Conversations With Mom, Part 1

I love my mother. A lot. She is wonderful and I hope to be just like her one day. She loves the Lord and is a wonderful example of a wife and a mother. She is also a hoot. Mostly when she's not trying to be. She often says things that just come out wrong...and it cracks us up. Here is one of those recent conversations.

The scene:
In the car, on the way to Target (my happy place). I was driving and mom was just sitting there staring at me.

The conversation:

Me: What?
Mom: You're just so pretty.
Me: You have to say that, you're my mom.
Mom: I don't HAVE to say anything. If I didn't think it was true, then I just wouldn't say anything.
Me: Well, then your eyes are tainted because you're my mother.
Mom: That's not true...I can clearly see those 30 pounds you've gained, but I still think you're beautiful.
Me: Thanks, Mom.

Cue laughing so hard we almost drove off the road.

Please, Just Don't. Thanks.

My sister and I are self-proclaimed Christmas decoration snobs. As we drive around at Christmas time, we give grades to the Christmas decorations on houses, and offer suggestions (to each other, not to the people who live in the houses...that would be taking it a bit too far) as to how they can bring up their grade.

For example..."That house is a B+, but they could bring it up to an A if they would get rid of the blinking lights that give us seizures/ get rid of the red lights in their windows/straighten out the lights on their tree." You know, practical stuff.

However, in my eyes, there is one decoration that gives you an automatic fail. Observe:

Those blasted inflatables! I don't know what it is, but they make me shudder!

Although...I DO like the lights on the house behind the loathsome inflatable. Add some pretty garland and some candles in the windows and we have a solid A- going on. I'll even look past the icicle lights on the dormers. It is Christmas, after all.

This one makes me want to cry. It MOVES. Ugh.

So there you have it. I love Christmas. I love Christmas decorations. And I appreciate all effort and the beauty of it all. But inflatables...INFLATABLES? Please. Just don't.

It's a...

self imposed snow day! I attempted to get to work this morning (thing #278 I miss about teaching: guilt free SNOW DAYS!!!!)

Gah- they just interrupted Ellen for a weather alert- that's how gross it is! And the weather lady just told me to stay in bed and eat pizza. Okay. Will do.

Anywho...after slipping and sliding through town, barely making up a hill and wishing with all that was in me that I lived in the south, I turned around and headed home. To this...

Yes, a stack of books just waiting to be read (and one that already has been read.) Recently I have remembered my love for reading and I'm milking it. And having a blast.

So I started my day with a little bit of this:

Figaro wanted to get in on the action, too.

So what am I reading? Hummmmm?

I just finished...

This book was great. I cried. Yup...it was challenging, motivating and heart-string pulling. Good read.

I am currently reading...

Sophie Kinsella makes me laugh. A lot. This book is really cute and fun.

I am looking forward to reading...

Don't laugh. These books are fun. I have read 4.5 of them. I read half of book 5, put it down and never picked it up again. I was reading them as they came out, and by the time book 5 came out, I had forgotten what had happened before and was lost. I do much better waiting for a series to be complete before I read it. I'm the same way with TV. TV on DVD? Yes, please!

It's been a rough year. I just need to read this.

I've heard great things about this book...and have a mentioned it's been a rough year? Yeah, I thought so.

So there you have it. I love reading. And I'm going to go do some more. Right. Now.

RUH ROH!

Yup...that's my cell phone. Note to self...don't shut your cell phone in your car door. It will break. I just got this phone 2 weeks ago, too. I was thisclose to cancelling my insurance in an attempt to save money because in the history of having cell phones I have never lost or broken one. Glad I didn't do that! Thanks to the magic of the internet and the Verizon fairies, I should have a new one tomorrow. Yea! It's driving me crazy, though because I can see I have a voicemail and a text message...but I have no way of getting them. Ugh!

AND

This video makes me laugh. A lot. It reminds me of college. And Laura. And it makes me miss her and the way we used to laugh like fools.

I volunteered to my future SIL to sing it at her wedding next month. She hasn't answered me yet. Hummmmm. Wonder why. :)

*And yes, Julie, if you read this...I stole the title from your facebook comment. Thanks! :)

Let's Rewind...Again

I really, really, REALLY need to be better about this. You know- posting on my blog and not having to always rewind. Ahem.

