Blog Challenge post... um... today! lol

Fell off the blogging wagon last week.... in my defense, it got a bit busy, I started writing a story and I forgot. so here we are... today's post is...

Post 3 pictures of yourself that you normally would NOT share

and here they are...

Blog Challenge... post 5

Today's topic choice is...

top 10 websites you use....

Okay... here it goes...

1. www.hotmail.com

2. www.facebook.com

3. www.notalwaysright.com

4. www.salsainchina.blogspot.com

5. www.pinterest.com

6. www.mysteryloverskitchen.com

7. www.eharlequin.com

8. www.google.com

9. www.s12.invisionfree.com/stfbe

10.  www.yahoo.com

there you go... :)

Blog challenge post 3 & 4

Oops, blowing this challenge, aren't I?

Catching up a bit today with post 3:  A picture you Took... and post 4: a picture of yourself taken over 10 years ago...

so... here they are...

This was taken in 2011 in Calgary up in the tower... beautiful day... darn good selfie if I do say so myself. :)

and...

 

This was taken in my parent's front yard in June of 1993 ...oh, the day after Graduation or maybe the Sunday after graduation.  It makes me laugh because I think I still use that same expression on my face when they are both going to kiss me at the same time.

 

 

Blog challenge... post 2

Back again... lol

So today's topic is....

First 5 things you do every morning


okay.... so..... here it goes...

1. turn off snooze alarm on cell phone... repeat 3 times.

2. turn off snooze alarm on alarm clock... repeat as needed until the getting up and turning off is annoying and then turn it off completely.

3. Turn on tv... news mostly... right now, canadian olympic coverage as it's 'real time'... lol

4. start the coffee...

5 go to the bathroom.

After that it's a free for all.... drink coffee and reply to emails... dilly dally around, doing things and end up getting dressed and throwing lunch together in a rush.   during week days.

weekends mean the dilly dallying is warrented and allowed. LOL

Blog Challenge... post 1...

I'm not sure if I am supposed to be blogging every day to complete this or not. LOL ... so I 'm going to set a goal of blogging it twice a week... hopefully more but sometimes I get a bit busy and forget about the blogs.

So what I've chosen for my first post topic is....

A Vacation You would Like To Take

Hmm....

I do tend to vacation exactly where I want to... Disneyland... Oregon... Edmonton...

But I do have 3 spots on my list of places I'd like to spend a week.

1. Hawaii ... c'mon... tropical... fresh pineapple... beaches .... the possibility of running into the cast of Hawaii 5-0... ? :)

2.  Jamaica.  have you seen how blue the water is?  It's so pretty and I'd love to visit.

and...

3. Greece. I fell in love with what they showed during the Athen's Summer Olympics. Beautiful water and beaches and a wonderful culture that is so old and worth exploring.

and because a blog isn't a blog without a picture.... :) A picture from my last Disney Vacation...  Carsland...

Movies...

I love movies.

I have always liked movies, and that was before I spent 4 years of my life smelling like popcorn and watching every single movie that came out.

Sometimes I think back on those years and think, wow, it's a good thing those movies were free because they would have cost an hour of my time to pay for them.  And then I look at prices now and go, wow, the only thing close to that price is matinee shows on weekends and holidays at the AMC theater. I'm so much more picky now that I am paying for movies. LOL

But I still can't really enjoy eating popcorn with my movies. Unless of course, it's super buttery... well, butter flavored topping-ery... salted beyond belief and has a package of hot tamales inside. shaken well and downed with a huge... and I mean, you could bathe a baby in that it's so huge... drink. (which is by some strange coincidence, roughly the size of what a small popcorn used to be.)

Something about smelling like a concession stand all the time, even if you didn't work concessions that day just has killed my popcorn appetite. But I'm still a sucker for a really overly done way over cooked hot dog... they taste like pepperoni! serious. and usually are an all beef hot dog.

Anyway, back on track. Movies.

Love them or hate them, I still can't resist getting sucked in to a really good, catchy movie. Which right now, my kryptonite movie is ....

Pitch Perfect.

