Camping Fun

Here's a picture that Steve snapped on one of our many trips to and from the outhouse.

And here's the beautiful view we had on our first night. *Sigh* I miss camping...

I also decided to take a picture of my friend Colleen. This is straight from her headstone, so I KNOW it's not the best, but it is the PERFECT picture of the girl, dimples and ALL! :)

And my random thought of the day:

Isn't it just sad when really super smart kids get "dingged" when they misspell a word at the spelling bee?? I just feel my heart drop for them EVERY time. (Yes, I'm pretty pathetic, but sheesh...misspelling a word by ONE freakin' letter...that's SAD!)

Memorial Day Weekend and Steve's Birthday

Camping was WONDERFUL! It barely (and I do mean barely) rained on Sunday night for a few minutes, then a few minutes later, then a few minutes later....just real spotty, but nothing big or bad!

I did my share of driving the 4-wheeler over the weekend. Cam's new thing was to find me and say, "Mama, I gotta go to the potty." I'd then tell him to pee on a tree (yeah, I know...real encouraging.) Then he'd say, "NO, Mama!! I gotta go to the hou-house!" That was his way of getting rides on the 4-wheeler. It was quite fun! I even took him for his OWN ride later on Saturday. He loved it. I made the boy wear a helmet, and I wore one. Steering while having a little kid bonk you in the face with a helmet isn't the "fun" I had hoped for, but we did have a good time. The roads were VERY dusty (from lack of rain) and so we couldn't go very fast without clouds of dust flying EVERYWHERE!

Then I even took a ride on my own. I found a BEAUTIFUL spot and couldn't help but kneel in a prayer of gratitude for this beautiful world. That was one of the BEST moments of the weekend.

I did have a screaming match with Cameron on Sunday night. The kid was ornery and tired, and was having TOO much fun to sleep. I dragged him into the tent to change him into his jammies, and in the process he pitched a fit and screamed worse than I had EVER heard him. The one thing that just irked me, was his attitude with me. He yelled, IN my face, "I don't wanna be camping, NO MORE!!" And then he THREW himself on his bed. I yelled back (Yeah, I'm not good with fits yet...) "That's FINE! We're going home tomorrow..." To which he promptly screamed, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Yeah, fun times....can't wait until those wonderful teen-years come....

I felt really gross by the end of the trip though. I felt like I had been caked with dust. My hair had changed color...to a sandy blondish-brown. (GROSS!)

We did have a few not-so-good things come up: the night before we left for camping I had closed (not SLAMMED!) my driver's side door, and the glass part of my mirror fell out and shattered on my street. NICE! :S So the next day we drove all over town to find a replacement before we could go camping. Luckily, we went to a local glass store and found a replacement.

And my parents, who had just gotten their trailer back from the repair shop a month ago, went to the tire shop to check the tires. The tires on one side were cracked pretty badly, so they had to wait for a few hours for the tire shop to replace the tires. They told my parents that one tire was fine, and they didn't replace it. Well, once my parents DID leave town, the tire that was "fine" completely blew out! BOOM! So they had to stop and change THAT tire. In the end we all got safely to our campsite before dark. But where we camped it doesn't get dark until after 9:00! Yeah, good thing we had all planned on leaving Friday MORNING!! *snickering*

Then Steve and I had a great time at the hotel last night. I don't really know if it was all WORTH the $200 we spent on it, but it was fun to get away from the whiny child, and just be a couple again! :)

Clothes, Pillows, Tent, Sleeping bags, Toiletries...

I think my excitement is getting to me...all night long I dreamed about our upcoming camping trip...and new places I'll get to explore. (Although, in my dreams, the camping is a LOT nicer.) The night before we leave for a trip I'm always awake at 5:30 am, remembering things that I still need to pack, and that I DON'T want to forget...today's wake up call?? Sanitary napkins! :P

Well, I've dinked around on the computer enough for today. I will be back on Monday, but may not post anything until Wednesday. (Tuesday is Steve's birthday!)

Enjoy your Memorial Day!

