Things I love the most....aka all about me!

...and just so you know, I did put Kim's name in. Three times. And it included every word EXCEPT Kim. sigh. But it's still cool, and have fun learning more about me!!
(click on it to make it larger so you can read it!)

image courtesy of Wordle!

Weekend in New England

I can't believe we have been to New England and back so quickly! It seems like it took forever to get here, and now it is gone. But we had the best time! We flew in on Thursday evening, late, and it was actually about 1 am when we got to our hotel.

Friday morning we were up bright and early. We had to be over at Gordon College by 9 am to get Carissa's car keys so we could take her car to be serviced. And her Prom/Winter Ball dress so it could be cleaned. And of course we had to figure out our schedule for the day....

Schedule figured out, Kim and I took off in two cars for the Mini dealer. I had the GPS. Kim followed me. All was perfect until the Mini dealer was on the opposite side of the road (divided of course) from where the GPS said it was. So I tried to call Kim so I wouldn't lose him as I went around again to figure it out. Of course he didn't answer. And I couldn't see him in my mirror. So I took the plunge and got off on an exit, and low and behold he appeared and followed! He did well until he got caught at a red light. Bye Bye Kim. After more round and round and trying to call him to no avail, I gave up and went to the mini dealer. Miraculously, he found it too. Why hadn't he answered his phone? It was in my car. D'oh!

Then we went and grabbed breakfast at Denny's. I know. But with our time frame breakfast options were limited. We got back to Gordon just in time for me to go with Carissa to her Art History class. (Fun!) Kim went to financial aid and took care of a few things. After class Carissa checked to see if she had to work, and since she didn't the three of us headed out to lunch. At P.F. Changs. Yum. Their food is good!! :) It was fun just to sit and catch up on Carissa's life and let her catch up on what was going on at home. Then of course, we went shopping. For some reason Kim didn't wanna go to Victoria's Secret....so he went to the Apple Store. Hmmm. Guess it worked better that way! And that North Shore Mall has the most amazing little Tea store with the BEST EVER Jasmine tea. I told Carissa Mother's Day would be here soon.....

Then we had to find a dry cleaners for the dress. Which we accomplished quite handily. And at a very reasonable cost. And we headed back to Gordon. I hung out with Carissa in her room for a while, met a few of her friends, got tickets on line for the play that evening....

KP and Carissa

We headed back to our room for a rest - so she could nap too before the play. We didn't need dinner, we still had leftovers from lunch.

"Saints and Poets"
The cast and crew of Our Town

The play. It was excellent! They performed Our Town by Thornton Wilder. It was amazing. And poignant. And sad. And because we needed cheering up, and never say no to food, and because we wanted to meet Carissa's cool friends, we went to The Cheesecake factory for desert.
And had the best time! We were a big group to say the least. The Key Lime Cheesecake was to die for. You practically had to roll me back to my hotel room. Which, again was late. 1:00 am. It's hard to hang out with energetic college kids when you get to be this old!

Sam and Carissa

Andrew, Carissa, Christina and Sam

Carissa and Christina goofing around

Carissa's roommate Kaitlyn (on left)

Saturday we just drove and explored new places - we try to find new things each time we are there. We ended up back in Gloucester at Passports for lunch. In the afternoon we just kinda hung out in the hotel room (read Kim took a nap...) We were completely unoriginal for dinner - but quite happy at Chipotle. I have to say though, the Chipotle food is pretty bland in Boston compared to Chipotle food here! LOL.

We did go back to the play again - there were two shows that day, but we went to the evening one. It was even better than the night before if that is possible. Of course it was closing night. Sad. We got to meet more of Carissa's friends. I love Carissa's friends! :) All in all it was an early night - only 12:30 when we got back to the hotel ;)

And on Sunday we had the most fun of all. We took Carissa and Andrew out to lunch. Seafood. Yum. And had a wonderful time. It was great to finally meet Andrew, and watch how the two of them interact. Of course we headed back to the dorm to see a few more friends, take the obligatory pictures and say goodbye. Carissa had to work at 2:30. But that's ok - we didn't want to wear out our welcome!






After taking a scenic drive around the cape to Rockport and taking a few more pictures we headed to the airport and home. I am quite exhausted. I'm not meant for late nights any more unless I can sleep til 11:00. :)









All in all we had a lovely weekend. Enjoy the pictures!

Guaranteed to make you laugh!!

ISTP???

