I've been busy

and my brain can only spew out short phrases right now, so here goes a summary of my life over the last six months...

heart attack #3  

surgery for my bionic husband

intermittent fasting for the win

walking in sunshine is therapy

losing weight, feeling great

grad school, it's really happening

dream coming true

destination wedding...my baby boy got married!

we danced <3  

so many special moments

and forever memories

remembering how to study and take notes and write papers

loving it, killing it

I'm going to be a psychotherapist (whaaaat?)

buried my mom and stepdad...didn't realize how much that would mean to have her here by me again

started watching Modern Family :) 

hired someone to clean our house

got to see my sissy…twice!

she gave me the ultimate most awesomest purse evah!  game over :)

started using a big planner because it fits in my most awesomest purse…game changer

booked a trip to hawaii!  

mr. wonderful is taking me to maui :) 

the end

Things I know...for now anyway

It's late and I can't sleep.

We still have our Christmas stuff up.

I'm ok with that.  I am still enjoying it all,

for now anyway.

We are getting a blizzard this weekend.

I'm ok with that too.  I like winter,

for now anyway.

Will & Grace is the funniest sitcom ever,

because...Sean Hayes.

The old show, I mean.

Not the new ones.  I haven't watched them.

Too political.

This Is Us completely wrecked me last night.

I mean, Randall...

standing in his living room staring at the guy who broke into his house

while his wife and girls are asleep upstairs...

I almost peed my pants and I can't believe I have to wait a week to find out what happens.

GAH!

Know what's better than coffee?

Espresso.

I'm tired, but still can't sleep.

Sometimes things from the past still haunt me

and cause me anxiety

and keep me awake,

for now anyway.

God will come through and this will not last forever.

I'll get through it

and let it go

again.

And I will get tired 

and fall asleep

soon.  

And stop writing like Shel Silverstein

for now anyway.

Observations from the 20th floor

I've been standing here for about 20 minutes or so, enjoying my iced caramel mocha with soy, and watching the goings on in the city streets below.

It's really quite interesting.  I'm not sure - no, I know that I don't do this often enough.  Intently observe things.  Shut off the thoughts and ruminations in my mind and just be in the moment.

I tried to do that last night, when I attempted to take a bubble bath in the jacuzzi tub in our hotel room which we paid a $25 upgrade for at check-in.  Hey, when you are star struck (was Elton John staying in the same hotel as us?  Right across the street from the Target Center?  OF COURSE HE WAS!)  and you have valet parking and concierges waiting on you, an upgrade to the executive suite with the jacuzzi tub and beautiful view of the city seems like a no-brainer.  We are on a mini-vaca and a nice long, hot bubble bath sounded like a heavenly idea.  Unfortunately it didn't translate into the relaxing oasis that I had anticipated it to be.

The lavender smelled wonderful, dim lighting and Jim Brickman set the perfect mood,  but I soon realized as I turned on the jets that a very little bit of bubble bath is all you actually need.  Or want.  Too much is, well...too much and then you have a choice to make.  Do you lay your head back and become consumed with bubbles?  Or do you sit up and play with them like a toddler?  (Did our upgrade come with free tubby toys?)  Neither option was very relaxing.  Hmmph.  Oh well, it was better than NOT having a jacuzzi!  I'll do better next time.

My bird friends have decided to abandon their perch on the skywalk across the street and are now congregated on the ledge of one of the buildings and I missed it because I was too busy thinking and typing about last night's bubble bath fiasco.

Let me rewind.

The view from our window overlooks the rooftops and streets of downtown Minneapolis.  We are in town to see Elton John perform at the Target Center on his Farewell Tour.  It's been on our bucket list to see Elton together.  It's the 8th time I've seen him in concert, but Vince's first and it was awesome :)  Now, today is our last day here and as we are finishing our packing and getting ready to leave in a couple hours, I find myself at the window.

The first thing that caught my eye and convinced me to slow down and stay awhile was a flock of birds.  There were probably 15-20 or so, all flying in unison, round and round above the building across the street.  I began to wonder how they stayed in sync like that.  There didn't seem to be one leader among them, but they all would flap their wings at the same time, glide at the same time, and gracefully make 180 degree turns, ascending and descending all together.  Over and over until they found their perch on the frame of the skywalk connecting the two buildings below us.  It was kind of like watching synchronized swimming. Does God direct their behavior?  Do they communicate with each other somehow?  Interesting.  Fascinating, actually.

I see a young woman walking her dog on the sidewalk, then she breaks into a jog and her dog happily trots along. She probably lives in an apartment in the area.  Cars went by one by one, all going to different destinations.  Some with roofs and hoods covered with snow.  Metro Transit buses.  An ambulance.  Two cars on the roof of the building across the street that have been there at least since the last snow.  How long have they been there? Will they get towed?  Where are the owners?  A lady appeared on the roof, walked back and forth, and then exited the other side.  Did she lose her car?  What was she looking for?  Has anyone ever jumped off that roof?  Disturbing, I know, but I think about things like that sometimes.

I've always been interested in people and their stories. What motivates them, what is important to them, why they do the things they do, what life experiences and other people have influenced them?

There were thousands of people at the concert last night.  We all came together from various cities and states to go see this musician on this night, and then we all went our separate ways again.  Some of us had an awesome evening.  Others bought tickets and never made it.  Some came with friends and it was one of the best nights of their lives.  And for some others, for various reasons, it was the worst.

I left once during the concert to use the bathroom.  In the concession area was a woman in a wheelchair being attended to by some paramedics.  I thought about stopping and praying with her, but I kept walking.  She was being helped and I wanted to get back to the concert.  Besides that, one of the paramedics was holding a barf bag...do I really want to get close to someone who was heaving and possibly sick with something contagious?  I told myself if she was still there on my way back I would stop.  She was, but was now surrounded by several people who were obviously with her, one was hugging her tight from behind.  She didn't really need me now.  Did I miss an opportunity to bless her?

Jesus would have stopped.  He wouldn't have even hesitated.

Ouch.

Hundreds of people stayed in the same hotel as we did.  On the very same nights.  Many in town for the concert, others for different reasons.  We met a boxer in the elevator, he was in town for a boxing match.  He was friendly and we chatted for our 30 second elevator ride, and we will never meet again.  I helped an older gentleman put his groceries in the trunk of his car at Cub foods, where we stopped last night to pick up some snacks to bring back to our hotel room.  On the way back to our car I realized I had forgotten to get bubble bath, so Vince stayed in the car while I walked back toward the store and spotted this man struggling to put his bags in his trunk.

