And then this!

FINALLY. FINALLY. FINALLY! Can’t wait. And also, subscribing to the American Idol Facebook feed finally paid off.

Then I thought (I know, I know…what’s with all this early morning thinking?!) 2012 kind of rocks. Forget the “kind of”. So far, it TOTALLY rocks. Let me count the ways:

3. Seeing the best movie of 2012: WE BOUGHT A ZOO. Okay, the best movie to date. ‘Cause you know this is right around the corner:

But this isn’t about that. Yet. So, the zoo movie.

It was well-acted, funny, heart-wrenching, and had only a slight touch of the cheesiness that one might expect in a family flick of this kind. Matt Damon was amazing in his role, and I loved how the movie didn’t rush, but let the story unfold at a natural pace. I may or may not have seen it twice already.

2. Um, I don’t know if you heard but Casey Abrams got signed! WOOOHOO!

1. The Bronco game last Sunday. Oh. My. Goodness. Gracious. With. Sugar. On. Top. SERIOUSLY! I am not joking around here. The best game ever. I watched the whole 4th quarter standing in front of my blue recliner with bated breath (except for the screaming) and through my fingers. I spent overtime screaming my face off and jumping up and down whilst Demaryius Thomas completed an 80 yard touchdown pass from Tebow for the win…and then promptly burst into tears and called my mom who was patiently waiting for me to finish watching the game so we could talk about it before she went to bed.

And I thought this was going to be a rebuilding year! Hopefully this means that John Elway will finally get on board and give Tebow the starter position for 2012? One can only hope. But I do think that this video is appropriate:

So, how ’bout this new year, huh?!

That’s when I discovered it.

Guys, I’m sitting at 666 comments. I mean, YAY! But also yikes. Can someone leave a comment and push me into the 667 safezone?!?! I’ll be your best friend!*

Until then, just staying safely indoors and watching the game lest lightening strike or something…

*I can only be your best friend for the day, mmkay?

It’s kind of embarrassing, actually. Because once you think of the idea, there’s NO WAY that you can keep it to yourself (also a pitfall of being a marketer), so when you share it with your friends or co-workers there’s this moment of silence in which you realize that you’ve revealed that you spent a half hour or hour of you life coming up with something that is pretty much pointless and the other person thinks you’re crazy.

I mean, it’s one thing if I can make my idea shift in a way to actually use it to market my books. But sometimes, as in the examples below, it’s a futile mental exercise that benefits no one and kind of drives me crazy until I can figure it all out.

This week, I’ve had some brilliant marketing ideas. I’ll share two of them if you promise not to make a million dollars off of them. I watch THE GOOD WIFE, so don’t test your legal boundaries, mkay?

1. Facecook.com. Like Facebook, but a social media outlet for people who want to cook their faces off! They could share recipes (like Pinterest), have forums to ask questions (how do I cook this at a high altitude?), webinars, etc. Prime ad space for places like Cooking Light and The Food Network, eh?

I suppose it also works on an alternate level…meaning, it could be that your concoctions blow up in your face, thereby ruining it and completing the “face cook” idea. I’m going to hope for the first for you because that’s the kind of positive person I am.

2. Tupperware commercial to the tune of “Single Ladies” by Beyoncé. Sing it with me “If you like it, then you should have put a lid on it…” I can envision a commercial. The husband leaves a piece of cake on the counter on a plate without a cover. The wife brings it into him hours later and it’s all shriveled and dried and generally unappealing. And then she sings (with choreography and back-up dancers, of course) the revised version of the song. Maybe it’s even Beyoncé scolding both husband AND wife.

So, there you have it. The inner workings of a marketing mind…we’ve only scratched the surface, folks. Now, if only I could come up with a sure-fire marketing plan that never failed to get a book on the New York Times bestselling list! Then I’d have it made. Until then, I’ll put a lid on it.

P.S. Spell check just corrected my spelling of “Beyoncé”. How weird is the world we live in??

Washington state is the home of apples, the space needle, and…my BFF Sarah.

Now, if you ever spent time with Sarah and I individually, you might wonder what makes us so close. We’re pretty fundamentally different in a lot of ways…as her former roommate (and her mine), we can both vouch for that.

She is a neat freak. I thrive in organized clutter.

