Where I show my complete dorkiness about a fictional character.

Today is Harry Potter's birthday. Yes, it's true, the Boy Who Lived is now the ripe old age of 28. Or maybe 27. But for sure no longer 17.

Which is a little sad to me. I still love this series. I still listen to the books in my quiet times at work, enjoying the little things that ended up meaning something. I don't think that JK Rowling is the best author in the world, but I think she writes a pretty good story. Some of the things she does: all the alliteration, "said Percy pompously," "Bagman boisterously", (ugh!), the book to book to book references of Snape's "curtain of black hair," Hermione's cat being a "fluffy ginger cushion," drives me mad. But I don't notice it as much when reading as I do when listening.

But I have to admit, I love this series. I listened to book 7 a few weeks ago, and I still love the ending, the grand finale if you will, with nearly every character brought back for their own curtain call. I don't think she could have ended the series better.

Happy Birthday, Harry! Thanks for getting me through so many hours of data entry. I'm glad you lived.

Oh, and I just thought of this. Tomorrow night is the release of Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer's new Twilight book. I'm half tempted to run down to my B & N and wait in line (even though I don't own any of the other books) just to remember the fun of the HP release nights. I'm interested to find out what happens to Ed & Bella, even though I sometimes wish the Volturi would take care of her for us. I really hope that we WON'T see any Bella-thrown-over-the-back scenes in BD, but that may be too much to wish for.

The reason why I am no good in an emergency.

The summer I was 9, my older sister babysat two sisters, Ashley and Danielle. Ashley was my age, so we got along like the proverbial peas & carrots. Dani was a few years younger, so she always wanted to play with us. Most of the time, this was fine. Being the youngest of 4, I was used to being left out, and could appreciate a little bit of Dani's desire to be included.

That was a fun summer. We spent most of the summer riding our bikes and hitting tennis balls into our patio wall (these activites were not performed simultaneously, in case you were wondering). I had a fancy-schmancy new purple bike with streamers and a banana seat. I loved riding it. I loved the days when Ashley would bring her banana-seat bike over and we would ride up and down the street.

Until one fateful day.

Ashley and I had just closed the front door to leave on our bikes. As the door shut, I heard Dani's angry yell at not being included. This was one day that my friend and I wanted to be clear of the 7 year old, so we didn't intend to wait. I did, however, look back to see Dani pulling our heavy front door closed behind her with her hand on the inside of the door. Time slowed down as I watched her start to jump up and down, clasping her hand, bright drips of blood spurting onto the concrete porch. She was screaming and blood was pouring and my mom and sister were running to her, pulling her into the living room. I looked at Ashley, and knew we weren't going on our bikes that day.

In an effort to avoid the girl bleeding profusely in my living room, I went through the garage to enter the house. As I opened the door, I saw the swarm of people around Dani had moved into the kitchen, thus blocking my path. I attempted to go around them to get to my room (or somewhere, I'm not sure where I really wanted to go), but I saw all the blood and my stomach turned. I had to get out of the kitchen, and down the hall, but not that way. So I walked back out of the house, through the garage and back onto the porch to get into the house through the door that had caused all the trouble. It was locked. I was panicked and sick and wanted more than anything to get away from all the blood and gore.

Now, I didn't know it, but Dani had cut the tip of her finger off in our door. That tiny bit of flesh had fallen onto the porch. As I tried to get in the door, I inadvertantly STEPPED ON the finger fragment. All of a sudden, I felt a strange squishy thing on the bottom of my foot. I turned my foot over to inspect it. I saw what looked like a peanut, so I prompty wiped my foot off in the grass.

Moments or minutes later, everyone was running around asking if anyone had seen the finger. I guess they figured if they could find it, maybe it could be reattached once they reached the doctor. I guiltily realized that what I had percieved as a peanut had been Dani's missing digit. I confessed, and although we set to searching the grass, it proved finger-less.

Because of my mistake, Dani had to get a skin graft from her bum to replace the tip of her finger. And everyone knew that I couldn't distinguish a body part from a peanut.

I haven't improved much in 24 years. I still get queasy at the site of blood. I tend to panic when my kids get hurt, especially when they hit their face or mouth. I simply can't look until I know that they aren't spouting blood or horribly disfigured, so I make Shane or someone else look whenever I can. I'll hold them, rock them, comfort them, but I have to physically force myself to look at the damage.

