I've been tagged by an elf! (or something)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? This is a toughie. I want to say "gift bags", because they're so much easier to peek in. (Yup, I'm a peeker - even at the age of 34. I can't help myself. I HAVE to know what's in there!) But, honestly, I prefer paper. You can make a paper-wrapped gift so much more... festive or something. I don't know. Like I said, it's a toughie.

2. Real tree or Artificial? I'm not gonna lie. I dig a fake tree. (for myself) Real trees smell DELICIOUS, but I like to have my tree up for about 6 weeks (maybe 8, depending on the year/mood) - and a real tree just can't make it that long.

3. When do you put up the tree? It depends on the year/mood, really. I've put it up as early as the weekend before Thanksgiving on years that I leave for Thanksgiving (so it'll be "Christmas" when I get back to my place). If I stay home for Turkey-Day, I do it that morning as the turkey cooks.

4. When do you take the tree down? There are two possible answers to this question, and it depends on how I'm feeling about the tree on New Year's Day. If I'm ready for it to come down - then it's down that day. If I'm still loving it... it stays until MLK weekend.

5. Do you like eggnog? Uhh, yeah. I drink it. I also bake with it and/or make ice cream out of it. LOVE THE STUFF! (My fav is an eggnog/sprite mix - 2/3 sprite to 1/3 nog makes a fizzy, delightful holiday treat!)

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Wow. I don't know. There were so many fab presents. The two that stand out most in  my memory are the year we got beds and the year of the unicorn. Oh, that unicorn was something else. I'll have to see if I can find a pic of it and I'll do a whole unicorn-themed post. (There's a little goodie for you all to look forward to.)

7. Hardest person to buy for? This year? Nature Girl. But, as that was a once-in-a-lifetime thing, I'm pretty sure, I'll go ahead and give the real answer - my brother Brett. He's a toughie.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Uhm... me? (Do I count? I cannot go out this time of year and NOT buy myself all kinds of stuff. Seriously, I budget for myself. You never know what Uncle Remus will want to buy me, you know.)

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, I have two. And I love them both. One is a little tiny guy - there are about 7 pieces, they're all clear glass and sit on a 5 inch round mirror. I got it from my friend Jo my first Christmas in Utah, when I wasn't going to be able to go home. My other is just Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus - also from Jo, my first Christmas in my apartment in Mesa. I'm SUPER LUCKY to have them (both the nativities AND Jo)! :) 

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Wow. There are people who email Christmas cards? Oh, that's horrible. I mean - HORRIBLE. (Mind you, I haven't actually sent cards - of any kind - for a few years, but if I did, I'd be UPSPing it)

11. Favorite Christmas Movie? Oooh, another toughie. I'm gonna have to go with It's A Wonderful Life (followed very closely by White Christmas, Holiday Inn, Miracle on 34th Street (the original) and Christmas Vacation - it's very nearly a 5 way tie)

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Where is 12? Oh well. One less to answer. Um, it depends. Pretty much whenever I see something I want to buy. I've been known to pick stuff up early (this year I picked some things up in Mexico in October) - but there are always a couple things I have to run out and get on Christmas Eve.

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Probably fudge. Or divinity. Or maybe sugar cookies. Or peanut brittle. Or maybe Sees'  chocolates. Or pumpkin roll. Honestly, there are so many delicious things to eat... I can't pick just one. 

15. Lights on the tree? Yes, please. And on the walls. And around the roof. And on the bushes out front. Anywhere we can get them, actually.

16. Favorite Christmas song? Oh, this is a toughie. Favorite to sing? Christmas Waltz. Oh, I love to sing that one... I sing it year round in the car and in the shower. Favorite to hear, and sit and ponder? O Little Town of Bethlehem. I love the words in that one, the promise in the 3rd verse is the most humbling thing to me. I love it!

17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Define home. Home in my apt, or home at my mom & dad's? Both, actually. I'm here at the folks' until Christmas Eve mid-day, and then am headed home to my house for the actual day.

18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Thanks to Deano's version of Rudolph, I sure can... "You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen... Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen... but do you recall the most famous reindeer of all...?" (Oh yeah, I'm totally singing it now. Hope you are too.) 

19. Angel on the tree top or a star? Always a star. I have a wood star that my brother Kirk made me back when he was in high school. It's the sweetest little 6 inch wooden star - and I love it!

20. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? Both. We grew up doing one present Christmas Eve (not the jammy thing... we could pick whichever gift we wanted) - and then we'd get Santa and the rest of the presents on Christmas morning.

21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? People get annoyed this time of year? Really? Who knew?! ... I can't think of a thing. I'm not even kidding.

