Do you want to know who won?

I am resisting the urge to entitle this post "...and the winner is..." or "Drum roll, please..."

The winner of this awesome stash will receive a "pre-release" copy of my CD Solitude, a bag of Cadbury mini eggs, a package of Ghirardelli Dark & Raspberry chocolates, a package of Trident Citrus mint gum, and a bottle of Bath & Body Works Midnight Pomegranate deep cleansing hand soap.

Thank you to my lovely assistant, KJ, for helping me draw a name.

And the winner is.....

Laurel!!! of The Tea Party Place

And since I got such a great response, I decided to have a 2nd & 3rd place winner, too. You will also receive a copy of "Solitude."

Congrats to:

Susan Brady of Don and Susan

and Mikki of Firelein Tomfoolery

Congratulations! Now just email me with your name and address, and I will send you your loot!

pianorunner at yahoo dot com

TGIF, Random Sherisms, and some random tunes

Friday always seems to creep up on me. Wednesday I woke up, and thought to myself, "Man, it's only Wednesday?"

Then, suddenly it was Friday.

**************

This morning, as I was dropping TJ off at preschool, I was walking out the door, as a Mom and her daughter were walking in. The little girl had a kind of scowl on her face. You know, the 3-year-old-I'm-pouting kind of look on her face. Then I heard the Mom say, and I quote, "Now someone else can listen to you whining for a little while."

I just about busted up laughing right then and there. I don't know why, but that line just made my day. I walked to my car with a huge grin on my face.

Then, this afternoon, as I trying to get the kids into the car, to go have lunch with my girlfriends, and Peter was whining at me, I found myself thinking those EXACT WORDS.

I guess, I thought that woman's pain was funny, because I've lived through it, and I'm just glad I'm not the only one.

***************

Earlier this week, I went to the movies with a bunch of girls in my neighborhood. We decided to make it cheap and easy, so we went to the local dollar movies, where they are playing "Twilight"

I'm not sure why I subject myself to this torture over and over again. I guess, for the sake of having a girl's night out.

The movie was just as cheesy, ridiculous, and stupid, if not more so, as the first time I saw it.

And again, I couldn't help thinking to myself, every single time Jacob came on the screen:

Sharkboy.

**************

I think there is something terribly wrong with my dishwasher. It is only just over 2 years old. That's still pretty young for a dishwasher, right? And it still cleans the dishes just fine, but for the last few months, the so-called "whisper quiet" feature just doesn't seem to be working. That thing is so darn loud. So loud, in fact, that if I run the dishwasher, you cannot have a conversation in the kitchen. And I can't run it at night because it will wake everyone up. It is THAT loud. I kind of reminds me of when we used to live very near the air force base, and the fighter jets would fly over head, and you had to stop whatever you were doing, and just wait, because you couldn't hear yourself think.

My dishwasher has the decibel strength of a fighter jet.

*************

Last night, for my book club, the ladies and I went over to my old alma mater to attend a lecture by Jeffery Zaslow. He is the co-author of the book, The Last Lecture, with Randy Pausch.

If you aren't familiar with The Last Lecture, this man Randy Pausch, who was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, and had terminal cancer, decided to give a final lecture. It was then documented in a book.

I loved reading the book, and really enjoyed the lecture. I was amazed at this man's wisdom, and tenacity, despite his trial of dying. He basically did this lecture to leave a legacy for his children before he died.

He taught so many incredible life lessons through the stories he told in his lecture.

It gave me a lot to think about.

Here is my review from goodreads, that I wrote right after reading the book:

This book really surprised me. Before I read it, I didn't really
know what it was about, and being a nonfiction, I was skeptical. But I have to
say I really enjoyed reading it. I gained a lot of respect and admiration for
the author, and his ideals. I learned a lot about keeping a positive attitude,
living life, and raising my children. I think the message of this book will stay
with me for a long time.

You should go read it. Probably the best non-fiction book I've ever read.

*************

I have decided that I am a drama magnet. It seems that no matter where I go, or what I'm doing, some sort of drama ensues. I can't figure out why.

But it has me thinking. Turning it back onto myself. Do I create all this drama? Well, I certainly didn't create the drama of the crack-whore motel, or the almost accident. Ok, well, I might have escalated that drama in my head, stressing myself out, but I didn't create the incident.

So, why do things like that always keep happening to me?

It's got me wondering about my reaction to things that happen in my life. And if I'm handling each situation the best way I can.

**************

Today is the last day to enter my giveaway. I will be drawing a name tomorrow morning after i get back from my weekly long run. That is if I'm not taking a nap. So, if you haven't entered, go do it now. It's your last chance to win a copy of my CD "Solitude" plus some more Sher Loves: chocolate, Bath and Body works, and more chocolate.

*************

And now, some tunes:

1. El No Esta Por Ti - Laura Pausini

2. Here with Me - Reo Speedwagon

3. Lovebug - Jonas Brothers (don't judge me, I have a 7 year old)

4. Possession - Sarah Mclachlan

5. You Really Got Me - Van Halen

6. To Be With You - David Archuleta

7. Con te Partiro - Andrea Bocelli

8. We're Young and Beautiful - Carrie Underwood

9. Independent Love Song - Scarlett O'

10. Crashed - Daughtry

Bonus: No Llores Por Mi - Enrique Iglesias (apparently we're loving Latin music today)

MeMe Q&A Follow up

Thanks everyone for making me feel special and asking me to talk about myself.

Oh man, you guys seriously asked some really hard questions.

I was thinking more on the lines of “what’s your favorite color/food.” Talk about deep thinking. Not to mention, some of these question may or may not require me to open old long ago healed wounds, and reveal my most painful deepest darkest secrets. To protect my mental/emotional well-being, I may have to be somewhat vague. You understand, I’m sure.

That said, I’ll do my best to answer each of your questions and candidly as possible.

So…..

Andrea asked:
“If you could change one thing about your teen years, what would it be? It seems like the majority of people always say that they wouldn't change anything because they learned so much from it, or are the person they are today because of the choices they made, blah, blah, blah, it kind of sounds like crap to me. However, I am curious as to your thoughts on the subject.”

Hmmm. There are some things I would change, sure. I wouldn’t have been so boy crazy. And let me tell you I was really boy crazy. I finally wised up my senior year, and had a blast with my girls. I wish I hadn’t wasted so much time chasing boys.
And I wish I had passed the AP English test. Stupid Grapes of Wrath (which I didn’t read).

Annette asked:
“What was your favorite childhood toy?”

That’s an easy one. Thank you Annette! When I was little I was obsessed with Annie (as in the musical, little orphan Annie). I sang the songs constantly. I used to make my little sisters act it out with me.
I had a doll, I called it my turn around doll. It had a frilly pink dress, and you could wind it up and it would turn around in a circle and play “The Sun’ll Come out Tomorrow.”
I also had a heart necklace that was broken in half, just like the one Annie had.

Erin asked:
"What is the best book you have ever read?"

