Task Avoidance and Trophies

The main purpose of today’s blog post is task avoidance. What task, you ask? Putting away the groceries. It’s the worst. Here I’ve exhausted myself by obtaining said groceries, and now I’m responsible for the continued effort of placing them in my home in an orderly and effective manner. This involves rearranging shelves, taking several trips in and out of the house and up and down the stairs, and unpacking and repacking many food items for storage and freezing. Plus, there’s a big benefit to chopping some fruits and veggies for future eating success, so I really ought to do that, too. 

And yet… here I lay in the couch, paralyzed by grocery store fatigue. 

I did it. 

Mostly.

I still have a few lingering items I need to put away, but the work is nearly done. In addition to putting stuff away in general, I grated and froze 5 lbs of cheese (with a food processor), squeezed juice out of 5 lbs of limes and put it in ice cube trays to freeze, grilled and froze 16 chicken breasts, chopped lettuce, stocked the bathroom cabinets with toilet paper (stopping to clean one of the bathrooms during this process), threw out a bunch of stuff from the fridge and pantry, and put dinner in the crock pot so I won't have an excuse to go out to eat later when I'm too hot and tired to cook and clean up the mess. 

I may sound like a braggart, Here! Read this list of things I just did and call me amazing and stuff! but just let me have this moment, mmmkay? Because one thing that's hard about summer is that I feel like I'm constantly behind in life, so I just need this one thing to help me feel like I accomplished something this season. If nothing else gets done, at least we will be able to eat chicken and reach the toilet paper when it needs replacing. Perhaps simultaneously. Because life is chaotic like that, and I'm not above eating chicken in the bathroom when I'm stressed. 

Since I need a win, I am going to award myself an imaginary trophy (it may take the form of a Coke... because I didn't quit soda on July 5th like I was supposed to).

Me right now with my imaginary trophy

In fact, I am going to award myself a series of trophies:

A trophy for vacuuming half my bedroom on Tuesday. Even though the vacuum is still sitting there waiting to finish, I'd like to think of it as a glass half full (or room half vacuumed) sort of situation.

A trophy for doing my hair two days in a row. Tuesday and Wednesday. That doesn't happen much during the summer. 

A trophy for growing a dahlia from seed. I planted an entire package, and I got one. It bloomed today. 

A trophy for not going out to lunch today. I can't say the same about breakfast. 

A trophy for picking up my prescriptions for the month before they got taken off the pick-up shelf.

A trophy for filling up my gas tank before the gas light came on (it was minutes away, but still...)

A trophy for reading three books to Eva. That may be the entire total for summer so far, but it's three more than I read her during the month of June. So we're moving up in the world. 

A trophy for cleaning the inside windows of my van, which requires me to climb in the back seat in a hundred degrees with all the random sand and candy wrappers I like to haul around town. 

A trophy for eating zucchini. 

The first harvest, then yesterday I picked about 4 more. 

A trophy for doing my Church calling.

A trophy for listening to my kids talk. 

So if trophies translate directly to Cokes, as I suggested above, I've earned myself a lot of Cokes. I should probably get busy with the drinking so I can quit soda again.

Q&A

Right now I’m at the emissions shop getting our truck (past due - oops) inspected and registered. How about a little Q&A from my “writing prompts” board on Pinterest to keep us all busy?

Who was the last person you held hands with?

Scotty. 

Are you loud, outgoing, or shy?

Of the three, I am most shy. Maybe “standoff-ish” is the better word for whatever this thing is that I am.

Are you easy to get along with?

I’m not sure. I think I am for the most part, but there are a few personality types I clash with pretty heavily. 

If you were drunk, who would take care of you?

Scotty.

I can’t say my mom because she would just be there taking videos. She would probably be able to medicate my hangover better than Scotty could, though.

Do you think you’ll be in a relationship two months from now?

The odds are in my favor.

Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with?

Scotty. 

What does your most recent text say?

That the Snoop Dogg concert tomorrow is expected to yield high weed contact to all employees. 

How do you feel about abortion?

Simply put, I feel it should be very rare. 

Do you like big crowds of people?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!

And as I’m answering this question, I’m trying to think of a scenario where I would prefer a big crowd of people, and I honestly can’t think of one. 

Do you believe in miracles?

YES!

Do you think there is life on other planets?

I think it’s very likely.

Do you still talk to your first crush?

