Limitless Ramblings

"From this day, to the ending of the world, we in it shall be remembered. We lucky few, we band of brothers. For he who today sheds his blood with me shall be my brother."

Finished it... finally. And yet, as I type those words, I realize how much I miss it. During, you just want it to end... the sadness, the destruction, the death, the fear - you just want it to end. But as the last episode rolls around, you realize how much of yourself is now with them - with Easy Company. I know a part of me is lost knowing that I will never get the chance to meet some of these men...

And I'm pushed to realize that I didn't get to meet my Grandfather, which is enough to make you wish you'd never educated yourself about the war. I realize that a lot of them never spoke about the war... they didn't know what to say, I guess. Didn't know how to explain what they had seen or been through - but to have been able to shake his hand would have been enough.

When I watched it the first time, Band of Brothers really tore open a part of me I didn't know existed. A part of me that was simply fascinated with World War II... a part of me that respected anyone who got in those planes on D day.

Band of Brothers spoke to me in a way Saving Private Ryan couldn't... because with Band of Brothers, you couldn't tell yourself it wasn't happening. You couldn't tell yourself everyone may miraculously be alive, that everyone will come out okay, because that just wasn't always the case. With fiction, you can do what you want... but with Truth, you have to tell it how it is... no matter how strange or heart breaking (lucky for me, I latched onto Lipton... phew).

But despite all of this, it's safe to say that the truth is also inspiring. I can proudly say I've never respected a group of men more... and it's also opened my eyes and showed me what soldiers go through... it's made me appreciate them all a whole lot more.

However - Easy Company will always be there, leading the charge. They'll always have a special place in my heart, because they were honest to God heroes, each and every one. They answered the call of duty, and they marched onward, despite outstanding odds. They risked our lives and were forever changed so that we could sleep at night.

I was talking to Courtney a while back, and I told her that, if I had the chance to meet one person... if I could just pick one person to meet, I'd pick Maj. Winters. But, as I think about it, I don't know what I'd say. I'm sure I'd want to thank him for everything he's done, but how do you thank a man for being a hero? I'm not even sure I'd be able to shake his hand, simply because I don't think I'd be worthy of it... you know?

You know something - and someone - has really touched you when you can pick them out of a crowd, no problem. When I was watching the interviews with the surviving members of E Company, I was absolutely blown away with how many people I knew the names of - how many of them I just recognized right off the bat... how many of them I knew were still alive as of present, and how many had passed away and when.

It's interesting how something like this can change your life... how a simple comment like, "ooo, that looks good," 8 years ago would help kindle an interest... how an innocent night, waiting for the premiere of HBO's new miniseries could completely change who I was and how I looked at things.... and it's amazing how, after 8 years, and multiple viewings, the only thing that HASN'T changed is the fact that I'll always be touched. ALWAYS... I'll always be touched by these brave men, always respect them, always remember them.

"That night, I thanked God for seeing me through that day of days and prayed I would make it through D plus 1. I also promised that if some way I could get home again, I would find a nice peaceful town, and spend the rest of my life in peace." ~ Maj. Winters

I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. Since watching this show in 2000, since hearing this quote and being thoroughly and completely affected by this man, and these men, I have said a prayer every Memorial Day and Veteran's Day. I have prayed for Maj. Winters, prayed that he remains on his peaceful spot of land, and is still able to live on in peace. And I will continue to pray that prayer, and I hope you all join me.

On January 21, 2009, Maj. Winters will turn 91. He is still alive, and I can only hope he remains on his farm, able to live in peace until his days are done... and I pray that when that day comes, he will recieve the most calming peace there is, and be able to go home.

I pray that for all the remainding members of Easy, and pray that those that are already gone made the necessary decisions to do the same.

I pray that each and every one of you may find something that will speak to you, and change your life, like this did mine.

"I treasure my remark to my Grandson who asked, 'Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?' 'No,' I answered, 'but I served in the company of Heroes.'" ~Maj. Winters

~Lauren

THE CELL... I played this game today. I saw my brother playing it yesterday, and decided to check it out myself.

