When I was in elementary school, I remember loving to read the Guinness Book of World Records. Loved it. I know, I know – yet another admission that confirms my Total Nerd status.

But it’s true! There is just something so cool about breaking a record – nay, a WORLD record. (Except when it involves hair or nails. That is just gross.)

It’s no surprise, then, that when I heard about what Massage Envy is doing next Saturday (September 17), I was really excited. Massage Envy – along with 500 massage recipients – will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for “Most People Being Massaged” at the same time and place.

Cool, right?

Oh, wait – I haven’t told you the cool part yet. The COOL part is that my local friends and readers can be a part of this record-breaking attempt.

This massage event (is that a term? What do I call this??) will take place on September 17 at Kauffman Stadium between 5 and 6 p.m. If you want to be a part of this and get your own 10-minute massage, you can buy a ticket for $25 – and that includes your massage, a ticket to the following game (Royals vs. White Sox) and a customized yoga mat. (You must pre-register, though, at www.royals.com/massageenvy.)

AND, a portion of the ticket price will benefit the local chapter of The Arthritis Foundation.

Have you ever broken any records? Any WORLD records?

This Friday, it’s “on the road again” for us. We’re heading to the Iowa State Fair for the second year in a row, and I am really excited. Nothing like the promise of many fried foods on a stick and a cow made out of butter to get a girl excited for a road trip.

Driving to Des Moines is an easy little trip for us. It’s only about three hours, and despite what you may have heard about corn fields as far as the eye can see, the scenery is pretty to look at on the way there and back.

Because my brother and some good friends live in Iowa, we drive there a few times a year. But due north isn’t the only direction my car drives. Here are a few of the other road trips we’ve taken:

• Columbia, MO: We’ve driven to Columbia, home of Mizzou, from our home now and from Kirksville, where I went to college and where we lived when we were first married. It’s a quick drive, and almost always involves pizza. There was one time, though, that several of my friends and I drove down during college – and I temporarily lost my car. That’s a long story for another time, but that trip was both good and ugly…
• Springfield/Branson: We just recently drove to Springfield for an anniversary getaway, and it was lovely. The drive itself was perfect for catching up! We’ve gone to Branson a few times as well, but I have to say those were NOT my favorite drives. I hear it’s changed, but the traffic down there used to be just awful. So this one is also in two different categories, as far as road trips go! (However, on our most recent trips to both places, we got to see good friends and really? That makes everything worthwhile.)
• St. Louis: I really like St. Louis. We’ve gone there to support friends running a marathon and to volunteer at a water station at the same marathon (Yes, that’s two different trips. This is odd, since neither of us has ever desired to run a marathon ourselves!). Both times we got to hang out with friends who live there, which was so much fun. The drive TO St. Louis, though? Awful. Just…bumpy and busy and long and awful.
• Middle of Kansas: My cousin and her family live in a small town in the middle of Kansas. We make this trek a couple times a year, and it’s almost always great. I love spending time with my family, and their town really is charming and fun to visit. I will admit, though, that a few trips have been a little treacherous, thanks to weather. And that one time I went by myself, stayed up super late all weekend scrapbooking, and was super duper tired on the gray, dreary drive home…
• Wisconsin: A few years ago, Mark’s dad was in a bad four-wheeler accident while visiting Mark’s brother in Wisconsin. When we got the call that he was being taken by helicopter to the nearest hospital, we immediately hit the road. Though the initial reason for the trip was awful, the drive itself and the visit once we realized my father-in-law would be okay were both so great. It happened the summer after Annalyn was born, so Mark and I were extremely alone-time deprived, and the long drive up there was the perfect time to catch up.
• Nashville: Three years ago, we drove to Nashville to take a mini vacation with friends who live in Virginia. It was our first road trip with a small child, and it was terrible. I love Nashville and I loved hanging out with our friends, but the actual road trip part of the trip? Ugly.
• Keystone, Colorado: Colorado is my favorite place. Hands down, if I had to pick anywhere to live, I’d choose the mountains. And several years ago we were given the opportunity to stay in a swanky timeshare for a week. To top it all off, my best friend lived in Seattle at the time, and she flew out to meet us there for a few days. Should’ve been perfect, right? Well, I don’t remember much of the drive there, so it must have been fine. But the drive back was NOT GOOD. Right before we left to come home, Mark twisted his ankle. And I don’t remember why, but that made me really mad. It was not one of my finest moments and, sadly, it lasted about the whole 12-hour drive. *sigh*
• Canada: In 2005, we hopped in a shuttle/van/people-mover with eight of our closest friends and drove to Canada. CANADA, where we were surrounded by trees and water and moose, and where the electricity only worked for SIX HOURS A DAY. Oh, and where they sell their milk in bags and use weird money. And it was a blast! The drive wasn’t comfortable and, as a matter of fact, was sort of stressful. But I don’t even care. I choose to remember only the wonderful parts of that trip – and there are many.
• Southwest Virginia: Remember those friends we met in Nashville? Well, we’ve also driven all the way out to Virginia to see them. Twice. Once with a small child! And even though this is our furthest trip (not counting Canada, but we were with a group, so that’s different), it was great both times. Coming home always feels much longer than going, but still. Totally worth it.

