Ten Questions No One's Ever Asked Me

Over the past few years, I've received a lot of those "getting to know you" type emails you're supposed to send along to a friend. You know, the ones that ask questions like "Do you have a tatoo?" "Beatles or Rolling Stones?" and "How many siblings do you have?" I exchange these with my sparkpeople friends I've made, which is kinda fun because I don't know as much about them.

Lately there's been one going around called "65 Questions You've Probably Never Been Asked." When I got this in my email about a month ago, I thought "Oh good, let's see what they come up with." Because I'm kinda sick of the same old questions.

Some were pretty good. To the question "Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush?" I reply: "Is he buying?"

Cuz I'm on a budget George.

But there were still plenty of questions I've seen before. (For the twentieth time, my favorite color is red people. RED!!!!). Which got me thinking, what ARE some questions I've never been asked before? (P.S. to Christy - I'm not ignoring your tag, but the only people I'd flag in a note on Facebook have already seen my answers and I'm too lazy to do it again. ;)

So, without further ado, here are Ten Questions No One's EVER Asked Me:

1. Have you ever been to an Indian Sweat Lodge?

I don't understand why this never comes up. This is the most interesting thing I've ever done and I'd like more opportunities to talk about it. It gives me the chance to pretend my life is exciting.

2. Do you like polar bears?

No one ever asks me about polar bears.

3. How many elementary schools did you attend?

Five. And it sucked. In fact, I still like to complain about it, so ask this question all you'd like.

4. Do you have a miniature tractor in your home?
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Doesn't everybody?

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5. Have you ever received a Ladmo bag?

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Sadly, no.

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6. Did your dad used to watch soap operas?

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Every day. All My Children, One Life to Live, and General Hospital.
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7. Are you being serious?

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Yes. I've been meaning to write a post about the enigma that is my dad, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

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8. How many times a day do you fantasize about being a bestselling author?

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I can't count that high.

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9. Have you ever used milk crates for shelving?

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If I answer that question, will I need a lawyer?

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10. How fast can you eat a chocolate bunny?

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Okay, okay, maybe someone's asked me this before. One answer is: I've never timed myself, so I don't know. The other answer is: pretty fast. Size is not a factor.

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So there you have it. Ten (ish) questions no one's ever asked me.

Read Aloud Books

Here are a few books we've enjoyed as a family lately. The first is our latest read aloud chapter book. Also, some picture books are great for kids of all ages so here are a couple I've read to the whole family. I know there are others but I haven't been keeping great track of things and don't remember what they are.

Chocolate Fever

by Robert Kimmel Smith

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This was a fun book to read, and had lots of illustrations which we all enjoyed and which make story time easier for Christopher. The blurb on the back cover is great, so I'll just quote from that:

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"Henry loves chocolate so much, it practically runs through his veins. Chocolate cake, chocolate cereal, chocolate syrup, chocolate milk, and chocolate cookies - and that's just breakfast! Still, it comes as a shock when he suddenly breaks out in chocolately brown spots and is diagnosed with... Chocolate Fever. Rather than be poked and prodded by doctors, Henry runs away, starting the adventure of a lifetime. But at the end of it all, the question remains: Is there a cure for Chocolate Fever?"

When Stephanie Smiled

by Jeanne Willis

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Christopher picked this out at random and it turned out to be really cute. You should've seen my boys giggling at this! Even daddy liked it.

Miss Nelson is Missing

by Harry Allard

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I'm sure you've already heard about this great classic. (If you haven't, put it on your library list!) I loved this book as a kid and I still love it. We now have our own copy because the Friends of the Library was selling it for 25 cents!!

This Blog is Brought to You by...

No, this blog is not brought to you by the origami boulder company, but I totally want to buy one too. That guy is too funny. (By the way, I just now found this page on his site I didn't notice before and it's hilarious.)

Anyway, this is something I've been meaning to do for a LONG time but procrastination is my standard mode of operation, so there you go. I know several people I'd like to help out by giving them a plug on my widely-read, vastly-popular blog. (Ahem.)

