100% all ME!

Soo.. I've been thinking..

2010-05-03T19:12:00.001-07:00

I'm considering reviving my story blog. I just got my internet turned back on at my apartment last week for the first time in over a year.. and I kinda feel like I have freedom to blog again. lol. I never enjoyed the idea of going to someone else's house and using their computer for a long time just to write silly stories.. but now that I have internet again, I'm starting to feel the blog bug hitting me again. :)

My computer won't turn on and it has a folder on it that stores my stories. I don't feel like typing them all over again.. so I'll just share different stories. I have plenty to entertain you with. :) My brother gave me his old computer which I am truly grateful for!! It feels great to have a computer again! (thanks Shawn!!)

I've really missed the blog world. I was a once a blog stalker and now I've turned into a blog-slacker. I haven't checked up on any of your blogs.. I have much catching up to do, don't I!? :)

So, wha'da'ya all say? Shall we revive this ole blog!? WE SHALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh mercy me!

2009-07-22T22:38:00.003-07:00

Why the heck does that still say WELCOME 2009??? That is rather embarrassing. *blush*

Does anyone still look at this deserted blog anymore? How disappointing it must be for my devoted blog followers that see the same post every time they visit. Something's gotta change...

I would like to let you all know that the past 6 or 7 months have proven to be the most amazing, the most trying, the most peaceful and the most stressful time I can ever remember. I will come back with my 7-month journey. "Heal Thy Life" has been my Mantra this year and man do I have stories to share with YOU ever since I took this on. I have truly been humbled and I feel very blessed in my life. I'll post some experiences for you in about 6 or 7 months.. since that seems to be my norm now. ;)

Okay, okay, so I won't make you wait that long. But I AM on my way to girls camp this weekend and have so much to do to get ready. I loooooove Girls Camp! :) I get to work with the greatest girls ever!! JR. STAFF!!! Love them! :)

So, have patience with me and I'll come back and share some miracles that have taken place in my life this year. :)

ENJOY YOUR DAY!! :)

WELCOME 2009!!! :)

2009-01-02T09:36:00.003-07:00

Hi friends and family! :) You can pick your jaws up off the floor... it is a NEW YEAR and I am FULL of Resolutions!! One being to BLOG MORE OFTEN!! :)

Another is to get this body of mine into GEAR and start being healthy. I'm thinking of creating a Reality TV Show Called "Living the Healthy Life". Camera's will follow me around and watch what I'm eating, because of course I'll have to be GOOD and eat only healthy things since the WORLD will be watching. The show will follow me to the Gym and people will get to see how FUN exercise is and how ENTHUSIASTIC I am about getting my daily workout in! People watching will also get to see me being more active and playing sports and lifting weights and joining a kick boxing club and of course making sure to get those protein shakes down. :)

It's going to be a FABULOUS show. It will air once I've hit my goal weight so that the world can experience my weight loss journey.. then in the last episode, they will interview me at 120 lbs and ask me how I was able to do it.. To which I'll reply as I wipe a tear away, "I couldn't have done it without the support of AMERICA!! This was for me and you America!!"

Stay tuned, this new series will be airing in the Millennium! :)

Okay, that was all in fun.. but I really am going to focus on a more healthy life. There is a lot involved with that. In fact, if you break down the words "Healthy Life" it tells you right there that you must "Heal Thy Life" in order to live a healthy one. (That just came to me while writing this.) I have more healing to do and I will focus on that as well this year because I believe they go hand in hand. In order to heal the physical, you must also heal the emotional and spiritual. It just works better to heal them all together. :) This is my 2009 journey AND my challenge to you as well. :)

This video is to help us ALL get in the "Healthy Life" mode... ENJOY! and HAPPY NEW YEAR!! :)

Only if ya wanna... :)

2008-11-09T19:45:00.002-07:00

I had very high hopes for getting my Halloween story posted IN THE MONTH OF OCTOBER but then I got sick and spent then next week in bed. I'll finish it and post it asap. HOWEVER!! I've been working on a project for a while and I'd love your help. Anyone and everyone! When I tell you, you may be interested in a similar project for yourself as well.

A friend told me about Blurb. http://www.blurb.com/ With Blurb, you can create your own hard bound or soft bound books. I've decided to put all of my Stories into a cute book. I'm putting all my Digression stories in this book along with all of YOUR comments because they bring me GREAT JOY! :)

This is actually going to be my Christmas gift to myself cause it's like $60 for the size of book I need. This will be Volume 1 since there are plenty of stories left to still tell. :) I'm already up to 50 pages in this book, so that is under a buck a page. Seemed like a great deal to me and it will be like my journal since I'm horrible at keeping one. :)

SOOO!! If you'd like you to have your name and comments in a book that I'll cherish the rest of my life, then you have only a week to leave them on any one of the 12 stories! I have to get it in soon so I can have the book by Christmas. :) I was GOING to ask if any of you would also like to get a copy, but at that price I figured you could just come to my blog. haha!

I better get working on my Halloween story... Hopefully you'll get it before Thanksgiving comes along. :)

I Digress #13 - I don’t know why she swallowed that fly, perhaps she’ll die.

2008-09-28T22:25:00.003-07:00

I joined the choir in 7th grade and I loved my Choir Teacher, Ms. Goodman. She was well known for her kindness and patience. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to enjoy her for very long. We got a new Choir teacher in 8th grade and she was so strict and so mean that it didn’t take much to get in trouble in her class. Even the nice kids got in trouble! “No Talking!! Sit up straight!! Listen to me when I talk!! Use your diaphragm!!” Dia..what!?

Each time before a concert, we would practice standing still. She would drill us about keeping our eyes only on HER during the entire concert; we were banned from looking for family members or friends out in the audience. We weren’t allowed to scratch an itch or rub our nose or do ANYTHING that would have us break-form! We had to be SOLDIERS and keep our hands to our sides at all times. She made it crystal clear that we would be very sorry if we gave it in temptation and scratched an itch in the middle of a performance. I don’t know about YOU.. but if you tell me I can’t scratch an itch, all the sudden my entire body is full of uncontrollable itches!! I was afraid of her. Well, not afraid…. just a little terrified. I was so shy back then and intimidated easily. I didn’t know I had signed up for boot camp when I joined the choir.

I can clearly recall one particular choir concert. All the girls had on red dresses with a black uni-belt. (hehe uni-belt) Before the concert we all sat quietly in the choir room as our drill sergeant, er choir teacher went over the RULES again. She reminded us to focus on her, refrain from scratching, talking, wiggling, moving, shifting, etc. The auditorium filled up quickly and it was time to line up to go on stage and share with our loved ones all the amazing songs we’d been practicing for MONTHS!

We filed on to the risers forming 3 rows. I was on the top row for all to see. Naturally I was curious where my family had sat so as I watched my teacher, I would sneak quick glances out into the audience when she looked the other way. Apparently, other fellow choir members were just as curious about their family, but obviously, no one taught them to ONLY scan when she wasn’t looking, because she all the sudden started shooting darts out of her eyes at those of who she caught!!

So, the piano starts playing and Mrs. Meanie-head raises her arms, pausing for the right beat to bring the choir in together. Wow. We did really well on all coming in together at the right time! Her face showed signs of relief, as previously we had struggled with the timing. We finished the song and the audience clapped. It was a good feeling to know that my friends and family were cheering for me. The 2nd song went well too. More clapping followed.

The 3rd and FINAL song we performed didn’t go quite as well as the last 2 had… and it was all MY fault!! Yup… Shy, quiet little Stacy causing quite a stir.

As we sang the 3rd song, this pesky fly was buzzing around the girls head in front of me. She was trying so hard not to break form to bat it away. Naturally, I was finding the situation very humorous, and at one point I had to stop singing because my voice was shaking as I worked on controlling the urge to laugh!! I mouthed the words until I regained my composure. I watched my Music Teacher as my peripheral vision displayed this funny scene in front of me. That poor girl. I was getting so much enjoyment out of her discomfort… until… that pesky fly decided to make a bee-line up to MY row and started darting around ME! Now all the sudden it wasn’t so funny!! It flew in front of my face hitting my cheek and making me jerk a bit and then flew around the side of my head by my ear, then landed briefly on my hair before darting off again. My friends next to me slightly bumped my arm with theirs as to poke fun.
Life became extremely difficult in that moment of distraction. I suddenly had a dozen things to focus on. Keeping my composure, keeping my eyes from darting around, watch my teacher, remember the words and parts I was singing, try to ignore this fly in my face, and keep my hands to my sides. It was too much for my brain to take!!!! But it all ended abruptly when towards the completion of the song. The choir all inhaled deeply to give a powerful finish, but as I inhaled, I sucked in that FLY and it went HALF WAY DOWN MY THROAT!! My friends saw it happen and gasped in horror! They both looked at me ignoring the big finish of the last song!! My eyes almost popped out of my head with the realization of what had just happened. Immediately, I started coughing and making faces of disgust and horror. I had visions this fly inside of me and started gagging. By now more choir members were looking at me in wonder. I wasn’t coughing the fly up, so I knew it had gone down to its new resting place within. I felt sick to my stomach. All the sudden, I realized where I was and what I was supposed to be doing… I snapped my head up to look at my teacher and she was sending death to me through her icy cold glares. She shook her head briefly at me with one raised eyebrow as if to say, we’ll be talking about THIS later!!

The song was over, the clapping had ended and it was time to leave the stage to face uncertainty. My friends who had witnessed this awful experience were just as grossed out as I was, but by the time we reach the choir room, they were laughing hysterically. I was still in shock. I went to apologize to my Choir Teacher and she was NOT happy, but as I explained what happened she seemed to understand. She let me off the hook, probably because I was normally a good student and this was beyond my control.

