The very best episodes of “The Office” show us the sweetness behind the characters even when they’re acting like total jerks.

Which is to say: tonight’s episode was gold.

A few highlights for the husband and me:

1. “The tall guy got engaged.”

2. Let’s Get Ethical

3. “Because? I’ll just take up smoking. I’ll do it.”
“I’ll do it with ya. I’ve got a bag of cigars in my purse.”

4. “When I discovered YouTube, I didn’t work for five days.”

5. “I once reported Oscar to the INS.”

6. Jim’s stopwatch

7. Holly-lujah and Mike-raculous

8. “It’s kind of business-romantic.”

9. Michael blocking the copier.

10. Phyllis and Stanley high-fiving.

But above all else, the Dwight / “Battlestar Galactica” / “open soda bottle” stuff made us laugh until we wheezed.

What did y’all think?

Right now it’s about 4:30 in the afternoon and I either need a caffeine infusion, a nap, or both. I suppose I could “cook supper” for my “family” so that they can “eat,” but I think we’re gonna have a make-do supper. Cheese quesadillas for everyone! With Doritos! I’m way behind on the laundry and need to get us packed so we can head out of town tomorrow, but I’m telling you, people: it is difficult to do laundry when you’ve been overtaken by a bout of the narcolepsy.

Anyway, I just wanted to tell all of you who emailed me about the Praise Baby blogging stuff that you’ll have some specific information from me in the next couple of days. Y’all pretty much tripled my expectations in terms of how many people might respond, and I want to make sure all the info I send you is accurate. So just as soon as I talk to The People In Charge, I’ll shout you a holla via email.

Hey. You know what’s sort of sad? When a mama in her late thirties says “shout you a holla.” Teenagers around the world cringe in unison when that happens.

But I can’t help it. Because I’m street, yo.

Also: I got my hair cut today and it’s way too short and I’m borderline traumatized by it but trying to tell myself that it’s a good thing because the world’s economic systems are falling apart and now I won’t have to spend money on another haircut for a very long time.

Seriously. I’m thinking I’ll be ready for another cut sometime around 2011. By then it hopefully will have grown out below my chin.

I’ll be back later with an “Office” recap. Because even though I’m sleepy and my hair situation has me contemplating some extensions, Andy Bernard will make it all better.

Oh yes he will.

Just a few items of (relative) interest:

1) A few weeks ago I mentioned a possible night-o-fun for bloggers who live in or around Birmingham. And after we all exchanged a couple of emails, we realized that schedule-wise that particular date just wasn’t going to work.

So. All that to say.

We now have a new date for All The Fun. It’s on a weeknight in October – but not on a Wednesday so it won’t interfere with church. If you live in this area and you’d like more info, email me.

2) I’m helping the folks at Praise Baby line up some contributors for their new blog. Specifically (and ideally), I’m looking for about 25 people who would commit to writing two short posts over a period of three months (late-October to late-December). If you’re interested, email me. And yes, there is free music involved.

3) And finally, because it’s never too early to start planning for the holidays:

I’ll post more details in the next week or so!

p.s. Shannon made the adorable button. I’m telling you: she is handy on them there computers. FAYN-CEE!

I’m about to go to bed, but I wanted to thank y’all a million times for all your sweet birthday wishes. I loved every single one of your comments and emails. It was a great birthday – complete with homemade strawberry cake, OH PRAISE YOU, JESUS – and I have had a wonderful weekend with my little family.

And yes, I loved the hijacked birthday post that my husband wrote. It caught me completely by surprise; it was pretty much the sweetest present ever. We do not have a perfect marriage by any stretch of the imagination, and Lord have mercy we have fought tooth and nail to hold it together during some particularly difficult seasons. But seeing how God has changed us and our marriage has been one of the sweetest joys of my life. Even though it was grueling at times, I wouldn’t change a thing.

You know how some people come into marriage with baggage? Well, we had TRUNKS. It took us awhile to unpack all that junk.

Good times.

Next.

Thanks also for your TREMENDOUS response to Travis’ Christmas CD giveaway. I’ll close the comments tomorrow around lunchtime and announce the winners sometime Tuesday. Y’all are gonna love the CD so much.

