"Not tonight"

I once heard this speaker tell a story and it moved me so much I need to share it. He was talking in front of a crowd, telling a story of love. This is what he said.

You know, if this building were to go up in flames I would come running back in here to save you (pointing to a member of the audience) and you and you and you. In fact, I would keep running in and out trying to save as many of you as possible. I would do this on any night, but not tonight. Not tonight. You know why? Because my son is sitting right over there. And I am willing to sacrifice myself for all of you, but I am not willing to sacrifice my son. Not tonight. Not ever. But, luckily, God is not as selfish as I. God loved us all so much that he sacrificed his ONLY son's life so that we would not perish, but have everlasting life. A price had to be paid for all of our sins, so God let his son die in order to save the rest of us.

How amazing isit to think about that?

Putting on the Armor

In a previous post I wrote in June titled who am I? I wrote that a verse God has been putting on my heart lately is Ephesians 6:11 - Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. I would like to expand more on this now.

Satan loves to play a part in our lives, but I think that we way too often give satan way too much credit. You see, it is not like satan and God are having a tug of war-- fighting for the Earth. Satan can NOT come even close to comparing to God. God is so much more powerful. Satan is not on the same level as our God, he just wants us to think that he is.

Anyway, I never really understood spiritual warfare until recently. When we are told to put on the armor of God I always just thought of that as a metaphor. I am learning more and more how REAL spirtual warfare is. How present satan is in my life. I feel like in Lord of the Rings Gollum/Smeagol is a great image of spiritual warfare.

Gollum: They're thieves! They're thieves! They're filthy little thieves! Where is it? Where is it? They stole it from us, our precious. Curse them! We hates them! it's ours it is, and we wants it! We wants it, we needs it. Must have the precious. They stole it from us. Sneaky little hobbitses. Wicked, tricksy, false!
Smeagol: No! Not master.
Gollum: Yes precious. First they cheat you, hurt you, LIE.
Smeagol: Master's my friend!.
Gollum: You don't have any friends, nobody likes you!
Smeagol: I'm not listening, I'm not listening.
Gollum: You're a liar and a thief.
Smeagol: No!
Gollum: Murderer.

This fight happens so often in my head. Gollum is clearly playing the role of satan. Knowing what hurts us--what affects us--the most. Smeagol just doesn't want to be betrayed. He wants to be able to trust his friends and be liked and Gollum plays into that--> first they cheat you, hurt you, lie; nobody likes you;they're thieves;you don't have any friends. I hear that so often in my head. "You don't have any friends, nobody likes you" Satan plays into my very weaknesses. He will say to me, "Hey Monaca, you know everything that has happened in your life? Everything that you like to think you couldn't control? It's your fault. Every thing is your fault. You are not good enough, beautiful enough, smart enough, tough enough." And so on. And if I don't have the armor of God -- turning to The Word and praye then I am in big trouble. I need to remain standing firm in truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Holy Spirit. Paul says in Ephesians that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world andagainst the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (vs 6:12) Spiritual warfare is real and satan is present and if we are not ready for battle--living our lives the way Jesus meant us to; being faithful in prayer, reading the Word, and letting the Spirit work in us--we will never make it through battle.

I have never been one who is big on "spiritual warfare" and "the presence of satan" and so on, but I do believe there is something out there that is so much bigger than we can ever understand....

sleepless nights

One time a friend of mine told me, “I know how the dark can capture one’s thoughts,” and it is so very true. Sometimes at night I have trouble sleeping, and oh how nights are so dark. So I thought I would give you all a little glimpse into what goes on inside my head when it is ever so dark.

1- Sometimes I think about what my life would be like if I became a CIA agent.
Now I am mainly telling you this because of the humor involved, but I am serious about everything I say. We all know that I have a very visual personality which means when I am lying awake at night, it is almost as if I am dreaming; especially when I am in ALIAS mode. I imagine myself doing crazy missions—Sydney Bristow style. When I was at college (aka university, for you Spanish folk) I used to even get into my bed pretending I was running/hiding from someone. Mind you, my bed was very close to the ceiling and I needed to climb a bunch of stuff to get into it. Needless to say, sometimes I think I should have become a secret agent for the CIA instead of studying to become a social worker. Or maybe I am a secret agent and being a “social worker” is my cover up… if I ever start working at a bank—be suspicious.

