And YOU can count!

Let me tell you what happened....

I saw that I had done 90 posts this year (whoa) and I decided I want to make it an even 100.  I thought I had a great idea by posting the " 10 Lists of 10 Items for the Last 10 Days of 2010."  Perfect.  Except I started a day early, leaving me with this awkward post on December 31, 2010.  Also awkward, I deleted a post that already existed, knocking down my grand total by another one.  So here, I have decided to re-cap 2010, with its ups and downs, pros and cons....post #99 for 2010.

• I went to San Antonio to get the Texas bug out of my system.  Done and done.
• I got called as a young women's leader.  I love it.
• I did a month of love posts.
• I did all of the stuff over in the "Never Ending To-Done List."
• My parents moved.
• Ruthie Pig-Face Draper and I met and also parted.
• I attended the Utah Republican Convention as a state delegate.
• I went to girls' camp!
• I painted my house.  There's still lots to do.
• I had lots of fun in Bear Lake!
• The year was full of fun family functions!
• I made it through another year at D.I.
• I signed up and quit on-line dating.  Twice.
• I went crazy about Christmas.  Talk about rebound.
• I got my hopes dashed when W. came to town.
• The Indians and I spent a fun week together.
• I used my passport!  I had tons of fun in the Caribbean.  I still need to blog about it.

Now that I see this list, and know all the things I've left out, I feel pretty good about 2010.  Turns out, this was a pretty good exercise for me.  When I look back it's hard not to really remember the times my feelings were hurt or crappy stuff that life hands out instead of focus and be happy for all of these good things.  2010 was a little too concentrated with tears.  How silly to have spent any time being unhappy when all of these great memories were taking place. 

I'm so grateful to have so many blessings right in front of me all the time.  I couldn't have a better family.  It seems like they only get better and better.  To have their support, encouragement, and their company has been the most meaningful part of 2010.  I have had so many opportunities for fun and good company while having fun.  I have been treated well by so many and feel like my cup overflows with the relationships I have with my family, friends, and ward members.  As so many awful things happened in the world and the economy, I know I am blessed to have a safe home and a job, especially a job that theoretically, I love.  Instead of saying good riddens to 2010, I'll part its company on amiable terms, thankful for the experiences but looking forward to good things to come.

10 Lists of 10 Items for the Last 10 Days of 2010

10 Carrots I Have to Dangle

(I don't know how to make the title sound more or less inappropriate)

This carrot idea comes from a meeting/brainstorming thing I listened to.  A token economy is a form a behavior modification.  Generally, it's used in a mental institution/hospital.  The objective is to increase desirable behavior and decrease undesirable behavior with tokens.  Or carrots.  Or rewards.  Whatever you want to call them, it still creates a "token economy."

It's quite relatable to the fake bunny that goes around the race track to get the horses, or dogs, or whatever, to run.  Or dangling a carrot in front of a horse.  I think.

During this "meeting/brainstorming" thing, a comment was made that the carrots we're putting out there just aren't drawing any attention.  Despite that information, I'd like to list 10 carrots I have to dangle in front of, pretty much, the general world population.

1. I can make a mean Swedish Pancake
2. I can be the pinch hitter in almost any game, non-athletic of course
3. I have excellent ideas for pets' names and outfits
4. I can do the "Aunt Fanny Dance" until the sun goes down
5. I write a blog for my own amusement
6. My organizational skills are awesome, when I use them
7. I know stuff about finances, even if I'm not living proof of how it works
8. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I can roll garments so well that (no offense) a blind, one-legged person could get dressed in 3.8 nano-seconds every day
9. You might get a text from me with the word poop instead of poor or fart instead of fast by accident
10. I'm pretty good at just sitting around with no expectations for entertainment

10 Lists of 10 Items for the Last 10 Days of 2010

An Astonishing List of 10 Men 40-43 Who All Land on the "Joey Finds Me Attractive" List

1. Gerard Butler
2. Hugh Jackman
3. Wayne Brady (he's just a young buck)
4. Mark Ruffalo
5. Paul Rudd
6. Colin Firth (just outside the bracket)
7. Matthew Macfadyen
8. Matthew McConaughey
9. Cirian Hinds (outside the respected bracket)
10. Brendan Frasier

Honorable Mentions: Gary Coleman, Puff Daddy, Harry Conick Jr., Will Ferrell, Kirk Cameron, Matt Damon, Dwayne Johnson, Owen Wilson

p.s.  Would the readers of this blog find this post particularly interesting or slightly offensive?

