Bridger Bowl Montana

There were many things to love about our trip to Bridger Bowl Montana. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. gorgeous scenery

2. great weather

3. able to withstand the cold

4. family ski trip

5. watching father/son snow wrestling

6. seeing a mink

(no photo!)

7. daughter having to get off ski lift on only one ski

(no photo-we had to hold hands to do this trick!)

8. nice hotel

(suite, hot breakfast, indoor pool and hot tub!)

9. friendly people

everyone was friendly and ready to help as much as possible

10. priceless memories

simple Christmas gifts

This year, not unlike many in the past, I am keeping Christmas simple. The gifts are going to be especially simple. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. books, many gently used

2. kids old toys, gently used or still new

3. $1 t shirts

4. gift cards I got for free

5. packages of tea and hot chocolate

6. a book signed by the author

7. homemade treats

8. calendars

9. warm clothes

10. lots of love

kids' sports tournaments

After running my kids all around all weekend for their various sports' tournaments, here are a few of my favorite things:

1. seeing my son play good basketball

2. seeing their team win second place

3. visiting with the coach's wife

4. Jason's deli nutty salad

5. taking a walk

6. the shorter drive to my daughter's tournament

7. seeing her get to play in a bracket a year ahead of her

8. she seeing some friends

9. them losing so we could get home earlier for some rest and homework!

10. we get to do this all over again soon....

list of Thanks giving

There are many things for which to be thankful. Here is my list for giving Thanks today:

1. long, safe workout/bike ride this morning

2. husband did the dishes TWICE today

3. son and friend helped with dishes

4. food prep all done before today

5. day of rest

6. pumpkin pie

7. whipped cream

8. movie day with family

9. quiet

10. family home together

old home days

My husband preached at a congregation in which we used to attend. Sometimes it is a little nerve wracking to go back to places like that. Today was pleasant. Here are a few of my favorite things:

1. nice feelings

2. warm greetings

3. seeing old friends

4. memories

5. my kids hearing past stories

6. catching up with other families

7. treat like "VIP"s

8. support from home congregation

9. sending greetings back to family

10. love that never ends

Red Cross Ramble

We did another long distance cycling event, this time benefitting the Red Cross. Here are a few of my favorite things:

1. getting in on the first year

2. small crowd

3. cheaper entry fee

4. well supported

5. nice route

6. great weather

7. riding with a friend

8. no incidents

9. feeling good

10. shaving two hours and ten minutes off previous time

Ghost Whisperer

My daughter has a new favorite tv show. The Ghost Whisperer series is now in reruns and we discovered it earlier this year. I have watched most episodes with my daughter. Here are a few of my favorite things about it:

1. watching with my daughter

2. talking about issues that come up in the series

3. nearly always a happy ending

4. the main actors care about helping people

5. usually positive messages

6. marriage portrayed as a good thing

7. no cheating on spouses

8. small town life portrayed

9. teens often portrayed in a good light

10. premise that there is something better after this life

bike around the bay

This weekend I participated in one day of a two day cycling event. It was lots of fun. Here are a few of my favorite things:

1. riding with a friend the whole day

2. the weather

3. breakpoints every 8-16 miles

4. cold sliced oranges

5. stretching at each break

6. feeling good

7. making it over the bridge without getting off bike

8. finishing before course closed

9. a nice hamburger after finishing

10. not sore after the ride!

no plans

This weekend has been one of no plans! Here are a few of my favorite things from the weekend:

1. staying in bed

2. reading

3. cycling

4. going to theater

5. hamburgers

6. chocolate chip cookies

7. four pair of shoes for $10

8. nursing home visit

9. lunch with nephews and daughter

10. funny video from nephews

day trip

My daughter and I took a spontaneous day trip. Here are a few of my favorite things:

1. spontaneous

2. time together

3. seeing friends

4. re-connecting

5. sitting on the back porch

6. no responsibility

7. full day

8. no fulfilling obligations

9. home again by night

10. she was grateful

British Literature

I have made up a reading list of British Literature, spanning from Early English to Contemporary times. I made this for my teenage son to read. I have not read all the ones on the list so am looking forward to reading along with him. Here are some of my favorites I am looking forward to:

1. Modern version of Beowulf

2. A Modest Proposal

3. A Mad Teaparty

4. The Picture of Dorian Gray

5. 1984 (excerpt)

6. The Hour Glass

7. The Unsocial Socialist (excerpt)

8. excerpt from Satanic Verses

9. Fall of Giants (excerpt)

10. one book of his choice (from a list of choices)

swim plan

I found a site the other day, swimplan.com, which is actually putting some of the fun back into my swim workouts. Here are a few of my favorite things:

1. a new plan each day

2. I control the challenge/intensity level

3. I can dictate the strokes

4. also can input what equipment I want to use

5. free

6. can upgrade for $10/year (affordable!)

7. available any time

8. breaks the workouts into small pieces

9. takes the monotony out of swimming lap after lap

10. makes an hour swim go by quickly

rainy day

It's been raining here the last few days. Here are a few of my favorite things about the rainy days:

1. don't have to water the plants

2. good napping weather

3. cooler temperatures

4. great for reading a book

5. gave me a chance to go back and try spin class

6. don't have to get out in it

7. there was no flooding

8. we have a new tv to watch

9. good for snuggling

10. when the sun comes out

released

I have officially been released to start trying to get back to doing things I want to do following foot surgery earlier this summer. Here are a few of my favorite things I can start doing slowly:

1. walk without shoes

2. try wearing a few other shoes

3. take stairs

4. walk longer distances

5. jog

6. wear cycling shoes

7. triathlons

8. two things I can't do:

9. no high heels

10. no running stands/bleachers

insomnia

When I can't sleep, there are a few things I like to do. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. pray

2. read

3. watch tv

4. drink hot tea

5. surf internet

6. play computer game

7. email

8. clean

9. eat a snack

10. get a head start on tomorrow's to do list

mindless activities

When I have time, or even when I am completely stressed out, there are a few mindless things I like to do. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. watch tv

2. play online scrabble

3. read

4. play online spider solitaire

5. play solitaire

6. go for a walk

7. go for a run

8. go for a bike ride

9. go to the gym

10. cry

homeschooling a senior

My son has decided to homeschool for his senior year of high school. Here are a few of my favorite things:

1. he is out of public school!

2. only one year left

3. withdrawing was easy

4. I even got his transcript

5. going to take classes at co-op

6. going to take classes at community college

7. playing basketball

8. a good way to transition to adulthood

9. a great way to spend his last year home

10. hopefully he will be re-motivated

answers on the internet

In looking to find answers to just about anything, I usually turn to the internet. While that may not be the very best idea, here are a few of my favorite things about it:

1. convenient

2. instantaneous

3. available 24/7

4. can find tons of information

5. can compare information

6. can find answers from different perspectives

7. finding answers I may never have thought of

8. answers leading to more questions

9. learning new things

10. private

23 years

My husband and I just celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary. We have a lot of good memories. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. our wedding

2. our son's birth

3. our daughter's birth

4. Disney World

5. 20th anniversary cruise

6. the beach last Mother's Day

7. motorcycle trip

8. working through hard times last year

9. Buffalo Gap

10. looking forward to the next 23+

a trip around the world-alone

My son and his friend are taking a trip to the other side of the world. They are going alone! I am excited for them (if apprehensive!) I think it will be really good for them. Here are a few of my favorite things about it:

1. growing up

2. responsibility

3. opportunity

4. looks good on college resume

5. experience

6. get to see family and friends not seen for a long time

7. enjoy some things I recently enjoyed

8. many learning opportunities

9. life lessons

10. coming home again

getting back to normal

I have been released this week to do some more activity following my recent surgery. I am happy for that. Here are a few of my favorite things:

1. s-l-o-w cycling

2. light easy swimming

3. upper body weights

4. finally made it back into a gym

5. a little exercise rekindled my appetite (not necessarily good!)

6. went up and down a few small steps

7. not as much pain when walking

8. halfway done with physical therapy

9. no problem driving

10. walked around the block

tv watching

During my recovery, I have been watching a ton of tv. Not much of it is really any good, but here are a few of my favorites:

1. Price is Right (though don't like Drew)

2. Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader (though I think some of these are 9th grade questions and I have seen some mistakes on here too)

3. Family Feud

4. Great Day Houston

5. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire

6. Deal or No Deal

7. Ghost Whisperer

8. Wheel of Fortune

9. King of Queens

10. Seinfeld

after surgery

It has not been fun having surgery. But there have been a few good things following my recent surgery. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. using the office chair to get around

2. my husband taking care of me

3. my son waking up at midnight to bring me my medicine

4. my daughter cooking dinner for me

5. my parents and nephews coming to play Scrabble with me

6. my friend bringing me some delicious, nutritious chicken noodle soup

7. family friends coming to sit with me for two hours

8. flowers from the church

9. the doctor telling me to milk all the pampering

10. the hope of getting better than I have been in recent months

garden produce

I was blessed by some produce from my in law's garden this weekend. Here are a few of my favorite things:

1. free fresh food

2. delicious tender zucchini

3. fresh yellow squash

4. refreshing cucumbers

5. pickles now in jars

6. squash in freezer

7. zucchini on grill and in soup

8. I saved the seeds from all!

9. maybe I can start a garden of my own in the fall

10. they invited me back to get more!

Oklahoma Christian University

My son received his first scholarship offer from Oklahoma Christian University. Here are a few of my favorite things about it:

1. they offered a scholarship

2. they also offered a little course credit

3. my sister graduated from there

4. so did one of our good friends

5. far enough away

6. but too far

7. we have a friend who teaches there

8. already visited there

9. good first impression

10. a Christian school

new bike

I got a new bike last week and have been able to try it out over the weekend. Though the color is not my favorite, here are a few of my favorite things about the bike:




1. the deal I got

2. helps me ride faster

3. my "geometry" is better

4. clip on pedals and shoes

5. the shoes will work for spin class too

6. probably no one else will have a bike this color!

7. more aerodynamic

8. gears easier to adjust

9. holds more tire pressure

10. finally my water bottle cage matches my bike!

teen birthday party

My daughter just celebrated her fourteenth birthday. She just had a few friends over to spend the night. Here are a few of my favorite things about it:

1. no planning for a birthday party

2. kids entertained themselves

3. she didn't even want me to fix dessert

4. just a handful of girls

5. they all get along well

6. positive peer pressure

7. spent the whole day at the park

8. daughter did all the post party clean up

9. friend from out of town able to come

10. she can take five guests to neighborhood pool

Lonestar Olympic Triathlon 2010: the run

After completing the cycling portion of the triathlon, here are a few of my favorite things about the run:

1. the fully opening knee brace worked well and was quick to put on

2. port a potty right next to gate

3. they moved the gate exit down towards our transition area

4. a quick transition

5. plenty of water stations

6. kids with water guns!

7. hearing all the folks cheering us on-folks in the crowd, my son and his friends, my mother in law, my new friends

8. fun, loud music

9. not walking any portion of it

10. my foot never really bothered me!

Lonestar Olympic Triathlon 2010

Lonestar Olympic Triathlon 2010 was officially turned into a biathlon Saturday morning due to high winds. Although we were disappointed, the day was still good. Here are a few of my favorite things of the cycling portion:

1. meeting another triathlete whose blog I read!

2. seeing lots of "regular" people participating

3. volunteering at packet pick up

4. feeling strong on the bike/going faster than I expected

5. being able to pass other cyclists within 15 seconds!

6. knowing what to do when I got a flat tire!

7. having ironman support finish up the flat tire change!

8. catching up and passing other cyclists after getting my tire changed!