That’s harder than you think to answer. Because I like different genres for different reasons, and I have favorites in all categories. Best over all? Hmmm….I’m not sure.
I really enjoyed reading Angels & Demons because of the history, and of course because it’s sent in Italy. And I like the action. I’m not sure if that’s my absolute favorite though. I also loved Pride and Prejudice. And all of Jane Austen. And David Morrell. This is a really hard question. I just can't decide.
But since you're asking favorites, and nobody asked this, my favorite composer is Chopin. Hands down.

"When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?"

I’ve always had a passion for music, even when I was really little. And I’ve always loved to perform. I remember my extended family gathering around to hear my sing, and loving the spotlight.
So, I always knew I wanted to be in music, and be a performer. Concert pianist, or broadway singer.

"How many hours a day did your piano teacher require you to practice at the highest point?"

I don’t remember if she set an actual time limit. I do remember at times I would practice at least 2 hours a day. I used to get up at 5 in the morning to practice, I’d go to my piano lesson during my lunch break in high school (so I could be in the musical after school), then I’d go home after school and practice more. I also remember loving to practice. Sometimes it was hard and I wanted to goof off and play something besides what I was supposed to, but my Mom never had to hound me to practice. I actually got out of a lot of chores because I was practicing piano.

"What is your most embarrassing moment?"

Ha ha! All of my embarrassing moments involved bodily fluids. But my most embarrassing?
Probably 5th grade. The class was taking SAT tests, and I was afraid I’d get in trouble if I asked to go to the bathroom, and I just couldn’t hold it anymore, so I wet my pants.
It was the single most humiliating moment of my life.
I was very emotionally scarred for many years because of it. Thanks for opening that wound. Thanks a lot.

2busy asked:
"Any more psycho car chases lately?"

Ha ha! No, thank goodness. Hopefully that whole thing has been settled. Keep your fingers crossed.

span>"On another note, did you study music in college?"
span>
No, I didn’t. And I regret it. At the time, I felt so insecure and inadequate and I knew the music department was so competitive and I didn’t think I was good enough. I didn’t even audition for a scholarship, and later my freshman year, after the department head had heard me sing, she told me I should’ve auditioned because I would’ve gotten it. One of the many times that my insecurities of held me back.
So, my declared major was English secondary education…and I took A LOT of music classes, before I quit to get married and have babies.
So, yes, I’m a college drop out. (I’m so ashamed). One day, I want to go back, and I would like to study piano performance, but again, I’m afraid I’m not good enough, or that now I’m too old.

Lagirl asked:
"Any "guilty pleasures"?(I'm talkin' food here)"

Uh, hello. Umm…all of it!! I have a very unhealthy relationship with food. Eating is probably one of my favorite past times. If my hubby and I go out, it is always to eat. Always. I love eating out. But my biggest weakness if chocolate. I actually like a lot of healthy food. I don’t really love fast food, or hamburgers. But, give me dessert, and I just go hog wild. I always order dessert. And I have been known to eat an entire bag of Hershey’s kisses in one sitting.

Peggy asked:
"Yeah, whatever happened with that guy?"

Hopefully, he’s off the grid, and I’ll never see him again.

"How do you get a piano student to practice? He loves coming to lessons (I think he has a crush on me) but just is NOT progressing. Any advice?"

How old is he?
I’ve learned over the years that parent involvement is the biggest factor is kids practicing. It seemed, without fail, that every time I had someone not practicing it was because their parents used piano lessons as a half hour break from their kids every week. I would stress very strongly about getting them involved.
I also had a practice record they took home every week, and they had to fill it out and bring it back to me, and show me exactly what songs they practiced and how long.
And I always had a treat or some kind of reward for practicing.
Good luck!

Jan asked:
"When did you start having your social anxieties? I have always been curious about that. Love this."

You know, it’s probably not as bad as I make it sound. I was always kind of a nerd growing up. I was never really comfortable in social situations. Ironically though, I always craved the limelight. So, I learned to draw attention to myself. I kind of became the class clown. For some reason, if I made a fool of myself I didn’t feel so stupid.
As I’ve gotten older, and mellowed out, I’ve been a little less, um, dorky, I guess.
But, it’s gotten worse as I’ve gotten older and had kids. Crowds really bother me. It started, I guess, when I was expecting my first baby. I couldn’t stand people touching me, and being “in my space.” I guess I just never grew out of that. I like to have my distance. I’m not much of a hugger. I prefer small, intimate gatherings rather than big ones.
By the way, thank you Veronica for letting me ride with you to the meet and greet, because I would’ve been way less comfortable if I hadn’t had one person with me when I arrived.

Wonderwoman asked:
"So I can't ask what your fave position is? I feel so free when I'm commenting.....I know my mom won't read it."

You can ask, but I’m not going to answer it. And, your Mom reads my blog!
Mwa-hahaha (evil laugh)

"Seriously......I want to know your most embarrassing moment. And biggest regret."

Biggest regret? I’ve decided that I can’t live my life looking back, and wishing I hadn’t done this, or I’d done that. Besides, I don’t think we should live with regret. That is what repentence and the Atonement are for.
That said, if I had to name a few regrets: not majoring in music in college, not finishing college, quitting the violin.
But those are trivial things, and I try not to let them bother me.

Sarah asked:
"Will you come to my house and help me redesign my blog?"

Sure! Anytime! Although, I’m probably not the best person to ask.

Melissa asked:
"What started your passion for running and when did it happen?"

It’s funny, I used to hate running. I was one of those people (that I now make fun of, yeah, sorry, I’m mean like that) who always had some excuse for not doing it.
Then, I had my third baby, and I was frustrated that I couldn’t lose the weight. I had always been active and walked everyday around my neighborhood, which was about a ½ mile. My husband suggested I start running because it might help with losing the weight. So, I went to the park in my neighborhood that had a track that was a ½ mile long. And I decided I would try to run the whole loop. And I did it. And I hated it. Because it hurt. But, I kept going till I could go twice around, etc.
Then, I got a little gung-ho, and signed up for a 5k with my Mom and my SIL.
It took me 45 minutes. (I know!) But, I loved the exhileration of being in a race and being surrounded by people who always loved running (and yes, Jan, I can’t stand for someone to be in front of me in a race). And my competitive nature kicks in, and I just start passing people.
Then, I signed up for a 10k. It was a huge accomplishment. Then, 2 years later, I signed up for a half marathon. I think that’s when the love of distance running kicked in for me. Running 6 miles is hard. You just barely get into your rhythm and you’re done. Running 13-26 miles, is easier because you get into your groove, and then you just glide along, letting the endorphins carry you along.
Running is like a drug for me. I crave that adrenalin rush after finishing a race.

Tink asked:
"1. Is your hair naturally curly?"

Yes, it is naturally curly, and yes, I hate it. It’s not quite as curly as is used to be, it’s relaxed a lot. Having babies will do that, I guess.

"2. If your kids wanted to quit taking piano lessons, would you let them?"

My kids are still little, so only one of them has started. And we’re hit and miss. I guess that’s what happened when the mom and the teacher are the same person. I will start my 5 year old soon. And I will probably give them the same opportunity my parents gave me and my siblings. We got to choose our instrument, we could do piano and one other thing, and we had to have lessons until we graduated from HS, then we could choose if we wanted to continue. But, I don’t want to force it down their throat, and make them hate it, either. KJ is already showing more interest in sports than music, and that’s OK with me.

