Creepy Confessions

In general, I'm pretty good with remembering names and faces and information about people. Every now and then there's a name that doesn't stick, and I have to keep asking, but for the most part, I don't have a hard time with names. This is a blessing and a curse - a blessing because I always know who everyone else is. A curse because I always know who everyone else is. 

(Aside: the other day I had a situation where I didn't recognize someone, and afterward, when I realized who the person was, I felt horrible. It was very out of character for me. Then I realized she didn't know me at all, so why should I feel bad?)

Anyway, sometimes this trait makes me a little creepy. Several years ago, I kept seeing this mom from my kids' school at various places throughout the community. I knew who she was, of course, but she never showed an ounce of familiarity toward me. Finally, one day, in the make-up aisle of Target, I stopped and introduced myself and told her that I recognized her from the school and that I tend to see her a lot. I asked her her name (even though I already knew her name, her kids' names, and what she did for a living because that's how creepy I am). Then, to continue my creepy ways, I sent her a friend request on Facebook. We have not developed a magical friendship, but now when we see each other out in the world, we at least say hello. 

A short time later, I did the same thing to another mom from school that I kept seeing everywhere I went. I cornered her in the Chick-Fil-A play area and told her that I recognized her from the school and that I see her often in the community. I didn't send this mom a Facebook friend request, though, and it worked out well that I didn't because I never saw her again. Maybe I scared the living daylights out of her and she joined the witness protection program. 

A few years ago, I started seeing this other girl around town (now that I'm almost 40, is "girl" even the right word? Because I feel like "lady" and "woman" are too old, but "girl" is too young - what should I call my fellow women? "Female peers?") Anyway, I started seeing this female peer from time to time, and of course it turned out that her kids went to my kids' school (I'm not intentionally stalking the mothers of my children's classmates, it just works out that way). I felt like we were supposed to be friends. I even told my friend Shannon that I kept seeing a female peer around town that I knew I was supposed to be friends with, but I wasn't going to force it. I just felt like someday things would fall into place, and this girl/woman/female peer and I would be friends. 

Across the span of about two years, I observed my Potential Friend and accidentally learned a lot about her - meanwhile, she was completely oblivious to my existence. 

Again, I am creepy. It just comes naturally. 

Finally, I ended up at a large community event with my Potential Friend, and I knew that that was to be my day of attack. Somehow I weaseled my way into small talk with her, and I did the whole, "I think our kids go to the same school," thing (I decided not to mention the fact that I'd been scoping her out for two years and knew we were meant to be friends because... hello... creepy). 

It worked. We're friends now!

Do we hang out? Nope. Do we exchange birthday cards? Nope. But somehow, I still feel like we've got each other's backs. Even though we've never shared a meal or hung out in sweatpants together, I feel like my special circle of people has expanded through my ultimate creepiness. 

Now there's this other mom from the school I'm starting to see everywhere, poor soul, and I'm wondering if it's my God-given mission to chase these women down in public and make them be my friends. 

So watch out, female peer! I'm coming for you next!

Friendship Tidbits

September Writing Challenge - Prompt #30:

Friendship

I have been very blessed in friendship in my life, but I didn't realize it until recent years. I've learned a lot about friendship as I've grown up, and while I'm not going to go into the "lessons" in great detail in this post, I will say that the views I hold of friendship as a 36 year old woman are entirely different from the views I held of friendship as a child, a teenager, and a young adult. 

Scotty & me with our friends 

Chad & Carlie of Game Night fame

Sadly, I have not always been a good friend. I've done some pretty awful stuff to my friends in the past - some of it knowingly and some of it in complete ignorance. The biggest example is my childhood best friend, Michelle. Sometimes I think about some of the ways I treated Michelle over the years, and I'm not sure why she stayed by my side! But I'm so glad she did. I owe her big time. 

Michelle & me in our super cool, custom embroidered, 

biotechnology lab coats in high school. 

Ask us what we learned in biotech... Nothing! 

We copied all our answers off

Diana and Todd.

Michelle & me on our very own log on Splash Mountain

fifteen years later.