I’m not sure if my first crush was Marty McFly or Robin Hood, but either way, I can declare with confidence that I am not in contact with my first crush. 

Do you like bubble baths?

They’re great way to keep little kids busy for a while. I don’t take a lot of baths, myself. Only if I’m sick or injured, really, and I would probably never add bubbles.

Do you like your neighbors?

Yes. 

Where would you like to travel?

I don’t have a travel bucket list. There are some places I think would be cool to go, but if I don’t ever go, that’s fine too. I’m very boring in this way.

Do you have trust issues?

Yes.

What’s your favorite part of your daily routine?

This is a hard question to answer during the summer, but on days I’m able to make exercise happen, it’s the moment I’m done!

What do you do when you wake up?

Grab my phone. Don’t judge me.

Have any of your exes ever told you they regretted breaking up?

No. But I’ve never had any major breakups. 

Is your hair long enough for a ponytail?

Yes.

Would you rather live without TV or music?

TV. Isn’t music pretty important in TV anyway? If you get rid of music, you’ve ruined TV! 

What do you say during awkward silences?

I make sound effects. It makes things really weird during fast and testimony meeting.

Boop!

Wah wah!

Do you think age matters in relationships?

In many cases, yes. 

Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?

Mostly, yes. But not everyone deserves a third.

If you’re being extremely quiet, what does that mean?

It could mean several things:

1) I have nothing to say

2) I’m thinking

3) I’m completely unaware of what’s going on around me, and I’m choreographing a dance in my head

4) I’m extremely annoyed

Do you smile at strangers?

Yes.

Would you rather take a trip to outer space or the bottom of the ocean?

Both sound awful and have proven deadly several times over. But if I had to choose… space.

Small and Simple Excitement

You might have noticed that I have a lot to say lately. I’ve been pumping out blog posts left and right, and I have several drafts underway. I don’t know where this comes from, but I’ll just keep going until I hit my next bout of writer’s block. 

Today I’m feeling inspired by Garbage Day.

I love Garbage Day. Enough so that I’ve made it a proper noun - capital G, capital D. 

Garbage Day.

(Weird things I do at 7:00 am: go out in the street and take photos of my garbage cans, then add fake lens flare so it appears that the sun is shining down on them like a blessed gift).

I always feel really good about life when I get all the trash out of my house. I often refer to it as “cleaning the arteries of my home.” Do you realize how lucky we are that we can put garbage out in front of our house and have it taken away? Can you imagine how quickly things would get out of control and unsanitary if we didn’t have this amazing privilege?

During COVID, Garbage Day was the most exciting day of the week. Even though it’s not quite as exciting as it was during those days of lockdown, I still always look forward to it. 

My overexcitement for Garbage Day got me thinking about other ordinary things I’m abnormally enthusiastic about:

Thing 1: Fresh black top and paint lines 

I get so excited whenever I see a newly coated street or parking lot with crisp, vibrant paint. It’s so pleasing! So visible! So amazing! 

Thing 2: When new “Readers Choice” books are released at the library 

Our county library system releases a list of books twice a year that patrons can read and vote on to determine a winner. There is a special shelf for Readers Choice books, and they get tons of fresh copies of the books (which gives me the same satisfaction as new asphalt and paint on the road). They issue a pamphlet that lists all the books with their synopses. I always get the pamphlets and look up every book on Goodreads and make a list of the ones I want to read. I have found several amazing books from this (as well as a ton of dumb ones, but one of the great things about Readers Choice is that they select a wide range of genres and interests to appeal to). 

The newest Readers Choice books came out last week! My list is ready!

Thing 3: Buy one get one free coupons

Need I say more?

Thing 4: Dogs with their heads hanging out of car windows

I don’t think there’s anyone happier on this earth than a dog with its head hanging out of a car window. I can’t help but experience complete joy whenever I see one! And I’m not even a dog person! 

Thing 5: New plates for my plate racks

I’m still really happy with the plate racks Scotty and I built for our kitchen a few years ago. I love finding and trying new plate arrangements. Changing the plates for the holidays and seasons brings me joy, and I find most of them at the thrift store or on clearance, so I don’t even feel guilty if I display them one time and donate them right back.

This is my current setup (I just took down my 4th of July plates). I found the chargers at Hobby Lobby for 75% off last year, and I just got the bee plates from Dollar Tree the other day. 

