Found ‘red dogs’ while out shopping for Super Bowl food tonight.  It looks like this state is ready to embrace a winning team.  24 hours from now we’ll see how ready that team is to embrace us.

I’m a sucker for a good action movie.  I don’t even require a strong plotline.  Nope, I just wanna see blood and something blown up.  However, this story I’m about to share would make an incredible movie with an amazing story.  I’m not a regular NPR patron, so it’s thanks to my boss that this was introduced to me.  Told by the man who experienced it himself, you really need to grab your headphones and listen to his story.

Prosecutor Chronicles Kidnapping Ordeal

Federal prosecutor Stanley Alpert was kidnapped off the streets of Manhattan in 1998. It was the night before his 38th birthday, and he was forced into a car at gunpoint.

His new book, The Birthday Party, is a memoir of how he survived the 25-hour ordeal. Alpert writes of befriending his kidnappers and helping the FBI apprehend the gang.

NPR – Day to Day, February 8, 2007 ·

This might be TMI, but upon the realization that Cory and I were sitting together tonight with our macs and color-coordinated passport hard drives, Lauren insisted that we take a picture and ‘put that on the internet’. Notice the pink and blue. Mine’s cute and purse-ready. His is the powerhouse for computing gaming. I’m on facebook… he’s rockin’ WoW. What is it they say about opposites…. oh, well.  Maybe I’ll think of it later.

I’d forgotten that these pictures were taken the last time I had the girls until I discovered them when adding new batteries into my camera earlier this week. Sometime on Saturday morning while I was making breakfast the two make-believe princesses in the new dress-up gowns I had bought them curled up on Cory’s lap to be sweet harass him. Miss M was not pleased with her 2nd rate seat with Cory, so I headed into the living room to diffuse the squabble. (Siblings can be so competitive.) As soon as I saw the cuteness and grabbed my camera, J pleaded for me to ‘put her on the internet’ while Cory wanted to make sure both of his hands were clearly in the photo and not on the girls. (Apparently, someone is anti-chimo. Probably, wise.)

I plan on using the other shot Cory took of the girls as blackmail the next time they are screaming and fighting with each other. “Remember when you guys loved each other and were sweet, good girls??? Well, do me a favor and ask those girls to come back.” Wow, I really do sound more and more like my mom every day.

Today is my bff Lauren’s 21st birthday and by the time this posts, we’ll have just spent an evening out on the town celebrating with some of her closest friends.  That’s the thing about someone as amazing as Ms. L… it’s impossible not to adore her and want to be around her.  You want to share your best moments with her and know she’ll still be there supporting and loving you in your worst.  I really could gush on and on, but instead I’ll keep in short, and just wish her the greatest of days.  Love you!

John Mayer’s a douchebag, but he’s a brilliant douchebag.  Why?  Well, apparently he ‘accidentally’ threw away a homemade video tape that TMZ found while digging through his garbage.  Don’t ya hate when that happens??!!??  Anyway, TMZ aired it, and now I’m passing it along because we all could learn from his words of wisdom.

Ok, it’s common knowledge that I like to pimp music out to all of my friends. Most of you have probably been forced to listen to something or someone against your will because I was convinced you’d like it.  However, my musical ‘generosity’ might have been tested when I received the following email yesterday…

Trade? I’ll give you Ray LaMontagne’s new one for the new Amos Lee, Coldplay, and any Matt Nathanson?

Doesn’t seem to strange to you, I’m sure. An offer of one new spectacular album in exchange for a few others. Punchline of the story… I gave him the Ray LaMontagne album in the first place. He’s recycling music I’ve already pimped. Strangely enough when I called him he didn’t seem to be too surprised at the gentle reminder I had give him RL.   As you can probably guess, I burned him seven albums today. I’m such a pusher.

Lauren graced me with the joy of this style of youtube video, and now I’m obsessed.  I know I should be able to look away, to stop watching one after another.  But, alas, I’m just not that strong.  Instead of embedding twenty of my favorites, I’ll let you find them after you watch this one.  Lauren’s right… wait til about 2:40 has gone by in this one and grab a tissue. You’ll need it.

Grey’s may very well be back in the game. The McSteamy-LilGray storyline is hands-down my current favorite, and this week’s scenes were fantabulous.

It’s probably wrong of me to do so, but I blame a certain four-year old for me knowing all of the words to all of the songs in all of the High School Musical movies. You believe it’s her fault right? Well, Mama Munchkin sent me this video text message today, and in turn I forwarded to everyone who I thought might need a good chuckle. Trust me, this lil character is just as out of control in real life as she is when the camera is on her.

The day of change has finally arrived. President Bush has ridden off into the proverbial sunset as President Obama has taken his oath and stepped into the last job he’ll ever hold. Our campus and most of the nation (and world) collectively stopped today to watch history in the making. Expectations are high for our new leader, and the road will not be an easy one.  More than any other words spoken on this momentous occasion, the following blessing is my hope for the next four years.

Let us pray.

Almighty God, our Father, everything we see and everything we can’t see exists because of you alone. It all comes from you. It all belongs to you. It all exists for your glory.

History is your story. The Scripture tells us, “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God. The Lord is One.” And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made.

Now, today, we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time. We celebrate a hingepoint of history with the inauguration of our first African American president of the United States. We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where the son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.

Give to our new President, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity. Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the cabinet, and every one of our freely elected leaders.

Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans, united not by race, or religion, or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all. When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you, forgive us. When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone, forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us. And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes, even when we differ.

Help us to share, to serve and to seek the common good of all. May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet. And may we never forget that one day all nations and all people will stand accountable before you. We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care.

I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life, Yeshua, Isa, Jesus [Spanish pronunciation], Jesus, who taught us to pray:

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” – Inaugural Invocation by Rick Warren

* Slept past 9am
* Woke up to Matty Nay on the local radio station
* Watched Clean House
* Actually cleaned house
* Lunch with the munchkins and mama munchkin
* Kidnapped munchkins to provide laundromat entertainment
* Introduced munchkins to magic of drive-thru car wash
* Witnessed favorite munchkin serenading laundromat with Duran Duran’s Hungry Like A Wolf
* Experienced new level of pseudo-auntie pride at her musical prowess (tears might have fallen)
* Returned girl munchkins to parental unit only to be beaten up by baby munckin and his Hulk smash hands
* 1 washed up rock star, 12 skanks, and one strategically placed bandana
* Dinner and Bride Wars with my bff
* Bloggging and Bourdain before bed
* Realization tomorrow is not Monday

Heck no, I’m not talking about the impending inauguration.  That’s nothing compared to the fact the ARIZONA CARDINALS are going to the SUPER BOWL!!! Yeah, nothing else tops that. As the big day in Tampa draws near you’ll be hearing more and more about Fitzy, Warner, Boldin, Edge, Hightower, and that defense, but for now I’m just going to play with my McFarlane’s and plan my party. Just gotta remember to breathe…