It's nothing great - just a point and click game. The graphics are meh, and the story line is very similar to that of Saw... but I liked it. It definitely got one jump out of me, and it made me think. There are a number of problems that need to be solved - I guess you could call them puzzles, but they aren't very difficult... the most difficult one involves a mouse... lol. If you get stuck, just click the help button in the corner, and it'll give you a hint on what to do next.

I've been pretty into these point and click games for a while... my favorite still being the Exmortis series... most of them are problem solving ones, which is neat. It keeps my brain going. (If you want a REALLY difficult point and click puzzle, check out the COLORED ROOM series. Those are INSANE, and took me HOURS to finally beat)

I like modern video games... they've become more difficult - involving problem solving instead of just jumping on blocks and progressing to the next level. Now a days, you have to be able to remember pin numbers, or switch sequences, or how to sneak around a room without getting heard or spotted... but these point and click games are my favorite. They're short, and most of them get a jump out of you.

If you're interested in these point and click games, check out the ones at Mofunzone.com and Jayisgames.com... and definitely check out Exmortis, The House, and The Cell. :)

Also, check out Crackle to watch the webisode version of The Cell. :D

Let's get this! :)

~Lauren

I love these videos!!! :D

I don't have a lot to blog about... January is chuggin' along at a steady pace, and things haven't really changed yet. It will soon... friends will go back to school, life will carry on. Work will start up, ministry functions and what not will kick into gear...

But right now, nothing has changed.

I want to have something AWESOME to blog about, but quite honestly? Nothing. Nothing at all. I guess that's just how it is... even if we push onward and hope that these challenges will help us grow and become better bloggers and writers, there are still going to be those times when we just don't have anything to write about... I think that, what matters - what's going to help us grow - are those moments when you have nothing to write about, yet you still do. :)

I hope to tell you something more interesting tomorrow, but as for now, I guess I'll let you all go. :)

***Props to Babsie for the awesome pic! :)***

LET'S GET THIS!

~Lauren

I need to learn the words to Eye of the Tiger... I love that song. It makes me think of band and all the great memories that went along with it. I remember dancing with the clarinets when we weren't playing... and sometimes when we were. I remember belting the same line with the entire section at the top of my lungs right before playing our part... but I don't know the words. I know some of them... the rest I just make up... la la la la la laaaaaaaaaaaaaaa... of the tiger!

As I sit here and think about the theme of January - change - I wonder what it means. When I started this challenge, I thought it meant I had to write about something that's changed... some form of change... every day. But... now that I think about it, I think it'll be just as acceptable to write about somethings that HAVEN'T changed.

For instance, the fact that I don't know the lyrics to Eye of the Tiger. I've never been able to sing that song without saying "la la la doo doo doo," but I still haven't looked up the lyrics... probably because, that's just how it goes. My memories of the song partly rely on the fact that I DON'T remember the words, forcing me to remember what I used to sing when I was in band, and forcing me to remember those times.

I also don't think I'll ever lose my love for football... it's kind of a constant. There are always those sundays during football season where, if I don't have plans, I can go home and watch a game. It's just a game of intense compitition and skill... and watching it just makes me happy. I also like the idea that, it could be something my husband and I can agree on. I hear so many women complain about the fact that their boyfriend or husband watches football and they can't stand it - I'd be watching it with mine! And what teaches you loyalty more than sticking with your team, even when they lose?? :) Yay football!!!

The last thing about things that fail to change that I'd like to point out is actually kind of cool to me. I had always heard that my Grandpa Brent flew on one of the first B-52s... what I learned last night was that he not only flew on THE first, but he also helped build it!! And, while my Grandpa Brent isn't around anymore, the B-52 is and still going strong. How awesome is that?? The first one was built and flown onto the runway at Castle AFB in '55... and we still use the plane!!! That's what, 53 years? We've been using the same plane for 53 years... and my dad says they probably won't retire it until it's 90! My Grandpa Brent helped built the first in a slew of planes we still use today!!!