I know it's wimpy of me. But I'm just no good to anyone in an emergency.

I'm pretty sure that I've gotten better at identifying peanuts, though.

And the view from the top is great.

So, we hiked Timpanogas yesterday. By "we" I mean Shane, me, our friend John, and his son Tanner. It was great. I love this hike. I love looking at the mountain in the morning and thinking, in a few hours I'll be on top. I love looking down at Utah, Salt Lake, and Summit Counties, and counting all the lakes. I love seeing the mountain change from this solid stone ediface to a crumbling tower of shale dotted with lichen. I love seeing the people coming up and down the trail, all giving a greeting and a sweaty but friendly smile.

But I love making the memory of hiking this mountain each year. The first was with my sister Amy. It was probably one of my favorite days in my life. I talked with her the way you can only talk with a sister. We seriously never shut up the entire day, and it took us over 9 hours. The next year, I hiked it with my two best friends, Shane and Melanie. We laughed and joked the whole time; well, at least the whole time when we weren't being rained on. I loved being with them on their first trip up the mountain. I loved being with them both at the top, even though it was freezing cold, huddled next to the shack eating peanut butter sandwiches and fruit leather.

This year's hike was just as memorable. I liked watching Tanner push himself through the hike. I was so impressed with his determination; he did great, and he's only 12 years old. I liked laughing with John and Shane on the trail, and seeing them on top together, two friends who have been together for many years. I liked running through the "meadow" with Shane; we had gotten behind, so when we reached the relatively flat basin below Timp's peaks, we ran to catch up. Running at over 9000 feet gives it's own rewards. I liked when we reached the bottom, and we washed our feet off in the cold mountain faucet, our feet and legs slowly changing back to white from muddy brown.

It was a great day. I am so glad to add another great memory of Timp to the other two. Thanks to Melanie, who was our chauffer for the day, and our savior by bringing us cold gatorades. Now, here are some pics:

Shane & I at the beginning. I'm already sweaty!

John & Tanner

Early on, you cross and recross the water from these falls. It's one of my favorite spots.

As you reach the Meadow. This is the snowfield. It is really steep! I was amazed at how much snow is still there this late in the summer.

Looking down on where we started. Beautiful!
The four of us from the saddle.
Looking up at the Summit. This is a hard section, but so worth it!
Looking down on Emerald Lakes at the base of the snow field. Another of my favorite views.
Looking east from the summit. You can see the top of the snowfield, and smoke rising from a fire near Bridle Veil Falls.

Shane & me at the top.

Meet my new friend.

Dear New Friend,

You made my acquaintance before I made yours. You've been there a few months I'd guess from the size of you; I imagine you've been hoping, waiting for some acceptance, some recognition by your host. I'm glad to say I didn't know you were there until I cast my eyes on you for the first time in the ladies room today.

Don't think you can fool me. The shine on you suggested you were trying to blend in with your brown neighbors (I can't call you friends), but I wasn't fooled. I knew who you were the moment I saw your color: grey. Grey. Grey. Grey.

Don't think yourself special because you are the first. I'm glad you weren't spotted while I was still a young 32, mere days ago. That indeed would have been a blow. I know you are going to announce to others of your kind that the water is warm, so come on and jump right in. I despise you for that. But you must have your small victories, mustn't you, you shorter-than-the average interloper.

I've got my eye on you. Don't even worry, because I'll be on the lookout for more of your kind. I may just pull you right out, so consider yourself warned. Watch out. Medium brown, purchased from the beauty supply store, will hopefully be your downfall. I know, I know, I'll battle you again and again, but your hide out has been discovered.

I'll be watching you.

Signed, the Host of the Head of Nicely Brown Hair before YOU Arrived

Book reviews

Here are a few reviews of books I've read lately.

The Host, Stephenie Meyer

I really enjoyed this book. I admit I wasn't really excited to read it, but I was pleasantly suprised. I think that Meyer did a better job at making a cohesive book than she did with Eclipse (the 3rd book in the Twilight series).

I have two criticisms of the book. I hate how Wanderer (and Bella, if you really want to know) is always getting packed around by Jared and Ethan. I don't understand why Meyer always has her characters being physically carted off so often. It really bugs. I also disliked the person that Wanda became in the end. She was too Bella-y, shy, cute, smallish. I thought that the Melanie host was much more appealing because she wasn't cutesy. All of their reasons for picking her aside, I was dissapointed in who she became in the end. Yet again we have a character who everyone is always fauning over and wanting to protect. It makes me crazy.