"3. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?"

A concert pianist or a singer on broadway. Even from when I was really little, I loved to perform.

Mina said:
"What was your best college memory (if you didn't go, I guess insert young adult era)?"

I loved going to country dancing with my girls from my student ward. Jamming with my roommate, Rebecca, who was/is an incredibly amazing musician. Doing my homework upstairs at the Salt Lake Roasting company over a cup of steamed milk.

"How much time do you practice the piano now?"

Not as much as I should. I spent a lot of time last year while I was writing a lot, and last summer/fall while I was recording. Lately, I’ve just been playing around. I need to practice more because I still have like 10 songs to transcribe.

"Are you happy with where you are now in life?"

Absolutely! Actually, the thought occurred to me the other day, that all of my life’s dreams are coming true. I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot in recent years: I have a loving husband, and beautiful, wonderful children; running marathons; and recording an album.

"Where would you like to see yourself in 15 years?"

Translated.
But, if not, then I want to still be writing/performing music, hopefully make some money doing it, have more babies, and have confident, well-adjusted children, and a happy husband. And I DON’T want to be a grandma, yet. KJ will be 23. She could wait a few more years, although I was 23 when I had her.

Alyson asked:
"Social anxiety? Do tell!"

I elaborated under Jan’s question, but in essence, I just don’t like big crowds, or people touching me, or walking in front of me, or lots of noise. I get confused. Maybe I’m just getting old.

Boob Nazi asked:
"Who/what were you named after/where did your parents get your name?"

I wasn’t named after anyone. I think my parents just liked the name. My Dad wanted to name me Marandy. Not MarandA, but MaRandY. He also liked Thelissa. (with a soft th) Yikes! Sorry, to anyone out there who is named Marandy, or Thelissa, but I’m just grateful that my mother used her veto power on that one! BTW, funny story: if I had been a boy, they would’ve named my Clint. Hmmm…..

Kristen asked:
"Who is your favorite sister? j/k I already know it's me j/k again. I'm okay with being 2nd fav, cuz Kathryn is so awesome."

Yes, Kris, you and Kat are my favorite sisters. Love you!
p.s. are you still pregnant?☺

Me! Me!!

Getting to know You ME, version 2009

I know a lot of you have done this on your blogs before. And, while I'm a little afraid to proceed with this, because doing so, draws on the assumption that, yes, people want to know stuff about me.

That is a little narcissistic, on my part, I guess. But, who cares? It's all about me, right? Because, it's been pretty well established that this here blog aint so much about my little ole family, cute as they may be. It's all about Sher!

Besides, if you didn't care about wanting to know about me, you wouldn't be reading my blog, right?



RIGHT?!



*silence*



*crickets chirping*



There may be a few things about me, that you don't know. For instance, the fact that I can sleep and run at the same time! It's true! Here's proof:



Oh man, that picture turned out way smaller than I wanted. I guess that's what I get for swiping it from the marathon website, instead of actually purchasing the picture of me running/sleeping simultaneously.


So for the two of you that don't already know my life story, and if you spend the next 17 hours reading through my 306 posts, you do, I'm offering myself up to interrogation.




Let the questioning begin.


Ask me anything you want. I will do a follow up post to answer your questions.




Restrictions:

1) No, I won't give you my SSN# or credit card # on my blog.
2) No, my husband is not available for trade. He is MINE, all Mine, you can't have him.
3) No gratuitous sex questions. Please keep it PG-13. See above, if you are confused.
4) If you want to know how much money I make, then well, the answer is $30 a month for the one piano student I have left. Someday when the government figures out how to pay stay-at-home-Moms, without drug addicts and dead beats taking advantage, I'll be raking it in hand over fist!



Otherwise, ask away!!

Global Warming?

The thermometer on my car said 58 degrees today. FIFTY-EIGHT DEGREES!

My instinct was to think it was a mistake, but then I realized I had shed my coat, turned on the A/C, and my sleeping 3-year-old in the back of the car was sweating.

I'm liking this weather! Especially considering that exactly a week ago, it was in the 20's, with a huge blizzard that brought us a foot of snow.

Now, if it can just stay this warm all week, and melt that foot of snow from my front yard, so my spring bulbs can start sprouting.

Welcome Spring!!

I just made 40 new friends!

Last Saturday, I had the wonderful opportunity to go have lunch with a crowd of beautiful amazing women, a la Kristina. Many of these women I have gotten to know, and grown to love and admire.

I'm so happy to have finally gotten to meet them face to face! I had a fabulous time, and I'm so glad I let you (all of you) talk me into going!

I drove down with Veronica. We met for the first time face to face when she came to pick me up, but we found we have a lot of mutual friends (besides our blogging buddies), and have a lot in common. I can see us being long-time friends.

I do wish I'd had more time to chat with everyone. There were so many people to see and talk to, I felt like there were some I would've like to talk to more. So, I'd be totally down for having another one. Soon. How about something further North, next time?

Here are some pics of the lovely ladies I met:

Vanessa, Veronica, Melissa, Me

Kristina, Amber, Ariane, Melissa

Shauna & Me

Ariane (showing us how to pose to avoid the double chin), Melissa, Martha, Vanessa, Sheila & Tiburon (above)

Tib, Veronica, Me (sticking my neck out to avoid the double chin)

(L-R) Me, Jeni, Susette, Annette, Kathy, Erin

Me, Kristina, Veronica, snuggling up in the "Snuggie"

Apparently, I don't know how to wear it, because it kept falling off.

Ladies, it was wonderful meeting all of you. I know I didn't get pictures of everyone, and I didn't get to chat with everyone, so hopefully, there will be a next time, but I'm so glad I went.

Mu-wah!!

Random Sherisms, and Random Tunes

This week has whizzed by so fast. And I am exhausted. Laying around all day, shirking your responsibilities, avoiding housework, and neglecting your children is really exhausting.

Ok, maybe I haven't actually been that bad. But that's how I've felt. Somehow the depression bug didn't bite me in January. Probably because it was sunny.

Well, it has surely been biting me the last two weeks. This week especially.

Yesterday, I was really stressed out.

First, I got up at 4:00 A.M. to run 9 miles (I sure the lack of sleep might have something to do with my mood), thinking, I've got to get my butt in gear, and start exercising. It was hard. I guess when you go all week without doing anything, and eating crap all day, you get out of shape. Who knew?

Then, after taking all the monkeys to school, I went to KJ's school (where I volunteer every Thursday). I talked to the office about signing TJ for Kindergarten, got all the necessary paperwork.

Then, after preschool, I took TJ to the doc for his Kindergarten shots. First we went to the wrong office, because I was sure I specified the doctor and the office I wanted that is in my town, but no, our appointment was with another doctor, in another town. So we had to drive all the way there, got dirty looks and comment for being late. It was all good though, because the nurse had a British accent, and I liked hearing her talk. And the doc was nice. TJ was a total and complete drama queen about his shots. I don't even think KJ cried when she got her shots.

