Some deep thoughts and some not so deep thoughts

I hate this bear. My mother in law gave it to my Lucy for christmas. When Lucy was opening it, my mother in law made a comment how "this was her favorite thing". So, I knew that it would something that I wouldn't like. But I was not prepared for this bear. Not only does it have sparkly fur, but pink sparkly wings. When you push the red button on her paw, her head moves, wings move and a very irritating voice starts singing "Somewhere, over the rainbow". This very irritating voice sings the rest of that phrase and then (this is the best part) it starts saying "miracles do happen some say everyday, just breathe and believe that's what they say. At times it is dark and bitter cold but rainbows do follow and with them a pot of gold." And then after that another lovely "Somewhere over the rainbow" phrase starts. And she probably got this lovely bear at a garage sale. I have no problem with garage sales at all. I've gotten some great deals there. But my MIL (mother in law) has been known to buy all her Christmas gifts from them. That is going a little far. Especially when she had quite a bit of money at the time. But I'm going off subject. I cannot stand this bear. But my daughter will push the button, hold it and sway back and forth. She loves it.
The next thing I wanted to discuss is about Conference today. The Saturday morning session had a very good talk by Elder Holland. He spoke about verbal abuse, and how our tongue can be more destructive than anything. He spoke to parents and said to watch what you say to your children. And how long it takes for a child to heal and forgive when a parent has been verbally abusive. I am struggling to forgive my mother. But listening to his talk I almost felt like it was closer than further. I also hope that when my parents were listening that they heard the same things that I heard.

Ok, on to the next thing. I went to the store tonite for a few things. I decided to do the self checkout at our commissary as I get tired of giving my baggers tips all the time. (in commissary's the baggers work for tips, they do not work for the store.) We have four self check outs in our store. One was not working. The other 3 were taken up by people who had WAY more than 30 items. And all of them were retarded enough that they had to have help from the guy that checks ID's. And they were so slow!!! There were five people behind me and we all had less than 30 items. And I just have to mention that all of these people were over 40. Not that that has anything to do with it, (some had to have been at least 50 or 60), but I just noticed that they all had that in common.

And the last thing is that my van is back in the shop and the mechanic guy (who is this cute little asian man that I can hardly understand, but he's an honest up front guy so we really like him) isn't sure why or where the short is that is causing our battery to go out. I'm hoping Monday that he will have figured out what the problem is because now that we are a two car family there is NO GOING BACK!! Only having one car is driving me crazy.

And as an update to our flea problem, I spoke to our neighbor for a few seconds today. (she has had surgery in her mouth and throat area, so she didn't do much other than make a few sounds and nod) but that they have had a flea problem lately. Great. Well, at least I know where they are probably coming from. Matt went online tonite and bought a few different things and also looked up some natural remedies. I also bought a flea spray today, so I'm hoping that they go away very soon.

Last night I had to find us some new sheets rather quickly. We have a Cal King bed, so it isn't easy. Bed Bath and Beyond, while it is a great store, only had them in one nasty red color and they were $80. Um, no way. So after almost not finding Linens n Things, we go in there and we find some. A very nice girl helps me find a few different options, and I found some that were only $30, and weren't covered in lavender flowers or orange paisley. I personally wouldn't have had a problem with either one of those choices, but I knew Matt may not have been happy with those choices. Andrew decides that he needs to use the bathroom, and I end up waiting for the kid for 15 minutes. Why is it that men take forever to go #2??? I'm sure the store workers thought for sure that I was heading for the exit with my $30 dollar sheets. Why else would someone take so long in the bathroom?? The best part of this excursion was that we were experiencing some major thunder and lightning storms. There was lightning somewhere almost every minute. Andrew asks me why does lightning happen. I do the best I can (I never understood science in school, I think things rub together that are negative and positive and that is what causes lightning. I really have no idea) And then he asks why do they rub together? So I say that is how Heavenly Father made it. So he get it in his head that He is making the lightning every time. He starts yelling in the car at the top of his lungs "Do it again!!!" And then he says that he wants to go up in the sky with Him and see the lightning. He was cracking me up. It was fun to be with only him and have fun with watching the lightning.

This was such a long post!! If anyone does know what causes lightning, please enlighten me. And dumb it down for me. I haven't taken a science class since I was 16 years old......

Underwear

This is my daughter with my sons underwear on her head, who I caught in the living room dancing around in circles. Why did she put his underwear on her head? I have no idea. But watching her was way funny, especially when I tried to get her to stop to take a picture, and because she was so dizzy, she couldn't do it right away. I know this is my third blog today, but indulge me. My water still isn't on.

