Favorite Films

I'm so glad this challenge put this in plural form!  I have several "top choices."

1.  Music and Lyrics:


2.  The Wedding Singer:


3.  Edward Scissorhands:


All of these movies have one thing in common.  I LOVE the soundtracks!

My Favorite Things

1.  Daniel- my wonderful husband

Here we are playing an egg race game on Easter.

2.  Andrea- my oldest daughter

Andrea is on the right.  Her music taste definitely leans more towards my husband's, but I love how she is definitely Andrea.  No one can tell her what she likes or doesn't like.  That's Amber on the left.

3.  Amber- my youngest daughter

My mom recently discovered this picture on her computer, and I stole it.  Here's Amber when she was only 2 years old.  The dogs definitely look much older now, too!

4.  My mom

5.  My dad

Here's another older picture my mom came across.  I'm thinking the girls are about 2 and 4 in this one.  That's my dad with them, of course.

6.  My brother

My younger brother- Fred.  Isn't he good looking?  Sorry ladies.... he's taken by....

7.  Lisa- my "sister-in-law"

Don't they just make the cutest couple ever?

8.  Teaching

9.  Herons

I enjoy bird watching, but I REALLY love the Herons.  They are just so neat to watch- especially when they are hunting!

10.  Hanging out with friends

11.  Giraffes

My favorite animal

12.  Unicorns

I am SO glad a friend told me to get a unicorn tattoo when I got my own and only tat.  He said a tattoo should mean something.  That's the ONLY reason I don't regret my tattoo more than I do.

13.  Coffee

I don't know when I actually started liking coffee, but I really don't like starting my day without it.  I LOVE International Delights creamers- especially the ones that taste like candy bars.

14.  Running

I really miss running.  The nerve damage in my feet has pretty much ended that as a regular activity.  I do still hop on the treadmill and get a mile or so in once in awhile, though.  I don't see any organized events in my future, though.

15.  Reading

16.  Trees

For some reason I am fascinated with pictures of forests, and I think the running/ walking paths are amazing. The only things that can make this better is a beautiful bench for sitting to read and a disc golf course.  

Well, I was supposed to come up with 20, but these are the things I truly enjoy.  I can't think of any more, but I'm sure there are plenty.  There is so much to enjoy in life.  

Old School Blogging A-Z

A. Attached or Single?  Attached- very attached.  We will be celebrating our 13th anniversary on June 24.

B. Best Friend?  When it comes right down to it, my husband really is my best friend.  We have been through entirely too much together, it seems.

C. Cake or pie?  I like pie better than I like cake.  Banana cream is my favorite.

D. Day of choice? I like Sundays.  It's the one day when I have a shot of not having to get up and get things done by a certain time.  

E. Essential Item? Computer.  I have become quite attached to my computer.  I love Facebook, blogging, and other opportunities to connect to people, even when I don't have time to get out and about in the world.

F. Favorite color? Greens and browns.

G. Gummy bears or worms?  Hmmmm..... I really don't jump for joy at either, but I guess if I had to pick I would go with bears.  I like to suck on them, then chew them like gum for a bit.

H. Home town? I was born in Woodstock, IL.  I have called the Phoenix area home since 1986 when my parents moved us out here when I was 11 years old.

I. Favorite Indulgence? I love to make all sorts of fun finger foods and have a movie night.  It's even more fun when we drag our mattress into the living room and throw it on the floor to curl up on.

J. January or July? January.  In Arizona it is one of the BEST months for weather.  It's usually not TOO cold, and there are lots of days off school so I can go disc golfing.

K. Kids? I have two girls.  I can't believe the oldest is going to be a teenager in six months!

L. Life isn’t complete without? I must have a good book with me at all times.  I can't remember a time in my life when this was not true.

M. Marriage date? June 24, 2000

N. Number of brothers/sisters? One brother.  He is 2.5 years younger than me.

O. Oranges or Apples? Apples.  I can tell if I have gone a day without one.  I used to love oranges, too, but I haven't had one in three months since I found out I'm allergic to all citrus.

P. Phobias? I don't know that I have anything that actually qualifies as a phobia.  I certainly don't like scorpions, though.

Q. Quotes?  "Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened" -Dr. Seuss.  I recently wrote this on the final postcard I mailed my students.  The last day of school was pretty emotional for some of them.

R. Reasons to smile? Knowing I've done a good job on something that was hard work and challenging.

S. Season of choice? Fall is my favorite.  I love the atmosphere.  When it's fall, you can just tell.  

T. Tag 5 People. I don't even think I know five people!  LOL

U. Unknown fact about me? Wow, I think I'm pretty transparent.  There is not one thing I can think of that people don't really know about me.

