Elder Bingham Returns!

Also known as: Experience #19- Pull off a really good prank

Okay, just to give you some background...I had emailed my brother Brian about a month ago and decided that when we picked him up at the airport after he returned from his LDS Mission to Bilbao, Spain, that we needed to do something wacky to trick my Mom. So we came up with the disguise idea. He would get a mustache, glasses, etc. and the whole point would be to see if we could get him past my Mom at the airport without her knowing it was him. The plan was all set, but not really knowing the layout of the airport or what gate he would come through, I figured it could be a long shot to get Brian past my Mom's eagle eyes. But, I think even Heavenly Father thought this was a good joke, because things could not have worked out better! We actually tricked my Mom twice that night. The first time was with my brother Dave, who drove down from Tallahassee that evening. He surprised my Mom by being at the airport. She had no idea he was going to be there. (I finally at least had to let my Dad in on the secret 5 minutes prior so we could find Dave by paging him on the white telephone. Dad couldn't use Dave's real name or it would spoil the surprise, so Dad paged "Thomas Monson" to Terminal B and it worked like a charm...) Anyway, Dave was actually waiting at the correct terminal so he came up from behind my Mom and it was perfect :)



So when Dave arrived, he clued us in to the fact that we were all standing and waiting at the wrong terminal. Little did I know that waiting at the wrong terminal was the key to the success of the entire night. How fortunate for me! So then we all made our way to Terminal A, which was directly behind us. There was a long hallway with two people movers (each going in opposite directions) that led us there. Anyway, here is the video of us walking down there and how it all transpired. Hope you can see it okay- my camera skills are so lame, but you have to understand that I was totally freaking out during this whole thing because the plan was actually WORKING!! Anyway.... here it is: (and if you are wondering who the kid with dark hair and glasses is, it is Brian's best friend Joe Cruz (and also his girlfriend, who is a friend of Brian as well.)




So there you have it! Brian's return was awesome! And not just because we punk'd my Mom pretty good, but because we really did miss Brian and it will be so fun to have him around again- at least here in Florida for 17 days before he heads out to BYU. And never fear Mom, here are the still pics from the night- they are GREAT!

Welcome Home Bri!

The disguise

You are gonna get it, mister!

She can't actually be mad at Brian for long :)


Our posse

GO TEAM! Thanks, Brian, we rocked Mom's world. Although, you look like you don't know me in this picture...

Post airport Taco Bell stop. Favorite quote of the night: "Seriously, I can't find anything Brian-size in Spain." --said by Brian after we laughed at him for freaking out at the giant size of his fountain drink cup

Experience #18- Listen to War of the Worlds

So back when we were driving out to Utah for our summer vacation, I downloaded some new music to make the drive more fun. One of the things I downloaded was a copy of the original Orson Welles War of the Worlds radio broadcast from 1938. Unfortunately right before we left on vacation our computer died so it never made it on to the iPod. But today I decided to finally give the 55 minutes a listen while I drove around doing my errands (and desperately trying to pass the time until we pick up Brian at the airport tonight). Highly entertaining! To both people out there who might not know about War of the Worlds, it was a fictional radio broadcast about the invasion of earth by Martians. Although Orson Welles thought most people would understand it was fake, millions of people did not and it caused widespread panic across the nation. Now what I was most interested to know was exactly what happened when the Martians invaded. How did they come, what did they do, etc. Well, I will tell you! It all starts with the crash of a cylindrical capsule in New Jersey. Then tentacled Martians emerge and start annihilating everyone with super heated "ray guns." I Love it! (And I guess everyone else did too because from then on the ray gun was the alien weapon of choice.) In the first battle with this ship, there were supposedly 7,000 people fighting it and in the aftermath only 120 survivors. From there we get poisonous black gas, more "tripods" that kill everyone, mass evacuations- it was pretty intense. Especially for 1938! Furthermore, it is so hard for me to imagine a time without the Internet and cell phone where you could hear something on the radio and basically have no real way to confirm or deny anything you are hearing. Such a different time to live in. Anyway, here is a two minute snippet of the broadcast from youtube if you care to indulge:


And I have decided that the two things I liked the most about the broadcast were 1. the fact that New Jersey is where the Martians decided to start taking over the planet (because even back then New Jersey was kind of a joke) and 2. what happens to the Martians in the end. I guess you will just have to hear it for yourself :)

Keeping my fingers crossed

As I am about to sign up for another 5K- Santa Sprint, December 19th, Anyone? Anyone?- I hope none of this comes true....


Top Ten Signs You've Signed Up For a Bad 5K

10. Your race number is written on a Triscuit
9. Race times are measured in terms of Number of SpongeBob's race officials watched while you were gone
8. Too many racers in "high heels" division to medal
7. Free T-shirt replaced with Hannah Montana fingerless gloves
6. Post-race snacks are ketchup and mustard packets from Burger King
5. First place prize is giving a giant wedgie to the person who came in second
4. iPods: Not allowed. Singing the songs of Jewel while running: Mandatory.
(Oh wait, that last one is a sign you signed up for a HORRIFIC 5K, my mistake...)
3. All money raised is going towards finding a cure for Bad Fashion Sense
2. Goodie bag is nothing more than a Ziploc with a stick of gum and some string
1. One word: blindfolds

We love Christmastime!

I don't know why, but I am kind of obssessed with taking "mid-air" pictures. Anyway, we were over at my parent's house for dinner earlier today and then we helped decorate the Christmas tree. And as part of the festivities I made the kids jump off the couch a few times, just to see what I could capture. This one made me laugh :)

Another college flashback...

So while in my freshman year at BYU and living at the Deseret Towers on-campus dorms, I was made an FHE Mom. My FHE Dad counterpart was this smiley Hawaiian guy named Kendall. He was extremely happy and easy-going; he laughed at pretty much anything I said and he was a fun guy to be partnered up with. Anyway, one Sunday he told me to come over to his dorm room during visiting hours so we could plan FHE. I remember asking him if he was sure if that particular Sunday was the day where the girls visited the guys' dorms or if it was vice versa. He was so smiley and confident and he said he was pretty sure. (At BYU on-campus housing there is nothing co-ed. Ever. Unless you are married, so there are very specific designated "visiting hours" where you can visit the dorm rooms of the opposite sex.) So as planned, later that day, I went over to Q Hall, 6th floor, for visiting hours. I got some pretty odd stares as I made my way to Kendall's room. After standing in there for about 10 seconds and then glancing down the hall and seeing a guy in only a bath towel, I instantly cracked the code that dearest Kendall had absolutely no clue when visiting hours were and I was totally breaking some major BYU rules. I very quickly shielded my eyes and got on the elevator without saying a word to anyone. If I had been on the 3rd floor I would have just jumped out the window, I was so embarrassed. And when I got off the elevator the RA at the little window stared at me like, "What the heck were you just doing up there?" But as I have learned in life, if you just pretend like you know what you are doing, no one really questions you. And I made it out of Q-Hall unscathed. Except for my pride. That was damaged a little. And my faith in smiley Hawaiians. I am gonna need two witnesses to corroborate anything they say from now on. Sorry, guys:)

If it's the thought that counts, what were they thinking?! Version 2.0

I am so excited to finally post this! The fact that it took me so long to get it done just shows how busy I have been in the past week. But today, I am free... At least for a little while :) I have projects to work on (as always) but I'm taking a moment to share with you my annual showcase of weird and expired food from the county food drive. This year I decided to give awards. Drum roll, please!


FOOD MOSTLY LIKELY TO NEED ITS OWN CAGE
This is a jar of Hormel "Dried Beef" from 2006. I get that it is supposed to be dried, but it's looking a little overdone in my opinion. All I can think of when I see it is the episode of SpongeBob where Mr. Krabs refuses to throw away the moldy, black krabby patty they found under the grill from years past. He put it in a cage, and this dried beef might need one too.


