The List Challenge: Day 18

Today's List Challenge entry is one that's taking some thinking.  It is

Favorite Gifts You've Ever Received

• A gold and aquamarine ankle bracelet from Rich
• A round sapphire pendant that Rich got me on our honeymoon
• A small handpainted box with Mom on it - Teddy's first mother's day gift to me
• A Piscean-shaped wooden puzzle box from my friend Lynn
• The MP3 player that Rich got me for Christmas this past year
• A piece of artwork that I've put above our couch, which came from a friend in Philly for my 30th birthday
• A glass fronted shelving unit that I got from my friends Cristi & Patrick
• Having my friend Cristi flown in for my 29th birthday

I'm sure there are more, but these are the ones that are coming to mind right now.

The List Challenge: Day 17

In trying to jump back on the Blogging wagon, I'm starting with the next entry for The List Challenge.  The 17th Challenge is

Everything You Would Do If Money Were No Object

• Travel various places in the world like
• Ireland
• Scotland
• England
• Wales
• The Netherlands
• Poland
• Italy
• Japan
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Canada
• Montana
• Las Vegas
• Lake Tahoe
• Minneapolis
• Philadelphia
• Washington DC
• Atlanta
• Key West
• Go to Dragon-Con
• Take a cruise
• Go to my 20th HS Reunion, including the reunion cruise
• Buy a house. This house will have:
• 4 bedrooms
• A large library
• A finished basement that can be split - one half for the kids to play in, the other half as a gaming room
• A large kitchen where I can bake without feeling crowded
• An enclosed pool so I can swim in the winter
• A large yard where I can put a play set for the boys to play on
• A fireplace
• Buy a new car
• Pay off all my debts
• Buy a kick-ass gaming machine
• Start a college fund for both boys
• Go back to college myself and get my degree
• Attend a lot of gaming conventions that I haven't been to in far too long
• Bring all my friends here for a visit... or maybe get a couple cabins in Gatlinburg and have a kick-ass party/gaming weekend
• Have a memorial for my step-mom
• Make sure my father gets the medical help that his insurance doesn't always give him.
• Hire a personal trainer to get me back on the weight-loss plan
• Hire a maid
• Buy lots of books to fill up the library in the house
• Get a good entertainment center for the house
• Travel around to go to signings for my favorite authors
• Travel around to see some of my favorite bands/singers
• Get a membership to the Zoo, the Adventure Science Center and buy tickets for the Broadway at TPAC series

There's probably a lot more, but those are the things that immediately came to mind.

The List Challenge: Day 16

This is another one that could have lists a mile long!  But I'll try to keep the lists for this day of the List Challenge a bit shorter.  Today, I'll tell you about...

The Cutest Things My Kids Ever Said

• "I love you in the whole wide world!" Teddy, on a daily basis.
• "Teddy my best friend." Peter, on a daily basis.
• "Poliwag, come out and save the day. Use water gun!" Peter, who is taking on his big brother's obsession with Pokemon
• "I don't need help! I can do it by myself!" Bittersweet, actually.  I've heard it from both of us.
• "Mommy, you're BEAUTIFUL!" Teddy tells me this pretty regularly.
• "It's ok, Mommy.  Everybody makes mistakes."  Teddy said this to me when I was feeling pretty bad one day.
• "You need kisses on me, Teddy." Peter, just now, when Teddy accidentally hurt him.
• "Kiss him blue parts?" Peter, earlier today when he wanted me to kiss his Papa Smurf.

There are more.  A lot more.  I know there are.  But right now, I have little brain for it.  I may update this later, if I can think of any more.... or if I have people remind me of a few more!

The List Challenge: Day 15

Things have been a bit hectic the last couple of days, so I wasn't able to do any of my challenges.  But I'm back now (as you may have noticed from the previous posts that I've made).  Now I'm at the half way point for the List Challenge.  And this is one that I'm going to enjoy writing up quite a bit.  Because it's a list of...

