The Rapture and Other Things that Make us Giggle

I have been noticing a trending conversation topic on MyFace the last few days. Everywhere I look it's all about the Rapture. I noticed that it was even a topic on several major news websites. The media is enjoying poking a little fun just as much as the peeps on MyFace. And it does seem a little goofy to me that Random Dude is telling us all the appointed day that It Will All Be Over.

As much as I think that it's goofy that people believe this guy, I can't help cringe a little at all the mocking. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In other words, I'm a Mormon girl. :) And even my friends who love me and are respectful of my beliefs say that some of the things I believe seem a little wacky to them. I get it. It's understandable that without the element of faith, a belief in things like modern-day prophets, revelation, and *gasp* abstaining from alcohol and coffee would seem odd to say the least.

I did not believe this rapture talk, and really do find it kind of ridiculous and crazy. But my urge to point my finger and laugh is hampered a bit by a glimmer of a feeling of common ground. Their beliefs seem crazy to me, but my beliefs also seem crazy to many people. I can take some fun poked at my religion, but people can be pretty brutal sometimes. What is it that makes it so appealing to mock the beliefs of others. Why has this prediction been such a significant thing to people that they are posting and re posting on MyFace, talking about it in the grocery store, and writing news stories over and over? I'm not saying I haven't found these posts amusing, because some of them are downright hilarious. I'm just saying, if it's so ridiculous, why are we expending so much energy focusing on it?

But then, I don't get why we should care which celebrity is in rehab or whatever either. But I'm not gonna lie, I have had periods in my life where I've followed all that gossip.

Two Words Not to Call Me.

I have discovered that there a few words that I really don't enjoy having label me.

1. Emotional. I AM NOT EMOTIONAL. HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT. I THOUGHT YOU KNEW ME, BUT CLEARLY YOU DON'T. STOP LOOKING AT ME. I'M NOT CRYING.

2. Different. Read: Mormon. As in, I didn't invite you to my birthday party because you are different than all my other friends. Okay, I don't completely hate that word, because I suppose it is true. But I hate it when people use it as an excuse for leaving me out.

If I were to get a tattoo...

I have friends with tattoos, and they have all these deep meaningful things. Besides the whole being a conservative little Mormon girl reason, I have never considered getting a tattoo because I am lame and see no deep meaningful symbols around me that I wouldn't get bored with in a few months. Here are my ideas on my tattoo that I'm totally going to get soon.

1. Kermit. I'm going to have the kermit collar put on my neck. Hot, right? Or should I say... hawt?
2. Cookie Monster. Possibly on my belly. Since that's where my cookie monster lives.
3. A huge seagull. All the way across my back. Because my inner voice says "Mine. Mine. Mine.Mine. Mine."
4. A daisy on my toe. To be original. (It's just a taaaaattoo of a flower, so I'll feel groovy, while takin' a shower. Er something.)

Yeah. There's a reason I don't have one. Okay, there's the whole Mormon thing too. But I feel that I have illustrated why we should all agree that I have made a wise decision all around.

My Friends Love Mormons.*

Hey, did I tell you guys that I'm Mormon? Wait, don't freak out and stop reading. I won't make any sudden movements, and I have not prepared a gospel message to share. Breeeeath.

I try to be fairly open about my religion, and one of the things I love about my closest friends, most of whom are not Mormon, is the genuine and respect they have for my personal beliefs. It affects the way I live, down to some of the day-to-day things that people take for granted. I've noticed that some friends are more open to hearing me explain our quirky Mormon ways than others. It's as though some people think that if they are not careful, I'm going to sneak up on them behind and dunk them in the baptismal font like a pool party game gone awry. Put away the arm floaties.Totally not going to happen.

I've found, though, that even if I try to explain a belief or cultural piece I generally get three very distinct reactions.

1. They try to change the subject as soon as possible. Their inner dialogue
goes something like this: "why is she telling me this? I didn't even ask her
about this. She knows I'm not interested. Maybe I should tell her in no
uncertain terms that I am not interested. I know, as soon as she takes a breath,
I will move on to some other topic."

2. They listen, trying to understand my crazy ways, because the information
helps put some things I share with them into context. Inner dialogue: "What is
this Visiting Teaching term you are throwing around? And you are in
the Relief Society presidency? It's a calling? You and your crazy Mormon slang!"

