I case you live in a cave and haven't heard

 In case you live in a soundproof cave and haven't heard me screaming for joy, here is picture proof that I did in fact win the facebook contest for BYU-Utah football tickets.  It is also proof that sometimes good guys finish first.  And that you should never give up, no matter how far behind you think you are in a race.  You never know what the end result will be until you cross the finish line.

I posted about how excited I was about the contest, and honestly I had a hard time sleeping the first night of the contest, as I was in first place when I went to bed.  I woke up the next morning only find that I had moved down to 3rd, then 4rth, and finally 5th place.  I couldn't figure out how these people ahead of me were getting hundreds of votes.  I told myself, "Oh well, it really doesn't matter."  But deep down I was very sad to think that I was so close but still so far away from my dream.  I still kept voting every day and made my husband and kids votes as well, just so I could stay in 5th place. 

Finally it was the last day.  The contest was suppose to end at noon.  I checked about 1:00 and it said that the contest had been extended until midnight.  Then when I looked the top place people had been removed from the contest.  I wasn't sure why, but suddenly I was in second place.  My spirits soared like a caged bird just set free.  I had a chance.  The next several hours were spent visiting the homes of several friends, so I could talk them through the somewhat complicated process of voting.  Because there is nothing obnoxious about showing up on someone's doorstep, say "Hi, please go to your computer RIGHT NOW and vote for me!!!"  I went to people who had multiple facebook users at their house.  Also I called and texted family and had them vote as well.  I spent pretty much the next 6 hours begging for votes.  One of the best things I did was text my good friend The Crash Test Dummy.  She posted a link on her facebook wall, and she has 900 friends for goodness sake.  It is good to have friends with such connections.  Many of her people were kind enough to vote for me as well.  In the end I got 300 points that afternoon.  Which at 5 points a vote, is a lot of votes.

It turns out that the top people were cheating by using fake accounts and voting services.  So they were disqualified once their votes were verified.  Because I got so many votes so fast, I was accused of cheating.  The people disqualified even used their fake accounts to vote for me to try and disqualify me as well.  The morning after the contest I got a call from the verification service to ask me how exactly did I get so many votes in one day.  I explained to him about my driving from house to house.  This seemed to satisfy him.  An hour later I got the call from the bank that I had won the tickets.  I am still in shock and disbelief.  But there was much happy dancing involved that day.

Hip hip hooray for winning!!! Here is pictorial proof that I did win something, and in fact it is something I am thrilled to death to have won.  I have actually never attended a BYU/Utah football game in person.  The fact that I finally get to be there in the flesh, well I am excited beyond word.  I am covered in bruises from pinching myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

Here is a up close look at just how up close I will be watching this game.  Hee hee hee, I am giddy with anticipation!  These seats are on the 35 yard line, so hopefully I will get to see some touchdowns. 

And here is the pair of them.  My husband has a scouting commitment so he can't go.  I mean priorities, get some.  But instead my sister will be attending with me.  It is going to be the best day ever!!!  And should be good for a few more photo opportunities/stalking situations.

Here I am in my RISE UP game day t-shirt.  I wore this last Saturday to wish my Cougars good luck against Ole Miss.  And despite the fact that I almost had a heart attach watching that game, my team did prevail in the end.  So woohoo! for starting the season off with a win.  Good luck in Texas tomorrow.

And one week from tomorrow, you and me baby!!!

What does it take to be a mother.

A friend of mine sent me an email asking for help with a young women's lesson. She was having an activity about mothers and wanted to know what qualities make a good mother.

Many have said more about this topic and much more eloquently, but this is what I came up with in the few short minutes I had to form a reply.

Being a mother is the hardest job on earth.

You need patience to keep from strangling your kids when they pour a gallon of oil on your kitchen floor.

You need courage to kill bugs or feed snakes or watch your kids walk into kindergarten the first day knowing they have to do it alone.

You need stamina to survive on 4 hours of sleep and one shower a week when your kids are newborns, and then you need it to get them to seminary or wait up for them to come home when they are teenagers.

You need communication skills,to talk baby talk or princess talk or text talk.

You need the ability to laugh when you want to cry and hope when all seems hopeless.

You need to be able to love the unlovable, soothe the unsoothable, and feed the child with a endless hunger.

You must stretch a dollar farther than elastoman.

You must be able to make a princess costume from three sequins, 2 pipe cleaners, and a bed sheet.

