Thursday Thanks #2

1. Snow - I have absolutely loved all the snow we've gotten over the past week. I'm thankful for the girls' snow day on Monday that allowed us some "extra" fun time to do somethings that I don't normally make time for but should.

2. Family time - Keith was able to make it home not once but twice this week before the girls went to bed. We even got to have dinner together on Sunday with enough time for wii all to play some Wii. Then the following night wii were able to play some more Wii. Words can't describe how wonderful it was!

3. Reminders of God's love and mercy - He gives us SO many promises in His word and it's been a week of seeing some of those promises fulfilled.

4. Blogs - I have had a blast this week reconnecting with some "old" friends through this wonderful world of blogland. And I've also loved seeing my husband reconnect with some of his close friends. Plus, we've convinced some family members that they couldn't go on anymore without becoming bloggers themselves. What fun!!!

5. A break in the rain - It was pouring down raining/snowing today while I was trying to get some errands run. Picked up a shower rod for our shower, got Samantha some new tennis shoes because she is growing so fast I'm constantly having to replace some item of clothing that she has outgrown and I also picked up groceries. When I walked out of WinCo there was a break in the clouds and the sun was shining thru and I couldn't help but think at that moment that Jesus had given me a little gift so that I didn't have to stand in the rain while I loaded up my car with groceries. I loved that gift!!!

6. Children and the parents who discipline them - Today I had MOPs. (I work in the childcare since my kids are to old to be in the program.) I was able to witness some of the most adorable little kids, who many people might not think are old enough to be learning manners, use their manners and also listen and be obedient. In situations like that, it is clearly evident when a child is being taught at home that obedience is a must. I so appreciate those parents that discipline, it makes their children a joy to be around rather than a burden.

7. Reassurances and reminders - I'm thankful for the little reminders from friends and family that reassure me that I am special to them. They always seem to come right when I need them, which makes them so special.

8. My K.I.S.A - You know who you are and how much I love you!

Snow Angels, Snow Angels

The girls begged and pleaded and Mom consented and after putting on a couple of layers of clothes since their snowsuits are sitting in the garage in Graham they were off to play outside in the beautiful sunshine and glorious snow!!!
Sammy smiles beautifully while Anah informs me that snow is one of her new favorite foods, right after tacos and spaghetti!
The only thing to do after spending an hour or so outside in the the chilly cold getting all wet from making snow angels and a snow turtle is come inside and have hot cocoa with marshmallows!
CHEERS!!!
Let's make a day of it and bake cookies as well!!!

You're gonna have to face it . . . . you're addicted to BLOG!

Okay people! You are crazy with the comments and not that I don't absolutely love seeing what everyone has to say but both today and yesterday when I got home from "work", (Yes, I actually go work at the house as well. Keith isn't the only McCoy to have invested much blood, sweat and tears into our very own "Mobile Mansion". I would call it the double-wide but that title is already taken so I've named our home the Mobile Mansion. Just now!) I had over thirty emails in my inbox and they were all comments left on peoples blogs that I frequent. And I truly don't frequent that many. That is just crazy insane. But what takes the cake is that last night after everyone else had gone to bed I spent some time checking out all those said blogs and leaving my own comments. Then I thought I'd check my email one more time really quick before heading to bed myself. Eighteen emails - all comments I'd left on other peoples blogs! It's AN ADDICTION!!! STOP THE INSANITY!!!!!

CLOUD 9!

I'm worried that the word - apparently - is as big as it is. But encouraged that the word - honest - is one I apparently use a lot. (Yes, I did do that on purpose!) I'm a little surprised that the word - hilarious - isn't on my cloud. Because I am!!! Lastly, I'm hoping that there are no misspelled words. But if there are at least I'm consistent, huh?

Wii got friends in [high] places!

Okay so this is just a short little "plug" post until I can get my camera hooked up to the computer and post some pictures of my two snow angels.

