Snooty Foods Night - Bombay House

We've instituted a Snooty Foods group where we gather together and enjoy "snooty" food. This month was Indian food (sorry Lauren) at Bombay House. We took pictures of us being snooty. Here ya go.

For those of you without Facebook

Which I'm pretty sure is none of you, but still. Here's a little more backstory.

He just woke up. The position of his fingers is accidental. He refused to cuddle with me and then voluntarily got up, walked over to my friend John and cuddled with him for like 5 minutes.
This boy has a habit of not being able to decide which sister he would like to cuddle with. I almost always lose out in the end, but that's the way it should be. It's fun to watch him go back and forth giggling and smiling at whoever isn't holding him.
This is just such a great face he's making. That would be mid-screech. It was a happy screech at least.
A bathtub in the sink! Mostly because I wasn't paying attention while feeding him and he kicked squash all over himself. Oh well. He loves baths. Isn't he just so pinchable?!
Modeling the legwarmers and getting ready for a nap.
We rolled around for a while with Monkey's towel. He loved being wrapped up in that.
Playing peek a boo and trying to cuteness his way out of a nap. Don't worry, I was strong and he slept for a long time.
This was when we were standing in line for the giant yard sale we went to on Saturday. That hat was too small and it made me laugh. Still, he's so freaking cute!!
Monkey was showing me his hat. He had a good time with Grandma and Papa on Saturday.
And he got a Lightening costume! This is him "riding" the car. haha. He's happier than he looks.
Lauren's awesome yard sale purchase. We took a bunch of photos with it.
The only one i got of him looking at the camera and smiling. It probably would have worked better if i had tried to take the photo before the cookie eating.

We had a nice Sunday as well with a delicious dinner prepared by Lauren and Wil for Christy (she left for Texas, then she's home to Australia). Our friends John and Jacob came and we mostly just sat and enjoyed each other's company. It was a very nice and relaxing (and fun!) day thanks to Lauren and Wil and their adorable boys.

Big News

Here's what I have been keeping from you.

I'm moving back to Utah. Provo, to be exact.

I'm not really sure when. It could be November. It could be January. I could show up on your doorstep with all my worldly belongings in tow three days from now. How's that for unpredictable? I'm a loose cannon people!

Also, I'm really not sure how to spell cannon, like on a pirate ship or the civil war.

Also, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

There is a lot more to say about this but mostly I just had to share it with you as I just told my boss and co-workers so it is no longer top secret.

I'm excited and freaking out, but in the best way.

updates

i posted new tutu stuff on my projects blog - go see "I Make Stuff" over on the left side bar. Cute stuff, I promise.

i, like Megan, am trying out the new followers widget mostly for my own curiosity. All i ask is that you add yourself to the list and don't make yourself anonymous because what would the point be then? i don't even care if i really know you in real life, i am curious to find out who actually reads the craziness i am putting out there.

i miss my friends today. well, i miss them all the time, but especially this week.

i need something new in my life because apparently whatever i'm doing now is causing me stress and pain. even when i make a conscious effort to alleviate stress in my life it doesn't seem to be helping me physically. i've been super productive creatively speaking as well as trying some new recipes and keeping my room relatively clean and organized AND, most importantly, i've been taking on fewer responsibilities and commitments. i'm trying to say no to things when i really feel i should and not guilt myself into an overly hectic schedule. i'm trying to work really hard on this physical therapy thing and it is helping in a lot of ways - maybe it has to get worse to get better? all i know is that my sleeping is all thrown off and i am a person who needs a lot of sleep. also i have a sore throat and i hat that.

today is my daddy's birthday. happy birthday to him. i love him and i hope he has an awesome day. i also hope he likes the card i bought him and his present which is very random...but he likes random.

this is taking a lot of energy and i still have to work till 5 (now you know why i've been posting such short photo posts).

a few items of business

1. MEGAN IS HOME! Not that I can see her, but now I can talk to her on the phone and text her and that makes me happy - because she listens to a whole lot of my craziness and still likes me.

2. I have new readership! Emily Albright and her mom. I will be posting a wedding-related post for them, which sounds weird, but it's not really. I promise.

3. Cristin had her baby, Owen! 4 weeks early! Apparently he was ready to be born. He's in the hospital so he can finish growing and getting ready for the real world - so best wishes and lots of prayers to the Ricks family. He's a cutie!! Congratulations! (and in related news, I got prezzies sent out there just in time for his arrival! When he does come home, I hope they are enjoyed by him and his mommy.)