She is opposed to synthetic instruments (especially drums) in her musical tastes. ‘Nsync makes me happy.

She is graceful under pressure and scrutiny. I tend to glare and make my feelings perfectly clear.

She prefers her alone time. I like to fill each night of the week with a social activity.

She’s rather calm. I tend to be excitable.

But what’s crazy is, we have a lot in common–we usually just come from different places to get there. Which is why I love having her in my life. She challenges weaknesses in my life that I tend to excuse or overlook…usually just by example or a well-placed question.

We can talk, disagree, and come out on the other end sharpened by the exchange. And let’s be honest about it…we have a ton of fun together. Most of our friendship takes place on phone calls. Not easy for two self-proclaimed loathers of talking on the phone! But somehow, it works.

It’s been a couple of years since we’ve been in the same state and fair is fair – she made the trip to Colorado last. So, July 4th found me packed and winging my way west.

When I arrived (to an AWESOME poster board welcome sign with my name on it), I just knew that this was going to be the best vacation ever! How did I know? Okay, well, I didn’t KNOW know. But I had a strong inkling. Here’s just a sampling of the awesome things we did.

• Rode in Sarah’s convertible with the top down and the latest Hanson CD cranked up loud. Those of you that just rolled their eyes because I mentioned Hanson…I saw that! Washington state is so beautiful. I couldn’t get over how gorgeous the greenery, different kind of trees, and the mountains near the water were.
• Went to see X-Men: First Class together. We’re always bemoaning the fact that we live so far away that we can’t hang out and go to movies together. And this was by far the best of the X-men movies if I do say so myself! Just call me a Y-(wo)man! (Too much? Okay.) Yes, it was even better than Wolverine. Say whatever you want, but I just don’t think Hugh Jackman is that attractive. The sideburn jowels? Mettle coming out of his hands (wince)? No thanks. P.S. Michael Fassbender totally looks like the son of the dad from The Sound of Music. Anyone?
• Went to Baja Fresh and (gasp!) Trader Joe’s. I’m fairly certain I gave Sarah a heart attack when I reacted to seeing both establishments. For future reference, never startle your driver. But, it was like coming home. I’m totally a better version of myself when I can shop at Trader Joe’s. I’m pretty sure we went at least twice and maybe three times during the course of my one-week stay.
• A tour through Pikes Place Market…yes, I know it’s unbelievably tourist-y of me. But I’m a sucker for fresh flowers, crafty goodness, and flying fish. PLUS! I went to the first Starbucks. Like, ever.

• Had some quality time with her church peeps and tried not to embarrass her in front of her friends. It’s more difficult than it sounds, okay??
• Spent a WHOLE DAY being lazy. Slept in, watched the entire first season of Pushing Daisies, downloaded a game on her iPhone that involved helping tiny people build a tower and earn monies. I’m pretty sure I didn’t shower or get out of my PJ’s all day. Now THAT’S vacation.
• Visited Sarah’s work and got the grand tour

And it’s the last item that I’d like to spend the rest of my time on. So, if you don’t like American Idol, you can stop reading now if you want. No hard feelings.

I should say right off the bat that I didn’t really give her an option. When the tour cities for the American Idol tour were posted and I found out there was a concert near to Sarah’s house (and factoring in that I was already planning a summer trip out to see my dear friend), I called her. She, like a responsible adult, was at work. My message was garbled, excited, high-pitched, and hard to understand. The ticket buying almost gave me a panic attack. You Ticket Master people know what I’m talking about. Which seats are best? Why is there a timer COUNTING DOWN? What if there are better seats? What if there aren’t but I try anyway and lose out on these? Sheesh. But I did it. I finished my mission (’cause HECK YEAH, I chose to complete it!) and after a flurry of clicking, a furrowed brow, and bated breath I was in possession of two tickets to the concert of the century my lifetime the year.

The night of the concert arrived as the piece de resistance of the week and I was so nervous. I have no idea why, honestly. But I was concerned about the parking, if the tickets I printed were the right ones, if the seats were going to be okay, etc. Sarah calmly stood by my side while I completely freaked out, offering moral support. And then. We were inside! I had my camera all ready to go. I bought a ridiculously expensive program. And suddenly! There was Ryan Seacrest…on a screen. Okay, so it didn’t have the same effect as if he would have been there in person, but still.

