Wii Would Like To Play

Santa came early to my house this year.


I'm really not much of a gamer. In fact, every time I've tried to play Halo or Gears of War I end up getting dizzy and all confused. But I have wanted to get a Wii for a long time. I love the sports games on it and my friend, Calvin, convinced me that this would be really fun for me, a non-gamer, to have. Now I just need to get some games and accessories.


I would love to get this for Christmas



Do you think it's selfish to ask Santa to come back?

Addiction of the Senses

Taste:

Dove Peppermint Bark

A week ago I bought a bag thinking

"mmmm, that looks tasty"

I was definitely right.

The bag is now gone.

Hearing:

Earbuds

I freaking love these things!

The noise cancellation feature is top notch.

I can't even hear myself singing along.

I accidentally left them in my sisters car last Tuesday and since I knew

I wouldn't be able to survive an entire week without my iPod

I bought a cheap pair of earphones.

Not only are they incredibly uncomfortable but they don't have

the noise cancellation feature. Which is a total bummer because,

as it turns out, I do not sound like any of the following people:

Beyonce

Robert Plant

Taylor Swift

Sarah Brightman

Brian Johnson

I am extremely happy to have my earbuds back.

Sight:

The Vampire Diaries

I don't care how juvenile or girly this show is.

I love it!

I might even read the books.

Hopefully they will also be a treat for my eyes. :)

Touch:

Bath Salts

One of my favorite things to do is take a bath.

Especially when it's cold outside and I just want to get warm.

I often put Bath Salts in with the water.

They just complete the whole relaxing package.

The other day my friend, Josh, brought his roommates over for a visit.

One of the roomies found my huge jar of Bath Salts and asked

"What the heck is this for, do you rub it on your back?"

I wanted to respond "Yes, roomie, it makes your skin taste yummy."

Sometimes boys can be really silly.

Smell:

Gain

Really, truly, a delightful smell.

Lately, I've been using Gain to make other things in my home smell good.

I know it's weird, but I just don't care.

Talent Show

The other day my niece, Jaycee, called and asked me for some advice. It's her "Star" week in class and she needed to come up with a talent that she could share with the whole class. All of the other kids decided to sing or dance for their star weeks, but I just couldn't picture Jaycee doing either of those things. Don't get me wrong, the girl can sing and she most certainly can dance, but we wanted to come up with something a little more original than that.

One of the things that Jaycee and I love to do together is cook. I told her we could make cookies or brownies to share with the class and that can be her talent. After all, cooking is most certainly a talent. Just then my sister and Jaycee's mom, Amy, interrupted - they won't let you bring homemade treats for the kids. Apparently schools are afraid of allergies, drugs or poison. Pffff! Remember the good old days when your mom could bring a huge Texas Sheetcake for your school birthday party and no-one was afraid to eat it? Man, I loved those days!

We got back to thinking about a new talent Jaycee could share when sheer brilliance struck my brain like a lightning bolt right out of the sky. Play Dough! You still have to cook it and, as previously mentioned, cooking is a talent. But the kids don't ingest it, therefore, making it a fun, safe, homemade option that the whole class can enjoy. Seriously, brilliant!

Last night I went over to Jaycee's house to show her how to make Play Dough. I made her do all the measuring and I did the stirring. I thought I had the easy job until after heating it for about a minute it became extremely hard to stir. I really don't know how my Mom did it all those times. I think I went through 4 different spoons before I grabbed the heavy duty spatula. It was the only thing strong enough to turn the dough. Seriously Mom, how did you do it?

After letting the dough cool down, we split it into a bunch of balls, so we could make each one a different color. Jaycee had a great time picking out the colors and adding the right amount of dye to each ball. She also had a great time watching me spend almost 2 hours kneading the color into each ball. The 14 different colors she picked out turned out great though.

If you have the desire to make play dough, you can find the recipe here.

Quitter

For weeks now I've been super excited for Ree Drummond to come to Salt Lake for her book signing.

Last Wednesday I bought this in anticipation:

But what did I do after waiting in line for almost 3 hours with no end in sight?

That's right, I gave up.