Aside from these minor issues, I enjoyed the book. I thought that the way that humanity and what really makes us human was portrayed very well. I think that Meyer was able to bridge the gap of her personal morals and the book's well. I always wonder how I would write a book, when I come from the culture that I live in. They say they can only write what you know, and I think that Meyer has done well at writing a book that appeals to mainstream audiences without compromising her morals.

Outlander, by Gil Adamson

This book is like Cold Mountain, except the outlaw we are following is a woman. She is running from her freaky brothers-in-law, who are after her because she killed their brother, her husband. Most of the time, the woman is just called "the widow," but her name is Mary. The book follows her through her adventures in the mountains as she tries to outrun her pursuers. The book is set in Canada at the turn of the 20th century, so it's full of colorful characters, like miners and horse theives and other outlaws. Definitely a fast read, and written extremely well. The author has a background in poetry, so the details are vividly alive.

Mudbound, by Hillary Jordan

This book is set in the late 1940's in Mississippi. It is told from the multiple perspectives of 2 families who live on a cotton farm, one black, one white. The first scene shows two brothers preparing the grave of their recently deceased father. The setting is grim, all muddy and rainy and full of despair. In time you learn how the father died, and why the wife of the oldest brother was glad he was dead. It's a book that shows you the despondency caused by racism, and how events viewed from both sides of the story show the gaping holes in even good people's morals. The book gets brutal, but it is a good portrait of how prejudices remained even 80 years after the Civil War.

Blogiversary

I told Shane that today is my blogiversary. He told me he didn't know such a thing existed. Well, lucky for him (and me) it does.

And today is the day.

I've thought a lot about this. I wanted to have today be my hundredth post, but I'm a slacker & only tallied about 90. Anyhow, I've been thinking for a while that I wanted to do a 100 things list.

