That's so random

I was tagged by Annalisa and Jenny to come up with eight random things about myself:

I have a one-way cell phone. I don't have problems making calls on it, just problems taking calls. Problems like I can't hear it ringing in the bottom of my purse, or I leave it at home, or the battery dies and I don't notice for 3 days. I'm pretty happy with my one-way cell phone, but some people find it annoying (Ken).

I hate being in the room when a balloon is popped. If I need to collapse balloons I use scissors and I cut a small hole near the knot to let the air leak out.

h

I store all the *sets* of toys we have in large rubbermaid containers: Brio trains, Fashion Polly's, Barbies, blocks, dinosaurs & zoo animals, and so on. Only one rubbermaid container can be open at a time, so when the kids want to play with Brio, the Barbies have to be put away first. Although, if you were to look in my basement right now I think you'd find a system failure.

h

My engagement ring has been uninsured, therefore off my finger and in a safe place, for more than a year. I need to get the errand done of having it reappraised - a good project for the Year of Barb.

6

l

I've done laser hair removal on my upper lip.

6

a

I like to go to sleep in a cold room and wake up in a warm room.

6

The first thing I notice about someone is their smile.

6

a

Getting up for early morning seminary is as hard for me now as it was 20 years ago.

k

I clearly remember my first day of class. I remember wondering if I would I know anybody there. I remember standing with a group of students, some of whom looked as nervous as I felt. I wondered if my teacher would be a boy or a girl. Yes, I remember it like it was yesterday.

n

Um, that's because it was yesterday - I started swimming lessons last night.

..n

I'm afraid I'm abusing the "freedom from the 'self-portrait' guidelines" in Lelly's SPT challenge this week. I did "take the time to find those old photos" and as I looked through my old pictures, it wasn't a school picture that jumped out at me, it was this one:

n

n

I'm the one in the pigtails and the bikini (shocking!) and I've never really passed this level of comfort in a pool. I failed nearly every swimming lesson I took up until the age of 9, and then my parents stopped putting me in lessons altogether. I enjoy water sports like water skiing with the security of a life jacket around me, but I'm not a swimmer. I have happily spent the last 14 years in the baby pool, letting my children graduate up to the big pool in turn while I stayed behind with the next baby. That's not working for me anymore because Chloe learned how to swim this summer, and really, it hasn't been working for me for a long time. The fact that I can't really swim holds me back from certain opportunities for fun and recreation, and I'm tired of it. So for the next 14 weeks every Monday night I'm taking a swimming lesson.

n

I told one of my friends on Saturday night that I was starting swimming lessons this week. She asked me why and I told her because I can't swim. My answer caught her off guard and it really hit her funny bone, and we both had a good laugh. She didn't know I'm not a swimmer, so when she asked my why I was going to take swimming lessons she thought I was going to say something like 'because swimming is terrific exercise'. Well, it is. My lesson really took it out of me.

n

As far as last night goes, everything I said at the beginning of this post was true. I really did feel like a kid on her first day of school. There were 20 people standing with me on the deck next to the pool - way more people taking adult lessons than I thought there would be. When the teachers (both are boys, my teacher's name is Jon) came to divide us into two classes they said, "If you can't swim more than half a length come in level 1, if you can swim a length or more, go in the level 2-3 split." Well, I had signed up for level 2 based on the description in the program guide, but suddenly I felt really insecure with that decision, and several of the women around me were second guessing themselves, also. Ultimately 12 women entered level 1, all the men entered the 2-3 split level, and one other woman and I entered the 2-3 split. I hadn't tried to swim a length at the YMCA ever, but something inside of me decided I'd have to be drowning in the middle of the pool and rescued by my teacher before I'd go in level 1.

n

So once we were in our classes, my teacher asked us to each swim a length to assess where we were at. I wasn't crazy about swimming with other people watching me, but what did I think was going to happen at a swimming lesson? My real problem was that I was barely or maybe not even a level 2 adult swimmer, and I'd been lumped in a class with level 3 swimmers (who are just there to learn how to swim faster and get tips for races), and I didn't know if I'd be the only weak swimmer or what. I sucked it up and swam my length. That went alright, but then swimming another length to get back to the teacher was rough. When I got back to my starting point I looked around and saw we'd been joined by one more class member, someone in my social circle, in fact someone who had been at the wake on Saturday night. Remember my friend who thought my taking swimming lessons was funny? She is going to think that having this guy (a high level-3 swimmer) in my class is hilarious!

