5 Things...

5 fun things I did today...
1. Furminated the cats (2 out of 3)
2. Drained the coffee pot
3. Prayed with a cat on my lap
4. Watered a snake (accidentally - there was a garter snake outside in my mums!)
5. Had leftover (cold) pizza for lunch

5 things I wasted time on...
1. Bejeweled on Facebook (gad, it is addicting!)
2. Trying to find a favorite pen
3. Blogging
4. Sorting a bookshelf
5. Reading other people's Facebooks

5 things I am thankful for...
1. Bearded Brewer
2. 2 daughters
3. 3 cats
4. many friends
5. aptitude to use the brain God gave me

5 things I pray for...
1. Clarity for where God will send us
2. Using our resources wisely
3. Guarding the hearts of our children
4. Spiritual protection
5. Peace

5 things I need to finish today...
1. Read over Greek vocab. cards
2. Write two sermon outlines
3. Read far too many pages in OT textbooks
4. Complete an essay on "Christocentric" sermons
5. Drive to Annapolis to pick up The Johnnie for a long weekend at home!

Deb

Broken Things

The iTunes Meme: (thanks to Reedy Girl...)

Instructions
1. Put your ipod or playlists on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Pass it on.

What is your motto?
Grace Like Rain

What do your friends think of you?
The Noise We Make

What do you think about very often?
Calling

What does math mean to you?
Fields of Gold

What do you think of your best friend?
I Celebrate the Day

What do you think of the person you like?
Matchless

What is your life story?
Bring the Rain

What do you want to be when you grow up? (LOL)
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

What do you think when you see the person you like?
We Will Be Together

What do your parents think of you?
Too Much

What will you dance to at your wedding? (hmmm... already did this... but not to this song!)
Icicles

What will they play at your funeral?
He's a Pirate

What is your hobby/interest?
Wintersong

What is your biggest secret?
Wash

What do you think of your friends?
Lux Venit

What's the worst thing that could happen?
New Day

How will you die?
Sensation

What makes you laugh?
What the World Needs

What makes you cry?
Whipped into Shape

If you could go back in time, what would you change?
Snuggle Puppy

What hurts right now?
Easier to Be

What will you put in the subject box?
Broken Things


Play if you wish... I'm not tagging anyone.
Deb

A Picture Meme

A new kind of meme... a picture meme!

I can do this while I wait for the hot water to boil...

1. Post the fourth picture in your "My Pictures" folder.
2. Tell why you took it (or snagged it from the web).
3. Share a memory, a smell or a sensation from this photo...

1. The Family Mug shot, 2007


2. WOW. This was taken a year ago in Dolly Sods, West Virginia in one of the wilderness areas. It was chilly and blustery (like today) but sunny enough to have a great hike. We finally found a tree stump that had been left "beavered" about 2' tall. With a rock and a baseball hat, we managed to prop up the camera for a timer shot. We were trying for a Christmas card shot, but everyone nixed it. So now it's on the web. This is progress??? In a year, the Harpist is a smidge taller, Reedy Girl is a LOT taller (almost up to my eyebrows!) and Bearded Brewer and I have collected some more grey uh... highlights!

And
3. Good memories... a lot of love. I think I burned dinner that night. We played Dutch Blitz and Mexican train and stayed cozy in the cabin...

Feel free to play - I won't make you. But the kettle is simmering and I'm back to the books!!

Deb

Deb Needs...

(The picture has nothing to do with this post.)

Since our cats blog, I find out all kinds of interesting things about what goes on around here... you never know what they will tell you! Anyway, Tiria did a "needs meme" and I thought it would be fun to try it.

Besides, classes are done for a few weeks and I have a time to BURN!

DIRECTIONS:
Google your name and the word needs after it. Put the text string in quotes to limit your search. (i.e. "Deb needs") List the first 10 items where your text string shows up in a complete sentence (assuming of course that they are G-rated...) and see what you get!!

I got 2,500 hits!

1) Deb needs HAL removed.
(I'm sorry Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that!)

2) Deb needs to be uploaded.
(errmmm... not yet. I hope.)

3) Deb needs Facebook.
(Of course! Doesn't everyone?)

4) Deb needs help with whole words.
(Someone has been reading my papers!)