Okay seriously, when you're running a business (and for one of these, this business represents their whole livelihood, not just a side business) you can use all the promotion you can get, no matter how small. So check these out, and if you're feeling extra lovely and generous in your heart, spread the word. :)

SPONSOR #1: Photoloom

Okay, this is the real business one and lemme tell you, it's awesome. This is a site that allows you to connect the data of your family tree to your family photos. You don't just see a family tree full of names, you get to see faces. Then you can click on those faces and see what other pictures you have of that person, scroll around through extended relationships, etc. It's flexible enough to allow you to record all the unique family links that pop up as a result of divorce, remarriage, adoption, etc. You can even link the dog if you want to.

Photoloom is fantastic. It's all online so you can set it up so other family members can look at/contribute to your database (if you want) but it's totally secure and safe. Absolutely no one will be able to access information you want kept private.

One of the best things about Photoloom is the way it navigates. Something that drives me batty about certain online family history programs (which shall remain nameless) is having to wait for new brower pages to load while you click on this name, that function, etc. It feels like it takes freaking forever.

But this site is set up some smart computer way I don't understand, which basically allows you to navigate with the same ease you would as if you were using a computer program. That's how fast and seamless it feels. It's amazing.

They offer a free trial, so I encourage you to check it out. (I love free stuff.)

I gotta say too, this site is the primary reason I'm doing this post. Please check it out and if you like what you see, tell your friends how much Photoloom rocks! :)

Sponsor #2: Heaven Scent Candles and Crafts

Okay, I'm practically giddy. These are the only candles that make me drool. They smell sooooo pretty! There are a ton of scents too, and I'd hate for you to get overwhelmed, so let me just help you out and make a few suggestions. (Hee hee, this is the fun part. Okay, I'll calm down now.)

Suggestion #1: Birthday Cake

This. Scent. Rocks. If you only get one, this is the one to get.

Suggestion #2: Cinnamon Apple

I love the smell of this candle AND it's red.

Suggestion #3: Exotic

A very unique scent. It's fantastic.

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(BTW, I love that all her scents come in these different sizes. The little ones are good for trying out scents, and they still burn for a long time. The big ones are also nice if you're like me and prefer candles without labels on them.)
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Okay, I guess I can let you do the rest of your shopping. ;) Go to Heaven Scent Candles and Crafts to check out her other offerings.

Sponsor #3: Etsy

Okay, not Etsy exactly. I doubt Etsy needs any advertising from me. But I know two people with Etsy shops and I'm going to give them a little plug.

First up: Decorative Creations

These are one-of-a-kind, handpainted pieces. I love unique stuff that you're not going to see in other people's homes.

My favorites at this site are:

This adorable Denim Pot (though I'd probably plant real flowers in it... and put Brian in charge of keeping them alive) and...

...the Goldfish Candleholder. Can't you just see that in on a bathroom counter?

Anyway, Decorative Creations is a pretty new shop and still building traffic, so be sure to check it out. :)

Next: All Boy House

I've plugged this shop before in response to the request on her blog all those months ago, but it doesn't hurt to do it again. She sells soft light swords so boys can be boys without cracking a skull, and has added a new item, the soft whip. Way cool!

Sponsor #4: I Heart Mesa

Okay, not really a sponsor since this isn't a shop or money-making venture of any sort. But a friend of mine runs it so I'm going to plug it. So there. If you want to find out about cool things to do right here in Mesa, including great places to eat, check out I Heart Mesa.

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Sponsor #5: Photoloom

Yes, I know I did this already, but that's how badly I want you to check out their site if you haven't already. I mean, you're not done surfing the net for the day anyway, are you? I thought not. ;) Seriously, if you're looking for a way to organize and preserve your family photos, this is the way to go. Click HERE to see how.

And that's all folks. Did I miss anybody? Anyone else want to take advantage of my free advertising? I'm tellin' ya, it's almost like getting a free Superbowl spot.

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What? I said almost.

I Know the Answer!!!!!!!

Okay, are you ready for this? Today as I was driving by that crazy sidewalk (see below if you missed yesterday's post) I saw a couple of guys working on filling it in. I thought, This is my chance! So I flipped a U-ie (U-ee? You-ee? U-E? Whatever... a U-turn) and stopped in the middle of the road right next to them.

