Our Two Turkeys

Tyson has been wanting to give the Family Night lesson for weeks, but keeps forgetting to plan it. This week he was determined to have his turn. After school he sat down at the computer and wrote out the play that has been in his mind. (That sure says something about what goes on in that little head of his!) It turned out to be one of our most memorable Monday nights ever!

Tyson's Play:

"Two Turkeys, A Farmer and A Narrator"

Narrator: there were two turkeys one was selfish and the other loved to give!

Turkey one: I’m selfish!

Turkey two : I love to give!

Narrator: so the turkeys lived happily in the barn yard together,

Then on thanksgiving a man came (the farmer no doubt ) so the farmer came and said…

Farmer: look we already have a turkey to eat but there are more turkeys coming so one of you has got to go , so we’ll have a little contest so here we go who wants to give up on of there fine old feathers?

Narrator: well turkey one held firm but the second said…

Turkey two: I will!

Farmer: okay please give me the feather, okay thank you very much, now who will give up and leave?

Turkey one : I won’t

Narrator: but turkey two said…

Turkey two: I will

Narrator: well the farmer was touched by this and he said…

Farmer: you can stay as for you turkey one you will have to go !

Narrator: well turkey two lived happily ever after but turkey one well let’s just say that he was dinner the next thanksgiving!

THE END

Together, Tyson and Jacob designed their costumes. Tyson came up with wearing red and putting on headbands, but was perplexed as to what to do for feathers. Jacob brilliantly suggested using Q-tips.
Gobble! Gobble!

A Happy Halloween

Halloween is one of the busiest holidays at our house. Thankfully, Jacob was thrilled with the purchase of an "Obi Wan" Target special, but for Tyson I actually had to dust off my sewing machine and pattern reading skills. In the end, I managed to make a Gandalf wizard hat and I was quite proud of my accomplishment! But before we could jump into Halloween, we threw Jacob a Monster Mash birthday party. What Halloween would be complete without a house full of 6 year old boys!

Jacob's Monster birthday cake. Happy birthday 6 year old!

Trick or Treating with the Corbridges has become a favorite Halloween tradition. It began the year I broke my foot and I needed someone to take the boys around for me because Adam was out of town. The Corbridges came to my rescue and the boys had so much fun, we have done it the 2 years since then.

Hot chocolate at the Andrioli's was hands down the highlight of the evening. The boys begged to go back again about an hour later to "warm up" with another hot treat.

After 3 streets, Jacob and Jenna were happy to rest, enjoy their hot chocolate and head home.

The big boys, however, went on for a total of 3 1/2 hours of knocking on doors. Elaine and I decided it was ok to let them keep going because they were getting practice for their missions. Tyson made quite the haul - sugar headache here we come! (And of course, he had the flu by the next day, so that sugar just sat there not being eaten and tempting me for a whole week - help!)

High-Tech Help

When I asked Adam what he was going to be doing at work this week, he told me all about the brand new high-tech equipment he was going to be working on to edit the film they just shot on brand new high-tech digital cameras.

I spent the morning trying to melt crystallized honey.

Why can't they come up with some brand new high-tech gadget to solve that problem! Oh, yeah. I forgot. That's not glamorous or exciting. Why would someone be concerned about what a housewife spends her life doing? Then they'd have to invent gadgets that would stop whining, door slamming, juice spilling, arguing, urine in toilet lid hinges... Oh, so not glamorous!

Home Can be a Heaven on Earth... When School's in Session

A week ago I was feeling so sad that summer had ended so quickly and my boys would be back to school. There were still things I wanted to do with them - places to explore and experience.

Then this week hit. There has been so much fighting and tears and just plain laziness that my boys have been driving me nuts! Yesterday they ended up being grounded from everything with a punishment of "forced playing together for 2 hours." It worked. They were much more kind to each other and cooperative and cheerful when it was over.

Today I just dropped Tyson off with a quick "I love you! Have a fun day!" And that was that. My camera's broken, so not even a picture. When he gets home, he will grab a quick snack and then be off to scouts. At the moment I'm enjoying the peace of home. Jacob is playing with a friend in his room with the door shut so I can hardly hear them. Next week Kindergarten will start - and with 5 moms in our carpool, I'm just going to be in my own piece of heaven!

Will the Real Adam Please Stand Up?

Have you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall and watch what your husband is like at work?