4. I spent most of my day yesterday with the kiddos. I took K his birthday presents early since I'll be gone this weekend. I can't believe he's 8. Craziness. He and Joshie are way into this Webkins thing - which I'm loving because it's so not as confusing and/or annoying as Pokemon. So he is now the proud owner of a Rotweiler named Steven (a name I chose) and a Gecko named Mark. K's name choices are the best ever - he doesn't waste his time with silly pet names - he goes for the serious people names. Love it. The rest of my time was spent playing pretend and dress ups with the Princess. We had a tea party (during which she remarked, "this is a wonderful tea party") complete with princess dishes, real (and delish) cookies and water instead of tea. I think she likes playing with me because I play all her girlie games with her. And I'm totally fine with that. It was such a fun day. I love those kiddos.

5. I'm going to the beach on Wednesday with one of my bestest pallies, Jamie!! I am so excited and so happy we made this vacation work! See all my exclamation marks?! That's how happy I am. I need a vacation very badly.

6. This is my final point and maybe it should have been first so in case I lost any of you. I need an idea of a name for my projects blog. Something fun but not annoying. Something having to do with me or a nick name of mine (Lindle, Linnie, Lindsey Lou Who, Zizi, Scooter, etc.) that I can put up there as a title so it's not so boring. So, pass along your ideas. I figure who better to ask than the ones who know me so well?

That's all for now. More posts to come soon!

Happy Birthday to Hayley

This post is for Hayley. Today is her birthday and she's been having a not so fun week. If I had the time and the money, I would do spectacular things for her because I whole heartedly believe that every one should have a fantastic birthday every year. So today is Hayley's day and I hope it is a good one.

So here's a list of wonderful things I love about Hayley.

1. She is sincere.
2. She has a beautiful smile.
3. Her hair is gorgeous and shiny.
4. She is loyal.
5. She is always working hard; at her job, as a wife, as a mother.
6. She's tough. Like she could totally kick some butt.
7. She has an adorable daughter who looks just like her.
8. She is the only reason I passed American Heritage at BYU.
9. She is funny. She can always make me laugh.
10. She was willing to be my friend when I randomly approached her and said hello at BYU. There aren't very many people who will so happily except spending time with an acquaintance from high school, especially when they thought that acquaintance was a snob. (winky face)

So there you have it. Hayley's top 10 Birthday list. Happy Birthday, Hayley!!

The Kacy Fan Club

My friend Annie asked me a question today. She asked if I knew Kacy (ie personally, met face to face).


I told her that Kacy is Heidi's sister, that I lived with Heidi after graduation and that my sister was best friends with Heidi so, yes, technically I have briefly met Kacy in person probably once or twice...although if I had been a blogger at that time, I would have been far more star struck and would remember it more clearly as I would have acted like a total nerdy idiot. This post should make up for that.


I've blogged before how much I love reading Kacy's posts (and the other bloggers at Light Refreshments Served) and admitted that I was hesitant to comment on her posts because of one reason or another...and Kacy actually commented and told me to comment! That was a happy day.


Now, I don't know if Kacy actually looks at my blog or if Heidi looked, saw the post about Kacy and told her about it. But, either way, I am here to inform Kacy that she has one very special fan who once "dreamed of babysitting for Kacy" before she had her own baby.


Annie wanted to know if you, Kacy, are indeed as awesome as you seem via blog. (I'm going to guess, yes, based on this post alone.) Also, Annie will be attending a farewell in your ward, but she may be too bashful and starstruck to form coherent sentences. She looks like this:

And her baby is adorable...even though she screams like she is possesed by a demon...I'm sure it's an adorable demon!! (winky face). And Maren's cute baby smiles more than make up for it.

I told her that if she meets you, she can just tell you that it's totally okay to be friends because she was roommates with me and my sister was roommates with your sister...because that's funnier and less simple than saying "my old roommate used to live in your sister's basement!" It also makes me sound less creepy, which I'm a fan of.

Other quotes from Annie regarding her current stalker-like status:

"I want to sit at her feet and bask in her hilarious light!" and

"I love that her baby's name is Ellen. That's my youngest sisters name. We have so much in common!"

So, Kacy, if you ever see Annie (specifically at the farewell of one Rob Magleby) know that she is totally cool and not stalking you.