People Who Love Me
(And I know it's not going to be an inclusive list, so if you don't see your name on here, it's just because I couldn't write everyone.)

Rich

Teddy & Peter

Mom & Stubby

Daddy

• Deni & Mike
• Rob & Brandie
• All my nieces and nephews
• Mom & Dad D
• Robin & Simo
• Aunt Laura
• Dave & Barb
• Tracie
• Carm
• More family and friends than I can probably count

(I wanted to try to put pics up of everyone, but realized that I don't have pics of everyone.  :(  So I stuck with my mom & Dad, Rich and the boys.  I hope no one is offended.)

The List Challenge: Day 14

Almost half way through the List Challenge.

Memories Monday ties into what this list is about. It's about writing your autobiography.  And that is something I've flirted with off and on, even if it's only to give to my kids so they have a record of my life.  If I were ever to write an autobiography, these are the things you'd see in it.

The High Points for Your Autobiography

• Being born
• The whole in my neck
• Living in Downsville
• My parents separation and divorce
• My move to Florida and the friends I found there
• My mixed up love life
• Seven years that taught me more than any other
• Living in New York and being a Doper
• September 11th
• Meeting the love of my life
• Getting engaged and moving to Philadelphia
• A year without work
• My wedding
• We're having a baby.... and moving to Nashville
• Part time work
• Teddy gets a little brother
• The year I worked while Rich stayed home
• Family loss
• Trials and tribulations of being a stay-at-home mom

The List Challenge: Day 13

Once again, we're back for The List Challenge. Today's list involves someone very, very close to my heart.  My husband, Rich.

Reasons Why You Love Your Significant Other

• He has a fantastic sense of humor
• He knows all the in-jokes
• He gave me two wonderful little boys
• He can pull me back out of depression when I'm feeling low
• I feel secure when he's holding me
• He's a great cook
• He has a lot of the same tastes in books and movies that I do
• He doesn't complain when I need to get away for a little Me time
• He accepts me for who I am and only tries to help me change the things that I want to change
• He's the one that my heart and soul tell me I should be spending my life with

The List Challenge: Day 12

It's time for day 12 of The List Challenge.  And the list for today is:

Things You Want Your Children to Know About You

• I love to sing.
• I love to write.
• I love to read.
• I met their father online. We were friends for a year before we started dating.
• I love them very much.
• I'm not perfect.  I've made a lot of mistakes.
• I could have been valedictorian if I'd stayed at my school in Downsville, but I still think the move to Florida was a better choice for me.  I learned more there than I would have if I stayed in NY.
• I spent a lot of my summers playing with my cousins down at my grandparents.  They lived in the valley right below us and had a lot of land.  We were outside almost every day.
• When I was a kid, I wanted to be a teacher.
• I started role-playing when I was in college . I stopped playing for several years and started back up right before I met their father.
• I'm trying hard to make myself a better person, for them and for me.

The List Challenge: Day 11

Still continuing with The List Challenge.  Today's list is:

Acts of Kindness You've Committed

• Watched friends' children when they had an emergency come up
• Paid for the drink of the person behind me in Starbucks, just because I could
• Bought The Contributor to help the homeless
• Lent my car to my sister-in-law for long trips
• Drove to Florida to pick up my parents' stuff
• Paid for friends' meals when they didn't have the money to do so

The List Challenge: Day 10

Again, if you'd like to see a list of the the daily challenges, including the ones I've already answered, take a look here.

Today, I give you a list of

The Soundtrack of My Life


 This is one of the first songs I learned to sing.  It reminds me of my childhood.

 I was a child of the 80s.  And this was one of my favorite songs.

 I graduated in 1992, and this song was very popular then.  My friend Becky and I used to yell "You're what?!! Tin roof. Rusted." at one another when we'd see each other across campus.

This was my signature song in High School. I sang it with my own flair. It's still one of my favorites to sing.