5) Deb needs help PLEASE!
(Geez. I know, I know!)

6) Deb needs a desktop file.
(Believe it or not, I don't. Just today I cleaned up my desk!)

7) Deb needs helpers!
(I won't turn you down!)

8) Deb needs more time to look at the menu.
(I confess that often happens.)

9) Deb needs "faction music input".
(Have NO clue what that means...)

10) Deb needs a revelation when a grisly ax murderer kills a man & demolishes his car.
(Niiice.)

OK. Talk amongst yaselves and then try it.

Deb

Scattergories

I already tagged Mindy for another meme, so I'll do this one.

How it works:

SCATTERGORIES...

It's harder than it looks! Erase my answers, enter yours, tag 10 people, post it to your blog, and then notify them, including the person who tagged you. Use the first letter of your first name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things..nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

WHAT IS YOUR NAME Deb
4 LETTER WORD Dare
VEHICLE Dodge
TV SHOW Dragnet
CITY Duluth
BOY NAME David
GIRL NAME Diane
OCCUPATION Detective
SOMETHING YOU WEAR Diamonds!
FOOD Donuts
SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM Deodorant
REASON FOR BEING LATE Dearest Husband
SOMETHING YOU SHOUT DANG IT!

And I can't sic this on 10 people. I just can't. Play if you want. (Hope your name isn't Xavier!)

Deb

Tagged... I'm IT again

I was tagged by Presbyterian Gal. I promised her I'd get to this when I needed a study break, so here goes!

Rules:
The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about himself or herself. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

Ten years ago:
1998. I was parenting a 3 year old and a 7 year old. It involved the mundane stuff like looking for a preschool for Reedy Girl, bringing The Harpist home from the E.R. from a playground accident (she was fine - only stitches and bruises), facing the reality of my dad's terminal cancer, and volunteering in the elementary school. I was leading worship and struggling with not doing more. I was writing and dreaming of teaching/speaking and saw no way for that to happen.

Five things on today's "to do" list:
1. Read textbooks for Mentoring class (I am behind... again!)
2. Read for my research paper on feminist theology.
3. Laundry. Always laundry.
4. Clean out fridge. I was gone for a week. We're makin' penicillin here...
5. Do some serious calendar coordination. It's going to be a busy summer.

Three bad habits:
Only three??? Geesh. It's more like which 3 I want to admit to having...
1. Caffeine (WAY too much)
2. Saturated fats
3. Going emo.

Five places I've lived:
1. Rock Hill, SC
2. Columbus, Ohio
3. Coral Gables, FL
4. Bloomfield, NJ
5. Montgomery County, MD

---ooops!! I forgot this one!----
Things I'd do if I was a billionaire:
Go for a D.Min. since money would be no object, after I had paid back into my savings what I've spent so far. Endow a fund for small churches refurbishments and R&R cruises for their pastors. Endow a chair at a conservative seminary for feminist theology and give a bunch of bucks to Christians for Biblical Equality. Maybe buy out a televangelist's studio so that a more balanced perspective on Christianity could be broadcast. (Barring that, buying up the world's supply of hairspray and false eyelashes. just sayin.) And last, but not least, spend a whole lot of time caring and listening to people who need a pastor, wherever in the world that takes me!
----end of oopsie----

Five jobs I've had:
1. GS Camp Counselor
2. Waterfront Director
3. Music Teacher
4. Music Therapist
5. Medical Secretary

I will tag:
1. Jeff (since he whined the last time I didn't tag him)
2. Sarah
3. Tiria
4. Mindy
5. YOU! (If you got this far, you have to play. HA)

Challenged by my cat

I have been tagged by one of our cats, Tiria. (I don't exactly know why I must do this, but she is threatening me with horrible things like midnight hairballs and yak in my slippers if I don't. So I am playing.)

Anyway, friends, it's time for THE MIDDLE NAME GAME!!

Here are the rules:

1. You have to post the rules before you give your answers.

2. You must list one fact about yourself beginning with each letter of your middle name. (If you don't have a middle name, use your maiden name or your mother's maiden name).

3. At the end of your blog post, you need to tag one person (or blogger of another species) for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged.)

