100 things

Other bloggers have been doing this list, so I wanted in on the fun. Well... I started the list over a week ago. I've been coming up with about 10 items a day. The general conclusion is that I must not be a very interesting person if this list is so hard to come up with! So for what it's worth, here are 100 random facts about me.

The photo is one of my least popular flickr photo, which I think is undeserving. I actually kind of like this one. It has nothing to do with the list, really. I just thought a bitter cold day is a good time to gaze (blurrily) at a hyacinth and dream of the warmer, brighter days that lie ahead.

Now, the list:

1. I have oatmeal with walnuts and cranberries every weekday morning for breakfast. (From my work's cafeteria.)
2. I have some sort of lip balm stashed in almost every room, purse, and coat pocket.
3. I've carried a purse since kindergarten and never lost one.
4. My sneezes are REALLY loud.
5. I cry over books, tv, and movies.
6. My favorite tv shows are Lost and Grey's Anatomy.
7. My extensive and eclectic music collection ranges from classical (Appalachian Spring by Copland) to hard rock (Disturbed's Down With the Sickness) and everything in between.
8. Most folks eat Ramen noodles or Kraft macaroni and cheese. Me, I'm a Pasta Roni girl. Mmm,mm... garlic and olive oil pasta.
9. I'm opposed to organized dancing. You know, like the chicken dance, the electric slide, and YMCA that they always play at weddings.
10. I quit gymnastics at 5 years old. Quit softball at 9. Quit basketball at 12. Gave up being a cheerleader at 14. Quit softball again at 15. Now I stay in shape with a workout class called HEAT (High Energy Athletic Training). What?!
11. Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches are a secret favorite of mine. I usually put butter on the PB side so it doesn't stick to the roof of my mouth... like my mom always did.
12. I'm always learning to eat new things. Some accomplishments: wine, olives, sushi, and coffee.
13. I don't like horror movies, they cause me nightmares.
14. Growing up I had a pen pal in Hong Kong and one in Connecticut who I met on vacation one year. I've since lost touch with both of them.
15. The number of new email messages in my personal inbox this morning. Only one was personal, the rest were mostly marketing stuff. (I subscribe to a lot of shopping-related junk!)
16. I went to college at Ohio University. I minored in European studies. Fat lot of good that did me.
17. My first car was a blue Buick Skylark.
18. In high school and college I scoured flea markets, yard sales, and antique stores with my mom, aunts, and grandma looking for treasures. People at work are baffled that I can wear a different elaborate and ornate costume jewelry pin every day for a month.
19. I use old Christmas cards to make gift tags. I ran out this this year... it was a near crisis.
20. Summer is my favorite season.
21. I have NO INTEREST in skydiving or bungee jumping.
22. I LOVE whitewater rafting and have sucked my husband into the sport as well.
23. I read food labels.
24. As a kid, I used to roller skate in the basement.
25. I've had the same bottle of perfume for about 7 years. I guess I don't wear it often.
26. The worst recipe I ever made was a shrimp, artichoke, and sun-dried tomatoes pasta.
27. My husband is my soul mate.
28. There is nothing like a roaring fire... especially if there are marshmallows to roast.
29. This spring I will be awaiting the arrival of many new bulbs in my flower beds: hyacinth, tulips, irises, and more.
30. I rarely watch movies a second time... even though I usually forget most of the story after watching only once.
31. My biggest regret is passing up a chance to learn to fly. It was in Scotsdale, AZ. I was supposed to take a professional exam that was offered at a small airport (no idea why, but this was the testing center). But the company had not uploaded my exam when they were supposed to. So the guy running the testing center said, "Well, while you're here, do you want to learn to fly?" And I said no. I said no. I still don't know what the hell was wrong with me.
32. I took an art class a few years ago that focused on color and composition. I took it as a way to improve my photography and scrapbooking. I LOVED that class even though most of what I produced was terrible and I was so intimidated by the artistic people in the class.
33. In school I hated gym class.
34. I love playing tennis. I played tennis in high school but never tried very hard at it. Now I've had a few lessons and John and I play for fun. (I always lose.)
35. I like to iron. It's peaceful and relaxing. I love a 100% cotton vintage embroidered pillow case that's been ironed. And starched if I'm really feeling crazy.
36. I eat at the same time every day. If I don't get my meals on time, I get cranky.
37. I love to travel. Some of my favorites are Seattle, Costa Rica, San Francisco, France, Yosemite, Ireland, Grand Canyon, New York City.
38. I get acupuncture on a regular basis to keep my chi flowing freely.
39. My favorite color is green. But lately I have an affinity for orange.
40. My favorite scent is orange and cloves.
41. Chipotle is one of my favorite places to eat.