I love this book

Last night I finished a great book, Marie Antoinette by Antonia Fraser. It is not historical fiction. This book is all about accuracy and the facts. She even states when something was speculation and has an enormous bibliography at the end. This is the book that the recent movie Marie Antoinette was based on. I have not seen the movie, but I'm planning on it very soon. Like as soon as my car is working so that I can make it to Blockbuster and rent it. It is long, lots of details with names, dates and Comte this and Duc that, but even if you can't remember all of it (which I could not) it is still a good book. I thought I could blog something positive today. And by the way, we are going on 7 HOURS without our water. Still doing good with the #2 though. Hopefully it will come on before 6 (which is in an hour). If it does not, I will have to hurt someone.

Its not even noon, and this day is already crappy

Crappy thing number 1:
I spoke to the kids doctor this morning, and after talking for a few minutes, we're pretty sure that what is causing the kids spots are fleas. FLEAS!!! Unbelievable. We have neighbors that have pets, and that is the only way that I can think of that they could have possibly have been exposed to them. Which means we have to go and get flea spray or whatever the stuff is, and if that doesn't work, we will have to get our house professionally sprayed. And who knows how much that is going to cost.

Crappy thing number 2:
Last night I was trying to leave for the Young Womens activity that I was in charge of (it was a camp night) and may car wouldn't start. So I had to put the kids, car seats and all of the things that I needed to bring with me in my other car and I was a few minutes late to the church. It is still not working this morning. I called the mechanic that we took it to last time and thank goodness he is open until 8. So, maybe after Matt gets home we can get the battery charged up and take it over.

Crappy thing number 3:
So because my car isn't working, I had to cancel an appointment I had today. And I was really excited about going too!!

Crappy thing number 4:
For whatever irritating reason, my water has been turned off AGAIN!!!!! So the things that I wanted to do this morning (dishes, clean bathrooms, start some laundry) cannot be done. Luckily the kids had a bath, I had a shower and I had started the dishwasher in plenty of time before it was turned off. I just hope Andrew doesn't need to go #2 before it comes back on.

I'm not looking for pity or anything like that, I just have to talk and get it out to someone. The walls here don't listen very well, and my kids don't understand, so the blog gets all of it. Like I said in another post, I can be mad today. Tomorrow I have to get over it. Or maybe I can be mad this morning, and by the time Lucy naps I have to get over it....
I hope everyone else's day is a million times better than mine.....

Myspace and Friends......