So, Typealyzer thinks I am an ISTP based on my blog. Well.....yes, the I is right. And I can give them the S because sometimes I do test S, but usually I test N. The T? No way. Always, always, always test F. And the P is right. Not bad. Better than the gender analyzer that thought this blog was written by a man!! ;)

Results: We think http://fluctuatingcertainty.blogspot.com/ is written by a man (65%).

ISTP - The Mechanics
[ISTP]
The independent and problem-solving type. They are especially attuned to the demands of the moment are masters of responding to challenges that arise spontaneously. They generally prefer to think things out for themselves and often avoid inter-personal conflicts.

The Mechanics enjoy working together with other independent and highly skilled people and often like seek fun and action both in their work and personal life. They enjoy adventure and risk such as in driving race cars or working as policemen and firefighters.

Apparently this is the part of my brain Typealyzer perceives I am using when I write.....

Normally tho, I test INFP and this is the profile for that:

INFP - The Idealists

The meaning-seeking and unconventional type. They are especially attuned to making sure their beliefs and actions are congruent. They often develop a passion for the arts or unusual forms of self-expression.

They enjoy work that are aligned to their deeply felt values and tend to strongly dislike the more practical and mundane forms of tasks. They can enjoy working alone for long periods of time and are happiest when they can immerse themselves in personally meaningful projects.

Things I've Done....

Julie posted this on her blog today. Looks fun so I think I'll play. It's a boring day at work, and this will give me something to do!! The things in bold are the things I have done. If you want to play, copy the list to your blog and bold the things you have done. Leave a comment if you do it so I can read it. :)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (flute)
4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower (the best I could here in IL)
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (and DisneyWorld)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo (including at a wedding.....)

11. Bungee jumped (are you crazy!!)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables (it's the only reasonable way to eat tomatoes...)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run (I have NO sports abilities....)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa (I’ve always wanted to…)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (from Disneyworld!)
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (a pretend one in Small Business Management class.....)
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (they never want my anemic blood.....)
65. Gone sky diving (see bunge jumping above....)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter (No, but Kelsey did - does that count??)
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury (almost - my number was too high so I didn't have to report....)

91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (when I was 12 or so and the lake was awesome...)
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a mobile phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

This post from Stuff Christians Like made me laugh out loud this morning.......

#393. Family Fish Bumper Stickers

This is SO cool!

What A Clip - Funny video clips are a click away

Still shaking my head......seriously

Still more amusements:



and then this - maybe the original - but funny......

Serving Back

and then - how 'bout this for keeping Christians "safe"?


and then a couple from Stuff Christians Like that are just what they say they are - "bored bulletin" entries.




and then - pretty typical of the conservative thought process:



and finally - a billboard posted by a church that was robbed.....

Thanks A..... like I had nothing else to do. :)

Tag, I'm It

The Rules:
1. Post the rules of the game at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 3 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

QUESTIONS:

What were you doing five years ago?
Hmmmm - pretty much what I'm doing now - working at an elementary school in the computer lab. Raising three kids. Keeping busy with all their activities. Still at Faith Baptist with no idea what was coming my way.......

What are five things on your to-do list for today?
1. Call the Insurance company.
2. Go to Addison to the towing company and clean out the car.
3. Go with Carissa to the doctor to make sure she's ok. (carissa, not the doc ;) )
4. Look for the title to the car.
5. Put the hammock together ~ hey I deserve it!

What are five snacks you enjoy?
1. Sunflower seeds - I'm addicted.....
2. Terra Vegi Chips
3. Sour Cherry or Red Apple Jelly Bellies
4. Culver's Cheese Curds
5. Pork Rinds - cuz they're SO good for you!

What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?
1. Put all of my kids through college.
2. Travel - Greece, Australia, Africa, Mediterranean cruise.
3. Pay Mike and Julie's salary and insurance forever so they didn't have to leave.
4. Buy a house in the Caribbean - where all of our friends and family could vacation for free.
5. Partner with New Life for Haiti, helping another town become self sustaining.

What are five of your bad habits?
1. I yell at stupid drivers.
2. I procrastinate - big time.
3. Trying too hard to please people all the time - at the expense of my health and family.
4. Manipulation - but I've really worked hard on breaking this one!
5. Impatience - especially with people that don't think like me.