I so badly wanted to post about how awesome it was to meet The Pioneer Woman and I was going to take a picture of her autograph in my cookbook.

But no, I'm a big, fat loser!

So there you go.

Forrest Gump, You Can Suck It!

A representative from Sees Candies stopped by the office the other day. She gave me a 1 pound box of chocolates for free in hopes that it would persuade me to buy chocolates for all of our clients for the holidays.

Getting free chocolates, yeah, that's pretty cool. However, here is the problem with Sees Chocolates - they don't come with a little chocolate guide. I really like knowing what kind of chocolate I am committing to before I take the initial bite. It's one of the worst feelings in the world when you bite into a chocolate that looks like it could be filled with caramel but instead it has that pink crap in it. When that happens, I usually spit out the entire thing only to regret it later because I could have eaten the chocolate around the pink crap. It's very troubling.

I have decided that from now on I only want the kind of chocolates that come with a guide. No more of this ". . . You never know what your gonna get" nonsense! That might have been true back in the 50's or whenever Forrest's mom said that, but now, in this day of extreme convenience, we have the technology to determine what the hell kind of candy we are getting ourselves into.

Titles

I have many titles. Daughter, Sister, Aunt, Office Manager, Assistant, Trip Planner Extraordinaire . . . to name a few. As of last Thursday you can add one more to that list:

Home Owner

That's right! Last week I bought my very first home. It's a cute little condo in Bountiful and I love it! :) I have big plans for this place. Hopefully I'll be able to actually act on those plans in about a year, after I'm no longer "down payment poor". :)

Here are some pictures:

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Loft

Kitchen

Living Room

Bathroom 2

Bedroom 2

LOTR

My friends and I just finished watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy last night. I really, really like those movies. They're just so freaking entertaining! I'm not obsessed with LOTR, although I do feel like it brings out my geekiness a little to refer to it as LOTR, but that's just fun. No, I'm not obsessed. I don't own any LOTR related items other than the dvd's, I don't speak the Elf language, and I don't attend any LOTR gatherings. But I do have some lingering thoughts about LOTR. I've never read the books, so I don't know everything there is to know about LOTR. I have a few questions. Can all of you LOTR fans help me out?

1. What happens to Gimli and Legolas after the LOTR trilogy? Do they get an apartment together and make it into the coolest bachelor pad Middle Earth has ever seen?

2. Do the Hobbit ladies shave the hair off their feet? If not, are they still required to shave their legs?

3. What happens to Eomer? I didn't see any potential hook-ups for him at the King Aragorn ceremony. If I had been in Minas Tirith that day I'm pretty sure I would have asked him to be my boyfriend. Hot!

Okay - that's it for now.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Just Another Uncomfortable Situation

I think I've told you already about my super nice work neighbor, John. He's got to be in his 80's or maybe even 90 years old. He comes into the office a couple of times a week for a few hours here and there. The rest of his time is spent playing tennis, he loves tennis. Since he's not at the office constantly, he often misses his mail, so I collect it for him. Then when he returns to the office he'll get his mail from me, shake my hand and say thanks so much. There have been several times when I see him in the hall, so we say hello. Remember, he's a super nice old man and I don't think he has a creepy bone in his body so when he wants to give me a hug, I let him. No big deal. However, lately when I see him in the hall he'll give me the usual hug, but he'll linger a little longer holding me really close, then he goes in for a kiss . . . on the MOUTH!!! I know, I know, I know - he's my super nice and really old work neighbor - he's harmless, really, but I just don't want to kiss that old man on the mouth. I'm just not an on the mouth kisser. I never have been. I don't kiss my parents on the mouth. I don't kiss my nieces and nephews on the mouth. No. Truth be told, I like to reserve on the mouth kisses for the guys that I date, no one else. So now every time I give John a hug he tries to kiss me and I have to stretch really far so that his kisses land on my chin or cheek.

Hornets

Sometimes my dad just cracks me right the heck up!


My sister, Mary, just told me this story:


Mary has 2 vehicles right now - 1 is sitting at my parents house, waiting to be sold. She went to check on it today and when she opened the door she noticed there was a really large hornets nest on the crack of the door. She didn't want to touch it so I'm guessing she ran inside and told my 72 year old Dad to take care of it. After awhile of waiting, she received this text message from him:


(ps- I think it's funnier if you read the periods as *stop* because my dad likes to text like he's sending a telegram.)

