Thanks for inviting me to play...

1-What is his name? Brian Scott Lacouture

2-How long have you been married? Seven years last Sunday

3-How long did you date? All together? Let's see....two months in high school, six months before his mission, 11 months after his mission--a total of 19 months.

4-Who eats more sweets? Normally, me. However, a week and a half ago, my sister and I agreed not to eat any sweets until March 16 (at which time we will surely go get a blizzard to celebrate!) So far, so good.

5-Who said I love you first? Brian--and I didn't even say it back the first time. I decided in high school that I would not tell a boy I loved him--so I told boys that I didn't believe in love in high school. I even took it so far as to write "like, Ann" at the end of my letters instead of "Love, Ann." Man, I was cool. (The truth is, though--I actually did love in high school.)

6-Who is taller? Brian. He's probably 5'11" and I'm 5' 7 1/2" (but I swear I used to be 5' 8")

7-Who can sing better? Neither of us is especially gifted at singing, but I think I can carry a tune without being accompanied better than he can. But who really knows, right? I could be just as delusional as all those American Idol rejects, and I'd probably never know it.

8-Who is smarter? I'm smarter at math, grammar, and....well, that's pretty much it. He's smarter in every way that ever counts for anything.

9-Who does the laundry? Me, and I hate it. I even roll Brian's garments. It's probably the biggest sacrifice I make in order to show him my love.

10-Who pays the bills? Me.

11-Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you're looking at the bed, I do. I'm furthest from the door.

12-Who cooks dinner? I do--except when we have steak. No one barbecues steak like Brian.

13-Who drives? Brian ALWAYS drives when we're together except when we're on a really long road trip and we have to switch off.

14-Who is more stubborn? Brian--by a mile.
15-Who kissed who first? Ironically, I kissed Brian first. Any of you that know me well know how surprising this is. I had to do it in order to get over my fear of kissing. I was trying to apply a study I had read in the Reader's Digest.

16-Who asked who out first? Brian. He asked me to Homecoming when we were Juniors, but we didn't actually start "dating" until a year later.

17-Who proposed? Is this a feminist quiz or what? Like I'm going to propose... Brian did three times, and the third time, I said yes.

18-Who wears the pants? I asked Brian this question and he said that I am always trying to put on the pants, but that we wear them together.

Here's another tag.
One word answers only.

1. Where is your cell phone? desk
2. Your hair? straight
3. Work? later
4. Your father? smart
5. Your favorite thing? blizzards
6. Your dream last night? good
7. Your favorite drink? OJ
8. Your dream car? minivan
9. The room you're in? kitchen
10. Your fears?cheating
11. What do you want to be in 10 years? rich
12. Who did you hang out with last night? Brian
13. What you're not good at? creativity
14. Muffin? chocolate
15. One of your wish list items? teeth
16. Where you grew up? vegas
17. Last thing you did? math
18. What are you wearing? sweats
19. What aren't you wearing? shirt
20. Your pet? nope!
21. Your computer? black
22. Your life? good
23. Your mood? relaxed
24. Missing? hoodies
25. What are you thinking about right now? this
26. Your car/truck? squished
27. Your summer? long
28. Your relationship status? love
29. Your favorite color? red
30. When is the last time you really laughed with meaning? hmmm
31. Last time you cried? hmmm
32. School? statistics
33. Least favorite weather? cold
34. Soup? vegetable
35. Movie? clear player

I tag everyone reading this...

Just a little variety

I really have nothing to say today, so I'll just share a little mormon joke with you.
Why any man would want a wife is a mystery. Why any man would want more than one wife is a bigamistery. That's all.

Good mail and Valentine's Day

As I mentioned at Christmastime, I love getting good mail. Upon getting the mail, I used to comment to Camp that everything in the mail was "lame." Later, Camp started getting the mail for me and asking me if it was lame. Now, he just opens the box, pulls out the mail, and says, "Lame, lame, lame!" And most of the time he is right: bills, credit card offers, grocery store ads, and the like. But once in a while, I get something good. Recently, I have gotten a few good things--my real simple magazine, and Meg's wedding announcement! Congratulations, Meg! I can't wait to be there!
And talking about mail has gotten me thinking....Have any of you ever seen the Charlie Brown Valentine Special? If you're interested in a real tear jerker, this is the movie for you. It's not a tear jerker because it's so happy. It's a tear jerker because it is positively the most depressing cartoon that has ever been written.