What are five places where you have lived?
1. Lawrence Ave. in West Chicago
2. Blakeley St. in West Chicago
3. Manchester Court in Geneva
4. Lorraine Rd. in Wheaton
5. East St. in Winfield

What are five jobs you’ve had?
1. Level 1 computer tech at a local elementary school (computers, the job I said I'd NEVER do!)
2. Accounting - Accounts Payable for a mortgage broker (I was a business major.....)
3. working in computer scheduling and keypunching - back in the day!
4. working at Evangelical Teacher Training Association in Wheaton
5. working in my dad's office


I'd tag Julie, but she just had a baby. I'd tag Mike, but he hates to be tagged. I'd tag Jen, but she is out of internet range. I'd tag Wendy, but she just moved. I'd tag A, but he tagged me. I'd tag Vanessa, but she's already been tagged. This is really sad.

OK - I'll tag Kevin, and Christi and April.

Something to keep you occupied til I'm better...

Carissa has declared an art minor - she has applied and been accepted in the Art program at Gordon.
So....what is she up to?
Just a couple examples of sketches she has done recently- these are all sketches and practice pieces:


Quick Sketch of Me by ~ivyrose on deviantART


pancakes by ~ivyrose on deviantART


Lovers on the Beach by ~ivyrose on deviantART



Self Portrait by ~ivyrose on deviantART

and these are older. If you are interested you can find more here - a work in progress.... Unfortunately most of her portfolio pieces are not on line.


Joe by ~ivyrose on deviantART


Mod Bond Girl Costume Design by ~ivyrose on deviantART


iPod Attack by ~ivyrose on deviantART

This is VERY cool

I found this on the Serious Eats site this morning, and it was so cool I had to share it.....

Snapshots from Asia: Leaf Bowls and Terracotta Cups

Posted by Wan Yan Ling, February 4, 2008 at 8:30 AM

In the bustling North Indian city of Kolkata, it seems ironic that the two things I’m most excited about (besides the mind boggling variety of street food) are probably also the most generic items to be found: leaf bowls and terracotta cups used by wallas (street hawkers) to contain yummy goodness.

These bowls and cups are disposable, biodegradable, ecofriendly, and—best of all—take the place of the nasty paper, plastic, foam, and foil stuff ubiquitous everywhere else.

The bowls are made from leaves that have been “pinned” together with twigs and dried in the sun, while the cups are “expertly thrown by potters at a rate of more than ten cups a minute.”

Called “matir bhar," the cup here is the bigger, 100 ml one used for water, while chai wallas (tea hawkers) dole out their daintier, one-ounce cousins. All day long, locals can be seen on the streets sipping on the sweet, spicy, milky brew… often accompanied by a dunkable bikkie on the side. Any time is tea time.

It used to be that a hole would be dug after a meal, with the used cups and leaves tossed in and covered with mud. This would eventually turn into a rich humus that could be used to fertilize crops. Urban living, however, means these cups and plates tend to end up as litter on the roadsides. While I know litter is litter, somehow, crumpled plastic just does not have the poetry that broken terracotta cups and shredded leaf bowls do. Especially when all that remains of the cups at the end of the day is red dust shimmering in the air.

About the author: Wan Yan Ling is an impoverished grad student and sourdough finger-crosser living in Rhode Island. She can usually be found in the kitchen procrastinating on "real work" or online tracking down obscure recipes. Ling thinks eating alone is no fun, and she still believes in hand-mixing.

I find this amusing....

Photograph from La Mariposa on Flickr

Blast from the Past!!!!

Diver Dan!!!


Captain Kangaroo


Hardrock, Cocoa, and Joe, The Three Little Dwarfs


Suzy Snowflake


Clutch Cargo


Frito Bandito


and the Frito Bandito's song....


The Trix Rabbit


Original Mountain Dew Commercial - shows bottle with the hillbilly on it. LOL.

The color purple.....

You Are a Purple Crayon

Your world is colored in dreamy, divine, and classy colors. You hold yourself to a sky high standard, and you are always graceful. People envy, idolize, and copy you without realizing it. You are an icon for those who know you. And while it is hard to be a perfectionist, rest assured it's paying off! Your color wheel opposite is yellow. While yellow people may be wise, they lack the manners and class needed to impress you.

What Color Crayon Are You?

Wikiband

Kevin had this fun activity on his facebook......

Here's what you do:
1. Go to the Wikipedia home page and click random article. That is your band's name.
2. Click random article again; that is your album name.
3. Click random article 15 more times; those are the tracks on your album.



