How to have a happy marriage...

I used to wonder about happy marriages before I was married. I saw some good friends get married and divorced, I saw people get married and be miserable. My parents were awesome and always respected and were kind to each other, but then I looked at other people and I wondered if my parents marriage was abnormal or something. I read an article recently that said that couples are "more inclined to quit a marriage when problems arise rather than learning how to cope with them and solve them together." How sad.

I was watching Kim and Kourtney Take New York today. It was the finale, where Kim breaks down and refuses to let her husband move his boxes to her house in LA. She wanted him to put them in storage because she needed room for all her things. And then she freaked out and said she needed out of the marriage. She had a million reasons why... but they all boiled down to her. Me, me, me. I'm not happy right now. I'm feeling trapped. I'm blah blah blah.

I had an epiphany while watching.

Marriage is simple. All the things I thought about marriage BEFORE I was married are untrue. Sure, sometimes problems arise, but marriage doesn't have to fail when troubles come. Marriage can be like my parents... it can be happy and last forever. But it takes a bit of sacrifice at times, it takes a lot of commitment, and it takes love. Loving someone else more than you love yourself.

I have been married almost 3 years. My husband is honest-to-goodness my best friend in the whole world. I miss him when he goes to work. I am excited when he gets home. We talk to each other about everything. When I'm mad at my sister, I vent to him. (Sorry, Caity, shifty eyes). When I'm hurting or sad, I go to him for advice and a hug and a shoulder to cry on. We don't always think 100% the same way (No, Stephen, our baby is NOT wearing camoflauge on his blessing day at church) but we talk it out and get over our differences. I love being married. There is nothing better than being with your best friend every day. It makes me feel so lucky.

So how do people have a happy marriage?

I think it boils down to a few simple things, at least from my point of view. I'm no expert. But this is what I've found.

1. Love them. You know that song that says something about "all you need is love"? No clue what song it is, I just have that one line stuck in my head, but I think it's true. All you need IS love. Treat them the way you want to be treated. Love them for their flaws and for their successes. Just love them. If they have issues, love them despite their issues. Kelly Clarkson says it best. "I know that I've got issues, but you're pretty messed up too ... [but] my life would suck without you."

2. Spend time together. If you have kids, take time at least once a week to just be alone with your spouse. If you don't have kids, spend time together without friends or family members around. I love date nights with Stephen. Sure, the Home Depot dates are probably more fun for him than for me, but I love every moment I have with him.

3. Serve them. You know what they say, it's all about the little things. Hold the door for him. Make dinner. Do dishes. Have clean sheets on the bed. Wash the dog. Hug them when they walk in the door. How about a nice foot massage? Nothing has to be major. But the nicest things Stephen does for me are usually the smallest ones.

Richard G. Scott gave a talk about marriage. He said the following and I've never forgotten it: "I learned from my wife the importance of expressions of love. Early in our marriage, often I would open my scriptures to give a message in a meeting, and I would find an affectionate, supportive note Jeanene had slipped into the pages. Sometimes they were so tender that I could hardly talk. Those precious notes from a loving wife were and continue to be a priceless treasure of comfort and inspiration. I began to do the same thing with her, not realizing how much it truly meant to her. I remember one year we didn’t have the resources for me to give her a valentine, so I decided to paint a watercolor on the front of the refrigerator. I did the best I could; only I made one mistake. It was enamel paint, not watercolor. She never let me try to remove that permanent paint from the refrigerator. I remember one day I took some of those little round paper circles that form when you punch holes in paper, and I wrote on them the numbers 1 to 100. I turned each over and wrote her a message, one word on each circle. Then I scooped them up and put them in an envelope. I thought she would get a good laugh. When she passed away, I found in her private things how much she appreciated the simple messages that we shared with each other. I noted that she had carefully pasted every one of those circles on a piece of paper. She not only kept my notes to her, but she protected them with plastic coverings as if they were a valuable treasure. There is only one that she didn’t put with the others. It is still behind the glass in our kitchen clock. It reads, “Jeanene, it is time to tell you I love you.” It remains there and reminds me of that exceptional daughter of Father in Heaven."