Thing 6: Becoming familiar with audiobook narrators 

After listening to audiobooks for the past several years, I recognize the names and voices of many narrators. There are ones I love and ones I don’t care for. And the sad thing about this is that there are very few people I can have conversations on this topic with. 

One time I geeked out because I found someone else on this earth who could list off several books narrated by Julia Whelan, and we both sat there flapping our hands going, 

“Oh yes! She did some of Kristin Hannah’s books!”

“And she did, like five of the books we’ve read for book club!”

“You’re right! I didn’t even realize that, but yes! She read The Giver of Stars and Educated!”

“And The Measure and the Invisible Life of Addie LaRue!”

“I don’t like how she does men’s voices, though.”

“I agree!”

“Do you want to talk about Imogen Church now!

“YES!!!”

Thing 7: Squirrels in my neighborhood

Dug is my spirit animal. When I see a squirrel, nothing else matters. Especially if it is leaping from fence to tree limb like a fuzzy, little acrobat!

Thing 8: Thrift store finds

I love a good thrift store purchase! Especially when it’s exactly what I’m looking for! But I also have a special place in my heart for the totally weird things I find second-hand, like this gem:

Thing 9: Hearing or seeing birds around my house that aren’t “the usuals”

The most common birds in my yard are sparrows, starlings, doves, and robins, and they’re all old and boring to me. Anytime I see or hear a bird that’s not one of those four, I get really excited! It’s especially thrilling to see a bird of prey (except for turkey vultures because they hang out down the street from us - ever circling). Every few years we’ll get a peregrine falcon or a hawk stalking our chickens. 

Thing 10: When my kids are interested in something I like

My kids mostly think everything I love and enjoy in this world is old and outdated, but every now and then, we will have a common interest, and it can be very delightful. You like a song from my junior high days? Yippee! You want to watch Lost with me? Maybe you really are my daughter! 

I have to play it cool, though, and I can’t let them see my excitement. 

Thing 11: Every blooming flower and every inch of growth in my garden

Confession: I love my garden. Like, really, really love my garden. Every little blossom and every little sprout makes me so happy. 

Baby bell peppers!

Thing 12: Beating Scotty at board games

I wish it happened more often. I don’t want to win every time (that would be boring and predictable, and I still want to be challenged), but I wouldn’t mind if the tables tipped a little more in my direction. 

—————

I hope you have something small and simple to get excited about today!

Back in My Day

The other day, on our way to the temple open house, Nicky and I had some pretty funny conversations. I had Nicky drive to the temple so he could get some more experience commuting on I-15. As I navigated from the passenger seat, he started asking how we ever knew where we were going before cell phones and GPS. 

First I explained MapQuest, but then I broke the news to him that MapQuest wasn't always “The Way.” We used to have to just know. Or ask for directions. Then I told him how when you needed the coordinates for a street with a name, you had to look it up in the phone book. 

Then he asked, "What's a phone book?"

I thought surely he knew what a phone book was! You don't have to walk among something to know what it is, in some cases. Right? Plus, he grew up around phone books. Mostly as something to sit on to get a haircut or eat dinner at grandma's house, but still!

So I explained how everyone's address and phone number was in the phone book unless you requested to be unlisted, and every year, an updated phone book would appear on the driveway. 

(I used to always look through the phone book as a boredom buster. I wouldn’t read a novel, but I would read the phone book. My formative years were intense).

Nicky was blown away! "So you could just look up anyone and know where they lived and what their phone number was?"

In hindsight, it does sound a little invasive. Then I remembered this... in high school we could buy a directory and have all the addresses and phone numbers of our classmates! So I shared this tid bit with Nicky (at my school, it was called the "Wolveringer”). He was, once again, completely shocked that this information was just handed out so freely! Was there no privacy? No protection?

(At this point I was thinking, "Wow! It really is kind of dangerous how we did that!" Then I remembered how our kids all share their locations on their cell phones and post everything online, and I was like, "Eh." Each generation has their thing).

Then Nicky had another question: How did it work when you had to call someone before cell phones? How would you call that person specifically?

So I had to act out the following:

Hello?

Hi, is Sam there?

Yes, hold on. I'll get him.

(Again, I feel like Nicky should know this because for the first several years of his life, this is what he was exposed to).

Nicky was floored! "So you would call someone's house, and anyone could answer, and you would just have to ask them to go get the person you wanted to talk to?"

