6 Quirks

I am not good with tags. I have been tagged several times for several reasons, and by the time I actually get around to posting anything, it seems the tag is no longer relevant. However, in an attempt to keep my blog not boring, I am following up with my sister Hillary's tag to post six quirks about myself. (And just so you know, it took me a long time to come up with -- I mean narrow down to -- just six.)

1. I don’t like chocolate.

2. I do like Tyler.

3. I don't like to read anything that is currently popular.
(I ignored Harry Potter, refused the Work & Glory series, and won't even crack open a Twilight novel.)

.
4. I took Bryce visiting teaching in his pajamas this morning. I only had time to get one of us dressed, and I reasoned it should be me. (Besides, didn’t you know that footed pajamas are all the rage currently?)
.

5. I secretly try to hide vegetables in my family’s dinner. They know this and they hate it. (Last night I steamed a whole package of frozen vegetables, pureed it, and added it to the pasta sauce.)
.

6. Sometimes, when I have a chore or task that is hanging over my head, I will write a poem about it rather than actually do it. For example, take this simple haiku:

My young one is dear
His eyes are bright, his smile sweet
But his rear, it stinks

Officially Boring

Today is Sunday. I should be showering, or reviewing my lesson, or making my bed, or cleaning up breakfast. But this morning I have to spend this precious, pre-church hour to address a horrifying accusation by my dear husband: my blog is boring.

It is true, my blog frequency has dropped dramatically from ten+ posts a month to maybe two. But, there are several reasons for this:

#1: I have a life. Between school, preschool, homework, grocery shopping, cleaning, church stuff, PTA stuff, piano practice, scouts, activity days and gymnastics, I am a bit tapped out.

#2: He blogs about all the fun stuff before I get to it. I figure none of you want to tune in for a "take two" post.

#3: I'm lazy. In order to write an effective post, I have to be witty, insightful, succinct, precise and motivated. In general, I am none of these things.

#4: Whenever I get on the computer for even a moment, children with needs come out of nowhere. It's like being on the phone or talking to a friend at the door. My children have an extra, "Mom is enjoying herself" sense that brings them out of the woodwork with the most obscure needs that require immediate attention. I could scrub windows for an hour and no one would interrupt me.

#5: When I get on the computer with the intent to blog, I often find myself sidetracked by news sites, beading sites, recommended reading sites, good recipe sites, and other engaging subjects that tend to usurp all my allocated blogging time.

#6: All of these are excuses.

I suppose rather than address this accusation directly, the best way to disprove it would be to actually post something interesting. So here are some pictures of a few of the cool things I did this past season.

.

Here is me participating in a wakeboard contest at Lake Powell this summer. Don't I look toned?

Here is me skydiving out of a chartered plane over Las Vegas. (Jumping Elvises not pictured.)

Here is an upclose photo I took of a charging bull when I ran with the bulls in July in Pamplona, Spain.

Here is me climbing up the Second Step with the aid of my team in our Everest bid this last May.

.

See, I am not just a boring housewife. I do lots of physically challenging, endurance demanding, sanity questioning, death-defying feats that routinely bring me to the edge of reality and back again.

.

Or at least it feels like it.

Piano Virtuoso(s)

Bryce is sure he is the next great composer.
Anytime anyone begins their piano lesson,
he climbs right up on the bench to help.

And, since of course, louder is better, he pounds
on the keys with Beethovian ferocity.
(Carter, as you can see, has learned to tune this out --
also a Beethovian quality.)

"Wait, here comes the good part..."

"Oh, I love the scales in this Sonata."

"Stop taking pictures woman,
you are disturbing my concentration!"