You have to read this story.

I know my page says Happy Thanksgiving. I like it, so, just get over it ok? And we are 11 days away from staring thanksgiving down anyway, so, why not.



When I was in college. . (I was a wild one in college) a few of my girlfriends and hopped in my White Acura Integra (that had the cool fin on the back. . it was my dream. . I loved that car) and we drove to Vegas.



We had a hot date with BONO.



We had bought our tickets on-line (or was it in-line? I can't remember) and we were pumped... as pumped as 5 or 6 college girls on the way to scream their heads off at a concert might be. I don't remember where we stopped. I don't remember where we ate. I don't remember much of anything. Except, when we got there, we were like wild animals. Pulsing with wild anxiety and excitement. (Was that too much of an explanation? I'll think about that one some more.)



Anywho. We found some friends at the concert. They were in the nose bleed section. We were on the floor. At first, we had no idea WHERE our tickets were. We had to ask several people until we could figure it out, and then we were told they were on the floor. . . 11 rows back from the front. We were screaming. . shouting and clutching each other. . jumping up and down and telling our friends our great stroke of luck.



Just as we were doing so, a guy with a U2 t-shirt on told us to give him our tickets. He insisted. We rejected him and said we would NEVER give up our great seats. He smiled at us. . me, my friends, and my friends with the nose bleed seats and said, "I'll give you front row seats."



I guess Bono wanted to stock the stage with some screaming chicks. We were just the girls he was looking for. We grabbed our new seats and headed down with our friends. To be honest, the 11 row seats were better and next to the cat walk. Bono knows how to work a cat walk my friends. He does. Yes. He. Does.

Photo courtesy of some site I just snagged it off of. (Zimbio)

I don't even remember the opening act. I didn't care. Public Enemy maybe? I know. I just wanted to see Bono. The concert was amazing. Seriously. Amazing. I hadn't been to many concerts, but you don't have to stretch your imagination too far to realize U2 is going to put on an awesome show.



Bono walked the cat walk SEVERAL times. I finally climbed the fence. Realizing that my freakishly long arms could maybe grab his pant leg. I am not sure what I would have done with it after that but, I wasn't thinking that far ahead. Here he comes... down the cat walk. . . He picks up someones shoe... he is walking toward me. . REACH... REACH... REACH!!!!!



Bono handed me a shoe.



Who's shoe?



I don't know.



I don't care.



I have a shoe bequeathed to me by Bono. It is a miracle. (ok, maybe that is going too far)



Of course there was a major frenzy in the stands where I was. My friends causing the most of it. A few seconds later security approached me. . .



"You have to give us the shoe."



me: NO!



"It doesn't belong to you"



me: SO!?



"The girl wants it back"



me: I don't care! She chucked it up there!!!!



"Give us the shoe"



They were big. I am Mormon. I gave them the shoe.



U2 is going to be in concert here tonight. I bought tickets. . .





6 months ago





without talking to, or asking my husband.



We have never been to a concert together. . . Married 9 years. I know! 6 months ago, when I bought them, I figured we would be far enough past all of our drama to celebrate. I was close. We still have a lot of drama, but I want to celebrate anyway.



He has no idea.



I wrote this two hours ago.



I am driving to his work right now.



He. Has. No. Idea.

YES: ANOTHER CONFESSION

I have another confession to make. . . this is added to a LONG list of Confessions that I have put on this blog. I just looked over them. They are good ones. . .I laughed at myself when I read back over them. . moving on. . I HAVE ANOTHER CONFESSION:

I HAVE BECOME THE CRAZY COUPON LADY

You know the one. . the one that you get behind in line at the grocery store. . when the store is closing at 10:00 p.m. and she plunks down 20 coupons and most of them are ringing up wrong and so they have to turn on the blinking light for her? Yeah, that is me.

And I don't care.

I can't help myself.

I love couponing.

I might need an intervention.

I know I have posted about couponing on this blog before.

It is funny, because I just read one of my first posts on couponing from March! So, I am still a novice...

But I am getting to be a really GOOD novice.

You wanna try? Just once? You'll be hooked. But you just can't pass up a smokin' deal can ya?

