The ABC meme.

Ok, so I'm totally cheating with this one. I started another version of an ABC meme like a year and a half ago, but I never even got off the ground with it. That meme required an entire blog post for each letter of the alphabet! And so you see why I never did it. Maybe someday.  My bloggy friend Anna did it, and it was so fun to read. But yeah, I'm lazy like that.

So when I saw this one on Beth Moore's blog this week, it seemed much more up my alley.

I know, memes are so last year, but I've always been way behind the times anyway, so it's nothing new for me to be fashionably late to the trend-party.

Here we go!

A. Age: Really? We’re going to start with this one? Fine. 41. Happy?

B. Bed size: Queen. And most of the time that's too small.

C. Chore that you hate: I.RON.ING. ugh.

D. Dogs: Sadness. We lost our precious Annie one week ago yesterday. Our hearts are still lost without her. At night I still think, “I need to go feed Annie.” When it rained a couple of days ago I thought, “Oh, I need to let Annie in!” Much sadness.

E. Essential start to your day: Coffee. I admit it. With 3 of those little creamer cups (yes, three) and a stevia packet.  Come to think of it, maybe it's the creamer that's an essential start to my day.

F. Favorite color: Green

G. Gold or Silver: Are we talking jewelry or investments? Or the stars I earned for good behavior today? (haha – if that were the case, I would have been moved to BLACK early this morning.) Jewelry - I prefer silver, although I'm old so my wedding ring is gold. Investments........(crickets).

H. Height: 5' 7" (and a half)

I. Instruments you play: Sadly, none. I took piano lessons when I was in elementary school - and for a short stint when I first got married - but I can barely play a note today. I also played the trombone (not the clarinet, as one might think) from 7th grade through college (have I mentioned I LOVED marching band? oh, I have?), and then for a few years afterward in the church orchestra. Again, can't play a lick now. Sad times.

J. Job title: Nowadays, thanks to some major changes in my job in the past year, I'm officially a "financial analyst". Which is laughable, because I am lame at finance. Any business major will tell you there's a huge difference between finance and accounting, and I'm an accountant through and through. I hated my finance classes in college. My degree is accounting. My certification is accounting. Finance? Blech.

K. Kids: Not sure if this is asking about MY kids specifically, or for my opinion on kids - which could vary widely based on the day. And time of day. Just kidding. I have two - girl, 12, and boy, 9. And love them both fiercely. Most days. :) And also a recently heart-adopted, handsome 15-year-old boy who lives on the other side of the globe.

L. Live: Yes, I do. (sheesh, I seem to be having a fit of sarcasm today) Ok, ok, I live in Texas and am so happy to be here. I moved around a ton when I was growing up, and loved Texas the most of all the places we lived. Couldn’t wait to get back here when I graduated from high school.

M. Mother’s name: Glenda. She was the GOOD witch. Grin.

N. Nicknames: None that I know of. Probably Miss Sassy-Pants after this blog post.

O. Overnight hospital stays: Besides when I was born, only when my kids were born, and Jacob’s little two-day stint at the beginning of the year.

P. Pet peeves: Tailgating. And people who say “Nu-cu-lar”.

Q. Quote from a movie: For many, many, many years, my favorite movie in all the world was Pretty Woman. And then at some point I decided maybe that wasn’t the best favorite movie for a good Christian girl. But none the less, I love me some good Pretty Woman quotes. “There’s a band!” My husband and I say this all the time. :) “It’s broken. Mine is broken!” “Do you have a dream? What’s your dream?” And our favorite of all time, “Slippery little suckers, aren’t they?” Lamest quote from the whole movie, which also happens to be the closing line, “She rescues him right back.” Lame. I do avoid the Cinderella reference at all costs.

R. Right or left handed: I tried SO HARD to be left-handed when I was in elementary school (or was it junior high?). I practiced and practiced and practiced. I just couldn’t do it. Funny thing is, Kloe has been doing the same thing recently. We’ll see if she makes it any further than I did. :)

S. Siblings: How much time do you have? In the most basic sense, I’m an only child. My parents divorced when I was very young, and my mom never had any other children. My dad did remarry, and through him I have two half-sisters, one half-brother, and a step-brother. What with all those “partial” siblings, none of them do I actually think of when I think of siblings. On the other hand, my mom’s sister (my aunt) was also divorced and had three sons. My mom and my aunt and all us kids lived together much of the time I was growing up. And so, if you ever hear me talk about my “brothers” here on the blog - by blood they are actually my cousins, but by heart (and by sibling rivalry standards) they are my brothers. :)

T. Time it takes you to get ready: On my own: exactly an hour. With kids: 1 ½ to 2 hours minimum. Even when they’re 9 and 12.

