A gathering of TM's

A group of 7 women gathered around 2 small round tables in a Barnes and Noble today at noon. Sharing copies so everyone could see, we read the first chapter of Stephanie Meyer's new book which hits shelves in August. From there we headed to Old Ebbits Grill for lunch, by the time we were done there were 10 of us. 2 had to brave a thunder storms and tornado warnings to make it to our lunch. We heard the thunder and rain pounding the glass over head, but the talking never stopped.

The Twilight Moms have gathered again. We might not get the masses that can be found at the gatherings of the west coast, but that doesn't mean there wasn't lots of laughter. Food was consumed, conversation was abundant, and laughter rang loud and clear through the back of the restaurant.

Pictures were taken (sorry Amy, no one stood on chairs ;) ) theories were discussed, families were talked about,......and we even sang a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday for our newest member Sarah. Happy Birthday Sarah!)

Time flew by and before we knew it 4 o' clock had rolled around and we had to go our separate ways. We could have chattered on and on but families, trains, and activities were calling. (Once I get copies of the pictures I will post them here.)
I can hardly wait for the next gathering in a couple of weeks!

Afterwards Jess kindly dropped me off at Code Monkeys house, we were to head to a concert of the military band. Unfortunately, Jess left and I promptly fell asleep on the couch. Upon awakening, Code Monkey was good enough to agree to a few episodes of House and the first 3 episode of Firefly....that way I didn't have to get up until he took me home. Lol!

The cool night breeze.......

Have you ever sat by your open windows and listened to the sounds of your night.

I know the sounds aren't the same everywhere but there is something about sitting by the window; feeling the cool night air blowing across your skin while listening to the sounds of your world and pondering your day.

Today was fun........
There was a mad dash this afternoon that involved 2 DMV's, an very nice old lady in VA, a traffic Jam on Pennsylvania Avenue, the words Frell, Freck, and Frack, and a nice photographer that offered to retake my picture (it still wasn't any good, but that was because they made me show them the weapon in my hair when I went through security. LOL!)

Happily, I can now make my flight on Tuesday with my brand new DC license.

Tonight was a night for friends and fun, there was good food and hot fudge sundaes. Toss is a great Disney movie and homemade popcorn and it was almost perfection.

Tomorrow looks to be pretty busy, but I promise to find some time to post my final day of May post.

BTT# 3

Suggested by: Thisisnotabookclub

What is reading, anyway? Novels, comics, graphic novels, manga, e-books, audiobooks — which of these is reading these days? Are they all reading? Only some of them? What are your personal qualifications for something to be “reading” — why? If something isn’t reading, why not? Does it matter? Does it impact your desire to sample a source if you find out a premise you liked the sound of is in a format you don’t consider to be reading? Share your personal definition of reading, and how you came to have that stance.

Reading is D) All of the above.
Why?
read·ing /ˈridɪŋ/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ree-ding]
-noun
1.the action or practice of a person who reads.

I think have read all of the above mentioned types of reading material. Some I like, some I don't. My personal preference doesn't run to the types of reading material but more to the convenience of the type. My personal preference is a regular book, that can be held in my hands. One where passages can be underlined and notes written in the margins. I work best when I can see the words on the page.

I use audio books primarily for my commute. I don't listen as well that way, so there is less retention. I have taken to buying only the books I have already read, so I know the basic story.

I the Ranma 1/2 series years ago....(is that a graphic novel? a comic? Manga? one of them..lol)
I like it but it wasn't my favorite type to read.

eBooks bother me. Only because I would have to buy some sort of eReader to go along with it or be tied to my computer. If I am on the computer I would rather play in the blog world. Lol!

Though to be honest, if it is an author I like, I'll take it anyway I can get it. Lol!

Blog via iPhone

I did it again.

I forgot to post.

So here I sit on my way to the infamous Captain Pells trying to to blog via iPhone.

Not as easy as it sounds.

What I have learned?

I have fat fingers.

Have a good night. ;)

Just pretend I still want to go to Turkey......

My big brother has a great sense of humor....or maybe I should say a very dry wit. I love getting his emails as they usually have a tidbit of insight and a dash of humor.

