I don’t even know where to begin. I sit, fingers poised over my keyboard, ready to share with you the story of one of the best days of my life.

The love of my life asked me to marry him last week, with all (ok not all, but a lot of) Indianapolis watching.  Ben orchestrated this big ruse to propose to me during our DoItIndy Family segment.

Honestly, words are not enough.  You’ll have to watch it for yourself below.

Ben Risinger proposes to SlickLaRoo on Fox59

Considering we already had a wedding date set before this happened, and considering Ben has been telling me fore MONTHS he’s had a “plan,” I am shocked at how SURPRISED I was.  The tears were real, folks.  That’s been the most asked question, since so many knew of his plan and were able to see it play out; “Did you know it was coming?”  Sure, I had my suspicions, but day of, there we so many small things that happened that made me think it WASN’T happening.  For example, an important family member couldn’t be there.  Also, I thought perhaps he would have worn something different…?  I don’t say this to sound like a snarky girlfr—er, I mean fiancé, as I love his t-shirts and cardigan sweaters.  I just thought he’d give it away with perhaps a button down?

So, yes.  I was completely shocked.  I couldn’t imagine a better way for my best friend to ask me to marry him.  I’m so lucky, blessed, grateful, et cetera, et cetera to have found the one who my soul loves.  Thank you for all the congrats all over social media.  Let the wedding planning BEGIN (rather, continue)!!!!

Photo courtesy of Jenny Anchondo, Fox 59.

I get it, Hallmark holiday, blah blah blah.  But I am deliriously IN LOVE this year, so I am going to enjoy myself AND the love of my life this year on Valentine’s Day.

Ben and I are going to White Castle for new experience.  We’ve had some fancy dinners (Ruth’s Chris for his birthday, Skyline Club for my birthday) in the last month, so there’s no reason why we have to break the bank for this holiday.

I have something fun planned for Ben, small and affordable, but special nonetheless.  I would share here, but I don’t want to give away any secrets, so you’ll have to check in later.

Oh!  And don’t forget to check out my blog on DoItIndy.com on some ideas for Vday in this great city.

I kicked off the week of fun with a delightful sushi dinner with my darling friend Tina Marie.  We have the best time bonding over sushi.  I love that girl.

Friday night my bestie Jenny got into town and we went out to one of my favorite karaoke spots, the Free Spirit Lounge, to celebrate the last night of my 20s.  We sang.  We danced.  We drank.  The lovely @ZubidasWorld made me a birthday cake complete with a Twitter bird…and she even brought toys!  So many great friends came out to celebrate…what a way to end the twenties!

Then Saturday was a DAY-OF-FUN with Jenny!  We started with pedicures with my mom and sister, then had lunch at Pei Wei, fro yo at TCBY and did some Target shopping.  Who doesn’t love Target?

The evening kicked off with a family dinner.  Gotta love getting all the (soon to be) family together!

And then there was The Party.  We went with an 80s theme, since I am a product of the 80s.  And who doesn’t want a reason to crimp their hair and wear neon?

The last celebration came with a night out with the love of my life.  Ben took me to the Skyline Club.  What a romantic place!  We overlooked Monument Circle, lit up in all it’s glory as we dined on probably the best food of my life.  Poblano pepper stuffed with chorizo!  Surf and turf!  THE BEST CHOCOLATE SILK OF YOUR LIFE!  But better than the food and the view?  The company of the best man ever.  Ben showered me with gifts and love and affection and I will never forget this birthday because of it.

Here’s to a great new decade.  The first week has been amazing!

This time of year I get tired easily, cranky more often and find myself eating my feelings since the extra flub adds warmth. This year I am determined NOT to let this happen. So I want to share with you some things to warm you up and keep you in a good mood before the seasonal affective disorder sinks in.

1. It was announced yesterday that New Kids on the Block is touring this summer with 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men. Go ahead and turn on Motownphilly and Summertime to distract you until then. So far “The Package” (tee hee) tour isn’t coming to Indy, but Cinci isn’t far at all!

2. This kid. I mean, just look at that determination.

3. Eat a steak. Clean the bathroom. Apparently this will make you happy. Or so says this Cracked.com article.

4. I got red pants for my 30th birthday. That may not make YOU happy, but it sure does put a little skip in my step.

5. Bailey is the newest member to my boyfriend’s parents’ family. How cute is she?!?

Ok, that’s all I have for the happy train today. Hopefully you can find some joy in the frozen tundra that
is Indianapolis. And if not, make sure you follow me on Twitter (@slicklaroo, duh!) for some hilarity.

I’m not the clothes horse I once was and I pretty much have gotten lazy when it comes to clothes lately (jeggings, boots, cardigan anyone?), but I still enjoy following the trends for fun. Every year I pick a trend and a color for the upcoming year. 2012 was the year of the belt and the color navy. You better believe I rocked that. I’m actually wearing a belted navy dress as I type…

For 2013, I thought hard about this. There are only so many colors and only so many trends I’m willing to try. I consulted girlfriends and I think I have come up with something fun.