Now... I don't have all the dialogue memorized yet but I've got the music down and working on the choreography! ROFL

This is not anything new. Previous movies to gain such prestigous heights as this movie are Speed, White Christmas and That Thing You Do.

Speed- Not sure if it was Keanu Reeves or the emerging grace of Sandra Bullock but I watched it ALL the time over Christmas break my freshman year in college and came back, able to quote everything... speak the movie with it, much to the annoyance of everyone around me.

White Christmas- it was one of two movies we had for a while the first summer I cooked down at WiNeMa... the other one... um... Speed. So we watched White Christmas a lot at least until I had a car and could go to town every week or weekend and rent movies.

That Thing You Do... this movie still has the highest and loftiest position of all movies... I saw it in the theatre 16 times. I have lost count of how many times I watched it on video once I got it but this one also... can quote most of the movie... sing ALL of the songs and wished for a really super long time that I could be as good and cute and perfect as Liv Tyler was because I needed to find a guy like Tom Everett Scott.

Which brings us to Pitch Perfect.  I'll admit a problem. I've watched it 6 times in the last 2 weeks. wait... 7... watched it tonight. I listen to the soundtrack all the time and have started to obsess about the songs that aren't in my ipod yet. note to self, fix that problem pronto! It's just good fun. great music...

Hmm, which reminds ... I really do need to get those other three movies on dvd still... hmm.... I wonder how much of the speed dialogue I still know....

(it sort of matters... in a way... cuz i is quirky and funny like that...)

2012 in review and pictures... in no particular order.

January.... snow. 12 hour days... more snow...

 

February... giant gummy worms and gummy bears, nuff said...

 

Will have to add pictures later, I want to get this done before the year is up... lol

 

 

March: Blake Shelton AND Lady Antebellum (And Hunger Games!)

 

April: Pretty Sunset... good times at Easter in Oregon

 

May: VEGAS baby, with my best gal pal, Treeeeeee-na

 

June: Father's Day in Oregon

 

July: Hall of Fame day for the Mariners: Randy Johnson and Dan Wilson

 

August: Edmonton!

 

September: Puyallup Fair- Tim McGraw & annual local favorites: The Konzelman Family Band! (and announcing my new niece: Carleen Isabel Yolanda Minker, so grateful for sister friends that don't mind if you adopt their baby for your own... lol)

 

October: Successfully managed to avoid soda for the month.

 

November: Successfully completed my first NaNoWriMo... 3rd attempt...

 

December: Disneyland! & Pentatonix concert!!

 

 

 

Also... managed to not spend money at work in machines or snack room... but had to use the savings in July ... so did not manage to actually hold on to that $10 a month. Lost 15 pounds this year and currently sit at 220 for the first time in a long time... that's 10 pounds less than my weight watchers adventure several years ago. 2012 was great, I have no regrets at all.

 

 

 

Oh dear....

It's already november!

Yikes!

Not only is it november, it's november 10th and I'm almost 15 K into this year's NaNoWriMo attempt.  And I've failed miserably at trying to blog this year.

A lot has been going on... a trip or two .... novel writing attempt in progress.

far too much work needed for a work party at the end of the week.

the last twilight saga movie...

losing weight, gaining weight, losing or not losing it again.

Disneyland trip for my birthday.

What has not at all occured this year for me is a date. Here's to hoping we can get one in the last month and a half left...

What I've been doing....

oh... man, it didn't work...

grr....

I had a beautiful Easter post that I thought - oh... I can pre-schedule it to post.

Nope...

No post... *pout*

Guess I'll have to work on that a bit more...

In the mean time, enjoy a picture... lol

The Space Needle is celebrating 50 years!  Still looks great!

done... so very done...

This was only the beginning... this was the snow that was falling on Sunday or Monday... I suspect Monday because Sunday was pretty dry and starting to warm.

Tuesday... it snowed all day...

Wednesday... it snowed all day...

Thursday - it was freezing rain into ice overnight and then it snowed all day and I stayed in a hotel that my job put me up at... thank goodness for toiletries and spare clothes in the emergency kits they had us make up in October... Oh, and by 4 pm, we were on mandatory 12 hour shifts due to the major power outages that the ice storm gifted us with.