42. I almost got braces a few years ago. If I had the extra money for it, it's the one thing I'd like to change about myself.
43. I've never had a cavity.
44. I've never been to a circus.
45. I've only been in love once... still going strong.
46. I have a collection of scarves (vintage and more recent) that numbers about 30 to 40.
47. Economics and political science were my most hated classes in college.
48. As a kid I collected stamps. It was a hobby I discovered from my Grandpa.
49. I was 29 when I got married... just barely not a 30 year old bride.
50. I got my driver's license at 17. Only slightly bitter about losing a year of driving when we lived in the country.
51. As a kid, my favorite vacation was camping at Huntington Beach State Park in South Carolina. We always turned down Disney World.
52. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a cheerleader, an artist, a scientist, a lawyer, and a fashion merchandiser. In that order from 5 to 17. Pretty much none of them stuck
53. I hate cleaning out the fridge.
54. I know a little French and that's it for foreign languages.
55. The age at which I realistically think I will be able to retire. And then I'll find something else to do.
56. I like listening to audio books.
57. I drink water without ice. It's better for my chi that way.
58. I practice yoga.
59. I feed the birds in my back yard. The finches are my favorite. I keep them close to a window.
60. I love house plants. I have a philodendron, a Christmas cactus, and an African violet. (I had grown the African violet into a huge mass of leaves and just recently got it to flower - yahoo!)
61. I love the ocean. It's mesmerizing.
62. If I had to choose a new career and get retrained, I'd be a graphics designer. I'd also take more creative writing and journalism classes.
63. I don't dislike birthdays. Sure, I hate seeing another year pass, but overall I usually like myself better than the person I was the year before.
64. Time flies when I'm gardening. Pulling weeds, pruning, watering, transplanting... takes a while before I notice that I'm covered in grime and my back hurts.
65. I color my hair. Usually shades of dark brown, like it used to be. My true color is mostly grey... I am NOT kidding.
66. I'm not a big fan of music concerts. I love a small-venue acoustic show. I loved Chris Isaak at the Ohio Theatre. Not much else appeals to me.
67. I love outdoor festivals. The whole atmosphere appeals to me. If there is art and food involved... even better!
68. Last winter I learned to embroider. I wish I'd make more time for it. It's a beautiful craft.
69. That's how many spam messages I had last Monday morning.
70. I love Anthropologie for clothing and decor inspiration. Hate the prices and the anorexic models in the catalog.
71. I dislike talking on the phone.
72. Cap'n Crunch is my favorite sugary cereal. Anything nutty and honey on the healthy side is good.
73. I prefer silver over gold. But really, anything shiny and pretty is good to me!
74. I love thunderstorms and snowy days.
75. I quit wearing a watch a few years ago. My watch broke and I decided keeping time on my person was unnecessary.
76. I have the same birthday as my Mammaw.
77. My mom listened to 70s rock when I was growing up. I had a lot of 80s music to catch up on when I found out the 70s were over.
78. We got one channel on our 13 inch black and white tv. I also missed out on a lot of television growing up. (Well, I wouldn't say I "missed it" exactly.)
79. I'm really good at Seaquest and Centipede on Atari.
80. I've hiked Mt. Ranier. Ok, so not entirely... but I did a small day-hike around the base of it. Beautiful terrain... I recommend it.
81. I have two magazine subscriptions: Real Simple and Wondertime.
82. The last restaurant I ate at was Outback Steakhouse. They are the only people who prepare broccoli better than I do.
83. I photograph food. One reason to do it... have you ever looked back at recipe books from the 50s, 60s, or 70s?? People's ideas on food change rapidly. We should chronicle what we are eating here in 2007.
84. The last book I read was The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant.
85. The last vacation I took was in October when we went to Dunedin, Florida for a wedding.
89. I have seen two Cirque du Soleil shows - love them! I'm seeing another in May.
90. I dislike riding bikes.
91. I made the roman shades in our living room. They are very nice. Sometimes I look at them and think, "I really don't think I know that chic who made those a year ago."
92. I'm a pack rat. I've decided it's ok though. As long as I can be a neat and organized pack rat like my Grandma, I can continue. (I'm not there yet- eeek!)
93. The last new recipe I tried was a shrimp and spinach risotto. It was delicious!
94. I started going to church regularly almost a year ago.
95. I'm a Mac person.
96. I write in a journal almost every day.
97. My favorite ice cream is chocolate chip.
98. I would like to learn to cross country ski.
99. I took a pottery class once. I wasn't very good at it. We made cookie-cutter ornaments in the shape of stars that I still hang on my Christmas tree every year.
100. I listen to my iPod non-stop. All day long with headphones and over the speakers at home.


