things i totally love...holiday edition

1. special christmas tv: my favorites are Elf & A Christmas Story. this year i also got a bonus tv gift of a law & order marathon, plus a very funny episode of Friends (where ross & monica do their dance routine) courtesy of Elyse who got the whole series set as a gift.

2. the food: although this is definitely a double-edge sword. on the one hand -- i can eat all the gnocchi's & cookies i want!! on the other hand -- i feel like shit afterwards. besides the gnocchis, we also had some really delicious soups, bread, and christmas morning breakfast burritos.

3. seeing people open their presents: there is nothing better than someone's reaction to a gift they love. it makes me feel so happy inside, especially if i gave the gift. similarly, i love getting/seeing someone get a gift that had a lot of thought put into it. *side-story~ before I turned 18, i was telling my Nana how much i loved socks (& i still do). so for my 18th birthday, she gave me a box full of socks. everyone was shocked and even i was bewildered, but it was such a good gift because she really thought about what i would like. we still talk about "box of socks" to this day & i still wear them too!*

4. getting gifts: obviously, i am a human, so i love opening presents!! i got lots of good 'uns this year, too. on the top of the awesome list is a purse i've been coveting for months. other than a pair of boots, two sets of mittens, an IOU for a jacket, socks, & books it was a very Kitchen-themed christmas for me. I got a lemon kitchen timer; cheese grater; flour sifter; lemon squeezer; rolling pin; salad shooter; silicone whisk; & a meat thermometor for michael.

5. hanging out with my family: people (although not really people i know) always complain about their crazy families & spending time with them. even though my family is crazy, it's a fun crazy. everyone was at the Wiedel house for christmas day, so their was lots of noise, but mostly just fun. we opened secret santa gifts & played many rousing games of scattagories & finger football (if you don't know about finger football, you should find out!!)

I hope everyone had a great christmas full of things they totally love!

catching up

poker night @ chris & fenner's: i finally achieved a years-long goal of hustling people!! well, semi-hustling, since i didn't really win the whole poker game. but i made it to the final three & won my money back; plus everyone playing was shocked at my prowess so I feel that it counts. also, it was the first party of the holiday season -- everyone i like was there, there was lots of good food, and i had a really good time (all of which i can remember, so another success!!) we also did our WiiFit ages (i will not be sharing mine, but it's considerably older than my real age).

festivus: this most hallowed event began and ended on monday. we were snowed out! we did get our t-shirts (i'm wearing mine right now in rememberance) and a live musical performance of the brand new, custom made Festivus song. the finale has been rescheduled for when we get back to school in january, so i'll let you all know how it goes.

snow days: we had three in a row! michael got home just in time, so we just sat around the house; watched movies, went for walks, and cleaned. the amount of snow that we got was insane - it's probably the most i've seen at one time since i've lived here. pictures will be coming shortly.

pre-christmas dinner at josephines: if you live in flagstaff, you just can't go wrong with eating at josephines. it's expensive, but *so tasty*. or even just getting the creme brulee (which is why i chose to go there). michael & i used to go out to a fancy dinner before we seperated for christmas each year, so i decided to treat him again. mostly it was the brulee though.

our tiny christmas party: on thursday, we had anna mae, john, and krista over for a mini-christmas dinner. michael roasted a whole chicken -- el salvadorian style & man was it good! and easy -- you just pull out the guts, slather it with seasonings, and put it in the oven. i made mashed potatoes (also fricken easy) and they brought the rest. since festivus was canceled, we made Jell-o Towers of our own. it really was fun and hard! anna mae & michael tied with aobut 4 inches each.

girls night: all my friends from high school got together for a christimas time girls night. i really only see these girls twice a year, but it's always so much fun & we end up talking for like 4 hours before we realize what time it is (and then we hang out some more). we ate at the cheesecake factory & got a Navajo sandwich, which was yummy, but not like the Navajo taco i was expecting (god i love navajo tacos!). jen made a ridiculously delicious cobbler, which we stuffed ourselves with and then laid around with our bellies full until 11:30 at night. thanks for having us over, jen! I really liked seeing everyone (especially that baby randee!)