I rolled down my window and leaned over. "Excuse me!" I holler, ever so ladylike. The first man turns and I'm happy to see he looks like a nice guy. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," he says, and now the other guy is looking too.

I ask him what's up with the funky sidewalk, except a lot more politely than that.

Man #2 (also a nice guy) proceeds to explain. Every year the city does a "rodeo" for city workers, where different teams compete in different areas. This was the location of the sidewalk laying competition, and the reason the squares were spaced out was so the judges could see around the edges!

A sidewalk laying competition! Now why didn't I think of that???

I feel so much better now that I understand!!!!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately due to budget cuts, they didn't have a rodeo this year. The city decided to fill it in because they didn't like the way it looks (Thank you Mayor Obvious!). But as he was walking away from my car, Nice Man #2 proudly announced that last year, his team won! :)

I wish I had a picture of these guys for the blog, but I was NOT bold enough to ask for one. I'll just have to settle for the satisfaction of a mystery solved.

I think I can handle that. :)

Question of the Week

Not to imply I'll be asking a question every week, but I gotta ask this question:

What in the heck?

Who lays a sidewalk in sections like this? Is there some logical reason for this? And it isn't just here either. See the sidewalk stretching off in the distance, all one piece like a sidewalk should be? Well, here's a close up:

Yep, two shades because it used to be in sections too. We're talking for a long time too. I drove past that stinkin' patchwork sidewalk for over a year before they finally filled it in. Maybe two years. (I know some of you readers drive by this too - how long was it like that?)

Anyway, I'm sure there's a good reason for this. Isn't there? I think there must be a good reason, because who's going to do that for no reason? I don't know. It's just bizarre.

God's Carwash

Monday night my car got just enough sprinkles on it to make it spotty and dusty. This morning I drove through a little cloud burst of rain that was less than 1/4 mile long. I thought, a little more of that and my car might not be so spotty. So turned around and drove through that rain again, and then the third time on the way back home. It wasn't perfect, but God's carwash wasn't bad. :)

Christopher liked it too:

Japanese Writing Game

The other day I came across a piece of paper with a "poem" I'd written over a year ago. It was for the Japanese Writing Game for one of my Sparkpeople teams.



The game goes like this. Write down a word. The next word begins with the last letter of the first word. And so on. You can create a "rule" for yourself that decides when the poem is done. Something like, "ending with the letter n" or "repeating the first word". But you don't have to.



When I did these, I had no ending rule. I wasn't trying to write great poetry (or even good poetry). I thought it was fun playing with words just for the sake of playing with words. I didn't edit or plan. I'd just sit for five minutes, put one word after another, and write until I felt done. Here's the poem I found:



Cows
so
overjoyed
dance
energetically,
yellow
wildflowers
soar,
rallying,
gathered
down
near
rust
torn
nettles,
sowed
deep,
prim
meadows.



As you can see, this game is just for sillyness so I think anyone can do it, whether you consider yourself a "writer" or not.


I went back and found a few others I wrote. I like this one too:

Petals
swiftly
yield
down,
nestled,
deep
places
slit
the
eastern
Napa
air.
Run
now
wind.





Anyone wanna play??? (You don't have to play to comment though.) ;)

One More Little Note...

There are many things I love about my husband, including the fact that he's a fantastic father, but for this year's birthday post, I just want to talk about my sweetheart. I love the times we're able to spend alone together. As I look back over the years, those are some of my sweetest memories. We've had fun times together, whether vacationing in Chicago or staying in the tiny Arizona town of Show Low. Some of my favorite memories are the times we'd explore a new town by randomly driving all over. We'd get to an intersection, and Brian would ask "left, right, or straight?" We never knew where we'd end up and we didn't care, as long as we were going there together. Inevitably, we'd end up fantasizing about doing that cross country in an RV one day. We'd imagine that he'd come to an intersection on the interstate and ask "left, right, or straight?" Hmmm, Oklahoma or Louisiana?? How fun!

I really don't want this to be another sappy birthday post, but I do want to say that I'm grateful for my sweetheart and the love he's given me over the years. I've loved loving him too, and I look forward to the years to come. He truly is a wonderful person. Each year that goes by only strengthens my feeling that come what may, it's okay with me as long as we're traveling the road together.

