Dear Britney.

Dear Britney Spears,
I've been following your career for nearly ten years now! I can't believe it's been that long! I have to say, I haven't been watching you because of any discernable talent, but simply because we are the same age. I can't deny, however, your affinity for "shakin'-what-your-momma-gave-ya." Although, now that I think about it, it's more like "shakin'-what-your-momma-forced-you-in-to-as-a-child-and-you-are-left-to-deal-with-the-consequences-as-an-adult." I'm not saying you're blameless, I mean, ultimately, we're responsible for our own decisions.
Which brings me to the reason for this letter.
You and I have reached an age where it's no longer attractive or desireable to be seen partying at all hours and making a fool of yourself. You have children, for heaven's sake. It's time to settle down, friend. We all partied in college (or in your case, Laguna Beach,Hollywood, and Malibu), but there comes a time in every girl's life where she can't be trendy (or in your case, sleazy) anymore and needs to find her beauty niche.
Let's talk about going without panties. Not a good idea. Is that something Jackie O or Audrey Hepburn, iconic beauties and pictures of poise and grace, would ever be caught doing?
And shaving your head. That's just plain stupid. Look at Beyonce--she's our age! She has really honed in on her best look. Do you think she would EVER shave her head? I doubt it.
The point is, you're young! You still have a lot of good years ahead of you! Just stop doing disgusting things that STAY. WITH. US. FOR. SO. LONG.
Obviously, you are unhappy, and I'm very sorry for this. I wish I could teach you what real love is, and that you can't find it in drugs, booze, or sex, but I can't, though I hope someone comes into your life who can.

For now, however, as your friend and long-time observer, I'm telling you, it's ok to be pretty.
Best wishes in rehab,
Erin

A funny thing happened on the way to Walmart

Over lunch today I had to run some errands, one of which consisted of returning some things at Wal-Mart. While I was waiting at the intersection to turn in to the parking lot, the woman in front of me flipped me off.
I quickly assessed the situation.
I was sitting there minding my own business, talking to Richard on the phone. I couldn't figure out what I could have done to offend the woman. So I honked at her.
Imagine my surprise then, when I came face to face with her at Walmart.
I said, "Why did you flip me off? That was really rude?"
She said, "Oh, that wasn't meant for you."
I said, "Well, that makes it ok."

Feelings

You know that feeling you get when
STILLWATER WINS STATE?
Because I do.
Mandi was incredible, only letting in four goals in the entire tournament.
What a great end to a high school career for Mandi, and a fabulous end to any season.
Mandi, we are all very proud of you--great job!

Game 2, Mandi coming out onto the ice.

Game 2, final score against Roseville.
















Game 3, Mandi on Jumbo-tron during the awards ceremony.
















Stillwater wins state!
















Lining up for photos, Mandi in back.
















Mandi with her gold medal.

Feeling Better

At least I was until I wrote a great blog and deleted ALL of it. Gr.
I'm feeling refreshed, and looking forward to my weekend. I even like my job a little bit!
We had a blast a Mandi's game last night. In the first game of the State Tournament, we beat Bemidji 3-1. We nearly had a shutout, but they got one past Mandi's shoulder in the last three minutes of the game.
Tonight should be fun--we play our arch rivals, Roseville at 8pm. The game will be televised, so if you are flipping through tonight, watch for us! Or better yet, come on down! We play at the Xcel center and it's $10 for adults.


Rich helping Josh and Emma enjoy their first-ever hockey game, with Cara, the best cheerleader, EVER.















If you loook close, you can see Bob getting interviewed--center of the frame, baseball cap.















Mandi doing her thing.















The pep band.















Final score.

Support

Blog friends, it's strange how well I feel like I know all of you from your blogs. I assume it's because you are as honest on yours as I am on mine.
With that in mind, know this:
I'm tired of the battle. My heart is weary. Pray for our restoration.

Section Champs!

My weekend went by so fast, I don't think I even sat down--until Sunday night when Mandi and I started a puzzle...

The best part of my weekend, however was that

Stillwater Girl's Hockey are the '06-'07 Section Champs!

We beat Centennial High 3-0.

It was the best game of all time. Mandi was the star of the game, a BRICK WALL, if you will and didn't let in a single goal. She was voted player of the game by the team parents. : )

The Ponies scored all three goals within 38 seconds in the second period. Talk about exciting! By the third goal, people were laughing and cheering in sheer disbelief.

So...the State Tournament begins on Thursday.

Good luck, Stillwater!

Go Ponies!

That's my sister!

Another great shot...

Cage Fighter

I work with a woman whose son is a cage fighter.
She could hardly talk on Monday from screaming so hard at his last match.
That's all I have to say about that--because I don't even know what to say about that.

V-Day, not to be confused with D-Day

Today marks the 4-year anniversary of my first date with Richard.
I always get a little excited about Valentine's Day. I know it's a created holiday with no purpose other than to fatten Hallmark's collective wallet. Incidentally, please see ideas for new Hallmark cards at Kristi's blog. Nonetheless, I always look forward to it because it's the one time Rich can't get out of at least trying to be a little romantic.
On Monday, I said to him, "What are we doing for Valentine's Day? You don't have to plan everything yourself, you know."
He said, "Erin, It's only the 12th. I still have plenty of time to screw this up."
Love you, bud. I'm glad we had that first date. : )

DMBPLTS

Remember the infamous Pet Peeves post? I have another one to add to it.
Personalized license plates. I hate them. I think they're stupid and a waste of money.
Here is a list of personalized license plates I've seen on my way to work over the past year.
1. WHOAA
2. GOPACK
3. GOVIKS
4. PNTOVUE
5. ILUV[you fill in the 3-letter blank. Ugh]
6. PUPYLUV
7. BEKSKAR
8. REALMOM
9. QUEENB
10. WRKRBEE
11. JOESMOM
12. HOKEMOM
13. SOCRMOM
14. TUFFLUV (a personal favorite)
15. WATEVAH
16. FU (My all time favorite. We saw it in Hawaii. I'd like to think the driver's name was Fu, and not that he was making a statement.)