a visit to cabelas: okay, so this has been a highlight for me! i've never been inside a cabelas & thought "oh blah blah, camoflauge pants & camping chairs, big deal". but they had more taxidermied animals than i've ever seen before!! they had an animal museum with squirrels, lots of big game, a freaky badger, and a marmut. there was an elephant who may or may not have been real, a lion "protecting" his friend the zebra who was "sleeping" (as john so nicely put it), & an elk being attacked by a mountian lion. I LOVED THAT PLACE.

surprise christmas party at rickys: ricky was down in peoria from napa valley, so he invited us to come hang out at his parents house yesterday. they made us some seriously good appetizers (chipotle meatballs, green chili dip, blue cheese croutons, and grandma kazmer's cheesy-mayo toast thingys) i've really missed ricky's cooking!! big rick & janet are really nice, i love getting to hang out with them. we played giant jenga (jenga made out of 2x4s) which i was surprisingly good at. on top of all that, we got to see little pedro the chiuaua and i couldn't love him MORE! he was completely adorable & i want him with me always now.

which brings us to the big christmas eve day. i'm always pissy on christmas eve (i don't know why), but i'm hoping that some lunch and a good blog will keep me happier. check back for some good pictures soon -- HAPPY CHRISTMAS

last night was fun. this morning was less fun

that's about all i can publicly say about last night, although i am confident that tonight will be more blog-friendly. so instead i'll post a HILARIOUS video to take your mind off my shenanigans:


single ladies

"beyonce that was b-rilliant!"
"what's up bk?"
"you can have 3"
andy samburg's flapping arms make me laugh out loud
i wish i could have paul rudd's babies, in the hopes that they would be such amazing dancers

after viewing this video multiple times in a row - it's maybe my favorite thing EVER

Forget everything you read last post:

I'M A GENIUS!!!

Yes, I have won the Ringtone War with my new phone! I cannot be held down for long -- no electronic device can beat me!! After 3 furious battles (The Battle of the USB Port; The Battle of SonyMediaManager; and The Battle of SonyEricssonPCSuite) I have finally overcome!

And after I have raped, pillaged, and salted the earth of the land of W80i I emerge with the spoils of war: INSANELY awesome ringtones & the ability to make as many as I could ever want. The theme from Bones? GOT IT. A snippet of one of Michael's favorite songs? GOT IT. The chorus of a brand new Festivus song only released exclusively to our class? GOT IT. The song from Potter Puppet Pals where they sing their names? GOT. IT.

How could this be possible? Well, I made a valiant ally in my Ringtone War in phonezoo.com. Sign up for free. Create ringtones from your computer files or download ones ready made. Save it to your phone or computer to transfer later. I AM AWESOME!

So finally, here is a song (and also one of my new ringtones) that I feel adequately expresses how I feel about myself:

I look good, always, but especially today
Professionally fresh on display like hey
Take a picture, its not a dream I'm flat out gorgeous
Maybe its because I eat a lot of oranges

I don't know I can't help it, I'm not even tryin
Really, I'm hot you think I'm lyin?
Look at my ass and pants, give it more than a passing glance
Stare at it a while
Compare it to a peach, each cheek if you can bear it

Breath me in deeply, I'm like an airy breeze
Whipserin, blowin through the branches of the cherry trees
I'ma treat, a nice little surprise for your eyes
Look too long though and it could be your demise

It ain't a disguise, I'm flyer than an eagle
Sky's the limit besides the fact that I'm barely legal
Its too easy, I'm sorry I can't help askin it
And bad news I'm gettin better lookin with every passin minute

I'm pretty, pretty, but I take it all in stride
Thing is I'm even more beautiful on the inside
I'm nice, I'm so nice, with the winning smile I'm stylish

In fashion, make a wish with my eye lashes
I'm magical, actually casual traditional
Mystical, in top physical condition
Well oiled machine, perfectly peachy keen
Its freaky really equally squeaky clean frequently

I look good and you look, but not as good as me
I'm so dope

does anyone remember this:

as if you needed it.....

here's some more proof of my complete, utter lameness:

-- i got my new cellphone. that in itself isn't lame, but the little song that i made up & sang for 10 minutes while i got it unpacked certainly is.

-- i have "real chance at love" on in the background while i'm talking to mdt & i stop the conversation because there was a fight. yes i stopped talking to my favorite person in the world to watch a staged reality tv show fight. (and, of course, i'm still watching it.)

