Sunday Stealing: The 99'er Meme - the Final Part

Cheers to all of us thieves!

76) In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?
Laughter, trust, and bail money.

77) How did/could someone win your heart?
Chocolate, flowers, Dave Matthews music, and Ugg boots!

78) In your world, what brings on more creativity?
I'm a pretty creative person, and most of my inspiration comes from completely random things.

79) What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?
Finishing college

80) Why did you break up with your last ex?
We despised one another

81) What would you want to be written on your tombstone?
My name, I guess???

82) What is your favorite word?
Crimeany!

83) Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word: delusional.
mother

84) What is a saying you use a lot?
No more photos, please!

85) Are you watching Idol this season? If yes, how do you like it?
Are you kidding me?? The Kardashians are going through a crisis. Who has time for idol?

86) Were you surprised that House got canceled?
Not at all. It was the same show every week with different patients.

87) What is your current desktop picture?
Myself with a Roman gladiator - taken in Rome circa 2008.

88) If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?
Tim Tebow

89) What would be a question where you'd not tell the truth?
This one....

90) One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by WEEPING ANGELS. The Weeping Angles aren't really doing anything, they're just standing around your bed. What would you do?
Offer them a tissue and some chocolate?

91) You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what's even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?
I'm pretty much all-powerful already, but if they could give me the ability to pick the powerball numbers, that would be cool.

92) You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?
I really have no idea. Well, i do, but it's too personal for the net.

93) You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?
My first marriage

94) You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. (let's say that you are both single and available) Who might it be?
Brad Paisley?? Not really sure.

95) You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?
Somewhere warm, peaceful, and rum-filled

96) Do you have any relatives or friends in jail?
Who doesn't?

97) Who's winning the U.S. Republican presidential nomination? Why?
Ron Paul?? Not really sure. I don't keep up with this crap until it gets closer to the election.

98) Who's winning the next U.S. Presidential election?
Whoever gets the most votes.

99) If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say?
Don't do the final part of the 99'er Meme...it's pretty dumb.

The 99'er Meme: Part 3

Cheers to all us theives!

51) Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?

Sometimes...

52) What is your astrological sign?

Pieces

53) Do you save money for anything? What?

I am horrible at saving money. If I have it, I spend it.

54) What's the last thing you purchased?

Jewelry

55) Have you ever had a relationship that you realized was lust not love?

What?? Never!!

56) In a relationship?

With my shoes.

57) How many relationships have you had?

Why do we keep dwelling on how many shoes I own?

58) What do you want to tell us about your day?

There will be no "funday" in my Sunday, that's for sure.

59) Where were you yesterday?

At home, hosting a jewelry party

60) Is there anything interesting within 10 feet of you?
A lazy cat.

61) Are you wearing socks right now?

Yes...I have hardwood floors, so socks are required.

62) What's your favorite animal?

My students.

 

63) What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?

If they aren't won-over by my sensational looks, I usually get them with my adorable dimples and sparkling personality.

64) Where is your best friend?

Why? Did someome let him out of the kitchen?

65) How did you end your last relationship end?

Signing divorce papers.

66) What is your heritage?

Um, not really sure. My mom is a card-carrying indian. I'm pretty sure I'm just a mutt.

67) What were you doing last night at 12 AM?

Mourning the death of Whitney by torturing my children with my stellar version of "I will always love you." Oh, and whining because I'm missing Mardi Gras.

68) What's new?

The rug on our living room floor.

69) What is the key to seduction?

Salt, lime, 1 oz tequila.

70) What was the weirdest thing that happened to you this week??

Getting tons of free school supplies from Wal-Mart...

71) You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?

RIP Fluffy

72) You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?

D- None of the above

73) You can only have one of these things: trust or love.

Trust

74) What's a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?

If you're happy and you know it...

75) Who has your cell phone number (other than family)?

Apparently, every car salesman in a 120-mile radius.

Sunday Stealing: The 99'er Meme Part Two

26) Are you happy with the person you've become?

There's always room for improvement...not much, but a little.

27) What's a sound you hate; sound you love?

Hate- alarm clock

Love- 3:00 bell on May 26th

28) What's your biggest "what if"?

What if I wasn't so ridiculously fun?

29) Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?

Ghosts - yes. Aliens no...although I think I may live with a couple.

30) Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.

right arm- Dawson...left arm - nothing.

31) Smell the air. What do you smell?

Cinnamon stick Scentsy!!! YUM!

32) What's the worst place you have ever been to?

It's a toss-up...either Detriot, Michigan, or divorce court.

33) Choose: East Coast or West Coast?
Never been to the West, so I'll have to say East!

34) Most attractive singer of your opposite gender?

Enrique!! He's yummier than the Scentsy!

35) To you, what is the meaning of life?

I'll have to get back to you on that one.

36) Define: Art.

Anything that makes you stop and think twice...

37) Do you believe in luck?

Just the bad kind.

38) Patriots or Giants? Or, who gives a rat's ass?

Giants. Tom Brady is the devil.

39) Will you watch the game? If yes, with who?

Yes - we're having our fifth annual "Junior Super Bowl Party"...we'll be watching with eight wild little boys!

40) Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?

It seems like we've covered this before. Yes, I drive. Yes, I've been in multiple wrecks.

41) What was the last book you read?

Night Road by Kristin Hannah. There's a book review a few blogs back.

42) Do you like the smell of gasoline?

Absurdly, a little.

43) Do you have any nicknames?

Famous Amos

Amy Jo (which I despise)

Princess of Everything

44) What was the last movie you saw?

The Change-Up...freaking HYSTERICAL!! The first 30 seconds in and I was already rolling.

45) What's the worst injury you've ever had?

I broke my elbow when I was little, and my brother once tried to bash my head in with a boulder. Other than that, probably the three times I've broken my nose.

46) Have you ever caught a butterfly?

Yes...the little darling became the inspiration for my tramp-stamp.

47) Do you have any obsessions right now?

BOOKS!! Always books!

48) What's your sexual orientation?

Straight.

49) Ever had a rumor spread about you?

Of course.

50) Do you believe in magic?

Not really...but I do believe in fairies!!

Book Review: On The Island by Tracy Garvis-Graves

A friend recommended this book a couple of weeks back, and I wasn't really intersted. However, when she said the author was married to a Woodward boy, I was intrigued (although I never was able to confirm/deny). I bought the book on my Kindle for $2.99, and set-out for a three-hour tour...

From the cover:
When thirty-year-old English teacher Anna Emerson is offered a job tutoring T.J. Callahan at his family's summer rental in the Maldives, she accepts without hesitation; a working vacation on a tropical island trumps the library any day. T.J. Callahan has no desire to leave town, not that anyone asked him. He's almost seventeen and if having cancer wasn't bad enough, now he has to spend his first summer in remission with his family - and a stack of overdue assignments - instead of his friends. Anna and T.J. are en route to join T.J.'s family in the Maldives when the pilot of their seaplane suffers a fatal heart attack and crash-lands in the Indian Ocean. Adrift in shark-infested waters, their life jackets keep them afloat until they make it to the shore of an uninhabited island. Now Anna and T.J. just want to survive and they must work together to obtain water, food, fire, and shelter. Their basic needs might be met but as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.'s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.

For me, this book was a cross between the movies Castaway and The Blue Lagoon, except the leading lady isn't a teenager - she's a 30 year-old English teacher/tutor for a teenage boy recovering from cancer. I have to admit, the author doesn't waste any time delving into Anna and TJ's story, which is probably what kept me reading. Within the first few pages, the plane crashes and they're instantly in a battle for survival, and the action never ends.

I found myself in a real love/hate relationship with this book. The story was fascinating, fast-paced, and suspenseful...all fabulous qualities in a tale. However - and I don't think I'm really giving anything away here- I really struggled with the physical relationship and intimacy between Anna and TJ, and it made me feel very uncomfortable. The author carefully avoids the relationship until TJ is of "legal" age, but it still just kind of made me feel icky. Probably because I'm a teacher, and I work with kids all day, but I just had a hard time seeing past TJ being her "student," which grossed me out.

Despite all this discomfort, I couldn't put the book down. I devoured the book in less than three days, completely absorbed with the story and where it would go. There were some aspects of the book that I found far-fetched (a boy recovering from cancer can survive for years on a deserted island with no medical assistance?), but I simply couldn't stop reading until I reached the story's end. I completely expected it to be a typical couple-on-the-deserted-island tale, predictable and overused, but the author threw-in some pretty unexpected curveballs that kept me turning the pages.

