we took katie, mason, and bailey to the thirty seconds to mars concert.

this is the group that went to thirty seconds to mars on a whim last saturday night:






this was also one of the greatest moments of my adult life, as reese's apparently was a sponsor of the tour & welcomed us to "take as many reese's out of this bag as you'd like."

i took ten. and then wished later i had taken more.....



i have to admit that i was dragging my feet on this one--katie really, really wanted to go. but i was skeptical.


i guess i'd written jared leto's band off as just one more movie/tv star's vanity music project, much like juliette lewis , jada pinkett-smith or (heaven forbid!) russell crowe.

yawn.



plus, since i'd already written them off, i never gave any of the songs a chance. i was too busy comparing them to a "poor man's chemical romance".

it didn't help leto's cause that he was too good looking to be taken seriously-- and the guy-liner certainly didn't help. add to all of this a fan base that's loaded a little heavy on the emo side, and BINGO! you've got yourself a band that never stood a chance.



but. i must say that this concert changed my mind. completely.


if you have a moment, watch. it's following them on their world tour right now, so you can get the feel of what we saw:





being a concert-veteran, i figured i'd seen it all--but leto pulled out a few moves that made me gasp.

such as diving head-first into the crowd to body-surf. as well as standing on top of the railing while fans held his legs and inviting approx. 100+ fans up on the stage to dance & sing behind him for the last number of the night. insane.


my favorite of the night, however, was jared's big brother, shannon, who plays the drums:



this dude played the drums with more aggression and force than any single drummer i've seen.
(and believe you me, i've seen a lot.) we watched while a crew member wheeled over a little oxygen tank behind the drum-kit, and he'd take a big whiff every few songs--now THAT'S rockstar!

mama likey.

forest 'o felony

i learned the most interesting thing the other day from my brother, ryan, who works in the sheriff's department. (that's right. walk AWAY.)


he came over to my house to help me set up skype so that we could talk to my parents in costa rica. (it's AWESOME, btw.)

we needed a web cam for the computer, so he and i hopped into my car to run to the store.

he looks over as i turn the ignition and says, "nice felony forest."

and i'm all, "huh?"

ryan then proceeded to inform me that if an officer pulls a vehicle over for speeding or whatnot and they glance inside and see a bunch of air fresheners, then it's a huge indication that you could be possibly smuggling drugs inside your vehicle.

obviously, drug mules need to disguise the strong smell of the hooch, and those little trees do a mighty nice job of it.


so......please to enjoy mindi's own personal felony forest that she's grown with love & care:




so....do you have a forest 'o felony as well?

MY EVIL PLAN

MINDI DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS OF HER ACTIONS AND SO I WILL SHOW HER THE POWER OF THE INTERNET.

I AM EXTREMELY ANGRY WITH THE DIRECTION THIS BLOG HAS GONE LATELY. ESPECIALLY THE CRAZY CRAP KNOWN AS THE CONFESSION BOOTH. ALL YOU MORMONMOMMIES OUT THERE ARE SOME TWISTED CHICKS WITH MUCHO ISSUES.

NOW FOR MY DEMANDS:

1. MINDI AND THE POSTERS WHO AUTHOR SHARK BAIT, YOU DONT KNOW SCHMIDT, A LITTLE OF THIS & A LITTLE OF THAT AND NO BIGGIE MUST SEND A PACKAGE CONTAINING SOMETHING "PERSONAL" TO THE CENTRAL CHICAGO POST OFFICE ADDRESSED TO "GENERAL DELIVERY FOR MR. E. FUDD". THESE ITEMS WILL BE USED STOCK MY VOODOO DOLL BOX AND WILL HELP ME ENFORCE MY DEMANDS.

2. MINDI WILL PUBLICLY APOLOGIZE TO ALL THE MEN OUT THERE WHO HAVE HAD TO PUT UP WITH LOSING THEIR WIVES AND GIRLFRIENDS TO THE INSANITY KNOWN AS WORDTOYOURMOTHER.

3. AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK MINDI WILL POST SOMETHING SPIRITUAL ON THIS SITE. THE SPIRITUAL POSTS MUST CONTAIN SEVERAL SCRIPTURE REFERENCES.

