Sophie's Blog

Over Christmas Sophie informed me that she is going to start a blog. I graciously let her know that I could get some ideas for what to call her blog. So, come on people, help her out. Elizabeth suggested "Seriously Sophie" which I think is not too bad. I was thinking maybe "Sassy Sophie" or "Sensitive Sophie". What do you think? Maybe "Secretly Sophie" since she said she might not tell us when she does start a blog.

Today's Randomness

We started the morning with a trip to the temple. Mom, Dad, Elizabeth, Maryann, and I all went for a session.

When we got home Frank, Tyler, and Landon had joined us and Landon challenged Dad to a pirate ship battle. He came prepared with quite a crew and cannons to spare. This was towards the end when Landon was moving in for the kill and Dad finally surrendered. They made a plan for their next conflict. I think Dad needs to get some backup cannons ;)

We had several games going at once for quite the game adventure. Max, I can see your cards :)

These are our "serious" card game faces. I need a rematch!

The Blind Side

So, I had to recover from my late night last night and I was taking a nap after breakfast :) when Amanda called and wanted to know if I wanted to go to the movies. When I told her I could not afford a movie she said it would be free because she had some passes left over from last Christmas. We went to see The Blind Side and I have to say that it was one of the best movies I have seen in quite a long time. I am not sure why I felt like I was the only one bawling in the movie. I tried to keep it under control and not go all "I am Sam" * during this moving, but there were several parts that just really got to me. On the way home Amanda said that Mrs. Tuohy reminded her of me. Thanks, I can't think of a better compliment! The movie definitely made me want to be able to do more. If you haven't seen it yet, it is worth the money. Better yet just wait and buy it because you are going to want it in your collection. Hey, while you are at it you can buy me a copy too :) The world would be a much better place if we could all be like this!
When we got home from the movie Mom had a delicious meal all ready for us. Thanks, Mom!
I told Megan to wake me up when they were finished with the dishes so we could all play games. Remember my nap that I was taking, well I had to finish it up :) I woke up about 4 hours later to find the dishes done and everyone in bed, hence the late post. I hope I didn't miss game night! I am definitely going to have to do something to get my regular sleep hours back, and I had been doing so well :(

* I am Sam is one of my all time favorite movies. You are just not a normal individual if you can make it through this movie without crying, so bring some tissue. If you are really nice I might loan you my copy, but only if you promise to take very good care of it and to not keep it too long!

Christmas Miracle

I wanted to post a picture of the Christmas presents I finished making yesterday, but I did not want to ruin any one's surprise. They look great! I spent the morning wrapping them all up and after Maryann got off work we headed to Alabama.
The miracle comes in the fact that Dad actually stayed up until 11:30 playing games with us! I know hard to believe. We played Uno Spin and Phase 10 Twist, just a couple of the games I have gotten lately. Sorry if you bought me one of these games for Christmas ;0 I lost count with how many games I have gotten since Thanksgiving, but I just can't help myself. I might have to do away with the dining room and turn it into the game room. (Now that was a great thought!) Merry Christmas Eve! (Does it count? I am in Alabama, but it is Christmas at my house.)

Guilty Pleasure

I actually like my feet! Most people would find them ugly and I am not saying they are beautiful, but I enjoy them. Several years ago I got my first pedicure and now I believe I am hooked. I don't go as often as most, but when I NEED it and can afford it, I go. Usually during the winter I do not bother since most people would not see my feet. With my recent birthday accident I had decided to just wait until spring, but today I could take it no longer and since Maryann gave me money for a pedicure for my birthday I could not resist. I have been waiting for my leg to heal and the scab came off over Thanksgiving. The scar is not very attractive, but hopefully it will fade over time. It is nice to be back to normal :)

2+ months later

Love in my life!

