Weekend Highlights (with masks)

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving week. Things started off pretty rough with the kids home from school on Tuesday, but it shaped up to be a great holiday. Chaos and all!

On Wednesday, my mother-in-law asked if my kids could come to her house and help her decorate for Christmas. My response was, "YES! PLEASE!" We haven't seen many friends or family lately as we've gone into another version of "quarantine." I realized I really needed my kids to go with their Grandma. They ended up spending the day at her house (with masks) putting up her Christmas decorations and watching movies. They also went on a donut run, and they got to go to Ab's for lunch because Grandma says that when you work really hard, you need to go to Ab's afterward. 

While the kids were gone, I got to go do some Christmas shopping and have lunch with my friend, Shannon (with masks). We hit a few stores and ate at Zupa's. We didn't buy these holiday outfits, but we might live to regret it.

A day with Shannon was exactly what my heart needed. 

On Thursday, we had our Thanksgiving meal at 1:00 (with masks) then spent the rest of the day doing puzzles, watching movies, and eating leftovers.

We finished these Haunted Mansion puzzles -

four puzzles with 500 pieces each

Derek Hough is everything

Leftovers for days

On Friday morning I went for a walk with Shannon. My mother-in-law offered to have my kids over again (with masks), so Scotty and I went on a date to check out Allen Park - aka: "Hobbitville" (with masks). Then we came home and watched Secret Window while I started wrapping Christmas presents. 

Hobbitville

After the kids came home, Daisy and I went over to my mom's house (with masks) and helped put up some of her Christmas decorations. We also went through a bunch of her old, tarnished jewelry and cleaned it up - which was far more fun than one might think. 

My mom sent this little guy home with me -

this was our Christmas countdown from my childhood

On Saturday, we had a busy morning. Scotty and I went to the store (with masks) and bought some stuff for breakfast sandwiches. We had a hankerin'! Then we came home and cooked and ate. After breakfast we got a lot of stuff done around the house, and Scotty put up some Christmas lights outside. I made a pie and a casserole to put away for dinner later. Then Scotty and I took Zoe shopping (with masks) for new scriptures and a CTR ring in honor of her upcoming baptism (with masks). 

At 2:00 we went to Chad and Carlie's house and played games for hours and hours. We haven't seen them in weeks, and we were suffering! I wanted to just run into their arms and sob, but ya know... COVID and stuff. We played Princes of Florence, Wingspan, Love Letter, 7 Wonders, Monopoly Deal, and Cover Your Assets. We also tried out our new game, Azul.

On Sunday we had scones for breakfast and watched church on Zoom. Then we watched a movie and worked on a puzzle. Scotty had a meeting at 11:30 while I fixed lunch for everyone (still riding the Thanksgiving leftover train) and taught Nicky and Daisy how to play Azul. 

We had another Zoom meeting at 1:00 and afterward, we went to see Scotty's dad's new house (with masks). My in-laws moved while we were in California. We stayed at their house for a while, and Scotty got their TV and Nintendo working, but we left them with a broken couch. We came home and had a cheese-themed dinner: nachos, quesadillas, and mac & cheese. At that point, we were just aiming for anything "not turkey."

Scotty and I played Azul and Bohnanza with the kids, and everyone had a bath or shower. Then, finally, at the end of a long and wonderful week, we tucked everyone into bed... two or three times... and crashed. Or at least Scotty crashed. I laid in bed for a while and then went tip-toeing around the house with my flashlight looking for a laptop. Which brings me to this moment wherein I am sitting in my favorite place on my couch, snuggled under a blanket, feeling pretty happy with life. 

Our COVID Thanksgiving

I've always wanted to try my hand at hosting Thanksgiving, so I figured this would be the perfect year to have a trial run. I don't really know how to explain it, but I've had this need lately to do something well. I think that's part of the reason I have been so obsessive about my Christmas trees this year. I'm a bit lost (ya know... COVID and isolation and all that), and I don't know what my purpose is currently. So I just needed to put my whole heart into Thanksgiving and feel good about a job well done. At the same time, I needed room to fail without a large audience, so a small Thanksgiving gave me the chance to practice my food prep skills while also allowing me to screw things up without really affecting anyone. 