Here is a few I just cashed in on.

Walgreens:

Buy on Great Lash Mascara get a coupon for a FREE one. (You don't even have to do the buy one get one 50% off) Just buy ONE and get a FREE ONE. (It will print off after you complete the purchase)

Get Huggies wipes on the CHEAP there too! They have a $2 coupon with the coupon books up front. Read about it HERE: With Walgreens, you can use their coupons for however many items you have. Want 4? Get 4. No problem. Wipes: .99 box.

Oh, and if you spend $25 at Walgreens (before coupons) they will print you a $5 register reward! (Spend like cash on your next visit-- which can be after you walk around the store one more time like I did today!)

KMART is also doing doublers this week. And believe it or not, I got Jars of Welch's Grape Jelly for .50 a piece!!! You can print coupons for the Jelly at coupons.com and you can print two per computer. They are on sale for $2/4 at Kmart, and Kmart then DOUBLES your .75 coupon and VOILA! JELLY FOR .50! And it was a BIG jar too! :)

The other Kmart deal I snagged was Motts Apple Sauce. Print off as many coupons as you want here: I printed like 6 of them and I never came across a "you reached your limit" sign. So, PRINT AWAY !! Kmart is selling them $2/5 so, $2.50 a piece. You give them your $1 coupon. They DOUBLE IT and VOILA! A 6 pack of applesauce for .50 a piece!!! I walked away with 3 only b/c I had already used my other coupons at Target last night-- I got them for $1.25 at Target which is still a great deal, but you CANNOT BEAT KMART!

Need ANOTHER reason to go to KMART? You can do this TRANSFORMERS DEAL HERE. They look like little match box cars, but hey. . $1.16 a piece? You can't beat that for a stocking stuffer or SOMETHING!

Ok, just ONE MORE REASON TO GO TO KMART: Trio toys. They are building blocks and they are on sale. $5 off. . Then, you can get a coupon HERE for ANOTHER $5 off and get a toy for 12.99 for just a couple of dollars. Yup. I did it. TWICE. And if you don't use the $5 off $20 coupon on the Transformers, you might be able to use it on this and score them for free. I am just sayin. . . Can you RESIST??

I can't.

To All the Girls I've Loved Before

I have a confession... I feel HORRIBLE about it. Seriously, so, go easy on me. . . here it goes.

I had a box in my hallway for two weeks like looked remarkably like this one.

Ok, IT WAS THIS ONE.

It came from Jessica. Because a while back Jessica and I decided to swap some baby clothes. See, I was going to have a girl, and she just had a boy (in a round about sort of way). So, we decided to swap clothes. I send her Wade's clothes and she sends me her baby girl clothes. GREAT! We could both save some bucks!

My MIL delivered a bag of baby boy clothes to her shortly after her "delivery" and she was going to return it via my MIL. We tried to set up a rendezvous when the MIL came for THIS VISIT, but it didn't happen b/c she was coming from Hawaii (rough life, I know). So, a short time after the MIL returned home, I got word that a package was coming. . . I knew what was in it and I was stoked!

However, it arrived one day before *ell week. Except for you remember, *ell week was TWO WEEKS LONG. Really, it was all I could do just to survive. Serious.

My MIL came last week for the blessing of baby K and she saw the SAID BOX in my hallway. I said, "Oh yeah, it came right before spring break, and I just haven't had time to get to it because:

A: It was Spring Break and survival was of the utmost importance.

B: Kaylin has been living in my room and I had no place to put clothes and

C: My In-laws arrived the DAY AFTER *ell week so I had to frantically clean before they came and

D: My life has been COO COO ever since K was born.

[Insert picture of baby clothes over taking my room here]

So: as part of their visit, I decided to move Wade downstairs and kick him out of his crib (more on that later) buy him a cheapo dresser from Ikea, and get all of his clothes out of the nursery so I had some room to put that stuff. The in-laws bounced babies while I put together the dresser and eventually Wade was "moved downstairs". Jean finally had had enough of my postponing and said (one night at 10:30 p.m.) WE ARE GOING TO OPEN THAT BOX NOW!!! ( I didn't understand the urgency). But I complied.