Wii (when I say we - I really mean Keith) have a number of different gaming systems. Some we've had for a long time (like before Samantha was born) and others not so long, like not even a year. Wii decided for our anniversary this last year to purchase a Nintendo Wii. Now this is probably the third No Frendo (named by Keith's friend Ben) system we have purchased. We love it and it is very fun for the whole family. Price comparison wise - it's a lot cheaper than some of the other systems out there. But we started having some issues right away with it. They didn't happen all the time but intermittently it just wouldn't work. Then our nephew dropped it on the ground and so it started having more issues. Then Savanah dropped it on the ground from about 6 ft up. Needless to say, Wii didn't want to play with us anymore. So I called the 800 # hoping that it wouldn't cost very much to get it fixed. Dude on the phone says - hey you're calling from WA. I say yeah. He says we are located in Redmond and have a 24 hour repair service if you drop it off. So I made a trip up to Redmond, dropped the Wii off and they shipped us a brand new Wii the next day because ours wasn't repairable - FOR FREE!!! That's right folks, FREE Wii!!!! How exciting and amazing is that? I know - it's unbelievable!
So if anyone is looking into a video game system - go with the No Frendo Wii! You'll be glad ya did!

Thursday Thanks

Okay, so I completely stole this from a dear friend of mine. And to be completely honest, I've truly been meaning to steal it for a very long time. I'm very excited for my very first "Thursday Thanks Tank". Hopefully, it will encourage you to take a moment to ponder all the things you have to be thankful for in your life. Here goes . . . .

1. One on one time with my kids. I was able to spend the first part of the day today with Savanah because she stayed home from school. We went and signed both the girls up for soccer, went out to lunch at Taco Bell (remember Anah's favorite food is tacos), went shopping at Home Depot and a number of other things. It was wonderful being able to talk with her and to just listen to all of the things she had to tell me.

2. Prayer. Though I am so thankful for the opportunity to pray for others, today I am thankful for the prayers that others having been saying for me. I know without a doubt that someone was praying for me this morning. The girls and I had THE BEST morning we've had in a very, very long time. With all the hecticness, that is our life at the moment - I have to be completely honest and admit that I have been extremely low in patience lately. Today though, I had patience and the girls were remarkably well behaved. It made for a great morning and a great day!

3. Helpful friends and family. I'm sure everyone is as tired as I am of all "the house" updates. But I just really need to express my deepest gratitude to all of our friends and family who have gone above and beyond the call of duty and spent countless hours of their time to help us accomplish this remodel project. Words cannot express how indebted we are. So to anyone and everyone who has helped in anyway - THANK YOU!!!

4. My husband. I can't imagine trying to go thru these past couple of years with anybody other than Keith. He IS my knight in shining armor!

5. Spider/cobwebs. I found one in my house today. At least someone gets to live there!!!

MY GIRL - Let's talk about my girls!

Okay, so I love reading peoples blogs where they have all these cute little sayings or things about their kids along the side of their posts. Since I'm a complete numskull when it comes to all things involving a computer I thought I'd just write a post about MY GIRLS! Hopefully this will become a bit of a tradition. Once or twice a year I will "update" their favorite things. And then when I finally catch up to now on my scrapbooking (which will take quite a number of years), I can look back on my very old posts and see what they loved. Since the oldest usually gets to go first I'll mix it up some and start with Anah!

Full name: Savanah Janne'
Nicknames: Anah, Anah-banana
DOB: July 2000
Favorite Book: The Boxcar Children - Mystery Behind the Wall
Favorite Movie: National Treasure - Book of Secrets
Favorite toy: Kit - her American Girl Doll
Favorite meal: Tacos
Favorite dessert: Pumpkin bread
Favorite song: #2 on Taylor Swift - Picture to Burn
Favorite thing to do outside: Cartwheels
Favorite T.V. show: Cory in the House
Favorite Christmas gift this year: Kit, my American Girl Doll
Favorite thing we did this year as a family: camping this summer at Cowlitz Falls with Katie and Maddie and Nana, Papa-man, Uncle Paul and Aunt Lindsay and Capri

Full name: Samantha Reigh
Nicknames: Sam, Sammy, Sammy Reigh, Sammy-girl
DOB: February 1999
Favorite book: Sisters in Time - Emma's Secret
Favorite movie: Nancy Drew
Favorite toy: Ally (her Webkinz) and Pinky (her Fur Real pig)
Favorite meal: Cheese pizza
Favorite dessert: Chocolate ice cream
Favorite song: #11 on Taylor Swift - Our Song
Favorite thing to do outside: play tag
Favorite T.V. show: The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
Favorite Christmas gift this year: guitar
Favorite thing we did this year as a family: Going on an airplane for the 1st time with my mom to California

Rubber Ducky - you're the one, you make bathtime lots of fun!

Ok. So a quick, funny little story. Yesterday evening after dinner as the girls were starting to get ready for bed, I decided to run myself a bath. For some of you, I'm sure your thinking - okay big deal. But I'm not one who usually takes baths. I mean I shower on a regular basis but baths I rarely do. But I was achy and crabby and just not in a very good mood and thought maybe a bath would help. While the bath water was running and filling up the tub, Savanah walked in to wash up and saw the bath filling and got this look of pure joy and excitement on her face and says to me, "Is that bath for me?" (The reason for the excitement is that my girls usually don't take baths either. They shower as well.) I told her no baby, you are already in your pjs, the bath is for me. Her expression turned from excitement to puzzlement. She asked me if I was sick? I said no I just felt like taking a bath. And then in the most sincere and not trying to be funny, childish voice, she looks at me, her expression once again filled with glee and states, "oh Mommy you are going to have SO MUCH FUN! Are you going to play?"
Ah, the joys and laughter that come with having kids!

Post update: Today after getting home from a full day of working and painting at the house, I was getting ready to jump into the shower. After letting the girls know where I was headed, Savanah suggested that I take another bath. I told her that I didn't want to take a bath. She said why not? Didn't you have fun in the last bath you took? I told her actually not really. She informed me that next time I was going to take a bath she would take one with me and - "show me how to have fun"!
Am I so old now that I've forgotten how to have fun? It's a sad, sad day in my little world!

Sisters, Sisters . . . there were never such devoted sisters?

So I guess my kids are at that age where they are having a very hard time getting along. I'm not sure if this extremely normal and that in the years to come they will become close friends that love and care for each other immensely or if this is the start of the "sibling rivalry" that lasts till they are old and gray. I remember fighting quite a bit with my sisters growing up. One of them is 4 years younger than me and the other is almost 6 years younger. Now that we are older we get along great; though if I were being honest I would have to say that my youngest sister and I still can butt heads on occasion. But I also know of siblings who never got along as kids and still to this day do not get along. I don't want that for my kids. But I'm not sure how to create a bond between them now that lasts a lifetime. I have two cousins who are sisters that are very, very close in age (10 months apart). They are best friends and for as long as I can remember, they always got along. Even as young girls I don't remember ever hearing them fight. Although, I'm sure they did some. But it seems that they figured out at a young age that sticking together was the best course of action. Sam and Anah on the other hand have two cousins that are the same age as they are and I'm constantly hearing - I wish Katelynn was my sister and not you. Oh yeah, well I wish Madison was MY sister and that I didn't even know YOU! I feel as though I'm at my wits end with trying to get them to get along. Of course, they have their great moments too. And these are the moments that bring smiles to face and sometimes even tears to my eyes and an occasional chuckle from deep within. These are the moments I long for!

One of these moments that produced a chuckled from me happened a couple of days ago as we were headed to school or somewhere. Sister A (the names have been changed to protect the innocent or in this case not so innocent) says to sister B - "Did you brush your teeth this morning?" Sister B's very, very quick reply - "Why are they really colorful?"

I am a rock, I am an Island . . . but does Mikey like it?

Okay, so this is the dilemma . . . to island or not to island?!?