!

A Game of Tag

I was tagged by Jill !

~

4 Jobs I've had:

Newspaper carrier: It was back in the days of after school routes, not an early morning route. My first paper route was in a residential area, covering a couple of streets. My second route was inside 2 neighboring apartment buildings, so I just had to leave the stack of papers outside the elevator on each floor, and walk down the hallways dropping papers outside the apartment doors.

Cleaner: I cleaned the public areas of one of the apartement buildings where I delivered newspapers. Laundry rooms, rec-rooms, hallways, exterior glass doors, and one bathroom (ick).

Receptionist: At my dad's office during the summer. Whenever a secretary went on holidays, the receptionist would take her position and I'd work in reception. This was a major upgrade from cleaner.

Dental Hygienist: I'm back to being a cleaner again. I work 1 day per week, and I enjoy it, although I did have the most discusting patient of my 16 year career just last week (ick).



4 Places I've lived: Ha! I've only lived in 3 cities!


Edmonton, Alberta: I was born here, stayed till I was 2 1/2.

Calgary, Alberta: I spent my preschool years here.

Lethbridge, Alberta: Kindergarten through 12th grade.

Edmonton, Alberta: For college. Met my husband there.

Calgary, Alberta: My home for the last 15 years.



4 Favorite TV shows: Very difficult to answer during the off season. Hmmmm . . .


The Office

House

Heros

30 Rock, maybe



4 Favorite foods:


Fish Tacos: Amy's recipe from the bloggers summer cookbook.

Granola with yogurt and berries

Milano cookies: I have to import these - not sold in Canada.

Sugar snap peas



4 Websites I frequent: (besides all your blogs)


lds.org

shutterfly.com

The Weather Network

Buy/Sell Classifieds



4 Places I'd rather be right now:


Heading to Utah: in time for the blogger's reunion.

In a clean house: so where I actually am, only better.

Down in Fish Creek Park: It's cooler than my street even though it's only a few blocks away.

Writing-on-stone: if I'm gonna be hot, might as well be having fun.



4 Movies I love: I do like movies, but I dont' dwell on them. Another tough one for me.


Emma

Cast Away

Phantom of the Opera

Tuck Everlasting



4 Bloggers I tag next:


Kelly

RGLHM

Marie

Mandy

SPT: Name that color

Lelly asked: so, hey, "what's your favorite color?"

Maybe it's juvenile, but I do have a favorite color. The problem is figuring out what to call it. Some of my favorite things have come with the name of the color printed on the label, some haven't.

Santana Album Cover:

Turquoise

My bedroom door nob sign:

Aqua

Christmas gift from Kelly:

Abalone Blue

Carpet by the patio door:

Danube Blue

Police Concert Shirt:

??? 'Police Concert Shirt Blue' ???

Mary Jane Crocs:

Seafoam

YW binder:

Peacock

YW bag:

Robin's Egg

Throw Blanket:

Ocean Spray

What would you call it?

You can always turn to Crayola for a little bit of help from their current crayon color chart.

Even more fun is the Crayola Color History.

100

1. I always wear out the left knee of my jeans first.
2. I wear a carpal tunnel brace on my right wrist at night.


3. Sometimes I wear a night guard on my teeth at night to prevent clenching/grinding.


4. I love the smell of wet cement, like how the garage smells after it's been hosed out.


5. I usually wear dresses rather than skirts.


6. I take an all or nothing approach to shopping.


7. I buy one pair of casual shoes and wear them nearly every day till they're worn out, about 2 years, and then I buy another pair.


8. I like graphic monkeys.


9. I don't like real monkeys.


10. I under pack for holidays.


11. I've been bucked off a horse.


12. I've been attacked by a dog. Well, O.K. I was scared by a friendly dog jumping on me as a child.


13. I'm not really an animal person.


14. We have a family dog.


15. I'm the one that bought the family dog.


16. I make many sacrifices for my children.


17. I'm paralyzed by clutter. I can't do anything till the clutter is cleared.


18. I got married when I was 19 years old.


19. I've been married for 16 years.


20. I'm a mother of four - three daughters and one son.


21. I've had violin, clarinet, guitar, and piano lessons.


22. I play the piano.


23. I teach piano to my youngest three children.


24. I'm a dental hygienist.


25. I phone my own answering machine and send myself emails to remember things.


26. A clean house boosts my mood.


27. I clean my own house.


28. I'm not so picky about having a clean car.


29. I've never bought a wedding magazine.


30. I'm on the school council as the kindergarten parent representative, but I mostly speak to junior high issues.


31. I'm not that strong of a swimmer.


32. I go back and add to posts, like this cake and birdie box update.


33. I do a quick good bye at the end of a phone conversation.


34. My favorite color is turquoise.


35. I like muddy colors.


36. I sometimes think words like I'm typing them - my fingers will even flicker along.


37. My real typing is full of errors.


38. My favorite movie is Emma.


39. I drive the speed limit.


40. Sometimes I go over the limit if it seems safer to keep up with the flow of traffic.


41. I do like to speed when it comes to snow skiing.


42. I'm a keener.


43. I like a job well done.


44. I'm not a perfectionist.


45. I find it really hard to leave my kids with other people, especially over night.


46. I often make multiple visits to other blogs before I'm ready to comment.


47. I like Spearmint Certs (the green package).


48. I just ate a whole pack of them in about 10 minutes.


49. I got that from my mom.


50. I'm a good sport.


51. I can schmooze when I need to (a corporate retreat skill).


52. I haven't exercised since June 2006.


53. I'm taking the 2006-07 school year off exercising.


54. July 2007 is coming up quick.


55. I'm uncomfortable around foul language.


56. I'm a better president than counsellor.


57. I wish it were the other way around.


58. I've spent that last few years mourning the end of having babies.


59. I'm pretty O.K. with it now.


60. I may never completely stop wanting another baby.


61. My perfect date night is dinner and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.


62. My husband reads my blog, and he's pretty good at taking hints.


63. I am a child of God. So are you.


64. I'm the oldest of 5 kids - I have 3 brothers and a sister.


65. I have good relationships with all my siblings.


66. I was nearly 10 when my sister was born, and I got to name her.


67. I can sleep in.


68. I'm not good at taking naps.


69. I'm a fun mom.


70. I'm self disciplined.


71. I like getting older.


72. My favorite flowers are lilacs and sweet peas.


73. I also love bouquets of dandelions.


74. I'm good in a conflict or like when there's a problem at school that I have to talk to a teacher about.


75. I have a new interest in technology.


76. I'm supportive of my husband's hobbies and interests.


77. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.


78. I like a little alone time.


79. I often stay up too late just to get some peace and quiet in my day.


80. I have poor eyesight. I've had glasses since I was 10 years old.


81. I've never colored my hair.


82. When I'm really into what I'm reading I don't hear or notice anything going on around me.


83. I've lived in Edmonton, Lethbridge, and Calgary - all in Alberta, Canada.


84. I'm 5'4.


85. My middle name is Jane.


86. I like ripple potato chips with philadelphia onion chip dip.


87. I make the same face my dad does when exerting effort in some way.


88. I make terrific rolls.


89. I make a good pie crust, but not as good as my mom's.


90. I grew up thinking I would eventually go deaf in my left ear.


91. It took me 2 months to get this list done.


92. In school my best subject was math.


93. I have terrible handwriting.


94. I'd like an ipod, but I don't like wearing earphones.


95. To fall asleep I first start on my back in a yoga 'tree', then when I'm almost out I flip over onto my stomach.


96. I can slalom water ski.


97. I've finally found my style.


98. I love leftovers.


99. I want all the art in my home to have personal meaning.


100. I'm happiest when I'm busy.

Mother-daughter date

Carmen and I took the train downtown after school yesterday to go to an opening reception at an art gallery for a friend of mine who is enjoying some amazing success. Actually, my mirror image SPT has a painting by my friend, Rachelle, in the background. Carmen loves getting creative and messy, therefore she loves art - she was the perfect date for this event.

Taking the train was also a draw for Carmen to come along - it's a real novelty for her.





