Gpa's Birthday

Today would be my grandfather's 100th birthday but he passed away in March just shy of that mile marker. He had a terrific full life, with family and friends by his side, so while I am sad he is not here to celebrate this birthday, I am thankful that he is not suffering anymore and that I had him as such a huge part of my life.

Happy Birthday Grandpa. We miss you and love you tons!!!

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Six Years Ago on In My Words...Toilet Paper

Maru Strikes Again

This kitty just makes me grin sometimes...

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Four Years Ago on In My Words...House

Cosmos

Love, love, love how this one came out...I had no idea how cool this would look. I named it Cosmos because it seems like a scene out of space, but in reality it is not.

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Ten Years Ago on In My Words...Seawall

Watching You

Look who I saw in my neighborhood the other day...just had to snap a shot from the car as they were at the intersection. I have to wonder if that job is fun or if it gets tedious...

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One Year Ago on In My Words...Getting Creative

Reading Blog Update

I updated my reading blog today with my books from the first part of the year. Check it out when you have time.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Making A Cup of Coffee

Shutter Sisters for August

This is my submission for the month of August. The word is Adventure. I only did the auto correct for brightness, contrast and color and then added a fuzzy border. I took this shot the other day while out geocaching along a local trail.

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...I Found It

Crazy Signs

I recently traveled domestically in the US and for some reason, whenever I am in an airport, I always seem to see the craziest signs.



I saw this one in an airport bathroom. I thought it was hilarious at first that they referred to waste with Number 1 and Number 2, and then even funnier that they had to then explain the numbers in parenthesis, just in case. I am all for the water saving flushers (we had then in Japan too), but I just loved the directions...



I just had to take a pic of this second sign because I didn't think I would see one like it again, and because the sign is referring to the bathrooms in the airport, which in some ways might be the best place to be in an emergency but also sounds kind of gross as a place to hang out for any duration of time.

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Five Years Ago on In My Words...Amazing Skies

Creating

So besides the two photo projects I am trying to stay on top of, I have made a few crocheted items this year. Right now, I am working on a baby blanket for my oldest niece who is due to have her second child soon. I finally have the squares done but I still need to put it together and border it. This is a quick preview of it. I took this shot while I was still working on squares and trying to get an idea of how many I needed and how I might lay them out...

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Six Years Ago on In My Words...Yellow Seedless Watermelon

Shutter Sisters for July

This is my submission for the month of July. The theme word is Life and I loved the way this one turned out. I don't know the name of this flower but it reminds of something you would see over a trellis at a wedding. I had to pull the branch down so I could get a shot of the flower.

I only did an autocorrect for color and light balance and then added the soft glow filter and a fuzzy border.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Solar Eclipse Shrouds Asia In DayTime

It's Our Anniversary!

19 years ago today, I said I do, to the love of my life, my best friend, and my one and only. I love you J, always!

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Irritation

Another To Do List

I am a list maker...and it is time to make a list. I have been rattling things around in my head and making a list is better than letting that continue.

Computer

Back up both PCs
Wire printer and see if that helps the printing problems
Organize photos
Scan in photos from albums
Order new software and install it on PC
Find screwdriver for external drive and get it tested
Bookmarks
Set up Nook

Work

Get resume on the two sites
Check volunteer site for hours
Check sites for job options and apply
Check craigslist for job options and apply
Print SQL certificate for experience book
Talk to Google travel agent for booking conference
Log some volunteer hours with Google
Set up GooglePlus blog

Household

Yard work
Something to hang laundry on
Something for front windows
Carry-on
Set up mud porch

Writing

Continue on writing book lessons
Work on outline for both books
Read, edit and suggest on Popi's manuscript
Research publishing options
Order new Writer's Market book
Order Take Joy book

Personal

Goodreads setup and organize
Book flight for NE
Journal
Microderm
Cards/letters
Post pic for July photo project
EXERCISE (this will be ongoing so no strike through)
DIET (this will be ongoing so no strike through)
Finish 5 books currently reading
Watch Netflix stuff
Order new Wii game
Clean up Chase's space and store the keepers
HIT GOLF BALLS
Work on baby blanket

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Five Years Ago on In My Words...seems like this is a theme for me...Bogged Down

Week 29 MCP Project 52

My submission for the week...the theme is Get In Close. These little bright flowers were hiding in the grass in my yard. I am sure they will be gone the next time the yard gets mowed. I only cropped and used the fuzzy border on this shot, the light was already terrific.

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Six Years Ago on In My Words... This is on my todo list!! Back Up

R.I.P. Chase

She picked us (or actually, she picked J). She was a cute little stray cat in the neighborhood that just couldn't get enough pets. She quickly became one of the family. She was our traveling kitty...two moves to Japan and back and a couple more across the US in the car, camping and golfing. She could fly through the air with the greatest of ease while chasing toys (hence the name), and couldn't get enough of the pets. She has always been a low maintenance kitty that tolerated just about everything we ever put her through, from flying on planes to getting shaved to the skin during the hot seasons. She was never much of a talker but she would headbutt you or lick you if you stopped petting her before she was ready. She has been a part of our family for 12 1/2 years and today, I had to make the horrible decision to put her to sleep.

She was diagnosed with feline diabetes (even though she was normal weight) late last year and we tried the insulin and high protein diet to see if we could maintain her. Unfortunately she wasn't maintaining...we were just slowing the disease down and I just didn't want that to be either of our lives (hers or ours). So two weeks ago, when the last bottle of insulin ran out, we stopped the insulin shots. She seemed to be okay for awhile but then last week, she stopped eating and then started to lose a ton of weight. In the last few days, she started having trouble balancing and her eyes started to seem tired all the time. She would still purr and she still loved the pets (right up to the end), but it just seemed like the bad was definitely outweighing the good for her. We don't know for sure that her decline was due to the diabetes alone, after all, she was 14 years old, but today, I just felt like I needed to be fair to her and do the right thing, even though it was the hard thing.

I love you Chase, and I miss you. I couldn't have asked for more from a great kitty and family member. Even with tears running down my face, I hope you are more comfortable and getting lots of pets.