2- Sometimes I wonder about God and ask the same questions over and over again.
a) Why does God love me?
Really though. Why does God love me? At community group last Monday someone made a comment that God is both a just God and a God of grace. Well, my question is, if God is a just God, how can I be so sure I will not end up in Hell? Because that is definitely what I deserve. Nothing inside of me deserves to be in Heaven. In What’s so Amazing About Grace Phillip Yancey says, “There is nothing we can do to make God love us more and there is nothing we can do to make God love us less.” I believe that, but why does God even love me in the first place? I know, I know—He created me. But I turn my back on him every day. Time and time again. “Daily in my sin I take his life,” (12 stones). Psalm 139, my favorite Psalm, says For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be (verses 13-16). Just read that and imagine what kind of love it would take to carefully knit together a body and to love it so much… I cannot fathom it.
b) What things do I do that get in the way of my relationship with God?
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23-24). Why is this not my attitude all the time? The number one answer to this question: pride. Not only is it one of the “seven deadly sins” and sinful enough in itself, it blinds me from all other things I do that keeps me from living the life I was created to live. For the sake of time, I will write more on this another day…

There a lot of other things that I think about, but I think this is enough to chew on for one day.

50 Things to do in an Elevator

1. Make race car noises when anyone gets on or off.
2. Blow your nose and offer to show the contents of your kleenex to other passengers.
3. Grimace painfully while smacking your forehead and muttering: "Shut up, dammit, all of you just shut UP!"
4. Whistle the first seven notes of "It's a Small World" incessantly.
5. Sell Girl Scout cookies.
6. On a long ride, sway side to side at the natural frequency of the elevator.
7. Shave.
8. Crack open your briefcase or purse, and while peering inside ask: "Got enough air in there?"
9. Offer name tags to everyone getting on the elevator. Wear yours upside-down.
10. Stand silent and motionless in the corner, facing the wall, without getting off.
11. When arriving at your floor, grunt and strain to yank the doors open, then act embarrassed when they open by themselves.
12. Lean over to another passenger and whisper: "Noogie patrol coming!"
13. Greet everyone getting on the elevator with a warm handshake and ask them to call you Admiral.
14. One word: Flatulence!
15. On the highest floor, hold the door open and demand that it stay open until you hear the penny you dropped down the shaft go "plink" at the bottom.
16. Do Tai Chi exercises.
17. Stare, grinning, at another passenger for a while, and then announce: "I've got new socks on!"
18. When at least 8 people have boarded, moan from the back: "Oh, not now, damn motion sickness!"
19. Give religious tracts to each passenger.
20. Meow occassionally.
21. Bet the other passengers you can fit a quarter in your nose.
22. Frown and mutter "gotta go, gotta go" then sigh and say "oops!"
23. Show other passengers a wound and ask if it looks infected.
24. Sing "Mary had a little lamb" while continually pushing buttons.
25. Holler "Chutes away!" whenever the elevator descends.
26. Walk on with a cooler that says "human head" on the side.
27. Stare at another passenger for a while, then announce "You're one of THEM!" and move to the far corner of the elevator.
28. Burp, and then say "mmmm...tasty!"
29. Leave a box between the doors.
30. Ask each passenger getting on if they can push the button for you.
31. Wear a puppet on your hand and talk to other passengers "through" it.
32. Start a sing-along.
33. When the elevator is silent, look around and ask "is that your beeper?"
34. Play the harmonica.
35. Shadow box.
36. Say "Ding!" at each floor.
37. Lean against the button panel.
38. Say "I wonder what all these do" and push the red buttons
39. Listen to the elevator walls with a stethoscope.
40. Draw a little square on the floor with chalk and announce to the other passengers that this is your "personal space."
41. Bring a chair along.
42. Take a bite of a sandwich and ask another passenger: "Wanna see wha in muh mouf?"
43. Blow spit bubbles.
44. Pull your gum out of your mouth in long strings.
45. Announce in a demonic voice: "I must find a more suitable host body."
46. Carry a blanket and clutch it protectively.
47. Make explosion noises when anyone presses a button.
48. Wear "X-Ray Specs" and leer suggestively at other passengers.
49. Stare at your thumb and say "I think it's getting larger."
50. If anyone brushes against you, recoil and holler "Bad touch!"

