trade this life for fortune and fame?

so, i've come to the realization that life is all about who you know. that might seem like somewhat of a bleak outlook, especially for those of us who feel like we don't know anybody. but, i believe it to be true nonetheless. now the question is...what brought on this sudden epiphone? friday night i got to do one of the coolest things i've experienced in this city. i might say that about every new experience i encounter, but this time i really mean it. i had the opportunity to see nickelback in concert, on the floor, twenty feet from the band, for FREE! all because i knew somebody! i love concerts! i love the music, the atmosphere, the excitement. i love the feeling when the band stops and 10,000 people keep singing the words to the song. it's amazing! and, this one didn't let me down. although, i must admit that i have now heard enough of the "f-word" to last me the rest of my life. it must be a staple at "rock shows." apparently, you gotta drop the "f-bomb" to get the crowd pumped up. it worked for nickelback and three days grace, who performed before them. but, i can look past all that, because it was a great show! although, i'm still not sure how those four guys didn't get the hair on their arms singed off from the pyro, but....

idol obsessions...

top ten signs you're obsessed with "american idol"
(as seen on david letterman)

10. you berate your co-workers in a british accent, but you're from cincinnati
9. named your three kids "paula," "simon" and "the other one"
8. began attending fat camp in hopes of meeting ruben
7. your name is gary and you end each phone conversation with "gary, out!"
6. you can name more contestants paula's slept with than paula can
5. your baby's first word? "dawg"
4. no number four - writer home watching "american idol"
3. your floor is littered with greasy sheets of plastic wrap (sorry, that's a sign you're obsessed with american cheese)
2. before sending letter to california you yell, "you're going to hollywood!"
1. watched the first episode instead of working on your new plan for iraq

(disclaimer: i don't necessarily agree with or promote these statements except, of course, for the funny ones.)

while i'm admitting my obsession with american idol, i might as well put in a plug for my favorite on the show so far.

blake lewis, seattle wa.

heart cakes, fried okra, & good friends....

this is documentation of a valentine's day well spent! (we'll be working on our self-portrait taking ability in the future, poor beth was too short to even make it into the shot) my friend rea (bottom right, in the picture) referred to this as our second annual single awareness day dinner. i'm not quite sure if that means we're trying to make the world more aware of single people, or if we're just extremely aware of our own single status on this particular day. either way, it was a fun time! we tried something new and went to a place in portland called the "delta cafe." it serves southern comfort food (the best macaroni and cheese i've ever tasted). we'll definitely be back!

we all just wanna be big rockstars!

i just returned from a weekend at home with my family. we celebrated my dad's 56th birthday! happy birthday, dad! the whole family went out to dinner on saturday night. it was a lot of fun, and great food! black angus in yakima...mmm! we had good conversation and lots of laughs. here's a conversation between my dad and my 10 year old niece that had us all laughing pretty hard. for those of you who know my dad, you know he teases...well, this is what happens...

cassadie: i gotta go to the bathroom.
papa: they don't have a bathroom for you.
cassadie: what?
papa: they have a men's and a women's, but none for children.
cassadie: i fall under the category of women. (puts hands on hips) i am a woman in training.

let me brag on my niece for a little bit here. like i said, she's ten, which means she's in the fourth grade. for fun, this little girl does algebra problems that her mom brings home from work (she teaches math at a high school and now at a college as well). we're talking, order of operations, variables, ratios, percentages, stuff i still struggle with. cassadie often talks in ratios. (ex: if you ask her if she was good, she might say "oh, about 65%) like i said before...geniuses breeding geniuses. or maybe nerds breeding nerds, it's hard to decipher. either way, it's ridiculous. my sister says she's trying to get cassadie ready to take pre-algebra early so that she won't be bored in math class. crazy! i also got to watch cassadie play basketball. it's fun to watch, but extremely stressful. all of a sudden the outcome holds so much more importance. cass played well and i got to watch her smile proudly as she made one of her foul shots. she's getting to be a pretty good player. i'm proud of her. i won't talk about how amazed i was to hear her singing along to nickelback with her dad on the way home from the restaurant. so, just to remind us all that she's still a little girl, i thought i would share a picture she gave me while i was home. here it is...