Memememememememmmmmmmm

Keiauni has given me blog fodder that my brain can deal with.

Rules:
1) Post Rules on your blog
2) Answer the six "8" items
3) Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving them a comment

8 favorite TV shows:
Numb3rs
Medium (waiting for it to start up again)
That 70's show (reruns)
Supernatural (the Duke's favorite)
that's it. . . there just aren't eight items in this particular set.

8 things I did yesterday:
Took Maggie to the vet (ear infection)
Called my doctor to ask them to re-fax my physical report to the adoption agency (who lost it)
Went with Little Sir to pre-school
Took a short nap
Went to the gym
Made Won Tahn soup for dinner
Went to a Pampered Chef party and visited with great friends
Knit and surfed the web

8 things I look forward to:
Our trip to Belize in June
Getting "the" adoption call
Meeting our birth parents and new baby
Graduating
The Resurrection (don't laugh, my body is seriously messed up)
My Mom coming to visit next month
Finishing a sweater I'm working on
Being Skinny again:) (I'm with you on this one Keiauni)

8 favorite restaurants:
Royal Palm (Thai)
5 Spot (Breakfast only)
Saltoro (NW cuisine)
Red Mill (Best Burgers on the planet)
Palisades (NW/ Pacific cuisine)
Subway
The Soup Kitchen (in SLC)
Mehak (Indian)

8 things on my wish list:
A happy little brother
A calm little sister
Jobs for Sonya and Miles
A break for Lucy and Rudy
A day off to spend with my girlfriends
A clean house
A full night of sleep
A massage, a pedicure, and a haircut

8 people I tag:
I'm tagging anyone who is described by any of the eight following adjectives
Happy
Sad
Excited
Nervous
Energetic
Exhausted
Hopeful
Determined

It can't be all knitting all the time

I stole this from Keiauni. Thanks Keiauni!

You highlight what you have done...and leave the others alone.

I think I will annotate mine as well.

1.Started your own blog (several times over)
2. Slept under the stars (it's been too long, though)
3. Played in a band (the Thirsty Ducks - I think- is was a silly teenage thing)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped (this is on my adrenaline junkie list)
12. Visited Paris (this is on my travel bug list)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (unreal)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child (we're workin' on it. Help Us mightbebabywright.blogspot.com)
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (you know, they don't let you do this anymore, glad I got the chance when I was young)
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 you’re not ill
24. Built a 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. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (not a vacation cruise, though, it's on my list as well- Alaska I think)
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. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted (more than once, if you can believe it)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
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 Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (they won't let me)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone .
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person (I lived a mere two hours away at one time, and never went. Isn't that sad?)
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit (knock on wood)
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own (just did :)

Tag, YOU'RE it!

THS- Class of '97

I have yet another FO to share.

I have an experience I want to relate.

I even have a video tutorial on how to Navajo Ply to post (if I can figure out how to get the video from my camcorder to my computer- sorry Mom. The driver isn't compatible with Mac OS- very frustrating!)

But I am doing none of this because it all involves more brain power than I currently have in my reserves. So I give you this instead.

So, my darling friend "Lucy Westenra" emailed me the meme. She never does anything like this, so I thought it deserved its own blog post. Also, it means that I don't have to email a bunch of people.

If you went to THS you should know what I'm talking about, and I invite you to play along. If you didn't, well, I invite you to play along as well. It's good to remember those painful years periodically so that we appreciate our lives now a bit more.

Fill this out about your SENIOR yearof high school! The longer ago it was, the more fun the answers will be!! REPOST with name of high school and graduating year in the subject box.

1. Did you date someone from your school? Yes, and those of you who were there will affectionately remember him as "Butt Head" - a nickname I hated and refused to adopt. I think I kind of got a Yoko Ono reputation for that (among other things- yes I was aware, I just didn't care.)

2. Did you marry someone from your high school? Yes, I did, much to mine (and everyone but his) surprise. He, on the other hand, had known for quite some time. Patience is a strength of his.

3. Did you car pool to School? No, I was lucky to get myself to school on time (or at all.)

4. What kind of car did you have? I had a white Honda Accord that only could fit two people most of the time. I practically lived out of it.