If we had said no to the upgrade I wouldn't have wanted to get bubble bath...I wouldn't have gone back into the store and then wouldn't have been there to assist this nice man with his bags.  Someone else might have, or he would have struggled and got it done himself.

Dominoes...

Fast forward several hours.  We're at home now, sitting at the kitchen table finishing this blog post and I'm thinking about all the choices we have everyday.  All the "chance" encounters of everyday life on this planet full of people and opportunities.  We have opportunities every single day to observe and to ponder and to make a difference.  Big or small.  How many days of my life have I gotten to the end of the night and thought I didn't do anything significant all day long?  Maybe I did, but just didn't recognize it as being significant.  Maybe I missed it...something the Holy Spirit was prompting me to do but I was too busy or too grossed out or too selfish or too embarrassed to do.

I wonder if Heaven will allow us to review our lives and see all these moments?  The chance encounters.  The divine ones.  The observations.  The meanings behind them.  It might be heartbreaking, but also could be amazing.

And maybe then God will explain the birds to me.

Pottery, Panera and some much needed "me" time

So.  I'm getting some much needed "me time" today.  Vince is working from home both today and tomorrow (on his birthday, boo).  Nicolas and Kyle are turkey hunting in SD with their dad and grandpa, Hope is getting ready for her first of three proms tonight.  Not sure what Vinny is up to, but he'll be working later.  I came to Rochester this morning - mainly to pick up our pieces from Color Me Mine.  Last Saturday, Vince and I met Donna & Dave, Brittany, Bill and Rebekah there to do some painting and our pieces were ready today.  They turned out SO GOOD!

We had such a good time!  And I can't wait to serve some chips and dip in my new chip/dip platter :)  I might have to do so tomorrow for Mr. W's birthday lunch.  Shhhh, don't tell him.  It'll be a surprise.  One of the birthday traditions in our family is that the birthday person gets to choose what we have for their birthday meal, and what kind of cake they want.  Vince always chooses steak and german chocolate cake.  Since he'll be occupied on his work computer (dumb) he is going to have to trust me to properly season and not overcook his steak.  I get to be in the "testosterone zone" all by myself, unless of course Trev helps me out.  As far as the cake, I think Vince is the only one in the fam that likes german chocolate so I have an idea.  I'm going to buy a chocolate cake mix (I think you use Devils food for german chocolate?)  I'll have to google that.  And then I will get different frostings.  I am planning on baking individual cakes either in ramekins or the jumbo muffin tins that I have.  Probably that. And then people can put different frostings on them.  I'll get coconut pecan frosting for the birthday boy of course, and then maybe chocolate or cream cheese frosting for the rest of us. Ooooh, I'll see if they have a caramel frosting.  Yum.  I'm going to have to watch my carbs tomorrow so I can indulge!

So I just googled it, and it is Devil's food.  In the process of searching I happened upon a recipe for "the best german chocolate cake you will ever have in your lifetime on this planet ever".  So I guess I'm making that!  It starts with the cake mix and also has pudding mix, sour cream and espresso powder.  So ummmm, yea.  That's what I'll be making.  I'm buying the frosting tho.  I have my limits. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Back to my "me time".  I'm currently sitting at Panera, where I have been firmly planted for the past 2 hours.  I had my favorite soup - broccoli cheddar - and a half turkey cheddar panini for lunch, and have been sipping on iced coffee whilst perusing facebook, pinterest, and some other blogs that I follow, updating my shopping and "to do" lists, and chatting with some of my people on messenger. I know I could do these things at home but there are always distractions, usually from my own brain telling me I should be cleaning and I do my best to ignore my brain when it tells me silly things like that.  Plus I don't have broccoli cheddar soup with a french baguette at home, so.

It's quite interesting sitting at Panera for an extended period of time by myself.  I've seen several people come and go from the tables around me, and I've heard some interesting conversations. One couple of retirement age sat next to me reading the newspaper as they ate their lunch and chatted...mostly the wife telling her husband about the various news articles she was reading while he nodded and made an occasional comment.  Another couple arrived shortly after, and this time it was the husband/boyfriend doing most of the talking.  At first I wondered if they were in a new relationship, but as I saw the wife/girlfriend sort of pay attention and make relevant comments here and there, it was obvious they've been together for a while and she's used to listening to him talk. A lot.  They didn't look unhappy, but were not trying to impress each other either. The young couple currently sitting near me are quite adorable.  Probably in high school or maybe their first year of college.  Holding hands under the table, looking at her phone while smiling and laughing and leaning their heads together.  It's pretty dang cute.  I love love!  I could sit here all day, except I can't sit that long and I have other places to go such as Trader Joes, Savers, Barnes and Noble (duh) and Target for the birthday stuff.

So, I suppose almost 3 hours is about long enough.  Time to get going on my other shopping adventures and see what other conversations I can eavesdrop on along the way.

Some things, and some random couch ramblings

I have not moved off the couch for three hours, most of which were spent napping on Mr. Wonderful's shoulder, and I do not regret a minute of it.  He surfed the cable channels and I opened my eyes at random moments to see guys bargaining and finally settling on purchasing an old model car for $35,000...Guy Fiere eating something that looks like smoked pulled pork...and Hanibal Lector (TV version) looking and talking all creepy. 

I definitely needed a nap, aka an escape from reality, because my pre-nap reality was getting pretty crabby.

I'm not sure if it was my very busy week at work followed by evenings of running kids to and fro every single minute of every single night this week, or if it was the constant, incessant noise and demands and phone ringing since walking through the door tonight, or if it was the dog running from the front door to the back door to the front door to the back door - all while whining because Kyle was playing outside without her that caused me to nearly lose my mind.  But whatever the reason, I nearly did LOSE MY EVER-LOVING MIND tonight.  That nap was my saving grace. Along with a very smart husband who made me a Disaronno and Diet Coke and let me snooze on him while demanding absolutely nothing at all.  (Thank you, hon.)  He is very smart and knows when a woman - namely his woman - is about to blow and needs a self imposed time-out.

So.  My post-nap life now consists of continuing to sit on the couch between two of my loves...my husband and son...blogging, ignoring the tv, and wondering who farted.  All things that I do on a regular basis.  Except for the blogging.  It's been a while since I've done that, as evidenced by the Christmas theme on my blog header. 

