Bragging Rights

I work for the BEST company!!!! No really, I do...

We learned that my company was named a 2009 winner of "Utah's Best Place To Work". I mean, I already knew this but this just makes it official. I AM SO FREAKIN' EXCITED! (See what free milk, crackers and Thursday "Treat Day" can buy ya.)

This is BIG news, particularly for my department. Its been a major goal of HR's to get us this title. We've worked very hard and it feels oh-so-good. Looks like "Mind that Bird" isn't the only one standing in the winner's circle this week.

Department of Workforce Service's award staff said: "This year the amount of nominations almost doubled from last year. Because of the large number of nominations and the high quality of the companies, the competition was especially fierce."

We've been trying to win for the last five years!!! Interestingly enough, this happens to be the one year that Michelle has been on our HR team. Coincidence? You be the judge.

I'm off to celebrate...again (company champagne toast was this morning for breakfast.)

Not Just a Cliché

Do people really help little old ladies across the road? WHY YES THEY DO. And not just "people", but Michelvis. Its true and very surreal! I was like, "is this really happening, its so cliché?"

Today as we were running a work errand, we were stopped at a red light when we saw the oldest/shortest lady in the most colorful attire with a hat, sunglasses, bag, and a walker trying make her way across the street in front of us....VERY slowly.

We pondered this situation aloud...

Amy - "Think she'll make it?"
Michelle - "Its still green, she has time."
(we watched for a few seconds)
Amy - "Are you sure?"
Michelle - "No. Crap, she's not gonna make it!"

Michelle jumps out of my car to rescue grandma who was about to be mowed down by 3 lanes of traffic. The light turned green. A female pedestrian, seeing this crisis unfolding, jumped out into traffic to stop approaching cars. (We are women, here us roar!) Michelle grabbed grandma's bag and her arm to get her moving a bit faster. That was probably the right move as in my mind, I was thinking that Michelle might pick her up and throw her over her shoulders (she was tiny and time was of the essence). The lady says to Michelle "you're pulling me too fast!" Michelle had to explain to her it was so she didn't get KILLED!!!!!

Two days later, they'd both made it safety across the street. It didn't take as long as it takes John to heat up taquitos, but it sure was close. I just sat there watching and shaking my head thinking "did this just really happen?"

This is proof people...its not just a cliché (though this boy scout was wearing stilettos and earrings and does hip thrusts like Elvis.)

Michelle & Amy Loved Them Some New Kids On The Block Last Night

For me...before there was U2, there was New Kids On The Block. After 20 years of waiting and ultimately giving up on a pre-teen dream, I FINALLY got to see my first favorite band in concert. Let's just say, it was worth the wait. We were not disappointed.

The highlights…

- Michelle and I spent the first two songs of the show….laughing! It was like “what in the crap are we doing here? Is this really happening? I'm so confused and so freakin' excited all at the sametime.” It was quite the surreal, hilarious and unbelievable moment. Then we joined in and got down to "The Right Stuff".

- I thought he lost it, but Jordan still has it.

(Jordan looks mad. He lost a button and oopsie, what a mess. A hazard of the job. I even caught this unfortunate experiance on video. See below.)- Danny still looks like a monkey … but he can break dance like a mad man! I freakin’ love break dancing.

- That Joey sure has grown up (except his voice still hasn’t hit puberty yet.) But he can sure dance...those "Dancing with the Stars" lessons really paid off.

- Poor little Jon is so shy, its obvious but he just oozes “nice guy”. At one point though, something happened that made him start laughing…he was trying to stop so that he could actually sing…but he couldn’t. We got a kick out of that. Wonder what was so funny? Maybe he was laughing for the same reason we were..."Am I really at a NKOTB concert?"




- Someone threw a shirt at Donny and he put it on for us all to see. It said “I heart Mormon Girls.”

Short of U2, I’ve never seen such a large production…
- moving stage
- pyrotechnics…LOTS!
- streamers falling from the ceiling
- about 7 costume change (I lost track). I thought costume changes were for female artists. I was wrong.
- back up dances and mucho choreography (Even Kanye West didn't have that.)
- a second hidden spinning stage at the opposite end of the floor in the middle of GA. It made our 9th row seats into 25th row seats for a few songs. The people who thought they had crap seats found that to be quite an amazing surprise, I‘m sure.

