Merci. Gracias, Thank You... Continued

I would like to continue my post from last week. I continued my service experiment this week though not nearly at the same pace as the week before and I thought a ton about all the events that went down during my trial week and this is what I concluded.

Thursday afternoon I needed to run some paperwork to a client a few blocks away. I grabbed the paperwork and headed out on my walk. I have been trying not to use my ipod as much lately so that I could really focus on more things and have mediation time I suppose. I got distracted by a large line at the corner taco stand. It was across the street. I kept walking to my destination but now decided I really wanted some tacos! On my way back I made my way over and the line was completely gone. There was just one man ahead of me. I had a nice new crisp five dollar bill and I was going to order two tacos at $1 a piece. He had ordered $3. I decided I would pay for his lunch. He beat me to it. He approached me and said very timidly, " A really nice person I had never met came up to me the other day and said they wanted to buy my lunch. I had no clue who they are and I don't think I will ever see them again. I told them I would let them buy my lunch but that I would do it in return. May I please buy your lunch?"

I was flabbergasted. I think I took a step back. I had no clue what to think. And then I grinned from ear to ear. That is what service is all about! A two dollar lunch bought me a fantastic day! As I walked back to the office eating my amazing mexican style tacos I finally realized that is what it is all about. You have no clue the effect you have on people or what doing service for them will cause them to in turn do for other people.

Let me take a step back here and kind of explain the reasoning behind this all. I had been having a crummy crummy week. Everyday was a pity party, "woe is me my life is not going the way I want it to so I am going to say it is terrible" type week. Everyday I was pretending everything was great and smiling and saying life was great but inside I felt horrible and I felt I was quickly losing the battle and that I wouldn't be able to fake it any longer. I decided that I needed to lose myself in the service of others if I wanted to remember that I am not the only one having a bad day. I felt if maybe I couldn't make my own day better maybe I would gain satisfaction by making someone else's day better. However, people who were having crummy days were still feeling just as crummy afterwards or being mean or angry or whatever and those who weren't having bad days just didn't acknowledge me. I felt I was failing at my project. I couldn't even give SERVICE right. All I wanted was to know I made a difference. I wanted to know I helped one person and I felt at the time that I didn't succeed at that.

And then I thought about all of my friends who have served religious missions for their church and instead of one week gave two YEARS of their lives. Many of them felt the same way. Two years and not one baptism... or maybe only one. That is a long time to give of yourself and your time to not have made an impact... but then they find out years later that one person made a difference in many other people's lives and those people made a difference in even more lives.... and before you know it hundreds or thousands of people have been affected by your one act.

And while it is disheartening to feel you never made an impact on someone the joy should be in the service (not in hearing a thank you- though I guess I equated "thank you" with having helped them). Have faith they will turn around and serve someone too... and keep your faith in humanity. There is beauty everywhere.

"You Either Die A Hero....

or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." Great Quote!

I want to talk about The Dark Knight for a few moments. My friends and I bought our tickets well in advance for the midnight showing of this movie. We wanted to be among the first to witness what was expected to be one of the greatest movies in a while. Though I really wanted to see it I must admit I was in it was mostly for the social aspect. I mean I can count on one hand the amount of movies I have seen in the theater in the past twelve months. I have mixed feelings about this movie and I have had a lot of my older friends ask my opinion so here I am posting about it with no spoiler.

This movie was extremely dark and violent. I would like to know what the final body count was at the end of the movie. For the first time in my life I almost walked out of a movie. I felt so evil and could barely handle all the violence. This really isn't saying much because I am a light weight. Also, most people know how easily spooked I am. This being said when I gasp or jump every three seconds the movie starts to lose its appeal. I enjoy a good spook every once in a while but it got old and I was frustrated.

Christian Bale Who? My parents can attest to the fact that I was head over heels for Heath Ledger growing up.

You must admit he was a beautiful beautiful man!

One of the pictures that used to hang on my wall.