Here are a few tidbits about my personal experiences with friendship:

Tidbit #1: I am still close to many of my childhood and high school friends. Michelle and Lynsie, foremost. I have known Michelle since I was about nine (3rd grade), but we realized after we met that we went to the same dance studio when we were really little, so we can technically say we knew each other when we were three (that dance studio happened to be owned by Scotty's aunt - which was an additional fact we learned later. It's a small world after all!) 

I met Lynsie in 7th grade, and we've been friends ever since. I have so many fantastic and hilarious memories with Lynsie! Lynsie has brought so much laughter to my life. I could easily rattle off a dozen memories that would have us both rolling on the floor instantly and another dozen that would have us hiding our faces in pure embarrassment. Lynsie and I have seen the best and the worst of each other. 

Lynsie & me with our snowman missionaries.

Tidbit #2: Michelle and I married step-brothers, so she is also my sister-in-law. So best friends really can grow up and marry brothers! In fact, I have had five sisters-in-law that I went to high school with!  Four have since divorced, but still let it be a lesson to you... you need to be nice to everyone because you never know who your brother might end up marrying!

Tidbit #3: Now that I'm an adult, age is less of a factor in friendship. One of my closest friends is the mother of someone I went to high school with. I find this very amusing - I hang out with Brock Johnson's mom now. And I'm pretty close to Ethan Bateman's mom, too. 

I really appreciate this aspect of adult friendship. I love that I can have close friends who are 20 and close friends who are 60. We can be in completely different phases of life and still be relevant to each other. 

You have to admit... that's cool. 

Me with Christie who is older than me, but only by

five years. When Christie turned 30, I couldn't believe

I had a friend who was so old and mature! Haha!

Tidbit #4: I have a frenemy. 

Yep. It's true. I'm petty enough to have a frenemy. I might even have two...

Tidbit #5: I'm not a naturally friendly person. It takes me a long time to form friendships, and sometimes I think it's a miracle that I have any friends at all! My kids inherited this trait, sadly. They don't make friends quickly or easily. 

Fremenies and social awkwardness aside, I really love my friends! They enrich my life and bring me joy. Sometimes they even laugh at my jokes. I think I'll keep them and maybe even add a few more. 

Something Money Can't Buy

Friendship and good conversation.

Believe it or not, I am not paying anyone to be my friend! Which is so great because that means these wonderful people in my life actually want to be here! How lucky am I?

I am very blessed in friendship. These fantastic people who have seen my messy house, heard me say awful things, watched me roll my eyes, eaten my bad cooking, and smelled me on a no-shower day still love me!

I haven't always been a great friend, and I'm forever making mistakes. So I'm very grateful for those who have witnessed my ugliness and love me through it.

Along with that, I love some quality conversation. I find that the best social events for me are ones where I have meaningful conversation with someone. Connection energizes me! And money can't buy that.

Who I Text

Everyone needs a list of go-to friends to text for certain events and occurrences. For example, if you go to the gym and biff it on the treadmill, there should be someone at the top of your list to text afterward.

When I'm frustrated with my kids, I usually text Scotty, KoriAnn, or Carlie.

My weekly rundown of how primary went goes to Shannon and KoriAnn

If something happens regarding poop, I text Shannon.

Food, TV, and books go to Cassie.

People telling me they don't like my facial expressions (it happens at least once a year) constitutes a text to Bri.

Anything involving my gray hair goes to KoriAnn.

Thrift store stories and birds acting weird go to Cyndi.

Strange things I find at Ross go to Shannon.

Disneyland news goes to Amber, Scotty, and Mark.

Animal memes and anything pertaining to hot weather, tacos, or dinosaurs go to Heidi.

.

Funny-shaped food usually goes to anyone and everyone.

The list goes on...

One of the most important topics I text about is straw problems, and those texts go to Amber. Amber and I both strongly believe that straws should be proportional to the height of the cup, so whenever our straws are the wrong length, we have to commiserate.

That's why we both have photo albums that look like this:

That's also why we both keep scissors in our cars.

We discussed buying wallet-sized scissors but decided against it because we are worried about airport security... even though I haven't flown in nine years.

Maybe wallet scissors deserve more consideration because I constantly find myself in places like Del Taco and Arctic Circle with six foot straws and no scissors. Or maybe I should stop eating out. That's a funny thought!

