31 Awesome Things in 31 Days: Thing #10—Express Gratitude Through Cookies

Classic Molly. I wish I had the lips to pull off that pout.

Coming home to Lubbock was a bit dismal. Small black ants had moved into our kitchen while we were gone, and the mouse that David and I had guided out of our house a week earlier (David wielding a Swiffer and myself, a broom) had also returned, in spite of the trap we left for it (maybe it doesn't like peanut butter?). We have tried to just grin and bear it, but our trip to Houston was so fun that it is hard to face all the obligations and responsibilities we took a week off from.

We were also exhausted today. Hollie woke early—and cranky—and Dave and I took turns watching her and taking naps until she finally fell asleep herself right about the time we would be heading to church. We decided to let her sleep and went back to sleep ourselves. We spent the rest of the day sleeping, cleaning, and watching Disney's Robin Hood. It wasn't a bad day, but it also wasn't really "awesome."

This evening David went to an extra meeting at church about missionary work (Dave's current responsibility or "calling" in our local congregation is to work with the full-time "elders" or Mormon missionaries in our area. It is a lot of fun, but also a sort of heavy responsibility, and we're always wishing we could put aside more time to do a better job). While he was gone, I put Hollie to bed. David and I had talked about how the most awesome thing we could do today is just start saying thank you to all the good people of Lubbock who have helped us out recently (the list is long, and we are terrible at putting off thank you cards, mostly because we always want to thank people in epic ways and then never have time for "epic").

So I turned on Pretty in Pink and made some cookies for a family who have really gone above and beyond for us in recent weeks, and who even drove out to the airport when we returned home last night so Dave could return our rental car and we could forgo having to put Hollie back in her carseat after our nine-hour car ride earlier in the day. Plus, they turned on our sprinkler for us while we were gone, and the weeds growing in the backyard would certainly have died otherwise.

When Dave got home, I sent him off again with cookies, and then we ate the remaining ones and finished Pretty in Pink. Here are three things I have to say about that film:

1. Duckie is seriously the better catch than Blaine. That lip sync in the record store is hot. Most of my friends know my feelings about this and agree with me, but it can't be said enough. You should have stuck with Duckie at the prom that night, Molly! You just should have!
2. James Spader—also hot, in a terrible, terrible way. And how lovely to have the androgynous name of "Stef" only to be dating the equally sexy and terrible "Bennie," who is female. It's just perfect casting and perfect names. Furthermore, how can you take Stargate seriously if you've seen Pretty in Pink? James Spader is such a doof in Stargate. Don't tell my mom or my husband, but I hate that film.
3. Annie Potts will always make me want to watch Ghostbusters. I love her.
4. Okay, I actually have four things to say. I will watch and love anything with Molly Ringwald in it, and I wish wish wish wish wish there was a way that I could dress up as her for Halloween some year, but I just don't have the lips or the hair for it. I really want to dress as Molly Ringwald from The Breakfast Club and have David dress up as Judd Nelson, but I clearly would only be able to pull off an Ally Sheedy. Which is fine. But I'd rather be Ringwald.

Anyway, we have awesome friends and awesome family, and I'm glad that our night consisted of bringing cookies to the cookie-less in addition to disinfecting our kitchen floors with vinegar and Lysol.

To end, here is a video I took in Houston of Jon getting Hollie to dance by making her baby dance (not unlike a tiny voodoo doll, to be completely honest). If I were a real technological genius, I would have edited out my awful voice and cackle but I am no such genius. Hopefully my family will appreciate this video, though. It should be noted that this dancing went on for probably 30 minutes straight. Holls is lucky to have such great aunts and uncles.