Life at 7000 Feet

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Do you have a favorite day of the week?

I think I love Sundays the best because they're super low key for us.

We go to church. We don't turn our computers on. We read the newspaper. And books. We go to the library. We make a yummy dinner. And more.

I love Saturdays too though.

And Friday nights.

Just curious if you have a favorite.

::If you're reading this post in a reader, you'll have to click-through to see the poll::

Friday, March 12, 2010

Happy Stuff.

I'm in my happy place right now. I've been at home cleaning all morning. I love being home and I love to clean. I realize that might make me weird, but it's true, I really do love it. Especially on Fridays. There is nothing like waking up on a Saturday morning with my home in order. It's probably one of my most favorite things!

I have just a few quick things to share....

1. I posted Julie's sugar cookie recipe here. You're welcome.

2. I'm really excited about my choice of film for family movie night tonight. We're watching Troop Beverly Hills. It's so old but I remember it being very funny. I think my girls will love it, but I'm not so sure about the boy. |Update: It was funny (and very 80s) but I'd forgotten that there was quite a bit of language in this movie.|

3. I'm glad I had a morning at home because my afternoon is going to be c-r-a-z-y. Lots of running around to do, and must take the beagle to the vet. That might be my least favorite job ever. |Update: John took the beagle for me! My hero!|

4. John and I are going to Big Sur, California for our anniversary trip. It's on the coast (south of Monterey) but it's mountainous too. It's the best of both worlds, and the pictures I've seen are gorgeous! We've talked about going there for probably fifteen years, so we're pretty excited that it's going to happen! It seems very "us". Anyone been there?

5. This is my 998th post. Crazy! Sometime tomorrow I'm going to post another weekend poll and then I'll be back on Monday with something fun. Here's a not-so-subtle-hint of what's to come...

Kellie and I will be celebrating together because it's her 1000th post too!!! Happy Friday, y'all!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Wedded Wednesday: Time Off

Guys...time is elusive this week and John and I are unable to get a Wedded Wednesday post together. We're taking today off and intend to be back next week. Thanks for understanding!

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

10 on the 10th!

10 Things I Did Today

1. Made my daily to-do list. I have a couple more things to cross off but I've had a productive day!

2. Went to TANG. TANG is the name of my moms' group at church. It is such a fun group of friends and I really, really try not to ever miss TANG. One of our pastors facilitates our time together, and today we worked through Psalm 32. It was great even though my pastor "outed" me as a blogger. Hello TANG friends!!!

3. Worked out. On our lonely-but-trusty-and-very-much-in-need-of-a-good-cleaning- treadmill.

My treadmill says I burned 368 calories which I'm sure I promptly regained when I ate one of Julie's cookies at TANG. They were iced sugar cookies (in the shape of shamrocks) and she gave me the recipe which I'm thinking about sharing with y'all since they were the BEST sugar cookies I've ever tasted in my life.

4. Met John for lunch. At Panera. It was nice to spend some time catching up after being gone all weekend.

John brought his laptop and after we ate we did a little surfing, made some final decisions, and...............................................

5. WE BOOKED OUR ANNIVERSARY TRIP!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am super excited about it (as if the exclamation points didn't tell you that).

6. I ran by REI after lunch because Abbey has one of these water bottles and she bit a hole in the valve. I bought the replacement kit because the sales guy assured me it was the right one and that it would fit. It doesn't. I checked the manufacturer website and they don't even make the piece we need to fix the problem. Grrrrrrrr.

7. Called my friend, Debbie. We usually hike (with two other friends) on Wednesdays but the weather looks crummy tomorrow so we made a contingency plan. The contingency plan is that if it's snowing (or cold, or windy, or precipitating at all) we're not hiking. I'm praying for sunshine because I love and need my Wednesday afternoon hikes.

8. I contemplated driving my van through the carwash. It is beyond filthy but we're supposed to get more snow so I'm going to just let it stay dirty for a while longer. Sigh.

9. Imported two new cds into my computer. This one was in my "treat bag" from last weekend's scrapbooking retreat. I had a few of her songs already on my iPod, but the rest of the cd is fantastic. John's boss (who passes on some great music! Thank you, Mr. P!) sent this cd home with J yesterday. I haven't had a ton of time to listen to it, but so far I'm enjoying it.

10. Watched American Idol for the first time in a really long time. When did Paula leave? Is Ellen her replacement? Wow. Am I out of the loop or what?