Oh my, you read all 100?! Now... take the challenge to write your own list of 100 things. To share or not... it's a fun exercise to try. Have fun. :-)

snow

Just a quick update, as it's past my bedtime!

We had great fun at the wedding of our friends the Snows!! You can see all the photos on flickr. I used this event as an opportunity to try my new flash that I got for Christmas. I'm still working with it. I feel like I barely have a handle on photography in perfect lighting, and adding the flash that I have to control adds another layer of complexity. Luckily for this event the whole setup was fairly idiot-proof, so I could just point and shoot mostly.

We danced the night away last night. Yes, even me! I managed to stay awake and drive us home after 11pm. The wedding was beautiful, dinner rocked (steak & lobster!), and the party was fabulous as we expected it would be.

Today we woke up to snow! It snowed the whole time we were at church and after we got back. I have to say - I LOVE snow. If it's cold, I want the white stuff!! So John had to shovel the driveway today. He also built us a fire to enjoy all day long while we putzed around the house.

Oh yeah, I also got my hair cut... it's pretty short! Ok, I'm out. Have a good week, all.

just an update

Here's a pregnancy update for ya:

Last time I yacked: Still only tossed my cookies once on Christmas day.
Last thing I smelled with my super-smelling abilities: My husband's morning breath. Ewww.
Last bit of food I snarled my nose at for no reason: Picked out a few pieces of chicken from my soup because they "just didn't look right."
Last thing I craved: Popcicle. I'm going to have a strawberry one in a few minutes. Yum. (I highly recommend Edy's real fruit popcicles. They're made with fruit and sugar, not artificial flavoring and unnatural sweetener or high fructose corn syrup - yuck!) I'm sooo over last week's donuts.
Pounds gained so far: 2.5
Last time I felt the baby move: Still waiting. I think I've felt some flutters, but not really a good swift kick, so doesn't count. (Also indistinguishable from gas, so who knows!)

I'm also reading the baby Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes at bedtime when I'm not too tired. And we are dancing like crazy on Wednesdays for exercise. He's either going to be (a) a good dancer, (b) immune to motion sickness, or (c) really sick of Ricky Martin, Fergalicious, and Shakira.

I have a new article posted on Crafty Places... might be worth a read for any of you who take photos!

Last weekend I scrapped a bunch with Theresa. But I haven't had any daylight time to take photos, so maybe I will post this weekend. Have a lovely week!

Seventh Annual Weblog Awards

Hey blog readers... It's time to vote...

Seventh Annual Weblog Awards

word of the year

Ali Edwards' recent scrapbooking newsletter suggests coming up with a single word that describes what you want for yourself in the coming year. My word for 2007 is

CREATE.

Considering that I'm bringing a new life into the world, I figured that is a good word with not too much stress attached to it. This year we are just planning for baby and letting each day be a learning experience that shapes our lives... rather than trying to force our life into any plan we might have in our heads.

I made some simple (and achievable) new years resolutions. Here are the resolutions (oh no, now I'm committed...eeek!):

• Gain no more than 30 lbs before giving birth.
• Lose that 30 lbs by December.
• Read more books.
• Put photos in photo albums (takes pressure off scrapping EVERY photo)

Pretty lame, eh? The fitness goals are actually going pretty well. I've been doing a few new workout classes, in addition to my weekly yoga class. Cardio Circuit and Latin Fitness Fusion. Oh my, the dance class is so fun. I have absolutely no skills in there, but it is a more entertaining way to ward off heart disease than any other!

X's

Ok... got this as a forwarded email. It kind of feels like I am in grade school passing notes with my friends, because you know I usually get these things only from my closest friends. And half the time I think, "Have I ever drank until I threw up?! Well, you would know, you kept handing me the drinks!!" Tee hee.

So anyway, for all the world to know my responses... here they are.

Place an X by all the things you've done, and remove the X from the ones you have not, and forward it to all of your friends (Including me).

( ) Smoked a cigarette
(X ) Drank so much you threw up
( ) Crashed a friend's car
( ) Stolen a car
( ) Hitchhiked
(X) Been in love
(X ) Been dumped.
(X ) Dumped someone
( X ) Been laid off/fired
(X) Quit your job (with notice of course!)
( ) Been in a fist fight
(X) Had feelings for someone who didn't reciprocate
( ) Been arrested
( X) Gone on a blind date
( X) Lied to a friend
( ) Skipped school
( ) Seen someone die
(X ) Been to Canada
( ) Been to Mexico
( ) Been to Hawaii
(X ) Been on a plane
( X ) Been on a train
(X ) Been Lost
( X ) Been on the opposite side of the country
( X ) Gone to Washington, DC
( X ) Swam in the ocean
( ) Felt like dying
( X ) Cried yourself to sleep
( X ) Played cops and robbers
( X ) Recently colored with crayons/markers
( X ) Sang Karaoke
( X ) Paid for a meal with only coins
( X ) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
( X )Made prank phone calls
( X ) Laughed until beverage came out of your nose
( X ) Laughed till you peed your pants
( X ) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
( X ) Danced in the rain
(X ) Written a letter to Santa Claus
( ) Been kissed under the mistletoe
( X ) Watched the sun rise with someone you love
( X ) Blown bubbles
( ) Made a bonfire on the beach
( ) Crashed a party
( X ) Gone roller-skating at least once
( X ) Gone Ice-skating at least once

1. Any nicknames? Stacia, Pumpkin
2. Mother's Name? Peggy, aka Sparkles
3. What is your favorite drink? lately, milk.
4. Tattoos? No
5. Body piercing? Ears
6. where's #4? Don't have any tattoos
7. Favorite vacation spot? Costa Rica
8. Ever been to Africa? No

9. Ever steal any traffic signs? No

10. Ever been in a car accident? Multiple times.
11. A, B, C, D, DD cup size? workin' on a C.
12. Salad dressing? Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh-cracked pepper

13. Favorite pie? Bourbon Pecan Pie (You can get it from Boulevard Grill at the Arts Festival.)

14. Favorite number? 3 (I guess because it's pretty.)
15. Favorite movie? Amelie

16. Favorite holiday? Christmas

17. Favorite food? Chipotle

18. Favorite day of the week? Saturday

19. Favorite brand of body soap? Oil of Olay
20. Favorite TV show? Lost
21. Favorite smell? Orange w/cloves

22. What do you do to relax? write in my journal, read, scrap
23. Message to friends reading this: HELLLOOO!!!! (I'll stick with Sarah's message!)

