The Return of the Jedi

I wish I was a Jedi.. then I'd be in shape.. and have a light saber.  Wait, I have one of those, thanks to my friend and 10pm producer Andrew.  It makes noise and lights up.  I rule.

I digress... I'M BAAAAA-AAACK.. inspired by the beautiful Dani Demers to restart this bad boy blog, as Team BP will be embarking on many new adventures in the next few months :)

But for today... I'm stealing John and Molly Campbell's blog topic and making it my own.  Enjoy! And welcome back!

TEN ON TUESDAY
For each of the following 10 categories tell me the product you use and why.
1.  Cell phone:  Verizon, I've never had a problem getting reception anywhere.
2.  Email:  Hotmail and Hearst, Hotmail because it scared me the least when it was time to move away from AOL, and Hearst because work provides it
3.  Toothpaste:  Whatever Brian buys :) Although I kinda want to try the new Crest Whitening one that allegedly works WONDERS in 2 weeks.. even if you eat blueberry pie and drink wine like the model does
4.  Car:  Honda Accord Coupe, best deal for me at the time my last lease expired... although I miss my Nissan Altima Couple dearly
5.  Writing Utensil:  Pens.  Blue.  Pretty.
6.  Lotion:  Whatever's on sale and strikes my fancy at Target.
7.  Interior Paint:  Behr, by Home Depot.
8.  Soda/Drink:  Icees.  Mixed Cherry and Coke.
9.  Laundry Detergent:  Gain.  Brian's allergic to Tide, and I'm allergic to ALL (as in A-L-L.. not every kind of detergent).
10.  Medicine:  What a weird question... gummy vitamins?

CHEERIO! 

I Will Sell This House Today!

Our house is for sale.

Our NEW house is purchased.. three weeks from tomorrow until we close.

Needless to say, I'd prefer not to have two mortgages to pay for.

So, I woke up Friday morning on a mission.  I was Annette Benning in 'American Beauty', taking off her heels and suit jacket and cleaning the house she's trying to sell in a frenzy, repeating to herself: "I will sell this house today!  I will sell this house today!"

I put out Open House signs and SCRUBBED, WASHED, LAUNDERED, DUSTED, MOPPED our house from top to bottom.  Our house has never looked better.  I put on nice clothes rather than my usual no make-up/sweats motiff, sat in my living room with my laptop and waited.  Hell, I even put a crystal candy dish full of mints on the island next to our flyers.

Friday night, only one lady stopped by.  I chalked it up to "most people look on the weekends.. tomorrow will be better."

Saturday... NOT ONE PERSON CAME.  NOT ONE.  I sat on my behind waiting ALL FREAKING DAY.  My wedding photos are organized.  My scrapbook items are sorted and labelled.  Our sub-basement and storage areas are clean.  And I have played so much Mario Kart, I now have my own Mii to race.. it takes a lot of races to unlock that feature, folks.

By the time Brian got home from his marathon Berkshire-weekend, I was on the verge of tears.
a)  I wasted a GORGEOUS day I could have been running or gardening or tanning on the deck.. sitting inside waiting for people to look at our house
b)  I just want to focus on our NEW home and what we will do... not what else we have to/should/could do to get our house to sell
c)  NO ONE CAME.  NOT ONE PERSON.  Lots of people grabbing flyers.. lots of people driving real slow past.. NOT ONE PERSON STOPPED.  WHY???!!!???!!!!!???

Brian took me out to Red Lobster for a very late dinner.. where I took out my stress on a pound of crab legs and an ice cold Mai Tai.  I felt much better.

I left for work today thinking "today will be the day.. way more people look on Sunday, right?"

Just texted Brian, and nadda.  Nothing.  Nope.

This blows.  I have now officially become the Annette Benning in 'American Beauty' when she does NOT sell this house today... and she ends up slapping her self, sobbing, saying "stop it!!"

OK.. I haven't gotten to that point.  But here's hoping for a change.. and a buyer.. soon :)

Cars, Cabins and... WAKE UP!

THAT'S RIGHT!  Another dream post...