We ended up having Scotty's mom and step-dad join us. I'm blessed to have a mother-in-law that I can fail Thanksgiving in front of. She, herself, has at least one thing go wrong each year that she hosts, and it gives us something to laugh about. Most recently, she dumped half a bottle of sage in the stuffing. It was very “herby” and quite green. I never have to worry about doing an awful job in front of my MIL. She's impressed with me no matter what!

For my hosting rehearsal, I had a few goals. First and foremost, I wanted to do the turkey and the gravy. I haven't dabbled much in roasting turkeys. I did a quick-roast turkey once (it was "meh"), and I've done turkey breast in the crock pot a few times (which was pretty good), so roasting the turkey was something I definitely wanted to do. I also wanted to make homemade stuffing (which I'd never done before) and homemade cranberry sauce, rolls, my step-mom's Jell-O, and some kind of pie (I haven't made many pies in my lifetime, save for the "chicken pot" variety). 

My mother-in-law offered to do mashed potatoes, butternut squash, yams, green beans, corn, and pumpkin pie. Vegetables are her thing, and her pumpkin pie is always my favorite! Did we need all those dishes? Heck no! But my MIL goes a bit crazy when she prepares food for other people, and there's no taming her quantities. 

Scotty and I also decided to smoke a turkey. Because why not? Growing up, we often had Thanksgiving with my Uncle Scott, and he always made a roasted turkey and a smoked turkey. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with extra turkey on Thanksgiving! (and I confess, my MIL's problems with quantity have rubbed off on me over the years). Scotty took the lead on the smoking, and I took the lead on the roasting. 

His & Hers Turkeys

A few weeks before Thanksgiving, I started making my recipe and shopping list. I also went ahead and made the rolls and froze them. I tested the capacity of my Bosch by tripling the recipe. It barely worked. I thought for sure I was going to have to throw out the dough because the bowl was already full, and I had 7 more cups of flour to add. Somehow, it worked out, but I was definitely pushing it! That triple batch gave me six dozen rolls. I served two dozen for dinner that night and froze four dozen. We ate a dozen with soup the next week, and that left us with three dozen for Thanksgiving and turkey sandwiches all weekend!

The dish I cared most about was the stuffing. I love stuffing, but I'm particular about it. I ended up getting a recipe from my cousin because I recalled really liking the stuffing she brought to Thanksgiving many years ago. 

I mapped out a food prep plan so I could have everything ready on time. Scotty started brining the turkey to smoke on Tuesday. I chopped celery, made the Jell-O, cut up the bread for the stuffing, made the cranberry sauce, and baked the pie on Wednesday. 

The pies

On Thursday morning, Scotty and I started our turkeys. Then we rearranged some furniture so we could fit everyone at tables. We got the house tidied and groomed all the kids. It ended up being a very relaxed morning. Everything went smoothly. There were no crises. We timed all the food perfectly, and it all turned out great!

Especially the stuffing!

My fancy tablescape

My MIL brought way too much food (as we anticipated she would). I'm not exaggerating at all when I say that the eight of us only ate about 1/20th of what she brought. Let me reemphasize: I AM NOT EXAGGERATING!

Since we had my in-laws over, we took some COVID precautions and wore masks while we weren't eating. We separated our seating a bit and kept some windows open. Hopefully this is our only COVID Thanksgiving!

COVID Thanksgiving

It ended up being a wonderful day, and the shocking part was that I wasn't stressed out at all. I'm not sure it will be that way again if I host Thanksgiving, but for this one, everything fell into place so perfectly. It was exactly what I needed!

#givethanks

When COVID took over our lives at the beginning of this year, I was in the middle of a gratitude challenge. I have to say, the timing of that gratitude challenge was no coincidence. I firmly believe it saved me mentally and emotionally.  

Elder Robert D. Hales said, "In some quiet way, the expression and feelings of gratitude have a wonderful cleansing or healing nature... Gratitude brings a peace that helps us overcome the pain of adversity and failure" (1992).