Anyway, it's good to have my go-tos for all topics and happenings, so let me know if you want me to text you when I fall off the treadmill at the gym.

(Ha ha! Just kidding! I don't go to the gym!)

Board Game Inventory

For the month of September, I am using prompts from a project called 30 Days Hath September. Each day has a prompt for something to capture, something to collect, and something to record. The prompts are for a scrapbook album, but I thought they'd be wonderful blogging prompts as well. I am selecting one of the three prompts to write about each day. 

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September 8: A list of games in your home

We love playing board games - particularly with our friends Chad and Carlie. We've had a gaming tradition for over ten years. We take turns playing at each other's houses. We always have dinner. Carlie plays with the red pieces. Chad is the DJ. Scotty wins the most. We keep a game ledger where we record the date, where we played, what we ate, the games we played, and who won. Our kids have grown up together - from our firstlings to our fourthlings. They are all the same ages and opposite genders. 

Between both families, we have more board games than we'll ever learn to play. It's a good way to live!

Here are some of the games we have with my personal 1-5 star ratings:

7 Wonders*****

Agricola*****

Alhambra*****

Bang!***

Bohnanza*****

Clue***

Coup****

Forbidden Island***

Great Dalmuti**

Hanabi****

Libertalia ****

Love Letter****

Machi Koro **

Phase 10****

Resistance***

Risk****

Scattergories****

Settlers of Catan****

SkipBo****

Splendor****

Thurn and Taxis****

Ticket to Ride: Europe****

Werewolves of Millers Hollow****

Fruits of Perfection

For the month of September, I am using prompts from a project called 30 Days Hath September. Each day has a prompt for something to capture, something to collect, and something to record. The prompts are for a scrapbook album, but I thought they'd be wonderful blogging prompts as well. I am selecting one of the three prompts to write about each day. 

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September 7: A Perfect Moment

My text to my friend Cassie:

My grape looks like a butt

Her text response to me:

Mine looks like a heart

Maybe that's not what you'd normally call a "perfect moment," but I think when you text your friend a butt grape and she texts a funny-shaped grape right back at you, there is some sort of perfection in that moment. 

(Confession: I texted a photo of my butt grape to at least ten people. Maybe that's weird, but I have nearly a dozen people in my life who need to know when my grape is shaped like a butt. It's one of many ways my life is blessed). 

(Another confession: Cassie's grape totally looks like a butt, too, but it's cute that she thinks it's a heart).

Keep Calm & Eat Chinese Food

I recently wrote about how our local Cafe Rio moved, and I had to say goodbye to an interior space that meant a lot to me because of all the memories I made there. It wouldn't be fair to write about Cafe Rio and not write about another place that's just as dear to me.

(Of course it's a food place).

(Because food is everything).

One of my best friends, Lynsie, and I met in 7th grade. We had several classes together, but we met officially in Algebra. She sat behind me, and she kept a copy of The Outsiders on the corner of her desk because she thought the boys were hot.

The most important thing I learned from Lynsie was how to have a crush on a boy. The steps go something like this:

Step 1: Pick a boy

Step 2: Give the boy a code name

Step 3: Go ahead and share the boy because he's never going to pay any attention to either of you anyway, so you might as well both obsessively crush on him

Step 4: Find out where the boy lives and convince Lynsie's mom to drive you past his house with fierce regularity

The second most important thing Lynsie brought into my life was our Chinese food restaurant. Proper credit goes to Lynsie's mom, who not only willingly drove us past Tall One and Dog Boy's houses (see steps 2 & 4) but also found the Chinese restaurant and clued us in.

Lynsie and I started eating at the restaurant in high school. We loved the independence of being able to drive ourselves to a food place and buy our own meals. It helped that this restaurant had gigantic combination meals for $5.25.* We could get soup, sweet and sour chicken, ham friend rice, and an egg roll and still have enough money to stop at the Tasty Marble** on the way home. The food came out so piping hot, we'd burn our mouths if we dug in too soon.

The restaurant became our place and is still our place. We just ate there last month, though it's now a year or two between visits instead of a week or two (the food is still piping hot, 18 years later) (18 years!!! Oh my gosh!!!)