The very next class as she recapped our performances she mentioned we “all did an outstanding job until Stacy swallowed that FLY during our big finish!” She said it with a smile so I know she was kidding, but I was humiliated. I am still disturbed that I inhaled a fly. That’s disgusting!!!

Okay, so I have to let you know that I really exaggerated the strictness of my Choir Teacher. She WAS very stern, but wasn’t as mean and scary as I made her out to be. She demanded perfection in her choirs and had to be tough to achieve it. I really WAS a little scared of her though.. hahaha! However, I kept with the singing and now it’s one of my favorite things to do. Anyone for Karaoke??

I Digress #12 – SILHOUETTE!

2008-08-27T23:43:00.009-07:00

In order to set this story up properly, I gotta start at the very beginning!! As you all know, I HATE SPIDERS!! Do you remember that movie, “Arachnophobia”. A member of the Bishopric, back when I was around 14, saw that movie when it came out and was telling me about it one day at church. (Shout out to Bob!!) As I listened, I couldn’t help but WIG OUT and scratch all over. Obviously he got some enjoyment out of seeing the effect this had on me because every time he saw me after that, he would talk about the big, deadly spiders in the movie!! He enjoyed my reactions SO MUCH that he invited me to go see Arachnophobia with him and his wife! After WEEKS of coaxing from him, we all went. I made sure NOT to sit next to him. I did NOT like the movie!! During one of the most suspenseful parts as I sat covering most of my face, Bob reached behind his wife’s shoulders with his straw and slowly wiggled my hair. Well, he definitely got what he wanted, I screamed LOUD and PROUD which induced random screams in other nervous girls in the crowd. I truly think that was the highlight of Bob's entire life!!

OKAY… now onto the REAL story!

I believe it was the very next weekend that my sister, Trina, and I went to a Young Women’s camp out with the Ward. I was NOT excited about camping with the SPIDERS after seeing that movie! Plus we were supposed to sleep out under the stars in our sleeping bags… well, not THIS girl. My sister and I brought a pup tent to sleep in. We got made fun of by some of the girls, but I didn't care! The Bishopric came up to supervise the camp out. As soon as Bob saw me up there, a huge Cheshire Cat Smile spread across his face. He knew how fresh that movie was in my mind!! Later that night, we sat around the camp fire and Bob was telling everyone about “Arachnophobia” and how the spiders just seemed to multiply and take over!! Everyone was on edge and I watched how all the girls, including myself were scratching everywhere!! I KNOW Bob was getting the biggest kick out of it all! He told us to always watch where we stepped because there were lots of Tarantulas running around. We thought he was kidding. But we were about to find out the TRUTH for ourselves!!!

Before bed, a few of us girls needed to use the bathroom which was about a quarter of a mile up the dirt road. We all had flashlights but hardly needed them because of the full moon above. My path was dimly lit………..just enough light to see the TARANTULA that ran across my dirt path!! I SCREAMMMMMMED and dropped my flashlight and darted into the dimness! I didn’t even watch where I was going, I was too afraid to care! I just ran frantically and screamed the rest of the way to our camp jumping over 1 more tarantula on my way! Few times have I ever been able to match the speed I reached that night! Well Bob REALLY had a good laugh at my story when I told him what happened.

I climbed into my pup tent with Trina and tried to calm down. Bob came over to my tent and handed me my flashlight that I dropped. He grinned and said, “Are you sure you don’t want to camp out under the stars with the rest of the girls?” Of course I QUICKLY declined! :) I was DONE with the spider drama for the night!! I was safe here in my PUP TENT!! :)

After we got settled into our sleeping bags, Trina and I started reading our Scriptures. Having the flashlights on in our small tent provided 2 black silhouettes for all outsiders to see. While reading our scriptures, we were grossed out by the flying bugs that were attracted to the light of our flashlights. I gave up on reading when they kept dive-bombing my forehead, so I turned on my side to say my prayers. During my prayer, an insect flew into my ear and started BUZZING! I sat up with a START!! I shook my head frantically!! (hmmm..... wonder how THAT looked in silhouette-form) Trina looked over and stared at me wondering what the heck I was doing. I hit the side of my head with my palm, like there was water in there that I was trying to shake loose. The buzzing was SO LOUD that I was CONVINCED it was a BEE in my ear!!!! I FA-REEKED O-U-T-!-!

Trina had her flashlight on still, so everyone on the OUTSIDE of the tent was able to watch my amazing silhouette performance!! I was too concerned about what was going on to even THINK about my audience! I had visions of this bee climbing further and further into my ear canal. I stood up and started slapping my head and shaking and screaming, “THERE’S A BEE IN MY EAR, A BEEEE…. IN MY EAAAAR!!!!” I was literally going INSANE, No LIE!!! Trina didn’t know how to help console me as I choreographed this new WILD dance there in my tent! I started JUMPING UP AND DOWN in the tent!! Being confined to that small space seemed to have an effect the amount of air I was catching as I jumped. The entire tent on my side literally lifted up off the ground as I jumped!! I would LOVE to have been a spectator!! In more ways than one! :)

The Bishop came over and called through the tent, “Girls, quiet down in there! You’ll wake the other camps!” Well, quite frankly, I didn’t CARE about the “other camps” at that moment; I just wanted that BEE OUT OF MY EAR!!!

Trina was able to unzip the tent, despite all my jumping, shaking, slapping and screaming!! There were giggles all through our camp… I know I woulda joined in if it wasn’t ME experiencing this TRAUMA!! I got out of the tent and continued to shake my head out of control. One of the Young Women leaders came over and she shined a flashlight in my ear, she couldn’t see anything!! The buzzing was so loud and I wondered if it would ever end!! I was panicking mostly, because I thought the Bee would STING me deep inside the ear canal!! She stuck a twig in my ear and didn’t pull anything out.. the buzzing seemed louder and I was hesitant about letting her jam the bee in any further!! She convinced me to let her try one more time. In went the twig, and out came the loud, buzzing ……………………………………......... gnat????? What the… It was a gnat??? Like the size of a speck of PEPPER!? How did that little sucker create SO MUCH INSANITY IN ME!!!!??

But oh the relief that washed over me!! Oh the jubilation I felt to be free of the buzzing!! Oh the headache I had and ohhhhhhh the humiliation I experienced over the show I just put on!! The girls laughed the rest of the night and every Sunday after that when they’d see me at church! It was pretty funny to me as well (after the fact), so naturally, I let them tease me and I laughed right along with them. Bob will never let me live that night down!! :)

The next morning when Trina and I were cleaning out our tent, we found a huge spider that had slept with us! I don't know if it was deadly or not, but it sure looked like one of the spiders from Archnophobia!! I could not WAIT to get home away from the WILD KINGDOM!!!!!

There you have it… my Ga-nat story! :)

SNL Surprise Party!! :)

2008-08-22T21:05:00.004-07:00

I've never been a huge fan of SNL, in fact I never grew up watching it at all. But my friends showed me this Surprise Party skit and we laughed so hard that we cried!! Maybe it was the time of night that we watched it, maybe it was the fact that we were already so giddy.. I don't know. Or... maybe it really IS just as funny as we all thought it was last night! :)

Watch how excited this lady gets over a surprise birthday party!! SO FUNNNNY!! I think I'll watch it again and laugh some more! :)

Sorry you have to wait for the commercial.. how annoying!

I live for MEMORIES!!

2008-08-09T13:11:00.001-07:00

I got this off of my friend, Skeeter's blog. :)

1. Leave a comment on my blog of a favorite memory of you and I together. Whether we know each other a little or a lot, just anything you remember.

2. Then, do this same post on your blog and see the fun memories that people leave about you. If you leave a memory on my comments, I will go back to your blog and write a memory about you. Fun stuff!

Something that ALWAYS makes me laugh!! :)

2008-07-22T19:32:00.001-07:00

100 random things about ME! :)

2008-07-20T10:56:00.003-07:00

I was tagged in my friend Amie's blog and I thought it would be a fun experience to try to come up with 100 things about ME! You don't have to read them all, just skip around, but it was super fun to create. :)