Well, that happened for me on Thursday.

I had one of those rare opportunities of really getting to see Adam in his element. He directs things frequently, but they are generally in distant locations or on a smaller scale. However, for the past 2 weeks, he was directing a project that he wrote about the Mormon Battallion for the Church's visitor center in San Diego (located just outside the walls of Historic San Diego). It was shot close to home and so the boys and I spent Thursday afternoon hanging out at the LDS Motion Picture Studio in Provo. Tyson elected to be an "extra" for the day and ran around for 9 hours in a pioneer outfit. Jacob, on the other hand, refused to wear a costume and instead wanted to either play Gameboy or follow his dad around. Since the second option didn't really work so well, he had unlimited hours with the first. Thankfully, there was another mom there with her son and she was tired of being on set, so she let Jacob hang out with her while she read.

That left me time to just watch. I know, but actually got to see, that Adam is really good at what he does. Because he was so busy, he had little time to think about my being there, so like that fly on the wall, I had the chance to just watch and listen without him really knowing I was doing it. It really feels good to know that he is the same person at work that he is at home when it comes to who he is at heart. But there was also a part of him that was not just the guy he is at home. I saw his creativity hard at work. I heard how others respected him as their leader. I watched as he confidently made quick decisions. He was Adam and dad, but on such a huge scale that I never get to witness personally. It was really incredible. And sexy! (Can I say that on PG-rated blog?) :)

And I know he loves what he does. Thursday was a very long day for me, and I was there 4 hours less than everyone else and I was able to sit a lot. But every night, no matter how tired, Adam came home happy and content. And I am a happy wife because I know I am married to someone who is truly creative and talented and real.

Desert Blues

After 2 weeks in the Pacific Northwest, I very much wonder how it is that we still live in a desert. I love and miss the green, the lakes, the pine trees and the temperature that drops every night to cool things down. Adam and I always planned to go back to the Northwest when he was done with school, but, alas, there are few film opportunities there. I count it a blessing that I still have a sister who lives there and lets us visit, and that we were able to have our Anderegg reunion there this year.

See what I mean about green and lush!!! I know what you're all thinking - it looks like a location in "Twilight." We actually thought about taking a ferry across the Puget Sound to Forks, but it would have been 4 1/2 hours of driving each way!

Birch Bay, WA - about 10 miles south of the Canandian border, is where we called home for the week of our reunion. We were a 1 minute walk from the beach, and had an ocean view where we could watch the tide come in and out every day. There were lots of clams and crabs and we collected tons of shells.

This spot was behind a dock where we rode the Plover ferry and caught our only glimpse of Canada. We would have gone into Canada because we had passports with us, but the boys were done with being in the car. We'll just have to go there another time!

We found this great old boat and the boys oscillated between playing pirates and "Gilligan's Island."

My sweet nephew, Tucker, was my buddy. He would see me and come right to me, even out of his mother's arms, to give me hugs.

We took a ferry with Dan and Corinne to see the San Juan Islands, spending the afternoon at Friday Harbor where we walked around, did a little shopping and ate fish and chips - YUM!

My sweet boys! Tyson didn't enjoy the cooler temperatures as much as the rest of us and wore his jacket almost constantly. We can pretty much guarantee he'll always live somewhere where it's warm.

After a day around the islands, Dan and Corinne were ready to move there - they were thinking a bed and breakfast would do the trick and we would certainly visit them often! :)

Adam had to leave our reunion early for pre-production work on a big project, so we spent a day in Seattle before taking him to the airport. It brought back a lot of memories being there together. When we were in high school, we took a jazz choir trip to Seattle each spring and we always had time to spend at Pike Street Market. You could say we fell in love there. It was so fun to wander around there with our boys. It really hasn't changed much in all these years.

Because it was one of those rare, sunny days in Seattle, and because we had never done it before, we decided to go to the top of the Space Needle. The view was spectacular! You can even see Mt. Rainier in the background.

With Adam back home working long hours, I decided to stay longer in my beloved Northwest. The boys and I drove through the amazing Cascade mountains, the golden fields of central Washington and just over the Washington border to Post Falls, Idaho, the home of my favorite little sister, Barbara. It was the most relaxing week I've had in a very long time and it was heavenly. I can't tell you one spectacular thing we did - just shopping, reading, playing games, chatting... But the kids played without fighting almost the entire time, some were old enough to babysit for a few hours at a time so we could leave the house kid-less, and there were four hands to make meal prep and clean-up quick and easy. Like I said - HEAVEN!