I had one large black and white poster of him on my wall and a few other full page magazine photos surrounding it. I also had dried flower about the pictures and my dad used to say it looked like a shrine. It wasn't intended that way.I think I threw those pictures away last year at Christmas when sorting through some old stuff. Sad. As disapointed as I was to hear of his passing earlier this year because I had a major crush on him growing up I am now just really upset that the film industry has lost such an amazing actor. I believe The Dark Knight was his best performance ever and I really have no clue how they are going to continue this series without him. I truly believe no one will ever be able to hold a candle to his Joker performance.




He was so creepy and so evil I thought I was going to have nightmares when I got home.

He truly brought his a- game when acting the part of a sociopath, psychotic, mass murdering clown. When reflecting on this movie everyone did an amazing job but compared to Heath's stand out performance they are pretty much forgettable. I heard there are rumours he will be nominated for an Oscar. I guess we will have to wait and see who the competition is but I really hope "he recieves it." (What do you do in a situation like this?) I feel 115 % because this is one of the most amazing acting jobs I have ever seen and 1% because he is dead and that would be an amazing tribute. Dead or not, this guy takes the cake!

Anyway, even after almost walking out ( I didn't and I am semi-ashamed I didn't stick to my values but also glad I got to see the whole movie) I am even thinking about seeing it again. I just can't stop thinking about it and this NEVER happens to me in movies.

It is rated PG-13 and for a good reason. I had a friend ask if her 11 and 13 year olds should see it because they did see Harry Potter afterall and that was dark. This is no Harry Potter folks. I don't want to tell you how to raise your kids and if you think they can handle it fine. I would suggest you see it first before making that decision. I am almost 24 and I could barely handle it. That being said I think it is a must see for all adults!

"I Never Said "Thank You""

I am extremely exhausted. It is 1:30 am and I am ready for bed but I wanted to start this blog. I will finish it at another time.

I just got home from a friend's house where a group of us watched Batman Begins in preparation for The Dark Knight which comes out Friday morning at midnight. I had never seen it before and as others slowly drifted home to their beds I decided to finish it. I must say I rather enjoyed it for several reasons but the thing that stuck with me was the very last line. I had been thinking of how to introduce this post and I think it summed it all up. At the end of the movie some guy whose name escapes me tells Batman, "I never said Thank You." To which batman replies, "And you'll never have to." That's it. Those are the last lines. And while I agree that sometimes people do things without needing to receive a "Thank You" I think it should ALWAYS be said.

I decided to do an experiment that started one week ago on Sunday. I decided I was going to try and serve as many people as I could this week. I had no criteria for who it had to be or what I had to do. All I wanted was to serve them to see if I maybe I would improve my week and hopefully improve theirs as well. In the last seven days I have done big acts, small acts, medium acts, acts that involved money, others that involved time, and others that involved giving of myself.

In efforts to make this short and get to bed I will conclude with my main point. I received not ONE thank you. Not a real one anyway. It was really surprising to me. I did not set out my experiment to see how many people would say Thank You, I set out to improve my week by giving of myself. It was, however, surprising when I gave of my time and efforts and no one even acknowledged it. Don't get me wrong I wasn't looking for praise in the LEAST... but I felt a little taken advantage of as I was doing all these things. I felt like people expected it. While I feel I came to love every person I served a little more than I had before I served them I also felt a little bit crummier. A small sincere Thank You would have made my experiment that much better. Not receiving a single Thank You really made my week that much harder.

I have a ton of thinking to do now that my experiment is "officially" over and more to think about and I am sure I will post more. I just want to leave those of you out there who read my nonsense something to think about. The next time someone opens your door or buys you a house (something small or something big) or just plain does something they don't HAVE to do maybe you should say "hey pal, that really meant a lot. THANKS."

Thanks.

I wanna sunburn ...just to know that I am alive

I am feeling more than frustrated right now.

I had a much longer post but after ranting I decided that it would be better off burned... so that is where I put it. Enjoy the song.

Hammer's Inc.: June's Blog of the Month

OK ladies and gentlemen. This has been a thought that has been on my mind the past several weeks. It has been hard trying to decide which blog to pick for June's blog of the month but after much deliberation and not being able to decide I have decided to go with a last minute blog consideration. I seriously just thought of this as I was posting my last blog a few minutes ago. Hammer's Inc (Garrett Smith) is my winner for June. ( click on Hammer's Inc to go to his blog) This blog was only updated once during June but I seriously have to give him credit for his pictures. If you aren't in awe from the majority of these pictures there is seriously something wrong with you. One of my absolute favorite pictures is of him and his girlfriend kissing on a rock. Too sweet! Check out the other pictures though. Here is just a preview.


