The 12th man of 700,000

Yesterday was the Seahawks Super Bowl celebration parade in Seattle. Last year, my wonderful friend Nicole took her kids into Baltimore for the Ravens parade, and I had parenting envy (I get that a lot where she is concerned). So I decided Nadine and I wouldn't miss this chance of a lifetime, to cheer a Super Bowl-winning team in their home city.

Todd was on call, so there was no way he could request the day off.  I figured the crowds would be crazy, but I was really excited to go, even solo with Nadine, so I planned it. (I must insert, I have finally detoxed off my antidepressant, which also regulated my anxiety, so I was a bit worried how this outing would go for the newly unmedicated me. There was some divine intervention in my ability to view the entire process as an adventure. I'm never able to do that.)

To deal with the cold, and give us some needed Seahawks gear, I made really cute Seahawks hats and scarves. I'm quite proud of them.

The parade started at 11. My plan was to drive to SeaTac airport, which is about 50 mins from Olympia, and catch the light rail near the airport. Then a short 39 projected minutes later, we would be in Seattle.

Ha.

I wasn't thinking, and we left the house at 7:50. Um, someone forgot to factor rush hour into the equation. It took us about an hour to get to the Tukwila train station. It took a half hour to find an off-site parking spot, then 15 minutes to walk to the station. We got to the station about 9:45, and waited in line to buy tickets.

The area was utter pandemonium. Happy, pleasant, excited, "Yay Seahawks!" pandemonium, but still. We waited in a mass of people for about 45 minutes just to get our tickets. 

Here's the crowd ahead of us as we arrived at the station. The crowd behind us quickly grew to this size and doubled.

When we were about 10 people from the kiosks, a transit worker told us they decided to make the ride free, so we should go straight to the train. More pandemonium!

We waited in a huge mass of people for about 10 minutes, missing 3 trains that were completely full. Completely full, and we were only the 2nd stop on the line!

At this point Nadine was cold (did I mention it was below freezing here?) and crying, so when the next train arrived, I shoved our way onto a train. The people inside said it was full, but I told them tough. I needed that train!

To make a long story short (too late), every step of the process was packed with Seahawks fans. We finally disembarked in Seattle and found a spot surrounded by grass, on which we could see the parade route. This came after we waded through an intersection of people literally packed shoulder to shoulder. 

Do you see how there are two BLOCKS of wall-to-wall people?!

This is the mass of people waiting to get onto transit, after the parade. 

The city was expecting between 200,000 and 500,000 fans, and they estimate 700,000 were there yesterday. 700,000 fans in a city that only has about 634,000 residents. I'm telling you, Seahawks fans are nuts.

Photographic proof--we were there!

It was such a fun day. I'm so glad we went, and that despite all the lines and the people and the shoving, we had a good time and enjoyed the adventure. Today at breakfast, Nadine said, "We're a Seahawks family." Apparently we are.

My sweet little Hawk.

Blatant (and sadly un-sponsored) product endorsement

This is a random post, but I am nerdily excited so here you go.

The theme of unloading our new house has been 'organize.' I've unloaded and organized specifically with this theme in mind, and am really happy with how the house has come together. We have shelves in every closet, bins on our kitchen shelves, and the coolest spice racks I have ever seen. Seriously. It saves so much space! And is organized! And labeled!

I bought the MiniStack through RueLaLa (a group savings site from which I've subsequently had to ban myself), from YouCopia. The below picture shows my spice racks that hold 44 spices, and I can easily identify and reach every one of those 44 spices. I love it.

They come with blank labels, that can either be hand-written or printed. I have way more labels than shelves, so I am (embarrassingly) excited this will adapt with my spice needs. (Heh, I recognize the nerdiness of this post, but I just have to gush and share the joy.)

The best part, besides the LABELING,

is that the drawers slide down and then catch themselves, so you can reach all the bottles. Seriously, this is a genius spice rack.

Do you see how the shelf just hovers???!!!! Love it.

Everyone should own some. Go buy them. Or put them on your Christmas list.