**I should mention we also talked about how funny we think she is...and this guy. And how one of my favorite quotes has to do with both of them. "My best guess: He has bees in his head, and the bees are crazy." Find it here.

It feels like a four post kind of day

Probably because I haven't posted all weekend. I'm currently without internet because I am dog sitting for Max (aka Maximus, Max-E, Maxwell, etc.) who belongs to a nice couple in my home ward and who I dog sit on a fairly regular basis.


I like Max. He's an easy going dog who listens well (although his hearing is on the fritz at the mo') and only barks when someone is at the front door. I LOVE dogs who don't bark much. It's the only way to have a dog, I tell you. Also, he doesn't stare at me when I eat and he just stays by my side for the most part while I am at the house but not in an annoying "get away from me or else I'll scream" kind of way.


I have lots of pictures to post from my weekend of playing with family and friends (for purposes of this blog, from here on out "the kiddos" will refer to my brother's kids, "the boys" will be Lauren's sons, Monkey and Bug and I'll have to come up with something to call all of them as a whole, but those labels will do fine for now).


I babysat the kiddos minus one (Noah) on Friday night and we had a fun filled evening of Chick-fil-A, pretty sunsets, wrestling and a rousing game of Pretty Pretty Princess. Yes. I took plenty of future black mail photos. Muahahahahaha!


Saturday I slept in! Oh Saturday morning sleeping in is one of my all time favorite things to do. Hmmmm. Then I went out that night to dinner and a movie (Hancock) with friends. It was very fun, although I was in a somewhat grouchy at times mood (my jaw has really been hurting me, then add sinus pain on top of that and I am one unhappy camper), and the movie was alright. If you see it, pay $5 or less or wait for the DVD. Although I liked the characters (even Charlize Theron, who isn't really my favorite) and the story was pretty good, it lacked a little something. I can't quite put my finger on it. Enjoyable though - if you can overlook repeated use of the A-word.


Sunday I went to my home ward in order to stay close to Max so he wouldn't be so lonely. It worked out nice because Lauren invited me and Christy and John to have dinner with them and Wil's brother and his wife who were in town visiting for the weekend. She made delish florentine meatballs. At this I will say that I will forever love Rachel Ray for providing my sister (who was already a wonderful cook) with amazing recipes to make into her own even more amazing meals. Basically, the food was amazing. So we ate and played with the boys and enjoyed each others company and did I mention the food was amazing? I love my sissie and her husband for letting us all lounge around their home.


After dinner, Christy came back to the dog sitting house with me and we played Sims. Christy and I have recently begun bonding over this game. It's silly and it's fun. And then there was this secret on Post Secret this week.

There are a few things I like about this screen shot. I like that my Sim houses are designed a lot nicer than this one. I like that the person admits favortism toward one character (I recently made a Sim die because the character was bugging me so much) and I like that death is wearing a lei. No one else has party clothes on...apparently he really likes his job.

Dark Chocolate Macadamia Nuts

The title has nothing to do with this post - I just happen to be eating one of those right now.

I've been thinking of some things lately. Big things. Life changing things. Now I am going to put some of it out there because I've reached the point where I can no longer mull them over in my own mind and get anywhere productive.

Moving. That's right. I said it. I've thought of it dreamily for the last couple of months. Things like, I am going to move to England. And I've actually looked into doing so, but when my brother-in-law quit his job I went and told them that day that I would go where ever they did. I knew he would start looking out of state for jobs and it just felt like a good idea. I could still be near the boys and my Sissie. I LOVE living near my sister and I have a feeling I will find a way to finagle such an arrangement for the REST OF OUR LIVES. I am quite serious.

But now here are my questions.

Do I actively start looking for jobs in Dallas/Fort Worth and Utah?

Do I just wait to see where Wil gets a job and just pick up and leave with them THEN find a job when I move? I have looked around a little, but nothing too serious since I already have this job here in Maryland.

What if I get the answer that I should move but Lauren and Wil don't?

Am I prepared to get that answer and live away from my family again?

Am I brave enough to do so?

Do I really want to live in Utah or Texas? Seriously. Those two places do not top my list of places I want to live (no offense to those places or people from there, there are just more exotic and easternly locales I would like to be placed in) but they are the two places I am considering, mostly for social reasons.

What is life really going to be like for me here in Southern Maryland?