My middle name is pretty cool: Grace. (Though I have to admit, as a kid, I hated it. Mostly because I was not graceful. I now understand the difference between being graceFUL and graceFILLED.) So here's my answers:

G is for Grateful. I was blessed with caring parents, a stable home growing up, everything I needed and most of my "wants." (But my parents never got me a horse. And really, Mom, it's OK.) I had opportunities to learn, to go places and see and do a variety of things, to get a college education. I was given cars -- more than one, in fact. And I married a guy who had many of the same set of blessings. We have two great kids and some pretty wonderful friends. NO, life ain't perfect... but it's good. It's ALL good.

R is for Reading. I love to read. I wish I could read stuff that I WANT to read!! Lately most of my reading has been books for my coursework. I am trying to read more stuff that doesn't require I answer questions, parse a Greek phrase or split theological hairs.

A is for Athletic. I'm not. The only sport I ever did decently in was volleyball. I like to swim, but I'm not a competitive swimmer.

C is for Camp Counselor. My first jobs were spent as a camp counselor. I did it all. The songs with silly motions. S'mores. Dealing with homesick kids. Creating "art" out of sticks, leaves and tempera paint. Hiking. Biking. Canoeing. Backpacking. Tying knots. Starting fires. Lashing. Macrame'. Teaching swimming lessons. It made me realize that I really, really did not want to be a teacher.

E is for Energetic. 'Tis true. I am.

OK, Now I tag...
Mindy
Abi
DebD
Mandy
Sarah

I hereby make no threats and I promise not to come yak in your slippers if you choose not to play... but I hope you will anyway. And, if I didn't tag you and you want to play -- please DO!

Deb

Friday Five: Signs of Hope, Signs of Spring

Sally from RevGals writes:

It has been a difficult week here in Dowham Market, and yet in the sadness there have been signs of real hope, young people, often criticised have shown us how caring and amazing they are. It has also been a strange week; it snowed for almost the first time this winter, and yet many of the spring bulbs are blooming, and the trees are blossoming!

I believe that if we look carefully we can see signs of hope all around us.... as for signs of spring... well you tell me....

Bluebells in my garden, before the snow!

What have you seen/ heard this week that was a:

1. Sign of hope?

The voice of God at the beach this week.

2. An unexpected word of light in a dark place?

Being encouraged towards setting a date for my ordination by some fellow seminarians, both men and women, and this is particularly encouraging because there are male students who are far from that persuasion. I have greatly enjoyed my "small group" for reflection and processing this week. (Jennifer, Crystal, Allison, Durante and Ken -- you rock!)

3. A sign of spring?

A tree FULL of robins, chirping and singing up a storm! And beds of daffodils in full bloom. (The signs of the season are a few weeks ahead here in Teh Hole-ee Lande of Seminary.)

4. Challenging/ surprising?

I had to write out a "Spiritual Formation Map" as part of a Leadership Seminar/Class. Events that I had not remembered for a long time came to the surface in a time of focused prayer and contemplation. It was quite a remarkable process.

5. Share a hope for the coming week/month/year....

I think I am closer to "naming the date" that I finalize my ordination. It's a different process than many take because I will be ordained through my church (not a governing body). But it is, nonetheless, an important step in walking into the Call God has on my life.

Bonus play... a piece of music/ poem guaranteed to cheer you?
It has to be Daniel Powter's "Bad Day"




Here's to hope... and spring...
Deb

Jane Austen says...

Take the Quiz here!

You are Marianne Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are impulsive, romantic, impatient, and perhaps a bit too brutally honest. You enjoy romantic poetry and novels, and play the pianoforte beautifully. To boot, your singing voice is captivating. You feel deeply, and love passionately.

Well... for once, it's probably pretty close to the truth!

Deb

page 123

A Reader's Meme from Mindy:

Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more.
Alternative Medicine: The Christian Handbook

(No cheating!)
OK! OK! But it's not very exciting... DD#1 is sick with the flu and I had it out to read about the alternative medicines for it (echinacea, medicinal belladonna and goldenseal, in case you wondered.)

Find Page 123.
Got it...