All who know me know that I love water...ICE water to be exact. One of the first things I do when I get to work in the morning is go to the ice machine and fill up. After I fill my cup with ice, I add water, water, and more water all day long. Thanks to my great cup the ice lasts over 24 hours. It is rare that you find me and not my cup. If you do not see my cup, rest assured it is not far away. The children in my class understand the importance of my cup and treasure it almost as much as I do. They even volunteer to bring it to me when they can tell I am a little irritable and need a little water. The only time I seem to manage without the ice is when I go to Africa. It is a blessing to just have drinkable water.
School is usually my best source of ice. The cafeteria workers expect me each morning. One morning not too long ago I went for ice and there wasn't any. I stood in shock wondering what to do, when the cafeteria manager saw me and told me not to panic, he would take care of it. Not more than an hour later he came to my room with a fresh bag of ice just for me. Wow! He is cool. On the weekends I always have a dilemma because it is up to me to make sure the ice trays are full and ready. I am not always the best at this. This long break causes even more of a problem as I have to be on top of my game for so long. (I should just get my water hooked up to my wonderful refrigerator.)
This morning I went to school to take care of some business and was excited to visit the clean ice machine. (They cleaned it on Friday for the break.) To my horror the ice machine was nice and clean and also empty! It was never turned back on! I worried how I would make it through the day since my cup was empty. Luckily I had some water bottles in my car and with the freezing weather they were nice and cold. Just another luxury I have found that I take for granted.
Now, for the point of my post, did you know you can buy a bag of ice from Sonic? You know that great pebble ice. With the disappointment of having no ice at school I treated myself to a bag of ice from Sonic. My day was saved and I have had GREAT ice water all evening :)

Things I am thankful for right now:
1. Working ice machines (back-up ice from Sonic)
2. My 100oz. clown cup from Holiday
3. Lots of good, clean water

PS- Sorry to those of you who saw the title and were hoping for something other than ice ;)

Let's Go Outback Tonight!

So, it all started many years ago with three friends and one infant. Outback was our original meeting place. We have now grown to five adults and five children. We have tried other places, but Outback and their cheese fries are our favorite. Our group was smaller than normal tonight, but our next dinner member was announced! Congratulations Michelle and Erick! I can't wait to meet your little one. I am grateful for wonderful friends and dinner traditions.

Sorry for the fuzzy picture. I guess our waitress is not a photographer for a reason ;)

Nativities

Here are a few of my nativities from my travels. The pictures don't do them justice. Stop by anytime to see them in person.

Argentina

Kenya

Masaai Nativity from Kenya

Love it next to Musimbi and Muli.

Keeping Warm

In an effort to get ready for the new year and to be a better blogger, I am going to TRY to add a new post every day of break. I will probably be catching up on adventures from the past.
So, here we go. Last night I got to spend time with the Engstrom crew. It was my second day in a row seeing them and a real treat. When they started to wind down a little Cami went to the door and started to cry. I picked her up and she actually let me hold her! I brought her to my chair and the other two decided to join us so we could all stay warm togther. I will admit that is was a little chilly. We stayed like this for a while when Mia decided to jump ship saying she was too hot. It left me with a draft :(

Maryann's Blog?

So, Maryann has always said that when she got her own computer she would start a blog. We all know Maryann now has a brand spanking new, top of the line computer. When I asked her where her blog was she said she is trying to decide what to name it. She needs help! Make a comment with your idea so she can get on with it. You know she checks our blogs more than we do :) Make is clever, witty, and oh so Maryann. BTW, she did not like my suggestion of Maryann's Mumblings :)

I promise Thanksgiving and the Grand Canyon are coming soon!

The Ghosts of Halloween Past

When I announced my retirement last year HERE I promised pictures, so here they are :) Happy Halloween '08
Maybe next year I can pull a Garth Brooks and come out of retirement :) Stay tuned!

Just click to enjoy an oldie, but goodie!

http://ru-world-wandering.blogspot.com/2007/10/aunt-angels-halloween-dance-party.html

http://ru-world-wandering.blogspot.com/2007/10/all-dressed-up-and-ready-to-party.html

http://ru-world-wandering.blogspot.com/2007/10/just-goofing-around.html

http://ru-world-wandering.blogspot.com/2007/10/thanks-for-cookies-aunt-diane.html

http://ru-world-wandering.blogspot.com/2007/11/check-out-my-slide-show_4312.html

http://ru-world-wandering.blogspot.com/2007/11/party-time.html

Pumpkin Carving

We carved pumpkins at FHE tonight. This picture is for Joseph! I carved one and David carved the other. Can you guess where David works? :)

Happy 34th to Me!

My room mom organized a surprise for my birthday. She knew that my favorite chocolate was dove and so she sent in a basket and it quickly got filled with bag after bag of dove chocolate. Believe it or not I still have plenty of it left. I have even discovered that dove dark chocolate is good. I guess your tastes do change as you get older. The last student to arrive brought me the "big" bag. When he walked in I said "please tell me that bag is not full of chocolate?" He told me it was, but luckily it was not. Believe it or not, two weeks later that balloon is still flying high!

Maryann treated me to Longhorn for dinner. I got the three cheese and bacon-wrapped fillet. It was yummy! Here is a close-up.