I don't feel that it's necessary for me to make fun of each of these--I'm pretty sure you can see where I would go with these if I cared to take the time. I'm sorry if I offend any of you who have personalized license plates...I just think there are better things on which to spend your money.
Here's an idea: If you HAVE to say something stupid about your life, do it on your body, not your car. I propose that anyone who gets a personalized license plate should also have to get that phrase tattooed on their foreheads. Imagine it. People all over the country tattooed with ridiculous half-written statements all over their bodies. Every time they met someone new, they'd have to watch as the person across from them sounded-out whatever lame statement was on their forehead.

I think I'm on to something here.

License Plate Haiku

Don't waste your money
on lame phrases for your car.
I don't want to know.

p.s. Like the title for today's blog?

It's Baby Time!!!

Congratulations, Jared & Naomi!!!














Wa-HOOOOO!

May God bless your growing family.

help

So, who knows how to put a photo up on blogger in your profile? I want to put one in so it shows up when I make a comment, etc.
Can anyone help?

Eternal Embrace? Or Kiss?

It's interesting that this article came out with Valentine's Day so close. It says that this couple was found buried in an "Eternal Embrace" after 5000(?) years of being buried. It's sort of sweet, I guess. All I can think of, though, is when Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes (finally) got married. If you'll remember, at their wedding they partook in an "Eternal Kiss." Did it go something like this?



















Maybe I'm a cynic or overly morbid, but I find this amusing.

Too funny not to post...

OPEN LETTERS TO PEOPLE OR ENTITIES WHO ARE UNLIKELY TO RESPOND .

AN OPEN LETTER TOM R. JAMES THATCHER, BRAND MANAGER, PROCTER & GAMBLE.
- - - -
Dear Mr. Thatcher,
I have been a loyal user of your Always maxi pads for over 20 years, and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core™ or Dri-Weave™ absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants.
[...]
As brand manager in the feminine-hygiene division, you've no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customers' monthly visits from Aunt Flo. Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it's a tough time for most women. In fact, only last week, my friend Jennifer fought the violent urge to shove her boyfriend's testicles into a George Foreman Grill just because he told her he thought Grey's Anatomy was written by drunken chimps. Crazy! The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in capri pants. Which brings me to the reason for my letter.
Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: "Have a Happy Period."
Are you [...] kidding me?
What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness—actual smiling, laughing happiness—is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless you're some kind of sick S&M freak girl, there will never be anything "happy" about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlúa and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the local Walgreens armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory. For the love of God, pull your head out, man. If you just have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something that's actually pertinent, like "Put Down the Hammer" or "Vehicular Manslaughter Is Wrong"? Or are you just picking on us?
Sir, please inform your accounting department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flexi-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bull[...]. And that's a promise I will keep. Always.
Best,
Wendi Aarons
Austin, TX

Movie Buffet

Last night I went to see The Queen with Mom and her friend, Janet, which I would highly recommend. Despite the fact that some of the actors go in and out of their British / American accents, the three of us thought it was a great movie.
After the movie we went to the bathroom (as all girls do), and Janet said, "Ooh...Dream Girls is playing next door! I really want to see that!"
Mom and I said things like, "Me, too! It looks really good."
Janet said, "No, I mean I really want to see that. Let's go."
Mom and I looked at eachother. "You mean, sneak in?"
"Yeah! We do it all the time! It's called a movie buffet."
I interjected, "Ok. I have to say that getting kicked out of a movie theater on a Monday night with my mom and her best friend is probably my worst nightmare."
"Oh, Erin. Come on," they BOTH said.
"Follow my lead," Janet said.
So, I followed them both into the COMPLETELY EMPTY movie theater with my face burning and stomach flipping. I guess I don't know what I expected--some pimply-faced 16-year-old to come after us with his broom and dust pan, shouting? Maybe.
I ended up sitting between Mom and Janet for the movie, and they both told me to relax repeatedly. How embarassing.
Of course, no one even noticed we were in there, despite the fact that the theater remained empty (apparently it didn't register for the employees that no tickets had been sold for the movie even though there were three people in it), and we snuck out afterward unscathed.
As we left, I'm pretty sure I heard Janet say, "Boy, I'm glad we woke up...now we can go home!" But I was too scared to ask.
By the way, the movie was LOUSY, so I guess I'm glad I didn't pay for it. I probably would have asked for my money back anyway!

Par-tay!

The Graduation Party for my mom went great! We had a ton of people crammed in my tiny little house, and everyone seemed to have a great time! Even the meal turned out great. I have new respect for church kitchen workers. Cooking for a group is hard work!
The best part of the night was that my mom had a great time.
Here are some photos.
Apparently, I am a terrible photographer. I'm choosing the BEST photos from the night, and they are lousy.
Brandy, I need help.
Thanks for coming, everyone.

I made this.








NOT.








Isn't she cute?? : )
















I like this photo because it looks like I'm afraid of the peacock.




















Most of the gang (about 6 more people are around the corner.















Brandy, what am I doing wrong? It seems like you should be able to see Sandy and Lauren better in this photo.

Kitchen, etc.

Lauren and I painted the kitchen on Wednesday night. It looks ok.
Rich also hung up a new dining room light. It looks ok.
I'm tired now.

Before.















After.















Lamp, looking crooked.















Lamp looking more crooked.