• Have you ever had mono?



• Have I ever had momo? Yes, several times!




• The last place you were (besides now)?
  Hiding from my boys, in the bathroom, with the magazine I just found in my mailbox.




• Do you remember anything from being 3?
  Yes, I do. I was walking on a beach in Florida, and stepped on a piece of broken glass... it's the trauma, and the tetanus shot that brings it back to life.




• How many times a day do you drop your cell phone?
  Hmmm? I haven't had a cell phone for months now, so that is one less worry for my butter fingers.




• The top three things you spend the most money on?
  Rent, Jackson, Noah




• Last food you ate?
  a crouton




• First thing you notice about the opposite sex?
  Hands, height, hair... all at once.




• One of your favorite songs?
  This is an impossible question for me to answer.




• The school you attend(ed)?
  I've attended so many schools, it would blow your mind if I was able to list them.




• Your cell phone provider?
  My last cell phone provider was my exboyfriend. Ahem, he was the provider, I paid my own bill.




• Favorite store in the mall?
  I avoid the mall... like the plague.




• The longest job you had?
  Longest job?




• What do you smell like?
  Right now? The Soap & Glory lotion I just put on my elbows.




• The biggest lie you've ever heard?
  My Mom tries to make me believe that she DOESN'T read my blog... even though I have told her about sitemeter, and that I can see her lurking for hours!




• The last time you cried was because why?
  I cried this morning... good tears in the worship service at church.




• In your opinion, do long distance relationships work?
  They are very hard to maintain! But, they can work!!




• Do you drink coffee?
  Not lately. I'm main lining Full Throttle these days.




• What do you wanna say to your most recent ex?
  Dude, YOU lost out, not me. But, I don't need to tell him that, it's kinda obvious.




• What do you remember from being 19?
  I looked hotter at age 19 than I probably ever will again. I was more stupid at age 19 than humanly possible. Oh to have the wisdom of age in such a hot body!!




• Favorite color(s)?
  Green, it's my signiture color.




• First person on your missed calls list on your cell phone?
  No matter the phone, I miss virtually every call that comes... to catch me on the phone is rare.




• Who is the last text message from?
  N/A hooray!




• How many pillows do you usually sleep with?
  Usually three, unless I'm not in the mood... then none.




• What are you wearing now?
  (get ready to be turned on fellas!) Black capri yoga pants, a green Dropkick Murphys tshirt, and birkenstocks. Yes, sexy isn't a big enough word for house cleaning ensembles.




• How many pets do you own?
  Why would I submit to cleaning up after an animal? I have two sons!




• What are you doing tomorrow?
  Starting a NEW career!




• Can you play ping pong?
  Hell yizzle! Fo shizzle!! Um, although don't call it that if you are talking to Joeprah... it's Table Tennis, recognize.




• Favorite food?
  Chips, salsa, queso, and great sushi.




• Do you like maps?
  Yeah! They mean I'm going somewhere else.




• Do you like strawberry banana smoothies?
  Throw in orange juice and blueberries, and YUM!




• Have you ever attended a themed party?
  I don't think you can reach the ripe old age of 30ish without getting drunk in a toga at least once.




• Have you ever thrown a party?
  Um? Yes.




• When did you wake up this morning?
  When my boys woke me up to tell me that they were awake... this makes me very grumpy at 5:30am.




• The best thing about winter?
  Freshy freshy pow pow in the Ton's bra!




• Last time you were in trouble with the cops?
  2006




• What color underwear are you wearing?
  N/A




• Do you think Ryan Sheckler is hot?
  If I was 16, I would totally think he's HOT, he's a badass skater!




• What are your plans for this weekend?
  The usual.




• How many days is it until your birthday?
  My birthday is my favorite holiday... May 19! Don't forget teehee




• What do you want to be when you "grow up"?
  (I've been stuck on this question for more than five minutes, times up)




• Are you on a laptop?
  No, but my monitor is so big you'd be jealous!




• Are you smiling?
  Nearly always!




• Do you miss someone right now?
  Yes, yes, yes!




• Are you happy?
  Pretty much, happiness is a choice.




• Have you ever been in the hospital for an emergency?
  Yes, when I tore my knee up at Copper Mountain.




• Last time you ate chicken?
  Today.




• What jewelry are you wearing?
  My cherry faced Swiss Army watch, not really jewelry, but still.




• What are you going to do after this survey?
  Make dinner, try not to listen to the Pokemon movie that my boys are watching, and watch the Oscars later. - I might even talk on the phone :)




• Song you're listening to?
  My hella sick playlist, aren't you?




• The car you were in last?
  White Lightning, she's a runner.




• Do you like avocado?
  Not really. Incidently, this made me an oddball in San Diego.




• What color shirt are you wearing?
  What's up with repeating questions?