One day, babe, it'll be you and me in an RV. I can't wait! :)

Happy Birthday honey.

My Favorite Thing About My Dad...

In their own words...

John: "I love that he's a good father and that he teaches me a lot of things and helps me in scouts. My favorite memory about dad is when I was a baby, and he showed me around our apartment. For example, he said, 'Look John, this is the refrigerator.' That makes me feel really happy. I just want to wish you a Happy Birthday Dad."

Ben: "I like it when you pull me by the shirt and pull me towards you to tell me what to do [Note for blog readers: this is a game they play]. I like it when you make hot dogs. My favorite memory is when you played with me. I love you Daddy. Happy Birthday Daddy. Have a great day! Good bye!"

Chris: "My favorite thing about my dad is that he teaches me sounds and he loves me. I love it when Dad carries me with one hand. I like that he gives us fireworks. I love you Dad and Happy Birthday."

Happy Birthday Dad!!!!! :)

Why Didn't I Think of That?

This ranks right up there with the pet rock. Except this guy is WAY funnier!

http://origamiboulder.com/

Attitude of Gratitude: Day 50

Well, here it is. The last day of the gratitude challenge. All along, I've felt this final post needed to be pretty significant. Actually, it wasn't hard to decide what to say. Next to my family, my friends, and my testimony, there's one thing I cherish more than anything else. It's a gift my Heavenly Father gave me, and I'm grateful for it all the time. No matter how insane it sometimes makes me.

I'm grateful for my passion to write.

Now, I'm not saying I'm a genius writer. I'm not saying I'll ever be published (though I sure hope I will be). I'm not even saying I'm grateful for my talent for writing. I'm saying I'm grateful for my passion for it. Which is an entirely different thing.

Writing lights me up like nothing else does. It sparks something in me nothing else can. Sometimes when I think about all the stacks of books I have around my house, I'm a bit alarmed by the way I hunger after them. Until I remember what's behind it. It's not the reader in me that hungers after those books as if I could never get filled. It's the writer in me. Every book, regardless of genre, regardless of quality, is a lesson. The reader in me likes them too, but I want to be the best writer I can be and that's what drives it. Those books are my university.

Writing drives me crazy sometimes. If you doubt it, ask my husband. He'll tell you. A writer's life is full of self-doubt, fear, frustration, and legitimate lunacy. I thought getting over the hurdle of writing my first real book would cure me of it, but no. There are days when I'm so frustrated with whatever storyline I'm wrangling that I'll think to myself "I can't do it! I just don't know how to write a book!"

Never mind that I've already done it.

Apparently, this is normal. I follow a few author blogs and read many author interviews. More than once, I've heard another author say they struggle with the same thing. Honestly, it wasn't very comforting to realize that this fear and self-doubt pretty much never goes away. Even after publishing a book. Even after publishing several. Every book is a new battle to fight.

So why do it? And why be grateful for this madness?

Oh man. Because the exhilaration when everything is going right is pure, unadulterated ecstasy. The creation of a character you can't help but fall in love with, the turn of phrase that reflects real life with shimmering perfection, the plot twist that surprises even the writer who created it... these are the moments for which we writers live.

When everything's clicking, the world falls away. Even the room I'm in and the desk I'm working on disappear from my awareness. The only thing that exists is the pure act of creation.

Pure bliss.

The Lord blesses each of us with talents. I'm a firm believer in this. We each have something unique to contribute. For some it's the ability to be a good leader or to puzzle out a scientific problem. For some it's the ability to see the good in everyone they come in contact with - to make others feel that unconditional love and acceptance. (I've known a few people like this, and it's the most godly talent I know.) I try not to envy others their talents, because I think the Lord gives us exactly what we need. Exactly what will give us the most joy.

I love to write. I love that nothing stands in the way of my writing except myself. I don't have to leave my kids to the mercy of day care or have a ton of money to do it. If I can afford a notebook and some pens, I can afford to write. If I can carve out five minutes in a day, I have time to write. If I can become a better person by learning to face my fears and keep writing anyway, then I'm okay with that too.