Hammer's Inc Photography.

I want to change the world... instead I sleep.

Those are lyrics to another Ingrid Michaelson song. It kind of sums up my life recently. I love her and I love her lyrics.

I had a really great blog post ready in my head and as soon as I signed onto Blogger it vanished out of my mind. I felt like I was already signed on though so I must blog right?

• Sufjan Stevens is amazing. I just downloaded his Christmas album and a few other songs from randomly other selected albums. Three other notable recently downloaded artists: Pinback, Thriving Ivory, and Cobra Starship.
• I had a really random dream last night that ended in an even more random ending. In this dream my friend's older brother was giving me a hug and then realized that he probably smelled and so pushed me away. I responded with, "No, you smell like a man." Upon hearing this response he pulled me back in and I inhaled more of the man smell!!!!! It woke me up immediately because it was so weird and random. According to the dream and the way I reacted I really like the smell of men. I have thought about it several times today and it has just absolutely made me giggle. What does that phrase entail? What exactly does a man smell like? Do all men smell the same? It is going to be my new favorite phrase for the next week or so. I am going to see how many times I can tell someone they smell like a man.
  
• I LOVE fireworks !! Watching the explosion in the sky is so beautiful and calming. There is something about fireworks that brings out the patriotism in me. I am grateful for this nation and all the privileges we have here. I remember the years following high school when I was obsessed with Canada. Canada doesn't hold a candle to the United Sates!
  
• I love my family.
  
• I have no clue where life is taking me and often I feel lost. It is fun to be lost sometimes though. It makes being found that much more enjoyable don't you think?
  
• Rumor has it that Boys like Girls, but I still believe that boys like boys.
• I am counting down the days till August when I get to play with my cameras. My dad gave me his old SLR that he has had since way before I was born and I am excited to play with film but I am also going to buy another digital camera in a bit as well. The one I have now is kind of just for facebook pictures and whatnot. I really am excited to buy a digital version of the SLR.
  
• I went to the batting cages for the first time in about two yeas on Thursday. I really needed it. Standing in a batting cage swinging at the baseballs is so stress relieving. I like to think of the balls as my problems in life, and as any good sportsman knows you never take your eye off the ball. It hurt to hit the ball and I had pain in my hand. Some of this pain came from hitting the ball too far down on the bat and other of it came from not doing it in a while. Just like it hurts to deal with real issues.... but it was worth it to watch my problems/balls fly across the other side of the cage. I know I will be back soon. There is something about a baseball game or going to the batting cages that changes my mood instantly.
• Through all the crappiness of life, it really is beautiful don't you think?
  

UGH

I really don't want to be awake right now but I will be awake for many more hours.

UGH!

So today my boss and my pseudo boss and I somehow got on the topic of dating. I really don't know how it stemmed. Oh, I believe it had to do with the fact one of them wanted to go golfing this weekend while his wife wanted to go out of town with her family so he told her to go out of town and he was going to stay. We then somehow segued into marriage and dating and all that fun stuff. It was funny to hear them trash talk guys. One of them thought guys now a days were absolute creeps (he was single about five years ago- has it really changed in five years? I am guessing no) and the other one was saying how there were not enough "guy's guys" out there anymore. They were really concerned about the caliber of men that were supposed to be dating us single gals. I couldn't help but laugh at them as they kept feeling very upset by this fact. Five o clock was around the corner so we concluded our discussion.

I swear I have had enough dating conversations to last me the next 6 months. I think it all comes down to the fact dating sucks the fun out of life.

The End.

I Love You More Than I Could Ever Promise

Monday's used to be my favorite day of the week! I loved the new start, going back to work and school,not knowing what new adventures the week held... and I absolutely loathed the weekends. It was full of down time and nothing to do.

Now? For exactly those same reasons I loath Mondays and count the hours until the weekend. I can't wait for Thursday! The weekend will be here a day early and I will get to fill it with BBQ's, fireworks, and warm summer nights.