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Seven Years Ago on In My Words....A great story about Chase Bathroom Kitty

Week 27 MCP Project 52

This is my submission for this week. The theme is Nature's Finest and I couldn't pass up this image from my camping trip this week. I only used the auto correct tool for color and brightness and then added the fuzzy border.

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Five Years Ago on In My Words...The Culprit

Week 26 MCP Project 52

This is my submission for this week. The theme is Hidden Object, and while these poppies didn't really qualify as hidden, they definitely were the rarity in this field of blue.

I only used the auto correct for color and light balance and then added a fuzzy border.

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Last Year on In My Words...Cicada Are Coming

Finally, Evidence

The study mentioned in this article just goes to prove what I have been thinking all along...watching stupid television shows makes you stupid as well. If there was ever an argument for turning off the cr@p that the broadcast networks and junk cable networks put out, this is it.

I heard about this article this morning on my drive to the gym, and really thought the DJs were going to tell me that the show would make me smarter...you can imagine my relief that my decision to never watch this show or half the other reality cr@p that is on TV these days has not caused me any kind of damage. I was just thinking the other morning that it is amazing to me how the networks (cable and broadcast) get away with putting out such cr@p but it is due to the fact that people want to watch it, which says a lot about us...now doesn't it?

Personally I could give a damn what any "real wives" of any town, or any of the big celebrity idiots that have no other talent, but to invite people into their homes to see how stupid they really are, are doing. I don't care about crazy women that push their children into looking like prostitutes on a stage when they are 3 years old so that they can live vicariously through them to get some tiara and a sash pinned on them are doing. I can live without knowing who fading rock stars want to marry, or who no talent plastic surgery bimbos want to play games with this season. Now I know most of this is cable television, but the broadcast networks are no better. They play infomercials, and judge whomever all day long...and wonder why people don't want to tune in for anything that requires more than a minutes thought. They wonder why some of the best television being put out these days is on premium television like HBO.

So I am glad to hear news like this that indicates I am correct in my refusal to waste valuable minutes of my life watching any of that drivel...finally, evidence that there is a bad side to all that garbage!!

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Ocean

Week 25 MCP Project 52

This is my submission for the project this week. The theme was Craving...and sushi is definitely something I crave. I only did the autocorrect for light balance and color balance, and added a fuzzy border in GIMP 2.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...15 Books

Maru And A Very Small Box

I have loved this kitty for ages...and I hope you do too!!



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Six Years Ago on In My Words...Weight Loss

Week 23 MCP Project 52

This was a fun one. I got some exercise during my search for this subject. I thought that this statue fit the bill perfectly. The theme for this week was Enchantment.

I used the auto correct for color and light balance, and then added a wind action (in GIMP 2) and a fuzzy border.

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Four Years Ago on In My Words...Recycling

Jerks On Parade

Just had to repost this on both my FB and on my blog because jerks like this need to be humiliated as much or more than they have humiliated others. How he can sleep with a barely legal teenager, refuse to marry her and then accuse her of killing his baby on a bulletin board needs some kind of punishment. So if I can contribute to public humiliation for him, I will. His name is Greg Fultz and he is 35 according to this article....maybe he will show up in some search engines for @ssholes now....haha.

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Five Years Ago on In My Words...Family Reunion

Shutter Sisters For June

This is my submission for June. The word of the month is Details and I just couldn't pass up this beauty. I used the auto correct for light and coloring initially. I then added a fuzzy border and a built in soft glow filter from GIMP 2 in order to bump the white and give it that "wedding" look. I thought it came out pretty nice.

You can see information about the Shutter Sisters One Word Project on the sidebar to the right if you are interested in participating...it is a lot of fun.
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Six Years Ago on In My Words...Golfing

Sunday Duties

So, today was forecasted to be much like yesterday but it is already not looking the same...which works okay for me because I really need to get some school work done and sunny skies with breezes are not conducive to school work. So I am going to get something to eat, get some exercise in, and then hit the books for the rest of the day...that way, when the week starts tomorrow, I will be caught up and feel good about focusing on other things.

This week is also finals week for my circuit class (not that we have a final) and then we are off for a week and head back for summer term. In the summer the class meets for 1 hour 4 times a week though, so at least I will be guaranteed 4 days of exercise no matter what...

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Turtle Sitting

Week 22 MCP Project 52

This is my submission for this week. The theme was Reflection and I was able to get into the yard before the dew all dried up this morning. I didn't make any changes other than to autocorrect the light and color, and then add the border. I have not managed to meet my goal of posting my images earlier in the week so I can play with more of the effects.

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Five Years Ago on In My Words...Family Reunion

Week 21 MCP Project 52

This is my submission for this week. The theme was Need for Speed. I thought an image of a big slug on my back porch would be kind of funny. He was moving as quickly as he could. I used the autocorrect for color and light, used a distort to give it a fisheye look, and then added a border.

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Four Years Ago on In My Words...Reflections at Weymouth Woods Reserve

Classes

I am taking two community education classes for the next 6-8 weeks in addition to my "for credit" circuit training class. These two classes are online and are not for college credit, but are a way for me to get some experience that I hope will help me with the job market and future plans.

One is an SQL class which is the language used to do queries on databases, and while I have some experience with database queries, it has all been in Access, which is much more point and click, and I want to have some specific language experience. I may take the SQL II class after this as well. We get certificates of completion so I feel that this can only be a good thing for my job hunt.

The second one is a Writing for Children class because I have had a couple of ideas for children's books that I would like to try my hand at. I think this class is also going to have some great information for getting into the writing market in general so I am excited to learn. I need to get over to my local library and check into some of the books the teacher has pointed out. I did some market research when I first got these ideas so I have a good foothold to start from.

We are in week two of the classes and I am three assignments behind in both of them. Fortunately, they are both online so I can work on them when I have time and they won't interfere with any work that might come up in the near future. The assignments and quizzes have two weeks windows so I am not "late" on anything yet but I need to get my butt in gear and catch up this week. The next lesson is not posted until Wednesday next week so I have plenty of time to catch up.
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Six Years Ago on In My Words...OCD

Racing Again

I had another race this past weekend...and even though I didn't get to train as much as I wanted to, I actually improved my overall time by 3 minutes, 47 seconds to complete the race in 38 minutes, 13 seconds. This means I ran a 12 minute, 24 second mile which is faster than I have ever run (although I have never been measured in all the soccer I have played).