Much to my surprise, there was a baby shower in a box from MY GIRLS. The girls from my old hood. Heidi, Kara, Holly, Karen, Lori, Lindsay, Jessica (of course) and Amy, Leah and Whitney. I was OVERWHELMED with LOVE. These girls are the best support system that anyone could have and I love them so much. As I lifted each gift out of the box the urge to cry got stronger and stronger. They were so generous and showed so much love through a box! They also sent me an amazing gift card so I could shop to my hearts desire. I was overcome with a feeling of love and support from them.

The tough thing about moving is missing them. I have yet to find my niche here with girlfriends and I am in DEEP NEED because I have a birthday coming up that I need to CELEBRATE!

Girls, you made me feel so loved. Thank you so much for all your love, support and prayers. I miss you all tremendously, and love you all. I wish I could have moved you all with me. As a matter of fact, I am still holding out hope that some of you decide to move here :) I am sorry your box sat in my hallway for two weeks. I love you, and thank all of you!

Making Candy Like Martha

I have a confession. I have a candy problem. I only have a candy problem during the Holidays. Suddenly, I can't help but make candy. At a very young age, I took an interest in candy making and would make Taffy and Divinity regularly during the holidays. I used to have a few ladies in my old hood [If you girls still even read my blog, I miss you] There were a few of us who would get together during the Holidays just to make candy. I can recall from last year at least one third degree burn and candy splatters that reached the curtain over my sink. GOOD TIMES, GOOD TIMES.

This year, I will have to candy on my own and so candy I will. I was feeling adventuresome and felt like making a kind of candy I had never made before, so, I asked Peter what his favorite home made candy was to which he informed me... ALMOND ROCA. I coulda guessed. I mean, who doesn't walk by that 5 pound box at Costco and think... oooooooooh.. I could eat that. [Ok, I guess that is just me].

Believe it or not, candy making is FUN! (YES IT IS!) And really not that complicated (NO IT IS NOT!). All you really need is a good candy thermometer, and if you don't have one of those, you can do the water test which my old neighbor Karen can do with total precision.. (truly amazing, I have never seen anything like that and I can't do it). Just buy a candy thermometer, ok?

I had never made Almond Roca before, so I decided to document it for you, and it really was easy! I debated between a recipe from recipezaar.com or Martha Stewart. Martha and I are tight and I have tried many of her recipes from her website and have not been disappointed, so, I decided to stay with the tried and true. She did not disappoint. So, from Martha, to me, to you.. here is how to make Almond Roca.

Toast yourself some raw almonds. 350 degrees for 6-7 minutes.

Put your stuff in a pot and add the candy thermometer. Cook until it reads 300.

(See, I told you it was easy)

Add 1 cup of your chopped Almonds to your candy goo and stir... pour it into a buttered dish. I used a rimmed cookie sheet, but, you could use somethin' else.

Temper your chocolate (no picture) just heat it slow, stirring often in the mircowave... 40 second the first time, less than 20 seconds every time after that. Stir it after each time. Make sure your candy has cooled a bit and spread the chocolate over your candy. Sprinkle one more cup of nuts over the chocolate. If you want to be REALLY fancy, like Martha, you can chocolate both sides.. (her recipe tells you how). Let the chocolate cure in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

If you have buttered your pan, you should be able to lift the roca out of the pan and chop it up. If you have already scored it, it will break along the lines, (do that while it is still warm) if you have not, it will break into random pieces. Store in the refrigerator.

NEXT STEP MOST IMPORTANT: *Lay on your couch, with your airtight container propped on your unborn child and eat Almond Roca until your tongue is raw and you have developed sores all over the inside of your mouth.. Ahhhhhhhhh.. Candy.

*(note feet and body in prone position on said couch)

Today, it rained . . . .

By the way my kids acted, you would think they had never seen it before! It has rained in PHX since we moved here, but it was back in August, and, they weren't so far removed from rain because we had just moved here in June and before our move, rain was a part of our regular living.