-- for the past 3 days i've been singing the chorus of a hannah montana song (in my defense, it's the 'if we were a movie" which is catchy)

-- finally, i come back from a week-long blogging hiatus not with pictures & stories of thanksgiving (which was awesome BTW) & not with funny, witty tales about my life/work, but with a post listing reasons of my lameness......if that's not the ultimate in lame i don't know what is.


however, i have many non-lame things happening for me this weekend---->
:: a holiday work party (i'm bringing enchiladas!yum!)
:: a post-graduation party (maybe two if i can swing it and, come to think of it, there should be 3 because I've now technically graduated too)
::poker night at the lemoyne/yarboroughs (at which i plan to make our school counsler uncomfortable with outrageous comments, find a way to secretly get my WiiFit age without anyone knowing, & perhaps have a cocktail or two)
::bake a test batch of snickerdoodles (and try to leave some for when michael gets back)
:: all this is not to mention that FESTIVUS IS COMING

on the cusp of a very important decision

i'm investigating a new phone. i think that its time for my beloved Stormtrooper Razr to retire (in this dire economy, he has a great 401K & should really cash it in before things go down the tubes). Below are my prospective new phone companions:

Sony W580i Walkman

This is my top contender. I like the wierd green color & it doubles as an MP3 player. However, I'm not sure of the slide phone vs. the flip phone. Also, original versions had a keyboard problem of the keys splitting, though that should hopefully be fixed by now. Plus the keys are flat together, so I couldn't really text by feel --- although maybe that will cut down on dangerous texting-while-driving?

Sony Z750a
Again, the purple is drawing me to this. Other than the color & flip action, this phone doesn't really have much going on -- good or bad.

LG Shine

The mirror on the outside aspect attracts me, but again I'm not sure of the slide-to-open feature. I also worry about finger print smudges & cracking the screen, as I'm not that careful with my phones.

LG Cu 515
I like this phone mostly because it's purple & has the same feel as the Razr. However, I don't think I can download music ringtones & the camera quality sucks. This one got a lot of bad reviews for a wierd PTT button the the side; hard to one-handed open; and very easily smudged.

So, how does everyone else feel about these phones? Anyone have/had one of these types? Most importantly is this huge debate: Slide open vs. Flip open?? Aaaannnnnddddd......DISCUSS!!

this post only mentions twilight twice...well three counting this one

so, i did do other things this weekend besides think WAY too much about Twilight. By the way, thanks Catie & Ashley for the superb grading & (as always) the ego-enhancing comment from Caton. anyway, these are the fun things i filled my last few days with:

1. "happy hour" at a co-teacher's house, which consisted of yummy food & drinks, but mostly of her teenage children who reminded me of just how annoying I was at that age. of course, it was amusing to me because they don't belong to me, but I say Thank You to my parents nonetheless for putting up with me. Girls, pass on an extra thank you to your parents from me as well, because I know I contributed to annoying the crap out of them as well (especially good old Danny & Mabel!)

2. Christmas tree chopping with Flyboy, my friend's Chris & Fenners kid. He's 5ish & thoroughly enjoyed his adventure. When we let him steer on the dirt road he proclaimed it "the best day of my life!" Although he did not get a full-sized tree of his own, he did find some super awesome elk bones (including a hoof), get to saw down a tree, ate an italian sausage for the first time, built a fire in the middle of the day, and scream out the window alot. when i think about it, all those things were pretty awesome for me too. Plus we've got a tree now!

3. RICKY!!!! My long lost buddy Ricky came to visit from his culinary adventure in California. You may remember Ricky as being one of "my two dads". Well, we had a fabulous time eating too much mexican food, having a sleepover at Johns, and playing Asshole all night. It was awesome -- sorry I didn't say good bye, Rick, but Twilight waits for no man! Or should I say "no buddy"

Everyone enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday and I will soon be regaling you with tales of excitement & wonder from Denver.

this spiraled out of control

Full disclosure: Months ago I was peer-pressured - in the nicest way - to read Twilight. Many of you may remember that I loved it. Well, much to my chagrin, I went on to read all four books. The 2nd one left me with a wonky feeling that I couldn't quite place (I thought maybe it was the emotional trauma of knowing what it feels like to be left by someone you love without a good reason). The third one left me cranky & irritable with MDT (that's Michael's new code name) on the phone, only to be in tears 30 minutes later apologizing, because Eclipse left me an emotional basket case. Yes, the Twilight series is bad news (as I have stated before) & armed with that knowledge forefront in my mind, I read the book #4 (which I didn't enjoy as much, I think because of my new perspective). Finally, I recently got around to reading Midnight Sun, which is the 1st book from Edward's view and I couldn't have enjoyed that more!