I am sure all of you out there in the blogging world are aware of what Myspace is. I happen to have a profile there. I started it because one of the girls that would babysit for me, and was in our ward, told me about it, and it looked like a fun thing to do. And at first it was. I found other people's profiles and looked at pictures. It was fun to reconnect with some people that I had lost touch with and wanted to keep contact with them. But at the same time, I did not put my name on my profile. Instead I did something that was a little strange, and for while I didn't even have any pictures up.
I started to add friends here and there. I didn't really care to add that many. I wanted to stay fairly unknown. In fact, everytime I go back to my hometown, I'm always worried about running into someone from my past. I just have no desire to ever go back to who that person was, or even be reminded of her. ANYWAY.....so I have had a few people request to be my friend on myspace that I had no desire to add, and the first time it happened, I didn't know what to do. Should I deny them? Should I write them and tell them I don't want to add them?? I took the cowards way out. I didn't do anything, and eventually the friend request went away.
This past week I had another friend request. It was from an ex-boyfriend of mine from 11 YEARS ago. The last time I spoke to him was at his wedding, which I never would have gone to had my best friend not asked if I could be her date because her husband was not able to go, and she didn't want to go alone. So, I went with her to keep her company. This had to be at least five plus years ago. (obviously it was so important to me that I remembered when he got married). So, when I got his friend request, I let it sit for a few days, and then I decided that I would write a nice email saying that I am very selective on who I add as friends, and since we haven't talked in years, I would not be adding him as a friend. I also added that I had looked at his profile, and it looked like he was doing really well, and I included a very small amount of information about us. And then again, sorry, but I just don't add anyone to my friends list.
The email I got back was so rude. This is what it said:
"whatever, I was just trying to be nice. Have a good life. (then he signed his name) PS I am doing better than you ever could imagine."
WHAT THE HECK?????
I did not write back. I did forward it to my best friend who mentioned something about 8th grade. Well, as I am almost 29, I am no longer in 8th grade. And myspace has become something of a popularity thing. Adding that person that you knew for a few weeks last summer, or the kid that was in your 4th grade class. Those people are not your friends!!
I'm sure that this guy thinks that I'm rude, or that well, I really have no idea what he thinks, but it isn't importnat. In the last few years, I have come to a place where I really don't care if people don't like me. I really don't. On my mission I had a companion that was so concerned about if people liked her or not. And she really couldn't understand why people didn't like her when she would try so hard for people to like her. My thought is, why do you care?? If they don't like you for who you are, then why the heck do you want them as a friend? The majority of people on my "friends" list on myspace are people that are actually my friends. For real. Ones that I actually call or see on somewhat of a regular basis. I actually deleted a "friend" once. It felt really good.
As we are in the military, we will be moving a lot. At the end of this year, we will move somewhere else, and at the end of that year, we will move again. As of right now, I have ONE friend here. One. Someone that I can call and talk to about almost anything, and I've only known her for a little while. Do I care that most of the ward has no idea that we are even here? No, not really. I am glad that I have one real friend. I know a few other people, but this is a friend that I will probably keep in contact with after I leave.
In my almost 29 years, I have dropped friends. People that were just pulling me down. It wasn't a symbiotic relationship, it was a parasitic one, with her/him sucking the life out of me. Not worth it. So, after I would try to salvage the relationship and it didn't work, I was done. As my favorite book in the whole entire world says, I need to concentrate on being my best and healthiest self. Part of that is being a loving person, but that doesn't mean allowing others to pull you down and stop you from being that best self. This is such a liberating feeling. I love it. It does help that I move, because those that I choose not to be friends with anymore aren't around and I'm not having to deal with that everyday. But I think that even if I didn't, I would still do this.
Too bad that we can't do this with some of the members of our families right? haha.

So yummy

I have recently discovered a new yummy treat. I would take a picture of it to show you, but I am too busy eating it as I am typing. It is Vanilla Yogurt Cranberries (from Sunmaid). I hate hate raisins. They are just yucky. Not even the yogurt covered ones. But i saw these in the store a few weeks ago, and I thought I would try them. If you like Cransins, than you will love these. I love treats, and this is a much more healthy way of getting my sweet fix than eating jelly bellys or chocolate. (but I still eat my other treats too.) Anyway, try them, and you will be hooked.

I bet you didn't know this........

When we came back to the United States, there were few things that I could think of that were going to be positive about moving back. The usual stuff was that we'd be closer to family, we didn't have to have two currency's in our wallets all the time, warmer weather in Texas, and we had bought a van on ebay and were finally going to be a two car family again!
There was one more thing that I was looking forward to having again: garbage disposal in my sink.
In europe (or at least in France and Germany) there are no garbage disposals. None. which means you are always scraping your plate into the trash or you are having to get the nasty pieces of food that get stuck in the drain out all the time. So so gross. I've always hated doing the dishes by hand and (without gloves too!) having to touch all the nasty food that was either left or was floating around in the sink. Now that we are living in the US, having a garbage disposal is almost worth having to come back. There is no greater joy than just flipping the switch and seeing everything just go down!! No more scraping plates! No more getting the nasty pieces of food out of the drain!! So, whenever I complain about having to live here again, I just need to be reminded that I have a garbage disposal now. Not that it will make it worth it, but it is something positive that I can think about.
*no matter what since I have had my own home, I ALWAYS use gloves to do the dishes, even if I'm just putting them in the dishwasher. I love gloves....

Water

Just as an update on my irritation, the water is back on. So at least I can wash bedding and take a shower and do the dishes. Doesn't take away the retarded doctor experience, but it does help...
Just thought you all would like to know...