Since Adam had Pioneer Day off of work, he flew back to help me drive home. We spent one more marvelous day enjoying my most favorite lake in the world, Lake Coeur d'Alene, and then swam in the Spokane River.


We were having a very peaceful drive home - Adam and I took turns napping and driving - and had just passed Idaho Falls, when Jacob started crying and yelled, "It was scary!" We thought he was talking about the movie they were watching, the new Willie Wonka we had borrowed from my sister, so we turned it off and assumed all was well. Being sick of driving, we stopped around Ogden to have dinner. Jacob opened his mouth to take a bite of food when Adam and I both noticed he had a black spot in his mouth. He had lost a tooth and didn't tell us! And that's what had scared him in the car! We both started talking loud and excitedly and he thought we were mad at him. We explained that we weren't, but that we were excited for him and wanted to celebrate with him and that he needs to tell us about cool things, like his tooth falling out! The funny thing is, no one knew he even had a loose tooth. He hasn't even started Kindergarten yet, so we weren't looking for any yet. Jacob calmed down and felt much happier about it after Tyson explained about the Tooth Fairy. Luckily, Jacob had put his tooth in his cup holder, so we all got to see it when we got back to the car. I put it in a ziploc bag and it made it safely under his pillow. Thankfully, Adam mentioned Jacob when we were praying that night and so at the last second before falling into a deep slumber, we remembered to "help" the Tooth Fairy get that dollar under his pillow.

I was resigned to coming home, knowing that I would face unpacking, mounds of laundry and cooking and cleaning by myself again. And much to my surprise, I was met by my garden, which had gone crazy on me while we were gone (three cheers for sprinkler systems!!!).

And I was greeted by...

Desert Blues...

and Oranges...


and Pinks, and Yellows, and Whites, and even Green.

Yes, it's good to be home.

Broken Bones, Puke and Missionary Work

The last time Adam went out of town for a long period of time, I broke my foot the day after he left. Yet while he was away, he met several people on their film shoot whom he referred to the missionaries and several took the discussions. I don't actually know what came of any of them, but I felt good that I had made him stay instead of coming home to take care of us. And I survived it because of my parents and neighbors - who are all amazing people!

So, here we are again. Adam is on a 10 day business trip. Sunday morning I woke up to kitty puke in 5 different spots on my carpet that I had the privilege to clean up. Jacob's breathing progressively got worse as the day progressed and a piece of his nebulizer broke while we were at my parent's house, making us have to leave early from my only break in the day. By midnight that night, while I was doing yet another breathing treatment with Jacob, Tyson woke up and started pacing the hallway. When I asked him what was wrong, he said he didn't feel good and I told him to run to the bathroom, which he did. However, he still wasn't very awake yet, so he missed the toilet. By the time I got to my bathroom, there was throw up everywhere - on the floor, cupboards, wall, toilet, my curling iron... It took 1/2 a roll of paper towels to clean up. He continued to throw up until 2 in the morning, followed by Jacob needing another breathing treatment at 4 am.

Jacob's breathing got more shallow throughout the day on Monday. When he started crying about 4 in the afternoon because he was so cold, I knew a fever was coming - it's been going around the neighborhood - so I took him to the doctor. The doctor announced that Jacob seems to be the 1 in 100 kids who gets asthma attacks everytime he gets sick with other illnesses. So he is now on steroids and gets breathing treatments every 2-4 hours.

I wrote Adam an email last night that began, "So, once again, things fell apart the minute you were gone. You must be having some great missionary experiences there!"

This morning (Tuesday) Adam called me, in tears, from North Carolina where they are shooting a Storytelling Festival. They were there a year ago for research so they could film this year. While there last year, Adam got into some discussions about the church with one of the storytellers. She was here during the Draper Temple open house, so Adam and another lady took her on the tour. This same lady told Adam today that she is getting baptized on June 20th - and would like him to perform the baptism, which we will attend together in Virginia.

I truly believe that Satan brings opposition to any good thing, and apparently he has chosen me to be the recipient of it. He wants me to cry, give up and beg Adam to come home. But I still have great parents and neighbors, who once again are being my support. So I'll take the opposition! If that's how I have to do my part in missionary work right now, I'll do it - broken bones, barff and all!