Messed up *stop*

Jar did not cover nest *stop*

30 came after me *stop*

Ran like hell *stop*

Now 40 out there looking for me *stop*

Jar, spatula, my shoes & my confidence on the ground while I wait *stop*

Pops - you're hilarious!

Updates:

I was reading a few of my older posts and realized that I promised to give updates on them but I never have. Here are a few:

Remember That One Time . . . Massage.
I have since had another naked massage experience and I have come to the conclusion that it's just not for me. This experience wasn't anything like the first one, however, still very uncomfortable. The man was older and very nice. He had a soothing voice and he didn't say anything inappropriate, in fact, he didn't talk much at all, which is actually what I wanted. But it still wasn't that great. I just don't think I could ever relax knowing a complete stranger is not only looking at me while I'm naked, but also touching me while I'm naked. It does not make for a very relaxing situation.


The Saddest Day of My Life.
This is a pretty long story, you're welcome to read all 5 parts if you want or not, I don't care. I just wanted to tell you that I'm still having tire problems. It's a curse I tell you, a curse! Two weeks ago I put 5 new tires on my Jeep. The spare tire on the back was apparently too heavy for the tire swing and it broke, leaving the tire just dangling there. Lucky for me I made it all the way home before it decided to fall off completely. I'll let you know if my luck with tires ever changes.


Why, Hot Dog Man? Why?
The Hot Dog man has had some extremely bad luck lately. Since this post his cart has completely stopped working. He can't even sell stupid turkey dogs. Also - his truck broke down and since he can't sell hot dogs, he doesn't have any money, so he can't fix his truck. He still comes out almost every day though. Sometimes he'll bring a cooler full of drinks and just sit there on the corner. Every once in a while I'll buy a pop and give him a pretty good tip. I feel terrible! If you're walking past the corner of 200 South and Main during lunch time, please stop and buy a pop from the guy. Okay?


Coffee Talk
Since this post I have had about 12 opportunities to make the coffee using tap water. He has yet to tell the difference. I think it's time I take this to the next level. Could you please give me some ideas on what I can put in the coffee, just to see if he can taste it? Nothing too gross, k. :)


Dear Mormon Bachelor Pad:
After receiving a request for a time and place meeting, I decided What The Heck! and I actually posted the time and place of my singles ward and what I would be wearing. However, I did not meet the elusive Bachelors. I may have posted this too late, or they may have come to my singles ward and decided I was not cool enough for friendship (which is completely absurd, I realize.) Who knows? I'm still going to read their blog though, because well, it's really funny.

A bunch of my friends are convinced that the Bachelors are actually one guy - John Maxim. I'm not convinced though. I'll let you know if I ever meet the real Bachelors - it's entirely possible that I already have. We were at the same church activity Monday night.

Wedding Cake

Question:

What the heck makes wedding cake taste so much better than regular cake? And why, for that matter, can't they mix up the same ingredients and just call it regular cake? I don't get it.

Scenario:

My boss brought in a huge slab of wedding cake from his daughters wedding last Monday. It has been sitting in the fridge for exactly 7 days with a piece of plastic wrap gently draped over it. Not a very secure covering - that's what I'm getting at. I noticed one of my bosses eating a piece for lunch today and he said that it was delicious. I didn't entirely believe him because of the previous mentioned state that it had been kept in. But I decided to try it anyway. He was not lying - it was ultra delicious! I don't get it.

Dear Mormon Bachelor Pad:

Can we be friends?

My attractiveness level is in the 6.7-8.2 range. My coolness level is a solid 9.5. I give spectacular back scratches during sacrament meeting, but I do require one in return. I can appreciate a little scruff in the facial hair department. I laugh at most funny things, and I have loads of attractive girl friends.

I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Bekah

http://mormonbachelorpad.blogspot.com/

No Soliciting

I work in an office that receives a ton of solicitors. I never know how to handle solicitors. Should I be rude? Should I cut them off? Should I ask them to leave now and never come back? Or should I listen to they're whole schpeal and kindly refuse them after they are done?