1. I made a gum wrapper chain in high school that was half the length of a foot ball field. In high school I was the GUM LADY!! (This story coming SOON)
2. I have never lived ANYWHERE but Mesa Arizona.
3. I taught myself how to play the Guitar. I’m not good at finger picking, but I can JAM OUT on the chords that I know.
4. When I laugh really hard, I get charlie horses in my cheeks. heehee
5. I am addicted to Tivo. It gave me my life back by allowing me FREEDOM!! I can actually leave the house now! :)
6. I love singing. I don’t love singing in front of people, but by myself my inner diva comes out! :)
7. When I was ages 1 and 2, I used to wake up reallllly early and run outside in my saggy cloth diaper and my favorite dress up hat just to hold the chickens. (I’m terrified of chickens today!)
8. I love baffling people with magic tricks. (I know only a few good tricks)
9. I used to wear a smiley face sticker over my heart every day of my life for 6 years. It was my trademark and if someone would rip it off to wear on themselves, I’d have a spare, hidden. (or 2 or 3) haha
10. I sign my name with a smiley face. It’s on my driver’s license and all major documents. My signature isn’t complete without my smiley face.
11. My License plate says “CHEERFL”
12. I’ve never been stung by a bee.
13. I’ve never had braces. But now I want to get them on my bottom teeth since my wisdom teeth crowded them a little.
14. I have only lived in 3 houses in my life.
15. I developed a love of writing because of my blog. I have NEVER enjoyed it until now.
16. I get giddy when it rains. It’s an instant mood enhancer for me. And of course, I have to sing my rain song! :)
17. I’ve only dated 1 guy and he’s still my best guy friend. (love you hanny)
18. I took Sign Language for 7 years starting in High school. I really thought that THAT is what I was going to do the rest of my life. I got into interpreting 2 at Phx college and Heavenly Father let me know that it WASN'T what I was here to do, HOWEVER, I am supposed to know it for some future unknown reason. I've always had a deaf friend ever since. When they leave, miraculously a new friend appears. For some reason, He's wants me to know it. I have forgotten a LOT and I am pretty slow now, but it will be interesting to see what I'll need it for in the coming years. :)
19. I am lazy by nature. If I didn't have to have a job, I WOULDN'T! However, I'm very dedicated to whatever job I have at the moment.
20. I never ever get bored.
21. I lost 150 lbs in 10 months… (don’t worry, I found most of it over the past 3 years) Arrrg!
22. I absolutely love puppies and kittens, but I’m not TOO big a fan of dogs and cats. I like them but I prefer the babies!! :)
23. I can juggle. Not for very long, but I CAN do it.. :)
24. I am terrified of spiders, insects and bugs.
25. I moved out of my parent’s house when I was 32. Practically an old maid.
26. I have a ton of different laughs. Different people pull out different laughs.
27. I owned my own business teaching music in the daycares for 5 years. I took my guitar and a blue bin FULL of little instruments like jingle bells, tambourines, maracas, drums, etc etc. I taught them rhythm and beat, I taught them the basic notes (what they looked like and what the names were) and we'd sing fun songs and march around the classroom. Or dance around, or sing solos, or sing in rounds. It was my favorite job ever!! :)
28. I sing alto but my REAL range is Tenor and when I’m sick, I can sing the bass line.
29. I seriously hate cooking or being in the kitchen. If I have to be in the kitchen for more than 15 minutes, it's not even worth it! :)
30. I make friends easily. :)
31. I dressed up one Christmas Eve as Santa Clause and delivered presents to my nephews while their video camera ran. They really thought Santa had come and brought them gifts and ate their cookies and they had VIDEO to PROVE it!! haha
32. I do not like pop. If I drink it, it is rootbeer and that is only like once a year.
33. I’ve never had stitches in my life.
34. I’ve never broken a bone in my body. I sprained my ring finger when I was younger and it is still sensitive.
35. I never knew I had straight hair until after high school when I decided to stop getting perms because my hair was FRIED!! My mom had permed my hair all growing up and I was convinced I had curly hair. What a pleasant surprise. I’d always WANTED straight hair! :)
36. Once when I was young, I decided to walk home from church. On the way home, a Police Officer pulled up and asked me if I was lost. He said, where do you live? And all the sudden I couldn’t remember. (one of those, if you hadn’t asked, I coulda told you kind of things) I gave him my name when he asked and he called me in to the station and got my address and took me home. My parents had been looking all over for me!
37. I didn’t get my ears pierced until I was around 24 years old. I never wanted them and THOUGHT I’d never get them, but then I did it out of the blue one day at walmart! It shocked EVERYONE!! Myself included!! It was definitely an out of body experience.
38. I have a low voice and over the years I’ve developed a couple male characters that I love to trick people with. I call friends and ask them out on dates in a guys voice. Works every time. ;) I know it sounds weird, but it's so fun! :)
39. My first job was at Chick-Fil-A in Fiesta Mall.
40. I belong to a REALLY FUN Bunko Group. We're going on our 3rd year!! At my last Bunko night, I rolled FOUR bunkos and TWO of them were in the same round!! AMAZING! I know that most of you won’t understand that… just be excited for me. ;)
41. I love making people laugh.
42. I have had 6 jobs in my life.
43. My favorite dessert is Cookies N Cream Ice Cream.
44. I was Shy in Jr High and WAY out going in High Scool.
45. I took violin for 2 years in grade school.
46. I once went off of sugar, sweets, candy, treats, etc etc for 2 years on a dare!!
47. My very first date was with John Bishop. (of course, he was EVERY ONE’S first date back then)
48. I have 10 nephews (9 living) and 6 nieces. And I love them to pieces! :)
49. My friend and I once found $175 in wadded up cash in the parking lot of Phoenix College. We turned it in to the lost and found and the lady looked at us like we were STUPID for turning in cash. She said if no one claims it in 3 days, it was ours. Our honesty paid off. We got to split the cash! :)
50. I spoke in Stake Conference several years ago on Happiness.
51. My family toured the Queen Mary (massive boat) when I was very young. I leaned over and looked out of one of the open round windows from the top floor and as I looked waaaaay down and saw the ducks in the water I got disoriented and started falling out of the window. A stranger grabbed my calves and pulled me back in. I’ve been afraid of heights ever since. That stranger saved my life and my parents never knew.
52. January, February and March are my favorite Months.
53. I love when Friday the 13th comes around.
54. I love gum. I have TMJ to prove it! :)
55. One time in High School when my entire family was in Utah, and I was staying home to care for my sick sister, my Foster Brother got into some serious trouble and was a wanted man. One morning the Police and Swat Team were all at my house wanting in. They had cops banging on all the doors and windows all around the house. They also continuously called the home phone over and over. They had snipers on my roof and in the apartments behind our house. They shined huge search lights through our windows. Police men were peeking in each window and then they warned us they’d count to 30 and if we didn’t open the door, they’d bust through it. My Foster Brother (early 20’s) wouldn’t let us open the door, until they said they were busting in. Right before he opened the door (as they were counting over an intercom) he turned to us and asked my sister and I if we’d come visit him in prison. He opened the door and they tackled him and cuffed him and took him away. I never saw him ever again. I never found out what he did or what why they wanted him so badly. That day I was traumatized in many ways. For the next few months, any time the door bell or the phone rang or someone knocked on the door, I’d nearly have a panic attack. Scariest day of my entire life. My poor neighbors. I’m sure they were thinking.. WHAT’S GOING ON AT THE HOUSEHOLDER’S!!!??
56. I have never jumped off the high dive. In fact, my sister made my climb all the way up the tallll ladder and she was encouraging me to jump. I walked to the edge of the board and freaked out at the height. I couldn’t jump, so I made everyone who had started climbing up the ladder and was waiting for their turn climb DOWN the ladder so I could climb down. Still embarrassed about that.
57. I love fudge sickles and ice cream sandwiches and root beer pop sickles.
58. My first email address was stacemyster@juno.com. Yeah, back when I didn’t know how spell Meister. :)
59. Brian Regan is my all-time favorite comedian.
60. I am a Nationally Certified Hypnotherapist. No, I don’t do stage hypnosis, and I don't dig into the depths of your soul! haha.. most people are afraid of that. It's more of a guided meditation and relaxation. :)
61. I have always wanted to learn how to play the piano and the drums.
62. I love Chocolate Milk, but I found out that I love Chocolate SOY milk just as much!
63. Most girls have dozens of pairs of shoes. I only buy 1-2 pair at a time, wear them out and then buy 1-2 more. Most girls have tons of purses and bags. I’ve only owned 2.
64. One of my dreams is to be able to write poetry and turn them into songs.
65. I can turn my eyelids inside out. I used to do it in grade school and gross all the girls out. Haha I was such a tom boy.
66. I have always been able to do the splits.
67. I strongly dislike reading. But I love book on CD’s. :)
68. I love to take pictures and video and I ALWAYS have my camera ready!!
69. I love PIXAR!!
70. My 3rd grade teacher’s name was Mrs. Viola Hiroko Kaliko Vaehi-Vaehi Kawahi Goshi Payne. Mrs Payne for short. She was Hawaiian and she taught us that many Hawaiian mothers (after giving birth) would take a deep breath and spout out as many names in that one breath as they could, and that was the baby’s name. She made a long stamp with her name and once we would memorize it, she would give us a stamp that took up our entire forearm. She did that for the entire school. Who ever wanted to memorize her name. :) I’ve never forgotten it.
71. I am an Air Conditioning SNOB!! I have to have my thermostat set around 70 degrees or I am HOT!!! Yes, it’s worth it to ME to pay the extra cash when the bill comes! :)
72. I love soup. Especially soup in a bread bowl. ESPECIALLY soup in a bread bowl from Sweet Cakes Deli. :)
73. I am addicted to American Idol. Except I can’t STAND Simon!!
73. I donated blood at my ward blood drive for the first time in my entire life! I want to do it again and again and again. I loved it. Even though I was scared to death beforehand and almost backed out!
74. I accidentally killed 2 of my pets growing up. I tripped and dropped my hamster and stepped on him. :( And I slept with my baby kitten, or rather slept ON my baby kitten. :(
75. I generally run about 15 minutes late for most everything. I was born 2 weeks late and it’s affected my whole life. ;)
76. I am a night owl. It is nearly impossible for me to go to bed before 12:30am and if I didn’t have to get up, I’d stay awake until 2 or 3 o’clock. I do NOT like mornings.
77. My favorite beverage is WATER!!! :) (except for Arrowhead… it tastes like bottled tap water)
78. When I am listening to my music in my car, I like to spot people walking down the sidewalk and I laugh because most of the time, they are walking to the beat of my song! TRY IT! It’s sooooooo funny! 

