I've been tagged - "Five Random Facts"

I have been “tagged”. Here are the rules for the “Five Random Facts”:

Each player starts with five random facts/habits/stories about themselves. The person who is tagged needs to write a post on their own blog (about their five things) and post these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose one person to get tagged and list their name/blog. Don’t forget to leave a comment on their blog telling them they’re tagged and to read your blog.

My “Five Random Facts”

1. There are two things I wish I could do: 1) play ice hockey and 2) be a good dancer.

I never played sports as a kid but if I were to start playing sports now I would play ice hockey. It is not a logical choice since I don’t skate well and I am not an aggressive person, but I would love to be able to acquire the skills to play on a team.

I would also like to be a good dancer. About once a year I go away for a girl’s weekend with a few good friends. One of our evenings out always involves a little nightlife and we often find ourselves in some sort of dance club. Initially, I feel awkward and uncomfortable, but after a while, and a couple of drinks, I start to improve (or at least I think I do!). I would like to acquire some basic skills and some decent moves so I don’t have to resort to using old 80’s moves that I learned in high school or even worse end up looking like Elaine from Seinfeld!

2. I have recently become obsessed with the size of the pores on my face – especially in the nose and chin area (also referred to as the T zone!). For some reason, I think my pores have suddenly expanded and have grown much larger in the last new months and now when I look at myself in the mirror all I see are pores, pores and more pores! I have tried to get a second opinion from my husband to verify this but he has not been helpful. So I have had to take matters into my own hands and have been on a mission to find a way to minimize, reduce, and close up my too large pores! My search has uncovered some nifty products including a blemish removing tool that looks somewhat like a miniature medieval torture device. The device is made of stainless steel and the packaging clearly states that improper use will cause injury and/or scarring. This did not scare me off though and I have found that the blemish removing tool is one effective product especially when you use it in conjunction with some astringent that contains salicylic acid. I have found that you will not only shrink the size of your pores, but also remove a few layers of skin too! Who needs fancy cosmetic treatments when my home remedies work just as well…

3. I like frogs, snakes, lizard, toads, salamanders, and turtles. When I was a kid we used to search for snakes and we would then try our best to capture them. We were often successful. I have a picture of me when I was 10 years old holding a snake in my hands. (The snake later bit me, but at least we got the picture!) I’ll have to ask my father to scan the picture for me and then I’ll add to the blog.

4. For my first job after college I worked for a software company that sold software to hotels. My job was to travel to the hotel, install the software and then train the staff on how to use the software. I was very fortunate and was able to travel around the country and even internationally to some great cites and some very nice hotels. Through my job, I traveled to Hawaii, London, Switzerland, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. I never worried about my safety when I traveled and lucky for me things were not as risky or volatile then. I was also younger and more naïve. It was a great experience and a wonderful opportunity. I could never do that now – since the job involved leaving on Sunday and returning home on Friday but it was a fantastic job for a single 22 year old.

5. I like to check out the Yahoo OMG web site. It is a web site that publishes celebrity photos. I know I should not look but I can’t resist a Britney Spears headline. Sad, but true.

I think I am the last person to be "tagged" for the "Five Random Facts". Mary - I am going to send a new challenge your way - more info to come soon!

We saw squamates!

We took the family, plus my mom and Jacob’s buddy Brendan, to the Museum of Science today. Everyone had a great time – we particularly enjoyed the squamates – which is the scientific term for snakes and lizards. (You learn something new every day!) In one of the pictures you will notice that the big python is checking out Brendan. In addition to the snakes and lizards, the boys liked the weather exhibits too. The Star Wars show in the planetarium was also a big hit!


This was the best lizard there!

The python was taking a good look at Brendan! Ben decided to relax with the T-Rex!


Grandma was a trooper. The boys were very studious during the snake and lizard film.

Is Spring really coming?

We took advantage of the nice sunny weather and headed outside today. The boys, including George, had quite the snowball fight. I threw one at George but when his throw hit me "square in the buttocks" it actually hurt so I opted out. (George then told me I was warned and if I continued to throw snowballs at him then that is what I could expect!) Jacob and Ben kept it up though and got George good a few times.

It is hard to believe that we will try to open the pool in two months. It seems as if the snow will never leave!

Getting a new dog this summer?

Last spring we lost Barley, our ten-year old golden retriever. Barley was a wonderful dog – very gentle, affectionate, and was great with the kids. He was also very well behaved and liked everyone that he met! Even when he was older and far beyond his puppy years, he was always energetic and enjoyed being outside and active. It was very hard to lose him and we miss him very much.

It will be time though this summer for us to get a new dog, and I believe I have found the dog for the Snow family – the field spaniel. These dogs seem similar to goldens except that they can be a bit more reserved and perhaps a bit more stubborn. I have been in contact with a local breeder to learn more about them and to schedule a visit to actually meet some of these dogs.

I think they are really beautiful dogs and I love their cute faces. I have included a couple of pictures of field spaniels as well as one of Barley.

A bottle of red, a bottle of white....

My friends and family know that I enjoy drinking white wine and don't care for red. However, faced with a wine cabinet full of red wine (left over from parties and such) I am now determined to become a red wine drinker.

I have successfully met this challenge the last two evenings and enjoyed a glass of Cline "Red Truck" before dinner. I certainly didn't like it as much as a nice glass of Chardonnay, but it was actually enjoyable. If I can continue to drink this red stuff then I won't have to head out to the NH State Liquor Store for weeks or maybe even months! (On another note...I have somehow stopped biting my nails...so perhaps anything is possible!)

Mom Loses at Checkers!

Jacob and I played a game of Checkers this afternoon. Sadly, I could not remember how to play and we first started by making illegal moves – we went straight ahead rather than going diagonally. I finally figured out that we were not playing right and then went on line to re-learn the rules.

Once we straightened things out, Jacob then proceeded to kick my butt and won the game. I was trying my best but I could not see the jumps or anticipate the next move. At one point, Jacob had a triple jump! He easily won the game and I needed a break! I wonder how long it will take before Benny can beat me!

Sunday Puppets.....

The boys and I made puppets this afternoon. The theme was lizards and the Guitar Hero video game - perhaps an unlikely combination for some folks but one that makes perfect sense in our household. Jacob did not need any assitance. Ben was the creative force behind his effort and I simply followed his orders and performed the necessary stapling, cutting, etc.

Not Afraid of a Little Snow!

It was a snowy and sleety morning and there were over 250 delays and closings across the state, but Jacob's school did not delay. Here is a picture of Jacob and I heading out to the bus stop. George and Ben were inside cozy and warm! Their schools both had delays.

New Chip Champ!

George bought some new poker chips for the house for all of the big poker games we host here! We had the inaugural game this evening and decided that the winner would get featured on the blog. Naturally George won. Jacob was a close second and I made some costly moves to come in short stacked once again. Ben was the "money man" and kept track of the bank's chips.

No School!

Jacob did not have school on Friday so I took the day off and spent the day with the kids. After going to Wal-Mart to let the kids spend their remaining birthday and Christmas gift money, we picked up Brendan. You can see here that Jacob and Brendan are pleased with their PSP skills! We asked Brendan to spend the night so the fun continued into the evening! (Notice Jacob's jersey - a true fan to the end!)