purging...

i've been in a crazy purging mode the last few weeks... something about coming home to my modest house after a 2 week vacation made me realize i have way too much stuff that i will NEVER need again...

I've made pretty good progress... B's room is finally under control and has been for almost a week now...

and my office... holy scary land... i've been crazy busy coming and going and when most things don't have a place to live well... it gets VERY out of hand...

naturally the best part for me of these projects are the gems i find along the way...

like this...

my senior portrait...
class of 1988...
noblesville high school...
i was a lady miller...and i wore too much makeup!!!

i found 30 wallet size copies of this and a few 5x7...

why on earth did i keep them? no idea, but they have left for a landfill somewhere in WA... and i got a good laugh...

what michael jackson song are you...

over on facebook i took a little quiz in honor of the pop king... what michael jackson song are you

You are "Thriller" - Michael Jackson's great song. You like to have fun, but at the same time you enjoy excitement and....well... thrill. There is a lot of energy in you which you don't show to others. But sometimes when people don't see you, you become unpredictable. You can transform into something else - a monster: a werewolf, vampire or a zombie. But a friendly monster. If an old lady needed some help while crossing a street, you would generously help her even as a monster. And of course you would dance the famous "Thriller" dance in the middle of the street with her!

favorite things about summer...

• 2 weeks with my family in Rhode Island
• cocktails on the deck at the end of the day with super hubby
• sleeping with the windows open
• all the photo ops
• my garden... i love how my garden looks in the summer
• corn on the cob
• cherries... cherries... cherries...
• the smell of fresh rain

and for me... this picture sums up summer with the paklets

what is it i do all day...

i've never really talked about what it is a i do...

you've gathered by now that i travel a bit... from travel stories... people watching... and just random photos i've posted... i have one widget that says i've traveled 57k miles in the last 12 months... that just plain scares me...

me with the BIC boy...taken Jan-07

so officially i'm a senior account manager for BIC Graphic USA... yes the same BIC that makes pens and razors... lighters and markers...wind surfers and kayaks... and once upon a time we made perfume... imagine...

my territory is Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska...

i work for the promotional division that customizes products for company promotion... when people ask what i do all day my standard answer is... "i'm solving the worlds promotional needs one pen at a time..." you can pretty much put your company name on anything... it's a $18 billion industry...

i've been with BIC 11 years now... and i must say a lot has changed in the last decade... and no two days are the same...

fun facts to wow your friends with...

• BIC sold it's 100 billionth pen in september 2005... enough pens to go from the earth to the moon end to end 40 times...
• BIC pens have 1.2 miles of uninterrupted writing... that is 10 times the height of the Eiffel Tower...
• a BIC pen changes hands on average 8-10 times in it's life time...

Have you ever wondered how the pocket protector got its start? It was a promotional product designed to sell slip-on vinyl covers that protected loose-leaf binders.

sunday stealing...

Cheers to all us thieves!



1. What thing is nearest to you ? my family

2. What is your ringtone ? who knows

3. What was the last message in your inbox ? email from a long lost friend from HS

4. Who is your best friend ? my husband

5. What is the brand of your TV ? don't remember

6. What schools did you attend? roger williams

7. Do you own a MP4 ? no

8. What song are you listening to now ? frogs in my back yard

9. Did you kiss anybody in the past 2 days ? my husband and my kids

10. Have you ever kissed someone you met in the blogosphere? no... random!

11. What would you want to call if you weren't your current name? like my name

12. Would you be happy if you had everything? no way of knowing

13. Are you always thinking of someone special? yes

14. Tell us of your most desperate dream? hunted by storm troopers

15. When did you last laugh till you cried? last night

16. If you had a crush, would you tell them you love him/her now ? yes

17. If you could be anywhere in the world now, where would you want to be ? vacation

18. When was your heart last broken? 15 years ago

19. Whose birthday(s) is/are coming up? super hubby

20. How many email accounts do you have? 3

sunday stealing...

this was supposed to be the most hated... but i really don't like that word... i just can't deal with too much negative right now... i listen to complaining all day...

so... i'm taking a blog liberty and changing to loved...

1. Most loved food: Mexican

2. Most loved person: super hubby

3. Most loved job: ... this one was hard... polishing silver

4. Most loved city: boston

5. Most loved band: no question... the Police

6. Most loved (non-blog) website: google

7. Most loved TV program: Friday Night Lights

8. Most loved politician: Claiborne Pell

9. Most loved artist: none

10. Most loved book: time travelers wife

11. Most loved shop or store: target

12. Most loved organization: ???

13. Most loved historical event: this last presidential election

14. Most loved sport: to watch... football

15. Most loved technology: my kindle

16. Most loved annual event: 2 week family vacation @ my parents

17. Most loved daily task: going to bed

18. Most loved comedian: ellen

19. Most loved blog: Cheaper than Therapy

20. Most loved song: every little thing she does

Saturday 9: It's My Party

join the rest of the party here...