Just three more days and I will be home free!

Current Music Obsession

Here is my current music obsession for those of you who are interested. Ingrid Michaelson has been on repeat lately for me. I actually like "die alone" a little better but "the way i am" is seriously so sweet and I love the music video. Listening to the song makes me want to dance with a really cute boy.

Saturday Shout Out: Mike Lyman

So I was having dinner with some friends tonight at Bucca de Bepo. (sp?) I came across a realization I have taken for granted all this time.

Mike Lyman is seriously one of the best people I know.


No joke. Is he perfect? No. Is he an outstanding person? YES! I can't even begin to list all the acts of service he has performed for me but just recently the a/c in my car was out. I was about to take a road trip and I really needed it fixed if I was going to go any further than three miles. I scheduled an appointment with my mechanic and he said it would be $50 just to LOOK at it. I mean that is fine and all but then I remembered that I had a friend who works at a mechanic shop. Not knowing anything about cars I called him and asked if he would come over after work sometime. He said he wouldn't be able to do much unless I brought it in. So... I got off work early one day and headed over there. He had to get permission for me to come in but he did. He had been working on taking out an engine and took a break to look at my car. He fixed my car at no cost to me. That was it and I was on my way. While I was there watching him work on my car he had gotten a call from someone else. They too wanted his help with their car and he told them a time he would be able to help and hung up the phone. That was it. No complaining. No nothing. I can't think of a more dependable person than him. Anytime anyone needs ANYTHING he is there. He can always be counted on. He goes above and beyond every single time because that is who he is. He gives the best hugs, will always call you by your nickname, takes amazing photos, and is one of the best friends anyone could ever ask for.


He doesn't blog and he doesn't read blogs but I think he deserves a shout out and the good energy out there in the universe.

Mike, thanks so much for always being there and being the great person you are. I love you!!

Friday's People Watchers

Today's people watching goes to the CUTEST old couple I saw on the sidewalk today. Well, they aren't the cutest but they definitely got an "aww" out of me. They were not too old, probably early seventies. They were holding hands and anxiously waiting to cross the street. The man was probably 6'5 or so and the woman 5'2ish. It is funny because I always like dating taller guys, and I think couples where the guy is significantly taller than the girl are so cute. I never thought about how it would turn out as they got older. They were not only cute, they were really affectionate and attentive towards one another. At one point she turned and hugged him and just looked up at him with 16 year old puppy love eyes. Only, I think they had the hint of puppy love, they were eyes of true love. It was the most beautiful thing I have seen in a while. Everyone knows I am down on love. I wonder what it is or if I will ever find it, but things like this... they just make my day. I have thought about that cute old couple several times today.

Today's Boring Blog

So much to blog about and no desire to do so. Actually, anytime I go to blog about something someone else blogs about it.
Hmm....

Vegas- My man Kyle blogged about it. My version is completely different than his but hey, you probably won't be hearing my version anytime soon. It involves energy and desire to do so. I will tell you that I did not spend a single dollar other than on food and I made 10 cents. Yes ladies and genteel... while walking along the strip I found a shiny (probably std infected) dime. I picked it up and counted myself richer than when I came.

Definitely, Maybe- I rented it from redbox while at the grocery store. Being home sick doesn't lend yourself to too many activities. I thought it would be cute and I was hoping that a certain guy would come over and watch it with me but he was busy. :( It's OK, in my opinion it was better that he wasn't there. I did not like the movie one bit. The cutest part? When the dad tells his daughter that she was his happy ending. Other than that I thought that definitely, maybe I would never watch this movie again. It was a waste of time.

I surely am a winner at life- Today I decided to take a break from my ipod. If I am not listening to my ipod then I am very loyal to 101.9 the end. However there was some lame commercial on so I switched the station. I immediately heard a garbled up song and you were supposed to guess what band/song it was. It was really easy so for the first time in my life I called in.
Hello?
Ugh, yeah. Is this the radio station?
Yeah...
Oh...well... I wanted to call in.
What's the song?
Panic! at the Disco, blast... I can't think of the song name. oh yeah...I write sin's not tradgedies.
GREAT! and can you tell me what radio station you heard it on?!?!
-----long pause----check the radio station.........107.9
107.9 the mix
yeah. 107.9 the mix
A conversation about Houston and the DJ's there ensued but nothing you really want to hear about. Not that you wanted to hear about me calling in either but oh well.

