10 on the 10th!

Wow!  How is it that each month has a 10th, and each month, I seem to be caught off-guard at this occurence?  Thank you, Mer, for the tawpic.  This may be a surprise to the 10 of you, but going to the gym, eating healthfully, and overall discipline in my physical well-being are not my favorite subjects.  I'll wait whilst you pick yourselves up off the floor.  Really?  Yep.  They represent "have-tos".  I have to take care of the body that God gave me, I have to be a good example for my children, and I have to show myself that I can be disciplined.  See?  Have-to.  Let's not even go there re: my I-realize-I-should-be-grateful-for-the-ability-to-work-out attitude.  Ahem.  It's a work in progress.  Do you think I have a 10 on the 10th, or am I just going to ramble? 

10 Beautiful Sedentary Activities Which I Wish Burned Calories:

1.  Reading.  Blogs. Books. Magazines. Facebook. Whatever. 

2.  Napping.  90 minutes is best, but will take 20.

3.  Watching TV.  Top 3 wished calorie burners:  Amazing Race, Real Housewives of..., & Castle

4.  Driving.  On days that I put 100 miles on rHonda the Minivan, I sure wish each minute = 1 calorie.
5.  Eating Out.  Wouldn't it be great if calories in really equalled calories out?  Just musin'.
6.  Hairapy.  Actually, hairapy is fun enough w/o losing weight, too.  Or, is it?
7.  Writing Posts.  Seriously.  I have some HOURS in that Daniel Study, and I don't have a thinner waist  to show for it--just more spiritual growth.  sigh.  Oh, well. ;) 
8.  Quiet time/Bible Study.  See #7. 
9.  Watching J's Upcoming Track Season.  Lordy, not only does this not burn many cals, but sore butt-itis is often the result of such loving, sacrificial support.
10.  Singing in the choir.  Oh, I guess we do stand, on occasion.  And we breathe heavily and all.  Get your mind out of the gutter.

Go join in the reindeer games at Mer's place.  Happy Weekend!

10 on the 10th!

Wow!  I'm almost on the ball and ready for Mer's 10 on the 10th on the actual...10th!  Holla!

True confessions:  I lurve my b'day.  And, I like it to last as long as possible (no, I'm not 14, I'm 41, but still...)  So, w/o further ado, this post has to do with my b'day memories.

1.  My mom and dad must've lurved b'days, too, because I had a half b'day celebration when I was 4.5.  And I don't know why.  I was crowned with a paper-towel tiara.  Worked for me.

2.  On my 8th b'day, my cockapoo ate my b'day cake.  Yes, she lived.  I also received a snappy red jumpsuit.  Handmade.

3.  When I turned 10, my mom threw me an honest-to-goodness party at Happy Joes pizzeria and invited all the popular kids to come because I had just moved to CO 7 mos. before, and I was lonely.  Looking back, I see what a sacrifice this was for her.  We never had money.  Especially for a party.  I even remember the Snoopy (on roller skates)cake and the roller skates, complete with blue vinyl carrying case. I tried scanning a picture of this, but it wouldn't come out of my magnetic-death-to-pictures-album, so you'll just have to imagine me at that awkward age. ;)

4.  When I was 14, I receive this album from my Dad.

 

5.  Sweet 16 was my first b'day celebrated with Big.  And a surprise party, to boot! I also had a Garfield (playing the flute) cake.  I know...cool.

(ah, Polaroids...remember them?)

6.  On my 21st b'day (ahem...20 YEARS AGO), CU Boulder had an unusual event:  A Snow Day!  I had lots of snow days in school, growing up, but it was nearly a never-event for a University to shut down.  This meant that the only one cheering me and Big on as I did the "mall crawl" on the deserted Pearl Street Mall was...ahem...a homeless schizophrenic lady who yelled at us.  Talk about a buzz-kill, literally.  I do believe the next day had us all wearing shorts.

7.  My 29th b'day was the last where I received a present from my mom (since she died right before I turned 30).  I remember opening the package with the gLee of a 10 year old kid.  I don't remember all of the contents, but I did get a Clinique lipstick in Raspberry Glace.  For all our differences, she did love to celebrate me. 

