M.I.A. - A Rambling Post!

I looked and the last time I actually posted was September 23rd, I didn't even participate in Know and Tell Friday last week. I was having some computer issues at home and I started KATF and about half way through, my computer kicked me off. I was so angry that I didn't try again. We have a lot of pets and I was excited to participate but, oh well. Our coolest pet is my Russian Tortoise, Crikey. I'm a huge Steve Irwin fan and my birthday is next week, about a month from the death of Steve Irwin, so the year he was killed, I fell in love with this tortoise and hubby bought him for me. He has the best personality. When I come in the house and he hears me talk, he'll wake up and come look for me. I love it!

Here's my baby:

I have to be honest that a lot of the times I post at work. I know, that's a big no-no huh? My boss is a lawyer and he decided to become the City Prosecutor which "wouldn't have any effect on my work load", according to him. Let me tell you, my work load has more than doubled, which leaves me not having time to email or post. When I get home, it's a fight for the computer, and truthfully, I don't want it after being on it for 8 hours. I need to do a better job because Reese has been carrying the load of the blog, and she's doing an awesome job.

I laughed so hard when Liz made her comment about me sounding like Kate, on John and Kate Plus 8, because of my camera issues. That is one of my favorite shows and I didn't realize how much I have been complaining about my camera. My camera is such an issue that I have quit posting at our family blog and quit taking pics because I am so frustrated. I have complained so much that hubby looked at me the other day and told me to buy myself a new camera so that he can get some peace about it! LOL! So Liz, it worked! I am in the market for a new camera. Have you seen all the cute lime green and pink ones out there??? I mean, that is all there is to decide right..which is the cutest color? I'm having a hard time choosing! Any good suggestions?

I am so impressed with us and this blog. Reese and I have dabbled in blogging together for several years and when we decided to start a new one during her last trip home, our one goal was to blog every day for one year. Well as of today we have 352 posts, that's 13 posts away from a year's worth of posts in just 9 months! How amazing is that! I can't tell you how much we love Kicking It In Crazyville and we have met so many wonderfully kind and compassionate women. We feel so blessed to have you guys visit our blog, to give us a few minutes of your busy daily lives and to communicate your thoughts and feelings to us. It's more then we could have hoped for.

On that note, I am done with my ramble...oh, so, what color do you think Reese's hair is??? I wonder when she will tell us!!! She's off in slumber land now, but hopefully after she starts her day, she'll do a big reveal! :) hint...hint!

I love It When This Happens

We buy Danish eggs. Obviously the military has some deal going with the Danish because we also bought them at the commissary in Germany. It took some getting used to because, unlike American eggs, they are stamped, thin-shelled and have chicken poo on them. But we've adjusted now and are happy as clams to not have to use the tiny British eggs.

Usually the eggs are white. Rarely the whole dozen will be brown. Occasionally I will come across a dozen that has a single tan egg in it. Last time I bought eggs I managed to find two cartons with only one tan egg apiece in each one. I call them my lucky dozens, and snagging two of them is unimaginably lucky.

Not that I believe in luck, 'cause I don't. But it is beautifully quirky, don't you think?!

And speaking of beautifully quirky, what color do you think my hair is today? I've changed my hair yet again, as only a Reese can do...

Permio al Esfuerzo Personal

Kayren at Everything's Coming Up Daisies is not only the stress-relieving temporary hostess of Know and Tell Friday, she's also a bestower of awards. Heather and I are both recipients of the Permio al Esfuerzo Personal award thanks to her! Thank you, Kayren.

Our only issue with receiving these award recently is that we have to pass them on, and since we haven't been out searching for new blogs to visit, our blogging friends are you and your blogging friends-- in other words, they've all pretty much received the award already. We will put our heads together and see who we can pass this little gem along to.

Here's the lowdown:

Permio al Esfuerzo Personal is translated to mean Prize to the Personal Effort, and of course there are some rules that go with it.

