Have YOU Ever???

Copy, paste, and bold (& add comments!) to what you have done!


Have you ever.....


*1. Started your own blog (Well, duh!)



*2. Slept under the stars (Many times)


3. Been to Key West, FL


*4. Vacationed in Hawaii (Three times and hopefully counting!)


5. Watched a meteor shower


*6. Given more than you can afford to charity (We are doing that this Christmas)


*7. Been to Disneyland/Disney World (Land, not world)


*8. Climbed a mountain (Yes!)


*9. Held a praying mantis


*10. Sang a solo or played a solo


11. Bungee jumped - no freakin' way!


*12. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment (Yes at Yellowstone. A man with about 5 cameras around his neck tripped and did that running forward thing with all the cameras swinging this way and that, I busted out laughing. . .probably not a good time to do that!)


13. Watched a lightning storm at sea


*14. Gone rollerskating (All the time in Elemetary school!)


15. Adopted a child


*16. Gambled in Vegas (Yes, when I was young and stupid!)


17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty


*18. Grown your own vegetables (nothing better than home-grown tomatoes!)


19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France. I WISH!


20. Slept on an overnight train


*21. Had a pillow fight


22. Hitch hiked


23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill


*24. Built a snow fort


25. Held a lamb


26. Gone skinny dipping


27. Run a Marathon


*28. Worked at a Cannery or Welfare Farm


29. Seen a total eclipse


*30. Watched a sunrise or sunset


*31. Played an instrument (used to play the clarinet)


*32. Been on a cruise (A few!)


33. Seen Niagara Falls in person


34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors


35. Seen an Amish community


*36. Taught yourself a new language (learning Spanish right now!)


37. Acted in a play or performed on stage


38. Been to Italy


*39. Gone river rafting (Colorado River & Green River)


40. Seen Michelangelo’s David


*41. Sung karaoke (All the time!)



*42. Seen ‘Old Faithful’ geyser erupt (Yep, read comment on #12)


*43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant (nope, but I had one bought for me once)


*44. Water Skied


*45. Walked on a beach by moonlight


46. Been transported in an ambulance


47. Had your portrait painted


48. Gone deep sea fishing


49. Been to Japan


*50. Rode a horse (not only rode one, owned one!)


*51. Gone snorkeling


*52. Kissed in the rain


53. Sailed a boat


*54. Gone to a drive-in theater


55. Been in a movie


56. Surfed

57. Started a business

58. Visited the Great Wall of China


59. Lived in a foreign country


60. Delivered Meals on Wheels or Served at a Soup Kitchen


61. Snow Mobile or Snow Skied


*62. Gone whale watching (two different times in Maui)


*63. Got flowers for no reason


64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma


65. Gone sky diving


*66. Gone Ice Skating

*67. Bounced a check (once a VERY long time ago!)

68. Flown in a helicopter


*69. Saved a favorite childhood toy


*70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial


*71. Eaten caviar


*72. Knit, Crocheted, Sewn, Quilted


73. Stood in Times Square


74. Toured the Everglades


75. Been fired from a job


76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London


*77. Broken a bone (my little toe 4 times!)


*78. Been on a speeding motorcycle


*79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person


80. Published a book


81. Visited the Vatican


*82. Bought a brand new car


83. Walked in Jerusalem


*84. Had your picture in the newspaper or been on TV (TV a whole bunch of times!)


*85. Done something you said you would NEVER do


*86. Visited the White House


*87. Been stung by a bee


*88. Had chickenpox


89. Saved someone’s life


*90. Sat on a jury (Well, I got called to jury duty for the Federal Courts, but I didn't end up having to stay for the trial, only one day)

*91. Met someone famous


*92. Joined a book club


93. Had to put someone you love in Hospice Care


*94. Had a baby (Yep, 5)

95. Seen the Alamo in person


*96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake


97. Been involved in a law suit


*98. Eaten suishi (a couple of times, but I don't like it)


99. Won the Lottery


*100. Read an entire book in one day

T.G.I.F!

I am so glad that it is Friday!!! Next Friday I will be done with finals and will finally be able to get my house ready for Christmas. My kids CANNOT wait!

Today I am cleaning the house, doing the laundry, and then doing something FUN before I study for finals!

Wanna know what the FUN thing is? THEN CLICK HERE! :)

Hope everyone is keeping warm on this COLD day!

The End.

I have finals next week. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled that the semester is coming to an end. It has been a semester that has kicked my butt! However, there is something that is a little different about the end of this semester compared to the end of the others I have experienced this far. This semester officially marks the end of all pre-core, pre-requisite, and general ed classes that I will take. WOW!

It has been a long, long journey. One that started after the birth of my third child. Just an FYI, my third child is now 14. Crazy!