You must be a cheerleader to cheer your child on whether to victory or defeat.

In total it seems like an impossible job, but somehow, by doing the best you can your kids manage to grow up in spite of you and the many mistakes you make.

So what would your answer be to the question "What qualities do good mothers have?"

American Idol

Besides others in my house hogging all the computer time, I have of course been occupied in the evenings watching American Idol. Who doesn't love watching people pursue their dreams on national TV? It is just as good as a Veggie Tale movie. I laugh, I cry, it moves me BOB.

And is it just me, or did it seem a little bit kinder and gentler this year? As much fun as it is to watch people makes fools of themselves and then receive insults from the judges, I would much rather watch the heart wrenching stories of people who really need this in their life.

Like the guy on Wednesday night, whose wife died 4 weeks earlier. His story broke my heart. I hope he goes far, and his best friend is going with him. How cute is that?

But I wonder if they gave some people tickets to Hollywood that they knew would not make it. Do they purposefully bring people they know will be easy to cut? And is that even meaner to give someone false hope? Would it be better to be disappointed right away, or would you rather think you have a chance when you really don't?

Just some thoughts running around my crazy brain. I think I might like to be strung along as long as possible. Like I always say, denial is a great place to be.


And watching so many of these people who were so passionate about this show made me wonder if that is what is missing from my life. I need a dream to make getting out of bed each day more appealing.

So I wonder what my new dream should be.

I think I am pretty close to achieving the dream of the BYU football team obtaining a restraining order on me, or at the very least posting my face on the dart board in the locker room. So I need something else.

Joining the circus? Possibly not. I might like to be a cheerleader for the BYU football team, but I think that ship has sailed. Actually, I might like to join the CIA, like one of my favorite characters, Mrs Pollifax. I think life as a spy might be my only chance to travel. Another unfulfilled dream would be to sing on Broadway. There is the little detail of my not really being able to carry a tune in a bucket. So maybe one day I will settle for just attending some musicals on Broadway. Next best thing and all that yada, yada, yada.

For now I think I should just settle for seeing everyone else in my house go to school each day and me getting out of bed. That will be nice. Baby steps, right?

What are your secret dreams?

Red Box- Economically Sound or Tool of the Devil

I have to admit that in many things I am way behind the times. I didn't get a DVD player until about 3 years after they were popular. My first Ipod, which in fact is a sansdic MP3 player, I just purchased last year. I have a dress that I bought when my fourteen year old was born. And I still wear it. So it is an established fact that I don't jump on board with the latest things right away.

Probably this accounts for why three weeks ago was the first time I actually rented a movie from Redbox.

There is one at my favorite Smiths, that I pass each time I go to the grocery store. Often I have wondered, why are people staring at that box, and what are they waiting for. It is almost always busy with people contemplating what to do with their evenings.

What was all the hub bub about? I knew family members and friends who used the thing regularly, and still I stuck to my old ways of Hollywood Video.

One huge problem I did see with Redbox, was the whole keeping a movie for just one day. What a foreign concept to me, who checks out videos from the library for months at a time. (Of course the Library frowns upon this, and sends me dirty letters but they are still stupid enough to check things out to me again) And more times than not, I return my Hollywood Videos late also. Why the finer details of life are lost on me, I am not quite sure.

A friend of mine asked me, in a loving way if I had always been a flake. I was not offended, because hey, my behaviour has become very flake like in the past few years. Not even Head and Shoulders can help me, I'm afraid.

I don't think I was always flaky. It has been a gradual process that I would have to associate to when I first had kids. All that sleep deprivation has killed too many of my brain cells, leaving me witless.

So my daughter talked me into trying the Redbox thing. We rented Kit Kittridge, a movie she missed seeing in the theaters last summer when Jared was hospitalized. To correct this miscarriage of justice and avoid a life long sorrow for her, we rented the movie. I have to say that given the current economy, a movie about the Depression was not very well received by me and frankly rather depressing.

And then to make matters worse, we rented it right before Jared's last surgery. And of course that was one detail I didn't manage to stay on top of. You guessed it $13 for our $1 movie. AAAGGGG!

Last weekend I was desperate and decided to try it again. Shockingly, I returned things the next day. I heard the Hallelujah Chorus as I slipped that little case into the slot.

Perhaps there is hope for me yet. But I wouldn't bet on it, if you are the betting type.