A love letter

I spent a really nice evening with friends tonight. Spring is here, and it was a rainy day which turned into a rainy night. At my friend's house, while a couple of the guys prepared one of the most delicious meals I've ever eaten, the rest of us played a board game. The game was a raucous, competitive one with lots of laughing and  friendly arguing, which is my favorite kind of game.

Later, as I was eating dinner, feeling quite content, I looked out the now dark and rainy second story window across from me and what did I see? A helium balloon with a long ribbon tied to it, floating up and away. It was honestly magical. (I tried hard not to think that a child may have lost it, though watching a balloon float majestically away is better than watching it slowly deflate inside anyway.)

It was a nearly perfect moment. A belly full of good food, a nice evening with friends, feeling warm and happy inside, while looking out at the rainy night sky with a balloon floating by.

The other night I was with friends and I jokingly said that I don't believe in love. My friend Brady said, "that's a lie, you write about love in your blog all the time." I said, "I do??" And he said, "yeah, you're always writing about how much you love your friends and family and everything." It surprised me that he said that because I didn't realize I write about that that much. But I was also happy that he said that because I really do have a lot of love in my life. And many people to be grateful for.

Today my home teacher shared a wonderful lesson with me about looking for the good. The truth, for all of us, is that life is difficult. Everyone is going through a trial, whether great or small, and it's easy to become down and cynical. It's often hard to find the good in our lives because the bad demands so much more attention and is easier to focus on. But I have found that when I really try to find the good, I can. And I'm much happier.

One of the things I've been thinking a lot about lately is how blessed I am in the friends department (and I include my family in that as well since I consider my family my friends). I seriously have such wonderful friends. They make me laugh, they support me, encourage me, and show me love. When it comes to "looking for the good," I often look to my friends because of how good they are to me and how much they enrich my life.

I know this post is a slight deviation from what I normally write about but I can't help it - a helium balloon sent me over the edge of happiness and I had to share some of it with you all. I hope that you are able to find the good in your lives and share it. Happiness really is contagious.

Sleepover memories

When I was a young teenager, my friend Kristin and I used to have sleepovers almost every weekend. I have many fond memories of these sleepovers (and one not-so-fond memory - click here for that story as well as an awesome picture of us). A typical sleepover was made up of these components:

60% talking about boys (and that includes NKOTB)

20% renting movies

5% doing makeovers

5% buying candy/treats

10% annoying other people.

A few months ago Kristin was in town for a visit and we were reminiscing about all the crazy things we did back in that time. We concluded that 1) we were pretty obnoxious, 2) we thought we were really funny back then, and 3) we actually were pretty funny.

One time on summer vacation, Kristin spent the night on a Sunday night. We weren't supposed to go the store on Sundays for religious reasons but we snuck down anyway and hid the candy in the bushes until that night. Late that night when we snuck outside to grab our loot, it was covered with ants. We learned a valuable lesson that night - that we should have hid the candy under our shirts and smuggled it inside as soon as we got home from the store.

Another time we begged Kristin's older brother to drive us to our Sunday School teacher's house so we could fork their yard (stick tons of plastic forks in it). He said no so we waited till night fall and walked all the way there to do it. We were determined. It turned out great, by the way.

Then there was the time we thought we'd make orange julius but read the recipe wrong. Instead of putting two table spoons of sugar in it, we put two cups in. When it came time to drink it, we could tell something was wrong by the consistency but we made everyone taste it to help us figure it out. I vividly remember every one's scrunched up faces as the took a sip of pure orange sugar.

All these memories came back to me recently because for the first time in almost 20 years, I watched the movie "UHF" starring Weird Al a couple nights ago. Kristin and I rented UHF and Can't Buy Me Love almost every weekend back in the day for our sleepovers. We quoted from UHF all the time.

I was worried that the movie wouldn't be funny after all these years, but I shouldn't have been scared. It was hilarious. Here's a link to a clip to prove it.

What were some of your favorite movies when you were a teenager? What were your favorite things to do at a sleepover? I'm at home resting after my surgery (which went fine - I ended up not getting the gas so I didn't say anything embarrassing) so your stories will keep me entertained!

No pressure. I just won't heal well if you don't share.

Wednesday Thoughts

I was thinking today about one of my childhood best friends, Caitlin. Caitlin was a great friend who lived in my town for a year or two when I was around 8 or 9 years old.

Here are some of the things Caitlin and I did together:

*came up with the best recipe ever: melted chocolate chips and peanut butter eaten in a bowl, with chopsticks.

*listened to 96.3 all day long waiting for our favorite Prince, Madonna, and Weird Al songs to come on so we could tape record them. This was a lot of work but paid off in the end.