79. My favorite card game is Nertz. I play Nerts with my friend Sara and we get soooo silly. A whole different side of my surfaces when I play this fast paced card game. I also love Scum, Spoons, Rook, and Phase 10. :)
80. I was always teachers pet from elementary school on up. My English teach passed me with a D because she liked me which was the reason I graduated. Then in College, my Spanish Teacher (who had a very thick German Accent) passed me with a B when I failed every test because she saw how hard I worked and how much I wanted to learn. She pulled me aside to say she was grading me on my efforts in stead of test scores. Yep, it pays to be the teachers pet. ;)
81. I was in Institute Sorority for 5 years and met some of my dearest friends there. Good memories and silly times, great laughs, and tons of pictures!! :)
82. I do not like feet. I always have socks on and no one sees my feet. I’ve come a long ways and can tolerate it if someone touches me with their feet now. Before, I couldn’t handle it. :)
83. I was on a little league tee-ball and then softball teams when I was young. My team was called the Kachina Dolls.
84. I love love love egg custard. It’s safe to say that I am addicted to egg custard. (Bread pudding)
85. I love stars. Especially shooting stars!!! I used to take friends out to the lake and lay blankets down and watch the shooting stars. It used to be my favorite thing to do. I miss it.
86. I still belong to the VL Club. Yes that’s right, I’m 33 and have not been kissed!! At least I don’t know what I’m missing out on, right? :)
87. I love sleeping in. I do it every change I get which isn’t often. My alarm goes off at 5:45am.
88. I do NOT like traveling. I have no desire to visit other countries. I haven’t been on an airplane since 1998. If I can’t drive to my destination, then it’s no longer in my destination. Maybe if I was thinner. Hmmm... Nope, I just don't enjoy it. The only reason I'd go somewhere is to say I'd been there!! :)
89. I like to pray for people I see walking down the sidewalk. I also like to pray for people I see with a broken down car on the side of the road. I always ask that they get the help they are in need of and to not let this ruin their day.
90. I'm a runner at heart. I’ve never been thin in my life and I can not run, but one day when I slim down, I will be running non-stop. Run stacy ruuuun!
91. I am addicted to BLOGS!!!
92. I do not enjoy Italian food, unless it’s my MOMS! She adds brown sugar to almost EVERYTHING!! So when I taste authentic italiano.. it tastes like it needs to be sweeter!! :)
93. I love the flavored instant oatmeal, like blueberry, strawberry, banana, peach and maple!! :) YUMO!!
94. I am HORRIBLE at keeping in touch with friends who move away or get married. (but that doesn’t mean I don’t love you, because... I ALWAYS WILL!!)
95. I get my hair cut about 3 times a year… when really I need it about once a month! hehe (LAZY!!!)
96. I like my sandwiches cut into triangles.
97. I hate spinach, but I love iceberg lettuce. (I wish it were the other way around, however, not ALL wishes come true..)
98. I have interests in so many things, but I have not mastered any ONE thing. (yet)
99. I sometimes talk like I know all about something when I really have no clue.. just so I can sound smart.
100. I am a visual learner. And I LOVE analogies. If you ant to teach me anything… make an analogy out of it and I’ll learn MUCH faster. :)

Now I'll tag ANYONE who wants to do it!! Have fun laughing at the memories that come to you. :)

A pause in my blog life

2008-07-12T11:43:00.006-07:00

Hi friends and fellow blog stalkers. :) I have been neglecting my blog lately because LIFE got pretty crazy and stressful at work and I haven't been in a "writing" mood lately. But If you give me a little time I'll come back with some great stories, because there are MANY MORE that need to be written. haha Hang in there with me. :)

:)

A friend shared this song with me and I fell in love with it. And also, I recently heard a quote that gives me spiritbumps when I hear it. It goes along with the song quite nicely in my opinion.

"It's not WHO you are that matters, it's WHOSE you are."

Listen to it, enjoy it, love it, embrace it, believe it, live it. :)

"Who Am I" - by Casting Crowns

I Digress #11 - The Ringing Pay Phone

2008-06-14T15:55:00.006-07:00

I went to the airport with a friend to pick up one of her friends. The flight was delayed so we had an hour and a half to sit and wait at the gate. We sat and "people watched" and made up entire life stories of strangers who were passing by in the airport. I wish I could remember the stories, they were GOOD! haha We sat across from a loooong row of pay phones and because we were bored, we would try to ease drop on peoples calls. Since we only heard one side of the conversations, we would pretend to be the other person and whisper to each other what we imagined they were saying. We would giggle when the conversations seemed to match up.

At one point, no one was at any of the phone booths and soon one of the lone phones started ringing. We were saying, "That's so random, who would call a pay phone in a busy airport?" I stared at the ringing phone with growing curiosity. People walked by it and stared too, probably wondering the same thing. I joked around like I should go answer it. My friend, Marilee, said "Fine.. go answer it." I caught wind of the challenge in her voice, so I hopped up walked towards the ringing phone. I figured that since it had been ringing for so long it would probably hang up before I got to it. I kinda hoped it would because I didn't know what I would do if I answered it.

It didn't stop ringing.....

I looked back at my friend and she smiled with daring eyes which gave me a boost of self confidence. I picked up the phone and said with a smile, "Southwest Airlines, How may I help you today?" I was laughing on the inside until the voice on the other end of the phone said something that made my heart STOP!!!!

A girls voice said, "I need to speak with Stacy Householder, please." The color drained out of my face... the adrenaline started pumping and I squealed, "WHAT!!!???? WHO IS THIS!!!???" I turned to my friend who sat there looking confused and concerned! The voice said, "Stacy??" Again, I screamed into the phone.. "WHO IS THIS!!??" She said, "Oh my GOSH Stacy, calm down, it's your cousin, Lisa."

Befuddled even MORE I screamed, "LISA!??! WHAT!?? HOW DID....... I DON'T GET IT... How did you find me??!? Do you know that you're calling a super busy AIRPORT and I just HAPPENED to answer the ringing pay phone on a DARE??!??" Now it was HER turn to sound confused... She had no idea! She said, "Are you serious!? That is sooo weird!!"

Again I turned back to my friend sitting there, my eyes incredulous. I said, "IT'S FOR ME!!!!" She rolled her eyes, convinced I was kidding. She was SURE that the phone had stopped ringing just short of me picking it up and that I was making this all up... because, let's be honest here... These sort of surreal moments just don't happen!! I tried to convince her with my facial expressions, but it didn't work.

I turned back to my airport phone call.. "Lisa, how on EARTH did you find me here!? I'm freaking out!!" She laughed and said that she had called my house looking for me and my dad gave her that number. HUH!?! Then it hit me! OHHHHH!!!! Yes, it all made sense now! Once I got to the airport, I called my dad to to get a phone number. (pre-cell phone days) I didn't tell him where I was. When Lisa called for me, he pulled that number off the caller ID and gave it to her saying, "I don't know where she is, but she just called from this number." Weiiiiiiird!!!!! ANYONE could've answered, or NO ONE could've answered, and it just so happened that I answered it on a DARE and it was for ME!! *insert twilight music here*

Soooo, If ever you're in a busy crowded place and some random phone starts ringing, ANSWER IT!! It just may be for YOU!!!!!!! :)

I Digress #10 - My Ghostly Encounter

2008-06-01T20:49:00.006-07:00

This is one of my MOST embarrassing moments to this day!! Yet at the same time, I can't help but laugh uncontrollably!! :) I really don't know if I can depict what happened. The story is better told in person! But I'll give it a try. :)

Back in 1998, my sister, Trina and I and a few of our friends took 2 weeks off to travel!! We flew to Chicago and my oldest brother, Shawn, who lived there at the time took us around to see the sites like Sears Tower and Navy Pier. We rode the GIGANTIC Ferris Wheel, I almost didn't get on, but after some coaxing from everyone, I climbed aboard. I'm terrified of heights but it moved slow enough and I really enjoyed seeing the city lights of Chicago!! Our main purpose of the trip was to see the Church History sites in Upstate New York and surrounding areas. Our friend, Rinda, served her mission in Upstate New York and knew most of the sites and tours by heart which was a HUGE advantage for us. We saw so many amazing things!!

One night, after a very LONG day of visiting the sites and hours of endless driving, we stopped off at one of Rinda's favorite family's from her mission. A sweet family that had a basement for us to crash in. We were so exhausted. I don't remember being so tired in all my life!! They had a HUGE basement with a pool table. They were so kind to have laid out sleeping bags for us all in a row. I chose the corner because it had the only small mattress and I had a bad back. As I was getting into bed, I saw some spider resting on their webs near where my head would be. Um.. believe it or not, I was too tired to squash them, so I just flipped around so my feet would get bit instead of my FACE!! The friendly hostess told us she'd make us some breakfast in the morning and we could have showers if we wanted. YAY!! :) She turned out the lights and it was darker than DARK down in that basement!! You couldn't see a single thing! Just the way I like it! :)

We were all sawing logs in no time! ZzZzzzZzzzZzzzZZzzzz

A few hours later, my deep sleep was abruptly interrupted when someone grabbed the back of my shirt and clenched it!!! My eyes IMMEDIATELY flew opened and I froze with a fear so paralyzing that I've yet to match that same level of fear since! The reason for my intense fear was because I knew I was in the corner with my back almost touching the wall. There was absolutely NO SPACE for someone to fit behind me to grab my shirt!! The only other option was that it was a GHOST!!!!!! My eyes were opened so wide I thought they'd pop out!! It was so dark that I couldn't see ANYTHING! There was an eerie feeling with nothing but the rapid pounding of my heart filling the air!!

I was paralyzed for several minutes as the hand still clenched the back of my shirt and tugged every once in a while. I mustered up every ounce of courage I could and I slowly reached behind me to touch the hand.. that process took at least 2 minutes!! I PANICKED when I touched the icy cold hand and the ghost seemed to panic too because it yelped in the high voice of a little child and pulled away as abruptly as it originally latched on!! My fears were confirmed!! It was a little girl ghost!! Immediately, I was fear stricken again!! I clenched my fists to my eyes and breathed in and out with fury as this living nightmare played out!!

I was trembling and I tried to call out to my sister who was on the other side of me in her sleeping bag. Only faint whispers would come out at first. I kept trying. *whisper* "Trinaaa... TRina...." The whisper got louder the more I forced it out of my lungs! She couldn't hear my fearful whispers because she was in a very deep sleep as were the other 2 girls next to her! I took a rattly deep breath and tried to speak her name, but nothing audible came. I began thinking, "Oh my gosh, how am I supposed to wake up and inform my sister and my friends of the ghostly intruder we had in our midsts when I'm too afraid to even MOVE and I have NO VOICE!!!?" I imagined the ghost child wandering the room and that creeped me out even more!