Today's email didn't disappoint. So for your reading pleasure, here's my favorite part:

Which reminds me a conversation I had yesterday ...... I was talking with a co-worker, American this time. He was telling me that he had to go on vacation or he would go crazy. I asked him where he wants to go. So, he started naming places, perhaps Turkey. I started encouraging him to go there, explaining about the history of Istanbul (not Constantinople... or Byzantium) and some of the natural beauty in Turkey.

Then he told me how he would just go to the Phillipines if it weren't so expensive to fly out there. I told him how I had been to the Phillipines when I was a little boy. I asked him where he would go there. He looked at me, smiled and said, "I would be going for things that you simply wouldn't be interested in. Just pretend I still want to go to Turkey."

Now you know what I mean when I say....."Just pretend I still want to go to Turkey." ;)

Thanks Ralph!

I finally got the pictures.....

Isn't she Precious...........

Welcome to the family Baby Sariah!

Kate moved....

I helped.

I watched Young at Heart; I thought it was good stuff.

Moral:
After moving boxes and furniture for hours sitting in a cramped theater for 2 straight hours causes pain.

I hurt...

I am going to bed now. :)

What do you do when you don't feel good?

Me? I read......6 books and counting in the last 2 days......

What about you?

(Really, are you all that shocked? I mean come on, seriously?)

Yesterday.....Today

Yesterday, while on the metro I wrote a great post about my goals and achieving my personal dreams. I was rather excited to post it here.....

Today I am curled up in the fetal position on Jess's couch. So not a good thing. Everything takes effort and makes me want to be sick. If I didn't know better I would think God had a personal vendetta against women. Lol!

So instead of going to Annapolis and enjoying an evening with the movie mockers, I am going to stay right here and rest. Jess has kindly offered to pick up food and allow me to watch episodes of Buffy, Read books, and sleep. Isn't she nice. :)

in these small hours
these little wonders,
these twists & turns of fate
time falls away,
but these small hours,
these small hours still remain.

All of my regret
will wash away some how
but I can not forget
the way I feel right now.

Little Wonders
by Rob Thomas

This evening I watched Meet The Robinsons on the recommendation of Code Monkey. I think he suggested it to show the effect the acquisition of Pixar had on Disney movies, but I am currently in a different frame of mind. I was struck by the moral of this sweet story.

Life is not about our many failures. We must Keep Moving Forward, working towards a better future, while appreciating the small wonders that happen every day. The movie ends with the song Little Wonders by Rob Thomas in place of that dialogue for the last scenes and is followed by a quote by Walt Disney. As the credits began, I couldn't help but reflect on the book I had just finished this afternoon.

I had picked up a copy of the Last Lecture by Randy Pausch on the recommendation of my friend Kate. (More information found here.) I found it to be an amazing book, you can borrow my copy if you like, as long as you don't mind the personal notations. ;) Mr Pausch discusses many things in both his book and his lecture, but a theme I found emphasized over and over was that we need to be living out lives; really living. Setting specific goals and working toward acheiving them. His inspiring words have caused quite a bit of introspection in my life. (as if everything that is going on wasn't enough.)
What are my goals? How can I achieve them? Time is finite, am I using my time wisely? Does my family understand that I love them? Have I shown gratitude? Do I Keep Moving Forward. Whether there are days, weeks, months or years left of my life, am I treasuring the important things and working towards those important things?

It has been said by many, that as mortal beings, we are never stationary in our eternal progression. We are always moving, it's just a matter of direction, either forward or backward. I hope that I continue to move forward.

Around here, However, we don't look backwards for very long.
We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious....
and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.
~Walt Disney~

BTT

Suggested by: Superfastreader:

Books and films both tell stories, but what we want from a book can be different from what we want from a movie. Is this true for you? If so, what’s the difference between a book and a movie?

For me, there is always a difference between the book and the movie, but no matter what the differences I am there to be caught up in the story.Whether it is a book or a movie I want to be drawn in so I forget my surroundings....like yesterday when I lost my brand new umbrella on the metro because I forgot about it while I was reading The Last Lecture by Professor Randy Pausch. I am just excited I didn't trip while walking home. I am sure the firefighters watching would have gotten a chuckle but I think I would have fallen on the book and that would have torn the pages.