I have never been a runner...always had to have a soccer ball in front of me to get going but a few years ago my husband started helping me to run without a soccer ball and I have been sort of interested in getting better at it ever since then. I was doing 5Ks whenever I could, but I always walked them. In January, I didn't really have a plan to run the 5K I did, but it was so cold that running was the only way to stay warm. That sort of started this most recent streak.

Anyhow the day of the race, I had a monthly visitor show up, and didn't start the race feeling like I was going to do well. My legs felt heavy and I really felt like I had to keep pushing to keep going. I just kept finding landmarks in front of me and talking myself into running to the next one. Before I hit the one mile mark, I was already starting to feel better. The first few minutes are the hardest for me...the entire time my brain is trying to convince me to stop, and I was able to get past it this time without it stopping me. I actually know exactly when that happened and it felt great to reach the one mile mark without having stopped once.

I did walk the biggest climb in elevation, but then kept making myself start running again and I guess it paid off because I never expected to have that much improvement in this race (in fact, I was expecting to do worse than my April race). Of course that means I need to keep it up for the next race but I think all the interval training I have been doing on the hills near my house will help. If nothing else, my legs feel and look better.

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Four Years Ago on In My Words...Mom Visit

Week 20 MCP Project 52

This is my submission for the week. The theme was Spring Fever and I just had to capture the bees going crazy over the newly bloomed flowers in the yard.

I only did the auto-correct, and the addition of a fuzzy border in GIMP 2.

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Six Years Ago on In My Words...Guilt

Feels Good

I spent too much time today on the help boards, but other than a couple idiots that I would rather forget, I helped a lot of people and it feels good. Blogger had a major outage last week after some maintenance and they had to roll it back a few days which means a lot of people lost posts, comments and other changes they made during that time.

Obviously the staff at Blogger has been working non-stop to get things back to normal but there are always ones and twos of things that get lost along the way. I just got done finding the text for this blogger's post that they probably spent hours writing (it was super long) and now they have the post, that they thought they lost, back. It feels great to be able to fix something for someone so quickly. I think this feeling is part of why I love working on computers and supporting people with their technical issues.

Now I just need to get paid to do it.....haha.
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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Flowers Galore

Hooked on Puzzles

So this site is killing me...addicted (thanks Mom), and I am at the point now that I am even creating my own puzzles for the heck of it.

Jigidi
My profile is MishkaOP on it if you want to check out some of my puzzles.

It is a lot of fun so if you have time check it out...but be warned, it is addictive if you like jigsaw puzzles.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Just Me??

Week 19 MCP Project 52

This is my submission for the project this week. We were supposed to do Window Light as a theme but I had to just go with natural light (which is basically the same) since my indoor light is not very good for the most part.

I only added a border and did the autocorrect on this image...no other playing. I probably need to start posting earlier in the week so I can try out some different tools on my images rather than just getting something up at the last minute that I don't have time to edit.

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Last Year on In My Words...Easter Bunny Luncheon

WC Rufus

Unedited video I just shot of this little guy...will try to get some edited footage of him later...but just had to share this almost daily attempt.

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Six Years Ago on In My Words...Squirrels, Squirrels, Squirrels

Week 18 MCP Project 52

This is my submission for the week. The theme was first thing in the morning. I only added a border, and auto corrected color and light.

I was amazed that I was able to fit the submission in this week since this was a crazy week with setting up two suprise gifts for family, and preparing to travel to see some family.

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Last Year on In My Words...Kijimuna Attack

Geocaching Craziness

The cache exposed

Went to a park the day before my run to check out the route and decided to do some geoaching while I was there. It was pretty cool because I had never been to the park and it has a lot to offer that I didn't know about and the geocaching probably took me to parts of it that I wouldn't have explored just to scout for the run.

The cache back in place

One of the caches actually required me to climb 20 ft in the air up a tree....I haven't had to climb a tree in a while so it was definitely kind of interesting but at least I found the cache.

The area it was hidden in

Anyhow, this one took a while to find as you can see it was very well camo'd. I had to check the logs while I was out in the woods and it gave me some clues as to what to look for. After a few minutes of poking around, this cache was found.

There are a few more caches in this park and the adjacent park, so when I go there again, I'll try to get those. I have another race in May that goes through this same area so perhaps I will be able to get them then.
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Four Years Ago on In My Words...Our New Visitor

Tuscaloosa Tornado

This has to be the best amateur footage I have ever seen of a tornado not to mention such a huge one that was so close...I just had to share it. It is long but worth it!!



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Five Years Ago on In My Words...Utterly Ridiculous

HR Bullsh1t

I think it is crap that the majority of HR departments I have dealt with in the last few months DO NOT send any kind of notice to those that have taken the time to apply for positions they have listed, when they have decided to go with someone else.

It is rude and unprofessional. Some of these companies take months to hire so just assuming you have been passed up because you haven't heard anything in 30 days is not reasonable...in fact, I did that with one and they wrote back saying that they were still working on the filling the position (this was two weeks after the projected start date) and would be emailing all applicants regardless of their decision to hire or not. I went to their site yesterday and there are no open positions any longer but I never did get an email from them.

They don't have to go into a lot of details, but at least a note so you aren't sitting there hoping to get an interview or position for ages. It amazes me that any of them can even hire anyone because by the time they make up their mind, I imagine most of the prospectives have found other jobs.

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Six Years Ago on In My Words...The Somewhat Downside

Races

I looked back in the archives and couldn't find that I even posted about my first 5K this year (the first one I have actually run in rather than walked), so I am going to talk about both races now.

On New Year's morning at the stroke of 12:01am, I did a 5K through the downtown part of town. It was absolutely freezing (no kidding, it was in the low 20s), and part of the reason I was convinced to run most of it was due to the fact that it was so darn cold and it was the only way I could stay warm. On that night, I improved my 5K time by over 10 minutes (because in the past I have always just walked them).