4. NO MORE POSTS ABOUT LAS VEGAS AND THE DIRTY, DISGUSTING, FILTH RIDDEN PLACE ALSO KNOWN AS THE ARMPIT OF SOCIETY.

PLEASE MAKE SURE THESE DEMANDS ARE MET ASAP. IF THEY ARE NOT I WILL INFILTRATE AGAIN AND DELETE THESE BLOGS. DONT MAKE ME DO IT.

expertise

i liked tiburon's post about the benefits of being able to list a few things that are GOOD about you.

but i found it a little easier to mimic tiffany's post about things i am expert in.



so, without further ado, i give you mindi's list of things i am expert in:

(fyi: prepare to be astonished.)




going to las vegas
room service
remembering song titles/artists
throwing a party
ordering cafe rio
wiping my kitchen counters
directing the social calendar of my friends/family
popping blackheads
shopping at target the day after a major holiday ( 50% off!)



rocking out at a concert
making people feel comfortable when we've just met
typing
wrapping a present
instant gratification
arranging 'seasonals'
speaking in front of a crowd
showering with water verging on scalding temperature



making people feel good about themselves
traveling
fixating on one thing
going to a spa
weeding my yard
being generous with those i love
keeping my cool in a tense situation (98 % of the time)
"ironing" my laundry with a spray bottle of water
riding on the back of rbc's motorcycle
making an ipod playlist for above motorcycle ride
loving southern utah
researching used cars on the internet



purchasing anything with an initial on it
sleeping with my mouth open
deflection and manipulation
misplacing things
using a clorox wipe
lying in my own filth (translation: taking a long bath)





i thought it only fair that i give equal time to the other side, so i present things i am NOT an expert in:



accepting a compliment
cleaning my car
attending all 3 church meetings.
wearing pantyhose
painting my finger/toenails
math



controlling my potty-mouth
dancing or learning a dance routine
keeping things organized or clean behind cupboard doors
dealing with self-righteous people
whistling
cracking my knuckles (ewww. why would one?)
being on time
camping. (again, why would one?)
running


saving my money
cleaning up my make-up counter
mowing my lawn (never did it.)
starting my bbq (again, never did it.)
plucking my eyebrows
accepting/submitting to authority figures
computers & technical things



doing my hair
not caring about what people think of me
saying no to my catties
washing my hands (don't judge!)
typing with capitals
answering the phone or returning emails in a timely manner
avoiding cheetos and peanut m&m's

thankful thursday

things i am thankful for this week:



**the fact that i get to go to lady gaga with hers & hers.

yes, i am fully aware that she is a freak. on a leash. but that is why i like her.....

her songs just make me want to get up and shake a tail feather--i can't help it. and i figure if i'm gonna go to hell for seeing this concert, i might as well be driving the bus.

who wants to ride shotgun? :)


i loved these pics from le love paying tribute to one of my fav songs from her:








**two words: DR. DREW.

sober house is pure entertainment. and don't worry--you can still get on board this train as vh1 will be showing the season premiere only about five thousand more times.




**the fact that i dropped mia off to preschool yesterday, but when i returned i picked up a leprechaun instead.

it was magic! {magically delicious, that is.....}







**married to the sea.

they slay me on a weekly basis.



**the fact that melissa turned me on to nate bloch. seriously funny stuff. ( warning: language on the doctor/patient skit)

and for the fact that the video above is TOTALLY my two brothers. classic!

34 random thoughts

1. only 7 more days until we go to scottsdale for spring break!
2. my kids are ready to float in the lazy river.
3. i was once traumatized in a lazy river, however.
4. it was in wet 'n wild in las vegas--as i was lounging in my tube, a tampon applicator floated by....
5. i've never recovered from it.
6. i love my feet and hands to be rubbed when getting a massage.
7. speaking of massages, one of the funniest massage-quotes i ever heard was "BEWARE: back-rubs in the front room lead to front-rubs in the back room."
8. i just giggled when typing that.
9. i think i might be the only person in america/the universe who did not watch the olympics.
10. i also think i might be un-american for doing so.
11. i would TOTALLY watch if the ice-skaters wore THESE OUTFITS:






12. when i was about 10, i used to read my dad's consumer reports magazine every single month.
13. i saw an article in there about what foreign objects they found in packaged hot dogs.
14. top items found: rat hair, metal pieces, feces.
15. i didn't eat a hot dog until i was 25 years old.
16. i think the polish dog/drink combo at costco is divine.
17. a business associate of the rbc's just gave us tickets to see u2 in slc on june 3rd. totally psyched.
18.but i want bono to turn down the political agenda & TURN UP THE MUSIC!
19. when i was in florida, i had my fingernails painted a color for the first time in 20 years.
20. the manicurist said i needed to get KRUNK.
21. thus, i've been into it--but i like it better when my sister paints my fingernails for me.
22. i think THIS has been helping my 'old lady cuticles'
23. i just bought THIS nail polish:


24. i didn't know it was so popular until my friend called me the other day.
25. she had seen it on my nails and asked me what color it was--she wanted a bottle.
26. she then proceeded to call SIX different beauty supply stores and was told each time, "we are OUT."
27. they said it was a very difficult color to get--it's in high demand right this moment.
28. i wish i would have known that, and i would have purchased every bottle they had.
29. i have a low tolerance for pain.
30. i would NOT have made a very good pioneer.
31. when i let my hair dry naturally, it forms a part down the middle.
32. with "soft curls" at each side.
33. i think it looks eerily like 70's porn-star hair.
34. which is certainly very unfortunate for me:

raggedy annes

last week my mom emailed me this photo. and i had NO idea who it was.

i called her and asked who the little girls were--she informed me that it was me & loni in our raggedy anne halloween costumes, taken about 1975ish.

i was floored--i looked and looked at the photo and saw no resemblance to either her or i. i also don't remember the costume, and had never seen a picture of myself or my sister in the costumes.

it rocked my world a bit. i'd figured that i'd seen just about every image from my childhood.

guess i was wrong.

i'm thrilled to be mistaken, however--i love that i get a new little sneak-peak into my young life. plus, it shows what a RADICAL sewing ninja my mother was! (she was pretty incredible. no store-bought costumes for this young lady! what in the H happened to me? pathetic.)

i {heart} west palm beach

i couldn't have been happier with the destination of my surprise birthday trip--west palm beach, florida was breathtakingly beautiful. (the photo above was taken from our hotel balcony--it was a little rough waking up to that in the a.m.)

we stayed HERE and absolutely loved it.

we also had a chance to visit the historical breakers hotel & were awed by the beauty & historical detail.

we even thought really, REALLY hard about crashing the really high-falutin' wedding reception that was going on in the courtyard--sadly, we did not have the bzalls to pull that stunt off.




my 40th birthday was one of my favorite days, ever--that night we had a lovely dinner and had the waitress snap the only photo of the two of us. (seriously, we are so lame--we have phobias about having to "put somebody out" to take a picture of us. we have got to get over that. or else resign ourselves to pathetic solo vacation photos for the rest of our existence.)



since i have milked out my big fourOH! for about 3 weeks now, this will be the last mention of it. EVER. so just give me a moment.....




in the "places to go, people to see, things to do" categories:


our favorite restaurant was, by far, rocco's tacos in downtown west palm beach--the food was amazing & the atmosphere was one big party. we luffed it so much that we ate there twice. if you are ever in the area, we would suggest it. HIGHLY:




we loved to wander around cityPlace --it's a big, outdoor shopping, dining, & entertainment district which is reminiscent of an italian town center. it's romantic and quaint and we spent nearly every night at a different spot here:



two different nights we danced until the wee hours at sky 309--

it is the only outdoor, open-air restaurant/bar in west palm beach, and it was amazing. they had great music, a large dance floor, and the best part was that we could sit anywhere, in any booth, and it was F-R-E-E. no cover charge, no 300 dollar bottle service fee, zip.

we were able to sit and people watch, groove to great tunes, and stuff our faces all at the same time. it was the TRIFECTA. and we were all over it:



we have so many great memories of this particular trip. west palm beach will always hold a very special place in our hearts:



of course, a blog called WORD TO YOUR MOTHER could not possibly leave the area without getting a photo-op in right here:


A1A BEACHFRONT AVENUE!!