Anyway, about a week and a half ago I got together with my dear friend, Tiffany. Tiff and I have been best friends since third grade. We went to school together all through elementary and middle school, then went to different high schools.

During high school and the beginning of college we worked at Camp Good News together as well. After college Tiffany stayed in NH and I was in Ohio, but we have remained great friends and I have LOVED reconnecting since I moved back to NH.

Tiffany is married to Ryan and now has two adorable kiddos that she lets me play with, read stories to, and snuggle. I love being "Aunt Erin!"

So, Tiffany and I got together on a Saturday morning to go watch her husband, Ryan, go jump into Lake Winnipesaukee for the Turkey Plunge, a fund raiser for the Salvation Army (although we missed the jump...whoops.)

Afterward we went to a local restaurant for a yummy fund raising lunch of clam chowder and chili. Then it was back to Tiff and Ryans to hang out, talk, play with the kids, and catch up.

What a fun day!

On Sunday afternoon I met up with my friends Heather and Diana and their friend Ian to go see New Moon. Heather and I went to school together from sixth grade through high school. She lived right up the road from me and was like a part of our family. Diana is her best friend and roommate.

These are horrible pictures because I took them with my phone and it doesn't have a flash, but I insisted on taking pictures anyway.

Heather and me



Ian and Diana


So here was my brilliant statement of that evening. We were standing in line for the movie and Ian and Diana were talking about some movie, but I wasn't sure what. So I said,

"What are you talking about?"

and they responded,

"Buffy."

I had a thought, but didn't say it out loud, and then I burst out laughing. When they asked me what was so funny I told them that I had thought,

"Yeah, I'm just really not into vampires at all."

Ironic since we were in line for New Moon, huh? HA! The thing is, I'm really not. I just recently read the Twilight books because I wanted to know what all these kids and teens were reading so I can be informed and to form my own opinons about them. I enjoyed the books, but am I a Twi-hard fan? No. Were they entertaining? Yes.

It was a fun and friend filled weekend!

Fallish Fun

Two weekends ago my family and I went apple picking. This has always been one of my favorite fall-time things go do. Who am I kidding? I love EVERYTHING about fall. The weather, the smells, the hay rides, the corn mazes (although there aren't very many of those in NH...), the decorations, the pumpkin spice EVERYTHING...I love it all. So we headed out to Appleview to pick some Cortlands and Macs. We took a hay ride out to the orchard.

Um...I guess you can't really tell we're on a hay ride there, huh? Oh well.

Mom and Dad

Mimi- 91 and still apple picking!

The Miller Girls

He really does love her. What a goof!

After picking apples we headed into the barn/store to pay for our apples and sampled a few of their apple fritters. Oh YUM! I also decided that one of my favorite smells in the world is the inside of the apple orchard store- especially if it is an old barn. Looking forward to more fall time fun things to come!

Catching Up!

I really need to be better about this. Let's back track again, shall we? Alllll the way back to August. My friend Julie came up from DC to visit. Julie and I worked at Camp Good News togteher as counselors in my late high school/early college days. Julie's family lives in Bangor, Maine, so the plan was for me to pick Julie up in Boston, then to drive up to Bangor to visit with her family and attend the annual Folk Festival.

Julie's flight was delayed due to bad weather, so I drove around and around while waiting for her and had a nice driving tour of the northern Boston area. After picking Julie up, we were both starving, so we decided to visit the brand new Sonic that had just opened in Peabody. It is the first Sonic in New England...


So we were pretty excited! When we pulled up we noticed there was a long line, but thought, "Eh...can't be that bad." Once we realized it was THAT bad, we were stuck. There was no way out. See...

That Strawberry Limeade was totally worth it! HA! Oh my. So after that we decided it would probably be best not to drive all the way to Bangor, so we stayed over at my place in Portsmouth and continued on to Bangor in the morning. That afternoon we headed out to the Folk Festival. It was cold and rainy, but still fun.

We listened to some good music, ate some yummy food, and listened to a riveting talk on honey bees. :)

Julie's family was great. I had a blast and honestly hadn't laughed that much in a loooong time. It was a great weekend!