As teenagers, Lynsie and I ate at the restaurant with boys, we went there with friends, and we dined there with our families. I was shocked one day to find my uncle there. I felt like he'd imposed on our hidden treasure. He claimed it was his place, and I just couldn't accept it! That's a hard thing about the restaurant, every regular customer thinks it's theirs.

When Scotty came home from his mission, one of the first things I wanted to do was take him to get Chinese food. We ate there while we dated and when we were engaged. We ate there while I was pregnant with Nicky, and then we ate there with our baby. We ate there with our next baby, too... and now with four kids we still eat there.

The only problem with our restaurant is that the owner has never liked us. Lynsie believes this is because her dad didn't leave a tip during one of her family's first visits, sabotaging us early on.

The owner is a bit of a stern fellow. I don't blame him - he basically lives there running his business. One time we walked in and the restaurant was empty, and he was asleep in the back booth. When the door jingled, he stood up - disoriented and hair mussed - and when he saw us, his face read utter disappointment. Which is kind of his permanent face anyway, but here'es the thing: for 18 years we have watched this man be chummy with all his other customers. He knows their names, he knows their regular orders, he chats with them. He doesn't smile - that's not his manner, but he treats the other customers different.

For Lynsie and me, he basically slams our food in front of us and avoids us as much as possible. He's consistent even when Lynsie and I aren't there together. Ironically, this is part of the joy of eating there. We find his distaste for us endlessly amusing.

But we leave a generous tip, in hope of changing his mind. After all, he's practically watched us grow up.


*The prices are still reasonable, but they're around $6.75 now.
**The Tasty Marble was an ice cream place like Cold Stone, but it was BETTER. They had two exquisite chocolate flavors that I've never found anywhere else. 

How to Attend a Donny & Marie Concert in 10 Simple Steps

Step 1: Buy tickets

Justify the expense by worrying that Donny could die before you get another chance to see him. When you look at it that way, it's not hard to throw down some dollars.

(Long live Donny, but still... he's not getting any younger).

Step 2: Convince your bestie to drive in from Boise

(It won't be hard)

Step 3: Wait for your friend to pick you up

Step 4: Make your neighbor take a picture of you together

It helps if one of your other besties gives you a Donny Osmond sign for your birthday.

Step 5: Drive to the concert venue

Step 6: Buy Donny & Marie flip flops

Step 7: Cheer, sing, clap, and woohoo.

Step 8: Convince an older gentleman in a beret to take a picture of you

(His name is Curtis)

Step 9: Laugh because Curtis takes his photographer gig very seriously but still manages to take at least three pictures of his finger

Step 10: Drive home singing "Soldier of Love."

What I'm Doing Right Now

Guess what I'm doing right now:

A) Hanging out in the waiting room at Instacare

B) Waiting diligently at the computer for Donny & Marie pre-sale tickets to go LIVE

C) Listening to the 13 Reasons Why audiobook



If you guessed B, you are correct, though a few weeks ago, I did A & C at the same time. That's when my strep journey began (and I'm wondering if we have a second round of strep beginning in the family. Daisy has been running a low fever and complaining of a sore throat and body aches for two days. She just finished antibiotics for strep last week. I know mostly nothing about anything, but with as many antibiotics she has had in her body in the last two months, I wonder if she has become tolerant) (also, the narrator in 13 Reasons Why is the same narrator as The Wednesday Wars, so it's hard to imagine that Clay is not Holling Hoodhood five years later).

By the end of this post, I'll be able to let you know if I'll be seeing Donny Osmond this summer. Are you on the edge of your seat? I am!

(It's okay if I don't see Donny Osmond this summer, but it would be fun, and it would be a pretty good way to entice Shannon to visit. But THE SUSPENSE of ticket buying! Oh my goodness!)

Six minutes and counting...

In other news, today is one of those days when I want to throw away everything in my house that isn't bolted down. I just took a van full of stuff to Deseret Industries. I keep donating and donating, and I never seem to have less stuff!

Today I took half my closet, half my shoes, and half my jewelry.

32 necklaces gently placed in sandwich bags in hopes of keeping them from getting too tangled.

