Wednesday, December 14, 2011

2011 Christmas Letter

Well here we are at the close of another year. Hopefully you are all healthy and happy and ready for 2012!




We have had a busy year as usual. Last Christmas Santa Claus brought us a new addition to our family! A little tiny puppy! Her name is Bayja (sounds like Asia) and she is a Yorkie and she is lots of fun and the kids love her! She is also a spoiled princess that thinks she is a person that should be able to sit on the couch and eat at the table and never be left alone. Mommy loves her but until she can pee in the potty and wipe her own bum she can sit on the floor and eat her dog food and hang out at home by herself while everyone is out during the day.

We were also fortunate to be able to take a family vacation to Cancun this year where we spent a day in the Yucatan jungle snorkeling in the Cenote's. These are underground cave's filled with fresh water...and a great big boa constrictor...trust me, after seeing that snake I did not leave the water in that particular cave as fresh as I found it! We zip lined through the tops of the trees (well most of us, Holland climbed the tower and then cried at the top and had to climb down with the guide). Then we repelled back down to the jungle floor. It was an "Extreme Adventure" and extremely fun and reminded me that I am extremely out of shape and I went back to the resort extremely sweaty and dirty. I love it when you get back and you have had a dirt mustache for hours that no one bothered to tell you about. Those pictures are keepers.

Speaking of Holland, she is 12 and in the 7th grade at Union Middle School. She loves Middle School. Her favorite subjects are Art and Lunch. She is a social butterfly and an academic butterfly as well, a little flighty. But I have done very well on her assignments. Yeah, you read that right. Holland tells me all the time what a great job I do. Holland has several crushes and is a little flirt...I just had a dry heave...pardon me.

Zach is 18 and a senior at Hillcrest. He has been making near straight A's this year and is on the Honor Roll. Yep, not a moment too soon there bud. Don't get me wrong, we will take it, everyday, all day long. He decided to join the wrestling team at Hillcrest this year. So we are learning a lot about wrestling! He seems to like it, except for that little outfit they have to wear. I have to say I'm not a fan of the little outfit...yeah...not a fan.

Keith and I are still married. I know! 23 years! We celebrated by going to Las Vegas to see Bon Jovi in concert and Keith screamed like a little girl. Okay...that was me. But it was fun. We both still have jobs and are heavily medicated and in too much debt...but it seems to work for us and everything balances out at the end of the day.

Don't get me wrong, the 23 years are hard fought and hard won and we have our moments for sure. In fact just recently we had one regarding the Christmas lights on the outside of our house. So one Saturday a week or so ago Keith set out to put up lights on the house. We usually put up white icicle lights, I love those. They are twinkly and bright. He came inside all huffy and said that we had several strands out and couldn't we get new lights this year so he wouldn't have to sort through the strand to find the bad light etc. He was really quite worked up. Being flexible and able to adapt, I said of course, go get new lights, no worries. So off him and Zach went to the Home Depot. So after about 2 hours they are back and Keith is back up on the roof putting up lights. This takes some time but he finishes and comes in to watch the football game. After a while it is dark and out of the corner of my eye I see blinking lights outside my front window and my heart stops. NO! It can't be! After 23 years he knows better than to do that...he did not put blinking lights on my house. Oh Mother of all that is Holy, please tell me he did not do this. I call for Holland and say "please go out and look at Dad's lights and tell me if they are blinking." I am desperate to know but can't bear to look for myself. She runs out to the front walk and I watch her from the front window. "Yes!" she calls, "They are blinking! They look nice!" Oh my heavens! I run out to the walk to see for myself and I am horrified at the scene. My entire house is outlined in LED computer lights. They do not twinkle brightly; they glow with the eerie blue of a touch screen. And they are not just blinking, they are randomly flashing on and off to some techno beat no one can hear. I feel like I am about to have a freaking seizure. How could he have done this to me? This is not merry and bright, this is an ADD disco nightmare! I fly back into the house in a panic. What will the neighbors think? We will never be invited to a progressive dinner now. "Keith!" I call, "come up! I have big issues with the lights!" He calls back "I don't want to talk about it now!" I pause for a moment. He knows! Holy crap, he knows! Now I am about to have an out of body experience. I sit on the couch with the princess dog and fume. My heart is beating erratically just like the ADD lights on my house. Finally he makes his appearance and all I can say is "I hate them!" And he is brave enough to say to me, "But why??" It is all I can do not to attack him like a feral cat but I don't. "Blinking lights? After 23 years?" I say. "I didn't know they were blinking, they said light show." He says. I shoot him the look and let the expletives fly! Long story short, within 48 hours I had twinkly bright lights on my house...and to all a good night.

