6th Photo

I'll take that tag, Marin!

The 6th photo in the 6th folder under "pictures" is:
That would be part of Joseph, bits of Will, and most of Danielle. It was a gathering--and quick snapshot fest--of The Summer '06 Babies (Danielle is an honorary member, being Jan. '07).

I've said before that I keep my pictured filed in a weird way, and the 6th photo of the 6th folder of the 6th folder under "digital camera photos" doesn't exist yet--it's only February, peoples--so here we have the 6th photo of the 1st folder of the 6th folder:
James is testing out a baby gift for a friend. Miss "Sunflower" is due any day, now.

Bucket List

Oo! A game from Jeri! Put an X by the things you've done.

(X) Been to Europe
( ) Been on a cruise
( ) Gone on a blind date
(X) Skipped school
( ) Watched someone die
(X) Been to Canada
( ) Been to Mexico
(X) Been to Florida
(X) Been on a plane
( ) Climbed a lighthouse
(X) Swam in the ocean
(X) Cried yourself to sleep
( ) Seen the Cherry Blossoms in Washington, D.C.
( ) Played cops and robber
(X) Flown a plane
( ) Owned a boat
( ) Watched grandchildren grow
(X) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Been to the Kentucky Derby
( ) Been to Key West
( ) Been to a rodeo
(X) Sang Karaoke
(X) Paid for a meal with coins only
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
( ) Made prank phone calls
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) Danced in the rain
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(X) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(X) Watched the sunrise with someone
( ) Seen the green flash at sunset
(X) Blown bubbles
(X) Gone ice-skating
(X) Gone to the movies
( ) Owned a convertible

So Many Books

These are the top 100 books, as listed by the National Endowment for the Arts. A friend had them on her blog and I wanted to see how many I'd read, too. Red, I've read all the way through. Blue, I gave it a shot but didn't finish.

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien (all of the first and halfway through the second)
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible (do I have to read Song of Solomon?)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman (read the first book--seriously weird stuff)
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott (Beth dies?!?)
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (Triolus & Cressida? Timon of Athens? you've got to be kidding me)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien (too many dwarfs--and they sing!)
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville (it's only blue because I don't remember how it ends)
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker (blah, blah-blah blah blah)
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole (20 pages in & I wanted to strangle the guy, he was so frustrating)
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

I Think So, Too

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are an Audrey!

You are an Audrey -- "I am at peace"

Audreys are receptive, good-natured, and supportive. They seek union with others and the world around them.

How to Get Along with Me

• * If you want me to do something, how you ask is important. I especially don't like expectations or pressure


• * I like to listen and to be of service, but don't take advantage of this


• * Listen until I finish speaking, even though I meander a bit


• * Give me time to finish things and make decisions. It's OK to nudge me gently and nonjudgmentally


• * Ask me questions to help me get clear


• * Tell me when you like how I look. I'm not averse to flattery


• * Hug me, show physical affection. It opens me up to my feelings


• * I like a good discussion but not a confrontation


• * Let me know you like what I've done or said


• * Laugh with me and share in my enjoyment of life

What I Like About Being an Audrey

• * being nonjudgmental and accepting


• * caring for and being concerned about others


• * being able to relax and have a good time


• * knowing that most people enjoy my company; I'm easy to be around


• * my ability to see many different sides of an issue and to be a good mediator and facilitator


• * my heightened awareness of sensations, aesthetics, and the here and now


• * being able to go with the flow and feel one with the universe

What's Hard About Being an Audrey

• * being judged and misunderstood for being placid and/or indecisive


• * being critical of myself for lacking initiative and discipline


• * being too sensitive to criticism; taking every raised eyebrow and twitch of the mouth personally


• * being confused about what I really want


• * caring too much about what others will think of me


• * not being listened to or taken seriously

Audreys as Children Often

• * feel ignored and that their wants, opinions, and feelings are unimportant


• * tune out a lot, especially when others argue


• * are "good" children: deny anger or keep it to themselves

Audreys as Parents

• * are supportive, kind, and warm


• * are sometimes overly permissive or nondirective

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Monolexic

One word only, people. It's hard.