My present to myself was extra special this year. I have a bad habit of doing more than one thing at once. I was shaving my legs when the phone rang. The call caused me to need to hurry and this was the result. Needless to say, I am not very happy and need to rethink this whole multi-tasking thing. Above is a few hours after it happened and below is two weeks later. I am hoping to not have a horrible scar. Maryann gave me money for my next pedicure. Heavens know I need it, but it will have to wait!

My Rain Day from School

When I came home from Africa this year Maryann informed me that we had a tree growing in our backyard and I needed to take care of it. She has periodically reminded me of the tree and told me that it is just getting bigger!
I have always just wanted a yard with grass that I can lay in and look at the stars. I have cleaned the yard and others have cleaned the yard, but I have never planted grass. I have a friend who always said she was going to plant grass for me when I was away in Africa. Alas, that has never happened.
I had the day off of school because of rain and it ended up being quite a nice day at my house. A thought came to me in the morning "hey, with all the rain it might be pretty easy to pull all that up." The morning was pretty cool weather wise, so I decided "why not?"

Here is the famous "tree".

The yard before I started working.

Here is the evil enemy that has even tried to take over the bike. Do you know what it is? :)

Here I am all decked out and ready to work complete with long sleeves, long pants, socks and shoes, and my bathroom gloves. At this point I am unsure if I will have a reaction to the enemy.

I pulled the "tree" up first. Like the roots?

Then I started in on the bigger growth.

Not sure what was growing. Don't tell Maryann, but I think they are actually "baby trees" from the evil tree in our yard because I recognize the evil berries.

After six hours of work with a break for lunch and a nap, I have finally finished!

With the afternoon sun and all that work I was hot, tired, and ready for a shower

Did these pants really use to fit me? I mean I know I have never had much of anything in the rear area, but seriously. I had to keep pulling my pants up because I did not think to put on a belt. I was hoping I did not end up with a rash from the enemy where I had to keep pulling up my pants :)

Since it was only two days before Maryann's birthday, I decided this would be the perfect gift :)

I even saved her tree! Happy 36th!

Maybe for my birthday I will get grass or at least a new pair of bathroom gloves :) Who wants to help?
BTW, I guess either I did a great job of staying covered and washing off or I am not allergic to the enemy. I think it was the latter, because at one point I pulled a huge vine out of the real tree and it landed on my face on the way down.

Sneak-a-Peek

Memory on Monday

I was going through some old vidoes and pictures and I ran across this gem. I thought you might enjoy it. I don't know when it was taken and I think you can figure out where.

"Eye" did it!

Several years ago on The Amazing Race, Phil introduced me to The London Eye and ever since then I have wanted to take it for a spin. Well, thanks to some great friends and just the right timing I finaly accomplished the goal. It was so worth it! I will spare you ALL the details and photos, but here are just a few.



Tad, Alicia, Me, Amber, and Big Ben :)

I LOVE MY LIFE!

I know I don't post as often as I should and let you know all the great things I love about my life, but I just wanted to make sure you all know that I LOVE MY LIFE! Thanks for being such a great part of my wonderful life! I know it is a bit cheesy and a little out of character, but please just indulge me. This is how I really feel. A friend from Africa sent me this picture. I do not like pictures of myself, but this one says it all to me.

Help! I need OREOS, lots of them!

It all started with Valentine's Day and a great idea I had to raise money for Africa. With Diane's help and an all-nighter we managed to fill all the orders.

Easter came along and I had another great idea. Diane saved the day again, but we planned ahead and no one had to stay up all night.

Now Mother's Day is right around the corner and I am opening orders to the whole school. I NEED oreos and lots of them. If you see Oreos on sale, run don't walk to the phone and let me know. Every penny saved is a penny raised for Africa and Relay for Life.

By-the-way, if you have wondered why I haven't updated in a while, now you know what I have been up to :) If you need to order some for your mother (or yourself) just let me know. Only $10 for a dozen.

Hey, what a deal!

So I signed up to get something homemade and totally free. The only catch is that I had to post something on my blog.

Here's how it works..... The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a hand made gift from me during this year. When and what will be a surprise. BUT, in order for you to leave a comment on my blog, you have to post this on your blog first. (That means that sometime during this year you will send a gift to 3 people as well.) Get it? So, the first 3 people to comment on this post will be the lucky ones! It's a race!

Christmas I

I am posting several slide shows of Christmas. If there are pictures you would like sent to you, you need to send me the number.

Christmas II

Christmas III