Could You Maybe Have Chosen A Gentler Way To Tell Me That I Suck

Have you ever been playing Rock Band when a bird suddenly flew in the house and crapped on the drum set? Funniest. Thing. Ever.

I think it was trying to tell me something about my drumming. Jerk.

According To My Calculations

Pizza + Chocolate Covered Pretzels + Pride and Prejudice + Mr. McHotStuff = "This has got to be freaking dream. Please no one ever wake me up."

(ed note: He made me watch The Hangover so I countered with Pride and Prejudice)

BLUE

I received my blue belt advancement in Jujitsu yesterday! I'm so incredibly proud of this. It took alot of time with very patient instructors and grappling partners. It just feels like I really accomplished something. The crazy thing is that I'm still in the very beginning stages of my Jujitsu knowledge. There's still purple and brown belts to aspire to until you can receive your black belt. The black belts that I have the privilege to know are capable of some major ass-kickery. I want to get there very, VERY badly. More mat time and an awesome Professor to teach me will definitely get me there.

We Have Come A Long Way

It's incredible that we can go from this...

To this...

Wiping some dust off of an old classic. I can't remember the last time that I've been this excited for a movie to come out. Oh man, it looks SO GOOD! And in order to celebrate its release I'm going to use the phrase, "Release the Kracken" or mention a Kracken in a conversation daily.

I wonder what the cinema will have in store for us in another 30 years. Interactive movies perhaps? Oh boy, I would pay obscene amounts of money to go to an interactive movie where I could touch Ryan Reynolds' chiseled chest. Just kidding, I wouldn't. Fine, I totally would.

Too Tired to Think of a Clever Title for This Randomness

Diet 7-Up gives me the hugest burps. I'm talking ginormous man burps that have good tone. I drank one with lunch today and let out a world record belch as soon as I got back up to the lab. One of the guys in the next lab over poked his head into my room a few seconds later and just started uncontrollably laughing when he saw that I was the only person in there and therefore was the source of the burp that left the room reverberating. I work with 6 other men in that lab and he was expecting to harass one of them, but no, it happened to come from the only female that works in that lab. I'm not sure if I should feel proud of it, but I kind of do. Heh heh.

One of my co-workers just came back from a 3 week vacation in Peru. He brought me back an Incan ceremonial sacrificial knife. My thoughts turned to what would be on the receiving end of my awesome acquirement. I decided that it's going to be a carrot.

When I was on vacation in Huntington Beach last October I purchased an awesome cover-up cardigan at a local surf shop. It hangs open and has long sleeves and the length hits a few inches above the knee. I was wearing it today at work and as I was walking towards one of the doors to exit the building someone opened it and the wind made my shirt billow out behind me. I suddenly felt as if I was in the Matrix and was hiding heavy artillery under my shirt and felt the urge to reach behind me and pull out one of my pretend Micro Uzi's out of its holster. Or, I was in a Western and wanted to unleash my sawed-off shotguns to defend my family and our land. Later did I learn that these type of coats are called dusters. Do you ever fantasize about this stuff?

I had a great night at Absolute. We were working on choking someone from guard and fine tuning our triangle submission. I had the pleasure of drilling and rolling with Pedro, one of our gym's black belts. It was nice to finally be healthy and be back on the mats. We worked so hard and I was so exhausted that I forgot to stop at the store to pick up a few items that I needed to make dinner tonight. I remembered right when I parked in the driveway. I was having an internal battle on whether to go to the store so I could eat healthy, or settle for a frozen dinner and an immediate shower and bed. The shower and bed option tipped the scale. As I approached my front door, I saw a huge bag lying there with my name on it. Karen, a good friend in my ward, left a wonderful dinner for me as a surprise. She made some delicious beef stew, salad and cornbread. My little heart was about to burst! I felt so loved! I have some of the most thoughtful and considerate friends. I get emails almost every day from friends and family who are checking up on me and telling me how much they love me and pray for me. I was amazed at how generous people were when I was sick with pneumonia, bronchitis and the ear infections. Mr. McHotStuff was bringing over juice and movies almost every other day. My dear friend from Absolute, Chelsea, brought over books, Cheetos and Diet Coke. My neighbor, Michelle, checked on me everyday and made sure I was completely comfortable. Sometimes I feel like the most loved and doted upon person on the planet. I really need to keep that in the front of my mind because often the insecurities will creep in and tell me that I'm all alone and no one cares. But that is absolutely false. I have a support system made of adamantium. Life is good.

My Best Pal

I had a feeling that you needed to see this adorable face today. My niece lights up my life. I love that she calls me her best pal. "We're best pals, right Nessy?" And I love that she calls me Nessy.

We went sledding on New Years Day together, and I was so proud of her adventurous spirit. We went to the steep hill at Sugarhouse Park and Mark sent her down by herself on the sled. She hit a bump and went flying out of the sled at top speed. She hit the ground on her stomach and rolled a bit until she came to a stop. Mark and I were at the top of the hill doubled over with laughter, because there is nothing funnier than seeing a little kid eat it. You know it's true! She ran up the hill and wanted to sled all by herself for the rest of the day. Such a champ.

While on the subject of our sledding outing, I must mention that Mark and I got into a snowball fight that ended up with me taking him down from a body lock, maintaining side control until I could get in the mount, and then stuffed his face with major amounts of snow. It was a sort of snowball ground and pound, and it was awesome. Jiu Jitsu is useful in many situations. My big brother will never dominate me in any sort of tussle again! How you like them apples!

Happiness Can Be Found, Even When You Are 31 and Have A Bottom the Size of Two Bowling Balls

I am so in love with the Bridget Jones’s Diary movies, because she is me and I am her. We are one and the same. I adore Bridget in every way. I don’t judge her when she makes horrible and undisciplined decisions regarding men. And I understand when her goal of losing 20 pounds is thwarted because she ate the entire contents of her refrigerator after she got dumped. And I totally get her when she’s sitting at home alone on New Years, drinking wine and singing along to All By Myself by Celine Dion. I was thinking of Bridget while I was sitting at home alone on Christmas Eve eating frozen squash raviolis and watching Slapshot. I had grand plans for a fun filled night, starting with a handsome date and then heading to a friend's house for a party. But Mr. McHotStuff had to cancel due to some family flying in for a Christmas surprise and the party being canceled because the hostess went into labor 6 weeks early. So the next day I'm supposed to head up to Snowbird with some friends to take advantage of the mountain being totally deserted, but they bailed on me too. I decide to fly a solo mission and am having a great time exploring the mountain when I end up on the ski lift with this woman who, after some chit chat, starts sobbing and telling me how her husband just left her, and her two teenaged children decided that they wanted to live with him and how lonely she is now. She was so lovely and my heart ached for her as I hugged her while she cried up there on the chairlift. Then she looked up at me and asked why I, being such a beautiful and sweet girl, was up on the mountain all by herself. My ocular cavities started to leak and we turned into this pathetic sight – two strangers, hugging each other and crying on the chairlift on Christmas morning. We took a few runs together (she was one of the most incredible skiers that I have ever seen!) and then exchanged phone numbers and promised to call whenever we need a skiing buddy or a hug. It was tender. I then went home and watched Bridget Jones’s Diary for the billionth time that week. I find great comfort in Bridget’s story. My heart soars when Bridget ends up with Mark Darcy, a gorgeous and successful human rights lawyer that likes her just the way that she is. He actually says, “I like you. Very much. Just the way you are.” And when her friends find out what Mark said to her, they ask, “Not thinner? Or cleverer? With slightly bigger breasts and a slightly smaller nose?” Nope, he likes her just as she is. And I think that’s what I yearn for. Embarrassing and awkward things happen to me quite regularly, and even though I try to appear socially with-it, I’ve always felt like one of the weird kids. And I’m waiting for the person that actually loves that about me.

Bridget finally gets her marriage proposal and her parting words at the end of the second movie are, “Happiness can be found, even if you are 33 and have a bottom the size of two bowling balls.” Amen, Bridget.

The Tuft

Tragedy has hit my style! Due to my hair being platinum blonde and therefore very brittle, combined with participating in jujitsu, I now have major hair breakage which has resulted in tragic tufts.

My hair stylist is trying to convince me to try a super short hairstyle, but I'm afraid of looking too much like the Russian woman, Ludmilla Drago, in Rocky IV. Not that she isn't beautiful, because Brigitte Nielsen absolutely is, but that she's a badass and I'd rather be associated with darlingness and ultra-femininity. But at the same time, I'm constantly getting my hair ripped out when I'm grappling. I'm surprised that I have any hair left on my head at all. Camrann and Rob have said that they could construct a wig with how much hair of mine that they sweep up after I'm done rolling. Sick.