They loved sloshing around in it and I have to admit, I didn't have a problem with it. I let them jump in puddles with their school shoes and sock on... Wade even ran around outside with no shoes on, soaking the bottoms of his pajamas. When the grandparents started to get concerned, I said, "Don't worry about it, they don't see rain that much" ME!!! I SAID THAT! I couldn't even believe it came out of my mouth!

This is someone who when it rained, kept the kids inside, swore I would lock them up if they got their school shoes wet and DESPISED muddy footprints ANYWHERE! Truth be told, my kids have been complaining that there is no snow here. I can't believe it. Who would complain about NO SNOW? (Besides my husband) Apparently they have forgotten about the 15 inches of slush on our street last year from January to March. I HAVEN'T and I DON'T MISS IT! I will admit, it is kind of hard to get into the Holiday season when you look outside to palm trees, cactus and 80 degree weather, but that is not a complaint, it is just a reality.

I have promised the kids that in the future, we will spend the holidays at the grandparents houses where there is a much better prospect for snow.. and I will MOST CERTAINLY push them outside with all their snow gear and when they want to come in after 15 minutes I will say, "OH NO! NO YOU DON'T! You miss the snow! Remember? You complain about missing it all the time! So, go play in it.... and you can come back inside in an 2 hours and tell me how WONDERFUL the snow is, and how GLAD YOU ARE that you got to stay outside and enjoy it." Think that'll happen? humpf.

In the mean time, the rain today DID add a little to our Holiday season. Just made it feel a little more like fall.. and I guess I kind of enjoyed it. (For once)

UN AMERICAN

I have to start out by saying, I think I am one of the most patriotic people on the PLANET. I tear up at any and all patriotic hymns. I LOVE Washington DC (not only because I served a mission there) But because all of the monuments are stunning and heart stirring and if you have EVER been to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier you will agree that you can feel the Spirit of a Country there. It is a beautiful place full of reverence and gratitude for those who have sacrificed for our country. I have taken THOUSANDS of pictures of the Iwo Jima Memorial because standing behind it and looking over our Nations Capitol is something that you will never forget.

I LOVE IT

I AM AN AMERICAN

With that said, I regret to inform you, that even though I have my personal Vote counter on my blog... that is as 'bout as far as my vote is going to get me... because, since moving to Arizona, I haven't registered to vote. Not for lack of wanting or trying, but for being too late when I realized that it wasn't done and then realizing that I wasn't going to get back from Utah before my deadline was up. So, I sit here on the Eve of an Election Eve unable to participate in our country's democratic process. My husband can hardly believe it. He doesn't even know if I am the same girl he married. (I am not sure that I AM) However, I still know the importance of responsible citizenship, and I am sorry that I am not able to be that responsible citizen on Tuesday. Maybe, since I have fallen off the wagon, I will take the opportunity to rob a bank as well. [Might as well take advantage of it]

HAPPY VOTING

May our freedoms and opportunities be sustained and may someone have enough brains and guts to guide us out of this economic crisis!!!

Things I love about Autism- The Short List

So far, there are two things on my list of things I LOVE about Autism.. this was the first. (Scroll to the bottom of the post)

And this happens to be the second.... Here are my kids leaving for school....

Wait! I hear something coming!!!

Could that be the school bus at my FRONT DOOR??? Say goodbye Wade!!!

Here is where Wade and I disagree. I am always smiling at this point because I don't have to deal with THIS in 100+ degree weather... Remember, I am pregnant. Have mercy. Wade however is happy to say goodbye and wave until the bus doors close and take his playmates away.

Then, he is not so happy.. But I am. FRONT DOOR BUS SERVICE IS THE BEST!

PS- We get to find out what we a HAVING tomorrow! I am pretty sure it is a baby, but if you want to vote before I find out, now is your chance!

Baby Crack

You have your Baby Einstein Videos, you have Barney, you have Dora and Boots, spend your hard earned cash on it all.... but, you might as well throw your money in the garbage if you have NEVER tried BABY SONGS. You are missing out on the best 30 minutes of your life... I mean that 30 minutes where you can leave your baby in one room (or the same room)and do something else in ANOTHER room and do it un-interrupted! (PS- I am NOT advocating leaving your baby unattended...mmkay?)