This past weekend, I did my second 5K for the year. It was on Earth Day. I wanted to do something for Earth Day and part of the proceeds from the race fees were going to good causes. This one went through two different parks I had never been to (although I went to check them out the day before the race). I didn't improve on my time but this race was also the first with hills and that made a difference. I had improved my two mile time by a full minute, but the last mile had some big hills in it and I am sure that is where I lost some time back. Regardless, I felt good about my effort and had a great time doing it.

The next race I am looking at doing is on May 22nd. It too will be near the parks I did this last one at, in fact I think the same hills are in it too. It will also be keeping with my tradition (if you can call it that) of participating in races that are sponsored by breweries (which means that a pint or drink of something is always a benefit after the race). Wish me luck!!

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Art Purchase

Picture Projects

I am supposed to be posting in two different picture projects, one is once a week and the other is once a month. I missed most of March for both of them due to having too many other things going on. I am trying to be better this month.

The weekly one has a deadline of midnight on Friday and I don't know why, but I keep forgetting until Sat morning (like today). All week, I have known the theme for the week and took lots of pics but just didn't get one edited and uploaded...grr.

This coming week's theme is furry friends...funny because I have been taking a lot of shots of Chase, and I have some geocaching plans this weekend so we'll see what I come up with there too.

The monthly project has a theme of inspiration so I will have to come up with something...but at least I will have some time on this one. I am doing a 5K next Saturday so perhaps that will "inspire" me to find something...

The whole idea of both of these projects was just to get me shooting again. I have been a bit down (understatement of the year) and not interested in much of anything and this is supposed to be motivating me to take pics and see beauty in things. And I am motivated, I take tons of pictures, just not always the right "theme".

Speaking of pictures, I just uploaded 4 of my favorites for the month to York so I could order cards. I am amazed at how much greeting cards at the store, cost these days (I usually make my own), but I don't have any of my card stuff here, so creating them and ordering them from York saves me some money and lets me be a bit creative. I ordered 4 sets, 1 set for bday cards and 1 set for Mother's Day cards...so some of you will get to see them sooner than others. The other two sets will just be for correspondence or perhaps Father's Day cards. It is saving me some bucks doing it this way and I am excited to see how they look in real life.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Card Making and Socializing

Templates and Fonts

I really am enjoying the number of options that Blogger has started to offer its users in templates and now in fonts too. As you can see, I have adjusted the font and template to something different for each of my blogs (even for those you can't see or don't know are mine).

Recently I updated my mom's blog which had an old header I created on it and simpler templates into something that I think reflects her much better. It is more about the writer than it is about decorating it up like it is a Myspace page.

These new templates have inspired me to write more frequently on all of my blogs and that is always a good thing!!

Check them out sometime if you are on a Blogger blog yourself!!

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Six Years Ago on In My Words...Come Back Birds

Strange Gym People

Okay, for the last two days, I have had to go to the afternoon version of my circuit class because of schedule conflicts with my normal time. So it is the same work and effort but a completely different group of people (in each class in fact).

Today, there was a lady in the class that was probably at least 10 years older than me, but for some reason, I got the distinct impression that she was competing with me the entire time I was there.

She wasn't on the circuit near me, actually she was about 10 stations behind me. I kept finding her staring at me and when I would smile back, she would just keep staring.

After I finished the circuit, I went over to work on abs and more leg exercises. So I got the equipment that I needed and started doing my thing. After about 10 minutes, she comes over near me with a balance ball (I was using one for abs) and starts doing these exercises that were similar to me but a step up from what I was doing. Which was fine, except that she couldn't do the exercise and it seemed like she was just trying to one up me or something rather than just concentrate on her own work out.

The whole experience was just very strange. I probably won't see her again unless I have to make up a class again, so I am not too concerned. If anything, I found it amusing....

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Five Years Ago on In My Words...Graveyard Visit

Happy Birthday Rick!!

Just wanted to wish my father-in-law a very happy birthday....hope you aren't celebrating too hard!!!

Love and miss you!!!

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Losing Its Appeal

Happy Birthday Munchkin!!!

Today is my little sister's birthday.

I remember getting to hold her when she was a baby but I had to sit still on the couch and not try to carry her around. I was only 5 1/2 when she was born so she was like a new doll for me. Of course that wore off when she started walking and had those "clod stomper" shoes...haha.

We had a teenage years of thinking that the other was just not cool enough to be seen with but once we both grew up a bit, we became close and we grow closer every year. This is the first time in a long time that we have been able to see much of each other and it has been fabulous. She inspires me in so many ways!!!

I love you sis, and I hope you have a great day and year!!!

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Five Years Ago on In My Words...Happy Birthday Sis!!

Love This Litter

This stuff is the best stuff since sliced bread...Arm and Hammer's Essentials Cat Litter.

I have had to deal with a litter box for the last 15 years or so and can I tell you that I pretty much hate it and do everything I can to avoid it. With that said, recently my cat was diagnosed with diabetes which translates into meaning that she pees a lot (but it doesn't stink because it is so diluted from all the water she is drinking). Upon arrival back in the US, I had decided to try some different options for her litter box hoping to cut down on the tracking of litter. I gave the pine litter a try and it worked great (until she started showing signs of diabetes). I highly recommend the pine stuff, smells great and doesn't track at all. You just have to replace all of it once it goes back to sawdust.

Once the overload on peeing started though, the pine wasn't an option so I switched back to a clay clumping litter....and for some reason, it has been hell ever since. I don't know if it is because her urine is different or if it is because there is just so much of it, but the clay was just turning into a piece of cement hooked to the bottom of her litter box each time, no matter how often I cleaned it out. I was practically breaking the scoop trying to get the litter box clean and it was doing nothing but pissing me off.

So the other day, I saw the corn stuff and decided to give it a whirl. It is super light (even after she pees in it), which is a plus. It smells much nicer than any other litter I have experienced, it controls the odor when she does use it, and it is super easy to scoop. She does track it a bit, but it is easier than the clay to sweep up and it doesn't stick to her feet in little cement clumps like the clay does, which I am sure we are both thankful for.