Do I really see myself finding a husband (or even a boyfriend) here? Let's be honest - I'm not marriage hungry and my life does not revolve around finding a husband, but isn't it important to at least put yourself in the position where the opportunities to date are there? Those opportunities are not very plentiful here and the distance alone from my house to my singles ward to the homes of my fellow ward members causes a lot of distraction.

Obviously this is something I am praying about and trying to figure out what is best for me and where I need to be - I just need to find the right questions to ask. That always seems to be the hardest part for me - forming the correct thoughts. Do I ask if I should move with Lauren and Wil to Texas or do I ask if I should move? Specific or blanket statement? Perhaps I'll ask it all till I get an answer. I'm fairly confident I have made the right decisions thus far in my life - I just need to keep trusting that.

The pros of moving to Texas or Utah would be these:

Closer to friends. Texas has the Murrays and Utah has, well, all of my friends from college except Mike and Jamie.

Wider social circle and more social opportunities.

Change of pace, change of scenery.

It would be a new and exciting adventure. I love those. It could also suck - but at least I will have done something!



Finally, here's something I haven't mentioned to ANYONE. I've been casually thinking about school again. I don't really want to pay for school and the cost alone could keep me out of there - but going back to grad school for something more specialized seems a tiny bit more appealing to me now than it has in the past. I can't even begin to think what I would need to do to figure all that out but thought it was a significant enough change from my previous "I'm so glad to be out of school I'm never going back again" mentality.

Say Words

I LUUUUURVE this picture of Miri and Megan. Here are the reasons:

1. Their faces. Above all, their faces. They are classic happy Miri and Megan faces. Like truly joyous, sincerely happy laughing faces. In fact, I wonder if Miri laughed hard enough to start crying a little. She does that a lot and it usually starts off with this face.

2. The M&M pjs. M&Ms will forever remind me of Megan and Miri. They made it their thing and I will think of them whenever I see something M&M related probably until the day I die. The thought of that makes me happy.

3. Miri's hat. What is that hat? haha. I mean, it's a cute hat, I just like how it's only half on her head. I'm pretty sure I have pictures of myself like that with new Christmas hats.

4. The old apartment. I have so many fond memories of 154. The girls, the quote wall, the horrible couches, loving the horrible couches because we knew there were worse ones out there, the open and welcome feeling. I spent a large portion of my last years of college in this apartment and will always miss the feeling of just walking in there and finding someone to talk to/get a jamba with/watch awesome movies with/etc.

So here's to Megan and Miri who I miss ever so. I heart them. Like, a lot.

Catching up

So. What haven't I told you about? I think I'll start with our trip to the DC Temple.



My dearest, darlingest Jennie Bunny was visiting the coast of the east recently and was going to be at the DC Visitor's Center one Sunday afternoon. Aaron and I talked at church and I told him I couldn't get up there because I would be watching the kiddos (Monkey and Bug). He said, "Bring 'em with." Now you know it's a special kind of guy who suggests I bring along a very active two year old and a four month old baby with reflux to any activity. What was even specialer was John. We told him we were going (Me, Christy and Aaron) and invited him to come along. He looked like he was going to say no. Christy said, "We're taking Lindsey's nephews with us" and he said, "Okay, I'll go." That was his decision maker! See how ADORABLE my nephews are?!

So, off we went for an adventure. It was highly possible that both boys would cry all the way there and all the way back. Monkey was without nap and Bug just gets really tired of his car seat. But I had medicinal instructions for both boys (Monkey was getting over a virus at the time) to maintain optimal cuteness. About 20 minutes before we were going to be leaving, Bug could no longer keep his eyes open - he fell asleep while John was holding him.

Let me just say here that John is a bigger baby hog than me. That's saying a lot. He hardly shared Bug with me the entire time.

So, Bug slept half way there and woke just in time for Aaron to feed him. John and Monkey hung out in the back seat and read some books. Everyone was happy!

When we got to where we could see the Temple, Monkey loved it. He occasionally called it a castle and was happiest when he could get a good view of it. We met our friends (Jennie and Co.) and went to the Visitors Center. Christy and John took the boys inside while the rest of us took a couple of photos. I went in to check on Monkey and found this...

He was patiently waiting to hear Jesus talk to him. He couldn't get enough of that statue. A sister missionary talked to him and told him he would hear the words of Jesus and he just soaked it in. While we were listening to the recording, John was talking and Monkey turned around and said, "Jesus talking!" as in, "shhh. This is important!" He just kept telling us all how Jesus talked.

