The Perfect Gift

That first Christmas wasn't a festive, Christmas card perfect, Precious Moments time. A teenage girl gave birth to her first Child in a cave, not safe at home. It stunk. It was damp. There were farm animals wandering around. I'm sure Joseph had a elbow aside a sheep from it's feeding trough just so Mary could lay down her newborn.

 Mary wasn't dressed in a lovely pastel blue robe. She wore a stained tunic. Her hair wasn't perfectly combed. It was matted and sweaty. Not a single golden halo could be found. Her mother wasn't there to hold her hand, lay cool clothes on her forehead, and clean up the Baby afterward. Her mother probably wasn't even speaking to her. Her father wasn't there to tell her "You did good, sweetheart." Her father was probably ashamed of her.

Joseph wasn't standing off to the side, serenely looking on at the Baby, and leaning on his staff. He was probably shooing off chickens trying to roost on the trough and pushing cows away from his wife. All the while worry and questions spinning in his head. How would he keep them safe? Could they even return home? What if something happened to Mary or the Baby? Could he be a good father to this Heavenly Child?

The Baby wasn't wrapped in downy, white blankets. He was probably swaddled in some spare old rags that Joseph was able to beg from the Innkeeper. He was probably cold. Did He know even in that newborn state what awaited him? The lower class childhood? The burden of helping his earthly parents make ends meet? The ridicule and scorn that followed him during his ministry years? The awful death that only hardened criminals were sentenced to?

Not exactly the picture we're used to seeing every year. No gold foil edging or velvet details. But for all the ugliness, dirtiness, pain, confusion, and hurt, this is the picture that I want to see. Because that's real life. Life is not pretty. Life is not greeting card perfect. Life can be ugly. My life can be ugly. My heart is far from perfect.

Into all this nastiness, Christ came down, and became a fragile baby. From glory, He became a man. He did this for me, for you, for that annoying neighbor, for that criminal, for that politician, for the world. He became flesh so He could die for us, take our disgusting sin upon Himself, then conquer death by coming back to life all because He couldn't stand the thought of us not being with Him in Eternity.

This was Christ's gift to us. The gift of Life.

"Further up and further in..."

I'll be honest, guys. It's been a rough week.

I had a dear family friend who passed away unexpectedly Saturday morning. He left behind a beautiful wife and three awesome kids.

I have family members that have lost loved ones this week.

I have dear friends going through emotional upheaval.

My workplace was broken into Monday night.

The holiday season is supposed to be a festive, happy time, but it seems like for many this year it's going to be a season of pain and grief. Instead of celebrating, there will be mourning. Instead laughter, there will be tears. Instead of joy, there will be hurt. Instead of feeling safe at work, there's unease and tension.

It's hard to understand why these things happen. Why? Why was a husband and father taken away from his family so early? Why do we hurt each other? Why would someone steal from one of the most generous men in town?

I don't know.

I don't know.

The only solace I have is that I know the One who does know. That's the only hope I have and the only hope I cling to. The only Hope that I need.

I may never know this side of heaven, and if I never know until I reach my real Home, that's enough. I know that when I reach there all answers will be known, and we will be astounded by our Lord's glorious plan. We'll know without a shadow of a doubt that His hand was in it all.

"I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now...Come further up, come further in!" -C.S. Lewis

Thankful Thursdays 11/28/2013 Thanksgiving Edition

In honor of the holiday, I've decided to compile a list of 28 things that I'm thankful (get it because today's the 28th? Cheesy? Yes. Will it stop me? No.). Here we go!

1. My Merciful Heavenly Father

2. A family that makes me laugh.

3. A sense of humor that allows me to laugh at myself.

4. Dear friends that put up with my girly woes.

5. Reconnecting with old friends

6. Getting better acquainted with a sweet group of youth group girls.

7. My bestie. I talk a lot about this girl, but I'm just so blessed to call her my best friend.

8. Parents that never stop worrying about me even though I'm an adult (on the outside only, inside I'm still 12.)

9. Brothers that I count as two of my dearest friends.

10. White chocolate lattes (it's my drink of choice, just in case anyone ever wants to bring me one...)

11. Watching the Macy's Thanksgiving parade every year with my Mama.

12. My salvation

13. Godly 2nd parents (Merla and Steve, I'm looking at you!)

14. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate

15. Papa's Barbecued turkey. Seriously, if you've never tried this, you must!

16. Foggy mornings, especially when you don't have to go anywhere, and can stay curled up on your couch with a mug of coffee.

17. My pastor and his lovely wife

18. Doctor Who/Firefly/Buffy/Once/Sherlock marathons

19. Finally being grown up enough not to care about letting my nerd flag fly.

20. Growing closer with extended family members because of the interwebs. I don't care what you say, sometimes the internet is a good thing especially when you live so far apart.

21. Coffee, in general...

22. Corny Christmas movies. I'm a complete sucker for them. Don't judge.

23. My baby brother coming home for Christmas break.

24. My infuriating, irritating, amusing, dopey cat, Malcolm.

25. My church family

26. Fangirling on Tumblr with virtual strangers. I know it sounds weird, but I don't have that many people in real life besides my bestie and brothers to talk about this stuff with, and then I'm sure they get tired of hearing about it all the time. So to spare my real life peeps some of the agony, I have my fellow Tumblr-ites.

27. The Lord giving me the strength to get a bit healthier. I could not do it on my own.

28. My readers. It shocks and blesses my socks off that anyone would want to read my ramblings.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Manda

Thankful Thursdays 11/07/2013

Music: (Trying my darndest to suppress the urge 
           to listen to Christmas music.)



Happy November, all! 'Tis the season for planning turkey dinners, trying to avoid looking at Christmas-y merchandise until after Thanksgiving (and usually failing spectacularly), finishing off leftover Halloween candy, and trying (and also failing spectacularly) to get some early Christmas shopping done...

1. An amazing answer to an unspoken prayer.

2. Two splendid hours spent with 8 of the sweetest, sassiest, funniest young ladies making chocolate chip cookies and laughing our heads off. I was completely blessed that these girls would want to spend their Saturday morning with me. Hopefully, I was able to bless them a bit too. "I'm Johnny Appleseed!"

3. My bestie Amber, who always listens to me when I'm verbalizing my over-thinking...which happens a lot.

4. A coffee date with a friend and drooling over her honeymoon tales. (She went to Ireland, Wales, and England, guys. Seriously, that is my DREAM trip.)