Back on topic.....

Unfortunately, no matter how good Hollywood is, they cannot compare to my imagination. They cannot match what is in my head. Sometimes they blow me out of the water with something I never imagined but more often then not, they do just good enough. Then there are also those times I really hate, when the movie changes the story of the book. If they were going to change every thing anyway, why couldn't they change the title and have a line in the credits that reads something like: loosely based of the book __________ by________.
ARGH!

Update....

I am much less grumpy today.....I cried about dear Zach......but I will survive. Maybe tomorrow I will write something thought provoking....HA!

Well heeelloooo Miss Cranky Pants......

You know those days where you are just grumpy? There is no rhyme or reason, everything just annoys you? Unfortunately, this is me; everything seems to irritate me lately.
So to save the self esteem of man kind in general, tonight I am going to:

• lock myself in my room
  
• watch the assumed to be very depressing season finale of Bones
• read something that will make me cry while listening to sappy music.

Hopefully, this will work it's way out of my system by tomorrow morning when I have to go see my very nice dentist.

There is apparently a key....

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to those who are unbridled, untrammeled, and free. In love, you feel the most alive when your partner is patient and never willing to give up on you. You'd like your lover to think you are optimistic and happy. You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please. Your ideal relationship is open. Both of you can talk about everything... no secrets. Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment. You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred. In this moment, you think of love as something you don't need. You just feel like flirting around and playing right now.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

Another day............another meaningless blog entry

Today nothing happened....

I know very boring......Hopefully tonight's walk with Jess and Chloe will clear the headache and get me back on track!!



Only 15 more days until my trip to Utah!!
(Not that i am counting or anything, but if in 15 days you didn't have to work for a whole week wouldn't you count to?)

Sleep.....

My eye's struggle to stay open. There is a pressure in my chest. Sounds start to confuse me; I have to concentrate to decipher what each individual sound is. Speaking takes even more effort; I speak slowly to make sure each word is pronounced correctly and the thought is complete.

I sleep for hours, only to awake and realize that it was not enough.

So I sleep more......

Whew....what a day!

Today started bright and early with a group of us traveling to spottsylvania for a Renaissance Fair and ended with a BBQ and a couple of hands of Flux with a different group. It has been a very fun, if very tiring, day for me and so I am going to keep this short.
At the Faire I:

• was impressed into the Militia to be in the Honor Gaurd for Queen Elizabeth I (God Save the Queen)
• tried a turkey leg (very messy)
• bought a bunch of fun things for my hair, including a cool snood! ( I just wanted to use the word snood on my blog...hee hee hee)
• watched The Mad Mechanicals wandering troubadoor show. They are funny
• got a sunburn
• watched the judging of the costumes (there were some awesome ones!)
• Learned about archery on the 16th century
• laughed ALOT

and my favorite of all.......

• got a henna tatoo!
  

Code Monkey has all of the good pictures but to tide you over here is what the tattoo on my calf looks like now.....Tee Hee Hee

Here or there? Right or left?

It was determined that............I have a brain......and it is split almost down the middle. LOL!

You Are 40% Left Brained, 60% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others.If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic.Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

BTT

Following up last week’s question about reading writing/grammar guides, this week, we’re expanding the question….

Scenario: You’ve just bought some complicated gadget home . . . do you read the accompanying documentation? Or not?

Do you ever read manuals? How-to books? Self-help guides? Anything at all?

I would skim the manual. I might not read it too in depth. I have been known to read How-to books and Self-help guides....they make me laugh sometimes.

I forgot to post..........

Remind me to tell you about meeting Officer Rourke in the Jermantown Cemetery.

Walking is always an adventure.....

Big Sister is having a Baby!

A few months ago I stumbled across an awesome turtle pattern for quilts. I decided to create a baby quilt for my big sister since I know that her favorite animal is the turtle. The blanket finally arrived in Texas and I am told that it is a perfect fit for the Pac and Play! I hope New baby will enjoy it. ")
P.S for those that want some general specifics…

I used 5 different types of fabrics for the most tactile experience possible.