A few observations from the concert:

• Stefano’s “I’m super cool and fly and all the girls love me” schtick TOTALLY works in person since you can’t tell from a distance that he’s squinting and closing his eyes. His performance was super high-energy and he was the first one to get me on my feet…which I’m not entirely sure the older folks behind us were pleased about.
• Naima danced again and it was just as awkward in person as on screen…until she pulled off a one-handed cart-wheel and landed in the splits. THAT was impressive.
• Pia has not learned any new moves. The arm outstretched moving up and down is still alive and well.
• It’s entirely possible that I love Casey even more. He performed “Smooth” and “Harder to Breathe”. He. Is. Brilliant. And his duets with Haley? Forgeddaboudid.
• James seemed to be the bravest of all the contestants. During his first performance he started in the audience surrounded by a gazillion body guards. I jumped up for his performance, too, and Sarah glanced over and laughed at me. I believe her exact words were “I can’t believe you LIKE this kind of music.” Not because she didn’t like it, but because she felt like my love of boy bands and pop music of all stripes could not co-exist with my love of the Durbs. The only thing was…nothing caught on fire during his performance. I was super disappointed about that, as you can imagine.
• Scotty came out last and did several songs (One was a duet with Lauren. I’m still convinced that they are MFEO). My favorite performance of his will always be “Gone”. It’s the most fun. Most of the other country stuff…eh.

So, there you have it! I’m glad I went. I’m glad I went with Sarah. A few pictures for your viewing pleasure. All these pictures are able to be seen because Sarah took firm control of the camera. I pretty much got a whole bunch ‘o fuzzy before that turn in events…

See how excited we were?? See the old people behind us??

First (virtual) sighting!

Haley was pretty darn amazing, too. She's better live, if you can believe it!

YAY!

The Durbs. In fine form, as usual.

Scotty and Lauren!

So, now that NaBloPoMo is done, I’m going to succumb to the busy-ness that is my life. But you best believe that I’ll be checking in here and there. AND, I’ll be back full force in January for another season of (wait for it) American Idol! Just can’t wait what crazy antics SteTy is going to pull next year…

For next year’s NaBloPoMo, a little research if you please. Which NaBloPoMo posts did you like the best? The worst?

Haddock out!

“You sit up, drenched in a cold sweat. The sun is high in the sky, and you blink fiercely several times. You look around. The ocean crashes on white sandy beaches in front of you. Behind you, the jungle is teeming with the sounds of birds, animals, and *shudder* insects. It begins to come back to you; you were on a cruise. A wonderful, company paid cruise to the Bahamas. You remember the terrible storm, the rolling waves, the shipwreck!

You call for help. You scream for any other survivors. It appears you are alone. That’s really sad. You wish that you had a companion. Especially: (person. fictional or not and why)

Hmm. There’s a lot of criteria that would need to go into this decision. But I’m going to go with my not-fictional friend, Tiffany Walker. She’s a problem-solver, knows how to hunt (or at least shoot), would be a fun conversationalist, and we could pass our time singing Glee tunes and discussing the finer points of The Hunger Games trilogy. OH NO! Am I going to be off this island by March 23, 2012??!?! Plus, animals love her. And she knows a lot about them.

Luckily, you see your suitcase washed up on the sand a few feet away from you. What are the odds!? You tear into it and are relieved to find the three items you could NEVER live without: (If you say a satellite phone, I will come through the screen and smack you for cheating.)

Yikes! Would it be cheating to have packed a Super Target with Starbucks in it? I’m guessing “yes”. So let’s go with:

- My Bible, a journal, and a pen (it’s a SET, okay?).

- A big bottle of hand sanitizer. There’s bound to be a lot of yuckiness teeming in that water. Safety and health first!

- My pillow. What am going to do? Put my head on a bug-infested log? Uh-uh. I don’t think so.

With your treasures, you somehow feel bolstered. “Alright,” you say out loud “first order of business: (whatever you think the first order of business would be.)”

To find a Super Target with a Starbucks inside? Oh…no? Okay. Probably the first order of business would be for me make a fire and boil some ocean water to make it drinkable. Hello, hydration!