5. Snow. Yes, I know "insert eye roll here". No, I don't like driving on slick, slushy roads, but it does make the great outdoors look so pretty.

6. Going a bit bonkers downloading new music from Noisetrade.

7. Meeting another fitness goal (down 30 pounds, yay!!)

8. Peppermint white mocha's back at my favorite coffee shop! I drank two last weekend (no judging). Hurrah, for holiday beverages!

9. My dear friend, Nikki, who supported me the whole way when I told her that I wanted to make myself up as coffee themed superhero for my announcement about our ladies retreat in front of the entire church. Girl didn't even bat an eye. Just said "That's awesome! What can I do to help." For that, I made her my sidekick.

10. Speaking of new music, I'm currently in love with the hip hop group Beautiful Eulogy. I'll leave you today with the remix they did with Josh Garrels on his song "Anchor". Soooo good!

Thankful Thursdays 10/31/2013

Artie Shaw - Nightmare
Nina Simone - I Put A Spell On You
Frank Sinatra - Witchcraft
Michael Jackson - Thriller

Well lovelies, it's Halloween, tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and next week is Christmas. I kid, but not really. Seriously, once we hit Halloween, it's all down hill from here. Boom. The HOLIDAYS are upon us. Any who so Halloween...my crazy plans are to meet up with Linus and see if the Great Pumpkin shows up this year. I'll be following that wild ride with a possible trip to Halloweentown, or maybe a hot date with Sir Netflix. Guuurrlll, this party NEVAH stops!! Now for thankful time.

1. Starting a new workout challenge that my friend Chelsey made for me!! She designed this one to fit in with my love of baking. I'm excited, though the cookie cutters (squat type exercise) may kill me...

2. A new Five Iron Frenzy album comes out next month! Squeeeeeee!!! It's been 10 YEARS since their last one, and I'm dying to listen to the new one...if only I didn't have to wait until Nov. 26... it will be worth it, though.

3. The book of Proverbs. Just started re-reading this Book, and wowza, is it applicable to what is happening in our world today.

4. Planning for a ladies retreat.

5. A bit of karaoke and dancing in Shopko with two of my dearest friends.

6. Movie nights with my bestie and her family.

7. Allowing myself to eat a s'more... or two.

8. Lunch with my Grandma.

9. New cousins. Hi, Kyle and Makenzy!

10. Shuffling and crunching through a pile of leaves. Nothing will bring you back to being a kid faster than that.

For a special treat (Get it? Cuz it's Halloween? Trick or Treat? Pssshhttt, never mind.) I'll leave you with this pic of the Middle Brother and I back in our Candy Getting days.

Thankful Thursday 10/17/2013

1. "Not A Fan" by Kyle Idleman. This book challenges the way we view a relationship with Christ. How we must move from being simply a "fan" of Jesus and commit to being a follower of Him. I highly recommend it.

2. A dinner date with the middle brother. We ate. We laughed. We discussed. We watched music videos. We perused nerdy art. A perfect evening.

3. The cozy smell of wood smoke drifting by on an autumn stroll.

4. Chats with the roomie over mugs of tea.

5. Working on a new project.

6. Text conversations with the youngest brother as we nerd out over a new favorite movie.

(Nathan Fillion as Dogberry is hilarious.)

7. Parking on a golden carpet... I love fall because it makes even the most mundane little parking spot look like something out of Fairy Tale Land.

8. The first spark of excitement for the upcoming holiday season.

9. The thrill of one of my Tumblr posts being reblogged, and the confirmation that I'm not the only nerd girl out there...

10. These pictures from my first color run.

Thankful Thursdays 10/03/2013

1. Psalm 119

2. Crisp, chilly mornings that make me snuggle a bit deeper into my sweater.

3. New episodes of my favorite shows (Once, how I've missed you!) and finding new shows (Sleepy Hollow, I'm looking at you.)

(Tom Mison as Ichabod has nothing to do with it...yeah, we'll go with that...)

4. Walking my first color run on Sunday. I'll let you all know how it went next week.

5. Pumpkin-palooza! That squash is everywhere and in everything right now, and I love it.

6. Getting my seasonal chai fix.

7. Silly cards from my bestie.

8. Even though they follow over a 1,000 people on Instagram, being followed back by Five Iron Frenzy totally made me do "the nerdy fan girl fan hand flail and hop". What?! You've never listened to FIF?! For shame! They're one of my top 5 bands! Here take a listen:

(They satisfy my ska loving heart)

9. The anticipation that the leaves will soon (any day, now!) put on their fall wardrobe.

(Yay!)

10. All the support and love that I received from my last blog post. You guys are amazing, not only for cheering me on in my pursuit to get healthier, but also for taking the time to read my humble little blog. My Sassy 'Bots are the BEST. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Manda

Getting Some Weight Off My Chest (and other places)

I've never been the skinny girl. Even when I was "normal sized" way back in kindergarten, I still wasn't the one that people said "Look at you! You're just an itty bitty bit of a thing!" In about fourth grade, I went from wearing girls sizes straight into grown womens. Totally skipped the juniors section, but then Pamida didn't really have much of juniors section to pick from, and we couldn't afford any of the mall's stores. From there I gradually grew in size. Out not so much up. (I've taken Miss I'm a Little Teapot's lyrics to heart. Girl knows all about being short and stout. Preach.) My weight issue stems from several factors. I come from very sturdy Scandinavian/German/British stock. I love to bake, and to eat what I bake. Physical activity doesn't hold much allure for me. It doesn't help that I'm also pretty uncoordinated and think most sporting events are boring. I also lack any kind of competitiveness when it comes to playing sports or games. I much prefer to spend my time reading, drinking coffee, watching a favorite show, baking, or fan girling online. Combine all this and you get me.

Through the years, I've made half hearted attempts (really not even "half" hearted, more like quarter hearted) to get healthier and try to lose weight, but they lasted maybe a week or two before I lost any motivation and returned to my old friends Chocolate and Couch. Why? Because it's easier to be lazy. Easier to do what feels comfortable. Easier not to try. Didn't I want to be healthy? Didn't I want to feel better? Have more energy? Look better? Of course! Not be made fun of, looked down upon, or treated differently then anyone else? Because even though the Lord has protected me from a lot of the pain and ridicule that overweight people go through, I've still gotten some. I've had teens moo at me. I've overheard a little girl say to her mom while pointing at me "Mommy, why is that lady so fat?" I've been asked if I'm pregnant. I've had to ask for seat belt extenders on an airplane because the seat belts were too small. I'm all too familiar with the pain that is shopping in the plus size department which is typically a third of the size of regular women's sizes, and three quarters of the clothing in that department looks like something straight from your grandmother's closet. Hoorah. Again, of course, I don't like this, but I could never motivate myself to do any more than just imagine what it would be like to be healthier.