The dubs and I have been researching bed and breakfasts lately.  We want to take a little getaway to celebrate our anniversary next month.  This process itself has proved to be kind of frustrating because we can't seem to find what we are looking for anywhere near here.  Nearly all of the B&B's in southeast MN have a Victorian theme, which we do not find appealing at all.  Overly flowery wall paper with coordinating (or not) bedding, and lots of clutter is not something either of us find relaxing or romantic.  What we have in mind is something that makes us feel like we are in a cabin in the mountains...rustic and modern with a hot tub and fireplace in the room...on a beach...with loons serenading us in the morning as we sit on our private veranda eating breakfast prepared by someone else.  And a waterfall.  Is that too much to ask?  I think not. 

Sigh. 

At this point I would settle for an overnight at the Holiday Inn...as long as it did not include spending the evening in the car, ignoring the tv or the phone ringing or a farting dog.  (The dog got blamed for the farting, of course.) 

Some more random couch ramblings...

I love Kwik Trip.  We get most of our regulars there - milk, OJ, eggs, butter, bananas, apples, bread and occasional (gross) breakfast sandwich and I have no problem with that.  But fresh meat?  Hamburger and steak and chicken?  Really Kwik Trip?  Not so sure about that.  May be just a bit out of your league. 

Microwave popcorn smells like butt.  In the year and a half that we were without a microwave and survived just fine, thank-you-very-much, I did not miss microwave popcorn at all.   Stove top popcorn is 110% better. 

I cannot wait for this movie to come out.  CAN NOT!

I have now been on the couch for the past four hours, and pretty soon I'm going to get up and go to bed and I don't feel one bit guilty.  We have a busy life and a full weekend ahead of us filled with laundry and projects and cleaning and bills and running kids to and fro and maybe planting some flowers and changing my blog header, so evenings like this are heavenly. 

American Idol and my big accomplishment for the day

Not that I am counting or anything, but it's 11 weeks, 3 days, and 2 hours until Season 13 of American Idol starts. 

About that.  I'm a wee bit excited.  Last year we were "fasting" from cable so I didn't see it at all.  AT ALL.  I don't think I saw even one episode.  Well, all the anticipation from last year's hiatus must have accumulated and multiplied because right now I'm PUUUUUUMPED!!  Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and now....Harry Connick Jr.???  I can't think of a better panel.  So much awesomeness.  I hope my internet friend (I imagine that we are friends anyway) BooMama does a live blog party during Idol this year like she has before.  It was so much fun! 

So, aside from getting a few loads of laundry done, running the dishwasher, and taking out my bathroom garbage, my big accomplishment for the day was to rescue my candle.  This is my favorite candle in the ENTIRE world.  I know I have mentioned it before several times (it used to be called Campfire Marshmallow, but they changed the name last year).  It is quite possibly my most favorite smell (with the possible exception of Vince's cologne but I won't be gross). 

The wick had some problems, it had gotten off center and was buried in black chunky stuff.  So I did some surgery with the new tool I just got that trims wicks (candles are important to me, don't judge) and to make an already long and boring story shorter, I doctored it up and now it is burning beautifully, with a clean and centered wick, and I am very happy about it.  Vince called me the "Candle Whisperer". 

And in my quest to find a picture on Google images, I came across this amazing creation and I NEED TO KNOW HOW TO DO THIS!!! 

That is all.

Not My Blog, More Most-Perfectest-Purse Awesomeness, and I GET A SNOWDAY!

I haven't been this excited since 1987. 

I have never worked somewhere that closed when the weather was bad.  Even during my highschool and college years working at Hardees and Country Kitchen, they stayed open through it all and I don't remember ever having a snow day from work...until today.  My place of employment is closed today and when I discovered this as the kids still slept soundly in their beds this am, I did a silent little happy dance from my couch.  Not that I don't want to go to work, I love my job, but who doesn't love a snowday?!  A crazy person, that's who.

The only thing that would make today even better is if my kids had the day off too, but our schools are only doing the two-hour delay, so I guess I will get most of the day all to myself. 

Wait a minute...

Visions of a quiet house void of incessantly bouncing balls,  numerous "KNOCK IT OFF!"s and "Mom... mom... mom... mom... mom...mom...mom...mom...mom..." (contrary to popular belief, this does not end when children leave toddlerhood, or even elementary school).  Doesn't sound too bad after all.  I'm sure I can find all kinds of lovely ways to fill my day including (but not limited to) CMT, HGTV, and a new edition of "The Most Perfectest Purse Ever".

Just in case you missed the excitement of editions one and two, and you happen to have absolutely nothing else of the slightest value whatsoever to do with your time, you can read all about my previous successes at finding the most perfect purse here and here.  Just know that you will not be able to get those eight minutes of your life back. 

I have been searching for months for a new purse that meets my criteria for awesomeness.  It's not easy to find.  The other ones were most certainly awesome and served their purposes for a season, until either I found an unpredictable flaw, or they became too small for my ever increasing need to carry more crap around have essential items available at all times.

So after months of searching and subsequent rejecting, I finally found my new baby:

Can you hear me singing Stevie Wonder "Isn't She Lovely"?  Well, I am.  And no one is rolling their eyes at me because they are at school and I GET A SNOWDAY!!! 

So now, can we talk about how awesome this purse is?  Seriously. Let's just count the ways that it fits and/or exceeds my stringent standards for awesomeness. 

1) It has to be real leather. Or a fake material that I happen to think is real leather.  Check.  And dare I say that I think this one actually may be real leather.  If not, they added some fake leather smell to it which is totally fine with me. 

2) It has to have a short handle.  Check.  Do I realize that it makes me look like my grandmother to carry my purse around by the handle and nearly dragging it on the ground?  Yes, yes I do.  And my grandmother was a very smart and practical woman. 

3) It has to have separate pockets for my cell phone and lip stuff on the outside of the purse.  This one has both, right in front, AND they have magnetic snaps.  More awesomeness.  The absence of this feature was my main complaint about edition two.  I had to put my cell phone and lip stuff in the same pocket, so when I went for one or the other while driving, it was less than efficient and that just cannot be.

4) It absolutely cannot have any sequins or tassles or unnecessary gaudy embelishments.  Please.  Check.

5) It has to be able to zip shut.  Amen.  Those snaps in the middle?  Yea, they never keep stuff in when your purse falls over.  Or your kids throw it on the floor of your car.  Not that I would know anything about that.

