Monday, January 21, 2008

I Know Victoria's Secret blog posting!

My sister has this link on her blog. I just had to post it!! It's way too funny. Aly

Ok, so here's my thing.......My husband recently celebrated a birthday. I realize this should be a time of celebration but at my house it isn't! Every year for his birthday and our anniversary he asks for the same thing. You see, he has a dirty fantasy. His dream is for me to wear the "slave Leia" costume from Return of the Jedi. Do you remember it???? It's a little gold bikini complete with a shackle and chain around the neck!!!! Now, I'm not sure if this is a reminder for me that I am "shackled" to him for eternity (don't you just love it when Leia wraps the chain around Jabba the Hut's neck and kills him!!!!) or just a creepy guy thing. We have been married for 16 years now and he has requested this of me for every one of them! He has even gone so far as to reserve the costume from a local costume shop in my name just in case I want to pick it up on my way home from work. Now, I have two very strong objections to this. First, I have no doubt that one of my three children would walk into the room during the "re-enactment" and mistake me for Jabba the Hut! Second, I once attempted to wear lingerie for my husband years ago.....I ended up with 34 stitches.

Shortly after our first anniversary, while getting my hair cut, I was reading one of those slutty magazines. (You know the ones....They have all the secrets to bigger boobs, smaller hips, and how to satisfy your man with common items found in the refrigerator!) There was an article that describe how men are more prone to have an affair in the first 7 years of marriage. This article went on to describe countless ways to "keep your man satisfied". In an effort to save my marriage I continued reading this article. I became determined to save my marriage!!!! As I read the list I started to worry. Many of the things on the list were out of the question for me! I mean, honestly, like I would be able to install a swing from the ceiling of our bedroom. I considered the suggestion of going to a get together where I nonchalantly whispered into my husband's ear, "I'm not wearing underwear". You were supposed to follow this up with a quick "sneak-peak". I'm sure this works well in the movies but let me tell you the reality of the situation. If you have big thighs like mine, it loses something to have to pry your sweaty thighs apart for the "sneak-peak". Not to mention, 15 minutes of my thighs rubbing together would leave them looking like a bad case of teenager acne. I finally found a suggestion that would work for me. I would leave the house for a routine reason and come home wearing something sexy underneath. When I came home and started changing my husband would be overcome with desire and love for me, his wonderful wife.

Part one of my plan consisted of me going to the store to buy lingerie. Now, when my sister got married she received about 30 different lingerie outfits. When I had my bridal shower I was given cookware. I'm sure there is a message in there somewhere. I decided to go to the very best for my plan. I drove to the mall and entered a Victoria's Secret. I must admit I was a little overwhelmed when 5 girls "came at me" with measuring tapes. Since I knew I hadn't been "Sweating to the Oldies" with Richard Simmons, I started to quickly retreat. This was when I discovered Victoria's secret! She doesn't make anything in that store that would fit me!!!!!! I found the biggest employee (size 4 1/2 I think) and told her my situation. She said she would help me find the perfect number. She brought me some things to peruse. I started to get into the spirit of things when I noticed a pirate patch among the outfits. I love pirates and besides this patch had a fancy bow on the back of it!!! I put it on my right eye and started hopping around the store yelling "aaaarrrgggghhh". Boy was my husband going to be excited! When the girl came back with more ideas for me she had this look of utter horror on her face. I must admit I wasn't very happy when she told me to take my patch off. I told her she would have to make me or walk the plank!!! This was when she whispered into my ear that I had a pair of panties on my head. She calmly showed me how the elastic was supposed to "tuck neatly" up my butt crack out of the way leaving only the bow showing in the back. The front part (remember, it was only big enough to cover my right eye) was supposed to cover the front of my delicate maidenhood!!!!!! WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS HOLY WAS SHE THINKING??????? Horrible thoughts started racing through my head! If these were panties then were was that piece of parchment paper that has to cover the crotch until the consumer purchases it? Can you get a yeast infection in your eye??? Would you even see the small triangle of black fabric under the roll of fat that would fall over it????? I couldn't help but ask these questions. At this point I was humiliated. I quickly bought the undies (what choice did I have now) and a top to match and ran for my car!!!!!!!