Now, to to totally obvious: I liked the Twilight Movie. I mean, I liked it liked it. I wanted to sit in the bathroom for 10 minutes & sneak into the next showing liked it. I even am unashamed to say I liked it MORE than the book itself. The movie made me realize the crux behind this phenomenon - the books are totally lame. In the way that reality television is lame & eating 25 Tootsie Rolls in a row is lame & tucking your pants into your boots is lame. You know it's ridiculous & most likely bad for you, but you love it & do it nonetheless. Yet, in the back of your rational mind, you hate yourself just a little bit for it. The movie version of this book solved all those problems for me! I can now just enjoy this story with no guilt!

1. Incredibly cheesy dialouge & plot-line? Fixed! The film embraces the cheesiness, which fits well in movies, but sucks in books, unless they have Fabio on the front.
2. Too-good-looking-to-be-true characters? Fixed! I no longer have to be distracted by the fact that my human brain can't imagine perfect people -- the movie has just found almost-perfect ones & your brain can assilimate (Piaget, look it up). Plus, let's face it -- that Robert Pattinson is just f-ing hot.
3. Long & drawn out plot with little to nothing going on until the last 100 pages? Fixed! While the movie is still 2 hours (with the main action in the last 40 minutes-ish), at least we've got something visually stimulating to look at. The side-line characters are entertaining (Jessica was hysterical) & the scenery is beautiful. Plus, the movie necessarily has to cut parts out. Unlike the Harry Potter movies, I couldn't give two craps about them changing the way she went to Port Angeles or cut out their very scheduled trip to the meadow.
4. Tedious & stagnent character development? Fixed! This was my biggest problem with the books.The first one hooked you on the characters of Bella & Edward. They were intriguing, but no one else was anything special. As the books went on though, they got irritating and dumb. Bella became whiney, selfish, and more than a little spoiled (come on, she gets to be a vampire mom of a perfect child, all while keeping in contact with her best friend, hot vampire husband, AND her still-human dad!?! What ever happened to making a sacrifice?!) Plus, Edward got increasingly creepy, controling, and assholeish. And poor Jacob just got kicked around constantly, alternating between sweet & a dumbass, only to be humilated in the end by a contrived imprinting process. But the Movie is short & sweet. Edward is definitely less perfect & more like someone who might exist (probably disappointing millions of young females). Bella is less of an uptight bitch & more like a shy girl who just kinda fell into it all. I like these movie-versions far more than the book ones.

Well, this was supposed to be just a simple "Hey, I liked it! How about that?" post and now....well, it's kind of as long & semi-pointless as those books. So, to conclude: I will not be buying or reading any Twilight books in the future. Come springtime, I will be getting the DVD, so I can curl up on a rainy day & watch a good book.

PS. I feel like I just wrote an essay -- Grades anyone?

oh veteran's...

...thank you for all you do/did for our country & also for this glorious holiday you give us! most people said, "why can't veteran's day be on monday so we can have a long weekend?" i said, "yes! a mini-weekend right after the week started!" now tuesday felt like sunday, wednesday will feel like monday, and friday will feel like friday! this was like having a 5 day weekend!!

this wonderful tuesday brought the following things:
--sleeping in
--zucchini bread & icee breakfast
--seeing a mid-morning movie (Role Models -- seriously see it, it's the guys who made Wet Hot American Summer and it's very very funny)
--yummy soup lunch
--'naptime'
--walking to new frontiers for a carrot cupcake
--4 episodes of jon & kate plus 8
--michael's dinner of little slider burgers
and knowing that i'm not at work!!made it all that much better! all day i could only say "this is the best day!" surely, tomorrow will suck (as monday really did -- does anyone else get a feeling of panic from their job that they are most certainly screwing up and will be fired/severly chastisted at any moment?)
also, it's almost time for the Twilight Movie!!!! YES!!

i made this!

