Just Stroll-ing Along . . .

My new phone!
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1. I was born Sarah Elizabeth Rice, to Rex and Christine, on March 24, 1983.

2. I am the youngest of 5.

3. I can sing you the entire theme song to Chico and The Man.

4. All of us kids were homeschooled.

5. I once re-created the Okeefanokee Swamp out of clay with my brother Adam.

6. I met my current best friend when we were 13. 10 years, baby!

7. I once had a kitten named Jackie and a rabbit named Mikey Digger Grey. What is wrong with me?

8. I was hit by a car when I was 6 years old and had therapy on my left leg for quite a while. To this day, my leg is gimpy and I cannot do much of anything with it, i.e., rollerblade, run, except predict the weather.

9. After I was hit by the car, I was given a Play-Doh Flower-Making Basket. Man, did I love that thing.

10. I once gave away my own room to my sister for a piece of candy.

11. Even after handing over my own room (with the adorable blue birdy wallpaper), I still slept in there with her almost every night and fell asleep her to her fabulous Monkey & Elephant stories.

12. Everyone always thought my brother Adam and I were twins.

13. A piece of bark scratched my cornea when I was 6 and I had to wear an eye-patch for several weeks. Argh, matey.

14. I always get sick on my birthday, vacations and holidays.

15. I didn't learn to ride my bike until I was 9.

16. I was a twin in the womb.

17. I am a voracious reader.

18. After my sister got married, I basically lived with her and her husband like 3 months out of the year. Oh what fun we had!

19. It is quite possible that my grandfather is the handsomest man I've ever met!

20. I quit school when I had only 1 class to go to get my certificate in forensic science. I could shoot myself for that.

21. As well as having 2 brothers and 2 sisters, I also have 5 brothers-in-law and 5 sisters-in-law. They are all fun, smart, talented and wonderful.

22. My dad has been told he looks like Kevin Costner. Personally, I think he's way better looking than that.

23. Almost all of our family vacations were spent at my grandmother's home in Florida.

24. All of us kids are champion apple-pickers and can tell you anything you need to know about apple trees.

25. I've always wanted to join the Navy.

26. I met my husband when I was 18 when we both worked at The Toledo Museum of Art. We married on the front steps of the Peristyle when I was 21.

27. Once, when I was probably 14, a nasty old guy tried to pick me up on the streets of Chicago. My sister had to beat him up.

28. Someday I would love to work for a non-profit organization like Save the Children or Compassion International.

29. As that is not likely to happen, my husband and I are planning on becoming foster parents in the future and I am applying to be a volunteer court appointed children's advocate for kids in our county who need a voice.

30. My husband is 10 years older than me.

31. My mother-in-law (who lives in Oklahoma), has got to be one of the sweetest people I've ever met.

32. Combined, Brian and I have 11 nieces and 7 nephews - and we love every single one of them!

33. Nobody loves my Mar like I do.

34. I dream about being a gardener. Unfortunately, I'm not that great with plants.

35. I was baptized in September 2001.

36. I am very independent.

37. Someday Brian and I will move to Tuscany.

38. I pretend I can knit. I can't, really.

39. I love pink and green. 5 of the 7 rooms in our house are painted various shades of green and there are splashes of pink in each room.

40. I love vintage things - fabric, dishes, 50's diner stuff, etc.

41. One of my favorite things to do on a date-night is going to the Drive-In.

42. I suffer from PCOS, HPV, cervical dysplasia, endometriosis and insulin resistance.

43. 4 of the people who inspire me the most are - my mother, her mother, her sister and her oldest daughter. It's all in the family, y'all.

44. I've read The Catcher in the Rye no less than 15 times.

45. All 3 of the guys I've ever been seriously interested in have been from Oklahoma.

46. I never liked swimming until I got married - Brian's a waterbug and he made me love swimming.

47. Even though Brian and I will probably never have biological children, we still have names picked out for about 17 kids.

48. I love baseball.

49. I am so not a morning person.

50. The best concert I've ever been to was Andrea Bocelli.

51. I don't iron.

52. I'm a Feminist for Life.

53. I hate washing dishes, but I love a clean kitchen.

54. I'm a jeans girl. There is nothing better than jeans.

55. Except for maybe stilettos. I'm a high-heel kinda gal, too.

56. There are only a few shows I watch on TV - Gilmore Girls, CSI, Family Guy and The Office. And the occasional episode of Overhaulin'. Or The Bedford Diaries.