Yesterday was a ultra bad tuft day. The guys in the lab were laughing about it for a while. A photo was taken to cement the ridiculousness.

I went on another great date the other day (whoa!) and he loved the tuft! He thought that it was so incredibly endearing. Him saying that made me embrace my little broken hairs as part of my playful personality. I kind of like the tuft now.

Alternate Reality

Apparently I am living an alternate version of my life where nice things are continually happening. It was snowing all day here in SLC and when I walked out to my car after work, I found, to my delight, that my car was cleared off. This person went out of their way to do it too. I park in a remote area of the parking lot and on this particular day I parked extra close the the snowbank on the passenger side. His (I'm assuming it was a man) footprints were all over the top of the snowbank as he wiped the snow from not only the windows but the roof and the hood of the car. I couldn't stop smiling. And when I got home late this evening there was some mistletoe stuck to my door. Could I, maybe, possibly, perhaps, have a secret admirer?! And if I do, then I would have to say that he is doing all the right things. There is nothing I respond to better than this type of thoughtfulness. He could look like Quasimodo for all I care but if he does the little tender things, I am a little puddle of melted goo. And even it's not a secret admirer, I'm still loving this experience. Someone is letting me know that they care.

Online Dating Disaster!

No matter how many people urge you to try online dating, don't do it! It's where all the creeper men go to prey on lovely women who sign up so as to give an honest effort in finding someone outside their social circle at the intense encouragement of their mother. Argh! I was signed up for two months on a $16.99 special and it just might be a bigger waste of money than that time I spent the same amount on a DVD of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (absolutely painful to watch).

I signed up on a LDS dating site hoping to develop friendship/relationship with normal men that have a firm commitment to the gospel and the covenants that they've made. I'm pretty sure that those kind are already settled and married, or not online. I'm a relatively attractive, educated, extremely playful, and worthy woman and I got an overwhelming response from men 50+ years old, total nerds and creepers. I repeatedly told myself that I need to keep an open mind and explore all options. The first man that IM'd me was a skinny white dude who was wearing a wife beater and a gold chain in his profile picture. Even though I wanted to block him right away according to what he was wearing and that smug cocky smile on his face, I decided that I would give him a chance and see what he was all about. This was our conversation:

Stupid Creeper (SC): Your way hotttt! (He was an atrocious speller and I HATE when people use the wrong form of your and you're. This was already a deal breaker. And the multiple TTT's made me roll my eyes and let out an unamused sigh.)

Me: Thank you! I'm flattered. (I wasn't really because I'm positive that he opens up with that line to every woman with a somewhat attractive profile picture.)

SC: Do you workout?

Me: Yeah, very frequently. I'm addicted to Brazilian Jujitsu and train regularly.

SC: Kewl. (Please don't ask me why I didn't end the conversation right there, because I really don't have an answer for you.)

Me: What are your hobbies?

SC: Didn't you read my profile?

Me: No, you're the one that IM'd me.

SC: But I thought that you would have checked me out since I am the hottest guy on here. (Again, I have no idea why I didn't log off immediately.)

Me: You checked out your competition?

SC: Ya.

Me: That's weird.

SC: Just kidding! I don't really do that. (He most likely does.)

Me: Well, it was nice chatting with you (total lie) but I've got to go to bed now.

SC: What???!!!! We just got started. I didn't even ask the important question yet!

Me: Sorry but it's getting late.

SC: Well can I just be forward with you for a second?

Me: Alright, as long as its not creepy. (I didn't really have my hopes up for that request. I just knew that it was going to be creepy.)

SC: LOL! It's not.

Me: Okay, go for it. (Regrettable go-ahead)

SC: What does the booty look like?

Me: Are you asking if I'm fat?

SC: Are you?

Me: You shouldn't have prefaced that with "Can I be forward with you for a second," you should have prefaced it with "Can I be a jackass for a second." (I was going to log off right then but I was curious to see where this was headed.)

SC: LOL!

Me: That wasn't meant to be funny.

SC: I think you got the wrong idea about me.

Me: No, I think shallow ass hat is pretty accurate.

SC: So you are fat.

Me: Actually my body has been compared to Giselle Bundchen's. (Total lie - I definitely have some extra pounds on me - but I couldn't give him the satisfaction.)

SC: SWEET! I knew it! When can we meet? (Guys like this truly exist!!! I am witness!)

Me: That depends...what's your income potential over the next 5 years?