Once again I took a shaky deep breath and screamed.. "TRINAAAA!!" It was barely audible so I did it again.. This time it WORKED!! She stirred in her sleeping bag as I lay paralyzed with fear next to her. I said it again. "Triiiinnnaaaa!!" She said very grumpily.. "WHAT!?" (she used to get grumpy when she was tired!) I spoke softly, "Is there anyone around me!!" She was like, "What??" Again.. "Is there anyone around me!!" It was more of a demand than a question. She was irritated now. "You're dreaming! Go back to sleep!" I squealed with urgency, "Tu-tu-turn on the li-lights!!... Tu-turn the li-lights on!!"

She could tell I was terrified, but she was still grumpy as all get out! She mumbled things under her breath as she crawled out of bed and felt around the spacious pitch-black room for a light switch. I heard a loud *THUD* and a moan and I knew immediately that she found the pool table. :)

The whole time she was searching in the pitch-black room, I was chanting, "Turn the lights on, turn the lights on!" It was coming out very quickly now that I had found my voice finally! By now the other girls were awake and listening to my fear-strickened voice. They were now also asking what was wrong! A minute later Trina was successful in finding the light switch and she turned it on. All 3 girls groaned at the pain they now felt in their eyes from the brightness of the lights above! I still had my eyes glued shut with my clenched fists over them.

My sister said impatiently, "What!! What is it Stacy!!?" I spoke softly.. "Is there anyone around me!!" I had such urgency in my voice. She said, "What are you talking about?!" I repeated, "Is there anyone AROUND ME!!" She sounded exasperated when she said, "Stacy, open your eyes! There's no one there!!" It took me a full minute to have the courage to open my eyes. But when I did, I looked around confused and disoriented. I had completely forgotten that I turned around to face the other way because of the spiders and that my back faced my SISTER and NOT THE WALL!!

As I told them my terrifying experience, we all began laughing. My sister had been dreaming and in her dream she grabbed onto "something" firmly which just so happened to be ME!! She was still dreaming minutes later when I gained the courage to reach back and touch her cold hand. I told her she yelped like a little girl which convinced me that there was a young ghost child roaming the basement!! We laughed louder now and I was afraid we'd wake the sleeping family upstairs. As we shut off the lights and settled back into our deep sleeps, I giggled off and on for 45 minutes from the pure embarrassment and RELIEF of what had taken place.

The next morning as we woke.. we looked at each other and laughed again. I wished it had been a DREAM!! How embarrassing to make such a ENORMOUS SCENE from something so silly and innocent! As I went to shower, the girls ate breakfast and told our host that "Stacy thought your house was haunted!!" I could hear giggles all the way into the bathroom as they relayed my "terrifying" experience. Ugh! I was so embarrassed!

I turned the shower on to drown out their taunting giggles, but before climbing in, decided to use the bathroom first. Just when I didn't think my heart could take any more frights.. I saw the door knob turning and before I could say that I was in there, the door was opened and in walked the teenage daughter who lived there. And there I was in my birthday suit sitting there helpless and vulnerable!!! We both froze in horror. Her seeing a very unexpected naked stranger in her bathroom, and me seeing a wide eyed, mouth gaping stranger staring at me!! She apologized and slammed the door shut!! Defeated, with no pride left me in what so ever... I sighed long and deep.

If I wasn't embarrassed enough from the events during the night, I certainly had cause to be NOW!! I took the fastest shower in history with the intention to pack up and leave that house immediately! I was SO humiliated! When I reluctantly came around the corner into the kitchen.. It was silent and 7 people stared at me with wide smiles. Some of them being friends and the rest strangers... the silence lasted only a couple seconds before the whole house started roaring with laughter once again at all of my encounters at this house... this house that I will NEVER VISIT EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The end.

:)

I Digress #9 - I'll take a big black Bee to go, please, and can you make that super-sized?

2008-05-25T18:49:00.011-07:00

A few years back I was out shopping for several hours, which seriously (despite my being a girl) is my LEAST favorite thing to do! ewww, shopping!! I was exhausted and worn out and realized I was STARVING! I decided I was too tired to go home and make something for dinner, so I stopped at a place I frequented a LOT back then... Jack in the Box! mmmmmmm!! Their Tacos are disgustingly delicious!!

I pulled up to the drive thru Menu and even though I knew EXACTLY what I was going to order because I always got the same thing every single time, I still asked for a minute to look over the menu.. just in case I wanted to go out on a limb and order something DIFFERENT!!!!

I think the guy came on the speaker like 2 or 3 times to ask me if I was ready to order. I figured, eh.. there's no one behind me so I took my time. After 5 minutes of looking over the menu, I decided to get MY USUAL!! hahaha... I told the guy I was ready to order. He seemed relieved. Just when I went to talk... to my HORROR... A GIGANTIC BLACK BEE started buzzing around the menu and flew right up to my window!!!

Some of you already KNOW that I hate bugs, spiders, and INSECTS!!! ESPECIALLY the kinds that defy the laws of GRAVITY such as this huge black bee that was now staring me in the face!! - I IMMEDIATELY PANICKED and I screamed.. right into the speaker!!! The guy on the speaker, said.. "Ma'am? Are you alright?" I was frantically trying to roll up my window, but it was taking its sweet time rolling up!! I felt vulnerable! I was so frightened because the bee was so close that I could hear it buzzing and the sound seemed to be amplified by my present fear!!

He asked me again.. "Ma'am? Is everything all right?" The only response I could give the guy was a handful of unrecognizable syllables and some scattered squeaks and squeals. I could see him looking out his window up ahead but he was just far enough that the bee was not visible, so to HIM... it was as if I had just SNAPPED!! Lost it right there in the drive thru!! That poor guy, I'm sure he felt helpless as he watched me flailing inside my car. Meanwhile.. I had 4 more inches to go before my window was all the way up... I was still panicking... and still sputtering out unrecognizable sounds. I had goosebumps all over my body along with some shuttering! (I'm even cringing NOW as I recall this traumatic experience!) Just when I thought I'd get the window up in time, that dang buzzing black bee came and head butted my window near the top of the opening!! It was loud!! That of course created an involuntary scream into the microphone AGAIN! It landed on my window and it was crawling up towards the opening... It was like a race between IT and the mechanics of my car window!!

I heard the guys voice one more time in the fading distance as I literally peeled out and screamed all the way down the street, hoping that I hadn't trapped the bee INSIDE the car with me!!! My goosebumps were more like MOOSEbumps!!! The adrenaline was pumping furiously through my body. I kept patting my clothes and tussling my hair and itching my arms as my mind created sensations of that bee climbing all over me. It took me an HOUR to calm down.

I've never been back to that Jack in the Box because I've been too embarrassed to ever see that guy again! It's been a few years and I KNOW he doesn't work there any longer but STILL... *blush*

If yer gonna go Cupping.. you gotta do it RIGHT!

2008-05-19T19:42:00.011-07:00

**See original post below**

I have LOVED reading the comments about Cupping!! I should've mentioned that if you plan on going Cupping... the only REAL way to go and have complete SUCCESS with the cup staying on your car is to use the magnets found in old hard drives that are ruined or crashed or useless. I LOVE FINDING OLD HARD DRIVES!!! hahaha... They are like gold to me!! Just for the magnets!! I knoooooow... *rolling eyes*

Okay, so here's a quick lesson on the hard drive. Pay no attention to anything that doesn't say MAGNETS!! Cause really.. let's be honest! That's the only important thing in a dead hard drive. :)

Here's what they actually look like once they are removed!

There are 2 in each hard drive and they are kinda hard to get out because they are super powerful magnets. You kind of have to PRY them off, and a lot of times they break.. which is fine. They will still work. :) They are so super duper powerful that you can do lots of fun things with them like see if you can separate your fingers when they are like this.. (see below)

HOWEVER: BE CAREFUL because when you get them even remotely close to each other, they attract with such force that they will PINCH you and give you blood blisters. Ouch! It hurts! So I recommend stacking them and leaving them stacked. It's nearly impossible to get them apart anyways, but it's fun trying. :)

SOO, if you think that regular magnets from Ace Hardware or Wal-Mart will do the trick.. I'm here to tell you they won't. Maybe going like 15 miles an hour, but that's no fun! Because if you get going very fast, the cup will knock over and lay side ways on your roof as you're driving down the street. And if you didn't get weird looks BEFORE.. you WILL NOW!! LOL!!! So REALLY, you need to bring in the BIG GUNS!! They Heavy artillery!! The Super-duper Hard Drive Mags!!
My Roommate and I tested these and we put the cup on the side of the car as displayed below. We were able to go 50 mph before we lost the straw and 85 mps before we were afraid the cops would catch us for speeding on the freeway.. so really, we don't know what speed these Magnets can endure!! :) We got some great looks though!! :)

I can't believe I just gave a lesson about hard drives... I don't know anything about them except for the golden nuggets of FUN that lay inside them....

:)

I Digress #8 - CUPPING!!

2008-05-13T00:32:00.005-07:00

For those of you who haven’t HEARD of "Cupping".. I'm so excited to introduce you to it!! I’m sure you’re VERY curious as to what it is exactly! And for the many of you that I have taken Cupping… please post your memories! Your experience could really add to this post! :) hehee

One day about 10 years ago, my younger brother, Dean, picked me up from work in his "puddle-hopper" of a car and before we took off, he said with a mischievous grin, "Wanna have some FUN?" Of COURSE I was in!! He rolled down his window and dumped out the ice in his Jack n the Box cup. Then he threw in a few heavy duty magnets and put the lid and straw back on. He had my full attention. He then stuck the cup on top of the car and with all those magnets, it wasn't going ANYWHERE!! :) We embarked on what became the start of YEARS of FUN EXPERIENCES for me and my friends!!!! :) It was rush hour and he began to explain the rules to me as we pulled out on to the busy street.
Cupping Rules:
1. You must ACT as if you had no idea that you left your drink on top of the car.
2. Do not look at other drivers for their reactions, unless you can do so inconspicuously. Sun Glasses work the best.
3. Even though every fiber of your being wants to laugh uncontrollably, it is strictly forbidden, except for in casual conversation in the car.
4. You must listen to your music loudly, as to cover up the yelling of random people trying to get your attention.
5. When confronted about leaving your drink on top of the car, you must be gracious to the kind hearted soul who thinks they just saved your car from pop spilling all over it.
6. When you have to take the cup off your car, act embarrassed and thank them. Then turn off onto a street and put the cup out again. Wait for 1 to 2 minutes before returning to the FUN!