Where is your cell phone? husband

Your significant other? Jonathan

Your hair? walnut

Your mother? teacher

Your father? advice

Your favorite thing? blog

Your dream last night? Potter-themed

Your favorite drink? Sprite

Your dream/goal? Europe

The room you’re in? main

Your hobby? knitting

Your fear? loneliness

Where do you want to be in 6 years? sustainable

What you’re not? organized

Muffins? cinnamon

One of your wish list items? Alchemy

Where you grew up? Texas

The last thing you did? nurse

What are you wearing? maternity

Favorite gadget? modem

Your pets? bobtail

Your computer? linux

Your mood? pained

Missing someone? Marin

Your car? begrimed

Something you’re not wearing? shoes

Favorite store? Carter's

Like someone? Erin

Your favorite color? peridot

When is the last time you laughed? morning

Last time you cried? Sunday

Pictures in 4ths

I stole this off a friend's blog... Go into your pictures folder and post the 4th photo in the 4th folder.

This is when Elena first started eating cereal. She didn't eat much at any given meal (thus cereal in a saucer, not a bowl) but had a love affair with spoons. I call this her Cereal Commercial shot--Joseph has one too.


And, because my pictures are organized weird, this is the 4th picture of the 4th folder of the 4th folder of pictures off our camera, not from portrait sittings, other people's blogs, things we've edited or scanned, etc. I'm not sure who took it (probably Elena, given the blurred image and the fact that I'm in it) but that's me and I'm opening a package of wipes. Kind of artsy, really.


So go for it. I'd love to see what your photo turns out to be (if you don't have a blog, please describe in the comments).

Do You Know Your Colors?

Actually, can you distinguish and sort your colors? My dad sends me the coolest games and tests, and this one's really hard. I scored a 7 (0 is a perfect score).

I Knew It

You Belong in 1951

You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!

What Year Do You Belong In?

They have the best clothes, too.

It *Sounds* Easy

Sure we all know them. We use them every day. But when you have to come up with examples, well, that's where it gets tricky. It happens with everything that we take for granted, but perhaps these are the worst. They are the most commonly used words in our language--how many can you name?

(I got 30 the first try and 42 the second.)

My Life, Right This Moment

Oh look! it's my 200th post!

Jenny and I traded memes, so here is my life, right this moment.

The rules are, take the picture--no fussing, no fixing it up--just a snapshot of your life, today, as is.

1) The kitchen sink:
Typical middle-of-the-day mess with dishes from lunch and snacks.


2) The inside of the fridge:
I think it's funny that we have more salad dressings than anything else when I'm the salad-eater and I only use one.


3) Your shoes:
The two I use the most frequently. I never wear shoes in the house, though.


4) Your closet:
Ok, so a lot of my excuses about cleanliness run out, here.


5) The laundry pile:
These are clean, actually. I washed them about three hours ago and only haven't folded them yet because I (and the kids) needed a shower from the 4-7 sweaty trips up the hill, in the heat and humidity, needed to get them clean.


6) What the kids are doing:
Joseph is out for his nap.


Elena was helping me take pictures for this. Just as I finished taking pictures, she decided she wanted to go outside with her "butterfly net."


7) Your favorite room:
The entry may or may not be a room, but it is my current favorite space. The pictures are fabulous, the keys are findable, you always know what time it is, there's a serious lack of mess, and there's no furniture that makes my back hurt worse than it did before I sat/laid down. The wood you see is what will become Elena's bed.


8) Your toilet:
Is this a check to see if I've scrubbed it recently? I can't think of any other reason someone would want to see this.


9) Fantasy vacation:
Spain, preferably with just my husband, though it'd be fun to take the kids, too.


