Blah. I'm needing some kissing pictures to fill me with happiness because today has been an off day.

Missed my first ever invitation for an all-female all-fun book club (call me next time!)and have a toddler who can't seem to pass this little infant guy without knocking him down on purpose, then smothering him with kisses. Cute and annoying all at the same time. Let's make out and fuh-get about it shall we?

• Christmas 2004. Stop and think about Christmas 2004.....do you remember the insane natural disaster that happened?

I'm still waiting.

Okay, so that was the year of "the" tsunami that pummelled Thailand, Indonesia, and Sumatra killing hundreds of thousands of people.

Soooo. Holly and Adam: They're in Thailand. Working the globe. Hoping for offspring. Surprised that it works. Expecting in summer. Missing the family. Came home for Christmas. Surprise!Surprise! Canceled their plans to stay at the beach. In Phuket. Where 100 foot waves hit on December two-six. The Olsens all say: That baby is a miracle in more ways than one.

That picture was during that time. A kiss is quite appropriate don't you think?

Here's another kiss, 4 years and 2 kids later...

What makes their love unique? Well, these guys are the only married couple I've had as roommates since becoming Mrs. Olsen and I'll tell you what. I don't think they have ever been in a fight. It kindof ticks me off. They're even smiling in this picture with their lips pressed up against each other. Would you get over yourselves already? If anything, they are the couple that embodies peace. When they come together, you can feel them enjoying a tall glass of water. In each other.

Back in 1962, just before getting a major value shift with hippies, woodstock, and Vietnam, my folks insulated themselves from the upcoming generational chaos by settling down as husband & wife. Now I'm not saying my dad was not hip, or even that he was your standard 20th century male-chauvenist pig that the feminist movement despised. I'm just giving a disclaimer for this picture taken on their wedding day, on a warm summer's day back in 1962.

Curvy Bride: Oh honey, tell me all your secret family recipes!

Tall/Dark/Handsome: You are so beautiful today, and this is the last time I'm touching this pot.

Curvy Bride: It shall shine this bright on our ten year anniversary, I promise!

Now in actuality, this photo embodies more of a closing era than it does my actual parents. If a photog tried to pull this off nowadays, he wouldn't be in business.

And yet...something about this picture, this bygone era is so bittersweet for Mrs. Olsen. It seems to be a time when people took the loving, scrubbing, and feeding of kids a little more serious. And if you were a woman that loved to cook, to snuggle babies, and decorate...it was enough. Unfortunately, like our good earth, women have seasons in their lives. Which is why I'm going to be a pro volleyball player after my kids are all grown and out of the house. {concerned pause while soft body morphs into a blob on the office chair}. So anyway!

What was started back in 1962, was a beautiful family soon to have five kids who, for the most part, are all handsome, tall, funny, unselfish, and motivated people. The key to our success? My mom's diligent search of bargain racks so we had the latest fashions for the post-game Victory Dances! Okay, okay. The thing is: they were there. There wasn't a game, recital, gymnastics routine, swimming lesson, or military haircut they weren't there for.

So in honor of this 1962 miracle, I'm asking for a Caption to the Above Photo or a link to visual delights you enjoy on the web. Do I really need to have a giveaway for this people? Come on!

In the meantime, here is a list of photogs who are sure to stay in business in the new millenium:

• Justin Hackworth Photography of all the mission mail I enjoyed during my time as a nun, I'm sure that I enjoyed JH's the most. Visual Delights!
• Amelia Lyon Photography she has no idea who I am, but she married the waterboy to my High School Volleyball Team. Random. Her pics are beautiful.
• Heathernan Photography fellow Idaho Girl turned photog. The eyes! The eyes!
• What It All Looks Like. Photos by news journalist Mike Terry.

Dad, if you're reading this, I have not turned a new-leaf from loving mother to online distributor of porn. Promise. Mainly, I wanted to highlight a couple of new blogs that are unique in their offerings and have one thing in common: sex.

Okay, so first! There is a new ad campaign and one of the Olsen Spawn is a founder. This is not the reason I am highlighting it however. Here's a blip and you guess what it's about. It'll be fun.

Fighter? I'm a lover not a fighter. Fighter of what?

Okay, I'll be a fighter.

Fight the New Drug is the up and coming ad campaign to educate families, perverts, and unfulfilled husbands on the dangers and addictions of pornography.

I am excited for this simply because I have two boys who eventually will hit puberty and get an email account with unsolicited naughty invitations (one can only have a hotmail account so long before getting on the perves mass mailing list).

