Revised RGRC

So, after looking over the list of books on the last post I have decided to revise my goal. In my excitement at finding the list I overestimated my reading abilities (and time).
So, I'm going to read one book a month from the list until my 30th birthday. That will give me a solid 25 books from the list.  My mom pointed out that I could read one for each letter of the alphabet, and I think that's just what I'll do (which will actually give me 26 books, but what the hey).

**As an aside, I would like to address a certain commenter on my last post: I realize that not everyone's reading tastes are the same.  That doesn't make you, or me, bad.  Yes, I know that the themes from Frankenstein have made their way into many parts of modern-day consciousness. Does this mean that we don't need to read a classic?  My feeling is that the themes continue to present themselves because there is something to be found in the original work. It has made a profound enough effect on our current society that it might be worth the read.  As for books by Hillary Clinton, why not read them?  Just because I don't particularly agree with her politics doesn't mean that her books aren't worth a read. If I never explored viewpoints other than my own how would I grow in my knowledge? I'm not necessarily saying I'll read them as part of this list, but that's not to say I won't read them at some point.**

Anyway, back to the revised list:

Anna Karenina (and then I'll go see the movie)
The Bell Jar
A Clockwork Orange
Deenie
Emma
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
The Graduate
High Fidelity
I'm With the Band
The Jumping Frog
The Kitchen Boy
Leaves of Grass
Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter
Notes of a Dirty Old Man
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Pygmalion
A Quiet Storm
A Room of One's Own
Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Unless
Vanity Fair
Waiting for Godot
X- There are no X books, so I will read Of Mice and Men
The Year of Magical Thinking
Z-Again, no Z books, so I will read The Virgin Suicides

RGRC

So, whilst browsing pinterest the other day I stumbled across a pin linking back to The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge (found here).  I love this show, and I love Rory's bibliophilic tendencies. Anyone, contained in this gem of a list are all of the books mentioned throughout the course of the series.  There are quite a few I've read already, quite a few I'd probably never choose to read, and quite a few that have been on my to-read list for a long time.  Anyway, I'm going to attempt a huge undertaking.  I'd like to finish this list by the time I'm 30.  That means I have 2 years, one month, and 11 days.  Think I can do it?  We shall see...

