons of other card designs to choose from: classy, elegant, traditional, casual... And they work with almost any budget. 

Go here to look at all the options for their Christmas cards, which includes folded cards, flat stationary cards, and flat photo cards. Also, it's currently Cyber Week over there, meaning there's an amazing sale. We're talking 30% off Christmas cards, 50% off calendars and photo books, and free shipping until December 1st. JUMP ON THIS. 


Bloggers, to find out how you can receive 50 cards for free, go here.

My love/hate relationship with blogging

Hi, all. Sorry to have disappeared on you several months back. If you don't follow me on Twitter, you might be wondering why I seemed to have abandoned my blog earlier this year. Rest assured, I didn't get knocked up, nor am I having marital problems (the two main reasons people tend to go MIA from the blog world). Things are blissfully... normal.

So what's the deal, and why did I take such a long vacation? Two things occurred that caused me to grow tired of blogging: 

#1. Haters. Yeah, you know those people named "Anonymous", who go around writing hateful comments on people's blogs... They suck. 'Nuff said. 

and

#2. Psychos. These guys are slightly less common than Haters, but they're way worse. People say imitation is the highest form of flattery... that is until someone imitates you. Reading my posts, word for word, on a stranger's blog was one of the most disturbing things I've ever experienced. 

These things contributed to my overall lukewarm feeling toward blogging. What started out as something I was passionate about, turned into something I didn't trust. If people were stealing my posts, then what could they be doing with my pictures? The whole thing freaked me out a bit.

I also never wanted blogging to feel like a chore, and sometimes that's how it felt. Instead of truly being motivated to write about something, I'd always be on the lookout for what to write next. If I hadn't posted in awhile, I'd start getting anxious. Uh oh, am I losing readers? I need to come up with something! Not to mention, the fact that it's common courtesy to respond to the comments you get. That alone takes up a big chunk of time, especially when your Google Reader has 100 new blog posts a day that need to be read. 

So I said, screw it. I won't blog until I miss it. And I didn't. I kept up with most people on Twitter, and once every few weeks I'd scan through my Google Reader to make sure nothing life altering was going on with anyone. But other than that, I've been perfectly content with the way things are.

I'm going to be honest. The reason I'm writing this post is because I want the 50 free Christmas photo cards that Shutterfly is offering exclusively to bloggers. (Find out more info here.) I'm pretty sure coming out of early retirement just to write a post to get free stuff would make me seem like an asshole. The least I could do first is explain why I decided to go into early retirement, right?

I don't really know where I'm going from here with the blog. I never intended to go MIA permanently. I mean, I'm totally going to be a crazy mommy blogger someday, but that's a given. For now, I think I'll continue to wait for the motivation to come back. And hopefully it'll happen sooner rather than later.

Don't rain on my parade

My husband and I are officially Gleeks. Translation: We love the show "Glee". Billy really put up a fight against this show in the beginning. Apparently the fact that he was a baseball and football player in high school gave him the impression that the glee club was full of dorks... Ridiculous, right? He wasn't interested in watching it, until I forced him to sit through a couple of episodes. Now he's the one who asks me when Glee is coming back, and he's the one who pulls out the soundtrack and skips ahead to his favorite songs while we're in the car. I love it. But I guess the downside of this shared adoration might be the following conversation:

Billy: Hey, did you hear that Glee is doing an open casting call? 

Shalay: Yeah, that's pretty cool. 

Billy: I think you should audition. 

(Here's where I pause to think to myself, awwwww! My husband is just the sweetest.)

Shalay: Aw, babe that's so nice. But I'm pretty sure they're looking for classically trained singers. I mean, I know I'm good and all, but I think the producers might want a performer of a higher caliber. Ya know?

Billy: No. I think you should audition to be, like, the girl in the Glee club who really sucks.

Shalay: I'm sorry. What?

Billy: You could be the new girl that joins Glee, but you can't sing at all. And they have to keep you in the group because Mr. Schuester forces everyone to be nice to you. You'd be really good at being a horrible singer! 