Drum roll please……………..

2013 is the year of LACE and YELLOW! So girls, get out your laciest wares, from dresses to shoes to accessories and color yourself in yellow. Neon. Mustard. Canary. So many ways to go. Long live yellow.

Just in case you’re looking for more New Year commentary from me, check out my post at DoItIndy. See you slatey lacy lovers later!

We tend to get sentimental this time of year, and this year is no different.  As 2012 comes to an end, I just can’t help but think of how grateful I am for everything this year.  The love of a Savior that we celebrate various ways (I’ll refrain from the “Christmas is commercialized” soapbox), a family that is more special than blogs can say, gainful employment, a loving boyfriend, friends that are there for me no matter the petty reason I may call…there are just not enough words.  And all of this is possible because the love and sacrifice of our Savior.  A very merry CHRISTmas, indeed.

Before this blog turns to complete mush, I shall close with a pictorial timeline of Christmas days gone by with the fam.  Enjoy the cute to awkward succession of photos. J  And if you want to check out more of my holiday memories, you can read up on them here.

My sister feeding the “reindeer” at Watt’s Christmas Tree Farm

Riding the Santa Claus Express at the State Museum

A very 90s family portrait.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

One of my favorite friends, @sssemester, posted an article to Facebook about McDonald’s most infamous sandwich. The article, 11 Amazing Facts About McDonald’s McRib (Yahoo! Finance), listed some of the McRib’s ingredients, including tripe (parts of the stomach, from what Wikipedia tells me) and scalded stomach (which, I guess all scalded stomach is tripe but not all tripe is scalded stomach? I digress…). Mmmm, sounds good right? Perhaps pressed stomach meat isn’t everybody’s thing. I get that.

So the more that these facts are shuffled around the internet, perhaps more and more McRib fans will be no longer? I doubt it. Have you ever tasted the deliciousness that is McRib?! I’m not super concerned that this could be some commodity trade (fact #10) or that my meat LOOKS like it’s on the bone but isn’t. I just want to eat something delicious. And delicious it definitely is.

A deep though occurred to me in the comment thread of Scott’s post (where most deep thoughts occur). If some countries can eat fried bugs or the tongue of an animal and these are considered delicacies…then what is the McRib? It’s delicacy of the Americas (patent pending)!

So there you have it. The McRib is back and it’s a delicacy of the Americas! I hope you enjoy a McRib sometime soon yourself. I think I know what I am having for lunch today…

Here’s the update. Commentary in parentheses…

1. Cook 7 days worth of new dinner recipes in a row straight. (I think the highest I got was 4 days in a row…)
2. Save $1000…and don’t blow it. (Ha.)
3. Drop 50lbs. (Ha. Ha.)
4. Tour a brewery. I actually did this…accidentally! A friend of Ben’s had a birthday party at Thr3e Wisemen and we toured the brewery! Whew!
5. Attempt to waterski. (I blame the drought on this.)
6. Order a steak rare in a restaurant. (I had my chance this past weekend, but I went with what I knew.)
7. Watch the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. (Nevermind. No thank you.)
8. Learn all the words to Shake That by Eminem and Nate Dogg. (Silly, silly goal.)
9. Finally learn to Soulja Boy, er I mean, Dougie. Or maybe the Thriller dance. (No one wants to see that.)
10. Learn how to butcher a whole chicken. (Meant to do this with my Aunt Donna, but we got too busy having other fun.)
11. Watch the entire series of M*A*S*H. (Why? Who knows. Didn’t get around to it.)
12. Read a “classic” novel. (Who has time to read when I can watch reruns of Big Bang Theory? Besides, I HAVE read other classics in the past…)
13. Visit a haunted house. With Jenny…that’s the rule. (Oh we did this. And we screamed our butts off. Never. Again.)
14. Try yoga. (Eh…)
15. Write a children’s book about Evan. (I’ll get there some day…)
16. Ask a guy out. (Done. Didn’t work in my favor, but I did it.)
17. Do 10 “regular” push ups. (Ha. Ha. Ha.)
18. Play with fireworks. (Again, blame the drought.)
19. Tailgate. (This is the one thing I am sad I STILL haven’t done…)
20. Play blackjack in a casino. (I DID THIS! And I walked away $85 richer!)
21. Participate in a flash mob.
22. Run a 5k. (Oh I did this. Well, I walked some, but I traipsed through a huge crowd and ran in front of strangers…sooo….done, I say.)
23. Eat at Fogo de Chao. (Someday I will have the meat sweats.)
24. Grow and eat my own vegetables. (Drought 3, Kelly 0)
25. Stay up all night to see the sun rise. (This just makes me tired thinking about this…)
26. Be on TV. (Wahoooo! I did this. I still do this. Every Tuesday on Fox…)
27. Go to a Rocky Horror Picture Show screening. (Someday…)
28. Take a road trip by myself. (Done! Michigan and back all by myself!)
29. Perfect scrambled eggs. (Thanks to Ben, I have perfected this.)
30. Play flag football. (Eh…)

So there you have it. 8×30. Oh well. I’m embracing the more important things in life.