Rules:
1. Mention the blog that gave it to you.
2. Comment on their blog to let them know you've posted your award.
3. Publish these rules.
4. Share 6 values that are important to you
5. Share 6 things you do not support.
6. Grant the prize to 6 people.

Six values that are important to me:
1. Faithfulness to the God of the Holy Bible
2. Hubby Tim
3. My Family
4. Integrity
5. Answering God's call for my life
6. A return to American exceptionalism as defined by the Constitution

Six things I do not support:
1. Liberal Democrat agendas: gay marriage, abortion, higher taxes, bigger government, socialism, militant feminism, etc.
2. The drinking of green tea with milk
3. Milk in general
4. Evolution
5. Supporting Islamic religious traditions in America while Christianity gets dissed regularly
6. Barrack Obama

I will pass this award on, probably as a team with Heather. I doubt we could come up with 12 between the 2 of us...

Book Review: Girl, Interrupted

After seeing the movie (long ago and I barely remember it!), this book wasn't what I expected. The movie, as I recall, had a storyline and developed characters while the book was snippets of the author's recollection of her time in a mental hospital. The characters were flat and I couldn't decide if I sympathized for the main character Susanna.

The only aspect of the book I really appreciated was in the end when she looked back and picked apart her diagnoses of "borderline personality" and questioned if there had really been a problem with her beyond those of a fairly normal emotional teenage girl. She clearly feels there is a difference between someone with, say, schizophrenia and someone with issues that can't be as clearly defined such as "borderline personality". I have to say I agree. And from a Christian perspective, I am of the opinion that there are times when chemicals in the brain aren't as they should be and cause problems in the same way skin develops acne, cancer presents itself in various organs, or eyes become nearsighted. On the other hand, some of the conditions that are considered mental problems can also be spiritual. I think it is tricky to maintain a balanced view of mental conditions for many Christians.

I'm not really sure how this book came to be made into a movie. Some books simply scream to become movies; this one did not. If you're interested in the subject of mental hospitals and mental illness, especially in the late 60's, you might enjoy this book. Otherwise, skip to something more interesting.

Know and Tell Friday: Animal Edition

Dear Kayren at Everything's Coming Up Daisies is hosting another fun-filled and insightful Know and Tell Friday today. Scurry on over to her blog for all the questions, as well as Mr Linky. Click HERE for the direct link to today's post.

Reese's Answers:

1. What dog do you most resemble?
I desperately wanted the answer to this question to be the Jack Russell Terrier, for several reasons. First and foremost, that I don't know much about dog breeds and it would be really convenient if I could make the JRT fit me somehow. Second, that I miss the JRT we had in Germany. We had to sell Gretchen when we moved here and all of us are prone to tears when we think of it. Third, because they are awesome dogs, and who wouldn't want to be like an awesome dog, even just a little?! Alas... I'm nothing like the Jack Russell.

In fact, I'm pretty much the exact opposite. They are energetic and friendly; I'm tired and shy. They can jump up from a deep sleep in an instant and be playing wildly a minute later. I seem to be dragging more than ever, especially in the past few days. Ask me and maybe I'll tell you about how I fell asleep on the couch earlier this week and woke up 5 minutes after I was supposed to pick the boys up from school.

But enough of what I'm not... a quick scan of TerrificPets dot com tells me I'm a Kooikerhondje. First, there's the name thing. Second, there's this:

The Kooikerhondje was bred as an all-purpose dog: members of the breed can be invaluable as hunters or decoy dogs for duck hunting, and the breed was initially developed with these purposes in mind. But the Kooikerhondje's friendly yet watchful temperament also makes it ideal as a watchdog or simply as a family companion. Kooikerhondje can be easily trained without much harshness on the part of the trainer, allowing dedicated Kooikerhondje owners to train their dogs for virtually any purpose they have in mind--on the condition, of course, that you keep your dog happy by providing plenty of exercise, a healthy portion of food, and lots and lots of the personal attention these friendly dogs so crave.

Yup. That's me: let me have a little exercise, a healthy portion of food and lots and lots of personal attention and you can train me for anything!

