Done with this Day

This is what you get when I'm done with this day but have to stick it out for 10 more minutes.

Jen's ABCs. (I ripped this off of another blog.)

A - Attached or Single: Happily single

B - Best Friend: That’s a hard one…I’ll go with the nephew. He tells me I’m his favorite friend, so I guess I’ll return the favor.

C - Cake or Pie: Oh, definitely cake with greasy lard frosting.

D - Day of Choice: Friday

E - Essential Item: High heels

F - Favorite Color: I haven’t had a favorite color since the 4th grade when I insisted on everything being pink.

G - Gummi Bears or Worms: Bears

H - Hometown: Payson

I - Indulgence(s): Don’t judge – America’s Next Top Model.

J - January or July: Well, today, July. But that’s because it’s been a really cold winter. Ask me again in July and I’ll probably say January because by then it will be 100 degrees here.

K - Kids: Do my plants count?

L - Life is Incomplete: without Jane Austen.

M - Marriage Date: I’m holding out for Captain Moroni.

N - Number of Siblings: 3 brothers

O - Oranges or Apples: Definitely apples. I can’t handle texture with fruit.

P- Phobias or Fears: Being a failure, eggs drying up (if you don’t know what this means, then don’t ask), and spiders. Hate spiders.

Q - Quote(s): Vincent Van Gogh: "Many people seem to think it foolish, even superstitious, to believe that the world could still change for the better. And it is true that in winter it is sometimes so bitingly cold that one is tempted to say, 'What do I care if there is a summer; its warmth is no help to me now.' Yes, evil often seems to surpass good. But then, in spite of us, and without our permission, there comes at last an end to the bitter frosts. One morning the wind turns, and there is a thaw. And so I must still have hope."

R - Reason to Smile: 60 degrees this weekend!

S - Season: Fall

T - Tag Seven: If you want to do this, then please do.

U - Unknown Fact about Me: I don't know how unknown this is, but when I was in the 5th grade, I wanted head gear.

V - Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: I eat meat. But I cannot stand to touch raw chicken.

W - Worst Habit: Letting my laundry pile up.

X - X-Rays or Ultrasounds: I’ve had both and neither are pleasant.

Y - Your Favorite Food: cheese. Anything with cheese.

Z - Zodiac: Libra

My Little Secret

My immediate family knows this, but I don’t think I’ve shared my little secret with many others.


Did you know that I want to build a cabin in Fairview? A cabin you might ask…well, every writer needs a little hideaway to go and write without the distractions of the modern world. (No worries, I will use high-speed internet, a laptop, and modern bathroom facilities.)

And why Fairview? Well, Fairview is close enough to my home that I wouldn’t have to travel far to “get away” and far enough away that I could feel like I actually “got away.” It’s gorgeous in that area (have you ever seen the fall foliage), quiet, and serene. I could go on long walks on unknown trails, gather pinecones, and run through meadows singing “The Hills are Alive.” As a side note, I actually ran through a mountain trail in Switzerland singing “The Hills are Alive”—I got some rather strange looks. Back on track...I can’t think of a better way to be inspired to write. Plus, land in Fairview is still relatively cheap.

I know I don’t come across as a cabin-type-of-girl, but I’m very serious about this venture. I’ve even got a realtor lined up.

Ode to My Mom

In honor of my mother’s first comment I thought I would do an “Ode to All Things Mom.” (She commented as anonymous in the last post. She hasn’t quite figured out how to get her name there.)

Ode to My Mom

1. Sometimes, she really does find herself in a box. And while this could be a sign of something serious, we mock her fully. And she laughs back so that makes it OK.

2. A lot of people think my mom looks like Elizabeth Taylor. My mom doesn’t know if this is a compliment or not. She always says if they mean a young Liz Taylor, then it’s a compliment; if they mean the current Liz Taylor then she’s offended. People think I look like my mom, but I don’t think I look like Liz Taylor. What do you think?

Elizabeth Taylor

3. One day, my mom was in the basement working. The rest of us were upstairs when all of a sudden we heard her singing, “I’m not crazy I’m just a little unwell…”

4. My mom can make friends with everyone. And I do mean everyone. It’s not uncommon for me to be talking to her and she’ll tell me about the neighbor’s granddaughter that came to visit her and in the next breath she tells me how she went to curl the 87-year-old neighbor’s hair. Really, she makes friends with everyone.

5. She is the most-loyal fan of “All My Children.”

6. My mom likes to tell me that I get my stubbornness from my dad. And while I agree that my dad is stubborn, I think some of my stubbornness came from my mom. For example, my mom started her gift basket company as a dare from my dad. He came home from work one day and dared her to start the business…and she did just to show him that she would. And it’s been going for 11 years.

7. She has problems throwing away 30-year-old Ensigns, but doesn’t have a problem throwing away pictures of her ancestors.

8. My mom is super classy! She always dresses very nice. Dressing “down” for her is to put on a denim jacket. But on Sunday afternoons you will find her in her robe and a pair of my dad’s socks.

9. She knows shorthand. Every Christmas she writes her list in shorthand so we don’t know what she bought.

10. And my favorite thing about my mom…she totally lied to my dad when she first met him. She told him she was about 3 years older than she really was (as in, she told him she was a sophomore in college and she was a junior in high school). It’s my favorite story! One day I told my mom I lied to a guy about my age and she said, “You shouldn’t do that!” I said, “Why not, you did?” And she said, “Exactly. Look what happened.” My parents have been married for 38 years now.

Here's a Riddle for You...

Riddle #1: What do you get when you have three siblings (all adults), a box, and a little time to kill?

Answer: Coach in a box.

Riddle #2: What do you get with Coach in a box, a brother who still loves to wrestle, and a sister with a camera?

Answer: Coach getting tipped over while in the box.

Ya, we think we’re funny.

A few other things to note. See those book shelves in these pictures? And see how they are full of old Ensigns? Seriously, some of those issues date back to before I was born. I keep telling my mom that she doesn’t need to keep them anymore and she can find everything she needs online. Still, the magazines remain.

Also, this is a picture of C and my guitar.

Yes, I have a guitar. (Not very many people know that I own this insturment.) Long story about how I actually got a guitar, but yesterday my mom told me if I didn’t take my guitar home she was going to give it to the DI. So I took it home. I left the guitar in the upstairs bedroom for a few minutes while I went to get my camera (to document the box incident) and returned to find C playing the guitar and singing “I am a child of God.” And yes, the guitar only has three strings.

New Header

A shout out to Ang for my awesome new header! Isn't it so cute? Thanks, Ang! You're the best!

I am Elinor Dashwood

Take the Quiz here!

You are Elinor Dashwood. You are practical, circumspect, and discreet. Though you are tremendously sensible and allow your head to rule, you have a deep, emotional side that few people often see.

Really?

That's Some Good Deutsch

Ich denke, daß ich meine deutschen Bücher heraus erhalten sollte. Möglicherweise, wenn ich anfange, alles auf Deutsch zu schreiben, der mich motiviert, um ein besserer Kursteilnehmer zu sein.