Unless I'm in a horribly foul mood, I usually listen to the whole schpeal.

Sometimes it's entertaining and other times I want to gouge out my own eyeballs and stick them in my ears so I don't have to see or listen to another damn solicitor. But that's usually only on the extremely horrible days, like a few weeks ago when the Mary Kay ladies came into my office. I'm surprised their Mary Kay make-up didn't melt right off their faces from the stink eye I was giving them.

Today, however, the most entertaining solicitor came in. I wasn't at all interested in what she had to sell, instead, it was just her appearance and the way she spoke just fascinated me. I let her talk for a good ten minutes before I remembered that I didn't actually want to buy anything from her. She looked like a real-live muppet. Her eyes stuck out about an inch from the sockets, her hair was perfectly coiffed and her body had this kind of natural lerpyness to it. But the best part was the way she spoke. She didn't move her mouth at all. Her lips and jaw didn't even move a millimeter. But, like a very talented ventriloquist, I could understand every word she said without even a hint of a slur. It was fascinating. Absolutely fascinating.

What makes you happy?

For me, of course it's the usual - family, friends, church.

But what about the completely selfish things -

the things that you never hear people bearing their testimonies about?

I'll show you some of mine, if you'll tell me one of yours. :)

TODAY:

The Google homepage brought me instant joy today.

I truly am a geek to the core, but it's okay because I believe you are too.

THIS WEEK:

I just purchased a Sony Bravia 52 inch HDTV and I absolutely love it!! About a month ago I bought a smaller Vizio. It was a nice tv but I was never fully satisfied with it. I just had this feeling of regret every time I watched it. So - on Monday of this week, I packaged up the Vizio, returned it to the store and bought this one instead. Sure it was more expensive, but I feel so much better about this purchase. I got the tv I actually wanted instead of wasting my money on a smaller more practical tv.

THIS MONTH:

My friends, Craig and Nicole, recently introduced me to this show. Others have tried to get me to watch it, but for some reason I just wasn't interested until now. And guess what - I love it!! Here are a few of my favorite dances from this season, do yourself a favor and watch them. Pronto!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ll9xhRZ5W4&feature=PlayList&p=2856A894AF4738A1&index=0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lLWJboraJw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTmy8HydaQA&feature=PlayList&p=E1621316BCAC9DD2&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=8

THIS YEAR:

This new shopping cart has made grocery shopping so much easier for me. And, as it turns out, easier things make me happy. :) I love the slim design, the easy top basket access and the turning radius. Sometimes I'll do a 360 in the middle of an aisle, not because I have to but simply because I can. I realize this cart is not for everyone. It's not practical if you have kids, or need to feed 50 people, but for me - it's perfect! :)

A Weird Little Fact

Transition glasses kind of creep me out.

Glasses - great!

Sunglasses - even better!

But for some reason I get a gross creepy feeling when I see someone wearing transition glasses. It makes me think of a pedophile who drives a white van with no windows offering candy and ice cream to the little children walking home from school. I don't know any pedophiles who drive white vans with no windows. In fact, I don't think I know any pedophiles at all. But, like I said, for some reason, that's what comes to mind when I see transition glasses. Especially when it's really bright inside so the glasses are half way between regular clear glasses and sunglasses. I have no logical explanation for this.

It just gives me the creep out.

Coffee Talk

**Real time update**

I make the coffee in my office. I have no idea if it tastes right because I don't drink the stuff, but my boss still likes me to make it. He claims I make it better than he does. (I really don't see how that's even possible.)

About a year and a half ago my boss, David, told me that he wants me to use the cold water that comes out of the fridge instead of tap water to make the coffee. He said he can tell the difference. (He said this on a day when he actually saw me use tap water.) I don't think he can though. You see the only difference between the tap water and the water the comes out of the fridge is the temperature.

The truth is I used tap water everyday up until that point and he never said anything before.

So now, every once in a while, when I'm feeling adventurous, I like to use tap water to make the coffee, just to see if he can actually tell.