1. Just in case you didn't notice, I like books. I almost always have one to read, and if I don't, I'm looking.
2. I spend a lot of time looking at places to find new things read. One place that has led me to great books time & time again is the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers series. Some of my favorite books ever have come from these selections.
3. For a long time, my favorite book was Gone with the Wind. I've never been too keen on the movie; Clark Gable as Rhett always seemed too old in my opinion.
4. I did gymnastics until I was 14. The gym that we belonged to was always one of the top contenders in the state.
5. Unfortunately, when I started doing gymnastics at 9, I was too old. By the time I was 14 I was too tall, too old, and not talented enough to have my coaches really give a crap.
6. I had one coach for 4 years who I was deathly afraid of. Seriously, I would get stomach aches just thinking about the fact that I had to go to gym that night just because I knew he would be there and would probably be grumpy yet again.
7. His name was Jack. He wasn't afraid to yell, and he got right into your face to do it. His eyes bugged out a little when he yelled, so all you had were these scary buggy blue eyes staring you in the face while he yelled at you.
8. Some people could handle Jack. I couldn't. But he taught me discipline and respect and accountability in a way that no one else did.
9. When Jack left, I realized that he probably cared more about us as his students than any of the other coaches combined.
10. I saw Jack one time at a meet a few months after he quit coaching us. The other coaches had warned us he would be there, and when he came up and said hi to me and offered to help me tape up my ankle, I told him no. I regret that a lot. I think I should have been kinder. And my ankle would have been taped a whole lot better. I wasn't very good at it.
11. I have had casts on every limb of my body. I bet I could beat anyone in a contest for the highest number of casts. I had a club foot when I was born, so I was casted until I was 10 months. Then I had surgery to correct my foot when I was 6. I broke my left arm a year later, my right arm 2 years later, and my right ankle 5 years later.
12. I quit gymnastics after I broke my right ankle.
13. I started dance the same year. At first I didn't give dance much respect, because I thought gymnastics was harder. I quickly learned that though they were different, it didn't make dance any easier.
14. I did ballet and modern dance up until I got married.
15. I was on the modern dance team at Virgina Tech and at UVSC. Those were two of the best years I spent in college.
16. I started college my senior year in high school. I sometimes think it's strange that I didn't go to high school for that year, but I don't regret it for even a minute. I was so done with high school, both the classes and the mentality.
17. Even though I started at 17, it still took me til I was 23 to graduate from college.
18. I have an English degree from the University of Utah. The day I graduated, I went to commencement and didn't know a soul. Everyone was talking to their friends and I was just there by myself. I didn't go to college to make friends, and obviously I succeeded.
19. I still enjoyed my commencement ceremony immensely. Mitt Romney spoke, and at that point, I'd had no idea who he was. The commencement was much better than the gathering where I got my diploma. The department was coupled with 10 other departments in the college, and this made it so that it was more like a cattle stampede than a graduation. It sucked.
20. I tend to get too wordy and use far to many words to explain myself. And it's often physically impossible for me to tell a story without giving so much back story that by the time I get where I want to be, I forgot the point of my story. You might have noticed, since I do it when I write as well.
21. I went through a goth stage and a hippie stage.
22. Attending a Grateful Dead concert inspired my hippie stage. I don't think I even knew a Grateful Dead song before I went to the show.
23. My first "show" was in Las Vegas and I didn't even have a ticket. I spent two incredibly inebriated days in the parking lot, and then bought a ticket for the last day of the show from a guy selling them off the side of Tropicana Street.
24. In all, I went to 5 dead shows, 3 in Vegas, one in Salt Lake, and another in Phoenix.
25. When I went to the shows in Vegas, I usually stayed at my friend Rebecca's mom's house. She loved to open up her house to all these dirty hippie girls and boys. I still don't know why, but it was nice to have somewhere to clean up after spending the day in a dirty parking lot, drinking warm beer. Blech.
26. One of the strangest nights of my life happened after one such day in the parking lot. My good friend Cindy (ha, ha) had a car that overheated twice in the space of 2 hours. We were supposed to spend the night camping at lake mead. Instead, I found myself with 10 people in the middle of east Las Vegas with nowhere to go, 1 car that worked (mine) and another car that didn't.
27. Cindy's boyfriend Chris talked to some hippie named Jerry who stopped to help us. Jerry suggested putting eggs in the radiator to seal up the cracks. Jerry apparently got clear across the country on 3 eggs.
28. I thought it was the dumbest thing I'd ever heard. So did Cindy, since she didn't let him near her radiator with any eggs.
29. We pushed Cindy's car to a parking lot after the second break down. I then shuttled half of the 10 people 10 miles to the parking strip of my (sleeping) uncle's front lawn. I told them not to make a sound until I got back with the other half. Cindy and her boyfriend got into a fight as we got into my uncle's neighborhood. Chris stormed off into the night. Apparently he was going to walk home because no one liked his eggs in the radiator scheme.