My ALIAS Addiction

Okay, I had to do this... I bolded the ones that I have actually done (my life is sad). and my comments are in (_) This is just a way to help you all understand a little better the way that I think. Enjoy.

You Know You're Addicted to Alias When...
Someone you call answers the phone, you say "Joey's Pizza?" (I have done that before but I do not do it regularly)
You instinctively distrust people who say they work in a bank.
Something in your posession is named: Sydney, Jack, Sloane, Marshall, Dixon, Vaughn, Francie, Will, Bristow, or Arvin. (My fish's name is Vaughn)
You believe that no one ever flies to where they say they are going.
You have ever used "swank" or "super-swank" in conversation. (this is Brad's and my favorite word)
You have ever asked yourself, "What would Sydney do?" (all the time...)
Anyone speaking a foreign language you immediately think is a spy.
You never look at banks with underground garages the same way again.
You pounce on any of your friends who've just started work at a bank, and demand to know The Truth. (truth takes time...)
You show a sudden, keen interest in your dad's job.
You are mildly disturbed by the fact that you find Jack Bristow sexy.
You cease to be disturbed by that fact, since everyone you know thinks so, too. (nope just carrie!)
You use the phrase "There are just so many problems with this..." at every possible opportunity. (no, but i should!)
Your non- Alias obsessed friends (like you have any of those left! Hah!) refuse to talk to you about Italians, prophecies, pickles, wigs, parent/daughter relationships, spies or anything else that might lead to a discussion about Alias.
You develop opinions and theories about unanswered facets of the show, and spend a large amount of time formulating arguments for both sides of the debate...
The main question you ask yourself shopping is "Would Sydney wear something like this?"
You have seen every episode. Ever. More than 5 times a piece.
You went to see Daredevil just for Jennifer Garner.
If the topic of TV shows comes up, you automatically ask the person "Do you watch Alias?"
You hear the songs played in the show.. and you instinctively listen for the lines of the characters.. and know precisely when their lines occurred in the song.
Your history teacher mentions something about the KGB.. and you suddenly think "Irina?"
You think having no first name is a perfectly acceptable thing.
Whenever you hear a truly interesting song, you immediately think of how that song would fit into a scene from Alias.
Every time you hear the Nokia ringtone, you look for Sydney or Vaughn. (i actually do... oh sad)
You look for air vents you could crawl into incase of an emergency. (everywhere i go)
You record every episode, then go out and buy the DVDs as well.
You meet a nice person and immediately become suspicious of their motives.
You schedule any activities or plans around the show.
You cry whenever Vaughn's in hospital.
You absolutely went crazy when you found out what the cliffhanger is for season 4. (every seasong for that matter!)

Everything I need to know I learnd from ALIAS:
If you can't open something, try the fire extinguisher that is always nearby.
People are NEVER who they seem.
Problems are always bigger, or worse, than you think they are.
It is actually very easy to defuse a nuclear bomb.
C-4 is alway clearly marked (and wrapped for freshness).
Never trust anyone who is known only by a pronoun.
If it is impossible to break in, ask Marshall. He can make anything, including pop-up books.
It is possible to suck the air out of a car tire.
It is possible to fall several hundred feet and suffer no injuries.
If you are meeting someone secretly, be sure that you meet in the same place over and over and over and over again.
Pope Alexander VI chief architect was Milo Rambaldi.
The answer to life the universe and everyting is no longer 42 but rather 47.
When spying on someone from a car, don't start the engine until they are a block away.
Numps: A Fool, A Blockhead.

