it's the little things...

I haven't done a 10 on Tuesday in a LONG time. This week's was particularly applicable so I thought I'd get back in the saddle. This list was taken from my vows (we wrote our own). 10 Thing I Look For in a Romantic Interest Handsome (listed first only because it was obvious at first site) Smart (listed second because it was obvious immediately following "handsome") Funny Creative Open to new things Romantic Moral Fun to be with Loving A little bit quirky in an endearing way There were a few others listed in the vows but I'll just stick with 10.

Ten on Tuesday to go with the current Olympic obsession. There's also another figure skater I can't think of...I'm sure I will tomorrow. I guess I just like ones who are/were inspiring to me and often those most memorable (which may also be the most hyped). And I know the media is all over Michael Phelps but he sure does make things exciting. 10 Favorite Olympians of All Time Mary Lou Retton , gymnast , owned her workout video for kids when I was younger Michael Phelps, swimmer, record breaker, cutie Greg Louganis , diver, so memorable until the other night when we couldn't remember if he was still alive or not (he is) Surya Bonaly , figure skater, bad ass, broke the rules because they were stupid Scott Hamilton, figure skater, back flipper, fun routine maker Domonique Dawes, gymnast, first female African American gymnast to win an individual medal Kerri Strug , gymnast, good lander on one ankle Carl Lewis, runner, full of energy Kurt Browning, figure skater, cutie ...

This week's topic was suggested by me. Woohoo! Except that meant extra pressure. You know, when I'm already stressed to the max. Yeah. So be kind. 10 Favorite Movie Villains Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmations . I don't like people who want to turn puppies into coats. Voldemort from Harry Potter . He's evil and creepy and his lack of nose bothers me. I can't wait to see the newest one. The casting of his young self looks fantastic. Tess (the sister) from 27 Dresses . I know, I know. She's not really a villain in the typical sense. When I thought about this topic I asked myself what character really gets my blood boiling. She does. Every single time. Because of several in-flight movies, I've seen this movie a few times. The wedding dress scene makes me hate her. Hate. Her. Annie Wilkes from Misery . Ouch. Nazis from pretty much every movie they're in but specifically The Pianist . Maybe this movie sticks out for me because I also read the book. The Evil St...

10 events that should be in the Olympics Given that I'm sick today and have recently been preparing for a tropical storm (that ended up not being so bad, thank goodness), I don't think I'll actually have ten. Last week I was thinking about this topic as I was traveling (yet again) for work. Multitasking: We're talking taking a training class while on a conference call and checking e-mail and maybe filing. Speed Airport Travel: We'll give you a line to check in. Perhaps another line to take your checked baggage to...throw you a curve by having one or two baggage drops closed. Then another line for security. Who gets through fastest? Overwhelmed Breakdown: In this one you should have more and more piled on you until you crack. Maybe that would mean traveling to the wrong place on the wrong day. Or maybe forgetting documents you should have packed. Or maybe having no GPS system in the rental car when you haven't printed out any directions. (You know, for example.) ...

When I was in college, one of my friends and I were talking about what it was too hot to do. We came up with things like "it's too hot to be pregnant" or "it's too hot to fall down." When you live in Texas it is often too hot to do many things. Here's what you do instead. 10 things to do when it's too hot to go outside Play the Wii. I've gotten pretty good at Guitar Hero. Clean the house. Thrilling, I know. Work on house projects. Lately it's been painting the stairs. If I ever make the last few decisions and actually finish without killing myself, there will be pictures to come. Sit in front of the computer. Internet. E-mail. Photography. Wish my house were better insulated. Hand-in-hand with this is wonder how bad my electric bill is going to be. Drink more. Generally the non-alcoholic kind. Go shopping. This does, however, require a person to go from the house to the car. Outside. With no air conditioning. See a movie. You know, this doesn...

10 Least Favorite Celebrities Ugh. There are so many... I was just thinking over the weekend that there are very few "classic" Hollywood-types these days. Paris Hilton --Why won't she go away? And now there have been rumors of her reproducing. Just what we need. Keanu Reeves --I think he's a terrible actor. Terrible. Jessica Simpson --I don't care if she's ditsy and uneducated or just pretending to be--both are bad in my book. Lindsey Lohan --The newest possible lesbian turn she's taking seems like an improvement over the drugs/alcohol/drunk driving fun she's normally up to... Britney Spears --Not a fan but still am glad no one follows me around with cameras claiming I'm pregnant because I have a little belly bulge occasionally. Miley Cyrus --I know kids love her. I don't. The entire cast of High School Musical --See #6. Tom Cruise --I never would have thought the tide would turn on him--especially if you would have asked me right after Cockta...

