Gift Ideas?

This is an email Matt sent to my bro-in-law Joshua for birthday gift ideas. It's sort of comical...so i'm posting it.

Well, here are my thoughts

Concert Tickets
A sweet t-shirt
A volleyball (I got one as a birthday gift one year and you would be surprised at all the amazing things a volleyball can be used for when put in the right hands.)
A Decorative Lamp
A furry steering wheel cover
The Club (steering wheel lock)
A Beebe gun
A wrist rocket
A baseball mitt
Sensual Candles (for the ladies)
Nice flatware
Not really that nice dinnerware
An RC car
Type “Random” into Ebay and pick out something from the results you get there.
A semi-difficult puzzle because if it is too difficult, and you can’t finish a puzzle, you feel pretty stupid, not that that has ever happened to me.
An Adam Morrison Jersey because you can probably get a good deal on one.
A concert poster because it is probably cheaper than tickets and after he stares at it long enough, he will feel as if he was actually there.

Maybe something will spark an idea so use what you want.

Matt

Dear Mr. Copper, SIR!

Dear Copper,
Why do you keep trying to catch me ridin' dirty? I am a safe and responsible driver! Guess who has never been in an accident?? That would be me. Yes, I have received a ticket before but that's back when I was 16… ten years ago… it's not even on my record anymore. And the one I got a couple years ago driving home to Spokompton from Utah… yeah, I don't count that one either. It was somewhere in Montana and everyone knows it's okay to speed there… except for the stinkin' copper that gave me that ticket. So WHY copper?? Why? You don't think I have better things to spend my money on in this economy? You do realize that area is a total speed trap. At the top of that hill the speed limit changes to 70--exactly the speed I was going! I just wasn't at the top yet….but I was almost there. Ugh! And another thing, I'm all about breaking stereotypes, but you are the stereotypical Copper. Mr. Jellyroll, just because you got picked on a lot in high school does not mean you need to take it out on a upright citizen of this amazing free nation! I even studied history in college!! I don't know what that means either. And do you really need to keep your helmet and dark shades on? When is Spokane ever sunny? Seriously… Do the tax payers of this country a favor and go after the reckless drivers.
And one more thing… TOOTHPASTE!!!
Use it.

This is a foto of the stinkin copper. Well... not really, but they could be twins!

ps I apologize to any GOOD coppers, or people with family members who are cops.

Buh Bye Snow!

This past weekend, Matt and I went snowboarding for the last time this season. Our beloved Schweitzer Ski Resort is now closed. :( Spokane, and surrounding areas, got dumped on this year. Perfect for snowboarding! Though we were unable go as much as we wanted, we were still able to enjoy a few trips to the mountain. Matt's snowboarding skills need no improvement...he's pretty much a stud. I on the other hand needed to improve (my skills were pretty pathetic), which I did... a lot. Goodbye snow... bring on the sunshine!

Peak-a-boo!

Doesn't this look like Narnia?
Top of Schweitzer

Taking a break... he's rarely on his butt.

In the lodge...

WE HAVE A BLOG??

Today I was browsin' around online and came across THIS site. As I scrolled through the page I thought, "these people's posts are random.... and they haven't posted in forever. What losers." Then I started to look at the photos a little closer and that's when I realized... hey, that's us! We have a blog?? With quite a few posts too! I don't remember being apart of this madness.
I guess that means I have to think of something to write about. Hmm....

Why has it been so long (you might ask)? I've come up with two possible reasons:

1) We have a life. Therefore we are too busy to post.
OR..
2) We don't have a life. Therefore there is nothing to post about.

What do you think??

Well, you might change your opinion after watching this.

I'm going to go with...

C) I'm a loser.

kpeacebye!

ps I think the sound is off. I don't know how to fix it... wish i was more of a nerd.

The Never Ending Project...Completed!

The title says it all. This project, of painting our dining room table, took 3 months. That might not seem too long, but we expected to get it done in a weekend...2 max. I guess we didn't realize how long it takes to sand everything down, put a couple of coats of paint and finish on, and reupholster chairs (very misleading project). We are very pleased with the finished product!

Here are the fotos...

This is the only before pic I could find. It's from x-mas of 2007. I guess I didn't think to take my before picture.

Matt sanding everything down in the garage. A bit dusty...

Table in dinning area half painted. It was too cold to paint in the garage.

The Master Painter at work.

The new upholstery on our first completed chair. You'll never guess where I got this Pottery Barn looking fabric.... Starts with a Wal and ends with a Mart.

Completed!

I think the hard work paid off for sure! Yes I'm bragging. That is one good looking table.

Stay tuned for Matt's recently completed project... the entertainment area. Can somebody say Plasma! :) It's a goodie.

The Shelby's Untold Stories of 2008

Matt wins an iPod for being the smartest kid in class. Not kidding. He took a job training class in Seattle for two weeks (I was lonely) and they had a test every day. His average score was like 99%. So... need insurance? Apparently this guy is really good at what he does. :)

The Lyn-Tron Charity Golf Classic

You can read a little about it here.

Utah Valley UNIVERSITY Alumni Game

I had so much fun seeing all my old teammates and coaches. It was also great seeing all the school's changes now that UVSC is a University (UVU).

The Spokane Falls were raging this year!

During the summer, Riverfront Park has amazing snow cones. The huckleberry flavor is money!

We drove to Seattle for the BYU/University of Washington Football game. Cougs blocked the Huskies PAT with no time left to win by one point. It was a nail biter. This was also the loudest stadium I've ever been in. Thanks to our Wii friends for the tickets. :)

Wakeboarding ALL summer! Killer air Matt!

Elder Wickman from the seventy came for stake conference and stopped by to give my dad a blessing. It was pretty amazing. Tears were flowing a bit, if you couldn't tell by the picture.

Elder Shelby returns from Honduras. We are all so proud of him!

Jason Mraz Concert! We highly recommend this concert if he ever comes to your town. He is insane live! Here is the song you all know...

Thanks for stopping by our blog all year. I'll try to post more often in 2009!

Chicken fried? No, Turkey fried!

This year Matt and I spent Thanksgiving at my old stomping grounds, the Lynn home. Yet, we wanted to bring a little Shelby flare to the festivities. So we decided to deep fry a turkey, a Shelby tradition. Matt's older brother Kreg went to Texas on his mission, and apparently this is big down there. He's the one that started this little tradition and we're all grateful for it. If you've never had a deep fried turkey your missing out! So yummy! We thought we would show you the most important steps in this amazing process. Here they are. Enjoy!

Set up your burner.

Get supplies out and ready

Try to look as manly as possible.

Drop in your bird.

Make sure you have a vicious guard dog to protect your bird. Thanks, Tommy.

As you wait, make one of the boys snap a picture of you so your friends know you were really there.

Find a trustworthy, buff, pan holder. You don't want someone that will drop it!

Have your excited little bro in the background to make him feel involved. Oh, and don't tell him your family found him under a rock when he was baby and decided to keep him. Might hurt his feelings.

Continue to look as manly as possible, even though you're wearing oven mitts.

Get one last picture of yourself with the bird before you start cutting, only to remember you don't know how to cut, so your father-in-law takes over because everyone is ready to eat.