1984 by George Orwell
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll 
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Archidamian War by Donald Kagan
The Art of Fiction by Henry James
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Babe by Dick King-Smith
Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women by Susan Faludi
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Seamus Heaney
The Bhagava Gita
The Bielski Brothers: The True Story of Three Men Who Defied the Nazis, Built a Village in the Forest, and Saved 1,200 Jews by Peter Duffy
Bitch in Praise of Difficult Women by Elizabeth Wurtzel
A Bolt from the Blue and Other Essays by Mary McCarthy
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Brick Lane by Monica Ali
Bridgadoon by Alan Jay Lerner
Candide by Voltaire 
The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer
Carrie by Stephen King
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman
Christine by Stephen King
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse
The Collected Short Stories by Eudora Welty
The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty by Eudora Welty
A Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare
Complete Novels by Dawn Powell
The Complete Poems by Anne Sexton
Complete Stories by Dorothy Parker
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas père
Cousin Bette by Honor’e de Balzac
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber 
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Cujo by Stephen King
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon 
Daisy Miller by Henry James
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
David and Lisa by Dr Theodore Issac Rubin M.D
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
The Da Vinci -Code by Dan Brown
Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol
Demons by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Deenie by Judy Blume
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band by Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Mick Mars and Nikki Sixx
The Divine Comedy by Dante
The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
Don Quijote by Cervantes
Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhrv
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson 
Edgar Allan Poe: Complete Tales & Poems by Edgar Allan Poe
Eleanor Roosevelt by Blanche Wiesen Cook
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn
Eloise by Kay Thompson
Emily the Strange by Roger Reger
Emma by Jane Austen 
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Ethics by Spinoza
Europe through the Back Door, 2003 by Rick Steves
Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
Extravagance by Gary Krist
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 
Fahrenheit 9/11 by Michael Moore
The Fall of the Athenian Empire by Donald Kagan
Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World by Greg Critser
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
The Fellowship of the Ring: Book 1 of The Lord of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien (TBR) 
Fiddler on the Roof by Joseph Stein
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom 
Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce
Fletch by Gregory McDonald
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger
Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers
Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut
Gender Trouble by Judith Butler
George W. Bushism: The Slate Book of the Accidental Wit and Wisdom of our 43rd President by Jacob Weisberg
Gidget by Fredrick Kohner
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels
The Godfather: Book 1 by Mario Puzo
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy 
Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Alvin Granowsky
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 
The Good Soldier by Ford Maddox Ford
The Gospel According to Judy Bloom
The Graduate by Charles Webb
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
The Group by Mary McCarthy
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling 
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad 
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry 
Henry IV, part I by William Shakespeare
Henry IV, part II by William Shakespeare
Henry V by William Shakespeare
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
Holidays on Ice: Stories by David Sedaris
The Holy Barbarians by Lawrence Lipton
House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III (Lpr)
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
How the Light Gets in by M. J. Hyland
Howl by Allen Gingsburg
The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
The Iliad by Homer
I’m with the Band by Pamela des Barres
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee
Iron Weed by William J. Kennedy
It Takes a Village by Hillary Clinton
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
The Jumping Frog by Mark Twain
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Just a Couple of Days by Tony Vigorito
The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar by Robert Alexander
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 
Lady Chatterleys’ Lover by D. H. Lawrence
The Last Empire: Essays 1992-2000 by Gore Vidal
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
The Legend of Bagger Vance by Steven Pressfield
Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them by Al Franken
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
The Little Locksmith by Katharine Butler Hathaway
The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott 
Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Lottery: And Other Stories by Shirley Jackson
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Love Story by Erich Segal
Macbeth by William Shakespeare 
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
The Manticore by Robertson Davies
Marathon Man by William Goldman
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter by Simone de Beauvoir
Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman by William Tecumseh Sherman
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
The Meaning of Consuelo by Judith Ortiz Cofer
Mencken’s Chrestomathy by H. R. Mencken
The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
The Miracle Worker by William Gibson
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Mojo Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion by Jim Irvin
Moliere: A Biography by Hobart Chatfield Taylor
A Monetary History of the United States by Milton Friedman
Monsieur Proust by Celeste Albaret
A Month Of Sundays: Searching For The Spirit And My Sister by Julie Mars
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall
My Lai 4: A Report on the Massacre and It’s Aftermath by Seymour M. Hersh
My Life as Author and Editor by H. R. Mencken
My Life in Orange: Growing Up with the Guru by Tim Guest
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult 
The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin
Nervous System: Or, Losing My Mind in Literature by Jan Lars Jensen
New Poems of Emily Dickinson by Emily Dickinson
The New Way Things Work by David Macaulay
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
Night by Elie Wiesel
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen 
The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism by William E. Cain, Laurie A. Finke, Barbara E. Johnson, John P. McGowan
Novels 1930-1942: Dance Night/Come Back to Sorrento, Turn, Magic Wheel/Angels on Toast/A Time to be Born by Dawn Powell
Notes of a Dirty Old Man by Charles Bukowski
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Old School by Tobias Wolff
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life by Amy Tan
Oracle Night by Paul Auster
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Othello by Shakespeare
Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
The Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan
Out of Africa by Isac Dineson
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
The Peace of Nicias and the Sicilian Expedition by Donald Kagan
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Peyton Place by Grace Metalious
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Pigs at the Trough by Arianna Huffington
Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain
The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby 
The Portable Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker
The Portable Nietzche by Fredrich Nietzche
The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O’Neill by Ron Suskind
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 
Property by Valerie Martin
Pushkin: A Biography by T. J. Binyon
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
Quattrocento by James Mckean
A Quiet Storm by Rachel Howzell Hall
Rapunzel by Grimm Brothers
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier 
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Rescuing Patty Hearst: Memories From a Decade Gone Mad by Virginia Holman
The Return of the King: The Lord of the Rings Book 3 by J. R. R. Tolkien  
R Is for Ricochet by Sue Grafton
Rita Hayworth by Stephen King
Robert’s Rules of Order by Henry Robert
Roman Fever by Edith Wharton
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
A Room with a View by E. M. Forster
Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
Sacred Time by Ursula Hegi
Sanctuary by William Faulkner
Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milford
The Scarecrow of Oz by Frank L. Baum
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne 
Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd 
Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette by Judith Thurman
Selected Letters of Dawn Powell: 1913-1965 by Dawn Powell
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Several Biographies of Winston Churchill
Sexus by Henry Miller
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Shane by Jack Shaefer
The Shining by Stephen King
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
S Is for Silence by Sue Grafton
Slaughter-house Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Small Island by Andrea Levy 
Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway
Snow White and Rose Red by Grimm Brothers 
Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Lord and Peasant in the Making of the Modern World by Barrington Moore
The Song of Names by Norman Lebrecht
Song of the Simple Truth: The Complete Poems of Julia de Burgos by Julia de Burgos
The Song Reader by Lisa Tucker
Songbook by Nick Hornby
The Sonnets by William Shakespeare
Sonnets from the Portuegese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Sophie’s Choice by William Styron
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
A Streetcar Named Desiree by Tennessee Williams
Stuart Little by E. B. White
Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust
Swimming with Giants: My Encounters with Whales, Dolphins and Seals by Anne Collett
Sybil by Flora Rheta Schreiber
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Tender Is The Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Term of Endearment by Larry McMurtry
Time and Again by Jack Finney
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger 
To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 
The Tragedy of Richard III by William Shakespeare
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Trial by Franz Kafka
The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters by Elisabeth Robinson
Truth & Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom 
Ulysses by James Joyce
The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath 1950-1962 by Sylvia Plath
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe 
Unless by Carol Shields
Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann
The Vanishing Newspaper by Philip Meyers
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray 
Velvet Underground’s The Velvet Underground and Nico (Thirty Three and a Third series) by Joe Harvard
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Walt Disney’s Bambi by Felix Salten
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
We Owe You Nothing – Punk Planet: The Collected Interviews edited by Daniel Sinker
What Colour is Your Parachute? 2005 by Richard Nelson Bolles
What Happened to Baby Jane by Henry Farrell
When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
Who Moved My Cheese? Spencer Johnson
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf by Edward Albee 
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire 
The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