This lovely number is what can be found in many plus size departments...Fine for grandmothers, not so much for this 30 something.

All of this changed this year. My dear friend (and my brother Nick's girlfriend) Chelsey and I were talking, and I mentioned to her that I would like to walk a 5K sometime. Chelsey, who's an avid runner, said I should do the Summit Classic. I said that that would be fun, but didn't think too much more about it. Chelsey, on the other had did. She thought a lot more about it. She's a planner, folks.  Well much to my surprise, one day while she was over for dinner, she presented me with the 13 week Coffee Bean Workout Challenge to get me ready for the 5K. At first, the Lazy part of me was like "Meh, I don't knooooww." Then something in me was all "No. Why not try? It would good to get a little more active!" So before I could think anymore about it, I signed on the dotted line and committed my self to the Challenge, and guess what? I finished the Challenge. I walked the 5K. I survived, and even better something within me was sparked to life. It was like, hey if I can workout for 13 weeks and feel so much better, why can't I keep doing it? And for the most part, I have, and wonder of all wonders I've lost weight!!! What?! For the first time in my life, I have lost weight. To date I've lost almost 24 pounds. It's crazy! Gaaahh!! I still can't believe. Everytime I get on the scale and see that I've lost even half a pound I do a little dance. (No, you may not have a demo of said dance. That's for me and the scale.) So what made this attempt much more successful then others? I think the biggest reason is that it all started with Chelsey. All my previous attempts are something that I tried on my own. This time I had someone who cared about me, wanted to see me succeed in getting healthier, put a lot of time into making a game plan for me, and encouraged me all the way. That's what made the biggest difference for me. That's what I needed.

When I started out the Challenge I told myself that if by some chance I managed to lose 20 pounds, I could by myself a present. Even better a GEEKY present. Even better yet, a DOCTOR WHO present. Well, as I said above I reached that goal, and I am now the proud owner of these gorgeous earrings!

Look at them! Bask in their beautiful sheen!! 

 They're so pretty!!

Oh, I am a very happy nerd girl!

Now that I've reached the 20+ pound mark, I know that I can reach the 40 pound mark. (Yes, I've bribed myself with the promise of another geeky gift to myself when I reach that goal.) I'm realistic about the fact that it's going to hard. Winter's coming. The short days and snowy, icy weather make it much harder to get outside. My hermit tendencies become even more prevalent in the winter. It's still not easy to eat healthy. Chocolate cupcakes, french fries, and bacon all still sound a-mazing. I'm going to keep working at it, though because I've got the Lord, family and friends cheering me on, and now I have proof that I can do this. 

Thanks for reading!

Manda

Thankful Thursdays 09/05/2013

September is here, folks! Yay for fall!! I'm so ready for it. The sweaters, the boots, the scarves (I have a serious scarf fetish...), the pumpkins, the fall foliage, the crisp mornings, the hazy evenings, and the baking...oh, the baking! I love it so much that I've already decorated the apartment for it ( no judgey judging, mmm-kay?), and yes, I made my roomie roll her eyes and laugh at me over this. She still loves me, though. ;)
Okay, enough of this fallishness (Get it?! Fallishness instead of foolishness? Oh, the wittiness abounds!). Let's get back on track.

1. Morning rain showers. I know some with disagree with me, but I adore rainstorms. I love cloudy, cool days waaaay more then hot, sunshine-y ones. Why? Because they give a girl an excuse to curl up on the couch with a book, a cup of coffee, or an old musical. Sigh, that's my idea of the perfect way to while away a few hours...

2. Classic car shows. I know. I know. Me? A fan of car shows? What?! I do really enjoy them. Why? Well, my Dad is an upholsterer, and he worked on a number of classic cars while we were growing up. So naturally, I developed an appreciation for them. Also, I'm somewhat of a history nerd, and I especially love the 1920's-1970's. This 50+ years span is where most classic cars fall into so there you go. Plus, they're so pretty, what with the vibrant colors of paint and shiny chrome finishes (What. I'm a girl. Of course, I'm going to say a car is pretty.)!

3. Re-reading a favorite series of books, and still loving them as much as I did the first read through.

Happy Thursday, all! Thanks for stopping by.

Thankful Thursdays 08/22/2013

The things that I'm particularly thankful for this week...


1. Running into an old friend that I haven't seen in forever, and the enthusiastic embraces that followed.

2. Long, goofy/angsty, girly chats with my most awesome roomie, Boots.

3. Yelling "Love you!" across the street to my name twin ;)

4. Random texts from mah Bestie about how we're going to be crazy chicken ladies not crazy cat ladies when we grow old together.

5. Singing "Oceans" by Hillsong United at the top of my lungs in my car. (Especially the "Yeah, yeah" part.)

(Have a listen.)

6. Reading through the Psalms, and the peace and encouragement that those Words bring me.

7. Buffy binge watching.

8. Peanut Butter Cheerios.

9. Finally getting back into "the get my butt out of bed and go for my morning walk" groove again.

10. The enthusiasm and fire that the youth at my church have... even though they wear me out just watching them and make me feel a wee bit old...

There you have it! Hope all my 'Bots are having fantastic day, and thanks for reading.

Thankful Thursdays 08/15/2013

Music: Way I Am - Ben Rector



Well Thankful Bots, we're halfway through August...sheesh. That's all I have to say to that! Though, I'm sure Moms throughout the land are rejoicing because their precious little ones are finally returning to school, ( and all the Mamas heaved a huge sigh of relief...) For this episode of Thankful Thursdays I'm going to try something a little different. I'm going to do a little photo collage of some pics that show you, my readers, some things for which I'm thankful (I'm sure this will be a nice little break from my usual wordiness.). Hope you like! As always feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

Thankful Thursdays 08/08/2013

Folks, we're in August already...how in the name of Gallifrey did that happen?! As one of my favorite bloggers, Angela over at Birdie Belle puts it "I don't know where you live, but for those of us who live in Northwest Montana heading into August means we have roughly 19 hours of summer left." Click here to read the full post birdiebelle.blogspot.com/2013/08/summer, you won't be sorry! She's hi-larious! In fact, you should just probably read all her posts. She's that awesome. Anywho, summer does seem to winding down rapidly. The light is changing. Up in the higher elevations the leaves are already getting a yellowish tint. The sun is coming up later and setting earlier. Fall's a-coming! Even though I'm completely not ready to have winter again, I do love fall. In fact, it's my favorite season. So in reality, I'm not too sad to have summer leave us. Enough of seasonal stuff, let's get on to the thanksgivings.