57. KD and I used to stalk the members of the defunct band Nouveaux.

58. Both Brian and I are major animal lovers.

59. I have an arrhythmia.

60. I love to cook. Anything.

61. But I also love me a honey roasted peanut butter samwich with boysenberry jelly on seedless rye bread.

62. I've always wanted a horse. Brian says when we get our dream house in the country he'll buy me one. I wonder what kind of pet he'll buy me for my dream house in the city?

63. Before I die, I want to go to Alaska. Preferably while I'm still young so I can enjoy it.

64. I actually like my job.

65. My husband is my greatest inspiration.

66. Some of my favorite actors are Russell Crowe, Johnny Depp, Clive Owen, Christian Bale and Owen Wilson.

67. Some of my favorite actresses are Natalie Portman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Rachel Weisz, Keira Knightley, and Frances O'Connor.

68. I love thunderstorms.

69. One of my best friends is my husband's ex-sister-in-law.

70. My happiest memory is my wedding day.

71. I don't usually drink, but when I do it's either cherry vodka with cranberry juice or Smirnoff Grape.

72. I started playing piano when I was 10 and 13 years later I still suck.

72. I love the scent of my grandparent's home.

73. I'm addicted to anything sparkly - paints, beads, jewelry, stained glass, etc.

74. One of my favorite books is I Love You, Ronnie, by Nancy Reagan.

75. My first car I bought (current car) was a manual transmission, which I learned to drive on the way home from the dealership.

76. I love Superman ice-cream.

77. When I die, my brother-in-law gets my CD collection.

78. I only have 3 wisdom teeth, just like my Daddy.

79. I've been secretly in love with KD since the beginning. Except she knows it.

80. Honestly, I'm like, one of the funniest people I know. Just ask Brian.

81. I'm a napper. I love me some naps. I come by this honestly - my Mar is a napper, too.

82. When I get my female Great Dane, her name is going to be Clementine Summer.

83. If there's one thing I will never forget, it's my Papa singing, "Coffee in the mornin', coffee in the evenin', coffee at suppertime - If I don't get my coffee, I don't know what I'll do."

84. I'm a staunch believer in equality.

85. I could spend a week in Office Max.

86. As much as I love shopping - I'm more of a looker than a shopper.

87. I'm horrible at math. Horrible. Funny how I ended up working in accounting.

88. I can't walk by paint samples without picking up a few - even if I've nothing to paint.

89. I round up the numbers in our checkbook.

90. I've had the same email address for like ... 7 years.

91. I love history, especially Revolutionary War history.

92. I can't stand tea of any kind.

93. Three of my favorite pieces of art are Edward Hopper's Two on the Aisle, Kees van Dongen's The Corn Poppy and Georgia O'Keefe's Purple Petunia.

94. My typical prayer-time is in the shower.

95. I envy anyone who can create with their hands.

96. As a general rule, I don't trust wine people, or coffee people. This, of course, excludes Mindy and Brandon.

97. I've never met a sprinkle I didn't like.

98. I walked the neighbor dog everyday for almost 10 years.

99. I rarely finish anything.

Edit: KD says 99 was "clever but annoying," so ...

100: My tongue is pierced.

So Saturday morning, we headed down to the zoo with some friends for their Earth Day Dart Frog 5k run. Tammy won 1st place in her age group and Brian, although not in 1st place, did really well and I was so proud of him! Chad and Ben both did very well, too. Ran into a few people that we really don't like, so that was kind've a bummer, but we had a good time anyway.
After the race, we had a picnic with Craig, Kelly, Dawn, Dean, Brittany and Moose (their Doberman) at Pearson Park - then everyone came back to our house to chill out. Made plans to go up to Jackson next Saturday for a day with the Velliquette's. Had Chad, Shondel, Kelly & Craig over for food, beer and cards that night. I think we had a little too much fun.
Spent Sunday working on the outside of the house. We bought some planters and a hose - Brian washed the cars and I gave the house a bath. Pulled weeds and planted my pansies (finally). If it's not raining tonight, we're going to get Dad's pushmower so we can finally mow. It's pretty disgusting how long our grass is. It's looking pretty white-trashy. Anyway, other than the grass, the outside is looking nice. I'm waiting until the leaves are all out on the two big maples out front before I decide what type of flowers I'm going to put in - however, I think we may put up a trellis on the left side of the porch and plant either clematis or wisteria - it's pretty sunny on that side of the house.
We're dog-sitting again - Mar and Dad left for VA yesterday morning, won't be home until Thursday. Yay, only 3 more nights with no sleep :o)
Hope everyone had a fab weekend!