So, who's with me?

T-Bone Update

There are a few T-Bone things (stories, etc) that I need to write down before I lose them, so please be patient with me... and feel free to read, if you'd like.

1. He now recognizes, associates, and knows the sounds for A, B, C, D, E, F, J, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, and Z.

2. He can do all of the actions for Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wise Man/Foolish Man, Popcorn Popping, and Book of Mormon Stories.

3. He is proficient at going up AND down the stairs.  He also prefers running to walking, but has a funny Frankenstein run that trips him up.

4. He loves the words pumpkin and Halloween.

5. Speaking of Halloween, my mom, sister, and I took him to a little spook alley this weekend. While there we met a little cat that belonged to the nursery putting on the spook alley.  He LOVED that freakin' cat.  He was more interested in following it around and petting it than in anything else. While there we also encountered a life-size, singing, dancing Elvis skeleton.  It is pretty safe to say that he is obsessed.  It's been almost a week and he still keeps signing to me about the dancing skeleton.  He also keeps signing about the scary witches.

6. On the subject of signs, he now knows at least 35 signs (that I can think of off the top of my head).

7. After attending the spook alley on Saturday we took him out to dinner with us.  While waiting for our table a man walked into the restaurant.  He was probably in his 50's, about 6'2" or 6'3", and solidly built.  He was wearing cowboy boots, wranglers, a HUGE belt buckle, a western-style shirt, and a cowboy hat.  T-Bone took one look at him and immediately started making his horse noises. Luckily for us, the man was as amused as we were.  That could have been embarrassing.

8. I bought him a giraffe costume to wear for Halloween. He hates it.  Every time I get it out he starts to whine and says, "Nananananana, Fffff." (Translation: No, no, no, no, no, no, giraffe)  Needless to say, we've moved to plan B.  He's going to be a pumpkin for Halloween, because he loves them.

9. He LOVES Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Little Einsteins. He calls Mickey Mouse "Mow", but he won't say it out loud, he whispers it.  Little Einsteins is "ship", and he keeps telling me about the "Mmmmmbop" (translation: Robot) that we saw on the show last week.

10. He is in the midst of his first ever ear infection.  Poor little bubby.

And that is enough for now. :)

In my shoes

#12- Describe a typical day in your life.