Anyhow, I highly recommend this stuff and I am completely amazed that I had an entire post's worth to even say about cat litter....haha.

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Five Years Ago on In My Words...Eyebrows

Blog Update

Finally got over to my Mom's blog and updated her template. She still had a header image on there that I uploaded in December of 2009 with a Christmas theme so it was definitely time for a change.

I think it looks great, I even went in and labeled a bunch of her old posts so her label cloud would work and look okay.

I hope she likes it.

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Six Years Ago on In My Words...Walking Lunges Kick Ass

Theme for March

I just checked and the theme for Shutter Sister's is "letters, symbols and numbers"...and I have until next Friday to get a pic taken as I looked back through what I have taken this whole month and nothing I have works...good excuse though to find something...in fact, the graveyard down the street that I have yet to explore might have something awesome for me.

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Four Years Ago on In My Words...Limitations

Week 12 MCP Project 52

This is my submission for the week. The theme was "from the jewelry box". I didn't do much to this one but auto correct the color and brightness and then added the border.

I love this necklace. It reminds me of a place that I hold very dear to my heart and to all the culture, people and food that I experienced and treasure there.

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Snail

Crazy Couple of Weeks

It has been a bit crazy here...was sick, missed a lot of exercise classes, and then my grandpa died and we had a trip down to our hometown to attend his funeral and be there for the rest of the family. I have not been posting to my two picture project sites but I hope to get back at it this next week...we'll see what I can find.

I need to find out what the themes are and then get shooting. I have some new places to explore, lots of things are starting to bloom, and a big geocache to finish so I am sure I can something awesome to take pics of.

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Six Years Ago on In My Words...Parking Peeve

In Memoriam Grandpa Byrd 1911-2011

My grandpa passed away this last weekend. He was 99 years old. He wasn't my biological grandpa but he has been my grandpa since I was in the 6th grade and the one I have the most memories with. I have found that blood is not what makes you family. Love, time, and support does. Grandpa was definitely my family regardless of our blood.

I am driving to my hometown this weekend with some of my family to go to his funeral. He was loved by a lot of people and I am looking forward to celebrating his long life with them all. Some of them I haven't seen in years.

I have some great memories of my grandpa. When I first met him, he rode a motorcycle and he would take us kids out for rides. My mom has a great picture of my sister (who was in kindergarten at the time) on the back of Grandpa's motorcycle with a huge helmet on. He and my grandma lived in a big house on the outskirts of town that always had a cow in the pasture. We learned after the first one, not to make friends with the cow because it would inevitably end up being dinner at some future date.

He was a wonder with wood...he made all sorts of things out of wood, from clocks, to tables, to frames to knives. In fact, my absolute favorite kitchen knife is the one he made for me for my wedding. He was a logger most of his life and he had some great stories to tell of his years in the woods and mills of Oregon. He worked for every dime he had and did so from a very early age.

He loved his sweets...you could always count on there being donuts, hot chocolate and some kind of candy at Grandpa's house. When we would eat dinner there once a week, my sister and I might get lucky and he would make a virgin grasshopper for us to sip while the grown-ups were having their drinks.

In my family, Grandma and Grandpa were always a big part of our lives. We went to the their house after school and during the summers when our parents were working. We went on road trips and vacations with them. Grandpa had a huge RV when we were kids and he and Grandma would go out to see his big family all over the US in it. They even drove down to Texas to visit us when we were there for a couple of years.

These last few years have been hard for Grandpa. You could tell he had a hard time getting comfortable with the aches and pains that old age bring. He couldn't hear or see much and sleep was something that sometimes eluded him.

My last visit to him was three weeks ago. We had a good visit with him. At the end of the visit, he was sitting in his big chair talking to my sister and I about how he felt bad that he couldn't remember everything and that he was sometimes confused. We tried to reassure him that it was alright to be confused sometimes and that we all loved him nonetheless. He talked about being the oldest of all of us and how he had lived a long life. It broke my heart when he started to cry and tell us how much he knew we were taking care of him. We told him it was okay, that we loved him and we just wanted him to be happy and healthy. I didn't know for sure that it would be the last time I saw him but I am glad that I got the chance to tell him how much I loved him before he had to go.

I hope this weekend will be a great time for all of us to laugh and remember all the fabulous things he brought to our lives instead of being too sad. He was a terrific grandpa who had a wonderfully long and full life, and I know that I will miss seeing him when I go home to visit.

I love you Grandpa!!

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Nekid As A Jaybird

Mishka's Reading Update

It has been a long time coming but I finally got my book blog updated with my reads from 2009 and 2010. I will try to be better about the ones from this year...check it out if you have time.

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Five Years Ago on In My Words...Nice and Easy

Shutter Sisters for February

This was my submission for the One Word Project on Shutter Sisters (see sidebar for link). The word of the month was "Words" and I happened to come across this pamphlet at a friend's this weekend and just couldn't help myself taking pictures of it. We read some if it too and it was so amazing to see the way culture has changed.

On this photo, I used the sharpening tool, the Retinex tool, and added a border (after doing a auto correct in Office's photo viewer right off).

Can't wait to see what next month's word is going to be!!!

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Musubi

Week 8 MCP Project 52

This is my submission for the week. The theme was the view from here and these were the first tulips I have seen up (I suspect they were planted already up)...but I thought they were pretty, the sun was out and it felt like spring was on its way. This was of course before we got the snow we have had for the last two days...haha.

Anyhow, I wanted to play with desaturation but also wanted to keep some of the color so this was my compromise...

Two Years Ago on In My Words...Peek A Boo

Week 7 MCP Project 52

This is my submission for the week. It has been a long three years since I have been in this park. It used to be an everyday occurance for me, and this last visit reminded me so much of why I love my hometown. I hope to live there again someday. The theme was Open Your Heart...and for me this town holds my heart in so many ways. I felt rejuvenated walking along the trails on that beautiful Sunday morning last week.

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Five Years Ago on In My Words...High School Meme

Week 6 MCP Project 52

This is my submission for the project this week...just posterized an image I took from a note I wrote on my sister's iPad...