2. What is your favorite zoo animal?
The giraffe, despite that I used to hate them because I have a long neck too and I have been called a giraffe. They are such calm, pretty, at-ease animals. I admire that.

3. What zoo animal reminds you most of yourself?
Hm.... long neck.... red fluff on my head... has to be an ostrich. (Kristine provided this answer, rather cautiously because she was afraid of offending me!)

4. Do you have any pets? If so, how many, what kind, and what are their names? If not, would you like one?
We used to have a beautiful, sweet, loving, wonder dog named Gretchen. Sniff, sniff. Here she is in all her glory:

Now we have a stinkin' goldfish.

5. Have you ever ridden a horse?
Nope. Unless you count the ponies that lazily walked in circles in the Cascade Square parking lot when I was about 7. Mine starting crapping as it walked along and everyone laughed. I was very shy and timid and felt as if I was the one that had just dropped a load on the ground. That experience doesn't carry with it happy memories.

6. Have you ever milked a cow?
No. Somethings you've just got to be thankful for. Don't get me started on the pus...

7. Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
I don't know, but I really wish they did. How cool would that be? Forget cows and Jack Russell Terriers, I'd buy a herd of sheep and keep them in my backyard.

&

Baby Zoe

"I have come to the conclusion that faith is more than just claiming the prize. Faith hinges on trust, and trust is understanding that you will not understand. 'His ways are not like our ways, and His thoughts are not like our thoughts.' They are just different, and we cannot comprehend them."

~Jim Simpson, Zoe's father

I've wanted to post about baby Zoe for awhile, but just haven't gotten around to putting the time and effort into it that I want to. I stop over at Zoe's blog now and then and continue to be blessed by the grace and faith that Carmen and Jim display. In the midst of all they are going through, God gets the glory. Most telling of all about their faith in God is how they attribute all praise and honor to Him, no matter what he allows into Zoe's life. Their adoration and faith isn't dependent on circumstances, it hinges alone on God and who he is. What a testimony!

You can get updates on Zoe at this blog. I encourage you to read through it and be blessed. For a list of media stories on the Simpsons and baby Zoe, see this post.

On a side note, Carmen is sister to my beloved blogging friend Nancy at Chocolate Ink. I haven't met Nancy in person, but I feel sure I would love her if I did. Among other things, there's the chocolate thing as well as a mutual love for Harry Connick, Jr!

Breast Milk Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream

I'm already of the opinion that PETA usually goes a bit over the top with their ideas/activities/philosophies, but this is more than even I expected: they have written a letter to the founders of Ben and Jerry's ice cream and asked them to replace the cow's milk in their delicious frozen treats with human milk! Click HERE for the full story.

Would you eat ice cream made from breast milk?

When Did This Happen?

I did not even realize it until we were using the bathroom mirror together and I had to LOOK UP to talk to her! My gosh! She's a good 2 to 3 inches taller then me now, and she really hates it. She was really mad when I had Dan take this picture (sorry it's so bad, my camera is shot!). She makes me feel old now that I have to look up.

Dan insisted on taking this picture off centered so that you could see my Pepsi tin on the wall. Oh, and that funny guy poking up behind Amanda is a Pepsi guy that Reese brought to me from Germany.

You Gotta Love Technology at a Time Like This

Sean is in JROTC and must wear his uniform once a week for inspection. Today he needed to wear his coat and tie. Because he's always seen moms and wives on tv tying ties (often better than the man), he assumed I could do it. I can't. When he had mere minutes until he needed to walk to walk out the door, I suggested he run over to his friend's house and ask his dad to help. He had a different idea: YouTube. And it worked!



And just for fun (because I clicked on this video and couldn't stop laughing) check out this guy calming tying his tie while auto accidents and emergency vehicles create mayhem all around him.

Any Alias Fans Out There?

I love Sydney so much.... I wish I had stacks of cash sitting around just waiting for me to waste on stuff like the wardrobes from Alias. Click here for the remaining auctions left of Alias memorabilia. If any one of you win, let me know and I'll pay you $$ for the chance to wear it in a picture!!!