• The backing and the border are a violet fleece.
  
• The “water” is a cotton material.
  
• The bright orange turtle is cotton with pom-pom’s sticking up.
• The green turtle is a mix between corduroy and fleece (who knows what the real name was, it just felt cool).
  
• The pink turtle is a satin.
  

The heads and tails of the green and pink turtles come up off of the background so little baby has something to grab onto.
The turtles were machine stitched and put into strips. Then the strips and the border were hand-stitched. The quilt was tied on the living room floor of my friend Beth’s house. Another first for me….I have never tied a quilt with out a quilting frame. I have no idea why I didn’t think it was possible; that thought seems silly now. Lol!

Anyway…now back to the other 2 quilts that have been sitting on the back burner. Lol!

A case of the Mondays.....

There is nothing really to write about today.

• I am tired (btw, I have been dubbed with the Alien Name "Too Tired" affectionately shortened from "Too Tired To Think Straight Due To Staying Up Late To Read" Thanks TM's)
• I am moody
• It is still raining, which I love, but it is causing leaking at the new house which will require me to move my furniture in my bedroom so the landlord/roommate can check the walls.
• Mom cried at her Mother's day gift. Mission Accomplished. :)
  
• I spent quite a bit of time putting together a blog entry, but haven't had the chance to finish it. Look for it in the future.
  
• I am going home soon....I have to do laundry, clean my room and move the aforementioned furniture for the roommate.

Happy Monday Y'all

Mother's Day

Here I sit in church this day has come around yet again. I sent my mother her Mother's day text and her gift should have been delivered. I think she will enjoy it. (Tiana or Tallie...Do we know if it was received? or what the reaction was?) There is a call scheduled for tomorrow at 7 pm to talk to my mom, today, my brother is calling from the mission field..........I figure he has primary importance. :)

*********
Hours have passed since I started this blog this morning. Every year this day fills me with mixed emotions. While I am grateful for a chance to celebrate my mother, whom I love, every year this day is uncomfortable for me. The weather seems to understand how I feel and want to improve my mood. I am sitting in my room with the windows open; the air is cool across my face, the strong smell of fresh rain fills the room and I can hear the steady drumming of rain on the porch roof.

I am not quite sure why today is so uncomfortable for me. I mean, long ago I recognized that the Lord had a different path for me. I knew I wouldn't be the woman who was married at 19 and have 2.5 kids. I am not one who "yearns" to be a mom.So why does Mothers Day make me wish I was that type of woman? I am pretty sure I know the answer to that question, I just don't know if I am ready to admit to it in this public of a forum.

For now I will close with a great big THANK YOU to all of the mothers in my life. From my biological mom to all of the adopted ones near and far. Thanks for all that you have done to make me the well adjusted woman I am today. ;)

Today's Update

I have been informed that the answer to yesterday's hypothetical question is: "Call 911, ya idiot." Now I know and would act accordingly, should I ever, heaven forbid, actually be in that situation.

Tallie, I thought of you today. I played the Friends version of Scene It. I actually won, you would be so proud of me. I also realized that I want to see the rest of the episodes. Hee Hee Hee.

Baby Mama...rent it if you really want to see it. But really, you don't want to see it.

Jess has an awesome recipe for caramel corn....we learned how to burn it tonight. Burnt popcorn is toxic.

Now we are going to figure out who James Mcevoy is so that we can watch his "coming of age" movie on HBO!

Happy Saturday one and all. :)

A Purely Hypothetical question

If when driving home one night you pass a car and see what looks to be a group of boys pull a man from a car and start hitting him what do you do?

Follow up question:

If about 30 seconds later you hear a pop that could, maybe, possibly, be a gun shot....do you call 911?

I am tired.......

"I sleep now."
(I'll make homemade popcorn, kettle corn, or caramel corn for anyone who can name that movie)

BTT

• Writing guides, grammar books, punctuation how-tos . . . do you read them? Not read them? How many writing books, grammar books, dictionaries–if any–do you have in your library?

Everyone knows I read just about anything....but this? Well, if you could get me a book on the history of writing, grammar and punctuation I might be down for it. Otherwise this is not something I pick up in my spare time. LOL!