That one's kind of two fold - on the one hand, the use of the B-52 hasn't changed, we still have them. On the other hand, My Grandpa helped create a plane that changed the world, even if minutely! :) That's SO COOL!!!!

I don't know what the point of this note was - but my dad showed me a bunch of really cool old photos of my Grandpa from WW2 and the Korean War and other stuff like that, and told me a ton of stories and showed me a bunch of news paper articles about him, so expect to hear more about my Grandpa Brent, as well as Colonel Birdsong and others he knew.

LET'S GET THIS!

~L

I like posting pictures... I think, as part of my quest to advance my blogging skills, I'm going to post a picture or more in every one of my posts... :)

Change... it's harder to write about than I thought.

I'm a fan of cookies - who doesn't like them - but to be quite honest, I'm VERY picky about the type of cookies I eat. I can't stand vanilla ANYTHING... and I don't like oatmeal raisin cookies, either.

My favorite type of cookie is OREOS... but it's a bitter sweet love. I love the chocolate part, but CAN'T STAND the cream. *shudders* I don't know what it is, but I just don't like it.

A while ago, we got these Golden Oreos... I wasn't too thrilled about it because, I don't like vanilla cookies, and I don't like the cream in normal OREOS. Now, the chocolate part was merely a thin sheet of cream (making them more along the lines of UH-OH OREOS than the original Golden OREOS with vanilla cream), and the cookies looked to be vanilla cookies, overpowering the chocolate part. I didn't try them, I didn't want to. Eeeew, gross. Not my cup of tea. The fact that my family didn't devour them within the first few days kind of made me shudder, too.

Time went on... the sleeve of yuk!cookies sat in our cupboard, untouched, for a week... 2 weeks... through Christmas... past New Year's... The fact that they remained was disheartening... if they were good AT ALL, I figured my family would have eaten them already. I didn't want to try them...

However, earlier today, my craving for cookies got the best of me, and I decided to at least try them. I had no intention of finishing the cookie... I had no intention of even finishing the bite I took... but I wasn't going to go through life afraid of a cookie I had never tried. If I was going to be afraid of a cookie, I was going to at least be able to say didn't like it!

So, I took down the sleeve of cookies, pulled back the sticky film cover, and took out a cookie. I examined it for a bit... debating about whether or not I wanted to try it, and then finally took a bite.

I was pleasantly surprised! It tasted less like a disgusting vanilla yuck!cookie, and more like a Bahlsen Choco Leibniz! I had a couple more... and I'd be willing to say it's actually my favorite type of OREO, now... there's no part of it I don't like! :D

So - this year, make a change! Try something you wouldn't normally try! You may be surprised! :)

LET'S GET THIS!

~Lauren

So... now it's a new month, and time for me to start giving you blogs with some real meat to them. I haven't been home all day, but I have had some down time, and I've been thinking about what to write about... much to my surprise, the idea that I decided on writing about was one that I had thought about early on and had dismissed. The more it floated around in my head, the more I liked the idea.

See, the theme of January is change... this month's challenge is going to be harder than last months by far, but I figure I may have it better than other people.

See, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of change is my religion. I'm a Christian, and ultimately, Christianity is about change - about the change to your life when you accept Christ, and how he changes others through you. There are a ton of illustrations used to illustrate the change a born again Christian undergoes - the metamorphosis that takes place between Caterpillar and Butterfly is the most popular one I've ever heard.

But I recently heard a story that absolutely touched my heart... it is by far my favorite illustration of a Christian, and I'd like to share it with you.

Recently, I blogged about a new band called Theoria, that I was VERY impressed with. We went and saw them again a couple days after the first concert and they were even BETTER than when we had seen them the first time. I spent some time talking to the band members and found out that the next concert they were playing was on New Year's Eve in Boise, Idaho. My old youth pastor lives in Boise, so I was like, cool! I found out that they lived only a few houses from the church Theoria was playing at, and told Casey... this was my old youth pastor from Texas, it just seemed like it was a cool little God Wink. I talked to him a bit about the concert and asked him who Theoria was going to be playing with - he told me it was a band called A Rotterdam November. He urged me to check them out on myspace and gave me the link and I did, and fell in love as soon as I heard them. They really are a great band - but, being the curious little chickadee that I am, I wanted to know what the name meant. I mentioned to Casey that I liked the name, and he told me that the explanation behind it was even cooler, and that they had it on their page. I checked it out and was EXTREMELY blown away. A bit of history is needed to help explain the name, so bear with me... unless you're like me and LOVE the history aspect of it.

