Wait. Kan That Be Write? {Ed. 1}

Oh my. Remind me to never accept food from one of her plastic place settings. 

(Plastic bowel? Four times, people! I'll give her a pass about "hte micorwave," however.)

I wonder who Oliver Garden is and what in the world he wants with sweet and kindly Marilyn Hagerty.

Poor Meredith Vieira. Her show will be seen in only 27 U.S. households? Only 27? Are you sure? That's just plain sad.

Steven Colbert not only quips, but he gets equipped as well! Lucky duck!

 Psshhaw! Charity yard sales, charity hard sales. They're all the same thing, right? 

BOOYAH! That's some mighty fine college edjucasion these Notre Dame kids are getting these days!

*Please note that, as always, I am laughing WITH these bloopers and not AT them. I defiantly no that I dew my own share of foie gras. 

As If He Isn't Already Happy Enough!

Didja all catch this news? The second annual World Happiness Report, released Monday, finds the highest levels of happiness in Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Sweden, all in northern Europe. Go, Sweden!

"We can choose to be happy or sad. We can choose to be blown in the wind or to steer the boat by using the wind. I learned that life is so full of choices and we have the power to choose any of them. And when we make the right choices we are happy. So simple."

--Aldste Christian Sagers

Let's Check In with the Shoes

It has been quite a while since I shared this awesome calendar with you guys! Once again, thanks tons and tons, Ash, Jordan, and Kimball! I look at that calendar every single day, and when I do, two things happen in my brain: 1) I think about Ashley, Jordan, and Kimball and how much I love them, and 2) I get a hankerin' for a new pair of shoes. 

Number 2 up there doesn't do my credit card any favors, believe you me. But, while we're on the subject, just wait until you see the daahhhhling boots that the UPS man delivered the other day! YEEHAW!

Anywho, let's check in with last weekend's shoes, shall we?:

That pair up there with the pompoms reminds me of a pompom-trimmed poncho my sweet mom made for me when I was about ten years old. I loved that poncho with all of my heart! It looked something like this:

Umm, except the poncho was red and not black. And, the pompoms were green and not red. And, it was actually a poncho and not a hat.

This is Epic. Please Watch.

Sean had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend a professional soccer game between Mexico and Honduras at a stadium in Mexico City which seats over 100,000. He filmed and edited this awesome video documenting the event.

Can you figure out who won?

Epic.

I Cawwwn't See! (Apply High-Society-ish Accent)

I couldn't resist snapping these hilarious photos of Kimball just as we were saying our sad farewells the morning he and Ash left to fly home. 

"I cawwwn't see!" -- Jim Backus

Our family has a favorite movie which has been declared among our top three favorite comedies of all time. I think I can speak for all of us on that point. Even though the photos above having nothing to do with this particular movie, can you name the movie from the title of this post?

{Hint: The movie debuted in 1963--much before my time, of course.}

Did you guess the movie? See if you were right! While the scene below isn't the one referenced in the title of this post, it is still pretty dingdong funny! Love, love, love this movie. With all of my heart. Love it.

Spot the Differences!

I received the photo on the left from Christian in this week's email. A fellow missionary mom from our private "Swedish Mish-O-Nary Moms" Facebook page received the photo on the right from her missionary son. See if you can spot at least five differences between the photos! Aw, c'mon! Just humor this mom who misses her son like the dickens! 

By the way, these photos were taken to show that Christian is now a grandpa in missionary reckoning. See, he trained the guy standing behind him who then in turn trained the two missionaries flanking Christian. Thus, Christian is now a grandfather! 

And, that odd pose? I think Christian was trying to convey that old-timey, serious look of Wilford Woodruff's era or some such. The kid on the right looks like he was just happy to be there regardless of his ancestry.

UPDATE--This is a comment left by my sister, Rexine, on Facebook. See if you can beat that! No, really, see if you can!: 

The standing Elder is showing teeth on the right photo; The Elder on the left has a difference in left hand positions; The seated Elder on the right is showing his left hand in one and not the other--as well as the watch is more visible in one;. Christian's head changes positions slightly; and the Elder on the left is showing a little shirt on the belly on the right side photo. Prize?