Keith and my dad started putting the bottom kitchen cabinets in place over the weekend. I was informed though that the kitchen is "too big". First of all, it's a mobile. Can a kitchen in a mobile home be "too big"? And really, lets be honest - can any kitchen really be "too big"? Well, according to Keith ours can and is, which leads us to the next question. Do we put in an island? See below exhibit A - a "rough" estimate of the kitchen floor w/o an island. We are about 8 1/2 ft between counters from side to side.




Now see exhibit B and C which show either side of our very hastily set "fake" island. The cabinet you see in exhibit B is actually a very big drawer unit. So no cabinet doors to contend with but I question whether I would be able to stand with my back to the island and pull the drawers all the way out and still have room for me?!?

The upside down shop vac barrel is apparently supposed to be showing where the refrigerator will come out to. Is that enough room to open the frig and freezer door and still have plenty of room to maneuver stuff in and out of the frig? (We do have a side-by-side frig so the doors are quite a bit smaller than an over-under frig, but it is probably one of the biggest side-by-sides you can get.)

Lastly, this is a picture of our newly installed microwave/hood vent. So now when we are working at the house we can reheat our COFFEE!!!! That makes for some very, very happy workers but apparently installing it was another thing all together. I can assure you that if that microwave ever goes out while we live here Keith will insist on buying a micro for the counter top and use this one here for storage!!!

So, I need some advice from you all about what I should do about my "island". Yes? No? Will I be disappointed if I don't have a built-in? Will a movable one be sufficient? Or will my island slowly but surely suffocate me? I need someone to tell me what to do! ARGH! The pressure - it is overwhelming!!!!

O Christmas Tree

So this is an extremely late post but I wanted to share some more on my NYC/DC trip. One of the reasons we ended up being gone for as long as we were was that we found out that if we stayed a couple of days longer than we were originally planning we would be able to see, not only the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade but also, the lighting of the tree at Rockefeller Center. Since we were already in New York we figured we might as well see and experience as much as we possibly could. So we extended our stay by two days and put the tree lighting on our itinerary. We ended up getting there a little earlier than planned but this afforded us a much better "spot" in the crowd. It was a lot of fun to stand around waiting and listening to the different people near us. Some had come a long ways and some were from Jersey and others were New Yorkers. We stood there waiting for 3 1/2 hours before anything actually got started and then there was two hours of performances before they actually lit the tree. The first hour was broadcast locally, while the second hour was televised nationally. Even though by the end our feet were killing us and our backs and legs were aching it was still worth every minute.
On a side note - my brother-in-law happened to be in New Jersey on a business trip and so he drove over and met up with us for the evening. It was fun spending a few "New York Minutes" with someone I usually only see in Washington.
As far as our Christmas tree here at home goes, it's already put away and that makes me a little sad. This Christmas season seemed to fly by so quickly and while I'm thankful for all the special moments and times shared with family I feel as though I missed out on so much. Each year it seems a little harder to fit it all in and then there's the guilt you feel when you miss out on something. I'm not one who normally makes New Year's resolutions but if I were to make one for this year I would have to say that I want to slow down and enjoy the 2008 holiday season. To make the time to spend with friends and family, the people I love most and to reflect more on the wondrous gift God gave us in that tiny baby boy, Jesus.

I'm Dreaming of a . . . . .

Yes, of a white Christmas. And for me, it is just like the ones I used to know. But today I was made aware of the fact that my 34 year old husband couldn't remember it ever snowing on Christmas here in Washington. Of course, this was something that we were talking about around 10:00 am or so. After watching the nightly news, we were given actual statistics saying that this was the third Christmas it had snowed since 1948 or something like that. But earlier in the day I couldn't help but feeling a little sad for my kids that they (most likely) would never experience the thrill of waking up on Christmas morning with inches of snow already on the ground while the white fluffy flakes continue to fall gently from the sky. I'm so thankful for the years we spent in climates that allowed those childhood fantasies to be fulfilled.
As I was talking with a friend, she mentioned that one of her boys had declared, after hearing that Christmas was just days away, that then it would snow. She had to gently let him down to the fact that most likely there would be no snow. That even though so many of the Christmas movies and stories show Christmas and snow arriving at the same time, that isn't always the case. I have also had a couple of different conversations recently about different Christmas traditions. This got me to thinking about the different things that signify, to me, that Christmas time is here.
So here goes round #3 for a "list" post. Please take the time, if you can, to leave comments regarding your own family traditions or things that signify Christmas to you!