Rotterdam is a city in the Dutch province of South Holland, and on May 14, 1940, it was bombed by the German army, in hopes that it would force the Dutch army to surrender. The heart of the city was destroyed, and 800 to 900 people were killed. 80,000 more were left homeless. 1 sq mi of the city was almost completely leveled, while numerous houses, ware houses, schools, stores, and churches were completely obliterated. Colonel Scharoo, commander of the Dutch garrison forces, was forced to surrender the city to Germany and, for years, Rotterdam remained a city without a heart.

When Germany was forced to surrender in 1945, rebuilding began. Progress was slow, due to lack of supplies, but "the spirit of Rotterdam pushed on, eyes firmly fixed upon the present and the future." In 1946, Ossip Zadkine was inspired by the city and built a statue which he called "The Razed City," and placed it in an open, barren, city square. But, as they rebuilt the city, the barren city square began to disappear, and now, in 2009, Rotterdam is no longer a city without a heart, but an old city with a new heart.

((PICTURED ABOVE: Left - Oude Haven in 1930's, Right - Oude Haven in 1945))


So, now that you know all of that, here is the band's explanation of their name, A Rotterdam November:

As it stands today, Rotterdam is an old city with a new heart. This is the analogy for Christians; the enemy’s goal is to destroy mankind and he has been partly successful through Adam’s original sin. However, that is not the end of the story, through Jesus’ death and resurrection, mankind has the opportunity to be reconstructed with a brand new heart. Spreading this message through music, whether directly or indirectly, is the goal and desire of the band A Rotterdam November.

How AWESOME is that??? As Christians, each and everyone one of us is the walking, talking symbol of Rotterdam - old people with new hearts. I'm not sure what it was - maybe it was the reference to World War II, or the idea that the people of Rotterdam were so determined to press on, or maybe just the fact that it is an analogy no one else has ever thought to make before - either way, I was extremely blown away by this story... so much that I got my hands on their album as soon as I could.

If anyone can - I strongly urge you to get their CD, if not for the first 2 tracks alone. Track one is an instrumental entitled "Blitzkrieg" which leads into Track two, "City Without a Heart." The entire CD is amazing, but those first two made my heart weep for Rotterdam, and smile at the thought of the rebuilt city, and the determination of it's people to rebuild. And I was absolutely stunned and moved by the idea of being an old sinner with a new Christian heart... So that is now my illustration for a born again Christian. I love it, it's sooo amazing... and how much more "changed" can you get after a new heart?



I hope I didn't bore any of you with this... like I said, I may be especially drawn into this because of the World War II aspect, but I was absolutely fascinated by this and wanted to share it with all of you. I can only hope that you're as touched as I was. :) So, one of my goal's of 2009 will be to share the story of Rotterdam, and Christ, and hope that I can help create more new hearts.

LET'S GET THIS!

oh... and... say hi to your mother for me.

~L

Sites of Reference:

Wikipedia
Everything but the kitchen sink
Myspace - A Rotterdam November

I find it interesting that, as I awoke this morning, I felt refreshed, ready to take on the world. Talk about a change! I feel ready to take on the new year! I don't know if that means that it's going to suck, or if it's going to be awesome, or WHAT, but it makes me smile. As of right now, I feel great. :)

So, this marks the beginning of 2009 - and this is my first NaBloPoMo post of January... but I've decided I don't want to dive into the year... I'm not ready to admit change.

So - I'm going to use this blog to reflect on some funny moments of 2008.

Facebook has a section for favorite quotes, and I usually put ones that made me laugh up there... but there's only so much room and as I need to make room for more, I save those I'm taking off... I'm going to post them all here, so that you might be able to share a smile or two like I did. :)

ADAM: OMG! It ripped my hands off!!

