Saturday, July 28, 2007
The One That Started It All
A little addendum to my Making Up My Own Song post . . . today I was reminded how slow I can be sometimes. You know that old song by Genesis, Invisible Touch? It came on the radio today so I started singing along with it. There's a line in it that goes, "She seems to have an invisible touch yeah." Here is the line that I have sung for years, "She sees a hat and invisible touch it." I know. My version makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. It just added to my idea (while I was growing up, not now, of course) that most songs don't make much sense. Jere just shakes his head and tries to make himself believe that one day I will think these things through a bit more thoroughly . . .
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
I'm Almost a Runner
Today I had a breakthrough in my running. I finally did the first 8 minutes of my run without even breathing hard! This is a big accomplishment for me. For the past five weeks, I've been following a training program that teaches one how to run a 5K and every single run has been on the same level of torture as having my fingernails pulled off one by one. I know, I was grossly out of shape, but apparently, my sluggish body has finally achieved some stamina. I was so excited about it that I did the rest of my run around the neighborhood with a big grin on my face! Call me a big nerd, but at least I'm a big nerd who can RUN! Yippee!!
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Making Up My Own Song!
I am terrible at learning the lyrics to songs. It's funny how long I can go with a lyric in my head that makes absolutely no sense to me, but I'll keep singing it that way until Jere looks at me and says, "What are you singing?" Like that U2 song called One there's a line that I thought said,"Have you come here to play cheeses?" In my strange little world, I just figured that there was a game in Ireland called Cheeses that I'd never heard of. Turns out (as Jere corrected me through fits of laughter) that it says, "Have you come here to play Jesus. . ." AND it makes even more sense with the next line which goes, ". . .to the lepers in your head?" So apparently, there's no Irish game called Cheeses. Go figure!
There's another song called Voices Carry by an eighties band called 'Til Tuesday (I only know the name of the band thanks to Google.) For as long as I can remember, I have always sang, "Oh hush. Keep it down now. This is scary." After Jere stopped laughing, he explained that it's, "Hush hush. Keep it down now. Voices carry." I was SO sure that my version was the correct one even after he told me what the words really are. My version kind of makes sense, but I guess it does make a little more sense with "voices carry." I still sing "this is scary." I just can't unwire my brain on that one.
Remember that show, The Jeffersons from forever ago with the Movin' on Up theme song? Well, this one really puzzles me because I could swear that the lady singing it says, "Well, we're movin' on up, to the top, to a deluxe apartment . . ." My sister Sarah and I have sung it this way since the beginning of time, therefore that's how everyone else should sing it. Both her husband and mine said that it's actually, "Well, we're movin' on up, to the east side, to a deluxe . . ." Say what??? We had a big argument over the correct words, girls against guys, and for the first time since Adam and Eve were thrown out of the Garden of Eden, we girls were . . . well, we were . . . ughhh! I just can't say it. OK, we were wrong. There I said it. But you have to admit, our way fits better and just plain makes more sense. So again, I'm hardwired to sing this one wrong. You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
Now this next line of lyrics from James Blunt's Tears and Rain I actually had gotten right for once. It goes, "All pleasure's the same, it just keeps me from trouble, Hides my true shape, like Dorian Gray." So whenever it came on, Jere and I couldn't figure out what the "Dorian Gray" part was all about. Jere thought it was the name of some English tea. At least that was an intelligent guess. I said that I thought it might be a specific shade of the color gray, like the color of the Dorian car on Back to the Future (wasn't it a silvery gray color?) There was a pause and then Jere laughed so hard I thought he'd wet his pants. He said, "Beck, it's called a De Lorean car!" Oh! Woops!
And just for your information, I found out that Dorian Gray is a character in a book by Oscar Wilde called The Picture of Dorian Gray. When you find out what the book is about, the lyric really works. Who knew that songwriters were so smart?
There's another song called Voices Carry by an eighties band called 'Til Tuesday (I only know the name of the band thanks to Google.) For as long as I can remember, I have always sang, "Oh hush. Keep it down now. This is scary." After Jere stopped laughing, he explained that it's, "Hush hush. Keep it down now. Voices carry." I was SO sure that my version was the correct one even after he told me what the words really are. My version kind of makes sense, but I guess it does make a little more sense with "voices carry." I still sing "this is scary." I just can't unwire my brain on that one.
