Random Ramblings #12 and Randomness Answers

We interrupt our regularly scheduled travelogue to catch up with some random business.

It has been 55 degrees most of the time this past week. Do you realize how relative everything is? A few weeks ago, 55 degrees would have seemed wonderful and we would have probably shed our coats and been thrilled. But, after a few weeks of nice spring weather, 55 degrees seems like winter again!

Remember this picture from a couple of months ago? When I hit that huge chunk of ice as I was parking my car awhile after the big blizzard?

It looks much worse after a few weeks of jostling. We've finally decided to bite the bullet and get it fixed out of our own pockets - $627. Unbelievable!

Care Bear is quite the little artist, as I've shared before. She tells stories with her pictures. Here is one she drew this last week. On the right is the ladder to the top of a tube slide, and she and Feisty and one of the neighbor girls are sliding down the tube slide in the middle. On the left she is swinging from a tree (I'm not sure how she's sliding and swinging at the same time, but it's her story and her picture). I don't know where she got this artistic bent, because nobody in this family has it. That is a duck at the bottom of the slide!

She was making a note for her mom yesterday, and I decided to share it with all of you moms out there a bit early. Note the fancy lettering on "Happy." I love it! She's only 4 1/2.

Last night we had dinner with some church friends. We have a program that matches 4 couples (singles can be included of course) for four months of get-togethers. We're supposed to get together 4 times. It's called, logically, 4x4. We have had such fun doing this for a couple of years now and have been privileged to get better acquainted with people in church that we might not otherwise have had a chance to know socially. Last night we were at the home of a massage therapist and a counselor at a Christian farm for men with addictions. At the end of the evening, I stretched and said, jokingly, "I really need a massage!" Believe it or not, she said, "Come on back - I'll give you one!" She gave me a serious therapeutic massage for at least 30 minutes - she hit all of my vulnerable spots. Man, it hurt so good!! (I know poor grammar, but true statement). What a blessing!

I signed up for a contest at the gym - the person who loses the most weight and body fat in the next 3 months can win a trip for two to Baja, Mexico. You also have to write a short essay. I think the fact that I will be 60, DC will be 65, and we'll celebrate our 35th annviersary before the end of 2007 should qualify for a really good reason to win the cruise - now if I can only win the weight loss contest!! Pretty good motivation, wouldn't you say??

Several days ago, Groovy Old Lady randomized me, so FINALLY, here are my answers:

1. If you could have Mavis the Maid (She comes very highly recommended) on a consistent basis, which one household/cleaning chore would you be thrilled to get out of doing?

At this point in my life, I am not fond of any household chore. My sweet DC does the floors for me every week. I don't mind laundry too much, but ironing is not a favorite. I'm thankful for a good dishwasher. But I am really tired of menu planning, grocery shopping, and meal preparation. So I would have to say I would opt for someone to do these chores for me. I would love to sit down to a healthy, tasty meal every night that I didn't have to prepare.

2. Tell us the truth: Have you ever broken the law? What did you do?

Do I really have to admit that one of my nicknames has been "Lead Foot?" I guess I do. I got my first speeding ticket when I was 16, I believe. It could probably qualify for my embarrassing moment when the judge said, "If you speed like a man, you get charged like a man. Forty bucks and court costs." I was mortified, because it took my whole first paycheck from my summer job to pay this ticket. You'd think it would have taught me a lesson, wouldn't you? But I have to fess up that I have had several more speeding tickets over the years - including a few on those awful camera cops. Have you ever gotten one of those in the mail? You know you've been had when you see this flashing light, but not until then do you know that there was a camera there. Terrible feeling! I think I won't be getting any more speeding tickets.

3. Have you ever embarassed yourself in front of a crowd? What happened?

I have been wracking my brain all week trying to think of a good answer for this question. Don't get me wrong I have plenty of embarrassing moments in my history, but I must have a good forgetter, because they do not remain on my hard drive for recall. DC reminded me of the one I shared not too long ago where my car locked itself with the keys inside and the car running - and the extra key and the phone inside as well - at 6:45 a.m. on campus. But, as of this morning, I have a much more embarrassing moment to share. Picture this: I'm the chairperson of the mission organization of our local church. We have a missionary speaker coming today. He has not arrived by the time church starts. Pastor and I are on pins and needles. He announces, in jest (I think), that I will be speaking if the missionary does not arrive soon. I am standing in choir mentally preparing what I might say if it comes to that. Finally, during the wonderful choir song we were singing during communion, he arrives. As soon as we finish singing, I excuse myself from choir and head to the rear of the church to greet him and make sure everything is okay. He is embarrassed because he had mixed up the times and had neglected to check his e-mail message from us until 8:20 - church starts at 8:30. But I don't find that out right away because - I am wearing a new pair of backless sandals for the first time today and in my hurry to get back to the missionary, I walk right out of the shoes, and find myself pitching forward onto my knees and elbows - yep flat down in front of 200 people. Oh, my word! I wanted a miracle of Moses proportions - for that floor to open up and swallow me!! I am fine. Thankfully, my bad ankle didn't turn and re-injure the foot I hurt so badly 3 years ago this week (which is still causing me trouble). I praise the Lord for that. I got up on the platform and introduced the missionary speaker, able to make a joke out of the whole thing. I really didn't want something to share with you that badly!!

4. You've selected a stunning new outfit to wear to an important event. Time is running short. You are rushing to get dressed and suddenly realize that said outfit absolutely DOES NOT fit. What do you do?

This could happen to me quite easily at this point in my life. I guess I just hope that I have a "fat outfit" that I can fall back on. That's the advantage of keeping all of your various sizes of clothes and not giving them away when you lose weight.

5. Hey...Lucky You! You get to be the President of the United States for one entire week. Any changes you make will become a permanent part of American history. What are the top-three items on your to-do list?

I'm not sure I'd want to be, based on the horrible things that the president has to listen to about himself and his family every day. Sadly, the president doesn't have the power to do the things he wants to do, when he has to work with a hostile congress and judges with an agendas of their own. But if I did have power, I would eliminate abortion, poverty, and abuse.

Travelogue to be continued. . .