Now, some of you might be highly opposed to such a prospect but for those of you who are looking to take a shower, wash the dishes, curl your hair or USE THE BATHROOM without a wee one pounding on the door, THIS would be it.

I have to warn you ahead of time though. The songs are highly addictive and I found my self, LONG AFTER the kids had gone to bed and the brain candy had been turned off, singing these little diddys to myself. My husband has even been known to sing a tune or two...and maybe changes the words here and there..but still. HIGHLY ADDICTIVE SONGS! For example: just tonight, I was singing THIS:
as I was doing the dishes. What do dishes and Piggy Toes have to do with each other? I don't know, that is not the point. The point is HIGHLY ADDICTIVE!

If you don't mind Hap Palmer in his easy listening, guitar strumming sound, (MORE COW BELL!) and watching little kids, in their bell bottoms and hobbit hair who are probably about my age now, running around on the screen THIS VIDEO IS FOR YOU! I am not kidding. On occasion even Jaxon and Abby will even take a seat with Wade just to watch. Don't believe me? Order one (they aren't paying me). It will only take just one, and you will be hooked. I even think that the song "The day I took my diapers off" Potty trained Jaxon for me and "I can put my clothes on by myself" taught Abby to dress herself... at a much too early age. (Sorry, couldn't find those on YouTube) Our personal favorite is Baby's Busy Day, or Baby Songs Original. PS- Don't let the kids on the cover of the DVD fool you. They are babies "of the day" not the babies shown in the video....

Oh, and Hap... Thanks for entertaining my baby for 2 hours a day... er, Oh, I mean, 30 minutes... (Hey! It is STILL decorator PRISON! I have to do SOMETHING to keep Wade from running off with the drill while my dad is on the ladder!)Here is one more just in case you need some more convincing...."Where is Baby" the second song on this clip is one of Wade's personal favs... he told me so. After watching all those veggies move around, you might think YOU are on crack!

Sometimes the best laid plans. . . .

Things I did this week not necessarily in this order:

* Got a root canal
* Had TWO IEP meetings
* Did NOT go to the grocery store
* Got creative making dinner with a severe lack in grocery product
* Talked the hubby into bringing dinner home TWICE.
* Cried for a whole day (this would be related to the two IEP meetings)
* Did not shower until 3:00 p.m. everyday except Tuesday(I really couldn't handle it)
* (the previous statement is not really any different than any other week)
* Read 519 pages of a book (You know which one)
* Got a temporary crown
* Watched 6 hours of the Olympics
* Attended a nursery rhyme parade
* Almost beat my husband (by a very small margin) in Scrabble which I SWORE I would never play and now will never play again because he played an 86 point word.. 86 POINTS!
* Went to back to School night
* Ate sushi (mine was cooked) at RAW with our LOVELY friends Blaine and Tamra
* Played home handyman
* Found 4 eaten packages of chips in Jaxon's room
* Watched SYTYCD with a DISMAL Finale and a MUCH BETTER results show (Was I the only one that thought the dances on Wednesday night were BORING???)
* Tried to avoid laundry (and succeeded until today-about 30 minutes ago)
* Did NOT make it to Target, and I really really wanted to go
* Went to lunch at In and Out

Somehow I thought my life would be so much easier when my kids were in school. I thought I would have so much "free time". I thought I would have so much time to go shopping... I thought I would float in the pool during nap time and get a better tan while reading a book or sleeping. I thought I would feel well rested because I would be in my second trimester. I thought I would work on some projects, unpack boxes and put my house together. I thought I would be more organized, and my house would be so much more clean. I thought I would be more motivated to cook... So much for the best laid plans.....

I am Dangerously Close...