Apology

I don't know how much I'll be online this week....I've got the end of school coming up. (If you were to ask Cam, he'd hold up three fingers and say, "Free days weft!")

I'm TOTALLY obsessing over these season finales going on this week! (Did anyone watch my favorite?? Heroes!? SO GOOD!)

Then I'm helping my mom prepare for camping this weekend.

And I'll be babysitting most of the week. (Making up for my lack of support LAST week, and my missing out this weekend and the beginning of next week.)

I'm just surviving the week, really....I can't WAIT to go camping....and I really hope it RAINS this year! ;)

This Week in 1997...

Since I woke up this morning I've felt a bit nostalgic. There were MANY things that had happened in my life 10 short years ago:

My gall bladder attacks began. It was one of the most miserable weeks of my life. They did all sorts of tests on me to see exactly what was going on, and their conclusion? Your gall bladder miss-fires. Well, thank you VERY much physicians of my hospital! :P

The second big thing was I was graduating from high school. It was a crazy week filled with baccalaureate, seminary graduation, trips to Lagoon, graduation practices, graduation, all-night parties....SO much fun. The weirdest thing that happened at our graduation was when the boy sitting next to me doubled over in his seat. Suddenly I heard a whooshing of air. The DORK was blowing up beach balls to toss around the graduating class. He had a few of them, but in the end a teacher ended up confiscating them. SHEESH! It's our graduation...let us enjoy it!

The third thing that has me remembering 1997 is this is the 10th anniversary of a dear friend's death. Earlier, before my gall bladder episodes, before my graduation STUFF, Colleen had been in a REALLY bad car accident. She was driving on the highway to her last day of work before she was to quit and start a new job. See, she had been commuting to Ricks college, and was working at Kmart. After her first semester at Ricks she had told me that she HATED it there, and she was going to transfer to ISU.

At this point in my life, I had just started my own first job, at Kmart, and was preparing to commute to Ricks for my first year there. Looking back, I see similarities that make me wonder if I shouldn't have just taken her lead. (I ended up hating Ricks and dropped out to transfer to ISU...)

Anyway, while she was driving, a man in a HUGE pick-up truck pulled out onto the highway without looking and crashed into her little car. She was taken to the hospital, and ended up in a coma. I had gone with my mom to visit her while she was in her coma, but our names weren't on the visitor's list at the hospital. So we sat out in the ICU waiting room to talk to her parents. I remember thinking about my mortality and praying really hard that Colleen would make it. In my mind I thought that if I prayed hard enough, I could make her better.

Well, the week of my graduation she died after 10 days in a coma. It was SO hard. She was so young, and had SO much life in her.

She had been one of the friends involuntarily involved in my rubba undies schemes as a child. She and my friend's sister had been the unknowing victims of invisible rubber underwear snaps. The thing I remember about meeting her for the FIRST time was her bubbly personality. She had told me that her initials spelled out CAR. From this tidbit, I knew that she was smart, and I wanted to be like her. She often joked that she wanted to marry a guy with a last name that started with "S" so she could be CARS. But she never got the chance.

When I found out I was pregnant with Cameron, I decided that if I had a little girl, I was going to give her Colleen's middle name as a tribute. I thought it would be fun to give MY little girl initials that spelled out a simple word. (If Cam HAD been a girl, his initials would have been JAR!)

I miss her. I know that she's in a better place, but I never got the chance to tell her how much I loved having her as a friend. I never got to say good bye.
I have since visited her grave every year, and slowly rub my hand along her headstone. I think in my heart I have said good bye, but with friends, is there ever a true farewell?

Free-For-All Friday

It's time for Free-For-All Friday!If you want to ask me a question -- and anything goes -- here's your chance. You can ask about whatever you wish, no holds barred. I'll either answer honestly, or I'll tell you that I won't answer.

You Asked For It

Millie said...
Did you ever, or do you still, watch ER?

Millie:

Here's my love-affair with ER. I refused to watch it when it first came out. I don't know if it was because I feel like I need to PROVE that I'm my own person, or whether I was just busy doing other things, but I didn't watch.