that's the title of a new segment here on Molly & Molly. it refers to this:
Yes! I Made That! Today, Michael & I decided that I've mooched off him long enough and it's time that we each made equal amounts of dinner during the week. So my nights to provide sustenance are Sunday, Wednesday, & Thursday. So whenever I make something amazing - I'll post it here. Also, here's the link to the recipe for this: Creamy Chicken & Spinach Artichoke Soup
Meanwhile, Michael made this bitchin' lasagna this past week:


Moving on: It snowed tonight!! Just a bit & it won't stay, but I'm getting excited for winter!!
Michael gets to sleep in most mornings now & this is how I feel about it (you can kinda see him all wrapped up in a cozy blanket as I get ready to go brave the cold)
Finally, Two Weeks Later. Here are pics from our Flagstaff Halloween. I had such a great time! During the day my class got dressed up and went to City Hall to Trick or Treat.

My class on the steps
Looking for candy
a very realistic and awesome mummy costume (housing the BEST kid EVER)

Then, Kristina and Ashley came to visit! It was pretty much awesome. They got up here around 6pm. We changed and Krissy helped fix my pitiful make-up skills on Michael. Then we trooped over to Anna Mae's. It wasn't a huge party, but Anna Mae really did a great job, as the pictures below will testify. Special Challenge: can you spot Michael? His costume was transformitive!

this is mostly krissy being cute & me not being able to open wine
ashley is not really drinking this beer, just thuggin' it up with a chollo
barbara bush & her baby boy W.

sarah palin & joe the plumber
cousins....wonderful cousins!
(we are an imaginary friend, barbara bush, luna lovegood, & a Ceiling Fan)
there was beer pong
and pin the leg on the skeleton
and a pinata
of which the setting up of was treacherous. this is me spotting tyler (like that's helpful & not dangerous)
there was so much fun, even the bloods & crips got along
a goodbye hug in which i'm so short, tyler's arms go over my head
although the very BEST part is how curly my hair stayed All. Day. Long

I can't say for sure when these mega-posts will give way to more normal sized, non-picture-inundated posts, but for now just be happy with how great I am. Peace.

i can't do suspense....

so instead of watching "the machinist" with my boyfriend like a normal person, i have wikipedia-ed the plot & am now half-watching with less anxiety while i make a blog. aren't you all glad you know such a crazy person? for instance, even though i KNOW what's going to happen next AND that it won't be bad, I still have moved the computer so i cannot see the screen for this part.
also, to make me feel better -- do any of you get extreme anxiety when watching suspenseful movies?

anyway, onto the big show: a two-part picture-post! woot woot

HALLOWEEN PARTY NUMERO UNO
is that not The.Sexiest face you've ever seen?
michael's whole gang
the todd is down in the hood
this is greg...a totally white lawyer in a totally awesome chollo costume
ooooh, menacing

what's the plural of chollo? chollos? cholli?
me & a NINJA (& a cute one too)

WATER FIELD TRIP TO WALNUT CANYON
michael's artistry
learning about the canyon
hiking...hiking...hiking
we found poop here....
little log trapeze artists

i'm off to california bitches! woo-i'm excited!!!

what's your favorite?

listen with caution - the WILL stick in your head::





michael says: "molly is truly outrageous!truly truly truly outrageous!" i love when he puts my name into songs!!
i can't seem to get enough of this show. i feel like a kid - coming home after school/work & watching episodes of JEM. will jerrica ever tell rio her true identity? how come the misfits never get arrested? why doesn't anyone find it odd that these girls all have crazy colored hair in their daily lives? will i ever have another post that doesn't include videos?

check it

ooooooohhhh....it's so pathetic - i totally love edward. almost as much as harry potter. almost. is there a name for the level of nerd i am? i have a feeling that if i tried to come up with a term, it would just make me look worse. (and if there's anything i've learned this week, it's when to cut my losses -- thanks for the life lesson chris!!)

"here's your sign"

about a month ago, michael & i say "Hey! Let's buy our Thanksgiving tickets to Denver, we'll get a good deal!" So we did & our deal was rockin'. And we said to ourselves smugly, "Hoho, we're so smart & on top of things!"