22.Favorite Ornament theme or color? Red, hands down. "She likes red!" (1o pts to anyone who can name the movie reference there)

23. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Hahaha... okay, you're gonna love this. The Christmas Tree Pizzas. We make them on Christmas Eve every year. Mom does bread dough in the shape of a tree and then we "decorate" pizzas. Pepperoni, ham, onion rings and olives are ornaments, pineapple and/or tomatoes are the star at the top of the tree, different colors of bell peppers are the garland, with more pineapple and tomatoes to spruce it up. Yum!

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? Organic, Eco-friendly, and Sustainable. HA! I'm kidding, of course. I don't want to save the world, I'm more the type that diamond earrings - a new vacuum - Christian Bale and/or Hugh Jackman - a pampered chef choppie thing - a barette big enough to hold ALL of my hair - lasik surgery - some yummy hot chocolate - a new book - and... to have a peaceful and happy day. :)

Merry Christmas to every one of you! My blog and I appreciate your traffic and your comments, esp at this merry time of year!  

Can a girl be picked twice in the same game of tag?

I ask, because my cousins Shelly and Lisa tagged me in this one. Bless them... I'm gonna go right ahead and assume it's because it thrills and delights them to learn a little more about me. (Rather than the obvious of, when you have to tag someone... I'm a good bet, because I can never pass it up. Which, I know, is the real reason they did it. But whatever.)

So... This is the 5 Things Tag

1) What 5 shows do you watch?

   a) Heroes (even though I can't figure who's good & who's bad this year)

   b) Lost (yes, I'm counting it even though it doesn't come on until January)

   c) Desperate Housewives (don't judge me...)

   d) Prison Break (on dvd... I'm almost thru season 3 and it's killing me...)

   e) Pushing Daisies (I'm HEARTBROKEN that it's being cancelled)

2) What 5 restaurants do you eat at over and over again?

   a) Salty's (but only in Scottsdale - their salsa is FABULOUS!)

   b) Paradise Bakery (Mmmmm.... the crumbly blue cheese salad)

   c) Cheesecake Factory (Chicken Madeira... need I say more?)

   d) My Big Fat Greek Restaurant  (best hummus in the whole wide world) 

   e) Texas Roadhouse (best ribs EVER!)

3) 5 things that happened today

   a) I woke up (at 6:30)

   b) I was able to go back to sleep (a thing which hardly ever happens)

   c) I woke up again (at 9:15)

   d) I had some pecan pie - and a waffle - for breakfast

   e) Uhm... I started this post? (So far, it's been a slow day - obviously.)

4) 5 things I'm looking forward to

   a) Lunch (is that so wrong?)

   b) The Dark Knight coming out on dvd.

   c) My next netflix movie. (It's as close as it comes to personal mail for me.)

   d) Going to Australia (the movie) with Myra.

   e) December's book club (I do love Little Women)

5) 5 things on my wish list

   a) A new vacuum. (You  know, one that'll suck up cat hair.)

   b) A new car. (One that has a blinker that works... all the time.)

   c) To be able to go to Cousin Shelly's wedding in January.

   d) A pampered chef choppy thing. (I love those. I need one!)

   e) A date with a guy who is taller than me, who talks in complete sentences (some of them being questions he's asking me), and, most importantly doesn't campout in a bus, on a goat farm.

I now tag the following people: Genevra Lynn, Jennifer June, Lizzie, Myra and Geniel

6 Quirky Things About Me

Yeah, so... my sister-in-law, Brea, tagged me almost a month ago and I'm FINALLY getting around to it. (Sorry, Brea.) I'm ridiculously late, but here ya go. :)

1) I love cold water. Not ice water, mind you, cold water. It can be ice cold and I'm fine. I'm just not a fan of the actual ice. (Unless I have a straw. If I have a straw, I can deal with the ice. I just don't like the stuff hitting my teeth.)

2) I've been cracking my knuckles since I was 11. It's sad. It's disgusting. But it's true. I was sitting in Primary (Merrie Miss B, to be exact), in the old church, in the closet that was our classroom and Lori Adams was cracking her knuckles. I'd never heard that sound before, and I thought it was AWESOME, so I tried it. I got hooked quickly, and even though I can't stand that I do it, I still crack them almost every day.

3) I love a true-story movie. I'm an absolute SAP. It doesn't matter what it's about (horses, football, hockey, mad scientists, the civil war... anything), I love the inspirational story, the big swell of the background music, the sappy endings. Aahhhhh, those are good times.

4) My favorite dip? Green onion. I love it! A lot of people have never heard of it, or have never tasted it (thinking that the french onion dip is the only only onion dip out there). Oh, the green onion stuff is fantastic! I love it with potato chips, carrots, on sandwiches (instead of mayo). Oooooh, yum!