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Okay, now it's your turn. If you want to join the fun, post a list of ten things (anything you choose) on your blog and then link up here.

Monday, March 08, 2010

Taking the Pressure Off

I had a fabulous weekend in the Sangre de Cristo mountains with my church peeps.

Twice a year the ladies from my church get away for a scrapbook weekend. Scrapbooking is one of my favorite things, but lately I just haven't been feeling the love for it. I've been trying to get into digital scrapbooking and while I find it fascinating, I don't find it intuitive. Anyway, I was on the fence about joining my church friends this time around.

John talked me into it...and I'm SO glad he did! I had SO MUCH FUN!

I've been on countless scrapbooking retreats over the years. I usually spend lots of time before I leave organizing my photos and supplies and gearing up for maximum productivity because I don't want to feel like I've wasted my time and money.

Wanna guess how many pages I completed this weekend?

Zero. Goose egg. None. Nada. Zip.

Wanna know how I feel about that?

Liberated.

I took the pressure off of myself to "do" and let myself just "be".

I went on a hike. I went snow-shoeing for the first time (so much stinkin' fun!) I laughed. I laughed a LOT. I spent time talking with friends. I slept. I rested. I worshiped. I did pretty much whatever I felt like doing. I let myself have fun. And I feel SO refreshed.

The weekend was a gift to me, and I realize that while I didn't walk away with something tangible to show for my time (scrapbook pages), I walked away with lots of intangible things--like a full heart, deeper relationships, and a buoyed spirit. And those are the things that really matter anyway!

Thursday, March 04, 2010

We can be bored together...

I saw this meme on Amber's blog and decided to "borrow" it this morning. Mostly because I'm bored with my blog and am really not feeling inspired to write much these days. I figured if I'm going to be bored, you might as well be too. So read at your own risk, and don't say I didn't warn you.

1. What is your name spelled backwards? H-T-I-D-E-R-E-M. Nice, huh?

2. What did you do last night? Sorted a million bajillion digital pics and went to bed with a blinding headache.

3. What was the last thing you downloaded onto your computer? Free digital fonts from BeckyHiggins.com

4. Have you ever licked a 9 volt battery? Why would anyone do that?

5. When was the last time you swam in a pool? Last summer.

6. What are you wearing? Arkansas Razorbacks sweatshirt and red/black plaid pajama pants.

7. How many cars have you owned? In almost 20 years of marriage we've owned 8 cars. And we've named every single one of them.

8. What is the type of music you dislike most? Old school country music. Much to the dismay of my husband.

9. Are you registered to vote? Absolutely. Have been for 20+ years.

10. Do you have cable? A very, very basic package for which we pay $10/month. And can I just tell you how NICE it was to watch the Olympic coverage this year without having to adjust the rabbit ears!

11. What kind of computer do you use? MacBook

12. Have you ever made a prank phone call? Guilty.

13. Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving? Neither. I'm very afraid of heights.

14. What is the furthest place you ever traveled? I don't know. I've been to every corner of the US but I've never been outside of it.

15. What's your favorite comic strip? I can't tell you the last time I read the comics. I used to love Family Circus though. Is that still around???

16. Do you know all of the words to the national anthem? Yes!

17. Do you shower in the morning or at night? In the morning, but if I work out in the afternoon then I'll shower again at night.

18. What is your favorite pizza topping? Goat cheese!

19. Chips or popcorn? Hmmmmm...I love popcorn, but I also love Nacho Cheese Doritos. [Here's a joke for you: What do you call cheese that doesn't belong to you? Nacho cheese.] My kids think that is so funny.

20. What cell phone provider do you use? Verizon. And still waiting for Apple and AT&T to break up so we can get iPhones. We will NOT switch to AT&T.

21. Have you ever smoked peanut shells? People smoke peanut shells? I've never smoked anything in my life.

22. Have you ever been in a beauty pageant? Um, no.

23. Orange juice or apple juice? Orange juice. Either freshly squeezed or Simply Orange.

24. Who were the last people you sat at lunch with? Myself. I hardly ever go out for lunch anymore. I'm too cheap.

25. Favorite chocolate bar? Don't like chocolate.

26. Who is your oldest friend and how long have you known eachother? I keep up with lots of long time friends, but I guess my oldest would be my sister. I've known her since I was 15 months old! ;)

27. When was the last time you ate a homegrown tomato? Last summer...in Arkansas. I LOVE tomatoes!

28. Have you ever won a trophy? Yes! I won a couple for placing in my age division in some road races I did back in my running days. One of them was the Chicken and Egg Festival 5K in Prescott, AR. Impressive, eh?

