To answer the question on everyone's mind: yes, I am blogging before 8am.  Voluntarily.  Allow me to explain myself. 

They say everything happens for a reason.  Whether you choose to believe that "they" are the fates, karma, or God preordaining events in our lives for a specific purpose, well that is up to you.  After this morning though, I agree.  I hate to iron.  I have probably used my iron and ironing board more to iron curtains after moving than I have to iron clothes.  In fact, P-I-C used my iron more this summer than I have used it in the six years that I've had it.  (It should be noted for the record, though, that he has a serious ironing problem.  As in, he stayed home sick one day last week, curled up on the couch, and sent me to the store with a request for brand-specific chicken soup.  He still got up long enough to iron the clothes he wore to wallow in sickness.)  Back to the real story, though.  I went to sleep super early last night so I could wake up early and go be productive at school before the students started arriving.  I was dragging a little bit, annoyed with myself for not getting more things prepared during my three-day weekend.  Finally I went to grab something to wear.  This was a delicate decision to make, as I needed to wear something that would allow me to function in golashes (i.e., no pants) and something that wouldn't clash with my black-and-white plaid golashes.  My rad brother bought them for me last year for birthmas, and I received many compliments on them yesterday.  I settled on a solid black skirt.  Approximately 88% of my work clothes are in the black/white/gray color spectrum, but there is an assortment of prints.  I didn't want to repeat any of last week's outfits either.  Ugh.  Only one skirt would do.  It was painfully wrinkled.  I'm a huge fan of the wrinkle-release spray and use it far more often than I should.  This was a wrinkle too severe to spray away, though.  While I waited for my iron to heat up, I finished putting on make up, and selected a necklace and pair of earrings for the day.  Within fourteen seconds of me removing the very last unintentional crease from my outfit, la beast called.  "Is this for real?"  She went on to explain that she had received a text message notice that our school was closed for the day due to flooding.  Having heard many announcements on the morning radio about school closings and delayed openings, none of which mentioned even our district, I was skeptical.  After consulting the interwebs, I found out: it was true!  Our low-lying school is closed for the day!!!!!

Now, normally I would be slightly ticked at this point.  While thrilled that I could crawl back into bed, I had already finished getting ready for the day - make up and all.  I had already remade my bed.  I had even run outside with my A&M pullover to put out the trash bin in time for the garbage trucks!  So why am I annoyed on this particular morning?  Three reasons.  

1.  The most obvious reason: I'm up early enough to watch Saved by the Bell!  God forbid TBS ever deem something else more worthy of their morning airtime.  I still can't understand why Mark Paul Gosselaar's wife left him for Jeff Probst.  Who cheats on Zack Morris????

2.  I received the news just in time to pour out my freshly-brewed two cups of coffee and make some hot chocolate instead.  Yummmm. 

3.  I was up early enough to hear the morning radio show wish Jonathan Taylor Thomas a happy 29th birthday!!

Oh goodness.  J.T.T. is almost thirty?! 

Let's have a quick look back.  

JTT made a name for himself as Randy, the middle of three boys on Home Improvement.  Check out the sweet cuffs on those jeans: 

I truly wonder who decided that he wasn't cute enough on his own, and that he needed a bouquet of Mother's Day-esque flowers to pose with: 

He became my first official celebrity crush when I was in 4th grade.  (I still love a man in a vest.)  Someone gave me his poster as a birthday gift, sparking an all-out girl fight in the middle of my slumber party.  Also, I heard my father utter the following words:  "Oh God.  It's starting." Here's the poster: 

I also had his milk-moustache ad papered all over my locker and bulletin board.  (Again with the cuffs?  Really?)

Don't be fooled, though.  This was no superficial crush.  I also appreciated our common interests - we were both academically driven, socially aware, and hockey fans.  Ok, so we were both vegetarians.  I think he actually had a social agenda.  I just got sick of Taco Bell and camp food.  And while he really played hockey, I just tagged along to Stars games with my dad, trying desperately to get featured on the jumbotron and looking for a way to ride the zamboni (still an unrealized goal for me).  We did both have straight A's though!

They weren't kidding around with that "Smart Throb" title: 

Oh how I relished every new role of his:  in Man of the House with Chevy Chase and Farrah Fawcett, as the voice of young Simba in The Lion King, and (every tween's dream) in Wild America with Devin Sawa.  Sigh.  It was a rough day when he left Home Improvement.  I think they wrote it into his role that he left to participate in some volunteer program?  After that, his career dropped off a bit, until rumors started surfacing that JTT is gay. 

Despite his refutal of the rumors as a 16 year old on the Jay Leno Show, the gossip continued circulating, further perpetuated by this magazine cover. 

Alas, an entire morning of internet-hunting, and I still can't find out the truth.  Either way, I think we've drifted in different directions and no longer believe that we could make it work.  No bad blood, though.  JTT, I still appreciate all those years together.  Happy birthday!!!