We all have one. Or two. A dirty little secret. Some we care to share, others we like to keep in the deep dark corners of our room. I'm willing to admit to two today just because of the stigma attached to them and how hilarious I think they are!
Dirty Little Secret #1: The Snuggie
I admit it. I OWN a Snuggie. I'm not proud of it, but I do have one in my possesion. In my opinion, they are dumb. A backwards robe; just take your bathrobe, turn it around and put it on. Everyone has a snuggie. But mine is an officially licensed namebrand bona-fide real one. How did I get it? Was it gifted? Nope, I spent my own money on it. Why? Because I didn't know what I was buying. At the end of October, we went down to Provo for a weekend. We also went to a BYU football game. (one of only two games they lost this season) At the game, I saw this great poncho; it had sturdy duckcloth on the exterior, a nice embroidered BYU logo on the front, a hood and on the inside; warm, snuggly goodness. It was lined with polar fleece that had BYU logos on it. Perfect for any Cougar fan! They told me where they bought it and my memory remembered 'WalMart'. So we swung by WalMart and I searched high and low for that darn poncho. They were cleaned out of a lot of BYU merchandise. I flagged down an employee and she said, "Oh yeah, it's at the front of the store on an end cap." Perfect. I grabbed the box, threw it in the cart, checked out and ran to the car. We got home and I'm unpacking our loot. (we hit Ikea that weekend too) I open up the supposed poncho box and I pull out a Snuggie. What?? Yes, a college football themed Snuggie. Apparently you can buy them for just about any sports team. I thought I might as well try it since I'm stuck with it. Yes, it does keep you toasty, but my back gets cold. Especially the back of my neck. And those commercials where the fans are wearing a Snuggie then leaping to their feet to cheer on that homerun? Completely impossible. I tried a one person wave on my couch and you just get colder. And I tried turning it around and it doesn't meet evenly in the middle. What's the point? Just put on your robe and quit complaining, people. Oh, and I was mistaken about where the poncho was bought; not WalMart, Costco. Ahhh, that explains a lot.
Dirty Little Secret #2:
Um, let me interrupt. This post has gone on a bit longer than I intended. I won't air all of my dirty secrets today. Besides, I haven't given my Christmas Idea #2 yet.
Christmas Idea #2: Evening Devotional
Have a nightly Christmas themed devotional. A song & poem or story. I am lucky enough to have a book with a scripture, carol and story for each night leading up to Christmas. But here are some great sites that have all of the aforementioned topics available. Last night, the kids and I sang Angels we have heard on High and read the story "The Littlest Angel". If anyone is interested, I can email you the current devotional. Wait, I just had an idea. I'll try and make a sidebar "thing" with the day's scripture, carol & story. We'll see how it works out.
All Things Christmas
North Pole.com
Apples 4 the Teacher
Photo taken by Eliza (psst, she's working toward her own camera. she'll get it soon!)
#1: The Cabin
Last Monday morning, I woke up ready for a fight. I pulled up all records pertaining to the Island Park Incident, found the office's phone number and ate a piece of chocolate (to bolster my resolve). I was ready. I got the phone, dialled the phone number and introduced myself calmly, but assertively. Every possible response from them had a solid rebuttal.
"Hi, this is Lydia Penrod. I would like to speak with Susan, please."
"Oh yes, this is Susan. I talked with the owner and we're going to refund you for the whole amount. I was an unfortunate turn of events and we would really love for you to stay with us again. Is a check ok?"
Huh? Good thing I was sitting down! That's it? Ok, yeah, I'll take a check. Really, that's it. And I think we will try and do it again.
#2: Catching up
Spencer and I have been enjoying our quality time together. As most expats know, keeping up with your favorite T.V. shows is very difficult overseas. **sidenote** hulu really needs to solve that. **un-sidenote** We get around that problem by just buying the series on DVD. I don't mind that I'm a year behind. If I want to watch the next episode and find out if Sylar really is dead, I go ahead and watch it! That's the magic of DVD. I got all of our favorites a month or so ago, but just haven't had the chance to watch them. Wonder why? I told Spence I wouldn't wait, but, he came home and I still hadn't watched anything. So we've been digging into Heroes. Very, very good vacation time!
#3: The BYU Game
To be brief, it was a sweet weekend. I will elaborate with more pictures and details soon. But for now, all I can say is that even though we lost, it was all still worth it. Provo in the fall time, wonderful weather, getting together with old Cairo friends, kids cooperating with a fall photo shoot, and Ikea. What more could one get out of a weekend??
The kids found these funky wigs at the BYU Bookstore. Also, the term 'bookstore' is used very loosely. There is the textbook area upstairs, and then an every day Barnes & Noble style level. The famous BYU fudge is always a temptation along with the rest of the candy counter. The knick knacks, regular clothing, shoes, cards, music, media and everything else you could think of take up the rest of the 3 levels. I would have lived in the bookstore if they had let me. We got the kids new BYU t-shirts. They get a new one every year or so. We try to return to our alma mater at every possible opportunity. Provo is full of such tender memories for us. It's where we met, fell in love, had babies and spent most of our 20's. (and I ain't talkin' 'bout dollar bills! ;) Reminiscing is so great! 
This is something that I could not have predicted. Who knew 11 years ago how addicted I would become to football? That's American football, not soccer. I started BYU pretty unaware of the whole popularity of it. I grew up away from the heart of Mormonland and all things related. I was thrilled, of course to be accepted to BYU, but I had also applied to the U of U, thinking one school in Utah was just as good as another. Boy, was I wrong! Those two schools are the biggest rivals in the Intermountain West. (but let's face it, there isn't much more there besides them, either. ;) )
I started my freshman year and was immediately immersed into everything BYU. I had a great next door neighbor in the dorms, Jamie, that introduced me to the love of BYU football. Her father had played BYU ball as well as her grandfather, and if Jamie could have played, she would. We bought student price season tickets, wore completely blue clothes and cheered till our voices were gone. At first, I wasn't sure what exactly we were cheering for. If a guy in those little, tight pants made to our end of the field with the football in hand, I knew that that was good. Other than that, I was pretty clueless. Through her tutoring, and maybe another boy or two along the way, I was being taught the ways of the game.
When Spencer & I met, it was at the beginning of the school year and football season. I found out that he was a die-hard BYU fan as well. I impressed him with what little knowledge I had accumulated, but I had much to learn. Teach me, you big hunk! And so he did. Now I find myself drawn even to the off-season. I am waiting, with baited breath, for the Cougar football schedule to be released. So far, they only have 4 games announced on the schedule. They said the complete schedule will come out in a couple weeks. A couple weeks? Aww, but I want it NOW! But you know what's even more exciting? September 19th, BYU vs Florida, playing at home and I will be there! Tickets aren't on sale yet, but Edwards Stadium in Provo, UT is where I will be on that Saturday in September.