1. First and foremost is the Christmas music that we pull out very early on in the season that helps bring the Christmas spirit and joy in on the right foot! Some of my favorite Christmas CDs are; Amy Grant's - A Christmas Album, 4Him's - Season of Love, Carpenters' - Christmas Portrait, The Chipmunks' - Christmas with the Chipmunks, Michael W. Smith's - christmastime. These are just a few but definitely get the most "air" time!
2. Christmas lights - we don't ever put any up on the outside of our house but I love seeing the houses all decorated. And to be quite honest, I really don't mind the big blow-up yard decorations.
3. Though we missed both this year, for the past couple of years our old small group from Bethany has went to the mountains for a playing-in-the-snow/cutting-down-a-tree trip and the ladies have a cookie exchange/craft night. It is such a joy and a blessing to be able to gather with friends who share our belief in a holy baby born of a virgin who would later be our risen Saviour. The ultimate Christmas gift! What an amazing gift that was and continues to be!
4. Christmas programs at church and school.
5. The buying of the girls' Christmas dresses and then the bringing them home and having them try them on for Daddy. I love to see them get all "foo-fooed" up and then watch them spin and twirl. I can still remember the feel of it myself and how much like a princess that certain dress can make you feel.
6. Taking a day to bake and make Christmas candy with my mom and sisters. Some years are more extravagant than others but we always have a lot of fun and of course enjoy the "fruits of our labor".
7. I was very lucky to marry into a family who celebrates on Christmas Eve. Because we've never moved away, we have never had to choose for ourselves how our immediate family would go about opening our gifts. Traditionally, we spend Christmas Eve at Keith's parents house. We have dinner together, open gifts and if we are lucky get to sneak in a game or two before its off to church for the Christmas Eve service.
8. After last night, I would have to say that my favorite tradition would be attending our churches Christmas Eve service. It is beautiful and wonderful and is the perfect way to bring all your thoughts right back around to the true and real meaning of Christmas.
9. I suppose this goes along with #7 but MY family has always celebrated on Christmas Day. On the off years that we actually aren't living with my parents we usually head out to Mom and Dad's after the Candlelight Christmas Eve service, where we all crash in empty rooms to be ready for getting up bright and early. My sisters make homemade bagels and cinnamon rolls and we sit around the tree and the Christmas story is read. Then we open gifts. I love the family time spent together.

Well, these are a big part of the list, though I'm sure I'm missing some things. As I finish up this post, the rain is coming down in icy sheets and I can't help but wish that we might wake to a wonderland of white!

Merry, Merry Christmas!

We Wish You A Merry Christmas!

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love and Hugs from the McCoy Gang

Deck the Halls (or walls) . . . with lots of color

Yes it's true! Paint, we've got paint! I'd actually say we are about 95% done with painting the inside of the house. Of course, that doesn't include doors, door jams or trim. Besides, doors are highly overrated. Kidding . . . we like doors. We're just trying to keep an upbeat attitude about having to pee in a bathroom w/o a door. But at least we now get to go in a toilet and not a bucket in the garage. WOW! How did I get so off track with my original thought? Must be the lack of sleep and completely overworked mind and body.
So getting back to what I was saying. Our halls and walls have been decked out with color. And not just a little color or a light color. We are talking in your face color! Now some of these color combo's were not my idea and some didn't exactly have the effect I was originally going for but overall I'm thrilled, absolutely thrilled with the paint. I'd love to show you pictures but they just don't do the colors and rooms justice. Really, they need to be seen in person. Which means, ya'all will just have to come over when we are moved in to see what sort of crazy combo's I came up with.

