Pass It On

This is my 2nd post about a billboard I read. The first one you may remember was taken off the next day since it was just a negative rant. This one is the opposite.

I was driving along I-15 this morning when I happened to see this billboard (above). I've seen it many times before but today, it struck me. It's not an advertisement, so why is it up there?

Who is the great fan club for human-kind that paid big bucks to have this "moralization" (yep, made it up) put in such a prominent place? And by that I mean, it is right on the main corridor going downtown.

I thought a lot about it. Surely no capitalist organization could be responsible. And the more I thought, the more I wondered. It's a nice statement, and the only motivation for it being there was that someone thought that people driving along I-15 might need a moral increase.

The people that do this happen to be an organization called The Foundation for a Better Life. On their website, it said that it is a non-profit organization who receives its funding from one family who "wants to remind individuals they are accountable and empowered with the ability to take responsibility for their lives and to promote a set of values that sees them through their failures and capitalizes on their successes." They believe that if people do this, then the community will benefit as a whole.

I'm impressed by this. I like to look for an encourage the good in all people. I realize there is lots of bad in the world, but if we could all have a better attitude, I think things would be a lot better. I hate negativity.

Laughing Gas

I had to have two cavities filled this afternoon. Like most people, I really don't like the dentist because sadly, he's synomous with pain.

My dentist has laughing gas and normally I really like it. I've had it numerous times for various work I've had many years ago. Does age even affect how you respond to drugs? That's sad!

I couldn't retreat from the discomfort as far as I was used to. I remember feeling like i was down a very long tunnel and that someone outside was banging and moving the tunnel but I was so far down, it didn't affect me. Plus, the dentist kept trying to talk to me and I was like, "WTF, don't you realize I'm trying to zone out here, geez!"

He stoppered my mouth to its widest point and I felt that long needle slide in and although I was still in a far-off-place, I felt it nonetheless. I also felt some of the drilling.

But the worst part was the way I felt (am feeling) afterward. I have a headache, and it took me about 1/2 an hour for the fuzzy feeling to wear off. Doesn't it give you a feeling of great security to know that this 1/2 hour was spent driving in rush hour traffic? I really thought I was fine - but isn't that what all the drunks say when they get behind the wheel?

I made it home in one piece, as did all my fellow road-mates, and now I just want to take a nap. I'm enormously ravenous but eating is about as enticing as chewing on my arm since my tongue feels like a 40 lb weight.

All in all, I do feel like I would go through the laughing gas again just to escape the discomfort and tension I go through to have dental work performed. It really stresses me out! I come out of there coiled up like a slinky! But maybe I should plan to have a few hours for a snoozer the next time I visit my dentist (which will be sooner rather than later since I need 2 crowns done before my teeth crack out of my head!)

We Have Fish!!

I forgot to mention that we finally bought the fish for our fishtank! We also bought 2 small pieces of coral, and 3 snails. The fish are baby clown fish.

We also found out that since fish need relatively the same environment they have in the ocean, that also means they need a lengthy period of darkness. Which also means we can't leave that light on as a nightlight. O-well. What do they say about best laid plans???

Merry Christmas Re-cap

I've noticed that I'm not the only blogger who has slacked off a little bit around Christmas. Sorry. Things have been just a tad crazy. But here's a re-cap of the past couple of days around my house.

Here is 2 of the 8 morning visitors to our backyard Christmas eve morning. We found them eating from our leftover garden, and bedding down beneath a big tree. I'm glad they've found refuge. We live on the side of a mountain and get lots of visitors down the mountain this time of year, but this is the first year we've seen them in our own backyard.

I was out done by DH in a snowman competition I didn't know about, lol. His is about 3x the size of mine from the other day (compare here). He used spray paint for the mouth, don't you love it? Now THAT'S snowman!

so sweet...cuddling with her snowman...
I started a new Christmas eve tradition with SP to do an annual gingerbread house. This one was a pre-packaged type and it was perfect for a 3 year old. She was very maticulous in how the candies went on. I have a feeling we're going to make some very amazing houses as the years go by.
After 20 years or so of doing these houses, I'm going to make a book of all the houses, and pictures over the years. This is the first one....

This is what I got for Christmas from DH. It's exactly what I wanted - the professional model of the deluxe Kitchenaid mixer. I've had my old one (in the background) for 14 years and I'm ready to move on. It's for sale if anyone's interested. Somebody loves me.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

Decisions & Consequences

Being an adult is like walking through the mirrors-maze at the fair. So many of our choices lead us to dead-ends. And even if you do find a doorway, it just leads you into more confusion. The confusion never has black & white answers either. Every choice (good or bad) has its own set of ramifications that can either take you out, or deeper in. It's maddening.

Sometimes I feel like I'm on the edge of an abyss, and one false move I'm going to fall into a sea of insanity. Am I normal? I don't know. What I do know is that I know virtually nothing about cause & affect. I am not a predictor. I don't understand "if...then". I have fallen into a sea...one of confusion instead.

It's easy to get here. You make a choice. The world reacts. You're stunned. Did you make a bad choice? You don't think so. Can you repair it? You try. You make a choice. The world reacts. You're stunned. It's a vicious circle...sometimes. Sometimes it goes your way. Actually a lot of the time. But the times it doesn't alter your perceptions and grows like a canker inside of you.

I'm not sure what I'm talking about here and I'm quite sure you're confused. I'm jabbering...the end.

I'm Grateful...

...for the chance I get to be home to enjoy days like this...

(can you see the snow in her mouth? it's classic "kid-stuff")

My Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday. Yes, I'm a December baby. I like having the 18th as my birthday because it's always exactly a week before Christmas. And since so many people attempt to commiserate with me for being a Christmas child, I'll share with you why I don't feel bad for myself at all:

Being a Christmas baby means that:

1) festivity is already in the air, so it spills over into my birthday celebration
2) I'm already in a happy, partying mood
3) I see most of my friends in December because of Christmas, so it's like an extra birthday present too
4) since our first Christmas together, DH has been overly generous with me for both birthday and Christmas which means it's always extra-fun (and probably extra-hard for him)
5) there's too much going on in December to dwell on the fact that I'm one year older
6) after one whopping big mistake when i was about 8, my parents tried extra hard to make sure my birthday was very separate from Christmas, and very special
7) it's easier for me to remember Christ's birthday with mine being so close to His

Thanks to all my friends who sent me birthday wishes!

Lisey's Story - by Stephen King

I am so over Stephen King! I thought I'd give him another chance, since in the past, I've been such a fan. However, this latest story, Lisey's Story, went beyond stupid! I have never read such a poor book by Stephen King, as this piece of drivel.

It starts out in Lisey's mind. Her thoughts about her husband, his death blah blah blah. During this interminable length of time, I considered putting the book down many times because I feared the entire book would be exactly like the beginning - Lisey's thoughts.

It wasn't though. It eventually evolved into a real story but it was so far-fetched (without any "real" explanation as to how it ties to reality at all) that it was difficult to swallow. I mean, was Booya Moon (I listened to an audiobook of this so spelling might be wrong), a real place, or something made up or what? I just couldn't figure it out! I get it's different for everyone but it just made no sense!

Not to mention the fake jargon. King makes up about 50 new terms in this book that are supposed to make sense. They don't. The entire book supposedly revolves around a term called "bool" which I think he made an attempt at explaining in the beginning, but it was such a poor job that I really never did get it - and thus was lost for most of the book when it referred to this term. And since it was such a large portion of the book, it made no sense. Maybe I'm slow.

Lastly, something that was SO ANNOYING was the little "thoughts" he'd throw into the middle of a zillion sentences. Like Lisey would be having a thought that was distressing her: she'd be thinking this thought and in the middle of the thought..."hush, Lisey"...and then the thought would continue as if the interruption never happened. He did this so many times it was ridiculous, not to mention completely unnecessary.

David Trosky, in a review on Amazon put it succinctly when he wrote:

My problem with Lisey's Story, though, is that I'm starting to find King's writing style downright annoying. I understand the importance of internal dialogue so we know what the characters are thinking, and I know he tries to use this to build tension, but it's simply overdone here, as is his use of parentheses. To give you an example, if King were writing a review of Lisey's Story, in the style of Lisey's Story, it might read something like this: ---

How good is Lisey's Story? Well, that's the question, isn't it? And it's not just the question, it's the BIG question. The BIG SMUCKING QUESTION. Yessirree, the question to end all questions. Because when you get right down to it (oh and we will... we will get right down to it... BOOL!) reviews are really about how good something is, are they not? Of course they are. ---

Words & sayings that were annoying from this book:

"smucking", "shite", "bool", "nubby", "hush, Lisey", "baby-love", "southern-fried chicken-sh**" - and the worst "puffickly huh-yooge piece of orrifice" (WTF is that supposed to mean?), SOWISA, long boy, bad-gunky.

I have no idea what any of these words or phrases mean other than the sad explanations given.

Every well-read King reviewer had the same opinion I did.

I'm sorry King - I usually really like your work. Maybe I've read you too much and you've gotten under my skin. You'd be better to completely retract all copies of this novel and burn them at the stake. There's just no comparison with The Stand. Come on, you can do better!

Random Thought & An Award

I'm driving around listening to my XM, and as frequently happens, I reach up evidently to push the "rewind" button that doesn't exist. Why do I keep doing this? Don't I know that radio doesn't have this particular feature?

Well, in my mind...it should. I mean, everything else in this world does. My iPod, my satellite TV, every program I watch, my Windows Media, anything on the internet, downloads onto my phone, DVD players, all the stuff on my iPaq. I mean, I understand the reasons, but come on - get with the system people! At least can't I record a good song for playback later on? It's really killing me!

And...not to be forgotten...Tish from The Kat House has bestowed upon me another award because she's so thoughtful! This one is "I'm A Little Nutty"...and if you read this blog, you know why... Thank you Tish! I would like to pass this award on to Josey (random thoughts keep on rollin'), and Mad Goat Lady (who actually saw a kangaroo on her front lawn on Thursday ...wow!), and also to Mrs. Furious who cracks me up.

These Are The Moments We Live For

First recital...today...so cute!

getting ready to dance...

She's not bashful in the least. And me? I was in heaven as I watched my princess in her tutu twirl around the "stage". I nearly cried when the music came on and she started to do her routine. I just love being her mom.

backstage (where's waldo)

This Is What I Did Today

It's a tradition among my sister and me (that's correct grammer, folks - like it or not...yeah, it's a pet peeve when people mix it up) to make these little tins of popcorn & sometimes other goodies for people in our family that we don't often see. These people include our dad who lives in Denver, a couple of our great-aunts, some cousins, a few in-laws on her side, and our other sister who lives in Idaho (that'd be Ellen, our own little fertile-myrtle -sorry L, ya know i luv ya).

We've been doing this for about ten years now. It's quite a chore! It takes us nearly all day since usually we add in something we've not done before like for the past couple of years we've been doing cinnamon popcorn which is awesome to make, and really good if not a little spicy!

Today, we were very harried (crazy season!) and since we put it off so long this year, which isn't typical, we were in a crazy rush! Good thing we've done it so many times because we've got the system DOWN! We busted out 5 gallons of caramel popcorn (the best you've ever tasted, might I add), in about 4 hours including baking time!

I hope all of our families enjoy it. Funny, we usually don't ever hear back if anyone even got it. Oh, maybe it's not the best caramel popcorn you've ever tasted...maybe I should discuss that with Renee (hmmm, got me thinking). But it's alright - we do it for how it makes us feel! It's like an extra-special christmas card hand-made by...us.

It wouldn't be worth it if my sister and I didn't have so much fun together!

The Weather

Yes, I've resorted to discussing the weather on my blog. Isn't that considered to be boring conversation?

It is now so cold here that I'm feeling sorry for my Christmas lights. Most of them are stuck under 6" of ice. Some of them have glowed themselves free of the snow, but the rest look as if they're going to go on revolt. I don't blame them.

Usually when it snows here, it warms up enough that the snow turns to slush which gets sprayed on the rest of the snow making everything look like gray crap. This year, it snowed, and immediately froze harder causing all the snow to turn to ice. It's wonderful in that the snow actually looks like beautiful white snow even if it so slick I fall on my butt, or my Tahoe goes careening out of control around a corner. At least it's pretty!

I think the high here today was 25 degrees. It snowed again a little bit, just dusting the driveway. I was out in it most of the day, and am glad now to be comfortably indoors. I like the winter, as long as I'm warm!

Taking Bets

Is this nail going to come off?

Don't You Hate It When...

...you fall on your butt in the snow in front of a whole bunch of cars waiting at a light. And, as you're getting up, you fall again. You look over at the cars, and you see some people start laughing so you start laughing as you're trying to get up, and laughing makes you fall on your butt again, and tear your pants. And as you're again, trying to get up, you realize all the stuff's fallen out of your purse.

That was me.

I can laugh at myself.

Blogging for My Health

It didn't take me long. There is a link on the side to my new blog for tracking my weight loss/health progress. I've already posted a couple of days on it so check it out, if you want.

Just knowing there are a couple of readers a day will likely keep me honest and motivated. Thanks to all of you who replied to my inquiry and to those who will be keeping track of me.

www.amysonaquest.blogspot.com

Enlisting Help...HELP!

I’m getting a relatively good readership to this blog, especially considering it’s only been around since May 2007. I’d like to thank my loyal readers for giving me the motivation to continue nearly daily posting. I think I only missed a few days in November and I didn’t even do that post-every-day-for-a-month thingie.

To the point…Although I am not as heavy as I was this time last year, thank goodness,the fairly significant weight loss I experienced this past spring has crept back on, hence the fact that I hate looking in the mirror…again. Not only that but I have not had the motivation to work out regularly for a couple of months and that just isn't acceptable to me anymore. Keeping fit and running were getting to be pretty important to me. I can only attritute sheer laziness to my end result (25 lbs. of extra weight, breathing heavy carrying SP for 100 yards, tight muscles, poor self-discipline).

So blog audience, I’m going to use you. Can I use you? May I enlist your support? I think that if I have an audience tracking my pathetic, I mean daily attempts at getting healthier (a far “healthier” goal than, “I’m gunna drop down to practically nuthin’”), I’ll feel more accountable.

I’m going to create a small & separate blog that will be linked to this one. It will be my Health Tracking blog where I will document all of my activities relating to getting back in shape, losing weight, attitudes, whatever. Mrs. Furious has motivated me…she’s got the right idea and she did some of this through her blog, has great widgets and I’m excited to try it too.

Will you help me?

8 Things Meme

I got tagged by Josey for the "8 Things" Meme. It's sort of a little narcasistic meme....and so it was great fun!

8 things i’m passionate about:
1. My family
2. Christ
3. Raising a well-balanced child
4. Self-discipline
5. My career
6. Planning and organizing
7. Reading
8. Being a good friend

8 things i say often:
1. Just a minute
2. Are you hungry?
3. Do you need to go potty?
4. Take a bite
5. I love you
6. You’re so cute
7. Please
8. Thank you

8 books i’ve read recently
1. Twilight Series
2. Lisey’s Story by Stephen King
3. My Sister’s Keeper, Jodi Picoult
4. The Last Days of Dogtown
5. The Hobbit
6. The New Testament
7. Harry Potter (all but the last)
8. Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood

8 things i want to do before i die:
1. See my grandchildren
2. Live on a farm
3. Serve in a natural disaster
4. Gain control over my health
5. Be at peace with myself (at all levels: spiritually, physically, emotionally etc.)
6. Own my own business as an OT
7. Retire comfortably
8. Be my daughter’s best friend

8 songs i can listen to over and over again, and probably have:
1. Little Wonders, Rob Thomas
2. Forever Young, Alphaville
3. Every Little Kiss, Sara Evans
4. What a Way to Wanna Be, Shania Twain
5. 100 Years, Five for Fighting
6. Died in Your Arms, Cutting Crew
7. Shut Up & Drive, Chely Wright
8. That’s Where it Is, Carrie Underwood

8 things that attract me to my friends:
1. They make me laugh
2. Creativity
3. Similar interests
4. Everyone’s weird but they’re “weird” my way
5. They aren’t smothering
6. They’re there when needed
7. They’re positive & encouraging
8. Understanding and accepting of my challenges, flaws and difficulties

8 things i learned in the last year: Only 8?
1. That self-discipline will be an on-going goal.
2. I didn't die when I gave up coffee.
3. Teaching my daughter that sometimes overcoming fear can result in having a lot of fun (water-related specifically) was tough-love, but that it pays big-time in the end. We both learned from that lesson & had loads of fun after a little discomfort.
4. Summer makes me lazy.
5. It’s easier to stay “on a roll”, then to try to get back “on a roll” once off.
6. Kids learn and behave better when parents aren’t around.
7. Calling the police after an accident is recommended.
8. I’m a good occupational therapist.

I'd like to pass this meme along to Katie, because she's good at these, and Mrs. Furious because I'm just getting to know her.

The Aftermath

As mentioned in this previous post, we had a Christmas dinner party tonight for members of a long-term playgroup that the Supreme Princess and I are a part of. There were four couples, and 7 children who came; a small, manageable group but still enough to make for lively conversation. There are more of us in this group but this is the core...

(top left to right) Jamie, Lynn, Korina, me.

Unfortunately and strangely, most of my pics didn't turn out but I got hold of some that Jamie took so at least I got a few. Here's Jamie with her two little turkeys.
Tuckin' in....
We ended up roasting a prime rib instead of the lasagna. It was our first and DH was all over it. We even grated fresh horseradish. It was absolutely perfect!

I got my hands on a spinach salad recipe that was phenomenol! The ingredients don't sound like much: apples, turkey, raisins, peanuts, toasted sesame seeds and then a dressing of honey, vinegar, oil, curry. Toss it all up with spinach. It was a girl salad - a little sweet but so great! It could have passed for a light lunch by itself.

The Croissant Bread Pudding: to die for. That's all I have to say. It was a huge hit.

When everyone was gone and I looked at the mess, I was reminded of a party I went to last year where as a gift, I received a little ornament that said, "I am grateful for the mess after a party because it shows me how many friends I have." Or something to that affect. I am grateful for my mess. It was a wonderful night.

Minds of Their Own

Why do some zits defy reason and explode into week-long angry volcanos when others...

accept defeat gracefully and are gone the next morning without a word of protest. Why?


BTW, right big toe had a falling out with large stainless steel bowl, and big toe lost. I'm sure big toe will shortly be losing his armor. But me? I swore...not even a single time. SP never even knew it happened.

Playgroup Christmas Party

I am a member of a group of girls that for the past 3 years or so, have been getting together each Friday for some "oh, there's my identity" time. We all have children the same age, who have grown up playing with each other. Most of us have known each other pre-children, and so to go from that to post-children, it's been fun to see how each of us handles parenthood. Some of you probably remember my first post about my Friday Playdate group from my 1st blog that has since, been deleted.

We have an annual Christmas party where we invite the spouses, and kids of course and we have dinner, exchange gifts etc.

This year, it's at my house, which is great! I'm really excited! Usually we do this potluck style but this year, I really wanted to freak them out and cook it all myself. But we know how me and cooking...from this post, and also this one.

I'm pretty nervous...all of the sudden. DH's been considering helping out and doing a prime rib roast but if that falls through, I want to do lasagna, a favorite of mine that's tried & succeeded. However, I'm also making a shrimp-type appetizer with chipolte peppers and other funky things. Obviously I've never made this appetizer before. I hope it's good.

There's a spinach salad, and I'm going to make french bread because I actually can make bread. I've mostly conquered that mountain.

Lastly, because of the influence of Kelly, I've been watching The Barefoot Contessa and she made this dessert the other night called Croissant Bread Pudding that looked pretty good! She said it was her #1 most requested dessert. How can I go wrong with that? Even if the whole rest of the dinner sucks belly-button lint, at least I'll send them off with a great dessert!

