pretty packaging

have you ever bought something just because you liked the way it was packaged? i do. i do it all the time. i am a consumer marketer's dream. i buy books because i like the cover. i buy makeup because it looks so pretty in the case. today, i bought a towel because it had a neat little strap and advertised that it was a 'towel for 2'. do you think i will be sharing my towel with anyone? no, but i like the idea, and that was enough.

more acm highlights: pseudo live blogging

sugarland beats out big & rich for the best new duo or vocal group. i like big & rich, but i like sugarland better.

carrie underwood's song 'jesus take the wheel' makes me cry almost every time i hear it.

apparently carrie underwood's song 'jesus take the wheel' makes carrie underwood cry too.

why do music awards shows always have the worst sound?

i swear if 'believe' by brooks & dunn wins best single, i will puke. phew, i can keep the contents of my stomach in my stomach. i bet kix is pissed.

hee hee hee, reba is talking about badonkadonks, and i saw trace perform this 10 days ago!

i do not get the kenny chesney fascination whatsoever. but i would probably still be a groupie if i ever met him.

hmm, just saw gretchen wilson too. didn't even stay for her full set. she is tiny. that was the most surprising thing. tiny.

shoot, i better go grab a bite before i miss rascal flatts and kelly clarkson. wait. huh?

ooh. t-roy gentry. yum. tall, dark, and meaty, just like i like 'em.

i think it's cool that the acm's do a 'humanitarian of the year' award. even cooler that vince gill just got it. he is all class.

i love kelly clarkson and i love rascal flatts. but them singing together is just sort of strange. and kelly clarkson has chunked up--she still looks good, but i would not have gone with that outfit. lol. she is still probably a size 4, what am i talking about!?

thank heavens country music singers are not afraid to thank their 'lord and savior, jesus christ'

a cowboy hat and a kilt. now that is a combination.

dierks bentley v. keith urban. who's hotter? i mean, who's more talented? apparently keith urban.

seriously, all the performers sound like crap. this happens with every music award show! these sound engineers need to be working harder for their paychecks.

i really really hate this brooks & dunn 'believe' song. i hate the music. i hate the lyrics. i just hate it. why is keith urban disgracing himself by participating in this awful awful song.

oops. i had to change the channel and i got distracted by real world. oh the drama.

big & rich should really win the top duo award. aargggh! brooks & dunn. my arch-nemeses. big & rich is getting shut out. that is bizarre.

if i could look like anyone else for a day it would either be sara evans, martina mcbride,or famke janssen. strange that two out of three are country singers?

i don't know why vince vaughn is introducing at the acm's but i don't really care. he's so money.

has dwight yoakam fathered any children? i would be shocked to learn that his pants didn't kill his chance for that.

kenny chesney is the entertainer of the year? i am confused.

WOOOOO HOOOOO

my boy, jason aldean, just won the academy of country music award for best new male artist. can i pick em, or what?

to fly

i have a recurring dream. just one. and i only dream it every few years or so.

in the dream, i am standing on a dusty barren cliff. i notice off in the distance towards the edge of the precipice, a woman who i know to be my mother. she is picking yellow flowers, daffodils--the only sign of anything living in this barren landscape.

i begin running towards her, and as i get closer and closer, i realize that i will not stop once i reach her. and i don't. i keep running until the edge of the cliff is before me, and i leap. i fall for a moment, then spread my arms out as if i were a bird. i begin soaring through canyons, weaving in and out of various canyons. i fly for what seems like eternity, and enter into the land of people. i soar over their houses and watch them on the streets and in their cars. and eventually, i land on a rooftop and the dream ends.

i took a psychology class in high school, and we did a study on dream interpretation. we were supposed to keep a dream journal and then choose one of the dreams to interpret. i was very bad at keeping my journal, so i just made dreams up, but when it came time to interpret, it was a no brainer what i would choose.

this many years later i have a hard time recollecting the interpretation, but i do know that it had something to do with facing new challenges.

i had the dream again last night, so i decided i should take a look at the dream dictionary again. here is what i found:

mother

to see your mother in your dream, represents the nurturing aspect of your own character. mothers offer shelter, comfort, life, guidance and protection.