U. Ultimate Vacation: Nantucket.  Ahhhh, lovely Nantucket.

V. Vegetable you hate: Boiled okra. Gross.

W. What makes you run late: Trying to do too much within the time I have available.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Other than lots and lots on my teeth for the whole braces gig, I had a CT scan (sort of like an x-ray, yes?) on my head about 8-ish years ago when I had some weird, unexplainable, severe head pain. Oh, and remember when I told you I totally lied to get out of PE in junior high? Yeah, well that little episode cost my momma a pretty penny, I’m sure, when I had to get my hip x-rayed. Long story.

Y. Yummy food that you make: Listen, we all know I’m not a cook. That being said, I make a mean chocolate chip cookie pie. And I’m pretty good at the instant, chemical-ridden version of Swedish meatballs.

Z. Zoo animal: Huh? As in, name one? Or which is my favorite? Let’s go with favorite, and mine is totally the elephants. Riding an elephant was on my bucket list, and I got to do that several years ago…..nope, not in Africa…..at the county fair. :)

Now, you remember how this meme stuff works, right? If you’re reading this, consider yourself tagged. I want to hear from all of you! I know you’re out there – I can see you and track you down on my Site Meter. Bwahahaha. So play along! Pretty please?

100 things.

Did you guys do slam books when you were in elementary school (or maybe junior high)? No?

Well, back in the olden days, before cell phones and ipods, we were forced to find entertainment with paper and pen. We would use yarn to tie together a small stack of notebook paper, then decorate the front page as a cover.  On the next page we would write a list of numbers down the left hand side. All your friends would choose a number and write their name beside it.

At the top of each of the other pages you would write a question, and your friends would answer the question next to their number.  Questions like, Who's your best friend?  What kind of music do you listen to?  What class do you love/hate most?  What's your favorite food?  And the all-time favorite...Who do you like? (!)

Ahhh, the good old days.

I LOVED slam books.  Loved making them, loved answering other people's questions, loved reading everyone else's answers.  And I also love those chain emails where you answer a bunch of questions and then forward it to all your friends. ;)  Maybe it's my ego.

Anyway, I've seen those "100 things about me" posts on a few people's blogs, and I love them!  Sort of like a modern-day, computer-age slam book.  And of course I wanted to join the fun.

So here's your chance to click away now.

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Anyone still here?  Ok, let's get going!