I am irritated

As you all know, my kids have been supposedly suffering from chickenpox. I took them to the doctor two weeks ago, and that is what they told me. I did not think that it was, but what did I know????? (can you catch the sarcasm???) Anyway, it has now been two weeks, and Lucy still is getting new spots everyday, and Andrew's really isn't getting any better or any worse. So, I called this morning and took them in. So, this time I got a Nurse Practioner. Not even a doctor. She looks at them, and says that she has an idea, but she is going to go and get the RESIDENT SPECIALIST for this type of thing. Just to be sure that she is right. Ok, where was this person when I was there two weeks ago???? So, now the diagnosis is that Andrew has Scabies. You may ask, well, what is that? Well, it is a parasite that gets under your skin, and then lays its eggs. It causes itchy bumps. And according to a website that I found, you can have them 4 to 6 weeks before you have any symptoms. And it is very contagious if you have extended skin to skin contact with the infected person. They aren't sure what Lucy has. It may be something that starts with an M. I can't remember because it was a really weird word. They did a culture and hopefully it will tell them something. But because Andrew has Scabies, THE WHOLE FAMILY has to be treated. And I need to wash all of our bed stuff and all of his clothes in hot water to kill the dumb thing. I would love to do that except that when I got home from the doctor MY WATER WAS TURNED OFF! Apparantly the city of San Antonio did it, not the Base. And no, they don't know when it will be back on. I am very very very irritated. Oh, and this treatment is something that we have to put on our bodies from the neck to our toes, and leave it on for 8 hours. Then we have to repeat the treatment in 6 days. They would have done a culture on Andrew, but that would involve scraping his skin with a knife til they got under the skin to make sure that there were the little buggers in there. I also found out that it is not because I am not cleaning things correctly, but because he got it from someone else that had it. I have no idea who had it because no one we know has had this type of thing. Anyway, I hope none of you ever have to do this or have to deal with doctors that think that they know it all and don't bother to consult the person that knows the most about skin disorders, rashes, etc.......
I hope all of you are having a better day. I allow myself one day to be upset about things like this. Tomorrow I will not be upset. So hopefully my next post will not be so sarcastic, mean, and just not nice.

Paris

This morning as I'm on the computer Andrew says to me, "Mom, I thought we were going to Paris". I only wish we were little man. Instead we are stuck in the armpit of America. (the above picture is Andrew on the Metro on the way to the center of Paris. He loves trains.)
(the above picture is Matt and Andrew inside the Louvre. It had been a long day)
And since he brought up the subject, I thought I would blog a bit abotu my last trip there. The first one was not so great. Andrew was sick, and I was with my mom and my brother. The brother part wasn't so bad, it was the mom part that was. The last time I went was with Matt and our kids, and my Grandpa Belliston and his wife Sharon. Since I'm still learning about how to put pictures on my blogs, the picture of our van that we were SUPPOSED to take to Paris is at the top. Long story short, Matt moved it closer to our building, and we were in a legal spot. Then an enormous moving van backs up and smashes the rear window. So our trip did not start on time. Then we had to find another car as we had reservations for a hotel. Which cost us more money. (we did not have to pay the rental company for the window. the moving company did. but it was such a nice van!! my grandpa had rented it for me to drive them around)
(the above picture is me and Lucy inside the Louvre. I look like a freak. but hey, I was in Paris, so that is way more important than how I look.)
So, we finally find another van, which was much smaller and not as nice as the first one. And because we are in europe, it is a manual. We did not start driving there until maybe 3, I can't really remember. We did not get to our hotel until extremely late. And the hotel had changed their name, so we were kind of lost until I ran into somewhere and asked where this hotel was, and they said, um Vous etes ici. (excuse the lack of a little hat like accent over the first 'e'. again, don't know how to add it on this blog) So we get settled, and the next morning we head over to the Gare (trainstation) to take our little ride into the center of the city.
(the above picture is us on our way back from Paris. again, I look like a freak, but you will soon find out why)
I have had some health, well, teeth problems for a while, and so I wasn't able to eat all that much that morning. So, the majority of the day I had an incredible headache, almost to where I thought I was going to throw up. Not exactly how you want to feel while walking down Le Champs Elyesees. (sorry about no accents) I had to stop and nurse Lucy also, which didn't help our progression. Le Champs Elyesees is an extremely long street and incredibly wide for a european street. Anyway, it took a long time to finally work our way down to Le Louvre. And since the one thing that Matt wanted to do while in Paris was to see The Mona Lisa we went inside. We spent way too long inside and as a result we didn't even make it to the Eiffel Tower. And also, Matt had reached his breaking point with the kids, and I think my Grandpa had had enough for the day. The one thing I would have changed about this trip is that I would have sent them back on the metro, and Sharon, Lucy and I would have gone to the Eiffel Tower. I was just worried about them on the Metro all by themselves. It ended up pouring down on us on the way back in the train, and some major thunder and lightning, so maybe it was good that we went back.
We drove home the next day, and stopped at a WW1 monument. It takes about 6 hours to drive from Heidelberg where we lived to Paris. (note: lucy was 8 months old at the time, andrew 2 1/2, and my grandpa was 82.)
I have already figured out what my next trip to Paris is going to be. I will not have any very small children with me. (the first time we went, I had to change andrew under the eiffel tower and since getting a stroller on and off the metro is almost impossible we all took turns carrying him. not so fun for me.) Also, I will stay for more than one or two days. I will be there for at least a week, maybe more. I will not have anyone that does not want to be there with me. No one will be allowed to be cranky. I will take my time everywhere I go, and I will take multitudes of pictures, and I will look much much better in the pictures. I would have included some of our first trip but those are on my other computer and I was also pregnant at the time.