**on a random side note, anyone remember on the show "Roundhouse" how they would wiggle their hands and make oogly noises when they switched to a dream sequence sketch??  Did anyone WATCH Roundhouse on Nickolodeon on Friday nights??  Fine.. judge me...**

I had to get to a live shot right away.. and it needed to be along water.. this huge ocean-like lake that for some reason we had to be on the completely other side of.  On this day (in dreamland) my photographer, Justin, was driving his black/dark blue Mustang convertible to our live shot.  I was really disappointed it wasn't the sky blue model.  I was also scared to death because Justin was going to drive right through a flooded road, and I was sure we'd get stuck/die.. or maybe I was just nervous I'd be late to my live shot.

Somehow.. I ended up at an amazing mansion-like cabin, and Brian was there.  Turns out, this cabin was his Uncle Terry's, fully furnished and awesome, but he wasn't living in it. 

 "Brian!!" said I. "Why don't we buy this!!??!!" 
"No... we can't."  Brian said.

The house was amazing.  Big open living room.. awesome kitchen.. great bedrooms with an attached bathroom.. awesome.  It just looked PERFECT and exactly right for us.  There was a pool in the backyard with a waterslide that went underground and ended up subtly in the front.. but not in a tacky kind of way.  Because front yard waterslides are soo tacky.

**another random side note.. anyone remember Top Dog waterslides?? Used to be at 20th and Cornhusker before anything else was there?  No?  Fine.. judge me...**


I'm off to DC!! Ladies, here I come!! Where the wine will be flowing and the dreams, I'm sure, will be PSYCHO....

Sweet Dreams

So, the name of this blog is "The Other BP".. and its point is to write about the adventures of my little family.  However.. my little family hasn't really had any adventures lately.

I got hair extensions.

Brian and his Millard North Mustangs are on a solid winning streak (knock on wood).

Mack ran into a wall... and rolled off the bed... and tripped going up the stairs.

So, I'm considering changing the theme of this blog... to my psycho mind.

You see, I have some WACKED OUT DREAMS.  I know the theories.. that food or alcohol or whatever else pushes your mind to places where odd, bizarre things happen.  Not me.. I AM odd and bizarre and so, therefore, my dreams are usually quite entertaining.  AND I remember them in ridiculous detail.

SO HERE WE GO...

DREAM BLOG, NIGHT ONE.

Last night, I dreamed that my Dad told me he invested in something.... that he'd bought A HAWAIIAN ISLAND for $4.3 billion. (Yes, I remembered the dollar amount.)  So, I asked him if Brian and I could go with a bunch of our friends.  He said no, he didn't want them to trash the place.  So I asked him if we could go wtih just our friends Scott and Megan.  He said 'ok, for $300 for the week'.

Wow!  What a deal!

Flash forward to Hawaii... and suddenly it was my high school girlfriends, and a guy I went to high school with but haven't seen or talked to IN YEARS.. and his brother... but his brother's real name was Old Dominion.. like the College Basketball team.

RANDOM.  At first, we were swimming in a pool at the hotel... which by the way, had a Starbucks in the lobby... and your choice of carryout cup.. but you had to poor the coffe in yourself because you WERE NOT allowed to take your ceramic mug to your room.  While at the pool, I saved someone's kid who fell in and was drowning.

Next thing I know, I was very upset because Pammie, Mel and Jenni wouldn't talk to me or hang out with me.. until I bombarded them at Pammie's Hawaiian apartment.. and told them I felt BETRAYED.. that specific word.  Apparently, Pam was recording the confrontation on video, watched it, and felt horrible about our fight when she saw it on tape.. so the girls came to find me.  I was back in my hotel room and watched, from high up, as Pammie asked MY BOSS, in a crowd of people, where I was.

What the f***?

So then we all hung out in my hotel room.. which wasn't really a room, it was like a giant L shaped living room with a kitchenette...

See what I mean?? Brandi = crazy!!!
I think this new format will be QUITE entertaining :)

What I Did On My Winter Vacation

1--I sang the National Anthem at the UNO Mavericks Hockey game

ADRENALINE RUSH!!  It's been awhile since I've been that nervous about something.. thankfully it went well!  Good times!

2--Mack and I walked around Walnut Creek Monday night. 

The weather was just too beautiful to NOT workout outside.  I can't find a mileage count for it.. but it took us a little more than an hour... so a few miles?  He was POOPED!  And I felt great :)  The start of my latest workout regime?? Here's hoping...

3--Cleaning.

Major cleaning.  And laundry.

4--Scrapbooking. 

I'm almost done with Volume 1: The Engagement!!  Wow... that sounds REALLY pathetic...