Remember that show, The Jeffersons from forever ago with the Movin' on Up theme song? Well, this one really puzzles me because I could swear that the lady singing it says, "Well, we're movin' on up, to the top, to a deluxe apartment . . ." My sister Sarah and I have sung it this way since the beginning of time, therefore that's how everyone else should sing it. Both her husband and mine said that it's actually, "Well, we're movin' on up, to the east side, to a deluxe . . ." Say what??? We had a big argument over the correct words, girls against guys, and for the first time since Adam and Eve were thrown out of the Garden of Eden, we girls were . . . well, we were . . . ughhh! I just can't say it. OK, we were wrong. There I said it. But you have to admit, our way fits better and just plain makes more sense. So again, I'm hardwired to sing this one wrong. You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
Now this next line of lyrics from James Blunt's Tears and Rain I actually had gotten right for once. It goes, "All pleasure's the same, it just keeps me from trouble, Hides my true shape, like Dorian Gray." So whenever it came on, Jere and I couldn't figure out what the "Dorian Gray" part was all about. Jere thought it was the name of some English tea. At least that was an intelligent guess. I said that I thought it might be a specific shade of the color gray, like the color of the Dorian car on Back to the Future (wasn't it a silvery gray color?) There was a pause and then Jere laughed so hard I thought he'd wet his pants. He said, "Beck, it's called a De Lorean car!" Oh! Woops!
And just for your information, I found out that Dorian Gray is a character in a book by Oscar Wilde called The Picture of Dorian Gray. When you find out what the book is about, the lyric really works. Who knew that songwriters were so smart?
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Personal DNA
I stumbled across this website that lets you take a personality test and then gives you a Personal DNA profile. Takes about 30 min. to complete but it's free and interesting. My results were that I was a "Benevolent Director" and it kind of surprised me that I was more masculine than feminine. . . ?? Maybe all those years as a tomboy came shining through. Anyway, click on the link below and give it a try!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
I Love to Sleep!
I have always been a deep sleeper. Once I'm out, it's pretty difficult to wake me up. I've been known to sleep through entire nights of thunder and lightning and wake up fully refreshed. I think I'm just genetically that way. I've been told I was a month overdue coming into this world. Why be in a rush to leave a nice cozy cocoon and pop out into the bright lights of this crazy world? My dad even described me as a baby with "a very sleepy temperament." Even in my first photo at the hospital you will see that I can barely open my eyes for my close-up. That's why I have small eyes. I didn't practice opening them much as a baby.
High school was hard for me because it started even earlier than elementary and middle school. Since I lived the farthest away from the bus stop, it was my job to stop at each of my three friends' homes on my way down the hill. They would always greet me with a smile and an abnormally perky "Good morning, Sunshine!" Sunshine was my nickname because they knew I hated early mornings so much. Very funny. There's nothing worse than peppy, happy people first thing in the morning. Go back to bed and come back when you're sufficiently grumpy.
Getting up early seems to be an unspoken competition between people. When anyone asks what time I get up in the morning, I always reply with a time that is one to two hours earlier than the actual time I get up because there seems to be horrible shame in admitting that you don't get up at 4:00am. Even if I did say that I got up at 4:00am, the other person inevitably says something like, "Oh. You don't roll out of bed until 4:00am? We'll I'm up and ready to go at THREE!" I haven't met another person on this planet that gets up one minute later than I do, even when I'm lying. I have observed that one is held in higher regard if one is an early riser. If you are a later riser (even if you get up at 7:30am), you are lazy. That's just how it is, so get used to it. If I mention that I sleep a little later because I don't get to bed until one or two in the morning, it either falls on deaf ears (the other party is already disgusted with my grotesquely late wake-up time), or they can't fathom going to bed that late. Another note to self: people who go to bed that late are just plain irresponsible.