ME: Oh no!! It's still stuck in the paint!

ADAM: Well, I have an idea! The ants go marching down, to the ground, to get out of the rain...

ME: That's genius!

ADAM: We need rain!

ME: and ants!

ADAM: You do a rain dance, I'll get ants!

ME: Okay! ♪♫Cliiiiip your tooooe naaaails ♪♫

ADAM: It's not working!!! I have sugar in my pocket, hold on...

ME: Boy, you're pretty handy with those nubs!...the ants are going real slow....

ADAM: Here, try the water! Hows it looking?

ME: I think they're dead!

ADAM: Now what are we going to do?

ME: I know! We'll steal someone else's paint, I'll use the roller, and you can use your nubs, dip them in the paint, and we'll do like, a polka dot theme!

REEBI: And here we are at the imagination statue..

CHRIS: I don't see anything...

REEBI: Of course not, you need to use your imagination...

ME: Sometimes, I imagine that I'm the biggest and best jump roper in the entire world!!

CHRIS: I just imagine you falling out of a tree!

ANNETTE: What's a cheerleader without a leader?

REEBI: It's a cheer.

ME: A cheerleader without a leader is like me without my jump rope!!

Debra: Your not very talkative...

Me: My not very talkative what?

Debra: Well, your not.

Me: ⌐_⌐

IN OMALLYMALLOYSIA... all recreational drugs are legal, divorce is illegal, political activists are routinely executed, nudity is frowned upon, and the government is seen to favor Catholics... WTF? That's outrageous! I've NEVER supported Catholics! ~ ME, while reading about the state of my nation.

RANDY: It was supposed to be good. They said it was the greatest western since The Untouchables.

ME: WHAT? The Untouchables wasn't even a Western!!! There's your first problem!

"Imagine capturing the sun's power and putting it into a chip... who would do that? And WHY? Who's walking around in a field going, "man, that sun is AWESOME! But I wish I had it in chip form...." That's ridiculous." ~ Me, after seeing a sun chips commercial.

"My little league coach got me the job... I think he kinda felt bad for me... and he wanted to get me started on a different profession...." ~ Casey Affleck, on his job selling hot dogs at Fenway Park

"Peligroso es mi nombre medio." ~Virgil Malloy

"We should probably clean up all the oitmeal... I mean... OATmeal." ~Me

HEATHER: I know I've heard this song before... what movie is it from?

ME: The one where the group of kids goes to the beach and they get murdered? Or the one where the kids go to the hotel and get murdured? Or when they go home and get murdered? OR is it the one where they go to the beach, and one of them gets murdered so they go to a hotel and another one gets murdered, so they go home and two more get murdered?

Heather: You have a problem... it's like, an obsession.

Me: It's not an obsession, it's just an easy way out. He's Robert Downey Jr. He's been with everyone... and that came out sounding more insulting than it should have. He's been IN MOVIES with everyone.

Heather: She's one of those ones that has a million and one credits... she's been with everyone...

Me: HA!

Heather: IN MOVIES... IN A NON SEXUAL WAY! There, does that cover all the bases?

"Kevin! We're at Quizno's, and we can't decide if we should get our food to go, or eat it here! Call me back with your answer... we'll wait." *2 hours later, Kevin calls* "OH THANK GOD! We're STARVING!" ~Me

"Boys are stupid. They only spread diseases. Like pregnancy." ~The Great Kevin Shewey ((OMG I laughed so hard when he sent me that))

"I just want to express... my backpack stayed on the back of my car the entire way here." ~ Johan

Heather: Eddie Murphy was in Shrek with John Lithgow...

Me: John Lithgow was in Footloose with KEVIN BACON I WIN!

"I was saying I hated you all because Heather was all like, "we're at the beach and blahdy blahdy blah."" ~Kevin

ADAM: I wouldn't go halfsies with THAT... That's what she said.

HEATHER: What?

ME: Aw... he's trying so hard... THAT'S what she said!

PSYCHIATRIST: Your mother says you've been getting into scrapes with the other boys...