Which brings me to the next blog you should become a fan of. Be One: Strengthening Marriage Through Sexual Intimacy is self-explanatory in its mission, to use sex to strengthen the marriage. The blog author is an old friend from years back, whose personal insight and sense of service literally leaves throngs of people in her wake hoping to get a free therapy session. She has a gift. Here's an excerpt from the blog, so you know where she's coming from:

Many of you may wonder how and why this subject has struck enough interest in me to start a blog. I mentioned before that this interest is a gift. I believe that. There are so few people out there with respectful knowledge about this topic- especially women- especially, especially LDS women. Where does one turn to learn and grow in knowledge? What if there are days of frustration and stress because of this subject? What if your marriage is suffering or it's causing hidden emotions, or you dislike intimacy all together? What if your situation is good but not GREAT? Where do you seek help? Is it ok to learn more? My interest is for everyone. -BLOG: "Be One" November 30, 2008 post

Husbands to Good-Christian-Women everywhere just found a new best friend.

To follow these or other blogs (Mrs. *cough*sen's blog) then simply log in to your blogger account, and find your dashboard and customize your reading list.

When I was really coming into myself, you know, out of the awkward teen years and well into the college years, beyond the frosh independence buzz when you delight in filling your fridge with twinkies because you can. Well, when you're deciding for sure what your values are going to be and you know, you're confident "This is the person I am and I'm going to grow old gracefully".

So it was at that time in my life, I was still single, I started writing a journal to my "future husband". I marveled at my roommate who had cable TV in her bedroom, was obsessed with Mathew McConaughey, and watched TLC programming while writing her never-ending English papers.

I thought: TV sucks.

So into the journal I wrote: Dear Future Husband, If we never have a TV, we'll be more active and have fun. I don't ever want to have a TV. Gordon B. said that people waste a lot of time watching TV, so we are never having one in our home, okay? Love from, Your Future Wife

So when I met The Mister of the House, we dated, admired, kissed and eventually I said Here! and handed him my secret journal. Don't worry, I had a ring on my finger by then. But I wanted to make sure my bases were covered, no surprises when I said "Take back that 52-inch Plasma TV right now!".

Now for those of you who don't know, The Mister of the House is an avid movie lover. In fact, it's genetically ingrained into the Olsen DNA. Sunday dinner at the in-laws will go something like this:
Olsen Sister-in-law: Could you please pass the salad?
Brother Olsen: Yes
Olsen Sister-in-Law: [robot voice] In the future, we do not say yes. Instead, we say "Affirmative".
Pipsqeak Olsen: [robot voice] Yes, "Affirmative".
(name the source of that quote by the way and you become honorary member of the Olsen Clan)

Now don't get me wrong, my sister and I grew up watching Saved By the Bell Marathons, my own mother recorded Seinfeld, and High School was always brighter the morning after The Simpsons viewed prime-time. But in college I went through a multimedia drought and I absolutely thrived! So it was a guilty pleasure that I tried to kill, but that never fully died. It was then resurrected when I became Mrs. Olsen.

By my 5-year anniversary, my home swelled with a collection of over a thousand movies, albeit they were runoff from our first business.....but that's a story for another day.

But before you accuse The Mister of the House for backing out of our clearly defined entertainment standards, I would add, to his credit, that he didn't get cable TV until after anniversary number 8. Let's just say that having personally spawned 3 genetically enhanced movie-lovers, as well as being absorbed into the multimedia-absorbed DNA of the Olsen Clan, that I would practically be going against Nature Herself if I denied my family all of their digital delights.

Besides, part of growing old gracefully is willing to accept surprises.

And so, it is with great pleasure, that Mrs. Olsen presents a film illustrating the DNA she is up against, errr, I mean, absorbed into. A film starring the sister of The Mister, her husband, and filmed by the brother of The Mister. It's short. It's actually a little scary. So grab your softest blanket for comfort and enjoy this little ditty. It's called "Glad We Came?".

Now you enjoy, I've got to run and catch What Not To Wear on my 52-inch plasma.

NOTE from Mrs. Olsen: I wish that I had been able to save the comments from friends who watched this expecting it to be funny, but were seriously freaked out (Paula, Wendy...you know what I'm talking about). This illustrates my point perfectly. There was no bad picture quality, sound, or lame acting that distracted you from the point of the film: to be afraid....be very afraid. There was no pointing of the finger laughing at the lame-o home job. Pure Olsen DNA at work.