Am I justifying? ... I don't care!

If you are like me (and if you are, then you are probably feeling a little frumpy this morning. Sorry), then you LOVE TV. Now, there are only a few shows I feel a little guilty about-- Sex and the City (on TBS) and Grey's Anatomy come to mind--but not too guilty... I still love them, watch them, and talk about them to Blaine (who is a great sport).
Anyway, to the point... This book is amazing! Blaine bought it for me when we were dating, and I open it up every once in a while to make myself feel better about spending most of my free time watching "my stories." Everything Bad is Good for You, by Steven Johnson is a (very thorough) look into the idea that Pop Culture is getting better, smarter, and more complex with age. Johnson disects various mediums, like TV, movies, the Internet, and the vast world of gaming, and basically says that despite what people may say and think about these "non-stimulating", "lazy" vices, people who partake of "smart TV", etc. are able to work through problems more creatively, and have been proven to me more social than those who don't... FASCINATING!
Okay, so I know I'm a really big geek, but hopefully, you other TV-a-holics will feel a little less guilty now too. :)
Oh-- and how freaking excited are all of you for The Office and My Name is Earl tonight?

Life is Good

Our Little Family

Here's a recent picture of Blaine and me.

*sigh* I just LOVE him ... Life is good.

The Lees!

While the fam was in town, we had a professional family portrait taken. (It's about time...) I think this actually turned out really nice. Aren't we cute?

Playing dress-up

Okay, so this picture is old and really serves no purpose, but I just came across it and thought it was hilarious enough to post. This was taken by Laurel when Michelle was shopping for a wedding dress. Those of you familiar with North Orem-- this is at the wedding dress shop on State Street... the "creepy" one with the bride-in-a-glass-jar-sign. We were having bad luck shopping on this particular day, and thought it was about time we face our fears and go to the scary bride store. There were signs all over that said "NO CAMERAS" but we couldn't resist. These dresses were just too good to be true.

P.S. There was also a great one of Laurel in a "mermaid style," but I don't have that picture. :)

I have ISSUES

Clearly, I have some serious issues...

Today in my class, I actually told one of my "darling" students that he was "shunned", and could no longer talk or comment for the remainder of class until he was "unshunned."

I'm not really sure what this means... Either I am a horrible teacher (probably), this kid needs to get out of my class due to his lack of understanding what kind of things are allowable to "share" in an educational environment (most likely), or I am way-overly-embarressingly-excited for September 27th, when the greatest show, THE OFFICE comes back to television (definitely).

Hooray for Dwight Shrute and his very weird and hysterical meanness toward anyone but Michael.

Hooray for Michael G. Scott and the fact that I can say I once worked for Ah-ha.com and also had a horrific boss (Gary) who rode a bike around the office while we were on sales calls, and once "pretended" to fire me... (No, seriously, this REALLY happened, and he thought it was hilarious. He told me I was caught stealing cash from someone, and I was fired. I was deciding whether to begin crying or fighting, and he started laughing his a$$ off...)

Hooray for Drew--who is so much funnier than Andy.

And hooray for Pam and Jim!!! I've been waiting for this moment for three seasons, and I can't wait.

I love great TV. Bring it on.

Thanks, Friends.

Hello everyone-- this is a quick "thank you" to my dear freinds who have been nice enough to allow me to make jewelry for them. I am kind of a nerd, (duh), and am thoroughly enjoying my new hobbie. So, thanks!

Happy Birthday DeAnn!

SURPRISE!!

We've been planning this forever. Mom told us that she would really like a "suprise party" when she turns 60. (I really don't know how it could be a suprise if she asks for it, but...) Well, we decided that 52 would have to suffice. My parents and Matt were dropping off Brett at BYU, and we figured it would be a great time for a party, even though her birthday isn't until the 24th. I love you, Marme!

Nope--this isn't Disneyland...

Melinda (our "other" sister) is the greatest! She actually does this for a living--she throws Princess Parties. She can be Belle, Ariel, Aurora, Cinderella, and Snow White. If you know my mother, you know that she truly believes she is Snow White. It was so fun to have her there...and hilarious to see everyone's reactions to a real life princess.

(Above) Alexa, Elizabeth and MacKenzie with Melinda. Alexa and MacKenzie are Cara Ray's cute little girls, and Elizabeth is Karin Hawke's

Cara with her new baby, Kaylie, and Lanae and Mike Sampson

(Left) Kevin and Robyn Luke with the birthday girl...We even made her wear a crown and badge.

(Below) Megan and Melinda. The Weird thing is, when Melinda is wearing her blonde Cinderella wig, these two look like twins!

(Below) Snow White and me. Really, this was better than Disney-land in one very important way...Snow White didn't make me feel like a 28-year-old weirdo who wanted to get her picture taken with her. I had a bad experience with my hero, Belle this last summer. :) "Is your Papa an inventer too?" "We do look alike, do you also love to read?" Thanks Belle...I feel like a freaking loser.