I'm it

I was tagged by my friend Jim today. I'm supposed to list seven random facts about me and tag 5 people who read my blog to do likewise. So here goes:

1. I can touch my nose with my tongue.
2. I'm not a big coffee drinker; I only drink it socially (like less than once a month) and then it must be black... no cream, no sugar. My Starbucks order is always hot chocolate.
3. I am a voracious reader. Nothing better than time on my hands and a good book to read.
4. I have horrible eyesight and wouldn't be caught without my contacts in. I even sleep in them so I can see if I wake up in the middle of the night.
   
5. I never had a real job until after college, and even then my first job was as a cashier at Venture (a Target wanna-be).
6. I am really looking forward to our time in California coming to a close. Unfortunately, that's at least 2 years from now.
7. My first car was an Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser (station wagon). I bought it during my senior year of *college*. (That's for my daughter, who seems to think being 16 means she should have a car at her disposal.)

I tag Jenny, Sandy, Rick, Shane, and Carrie.

Finding the I in iPod

Saw this very fun meme at Shalee's and just had to give it a try!

Here are the instructions:

1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question.
4. NO CHEATING.

Q: What does next year have in store for you?
A: Go Tell, artist unknown

Q: What does your love life look like next year?
A: Love the Lord, Lincoln Brewster

Q: What do you say when life gets hard?
A: Mystery, Phil Wickham

Q: Song that reminds you of good times?
A: Awesome God, Keith Lancaster

Q: What do you think when you get up in the morning?
A: Anyway, Martina McBride

Q: What song will you dance to at your wedding?
A: Sea of Faces, Kutless

Q: Song that reminds you of your first kiss?
A: Open My Heart, Keith Lancaster

Q: Your favorite saying?
A: Sing to the King, Zoe Group

Q: Favorite place?
A: Wish, Won by One

Q: Most Missed Memory?
A: You Cannot Lose My Love, Sara Groves

Q: What song describes your best friend?
A: I Will Lift My Eyes, Bebo Norman

Q: What song describes your ex?
A: He's Always Been Faithful, Sara Groves (trying to figure this one out)

Q: Where would you go on a first date?
A: I Wish It Would Rain, Nanci Griffith

Q: Drug of choice?
A: A New Anointing, Zoe Group

Q: What song describes yourself?
A: Time Has Come, Mercy Me

Q: What is the thing you like doing most?
A: We Trust in the Name of the Lord, Keith Lancaster

Q: The song that best describes the president?
A: Once in a Very Blue Moon, Nanci Griffith

Q: Where will you be in 10 years?
A: How Could I Ever Know? Secret Garden Original Cast (What an appropriate answer.)

Q: Your love life right now?
A: The Line Between the Two, Mark Harris

Q: What is your state of mind like at the moment?
A: When the Spirit of the Lord, Fred Hammond

Q: How will you die?
A: Worthy is the Lamb, Zoe Group

My answers weren't as neat as hers, but still a fun thing to try.

High School Meme

I've seen this at several blogs lately and finally have a little time to do it.

1. Who was your best friend?
I really don't remember. I don't think I had one.

2. Did you play any sports?
Nope...

3. What kind of car did you drive?
Didn't have my own, but once I had my license, if I needed to go somewhere, I could usually borrow my mom's '77 Ford LTD II. I called it "The Land Yacht." Forget trying to parallel park in it!

4. It’s Friday night. Where were you?
Either babysitting or at home with the parents.

5. Were you a party animal?
Heck no.

6. Were you considered a flirt?
See #5.

7. Were you in the band, orchestra or choir?
Concert choir and Moderne Chorale (select choir of Juniors and Seniors only)

8. Were you a nerd?
Yes. Good grades, glasses/contacts, honor society.

9. Were you ever suspended or expelled?
Not even close. Look up "goody-two-shoes" in the dictionary and there was a picture of me. I even babysat for the vice-principal.

10. Can you sing the fight song?
Yes sirree... both verses and in harmony.

11. Who was your favorite teacher?
Probably Mr. Beaver, my choir director and voice teacher (I took private lessons from him). Also Mr. Mosley, my world history teacher my sophomore year.

12. What was your school mascot?
Bulldog

13. Did you go to the Prom?
Nope.

14. If you could go back, would you?
Not for a gazillion dollars.

15. What do you remember most about graduation?
That it was outside and it started raining right at the end, when I was supposed to give the closing prayer... so everyone just took off instead. (Yes, *prayer* in a public school... how times have changed!)

16. Where were you on Senior Skip Day?
At Kentucky Lake. A lady from church invited me to her "cabin" (an A-frame house) for the weekend, since she knew I had no place else to go.

17. Did you have a job your senior year?
Not really, unless you count trying to help my mom and dad out at their floor covering store.

18. Where did you go most often for lunch?
Since I didn't have a car, I didn't usually go off campus for lunch.

19. Have you gained weight since then?
Can I plead the fifth?

20. What did you do after graduation?
Went home. I don't remember doing anything special.

21. What year did you graduate?
1982

22. Who was your Senior Prom Date?
Didn’t go.

23. Are you going/did you go to your 10 year reunion?
Didn't go. We had just moved from OH to FL (Ft. Walton Beach) the month before, and even if we could have made the trip from there to MO, I had a 5 1/2 month old baby whom I couldn't leave.

3 Characters book meme

I was tagged by Ellen at Above the Clouds for this book meme:

From books you have read:

Name 3 Characters you wish were real so you could meet them.

Name 3 Characters you would like to be.

Name 3 Characters who scare you.

