For 21 years, I've been living a lie.

Over these last few weeks, I've been bombarded with crazy. Whether it be the testimony of the kidnapped and tortured, or whether it be the once again love of me by a weirdo-WHO HAS A GLASS EYE-that goes unrequited. But believe it or not. It gets better. I try to mind my business in the singles ward. I have a routine. I sit by the same person every Sunday. I talk to the same people every Sunday. I waste time and dilly dally all the way to Sunday School so my ADD self doesn't have to sit through the entire borefest every Sunday. I have the same internal stuggle every Sunday whether or not to suffer through Releif Society-with that one there I know I'm not alone. I get disgusted by the same people-yet they switch it up on be and disgust me in different ways, but it all has the same typical outcome=disgust and continued ignoring.

However, these last couple Sunday's have thrown me off my "routine" game. My attempt to dilly dally was sabotaged by my "new" visiting teaching companion. Who-despite being in the SAME WARD with her since I graduated high school-i.e. 4 years ago, and also despite introducing myself to her 4 times at her request-DOES NOT KNOW ME. I mean I'm kind of important. I wouldn't say that I'm necessarily a "big deal" (yet), but people know me! I did Saturday Activity announcements for 6+ months! I semi-regularly attend institute, and usually they re-introduce everyone every week. How can this be??? Am I not remember-able???

I think I have found the reason. I, Gwendolyn B. Stoker. Am not Gwendolyn B. Stoker. My name apparently is Kimberly. Name change? No. Switched at birth? Probably. Twice I have corrected people for calling me the wrong name. Usually it's Kimberly. My family always said I was adopted and looked like the milk man...Mr. Milkman do you by chance have a daughter named Kimberly?

Old McDonald had a Dog; E-I-E-I-O

Once upon a time, Momma Stoker was given an ultimatum-she doesn't like dogs-Either we get a dog, or she goes. That dogs name was Beazer. Much to Mom's dismay, but to us kids' chagrin. 15 thoroughly enjoyed years later, Beazer is paddling around the chocolate river in heaven, complete with chocolate Costco muffin clouds and chocolate covered macadamia nut tasties. Beazer, not one to ever turn down a chocolate anything, was always the footwarmer, the food moocher, and the vegetable vaccuum. We always thought that the chocolate would get him first, but he MythBusted that urban legend. Beazer was right there with me, when I was an aspiring sled dog teamster. I on my roller blades, and Beazer, my sled team, mushed his-and my-way up and down the driveway. The only Schnauzer I think that knew the word mush and knew how to open up a backpack to get to the yummy delights inside zippered lunch boxes, and could drink out of a straw.

Beazer was the best toy Kalvin and I ever had. The best friend LauriAnn ever had. The best foot warmer Mindi and Bryce ever had. And the best bed hog Mom and Dad ever had.

Beazer will be missed, just like all my M.I.A. chocolate muffins.

Where Are They Now: Stoker Edition Part 1

We at the Stoker house-hole have been hard at work cleaning out the garage. Let me tell you, I found some gem pictures and decided to give my audience a walk through the Stoker Hall of Then and Now. And some of you haven't seen most of us since we were "yay" high, I threw a couple complementary old school photos along with an updated one-just so you can associate the Old School mind blowers with the New School goodies. I'm not going to explain the pictures, because I think they alone speak thousands of words. Enjoy!

We will start out with the oldest: Mindi

Next up: Bryce

Middle Child: LauriAnn

And Second to awesome: Kalvin

And now, a special extended bonus: Me. The good, the bad, and the glasses.

I don't know if you can tell, the picture is pretty bad, but that is baby me, on a cabbage patch doll pony.

Just give me a flipper and sign me up for Toddlers and Tiaras please!!!

So apparently I had a "thing" for ole Mickey Mouse. And I wore it on my sleeve!! Or on my glasses...that my friends was yet another "Gwen" schtick, a mini mickey mouse window cling on my glasses. I was AWESOME.

Those bangs. That hair. Those glasses. And that killer sweater. I could never go wrong with those!

Yep. Those ARE shortalls. I had almost every color.

Mickey Superfan

I always said that a bow and big bangs was my schtick. Here's proof.