*adopted a three legged cat and felt really sorry for its misfortune, cooing over it and wondering what had happened to it and worrying profusely about its future and the difficult life it would lead.

*pulled in the most pathetic looking tree branch Caitlin could find and decorated it for Christmas instead of a Christmas tree.

*wore plastic charm necklaces, Michael Jackson pins and tons of plastic bracelets.

*attempted to make our own clothes. This is my favorite Caitlin memory. My mom had some left over fabric that she let Caitlin and I use. We spent the afternoon cutting out fabric based on what we assumed were our body types. Luckily for us, we were sticks back then and guessed correctly. I made a t-shirt and shorts, and by made I mean stapled, safety pinned, and taped. We were so proud of our work. We spent the entire day in those outfits, running around outside, riding our bikes, and pretty much showing off our sewing skills to anyone who cared. It's truly a miracle that the clothes stayed intact all day. We never wore them again and I have no idea what became of them. I assume they either fell apart or my mom "lost" them.

I would love to hear about some adventures you had with your childhood best friends.

Happy Wednesday!

And the winners are....

It's a tie! Between Kathy and Sarah, who both only got one wrong. Great job ladies! (Katherine actually got all the answers right, but she's my sister so it doesn't count. And don't worry, she agreed with me on this.) So, as promised, here's a post dedicated to why the winners of the quiz are awesome. Since Kathy answered first, I'll start with her:

Kathy (the one on the right)
Kathy joined my department about a year ago and there has not been a dull moment since! She's hilarious, sends us (Justin and me) the funniest clips to watch and/or listen to, and has our backs if we have a problem. When my car was in the shop, she drove me to work until I got it back! What would I have done without her!? Our carpool worked out so well, we're thinking about going in together on a team of sled dogs (you guys still think I'm joking about that, don't you?). She's supportive, compassionate, kind, and fun and when she's not at work, Justin and I are bored out of our minds. I'm so glad to work with her!

Sarah
Sarah and I have been friends forever! We met in middle school, and became good friends in high school. Without Sarah, my life would definitely be dull. Just in the past year or two, some of our adventures have included: seeing Maya Angelou speak, going to a Barack Obama rally, going to a tractor pull (oops, that was a secret), and many others. Sarah saved me last summer when a bug got in my eye! Now that's above and beyond. She listens to me vent about my problems and offers support and advice. On top of that, she motivates me to work out with her several days a week. She is a great support in my life and I don't know what I'd do without her!

Great job everyone! In case you were wondering, the correct answers to the quiz are: 1. b 2. b 3. c 4. a 5. c 6. a 7. c 8.b 9. a 10 b, and the extra credit answer was no (if you can believe that). Thanks everyone who took the quiz!

And that's why I'm still single.

My friend Sarah and I get together 2-3 times a week to work out. Along with exercising, these sessions are mostly about catching up and talking about our lives - one part of our lives in particular really. I'd say the breakdown of our conversations is something like this:


5% how was your day
5% miscellaneous
90% men/dating

We talk about guys we're interested in, dates we go on (Sarah has the most hilarious date stories of anyone I know), and dissect much more than we actually should. Should I confess that? (Too late.) We talk about the good and the bad. But one thing I've noticed lately is that many of our stories or complaints end with the conclusion, "....And that's why I'm still single."

Now, I should make it clear that we take equal responsibilty for things occassionally going badly - we don't just blame the guys. Recently I told a story which upon telling, made me realize that I handled a certain situation badly. We laugh sometimes when we realize that we probably don't always know what we're doing in the dating department (and that's why we're still single!). I mean, why else would two smart, fun, attractive, humble women still be single, right?

In thinking about this, I've come up with two solutions to solve my dating problems. One: ask a guy friend to go on a date with me. I'd tell him up front that it was a "teaching" date, but we'd never mention that while on the date - otherwise it wouldn't be natural (as if anyone can be "natural" on a date). He would observe my dating behavior and at the end give me feedback. Of course, to make it realistic, he'd pay for the date. I mean, it'd have to feel real, right?

The only problem with this one is that if he gives me negative feedback, I might get mad and try to break up with him. Then he'd have to remind me that we're just friends and let's face it - things might be awkward for awhile.

My second idea is to do what George Costanza from Seinfeld did at one point, and that is to do everything the opposite of what my instincts tell me. If it worked for George, it's guaranteed to work for me, right? For example, if I feel like I should not call a guy, I'll call him. If I am too scared to talk to him, I'll approach him. Um... this one sounds like a lot more work than the first one and much scarier.

See what I mean? Already I'm rejecting two perfectly good, reasonable ideas. One thing is for sure though, in discussing our dating lives Sarah and I have learned something important: we know what not to do, but we don't know what to do. Ok, that's not true. We don't know what not to do either. One of these days we'll figure it out, but until then, our work out sessions will have to double as dating therapy sessions. And hopefully someday these sessions won't end with the same refrain.