Seriously. Do it now.

I am all astonishment

10 or so years ago, I would not have guessed the artist Pink would be such a great singer. Don't get me wrong--I thoroughly enjoy Pink; she is the ultimate in angry ballads and has many songs that are fun to dance to.

But I never thought her capable of singing like she does in the two videos below. I am honestly floored by the quality of her singing voice.

In this video, she also proves to be a pretty dang good choreographed dancer. Am I just too old (and past the need for angry ballads) to have not known this about her?

The song below is absolutely amazing. And it features the lead singer of the band fun. If I can't see fun. in concert, at least I can listen to him duet with Pink.

It's the final countdown

Who else is excited about Mockingjay?!

I am always pleasantly and excitedly surprised when I hear loads and heaps and oodles of praise about a book, and then I finally read it and it actually lives up to the hype. And then the sequel is even better.

And yes, I am a dork with a countdown on my blog. I also stole the idea from my sister. So I'm an unoriginal dork.

One ring to rule them all

In Middle-pacific resided two persons called Jen and Todd. One day they went to the perfect beach. They spent much time in the water--they played in the waves, dodged man-of-wars, and gazed at the beauty around them.

As always, Todd wore his One Ring. For 18 long months this ring had been his constant companion. It had transformed him into a great husband, and he had come to rely on its power.

On this day, however, the ring abandoned Todd.

For a long while, despite the risk of sunburn, he braved the crashing surf trying to locate the ring. But his search was in vain.

His precious was lost.

I'm hoping some lucky Hobbit with a metal detector finds the ring and enjoys it, because it really is a nice (fortunately replaceable) ring.

Luckily, of all the places to lose a wedding ring, the ocean in Hawaii is a pretty dang good one.

The 100% accurate (but not at all scientific) baby gender test

My sister and brother-in-law have a fun baby gender test--you make a cake that is half pink, half blue, then cover the cake with frosting so you can't see the colored sides. The dad spins the cake while the mom closes her eyes. With her eyes still closed, the mom places the knife on the cake. She then gets to open her eyes so she doesn't cut off her fingers, and she has to cut where she placed the knife. Whatever color slice she gets is the baby's gender.

They did this when Lindsay was pregnant, and she cut a blue slice months before she delivered Daniel. I think Maren even had a friend cut a blue and pink slice, and she had twins. So yes--it's a fabulous non-scientific test that has been correct the half dozenish times Maren and Rikky have done/seen it.

Maren and Rikky made us a cake last Sunday and it justified my recent baby quilt fabric purchase: I got a pink slice. So now we wait a couple weeks to see if their test can remain 100% accurate. I'd hate to be the one to break the trend. Especially with all the cute pink fabric I just bought (I know, I know, I totally tempted the Karma gods).

You know it's true . . . everything I do . . .

This morning as I ran on the treadmill I nearly finished watching Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. That movie is so iconic and is one of the very few movies that take me back in time (to 1991--can you believe how long ago that was?!).

I remember my mom wouldn't let me watch the movie because it was too dark, so I had to go to the Sorenson's house to view it. The beginning made my skin crawl (maybe that's why my mom didn't want me to watch it).

That one Bryan Adams song (you know the one) was playing everywhere, all the time, and I longed to dance to it at my wedding (in 1991--by the time I got married the song's kitschiness factor was too high, sadly).

You seriously don't remember The Song? ;)

I think that's when I first realized how awesome Morgan Freeman is. And he didn't even do a voice-over.

Snape is the villain. When I saw the first Harry Potter movie I thought, "Hey, that's the Sheriff of Nottingham!"

Best line: "Because it's dull, you twit, it'll hurt more!"

I love that Kevin Costner doesn't even attempt an accent.

The version I'm watching has a bunch of weird, random added scenes that bug me. The witch is Nottingham's mom? What?! I can totally see why they took those scenes out, but why did they add them back? Why can only LOTR add deleted scenes that actually help the movie? Don't get me started on Beauty and the Beast . . ..