Part two of my plan was about as successful as the first. I rarely went anywhere in the first years of marriage with the exception of water aerobics. Now, after the lingerie experience I was starting to doubt the wisdom of this carefully planned seduction. As I was leaving for my class I decided to up the ante, so to speak. I left my underthings at home and only brought my "pirate number" with me. I managed to make it through another night of water aerobics without drowning myself. When class ended I made my way to the locker room. I must be a shy person by nature because I have never been able to strip totally naked in a locker room in front of complete strangers. While my fellow classmates where butt naked hosing each other off, I carefully tried to get as much chlorine off my body while keeping my swimsuit on!! At the Provo Recreation Center there is a big room where people can change. They also have bathroom stalls and 3 rooms to change in that have curtains. I was able to secure a room with a curtain to change in. At last, I thought, a sign from heaven above!!!! This quickly proved to be a mistake. As I took my swimsuit off and turned to get my "pirate patch" my wet butt stuck to the curtain yanking it open. There I was exposed for all to see. OH, THE HORROR!!! I can't quite remember now but I am sure there were gasps. I like to equate it to the feeling you have when you are at the zoo watching a gorilla eat his own poop! I tried turning the other way but the curtain was still stuck to my butt. At this point I grabbed my clothes and ran to a bathroom stall. I took the handicapped stall because 1: it is bigger then the other stalls and 2: how many wheelchair bound people do water aerobics????

Have you ever gone to the bathroom in a swimming facility??? Well, the floor is completely covered in water. This wouldn't be so bad if it was fresh water but it is chlorinated brown water. Why is it brown you ask??? Because people who haven't entered the pool yet have walked barefoot through the bathroom to the pool. All of the dirt, fungus, and grim from there feet mingles and mixes with the wet floor to create a sludgy substance. Added to this is clumps of toliet paper. Now, I've never been able to understand how the toilet paper ends up on the floor and after this experience I stopped trying to figure it out. Well, I was finally at the moment of truth. I pulled out the "pirate patch" and started putting it on. As I lifted my foot to place it into the panties, my other foot slipped on the above mentioned sludge floor. I went down faster then a quart of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Unfortunately for me, my head broke the fall by hitting the, yes this is a true story, Tampon receptacle!!!! As I cut my eye open on the sharp corner of the menstruation contraption it threw me backwards where I struck my head on the toilet paper holder and the toilet seat. (If only I had thought to wrap one of the seat protectors around my head before I began). At this point, I was propelled underneath 3 stalls.

When I came to.....Several things registered in my brain at once. The first was I was bleeding from at least two open wounds. The second was my head was resting in the crotch of some stranger's underwear. The third was this stranger wasn't going "number one". Trying to save what little dignity I had left, I attempted to get up and out of this stall as quickly as possible. I was very dizzy and had to literally crawl my way up this poor woman. If only I had successfully gotten the panties on before the fall! Then the woman could look at the bow on my butt as I tried to leave. Upon leaving the stall I fell to my knees with weakness. This attracted some attention. Several people came over to assist me. I tried to tell them I would be alright but I guess they didn't believe me since someone called 911. As I was trying to find the pieces of my lingerie (yes, I broke the elastic in the fall), the paramedic arrived. They tried to clean me up but suggested I come with them to the hospital for stitches. I resisted until one of them reminded me I should probably have a tetanus shot due to the possible feces that entered my body. It looked like a trip to the hospital was in my near future.

At this point I tried to find my clothes for my next adventure. I found my shirt in the toilet and my pants were behind it soaking wet. Since the lingerie was ripped, someone suggested I put my swimsuit back on. Have you ever tried to put a wet bathing suit back on? It wasn't very successful. I couldn't even get it untangled. So yep, you guessed it, I went to the hospital in a towel. After watching the emergency room team laugh hysterically, they stitched me up. I had a grand total of 34 stitches, one antibiotic shot, and one tetanus shot. After 4 hours I drove home (I refused to let them call my husband). As I opened the front door my husband quickly ran to the door. He said he had been frantic with worry and where had I been. Then he looked at me with concern in his eyes and demanded to know where I had been and what had happened. I took the broken elastic from the panties and used it as a sling shot. After hitting my husband with the bow I started sobbing. I told him to go ahead and have an affair! I then ran up the stairs and locked myself in my room for 2 days.