V. Vegetable?  Bell peppers.  

W. Worst habit? Biting my fingernails.  

X. Xray or Ultrasound? I’ve had both multiple times.

Y. Your favorite food? I don't actually have a favorite food.  I know... I'm boring.  I like different things depending on the circumstances. 

Z. Zodiac sign?  Libra

My Favorite Quote

"Let the Wild Rumpus start!"

For my 35th birthday my family bought me all the "Where the Wild Things Are" stuffed characters.  We went to see the movie at IMAX which is a HUGE deal for us.  We generally see movies once or twice a year, if even that often.  I fell in love with the main character, Max, all over again.

I'm sure I read "Where the Wild Things Are" over and over as a child, but it just never stuck with me the way it did when the movie by Spike Jones came out.  There was something powerful in this portrayal.  Maybe it was the way that Max's journey was brought to life in a way that was only implied in the original book, or maybe it was that I have come to relate to Max so much.  Either way, when I need a stress relief, yelling, "Let the Wild Rumpus start!" is a good one.  My kids and husband all know what kind of mood I'm in if they hear me playing the "Where the Wild Things Are" soundtrack at top volume.

Unsure of the story of which I speak?  Oh, PLEASE, PLEASE spend the four minutes to enjoy the story below.  It is truly one children's classic story that you just CAN'T not read in your lifetime.

My Favorite Book

I really don't have a favorite personal book because I very rarely go back and reread once I've finished.  I just have so many on my To Be Read list that I don't really spend the time to enjoy a book a second time.  I do have a few favorite authors, though, that I follow very closely.

The first is Jodi Picoult.  Her writing flows in a way that makes a book easy to read, yet it is thought provoking.  Each of her stories have an element of controversy, and she is wonderful at making the characters come alive.  It really feels like the reader knows the characters by the time the book is finished.  I have read every book by Jodi Picoult.

My second favorite author is Debbie Macomber.  This writer is classified as a romance writer, but she has a couple of series that are less romance and more women's fiction.  You can check out any of Debbie's series by going to her website.

Lastly, an author that keeps me grounded in my criminal justice roots is Karin Slaughter.  Hey, she just plain has a cool name!  I haven't met anyone named Karen (even if she does spell it wrong) that isn't a neat person.  Ms. Slaughter also has a couple of series that I enjoy.  Her characters are true to life, with flaws and all.  There is, under the crime/ mystery story, a bit of romance happening.  Again, the characters are not perfect, and sometimes I want to throw the books out the window.  That's the sign of a good read!

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My Favorite TV Show

I fell in love with Grey's Anatomy when I was sick with the shingles.  For years I had avoided the show, thinking it sounded dumb and way too romancy (yes, that is a new word I just coined) for me.  But, after sitting in my house with nothing to do for days on end, I decided to give it a try.  I was hooked in the first episode!  Thank goodness for Netflix and the ability to catch every episode starting in the first season.

Watching Grey's quickly became a family activity (yes, I let my children watch the show, too), and we were caught up to the newer episodes within a couple of months.  Then, on my husband's and my anniversary, we saw the musical episode.  Oh, how I cried and I cried.  This was perhaps the most powerful of them all, and we watched it on a day when I was struggling to see the positive side of life.

In this episode one of the characters almost dies in a car accident.  She is outside of her body, watching all that is happening to her.  She is singing the song "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol.  The song hit me like a ton of bricks.  I literally had a hard time breathing through my sobs.  The song was perfect for the situation we were facing with my shingles and related complications.

That night, as we were preparing for bed, I asked Daniel if I was going to die.  We honestly didn't know where the complications were leading, and it seemed every time I started to get better I would get worse.  He was so honest when he answered, "I don't know."  The words to the song, "If I just lay here would you lie with me and just forget the world" were the only reply I had.  I didn't know what else to say, but somehow that thought and the Grey's Anatomy episode gave me comfort and hope.  Every once in awhile, when times are tough and I really don't know how I can stand another minute of life going the way it is, I will still text Daniel with those lyrics.  His answer, always, is "You know I will."  It's nice to know that there is one person in the world who understands my need for the world to just stop and let me catch up.

It is because of this song that I will forever be a Grey's Anatomy fan.

My Favorite Song

I don't have a favorite song.  It changes, depending on what is happening in my life.  One song that can always make me smile, though, is "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison.

My brother loved this song when he was in high school.  Whenever I heard him singing it, it just lifted my spirits.  My brother has introduced me to a lot of interesting music I wouldn't have otherwise chosen for myself.  I don't know of any other songs by this same artist, but I really do enjoy "Brown Eyed Girl."