101 Things About Me You Always Wanted to Know But Didn't Have a Slam Book to Ask Them In.

1. I was born in Colorado, but we moved to New Mexico when I was 6 months old.
2. My parents divorced when I was about 18 months old.
3. I have lived in four different states: Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Florida, then Texas again, New Mexico again, and back to Texas.  With many, many, many moves inside each of those states.
4. I hope to never move again.
5. I went to 8 schools by the time I was in the 8th grade. One of them two different times, so that might count as 9.
6. I hated moving so much. Hated always being the new kid in school. Just when I would make friends, we would move. Hated it. Hence #4.
7. We moved to New Mexico when I was in the 8th grade and, although we did move around the area several times, I never had to change schools again. Except to go from junior high to high school.
8. When we moved to New Mexico, I told my mom, “As soon as I graduate, I’m moving back to (the city where I live now). ” And I did. Been here ever since.
9. I don’t like change. At all. See #’s 4 and 6. And 8.
10. I’ve had the same job for almost 17 years. See #9.
11. I was engaged once before I met The Mister.
12. I am one of the LEAST picky eaters you will ever meet. I can only think of a couple of things I don’t like to eat. And….if it’s something I normally like, it’s hard to make it so bad that I won’t eat it.
13. Except, I really don't care for fruit. If it’s already washed, peeled, and cut up I’ll eat it, but it’s not my favorite.
14. Especially bananas.
15. I would love to buy all organic if it weren’t so stinkin’ expensive. Our grocery bill has gone up about 30% over the past year anyway thanks to the economy. Now we’re back to beans and weenies (not necessarily together).
16. I’m a CPA but I hate taxes. And I’m really bad at managing money. Go figure.
17. I love coffee. With lots of cream and sugar stevia.
18. You may not know that I actually invented the Frapaccino before Starbucks did. I just didn’t know that I should have named it and marketed it. :)
19. When I was 10 years old I visited Sea World for the first time (when we lived in Florida), and for the rest of my growing-up years I wanted to be a killer whale trainer when I grew up.
20. I held onto that dream until it actually came time to go to college, and I discovered that Texas A&M was the only school in Texas (at that time) that offered a major in Marine Biology. Even back then, I couldn’t bring myself to be an Aggie, and so gave up the dream. Hmm, marine biology to accounting – big switch, huh?
21. I never loved my major. Which is probably why I hate taxes and am not good with money. But I stuck with it because of #9.
22. It has turned out well, though. Being a CPA has allowed me to have a flexible, part-time work schedule and still be able to contribute to our family's income.
23. Because of that, I get to take my kids to school and pick them up every day, which I’m so thankful for.
24. My love of whales continues to this day, and I was beyond the realm of excitement when I got to play with the beluga whales at Sea World about 12 years ago. Like....in the water with them, giving them commands. Oh my heart.
25. I am an introvert to the max. MAX. I fake it pretty well, though, so most people don’t believe it.
26. I’ve never been good at sports. I played soccer for two seasons when I was about 7 or 8, but that’s it. I actually got a doctor’s note to get out of PE in junior high.
27. And I totally lied to get it.
28. Instead, I was a band geek. And loved every minute of it. Loved marching band. LOVED. Band gave me an instant family when I went to college. (did I mention I loved it?)
29. And that’s why I’m so excited Kloe has chosen to be in band, too. I hope she will love it as much as I did and stick with it.
30. I was drum major my senior year in high school.
31. I was in the band sorority in college.
32. I don’t own sunglasses. I wear glasses and am not able to wear contacts, so I can’t wear fun, cheap sunglasses. It’s expensive having to buy prescription ones, so I have to keep them a few years which makes them always out of style. I actually did buy a pair for my trip to Uganda, but they didn’t come in in time so I didn’t even get to take them with me. And now, would you believe I CAN’T FIND THEM!
33. My mom wanted to name me Samantha Diane, but my dad said no because “no daughter of his was going to be called Sam!” So my mom wanted Valerie Diane, but, um, well, yeah....thanks, Mom, for not giving me those initials. And so I ended up with Valerie Christine. Valerie means “strong” and Christine means “follower of Christ”. Love.
34. I’ve never had a broken bone.
35. I’ve never been in the hospital except to deliver my babies.
36. I’ve never had stitches except when delivering my babies. ;)
37. I interact best with children under the age of 5. It’s been tough going in our house for the last several years. :)
38. I never was much of a sweets-eater until Jacob was born.
39. I've totally made up for it since then.
40. My feet stay cold from October through April.
41. About half-way through a book, I often skip ahead and read the end, then go back and finish it the right way. I’m trying to get better about not doing this.
42. I read veeerryyy slow.
43. I am not crafty.
44. But I wish I was.
45. My favorite color is green. I used to have enough green clothes to fill an entire laundry load.
46. Beth Moore’s Bible studies have changed my life. Most especially “Believing God”. She taught me an amazing love for scripture and changed the way I read it. Changed. My. Life. For real.
47. I cried when I saw her in person in September. Not in some weird, groupie kind of way, but because of what I’ve learned from her about loving Jesus.
48. I’ve never gotten a speeding ticket (not to say I haven’t deserved one).
49. I talk to myself. Out loud. All the time.
50. I had finally just gotten the flossing thing DOWN before I got my braces on. But now I’m not doing it ever again until I get them off. Flossing with braces is HARD and takes FOR.EV.ER.
51. This is my 2nd round with braces.
52. I don't like to drive.
53. But I love to travel.
54. My favorite places to go are San Antonio and Uganda. :)
55. I’m secretly hoping to someday be on the staff of SixtyFeet.
56. I’m really bad at small talk. See #25.
57. I don’t like swimming. But, yes, I can swim.
58. I think the last time I took an actual bath in the tub was when I was pregnant with Kloe. (must be a water thing, huh?)
59. I’m 41 years old and still don’t know what I’m good at. Sigh.
60. Not cooking.
61. Not crafts.
62. Not homemaking.
63. Not money management.
64. Not photography.
65. But I love photography anyway.
66. I prefer the mountains over the ocean.
67. My new favorite ice cream flavor is tiramisu. Mmmm!
68. I love to help people. I love giving to meet physical needs more than giving money, and would rather help hands-on when I can, but love giving money when I can't help in person.
69. I’m pretty sure I’ve never owned a pair of white pants.
70. I get highly worked up over political issues. But avoid talking about it on my blog like the plague.
71. I don’t do sad endings. Period. And if you recommend a movie or a book to me, you better warn me if it has a sad ending.
72. Even without braces, I don’t like chewy, sticky, or gummy candy: jelly beans, gum drops, gummy bears, starburst, now-n-later, tootsie rolls, caramels, etc.
73. Or hard candy.
74. In fact, chocolate is probably the only candy I like.
75. My family knows to let me check the mailbox.
76. I love getting real mail.
77. I’ve seen on some old blogs that there was a “good mail” movement going around bloggy land a few years ago. I think we need to start it up again. Anyone? That would TOTALLY make my day year.
78. My “receiving” love language and my “giving” love language are not the same.
79. My “receiving” language is quality time. Did you know there are two different dialects of quality time? Mine is activities. NOT conversation.
80. My “giving” language is gifts. Can be bad at Christmas.
81. I love reconciling my bank statement.
82. Oh! That’s something I’m good at. :)
83. And 10-key. I do rock at 10-key by touch. (that means I can run an adding machine at the speed of sound without looking) :)
84. I’m an avid list maker. I add things to my list that I’ve already done just so I can feel the satisfaction of marking them off.
85. In Uganda I learned the joy of wearing skirts in the summer heat.
86. I’m not a big fan of jewelry. I wear some, but not much.
87. I took Spanish in junior high, and now can’t speak a word of it except the days of the week and counting to 20.
88. I’ve always wanted to learn sign language.
89. I wish I could find more time for blogging.
90. And scrapbooking.
91. The brothers you hear me talk about on my blog are not really my brothers, they’re my cousins.
92. I do have a half-brother and a step-brother, but I don’t have any interaction with them to speak of.
93. Or my two half-sisters.
94. I hate roller coasters. And flying.
95. I recycle.
96. I’ve never had anything pierced except my ears, and they’re pierced twice.
97. I would secretly like to have a tattoo on my foot. It would say “Believe” in Chinese.
98. I used to be a Creative Memories (scrapbooking supplies) consultant.
99. Now I sell Arbonne. But not actively.
100. I’ve been on two cruises and think they are hands-down the best vacation bang for your buck. So. Much. Fun.
101. I’m an extreme night owl. In fact, I’m probably actually nocturnal. :)