Recently, my father-in-law said that "the older you get, the less sleep you need." The reverse of that seems to be true for me. So I'm thinking that by the time I'm eighty, I'll need about 20 hours of sleep a night. For me, early risers are a true phenomenon. I don't understand how they do it. Just like marathon runners. How do they do it? It shouldn't be physically possible. So if you are an early riser and you can run 26 point something miles all in one go, you are a freak of nature.
Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. I know many people who do just that and are usually missing at least one of the healthies, wealthies or wises (usually the wealthies and surprisingly often, the wises, too.) I think most people probably forget about the "early to bed" part in that case. For me, I'm happy to say that my name is Becky and I'm a sleep-aholic.
High school was hard for me because it started even earlier than elementary and middle school. Since I lived the farthest away from the bus stop, it was my job to stop at each of my three friends' homes on my way down the hill. They would always greet me with a smile and an abnormally perky "Good morning, Sunshine!" Sunshine was my nickname because they knew I hated early mornings so much. Very funny. There's nothing worse than peppy, happy people first thing in the morning. Go back to bed and come back when you're sufficiently grumpy.
Getting up early seems to be an unspoken competition between people. When anyone asks what time I get up in the morning, I always reply with a time that is one to two hours earlier than the actual time I get up because there seems to be horrible shame in admitting that you don't get up at 4:00am. Even if I did say that I got up at 4:00am, the other person inevitably says something like, "Oh. You don't roll out of bed until 4:00am? We'll I'm up and ready to go at THREE!" I haven't met another person on this planet that gets up one minute later than I do, even when I'm lying. I have observed that one is held in higher regard if one is an early riser. If you are a later riser (even if you get up at 7:30am), you are lazy. That's just how it is, so get used to it. If I mention that I sleep a little later because I don't get to bed until one or two in the morning, it either falls on deaf ears (the other party is already disgusted with my grotesquely late wake-up time), or they can't fathom going to bed that late. Another note to self: people who go to bed that late are just plain irresponsible.
Recently, my father-in-law said that "the older you get, the less sleep you need." The reverse of that seems to be true for me. So I'm thinking that by the time I'm eighty, I'll need about 20 hours of sleep a night. For me, early risers are a true phenomenon. I don't understand how they do it. Just like marathon runners. How do they do it? It shouldn't be physically possible. So if you are an early riser and you can run 26 point something miles all in one go, you are a freak of nature.
Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. I know many people who do just that and are usually missing at least one of the healthies, wealthies or wises (usually the wealthies and surprisingly often, the wises, too.) I think most people probably forget about the "early to bed" part in that case. For me, I'm happy to say that my name is Becky and I'm a sleep-aholic.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
The Month of May
Phew! I know I haven't posted in a really long time, but as you will see, I've been busy having fun. We had family visiting, Nick's birthday, a trip to Arizona, a high school graduation, a court of honor, Nick's baptism, more family visiting (and being visited), a trip to Lake Powell, a trip to the Grand Canyon, and a long journey home again. I had originally picked out 72 pictures for this entry, but Jere told me that was way too many, and to my chagrin, I was forced to whittle it down to a mere five. Once I figure out how to do a link to the other really cool photos, I'll add that, too. Here we go . . .
Aunt Bessie, visiting from Australia, and my sister Natalie, visiting from Pennsylvania. This was the first weekend in May. Got way too much shopping done as Bessie will testify to when she tries to get all her stuff home!
Nicholas turned eight! We had a little celebration for him in Michigan and then left the next day for Arizona where Grandma Freeman made him a really cool cake. He looks so dapper in the birthday hat! He still refuses to tell me what he wished for before blowing out his candles. You'd think little kids would spill the beans a bit more easily! Oh, well. This won't stop me from unwrapping and rewrapping presents under the Christmas tree--preparing the correct response is essential, you know.
Turning eight is usually followed by a baptism (at least amongst us Mormons). Grandpa Parker conducted the meeting, Uncle Matt gave the opening prayer, Grandma Parker and Grandma Freeman gave really nice, spirit-filled talks (or tear-jerkers as I like to call them) on baptism and the Holy Ghost, then a few comments from the first counselor and Grandpa Parker, and then a closing prayer by Grandpa Freeman. Auntie Melissa did a beautiful job of accompanying all the songs and Auntie Tianna did a stellar job of leading the music. It was a great day to be surrounded by so many family members! (I love Jere's short pants. They were even shorter in real life . . . hee! hee!)