Friday... walked to work early, frustrated that I didn't get to start early because apparently my supervisor didn't understand what I wanted to do... found a ride home that night... 12 hours.

saturday... 12 hour shift...

sunday... 12 hour shift...

monday... 12 hour shift... this was day 4 of 630 to 630... I'd been getting up at 4 all last week and boy... i was so tired. almost killed a co-worker five times in the last five days... lol

tuesday... 12 hour shift but 730 start... early release got me off at 7...

wednesday ... 12 hour shift...

thursday... 12 hour shift BUT ... early release got me off at lunch and so I only worked 5 hours and was paid for 8...

friday - return of 8 hour shift!!! yay!!!!

all i really have to say is thank god for overtime... they paid me as much as my last bonus check on this paycheck and will still be paying me for a few more hours...

done with snow, let me tell you... sick to death of it..

2012 goals ...

**Gratuitous Cupcake Shrine picture because all posts need a photo of some sort... LOL**

It is that time of year again... time to set some goals to try and stick to and accomplish this year. I think I'm going to be able to do it and look forward to seeing the final outcome at the end of the year.

‎2012 goal 1: The principle seems quite honestly to be a "yeah, duh" moment but I struggle with it most of the time. EAT WHAT YOU HAVE... Which will involve menu planning and grocery shopping on Sundays. Sub goal "A" is to only spend $35 or less on groceries a week.

‎2012 goal 2: Revisiting again the goal of not putting any money into the vendng machines at work. That would be a minimum $10 into my spending money fund for vacations... (and works with my completion of goal one... if I didn't buy it while I was out shopping for the week then I don't need it , most likely... lol)

‎2012 goal 3: Me time... working on keeping goal 1 and 2 should help significantly with improving my diet and helping me lose weight. Making sure to take time for me will include exercise time, time to be creative with food or crafts ... reading time... writing time... and the all important monthly pedicures and massage... lol

‎2012 goal 4: Make at least 1 recipe a week from "the" cookbook of choice. I have a huge collection of cookbooks because I cannot resist them but rarely actually cook from them. and "the" cookbook of choice is.... 100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know....

‎2012 goal 5 : Last goal to work on... REGRET NOTHING! Spend the time I want to spend with people or travel or doing what I want to do... Wisely spend money on things I want to spend it on... Learn something every day - on occasion this will be learning from a mistake made the day before and not repeating it... all in all though... at the end of the year, I want to be happy with my choices and decisions and not have any regrets that I didn't cherish the precious moments or memories or didn't get to do something...


Week one wrap up... Wow... already the end of the first week of the year. Time flies. lol.

Well... I ended the week with $3 left of my grocery money and avoided the machines and things at work. I have decided that I am going to save the money in my savings accounts and then at the end of the year, figure out what to do with all that money that I should have in my account. so one account for grocery money left over and the other for the $10 a week from not spending money at work. balances: $3 and $10

Photo's and recipes from goal 4 will be on my other blog - On the Menu as well as posted to facebook.

Remembering those we miss...

Remembering those that were second mothers...

Her birthday was today and that is probably why I've been thinking about her a bit more this week. Well, and also my recent trip to Disneyland was punctuated by thoughts of her as my parents and I would remember times spent waiting in line and talking about different memories of our family trips together with them.

I think some of my favorite memories of Janet were on those trips. camping trips... Disneyland... Trips halfway across the country to visit friends.

It was often the most fun being the only girl out of the 6 of us because that meant that there were often spaces where people enjoyed having a girl for a while. lol... that meant with one family, I was the only one special enough to play with the vintage Barbie ... and oh, what a Barbie that was... it was so nice to play with her when the boys were off doing who knows what...

and it meant with another family that when I tired of always being princess leia or "julie - the A-team chick" or daisy or whatever token female appeared in the show we were playing ... or simply that I didn't want to climb the apple tree up into the shelf in the back shed... I got to go in and make cookies or brownies. I have amazingly awesome memories of baking with Janet on one of those anniversary weekends or overnighters when I was tired of hanging with the boys...