1. Do you prefer to host or be a guest at a party? host
2. Would you rather go to a large party or a small dinner party? small dinner party
3. What is you worst flaw? perfectionist
4. What is you best character trait? adaptability
5. What habit in others annoys you? sniffling
6. What qualities in others do you admire? patience
7. If you could change something about yourself, what would it be? my patience
8. Do you tend to be shy with strangers? no
9. Do you prefer to lead or follow in a group of people? lead

my first blogoversary...

blogoversary... what a strange word...

it's been 365 days since i really got in to this blog thing... 222 posts... i'm rather proud of this number given that i'm gone so many nights on the road... but then i mastered the art of mobile blogging so watch out #2!

it all started with my first nephew...

but my favorite posts this year were...

oprah rant and friends...
wormies...
back yard adventures...
7 year old wisdom...
paying someone else to live my life...
the pants...
poprs...
a day in my life...

and in honor of my blogoversary i think i will give away a prize...

a little something something from the something store...
it was fun last time... just leave me a comment and your entered... nothing more needed...
open til the end of the year ;)

Sometimes you feel like a nut, Sometimes you don't

So Amy Amy Bo Bamey tagged me for the Motherload Meme. And i think motherload is an understatement...

Rule 1. List the first ten people who have commented on one of your blog posts.

i picked - the more i remember the more i cry because it seemed like 9 is my magic comment number but this one had 16...

1. The Mom
2. Amy Amy Bo Bamey
3. Insane Mama
4. Kristen
5. Adcock Circus
6. C and C Mommy
7. pb&j in a bowl
8. Shannon
9. anti-supermom
10. Briana

Rule 2. The meme questions: 10 Blogs, 15 Questions.

What is your favorite post from #3's blog? a great story about buying bras with her mom when she was a teenager.... i cried i was laughing so hard... and i would have linked it up except she has gone in to blogger witness protection...

Has #10 taken any pictures that have moved you? this was my first trip there... so i'd have to say it was certainly the photo of the cattle running thru downtown Dallas from her office window...

Does #6 reply to comments on their blog? yes she does

Which part of Blogland is #2 from? California

If you could give one piece of advice to #7 what would it be? keep that pink xmas tree until if falls apart...

Have you ever tried something from #9's blog?

Has #1 blogged something that inspired you? just about everything she posts inspires me...

How often do you comment on #4's blog? almost every time i visit... she's a fave!!!

Do you wait excitedly for #8 to post? i read her regularly, but i'm not sure excited is the right word...

How did #5's blog change your life? she certified my belief that i only want two kids...

Do you know any of your 10 bloggers in person? nope

Do any of your 10 know each other? not that i know of.

Out of the 10, which updates more frequently? They all update pretty frequently, that is why my google reader is full!

Which of the 10 keep you laughing? Amy and Jen are the one's that make me laugh the most... especially Amy and her videos...

Which of the 10 made you cry (good or bad) tears? i can't come up with one... except that insane mama post about the bra shopping... that came pretty close.

So If I posted about your blog, it is your turn! Play on unless you were tagged already by Amy :)

i have got to meet this woman...

my brother might get an unexpected visit some day real soon so i can have a IRL moment of my own.... i mentioned i on Friday... then today i did this muffin test she showed me and guess what??? we are the same... although i'm not so sure about this snob comment... lately i've been feeling a lot like a snob...

What Kind of Muffin Are You?
You Are a Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin

You are smart, sophisticated, and savvy.You love taking risks, and you are the first to know about new trends.You are curious about the world and tend to have many interests.You also are very talented. It sometimes seems like you are good at everything.You are very social and inclusive. You'll be friends with anyone.Even though you're very cultured, you're not a snob.

homemade costumes

there is a reason mom's don't make kids costumes anymore... it takes way too long... and it's a pain in the ass... I broke 3 sewing machine needles in the process of making this beauty...



Taken with cell phone so sorry the quality is crap...

My top account was having an event that required dressing up and the theme was quick turn... naturally working for BIC... i had to be a pen ( a Clic Stic) ... available in 24 hours :)

I'm VERY proud of it... but i'll think twice before doing this again...