Here’s to better lists in my 30’s.

It’s hard to describe in words how much I love this man, but this is a start. In no particular order…

1. His toy collection is bigger than my shoe collection.

2. He can grow a fine mustache.

3. His enthusiasm for the little things is rare and contagious.

4. His love of Chuck Taylors mirrors mine.

5. His hardworking spirit.

6. His love of his family is apparent and strong.

7. He was cuffing his jeans before the hipsters were cuffing their jeans.

8. He grills a mean steak.

9. He picks up after me.

10. He surprises me with thoughtful gifts (“Here’s a lava lamp for your desk at work…because flowers die”).

11. His smile.

12. His love of his dog Nala, whom he’s allowed me to adopt and become Dog Mama to.

13. He does the laundry because I’m afraid of the basement.

14. He listens to me.

15. He holds my hand.

16. He always kisses me goodnight.

17. He’s great with kids (particularly our nephews Ivan and Evan).

18. He suffers through me singing in the car and doesn’t ever ask me to stop.

19. He always asks to “Text me when you get there.”

20. He would do anything for a friend.

21. He lets me fall asleep in his recliner almost every night.

22. He loves me for me.

23. He cares about my family.

24. He is a neat freak but doesn’t freak when I throw my stuff everywhere.

25. He likes to shop the clearance section of Target maybe more than I do.

26. He puts everyone else first.

27. He says hello to strangers when we are out and about.

28. He likes the Spice Girls.

29. He appreciates when I do little things for him.

30. He’s so darn handsome.

31. He likes to karaoke.

32. He makes me laugh and smile and cry in a good way.

33. He doesn’t get mad at me if I am on my phone too much (because chances are, he’s on his, too).

34. He smells good.

35. He’s my best friend.

I am trying hard to choose a side here. Lots of people are angered with Bloomington South and are saying the girls should have gone easy on them, made so many passes before shooting, ended the game early, played JV squad, et cetera. A part of me can really see the side of that argument (note: the Bloomington coach did say in a news article that JV players were unavailable to play due to a tournament).

Then there’s the flipside. Why go easy on the kids? It’s a part of playing sports. You win some, you lose some. Right? You practice, you get good, you win. And this is high school basketball in the state of Indiana. These girls are potentially getting ready for college sports. So why “go easy,” when you came to play your hardest to win? Isn’t that what we preach to kids these days? And if we go easy, aren’t we just continuing to breed the “participation trophy” generation? All of these questions are being asked on countless social networking sides.

So where’s the happy medium? I tend to live in the happy medium. Honestly, I will pick a side in this argument, but does it behoove us to ask about said happy medium? I have stopped reading all of the news articles, because I wouldn’t be able to have the full story unless I knew each girl’s story, each coach’s strategy and attended the game myself. But that 107-2 score does make one think. And with that, comes my opinion.

I’m a former basketball player. A self-proclaimed under achiever on the court. I wasn’t athletic enough or competitive enough to be a star. The last season I played for my school, I scored 5 points. For the whole season. The teams I played on were never undefeated or went on to win sectionals or anything like that. (And I like to think I turned out pretty well adjusted…) Maybe my opinion really doesn’t matter, especially since it’s been years since I’ve touched a basketball and I don’t have kids. But here it is: We need to remember a few things. It’s just a game. Does the score suck? Yes. Do any of those kids on the losing team have less worth in this world because they got beaten badly? Nope. Should the other team have lightened up? Why? Don’t we practice for such occasions to bring your all? If the winning team had gone easy, would the losing team have appreciated a pity loss more than a wallop? It’s unfortunate that the score was what it was, but the Arlington coach was so gracious and determined when interviewed by the press. She was concerned about her girls, she didn’t confront the coach, and she’s aware that they are in need of improvement. Can’t we just leave it at that?

Probably not, but there’s my opinion for what it’s worth. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to support Arlington’s efforts. Especially as a reporter for DoItIndy, we show love for all things urban. So I’ll be at Arlington’s next girl’s basketball home game. Matthew Tully from the Indianapolis Star will be there, as well as Jake Query, a local radio personality. My opinions may differ from theirs, but I am one to support local, so I’ll be there on January 24th at 7:30pm to root on Arlington, no matter the score on the board. That’s what we should do; support the kids in their endeavors and make sure they know their worth does not lie in points, wins, or losses.