This is a hard one for me, because while my life follows a very distinct pattern, every day is just a little bit different. For example, Monday is my Saturday: I do laundry, clean the house, grocery shop, etc. On Tuesdays, I work most of the day. Thursdays and Saturdays I spend half the day asleep after working all night long. Sundays are choir practice, church, and dinner at my parents house.  So, since they're the only 2 that are anything alike, I'll describe the typical Wednesday/Friday.

I quit using an alarm clock after I had T-Bone. He is fairly predictable in his wake-up time.  I usually drag myself out of bed around 8 am when I hear him talking to himself in his crib.  We make our way into the kitchen for some breakfast, usually oatmeal for T-Bone and yogurt for me.

After breakfast we make our way downstairs to watch some Play With Me Sesame while we get dressed for our walk. We then spend an hour walking at either the mall or the parkway with our friends Amanda, Josh, and Jackson. Mama needs her exercise!  Sometime on Wednesdays we play on the playground for a few minutes.  On Fridays we go to my mom's school to do music time with the first graders.

Once we've had our fresh air, exercise, music, or playtime we'll head home and eat some lunch. T-Bone likes chicken nuggets, hot dogs, fruit, or cheese. I usually eat leftovers or a sandwich. After lunch we'll play with toys in the basement for awhile, or go kick the ball on the front lawn.

By this time, we're both ready for a nap, so I'll lay T-Bone down with his blankie and his Elmo, and turn on his Beatles/Queen lullaby mix.  I give him a kiss, and tell him to have a good nappy. Then I'll go lay down for a nap myself in preparation for working the night shift.

After my nap I get up and get dressed for work. I make sure my bag is packed with my kindle or a book, pack a lunch, and probably brush my hair.

I hang out with my boys for a few minutes, and then it's off to work for the next 12 hours.

Somewhere in the mix I check Facebook, read my email, play on Pinterest for awhile, and occasionally blog. Usually the internet is just sort of on in the background and steal moments while T-Bone is otherwise occupied.

And there you have it, a day in the life...

Like Nails on a Chalkboard...

#11- Describe 10 pet peeves you have.

You know, usually this list is endless for me, but for some reason I'm having a hard time coming up with some on the spot.  Alright, here we go:

1. People who chew with their mouth open.  This also goes for people who fill their mouth so full of food that they physically CAN'T close it to chew. Gross.

2. Anytime someone starts a sentence with, "I don't mean to be rude, but..." or "No offense..."  If you have to start your thought with that, don't say what you're about to say.  These statements do not give you carte blanche to say whatever you want to. More than likely it's going to hurt the recipient's feelings.

3. When complete strangers say to me, "Wow, you're really tall.  You must have played basketball in school."  No, actually, I was a complete and total nerd.

4. People who stare at me while I'm working out.  What, you've never seen an overweight girl sweatin' her booty off with bedhead and no makeup on?

5. General invasion of personal space.  I don't have much of a personal space bubble, since I invade other peoples' for a living.  But if I'm pregnant and you touch my belly without asking, you might lose a hand. (As a side note, you only need to ask once... that grants you endless belly-touching rights)

6. Internet arguing.  Really?  You think you're going to change Senor Troll's mind with your brilliant argument?  Not likely.

7. Disregard for the well-being of pets.  If you choose to be a dog/cat/fish/whatever owner, take care of them and train them right.  I don't want your cat napping on my back porch.  I don't want to hear your dog bark at 1 in the morning. I also don't want to watch you leave your pets outside 24/7 in the middle of the worst winter Utah has seen in years. Dogs need to be played with, people.

8. "You look tired."  Just say what you mean and tell me I look like crap.

9. People who phrase everything like a question.  Not only is it annoying, it's kind of confusing sometimes.

10. Wal Mart.  Yep, Wally World is one of my pet peeves.

Hangin' with my peeps

#10- List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how. (I'm only going to do 5... ten is a lot)

1. Bishop Decker-- Bishop Decker was my bishop when I was living in St. George going to school. He was called to be the bishop of a brand new student ward, and he called me to be the Relief Society President. Bishop Decker is a pretty awe-inspiring man. He's about my parents age, but he's acheived a lot in his life. He's a marathoner, and has done the St. George Ironman. He's a math professor at Dixie State. He's raised a beautiful family. He has a zest for life that I've yet to find a match for in anyone I've met. One of my favorite memories is when our ward went to Lake Powell. I was riding in the boat, and I looked behind us to see that everyone but the bishop had fallen off the water weenie. He wasn't just riding it, though, he was riding it while doing a handstand. Bishop Decker saw me through many hard times. Together we laughed and cried, and he was incredibly influential in helping me gain a testimony.