A little story

I was maybe three years old, sitting on the steps that led to "the dungeon" when I met someone who played one of the most important roles in my life that anyone will ever play. You see, Grams and Papa lived in Chicago, on Newcastle. That was the house mom and her six sisters grew up in. It had very little living space and, to this day, I still have no idea how seven sisters where able to share one bathroom. I loved that house. My favorite memories took place at that house. The family room had a "big" tv (at least what we thought was big) and papa's leather chair was in front of the bar. Behind the bar were all types of alcohol bottles that I could not pronounce, but it was what was on top of the bar that interested me. There were always jars filled with my favorite things: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, licorice, peanuts, and more. Next to Papa's leather chair was a little table with an ash tray on it--this is where he put the shells to his pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Papa was my hero. He could de-shell a seed in seconds in his mouth without even using his hands. He would let me sit on his lap while he watched the Cubs games and I pretended to be interested but, really, just liked being with him.

The next room was the dining room. It was not anything spectacular, just a big table where the adults got to eat. That was where I sat the first time I ever ate frogs legs. I am pretty sure that was the only time I ever ate frog legs. There was always a clean, beige tablecloth that the kids always knew how to spill Grams' zugu on. There was a doorway in between the dinning room and the kitchen. I remember watching myself in the mirrors on the doorway. The kitchen was another great place. I remember Grandma always in there, being the best Italian wife/mama she could be. Either cooking her zugu (pasta sauce), washing dishes, or playing cards. It was always a challenge to dip the bread into the zugu to sneak a taste while she wasn't looking. In the hallway next to the kitchen was a little square hole in the wall that was covered with a mini-door. This was the laundry shoot--a place to throw your clothes so they would go straight ino the basement. This laundry shoot led to "the dungeon."

In most houses we had a lot of fun playing in the basements, but not at Grams and Papa's. Even the stairs leading into the dungeon were dark and creepy. The basement was always dark. It had a damp feel to it and there were plenty off little nooks and crannys to hide in. When we were kids, you were brave if you went downstairs; daring if you sat on the stairs.

So there I was, sitting on the stairs, working up the bravery to go downstairs. Grams was in the basement doing laundry, which was the place you would find her if she was not in the kitchen. In walked this strange boy who sat down on the stairs next to me.

"My name's Justin," he says. "Who are you?"
"My name is Monaca," I say.
"What are you doing here?" he asks.
"This is my grandma's house."
"This is my grandma's house!"
"Moooom, Daaaaad!" we yell in unison. "Why do we have the same grandma?"
"Well," our parents say, "you are cousins."
And the two new best friends go running off, and they have remained best friends since.

Now no one really knows if that story is actually true, but it is the story that both Justin and I tell, and our stories always match up. I am not sure if it really happened or if we talked about it so many times that it just became a memory for us. Sometimes if you say something enough times you start to believe it yourself.

Justin and I are the best of friends, along with our other cousins. We used to do everything together. From going into the "forest" and having mud-fights to going to the park and playing time warp to riding our bikes to the blockbuster to buy candy to fishing in the pond behind the Jenero's house to going to each others basketball, volleyball, or soccer games to building forts and watching movies under them to playing power rangers in the front yard to running through the sprinklers in the back yard to taking hundreds of pictures of our dogs (Spunky, Pepper, and Champ) to playing various games we made up (the note game!) to playing the LaMonaca family card game (Shanghai) to just being good friends. The older we get the crazier the things we do. From running survivor and the mole to going to Florida together to taking a cousins trip to New Jersey (no parents) to inviting ourselves along on each other's vacations to going skiing in Wisconsin to visiting each other's colleges to poker tournaments to playing our own version of "Who Want to be a Millionaire" to just being good friends.

I would not be who I am today if it were not for my family.

IQ Test

Your IQ Is 120

Your Logical Intelligence is Exceptional Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius Your Mathematical Intelligence is Above Average Your General Knowledge is Exceptional

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

And you all thought I am an idiot! =P

You should take the quiz and let me know what you got!

A little guessing game!

Anyone who can guess what this is will get a candy from me (yes, I am even willing to mail it to you).

Another Questionnaire

Betsy put this questionnaire on her xanga, so I thought I'd fill it out... (going along with heather's theme of questionnaires.... but not completely copying her. I have done enough of that already.)It is kind of long, so I took out some of the weird or "offensive" questions.