Wait, what?!? I won two cd's. nothing great. I went and picked them out. They didn't have a lot to choose from. I got Gavin Degraw and this kid called William Tell. Has anyone else heard of William? I have not. I have listened to a few songs so far though and I must say I am not disappointed. He slightly reminds me of The Rocket Summer. I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing but that's my opinion so far.

Pay It Forward

So, I have decided that reading Emily's blog has made me a winner at life. I am now a winner twice over! The only catch is I have to make the same promise on my blog as she did on hers. So here is the promise.

"I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, which is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog."

Probably most of you who read my blog either have already participated in a PIF, or you have no desire to do so, but if you want to... leave a comment. If no one comments, I will randomly send handmade gifts to three women I really love who deserve it... because there is no such thing as a free lunch.

*You don't have to be a girl to comment.

Slowly Slowly Dying

I am pretty sure I am dying
I can't begin to tell you why
I think I need another trip to the Dr
But wondering if I should even try.


I feel so yucky inside. It is now day 10 in case you are keeping track. I went to Vegas over the weekend and couldn't even fully enjoy it. Yesterday was so incredibly busy and all I wanted to do was come home lay down and cut open my body to find whatever fishy little thing is making me sick.

I am going to go lay back down now but I promise I will update in a few days and it will be great.

I Need My Sleep

Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows never to wake me up from sleeping especially if it is for something retarded. I am mean when I wake up and even meaner if I feel it isn't justified. As a child my parents would wake me up at one or two in the morning to do dishes. This made me boil inside! The dishes could clearly wait to be done till the morning and I was sleeping. The only thing ever accomplished was that it added more mutterings under my breath at them. I can honestly say I have never once learned a lesson from being woken up.

If the house is on fire by all means wake me up. If you are dying please, throw a brick at my head and tell me to call 911 (or not because that might conflict with my dialing 911 and we might die together) but for no reason short of that should I ever be woken up. (well, maybe if there is a really cool party and I am missing it) But yes, do you catch my tokoyo drift here? I mean if it is a few minutes early that is fine, but hours early? No. I am mean. Downright mean. It is the worst trait I have and I hate it. I really wish I could find a way to change that habit. Now, I am not talking about after 8 hours of sleep I am mean. Quite the contrary, I am quite happy and probably too happy for 6am.

Coinsiding with this is the way energy drinks affects this.

I hate the way I act when I have had too many energy drinks and not enough sleep. The caffine and crap in the energy drinks really intensifies all of my emotions. I imagine it has the same effect on me that alcohol has on most people. I tend to cry, blow up, or have some sort of reaction without fail every single time. And every single time I feel so incredibly guilty afterwards for being mean and overreacting. Like killing a puppy in front of a child might evoke less feelings of guilt than when I blow up without reason and say things I should not say. I wish I could be mean and feel GOOD about it. Actually, no I don't, but at least I wouldn't feel so crummy.

Needless to say it is 10 am and I have had one hour of sleep and I feel like scum right now.

Random

More ideas for posts have been running through my head lately. I can't seem to contain them all.

• I love my mom. I tried to not post about her during my post about my dad. She emailed me her response. If I didn't think she would kill me I would have posted it. I laughed VERY loud. Obnoxiously loud. Mirtia rocks!
• I hate construction. It is enough to make me throw bricks at someone's face and I am NOT a violent person. BRICKS I say!
• I am pretty sure that a pig could live in my room right now and I would never know. How did it get so messy in just a week? It hasn't been this messy in years. What astounds me even more is that I can sit here and blog about it and not clean it. ( That will happen at the end of this blog)
• When it rains it pours- nuf said.
• While at Branson & Shanna's tonight to watch them open presents I commented on how I don't like kids. Well, OTHER people's kids. Shanna said I would love THEIR kids, and that her kids would call me Aunt Mandi. It made me happy and I really hope that happens. I hope we are friends forever!
• Going back to construction I hate UTAH for it's construction. I have never been so inconvenienced for so long as I have been here. It is enough to make you want to escape to the mountains forever. Even worse than already crappy driving conditions are Utah DRIVERS! Learn how to DRIVE! They bother me. Use a turn signal, realize you AREN'T the only person on the road, and send me a THANK YOU CARD because without my crazy good driving skills your insurance would for sure be sky rocketed because you would have TOTALED my car and killed me. You could be rotting your life away in prison but instead you aren't. I deserve SOMETHING for that. Oh P.S I do NOT have to let you in, so drive friendly the TEXAS way and WAVE to say thank you. It really really REALLY bothers me when people don't do the wave. That can't just be a Texas thing can it? Ugh. Us Southerners are so polite.
  