This quote, which I often refer to when I teach happiness workshops, has led me to think of gratitude as "medicine," so I love that President Nelson, our prophet and a doctor, prescribed us a dose of gratitude last week to heal our hearts. 

(Here is President Nelson's story behind the message he shared last week, and here is the transcript of his message). 

The prophet encouraged us to be grateful for:

• The gift of life - our bodies and minds
• Art, literature, and music
• The opportunity to repent, make amends, start over, and build character
• Our families, friends, and loved ones
• The opportunity to serve one another
• Our trials and the things we learn from them
• Our global family

President Nelson pointed out that the effects of gratitude have been validated by science as well as by men and women of faith. I had the opportunity to study gratitude from a scholarly perspective while I was in school, and I have always found the research around gratitude to be delightfully fascinating! 

Today, on Thanksgiving, I just wanted to share with you that I believe in the power of gratitude. I have seen the benefits of it in my own life. It has helped me cope with depression, it has helped me endure trials and hardship, and it has been the key to my happiness. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Goal Check-In #4

In September I made a list of 21 goals I'd like to accomplish before 2021. 

Here's how things are going:

1. No soda for the rest of the year.

Still going strong!

2. Finish reading Jesus the Christ. 

I'm on chapter 21, and it has become a battle. This book is a beast. I'm not even half-way done!

3. Try 10 new recipes. Done!

4. Get a haircut. Done! But I'm already due for another one.  

5. Don't eat out for a month. Done!

6. Finish the closet doors in the basement. Done! 

7. Get the door hung on the storage room.

Haven't started. 

8. Hang the closet doors in the kids' bedrooms.

Haven't started. 

In fact, working on these doors is the last thing I want to do right now. Oh, help me!

9. Weigh less on December 31 than I weighed on September 29.

I weighed myself yesterday, and I weigh exactly what I weighed on September 29. I better take it easy on the holiday treats because I need to lose a pound next month!

10. Walk 250 miles. 

I don't think I'm going to make it, but I'm not calling it quits. I am at 130 miles. 

11. Do 2,000 push-ups.

I'm at 1,109.

12. Do a DI run. Done!

13. Clean out the garden. Done! 

14. Try something new. Done!

15. Finish 9 books. Done!

16. Clean out the box of junk that's been sitting on the window seat in my bedroom since July. Done!

17. Go to the doctor. Done! 

18. Complete a study of temple symbols.

I just finished this week! My study plan was to read a book called 175 Temple Symbols and their Meanings by Don Parry and listen to a podcast with the author. Then re-listen to the talk "Understanding the Sacred Symbolism of Temple Clothing" by Kim Gibbs. 

I had really high hopes for the book, but it ended up not really being what I hoped for. Same with the podcast. I enjoyed the talk by Sister Gibbs, though. I listened to it last year and have always wanted to listen to it again and jot down notes (which I did). 

19. Buy a dishwasher.

Last time I checked in, I mentioned that I might modify this goal because buying a dishwasher doesn't seem important anymore. It's something I can put off for now. Yeah, our current dishwasher is a piece of junk, but it still works. Kind of. 

I'm going to go ahead and change this goal to something completely unrelated. I am going to participate in the Light the World initiative this year. I've never done it, save for the Day of Service in 2016. 

20. Finish a self-reliance class.  Done!

21. Hang the sign over the washer and dryer that's been sitting on the floor for two months. Done! 

This is the last time I'll check in until 2021 (since it makes for a very boring blog post). Wish me luck with all those stupid doors!

Squee! A Tree!

Back in September I mentioned that we were thinking about getting a second Christmas tree so we could have one in our family room in the basement. We figured that when the right tree crossed our paths, we'd go for it. Our preferences were: not too tall (we don't have any vaulted ceilings in our house, so 7.5' is as tall as we can go), not too wide, pre-lit, easy to put up and take down, and bonus points if it's flocked. 

Sam's Club had the perfect tree, but every time I went there, it was out of stock. Then one day, they suddenly had four, so I snagged one! It's a pre-lit, 7.5' beautifully flocked specimen. That, of course, meant I also had to buy decorations for it! 