Find the first 5 sentences:
World War II impacted the development of clinical trials in a number of ways. Infectious diseases such as malaria and typhoid were major killers in regions where soldiers were being sent to fight. Cinchona had almost been exclusively available from Indonesia, which was occupied by Japanese forces in 1942, thereby cutting of cinchona supplies. Nonfatal wounds often became infected and then caused death. Penicillin and sulfonamide, discovered prior to the war and shown to dramatically reduced wound infections, were available in only small amounts.

Feel free to play (uh... keep it G-rated) and let me know if you did. I know this wasn't exciting. Coulda been worse. Coulda been a Greek lexicon or something. hehehe

Deb

Pop Quiz

It would help if I could spell AND type fast. But not bad... and it was interesting what I forgot! Try it and let me know how you did! (Probably your fifth grader will beat me, but oh well..)

62

Favorite Things...

Cheesehead tagged everyone who visited and admits it... so I guess I'm it!

I am doing the Favorite Things meme. Consider this a random list, in no way exhaustive:

• my beloved and kids
• cats fur and purrs
  
• fall leaves
• the beach
• a hot tub in the Alps! :)
  
• chocolate
• rain on the leaves
• the smell of bread baking
• kids laughing
• singing, playing, listening to music
  
• celtic music
• actually, just about ANY kind of music (NOTE: Rap doesn't count as "music")
• a shelf full of books to read and a week to read them
• shredding Turabian, one page at a time (target date: May 2009!)
• football and a beer
• Ohio State football (with or without beer)
• family
• laughing - hard - long - frequently
• writing (NOT papers)
  
• puns
  
• surprises (nice ones)
• bun warmers in my car on a cold day
• hanging with my buds
• Henri Nouwen
• Psalms
  
• Christmas lights
  
• waves crashing at the beach
• the wind in the palm trees
• crickets

And... if you read this... I tag YOU!

Deb

25 Steps

image from Paige at SisterScissors

From Cathy and MaryBeth's blogs:

I saw a blog game on a couple of Quaker blogs (this one and this one), so I thought I'd offer a similar game with a spin on class based. It's based on an exercise developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University that I found on this Yahoo group around class on college campuses. The exercise developers hold the copyright but have given me permission to post it here and ask that if you participate in this blog game, you acknowledge their copyright.

• Father went to college
• Father finished college
• Mother went to college
• Mother finished college
• Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor.
• Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers
• Had more than 50 books in your childhood home
• Had more than 500 books in your childhood home
• Were read children's books by a parent
• Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18
• Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18
• The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively
• Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18
• Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs
• Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
• Went to a private high school
• Went to summer camp
• Had a private tutor before you turned 18
• Family vacations involved staying at hotels
• Your clothing was bought new before you turned 18
  
• Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
• There was original art in your house when you were a child
  
• Had a phone in your room before you turned 18
• You and your family lived in a single family house
• Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
  
• You had your own room as a child
• Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course
  
• Had your own TV in your room in High School
• Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
• Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16
• Went on a cruise with your family
• Went on more than one cruise with your family
• Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up
• You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family

In the group exercise which was originally designed for college students, staff and faculty, everyone stands in a line and steps forward if any of these things are true for them.

Notice that each of these are things that were given to you or provided for you rather than things you necessarily earned yourself. The exercise instructions note that just because you've taken a lot of steps doesn't mean that you haven't worked hard to get where you are. But perhaps consider the things you've had handed to you that others didn't have.

How about you? How many would you have taken? How many steps will your kids have taken by the time they're 18 (or how many did they take before they turned 18)?

To participate in this blog game, copy and paste the above list into your blog, and bold the items that are true for you. If you don't have a blog, feel free to post your responses in the comments. If you post this in your blog, please leave a comment on this post.

=========

This was thought-provoking!

If we were all in a big room, I would have taken 25 steps forward. I've often jokingly said that the only thing my parents never gave me was a horse. It's really true.

As I post this on my blog, it's the day before American Thanksgiving. I've just come back from a mission trip to France and once again seen how BIG our GOD is -- and how much He loves the world. The WHOLE world. And I also have seen how narrow and petty my focus can be...

So I leave this for your reflection as well. I found it incredibly humbling. I'm blessed and don't want to seem ungrateful for my upbringing, because I am. My parents were good to me and my sibs, and sacrificed a lot for us.