You see, the story begins with Charlie Brown carrying two little suitcases to school on Valentine's Day. "Why?" Linus asks. Because Charlie wants to make sure that he has a way of carrying home all of his Valentines. Well, the class party is underway and the Valentines are being passed out and all of the kids are loving it--well, all of the kids except Charlie, that is. He doesn't receive a one. NOT ONE! Come on, man. Where are Linus and Snoopy in a time of need? I don't know. All I know is that Charlie Brown walked home that day with a very sad face and two empty little suitcases. And THEN (this is where the mail part comes in) Charlie wonders if maybe someone mailed him a Valentine, and it just hasn't gotten to him yet. Nope. So the movie ends with one of the kids in Charlie's class giving him a used Valentine. Pathetic.
I wonder if this movie is so hard for me because it reminds me of some of my own experiences. In seventh grade, I experienced a Valentine's Day that almost ended as bad as Charley Brown's. At my school (like many of yours, I'm sure), one of the clubs made Valentine-0-grams that you could buy and have delivered to your friends. Well, I went home from school one day and mentioned them to my mom and how I knew I wouldn't be getting any. So Valentine's Day came and I was sitting in my sixth period class, and the Valentine-o-grams started coming.--just like in the Charlie Brown movie. I remember feeling sad and awkward and lonely--wishing I had friends to send me a Valentine. Before too long, the most wonderful thing of my life (almost) happened. I heard my name called! Someone had sent me a Valentine! Man, I was so excited! And then my name was called again, and again, and again. I got like seven Valentines! Ann, the girl with no boyfriends--and no friends, for that matter--had gotten some Valentines! Who were they from? My wonderful mom, of course. Good ol' Mom. I think that was the day that I realized that there was no one in the world as great as my mom...

Pampered Chef and all that other stuff

So I was at a Pampered Chef party the other night. You know how it goes.."Let's all go around the circle and say what our favorite 'tool' is...And if you spend such and such amount of money, you get this (cheap lookin') heart-shaped candy dish for only $14.99... Does someone want to come up and demonstrate the Ultimate Chopper? Oh, my kids just love the sud pump (or whatever it's called)... They've never been so excited about washing their hands!... Ooohhh, yeahhh... Wow, I'm so grateful to have 'tools' that allow me to spend less time in the kitchen and more time with the family...blah, blah, blah..."
I'm sorry. It's just that the whole time I was at the party, I was almost laughing because I just kept thinking about what I would blog about it. I know what you're thinking. "Ann, you're just bitter because you can't afford to buy anything but a spatula and some hand wash. Ummm, true. However, that's not the point. The point is--man, I am so not the sales type of person.

I remember working at the GAP when I was sixteen and being pressured to accomplish all of these stupid little sales goals that were on this little card. I hated it. Was I a good salesperson? Heck, yes. I was good because I was super friendly and helpful, but not because I ever tried to manipulate someone into buying something that they really didn't need or want.

I also remember that when Brian and I were first married and were living in Provo, Brian applied for a job that appeared to be some kind of installer. Turns out it was one of those multi-level companies that sold vacuums of all things. So Brian got all roped into selling really expensive vacuums. Again, you know the drill. You call up all of your close family and friends and ask them if you can give them a presentation or whatever, and you hope to pressure them into buying a stupid vacuum that doubles as an air filter. I'll tell you what, man. I seriously could not deal with the idea of having a husband who was a vacuum salesman--or any salesman for that matter. I remember calling my mom and telling her that I didn't think my marriage could survive such a trial as this, and I remember her telling me that the world does need sales people and that somebody has to do it. Lucky for me, Brian was not meant to be that somebody. He quit shortly after he started.

What do I hate so much about sales? Well, I guess it is the fact that there always seems to be some level of dishonesty and insincerity because the person selling is always self interested. And yeah, even the casual selling that goes on at all of these parties that we all go to is too much for me. Whenever I am at a "party" for Pampered Chef or home stuff, or body lotions or candles or whatever, I always feel like I have to leave my real self in the car and only take in my artificial self that can ooh and aahh appropriately. Does anyone hear what I'm saying?

Ironically, I really enjoy going to all these silly parties. I love to be social and I love to eat, so I'm willing to pay the price of having someone trying to sell me something.

I guess what I'm saying is that there will never be a selling party at my house. I will, however, be throwing a super cool party someday. It will be a giving party. The kind that Oprah has once a year where she gives each member in the audience a sample of all of her favorite things. I'm going to start saving my pennies...

P.S. I do fully recognize and respect the fact that there are many people that love going to these parties just because they ARE anxious to learn about and buy all the new products--I'm just usually not one of them.

We thank Thee, oh God, for a Prophet

So President Hinckley's work is finally finished. Man, what an amazing prophet and leader. I feel so cool to have grown up under his guidance and leadership. I have loved him as my prophet. He has influenced my life in a number of personal, life-changing ways.
I remember being a senior at BYU, sitting in the Marriot Center listening to President Hinckley deliver the talk in which he first introduced his B's. What was even more incredible about that talk was that as part of it, he prayed to Heavenly Father in behalf of all the young people of the church, and it was like he was giving us a blessing. I remember almost being nervous to hear the prophet speaking man-to-man with God. I knew beforehand, and certainly afterward, that this was something President Hinckley did often. It really was amazing.

President Hinckley taught me to be grateful, to work hard and that despite the fact that all of us are pretty good people, we can and should do better. I remember his repeated counsel to "stand a little taller." He taught me to be bold and confident in sharing the gospel--that our message should be "share with me the truth you have and let me add a little to it." He reminded me that surely our Heavenly Father does have a sense of humor.