Yes, that's right. I got rid of 32 necklaces.

You might have noticed that I said I got rid of half my jewelry. So that should give you an idea of how many necklaces I had when I started this morning.

Apparently I have a necklace problem.

Three minutes and counting...

I have a lot more stuff to donate, but I had to draw the line at what I could fit in my van. Perhaps after the Donny chaos, I'll do another load.

One minute and counting...

Gotta go.

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Sigh...

That was rough. 

Decisions, decisions. 

Ultimately, the Donny & Marie tickets were more than I wanted to pay. My price range was on the lawn, and I?

Will not sit on the lawn. 

No thank you. 

So I debated. Do I really want to see Donny?

Do I really?

I texted Scotty. He said do it (he is so good to me). I said, "But I don't actually know any Donny & Marie songs."

Then I had this thought... Donny isn't getting any younger. He could die soon. 

So I'm going.

I wonder what necklace I should wear...

Spontaneity, where art thou?

I don't know if the word spontaneous has ever been an appropriate word to describe me. I mean... sometimes I do things unexpectedly and on the fly, but other times I really need to plan and prepare. Perhaps I'm just the right amount of spontaneous. Maybe I'm responsibly spontaneous.

Who am I kidding? I have no idea what I am!

I do know one thing, though... when it comes to socializing, I've become a lot less spontaneous as I've gotten older. 

Why am I even talking about this?

Because last night I drove past the house of a friend, and something told me to stop. I had this vision of going to her door and saying, "Let's just hang out. SPONTANEOUSLY!" and then we sit on her front lawn for hours while the kids run around and we just talk and laugh, and we let it get dark, and we don't worry that there's school tomorrow. We just allow the time pass, and we end up staying outside for way too long and getting mosquito bites, but it doesn't matter because it's good for both our souls, and every time we scratch, we remember that we were bitten during good times.  

I debated whether this was possible. I even drove past her house again a little while later, telling myself that if she were outside, that would be my "sign." 

She wasn't outside.

I didn't stop.

But I wish I could have. I was too worried about interrupting her evening or being met with rejection. Are those the right reasons to not attempt a spontaneous visit to a friend? I don’t really know.

Maybe I'll try it some other time but with planning and prep work and well... no spontaneity whatsoever.

The Most Excellent Friendship Quiz: Part Deux

The other day, I posted a quiz about my friendship with Shannon. Yesterday was Shannon's half birthday - one half-year older, and wiser too! The past half year has brought some pretty big adventures for Shannon including moving, job changes, and the birth of her first wee, little babe (he's a looker, that one! Absolutely scrumptious!) 

Shannon and I are ready to reveal the answers to our Most Excellent Friendship Quiz. Shannon's responses will be in blue, and my commentary will be in green. 

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Shannon & Brittany's Most Excellent Friendship Quiz

1. Which song does Shannon sing to me regularly?

A) Mary, Did You Know?

B) Ice, Ice, Baby

C) Puppy Love

A) Mary, Did You Know?

And it IS appropriate for me to sing this to you this time of year...but I know that I am playing with fire when I sing it otherwise! Do I need to elaborate on why? I don’t want to tell without your permission.

Well, I confess - I don't like this song very much, which might motivate someone to sing it to me just to drive me nuts.

For me, "Mary Did You Know?" falls into the category of “top ten songs that get stuck in your head”...like it’s in my Top 3 spots, along with Amy Grant’s “Baby Baby” and R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly.” And I would add “What Does The Fox Say?” by Ylvis as a wild card!

Thanks. Now I'm singing "What Does the Fox Say?"

And I must admit that the one Donny Osmond song I don’t care for much is "Puppy Love." And when I was 10 years old, I went to 4-H Camp and my cabin’s name was “Mountains” and we made up a skit and performed the “Ice, Ice, Mountains” with our own lyrics about being at summer camp. I can still remember THOSE lyrics, but not all the "Ice, Ice, Baby" ones.

You'll have to send me an audio message of that one.

