Old, magic friends

A good childhood friend of mine (I almost said a friend from high school, but we go way farther back than that) is married to a fabulous guy (whom I also know from high school) and they're magic.

They went out on a limb shortly after they got married and started a business together. They shoot commercials, mostly, I think. They're all film and cameras and DSLRs and how the heck did they do that? Rachel dreams things up with her crazy, artistic imagination and Kenny breathes life into it with his excellent skill behind the camera and in the editing room. They also have an awesome team that contributes muchly to the whole process.

Aside from being hilarious, quality people, they are also really good at what they do. I am absolutely in love with their latest project and can't wait to see what else these two dream up together.

Just take a minute and be inspired and touched and maybe tear up a little. 'Sokay. I tear up every time I watch it.

See? They're magic.

Zzzziiiiiiinc!!!

So my email account was hacked again last week and I decided that it was way past time to switch things over to gmail. Ya know, get with the times and all that.

It was a really annoying process because hotmail and gmail don't like to do business. I had to do everything manually and guys? It was so hard. So much clicking and forwarding. It was seriously such a trial. But I slogged through it and I was able to get the job done and I feel like it made me a better person.

In this whole process I discovered that most of the old emails were from my best friend while she was on her mission in Croatia (there's no point in trying to hide the fact that we are sinners). Anyhoodle, I ran across this absolute gem that had me laughing pretty hard.

She wrote this to me before I left for a trip to China that would include a visit to Hong Kong. Since her parents and younger brother lived in Hong Kong we planned to visit them while we were there. Lauren, the Bonny to my Clyde, wanted to make sure that my visit with her parents was a productive one. She sent me the following email:

"oh yeah. and you have one major mission i need you to fulfill. and it is the following. when you're with my family, teach michael to say "zinngggg!" everytime my dad is insulted! whether mike does the insulting, or someone else, i just want to hear the zing! i'm trying to teach him annoying habits from far far away, just to keep my presence known in the household. thanks! also, i think the best way to teach these things is by example. from you and shannon both would probably be most effective :) k love ya!"

Let's just say that the mission was extremely successful but they all knew that it was Lauren's bidding I was doing. To this day, Mike still thanks Lauren or me for teaching him to zing. 

Heh.

Oy. This is My Life.

Ava and I took a trip to Utah last week. We left on Thursday morning.

The following ensued (law and order CHUNG CHUNG).

Danny's boss invited us to go the Lyric Opera in Chicago the night before Ava and I left. So between drive time and the time zone change, we got home at about 1:30 am (WORTH IT. The Opera was fantastic.). I got up at 5:00 am to make sure we would have AMPLE time to make it to my leedle frien's house, switch all the luggage out of my car and into hers, and make it to the Indianapolis Airport for our 12:30 boarding time. If you know me you know that leaving myself extra time to do anything is soooooo not me. I'm a last minute/always late kind of girl (and for the record? that drives me nuts about myself. I succeed 50% of the time when I try to make improvements in this area).

We left the house a little later than I wanted but we still had time in what I will call our "buffer window" so I wasn't too stressed.

Well. The fog was pretty bad. Schools were delayed and road signs were hard to read. So, naturally, I missed my exit but I didn't notice until I started seeing signs for a city 90 degrees in a different direction than I needed to be going. Sleep deprived panic ensued as I calculated the 40 minutes out of my way I had just driven.

I turned around and made it back to the road on which I was supposed to be traveling. Another thing about me? I kiiiind of speed sometimes. I think I was going about 75 in a 60. I didn't think about the stupidity of going 15 over the speed limit on a country highway until the highway patrolman was barreling across the median to pull me over.

Guys. Don't worry. Between the crying and the extremely legit reason I had for speeding I was able to get off with a warning. Annnnnnd I may have hyperventilated while he was writing his love note to me.

Just shy of my friend's house Ava had the biggest meltdown of her life because I couldn't find her binky. Like, she was halfway out of car seat and screaming so hard I thought she was going to hurt herself kind of tantrum. We got to the airport in just enough time. They even opened up a new security line for me (ummmm but how much of a hot mess do you have to be for an Indiana Highway Patrolman to let you off and the TSA to open a new line for you? Guys. It was seriously pathetic).

I was done with this day.

But then. a guy about the same age as my dad took pity on me as I was trying to coax my 2 year old down the aisle to board the airplane while carrying 3 bags, a suitcase, and a car seat. He literally just took everything out of my hands and asked what seat I was in. And then when we landed? He waited for everyone to get off the plane and then he came back and grabbed all my stuff to carry off the plane for me. And then I turned on my phone to see that my best friend, who lives in Utah, was in labor with her first baby.

And suddenly the crappiest day ever became a really awesome day.

Hey, 2012! Lookin' good!

We had our own little Christmas his year in our own little house and it was fabulous. Turns out Ava is a very neat present-opener and Santa only gives educational gifts. I tip my hat to you, Santa.

Our New Year's festivities took us to Dayton where we met up with my family and some very dear friends from Hong Kong and Utah. In fact, I got to see my best friend, who happens to be 7 months pregnant with her first baby, and her husband for the first time in toooooo long.

Side note: it's really kind of strange when your best friend marries some guy you've never met before who seems to be a good guy. But then it's kind of the best when you actually get to spend time with him a year and a half later and it turns out that he's really kind of awesome and hilarious. End of side note.

So here was our trip to Dayton, or some of it at least. There was a lot of laughing and game playing and general joviality.

We played outside...

Until we were exhausted.

We read books...

And Ava had her first tea party!!!

It was delicious....

We played Pretty, Pretty Princess,

nibbled on some delicious babies,

snuggled with loved ones.

New Year's Eve was a good time had by all as well.
Ava wrestled with the birthday boy

and snuggled some more. (This? Melted. My. Heart. And I just realized that he's wearing her sock on his hand. Mike, Mike, Mike.)

Then, I talked to my quasi-niece

and beat Brad at Hearts.

 We popped some bubbly (sparkling cider),

played Weird Face Game,

and then destroyed the place. (I was spraying the whole room but then I just decided to spray my husband.)

HAPPY NEW YEAR, CHUMPS.

The mess? WORTH IT.

I am so excited for 2012. I have some pretty exciting things up my sleeves...

STAY TUNED.

Naked friend

This lady. It has happened. We have bonded and I can talk to her, while she’s naked, without even blinking. She brought me her extra pair of goggles to use because the chlorine was especially potent last week and it KILLED my eyes.

Her name is Sandy.

Auditioning to be an *ETRADE* baby

I love friends. I love my friends. I tend to pick really amazing people as friends, not to brag or anything, so my friends are especially great. I love that I will have these friends forever. Like literally, forever (see D&C 130:2).

In Faux Auntie RaRa's case, forever is how long she will paying for her corruption of my child that commenced this very day.


This can only mean trouble.


So my baby facebooks. Big deal.


She also watches movies on her laptop. She's just really advanced for her age. (Ava actually turned on RaRa's DVD player....and Twilight started playing. Still not sure how I feel about this.)

I anticipate many more years of Faux RaRa's corruption. Good thing she's quality people.