It all comes down to the joy of the process. That's something I've always had, and will always have, no matter what happens.

It's something for which I am deeply, profoundly grateful.

Now I want to hear from you. Following the spirit of "nothing obvious," tell me, if you were to do a gratitude challenge and it came to the last day, what would you write about?

Attitude of Gratitude: Day 49

Well, I'm going to keep it really simple and try not to get too "Mother's Day sappy." I just finished reading my Mother's Day post from last year. While I still have a bit of a love/shrug relationship with Mother's Day, today I'm grateful for the growth I've made as a mother over the last year. I don't torture myself nearly as much as I used to.

Oh I still manage it from time to time. More than I should, I'm sure. But this time last year my feelings of inadequacy as a mother weren't just huge, they were debilitating. I'm still not a perfect mother, but I know I never will be and I'm grateful for the peace I've made with that.

Attitude of Gratitude: Day 48

Ah, this close to the end of my challenge, I hestitate to go with something so light-hearted and silly. But I'm doing it anyway. Truly, the point of this challenge was to remind myself that the little things in our daily existence have the power to infuse our lives with joy. So long as we stop to acknowledge them.

Today I'm grateful for this pic, and blurb, from Amy's blog:

"Van Gogh's self portrait with my foot!
Just for you Donna!
Side story: I searched the whole place for the most famous painting I could think of so that it would be just right for this picture. I had to have Lindsey hold my camera so I could HEFT my leg up that high then try to hold it still in mid-air! This thing was pretty far off the ground! Note: I am NOT flexible! So I pulled some major hamstring trying this, and it still didn't get very close to the painting! HAHAHAHAHA! That's as good as it was going to get!!!(For those of you who are confused, click on Donna's blog on my sidebar and start reading under her "My Foot" label. Or just know that she has a little tradition of doing this and I find it utterly, awesomely hilarious.)"

Who's not going to like someone thinking their foot tradition is "awesomely hilarious" instead of "insanely dorky?" I mean, really.

Attitude of Gratitude: Day 47

I've expressed before my gratitude for the modern age. Modern medicine and modern conveniences pretty much rock. The invention of the washing machine is not something to take lightly! ;) (Hmm, nor is the invention of the hot water heater, now that I think about it.)

Still, in my mind, nothing beats the beauty of books. Thanks to the printing press (no, I'm serious, I really am grateful for the printing press) we modern folks have the most amazing access to books. As most of you know, I've been having a love affair with books my entire life.

I decorate with books:

(See the token candle there? It only gets to stay until I acquire more art books - then it's all over for the candle.)

On my nightstand I keep a well-stocked pile of books waiting to be read:

(Actually, this picture is old. I've already finished The Reader. Three stars. Worth reading. In case you want to know.)

I usually have another to-be-read pile in the office:

Sometimes I have another pile on top of the bookcase in the first picture, but I try not to get carried away. (Ahem) Actually, that's where I stack books ready to go back to the library.

Speaking of the library, what's not to like about the library? I mean, really. Mine is even across the street from my kids' school, so it doesn't get much more convenient than that. All the books I care to read, for free. Unless you count a few dollars annually in late fees.

Which I don't.

Books inspire, inform, entertain, and sometimes change our lives. The only thing that makes me sad is the thought that I'll never live long enough to read all the books I'd like to read.

Is it bad to hope Heaven has a library? Because I do. I really, really do.

Attitude of Gratitude: Day 46

One of the things I love about our house is all the trees on our property. We have a total of 11 trees, nine in the front and two in the back. Some are little, some are great big, and some are in the middle. My favorites are this one, right next to the house in the front:




And this one in the back. It's huge, and I love the way its droopy branches sway in the wind. It makes a great sound then too, even more so during a storm:

I forgot to take a picture of the flowering tree next to our bedroom window, but I love that one as well. I'm not crazy about the little pokey ones in the front yard (yes, "little pokey one" is the scientific name for those trees - Google it if you don't believe me), but I still like them because then I can say we have 11 trees instead of nine. ;)

We also have a well-established orange tree, that only continues to thrive under our care because it gets water from the run off from our washing machine. Otherwise, who knows?