10) Self-portrait:
Me! Freshly showered but glasses-less, in all my pregnant glory.

Since I have a weird curiosity, I'll tag Regan-at-work--closet can be desk drawers, kids can be the students, laundry can be... something. Tags go to Marin, too.

I'm Weird

I went trolling around for something good on someone else's blogs and found a cute little thing about quirks. I won't tag anyone because I still have tags out there, but if you want to do it, cool. So, 6 unspectacular quirks:

1) Some foods must be eaten in certain numbers. Gummy bears are eaten in twos (and they have to be different colors), chocolate chips and Reese's Pieces are eaten in threes (RPs are preferred in one of each color), and Ritz crackers are eaten in fives. I had actual reasons for doing it when I started, but now it's just arbitrary obsession. I've even trained Jonathan to eat them in the right numbers because it'll bug me if he takes some and I don't know how many because it throws off my... count? game? experiment? It just bugs me.

2) I have separate desktops for different activities on my computer. Surfing & chats are on one, knitting projects or anything I happen to be researching or organizing are on another, kids games on a third. If one of them gets on to a different desktop (e.g. kids using my blog window to play Sesame Street games) I have to fix it.

3) I eat buckets of ice, when I'm pregnant. I can even tell you what kind of ice is the best for sucking or the best for crunching and where to get it. (btw... Great American Cookie Co. at the mall has the best for crunching because it's soft and smooshy, like a firm slush) Popsicles and ice cream are great and all, but really I just want some ice.

4) I eat baked macaroni and cheese with salad dressing on top. It came from usually having it served with salad, the dressing would run over to the other side of the plate, and I decided it tasted good that way. Now I can't eat it without the dressing. As for boxed, I like spaghetti sauce on top.

5) I still sleep with a teddy bear. It's not my bear, either. Well, sort of. When Jonathan left for Spain, he gave me his teddy bear, George, to keep me company. Eight years later and I still sleep with George. He goes between my knees as my third pillow (second goes under my waist to keep my back straight; fourth, when needed, goes behind my back so I don't roll over, though that's more for nursing than pregnancy).

6) I cut my own hair. It's not that I don't like salons. Only part of it is that I'm poor. Mostly, I decide that I'm tired of my hair and want to do something about it at ~11:30 at night. I've watched enough stylists over the years (real life and TV) that I know how to do what I want, and I've done it enough times now that I've gotten pretty good at it. Don't ask me to do yours, though, because I can't. I can french braid my own hair, too, when it's long enough, but have a hard time doing anyone else's. My arms get all tangled and weird when working with other people's heads.

Plus a bonus secret: I love my calling. I'm in the nursery and it's the best thing ever. I watch the kids play and help Karina get her lesson together, then I do singing time. We were visiting another ward, last Sunday, and I tried to sit through Relief Society, but I couldn't. My legs were twitchy, I couldn't get comfortable on the seat, I just wanted to get up and walk around but didn't dare because I'd disturb the whole room. So, honestly, nursery is the best place I could be, right now, and I love it. The one downside? It's The Land That Gossip Forgot. I didn't find out until this month that my own visiting teacher was pregnant and a whole month further along than I was.

Tagged

My sister-in-law's sister, Amanda, tagged me, this time.

Rules: I need to answer 6 questions. I then tag 6 people and post their names here, then go to their blog and comment to tell them that they have been tagged and to visit here to find out the rules. I must then let the person who tagged me know when I have posted my answers.