daffodil

to see daffodils in your dream, symbolizes renewal, inner growth, optimism, inspiration, and hope.


cliff

to dream that you are standing at the edge of a cliff, denotes that you have arrived to an increased level of understanding, new awareness, and a fresh point of view. you may have reached a critical point in your life and may fear losing control.


flying

to dream that you are flying, signifies a sense of freedom where you had initially felt restricted and limited.

if you are flying with ease and enjoying the scene and landscape below, then it suggests that you are on top of a situation. you have risen above something. it may also mean that you have gained a different perspective on things. flying dreams and the ability to control your flight is representative of your own personal sense of power.


though initially there seems to have been no rhyme or reason to the timing of this dream, when i look at the interpretation of these symbols and reflect on the various times i have had it, a clear pattern begins to emerge. this dream has been the precursor to some wonderful new experiences and opportunities--some of the most joyful times in my life. and with that realization, i say bring it on!

kid at heart

yesterday turned out to be the perfect day for indulging in some playful and sheerly childish behavior. i've always struggled with the idea of being a 'grown-up' and whenever possible, revert to my youthful behavior.

and what kid doesn't love the zoo?? so i joined the langley ward for their monthly activity. with a group meeting at the stake center, it made for an entertaining and crowded metro ride into the city, during which, nearly everyone got a chance to get up close and personal with the ones they love (or just happened to be standing next to).

we piled off the metro and made our way to the zoo, then headed to the bottom of the park to meet up with the rest of the pack. on the way, we were treated to some orangutan entertainment, and then continued on. upon finding the appropriate pavilion, we took some time to enjoy lunch and say hello to some familiar faces and some new ones. the activity was attended by 60+ other kids at heart, and it was a beautiful day to boot.

so after lunch and a game or two, we headed off in smaller groups to enjoy the animals. corey, dan, bronwyn, scott and i wandered around the zoo, taking lots of photos, pretending to play the 'scavenger hunt' game we had been given, and soaking in the sun.

highlights of the day, included our amusement of the 'giant panda' exhibit, which as it turned out, was only the little baby panda (although very cute), stalking an elusive tiger, enjoying some italian ice, laughing at the sillyness of the young giraffe, and bronwyn and dan subway surfing.

upon arriving home at about 6pm, i took a lovely nap, from which, i awoke with a massive headache. but i popped some pills and sucked it up--afterall, the day of misspent youth was not over yet.

corey and i met up for dinner then headed over to the batting cages, where anne and katie joined up with us. the little old man there took a liking to me, and kept giving me free pitches. but the most amusing part of the evening was the fact that my pitching machine was broken and often sent two or three balls flying at my head. that engendered some fun little dances, the likes of which may have never been seen before.

the four of us capped off the evening in the only way we could--with ice cream at friendly's.

all in all it was a fabulous day, and my only penalty for pretending i was 12 again is a nice little purple bruise on my forearm from a disagreement i had with my bat.

for a gazillion more photos, go here, and here, and here.

milkshake

while at the zoo and passing by a sign, i mistook a 'milksnake' project for a 'milkshake project, and the following sillyness ensued.

my milk shake brings all the boys to the yard,
and they're like,
its better than yours,
damn right its better than yours,
i can teach you,
but i have to charge

i know you want it,
the thing that makes me,
what the guys go crazy for.
they lose their minds,
the way i wind,
i think its time

la la-la la la,
warm it up.
la la-la la la,
the boys are waiting

my milk shake brings all the boys to the yard,
and they're like,
its better than yours,
damn right its better than yours,
i can teach you,
but i have to charge

i can see youre on it,
you want me to teach the
techniques that freaks these boys,
it can't be bought,
just know, thieves get caught,
watch if your smart,

la la-la la la,
warm it up,
la la-la la la,
the boys are waiting,

my milk shake brings all the boys to the yard,
and they're like,
its better than yours,
damn right its better than yours,
i can teach you,
but i have to charge

once you get involved,
everyone will look this way-so,
you must maintain your charm,
same time maintain your halo,
just get the perfect blend,
plus what you have within,
then next his eyes are squint,
then he's picked up your scent,

la la-la la la,
warm it up,
la la-la la la,
the boys are waiting

i'm getting giddy

it is just over a week now until the annual infestation at duck beach. after last year's r&r, it was a must again for this year, so corey and i got ourselves a house. we have people coming from portland, salt lake, new york, and baltimore to enjoy some fun in the sun. i'm especially excited about seeing deb, jill, and nate. positively elated, in fact.