1. The satisfaction of getting back to my normal routine. Vacations are wonderful, but they're not exactly the most relaxing. For a this quasi-introvert, there's nothing like coming home, getting back to work mode, and just chilling at home during the evenings. It may sound boring to some, but to me one the best ways to spend an evening is at home with the roomie, the cat, and the Netflix. This is pretty much me every day...

(Photo credit hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com)

2. My friend/co-worker/comrade in arms, Camie. Our poor boss didn't know what he was in for when he put the two of us together. He knows now, but it's too late to change anything! Muahahahahah!!! We...ahem...share (vent/complain) with each other our difficult patient interactions. We have very similar tastes when it comes to mostly everything...except chocolate. I adore it. Camie could take it or leave it. That's just weird to me, but then no one is perfect ;) We swoon together over Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston. We're both book fiends. She's a fellow snark-er. Camie is an amazing seamtress and knitter. Like mind blowing good...cray cray good...for reals. She's someone who will listen to all your problems, give you great advice, but also call you on your crap if need be (The world needs more people like this). She's just all around pretty awesome. Camie, I know you may never see this, but on some off chance that you do just know that you bless my socks off, and I love you to bits!

(This is where a picture of Camie would go, but I don't have one. Sadness...)

3. Going into my hometown library, knowing all the librarians (all three of them) by name, and them knowing me by name...priceless.

Catching Up

Music: Viva la Vida - Coldplay
           Lay 'em Down - Needtobreathe


Well, hello there! It's been a bit since I've posted, but I was on vacation last week. I decided that spending time with my family in the real world was more important than posting a new entry. Sorry! Also, I apologize that this is not going to be one of my normal "Thankful Thursdays" posts. Sorry again. If the word "family" caught your attention, yes, my parents, brothers, and I went on our first family vacation in I don't know how many years. Besides a few moments were no one wanted to make a decision (one of the brothers coined the phrase "passive perfectionists" to describe all us), it was awesome. Four days on the Oregon coast = perfection. Plus, it was really fun going on a trip together where everyone is an adult (well, in age, but not behavior). I saw light houses, beaches of all shapes and varieties, seals, enough sea gulls to last a lifetime, ate waaaaaay too much (trying to get back on the healthy eating bandwagon again has pretty much been a lost cause this week), visited Voodoo doughnuts and the Goonies house (!!!!!!!!!! I was in movie nerd heaven), read Anne of Green Gables for the 100th time, and just generally laughed at my families antics.

Since our return back to reality, I've been trying to catch up with everything. Honestly, it's kind of hard. Work...what??!! Bills don't take a vacation...ppssshhttt, how rude! Going to bed at a decent hour....okay, well that's not too hard for me. Anywho, that's why I'm not posting a full post today. Hopefully, next week I'll be back to normal (well, normal for me. I'm not most people's definition of normal.). I'll leave you with a few photos to give you a taste of our trip.

(Oh heeeey, just hanging at Voodoo Doughnuts, y'all.)

(An 80's child's dream, the actual Goonies House)

(Stupid birds followed us everywhere...you would think we're by the ocean or something.)

(Breathtaking...)

Single Thoughts...Part Two

Well, dear reader, thanks for returning. Hopefully, I didn't scare too many off with my confessions. As promised, I'll be sharing about what I admire in a man. First though, a little more on my previous encounters.

You may have noticed that two out of the three examples, I was approached by family members not the man himself, and this has happened several other times. Some well meaning mama comes up to me (or up to my own dear mama), and states "You should meet my son! You two would be so great together! Next time he's in town I want you to meet him." Then I do meet the much talked about fellow, and...nothing. Oh, usually they're perfectly nice and very pleasant, but that's it. No spark, not even a puff of smoke. So after all these meet and greets, I've come to this conclusion. For some reason, I seem to be the kind of girl that parents want for their sons, but the sons don't want for themselves. Sigh, oh well.

Before I launch into my list of what makes a man a Manda Man (hey, that's kinda catchy!), let me just say I know I'm not perfect. I'm very aware of my faults. I can be very stubborn. I'm overweight. I can be very opinionated. I'm just okay in the looks department. Nothing to write home about. My taste in movies is extremely random. Same for my taste in music. I can be insecure around men (especially single, attractive men) outside of the men in my family. I can sometimes hide it well, but not always. If I can't hide it then I'll usually have one of three reactions around them. First, I'll talk a lot, laugh too loud and much, and use movie quotes and silly voices. Second, I won't say much of anything, but I'll smile politely and frequently (all the while, I'll have an internal voice telling me to say something, anything, even if it's just to ask them how their day was.). Third, I'll adopt the Ice Queen act. I won't say much of anything either, but instead of smiling, I avoid eye contact, stare off into the distance, and occasionally pretend that I have a very important text to check. I can be a homebody. I'm not super adventurous when it come to the outdoors. On and on I could go, but I'll spare you. Now to my list. Here we go.

1. He must be a follower of Jesus Christ, and must love Him more than me.
2. He must be willing to be the spiritual leader in our home.
3. He needs to be able to make me laugh.
4. He needs to put up with (or even better like/love) Doctor Who, Firefly, and BBC dramas, and love me in spite of my geeky, nerdy, fangirl ways.
5. Picky eaters had better learn not to be.
6. He needs to respect his parents even if they don't have the best relationship.
7. My dad, mom, and brothers must like him.
8. Chocolate brown eyes are a bonus, but not a must. (Benedict Cumberbatch aquamarine eyes are a wonderful alternative.)
9. Tattoos are fine. Just don't expect me to get any. I'm too indecisive.
10. Be able to join in on movie-quote-athons.
11. Be willing to head boop with kittens.
12. Be willing to go to concerts and plays.
13. He needs to be someone who will never ever abuse another human being. Any kind of abuse. I have NO tolerance for a man who thinks that kind of behavior is okay or justifiable.
14. Love home baked goods.
15. He needs to be a manly man of God. No pasty, soft church boys. (I do appreciate a nice dresser, though. You can be manly and still dress nice.)
16. A man who will protect and stand up for me and any future children we may have.
17. Have a desire to do short term missions.
18. Be okay with never being called "babe", but instead being called numerous other, sometimes silly, pet names. No baby talking either...blech...we're both adults here.
19. Preferably a non-smoker/tobacco chewer.
20. Big, strong hands are a bonus...(Was that too far? Probably...Yeah, that was too far.)