FHE at Temple Square

After a 3 day film shoot at Temple Square enjoying the flowers, Adam insisted on taking our family there for Family Night last week. It was beautiful! I highly recommend going up there on a Monday in the evening. It wasn't crowded at all, so we were able to see all of the sites and displays quickly and enjoy walking around the grounds. Then we ended the evening with a tour of Brigham Young's Beehive house. We were the only ones there, so we got to go through the house slowly, see everything we wanted and ask lots of questions. The Sister missionaries were so great with the boys and so they loved the evening. Being there helped us get a little of everything we're supposed to give our families for Family Night - learning, entertainment and physical activity. We even stopped for ice cream cones on the way home. It was a picture perfect Family night. How often does that happen?

Fostering Children

Yesterday we had our home study with Utah Foster Care - yes, we are going to give it a try. We have requested children under Jacob's age that are more likely to become available for adoption. Sometimes we wonder what in the world we are doing this for and what we are really going to be getting ourselves into. My life is pretty simple with just our 2 boys, and with Jacob starting Kindergarten next year, I will begin to have a lot more freedom. And when Adam gets really busy with work, like he is right now, I do a lot of single parenting - and then I am thankful I only have to deal with 2 by myself. But then I go to the temple and get such a strong feeling that things are not finished and settled yet, and so, here we go...

Disneyworld

In spite of the flu that attempted to ruin our time in Orlando, it was a GREAT Spring Break!

Goodbye Charlie

Although the play overtook our lives for a time, it really was so fun to be a part of and Tyson loved it! It was such a boost for his self-esteem and confidence. And he did such a GREAT job! Every night we saw improvement, especially in becoming more comfortable in front of an audience. It was amazing to hear him sing and see his acting/responses become more real. I think I may get stuck becoming a theater mom. Oh boy...

Tyson greeting his fans after the show.

Charlie and Veruca (played by my neighbor's niece)

Willie Wonka and Charlie

Tyson's in the Herald

Tyson was in the Herald today! But since our family home evening lesson Monday was "Beware of Pride!" I can't say I'm proud of him.

Oh, but I have too! I am a proud mom!

http://www.heraldextra.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=303920&Itemid=17&mosmsg=Thanks+for+your+vote!

Being a Little Famous

Tonight was a first. I answered the phone when it rang about 8:45 and it was a woman wanting to talk to Tyson. What!?! So I asked who was calling and it turned out she was a reporter from the newspaper wanting to talk to Tyson about being "Charlie" in the play. Oh! Well, it that's what she wanted, then of course!

I then proceeded to eavesdrop on the conversation. The protective side of me wanted to know what he said so I would know if he was quoted correctly. The curious side wanted to hear his responses, and I was very surprised by how grown up he sounded. He was very polite to her, which was a huge relief! Sometimes you just never know what will come out of your child's mouth.

Tyson was thrilled to his inner core by the whole thing and, after the call, announced he wouldn't mind being a little famous. Yikes!

Facing the Middle Ages

It's official - in one year I'll be "middle aged". Adam and I had a quiet lunch together today (thanks to Julia for watching Jacob - we haven't gone out for lunch together since I don't know when) to celebrate my 39th birthday. During our time together, we thought back, trying to remember what we were doing 20 years ago...

1) Adam and I had just gotten back together after spending our first 4 months at BYU dating other people. Adam had dated one girl pretty seriously, and so to make things up to me, he enrolled in my ballroom dance class. Twice a week we danced together - and that eventually mended hurt feelings.

2) My first nephew had just been born. I was the envy of all of the other girls in my dorm each time my sister brought him over for me to babysit.

3) Adam had just received his mission call to Brazil and I was in a frenzy trying to figure out how I could possibly live without him for 2 long years.

4) I, luckily and thankfully, had great roommates at Heritage Halls and was loving my first year at BYU. During our 2nd semester, four of us moved all of our beds into one room, making the room wall-to-wall beds, and we would fall asleep each night listening to Air Supply. We then made the empty bedroom into a TV room and it became a popular Friday night hangout spot.

5) I had my life clearly mapped out: I was going to graduate in education, wait for Adam to get home from his mission, work while I put him through school and have our first baby about the time he was to graduate.