and today, i finally saw pictures of the house. yes, blind faith has been in play. the house we chose is a new construction, so all we have seen previously, is artist renderings. i felt fairly comfortable in the fact that the houses in pine island (many of which i visited last year) all have a similar feel. but looking at the pictures today, it is even prettier than i expected. i love hardwood floors and stainless steel appliances!

maybe i will cook! at the very least, i will be spending some time in the hot tub, with a nice box of krispy kremes.

giddy-up!

i love a man who says 'i'm sorry'

first of all, ditto.

second of all, as referenced by steph in the above post, long distance relationships have their own particular brand of challenges, not the least of which is im. this wonderful tool we now have to stay in touch with a quick note or a smiley face just to let someone know you are thinking about them, can also be evil. evil i tell you!

the problem is that tone and inflection are not transmitted through text, and there are not enough emoticons to always convey the appropriate meaning. i found myself in a situation last night, where a comment came across im that sent me into a tizzy. the comment was not as important as the meaning i took from it, which was roughly that i didn't matter in the way i thought and hoped i mattered.

that converstaion was followed by a phone call in which i expressed my displeasure. he quickly explained his real meaning, and when i asked if he understood how i might have perceived it, his response was 'yes, i'm sorry. that wasn't my intention, i'm sorry if i hurt your feelings.'

now, i don't have a lot of respect for men who will roll over and say what you want to hear just because you want to hear it. i'm looking for an equal afterall, and that means someone who is strong, and who will stand their ground. but i am looking for a real man. and a real man knows what to apologize for, and when. and he does it sincerely. with that one 'i'm sorry' my respect for him increased exponentially.

and notice that he did not apologize for the comment--there was no real need. but he apologized that it was said in such a way that i could misunderstand it and be hurt by it. apparently all it takes for me is 2 minutes and 33 seconds.

third of all, in response to anne's comment from yesterday's post, please check out the eye candy below:

hippies rule

many of you are aware of my love for the show 'amazing race'. shoot, i planned an entire mid-singles activity around it.

and in an unprecedented season, my team from episode one brought home the cool mil. just a couple of peace and love spreading hippies, who despite numerous setbacks, including starting one leg of the race with no pants, managed to overtake the slacker pair who inspire shame in any hard-working red blooded male.

i am particularly excited about their win because they were the one team who not only remained optimistic and positive throughout the race, but who also took time to stop and smell the roses. they did good deeds, and never lost their appreciation for this grand adventure they were on.

so basically, hippies rule, and my faith in reality tv has been restored.

tuesday

tuesday, was fairly productive. i rolled through the ever increasing pile of work on my desk as if i actually cared. i re-colored my hair (finally, now that i am tan, i can go darker again!), and i met up with anne for an evening stroll at great falls park.

then came the grinding halt to the day. i won't go into detail, but i got some news from j that pulled the proverbial rug out from under my feet. it would seem that all of my recent efforts to develop more patience and faith have not been without their purpose. i am now having to excercise every ounce i have, in the hopes that the outcome of this new development will be the right one. what is most difficult, is that i don't know what the right one is, and it's not my call to make. there are pros and cons no matter how you look at it.

for now, i pray for the best result for everyone involved, and the ability to accept it with grace and peace -- whatever it is. i fast, i study, and i excercise the patience and faith i have sought to gain.

i love engrish

ps

in honor of the wmzqfest, this week's playlist is country. all country. i have avoided including country before, because i know how some of you feel about it, but this week you will either have to deal, or hit the pause button on the media player at the bottom of the page.

country comes to town

finally the time of year has come for the redneck rodeo, otherwise known as the wmzqfest. but before heading out for the big adventure on saturday, i had to face a few demons.

friday evening was the karen chapman pre-wedding family dinner. since i couldn't attend the sealing or reception on saturday, due to my existing plans, it was even more imperative to show my support at dinner.