So my friends, compromise when you can and stand your ground when you think you might have a frigging seizure if you don't. Words to live by. Have a Fabulous Holiday and a great 2012!! Love, The Beltz's. Keith, DeeAnn Zach & Holland...and Bayja.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Xtreme Vacation

So I just got back from vacation with my family.  Anyone that knows me knows I am a beach girl.  I am not a camper, though I will camp but not usually for relaxation.  I am not big into sight seeing, however I will do that if that is everyone's vote and there is shopping some where nearby.  But my preference is to be in the sun and by the pool and near a beach.  I also must make a confession here, as much as I love the beach, I am not crazy about sand.  I like to walk on the sand and I like to swim and snorkle in the ocean.  However, I am not a fan of sand in my bathing suit.  I do not like that one bit and I do not like having to clean sand out of my kids' bathing suits either.  But if there is sunshine, a pool and a beach involved, that is my kind of vacation.   This time we spent a week on the Mexican Rivera in Playa Del Carmen.  One day we took an excursion called "Xteme Mayan" where we spent the day in the Mayan Jungle snorkeling in their underground caves and fresh water rivers, zip lining over the jungle and repelling down into the rain forest.  It was a pretty extreme day and I was proud of my kids and myself for doing everything we did.  My husband said he was surprised I did any of it.  I was offfended.  So that night while I was putting aloe vera on the place where the harness pinched my bottom, I started thinking about our vacations.  My husband is not remembering anything right!!  In my younger days before I had kids my husband and I took some beach vacations and did some sporty things which bordered on 'xtreme' activities.  Snorkleing boat trips, biking the crater in Maui after getting up at 3:00am to see the sunrise.  Then with the kids we did the some what different trips, but still extreme in other ways.  Disney extravanganzas and Six Flagg excursions, beach vacations etc.  These trips included a binky over the side of the Jungle Cruise in Disneyland as we watched any hope of an afternoon nap sink into the murky water.  Flip flops thrown into the Small World topiary garden when she didn't get what she wanted in the gift shop.  Melting eskimo pies shaped like Shamu and the souvenier cup with a shark on the top you will never use again.  Pouting teenagers that think the San Diego Zoo is for babies and why can't I buy a shirt with a maijuana leaf on it in Barbados??   Don't poop in your swim suit, that is so gross.  Will you buy me another hat because I forgot to take mine off and I lost it on Space Mountain and I think I left my Ipod on the plane in Dallas.  Someone just thew up on the hotel shuttle and we need to find an ATM.   I forgot to take my phone out of my pocket before I got in the pool and I have wet pants after the log ride.  Yes you need sunscreen on your feet and we are all going to dinner together, table for 19 please.  We missed the connection so here is your Delta courtesy kit and we'll have to come back in the morning.   Your bag is 3 pounds over so open it up and switch some things around right now.  I thought you had the passports.  No, don't eat that after it fell in the sand.  Could you just act like your having a good time, for me?  Please?   Xtreme is not the word for it.  I'm tired just recalling it.  I'll snorkle a cave in the Yucatan any day.  Later. 

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Livin' The Dream

School is out! Summer is finally here. Summer is my favorite season. I love the sun, I love vacations, I love the water. I remember growing up that our favorite thing to do every day of the summer was anything in the water. We would run through the sprinklers or fill up one of those plastic pools in the back yard and hang out. Every once in a while we would get to go to a pool. Boy was that the best or what. My sisters and I would be so excited when we would get to go to a swimming pool. My Dad was in the National Guard and a few times each summer my Mom would takes us to the outdoor pool at Camp Williams' Officers Club. This was so great. We loved this. We usually had the pool to ourselves or maybe one other family was there and we would pretend it was 'our pool'. Because that would just be the dream, to have your own pool in your own back yard right? We would stay and play in that pool at Camp Williams all day long. My Mom would pack a lunch for us and we would get to buy a pop out of the machine they had there and it was heaven. We stayed so long that we had little sores on our toes from the bottom of the pool. We were so tired by the time we got in the car to go home we all fell asleep on the way. I remember it was dusk when we got home and I always felt a tiny bit sunburned. (who wore sunscreen then?) I loved that feeling and could not wait to go again. That is the memory that came back to me when we had the opportunity to buy a house with a pool in the backyard. My dream could really come true. I could walk right out my back door all summer and my kids could have that experience all day every day. You would think. So what is it, day 4 of summer vacation? I am already hearing "I'm bored", "There is nothing to do". This infuriates me. I took a few days off to spend that quality time out by the pool with my kids this week. My sister and I were sitting by the pool discussing those days at Camp Williams when my 12 year old informed me that she needed me to find her and her friend something interesting to do. Now, I looked around. The sun was shining, the pool was sparkling, there was a cooler full of drinks under an umbrella. I looked at my sister, then again at my daughter and smiled, "Honey" I said, "We are livin' the dream!" My sister and I laughed hard and loud and long. My daughter was not amused. That night I fell asleep exhausted and a little bit sunburned. Later.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