Later there was an announcement made by an Elder telling us the Joseph Smith movie was going to be playing in the large theater and Monkey looked around at us and said, "Jesus talking!" Now we are waiting for the day when an announcement is made over a loud speaker at the airport or store and he thinks it's Jesus.

We went and looked at a lego version of the Nauvoo Temple which was cool then we headed back to see and listen to Jesus again.

This wasn't posed at all. I asked him to go sit in front of Jesus and say cheese, but he couldn't stop looking up at him. This is one of my new all-time favorite pictures.

Then we went to see the photo exhibit of President Hinckley. These were my two favorite groups of photos. I am so happy we got to see this exhibit. I hadn't realized it was up, but it was so beautiful and touching. What a great man he was.

Finally, we headed out to take photos of the boys in front of the temple. This was a feat in and of itself. In the end I got a few good ones considering how tired they both were at this point.

Picture this. Two tired boys, overdue for a nap. One toddler who has just been told that if he sits and holds his baby brother for one photo and says cheese he will be given a piggy back ride. This sounds like a fair trade. So he sits. He "holds" the baby (who is half his size) which consists of grabbing his foot. He looks at the camera, says cheese while making his forced smile, blinks half way and considers his side of the bargain fulfilled. At this point, he gets up. The baby is still in his lap. Bug has not perfected the art of sitting by himself and ever so slowly (yet in the blink of an eye) falls over and does a face plant in the grass. He doesn't cry, but lays there, confused, bewildered, wondering what is on his face and how he will escape. Auntie picks him up, Monkey gets his piggy back ride and we call it a day.

All in all it was a nice afternoon. They both slept on the way home and Monkey still talks about hearing Jesus talk to him. The other day we asked him who he called on the telephone and in the list of names he gave us that weren't right he said, "Jesus." I just can't get enough of this kid.

a hug

i love when miri showers me with blog comments. those are the best days. i heart her.

"Anyone can *read* the news *to* you. What I plan to do is *feel* the news *at* you."

First of all, I like that Mike and Miri have discovered the awesomeness of one Mr. Stephen T. Colbert. He really is funny. I promise.

You just have to rememeber it is a character and admire the amazing job Colbert does in staying in character so seamlessly. He rarely cracks - and when he does it's hilarious. I can't even imagine saying some of the things he says with such conviction and maintaining a straight face. Wow.

Also, I wholeheartedly agree with the following statement made on The Colbert Report: Equations are the devil's sentences!
It's like he knows my inner most thoughts...from high school at least.




Secondly, I had to have an MRI for some jaw problems I've been having. Have you had one of those? Not fun. You can't move a muscle for like 30 minutes. That is hard! AND it is tiny in there. I think I am a little claustrophobic. I didn't think it would bug me, but I had to sing hymns in my head to keep my mind off the small space and loud noises. ick.

That's what the machine looks like. Only the one I was in wasn't as new or nice looking and the room wasn't as inviting. It was kind of dark and, honestly, a little disorganized. The nurse was nice though so that was a plus. Anyway, avoid MRIs...they suck.

i need to post

I was doing really well - and overall I think last week's experiment was a success. I got the feedback I wanted for the most part and got some questions answered so I'm happy. Now I'm going to settle into what will hopefully be a little more posting than usual (as in, more regular and less "here's four posts in one day"). I have a lot to catch up on. Lauren's birthday activities, July 4th, swimming, bubbles, etc. I've been busy! But I've taken pictures of all of it, so stay tuned.

In the mean time, take a look at this photo. We look so much alike! I love it. I think it's just because her mom has a lot of similar features as our family (dark hair, skin tone, dark eyes). Same with my brother-in-law. You can definitely tell the cousins are related...plus they are all so freaking cute!

Well, I hope everyone had a great Independence Day! I will be posting more about mine later on...with more pictures, of course!

difficult

I am learning a lot in this experiment of interactive blogging. Not only do YOU have to participate more, I have to blog more! and I have to keep it interesting! It's not as easy as you might think. But, today I am going to offer up some promises.

I am going to answer any question asked of me via blog. I will also comment on every post I read starting now (9AM). That includes my previously lurker-only zone blogs. So, strike while the iron is hot...ask me anything!