• How long is your hair?
  It goes way down my back, past my bra strap. That's the measuring tool you know.




• What's on your mind right now?
  I need to visit the little girls room badly, I'm dancing in my chair, but if I walk away from this, I might lose it if IE decided to shut down because of the problem with Flash player, and since we can't save posts in drafts, I'm not budging till I finish this damn post, because there's not a chance in hell of me doing this again. Oh, and I wish there was spellcheck.




• Last show you watched?
  The Office... my DVR has every episode, and I'm a junkie.




• Last thing you drank?
  Diet Coke, do you know me at all?




• Where did you sleep last night?
  In my bed.. where else would I sleep?




• When was the last time you smiled?
  Before the urge to pee overcame me. I always wait too long.




• What did you say last?
  'I'll be there in a minute!'

This morning when I woke up, I unzipped my tent and walked down to the river to take a dip. I shed my layers... my fleece, and my thermals, my birks and my wool socks... and dove head long into the glacial current. Yes, it's freezing cold, but the invigoration is what I came for.

I couldn't stay in as long as I wanted, hypothermia would be a buzz kill. My skin was red from the shock, and I shivered as I got dressed. I needed to chop some more firewood, and that helped warm me back up.

I've always found the task of stoking a fire to be the ultimate relaxation. I got a good fire back, dumped some grounds in my percolator, and enjoyed the aroma of the coffee more than the taste.

Being here, on the side of this mountain... this is where my spirit feels most alive. There is nothing that I have to do, nothing more urgent than collecting wood for tonights fire, and filtering drinking water for the day.

I hiked about two miles, along the ridgeline with my camera, to see what I could see. I found a hidden spring bubbling up. The tiny blue flowers that encircled the pool reminded me of Granny. I wish she could see this. Somehow she is. I know that I am appreciating them because she would have. I sat down to spend time with her there. I laughed remembering how my Mom used to pretend she was a tiny little water sprite, a fairy, dancing on top of water like this, liting on blades of grass. Me, I'm a fairy too.

I sat there for such a long time, hours passed before I even noticed. This is the time of year for afternoon thunderstorms. I can't help but be entranced by the clouds moving above my head. The weather always comes from the west. Darker and darker, the sky motivates me to get back to camp.

It was sprinkling by the time I got there, and the thunder was so loud... it shook me in my shoes. An act of nature? I think not... God knows that I love a good thunderstorm. I'm ready.

I waited out the rain in my tent, with a copy of The Road. Is heaven any better than the sound of rain pattering on canvas, while I'm curled up in my sleep sack with an amazing book? I don't think so. I've had a hard time making it through McCarthy's tale, it's darker and more penetrable than anything I've ever read. It's painful to read, but I can't stop. The hopelessness is so raw, and the love is so real, it begs me to keep going. I fumble through the almost biblical vocabulary, rereading passages three times just to make sure I got it. When I realized that the rain had stopped, I was relieved to have permission to put the book down.

I spent the rest of the day throwing my flies, like clock work, into the river... I'm not the best angler, but I caught two fish. One keeper, and one throw back. The ritual of preparing dinner is something of Shakespearean romance. I cleaned the Cutty, and sizzled it to golden perfection. It was so good!

Sunset was a mango orange, with bright pink streaks, and everything was cast in a golden haze at dusk. I grabbed another PBR, my headlamp, and took off to spot some animals. Last night there was a huge bull moose drinking at the river, and during the night the elk were bugling. I didn't see anything other that a big fat porcupine, but his lazy wobble made me laugh.

It's so dark that I can see every single star in the sky. No matter what anyone says, wishing upon stars has it's rewards. I counted more than ten shooters, until the clouds covered the moon, and I turned my eyes back to the glowing ashes in the fire.

The flames, blue and orange, licked the chilly night air... and I yawned big and purposeful. The trance from watching a camp fire, the art of poking at it with my stick, and watching as sparks spit into the black sky... this is what it's all about.

My yawns finally overtook me as the fire got dim. I crawled back into my bag, and drifted into peaceful sleep within seconds.

This is picture is probably the last time I felt like a "beautiful princess."

My oldest son, Jackson, has always been the sweetest and most thoughtful child. He had a really large vocabulary as soon as he started talking. Almost like a prodigy.

When he was two, and for no apparent reason, he would say "Mommy, you are a beautiful princess!" I will never forget the first time he said it, I was shocked to hear my toddler saying a phrase that any woman would appreciate hearing. After a while, he said it to nearly every woman he met. I watched as these women swooned like they were in the presence of Prince Charming.

Jackson and I don't get time to ourselves very often, and since Noah decided he wanted to stay at Granny's house, I decided to take Jackson on a date.

I picked him up after work, and off we went. He wanted to go to Chili's, so we went. We completed all the puzzles in the kids menu, and he told me all about his day. I got to hear about things that he normally doesn't share. I heard about his friends, his big plans for his first science project, and of course, the big skate tricks that he is landing in his head.