The Glamorous Life...

So I just returned from San Diego where I have been working recently. This is the last in what has been about five months of pretty consistent travel for me. My job has required more business trips than usual this year so far. When I first began traveling for business about 13 years ago the trips were few and far between and I enjoyed them. It was kind of fun to get away and work some where else for a few days. Everyone thinks it's so glamorous to travel. The more I do it the less fabulous it gets. Don't get me wrong, it's a privilege and I enjoy my work and there are some great people I get to work with all over the country. But it's probably not what you might think. When I am out of town and I call my husband to check in at home he will ask me every time if I am having fun. It is at this point that I am usually sitting on my bed in the hotel room eating a Wendy's hamburger and working my email while watching a rerun of Law & Order. "Yes" I say, "I am having fun". I recently had the opportunity to work back east for 4 days. I had a great experience but I was ready to get home. I boarded the plane and sat down in my window seat and buckled in. Soon my seat mate joined me. Now I am not a tiny person, I take up my seat. But my seat mate took up more than their seat, if you know what I mean. Well, no worries. My plan was to read my Nook and maybe sleep on the 5 hour plane ride home. So off we go. Once we get up high enough I turn on my reader and promptly the gal in front of me pulls up her hoodie hood, plugs in her ear buds and reclines her seat all the way back. My Nook hits my chin. Really?? I look up at my seat mate who is really too close for comfort but it is what it is. At this point my right arm rest has disappeared, I can't put a tray table down and I can't move my legs. I read, I try to sleep. No beverage for me thank you. Then about 3 and a half hours in I panic. I can't move, I can't get out, I can't straighten my legs. I start to hyperventilate a little. So I start to breathe into my hands...in and out...in and out. I talk to myself in my head..."You are fine! You will be fine! Stop this silliness! Your seat mate can't move either! Just calm down for heavens sake!" It helps. But I am too hot and I am too far back in the plane, 23A, 23A, too far back. I can't read, I can't rest. I just sit there waiting to get off for 90 minutes. We land and I wait patiently, I am sweating and clammy. No one knows I am losing my mind. I am finally off and I shoot for the rest room. I sit in the stall taking big breaths. My life is soooo glamorous!! Before I go home I go to Starbucks in the airport and order a Chai Frappachino, Venti size. I sit on the bench by the security check point and take a few sips before I hit the baggage claim. I think that next week when I come back here to go to San Diego I will be able to wear capri's and sandals. One more trip and then I will have a break in traveling for work. Maybe I'll go to Wendy's on the way home....later.

Monday, April 4, 2011

The Spicy Marriage

Okay, so don't let the title of this blog fool you. In May my husband (hate that word) and I will celebrate 23 years of marriage. I am telling you now that I would not use the spicy to describe my marriage. In fact I would say "please pass the salt". Now I'll also confess it's not all his fault. I'm 45 this year. I'm carrying a few extra pounds than I'd like, I take a few more pills than I'd like for a myriad of frailties having to do with older age. Acid reflux doesn't make you feel like the sexiest girl at the party I'll have to admit, especially when the party is dinner at the IHOP after a viewing. So my huuusband and I decided we needed a trip out of town. We bought ourselves an early anniversary gift and got tickets to see Bon Jovi in concert at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in March this year. We planned a long weekend for just the two of us in Vegas and left the kids home. We flew down so we wouldn't have any time to argue in the car if we drove. (Smart thinking huh!) Here's the thing, I don't feel any sexier in Las Vegas than I do in Utah. I'm still chubby and I still have the acid reflux etc. But I decided to try to make the best of it and try to spice it up. But apparently my huuusband didn't feel any sexier in Vegas either. Good Lord, we are so old! Finally I just said, "We are married and out of town staying in a hotel without the kids. I'm not going to say no." That was all the sweet talk he needed I guess. So the concert was great. The weather was bad and the company was mildy spicy. I'll take it. Some times I'd rather just watch a rerun of CSI. But I'm already thinking of ways to bring on the spice. I've heard of people wrapping themselves in saran wrap and meeting their spouse at the door. That sounds like a lot of work and considering the potential for a hot flash I have, I think I'll pass. But we have this Halloween costume my son wore a few years back. It's a toilet. I could wear that with nothing underneath. When my husband came home I could tell him that if he scrubbed a toilet I would take it off. Everybody wins! Very spicy! Later