2. Where am I mostly likely to be during a phone conversation with Shannon?

A) The laundry room

B) The bathroom

C) The car

A and C - the laundry room and the car

I’m going to go ahead and decide that this is one of those multiple choice quizzes where there might be two correct answers. You are either in your laundry room or your car, without question. But I will out you (and me) and say that we often correspond while taking potty breaks! So essentially, you should have D) All of the above as the correct response!

I was thinking the van is the most frequent, but the laundry room and the bathroom are definitely runners up. Now that I think of it, I also talk to you a lot from my kitchen.

3. Which of these movies have I been trying to make Shannon watch for the entire time I've known her?

A) The Truman Show

B) Hairspray

C) The Green Mile

A) The Truman Show

Forgive me. I’m just not a movie buff. But I’m putting it in writing that I 90% promise I will watch The Truman Show by January 31, 2018! Not just to watch it/obey you, but because I know that it will lead to many deep and thorough discussions about themes, perspectives, and the human experience. Which is something I love about our friendship--our desire to discuss and learn all the things! Plus, I like Jim Carrey. So I’m looking forward to it. I adore him in his episode, “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” with Jerry Seinfeld. Did you know that he’s quite the artist when it comes to abstract paintings?

I did not know that.

I can't even remember why I wanted you to watch The Truman Show in the first place. I was probably telling you about how Sara thinks she's in The Truman Show. I do love that movie, though. Definitely in my top ten.

Know what else you should watch? Mary Poppins. It's not one of my top ten, but you can't go through life without seeing Mary Poppins.

4. What phrase do we use to end many of our conversations?

A) "Aye, aye, Captain!"

B) "In case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight!"

C) "Go Centennial Park Ward!"

C) "Go Centennial Park Ward!"

Because we believe in pep rallies (see Brittany’s post about our desire to be mascots) and cheering on our team. And this was our LDS Ward where we first met and served. We essentially made ourselves its unofficial cheerleaders in the hopes to get everyone jazzed about living the Gospel and stuff!

And for the record, I don’t think I’ve ever said those other two phrases to anyone in my life. “Oh Captain, My Captain!” from Dead Poets Society is the closest.

I think everyone should say, "Aye, aye, Captain!" once in a while. Try it, you might like it! And I know you've never said, "In case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight," because THAT, my friend, comes from The Truman Show.

Confession: I've never seen Dead Poets Society all the way through, but I know there's carpe diem, and that means "seize the day" which reminds me that you've also never seen Newsies.

5. Which of these are Shannon and I least likely to do together?

A) Go ziplining

B) Meet Donny Osmond

C) Write a book

A) Go ziplining

Absolutely NEVER.

Fo shizzle. We keep our feet on the ground. 

But YES!!!! To Donny-mania and the book we will co-author one day. I’m totally serious about both of these! I’ve been playing Donny’s version of “Deck the Halls/Hark the Herald Angels Sing” on repeat this past week. His voice is so smooth and effortless. Butter. Listen here. It starts at 21:23...heck, listen to the entire album! And his voice on “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” (at 14:53) is liquid gold!

P.S. Brittany, “Mary, Did You Know” starts at 48:18 [insert crying laugh emoji here]. Thanks for the warning [insert crying laugh emoji here].

I 90% promise that I'll check out Donny's voice on "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" before January 31, 2018. Also, Donny would want you to know that the original version by Andy Williams is his favorite Christmas song. #donnytrivia

6. What is Shannon's education?

A) A Bachelor's in something to do with journalism

B) A Master's in something to do with public health

C) A Doctorate in something to do with special education

(Clearly, I don't actually know what Shannon's degree is, but it has a lot of words).

C. Only two words. Doctorate in “Disability Disciplines.”

But the title of my dissertation is ridiculously long!

I feel like I can commit that to memory. "Disability Disciplines." The alliteration helps. Consider it done. Now that you mention it, I remember that it's your dissertation that has the long title.

I know you're very humble, and you don't go around boasting of this accomplishment, so I will do it for you. I think it's incredible.

7. Which restaurant gives Shannon the twitches?

A) Costa Vida

B) Zupa's

C) Chick-Fil-A

B) Zupa's

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the food at Zupa’s, but the ordering system literally brings out the worst in me. I often do NOT go there because I can’t handle the ordering system. On the average, I turn down 27 offers for desserts and soup and tell at least 5 different members of the staff what I ordered by the time I get to the register. And, morally, I just can’t get behind paying $10+ dollars for their salads..they’re too small for that price!