I love that quote. It's the little things, the little expressions of love.

Of course, marriage takes two. You can't be the only one trying and expect things to work out. But if both of you are trying, even if you sometimes fail, happiness in married life can happen.

So what do you think? What are your ideas for having a happy marriage? What do you do to keep yours together? OR what are the challenges you find?

Until next time, have a happy day, ya'll. :)

Popularity

You know the song from 'Wicked' named 'Popular'? I was thinking about that song just today. It reminds me of a former roommate who used to sing it all the time. She was hilarious. And quite popular among our group of friends. Everyone loved her. It's a fun song, if you don't know it. But the chorus is interesting. "It's all about popular. It's not about aptitude, it's the way you're viewed, so it's very shrewd to be very, very popular like ME!"

I think alot of people view popularity as one of the most important things in the world. It's right up there with people trying to become famous. Fame. Popularity. They're kind of one and the same... it's not about aptitude, it's the way you're viewed. Popularity is huge in our society.

But what about unpopularity?

Adlai E. Stevenson Jr., who ran for President of the United States in the 1950's, said the following: "My definition of a free society is a society where it is safe to be unpopular."

I like that quote. Do you think it's safe to be unpopular?

In the physical sense, absolutely. I don't think I would be punched out for saying something that went against 'mainstream' thoughts, at least as long as I wasn't being racist or offensive. But what about emotionally? I've had plenty of times when, growing up, I was teased or made to feel inferior because of my religious beliefs, or certain family traditions that others found weird. Like how my mom didn't want us having sleepover parties with other kids. So we'd hang out during the day with our friends, but we were always home for bed. Looking back, I like this rule. It kept me from doing probably alot of dumb things. But at the time, some of my friends thought that was a little strange and would comment on it. That definitely didn't make me feel popular.

So in our society, is unpopularity okay?

I don't know what the answer to that is, to be honest.

Look at our society of "role models", and I use that term loosely. The celebrities, the reality stars. People who have given up everything to become popular and well known. Popularity makes money, so if you want to be rich, at least in Hollywood, you basically have to be popular. When people, like Mel Gibson, for example, lash out and say things that turn the public against them, they lose more than just a few Twitter followers. Mel Gibson's entire career was based on him having more people love him than hate him. And now he's floundering. Will he come back? Maybe, maybe not.

I've met alot of people who think they are "edgy" and "different" and borderline unpopular. I'm sure you've known this type of person. I'm going to be totally generic here, but this person usually wore ripped jeans, black shirts, chains and bright red lipstick. They were being their own person... except that every one of their friends looked exactly the same as they did. So... not exactly the unpopular people I think they think they are, if that makes sense.

I've also met truly unpopular people before. You know, the crazy guy on the bus with the wild hair and BO who you kind of think will one day come in and go totally postal. I always smile at him, just to make sure that he's my friend when he goes crazy. He's sort of unpopular.

So what do you think? Is it safe to be unpopular in our society?? Is popularity more important than anything else?

Until next time, have a good weekend, everyone!

Tell me the ending!

I love spoilers.

I love knowing the endings of everything.

Books? I read the ending when I am about half way through the book in order to know what's going to happen to my favourite characters. This is also why I love re-reading a book more than reading it the first time.

Movies? I ask around before seeing a movie, hoping that one of my friends will spill the ending and let me know how it all plays out.

TV shows? If you look at my browser history on my computer, you'll probably see alot of search queries like "Glee spoilers" and so on. Any little hint on whether or not Finn and Rachel will stay together, or who is going to beat up Kurt always makes me happier. I can only watch The Bachelor after I go to Reality Steve's website and see who the guy ends up with and who goes home in tears.