30. I had to knock on my uncle's door at 3:30 in the morning with a bunch of dirty kids. We were just going to sleep on the front lawn, but I wanted to give them a heads up so they weren't surprised in the morning.
31. My uncle made me come inside and gave me the biggest lecture ever about how irresponsible I was to bring all those kids to his house. But he wouldn't let us stay on the lawn & made us come inside.
32. I stuffed 7 of the other kids in my uncles den and told them to go to sleep and not make a sound. Cindy and I slept in my cousin's cosy waterbed in the next room. We sat and cried in the dark because I was sure my family would be mad at me forever and Cindy was sad her boyfriend had left.
33. He hadn't left.
34. He came to the door when he saw my uncle's lights turn on around 5 am. My uncle was a security guard & carried a gun, and came and got me after he answered the door. I told Chris to take a hike for a while, that I was in trouble & couldn't let him in until my uncle left for work.
35. Not taking the hint, Chris went to my uncle's neighbor's house and tried to get them to call the cops, because I had "said I was in trouble, and the guy had a gun."
36. The police informed him they couldn't do anything. Meanwhile, I went upstairs and went to sleep and forgot to let Chris in til after 10am. He had been making friends with the neighbors and climbing on my uncle's house, trying to see inside a window that was over the door to see if he could see me or Cindy.
37. We finally let Chris in. He promptly made himself right at home by taking a shower in my uncle's master bathroom.
38. I thought my mom would be mad at me for taking everyone there, but she wasn't. She was glad I had somewhere to stay that wasn't dangerous. That made me feel better.
39. I told you I can drag out a story like none other. But I think that is a funny one. I was glad when Cindy lost the loser Chris.
40. I had a lot of fun being a hippie. It meant you could wear little patchwork sundresses and not do your hair or makeup or take too many showers.
41. Although, it's amazing how much people who are largely unwashed still care about their image. The hippies I met were just as worried about how they looked, but it was in how dirty they could be, rather than how clean.
42. It led me to believe that most people are posers. They really, really want people to think that they are as cool as their image suggests, and will go to incredible lengths to prove it.
43. I never had quite that good of an image, because I'm not very good at pretending. I never really felt like I fit in with real hippies. I had a job, a car, a family, some values (even though I wasn't really living them), and a place to live which put me on the outs with most of them. I'm glad.
44. When I stopped being a hippie, I started being a mormon again.
45. Coming back to church, I felt (and often still do) on the outside. It seems like I'm always on the fringes of whatever group I'm affiliating myself with. My experiences of being a mormon and not a mormon make me "other" wherever I go. I've gotten used to it, and have found my niche, though.
46. It makes me feel like I wear my past on my sleeve. I think I probably have more in common with converts to the LDS church, despite my life-long membership in it.
47. I still love my religion. I like that it has helped me to forge a relationship with God that is all my own. It is something I rely on and cherish.
48. Alright, I'm getting pretty wordy and serious here. Hope you aren't getting bored.
49. I have 7 nieces and 4 nephews, 1 great-niece and 1 great-nephew.
50. I am the youngest of 4 girls. I love my sisters.
51. I cannot sing to save my life. It is an experience that is terrible to behold.
52. I love to talk to people. I talk to everyone, even strangers in the grocery store. Shane has gotten used to it.
53. I met my mother-in-law and my husband on the same day. I worked with them both loooonng before we were ever family.
54. I have worked at the same place for over 9 years. I have a great job.
55. My friend Rebecca and I have been friends since we were 13. I had her as one of my bridesmaids in my wedding. We still talk on the phone a few times a year. She has been with me forever.
56. I don't go to my high school reunions. There isn't anyone there that I want to reconnect with if I haven't already.
57. I've found people I knew in high school through blogging. It's cool. It's fun to see people without the high school filter on.
58. I go to the Nordstrom sale with my family every year. I love it. It's the one day when my inherent cheapness flies out the window. I even got a babysitter to watch my kids this year so I could go and have fun. I've never gotten a babysitter for such a purpose in my life.
59. I love Dr. Pepper. I need to drink less of it.
60. I can be shy when I don't know people. But this has gotten less prevalent as I've gotten older. I usually find that the people that initially intimidate me the most are far less intimidating once you get to know them.
61. I lived in the same house from the time I was 1 to when I moved out at 18. I also had the same phone number.
62. I would never, ever, ever want to go back to junior high.
63. If I had no one else to take care of, I would probably spend my whole life reading.
64. I wish I took better pictures. I try really hard, but I have to admit that I know I took better pictures with my non-digital SLR than I do with my digital. Not to say that I don't love my camera, because I do, but even after 3 years I'm still figuring it out.
65. I have a hard time telling my feelings to my mom. It is something I should work on harder. I am always afraid that I come off as ungrateful.
66. I am easily distracted. If I am nervous at all and I get distracted in what I am saying or doing, I may never remember what it was I wanted to say or do.
