When it rains, it sure does pour!

There must be something special about March 21. Because we've gotten more invitations for social events that day than we have in the last month!

Chelley and Triple are coming down to visit for T's birthday that weekend, so that trumps everything. But we've also been invited to a friend's son's birthday party, we won tickets to a basketball tournament and we'd considered going to the Christian Book Expo in Dallas that weekend. (Major bummer when we decided we couldn't afford that!)

And did I mention I'm singing with choir and we're scheduled to work in the nursery that Sunday?

I think there's something else...another invitation that I'm forgetting...but seriously, isn't that enough?

I'm really looking forward to seeing Chelley and Triple in a couple weeks (and the murder mystery party for T's big day - fun!), so I don't mind missing the other activities at all. And I'll be honest, Mark is probably better off taking a friend to the basketball tournament anyway! But it's just weird.

Do you find that this happens to you? Do you go weeks without a social event and then BAM! have a bunch in a row or even on the same day? What's up with that?!

I didn't know Daisy was dating.

Yes, I am aware that the Superbowl is actually a football game, and the main attraction is - or at least, is supposed to be - the competition between two teams.

But come on! You know it's all about the commercials!

My pick for the winner? Bridgestone, who had two funny and original spots, one with Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head and another with astronauts. What do toys and outer space have to do with tires? Umm, nothing, but they were still funny.



Second runner up, in my opinion, goes to the Budweiser horse commercials. Cute, funny and memorable - the perfect combo for a Superbowl campaign. (See them here, here and here.)

And the loser in the big game? Definitely GoDaddy.com. Congratulations to them for continuing their legacy of being crude and juvenile. And way to go, Danica Patrick, for playing along. Two thumbs down.

Just in case you missed a few commercials (loading up on cheese dip maybe...or was that just me?), go HERE to watch all the Superbowl ads.

What were your favorite commercials this year?

Never thought I'd say this...

Some girls are good at sports. And, feminist that I am, I’m all for girls and women getting equal opportunities in the athletic arena. I believe team sports teach young people life lessons that just can’t be found anywhere else. Even, much as it pains me to admit it, in band. I believe athletics in general encourage healthy lifestyles and dedication and ambition. And I believe that showing support for “your” team is one way that schools and communities bond, and that’s a good thing.

In sum, I think sports are great.

But while some girls are good at sports, I am not one of them. Smitty was. She was a good basketball player. Not me, though. It didn’t matter how bad I wanted it or how many hours I stood in my driveway practicing free throws, I am not an athlete. I may be competitive. I may have rhythm. But I am not an athlete.

Nevertheless, I am thankful for the time I have spent in sports. From gymnastics to t-ball to dance lessons to volleyball to basketball to aerobics, I have made friends and learned lessons and received many a health benefit from athletic activities.

I also collapsed, wheezing, on the floor after doing a few too many separators. And tripped over my own two feet running down the court and stood up, mortified, only to hear my own coach holler a joke at my expense. But that’s been so many years ago. I’ve forgiven that wretched coach and focus on the good things I learned from sports. Mostly.

That's me in the back, smack dab in the middle. My dad was the coach of our t-ball team that year, so we're standing in my back yard. That's my friend, Elise, standing next to me. We met playing t-ball. Neither one of us was an athlete.

Did you play sports? Do you now? What have you learned from sports?

Funny guy. Priceless.

Peyton Manning keeps a pretty low profile, avoiding product endorsement and staying out of the public eye.

Just kidding! This guy is in so many commercials!

And they're funny ones, too. Manning has pushed everything from a TV to cookies, from cable to a credit card. My favorite is the Sprint commercial, if you like that sort of thing. I just read about his latest commercial, a 30-second promo for Mastercard in their Priceless campaign. You can see it here.

I thought I'd look up his other commercials to share with you, just in case you, too, appreciate a pretty boy with a dry sense of humor. Here they are:

Mastercard Priceless Pep Talk (hair cut)
Mastercard Priceless Pep Talk (football season)
Mastercard Priceless Pep Talk (rock hard abs)
Mastercard Priceless Pep Talk (minivan)
Mastercard Priceless (spa)
Mastercard Priceless (fans)
Mastercard Priceless (fans II)
Sprint (Peyton in disguise)
Oreo DSRL (with Eli)
Direct TV (NFL package)
ESPN SportsCenter (Manning family)
Sony Bravia (soccer)
Sony Bravia (no sports)