1) 5 things on my "to do" list:
1. wash dishes, now that I won't get heat stroke from doing it
2. laundry, for similar reasons
3. pack for the lake
4. pick up & vacuum, so I don't come home to a dirty house
5. decide what to get from iTunes

2) 5 Snacks I LOVE!
1. Haribo gummi bears
2. Mrs. Baird's chocolate-covered donettes (way better than Hostess)
3. huge heaping salads
4. cucumber slices w/ ranch
5. canned biscuits, fried and sugar-coated

3) 5 Things I’d do if I suddenly became a millionaire:
1. send Jonathan to architecture school for both master's degrees
2. buy/build that house I've been drooling over
3. save enough for each of my kids to go to med/law school when they grow up
4. tour Europe twice - once just grown-ups, once with the kids
5. never worry about broken air conditioners and stupid landlords again

4) 5 Places I've lived:
1. Austin, TX
2. San Jose, CA
3. somewhere strangely outside the city limits, but still uses the city postal designation
4. Nauvoo, IL
5. Bastrop, TX

5) 5 Jobs I've had:
1. gift shop
2. temp agency postings
3. extra in a film
4. Build-A-Bear Workshop
5. Mommy!

6) 5 things people don't know about me:
1. a wild mouse ran up my pants leg and huddled right under my rear
2. once I start organizing, everything has to be exactly right (this is why I usually try to not care at all)
3. I haven't bitten my nails in forever but still can't get them to grow out
4. I want to be able to shop street markets for fresh produce each morning (7am, the smell of fresh spinach, mmmmm....)
5. I love to decorate my feet with henna drawings - they feel so pretty, like wearing painted-on jewelry

Right, tagging other people. Regan, Callie, Marin, Jenny, Susan, and Bridget.

Funk and Fun

Much like Marin, I've been in a weird funk lately and just haven't wanted to write anything. Not that there hasn't been stuff going on.

The pregnancy is progressing. The baby's being nice about kicking, still, the addiction to ice chips has come raging forward (finally), and last night I had to find different sleeping arrangements to combat the constant late-night heartburn (thank you, David and Frances for the reclining camp chair--it works like a charm & I don't have to leave Jonathan by himself).

The kids are both getting bigger (and cuter) all the time. Joseph got new church shoes, today, and his feet are even bigger than they were last time he bought shoes. It doesn't seem like that long ago, but I guess it has been 4-5 months and he's put on weight in that time. Sigh... For his birthday, Elena and I got him a book (exactly like hers, only for boys) so he can learn how to go potty. He likes reading it, and even insisted on taking off his diaper and sitting on the potty, one day, but we're not going to make a big push for another 5-6 months. They both got to do the same research study at UT about language acquisition. They looked at a bunch of toys and the lady mis-labeled two of them (called a dog and a ball a "gep" and a "danew"), then asked each of the kids to find the toys with the weird names. Elena was kind of funny for this one because the lady told her at the end that she'd told Elena a silly word and asked what the real word was. Elena said she didn't know, as if by giving her a fake word the lady had shaken Elena's trust in all previous knowledge, including the word "dog." Elena is also learning to be a really good helper and put toys away when we clean up the living room. She still doesn't seem to eat much, though that may be because she grazes. It drives me crazy, though, when she tells me she's hungry and asks for food, then doesn't eat it. At all. Not even one bite. She's done this twice in the last week and it makes me want to scream in frustration. Please tell me it'll go away.

Jonathan just got a call from the guy at the City, so please pray for him as he goes in for interviews. We really want this job and all the good things it will do for his career.

And here's a fun thing from Regan. Play along--you put in bold the things you've done, and you can add comments if you like.