When Robin Hood saves Marian, the cheesiest line of the movie (and maybe of all time) is uttered, but it still gives me chills every time: Marian: "You came for me." Robin: "I would die for you." Awww.

The F word is in the movie. I only realized that a few years ago. Scandalous. IMDB tries to say he says, "Fie me," but that's not what he says (I hope "fie" isn't some random cuss word either, like "bugger" [which they also say a lot in the movie]).

Could you imagine being a butt double? Ha.

A couple, a couple . . . mmmmm, a mom and dad

(I don't know why, but every time I think of this post, that quote from All Dogs Go to Heaven pops into my brain. So there it is.)

You know, I only put the question about pets in the survey because Betsy suggested it. I never imagined you all are devious enough to pick that one. This is why I like you people--you dish back just as much as I dish out.

Everyone who knows me well enough knows my absolute distaste for pets, especially dogs and cats. Before I get any posts about how dogs are great companions and wonderful protectors and they make you age better and blah blah blah . . . I know all those things are true, and I don't want a dog.

They're messy. They shed. They lick you. They poop everywhere, even outside where they're supposed to poop. But most importantly, dogs require love from their owners and I have yet to love a dog so it's therefore completely unfair for someone like me to own a dog.

For cat owners--cats are evil and only love their owners. See my response above, only multiplied a million times because cats are devilish creatures that regurgitate in your shoes when you leave on vacation. Dogs wonder what they did to make you leave, cats vow to make you wish you'd never returned.

I had to start thinking about what pet I could get, something that didn't require me to either (1) love it like I would a human, and (2) clean up after it. That threw out a monkey (sad), gerbil, hamster, ferret (some day I'll tell you the story of our family dog killing a ferret and how awful that was), chicken, turtle, snake (could you imagine?!), mouse, horse, and lizard.

Here's what I came up with: saltwater fish, in a fish tank. They'd be my SaltwaterFishInTheTank pet. Now, why did I choose saltwater fish (in the tank)? Because their quality of life wouldn't depend on my love for them; they're exceptionally mesmerizing to watch; and I recently learned people, for a living, will maintain your tank for you! Amazing and awesome. Frivolously expensive, but this is your dream, voters.

Also, I like to imagine SaltwaterFishInTheTank pets are just as nice as they seem in Finding Nemo.

(Don't) Tase me, bro!

My brother-in-law Dave got a taser for his wife Rachel. It's a really cool taser--it has a laser sight so you know where you're shooting; it shoots up to about 15 feet; and the little harpoons don't have to stick into skin, they just have to be within 2 inches of the skin. So it's perfect for stopping criminals wearing parkas. (Not as effective as what my cousin can do [she rocks!], but it'll work until I learn to shoot.)

Also, it tases for 30 seconds as soon as you shoot it, so you shoot it and then have 30 seconds to flee. I love that feature. Oh, and if you have to use the taser in public and flee, like in a Walmart parking lot at 2:00 a.m. or something, if you file a police report Taser will replace your abandoned taser for free. How cool is that?!

As you can probably deduce from my taser gushing, Todd and I got the same taser. We figure it's a really good first line of defense, and I do enjoy the fact the taser goes for 30 seconds without you needing to press the button the entire time. Fleeing time is good.

Dave and Rach tested their taser, so they had a spent cartridge with the wires already out. So, as men are wont to do, Dave tested it on himself. And then asked for volunteers. And Todd did not disappoint him.

They taped the wires to Todd's shirt and . . . well, you'll see what happened.

If you ever want to be totally entertained, look at taser videos on YouTube. I don't know why people volunteer to be tasered. Or why people irk a cop with a taser.

But I do know I'm way (probably too much) excited about our taser.

A movie to actually get excited about (finally)

Not to offend the many many Twilight fans out there, but the movie isn't going to be good. Entertaining, yes, but I am not getting my hopes up that it will be worth the hype or worthy of the book. The trailers (except the newest one) are hokey, and as was pointed out at dinner last night, a movie just can't do justice to a book that has cult following. Having said that, I'm still going to see the movie as soon as possible because it's the most interesting movie to come out in months and I loved that book and I enjoy getting supremely dorky about this kind of thing.

