down to the wire...

Well, I did it. I reached my goal for 2007, and with only 3 minutes to spare. What did I do? I read 75 books. Some were new-to-me, some were old friends, but all were read in the year. You can check out my list on goodreads.com (note, that I had to add a children's book, The Hungry Catepillar, to round it out as one selection I read is not yet published!) and see how your reading stacks with mine. And keep watching, my goal for 2008 is 100 books! I'll be keeping track of them there as well. I'm off to get started on that goal right now...

coming to an end...

Yep, the year is winding down, again. It doesn't seem like a whole year has past. This time last year, I was up in WY with dad, finishing the painting on his house and being very ill. Thankfully I'm not sick like that again, it really stunk.

So here is a quick run down of what my year looked like. It is the first year in about 10 where I wasn't working full-time. Instead, I've worked at the church in the nursery, and then recently, added receptionist once a week. In November, I added retail sales to my resume with a job at Bath & Body Works. For the record, I'm really enjoying working there, even if it has made my feet developed plantars fascitis. They love me and plan to keep me after the holidays.

I've enjoyed the extra time I had this year and filled it with writing and hanging out with friends. The Myers kids love that they can call anytime and I am usually available to come over or go out to lunch with them. I've had many a great writing session at Panera bread, often with Miss Pottenger. I wrote more in '07 than any year previous, and maybe doubled my collection of written works!

In May, a friend of mine (Dianna) convinced me to become a mentor on the teen writing forum she runs. In June, 13 or so of these teens came to Colorado to hang out. We had a blast. They are a great group of people and I'm honored to be a part of them.

The year was plagued with car trouble that I won't repeat, except for the curious incident of the raccoon at night. Yes, I hit a raccoon at 3 in the morning on I-25. Yes, it caused great damage. A month later, my engine died. With all of the trouble, I came to the conclusion that I was not going to be reapplying to PC, at least for the time being. So, I'm now in the "what's next" mode.

I am on track to complete my '07 resolution of reading 75 books in the year. If you want to see what I kept so busy reading, look me up on Goodreads.com! My '08 goal is 100 books!

I can't think of any other exciting happenings for the year. We did keep Carin's dog for a few months while she moved from CA back to CO. I got stuck in Parker overnight on Christmas due to the 13th-ever Christmas snow storm. Dad comes to visit, we see Vicky often, Nathan is still working and Mom moved to Illinois. I got to see Dara in June and can't wait to see her next year when she returns home.

So the year draws to a close and I'm sitting here and thinking it was a pretty good year. Filled with challenges and hard times, it had more silver lining than past years. I hope your year was wonderful and I can't wait to start the grand adventure of 2008 with you in a few days!

the more you know...

They say knowledge is a good thing, so here are some random facts and tidbits... (I filled this out last night, so the answers are already dated, but oh well!).

1. Grab the book closest to you. Open it to page 18, line 4:
"Sweet!" Drew high-fived John. (yes, that is all it says...)

2. Stretch out your left arm as far as you can. What can you touch?
air, but if I drop it down, I can touch the bag of NaNo candy- Dum Dums, Smarties and assorted Hershey Kisses.

3. What was the last thing you ate?
chicken strips from Chick-Fil-A

4. Without looking, guess what time it is.
10:49

5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?
10:49

6.With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
traffic on the major road 1/2 a mile away...my own sniffles...

7.When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
Getting out of my car to come inside.

8. Before starting this survey, what were you looking at?
Various threads on CP.

9.Did you dream last night? What of?
I'm sure I did but I didn't wake up in the middle, so I don't remember a lick about them...

10. What are you wearing?
black slacks, black sweater, gray socks and black shoes (I came from work...)

11. When did you last laugh?
At work this evening as we were letting off steam about an evil customer (in the back, after she had gone).

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
Sheetrock and cement... and pipes (my computer desk is set up in the utility room and I haven't painted and covered in sheets yet- so it is pretty bland...

13. Have you seen anything weird lately?
nothing that stands out, but I seem weird as everyday...

14. What is the last film you saw?
Harry Potter the 5th...

15. If you became a multi-millionaire, what would you buy?
A house in town, lots of land and a house near Muller State Park, CO, pay off all the other houses in my immediate family, buy new cars for my family and then travel (this is after the large donations to my church and Compassion...)

16. If you could change one thing in the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you change?
the lack of fall in spring in so many places

17. Do you like to dance?
Sure, but it is a rather frightening sight, so I refrain in public... unless it is swing and my buddy Steve is around, then I'll dance.

18. George W Bush:
a great guy who has put up with more abuse than any one person should have to (something I know a tad about).

19.Imagine your first child is a girl. What would you name her?
I don't tell this because if I do, it will get stolen or the loveliness will fade... plus, in this imagined life, I would have a husband and he gets a little bit of a say...

20. Imagine your first child is a boy. What would you name him?
Same answer as above...

21. Have you ever considered living abroad?
Yes, and I even went so far as to join the PeaceCorps, but Africa didn't agree with me much... I would love to live in Italy or Ireland, or Peru...

There, don't you feel like you know me better?

And I tag Aimee (since Sarah and Dianna have already answered...) to answer these on her blog as well!

the deal with Christmas lights...

I have a bone to pick. I know, during the holidays I am supposed to be cherry- but 5 hours of bad Christmas music will put anyone in a foul mood!

Over the last few years, I've noticed an over-abundance of white lights at this time of year. I think it started when the "icicle" lights first made an appearance. People went crazy because they were so pretty and they bought string after string, then proceeded to hang them from every edge of their house. Gone are many of the multi-colored strings of lights we used to enjoy. Now it is four houses of white lights to every one colored (yes, I'm guessing, but this is what it is in my area...). The problem with all these white lights is that when used in bulk, they are just light noise. There is nothing really pretty about a house all lit up in white light. They don't twinkle, they are loud (visually speaking) and they just make it bright.

On the other hand, colored lights give something interesting to look at, especially when it snows and they cast faint rays of color across the sparkling white. I'm even okay with white icicles when they are "trimmed" with color at the top. Give me something that defines where the edge is, something to draw the attention, something for the icicles to be hanging from.

Just like I'm a fan of silence, I'm a fan of no "noisy" lights. Seeing so many yanks the holiday cheer right out of me. I know there is nothing I can do about it, just as there is nothing I can do about stores that put up Christmas decorations in September, but I just have to rant somewhere to make me feel better.

See, now I feel better. And to make me even happier- I received an acceptance letter today from a publisher- they are going to publish a poem I wrote (well, a series of haiku poems, actually). I'm all a flutter with glee. There, there is my holiday cheer today- or just plain cheer if you will.

I'm done- for now!

The Politically Correct Holiday Song...

I couldn't have said it better if I tried... check this out!

personal slogans...

A friend pointed me to this website where you can generate slogans for yourself. I used my username since I was posting these on CleanPlace and then thought I'd share them here as well. The comments after each one are my reactions! Enjoy...

Uh-oh, Better Get NarniaPrincess.
-- yep, heard that one before :)

There Ain't No Party Like A NarniaPrincess Party.
-- how did they know?

NarniaPrincess - The Appetizer!
-- I'm a tad frightened!

NarniaPrincess Tested, Mother Approved.
-- A double royal stamp of approval!

Don't Forget The NarniaPrincess, Mum.
-- aww, thanks.

Keep That Narnia Princess Complexion.
-- yeah, whatever!

Look For The Narnia Princess Label.
--coming to a mall near you!

Wow! I Could Have Had a Narnia Princess!
--too bad you missed your chance!

The World's Favourite Narnia Princess.
--enough said!