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it– if I've said it, I meant it--it's not the sort of thing I just toss around
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise – I'm sure I've done it, even if I can't remember when
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game - a UT football game a long time ago
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables – my tomatoes came in just as this whole salmonella thing started
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment - kids are great for causing these
21.Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you weren’t ill - first pregnancy, on the only day I threw up, didn't know how long it was going to last, ended up feeling fine so I could have gone but didn't
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse - partial, but not total
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun - the funny thing was that after an hour I couldn't stop
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment - most days, really
36. Loved your job 90% of the time - Build-a-Bear's the best!
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied - we've never had enough, really, but I've still been satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing - only to test some rappelling gear
40. Gone on a walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight - not even when I was super skinny
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume - theme of the dance where I first realized my now-husband was really good-looking and I should ask him out, or something
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day - not all that long ago, either--pregnancy makes you really tired
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain - not a very heavy rain, either time, but still
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie – most of my scenes got cut, and I don't think I ended up on screen, but I still filmed
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch -store-bought cookies taste funny—unless they're oreos
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68.Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy – three years ago, some baby toys for Elena
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money – prizes, but not money
77. Broken a bone – left middle finger—real treat for my teachers as I tried to write stuff
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi – not sure if I've managed to ingest any, but I've seriously tried twice
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about – we do this all the time when trying to explain Jonathan's major
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands – and mosquitos, too
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad - only The Oddessy
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch - I was taught how to knit right-handed, then taught myself how to do it left-handed and how to do lace/cables/etc.
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating – not personally, but eaten fresh-caught fish I watched get caught, cleaned and cooked
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream – for a few months when Elena was small
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair – red, baby, but never permanently
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep – and a toddler, too
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fours
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway Play - not on Broadway, but the touring show of Les Mis
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band – middle school band, but not a rock band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone – taught lots of folks to knit or crochet
122. Ridden a train – Europe's so cool
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need – not that I remember
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in a historic place – Nauvoo (so a city, if not a building)
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David -not the real one, or the replicas, only photos
147. Had your portrait painted – drawn not painted but it still counts
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers – and petticoats
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz - waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books - I think I've read most of the old ND books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane – only after watching Lost!
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life -Elena almost fell out the window in her room when she was little
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint - I know how to needlepoint, but that doesn't mean I do it
178. Laughed till your side hurt – at least once a month
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen a geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma – someday—it's a goal to get over the needle thing
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom-made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime – have been a witness to a bad car wreck and got interviewed by police
200. Responded to emails (or memes) like this

Well That's Good

Created by OnePlusYou

What's in The Bag?

I got tagged by Marin a couple days ago, but had to sit and think about how to organize. And define. I have 4 bags, but one is toys and papers to entertain the kids at church, and the other is only used for travel (you can slide any Harry Potter into it without changing the shape--perfect for a carry-on), so they're out. Here's the other two:

My purse for going out without children--dates, girls' night, whatever.


Contents: 1 purse hook
1 eyeglass case, empty
1 pen, black
3 lipgloss, various shades
1 eyeliner
1 blush brush
1 lip balm
1 hair comb
assorted hairpins
2 peppermint candies
1 sticker backing

The Diaper Bag--holder of anything that might be remotely important.


Contents: 1 ultrasound capture
5 diapers, clean
1 wipes case w/ 2 wipes
1 nursery rhyme book
1 eyeshadow compact
1 antibacterial hand wash
1 tin of floss
1 box of seed beads
1 gingerbread-shaped ornament
2 immunization records (1 per child)
1 pre-soaped washcloth
assorted candy
assorted bureaucratic paper-crap
assorted family pictures for Primary activity
assorted thank you cards from people at church
1 planner
7 hair clips
1 picot ribbon
1 tape measure
2 hospital bracelets from Elena's birth
1 clip-on necktie
2 pair mittens/gloves
1 pair dirty socks
1 disposable bib
assorted feminine products
1 liquid eyeliner, dark brown
1 mascara, black
1 lipgloss
1 pen, blue
1 mechanical pencil
collection of HEBuddy points
pile of old receipts, expired coupons, etc.

It's amazing what you can fit in something so small. I'm really, really glad I only have a small bag, and not one of the monstrous cavern-bags. Who knows what you'd find there. Anyway: Regan and Christina, you are tagged. If anyone else what's to show off, go for it.

Love & Marriage

Are you reading? Are you married? TAG!