Amy & Dan Palladino call it quits.

Yes ... we are finally getting an IKEA! And the grand opening is just over a month away!

... goes to the person (other than KD) who can correctly identify this awesome song :


Sometimes the world looks perfect... nothing to rearrange
Sometimes you just get a feelin' like you need some kinda change...
No matter what the odds are this time,
Nothing's gonna stand in my way...
This flame in my heart, and a long lost friend ...
Gives every dark street a light at the end!

Standin' tall, on the wings of my dream
Rise and fall, on the wings of my dream

Rain and thunder, wind and haze...
I'm bound for better days...
It's my life... it's my dream...
nothin's gonna stop me now!

okay if you know me you know i love monnette's, which is a nice little market with fresh fruits, veggies, flowers and some of the best deli selection around. i love it so much that on days i decide to eat out for lunch, that's where i go - which really works out for me since one of their locations is only around the corner and about half a mile from here. nice little bits of tavern ham and vermont cheddar cheese and fresh fruit is like the best lunch ever. not only do they have delicious foods and reasonable prices (really, 3.50 for lunch is a steal), they also have the best looking sales staff i've ever seen.
they also have a lovely assortment of flowers. i recently purchased two hydrangeas (my favorite flower of all - i had green hydrangeas in my wedding bouquet) and i'm contemplating stocking up on some hostas (1.99!) for my very shady backyard. and oh do they have huge boston ferns (12.99), which would look so perfect hanging on my front porch.
okay, enough drooling.

mindy and brandon came home for a whirlwind weekend which included: a trip to the jade, wine & boursin at our house, tablescaping, admiring coleus, and easter dinner. it was lovely :o)
brian and i had both had a half-day on friday, so we spent the afternoon cleaning our butts off. it's so nice having a cleaning partner - work gets done sooo much faster. saturday night we hit the drive-in - our favorite spring & summer datenight.
last night after supper of citrus/white wine/balsamic vinegar glazed roasted chicken & rice, we watched king kong. please folks - do not waste your time with this movie. the only good thing that came from watching it was giving myself a manicure. oh and snuggling with hubbin :o)

Sam Phillips and Foo Fighters

Happy belated 1 year (4/14/05) blog birthday to me!

Oh that Franklin Stroll. Gotta love 'im.

yeah so it's depressing outside, so i'm gonna take a day and leave work early. awesome.

my hubbin's on his way home! as much as i like having time to myself, i have missed him so much. i'm pretty sure i'm never letting him leave me again for so long.
watched some great movies over the weekend: derailed - loved it. huge clive owen fan here. the constant gardener - another great movie. (if you like this movie, you should check out beyond borders - another one of my favorites & also starring clive owen). also saw the prizewinner of defiance, oh - pretty good, although not my favorite. yesterday i watched some family guy - it's nice having those around when you need a stewie fix!
"oh i know it hurts now brian, but look at the bright side - you have some new material for that novel you've been writing. you know . . . the novel you've been workin' on? you know the one, uh, you've been workin on for three years? you know the novel. got somethin' new to write about now . . . you know? maybe a, maybe a main character gets into a relationship and suffers a little heartbreak? somethin' like what... what you've just been through? draw from real life experience? little, little heartbreak? you know? work it into the story? make the characters a little more three dimensional? little, uh, richer experience for the reader? make those second hundred pages really keep the reader guessing what's going to happen? some twists and turns? a little epilogue? everybody learns that the hero's journey isn't always a happy one? oh, i look forward to reading it. "

so yeah ... i still have to watch some 24, maybe tonight. soo ... i'm out.

"So how's your new spring pea and asparagus soup?"
"You know that movie where the girl's head spins around?"
"What?"
"You know, the one where she spews split pea soup out of her mouth?"
"Um ... The Exorcist?"
"Yeah, that's it!"
"Um yeah I don't think that was split pea soup ... I'm pretty sure it was her immortal soul."
"Oh - well anyway, that's what our new soup looks like."

One of my birthday gifts this year was an autographed copy of Carolyn James' newest book, Lost Women of the Bible, given to me by Mindy and Brandon. I had been dying to read this and she spoke at Westminster the weekend my parents were out there and they brought me back a copy. It's wonderfully written as she is such a wise and Godly woman. I wish all of my female and perhaps especially male friends would take a look at this book.

Brian is leaving tonight for Oklahoma & Texas. He'll be gone until Tuesday.


It makes me very sad.