SC: I'm unemployed at the moment.

Me: Sucker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I then logged off and blocked him. That was probably the worst IM that I had but others have come close! A man old enough to be my father emailed me and wrote, "Why would a beautiful woman hide 40% of her face?" I didn't know if he was trying to tell me a joke or commenting on my profile picture so I responded with, "What in the world are you talking about? Or, if this is a joke that you're telling, why would a woman do that?" He emailed me back with this, "Wondering why a beautiful woman Hides 40% of her Face ...with Hair ? And 30% of that is your Forehead. It just puzzles me is all since any man Greatly luvs a woman's Face over her Covering Hair. Yes, as a man of nearly 50 years..I have been exposed to 'Just A Few' Women in my days AND spoken with MORE than 'Just A Few' Men about their Female Tastes. And having that much Covering Hair takes away from Beauty." This was copied and pasted directly from the email. What a MORON! Covering hair? I can only assume that he means my bangs - which are totally darling! And does he think that nouns are supposed to be capitalized? Horrible grammar. Absolutely horrible! And I admit that mine isn't perfect, but I there's a certain level that my tolerance doesn't dip below and that email was one of them.

I did start regularly emailing a man that lives up in Alberta, Canada who is a hockey player and a welder. He was the most promising guy but I lost interest after he told me that he never wants his future wife to have kids because then she'll be fat. I have since deleted my profile and am going back to traditional dating.

I recently had one of the best dates of my life. He was incredibly handsome, gentlemanly and charming. We were laughing our guts off most of the night but we talked a little about why we're in our thirties and still single. We were sharing insecurities and being totally honest with each other about our feelings. It was one of the most refreshing conversations that I've had in a while. I shared that one of the reasons that I believe that I'm not settled in a relationship is that I feel that I don't deserve to be loved. I don't truly love myself. And in my brain I know that notion is completely false and that I have very desirable qualities that belong in a loving relationship. I know that I naturally possess some incredible traits that would truly nurture a companionship. But I self-sabotage myself everytime I get remotely close to forming a romantic attachment. I also went for a man that I knew from the very beginning nothing would ever happen because him not wanting me reinforced the fact that I was unlovable. Yeah, totally masochistic. When does what your mind tells you filter down to your heart and you start acting with confidence and let love happen? Alternately, my date told me that his problem is that he doesn't think that he's capable of loving the way that you should love someone in a marriage/relationship. He said that he always had this vision of being totally swept off his feet and suddenly everything will fall into place and he'll start loving this woman and do all the things that you're supposed to do to let a woman know that you'd do anything to make the relationship work. But because he hasn't experienced that, he's still single. But he thinks he's wrong about that because he said that if were to die tomorrow and had to stand before his maker and account for the reason that he's 30 and not married he doesn't think that his excuses would fly. He said that he's gone out with stunningly beautiful, smart, worthy women and for some reason he just doesn't pursue the relationship. He admitted that he's sure that he could've been happy with many of them but because he wasn't instantly smitten he didn't go for it and admitted that it's a fault. We also both agreed that we totally LOVE being single and that life is far easier as a single person than as a married person, and if marriage weren't a commandment we'd probably remain single forever (selfish, I know). Physical intimacy is also another selling point for us LDS folks.

There is light at the end of the tunnel though! I have specific goals for myself and trust that with some hard work my issues can be resolved, because they are not something that I want to take into a relationship. I've witnessed the destruction that personal insecurities such as the ones I have can create. I've also remained faithful to my God and because of that I know that everything will work out for the best. I've never been let down before.

Things Men Should Never Say To A Woman #66

"I saw you in the lunchroom earlier today totally pounding that burrito. Good job."

Uhm............thank you?

Giggle Words

A month or so ago, the Young Women and the leaders were asked to sing the rest hymn in sacrament meeting. We sang Walk Tall You're A Daughter of God and in the song there is a line that says, "Our Father held you in His arm so tender." I look over and a couple of the girls were giggling when we were approaching the word "tender." And I then I knew. It was a giggle word. A word that sounds so weird and somewhat gross that you just can't help but chuckle a bit. I was laughing with them about it later and they told me all the giggle words, most of which are found on this picture that is displayed in the lunchroom at the lab.
I posted the picture on Facebook and tagged Lucy and Hannah in it. The response was hilarious! These are the two little Chicken Nuggets. Yeah, they're as fun as they look.