1. What is your husband's name? Jonathan Richard

2. How long have you been together? officially, 21 April 1999

3. How long did you date? A little more than three years (sounds long, but subtract 2 for Spain)

4. How old is he? 28

5. Who eats more? Given an equal chance at a given quantity of prepared food, he does; given a house full of ingredients that take more than two steps to prepare, I do.

6. Who said I love you first? I think I did

7. Who is taller? Me, but only by 1/4-1/2"

8. Who sings better? It's a toss-up; I'll claim me, only because I actually sing my voice part and he tends to sing tenor to "help out" even though it's too high for him

9. Who is smarter? This I'm definitely calling this even

10. Whose temper is worse? Mine, and it gets worse as my children learn which buttons to push (whether they do it on purpose or not)

11. Who does the laundry? I do

12. Who does the dishes? Usually me, though he helps every now and again

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If looking at the bed, Jonathan does, but it changes depending on whether I'm pregnant (need to be closer to the bathroom, adjusted for the slope of the bed when it sags), nursing (need to be closer to the bassinette, adjusted for slope of the bed, position of the baby, and number of mid-night feedings) or lonely because he's studying all night (the whole thing is mine, and all the pillows too)

14. Who pays the bills? I do

15. Who mows the lawn? The cat?

16. Who cooks dinner? Me, because Jonathan and kitchens seem to have magnetic polar differences

17. Who drives when you are together? Jonathan--once I taught him to drive my car (it's a stick-shift) he decided it was his chivalric duty to drive me--and we stick with it because he's a bad passenger

18. Who is more stubborn? Me

19. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Usually him, because I'm very bad about holding stupid grudges (see above)

20. Whose parents do you see the most? Mine

21. Who proposed? Jonathan--came up with a whole fairy tale, complete with costumes and supporting cast, and acted it out

22. Who is more sensitive? We're both pretty sensitive, but about different things

23. Who has more friends? Real, close friends, me; people we hang out with, him, I think, but I make a slightly bigger effort to be social

24. Who has more siblings? Even at 6

25. Who wears the pants in the family? Probably me--you know it's a sign when home teaching companions come to you to check your spouse's availability

26. Where did you meet? The floor of the relief society room when we were not quite old enough for nursury

27. What was the first thing you said to your husband? "Ga?"

28. Where was your first date? I think he asked me out (-ish) to the grocery store to buy canned goods for an Institute activity

29. Where was your first kiss? At the playground near his house

30. Where did you get engaged? On a narrow winding road, surrounded by towering pines (100 yards from my parents' driveway)

31. Where were you married? The Houston Texas temple

32. Where was the honeymoon? Galveston Texas, in a 100+ year-old B&B

33. If you could have changed anything about it what would it have been? Not sure--the chaos of a delayed wedding was offset by a smoother wedding (it was worth it in the end, so I guess no)

Christmas Favorites

Favorite Christmas song: I've always liked lullabyes or the children's songs from church (When Joseph Went to Bethlehem, Stars Were Gleaming), though it's hard to beat some of the medieval quasi-pagan carols out there--nothing like frozen cabbages, boars' heads or starving, snowbound sheep to get you in the Christmas spirit.

Favorite Christmas treat: mincemeat cake!

What does your Christmas tree look like: (taking Marin's easy way out...)You can see most of the big ornaments, but there's a couple dozen snowflakes and bells nestled in there, too.

When do you start shopping for presents, on black Friday or the day before Christmas? Shopping on Christmas Eve is forbidden, in this household--get it done by the 23rd, or wait 'til the 26th--but Black Friday's a bit too hectic so I'm a middle-of-the-month person.

Favorite Christmas tradition: the Christmas pageant before presents--alas! it is no more.

Best holiday memory: Orange rolls at 5am, or possibly Charlotte scaring the snot out of me when I went for my annual 3am stocking browse.

Fake or real tree: Fake--it doesn't have the smell but it won't melt or shed (I saw a really cool one with fluffy needles, pine cones, and a frosting of snow, thus the melt) .