Okay, so those are the rules of CUPPING!! :) Now for some of the funniest experiences I've had while doing it. :) So many have come to my mind as I've been writing, but I've had way too many to share. hehehe

When my brother, Dean, and I were driving home, it was rush hour so all the cars were inching forward together. We hadn't been on the street for more than 30 seconds before we had our first bite. Dean reminded me to pretend not to notice the lady next to us waving her arm at us out her window. He said give it a moment or two. IT WAS SO HARD NOT TO BURST INTO LAUGHTER!! The lady was PERSISTENT and started honking her horn, which not only got OUR attention, but the attention of everyone else around us! I looked around and could see people pointing and smiling. I looked over at the lady and she was doing the "roll your window down" motion. As I rolled it down, Dean said under his breath, "get ready for the fun!". I acted confused as I looked at the lady. She seemed relieved!! She said, "Oh my goodness, I thought I was NEVER going to get your attention! You left your drink on top of your car and I was so afraid it would spill and your car would be all sticky!" I could hardly contain my laughter.. I smiled and looked at Dean... he reached up and pulled the cup off. We thanked the lady and acted embarrassed. She kept going on and on about how worried she was and how hard she tried to get our attention. Have you ever held a long conversation out the window during rush hour? Yeah, it was hilarious!!

We didn’t get too many other opportunities to do put the cup out since we were basically with the same bunch almost the entire way home. But I was SO EXCITED to share this new discovery with my friends!!!

I used to like to go cupping down Mill Ave because that was near ASU and it was an entire STREET filled with concerned people who would flag us down, or people who would laugh and point at the morons who left their cup on the car. Once while stopped at a stop light near Mill Ave, a bicycle cop rode up next to us, knocked on my window and as I rolled it down he said, you may want this. He had a hard time getting it off, but he just handed it to me and rode off. We almost DIED laughing! Another guy ran over to us as well and said.. “Just thought you’d like to know there’s a cup on your car.” Mill Ave is so crowded with College kids, that it’s impossible to go more than 5 mph down that stretch, so, eventually as people started remembering us, we chose a new location to go Cupping. Haha

It’s soooo fun to take a group of friends and drive around and listen to all the horns honking and all the arms flapping out their car windows and people shouting their concerns. I wish that you ALL knew just how funny it is.

There are way too many experiences to share, so I will share only some highlights. Like the time we were stopped at a red light and a couple of pedestrians were yelling to us and pantomiming a cup onto on our car! Haha Or when the Cop car pulled up right beside us at a red light and said that we had a cup on the car and when I pulled it off the roof, the magnets were so strong that I couldn’t get it off and the cop just stared. I finally yanked it off and by the time I had it in my lap, it was crumpled up and destroyed! (what was he thinking!!) I also loved the time when my friends and I were jamming out to our music at a red light and these guys next to us were trying to tell us about the cup. We pretended not to hear or understand them, just then, one of the guys jumped out and ran over to hand it to us before the light turned green. I panicked.. He tried to lift it and when he got it off he looked inside and noticed that the whole thing was a joke.. he laughed so hard and said we were cool. Haha Him and his buddy said they wanted to join us.. that’s when we took off. LOL. I remember driving around a busy mall one night after dinner with friends. A security guard pulled us over and was happy to report that he saved our car from getting sticky. 10 minutes later, he caught us doing it again on the other side of the parking lot. We were embarrassed because we knew he knew. Haha

Many many many more memories out there. The greatest part about CUPPING is that the people who are concerned enough to flag us down, honk their horns, flap their arms, yell, point and gesture all go home and tell their family or roommates that they saved someone’s car from a big sticky mess!! It makes them feel WONDERFUL inside and it provides HOURS of entertainment to me and whomever I have along on the journey.

LONG LIVE CUPPING!!!!!!!!!

I digress #7 - Cops and white lies!

2008-05-04T23:31:00.006-07:00

I've always been so afraid of Cops. I don't really know why. They are supposed to be the "Good Guys", but they run around acting like they're THE LAW!! They ARE the Law, but they don't have to act so tough and better than!! They've always intimidated me. I know there are many nice cops out there too, however. I've gotten pulled over 5 times in my life.. Once when I was 16, I had just got my license and I pulled out in front of a cop, when I saw that it WAS a cop I slowed down even though I hadn't even hit the speed limit yet! There go the flashing lights and the sinking feeling that comes with it! He asked me if I knew why he'd pulled me over.. I said "Well my speedometer is broken, was I speeding?" Uhm. Lesson one. Act dumb and say "No officer, did I do something wrong?" and then batt your eyes and smile. :) Lesson two.. Never tell a cop that your speedometer is broken! He pulled me over to say that if he had've been a drunk person or a distracted person, then he would've plowed right in to me. I think he was quite OVER-EXAGGERATING, I mean.. come on.. PLOWED?? Oh well, he gave me a warning... so I'll let him over-exaggerate all he wants! :) He made me promise to get my speedometer fixed that same week.. but I don't recall that ever happening. :)

It's not so bad any more, but there was a time in my life when I was so paranoid about Cops that if one ever pulled behind me I'd freak out, check my speed a dozen times in a 5 second time-frame and then take my first right just to get out of their radar regardless of if it made me late to where I was going! Even if I wasn't doing anything wrong! It was ridiculous! However, most of the time, I DO have to worry when I see Cops, because I have a NEED FOR SPEED! :) It's true. I have a led foot. I'm not proud of it, but it leads me to this blog entry which I believe you'll enjoy. :)

So, way back in 1996 or 97, I was friends with this awesome girl named Amie. Yep, I'm still good friends with her. :) She had her own car. A 1985 Mazda 323 Hatchback. I was stuck sharing ole bessie with the family so to ME, it was cool that she owned her own car. She said that she was going out of town for a week and that I could borrow her car ON ONE CONDITION!!!! That I didn't speed in it!! Wow.. a car all to myself for an entire week?? To come and go as I pleased without consulting the family for car needs? What a fantastic DEAL!! Oh wait... did she say no speeding??? Whoa... was it possible? I told her YES, it was a DEAL!! And right then and there I made a promise to myself that I would never speed in her car. She left out of town and I had her car! How exciting! I was doing soooo good! I was impressing even myself that I drove only the speed limit!! Not even the 5 above which we're allowed to go! Even though it drove me insane.. I had made that promise and I was keeping it! Amazing! :)

I made it through every single day FLAWLESSLY!! I couldn't WAIT until Amie got back in town and I could report that I never sped once in her car. :) The night before she arrived back home, I was going on my last little jaunt in her car. I was late for a wedding reception for a good friend.. nevertheless I didn't speed to get there. I didn't know where the chapel was and it was 8:45pm so I could not afford to make any wrong turns! But of course I DID! I made a legal U-Turn and to make up for lost time.. I decided to speed back to the light because I just COULDN'T miss the reception!! As I waited at the red light to turn left, the DEVIL in a COP CAR pulled up behind me!!! I swear he had horns!! The sinking feeling overwhelmed me and I started squirming in my seat and was saying NO NO NO NO NO!!! I'VE BEEN SO PERFECT ALL WEEK!!!!! PLEASE NO!!!! PLEEEEEASE NO!!!!!

The light turns green, I turn left and he's right on my tail. I'm scared out of my wits at this time, so I decide I'm going to LOSE this fella, so I take my first left into a neighborhood!! SO DID HE!! He's STILL right behind me! I freak out, so I take my first RIGHT going even DEEPER into a neighborhood!! All the while I'm still saying NO NO NO!!! It's NOT RIGHT! I've done everything PERFECT!!! PLEASE NO NO NO!!!! After I turn right.. he follows me!! Since my little diversion didn't work, I came up with PLAN B!! (Please note... I do not recommend Plan B to ANYONE!!)

I pull over to a house and park. He pulls over across from me. I PRETEND I DON'T NOTICE HIM.... and I get out of the car and ignore his very existence. I walk up to this house and as I'm walking up, I notice that I just HAPPENED to pick the ONLY DARK HOUSE ON THE STREET!! But I can't turn back now.. the cop is watching me. (I wonder what he was thinking..) I continue down the seemingly endless walkway up to the dark house and I knock on the door. (so dumb.. where did my brain come up with that kind of PLAN B anyways!!!) I don't think well under pressure. :) Lesson three - NEVER EVER PRETEND that you "don't see" a Cop after he's followed you onto 4 streets!!!!

I could feel the cops penetrating gaze from behind me as I waited at the door of some unsuspecting homeowner. After I knocked, a little dog started yapping and soon all of the lights came on. If I wasn't panicking before.. I was NOW!! An older woman came to the door and as soon as she opened it, the cop pulled away. **WHEWH** My Plan B WORKED!!! YES!!! Oh CRUD.. there's a lady staring at me with wondering eyes. What the honk am I gonna tell her??? She said, "Yes? Can I help you?" She smelled of cigarettes and I had a hard time breathing at first. I am embarrassed to admit, but I told her a white lie. I figured I HAD to because I couldn't tell her that I had just eluded a COP.. she'd probably get the wrong idea and think I was a fugitive or something!!!

