Wierd vs. Quirky

"I'm weird."
"Nooooo...you're quirky. Quirky and weird are...two very different things."
--Runaway Bride

I have officially decided I'm quirky! It's not that I am quirky on purpose mind you, it just happened one day out of the blue...I was walking around in a perfectly happy state of normalcy when all of a sudden WHAM I get hit by a huge wave of quirkiness and it has stuck with me ever since.

One way I am quirky is in regards to my obsessive compulsiveness. I have several friends who refer to me as Monkette sister of the obsessive compulsive detective Monk. It is also very fitting that I received a season of Monk on dvd for Christmas. I have been paying closer attention to this recently and have come up with the following list of quirky things I do:

--I like things to be closed. When I walk into a room with cupboards or drawers open I will always close them before I do anything else.

--I hate dirty white boards/chalk boards. Whenever I am in a class and the teacher only erases part of a word or leaves even a tiny speck of marker/chalk it takes all my willpower to keep me in my seat...all I want to do is walk up and erase it for them.

--I have issues with the following numbers: 6, 16, 21, 35, 41, and 45. I have no idea why, but I really don't like these numbers. I'll do just about everything to avoid using these numbers.

--When I go to bed I always have to lay on my right side first.

--It drives me nuts when a light is left on in a room that is empty.

Well, I have decided to embrace my quirkiness...and whether you be weird or quirky I think you should do the same! Repeat after me: "I glory in my eccentricities! I am proud of my strangeness! I am ME!" Doesn't that feel great!!

Comedians

Ok, I just have to say I love Brian Regan! He is my all-time favorite comedian! He manages to key into the everyday occurrences and point out how they are actually hilarious. I think just about anybody can relate to his jokes. He is also one of the few comedians who offer good, clean humor...not all like all the other crude, racial, or religious slurs you hear out there.

Because of my experience with my health problems I love the routines where he talks about going to the doctor or emergency room. Here is one such clip:



haha!! Yeah, love that right there!

Christmas Get To Know You

Ok, a lot of people have sent this to my email and rather than respond to each one I am just going to post my answers here.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I am ALL about gift bags! When I try to wrap gifts they end up looking like a 4 year old did it...come to think of it a 4 year old would probably do better!

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial. Real trees are nice, they make the house smell nice and piney, but they are also a mess. I know a lot of families get a real tree so they can have the 'picking out the tree' tradition, but I really like the 'putting up the tree' tradition my family has..so artificial it is!

3. When do you put up the tree? The weekend after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down? I leave it up as long as possible. If it were up to me I might even leave it up all year!

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes! Especially Cream of Weber Eggnog...mmm...might go get me some right now...hehe

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I don't know that I really had one particular favorite. I did receive some pretty awesome gifts as a kid though. I remember one year I got some Ninja Turtle pajamas...man were they cool! I put them on and ran over to my friends house to show her! LOL I also recall the year I got a New Kids on the Block backpack with matching lunch box. I really thought I was hot stuff then! Aww..man...the memories!

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, we actually have three. Our big fancy one is in the TV room, in the living room we have a little porcelain one, and in my room I have one of just Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus..it's actually one I made out of ceramics several years ago. Oh yeah I also have a snowglobe nativity scene in my room!

8. Hardest person to buy for? This year it was my brother. He is the kind of guy that if he wants something he buys it so it is very difficult to find something he would like that he doesn't already have.

9. Easiest person to buy for? My sister. She gives us her Christmas list about a month in advance!! Man..I love her!

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I do a little bit of both. I like to send snail mail cards though, mainly because I love getting mail and so I think other people will to! I am not very good at sending the cards out either way though, I usually send out Thanksgiving cards instead. Just another way in which I'm a bit strange!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Pretty much whatever my Grandma gives me every year. It is usually something she found randomly lying around her house. Most of the time it is either already broken or just extremely pointless.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? mm.. I really love Mr. Krueger's Christmas! Oh and It's a Wonderful Life. I watch them both at least once every Christmas season.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I don't know, just sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas! hehe

14. Ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes, I have! In fact, I've already done it once this year and it's not even Christmas yet!! Am I bad?? It's the thought that counts right?

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Hot Chocolate

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Colors are fun and pretty, but I think the clear lights are better. They give the feeling of peace and to me that means Christmas.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Away in a Manger and 2nd would be Mary, Did You Know.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I stay here, I have no where else to go.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Absolutely! Aww...man...Now I'm singing in my head!

20. An angel on the tree top or a star? Gotta be an Angel.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We usually open one gift on Christmas Eve just before bed...the rest are opened Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? The fact that it is always freezing cold!!!

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? We kind of have a theme of red and white...I love it...not sure I'd call it my favorite though...don't really have a favorite.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? My family to be happy and me to be healthy.

There, now do you all feel like you know me better??

Warm and Fuzzy Weekend

I had a great weekend. Friday night I was able to go to the Institute Christmas Show!! It was so great! I'll admit it made me miss the days I used to be in the show, but it was great to see it from the perspective of the audience as well. The title of the show this year was "Witnesses of His Birth" They talked about the ways that all things are witnesses of the Savior, but how we need to be witnesses as well. It was awesome. I really felt the spirit as the choir sang, "Candlelight Carol", and "Who Would Imagine a King". After the show I got to see many people I had not seen for a very long time. It was so much fun to visit with them! I have not been to Institute in over a year, and miss it more than you could ever know!! I was pretty sick that night though, I was basically in "fake it til ya make it" mode all night. I wanted to be there so badly, but forcing myself to go even as sick as I was took it's toll on my body. I came home and pretty much collapsed. I have to say that it was worth it though!!

Today, I was able to make it to my ward's sacrament meeting. Wow! I felt the spirit so strong there today. It's amazing to me the difference between taking the sacrament in my living room and taking it during sacrament meeting. I can't wait til I get better and can go to sacrament meeting every week!! The spirit just overwhelmed me as I sat there, I pretty much just cried all through the sacrament and the musical number!! I LOVE church!! I also got to meet my bishop for the first time today. I had talked with him over the phone, but today was the first time we met face to face. I have a meeting with him on Tuesday night so we'll get to chat more there, but it was still nice to finally meet him.

Now, I am just sitting her listening to some wonderful church music and wishing every day could be like today!