5--Megs and Jen

Time with my ladies!!! SOOOO GREAT!!!  And I CAN'T WAIT to see Pammie Friday night and have more time with my girls!!

6--Home Improvement

New curtains in our bedroom and a new fan.  Our room looks so fancy!

SOOOO now it's back to work.  Story shoot today, meeting tomorrow, emceeing an event Saturday.  But I'm refreshed! I'm ready!  Who knew vacation was not only wonderful.. but needed? :)

The Eagle Scout

Burn Victim Becomes Eagle Scout



A co-worker with family connections to scouting first told us about Clayton Hildredth. An 18-year-old, badly burned as a toddler. He doesn’t have any toes or fingers, lips or a nose, only one eye and only one ear. He’s conquered every challenge in his path and achieved an honor that less than 5-percent of all boy scouts attain. Still, talk to Clayton on the phone and he sounds like any other teenaged boy.

However, the first time you look at Clayton’s smiling face, it’s easy to be overcome with emotion. Pity. Anger. Sadness. Why should a little boy have to go through life dealing with that??

I shared some of these thougths with my husband the night before my interview with Clayton. He said to me, “he doesn’t want your pity.”

He couldn’t have been more right. And today, Clayton Hildredth has nothing but my respect and admiration.

****

In the first few minutes of talking to Clayton, it’s clear this kid is something special. We heard about him the week before he was to be honored as an Eagle Scout. Here’s how our first conversation over the phone went:

Voice: “Hello?”

Me: “Hi! Clayton?”

Voice: “Helloooo?”

Me: “Clayton? Clayton!?! Can you hear me?”

Voice: “Are you there?”

Me: (quickly darting my head from side to side, trying to get better reception from my cell, as I basically shouted into the phone) “Clayton? Can you hear me now?!?”

(at this point, Rob and several other coworkers were looking at me with raised eyebrows)

Voice: “Guess you should just leave a message!!” BEEP!

Clayton trick’s worked; the oldest voice mail joke in the book. When Clayton and I talked later that night, the first thing I told him was that I had fallen for the “answering hoax” voice mail.

“Did you like it??” Clayton asked. “My grandma hates it! She said she’s deleting me from her phone!”

Clayton’s character shines from the first moments he meets someone. He stuns you with the spirit in his voice; not an ounce of bitterness. He doesn’t emit any of the anger, the pity, the frustration others may feel when seeing his injuries. And if you get him on the topic of scouts, you better have some time to talk and exhange stories.

Thankfully, KETV chief photojournalist Scott Buer was the other half of our team sharing Clayton’s story. Scott is a former “Scout Dad” and troop leader for years. They exchanged stories about Camp Cedars, about his service project, about his Scout name and why being an Eagle Scout is such a special, life-lasting accomplishment.

Clayton answered every question he was asked about what happened to him, no matter how personal or difficult to talk about. His maturity seemed well beyond his 18 years. But in the moments sitting and watching him talk about scouts with a fellow scout-family member, another aspect of who Clayton is shines through on a completely different level.

At one point, Scott asked him, “how did you handle your day of silence?”

Clayton burst out in exclamations of “Oh! Oh! It was horrible!!”

“All I had to do was give you a dirty look,” replied his Scoutmaster, Kristine Price.

“SHHH!” mimicked Clayton. “That look is horrible. It can kill.”

A few minutes later during a really intense part of our interview, Clayton described how children run away from him because of his injuries. Scott asked him, “is that why you want to be a social worker?”

“To scare kids?” Clayton replied. The whole room burst out laughing.

This kid has such a quick wit; an incredible sense of humor and timing. The more you talk to him, the more you realize he is JUST LIKE ANY OTHER HEARTLAND TEENAGER. An 18-year-old guy who loves video games and “blowing stuff up”, as he puts it. A proud uncle; “she loves me”, he says, describing his young niece, Madison. He talks like any other teenager; “dude”, and “like” pop up throughout conversation.

But this “dude” has faced more than most could even imagine.

Scott said it best: “We talk to a lot of complainers. I’m not hearing any whining at this table.”

True to form, Clayton replied, “I can whine if you want me to.” More laughs, of course.

Would anyone blame Clayton for whining? Probably not. But just like every other challenge he’s taken on, he refuses to let self pity win.

“I just have a very strong belief that if I think I can do it, I can do it.”

