I finally finished
100 Things About Me.
3. I have 1 sister and 2 brothers.
4. The house I grew up in had 12' ceilings, huge pocket doors, a cubby space (our clubhouse) under the front stairs, accessible only through the walk-in closet and a small winding back staircase.
5. I lived there for 18 plus years. The house next door to us on the north side was about 2' away. We would crawl out our attic window and into the neighbors' window to visit.
6. I remember the milkman delivering milk in glass bottles in the box on the back porch.
7. I played high school varsity field hockey.
8. I played high school varsity lacrosse.
9. I never had a cast on any part of my body.
10. After high school I starting running to stay in shape.
11. I like to run; it puts me in a meditative state.
12. I like to run alone.
13. I like sneakers; I really like sneakers. It would be so easy for me to go overboard and buy a new pair every month.
14. My longest run ever was the
St. George Marathon in 1991.
15. My most challanging run ever was the
Imogene Pass Run 1992.
16. I have not been running much lately.
17. Now I dash - after our two beautiful little ones!
18. I met my husband in 1977.
19. We married in 2001.
20. In March 1987 I had an in-office biopsy to remove a grape-sized tumor from my neck.
21. In March 1987 I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease.
22. In April 1987 I had a staging laperatomy to remove my spleen and move my ovaries, moving the ovaries would keep them from getting "zapped" if I were to get radiation treatments.
23. In Summer 1987 I had radiaiton treatment.
24. I've been cancer free for 20 years.
25. I guess I like a challenge.
26 . My brother and I rode our bikes across the US in 1989.
29. I like to wash dishes because I find it very calming.
30. A window over a kitchen sink is a must for me.
31. I don't like to unload the dishwasher.
32. I hate to iron.
33. Green is my favorite color.
34. I hate teal.
35. I like math and numbers.
36. I think palindroms are cool.
37. The like two kinds of cake: carrot cake and (now) Jan's cake.
38. I like pie, almost any kind of pie.
39. I do not like to talk at movies.
40. I like to stay through and watch all the credits.
41. I never was able to get popcorn or other snacks at a movie as a kid.
42. I like to hike and camp.
43. My feet hardly ever get cold.
44. I like to knit.
45. I blush easily.
46. I am a Unitarian Universalist.
47. I have an undergraduate degree in Geography from Northern Arizona University.
48. I've worked as a cartographer in a County Assessor's Office.
49. I've worked for the USGS as a cartographer mapping Mars.
50. I've worked as a programmer.
51. I've worked in a day care center.
52. I've worked as a janitor at a ski area.
53. I've worked for the National Forest Service in cleaning bathrooms in campgrounds.
54. I've worked for the National Forest Service as a fee collector in campgrounds.
55. I've worked as a forest fighter in Idaho and Montana.
56. I've worked at McDonald's - for about 12 hours over a 4 day period.
57. I've worked as a secretary in Alaska.
58. I like the toilet paper pulled over the top of the roll.
59. I like to play with Playmobil.
60. I like to play board games.
61. Cribbage is my favorite two-person game.
62. I like to play cards.
63. My favorite game these days is
Mr. Thurston's Mother's Game, a variation of
Oh, Hell.
65. I like to work in my garden.
66. I always notice when someone misuses the words "fewer" and "less"; it makes me cringe.
67. I like to make snow angels.
68. I like to listen to the birds sing.
69. I like to type.
70. Thanks to my sister, I'm a touch typist. In my high school college-pre students were not required to take a typing class. My sister was in college at the time and told me to take typing!
71. I don't have any cavities.
72. Cheetos Snacks Crunchy are my favorite junk food.
73. Lucky Charms are my favorite junk cereal.
74. Ginger Ale is my favorite soda.
75. Someday I want to knit a blanket like
this.
76. I like to ice skate.
77. I like to be outdoors.
78. I'm not much of a reader.
79. Someday I'd like to own a
yurt.
80. I want an iPhone for Christmas 2008 (got it)!
81. I like eggplant.
82. Geometry has always been my favorite subject.
83. I'm not a good swimmer, I sink.
84. I recently got a Nikon D50 and want to take a digital photography class.
85. Groundhog Day is my favorite holiday (harmless hype), fun movie too.
86. I like to do jigsaw puzzles.
87. The first car I owned was a Pea Green Ford Maverick with 3 on the column.
88. Then, Phyllis, the yellow
Fiat.