I love the fact that Andrew knows what the Eiffel Tower is, and that he asks to go to see it occasionally. Also, I love that he says things like what he did this morning, about going to Paris. I'm raising them to love France. Yay!
Those that wish to go with me to Paris the next time I go, just let me know. I have already bookmarked websites where you can rent an apartment in the city instead of staying in a hotel. Not that I'm going to be able to get back there anytime soon. But, I can plan and dream, right???

Random thoughts and some of my goals for this week

I am really not liking Texas. I have had the worst allergies I have ever had. So bad that if I do not take medicine, I spend the entire day coughing and blowing my nose. And my kids still are getting new spots everyday. I think today I only found one new one on Lucy, so maybe going shopping for Girls Camp on tuesday isn't totally shot. The ward I'm in is just not friendly at all. Those people that are in the military are much more friendlier than those that are not. It is a little difficult for me to swallow sometimes. Almost every sunday I wish I was back in Germany where we greated each new family that came to church with excitment and welcoming, and asked them if they needed any help with finding things or moving in. I bought a very cute pair of ballet flats this week off of new website that I have never used. Solestruck.com. I found the same shoe on other websites for twice the price, so I was very pleased. And I got them yesterday, and I love them even more! This is not the case with all the shoes on that website, I just got lucky I guess.
My goals for this week are to get to bed earlier so that I can get up earlier so that I can exercise. Now that I can eat more, I better start exercising. Another goal is to keep my dining room table free of crap. Also, to organize Lucy's room. I did Andrews room this past week, and if the legos weren't all over the floor and some clothes it would look quite nice. I figure one room a week is good, and so the next week it will be our room. A bit more difficult, but I'm sure if I use the whole week, I can do it. And once I'm done with that, I can start to scrapbook again!!!!
Hooray!! I have so much great stuff just sitting there waiting for me to use its driving me a little crazy just being able to look at it. This next thought has nothing to do with goals, but it is random.... My friend Anne went to Poland yesterday to go pottery shopping (sigh, I wish I was there so that I could have gone too) and she bought me some stuff! I'm excited to see what she was able to find for me. I'm also excited for my kids to be done with the chicken pox so that I can go and explore around here a little more. I still haven't found the closest Target, Ross, or Micheals, so that is next on my list. Also, a Health Food/Grocery store. I mapquested one, so I'm excited to find one of those. I just wish Trader Joe's were in Texas. I could really go for some of their Garlic Cheddar Sourdough bread......makes the best grilled tuna melts ever.
That is the end of my random thought and goals. I'm really hoping to get to exercise tomorrow morning. I'll let you know if I do.

Lizards

Yesterday my sister called me and while we were talking I was looking something up online. My kids were on the front porch playing, and Andrew walks in with the above lizard in his pocket. Totally freaked me out. (the picture is Andrew holding this lizard. I had to get a really close picture because it was so small. Maybe two inches long. How did he find this??)

He thought it was the coolest thing. I have never seen such a small lizard before, and I was amazed that he actually caught it! He wanted to keep it, and as many things as I said to convince him to put it back, he would have something to counter it with. For example:
Me: We can't keep it buddy, because we don't have any lizard food.
Andrew: I can feed him! Look, I will feed him that leaf. (puts lizard next to small brown dead leaf on porch. of course the lizard doesn't touch it)
Me: He needs to find his mom and dad, and he will be sad if he doesn't.
Andrew: I can help him! Are they at the store??
Both kids were facinated with this tiny lizard. He finally put it down but followed it so closely I was afraid that they would step on it. I finally distracted them long enough for the little guy to dissappear! I guess I'm lucky that it was just a lizard, and not something worse!! Let me know if you can actually find the lizard in the above picture.