6) It has to have at least two big separate sections - one for my wallet & notes, the other for all my crap important stuff that I don't leave home without (my mini hairspray, lotion, advil, altoids, nail file, camera, and the ocassional happy meal toy).  This all still applies, except the "happy meal toy" stage has been replaced by iPods, cell phones, DS's, and various other things that I take away from our kids when they cop an attitude with me or eachother, which I have found works far better than sending them to their rooms because that is where they want to go anyway.

7) And last but not least, it has to be big enough to hold all of said crap important stuff, but not look like a suitcase.  This criteria is getting harder and harder to meet as I get older, however this purse still squeaks by.  Even though it weighs 49 pounds.

There you have it.  Now that I have given a virtual tour of my purse, if someone steals it and also happens to read my blog they will know exactly where to find everything.  And if they are in desperate need of a nickel and about fourteen pennies, they'll be set.

It's too bad I have nothing important to say

Nothing at all. 

One would think that I would, seeings how I am on day 6 of a 10 day hiatus from work and have had plenty-o-time to think up something important and enlightening to write about. 

But one would be wrong.

I have in actuality done very little thinking this week.  I have been MUCH too busy wrapping and unwrapping presents, napping, and drinking iced mochas from Starbucks to put together a meaningful thought, much less a string of them to put into something worth writing down.  But, really...when has the absence of a coherent thought ever stopped me from running off at the mouth, or as it is - on the keyboard? 

Exactly.

I read a really great book this week. 

I got it from my son Nick for Christmas, and once I started reading it on Christmas day I only put it down long enough to brush my teeth and go to bed for 8-ish hours on Sunday night.  Then I was right back into it on Monday morning until I finished it.  It was amazing.  The best book I've read in a long while.  It did make me think, actually.  Alot.  About the reality of the spiritual realm that exists all around us but we rarely think about.  And about the power of prayer.  Incredible.  I highly recommend it.

Hey, I guess I AM capable of putting together a thought or two after all!  But apparantly only in short, fragmented sentences.  At this point.  Oh well.  At least it's something.

I got out of the house for a little while today.  After dropping my son off at basketball practice...and by the way has his basketball coach not heard that it is CHRISTMAS VACATION??  I was less than thrilled that my sleeping in plans were interrupted at early o'clock to take my son to practice by 8:30 in the am.  Anyways, after I dropped him off I had two hours to putz around town, so I went to my favorite store to check out the "after Christmas deals".  I got exactly no "after Christmas deals", but did pick up a vegie scrubber and some little measuring cups that I don't need, but am certain will revolutionize my vegetable cleaning and measuring tasks in profound and unexpected ways...





Then I bought a newspaper and some coffee and sat in my car until my sweaty teenage son emerged from the school.  It was boring and uneventful and I loved every second of it!

I had such high expectations for this week.  I was going to clean my house room by room.  And catch up on all of our laundry.  And get all the Christmas stuff put away.  And then, with all the rest of the week that would for surely be remaining because of my proficiency at getting those aforementioned things done, I was going to catch up on my scrapbooking (of which I am about 5 years behind). 

How am I doing so far?  Well, I cleaned my bathroom!

Actually, no.  I prepared to clean my bathroom and took the rugs down to the laundry room.  I may or may not have actually started the washer, then I promptly sat down on the couch because I am on vacation.

I got our Christmas letter written and sent out!   

Well, actually no.  I emailed it.  That still counts, doesn't it?  This was our first year doing a "digital" christmas letter, and I LOVED IT!  It was fun to create, and not only were we able to send them to many more people than we would have if we would have printed them out and paid for postage, but we have been hearing back from lots of the people we sent our letters to, and you normally don't hear back when you snail-mail them, so YAY! GO DIGITAL CHRISTMAS LETTERS!   We may be doing that every year from now on.

And as far as putting the Christmas deco away, I have seven Christmasy things sitting on my dining room table that I removed from my kitchen counters today.

There you go. 

In between all of my intense laboring, I have done a significant amount of piano playing, hangin' with the kids, napping, reading, and relaxing.  And I don't regret a minute of it!

Now, we have just finished dinner and I announced that "we" would now commense with the putting away of Christmas.   My poor husband was under the delusion assumption that I would be doing this during the day while he was at work.  Silly man.

Today

I'm going to resist the urge to try and summarize all the happenings in our lives since the last time I blogged.  It's hard for me, to resist such a tempting temptation, but I quite often  have trouble summarizing things and tend to ramble on and on, so it's probably best if I just talk about today.

Today was....

See, I'm doing it already.  I have typed and backspaced about 14 sentences and just can't decide how to describe my day.  What is my problem?  There may be a name for this, I'm not sure, but whatever it is I need to just press on and keep typing until something resembling a coherent thought finds it's way out. 

Church was amazing today!  It usually is, but it was especially amazing today.  Besides great worship and a great message, there were tables set up in front of the sanctuary where people could come up together or individually to take communion.  I love that.  We went up as a family (I temporarily left my post at the piano to join my clan) and it was very special...to hold hands with my husband and children, remember the sacrifice that bought our freedom and salvation, and pray together with these wonderful people that I am blessed to share my life with...well it doesn't get any better than that at church. 

I also had the opportunity to talk with three parents who are grieving the losses of their children this week.  I am quite sure that they ministered to me more than I did to them.  The strength and peace that emminated from them at the most painful time in their lives is truly nothing short of a miracle.

This afternoon I had the opportunity to partake in my favorite Sunday afternoon pleasure....a nap!  Then it was on to Kyle's baseball banquet at the city park.  Fun!  I love baseball season, and also love when it comes to an end and our lives can resemble something a little more close to normal.  And there is alot less sand in our couches.

Tonight I had a photo shoot, and learned some very valuable lessons in my photography quest:

1.  Make sure to allow plenty of time for the shoot so you are not playing beat the clock with the sun. 
2.  Don't be afraid to reschedule, it's better than trying to rush and getting frustrated when there just isn't enough light left in the day, and you have to reschedule anyway.  Hmmph.
3.  It is SO WONDERFUL to have understanding and gracious friends who not only understand the need to reschedule, but totally don't act inconvenienced at all, and are even grateful for the "dress rehearsal" and the time we got to spend together!
4.  It's also wonderful to have very generous friends who are awesome at gardening and bring you fresh vegies from their garden....yum!
5.  And last but not least, always be sure to scope out a location ahead of time to avoid wasting precious daylight by trying to find the just right spots and realizing that the waterfall you were told about wasn't all it was cracked up to be. 