So, the rest of the day, he walked around all straight legged, like a zombie, because of his "hurt legs." I gave him some motrin and sent him to bed.

Anyway, we had just enough time after the doc to eat a sandwich, then went to karate. (Yes, I made TJ do karate after getting shots---I'm such a mean Mom).

After that I taught a piano lesson (I still teach my neice). KJ brought a friend home from school. Homework. After school snacks. Laundry.....

Then, my insurance agent called me. Crap. The saga continues....apparently the freak somehow got my info, and personally called my insurance company. Maybe I'm mistaken, but isn't it usually protocol to call your own insurance company, who then, in turn, calls the other insurance company for you? Creepy. Anyway, I told them my side of the story. He told me he was worried, because if the dude files a claim, then I could have an accident on my record. I said, but I didn't hit him. Then I told him about how he didn't get out to check for damage, but immediately started chasing me, and he said, well, that changes things. So, I spent the rest of the night worrying about it. I even tried to call the police to amend my report, to let them know the dude is stalking me. Following me to tumbling, which by the way, is interesting because he didn't have a child in his car when he showed up. It is apparent that he came JUST to talk to me. I'm considering filing a restraining order. I just want it to go away.

I can't believe that almost hitting someone could cause this much drama.

Then, last night C went to the Jazz game, and I sat and watched TV all night. It was a late game, so I was in bed before he got home. So, I sat in bed, worrying, and festering, and thinking, he's not going to get much sleep tonight. And he has to wake up extra early and drive to one of his company's stores that is 3 hours from here in the morning. What if he gets in an accident? What if he dies? I had myself totally freaked out last night.

Today, I'm still feeling that tightness in my chest, that looming cloud of doom. Anxiety.

See, that's how I know I've got the crazy bug because of all my irrational thoughts.

*************

Sorry, if you didn't want my day's play by play. But I'm venting here. And this is my journal, so I'm writing for me.

**************

Ok, I'm a little discouraged about the numbers who have entered my giveaway. If I can't even get more than 30 people to want my CD for free, how am I going to sell thousands of copies, and go platinum? Come on, people! Tell your Friends! If this is an indication of how few copies I will sell, then I am considering just doing a homemade version and selling off what I have, and calling it good. There's no way I will break even if I have a professional cover done, and only sell 30 copies. I figured out recently that I have to sell at least 100 to break even. Is it worth it?
I don't know.

I'm feeling discouraged.

**************

I lost a follower today. I know I shouldn't let it bother me, but it does. I just want people to like me. And I can't help wondering who and why.
p.s. I have more followers than entries into my drawing. If everyone that is following me entered the giveaway, I might feel a little better about myself. (hint, hint)
Come on, it's free stuff!

**************

Let's see, what else can I complain about today? I'm just a giant boob today. Ok, that didn't come out right. Although, I'm sure C would appreciate that....

Whatev.

***********

By the way, did one of you link to me about my post in December about Depression? All of sudden this week, I've been getting comments, and people visiting that post. Just curious where all the traffic is coming from all of sudden.

************
On a brighter note, I am overjoyed to announce that my little KJ has entered into the realm of ABBA fanhood. I couldn't be more proud. Everytime we get in the car, she grabs the Ipod, and puts on ABBA and totally ROCKS OUT!

Thank you, makers if Mamma Mia, for being the awesome music of ABBA to the world, and my little girl.

Thank you for the music! ☺

**************

Here's my random 10 list of tunes for Friday:

1. They Rage On - Dan Seals
2. Uninvited - Alanis Morissette
3. Lost? - Coldplay
4. I Get Weak - Belinda Carlisle
5. I Have a Dream - ABBA
6. Breathless - Corrine Bailey Rae
7. They All Laughed - Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
8. Under Pressure - Queen & David Bowie
9. Last Dollar (Fly Away) - Tim McGraw
10. Please - The Kinleys

Bonus: No One Mourns the Wicked - Kristen Chenoweth

Now THAT's Something to Blog about!

Remember last week, when I went to pick up KJ from tumbling? Remember my high speed car chase? No? Well, go read it here. (and leave a comment while you're there, to enter my CD giveaway)

Well, it's Wednesday again. Time for tumbling...again. I'll be honest, I went expecting a confrontation. I was nervous. I dropped off KJ, then went to the grocery store, finished early, and had to sit outside the building for about ten minutes.

I purposely parked on the street alongside of the building, instead of in the parking lot. I wanted to go out of my way to stay away from all other cars, so as to avoid any possible confusion that I may or may not hit someone.

Well, sure enough 6:29 rolls around, just as I'm preparing to exit my vehicle, here comes the dreaded '92 Honda Accord (no, I didn't just drop his make and model). He pulled around and parked right behind me. I decided I'd just ignore him, play stupid, like I didn't know it was him. I got TJ and Peter out of the car, and proceeded to walk toward the building.

The dude also got out of his car, and starting yelling "Ma'am, ma'am!!" I tried to ignore him at first, act like I didn't hear him, but there was no avoiding this.

So, I turned around, and innocently said, "Yes?"

He immediately, assuming I know who he is, says, "I haven't been able to get hold of the UHP and they won't give me your insurance info, so I need to get it from you."

Me: Inner panic, heart pounding, starting to shake. On the outside, calm as the morning sunrise, "Sir," I said dripping with sarcastic politeness, "I won't be giving you my insurance information, because I didn't hit you."
He proceeded to argue with me that, yes, I did, and did I want to see his headlight? I said in essence that there was virtually ZERO evidence on my vehicle that I had hit anything, and I stand by my position that I DID NOT HIT HIM. I also told him that after he pursued me like a psycho (Yes, I used the word psycho), he had terrified me AND my children (I made sure he knew he scared my kids), and there was no way I would've stopped after the way he reacted.
I told him I had told the police that I didn't hit him, and I would not give him my insurance info.
Then I said, "Excuse me, I'm going to get my daughter now." Then, I turned, and walked away.

For the first time in my life, I said the perfect thing at the perfect moment. Calmly, confidently. I didn't even stutter. (You may not know this about me, but sometimes I stutter, when I'm nervous or upset).

In retrospect, the only thing I wish I had said in addition, was how could he prove that the damage to his headlight was done by me, because he didn't get out of his car to inspect it at the time the "incident" happened. He just pulled right out behind me, and chased me onto the freeway. How could he know that the crack in his headlight wasn't there before, or possibly caused by a rock chip because he was following me so close?

I'm proud of myself for standing up to the dude. I've NEVER done that before.

It feels good.

Drawing a Blank....

I am fresh out of material. I was going to do a post about this stand up bit that C told me about called Psycho Points, which in context, was really funny, but as I started writing it, I found it was less funny, and more chauvinistic. I looked for the video on You Tube, but couldn't find it.

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I was going to talk about how much I hate the snow, and how much I'd love to fly South, but, well...Been there...Done that.

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I was going to talk about my concerns for my little girl and the diva drama she's been dealing with at school. Girls can be so mean. I can't believe it's already starting, and she's only in 1st grade. But, the more I dwell on it, the more it upsets me, so I just let her come to me when she wants to talk about it. And I try not to fester.