Today is one of those days. :)

David called me while he was in his car on his way to work and asked me to make the coffee, so I ran back to the kitchen and made the coffee as quickly as possible. I even wiped off the counters just in case any tap water might have dripped some where in transit from the tap to the coffee maker.

Experiment time! Ha ha ha!

Midnight Movies

As I've stated numerous times before, one of my favorite pastimes is watching movies. I love a good matinee. I love watching movies at home. I love going to the drive-in. And I absolutely LOVE going to see a movie in the theatre the night or weekend that it comes out. I love it so much that I decided to start a little group facebook.



There is nothing better than going to the first showing of a highly anticipated movie with 30 or so of your super fun friends. The energy and excitement of the movie are intensified when you go with a room full of people who are just as excited to see it as you are. You can cheer and clap all you want because your peers are also doing it. Midnight movies are just super ultra fun!



These are the movies we have seen so far:

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Star Trek

Angels and Demons

Terminator Salvation

The Hangover

next up we will see:

Transformers 2

Public Enemies

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

G.I. JoeAnd possibly others too.

SO FUN!!!

Contest . . . or . . . Not So Much

Remember that one time I held a Recipe Contest on my Food Blog and nobody entered, not even my brother who I begged to enter just so I could get his amazing Strata recipe?


Hmmmm, yeah.

Lunch Bunch

Since changing jobs two summers ago, I found a new favorite summertime activity. The Lunch Bunch series at the Gallivan Center.


Everyday the Gallivan Center hosts a different musical group. These mini concerts are always free and they rarely disappoint. One day there will be a folk song duet, and the next day there will be a bunch of little teeny-boppers singing and dancing all over the stage.


If the weather is nice, you can usually find me out there 2-3 times a week. I just love that little one hour break from my monotonous day. It helps cure my desire to quit my job simply because I'd rather be outside during the summer.

Next week I'm going to drag my Tuesday Lunch Group buddies over there. I hope they like it. I'll let you know how it goes. :)

Summertime Favorites

Where the heck have I been? Enjoying all of my favorite summertime activities, that's where.

I'll do a post on each one individually, but here is a list of just a few activities so you have something to look forward to. Ha ha ha.

1. Lunch Bunch
2. Midnight Movies
3. Ultimate Frisbee
4. Camping
5. Softball
6. BBQ's / FataQ's
7. Wheelin' / Motorcycle Rides
8. Lagoon
9. Wakeboarding
10. Road Trips

You're excited already, aren't you? :)

Jazzed

Last Monday I got a text from my buddy, John, asking if I wanted to watch the Jazz game with him and a bunch of our other friends at the Energy Solutions Arena. Sounds fun, right? I showed up to his house and we all walked over to the arena, where I expected to sit in the green chairs and watch the game on the huge screen with hundreds of other fans. Instead, this is what happened . . .

The Sound of Music . . .

. . . that's all I want!

For about a year now I have had a broken stereo in my Jeep and it completely sucks! I absolutely love singing in the car. It feels natural to me to sing as loud as I can, but when it's just me in the car, listening to my iPod and other people can't hear the music - I look like a total freak and then I get embarrassed. Also - having music in your car while driving with other people are with you is some what essential. It can fill the awkward silence in a lull of conversation. Lucky for me, however, my friends are awesome and they'll just start singing even without music. So I only have to worry about that with new people.

Now, you might be asking - why is your stereo broken?

Don't worry, I will tell you. ( . . . even if it makes this post too long for Adam to read.)

During the Summer I like to take the top off of my Jeep, Hank, and during those 3.5 months I usually only put it back on in cases of extreme rainstorms. If it rains a little, no big deal, Hank has been through worse just by driving through some puddles.

However, last Summer we got one of those freak rainstorms comparable to a monsoon. I was fast asleep in my bed when the rain started. I remember waking up and thinking - maybe I should go put the top up - but sleep caught me again. Then around 3:00 am Mary came running into my room saying there was something wrong with Hank. I immediately jumped out of bed and ran outside. It was still pouring and I was getting completely drenched but I had to find out what was wrong. The stereo was going bazerk! The car was turned off but the lights on the stereo were flashing as if the car was turned on. It freaked me out a little so I tried pushing some buttons but nothing happened. Finally, I just took the face off the stereo. I figured the problem was fixed, so I just went back inside and back to sleep.