I know it's a pretty exhaustive list, and some of the items are silly. I'm a goofball so what do you expect. As I said in the last post, some people may tell me to stop being so picky, but when it comes down to it, I don't want to be. I would rather be picky and single then un-picky and settle for some guy just because I'm tired of being alone. Not only would that be unfair to who Christ created me to be, but it would be just as unfair to that guy. How awful would that be to know that someone "settled" for them? It would be a sure fire recipe for disaster and most likely end in divorce. Not cool, and not for me.

I'll end with this. I wrote most of this yesterday evening, and was feeling kinda sorry for myself. Well, wouldn't you know it today as I was scrolling through my Facebook news feed I came across this quote from Lecrae, "Be patient. Being single is better than being in the wrong relationship." Whaaaaaaaa?! Talk about confirmation, Lord! Seriously, it brought such a smile to my face. Here I was wallowing in self pity and woe is me-isms, and God sends a brother in Christ rapper to write on his Facebook page the very thing that I needed to read to boot me out of my pity party. How amazing is that?! I actually thought about not posting this entry, but I thought no, maybe someone reading this is feeling the same and this post and it's ending will be as uplifting to them as it was to me.

Thanks for reading, and thank you letting me vent to you all.

Manda

Single thoughts...Part One

I'm going to get a little...real here, folks. Please be patient and gentle with me. I'll try not to get too angsty/emo on you. Also this is going to be at least a two part post...maybe more...(Yay! My first multi-part blog entry!)

Thoughts on singleness have been on my mind lately. Well, not so lately, I'm always aware of my single-ness, but recently, it's been weighing a little bit more heavily then normal. For my not so near and dear readers, I'm going to let you in on something that's hard to admit. I have been eternally single my whole life. Yes, that means exactly what you think that means. You may be saying to yourself, "What?! In this day and age? Really?!" Yes, really. In my teens years, I had one potential relationship that I really, really wanted to happen. It probably could have happened, but through my own teenage stupidity, immaturity, and cowardliness it never did. It's still one of my biggest regrets to this day, but I won't be going into the details of this here. It's something that I've only shared with a select few, and I want it to stay that way. In my adult life, I've had a few possible encounters of the dating kind, but they've been mostly of "no way on this green Earth" or "heck-to-the-no" varieties. Here's a few examples:

1. "You should meet/date my nephew! He just got divorced, has four kids under the age of six, and he just super lonely! He's so sweet! You would love him!!" Uh. No. Red flags all over this one. He's recently divorced? He doesn't need to date any one. He needs counseling. He has four little kids? He's not looking for girlfriend. He's looking for a babysitter. Dude needs to learn how to be a single dad. He's lonely? Uuummm, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that he's not looking to be in a relationship. He just wants some female companionship of the consenting persuasion. Nope, not gonna happen with this girl.

2. "Soooo, my male relative really likes you, but he's too shy to ask you out. You should ask him out. Then you two could get married, and then we would be related! I would love that!!" Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow your roll, dear. Slow. Your. Roll. He's too shy? Look, I get that. I've struggled with shyness my whole life, but I'm a rather old fashioned girl. I want the guy to ask me out. Not the other way around. Also marriage? Where did that come from? Calm yourself down, right now. I'm sorry to break it to you, but this male relative of yours...I'm not attracted to him at all. He's job-less, and has been job-less for a loooong time. He still lives at home, and has never not lived at home. Also, and I hate to say this, but he kinda weirds me out...

3. "Hey, you're kinda cute. You should call me sometime, and we can hang out." Reaaaally, that's it?! That's all you have for me? Really? Okaaaay...Yeah sorry, that's not going to entice me to take you up on your offer at all. (This truly was the extent of this guy's whole attempt to ask me out, and the only previous interaction we had was a purely professional one...I had ordered some glasses for him...I guess I should contain my feminine wiles when ordering spectacles.)

See what I mean? I suppose some people would say "Maybe, you're being unrealistic, and your standards are too high." Maybe, but I don't think so. Just what are my standards? What is this Wallflower looking for in a man? Well, you'll just have to wait until the next post...Oh, the suspense!

Thankful Thursdays 07/11/2013

Music

The Pixies: Where Is My Mind? 
The White Stripes: Seven Nation Army


Instead of my usual wordiness, I'm going for simple and sweet today. Hope you enjoy 'Bots.


1. Coffee dates with my bestie.

2. Even though getting out of bed at 6:00 am to go walking is not exactly fun, I'm still extremely thankful that I can both get out of bed and go for a walk.

3. Sunbeams breaking through a storm head. This simple act of nature reminds me that Christ's light will always break through and defeat the darkness in our lives.

That's it. Told you it would be simple! As always, please share your own thankful thoughts in the comments.
Hope you all have a most excellent day!

Manda

Thankful Thursdays 06/27/2013 A Very Abbreviated Version...

My dear Bots, I'm so so soooo sorry I've neglected you! I wish that I could say that I'll be making it up to you this week, but sadly I will not be. Life has been a bit crazy the past couple weeks. I will give you one thankful item, though, to hopefully tide you over until next week.