AN ADDENDUM:  RESEARCH WAS MORE COMPLETE AFTER SOME SERIOUS THOUGHT, RECOLLECTION, AND GOOGLE IMAGE BROWSING.  THE ORIGINAL LIST OF 10 IS NOW UNOFFICIAL AS ANY OF THE FOLLOWING COULD HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED ELIGIBLE FOR THE AFOREMENTIONED LIST.



Tim McGraw, John Krasinski, Bill Pullman, Robert Downey Jr., Will Smith, John Corbet, Mark Harmon, Jude Law, Matthew Goode, George Clooney, Erin Erkhart, Channing Tatum, Jack Black, Brad Garrett, Josh Lucas, James Marsden

Looks like Earth is crawling with these sorts of folks.

10 Lists of 10 Items for the Last 10 Days of 2010

10 Plans for the New Year

1. Envelope budget system
2. Curtains on 1-4 windows
3. Follow stake program for 2011
4. Ireland, anyone?
5. Read Pride and Prejudice
6. Party with the young women
7. Use what I already have in the house as much as possible
8. Ration and/or delete Facebook
9. Use the U.S. Postal Service for correspondence regularly
10. Don't get a pet no matter how bad I want one

10 Lists of 10 Items for the Last 10 Days of 2010

10 Things I Procrastinated All Year

1. Reading the Old Testament cover to cover
2. Organizing the pile of papers, bills, and files in my closet
3. Daring to watch my Mii blow up after a one year absence from the Wii Fit
4. Painting my bedroom
5. Using the fabric I bought to make curtains for 1-4 windows
6. Meeting the next door neighbors
7. Putting pictures in the empty frames already on the walls
8. Touching an organ
9. Deleting my Facebook account
10. Taking my dresser from the upstairs hall to its final resting place

10 Lists of 10 Items for the Last 10 Days of 2010

10 Hobbies I'd Like to Acquire

1. Flower arranging
2. Productive use of leisure time
3. Drywalling
4. Painting
5. Photography
6. Letter writing as a main form of correspondence
7. Laundry folding
8. Family history
9. Craft inventor/assembler
10. Using full sentences

10 Lists of 10 Items for the Last 10 Days of 2010

10 Ways I Love(d) to Celebrate Christmas

1. Watching Hurley eat the Santa suit I made him wear all day last year
2. Mom's tea parties
3. Laughing at all the same jokes during the Jon Schmidt Christmas concert
4. Listening to the Forgotten Carols 900 times
5. The old days of the Riverdale 3rd Ward Choir Christmas Program
6. Putting the ornaments on my Christmas tree
7. Shopping with Dad on Christmas Eve
8. Opening Christmas cards
9. Reading Christmas stories, especially The Light of Hope by Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone
10. Candy, candy, hot chocolate, and snacks too

10 Lists of 10 Items for the Last 10 Days of 2010

10 Groups of People I'd Like to See "Elfed" Together

1. Anne and the Power Rangers
2. Wendy, Tina Fey, and Alec Baldwin
3. Me, Mr. Darcy, and Gerard Butler
4. Dad, Homer, and the inconceivable man
5. Mom, Aunt Valerie, and Aunt Becky
6. Cody, and the football coaches at the U and BYU
7. Jeremy and 2 midgets, who may or may not know each other
8. Jimmy, a trout, and a lobster
9. Bob Bennett, Mike Lee, and Tim Bridgewater
10. Nacho Libre, Achmed the Dead Terrorist, and Brian Regan

10 Lists of 10 Items for the Last 10 Days of 2010

10 Ways to Deal with Stress During the Holidays

1. Forgo buying groceries and eat only treats the neighbors may or may not have re-gifted to you.
2. Use every second of your spare time making holiday decorations out of candy rather than complete mundane tasks like personal hygeine.
3. Belt out Christmas Carols from November 1st to January 1st whenever you are in a vehicle.
4. Watch Elf on continuous play for 7 days straight.
5. Cheer up your sleeping quarters by stringing 21 strands of Christmas lights from your bedroom ceiling.
6. Make gingerbread men and bite their heads off before decorating them.
7. Write a holiday newsletter using characters and events from another family's life.  Write it like it's your story.
8. Serve spaghetti and maple syrup to holiday guests.
9. Wrestle pets into submission in order to dress them all up as Santa.
10. Talk about the light up penguins on your porch like they are the darndest pets you've ever had.