Cut to yesterday---

Chris: "Molly, are you coming to the midnight showing of Twilight? The 21st!"
Molly: "Oooh, yes please! Wait...I'll be in Denver, we're going the 19th for Thanksgiving."
Chris: "Is the 20th Thanksgiving?"
Molly: "Of course!! Hmmm....wait.....is it?"
**Google Search for "Thanksgiving 2008 date" reveals . . . . Nov 27th"
Molly: "Oh! Crap!" (and other explitives)
Chris: "Hahahahahahahahaa!!! So & So, guess what Molly did!! Hahahahahahahaha"

Michael & I did fix our costly little problem, but at the huge expense of our collective intelligence. Thankfully, our good friend Jordan Melnikoff came to visit from the far away land of Seattle. It was super awesome, mostly because Jordan is super awesome. He regaled us with wonderful tales of his trip, told me how great my blog is (and you know how much I love when people read my blog - and like it!), and took Michael out for a wild night on the town. I wish I wasn't so responsible so that I could have run about till all hours too! We've got to visit sometime soon Jordan, perhaps sometime after March Madness; next May maybe?
((jordan is the one behind john))

things i totally love

for right now at least...

1. this guy
especially when he's goes out for a guy's night leaving me to eat taquitos & chocolate in peace.

2. this commercial


I love the way they dance - i so want to learn this

3. the video i found on youtube while looking for #2 (check it, fenner - midget or baby?)


irregardless (yes i know -- it's a quote thank you), it's frickin weird and mesmerizing

4. this other video -- check out the girl's floozy dip at about 7 seconds


5. dr. zoidberg -- last on my list, but certainly not last in my heart. unfortunatly, the internet is a total Zoiberg-block (curse you YouTube - you give me dancing baby/midgets but no Dr. Z?!?), so this is the best I can do

Dear Cowboys,

Remember when we totally kicked your asses Sunday? Remember how your first loss of the season was to your arch-rivals - who are infinitely cooler than you? Remember how Tony Romo is a douche? Didn't that all suck for you? Yeah, I thought so.
Sincerely,
A Redskins Fan

P.S. That's how you play football!

That is the rough draft of a letter I'd like to send to the Cowboys this week; just because I can. If you've got any good trash-talk, let me know. John & Michael are encouraging me to get my own segment on Sundays, trash-talking teams called "That's How You Play Football". I was very please to see that Horton (Hears a Dread) was back in action & that Jim Zorn is such an enthusiastic fellow.

Go ahead, friends, sing the song. You know you want too. And if you don't know it, go HERE - learn it - be prepared to sing it a lot.

at last....this post has come along

....you're lonely blogging days are over.... *nerd, that's me*

Before you begin living vicariously through my vacation, here are some school updates:

• Yesterday was Game & Fish Day at the pond and it was SO MUCH FUN. I had to force the kids to leave to get back to school. My students caught three fish, we got to play around with bones & animal hides, saw very large alive birds, and got goodies at the end. NOTE to Game & Fish: Next year, pre-roll your posters & have just examples out, so they can say which one & it's already ready. Fenner, it's on the blog, it has been decreed, make it happen!
• We're going to Beaver Creek tomorrow. It's my turn to be totally in charge & I'm pretending to be cool about it. I'll let you know how it goes.
• I finally put in all my paperwork to move over on the pay scale!
  

anyway, new mexico was a blast, except for the 24 hour period of me puking (don't ask - stomach flu and/or lambic beer poisoning) And specially for Jen, this re-cap will be picture centric:

who doesn't love a road trip? we do!!

feeding michael sonic shake like a baby birdie
we drove all night. and by 'we', i mean 'they'
someone was felling trees; we could watch them fall & BOOM
chillen on the deck
hanging out in the grass with tilly
trying with all my might to get the axe into the wood
learning how to throw an axe
action shot
woot
john did it too! michael's picture is forbidden on the internets
anna mae's turn
grillin'
pre-sickness
playing fetch
boone aka boonedoggle aka t. boone pickens
tyler's home, which is on stilts
the main event! bullseyes & 3rd place for t.d.johnson!!!
enthralled in the action
new found friends...literally they were new & we found them & we made friends
our host family (kinda sounds like aliens, but just cute people with cute dogs)
the great way of life
i give new mexico two thumbs up

jen, i sincerly hope you appreciate all the effort that goes into a picture post such as this. reward me accordingly.

molly out!

PS. KRISSY-POO I LOVE YOU