Me wanting to know the ending to everything drives my husband crazy. But I can't help myself. I love seeing the big picture, knowing the whole plan.

Don't you wish life had a spoiler list?

Don't you wish you could see ahead 10 years and just have a five minute glance at your life then?

I hate having to wait!

My mom says that I am too impatient. She keeps telling me that I need to learn patience. But really?

In the words of Stanislaw J. Lec, "You must first have a lot of patience to learn to have patience."

Touche, Stanislaw, touche. Looks like there's no hope for me then! :)

Are you feeling lucky, punk?

Do you believe in lucky rabbit feet, lucky numbers, shamrocks and all that commerical "lucky" jazz?

Would you consider yourself a lucky person?

I knew a girl from university who was pretty lucky. From my point of view, she was definitely born with a golden horseshoe up her bum. She was tall, super skinny, and beautiful, all without trying. She ate hamburgers and chips and never gained weight. Her parents gave her trips, she had a nice car, she always had long, shimmery hair. And it was the perfect, white shade of blonde that I have always secretly wished I had.

I thought she was the luckiest girl alive.

I was reading an article today on eHow.com that said that being lucky isn't something to do with fate or superstition, but rather that being lucky was something you could kind of earn for yourself.

Apparently there are 3 ways to be lucky.

1. Pay attention to your surroundings. That way, when there is a twenty dollar bill on the ground, you notice it. (I agree with this one... about a year ago, it was a freezing cold day and I was walking to work... and I found a ten dollar bill! I was so excited! I bought a chocolate bar, a soda and some chips. I gave a bit of change to the homeless guy nearby. And then I still had a couple dollars for the next time I wanted something sweet. It was awesome!)

2. Smile and be happy. "When you are in the right state of mind, you will always be able to find the silver lining in any event. This will always make you feel like the luckiest person in the world.". My mom always used to to say 'Bloom where you are planted'. It's true. You can make any situation feel lucky when you are happy. I love this one.

3. Do nice things for others. It's the whole karma thing. What goes around comes around, and if you do kind things for others, good things come back to you.

Another article agreed with this last one, saying that luck is a skill you can learn. "Personality tests revealed that unlucky people are generally much more tense than lucky people, and research has shown that anxiety disrupts people's ability to notice the unexpected. ...unlucky people miss chance opportunities because they are too focused on looking for something else. They go to parties intent on finding their perfect partner and so miss opportunities to make good friends. They look through newspapers determined to find certain types of job advertisements and as a result miss other types of jobs. Lucky people are more relaxed and open, and therefore see what is there rather than just what they are looking for. Research revealed that lucky people generate good fortune via four basic principles. They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities, make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition, create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations, and adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good."

So if you follow these pointers, does this mean that you are going to hit it big in Lotto 649? No, probably not. But luck isn't all about the huge payout.

For me, I think I'm a pretty lucky person. I've never won a draw for anything. I've never gotten anything from the Safeway scratch-and-win contests. But I have an exceptionally happy life. I love my husband. I have the sweetest little dog in the world. My family is amazing. And doors are continually opened for me, helping me and Stephen get through any challenges that come up.

Luck? God? Fate? I know people call it many different things, but whatever you call it, I am grateful for it.

Until next time, good luck to you all! :)

"I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity." -Oprah Winfrey

Are we tired of Lady Gaga?

I was doing a music survey for Lite 95.9 (yep, that's how cool I am... shifty eyes...) and when I heard the Lady Gaga song clips next to other songs, I realized just how tired I am of hearing her. And not just her music either. It's everything about her that I am just over. Her p-p-p-poker face, songs that all sound alike and over-the-top fashion sense.

At first I was slightly intruiged/disgusted with her antics. I would watch for things in the news because I found it so wrong for a woman to be walking around New York City wearing only underwear bottoms and a toilet seat on her head. And then people began praising her "daring fashion choices" and whatnot and so, like a really bad car accident, I couldn't look away.