After I got married, I realized I had married a die-hard ER fan. His mother even refuses to answer her phone between 9:00 and 10:00 pm Thursday nights. I decided if my mother-in-law was SO interested, I'd watch, just so we'd have something to talk about. After the first episode I was hooked. Granted, I started watching beginning with the episode after Carter and Kellie Martin had been stabbed, and Carter was beginning his downward spiral into drug dependence, but GEEZ, I was hooked.

Since starting, I have learned that TNT shows two episodes every morning and I can *gasp* catch up on things I've never seen. Since this discovery, I've watched the whole series through completely ONCE. But I will check in every so often and see if I can guess what's going to happen next.

Lately, I've been busy on Thursday nights, and haven't made ER a priority...probably like I should. I was planning on watching last night's episode (miss the season finale??? NEVER!) BUT my husband had call-backs for his most recent adventure (Music Man...production coming in November...) and his "hour long" call back, ended up lasting THREE hours!! Needless to say, I was furious, and made the man WALK home. (I did carry it a bit far, but sheesh, I was MISSING ER!) Anyway, I made it home in time to catch the last minute of the show! WHA!? I was confused, and quite upset.

So, my husband called his mom today, and we got SOME of last night's episode via her memory. BUT since she now knows how much we LOVE that show, she's mailing us her video tape of the show. SO don't tell me what happened...I want to see it myself! :)

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One Scrappy Gal said...
Where were you during hands across America? Did you break the link?

What would you do for a Klondike bar?

Scrappy:

I vaguely remember the whole holding hands across America thing...I think I was 6 or 7. So I was probably in my front yard, oblivious to the whole thing...and consequently, I DID break the link!

I think the Klondike people are weird. Let's just say that when their whole commercial campaign came out where they'd ask people what they'd do for a Klondike bar, I would YELL at the television, "GO TO THE STORE, YOU MORONS!!" So my answer to you is I'd go to the store and pay a few bucks for a Klondike bar. :)

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mattsmom said...
Are you feeling well? You look a bit green today!

I don't think that I have ever had a Klondike bar. Obviously I wouldn't even go to the store for one!

mm:

Yeah, you know what they say, "It's not easy bein' green..."

(Personally, I've never had one either, but if I HAD to do something for one....that's what I'd do...)

Random Things...Seven to be Exact....

Darn it! TAGGED! And I'm it!
Blackeyedsue tagged me for a 7 random things meme. Oh, how I love randomness...it's my LIFE!

1. I keep piles of things around my house. Yes, I'm a major pack-rat, and I think, "If I toss this, I'll need it tomorrow..." But I'm also SUPER lazy, so I have a pile of garbage behind my nightstand...(old candy wrappers and stuff....)
2. My second toe is longer than my big toe. Yes, in Shallow Hal when they bashed that one woman for having the long second toe, I was offended. But personally, I think my tootsies are cute!


3. I love to watch cooking shows, but I HATE cooking. Watching them just makes me feel like I'm doing something productive, when in reality, I'm not. (Rachael Ray, Giada DeLaurentis, Paula Dean and Alton Brown are some of my FAVS!)
4. I ripped my bra last night when I was getting ready for bed. NO, I'm not super woman, it was an old bra, and I was in a hurry to yank it off. (I HATE wearing bras!! If I didn't need one so badly, I'd go without!)
5. I have a highly sensitive sense of smell. My family has been known to ask me if something smells "off." I'm constantly reminded of this "gift" every day. Last night, my reminder came when I was trying to satisfy my thirst and I smelled my water...it smelled like fish! EW! I tried to drink as fast as I could so I wouldn't smell it...
6. I love to stay up late and watch Family Guy on Adult Swim. Yes, it's a crude show...filled with farts, burps and sex talk, but it's FUNNY! Last night I stayed up and watched it while eating my Halloween candy. (Yeah, I still have a HUGE bowlful!)
7. I'm all about keeping things simple. My wedding reception is a good example. It was in my parents' house, using borrowed things, a simple wedding cake, and minimal decorations. BUT, my sister's reception was OVER the TOP! My mom would comment to me about how much easier my reception was...but its because we're different creatures. (Not one better than the other, just different!) If it's simple and nice, I'm ALL for it! :)

Now to tag some lucky people (seven....just to go with the game...)