My heart aches that she did not get to have baking sessions with her granddaughters or chances to cuddle with her grandson when he tires of being the only boy at things. :) And I just know that she would have been loving those chances.

In all this extra wisdom that comes with getting older, I regret that I did not fully realize what opportunities were there to say thank you to her for her impact in my life... She helped to foster along that love of baking and maintaining interest in playing piano. I should have realized that you have to say thank you to people when you have the chance, one of my uncles passed away when I was in high school. I just never imagined that we would lose her and that time would steal away opportunities due to distance... college and such.

So I'll say it now.

Thank you Janet for those memories I have...

I appreciate the way you always allowed me to come inside and bake with you...

and for when you'd put my hair up and I'd look suspiciously like the dog for a while ... until you realized that the ponytail should be lower and would fix it... but that was okay... you didn't have a little girl and the only ponytails you usually made were on the top of Muffin's head...

And for making me remember you when I see mice and most things Disney or old vacation photos.

Oh the memories of old vacation photos.

Well, would you look at that ... :) ... You, Johnstons always put such a united front out on the first day at the park... matching shirts and sweatshirts. :) I remember those trips every time I'm looking around and seeing a batch of matching shirts in line with me...

Your family is perfectly lovely and I know that you would adore all your granddaughters and your grandson... (Steve, Emily, Dave and Talia - you've all done a fantastic job with that side of things, those kids are all wonderful and I can't wait until we can get together this year!)

So again... in memory... and thank you for those that shared her with me...

99 things....

Here are the rules:

Bold the things you’ve done and post this list on your blog then leave me a comment and tell me you did this I can go see. I bet this has gone around the blog world already, so if you've done it, let me know.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyworld
8. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Written something that was published
11. Bungee jumped or parachuted
12. Walked across the Golden Gate Bridge
13. Been in a fist fight
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Seen the Rings of Saturn with a telescope
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when not ill
24. Built a tree house or snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Fired a gun
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal
44. Visited Africa
45. Cried yourself to sleep
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Visited the Eiffel Tower
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Pretended you cooked something from scratch when you didn't
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie or commercial
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold something door to door
62. Gone whale or dolphin watching
64. Donated blood, marrow, etc
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Held onto a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten frog legs or caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Time Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been let go from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Done something illegal
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Sang a solo
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Climbed a mountain
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had surgery
89. Directly saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Seen a loved one die
94. Given birth to a baby
95. Visited the Alamo
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Sent a text message while driving
99. Been stung by a bee

ow...

my toe!

poor little pinky toe.

You are so pretty with your wrap around bruise and fat looking image.

I'm sorry that you're apparently broken and vow to ice you frequently all weekend as well as not put too much pressure on you.

:0(

How did it already get to here?

It's the end of August!

How and why did that happen?

Enjoyed my very warm and humid visit to the Houston area. Not sure if it will work out to visit next year or not with a Vegas trip and most likely another road trip to Edmonton in the books. Maybe they'll be able to come visit the west coast crew again! :)

so...

new rules and guidelines for a better me coming soon...

(as in a post tomorrow... I vowed to post 2 times this weekend and I will do it!)

Wally

I had the pleasure of dog sitting Wally off and on a few times over the last few years and we always had a good time.

Rest in peace my furry friend... I miss you a lot... :)

Regretfully yours....

Finally... time to blog! LOL ... no really, what else am I supposed to do when I'm at the airport for a flight delay ... ? so apologies again for delays but I have mentally been writing this post for quite a while.

It sort of fits into the envy series but it's more of a different nature. :)
* * * * * *

I am not one who really has any regrets but I guess if you start to be patient, then I will start saying well, I guess....

so here it is.

I regret that I have always carried my heart on my sleeve, even when I didn't realize it. I do... it's been a partial bane of my existance because it made me completely transparent when I thought I was being clever and guarding myself well.

I regret that my choice of confidant has not always had my best interests in view and a few times chose to enlighten those that I may have been .. .ah... well... I guess it could be considered slightly stalkerish but I choose to just call it a huge big ole crush. unrequited love if you will... is it really love if it's one sided?