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I could write about the fact that I've hit my monthly depths of despair, which aren't really the depths of despair. Just that fact that I'm completely unmotivated to do ANYTHING. Including Blogging. Including my beloved exercise. Mostly, I just want to go to sleep. Or lie on the couch, eating anything chocolate I can get my hands on, and waste oodles of time watching useless, pointless TV shows, about no talent freaks trying to sing their way into Hollywood.
Perhaps my problem is the fact that I've eaten so much garbage over the last week, that my body is in protest.

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I could vent about how I finally got my butt in gear and went to the gym today, and started to feel pretty good about myself, until the instructor said something to me, that was silly, but that offended me, and confirmed my long standing suspicions that she doesn't like me, and it made me want to leave and never come back. Why do I let myself get offended over stupid things?
So, I hopped on a treadmill, and made a fool of myself, while trying to run off my anger, running as fast as I could, flinging sweat all over the place.

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I could discuss about how I'm thinking about going to the Blogger Meet and Greet on Saturday with Kristina and her flock, but how I'm a little freaked out about going to meet people, in person, face to face. Can you agoraphobia?! Are you going? Talk me into it. I need you to. Or don't. Either way. Whatever....

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Am I manic, or what?!!

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I will for sure have to shamelessly promote my giveaway. Have you entered yet? I'm giving away a pre-release copy of my upcoming debut CD "Solitude" plus some goodies, just because I want to Sher the Love. Scroll down, or Click here, to enter!

Wedding Tag

I saw this tag on someone's blog months ago, and now I'm finally getting around to doing it. In honor of Valentine's Day, and the 9 year anniversary of C proposing to me, here you go:

1. Where did you and your husband meet? In a singles ward at the U. I was ward chorister and saw him while I was sitting on the stand. He was so cute, it took me several months to get up the nerve to talk to him.

2. How long before you kissed? About 4 dates, I think. It was THE most romantic first kiss EVER!!

3. Who kissed who first? I think we both knew we were going to kiss that night and I was nervous, so I just kept talking and he kissed me, cutting me off mid-sentence.

4. How long from the time you met until you were engaged? Just under two years. We first met in June 1998, and we got engaged on Valentines day 2000.

5. How did he propose? On Valentines day, I made him dinner at his apartment, he told me he loved me for the first time, and then pulled out the ring and asked me to marry him.

6. Did he pick out the ring or did you? We went together to pick it out, in December, I think. He had the ring for almost 2 months before he proposed. He says he was just waiting for the right time. I think he was still deciding if he really wanted to marry this crazy girl.

7. Do you still like the ring? I love it! Marquis cut diamond, with small round diamonds down the sides of the band, in yellow gold. I always wanted yellow gold, but white gold was just starting to get popular when we got married, so I debated. I always thought yellow gold would come back, and now it has!!

8. Where was your wedding and reception? We got married in the Logan Temple, and our reception was at the Weber State Alumni Center

9. How many bridesmaids did you have and who was your maid of honor? My two sisters, and my 3 sister in laws were bridesmaids, so 5.

10. What color were your bridesmaid dresses? I let them choose between Black, gray or silver. I didn't have a special one for all of them. I wanted to keep is simple

11. What was your bouquet made of? Red roses, and white gerbera daisies

12. Who gave you away? My Dad, I guess. They don't really have people give you away in the temple.

13. Did you cry during your wedding? Yes, I almost made it all the way through, then I made eye contact with my sister, and got weepy.

14. What style was your dress? I loved my dress. I would totally wear it again. Short sleeves, square neck, umpire waist, with beading and lace on top, chiffon overlays on bottom. Not to fluffy, and not too long of a train. I'll have to find a picture.

15. Was your wedding kiss sweet or sexy? Wedding day? Sweet. Wedding night? SEXY!!

16. Who caught your bouquet? Ummm....I think one of my friends who was dating C's friend, and I think they did get married next.

17. What flavor was your cake? I had a layer with chocolate and a layer with white, with raspberry filling. I wanted to have some the next day, but my brothers ate it all. Typical.

18. Did you smash the cake onto each other's faces or feed it to each other nicely? We were nice....and boring, but we did cut our cake with a big ole butcher knife because they couldn't find the pretty one. I'll have to find that picture too.

19. What was "your song" that you danced to at your wedding? I know we danced to one song, I can't remember what it was, but I sang "The Way you Look Tonight" with the band at my reception.

20. What did you serve your guests to eat? C wanted pizza and coke, and I just had to put my foot down. I was NOT going to serve redneck football food at my wedding. So we served hot wings, and little wieners, and fruit trays, and brownies, and lemonade. Half way through the reception, I thought I really could use a Coke right now. Dang it, C is always right, even from the beginning!

21. What did your friends do to decorate your car? We flew under the radar on that one! Nobody did!!

22. What was your favorite wedding gift? Probably the gift basket of "wedding night stuff" from C's friends. What a bunch of pervs. They were all single, and it was a little embarrassing, but memorable. That, and the Kitchenaid from my parents.

23. What was the worst wedding gift you got? The only think I can remember is this Easter bunny cookie jar from a lady in my Mom's ward, and every time I saw her she would ask me if I liked her gift. That, and I got like 14 waffle makers.

24. Where did you go on your honeymoon? Las Vegas, baby! Our friends gave us their timeshare down there as a wedding gift. It was quite the adventure. Between heat stroke, sunburns, and our blowing out the engine in our car on the way back, and riding from Nephi to Centerville in a tow truck, it was quite the romantic getaway!!!

25. Looking back, is there anything you would have changed about your wedding? Ummm.....I've never really liked how I did my hair. And I remember being really snotty with my Mom through it all, and I wish I had been more gracious.

I tag anyone that wants to play along (who hasn’t already) and relive their wedding day!

Random Sherisms, Randoms tunes, and FINALLY....a GIVEAWAY!!!

Friday. Hmmph.

I'm not sure if you could tell or not, but all the snowing that's been going on this week has maybe-kinda-sorta gotten to me. It seemed like it blizzarded (is, too, a word!) straight for 3 days. On the third day, I boycotted shoveling my driveway. My house is facing North. That means that no matter what time of day it is, my driveway is ALWAYS in the shadows. It never sees sunlight. (My driveway is probably really depressed and needs prozac, or light therapy or something). Anyway, so now it's covered in a nice thick sheet of ice. So, don't come visit me. I don't want you to fall on your rear, and then sue me.

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I'm going through a bit of a fugly frump stage this week. You remember my cute $4 hat I got in FL?

Well, it has now become a permanent fixture on top of my head. SWEEET! A new excuse NOT to do my hair. I now have perma-hat-head. I've also been sporting the just crawled-out-of-bed-baggy-sweatshirt-and-flip-flops look all week. (By the way, Annette, all these hyphens are in your honor ☺)

I need some kind of motivation to break out of the fugly, and back into being cute. Any ideas?