40 songs you can turn your head to the wall and die to

since i so like continuing on in the theme "it's all about me", i think i'll do just that--

one of the best birthday presents i received was this one-of-a-kind, special-edition, limited quantity, highly-coveted cd: 40 songs you can turn your head to the wall and die to.


seriously, how cool is this?



i was so thrilled--both with the song selection (excellent) and the time, effort, and thought put into this little project. it made me so happy!

thank you to my long-time-loves kamaray & stevekemp. you two killed it.

best surprise party in the history of the known universe.

my surprise 40th birthday party was such a..........well, SURPRISE.

and i'm warning you: there are a LOT of photos. (the camera was malfunctioning, so they are a bit fuzzy--sorry.) and a good amount of words.

but, as the song goes, "it's my party." and i can bask in the afterglow of it even now by blogging to extreme excess about it. (who am i kidding? like that's a stretch.)



this is right after i walked in--what the photo below does not show is the diet dr. pepper that i spilled all over the front of my shirt from the shock.

what it DOES show, however, is the fact that i am ALWAYS white trash enough to bring my 32-ounce drink. and me in my "throne", throwing the glamour shot:



everybody was SHINY. and the room was SHINY. it couldn't have been lovelier:


katie's edward cullen who made me scream like a little girl was all decked out as mindi for the evening--each couple got to pose with her. (some might even have taken liberties. but cardboard is very forgiving.):




the attention to detail was what thrilled me so much--they had such a wonderful spread of all of my favorite foods:

(okay, maybe not the "veggies" part. but i thought it made me look like i made really healthy choices. so it made the cut.)


and cakes. did i mention CAKES?

i needed a lot of them. like SIX:

{aren't they glorious?}



then the party really got underway, and that's when things really started getting bananas. nuts. CRAZY.

( as any l.d.s.-sponsored, non-alcoholic drinking, middle-aged gathering of moms and dads tends to get:)


things I loved & wanted to remember about my party:

*jared in gold shirt, rings, bracelets, and all manner of finery. he even had a knuckle ring to match my own.

*mike wearing a d-bag shirt (“it came with a complimentary set of DJ headphones!”) and sara wearing a sequined shirt from maurices that she would never put on again. plus the fact killed me that she couldn’t really see all evening long because she didn’t wear her glasses as they didn’t “go” with her shiny-ness. AND she wore mascara for the first time in 5 years.

*darrin and neal in the glitter shirts. on the back they said “WORD” and “2 ur mom”.

*adam wearing a bejeweled, diamond-encrusted B (“it stands for ‘amber’s biznatch”) and amber with her fantastic gems bought from wal mart.

*the most fabulous cake display in north america~ possibly even south america, too. So yummy, so wonderful, so SO.

*all foods were labeled and displayed properly and in a pleasing manner.

*edward cullen/mindi with large breastesses and gold lame shirt. genius.

*the most breathtaking silver/glitter/sparkly/twinkly décor in all the land.

*coordinating silver cups, plates, napkins--plus the cutest little party favors with my favorite candies AND the “HEART OF THE OCEAN” on top.

*the greatest CD and CD cover of all time. from the pictures chosen for both cover and cd’s, to the song selection, to the description of chosen songs, to the dedication at the back, it couldn't have been more perfect. or more “me”.

*a throne dedicated to me.

*colby’s I HEART LAS VEGAS t shirt.

*best answers to the WHAT WOULD MINDI SAY? Quiz from the group:

two things i am good at: MANIPULATION AND DEFLECTION

If I had to get a job i would: KILL MYSELF.

*diet dr. pepper and sierra mist cranberry splash in fancy glass containers.

*the coolest birthday party invite i’ve ever seen--when i read it, i thought, “i’m good. but i’m not THAT good.” it was absolutely perfect.

*the true element of surprise--i can’t stress that enough. i’m still shocked that i didn’t even catch a mere glimmer of this somewhere. it made it 10 times better.



i was so overwhelmed with love and gratitude all night. and i confess, i might have shed some tears of joy when i arrived home later that night, thinking about how much it meant to me.

i felt so loved and so special. THANK you to my megan, dannielle, jody, kristin, & kamari for planning such an unbelievable night.

turning 40 with these yay-hoos made it ALL better. i love them: