A Taste of Things to Come

I'm officially 29. I had a great birthday yesterday, and Mary and everyone at work really did an awesome thing. I have pictures. But until I gather them all from the various people who took them with their cameras, I will wait. But just know it's coming. And just know it's hilarious :). So I will report on all my birthday stuff at a later date.

Until then, I thought I'd share a few adorable pictures from our Halloween-fest preparations. Christina and the girls came over to the house and we assembled some of our more time-consuming Halloween goodies. Here are a couple of pictures of the girls at dinner:


And Emily eating real food off of a grown-up fork... She's getting so big!


And how happy is this kid :)?


We assembled our little marshmallow witches (which we didn't do last year, but Christina found the recipe and idea online this year and we thought it would be adorable):


We also made spider cracker things and our eerie eyballs from last year. With the extra eerie eyeball goop stuff, we put it in ice cube molds shaped like pumpkins and skulls. We shall see how they turn out tonight :). I'm excited. Our menu is largely the same as last year, but with a few additions. We didn't make the sugar cut-out cookies this year, but we added several cutesie things. So you know there will be pictures of all the food (aren't you excited to hear that, Dad :))? Just give me time to get everything together and blog -- in order of occurrence :). Until then, Happy Halloween everyone!

Oh, and p.s.... I do like Better Off Dead. Classic. And I got it from Best Buy in Dothan when it was on sale for $6.99. I figure, for some of the classic 80s movies, I might have to cough up the extra $2. They also had Sixteen Candles for that price, which I've been wanting to own for some time now on DVD. But it was all sold out :(. One of these days, though... One of these days. Anyway, the regular price for Better Off Dead at Best Buy is $9.99. That's an FYI for anyone interested in acquiring it :).

FYI

It's not like I have been a particularly steady blogger lately anyhow... But the reason blog comments and the such have not been posted is because of my mom's computer issues at home. So I do apologize. I don't even bother turning on the computer at the house, because the stupid Alpha Antivirus blocks nearly every site, including my blog. So... Until that gets squared away.... I will be even more unreliable, as far as blogging goes. Sorry!

Help! I Need Somebody!

...Not just anybody! I need someone who knows how to remove weird junk (possibly spyware) from computers! And even if you don't know how to do that... Click on the link and listen to the Fab Four sing my blog-post title :).

Basically, something called Alpha Antivirus showed up on my mom's computer Thursday night and is causing issues. Several attempts to do a system restore have failed. We are on to another step. I'd just love to know where the stupid thing came from, because I am always very cautious about the sites I visit. I was in the middle of trying to look at April's wedding pictures on facebook when everything went haywire. Blech.

Anyway, as promised, I am finishing up telling you about my latest trip. On Thursday, the 15th, I had to head to Birmingham. I woke up early to pack and to spend a bit of time with my dad, a.k.a. the eBay addict :). My dad drove me to rent a car and I was on the road to Birmingham by 10:30. It's always sad to leave my dad. I wasn't in a rush to get to Birmingham, since April and Greg were working and Courtney was at school. So I moseyed (is that how you spell that word?) along and jammed out to my mp3 player, because the rental had the auxiliary jack. I stopped in Montgomery to get a bite of lunch, and then continued on my merry way up to Birmingham. It's a good thing I wasn't in a hurry since I drove straight into a huge rainstorm. I haven't driven in rain like that in years. We had to slow down to 35 on the interstate with windshield wipers going full blast. Crazy.

Anyway, I found April's new house and still had plenty of time, so I headed up to the Summit (where they have done a ton of new construction), and got a giftcard for April and Greg from the Cheesecake Factory. Plus I walked around Bed, Bath, & Beyond (I love this store) and gabbed with Julie on the phone. Then it was time to head back to April's, since I knew Courtney would be home. But on the way, I spotted Old Time Pottery and decided I needed to stop in there :). So I roamed around that store for a while -- it is huge, after all -- and then finally made my way to April's. Courtney gave me the tour of their new place and introduced me to all of the cats. Then we just hung out. Greg came home and left again to do pre-wedding stuff. So Courtney and I went to Sonic to get a treat :). Then I got a shower and we vegged on the couch until April got home. And mostly we just hung out and watched Jeopardy episodes and an episode of a show called Freaks and Geeks that looks like a good show, though it only lasted one season. I turned in sometime around 1:30 in the morning. The next morning, we got up and went for me to return the car. Then we headed into the heart of Birmingham and ate at The Original Pancake House. Oh my gosh we got so much food. I couldn't finish all mine and I even gave one of my pancakes to April! We got a group picture by a guy who was just sitting around. Who proceeded to ask us if we had any money to spare. Ugh. Oh well.


We spent the remainder of the day doing pre-wedding stuff. We went by Publix to pick up flowers and other goodies for our snackie night. We went to the wedding venue to look it over and imagine how things were going to be the next day. We went by the (in)famous trailer hotel and I finally got my picture!! (This one's for Julie :)):

Does that not just look like a two-story trailer!?!?

We went to another Publix to pick up the wedding cake. And then, after taking all the stuff to the house, April went to get a pedicure while Courtney got a manicure.


We stayed up late again doing more wedding things. We got all the table centerpieces done, we ate junk, we watched tv shows about Bridezillas... We went to bed after 1 in the morning again.... We didn't have to wake up super-early the next morning, but it was wedding day, so you know it was going to be a busy day. We started out by having all of us girls get our hair done at a Paul Mitchell academy near Birmingham. It took us a lot longer than we thought it would. And I heard a million times from the girl who was doing mine that my hair is so fine. That was awful. I don't really want to hear those things. I've been having a hard time dealing with my hair issues for over a year without it being brought to my attention (and to everyone else's who is around me in that salon). Sigh. Anyway, here was my result:


We rushed down to Alabaster so April could get her make-up done. It looked really good and we still had enough time :). Even in spite of the hair place getting us behind schedule.


On the way back to the house after this, April found a New Kids on the Block collector's card that she'd been saving for me. It got donated in some books that were donated to the library and she saved it for me :). It's of Jordan. hahaha... We ran to the house, picked up the clothes we needed to change into and then headed to the wedding venue to set up. I think we did a great job with the set-up. This is just one picture, but if you click on it, it will take you to more pictures.


Interesting tid-bit... That little pink book in front of the sock people... April got it from a donation to the library where she works. I had seen that book at HLML once. It came across my desk in tech. services. I'm not sure if "I processed that book," but I know I saw it :). It's so adorable. It's all about love. I even used a quote from it once for a photo album I made. The quote says: "Love comes softly, but you know when it's there. Because suddenly you aren't alone anymore, and there is no sadness in you." Loved that quote.

Oh, and here is a sample of the book centerpieces. I think they were really cute. April and Greg really had great ideas!


Here is the wedding cake:


And here are me, Courtney, and April before going to change:


The girls all went to the hotel to change and get ready. April was absolutely beautiful and her dress was perfect! We headed back to the venue and the wedding went really well. It was so nice and beautiful. I'm so glad I was able to be there for it. Here are me and April:


After the wedding, April and Greg went to the hotel and April's parents took me back to April's. That night, it was just me and the 6 cats. I watched tv and read and just enjoyed the night. I turned in again at about 1. I slept in until 9:30 on Sunday and hung around the house. April and Greg stopped by to pack for their honeymoon and so we all visited for a while. Then we all left at the same time and I head to Tuscaloosa. I got to Virginia's house and we visited for a while. Then we headed off to Swen's to get some food. Which was totally delicious, by the way :). Viriginia and I watched Better Off Dead -- a classic 80s movie that I hadn't owned until this last trip to Dothan :). And we ate Publix brand mint chocolate cookie frozen yogurt. Because I am convinced you can't get enough of that stuff :) :) :). And then we gabbed and visited some more. We went to sleep around midnight -- well, and I talked to Mary for about an hour also. The next morning, we got up and I took Viriginia to campus, since her son took the car to school earlier. Then I took my car and parked it at the Insitute building, since I can't park on campus anymore without getting a ticket. Boo. I visited with Annie and Le and saw a few other people I used to work with, including Loretta :). She is still so sweet. Several people asked me if I'd go back to work there. At about 11:30, Annie, Le, Sharon, Virginia, and I all went to lunch at the Ferg. And we visited and laughed and talked, and it was really nice :).


I soon had to leave and head back to get my car. I stopped in and said hello to everyone at the Institute building, and then had to make my way back to Birmingham. I stopped by Edgar's Bakery and bought a few treats. Including a Hello Dolly bar to send to my BFF -- to remind her of the weekend of the trailer hotel :). I even was able to mail it to her before I flew out on Tuesday! I got back to April's and just hung with April's mom and Courtney for the night and read. And on Tuesday, April's mom as so kind to take me to the airport. We had an enjoyable chat (oh, I rode in a Hummer -- a very bumpy ride!) on the way. All my flights were on-time. I mostly read on the way back. I finished Deja Dead at April's, so I started The Time Traveler's Wife. I'm moving right along with it. For the first time, I think I can say I liked the movie better than the book. It's not a bad read. Just a lot rougher than I thought it would be as far as sex and language.

Anyway... So, it's been back to life as usual. I've been working since my return. I had a Relief Society training meeting on Thursday night. So yeah... Nilla life as usual :). Oh, and thanks to Becky and Stacy for the cute 80s-looking stationary that made them think of me when they found it :). So they sent it my way :). Too funny!

Two Out of [Four] Ain't Bad

Eh, for kicks, I did another song title post. And you can hear the song here. Though I promise to do the other two later so I'm all caught up :). But you see, I visited four cities on my last trip to the South. So, I will start with two in this post and finish it up with the other two later on.

Of course, before I start that, I should mention that, because I was out of the state, I missed Mary's birthday. But I didn't forget it. So, I made her a candy-bar poster and took it to work on the 7th and surprised her with it. She laughed so hard. It was awesome. Okay, so it's a little risque, but it was so fun to write and think up. And so fun to hunt down the candy bars to make it work :).




I took the red-eye again down to Florida. Thankfully, everything was on time this time! No cancelled flights; no airport-floor sleeping. That's always a great sign :). And I had worked my bootie off the few days I had before leaving to max out my hours at work. So I was exhausted when I got on the plane. And I slept. Not comfortably, of course. But I slept. I had a layover in Houston, and then I slept on the plane to Tampa again. That time I slept pretty soundly. This is the way to fly! Sleep through the whole flight :). Makes it seem faster! So, I landed in Tampa around 11 a.m. Tampa time, and Julie, Jon, Alysha, and Shayla were waiting for me. We got into their cool new van and headed to the Cheesecake Factory where we ate delicious food and enjoyed each other's company. Then it was off to Julie's house, which was about an hour and a half to two hours away. We all pretty much laughed and joked the whole way. Upon arriving at the house, Julie and I went and slept for 2 hours! We were so tired! When we woke up, we headed to Wal-Mart and got some odds and ends. Then it was home to relax, shower, and then play Mexican Train. You know what? I just realized I have already given this run-down! Hahaha. Oh well. I am the Nilla, after all. Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows to expect repetition :). Okay, so Mexican Train is awesome. I need to buy it. That is my next order of business. On Friday, we got up early and went garaging. Then I met Julie's friend Randi and we played more Mexican Train. And we went to Publix for the sole purpose of getting Publix brand frozen yogurt :). And we laughed the whole way home while we talked about words that irritate us. What a random, but fun, conversation! (Julie thinks Randi and I are crazy... But seriously, Mary and I had already had this very conversation in Washington before this trip!) Friday night was dinner and hanging out with Randi, her husband, and their two girls. Then it was more Mexican Train for me, Jon, Julie, and Alysha. And then it was time for bed. Of course, Julie and I would lay awake talking for a while each night. The next morning was Saturday, and we had made arrangements to meet up with Randi and go garaging again. And so we did. I got a few odds and ends and scored a cheese grater for my sister for a quarter. Woohoo! We made a Wal-Mart run when we were done (oh yeah, and we also got some fast-food breakfast). Back at the house, I napped for an hour, then I read. I got a shower, and then Julie and I started working on cheese fondue and all it's fixin's. And it turned out awesomely! We had so much more food than we thought we would!!! And, true to Nilla form, here are pictures :).


And even more fondue... Chocolate!!!


Oh yeah, Jon and Julie's friends Christie and Korley came over again. They were there for the 80s party in May. We sat around talking and laughing and playing Apples to Apples again. And though Julie had said she couldn't stay up until 2 a.m. like we all did last time, that's exactly what happened again. So, waking up at 7:30 the next morning to get on the road to meet Julie's mom halfway was not a lot of fun. I was so tired. And I'll admit it. I'm not nice in the mornings. So I had to sit grumpy in the back until I was over my mad ;). But then it was fun. And Julie even climbed in back for the last 15 minutes or so and hung with me in the back. Hahahaha.... And we got a picture, or two together. Please excuse my giant's head in the second one. Good grief, I look like a giant in that picture!




We met Julie's mom in Perry, I think. We ate lunch at McDonald's and then had to head on. Alysha and I went with Meemaw to Dothan, while Jon, Julie, and Shayla returned home. It was sad :(.


It was a nice drive chatting with Julie's mom. I ran in briefly and said hi to Julie's dad while we dropped off Alysha. Then Julie's mom took me to my dad's work and I got his car and took it on home. Here's my dad's new car... Nifty, huh :)?


Okay, so I lied. I actually went to the library first. And I visited with Ms. Hilda and Julia-Ann. It was a nice visit. I do love Ms. Hilda, who is getting quite fiesty!

I went to my dad's and got a shower and then went and picked him up. It's always fun to be with my dad. We know how to go back and forth and give each other a hard time. And it's fun :). I love my dad. Even though I know I'm a pain in the butt when I throw away all the lids for the glass spice jars he was saving :). We spent the evening watching a movie and talking. I slept well that night. I was exhausted. On Monday, I spent the day at the house -- throwing out 1977 ground oregano :). I did go to Wal-Mart toward the late afternoon, where I ran into Anne! Monday night I just watched some more tv with my dad and we ate dinner. Just relaxing stuff. On Tuesday, I met up with Anne at the mall to eat Chick-Fil-A, since I can't really get that around here. We just spent an hour visiting and catching up. It's nice to do that with friends :).


Oh, and for those of you who don't know... Anne was my first boss back in 1998. I worked in the Children's Room at the library, and she was the Children's Librarian. She was an awesome boss. I can remember sitting on the floor with her chatting. (Although I will admit it kind of grosses me out to think about that nasty library carpet before it was replaced and the fact that we sat on it!) Anyway, so it was a nice visit. After I got home, my dad and I went and got him onto the family plan for the cell phone. So yay! Now he can talk to us for free anytime... If he remembers to keep the phone turned on! (I'm putting subtle hints throughout this post to see if I can subliminally get him to turn on his phone ;)). Tuesday night, I met up with Donna at Troy Dothan. She and I went down to a new Mexican Restaurant. We visited and enjoyed a nice dinner (thanks Donna!) and then went back to the university to watch a movie for the international film festival. Let's just say we will always have that memory of the British movie with the boy in the dress. Hahahaha... We took a picture (with Olga -- who I met years ago at HLML and who now works at Troy Dothan's library) together before we all left.


Wednesday brought a cooler day to Dothan. We had to go back to Best Buy to discuss a cell phone issue. But we are square. I had lunch plans with Julia-Ann and was able to visit with some other people while I was there. Julia-Ann and I went to Chick-Fil-A and enjoyed yummy food and great conversation :). I'm so glad I got to get to know Julia-Ann so well while I was in Tuscaloosa and she would stay at my apartment once a month when she had her weekend class. It's neat to have good friends :). Back at the library, I visited with Kristin! Gotta love Kristin. I've known her for, goodness, going on 11 years! Same as Julie. We all worked at HLML together once upon a time. So we took some pictures together and laughed like crazy, 'cuz we always do when we're together :). And she always has some awesome 80s treat for me! This time it was a Cabbage Patch Kids book! Woohoo!


Wednesday night, my dad and I went over to Patrick's house and my dad visited his dad while I visited with Patrick and his fiancee. Patrick also grew up in Panama, and as things turned out, he ended up in Dothan. We never hung out in Panama, but we all became the Panama kids of Dothan back around 1999 to 2002. I hadn't seen Patrick in about 3 or 4 years, so it was good to connect with him again. We all went to Beef O'Brady's, one of our old Dothan haunts from back in the day. It was a nice visit.


Then I went home to spend the last evening with my dad in Dothan. It's always sad to know I will be leaving my dad. I know he is sad, and that makes me sad. I sure do love my daddy. So on that note, here is a picture of him on one of his motorcycles :). And then I'll continue my trip in my next blog post :).

Get To Know Your Parents

My grandfather passed away today. I know that seems a depressing way to start a blog post. But it is a fact. We knew it was coming. But it seems so surreal. I thought perhaps it felt so surreal because I am in Alabama and somewhat removed from the upheaval that has taken place. But my mom assures me it seems just as surreal there. As I have lived with my grandparents and my mom for the past year, I have been given an opportunity to have a different perspective. And as I have pondered things today, I have realized this unique perspective I've been given.

Half of me feels terribly guilty that I am not in Washington right now. I talked to my mom before I left and came to the South. I discussed my trip and the fact that my grandfather had recently taken a turn for the worse. When I bought the tickets in July, he was doing quite well. But as my trip grew nearer and he grew worse, I knew the likelihood that he would pass while I was away was a high one. And more than anything, I worried about my mom. Perhaps that sounds cold and heartless. It is not that I do not care about the passing of my grandfather. But usually it is those left behind who need the support and love, for they are still here, mourning the loss of the loved one. And I thought I would be there for my mom when the time came. I know she has her sisters and my other siblings. But I love my mom so. And I want to be there for her when she needs me. She has always been there for me when I've needed her.

But then there is that other half. The half that is thankful I am here. Because I am with my dad. And as I ponder my grandfather's passing, I realize that there will be a day when my dad isn't here. This goes for my mom also, but I know I am returning to her shortly. It is my dad I do not see often anymore. It had been 6 months. I think of my mom and how happy she must be to have the past 6 years to have shared with her dad. Those are years she will always have to cherish. Though she will most assuredly miss him, and in ways I cannot even begin to fathom, she will have those special memories that can never be taken away. And so, as I sit here, I think of my dad and how much I love him. And how grateful I am to be here with him. How glad I am to have the memory of listening to him laugh at some obnoxious thing I say. How wonderful it is to watch old episodes of "Wings" with him on youtube and to hear him laugh again at the show. What a flashback to my youth it is. How fun it is to banter back and forth with him and laugh about how I'm an "upstart" and he's a "pack-rat" :). Will I ever forget how much I laughed -- and made him laugh -- as I commented on his ground oregano that expired July 25, 1977? I don't think so. (And no, that isn't a typo... I did say 1977. It was older than I am). Will I forget how he talked non-stop through the beginning of a movie we were watching only to apologize as he looked over at me and said, "I'm just really glad to have you here." No, I won't. It is those moments that will stay with me forever. I love my daddy. Probably much more than he realizes. Though probably not as much as he loves me, since I understand a parent's love is something that cannot be duplicated. Yes, I am sad I am not in Washington to be with my mom right now. But I am also so grateful to be here with my dad. Because I know, even more poignantly now, that he won't always be here to visit.

So, please, next time you see your dad, give him an extra tight hug.

And you know what? Do that for your mom too. I know I will when I get home. Because I love my mom so much too. I love how laid back she is. I love how I know just how to make her laugh. I love that people ask me, "Isn't it hard to work with your mom?" And how I can honestly reply, "Not at all. In fact, this is the second time we've worked together." I love how she has a great sense of humor and will take flak for her quirky need to color-coordinate her hangars and her clothes! And I love that I'm having this time in my life to learn those quirks :).

The bottom line is this, and it's a quote from a song: "Get to know your parents; you never know when they will be gone for good."

What a beautiful opportunity I have had to really know my parents. To know them, not just as the mom and dad who raised and had to discipline me. But to know them. And to love them.

Commentaries

I don't like Peeps. You know those marshmallow candies they put out for every major holiday? Yuck. They are just gross to me. I saw them when I went into a grocery store yesterday and thought about that. Ick.

My dad's PT Cruiser is awesome. Even more awesome because it has the AUX plug-in where I can plug in my Zune. And jam out to my awesome music.

It's weird to walk around Super Wal-Mart (oh how I've missed you, Super Wal-Mart), and run into someone you haven't seen in a long time! Not weird that it happens, necessarily, because Wal-Mart around here is a place where you are bound to run into everyone you know -- especially when you don't want to. But once you have not lived in a place for 3 years, it's a little less likely to run into someone you know. But, well, I did :). So that was a fun, and as Anne put it, surreal little moment. But cool, because now we have plans to do lunch today :). And tonight I go see Donna. And tomorrow I lunch-it-up with Julia-Ann. And I've also seen a lot of other people. So, it's been tons of fun. Though it sure is hot and humid here!!! Phew! Oh, and we had an awesome thunder and rain storm yesterday. Wow that thunder was loud!!!

Soapbox Sermons

I used to have a lot of what were once termed "Soapbox Sermons." I tend to not get on my soapbox so much anymore -- well, at least not on my blog. My dad would have a different tale to tell :). As would pretty much everyone else in my family :). However, I have a couple of thoughts in light of my recent trip to and arrival in Florida :). Which is where I am at this present time :).

The good news is that both of my flights were on time! Woohoo!!! Always a plus :). They were both very full too. I got some sleep on the first flight. I slept pretty soundly on the second flight. Sure makes the flight go faster! On the second flight, this punk kid who was probably all of about 14 sat next to me. He was obviously the recent acquirer of an iPhone. I have an opinion about that, too, but I won't go there. But seriously, both he and his older brother (who was probably about 16) had to be chastised by the flight attendants for not turning off their "portable electronics" after hearing it announced THREE times over the loud speaker. He finally turned his off after he was point-blank told to. And then he could barely stand it for the 10 minutes he had to wait before he could turn it back on. He didn't even wait until the announcement was made that he could use the ridiculous thing. He just turned it on when he decided we'd been in the air long enough. Seriously... What is this world coming to when you can't wait 10 minutes to play a video game on an iPhone? Especially when those 10 minutes are required for some safety reason that could possibly affect the lives of, oh, a couple hundred people on an airplane? And we had a repeat of this when we were landing. Nice. I wanted to whop him a good one. I am not nice. I don't have anything against the use of the thing in general. I love texting and my cell phone and my mp3 player just as much as the next guy. But I can follow a few simple rules when I'm flying. It's called consideration and compliance.

Anyway, so that was my "soapbox sermon." I was annoyed.

On the up-side, I arrived safely :)! Julie, Jon, Alysha, and Shayla were awaiting me at the Tampa airport. We went straight to The Cheesecake Factory and enjoyed a fabulously filling lunch. Then we drove the 1.5 or 2 hours back to Julie's, and Julie and I promptly fell asleep for 2 hours. Then we went to Wal-Mart to get some stuff. And then we came home, showered, watched some tv, hung out; and then we played a new game (for me :))! It's called "Mexican Train" and it is way fun and way addicting!! It's played with dominoes and it was soooo fun! We had to call it quits at about 11:15, at which point Julie and I went to bed and had about 30 minutes of giggly-girl time. And since I'd drunk a stinkin' Mountain Dew at about 10, I was wide awake. So, I ended up talking to Mary until 2:15 in the morning. And this morning, I got up with Julie at 8:45. And we went garaging, and I bought a pair of jeans and a vegetable slicer, which I'm very excited to utilize in the near future for my yummy vegetable soup. But Julie will have to send that to me, since I'm sure it will be classified as a weapon on the airplane. Then Julie's friend Randi came over and we played another full game of "Mexican Train." For the record, I came in 3rd place out of 4. Blah. But still blast! And we just returned from Publix, where we bought the ever-delicious mint cookie frozen yogurt that I love so much :). It should be a blast of a night! Woohoo. Plus we have to make a Wal-Mart run. Vacation is fun. And I'm having a great time already :).

P.S.... I forgot that it is still so hot and humid, even in October, in the South. Ick!

I Declare

...that I have the awesomest sister in the world. Christina is a sweetheart. She got me my birthday present early, because she saw Daffy Duck's Quackbusters on DVD at Best Buy. What an awesome memory from our childhood. What a wonderful sister who is always thinking of the people she loves. And who is so excited to get it to me that she drives all the way to the funeral home and gives it to me :). I do love her.

...that I am getting old. I noticed the other day in the mirror that there are lines under my eyes that are unrelated to lack of sleep. No, these lines are perpetually there. I'm not sure when they even appeared. Furthermore, my hair continues to turn silver and sometimes my knees pop after I've been sitting for a while. This never used to happen in my youth. I look at Desiree and see her line-less skin and don't hear any popping coming from her joints when she does all sorts of weird movements. So again I ask: when did I get old!!!??? :) :) :)

....that on a related note, my mom cracks me up. The other day she said, in relation to getting old: "The way I see it, everyone born the same year as I was is either my same I age or dead." Hahahaha... True story. I love it. My mom sometimes comes up with some doozies out of the blue.

...that working with fun people is awesome. I think I say this frequently, but it bears repeating. Never a dull moment goes by at the funeral home. Never does a day go by when I don't think that having a recorder to record just one day would be hilarious.

...that the travelling is simply the means to the end. I'm tired of flying and airports and packing. But I'm always so excited to get to where I'm going. Too bad to get to where I'm going, I have to travel ;).

...that I love to have a busy week. I seem to get more done when my life is busy than when it's not.

...that volunteering at a high school library is only adding more books to my "to-read" list. And that list isn't having things marked off very often these days. If only I could read faster :).

...that sometimes life is a great school. We learn so much just by the things that happen to us. For whatever reason, I am experiencing things now that have made me decide things for my own future. For example, I will be debt-free. I always knew it was important to be debt-free for myself. Now I know it's important that I be debt-free for those around me -- especially my children, should I ever have any.

...that I have far too many things to cross off my "to-do" list, so I must end this blog post. It wasn't an exciting one anyway :). Just me blabbering so I can say I blogged :). And cross that item off my to-do list :).