Thunder

The last two nights, here in San Antonio, we have been experiencing some major thunder and lightning storms. They are great! Last night the power went out for half a minute. And today since before lunchtime we've had thunder and lightning again! And of course rain. If we could have everything but the rain, it would be a whole lot nicer. I love thunder and lightning. As a little kid, it terrified me, but I have come to understand what it is and it doesn't scare me anymore. And I'm trying to teach my kids to not be scared of it too. We sit at our windows and watch the weather outside and wait for the lightning, and then listen to the thunder. When we were in Germany, we had enormous windows with huge ledges. I would stand Andrew up on them and we would plaster ourselves up against the window and watch the storm. The windows here are pretty crappy. Our German ones were great, double paned, huge, and opened a lot easier. Anyway we're making do with what we've got here. And during thunderstorms, here and in Germany, my kids don't wake up. I remember hearing our neighbors upstairs wake up with their little one screaming, but my kids never moved. I woke up, but I can wake up when I hear an earthquake coming. I'm a light sleeper. Anyway, I just love thunder. Too bad you all can't come over for hot chocolate (I have cadbury hot chocolate) and cookies.....

It was not meant to be

I was supposed to go to Dallas this weekend to see two friends. One of which will only be there until wednesday as they are living in Germany at the moment. So I was very excited to go. But my kids got the chicken pox. The the son of the friend that I was going to stay with got croup. And either I'm getting sick again, or these are killer allergies. So, it was not meant to be.

On a side note, I finally have my dining room table cleaned off enough so that I can put something pretty on it. The mugs/steins I got at the Flohmarkt (fleamarket for those of you that don't speak german) from the lady that painted them. And the tabletopper I also got at the Flohmarkt. It is handmade (which I did not notice until I put it out. I just bought it because I like it) The total cost of all of this was about 15 euros. It is so german, I just love it. I had a request to see pictures of my newly cleaned off table. (we have a problem with surfaces. we just have a hard time keeping them clutter-free) I'm hoping that this will keep us from making it our catch-all place. We'll see......