10 Lists of 10 Items for the Last 10 Days of 2010

10 Don't Need to Know Joey Facts

1. I laugh at fart jokes
2. I have a standing lunch appointment every Monday at Paradise Bakery
3. I was stung on both of my legs by a jelly fish in the Pacific Ocean
4. I almost missed my last college final due to the distracting drills of the ROTC on the QUAD.
5. In New Jersey, my 3 favorite people were all named Frank
6. Once I got pulled over on my way home from traffic court
7. While I am OCD organized at work, my bathroom counter and bedroom chair are rarely clutter free
8. I could play Skip-bo until my fingers bleed
9. Periodically, I have irrational ideas that I may or may not act upon
10. I have entertained the thought of having either a housekeeper or a large fat cat hanging around my house.

10 Lists of 10 Items for the Last 10 Days of 2010

10 Frequently Asked Holiday Questions

1. Is there sugar in syrup? YES.
2. How many blow-up decorations can I have in the yard and not be considered distasteful or hillbilly? HAS TO BE MORE THAN 25 WITH NO REPEATS.
3. How do you handle awkward carolers with whom you wish to avoid eye contact? IF YOU ARE ALONE, QUIETLY CRY WHILE YOU WALK BY THEM.  IF YOU HAVE COMPANY, TAKE A REALLY LONG DETOUR TO AVOID WALKING DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THEM.
4. What events of the year are worthy of a holiday newsletter? DEATH OF PETS, NEARLY SPECIFIC BUT STILL VAGUE ECONOMIC SITUATION, AWARDS YOU AND A MILLION OTHER AMERICANS WON, CELEBRITY BREAK-UPS THAT SURPRISED YOU THE MOST, WHY YOU VOTED BOB BENNETT AT THE STATE CONVENTION.
5. How can I send a mass holiday greeting by text that will read as personal? YOU CAN'T. 
6. What is a clever, but thoughtful, Christmas Facebook status? VERY RARE THAT THIS CAN BE DONE.  THERE IS ONLY ONE PERSON PREDICTED CAPABLE OF ACCOMPLISHING THIS.
7. What do I have to look forward to come January 2nd? NOTHING.  UNLESS YOU ENJOY THE PAIN OF FAILING NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS.
8. Which movie must be included in a holiday rotation? PRANCER.  THAT LITTLE GIRL HAS MORE FAITH IN THAT REINDEER THAN I HAVE IN A DOZEN HUMANS.
9. Who is your favorite reindeer? GLITTER...THE QUESTION DIDN'T SPECIFY IT HAD TO BE A FAMOUS REINDEER.
10. Can a lifelong apprehension towards a man in a Santa suit be overcome? NO.  IT'S NOT WORTH THE EFFORT AND AWKWARDNESS OF TRYING TO ACTUALLY DO THIS.

Happy Birthday Lisa M. Judkins!

I'll try to stay below the legal limit but there will be some sap included in this post.

Six years ago, I lived in an off-campus student apartment. Before moving in, I planned with a sister of my sister's friend, that we would live together at Utah State. That's right. My sister's friend's sister. Shari and I lived with one invisible girl and one crazy girl named Sunni. Sunni had a broken leg because she ran herself over with her jeep. There were a bunch of crazies living upstairs with whom Sunni socialized. Little did we know, an un-crazy lived up there too.

One night, the un-crazy one knocked on our door. Sunni had slipped a note under the aforementioned girl's bedroom door asking her to switch apartments. The said girl jumped at the chance. The next day she moved into Oakridge Apartment 6A! In my memory, Shari, Lisa, and I had a pretty fun time living together. Our adventures were so great, a book was published in our honor....Your Pants: A Memoir.

There have been times in my life where I land somewhere I never expected to, not knowing what to expect once I get there. This was one of these times. Fortunately for me, Lisa has been/is one of the best friends of my lifetime. Living in Logan and going to Utah State lands very close to the top of my favorite memories. I'm not good with beautiful sentiments and sappy words but we all know I appreciate lists. Allow me to list some of Lisa's qualities that put her at the top of my all-time favorite people:

1. Wit
2. Fashion
3. Memory
4. Stories from her life
5. A picture of a cat attacking her brother
6. The drives we went on in Logan and Layton
7. Loyalty, supportiveness, and encouragement
8. Honesty
9. Teaching me to cry at random times
10. Letting me cry my eyes out in front of her
11. Advice
12. Neil Diamond and the 4th of July
13. Trips to Bear Lake, California, and with the singles' wards
14. Sunday naps
15. The different laughs
16. Her great-grandmother's jokes
17. Laughing really hard ALL night long
18. Toast and Diet Coke breakfast
19. Harry Potter and other theater outings
20. The birthday party/Levi's butt
21. Her housing proximity to my housing
22. Her nuptials that landed her on my family tree
23. Pretty much I like everything about Lisa

There you have it, Lisa. The kindest sentiments I could muster. I'm glad we're friends.