But Brian has managed to keep our (his) little peach tree alive, and this year, there was even fruit the birds didn't eat:

First peach fit for human consumption!

Yum!

So that's what I'm grateful for today. :)

Attitude of Gratitude: The Missing Day

I noticed awhile ago that I'd inadvertently skipped day 19, but I wasn't sure if it bothered me enough to fix it.

I guess my analness is winning out. (Analness is a legitimate word, right? My spellchecker doesn't seem to think so, LOL.)

Anyway, here's a post for the missing day.

I said I couldn't post about anything obvious, so I'm not going to say I'm grateful for family (even though I am). I'm going to say I'm grateful that so many of them are so close by. Brian's parents and several of his siblings live close by. My mother lives five minutes from here (a relatively recent development, for which I'm extremely grateful). My sister is clear across town, which seems far sometimes, but that's a lot better than half-way across the country (Eric and Ann!) or out of the country altogether (Blake and Leeanne!).

For a lot of years, the only reason we lived in Arizona was because we have so much family here. I have more reasons to like it here now, but even so, family is reason enough.

Attitude of Gratitude: Day 45

Today I'm grateful that John has such a great scout leader. (He always has, for the record. Nylene and Anna rocked too.) Chris is the Bear leader and I greatly appreciate him giving John such a good experience. Chris is a dedicated leader we can count on, he's great with the boys, and he comes up with really fun things for them to do each week. Scouts is not an easy calling, but it's an important one. John benefits so much from the example and dedication of his leader. It really means a lot to me.

Attitude of Gratitude: Day 44

Today was EASY!

I'd never had a pedicure before. The thought of someone touching my feet just creeped me out. But for Christmas Lisa gave us ladies in the presidency a pedicure at her salon. I finally took advantage of it today and it ROCKED!! Check out these pics of my very first pedicure:

(It's no surprise I went with red, right?)

I'm not too crazy about this pic of myself, but I love Miss Lisa so here it is. I absolutely love working with her in the Primary. She has to be one of the nicest people I've ever met. I had a great time chatting with her (and meeting one of her clients, Sharon, who recently got back from a cruise to Australia and SE Asia - niiiiice!).

Apparently, one picture of my foot wasn't enough. I was reading in the van, waiting to pick up my munchkin from school, and the sight of my freshly pedicured feet (pedicured is a legitimate verb, right?) made me so happy I had to take another picture.

And then later I thought, well I should probably have the "toe-ring version" too:

Good thing I never get carried away with things. Ahem. But I bought this toe ring at the Taste of Greece festival so I had to get a picture of it!

And that's what I'm grateful for today. :)

Attitude of Gratitude: Days 41-43

Gee, the blog has been awfully quiet, hasn't it? Turns out I had a busy weekend. Busy with lots of stuff which I'll soon talk about, and busy with some pretty intense personal growth (which I won't). ;)

Day 41: Saturday

Saturday pretty much rocked. First Elyse and I went to the Taste of Greece festival at Tempe Town Lake. I'd never been there before, and I'm definitely going again next year. It was...

delicious...

exotic...

and tons of fun.





Regarding the food, we purposely picked food we'd never had before. Most of it (except the baklava) I'd never heard of and couldn't pronounce. Almost all of it was incredibly delicious. The weather was perfect, and the booths tempted us with beautiful hand-painted art (oh man), pretty jewelry, and the most gorgeous skirt I'd ever seen in my life. It was comfortable too. I'm telling you, this thing was a skirt in perfection. I'm saving up my money and buying it next year!!! ;)

Afterwards, we went to Fashion Square Mall (which I almost never go to) to try on clothes we couldn't afford. It was pretty fun, and solidified in my mind that the difference between a $15 t-shirt and a $109 t-shirt simply isn't worth the price. Or the envy. Yes, I actually tried on a t-shirt that cost $109, but Elyse tried on a dress worth $300 so she had me beat. I wouldn't even want to touch a dress worth that much, for fear I'd "break" it and have to buy it! LOL.

Then she took me to the movies there and we watched X-Men Wolverine. Aside from one part that made me think "oh give me a break" it was a fun movie and I can't wait to see it again with my hubby. :)

After that... (done? No, we weren't done. Heck, we were just getting started...)