100

It has taken me a while to do this, but I have done it. Enjoy.
1. I am the oldest of 6 kids
2. I am unorganized
3. My favorite animal was a dolphin wwhen I was a little kid.
4. I wanted to be a marine biologist until I found out how much science it involved.
5. My favorite shows are CSI, Law and Order, and What Not to Wear.
6. I secretly want to be Stacy London from What Not to Wear.
7. I speak French, very little German and I canusually figure out what is going on if its a latin based language. I actually took a semester of Spanish, but evertime she asked me a question I responded in French.
8. I almost never am able to pas up a good deal if I know someone else can use it, even if I cannot.
9. I believe that we all have a "friend list", and that sometimes it is necessary to take someone off of the list.
10. My cousin (who looks more like me than my own sisters) once had a license plate frame that said "legs like barbie, chest like ken". Perfect description of me.
11. I have made it to #11 without mentioning France. (just the language doesn't count) Um, I love it. I would rather live there any day.
12. I really like to cross stitch
13. I am terrified of natural disasters, especially earthquakes.
14. I really don't like living in Texas.
15. I have lived in France, Germany, and the USA.
16. I have visited Ireland and Poland. And Austria for about an hour or so.
17. I finally learned how to put on makeup in the last six months.
18. I have had the same best friend for the last 20 years.
19. If I had a quarter for every time someone said tht I should try modeling, I would be rich
20. I really try to stay in contact with people. Unless of course I had to cross them off of my list.
21. None of my favorite candies are made in the USA. Some you can't even find here.
22. I love candy.
23. The only reason I went to Poland was to buy pottery.
24. I thought Joey McIntyre was the cutest from NKOTB when I was in Jr. High.
25. I can still recite the words to all the songs from The Little Mermaid and Newsies.
26. I have a bad habit of not filtering my thoughts before they come out of my mouth. Luckily, most of my friends think its more funny than rude. But I have been rude....
27. I love ebay.
28. I have been in five car accidents and have never been the driver. HINT: just let me drive!!!
29. One of the things that I was afraid of when I was a teenager was that no one would want to marry me.
30. I still dream in French
31. I have always felt more comfortable in a group of mixed company. Whenever I'm around a bunch of women, I get a little uncomfortable.
32. I've always wanted to take a photography class just so that my pictures wouldn't come out looking so retarded.
33. I really enjoy helping others, whether it be watching their kids, listening to them talk or giving them a ride. I am always so gratefull when others do that for me, and I feel as if I'm paying them back.
34. I do anything I can to not cry. I hate it. But sometimes it all comes out.
35. I have never liked my name. One of the many reasons is this lovely nickname someone came up with: Terinasaurus-Rex. I don't remember who it was, but I don't think they are my friend anymore.
36. I am LDS
37. I am finally in a place where I feel that I am in control of my life, and that I don't need to live up to anyones expectations but my own.
38. I served my mission in Bordeaux, France, the southwest of France. It changed my life. So much of who I am now started back then.
39. I spend way too much time on the computer. (see just look what I'm doing)
40. I was once addicted to reading Danielle Steele books
41. I hate the color pink. Along with bows, ruffles and poofy-froofy things.
42. One of my favorite memories of Matt is watching him sing "Shot through the Heart" by Bon Jovi in front of hundreds of people.
43. Whenever I see soldiers returning home or leaving for Iraq or Afganistan tears always come to my eyes. Even though I hate crying.
44. Daffodils are my favorite flowers.
45. The Empire Carpet commercial drives me crazy.
46. I learned how to drive a manual in France. I love driving a manual, especially in Europe.
47. When I was in the 6th grade I was 5'2". When I was a freshman I was 5'10". I would not suggest that for anyone.
48. Jr. High was the 3 worst years of my life.
49. I love dipping my In-n-out french fries into my In-n-out strawberry shakes. Once someone dared me to dip my hamburger. Not a good idea.
50. My favorite American places to eat: In-n-out, El Pollo Loco, Green Burrito, Applebees, Pizza-n-stuff
51. Favorite German places: Brauhaus, Europa, Chinese Taxi-wok, German Cantina on Thompkins Barracks, Big Pommes (just for the name)
52. Favorite French places: small cafe next to the cathedral in centrevill Strasbourg, any Patisserie, cafe in Place Gutenberg in Strasbourg, Kepab place in Orleans.
53. The average American tourist is very irritating. They really are loud and rude.
54. I am willing to discuss almost any subject as long as neither math or science are required.
55. I've only been homesick once in my adult life.
56. My favorite childrens show is Charlie and Lola.
57. The only A I ever got on an English paper was in college. It was on The Great Gatsby. I guess it helped that I had read it at least five times before I took the class.
58. I am terrified of elevators. (thanks a lot Joe!@!)
59. I was asked to "faire amour" by a short, greasy, gold chain wearing, hairy french man. My companion responded to this by saying "je ne suis pas facile!" (I am not easy)
60. I am not afraid to travel in a country where I don't speak the language.
61. Breakfast at Tiffanys is my favorite movie. Sliding Doors is a close second. Pride and Prejudice will always be the greatest.
62. The jobs I have had: Babysitter, hostess/cashier/server at Pinnacle Peak (I still answer to Calamity Jane), assistant to two Creative Memories consultants, Hallmark store clerk, Secretary-ish person at an Industrial sales company, Piano teacher.
63. If given a choice between the mountains and the ocean, the ocean will always win.
64. I never ever want to live in Utah.
65. I have always wanted to swim with dolphins.
66. My favorite family memories are going camping at Pismo Beach. I even made Matt stop there on our way to San Simeon on our Honeymoon.
67. My home is a little cluttery. I'm not the best housekeeper.
68. I am not a fan of video games.
69. In a two week period I had my teeth cleaned, three crowns, two root canals, and six fillings. The dentist said he didn't know how I was eating. (I wasn't, I have lost a ton of weight)
70. I love shopping for anyone.
71. My favorite ways to travel in Europe are by train or by car.
72. I love staying up late.
73. My friend Holly has a rule that I have to sit in the back seat if there is space.
74. I do not like body fluids. Even my own.
75. Cupcakes taste better than cake. I don't know why.
76. The food on my plate must never touch.
77. I do not like gravy. It touches other things on my plate.
78. My best friends husband once wanted to date me, but I said that I didn't date men that were shorter than me. He offered to wear platforms.
79. There are days when I wish I wasn't a mom. But then there are days when I LOVE it.
80. I wonder what my children will do with their lives.
81. I've only been to one real concert. And it was only to see the opener.
82. We (my friends and I) used to drive to the beach with windows down, sunroof open singing along to the Spice Girls at the top of our lungs.
83. Others have said that the way I chew bothers them.
84. I never ever thought I would be married to someone in the Military.
85. I have been known to whack my piano students with my pen/pencil/notebook. In extreme cases I puch them off of the bench.
86. I buy the impulse cookbooks in the checkout lanes at the grocery store.
87. Sometimes I wish I had more money, but then I see others that do, and they aren't any happier. In fact they usually have more problems.
88. Rootbeer is my favorite drink.
89. I am constantly searching the web for flights to Europe and places to stay there. But I won't be able to go back for another two years. sigh......
90. I want to make my home a place where my kids want to have their friends over.
91. For a few years now, I have stopped caring and/or trying to make people like me. If they don't like me for who I am, then I don't want to be their friend.
92. I love almost anything and everything from, about, or in France. Sometimes I even wish I were French. (but not a lot)
93. I do not like to garden. I hate getting my hands in the dirt. Too many yucky bugs.
94. I have recently discovered the power of changing myself.
95. I love fish tacos
96. I hate hardwood floors
97. I don't like snow
98. I don't ever want a pet. I have nothing against animals, we just don't get along very well.
99. I am a firm believer in communication. This sounds totally gay, but knowledge is so powerfull.
100. I have a hard time staying focused, so it took me forever to do this.