I set the tree up last Thursday night and let my girls decorate it. Then I waited patiently for Monday to roll around so I could take it apart and re-do it. I'm a Christmas tree control freak, and I wanted to add ribbon, which I hadn't purchased yet. 

Ribbon prep

I'm not proud. I know that being a Christmas tree control freak is an unflattering quality. But I can't help it. 

I blame my grandma. 

Anyway, yesterday was the only day my kids had school this week, so I got the tree done while there were no little helpers. Eva was home, but I distracted her with Mario Kart. 

Here it is:

It's hard to get a decent picture because the lighting in the basement is terrible, but here are a few close-ups so you can see some of the details:

Being able to shop for and put together a new tree for this year was a good way to close out 2020. It gave me something to be excited about. 

I went with blue-ish/green-ish ornaments to match our basement and then included some burlap-y and gold-y glittery stuff. I don't know all the right vocabulary words - I just know that I like it, and it sparkles. 

You know who else would like my tree? My grandma! Oh, yes! She would give it two thumbs up, I'm sure!

Me/Also Me

Me: No more spending! Save all the monies!

Also me: Imma just run into Hobby Lobby real quick and buy 90 feet of ribbon and a Wizard of Oz puzzle. 

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Me: I'm trying to walk 250 miles before the end of the year, but I just can't find the time.

Also me: Yes, Netflix, I'm still watching. 

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Me: What the world needs now is love, sweet love!

Also me: I hate that guy!

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Me: We're not going out to eat this week. We have plenty of of food at home.

Also me: I know there's a crock pot of taco soup cooking on the counter, but Mama needs Chick-Fil-A sauce. 

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Me: I can't waste any time today. I need to get the things done.

Also me: Imma just change all my contacts to silly nicknames real quick. 

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Me: No eating in the van!

Also me: Hurry and finish those fries so you can go to school!

It's a good day for sweatpants and fuzzy socks (and ten other random facts)

Fact #1: I have big dreams for today. There are a lot of things I want to do, and when I'm in this kind of mood, I usually end up wasting time going from thing to thing and not actually accomplishing anything at all. My kids are home for distance learning today, so I really need to let go of any notions that I'm in control of how my day is spent anyway.

Fact #2: While we were in California last weekend, we bought two new puzzles from Downtown Disney. Scotty and I roamed the Backlot Premiere store separately and were both holding a puzzle when we reunited. 

This one (my pick) was really fun, and I loved that the images were nice and sharp (a lot of puzzles are blurry). The border on this puzzle was really challenging, so we had to build it from the inside out. 

Unfortunately, when we got to the end, we were missing a piece! We searched everywhere and never found it. 

1,000 pieces minus one

Fact #3: The other puzzle we bought (Scotty's pick) is a Haunted Mansion one, and I suspect we'll be working on it this weekend. We set up a table in the basement for "puzzle season."

Fact #4: Every day I realize more and more how clueless I am about the world. Last weekend, my sister-in-law showed me our niece's Tik Tok account, and I was like, "What is happening here? I don't understand this! Why is she doing that?" At the same time, I couldn't look away. 

Fact #5: The other day I broke out the Christmas decorations. I started with the plates... because Plate Monster... and then I figured if the plates were out, I should fully transition from fall to Christmas. 

I brought the already-decorated tree in from the shed. 

Maybe it's a little too tall for the bay window

After I got the tree in place, I decided it was time to upgrade the ribbon (after 15 years). I removed all the old ribbon and wired in new ribbon and added a few new sprigs of berries. The tree (which I purchased for $20 on clearance) was looking a little sparse with the light shining through it from the window, so the new ribbon and berries helped fill it in a bit. I normally put the tree in the corner, which I like a lot better, but our current couch doesn't allow us corner access. 

Old ribbon

New ribbon

Done!

Fact #6: I did end up buying a tree for the family room in the basement. It's currently "in progress." I let my girls put all the decorations on it last night, and now I'm just waiting for them to go back to school on Monday so I can fix it. I confess: I am a control freak about the Christmas trees. I also confess that I broke my no glitter policy when I bought the new ornaments. I will spend the next month hating glitter while simultaneously saying, "Oooooo, pretty!" 