To buying this. I TOLD YOU I have a problem with INFOMERCIALS! Shamwow has been promoted shamelessly and continually on the channel on which I tivo my NEWS PROGRAM and although I have tivo and SHOULD be skipping the commercials I have seen a portion of the commercial so many times that I am starting to think it might be a great deal! I am not sure about it replacing my kitchen sponge... but, it does look like a pretty great thing to soak up all that extra water around the house! (???) I mean, afterall... It last for 10 YEARS!!! I hope no kitchen sponge has ever lasted THAT long. Anyway, before I take the plunge... I thought I would ask blogland... Do YOU SHAMWOW? PS- I am thinking about buying it to help pay for surgery for that guys left eye. It doesn't seem to open very well.. or is that just me?

Please pass the salt.

I guess cravings have really set in because all I want is SALT SALT SALT..
Last night I was laying in bed CRAVING a LEMON along with a Salt Shaker...(great for your teeth, I know) I didn't have a lemon so I started perusing the kitchen for something else that might kick my craving. Pickles? None. Artichoke with Aioli? Didn't want to cook it (It was 10:30 after all) Mind you this is some kind of small miracle since I had an entire cake in the kitchen and it never crossed my mind ONCE to eat it. Remember: CAKE is my favorite thing to eat IN GENERAL.

Anyway.. as I searched for something salty the only thing I could come up with was a cucumber with Rice Vinegar and Pepper all over them... Oh, and throw some pickled beats on top. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm good... What is for dinner? Something salty... oh, and a steak would be good.

I had MANY a salt craving when I was pregnant with Abby, but not so much with the boys. Maybe this is a sign...

What do you crave?

WORST PARENTS EVER!

I am pretty sure we should put our children up for adoption and pack it in. Yep. . . We have failed as parents. Abby lost her third tooth.. We are still on our FIRST child and she lost one of her two front teeth and guess what... The next morning I found a letter from her on the kitchen table addressed to: Dear Mom and Dad: This is what it said:



When I asked Peter what happened to the "Tooth Fairy" he said, "I couldn't find my wallet!" And he knows darn well not to check my wallet because there is NEVER any money in there! The worst part is .... she woke up to tears this morning because WE FORGOT AGAIN!

Peter insists that I lose 25 % of my brain every pregnancy (it doesn't come back) and since this is number 4, you know what that means.. I forgot to remind him, and he forgot to do it.. But, NEVER FEAR! It will be done tonight. I PROMISE!

Can we have a second chance at parenting? PLEASE???

BLOGIVERSARY ANNOUNCEMENT

Ok, I know I said I was going to do a giveaway, but since I am on Vacation.. I am going to wait until I get back to do my giveaway.. I want it to be good and proper and all... So, instead, I will make an announcement....

Remember when I was doing this and this and this???


Well, I was this:


You might ask, What on EARTH? Who is crazy enough to have a baby while they are MOVING to another STATE, and BUYING a NEW BUSINESS and under EXTREME AMOUNTS OF STRESS????? Well, I guess we are.

Things I have learned since moving to the Desert

1- It is hot.
2- Everything else is hot.
3- It is astonishing how much heat you can take.
4- The Desert really can be pretty. (I will show you tomorrow)
5- My husband really can be handy. (I will show you tomorrow)
6- You car doors will be too hot for your kids to touch.
7- Car seat buckles will be SUPER hot, eventhough they are in your car in the "shade".
8- You CAN actually shop too much.
9- The full length mirrors in the master bedroom ARE NOT good for my self-esteem.
10- Church at 8:00 a.m. is really just too early.
11- My Vitamix makes FABULOUS Pina Coladas. (And probably Virgin Maragaritas.. which I will be attempting soon)
12- There IS another use for coconut syrup other than on my pancakes.
13- Kids take good strong naps here because it is so dang hot.
14- It is actually exciting to see how hot it can get.
15- I am officially in love with IKEA and could stay in there for at least 49 hours.
16- The Desert is even better than I thought it would be.

Dear Sarah (George Clooney's Ex)

Hey, if Celia can write letters... so can I!

Dear Sarah,

I heard today that you broke up with George... Sorry... I mean, did you REALLY think that you could get the most famous bachelor on the planet to settle down? I mean, I did there for a while, so certainly YOU must have thought you could! You seemed pretty "normal" and "down to earth" (whatever that means) and I thought you might actually have a chance! I did notice that you were 'absent' from the last few events. What happened? Did you ask for a ring? Did you get all pushy and committal? Did you have a DTR with him? (Define the Relationship) I mean, cuz, anyone would have told you that that would send him running.

