Thankful

This week has been downright crappy. I won't go in to too much detail, but just know that I have been miserable. So, in order to remedy the foul mood that has accompanied my bad week, I am blogging about a few of the many things that I am thankful for. Here goes:

1. Cam - I don't know what I would do without Cam. I don't know what I did for 24 out of my 29 years without Cam. He is my best friend. He cooks. He's plays music, and very well, I might add. He's very smart. He has a retarded sense of humor that matches mine perfectly. He has such a calming presence when I get all worked up and psychotic. He is one of the kindest people I know. And he loves me, even though he has to put up with a lot from me. I am so lucky.

2. Family/Friends - I am blessed with a big, fun extended family. I love the family that I grew up with, and I was lucky enough to marry into a wonderful family who I love, very much. And I'm lucky because so many of my family are my friends. And those who are my friends, I consider family. See how lucky I am? I'm lucky because I have 3 "best friends." How many people can say that? So, Mama, Cam, and Joey, thanks for being my BFFs! I have friends from work, friends from school (many who I have "rediscovered" in the past few months via the internet. Ain't technology great?), random friends I've met along the way...and I love you all! For my friends who have been especially fabulous this past week, and you know who you are...I love ya!

3. My Job - Some days it's hard to get up and come to work. Some days I get bored. Some days I'm so busy I want to rip my hair out of my head. Some days people are mean (I'm sure they don't try to be...). But this week I've been thankful for my awesome team. They have been very kind to me, and they are a fun group to work with and get to know. I have one teammate who is like sunshine. If I am ever feeling frustrated or ornery, all I have to do is step into her office for 5 minutes and I feel happy. I'm lucky to have such an awesome and understanding boss. I have a cube-mate who is so cool. She makes work fun. I also love my lunch crew. It's such a welcome break during the day. We have great conversations and laugh with each other. And I have to say, that I'm thankful for paid sick days.

4. Seasons - I love living in Utah. I love that we get all four seasons. Sometimes they may not last very long, but I love them all the same. I love the beauty and variety that each season brings. Yes, I even love the snow! Bring it on! After all, if the snow gets too hard to handle, we just take a 4 hour drive in a southerly direction, and it's practically summer!

5. Books - I love books. I love to read. I love escaping the real world from time to time, getting lost in a good book. I would hate to live in a world with no books.

See? Life's not so bad.

I'm Wicked...

So I've been wanting to get tickets to see NKOTB. Like, bad. I'm a little ridiculous.

But last Friday, I realized that Broadway trumps teeny bopper boy-band crushes, so...sorry boys! I'm going to WICKED!!! Tickets came in the mail yesterday. SO EXCITED!

So...it's really no secret that I love my Utah Jazz. It's also no secret that I work for the company that sponsors the Jazz Dancers. It might be a secret that as an employee of said company I occasionally get some sweet deals on Jazz tickets. I got tickets to the season opener on October 28th. I was very excited. Cameron, Patrick, Stacy, Jill, and I were all excited to go...but we had one extra ticket. Stacy and I decided that we would invite Brianne to go with us. According to Brianne, it was her "life's dream" to see a Jazz game in person. So, we got permission for her to stay out late on a school night, and off we went to see our Jazz.

Brianne and me

Cam n' Pat

Sass and Jill

It was seriously one of the funnest nights I can remember! We all enjoyed ourselves, but Brianne was hilarious! She had so much fun! After the Jazz beat the Denver Nuggets, we lagged behind the crowds to take some pictures at the ESA. We decided to go down and watch the KJazz Post Game Show being filmed. While we were standing there, Thurl Bailey's security guard came overf and asked us if we wanted to meet Thurl. Of course, we were like, "YES!!!" So after a few minutes he waved us over. I walked over with Brianne and it was so sweet how the bodyguard was sooo sweet to Brianne. He was chatting with her about basketball, and I think he was surprised to learn that Brianne is 15. He actually asked her if all of the noises and lights and people scared her. She was like, "Dude, I've been around basketball my whole life." Anyway...after another few minutes, Thurl waved us over, and he was so cute how he bent down to talk to Brianne. I was snapping pictures, totally star struck! He posed for some pictures with Brianne, and then we handed the camera to the security guard and us girls posed for one. Again, I'm totally star struck! And he was soooo incredibly nice! He really is a good guy, and so soft spoken for such a big guy.

Big T and Little B

After meeting Big T, we decided to take Brianne to the side of the ESA to wait where the players exit in their sweet rides. It was so hilarious to watch Brianne, Stacy, and Jill completely freak out and lose all control when Kyle Korver drove out. He got swarmed, of course, so he didn't really stop, but you would have thought he proposed marriage to all three of them! It was so funny! The last two players to leave were Ronnie Brewer and CJ Miles. Brianne of course shmoozed with security, and they, of course, fell in love with her, so when Ronnie and CJ came out, they all but shoved everyone out of the way so Brianne could get right up next to their cars. They were so cute with her! They were like hanging out of their cars to see her. Ronnie was with his mom and dad, and they were making cute comments to Brianne, too. We got them to sign our tickets, and they used Jill's pen, so she wouldn't let any of us even touch the pen all of the way home.

Ronnie saying, "What's up," to Brianne

CJ (cut off...oops!) and Brianne

So we had a blast! It was a completely different experience for me from any other Jazz game I've been to, and it was mostly thanks to Brianne! You gotta love it, baby!