 This fits in two ways.  One, I was always looking for love.  Usually in the wrong places.  Two, when I was in college, a bunch of friends and I would sing this for karaoke.  It was all girls singing it, but who cared?  We had a lot of fun!

 I used to go to Rocky every weekend.  I knew the AP lines like the back of my hand.  I actually met two boyfriends at Rocky.  It still holds a special place in my heart.

 I've been a gamer since college.  We had a lot of really late nights where we would be rolling dice and taking names.  I don't game as late anymore, but I still love to grab my dice bag and start rolling.

 I spent 7 years with a guy that was no good for me.  At one point, he was talking about moving to California and moving me out there with him.  Like every other promise, nothing came of it.  This became my anthem at that time of my life.

 I met Rich and he really did Blind Me with Science.  And gaming. And love.

 This was our first dance song.  I sang it to Rich as we danced.  No one else existed.

 I had this song playing when I was in labor with Teddy.  Rich and I have adopted it as our song.  One of these days, I'm going to get a recording of myself singing it.

The List Challenge: Day 9

I wasn't sure if I was going to get to my various challenges today, but it looks like the Gods are smiling on me.  You can either look on my list of memes or follow this link to see the various items on the List challenge, along with hyper links to my answers.

Today, the list I have for you involve

The Best Days of My Life

• The day that Paul (my first love - and I wrote an entry about him for a writing competition that I regular take part in) admitted that he loved me too. It was the first time I truly felt love from someone outside my family.
• My graduation from High School.  While I never had any doubts that I'd be able to graduate, the fact that my high school career was over, and I'd be stepping forward into a new phase of my life was really uplifting.
• My wedding day.  It rained.  I fell.  They played the one song that I'd specifically requested them not to play. ("The Chicken Dance". Hate that song.)  But you know what?  At the end of it, I was married to the man I loved, surrounded by some of my best friends and happier than I thought I could ever be.  It was fantastic.
• The day I found out I was pregnant with Teddy.  We were trying/not trying, thinking it would take longer for me to get pregnant after I got off birth control.  Wrong.  And seeing those two lines on the stick... it was the best.
• When we found out that we were having Teddy rather than Catherine (our girl name choice).  I'd always wanted a little boy to name after my father.  And inside my tummy was that little boy.
• The day Teddy was born.  It was a long day and, by the end, I was pretty drugged up.  But my baby was out, breathing air.  And soon, he was snuggled close to me as well.
• When Peter was born.  While finding out I was pregnant was scary (we weren't sure if I was early pregnancy or if I'd miscarried), and the day that we found out we were having a boy was sad (we'd just found out Rich's grandfather passed away), this day was perfect.
• Today.  I may not look back later and say that it was, but it really has been a fantastic day.  Teddy hasn't argued about things with me.  He's helped his brother.  He helped me without me needing to goad him into it. We played Gauntlet together.  It was just a great day.  And I think tomorrow may qualify as well.  After all, it's a blank slate and I can make it into anything I want.

The List Challenge: Day 8

Still back on the wagon for the List Challenge.  Today's list is:

The Best Things That Happened in the Last Year


This one might be a bit tough.  It's actually been a pretty rough year here so far.  But... I'm gonna see what I can come up with.

• Rich is certified cancer free (for the moment at least)
• I got to watch my boys gain another year, get wiser and sillier
• I started this blog and have gotten some pretty good friends because of it
• I'm finding more out about myself every day

Coming back to the List Challenge

The List Challenge is one that I'd started participating in back in March.  Then life happened and it didn't.  But I still like making lists and I've wanted to get back to it and I figured now was as good a time as any.  If you'd like to check out the list of challenges, along with my lists for each question, you can find it here.  I'm going to continue to go back and link up the answers as I write them.