Fact #7: The other day, Scotty and I got Chinese food for lunch, and my fortune cookie was very interesting. 

Fact #9: This morning I scrolled through some of the blog posts I wrote at the end of last year. Oh, pre-pandemic Britt. She thought she could plan an entire year of singing time for primary and actually see it through. She read the Book of Mormon and the Come Follow Me manuals for primary and for individuals and families and found someone from the Book of Mormon to introduce to the kids each week. She then found a photo and scripture about their testimony to go with each person and printed them all out and made a big wooden Book of Mormon to keep them in. Then she planned songs to correlate. She was so cute! She had no idea that stuff would sit in a locked closet all year. Maybe she can try again in 2024. 

Fact #10: Last week I saw a muskrat sitting on a Target shopping cart in the canal. 

 

Nothing weird going on here

Spontaneous Weekend Getaway

Last week things got a little wild. My sister-in-law and her husband (Amber and Tim - AKA: Timber) left for California on Wednesday. That night, Amber texted us and said, “You should come to California for the weekend.” 

Aside from COVID concerns,* there wasn’t really any reason we couldn’t go. Scotty was sound asleep when Amber texted us, so first thing Thursday morning, I texted him while he was donating plasma, and it went like this:

And thus, by 7:00 a.m. we had decided to take a spontaneous trip to California. Timber were staying in a condo in Newport Beach with plenty of space for us. All we had to do was get there! 

We decided to book a room in Las Vegas for Thursday night. We checked the kids out of school a little early, and we were on the road around 1:00 p.m. 

The girls were a little startled when we got them from school - they weren’t privy to our spontaneous plans. We told them we checked them out of school to surprise them with a trip to Krispy Kreme. Daisy thought that was an unacceptable reason to miss school, and she started crying. We ended up telling the girls we were going to California. Daisy felt a little better, but she tried to maintain her sad performance a while longer. By the time we got to the junior high to get Nicky, she had fully recovered. 

Nicky was between classes when we picked him up, so they called for him over the PA system. When he got out to the van, and we told him we were going to Krispy Kreme, he confessed that he'd looked at my phone that morning and seen my text to Scotty about going to California (the little stinker! I went out of my way to keep him away from my phone all morning!)

We did stop at Krispy Kreme on the way!

We arrived in Las Vegas around 7:00 that night. We drove down the strip one way and back the other so the kids could see the lights. It’s definitely a quieter place right now. There were far fewer people than I’ve ever seen there. Everyone was masked, including the Julius Caesar statue in front of Caesar’s Palace and Lady Liberty in front of New York New York (she was also donning a Raiders jersey). 

We stayed at STRAT (the Stratosphere trying to have a cool new name). The room was cheap, and we’ve stayed there before, so we were familiar with the parking and the layout. We were just there long enough to sleep, and we rolled out by 7:00 Friday morning to drive the rest of the way to California.

On the way to the condo, we met Timber at Downtown Disney. As we walked from the parking lot to DD, it just felt good to be there. Sad, yes. But at the same time, it was so exciting! 

At DD, they do a temperature check when you go through security. There is COVID signage everywhere, and the cast members are all decked out in their Disney-issued masks. The usual Disney park music is playing, and people are wearing their Disney merch. There are socially distanced lines outside of the stores, so you get that legit Disney experience of standing and waiting. 

We shopped and snacked, and then we walked over by the parks so we could stand outside the gates and feel all the feels.

The near-empty plaza

Our family in front of Disneyland

Our family in front of California Adventure

The Disneyland sign from Harbor Blvd

We were fortunate to be there in small crowds. We didn't have to wait in line to get in. Everything felt pretty COVID-safe there. It wasn't perfect, but they're doing an exceptional job, nevertheless. 

Just a note: during the time that we were there, Downtown Disney was able to operate at 50% capacity. I don't think they were very close to reaching that while we were there. Since then, they have had to downgrade to 25% capacity due to COVID spikes. If you’re not familiar with Downtown Disney, it’s just a strip of restaurants and stores outside of the Disney parks.