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Six Years Ago on In My Words...It All Works Out In The End

Week 5 MCP Project 52

This is my submission for Week 5. The word was "muse". I was late turning it in, but I posted it anyhow, just so I could feel like I completed it. This coming week is "words" so I have to think on that one a bit.

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Twelve Years Ago on In My Words...Many Times

Shutter Sisters For January

This is my submission to the Shutter Sister's project for January. This project is based on one word a month, and January's word was whatever word we wanted to use to kind of signify the year for us. I chose Hardwork as my word or theme for this year...and watching this spider outside the window build her web again was just the motivation I needed for this image. It was amazing to see the precision and beauty all wrapped into one.

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Four Years Ago on In My Words...It's Official

Week Four MCP Project 52

This is my submission for this week. The theme was soothing repetition. I also had pictures of my curls, and my feet on a walk which are all other soothing repetitions in my life but I liked the modern look of this one the best so that is why it was selected.

I only adjusted the contrast a bit, sharpened 20% and bordered it.

I am still working on the one for the "once a month" project I joined last week. Have to come up with something fast.

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Five Years Ago on In My Words...Fashion Angst

Another One

Doing this one too!!! Haven't figured out my word for this month yet but I will...downloaded Gimp 2 to enable some photo editing until I get my big software package up and running...

Week 3 MCP Project 52

This is my submission for this week to the project. The theme was Shades of Grey. I thought about doing a black and white but then really liked how this one came out so decided to stick with it. Only addition was the border.

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...New Art

Week 2 MCP Project 52

Here is my image upload for this week. Definitely not my best, but still one that I like. Theme was to illustrate a song...that is why the title is what it is.

Am hoping to get out to some more graveyards today as we continue the Day of the Dead geocache...

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Six Years Ago on In My Words...MLK Jr.

MCP Project 52

Day 23: Something You Wish You Had Done in Your Life

Here we go again....another one that sounds like my life is already over....

I don't know, even at my age, I don't feel like there are too many doors closed to me and those that might be closed aren't necessarily things I regret not having done.

One thing I haven't done for one reason or another that I think I would like to do is be a parent. I don't necessarily want to have my own kids but I think I would be a good mom and I wouldn't mind adopting a kid (even an older one) at some point in the future. Thing is, this is not something that is out of my grasp so I don't know if it fits this question really.

Another thing I want to do that I haven't done as an adult is be a dog owner. I don't know when or if I will do this one any time soon but once again, not a closed door, and I think it would be great to have a dog.

One thing I do wish I had done in my life that is definitely not an option anymore is getting to know the smart, creative, and interesting side of my biological father. He is deceased now but he made some bad choices in life, and this limited the amount that we got to know each other. I don't in any way feel that it is my fault that we didn't get to know each other better, but I still wish we had sometimes. I am sure there are things about myself that I would have learned from knowing him better.

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Five Years Ago on In My Words...Back At It

Day 22: Something You Wish You Hadn't Done in Your Life

This is a hard one for me. I don't have a lot of regrets and this question sounds like your life is over which mine is not but I'll see what I can come up with.

The two biggest bad things in my life were not my fault and by saying I wish I hadn't put myself in the situation seems to put blame on me, which I refuse to do. The two men involved in those two instances were completely at fault.

One thing recently I wish I hadn't done would be not taking the stresses and worries of another person more seriously. I think things would be a lot easier for me if I had been paying a bit more attention to the situation at hand. I owe a huge apology for that.

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Four Years Ago on In My Words...I Got Lucky

Day 21: Your Best Friend is in a Car Accident and You Have Been in a Fight Just Before, What Do You Do?

This seems like a very strange question to me but here goes...

I am assuming that my best friend is not dead, therefore, I would go see them at the hospital. I try to make sure that those I love know I love them, even if we are disagreeing about something so that I never have to regret if something happens to one of us. I have always made sure to tell my husband that I love him and ask him to be careful when we part so that I know in my heart that he knows how much I care about him. I always tell my family and friends that I love them each time we talk or write because I know that our future's are not decided and life is short and unpredictable.

I don't want to live with regrets that I could have avoided by stating three little words of love...

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Four Years Ago on In My Words...Countertops

Day 20: Your Views on Drugs and Alcohol

Once again, moderation, moderation, moderation people.

I have never used any illegal drugs but I don't feel it is my place to judge those that do either. I think that people need to be responsible for the choices they make and in knowing that, use drugs, if they chose to, responsibly.

Having had alcoholism very close to me growing up, I have always had a bit of a fear of it, and I think that has caused me to always err on the side of caution when it comes to alcohol. I do drink occasionally but when I do, it is never very much. I just don't get a level of "fun" from it that warrants feeling really crappy the next day or doing something I would later regret while under the influence.

One thing I don't excuse is those that put other people's lives in danger while using either of the above. I think that if you are going to make the choice to use drugs and/or alcohol, you should be the only that has to deal with the consequences of that choice, not some innocent bystander on the road, or an innocent child that is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Of course, we know that this is almost never the case when abuse of the above two is involved...which is why my opening lines were moderation, moderation, moderation...

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Last Year on In My Words...My Christmas

Day 19: What You Think of Religion and/or Politics

For both....moderation is key!!!

Religion: I think that if being in a religion causes a person to be a better person, lead a better life, and makes them feel better about life after death, then go for it. I think that if being in a religion causes a person to judge others, force their beliefs on others, and/or kill others in the name of religion, then it should be definitely rethought.

Politics: Politics need to be about making the world a better place for everyone, not just for those that have money, means or both. Politicians should be individuals that are looking to make a difference in the lives of those they represent and definitely not people just looking to take advantage of a position and a system.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...What To Do

Day 18: Your Views on Gay Marriage

Absolutely for it...enough said.

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Chase's Catnip Christmas

Day 17: A Book That You Have Read That Has Changed Your Views on Something

This one is easy for me. There are two books.

The first one is the Color Purple. I read this book for the first time when I was in high school and in it, two of the characters have a discussion about God that I thought was awesome. It made sense to me. I was pretty excited about reading it enough that I actually told my boyfriend at the time all about it. The rest of the book is great and I love the movie too but the discussion about God was the part that really connected with me at the time.