(I will admit to own 2 maybe 3 dictionaries though. you never know when you are going to need a definition.)

Caffeine for the Day.........

No one should expect me to be coherent today.

I finished The Host in 8 hours. That time included an hour long conversation with my younger brother for his birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY GOOSE!), phone calls from 4 other friends and a the tiem it took to make my muffin/cookie things. I finished the book in the wee hours of the dawn;. 4 am to be precise.

Now, I am on my second can of coke and trying to figure out what i am going to do when the caffeine stops working. Any suggestions?

My response to the book: I liked it. I plan to read the book again, very slowly. I know there are nuances I missed. Now I know that things end in the way I want, I can focus on the rest of the story. I am continually amazed at the character development in Stephanie Meyers novels; especially how she handles the "bad guys". I refuse to put any spoilers on this site,that is why I have The Forum.

Also in response to repeated requests:

The Ironman was actually really good. I am looking forward to the rest of the Avenger series movies. I did have a small problem watching the first 10 minutes or so. I figure, I know to many people serving in the Middle East to be comfortable with a scene that includes a firefight where American soldiers get killed etc.

I'm leaving on a jet plane..........

I just did the victory dance in my office!

I was just given verbal approval for a trip in June!!! I am going to UT!
(sorry for all the exclamation points.....I am really REALLY excited.)

Long story short:
My friend Sarah has been planning to visit me for months, but she doesn’t want to deal with the travel aspect of us getting together. So instead of her coming to visit me, she is bringing me to her. Lol! What a GREAT birthday present!!! I can hardly wait!!!!

Everybody together now….do a quick chair dance!!!

**Edit**

Idol Update

I just finished watching Idol while covering the front desk. I must say that I think Randy was a grump last night, and not just because he made Sayesha cry. The only person he was really complimentary about was little David.
While I have never been a fan of Jason Castro, and he was by far the worst performance of the four, I don't think he did as bad as the judges said. I think his second song would have been better if he hadn't been so nervous after the bad review. Poor guy, but I really think he is going home tonight. :(

I am a total geek...........

But I am too excited to keep it to myself. There was even jumping up and down in my office.

I had resigned myself to waiting another 2 days (!!) for The Host (the latest Stephanie Meyer book) to arrive. Amazon said it wouldn’t be here until then and I believed them. So when everyone was talking about reading all day long and getting all excited about getting their books, I took a deep breath and reminded myself I had made plans and that a ‘2 day wait’ wouldn’t be that bad.

Amazon apparently loves me lots because my book arrived at my office today! No wait……nothing! Now I have plans AND a very beautiful book sitting on my desk! AAAACCCKKKK!

I am still unsure of whether or not I will actually enjoy this book. So I’ll let you know tomorrow; when I am running on no sleep but have finished the book. Good thing I stocked up on coke! Lol!

Day 5..........

See even blog things agrees. Maybe this is why I started reading romance novels; LOL! I recognize that romance only exists in the stories; it is fiction not fact.

You Are A Realist

When it comes to romance, you tend to take a realistic approach. You believe that love takes time, and it's something you have to work hard for. A bit cynical, over the top romance tends to get under your skin. Your heart is difficult to win ... but it's totally worth it.

Are You Romantic or Realistic?

Thanks nichtszusagen.

December can't come soon enough...

Across the world women of all ages are squealing in delight.


Note: I was not one of the squealing women, but I must admit to using the "play again" button a few times. :)

A day in Church.......

***Religious posting***

Today is Sunday, but not any Sunday. For Mormons, today is Fast Sunday; meaning we fast today and our church meetings involve members of the congregation getting up in front of each other and testifying of the truths that they know. As a missionary, I used to be afraid of this day. You never know what some one is going to testify. While, I have grown to appreciate this day more as I have gotten older, it is still not my favorite Sunday of the month for various reasons that have more to do with culture than religion.

But I really enjoyed today's meetings. Most of the people spoke of the importance of families and the power of prayer and faith. Many people spoke of the love our Heavenly Father and the Savior has for each one of us. The knowledge that the Lord is willing to help us to become the best that we can be. None of which is news to me, but it was a nice reaffirmation of the truth. During the last meeting of the day, one of the girls quoted Elder Henry B Eyering.