I gave it a couple of days to dry out then I tried it, but no, it didn't work. It's been broken ever since.

I don't know why it has taken me so long to get around to fixing it, but that's what I tried to do last night. I took out the old stereo and installed a new one only to find out that one of the wires was completely dead. So now, not even the new stereo works. Now, I'll have to rip out the entire dash to find out where that wire is bad so I can try to fix it. Ugh!

If any of you are experts in the art of car stereos - I could use your assistance please.

The Beetle

Real Time Update!

There is a ginormous beetle in my office right now. I tried to catch it in a cup but every time I get close to it, it runs away and then I get scared and jump up on my chair. Then my bosses laugh at me. This has happened five times already, and no, not one of them has offered to get the beetle for me, they are having too much fun laughing at me for that. I really, really hate bugs - they freak me all the way out. You know the scene in Temple of Doom where Kate Capshaw has to walk through all of the bugs and they get in her hair and crawl all over her? Yeah - I hate that part.

Wish me luck.

Dude Lunch?

My bosses and I ordered lunch in today.

I'm so happy Jimmy Johns delivers - I feel like it really adds to my favored lazy-lifestyle.

So - John, Jim and I were sitting in the kitchen enjoying our lunch together when Jim asked me "What did you order? That looks good!"

I responded "I got the Totally Tuna on Whole Wheat and it IS good! I added bacon to the sandwich. Bacon makes everything better."

I got a chuckle from Jim. John, however, had this to say - "Now that's a DUDE sandwich!" and he gave me an approving smirk.

I have to admit - I really didn't think that anything involving tuna was considered a Dude Sandwich - but I was proud of myself none-the-less. I can't always finish my Dude Sandwiches, but I'm sure glad I know how to order one. :)

. . .

Now can I tell you about a pet-peeve?

I really hate it when you offer to order lunch from Jimmy Johns and someone, orders a Turkey Tom. Then when it arrives, he says to you, with a smug look on his face "This better be good." Then when he unwraps the Turkey Tom sandwich he complains that "There sure isn't a lot of meat on here! You know I like my sandwiches with a lot of meat!"

First of all - No, I wasn't aware that you like your sandwiches with a lot of meat. I assumed that when I handed you the menu and you circled the sandwich and crossed out sprouts - that's what you wanted.

Secondly - Why is it always the orderer's fault if the meal is unsatisfactory to the consumer? I didn't make the sandwich. I just ordered a Turkey Tom without sprouts.

and Third - Shut up!

That is all.

ps - Jimmy Johns - I heart you! You add the perfect amount of meat for my sandwich. Thanks! :)

Birthday Season

Birthday Season begins with Staci in February and ends with Justin in April. Now, I could have blogged about each individual birthday, but since we've got one every other week during Birthday Season, I decided to lump everyone together and do one giant post.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SEASON EVERYBODY!! :)

February 9th - Staci

I already did a post on Staci, but I just wanted to say again how much I love her. Staci is so kind and thoughtful and just an all around super cool chick!

February 20th - Jarred, aka best-brother-in-law-in-the-whole-gosh-darn-world!

Jarred is one of my very best friends. If I need someone to talk to, he's always there. He listens to all of my silly stories without complaint and gives me heartfelt advice when I need it. Jarred can do anything. He is the go-to guy in our family. If you need something fixed on your car, house, yard . . . etc., not only can he do it, but he does it willingly. Jarred has a great sense of humor, he is constantly laughing and making others laugh as evidenced in this picture. (No, he doesn't always look like this - ha ha ha) I think my favorite thing about Jarred, though, is that he loves my sister unconditionally. He works extremely hard to provide for his family, trying to make it through these difficult times and he will never give up. He is truly the strongest man I know.