5.What kind of car do you drive now? This question isn't about our Senior year! Lucy, did you throw this in so you could mention your awesome car and make us all jealous? Well it won't work on me, I love both my vehicles (even if they aren't Audis) I drive a navy blue Hyundai Vera Cruz most of the time, however, twice a week I am sans baby and I get to ride my Piaggio BV 200. I love it!

6. Its Friday night...where are you (then)? Senior year. . . probably in M's basement.

7. It is Friday night...where are you (now)? Oh, I get it- it's a comparison. OK Well, if by "night" you mean before 7:00 pm when we have to be home to put Little Sir to bed, then probably out to dinner with the Duke and the Little One. If you mean after, then I am watching Numbers and knitting in my living room.

8. What kind of job did you have in high school? I worked at my parents' business (sporadically.)

9. What kind of job do you do have now? Domestic Executive by day, MBA Student and Entrepreneur by night.

10. Were you a party animal? We managed to have fun without ingesting illegal toxins or doing anything that, if caught, would be anything more than a misdemeanor. Well, except for the mail box thing, and stealing that blinking road block, those might be worse, but we didn't get caught, so it doesn't matter, right!?

11. Were you considered a flirt you think? No, I wasn't self aware enough to be a flirt, that came later.

12. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Not my senior year, no. I gave up Madrigal Choir that year. It had ceased to be fun.

13. Were you a nerd? Oh, most defiantly.

14. Did you get suspended or expelled? We were too smart for that. If we didn't want to be in school, there were better ways. . .

15. Can you sing the fight song? Yes, but I won't!

16. Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)? "Ms. Laforge - Drama teacher who devote her life to us." Viva LaForge! We loved her then, now that we are adults and we really understand what she did for us, we are humbly astounded.

17. Where did you sit during lunch? I usually went home for lunch, sometimes I was in Neves' classroom, but it could get pretty deep in there. I preferred the quiet alone time, or time with my sister.

18. What was your school's full name? I'll skip this for privacy reasons.

19. When did you graduate? 97

20. What was your school mascot? WHITE Buffalo

21. If you could go back and do it again, would you? "not for a million bucks" Amen to that! It was an emotional, hormonal, exhausting experience.

23. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with? Senior year, Prom. . .one of many arguments. . . sadly, no, I do not. But I do still talk to my Prom dates from Sophomore and Junior year, in fact, I talked to one of them a couple of nights ago. (Hi, J. Do you read this?)

24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion? "no freaking way. Even if (The Duchess aka Mina) begs, I'll fake sick again!" What ever! You'd do nearly anything for me if I begged. You love me. Besides, what would you do without me to annoy you periodically. Your life would be so boring! :)

Thanks for the flashbacks, indigestion, creepy crawlies, trip down memory lane, Lucy. I'll get you back in 8.5 years!

Progress and a Meme

I am slogging along. I have to get to 13 inches before I start the color work.

I have been dealing with an Econ midterm, but I turned it in tonight. I am working into recovery mode (yes, it was that bad.)

I'll have some photo oriented posts in the next few days, but in the mean time, Heather over at Magically Mama has tagged me for a meme about the Duke, and I am happy to share a little with you about my guy and the way we live.

How long have you been together? We are soon approaching 7 years of marriage.

How long did you date? Well, that is kind of hard to quantify. We went on 2 dates while both or one of us were in HS. Then we didn't see one another for over 2 years. Then we spent quite a bit of time together as friends and then started to date for a few months. Next we spent nearly another year apart, and when we were again reunited we dated for a few more months and then got engaged. We were engaged for nine months.

How old is he? 30

Who eats more? Oh that depends on the food, the meal, the day, the cycles of the moon. Both of us have strange eating habits. The Duke has the ability to eat enough for someone twice his size (without gaining an ounce of weight I might add.) He also has the ability to survive, at times, on nothing but oatmeal and PB&J sandwiches.

Who said "I love you" first? I haven't a clue. We both knew it before it was ever said.

Who is taller? We are EXACTLY the same height.

Who is smarter? Oh- that's a dangerous question. That would certainly depend on the topic at hand. We are a good match.

