Dear Blogger Friends, re: Giveaway

This post has gotten the most views of any post I have ever written.

Ever. In the history of this blog.

More than my On the Soap Box - Single LDS Women post, which had a lot, and has a lot of great comments.

What I am asking is pretty, pretty please will you leave a comment here with some random idea of what I could name my food blog and if I pick your idea I will give you ...something.

Maybe the word something is not enticing enough of a giveaway? Sorry. I'm working on packing and moving my life across country :( I love you all, really, and promise it will be something good. I make headbands and fabric flower hair clips so in all honesty, it will probably be one of those (or maybe two).

I am extending the giveaway until 12:00pm on June 29th, 2011 - So when I get in to good ol' Provo I will have something to do other than unpack. :)

And now for your entertainment, and because it is his birthday, and he doesn't read the blog... maybe... Happy Birthday Scott.

Music Monday - Young Blood

I'm going to kill two birds with one stone this Music Monday. I thought about doing this for Music Monday earlier today and then I got a comment from Sam of Sam and Chas aka Young People in Love on my Progress post and here we are.

Let's just get this out in the open -
I've kind of got a thing for following the blogs of young, trendy, life-loving, thrifty, LDS housewives.

Taza? Yup.

Nienie? You bet. 

Her sister, C. Jane? Right here.

Hue (of Hue and Hum aka Caitlin and Robbie aka her husband is in Fictionist!!! Geek out)? Uh, yes.

Chelsea of Knit Cookies Knits? Oh? You havent heard of her? Chelsea was in my stake back in NY and my counselor at girls camp at least once and now she knits and sells her cute crafts and decorates her home all cute. It's all just cute. So here you go, here's my plug for a lesser known Mormon, Blogging, Crafty Housewife.

Well today I was reading Young People in Love and Sam posted the video below. I love the song, Young Blood by The Naked and Famous. Their music video is okay, it's more the song I like and I had planned on using it for an upcoming Music Monday but seeing the video of the Young People in Oregon I decided I'd use this instead.

Hope that's kosher...? :)

On the Soap Box - Happy Valentine's Day

I don't remember when it started, but somewhere in the last 21.5 years I have fallen in love with love. For all intents and purposes I will blame one, Samantha Kealoha, and you know why. I think out of the trio she was the one most set on never letting us forget Valentine's Day. February 14th never passed without us celebrating in properly. Thanks, dear.

However, on the SVU campus we have a disease called "Im-going-to-celebrate-singles-awareness-day-and-not-Valentines-Day-because-Im-single". Personally, I want to know where this came from. I never heard of Singles Awareness Day until my freshman year at SVU when girls ran around on 2.14 with "SAD" shirts on. Really? This year, in our schools newspaper publication (for which I manage the finances) had our Valentines Issue come out without me really... looking at it before hand. Since some of you do not go to SVU or are not close enough to campus to check it out, I'll sum it up for you - One article was "A Single Girls Guide to an Anti-Valentines Day Celebration".

What?!

Since when is being single a reason to not like Valentine's Day? Since when are women now so controlled by their relationship status that if they are not with someone they automatically feel the desire... nay, right to wallow in self-pity for 24 hours. I do have a friend with a great excuse for preferring SAD to Valentine's but the rest of you have no excuse, sorry.

Valentine's Day may be a holiday that is highly commercialized. It may be a day that kind of makes you sick from all the excessive pda couples feel they can show because its Valentine's Day but you know what? Its a great day!

It is a day to remember love. All kinds of love. Love from your parents, and to them. Love for the rest of your family. Love for the best friends that are so fantastic you just spent nearly $500 for a plane ticket (and you hate flying) just so you can see them. Is it wrong if I say this is even a day to remember the greatest gift of love, ever, The Atonement. No.

It is a day to love.

To remember love, to share love, to be obnoxious about love with construction paper hearts and thickly iced cookies, to dance around with your best friend at the last Valentine's dance you'll be in the same state for.

Off the soapbox.

:)

Now for some pictures of my last few Valentine's celebrations in Virginia.

Freshman Year - Sadie Hawkins Dance

Sophomore Year - Brayden & I broke up and then got back together on Valentines Day
Looking back, especially at this photo, Im not suprised we broke up two weeks later
:)

Senior Year - At the SVU Valentines Day Rave with Mal

Senior Year - Valentines Day
Celebrating National Creeper Day (take 2) with some of my FHE "Kids"

All in all, some really fun times have been had.