Brushing your hands off and sighing with relief that you are done with that, you hear something behind you. You jump. It is a foe! Pick which one you would rather face-off with:

a) a clown

b) a GIANT SPIDER

OR

c) a hungry jungle cat

Here is what you have available to you:

a) a hefty pipe from the ship’s engine room that happens to be conveniently located near the altercation

b) a delicious brownie that will most certainly distract your assailant, but might be your only source of food

c) a Jack Sparrow wig–beads and all. There was awesome entertainment on your cruise

Oh, gosh. This is a hard one. Since it’s a foe, I’m guessing that this is not a friendly clown but a derranged kind of clown bent on my ultimate destruction. I do NOT want a killer clown roaming the island with me. The jungle cat is also a big threat seeing as how The Parent Trap has taught me that clicking two sticks together is no kind of a defense against a predator. So, as much as I hate to do it, I’d have to choose the giant spider. After all, I have much more experience dealing with spiders than I do clowns or jungle cats. Gotta go with my strengths. I should have chosen to have my bug vacuum in my suitcase, huh. CURSES! Any chance that hefty pipe is actually a wand which I could point towards the spider with a firm “Riddikulus”? Okay, then. You best believe I’ll be wielding that hefty pipe like an arachnid samurai when facing my foe.

Panting but unharmed, you walk away and decide that you want to see what provisions might be on the other side of the beach.

Your toes hit something hard and shiny just barely sticking out of the sand. “A Lamp!” You cry, digging it out of the sand. It looks exactly like the one from Aladdin. You chuckle as you rub it with your wrist, only half expecting Robin Williams to pop out. But you scream as he actually does! And not blue-genie Robin Williams, but real, honest to goodness Robin Williams! But his feet are all weird and smooshed together from being in the lamp for too long and got stuck in the top so he still kind of looked like the genie from Aladdin.

“Thanks for letting me out of there! Boy, have I got a crick in my neck. In return for your kindness, I will grant you three wishes.”

Of course, you wish for him to get you off the island. Your mama didn’t raise no fool.

“I can rescue you,” he said, “but you will be eternally bound to the cast of the Real Housewives of Atlanta. They will be like your loud, dysfunctional family and you will not get away from them for all eternity. Those are the rules according to my genie contract.”

(Can I just say for the record that if I was stranded on an island with Robin Williams, I’d probably strangle him? Okay, thanks. Now that I got that out of my system…)

You sigh and:

a) accept your fate as a member of the cast of The Real Housewives of Atlanta

OR

b) Say, “No thanks, Rob, I’ll take what the jungle throws at me.”

Well, what better use of my counseling degree than to use it with The Real Housewives?? I think I could really do some good there. But, seeing as how there’s only one sane me and about a gazillion crazy thems, I’m going to go with whatever the jungle throws at me.

IF YOU CHOOSE TO CONTINUE:

“You know what will help–I can give you FOUR wishes if you will choose one from each of these categories. Consider it a BOBOBOGO sale. I can get you:

a) one song to listen to

I consulted iTunes for this to see what my most frequently played tune is. And the winner is…Gravity by Sara Bareilles. Followed closely by Dynamite by Taio Cruz. My interests are teasingly diverse.

b) one food to eat

I should probably say a superfood like quinoa or kale. But I’m going to go with mashed potatos. At a time like this, there’s no food like comfort food…

c) one book to read

Since I already have my Bible, I’m going to go with The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. I just want to read it over and over again….Plus, it could be helpful in determining edible vegitation!!

d) one movie to watch

The Holiday. It’s weird, but I could watch that movie end on end and not get tired of it.

Whaddya say, sweets?”

After granting your wishes, you say to him something along the lines of, “Thanks, Robin Williams. It was great to meet you. Make sure you stretch out your feet every once in a while so they’re not stuck in the top of that lamp next time” and head off to build a shelter for yourself.

You spend exactly 13 minutes putting together what you would consider a rather impressive hut complete with indoor plumbing and a super-cute reading nook when suddenly, a cherubic child pokes a curly blonde head in the door. “Lady,” She says, “Pretty lady, why are you here?”

“Well, my boat crashed and I’m all alone.”