Have you taken a lot of road trips? Which destinations created the best experience? And what do you think makes the biggest difference: the destination, the purpose of the trip, the company, the distance?

This post was sponsored by Allstate. Did you know that more than 52 million households that pay annual fees for roadside assistance, even though the average driver uses their service only once every three years? Interesting fact, since we’re talking about road trips! Allstate is offering an alternative option through the Good Hands Roadside Assistance program – and you don’t have to have Allstate insurance to use it.

You only pay when you use Allstate’s program; there are no monthly fees. And if you pre-register (for instance, with that handy little widget up above), you’ll receive a kit with a wallet card, key fob and a window cling with the roadside assistance number. Cool, right?

Disclosure: I was compensated by Allstate to write this post, but all opinions are my own.

You’ve heard about the mustache craze, right? I’d say it’s even more popular than the bizarre trend of feather hair extensions, which is apparently all the rage with the cool kids. As one who’s typically firmly on the outside looking in when it comes to trends and crazes, imagine my delight when Annalyn let me draw a mustache on her last week!

We visited a local children’s museum and the art room had a face painting station. The face crayons (or whatever they’re called, I’m not an expert) were pretty dried out and my subject – AHEM, daughter – was pretty wiggly. So the end result was not worth writing home – or a blog post – about.

But a few nights later, the topic came up with my friend Michelle who’d volunteered at a fair booth. She mentioned that people at the booth were making balloon animals and painting faces, neither of which she knew how to do.

“I know how to make balloon animals and paint faces!” I bragged.

Being the good friend she is, Michelle immediately asked for details. And I had to admit that my last face painting performance was in high school at a fall festival, and I learned to make balloon animals from my friend Daphne on a slow day at the agency (and haven’t done it since).

That’s my friend Daphne up there. And after many hours of hard non-work, she taught me how to make that balloon dog up there. Sadly, my more recent work experiences have not lent themselves to activities involving clowns or balloon animals. Or, in general, tomfoolery.

But just because my face painting and balloon animal skills might be a little rusty doesn’t mean I don’t have any special abilities. After all, I’m great at . . . let me think . . . at . . . well, there’s . . .

Hmmm.

Now, don’t yell at me. Of course I have skills. You might even say I have skillz. I mean, you probably wouldn’t. Because that is ridiculous. But you might.

And sure, I can write and make people laugh and think and feel. I can sing a little and once upon a time, I could play the piano pretty well. I can put together a cute scrapbook very quickly, and I can whip up a tasty dinner at will. But those things . . . well, they’re so boring!

Do I have any FUN skills?

Considering I have claimed – more than once – that my superpowers are proofreading, spelling and all things grammatical, it’s quite possible I don’t.

Hmmm.

Can I toss pizza dough? Stand on my head? Make fancy cake pops? Sketch caricatures of my family and friends? Twirl a pen around my fingers? Tie nautical knots? Sing all the words to It’s the End of the World As We Know It? Juggle? Ride a unicycle? Apply lipstick without using my hands?

Um, no.

But, all this deep thinking has reminded me of one thing I mastered many moons ago. My cousins have taught me many things, from the proper technique for rolling my jeans to the one-handed melody of Axel F on the piano. And during our family camping trips way back in the day, they also taught me The Cup Game.

You know the one, right? Tap, tap, hit the cup. Pick it up . . .

Yes, I’m aware that, as it turns out, this is often a drinking game. I can’t speak for my cousins, but I have never used my Cup Game powers for evil or debauchery. But I did build on my cup-moving skills to dominate The Shoe Game we played on a church trip to Canada a few years ago.

I’m not sure what it is. I wouldn’t normally claim excellent hand-eye coordination, but apparently when you put it to a little chant and add the word “game” to it, I’m a super star.

There you have it. My special fun skill is mastery of The Cup Game. (Well, that and knowing Every. Single. Word. to Salt ‘n’ Pepa’s Shoop. But that’s not exactly something to brag about, is it?)

Do you have any special (fun) skills or abilities you’d like to share? (Perhaps we’ll start a blogger carnival…)