CHARLIE: I think that's the best euphamism for getting the crap beat out of me that I've ever heard.

JIMMY: I think they should definitely do a sequel to (Iron Man).

ROBERT: Thank you, and I love hearing that from someone who hasn't even bothered to see the movie yet. That's my demographic.

ANDY: What's this about runners pooping down their legs when they run?

GREG: You've never been around runners, have you?

ANDY: Oh I've been around runners... who don't do that.

"Now a days, we have so much cool stuff, and iPods, that we don't know what it's like to run with the wolves..." ~Greg Gutfeld

Heather: 7 pieces is a serving size? That's ridiculous!

Me: Well, look at them, they're the size of toes. They almost let you have ten toes... I mean... that's pretty filling...

"Please don't be a serial killer." ~Me, to Tyler

"Why didn't you tell us there was a change machine right across the street, instead of letting us walk all over the place looking for change??" ~Randy

TYLER: I'm gonna go use the bathroom

*half an hour later*

ME: Did Tyler die?

ME: He wears pants.

HEATHER: I thought they wore speedos??

ME: they did in Athens... now they wear full body suits - but he wears pants. I mean... I have a picture of him without his pants on... wait, that's not what I meant...

ME: *in wingstop* COME ON, REBECCA! YOU GOT THIS!

JOLIE: GO! GO! *Rebecca wins the gold*

BOTH: YEAH! UH! WOOHOO!!

ME: SUCK ON THAT AUSTRALIA!

HEATHER: You guys are such geeks!

ME: *gasp* He got number SIX! HE GOT NUMBER SIX!

JOLIE: *gasp*

BOTH: *cheer and scream in wing stop*

LADY: *to kids* See? They think he's their boyfriend, too.

ME: Kohen, throw your trash away.

KOHEN: But you're a NANNY

ME: Yeah but.. wait... what?

ME: Kohen, what do those look like on your eyes?

KOHEN: Sunglasses!

ME: ...well, yeah...smart alec...

HEATHER: When I was two, I didn't know sushi was uncooked fish... and I'm Japanese!

HEATHER: Otter Water is just fun to say

ME: That's why in chemistry, I always remember - make like an otter, add acid to water.

HEATHER: Wait... otters do that?

ME: CLEARLY - you've never been to Boston in the fall.

MELISSA: They've just finished watching the Pacifier for the 16th time...

RACHEL: No! It was the 20th!!

MOM: You can't have 4 tacos and a burrito.

DAD: I didn't have breakfast, so I need a burrito to make up for it.

MOM: I didn't have breakfast either!

DAD: You need a burrito, too.

RANDY: Look at me, I'm the gay man!!

RANDY: It's only 10 dollars, I'm sure we could spot you.

ME: Whether or not you can see me isn't the problem!!!

RANDY: I'm kidding.. why are you picking sides?

ME: I'm not!

HEATHER: Lauren picks no sides...

ME: Yeah, I'm Switzerland.. or Sweden... which ever one is neutral...

ME: I'm trying to check this guy out without being obvious...

HEATHER: Do it like micheal scott...

ME: Oh yeah, he's hot... oh, oh wait... I think he might be gay. Yep, he's gay.

ME: Randy... do you think they have the same policy for Bleu Cheese as they have for Ranch?

RANDY: Yes.

ME: *looks at half full bowl of Bleu cheese* Well, frick.

JOLIE: Just put it in the grits, they'll never know!

ME: Heather, thank you. Seriously, you're my heroine. And by heroine, I mean female hero. I dont' want to stick you in a needle and inject you into my arm.

JOLIE: I dunno, I think Heather would feel good shoved in my arm...

MANDY: This is really good!

JOLIE: Yeah, the shark is goooood.

ME: I know! I can see why Michael eats one every day!

SHAWN: I can't believe it, you lifted your look right off the mannequin!

GUS: On the contrary, Shawn, that mannequin stole MY look.

SHAWN: I'm Shawn Spencer, this is my partner......wow, I've done this a million times.

