You know where that is, Poppin' Fresh? It's on the wrong side of the tracks.

BEST.VALENTINES.DAY.EVER.

Exhibit A: A surprise from my "secret admirer" aka the coolest girl at my work

Exhibit B: My candlelit dinner

 (consisting of steak, baked potato, strawberry cheesecake,strawberries,sparkling cider..and some Tracey Chapman on my iPhone)

Exhibit C: 

70 degree weather. 

Exhibit D:

 One super hot foot soaking with my new peppermint foot scrub.

 My feet feel so smooth and they smell like Christmas!

Exhibit E: New pics of Darren Criss. Oh. My.Gosh.

It's been a great Valentine's Day.

 I hope all of yours were thrilling and romantic and everything of which you've ever dreamed!

Lori Ann

It's Valentines Eve, People...do you know where your chocolates are?

It feels like another Random Thoughts Night!

Let's do this thing! 

I got "Tiny Dancer" for free on itunes

. For FREE, people! 

I've been lost in "I just got an iPhone" world for a few days.

 I am back now.

I made chicken pot pie tonight.

 It was so-so. 

What should I make myself for Valentines Dinner tomorrow night?

 Ohhh..maybe I'll have a candle lit dinner!

I make it a point to do stuff for myself, even though I'm single.

 I got tired of waiting for some man to do it for me so..

I buy myself flowers.

I make myself fancy dinners.

and this year..

I'm buying myself some diamonds. 

It's kind of an awesome year to be in relationship with myself!

Erin has given me permission to obsess about Glee.

 It's my new Dawsons Creek.

It feels like spring here.

 Thank you, South, for living up to all of my dreams of a breezy, almost snow free winter.

 i <3 you!

Lori Ann

Hey, this is Phil. Leave me a message, or don't, but do me a favor: don't text me, it's gay.

Today was the day. 

I traded in my blackberry for my brand new sweet sweet iPhone. 

Unfortunately, I had to sign away my soul to the devil (Verizon) for another two years. 

A small price to pay to be able to YouTube my favorite 'suprised kitty' videos while standing in line at the grocery store. 

Oh snap.

Lori Ann

Random Thoughts: the Wednesday Night (hoping for snow) Edition

Today I got a fortune cookie with no fortune. 

This would fuel my anti-China sentiment to new heights..if I had any anti-China sentiment.

Which I don't. 

So, and as usual, I blame YOU, Canada.

I could not stop talking about how hot Darren Criss is today. 

I talked about it with my intern. 

I talked about it with my co-workers
(male and female).

And...shamefully...I talked about it with my clients.

I am getting an iPhone tomorrow

. At 7 am.

Oh Snap!

Unless it snows. 

Lori Ann

I'm very important. I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany

Oh my gosh, people.

I have sunk to a new low.

As many of you do not know, I don't have cable. 

Trust me, this is for the best. 

I already spend about 11 hours a day on the Internet and staring out into space mindlessly.

Cable would be the ruin of me.

However, I am DYING.

Yes, probably literally dying, because I cannot watch Glee. 

I know its on Hulu the next day, but that is not soon enough for me.

Which brings us to the new low I haven sunken to.

I just spent the last hour reading people's twitter feeds to determine what was happening in the episode.

Oh the shame.

How has it come to this? 

And talk about an exercise in frustration!

Remember when TVs were older and you sometimes got channels, but they were fuzzy, so you smacked the TV to get them to come in better?

That is what it feels like to "watch" a TV episode via Twitter.

 You think you know what's happening, but you can't be absolutely sure.

So, to all my favorite Glee peeps, I am excited/sad/angry/happy/confused about what happened on tonight's show! 

And I guess I'll be watching it on Hulu tomorrow:)

Lori Ann

p.s.- I made pork chops for the first time in my life tonight!

 Oh Snap!
 (that's my new phrase. A lot of people were using it on their twitter feeds..oh snap!)

The Post a Decade in the Making!

Exactly one decade ago today, I entered the MTC.

This is what I wrote in my journal that night.

(you have to click on it)

I had no idea what was in store for me.

 The craziest, longest, shortest, funniest, most tedious, back breaking, testimony building, painful, joyful, terrible, wonderful 18 months of my life. 

Which brings me to YET another new feature on my blog:

 THIS WEEK IN MISSION HISTORY. 

Every once in a while- between antiquing, obsessing about Glee, and plots for world domination, I will be posting passages from my mission journal. 

Because, y'all..it does not get more dramatic than this journal. 

 The mission brings out your crazy.

 And this journal is a tribute to that. 

I dedicate this post to the people of the Illinois, Chicago mission.

Thank you for converting me. 

Hermana Hinsdale

To Elizabeth Mae, on the Occasion of her 5th Birthday

It's a day early, but since she announced to me that she is "ALREADY 5" I doubt that my niece Elly will mind her blog tribute being a little early.

I have never met anyone like Elly

. And that is after about 10 years working with dementia, schizophrenia, and every Axis 1 mental health diagnosis known to man.

No, Elly is a whole different kind of crazy.

She loves animals and bossing her siblings.

She says the funniest things but demands that we take her seriously.

 She thinks she is a princess, but is the first to jump into the mud.

She dresses half princess, half grandma.

 She believes in aliens and makes crazy wishes

 She bakes for the people she loves.

She is a miracle and I can't imagine my life without her.

Check out 69 seconds of the Elly magic for yourself! 

(aka see the video below)

Aunt Lori