Well, I hope you have a good time settling into your old apartment. Probably gonna feel kinda small now.. Hopefully you get to take home some great "parting gifts" with you. I hope you also had a note on your back as you walked out the door that said, it is HIS LOSS... because in my last big break up (before the marriage) I just happened have to have that written on the door he was walking out of. (and Yes, he saw it--I call that Karma) Anywho, I hope you have some good Karma coming your way. But, I can't think of any other famous bachelors who aren't already taken! I mean, they are all pretty locked up right now... Even Lance Armstrong (rumored to be with Kate Hudson), and Matthew McConaughey--girlfriend with child, Jake Gyllenhall (Committed to Reese Witherspoon) Brad is committed (I guess that is what you would call it- 6 children later) and Matt and Ben are actually married (IMPRESSIVE!) Maybe you could hook up with Jen and Luciana and ask them how they "did it" (meaning, got their men to commit) Anywho... hopefully you can get back to work. I am sure there are a few bars hiring. Best of luck!

Love,

Lindsey

PS- I realize in this post, I have just professed how much I know about the celebrity world, and no, I am not proud of it. :)

Tis the Season

Tis the season for DANCE RECITALS! I have many fond memories of dance recitals...Unitard... just the word sends shivers down my back..(Um, yes, I am the freakishly tall one)
Silky blue..with a great VEST... sooooooooo 80s. (Back row on the end... I DISTINCTLY remember that I DID NOT know all the words to these songs and that most of the time I would just move my lips and we had a ukulele song that I would pretty much just pretend like I was strumming my ukulele... my daughter is so me...)
For some reason, I thought that when my daughter had a dance recital she would have a much better, more stylish, more hip, more now COSTUME...At least that girl knows how to WORK IT! :) Hey, I guess we have all had our share of not so great costumes....

What were YOURS like?

Everything you wanted to know about being Tall. . .

Do you see the similarities in these pictures?Check out Nicole bending her legs to appear shorter...her man is even wearing heels to help her out!
Check out me bending my head to extremes..chin down..to appear shorter. (Look at the difference in our shoulders to get a REAL height discrepancy.)

This was my first date ever... my parents forced me to go. (Yes, you did!) I guess I wasn't scarred for life.. but if you want to know more about my LIFE AS A TALL PERSON. Go HERE.

How to get some zzzzzzzzzzzs

You might ask, what on earth would you do from 1:30 t0 3:30 in the morning when you just can't sleep???

I'll tell you, because now I know..

You would go down to the couch because you are sick of laying in bed with your mind racing and the inability to stop thinking..

You would pick up your lap top (which is ALWAYS on the couch) and you would lay down with your blanket and dim the brightness of the lap top so you can look at it without squinting.

You would catch up on a few blogs and marvel at how many hits Travelin' Oma linking to your page will get you. (Amazing Oma... you have a fantastic readership) And of course I am obsessed with statcounter.

You would then go to your favorite "news" website which happens to be the msn homepage. If you want to know why I call it "news" click here...

Then you will click on a few links but linger on the link that says, MILEY CYRUS ADMITS PHOTOS WERE IN BAD TASTE. You get curious about exactly what the pix were and you do a websearch that brings them up... (If you wanna look, do your own websearch)

You look at Miley Cyrus teenage goddess (no more than 15) laying on what looks like a BED with a dazed look on her face (drugs maybe?) cuddling up to her boyfriend. You see them wearing white t-shirts, and then you see her laying on that SAME bed with what looks to be a black bra on.. great...

You realize how even though you might seem like an incredibly stingy mother for not letting your daughter (6) watch Hanna Montana you are sure grateful that you didn't put this celebrity onto a pedestal and glorify how cool she is just to see trashy pictures of her pop up on the web.

Then you see a link to watch her 4 minutes video (knock off of the Madonna/Justin Timberlake video) and then you decide to find the real video of 4 minutes on Youtube..because you are friends with Justin and want to check it out. It was weird, and Justin makes Madonna look like a bad dancer.

