30 Day Challenge - Day 2

A picture of you with 15 facts.

1. I hate having pictures taken of me. I know that it is because I don't like who I am right now, as I've probably mentioned in the past. This picture was taken at Nepenthe Restaurant in Big Sur. I do wish that I appreciated myself more, and I daily work on it.... stay tuned.


2. I was born a natural blonde. These days I'm more of a brunette. I'm currently letting my hair grow out so that I can donate it to Locks for Love. I am almost there. I started growing it about the time this picture was taken as you can tell by the little bitty piglet tail. As soon as my hair is long enough to donate, I'm getting it chopped off and colored and make it all easy to take care of again.... Maybe I'll go red again.


3. I do not go to church and don't follow any specific religion. However, I am interested in all forms. I have tarot cards that I like to read and try to have something to focus on. I read my horoscope daily and admittedly get a little blue when it doesn't seem to be upbeat. My mom thinks that I am searching for something, which is why I often times read books on religion and am interested in the history of religion. I think that if I were a Buddhist, then I think I'm probably close to my final incarnation....


4. I love to read. I think that is probably a given. I was an English major in college with a minor in History. I wanted to be an English professor, but I think that I chickened out of graduate school because I probably would have started to hate literature. I love to read to sink into the story, not to have to figure out the sub-text.


5. I've always been a hopeless romantic but the older I get the sappier I get. I've been watching "Say Yes to the Dress" and I get weepy when the brides find their dresses. I get sniffly when watching a show where there is a strong group of friends that support one another. Heck, I've always teared up when the Folgers Coffee commercials would come on at Christmas time. I may strike some people as being all hard on the outside because I'm not always a Chatty-Kathy but in reality I'm painfully shy and very much a marshmellow on the inside.


6. I bought my house a year ago and still haven't had my house warming party. I have all the furnishings and if I cleaned it up, it would have a nice look....but for some reason I just don't think it is really me. I really want to totally cut loose and paint the walls all wacky colors and have mis-matched furniture and have the whole place be all shabby-chic and comfy. I just need to convince myself that it is okay to do this; that I don't have to have the house out of the catalog....


7. Shades of blue have always been my favorite color, but lately I've been very drawn to purples and reds as well. That really needs to be my inspiration for finishing up the decorating of my house.


8. I've always had blue eyes, but lately I've noticed they are changing more to grey. It might just be what I'm wearing or my eye makeup at the moment, but I kinda like the grey. Grey eyes and red hair, wonder how that would look.


9. I've owned three cars in my life (Dodge, Nissan, Honda). My little Dodge Shadow was my first car out of college and I loved it....well, for a first car I loved it. It got me where I needed to go. I got me and my friends to New Orleans for New Year's Eve one year. It was beaten up something terrible one spring during a Texas Hailstorm. My Nissan Altima did a wonderful job for me getting me around. I bought that car because my sister had one, except hers was manual and I went with the automatic. I've never learned how to drive a standard car and have no intention of ever doing that. My current car is a Honda CRV, and I have to say that I love it. Oh, don't get me wrong, initially I felt sorta like a soccer mom in it, and still do periodically. But, it suits my needs and even though I've started looking for something new, I can't convince myself to give my baby up yet.... She's still a good little vehicle and why spend the money on something new.


10. I've lived in 10 towns (Independence, MO, Oak Grove, MO, Hernando, MS, Arlington, TX, College Station, TX, Euless, TX, Irving, TX, San Mateo, CA, San Francisco, CA, McKinney, TX).


11. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.


12. I have been on a diet for the better part of 30 years. I have tried every diet in the book, I think. I can stick to them for a week or two, but then I fold. I keep making promises that "this will be the time/the year/the diet..." that will work and that I'll stick to.... hasn't happened yet, but I'll keep trying. Although I know that the best thing to do is to simply eat healthy and to get out and exercise. I know this already.


13. I knew all four of my grandparents as a child and even into becoming an adult (as well as two great-grandparents) and I know I was very lucky to have had this!!


14. I have the best family and friends in the world. What is there to say on this one.


15. I found it very hard to come up with 15 facts about myself and as I read back over some of these I'm kind of a Debby Downer....