And now, it's time to retire for the evening...I did it!  I summarized today without rambling on and on (at least not too much.  I think.)  I surprise myself sometimes. 

Unbelievably ridiculous and unnecessary

And I thought this was bad.

What's even more annoying than birds chirping outside our bedroom window at 5am?  I'll tell you what.  A cat caterwauling (aka making a really loud obnoxious sound) in our yard at 4AM!!

I just have one word for that.  Actually I have lots of words for that, but only one that I will share...

Seriously.

Needless to say, we were not happy to be awakened by this noise at 4 O'CLOCK IN THE EVER LOVIN' AM.  Then once I fell back asleep I got to dream about someone trying to kill me.  Nice.  And Vince was all cool about it (in my dream, hopefully I'd get a better reaction out of him in real life).  It was some teenage kid living in our house (who incidently bore NO resemblance whatsoever to any of the teenage kids who actually live in our house, just to clarify). 

Whoever he was, and for whatever reason he was living in my house and wanted to kill me, this kid was relentless.  And I have to say, despite Mr. W's apparent apathy toward it all, I was a genius at thwarting each of his plans.  He tried setting up a machine gun, but I took all the bullets.  He tried making me sniff three different chemicals, but I plugged my nose.  I even went and told his parents, who were at a party and just laughed at me.

I'm not sure why I dreamt all of this.  Maybe it was a direct result of the cat incident and Vince's comment as he shut our window at 4 O'CLOCK IN THE EVER LOVIN' AM...

"That cat needs to be shot". 

You may not know this about me, but I am really good at interpretting dreams, so here goes.  The way I see it, this particular dream could mean one of three things...

1)  Someone is indeed planning to kill me and I am subconsciously warning myself in my dream.
2)  The teenagers who actually do live in our home sometimes sound like screaming cats in heat.
3)  I am the cat.

There is also a 4th possible interpretation of my dream, and that is that I need therapy.

Tea with honey at 5am

...because I'm pretty sure that I have strep.  And I'm pretty sure that it sucks.  It hurts to even think about swallowing...so much that I have to talk myself into it.  "Do I really need to swallow right now??  I mean I just swallowed like 30 seconds ago.  Do I always swallow this often?  I don't think so.  Maybe if I just stop thinking about it...nope that doesn't work.  Just makes me feel like I have to swallow even more". 

Such is the reality of what goes on in my brain.  Fun, huh?  Yea.  You should be me.  Or my husband.  There's a trip.  He puts up with alot. 

Yesterday was Sunday, but it was not your typical Sunday at our house.  I went to bed feeling kinda crappy on Saturday night, so we didn't set our alarm for church.  I had my suspicions already that I may have strep because my throat was already getting sore enough for me to start taking some drugs, and sure enough I woke up feeling even crappier.  Is "crappier" a word?  I'm not even sure that "crap" is a real word.  Oh well, it is today.  At least on my blog.  I wouldn't be so hasty at jumping to the conclusion that I have strep, were it not for the fact that Hope was diagnosed with it 5 days ago and my symptoms were pretty much the same.  So much for my theory that washing my hands - and being militant about the kids washing theirs - will keep us from spreading germs around.  Hmmph.  At least no one else has it...yet.

Anyway, back to yesterday.  It wasn't our typical Sunday - not only because we didn't go to church, but because Vince and I didn't even get out of bed until 1:30PM!  That is not a typo!  I woke up around 9:30, and after popping some advil I was back in bed and started reading the blog of my new best friend (I'll get to that later).  Vince woke up and picked up his book and also began reading...which we continued to do for the next four hours.  No breakfast...no lunch...just Sunday morning relaxy awesomeness!  Hope knocked on the door every so often to see if we were STILL in bed and wondering if we were EVER going to get up???  I was tempted to pull a John & Yoko and stay in bed all day, but we did eventually get up and move our reading from the bed to the couch, where I remained firmly planted for most of the day.  And I didn't get bored.  Not even once.  Aside from cooking us scrambled eggs & toast for breakfast at 1:30pm, and then stir fried vegies (broccoli, carrots, and peppers) along with kielbasa & potatoes for supper at 7pm, I didn't do a whole lot of moving.  By the end of the day I was ready to run laps around the house or do a bunch of jumping jacks or something because my legs were so restless, but since the "feeling crappy" meter had continued to escalate throughout the course of the day, I didn't.  I settled for stretching alot and going back to bed.

I've been talking too much.  Time to go warm up my tea.

A whole lot of nuttin.

Why do I do this to myself? 

I am tired, and since 8pm I have been vascilating between falling asleep on the couch and waking up to change the channel from HGTV to the Food Network.  But I refuse to go to bed.  It's Saturday night and I don't wanna.  I am an adult and I can stay up if I want.  Nah.  But I will regret it tomorrow, when I will really need a nap but will feel guilty for missing time with my family to indulge in that Sunday afternoon luxury. 

Vince is not home, that's part of the problem.  He's at a movie with Trevor tonight, and I hate going to bed alone.  I won't be able to sleep knowing that he will be coming in later, so I will just wait up for him and think of something to babble about.  That shouldn't be too hard.

What do you call it when you babble on a blog?  Blobble?  Blaggle? 

Pause...

It is now 49 minutes since I wrote the above sentence.  I dozed off on the couch again, with my computer on my lap, until Mr. Wonderful got home all cheerful. 

Gooooooooooooooood night!

Yoda talk and bobble head syndrome. Oh dear.

Here I am, sitting at home and my world is spinning.....literally.  I have vertigo, which is all kinds of fun if you enjoy living on a tilt-a-whirl, which I happen to not.  It makes it quite difficult to walk straight and function...which is difficult for me anyway, so yea.  Not so much fun am I having.  And talking like Yoda again as well, I am.

So, now that I'm not able to go to work today, or do laundry or dishes or anything else productive that requires me to move my head, what a wonderful opportunity for me to catch up on my blog, which has been severely neglected of late because of my new photography adventure.  (And, you know, working full time and living life with a husband and 5 kids at home takes up a wee bit of my time as well).   I'm surprised I can be on the computer at all with this "bobble head syndrome" going on.  But as long as I am sitting upright, and my head is facing directly forward, I'm relatively ok...any change in position left or right, or up or down, and I am sent spinning and falling in the alternate, wacky universe inside my head.  Soooo much fun.  Do you realize how often you have to move your head?  You move your head ALOT when brushing your teeth.  And incidently, you need to look down to spit out the toothpaste, and if you don't you end up drooling it down your chin, which I  may or may not know from first hand experience.

