A few of my favorite things

It's the most wonderful time of the year, and yesterday I left my mistletoe-clad abode and ventured to the holly-jolliest place in Utah County — University Mall. Finding a gift for a co-worker was harder than I thought, so I thought I'd give y'all an early Christmas present — ideas! Here's my 2008 gift guide: (Note: These are probably best for the teenage/twenty-something females on your list. Not that your son won't LOVE a Flirty Apron)

1. So I'm a total sucker for anything with an Apple sticker, and when my iPod completely lost its mind (after three long years of heavy use, by the way) and started playing any song in its library completely at random and ignoring my futile attempts at contolling it, I decided it was time for something new.


And if that doesn't make you drool, watch this.

(*Note: My dad just got and iPod Touch and has been listening to the music I left on our home computer. He said, "That band called Weasel is pretty good. I really like the one song 'Say it Ain't So.'" He meant Weezer. I love my dad.)

2. I'm not exactly a domestic goddess. Have you seen "Father of the Bride"? Remember when Brian gives Annie a blender for their anniversary and she flips out? I can relate to her a little. But that doesn't change the fact that I think these are completely to die for:


I'm a sucker for blue and brown anyway, and that just makes me want to bake up some banana bread, stat.

3. I'm kind of a bookworm, but even if I'm not reading a book, I still like to own it. My apartment never feels like home until I have at least a dozen books lining the shelf, and I'm taking a Fiction to Film class next semester, so I get a whole new collection. You can never go wrong with a nice book.


4. Games, games, games! LeaDawn and I used to have Sunday Game Night every weekend, and we played more games of Nertz than you can imagine. Variety is wonderful — have you ever heard of Settlers of Catan? It's addictingly delicious ... and (speaking of delicious) so is Apples to Apples. And Cranium. And others.

5. And if you're buying for someone who already has #1 (or something with similar capabilities), a CD is always a fine choice. Let me offer some suggestions:

I saw a Limbeck show in Salt Lake City last Saturday, and I'm totally in love. I couldn't stop smiling the whole time they played. You won't hear them on the radio, but you should.


Sondre Lerche makes me smile — and he did almost every song on here.

I haven't fogotten. I've been waiting for this since May.

Merry Christmas to all!

Sorry, Jim Halpert

There's a new man in town — I've fallen in love with David Cook (and, I promise, I'm still a good Mormon).

That place in my heart used to be strictly reserved for The Office, but since the writer's strike, American Idol has completely taken over. Sorry, Jim, I'm all about David now.

I fell for David Cook the first time I heard him sing "Music of the Night" — and I even kind of think Phantom music is overplayed. His version of "Hungry Like the Wolves" was even better. Dad had to "mop me off the floor" that night, to quote my mom. Last night, I was totally crazy for that "Sharp-Dressed Man." I'm even willing to overlook the ridiculous cowboy boots as long as he's holding that left-handed guitar.

Seriously. Look at that face. How can you not just love him?

I told Hannah I was going to marry him. She believed me. And as soon as David Archuleta gets on the ball and baptizes him, I'm totally going to make it happen.

So, congratulations to David Cook. I can't wait for the CD.