But that was 2 years ago...

Now? I am no longer even remotely intruiged by her. Bill O'Reilly, a host on Fox News wrote about Lady Gaga and said that his advice to "the cultural phenom Lady Gaga... [is] to save her money. That's because the treacherous world of popular culture is not usually a long-term proposition. Entertainment idols often pass through the fame obstacle course very quickly." He went on in this article to talk about her Thanksgiving Special that was out-watched by the 237th rerun of Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving.

Of course, Lady Gaga also made $90 million last year alone. So she's probably not going anywhere too soon. Yet, slowly but surely, it seems like people on forums and in comment sections on the various celebrity websites I read seem to be growing bored with her antics.

Gaga has been compared to Madonna many times, with critics saying that instead of being Miss Originality herself, she seems to be a 2012 clone of the actual original Pop Queen who dressed and acted out for shock value.

Now, I'm not saying that Gaga as a singer is any worse than, say, Katy Perry, or Rihanna, or any of the other current pop charters. Their songs are all pretty similar and are fun to hear for the first couple weeks on the radio. However, it seems like Gaga just gets too over done. Hearing her music once a day? Fine. Hearing it once an hour? A little much.

Which is why I'm over her music.

And her crazy outfits, which, after a few years of seeing them, just look trashy, and not really that "edgy" the way they once did.

(Random aside: Last night a group of young women that I volunteer with had a 'Recycle Project Runway' activity where they made dresses out of cardboard, string, balloons, water jugs, plastic bags etc. It was humourous to see that they all looked like dresses that Gaga herself would wear... and yet these were made by 12-17 year old girls in about 45 minutes, using garbage. I thought it was funny.)

Anyway, what do you think? Is Gaga just a phase that will die out in the year or so? Or will she, like Madonna, still be dancing in her underwear at 50 years old?

Are you as tired of her as I am??

Until next time, have a marvelous day, ya'll!

Why are women so mean?

I was watching The Bachelor this morning. It's down to 13 "ladies" dating one guy, all vying for his affection and hoping that he feels the "connection" that they feel. The Bachelor himself isn't what I would consider the greatest catch in the world either. His hair looks like someone's pet ferret died on top of his head, he can't carry on a half-decent conversation with anyone, and he's spent most of his life as a player without holding down a real job with real responsibilities. Not what I would consider a man to fight over.

But the women DO!

They are the most catty, spiteful bunch of people, criticising each other's thighs, faces and professions, laughing at one another, wishing bad things upon each other and so on.

And it's not just the "reality" TV bunch that do this either. When my brother started dating a girl a little while ago, all the girls he's friends with started trash talking his new girlfriend without even knowing her. They saw her and were annoyed that my brother was "off the market" and started bad mouthing someone they had only met a couple times.

Why are women so mean?

I know in junior high school when we were all dumb and immature, sometimes people would do that behind other girls backs. It was always the usual stuff... she's a skank and she's probably a closet lesbian. Stuff like that. But it was more out of everyone in junior high feeling insecure and not confident in their own skin. But why do grown women do this?

There is a book on Amazon entitled: "Mean Girls, Meaner Women: Understanding Why Women Backstab, Betray, and Trash-Talk Each Other and How to Heal" by two doctors, Dr. Erika Holiday and Dr. Joan Rosenberg. What they boil it down to is that women are mean because of fear and insecurities, so alot like what people did in junior high.

Another author, Kelly Valen, talked about this in her book "Twisted Sisterhood: Unraveling the Dark Legacy of Female Friendships" and she said “Let’s start with the good news. Ninety percent of those women [surveyed for the book] said that they did have a solid girlfriend in their life. That’s wonderful news. But 84% of those same women said they had suffered real genuine wounding at the hand of other women. That shocked me. More than that, 88% said that there was an undercurrent of meanness and negativity plaguing the gender.”