30 Day Challenge - Day 1

A picture of you when you were little.

I've used this picture before in a Flashback Friday, but couldn't resist using it again (and until I can find my CD that has all my old, scanned pictures on it....). This is a picture of me from Christmas 1972 when I was all of four years old. Even then, I knew that I was supposed to be out on the open range....

30 Day Challenge - Start

Inspired by a Facebook post of my cousins and then I came across somebody else blog and identified closely with her reasons, I will be participating in a 30 Day Challenge in an effort to REFLECT on my life thus far, gain REVELATION of who I am today because of who I was yesterday, as well as get my writing juices flowing once more. My written word has been severely neglected & I intend to do something about that ... starting with this challenge!

Follow me for 30 days (beginning on April 1st) with a new daily post from snippets of my life. So, for the upcoming month (along with any other ideas that hit me) I'll be doing the following and I challenge you to document this as well!!

Day 01 - a picture of you when you were little Day 02 - a picture of you with 15 facts. Day 03 - a picture of the cast from your favorite show. Day 04 - a picture of your night. Day 05 - a picture of your favorite memory. Day 06 - a picture of the person you would like to trade places with for one day. Day 07 - a picture of your most treasured item. Day 08 - a picture of you and the person you have been close with the longest. Day 09 - a picture of the person who has gotten you through the most. Day 10 - a picture of the person you do the most messed up things with. Day 11 - a picture of something you hate. Day 12 - a picture of something you love. Day 13 - a picture of your favorite band or artist. Day 14 - a picture that makes you laugh. Day 15 - a picture of of someone you could never imagine your life without. Day 16 - a picture that can always make you smile. Day 17 - a picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently. Day 18 - a picture of your biggest insecurity. Day 19 - a picture of something you want to do before you die. Day 20 - a picture of somewhere you would travel. Day 21 - a picture of something you wish you could forget. Day 22 - a picture of something you wish you could change. Day 23 - a picture of your favorite book. Day 24 - a picture of your day. Day 25 - a picture of somethign you wish you were better at. Day 26 - a picture of something that means a lot to you. Day 27 - a picture of yourself and a family member. Day 28 - a picture of something you're afraid of. Day 29 - a picture of someone who inspires you. Day 30 - a picture of someone you miss.

What's That Wednesday?

Recently The Queen and I were driving home from work and saw a sign that said something to the effect of "spay or neuter your pets." The Queen commented "you get to choose?" Which led to a discussion on what the difference was and why there were two words (I know, I know the are for the different sexes of animal) when only one really would work, I would think. So, today's What's That Wednesday discusses the differences between the two words and hopefully will provide an understanding of why two are needed when only one, say "de-sexify" or "eunich-ize" would do.....for that matter can there be female eunuchs?

Question 1 - What is spaying? It is an ovario-hysterectomy or the surgical removal of the reproductive organs (ovaries, uterus, fallopian tubes) of the female animal.

Question 2 - What is neutering? It is an orchectomy or castration) or the surgical removal of the reproductive glands (testes) of the male animal. The outer is left, only the testes are removed.... Interesting how for the female it is the actual organs but with the male only the "glands" are removed.

So, with these two answers and since they refer to the specifics of the male and female animal anatomy, I guess they can't be interchangeable. Of course, that just means that I'm going to push for people to start using "de-sexify" when they talk about taking their pets in to get the "fixed" (because I don't really think removing pieces and parts from a pet should be considered "fixing" them...although I am all for "de-sexifying").

Question 3 - Can a female be a eunuch? Turns out that based on the official Wikipedia definition a eunuch is a castrated man, usually one castrated early enough to have major hormonal consequences. However, in 1970 a book entitled The Female Eunuch was published became a key text of the feminist movement. The book's main thesis is that the "traditional" suburban, consumerist, nuclear family represses women sexually, and that this devitalizes them, rendering them eunuchs.

So there you have it. Spay and neuter are gender specific and females technically cannot be eunuchs..... What do you want to know now?

Soooo Cute!!

I'm looking through some old pictures on some CDs and came across this one.... I think it is probably the first flight for our "little" Colin.

I sooo love these kids!!