29. Favorite arcade game? Centipede.

30. Ever ordered from an infomercial? It's probably a good thing that I can say no to this, right?

31. Sprite or 7-UP? Neither. I prefer my carbonated beverages to have caffeine.

32. Have you ever had to wear a uniform to school/work? I don't think so. Not even in my Catholic school days.

33. Last thing you bought at Walgreens? Photo prints. And candy to sneak in the movie theater.

34. Ever thrown up in public? Uh huh. And it wasn't pretty. I'll spare you the list.

35. Would you prefer being a millionaire or finding true love? Hmmmm.... I'd choose love.

36. Do you believe in love at first sight? I don't think so. Attraction? Yes. But I don't think you "fall" in love, you have to "grow" in love.

37. Spongebob or Jimmy Neutron? Spongebob. I've only recently let my kids watch this show and I've gotta tell you that it's pretty funny sometimes.

38. Did you have long hair as a young kid? Yes, very long hair! Until I begged my mom to let me get a Dorothy Hamill cut. She relented, and I'd like to burn the pics of myself from age 1975-76. Thankfully my locks grew out and I kept them long for many years.

39. What message is on your voicemail machine? I don't ever call myself so I don't know! I think it's just the standard message where I inserted my name when the nice lady told me to.

40. Where would you like to go right now? To Hawaii. My friend is going for Spring Break and I'd like to stow away in her suitcase.

41. What's the name of your pet? Jack-the-fat-lazy-disobedient-Beagle.

42. What kind of back pack do you have, and what's in it? REI brand and right now it's empty. I wear it when I hike and fill it with water, snacks, lip balm, and tissue.

43. What kind of tennis shoes do you have? Brooks Glycerin. I used to buy Nike (because I liked the colors/styles) but the guy at the running store put me on the treadmill, watched me run, and suggested Brooks. I've never bought another brand since. They fit my very-narrow feet perfectly and have the cushion/stability I need!

44. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? John.

45. Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny? Mickey.

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Wedded Wednesday: In Front of the Kids?

Charlow Family asked: Do you discuss your disagreements in front of your kids? Right now we have a 1-year old and we are trying to find a healthy boundary line for discussing things in front of her as they arise, and waiting for when we are behind closed doors. I'm not talking about major issues here, just little things that crop up during the day. I don't want our daughter growing up thinking that having a happy marriage means you never disagree, but I don't want her to see her parents bickering all the time either.

(this is John, the husband)
I think I've swerved beyond the original question a little. For better or worse, we have a tendency to do what our parents did. Now I didn't say always, but sometimes, a tendency. I didn't see my parents disagree/argue much during my years under their roof. Meredith witnessed the opposite. So, as you might imagine, we're mutts on this one - a mix of yes and no, not always but sometimes.

We polled our kids tonight at dinner time on this one. They said we argue often and always in front of them. That's just great; last time we'll poll the kids. Yet note to self and others: perceived reality to a child is the reality. As we asked a little deeper we learned it wasn't so much our arguing that bothered them as our going to separate corners in the heat of the moment. Sometimes Meredith and I need to do that, give each other space, take a time-out. But in the eyes of our kids, they experience the conflict dividing us. It is no longer dadandmom, but dad and mom. If they should go to bed without witnessing us coming back together, then they've seen the sun set on their parents' anger.

So, just as when you discipline a child there has to be a moment of welcoming that child back to your embrace, so too there needs to be a visible re-union of husband and wife should the argument they decided to make public drive them apart. I'm not talking about some forced kiss-and-make-up for appearance sake, but an honest confession that we're still disagree, we still love you, and we'll be here when you wake in the morning. I believe there are times for fighting and times for ceasing. But I believe at all times we must remember the children

(this is Meredith, the wife)

Yes, we disagree in front of our kids. And according to them, we disagree often. Ha!

I think we're fairly cognizant of the need to table discussions, um, disagreements that pertain to the kids until after they're in bed. Or if it's something else we know needs to be discussed in private, we'll retreat. But little things? Yeah, I think it pretty much happens in the moment. Remember, I'm "mercurial".

I don't know if this is good, or if this is bad. I just know it's honest. Our kids know that we love each other. They see the mushy-gushy-lovey-dovey stuff as well as the we're-just-not-seeing-eye-to-eye-right-now stuff. And like John said, if they never saw us come back together and make up and forgive and move on, I'd start to worry.