Good News....Bad News

Merry Christmas, first of all! It has definitely been a memorable Christmas for us!

First the good news: I get to spend an extra two days here in Tennessee with my family. Which leads directly into the bad news...the extension of our trip is not due to something fun and Christmassy like snow, but a really bad bout of food poisoning, or one of the nastiest viruses I have ever seen. Sunday night we were on our way back from visiting my Mom's family in Atlanta, and we stopped at an Arby's for dinner. As soon as we got home, Mom headed for the bathroom and threw up. Several "episodes" and an hour later, my Dad joined her. Carrie fell victim a few hours after that, followed by Brian. By God's mercy I was spared, so I spent all night emptying buckets, getting wet washcloths and trying to help. Around 6:30 am, I took Brian and Carrie to the ER, where they got some fluids and anti-nausea drugs pumped into them. I brought them back home, caught a couple hours sleep, and then took my parents to the ER. The second time I went, the doctor had encouraging news for me: there is a really bad virus going around and he's sure I'll get it in a few days. Yea. So far, my stomach has rumbled at me a bit, but I'm not feeling anywhere NEAR as bad as the rest of them. Today everyone was up and we managed to open gifts, but that pretty much used up their entire store of energy. So you could pray for us. For healing and restoration for every one else, and that I will continue to stay healthy. I've never seen any of them that sick, and I'd really like to not join them.

Hope ya'll have a great Christmas, without so much "excitement!"

8 (or so) Favorite Books

So after being kindly and justifiably reprimanded for not updating my blog, here I am. I may be writing to myself, though, as everyone else has probably given up on checking my blog by this point. ;)

I'm currently reading Dumas' "Count of Monte Cristo." Re-reading, actually. But I had a suspicion that I didn't fully appreciate it the first time I read it. That suspicion has been confirmed, and I've been thinking that CMC may end up on my list of favorite books. Which leads us to this posting. I started thinking about other books that are among my favorites, and decided that I would create my own "8 things" list. So here are 8 of my favorite books. Not in any order, because for me, that's impossible.

1. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - Sci-fi novel that I have read so many times the cover has literally fallen off (it was just a cheap paperback, but still)

2. Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas

3. Amelia Peabody series by Eleizabeth Peters - (Yes, this is a whole series, not just one book, but since I'm making this list, I get to make the rules!) Amelia and her family are Egyptologists around the turn of the last century. Their excavation seasons are frequently interrupted by one or more dead bodies, and each book is an entertaining chronicle of their crime-solving capers. If I had to pick a favorite within the series, it would probably be "He Shall Thunder in the Sky"

4. Woman in White by Wilkie Collins - Heard of this book from Heather Ferguson (she made the book club read it) It's another murder mystery, but with some interesting twists.

5. Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers - (another murder mystery, I didn't know I was so blood-thirsty) I haven't technically read this one since Brian and I listened to the audiobook last Christmas break, but I think it may be my favorite in the Lord Peter Wimsey series.

Hmm...this is getting difficult. I should be doing this at home, where I can run downstairs and look at our bookcases, but I'm at work. I know most people don't need to be reminded of things in their "favorites" lists, but I've never been one to catalogue things into favorites.

6. War and Peace by Tolstoy - I'll add this to the list because it took me three tries to makes it all the way through. The first two attempts I got stuck in the same place (if I ever decide to re-read it, I'm only reading "Peace") But when I finally finished it, I remember thinking it was well-worth the effort and was a great book.

Well, it's about the end of my lunch break, and I can't bring any more titles to mind. So I'll leave you with only 6 favorite books and hopefully later I can finish out the list.

More Fall Foliage

For those of you who need another "Fall Fix," check out my good friend Juli's blog. She is up in the northeast and just posted a lot of pictures of the fall she's experiencing. I'm more than just a little jealous. Love you Juli!

Perspective

Two summers ago I took a photography class through the University. I learned a lot and gained a new appreciation for really good photographs. I would take dozens, or hundreds of shots for an assignment (thanks to the wonders of digital photography) and then realize that only a handful of them were really worth turning in. But I really enjoyed the class. Some of the assignments in particular were challenging and fun.

One of my favorite assignments was called "Dogs and Eagles." All our pics were to be taken from the perspective of a dog (low to the ground) or an eagle (high in the sky). Maybe it's because I'm short already, but I really enjoyed the pics taken from the "dog" perspective. So here are a few shots from this assignment. And if you think you recognize some of the things in the photos, you probably do. I didn't range very far for my subject matter.

And the prize goes to...

I was at work yesterday when one of my co-workers came back to me and said there was a guy in the front to see me. My first thought was, "How did Brian get here when I have our car?" Then my co-worker said the person waiting was a younger guy, with brown, curly hair. That had me really confused - Brian definitely doesn't have curly hair. So I walked up to the front desk, a little nervous about who I was meeting. When I got up to the front, I of course recognized our good friend Josh Butcher. On his latest trip to WalMart (to buy flowers for his wife) he had decided to look for the lemon juice himself. And of course he found it. So he dropped by my office to make a special delivery. Thanks Josh!!

Maybe next week I won't be able to find the Bluebell...

My Linguistic Profile

I found this on "Party of Five," and thought I'd check it out for myself.

After answering some questions, here is my linguistic profile:

60% General American English
30% Dixie
5% Yankee
0% Midwestern
0% Upper Midwestern

I'm not as southern as I thought, apparently. Nor has my Dad rubbed off on me as much as I expected. Sorry, Dad. (maybe Dixie is wearing off on you...gasp!) So I guess I'm pretty much a General American in my speech. Which means what, exactly?


What Kind of American English Do You Speak?http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofamericanenglishdoyouspeakquiz/

Where in the WalMart....

I have a question for you all: where does WalMart stock the lemon juice and lime juice? And I don't mean the little fruit-shaped bottles they keep in the fruit section. I'm talking about large bottles that you can use for cooking or baking. I know they exist, because at some point in the past, we managed to find them. They're hiding from me now, however. We've checked the fresh fruits, juice aisle, drink mixes, baking, I even checked near the tea bags, thinking "people put lemon in their iced tea," but nothing.

So if anyone can shed some light on this mystery, I'd be very grateful. At this point, I'd even appreciate knowing where to find it in HEB, Albertsons, Kroger...