Also, that is a weird saying, "strike while the iron is hot." I'm betting it comes from blacksmiths? Who else strikes iron? hmmm.

And lastly, good job to all of you for voting in the polls! What a group of voters you are! haha. I didn't expect such a response so I am pleasantly surprised.

Stay tuned for a new upcoming weekly photo feature!

Until then, ask me some questions! Do it now!

Baby Back Ribs and so on and so forth

I am finally going to tell all of you lovelies about my weekend. We'll start with Friday night.

We went to Chilis. It was asked why we chose Chilis. The answer was because I wanted to eat there and Christy agreed with me and no one else got a say in it. I'm totally fine with how that went down.

We were a much smaller group than I anticipated, but we had a good time. Our friend Sierra from the single's ward came and met us which was fun. So that made me, Christy, Sierra, Alyssa and Jacob. We spent a long time perusing the menus. By we I don't mean me because I order pretty much the same thing every time. I'm a creature of habit. Our waitress was not awesome. It had been Sierra's birthday so I told her it was her birthday and the waitress gave me attitude and told me they didn't do anything for birthdays. I think she is a liar since I went to Chilis on my birthday like two months ago and got free Lava Cake.

Anyway, while we were eating and such, we took the opportunity to be loud and obnoxious, in the funnest sense of the words. I think people are more tolerant of loud and obnoxious if one of the loud and obnoxious people has an accent. Christy has an Australian accent. I think that confuses people and they try to listen and figure out where she is from.

Anyway, now for pictures.

Someone's got a case of the Mondays

...but it's not me! At least not this Monday.

This Monday marks the first day in the last week and a half that I actually woke up and made it to work on time! Go me!

This Monday also marks the end of a busy weekend.

Before I get to all of that, let me take care of some business. Thanks to everyone who answered my survey! The reasons behind such questions may or may not be shared in the near future.

Also, don't forget the new polls! I personally have a habit of mentioning blogs/blog related things about once or twice a week. But that's mostly in conversation with my sister - not random people. And I also have like ten times a hundred blogs to which I contribute (well, five-ish). Again, I'm just trying to measure my level of normalcy. :)

I also just realized that I don't like including little smiley faces and such in my electronic communication yet I can't stop doing it! That annoys me! I would love to just start writing it out because it reminds me of a story Crin told me about one of her teachers seeing a semi-colon next to an end parentheses and saying "winkie face" (of course, there's a certain way to say that, you can't just read it normal - you have to say it like you are winking, that probably doesn't even make sense). Perhaps I will see if I can shun such emoticons altogether and therefore become a better person.

I keep putting off blogging about the activities of my weekend.* But I still think I'm doing a pretty good job at keeping this updated. Just think of it, you all pretty much know everything I am doing or have done in the last few days. That's weird and crazy!

Except I forgot to tell you that last night, when we were driving home, Christy was teaching me how to speak Australian. I'm pretty good at saying "petrol" and "today" right off the bat - it's the "o's" that get me. So I'm practicing the phrase, "We're gonna go to the shops to get some petrol." I'm already pretty good with "The dingo ate your baby,"** which we all know will be very helpful someday.

Alright, well, there you have it for this morning. I should be getting back to things that aren't blogging - but, never fear, there will be plenty more posts in the near future. In the meantime, answer the survey (if you haven't already - it's down a few posts) or vote at the polls. If anything, all of this polling should be getting us ready for November!

*It will happen, I promise.
**True story. A woman actually served jail time because her baby went missing and everyone thought she killed it even though she kept telling them that a dingo (wild dog) ate her baby. So she stayed in jail until someone actually picked up the case and proved that a dingo had actually stolen her baby and eaten it. Of course, most of us American's probably relate the phrase to Seinfeld.

Interactive Blogging - Stage 2

So, I've set polls in place. They won't be open as long as they say they will since I want to get some more questions answered via polls. So be on the lookout for new, fun questions!

Now, for Stage 2 of this little experiment. Well, it's technically Stage 3 because I started Stage 2 with my previous post but I'll just go ahead and explain them both.

Stage 2 - I want to try and include more "real-time" photos on my blog. I always get a little sad and think, "I need to TRAVEL somewhere or have an activity so I'll have a new batch of pictures to share on my blog!" But really, my life is always busy busy busy...so why not take pictures of things I am doing RIGHT NOW? I'm pretty sure this new aspect of my blogging will rock your world. Seriously. Maybe you should all invest in helmets for safety purposes.