Then we were off to Lake Powell for some serious attempts to look as brown as the locals. This included a day of jet-skiing and a day of boating. There was also a really nice pool that we usually had all to ourselves. The unfortunate part was me having to wear a bathing suit . . . maybe that's why the pool was so empty!
We had a blast with Natalie, Aaron, Braden, Sarah, Brandon, Tyler, Bessie (when she wasn't capsizing the jet-skis), Anne & Dennis.
The last day of our trip was an excursion to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I don't know how we survived the heart-attack-inducing driving that Jere so kindly provided, but Bessie, Anne and I found good use for all those nifty bar-handles that Honda installs in their Odysseys. The North Rim is just fantastic! However, it's amazing how many times death crosses your mind on those skinny little trails. Just one wrong step and say hello to the bottom of the canyon, which is about a million miles down. A highly recommended adrenaline rush!
What a great month! It was so incredibly wonderful to have family around and the kids really enjoyed all the cousins. It was hard to come back to Michigan, but it has quenched a little bit of our thirst to be near those who are related to us.
Well, today is my thirteenth (yes, I said thirteenth) wedding anniversary, so I really must go. Wow! I must be getting old . . . I have an eight-year-old and I've been married for 13 years. The next thing you know I'll be posting a blog about Ashlee leaving for college.
Aunt Bessie, visiting from Australia, and my sister Natalie, visiting from Pennsylvania. This was the first weekend in May. Got way too much shopping done as Bessie will testify to when she tries to get all her stuff home!
Nicholas turned eight! We had a little celebration for him in Michigan and then left the next day for Arizona where Grandma Freeman made him a really cool cake. He looks so dapper in the birthday hat! He still refuses to tell me what he wished for before blowing out his candles. You'd think little kids would spill the beans a bit more easily! Oh, well. This won't stop me from unwrapping and rewrapping presents under the Christmas tree--preparing the correct response is essential, you know.
Turning eight is usually followed by a baptism (at least amongst us Mormons). Grandpa Parker conducted the meeting, Uncle Matt gave the opening prayer, Grandma Parker and Grandma Freeman gave really nice, spirit-filled talks (or tear-jerkers as I like to call them) on baptism and the Holy Ghost, then a few comments from the first counselor and Grandpa Parker, and then a closing prayer by Grandpa Freeman. Auntie Melissa did a beautiful job of accompanying all the songs and Auntie Tianna did a stellar job of leading the music. It was a great day to be surrounded by so many family members! (I love Jere's short pants. They were even shorter in real life . . . hee! hee!)
Then we were off to Lake Powell for some serious attempts to look as brown as the locals. This included a day of jet-skiing and a day of boating. There was also a really nice pool that we usually had all to ourselves. The unfortunate part was me having to wear a bathing suit . . . maybe that's why the pool was so empty!
We had a blast with Natalie, Aaron, Braden, Sarah, Brandon, Tyler, Bessie (when she wasn't capsizing the jet-skis), Anne & Dennis.
The last day of our trip was an excursion to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I don't know how we survived the heart-attack-inducing driving that Jere so kindly provided, but Bessie, Anne and I found good use for all those nifty bar-handles that Honda installs in their Odysseys. The North Rim is just fantastic! However, it's amazing how many times death crosses your mind on those skinny little trails. Just one wrong step and say hello to the bottom of the canyon, which is about a million miles down. A highly recommended adrenaline rush!
What a great month! It was so incredibly wonderful to have family around and the kids really enjoyed all the cousins. It was hard to come back to Michigan, but it has quenched a little bit of our thirst to be near those who are related to us.
Well, today is my thirteenth (yes, I said thirteenth) wedding anniversary, so I really must go. Wow! I must be getting old . . . I have an eight-year-old and I've been married for 13 years. The next thing you know I'll be posting a blog about Ashlee leaving for college.
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