After we left Downtown Disney, we headed to Knott’s Berry Farm to have a chicken dinner at Mrs. Knott’s.  Knott’s Berry Farm is still closed for COVID, and it was incredibly quiet there. 

Mrs. Knott's

We enjoyed our yummy meal and wandered through a couple of stores. Then we headed to the condo. 

The kids wanted to go to the pool ASAP even though it was dark and chilly (“California chilly,” that is). Zoe stumbled upon a dead frog on the way to the pool, which was quite dramatic. I opted for my usual role of “pool observer.” We pretty much had the pool to ourselves save for one family that stopped by for about five minutes. 

Scotty & the kids in the pool

Back at the condo, we ate snacks and tried to play the Jungle Cruise game (it didn’t go well for Amber - she lasted approximately thirty seconds into Scotty’s tutorial before she started trying to fake her own death, but let it be known... the game was HER idea).

At that point, we all felt like it was at least 11:00 p.m, but it was really only about 8:00. We were exhausted, so we went to bed while Timber stayed up drinking "chocolate milk" in their room.

On Saturday, we hung out at the condo for the morning. We ate cereal, and the kids played with their newly purchased Legos. Around 11:00 we headed to the beach at Corona Del Mar, but first we made a traditional stop at Jack in the Box. 

Corona Del Mar

Tacos on the beach are a must

The kids ran and played in the water for hours. We paid for three hours of parking and ended up adding another hour because we weren't quite ready to leave. Nicky and Daisy body surfed in the waves. Zoe did a million cartwheels and coated herself in sand. 

"Mom, I'm camouflaged. Come find me!"

We explored the rocks and looked at the nasty sea life.

We had some excellent people-watching opportunities - a group of scuba divers, really old men jogging, cheerleaders dropping each other while trying to do stunts, a birthday party set-up, a man moon walking in the sand (we think), and a possible wedding (we hung out for that extra hour hoping to catch the wedding, but no one ever showed up to get married!)

After we left the beach, we took the kids swimming at the pool again. Then we returned to the condo and had dinner and watched a bunch of old vacation videos from Amber's computer. Again, it felt like 11:00 p.m. and was barely past 8:00. We retired to bed early, and Timber once again stayed up late drinking "chocolate milk" in their room. 

On Sunday morning, we loaded everything up and headed out by 7:00. Amber texted us the whole way home, telling us to turn around and come back. We should have! But then again, the best vacations are the ones where you leave feeling like it’s “too soon.”

It was a quick trip, but it was really fun and exciting! We're so glad we went and so thankful to Tim and Amber for inviting us. 

*Our family and Timber wore masks any time we were together, even in the condo. We also did regular wipe downs of all the condos surfaces and washed our hands and clothes. We were extremely cautious with traveling and mixing households. 

For the Sake of Writing

While the big kids are at school, Eva can be a bit needy. She doesn't entertain herself well. Today is such a day. Eva wants a lot of attention. I've fed her twice today, and then we made a gratitude turkey and did some schoolwork. Then I played a really long card game with her (we basically just took SkipBo cards and built stacks of cards in numerical order). I taught her how to use a calculator (her mind was blown), and now she is sitting three feet away from me playing with Nicky's Imaginext toys (I miss buying toys for little boys). On top of all that, she's already watched over an hour of TV, and it's not even lunch time yet. 

I guess my point here is to say that I'm hoping the Batman and firefighter figures keep her busy long enough for me to write a quick blog post. Sometimes I feel like writing, but I don't have a plan or anything to say. I just need to do it! A lot of unfinished posts end up in my draft folder that way. Today, though, I'm going to pull a writing prompt from my Pinterest board. 

This one is a list of journal prompts for the month of May. 

(It's not May - oh my rebellious soul!)

1. What is a recent compliment you received?

Last week my friend Cassie told me I'm really good at rambling, which might sound like a veiled insult, but she really was complimenting me!

2. Are you organized or messy?

I am the most organized messy person you'll ever meet! 

For real, though, I am incredibly organized while being incredibly messy. They're not exactly opposites. They can exist simultaneously. 