Carrie, Mattsmom, Froglegs, Rachelle, Millie, Cat, and Katherine.

Weekend and Monday Blues

What a weekend!

Mothers' Day was well, it was just like every other day....no big deal! :P (Although I was bawling with our lesson on forgiveness...SO GOOD!)

Then on Monday I woke up BRIGHT and EARLY to an upset tummy. Long story short: I was MISERABLY sick all day yesterday. I couldn't hardly get out of bed...even to walk to my bathroom which is literally STEPS away from my bed! Not good! Luckily, my cousin, who was supposed to work EVERY day this week was able to talk to her AWESOME boss and got yesterday and today off for my sickness! So I was let off the hook for babysitting baby J, but not so much with my own kid.

I did get feeling better, but not before Steve joined me in my worshiping of the porcelain god. UGH! Needless to say, we both were a sight to see!

Then today Cameron had Kindergarten graduation. WHY do people insist on having graduation for every little milestone?! Overall it was cute, and Cam had a good time.

This is Cameron with his BESTEST friend! (They're just TOO too cute!)

And as a quick update on my brother-in-law and my parents-in-law. Andrew FINALLY sat down with his parents 10 minutes before they had to leave for church on Sunday (happy Mothers' day to them!) He told them everything and left them with what was going on. At first his parents were in shock, but as the day went on, they both got VERY excited. Now, everyone is excited and praying for Camille! I just hope that they decide to get married soon. I have seen too many relationships where the couple have a baby and don't get married...then life comes at them and they don't stick together because there really isn't keeping them together other than the baby. Anyway, I hope they're both happy!

New News

I just got some interesting news yesterday. I can't really go into details, but we'll just say that, if all goes well, I'll be an aunt before the year is out! *snickering* Geez, that doesn't really leave much NOT to tell, does it!?
I got a call yesterday from my brother-in-law and he said he was glad that I answered, because he wanted to talk to me....not his brother. He told me that he needed some advice, and didn't know who else to talk to. His girlfriend just found out that she's pregnant, and they're both stressing out. Andrew was worried about how to tell his parents. He never told them that he and Camille were even living together, so I took the initiative and told them about a month ago. (Yes, I'm bossy and pushy!) He was relieved that they already knew. But I told him that HE needs to tell them about what's going on with Camille. (She's been in and out of the hospital with bleeding and cramping...scary stuff!)

He then told me that I couldn't tell Steve. Uh, I told him I wouldn't, but then I went ahead and told him anyway! (Yes, I told you, I'm bossy and pushy!) Steve is ecstatic! :)

Now we just wait and find out how the in-laws take the news...

Free-for-all Friday

It's time for Free-For-All Friday!If you want to ask me a question -- and anything goes -- here's your chance. You can ask about whatever you wish, no holds barred. I'll either answer honestly, or I'll tell you that I won't answer.

Answers

One Scrappy Gal said...
Am I the ONLY one that thinks it's strange that Cinderella, in her free time, made clothes for mice? I mean seriously... she sat up in her room making clothes for mice and birds. Whenever *I* see one... the LAST thing on my mind is that they could use a parka. I'm usually trying to shoo them away from me! I've come to the conclusion that, after years of being mistreated, she was crazier than a naked rat in a craphouse!

But seriously... my question for today is... if Adam and Eve were the first ones made... did they have bellybuttons?