Let me clarify this to my readers: HE. WAS. SERIOUS. This was not a joke. My husband seriously thinks I'd be the perfect person to cast as the horrible singer in the Glee club. I honestly don't know whether to be flattered that he thinks I'm that good of an actress, or offended that I'm obviously that horrible a singer....

Yes. I think it's obvious that I would totally fit in here.

Natural beauty? What's that?

I'm sure anyone who follows celebrities has seen this latest cover of People Magazine: 

And I'm sure (assuming you're normal) you had the same reaction as me, which was pretty much pure repulsion. I mean, 10 procedures at once? When she already looked fine to begin with? I think Heidi Montag-Pratt needs to see a psychiatrist ASAP. 

Now, I'm not one of those people who is anti-plastic surgery. That would make me a complete hypocrite being that I've actually had plastic surgery. (A breast augmentation, in case anyone was wondering.) I think that as long as a person is choosing a procedure for the right reasons, and they've done their research and thought long and hard about it, they should do what makes them happy. I've known people that have suffered from debilitating self-esteem issues because of their insecurity about a certain body part(s). If there is something that bothers you that much, then by all means, have it altered to your liking. But I think Heidi is sending the wrong message to girls that you can make yourself physically perfect as long as you pay up. 

What Mrs. Pratt fails to realize is that there is beauty in imperfections. No one can ever be perfect, and that's okay. In fact, that's wonderful. It makes us human. If Heidi was that unhappy with her previous appearance, I can guarantee you she will find just as many flaws in her new self. 

Plastic surgery is definitely not the key to happiness. I was never insecure about my breasts before. They were small, but perky, and they fit my body perfectly. Billy was against it all the way, telling me I was perfect the way I was. After going through with it, I'm definitely happy with my decision, but I do feel like I went a little too big and I have to be very conscious about what I wear and how I look, especially since I work with kids. When I eventually get my breasts re-done (after I'm done having babies and nursing) I plan to get much smaller implants put in, to look similar to the way I did before. Kinda ironic, huh?

None of us are immune to looking in the mirror and being disappointed with what we see. I'd love to have Jennifer Aniston's body. I'd love to have a perfect tiny nose, and nice cheekbones, and green eyes. But if given the choice, would I actually change myself to look like that? I'd have to say no. It just wouldn't be me anymore, and as much as I think I could be improved, I kinda like me. 

So yes, I do think plastic surgery is acceptable as long as it's done in the right way. I know many people disagree with that and think that we "shouldn't change what God gave us". To that I say, Do you wear makeup? Do you dye your hair? Do you remove unwanted hair? Isn't that, in a way, changing what God gave you? I know plastic surgery is more extreme, but if it makes someone happier and more confident, then I see no problem in it. 

The only thing that is unfortunate is when it makes a person virtually unrecognizable. Or, of course, when it's a botched job. What a nightmare that would be. But there's definitely good plastic surgery. 

Take Jennifer Aniston, for example:

She's actually had multiple nose jobs, but each one has been subtle, leaving her looking like her natural self, just a little improved. Oh, but the second nose job was not for cosmetic reasons, it was purely to repair a deviated septum. They always say that. But hey she looks fabulous, so good for her. 


Blake Lively

Ashlee Simpson

Now if I was to ever get a nose job (which I'm not, but hypothetically), I'd totally go to Ashlee's surgeon. He gave her a natural looking nose that fits her face perfectly. 

Halle Berry 

Angelina Jolie

I'd consider all of the above mentioned procedures to have been successful. Then there are those celebrities who make themselves virtually unrecognizable after their procedures. 

Megan Fox

I'll be honest, I don't know what she's done to her face. She's definitely gotten lip injections, but besides that I really can't tell. All I know is, she no longer looks naturally beautiful. She looks like a fake doll or something. I definitely think she looked better before she became a Hollywood bombshell.

Nicole Kidman

Here's a woman who I truly believe was naturally gorgeous. So why did she have to go and mess with her face? What's with the lips, Nicole? You look ridiculous now. 

Meg Ryan 

 




Here you have another actress who couldn't come to terms with aging. When Harry Met Sally is one of my favorite movies of all time. When I watch it, I am entirely smitten with Meg Ryan and her adorable self. Now her face looks completely frozen. What a shame. 