The second book is called Ishmael and my dad turned me on to this one. This book is amazing and completely changed the way I think about everything in life and how I interact with this planet we live on. It explained so many things.

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Five Years Ago on In My Words...Geocaching Peeve

Day 16: Something You Can Definitely Live Without.

I could live without inconsiderate people.
I could live without child abusers/molesters.
I could live without racism and bigotry.
I could live without war.
I could live without cruelty to animals.
I could live without selfishness and greed.
I could live without prejudice.
I could live without heartbreak.

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Six Years Ago on In My Words...Bathroom Kitty

Day 15: Something You Can't Live Without Because You Have Tried to Live Without It

Okay for me this one is in two parts...emotionally and physically (and this is excluding food, water and sleep, which we all need to survive).

Emotionally, I can't live without the love of my husband, family, and friends. Without love, anyone's life is just an empty shell. I truly believe that the only thing that matters at the end of your life, is who you have loved and who loves you.

Physically, I can't live without (meaning I could if I had to, but really wouldn't want to) books, and writing materials...with those two things, I could stay busy and keep my mind fresh for all time.

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Six Years Ago on In My Words...Locked Out

Day 14: A Hero That Has Let You Down

This is a weird one...don't know really what to put here. Don't know that I have ever labeled anyone specifically as a hero...there are people I admire and there are those that have disappointed me but no one like a Superman or Woman in my life that would have let me down.

I think we all make choices and have to live with the consequences of those choices...some are good and some are bad. For instance, my biological father hurt me in a couple of ways, but when I was old enough to really look at the situation, I realized that it had nothing to do with me, he was just making bad choices and the consequences ended up being that we didn't have a close relationship. I never considered him a hero necessarily but when you are a kid all "grownups" are larger than life and it is hard for them to live up to that over time.

We all find disappointment in those around us that we consider friends, or family. Accepting a person's faults and either deciding we can live with them or not is the choice that we then get to make.

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Four Years Ago on In My Words...Busy

Day 13: A Band or Artist That Has Gotten You Through Some Bad Ass Days

Well, I guess this would depend on the days....in high school, I think Journey, Depeche Mode, and old school Prince would have been on my list that has gotten me through (not exclusively but I do remember listening to them when I was going through tough high school drama).

Then in college, it would be Sinead O'Connor, James Brown, and EnVogue, that helped me through stressful days, lonely times, or being homesick. Oh, and I remember one particular drive to clear my head that required some James Taylor and UB40 (how is that for a mix?)...

Over the years since college, I have had some Sarah McLachlan, Anna Nalick, Norah Jones when I need to sing the blues away, then some Green Day, Violent Femmes, and Beastie Boys if I need to get going, and finally some CCR, Beatles, and Allman Brothers if I want a walk down childhood memory lane. Can't forget some Disturbed and Papa Roach when I want to get pumped at the gym...

You know, obviously, there is no way to answer this one with just one artist or band...I don't think I have had the bad times that this question is referring too yet, and I love so many different artists and listen to them all for different reasons...so this is really just a broad brushstroke of the things I have listened to over the years....definitely not inclusive off all my tastes musically....since we didn't even touch on Classical and Scores that get me going for school or morning wakeups...

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Beautiful Moon

BBC Book List 2010

Have you read more than 6 of these books? The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here. Instructions: Copy this into your NOTES. Bold those books you've read in their entirety, italicize the ones you started but didn't finish or read an excerpt. Tag to me and others.

1 Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series – JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four – George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22- Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch – George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House – Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath- Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina –Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis
34 Emma – Jane Austen
35 Persuasion – Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Berniere
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Willaim Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh – AA Milne
41 Animal Farm – George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany – John Irving
45 The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery
47 Far from the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies – William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martell
52 Dune – Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
60 Love in the time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
66 On the Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick – Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula – Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson
74 Notes from a Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal – Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - Charles Mitchell
83 The Colour Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet – William Shakespeare
99 Charlie & the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables – Victor Hugo

Looks like I have read 53 of them so far....but really that is only half. Guess I better update that reading list at the library. Thank goodness for AP English in highschool or I wouldn't have half of what I do on here...haha

Day 12: Something You Never Get Compliments On

Wow, this one is hard...this means that I have to think of something that I like about myself that no one else notices....hmmmm.

Okay, I have thought of it....my feet. I really like my feet and no one else really seems to notice them...haha. The only thing anyone really notices is that I look like I am standing on my toes when my feet are relaxed due to the high arch I have...other than that...no admirers...

Everything else I like about myself has had at least one compliment so I can't say "never"...heehee.

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Five Years Ago on In My Words...In A Pinch

Day 11: Something People Seem to Compliment You the Most On

This one is two fold....physically, I think it would have to be my curly hair and my eyes...at least those two are the ones I hear the most about. Amazingly enough, they are both things I like about myself physically too so it works out...haha.

On the nonphysical front, I think I get complimented on my knowledge of various things. I don't know everything obviously, but of the things I am interested in, I try to be as thorough in my knowledge as possible. I know a lot about computers, for instance, and that is probably the one thing that comes up the most...and I love being able to use what I know to help others so it is a benefit for both them and me.

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Four Years Ago on In My Words...She's Off

Day 10: Someone You Need To Let Go Of or Wish You Didn't Know

I don't think this one is an issue for me. I am pretty good at letting go of dead weight.

I realized a long time ago that who you choose to have in your life affects who you are and what you are able to accomplish. I tend to cut loose those that have TOO much drama, are not honest, or are TOO negative...I just don't need those kind of people in my life.

High school is over and I can't stand to be surrounded by high school antics in people that should have outgrown that activity years ago.

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Blanket Woes

Day 9: Someone You Didn't Want To Let Go Of But Just Drifted Away From

This is an interesting one. I have always had a hang up about drifting away from people and a lot of guilt when it does happen. Reality is that there are only a few people in anyone's life that remain a part of it for the length of it. Generally this is family (but not in all cases) and the closest of friends.

I have been very lucky to have some very good friends in my life that have filled the "family" requirement for me when my family has been far away (distance-wise). Those friends will be my friends forever even if we don't talk for ages. I know that they feel the same way about me.