Scrappy:

You know, I had never thought about Cinderella in that way before! LOL

And about Adam and Eve...I think that they DID have belly buttons, only so they'd match their kids. So that if they DIDN'T have belly buttons, that one day, when little Eve or Adam Jr. were with their mom and dad Adam and Eve wouldn't have to explain everything about them being different! I actually don't really know, but I'm sure of one thing....Adam had to have had one heck of a scar on his chest! ;)

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Poison Millie said...
I think Cinderella should have plotted her stepmother's and stepsisters' deaths instead of singing and making clothing for rodents. I mean, she had full access to their food. What's a little rat poison in the oatmeal, more or less? Now THAT would be an interesting Disney movie.

Dawnyel: Were you ever scared of something as a child to the point that you still avoid it today, and if so, what was it?

Millie:

It's a good thing Disney had optimists working for their writing department!

When I was younger I had a fear of the phone. Yes, I know...CRAZY! But what happened was some freaky men had somehow gotten my phone number and called and harassed me. I remember one constantly asked me what my bra size was (I was 10...and weird enough, I did have a bra size at that point in my life.) He would call and say things to me that adults should NEVER say to little kids. That was my first major experience with phones, and it scarred me. Then later on, another guy called me and told me that I was scum of the Earth, and that he wanted to fix me. He was going to take me out and buy me a whole new wardrobe and do all sorts of things for me. I was only 14, and realized quickly that some men were major creeps!

Since then, I've been fearful of talking to someone on the phone who will treat me the way that these creepy men did. Yes, it's mostly irrational, and I DO use the phone, but I have to give myself a pep talk for at least 15-20 minutes before getting up the guts to call someone.

And when I was younger I was the designated spider killer for my grandma and the designated dead mouse gatherer....to this day, BOTH pests give me the chills!

The UnTalented Dawnyel

When I was in college, I was in a very FUN group of friends. We were all weird, but no one judged anyone else. I truly miss those people!
One night, while we were just sitting around discussing nothing in particular, we began talking about the "weird" talents we have. And, since several of us made up the ward's activity committee, we decided that it would be fun to have an UNtalent show. One where we could show off the stranger talents we have. One guy, I remember, had "elastic" skin. It was super freaky. Another could twist his arm around...truthfully, we were QUITE a group!
Once we decided on this activity, I had a few talents immediately pop into my head: my Elvis lips, my freaky eyebrows, my whistle, and my baby-singing.

Here are my Elvis lips. I can only do them in one direction...but my sister and mom can go BOTH directions...SO cool! Usually when I do my lips people will look at me like I'm a psycho crazy lady, but who cares!?

My eyebrows are VERY expressive. And when I'm unimpressed with someone or something, they SHOW my true feelings. Steve has now gotten to the point where he'll see me doing that face, and say, "They don't scare me!" (Meaning my eyebrows...)

My whistle is interesting, because I can only do it once in a while. It's not something that I can do anytime I want. What it is, is I have a little hole in the roof of my mouth...pin-sized...and sometimes it opens up. Then when I swallow, I make a cute little squeak. I call it a whistle, but it's more like an annoying squeak!

And my baby-singing. It's really hard for me to describe this obnoxious noise properly, but I'm going to try. I take my hand and make a fist, leaving my pinkie finger up in the air. I take my fist, and cover my mouth, so it looks like I'm playing my hand like a trumpet. Then, I begin to make this noise that sounds like a baby calling out, "Doo doo doo doo doo." The fun part is when I "sing" while doing this. I've been known to make a room full of noisy kids immediately shut up and listen when I start doing this noise. I've taught a few kids my "secret" and made them SWEAR to stop if their mom tells them to, but usually they don't listen. Someday, when I get around to learning how to upload videos to the computer, I will HAVE to share this. Until then, just think of the most obnoxious noisy baby in the world....and add 10 times more volume!

So what untalents do you have?! I've bared MY soul, now it's YOUR turn!

OUCH!!

And now for your viewing pleasure:

Left Leg:

Right Leg:

Update

Unexpected happiness: I only have ONE more day to babysit this week! Okay, so the reason I have one more day to babysit ISN'T a happy reason, but I'm still happy!

I've been THRILLED to have my dear hubby home for the past few nights, and joy of joys, he'll be off of graveyards for most of this week! He will be working until midnight, but geez, I am usually awake at that time! WOO HOO!