• I am sure there is more but I would rather be in bed right now.
  

My Papa John

I was trying to think of the earliest memory I have of my dad. I can come up with one. You see, in the house I grew up in there is this 3 maybe 4 foot brick wallish divider between the entry way and the dining room. Often times we could see through the windows when people would pull into our driveway and then walk the length of the sidewalk to the door. When this person was my mom my dad would often scurry at the speed of lightning to crawl as close as he could to the other side of the brick wall while my mom was unlocking the door. He would often recruit us kids to crawl with him. Then as my poor distracted mother would walk in and take a right into the living area my dad would reach out and grab her ankle and us kids would RAWR as loud as we can. Needless to say my mom didn't like it! WE however LOVED it!

I also remember my mom and dad leaving notes for each other. Maybe they didn't leave notes, maybe it was just fathers day/mother's day/ birthday cards, but I remember that my mom and dad referred to my dad as "tiger". He would often sign his cards "love, Tiger". Even now as I type I can see a card on the kitchen counter in front of our old tan phone with the orange button used for dialing Granny with one touch (something my brother and I frequently did as children) and inside is a note from my mom with her very unique handwriting and she is addressing my dad as tiger.

Anyone who knows me knows that my memory is horrible. I don't remember a lot of things but I really cherish the things I do remember. I am grateful for fun times like that as a child and knowing that my dad loved my mom very much, especially in a time where most of my friends had parents that more and more were getting a divorce.

I remember that all I ever wanted was my dad's approval. I remember trying so hard to please him and make all a's and be the best because no one's approval meant anything to me other than his. I remember my dad making every single one of my dates come inside and talk to him for ten or more minutes before they could take me out. Even if the same guy took me out consecutively each and every time he would have to come inside and chat. I hated it at the time and looking back it makes me laugh. I love my dad. I love that he cared enough about me to know who I was dating and to convey to them that I was not to be messed with.

My dad has set the tone in my family. He has never been one for presents and in turn I have never really been one for presents. Instead of getting cash for all A's or getting a toy my dad would take us out to our favorite restaurant. My dad has always shown that it is acts of service or appreciation that matter more than an object. My dad recently came for a quick visit and when I tried to pay for a dinner he denied me. He called me up a few days later and told me how the way I was living my life was the greatest gift he could have. That meant so much to me because I knew he meant every word. The greatest gift my dad could ever get is to know that his children are living good lives and successful in what they do. While he may find interest in a new BBQ or the latest technological gadget he doesn't actually care one bit. He never has. I feel I have followed in his footsteps here and I think he is a great example. He isn't perfect, he never has been, but he is trying his best to be the best type of person he can. That is something really honorable. Just like I was seeking his approval as a child I feel I often do it now. I bear his surname and I hope I can honor it my whole life. I want to respect who I am because I respect who HE is. I know that there is no other man on earth that would love me as much as he does or that I could love as much as I love him. I am grateful HE is my father, and no one else.

I love you Dad!

June 14, 2008

My friends Chelsey & Scott got married today. I am very exhausted because it took up most of my day but here are a few pictures.



Being slightly silly.

The Ultimate Fighting Champion!!! (minus the fighting)

GASP! WAIT! WHAT!?!

I WON I WON I WON I WON!


