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.