Today's list is:

Good Things That Happened This Week

• We got the letter from Teddy's school letting us know some of the important information that we need for him to start next week. I won't find out who his teacher is until the day before school, but at least I know where to park and where to go and all that stuff.
• I've ordered my yearly Sandra Boyton calendar... and this year, I may actually have things to write in it!
• Between my mother-in-law and I, we've finally found some shorts that Teddy will be able to wear to school (thanks to the dress code).
• I found small alphabet stamps at Target in their dollar bins.
• I finally got all the laundry that had been sitting around forever finished.
• Peter still wanted me to carry him - bad on my back, but good for my soul.
• I found that, within the last 9 months, I've read 121 books.
• I was featured on The Mom Pledge Blog today!

The List Challenge: Day 6

Today's question for Rachel's List Challenge (for me, anyway, since she's already finished it.)

6. Your Favorite Things - what brings you joy?

I'm actually going to leave my family, cat and friends out of this.  They're givens when it comes to being my favorite things.  So here are the non-living things that make me happy.

• Books - Books are my regular way to travel.  They take me to far off places.  Places real and places fantastic, with people that I love and people that I hate.  They are often what keeps me sane.
• Writing - I don't write professionally.  I don't think I have the chops for it.  But I do like to write for my role playing games and writing here on Sanity's Overrated.  I love to do writing journals and sharing with others.
• Ice Cream - Ice cream just makes me happy.  It's definitely my favorite food.  Sadly, I'm out at the moment.  But I think I'll be picking some up tomorrow.
• Music - I used to sing a lot when I was younger.  At one time, I wanted to be a Broadway singer, but, for all that my voice isn't bad, I don't think if I was ever Broadway able.  But I haven't lost my love of music.  I don't think I could.  My boys and I listen to music in the car (usually their music rather than mine) and I'll often put Pandora on when I'm working online.  (At the moment, though, it's an audio book.)
• Office supplies - I'm an addict.  I love to buy notebooks, pens, new kinds of tacks and clips. Anything that can be used in office is something that brings me unusual amounts of joy.
• Bubble Baths with candles, an audio book and a glass of wine - This is, in my mind, the best way to relax.  I love relaxing in a bunch of heat while "travelling" and not having to worry about getting a book wet.

The List Challenge: Days 2 - 5

Rather than put these up as 4 different posts, I'm going to put them all under the same heading.  I've grabbed this List Challenge from Rachel over at Romancing Rachel.  If you want to see the rest of the list, including links to previously answered questions, take a look here.

2. Things you are grateful for

• My husband and my kids, definitely.  They're the reason that I get up every morning.  They are what keeps hope in my heart even when it's incredibly heavy.
• My friends.  I couldn't ask for a better bunch of friends.  They are there with advice, cheers, support, love... anything I need.  Sometimes I don't even need to ask.
• Having a roof over my head.  So many don't, especially after the devastation in Japan.  I'm very grateful that the rain and snow are something I only have to worry about on the other side of the glass.
• That Rich and I make ends meet day to day.  Sometimes it's not pretty, but we always get there in the end.
• That we sometimes even have extra money for things.  I like being able to treat myself, my husband and my kids sometimes.
• That I live in an area with a fantastic library system.  They have almost any book I could imagine wanting and if they don't have it, they are often willing to get it.  They have a large selection of DVDs, CDs and audio books.  They have something going on for kids at one of their branches almost daily.  And they HAVE a lot of branches so it's never far to get to one within Davidson County.  They have an awesome digital download system that I can get audio books from.  And the people that work there are among the most kindhearted people I've ever know.

3. Places You've Been

 

Well, I lived in quite a few places.  Upstate NY, Florida, NYC, Philadelphia and now Nashville.  But there've also been a lot of towns and cities that I've enjoyed visiting.