Hump Day!

Happy Wednesday! I don't know about you guys, but I'm feeling fairly happy today. I got my car back, it's massage day at work (every other week a masseuse comes in and does seated massage - it only costs us $10!), I'm getting my eye brows done later today, then it's girls night with Sarah. It's shaping up to be a pretty good day!

Before I move on, I feel I should quickly say that although a couple of things in that paragraph make me sound high maintenance, I'm not. Contrary to what Justin says. I get my eyebrows done once every few months, and it's very inexpensive. But whenever I mention that I have an appointment for it, Justin always says, "Again!?!" And hints that I might be high maintenance. Do you guys think getting your eyebrows done is high maintenance? I always just tell Justin that not all of us can be naturally beautiful.

Girls night is what I'm really looking forward to. Sarah and I started a new tradition this year of getting together after a regular workout every now and then to veg out. Translation: we go to Subway to pick up some dinner, then we go back to Sarah's to eat while watching I Love Lucy episodes on DVD. Before we started doing this earlier this year, I don't think I'd ever seen an episode of that show all the way through. The funny thing is, the show is quite old yet because I discovered it so late, I felt I had to tell everyone how funny it is. They'd just look at me like, "yeah... I know. It's funny." I guess I'm the last person to find out how funny I Love Lucy is.

Anyway guys, happy Hump Day. Only two more days till Friday!

TGIF

TGIF! Yesterday felt like Friday, which you know is never a good thing. Then this morning I was confused about why I was getting up so early because I thought it was Saturday. But I've adjusted, and now that the work week is coming to an end, I'm going to reflect on a few highlights:

• I found out yesterday that Justin has been playing a prank on me for several weeks that I only finally figured out yesterday. He's been sticking these post its, as pictured, in strategic places such as: journals I've been working on, my tape dispenser, my desk, etc... I, being the very unobservant person that I am, didn't realize it was him. I just thought I must have put them there myself - although I don't even own that style of post it - and that I forgot about it. It's Justin's own sweet brand of psychological torture.
  
  
• I went out to dinner with Monica and Christi and got to watch Christi struggle with chop sticks. I think she might need some of these:

• I went out to dinner with my sisters and my cousin Julie and got caught up on some very juicy family secrets from Julie. Wow, I had no idea what was going on with my extended family growing up! I think I'm up to speed now. Or at least I hope there's nothing more to find out! And I got to play with my adorable niece, Samantha. I don't often get to give her my undivided attention because her sister, Paige, doesn't like sharing the spotlight. She takes after her aunt that way. (I know you think I'm talking about myself but I'm actually referring to Katherine.)
  
  
• I went on a great bike ride with Sarah. Sarah and I have been friends forever and I'm so glad that we've stayed close all these years. In fact, I'm going to post some great pics of she and I together in high school soon - I found them this week and they're hilarious. Because she is one of my oldest and dearest friends, I have to ask you to please not ask her to tell you any embarrassing stories about me because trust me, she has tonz (so many I had to use a z, not an s).
  
  
• I hung out with Janice last night and realized once again how much I miss hanging out with her.
  

• I finally got "Midnight at the Oasis" out of my head. It was replaced with the theme song to "Sister Sister" but oh well.
  
  
• We had a farewell party for our summer interns yesterday. This included pizza, brownies, and bonding. I actually didn't talk to our summer interns more than maybe one time all summer. But they did a lot of work for us so I will miss them!

And now it's Friday. And tomorrow is Saturday, which means: bonfire! Pray it doesn't rain! But if it does, we're going to move the party inside. So come anyway!

When bad things happen to good people

Or in other words, a bug flew into my eye on two separate occasions today. Two different bugs on two different occasions. The first one happened when I was on a walk with Sarah. We were just walking along, trying to get in some exercise, when suddenly the aforementioned bug flew right into my eye. Sarah, being a concerned friend, asked me if I wanted her to look in my eye to see if the bug was in there. I hesitated, not knowing if the confirmation of the bug being in my eye would make me feel better or worse. I decided it would be better to know and told her yes. She looked in my eye and confirmed that there was indeed a tiny bug in there. I don't know why, but I just wasn't ready to hear that. I screamed for about five seconds. When that didn't do anything, I actually tried (unsuccessfully) to get the bug out. Sarah stepped in and got it out for me. What a nice friend, huh?

Anyway, I tried to put the incident out of my head after that. Then tonight I decided to go for a little jog. I went a different route than usual (that might have been my mistake) and was minding my own business when again, a bug flew into my eye! It was the same kind of bug as earlier! What is with that family of bugs? I mean, I know my eyes are beautiful, but please try to resist flying straight into them!

