Crazy 8s

My wonderful friend Erika tagged me. I've seen these games of tag on other blogs, but this is my first invitation to play. Here it goes.

Six (Because Blogger won't let me put up eight) Pieces of Eye Candy

Yes, this is egotistical, but I do find them beautiful. (Lots of credit to Maegan Dougherty -- our wonderful photographer & friend!)

In no particular chronological order:


Cami in a leaf sack

Baby RoseCami in our NJ bathroom
Cami at Rutgers Gardens

Kissing at the Gardens
The Airplane, Daddy!




Eight things I did yesterday.

1. Got up early and slept in late. Sound impossible? I got up, switched some laundry & then went back to bed. Due to jet lag & a sick baby, I haven't been getting into bed at my usual 10-ish bedtime. . .so I slept in until 11:45!

2. Took Graham & Cami to Kirkstall Abbey. We arrived late enough that we didn't get to go into the Abbey itself, but the kids played on the ruins of the guesthouse foundation, we looked at a pair of swans in the canal, I took photos of the kids up in a bent tree, & the kids played at the playground.

3. Bought shampoo & dish soap, paper towels & toilet paper, a cucumber & yogurt. And, because Graham and Cami were with me, non-essential junk food made their way home with us, too.

4. Had an awkward phone conversation with a family member.

5. Tidied up the ground floor of our house/laundry.

6. Tried to catch up on blogs. Thought about how much time I spend on the computer & wondered if I am any happier or if I'm more discontent because I have other people's beautiful lives to compare mine against.

7. Took multiple baths since Rose keeps throwing up all over herself & me. I keep dreaming of having one of those long, leisurely, bath-oil and candlelight baths. Maybe in about ten years.

8. Thought about all the thank you notes that I need to write & haven't.

Eight Favorite Eats

1. The first just-picked strawberry at the pick-your-own patch in late spring.

2. The first just-picked Macoun, HoneySweet, or McIntosh apple from the pick-your-own farm in late fall.

3. The first just-pick peaches and nectarines from the pick-your-own farm in summer.

4. Just-picked apricots snagged from a neighborhood tree in Salt Lake City.

5. Homemade bread.

6. Homemade popcorn (microwave does not count).

7. Christmas Eve fondue (a family tradition).

8. Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate Chips.

9. Because I must list this: Tart Montmorency Cherries from Trader Joe's.

Eight Things on my Wish List

1. Utter self-confidence. Not the obnoxious, I-am-incapable-of-self-reflection self-confidence, but the quiet self-assurance that I can do anything that I feel is valuable. I suppose another way of putting it is to truly be and feel elegant.

2. A self-cleaning house.

3. My bed back. We shipped our beautiful, pillow-top king-sized bed from the U.S. And it is too big to make the turn up the stairs in our classic English townhouse. When the workman from the charity Emmaus came to pick it up the supervisor walked in & said, "That's the biggest bed I've ever seen. Please tell me they don't come bigger than that."

4. An eternally healthy husband. And since I'm wishing, I'll extend that to kids & myself.

5. To live in Europe -- wish fulfilled!

6. To feel creative & excited & happy.

7. To have a Trader Joe's at the end of my street.

8. World peace.

Eight Things that I Love about Fall

1. Apple picking.

2. Fall leaves before they land on my lawn.

3. Roasting marshmallows over a bonfire.

4. Feeling cuddly in a cashmere sweater while reading in bed.

5. Remembering the time when Jason was "that cute boy who sat behind me in logic class."

6. Baking.

7. Hiking.

8. Farmer's Markets.

Eight Favorite Shows

This one is weird for me, because we don't have a TV. Since we've married, Jason and I have never lived in a house where we have TV reception. Cable seems a waste of money & I already waste too much time on other things. But my sister buys TV collections which I've seen while visiting & the internet streams stuff, so in the past two years, these are things I've watched.

1. The Daily Show.

2. BattleStar Galatica (the new version -- although I grew up watching the original). My sister started it all by buying us iTunes credit to download it.

3. Grey's Anatomy (I've seen the first three seasons).

4. Airwolf (Cami liked reliving my childhood with me.)

5. What Not to Wear.

6. The Cosby Show.

OK. I've thought about it & I've run out of shows I've watched because I want to. Although I've seen a lot of "Thomas the Tank Engine" and "Strawberry Shortcake" thanks to my children.

Eight Things I am Looking Forward to

1. Graham being toilet trained.

2. Paying off all of the student loans.

3. Traveling around Europe, especially returning to Italy & exploring Switzerland.

4. Rose & Jason being well.

5. Sleeping.

6. Teaching at the university level again.

7. Going strawberry picking next summer. There's a patch about 1/4 mile walk from our house.

8. Baking some biscotti.

Eight Friends

I assure you I have eight friends. I actually have a lot more than that, which is a surprise to me. Not everybody blogs & I always feel left out when I read somebody's tag list & I'm not on it. So, if you read this, consider yourself tagged! (But leave me a note, so I know you are playing!)