My answers:

3 characters I wish were real:

Aslan
Melanie Wilkes (from Gone With the Wind)
Elizabeth Baxter (from Karen Kingsbury's Redemption series)

3 characters I would like to be:

Trixie Belden: I really did want to be Trixie when I was a kid.
Nick Cominsky: Just imagine really sitting down to dinner with Jesus!
Katy Hart (from Karen Kingsbury's Firstborn series)

3 characters who scare me:

Screwtape
Junior Cain (From the Corner of His Eye, Dean Koontz)
Edgler Vess (Intensity, Dean Koontz)

TV Meme

I found this at Carrie's:

List your top six favorite TV shows currently on the air before looking at the questions below.

1. Heroes
2. House
3. CSI: NY
4. Criminal Minds
5. NCIS
6. ER

Now answer the questions:

01. Who is your favorite character from #2?

House, of course!

02. Who is your least favorite character from #4?

Emily

03. What would a crossover between #1 and #5 include?

DiNozzo would be hitting on Niki/Jessica, while Gibbs and McGee hunt down Linderman. Abby and Mohinder pair up to work on isolating the genes from our Heroes; We find out Claire has a sick sense of humor when she challenges Ziva to a contest to see who's the toughest.

04. Who is your favorite ship from #6?

Assuming this means relationship.... I guess I'd have to say Abby and Luka.

05. If you were to set up one person from #3 and one person from #6 on a blind date, who would they be?

Stella from Criminal Minds and Ray from ER.

06. If you could meet one person from #4 and spend the day with them, who would it be, and what would you do?

Well, since I'm married... probably Mandy Patinkin. We'd spend the day singing show tunes. I know, I'm so lame.

07. If you could change one thing about #2’s plot line, what would you change?

Oooh... I'm getting tired of the Cameron/Chase thing; Either make them decide there's a relationship there or stop the mindless s3x. OR Find House a woman.

08. Explain a relationship between two people (not necessarily romantic) from show #5, and why you like the relationship between them.

I have to borrow Carrie's answer on this one. Abby and McGee. Past dating history, yet still great friends and very supportive of each other (however, if I could change it, I'd probably put them back together).

09. If the lead title characters (first name in the credits) from #1 and #3 were both drowning, and you could only save one, who would it be?

I'm not even sure who the first character in credits is in Heroes. On the website, it's Isaac. So between Isaac and Gibbs... probably Gibbs.

10. If you could change the title characters’ order in the credits for #4, what order would you choose?

Well, I'd keep Mandy at #1, but move Shemar Moore up to #2, and then Kirsten Vangsness (I love Garcia!), then Matthew Gray Gubler, Thomas Gibson, AJ Cook, and Paget Brewster.

11. If you were able to add a new character, any kind of character you wanted, to the storyline for #6, what would the character be like, and what would their role be?

I'd add a nurse anesthetist... I'm tired of people thinking docs are the only folks who do anesthesia. Maybe make him compete for Neela's attention with Tony. Plenty of time together in the OR to develop a relationship.

12. What happens in your favorite episode of show #2?

Oh gosh.. I don't think I have a favorite episode; I like them all.

13. If you could kill off one of the characters in #1, who would it be and how would you do it?

Hmmm, either Niki/Jessica or Mr. Bennett's boss.

14. If you got the chance to visit the set for either show #3 or show #5, which would you choose?

CSI: NY

15. If you could date anyone from any of these shows, which show and which person?

I’m married.

Music, music, music (or "I've been tagged")

Before I get to the real reason for the post, thanks to everyone who got a kick out of my little April Fool's post. Believe me, if it hadn't been a joke, I don't think I'd be in any shape to be writing blog posts. I'd probably be in a nice little padded room, pumped full of happy pills.

My favoritest Omaha preacherman, Jim, tagged me this morning with a music meme. He said that I'd "love it." He knows me pretty well. I'm supposed to list 7 songs I'm listening to these days. So here goes:

1. You Never Let Go, Matt Redman: I love the reminder that God is holding onto us whether we are enjoying a time of peace or a painful time. The singer in me loves the harmonies in it.
2. He's Always Been Faithful, Sara Groves or Zoe Group: I have both of these on my IPod and listen to both versions. Zoe's acappella track is mesmerizing. Like #1, it reminds me of God's faithfulness and helps me see past today's "light and momentary" troubles.
3. I'll Join the Rocks, FFH: More great harmonies... and it talks about continuing to sing and praise God even when all the other singing stops.
4. Blessed Be Your Name, Tree 63: I'm sensing a them here... praising God in any and all circumstances. And there's harmony! (We sang this one and #1 yesterday at church... I was definitely into it.)
5. I Will Lift My Eyes, Bebo Norman: More harmony! I guess it goes with the theme of most of the other songs on my list right now, too.
   
6. We Fall Down, Kutless: Probably about as rockin' as I get... has an awesome guitar part at the beginning. And has some cool harmony (as if you couldn't guess).
7. Everlasting God, Lincoln Brewster: Part of me wants to say, "It has a good beat and you can dance to it." I just enjoy everything about this one... the music, harmonies, and words.

Funny, this was harder to do than I thought it would be. And I could probably pick a whole lot more, but then you'd get really bored.

Book and Movie Meme

Seen at Steph's:

Put an asterisk next to all those books whose movies you have seen. Bold the ones you’ve read.

1. Heidi (Johanna Spyri) *
2. Pride and Predjudice (Austen)*
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)*
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)*
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)*
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)*
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)*
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)*
9. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)*
10. Anne of Avonlea (L.M. Montgomery)*
11.The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
12. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)*
13. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
14. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)*
15. Chariots of Fire (Clarence E. Macartney)*
16. 1984 (Orwell)
17. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)*
18. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
19. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
20. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
21. Quo Vadis (Sienkiewicz)
22. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Victor Hugo)*
23. The Robe (Douglas)
24. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
25. The Story of A Soul (St. Therese)