67. I am a worrier. I worried for years that we would have an earthquake (dang all those geology classes in 7th grade) and my nieces would be pinned underneath the big dressers that were in their rooms. One of my favorite things to worry about is all the dumb things I do or say in during the course of a day. Unfortunately, this happens quite a lot.
68. I try to be a peacemaker. I hate to have someone mad at me. I would rather lie and say everything is fine than admit that I have a grudge or disagree with someone. I know this is irrational, but I can't seem to break the habit.
69. When I first learned to drive, I drove a brown 1972 Ford Torino. It was ugly and got about .2 miles to the gallon. One summer, a local radio station was handing out bumper stickers with their frequencey, which happened to be 96. My friends tore one in half and reversed the numbers so that my bumper sticker said 69. Special.
70. I spent a lot of time at dance clubs during my formative years. I thought nothing was more fun than a night at the PALACE (for any of you who've lived in Provo).
71. My favorite club was the Ivy Tower. It had an alternative music night, and my friends and I used to lie and say we were 18 so we could get in. Ah, those were fun nights.
72. The summer I turned 17, I took a ballet workshop at the University of Utah. It required that I live in Salt Lake City for 6 weeks. That was my first taste of living on my own.
73. That was a fun, fun summer. We never had a curfew, since we lived with some college girls who knew Rebecca's older sister. I can remember a night when my friends Cindy, Angie, and Rebecca (who did the dance camp with me) stole cigarettes and smoked them down by the pond at Sugarhouse Park until late in the night. Being with your friends was the best back then.
74. I never had a boyfriend from my home town, or dated anyone that I went to school with. I always dated guys from other local towns that I met at dance clubs.
75. I was 18 when I met my husband.
76. I didn't kiss him until I was 22.
77. I married him at 23.
78. Shane didn't talk to me for more than 1 1/2 years at one point in our history. It was my fault. I missed him a lot during that time. I guess that is what brought me to his house on the night we got together.
79. July 24, 1997 is when we finally got together. It will be 11 years this week since he started to talk to me again.
80. He told his friend that night that he was going to marry me. It made me jump a little, but I knew from the first that that was the direction we would be moving. I made my decision immediately. I am glad I did.
81. I always thought I would have a daughter. But I knew Thomas would be a boy from the get-go.
82. I have learned a lot about boys in the past 7 years. I even want to learn to do the stuff they are interested in, like throwing footballs and shooting basketballs, so I don't embarrass them.
83. I have a thing for remembering dates. I can remember the date of almost every big thing that I've ever done. I even remember the dates that other people do stuff. Like my friend Rebecca. I still remember the date that she first when on a date with Shane's friend Matt.
84. That would be February 13, 1997, thank you very much. Give or take a day.
85. I rarely forget people. I hate that about myself, because I never think people will remember me.
86. I eat the same thing everyday at lunch. A bag of chips, a thing of yogurt, a pb & j sandwich. I even eat the same flavor of yogurt. I like what I like, and I don't often vary from it.
87. I have a counting thing. I am always counting steps or just moments that it takes me to do stuff. I think it is my special form of autism.
88. I also whisper stuff. I don't really know when I'm doing it. But mostly when I'm nervous about what I'm going to say. Kind of like a warm up. I do it a lot on the phone when I'm calling someone. I guess I have to have a practice run before the big moment. I know that this is weird. Again, refer to the last sentence of #88.
89. I like to run, but I'm not fast. I do like to push myself, though.
90. I think the perfect amount of distance to run is 10 miles. You get to this zone around miles 7-8 where your body is on autopilot, and you think, I run. That is what I do. I just run. It is a great feeling.
91. I haven't run anywhere close to 10 miles in 4 years.
92. I am a wimp and run on my treadmill most of the time. I make excuses for the weather. Oh, it's too hot, or too cold, or too windy. So I head downstairs.
93. I miss rocking my babies to sleep at night. I think that those moments when your babies are little, little are some of the sweetest moments of your whole life. I wish I could bottle them.
94. I think that being pregnant is the best thing. Even though I get sick, even though I get fat, I think that is such a special time. I wanted my babies birth days to last forever. I would have been sad to have a 3 or 4 hour labor; I wanted to savor it. Weird, I know. But I love that day.
95. I almost always have allergies. I am too lazy to take anything for them. So I am always stuffy. It gets a little old sometimes.
96. I like to sleep as much as possible. I am not a morning person. I tend to get an energy boost around 8pm that drives sleep from my body. I think I spent most of my childhood waiting to fall asleep and the other part trying to wake up.
97. I am famous in my family for being grumpy in the morning. My son Ben is just like me.
98. I have my husband cut my hair when I remember to have it cut. I am not good at doing my hair, or anyone elses. I can cut my boys hair pretty well, though. I've gotten good at that. But styling is beyond me. Thank heaven for ponytails.
99. I will soon be getting 2 hours of freedom while Ben goes to preschool in the fall. I can't wait for those 2 hours.
100. I am naturally a slob. But I try pretty hard for my husband to combat my inner nature. My compromise is having disorganized closets. And my desk is a mess, but Shane can't see that.

