Thanksgiving Top 10!!

In honor of Thanksgiving, here are The Top 10 Reasons Why I Love Thanksgiving:

10.  Turkey & homemade stuffing! mmmmmmm

9.  Mashed Potatoes!!!!

8.  Getting to visit with lots of family.

7.  No gifts to buy.  :)

6. No costumes to feel guilty about not being homemade.

5.  Mid day naps actually encouraged!

4.  Pies!!!!

3.  Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

2.  Mashed Potatoes...can you really ever get enough???

1.  So much to be thankful for!!!

Have a GREAT Thanksgiving!!

Another Teenager in the House!!

Last week Charlie celebrated his 13th Birthday!!!  I can't believe it!!  Now we've got 2 teenagers in the house.....lookout!!

The pix isn't the best, because I forgot my camera....this is from my phone!

I love you so much buddy, and am proud of the person you are.

Hope you LOVE being 13!!

More than you ever wanted to know....

This is fun!!! I got this first 150 things from Jennifer and Jenn. The extra 99 things are from Lizzy. The things I've done are in bold.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink

02. Swam with dolphins

03. Climbed a mountain

04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive

05. Been inside the Great Pyramid

06. Held a tarantula - (Never!!!)

07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone

08. Said "I love you" and meant it

09. Hugged a tree

10. Bungee jumped-(on my list!)

11. Visited Paris -(on my list!)

12. Watched a lightning storm at sea

13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise

14. Seen the Northern Lights

15. Gone to a huge sports game

16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa

17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables

18. Touched an iceberg

19. Slept under the stars

20. Changed a baby's diaper

21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon - (See Here!!!)

22. Watched a meteor shower

23. Gotten drunk on champagne

24. Given more than you can afford to charity

25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope

26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment - at a wedding (I know that is terrible.)...my friend and I were totally out of control...the couple ended up divorced 5 years later...hope we didn't jinx them!!

27. Had a food fight

28. Bet on a winning horse (okay, this was when I was a kid...my family would always bet on the Kentucky Derby.)

29. Asked out a stranger

30. Had a snowball fight

31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can

32. Held a lamb

33. Seen a total eclipse

34. Ridden a roller coaster

35. Hit a home run

36. Danced like a fool and didn't care who was looking

37. Adopted an accent for an entire day

38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment

39. Had two hard drives for your computer

40. Visited all 50 states-(Close!!! I've been to 45!)

41. Taken care of someone who was drunk

42. Had amazing friends -(Still do!!!!)

43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country

44 . Watched whales

45. Stolen a sign

46. Backpacked in Europe

47. Taken a road-trip

48. Gone rock climbing -(on my list!)

49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach

50. Gone sky diving -(on my list!)

51. Visited Ireland

52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love

53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them

54. Visited Japan

55. Milked a cow -yep, it was gross!!!

56. Alphabetized your CDS

57. Pretended to be a superhero-Wonder Woman...loved the outfit...funny thing is that Brian actually met Linda Carter about 10 years ago....and was at her house in Potomac Md!!!!

58. Sung karaoke

59. Lounged around in bed all day

60. Played touch football

61. Gone scuba diving

62. Kissed in the rain

63. Played in the mud -(need to do this!!!! Sounds fun!)

64. Played in the rain

65. Gone to a drive-in theatre

66. Visited the Great Wall of China

67. Started a business

68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken

69. Toured ancient sites

70. Taken a martial arts class

71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours (LOSER!!)

72. Gotten married

73. Been in a movie-(No, but I was in a commercial!)

74. Crashed a party

75. Gotten divorced

76. Gone without food for 5 days

77. Made cookies from scratch

78. Won first prize in a costume contest

79. Ridden a gondola in Venice

80. Gotten a tattoo

81. Rafted the Snake River

82. Been on a television news program as an "expert"

83. Gotten flowers for no reason

84. Performed on stage

85. Been to Las Vegas

86. Recorded music

87. Eaten shark

88. Kissed on the first date

89. Gone to Thailand

90. Bought a house

91. Been in a combat zone

92. Buried one/both of your parents

93. Been on a cruise ship

94. Spoken more than one language fluently

95. Performed in Rocky Horror

96. Raised children

97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour - No but I've seen Jimmy Buffet & Huey Lewis each in concert about a bazillion times!

98. Passed out cold

99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country

100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over

101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge

102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking

103. Had plastic surgery

104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived

105. Wrote articles for a large publication

106. Lost over 100 pounds

107. Held someone while they were having a flashback

108. Piloted an airplane -(on my list!)

109. Touched a stingray

110. Broken someone's heart

111. Helped an animal give birth

112. Won money on a TV game show

113. Broken a bone

114. Gone on an African photo safari1

15. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears

116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol

117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild

118. Ridden a horse

119. Had major surgery

120. Had a snake as a pet - NEVER!!!

121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon-(No, but I watched the Brady Bunch do it!!)