“Not anymore!” The child yells. “Guys, she is here! Our queen is here!”

At least 30 children, all around the same age come rushing in screaming, cheering, and holding something black and brick-like aloft. You realize it is a satellite phone!

Do you stay and become queen of the sweet little children and live on the island or do you use the sat phone to call for help?

Um, I definitely use the sat phone to call for help. Being a queen is nice and all, but electricity is much more important in the grand scheme of things. That…and Starbucks.

Okay, but that’s not really the point of this post…so moving on.

There are certain things in life that are hard to resist. There’s different stuff for different people. I’m assuming that’s why there are so many pistachios in the world (ew). A lot of girls have to have shoes. Lots and lots of shoes. Don’t get me wrong, I have my fair share in the shoe-verse. But I can resist them. Some girls need to have a ton of designer purses. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like cute handbags. But, again, I can keep them at arm’s length if I need to.

See this is where Superman was lucky to just have one weakness. For me, it’s a few things.

Jars. Mason jars, old antique medicine jars, colored jars, every size and shape of jar. I know it’s kind of weird. But I LOVE them. It’s hard for me not to buy them. They are perfect for just about anything! Use them as an organizer for pens/pencils/highlighters/craft supplies/etc.. They’re also incredibly purposeful for transporting liquids, keeping food fresh, and other stuff. ALSO, they make for great decorations…they’re my favorite kind of vase. Anyhoo. Jars. Who knew?

Journals. Gosh, I’m embarrassed to tell you how many journals I own. For me, the best thing about a journal is that I can dump all your mixed up thoughts and emotions on a non-judgmental blank piece of paper and then organize them in a way that makes sense in my brain. But, while that would be perfect justification for owning a lot of journals, I feel like I should definitely ‘fess up and tell you that I’d be drawn to them even if I never wrote a single thing in them. They’re just so darn pretty! And awesome!

Books. Okay, this one might be a no-brainer to you. But every time I move, I realize how bad this addiction is. It wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t have so many books on my shelf that I’ve never read. I mean, some of them I TOTALLY intend to pick up. Some of them, I’m ashamed to say, I bought for the cover. Some of them just make me look smart. But man! I love to read. And I love to buy books and organize them by author and genre on my bookshelves. And lend them out. And recommend them to friends. They pretty much rock my face off.

So the real question is: What’s your kryptonite? Maybe it’s Smallville?

I do have a couple of rules for myself in these situations, though. ‘Cause let’s face it…I can get pretty darn competitive. And if I’m not careful, at the end of the night someone’s crying, someone’s angry, and pieces from the game are all over the floor. Okay, maybe I’m not THAT bad, but still. I like to win!

My top four favorite games, in no particular order and subject to change at any time…

1. Settlers of Catan and all subsequent expansion packs. AKA “Settlers” to those in the know. What I love about this game is that the board changes every time (there are many land tiles that make up the board and they can be laid in any order) and there are elements about each game you play that’s the same…but different. Plus, the people you play it with makes a huge difference. Basically, Settlers of Catan is kind of like a mix between Monopoly and Risk with a teensy bit of Pit thrown in for good measure. Picture an unsettled land with only resources like wood, brick, sheep, ore, and wheat and yourself as trying to settle that land. Each house you build (along with other things) gives you points and when you get to a certain amount of points you win the game. Okay, that’s seriously simplified, but it’s super fun. Here’s the deal about this game: people either love it or hate it. There are a lot of rules and structure to the game and to a newcomer it’s a lot to keep straight. But once you get the hang of it, it’s easy breezy. Word to the wise, every game of Settlers is a minimum of about an hour and a half committment. So plan accordingly!

2. Killer Uno. Oh. My. Gosh. If I had a nickel for every time I played this game and laughed my head off I’d have a solid quarter! This is more of a group game, so I haven’t played it very much but it’s a rousing good time. In a nutshell, this is Uno with a twist. Certain cards in the Uno deck have a deeper meaning than before. For instance (bear with me, my memory might be a biiiit rusty):

Twos: Called the “Silent” 2. If someone plays a two, everyone at the table must be silent until the next card is played. If someone speaks or makes a sound, they have to draw a card.

Sixes: If someone plays a 6, everyone at the table has to slap the deck. Last person to do so draws a card.

