Spilling my Secret....

Ok, so this may come as a surprise to alot of you reading this. I am a huge, huge, huge Wheel of Fortune fan!! I know, that's more than a little geeky, but there you go. That's my secret. I'm a closet Wheel fan! And, by the way, I am extremely good at it! But, I do have a reason for spilling my big secret. When we were in Boise last weekend, I turned on the TV in the motel room & happened to catch a blurb on the news about Wheel. Yes, they were in Boise that very same Saturday, playing the wheel game & looking for contestants. Ohhh, I SO wanted to go & try out!!! Unfortunately, I had to work on Saturday. By the time we went through where they were, there were soooo many people there & it was so hot, so I decided not to stand in line for 3 hours to try for it. But I did get pictures of the Wheel van!!!

Someone emailed this to me, so I decided to forward it along in the blog instead!

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Yes, I was named after my great great grandmother on my dad's side

2. When was the last time you cried?
Sunday

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING ?
Sometimes

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
turkey or roast beef

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
no, but I have two nephews who live with me

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
I think so. I hope so!

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Far more than I should, I'm sure.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS ?
Yep. Still have all my working parts.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Nope. I'd say that I would, but I'd chicken out.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Honestly? Fruit Loops

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
I always mean to, but by the time I get home from work, I just want them off, so I usually kick them into the corner.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Not nearly as strong as I wish I could be.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Chocolate. Or Heavenly Hash. Or Mint Chocolate. Basically, I really like ice cream

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
eyes, I watch where they are looking

15. RED OR PINK?
Red

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF?
Unfortunately, I can't choose one thing.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
my dad

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?
No, but it would be fun to see people's blog answers

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
dark blue pajama pants with stars on them & no shoes

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
spaghetti & cheesy bread

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The songs on Jen's blog

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
a simple color, like blue or yellow

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
fresh cut grass, rain, fresh baked bread

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
a client

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Yes I do--otherwise I wouldn't read her emails

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Red Sox baseball, of course!

27. HAIR COLOR?
Naturally--light brown. Usually though, it's dyed either an auburn brown or a very light brown with blonde highlights.

28. EYE COLOR?
blue

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
nope

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
clams, lobster

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
happy endings

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Enchanted & I loved it.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
peach

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
winter

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Both--I'm greedy!

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Ice Cream

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
don't know

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Don't know

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Lean mean Thirteen...it's a brainless mystery

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
I don't have a mouse pad

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T. V. LAST NIGHT?
A Red Sox game

42. FAVORITE SOUND?
My dogs barking, the boys having fun with their friends, my family enjoying each other.

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Beatles

44. WHAT IS THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Germany

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
playing piano

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Groton, CT

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
Don't know.

This weekend was the world famous Boy Scout Fish Fry in Aberdeen. I have not missed a year since James & Josh came to live with us. However, this year, I missed it. I ended up having to travel that weekend for business. I got to spend a couple of days in one of my favorite cities, Boise! I dragged my mom along with me so I didn't have to be bored out of my mind alone & she was such a good sport, chauffeuring me around for 48 hours! Of course, even though I had to work, I took some photos.


Ok, so I have to admit that I didn't really take these two photos, but I thought they were both so pretty! In addition to being a fun city to spend time in, I think Boise is just so pretty!
Boise has these beautiful old neighborhoods with these big, wonderful trees & these lovely gracious old homes. When I'm there, I love to drive through these neighborhoods.



We also went to another of my favorite places--Sun Valley! Sun Valley is the playground of the rich & famous. But I think it is just absolutely gorgeous. It's nestled in the mountains and it is beautiful there.



And I just thought these were so cute! They were outside a locally owned gallery. I don't know if they're pieces of art or not, but they sure made me laugh!



All in all, while it was busy, it was a really fun trip. Thanks so much mom for going along with me!

Is it June or January??????