3. They become hostile. Inner dialogue (which really, at this point,
generally becomes outer dialogue and a very hurtful conversation): "Why would
you believe that? I've heard a, b, and c rumors (all false, twisted, and
offensive). I read it online, and I think you are being fed lies. Your life
would be so much happier if you would pull the wool out from over your
eyes and drink more."

One of my oldest friends, Carrie, is an example of type two. She's been to some church activities with me. She is happy with the way her life is, and she didn't have to tell me that because I know her well enough to know. And I have not, as yet, sneaked up behind her and dunked her in the baptismal font. I'm coming up from behind, all quiet-like see? Those Mormons are wily. She knows what callings are, and could probably even tell you what some of mine have been, dating back to high school. She knows how they have impacted my life. That's important to me. It makes me sad when friends, in what they think is a subtle way, change the subject when I try to talk about my parts of my life that involve my church. If you don't know what I do at church, or what my calling is, there's a whole huge part of my life you have no idea about. I can't vent to you about frustrations I have with something I am struggling with since you don't have the context. I can't tell you a funny story if it requires the context of understanding our meetings and how they work and other little nuances. Don't get me wrong, I have learned how to translate fairly well. But I realize a while ago, when I was telling Carrie a story about something that happened that involved my church life, that I felt relief. Because she has never required me to keep that life separate from our friendship. And that makes for a much more healthy friendship, don't you think?


In regards to type three, I don't encounter that type very much in my friends. And I think it is important to make the distinction that I don't mind having discussions with friends about doctrine in my church they disagree with. I had a friend tell me just last week that something I believe seemed bizarre to her. But she was respectful of my dedication and recognized the importance of the belief to me, too. I'm not offended if you look at some point of doctrine differently, or if you think something I believe is wacky. It's all about how the discussion is had. If we are both careful to respect each other's beliefs, then it can be educational and eye-opening on both ends. People who approach me this way often learn that they have misunderstood the doctrine, and often I come to understand how my friend views my church, what they believe, and why they might think something I believe is a little crazy.

*Much like the guy on The Anchorman who "loves lamp," Mad Hatter Loves Mormons. I tried to find a clip to illustrate but I can't find one of the whole scene and you need the buildup to understand..

Goals: A Reason to Make a List

I don't seem to have posted my New Year's Resolutions last year. I decided to make them all private and meaningful or something. I know I posted them in 2008. I feel the urge to post something this year, although you may not get the whole list. I do like a good list, and I will most likely have more resolutions than all of you combined (yes, all three of you) by the time I'm through. Here's just a smattering of my Resolutions:

1. Exercise, therefore not incurring my sister's mockery and potential wrath for requesting a heart rate monitor for Christmas and not using it. I totally have done this for three days in a row now. As I mentioned once way back when, I'm a firm believer in having unambiguous goals that you can actually reach. So instead of "exercise more" (which I suppose I've already achieved for the year), I shall say, run a ten minute mile. Shut up, stupid in shape people. Also there's more to the goal, but I'm not going to tell you now because you just got lippy. See how you vex me?

2. Spend more time with my teenagery niece and nephew. This will not be very hard, because "more" can be accomplished by one stint of quality time with either one outside of family events. Bad auntie. Also spend some more time with my little squirts. Little Brother is almost convinced it's safe to let me hold him now. I'm making some serious progress here.

3. Quit smoking. Oh... wait... hmm. Well. Check.

4. Find a new way to volunteer. Simmer down, there, Dizzle. I mean in ADDITION to Camp Fire, not instead of. Because my Camp Fire kids love me, as they should. And volunteering broadens your horizons and gives you new skills, as well as sharpening old ones. Also you can put them on your resume. I realized that last year.

5. Read the whole Book of Mormon from front to back at least once during the year. You know, instead of losing my place and starting over all the time. So I can be all religious-like and spiritual. I'm also thinking I shall read the whole Old Testament, since that's what we're studying in Sunday School. And um, just to clarify to my not Mormons, this is in addition to studying the scriptures by topic at church and stuff. I read 'em, I swear.

6. Learn more about the people I work with. Read books about mental illnesses. Learn more about addiction. Read some books on alcoholism. Read some books to understand other cultures. Phew, I need to be reading me some books. Let me know if you have recommendations.

What are your resolutions? Or are you resolution haters?

Yo My Mormons

Have you seen this website? Look at the Church gettin' all fancy!

Drinky, drinky, you're a finky.

With such a catchy and meaningless title, how can you resist reading?

People say random things sometimes upon discovering I am Mormon, and/or that I went to BYU. My favorite, and the oddest reaction in my opinion, tends to be somewhat like the following:

"I hate Utah! They make you become members of the bars! And they won't sell you alcohol on Sunday." To which I respond somewhere along the lines of, "Mmm." 'Cause I kind of don't care if they can't get ahold of alcohol as easily as they would like. They could go hiking or something instead. There are lots of mountains, trails, and just dirt in general there.

Apparently recently that has (mostly) changed. Those who wish to imbibe no longer need to join a club to get a beer. It was interesting to me that at least one local who frequented a specific bar didn't like the change. He thought it might bring in strangers, thus increasing the chance of someone causing a ruckus. I'm not entirely sure why there was a law in place to require that people join a bar in order to patronize it. I'm sure it had something to do with the large percentage of Mormons in the state, since members of my religion do not drink alcohol, along with coffee and tea. I find it slightly amusing that MSNBC claims that the law was in place to "sheild Mormons from alcohol." If all they had to do was join the club (put their name in a registery and pay a small one-time--or possibly annual, I don't know--fee) I don't think that would have "shielded" anyone. I'm sure that the heavy taxes were put into place to try to convince people not to drink, so maybe that's the shield. Having spent four years in Utah Valley (where BYU is), which we affectionately called the BYU Bubble, I didn't meet many people who belonged to bars while I lived in Utah. I actually never heard about the law until I had left Utah. I don't think there were may bars near where I lived.

I know many people believe that it's only Mormons in Utah, but actually they only make up about 60% of the population. Yes, that is much higher than other states. But Washington, Idaho, Nevada, and California have quite a few members as well. Washington, for instance, has 257,710 as of the latest count (they report numbers yearly). Compared to Utah's 1,857,667 that is not very many, but it's not a teeny number. But I digress. If you want to see more statistics on Mormons, who number over 13.5 million worldwide, go here.

My first thought upon hearing this news is that it's funny how long out-moded laws stay in place. But then I noticed in the article that the law was only in place for 40 years. That means it was put in place in the late 60's, for those of you who don't want to think that hard. From what I can glean from the ever-reliable internet, prohibition prevented people from getting a drink at the beginning of last century. I'm assuming somewhere in the middle there were bars that didn't require membership, and they had to clamp down. But I could totally be making up history. The bottom line is, in the eyes of your average beer drinker, Utah became a little less wacky this month.

P.S. I have non-Mormon friends who read this blog, so watch your judginess in the comment section if it looks like it's trying to slip the leash.

Truer Words Were Never Spoken, Casey!

Do you ever get sucked into the preacher shows that they show on local channels in the wee hours of the morning? You know, like the lady with the long curly hair and a chalk board with scholarly things on them, and Casey Treat? Since I'm unemployed now, I find that I sometimes do, when I'm not catching up on my Tyra. Don't get me wrong, I am happy with my faith, and I don't plan to switch at some point. But I find the different ways people talk about Jesus, and the Bible, and so on, fascinating. A lot of the basic message is the same. Be nice to each other. Try to be the best person you can. Say your prayers. Have faith in Jesus. That kind of stuff. Tonight Casey caused me to pause and reflect for a moment. He was talking about letting the stuff in your life define you. You know when people come up and ask you how you're doing? And I guess apparently in the grownup world people say "fine." (I personally don't have that filter and will answer you honestly unless you're bugging me in which case I give you monosyllabic answers in the hopes that you will go. Away.) He talked about catching up with someone or something (I was only half listening, there were newsfeeds to be caught up on), and that sometimes you would let things in your life define you. As in:

Person who knows me: Hey, Holliberry, how've you been.
Holliberry: Oh, hanging in there. I got laid off.
Person who knows me: Oh, that's a bummer. Let me tell you about how I have a job and I think you should be a day camp counselor....

That last part is a topic for another time....

Anyhoo, my epiphany was that Casey was totally right about something. People totally do that. And right now I define myself by my employment status. If you've talked to me lately you know that. But then again, other people define me by that right now too. Don't deny it. You asked me how the job search was coming the last time you talked to me, didn't you? Or you asked how that interview went, and had I heard...? (The answer is no, I have not)

So maybe I should think about THAT. I didn't listen to the next part of his sermon. I think his point was, or at least mine would be, that I should be defined by my faith, and what I believe, and that will keep me balanced and help me deal with my problems. Just a guess. It just got me thinking. So, thanks, Casey!

*By the way, you can totally keep asking me about my job. And sending me referrals. And chocolate. And checks/cash/credit cards/funding for trips to Europe. Just don't tell me I should be a camp counselor at $9 an hour, thereby acknowleding that you still don't think my last job was "real," and that I have no professional skills despite the fact that I've been in the professional non-profit world for 9 years, and managed the programs for the entire South end of the county, and mostly worked with adults. Because I will have to de-friend you, as they say in the MyFace world. Also, if you suggest that I work for that other girls organization, I shall have to bludgeon you about the head. If that's possible. Can you bludgeon about the head, or does it only work to do it directly to the head?

It appears that the other post is no longer necessary. Phew. Glad I got that off my chest.

Just Say No To Celibacy

Do I have your attention? I've been following a bit of a debate that's been going on regarding celibacy for priesthood holders in the Catholic Church (see cnn.com). A certain prominant member of clergy in the church, with a cute last name, has been caught having an affair. He has confessed that he has been involved with this woman for several years, and that they are in love. I believe I read he had been considering if he should leave the priesthood for her. So now the question being posed (not for the first, or last time) is whether celibacy is really required to hold that holy position.

I have every respect for these men who have devoted their life to God. The majority of them are doing their best to keep themselves pure and focused on a life of serving God. They teach, they serve, and they advocate for the souls of men and women. I understand the principle behind their dedication to celibacy. That being said, I personally believe that a man can be holy, serve God with all his heart, AND be married. I actually believe that marriage can enhance his life and further his efforts. Marriage is a partnership, and hopefully the ultimate friendship. To have a partner, who believes what you believe, and works towards what you work toward with you, can only help you succeed all the more. In my church, we have a lay priesthood, meaning that they are not paid, and for the most part have other jobs outside of their church duties. For married couples, each person might have their own duties, or calling, but they support each other in those endeavors. I don't believe that God intended for us to be alone, in this life or the life that follows. The craving to be loved and love others is a good one, and God provided us with ways to address that yearning. Marriage is consecrated by God, and I believe he provided it to us for our ultimate happiness. Those who hold the priesthood are entitled to the blessings that marriage can bring along with every other faithful person. Those are my thoughts on the subject. What are your thoughts?

About the Mormons

If you haven't already caught the segment on Mormons on Nightline, here it is:

FYI: "Mormon" is a nickname, taken from the name of some of our scritpures, The Book of Mormon. The real name of the church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Look, It's Richard!

Merry Christmas :)

Never Throw Things At Me. Just Trust Me.

People should be careful about making me play those bonding games. You know, like the one where you hold a ball of yarn, and toss it around the circle at each other, retaining your piece of string, and when it's your turn you say something deep and meaningful. Generally this is The Friendship Web. But this Sunday, the woman's group at my church played it, and we were Knitting Together with Love. You know, like in the Bible. This was a lovely idea. The ball was tossed to and fro, and as each participant caught (or retrieved, in some cases) the ball of yarn, they were asked a question which was supposed to give us a glimpse into their soul and help us to love them like a sister.

Problem. I was very crabby. Sleep-deprived, due to not going to bed until the wee hours the night before in order to maximize my movie watching time, and crabby. So some poor unsuspecting person threw the ball to me. The question? "Are you a crier?" Answer? "No." But I couldn't leave it there. I went on to say that I didn't enjoy crying and couldn't understand why some women liked to have a "good cry." Also, I admitted I don't understand why people cry during Testimony Meeting* at church. At which point, a large gasp passed around the room.

Oh, I'm sorry, did you not mean for me to be that honest? We do seem to have quite a few criers amongst our congregation, come to think of it.

I've been thinking about our little knitted web o' delight ever since. My profession often leads me to participate in and even lead similar games. I had classes in college where we created binders full of such games. My boss has actually led us in a similar exercise several times, with great success. While it's never been my most favorite activity, I never cringed as much as I did when they pulled the ball of yarn out on Sunday. Upon reflection, I realized I have a little pearl of wisdom to share. And since I also know how irritating it is when people get all nit-picky about meetings/activities they did not plan (not that I ever have people do that to me...), I decided that instead of talking to the leaders of the activity, I would just post about it on my blog, all private-like. 'Cause I'm that kind of classy.

My pearl is this: these types of activities are meant to be trust-building exercises, and you are supposed to build upon the relationships already established. Since many of us had not established relationships, it was actually a dangerous game to play. Crazy people like me would say offensive things that those who do not know me would interpret as meaning I am a rude, rude person. Okay, that part might be true. But my point is this. You have to start with the simple questions (name, favorite color, what college you went to, how you react when balls of yarn are brought out), and build that rapport before you start asking the deep questions. Because I don't want to talk to strangers about my crying habits. Or what my hidden talents are. Or my most embarrassing moment. And I also am not going to tell you about a break-up, or what kind of man I want to marry. We're not all extroverts, people. That's actually not my idea of fun. Get to know your Crazies before you put the spotlight on them. That is my advise to you.

*Note: Once a month during our main church meeting on Sunday where we take the Sacrament, we have a Testimony Meeting where members can go up to the podium and share with the congregation their testimony, or their belief in Jesus Christ and the thoughts on their faith and what they know to be true. It can be a very uplifting and inspiring hour. And sometimes some member, usually a woman, will plow through a box of Kleenex during their testimony.

Manners 101

I feel like my mom taught me to be a good girl. I chew with my mouth closed, I sit like a lady in fragile chairs, and I say please, thank you, and excuse me. Oh, and also, I DON'T MAKE APPOINTMENTS AND THEN STAND PEOPLE UP.

Apparently some people do NOT learn manners. None. Whatsoever. I cannot tell you how many times I have sat in Starbucks, drinking my non-caffeinated-I-am-not-a-jack-mormon-apple-cider*, and waited, and waited, and waited. Excuse me, if you can't come, there's something called a phone. Mind you, sometimes there are legitimate reasons, and everything turns out okay. But mostly they are just standing me up. My time is valuable too, people! I have blogs to write and Pride and Prejudice to be watched for the third time this week (just the scenes where Elizabeth first sees Pemberley and also Darcy turns nice).

Also, when you make a committment, and you have to back out, the proper, polite, considerate thing to do would be to call or email the person you have made the commitment to and let them know you are unable to follow through. What not to do: ignore phone calls, emails, faxes, and letters of person who is trying to figure out if you somehow fell and broke your spleen and really you do want to call them back, you just can't right now. This is rude. No answer is, in fact, not an answer. If you think it is you need to go back to Manners 101.

An actual coffee shop in Utah. Jack Mormon, you see, is a term sometimes used to describe a Mormon who is not living all the tenets of the religion. You know, like the one about not drinking coffee.

P.S. Yippy dog downstairs needs to go.

*Best. Cider. Ever.

Whose Brilliant Idea Was This?

What bright marketing person decided that Memorial Day Weekend was a good weekend to have big sales? Because I would like to cast my vote to stop that tradition. I personally do not immediately associate sales with any major holiday, whereas I know some people look forward to holidays so they can go shopping. I was excited that I had four whole days (sort of) all to myself this weekend, and looked forward to relaxing. A few of the things on my mental list that did not make it onto my blog list involved going to a few stores in the mall. When I pulled in to parking lot at the mall, I realized by the insane amount of cars in the parking lot that everyone else decided this was a good weekend to shop, too. Only most of them were strolling leisurely down the mall walkways. Who strolls in a mall? If you are one of those people who strolls, I have a few questions. Is this seriously the best activity you could come up with for a beautiful sunny afternoon in Seattle? To go inside and walk like a turtle down the walkway in herds with other women and teenagers, and a few poor men who got dragged along? Seriously, this sounded like fun to you when you woke up this morning? Are you on crack? Could you at least please stay to the right so I can walk by at a normal rate, if not a hurried, get-me-away-from-this-herd-of-crazy-women pace?

I got over hanging out in malls somewhere in high school. It sounded fun when I was about 10. Now I find it amusing only because there are so many people that seem to go there to be seen. Mostly teenagers. Also crazy people seem to go there. But people watching can only get you so far. And too many salespeople seem to follow you around stores. (NO, you cannot help me. I see your nametag, I know where to find you...)

Needless to say I got out of that mall very quickly. I got one item I had set out to get, but I did not get ANY clothes. You want to know why? Because I found things like this every which way I turned. Some of them I did find quite cute, however I cannot wear them. Seriously, a whole store with nothing with sleeves besides the plane tshirts, which I have enough of, is just silly. Mormon girls need cute clothes too. Ones with sleeves. That don't show off the girls. And don't age me 10 or 20 or 50 years. That's all I'm asking for.

It was enough to make me cranky. Never you fear, though. I went to pottery that afternoon, which is almost always soothing, and worked on some creations that are so, so cool that you will die from their coolness when I post the pictures.

Estrogen Overload is an Understatement

Last week I went back to my alma mater, BYU, to attend a Women's Conference with my mom and my aunt. I was very excited to return to what was for four years my home (more to come on that in a later post). But imagine thousands of women all on one campus. There was much crafting. And a LOT of estrogen. I'm sure whatever men were left on campus wanted very badly to flee for their lives. And also they probably wanted their bathrooms back, because most of the campus bathrooms were changed to Women's restrooms for the weekend to accomodate all the women. (Question: WHY do women take so long in the bathroom? I should not have to stand in line that long. It's ridiculous.)

The highlights of the conference for me, other than being back at my school, were a few of my favorite speakers.

On Thursday, the opening speaker was Sheri Dew.

She gives articulate, insightful talks, filled with firm doctrinal principles and practical ways to apply the gospel in your life. I enjoy her. To read her talks you can look at lds.org and search for Sheri Dew in the gospel library.

Her talk this time was no exception. She addressed the belief by some that in order to have influence, a woman has to have money, fame, or a title. This, she said, is a big fat lie. I don't remember if she used those exact words, but that was basically the idea behind them. She possibly was more eloquent than that.

At the close of the conference the president of my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), Thomas S Monson (no relation) spoke.

I got to sit down on the floor of the Marriot Center for both of these talks, which for those of you who aren't familiar with BYU, is a basketball stadium that seats about 29,000. So I was super close. Close enough to take the pictures above. It was cool.

President Monson is a prophet, and when you're in the same room with him the feeling of the spirit of peace is almost tangible. This time he talked about not putting off till tomorrow what you can do now. You know, like telling people you love them, or getting your education, or taking that job, or learning how to yodel. So based on his talk, I hereby resolve to eliminate "some day" and "one day" from my vocabulary. Expect further posts on what I will do now, instead of some day. Once I figure out what those things are. Also, I liked President Monson's advise to never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Food for thought.

Our Beloved President Hinckley

President Hinckley died yesterday. For those of you who don't know who he is, he was the 15th President of my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was the prophet, and as such could receive revelation for the church, and also lead us. He was 97 years old, and he has been the prophet since I was 17. He was the prophet when I attended BYU, and I saw him speak live quite a few times while at school. I loved him for his sense of humor and the immense spirit he carried with him. It filled the arena I heard him speak in. To see him speaking, you can go here to watch and click on the video option for the last talk in the Sunday Morning session.

Speaking In Church

I got assigned last minute to speak in Sacrament Meeting (which is like the main meeting in church where we all meet together in the chapel and take the sacrament). All those lucky ducks get to hear me speak. It's very brave of them to give me the microphone for 15 minutes. So, being true to my organizational style, I am blogging right now. Because if I blog I will magically know what to say. Or I will be up until 2 in the morning planning my talk. One of those two things.

I get to talk about Service, and how we are serving our Heavenly Father when we serve each other. I thought about polling all y'all to see if you had good examples of service in your life, but since I got this assignment on Friday afternoon, I didn't quite have time...

Oopsies!

My dear roommate K has shared a lovely habit. The other day at work I said "oopsies" approximately 5 times in a half hour period. I thought to myself, where did I pick up that perky little exclamation? That is so unlike me. Today it came to me. It's K's fault. She actually says "oopsy." Apparently I added the "s" all on my own. To punish her I shall have to come up with an equally torturesome exclamation to say all the time to get stuck in her head.

Perhaps I should try "oh, my heck!" Because according to the writers on Law and Order: SVU, this is what little Mormon girls say. ** Or maybe it's only Mormon nannies who grew up in Utah (In reality this may not be far from the truth based on my Provo experiences-- there, that should draw out some comments from old roomies if they ever actually come look at this blog ;) Or cement their eternal hatred towards me and my Seattle snobbery).

Or I could just try singing "The Love Boat" around her. Because once you've heard that song, it's stuck in your head for days. There was an entire semester in Junior High where we lived in a Soundtrack of The Love Boat.

What's the last thing you got stuck in your head?

**note: the best part about the way they wrote that scene was the fact that "oh, my heck!" was the reaction of the little Mormon girl upon hearing that her friend had been MURDERED. Totally would have been my first reaction too.**