Now. Stage 3 - Ever wonder where those surveys and memes come from? Who on earth thought up those questions? Why did they take the time? Do people really want to know what color pants I'm wearing right now and whether or not they have pockets? I'm pretty sure the answer is no because what if you aren't wearing ANY pants? I don't want that idea going through my head all day.

So basically we all take part in those things when we are bored or out of some sense of obligation. We all know this is true. Now that we've acknowledged and embraced this fact, let's move on.

I think about a lot of things. I ask the people around me for opinions and I have even been known to blog about them to try and sort things out. But, I'm going to do a series of survey type thingies this week in an effort to answer some of the questions I've been thinking about AND to get all of you involved! Doesn't that sound like great fun!?! I know it's really a vicious circle I'm starting because most of you will answer these surveys because you are bored and/or feel obligated, but I don't care. All I can do is promise I won't be asking you where your cell phone is sitting right now or what color your toothbrush is. These will hopefully be a little more insightful.

AND! Maybe you will all get to know each other better as well! Won't THAT be fun?!** Yes. It will. So, the first survey should be posted by the end of the day. I'm planning a three-part photo survey that should be interesting as well. Look for that next week!

Oh! Aren't you glad there's so many things to look forward to?

**notice my over-use of exclamation marks in an attempt to make you believe that this really will be ever so much fun.

Free Stuff

I'm not so advanced at this interactive blogging that I can begin to give away free stuff, but I am able to let you know when other people and/or places are giving away free(ish) stuff!

Today that would be McDonalds. I needed a quick, cheap lunch and that's pretty much one of the three options I have close to where I work. I decided I wanted a large cup of ice and I didn't want the hassle of trying to get the geniuses working there not to put ketchup on my cheeseburger so I went with the large Big Mac value meal.

I drove up to the first window and gave the lady my card. She gave me my card back AND this...

A black, classy looking Coca-Cola glass! I didn't pay enough attention to the menu to see that you get one of these puppies FREE with a large extra value meal. So that was a happy surprise. I really like that it's black. Apparently it comes in other colors as well (pink/red, blue and green I think). So yay for McDs and free glasses.

I also think this ad is funny. The 1 is blocked, but it says "100% beef. 0% anything else." Like, nutrition? Customer service and satisfaction?

**Here's a thanks to co-worker Angie who went and bought McDs for herself and her daughter for lunch so they could get me two more free glasses! Now I just need to get McDs one more time to have a set. I really can't eat there very often. And, yes, I'm a nerd.

polling fun - now with more updates!

I am most interested to see how this capitalization question turns out. Although I'm not looking forward to having to change my ways.

Is anyone else having problems voting in the poll? Crinners - maybe it's your browser or settings? I don't really no. If it still doesn't work you can answer via comment and I will vote for you. :)

After reading Lili's sister's blog (Emily) about growing wheat grass - I totally want to go for it. I've been trying to figure out what plant to have at my office - something that grows a lot and is hard to kill. I like the idea of having a happy little patch of grass and it's so clean and fresh looking. Now I just need to find an awesome container to grow it in.

Alright, that was a tangent. You will be getting a lot of those throughout this process...I'm a very tangent-y person.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

one person got here by accident. awesome.

also, the options of "no," "yes" and "sometimes" are not good for a poll. right now it's a three-way tie for the lower case stuff. that pretty much leaves me where i left off.

also again, i'm happy you all think my blog layout suits me because a REALLY did not want to change it.

also - i like the answers to the polls - but i suppose my next challenge will be getting people to comment. there are actually fewer comments on these last few posts. haha. awesome.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
you know what the best part is? guessing who answered what to my polling questions.

like i'm fairly certain miri will say/has said that my lack of appropriate capitalization and punctuation annoys her. i knew this to be true when i asked the question.

on the other hand, i'm also fairly certain mike could care less. am i wrong on that one?

i also like how i chose to go ee cummings on this post which actually talks about my lack of correctness. wahoo.

Coming up in the next week of blog-interactivies (blogtivities?), Future polling questions:

• What's your favorite blog-combo word?
• How often do you refer to a blog or blog related topics in real conversation?
• How many blogs do you feel one blogger should participate in/author?
• Why doesn't everyone blog? Everyone SHOULD blog.
• How annoyed are you with the word "blog"? Like ten times a thousand.