I, for the most part, like other women. I have a few really good female friends, I had the chance to live with 200 other women as volunteers for 18 months down in the States, I talk to my mom and sister multiple times a day. I like women. I like men too, and especially now that I'm married, I really enjoy the relationship and friendship I have with my husband. But I still enjoy the company of women. Women 'get' women in a way men don't always. Often I find I don't have to even get too detailed when I'm feeling down simply because the women I am talking to understand automatically. They've been there too.

But, I too have known some women who are just plain mean.

And I don't quite understand why. Sure, people claim it's insecurity. And maybe that's it. But seriously? It should stop!

Watching The Bachelor made me really sad. Why can't they just get along? I know they're competing for the same guy, so of course they're going to get a bit anal about things. But can't they just be kind?

Joseph B. Wirthlin said "Kindness is the essence of greatness." And I concur. Let's just be a little kinder to each other. :) Deal?

If I had a million dollars...

Guess what Barenaked Ladies song is playing over and over again in my head? Haha, yup, that's right... "If I Had a Million Dollars". Which, while a slightly annoying song, is making me wonder. What would I do with a million dollars?

Not as much as what I would do when the song was first written, to be honest. Weirdly, it seems like a million dollars isn't THAT much. I mean, houses on the lake just a few minutes away from me are worth more than that... and those houses aren't THAT spectacular, you know?

But still... if I had a million dollars, here's what I would do:

1. Live in Spain for 6 months. Get a tiny apartment that barely fits the two of us, close to the beach. Seeing how the economy over there is so questionable, we may or may not be able to get a job, so this living arrangement might be significantly more expensive than I would like. But still, I have a million dollars to burn, so why not.

2. Go downtown with a handful of hundred dollar bills and randomly give them to people. It would be hilarious to see their reactions. I bet a lot of people would be nervous to take it, worrying that it is counterfeit or drug money or something. Others would be in disbelief and run to the nearest bank to see if it's legit. It would be fun. Especially if I wore a ski mask or something. Makes it seem more undercover. That would be cool.

3. Go back to school. Get my Masters degree. Every few days I go online and check out the different Masters programs available. Some look amazing. Some look really hard. I am torn between a couple different ones right now, but I would figure it out. Or just take both because I have the money.

4. Go shopping and don't look at the price tag on anything. Just buy what I like without regrets.

5. Go to a Bernard Callebaut chocolate shop and buy several of the massive boxes with all the yummy looking things in them for myself (obviously) and for some friends. Drop them off on their doorstep and run away after ringing the doorbell. I've done that with cookies and things before, but never with something as scrumptious as BC chocolate. And then when I get home, eat a box or two in one sitting without having to reign myself in to make them last longer.

6. Travel around the world doing various races, from a 10km (which is my longest race to date) to half marathons (my goal for the next year) and even a marathon. Or two. There are some awesome races around. Like one in Hawaii where you start at the top of a volcano and run down it. Or gorgeous ones in New Zealand and Australia. The Boston or New York marathons (once I get fast enough to qualify). There's a Vancouver USA half marathon that looks pretty fun.

7. Go to New York and Washington DC for a few weeks each. I wouldn't want to live in either place, but going there with Stephen would be fun.

Anyway... I can't really think of much else to do with my money, and besides, who am I kidding? I'm a penny pincher when it comes to money and would probably put half of it in the bank or something boring like that. :)

But what would you do? I know Stephen would buy himself some land, a quad, some expensive guns and all the little trinkets that go along with it. Or he'd nerd it up with massive TVs and speakers positioned right beside a hot tub or something. My Mom would probably feel guilty about having that much money and give it all to charity. My sister-in-law would take it all and plan the most wonderful, elaborate trip around the world, starting in Peru, and staying in all the fabulous hotels she used to advertise as a travel agent. My dad would buy horses and a goat, or something random like that. Maybe two goats. Not really sure what my brothers would buy. One would probably buy the nerd stuff like Stephen. The other would... travel? Most likely. As for my sister, she'd probably spend it all buying Lululemon clothes. Every article of clothing they make. And the funny thing is she'd wear them too... alot of them at once. She's into layers.