1) Last word you said: Brittney (as in, "goodbye, brittney")
2) Last song you sang: To Be With You
3) Last person you hugged: Ana Michelsen
4) Last time you said 'I love you': a little bit ago, on the phone to Brittney
5) Last time you cried: this afternoon
6) What's in your CD player: Switchfoot -- The Beautiful Letdown
7) What color socks are you wearing: me? wear socks? that is laughable.
8) What's under your bed: right now, a chewed up wooden spoon that Lexi got and brought under there.
9) What time did you wake up today: 8:20am
10) Current hair: in a ponytail
11) Current clothes: my pajamas - shorts and a tank-top
12) Current annoyance: slamming doors
13) Current longing: to sleep through the night
14) Current desktop picture: a pic of my cousins and me skiing in Wisconsin
15) Current worry: that I am not getting enough sleep and being a drag on my friends because of it
16) Current hate: drama
17) Story behind your username: uh... my blog user name? it is lamonaca which is my mom's maiden name which is how I got my name.
18) Current favorite article of clothing: haha, this long sleeved black, thin top that I have... or the outfit I wore today (my blue/green skirt with my green tank top)
20) Favorite place to be: right now, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world than where I am now.
22) Time you wake up in the morning: usually around 8
23) Do you play an instrument: I try to
24) Favorite color: blue or purple
25) Do you believe in the afterlife? How could I not?
26) How tall are you? 5'6 (a whole 1/2 foot taller than heather!)
27) Current favorite word/saying: "I smell what you're stepping in"
28) Favorite book: Brothers K
29) Favorite season:I love them all
30) One person from your past that you wish you could hang out with: My papa
32) Where would you like to take a trip to?: Gee... I would love to be able to travel Europe some day....
33) What is your career going to be like: challenging
36) A random lyric: I question why you chose to die/when you knew your truth, I would deny/time and time again/daily in my sin I take your life - 12 stones
37) favorite place to shop: Target
39) what kind of shampoo do you use?: dove
40) what are you most scared of?: being trapped
41) what are you listening to right now: the humming of the computer
42) who is the last person that called you?: Ana
43) where do you want to get married?: well, last time the thought of marriage entered my head was when Troy decided I would get married in Madrid.
44) how many buddies are online right now?: 28
FAVORITE…
47) boys names: Micah
48) girls names: Bethany, Aiden
49) subjects in school: sociology/social work classes
50) animals: dogs
HAVE YOU EVER…
52) given anyone a bath?: besides my younger cousins and the boys I babysit? no. after my mom's surgery she asked me to give her a sponge bath, but I made my father doing it.
53) smoked?: yes
54) bungee jumped?: almost but didn't
55) made yourself throw up?: yes
56) skinny dipping?: no
58) made yourself cry to get out of trouble?: i hardly have the ability to cry when I am upset, how could i make myself cry?
61) cried when someone died?: yes
62) lied: anyone who says he/she hasn't is a liar
63) done something you regret?: of course i have, but I try to learn from my mistakes.
FINAL QUESTIONS
69) what was the last film you saw?: Lord of the Rings: the two towers
71) what did you have for breakfast this morning?: toast and coffee
72) Who would you hate to be locked in a room with: Ryan
73) who would you love being locked in a room with?: Troy and Heather
74) could you live without your computer?: I could... but I would be sad.
75) how many people are on your buddy list?: 155
76)do you drink alcohol?: I am not an alcoholic if that is what you are asking.
77) like watching sunrises or sunsets?: yeah...

my journey

Feelings are not supposed to be logical. Dangerous is the man who has rationalized his emotions. --David Borenstein

Today I went into the city. We ate good spanish food, saw good spanish sights, went shopping in good spanish stores, eavesdropped on good spanish conversation, and saw great european buildings/alleys. It was wonderful. At one point I actually had to catch my breath. Then I went to a park with my friend and we sat on this bench for a couple hours and it was beautiful. I kept thinking to myself that I do not want to leave, I love this way too much. I feel like I finally may have found my niche--found a place where I finally feel like I belong. Tonight was my community group, which I love. I always walk away from community group feeling refreshed and like I was just a part of something really great. Right there in the middle of this park with an Egyptian Temple a group of believers get together and share their stories and their lives. They pray together and read the Word together and learn more about their Father together. And as different as each person in that group is they all have one thing in common--Jesus Christ. I know I should not be suprised by this... but God never ceases to amaze me in His ability to bring people together. He says where two or more are gathered together in my name, I will be there. Well, I have seen His presence at community group each Monday and I have felt His hand on me throughout the night saying "now this is exactly what I have been trying to teach you..."

