FYI

February is "Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month."

So! Let's all put forth an extra effort for the rest of this month to get those shopping carts back where they belong!

(I am not making this up.)

Janae

L&L

Though it was fraught with both peril and embarrassment, I had a mostly decent day keeping the girls last week. I'm just glad Jarod left when he did. :)

Please meet Mr. Wobbly Hoeboken and his co-creator, Laurel.

And this is Miss Lydia, whose attention span hasn't quite gotten to snowman-making caliber yet. So she ate the snow instead.
Watch and Observe. Everything has fun-potential. Even a DiGiorno pizza box.

Before: a hat.
After: a super-duper, cooler-than-ice, fantastically-creative, personalized hat.

After a much-needed nap, Lydia was raring to go. This girl has life. Let's jack up that Hannah Montana and dance!

"Liioiiifeee's what you make it so let's make it ROCK!"

One is calm, focused, and creative. The other is goofy, joyful, and 150% all the time.

I love them both!

we're buddies

who take silly buddy-buddy pictures

because when we attempt to take nice ones, they never turn out. See?

I like this buddy a lot.

Ok, I'm done sapping. Sorry about that.

(I guess it's just a sappy day or something.)

"sometimes finding You...

...is just like trying to smell the color 9. And nine's not a color. And even if it were you can't smell a color. That's my point exactly."

"I would take no for an answer just to know I heard you speak."

020910

When crabbiness is swelling up and threatening to overwhelm you, it is advised that you make a list of 14 things that make you happy.

In short, it's good to give thanks.

Tonight's 14:

- the ability to write (a blessing in disguise?)
- an amazing coat to keep me warm when Dad abruptly flips the heat off.
- an hour and a half in a lovely coffee shop chatting with a friend
- a white mocha coffee (latte? cappuccino? who knows.) at said coffee shop
- fresh salad! (the "tomorrow" part in "eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we diet!" has arrived.)
- Mom said my hair looked like Molly Gibson's!
- hot tea and brownies (did I say something about a diet? I don't remember saying anything about a diet...) to help me push through a tough assignment
- NEURONS!! they make us work!
- the fact that I am single (oh, you don't know how thankful I am. Just get yourself an older sister who has a boyfriend and you'll be thankful too.)
- pink and orange highlighters! ("highlighter: -n. a felt-tip pen with a wide nib for highlighting passages of printed material in a soft, transparent color." Read: a desperate attempt to learn Psychology.)
- Corry Bouc, the best 4-H leader EVER.
- a brand new phone for FREE! (Mom: "I consider that a minor miracle.") And he transferred all my numbers - free.
- how easy it is to pick up a pair of shorts for Dad...I mean seriously! Just grab the right size and go. It's soooo simple!
- a planner which helps me keep track of every event, deadline and otherwise in my life at present.


As a bonus, I just got an assignment back from my professor, and at the bottom he wrote: "I’ve taken the time to give some extra suggestions on your writing and quoting style because I think you have the desire to learn and excel in any way you can. I’m pleased with your work and look forward to seeing more of it."

YESSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!

:)

Mom & I assembled a snowman

His name is Hastings, in honor of my current literary love.

too plain...too weird...bad color...

Yesterday afternoon KathleenKelly prom-dress shopped. And shopped...and shopped. Annie, Merrill and I went along - I think Kathleen invited us for fun, but we all took the opportunity to voice our expert-ish opinions also.

Sometimes I take a picture, look at it, and whilst heaving a sigh of considerable size I think "oh, if only I could take a picture like Stephanie at Grace Photography...or like Bethany Wissmann....but the harsh-reality truth is that I can't. Although these top-notch photographers probably laugh at my feeble attempts, I like to pretend that I can take pretty pictures.

See? (The secret truth is that I have this really superb camera I bought greatly discounted from my sister, but I can't figure out how to use the darned thing...)

I just think this is funny.

I don't know if we were all crabby, or tired, or what...but nobody looks too overjoyed in this picture. Personally, dress shopping is a great way to spend a Friday afternoon - especially if you're with good friends. :)

oh...crud.

My sister once told me exactly what to do if I ever got pulled over by a cop. In a nutshell, you very slowy and gingerly reach for your license, insurance and registration, while explaining to the cop exactly what you are doing and profusely assuring him that you are proceeding with such slow caution so as not to alarm him. The idea is that you are so courteous it's almost funny, and he lets you off scott-free.

Although you may laugh, I admit that I had this well-rehearsed. I spent much time scheming exactly what I would do when I got pulled over on 8th street in Columbus, where I sped every single day for an entire semester. (It's very hard to go 25 when you're late for class.) First I would smile sweetly, and then I would explain that, although a glovebox may be a prime place to hide a gun, I most assuredly was not getting a gun. I would also serenely inform him that though I may look suspicious fishing around between the two front seats, it was simply because I had a lot of junk in my purse and was having trouble locating my license.

As you might guess, things didn't pan out exactly as planned. Let me paint you a picture. It's 10:30 pm, and I'm on the way home from Seward with Merrill and a friend. I'm on the north edge of David, right where the speed limit goes back to 60. I'm booking it for home, and it happens. For the first time in my whole life, I undergo the sensation of seeing red and blue lights in my rearview mirror. You should've heard me. "Is that a cop? Am I being pulled over by a cop?! WHAT DO I DO??"

Yeah, me. Pulled over. Just lovely. And that perfect little scenario that would leave a cop laughing and ensure my freedom from all things ticket-related? It flew the coop. I admit that instead I felt slightly, um...flustered. So flustered, in fact, that I took off my seatbelt. How dumb can you get?!?! Not only am I in trouble for whatever-it-is, but on top of that, I don't have my seatbelt on?! I swear...

Envision this next sentence said in a snappy, no-fooling-around-with-me female voice. "So-and-so, with the David City Police Department. You've got a headlight out." She slaps the hood of my van in a matter-of-fact way. (Then she goes up and reads the license plate off to her little mic thingey-majig. Like I'm some busted out refugee or something.)

"Oh, I do?! Really!"
"Yup. License, registration, and insurance please."
By this time I was feeling very meek indeed. "Umm...are these the right ones?"
"As long as they're current."

While she was back in her car fiddling around, it suddenly struck me as widly humerous. I started giggling. "You guys!! I just got pulled over by a cop! How hilarious it that?!"

I don't think I would have found it quite so funny if I had done something to warrant my name being in next week's local paper, but as it was I simply had to replace the bulb and have any constable sign that I had done so. (And yes, everything from speeding to marijuana usage gets your name in the paper.)

Besides, now I've got one up on most of my friends. Have YOU ever been pulled over by a cop?

we find you fascinating...

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