Fantastic 5 to Super 6

Props, accolades, awe-inspired worship...bring it. I had twelve 5 and 6 year olds over yesterday to kick it old school and have a birthday party at my house. Please, please. Hold your applause. Lucy was the designated party - Jedi Training Center - assistant. She did a fantastic job. Next year, I'll just put her in charge and kick back with a giant beverage from QT. Minutes before padawan arrival, I begged Jon to run out for the aforementioned 'fod-ee fo' to fuel us for the party. Needless to say, the party went down quite differently from the one I had imaginacted in my head...I'd conjured up all these (in my opinion) really cool training games. All they wanted to do was wrestle and shoot stuff. It was soooo weird! Although, I'm not exactly sure why I expected any differently. It was still fun and nobody had to go to the hospital. Success. Here's some pics. Happy birthday Mack-D.

How Calvin Rolls (in Bed)

If a picture is worth a thousand words...what is a video worth?

You No Yell at Me

You know that part in The Incredibles when Syndrome is talking about something - surely he's monologuing - and he's all, "lame, Lame, LAME, LAME!, LAME!!!!!"? In a crescendo? That's me lately. I haven't read a friend's blog in...ummm...I don't know how long. I barely watch any t.v. Sadly, I'm two weeks behind on Chuck, Heros, Life, and Lost. Wow. That's a lot of one-word shows. But I never fall too far behind on Burn Notice. (And, btw, that 'up 18% in popularity' on that site? All me. My new theme song? "Drag" by Placebo. Playing a LOT of catch up these days...but if I'm being honest with myself (and Jodi and Allie) it's really cuz I'm a gym rat. Ha ha ha!!!

But apparently, the one thing I'm NOT dragging in is my ability to yell at Calvin. With an aside: whenever he gets in trouble (no matter WHAT tone of voice is being used), he's getting 'yelled at'. So, I'm in my bathroom getting ready the other day when I hear that most sweet above all sounds sound of my child singing to himself. He's been singing "Popcorn Popping" a lot lately so I thought it was that. Silly me. So I stopped what I was doing and moved closer to the family room so I could hear him better. Silly me. I made out these strains to a Calvin original (sing-songy voice and everything):

My mommy yell at me...

My mommy yell at me...

I say, "you no yell at me"

My mommy yell at me

And she no say sorry

Ah...the sweet sound of children's song. So I had to immediately pre-empt his visit to school that day and tell his teacher that we do NOT spend the better part of the day yelling at this child. And then I reminded her of my yearly teacher pact: "I'll only believe half of what they say about school if you promise to do the same about home."

3 Lessons

I feel like I've been unfaithful to my blog...cheating on Phisherobilias with Facebook. I'm sorry Phisherobilias...it's just that Facebook dumbs down my whole "social" life into these easily digestible, mono-syllabic thoughts...

But I've been neglectful.

And since this will probably be my only written legacy to my posterity, I should probably catch up.

1. I am the new (but not THAT new anymore) primary president for my ward. In not Mormon lingo, that means that I chair the children's 'ministry', for lack of a better word, for our congregation. Which is no joke. There's what...? 130 kids? I should know that answer without looking, but I don't. Ok. It's actually 139. That happened the week before Christmas.

Lesson learned? The following should occur when the bishop asks you to take over primary 2 weeks before the new year: "yes, I would love to...after January 1." I'll know for next time.

2. I ran a marathon. I, of course, posted this on Facebook (shhhh...don't tell Phisherobilias) and am loathe to repeat myself. Here's the lowdown: we trekked to Houston. Ate GREAT Italian food that night. For a woman who usually abstains from white pasta, this was a HUGE treat. I ran a good clip, but I missed a Boston qualifier by 5 minutes: 3:51. Which I've come to terms with. I injured my right knee and will be seeing an orthopedic surgeon on Tuesday. I hope to train for another marathon in mid-February to qualify for Boston. That last part is a little optimistic. But what is life without optimism?

Lesson learned? It's possible to overtrain.

3. I was invited to a birthday party for a personal trainer friend of mine that occurred in a lounge. Which still cracks me up...but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to watch people in a setting so unique to me. Especially people I know. Suffice it to say that I don't have a ton of nightclub experience. Jon and I only stayed about 15 minutes - at like, 11 pm, but they were sociologically fascinating minutes. My friend was very gracious, and it wasn't the college bar scene I was expecting. And when I reference a college bar scene expectation - I am clearly referencing all of my tv/movie-watching experience as BYU didn't offer a lot of background for that! Having said that, there was one occasion where a woman - CUH-learly inebriated and not very pleasant about it - offered to kick the hind section of my posterior. But that was definitely the exception and not the rule.

Lesson learned? It was interesting to go and flattering to have been invited... And contrary to what my husband says, I'm not too old and the music wasn't too loud. But I was having somer personal space issues. Ugh. Late night card games and parties at my house and lounging in Starbucks with my girlfriends is probably more my comfort zone.

A Week From Today

Wish me luck...I managed to get into a marathon in Houston for January 1. After over training, peaking, and injury, my mid-February goal was far too distant. The gracious people at the Texas Marathon let me beg my way in after the event was closed.

Mileage

Twenty miles. On a treadmill. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

Twilight Review

The one night in Texas that has gotten in the 30s...thank goodness for Niki and her bun-warmers and Heidi bringing hot chocolate...(we won't bug you with special orders...but can you make mine a non-fat, no whip?)

Tanya's all about representin'...All us Mormon girls keeping Starbuck's in business that night...

The theater manager...who looks like a vampire next to the tanning-bed frequenter...who let a lot of us in out of the cold.

The two girls on the far right, Laurel and Monika, set up camp the earliest and got us a spot outside the wind and were ultimately responsible for about 12 women cutting in line. Naughty, naughty us.These are two of the girls that work at my gym in the childcare center who are absolutely adorable!And while I cannot take full responsibility for 'infecting' Miss Stephanie (Calvin's preschool teacher!), I egged her on as she blazed through all the books just in time for the movie premiere and graciously appreciated when I sent Calvin to school in a shirt that read: Twilight Orphan.

And lastly, my review. I will be brief...

I had the BEST experience going early with some super fun friends...Eating a lot candy (Susie totally indulging my LOVE for all things Butterfinger and Red Vine) and chatting with everyone in line. After 4 hours, you become tight with total strangers. Don't believe me? See '24' post.

It was great to be in a theater where everyone was screaming for the characters and making it a great time.

Having said that...I know one needs to suspend reality and lower expectations for a movie based on a book. Apparently I needed to put reality into a morphine-induced coma. The movie felt to me like an odd Saturday Night Live parody of my favorite books. Therefore, I would petition for a new screenwriter, a new director, and a bigger budget for the next movies in the series. And me in charge of wardrobing. Duh.

I am, however, suspending final judgement until I see it again later this week sans the screaming, over excited crowd and the Monster drink buzz. THEN we'll see if Jasper's expressions were really as goofy as I thought, if Bella could get a sentence out fluidly without all the sticatto, if Edward ACTUALLY HELD HIS NOSE in biology, if I could actually buy their affection for each other... See? This may be the sleep-deprived zombie speaking. Ok. Re-reading that, I sound really critical. Sorry. Still love Twilight. Wahoo. Giving it a second shot. Doing my part to contribute to the $70 million opening...