My response: 

WOWZA, Rex! Very, very good! By my count, you found six differences, and I think that deserves an A+! So, umm, yeah. The prize. Uhhhhhh, lemme see what I have in the back of the pantry here *rustlerustle* ummm, how about some Krusteaz Pancake Mix? Will that do? Ooh, I also have some lasagna noodles. Or! I know! I have a 50 lb. bag of Japanese rice! I just know you will love that! Great! 

Boys Night Out

Just two wild and crazy guys, out and about, painting the town red . . . .

Expert Fashion Advice: Always Color Coordinate Your Outfit with Your Destination!

 Hey, gang! It's me, your self-appointed fashion adviser! What makes me such an authority on fashion, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. See, I watch "The Chew" almost every single weekday. Clinton Kelly is one of the hosts of "The Chew." And since Clinton Kelly hosted "What Not to Wear" for ages, and now he hosts "The Chew," and I watch "The Chew" almost every single day, that makes me more than qualified to be your self-appointed fashion adviser. Got that? Makes perfect sense to me. 

So, enough about me. Let's talk about what you think about me. Ha! No, seriously. Let's talk about my fashion advice to always color coordinate your outfits to your destination. Three good things happen when you do that: 

1) It is easier to blend into the decor if members of that pesky paparazzi try to scout you out; 

2) If said paparazzi does scout you out (and, they will, I should know), the resulting photos may land you in the next issue of Suburbanites Gone Wild (and, believe it or not, that's not necessarily a good thing); and, 

3) Even though you run the risk of appearing to be trying too hard by coordinating your fashion with your environment, you will at least appear to be trying. 

Kimball navigated with great aplomb that fine line of matching his environment and his clothing choices without overdoing it! Check! out! this! cute! boy! Love the yellow and red shirt and shoes tie-in with the yellow and red flowers!

Now, these folks below? Uhhhhhhh, I think that very fine line of trying too hard might have been crossed just a leeeeetle bit. What do you think? But then again, maybe it's just me. I just don't know, people.

Are you all okay after that? Good. Now I'm going to put you to work to try to scout out our two little mascots hanging out somewhere in the photo below. And, looky there! None of us match! Sometimes individuality is a very, very good thing.

¡Sagers hermano es tan guapo!

Yes, that Sean is a handsome young man, isn't he?  

Sean was able to take one of his districts of missionaries to the Mexico City Temple. Something tells me he didn't have to use his "mean teacher" voice to keep these people in line.

 

Sean said he ventures out and eats some of the street food quite often because it is super-duper tasty. So far, so good. But, remember . . . Mexico is the city of Montezuma's Revenge. Oh.

What does one do when there is no pocket available for a name tag, I wonder? Make up for it with an enthusiastic smile!

Photos That Just Dropped In My Lap

These photos showed up on Facebook yesterday, posted by Christian's mission president's wife. I just love it when that happens!

This group of wonderful missionaries represents the Stockholm Zone with Christian and his companion serving as the zone leaders. Can you see our tall and happy elder in the back row? Love that kid.

Here is Christian with President and Sister Newell's son who just returned from his mission in France. To prove that we live in a small, small world, Elder Newell served in France with Christian's first cousin, Ryan, who also happens to be one of Elder Newell's best friends. Crazy!

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!

On a lovely evening last week we took a nice little stroll on the Murdock Canal Trail. Actually, we strolled while Kimball left us behind as we ate his dust. He's a force, that one.

Look at this little Tour de France wanna-be go! He's simply following in his Uncle Christian's tire tracks, mastering two-wheeling without training wheels last summer when he was merely three, mirroring how his Uncle Christian knocked our socks off with riding sans training wheels at the tender age of two and three-fourths. Meanwhile, I can barely stay upright on a tricycle :)

Everything Went Swimmingly Well!

Our extremely generous across-the-street neighbors offered up their backyard pool for us to use whenever the fancy strikes us while Ashley and Kimball are here. Goodness to pete, people, sometimes folks can be so very, very kind. Makes me want to show more kindness in my own life. 

Anywho, Ashley and Kimball had an epic battle with a certain wicked queen (the basketball hoop on the side of the pool) with Kimball directing all of the action and carrying the storyline full tilt. It was darling. He is darling. Ashley is darling. 

I love them so.

(Click on photo to enlarge)

                        

Montezuma's Revenge!

Seanie said that he visited a very awesome museum in Mexico City which displays all sorts of ancient artifacts and relics. 