How about you?

Friday (the 13th!) Babblings...

Are you superstitious?

I'm not. I'm a fairly rational person. I mean, sure, I read my horoscope every few days, but I don't actually believe much of what is said. (If horoscopes were truly leigt, I'd have millions of dollars and have travelled all over the world by now. Just sayin'.)

Friday the 13th being unlucky is one of the most wide spread superstitions in the world. That's gotta mean something, right?

Maybe. Maybe not.

I read an article back in my university days. I don't remember what it was for, but it was a 1993 study published in the British Medical Journal titled "Is Friday the 13th Bad for Your Health?". And their conclusion, after going through a bazillion facts and samples and trying to poll different groups, they found that: "Friday 13th is unlucky for some. The risk of hospital admission as a result of a transport accident may be increased by as much as 52 percent. Staying at home is recommended."

Here are some "Unlucky 13" facts I found on about.com: "Legend has it: If 13 people sit down to dinner together, one will die within the year. The Turks so disliked the number 13 that it was practically expunged from their vocabulary (Brewer, 1894). Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue. Many buildings don't have a 13th floor. If you have 13 letters in your name, you will have the devil's luck (Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo all have 13 letters in their names)."

Convinced yet?

And are you counting the number of letters in your name?

Phew. Whitney Boyd is only 11. Same with Stephen Boyd. Looks like we're in the clear. :)

I honestly don't care too much about the hype. Nor am I the other extreme, you know the people... The ones who claim that 13 is their luckiest number. I'm sure you've met a few. There was that girl in high school who was always a little bizarre who claimed that 13 was her number. She spouted it off all the time. Maybe to get attention because everyone was always shocked (shocked!) when they found out that she loved the 13th of anything.

To be honest, I don't believe much in lucky numbers of any kind. Or lucky rabbit's feet. And I don't wear green on St. Patrick's Day.

I know. Shocking.

It's not that I am anti-superstitious. I just can't be bothered.

And I don't own any green clothes on the best of days.

Anyhoo... that's all I got. What do you think? Has Friday the 13th ever given you bad luck? Do you believe in the hype? Or is it just another superstitious old wives tale?

Until next time, I leave you with a picture of my little dog, drinking water out of a glass, on our bed. And yes, that is my husband, Mr. No-Dog-Of-Mine-Shall-Ever-Act-Like-People, holding the cup for her. Haha. How the mighty have fallen. :)

Peace out, amigos!

Beyonce and Weird Celebrity Baby Names

So most of you probably know by now that Beyonce has officially had her baby girl. There were rumours over the past month that she had already had the kid, that it was done via C-section or (oddly) surrogate (although how people could think it was surrogate when Beyonce was clearly massively pregnant in every picture taken of her is a little confusing), but all of those ended up being untrue. The little baby girl was finally born on Saturday. And her name is Blue Ivy.

Ivy isn't a strange name. I've known a couple people named Ivy over my life. But Blue Ivy IS a bit of a weird name. Really? What's wrong with Clara and Mary and Jessica? Why Blue?

Apprently there is a reason behind this according to people.com. "Sources and fans suggest the couple chose the name "Ivy" because of the number 4 or Roman numeral IV, which is significant in Beyoncé and Jay-Z's relationship. Beyoncé's birthday is Sept. 4, while Jay-Z's is Dec. 4; the two married on April 4 in 2008; they reportedly have matching "IV" tattoos on their wedding fingers; and Beyoncé named her latest album 4. And the significance of the baby's first name, Blue? Well, Jay-Z has three albums with the word "blueprint" in their titles: The Blueprint was released in 2001; The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse, in 2002; and The Blueprint 3, in 2009."

