It just won't die!

So this thing about ripping phone books in half just won't die!

My friend Julia said that she and her husband, Jeremy, were reading the blog today and got inspired to try ripping a phone book in half for themselves. To my great surprise (and Nathan's great chagrin), Julia did THIS:
That just made my day.

If anyone else has any phone-book-tearing stories or pictures, send them my way! I will reveal your greatness to the world (via the blog).

Please Don't Laugh at Me . . .

So my most excellent friend, Courtney, put up the most excellent blog post the other day, and I'm going to blatantly steal it.

So here's what we're going to do. We are going to get to know the REAL US. Post a comment that starts with, "Please don't laugh at me, but I . . ." Most likely, it'll be something that you really love to do (or have a quirky need to do) but haven't told your friends or family for fear of being made fun of. Will this be fun? Yes. Will it be slightly embarrassing? Yes. (The best ones are.) But if you're brave enough, you'll play along.

Here are some examples of awesome responses:
--"I came out of the NASCAR closet a few years ago. A bunch of us were sitting in a restaurant after high school camp, when the conversation among the guys turned to the race that was happening that afternoon. Someone asked if anyone knew about an incident in which several drivers got fined, suspended, etc. I blurted out what the NASCAR officials had decided, and I got this look--"Do you like NASCAR??" I had been a closet NASCAR fan for a while. No longer. This is the real me."
--"Please don't laugh at me, but when I go to the grocery store, I have to buy things in either 2's or 3's. For example, one week I may be 2 of everything...the next week I may be 3 of everything! About the only thing I don't buy in multiples is milk and prescription drugs!"
--"Please don't laugh at me, but after Jackson was born I went through a long phase of watching Days of Our Lives. My favorite characters from when I was in high school - Carrie and Austin - were back in the story after several years. The Lord made me stop watching, but I got to watch their final scene when they rode into the sunset and finally told off Sami once and for all. It was glorious."
--"Please don't laugh at me but.....I have...on occasion....ironed my dollar bills."

And for fairness' sake, here is mine:
Please don't laugh at me, but have you seen the movie "Stranger than Fiction" with Will Ferrell and Emma Thompson? Well, you know how he's a total accountant nerd whose nature it is to count his steps and measure every aspect of his life? Well, as a kid, I was like that. I counted steps, I counted seconds, I was methodical, I looked for patterns in raindrops on the car window, I got a secret kick out of discovering numerical coincidences, etc. I was always ticking things off in my head. That kind of went away in college, though, and has nearly completely disappeared at this point, although I do still unconsciously count the number of rings on the other end of the phone. (I also still eat around the edge of my hamburgers and cookies before eating the middle, but I think that has more to do with the fact that the middle is the best part, and you should always save the best for last.)

Get to posting! I'm waiting! Now you know the real me, and you OWE me a good one!

Benz!

I am so pumped! I just found out that Mercedes has redesigned their C-class, and I LOVE the new sport version. Check it out:

http://www.mbusa.com/microsite/c-class/index.do

(For those of you who are confused about why I am checking out Mercedes, I'll explain. When you reach a certain point in Arbonne, they give you a free white Mercedes. Not too shabby!)

Prep for Patriots' Day

So I bet many of you have never heard of Patriots' Day. Well, neither had I, before my first April in Massachusetts.

It's basically a huge Massachusetts holiday, commemorating the battle of Lexington/Concord, which started the Revolutionary War. Most people in MA have the day off from work, but that's not one of Harvard's holidays, so Nathan and I have never done anything for Patriots' Day before. However, it is a pretty big deal up here. Sort of like the Rodeo in Houston. It's a big cultural event, in part because it's also the day the Boston Marathon is held, which is also a huge deal. I have the day off this year, and I'm so pumped! We're trying to decide how to spend it.

The Boston Marathon is truly an event. Since so many people have the day off, it's very well attended--there are huge crowds the whole way along it, from what I understand, especially near the finish line, which I think is in Copley Square (in the Back Bay). Also, not just anyone can run in the Boston Marathon. You actually have to qualify for it. You have to have run in other marathons, I think, and send in your times. My friend, Brittany, ran it with her twin sister a few years ago. And to win it is a huge deal. It's usually some African runner. :) Our friends the Preskenises used to have a Marathon Monday brunch at their house every year, but unfortunately they've moved to Texas. I bet they miss that tradition!

So Nathan and I have been trying to decide what we're going to do for the holiday, and we think we've decided to go to Lexington bright and early to see the reenactment! Ha! I'm actually really looking forward to it. We're going to borrow some friends' bikes and ride up the Minuteman Trail (a 7-8 mi. bike route that leads from near our house all the way to Lexington), then arrive (hopefully) in time for the reenactment, which begins at 6am. That is WAY early for us, but it sounds like a lot of fun! That is exactly the New Englandy type of thing we have not done yet but would like to. I mean, when is the next time we're going to attend a battle reenactment? Especially a 232 year old one?