So there you have it. My sad story of why I am anti-lingerie. Do you understand why I cannot wear the Princess Leia costume? I mean, what's a girl supposed to do???? If you have any ideas let me know! Help me Obi Wan Kenobe.....You're my only hope!

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Sledding with Grandpa

Sunday, January 20, 2008-While at Grandma's and Grandpa's, Grandpa decided to take Jack and Jarom Nelson sledding behind his four wheeler. That couldn't have been more fun for Jack, as Grandpa wore out and froze, dad (Darrin) eventually had to take them around again and again until their little fingers just couldn't hold on any longer. Darrin, I think we need to get one...




A Long Farewell and a Happy Birthday!

Sunday, January 20, 2008-Happy 61st Birthday to Grandma, Mom, mother-in-law, and friend! To help celebrate, we all gathered at the Allred's residence in Bear River, Utah to enjoy an afternoon of warm soup, sandwiches, and of course, chocolate cake! What would a birthday be without a cake for the birthday girl? And we all know how much I love my Costco and their bakery...so they helped us celebrate this special occasion.

Besides just celebrating Lee's birthday, we also said our goodbye's to Spencer and Michelle as they head off into a new adventure in New York City. (Spencer served his mission there and has always had the desire to go back there to live and work. What a better time than now: young, no children...) We wish them all the best.



Aly, Heather, and Baby Marissa


Halley (no Carol today, poor guy!)


Grandma with Baby Marissa and "the cake"



Ainslee, Kayla, Megan, Grandma, Marissa, Jarom, and Jack
(left to right)



Michelle and Spencer


Michelle and Spencer (and with Jack & Megan)

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Happy Birthday to me...again!

Saturday, January 5, 2007-We celebrated my birthday all day long. First, Grandma and Grandpa Allred came down to watch the children so that Darrin and I could finally see the long awaited National Treasure 2. (I loved it, of course, and just an afternoon alone sans les enfants!). That evening, the Ford clan got together at Macaroni Grill to enjoy an enjoying of good company and fantastic food (at least I like it). Once again, it was couples and so sans les enfants! Don't get me wrong, I love my children (lots and lots), I just need adult time every once in awhile. Any who, we finished off the night with an Italian version of "Happy Birthday to you" sung by a man who sing opera like nobodies business and then their famous lemon cream cake-yum! Becky Buhler, you got me addicted to that stuff... Well, here comes 32 years.






Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Movie Corner-National Treasure

For anyone that knows me, they know I love Nicolas Cage's films. And so I was anxious to finally see this movie on the big screen. If you liked the first film, you will like this film. It was clean and entertaining, but a very similar plot from the first one. Needless to say, I still enjoyed this film a lot and would highly recommend it to anyone, especially those parents with teens. Riley character-very cute!!

Synopsis: Treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates looks to discover the truth behind the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, by uncovering the mystery within the 18 pages missing from assassin John Wilkes Booth's diary.
Rating: A-

Movie Corner- Juno


The over synopsis for the film is as follows: Juno is a whip-smart teen confronting an unplanned pregnancy by her classmate Bleeker. With the help of her hot best friend Leah, Juno finds her unborn child a "perfect" set of parents: an affluent suburban couple, Mark and Vanessa, longing to adopt. Luckily, Juno has the total support of her parents as she faces some tough decisions, flirts with adulthood and ultimately figures out where she belongs.

I loved this film. I laughed, I cried. It was truly one of my favorite films for 2007. I think every parent should see it. I don't agree with teens and sexual activity, but it gave a glimpse into the life of a pregnant teen. The only downside: The Jason Bateman character. I so much wanted the perfect happy ending, so to speak. You'll know what I mean when you see it. Rating: A

Darrin's Dream Come True-He works for Microsoft!