I simply smiled and said casually, "Hi. I'm here to pick up Amie." She said, "Oh I'm sorry dear, there's no Amie that lives here." Just to ham it up, I looked confused and said.. "Hmm, I must have the wrong address. I'm sorry to bother you, have a good night." YES!!! HOME FREE!!! I have 5 minutes to make it to the reception even though I never found the chapel yet!! However, Plan B backfired and my simple white lie turned into the white lie saga!!! She said, "Well, what is her last name? They might be my neighbors and I could point the house out to you." I think the color may have drained out of my face. I made up some random last name and of COURSE she didn't know them. She eagerly wanted to help me find Amie, bless her soul!! I just wanted to call it a night and LEAVE!! I felt captive to her and with every question she asked me, another LIE rolled off my lips... I felt awful, horrible and extremely guilty for lying to this sweet old lady. She asked me if I had the address, and I told her I had left them at home accidentally and was going from memory which is probably the reason I had knocked on the wrong door!! And then.. I changed my entire story!! Lesson Four - When lying to someone's face, never EVER change your story!!

I was getting antsy with this awkward situation and I needed to LEAVE! So I said, "Actually, I'm looking for a church." She said, "Oh." Looking very puzzled because I had just switched up everything. I'm a horrible liar. She continued, "The Mormon church?" Guilt and Shame must have been written all over me.. I nodded my head and she slowly raised her arm up and pointed directly behind me saying, "Do you mean.... That Mormon Church?" Just then, my life turned into a slow-motion movie as I turned around to see the steeple standing tall and proud lit up like a beacon in the night just on the other side of her neighbors house!! (duh, how could I have missed that!!!) I felt like the dust of the earth... I wanted to explain the whole story of what had just happened just so she'd know WHY I came to her house and lied to her like that!! I didn't though. It was 9:00. I got in the car and drove around the corner to the reception just in time to see my friend hop in her car and drive away with her new husband. She saw me and gave me a big smile and a wave as she drove past me. I was glad she at least knew I was there. But it didn't matter that much to me anymore.. I felt like I had a lot of repenting to do when I got home!

I'll never forget the infamous night of eluding the law and interrupting a nice old woman's evening with my lies!! For the next MONTH I drove past her house from time to time trying to get up the courage to bring her some homemade cookies and tell her my story and apologize to her. But I didn't. I learned many lessons that night!! The HARD WAY! LOL!! NOW I can look back and laugh when I tell the story!! I told it recently to a friend who said it coulda been worse if there HAD'VE been an Amie living there since it's such common name..!! OY!!

Moral of the story. Never elude the law and then pretend not to see them.. And never walk up to a dark house and start a conversation of LIES with an old lady!!!!!!!! Or better yet.. NEVER SPEED which is how this whole thing started in the first place! Even though I only sped for 3 seconds. *sigh*

Thanks Amie for letting me borrow your car for a week in 1997. :) It made for a fun blog today! :) I don't know why I freaked out... the cop didn't know I was in the car, he thought it was YOU! :) hahahaha! Love ya! :)

Dear Blog,

2008-04-29T22:00:00.002-07:00

Dear Blog,
I miss you. I'm writing to apologize for my neglectful behavior these past 2-3 weeks. It is uncalled for and unacceptable and I want you to know that I take full responsibility!! I've wanted to share so much with you about my experiences these past few weeks and I just haven't taken the time to do it. I am lazy. I am tired. But that doesn't mean I don't care about you and all your readers. In fact that is FAR from the truth.. I'm ALL about CARE!! I'm stuffed FULL of care. Which is why I'm writing tonight.. to let you know that I haven't forgotten about you and that I'll be back soon to fill your pages with memories, stories, and laughs.

Don't give up on me and I promise to not let you down. My next entry will KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF!!!!! :)

My love,

Stacy :)

I Will Survive!!

2008-04-12T20:09:00.006-07:00

A lot of you have already seen this, but I thought I'd post it anyways. :) This was from a Ward Talent Show a couple years ago. My back up dancers are my friends Mariela and Socorro. They did an amazing job for only doing 1 run through! We really didn't know what we were going to do once we got on stage, but it seemed to work out. :) We are holding magnifying screens that are used for enlarging TV screens. This video clearly shows my lack of dancing skills and I obviously didn't remember the words. LOL. The best was when I knocked over the music stand!! That was a real winner of a move. :) I've been called a Bobble-head ever since this talent show... rightfully so!!

I'm working on my next story, so come back soon! :)

I Digress #6 - Joy Ride!

2008-04-06T21:14:00.007-07:00

I LOVE this particular trip down memory lane! It brings a smile to my face and belly laughter to boot! :) I had to dig through countless old photos for hours on end to find pictures to help tell my story. I'm all about the visual aids. :) I only found a few and they are old, faded and dirty, but hey, they'll do. :)

Growing up our family had a blue and white Van that almost each sibling got to drive once they hit high school. :) It was the ultimate friendmobile! I called her Ole Bessie! I have many fun memories in Ole Bessie. Like for instance, on occasion we would pile our friends in the back of the van and drive around in an empty parking lot all crazy-like... accelerating and braking, turning sharp corners and zig-zagging. The purpose was of course to create MAYHEM in the back of the Van with bodies flying into each other and people getting squished.. Screams and laughter could be heard for miles!! Ahem, DON'T ASK ME... I do not know why we thought that was sooooooooo fun! People would get bruised up or have the wind knocked out of them and I think someone's glasses even got broken one time.. yet, almost twice a month (after the bruises had healed) everyone wanted to do it again... so off to the empty lot we'd go. :) I think a couple of you might even remember these fun times.... way back in the early 90's!! If you do, chime in!! :) I searched for pictures of my Van piled with a bunch of friends but never found any. Shucks!

That Van started getting extremely broken-in by the time I was using it.. The heavy sliding door, if opened too far, would slide right off its track and the back half would crash to the ground. It was kinda embarrassing.. but people seemed to still love Ole Bessie. :) One time my dad needed to haul something and he took the two benches out. When he was done he put them back in but for some reason he didn't lock the legs of the front bench into place. That night I took Ole Bessie out to pick up some friends for a Friday night. As soon as I accelerated, the whole front bench flew back and landed on the bench behind it. It startled me and I slammed on my brakes and the bench came flying back into place!!

And then.............. I began to grin mischievously and rather excessively... Mr. Evil started seeping through my kind-hearted exterior. I was about to give my friends a ride in my van that they would never forget!!! :) Muwhahahahahaahahaha!! >:}

I picked my friends up and made sure to say (as always), "Buckle up Buttercup".... It was dark that night, so my trusting friends could not see the Mr. Evil grin that was spread widely across my face. I could hardly contain the excitement that was bubbling up inside of me over the anticipation of their reactions!! I probably seemed a little more giddy than usual that night, and they were about to experience exactly WHY that was. :oÞ~

I backed out of their driveway slowly... Put Ole Bessie in drive, and looked back at them and said are you guys ready??? I then stomped on the gas, the van took off with a vengeance and SO DID THE GIRLS!! They screeeeeeeamed as they unexpectedly flew backwards and their feet were high in the air!!!!!!!!! I kept driving as my evil belly laughter filled the van.. once they regained their sense of awareness after that big shock.. they too started laughing uncontrollably.. they were stuck in the reclined position, resting nicely on the seat of the back bench. After a minute or two I asked them if they needed help getting their bench back up. They of course agreed, thinking I would pull over and help them... But no.. I wasn't playing nice that night!! Instead, I slammed on the brakes which sent their bench flying back upright and they screeeeeeeamed again!! And then followed the laughter!! HAHAHAHA!! :)

I'm so happy my dad didn't lock that bench into place because what a fun night that ended up turning into!! My friends wanted to pick up more friends and do it to them!! Apparently, Mr. Evil rubbed off on them a little as well. hehehe :) That turned into the "cool thing to do" on the weekends. We'd seek for new friends who hadn't experienced the roller coaster Van. :) That experience WINS as my most FAVORITE memory of Ole Bessie. :)

Ole Bessie broke down years later and adorned our carport for several years.. until we finally said our goodbye's and parted ways. *sniffle* Rest in Peace Ole Bessie. Thanks for all the fun memories! I love you. :)

I Digress #5 - I Love You.. GASP

2008-03-29T12:30:00.009-07:00

Towards the end of last year I was on a Positive-Affirmations kick and I would listen to this awesome CD filled with amazingly uplifting affirmations. In one part of the CD it suggests sending LOVE to other drivers on the road. I really had to wrap my brain around that one for awhile. But, I tried it. As I drove to work I would tell drivers in front of me, to the side of me, and in back of me that I loved them. At first I would say it in my head... then when I wasn't feeling so weird about it, I'd whisper it to them, never making eye-contact. I'm not that brave. :)

I remember having a really bad day at work one day and I wasn't about to send LOVE to anyone... maybe some fiery darts saying "MOVE OUTTA MY WAY".. yeah, that would be more appropriate for that moment.. but I quickly noticed that the drudgery of rush hour was making my bad day even worse!! So I decided to put this exercise to the test!! I started throwing "I love you's" to people in cars and pretty soon I was feeling better and was truly lifted. It was incredible. I learned first hand that you just can't be angry when love is present inside.

So, after a week or two of doing this I began to really enjoy it!! I noticed that as I would send my love to perfect strangers, it made me feel so good inside. I'm pretty sure that my heart swelled. I could meet strangers in the store or in the line at the post office and really send my love-vibes to them without them even knowing and each conversation was warm and friendly instead of that awkward silence that is often hovering. :) I felt good about life when I was filled with so much light and love for people. :) Love is POWERFUL.

One particular day, I was on my way to work in the regular stop-n-go rush hour. I instantly fired up my Love and decided to be bold this time and actually look at the people in the other cars and tell them I loved them out loud! I figured, they wouldn't see me and they'd never know I was beaming LOVE to them. It was going great and I liked this BOLDNESS that was present in me, until that all changed in an instant... (dot dot dot)

(Tee hee, this is where my story REALLY STARTS!!!!!)