February 27th - Jaycee

My sweetheart of a niece turned 7 this year. Jaycee and I always have a great time together. Some of our favorite things to do include: shopping, watching movies, cooking, make-overs, and cleaning, I know that sounds silly - but we love it! One of the cutest things about Jaycee is that she is so sensitive. Funny story - when she was about 3 or so, Jaycee was hanging out with Mary and I for the day. We were going to go shopping and Mary told her that we would have to fix her hair before we went because it was looking kinda ugly. Jaycee just sat there quietly while Mary brushed her hair. About five minutes went past before I realized that tears were softly rolling down her cheeks. I asked her what was wrong and she said something like "Mary thinks I am ugly." (ha ha ha - sorry, I can't think about this story without laughing) Mary apologized immediately and explained that she thought Jaycee was absolutely beautiful and that she just wanted to have her hair reflect that. But Jaycee didn't let it go - for months and months, every time Amy, her mother, did Jaycee's hair she would cry and say, "why bother - Mary thinks I'm ugly anyway." ha ha ha - so sad, and yet so hilarious.

ps - she's better now. :)

March 13th - Zo

Zo is my adopted brother. I first met Zo in high school - I knew him as the "fat kid" who would come over and eat all of our food - sorry, but you know it's true. Then he moved in with us and we quickly became as close as siblings can get. Zo is one of my very best friends! We do everything together and we always have a great time. One of my favorite things about us is that we are perfect traveling partners. Whether it's a quick road trip to The Vegas, a food tour of LA, or the most spectacular Caribbean cruise, Zo and I know how to have fun. This year for Zoseph's birthday we planned a huge surprise party. It was perfect! We totally tricked him! :)

March 19th - Colton

Ah, my cute little Colt! My nephew Colt is such a cute kid, he turned 8 this year and he will be getting baptized in a few weeks. I just love him so much. He gives me the best hugs! You know, the really tight, going to suffocate you kind? Ya - that's Colt. :) I love watching Colt play baseball, he's just so darn good. I'm not even exaggerating - the kid has some serious talent. I'm hoping that he will always love baseball and that one day he'll play for the Red Sox. Wouldn't that be freaking awesome!! :)


March 28th - Amelia

My beautiful sister Amy - I'm trying to think of what to write about her that won't make me bawl! She is so wonderful! Without going into too much detail, I'll give you a short summary. A few years ago she was diagnosed with a brain tumor that has since turned cancerous. But she isn't letting this get her down. Even when chemo has kicked the crap out of her, she is still completely gorgeous! She is still filled with life and shows so much love to everyone around her. She especially loves her kids and husband, she would do anything for them. Sometimes I think she loves her kids too much, but who knows if that's even possible. :)

March 31st - ME!

It's my 28th birthday today! :) So far it's been 100% awesome! We went to The Chuck for dinner last night and so many people came, I had such a great time. I got the best present from my family - they all went in on a Kitchen Aid mixer for me! :) I've been wanting one for years but they're so expensive that I couldn't bring myself to buy one. Now I have one! Thanks guys!!! Next up - my friends and I are going to Tony Caputo's for lunch. I freaking love birthdays!!

April 7th - David

My brother Dave is so fun, he can sometimes be a pain in the butt, but usually he's just a fun guy to be around. :) Dave is one of the best cooks! Everything he makes is so delicious! He is very particular in his cooking that sometimes it takes hours to get a simple meal on the table - one time we went out to Jarred and Amy's for dinner and games. Dave brought all the stuff to make spaghetti, simple right? No, no, no, no, NO! Not when it comes to cooking with David. The sauce had to reduce like 20 times and he had to crush all of the seasonings by hand. He started around 7:00 and I think we finally ate around midnight. But it was tasty none-the-less. Ha ha ha - I will never let him live that one down. :)

April 14th - Justin

Oh, Justin! :) Even just thinking about him makes me smile. Justin is one of the happiest people I know - nothing ever gets him down. He is constantly dancing and laughing and trying to make everyone around him smile. I can talk to Just for hours about everything and nothing. I'm so glad he's one of my best friends. :) One thing that I love about Justin is that he likes everybody! If Justin doesn't like you, you must be a horrible person. Another great thing about Just is that he has got fantastic style! It's so fun to go shopping with Justin because he tells me honestly what looks good and what doesn't. Plus - he never complains when I make him carry stuff. Bonus! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GUYS!!!

I love you all so very much!