some of you will remember that not too long ago an ex-boyfriend reappeared to break the news that he and his wife were expecting, while simultaneously reminding me me that i will be turning 30 this year. my response was to block him from im, and to ignore all of his attempts at contact.

maybe to some that seemed dramatic, but to me it seemed like a good idea. afterall, we have no reason to still be in contact. he has a new and different life, and i am not, nor do i want to be a part of it. but i guess sometimes, that is not up to me.

i was warned when the invitation came for dinner that he and his expecting wife would most likely be there, since he is the cousin of the bride. though a bit dismayed, i was determined that i could practice avoidance with the best of them.

the evening started bad and got worse. my family was not given instruction re the dress code, and since the meal was a sit down plated dinner at a nearby hotel, we decided to play it safe with sunday dress. upon our arrival however, we learned that we were completely overdressed, as most of the attendees were in jeans.

can i tell you how much i hate being inappropriately dressed? over or under, it's just bad, and makes me feel uncomfortable.

so while dealing with that, my ex-potential future father-in-law came over to say hello. he instructed me to stand up and give him a hug, which i gladly did--i always liked him. but then came the two coments that would send the evening even further down painful pl. the first was something like 'wow, you look healthy and robust.' i don't think it was a compliment. the second was 'this is just like the good ol' days.' ugh.

and then, there was v and his pregnant wife. avoidance was working quite well for me, that is, until he decided to 'be the bigger person' and all that craap. he let his wife go to their table and approached me in a completely cautious and respectful way. that was upsetting. how dare he show me respect! if he was a jerk it would be much easier to hate him.

we exchanged pleasantries, and finally it was over. except that i spent the next three hours in a room filled with people whose soul purpose was to celebrate the institution of marriage, and watched the last man i loved with his wife.

needless to say, it was not a pleasant evening. what was most frustrating was that i could not pinpoint the source of my uncomfortability. it is not as if i want him back. it was me who made the decision not to take the relationship to the next level, and i have never regretted it. so i am still a bit unsure as to why it was so difficult.

regardless of the uncertainty around that point, the strangest thing happened. after a truly awful evening, i woke up on saturday morning, and i was at peace. absolute peace. i didn't understand any more than i had the night prior, but i no longer needed to. instead i felt that final blissful sense of closure, and i let it go. i've been practicing letting things go lately, and apperently it's paying off.

just in time to go see the mullet parade.

lara and i bought our tix to wmzqfest awhile ago, and paid a price for our very good seats. we were both disappointed when the lineup was finalized and there was no one we were truly excited about. we tried to psych ourselves up, and were determined to have a good time.

we arrived at nissan in time to catch the last three acts on the side stage..the best of which (by far), was eric church. i wish his set had been longer, and i am looking forward to his album release.

on the mainstage, trace adkins took the 'best entertainer' prize. trace is 6'7" and all man. and the man can move.

gretchen wilson headlined, but as neither of us is a huge gretchen wilson fan, we headed out after a few songs to avoid the notoriously bad nissan traffic.

the true highlight of the day was the people watching. i often wonder when i look at people, if they really stood in front of the mirror in the morning and thought 'i look goood.' do they have a different mirror than i do? the funniest was the pseudo pig-tailed, four layers of clothing wearing, pancaked blue cowboy hat owning pink lady, as we lovingly referred to her. this woman was a trip.

we were also particularly grossed out by the girl in the tank who had the biggest most awfullest mole you've ever seen, dead center on her back. seriously if i had had a knife, i would have sliced it off.

and let us not forget the beautiful leggy blond in the short shorts that passed us in the aisle with her nappy haired 'round' friend. lara leaned over and said 'it would suck to be her friend.' but during trace's set, i noticed them on stage watching the performance. i pointed them out to lara and said 'guess it doesn't suck that bad to be her friend.'

the mullets and wife beaters were out in full force, and we got lucky with beautiful weather. so all in all, it turned out to be a very enjoyable day!

for the rest of the pics, click here.

i think my niece hates me

i realize i have blogged about this before, but my niece's sheer refusal to say my name has caused me no end of frustration.

