>>PROOF

Exhibit A: 

Bowl-cut, oversized sweatshirt, rolled up baggy denim shorts...and don't forget the dog tags!  The lady next to me is my dearest friend in the world.  The clown, well she is a dear friend as well.  Twinkle Toes is her name and she was there for my surprise birthday.  Yep, that's right, a clown at my 13th birthday.

Exhibit B: 

The panda hat...my favorite hat.  I had been anxiously awaiting school picture day because I planned well in advance what I was going to wear.  I couldn't wait to wear the Panda hat.  You think I'm kidding.  I'm not.  And check out the button front jeans.  Totally awesome.

Exhibit C:

Mullet-ish bangs with a side ponytail never looked so cute.  And the dress...yes, I was indeed a fan of lace.

I better see some embarrassing pics posted to YOUR blogs now!!  Go ahead and get right on that...

a story of triumph

I was eighteen years old and in my first semester of college.  I was driving to school when I heard an advertisement on the radio about U2 performing that night in Salt Lake City.  The radio station was going to be giving away 2 free tickets before the show to the contestant who put together the best U2 poster.  The concert was sold out...so these tickets were a hot commodity!

The requirements for the poster were as follows:

It had to have the band's name somewhere on the poster - U2
It had to have the name of the radio station (KISN 97 - pronounced Kissin' 97)
It had to say something about a rocket

Not sure why the rocket theme, but it probably had something to do with their tour.  It was their Elevation tour, so I guess that makes sense.

I decided at that moment that I was going to make a poster and win those tickets.

All day during school I was contemplating just how I was going to go about winning those tickets.  I had formulated in my mind the poster.  I knew it had to be good if I were going to really win.  In my mind I was picturing a giant rocket with the words U2 and KISN 97 on it.  Perhaps U2 and the radio station could be riding on the rocket??  I was scheming.  ALL. DAY. LONG.

After school I had to head to work.  I told all of my co-workers about my plan.  They laughed and thought I was just being silly.

"I'm serious," I told them.  "I'm going to win those tickets!"  

One co-worker stepped up to to the plate and agreed to help me win the tickets.  I told him all about my idea with the giant rocket.  While I worked, he got busy finding some cardboard boxes.  He then proceeded to cut the cardboard into the shape of a giant rocket.

After work, I rushed to the store, bought some spraypaint and some battery operated Christmas lights (it was November after all).  I then met my co-worker at my house and we frantically finished up the rocket.  We spray painted it, wrapped it with lights, cut out lettering for U2 and KISN 97 (being oh so creative and using red lips for the KISN).

And WAHLAH.  We had our "poster."

The rocket was big...at least 5 feet in length.  We then attached it to a wooden dowel so we could hold it up high in the air...you know...like a rocket.

We threw it in the back of my grandpa's old rusty Toyota pickup and headed to SLC.

We arrived just in time.  We saw our competition with their puny little posters parading around the streets chanting, "U2, U2, U2."  My co-worker, who is at least 6'5" tall held the rocket high high high in the air and we joined in on the chanting.

"U2!  U2!  U2!"

We did this for about 30 minutes until someone from the radio station came over and presented us with 2 tickets to see U2 that night.

Score!

I will always remember this story.

I knew in my mind that I could win those tickets.  Even when people doubted me or laughed, I knew I could do it.

And I did.

And it was epic! 

Below I have drawn (using only clip-art mind you) me and my co-worker with our stellar poster.

Moral of the story: You can do anything if you put your mind to it!


Now, who's up for a little With Or Without You?!?

Operation Memory Recall: my pet bird

The other day I told Curtis that I wanted a horse, but that I would never get one because I would feel too bad for the horse having to be outside when it's cold.

I then remembered a funny childhood story . . .

When I was a child, I had a bird for a short while (a very short while).  I'm not even sure where the bird came from (my aunt perhaps?). 

Anyway, I clearly remember the day when I decided I didn't want the bird anymore.  Not because I didn't enjoy the bird or didn't like feeding it or taking care of it.  It was because I was worried that if the house ever caught on fire, I wouldn't be able to save the bird and it would die in the fire. 

I never told anyone the reason for getting rid of the bird, but there you have it.  Fear of avian smoke inhalation, third degree burns and ultimately death.

Operation Memory Recall: the lost ring

Year: summer of 2006
Location: Star Valley, Wyoming

The hubby and I were having a fun time at the Cheney family reunion in Star Valley, Wyoming. We knew this was our last horrah with our family before moving far, far away. A short month later we would moving to the wild west for law school.

One of the many activities we participated in during the family reunion was tubing down the Salt River. As we were getting out of the car to head to the river, someone yelled out, "leave everything in the car that you don't want to take down the river...keys, rings, etc." I hadn't thought about leaving my wedding ring in the car...but I didn't want it to fall off in the river, so I took it off, rolled it up in my towel and sat my towel on the car seat.