9. getting cheers from people in the town as we cycled past

10. feeling like the 25 miles went by pretty quickly!

training day

Today was our last long training day before our race next week. We had a good day. Here are a few of my favorite things:

1. meeting up with friends to train together

2. meeting new friends

3. swimming in the bay

4. getting used to my new wetsuit

5. cycling 20 miles on the seawall

6. going WITH the wind

7. re-learning how to change a flat tire

8. seeing so many others out in training

9. hamburgers for lunch

10. feeling good after a long day of training

homemade enchiladas

One of our family's most favorite dinners is enchiladas. I have gotten to where I don't like to eat out much at all. And I don't mind making enchiladas now that I've learned a new way to soften the tortillas. Since we just finished a batch of yummy homemade enchiladas, here are a few of my favorite things about them:

1. can make them nearly any time now that I soften them in the oven instead of frying in oil on stove top

2, everyone eats them, and a lot of them

3. have found a really good more authentic, although canned, sauce

4. it is MUCH cheaper for us to eat at home

5. they taste so good!

6. make a large batch, even occasionally have leftovers

7. they freeze well

8. less fattening to make them at home

9. very filling

10. they go a long way

spring

Now that spring is here I thought I would jot down a few things I love about spring. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. warmer weather

2. greener trees and grass

3. blooming plants

4. fresher fruits

5. picking your own strawberries

6. birds singing

7. getting outside more

8. cycling outdoors

9. school is almost out

10. not long til summer

homemade spaghetti sauce

While we were traveling, we sampled some of the best spaghetti sauce I have ever had. It was freshly made with herbs straight out of the garden. I tried to recreate the recipe. Mine did not come close but was good enough I will try it again. Here are a few of my favorite ingredients:

1. olive oil

2. onions

3. garlic

4. tomatoes

5. carrots

6. basil

7. oregano

8. marjoram

9. parsley

10. red wine vinegar

coming home

I have been home all of a week. Though it's not so fun to return home after a holiday here are a few of my favorite things about being home again:

1. my own bed

2. my own computer

3. talking about my trip

4. looking at photos

5. learning how to make a photo slideshow

6. sharing my photos

7. the memories

8. deciding when we can go back again

9. our whole family being together again

10. spending time with my husband

marketing analytics

I don't know much about marketing. I do know enough to know that every company needs to analyze how effective each move is and if strategies are working for their particular business. I just came across a marketing tool geared for business to business companies. It is aimed at helping decide if the company's internet marketing strategy is working. Here are a few of my favorite things I read about Roi Analytics:

1. it is important to determine if a strategy is working for your company, how effective it is and how it can be improved

2. Roi collects and stores website visitor data including original search source, original keyword and visiting company data

3. these tools and modules help you organize and prioritize leads

4. it helps you follow up on missed opportunities

5. customizable reportshelp you evaluate where you are growing and where you need to grow

6. learn which keywords are generating business leads to your site

7. ability to tie specific dollar amount to specific marketing factor

8. all you need is a website with at least one working contact form

9. video tour, live demo and consultant all available

10. the entire program is FREE!

airplane trip

They say that "getting there is half the fun," but when getting there means a flight of 22 hours it's hard to feel the saying is true! Though there was not much to love about the flight, here are a few of my favorite things about our recent air travel overseas:

1. Singapore Airlines has a very nice, friendly, professional staff

2. the tickets were the cheapest we'd seen

3. having our own tv screen at each seat

4. having a choice of what to watch (movies, tv shows, video games, even the in flight path)

5. a choice of music

6. with eight of us traveling we had the option of moving around and trading seats at whim

7. the multi-player function of some of the video games

8. they will change the seat if you throw up all over it!