Almost as much as I love the fact that I WAS SO RIGHT and TRAVIS WAS SO WRONG about the number of comments the giveaway would generate, not that I’m gloating or anything.

Finally.

A post for an Oreck vacuum giveaway will go up sometime Monday afternoon. I’m giddy with anticipation. Now I do not personally own an Oreck, mind you, nor do I receive any sort of compensation for doing this giveaway, but for some reason it makes me SO DADGUMMED EXCITED to think about somebody winning a brand-spanking-new vacuum cleaner.

Sweet mercy I’m old.

See y’all tomorrow!

Alert. This blog has been hijacked by the man called BooDaddy.

Dear BooMama,

As I know how much you enjoy a list, I thought it only fitting that in honor of your 39th birthday today, I would let you know 39 reasons why I love you:

1. That even though you grew up in Mississippi, you didn’t realize that the Mississippi River formed the state’s western border until you were almost 30. (See also the Target “circles.”)

2. That you allowed me to get a yellow lab. And then let us also keep the abandoned stray mutt that wandered to our house a few months later.

3. That you were so loving with our aforementioned puppies that I knew you would be an awesome mom.

4. That you prove me correct on a daily basis (see #3) with Boo.

5. That you never complain when I stay up late playing Xbox with friends.

6. That you NEVER NAG me about anything.

7. In the 11 years we have been married you have never given me a to do list. Not one single time.

8. You love to keep a pretty house. (Yet somehow do not have this same compulsion about your car-but I guess that’s another list entirely.)

9. That you love your friends and are fiercely loyal to them.

10. That you can enter a situation and immediately know how to handle it (which comes in handy with a husband who has been known to fly off the handle a time or two).

11. That you appreciate my ability to fix things around the house.

12. That when I suggested it might be a good idea for you to find a hobby you took up blogging.

13. That you have never brought the laptop into the bedroom. And that is saying something since it has been in EVERY OTHER room in the house. [Or for that matter the fact that you can tell where the WiFi drops out in our front and back yard.]

14. That you love your brother and sister and speak with them daily.

15. That you have given me not only your brother and sister but their spouses as well.

16. That you love the beach almost as much as I do.

17. That you only rearrange furniture every couple of years. (First, you have a completely different disposition during the process and second, I am like a cat in that I will try and sit where I am used to sitting without regard for where I might land.)

18. That you love my friends.

19. That you make THE BEST country fried steak, gravy, mac and cheese and butterbeans in the world. And I should know.

20. That you know #19 is my all time favorite meal and surprise me with it every month or so.

21. That you can flat out cook.

22. Christ. Africa. Compassion. ‘Nuff said.

23. That you have MANY friends and can tell me exactly what is happening with each one of them at any given time.

24. That you know how to counter my arguments. (Note: not always appreciated during the argument, but definitely appreciated after I have had time to come to my senses.)

25. Your loyalty and devotion to Mentholatum. I have never met a person more devoted to a single product.

26. The sound of your laugh.

27. Your unbridled love of football.

28. Specifically the SEC.

29. Especially Mississippi State.

30. Your ability to leave work, run by the Stein Marts, go to the grocery store, and come home without breaking your cell phone conversation with [insert friend name here].

31. That you don’t not use your mastery certifucate in ANGleash to correct my grammertical mistooks (even though I am sure you are noting my mistakes in this birthday list as you are reading it.)

32. Your continual insistence that you can dye your own hair.

33. That you always take the puppies out for their last walk of the day.

34. Your love of Jan Hooks, Christopher Guest movies, Kristen Wigg, and The Office.

35. That you make both me and Boo laugh on a daily basis.

36. That you remembered to get your oil changed this week. (Wait a second. This may be more of a subtle hint.)

37. Three words: homemade chocolate pie.

38. That you LOVE a bargain and have an innate ability to hunt one down.

39. That you love me.

I apologize for covertly finding out a way to hijack your blog. (Whatup BigMama!) But I just felt that this list needed to be published so that all could know how special I think you are.

I love you,
BooDaddy

…but look! Andy and Angela have a wedding website!

source

Just look at that happy couple.

Nothing but pure bliss in store for those two crazy kids.