Who does the laundry? We both do. Lately the Duke has been doing it more often.

Who does the dishes? The Duke. He does the dishes and I clean up the kitchen. It's a nice time for us to talk.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? We have what we call "an equality of space" in our house. We don't have sides of the bed, we trade back and forth. We also don't have places at the dinner table.

Who pays the bills? I did until about 18 months ago when the Duke took that over when he was looking for ways to help me decrease the stress in my life. (Isn't he a good one?)

Who mows the lawn? Again, we both do, but I do it more often. Also, this isn't really a very big job when you only have 100 sq feet off grass.

Who cooks dinner? Either I do or we do it together.

Who is more stubborn? We are both so stubborn it's scary.

Who kissed who first? The Duke kissed me. (one of my sweetest memories-)

Who asked who out? He asked me on pretty much all our dates.

Who proposed? Well, we aren't really sure. We just knew it was time. The entire situation was very strange. Maybe some day I'll write about it.

Who is more sensitive? I am- but that's not to say he isn't.

Who has more friends? We pretty much have the same friends.

Who has more siblings? The Duke, by one sister.

Tagging? Sara- how about your first meme? Lucy at An Ordinary Mom. Oh and Heidi- how about your first meme too!

Oh and one last thing (or two)

All of you go over to Anna's blog and see some seriously beautiful photographs with some of my favorite subjects.

And if that isn't enough to make you say awwww- go on over to Georgia's blog and see her fresh from the oven Mr. Fatty Cakes.

Ahhhh- I love babies! It's so very strange.

A New Year

So Sarah came out of hiding for a brief moment to share this meme. So good to hear from you Sarah, and as her 2007 story resonates loudly with me, I was inspired (or something like that) and now I'm adding my bit of personal mumbo jumbo to the internet.

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?


I got pregnant and had a baby. That's the big one right there. There were other firsts last year, but they all are pretty insignificant compared to this.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?


I'm not a resolution making kind of gal.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?


HA! Well, myself for one, my little sister, my cousin, my friends Sarah and Heidi, and more than a few women that I go to church with.

4. Did anyone close to you die?


Not to me, but the Duke lost his Grandma Great. It was time for her to go, and he was happy to know that she was, at last, reunited with her husband, who we named our son after.

5. What countries did you visit?


Does Pregnancy Land count as a country? New York might also qualify under some definitions. I didn't leave the USA this year.

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?


Peace, calm, stability, sanity

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?


Aug 24th and Oct 14th. The days my little sister and I became mommies.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?


I GREW A PERSON!
I am also proud of taking second place in the SU business plan competition, but again, compared with growing and giving birth to a human being, it seems pretty insignificant.

9. What was your biggest failure?


I failed to ask for help sooner, when I really needed it.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?


Yes, in a very major way. My pregnancy was debilitating and birth by cesarean was horribly painful.

11. What was the best thing you bought?


Well, I didn't buy it, but I am very excited about the camera the Duke gave me for Christmas.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?


The Duke's- he is amazing- many men would have walked away from the trial that was our life for most of last year. Also, my mom's and sister's. I don't know what I would have done without daily phone calls and eventually my mom coming to the rescue. And our wonderful wonderful friends who jumped up to help us when we needed it so badly. We are so blessed to be surrounded by such giving and loving people.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?


Appalled and Depressed are a little over the top when it comes to how I feel about other's behavior. I have been frustrated and disappointed a few times this year. I will keep the individual identities to myself, as I am not anticipating a great change in the coming year, which is too bad.

14. Where did most of your money go?


To the mortgage, medical bills, school loan repayment, and baby stuff.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?


The Duke graduated from Pharmacy school, (very very exciting.) Princes P. brought "W" into the world (such sweet happiness) and Little Sir (complete elation does not adequately describe how I felt.)

16. What song will always remind you of 2007?


hmmm- I don't listen to music very much. I will have to think about that.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
 a) happier or sadder? 
b) thinner or fatter? 
c) richer or poorer?


A) So much happier B) I gave birth 2.5 months ago, you can guess C) Oh, probably a little better off. One of us actually has a real job, but the student loans are heavy.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?


SLEPT!

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?


Paced.