BEST OFF-BRAND FOOD NAME
The name makes me think it is a food product made for robots. I am thinking the 3 C's stand for crusty, congealed and carcinogenic.




RUNNERS-UP FOR BEST OFF-BRAND FOOD NAME
I think I am going to sstart sspelling everything with two SS's. Ssweet! (And Silver Floss- wow, if I hadn't already named my car Rocket, that would be his name...Or if I ever get around to writing that dental adventure novel, the superhero is definitely going to be called that.)



MOST RANDOM ACT OF THOUGHTFUL GIVING
Hey, rabbits have hit hard times, too, okay? Apparently such hard times that they only get half of a package donated to them. Rosa will be eating good tonight!



BEST INTERNATIONAL FOOD PRODUCTS
I am seriously so tempted to eat that curry gravy....and Goat's milk, well, let's just say that Cindy's breakfast is going to be awesome tomorrow. What? It's easy to digest!



FOOD CAN I AM MOST AFRAID TO OPEN
First of all, where do you buy canned grapes? I don't know that I have ever seen these before. But the can is all rusty and dented and the label is all soiled with some mysterious liquid ooze. This could be the equivalent of last year's 6-year-old "canned salmon parts." Only I am not sure that Yoshi has a hankerin' for grapes.





MOST NOSTALGIC FOOD (OR FOOD THAT GIVES THE BEST GLIMPSE INTO OUR FUTURE)
Someone gave Government Apricots! Seriously!




BEST FOOD DONATED BY AN OBVIOUS HILLBILLY (OR BY SOMEONE WITH THE LAST NAME DUKE)
And just what is in moonshine jelly, you may ask?? I will show you:


And you thought Moonshine was just a nickname! Now where is that recipe I had for moonshine toast?



MOST UNIQUE FOOD ITEM
Here we have a can of "Moon Soup" from the private label of the 5-star Chalet Suzanne restaraunt here in Lake Wales, FL. It is called "moon soup" because way back when, there was an astronaut that was such a fan of this stuff that he got it qualified to take into space on Apollo 15. No lie! It is a spinach/mushroom soup apparently and sounds quite delicious. I will DEFINITELY be eating this. Within the next week...



OLDEST DONATED FOOD
Here it is- the most outdated food I got: a home-canned jar of "Zipper Peas" from 1999. Wow, these might be just a little too dangerous, even for me.

And what have I been doing with all the other food I got? Eating it, of course! We have had beef stew from 2004, boxed hashbrowns from 2007, kidney beans from 2001- the list goes on and on. And until I keel over from any of this stuff, I plan to make this a yearly tradition. Go Food!

The things my kids say...

Last Sunday night my dad got really sick and was throwing up all night. On Monday I was talking to Cindy and I told her about it. Cindy says to me, "Well, I was just wondering....What does grandpa's throw up look like? I mean, I know what little kid throw up looks like, but what about a mom's or a grandma's or grandpa's?" (I guess I could have called and asked....)

I was decorating my house with all my Christmas stuff yesterday and I got out a pre-lit garland. I plugged it in and was trying to wrap it around my lamp and bookcase and Luke walked in and said, "Ooohh, I like your Christmas snake!"

Last night was the first night of the Christmas advent calendar for this year. This year the calendar has a Christmas-shaped chocolate candy under each door. Cindy had been obssessing about it all day. Holding the card, unwrapping the card, carrying the card around with her, etc. (Hard to believe, right?) So finally it was time to open the door for number 1. I guessed snowman, dad guessed ornament and Cindy guessed "circle". We thought she didn't understand the game, so we tried to get her to guess something else (so she would have a chance) but she would not be moved. We conceded, and when she opened it, it was a circular piece of chocolate. What she did not realize is that the pieces are put in backwards and on the other side of the chocolate was the mold of a candle. Ha ha, Cindy! You were simultaneously outed and foiled!! I love you, backwards chocolate advent calendar :)

Where has the time gone?