Now about the halls and walls of my trip to NYC/DC. Lets touch on a few things about my (our) trip. This was my first trip back east. It was definitely an eye opener in a wonderful way. I loved both cities and would go back in an instant. On our first full day in NYC, we rode the subway in to Manhattan. (We are not wealthy people and were gone for 11 days so to be able to afford this trip had to stay out in Queens. Jamaica-Queens to be exact.) When we came up out of the subway station, got our bearings and started walking up (up isn't actually accurate since we were heading east) 42nd St towards Broadway, it was a bit overwhelming. Buildings so high with all sorts of advertisements and billboards and TV screens right on them. The streets and sidewalks were so crowded. The hustle and bustle was phenomenal. We definitely looked and acted the part of the average tourist. Cameras out and clicking away. Maps out trying to find exactly where we were headed, all while our heads are cocked back at these insane angles trying to take everything in. You could definitely say we "absorbed" as much of the city as possible.

Time goes by so fast . . . .

I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted. I have to be honest. Trying to stick with only titling my posts with names or phrases from songs has kinda been a hindrance. Also I feel like I have so much to share about my trip that I don't' even know where to start. Plus I really wanted to post pictures along with my stories but that proves a little more difficult. So I just haven't blogged at all, which is bad and not good and a tad bit sad. Lets see. What are some things that happened since my last post? My very, very good friend in Oregon gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, my niece in Kansas turned 2, we got our house sheet rocked, textured and Keith primed the whole thing last night after work and I went to NY and DC! We also had our first snowfall and then horrendous flooding in the area, though we weren't affected by it. God is good. Our garage had started leaking through the roof but then during the worst part of the rain it stopped. We have all of our flooring, all our kitchen cabinets and all of our doors in the garage besides for all of Keith's tools and such. It could have been pretty bad but God protected our stuff and we are so grateful. Today we start painting the house and that will probably take us a couple of days. I will be posting pictures of the trip and house soon and also filling you in on all the glorious details of my amazing trip!

It's been a hard days night . . .

Well, I feel the need to clarify and then apologize. Clearly I had no idea how bad things could get when I ranted about sawdust over a month ago, but now I know. And honey, it ain't a pretty picture!!! Sawdust don't got nothing on insulation! I do believe that stuff is of the devil, sent straight from the HOT PLACE!
We've kicked the "remodel" project into high gear and have been at the house as much as possible including weekends. My body truly aches in places that are completely unimaginable. But with the aches and pains comes a sense of pride and accomplishment. It is getting done and WE are the ones doing it. Plumbing and electrical have been completed and today the last of the insulation was reinstalled. Let me tell you that stuff is nasty. After taking an extra long shower, I still feel as though I have tiny shards of glass stuck in my face, hands, arms and neck. It's even oozing out from my eyeballs, which are still burning 9 hours later. The sheet rock should be going up the middle of next week. I'm hoping to get some sort of painting done before us 4 girls take off for the "big city", even if it is just primer. We'll see though.
Well, I'm off - I should be sleeping like a log (or was that dog?).

I'm in heaven, I get carried away . . .

It's back!!! And I'm a happy, happy woman!

If any of you ever watched Ally McBeal - picture with me the episode where they go thru all the steps to truly enjoy a latte'. First, hold the hot cup in your hands and let the warmth permeate into your fingers. Next, bring the cup up to your face and before taking your first sip briefly smell the delightful scents wafting from the opening. Then slowly, very slowly, take your first swallow. Enjoying the taste of the coffee and the spiciness of the gingerbread and the bite of the nutmeg sprinkled on top of the fluffy, light whipped cream.

It is glorious, it is heaven, IT is a Gingerbread Latte'!

.... and then I don't feel so bad!