3. What is your biggest victory?

Supporting Scotty while getting his degree and then getting mine - all while raising children.

4. What talent have you always wanted?

To be able to sing and/or play an instrument. 

5. What movie can you quote by heart?

Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

Don't judge me.

6. What is the last book you read?

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes. 

7. What are a few of your favorite things?

Heated blankets, fall and Christmas scented candles, and hot chocolate

(cold weather inspired)

8. What are three things you are proud of?

• I'm 70 days soda sober
• I can do 20 push-ups in a row
• I'm currently caught up on laundry

9. How do you show love?

Feeding people, giving gifts, and providing service. 

10. Describe your best friend.

I'm blessed to have multiple "best" friends. But today, I'll tell you a little about my friend Lynsie. 

Lynsie is incredibly thoughtful and creative. She comes up with such clever gift ideas, and her gift wrap is always top notch! She's supportive of others. She's hilarious and has the funniest things happen to her. I can be completely open and honest with her about anything, and she always responds in kindness and compassion. We've been friends since 7th grade, and she is such a blessing in my life!

11. What is a hero?

A person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. 

(Stolen from the dictionary).

(That's probably not how I was supposed to answer that question).

12. Who is your role model?

Um... is it bad that I don't know? There are plenty of people I find admirable, but I've never really identified a "role model." I'll have to think about that more. 

13. What outfit makes you happy?

Honestly, sweatpants and a hoodie. Unless it's too warm for sweatpants and hoodie, in which case I'd be pretty miserable wearing said outfit.

14. What is the last piece of real mail you received?

A card from Cyndi that I let sit in my mailbox a little too long.

15. What are you looking forward to?

Lunch. I don't have a plan, but I'm hungry.

16. What is one quality you want to improve?

My ability to love unconditionally. Let's just say... I have conditions. 

17. Name one song from your life soundtrack.

The song from Sword in the Stone that goes, "To and fro, stop and go, that's what makes the world go 'round."

It's been stuck in my head my whole life. 

18. What are you working towards?

Walking 250 miles before the end of the year and doing 2,000 push-ups. As a side goal, I would like to do a set of 50 pushups without stopping. Eek! Not sure I can do it, but I'm going to try. Heaven help these arms of mine!

19. What is one good thing you can do tomorrow?

Be alive.

Yes. That seems like a good thing. I will try for that. 

20. What is something you've learned from a mistake?

How to spell fruition. That stinkin' word got me booted out of the school spelling bee on the first round while all my competitors got to spell words like tomorrow and calendar. What fourth grader has ever heard of "fruition?"

(A sixth grader spelled maize wrong when it was down to him and one other girl, and I learned from his mistake: always ask for the definition!)

(I never did another spelling bee).

21. Describe a recent good moment.

I was driving Daisy's friend home from school the other day, and I said something that made her laugh uncontrollably. It was so good for my soul to make a child laugh like that. Now I just need her to convince my kids that I'm funny!

22. What people make you the happiest?

I'm blessed to have a long list for this one, but I'll keep it short and say my family. 

23. What is something you need to change?

Some of my eating and shopping habits. Overeating and overspending are some of my favorite past times right now. 

24. How are you taking care of yourself?

I shower once in a while and sometimes I eat vegetables. 

25. How are you taking care of others?

There are so many people that need special love and care right now, and I don't always know what I can do for them. One thing I can do is pray for them by name, so I've been keeping a little prayer roll with names of people I know of who are in need of blessings. Maybe is doesn't make a difference... but maybe it does. 

26. What are three things that make you smile?

• Little kids wearing backpacks
• Dogs riding in cars with their heads out the windows
• People dancing

27. What is the best kind of cake?

I don't know, but I'd sure like to find out!

28. Who is someone you'd like to meet?

I don't feel like meeting anyone right now. 

29. What is one good habit you have?

I floss every day. 

30. What habit would you like to have?

Exercising every day. 

31. What superpower would you most like to have?

I've thought about this for years, and I finally have an answer: perfect recall. I want to remember everything I learn and be able to cite the sources and recall the information with clarity and exactness. I basically want to be a walking encyclopedia.