8.  On my 30th b'day I was understandably not exactly in the mood to celebrate.  However, my girlfriends and my hubby were so amazing.  First, my husband tried his best to make the day special, and bought me some what-do-you-get-your-wife-when-she's-just-lost-her-mom?-jewelry.  And my girlfriends waited a month, then threw me the best party ever.  Knowing that I lurve me some 1:1  or 1: few time, they arranged an entire day devoted to dropping me to be with one or two friends at a time, all after one another.  I was treated to a homemade, delicious breakfast, painted pottery, had lunch out, went to a fun bookstore, had pedis, and decompressed over a glass of wine with my last friend of the day, who took me home.  Bliss.

9.  When I turned 32, I was packing a 2.5 and 4.5 year old and all our stuff to get ready to move to WA. Wow!  I cannot believe it's been 9 years.

10.  This year was extra special, too.  I was celebrated sweetly by all manner of friends and family.  And though you probably can't read my cake, it was inspired (and made by the kids) by this website.

"Hoppy Birtday.

Next line Mo". 

I.Am.Blessed.

10 on the 10th!

Holla!  It's that time again.  Since Mer is going "random", I am happy to follow suit.  Here, sans further ado are 10 random, and hopefully, little known facts about me.

1.  I was born with carrot-y red hair. 

2.  I have travelled to Mexico, Canada, Hawaii, and Europe, but have only been to the following in the lower 48:  WA, OR, ID, MT, NV,WY,CO,CA, AZ,NM, UT, TX, OK, KS, NE, SD, IA, MN, (?)MO--Kansas City, IL, CT, NY, NJ,NH, VT, MA, PA, DE, MD, VA, SC, GA, and FL

3.  I would have a daily massage if possible.  For at least an hour.  And then a facial.

4.  I wish I were kinder when interrupted.  Like. I wish I wouldn't wish people to go.away.right.now!  Terrible, isn't it?  Growth needed.

5.  One of my favorite songs from when I was little is Saturday in the Park, by Chicago.

6.  Another favorite is December 1963 (Oh, What a Night!), by the Four Seasons.

7.  Speaking of songs, I used to think small people were in the radio of our '71 Vega, making the songs come out right as my mom pushed the buttons.  Yeah...

8.  I lurve reading novels about the Low Country.

9.  I started a new reading blog.  :-o

10.  If I had one selfish wish, it'd be that my house was always kept up, so I could craft.  I use a lot of guilt, avoiding crafting, and not getting my house clean.  But you know what...I also spend a lot of time doing what a I love, with whom I love.  I have a great life.  Truly.

Thanks, Mer, for the bloggy fodder.  It's so fun to learn about you and others as we do this meme.

Two Much Goodness at Once

Welcome to GladiTuesday/November's Edition of 10 on the 10th. Thank you, Mer, once again for such a great bloggy idea. I thought I would do a 10 on the 10th GladiTuesday mash up because I like Glee, and because I just wanted to.

So here goes: My Top 10 Christmas Songs Which Make Me Glad (in no particular order)

1. Oh Holy Night: A friend of mine sings this at our church almost every year, and he does such an outstanding job. Part of it could be that he's just such a godly, incredible man. But he's got some pipes, too. Goosebumps. The song, itself is just amazing. Heart rending.
2. Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth: Bing Crosby and David Bowie. I first saw this on a Christmas special in 1977, I think, not long before Bing died. Thought it was great in 3rd grade, and lurve it muchly today.
3. Sleighride/Winter Wonderland: Dolly-medley style. (okay, that's 2 songs, but I'm counting them as one because it's my blog and i can. :))
4. I'll Be Home For Christmas: Bing Crosby
5. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas: Judy Garland
6. Hark the Herald Angels Sing: Peanuts Style.
7. Shine on Us: Michael W. Smith. We light our candles to this song each year at church, on Christmas Eve. Gorgeous, gorgeous song.
8. How Many Kings: Downhere. I adore this song, and am fortunate that my local radio station plays it fairly much year round.
9. Santa Baby: Eartha Kitt (because as good as we try to be...don't we all lurve presents??? Especially something from Tiffany?)
10. You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch: Thurl Ravenscroft

Runners up: Merry Christmas Darling (The Carpenters), and The Christmas Song (Nat King Cole)

And because I'm so gladdy about Christmas, I'll give you my top 5 must see specials:

1. A Charlie Brown Christmas
2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
3. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Burl Ives wins my heart every year)
4. It's a Wonderful Life
5. Love Actually (not really a special, but a great--if naughty--movie)

Favorite song or must-see for you?

10 on the 10th!

Howdy,

This month's 10 on the 10th topic is the number 10. ;) Thanks, Mer for hosting the reindeer games. Pls feel free to participate and hook up with Mr. Linky on her blog. I realize that previous sentence could've sounded a little tawdry, but I'm leaving it. A little tawdry never hurt anybody.

1. 10=The size I wore in high school when I was "fat" and weighed 125 lbs. Yeah...a little self acceptance, please, teenage girls. And momma girls, for that matter.

2. 10=The amount of minutes I feel I'm always behind. Lucky, it's usually just 1/2 that. But timeliness hasn't been my strongsuit since I went forth and multiplied.

3. 10=Number of weeks until our Christmas production at church. Or is it...gasp...8? Anyhoo, I'm very excited. In the show, I play a ditzy, cute, Betty Boop-ish, blonde from New Jersey. Hilarious lines. But an object lesson in humility. Part of me wants to wear a sign around my neck stating that I have a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's from CU. I feel like Chrissy Snow on 3's Company. The show we previously picked out refused licensure b/c it's being performed in Seattle (and we KNOW how much a church production compares with off Broadway), so this has been a scramble, but God has opened lots of doors. It's a show about a USO group, performing on Christmas Eve in Piedmont, PA in 1944. Can you say "fun costumes?".

4. 10=The number to which I've been counting as I've battled a bit of cabin fever, resentment, and fatigue this week. Lord knows I have so much for which to be thankful. Many more than 10x10, in fact. Still. The energy is low, Maynard.

5. 10=Miles to his school 10=Miles to her school.

6. Psalm 51:10: A daily life verse--see #4. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

7. 10=Books I've been wanting to read: Olive Kitteredge, Same Kind of Different as Me, The Help, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Have a Little Faith: A True Story, Half-Broke Horses: A True Life Novel, The Lacuna: A Novel, Return to Sullivans Island, Driftwood Summer, and Handle with Care.

8. 10=Reasons I can always think of to avoid mopping the floor. For whatever reason, I just do not like to mop!

9. 10=The number of recipes I seem to keep recycling through at dinner time. I try to vary things, but we tend to just fall back into the comfort of our ruts. My goal is to keep changing it up, though--perhaps one new recipe each week, or every other week.

10. 10=The number of unfinished craft projects I have to do. This is the time of year to get cracking, so I'm looking forward to finishing them and starting some more.

10 on the 10th: July Version

I'm going to participate using very little originality today, since, quite honestly, while I want to play, I'm not feeling that creative. I'm borrowing some of Cheryl's Random Tuesday questions. Thanks, Mer, for hosting. You made me laugh out loud, which actually worked well because of Cheryl's first question. Voila. :)

Two things that have made me laugh out loud since last I posted:

1. Mer's 10 on the 10th. I mean, who takes an accidental picture of her nose and then posts it on the WWW for all to see. That's brilliant, is what that is.

2. Hearing my son do spot-on interpretations of Doug the dog (from the movie Up). If you haven't seen Up, and I realize that we were the last few on the planet to probably do so--go. It's the best therapy session you'll have all summer.

Two favorite fast food restaurants:
1. Taco Bell. Bean burrito with no onions, extra cheese, and green sauce. Manna, I tell you.
2. Dairy Queen. Say it with me now: "Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard."

Two snacks that are really good that you might not know about:
1. A smear of peanut butter on top of the graham cracker and chocolate on s'mores. Of course, peanut butter is good on anything. That's probably not news.
2. Movie theatre popcorn with either Reese's Pieces or Junior Mints mixed in. Perfection. Of course if worse comes to worst, just pour out that popcorn and eat the candy.

Two favorite Summer t.v. shows:
1. "Royal Pains" (A new show on USA about a guy who becomes a "concierge" doctor to the rich and famous in The Hamptons. Really fun!) I stole Cheryl's anwer completely here. Yes, this is a fave, indeed.
2. i've only watched one episode on demand (first season), but Mad Men looks good. Also, I'm really enjoying "Army Wives". Though Kim Delaney was pretty enough IMHO sans the lip implants.