“Yup.”

"Just like on TV?" he asked.

I'm not sure what phone calls he has seen on TV, but I'm curious why he thought this was just fictional before now!

Then he asked, "How did you save your contacts?" and I laughed at the modern vernacular. I told him about address books and planners and how we could write phone numbers in them, but most of the time we just memorized them. He can't even imagine having to do that. How can a brain retain such information? Clearly, we were numerical geniuses to host such a catalog in our mind palaces. Remember how you could even memorize the sound the different phone numbers made as you dialed? Kind of like a song or jingle? Beep, Beep, Boop, Beep, Beep, Beep, Boop (that's my childhood phone number from before we had to use area codes for local calls). Now the numbers are silent and oh, so boring, and a lot of people don’t know their own phone numbers, let alone anyone else’s.

(I still keep a few current phone number memorized for emergencies. It’s hard work on the modern-day brain, and yet, I can still recite at least 20 obsolete phone numbers from my childhood. You wanna go back to 1998 and call my friend Steve? 969-6060).

A few months ago, Scotty and I taught our kids about “long distance” calls. Even though I grew up with it, I sometimes forget that it used to be that way - that I couldn’t call my cousins without having to pay extra money, and they only lived half an hour away! Now I can call my husband when he’s in South America or just send him a quick text like it’s nothing!

It’s actually quite incredible (and terrifying) to consider how rapidly technology has grown during Nicky’s lifetime. The differences between what’s become available during his childhood compared to my childhood is much more vast than when you compare my childhood to my parents’ childhoods. Even the difference between what Nicky was born with and what Eva was born with (eight years) is a bit shocking.

I can’t wait til I get to tell my grandkids about how we used to have to walk and drive places because “back in my day” we couldn’t teleport. 

Wherein I Have No Curriculum

A few days ago I was thinking about how the way I teach my children has changed over time. With Nicky (The "First"), I was all about flash card style teaching. I didn't literally use flash cards, but I used a lot of repetition and quizzing with things I felt like I needed to teach him. I was always reviewing colors, letters, and numbers. Then there were the animal sounds. "What does the _____ say?"  "How about the _____?" 

Fast forward to my fourth kid. 

This morning, Eva was singing "Old MacDonald" in the car, and first of all, I was impressed that she knew the song. I was thinking, "Did I even teach this to her?" Because fourth child. But as I was listening to her make animal noises, I started to wonder if I ever even taught her the animal sounds. I think by the time Eva showed up in our lives, I was no longer intentionally teaching my children things. I'd shifted to "Pick it up from your siblings" mode. Plus, I was in school, myself, so I had very little mental capacity for anything beyond keeping my kids fed and sheltered. 

As summer approached this year, I thought, "I should make this a summer of learning and try to teach my kids a new skill each week!" I always worry that I'm not teaching them everything I should. I don't want to fail them. I don't want to send them out in the world without the basic skills of being able to cook a thing or two, manage their money, or clean a toilet. Sometimes we assume our kids know how to do stuff when they actually don't. Every now and then, my kids shock me with their lack of knowledge in some areas, and I think, "Oh crap! I failed you on that one." 

Alas, a formal “summer of learning” hasn't happened, although I did jot down a few things that I should probably teach my kids at some point... should I ever get a bee in my bonnet.

But there is a silver lining. I've become more aware of the ways I actually am teaching my children. While it's not necessarily in the manner of intentional and/or planned curriculum, I have found myself taking a lot of spontaneous teaching moments. 

The other day, I spent about 20 minutes letting Eva scan and bag $125 worth of groceries at the self checkout (I only did it because there wasn't a line, and I wasn't holding anyone up). I showed her how to key in the codes for veggies, and I explained how some of them are priced by quantity and some of them are priced by weight. I showed her how to put similar items together in bags and how to keep certain items (like chips and bread) on top so they don't get smashed. Then I showed her how to use a debit card reader. 

The next day, Zoe helped me make two Ranier Cherry Galettes (thanks to my friend, Naomi, for the recipe). She learned how to do an egg wash and what the purpose of cornstarch is. 

This morning, we had several conversations on the way to Zoe’s theatre camp. We talked about armpit hair (my kids are obsessed with armpit hair right now - I think we talk about it everyday). Zoe and Eva asked about the purposes of armpit hair (I don't know, but that's a great question!) I encouraged them to theorize, and they decided that we have armpit hair for two reasons:

1. To keep our armpits warm (Zoe expressed how cold her hairless armpits are, and she said that's why she doesn't like wearing tank tops. Okay, Daughter...)