Anybody else wanna play?

Just call me a rebel.

A few weeks ago my bloggy friend Anna sweetly and patiently gave me the scoop about what a meme is. See, I'm still a bit of a blogging newbie, and even though I thought I knew what a meme was, I wasn't completely sure.

In my quest to become more well-versed in meme-dom, Anna invited me to read through some of her meme posts, and I found out that they're like those fun emails we used to pass around (and sometimes still do) where we answer a set of questions about ourselves and then pass the list along to our friends. I know lots of people hate those emails and delete them without even reading, but I think they're so fun! :) I love answering them and I love reading other people's answers. Is that weird?

According to meme etiquette, I think I'm technically supposed to wait for someone to tag me - or I can start my own, right? - but since I don't have tags lining up at my bloggy door, and I'm not creative enough to think up my own, I'm going to do the next best thing....steal. Actually, it's more like inviting myself to a party I wasn't invited to. :)

Anyway, while I was snooping browsing around Anna's blog, I found a really fun meme that I wanted to try. Anna, I hope you aren't offended that I'm inviting myself to your party. :)

Here's how you play: answer each question in your head, type your answer into g00gle image search, then choose one of the pics from the first page of results and post it as your answer. Here we go.

1. Age at next birthday: (Really? This has to be the first question? Well, since my birthday is in 11 days I guess I might as well fess up.)



Yes, I'll be 40 if you must know. The big 4-0. Over the hill. Next stop: beehive hair-do and polyester pants.

2. Place I'd like to travel:



3. Favorite place:



4. Favorite objects:


(does this count as an object?)

5. Favorite food:



6. Favorite color:



7. Nickname:


(but no one actually calls me that)

8. Place you were born:


(I've got a shiny nickel with your name on it if you can tell me where this is!)

And one I added myself (does this make it my own meme?)....

9. Worst household chore:



So consider this your official tag. Humor me and play along, k? It is almost my birthday, and you know how we old people can get.