last night, we went through the family name list: mama, daddy, nana, papa, dylan, kelly...she completed all of these repetitions successfully. but then came the test. the tara test. and what did she do? she looked at me in silence, with mischief in her eyes, and simply pointed at me. (there was a tad bit of consfusion about mama, but since kate is out of town this week, that is understandable.)

given the fact that she has met dylan and kelly ONCE, i think i have a right to be upset. although i know this will probably make their day!

thursday thoughts

x. yay! i can finally chew on both sides of my mouth. tooth #1 is finally fixed. i chose the wrong career and should have been a dentist.

e. riding the metro makes me feel like a real-live grown up. every time.

l. teva flip-flops are like walking on clouds. not that i have ever walked on clouds, but if i had, i'm sure that the cushiony goodness of these shoes would give those clouds a run for their money.

v. i love children's books. maybe i love them more now that i am not one (at least not most days). i am enamored of their hope and their imagination, and their plain and simple approach to the most wonderfully basic principles and lessons in life.

trust in the lord

i find it amusing that erin would blog about patience today, as i have been pondering the same topic. i know that while many of the people who read this blog are mormon, many are not. for that reason, i have tended to avoid subject matters of a spiritual nature. but i find that to continue doing so would be an inexact and misleading representation of myself, and since it's my page, i am going to write about faith and agency and patience today.

so this patience thing....what is it? how do i get it?

i have struggled with knowing how to achieve a greater degree of patience, and have come to equate patience with a lack of faith. elder neal a. maxwell tells us:

the issue for us is trusting god enough to trust also his timing. if we can truly believe he has our welfare at heart, may we not let his plans unfold as he thinks best? the same is true with the second coming and with all those matters wherein our faith needs to include faith in the lord’s timing for us personally, not just in his overall plans and purposes.

it's not so rare really, a lot of people struggle with patience. we find it difficult to understand why when we want good things, they do not always come to us when we want them. sometimes i am able to accept this actuality better than others, but always i have just tried to 'deal', not to understand, or to necessarily affect change.

i used to have an unshakable faith in the purpose of every experience, and while that didn't always lend itself to more patience, it did make the lack thereof easier to bear. but as so often happens, the unshakable was shaken. since that time, it has been difficult to know that 'all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good,' (d&c 122:7) and i still struggle to understand why a path laid out so clearly before me did not conclude as expected or as promised. this has taught me the very real power of agency, however, and it's affect on those around us:

the achievement of some important goals in our lives is subject to more than the timing of the lord. some personal achievements are also subject to the agency of others. (elder dallin h. oaks)

i have always loved the description of the refiner's fire we find in the scriptures. though i have no experience as a blacksmith, it has always been a potent analogy of the cleansing we experience during our mortality. the refiner's fire is hot, and it is time for me to pass through it.

it is time for me to create change in myself, and not simply wait for it. the last few months have forshadowed this neccessity for growth, but i have done my best to avoid it, knowing full well that growth is painful. in my favorite conference address of all time, which is worth a full read, elder richard g. scott illustrates this point beautifully:

when you pass through trials for his purposes, as you trust him, exercise faith in him, he will help you. that support will generally come step by step, a portion at a time. while you are passing through each phase, the pain and difficulty that comes from being enlarged will continue. if all matters were immediately resolved at your first petition, you could not grow. your father in heaven and his beloved son love you perfectly. they would not require you to experience a moment more of difficulty than is absolutely needed for your personal benefit or for that of those you love.

so, in order to endure the pain of enlargment with some measure of grace, i have found myself turning to various forms of 'instruction', which include counsel from friends, more meaningful prayers, better study of the scriptures, and one of my favorites (as you've probably already guessed), reading and pondering the words of the prophets and apostles.