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Dogs

So here's the big news. We got a puppy for Christmas. I know. Some of you that know me from childhood will be stunned because you know I am not a pet person. There are people, Lord love them, who are pet people and have dogs and cats and hamsters and a pig and who knows what all. Then there are people like me who have to be persuaded to get their kids a fish and then cannot stand the gross yucky fish bowl on the kitchen counter. It's not all my fault. I am allergic to cats, so no cats and now I will make my confession, I am afraid of dogs. I have been afraid of dogs my whole life. Little dogs, big dogs (heaven help me) I am afraid of dogs. Now when I was in Jr High School my family got a dog. His name was Alex. He was a Maltese that my parents never neutered and he never potty trained so he had to stay outside all the time. I did not like Alex and I felt sorry for Alex all at the same time. I did not like Alex because 1) I was afraid of him and 2) he would hump your leg every time you tried to lay out in the back yard. I felt sorry for him because he would turn into a huge snowball every winter because all the snow would stick to his fur and he had runny eyes. So I basically stayed away from Alex. But my fear started when I was a little girl. I can remember being about 5 and all dressed up for Halloween with my sister ready to go trick or treating with my Dad and crying, not wanting to go because there was a big, black dog in our driveway. My Dad got so mad he punched a hole in the wall in our basement. As I got older I learned to ignore little yippy dogs. Although the only dog bite I ever received was by a miniature collie when I was about 7. It's name was Dillon and it bit the back of my ankle. A few years later he got hit by a car. I won't say I was happy, but I don't think I shed any tears for Dillon. But big dogs scare the crap out of me. In high school I dated a guy who's family had golden retrievers. Big beautiful dogs. BIG dogs, very friendly! When I would come over to their house the doggie would jump right up on me and put her paws right on my shoulders. She was as big as me, looking me right in the face. I tried not to show it but every time I nearly fell over and hyperventilated. My boyfriend thought this was hilarious. When I was about 20 I really got into running. I would go running outside and always run into a big dog. It would scare the &@#! right out of me and I would scream GO HOME! and try hard not to run away so the dog wouldn't chase me. Over the years I have built up a tolerance to big dogs because people in my life insist on having big dogs and I like those people. But my heart beats a whole lot faster when the big doggies are around. But I will admit...if there is big strange dog wandering around outside that I am not familiar with, I do not go outside until the dog is gone. That's my story and I am sticking to it. So, to the new puppy. My kids, including my significant other, have been wanting a dog forever. Being the non pet person I have been, I have said no, no, no for years and years. At Christmas time I gave in. I told Santa he could bring us a doggie if she was a she, and tiny, and didn't shed. So on Christmas morning a tiny teacup yorkie was sitting in a velvet box under the tree. She was 8 weeks old. I thought my kids were going to faint they were so excited. Her name is Bayja. (sounds like Asia) Now she is 12 weeks old and this weekend she finally started going potty outside. We are so proud of her. She is lots of fun. When I walk in the door she does jump up on me...and her paws hit me just below my knees. I think it is hilarious. Later.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Our Christmas Letter

In case you want to catch up with my family for 2010. Here is our annual Christmas letter. If you like the blog, you'll like the letter....