Being consumed with Thanksgiving and family activities for the past week and seemingly always having had something to do for the last 168 hours straight, I feel like I crawled underground for 7 days and finally poked my head out today to check things out. It's nice out here!

Anyway, I had a wonderful Thanksgiving. (I hope everyone out there had a nice one too :) My brother Dave and his family came down from Tallahassee, and my brother Chris and his family came from Tampa, so we all packed in my folks' place for one of the 12 times a year when my parents actually hate having a small house. But space or no space, we had awesome food, tons of fun, laughter, and best of all: the bounce house. Grandma and Grandpa were amazing heroes this year for renting hours upon hours of inflatable goodness. A few lowly pics...

Uncle Dave with Luke and Addie (and her magical, amazing hair)



I took this picture just because my mom was making a face while Chris told a disgusting doctor story


♫ It's the Circle of Liiiiiiiiife.... ♫ Luke loved it when Uncle Chris lifted him up in the air like that




And also when he got to jump on Chris' back (along with Addie- who was the perfect partner in crime for the week) Chris also entertained Luke and Addie with his mad juggling skills. The kids were in awe!!!!



All the girls at the "pre-bounce house pow-wow"



Getting ready for some serious FUN.



Luke probably went down the slide part of the house about 1300 times. I went down about 70. I went face first, on my back, and a combo of both. And between me, Jacob, Chris, and all the cousins, I think we pretty much saw every different way to come down that thing. The front flip entrance was my favorite.

Thanksgiving 2009: SUCCESS!

My official review of New Moon

I am sure you are all wondering why it has taken me so long to put a review of the new Twilight movie on here. I mean, my blog is kinda like the unofficial guide to the movies, you know? But I did actually go and see the movie again today, just to be sure I knew how I truly felt about it. So my apologies for the delay, but I only have your best interests at heart. Here are my thoughts in a nutshell:





THE GOOD

•The entire look of the movie was much better than Twilight.
•Much more humor in this film than its predecessor.
•Carlisle Cullen was in the movie again :) And he is still the best dressed vampire on the planet.
•The CGI of the wolves was pretty decent!
•I Loved the Volturi and thought Aro was delightfully bizarre.
♫♫The score to this movie has some of the best pieces of music I have ever heard. It's my new favorite movie music by far.

THE BAD

•The screenplay could have been a little stronger.
•Edward desperately needs more of his charm.
(If you have read the books you can easily fill in the gaps, but for those non-bookies, I don't think they quite understand why exactly Bella is so drawn to Edward, especially when Jacob looks like he does.)

THE UGLY

•Two words: Jasper's hair.
•Two more words: Edward's vest.
•The scene where we see Alice's vision of Bella as a vampire was the "Hold on tight, Spider Monkey" moment of New Moon. I cringed.

I do want to say that after I saw the movie the first time I was not really feeling it. It just didn't seem like they got it right. But perhaps I was analyzing it a little too much. This second time around the movie was fantastic! So my overall rating is officially 4 out of 5 fangs.

*Just want to announce that my annual showcase of bizarre and expired foods from the county holiday food drive will be appearing shortly. You don't want to miss it- there are some classics this year :)

Thanks, Mom and Dad!

It's Thanksgiving night and I just wanted to quickly post on here a big thanks to my mom and dad for having everyone over for dinner today. It gets a little crazy with all the kids and grandkids packed in their house, but we always have a great time together enjoying everything from the awesome food and the fun games to Addie's hilarious vocabulary. We especially enjoyed the bounce house they rented this year- a true treat for all of us :) Plus, my mom let me take a picture of her head on the turkey's body. Is that not a true demonstration of love? Indeed. (By the way, that guy was delicious...)