Here we see Seanie wearing a gift from the Aztec emperor, Montezuma. Looks like it is weighing down his neck a bit!

This artifact comes from one of the ancient temples and is centuries old. Sean says that there are even bigger pieces on display. Can you imagine the heavy lifting here?

Sean was able to attend a session at the Mexico City Temple. He says that the Aztec influence is very prominent in the decor and construction. Isn't he a handsome gringo?!!!

Note to Sean: Keep the pics coming!

One more thing: I love you so!

The Music of the Night

A while ago, we treated Grandpa Richard, Grandma Pauline, Marian, and Sean to BYU's production of "The Phantom of the Opera." 

Oh. My. Word. People. 

Talk about stellar! Talk about production value! Talk about talent! Talk about a rather creepy storyline! jk. We loved it! Every minute of it! 

To start the evening off on the right "note" (ha!), we dined out with our good buddy-boy (and now forever lost to us forever *sniff*) Aldolpho. See if you can spot him whoopin' it up, trying to be the center of attention, as is was his way.

Here is another "Where is Waldo?" pic, except this time you need to find the lurking Phantom of the Opera. Look hard!

Sorry for the bad resolution. The lighting was great on the stage but rotten in the peanut gallery.

Dave was getting into it big time. Who knew he had a hankering to play to the balcony? Huh. Ya learn somethin' new every day.

As if it were a foreshadowing of things to come, Sean actually pulled off a fantastic Phantom of the Opera at Grandma and Grandpa's annual Halloween party. And, no, he did not wear his Phantom of the Opera outfit to the play. (These other two hooligans standing with him may or may not have worn their outfits out and about, however. But, you didn't hear that from me . . . .)

It was a great evening out with awesome company, a terrific show, and Aldolpho channeling Kilroy. Wonder what Aldolpho is up to these days in Australia. Probably surfing.

¡Adiós, mi muchacho precioso!

Seanie is off to do what he does best: Inspire love, show genuine and sincere empathy, teach righteous and good principles, serve others, lend a listening ear, bear others' burdens, provide a soft place for a hurting heart, all while acting in Christ-like ways. Always. Goodness to pete, I love this boy with all of my heart!

The elders and sisters at the MTC in Mexico City don't have a clue (but will soon learn!) what a blessing they have in Brother Sagers! Three months is probably going to speed by for Sean but will seem pretty much like three years for me!

Adios, my muchacho precioso. ¡Te quiero!

Here we have a mashup of Mexico mixed with a little bit of Cougar Nation, flanked by a bit of Americana. I like it!

Can you spy a little redhead up there with Hermano Sagers?

Whoa. We're getting serious now!

Wait. Did Sean go to Mexico or Madrid?

Stunning! Oh. And the cathedral is pretty spiffy too :)

¡Disfruta de cada minuto de su estancia, Seanie!

Gimme Your Best Caption!

Okay dokey! It's "Write Your Best Caption" time once again! 

Check out this adorable pic of Kimball taken after we saw "Aladdin" at the Hale Center Theater. Take a clooooose look. See Kimball's expression just there? What in sam hill do you suppose was going through Kimball's noggin at the time? Let's hear it!

You Ain't Never Had a Friend Like Me!

Our fantastic Hale Center Theater did it again and delivered another winner! This year's youth production was "Aladdin," and goodness to pete, people, the show was absolutely stellar! From the costumes to the acting, from the singing to the special effects, everything was done with top-notch professionalism and precision. No corners were cut and there wasn't a clinker in the bunch! We loved every minute of it!

Kimball might have been just a tad intimidated by Jafar, but not so much that he wouldn't hold Jafar's magical staff! I think Kimball is feeling the power here, don't you?

 The actor playing Genie was Robin-Williams-ish-hilarious! He was absolutely perfect for the part! This was the only character in the entire show played by an adult, but it was pretty obvious he had no problems letting his inhibitions go and acting like a kid--if you know what I mean . . . .

Hey! Let's play, "One of these things is not like the other!" Ready? Go!

Last year's production was "Sleeping Beauty." Also a fantastic show! See if you can spot a couple of similarities in these two pics below! Anyone? Anyone?

I have a caption challenge involving a photo from this outing coming up next time, so be sure to check back for that fun!!!