• Washington, DC. - The first time I visited DC, I was in 6th grade and went with my Girl Scout Camp.  I fell in love with it then.  I visited with my Dad a couple times after that and, most recently, went with my husband for a get together of friends.  I love visiting the various Smithsonians, the Library of Congress, and taking the Hop On/Hop Off bus to various locations.  I'm hoping to bring my boys in a few year, when they can start appreciating it.
• Missoula, MT - I went to visit a friend that lived there and it was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.  The mountains looked fabulous, the people were friendly and I just loved the atmosphere.  I've often said that if I could, I'd love to retire there.  I'm just not too sure how Rich would feel about it.
• Minneapolis/St. Paul - This was another visit to a friend a few years back.  Honestly, the best part of the trip was driving up to the North Shore.  We stopped to see a lot of waterfalls along the way.  I'm still hoping to go back one year and take a lot more pictures.
• Chattanooga, TN - We went to Chattanooga for a convention a few years ago (before Pete but after Teddy, and when my step-mom was still alive - they watched Teddy for the weekend).  We stayed at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo and I want to go back!  The stores were quaint, the hotel was fabulous and there was so much more that I wanted to see.
• Lake Tahoe, CA/NV - This was where Rich and I went for our honeymoon.  It's beautiful, tranquil and just a lot of fun.  There's really anything that you could want there - gambling across the line in NV, scenic tours, places to visit... we're hoping to go back some year.
• Las Vegas, NV - This was our trip for our 2nd anniversary.  I was pregnant with Teddy, which made the flight not too pleasant.  But it was so worth it, in large part because I got to see my Pipper, Noelle. We hadn't seen each other in about 13 years but it was like no time had passed.  Plus, we got to check out a few shows (and I ended up being pulled up on stage for one of the adult shows!)  It was just a blast.

4. Places You Want to Go

This list will probably be even longer.  There are so many places I'd love to visit!

• Disney World - Ok, I have been there.  Once when I was 5, once when I was a senior in HS and once when I was still living in Florida.  But this time it will be a completely different experience.  I'll be going with two kids that will be looking at the park with new eyes.  And I want to share in their wonder.
• St Louis, MO - Not only do I have a few friends that live there, but there are a lot of interesting places I'd love to visit there.
• The Green Valley Book Fair - We have seen flyers for this every time we've traveled back and forth to NJ or NY.  And every year, we swear we're going to find a way to get there.  And some day, we will.  We're tentatively planning on it for this summer.  
• London - Not only is it a country in which I can (usually) understand the language that's spoken, but there are so many things in London and around Great Britain in general that I want to visit.  I want to take the Ripper Tour, I want to visit one of the stone circles, I want to see anything and everything I can related to Doctor Who.... there's just too much.
• The Netherlands - Ok, I'll admit.  The main reason I want to go here is to visit with friends.  I have several friends there from a PbP game I was in a few years ago.  And I want a chance to hug every one of them.

5. Books You've Read

Ok, this will NOT be an exhaustive list.  And, I'm going to try to avoid the ones that I've read since I've been writing up my reviews here.

• A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving - I read this one in college and was instantly impressed with it. There are so many layers to it, and so many things that hit you in the head like a baseball that I've reread it several times and found something new each time.
• The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley - This book was introduced to me by my best friend in middle school and it shaped a lot of how I look at the world.  It's Arthurian Legend, but from a feminist point of view.  It's told from Morgan le Fey's point of view and she's an incredibly sympathetic character.  It helps remind me that not everything is as you first suspect it is.
• Tiger Burning Bright by Marion Zimmer Bradley, Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey - I adore this book.  Each author took a different point of view character in the book and wrote for that character (or, so it seemed to me.  I don't know if I've ever read anything on it specifically).  It's another strong female book, telling the story of how different aspects of womanhood can come together to overcome oppression.
• The Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weiss and Tracey Hickman - Rich introduced me to these novels, knowing that they would be ones I like.  Set in the world of D&D, they follow a band of friends and adventurers that are forced into the role of saving the world.  Tikka is, by far, my favorite character.  I mean, how could I not like a redhead that hits villains with a frying pan?
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - I'll say up front that I will read ANYTHING by Neil Gaiman.  The man is a genius.  The Sandman graphic novels are my favorite, but The Graveyard Book is up there as well (and so is American Gods and Blueberry Girl and... and... and...)  What I like about The Graveyard Book is that it's one of those wonderful books that are equally for kids and adults.  The thought of a boy living in a graveyard, being taken care of by the ghosts because his life is in danger otherwise.  Neil Gaiman is so good at being creepy without giving me nightmares.