After that we met my friends from California at Fleming's restaurant in Scottsdale. I'll back up a second and give you a quick run down of Friday night - a little easier to do now that I've had some sleep.

My friend Lynn from California, who I'd met through Sparkpeople, came to town for a vacation. I was so stoked to be able to see her again. I just love Lynn. :) She came with her best friend Polly, who I'd met while I was in California. She's the kind of person you like pretty much immediately. She has that effect on people. So even though I'd only seen her one night in California, I was excited to see her again too.

Anyway, while in town for this visit, Lynn and Polly had gone to Fleming's their first night there (Thursday) and made friends with Scott the owner, Michelle their waitress, and I don't know who all else. They had such a good time that they decided that's where we'd have dinner together on Friday (which they so generously treated me to - a good thing too because I couldn't even afford a tip there, let alone the dinner).

Dinner Friday night was amazing. The food was fantastic (I had seared ahi for the first time). I had a great time seeing Lynn and Polly again and enjoyed talking to Scott and Michelle too. They'd requested Michelle as their waitress again (she showed us pictures of her little girl, and she's adorable), and Scott spent most of the time sitting with us too. He's super nice and it was fun getting to know him. He had to get up periodically to take care of whatever it was he had to take care of, but he always came back. He pretty much ordered for us, had us try more than one appetizer and dessert, and more or less treated us like guests of honor. It was awesome.

In return we teased him about his pet peeve - water glasses that need to be refilled. "You should never have to ask for more water," he said. At that moment, I realized I'd been drinking water that whole time, never even noticed it being refilled, and there it sat in front of me. Full.

So, naturally, Polly dumped my water into her empty wine glass and we watched poor Scott go crazy while we waited less than a minute for this lovely busboy to come swoop my glass off the table and fill it with water. It was pretty funny.

Late in the evening, Scott came back from wherever he'd been that time to say his friend Perry had just come in. "Where's he at?" Polly wanted to know. "At the bar," Scott says. "Why didn't he come join us?" Polly asked.

Who on earth is going to come sit down with perfect strangers, right? But I think she was genuinely perplexed as to why Perry was at the bar instead of with us. By this time, I'd gotten to know Polly well enough to know that it wouldn't be long before Perry came to his senses.

Sure enough, despite Scott's explanation that Perry was in a grumpy sort of mood, Polly marched herself over to Perry and got him to agree to come over. In about 30 seconds.

I don't know how she does it. This is so NOT my personality. Once I get to know people I'm open enough, but for the most part I'm pretty reserved. I had a ton of fun watching Polly pull people into our circle that night and the next. I enjoyed meeting these people so much, it made me want to be more outgoing. I can see why Polly and Lynn are such good friends, because Lynn is very open and accepting of people too. I remember being nervous about staying at someone else's house in California, but she put me at ease right away.

But I digress.

Polly came back to the table, and a few minutes later Perry scooted himself next to me and joined us. He's a 54-year-old man in the "adult beverage" industry (read: liquor), who's a 14-year survivor of a rare and fatal kind of cancer. He's pretty rough around the edges, but nice and very inspiring too. After telling us about his divorce, his cancer, and his return to his dream (the drums) he expressed amazement that he was sitting there telling us his life story. We all opened up a little and it was a touching experience.

I really wish I'd gotten a picture of all these people. They were so fun to talk to. (Although actually, if you care to see a picture of Scott you can go here. He's the cutie-patootie with the goatee. Now I remember that Steve came by to introduce himself as well, but we just saw him the once so it wasn't really the same.)

Hmm. Did I say the run down for Friday night was going to be quick? Silly me.

Anyway, back to Saturday. By the time Elyse and I were done with the movie, it was about 8:30 and we had a couple hours to before our next activity with Lynn and Polly. I knew they'd be at Fleming's, and I had a funny feeling they wouldn't mind us coming and hanging out with them, so that's what we did.