1. VBS (for those of you not into church lingo that stands for Vacation Bible School). This is the cause of my busyness this week. It's a good busy, though. I get the opportunity to direct (and perform a bit part) a series of skits for the kids that attend VBS.  Besides being given the opportunity to, hopefully, speak into these kiddos lives through some silly dramas, I have the chance to work alongside with some pretty awesome adult and teen volunteers. These wonderful people are the spotlights of this post! (Side note: the age span of between these volunteers is 13-83 years old, which is pretty awesome in my opinion.) We have a lady creating adorable craft projects for the kids to put together. We have ladies making tasty snacks. We have teens performing dance moves to go along with our songs. We have men putting up/ tearing down/ monitoring kids on four huge inflatable "big toys" (see pic below for explanation). There's a real life park ranger giving a series of nature lessons to the kids (complete with real fur pelts and skulls.). We have men and women leading kids from event to event, making sure no one wanders off along the way. We have a couple of sweet ladies who's sole job it is is to work with 3 and 4 year old's the entire time. (Ladies, I did that job two years in a row so I know what it entails. Those squirt berts are so sweet and fun, but I know it takes a ton of energy and work to keep them occupied and having fun. You're amazing in my book.). We have a lady who's job it is to be a grown up cheerleader, and get the kids all pumped up for the evening's activities. (Where she gets all that energy, I don't know. I just know that I would love a tenth of it.) There was lovely lady who came in and decorated the church to look a cozy lodge.

Now, I'm sure I'm forgetting some people, but this is everyone that I could think of right now. To any volunteers I've forgotten, you're all a blessing none the less. Basically, this week has been a crazy/crazy fun, exhausting, huge blessing all wrapped up into one nutty National Park themed shell, and I've love it! A huge thank you to everyone who's given up their precious time and evenings to make this VBS work. Even if you never get a single thank you from the kids you're working with, you have my thanks and gratitude. You're all rockstars and I know that the Lord will bless you abundantly through all this. Now for some pics.

 (It's going to be a cool, cool summer...)

 My awesome actors!

THE BIG TOYS!!! 

A couple of our sweet snack ladies   

More big toys!

Thankful Thursdays 06/13/2013: Father's Day Edition

Music: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot



It's all about the Papa today, Thankful-bots! You may be saying to yourself "But Father's Day is on Sunday, this is Thursday!". To that I repeat what I said in my Mother's Day post, it's my blog. I do what I want. Anyways, as mentioned above, this post is all about my Dad, or as I like to call him, Dad, Daddy, Pops, Papa, Popsicle, The Big D, Daddio... And of course, I'll be doing this in list form. What else do you expect by now? Here we go!

1. Shadrach, Meshach, and To-Bed-We-Go! (To anyone who is scratching their heads right now, that would be everyone, but my family. This was my Dad's bedtime ritual with us three kids. He would pick us by our bed, start swinging us in his arms, and say "Shadrach, Meshach, and To-Bed-We-GO! On the word "Go" he would gently toss us into our beds. Of course, the entire time each of us were giggling and hollering up a storm!)

2. Family devotions every evening after dinner.

3. The monstrously, epic fort that you built us complete with swinging bridge, slide, rope climb, escape hatch,  movable stairs, swings, and rope ladder. It sounds awesome, and it WAS.

4. The Bestest, Most Tightest hugs.

5. You were/are still my Splinter-Getter-Outer. Somehow you could always get those buggers out without making it hurt, even when we couldn't find the tweezers and had to use your pocket knife.

6. You were the best Curl-Untangler (Mom always went too fast, and made my head smart, while you took your time and made sure you didn't hurt my head.)

7. Never being too busy to make snowmen with your kids.

8. Or have a snowball fight, or build a snow fort, or go sledding, or hooking up the garden hoses in the dead of winter to make a slolum run out of our slide.

9. Being the best example of what a Godly father and husband should look like.

10. Your famous chili recipe.

11. Putting up with me during my teenage years during which I'm sure you asked yourself many, many times "Who are you, and where did you take my daughter?".

12. Teaching me how to garden (though, I'm sure you would love it if I came over and brushed up on my weeding skills).

13. Passing on the gift of being able to make a song out of any situation.

14. When you call me "Manny". You're the only one who does, and I love it!

15. Your thirst for God's Word.

16. Always trying my cooking experiments no matter how bad they were/are.

17. Being a listening ear when I need it, but also giving me advice when I need it.

18. Always laughing at my corny stories and jokes.

19. Being Papa Nerd to your Three Nerd Kids...after all you're the one who introduced us to Stars Wars and Star Trek (also installing in us the love of a good Western...thanks, pilgrim ;D).

20. Always and forever being my hero, champion and one of my biggest fans.

Dad, I know I've said in a million Father's Day cards, but I'll say it again. I am completely and utterly blessed to call you my Dad. Especially when I know so many people that don't have the greatest relationship with their dads. I'm blessed to not only call you Dad, but I also get to call you my friend. That's pretty awesome if you ask me. I love you, Daddy, and hope this little post makes you smile.

Manny

(D'aaawwww)

Snarky, and Not Thankful At All Thursday 06/06/2013

There's an old saying (I don't know who said it first) about writing that goes "A good writer writes what they know." Today I'm re-writing that to say "Write what you feel.", and I, my Bots, am feeling rather snark-tastic. Why? Not really sure. It's been a rather strange week at work because of some...interesting... people walking through the doors. Maybe that's what's setting me off. Any who here's a list of some snarky observations. Sorry in advance for any offense I may cause...

1. One of my little guilty pleasures is looking at wedding blogs, and I've been noticing a certain trend where the bride and groom have GINORMOUS wedding parties. Why do you need 6, 8, 10, sometimes 12 bridesmaids/groomsmen on EACH side? Why? Are we so afraid of maybe, possibly offending a friend that you had in college that you haven't seen in ten years, really haven't talked to them since college, but oh man, we're friends on Facebook, and they commented on my relationship status update from "in a relationship" to "engaged". I know I really don't know anything about them anymore, but we did have some good times back in our old college days, and I don't want to hurt their feelings so I better ask them to be a bridesmaid/groomsman. What, the what?? Heck, I don't think I would even invite them to the wedding much less ask them to be in my bridal party. Plus, having that many people hovering around me on a day where I would be an emotional, nervous wreck stresses me out just thinking about it. Trying to wrangle everybody, and making sure they're all where they're supposed be gives me the phantom shivers. Personally, I think 3-4 people tops on each side is about right. You could go even less, and be even more stress free. My folks had two attendants total. One maid of honor, and one best man. That's it. Honestly, that sounds even better.