as a result, i am being reminded of and strengthened by the following truths (among many many more):

patience is personal. patience is a great teacher. patience is a great achievement. patience is a great power. you are someone special. our heavenly father is aware of you. all he asks in return is for you to be patient with him. i bear witness he knows the beginning. he knows the end. he knows you. (elder marvin j. ashton)

there will be times in your lives when you will not know the quick answers for your circumstances. rely then on the word of god. your father in heaven will always teach you to fear not, but to be of good cheer, to lighten your ship of clutter and focus on the spiritual matters, to commit yourselves to the covenants you made, and to put your sail of righteousness into the wind and head courageously toward the land of your eternal future. (elder dieter f. uchtdorf)

challenge comes as testing from a wise, knowing father to give experience, that we may be seasoned, mature, and grow in understanding and application of his truths. when you are worthy, a challenge becomes a contribution to growth, not a barrier to it. (elder richard g. scott)

no pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. it ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility. all that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of god … and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our father and mother in heaven. (orson f. whitney)

i believe that our mortality is frought with trials and challenges that serve a purpose. i do not believe that lessons learned are ever idle or insignificant. and there are some that are so important that we will be tested on them time and time again, until we are able to master them. for me, patience (or lack thereof) nears the top of my list, but i feel that i have never been better prepared to change that than i am now. and as the old saying goes 'there is no time like the present.'

birthday wishes

happy birthday to jeremy!

and just down the road from where i sit...

(CNN) -- Several people, including police officers, were wounded in a shooting Monday at a police station in Fairfax County, Virginia, according to a police spokeswoman.

Several people were airlifted to the hospital after the shooting at Sully District Station, in the western part of the county, Fairfax police spokeswoman Mary Ann Jennings said.

The U.S. Park Police said one of its helicopters was involved in a search after the incident.

more defense of the xy

not too long ago, steph recounted some experiences that reminded her that men are wonderful. or how wonderful wonderful men are. as women, we often find ourselves discussing their shortcomings. i don't know really know why--i guess somehow it makes us feel better. but sometimes you have those moments when you think 'men are truly amazing.'

i had one of those moments on sunday. i was driving jeremy and corey back from dropping off jeremy's 'work' vehicle, and i stopped for gas in preparation for the trek home later that night.

it was raining. and cold. i pulled up to the pump, and corey hopped out while saying, 'i got this'. simultaneously, jeremy noticed a man on the other side of the station trying to push his car to the pump. before he could finish the sentence 'i wonder if that guy needs help,' he was jumping out of the car to lend a hand.

perhaps this seems insignificant, but i found a great deal of gratitude in knowing that i am blessed by men in my life who exhibit thoughtful and selfless behavior.

weekend update

so, i took friday off. even though jeremy had a full work day ahead of him, i wanted to sleep in, maybe get a manicure, and just generally take it easy until i left for richmond at about 3. it was my hope that i would miss the worst of the mixing bowl traffic by leaving a bit early.

ah, the best laid plans... i woke up earlier than i hoped with a massive headache, and the day did not get much better from there. i felt generally off my game, and though i did leave on schedule, the traffic gods were conspiring against me. i spent two hours getting 10 miles past the mixing bowl, so by the time it was all said and done, the drive was four hours (instead of the normal 2 1/2).

but fortunately, the reward at the end of the journey was well worth it. seeing jeremy for the first time in two weeks somehow melted all the driving tension away.

we headed out to dinner where we had more food then i can ever remember seeing on one table. seriously, i don't remember ever being so stuffed! after dinner, we headed to mission impossible 3. overall an enjoyable movie. it's mission impossible, so you know what you are in for. i did have to consciously try and forget that tom cruise is crazy, but philip seymour hoffman and jonathan rhys myers helped.

the most 'laugh out loud' moment of the evening..as we were leaving the theater, jeremy noticed something on his windshield. he assumed that it was a flyer. but upon closer inspection, it was a little love note from one of his 'fans', asking why he had come to the movie without her, and when was she going to make time for him. as he was reading, i noticed the lipstick scrawled on the driver's side window.

i could not have been more amused, and playfully accused him of setting it up just to raise his stock value! but as it turned out, it became even funnier when he learned two days later that it had not in fact been the girl he suspected (based on the signed note), but a good friend of his pretending to be her. now that, is a good joke.

saturday was king's dominion day. a couple of months ago, lara knew i was having a rough time, so she suggested a day at king's dominon. a little coaster therapy is always a good thing. we had selected the 6th, not knowing if it would work out, but it did. the group grew, and the time had finally come. jeremy was a bonus, because when we planned the activity, he and i had not yet met.