I've heard people compare Stephenie Meyer to J.K. Rowling. The fact these two authors make kids and teenagers read books is excellent. But Meyer is no Rowling (again, Twilight nuts, I know this smacks of blasphemy, but it's true). Twilight was a wonderful book with an excellently told story. But the other three books were very poorly written. Their stories were good, but the plot progression was nearly non-existent. I've heard she's a good storyteller but not a good writer, and it's true. She does tell an excellent story, and the Cullens are some of the best characters ever.

Conversely, J.K. Rowling is a phenomenal storyteller and an equally impressive writer. The Harry Potter books are great literature. So good, in fact, that I am reading them again, again, because I need books I know are guaranteed good reads.

I also think the movies have been pretty good representations of the books (long books can never become stellar two hour movies, so there's always that caveat).

Therefore, I am quite excited about the sixth movie. This trailer shows why. The stories have gotten so mature by this book and are even more interesting to read. The things that happen in this book . . ..

(I realize I just totally vented about Twilight and gushed about Harry Potter. Apparently this has been stewing in me for a while. And I am a total nerd.)

A very merry unBirthday to me

After making a stocking for Todd last Christmas, I remembered I actually enjoy sewing some things and being crafty with fabric. Since then I have been thinking of sewing projects I want to start. I am going to make this quilt some day, because I love the stark black and white, and because, hello! penguins. I also am going to make place mats and matching runners (based on these) for three holidays, and then another set for fun and my happiness.

The place mat project is actually going to happen soon, because on Saturday my mom and I went to Home Fabrics and Joann and found the most awesome and adorable fabric for the Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Halloween sets. We also found the most eclectic color combination ever for my happiness set. As we were getting our fabric cut, my mom asked if I had thread, and I responded, "Do I have a sewing machine for the thread?" (the answer is no; luckily my mom has several sewing machines).

After I got home and had totally dorked out showing Todd all my fabric, he handed me a present and said he couldn't wait any longer to give me my birthday gift. My birthday is still a month and a half away, but the present was burning a hole in Todd's pocket (as it were) so he couldn't resist. I love that about him.

So I opened it, and it was . . . a sewing machine! My very own sewing machine! I'm so excited. And officially an adult.

Let the projects begin.

Dating-woe movies

Newlywed gushy caveat--I no longer need to watch girlie movies to help me get over being sad about dating, because Todd would be at the very tippy top of this list of awesome (movie) men. This post in no way implies he's not the greatest man I know. Ü

This weekend my friend and I were talking about the movies women watch to help them get over a breakup or feel better about their dating lives (some movies make you feel better because of the male lead's sweetness, and some movies just make you wish you had a boyfriend who is like the protagonist and then you feel worse). We came up with a chart for the movies, and I've attached it below. I thought you all might enjoy it.

I placed Ryan Reynolds as #2 because my friend suggested him, not necessarily because I believe he should be on this list. What male character deserves the coveted "barely less romantic than Titanic" slot, and why?

Is it . . . Mr. Darcy, because although he's aloof and snotty and has sensitivity issues, his glances at Elizabeth just melt the hearts of women everywhere? (I cannot BELIEVE I forgot about Mr. Darcy!)

Comics and other dorky things

Get Fuzzy is one of my favorite comics. It's hilarious and allows me to feel like a pet owner without actually being one. If only pets were really that funny . . ..

Anyway, today's Get Fuzzy cracked me up. I don't know why Satchel's dialogue in the first box was so funny to me, but it totally struck a nerve. Maybe it's the use of "shall." Shall is a funny, official-sounding word.

A nerve was also struck by this e-mail from my brother-in-law. What does it say that my dad is a surgeon, my brother is a radiologist, and Todd has a desire to be an anesthesiologist?

I'm thinking this was written by someone in the England, because some spellings are wonky. I shall try harder to brush up on my England-english.