I spent the day today in Blackfoot & at one point this morning, I very seriously considered turning myself into Blackfoot South, because I decided I had to be nuts! This is the weekend of the annual Blackfoot dog shows. For those of you who know me, you know that I LOVE dog shows!! I love it more when I'm showing my own dogs, but that was not to be this year. We simply didn't have anyone ready & the costs were a bit prohibitive at this point. So we figured that the next best thing would be to go & work at the dog shows! We still get to go every day. We still get to see all of our friends & the beautiful dogs. And the best part is...we get paid to do it! So, we all volunteered to work in the rings all four days.

And then we woke up this morning. Now, you have to understand that Idaho has apparently decided not to have summer this year. The weather thus far this week has been much more appropriate for January than June. It has been cold. It has been rainy. It has even snowed. This morning was no exception. It was about 38 degrees when I got out of bed this morning. But, freezing or no, we had promised to go work. By the way, did I mention that the Blackfoot shows are outside? You know, because it's June, and in Idaho, June is very warm! So, I bundled up in my warmest pants, a sweater, a sweatshirt, thick socks, warm sneakers, and with a blanket in tow.

Let me tell you...I was completely and totally unprepared for just how cold it was!!! The way the ring was set up, I was facing the 30 mile an hour wind all morning. It was miserably cold & I forgot my gloves at home. Within an hour, I could no longer feel my face. My fingers were not moveable & I was pretty sure that if I tried to move my toes in my shoes, they would fall right off! We saw some rain, we saw a little bit of snow, and then miraculously, after lunch, we saw the sun! The wind died down, the air warmed up, and the sun came out! By the time we were almost finished & Groups started, it was actually pretty decent outside. It was probably in the high 50's, low 60's, and I even got brave enough to take off my sweatshirt. I was still glad that I had a sweater on underneath though.

However, crazy girl that I am, I am already looking forward to going back tomorrow! The weatherman is promising it will be better weather tomorrow, so let's hope he's right!

Please note the people in their winter coats in this photo! How crazy is it that just about everyone I saw was in their winter coats in June! And that poor lady that was wearing her blanket around her like a skirt! It was insane.

Josh gave me this line about how he didn't need a blanket because he was a man & mean didn't get cold. I did, however, notice that he was awfully quick to steal my blanket when I wasn't using it. Believe me, I gave him a hard time about being seen in public wrapped up in a pink blanket.

Dog show people totally pamper their dogs! These are a few of my friends, Larry, Beep & Lorie, with the star of the show...the dog, of course.

This is more like a dog show on a June afternoon should look like. The sun is out, people are sitting with friends, enjoying watching the dogs. This was taken this afternoon, after it warmed up.

One of the things that I love the most about the dog shows are the terrific friends I have in that world. For the most part, these are people I have known half my life. Unless, of course, we get into the collie people that have known me since I was about 6! But I love going to shows, because I know I'm going to see great friends that I only get to see at dog shows! In alot of cases, these people are more like extended family & the dog shows are like our family reunions. Above is a wonderful family friend, Andy with his Doberman Pincher. In addition to being one of the top handlers in the country, And is about one of the best people I have ever been privileged to know. He is always willing to help someone when they are in need & both he & his wife are just terrific people. Below is another good family friend, Beep, with his gorgeous Akita.

My Color Personality

I thought this was fun when I saw it on Jen's blog. Also, I was hoping it would help me choose a color to decide on for my room. It was fun, but it didn't help me at all!

Mission Pictures

James finally sent us some photos from Puerto Rico. Actually, the first couple of photos are from the MTC.


One of James' best friends went into the MTC a couple of weeks before he did. James was pretty excited that he was able to find Mike while he was in Provo. Mike is in Chile.

This is James and his MTC companion, Elder Shoemaker standing in front of the Provo temple.



This is James' apartment in his first area. When I came to the photo of the inside of the apartment, all I could do was laugh, because the living room looks much like his bedroom always looked at my house...messy. It's good to know that he's messy when he's out on his own as well...well, maybe that's good to know.

The last two are a couple pictures of James. He loves water & the ocean, so I love the photo of him in front of the ocean! Hopefully he'll send us photos of his new area soon.