So I'm sitting straight up on the couch with my laptop on my lap, the phone by my side, and the tv firmly planted on HGTV, so I'm all set.  As I mentioned, I've been pretty busy with my new photography adventure...and I couldn't be more excited about it!!  Well, actually I could...as I dream of cameras and lenses I'd love to have, I'm reminding myself to be grateful and appreciative of what I DO have and not to covet.  Ooooh, that's a hard one, especially as I see other people's blogs and pictures much more amazing than mine.  That's ok, my day will come, God willing.  In the mean time, I will thank Him for bringing photography into my life and all that He has blessed me with already.  It is truly a gift - one that I intend to continue to use to bless others. 

I have a passion for helping those that God brings into my life, and using the talents that He gives me to invest in the lives of others.  I've been praying alot about this lately, not only myself but with our children.  How can God use us?  What can He move through our lives into the lives of others?  Is it money?  Cooking a meal?  Visiting a lonely friend?  Giving someone a ride?  As I have prayed about this, I have seen God bring more and more opportunities for me to live this out - or maybe the opportunities have always been there, He just opened my eyes to them when I asked Him too?  I'm thinking the latter is true.  Either way, I am thankful.  I am learning how to reach out more, how to live beyond myself, and so are our children.   I believe that God has brought photography into my life, not only for me to enjoy (which I DO!) and to create memories of our family, but to bless others and help them create lasting memories for their families as well.  My perspective on the world around me has changed too.  I see beauty in nature, in our children, and even in a candle on a table with the light streaming down...where I may not have seen it before in quite the same way. 

Oh, dang it.

Now all this talk has me wanting to go take some photos...but alas I can't with the bobble head thing going on.  Oh well.

What is my PROBLEM???

GAH!  There are a plethora of directions I could take with an open ended question like that, I know.  But the problem I'm specifically having right now is wondering how I can fit a few more hours into a day.

That's it.  It's a small problem, really.  I just need to figure out a way to reallign the planets, or whatever it is exactly that controls time, and come up with a few more hours.  Heck, it wouldn't even have to be everyday, just a couple hours a week would seem to help me out alot.  Am I asking too much here?

 I just recently learned that "email" stands for "electronic mail". All this time, I never knew what the "e" meant. Now I do. Whew, now I can go on with my life.

So here we go....I think it's time for another edition of "Things our kids have said recently".  At the risk of getting myself into trouble, I'm going to throw restraint to the wind and share some of the hilarity that has gone on around here of late.  Please feel free to laugh out loud, just don't tell our kids that I told you what I'm about to tell you.  You'll see why...

There is a certain little girl in our house, who shall remain nameless, who may be approaching the age of enlightenment, so to speak, much sooner than her father and I would like.  Living with 4 brothers (including two pubescent ones) sometimes necessitates some explanation of things that she otherwise would not be exposed to.  Case in point...the other day she approached her father (with me nearby) very concerned about her brother's pants.  Apparantly sometimes when this (nameless) brother wakes up, his pajama pants sometimes "stick out" in front, so she was concerned that there may be something wrong with his, eh-hem, pants. 

Hopefully you didn't just spit your coffee all over your computer screen as I nearly did.  Vince remained very composed, told her not to worry about it, and she went off on her merry way....while the two of us did the silent crack up that we parents do when our kids are just in the next room.  I seriously thought I would pee my pants.  Later on, I asked Vince if he'd like me to explain it to her rather than him, and with a big sigh he replied "YES!  Would you?  That would be awesome!"  I got this one, hon. 

I typically tuck our kids into bed every night...with the exception of Vinny.  Sometimes I just crawl right into bed with him, which cracks him up, but usually he prefers to just say goodnight and head off to bed on his own.  But last night I was super tired.  I crashed on my bed early and asked each of the kids to come into our room to say goodnight to me.  Kyle protested greatly to this because he was sure that he would not be able to sufficiently cover himself up without me.  I assured him that he could, and since our bedrooms are right across the hall from eachother, I could watch him and give him play by play commentary if he so needed it.  He declined my offer, and voiced his displeasure all the way to his room..."I guess I'll just get FROSTBITE tonight!  And you don't even CARE!" 

Again with the silent crack up.

5 minutes later, we hear him yell from his room, "Just so you know, I'm still FREEZING!"

I expected to find a blue, frozen little boy this morning with icecicles dripping from his nose, but he survived and was quite cozy warm under his blanket so he must have figured things out.  Thank goodness because I have absolutely no idea how to defrost a boy.  I have enough trouble with chicken.

I can't make enough sense out of any of this to come up with a title

It's 4th of July weekend!  We have friends coming tomorrow and we are so excited to see them and have some fun!  Partially because of that, and also because it's just necessary, I decided early this morning that today would be a major spring cleaning day at our house...ok, it's not spring anymore as evidenced by the sweltering heat and the humidity in our garage that makes it feel like I'm in a jungle and should start singing the Banana Boat Song.   Daaaaaaay - O!  But nonetheless, we got alot done today.  Vince finished making homemade strawberry icecream!  It was delish beyond belief.  I have never made icecream before, so it was extra special for me.  I finished organizing our basement, Vince and the boys organized and swept out the garage, and I got several many loads of laundry done. 

I started using Borax and Washing Soda in our laundry and I really like the results.  Cleaner and fresher laundry for one. I think the colors are brighter too.  It might be my imagination, but don't spoil my fun. I went online to see how much of each to add, since we have an "he" frontloading washer and I don't want to wreck it.....not like the dryer.  I don't think I've mentioned that I went to do laundry the other day and opened the dryer door, only to have it fall almost to the floor.  Hmmph.  What in the world?  Of course asking the children what happened to it caused all kinds of stuttering and I don't know's and not me's...that is until one of them fessed up that it "might" have had something to do with his friend (and subsequently everyone else) decided to climb INTO the dryer during an over zealous game of hide-and-seek while the 'rents were gone.  That might have had something to do with it..Ya think? 

Is it just me, or does the Allstate guy look like he has a plastic head?

