Did you see Joel and Alisa's strengths on their blog? It was fascinating. I can't wait until everyone posts their strengths as it will give me lots to think about. I'm getting ready to do my 25-year plan. And let me tell you that time does indeed go faster as you get older. But at least now I can say I've eaten dinner at a Billionaire's house! That was never even on my list of things to do in my lifetime, so what a unique experience. Thanks to Dad for bringing new and exciting things into my life!

And, Howard, you've been tagged! Please reply on our blog. :)

10 years ago I was:
48 years old, living in Austin, working at Zimmer Orthopedics, getting used to being a grammy as I had one grandson compared with nine today, and five years away from being an empty-nester. What an interesting 10 years these last have been! So much has changed!!

5 things on my to-do list today:
buy two wedding presents
buy some new shoes (Fun!)
celebrate Friday with dinner out
organize my weekend for maximum accomplishments
feed Bob and Hans while Laurie is in Tucson with Savannah, Andrew and Lizzy

Things I'd do if I became a billionnaire:
buy some land with water on it
work on good investments
set up Grandchild Scholarships
build a big house
fund medical research of some kind
contribute to the Perpetual Education Fund
travel and snorkel all the best dive spots
buy a private jet

5 Secret Bad Habits
- reading way too much at night instead of sleeping
- leaving the radio on all night for company and to hear what George Norrey(sp?) and Art Bell are discussing, especially about the aliens
- eating whole wheat bread and chocolate milk almost every day for breakfast (so good!)
- keeping old Taco Bell wrappers in the car until they lose their appetizing aromas
- getting lazier as I get older (not much of a secret, actually)

5 Places I've Lived
1. Pasadena, CA
2. Tampa, FL
3. Longmont, CO
4. Anderson, IN
5. 3 days in the Arizona wilderness

5 Jobs I've Had
1. research assistant in grad school
2. piano teacher
3. Lamaze teacher
4. forecast analyst
5. biostatistician

5 Things Most People Don't Know About Me:
1. I love soul music and especially Christian soul music, not gospel but more like the Wynans or Donnie McClurkin's Holy
2. I sewed almost all my clothes in college as my summer job, including formals, coats with bound buttonholes and lined suits. My dad said if I sewed my clothes, I didn't have to get a summer job, so every day I was sewing and every Saturday I was at the beach if at all possible. I never earned a paycheck until I graduated from college and worked at Utah Valley Hospital.
3. My roommate at BYU my freshman year, who was from Ohio, said she'd never seen anyone as tan as I was. This you pay for later in life, so I don't recommend it.
4. I was listed in 1983 Outstanding Young Women of America
5. I've scuba-dived to 90 feet.

The smell of orange blossoms just makes breathing the best thing ever! I love living with my own little citrus trees, which all have blossoms of orange, tangerine, and lemon due to all the rain. Also, the yard guys are taking better care of them this year. Anyway..., the stress level is a little high right now in our neck of the woods, so we're doing our best to learn stress reduction techniques. One of the most stress producing things, according to "YOU: Staying Young", is unfinished tasks! And I totally believed it when it was brought to my attention by Drs. Oz and Roizen. It's getting ridiculous how good we are at postponing the things we want to do in favor of all the "have to do's". But this is no way to live. I keep my perspective by reading blogs of surgeons in Irag and people suffering from cancer or who have little kids who are sick. Also, a lady I work with was in a car accident as a passenger and has chronic pain from the head injuries. The doctors at the pain management clinic are going to try Botox shots since in the last year and a half nothing else is helping. And, yes, she's going to a good psychologist to help her handle the associated emotions. She also lost her sense of smell. But I don't want to close on a down note. There's so much that is right about the world. Actually, all of it is right in that we know we're going to pass through hard times in this world and need to keep praying for courage. And handling hard things makes you proud or pleased with yourself in a wonderful way!

This is a relief! Now I can post again after a couple of weeks of login trouble. My blog didn't recognize me, but evidently we're on friendly terms again. The most exciting thing going on is the new training program. Other than that, my birthday came and was duly celebrated with a cheescake from the Cheescake Factory brought home and eaten (only partly) while watching the Bourne Ultimatum. It was fun and relaxing so I guess I can stand being a week older. On Sunday, Sarah called to say that Mom was in the hospital, presumably with a heart attack. The good news is that it wasn't a heart attack; the bad news was that the doctors don't know why she was in pain. She'll be there under observation for a day or two, but we're hoping nothing else will happen.

Time to get back to posting! Julie is my trainer for the 5k that Laurie and I are running in March. We've already started our training program but I'm a little nervous about my ability to keep it up. After being a cubicle person for so long, I'm getting too soft. Now I hope to "Get it all back". Is this possible??