Fall Into Reading 2008

I know this is a lofty goal for my fall reading, but it's what I need to finish to reach my 50 book goal for the year. (Click on the picture for a larger view.) A couple of these I'm not exactly dying to read... if comes to it I'll swap them out for others.

For more Fall Into Reading lists visit Callapidder Days here.

Know and Tell Friday: Famous Edition/Pin-Up Edition!

We did it again. We pawned (I mean Kayren offered) Know and Tell Friday off on Kayren again this week. She has some great creative questions for us and I can't wait to read everyone's answers. Head on over there and play along. Oh, and just for fun, I even added more pinups! :)

I have to forewarn you..these questions were really hard for me! LOL!

1. If you could meet one famous actor, who would it be and why? That is so hard! Oh my gosh, there are so many I would want to meet, but reality is if I saw them face to face, I would only stare. Okay, I have saved this question for last and I think I would love to meet George Clooney. I love him! He's so darn cute!

2. What one question would you ask him? I have absolutely no clue! I would ask if I could just stare at him for awhile. Actually, he seems so down to earth and funny that I think hanging out with him for the afternoon would be so much fun.

3. If you could meet one famous actress, who would it be and why? I guess either Julia Roberts or Sandra Bullock. I don't know why except that most of my favorite movies include them. I love them because they both seem so normal.

4. What one question would you ask her? I would ask Julia how she balances being a mom and a working mom. The answer to that is probably having a nanny or two, but I would love to know how she does it. Does Sandra Bullock have kids? If so, I would ask her that too.

5. What is your all-time favorite comedy movie and why? I love Two Weeks Notice, I guess because my relationship with my boss is ALOT like Julia Roberts has with Hugh Grant, except the falling in love, sex stuff. Seriously, the scene where she is in her friend's wedding and he calls her with a tie emergency. I can totally see Kevin doing that, and me being dumb enough to have my phone on. I love any comedy with Hugh Grant, I don't now why. I love Notting Hill, Music and Lyrics and Two Weeks Notice...oh, and I also love Meet the Parents and Meet the Faulkers. I guess that's way more than one favorite movie! LOL! Oh, I also loved Oh Brother Where Art Thou.

6. What is your favorite all-time tv show and why? Lost, I love the suspense. I love Jack and Sawyer :) I also really love Dog the Bounty Hunter, Man v. Wild, American Chopper, Jack and Kate Plus 8 and The Biggest Loser.

7. What is your all-time favorite action or drama movie and why? I loved Hope Floats, I could watch that over and over. Reese should LOVE Hope Floats, it has her all time favorite singer, Harry Connick Jr. I also loved Lake House. Reese and I ran off for a girl day on one of her visits and watched that one together. Truthfully, I hate dramas because I hate crying during movies. I stay away from them if I know they are going to be sad, so I don't watch a lot of them. Oh, I also love the Stone Cold series of movies, they are with Tom Selleck, and you can NEVER go wrong with Tom Selleck.

Here's the thing, the honest truth. I don't have favorites! I just love a lot of different movies and a lot of different people. I can't nail down any favorites when it comes to music or movies..sorry! I guess I cheated (and rambled, alot!)

1. If you could meet one famous actor, who would it be and why? Tony Shalhoub. He's such an excellent actor and I always think he'd be a nice person to know. I love Monk, and he was also great in Men in Black and that one space movie with Tim Allen.... the name is escaping me at the minute.

2. What one question would you ask him? First, if I could have a small part in an episode of Monk-- I wouldn't even need to be paid. His brother has small parts now and then, I'm sure he could find a role for itty bitty me. Second, I'd like some good Lebanese family recipes.

3. If you could meet one famous actress, who would it be and why? Jennifer Garner. She seems like a lovely person, I love that she's a real mom despite being successful in Hollywood. Not only that, but we have the exact same color eyes. Plus, she's a spokeswoman for Neutrogena, one of my favorite skin care companies. Maybe she could hook me up with some freebies.

