Six Absolutely Unspectacular Things About Me

Okay, so my friend Mel has been playing tag and I'm apparently 'IT' LOL. Here are my SIX (yawn) unspectacular things about me. Stay awake for it:

1. At 5'2", I am the tallest woman in my family and PROUD of it!;
2. I can stay wide awake at the wheel of a car no matter HOW tired I am. (My dh is another story but this isn't about HIM);
3. I have super powers. I'm able to see good in people that others miss. This does not always fare well for me, b/c sometimes I have to endure a lot of bad in the process of waiting for the good to come, but hey - I'm not in charge of Karma (thank goodness).
4. I hate socks. I try not to wear them, even in the winter -- something I get a lot of flack about. At work I have been forced to wear 'supportive' shoes (aka ugly) and need to wear my orthotics and (ugh) socks, but the very minute I get home, off they come - ahhhhhhh!;
5. I notice the small things people do for me. In today's world I believe these things are vital for survival. I believe in passing it forward and am pitifully hopeful it can change the world for better! (note to self to program dh's coffee for the morning - he likes this)
6. I love the smell of clean whites. I don't know why I'm so anal about white clothes but they must be clean -- white -- and smell great. I use clorox bleach that smells like fresh linen and add bluing to the wash for extra whitening!

I could come up with a ton of these. Unspectacular is easy - don't tag me for spectacular - that may take awhile to think about (wink).

Let's Get Political for a moment

Picture Retake Day

Just like in school. I wish I'd take the time to really learn how to use my camera. In the meantime, I popped it onto a tripod and took these without the flash. Some day maybe I won't have to pretend I know what I'm doing.

Giveaway Time

Jenny is doing a great giveaway right here!

Good luck!

Someone to watch over me...

We've been decorating for Halloween and had a lot of fun with these.

This is what I see from INSIDE my master bedroom!

View of one window from each of my daughter and son's rooms

And this is what it looks like from outside.

I need to get one without flash at dusk.

Oh and this was my little project over the weekend!

~There are purple lights inside~

Conversations with a Diva

Miss 'N' came down this A.M. and (in typical Diva fashion) announced:

N: What's for Breakfast?

me: Whatever your little heart desires - what are YOU making?

N: Uhmmm, let me ask me and I'll get back to you

(LOUD LOL from me)

N: Well, I asked me and me doesn't know

Sooooooooooo dang funny!

My Sister ~~ My Friend

A ten year gap, yet the closest of friends

Even from day one

Me (age 6 months) with my best friend

My sister

Blessings on your Special Day

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY

Thankfully we didn't take in any water, but some homes did. These were taken at 9am on Sunday. We had TWO days in a row of rain like this. Record rainfall in the history of since records have been kept. SIX inches fell on Saturday. We got about 3-4 inches MORE after these photos were taken. Prayers for all who have to deal with damages or clean up from flooding.

experience list

from Sis's blog

Life Experiences (the ones I have done are in pink) Gotta warn you though, I'm pretty boring! LOL

1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with wild dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa (now closed to the public)
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s nappy
21. Taken a trip on a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Got drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken for longer than when you were in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds, and my DVD's and my spices and....
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D and D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest (I was a rabbit in a hat)
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents (both sadly)
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children (raising)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour (just a local group)
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sung loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray - I swam right over one, but no petting
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet-it was my brother's-it got loose-enough said!
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

(UN) Brace Yourself!

After nearly TWO years

The official UNVEILING!

Dr. Kelly removing the appliances

Giving him one LAST cleaning!

He really CAN smile!!

His 'JOKER' retainer

A Peek at it inside his mouth

(His teeth really aren't yellow, they just look it next to the white retainer)

Dr. Kelly, Senior (his son works the practice also)

with Nathan and his parting gift.

A gourmet caramel apple from Graham's

Off To The Races

We had a family day at Arlington Racetrack yesterday.

- It was over 90 degrees -

this was towards the end of the day - feeling toasty