Here it really is!

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Look at Me!

Special thanks to Marie B. for putting this together. Look at me! Well, not that closely...I'm wearing the famous green scarf that's since been sent on to Claudia Perry in Utah! I believe that picture was taken in Chinatown, San Francisco last spring. You could listen to this over and over while you're preparing your Thanksgiving Dinner! I know I will...just kidding.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve, everyone!

National Day of Listening

See that little box on the side of the blog? The one that says, "National Day of Listening"? See that picture above that reminds us that Listening is the greatest gift?

If you push here you will be taken to the StoryCorps  site and can find out about the Day of Listening. There, you can hear really cool stories that will make you laugh, cry and be in awe. The amazing thing is, is that these are stories told by ordinary people like you and me. You will learn about a cool project that people are trying to do this year: LISTEN to the stories of others. 

The idea is this: The day after Thanksgiving, you set aside about 45 minutes with a loved one, you go into a quiet area and you interview them. Ideally, you record the interview and then you have a cherished memory for the future.

You will find such interview questions as:

What was the happiest moment of your life?

What are you most proud of?

What are the most important lessons you've learned in life?

What is your earliest memory?

How would you like to be remembered?

When in life have you felt most alone?

How has your life been different than what you'd imagined?

Is there anything that you've never told me but want to tell me now?

Is there something about me that you've always wanted to know but have never asked?

Who has been the kindest to you in your life?

There are other questions that you can look at for the specific relationship you have with the interviewee. 

I love this idea, and I hope that everyone in my family does it and records them and then we make one big family CD with memories and interviews. I think it's a great idea to give a gift that really only costs a CD, listening and time.

What other interview questions do you think would make a good interview? 

Listening is an Act of Love...

By listening to the stories of others, you tell them that they matter and won't ever be forgotten. It may be the most meaningful time you spend this year.

Think about participating!

39 Lessons Learned

I'm pretty sure I've had that same lesson somewhere along the way!

My Dear Great Aunt Grace sent me an Email this week with some lessons learned from life. Because I'm gettin' ready to roll on out of my 30s soon, I thought I'd share some of the lessons I've learned:

1. Life isn't fair, and that can be a good thing.

2. When insisting you're right, you make someone else wrong.

3. Crying with someone is better than crying alone.

4. After you give birth, your bladder somehow moves to behind your eyes, causing such embarrassing leaks called tears over things you swore you'd never cry over.

5. Being 12 sucks most of the time.

6. Being the parent of 12 year old sucks sometimes.

7. Reading a good book all day is never a wasted day. Reading a bad book is.

8. When you compare yourself to others there will always be people above and people below. It isn't worth it.

9. Never make major decisions about your life after 10 PM.

10. A good night's sleep can change your whole view.

11. 2 wrongs don't make a right.

12. If a job isn't worth doing your best at, it isn't worth doing.

13. Being competitive can push you harder. Also, it can be a pain in the hiney.

14. You can be poor, but you don't have to be messy.

15. Wood floors cleaned with Murphy's Oil Soap is a fabulous smell.

16. That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.

17. Deep breathing can get you through some tough moments.

18. Get rid of anything in your life that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful.

19. Every night is a good night for eating dinner by candlelight- you'll look better, feel better and save $ on electricity.

20. Cloth napkins just make more sense.

21. Only you can make you happy. 

22. You can only change yourself.

23. When faced with a tough moment, ask yourself, "In 5 years will this matter?"

24. Holding a grudge is heavy work- let them go.

25. Time heals almost everything. Really.

26. Good or bad- change is constant in life.

27. Your family will miss you when you're gone. Your work won't. Remember that and live your life accordingly.

28. Practice Random Acts of Kindness

29. Live life! Don't just sit back and watch. You only get one life- make it memorable!

30. When you're feeling down: Get up, Dress up, and Show Up!

31. Look people in the eyes when you're with them. Listen to what they're really saying.

32. They who laugh, last.

33. Insurance is the one thing you can't buy when you need it.

34. Well behaved women rarely  make history.

35. Talk to people around you. You'd be surprised what you can learn.

36. Everyone has something to offer. Look and listen with your heart. 

37. It's better to be poor and happy than to be well paid and miserable.

38. Facebook could be called Crackbook.

39. If you find yourself with an empty heart, fill it with flowers you give to yourself.

But maybe in the end it's like the cartoon said: Some of the lessons you teach aren't the lessons learned. Any lessons you've all learned that you want to share in the comments?

No Time Like The Present

I think I'm ready for a new look. I'd like to be thinner, have fewer lines in my forehead and be taller. None of those will change before I turn 39 in a few days. But- one thing I can do is get a new haircut. I'd like to get a new look, because I've had basically the same hair since the first Bush Administration. Don't believe me? That picture up above was taken in approximately 1988. My permed hair was held back with a pencil. Nice purple pompom slippers, eh? Actually, I'm not sure what part of this picture is the best part. Please be kind, the 80s did strange things to all of us.

    

I've always been a big fan of this look. But I've also just been a big fan of Amelie. Bangs? Do I dare go for the bangs? They seem like such a commitment, and you know I'm a commitment-phobe on several levels.

I used to have bangs.  Here I am in the 1970s with bangs:

Special thanks to my friend Chaunine whom I borrowed this picture from. We were cuties swimming at Sherwood Hills. This photo was taken 1st or 2nd grade, circa 1977.

I'm also thinking about some sort of compromise with this kind of look:

I don't know....Is it too much like my hair for the past million years? 

Maybe I should just go Sinead O'Connor.

I'm in agony, I can't decide! What do you all think? Please help me!

Saturday Night

Mmmm.

So Far So Good!

Huh?

This  movie's _how_ old?

Here's what Saturday Night is looking like at my house:

Taylor's sick with a cold. Daniel has to go to work early tomorrow morning, and I didn't get enough done today. It's cold, it's dark.

So what do we do?

We watch old movies. Are they classics? You decide: First we watched Oceans Eleven. Then we watched Max Dugan Returns. And now we're starting The Gods Must Be Crazy.

I'm pretty sure WE'RE the crazy ones.

But I've included pictures, including some scrumptious pictures from Oceans Eleven that should make this lame post up to you.

Twilight

I'm just getting home from seeing the new flick _Twilight_.

It was a crap movie but I loved it. I loved it when Edward kissed Bella. I loved the cheesiness of the movie. I loved the storyline. I even will confess to enjoying the main characters. I thought Jacob was much cuter in the movie than I had imagined him. But was anyone else distracted by the Columbia River in the background instead of the Pacific Ocean? And how cool was Stephenie Meyer's cameo in the cafe? Go Stephenie! My movie experience was definitely enhanced by seeing it with Daniel, some Mom friends and 15 twelve year olds in a theatre full of adolescent girls. The best part was when Edward was kissing Bella and a young man behind me whispered, "What's taking him so long????" 

So what did the rest of you Twilight-a-holics think? The girls in my car going home wish that the movie was 6 hours long and had incorporated all the books because they can't wait. And several young ladies think Edward and Jacob are scrumptious! Please leave your comments on the movie/book!