After my third child was born, I felt this overwhelming feeling to go back to school. It seemed crazy. It seemed impossible. It seemed down right insane.

I think that the reality hit me that I was the mother of 3 kids (at that time) and I had been out of the workforce for quite a while. I had no education and some skills, but nothing that would get me enough pay to support my family if something were to happen to my husband. It was a very intimidating thought. I remember thinking that I wasn't sure that my husband would be supportive of me going back to school because he was so busy with work and we had three kids. Our oldest was only 4 at the time and we had two in diapers. It would take a lot of support from my hubby in order for me to be able to go back to school.

I remember the night so clearly. We were sitting at the dinner table and I told my husband that I really wanted to go back to school. He was very supportive. He agreed that it was a great idea and that is where my journey began.

It has been full of starts and stops. I attended night classes while my kids were young. Bryan would get home from work and I would head to school. I would do homework while they napped and homework while I waited in the car for them to be done with pre-school. It wasn't easy.

I attended school through two pregnancies, several moves, remodeling of two homes, building of one home, and quite a few other challenges.

Some semesters I would only take two classes and other semesters I would take three or four. Then finally in December 2000 I received my diploma for my AS degree! I figured that it wouldn't take me long to finish up my BS degree at that point. HA! Boy was I wrong!

I have changed my major a couple of times. As a matter of fact, I am only a few classes from having my English Lit degree. I figured I would finish up with that and then get my teaching certificate. Last summer with all the changes with Bryan's job, I once again went back to school, this time pursuing my Elementary Ed degree. Funny story, that is the degree I started toward all those years ago when my third child was born.

In January I will officially start "in the program". I have three more semesters of classes and one semester of student teaching. After that I will have that BS degree I have been after for all these years. I guess if nothing else at least I have been persistent! ;)

Feeling a Little BAH HUMBUG!

I really do LOVE Christmas. I really do LOVE decorating for Christmas. It is just so hard to get into the holiday spirit when you don't have any spare time.

I have finals until December 18th. I can't even think about shopping for Christmas or putting up my tree and such until finals week is over. At that point, I am thinking, what is the point of decorating??? Aren't the kids just more worried about their presents than the tree and decor anyway?

All of that hard work and time spent on decorating for a holiday that is only one week away. If I can't enjoy my decorations all month, why bother???

I had an idea. Let me run it by you. In order to save myself some time and still feel like the holiday season was in our home, I decided that we could make a tree out of paper. Yes, I said paper. Cute scrapbook paper. We aren't talking some little mini version of a tree. We are talking a 6 ft + paper tree. Then I was going to tape the cute paper tree on our BIG family room window. I would give my kids some craft supplies and let them go to town decorating the paper tree. That way all I would have to do at the end of the holiday season is tear it down and throw it away.

No pulling out the boxes and boxes of Christmas stuff. No sorting through strands of lights to see which worked and which didn't. No moving furniture around in order for a tree to fit. No hours and hours of decorating the tree. No stress, no mess! It sounded pretty great to me!

Unfortunately, my kids thought that it was the worst idea ever. *SIGH*. I guess that means I will pull out my Christmas stuff and decorate. Perhaps after I do, I will feel a little less Bah Humbug.

Maybe I just need finals week to be over with and then I can feel a little more of the holiday spirit. Here's hoping!!! (I still think the paper tree was a GRAND idea!)

Making Me HAPPY!

I found something new the other day that made me smile! It is something that I could have all kinds of CRAFTY fun with!

Wanna know what it is???

Then click on over to my craft blog

***Paisley Inspirations***

and check it out! SO FUN!

And Now This Man. . .

This man was 23 years old when I met him.

This man stole my heart on our first date.

This man works hard to provide for his family.

This man is a wonderful father.

This man has given me the gift of 5 children. 4 boys and 1 daughter.

This man and I have been together on ups and downs and highs and lows.

This man has seen me laugh.

This man has seen me cry.

This man is always there when I need him.

This man has lived with me longer than I lived with my own family.

This man puts up with my craft addiction.

This man loves me for me.

Happy Birthday to my hubby!

I Love You!

This Man

This man. . .

He (with the help of my mother) gave me life.

He changed my diaper.

He watched me learn.

He watched me grow.

He watched me succeed.

He watched me fail.

He spent countless hours worrying about me and probably many more hours being frustrated with me.

He made me ice cream shakes when I was sick, scrambled eggs with salsa when I was hungry, wiped my tears when I sad.

He tickled me until it made me cry.

He sang songs to me.

He was there when I graduated from high school.

He was there when I got married.

He was there to welcome each of my five children, his grandchildren, with open arms.

He is a role model.

He loves me for me.

He is my dad.

Happy Birthday Dad! May you have all the happiness you deserve and then some!

I love you!!! Thanks for always being there.