Okay. Makes sort of sense. Better than some of the other names out there, at least.

For example:

Christie Brinkley named her daughter Sailor.

Nicholas Cage named his son Kal-el. (Yes, after Superman... poor kid... you just KNOW he's going to be beaten up...)

Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love named their daughter Frances Bean. Apparently the middle name 'Bean' comes from Kurt thinking she looked like a kidney bean on the ultrasound.

John Mellencamp named his son Spec Wildhorse. Not even joking with that one.

Gwyneth Paltrow named her daughter Apple, allegedly because she is the "apple of her mother's eye" and apples are "fresh and pure". Um... okay.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's love child is named Shiloh. In the annoying way of theirs, they chose this name Shiloh, pronounced Shye-loh, because it means 'his gift' or 'the peaceful one' and is understood to refer to the Messiah. I know. A little disturbing. Okay, make that alot disturbing. Magazines leading up to Shiloh's birth were saying this was the most anticipated birth since Jesus Christ. Which makes me sad. Wow, society. That's a new low.

Bruce Willis and Demi Moore's three girls all have odd ones: Rumer, Scout and Tallullah. I'm thinking Tallullah got the short straw. Scout is the only one that isn't totally brutal, simply because of the whole "To Kill a Mockingbird" side of it which makes it kind of artsy.

But I think the real winner for the whole odd baby name thing goes to: (drum roll please) Frank Zappa, a not-super-well-known musician. His kids? Son named Dweezil. Another son named Ahmet Emuukha Rodan and two daughters, named Moon Unit and Diva Muffin. Diva Muffin just makes me hungry.

Anyway... what odd names have you heard for babies? Is it just celebrities who name their kids bizarre things, or do normal people do it too??

Until next time, stay warm, amigos!

Peace!

Best chocolate in the world....

I was at Walmart and was thrilled, that's right, thrilled, when I found Peppermint Lindor chocolates. I've been looking for them everywhere all Christmas long (they are a seasonal chocolate) but nowhere I went had them. So I bought the last three boxes that Walmart had and went home happy.

Peppermint Lindor chocolates are one of my favourite chocolates in the whole world. They are dark chocolate, which satisfies my chocolate craving, but also minty. And, like other Lindor truffles, they have that delightful hard chocolate coating and a delicious melty inside.

When I told Stephen all excitedly that I had finally found some Lindor's, he asked me a very legitimate and thought provoking question... What is the best chocolate in the world?

If I go strictly by my experience, I would say Bernard Callebaut chocolates are the best. Melt in your mouth chocolate, absolutely succulent. And costing $50 for a small box. Which means I only get them once a year for Valentine's Day (thank you Stephen!).

These chocolates are amazing. But are they the best in the world?

In my world, yes.

I googled "best chocolate in the world" out of curiosity. The Italian brand Amedei came up, and the following was said about it: "Both the visionary French pâtissier Pierre Hermé and the visionary Spanish chef Ferran Adrià have said that [this] might, in fact, be the world's greatest chocolate." And apparently what makes this chocolate so amazing, better than even Swiss chocolates, is that "in the lofty strata where Tessieri operates, "making chocolate" means that you make the chocolate. You import cacao beans from plantations. You roast them and husk them and grind the cacao nibs into a fine paste. You add sugar and grind some more. Finally you swirl the mixture in open tanks called conches, which smooths the texture while helping to blow off acids and other nasty flavors. It's complicated, demanding work, and few small companies even attempt it."

Sadly, with the delectable nature of this and other high end chocolates, comes the price... on average over $100 per pound.

I have put Amedei chocolate on my Bucket List... something I will one day eat. Probably not until I go on my Spain/Italy trip, so I can experience it in the country of origin, but it will happen. :)

So what is the best chocolate in the world in your opinion? And don't even try to say Hershey's chocolate. Gag worthy. Haha....