2. Tweens/teens that cannot or will not talk to adults. I deal with this fairly frequently in my workplace. A teenager walks into the office, and as they're waiting to see the doctor, I try to make them feel welcome and more comfortable by chatting with them about school, their activities, or hobbies. (I figure this is better then sitting in silence, correct me if I'm wrong.) All too often, the responses I get are one syllable, one word answers. Really? Listen up, Hoss, I'm not asking you to engage in a philosophical discussion here, but it would be greeeaatt if you could answer me with a full sentence. Thanks. Of course, all the while, the teen has their eyes surgically glued to their smart phone texting away to 50 of their friends. Eye contact during a conversation...weird. (I imagine they're texting their friends "O.M.G. the chubby, old lady at my doctor's office keeps trying to talk to me. Like I would even want to talk to an adult. She's totes annoying. When can I get out of here?! Shoot me now.") Seriously, it makes me want snatch their phones out of their hot little paws, flick them on their nose, and shout "Eyes up here, buckeroo!" Grrrr. Parents, please teach your children to be able to carry on a decent conversation with an adult. I don't think it's too crazy to expect by the age of 12 ** that a kid should be able to do this. Kids, it's really okay to talk to an adult. Just try it. You might find out that we can actually be kinda fun.

**I do realize that children with certain disabilities may not be able to do this. That being said, I've had better, funnier, more heart warming chats with kids that have severe physical/mental disabilities then I've had with some so called "functioning" teenagers.

3. Precious couples on social media. Look, I get it. You're in love. (Or if you're 15 years old what you think is love, but in all reality you're just in "like". You don't know what love is yet. Trust me. I thought I was in love at 15. Yeah, no. I really wasn't.) Your special someone gives you the butterflies, they make you feel wonderful, and you WANT TO SHOUT YOUR LOVE FROM THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN. Good for you, but please refrain from posting every cutesy love quote, or love song lyric ("This is just so us, baby! It's like they know us!"...gross.) you find on your Facebook wall. Honestly, I don't mind a little lovey dovey-ness. It can be cute, but remember, everything in moderation. How about you try telling your special someone all this in person not via the inter-webs? Huh? What a thought?! This way you'll keep snarky, bitter old maids from going postal about you on their blog. It's a win-win for everyone.

Phew. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest, Bots. Next week I'll try to get us back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Manda

Thankful Thursdays 05/30/2013

Well, my Bots here we are facing the end of May...whaaaaaa?? Summer's shenanigans are almost upon us! Cuh-raziness! Yes, I sound like my grandparents, but time really does fly faster the older you get. (Cue the youngsters: "Not cool, I hope I don't feel that way when I get to be your age!" Cue the oldsters: "Honey, you think time flies now, just you wait until you get to be my age!") In all seriousness, I blinked, and it was January. I scratched my nose, and it was March. I made myself a sam-mich, and it was the end of May! Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold your roll, Father Time, hold your roll. Yeesh...

Okay, let's get to what you what you came here for, the tidings of Thankfulness.

1. "Through the Lord's mercies, we are not consumed because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness!" Lamentations 3:22-23 These two little verses are so powerful. Why? Because no matter how many times we just completely blow it, God picks us up, straightens our jackets, ties our shoes, tidies our fancy updos and gives us another chance every single time. Our loved ones here on earth all have limits to their mercy, but God's mercies are never ending. Whoa. Talk about a huuuuge something to be thankful for.

2. Miss Merla aka Mama Merla aka my second mother aka this little blog's biggest fan (right after my mom, of course). If you haven't had the honor of meeting this sweet, generous, crazy lady, I hope that you will someday. She's absolute joy to have in my life. She's an amazing prayer warrior. She's one the most resilient women I know. This lady has been through so much, and she always come out on the other side praising the Lord. She's hilarious, and she has no fear being a goofball in front of others. (She's also one of my Mom's closest friends and if you know my mother at all just imagine the shenanigans these two get into together!) She's one the most hospitable people I know. Some of the best times I've had were sitting with a small group of ladies around her dining room table, drinking coffee (duh), eating her gooey caramel corn, and laughing our heads off over some Merla story...hmmm...come to think of it, we need to have another one of those kind of evenings soon! Merla dear, I'm so thankful for you, and love you dearly!

(Prime Example of Merla/Mom shenanigans)


3. Ashley Jones (http://www.ashleyjonesy.com/) Her recaps of The Bachelor/Bachelorette are absolutely, 100%, bona fide hi-larious! I don't even watch the shows, but every Tuesday after an episode airs I virtually run over to her blog and devour the recap! Seriously, she is amazing! Go check her out!

Welp, that's all for this Thursday! As always feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

Manda

Thankful Thursdays 05/23/2013

Music: Summertime - Billie Holiday

          'S Wonderful - Buddy Clark and Dinah Shore

Oh, Montana weather...you make me laugh (it's either laugh, or cry and tear my hair out over something I have zippo control over. I choose laughter.). To any SW readers not living in NW MT (that's Northwestern Montana) let me give you a little insight into why I'm giggling like a fool over the weather. See earlier this week, we had clear sunny skies and temps in the 70's then we started yesterday with a torrential downpour with the rain continuing all day and evening. Then this morning...oh this morning...we woke up to...snow. Yes, you read that right. Snow, and not just a light dusting. Oh no, we're talking 1 1/2-2 inches of the dense, heavy, maple branch breaking, lilac bush crushing, cherry blossom killing white stuff... for reals. As a native Montanan, it really doesn't surprise me. We get snow in June and thunderstorms in November. So that's why I laugh. One minute it's Arnold Palmer's on the porch, and the next it's a mug of cocoa curled up next to ol' wood stove.

1. Little big brother Shane (he's little big brother because he's taller then both his older siblings...boo.) is home for the summer!!!!! Yay!! Let the nerdy fun times begin because the Johnson kids are all in the same zip code! Allons-y Alonzo!

2. Winnie Boots. (Ha! I know I'm going to get a "Manda! You stinker!" out of this, but I totes ;) don't care.) You crazy, sassafras lady, you. You've been a joy and blessing to me since the very first moment I met you. Which, I think was when Nikki, Joe, and I were herding a bunch of youth groupers, including you, into vehicles so that we could go to that Sanctus Real concert at the Christian Center. Talk about taking it back a few years! My first impression was "This girl is crazy, and I love it!". So what makes Winnie crazy awesome? Lem'me tell you. You, my friend, have the best most infectious laugh! I can always count on a Winnie laugh during those inappropriate moments that I know I really shouldn't be laughing, am valiantly trying not to laugh, struggling to stifle my giggles when from the back of the room comes a roll of Winnie laughter, and then I'm like "Thank goodness!" so that my snorts/shrieks of laughter can finally escape. Even better than your laugh is your desire and passion for Christ. Your life goal to serve the Lord on the mission field with your nursing talents is an absolute inspiration, and fires me up to start doing short term mission trips. Your "zero tolerance" for drama is aca-mazing. I love it! I love our giggles at things that no one else finds funny... well, except for maybe Nikki and Amber (Word up ladies! Aca- rock star squatch! I got bronchitis. Ain't nobody got time for that!). I love the memes you leave on my Facebook wall, the lovely notes you leave on the counter, and your encouraging/nurturing heart. It has been the most epic blessing getting to be your roomie for the last seven-ish months, and I can't wait for the next year and half (give or take) that we get to be roomies. Love ya, Win!