Oh, and to end the suspense, I thought I'd let you know that after spending some time in Barnes and Noble last Saturday looking at their Nook (and wiping off my drool, you know since it was the display model and people prolly don't want me to drool on it) I decided I want a Nook instead of a Kindle...but not yet.  I have a bookshelf full of books in my room - only half of which I have read.  So, to discipline myself (and put off the purchase a little longer) I've told Mr. Wonderful not to buy me one until I have read all the books that I currently own.  Otherwise I don't think I will read them, and alot of them I really want to.  So I'll prolly get a Nook in about 10 years.  Woo hoo.

Time for bed...outdoor church service and picnic tomorrow!  I think I'll bring my camera, it's been neglected lately.

Chirp

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Sigh.

Some great movies, new most perfectest purse awesomeness, and what I'm hoping to get for my birthday

I was just a little bit stressed last night.  I'm not going to go into it because I have adopted a new philosophy on my life which does not allow me to whine about it.  We'll see how long that lasts...Instead, I did what every respectable (and desperately hormonal) woman does when she is stressed...I shopped.  I hit Target hard, and didn't even once feel the urge to put something back on the shelf to avoid the inevitable buyers remorse that usually hits me somewhere between the candle aisle and the checkouts and causes me to walk all the way across the store and put something back that I spent 7-9 minutes pondering over and have now decided not to purchase. (Big breath).  Nope, not this time.  This time, I walked out of there proud with a new purse (which meets my high standards for the most perfectest purse ever, and may even be perfecter if that is possible).

Also got  three new t-shirts, and a little planner for my purse which is now large enough to hold one.  Now I can carry my life with me and there is a slightly higher chance that I will have a clue about what is going on each day.  Awesome!

I'm still trying to decide if I want a Kindle or not.  It would be a big change for me, and we all know how I handle change (I'm getting better - kind of).  I love books - holding them in my hands, underlining and writing in the margins - and I might miss that.  But on the flip side, it's really appealing to me because I could carry a Kindle with me (in my new purse even) and could read whenever and wherever I am...you know, because I spend tons of free time at coffee shops and sitting on beaches wishing I had brought something to read.  I'm usually reading 1-3 books at a time, and who wants to carry all those around?  Another cool thing about it is that books for it are really cheap (the devise is not, but the books are mostly under $10).  And the coolest part for me is that you can turn it to audio and it will read to you - which is the feature that really intrigued me because I spend so much time in my car for work.  And getting ready in the morning.  And waiting at the dentist office and such.  I'd have all my books with me, all the time...oh joy! 

Vince and I finally watched an awesome movie last night that we have been wanting to see for ages..."Shutter Island".  SO good!  If you can overlook some colorful comments and words and a few unpleasant scenes (I hide behind my fingers during potentially disturbing parts in movies) it really was an excellent movie with a great plot, and the cinematography was fantastic.  I am not one for scary or gory movies at all, but I do love psychological thrillers that keep you guessing, but (and this is the important part) make sense in the end.  I hate movies that are confusing all the way through, and still leave you confused in the end.  They anger me.  Just ask Mr. Wonderful about the time he made me watch "The Game".  I didn't talk to him for like 1/2 hour after that.

We took the kids to see "Toy Story 3" on Saturday and (singing) LOVED IT!  Yes, I am a huge Toy Story fan, and yes, I cried!

Random Dozen time!

This week's Random Dozen theme is "one".  Click on the link above if you'd like to join the party (or just read about everyone else).  

Everyone who knows me knows that it's really difficult for me to pick just one of anything, so I'll try to answer without rambling too much...

1. What is one really fast, know-by-heart "go-to" meal to fix in a pinch?  Exactly what I made for supper last night because I had exactly 1/2 hour to cook and feed the kids before the boys had baseball and I had to leave for worship team practice (breathe)...spaghetti. 

2. What is one item you won't leave home without. (Purse and license do not count.)  My sunglasses!  I wear them whenever I go outside, unless of course it's nighttime.  My eyes are really sensitive to light, and if I squint alot I'll get a headache.  So I never leave home without at least one pair (I have 3 almost exactly the same).

3. Where is one place you never tire of visiting?  Does Coldstone count?

4. Share one factoid of your family's history.  My mom, my sister and I all have the same middle name...Marie.  No, I was not named after Lisa Marie Presley.

5. Complete this sentence: "Once upon a time I...." married my Prince!

6. If you could win a one year's supply of anything, what would it be? Ummm.....Coldstone?  Ok, that might not be the best idea, my waistline would scream.  Practical Lisa would choose gasoline.   

7. "One quirky thing you may not know about me is...." oh dear, to choose just one.  I have a strange affinity with numbers, especially 8 and 6.   They just make me happy, I don't know why.   Palindromes give me great joy and if they involve 8's and 6's I get all giddy.  Just ask my best friend Chris.  She is one of the few people who understands (and accepts) this about me, and she's the first person I will be calling in the next couple of weeks when my odometer reads 86,868!  And when it turns 88,888 I will be throwing a party. 

8. You have one dollar in your pocket. What will you buy?  Probably a Diet Dew, even though I'm trying to give up pop.

9. "One thing that always makes me laugh is ...." My kids and my husband make me laugh every single day. 

10. What is one thing you could do today to help yourself reach a personal goal?  Start an exercise plan like walking everyday for 30 minutes.

11. What is one thing you could do today to bless someone else?  Send a handwritten note.  People don't do that very often, but I just got two from friends in the past week and they blessed me immensely!  So I want to make a habit of doing that more often.  It means so much more than an email.

12. What is one thing you're looking forward to soon?  My husband and I have tickets to see Casting Crowns this summer!  Other than that,  just the little everyday moments are what I treasure.

Sleepy ramblings and a churchy word

It is soooo quiet here!  The kids are all in bed, and Mr. Wonderful is working late at church.  (In addition to his regular job, he is also the head of the technology ministry at our church.  They have been having some computer problems so he is there working on them tonight.  What a guy.  I'm pretty sure this will earn him some really sweet techy jewels in his crown.  Maybe ones with lasers.)  So now I'm the only one who is home and awake, and the house is sooooo quiet!  I'm not used to it, what with all the comotion that is normally going on at all hours of the day and night around here, I don't know what to do with myself.  Well, actually I do...sit here and ramble on my blog!  Lucky for you.