21. Volleyball. Watching it on TV is great, actually playing is better. I even played on my jr. high school team as well as our high school team while I lived in Montana. I was the setter!
22. Playing games. Unlike my dear friend, JA, I thoroughly enjoy trivia games. I'm really not that good at them but I still love to play them. Of course they have so many different trivia type games that I usually go for the ones I'm more familiar with. Like the Pop Culture edition of Trivial Pursuit or the Scene It games - Disney, Movies, Friends, TV and Squabble editions. (Notice no Harry Potter or ESPN Sports.)
23. Listening to my kids play together. I love to pretend to be engrossed in something when they are playing and have them not realize I'm listening in. They still have such an innocence about them and yet they are maturing and it brings back memories of my first "loves" and friendships from when I was a young girl.
24. Christmas music. I know y'all are thinking - not music again. But music is such a HUGE part of my life and Christmas music deserves it's very own spot on "the list". Today is the first time I've listened to Christmas music this year. When I was younger we started listening to it not long after we went back to school. After getting married, Keith restricted me to Oct - Dec. I've actually tried to hold off until November but usually don't make it. But Oct 27th isn't that bad, if I do say so myself.
25. Shopping.
26. But even more than shopping - I love getting a bargain. Matter fact, I'm so much of a bargain shopper that I won't even shop at the thrift stores until they have 50% off sales. The clearance racks are the first ones I head to in any given store and lots of the time I won't even check out the other racks.
27. Candles. My favorite scents are food type scents. Like brownies and coffee and caramel. My favorite is Belgian Waffle from Partylite.
28. Fires in the wood stove. I love the smell, feel and sound of it.
29. Camping. While growing up, my family tried the whole camping thing a number of times. No lie, every single time we went it rained! I'm not joking or exaggerating. When I met Keith he was an avid camper and hiker. I decided to give it another try which is kinda ironic because we live in the Pacific NW, really how often are you going to go camping and it not rain? Keith must have prayed a lot because now I love it! (Though I do admit that we have a tent trailer now so camping in the rain is a bit easier. Also, we plan on getting a regular trailer hopefully by next summer which means it won't matter at all how much it rains. We cheat!)
30. Road trips. If I had the option of driving or flying, hands down I'd choose driving 95% of the time.
31. Autumn - my favorite season of the year.
32. Watching TV on DVD. Once again - I cheat, but being able to watch a 60 min program in 44 minutes is not only a time saver but if you have to pause it you can and you don't have to wait a whole week to watch the next episode!
33. The beach - not the shore - but the warm, sandy beaches of Southern Callie. I guess once a So Cal girl always a So Cal girl.
34. In n' Out Burger. (Speaking of So Cal.)
35. Log Cabins. We lived in one in Montana. I loved that little house. If I was going to build my dream home it would be a log home.
36. I love smiling. Smiling's my favorite! (ha, ha!)
37. Laughing and making other people laugh.

I simply remember my favorite . . .

Okay, so I'm going to try and do a "list" of some of the things that I love. These are in no specific order and are completely random thoughts. We will see if I can do this without trying to write an explanation on every single thing. Hopefully, this will be a sort of getting to know you kinda post. Please feel free to leave comments on your favorite things as well!!!