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our family to yours! 2010 has been a big blur for us! Big changes were in store and we didn’t even know it. After 16 years on Handcart Way we moved! In the spring of this year we found a home about 7 blocks east and we made an offer and to our surprise they accepted it and we were off and running! Our new address is:
946 Peregrine Lane, Sandy Utah 84094
We closed on July 22, 2010 and moved in August 22, 2010. We decided to remodel the house too! Unfortunately, considering my anxiety and Keith’s ADD, this decision, however necessary, was probably not wise. Between us we have created a new disorder. We call it “Marital Anxiety Attention Deficit Disorder” or M.A.A.D.D. You may draw your own conclusions here and every single one would be right. We have found that no matter how much medication you are on, none of it helps cure M.A.A.D.D completely. The up side is our new house is just that much bigger and we can go to separate places to sort things out or “let the expletives fly” if you will. Since we are on the subject, while we are enjoying our bigger home, we find there is now at least one light bulb burned out every damn day and someone around here better get working on their house keeping skills immediately.
Thankfully Keith and I still enjoy employment at Hudson Printing and Wells Fargo, respectfully. However Keith is contemplating mowing lawns this summer to make ends meet. No really, I’m serious. House poor does not begin to describe it. If I could bake, I’d be selling cupcakes after church. Pre-purchase, our family enjoyed a trip to Barbados in the spring of this year to visit my Mom and Dad a few months before they returned home from their mission and a week at our family cabin in the mountains above Midway, Utah this summer to celebrate their return.
Our Holland is 11 years old and in the 6th grade and is very busy. In addition to her schoolwork, golf and swimming activities Holland has discovered a love for cooking! We watch the Food Network together all the time. She aspires to be an Iron Chef when she grows up. She is enrolled in the Young Chef’s Academy and cooks in classes two night a week. She loves it. She cooks all sorts of yummy things but eats none of it. She still keeps Pizza Hut, McDonalds and the Training Table in business. She has also come to the stage in her life where she is extremely embarrassed by just about anything and everything, especially her Dad, much to my delight. “Dad stop singing, Dad stop doing that. Dad STOP!” HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Zach is 17 and a junior at Hillcrest High School. His extracurricular activities have dwindled to games and TV and movies much to my chagrin, in addition to chores around the house, much to his chagrin. But he has chosen to focus on getting good grades and is doing quite well this year so we’ll take that as a win. He is also a very good care taker for his sister which is a load off my mind. He has a fabulous new room in our new house with a ginormous TV that he enjoys immensely. I know – no one to blame but ourselves.
Besides the new house, the highlight of my year was having my deviated septum fixed and both my sinuses routed. Yeah, it’s as fabulous as it sounds. While it is very nice to be able to breathe and sleep better, I find the icy cold air of the Utah winter is very painful on my sinus cavities and I have to say I sometimes miss all the snot that kept me nice and warm up there. The whole thing was a bigger ordeal than I had anticipated and I am still recovering. I don’t think I have had a year in some time where I didn’t enjoy some kind of surgery or procedure. I used to think I had bad luck. Then I got a speeding ticket AT the airport when I was picking up my parents and then I locked my hotel key in my room four times on a four day trip and then I pulled through to the drive up window at Crown Burger without ordering. Now I know that’s just the way it is and it’s all fine. When that stuff happens I try to laugh. Heee Haaaw! (There may be a little sarcasm there.) But we continue to count our blessings! We hope you will too!
Love to all! Keith and DeeAnn, Zach and Holland Beltz

Plan...G?

Okay...so I'm a slacker blogger. My Plan was to blog about twice a week, then it went to once a week and then once a month and well, you get the drift. It's safe to say I am way past Plan B on the blogging...maybe Plan G? Anywho, welcome to 2011! So I did have a little unplanned surgery that derailed me back in November. I had my deviated septum fixed and both sinus cavities routed. Big fun! Every one seems to have either had this done or knows several people who have had this done. At least the deviated septum part. My husband had this done about 8 years ago. He was the hugest baby ever. I thought "No problem, piece of cake!" Well, um, need less to say it was a little bigger deal that I had anticipated. It was downright nasty in fact. I did not realize my head could even hold that much snotty crap. Ick, ick ick! Ow, ow ow! 4 six inch splints had to pulled from my nostrils 10 days after the surgery. It was like a magic trick. Honestly, I would have been less surprised had they pulled a live rabbit out of my nose. Still, I wasn't half the baby my husband was, I am sure of it. So I stayed home and swabbed my nostrils (hate that word) with neosporin and ran the humidifier all day long and took my lortab every 4 hours on the dot. Then when you think you can venture outside in the 18 degree weather your nice clear sinuses freeze in about 2 minutes in the cold. Painful. So I took to wearing a bandana over my nose and mouth like a cowboy when outside (except at the bank for obvious reasons - HA). Soon I was missing my boogers that kept my warm up there, however better I was breathing and sleeping. I know, I know, gross...but I am not one to pretty it up. But it gets better every day, that's what my doctor says, that's his story so I will try to stick to it. Hope all had a happy holiday! Later!