6 things....

thanks to google alerts i found one of my new stalkers... Life as We know it... and she tagged me to tell 6 things about me that you wouldn't already know... she did point out the obvious... i blog so you know a lot... here it goes... i chose the most random things...

1. in high school i chewed tobacco (random i know... not to mention GROSS)
2. my fondest memory of my dad is collecting snowflakes and taking their picture
3. i have twin brothers... one 6'7" and the other is 6'4" (I'm 5'10")
4. i took out a personal ad in '92 and dated one guy for a year and a half
5. i want to run for school board
6. i am over the top nostalgic

it's my birthday...

So why not... share a favorite photo of me @ age 7....

wordless wednesday... almost

as of saturday i've been married 10 years!!!
the flowers on my wedding day... red gerber daisies...my favorite!!!

Google alerts says...Tag your it!

so i use google alerts... i use it to find out what is going on with my big accounts, my brothers company Sharendipity... and when someone has a link to me here... that is how i found out i was tagged... by someone i'm not sure i've been to more than once... love when that happens... thanks to Dawn my new friend... you will learn a bit more about me



1. What were you doing ten years ago:

I was getting ready for my wedding... on the 27th i will have been married to super hubby 10 years!

2. Five things on my to do list for today:

1. sales report and call in with boss
2. return misprints from CLIX and get
the correct pictures
3. expense report
4. schedule appointment for
cortisone shot for my back pain
5. clean up desk

3. What is your favorite snack?

popcorn and chocolate


4. If I were a millionaire I would:

remodel my kitchen and bathrooms, pay for 1 person a year to go to college, buy my mother in law some place to live

5. Places I have lived:
New Jersey, Michigan, Indiana, Rhode Island, Washington
*** number of houses a whole different story... i'm in my 15th address now :)

Top 5 Tuesday

Super Nanny Where are you does this every week... this one seemed like fun...

So here are my answers:

1.) How long have you been blogging?

I had my first blog in June of 2004... I had no idea why i started this... very evident when you read the first post... and then when i started again in December of 2007 i couldn't get pakadventures and went with pakletadventures... stupid me didn't realize that i was the one who had pakadventures :)

2.) Link to your first blog post ever?

i'm not sure the first one counts... so like Super Nanny i'm going with 2...
first post on original site... click here...

first post her at paklet adventures... click here...

3.)What is the one driving force that actually made you create that blog account?

my family and friends are all over the country and i'm always trying to find a way to keep them in the loop... somehow i've gotten way of track... most weeks things aren't even about my kids... and it has now become a creative outlet/escape for me...and this way all the stories are in one place...

4.)How did you come up with your blog name and what were other names you considered?

When B was born i started this weekly email... the adventures of Ben... i wrote from his perspective about the things he was doing... my friends made fun of me... but it was fun... naturally there were lots of pictures... it then became the adventures of Ben and Charlie... and somehow i started referring to them as the Paklets... and here i am...

5.) Post a link to your favorite blog post ever.

I have no idea if i have one of these... wormies is up there... for no reason other than i love how C is about worms... and this one makes me laugh every time i watch it...

things to do before i die

In Random fashion I came across Jennifer @ the peterson's go public.. and this great post...

she had heard on the radio recently that Dave Freeman, 47, co-author of the book 100 Things To Do Before You Die-----died. He fell and hit his head and that was it. Apparently he was only half way through his list too......

As you might remember I'm not as boring as I thought...

how boring am I....

But there's still a lot more I would love to do before I'm too old...

My random find suggested an even 20 seemed do-able and I agree.... her you go...

20 THINGS I WANT TO DO BEFORE I DIE (in no particular order and not as earth shattering as I thought they would be... what is holding me back???):

1. Attend an NFL game
2. walk the great wall of china with "B"
3. pay for someone I don't know to go to college
4. visit Denmark with super hubby
5. learn how to knit... I think I knew once... but can't remember
6. learn to surf
7. overcome my fear of heights
8. drive cross country with my kids and visit everything along the way
9. spend a week at a spa with my mom
10. attend an Olympic event... as a spectator :)
11. win a photography contest
12. meet Sting
13. speak another language fluently
14. drive a tractor trailer
15. run for public office... i'm thinking school board
16. write a book
17. see the pyramids
18. spend the night in the ice hotel
19. have a king size bed to sleep in every night
20. live abroad for at least a year
    
    ***And I would LOVE to read your list! Let me know when you make it!***

I see Jenn @ Jenn's Pen did this too...

the more of these lists i see the more i think maybe i could do 100... i'm down with most of hers as well.... maybe 21. commit to my choices.