I ran across this website the other day when I googled the reenactment and thought it was kind of fun: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/patriotsday/sfeature/sf_meet.html

Don't worry. I'm sure we'll take lots of pictures of these Revolutionary War fanatics if we go. :)

Actually, I wonder about the lives of these people after looking at that last website. I mean, it's a real committment to do such a thing. To be fitted for costumes, acquire all the right accessories, grow out your mustache, learn how to shoot a musket, rehearse where you're supposed to stand (and die) on the battlefield, practice acting dead, etc. ;) It must be quite a hobby. I think it'd be fun if you were really into history.

P.S. I'm having trouble getting the link to info on the reenactment to work. If you can't load the page, go to http://ci.lexington.ma.us/Selectmen/Documents/2007%20Patriots and click on "2007 Patriots' Day Schedule."

Brown/Spring/Easter

I was sick of the brown! So I updated the blog's template. Enjoy the color. It goes with spring, I think.

Speaking of spring, when is it coming??? We've had a few 60-degree days, but I could count them on one hand. This whole week it's not getting out of the 40's, and it's cloudy and drizzly. Stink!!

I think Easter Sunday will be sunnier, though. How appropriate!

Speaking of Easter, when I was a little girl, my mom always bought me an Easter dress to wear on Easter Sunday. Every Easter, I feel like I need to be wearing a new flowy, pastel, feminine dress, or else something is not right.

I'm interested in knowing which traditions you have like that - the ones you thought were insignificant but that you miss if they don't happen. Add a comment if you have one.

April Arbonne Specials

Miranda Burcham, an amazing mentor in my upline, reached the highest level in Arbonne recently. Check out her success story online: http://www.arbonne.com/company/opportunity/people/eoa.asp?vp=burcham_mnvp
Can you guess what the average monthly income is for a National Vice President? Try $31k! Is that nuts or what? The average amount of time it takes to reach that level is 4 years (avg taken across the company).


20% Off Figure 8 Vanish Set
Lose your dimples, and still have plenty to smile about!
Visibly smooth the appearance of cellulite with this advanced formula that visually tones and tightens the skin, and watch as your fitness goals take “shape.” Get the Figure 8 Vanish™ Vanishing Act Set (Pre-Shower Cellulite Scrub & Contouring Cellulite Cream), regularly $85, for only $68 all month in April.
https://www.arbonne.com/shop_online/showCatalog.asp?category=23

Awaken Sea Salt Scrub for $10.50

This is my clients' favorite aromatherapy product! If you've tried it, you know why! It smells lovely, like lemon and roses. I personally use it on my arms and legs in the shower almost every day, and not only does it smell wonderful, but it also exfoliates beautifully and moisturizes so well I don't need lotion. This product truly makes your skin glow.

This deeply-purifying formula exfoliates dead skin while exposing, bright, younger-looking skin. Purchase the Awaken Sea Salt Scrub, regularly $26, for only $10.50 in April with every $75 SRP purchase.
Item #7089P.
https://www.arbonne.com/shop_online/pwpSpecials.asp

New things coming in a few weeks!
Check out http://www.arbonne.com/ on April 25 for our brand new look! I will be in Las Vegas that week for Arbonne's National Training Conference, where they will unveil new products and a new look. You can also look for a new catalog in the mail in May.

Free Umbrella!
Want a super cute umbrella? With a purchase of $500 SRP between now and April 15 (that's $325 after your 35% discount), Arbonne will send you this very cute umbrella.




--
Lauren Benesh
Independent Consultant
Executive Area Manager
Arbonne International
(617) 388-6419
laurenbenesh.myarbonne.com
http://www.arbonne.com/

Cat News

Well, so our cats have started doing some amusing--and some not-so-amusing--things.

First, Livvy figured out that drinking out of the bathroom faucet is a lot of fun and much more preferable than drinking out of the water bowl. So now every time we walk into the bathroom, Livvy comes scurrying in behind us and promptly jumps up onto the sink and sweetly waits for the faucet to turn on. It's really cute, except that she does it ALL the time now.

Secondly, our cats have started getting into a spot I'm not too thrilled about. It all started when we started seeing some odd little pieces of foam here and there with no clue as to where they came from. We also noticed that the cats must have a new hiding spot under the bed, because when we looked for them in the old places, we didn't see them. And I also wondered why when they were under there I could feel them "playing" or doing something--the bed would vibrate ever so slightly. Well, it turns out that they scratched their way through the bottom of the box spring mattress and have found a way in!!! Yes, our cats like to hang out INSIDE OUR MATTRESS. How weird is that?? Nathan doesn't think it's any big deal, because he says there's nothing inside a box spring except springs and wood slats, but I just have a problem with our cats crawling around inside the mattress. Is anybody else on my side?