I could go for a pesto chicken sandwich right now. You're right, though, Shannon. The ordering process at Zupa's could definitely be improved.

You feel about Zupa's the way that I feel about IKEA. Zupa's is your IKEA. IKEA is my Zupa's.

And FYI, I could eat at Costa Vida every day.  LOVE!

Shannon, do you realize that we've never eaten at Costa Vida together? How can this be? Actually, I know how it can be. There isn't a Costa Vida close by.

8. Which reality show does Shannon loathe?

A) Dancing with the Stars

B) The Voice

C) Fixer Upper

B. The Voice

I’ve even given it a chance, but the bromance between Adam and Blake is puke (You guys, she really doesn't like Blake Shelton). And they put waaaayyyy too many fillers in the show for my taste. And Carson Daly as a host is flat and everyone else overuses the term “artist.”  Next time you watch an episode, make a tick mark for every time they use the word artist when they talk to the contestants. They go on and on with furrowed brows and strained elaborations about the quest of “being/becoming an artist.”

Hmmm... I'm intrigued and must now watch The Voice just for this activity!

I sound like such a brat, but I am passionate about my loathing of The Voice! I am a fan of DWTS though. I love ballroom dancing/dancing (again see Brittany’s post about our desire to be mascots). And Fixer Upper is great. Joanna & Chip are adorable, love their style.

I've never watched Fixer Upper. I had to google "shiplap" the first time I heard the word.

9. Which of these movie characters does Shannon share a name with?

A. 

B. 

C. 

B) Doc Brown

Brittany, you flatter me, bringing up all my academic endeavors. I do shy away from being called “Dr. Brown” for sure. Just call me Shannon. Or Sporty Spice.

I'm just giving you an active-constructive response because I am so proud of you for finishing your PhD this year. I'm glad I got to meet you in time to see you cross that finish line. I really like that you are Doc Brown because Back to the Future is one of my favorite movies. It would be cooler if you were Marty McFly, but you win some, you lose some.

10. Which possession of Shannon's am I most jealous of?

A) Her vast collection of PiYo DVDs
B) Her GMC pick-up
C) Her pantry

Hmmmmm...maybe all three of these? But, most currently, definitely, C) my pantry. I’m jealous of it too, and I own it! It’s so great and functional! It is delightful to me that it lovingly houses and watches over all of my food and that I have walk-in access.

You guys. Her pantry! It's amazing. It's more than just a closet for food - it's a room for food, and it has a counter and electrical outlets so she can use her appliances in there.

FYI: I no longer get DVDs for PiYo...all the instructor videos are now downloaded/streamed! Which I don’t like. Not having the actual DVD gives me anxiety and an insecure feeling, like how Apple started eliminating DVD/CD drives from their computers a few years ago. What the heck?!

Change is hard.  

11. Which of these is NOT one of Shannon's mantras?

A) Chicken nuggets are life.
B) Proper footwear is everything.
C) Setting people up for success is crucial.

A) "Chicken nuggets are life" is not one of my mantras

I strongly believe that setting people up for success is everything. I struuuuuuggle when I feel that others (or myself) are set up to fail. I just as passionately believe in proper footwear. Everyone in the world is wearing non-functional shoes, and then they have terrible health problems later. Years ago I had an 8th grade student show up for a sevenish-mile hike wearing Old Navy flip-flops and I lost faith in humanity for a time. People need to take care of their feet. Is anyone listening to me?!

We are advocates of setting people up for success, for sure.

When it comes to shoes, though, I have to hide my stash from Shannon. She would be ashamed of me. I could easily walk sevenish miles in Old Navy flip-flops, but I might not hike in them (depends on the terrain). I've done ten miles at Disneyland in dollar flip-flops. But here's why - I've never found shoes that feel good. ALL shoes hurt my feel. Last year I spent almost $200 on a pair of high quality shoes with insoles, and my feet felt the same in those as they do in my cheap shoes. I haven't found any shoes that are right for me yet.