122. Slept for 30 hours in a 48 hour period

123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. States

124. Visited all 7 continents

125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days

126. Eaten kangaroo meat

127. Eaten sushi

128. Had your picture in the newspaper

129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about

130. Gone back to school

131. Parasailed -(on my list!)

132.Touched a cockroach

133. Eaten fried green tomatoes

134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey

135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read

136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating-(Never!)

137. Skipped all your school reunions-(Nope, been to them all and even helped plan them!)

138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language

139. Been elected to public office

140. Written your own computer language

141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream

142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care

143. Built your own PC from parts

144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you

145. Had a booth at a street fair

146. Dyed your hair

147. Been a DJ

148. Shaved your head

149. Caused a car accident

150. Saved someone's life (When I was a lifeguard!!)

These are the 99 from Lizzy, a couple of them are duplicates, but not all.

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii - TWICE & still want to go back!!!!

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland/world

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

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 - Oh Yea!!! I did it!! See Here!

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

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

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 - and seen tons of whales too...in Hawaii!!

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

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

80. Published a book-(on my list!!)

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 -(Was asked out in college by the quarterback who went on to play in the NFL for many years....I turned him down...it was a smart move.)

92. Joined a book club -(Started my neighborhood 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

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

Winner!!!

The winner of The Shack is.....Mikki at Living Life Where Shoes Are an Option!!!!!  

Mikki is an old friend of mine....from way back before we had kids.  She started blogging years ago....I remember when she sent me an email about it...I thought to myself, what is a blog??? What is the point of that???  Ha Ha...look how far I've come!

To the rest of you....put this book on your Christmas lists...or go buy it..it's paperback, so therefore less than $10.  Trust me, it'll be money well spent.

Happy Monday!!!

Giveaway/Must Read!!

If you have not read this book, you need to!!!!  It is truly the best book I've read this year.  If you're curious about God and relationship with Him, then you must read this book.

I am giving away a copy for free, just leave me a comment to enter.

The winner will be chosen on Monday.

Happy Veteran's Day!

Today is Veteran's Day.   I hope you take a minute to stop and pray for all of those men and women who have fought for our country and those who are currently fighting for our country.  

The picture is of my son's football team...this past Saturday.  This was right after they won their last playoff game and realized their dream of making it to the Superbowl.  One of the boy's uncle, John,  is over in Iraq with the Marines.   The boys have kind of  "adopted" him this season and he's "adopted" them.

They sent him his own Raider's Jersey...(that is their football team) which they all signed.   They've sent him tons of well wishes.  He's in turn sent them some of the most encouraging, inspiring emails each week before their games.  It has been such a neat thing to be a part of.

Last week, along with his email, he included a pix of him wearing their jersey in Iraq.  This week he sent the boys USMC t-shirts!!!  When the boys won their game, they all put on their shirts and posed with the USMC flag for a pix to send back to their buddy John.  

This coming Sat the boys will play in the Superbowl.  Win or lose, they've all learned a lot about self sacrifice, team work, and never giving up...thanks to one fine Marine.

Happy Veteran's Day and thank you to all of you who have served or who are serving our country.

A Day in DC!!!

Last weekend, we spent a day with some good friends in DC.  We've been friends FOREVER...literally.  Now they live in NC, so we only see each other a couple of times a year. It was a fun time!

Love these two people!!!

The Capitol.

The Washington Monument.

The Air & Space Museum.

These two have known each other their ENTIRE lives...how cool is that?

Love this pix!

How much fun can you have with a statue??

Little Buddy & the Moon Landing!

"I'm just a Bill on Capitol Hill!"

(Dont you just love School House Rock??)

The Supreme Court Building.

The Library of Congress.

Halloween Fun!!!

How do you like these Halloween lights????  No, this isn't my house.....it is a house in my neighborhood though...isn't it cool???  They put the web up a couple of weeks before Halloween and don't add the spider, who is made of balloons, until Halloween.

Boy #1.....he was a nerd this year....I loved it...he was in character the whole time.  He cracks me up!!

Boy#2....or should I say Girl #2????  Isn't he funny????  His friends all got a kick out of his costume.

Ready for Trick or Treating!!!

This is the first pumpkin that I ever carved!!!! (Usually Brian does that job, but he was away....so the boys and I did it ourselves!!!)

Here is Charlie's.....he carved his own!  Do you like his creative touch??

The sad thing was that when we woke up Sat....both pumpkins were gone....teenagers had stolen them. :(

This is my house.

Earlier in the day, we had all gone to the High School's Homecoming Parade....it normally isn't on Halloween...but it had gotten rained out a few weeks ago.

I like it, because it is such a small town thing!  Each grade makes a float.  Their are corvettes carrying the class princes & princesses and Senior King & Queen.  The marching band & cheerleaders are part of it.  The kids like it because all of the High Schoolers throw candy to the crowd.

My girl is on the cheerleader float...but I couldn't get a good shot of her...figures!