I haven't done a 10 on Tuesday in quite awhile. Ok, since the end of April. Lately, some of the topics haven't really hit home with me and other times I've just looked up and it was already Wednesday. Oops. 10 Memorable Vacation Moments Seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time. Being only a few feet away from elk in the wild in rural Pennsylvania. Drinking wine on the porch with The Boyfriend (as described here ) in Brenham. Horseback riding in Mexico with my snarky, biting and sometimes galloping horse. Dancing till the early morning on our Mexican cruise . Seeing "O" (my first Cirque show) in Vegas with The Boyfriend. Whale watching for the first time off of Boston. Crossing the state line for the first time (to Louisiana) when I was 17. (I know. I was old. We were poor. And who needs to leave Texas?) The early morning Seattle markets. Minding our own business in the hotel pool when those Jamaicans started talking to us in Grand Cayman. Also, hanging with sti...

10 Superstitions, Traditions, and/or Personality Quirks I enjoy eating mashed potatoes and corn in the same meal. When I was little we'd make rows in our mashed potatoes with our forks and then "plant" the corn kernals in them. Now? I just scoop some potatoes on my fork and press them into the corn so some stick. I do not mix any other food items that I can think of. Before every flight I chant a quick, "Let it be safe, smooth, and uneventful." I've been reading a book about wedding superstitions. I'd like to stick to the groom-not-seeing-the-bride-the-day-of-the-wedding one. Not all the time, but when I've been away from home for a few days or more, I check under the toilet seat before I sit down. Hey, it's an old, drafy house. There could really be something under there. I pet my own head when I'm stressed. I often don't realize I'm doing it but my guess is that Mom comforted me that way when I was little. I start the day by checkin...

I've had problems with my blog all day. Anyone else or is it just me? The topic this week is 10 Favorite Movie Comedies . Some of these may not technically be comedies but I thought about what movies I either found hugely funny at first but over time may not do as much for me ( Austin Powers ) or ones that I find funny (at least in places) regardless of seeing them a million and one times ( The Princess Bride ) or ones that really grew on me after awhile ( Office Space ). Austin Powers Ferris Bueller Finding Nemo Juno Office Space Taladega Nights The Breakfast Club The Princess Bride Tommy Boy Shrek

This Saturday is the second of my back-to-back weddings. That I'm in. I cannot begin to tell you how happy I will be when it is over. One of the reasons for that is because I really am jonesin' to work on the house but haven't had time. My list could be endless this week but I'll just stick to ten. 10 Things I'd Fix in My House (if I had the time and money) The Ugly Bathroom . New floors. Beadboard on the walls. Repainting of the trim. New mirror. New towels, mats, shower curtain. This is the biggest project in my house but I know once it's done, it will be my favorite room. The sunroom floor . The Brother had to replace some rotted subfloor and we haven't re-tiled yet. It's been quite awhile. It's a little scary. Part of what's slowing us down is that we haven't done a tile project before. Should be a good room in which to learn. The stairs . The previous owners felt compelled to paint my lovely stairwell a dark navy blue above the white wai...

I haven't done a 10 on Tuesday in quite some time. A few topics have been interesting lately but I just haven't played. This week's is 10 Things to Do Before You Get Married . Spend some time alone . I think everyone should feel comfortable being single and being alone. I'm not saying that's preferable to being with someone. It's just that you never know what the future will bring and not being comfortable with your own company can lead to poor choices during tough times. Discuss the important things . Kids. Where you want to live. Finances. Goals. Personally, I wanted to own my own home . I realized that as much as I wanted to meet the man of my dreams and ride off into the sunset, I wanted to have the opportunity to own and decorate my house (my way) first. I'm very glad I've gotten the chance to do that. Be able to take care of yourself financially . Again, you never know what the future holds. My mother, being a single parent after my dad's death...

10 Best Games The prompt said we could pick any types of games. I'm being diverse. Sort of... Phase 10 : Card game introduced to me by one of my adoptive families. I've bought it since then and have spread it around a bit myself. We played a rousing game on Sunday. Area 51 : Video game. Shootin ' up aliens. We played this A LOT in college. If I were a freaky millionaire you could probably find this game in one of the many rooms of my mansion. Boggle : Love Boggle. The Brother bought it for me after we watched an episode of "King of the Hill" where Peggy won the championship with " acquaintanceship ." Dominoes : Good ol ' bones. It's a Texas thang . Domain : I bet no one has heard of this game. I don't even know where it came from but I could always beat The Brother at it. Life : Too bad no one ever wanted to play it with me when I was growing up... Taboo : Why don't I own this? Scattergories : Or this? Wii : This is new to me. Normally I...