Hello you fool

Wow, two posts in one week. I'm so excited.

We're planning a young women's activity that involves 80s music. Because the other young women's leaders are just as amazingly dorky and rad as I am (I said rad), so we picked an era with some truly great songs. An era in which none of the young women were alive. Crazy.

We need songs that are appropriate for girls 12-18 in a church environment. The three I have come up with are "Joyride" by Roxette (because it's my favorite and there's quality whistling), "Beat It" by Michael Jackson (the girls need to know he did more than "Thriller" and . . . illegal things), and "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tiffany. I listened to that song in 2nd grade, when we got our first CD player. Wow. Is that song appropriate? If not, "Who Can it be Now" by Men at Work seems a very good alternative.

I also want to rock some Belinda Carlisle ("I Get Weak" is a song I totally forgot about when compiling my wedding song list. Dang.), Duran Duran, Van Halen, and Madonna. But are those artists and their songs fun enough and appropriate?

What do you guys think are some great 80s songs I'm forgetting about?

Dam

In two weeks our stake and the stake right by us are being divided into three stakes. We'll be in the new stake. My mom was talking about possible names for this new stake and said it should be called "The Best Dam Stake in the Church." I love it. My mom's hilarious, and this is why we like her.

For those who don't know, here's the definition of an LDS stake. I love how businesses, religions, geographic areas, etc. all have their own languages. What an interesting phenomenon.

So, is it blasphemous to say "Dam" in relation to a stake? Maybe. More irreverant than anything. But Boulder City is known as the Best City by a Dam Site, and we truly never get sick of the Dam jokes. Obviously.

But really, how much fun would it be to have a Hoover Dam Stake? It would never work because there are way too many of us who have the humor of a 13-year-old boy, but it'd still be fun. For that reason.

Quite contrary

After I bought the house I realized I greatly enjoy gardening. I loved landscaping the front and back yards and the upkeep that comes with those projects--weeding, planting and updating flowers and plants, etc. I love it.

But a garden isn't complete without fun random points of interest. Like statues and other friends available at all landscape stores.

One of the many things Todd and I agree on is that pets are bad bad things. Yea for small miracles! So instead of pets, or kids (at this point), I have garden children. And I love them. They have names. I have the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki guy, Mo the fish, Purpura the large bird, and Jugo the small orange chiming bird.

This Christmas I received my fifth garden child. And it's a gargolye! A garden gargoyle! Remember how at Notre Dame Jen decided gargoyles rock and she wanted one for the house? My friend gave me this little guy for Christmas, and I love my garden gargoyle and new child. His name is McPing.

So, mighty Internet and blogging friends, I introduce you to the newest member of our family, McPing. Notice how he vigilantly watches over the back yard. Protecting us from . . . whatever gargoyles protect you from.

I love tag!

Actually, playing tag gave me anxiety the older I got. I was a pretty boring scaredy-cat child. Maybe Todd and I will need to start Jensen Tag.

Anyway, so tag--Ariane tagged me, which is why she's one of my favorite people. It's like a rite of passage into the blogging world. Yea for me.

10 years ago
- Holy crap, 10 years ago I was a senior in high school. Wow, time flies.
- I was getting ready to go to BYU; I had started flaking on high school because I was already accepted into college.
- I was spending lots of time with high school friends I knew I probably wouldn't see again.
- I was beginning to flirt with a boy who ended up being a huge waste of my time.
- OH, and exactly this time 10 years ago I was in Maui. I wish I was still in Maui.

Snacks I enjoy
- Anything with grease or salt. Like fries. Or Lay's chips. Or pizza.
- SweeTarts
- Popcorn
- Dove chocolate. Only Dove.

