Confessions

One of my favorite blogs is my "friend" Sarah's blog. I say "friend" because I've never actually met her, although in my head we're tight. Buds. This blog thing is funny because it's so intimate and so distant and detached at the same time. Anyhow, her blog is awesome and so I'm going to copy. I always have lots of unrelated things to say, so I'm going to try her format. Here goes.


1. I have a perfect karaoke song, all ready to go, should I ever get the chance to karaoke. I've perfected it. I'll keep the song a secret, just in case you and I go karaoking sometime soon, I don't want to ruin the surprise. (my readership is mostly my mom...so, mom do you want to go karaoke sometime?) This year for Erik's birthday we're going to have an extravaganza. I chickened out of having (making) people do it at last year's party, but this year on your invitation will be the song that you will be expected to karaoke at the party. It's also going to be a costume party, the theme of which will be announced later. It's going to blow your minds. (Right now, as Annie reads that last sentence, she's thinking of that Gwen Stefani/Eve song. Am I right, Annie?)

2. Raise your hand if you know what I'm talking about when I say the words "planet Hoth." I'm not so much a Star Wars fan, in fact I only saw the original ones since Erik and I got married, but there's no better way to describe an Alaskan Jan/Feb than comparing it to a frozen planet. Last Sunday I chickened out of going to church because it was just too darn cold. I just didn't think I could brave it on my own. Our ward has a cold weather policy, and please understand that I'm totally serious. If it's -30 or colder then we only have sacrament meeting, but if it's -50 or colder then church is cancelled altogether. That day it was in the -40 range, and I wimped out. I mean, I'm trying to be tough, but even I have a limit to my Pollyanna-ness.

3. I'm not even bummed that the writer's strike has brought TV shows to a halt. I mean, was there anything good on anyways? The only problem is that networks have to fill slots with something, and usually it means more reality TV. Have you heard of the show where the contestant answers questions and he's got a lie detector or something connected? Crazy. I haven't seen it, but I saw them making fun of it on "Best Week Ever", which is pretty much the best show ever. Dang, they are funny. I know I am not immune to reality TV. I love it when I can catch an episode of Project Runway, Erik and I daydream about being on Amazing Race...and like Saved by the Bell, through the magic of syndication, I think Annie and I have seen just about every episode of America's Next Top Model. Or so it seems. Maybe because they're all the same. It's a slippery slope though, reality TV is mean-spirited crap. Stamatia compared a Japanese game show to how in decadent Roman times the wealthy would throw people to the lions for sport and amusement. Reality TV is the same thing. I guess they're signing up for it, but I don't think it makes us good people to watch it. I'm going to start with the man in the mirror and consume less crap TV. No more mean-spiritedness! Oh, how I'll miss you Best Week Ever.

4. I've been stalling on giving Reid a haircut because now that we're moving to CA this summer I have this vision of our little guy letting his hair blow freely in the ocean breeze. He'll be our little surfer baby. The problem is that it mostly looks scraggly. He kind of looks like a hobo. It touches his shoulders in the back. So, I think it's time. Of course I'll share the cuteness of his first haircut with all of my faithful readers (so...my mom) here on the blog.

5. Do you ever feel like you are at battle with yourself? All the time? I do. There is a constant internal struggle between my granola/anti-establishment self and my Martha Stewart self. I loved my wedding dress because I think it was a perfect balance of the two halves. It was one part Jane Austen and one part hippy. That perfect balance does not happen very often, I think it's more of a duality. A Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde thing. This internal struggle gets a little crazy sometimes, too. There are days when I want to purge the house of all the excess. Then the next day I'll think of a bunch of things that I need. "Need", right? Of course I don't need them, but on the Martha Stewart days I sure think I do. Like collections of cake pedestals, and antique cup and saucer sets (for the tea or coffee that I don't drink), or a closet full of Anthropologie dresses (where would I wear those? I'm in Alaska.), or an embroidery machine, or a drum set, or a sweet SLR camera, or...etc. I just have to wait a day or so until the granola in me kicks in and then everything evens out.

6. Speaking of...some of you have asked how the cloth diapering is going. Awesome. He's into these sweet ones now that have a bunch of snaps on them and will last him until he's potty trained. I love that idea.

7. Oh, this one's good. Erik and I are going to Edmonton to see a Foo Fighter's concert. A while ago I asked him what band he would want to see if he could go to any concert and he answered "the Foo Fighters." Nice. So I told him that we're using my dividend money to go to Canada to see a sweet concert. I'm so excited. Although, one time I had that strange dream, way before the time I asked him about what band he would want to see, that we went to a Foo Fighters concert and Erik got all these weird piercings. It was a strange dream. Plus, the Foo Fighters aren't really a weird piercings kind of band. It's not like Korn or anything. But I made Erik promise, nonetheless, that he wouldn't get strange piercings at the concert. He promised.

8. Reid had a check-up today and his height and weight are both perfectly in the 50% percentile. Just perfect. The doctor measured his head a few times however just to make sure, and yes...his head circumference is off the charts. Literally. Off of the charts. That's my boy. He's pretty much a baby genius.

9. The Banshee died. That is the not-so-fond nickname for our mixer. It was so crazy loud. My mom and dad got us a wheat grinder for Christmas and I haven't made bread since Erik has been gone so I figured I'd give it a go. So I ground the wheat and then got started making the bread, but then she died a very loud death. I'm not so sad though, because that means I'm one step closer to this beauty (in tangerine...oh yes, tangerine. My generation's avocado).

10. This one is very special to me. Those of you who are of my faith already know about this, of course, but someone who made a very big impact on my life has died. It actually made me so happy when I heard, I felt the same way that I did when my Grannie (the most amazing woman I've ever known) died. I'm so grateful that the doctrines of my faith teaches me why we're here, what the point of all of this is. We're here to be tested, to learn from Christ and to strive to become like Him, and to covenant our lives to that end. The point of all of that is love. Love for our Heavenly Father, for our Savior, for our families and neighbors, for ourselves, and for mankind. I feel proud of President Hinckley, as I would a good friend. Although I never met him, I always felt (as did countless others) that he loved me and cared for me as a friend. So I'm so proud that my friend, President Gordon B. Hinckley, did what he was sent here to do. I'm thrilled that he gets to be with his sweet wife again, and I'm grateful for the lessons that he taught me and for the example he gave to me. He was such an example of kindness, optimism, love, the importance of temples, and the beauty of the family. For a really wonderful post about President Hinckley, check out one of my all-time favorite blogs. I just want to say, "what she said."

Wow. If you made it to this point then you deserve some sort of a prize. Seriously.

I'll start up the game again. I think I need to follow Sarah's format more closely next time. Less talk, talk, talk...and I need some good pictures thrown in there.