I pulled up to this beautiful black Nissan Altima, looked over at this guy and with a smile I said, "I Love You"... To my HORROR, he looked over at me RIGHT WHEN I SAID IT!!! I instantly GASPED and covered my mouth!! I am pretty positive that I went ghostly white and in my attempt to give this stranger an explanation of why I just told him that I loved him.. I started waving my hand and shaking my head as if telling him to erase what I just said.. Like an accelerated gesture of the "Jedi hand wave".. (Uhm, did I REALLY just make a Star Wars reference on my blog???? that is kinda funny.) I can not imagine what I must have looked like to him. His brow furrowed as he looked at me, as if to determine what just happened and what was STILL happening. Not much can be said or explained when you're in a sound proofed box, which is what it felt like... So, I decided it was futile to continue playing Charades to convey my point. :) And so... I focused on DRIVING. I looked straight ahead and pretended it never happened. No, of COURSE it wasn't awkward that we were side by side for the next 30 mins in rush hour going 2 miles an hour. Not at ALL!!! ;)

I can only imagine what the topic around HIS water cooler at work was that day... as for mine? I kept that whole experience to myself... until now. :) Because NOW.. I can laugh about it without wanting to hide. Sooooo, Have I continued to beam my Love to drivers since then? Not really. I blocked the practice all together until I found my Affirmations CD a few days ago. I decided to try it out again this week and I feel GOOD!! Now... will I be BOLD and look directly at strangers and tell them through our car windows that I love them?? Hmmm.. Perhaps on a bold day here and there. But if this ever happens again where I get caught sending LOVE.. You'll be the first to hear all about it. :)

You never know... maybe that man in the nice black nissan thought I said "OLIVE JUICE!" :)

"Just For Now" - Imogen Heap

2008-03-28T18:01:00.007-07:00

I love watching people mix music to create masterpieces. I'd love to learn how to do it!! Here's Imogen Heap creating a fun mix for her song "Just For Now". :)
I LOVE IT! :)

I'm working on my next story, so stay tuned. :)

I Digress #4 - Strong Armed!

2008-03-22T13:51:00.005-07:00

I had a memory come to me just now that made me laugh. If I don't write it down, I may forget for another 10 years!! :) It was 5th grade on a Tuesday and I got anxious as I watched the clock. *DING* It was FINALLY time to go to the playground!! I raced (walked fast) down the hallways of the elementary school and around the corner passing the cafeteria and taking a shortcut at "The Ark"... and there behind the portables were a few picnic tables where I would be participating in a very important event on this day. Kids had already gathered and were waiting for me to catch my breath so that I could compete in an ARM WRESTLING match. I know.. weird huh? lol. It was a big thing back then and even though I was a realllllly shy and very kind girl, I was STRONG and everyone loved to watch me beat the boys my age in arm wrestling! :)

I sat down at the table and across from me was Robert.. the boy I had a crush on in 3rd grade. We locked hands and someone said "GO!" I don't remember, but it's possible that I humiliated him that day as the match was up in 5 seconds, his arm went down FAST!! There were giggles, and whispers behind me and a few friends cheering me on. I went through several boys beating them all. I had earned a reputation of being the "nice bully". It sounds weird coming from ME, but I only had the bully nickname because I was strong and good at arm wrestling. I can't express how weird it is for me to be writing about this experience! It sounds so funny written out! LOL!!

I arm wrestled a couple more boys and beat them too. My arm was starting to get tired. No one else wanted to wrestle me. I got up and rubbed my arm. Just then.. a girl sat down and said "I'll take you on." I looked over and fear struck me.. it was Christina Bacerra.. The only REAL girl bully that year at Emerson Elementary... She was strong, mean, and I was afraid of her. As was everyone, including the boys!! She was always in trouble and had a constant scowl on her face. I never saw her laugh or smile unless she was making fun of me or picking on some one else. She was always in the principal's office for getting in fist fights. And now.. here she was, wanting to arm wrestle ME!!!!!! Sweet innocent Stacy. The crowd was silent... I made up some excuse like the bell was going to ring and we had to start getting back. She put her elbow on the table and said, "We have enough time, let's do this! SIT DOWN!" I felt defeated already.. plus my arm was tired from all the previous matches I'd done. It was quite an unfair disadvantage.

I sat back down and cupped my hand in hers. She squeezed it hard and I was scared. The crowd was still silent as they were all afraid of cheering me on for fear they'd get beaten up later! No one even said "GO!"... So, Christina said it fast and started right in! It took me by surprise so she almost took me down in a split second! But I was able to regain my pride when I powered in with all my 5th grade strength. We were definitely a good challenge for each other because that match was LONG!!! (probably only 2 or 3 mins, but it was long back then!) We both struggled, she'd almost pin my arm down, and then I'd almost pin hers down. It went back and forth... At the end, she almost had me and I knew I didn't have it in me to fight back. BUT, I had a plan. She was an inch or two away from winning and I was hanging on for dear life. The bell rang and no one moved.. they HAD to see who would win this intense match!! Christina kept saying, "You KNOW I have you, so let go!! You know I'm going to win!!" I have a little competitive side to me and that made me want to win MORE! My plan was I figured she'd use all her energy trying to get me down the last couple inches and then when she had no more strength left, I'd exert everything left inside of me to make this huge come back!!! It was all planned out in my head, I just had to hold on and wait it out!

Just then... Monica, one of Christina's mean friend's walked by and pushed our hands down just enough for my knuckles to hit the table making Christina jump up from the table screaming and shouting that she won!! The crowd started dispersing FAST! My awesome plan had been FOILED!!! I never used to get mad at that age, but I was upset and said that it wasn't fair because Monica pushed our hands down. I immediately decided that was probably NOT the best thing to say, because Christina came and got in my face and said, "HEY! I won fair and square!! You can't beat me and you weren't going to!" I said we should have a rematch the next day to make it fair. She just scowled at me and left to go to class.

We never did have that match. However, after arm wrestling Christina Bacerra that day, I gained her respect and she was nice to me the rest of that year and all of 6th grade as well. But ever since then, I've always wondered what would've happened if we ended up having that rematch in 5th grade.. especially if my arm hadn't have been sore from all the previous games. It doesn't really matter any more, but that doesn't keep me from thinking that I would've TAKEN HER DOWN TOWN IN TEN FLAT!!!! lol. Oh, there goes my competitive side talking again. :)

Fun memory to have had this afternoon. :) I was a bully.. That still makes me laugh.

I Digress #3 - Honest Tithes

2008-03-13T22:56:00.008-07:00

Tonight I was sitting with my friend Sherri reminiscing and an embarrassing memory came to my mind and she said it had to go on the Blog. :) It's not so bad NOW, but back then it was almost unbearable. :) I remember it like it was just earlier today. I was in Sacrament Meeting with my family one Sunday when I was probably around 10 or 11 years old. My mom had informed us kids that after church we had Tithing Settlement with the Bishop and to figure out what our small earnings were so we could hand in our tithing. I remember sitting in sacrament meeting and I had brought a handful of Monopoly money with me.. a LOT of high bills. I pretended that I would pay with my paper money so I filled out the tithing slip for an insane amount, like the recreated slip below. (remember the horizontal slips?? :)) I filled out the slip, counted my doe and sealed the envelope. I carried that bulging envelope around so proudly all through out church, acting as if I were turning in a BUNDLE of cold hard CASH!! I had no intentions of truly turning it in, but somehow as our family waited for our turn with the Bishop, I must have dropped it. Just so happens, that I happened to drop it RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE CLERKS OFFICE!! How convenient... or... not. Just as I spotted it laying right there in front of the door.. so did the 1st counselor.. my heart stopped. My mind raced. I wanted to RUN!.. because I knew that as soon as he opened that envelope, he'd know it was Stacy Householder that was turing in bogus tithing because my name was on there for all to see. I started towards him not knowing what I was going to do or say. I can't say that I didn't have visions of grabbing it out of his hands and bolting out the door. I watched him turn the envelope over looking for a name on the outside.. there was none. I gulped hard. He started opening it and by the time I reached him, he had the stack of Monopoly money in one hand and the tithing slip with MY NAME in the other!!!! He looked perplexed and when I got to him, he looked down at me and gave me a look like... hmm,. I must have had a look of horror, shame and guilt all over my face because he took compassion on me and his words were.. "My goodness you had quite a productive month didn't you! I'm very proud of you for giving 10% to the Lord." :) He is now in the Quorum of the 70's. haha. I don't remember anything else that day, including the actual Tithing settlement with the Bishop.. I think I was so humiliated that I blocked the rest of the day. But it did teach me to always pay an HONEST TITHE!! :)

I Digress #2 - The art of juggling

2008-03-01T10:42:00.011-07:00

I've always loved watching jugglers. It's an amazing art to me. And ya know, I personally love to juggle.. It’s a talent of mine that has been developing over years and years. It is impossible to know exactly how many apples, oranges, potatoes, eggs, tomatoes, and homemade rolls I destroyed while mastering this art. And Mom, if you happen to be reading this.. just understand, it turned out to be a very worthwhile cause because as you can see in the video below, your daughter is an AMAZING JUGGLER!!!!! Thanks for your fruit donations over all those years of practicing and becoming! ;)

(okay, so I’m not THAT great.. hehe.. I can only juggle for like 5-10 seconds.) :)

This video embarrasses me, but I am going BEYOND my embarrassment and putting it on the blog. :) This was before we had any furniture in our apartment. :)

OooooooKaaayy... Glad THAT'S over with! NOW... Watch the master Chris Bliss juggling... GUARANTEED AMAZEMENT!! :)

Ahem...
I can see that I have a lot more practicing to do!

:)