That is it. Holy cow, that took longer than I thought. Sorry if I got wordy, but I warned you.

Happy bloggiversary to me!

How faucets can hold much more than water...

One of my favorite movies is Under the Tuscan Sun with Diane Lane. One of the little details in the movie involves a faucet curiously placed in the foyer of a home. When turned on at first, nothing happens. As the movie progresses and Diane Lane's character grows and fills her life with good things, you see the faucet go from something dry and pointless to a veritable waterfall (albeit a small one).

Sometimes I think about that little metaphor and try to apply it to my life. When I think of an empty faucet, I think of something that is dry, lifeless, wasting. To me, it depicts a person who doesn't allow her talents and time to flow over those who need them. Then I think of the last scene in the movie, when the faucet is turned on and water splashes merrily to the red tile floor, covering it in a matter of moments. This is a life that is overflowing with good, with life, with service and love being showered upon all that crosses its path.

This idea makes me want to have a life that is overflowing (though I picture it overflowing with blessings, rather than water, thank you very much). It makes me want to try a little harder. It makes me offer to take a neighbor or friend's children so they can have a quiet afternoon. Or take a dinner in. Or just call someone who I know might be lonely. I know that I can do a lot better at this; I don't do these things enough, but when I do it makes me happy to know that I tried to help someone. I hope that these small efforts make up for all the times when I'm not so nice or selfless.

So, are there things that motivate you to try a little harder?

Top 100 list of books from The Big Read

I stole this meme from my sister Amy, who got it from her friend Molly. They say that the average person has only read six. I was excited when I read it on Amy's blog to see that I had read more than six. Here are the rules:

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read
3) Underline the books you LOVE.

Ready? OK!

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen. Love it! I waited til I was 30 to read this, and that was a mistake. I love the movie, and recently the music from the movie.
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien. I've read them and listened to them. I have a hard time with the first book, but love the second & third.
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling. I've read them all, but I've listened to them more. I spent 2 or 3 YEARS at work listening to them over & over.
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee. I never wanted to read this when I was growing up. I loved it once I read it..
6. The Bible. I've read parts, so I'm bolding part (I always was a copycat, Amy!).
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte.
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell.
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman.
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott. I always cry when I read this. Or watch the movie. If I ever had a girl, I'd name her Megan, so I could call her Meg, from this book. I'm a geek.
12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy. Does it count if I WANT to read it?
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller.
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare.
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier. I sort of skimmed...
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien.
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks.
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger.
19. The Time Traveler’s's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger. I read this every year. Although this year, I didn't finish it. I cry & cry when I read it and I just couldn't take it this time round. Can't wait for the movie!!
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot.
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell. I've read this so many times I can't count. Hey, Amy, remember "Gone with the wind like Scarlett O' Well?? ;)
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald. Reread it last year after reading the Christ Bojalian book (can't remember title). Wasn't impressed with GG.
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens.
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams.
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck. Parts of it. Liked East of Eden better.
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll.
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy. This book is my personal nemesis. I can't finish it. I hate it!
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis.
34. Emma - Jane Austen. Again, partway.
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini. I loved his second novel, though.
37. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
38. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
39. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne.
40. Animal Farm - George Orwell
41. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown.
42. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
43. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving.
44. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
45. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery.
46. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
47. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood.
48. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
49. Atonement - Ian McEwan
50. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
51. Dune - Frank Herbert
52. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
53. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
54. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
55. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
56. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
57. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley.
58. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
59. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
60. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck.
61. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
62. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
63. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold.
64. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas. Shane & I both read this book.
65. On The Road - Jack Kerouac.
66. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy.
67. Bridget Jones' Diary - Helen Fielding.
68. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie.
69. Moby Dick - Herman Melville.
70. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
71. Dracula - Bram Stoker
72. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett.
73. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
74. Ulysses - James Joyce.
75. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath. I read this because I knew Amy loved SP. It was okay.
76. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
77. Germinal - Emile Zola
78. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
79. Possession - AS Byatt. Love it, love it!
80. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens.
81. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
82. The Color Purple - Alice Walker. I took an Alice Walker class in college. Loved it! I still remember my best paper that I wrote was from on of her books that includes the kids from The Color Purple.
83. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
84. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
85. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
86. Charlotte's Web - EB White. I read it with Thomas. We both cried when Charlotte died.
87. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
88. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
89. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
90. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.
91. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery. In FRENCH and english.
92. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
93. Watership Down - Richard Adams.
94. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
95. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
96. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
97. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
98. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo.