When you find out who you really are, you are going to be sad you didn't try harder.

She then went on to talk about how we need to be working our way along the Lord's path, that as we become who He wants us to be that path will continue to become clearer. Things are changing in my world and the path isn't all that clear. This was a good reminder that He has a plan for me. That there are things that I need to learn so I can become not only the good person I want to be, but also the person the Lord needs me to be. I want to do everything in my power to be that person; so that I won't look back and wish I had "tried harder".

So here's to the straight and narrow and hoping that, like J. Golden Kimball, I can continue to try to cross it as often as possible. :)

I am Tired…

Quotes of the evening:

“I don’t want to be misunderstood, but wen you eat the sushi like that you sound…ummm… you sound…what’s the word…orgasmic.”

“Ma Ma Ma Ma.
Oh Toh Toh Toh.
Tip Tip Tip Tip”

“I’m pretty sure you could take her. As a matter of fact, I am almost positive you could take her.”

As for Berwynn Heights Day.........
It was a blast that left a lasting impression. I was going for pink…what do you think?

A Post A Day In May

I'm joining the crowd over at Allsorts in this effort.. We'll see if I can actually complete this. Things might get hectic, but here goes. Maybe it will get me out of the tags, quizzes, and nonsense that I have been writing. So...yay for day two.
I am off to have movie night with Jess...then to Berwyn Heights Day tomorrow and Book Club on Sunday. (I forgot that is the book I am supposed to have with me today. I will just have to read it tomorrow. Lol! Good thing I have read A Wrinkle in Time so many times. Lol!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

For ~tracey~

Okay I know that I just did one like this, but I am trying to encourage ….so this one is for ~tracey~; who I 'met' through Amy; who I 'met' through Meg; who still does not have a computer and is going through withdrawals!
I, myself, am also experiencing withdrawals symptoms therefore I am filling my blog with unimportant links, videos, and quizzes while I work all day and play all night at various events. Thanks Code Monkey and Aunt Joyce! Now onto my answers:

4 things I was doing 10 years ago... 1998

1. Working at Days Inn
2. Working at Sears home Central
3. Playing with Meg and the Trio (I wonder where Adam, Russ, and Dave are.)
4. Lukas was 1… ‘nuff said

4 things I was doing 5 years ago...2003

1. Working at Lehi Medical Clinic.

I have no idea what else I was doing….can anyone help me out?

4 things I did yesterday...

1. Work
2. Met Aunt Joyce in Old Town to walk to the Waterfront
3. Ate at an Italian restaurant next to the group that seemed straight from the script of the Sopranos.
4. Got a short ghost tour from a very nice man named Russ!

4 shows I like...

1. American Idol
2. Law & Order:SVU
3. When Weather Changed History.
4. Bones and Heroes (Thanks Code Monkey for the Heroes DVD’s; I can watch them now that I have no cable!)

My biggest 4 joys of the moment...

1. I am going to the NSO tonight!
2. I have an AWESOME Boss. Really, she is amazing
3. I have plans for every weekend for the month!
4. Spring is here and the weather is FABULOUS!!!

I am not going to tag anyone...so do this one if you want to....

BTT

Quick! It’s an emergency! You just got an urgent call about a family emergency and had to rush to the airport with barely time to grab your wallet and your passport. But now, you’re stuck at the airport with nothing to read. What do you do??

And, no, you did NOT have time to grab your bookbag, or the book next to your bed. You were . . . grocery shopping when you got the call and have nothing with you but your wallet and your passport (which you fortuitously brought with you in case they asked for ID in the ethnic food aisle). This is hypothetical, remember….

In reality, we all know that this is not a possibility. I travel with a backpack that includes 2 (if not 3 or 4) books at any given time.

But if this were the case I would definitely be hitting up the airport book stores trying to find something to read. You know I would find more then one (usually 3 or 4) and then I would have to buy one of those horrible bags that they sell so I would have something to carry everything in. Then would come the dilemma of me having an extra carry-on....
*sigh* Heaven forbid this ever from happening. Lol!