Favorite Christmas movie: The Santa Clause, Charlie Brown

What do you want for Christmas this year? ... ...knitting stuff? macaroni necklaces from the kids? Jonathan to get his shopping done before the 23rd? I don't know...

Favorite Christmas story: Luke 2, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas in Texas

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

tags to all my sisters-in-law: what was Christmas like in your neck of the woods?

Game #2 - High School

Senior year.....

1. Who were your best friends? Marin & Joy

2. What sports did you play? I'm not really a sports person--if I run I get chest pains

3. What kind of car did you drive? Toyota Tercell, then a Toyota Corolla, both really old

4. On Friday nights what were you doing? occasionally at a football game, but usually wondering when I'd get the guts to scrounge up a social life

5.Were you a party animal? not in the slightest--I went to parties (sometimes) but I'm pretty sure I was socially awkward anyway

6. Were you considered a flirt? no

7. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? choir--second soprano

8. Were you a nerd? I didn't have the willpower to be a real nerd, but was smart enough not to want to be "popular" either

9. Did you get suspended/expelled? no, though I did get a Saturday detention the year before

10. Can you still sing the fight song? as with Marin, our fight song didn't have words, but I know all the words to the alma matter

11. Who was your favorite teacher? Sir, Mrs. Knifton and Frau Saucier

12. Where did you sit during lunch? when I was on campus, with Marin

13. Name the school's full name? Westwood High School

14. School mascot? Warriors

15. School colors? Burnt Orange & White

16. Rival high school? the Round Rock Dragons

17. Did you go to prom? yup, both of them, actually

18. If you could go back and do it again, would you? for all the stress, it was nice having my life so structured--that being said, I would never willingly go through the hellatious nightmare that is high school ever again

19. What do you remember most about graduation? I got my picture taken for the Round Rock Leader
(or was it the Hill Country News?)

20. Where did you go senior skip day? despite what Marin said about there not being a skip day, there was one--it was very informal, not very well organized, and we were all told by the staff (who were dead serious) that all unexcused absences would be put in detention

21. Favorite memory? two glorious weeks in England, Scotland and Wales

22. Were you in any clubs? German Club and National German Honors Society were the only formal clubs I was in

23. Where did you go most often for lunch? HEB (love that chinese chicken) or Thundercloud Subs

24. Have you gained some weight since then? 20 lbs max, and all in the last 2 years

25. Who was your senior prom date? I'd invited a friend, Curtis, but his parents said no (he was a freshman), so I went with another girl that was on her own--we had a blast

26. Are you planning on going to your 10-year reunion? yeah, baby! ;)

27. Who was your home room teacher? no home room

28. Who will re-post this after you? hmmm... Regan

29. Who was your high school sweetheart? I had a massive crush on Richard Daniels, but that was the year I finally gave up on it--I fell in love with his best friend the next year :D

30. Do you still talk to people from high school? my friends, yes, but I didn't have very many

31. Did you win prom queen or king? not even

32. Where did you work in high school? I spent some time working in a gift shop, but that was before my senior year

33. What were your grades? B's, mostly, with enough A's to show how smart I was, and C's (sometimes D's) in the mathier stuff (alg, chem, econ)

34. What was your dress style? ecclectic enough to make my younger brother cringe

35. What year did you graduate? 1998

Once again, pick it up and run with it.

What's Your Name?

I shamelessly stole this game from a stamping blog I visit because it's just so darn fun. Plus, we spent all last night teaching Elena her full name, so I've got names on the brain.

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) -Princess Echo

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Cookies 'N Double Stuff

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) L. Dav

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) - Emerald Kitten

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)- Anne Austin

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) - Davli

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink put “The”) The Sky Squirt

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)- John Roscoe

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne, favorite candy) Vanilla Fields Reeses

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) Lucille Thomas (taking the meaning, not the literal instruction)

As for tags, if you want it, go for it--I'd love to see your answers.