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I got in a high speed car chase this week. This story probably deserves it's own post, but since I didn't post it the day of, I'll just do it here:

I was picking up my daughter from tumbling on Wednesday. The parking lot at tumbling is INSANE. It is a complete clusterflup. (You're welcome, by the way, for not using the actual word that I wanted to there). It is mass chaos, complete mayhem, total pandemonium. I was backing out of a parking space. There were about 4 cars among the 50 in the row behind me that had their reverse lights on. I paused, decided it was my turn, and started to back out. There was also an arrogant idiotic dumb ass that was double parked illegally along behind the rows of cars. I saw him, proceeded to back out, and he honked at me. Ok, I guess I got too close for his comfort, so I pulled away. He honked again and pulled out behind me. I got out to the stop sign to turn on the road. He started honking and flashing his lights at me. I started to get a little scared, because, I was CERTAIN that I hadn't hit him. I would've felt it if I'd hit someone, so I just kept going. He tailed me, right on my bumper, flashing his headlights at me, acting like a maniac, following my every move. I was freaked, because,first of all, there's no way I'm stopping now because if I did, he's either going to shoot me, or beat me up. And I had my kids in the car with me. As I turned onto the main road in town, I had the choice to stay in the right lane, and get on the freeway, or go straight, toward home. Well, I didn't want the freak to follow me to my house, so I jumped on the freeway, and gunned it. Now, I was driving maniacally, weaving in and out of traffic, going 80 mph, trying to lose the dude. I drove all the way to the next town over before I got off, and weaved through the back streets back to my home town. I figured if he really cared, he could get my license plate number. He'd been close enough to me for long enough, he couldn't gotten it. Well, sure enough, 3 hours later the cops showed up at my door. Luckily, one of them was a girl in my ward, and they heard my side of the story and kind of laughed it off. Apparently, according to the freak, I had hit him and one of his headlights was broken. Funny, I didn't feel a thing.

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Also, On Wednesday night I drove down to Provo with my parents and my sister. I went to watch my brother, Spencer, who goes to BYU, open an envelope. It was VERY exciting!

Watch this:

The crazy part is that he has to report to the MTC in Preston, England, instead of Provo.

He leaves in May. I'm excited for him, but sad to see him go. No more jam sessions with my favorite composing/arranging buddy.

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And now....(drum roll please)......A GIVEAWAY!!!!

I finally got around to designing a temporary cover for my CD. I did it for the MMB giveaway from last month. I'm also giving a CD away on Annette Lyon's blog. I also put a Paypal button on my website, so if anyone wants to pre-order the real thing when it gets released, you can.

So, this post is my 299th post. And sometime around last month was my 1 year blogiversary. So, I decided it's about time for a Bloggy giveaway.

If you want to win a pre-release copy of my debut CD "Solitude" along with a bunch of other goodies that I love (i.e. Bath & Body works, Chocolate, etc.), then come enter!

The rules:

For one entry: leave a comment

For a 2nd entry: give me a shout out on your blog (link to this blog for the giveaway, and link to my music website, then leave me a comment saying you did so.)

I will keep it open from now until February 28th. That's two weeks for you to enter, and spread the word!

And don't worry, if you don't win, you can go pre-order a copy!

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And now, my random 10 list of tunes for you!

1. Let Me Go - David Archuleta

2. Casa De Locos - Ricardo Arjona

3. Home - Daughtry

4. Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love - Coldplay

5. Baby Mine - Sherrie Shepherd

6. The Way We Were - Barbra Streisand

7. Amores Extranos - Laura Pausini

8. Ghost of a Dog - Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians

9. Keep the Faith - Bon Jovi

10. Before Me & You -Shedaisy

Bonus: Far Away - Nickelback

Things I Love to Hate....

I saw this little tag on Mechelle's blog. I kind of liked the idea, and since I always jump on the opportunity to complain vent, I thought I'd join in the fun.

In honor of upcoming Love Day, you are supposed to list 25 things you Love to Hate. I don't know if I can think of 25 things, but here goes....

1. Commercialized Valentine's Day. While, I like getting flowers, chocolates, gifts, etc from my one and only, I think they would mean more if he brought them home on some random Tuesday "just because" and not because he feels obligated because it's V-day. This year we're boycotting, and staying in with the family. I'm excited.

2. I hate that I can't write a one-liner. I feel this uncontrollable need to explain myself.

3. Looking in the wrong direction at the wrong time, as a person wearing too-low pants, and too-short shirt bends over. I don't care how fat or skinny you are, visual butt-crack is NEVER pretty.

4. That I keep sabotaging myself by eating junk food, and sleeping in instead of going running.

5. THIS STUPID SNOW. I'm soooo DONE with Winter.

6. Schedules. I don't like feeling tied down to one, but I agree that sometimes I maybe could benefit from one.

7. The parking lot at my daughter's tumbling. And the fact that all the stupid people in my town go there at the same time.

8. "The Act." I just wish people would just be real, and quit trying to impress everyone else. If we were all just ourselves, and stop passing judgements, then there would be no need to compare or impress other people.

9. That I can't make my children's friends for them, or go follow them around at school all day, to make sure they're OK.

10. People who don't flush the toilet after going in a public restroom. Seriously, why on earth would anyone want to see your business? Just flush the damn toilet!!

11. Slow people. I should clarify (see #2). People who walk slow in front of me. Sometimes I really just want to shove them out of the way.

12. People up in my "space." Even my hubby and my kids. I don't like people up in my face. I like affection, but when I'm done, I'm Done.

13. Whining.

14. Ironing.

15. Tuna fish, mayo, and pickles. Together, or separate, they are all equally disgusting.

16. Girls who think they have to dress like hookers to get attention. You're making the rest of our gender look bad. Put some clothes on already.

17. Wearing shoes.

18. When I know people are looking at my blog, and not commenting (hint, hint).

19. Crowds.

20. Covered wagons (C that means YOU--knock it off).

21. Lippers (again, C, you're the only one who will get that, but seriously, Stop it!)

22. That feeling when my alarm goes off, and I feel like I just barely got to sleep.

23. Liars.

24. Dusting.

25. Doing my Hair.

There you have it. I tag whoever wants to play along!

Where is that Smell Coming from?

This morning, after an intense 2 hour work out at the gym, I came home, and started picking up the house. I noticed a faint smell, but couldn't quite figure out where it was coming from. So, all morning, I've been scrubbing and scouring everything, trying to figure out where that rank smell was coming from. All the while, no matter which room I entered, it was growing stronger and stronger.

I was scrubbing my whole house with Clorox, when suddenly, I realized, the nasty smell is ME. And my BO. Apparently exercising for 2 hours straight can produce an odor.

I guess I better go shower now.

This post brought to you by the letter "N"

I accepted this tag a few weeks ago. I believe it was during the "hubby-is-out-of-town-hosting-book-club-at-my-house-preparing-to-go-on-vacation" week. So, I didn't do it.

I'm playing catch up now.

I was assigned the letter "N"

Let's see if I can think of anything:

Nerds: Because I am a giant one. And because I'm married to one. People look at C, and automatically think Jock. But, he is big nerd. He is THE smartest person I know. Plus, I like the candy, too.

Night: I am a total night person. I'd much rather stay up late, and sleep in than get up early.