I regret that I held persons who may or may not have been interested in me to a really unfair standard. There is absolutely no way you could have lived up to the guy in my head - you know the one I thought that didn't know ... but totally knew. Can we talk about total mortification... that deepens when you realize what he was thinking when a totally innocent situation then was escalated because 1. they didn't know what he meant and 2. I certainly didn't know what he meant. I've had a lot of time to analyze that one... It would be interesting to actually talk to him again and explain things but as of right now, there's a friends request on facebook but it hasn't been approved yet. and if his marital status is well... marital... i fear that I'd be even more mortified to actually explain in the face of the realization that what could have been really could have been if not for the extreme circumstances that caused us to be totally misguided.

to those that allowed me to be deeply, blissfully oblivious to the status of my 'hiding'... thank you. I was again, mortified to find out you did sorta know but I am grateful that we've never spoken of it. and thank you for still being a friend. your wife and children are lovely and I have nothing but best wishes for you all. (please note that this actually applies to a few people... not calling anyone out here... LOL ) On the other hand, if you would have called me out on it, maybe it would have eased my nerves and not every one of these other guys would have been as disasterous as they were.

so here it is... those are probably the only regrets.. well, other than not taking that bump in flight in May... lol ... and well, backing away when someone teasingly acted like he was going to kiss me. funny that... he also told my parents the first time he met them that we were getting married and sir, I remind you, I'm still waiting for a ring and an official proposal... LOL ... you know who you are. and if you don't remember exactly then yes, I will accept and review applications from all those that may think it was them. we're not getting any younger and I can forgive for not remembering.

where does this really leave me? well, this week, I decided that I have 2 years to turn a thing or two around. I have no intention of being the single fat chick at my 20th reunion and when I say that, I also mean that I have no intention of being the only virgin in the room. so something has to change. My goals at this point are to start an exercise program, cut down on artificial sweetners and soda pop so that I can lose weight and start to see some improvements in how I feel about myself.

I raise my decaf caramel macchiato to my regrets and wish them a sound good bye...!

Wrap up...

Weeeeelllll.... apparently even a challenge like this is too much to expect me to blog consistantly... AND keep track of things.

But... what I can report is that my fast food per week dropped from 10/15 to 5/10... which means my anticipated 50+ was more around 35 or so...

It helps a lot that it's summer and fresh local fruit is starting to be around more.

On the other hand... It's now July... 11 and just a bit more days until Harry Potter part 7.2. :) Yay! And then it's my other vacation... yes, I call it a staycation because I will be down at my Parent's place for a few days and then wandering my way home again around the Washington coast and penninsula and then... just a little while more until TEXAS!! hoping for ice cream and waterparks. LOL

More soon...

Week one...

well... 4 days... LOL

Fast food count:
1 breakfast: sausage mcmuffin, no egg and a diet coke... (friday)
1 dinner: #4 - 2 cheeseburgers, large fry, diet coke... (thursday)

Coffee count:
2 usual from independant coffee stand (decaf americano, all ice no extra water, sf barista choice syrup and 1/2 n 1/2 - totally Atkins friendly and therefore, still a part of my 'diet' world even though I don't follow the plan anymore.)
1 ice tea - starbucks
1 2 shot decaf esspresso over ice, with sf cinnamon dolce and cream.

fast food food, from a non fast food source:
1 preztal w/ nacho cheese
1 hot dog

Not sure how to classify food from a Storm basketball game but I'll add it as a separate category ... seeing as I'll be having food from a Mariner's game tomorrow... will take pictures of that tomorrow. forgot today.

Okay so my total ... what I'm calling my total, for June so far is 2. if you are a 'purist' to the numbers, then fine, counting starbucks stops that is a 4...

It was interesting, fighting my instincts about grabbing my usual every night fast food option for dinner... I was trying to do another thing ... documented on my other blog about only making it on $20 for groceries for the week. I can do it... I came in under $20 but that included a lot of things I had on hand already. So I think I will shelve that goal for a bit - trying to get my fast food meals under control first. And my way to get that under control will be to try and make things from what I know I have at home first.

I haven't even gotten to the grilled cheese sandwiches yet... but managed to eat okay for the first week - I was doing the grocery thing all week.

later!