Despite all of that, today I came home and cried. I haven't had a good cry in a long while and it felt good, but I do not know why I cried. In spite of the incredible friendships I have made here, there is a loneliness that burns deep within. It feels pretty similar to what I felt in my first few months at Calvin. A piece of myself gets left behind whenever I leave home and I find myself searching, trying to figure out who I am. It is not easy being in a place where I have to re-establish who I am. When I got here, no one knew what makes me laugh, what makes me cry, where I came from, where I have been, or what has made me who I am. Where do you start? How does one choose which stories to tell and to whom? And now that I have shared a bit of myself with friends here and they have shared their lives with me, how do I pack up and leave in two weeks. I am finally feeling like I can call this place home and my time to leave will come quicker than I could imagine.

We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started... and to know the place for the first time. -- T.S. Elliot

Michigan!

Although I didn't gro up in Michigan, living there for two years with a bunch of people who did has forced me to appreciate this. I have italicized the ones I esspecially appreciate! So here it is:

You know you are from Michigan when...
You define summer as three months of bad sledding.
You think Alkaline batteries were named for a Tiger outfielder.
You can identify an Ohio accent.
Your idea of a seven-course meal is a six pack and a bucket of smelt.
Owning a Japanese car is a hanging offense in your hometown.
You know how to play (and pronounce) Euchre. (so true!)
The Big Mac is something that you drive across.
You believe that "down south" means Toledo.
You bake with soda and drink pop.
You drive 75 on the highway and you pass on the right. (i cannot stand michigan drivers...)
Your Little League baseball game was snowed out.
You learned how to drive a boat before you learned how to ride a bike.
You know how to pronounce "Mackinac".
You have experienced frostbite and sunburn in the same week.
You expect Vernor's when you order ginger ale.
You know that Kalamazoo not only exists, but that it isn't far from Hell.
Your favorite holidays are Christmas, Thanksgiving, the opening of deer season and Devil's Night.
Your snowmobile, lawn mower and fishing boat all have big block Chevy engines.
At least one person in your family disowns you for the week of the Michigan/Michigan State football game.
You know what a millage is. (i actually don't know what millage is...)
Traveling coast to coast means driving from Port Huron to Muskegon.
Half the change in your pocket is Canadian, eh.
You show people where you grew up by pointing to a spot on your left hand. (i hated it when people did that!)
You know what a "Yooper" is.
Your car rusts out before you need the brakes done
Half the people you know say they are from Detroit... yet you don't personally know anyone who actually lives in Detroit
"Up North" means north of Clare.
You know what a pastie is.
You occasionally cheer "Go Lions- and take the Tigers with you."
Snow tires come standard on all your cars.
At least 25% of your relatives work for the auto industry.
You don't understand what the big deal about Chicago is. (being from chicago, I cannot appreciate this)
Octopus and hockey go together as naturally as hot dogs and baseball. (being from chicago, i can't appreciate this one either)
You know more about chill factors and lake effect than you'd EVER like to know!
Your snowblower has more miles on it than your car.
Shoveling the driveway constitutes a great upper body workout.
You never watch the Weather Channel - you can just assume they're wrong.
The snowmen you make in your front yard actually freeze. Solid. (this actually happened to me more than once!)
The snow freezes so hard that you can actually walk across it and not break it or leave any marks.
Your major school field trip includes camping and cross-country skiing.
Half your friends have a perfect sledding hill right in their own backyard.

Ten things I will miss about Spain

10- Public transportation
9- The weather
8- Having an "exercise buddy"
7- Watching movies almost every night
6- Sangria
5- Monday night Community Group *the park group!*

4- Cafe con Helado
3- Mountainview Church
2- Knock knock jokes, riddles, and bad puns
1- The Cady's

PS - Check out Heather's blog for an update on Troy's and my craziness this morning! And despite what Heather said... she still laughed at our commercial!