- I’m an experience concert goer, but this was actually my very first "boy band" concert. My ears have never been pierced by so much noise. Yes, 30-something women can still scream like teenage girls. Ouch! Michelle tried to warn me.

- Those nearly 40 year old New Kids can still dance…and they looked like they were really having a blast.

- A lot more guys in attendance than we expected. Some came dutifully with their dear wives/girlfriends. (Fletcher, I know you would have bit the bullet and came dutifully with me if it weren't for Michelle. I love your support. Thank you for being excited for me.) The others guys in attendance had to be gay or just not embarrassed about letting their guilty pleasure out of the bag. (Oooor it just occurred to me…maybe they were just there to pick up chicks. They had some good odds, but they probably underestimated the draw that is NKOTB. They had our full undivided attention.)

- Despite our 9th row seats, tall hand waving chicks, and my very average camera, I must say I took some amazing pics and video. I’m a dang good concert photographer…I’m just saying. Only problem is that apparently I’m a little bias towards Jordan. Old habits die hard.

There was a lesson to be had from this concert. I don’t have be embarrassed to be NKOTB fan anymore. We fans came out of the closet again in droves last night … dusted ourselves off and had the time of our life. There were a LOT of us...(crazy ones too.) So judge us, I don't think we care anymore.

Thanks you Michelle for snagging us some sweet seats after the first ones didn't work out. I had so much fun. And thanks for making me rush the stage at the end so we got to see the final three songs from the 2nd row. Awe. That is where we belong isn't it?

I wish that Lori, Staci and Liz would’ve been about to join our 12 year old fantasy come true. You know you wanted to. Maybe next time. New Kids said they’d come back...but if they wait 20 more years, the "right stuff" will probably be all the wrong stuff. "Please Don't Go Girl" will take on a whole new meaning...several, actually.

ONE LAST CONFESSION...we followed their tour bus all the way to North SL last night. HA! It was one of the funniest things I've ever done. Seriously, if we were 12, we couldn't have done that. We were seriously obligated to do so. Funny thing is....we weren't the only ones. LOL. There was like 15 cars following behind their slow bus going only 65mph with no other traffic around. It was painfully obvious what was going. The funny thing is that one car full of girls got so possessive of their #1 spot right behind the bus, that it was tailgating so close it was ridiculous. Another car was trying to get in front of her. HEADLINE: New Kids killed in tragic bus accident b/c of crazy fans fight for a LAME #1 tailgating position. They were serious...but we were doing it just for laughs. LMOA. It was great. Us Rocks! Thanks again Michelle...please don't kill me for this confession.

(Video: A snippet of "The Right Stuff"... sound is lame but they look like they are having fun and so were we.)

(Jordan Fan...this is the video for you. I'm pretty sure it was Michelle's fav part (a repeat from a show 20 years older) for obvious reasons.)

Classic "The Right Stuff" moves.

"It Was the Event of the Year!" - says E!

Lori's b-day prom FREAKIN' ROCKED!!!!!!!

The prom planning committee really out did themselves. (Michelle, Uyen, Lowder, Mare). I know there was much blood, sweat and tears along with a lot of sleepless nights. WOW WOW WOW! Some highlights of the evening:

- Lori marching the dance floor yelling "hey" when couples paired off for a slow dance and her date was found dancing with someone else (Frew).
- Michelle's parents gettin' down to AC/DC with huge smiles.
- Jason "Crockett" Mayes showing his Miami Vice chest hair.
- The mass fascination with dance pictures....multiple pictures.
- Steve and Liz....nuff said!
- "Hammer Time" aka "Carrie Hanson".
- Lowder MC...Bob Saget has nothing on you.

Too bad real prom wasn't really that fun! Lori, thanks for cutting out on prom 14 years earlier so we could party like it was 1989.

Can't wait to see what the yearbook staff put together.