I wouldn't recommend this book for my teacher friends - except maybe just to open a voracious debate on ethics - but I would totally share it with the hopeless romantics out there!!

Book Review: Night Road by Kristin Hannah

I just finished reading Night Road, a novel I wanted to purchase at our school book fair last week, but decided to download on my Kindle Friday afternoon, as I was out of reading material for the weekend.

From the cover: For eighteen years, Jude Farraday has put her childrens needs above her own, and it shows - her twins, Mia and Zach, are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close-knit community, no one is more welcoming than Jude. Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, quickly becomes Mias best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable. Jude does everything to keep her kids on track for college and out of harms way. It has always been easy - until senior year of high school. Suddenly she is at a loss. Nothing feels safe anymore; every time Mia and Zach leave the house, she worries about them. On a hot summers night her worst fears are realized. One decision will change the course of their lives. In the blink of an eye, the Farraday family will be torn apart and Lexi will lose everything. In the years that follow, each must face the consequences of that single night and find a way to forget... or the courage to forgive.Vivid, universal, and emotionally complex, Night Road raises profound questions about motherhood, identity, love, and forgiveness. It is a luminous, heartbreaking novel that captures both the exquisite pain of loss and the stunning power of hope. This is Kristin Hannah at her very best, telling an unforgettable story about the longing for family, the resilience of the human heart, and the courage it takes to forgive the people we love.

I have to say, this book is by far one of the best I've read in quite some time. The characters were bright and believable, and the story held me completely captivated from Friday afternoon all the way until Saturday evening. I would have finished it much earlier, but I had to put it down a few times to attend my son's basketball tournament! The story is told from three points-of-view, which makes it a little different from the typical first-person narration. Throughout the course of the novel, I found myself moved from laughter to tears on more than one occasion, as my heart broke time and again for Lexi and her seemingly hopeless situation. I was angered at Jude for her controlling nature, her bitterness, and for abadoning her family when they needed her the most, and I completely empathized with Mia- the awkward, book-loving, Disney-singing teen in a tutu and Converse All-Stars. Unfortunately, I didn't feel like Hannah developed Zach- the character at the center of the plot, which made it hard to connect to his emotions or his part in the novel. I wanted to know what he was thinking, what he was feeling, and what it was he really wanted.

If I had to pick something that I didn't like about the novel, it would be Jude's relationship (or lack thereof) with her mother. I was really hoping after all the tragedy and heartbreak, she would reach out more to her mother, reconnecting and rediscovering the love that had been lost. I wanted Jude to come full circle in her role as both mother and daughter, and was disappointed when the novel ended with just a hint of a reconnection between the two.

Overall, I absolutely loved this story, and I'd highly recommend it to the majority of my book-loving friends. I haven't checked yet to see if it's lendable or not, but I do know its available at our middle school book fair!

Sunday Stealing: The 99'er Meme Part One

Cheers to all of us thieves!

1) Put your iTunes on shuffle. Give me the first 6 songs that pop up.

1. Give Me Everything by Pitbull

2. Dirt Road Anthem by Jason Aldean

3. Piano Man by Billy Joel

4. California King Bed by Rhianna

5. Born This Way by Lady Gaga

6. Red Solo Cup by Toby Keith

2) If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?

Mark Teixeira

3) Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.

"Mia began talking slowly, stumbling over her words, but when she started talking about Heathcliff, she kind of took flight."

- Night Road by Kristin Hannah

4) What do you think about most?

Things that I should be doing.

5) What does your latest text message from someone else say?

"Ha ha ha" from Chelsea Roberts

6) Do you sleep with or without clothes on?

Jammies!

7) What's your strangest talent?

I have a ridiculously precise memory...and I can bend my thumb backward.

8) Women.... (finish the sentence); Men.... (finish the sentence)

Women need shoes. Men should buy women shoes.

9) Ever had a poem or song written about you?

Only one song that I know of, and it was pretty cheesey. One brief poem...

Amy, Amy, Amy,

Won't you lay-me, lay-me, lay-me.

10) When is the last time you played the air guitar?

In class on Friday...right before I sang a verse of the milkshake song. Don't ask.

11) Do you have any strange phobias?