that morning, before heading to the park, i got my first taste of jeremy's bike. i like bikes, cause i'm a girl. and guys with bikes are hot. so it was to my great pleasure that he took me out for a spin before heading to king's dominion to meet the gang. it was a gorgeous day, and there is just something about a bike that is very freeing. the ride put us just a little behind schedule, but when we returned to his his place, i got in my car and followed him to king's dominion.

he was going to have to bail out early to do some work, so the two vehicles provided a bit more flexibility. by the time we got there, the rest of the group had already arrived. we picked up our season passes and headed to meet up with them.

when we did, everyone was amused by the fact that anne and i had worn the same outfit. black shirt, identical old navy jean capris, and nike air rifts. what can i say? great minds think alike!

it was an absolutely gorgeous day, and the lines were relatively small. we spent the morning on a couple of coasters and smaller rides, and just generally enjoying the company and the day.

ladies, is it just me, or when you think about amusement parks, do you think about how great it is or would be to have a boy with you? maybe it stems back to my teenage years, but in my head, it's one of the greatest places to be attached at the hip to someone you are diggin. probably the combination of hormones and roller coaster thrills.

i've never really had that before so it was especially sweet. i got to enjoy one of my favorite things with someone i adore. it was made even better by the fact that this was the first time lara, corey, and anne were getting to meet the guy i have been telling them about. so to see that interaction go well, even though expected, was still a relief.

random tangent. those of you who have been to king's dominion will appreciate this. there is a ride called 'the avalanche', which is a bobsled coaster. not a real 'thrill' ride, but enjoyable. the thing about this ride is that it is the most awkward ride ever. two people per car, and the front person basically sits in the lap of the back person. if you are a girl who is not 100 pounds, this can be very strange. the maneuvering of the getting in and out with your butt in the face of the person behind you is enough to send even a confident girl over the edge. there is no graceful way to do it. it's just plain clumsy. every time i have ever been at king's dominion, this ride has caused me great consternation. who would i be sitting with? would i be totally embarrassed? would they be totally uncomfortable? so for the first time ever, i was ready for this ride.

but at about 2, jeremy had to head out for work, and we hadn't hit the avalanche, so i gave up on the idea of putting the 'fear' of this ride to bed once and for all.

the rest of us continued our playing. the lines did get longer as the park got more crowded, but we still managed to get in some good ones. and after a couple of hours, while we were waiting in line for one of my guilty pleasures--the swings--i looked at corey and said 'okay, i'm ready for jeremy to come back now.' then my phone rang.

jeremy was back. how is that for timing?;) shortly after the swings, the group decided to head for the avalanche. again, could the timing have been any better? in fact i was able to get over my awkwardness about the ride, and don't remember it ever being so much fun!

we spent the rest of the day hitting the remaining coasters. short of some wrangling (we couldn't get all of our bathroom and food stops in synch), it was an absolutely fabulous day.

we decided to repeat some of the coasters for jeremy's (and for our) benefit, which put us riding the volcano ride in the dark. i have never been on that ride at night and it was amazing!! with our sight sense deprived, the ride seemed faster and more exciting. i am going to have to remember that for next time!

after the volcano, anne, holly, katie, and rachel decided to split off and hit some smaller rides, while lara, ben, corey, jeremy and i decided to go on tomb raider again. it was still a bit of a wait, but well worth it. not only did the nighttime enhance the experience, but the ride operator decided to give us an extended version, that had us all laughing and screaming.

it was about that time we realized that the ride i had been hoping for, but which had been closed earlier in the day, reopened, so we headed to the drop zone. we ended up being on the last ride of the night, and it was awesome. i am a lover of free fall, and there aren't a lot of rides that still give me butterflies, but that one does. every time. corey and i got some footage of the going up and going down so we can relive it over and over.


we closed down the park and headed to lara's car to grab corey's stuff. then he and jeremy and i headed back to jeremy's place. he dropped us off, saw us settled, and headed back for part two of his work day. he had picked up a side job of playing escort and designated driver so that some colleagues could attend the races.

corey and i started a movie, but i was exhausted, so i headed to bed.