Two things I'm looking forward to in the next week:
1. On Monday, my son turns 13, and we both lived to tell the tale. More on that soon, but he's a gem, and I look forward to all his b'days. And the cake. Do you see a sorry theme emerging in my life's priorities??? ;)
2. The new Harry Potter movie!!! Again, a steal from Cheryl. I cannot wait to see this. My dtr has been rereading the book, and since she's a chatty type, I've gleaned my "Cliff's Notes" version, so I think I'm prepared.

Two lessons I've recently learned:
1. This sounds trite and silly, but I'm learning (not that I've got it all down, but am persevering, no?) not to give up. On myself. On my ideas. On others. On the fact that even though set backs and pain of all different sizes and colors appears, I have a Holy Intercessor, and One in whom I can trust for truth, refreshment, forgiveness and for the strength to keep on keeping on.

2. That the best way to be anxious is to try everything not to be anxious.

Two goals I have for the coming days:
1. To finish my 5K tomorrow w/o walking more than 5 minutes of it.

2. To move all my downstairs furniture back into the house. After 5K, and after Big's 36 holes of golf (bachelor party) on Saturday. Could someone get us an ice pack, please? This is me--breathing---going with the flow on scheduling and not getting to move back into the house until Sat. Breathing.

Two "fun" things I've spent my money on recently:
1. A Shu Uemura eyelash curler. I'm so cute now, I can hardly stand me. Thank you, Whimzie for the wisdom and support in this purchase. I lurve it.
2. Well, this is a WANT to purchase: I need new kicky flip flops. For my others were ruined in some furniture moving debacle. So it's time. I need some fun shoes for the remainder of the summer. However, I do have to duck away from the podiatrist we see for J's heel when I wear them. She sees red when she looks at those foamy fashionable footariffic nonsupportive terrible shoes.
Two things I'm dissapointed about:
1. That I potentially will miss seeing my husband on 4 of 5 weekends in August. Breathing again...Taking one moment at a time. For, of course I won't know for sure until I'm right upon not/or not not seeing him. ONE of these weekends is a welcome no-see-him, but the others? Not so much.

2. Disappointed that I fall off the faith wagon way too easily. Not in the overall sense of faith, but in the day to day, peaceful knowing.

Two sounds I hear right now:

1. David clunking around upstairs, watching TV and making his mountain bowl of cereal. Sugary cereal for the beach house, no less.
2. Silence. Drama is at a sleep over, so while I miss the heck outta her, hearing the sound of the keyboard clicks and little else is...soooooo niiiiiiice. :)

Okay...I have no idea if that was 10 of anything, but I had fun, anyway. What are numbers, really?

SDG!!! xxxooo

10 on the 11th: Because That's How I'm Rolling...

Thank you Mer for hosting! I had great plans for this 10 on the 10th. But we'll go with reality, instead. I hope this is worth the 30 seconds folks take to read it. Blessings on your week.



Here's my list...I like to call it: 10 Things



1. Had my first mammocram today. Other than being as uneasy as anyone would be in this first time circumstance, I have to say, I did fine, and HIGHLY RECOMMEND the procedure to all y'all for whenever your doctor recommends. I'm mentioning it here b/c one of my precious friends in blogland has been such an advocate for breast cancer awareness, and she's a cansurvivor for the past 4 years, I believe. Can I have a Woot Woot!?? Also, the technologist who did my mammogram told me that while this is a bit uncomfortable, it's short, and lots of other things are uncomfortable, too. Like getting teeth cleaned, having a vajayjay physical, etc. And it's so important. She said women who freak other women out are really doing a disservice to them because they avoid making the appt. Just do it--my PSA for today.



2. My daughter finished 5th grade yesterday, and after her useless 1/2 day of school got out, we headed to "Beach Day" with all the other folks from her school, to spend the other 1/2 of the day splashing, avoiding squirt gun battles if you're over 35, participating in them if under 35, and applying sunscreen. Great way to end the year and tire out the kids.