5) I can't sleep in anymore. It's tragic, but it's true. I've been waking up between 6:00 and 6:30 in the AM every day since... oh, 1987, pretty much, and I'm sorry to say that it's taken its toll. I have an internal clock that just goes off every morning. It's horrible. Sometimes I can get back to sleep, but the days of sleeping in until 9:00? Long gone...

6) I cut my own hair, and I always have. Almost exclusively. There was a period in my 20's when I had short (like a boy) hair for about a year, and I couldn't hack that (pun totally intended... I'm cracking myself up over here). And then, twice, when I had layers put in a couple years later. But yeah, since then... it's been all me. It's not always pretty, but at least I can get my hair cut the same day that I reach the point where it HAS to go. (And it's thick & curly enough to hide a multitude of mistakes. And I should know, because I've made a lot of them.)

Photo Tag

Here's a fun little tag... Some of these are gonna be painfully obvious (glaring, really)... while there are others that, hopefully, I've been able to find a pic that'll make you have to think as to the answer. It was a lot of fun, so if any of you folks want to play along, feel free.

My name:

My age:

My(hehehe) maiden name:

My favorite object:

Place I would like to visit: My first job:

My current job:A bad habit of mine:
Where I was born:
Where I live now:

My favorite food:

my other fav food (...don't judge... it'd be like asking one of you which was your fav child... it can't be done)

My fav color: My grandmothers' names:


My best friend's nickname: My college degree (I tried to google images for Randy Webb... this is as close as I could get):

Quirky, quirky me

The Rules:

1. link the person who tagged you (my friend Myra, one of my favorite people in the world - and the most pregnant friend I have - for one more day: http://www.myrajohnsonfamily.blogspot.com/ )
2. post these rules
3. tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
4. tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them

#1 - Inappropriate apostrophes. Few things irk me more than inappropriately placed apostrophes (enter a link to one of my favorite blogs: http://www.apostropheabuse.com/). I see them all the time on those signs people have nailed to the front of their house saying "welcome". You know, the "Welcome to the Simmon's House" signs. Hi, is their last name Simmon? No, it's Simmons. So the sign should say "Welcome to the Simmons' House". Or even worse, when the last name doesn't end in an S - like "Welcome to the Brown's house". Really, who are we calling The Brown around here? Whose nick-name is that, and how did he get it? I shudder to think... Honestly, it's not the hardest grammar rule out there - and yet there are companies making a ridiculous amount of money painting pre-fabbed signs with gross grammatical errors. Argh!

#2 - Water spots on sinks. And counters. And mirrors. I cannot stand them. Esp in a public restroom where who knows how many people have dripped water and then not wiped it up. I am totally compulsive about wiping the water up, getting rid of soap dribbles, drying the mirror - and I'm more fanatical about it when I'm out than I am in my own home. I can't use a public restroom and leave until the counter is dry. It's a disease.

#3 - Dirty dishes in a sink. They make me want to climb a wall. At the risk of solidifying the diagnosis of OCD, let me just say that the only thing worse that dirty dishes piled in the sink is the same stack of dirty dishes with soap and water run over them - with remnants of food floating to the top of the water. (I just threw up a little in my mouth, just thinking about that. Ewh.) Also, to clarify: I'm fine with dirty dishes, not everything has to be washed the moment it is dirtied, don't get me wrong. But dishes need to be rinsed and stacked - on the counter. No dishes with food remnants are to remain in the sink, lest someone runs water over them and floaties appear - but rinsed & stacked dishes on a counter... fine. (I know, weird. But that's what this post is about, right?)

#4 - One of my favorite fantasies is "Where would I live (and how would I live - as in at which income level?) if I were to witness a horrible crime and have to enter the witness protection program?". Honestly, I've been using spare time to create alternate lives all over the world for... oh, about 20 years now. When I'm driving, or cleaning, or (gasp) at work... and I have some free time for my mind to wander, I like to think up different scenarios - where I would live, how I'd cut (& color) my hair, whether I'd get colored contacts, how would I cope with never being able to talk to my family again, where would the money come from, would I want to live on a dude-ranch, or in a villa in Italy, or how about a cute little two bedroom house in the mid-west, could I get a name that no one would mispronounce - is it possible that I'd ever miss being called Lori instead of Laurie? (doubtful), would I still be a member of the church, and would I have to tell my church leaders my real name, and what about children (assuming I have them), would I be able to give them their real lineage, or would the FBI make that up for me, too - where do you draw the line at the identity thing?... Yeah, I'm not kidding. It's truly one of my favorite past-times. I wonder what the FBI would think if they knew the WPP was such good day-dream fodder?

