Angela's the one facing the camera.  This was among the first pics I took with my new digital rebel!  I finally got it from my dad last weekend.  It's awesome!  I'm still playing around with it some, it has some really neat features.  What I really love is that it saves all the info from each picture you took, things like the iso, fstop, shutter speed, white balance, etc.  Also, when you download the pics onto the computer, it automatically divides them into categories according to the date you took the picture.  I'm the worst at remembering dates, so this is really handy!  The dance they're doing here is to Steve Martin singing King Tut, it's a really cute dance. 

School is going a little bit better, we're working alot more at home.  Angela just got a new bunkbed set with a desk at one end, so that's our official "homework space".  It's much easier to get her to concentrate without any distractions around her.  She also loves sleeping on the top bunk. 

We're having my husband's 40th birthday party on Sunday, he's really excited.  We didn't invite a ton of people, but enough to make it a party.  It will be at Pizza Hut, so we don't have to clean up after!  That's all the better for me. 

Not much else going on, really.  I'll post more pictures as I get them taken, as I get more used to my phone.

5 Random facts about me

1. Whenever I go up or down stairs, I count them, always.  I also always try to start with my left foot...if I start with the right, I feel unbalanced.  A little ocd, maybe?

2. When I was little, I had a mad crush on Davy Jones, from watching the old Monkees shows on nickelodeon.  I didn't believe it when my mom said he was older than she was.

3. When I was sixteen, I went to Mexico with a friend.  One night, we went to another city there with two men we'd just met, without telling anyone, and went deepsea fishing.  Thankfully, they never tried a thing, and I caught the only fish - a 10' sailfish.  It took me over an  hour to reel in, and I didn't let anyone help me.

4.  I collect autographs.  Not so much now, but I have a whole notebook of autographs I've received through the mail.  My favorite three are books signed by Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Clive Barker.

5. When I was a kid, my mom said every time I went to the dime store, I had to use the bathroom, even if I'd just gone at home.  What she doesn't know is, this still happens everytime I shop at a department store for more than 15 minutes.  And I still have no idea why.

I've been a very bad Xanga user lately!  I guess I just haven't felt that inspired.  It was a very good, but very busy and tiring holiday.  I got to go to my folks, which was a lot of fun.  Angela and I drove down with my brother and nephew.  The drive back wasn't nearly as fun as the drive there, since Zach had a rough time of it, but thankfully, nothing lasts forever.  And it was well worth it to have such a great visit with our parents and grandma. 
Angela is back to school now, and I'm back to my normal work hours, which is nice.  I like knowing exactly when I have to be somewhere, when I have to leave, etc., and I get a little miffed when plans change suddenly.  I guess I'm just a "stick to the routine" kind of person, it makes me feel safe.  When my parents first moved to Europe, over and over I thought "wow, I could NEVER do that!  I'd be terrified!"  Maybe my new year's resolution should be to break out of my comfort zone. 

Actually, it's to lose weight and get in shape, and get my house organized, like millions of other people, I suppose.  I worked out to a yoga/pilates video first, and just now got done with 50 minutes on a treadmill.  I still can't go too fast, so I make up for it with long stretches.  The other gals I work with have also vowed to work on this, and my mom as well, so at least we can all be in this together.  I've brought my lunch and cooked supper all week, and managed to get lunches together for Stephen as well, so we're saving money too!  I really plan to keep this up; Stephen is kind of an opportunist...if he doesn't have a lunch, he'll go buy one rather than make it, but if one is packed for him, he'll eat it.  At least he doesn't mind leftovers, and neither do I. 

I'm about ready to drop right now, but I promise to try to visit all your sites tomorrow!  Sorry I've been so bad with updates.  There's another resolution, I guess!

I got this from goddessladyj's site, I'm glad she tagged me, it looked like fun!

A is for age:
Just turned 30...yikes!

B is for booze of choice:
Well, I don't drink much at all, but I was recently introduced to Tequila Rose, and I have to say, it's pretty yummy.

C is for career:
Right now picture framing, in the future, two time mom, and photographer on the side.

D is for Dad's name:
Jeffrey
E is for essential items to bring to a party:
Definitely depends on the party.

F is for favorite song at the moment:
Little Drummer Boy at Christmas time...Since this is fairly anonymous, I have to admit to the Christmas Shoes song, which still makes me cry when the kids start singing....yes, I'm a sap and proud of it.

G is for favorite game:
Scene It, Tetris, Texas Hold'em

H is for hometown:
Fort Wayne, IN

I is for instruments you play:
Some Guitar, but mostly my voice is my instrument

J is for jam or jelly you like:
Always Strawberry

K is for kids:
Only one now, but would like another by next year.  Since in a deal with my husband, I have the rights to naming our second born, so far I like Chloe Anne, and Gabriel Walter.

L is for living arrangements:
In a house with my family.

M is for mom's name:
Michele

N is for name of your pet:
Sheena, Ebony, Sparky and Jaws (first two dogs, last two fish.)

O is for overnight hospital stays:
Just once, when I had my daughter, for three nights I think.

P is for phobias:
I'm afraid of probably more things I can think of.  spiders, insects, sharks, abandonment...on and on and on

Q is for quotes you like:
I'm absolutely drawing a blank right now...maybe I'll come back to this one.

R is for relationship that lasted the longest:
I've been married almost 8 years, that's definitely the longest.

S is for favorite soda:
Wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too?

T is for time you wake up:
6:00, every day but Sunday..

U is for underwear:
What about them?

V is for vegetable you love:
Artichoke Hearts

W is for weapon of choice:
I prefer not to use weapons.

X is for x-rays you've had:
Teeth, and my right arm, which got a greenstick fracture in gradeschool.

Y is for yummy foods you make:
Stephen said the only thing I cook perfectly is the one thing he doesn't like, salmon patties.  I asked him, "so why do you eat them?"  and he said, "hey, if you're cooking it, I'm eating it".  So true.

Z is for zodiac sign:
Virgo.

This totally reminds me of the slam books we did in junior high.  Once I had one get into the hands of my crush, and I couldn't wait to see what he answered to "who do you like?"  After days of wondering, I found out...he'd left that question blank.  It's funny the things you remember.

Wow, it's been a long time since I've been on here!  I think I finally got the font thing figured out, lol.  I made it to callbacks on my audition last weekend, but I got a message today that they decided not to cast me.  I'm a little disappointed, as Jesus Christ Superstar is one of my favorite musicals, but a little relieved, as I wasn't sure how I'd make it through 3 months of rehearsals Monday through Friday from 7 - 10.  It definitely would have frazzled me.  I'll probably go see the show though, it is a good one!

I just talked to my mom today, and it looks like between my parents, my brother, and the money I already have, I'll be getting a digital Rebel xt for Christmas!  YAYYYYYYYY!  I love my family!  I'm sooooooo excited!  I'm already scoping out flash cards, so I can have a nice big one ready when I get the camera...most cameras either come with a really small one, on not one at all, and I want to be ready to shoot all kinds of pics at my folks house, especially since my nephew will be there.

I've been working on getting some presents framed, so that all I'll have left to do is make biscotti for some of the people on my list, and then I'll be done.  These are the three pics I'm framing for my brother to put in his apartment...

I think he'll be really pleased with them.  He knows I'm framing something for him, he just doesn't know what yet.  I have one more to frame for my husband's father, then I'm all done there, except for the baking!

Angela's doing better in school, she's really just struggling in math now.  But her behavior has improved immensely, so we're really pleased about that.  Hopefully she continues moving forward, so we can put her in second grade next year!