Thankfully-

Deb

----------------
Now playing: Building 429 - Because You're Mine
via FoxyTunes

political leanings...

well, I don't know as this is accurate, but it was fun to play...

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 45% Conservative, 55% Liberal Social Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal Personal Responsibility: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal Fiscal Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal Ethics: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal Defense and Crime: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?

fascinating...

I have usually tested ESFJ... but the "S" and the "J" were just about even. This time around I am "very" N...

SO I'm wondering... is this what seminary does to me??

hmmmmmmmmm.....

And I've never taken the other test but it sounds like me (I think...)

Deb

'cause all the cool kids are doing it...

You're Catch-22!

by Joseph Heller

Incredibly witty and funny, you have a taste for irony in all that you
see. It seems that life has put you in perpetually untenable situations, and your sense
of humor is all that gets you through them. These experiences have also made you an
ardent pacifist, though you present your message with tongue sewn into cheek. You
could coin a phrase that replaces the word "paradox" for millions of
people.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Summer in the Burbs...

Reverendmother from RevGalBlogPals writes:

Summer in the city...or town, or suburb, or hamlet, or burg, or unincorporated zone, or rural area of your choice---pretty much anywhere but the southern hemisphere, it's summer. (Australians and others, consider this an invitation to take a break from winter for a while.)

1. Favorite summer food(s) and beverage(s)
SUMMER FRUITS! Corn on the cob. Watermelon. Peaches (Georgia belles if I can get them!) Nectarines. Blackberries the size of my thumb. Elderberries (Unsucessful in finding these most of the time...) sigh...
SUMMER DRINKS? A glass of my Bearded Beloved Spouse's homebrew. Iced tea with mint and Splenda. Just about any kind of fruit-enhanced margarita.

2. Song that "says" summer to you. (Need not be about summer explicitly.)
Oh dear. Do you REALLY want to know? It's remembering a collection of songs from Girl Scout camp. All those years of leading sing-alongs... and someone wrote a book on it before I did!!

The first song that came into my head was the camp song I sang at the top of my voice at a stoplight yesterday... (to my daughter's horror) "Great green gobs of greasy grimy gopher guts..." with all of the motions, and verses.

[Her priceless comment - "Mom. WHY can you remember that song and not the Hebrew alphabet?" - why indeed...]

3. A childhood summer memory
Camping. Family camping (the REAL kind - tents and bugs.) Girl Scout camps of various places: Pisgah and Occoneechee in North Carolina were two I attended the most years.

4. An adult summer memory
Well, both of my babies were summer babies. That's a pretty special set of memories right there! I would put up their baby pictures but I have been banned from doing that.

5. Describe a wonderful summer day you'd like to have in the near future. (weather, location, activities) sigh... You're making me long for that perfect day at the beach again. You can see my dreams here...

Optional: Does your place of worship do anything differently in the summer? (Fewer services, casual dress, etc.) Nope. We're always casual. The services stay the same as far as time and number. And they won't let me lead any camp songs for worship either...

Deb
(who forgot her spoon but has her straw!)

P.S. Watch it here!

Friday Five: books, books, books

Sally from RevGalBlogPals writes:

I've just returned from a meeting in Cambridge so I'm posting this late here in the UK (it is 3:45pm).. because I took the opportunity of a free afternoon in Cambridge's wonderful book shops... I only bought a few- and they were on sale- very restrained for me!!!

So with my head full of books I've seen and a long wish list in my mind, I bring you a Friday Five on books!!!

1. Fiction: what kind, detective novels, historical stuff, thrillers, romance????
I tend towards fantasy and sci-fi, but not the scary, you-can't-sleep-at-night kind of sci-fi.

2. When you get a really good book do you read it all in one chunk or savour it slowly?

When I was not in school, my patterns was to inhale books. Now, with seminary and the fact that I read seemingly ALL of the time, I am struggling to do the recreational reading I love. However, on a true vacation (i.e. not during the semester when my kids are off school and I am not,) I can think of nothing better than a comfy afternoon on the porch swing, a book, and an adult-beverage-of-choice.!