Also, if a card is played across the table and you have the exact card in your hand, you can play it out of turn. There’s more, but you get the idea. It’s super fun. Kind of like spoons meets dutch blitz!

3. Carcassone. Similar to Settlers, Carcassone has a game board composed of tiles and you’re basically settling the land. But, Carcassone only takes about 45 minutes to play and there’s a little more chance than strategy involved so it’s more low key. It’s also easy to pick up!

4. Phase 10. Phase 10 is a card game where you try to get a certain combination in your hand each round. As an example: A run of 3 and a set of 4. A run is cards in numerical order (i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4). A set is cards of all the same number (3 sevens). I know, I know. Given my aversion to numbers, liking this game seems like it’s not in the cards (ha!), right? But it also plays to my organizational mind. Gotta love that!

How about you? Got any favorite games? Any that you hate to play? Any you think I would like?

My ‘NSYNC Christmas CD (don’t judge!) transported me right back to high school when I would play this CD at full volume, sing at the top of my lungs and pretend like Justin was singing to me directly. Sigh.

The Amy Grant Christmas CD was the very first CD I ever purchased. I actually bought it before Christmas one year when I was expecting my first CD player. I remember trying to get information out of my parents before I laid down my hard-earned cash to make sure that there would, indeed, be a CD player under the tree validating this purchase. I couldn’t get anything, but I bought it anyway. I know. I’m such a risk-taker, right??

And thus started my Christmas CD collection.

Every year, I make a new Christmas mix. I’m pretty much pulling from the same pool as the year before (I don’t add to my Christmas music collection that much), but I seem to go through phases so every year’s list is a little different from the previous one. Anyhow. Here are my carefully honed tips and tricks for creating the PERFECT Christmas mix.

Step 1: Go to iTunes and create a “Master Christmas List” playlist.

Step 2: Load all your Christmas CDs into iTunes and download any new Christmas music that you want.

Step 3: Sort your music library by Artist. Pull all Christmas music into the “Master Christmas List” playlist.

Step 4: Create a new playlist called “2011 Christmas Mix”. Highlight all music from your Master Christmas playlist and drag to your new playlist. This will keep your original list and create a new list that you can modify.

Step 5: Sort the “2011 Christmas Mix” playlist by song title. This will help you get a variety of songs and artists.

Step 6: Listen through and/or eliminate songs based on the artists or style you want of that particular song. For instance, maybe you have 5 versions of “Angels We Have Heard On High”, but one is traditional, one is pop, one is an artist that has weird vibrato (ahem Sixpence None the Richer ahem), one is folksy. In my case, I’d probably keep the pop version. But to each their own! I also tend to delete instrumental versions of songs or anything with a looooong lead in. Let’s get to the point, people! I also like to get a good blend of traditional songs, new songs, nostalgic versions of songs, styles, etc. You get the picture. Not sure which version to choose? Wait until you’ve gone down the whole list and then decide. OR include both! It’s YOUR mix, after all. You’ve got the powa’.

Step 7: Um, ENJOY!

My current Christmas playlist has over 50 songs, so here are some of the highlights, mkay?

1. All I Want for Christmas Is You (Mariah Carey) – Raise your hand if you’re surprised. Hello, hello? Anyone?

2.The Angels Medley (Avalon)

3. Auld Lang Syne (Relient K)

4. Ave Maria (Josh Groban)

5. Baby, It’s Cold Outside (Casey Abrams and Haley Reinhart)

6. Carol of the Bells (Emily Rossum)

7. The Christmas Waltz (She & Him)

8. Deck the Rooftop (Glee Cast)

9. Gloria (Michael W. Smith)

10. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (MercyMe)

11. I’ll Be Home for Christmas (Josh Groban) – I’ve got to build up an immunity, folks…

12. The Little Drummer Boy (Jessica and Ashley Simpson)

13. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays (‘NSync)

14. O Come, O Come Emmanuel (Bethany Dillon)

15. We Three Kings (Pentatonix) – Team Pentatonix!

16. Welcome to Our World (Chris Rice)

17. When Love Came Down (Point of Grace)

What are your favorite songs to listen to at Christmastime? Are there any that you can’t stand?

Ephesians 1:3-6

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!