Gotta get a picture of us together - I have lost all self conciousness when it comes to taking self portraits in public places.


Our destination - a building downtown that houses many galleries.

Rachelle's sister in law, and a closer friend of mine, had told me how much better Rachelle has become in the last few years (since she did the painting that hangs in my house) but I was still so impressed. To see more of her art go here: Rachelle Kearl, scroll to the bottom of the page, and click on artworks.

Spring Is Here #3 - 2007

acrylic on canvas, 14 in x 11 in

[part of tripytch]

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Funky Flowers - 2006

acrylic on canvas, 28 in x 22 in

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New Mother - 2007

acrylic on canvas, 36 in x 24 in

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Carmen and I also had fun looking around at the other galleries - we saw paintings, sculptures, fabrics, and glass beads. I learned I had to take a quick evaluating glance at the door of a gallery before I walked in with Carmen. Why is so much art not suitable for younger audiences? I think I did a good job sheilding her without freaking out - I didn't want to arouse her curiosity about why we went in some galleries and not others.

I am one with technology:

I can take pictures with my chocolate cell phone, and even better, I can get those pictures onto my computer!

The Corporate Retreat

We were off to a great start the first night of the corporate retreat. We arrived in the evening, and the buffet at the reception had ice sculptures! Chloe really knew what she was talking about with our report card buffet: sculptures are a must.

The next day while Ken was in meetings I participated in a ladies best ball golf tournament. It was my first time golfing, and my team mates were hesitant to coach me in any way, but I did learn how to drive the golf cart.

I also learned by observation that instead of first pushing the tee in the ground, and then balancing the ball on top, that it is smoother to put the ball and tee together in my hand, and use the ball already in place to push the tee into the ground.

I discovered a little contraption I'd never heard of: a ball washer. Apparently sand and grass can interfere with an *A* game, and golfers at that level need a clean ball. I washed my ball, but it didn't improve my golf game.

The second night was Western Night. We ate BBQ steaks, BBQ chicken, beans, and the like. Some of the managers at Ken's company are real cowboys, so this was their second night in cowboy hats.

The next day while the executives and managers were in meetings there was an organized hike for the spouses. The hike was beautiful, and we had a nature guide with us, which really improved my appreciation for the area. The resort personal trainer came along, and he cracked me up, because he seemed to feel very responsible for our welfare. He took up the rear, and when we stopped for breaks he'd do a head count. I felt like I was a kid at summer camp, only there wasn't a craft when we got back to the lodge.

These falls were just below our resort.

Above is the old 'bath house', and below are the old tubs for soaking in the hot springs.

( I spent plenty of time sitting in the modern hot springs pool with the other ladies)

These are my feet in a a paraffin wax pedicure treatment I received while I sat in a massage chair at the on site spa.

The third night was the anticipated 70's night. I had heels on, but so did Ken, and with that wig he was even taller. Once again, the cowboys wore cowboy clothes.

The last day was the mixed men's and ladies' best ball golf tournament. Later in the evening was a 25th anniversary celebration of the company, and the golfing awards. It was a more formal evening, and guess what cowboys wear for formal clothes? You got it: cowboys have a truly classic and timeless look. During the golf awards, my team won the highest score even though we had a guy on our team who had gone to college on a golf scholarship. Who's fault do you think that was?

Stop Monkeying Around

When I was in junior high school I received a book and journal gift set by Elaine Cannon. The book that came in the set was a collection of short essays and thoughts on a variety of subjects. One quote from that book has been a strong influence on me:

Mark Van Doren wrote:

There is one thing we can do, and the happiest people are those who do it to the limit of their ability. We can be completely present. We can be all there. We can control the tendency of our minds to wander from the situation we are in toward yesterday, toward tomorrow, toward something we have forgotten, toward some other place we are going next. It is hard to do this, but it is harder to understand afterward wherein it was we fell so short. It was where and when we ceased to give our entire attention to the person, the opportunity before us.