3. I'm starting training for my first 5K. See how optimistic that sounds when I type "first"? A friend turned me on to this program, and so I'm starting slowly, and I have a girlfriend who is willing to train with me, so that's fun. She's a bit more advanced than I am, but doing this together gives her a little more time to train, and us a little more time to gab--when I'm not gasping, that is. Best of all, this 5K I'm doing benefits our local hospital's cancer care unit--with every penny of registration and donation, so that's something I can get behind. Even if it means I have to exercise and sweat.

4. Next week (Friday) is my dtr's 11th b'day. Those of you with summer b'days or children with summer b'days know that it's sometimes hard to schedule the reindeer games whilst children are at home and not away on their vacas. Drama Girl didn't want a party this year (yay!), so we decided to do something fun with one friend. Tomorrow I'm taking Drama Girl and BFF and BFF's mom (who-thank-the-good-Lord-I-enjoy) here for a girl's overnight. We've had gorgeous weather, but that's about to change, so this should be perfect, since all the fun is indoors.

5. In celebration and preparation of tomorrow's fun, I got the car's oil changed and even washed it. I'm a doer that way.

6. Never let it be said that my son doesn't like to read. The other day, he didn't have much homework (surprise, surprise at this time of year), and he read Michael Crichton's The Lost World (Jurassic Park). Upon finishing, he picked up Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's pre-cursor/inspiration to Crichton's work of the same name. And finished that, too. If I get a novel read in a week or 2, I'm doing well.

7. My dog kept me up all night last night, trying to (I think) pass one of the many socks she magically gets a hold of. How she does this, I don't know, but she sneaks them down her gullet with nary a second glance from us. We only find...ahem...evidence, later. Anyway...hearing her gag all night was not the restful sleep I was hoping for.

8. Going in for a bang trim today, or partial hairapy as I like to call it. For now I am committed to bangs. *sigh*

9. Today is busy, but there are definite rewards: 1. a massage, and 2. a long walk and dinner with a friend.

10. I know I'm pretty boring and mundane, but thanks for reading. :) Happy almost weekend.

10 on the 10th: Mother's Day Version

I realize, today being Mother's Day and all, several of us might be posting about out moms or about motherhood in general...Cool. In this case, I don't mind being unoriginal at all, for we all do have motherhood in common, whether we have kids or not: we were kids. I was raised by my mom, with only small chunks of childhood spent with my dad, since they were divorced in 1975. Waaaaay back then (for you young uns who had yet to be born), it was typical for the mother to have custody of the children after a divorce. You could say I was also partially raised by my maternal grandmother, who came to live with us when I was 12. So today is a day in which I'll give 10 randomish things--both related to these ladies, and related to my own experiences as a mom.

Around...1989

10. I celebrate my use of idiomatic speech to my grandmother ("Grum"). I thought everybody used terms like, "half a bubble off" and "crooked as a dog's hind leg".




9. I learned sacrifice and making the best of a situation from my mom in some of our poorest times. We'd have "treat" supper. In other words, a Reeses peanut butter cup was a delicious and delightful dinner when she only had 38 cents in her pocket. Who was I to complain?





8. Never tell your mom a secret that you don't want your grum to know. And vice versa. I don't know why I never caught on to this. I really thought they were both such great confidantes. And in a way...they were. I think I told my grum I'd had sex (oh, be quiet) before I told my mom...perhaps knowing that she'd soften things for me.






7. BTW, losing the rest of my readership...my grum bought me a Playgirl mag when I was about 14. I literally had no idea what guys looked like, having been raised by wolves , and I was curious. I'll never forget her going into the Country Store to pick that up--probably along with a pack of cigarettes. Sort of like this post...couldn't j.u.s.t. buy the mag. And guess what...it was so gross that I've never had the wish to buy another. :)






6. My mom had a lot of problems. Goodness, mercy a. l.o.t. of problems. And I often think that God released her from her work here so He could care for her, since obviously, she was having a hard time caring for herself so. There were plenty o' days when I'd wonder (since she was self destructive) when she'd die, and how I'd feel. Would I be miserable? Would I be relieved? I thought, in all my 20-something wisdom, that I'd feel sad, but relieved. I was right. However, I don't think I counted on the depth of either of those emotions. Actually, I know I didn't. But to this day, I see the Hand of grace all over her death. Her life and death impacts me today, and I like to think...speaks into who I am.