4. What one question would you ask her? I'd ask her why she's getting into politics... just because her hubby Ben is? Before they married I read that he was interested in politics, than after they got married I read an article in which she admitted that she was talking some political science classes-- apparently she's trying to make herself into the perfect elected official's wife. Now she's jumped on the radical Hollywood political bandwagon and that makes me rather sick. Stick to acting, Jennifer!!! It's what you're good at and it's a little insincere to be studying up on politics just to please your man!

5. What is your all-time favorite comedy movie and why? I guess Meet the Parents. It's lost most of its appeal just because I've seen it so many times, but I love it. I just about wet my pants when the cat peed in the ashes, and at the prayer scene... funny stuff!

6. What is your favorite all-time tv show and why? Alias, of course, and Lost. I love Lost. When I was a kid I loved Scarecrow and Mrs. King. Anyone ever seen that one?! I guess I've always been attracted to drama, suspense and spies. Maybe I should have been a spy (or maybe I am... not that any one would know, right?!)

7. What is your all-time favorite action or drama movie and why? I DO love Hope Floats! My all-time favorites would have to be a triple tie between the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and the Bourne trilogy. LOVE them all. I can't get enough of the excitement in Pirates, the adventure and fantasy in LOTR, and the spy suspense in the Bourne movies.

&

He's No Tim, But He'll Have To Do...

Stress Relief

Melting Stress

This morning when I went to my parents' house I opened my mother's Women's Day magazine and it said "If you want to relieve stress, look at Patrick Dempsey". My reaction was, "what, how can Patrick Dempsey relieve stress". It caught my eye since I happen to be living in the land of stress right now, and I thought what the heck, if Patrick Dempsey will relieve my stress, I'll look at him all day!



The article went on to say that if you look at a picture of attractive people, it will relieve your stress. It somehow is supposed to make you feel calmer, especially if they are looking right at you. I'm not quite sure how this is supposed to work, but I'm thinking about hanging a large picture of the Cute Wiggle in my office, just to see if it works!

I can feel the stress just melting away! LOL!!!!!

A Talk With Dad

My dad and I have not always got along. Our relationship through my teenage years was trying at best. We did not see eye to eye on anything and it was difficult.

Since I have married and live on my own, we have developed a really great relationship. I enjoy his company and we talk about a lot of things. He has a very dry sense of humor and unless you really know him, you don't even know he's funny. :)

My life has been chaotic lately. I don't even know the exact date when my life turned upside down, but I am clearly living upside down. I am frazzled and overwhelmed daily. The other day, after picking McKenna up from soccer, I ran into their house to get a few things and said to my dad "When will it end, I need life to just quit for awhile so I can take a break". Very straight faced my dad says "It doesn't end, and you know, most of the time it just gets worse". I think I had a terrible look on my face because in that moment he attempted to backtrack with "Oh, well, there are moments where it's better".

A talk with dad always makes things feel so much better right? W-R-O-N-G!!

Ode To My Dishwasher

I'm feeling especially appreciative of my dishwasher today, so I'm reposting the Ode To My Dishwasher I wrote after moving into a new house in Germany:

There once was a time I did dishes by hand
What a pain in the back-side that was
Three times a day all activities planned
Around immersing my hands in the suds

Then we piled our things in a moving van
Waving good-bye to the kitchen and sink
We moved to a house found by My Man
After my water-logged hands made him think

It’s bigger, it’s better, it’s greater by far
In many more ways than I’ll say
But without a doubt this home’s shining star
Is the dishwasher doing the dishes each day

There’s no use in hiding what some would call love
The affection I feel is quite strong
This compact machine’s a gift from above
I think I may break into song

~Reese V.

English

I'm becoming more familiar with British expressions and getting much better at muddling my way through the accents. What's really bad is when I like a certain expression but can't pull it off without the accent! An example of that is "Hiyya!" That's the equivalent of our "hi" and doesn't sound right at all with an American accent.