We went along...had a grand ol' time tubing down the river...even though my tube was super crappy and lopsided and didn't hold air. It didn't even hold me up in the water...so I basically was swimming down the river instead of floating down on a tube.

We made it to the end of our tube ride and one by one climbed out of the river. My brother-in-law went to the car to fetch all of our towels. He came back holding out all of our towels and I quickly grabbed mine and wrapped it around me as I tried to warm up. We stood around talking for a bit until it hit me. My ring! I walked over to the car and looked in the backseat. Couldn't find it. I looked under the floor mats, checked in the cracks of the seats, looked around on the ground...couldn't find it anywhere.

It was then that I started to panic. I couldn't lose my precious wedding ring...the very ring my dear husband placed on my finger as he promised to love me always and forever. I started to cry...and I HATE crying in front of people. It's just something I don't do. However, in this case, sometimes the rules are broken.

We looked and looked...EVERYWHERE. The ring was nowhere to be found. I felt horrible. We even went back later with a metal detector. Still couldn't find it anywhere. The thing that bothered me the most was that I know it wasn't lost for good, like say in the river. It was somewhere...probably laying there in the gravel and we just couldn't see it. I guess there is a chance it could have flew into the shrubs that were next to the car when my bro-in-law opened up my towel. I just hated to think that it was there in the dirt right in front of us.

I was so so sad. I know it was just a ring, but there is just something so sentimental about a wedding ring.

I told Curtis that he didn't have to get me another one. Part of me felt like I didn't deserve another diamond ring....that is like a once in a lifetime thing. When we did talk about replacing the ring, I told him not to get me another diamond...a plain old band would suffice.

The following March (9 or so months later), during one of our trips to Utah, Curtis surprised me with a trip to the jewelers for a new diamond ring. What a sweetie.

It may not be the ring Curtis proposed to me with...or the ring we said "I do" with...but it is the ring that Curtis said "I love you" with and that is all that matters.

operation: memory recall

A Sofa Story:

[sometime in 2004 or possibly 2005]

Curtis and I were moving our old sofa out of the house to make room for our new one. The plan was to haul it to the in-laws so Curtis' brother could use it at his home. We carried it out the front door and loaded it in the truck.

"Don't we need to secure it with tie-downs?" I asked.
"No, it will stay," replied Curtis.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
"Even with the tail-gate down?"
"Yeah, it's fine."
"Are you sure?"
"YES."
"Ok" (said apprehensively)

So, with the sofa in the back of the truck (just sitting there...with no tie-downs...and with the tail-gate down) we headed down the road.

So far, so good. Then...we reach a busy intersection and get stopped at the light. The light turns green and we take off. That's when I looked behind me to see the sofa falling out of the truck.

thump, thump.

There our sofa is sitting in the middle of the intersection.

We hurry and get out and try to put it back in. I am laughing too hard to be of much help.

A guy pulls off to the side of the road..."do you need help?"

"No, we're fine. Thanks though."
"Do you need straps?"
"No, I think we're good."

This time we put the tail-gate up and rest one end of the sofa up on the tail-gate.

We get back in the truck and take off again.

Just then, I look back to see the tail-gate drop down and the sofa fall out...again...same intersection.

This time I'm really of NO help at all. One just doesn't have the strength needed when trying to hold back the laughter all while being stared at by passersby.

Same guy shouts from the side of the road..."are you sure you guys are ok?"
"Yes, we're fine."
"I have straps you can use."
"We're really fine...thanks though."

Again, we lift the sofa into the back of the truck. This time Curtis makes sure the tail-gate is securely latched.

We get in the cab, and ever so slowly hit the gas.

I look back....all is good....tail-gate is still up...sofa is still in place.

I laughed my head off the entire drive (about 20 minutes) to the in-laws. I couldn't help it. I kept envisioning the sofa falling out of the truck...twice...and then I kept replaying our conversation of me asking Curtis several times if we should tie down the sofa. He just laughed with me.

Oh, the memories.

>>OPERATION: MEMORY RECALL

I know, I was totally stylin'

my grandma will get a kick out of this one . . .

Year: probably somewhere in between 1991-1994
Age: 8-11 years old
Memory: made-up give-a-way

One day on my way home from school, I got the idea to do my very own door-to-door random give-a-way. Me and my friend (sadly, I'm not even sure who was with me) randomly stopped by some of our neighbors houses and told them that we were doing a give-a-way and if their name was drawn from our bag of names, they would win a prize.

After we had collected the names, we decided who we wanted to win . . . no need to randomly draw the name from a bag. It was this old couple who lived a few blocks away. I had no idea who they were, but I remember feeling bad for them because they were so old, so I wanted them to win.

The prize, you ask? After searching my room trying to find something for the prize, we settled on my old walkman radio that I didn't use anymore.

We walked back over to their house and announced them the winner and gave them their prize.

I think they liked it...even though they seemed a bit confused.