saturday morning, we all overslept a bit. jeremy quickly got ready for stake conference where his melchezidek priesthood was being sustained, and i had one of those moments. he was finishing his preparation, standing in the bathroom with his suit on, and he actually took my breath away. i am a sucker for a man in a suit, and especially this one. i just looked at him and for a moment i could not breathe.

when jeremy returned, the three of us had some breakfast and headed to meet up with corey's sister and brother-in-law who had flown in the night before to check out housing options for their upcoming move. corey's brother-in-law will be attending dental school, so jeremy agreed to play tour guide.

he did an excellent job and we saw quite a bit of richmond. we visited a few apartment complexes, and at one of them i suffered some serious deja vu.

a few years ago, my long-time friend leah and her husband were living in richmond, while david attended school. i had spent some time at the beach with david's family, and his brother and i had gotten along pretty well. so one saturday, i drove down to richmond for a date with him, and stopped at leah and david's first. as we were driving into one of the complexes, i realized i was in her old stomping grounds, and found it a bit ironic that the last time i had been there, it was for a boy, yet here i was, years later, for the same reason, but in a much better situation!

at any rate, we all grabbed some dinner, made a couple more drive by's, and dropped cami and matt back off at their hotel.

corey, jeremy, and i headed back to his place to pick up my car for a drop off. jeremy had left his bike at his colleagues home, and taken his car, since he had come back so late on saturday night. it was raining, which meant he wouldn't be able to drive his bike back, so we followed him to rich's, dropped off the car, and went back to the house.

on the way back, he called his friends patrick and katrina, who i had heard a lot about, to see if they wanted to come over to watch a movie. it was my first 'friend test'. you know what i'm talking about, it's when someone feels you might be sticking around long enough that they want to get a read on what their friends think of you and how you'll interact. it was exactly what i had done to him on saturday, it wasn't set up that way, it just happened that way. and though i know men think differently than women, i knew he would be interested in their thoughts and opinions.

unfortunately, i was exhausted and anticipating a late night drive home, so i wasn't in my best form. fortunately, however, they saw through that or ignored it, and according to jeremy, i passed the first test (although he didn't call it a test). even more fortunately for me, i liked them. there is almost nothing worse than when you like someone and can't stand their friends or family, so it was a relief to make it through round one successfully!

we watched the italian job, and it was time to head out. it was raining, and my car was acting a little funny, but corey and i still made decent time, and about 1am i was able to call it a night.

all in all, it was an awesome weekend. it was great to get some extended time with jeremy, to have my friends meet him (they all approve), and to meet a couple of his. unfortunately, it makes the distance factor that much more difficult, so we'll do what we can and see how it goes:)

for the rest of the pics, click here.
for corey's account, click here.
for corey's king's dominion videos, click here, here, and here.

i love me some nashville star y'all

top ten reasons why

10. the panel of judges consists of phil vassar...and some other people
9. the quality of talent
8. lots of cowboy hats and belt buckles
7. casey rivers
6. actual song writers
5. a 6'5" rapping cowboy named cowboy troy
4. wynona judd's house coats and inability to read cue cards
3. chris young
2. phil vassar sings (to me) in every episode
1. jason aldean performing on the season finale

everyone needs a good laugh

have you guys seen this? holy cow, my stomach hurts!

united 93

in the span of two hours, in a darkened theater, nearly five years of memory and experience dissipated, and it was the morning of september 11, 2001.

since seeing the trailer for the very first time, i have been waging an internal battle as to whether of not i would see this film. the conflict is understood by many of you, i'm sure; truth v. fiction, hollywood v. humanity. but as i am a glutton for punishment (especially of the self-inflicted variety), when anne mentioned that she was going, somehow my decision was made.

i was not surprised at how vividly my own memories of that day came rushing back, but i was surprised at how incredibly well the movie was crafted. it was carefully pieced together as a collage of events that told a greater story. it did not demonize or glorify. it simply reminded. it maintained an incredible amount of integrity and told the story with poignancy and thoughtfulness. and it evoked a series of powerful emotions, that have lain dormant for some time.

if ever their was a movie deserving of a re-write, this would be it. but history writes itself, and this was one case in which there was no happy hollywood ending. at least by recreating a piece of that day, i felt the movie paid a high tribute to the lives that were lost and to the lessons that were learned.