Band: The Hamptons
Album: Vânători

Tracks:
1. TVC 15
2. Cash cow
3. Fibrous dysplasia
4. Computer telephony integration
5. Kay Hull
6. Adams Park
7. Contact dermatitis
8. Isle of Man
9. Patrick Henry High School
10. Tapanila railway station
11. Birnessite
12.Roman Šimíček
13. Chapada
14. Chaff (radar countermeasure)
15. Khingan

What did you come up with????

A couple Quizzes for fun......

Your Personality Profile

The Big Five Personality Test

Discuss this Feature

The Big Five Traits Explained

Answer More Questions

Trait		Percentage
Openness		94%
Conscientiousness		63%
Extraversion		13%
Agreeableness		63%
Neuroticism		56%

Trait Explanations

Openness

You are much more intellectually curious and sensitive to beauty than most. Your beliefs tend to be individualistic and frequently drift towards the unconventional. You enjoy your imagination and the exciting places it takes you!

Conscientiousness

You avoid forseeable trouble through purposefully planning and achieve success through persistence. You are reliable and in control of your life.

Extraversion

You are quiet and somewhat withdrawn. You don`t need lots of other people to have fun, and frankly people can be tiring.

Agreeableness

People get along with you easily. You are considerate and friendly, and think that other people are generally honest and decent.

Neuroticism

You are generally calm. Although some situations can make you feel emotional, your feelings tend to be warranted.

Curiosity Killed the Cat......

OK - time to fess up. I see the numbers going up on my blog.... and I see the dots getting bigger on my map - and yet I only see a few people brave enough to leave evidence that they've been here. So, if you don't want to leave comments, I understand. Really. I lurk a lot too. But maybe, just maybe you wouldn't mind at least letting me know who you are? So here's your chance. Let me know you're here, and you're reading. That way those anonymous dots and hits won't bug me anymore...

Clockwise or counter clockwise????

If you think she is spinning clockwise you are supposedly "Right-Brained", and if you see her spinning counter-clockwise you are supposedly "Left-Brained". Huh. click here

What does that mean? The left side of the brain controls things like logic, facts and language. The right side is more creative, controlling things like imagination, emotions, images and symbols.

OK - so try as hard as I might I can NOT get her to spin counter clockwise. I have tried off and on all day. Just how right-brained am I anyway???

Anyway - it's fun. Try it!!


EDIT - I finally can see it turning counter-clockwise... after a lot of hard work and closing my left eye......

 take quiz 

We took the road(s) less traveled......

Well, I realize I haven't written about our trip. Sorry. I haven't really felt like writing lately - as you have probably noticed. Anyway. I thought I would put up a few pictures with captions. Isn't a picture worth a thousand words anyway????

In order to avoid traffic we headed out going south on Rt 47 - all the way to Champaign/Urbana. Along the way we saw some pretty scenery - who knew?? I love this picture. Invokes memories of the past - especially in the south.....



Traveling on to Indy, we stopped for a very late dinner at the Mug n Bun. Apparently it's been around forever. Yummy Pork Tenderloin, hand cut/hand battered onion rings (best I've ever had...) and homemade root beer.

We found this sign across from Lynn's Paradise Cafe where we had the yummiest cheese grits - I wish I had had two bowls!

Ohio River

back roads......

I just liked this bridge.....

Dana at the Colonel Sanders museum in Corbin, KY.

farms along the way

Crab Orchard, KY - we ate at the best little cafe here. But I liked this picture better than the picture of the cafe..... :)

No bull....

Penn's General Store in Gravel Switch, KY

Penn's Privy. Apparently it was a big deal a couple years ago when it was "installed!"

Tobacco drying in Gravel Switch, KY. We saw this all over central KY, an area devastated by the collapse of tobacco subsidies and strict anti smoking policies.

Makers Mark Distillery in Loretto, KY

Abbey of Gethsemani, where Thomas Merton lived while in the United States. The abbey is a Trappist/Cistercians monastery.

This was the cool sign at one of three remaining Wigwam Villages in the US. We stayed here (Cave City, KY) in Wigwam # 7.

The View outside Wigwam # 7

Three pictures of a really cool, abandoned - but fortunately still standing - "Modern Motor Court" I love this side of history. I can only imagine what it must have been like - and who might have stayed there..... It was interesting that each cottage had a car port!

I don't get it either.......

Martini anyone??

A "Big John" (as opposed to a Muffler Man") in Carmi, IL. I hear there are still a few of these around this area of Illinois.

Dana - standing in for James.....

Sun's going down, trips winding down. I'm tired. Heading home.
If you want to READ about the trip and see a few other photos - check out Dana's blog!