2. Jean Falsone-- Madame Falsone was my junior high school French teacher. She has been on my mind a lot in the past few days since I learned of her passing away earlier this week. I've had many influential teachers in my life, but she really stands out. She taught me so much more than a foreign language. She pushed me to learn new things, try harder, and want to be better. She had a quick wit, a flair for the dramatic, and an impeccable sense of style. I will occasionally bust out french phrases leftover from my junior high school days, phrases that she taught me and used often. I still have, buried in the recesses of my mind, some of the strange historical facts she taught me. She had a passion for language, culture, the arts, and manners. She was incredibly confident in who she was as a teacher, a person, and a woman. She was the first teacher that I felt like I connected with on a personal level.

3. Marcie McDonald-- When I was 14 I made the decision that, come Hell or high water, I was going to France. My parents agreed that I could go, but I would be responsible for coming up with half the cost and all of my own spending money. At this point in time my mom was teaching kindergarten at Meadowmoor (now Spring Lane) Elementary, and she mentioned my plight to her principal, Marcie. Marcie took me under her wing, gave me my first job as a sweeper, and made sure that I was able to handle my new responsibilities. I'd actually known Marcie for quite a long time, her daughter and I had been Girl Scouts together as children, but she was a good person to have in my corner. She continued to be my boss for the next almost-3 years. She is the one who nicknamed me Annabelle, a name that still gets used today.

4. Floss Waltman-- For any of you who don't know who Floss is, she was the president of Brighton Girls' Camp. She, along with Duke, Cleo, and Basil, made the decision to hire me to work at Brighton when I was 17 years old. I originally applied to be a KD, one of the many young teenage girls who works in the kitchen. When I applied for the job I thought it would be a fun summer, but a long shot that I would get hired. I still remember driving to her house above Hogle Zoo for my interview. I was young, I was nervous, and I was in total awe that it was happening to me. We sat down for the interview, chatted for a few minutes, and then those wonderful women sent me into the other room while they discussed the fate of my summer. After 10 nerve-wracking minutes they called me back. Floss looked me in the eye and said, "We've talked it over and we don't want to offer you the job of KD." My heart sank, I hadn't realized how much I actually wanted the job. Then she smiled, with that wicked sense of humor she has (for she knew exactly what was going through my head) and followed up with, "We would like to ask you to be our assistant cook." She knew what I needed that summer. She is a fantastic example of how to be a strong, independent, and ever-faithful woman. Knowing her has been life changing, not only for me, but for countless young women from all over the valley.

5. T-Bone-- Ok, this one is obvious. Everyone is familiar by now with my love for my baby, and the path I took to discover that love. He is probably the most influential person in my life. Everyday he teaches me something new, tests my patience, and fills me so full of love I could burst. One smile and kiss from him makes me want to be an infinitely better person.

Burning, Fiery Passion

It is obvious that we can no more explain a passion to a person who has never experienced it than we can explain light to the blind.
~T.S. Eliot

#5- What are 5 things you are most passionate about?

1. Food. As silly as it seems, I love food. I love to eat. I love the comraderie that comes from sharing a meal. I love the preparation of a meal. I love watching people's faces as they try, and delight in, something I made for them.

2. Motherhood. As has been discussed many times in this blog, motherhood has not come easily to me. It is a challenge that I grab by the horns every day of my life. My feeling is, if I weren't passionate about it, I wouldn't be able to tackle it everyday. I love the Sharkbaby so deeply, so passionately, with a love that only a mother can understand. The passion for motherhood, for raising a child into a good adult, drives me.

3. Reading. Is it possible to be passionate about a passive activity? Yes. Yes, it is. Reading, knowledge, study, these are all important things to me. We read often in our house, both separately, and as a family. One of my favorite times of day is storytime during the bedtime routine with Sharky. I love that he will bring me books throughout the day, crawl into my lap, and read stories with me. I love that he reads stories with himself. There is a power in knowledge, and if that means that I read "Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom" a thousand times this year, so be it!

4. Family. I mentioned in a previous post that I love seeing my family succeed. If I lost everything in this world, I would still make it if I had my family by my side.