I don't know where 99 & 100 are. Let me know if you play along!

And on the 33rd year...

Come tomorrow, my age will be divisible by 11. This is a rarity in our lives; it can only happen 6, 7 or maybe even 8 times if we are lucky. This will be my third go around. Yay, me!

In celebration of 33 years on this planet, here are 33 words & what they mean to me right now. I'm going to write these as fast as I can and TRY to not self-edit. So, if they come across not making much sense, blame my stream of consciousness.

1 - grateful: for sons, husbands, friends

2 - hopeful that I get a cake tomorrow (who doesn't like cake on their b-day?)

3 - fireworks - the ones that we did with 2 neighbor families last night, a casual gathering full of people I love

4 - friends, like Melanie and Shelly and Amy and so many others who make my life good

5 - mountains, which I am wanting to climb this year (one in particular, Timpanogas)

6 - kids, who are cuddled in bed together; sweet, sweet brothers, especially while unconscious

7 - piano, which I got to play for a half an hour tonight, practicing a new piece that doesn't sound as pretty under my fingers as others who I know

8 - church tomorrow.

9 - running. particularly the one that Shane and I snuck in on Wednesday night, letting our children self-govern themselves for one precious half-hour. A guilty pleasure

10 - talk, which my husband and I were able to do on said run. You just get to the BONES of stuff when you are talking while out of breath to begin with. Some of our best discussions of our marriage have been while running. What a treat.

11 - hot. The days are so warm; I am missing our cool spring showers.

12 - flowers. Particularly my lilies, which are blooming like crazy. I am missing 2 day lilies that I used to have, one wine-red, another purple, which have somehow disappeared.

(losing momentum; do I really have 21 more?)

13 - food. Barbecued hamburgers are my favorites during the summer.

14 - sewing. I have not been idle in regards to my sewing machine this summer. I never thought I would enjoy it the way I do, but I love it.

15 - Awkward. The chance, horribly-timed encounter with family members this weekend who we don't speak with anymore. It just really is terrible when families don't act like families anymore.

16 - cats. Incessantly walking around my house, losing their fur and begging me to pet them. 3 is really a lot of cats once you get them in a house. I love them though.

17 - Ah, 17. What an age that was. I think it was one of my favorites. The young don't know how good they have it while they are there.

18 - blogging. I never imagined that I would enjoy this hobby so much. It has been great having a reason to get out of my writing slump. I love writing & knowing it will be read by someone.

19 - friends from blogging. I have made some really good friends doing this. I know that each of you have enriched my life. Thanks for letting me read your world, and for reading mine.

20 - dates. I love going on them with my husband. They don't happen often.

21 - pink. I got to buy a PINK onsie at BabyGap tonight, just because it was on sale & knew it would look adorable on my friend Shelly's week-old baby girl.

22 - absence of buying pink in my normal life. I'm glad I have friends who have girls. Boy stuff, while cute, just isn't the same emotionally.

23 - I was 23 when I married Shane. I thought I was so old, and now I know I was so young.

24 - house. I am so glad I have a house. There is nothing in the world like coming home.

25 - 4th of July. A party before my own personal party. I love the 4th.

26 - swimming. Something we have been doing a lot of this year. It is such good time to spend with the kids. There aren't any distractions to keep you from your kids when are playing with them in the pool. And what is better than dunking them? Having them come up laughing, water streaming off their faces is the best.

27 - family. Sure, we have our ups and downs. But I know I would be lost without them.

28 - sisters. Mine are such a big part of my life. They keep me sane & help me see things with a different perspective some days; others they join in on my complaining and we each get to relieve our frustrations. So, so glad I have them.

29 - babies. I have 4 close neighbors either pregnant or with newborns, another friend, a coworker, and a neice pregnant. I think I will remember 2008 as the year when everyone I knew reproduced.

30 - clothes. So hard to find any that I like. I looked in 5 different shops tonight and ended up buying stuff for the kids. Does anyone else think everything is UGLY these days?

31 - thai food. Oooohhh, thai food, thy name is bliss. Say the word "curry" and I'm there.

32 - the age that is now slipping through my fingertips. Good-bye, 32; you were pretty good to me, on the whole.

33 - opportunity. What will the next year bring? What new challenges will fill the next year? It's exciting & terrifying all at once to consider...Ready or not, here I come.