24. How do you see yourself in 10 years? Dropping JT and his sister off at Nana's for the weekend so I can get some peace and quiet! Haha.
25. Furthest place you will send this message? Australia? If you are reading this from Australia (or farther), you better leave a comment!
26. Who will respond the fastest? Becka

the pregnant lady goes bowling

Well, let's see... there is a lot to catch up since December 15.

We celebrated Christmas with John's family the weekend before Christmas. It was great fun. We did a few photos by the Christmas tree. See my favorite at left of John and his sister, Jen.

We spent Christmas weekend with my parents. Unfortunately I had a head cold all weekend long, so I wasn't feeling much like taking photos or doing anything besides trying to breathe. Not being able to breathe through your nose also puts a damper on overeating like I had planned to do. So much for eating for two...

New Year's Eve we spent with friends, lots of friends. It was a great time. If you were there and have been awaiting distribution of the group photo, find it here. (Personally, I like that we are all wearing matching shoes in the photo. You may never see that again.) It was a perfect way to ring in the new year.

We are looking more and more forward to the big event of 2007... JT's birth (or his sister). Things are going well. I haven't been sick, just really tired. That's why I haven't been blogging... just too tired after I get all the necessities accomplished. And since I spend most of the day on the computer, I try to give myself a break in the evenings. But I will try to keep you all posted on progress a little better. Here is a summary:

Last time I yacked: Christmas Day. Buckwheat pancakes. Otherwise I really haven't been sick at all.
Last thing I smelled with my super-smelling abilities: Donuts. In the parking lot at work. I have no idea where they are baking donuts near my office... but I will hunt them down, I will.
Last bit of food that I snarled my nose at for no reason: Chicken. Seriously, there is nothing wrong with the chicken.
Last thing I craved: Well now I'm freakin' craving donuts. And if anyone knows where to get a really good CHOCOLATE CREAM STICK, please let me know. And I mean a good one, like the ones my Grandpa used to get on Sunday mornings.
Pounds gained so far: 2.
Last time I felt the baby move: Haven't yet... being still and quiet waiting for it to happen though.

The ultrasound pictures are from yesterday. John is freaked out by the one of the baby's face. I have to say, it's not a very attractive photo of our baby. He (or she) sure was active though. I don't know how, even floating in amniotic fluid, a baby the size of a peach can bounce around like that. It is good to have a peak in there every so often though and see baby being so active and it's little heart beating away though!

Oh, and if you are interested in getting in the pool for when the baby is born, here is the scoop:

$5 per person, per bet. The person closest to the date and time of the baby being born without going over the birth time will win the cash. For example: J.T.'s Sister is born on January 30th at 02:15 and Stacy guesses January 30th 02:14 and John guesses January 30th 02:16...Stacy would be the winner. Does that make sense? All dates and times (please use military time in honor of John) must be submitted by May 1st, 2007 to be considered a fair game. You may submit more than one bet but each bet will cost you $5.00. You may not change your dates or times after they have been submitted, so think long and hard. If for any reason, the Brunners deliver more than one child this pregnancy, then the closest bets to the birth times will have to split the winnings. Due to Ohio gambling regulations, "little brunner#1" is entitled to half of the winnings at the age of 18, if you choose to split it with "little brunner#1".

You can send your entries to me or Jenny. As far as I know, I can answer questions. The due date is July 6. And with that... we are pretty much caught up. I will try to stay awake some more this trimester in order to update the blog more often. (It would probably be easier than a giant post like this one!)