I was asking some people at work what their giggle words were and the funniest one I got was knobs. It's now becoming my giggle word. I'm giggling right now as I write it. Tee Hee.

So what's your giggle word?

Atomically Awesome!

I would like to send a thank you out into the universe directed to the person who put a bag of atomic fireballs anonymously into my locker at work today. I deduce that the giver has one X and one Y chromosome because the note was written on a yellow sticky pad and the handwriting was barely legible and we all know that neat penmanship and the ability to access stationary at any moment is contained in the gender that has two X chromosomes (my middle name is sometimes Sherlock). The message said this:

Because I know you like fireballs, you little fireball.

One of the best feelings is knowing that someone was thinking about you.

Tapping The Kidney

Lunch was provided by the corporate team at work today and the drink option was 1.5 liter bottles of water. I work directly with 6 men and they all went down to partake before I did so I didn't sit with them. After I got back into the lab they were telling me that the challenge at the table was to drink the entire bottle of water before lunch was over. I joked that I would've smoked them all if I were there. I like talking the big talk. They asked me if I finished my water at lunch and I had to admit that I only finished 2/3rds of the bottle, but I didn't know that there was a challenge. We went down for a break later in the day and they placed 1.5 liters of freezing cold water in front of me. One and a half liters of water really isn't a big deal to me. I drink that much before and after my workouts at Absolute and my Bikram Yoga classes. But usually it's after I've sweat out alot of water and it's at room temperature. I chugged the bottle and only took it away from my lips once or twice, so I could say "How you like them apples!" after I was done. I slammed the empty bottle on the table as if I'd just won a very important lager drinking contest, said my quote and then immediately felt so sick. I rushed over to the trash can and held myself over it just waiting for a waterfall to come exploding out of my mouth. The guys were all laughing so hard and told me I'm only the champ if I can keep it down. I stifle it and strut back up to that lab with the confidence that comes with being The Challenge of the Day champ. My stomach returned to feeling normal after about an hour and that's the point that I started having to pee DESPERATELY. I would pee and then while I was washing my hands the pee feeling would return. There was no relief for my bladder. None. I had to run to the restroom after every extraction that I was doing during the afternoon. I couldn't even make it home from work without stopping at a store to use the restroom. I must have peed twenty times in the last few hours. But I'd do it again just to be the Challenge of the Day champ. It's a great honor.

I See A Little Silouetto of a Clam

I have always found the Muppets highly entertaining. Their quirky and slapstick humor has great appeal to me. I loved the TV shorts and all the movies, including "Muppets From Space," where Pepe the Prawn was first introduced to me and immediately embedded himself in my heart. I took piano lessons for a little while in elementary school and quit after I was able to play the theme songs from The Muppet Show and Star Wars. Those were the only songs that really mattered. I still know how to play them.

I was thrilled when I saw this music video that had the winning combination of the Muppets and my go-to karaoke/shower song. My Muppet look-a-like, Janice, makes her appearance about halfway through the video. If only I could rock out as hard as her. Someday. *Sigh*

The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody @ Yahoo! Video

I must confess that in my freshman year of college I was addicted to only one show - Muppets Tonight. It was on Sunday nights, had new Muppet characters, had a celebrity guest each week, and was HILARIOUS! I have no idea why it was cancelled. On Sunday nights I would have a crowd in my dorm room and we would all be eagerly anticipating the Muppet antics and celebrity sketches. Here are a couple that I found on youtube.

You all know how I feel about my brothers, and want to conclude with why my younger bro is so endearing. Rarely can you get him to actually show a real smile when taking his picture. He often does what I call the Muppet smile. See...

The mouth is hanging open in a mock smile. Like he's waiting for you to get the punch line in a joke.

He moved to Seattle last June with his wife and I miss them so much. When I think of Stefan, a picture of him with his Muppet smile comes up in my mind, and I smile my real smile.

Two More Swords

Ben placed first in his weight division for the gi competition and also won the men's gi open weight competition. Denver placed 2nd in the no gi competition for his weight class. Nate placed 2nd in gi for his weight class. Bret placed 3rd in gi for his weight class.

Coach Rob Handley and I with my trophies.

I participated in a submission only grappling tournament on November 14th and ended up doing well. I won the women's Middleweight gi and no gi competitions. I get so nervous before these things that I actually give myself an upset stomach. I really don't have any idea why I get that way, I realize that my competing is only for fun. I've never been involved in a sport where only you are responsible for the outcome. I don't deal with it too well. Aack!