#5 - I don't like chocolate ice cream. I know - weird, huh? I love chocolate. And I love ice cream. And yet... I don't love chocolate ice cream. Except for Rocky Road. I do love Rocky Road. Oh yeah, and Burnt Almond Fudge. So, the common denominator there would be the almonds. So... I don't like chocolate ice cream unless it has almonds in it - and the more, the better. Random, but weird. (And true.)

#6 - The word Sweetheart. I hate it. Not hearing it... I guess as an endearment, it's not so bad. But I hate seeing it in writing. I always read it wrong. I know that this is how you spell sweetheart - but for some reason, when I'm reading it, I turns the t and the h into "th" and it comes out as "sweeth-art", and then I think "What the junk? What is a sweeth-art, and why are they advertising a 2-for-1 sale on video rentals this week?". Yeah, early-mid February is a black time in my life. Every year when the marquee signs go up for "Sweeth-art Sales" I get all flustered... and then mad at myself that after almost 30 years of being able to read the written word... that one still gets me. Seriously....

I now tag: Beal, Jenni, Lisa, Peggy, Kimmie, and... Genevra Lynn (or her nieces - whoever gets to it first)

Tag, I'm "it".

So, my friend Jenni tagged me and now I get to answer a bunch o' questions. Wahoo!

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?

1998... I was living in Provo, slaving in the vault at Central Bank (good times), and living with Melinda and Shanni, I think. I had a huge crush on Scott (one of many 'fhe brothers'). He'd cook dinner with his roommates and invite me & mine over to eat with them. He had curly hair and wore glasses. He was only 5'11", but I still loved him (that's some kind of funny guy, to be able to make me love him when he wasn't tall). I'm pretty sure he was the highlight of that entire summer. I'm equally sure that he never knew that he was my one true love and Shanni and I had set a goal to "set the date in '98". (Like I'd ever gone out with him. Oh no. But we'd giggle and scheme and wish on stars and such. Oh, we were (okay, are) such silly silly girls.)

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list today.
1. Go to work - check.
2. Buy kitty litter - check.
3. Go grocery shopping - left for another day.
4. Finish watching Army Wives (I fell asleep in the last 10 minutes last night) - check.
5. Laundry - left for another day.

3) What are some snacks that I enjoy?

Uhm... I have a shorter list of snacks that I don't enjoy, thanks. I'll list a few of those for you below.

Lay's chips (actually, I do like the classic, but anything other than plain potato chips are grody, per me)
Off-brand Little Debbie's Snacks (why, oh why, do stores even make "store brand" nutty bars? ewh....)
Low-Cal popcorn (I'll take the movie theater butter flavor, thanks)
Non-fat ice cream (this is supposed to be a treat, people!)
Flavored pretzels (I like the original salty kind, but will pass on the flavored crud every time)
Cheap Chocolate (you all know that I love me some chocolate, but I need the good stuff - no Nestle's or Baby Ruth or Hershey's bars for me, thanks.... I'll be taking the European Chocolate Train and riding it until the day I die)

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire.

A billionaire? Really? Well... I'd pay off all my debt (duh). I'd buy myself one heck of a sweet house here in Az, and another in Utah (so I could go and see family and have my own bed to sleep in at the end of the day), as well as a few others across the country - so I could roam at will and still have someplace to call "home". Of course I'd spend a fortune on furniture for all my houses. (Oh, to be able to waltz into a furniture store and buy any and everything I want... That would be a dream come true in and of itself.) Then I'd set to traveling. I'd go all kinds of places. Get so many stamps in my passport that I'd have to add an insert. Oh, and I'd shop. I'd fill every closet in every house with shoes/clothes. I'd have houses full of great stuff that I bought and had shipped across the ocean. I'd drive a car with a cd player and power locks... Oh, and I'd have my eyes lasered, too.

(You may have noticed that I didn't give a dime to charity. That's right, folks. I'm spending my money. I'm a pig - and I don't even care how harshly I am judged for that.)

5) Places I've lived.

Many, many places, my friends. My favorite of which has always been Denial. My clothes may be too tight, my budget may be stretched too thin, I may have food enough in my cupboards to eat for months... but there are few things in life that can make my day like a $30 dinner (for one, thanks) at my favorite restaurant in town. Oh heck yeah, without my permanent residence in Denial I'd probably be in a lot better shape (both physically and financially), but I couldn't be any happier. You all can have Reality. I'm good here with my brownie sundae. ;)


I tag: Lizzie, Myra, Peggy, Genevra and Mich. (I'd list all the blogs, but some of them are blocked, so it's a no-go.)