And now we come to the truly horrifying results of bad plastic surgery. Can you believe that these women actually chose to do this to themselves? Just take a look: 

Nikki Cox

You may remember her from the television shows "Unhappily Ever After" and "Las Vegas". She was gorgeous before! Now she looks like her face has been steamrolled. 

Vivica Fox

BAD boob job. 

Madonna

I don't think commentary is needed for this one. 

And last but not least, Tara Reid:

Pre-plastic surgery

Post-plastic surgery

Botched boob job

Botched Liposuction

Her efforts to repair the damage obviously didn't help much. I think the girl is a lost cause.

So how do you guys feel about plastic surgery? Have you had any? Would you have any?  And how far is too far? 

As usual, all opinions are welcome! (But please remain respectful)

Happy New Year!

It only occurred to me yesterday that we are not only embarking upon a new year... This is a whole new decade. Weird. Especially since we can pretty much pinpoint our lives' "big moments" according to decade. And being that I sort of "came of age" these past ten years, I guess when I look back in retrospect, this will probably end up having been one of the most important decades in my life.

I mean, just look at it compared to the other decades...

1980's: I'm born. (Yay!) I live in a nice house in the suburbs, with parents who are married. I know no problems.

1990's: My brother is born. I go through elementary school. My parents divorce. I move. A lot. Titanic is released, and I see it 11 times in the theater. My grandpa dies. I go to a Spice Girls concert. I go through junior high.

2000's: I begin high school. I make the cheer squad. I quit the cheer squad. I go on a cruise to Alaska. I begin sophomore year at a different high school. I last a week and a half before I beg to transfer back to my old school. One Tuesday, while getting ready for school, I watch the television as the second plane hits the World Trade Center. I stay home for two days. I donate money. I get my learner's permit. I begin my junior year in high school. I develop an insane crush on a boy I hardly know. I get rejected. I get a new car a month shy of my 16th birthday. I turn 16 and get my license the following day. I go on a cruise to the Caribbean. I get sick with a horrible virus that causes my eardrum to burst. I end up missing two weeks of school. I go to Hawaii, where I stand on the beach as my mom's maid of honor in her wedding to my step-dad. I begin my senior year. I get a part-time job. I make a new best friend. I go to lots of parties. I kiss lots of boys. I throw a house party when my parents go out of town. I get in a world of trouble for said party. I go to a pre-graduation party at best friend's house. I meet a guy there who make me laugh more than I ever had. He drives me to my graduation. I don't see him again after that. I go to Hawaii for a week with best friend. We meet and kiss lots of boys. I come home and get in a car wreck. I walk away unscathed. I attend a theater arts program at UCLA for the summer. The guy from my graduation day calls me. He asks me out. I accept. We proceed to go on the best first date in the history of the world. Guy becomes boyfriend. I have huge falling out with best friend. Boyfriend starts working for my mom and step-dad. I stand by boyfriend's side as his dad battles cancer. I drop everything when we learn his dad lost the battle. We move into our own apartment together. We adopt two cats. I watch my dad re-marry. We go on a cruise to Hawaii. I work at a restaurant, and then in an office. We go to San Francisco. Boyfriend proposes. I accept. I start a blog. I get laid off from my job. I pretend to be a housewife for 6 months. I plan a wedding, rather half-assedly. Despite that, our wedding turns out fabulous, and Boyfriend officially becomes Husband. I vote for the first time in a historical presidential election. We move out of our apartment and into a townhouse. I start working with children. I feel satisfied with a job for the first time. We watch Husband's mom re-marry a wonderful man. I transfer from a community college to a university. We celebrate one year of marriage, and five years together. I turn 23.


Looking back on all the important events that stand out in my mind this past decade, I can't help but be excited (and a little terrified) for what these next ten years may bring.

I didn't make any New Year's resolutions this year. To be honest, I've never actually kept any of my resolutions in the past. Change is a big deal to me. Even when that change simply applies to one area of my life. I have to want it, to make it happen. And just because January 1st happens to come around, it doesn't necessarily mean I want change, or am ready to make it. Which is kinda ironic considering that I have a LOT of room for improvement.