5. I never knew that good dads were necessary in the raising of children until I saw one in action. This is not a slam against my dad; I'm over that, and we're fine with each other. Rather, it's a prop to my husband. He makes me a better mother by modeling patience, unemotionality (e.g. "not taking the bait), and perseverance with them. When I throw up my hands, he brings me back down to a "we can't give up on them" reality. A reality I know, but find so hard to achieve on my own all the time.


4. I am so grateful I could have children. Whether delivering them myself, or mothering through adoption, I knew I wanted to be a mom. And as my childbearing years draw to a close, adopting more, though probably unlikely, is a comforting thought.




3. I never knew how hard on myself I could be until I had children. Especially, I think, because I stay home with them. In other words, this is my only job, so I hope they turn out well. But I'm coming to grips with the fact that I can only do what I can do, and the rest is up to them. And God's grace and mercy, as well. If there's anything I miss from having a job, it's that rubric of satisfying an expected behavior or goal.



2. One of my favorite memories of my mom is her, in her bedroom, smoke thick, listening to Willie, Waylon, and the Boys or Joan Baez, and belting it out in the most off-key, joyous voice possible. She never understood that when wearing headphones, one shouldn't sing. Or maybe she did notice and didn't care.





1. I now know what "they" mean when they say, "Oh, enjoy it now! It goes so fast!" Usually when I heard that, my hair was falling out of it's hastily made ponytail, and my eyes were bleary from lack of sleep. But wow. It's gone so fast. And good, bad, and ugly--I wouldn't take a moment back. It's my story.

10 on the 10th, Baby!

My Top 10 Favorite TV Shows During My Growing Up Years:

1. Sesame Street: How can you not love a show which began the same year you were born?
2. Mr. Rogers Neighborhood: Hi Neighbor! This man seriously filled a void in my life with all his "You're great just the way you are!" and "No one is just like you.". How I cried when he died. And...wasn't surprised to know at all that he was an ordained pastor.
3. Charlie's Angels: Who did not want to be Jill, Kelly, or Sabrina at one time or another? We played it on the playground in 3rd grade.
4. Happy Days: Aaaaayyyyy! I so hearted Fonzie. And Richie, too. Till he bailed. I liked it even through the Jumping the Shark and Ted McGinley. I had posters of him.
5. Mork and Mindy: Nanoo Nanoo. Shazbutt. I know Mr. Williams had a teensy problem the cocaine and all...but I lurved that show. Even though I know it was filmed in CA, the fact that it was set in (a very conservative--read: not realistic) Boulder, CO thrilled me, since I was being raised in Fort Collins. And didn't we all love Mindy's front hair pigtails? I received rainbow suspenders for my 10th b'day--back when rainbows were just colorful.
6. The Love Boat: Come on! You know you lurve the show of the has-beens. My hubby preferred Fantasy Island (on the same night--at my bedtime), but I was all about Captain Steubing and the gang. Again...our social director had a bit too much off camera socializing, but the show was schlock at its best. I had a little crush on Doc.
7. The Waltons and Little House on the Prarie: They were really the same show--just a few generations apart from one another. How I mourned the death of my other TV dad, Michael Landon. Gimme some Adam or Manly or John Boy any time of the day. Bring it.
8. The Facts of Life: Oh, yeah...can you hear that tune? The angst of big hair and living with Blair in an exclusive boarding school. And ooooh, the dirty girl--Jo. She was kewl.
9. M*A*S*H: To this day, I enjoy the episodes. Even the whiny Alan Alda still holds up over time. Henry was one of my favorites. And BJ. But what was up with the color of Margaret's hair over the years???
10. The Carol Burnett Show..."I'm so glad we've had this time together..."

This brings me to my secret and rare talent: I can sing all TV tunes of the 70s and 80s. Some of the 60s, too. Wish I could record myself on You Tube! Not really. But I can. And if I don't know the words, I definitely know the tune.

Runners up: Welcome Back, Kotter; Laverne and Shirley; Three's Company (both on after Happy Days); Trapper John, MD; Dallas; Knot's Landing; Family Feud with Richard Dawson; Ryan's Hope; All My Children; Days of Our Lives;and General Hospital. What can I say? I was a latchkey kid after 2nd grade. ;)

Thanks, Mer for hosting this fun meme.