***

BOY SCOUT OATH

On my honor, I will do my best,

to do my duty, to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law;

To help other people at all times;

To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

One of the last things Clayton told us that day, was that he knows he has a purpose. He just hasn’t found it yet, he said.

Whether he’s aware of it or not, Clayton is changing the way people think about people who are different; from his fellow scouts who now treat him as a buddy regardless of how he looks, to a reporter and photographer who left Clarinda, Iowa that afternoon not feeling pity; but inspiration, awe, and a will to never complain again.

And he’s not stopping. Clayton wants to be a social worker and help other kids, “more than you think” he says, who are burned and hurt. He volunteers with the Shriners, and spent a recent Saturday in Omaha helping out at the Shrine Circus.

His scoutmaster named him “Willfull Spirit” during one of their last trips to camp.

To Clayton “Willful Spirit” Hildredth, congratulations on your incredible achievement, and good luck on what will no doubt be your amazing journey to come.

SMOOSHED

That's what my brain is right now... everything is SMOOSHED inside it... (that's also one of the words I used during a really poor live shot at a train derailment a few years ago... followed by an immediate drop of the head and instant embarassment)

My friend Megan recently wrote a post on her blog with the warning "hold on to your seats!"  I'm stealing that.  HOLD ON TO YOUR SEATS, FOLKS!  Probably would have been more effective if I hadn't admitted my theft beforehand, huh?  And since we are currently in the midst of the Winter Olympics.. every subtitle within this post will follow the Vancouveran theme...

THE LUGE

A.K.A.  My ass of a dog, Mack

Last weekend, I got all dolled up to head to a "retirement" party for my beautiful friend and coworker, Marla.  Those who know me know on the weekends it is not uncommon for me to hole up in my pink room and scrapbook until I run out of decals.. so to get all snazzy and go to a party is a big deal.  I was all ready and put on Mack's leash to let him out one last time before leaving.  Unfortunately I didn't see the other dog on HIS leash, being walked right past our house by my neighbor.  Mack BOLTED for his would-be friend.. the other dog had a mad case of Little Dog Syndrome and spazzed.  I tried to pull back on Mack's leash.. but quickly learned party shoes + freshly fallen snow + 72 pound IDIOT DOG =

BRANDI SLIDING BELLY FIRST ACROSS THE FRONT YARD.

Yeah, you read that right.  I tried to dig my heels in.. but had no traction.. and just like a cartoon flopped down onto my front and got pulled across the front yard like a MORON.  I can just imagine how my neighbor's night went.. speed dialing or facebooking everyone he knows.. telling them how the TV girl luged across her front yard trying to stop her dog.

Mack and I were not on speaking terms for several days.

BIATHALON

A.K.A.  Brian's New Job

Brian is now a month in to his new gig at Qwest Center Omaha as one of the heads of internal production.  Basically, if you go to something in the arena.. everything you see on the big center screen, the banners, the sound.. that's all at the hands of my husband :)  He's kind of a big deal.

Why biathalon, you ask?  Because Brian has logged 127 HOURS in the last two weeks.

Concerts + NSAA State Wrestling + Creighton Basketball + UNO Hockey =

a very tired husband... but BANK for his wife :)

The one GREAT perk.. the celeb sightings.  When Tim McGraw and Faith Hill came into town.. guess who hooked up TM's cable in his dressing room?  BRIAN.  And guess who talked to him about baseball?  BRIAN.  And guess who said "oh, it's no problem" when FH walked by and said "oh, I'm sorry.. I didn't know you had someone in here.."  BRIAN.

And in case you were wondering if Faith Hill really is that gorgeous in person.. Brian's answer:

"OHHHH YEAH... she's NOT ugly.."

SKELETON

Like me giving up ALCOHOL for Lent... you're NUTS to try either one.

But that's what I'm doing... one of my favorite things to do after a long day is have a glass of wine and either read or scrapbook... so it's a big sacrifice for me to give it up for Lent.  So far so good!  Unfortunately I've turned to milkshakes/smoothies instead.. which does NOT bode well for my weight loss regime....

BOBSLED

Brian got me Wii Mario Kart for my birthday...

I know have Wii thumb.. and I think I went for a four hour stretch Saturday night without blinking...

BUT THE GAME IS BRILLIANT.. If you have it, let me know--we can race online!

***

Thanks for helping UNSMOOSH some of my random thoughts :) 

And thank you everyone for the birthday wishes! 

29?!?!?!