I've come to a conclusion. I'm going to have to wear goggles at all times when I'm outside. This might put a cramp in my social/dating life but it's just a temporary measure until I can find a way to eradicate that species of bug. I'm open to suggestions. I mean, who would want to date a girl with a bug in her eye anyway!? I ask you!

Dreams denied

I've been hearing about this performance group - The Dream Engine - (please read that name with an angry voice) for weeks now. They performed at the Ann Arbor summer festival for four days this week. Or they were supposed to at least. A friend of mine who works at the AA summer festival had heard about them and told me it should be awesome. I checked out the flier she gave me and read about the show, which was described as a "mystifying performance of aerialists dancing and tumbling against an inflatable 26-foot high cone-shaped structure." Um, who wouldn't want to see that!? Anyway, I had planned to see them Wednesday night but it was canceled due to rain. I wasn't too worried because they were also going to be performing Saturday night and I figured I'd check them out then.

I called a bunch of friends and we all decided to meet an hour before the performance to get a good seat. The weather report said that it might rain, but the skies looked clear so we were pretty optimistic. When we got there, we saw the huge inflatable cone and got some excellent seats right near it. We laid out our blankets, got drinks, and settled in for what we assumed was going to be the kind of night dreams are made of. Then came the news: the show was canceled because a storm was coming in. What?! Again!? Admittedly, the group would be attaching themselves to what was essentially a lightening rod for their performance but still.

Everyone looked at me and said, "so what's the rain plan?" Um...rain plan? I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that what ensued can only be described as chaos. If you've ever hung out with a large group and had to debate what you should do next, you'll understand. We finally settled on seeing a movie. Sounds easy enough, right?

Once we got to the theater, the chaos and confusion continued. (It was actually pretty comical.) Here's a sample of the conversation:

"So what time does the movie start?"
"It started ten minutes ago."
"So what are we waiting for?"
"So&so isn't here yet ("So&so" shall remain nameless just in case she stumbles upon my blog)
"Well, when's the next showing?"
"In an hour."
"Should we see a different movie?"
"What's showing?"
"I've already seen that!"
"Let's move to a different line!"
"Wait, should we buy tickets?"
"Why did we move to a different line?"
"Has anyone talked to so&so? Where is she?"

As you can see, we were in desperate need of a leader. Luckily for us, Kara saved the day and gave us all of our options in a condensed form. An hour later, we were happily seated in the movie theater, where we watched the movie (Get Smart) and had a good time. I even got to sit by a boy who tried to hold my hand (as seen below). He was just kidding, but let's pretend he wasn't to give my ego a little boost (is that pathetic?).

Even though things ended well, I'm still mad at The Dream Engine (I wrote that name with a very sarcastic tone. Not sure if you caught that.) I guess I just wasn't meant to see acrobats attached to a giant inflatable cone. Sigh.

Cuteness overload

I saw some really cute babies this week. They were so cute, in fact, I felt compelled to blog about them to share their cuteness with the world. (And by world, I mean the three people who look at my blog.) The first cute baby I have to brag about is my baby niece, Samantha. Katherine put her in a shoebox this week and it was beyond adorable. What, you think I'm exaggerating? I'm so not. To prove it, here's a picture:

The other cute baby I saw is little Ruthie, Justin and Alecia's baby. I haven't seen her in person in several months. I have been keeping up with her on her parent's blog, but she's even cuter in person! Ready to say, "aaaawwww"!? Here's a picture of Janice holding her:

Told you they were cute!

Fortune cookie update

I'm sure many of you (the millions and millions of people who read my blog daily ;)) were wondering if my fortune cookie came true yesterday. That is, if I got some exciting news. Well, I did. The news came from two of my friends, and it was about my bike. First, Emily told me that my bike is fixable, and second, Vaughn told me that he can fix the brakes (maybe). Emily worked on my bike all afternoon. I attempted to help but I think I got in the way mostly. I was amazed at this girl's skillz! She came over equipped with a tool box and a bunch of other bike-fixing-thingamajigs (told you I was helpful).

Later in the evening, I got to hang out with some friends at the Ann Arbor summer festival. It was a great time and the last time we'll see Brian for awhile since he'll be off traveling the world for a couple months. Below are some pictures of the good times. The picture on the left is Amy and Brian, and the others are of Katherine, Joe, Vaughn, and me. Nichole was there too, but she came after I put my camera away. :( One of the highlights of the evening was when Brian pointed out someone he knows who is often referred to as "Mr. Yummy." None of us found him particularly yummy, but to each his own. (Brian didn't say he thought the guy was yummy, just that he'd heard other people say that about him.)

On a different note, today is Father's Day! I just have to take a second to say that I have a really great dad! He's always been a wonderful example to us and is a great person. We all love him very much.