After dinner, we went to a movie. I let him pick, since I hardly watch TV and really have no idea what's playing. He wanted to see a movie called Enchanted. I didn't expect him to want to watch a Disney movie...he's eight, and hardcore skater little boy.

In the movie, a cartoon princess gets banished from the kingdom, and finds herself in modern day New York City. She is bewildered, but keeps her rose colored glasses on. She is delightful! Everything is new, and exciting, and she is happy and bubbly and full of wide-eyed wonderment. She is radiant and charmingly naive. Like a little girl.

During the movie, Jackson took my hand...and held it. He hasn't wanted to hold my hand in more than a year. If I ask him to grab my hand while walking through a parking lot, he looks all around him first, ducks for cover, and reluctantly hands me his limp and resistant hand. Affection for Mom, publicly, is falling by the way side as he is turning into a pre-teen. I've missed my little boy who wanted to hug me and kiss me, and tell me loved me at least 20 times a day. It's been a big adjustment for me personally.

He laid his head on me, and we cuddled. As the movie went on, he turned and said that I look like the princess. We laughed a lot too. Jackson even said, "Mom, she's funny, like you!"

I kept trying to see the correlation that he saw, I do not feel like a princess. He's too young to be so charming, and he is blatantly honest most of the time. I know that he was saying that stuff because he meant it. He wasn't trying to get anything out of me either, he was just loving me.

When the show was almost over, and for the first time in maybe five years, and completely without provocation, he said "Mom, you are like the beautiful princess."

Who knew that a date with an eight year old could be the exact thing that this woman needed. I've never felt more loved, admired, or appreciated. Jackson has always been my Prince Charming.

Have you ever experienced the death of a toy? I'm not talking about a tattered, beloved, stuffed animal . . . I'm talking about the toys that make noise.

The robotic toys, that make noise as they move. The toys that freak the crap out of you when the batteries start to go...and they make ill-timed, scary as hell, involuntary movements...and sounds. When your house is quiet, the kids are asleep, and suddenly you hear a jarring "beep" "beep" from something unknown. Then you have to go rummaging for it, at the bottom of the toy buckets, so you can make it stop.

Last night Woody was making a mockery of me.

The house was quite, Noah is asleep in his room. Suddenly from underneath his door I hear;

"Hoooowwwdyyy pardnerrrrrrrr"

"Howdddddy paaaaaaarrdnerrrr"

"My name's Wooooooooooooooooddddyyyyyyyyyyy"

I immediately knew what was going on. I've experienced this before. But, I never thought it would happen to our Woody. He's been going forever...on the same batteries. It's amazing! I decided to leave it alone last night because I had no idea where he was. And, I didn't want to wake Noah. So, I put it off until this morning...and overnight, I had completely forgotten about Woody all together.

While getting ready for work this morning, I hear;

"Woooood"

"Woood"

"Pardnerrrrrr"

This morning, Woody's normal cheery and completely recognizable voice, sounded like some sort of demon screaming "woooooood." I had to find him. I had to exercise that demon. He was of course at the very bottom of all of Noah's toys. When I finally found him, I was suddenly swamped with memories of Jackson's babyhood. I think Jackson learned some words from Woody. I had a little pang. My heart went flippy. I can't get rid of Woody. We love Woody. Woody is the toy I will keep to show my grandkids.

Pixar people are marketing genius's!!

My blogging brain was so inspired at the thought of being able to write a post titled, "The Death of my Woody." I started to laugh alot!! Inappropriate humor, I know...but it's funny. I will probably change the batteries, if I can figure it out. I had to write this post before I checked it out though, for fear of losing my inspiration...and title.

Viva La Woody!

This is the original Woody doll. Circa 1996ish Purchased at a garage sale, before my oldest son was born. Woody was Jackson's first, and most cherished toy...just like in the movie! I even have his hat...somewhere.

'The Death of my Woody' originally posted on Bliss in Bloom 11/23/07

Everyone who is at Cre8Buzz right now was invited by someone. I bet everyone remembers who invited them too.

Erin, expectingexecutive, sent me my invitation to the Buzz. She changed my life! I'm so buzztastic it's silly, and I'm so in love with all the amazing people I've met here. And, all the great blogs I've found as well. I'll love Erin forever!

Cre8buzz is going big time, bigger, and larger. World wide!! The invitation only aspect of the Buzz will be going away, and lots of newbies are going to swarm the Anthill. It's going to be awesome!! But, different.

I want everyone to write down who invited them, and remember it forever. This could be a post for the Anthill archives, and a testament to the brilliant beginnings of Cre8buzz.

Give a shout out to the person who invited you! Right here. It will be cool to see all the connections.

Who invited you to Cre8buzz?