Then, close the laptop and hope that that video of Justin will help you have good dreams or at least a better dream than the one you had the other night when, after seeing the "little people" on Oprah, you dreamt that you were in love with one and planning on leaving your adoring husband... Remember people, I am 6'2".

Nighty night.

Dearest Visitor

I love that you visit my blog. I am not sure why.. probably some kind of weird validation in my own mind. I know that you visit too because I have a counter... it tells me where you are coming from. I know where you live... I know how long you visit my page and I know how often you come back... Do you feel violated?

I even know EXACTLY who some of you are because you post a comment and I can tell who you are by when you posted it! (I am so smart) I would just like to give an official THANK YOU... for visiting my blog. I love that you visit me... you can count it as VISITING TEACHING! (kind of) But really, you probably know how I am BETTER than my own VISITING TEACHERS!

I have been distracted as of late... other things to think about... things that are altering my life. Last Sunday, I wrote a depressing post and then deleted it... Some of you read it because you have blog readers...Sorry I deleted it. I regret that now... but, I needed to at the time. I know some of you don't have a reader because you check my page a couple of times a day (thanks Anne-- You make me feel good) ANYWHO... let me tell you what a reader will do for you.

GIVE YOU MORE FREE TIME TO SURF THE INTERNET!!!! (Oh, and maybe attend to your other responsibilities) That is right! You will never have to check my page again because it will TELL YOU when my page is updated! Google has one, bloglines has one.. It is free... but if you don't want to use it, that is ok because your hits make me feel good. when I am checking my stats page, my husband calls it the "who loves me" page. Oh well... I guess I just like to know that I am loved... just like everyone else in the world.

Oh, and to you lurkers... people who visit often but who don't comment... Or when they DO COMMENT comment anonymously.. (YES I AM TALKING TO YOU ANONYMOUS NICOLE DEFENDER!) All I know about you is that you live near me and you check my blog regularly. That is ok.. but, it would be nice if I knew who you are. I will let you read Celia Fae's Blog note to lurkers.. because she said it so well. :)

Much love again to you... thanks for checking in with me... even though I have been checking OUT. I will be posting again soon. :)

BUT IT WAS ON A DOILEY!!

So, my husband and I were having our late dinner after arriving in Vegas at the China Grill in the Mandalay Bay. A very shwanky restaurant with a fusion nouveau asian style. Nothing was under $30, and EVERYTHING was a la carte. Love those kind of places eh? You just KNOW you aren't getting out of the restaurant for under $100.

Anyway, we were sitting at a table for two, and there were 3 or 4 tables for two in a row, tight together. So tight, we could see what everyone else was having for dinner. The couple to my left, left and left their dessert tray on their table only 1/2 eaten. Their were a variety of cookies, and something that looked like a creme brulee, and they had eaten that, but left everything else untouched. (Click on it to see the yummy left-overs) Can you see it? Just sitting there in all of its goodness???

We finished our meal, but decided dessert would be a bit MUCH, so I JOKINGLY said, "We should just take theirs!" (It had been sitting there for at least 10 minutes) My husband said, Ok! Go ahead, GRAB IT!
I protested and started to giggle, thinking it WOULD be kind of funny. But was WAY too embarrassed to be even thinking of such a thing in a fancy restaurant. Then he said, "Well, if you won't do it, I WILL!" He started to lean over to grab it and I kicked him under the table. His big gesture to grab it was WAYYY to obvious, and although the restaurant was dark, I KNEW someone would notice.

It was then that it happened... He goaded me on... referred to my prior college days when I would do all sorts of things upon a dare (crawling army style down the aisle at Safeway with a jar of salsa in my hand, on a Saturday night...at BYU--Don't ask, it was a dare). My adrenaline started to pump, and I started to laugh at the thought....I couldn't let him think that I had gone SOFT! I thought about it for a few more minutes... and my husband goaded me on a few more times, and .... I DID IT! I grabbed it!!!! You might think that is gross.... BUT, IT WAS ON A DOILEY!!!!!