New shoes: Well, seriously, Who doesn't love buying shoes? I guess this could apply to just about anything new.

Nice, long, Hot baths/showers: Especially after coming home from a long run in the cold. It's nice to defrost in the shower, while everyone is still asleep.

Narcissistic: Ok, this might not necessarily be a good thing, but at least I'm willing to admit that the world revolves around me!

Negative calorie foods: You know, foods that contain less calories that it takes to burn:

Cucumbers, celery, lettuce, asparagus, zucchini, to name a few. Yum, yum!!!

Northridge High School: my Alma mater

Not wearing shoes: While I enjoy shopping for and owning shoes, I don't necessarily enjoy actually putting them on my feet. Bare feet, all the way!!!

Naps: No explanation needed.

Nuts: Love 'em. Especially when surrounded by chocolate.

Normal: Something that I'm pretty sure doesn't exist, and even if it does, I'm not it.

Nice: I'd like to think I am a nice person. But, if I'm not, at least, I know I have a lot of really nice friends.

The eNd.

I've started so many different post over the past few weeks, that just never got finished. I think I have completely lost my drive for blogging. My muse has left the building. For the first time in my existence, my mind if empty.

Ok, well, not really empty, just nothing that I can twist into eloquent, funny, or entertaining stories.

So, I might just have to do my random post everyday, or just stop posting all together.

So, today, here's what I've thought about:

• I'm VERY, VERY, very, very, very, very, etc. unhappy about the blizzard today. I'm bugged that I had to shovel today. I didn't even finish, because the darn snow was so wet and heavy, that I literally could not do anymore. I was exhausted. Now, my lats are sore, I can only imagine what they'll feel like tomorrow.


• My other beef is this: what the H-E-double-hockey-sticks happened to all the snow plows? Did they all retire in the 2 weeks of 40 degree sunshine we had in January? I was out running errands from 8:45 this morning to 4 this afternoon. The snow didn't stop until around 1, and not once did I see a snow plow, and even the main roads were NOT plowed. Forget the budget cuts, I'd like to drive to preschool without DYING!


• I'm so ready for spring, I'm ready to up and move to AZ, or at least St. George. I understand, now, why birds fly south for the winter. And old people. And why bears hibernate. I really would like to just go to sleep from New Years day until March. Wake me up for my birthday. And I'll wear green, so you won't have to pinch me awake......hint, hint*
  

Here is my cute little TJ shoveling snow for me today.

• My kiddos had to go back to the dentist today. KJ had to get sealants on her back teeth, and TJ had cavities to fill. Talk about your drama! KJ was fine, but TJ fought and fought and fought until finally our dentist, who is a great dentist, and a very patient person, got frustrated, and finally sent us home with a temporary filling. He also told TJ that we would try again in a week, and if he didn't cooperate, he was send him to a mean dentist who would put him to sleep to fix his teeth. I hope TJ is scared into submission. We'll see when we go back to try again.


• I was reading my sister's blog today, about her trip here. I mentioned (I think) my gorgeous sister who lives in OK, and who is expecting twins. Well, she posted some pics on her blog, so I copied them, so I could show you here how cute she is!

This is my Dad and Kris comparing bellies. I think she just might have him beat!

My girls! My sisters: Kat, Me, Kris, Mom, Jess, Stacie

Kris, Jess & Stacie are all prego.

Random stuff going around in my head, and some tunes

TGIF!

This week has whizzed by. Probably because I was spending so much energy getting reacquainted with my children, and our regular routine. Why is it so hard to come back from vacation? We were only gone for 5 days. My house was immaculate and my children were happy when we got home, thanks to our fabulous babysitter. I didn't have any damage control to deal with. But it always takes me a few days to get back into the norm. Does that ever happen to you?

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Peter woke up in the night last night barking. Just when I think the coast is clear, we've gone a few weeks with no one getting sick, then all of sudden she's got what we here in Shepville like to call "the mean cough." I had to force feed her some cough medicine, because she wouldn't let me help her. She wouldn't drink water. She wouldn't lie down. Finally, at midnight, I took her outside and we sat on the deck and cuddled for a few minutes. The fact that it worked confirmed my suspicions. Croup. Again.

She's happy as could be today. Again, telltale signs of croup. I'm sure the midnight bark will come back again tonight. Sadly, I, too, am starting to feel some scratchiness in my throat. Dangit!

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Sometimes I fantasize about being a figure skater. Or a ballroom dancer. When a really good song come on the radio, I picture myself gliding on the ice, doing all sorts of funky tricks that I don't know the name of.

I've teased my hubby that I want us to take ballroom dance lesson. Of course, there is no chance in you know where that he would go along with that. He did take me dancing once, though. On our first actual-non-hanging-out-with-our-roommates-date. We went country dancing at the Bay. If you're from the Salt Lake area, do you remember the Bay? It was THE place to go country dancing. It's where my sister and two of my cousins met their hubbies.

So, C took me country dancing, and we spent the whole night upstairs talking. I think we might've done one line dance, and I remember liking that he held my hand out to the dance floor.

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I've been fighting with the wicked witch of insecurities this week. I don't know why. It's stupid. I let things get to me, that normally I would let roll off my back. I let things people say affect me, even though I know their comments were well intended, and I'm twisting it to make it something it's not. I'm feeling inadequate, insignificant, and competitive (as usual), but I'm losing. I'm not even going to tell you what this is about because it's so stupid and silly. I've talked to C about it. And of course, he thought it was funny and laughed at me. He always laughs stuff like this off. I need to dig deep and find my sense of humor.

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I haven't done laundry since Tuesday. And now I'm regretting it. I was all caught up when I got home from FL. I should've stayed on top of it, so I didn't have mountains of dirty clothes. So, today, I have to climb a mountain. Of dirty laundry.

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I'm proud to announce that I remembered my hubby's birthday this year. And I went over the top to make up for it. I surprised him in the morning with a lipstick note on the mirror that said Happy Birthday. I had bear claws waiting for him in the kitchen for breakfast. I put a goody bag in his truck for him to find when he left for work. I texted him a couple of times during the day. I seriously considered sending a singing telegram, and a balloon bouquet to work, but since he doesn't like to draw attention to himself, I thought that would just embarrass him too much.

We ate a homemade steak dinner, and mud pie when he got home from work. The kids and I got him balloons, and they made cards for him.

He told me yesterday that he still had one in the bank, though. He said he still has a free pass to forgetting my birthday. I don't think that's fair.

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Ok, here's some music:

1. I'm Still Remembering - The Cranberries
2. Clumsy - Fergie
3. On Fire - Van Halen
4. Shelf - Jonas Brothers
5. Dancing Through Life - Wicked
6. Romeo and Juliet - Dire Straits
7. Message in a Bottle - The Police
8. Doctor! Doctor! - Thompson Twins
9. In & Out of Love - Bon Jovi
10. This is It - Kenny Loggins
Bonus: That's Where It Is - Carrie Underwood

SUPERBOWL XLIII (part 2)

Us. And some cow statues.

Sorry to get all your hopes up about some crazy story about the rest of my trip. The rest of the trip was uneventful. It was good. The end.