9. though the food left much to be desired, snacks were offered at least once during the flight and drinks were offered regularly

10. all food and drinks and luggage included in the price

Tour de Hood

Tour de Hood is an inner city cycling group I just learned about. There is much to like about Dr. Veon McReynold's excellent program. Here are a few of my favorite things:

1. open to all ages

2. open to all abilities

3. bikes are provided

4. helmets are provided

5. the group stays together

6. chaperones and a "sag" vehicle are provided

7. snack break of fruit and water

8. help in fixing your own bike

9. looking to add three wheel bikes for senior citizens

10. all this is FREE!

one share

For our son's seventeenth birthday, we did not know what to get him. Of course, like any teenager, he wanted a car. Instead, we gave him one share of stock in a car company! At the One Share website, there are over 200 companies to choose from. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Apple

2. Harley Davidson

3. Ford

4. Starbucks

5. Disney

6. PepsiCo

7. Hershey

8. Tiffany & Co

9. Coke

10. McDonald's

Glastonbury Green Police

I had never heard of the Glastonbury Festival before. I have found out that it is the largest music and performing arts festival in the world. They take their fun very seriously. They are also serious about taking care of the earth. They have even implemented the Green Police force to carry out this task. Here are a few of my favorite ways they do this:




1. using the Green Police as a fun way to discourage littering during the festival

2. encourage festival goers to buy tents that will be reused time and again

3. bring only things you will take home with you

4. using cotton bags

5. attendees will be reprimanded for urinating outside the properly provided toilet areas

6. making sure cigarette butts are properly disposed of

7. litter picking is strongly encouraged

8. more recycling bins will be available

9. teaching others about better waste management

10. using fun and humor to help educate festival goers

The Screwtape Letters

We were blessed to see a performance of The Screwtape Letters last night. It was an excellent performance and there is no way I can pick one favorite thing about it. The whole thing was very good and very well done. So I'll make a list of a few of my favorite things about it:

1. Max McLean as Screwtape

2. the story of course is great and the adaptation of it is excellent too

3. the minimal set and

4. very few props

5. the feeling of being in the small theater

6. the eerie backdrop

7. the soundtrack before the show

8. the special effects and sound effects

9. Karen Eleanor Wright as Toadpipe

10. The prologue

miniature dream house

It's been a while since I hunted for a doll house for my kids. I remember one year looking for just the right play house (didn't really call it a doll house with a boy playing with it too!) and family (this included a moveable Little People family and Max, Goofy and their friends!) for my kids. I finally came across one at a resale shop. Nowadays, if I was looking for the perfect doll house/play house, there are some really cool dollhouse half scale miniatures to add to the perfect miniature dream house. There are many that I never dreamed would be available for a mini house. Many I don't even have in my own full size home! Here are a few of my favorites:

1. a thirty-six inch wide screen television

2. a mini laptop computer

3. a beagle in front of the

4. fireplace complete with ember & flames, fireplace screen and accessories

5. grand piano complete with

6. three sets of miniature sheet music

7. garbage cans with lids

8. a miniature fire extinguisher

9. seasonal items including a christmas tree

10. and most importantly, the holy bible

my new Mac

I have had my new Mac a month now. There is still much for me to learn and play around with, but so far, here are a few of my favorite things:

1. large screen

2. intuitiveness of the computer (might even be a cyborg!)

3. iphotos

4. garage band

5. basic music lessons for piano and guitar

6. time machine

7. customizable dock

8. ease of booting up

9. ease of shut down

10. free workshops

sarcmark

Since the newest punctuation mark is being revealed, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite punctuation marks:

1. period

2. exclamation point

3. question mark

4. comma

5. colon

6. semi-colon

7. parentheses

8. hyphen

9. ampersand

10. sarcmark

quick and easy meals

I have several meals that I can fall back on when asked "What's for dinner?" I try to plan ahead, but if I am crunched for time, it's nice to have some old reliable stand bys on hand. There are a few reasons these meals qualify. Here are some of my favorites:

1. ingredients easy to find

2. cheap

3. goes a long way

4. easy to stock up on ingredients/keep them on hand

5. healthy and nutritious

6. tastes good

7. filling

8. everybody loves it

9. easy to prepare

10. doesn't take long to prepare

time capsule

My kids opened up their time capsules this new year that they had put together ten years ago. It was fun seeing the things inside. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. newspapers from 1-1-2000

2. photos

3. handprints

4. predictions

5. lists of friends

6. drawings

7. party favors

8. lists of top items

9. adding some new items

10. closing them back up for another ten years!