“The family is the corner stone of our society. More than any other force it shapes the attitude, the hopes, the ambitions, and the values of the child. And when the family collapses it is the children that are usually damaged. When it happens on a massive scale the community itself is crippled. So, unless we work to strengthen the family, to create conditions under which most parents will stay together, all the rest — schools, playgrounds, and public assitance, and private concern — will never be enough.”-Lyndon Baines Johnson

5. Education. Everything that is taught in the education system needs to be reiterated at home. Learning does not only happen in school. Our earliest learning comes from our parents. I was blessed to come from a home environment where education was not only encouraged, it was expected. After high school we would go to college. Period. End of story. Curious George, however, was not so blessed. Education was not a priority for anyone in his house. It didn't matter what sort of grades they brought home. There was no expectation of post-high school learning. What happened at school, stayed at school. I am incredibly passionate about learning in the home, and at school, working as a team with the educator to prepare my child for the best life they can possibly have. Will I have high standards set? Yes. My children will thank me some day, just like I thank my parents now.

High Five

#5- What are the five things that make you the most happy right now?

1. The Sharkbaby- He is not, nor has he ever been, a cuddly and snuggly child. He prefers space, independence, and the ability to do his own thing at leisure. However, last week when I was having issues, he was more cuddly than he's been since he was a newborn. He would spend hours sitting in my lap reading stories to himself, watching Elmo, or just hanging out looking at pictures of himself on my laptop. He is able to sense my moods, often before I even realize how I'm feeling. He is a sweet boy that never ceases to make me laugh.

2. Sleep- Since I'm currently in the middle of a loooooong night shift floated to an unfamiliar floor, I would really like to be at home in bed. A solid, uninterrupted night of sleep hasn't happened in my house in probably 2 years (between having a 1 year old, and pregnancy-induced insomnia prior to that). So, bring on the Ambien, soft sheets, and cozy pj's. I'm ready to call it a night.

3. Watching those I love succeed- Curious George has been job-hunting. Today he received a call from a company he applied with (that we've been crossing our fingers for) to get paperwork for drug testing for an interview. My sister has spent the last 5 weeks learning about traditional Eastern medicine in Thailand. My brother has a 3.9 GPA and was on the starting line up for his Jr. High basketball team that won the championship game. My other brother is an EQP, a full time student, and works 30 hours a week. My baby learned 2 new signs today. All of these things make me very happy.

4. Getting in shape- I'm going to be at my goal weight by October. I'm eating right, I'm walking 3 days a week, and I'm going to start working with kettlebells this week. I can do it, and that knowledge makes me very happy.

5. The ability to change my hair- Anytime I experience something dramatic in my life I change my hair. I cut, I color, I style, I feel better. Monday afternoon... change is coming. Are you prepared?

Sweet 16

#4-List 10 things you would tell your 16-year-old self, if you could.

I'll admit, I've really been looking forward to this one, and thinking hard about what I want to say.

1. Nurture the friendships you are building right now, they will still be your friends in a decade.
2. Apply for a second year at Brighton Camp. I know it seems hard and overwhelming after the first summer, but you'll regret not doing it again.
3. Try out for madrigals your senior year. Trust me, you will be able to do mads and take your CNA course.
4. Don't get into online dating during college. It just leads to dating a string of lame guys. There is someone out there for you, I promise.
5. Treasure your years in St. George (yes, you will go to Dixie). You will build yourself a second family there that will get you through some hard times.
6. Pajama pants and a hoodie equals not a good look for you. Take the extra 30 seconds and put on some jeans.
7. There is no shame in asking for help. This advice will serve you well at multiple points in your life.
8. During your senior year of high school, Mr. Hummer is going to offer to tutor you so you can take the AP Chemistry test. Do it.
9. The belly button piercing is a terrible idea. Don't do it.
10. Relax. Your time will come... for everything.

Parentals

#3-Describe your relationship with your parents.


I have amazing parents. I didn't fully appreciate them until I became a parent myself. Let me give you a few reasons why my parents ROCK.