Fortunately they were done eating - that would've been awkward to sit there and watch them eat. We certainly weren't hungry, between Greek food for lunch and movie theatre popcorn for dinner. ;) So Elyse got to meet Scott and Michelle. We both got to meet yet another new friend Lynn and Polly had made, Eli. He works at Fleming's too, and has only been here about a year after spending seven in Maui, and various other years in various other parts of the country.

Anyway, the reason Lynn came to Scottsdale at this particular time was because her divorce was finalized this weekend, and Polly insisted she had to do something fun to mark the occasion. It may sound a bit morbid, but I totally understand. Divorce, even when it's for the right reasons, is painful. Who wants to sit at home thinking "gee, my marriage is officially over today." No, no, no. I totally get the reason behind doing something fun instead.

Along those lines, Lynn wanted to have a toast in her wedding glasses and then smash them. Polly didn't want to see the pretty glasses ruined, which kind of surprised me. I was all for it. Poor Lynn had to explain her reasons over and over again, but she finally got to do it. Scott said she could use the firepit on the patio, so that's what she did.

Hooray!

You know, since this is my blog I have to insert an aside here. It breaks my heart to see marriages and families broken up like this. I'm not passing judgment on Lynn or anyone else. Not at all. But whether right or wrong, divorce is hard for everyone involved. It makes me that much more committed to my sweet husband and our family. Marriage is hard work. You have to love each other "intentionally", as Lynn's parents would say. You have to deliberately nurture that relationship and remember that above all else, you're still sweethearts. Sometimes it's hard to do that while you're dealing with kids and bills and all the lovely pitfalls of real life, but it's worth it. And necessary.

But I digress again.

So with glasses smashed and goodbyes said to our Fleming's friends, the four of us went to see Rock Lobster. Well, we didn't say goodbye to all our Fleming's friends. Eli actually met us there which was pretty fun. We tried to get Scott to go too, but apparently he has a family to get home to (whatever) and we tried to convince Perry to skip out on his plans to go to Sedona, but that didn't work out either (double whatever). ;)

Anyway, Rock Lobster is a fantastic 80's cover band and it was so much fun watching them play. Even though I felt a little self-conscious at first, I danced my heart out and ultimately had a great time doing it! We had a blast.

Here's a picture of the four of us, back at the hotel before saying our goodbyes. They thought I was crazy for suggesting a picture at 3:00 am, but you can't tell we're exhausted.

Can you?

Polly, Elyse, Lynn and me

So what was I grateful for Saturday? The whole day. And it may not make sense for me to say this, but I'm also grateful for the courage it took me to have this kind of day, and completely be myself while doing it.

Day 42: Sunday

1st item on the agenda: sleep in.

2nd item on the agenda: get up, go to the bathroom, get a drink, then go back to sleep.

Was that too much information? ;) I think this was the first Sunday I was glad for 2:30 church.

Sunday was an amazing day too, but since pretty much everything about that day involves private, personal growth stuff, I'll just say this. I'm deeply grateful for the Lord, and for the way He's helped me through difficult trials in my life. There have been so many people who have touched my life in one way or another - people who have been there for me during the last many months and weeks. I've needed it. Sometimes it's been something as seemingly small as a hug in the hallway at church. Sometimes it's something as huge as someone taking hours out of a busy schedule to talk to me, help me, strengthen me, and be the Lord's mouthpiece on the earth.

I have a testimony of the Lord's love for us. Of His love for me. Sometimes life hands us a pretty, little trial that simply knocks us on our rear, but if we can just keep our hand clasped tightly in His, He'll help us up and we'll be okay.

Day 43: Today

Honestly, I'm still so grateful for the life-changing nature of my entire weekend that I have to really stop and think about something specific to today.

Oh gee. Now that I have it, it seems obvious. Tonight we had one of those FHE's where the spirit was so strong. That just doesn't happen all the time and I'm always grateful when it does. We followed that up with a fun game of Sorry and some chocolate chip cookies.

What more could I want?

Attitude of Gratitude: Day 40

Tonight I had an experience that, frankly, I'm still digesting. Even if I had more than eight minutes left in the day to post this, I'm not sure I could do it justice. So I'll continue to think about things and sum up by saying this: today I'm grateful for old friends, new friends, good food, and words of wisdom from the most unexpected sources.