What did you ask? A popularity contest! OK so not really... but Katherine has mentioned this site Hollywood Flakes a few times on her blog so I finally decided to check it out. Well, once I got there I read a few blogs and 5 or 6 entries down was a blog redirecting me to yet ANOTHER blog. So, I did what any good blogger would do and I went there.

This particular blogger is moving to JAPAN and was asking for advice on how to make new friends. Having moved just two years ago to a city/state where I had zero family and zero friends and now I have more friends than I know what to do with, I felt a little compelled to answer. She was having a contest and the winner would receive snicker doodles via US mail. Well, the contest was over but being the confident advice giver I am I decided to leave a comment anyway because like any narcissistic (it makes me happy I know how to spell that word) blogger I felt I had the best advice. I wasn't in it for the cookies, just the pure gratification of helping someone. I was even facetious about it and told her she could mail me a thank you card. I ALMOST left my address to be funny but decided against it.

WELL.... I know you can all see where this is going. She picked ME! (duh!! ;-) ) Granted her husband picked a winner and her mom picked a winner but that is irrelevant. SHE is the blogger, SHE posted looking for advice, and SHE picked ME. Therefore I am now the best! hahaha. OK so not really.

Can I please tell you how happy I was? I have never EVER ever won ANYTHING in my whole entire life! (I don't think I have anyway). At least not in the random contest category.

So, Acte Gratuit (aka "a site I lurk" on the right hand side- Using her terminology) THANK YOU! You have made my life.

(check out the above link to see how I was made famous on her blog and the words of advice I gave her. and by famous I mean she wrote about me by name. Mandi Baby. )

Now everyone else, the question is.... do I accept cookies from strangers? Dad... what do you think? It goes against everything I was taught!! Hey, at least if she poisons the cookies I will die a WINNER! Now THAT'S the way to go!

The Man of My Dreams... Literally

***SPOILER ALERT***
This is just a joke or a theory to my dreams. I am not serious.



OK so I think Ben cracked the code! The man I have been dreaming about is....HIM!!!

Let me tell you a little about Ben & then maybe you will understand my reasoning behind our conclusion.

The very first time I met Ben was when he had just moved into his new house. He was roommates with one of my friends and we were receiving a tour of the house. When we reached Ben's room there was nothing in it. He told us that he was awaiting his round bed. This immediately reminded me of Hugh Hefner's famous round bed so I told him I was going to call him Hef from then on. Though I think I called him that a total of three times or less the name is none the less associated with him.

Also, I recently mentioned my affinity for Ben's taste in music. He really does have the best taste! Well, who else is really into music, has a lighter skin complexion, dark hair and dark eyes? David Archuleta!

OK now that the code is cracked what does this all mean? I now know who these men represent but why am I dreaming about him? In both of these dreams he is more into me than I am to him.

So let's recap the dreams: Hugh Hefner dates three blondes who couldn't identify all fifty states if their lives depended on it. In the end everyone gets mad because he picks me, a brunette with an IQ, over them. The David dream doesn't really reveal much. I just remember that he was my boyfriend & I wasn't really digging him... nothing more.

Benjamin is the classic man the authors write about. He reminds me of my favorite antagonist Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice. He is the tall dark and handsome, debonair,classy, seemingly arrogant to those who don't know him and one of the best men we have ever met to those who do know him- type of guy.

Now that I have concluded these men represent Ben, I am excited to write my own story/theory involving him and why I seem to be dreaming about him. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry. It will be a story of unrequited love and tragedy. None of it will be true but you won't know the difference.

I do believe he is single, not really looking, but always accepting applications for those young girls reading my blog who have an interest. It almost makes me sad that I don't actually like him. Even as I write this I wonder why I have never crushed on this kid. I guess it wasn't meant to be... but I don't want to give too much away. Stay tuned for my wonderful story/theory .... it's going to be amazing!

To hold you over here are a few pictures of the men/man of my dreams.







This picture is a mix of these two pictures below.

(above)Hugh Hefner in 1979.
(below) Benjamin pensively thinking

(above) Benjamin gives my blog a thumbs up
(below) David Enchilada is too busy singing & going through puberty to read my blog.

A mixture of the two above pictures.

And as if all this hasn't been proof enough here goes one more set.


(above) Ben drinks Mate
(below) Hef smokes his pipe