"Every time you sing, an orphan gets adopted. Unless, of course, you suck... then a kitten dies." ~Me

"Dude... are you signing a football? LOL. WHY ARE YOU SIGNING A FOOTBALL?? Wait... they... they know you're NOT Eli Manning, right?" ~Me, reacting to a photo of Michael signing a football.

"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." ~ Dr. Seuss

"The Great Wall of China was originally created to keep Michael Phelps out. It failed...MISERABLY."

"Never put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get." ~ Michael Phelps

KATE: How did your father die?

DUNCAN: the usual way... he stopped breathing.

"I have to eat between 8 and 10 THOUSAND calories a day... and I don't cook....AT ALL." ~ Michael Phelps

DAD: They said this, and this, and they'd do this, and

ME: And dorkfish bit the corndog... *shakes head*

DAD: yeah...

ME: I have deoderant in my bag if you'd like it... I also have toothpaste... and a... tooth brush.... I pretty much feel like I've been living out of my purse for the last few days.

JAZZY: Why?

ME: Cuz... I've been living out of my purse for the past few days...

ME: That's cool about the poster!!!

DAVID: Yeah, I'm like the Michael Phelps of the Drum Corps world!

ME: ...I don't know what that means... but COOL!

JOLIE: I said you're amazing since I came home, and Michelle cleaned the entire house. The kitchen, bathroom, vacuumed carpets. It was great. I owe it to you. lol.

JOLIE: Alright, Adam needs to tell us about him being behind a guy.

HEATHER: You'll get infected...

ME: I have no problem getting infected with Michael Phelps

KENNY: Grandpa eats all our cheese...

ME: Why do you come over to our house and eat our puffy cheetohs and drink our water?

KENNY: Cuz I'm fat.

"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." ~ Dr. Seuss

ME: Hahaha, good one! Man we're all on a role tonight!!

DEMETRA: Yeah! *applauds* Everyone gets the clap!

ALL: 0_0

MANDY: What kind of mating call is that?? Who would you attract?? Down syndrome babies??

JOLIE: NO! SEALS!

ME: WHAT?

MANDY: And then they would scream it across the campus and call each other lesbians... like a term of endearment.

ME: Oh, like when I call Jolie a Ho Biscuit.

ME: Yikes, Bikes - what would you say next?

DEMETRA: Dikes...?

MANDY: That's what I was gonna say...

JOLIE: I said Jeeves.

MANDY: In highschool, we wanted to call it the Baby Seal Club...

ME: Yeah... I can see how that would be bad.

DEMETRA: None of you had better open a gay bar without telling me. We're gonna call it, the Rusty Bear Trap.

JORDAN: And who knows, maybe that one IS just a rumor, because what all-star athlete would poison themselves with drugs, y'know?

ME:....

JORDAN: Okay, nevermind, but anyway.

ME: I'm laughing so hard right now... you probably didn't even mean that to be funny.

"I just got rung up by a tall skinny white boy with big ears and no butt... we had a riveting conversation about how there is a taste difference between yams and sweet potatoes, and how our grandmas made candied yams with marshmallows at Thanksgiving." ~Me

"I know, I'm so innocent... so many girls want to do bad things to him, I just wanna sit on the couch and play with his ears." ~Me, in response to a STRANGE MP oriented conversation

"I don't know why my initial reaction was grabbing her ears and headbutting her in the face." ~Mandy

BILL: Go Bears!

ME: Bill, you're a chicago Bears fan, too??

SPIFF: no, Lauren, he's a fan of the animal.

ME:...Bears beat battle star galactica!

HANNAH: BLASPHEMY!!

ME: No, FACT.

BILL: ...what?

DAD: I'm afraid McCain can't overcome this mountain, and it's going to be Obama nation.

ME: heehee...

DAD: what?

ME: Obama nation sounds like Abomination.

ME: I think the shining moment of the debate for me was when Palin answered Biden's response, and Biden looked down at his podium and said "son of a *****"

ME: Andy!!! I feel like I haven't seen you do a half time report in a thousand years. And, in case you're wondering, that's a REALLY long time.

ME: Knox killed my son.