2. To keep deodorant in our armpits (Eva explained that if you have armpit hair, you can have chunks of deodorant in your pits to help keep you fresh... kind of like flavor crystals in gum)

We talked about how some people choose to shave their armpits, the age where people usually get armpit hair, etc. It was most intellectual.

Then we saw a field of cows, and the cows were all swishing their tails so we moved onto a conversation about why cows flip their tails. 

From there we discussed why flamingoes are pink. 

Then we talked about childhood fame and why I would never want my kids to be famous. This was an enlightening topic for my girls because YouTubing and stardom is so appealing to them. I talked to them about some of the struggles that child stars have had. In the most appropriate way for their ages, I told them about abuse, stalking, cruelty, social problems, body shaming, and drug and alcohol exposure. They were blown away by this information. I asked, "Do you think a famous child can go to a park and play like you do? Or go to a regular school?" and they realized that being a famous child has a lot of complications. 

Lately, we’ve been watching a show called Food Factory USA on BYUtv (circa 2014). One of the episodes was about A&W cheese curds, and Zoe was totally into it. The next day, we went on a field trip to A&W to get some (very expensive) cheese curds. 

Zoe and Eva have loved seeing how different foods are made. There’s an episode about Cold Stone, and you can get $30 worth of Cold Stone gift cards for $20.87 at Sam’s Club, so guess what else we’ll be doing!

This summer they’ve learned how to make Koolaid on their own, so we have Koolaid “on tap” always. They know the importance of measuring accurately. They’ve also learned to make their own popsicles with the very important knowledge to leave headspace for expansion. Zoe learned how to make French toast. Nicky learned how to recharge the A/C in his Jeep (which didn’t work, unfortunately, but hey! He knows how to do it!) Daisy learned how to do an 8-strand spiral boondoggle (so did I! I never learned beyond the the basic 4-strand). She had to practice patience and endurance to finish hers, but not me. I love having busy hands, so I’m all over it! I got library cards for Zoe and Eva, and they learned how to check out books on their own. Earlier this week, I showed Zoe how to find her favorite graphic novels at the library. To top it off, Scotty let Zoe mow the lawn.

We'll never be able to teach them everything they need to know before they leave our care, but we’re working on it. Hopefully they'll always feel comfortable asking questions, and hopefully, over time, we can teach them enough to send them out on their own without having them fall flat on their faces. 

The Not-So-Typical Temple Open House

Several years ago, Scotty started working as a purchaser for the temples of our Church.* With that job, he became a bit of a nuisance anytime we actually went inside a temple. I remember being in the Bountiful Temple for a sealing, and Scotty kept turning the chairs over to read the tags on the bottoms. Then he'd walk by furniture and wiggle it to see how it was holding up. Meanwhile I would roll my eyes and whisper, "Will you quit it? You're making a scene!"

When we went to the Jordan River Temple open house, he went around, once again, looking under chairs but also inspecting all of the fire curtains and pointing out everywhere a curtain would close to prevent fire from spreading in an emergency. He would also tell me where everything was purchased from. 

Whenever a new temple is opening, our Church hosts an open house for the public to tour the building before it's dedicated and opened for worship. Once it's dedicated, you need to have a temple recommend to attend the temple. 

For the past two months, the Saratoga Springs Temple has had an open house going. This is a temple about 45 minutes from where we live. I had no intention of going to the open house, but this is the last week (Saturday, July 8 is the final day), Nicky asked if he could go, so I asked all the other kids if they wanted to go, and I reserved a time slot. It ended up just being Nicky and me, which was great because I didn't have to deal with any whining or complaining! I actually got to enjoy the experience. I'm over the phase of life where I take all my unwilling kids to temple open houses. 

As Nicky and I were walking into the temple, I told him about what it's like to go in a temple with Scotty. I explained, "Dad is always more interested in the furniture sourcing and the fire systems than anything else!" and Nicky said, "Yeah, that sounds right."