A day late... No time for blogging yesterday. 10 Things for Which I'm Thankful My family. The one I was born into. The ones who have taken me in. All my friends. The ones near and far. The ones I see and talk to on a regular basis. The ones who linger in my background as I linger in theirs until we're needed. The Boyfriend. The one who has come to mean so much to me in so short a time. My health. My house (despite it being welcoming to all sorts of mammals and poultry--more on this later). My job. House shoes (hey, it's cold in here). My mind. Even though it seems like lately I misplace it a bunch. Having only a week until vacation. That my life is so full right now that my biggest complaint is how to juggle it all. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

10 Reasons Why It's Great to Be a Woman We get to wear make-up. When you have a bad skin day, you can hide it to some degree. Poor boys. So socially unacceptable. We have tons of clothing options. Have you ever noticed that men have maybe 4 shirt options? Go to a men's department--long-sleeved button downs, short-sleeved button downs, polos , t-shirts. It's acceptable (in many jobs) for us to wear open-toed shoes to work. One of my old co-workers (the only male) was very disturbed by this. Why couldn't he wear sandals? We have fantastic relationships with other women. We can have good relationships with men, too, but it's something special with girlfriends. Whatever we're going through, there's always someone there who understands. Or doesn't. But she's there anyway. We can have babies. When we have those babies, we can either choose to work or stay home (if we're lucky). Society frowns upon the SAHD much more than the SAHM . We can cry. Without...

10 Songs that Bring Back Memories Fall by Clay Walker --Does it matter that the memories are recent ones? This song makes me think of my brother and his fiance. Drops of Jupiter by Train --Ah, easier period of my life during grad school. I had responsibilities but, still, fewer than now. And an easier schedule. And a cute German. I also think of another college friend because it says the word "atmosphere." I Loved Her First by Heartland --Takes me to my cousin's wedding. Makes me freakishly emotional. That was the first time I had heard that song. My cousin's wife (who also lost her father at a young age) was standing across the dancefloor from me. I was tearing up anyway but when I looked across and saw her already really crying, I lost it as well. I'll Be There for You by Bon Jovi --Jr. High dances. The "super couple" from the grade ahead of me whom everyone wanted to be. Kokomo by The Beach Boys --The movie Cocktail . That my best friend from kinderg...

Back, by popular demand, 10 on Tuesday. Wait, maybe it's back because the person who directs us on these has finally overcome her computer woes. Yea for that. 10 Words that Describe Me Smart Sarcastic Loyal Busy Hard-working Goal-driven Quietly (sometimes) emotional Happy Fortunate Crafty

10 Favorite Halloween Candies Candy corn! That's it. Who needs anything else besides candy corn?! The sad thing is, I haven't had any yet this season. My other favorite Halloween/fall food items are popcorn balls and caramel apples. Oooh, there's a place here (on the road) that makes some fantastic caramel apples. Maybe I'll get me one this week. And, I don't know if you've noticed, but it's slightly cooler outside. Yea!

10 Things that Worry Me I'm not really feeling it with these topics lately. Is it just me or do they seem a little on the negative side? I guess last week's TV topic was ok but this one is going to stress me out. I worry about hurricane season. Thankfully, this year has been pretty good so far. Lots of named storms but nothing that has impacted us. I knew that living so close to the coast in a house I actually own (as much as one owns a house with a 30-year mortgage...make that 29.5 year...) would cause me a little more concern. I know it's "just a house" but so much hard work has gone into it, both to get me here and to whip it into shape. Lately I've been worrying a bit about flying. You'd think that since I fly so much I wouldn't get freaked out by that at all. Not so. I'm usually fine and what thoughts I have to the contrary are generally fleeting. I think part of this is because I've had two delayed flights recently due to mechanical iss...

10 Television Shows I'd Like to Have on DVD The topic could also include DVDs I already own. I don't own any TV DVDs. Gift ideas, anybody? Sex and the City --Because who wouldn't want it? Friends --Like I need to quote it any more often. Grey's Anatomy --Still going but I really enjoyed the first few seasons. The X Files --For old (college) time's sake. Dawson's Creek --I know; I'm sorry. Please don't stop reading my blog. My So-Called Life --Because I loved it and was very sad when it was over. Gilmore Girls --Since it's over now. How sad... Northern Exposure --Again, reminds me of college. Six Feet Under --I never saw any of this series but wanted to... Twin Peaks --I'd like to see it again as an adult. I'm sure I'm missing something. What would you pick?

10 Things I've Been Putting Off Weeding. It's a jungle out there even though I've gotten a little bit done the last two weekends. Buying stamps. I may try to do this while on the road. They're small; they pack easily. Ordering airline tickets for our December trip. Why would I possibly put this off? I have no idea. Introducing The Boy to my friends. I haven't been ready to share just yet. My regular ol' annual check-up. I did make it to the dentist, though. Re-staining my dresser. Painting my bedroom. Tiling the sunroom. Basically anything that has to do with the house it seems. Transfering the remainder of my CDs to my iPod. Apparently the big things like marriage and children.