Not-Much-of-an-Update on the Postal Situation: Once the book came out of the box (it got left in the office, this time--too bad no one thought of that the first time) I took it straight to the actual post office and asked "Who's paying for this?" Marisa, at the counter, who stared at the book with shock and horror mirroring my own, sent me to the supervisor, who also looked at the book with shock and horror. Everyone muttered that These Things Ought Not Be, but when I asked for a new book she said she would need to ask her supervisor. Marisa, when I mailed Will's book off, shortly thereafter (go for the book rate, peoples--it's waaaayy cheaper), said that the extra supervisor would be for authorization, and that the USPS really did owe me $20.60 ($16 book + $4.60 postage). No one has called me back, yet, but I do have a CD full of disturbing pictures of a bent book. Maybe I'll get better results if I show them the pictures. And why does it feel like I'm blackmailing a government agency?

Tag In The Ether? I'll Take It!

These are great for blog entries because your post subject is already given to you. Here we go!

Jobs I’ve Held:
1. a small gift/collectable shop

2. various temp agency postings

3. Geppeddo Dolls for 5 Christmases, 4as a manager

4. Build-A-Bear Workshop for 3 years

Movies I Can Watch Over and Over:

1. The Lord Of The Rings - the extended editions, all of them, one after another, and then again with each of the commentaries, seriously

2. National Treasure - love the history, plus it's totally clean

3. Finding Nemo - well, this is Elena, really, but I don't mind watching with her

4. High School Musical - I'd like to say that this is Elena, too, but it's not

My Guilty Pleasures:
1. grocery shopping all by myself (ooohhhh, it's so gooood...)

2. watching Dora or Diego with my daughter

3. sleeping in

4. staying up late with a good book

Places I Have Lived:
1. Austin, TX

2. San Jose, CA

3. Nauvoo, IL

4. Bastrop, TX

Shows I Enjoy:
1. Monk- it's the only TV series I get from Netflix

2. Dr. Who- a British staple, now on PBS (think Star Trek, but with a 20-year original run; we watch the new series)

3. Mythbusters- love it but don't get cable anymore

4. Ace of Cakes- ditto, but Duff came to our mall and I GOT HIS AUTOGRAPGH!!! (so cool!)

What were likely the 1st things you thought when you saw your significant other for the first time?
1. the first time? Well, I was two or three months old, so likely that he was blurry.

2. the first time I remember? I was 13 and thought he was goofy but fun to have at parties, I guess.

3. the first time I noticed him? He'd just cut his hair to get ready for his mission and showed up to a costume party in Roman armor: "I've known him for six years--how did I not know he was that hot?!?"

Places I’ve Been on Vacation (other an the U.S.):
1. England - with my Dad on two business trips, plus once with my high school choir

2. Canada - road trip to Palmyra with the JSA in Nauvoo and we day-tripped across the border to Niagra Falls

Favorite Foods:
1. Salads - big ones with lots of stuff on them

2. strawberries with a touch of sugar

3. sweets still in their raw form (cookie dough, brownie batter, etc.)

4. hot, fresh bread

Websites I Visit (almost) Daily:
1. blogs of all my friends and family - I like knowing what's going on in your lives

2. blogs of *their* friends and family - I try to keep up so I don't inadvertantly say something stupid or insensitive--not that doing so cures me of that particular ill, but I'd like to say it helps)

3. The Baby Name Wizard - it fun to ponder the fashion trends of baby names

4. e-mail - can't live without it

Nicknames I’ve been called:

1. Lise - I love you too, Mare

2. Linguini - ditto, Manicotti

3. Mistletoe - only my dad

4. Mommy

Now I Get to pick 4 other Blog buddies to do this!
Since the whole family got tagged by Kim... Marin, Allison... um... Jess and Jonathan (just comment here)-- I choose you!