12. What is our favorite 'S' word?

A) Serendipity
B) Synchronicity
C) Salami

B) Synchronicity

It’s everywhere!

Shannon introduced me to the term, and it is one of those words that I have been so grateful for because it describes something that I experience all the time ("meaningful coincidences") but never knew what to call.

13. Which meal have we NOT shared together?

A) Burgers, green beans, and onion rings from The Habit
B) All-you-can-eat French toast at Kneaders
C) Gyros, root beer, and fries from Crown Burgers

C) Gyros, root beer, and fries from Crown Burgers

We need to dine together soon! I want this menu experience (and the big sandwich!). #foodislife

Shannon is unsure of gyros because she doesn't like pita bread, but she wants to give it a shot. The big sandwich is from Groves Market. I like the seafood one, but I think we discussed at one point that the seafood sandwich wouldn't be your choice, is that right, Shannon? It has imitation crab, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and avocado on it... and ohmygosh what am I doing still sitting here? I need to go get a sandwich!

I’d also like to take a moment to publicly thank Brittany for introducing me to JDawgs. I can confirm to anyone that her taste in food is top notch, even though she doesn’t care much for soup. #howcanyounotlikesoup

I like soup, but I'm picky about it. It's because I had a medical issue that landed me in the ER twice in one week, and both times I threw up soup. It forever changed me. For a while, I couldn't eat any soup, but the more time passes, the more soup I allow back into my life.

14. What obligation do we gripe about the most?

A) Having to do a full groom cycle
B) Having to haul multiple bags to church
C) Having to cook dinner

A) The grooming cycle! All the way.

I honestly don’t know how some women engage in a full grooming cycle EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. (full shower + shower grooming events, shampoo & condition, make-up, dry & style hair, and fully dressed from head to toe with all the layers women wear, etc). It’s a solid day when I do ALL of these things...most often, though, I mix and match...like maybe a full shower but no hair wash or make-up. Or maybe make-up and fully dressed from head to toe, but skip the shower and hair altogether. I had a friend in college who got up at 4:30am every day (M-F AND Sundays) for the full grooming cycle. I thought she was insane.

Don’t get me wrong, I care about how I present myself...my point is that I am a failure when it comes to [daily] doing ALL that the full groom cycle requires!

The people who read this should know that Brittany and I celebrate whenever one ofus engages in the full grooming cycle. We make a point to tell each other when it happens because, for us, it’s a big accomplishment! #adultingishard

I think the reason I struggle so much with doing a full groom cycle is because there are so many things I'd rather do. I want to be clean, presentable, and well-dressed, but when it comes down to it, there are just too many other things I can spend my time on. I'm not saying those things are "productive" - sometimes I would rather stare at a wall than blow dry my hair. Think of all the money we save by not wearing make-up, Shannon. It's economically wise to not do a full grooming cycle daily.

15. What is our most-used hashtag?

A) #donny4ever
B) #poopwins
C) #respectthemiles

B) #poopwins

I have always believed that bathrooming takes precedence over anything and everything. Like when the Solar Eclipse 2017 hype was taking place in August, my first thought was not about how amazing the solar eclipse is and how I would see it in my lifetime...instead my thoughts immediately went to how to bathroom large crowds of people. You can’t just get thousands of people together for more than an hour and expect order and cleanliness…you can’t even do that with ten people...

This goes back to your mantra of setting people up for success. Being able to go to the bathroom comfortably and efficiently is crucial.

...also, Brittany and I have shared many life experiences (and continue to have many) that fall under the category of #poopwins. I won’t go into it, but feel free to ask us about why we use this hastag when you see us in person.

I can expound on this a little bit. There are a lot of times in life when you have to drop everything because poop takes priority. For example, a diaper blow-out (#poopwins). Also, last week my child stepped in dog poop and then got in the van. There was poop everywhere (#poopwins). Poop has a way of taking precedence over all other things.

And #respectthemiles has become so meaningful for me that Brittany gifted me a ring with the hashtag inscripted on it. A thoughtful friend indeed!

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And thus ends this edition of Shannon & Brittany's Most Excellent Friendship Quiz. Like a Marvel movie, I've left it open for sequels.

Go Centennial Park Ward!