Acceptance Speech (I'm Having Regrets About the Last Entry. Does Anyone Know How Searchable "Chad Gilbert on Howe Thoughts.Com" is on Google?)

See how straight and tall he's standing? That's me.

I'm just so flattered and honored by the opportunity to get out of bed, and I have so many people to thank.

First, sister-in-law Maquel. Thank you for volunteering to help before Tyler even asked. Thank you for adopting my son and making him part of your life. Thank you for the lunch-in-bed Cafe Rio. Single soft taco never tasted so good.

Also to Lori, my other sister-in-law. Thank you for taking Talmage yesterday and for the delicious spaghetti dinner. And thank you for leaving me a cell phone so that if I fell out of bed and died, I'd be able to inform someone that I fell out of bed and died. Thank you for calling and checking up on me.

I'd like to especially thank the tweezers, razor, Paul Mitchell shampoo, Pantene conditioner, brush, blowdryer, Dove soap, Crest tooth paste (yes, I've turned my back on Colgate. Let's not talk about it), Oral-B toothbrush, and Secret deoderant that helped on the road back to a full and healthy relationship with my personal hygiene. When I brushed mascara across my eyelashes, I felt a new sense of wonderment and discovery.

Thank you to mother-in-law for more delicious Cafe Rio and for mother's day feast.

Thank you to father-in-law for coming over to give me a blessing while my muscles were uncontrollably spasming. And for recommending Lortab.

Thank you to Lortab. I never would have made it through Sunday without you.

Thank you to my parents for bringing me chicken. You know, there's very little chicken won't solve. Thanks to Mama for researching cures for me. Thanks to BYU library computer training lady for teaching Mama to research journals.

Thanks to Brother Taylor who heroically stepped in at the eleventh hour to teach my gospel doctrine lesson. I heard it was phenomenal.

Thank you Flo, relief society president extraordinaire who BROUGHT ME DINNER HERSELF. I thought that was the point of being the relief society president; you got to delegate such things. But the pork was scrumptious.

Thank you to Talmage who has been remarkably understanding of this whole situation. He loves getting bounced between his cousins' houses.

Thank you to dooce.com whose witty writing kept me going through many, many hours.

Thank you to Austenland, The Host, Thoughts On a Grasshopper, and Rough Stone Rolling, all books read while in bed.

Thank you to 8.5 months pregnant hip-pain, hip-pain that I naively thought only happened when you were 8.5 months pregnant. That, more than a feeling of back wellness or preparedness, got me out of bed.

Thanks most of all to Tyler, who has been an AMAZING single parent while making sure I get three square meals a day. Just think, most of you only got breakfast in bed on Mother's Day.

Thanks to everyone who wished me kind thoughts. This one's for you!