Thinking back makes it seem like it was not all so long ago. But now I see how niave I was about the world and things. It's nice to know I am many years older and wiser too, and that makes me feel more confident in facing my "middle-ages." I am grateful I have someone so great to face them with. I look forward to the next time we can look back 20 years to see how far we've come, then turn together again and face our golden years.

At least that's how I hope it turns out. My life certainly has an opinion of it's own and I seem to have little say in the matter. But what I have learned is that if you surround yourself with great people and fill your mind and heart with the gospel, then no matter what comes, you will enjoy the journey.

Best Friend: Priceless

Thanks to my neighbor for taking this awesome picture which shows perfectly what and who fills my life all day every day while Tyson is at school. So cute, yet so mischievous, this Indiana Jones duo rules our daytime roost. But I honestly don't know what I would do without Jacob's best friend, Andrew. The 2 are inseparable and have given each other countless hours of entertainment. I never hear the words, "I'm bored!" when Andrew's around and that is indeed a glorious thing!

Feeling Less

I have lately found myself just going through the motions of life without a lot of emotion. Is it because winter has kept me penned inside? Or is it the slowed economy that makes me scared to spend money, so I find I have become somewhat of a hermit knowing that for me: leaving the house = spending money?

Whatever the cause, I am feeling a small glimmer of excitement finally rising in me this morning as I begin to pack overnight bags for the boys. Back at Christmastime, when it felt easier to be generous with our means, we attended a Sub for Santa service auction in the single's ward where we bid on and won an overnighter at a cabin in Heber. Our splurge then is now coming at the exact moment when I need an outing to save me from this robot-state of emotions. I've always known there are great blessings for "doing unto the least of these," it had just never occured to me that the blessing of doing that would come at a time when I need help to stop feeling "less."

Procrastinating Love and Logic

I was really looking forward to this long weekend and had great plans to play with my family. Well, we all got sick - me getting the worst of it. So much for a fun and romantic Valentine's weekend...

So Monday morning I was determined to "snap out of it" and take Tyson to his swim lessons and let Jacob swim at the pool, knowing many neighbor friends would be there for him to play with. I sat there, runny nose and all, for over 2 hours while my boys played and played and played - my ploy to get them to release some of there pent up energy from this very long winter we are having. They were having so much fun that even after all of our friends left, we stayed.

By 12:30 I was hungry and ready to go. I held up the first towel - Tyson's "Sponge Bob" towel from Easter last year. Jacob refused to get out, but Tyson jumped out and into his towel. I then held up the "Lightening McQueen" towel - Jacob's gift for Easter, and he threw a fit! "No, I wanted the Sponge Bob towel!" And he refused to get out of the pool. What is a mom who is feeling yucky and just wants to go home to do? My counting and threat of making him take a nap had no effect on moving him out of the pool. So I took off my shoes and sox, rolled up my pants, stepped into the pool and dragged him out. Of course, in grabbing onto his arm, I gave him the perfect excuse to yell out, "Ouch! You're hurting me!"

The next step was to get him out of his wet swim shirt, and into a dry shirt, jacket and shoes. It's a new swim shirt, so neither of us knew how it fit, and it stuck to his head as I tried to get it off. Now he really started shouting, "Mom, you're hurting my head!" At that point, Tyson leaned over and quietly whispered to me, "Mom, everyone's staring at us." I finally just picked Jacob up and carried him out, trying to look as loving as I could so no one would call Child Protective Services on me.

When we got home, Jacob quietly got dressed and then said, "I can't have lunch till after my naptime, can I?" I set the timer for 20 minutes and told him he could come out when it went off. I heard it ding, and went into his room. He was sound asleep. I then realized why my threat to make him take a nap had no effect on persuading him out of the pool. He was probably thinking, "Wow I'm tired! And if I keep on yelling at her, she's going to let me take a nap!"

One of my New Year's resolutions this year was to reread "Parenting with Love and Logic". I've obviously been procrastinating!

My Sleeping Angel!

Validation

I posted this on my Facebook page, but it's so good that I wanted to get it out to everyone. It's long, but worth the time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao

Forgetting to Remember

Tyson is 10 today - Happy Birthday my sweet boy!

This past week Tyson has been into watching family videos of when he was a baby. I've watched snippets of these videos with him and have had thoughts like, "Wow! I forgot how pudgy his little cheeks were!" and "I don't remember his voice sounding like that!" The time has gone so fast, yet I see how long ago that really was. It is the reminder I need to cherish every moment - and so this will be short because I'm going to go party with my boys and create a moment to remember!

