30 Posts: Day 16

Day 16 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.



I would love to do the land and sea trip to Alaska. You take a cruise ship to Alaska, disembark for some time on land to explore that way, and then return home via cruise ship.

Someday...

30 Posts: Day 15

Day 15 - A picture of something that gets on your nerves.


I'm not going to name names... or post an actual picture on this one. Suffice it to say that I'm having some troubles with a supervisor at work and that person is REALLY getting on my nerves lately. Poor Aaron. He has to listen to me vent and rant and rage over it every night. He's very patient about it, however; and several times he's come up with excellent suggestions for dealing with it. (Proving he was actually listening, not just providing a sounding board. ;) )

30 Posts: Day 14

Day 14 - A picture of something you're afraid of.

I actually did a similar post a couple of years ago, so I figured I'd just repeat it. :)

My Strangest Fear (3/13/2009)

I got tagged on this one and thought it could be fun...

I actually have two strange fears. The first is that I'm afraid my car will catch fire while I'm putting gas in it. I'm especially afraid that it will catch fire with my kids all strapped into their carseats in the back. I try my hardest not to ever get gas if my kids are in the car. If I do have to fill up when they're with me, I rehearse in my mind the fastest way to get them all unbuckled and out of the car in an emergency.

I know, I know, it's weird! I told you it was. In my defense though, my brother's car actually did catch fire when he was fueling up. It burned up completely in a matter of minutes!

The second strange fear is... I'm scared of vampires. Isn't that ridiculous? I even remember when it started. I read a book in 4th grade that was about vampires and it scared me to death. For a couple of years - yes, years - I slept with a shaker of garlic powder and a fork under my pillow! This is only because my mom wouldn't allow me to keep actual garlic or a stake under my pillow.

These days, three of my favorite series are the Twilight, House of Night, and Queen Betsy books. All about vampires of course. And I read them and enjoy them immensely. And then I put them down and forget about them.

Until I have to leave for work in the morning. And it's still dark. And there's no one else awake and moving around on my street. And the little voice in my head starts reminding me that not all vampires are nice like the Cullens... and just maybe... And then I hurry to the car and turn up the radio so that I can pretend I'm not a 4th grader at heart!

There, now I shared and you've been tagged. What's your strangest fear?

30 Posts: Day 13

Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist.


I have to narrow it down to one? It all depends on my mood and the circumstances. Sometime I like Broadway hits. Sometimes I like piano solos. Sometimes I enjoy bluegrass, or country, or contemporary Christian, or top 40. So hard to narrow it down!


I believe I've already confessed my secret love of Donny Osmond (http://5shields.blogspot.com/2009/05/im-embarrassed-to-admit-it.html). I also have a deep and abiding affection for some of the bands of my junior high and high school days. Guns 'n' Roses, Jon Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, and Metallica come to mind. And of course, lately I love all the songs from the Glee soundtracks.


But I guess I'll pick the one I find myself pulling up on my mp3 player the most often. They're fun, bouncy, energetic, have great harmonies, and are almost completely unheard of as far as I can tell. That's right, it's Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband. I don't know if they're even still together, because I got my CD years ago. But I still enjoy it. :)

30 Posts: Day 12

Day 12: A picture of something you love.

This is my Grandma and Grandpa (my mom's parents) recently and on their wedding day. I adore my Grandma and Grandpa. I've been lucky to always have them as a big part of my life. For most of my growing-up years, we lived right next door to them. It was a 2 minute walk across the field to go to Grandma's house. I got to spend the night there frequently - which was a treat because Grandma and Grandpa let me stay up late and watch M.A.S.H. with them. And in the morning Grandma would make me a breakfast shake - with ice cream and Shaklee vitamin powder. Since I didn't develop my pathological dislike for all supplements until later in life, this was quite a treat!

We used to go to Sunday dinner at Grandma's house every week. I always looked forward to that. And the best times of the year were Reunion - where we went camping with Grandma and Grandpa (and assorted other relatives) for a week, and Thanksgiving - when all of the kids and grandkids got together. Early on we had to start having Thanksgiving dinner at the church because we couldn't all fit in anyone's house. And that was before we started adding spouses and great-grandkids to the mix!

Once I went to college, Grandma and Grandpa were always sure to come say goodbye as I was getting ready to go back to school (after a visit home). I so clearly remember my Grandpa telling me every time, "Don't drive to fast. Even if those other drivers are going fast, you don't have to. 50 is plenty fast enough." Since the speed limit was 55 minimum and 65 in many places, I didn't stick to 50 m.p.h., and I got back to Logan much faster than Grandma and Grandpa thought I should. I would call home and let Mom & Dad know I'd arrived safely, and then Mom would wait another hour or two before calling Grandma to let her know.

I'm so glad we decided to go to Vernal for Rylen's blessing so that we could have my Grandma and Grandpa there for it!

30 Posts: Day 11

Day 11: A picture of something you hate.

I hate those commercials from Christian Children's Fund! They're so heart-breakingly sad (and so long). They make me feel bad because I don't feel like there's enough that I can do to help. And they make my kids cry. Seriously, I have to change the channel if these commercials come on because my kids start to cry. Same goes for those animal abuse commercials with Sarah McLachlan in the background. :(

30 Posts: Day 10

Day 10 - A picture of what you'd like to do when you retire.

Assuming we ever get to retire - which is never certain the way things are going these days - I want to have a little RV so Aaron and I can road trip and travel around seeing the country and visiting all the grandkids I assume we will have at that point. :)