Instead of making resolutions this year, I decided to make a list of goals - my goals for the next decade. For a procrastinator like myself, this is the perfect way to do something. You know, since I have ten whole years to complete the list. And even if I don't cross everything off the list in ten years, at least I'll still have a clear vision of what I would like to achieve or experience in my lifetime. Besides, the only timeline we live by is our own. And I don't know about you, but I take my life one day at a time.

So here it goes, my goals for the next decade, the 2010's, in no particular order...

• Graduate with my Bachelor's degree
• Score an awesome internship in movie or television production
• Work hard doing something I love
  
• Travel to Europe
• Travel to the East Coast
• Go to Rockefellar Center at Christmas time
• See a live taping of Oprah (I need to hurry on this one)
• Eat at The French Laundry in Napa
• Pay off our credit cards
• Buy a house
• Buy my own domain name
• Have my blog professionally designed
• Read. A lot.
  
• Watch the classics: Casablanca, Citizen Kane, Gone With the Wind, and the Godfather trilogy.
• Buy a new camera and learn photography basics
  
• Scrapbook and make albums for life's big events
  
• Go on a hike
• Take a yoga class
• Attend a marriage group at church
  
• Volunteer my time to help others
• Fix the tooth that drives me nuts
• Adopt a dog from a shelter
• Have my writing published
• Swim with dolphins
• See a Broadway show
• Decorate and paint my house
• Go camping
• Visit Billy's family in Oregon
• Learn the different line dances they do at country bars
  
• Visit Hearst Castle
• Stay at the Madonna Inn
• Sing karaoke
  
• Learn to play a whole song on guitar
• Treat our parents to dinner someplace nice
• Have our photos taken by The Image is Found photographers, Nate & Jaclyn Kaiser
• Have some babies
• Experience life as a stay at home mom
• Learn sign language, along with my kids

I reserve the right to change and add to this list, as I see fit.

Best wishes to everyone in this next year, and all the ones that follow it!

(By the way, what the heck is everyone calling this decade? The teens? The twenty tens? The tens? I feel a little out of the loop.)

All these things and more - that's what Christmas means to me, my love.

I just love Christmas. I love the sounds, the smells, the bright, sparkly lights... I love the feeling I get in my stomach when I breathe in the smell of the Christmas tree. I love that I have been listening to Christmas music since a week before Thanksgiving, and I'm still not sick of it. I love that I'm still a little girl at heart. I hope to never be one of those cynical people who constantly complains about things they hate about the holiday season, or that it "doesn't feel like Christmas"... Hello, people! Christmas is what you make it! And for me (and I hope for many of you), it's downright magical.

One of my favorite things to do this time of year is decorate the house. I seriously wish I could leave up my decorations all year round because I feel like they make my home so much more warm and inviting. And when you're renting a townhouse with bare white walls, trust me, you can use all the warm, fuzzy, home-y feelings you can get.

Here's a sneak peek of the Clements household during the holidays:

I wish I could say our stockings are hung over the fireplace with care. But as you can see, we don't have a fireplace. Or a mantle. Apparently the builders of this home forgot to put those two things in, or maybe they just have an irrational hatred of fireplaces, I don't know. But we improvised. And now I can say that our stockings are hung over the pasty, white wall with care.

Gifts are wrapped! (These first 2 pictures were taken by my iPhone, by the way. I highly recommend the Best Camera app!)

A view of our decorated dining area/kitchen. I LOVE light up garland.

A close up of our fiber optic Santa Claus. We didn't buy any new indoor decorations this year. These decorations were all purchased from 2005-2008, while we lived in our apartment. And everything you see is from Target!

Our front door. Actually, there is one thing we didn't buy at Target, and that's the doorknob jinglebell decoration, which I got for a buck at the Dollar Tree. Score!

Our Christmas cards on display. I love getting Christmas cards, especially picture ones. And yes, I totally taped up our own Christmas card among the others.

The front door

The porch

And there you have it! Oh, and I almost forgot...

Our 2009 Christmas card!