The countdown is on...camping and Steve's birthday. I can't wait until the end of the month!!

Oh, and as a silly thought, my dear Visiting Teacher told me that my splits picture from the other day looked a LOT like Cameron! YAY he DOES have some of me in him! :)

After posting that picture, I was curious about whether I could STILL do the splits. SO in the quiet of my bedroom, I stripped off my pants (didn't wanna rip them) and attempted to do them. Guess what, I'm only 3 inches off the ground. So I guess if I was REALLY motivated I could have them down again in a week or so. But am I really that motivated!?? NAH!

Free-For-All Friday

It's time for Free-For-All Friday!If you want to ask me a question -- and anything goes -- here's your chance. You can ask about whatever you wish, no holds barred. I'll either answer honestly, or I'll tell you that I won't answer. (But with me...I'll probably answer you!)

Oh, and don't forget to look at my lovely thought for all of you! :)

Sorry it's late....

(I was SUPER busy today...babysitting, watching a special showing of Spiderman 3....you get the idea!) ;)

Oh, and just for my friend, a hard-working, military-mom. My other friend, Emily, talks about some crappy stuff that went down in Salt Lake City yesterday! I didn't realize all of this had happened...I DID know about my friend winning the tickets from the radio station, and then not getting them, but that's all I had heard...anyway, read away! The more I find about this story, the angrier I get....if we want these 'tards to pay, we need to share the story....with EVERYONE. You can vote it as a top story at this site. And here's a link to the 'twards myspace page! IDIOTS!

Now for the Answers!

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CareBearMommy said...
I was just reminiscing about your drill team days. How many years were you in drill team? Do you still have my "favorite" picture of you posing in the pink leotard? If so, would you be brave enough to post it on your blog?

Carrie:

I was in drill team for 9 years. I started when I was 7 and stopped when it became "uncool" at 16. I think your favorite picture is SOMEWHERE, but I don't know where it is...if I can find it, I will attempt to post it for you! :)

I'm in the middle of the group in this picture...it was the first year, and even though I was 7, I was allowed to be with the older girls...we wore the hot pink outfits. (I'm on the middle row the one on the left...)

This one I'm on the left doing the splts...ignore my poor posture!

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One Scrappy Gal said...
Why doesn't the Sharif like it? When you rock the cashbah?

Also... I need toy suggestions for my son who is developmentally delayed. He turns 2 on the 14th of this month.

Scrappy:

LOVE that song...*singing* "Rock the casbah, rock the casbah!"

I never knew the sharif didn't like it, but then again, I can't understand HALF the words in that song...I guess it's because he would have to rebuild the casbah if it got rocked and destroyed.

And as for toys, if your son is anything like my son was at that age (he's delayed too...) he'll love a little basketball hoop (I think we found ours at Walmart for like $15!) Or little cars are GREAT toys. Anything boyish, (aka balls, cars, dirt...) will be sure to entertain for HOURS!

Oh, and YES, you are my friend who fills my need for wacky humor! :D

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Elena said...
Do you dream in color or black and white?

Elena:

Mostly I dream in color...vivid color! I have had the RARE dream in black and white, but few and far between...the one I vividly remember that WAS in black and white was actually in sepia...LOL it was weird...don't ask me to remember it...because I can't!

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Suzanne said...
Hmm...What is your ideal romantic date? Can you touch your tongue to your nose? What is your favorite LDS temple?

Suzanne:

GOOD questions! :)

My ideal romantic date is one where Steve and I are COMPLETELY alone (preferably out in the wilderness...) and we are wrapped up in each other's arms...making out...then some other things! ;)

I CAN touch my tongue to my nose...but just the tip.

My favorite outside looking LDS temple is the San Diego temple. I hope to go there someday.

As for the insides....I've only been to 4 temples, so I don't have many to choose from, but it comes down to a tie between the Salt Lake Temple and the Nauvoo temple! SO gorgeous!

