Ten Random Facts Meme

Jennifer has tagged me for a Ten Random Facts Meme.

This should be fun! Let's see...

1. I attended a Presidential inauguration when I was in high school. It wasn't for someone I would have actually voted for had I been old enough, but pretty amazing nonetheless.
   
   
2. I've tried twice to learn piano. Both times my instructor dismissed me as hopeless. Granted, he is my little brother... :) I'm hoping to learn along with my kids when they're older. Maybe he'll give me a third chance.
   
   
3. I hate being alone overnight when Darren's out of town. I've been known to bribe the above mentioned brother to stay here on a few occasions in the past. (Usually all it takes is the promise of good food and beer.)
   
   
4. I am painfully shy. Seriously. To the point that when we have pizza delivered, I make Darren call to place the order.
   
   
5. I am somewhat fluent in Spanish. Dylan and Caitlyn don't like when I speak it at home, but it really comes in handy at work.
   
   
6. I cry easily and often.
   
   
7. I love reading sad books. Sometimes more than once.
   
   
8. When I was seven I cut the tip of my left index finger off by slamming it in the bathroom door. I now enforce a very strict door slamming policy with my own kids.
   
   
9. I once changed a tire on the shoulder of a very busy highway. I was riding in a van with a priest and a handful of old ladies to a church in Mexico when we had a blowout. Not a fun experience! Amazing what you can remember from driver's ed when the need arises!
   
   
10. Yesterday I made caramel apples for the very first time. I'm sure it won't be the last!

Now, I tag: He who wears the most black wins, Mom to Almost Four, and Blair.

Community

I was just about Caitlyn's age when I met my best girl friend. Her family lived next door to mine and I spent as much time over there as I did at my own home. One of her sisters was approximately the same age as my little brother, and so were the kids who lived two houses down. They'd all play together, even before they could walk. The family across the street from us had a swimming pool, and many summer days would find most of us neighborhood kids splashing happily while our moms watched from the shade. The "grownups" enjoyed each others company as much as we did. The sense of community I felt growing up was something I think I took for granted and never fully appreciated until well after I had left the comfortable and familiar home of my childhood.

When Darren and I bought our current home, it was with hopeful expectations on my part of a life for our family much like the one I used to know. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case. Families here have come and gone and we haven't really had the opportunity to form lasting bonds with many of them. Several families have moved just as we were finally getting to know each other. There are, however, some very seemingly nice people around here that we just haven't gotten to know very well yet. Today was gorgeous, a beautiful fall day, and the perfect time, I figured, to get to know some of them a little better.

So we spent the afternoon baking a double batch of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and then wrapped them into pretty packages which we tied with a little card wishing the recipients a happy fall. (It is, after all, my favorite time of year!) We signed all of our names and then together, as a family, delivered them to some of our dear neighbors who we do know and love as well as some that we'd like to know more. I'm so glad we did!

The smiles we got were priceless. The families we met were wonderful. Hopefully, this was just the beginning of many more happy interactions between our family and those we visited today!

One Sure Cure

There are some days (like today) that just find me feeling down.

Sometimes a good cry helps. (Today it didn't.)

Sometimes a scoop of chocolate ice cream topped with extra crunchy peanut butter does the trick. (No such luck today.)

But I've found that one of the best remedies to beat these blues are Meghan's big, slobbery, open mouthed kisses. They work like a charm...every single time.

Because I am his proud wife...

...I am shamelessly promoting my hubby's new blog! I particularly love his most recent post.

Take a look! Feel free to leave comments!

It's a Start

We have an incredible used book store downtown that I absolutely love. I could spend hours there, quite happily. (In fact, it's where I first encountered Darren. Oh, how I loved to watch him shelve those books!) They have a wonderful system of trade credit, and so we frequently come away with bags of books and movies for, literally, pocket change. The downfall, however, is that we have accumulated far more movies than I'd like. And so today, feeling inspired by Celeste's recent power surge, I decided the time had finally come to wrangle those movies back into some semblance of order. I don't have a "before" picture to share with you, but trust me, it was not a pretty sight. Luckily I did have one adorable assistant who was more than willing to "help":

Dylan and Caitlyn weren't quite as enthusiastic about my little project, but I was proud of how well they cooperated and I'm happy to report that 13 VHS tapes and 5 DVDs will be finding new homes. And now, when we open the doors to our video storage area (which is conveniently located in the base of our 55 gallon aquarium, right next to the entertainment center), this is what we'll see: videos we can actually find!

(Next up on my to-do list: Dylan's bookshelf. Unfortunately, books are much more difficult for me to part with!)

Daddy's Girl

Overheard while Darren was brushing Caitlyn's hair during their special bedtime routine last night:

Darren: We have to comb your pretty curls every night before before bed, right, Cait?

Caitlyn: Yep! And watch FOX News!