Finally, (but not last nor least) because of President Hinckley, I have become more confident in my ability to recognize when the Spirit is bearing witness of truth. For a number of years now, I have been working on developing a greater testimony of Joseph Smith and his work. Specifically, I have been worried that had I lived in Joseph's Smith's time, I may not have believed his claims. After having prayed about this for some time, and after having heard President Hinckley speak on a particular occasion, the impression came to me that just as the Spirit had witnessed to me that Gordon B. Hinckley is in fact a prophet of God, so would it have witnessed to me of Joseph Smith. Yeah....

There's likely a pretty cool reunion going on up there. I bet sister Hinckley put on her prettiest robe...

We will all miss him.

It doesn't get better than this.

This year (or last year, rather) Brian gave me one of the most wonderful Christmas gifts I have ever received. He gave me a trip to visit my sisters and mom for a weekend. I flew to Vegas last Thursday and then my mom and I (and Danin) drove up to Utah where all of my sisters and my sister-in-law live. For the love--it was seriously the coolest weekend ever. I could have just driven around all weekend with my mom, talking and listening to cool music, and that would have been cool enough, but it got even cooler than that. The highlight of the weekend was Friday night. We went to P.F. Changs for dinner and then to an improv show in Salt Lake and then we spent the night together in a hotel. Man, there is seriously nothing greater than hanging out with my family, and especially with my mom and sisters. You wouldn't believe the juicy conversations we had. At dinner, we had secrets and confessions pouring out all over the place. Ok, Ok. I'll tell you a few of them, but you are going to have to guess for yourselves whose secret is whose (just so that i'm still invited to the next mom and sister reunion). Somebodies have been seriously tempted to get tatoos, somebody really wants to wear a bikini, somebody is a little drawn to the idea of getting high, somebody really wants a belly button ring, somebody else had one, someone else used to drink coffee... I know!! Scandalous!
Its funny because I remember my mom and I talking about whether we should bring our scriptures with us for our night in Salt Lake, and we both decided not to. But don't you worry. There was plenty of spiritual food that night--as always. We talked about the concept that love is a gift of the Spirit and that when we sin, we literally lose the capacity to feel love. Hmmm...so interesting.
I also had an enlightening conversation with Sarah on our way back to Orem. I know I've said it before, but I learn so much from her and I rely on her so much for understanding of the gospel. She really does have such a mature, sound understanding of the true gospel. And so do my other sisters... When did my my little sisters stop running around in tutus and gini gowns and start going to college and talking about adult stuff and teaching me about the gospel and becoming so interesting and fun? I must not have been looking. I mean, are you aware of how creative and hysterical my sister Laura is? Chels--you have definitely met your match. And my sister Audrey knows the words to all kinds of funny rap songs and she can beat her boyfriend in boxing. (Laura and Seth swear that she is a closet thug.) Does it get cooler than that?
And my mom is just a given. She's pretty close to brilliant--especially when it comes to the gospel and being a good mom.
And Kat might as well be blood related because she is so fabulous. On Saturday after lunch, we were all leaving and Sarah asked Kat if she wanted to come with us, and Kat said that she was going to do her own thing. Sarah asked what she had going and Kat said that she was going shopping, but that she liked to shop alone. Her honesty and frankness are so refreshing. I love it.
Anyway, the weekend really couldn't have been more wonderful. I can't wait until next year.

What I think

What do I think? I think it is so cool that Melissa Sundell is my friend. I think it is even cooler that she came to visit me. Some people do not make good company--do you know what I mean? Melissa is not one of those people. She was content to observe the craziness of my ordinary days, she cooked us dinner, she talked to my kids, she let me take a nap, she went with me to a church thing, she ate chocolates and watched movies with me, she helped me with my make-up, she talked with and listened to me, and as a bonus, she did some seriously cool art work for my kids' rooms. Man, she's cool.

What else do I think? I think that New Year's Eve used to be super fun and exciting when I was young. I remember getting so excited to put on my new Christmas clothes and trying my best to look cute in order to go to the New Year's dance or party or whatever. I always had my heart set on getting some action on New Years Eve. (Hmmm...that's retarded. Who was I kidding?) But anyway, even though I always spent the entire night worrying about my sweaty pits and wrecked hair, and even though I came home actionless year after year, I still always had fun. My new outfit was always enough to sustain me.
New Year's Eve when you are married (and especially when you have kids) is lame. Lame, lame, lame. It is seriously the crappiest holiday ever. Every year I hope for a cool party and a cool outfit, and every year it is the same thing: no cool party, no cool outfit, and no energy to do cool things anyway. I do, however, always get action.
(Jen and Tim-- We had a great time with you guys. You were the only unlame thing about our New Year's Eve. Thank you for saving us.)

I think one more thing. I think I am super grateful for treadmills. I really have a pitiful imagination. But man--put me on a treadmill (and give me some cool music), and my imagination seriously runs wild. No, not THAT kind of wild. The kind of wild where I imagine myself being really cool and running in a really cool race where Brian and the kids are cheering for me the whole way. And today while I was on the treadmill, I was listening to "Tonight I Need Your Sweet Caress." I know. It's hard to imagine any song more powerful. Oh, yeah. I was running, baby. Three miles? No prob, Bob.