20. How did you spend Christmas?


We had a quiet morning with just our little family, then brunch with friends and finally prepared to fly out to Utah the next day. It was a very peaceful Christmas.


21. Did you fall in love in 2007?


Oh yes, deeply, devotedly, astoundingly in love with my little boy.

22. What was your favorite TV program?


Well, before the strike the Duke and I were enjoying Moonlight.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?


No, no. I try to keep the hate at bay.

24. What was the best book you read?


Oh, I read some good ones this year. Blink, The Female Brain, The Great Gatsby, and Reading Lolita in Tehran were all wonderful.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?


Ryan Shaw- amazing.

26. What did you want and get?


A perfectly healthy baby and some good deep sleep.

27. What did you want and not get?


An easy pregnancy and enough good deep sleep.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?


I'm fairly certain I didn't see a movie in the theater this year. We did watch a couple at home, but nothing that impressed me terribly.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?


I was 28. I'm not sure, but I think I went to work.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?


I don't really know. I would have to experience it first I think.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?


I wore a lot of skirts because I was HOT HOT HOT- and I don't mean in a Paris Hilton sort of way.

32. What kept you sane?


Friends and family tried their best, and did great for a while. I will remember this year as the year I truly lost my sanity for a time.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?


I'm in the dark about such things.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?


Traffic in Seattle, maybe? I don't know. The Duke and I have made a specific effort to ignore politics last year, it irritates us that the presidential election has all ready been under way for a year. We decided to wait until the first of 2008 to begin our personal political education.

35. Who did you miss?


My sister, I always miss my sister, and now my newest little nephew.

36. Who was the best new person you met?


Little Sir, I've never been so excited to meet someone. (Can you see a reoccurring theme here?)

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.


Stubbornest is NOT a virtue.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

How about a book quote instead

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. . .

-Charles Dickens

Now, I don't normally "tag" other bloggers for this, but I would like to hear from the newish bloggers in my family.

Princess P.
Amanda
Lindsay
Aunt Carma

Happy New Year!

A Random Tagging

I've been tagged for a 7 random things tag by Prariegirl.

Here are the rules

List 7 random things about yourself on your blog.

Tag 7 others.

Leave a comment on their blog to direct them to your site to get the rules.

So, as my knitting content is not yet ready to share, and I am a generally willing victim, I will oblige.

1. I speak Tagalog (Filipino.) One of my favorite words in Tagalog is "Ahas." It means snake. I don't like snakes terribly well, and I don't really feel attatched to the English word, but I have a very random attachment to this word, just saying it makes me happy! Ahas, Ahas, Ahas!!!

2. I find the show SCRUBS ridiculously, out of control, insanly funny. I wish that real life was more like that.

3. I am obsessed with maps. Any map will keep me entertained for a good period of time. I have a US road atlas and a Seattle area Thomas Guide in my car that entertain me to no end while the Duke and I are traveling.

4. The Duke and I own dozens of clocks, one of them is even a very very large atomic clock. You would think this would mean that we are obsessed with being on time, but actually that would be an inaccurate assumption. Clocks,to us, are more like interesting looking art.

5. I don't like to drink out of a glass, I prefer a plastic cup. It's not like I won't drink out of a glass, I do at resturaunts, and even at my own house when there is company or if there aren't any clean cups, but the preference is strong enough that my husband knows about it and will always bring me a drink in a plastic cup.

6. I eat jelly beans through my nose. (I don't really, but this was what the Duke suggested when I asked him to help me think of intersting random facts about me, and I wanted to validate him.)

7. I can't think of another one, so I'll share one about the Duke. He wants me (like has begged and threatened) to have a sign at his funeral that reads "The End is Here." Shall we take bets on if that will happen or not? I suppose that would have to include my personal beliefs on the potential for retribution from the grave. I'm just going to die first, then I won't have to worry about it.

Now here are your tags

my mom, The Yarn Queen
my sister, Princess P.
Sonya- who I thought wasn't blogging at alll, but then realized I had somehow deleted her rss feed from my bloglines. Isn't that awful. So sorry Sonya, I'm blaming it on pregnancy brain.
Heather
Sarah
Ruby's Daughter
Merry Purl