Five things on my to-do-list today
- Do actual PR in my job (it's so exciting to be using my degree!)
- Go to the temple
- Clean the bathroom (like that's gonna happen)
- Put a new bag in the vacuum so I can clean our nasty floors (see above)
- Write more thank-you notes

Things I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire
- Like Ariane, I would hire a maid. I'd also hire a personal trainer and cook. Not because I don't like to cook, but because I'd love to have someone else make me healthy meals.
- Pay off the house, buy a few more in select locations (Paris, Maui, Maine)
- Buy shoes for every outfit, then get outfits to match some fantastic shoes
- Invest invest invest
- And in non-selfish fashion, I'd open a foster home for kids. And I'd get an in-house attorney or two to keep the kids away from their terrible parents.

Three of my bad habits
- I've become a nag! To a husband who doesn't need it. Eeek!
- I've realized I stop listening to people long before they're done talking to me
- I'm totally impatient

Jobs I have had
- File girl
- Secretary
- Public relations account manager
- Executive secretary
- Financial analyst

Things people don't know about me
- I don't like crying in public, but I'm a totally emotional person. Sometimes at random times. A sure thing during Grey's Anatomy.
- I have a soft spot for books that are a bit too gory. It's a total guilty pleasure, and will haunt me one day.
- I watch lots of television. Lots. But mostly I do it while I walk on the treadmill.

You take the breath right out of me

At our reception, Todd and I had what I consider to be quite an awesome assortment of music. It was totally eclectic and made me happy. We had the normal country love songs that are fantastic, some other great slow love songs, and of course Ms. Celine Dion, but we also had The Killers, Blue October, Metallica (truly. Oh, "Nothing Else Matters," how I love thee), reggae, . . . and Breaking Benjamin. My favorite band. Their song Breath is pretty much my and Todd's song.

Todd and I danced to Play Me by Neil Diamond. I love that song and it gives me chills and I have always wanted to dance to it at my wedding. So we did. Not because it meant anything to our relationship, but because Todd is good to me and lets me have my way. Which rocks.

Also, we danced to Play Me because Breath (1) isn't a slow song, (2) isn't a slow-dance song, (3) isn't even a love song. To wit,

"So sacrifice yourself, and let me have what's left. I know that I can find the fire in your eyes. I'm going all the way, get away, please. ... You left a hole where my heart should be. You got to fight just to make it through, 'cause I will be the death of you."

Not really lovey, huh.

BUT, in the spot where the "..."s are, it says, "You take the breath right out of me." I LOVE that line. Any songs dealing with taking breath away is just so awesome to me. And a bit sensual. I just love it. And the fact that line is in the middle of a great song with electric guitars just makes it better.

I have been mildly obsessed with Breaking Benjamin for about 5 years. Last year when Todd and I started IMing frequently, one time he asked about music as an excuse to talk to me (cute). So I told him about le Benjamin, and Todd agreed they're awesome. After we'd started dating, he set the ringtone when I call him to be Breath, specifically the "You take the breath right out of me" part. Which was very sweet. And since then it's been our song.

Below is the music video for Breath, just in case you're interested in hearing the song that defines us but wasn't appropriate for our first dance (and you can also take a gander at the band that is Breaking Benjamin. If they're ever in your town, see them. They're awesome live.).

Finally

Last night I finished Eclipse, the third book in the Twilight series.

It's a great series and I have been trying so hard to get through this last book. I have mixed feelings about it, but it was a great read. My mom, sisters, sister-in-law, and close friends are all totally into the books. It's like a cult. Or coven. Or pack.

Here are my thoughts on the book (I don't want to spoil it for . . . whoever, so highlight to read it).

Holy crap Jacob is a baby! I can't stand him. Maybe it's because we've been reading about Edward longer, or because he's just so protective of Bella, or because he's mature and not stupid . . .. Either way, I was totally irked with Jacob pretty much the entire book. My sisters all said Bella was frustrating, but I didn't see that. Indecisive, yes, but understandably so. Jacob is just lame. I am not excited to read another book of him being pathetic in his dealings with Bella and Edward. Speaking of, what's up with how slow this book progressed?! Granted, it makes me want to read the next one, but still. 600 pages of actually very little plot development. At least at the end of Harry Potter major characters die. :)