Here are some random observations on British English:

• It's common to be greeted with "Hiyya! Y'alright?" "Are you alright" is like our "How are you doing?" It unnerved me at first because until you're used to it, it seems to imply that something is actually wrong.
• Americans say "Good job", the Brits say "Well done".
• My friend V laughed so hard when I mentioned that we would be eating pasta. I couldn't guess what was funny about it that. She had to explain that with a British accent "pastor" sounds like "pasta" so when I said we were eating pasta her mind heard "We will be eating Pastor."
  
• Americans say "alot" or "lots", Brits say "loads".
• Today when I was trying on clothes at the store, I asked Ian what he thought. He responded, "It's brilliant!" He's only 3 and picking up on the local language very quickly.
• V also laughed when I described something as "thick", as in the opposite of thin. They use the word in that way too, but also to mean "stupid".
• Zach doesn't ask for cups or dishes of stuff like applesauce and yogurt, he asks for "pots" and "jars".
• Buns: rolls or donuts
• biscuits: cookies
• chips: fries
• crisps: chips
• boot, or car boot: trunk. Car boot sales are popular over here.
  
• Some people say "yeh?" at the end of sentences in the way we would say "right?" As in: "Reese is always trying to change her hair color, yeh?"
• Hands down, Scottish accents are the best. Our worship leader at church is Scottish and I could listen to him talk all day... well, him and that Scottish DJ on BBC Radio One. They roll their "R's" so my first name becomes "Cauddie". If only all the world spoke with a Scottish accent, I'd be Carrie again!
• Hot dogs are "sausages" and corn dogs aren't appreciated over here. I babysat for V one day and all 3 of them turned up their noses. They call breakfast sausages the same as we do, even though the sausages themselves are really different. I'm not a fan of British sausages; they are mushy on the inside. On the other hand, their bacon kicks our bacon's butt! It's thicker with much less fat. When we took N on base and he ordered a sandwich with American bacon, he actually pulled the bacon off and asked us what it was!
  
• "Nice" is often used to describe pleasant food. "Have you tried the crumpets? They're really nice."
• When R told me she was feeling "a bit rough" she meant she was sick. I asked!
  

I'm sure that once I post this I'll think of loads more examples, but that's all I've got for now! Cheers, mate!

Those Were The Days...

When I was about 16 and developed crushes on a guy I did one of two things: I kept it incredibly secret or I wrote him a letter. Generally, if I knew him I'd keep it a secret. I kept my crush on Tim a secret; in fact, it was my good friend Amber who- sensing it would do me good- spilled the beans. I would have been mortified had Tim rejected me, but he liked me back and Amber was safe.

But if my crush was on a celebrity or someone I didn't know well or see often, a letter was likely on its way from my rapidly beating heart to his front door. Take for example Michael Conner. He was the lead singer of the Portland based Christian band Versus. I was smitten. It was the first crush I seriously had on an adult. Before that it had been Chip from Not Quite Human and Gilbert from Anne of Green Gables/Avonlea. (I must admit to a slight heart flutter even now when I see a picture of dear Gilbert!) But poor Michael was destined to receive a letter from me. I don't remember what it said, but I'm sure I humiliated myself. Thankfully, I've since asked his forgiveness and received it.


Jamie Rowe, leader singer of the 90's Christian music group Guardian was another such crush who became the target of a hormonally induced letter. I saw the band on Real Videos and was in a tizzy for a few days! I must have watched the Fire and Love video a couple hundred times. I sent a letter to TBN addressed to Jamie Rowe and then promptly forgot about him, and was shocked when he called me one day after school. I didn't even remember giving him my number and couldn't imagine why I'd done it, much less why he'd used it. By then I was dating Tim and was humiliated to admit why Jamie from Guardian had just called me! Years later, after Tim and I had been married awhile and had 2 kids, Tim got to sped some time with him and was kind enough to remind him of the experience. Wasn't that nice of him?! NOT!



If I knew that 16 years after the fact I'd be sharing this with the masses I'd probably have committed suicide. Thank God for time and a little perspective, right?

Anything time has allowed you to laugh at about your teen years?