During the temple tour, I was able to answer some great questions from Nicky and point out some fun things I wouldn't have been able to enjoy if I'd had the girls with me (such as the progression of Christ's childhood depicted in the paintings in the chapel. If you start on the left-hand wall, you see Mary riding the donkey to Bethlehem, then the birth of the Savior, and then Jesus being presented to Simeon. The fourth painting is Jesus returning to Mary after being "lost" and teaching the men in the temple. Then on the back wall, there is a painting depicting the beginnings of Christ's ministry as he called upon the fishermen).

Nicky has been to several temple open houses in his lifetime, but this is the first one he's been to when he has actually been interested and mature enough to understand anything, so I was excited for him to see the Celestial Room. We were ushered into the Celestial Room in groups of 20-30 at a time, and as we went through the entrance, they closed the doors behind us, intending to send another group in within a few minutes. We were the last two people to walk in the room before the doors closed. We sat in the chairs, and since Scotty is in my head, I noted the quality of the chairs is not up to standard. The cushions and fabric are very worn,** and I found myself wanting to flip them over and read the tags, as I have been taught to do. But I refrained!

As we sat there discussing some of the symbolism and the design of the room, suddenly a high-pitched noise rang out, and an alarming, "Wah! Wah! Wah!" came pumping in the room while a fire curtain behind our backs rapidly closed. A recording came over speakers saying, "An emergency has been reported in the building. Please proceed to the nearest exit. Do not use the elevators." No one really knew what to do. The open house was being run by volunteers, and none of them knew how to react, nor did they have any idea what was going on. Everyone just kind of stayed put (which shows how conditioned we are to not take things like this seriously. Don't we all kind of assume it's just a glitch every time an alarm goes off in a building and we don’t visually experience a threat?) Plus, we mistakenly thought we were trapped in the Celestial Room since the fire curtains had closed (turns out you can open them manually, but they end up springing back into position shortly after you open them), so we lingered. After several minutes, the "Wah! Wah!" turned off, and the recording stopped, but every now and then we would hear it say, "Elevator!" or some other phrase we couldn't understand. The high-pitched noise was coming from outside the Celestial Room, and it continued. We have no idea what it was because it wasn’t an alarm. It was just an, “Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

No one ever made us leave, but they also weren't letting any new groups in, so Nicky and I just hung out in the Celestial Room for a while. Then eventually, all the other tour goers had left, and it was just us and the volunteers left, so we made our way out. The last stop on the tour was the Sealing Room, and then we went back down the stairs and outside. The tour had been stopped for everyone behind us, and all the lines were way backed up and at a standstill. We were so lucky to be the last people in the Celestial Room before those doors closed! 

Of all the things one can feel and experience in the temple, this was entirely new. I have to say, it ended up being the most memorable temple open house of my life! We were just sad Scotty wasn't there with us. It would have been his dream come true. 

*He no longer works with temples. Now he works with sacred clothing (garments and temple attire). 

**They will likely be reupholstered. 

I Have an Assignment for You

Despite having 11 siblings, I only have one fully biological brother. He’s two years younger than me, and his name is Colt. 

As a child, Colt had a way of getting things he wanted. One of our most told family stories is from when we were camping, and Colt found a fisherman by the lake, went and stood near him and said, “Gee, I really wish I had a fish!” Then the guy totally gave Colt his fish! Colt came tromping back into camp so proud of himself! And he had dinner!

So our family always jokingly says, “Gee, I really wish I had a _________!” in our best Colt-mocking voices. It never works for the rest of us!

In that same manner, when I was in high school, Colt wandered up to a radio station van in a grocery store parking lot where they were broadcasting and asked them if they had anything they could give him. They ended up offering him several free tickets to see Rockapella in concert. They gave him enough tickets that a bunch of our family plus a few of our friends got to go. It ended up being one of the funnest concerts I’ve ever been to! 

I grew up watching Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego (and playing the computer game). I also knew a lot of Rockapella songs from listening to the Imagination Station on AM radio. The Rockapella concert took me right back to my childhood (even though the group didn’t have all the same members I knew from Carmen Sandiego).

The other day, an old Rockapella video popped up in my social media feed, and I was like, “Yes! I need this in my life!” And once again, I went right back to my childhood. 

And here’s what I have to say to you now:

You are probably due for some Rockapella. So here you go. Listen. Live your best life. Sing the bass part. 

But also watch. Because those cheekbones. The vests. That epic mullet. And the rat tail braid.

And when you’re done with that? Maybe try some Animaniacs. 

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m feeling inspired to make a playlist.