I haven't been sleeping well this week, which has made me tired during the day and exhausted in the evenings.  In fact, I'm falling asleep at the keyboard right now.  Literally.  My allergies are going in full force, and although my new prescription meds are working fabulously well on my normal allergy symptoms of itching and sneezing and what not, for reasons I won't go into (think nasal drainage - ewe, I said I wouldn't go into it.  And there, I just did.)  I have been up coughing at night.  Alot.   There is nothing worse than not being able to sleep when you are exhausted.  Ok, there are alot of things worse than that, but allow me a few minutes to whine, would you?  I have been getting up several times the past few nights to have a coughfest, blow my schnaz, take some cough syrup, and chastize myself for not being able to sleep.  I know it's not my fault, but who else am I going to be irritated at? 

I should be in bed right now, but instead I'm waiting for Mr. Wonderful to get home.  I don't like going to bed alone anymore.  Not only does it feel lonely, but I have grown accustomed to the sweet lull of Darth's breather and now I can't sleep without it....I mean him. 

Things with the daycare are coming along nicely.  I have several families who have expressed interest, but nothing in writing yet.  I am tempted to be nervous about the fact that in about a month I plan on quitting my job and I don't have any committed children yet (that sounds bad, you know what I mean).  Here is where I trust in God's provision and let Him work out the details.  I am doing what I can...I have the vision. I am making preparations and plans.  I am advertising and getting the word out.  And I am waiting on God to bring this to fruition.  That's a churchy word, isn't it?  Fruition.  I'm not sure people outside of the church use the word fruition. 

Ok, the house is no longer quiet.  Just now the car doors slammed, the back door opened and someone belched.  Ah, the special sounds of living with boys.

Random Dozen - take one!

I stumbled upon another funny blog (of course I did, what else is there to do at 3:45am when you have taken Benadryl instead of Claritin at bedtime and are now waiting for the Claritin to kick in?)  I'm so glad I did because in this funny new blog I found the "Random Dozen", and thought it would be fun to partake.  This is a weekly blog carnival (don't I just know all the bloggy lingo) kind of like "Not Me! Mondays", except it's on Tuesdays.  I know, today is officially Thursday but I just found the blog.  Get off me, gosh! 






1. Have you ever been so lost that you were really afraid?  Really?  You are asking ME this?  If you know me at all you know that I am frequently unaware of where I am.  But have I ever been truly lost and afraid...yes.  One time that I can think of.  I was 19 and driving alone in Burbank CA for the day.  (Really, I'm not making this up.  It sounds high class, but it's really not.)  I was visiting my boyfriend at the time and he had to work that day, so he let me use his car to bum around town.  He either trusted me alot or he simply did not know me very well, because I can get lost driving around my own block.  (If you think I'm bad now, can you imagine me at 19?)  I was having the time of my life seeing the sights of Burbank, which of course had celebrities on every corner (not).  I was also a little bit too confident in remembering how to get back to where I was, and all at once found myself on a freeway with a sign that said "Los Angeles" population 500 billion, or something like that.  As soon as I saw that sign and realized that I was crossing over into the big city of death, I panicked.  Being a small town girl from Minnesota, I immediately imagined that I was within moments of being attacked by gangs.  This was years before cell phones, so I had no way of calling my boyfriend for help.  I did survive, however, once I found an exit and turned around.  I miraculously found my way back to where I started and parked it.

2. Have you ever been to an island?  Why, yes I have.  I went to Maui in 1996, and if you have ever been there then you know exactly why I have been begging people via my email address to take me there ever since. (It's takemetomaui (at) hotmail (dot) com).  I think it may very well be the most beautiful place on earth.

3. Are you more of a thinker or feeler?  I think I'm a feeler.  My emotions get in the way of logical thinking more times than not.  But you know what?  I like it that way.  (I think).

4. Do you tend to see issues or situations in life as black and white or shades of gray?  I tend to see things in tie dye.  I usually have trouble taking a stand on issues because I look at them from so many angles.  This can also hinder making decisions and if you think it frustrates me sometimes, you should try being my husband for a day.

5. If you were stuck on an island, what book would you hope to have with you (Let's pretend the Bible is already there, so you can't say that.)  Dang!  That's what I was going to say.  Well, then I'd pick the book I'm currently reading by Beth Moore "So Long Insecurity".  I have just finished chapter one and have already been laughing and crying.  It's really good.

6. What are you most afraid of?  My children not being saved.  They are, but they are young and the world is shouting loudly at them.  Nothing is more important to me than their salvation and their walks with the Lord (but they would tell you it's keeping their stuff picked up and not talking with food in their mouths).

7. Would you rather lose all of your old memories or never be able to make new ones?  What kind of question is THAT???  Oh my, I don't know if I can choose.  But if I have to, I'd say I'd rather lose old memories.  It would be so sad not to remember special moments, but I don't want to live in the past for the rest of my life.  I am trying to focus on today, and making everyday count.  But now that I think of it, if I made new memories they would quickly become old memories and then they would be forgotten.  See, tie dye.

8. Pretend I'm looking at a scrapbook page about you. There are three spaces for you to drop in individual pictures. What are those pictures of, and why did you select them?  I can't pick just three! 

This one is of my best friend Chris and I...we have been "BFF's" since 8th grade and my life would not be the same without her!!!  (We like to use alot of exclamation points !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

This is my sister Donna and I.  She lives in California (tear) but we are closer than ever.  My life would not be the same without my big sis :)

The love of my life.....my Mr. Wonderful, on our wedding day.  Need I say more?

And our kids...who are loved more than they can imagine.

9. If you were re-doing your wedding, what would you do differently? (If you're single, tell me one thing you would do if you were planning a wedding OR huge party.)  Really, honestly nothing.  Our wedding day was beautiful and more than we dreamed it would be.  Ok, maybe one thing.  We would not put disposable cameras on the tables at the reception because we spent over $200 for alot of pictures of children taking pictures of eachother taking pictures.

10. Tell me one thing you know/believe about forgiveness.  That I don't deserve it, but God gives it anyway and that just blows my mind. 

11. You're waiting in a doctor's office. What is your favorite way to pass that time?  Read People Magazine and hope that strangers don't try to talk to me.  Sorry, I know that sounds really rude, but I enjoy the quiet reading time with no other distractions.  I don't have to be doing anything else at that moment but just sit and wait.  Now that I type that out, it sounds really nice.  I think I need to go to the doctor more often.

12. If there were a clone of you in a parallel universe what is one way you hope she/he would be the same as you and one way you hope she/he would be better?  I hope that she would know Jesus, and I hope that she would know Jesus more.  Oh, and that she would be a size 10 again.