Lately we've been...

BUSY!

Two weekends ago we went to Oxford with a couple in our church to see a musical called Smokey Joe's Cafe in the Ford Center. Lyndon and Amelia Perkins took us to dinner in (on? at?) the Square at Downtown Grill. Oxford, I must admit, is a lovely town. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and are thankful for the hospitality and generosity that our church members show us.

Lyndon, Amelia, Marty & Kurt

Smokey Joe cast member and me

Also, the following picture sums up Ole Miss: even their dogs are spoiled! Find a toilet for goodness sake!

So I'm a little strange...

A couple of people tagged me to name six quirky/interesting things about myself. I told Emory I was too normal to participate in such an exercise, but we all know that's a lie...

1. When I'm home alone, I check inside the showers to make sure no one is hiding in there, planning to attack me.

2. I can't stand for rain to get on my glasses. If I know it is going to rain, I will wear my contacts that day.

3. When I get into my car to go somewhere, I buckle up immediately (usually before I even start the car) and lock the doors. Safety (or paranoia) first!

4. I carry my planner and a scratch pad with me everywhere I go so I can always know what is going on and also write stuff down so I won't forget.

5. I don't like to touch leftover food on plates when I am washing dishes. It grosses me out.

6. I hate this about myself, but it is true: I always go a penny over the dollar when I pump gas.

My new hairdo

When Kurt was out of town last weekend, I got crazy and colored my hair. What do you think?

Before

After

Who's that boy?

This is my husband Kurt. At least twice a week, a stranger approaches him and says, "You look familiar. Have we met before?" At first I thought they were pickup lines, but then I realized that just as many guys ask him as girls...and we won't go there. Kurt's usual response is, "No, I'm just a tall, skinny, blond guy. We all look alike."

We were shocked to discover that Kurt's sister and brother-in-law think Kurt looks like Ryan Howard from The Office, except with blond hair. Do you see it? We really don't. Well, maybe the nose...


Then, Kurt spoke at a youth conference in Hattiesburg, MS, this past weekend. One girl, a college student and chaperone, had the audacity to tell Kurt that he looks like...drum roll, please....

TOBY FLENDERSON from The Office.

Yes, I said Toby.

Toby??!!!

WHAT?

Now that, I do not see. Do you??

The Ross and Rachel Principle

I turned on NBC tonight to watch The Office at 8 o'clock, only to be bombarded with more madness from this upcoming presidential election. Since I am a news editor, I follow the election all day. I am ready to be done with it by the time I get home. (However, I watched the debate anyway...)

If you watched The Office last week, you saw Jim and Pam get engaged. (I would put a spoiler alert here, but you have had plenty of time to visit NBC.com and watch it.) Finally, right? When Jim popped the question in the rain in front of the gas station, I screamed and jumped up and down the couch in excitement. But, my heart immediately sank. Why, you ask? Because of what I have named "The Ross and Rachel Principle."

If you know me AT ALL, you know my obsession with the show FRIENDS. Similarly to The Office, all the characters of Friends are unique and enjoyable and bring a different flavor and talent to the show. However, Ross and Rachel were the glue, the romance that kept the show going.

Enter Jim and Pam. Their engagement is the moment we have been awaiting the last four seasons. Well, it came. And guess what? I'm going to assume NBC and the actors on The Office aren't planning to quit their jobs and end the show any time soon because it is a huge success. Where to go from here? Good question!

You see, Ross and Rachel didn't get together for good, for permanent, for FOREVER, until the last 10 minutes of the very last episode of Friends. They had to be off-and-on to keep us interested in the show.

Therefore, The Ross and Rachel Principle will soon become The Jim and Pam Principle. They won't last. They can't. If the show plans to continue, some obstacle will come up to separate Jim and Pam, at least for a little while. I predict they will break up soon. Something will interfere with their relationship or their wedding planning or their fill-in-the-blank. Because of the Ross and Rachel Principle, expect years (however many more this great show will give us) of ups and downs to come for Jim and Pam. However, I'll will follow every last minute of it. For now, let's celebrate PB&J!

Southern UNhospitality

Pete, his wife Becky, and little Noelle

One of my coworkers moved here from Maryland about 2 years ago. His name is Pete. Pete is married and has a daughter named Noelle who is a toddler, and his wife Becky is having another daughter in about 4 months.

Yesterday, Pete and his family went for a delightful stroll in his Saltillo, MS (a town north of Tupelo), neighborhood. It was sunny, the air was fresh, and they wanted to spend some quality time together enjoying God's creation.

Lo and behold (in my most southern drawl), a dog ran out of its "fenced-in" yard and bit little Noelle on the back of the leg. Can you believe that? Pete took Noelle home, took a picture of the wound, and took his camera to the dog's owner to warn her -- politely, mind you -- about her dog.

The owner got feisty, so Pete pushed the 'RECORD' button on his camera. After a terrible experience with this uncivilized excuse for a lady, who I'm ashamed to call a Mississippian, Pete created the following video. True story.

As you will see in the video below, the lady goes berserk. You may be shocked to see a human behave this way, but not after you see her shirt...



Nuff said.

The best invention EV-ER

Today I overheard a guy at work say, "I think the taser is the best invention ever made."

(Note: a taser is a stun gun that fires electrical darts to immobilize a person. Got that from Meriam Webster.)

If I questioned him about this statement, I think the conversation would go something like this:

Me - Really? The taser? Hmm. What about, say, electricity?
Him - No.
Me - Ok, how about the cotton gin?
Him - Nope. The taser.
Me - You're sure about that? Not the printing press? You know, printing billions of copies of the Bible and all.
Him - No siree. Hands down -- the taser.
Me - What about indoor plumbing?
Him - Uh uh.
Me - Water filtration systems?
Him - Wrong. I told you, the taser is the best invention ever.
Me - Toaster oven? Disposable diapers? The SWIVEL SWEEPER?
Him - What? Fie! It's the taser.
Me - Ok, hear me out. How about the Internet?
Him - Taser.
Me - Electric can opener?
Him - Taser, for sure.
Me - How about guns?
Him - Eh, well...maybe...nah, the taser.
Me - Ok, ok, I got it. Central heating and cooling, right?
Him - Nope. I already told you! The taser!
Me - What about giant, economy-sized packages of toilet paper and frozen foods that can be purchased at Sam's club?
Him - Not happening. Sticking with the taser.
Me - Modern medicine? I mean, c'mon, dude.
Him - Sorry. Taser all the way.
Me - Dental hygiene?
Him - Taser.
Me - Irrigation?
Him - No. No. No.
Me - Alright, alright. Are you ready for this? MREs?
Him - What's an MRE?
Me - Meals ready to eat. Like they have in the military.
Him - Oh, heavens no.
Me - Meteorology and storm tracking?
Him - Nope.
Me - Outer space studies? Cancer research?
Him - No way.
Me - You Tube? Ebonics? The Urban dictionary?
Him - Homey, please. (You're right. He wouldn't say that.)
Me - Vaccines? Non-invasive surgery? The epidural?
Him - Good try, but no.
Me - Not even Catch Phrase? (The game, of course.)
Him - For the last time, it's the taser. Ok? The taser is the best invention ever.
Me - Ok, just making sure.