89. On to, a Subaru DL 4WD wagon.
90. Then, a Isuzu Trooper for a brief time.
91. Then to a 1990 Toyota Camry, what a great car!
92. In 1997 I bought my first brand new car, a Volkswagen Passat Sedan.
93. I learned how much trouble a brand new car could be.
94. In 2005, went back to the realiable Toyota. With our second child on the way we traded in the Passat for a Sienna LE.
95. I usually buy white cars. I like white cars.
96. I like snow.
97. In November 2008 I started taking Body Pump classes at the YMCA. The weight-bearing exercise is good for my bones. I feel stronger. Also, I'm enjoying the camaraderie; it's a fun group.
98. Hadn't ran a race since 1999 and I ran a 5K on Dec 17, 2008. My time was 37:11; my time was not great, but I had a great time.
98. I like crossword puzzles.
100. I like to read mysteries.
I finished a quick pair of mittens for Sam. I'm wondering if he will actually wear them. What I'm envisioning is a reaction similar to the one from A Christmas Story when the kid got a pink bunny outfit from his grandmother.
Yesterday we had a great time playing on the little hill next to our house. The snow had a thin layer of ice on it so the kids were able to do some "butt sledding" and belly flopping.
I've knit two pair of Playground Mittens, one for each of the girls. The Noro Kureyon was a gem to knit with and the mittens are beautiful. The girls are not too much into wearing them, oh well. Maybe next year.
Last week we celebrated Brad's birthday. The girls had a great time making and decorating the cake. Any excuse to bring out the sprinkles and they're in! 
My first finished object for 2009 was mailed today to the Special Olympics Winter Games Scarf Project. I had to use the required Red Heart yarn which was oh, not so lovely to work with. Mine is worked up in a single crochet, lengthwise. For some reason, crochet seemed a fitting technique (I had not crocheted an item in decades.) It's funny because many of my knitting buds thought the same and crocheted too!
This morning we woke to a winter wonderland. Here's what T had to say about that "it's not even Thanksgiving yet!" We built a snowman family and enjoyed the fluke snow. It has put me in the mood for Christmas earlier than usual.
All summer I waited for my parsley to grow and it never did much of anything. Now after a bit of cool weather it's much healthier. I'm going to try to protect it and enjoy it all winter long. 
This past weekend we went to Ocean City. Fall is one of the best times to visit the Jersey shore. We enjoyed the deserted boardwalk, the view of the rough surf, dancing with strong winds, playing plenty of cards (Mr. Thurston's Mother's Game), plenty of Mack and Manco pizza and family fun!
Imagine my surprise when, on our way to my nieces field hockey game today, we drove by this statue! It's located outside the Berman Museum of Art at Ursinus College. The metal piece is so realistic I thought a college student set a black leather purse next to it as a joke. Do you know of any other outdoor knitting sculptures? If you do, please share. 
Today we went to the Big Apple Circus in New York City. Marsha told us about it and I'm so glad we got to go. The girls' memories are reflected in their play; they created circus acts and NYC skyscrapers.
Today hubby went to the parade celebrating the Phillies victory over the Tampa Bay Jays for the World Series Championship. He said his walk from work to the Broad Street was like a walk in a "sea of red". He described a huge police presence at the parade: police in cars, on bicycle, on motorcycle and police on horseback. Maybe that's why, reportedly, the crowd was well-behaved. 
This year the girls really got into carving pumpkins. T was quick to announce "I'm making mine scary, boo!" However, A was not so sure about the whole thing. She told Gram that she was afraid of witches and Mommy knew it. So, Mommy never told her stories about witches or showed her pictures of witches.
As far as charity knitting is concerned, this sweater for afghans for Afghans (AFA) was the most rewarding project I've knit. I took on the sweater as a challenge to myself, there was a need for the sweaters and the US deadline was October 14. I finished the sweater on October 13, e-mailed AFA and they said just ship it out to CA and they will get it in time to go to Afghanistan. Phew! I had fun with the whole random stripe thing using the dice (see previous post) and I used up a bunch of yarn in my stash. Most rewarding of all is that it gives me a great feeling to know that the sweater will help keep a child warm this winter. 
We spent Columbus Day weekend with friends at a cottage in the Wellsboro area. The weather could not have been nicer. The cottage was located near Ansonia, just yards from Pine Creek Trail, a rails-to-trails bike path which paralells Pine Creek in the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. The photo to the left is the view from the front of our cottage. 
Friday night after dinner at the cottage we had enough daylight for a quick bike ride towards Wellsboro. A rode in the bike seat on the back of Hubby's bike and T on the tag-a-long behind my bike. 
Rarely do I find a TV drama series that I can't miss. Remember Ed (2001) and Northern Exposure (1990)? Yep, two shows in 11 years.