I don't pretend nor do I want to be a foodie. I'll leave that to those with real talent. But I like to dabble a little, and who doesn't like to wow their friends? If I have just a few "WOW" meals in my recipe box, I can succeed at least on that front. I'll report

Things No One Knows

• I blush when I read smut in a romance novel even though no one knows what I'm reading (I hate romance novels - many people know that though)
• I love the painful feeling when floss bites into my tender gums, and sometimes over-do it just to feel it again and again (yeah, sick huh)
• I wish my name wasn't Amy
• I love the way naked trees look against a dark sky...it makes me pensive
• I still like the smell of paste, although I haven't sniffed it since I was a 2nd grader :)
• Since about 2 years ago, I hate looking at myself in the mirror and avoid it when I can
• I'm lonely most of the time, even though I enjoy spending time by myself
• During my clepto teenaged years, I stole from a charity
• My worst fear, it's unspeakable and makes me choke and then I can't breathe
• I have a soft spot for homeless people and I give them the entire contents of my wallet whenever I can (usually $1 lol). I don't care what they spend it on.
• I'm physically unable to put an ailing plant in the trash. I feel like a murderer
• I cheated hardcore on a College Algebra final and would not have passed the class had I not done so
• I've always ached for something big but don't know what it is

Last Christmas Lights Post

It doesn't look like much but they make me happy. It was worth it. My complaining is over.

Awards, Tags & Such

I've received a few new awards this past little while, and I'm going to try to stay on top of them!

I've been presented with this wonderful award "The Friendly Site Award" from Tish at The Kat House who always has such nice things to say about me. Most are completely undeserved but she's nice like that! I'll be passing this along to Jessica, Paradox, and Polli

The next is a tag sent to me from Josey over at Stayin Silly, Feelin Lucky She also has very nice things to say about me. What would they think if they met in RL? Hmmm.

This tag is about your birthday:

What you do:
Go to Josey's site about this post and copy pick your birth month. Copy it to your site. Then, bold (italicize) the 5-10 traits that best apply to you.

Tag 12 people from your friends list. But, like Josey just don't know 12 other people (ha!) so I think I'll just send it out to whomever wants to pick it up!

DECEMBER: Loyal and generous. Sexy. Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egotistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.

I was born in December. I'm a Sagitarius. Although signs of the zodiac mean nothing to me, I can't help but keep one trait in my mind (and when I forget, DH reminds me). Sag's are frequent foot eaters. It just goes with the territory. So, while I am not the most logical or sexy, I love the taste of my own feet. that's some yummy toe-jam, lemme tell ya.

Josey also presented me with this fabulous award! There's a trend with my awards and I'm so flattered because when several people give you similar awards, I guess it means that it's true. So far, with each award of this type have come words to the affect that my blog is a sweet, honest one. I like that a lot. Thank you all for your awards and nice words on my behalf! I'll send this to my dedicated blog buddy: Steve

Lastly, I found this funny little blogthing and it made me laugh. A little survey tells you what percentage of the shyness factor you are. What a hoot. Although at age 5, I cried rather than sing in a group at our Primary presentation at church, I have evidently overcome all of my shy tendencies and am now...

You Are 4% Shy

You aren't shy at all, in fact, you're probably quite outgoing. You are comfortable in almost any social situation, no matter how difficult.

How Shy Are You?

Advice

After an extensive conversation with the techie who runs DH's office network, I've decided two things:

1) Never buy another Belkin router; and in fact, take the one back I bought and buy a Lynxys (sp?) The Belkin obviously is crap.

and

2) Never buy another HP Pavilion; and in fact, take the one back I bought and buy a custom-made laptop. The HP is obviously crap.

Reading this back now makes this guy sound like a really great salesperson! Hmmm. Am I a sucker?

New Computer

Friday, I unexpectedly received my new laptop! I wasn't expecting it for several more days, and I literally had to drive to the airport to pick it up or I wouldn't have gotten it until Monday (the horror!)

It was up & running late that evening but was giving me lots of quirks, especially since I know absolutely nothing about Windows Vista and Microsoft 2007. I'm still very lost!

Then...to make things even more complicated, Saturday DH and I decided to buy a new router since our old one kicks us off several times a session and has annoyed both of us to our limit. I'm talking like 3-4 times in a couple of hours! No good.

So we bought this new thing and neither of us know A SINGLE THING about setting up a wireless account. It took hours, let me tell you. Even then, either my laptop or his wasn't working, and then when they both connected, it was painfully slow.

In the interim, I was starting to go into withdrawals from internet denial, so I re-hooked up my old router and so, here I am.

And since I just found out I'm known for putting the LONG STORY LONG...that's why my posts have and will likely to be sporadic for the next few days until I figure this out.

So......bye!