Reality {TV}? Check!

I find it humorous, seeing the look on Levi's face as he looks from me, to the TV, then back to me, while "my shows" are on.


Watching my favorite reality TV shows is the most masculine thing I think I've ever done. No, I'm not watching something on Spike and I'm not scratching. . .anything. I think that because when they're on, I don't want to talk and don't want to be talked to. I can {almost} tune everything else out. I don't want Levi to sit next to me with his arm around my shoulders; I need adequate space to physically respond to the show {lean forward in suspense, throw my hands up in disgust, cheer with delight, etc.}

"Why do you like this stuff?" Levi asks.

I look at him like he's got a third eye.

My very cool, very casual {very sarcastic} response is, "It makes me feel better about my own life."

He's expecting such a feminine remark and acknowledges it with an exaggerated eye-roll. I look back at him with a smirk that oozes, "You had it comin', buddy."

But it got me thinking -- why do I like these shows? There's no educational value. And when I try to describe what the shows are actually about, even I have a hard time finding enough words to validate them {and myself}.

There is no question that I am entertained. I love watching the dynamics of relationships, the different personalities, and how each member of the cast approaches obstacles and stressful situations.

And that's what I think it is. I am constantly comparing the decisions they make with the ones I think I would make. Especially in confrontational situations where heated verbal exchanges take place and both sides either feel passionately about what they're defending or are too prideful to back down.

As I've gotten older, I have developed a violent distaste for game-playing. The kind that sucks life out of a relationship, time out of a day, and days out of a life. So I can appreciate confrontation, when done appropriately. And because confrontation is the very life-blood of reality TV, the more dramatically and viciously it is done, the better the ratings.

I don't necessarily agree with the method, but I agree with the point of it, which is getting things out in the open, tackling them head on, and then moving on, not necessarily as "BFFs", but having stood up for what you believe in, holding another person accountable, and expressing your self-worth as a human-being.

So I like observing the confrontation to see who keeps their cool, who is devouring the person standing before them, who has a good point, who's side, if any, I am drawn to, and to compare the comments that come to my mind to the ones being verbalized.

Easter

It was that time of year again, when the Sunday School kiddos were practicing their songs in preparation for Palm Sunday. Eric and I would sing his songs in the car and he'd listen to them in his room. He knew all the words and promised me over and over that he was going to sing and I was going to love it {yes, he informed me of that}. I will admit that I did get my hopes up. Sadly, my handsome little man must've decided the congregation wasn't ready for such talent and maturely allowed the rest of the kids to do their best. ;)

Eric's on the far left, behind the girl in the pink.

Go Steelheads!

In March, we made a trip to Boise with my family to catch an Idaho Steelheads hockey game! It was Eric's first time and we got great seats!

My dad used to play hockey and has always loved the game and I hadn't been in a long time, so it was a really fun experience for everyone!

And, of course, there were plenty of fights in this particular game, which made it even more fun!




During half-time, my sister LoriAnn, her husband Christian, and myself got to participate in a game on the ice! We were playing against another team of 3. We had to try to bounce rubber balls into a large trash can. No one made a single shot until the very end, when Lori won the game for us! We were given Steelheads t-shirts, rubber hockey pucks, and fun memories!

P is for Pinball & Pug

Eric decided to bring his mini pinball game into the living room and Gracie took immediate interest in it. She would watch the little metal ball rolling and bouncing around with such intensity until she just couldn't stand it anymore.


She would rear back and pounce onto the plastic. When she then realized the plastic was in her way, she would "dig" furiously at it. I was quite impressed with her speed {and a little concerned about the game}.

It was so hilarious to watch. We were all just cracking up! And I don't think Gracie would've stopped "playing" with Eric if I hadn't asked him to finally take it back to his room.

Home Improvement

The beginning of this year, we decided to make some long overdue updates to our house. The walls and carpet had been the same various shades of "white" since the first time I had stepped foot into the house. The carpet had been through a lot and the walls were more suited for a sterile, industrial building with the gray/blue/white color they had been painted.

I couldn't wait.

We ordered the new carpet, my mom and I ordered paint and when the {long, laborious, painstaking, totally worth it} process was complete, the aesthetics of the house went from:

to:

I have to be honest, though -- we're not completely finished yet. I need to finish painting the bathrooms and one small section of the hallway. Then we need to finish painting some of the trim (a lot of that has already been done; it's just labor-intensive and time-consuming). But I really love how everything has turned out.

Sit! Staaaaay...

Eric's Sunday School decided to create a pet board so everyone could see each other's pets and discuss loving and caring for them. Each child was asked to bring in a picture. Eric just looked so handsome one Sunday morning, I asked him to sit next to our pugs. Gracie and Gus were so curious about the camera, but they obeyed very well and I was able to get a wonderful picture of the 3 of them.

My little squirts