3. Is there a book you keep returning to and why?

Well, with the next Harry Potter movie and book due out soon, I have to re-read all of the previous ones, of course. And though I'd never win a trivia contest on them, I do enjoy the Tolkien LOTR trilogy too.

4. Apart from the Bible which non-fiction book has influenced you the most?

Probably Jesus Freaks. Remembering that my freedom to worship and the history of my faith did not come without the spilling of blood.

5. Describe a perfect place to read. ( could be anywhere!!!)

Here...

Sigh...
Now... back to reading books for a class on "church administration" which are definitely NOT as interesting a HP or LOTR, but necessary nonetheless.

Deb

Eight Random Things...

I've been tagged by mompriest to give you eight random facts about me...

I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.

1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Random Fact #1:
I won a blue ribbon for my bodacious corn relish at the county fair. And got a prize of $20 for it, thankyouverymuch. And I don't even LIKE corn relish. Sweet corn? oh yeah... But one summer I bought a bushel of sweet corn because it was so cheap, and SOoooo good. I had to do something with it since my freezer was full to the brim with packages of corn-off-the-cob. So -- I got out the the Ball Canning Jar recipe book and started looking... Made a few adjustments and changes... and I had a winner! The secret ingredient?? Curry!

Random Fact #2:
We will have a student driver in our home this summer. First she has to do the classroom driver's ed... then the permit... then we start testing parental nerves. We have been looking at used tanks but there just aren't many on the market here in DC. You'd think with the Pentagon so close... but no.

Random Fact #3:
My home is overrun with musical instruments! There are three harps, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 3 recorders, 1 clarinet and one piano in my home right now! (We won't count the miscellaneous percussion stuff...) Of the harps, daughter #1 owns two of them. The other one is the school's lever harp and we are keeping it in a more controlled environmental setting than an un-airconditioned closet. The Harpist is deliriously happy. SO many harps, so little time. However, I am going nuts. Harps are finicky and need constant re-calibrating, so I keep saying "TUNE THAT THING!" Daughter #2 is the reed player, specializing in oboe now. I play most everything else.

Random Fact #4:
I love to re-arrange the furniture. My Beloved Bearded Spouse intensely dislikes this habit... heavy sigh... But I have my ways! The girls and I are on a secret mission this afternoon to do "a quadrille" of the family room before he gets home. We can't wait! The girls and I have measured, discussed and decided the wherefores and the whys. And I know it is sneaky of me, but in the process, we are also going to give the room a thorough cleaning!!! (That's not my floor plan... I only wish!)

Random Fact #5:
I love LOVE L-O-V-E our waterbed! It's a king, soft-sided, waveless, double-mattress, platform waterbed. Until you lie down on it you don't know it's a water bed. It uses regular deep-pocket sheets. It's comfy-cozy and a kid and cat magnet. I don't like regular mattresses any more - they make my back hurt. This is our third waterbed - for the last 25 years, it's the only kind of bed I have owned. And no, cats don't poke holes in it, and no it isn't hard on your floors, and no, we have never had a flood.

Random Fact #6:
Some of you already know this, but those of you who don't -- I'm one of seven kids: #4 daughter, #5 in the line-up, with 4 and a half years between me and my next oldest sib, I was a middler and an oldest kid all at the same time. Bonus points if you can find me that this photo!

Random Fact #7:
I still struggle with stage fright every time I sing or speak. Yes, really. Most of the time you would never know that my guts are doing a tango while my body is trying to waltz. Only my closest prayer partner, Dana, or my beloved bearded spouse can tell just by looking at me when I am scared. to. death.

Random Fact #8:
I do not have any tatoos. However I did have my navel pierced about 10 years BK (before Ken AND before kids). That sucker took forever to heal. But (ahem) things happen to your body after kids... and now that my post-partum navel is tres ugly, I am very glad I let it close up!! (That is not my navel, BTW...)

NOW... I tag (with grace, if you don't want to, just tell me!)
DebD
Sarah
Jeff
Mandy
Keith
MsM
Mags
Hot Cup Lutheran
Tricia

Randomly yours...
Deb

Blue-ness

Here's a true one...

You are Ocean Blue

You're both warm and practical. You're very driven, but you're also very well rounded. You tend to see both sides to every issue, and people consider you a natural diplomat.

What Color Blue Are You?