In my memory Elaine Cannon went on from that quote to apply the concept to the daily life of a teenage girl. When I pulled the book out, though, I found that what I remember as being part of the book were actually my own thoughts on the subject, because that essay doesn't expand on the quote the way I remember it. So my teenage thoughts on being present were this:

• Don't just hang out with friends - cultivate friendships.
• Don't just sit in class at school - apply your mind to learning.
• Don't daydream during sacrament meeting - seek the spirit.
• Don't just say your prayers - communicate with your Heavenly Father.
• Don't put in an hour at the piano - progress in your ability.

I got a lot done during those teenage years, and I get a lot done now. However, as much as I have been motivated by the idea of being present, sometimes I struggle with it. For example, when Jaclyn was 3 years old I read the book Nurtured by Love by Dr. Shinichi Suzuki. I really liked Dr. Suzuki's philosophy toward talent education, and I decided it was something I wanted for my children. As I looked into Suzuki piano lessons, I found out that a local college offered Suzuki teacher training classes in the summer, and I decided to audit the course. I was telling a friend of mine about it, and she asked me why didn't I actually register for the course. I told her that it would cost a little more money, and that I'd have to prepare an audition tape to apply as a participant. She reminded me about my commitment to being present when she said, "If you're going to spend the time, you might as well get the credit." I practised the piano, made the audition tape, and achieved my level 1 Suzuki teacher training.

I got another reminder of my commitment to be 'present' from a quote on someone's blog. (I hate it when I can't reference a source - please comment if this was your blog and I'll edit this paragraph!) The quote gave me just the nudge I needed to get me out of lurking and into blogging:

"It is weak and despicable to go on wanting things and not trying to get them." -Joanna Fields

And that is basically the story of my URL: Stop Monkeying Around. Be present.

It was Stacy's blog! I'm so glad to have that question answered!

My Visual DNA

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Thanks, Amy, that was fun to do!

Best Slippers Forward

My house has cold porcelain tile from the front entrance through the kitchen. I chose it for its durability and magical powers: it looks clean even when it's dirty. Actually my husband hates that quality in our tile because he's always afraid the floor is dirty. I told him he just needs to assume it's clean.

I started wearing slippers when we moved into this house six years ago for two reasons. First, my feet were cold on the ceramic tile (we moved in at the beginning of winter - in the summer the floor is refreshingly cool). Second, the tile wears out socks like we're walking around outside on the sidewalk in our stocking feet. It takes a little longer to wear out slippers, but at Christmas time this year I needed new ones, so I put slippers on my list. I'm not very good at making a Christmas list, it's always short and boring, because of that I usually get everything on my list. So the slippers weren't a surprise, but I was happy to get them. These are my feet on Christmas morning - the only picture of me that day.

Self Portrait Tuesday

A self portrait is just not possible today: the camera has gone skiing. In fact, a picture of me at all is difficult to find.

Recently my husband took our most current photo book with him to a family funeral in Idaho. When he got back, he handed me the book and said, "Do you realize there is only one picture of you in this whole book???" I told him that wasn't true, but then when I looked, it actually was true. He hadn't noticed it on his own - one of his Idaho cousins was looking through the book and pointed it out. There are 11 pictures of Ken, and all the rest are pictures of the kids. What it comes down to is I take all the pictures. The only reason there was one picture of me in the album is because when we were hiking in the summer a friendly hiking stranger offered to get a group shot of our family for us. You're looking at the hiking picture cropped down to just me.

It looks like working on self portraits might be a good idea.

How I spend my Thursdays

When my patients ask me how many days I work in a week, I tell them 6 and that they're seeing me on my day off. On Thursdays I'm a dental hygienist. I pack up all the lunches for the family on Wednesday night, and I'm out the door before anyone else in the house is awake on Thursday morning. I start seeing patients at 7 am, so my husband sees the kids off to school before he heads downtown.

Yeah, that's really me in the picture. It may seem kinda weird that I have a picture of myself examining a patient, but this picture was taken for the website of the office I work in.

Why did I become a dental hygienist? My dad told me to. People laugh when I say that, but it's the absolute truth. I didn't know what I wanted to take in university, and my dad looked me in the eyes and said, "Barbara, I think dental hygiene would be a good idea." Parents long for that kind of obedience in a 17 year old, I know.

Now that my own kids are growing up a little (the oldest is 13 and in 8th grade) I wonder and worry about what they'll choose for their own secondary educations. Will they chase their dreams, or will they choose something practical?