The List Challenge: Day 1

1. People who have influenced you or inspired you

• My father.  I've always been a daddy's girl.  He influenced my love of sci-fi and fantasy, my need to read, my knowledge of computers and computing and many, many more things. He taught me that different was ok, to always do my best and that unconditional love is just that - unconditional.  I hope I'm passing the qualities that he helped instill into me into my own children.
• Mrs. DePalma.  She was my math teacher in New York.  She took a chance on me in 8th grade, letting me into the 9th grade Math I class.  When, during the next year, I had a schedule conflict with the Math II class, she taught me during her planning period.  During that time, she pushed me beyond just learning Math II, because she knew that I could do it.  She never accepted excuses because she knew I could do it.  She believed in me, and that helped me go further in my life.
• Susan Niebur of Toddler Planet.  I've never met her, but I've been reading her blog for quite some time.  Susan is a four-time cancer survivor, mom of two boys, astrophysicist and strong woman.  I often think that I wouldn't have the courage to go on with a positive attitude, but Susan does.  It's not to say she's always positive and upbeat.  She has her down days like the rest of us.  But even in those posts, I can see her strength.  I hope that, should I ever have to face even half of what she has had to past several years.

Starting another Blog Challenge

I've been reading TamTam over at HAVFAITH off and on. She has been following Rachel's List Challenge over at Romancing Rachel.  And, me being the lover of lists that I am, I've decided to start it.  Granted, Rachel's already finished all 50 days, but I see no reason why I can't do the challenges starting now.  So without further ado, here is the list.  Answer to the first question coming shortly.

The List Challenge

1. People who have influenced or inspired you
2. Things you are grateful for
3. Places you have been
4. Places you want to go
5. Books you’ve read
6. Your favorite things – what brings you joy?
7. Good things that happened this week
8. The best things that happened in the last year
9. The best days of your life
10. The songs for the soundtrack of your life
11. Acts of kindness you’ve committed
12. Things you want your children to know about you
13. Reasons why you love your significant other
14. The high points for your autobiography
15. People who love you
16. The cutest things your kids ever said
17. Everything you would do if money were no object
18. Favorite gifts you’ve ever received
19. Favorite gifts you’ve ever given
20. Occupations that you have ever wanted to have (including when you were a child)
21. The best advice you’ve gotten.
22. The worst advice you’ve gotten.
23. Things you’re procrastinating
24. Ways you calm yourself down when you’re angry.
25. The best ideas you’ve ever had
26. The best projects or organizations you’ve ever been involved with
27. The ways you have grown since your early 20’s
28. The most beautiful things you’ve ever seen
29. The greatest lessons you have learned
30. Life’s lessons that you learned the hard way
31. Things that have mad you laugh until you cried.
32. Qualities you most admire in others
33. Qualities others most admire in you
34. The elements of an ideal year
35. All the compliments you’ve ever gotten
36. Foods that you have eaten that are so good that others could hear you enjoying them
37. The times you have asserted yourself
38. Things that inspire and energize you
39. The places where you feel completely comfortable to be yourself
40. The most important turning points in your life
41. Times when you looked and felt your absolute best
42. The things you’re good at
43. What you would do with the power of invisibility
44. Things you want to teach your children
45. Things you still want to do in life
46. Bits of trivia that most people don’t know about you
47. The things you love about your body
48. Accomplishments you are most proud of
49. The things you love about your home
50. Who (living or dead) you would invite to your dream dinner party