1. My knew CD that was given to me for my birthday - Coco by Colbie Caillat. You should definitely check this one out!
2. Driving fast - I would love to be in a long distance race like in the old Herbie the Love Bug movies from Disney.
3. Chocolate - anything
4. Coffee - iced or hot, anytime of day - caffeinated. I prefer Starbucks espresso but can't stand their coffee, weird huh?
5. Being a stay-at-home Mom. I can't imagine there being anything more desirable.
6. Snow - the more the better. I'm not afraid to drive in it but other peoples tendencies to be a bit stupid in the snow keep me home for the most part when it's snowing. While living in Montana it snowed on Halloween and from then on we had snow until after Easter!!!
7. My favorite time of year is Christmas. I love the extra time spent with family doing "holiday" things like playing games, watching Christmas movies, making candy and baking. Even the occasional craft night is thoroughly enjoyed during Christmas time.
8. Reading. When I was a kid my parents used to punish me by taking away my books. Sheer torture, I tell ya!!! I have been devouring the Christian fiction from our local library lately. Mystery with a bit of romance is the best! My favorite book of all time is The Hawk and the Jewel by Lori Wick, the first in her Kensington Chronicles series.
9. Music - in a wide variety of genre's. For the most part I like it if it can be sung to/with. (I'm thinking of titling my posts from now on, names of songs or lines from songs. Think it can be done?)
10. Singing. You might say that this is the same as #9 but I feel it's completely separate. Many people like music but don't enjoy singing. Not me and not my family. We sing, we sing everything. You say something, we respond with a song. I wish that I was a better singer but I enjoy it enough that it doesn't bother me, I guess.
11. Harmony. Yes this does go along with #10 but it is so important that I feel it deserves a spot on the list all by itself. I love hearing it and I love singing in harmony with others. Singing with my mom, dad, sisters, daughters, sisters-in-law, brother-in-law and friends from Ecola is amazing!
12. My husbands fajitas! One of the few meals he cooks but when he does - watch out, you're in for a treat!
13. Scrapbooking - The best gift I was ever given was everything I needed to get started in scrapbooking. It was a gift from my husband and was a complete surprise. Also, my dad got me a scrapbooking table that is right up there with my scrapbooking supplies because my dad never gets gifts for people, that's kinda my moms job. He used to get us girls chap stick every year for Christmas but stopped because we teased him so much about it. Now we really miss getting a new brand/flavor every year.
14. My favorite "religious" holiday is Easter. I LOVE the message of Palm Sunday and cry every year when I'm reminded of the ultimate gift and sacrifice my Savior made for ALL who would believe, but would have given solely for me! What an awesome God we serve!
15. Babies - love 'em! Screaming, crying, smiley, giggly, poopy or freshly changed. You need a baby held, I'm your gal. At one point in my life, I wanted to have eight kids!!!
16. Disneyland - it is absolutely the Happiest Place on Earth!!!!
17. Churros from Disneyland. While there on our honeymoon, Keith and I went crazy over the churro's. We would walk past a vendor and purchase a couple and then keep walking thru the park. If we came across another churro vendor we would buy a couple more even if our first ones weren't gone!!! I've yet to find a churro that compares.
18. Flip-flops or as my mom would call them - thongs!! Hee, hee!
19. Pedicures - I had my first pedicure in June of 2002 for my baby sister's wedding. I can count on both hands the times I've had a pedicure since then but it is unquestionably one of the most decadent things you can pay to have done to yourself (that's legal!). But you have to go with a friend, that makes all the difference in the world!
20. Receiving emails from friends and family.

Okay, well this doesn't even come close to covering ALL OF MY FAVORITE THINGS, but it's a good start!

Updates

Just wanted to briefly "update" a couple of older posts:

After Fall coming unseasonably early to the Pacific NW, yesterday was a delightful treat. It was 73*F degrees. A t-shirt w/o jacket or sweatshirt, flip-flops and an iced Carmel Macchiato helped make the day perfect (weather-wise)! I'm really looking forward to a couple more sunshiny days towards the end of this week. We might even try to throw in a visit to the pumpkin patch.

As far as the NY/DC trip is concerned, my sister has our itinerary basically done (Thanks Janeen!), and boy is it FULL! We have so much planned that I don't even know where to start. Hopefully we will be eating at one of Bobby Flay's restaurants, ice skating at the Wollman Rink on Thanksgiving (after the Macy's parade, of course), seeing a play on Broadway starring Jennifer Garner (my all time favorite actress), getting dessert at Serendipity 3 (from the movie Serendipity), going on numerous tours and seeing numerous memorials, watching the tree lighting ceremony at Rockefellar Center; just to name a few. We are still very excited!

Work on the house is still progressing, Praise the Lord. We now have a front porch and covered deck along with gutters! Plumbing is almost completely finished and about a days worth of electrical left to do. Then we are ready for sheet rockers! After that we should be painting and then flooring goes in or kitchen (not sure which one we will do first). Hopefully I'll be posting pictures soon!