I do have a couple of close friends that I had in high school, that I desperately tried to stay connected with after we all went our separate ways and I have managed to really only stay in contact with one of them. We will continue to be friends until the end of time even though we rarely get to see each other. I felt a lot a guilt when I felt the others slipping away but this is mostly because I assumed it was all my fault. Truth is that it takes two to maintain a relationship and all the effort can't be on one side. So while some of the fault is mine, not all of it is.

The same thing happened in college. I really only have one or two people that am close to from my undergraduate years even though I had a lot of friends, teammates, and sorority sisters at the time. As our lives went in different directions, we drifted apart and other people came into our lives. This is normal...and I have learned to not put so much on myself about this anymore.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Walmart Tramplers

Day 8: Someone Who Made Your Life Hell or Treated You Like Shit

This is a hard one as I don't think that anyone completely fits this bill....I mean we all had relationships in school that did or didn't turn out for one reason or another, but none of mine were so bad that I would label them as the above.

I guess I feel some resentment towards my biological father for some of the things he put me through...but he is no longer living and I really can't speak badly of him now. He made some really bad choices in his life, and unfortunately, I was affected by some of them, but in the end, his life was shortened because of some of those choices so I don't know that anything I would say would make a difference in that outcome. I wish sometimes that I had been able to get to know the amazing part of him better, but he kept that part of himself hidden behind the bad choices most of the time, and that seems sadder than anything else.

Overall, I have had a pretty good life, hard sometimes (like everyone) but still pretty good without a lot of tragedy in it. I am one of the lucky ones.

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Four Years Ago on In My Words...Playstation Mayhem

Day 7: Someone Who Has Made Your Life Worth Living For

This one is easy....everyone in my family...my husband, my sisters, my brothers, my moms and dads, my grandparents, all the aunts and uncles, cousins and friends that have been family for me for so long...I don't know what I would do without you!!!

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Caching It High

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Just wanted to wish you a happy birthday and so looking forward to seeing you over Tday weekend. You are the best and I am one of two lucky daughters!!

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Happy Birthday Mom

Day 6: Something You Hope You Never Have To Do

Wow...what a question. I guess I would have to say off the top of my head that number one, I would never want to have to okay the "pulling of the plug" for anyone, but I know that if I needed to do it, I could...I just wouldn't want to. Putting down my cat of 19 years a few years back was very traumatic and I know that obviously "putting down" a person would be so much more terrible.

I would also never want to put one of my parents in a nursing home, although I know that this is necessary sometimes, the idea of it just makes me cringe.

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Five Years Ago on In My Words...Steve Terrill

Day 5: Something You Hope to Do in Your Life

I definitely want to travel some more. Even though I have been to a lot of places, there are tons more that I would love to see.

I want to spend more time with my friends and family...being away as much as I have been really gives you a good perspective on how short life is and how much we need to appreciate every moment.

I would like to study some more things in school, like Japanese, Spanish, guitar, piano, computers (of course), and photography.

I would like to have enough courage and self confidence to teach classes in some of the things that I know well.

There are tons of other things I hope to do in my life, but these are the things that pop to the top of my head right now.

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One Year Ago on In My Words...Muy Feo

Day 4: Something You Have to Forgive Someone For

I was just recently wronged by someone that I would have never expected it from. I was completely blindsided and it has affected me in the most horrific way. I am devastated by the actions and words of this person. I have lost confidence in who I am and how I see the world. I feel as if everything I ever knew was right and good is completely the opposite. I am sure that I will never be the same.

Having said all that, I know deep in my heart that given some time and much explanation, I could come to forgive and trust this person again. We have known each other for a very long time and that counts for something. You don't throw people out of your life when you have so much history. I hope that there will come a time that we can meet half way and come to an understanding and perhaps eventually a renewal of our relationship.

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Two Years Ago on In My Words...Mission For Fitness

Day 3: Something You Have to Forgive Yourself For

I need to forgive myself for not upholding my end of a deal I made with someone I care for very much. Overall, it probably doesn't seem like a big deal but I know that I hurt that person by not following through on my promise, and I also damaged my word for them to believe in me for any future promises. I am not ready to forgive myself for making such a huge mistake but I know that at sometime, perhaps after they forgive me, I will forgive myself as long as I do not allow myself to repeat my mistakes.

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Blanket Woes

Day 2: Something You Love About Yourself

I love that I have a soft heart and am not afraid to show that I have feelings for others. I know that it makes me more susceptible to getting hurt by others, but I have come to the realization that the only thing that matters in life is THOSE THAT YOU LOVE AND THOSE THAT LOVE YOU. All the rest of the cr@p doesn't matter....not in the end.

When I die, it won't matter how much money I have in the bank, or how many cool things I have in my house, all that will matter is the lives I have affected and those that have affected me. There is nothing else.

I love that my travels around this world have opened my mind (more than it already was) to this amazing planet we live on and all the amazing things we can experience and affect. My travels have allowed me the opportunity to love more and have more love me and that is something that I will always have!!

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Four Years Ago on In My Words...Books

Day 1: Something You Hate About Yourself

Starting a new blogging task to see if I can get myself jump started into my writing again. I have a ton of stuff going on, but most of it too personal for posting on here. I need to get motivated to write regularly and then the creative juices will start to flow...so on that note, I am going to do this list of 30 topics...don't know that I will get them all done in 30 days but I think it is still a good place to start. I found this list on Poppycede's blog...not sure who she might have gotten it from.

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Something You Hate About Yourself

Honestly I don't really hate anything about myself but I definitely have things I would like to change or that I dislike about my personality. One of those things would be my tendency to over-think things on occasion. Turning off my brain these days is one of my biggest hurdles. I have found that exercising regularly helps me keep my brain clear and focused and definitely helps with the over-thinking issue. Only problem is that sometimes the over-thinking occurs in the middle of the night or early morning when exercising is a bit difficult.

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Five Years Ago on In My Words...My God, It's Full of Stars

Sad to See

We have a state population near 4 million (and of course some of these can't vote) but to only have 1.4 million vote in the midterm election is really pathetic.

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Google Reader and iGoogle