To My Best Friends

When I was little, I used to believe in the concept of one best friend, and then I started to become a woman. And then I found out that if you allow your heart to open up, God would show you the best in many friends.

One friend will meet your spiritual need, another your shoe fetish, another your love for movies, another will be with you in your season of confusion, another will be your clarifier, another the wind beneath your wings. But whatever their assignment in your life, on whatever the occasion, on whatever the day, or wherever you need them...those are your best friends.

(Taken from a handout I got at our RS Enrichment night.)

Ponder my Ponderings

What do you get when my hubby is OFF of work?!

No me online for days! (But he's back to work tonight, so no worries...I'll be back...soon....I hope!)

Thinking Blog

Whoa...I've been nominated!? And for THINKING!? *snickering quietly* Okay, but I have to thank Suzanne from A Rose By Any Other Name for nominating me. Honestly, I didn't realize that I had so many blog friends, still. I've been SO bad at reading other's blogs lately! But, thank you anyway!

And today, I was just going to do some bullet point blogging...you're lucky...you get MORE!

• I watched the "American Experience" on PBS last night. The topic?? The Mormons. Overall, I was glad that it wasn't a total bashing event, but I was disappointed on the things that they DID choose to focus on. (Polygamy, Mountain Meadow Massacre....) I'm anxious to watch tonight...see how they paint modern Latter-day Saints.
• HEROES is back, and I'm SO happy! I'm sad that there are only 3 episodes left, and I'm FURIOUS that my hubby refuses to give this show a chance! He tells me that there is NO way this show can survive another season...I don't believe him! (And to find that a dear high school friend ALSO loves Heroes is an added bonus! MORE happiness for me!)
• As some of you know, I watch The View daily...just to watch the Rosie train-wrecks. Now to find that she's leaving...I have to admit, I'm not sad to see her go....taking her soap-box with her! *sigh* There isn't a show that I've watched lately where she hasn't mentioned one of these topics: Bush, Iraq, or Democrats. We know your stance lady, but can't you let the OTHER opinions talk too?! Now with her leaving maybe Elisabeth can get a word or complete thought out without being interrupted!
• I'm THRILLED that the trees here are FINALLY in bloom! While driving down the road, I pointed to an extremely bloomed tree and told my husband, "Look, it's FLUFFY!" Of course, he laughed!
• On an upsetting note, my LOVELY neighbors had some little kid POUNDING on their piano earlier today, I was FURIOUS...I had both boys napping, and I was pleasantly snoozing as well. The piano sounded like it was IN my living room! ARGH! After Baby J woke up, I stood up, stormed over to the wall, and began knocking...in the process, I knocked 2 of my pictures off...breaking the glass in one of the frames! :(
• AND it's MAY!! That means two things, 1. Camping for Memorial Day weekend! I'm SO excited, I can't even begin to express! 2. Steve's 30th birthday is coming up...I'm WAY excited for THOSE plans too! ;)

And now, blogs that I think are WORTHY of the Thinking Award are like little insights into people that I feel I know well, even though we haven't met in real life!

1. I know she's been nominated before, but I HAVE to nominate Mel from Gizmo-isms. Honestly, she goes through SO much, and can still be positive and inspiring.

2. Blackeyedsue from For Better or For Worse. This woman makes me feel so glad to have her a part of my little sphere of bloggy-friends. She not only talks about her struggles and frustrations, but she inspires me to do better.

3. Sketchy from Spitting Prohibited. When I DO get around to catching up on my missed blog-reads, she always cracks me up. She has my sense of humor, which in this world, is a fun surprise! :)

4. Rachelle from Teacher, Mom, Mad Woman. Honestly, other than my IRL friends, she's the first blog I read that I instantly clicked with! She's a wonderful woman who helps ME find the inner strength to go through my trials with my head held high.

5. And finally, Millie from Thoroughly Mormon Millie. She is one of the blogs that I find myself drawn to day in and day out. Her thoughts just make me LAUGH! She enjoys her life, and shares things that I love...She makes me happy!

The participation rules are simple (if you so choose to participate, that is!):

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,

3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.