Microsoft


Announces Offer to Acquire



Fast Search & Transfer


Companies’ combined expertise, technology will help businesses capitalize on the power of enterprise search.

External Resources:

FAST Web site

REDMOND, Wash., and OSLO, Norway — Jan. 8, 2008 — Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq “MSFT”) today announced that it will make an offer to acquire Fast Search & Transfer ASA (OSE: “FAST”), a leading provider of enterprise search solutions, through a cash tender offer for 19.00 Norwegian kroner (NOK) per share. This offer represents a 42 percent premium to the closing share price on Jan. 4, 2008 (the last trading day prior to this announcement), and values the fully diluted equity of FAST at 6.6 billion NOK (or approximately $1.2 billion U.S.). FAST’s board of directors has unanimously recommended that its shareholders accept the offer. In addition, shareholders representing in aggregate 37 percent of the outstanding shares, including FAST’s two largest institutional shareholders, Orkla ASA and Hermes Focus Asset Management Europe, have irrevocably undertaken to accept the offer. The transaction is expected to be completed in the second quarter of calendar year 2008.

“Enterprise search is becoming an indispensable tool to businesses of all sizes, helping people find, use and share critical business information quickly,” said Jeff Raikes, president of the Microsoft Business Division. “Until now organizations have been forced to choose between powerful, high-end search technologies or more mainstream, infrastructure solutions. The combination of Microsoft and FAST gives customers a new choice: a single vendor with solutions that span the full range of customer needs.”

The companies possess a number of complementary strengths that advance a shared vision for helping businesses deliver information worker productivity and improved business results. FAST has a deep talent pool and is respected throughout the technology industry for its expertise in best-in-class, high-end search solutions. Microsoft offers worldwide customer reach and an extensive partner network, and is the recognized leader in business productivity with the popular Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, which combines search with best-in-class collaboration, business intelligence, portal and content management capabilities.

“This acquisition gives FAST an exciting way to spread our cutting-edge search technologies and innovations to more and more organizations across the world,” said John Lervik, CEO of FAST. “By joining Microsoft, we can benefit from the momentum behind the SharePoint business productivity platform to really empower a broader set of users through Microsoft’s strong sales and marketing network. It validates FAST’s momentum and leadership in enterprise search.”

In addition to bolstering Microsoft’s enterprise search efforts, this acquisition increases Microsoft’s research and development presence in Europe, complementing existing research teams in Cambridge, England, and Copenhagen, Denmark, with new and significant capabilities in Norway.

The offer will be subject to customary terms and conditions, including receipt of acceptances representing more than 90 percent of FAST shares and voting power on a fully diluted basis, and receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals on terms acceptable to Microsoft. The complete details of the offer, including all terms and conditions, will be contained in the offer document, which is expected to be sent to FAST shareholders during the week of Jan. 14, 2008. The offer will not be made in any jurisdiction in which the making of the offer would not be in compliance with the laws of such jurisdiction.

News Teleconference and Playback

At 10:15 a.m. PST Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008, Microsoft and FAST will hold a teleconference to discuss the acquisition. To participate, U.S. residents can dial (877) 917-3408, Norwegian residents can dial 800-18393, and those outside the U.S. and Norway can dial +1 (630) 395-0346. The passcode is 5926426. A recording of the call will be available starting one hour after its conclusion and ending Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008, at 3 a.m. PST. To access this recording, callers can dial (800) 945-5760 (U.S.) or +1 (402) 220-3547 (international).

About FAST

FAST, which was founded in 1997, creates the real-time search and business intelligence solutions that are behind the scenes at the world’s best-known companies with the most demanding information challenges. FAST’s flexible and scalable integrated technology platform and personalized portal connects users, regardless of medium, to the relevant information they need.

FAST is headquartered in Norway and is publicly traded under the ticker symbol ‘FAST’ on the Oslo Stock Exchange. The FAST Group operates globally with presence in Europe, the United States, Asia, Australia, the Americas, and the Middle East. For further information about FAST, please visit http://www.fast.no/.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.