bobby. or sammy.

meet bobby. or maybe his name is sammy. to be completely honest with you, we have absolutely no idea. he looks really angry in this picture, but that isn't accurate in the least. in all reality, he ran all over trying to get IN our pictures. the only problem was once he got in the picture, he wouldn't hold still.

"Look! I can make a snow angel!" he really said that. that is really what he's doing in the picture. i told him he could be in the picture but he had to hold still. he apparently didn't approve. i'm not going to lie. the kid cracked me up. he stood in the picture and then wanted to see how it turned out. when i had strategically cropped him out, he wanted to see the picture and know where he was. after we had laughed at him for a while, we decided that we needed photographic evidence that this kid existed so we told him we'd take his picture and you saw how it turned out. we also saw him run through the sprinklers. yup. the sprinklers. as his highly observant parents drug him away we heard him yelling "no mom! i want to get wet again!" he brought little pieces of joy to my life and for that i will forever chuckle and be grateful. thank you bobby. or sammy. or whatever your name really is.

There is an unofficial list of things that every person should do at least once in their life: see the ocean, sing and dance in the rain, go toilet papering, etc. I completed one of those things this week. I went to my first midnight showing of a highly anticipated movie. Somehow I managed to miss all of STAR WARS and THE LORD OF THE RINGS, but this week I saw HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE. Now, I will freely admit that I'm not perfect. That means that I did not line up at 2:00pm the day of to get the "best seats", but I did go to the midnight showing. Never in my life have I been to the midnight showing of anything. To be completely honest, the night I graduated from high school my father told me that he could count on one hand the number of times I had been out past midnight in my life. I was completely fascinated by the people I found at the theater. As I watched those around me, I found all sorts to observe: the teenagers at the front of the line dressed in the Hogwart's school uniforms using drumsticks for wands, the 12-year-olds just in front of us who were also "first timers", Grandma down at the end of the row munchin' on her dippin' dots, and the would-be entrepreneur who wandered around outside with wands for $5 (he entered the theater empty handed). There are all kinds. I'm not going to lie, I was a bit skeptical when I heard "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" and my first thought was "are you kidding me!?! who's going to be kicked out of the theater tonight?" to my pleasant surprise I looked up to Harry and Draco dueling in the aisle. Nice effect. I was amused. Somehow, I made it through the TWILIGHT preview (don't ask unless you really want to know) and found myself cheering with the rest of the crowd as the credits rolled and the familiar strains of the theme song floated through the theater. There is an energy that comes with the perfect crowd in the perfect theater for the perfect show. About an hour in, we had an "intermission". That's what happen when the power goes out. It could have been a highly awkward situation, but really it was nice to stretch my legs. I chuckled when the healer-next-to-me's wand came out for a simple "reparo" and soon thereafter Ron, Hermione, and Harry reappeared on the screen. Somehow, I made it through the rest of the night without so much as a yawn. I'm sure it was the energy of the crowd that got me through the night and the next day. As I shared my adventures the next day, one of the girls I work me told me "Hey! We should go to the midnight showing of TWILIGHT!" Nope. Not a chance. Harry Potter? Yes. Definitely possible. I've seen the ocean more than once. I've danced in the rain more than once. I could go to more than one midnight showing. Here's to November 2010.

Apparently I need to buy a Jeep...

The secret to Eternal Bliss. (Read Me.)

realization

I found a quote on a magazine cover in my waiting room today:

Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.

I just made the mistake of sitting down and thinking about everything that I have done in the past 3 weeks. I decided that there is a very good reason that I am exhausted and my body hates me. Is it a bad thing to want a vacation from summer?

lessons of the day...

1) Well behaved women rarely make history.
2) Don't take yourself too seriously.
3) There are some movies that really do get better EVERY time you watch them.
These lessons are lessons that I learn regularly. One day they may actually stick.

for Elizabeth...

when I was a junior and still trying to decide whether I really-REALLY wanted to be an English major, I had a neighbor who actually had a degree in creative writing. I remember talking to her about what happens post graduation and what to do with the degree. she mentioned the fact that one morning she woke up and found herself deconstructing her cereal box and decided that she needed to move on. I had a similar experience today. so I work for a psychologist. sometimes he needs a little prodding. I've learned that there a few things that work: mountain dew, almond joy, origami notes, and recently I've learned that REECE's PUFFS is also found on that list. my REECE's PUFFS experience is limited. I think I've had it once...maybe twice and that was years ago. for the most part, I don't eat sugared cereals, but for some reason today left me craving REECE's PUFFS. I stopped on my way home and bought myself a box. this is what I found on the box.
18 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU'RE 18: (apparently their target audience is not the 20 something single white female.) well then, let's see how I measure up.
1. Ride the world's biggest rollercoaster: I've been to lagoon, disneyland, six flags, and driven I-80 through wyoming.
2. Bungee Jump! repelling is the closest I've tried.
3. Score the winning goal/basket: I answered one question at the lit wit knowledge bowl. pretty sure the answer was either bill watterson or calvin & hobbes.
4. Win an award, trophy or prize: I went to the regional spelling bee in 6th grade.
5. Learn an instrument: piano, trombone (it's been YEARS!), and dabbled with the nose flute.
6. Go backstage at a gig. I worked backstage in junior high. it's where I learned to carry a gun.
7. Meet your idol. most of them are dead, but I did have my picture taken with elder bednar and published in the church news.
8. Play a part in your favorite TV show. TV? eh. I'm trying to live a life that's novel worthy.
9. Meet someone with your own name. rumor has it there are about 20 of us in the world. I do, however, have an alcoholic beverage that shares my name.
10. Make a discovery: I brined a turkey once. it was INCREDIBLE and a complete accident.
11. Get away with the perfect practical joke: due to potential repercussions, I avoid prank wars. that does not mean that I don't have ideas collected in my memory bank. ask me sometime...
12. Own a pointless collection. I keep a lot of random trivia in my head. there are always the "flying cow" stories. I do collect postcards. someday I intend to visit ALL of those places.
13. Invent a word that makes it into the dictionary. I'd like to think that I really could do that, really. I would have to argue though, that there are MANY ridiculously cool words in the dictionary that people don't use anyway.
14. Conquer your biggest fear. well...I learned spanish. I lived in a world without mountains. I learned to love the great outdoors. still haven't mastered that whole talking to boys thing...
15. Raise money for charity. I helped build a house in south america.
16. Pass your driving test the first time. check. done and done.
17. Complete a road trip coast to coast: I've dipped my feet in the ocean at both coasts. I've driven at LEAST half way across the country multiple times. (see number 1.)
18. Reach 18 years of age - yes!!! I'd like to add the sub-text on this one as well: Embrace old age. yup. done that too. I'm even graying to prove it.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank general mills for reminding me that I am old. ha! hardly. I refuse to get old. I would like to thank them for reminding me that I still have a lot to do with my life. done and done.

brother-in-law-in-law

i have a brother-in-law-in-law. his sister married my brother. i'd like to publically thank him for saving me from myself during this wonderful experience that i'd like to hope is just a 24 hour flu bug. last time i saw him i told him i wanted a new hobby, foreign films. he ever so graciously obliged and so far he's hooked me up with spirited away, the grand illusion, and children of heaven-all of which i consider a worthy investment of my time. they've made my hours of R&R bearable. thanks again.