I need to really improve myself before the next tournament. Even though I won, I didn't do it to the best of my ability. I know way more that what I displayed that day. Thanks to Coach Rob for the vote of confidence and for always being proud of me regardless of the outcome.

Click over to Chelsea's blog for more on how the whole team did. Thanks Chelsea, for all the support and encouragement!

Throwdown

A big huge congratulations to Cam, Steve and Eduardo for the awesome display of MMA last Friday night. Eduardo Rivera stepped in the cage first and after standing up with his opponent for a couple of minutes, he threw a hard right hook the guy went right out. KO! He lay on the mat for a good 20 to 30 seconds before he came to.
Camrann came out a few fights later and was up against Eddie Pelczynski. Eddie weighed in 4 pounds heavy and Cam still took the fight, of course. I saw a couple good exchanges and then the fight went to the ground. Eddie got a decent hold on a ankle lock but Cam got out of it. As Eddie tried to get off his back, Cam got to his back, rained down some hit and then sunk a wicked read naked choke. Eddie taps and the crowd went wild. Cam wins and loses graciously.
Steve "Razor" was looking to take the Lightweight title from Rad Martinez. He is one of the most entertaining fighters that you will ever see. The fight pretty much went the same as last year when Rad won the title. Rad is just an amazing wrestler and times the takedowns perfectly. His takedowns were just incredible! Probably the best that I've seen locally. It just seems to me that he has amazing control but doesn't know his submissions too well. Or passing the guard. Or transition from side control to mount. Just saying. I thought that Steve did really well on the ground and got out from Rad a number of times, which I would think is an amazing feat considering that Rad is an absolute monster! He's a chiseled statue of the human body. It's quite easy to identify every muscle group. The fight went for five 5 minute rounds. I can't imagine doing that at that level. You really can't even imagine the athleticism that these fighters have! It's mind blowing. Rad ended up winning by unanimous decision.
There was a great fight between Steve Siler and Enoch "The Animal" Wilson for the Featherweight title. It won Fight of the Night. It also went for five 5 minute rounds and ended in a unanimous decision for Siler. I've never seen so many submission attempts and escapes in one fight. The two of the them did such a great job.
Another fight that I really enjoyed was Jordan Smith vs. Bristol Marunde. Jordan usually fights at 205 lbs, but after totally dominating that weightclass he dropped down to the Middleweight division (185 lbs). He won with an awesome triangle choke in the first round. I talked to him a little bit before the show and asked him if he's going to move on to bigger promotions since he's had so much success locally. He said yes, but he couldn't tell me what it is yet and just to pay attention. I sure will.
Josh Burkman and Brandon Melendez faced off as the main event and Burkman won with a round 1 KO. I wanted to see more of this but it was finished early.
Most of the Absolute team sat together and we all had alot of fun cheering our friends on. The dark part of the night came when the crew brought me to my car and we saw that it was gone! I carpooled down to Orem with Miyo and we met by 90th south exit in Sandy. I parked in an empty lot next to a gas station there and apparently it was a private lot and my car was towed. Argh! It was 2 in the morning and we were trying to track down my car. It cost me $206 to get it out of the impound lot. It is so painful to hand over that kind of money for something so stupid as a parking mistake! Ben got the towing guy to do a little dance as I handed over the cash and we all got a good laugh out of that one. It made it better to be around such good friends that sympathized with me and were there to witness the guy tell me that he likes my coat and thinks that I'm pretty. The comments made by the group after that little exchange made me smile all the way home.

Tomorrow Night!

Come watch Camrann Pacheco, Steve Sharp, and Eduardo win their fights. These boys are looking so good. In the cage, that is. Alright, outside of it too.

"Only mediocre people are at their best all of the time."

Email From My Mother

Hello my darling daughter,

I found this quote from posh dating service ad that was in an airline magazine that I recently perused through.

"Undoubtedly however, if you are an attractive, successful, relatively private and selective individual, you have found that the more you have to offer, the more difficult it seems to find the person who is right for you." (You came to mind immediately.)

Yesterday was our 33rd wedding anniversary. Can you believe that? I asked Dad how he managed to stay married to me for that long?!!!!! He had a big embarrassed grin on his face. I gave him a complete set of all the Three Stooges films for a specific time period, and Dad picked up some frozen berries from Trader Joe's for me.

Keep the faith and keep on going. I love you lots. Mom