Question #111

Q: Tell about the last time you laughed so hard that it made you cry.

A: I feel like this story is one of those that is only funny if you were there.... but every time I think about it or tell someone about this story, it makes me laugh so hard that I cry.

So back in 2004 when I lived at the Riviera... for FHE we had a white elephant gift exchange. Honestly, I don't remember what I brought for that gift exchange, but I do remember what my neighbor and good friend (still good friend to this day) brought as her white elephant gifts. Monica had forgotten to get something... so before we headed over to FHE she looked around her house to see what she could wrap up and bring.

 I always loved Monica's sense of humor. We always had so much fun playing together because she was just so fun. We did the most random things together. One day we wanted revenge on some guys in our ward... so we made Tuna Bombs. What a tuna bombs you ask? They were something we made up. Water balloons that we put canned tuna and syrup in before filling them with water. Then we let them sit for several days to get real stinky... then we threw them at the guys door... so it was leave a smell that we hoped would linger. We ended up not using all of them and Monica kept them for later. So they were sitting around for at least a month or so. Monica saw those and decided to wrap them up as one of her gifts. Who wouldn't want Tuna Bombs right? HA! She decides she will wrap one more gift.

One weekend, Monica and I got sick of all the drama with friends, so we decided to run away and camp in the mountains somewhere random. On our little run away camp out, we found a baby garden snake. Monica falls in love with it and decides to bring it home with us even though she knew her roommates would freak out. I remember when her roommates found out because I heard the scream next door. Well... Monica thought it would be funny to wrap up Bubba the snake as her other white elephant gift. So she did. She loved that snake and I couldn't believe she would just give him away. I think she just wrapped him in a box... I don't think it was even his normal cage. I'm sure she knew she would get him back.

So off we went to the FHE white elephant gift exchange party. I was excited to see who ended up with Monica's gifts and how they would react to them. I mean... you never know what you are going to get with white elephant gifts... but whoever picked her gift was going to get quite the surprise. Our friend Sean (who happened to have a really great sense of humor) picked her gift. Monica and I just smiled at each other and snickered as he started to open the first box. He unwrapped and opened the first gift and his nose wrinkled up and said "ewww... what is that smell?" and Monica and I just busted up laughed. We then explained Tuna Bombs to him. Monica was proud of her invention and acted like he was lucky to receive such a gift because what a great weapon of revenge it was. He set it aside hoping the second gift would be better. He opened the box and his face was priceless. "I hate snakes" Sean says while he looks at Bubba crawling at the bottom of the box.

Needless to say, Monica went home with both of her own gifts that she brought to the party and wasn't sad about it. We both had a good laugh. That was a normal day in the life with Monica. I miss those days. That will always be the funniest white elephant gift exchange that I have ever attended.