Thin Skin

Not too long ago Tyson was quickly offended by something another kid said and, being the sensitive mom that I am, I told him he needed to get "thick skin".

The irony came a few days later when I was getting ready in the morning and realized how thin my skin is getting - literally! I know that as I rapidly approach 40 that I need to be on the look out for gray hairs and wrinkles, but no one warned me about thinning skin! I can really tell now when I'm putting on make-up or lotion. My skin just feels different. There is less elasticity - you move the skin and it is slow to get back to where it belongs. Now I understand how gravity is able to have such a great effect on me.

Look out south pole, here I come!

Swap Day

I am feeling so peaceful after a quiet day all to myself thanks to a kid swap day with my neighbor. After the usual rush in the morning to get kids off to school (it was pajama day at pre-school, which should have made the morning routine go smoother with one less child to dress, but that only added to the drama as he had to have the perfect pajamas to wear!) But by 9:08 they were all gone! I exercised, by myself. I showered without the door being opened 10 times, which lets out all the hot, steamy air. I actually got out of the shower into a warm room today! I had a leasurely breakfast and got to think about what I wanted to wear. I even curled my hair!

Then I was off to run a few errands and shop. I grabbed a movie at Red Box and a few groceries to make a yummy lunch, then sat on the couch with a blanket and my lunch and enjoyed "The Secret Life of Bees". I felt like a new woman!

Yet, in reality, if I had a day like this everyday I would feel so empty. My boys (all 3 of them) fill my life with the things that I truly want - love, laughter, adventure... And so I'll take the dirty laundry and dishes, and spend my days as taxi driver, nurse, chef and whatever else is called for.

But I will forever give thanks to my friend who made this day a gift - not just to me but to my boys who are grateful to have their happy mom back!

What I've done

I saw this list on Tavia's blog and was curious how many of these things I had done. I still have a ways to go and there are some I don't ever plan on doing, or will never have the ability to do - 22, 27, 31, 65, 71, 75, 87!, 94!, and 97 - and I really hope never do 46. But I feel really excited about all of the great things I have been able to see and be a part of in my life!

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band (it was at an Enrichment night!)

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland

8. Climbed a Mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee Jumping

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you were not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb (although I've held a baby pig)

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language (tried Biblical Hebrew at BYU, but don't remember any words)

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (for a few years, but not it today's economy)

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo's David

41. Sung Karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa (just Egypt, not the safari parts)

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait pained

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (I'm too scared to try scuba!)

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theatre

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business (actually, it was Adam who did, but I've dealt with the stress right along with him, so I'm counting it!)

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold girl scout cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Graduate from college

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt (it was a baby size, though)

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the changing of the Guards in London (we came so close, but missed it!!!)

77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (and I hope I never have too!)

88. Had Chickenpox

89. Saved someone's life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (I actually just waded up to my knees, but I have floated in the Dead Sea)

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Get married to the love of your life

Ode to Jane

One of my favorite authors is Jane Austen. I sometimes wonder why because I have to read her books with a dictionary. In fact, I don't even like all of her books - Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey are just plain odd. Mostly, I think its because I have romanticized that time period in my mind. It makes me think of civility and grace and morals - things that are seriously lacking in today's world. But realistically, I would have lasted only 2 seconds sitting in a hard, upright chair embroidering in a corset waiting for the men to come back from their adventures!

What I really want to be is a modern Elizabeth or Emma or Elinor or Anne - witty and clever in conversation. Whenever I finish reading her work or watching a movie based on her work, I wonder what Jane was like. Was she strong like her characters or did she choose to write because, like me, she always thinks of the good punch lines after the matter, and by writing she could make up for her missed opportunities to be clever?

And so I name my blog after one of my favorite Jane Austen lines from Pride and Prejudice:

"For what do we live, but to make sport for out neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?"

Many of you have made me laugh and think and want to be better from what you have so cleverly written in your blogs, so I in turn will make sport for you as I attempt to write about the quirky thoughts that occupy my mind.


(Picture Above: The English countryside; Winchester, England April 2008)

This house in Winchester, England is where Jane Austen died on 18 July 1817, at the age of 41.












Just a short walk from the house above is the Winchester Cathedral. Jane Austen was buried in this church, a great and rare honor. The dedication in this marker on the floor was written by her brother.