More Cadbury

I just got one of the packages from my friend Vashti in Ireland and it has treats in it for me!! And some belfast linen. I love getting packages in the mail. It just makes me happy. And I got something that I bought off of ebay. A total usless purchase, but it was cute. (an apron that was made in france and had pots and pans printed on it on the bottom like they were hanging off of the apron, with little yellow flowers on top. )

Chicken Pox

So, last week Lucy started to get spots. She has sensitive skin, so I thought she was allergic to something. Well, the spots didn't go away. I finally got in to the doctor yesterday (you have to call at the buttcrack of dawn to get a sameday appointment) and they said Varicella. Which to those of you who don't know what that is it is Chicken Pox. But I said she didn't have a fever or cold symptoms at all. Nothing other than spots. And all the pictures I saw online didn't look anything like what she had. Apparantly now that kids get the vaccine, they get a "mild" case. Which translates into not having any symptoms at all. So, last week we went to a friends house, and to church. And I feel SO bad that they may all get it. At least if they have had the vaccine that it won't be as bad as it was when we were kids and had it. But what I was really upset about is that we have not been around anyone that has had it. The only place that I can figure that we got it was from the grocery carts. And someone had left that lovely virus there. Well, from now on I'm going to bring those wipes that they make that get rid of things. And maybe make sure they wash their hands as soon as we get home. I had big plans for this weekend, and now I may not be able to go visit some friends. Kind of upset about that. And Lucy has baby dryscalp/dandruff. So I had to go and get her some expensive shampoo so that she doesn't scratch her scalp off. I just hope that their spots scab over before saturday so that I can go to Dallas and see my friends for a few days. I deserve it!! Just send good thoughts towards my kids so that they are scabby by saturday......... (i know it sounds really gross)

Cadbury

I love this time of year for many reasons. The sun starts to come out if you live in a place where its dreary all winter. The flowers start to bloom, you can wear shorts and sandals. Soon we will celebrate Christs' ressurection. And along with that comes my very favorite thing: Cadbury creme eggs.
Being in the United States, we are gyped out of really enjoying all of what Cadbury has to offer. For whatever reason, we get Cadbury once a year, at easter, and just recently have they started to branch out into other holidays. Cadbury has SO MUCH more to offer than just these lovely eggs. In the picture you will see many things that are hard to find or do not exist in this lovely country. Having been able to have friends that live in the UK, and also being able to visit them, I have been able to partake of these yummy treats. My favorite is the crunchie. And as you can see, most of what is in the picture has to do with the crunchie bar. It is seriously the best candy bar ever. None of the american chocolate makers can come near to how good it is. Probably because their chocolate has way too many fillers, and cadbury is just so much better. I do enjoy Lindt, and Milka's. Ritter Sports are a good german chocolate. My brother prefers a brand called Camille Bloch which is almost impossible to find in the US. (although I did find some at my local world market and almost fell over when i saw it.) They are very exclusive and only sell things in Switzerland. I have only eaten one of my creme eggs so far. But do not worry. I will eat the other three and procede to buy more. And to replenish my supply of crunchie bars my dear friend in Northern Ireland has sent me more. What I would do without her I do not know. The only problem is that Matt loves crunchie bars almost more than I do. So, lucky for me he is on one of his "I'm not eating candy anymore" kicks. It doesn't last more than a few months, but I will take advantage of it. More crunchie bars for me!!!!! And if you do see them, yes they are expensive here, but they are so so worth it.