Ugh....AS IF!!!

Actually, the best part of the story, is the crack-whore motel story, but it's still pretty good. What else could possibly go wrong?

Friday morning, we got up, and started walking to catch the trolley. When it didn't come after 20 minutes we decided to start walking down the street toward "town" We'd walked maybe 1/2 mile when finally the bus shows up, we get on, and find out that we are on the wrong bus. We needed to cross the street and catch the one going the other direction. So, we hopped off, walked to the nearest stop, and waited. And waited, and waited and waited. Once again, it's just painful to just sit there, so we started walking again. This time we probably walked about 2 1/2 miles. At a walking pace, I'd guess about 30-40 minutes went by. Finally, the bus shows up. Drives us about 1/2 mile to the end of the line, where we are told to catch, yet, another bus, to get into town. After changing buses about 4 more times, we finally made it to a little park in downtown St. Petersburg. The park is right next to the homeless shelter. There were definitely some classy people on the bus, and at the stop.

Let me tell you, people, I was feeling really pretty at that moment. At least I had all my teeth, and they'd been brushed that morning.

We got off the bus, walked around 1/2 mile or so, til we found a bar to eat lunch at, and a movie theater.

We saw "Taken." With Liam Neeson. Definitely worth your while. I loved it!

After walking back to the homeless shelter bus stop, we hopped on yet another bus to take us to the mall. (There really wasn't much else to do in St. Pete)

I bought a $4 hat, because the rain was making my naturally curly hair crazy.

C & Me (and my hair) on the beach behind our new hotel

We decided to head back to check into our new hotel (yeah!!!), and went to get on the bus, and were told by the bus driver that this is the only bus back into town, but only sit in the front few seats, because the homeless dude in the back just spewed allover the place. There was chunky vomit making its way up the aisle from the rear all the way to the front of the bus. Again, so classy, and luxurious.

Eventually we made it back, and happily, checked into our new hotel, in which we actually had a door that locks, a king size bed, bath towels, and clean sheets and clean floors. This is more like it.

Saturday, we decided we'd had enough of public transportation, and called a taxi and paid $80 to drive into Tampa. We were dropped off at the stadium, where there was a pre-game Expo going on. However, after paying for the car, the other couple we were with didn't want to pay $20 to get into the Expo, so we decided to see what else there was to do. We walked around the block, through a park, down a busy highway, probably about 3 miles, when we came across a car rental place. I thought, we should at least check out how much it would be. Sadly, though, it was closed for the weekend. So, we trekked up the street to a Burger King to buy some water, and use the facilities. I told C, let's just google car rental place in the area, so we found a place that was open, were told it would be $100 for the weekend, and they came to pick us up.

We made it back to the hotel just in time to soak out sore tired feet in the hot tub. We were amazed that it only took us 20 minutes to drive to our hotel, instead of 3 hours.

So, after two days in Florida, we had watched a movie, eaten at a couple of restaurants, And walked, and walked and walked. What's that song about Pioneer Children?

Outside a restaurant in Tampa. Like my new $4 hat? Cute, huh?!

Hours upon hours of our time were wasted trying walk, and find transportation. Not to mention the cost of buses and taxis totally outweighed the cost of a rental car. What. were. we. THINKING?!!!

So, Sunday.

Did you want to hear about the game? I figure you probably watched it, you don't need a play by play.

We got the tickets by the skin of our teeth. The dude who lined up the trip for us decided to keep the tickets, instead of keeping them at will call, and it took several dozen phone calls, and C dropping his title, and threatening never to advertise with them even again to get him to finally deliver the tickets. At 9:30 am. On Sunday.

Ok, alright. Sunday, we drove (yeah!!) our rental car into Tampa, found out it costs $80 to park anyway in the vicinity of the stadium, and decided to park at a mall about 2-3 miles away and walk. What?!! More walking? I'm thinking I sure better have lost weight from this trip!!

I can't believe how many Steelers fans there were. Yellow and black jerseys, and "terrible towels" being flung EVERYWHERE! People trash talking on the street.

Attack of the Terrible Towels!

Since I decided to root for the underdog, I was wearing a red shirt. Not official Cardinals paraphernalia, but just a regular red shirt. I even got trash talked. Wow!

The line just to get into the stadium was long. I was amazed at how many people there were standing along the line, preaching. We were handed many pamphlets about God, and how Jesus saves, and I even got my very own ticket into heaven!

And for the first time all weekend, the weather was actually sunny and nice. Probably about 65 degrees. After all the walking, I was actually hot.

There was a big expo outside the stadium. Games, museums, hall of fame, shopping, food. The energy in the air was incredible.

Here's a little plug for the Redskins. C's favorite team. They had dudes like this for every NFL team.

Comparing my muscles to Troy Aikman's. I think mine are bigger.

This is a ticket stub from the very first Superbowl in 1967. Look at the face value price. $10. Our tickets said $800. Amazing how it's changed.

The Vince Lombardi Superbowl Trophy

We bought to souvenirs for the kids, then went to this pre-game beach party where they had food and drinks before and after the game.

We found our seats, which were about 20 rows up in the Steelers end zone. Not bad. There were several seats next to us that were empty almost all the way to kick off, so we were hopeful, but right before the game a group of people came.

Us, and the Randels

We watched Faith Hill sing "America the Beautiful", Jennifer Hudson sing the "National Anthem" and Bruce Springsteen sing a bunch of song I don't know at half time.

I took these picture of the Jumbo tron. Otherwise you wouldn't believe it was actually them.

I didn't get a good pic of Bruce, but this is the crowd. They gave everyone in the stadium a little flashlight. It was pretty awesome.

The dude sitting next to C was a gem. (Sorry, I didn't get a picture) Nicci kept saying there is no way he bought his tickets. He must've stolen them. Ha ha! He was so "friendly." C knew his whole life story by the end of the first quarter. And was pretty sure he was be sitting on his lap by half time. Of course, we had to stand up and let him out about every 15 minutes for his smoke break. Then around the 3rd quarter, somehow a fight broke out between the dude (a Cardinals fan), and a Steelers fan (who looked amazingly like he could be the dude's brother) two rows up. There were some words, it got heated, then luckily they both found their heads, put them back on, and apologized. But then, the girl sitting two rows down from the Steeler fan started calling C out. I was thinking what do you and him have to do with any of this? So C (always keeping is cool) said, I'm just trying to watch the game.

Gotta love the redneck football drama.

I won't go into the game details because I'm sure you all watched it, but at one point, the Cardinals were up, and I thought they might have a chance at winning. It literally went down to the last minute. As much as I hate watching football in TV, I truly enjoy watching a good game live.

The final scoreboard

It was a great game, the energy in the stadium was palpable. It was a truly amazing experience, one I wouldn't trade for anything. (Even though, we were severely tempted to see how much money we could've sold our tickets for. If we'd been offered 10k on the street, we probably would've taken it).

p.s. I also want to make mention of my wonderful husband. Today is his 34th birthday. So, I'm totally counting the Superbowl as his birthday present. C, I just want to tell you how much I love and appreciate you!
Happy Birthday!