(Laaaadies!!)

3. It may seem shallow, but I'm thankful for the acting talents of one David Tennant. Why? Watch him as the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who seasons 2-4, Barty Crouch, Jr. in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, his appearances on the Catherine Tate Show, just to name a few, and you'll see why. Plus those brown eyes, the wink/tongue thing he does (yes, it sounds weird, but trust me), and that epic hair are rather swoon worthy...

(See!! Gaaahhh!!)

Thankful Thursdays 05/09/2013: Mother's Day Edition

Music: Blue Skies - Bing Crosby
           Patanga - Trace Bundy



Yes, it is a few days early to be celebrating Mother's Day, but since this is my blog, well, I do what I want! As you may have noticed, I really like lists. So, I've decided to make a list of what makes my Mom so extraordinary!

1. Your amazing skin. I can only hope to have such epidermal awesomeness when I reach your age. (No. I will not be revealing her age because this post is all about being nice to my Mom.)

2. Your sewing skills. Seriously, you have talent. People, have you seen her purses?! Here, I'll model one for you:

(Pretty cute purse, huh?)

3. Putting up with all the teasing that we dish out to you. You either dish it right back or just smile and laugh.

4. Your biscuits and pie crusts. Now, I consider myself a decent cook, but I will never be able to surpass your skills with those two simple items. Must be all the loooooove you put in them.

5. All the time and energy you put into caring for your dad/ my grandpa. Mom, you have my everlasting respect for all you do for Poppie.

6. Letting me run wild in the kitchen from the age of 7.

7. All the summer library runs I begged you to take for me.

8. On that note, giving me love of reading. Some of my earliest memories are of you reading to me (or making up stories about princesses lost in the woods, but then a pack of talking critters rescue her and take her back to her mom and dad, the king and queen...).

9. Introducing me to the wonderful world of old Hollywood musicals. I remember that one rainy summer that we went through almost the whole classic musical section that the video store had to offer. Singing In the Rain, Carousel, The King and I, State Fair, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang...we watched them all!

10. Disney movies, and not just the animated ones! The live action ones, too...Darby O'Gill and the Little People, The Gnome-mobile, The Shaggy Dog, The Absent Minded Professor, Pollyanna, The Apple Dumpling Gang...

11. Hugs and smooches on the cheek

12. Not murdering me during the teen years. I still don't know how you put up with me. I could hardly stand myself during those years.

13. Showing me not just through words, but also through actions what it means to be a Godly wife.

14. Dad and you giving us kids the precious gift of being raised in a Christ following house.

15. Always giving me a listening ear when I go off on one of my rants (which, unfortunately, is often)

16. Giggling like schoolgirls together.

17. An open shoulder to cry on.

18. The love of chocolate.

19. Laughing so hard that you legitimately cry.

20. Your unconditional love for your hubby, kids, and most importantly our Lord.

Happy Mother's Day, my Mama Mia!!! I love you, oh so much!!

P.S. The brothers are going to give me so much crap for this, but I don't care...

(And people wonder where I get my goofiness...)

Thankful Thursdays 05/02/13

Music: Watchout - Michael Ketterer
           Shake It Out - Florence + The Machine
           Someday - The Strokes


So sorry that I didn't get this posted yesterday, but I was in Missoula. I had the best intentions to get this posted yesterday, but the hotel's internet was acting up. Why was I in Missoula? Well, since you asked (actually you probably didn't, but I'm going to tell you anyway) I was there to attend the Montana Optometric Association's annual meeting. I learnt me some new glasses stuff, folks!  So there you go, now you know. Okay, let's get this ball rolling.

1. (This actually happened yesterday, but I'm too lazy to do a re-edit) While waiting at the crosswalk today on my walk home from work, I felt a prick and then a sting on my side. I brushed my shirt to see what it was, and A FRIGGIN' BEE fell off of me!!! What?! There is like 5 flowers blooming in the whole town, and I get stung by a BEE!! Tttthhhpppttt, and to quote the immortal Stephanie Tanner from Full House "How rude!". I walked the rest of the way home, and of course, it's the first thing I tell my roomie. Her response (ever the nurse): "ARE YOU ALLERGIC??!!" Me: "Nope, I'm not." Winnie (who is): "If that was me, I would be all 'Get it off!! Get off!!! AAIIIYYEEEE!!!!' " This was followed by some dramatic flailing. Me: "Yeah, my response was just 'What?! Ow! That's rude!" Okay, so what does this have to do with thankfulness? All this to say that my first thankful item today is just that I'm so glad that I'm not allergic to bees.

2. My sweet Grandma Elverna. This woman is absolutely amazing! She is the most humble, unpretentious person I know. Seriously, she is what the Bible calls "Not a respecter of persons" meaning she could care less who you are, who much money you make, what you drive, or what brands you wear. She treats everyone the same. If you show up at her tiny house, you'll be invited in, offered a seat, a cold soda/ water/ hot cup of coffee placed in one hand, and a plate of food in the other. She ask how you're doing/how's work/ how's your family/how's your second cousin on your Mom's side? ;) Then she'll catch you up on all the family news and history. When it comes time to go, she'll give you THE best hug, and say to you "I love you, you nice person, you! Come and see me again sometime!" She's just the sweetest. The brothers, cousins and I have the best memories of sleepovers at Grandma's house. Getting to hang out at her job, helping her clean (this was waaaayyy more fun than it sounds!), getting to sleep on reclining lawn chairs, giant pancakes in the morning topped with homemade syrup, and smooches on the cheek. Siiiggghhh, makes me wish I could be 6 years old again. My Grandma is just too awesome for words. I love her to pieces, and hope I can be just as amazing when I'm her age.

(Here she is, folks!)

3. Peanut Butter M & M's. If you've never tried these, you must. No, seriously. You must...now. Right now! Why are you still sitting there? Go. Now!