Crunchy bugs. Can't stand them. This includes, but is not limited to: grasshoppers, locusts, and june bugs.

12) Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?
A tampoon once..to stop a nosebleed. It's amazing how effective they are!

13) What's your religion?

Christian

14) If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?

Sitting on the sand, sipping a cold one.

15) Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?

Behind. I am NOT photogenic!

16) Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?

U2

17) What was the last lie you told?

Not really sure...I'll have to think about that one.

18) Do you believe in karma?

No, I just generally believe in really bad luck.

19) What does your URL mean?

It's pretty self-explanatory.

20) What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?
Greatest weakness - lack of patience

Greatest strength - I'm a really good speller??

21) Who is your celebrity crush?

Must we continue to go there??? Chris Pine

22) Have you ever gone skinny dipping?
Yep.

23) How do you vent your anger?

Usually by eating or popping a couple of extra wellbutrin!

24) Do you have a collection of anything?

I have a huge collection of worthless jewelry, books, Tinkerbell things, shoes, and Hello Kitty items. I also am a bit of a gizmo-hoarder!

25) Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?

Ugh, neither. Texting is the only way to go!

So Long, Brown-Eyed Girl

It's been a pretty sad weekend in the Whitewater household, as we had to say good-bye to our smallest family member, our 8 year-old lab mix, Shanti. My husband rescued Shanti from the pound when she was about seven months old, and she's been with us every since. We actually adopted her the week before we moved into our current house, so to not have her here is going to be a huge adjustment for us.

We're not really sure what happened - I came home Friday afternoon to find that she'd had an accident in the house (which NEVER happens), and she was extremely lethargic. We made a rush trip to the vet's office and were told she had some type of infection and that "something" was attacking and destroying her red blood cells...a life-threatening situation. After some of shots, instructions to keep her fed and hydrated, a couple of bottles of antibiotics, and instructions to have her back at the office first thing Monday morning for a transfusion, we headed home. She was lethargic, but functional Friday night, but by Saturday morning, it was obvious her condition was deteriorating quickly. She would't eat or drink, and she didn't have the strength to get up and move about. Needless to say, it was a long, heartbreaking day, and despite our best attempts to keep her going until Monday, we lost her that evening.

I'm usually annoyed with people who treat their pets like children (or often better than their children), and we didn't treat Shanti that way. She was our beloved pet - a member of our family- and we loved her as such. Despite her large size, she was an indoor dog and we took her with us whenever we could. She had a darling, sweet, loving, gentle disposition that I cannot imagine ever finding in another creature - or in another human to be quite honest. The little beast was able to turn even my cold, cynical, sarcastic heart to mush over the past few years. She loved us completely, totally, and unconditionally.

They don't write obituaries for dogs, but maybe they should. In any case, this is my blog, and I think she deserves at least a paragraph or two...

Shanti Alan Whitewater

2003-2012

Shanti was the very beloved pet of the Whitewater family. Adopted from the pound at less than a year old, she lived with her people all her life, chasing squirrels and digging holes in the backyard. Shanti was loved by everyone who met her - at the soccer games, kids flocked to her to rub her ears or to feed her Twinkies. When children came over to play, she was happy to indulge them in a game of tug-of-war, or to show-off her array of fabulous tricks. She helped in the kitchen by cleaning-up all the leftovers, and she served as "guard dog" for the home when Clint was working overnights. She even accompanied me to school several evenings when I was afraid to be there alone...although I had to lure her up and back down the stairs with treats! Shanti loved to go to the lake, camping with her family, walking around the neighborhood, and riding in the Jeep with the top down and her tongue flopping about. She greeted everyone at the door with a friendly body-wag (it was impossible for her to JUST wag her tail), and she even managed to capture the heart of the neighborhood mailman.

Shanti was the mother of 27 puppies, protector and friend to Dylan and Dawson, and the brown-eyed baby girl for Clint and myself. The last thing she did completely on her own was to follow us to bed Friday evening so that she could spend one last night by our side. We shared eight precious years with her, and our lives are better for having had her with us.

So, it's time to say so long to my brown-eyed girl. You have taken a huge piece of hearts with you, and our lives won't be the same without you. I hope you are somewhere in Heaven chowing on a gigantic chew bone and tormenting those pesky squirrels who annoyed you so much. We love you and will miss you always.