ANNE: HA! I was thinking that... the whole episode you don't see who his mom is... I thought, because, it's Lauren...

ME: Yep. That was my child... and he was killed. Sadness.

BIDEN: I don't have a stomach for genocide when it comes to Darfour.

ME: Oh, but other instances are alright?

ME: Paying a higher tax does NOT make you a better American...

ARQUETTE: You just made Joe Biden cry...

ME: And I thought this day couldn't get any better!

ME: I couldn't help but notice, one of us is stalking the other...

ME: Andy makes us all laugh.

BILL: Andy is a sad, strange little man...

ME: Bill, I HAVE to know... did my e-mails have anything to do with Mike Baker being on the show?

BILL: YOU BET IT DID!

ME: YES!

BILL: So, does Baker have a fairly large female fan base, or is it just Lauren.

ME: It's pretty much just me... *tool*

DSL: An armoured cow??

ME: AN ARMOURED COW!!

MAL: Oh, Belgium

JON: I never quite understood that.. I was in the backyard, washin' the dog, and then I end up in the night club. It's not like I was freshenin' the dog up for the club, makin' sure he didn't smell like onions or something...

GARRETT: It's exciting for me to see my body get more fit as time goes on.

ME: It's exciting for US to see your body get more fit as time goes on!

GARRETT: hahaha, well, I am getting more fit! :)

((And by Garrett, I mean Olympic swimmer Garrett Weber-Gale... I'm so cool like that))

JON: I couldn't even picture what we did in that video...

DANNY: That's probably because..... YOU WEREN'T THERE!

DONNIE: I think this video is us saying enough - we had it with the critics and the back lash, so we lashed back... there was a lot of anger in this video...

JON: BREAAAAAAAATH!

BABS: My Donnie Wahlberg Doll says you have Cheetohs and he wishes you would share... I hate being the middle man, I wish you two would start speaking to each other again!

ME: Well, if he hadn't eaten all my chocolate cake, we wouldn't be having this problem. You can tell Donnie Doll that I WILL share my Cheetohs... just not with him.

BABS: okay, hang on... Donnie Doll wants me to tell you that you made that chocolate cake for him, and since he's an effigy of your favorite New Kid he should assume all rights to consume what he wishes and...

ME: You can tell him he didn't have to be a PIG and eat all of it.

KEVIN: It's an abbreviation of a vulgar phrase... which is coincidentally an abbreviation of another vulgar phrase, but they managed to keep the swear words in it.

ME: Got rid of all the useless words...

KEVIN: Like... "in," "you,"

ME: "the..." Nouns and verbs, that's all you need... forget adjectives.

KEVIN: Forget Pronouns, even.

ME: Yeah, just throw them all out! Who needs them!... I feel like I should apologize to the English language.

KEVIN: I apologize to the English Language... especially the letter Q. I've been particularly rude to it as of late...

ME: I don't use Q nearly as much as I should...

KEVIN: And Prepositional phrases, I've been treating them badly.

ME: Yeah, but... come on... prepositional phrases ask for it, they kind of have it comin...

ME: When are you coming home??

TROY: hahaha and that my dear is one of the many mysteries of this universe. I wont tell a sole in the words of my mother hahaha

ME: Fine... but could you maybe tell a soul?

TROY: no no

ME: Just me? Please?

TROY: That's the way my mom put it, so I have to say it that way... I ain't tellin' nobody's feet.

ME: Where'd mom and dad go?

STEVEN: To the dentist.

ME: This late??

STEVEN: He went to get his teeth back.

ME:...what? Was he using them in class and had them confiscated?

DONNIE: The concept of the Summertime video was to recreate a typical Tuesday afternoon at Donnie's pool house.

JORDAN: Could you imagine a weekend at Donnie's, if that was a Tuesday? Did you see all those honeys? On a TUESDAY afternoon? Are you KIDDING me?

DANNY: Some of our friends are in that video...

DONNIE: all 76,000 are in that video! Walkin down an alley with me... to assault people...

Some of them may be repeated, and I apologize for that. :)

Let's get this!

~Lauren