1. They taught me responsibility. For as long as I can remember I have been offered choices, and with these choices I have been allowed to reap the consequences. I have always been held accountable for the choices I make, and I was rarely bailed out of bad situations. If I owed them money, I was expected to pay it back in full (unless the debt was written off as a gift). If I was failing a class, they would help me get the help I needed to pass... but ultimately it was up to me. They had expectations of me that helped shape me into the person I am today: I was expected to bring home no less than a 3.0 GPA. I was expected to attend school, church, and family functions. I was expected to keep a job and pay for my own "fun". I was expected to be kind and respectful to my family and friends. I love my parents for teaching me to be a responsible, functioning, contributory member of society.

2. They lead by example. They are a fantastic example of communication with each other, and with their children. Everything I know as a parent I learned from watching them. They are always there to offer a helping had, a word of advice, or just a shoulder to cry on.

3. They love me unconditionally. No matter how many times I screwed up, no matter how many terrible choices I made, no matter what I said or did, they still loved me. I know, to this day, that if everything else in my life is completely falling apart I can always go to my mom and dad because they love me.

None of this is to say that we haven't had our issues. Because, honestly, with people as strong-willed as we are you're going to butt heads every now and again. We're always able to talk through it, though. I'm so blessed and lucky to have them as my parents.

(I know I promised honesty in answering all of these questions, and all of this is the honest truth. Every last word.)

20 things

#1- List 20 Random Things About Yourself

~I know how to say the alphabet backward. In fact, I knew it backward before I knew it forward.
~I'm a compulsive shopper, but I'm really great at finding a bargain.
~I don't like to use the end stalls in a public restroom. In the words of Sheldon Cooper, "In bladder voiding, as in real estate, it's location, location, location."
~I talk in my sleep.
~My hands and feet are always cold.
~I love to sew, but I'm not terribly good at it.
~I've secretly always wanted to be a redhead.
~I love the way I look when I'm wearing makeup, but often choose to go without it.
~I've quit biting my nails probably 20 times in my life, it hasn't stuck yet.
~I like cheese. A lot.
~When I was pregnant I couldn't stand the sight, smell, taste, or texture of chicken.
~When I can't control things happening in my life, I change my hair. (Look forward to upcoming changes, it's gonna be big)
~My favorite season is fall.
~I always swore I'd never get married in August. I got married in August.
~I've given myself 8 months to get to my goal weight. It won't be easy.
~I like to have painted toenails. It really bothers me when they're naked.
~Speaking of naked: I don't like to be naked. I think it's really uncomfortable.
~Harry Potter is my "go-to" series when I have nothing else to read.
~I do have a soft spot for all young adult fantasy novels, though.
~There is no place I'd rather be than home. I have more than one home.

Inspired

I love to write. I've always loved to write. And I (sometimes) love to have my writing out here for the world to see. However, I often feel that I'm lacking proper inspiration, material, whatever. So, on my cousin Greg's blog, I found a list of 30 life-assessment-style questions. I'm going to answer each one of them as honestly as I can. If you'd like to share your answers in the comments, steal the questions for you own blog, or whatever, go for it! So, the questions:

1. List 20 random things about yourself.

2. List 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.

3. Describe your relationship with your parents.

4. List 10 things you would tell your 16-year-old self, if you could.

5. What are the 5 things that make you the most happy right now?

6. What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced?

7. What is your dream job, and why?

8. What are 5 passions you have?

9. List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how.

10. Describe your most embarrassing moment.

11. Describe 10 pet peeves you have.

12. Describe a typical day in your current life.

13. Describe 5 weaknesses you have.

14. Describe 5 strengths you have.

15. If you were an animal, what would you be, and why?

16. What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?

17. What is the thing you most wish you were great at?

18. What has been the most difficult thing you have had to forgive?

19. If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?

20. Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.

21. If you could have one super power, what would it be and what would you do with it first?

22. Where do you see yourself in 5 years, 10 years, 15 years?

23. List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.

24. Describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. your family dynamic now.

25. If you could have dinner with anyone from history, who would it be and what would you eat?

26. What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?

27. What is your favorite part of your body and why?

28. What is your love language.

29. What do you think people misunderstand most about you?

30. List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for.

So, stay tuned for further blog posts. This isn't going to be easy, but it could make for a good read.

Challenge Me

Feb 7th: Button

The Sharkbaby playing with the buttons on the remote control.

Feb. 8th: Sun

Yep, missed this one.

Feb. 9th: Front Door

My front door. Complete with Valentines wreath and Max the dog.

Feb. 10th: Self Portrait

Hey, nobody said a self-portrait had to be of your face...