All my single ladies:

All in all, after my observations, I think it wouldn't be too far from the truth to deduce that we have not change one bit!!

Bananarama

I've been watching a little Arrested Development tonight, and upon seeing part of the Bluth family business-The Banana Stand-I really want a frozen banana. The only place I know I can readily get one, is at Spring Fest. I even Googled for locations in the Salt Lake Area that sells chocolate frozen bananas. But to no avail. All I got was a recipe. Call me lazy, but I didn't Google "frozen banana" to learn how to make on-I think I get the gist of how to make them, but you always have to take into account the time it would take to go BACK to the grocery store, and the freezer time. Too long I say!! Give me frozen banana or give me death!!!

Let's Make like an air freshener and get Oust a here!

Ahh... Monsieur Decisions. We meet again. What shall it be this time? Stay at crappy job-albeit well paying jobby job? Or put on my purple plastic rimmed glasses and go back to school and again drown myself in a sea of textbooks?

Oh School...you win! You always do.

You know what they always say, when the goin gets tough, Gwen goes back to school. So fellow Basin-ites, I shall being seeing you faster than you can ask why! (Actually no, not that fast.)
And for the record: Call Center for Customer Service is not my forte. Just for future reference.

Tis The Season...

Wedding Season. Yes. Swimsuit. Unfortunately Yes. But also apparently it is Hurricane Season in the SLC.

This morning, thanks to my GENIUS idea, I decided that my cousin and I take her kidlet to the local "waterpark", as they are tenderly referred to down here-no they don't have Aquatic Centers as I have become accustomed.

So it was quite toasty all morning, with a hint of overcast. They had slides! Talk about the cats meow! I just had to have me some! So naturally I went down it like 4 times. Each time more drown than the last.

After we got done swimming, I decided to head home for a quick rinse, then head back over to Mickey Mick's house for some SYTYCD results. After I get home and have tasty treat, it starts to rain+thunder+lightning. I do love me some stormy weather. I'm home for maybe 20 minutes, throw some laundry in, get ready to hit the showers, and boom+crack+boom=lights out on poor Gwenny. That's right. My power supply decided to hit the showers at the exact same time. Who would have known!! I'm not totally sure as to how long the power was out, ( I decided that if the power was going to be on sebatical then so was I, back to Mickey Mick's house). Off I went in full sweat pant garb-you know-gloomy weather clothes that give a little back when you've eaten a little-or a lot-too much. And I'm a quarter of the way there, and I promise you this, my windshield wipers were working hard. Got every penny's worth out of those suckers today. They haven't seen that much rain since...they were fabricated. Ever been through a drive through car wash? Or sat in the car while someone hosed it down at a manual car wash? That's exactly what driving through the rain today was like-times 3!!!

All in all twas a good day. I got some sun, and my car got washed, and I even got some SYTYCD in. Can't deny I wasn't the tiniest bit productive.

Chht...Earth to Mars...Chht

Aloha Kids!!! I just want to throw out there a quick apology for the non-bloggedness, I have been a LITTLE pre-occupied. With the whole moving business-which by the way-zero degrees of awesome. Mental note for all you future movers and shakers out there: HIRE A FREAKING MOVING COMPANY!!!!! I don't get paid to bust mine and hoof boxes up and down 3 flights of stairs, just to leave my room full of boxes for 2 weeks...I should definately get paid for that.

Also, I have been watchin some shows!!! As most of you people know, So You Think You Can Dance has recently started up again, I'm super excited as most of you know. Also, my new roommate has 3 seasons of Veronica Mars-which has more ups and downs than a bipolar woman. It's such a pillow wrencher-you know, one of those shows that keeps you on the edge of your seat grasping a throw pillow. Veronica has kissed more guys in 5 episodes than I have in my whole dating experience! Not that I'm complaining, and oooh I am watching it right now and she just switched boyfriends!!!! If only real life had that sort of luxury :) Is it weird that I am living out my romantic life through Veronica Mars? Probably. Do I know that? Yes. Am I gonna change? Not a chance, not until they start making TV shows about my life. Trust me. The drama. Is. Worth. It.