1. Have you ever been searched by the cops? No way! No cop has ever laid hands on me...um... 2. Do you close your eyes on roller coasters? No, it is more fun to see. 3. When's the last time you've been sledding? Last winter. My son is a sledding fool. He loves winter and I hate it. 4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone? Actually, I sleep better alone. I am a huge bed-hog. Unless it is winter, then I need body heat! 5. Do you believe in ghosts? Not exactly. 6. Do you consider yourself creative? Yes 7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife? Most certainly. 8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie? Jennifer 9. Do you stay friends with your exes? NO! 10. Do you know how to play poker? Texas Hold 'Em- but I stink at it. 11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight? No. 12. What's your favorite commercial? I can't think of one, as I don't watch much TV. 13. What are you allergic to? Many things including: Codeine, iodine, vicodin, compazine, x-ray contrast, all shellfish, and latex in a really serious way. Sad, isn't it?! 14. If you're driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around do you run red lights? No. 15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you? Yes, more than one. 16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees? Neither. I don't care. 17. Have you ever been Ice Skating? Yes, I actually used to be quite good at it and had my own skates. 18. How often do you remember your dreams? Fairly often. 19. When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried? I can't think of an example, but that happens to me quite often. 20. Can you name 5 songs by The Beatles? Across the Universe The Long and Winding Road Eight Days a Week Hey Jude Maxwell's Silver Hammer 21. What's the one thing on your mind now? Packing my suitcase. 22. Do you know who Ghetto-ass barbie is? Nope. 23. Do you always wear your seat belt? Yes, always. 24. What cell service do you use? Cingular (family plan with my son) 25. Do you like Sushi? Some of it. 26. Have you ever narrowly avoided a fatal accident? No, I have been very lucky. 27. What do you wear to bed? Nothing. I can't stand to sleep with clothes on. 28. Been caught stealing? That would require stealing in the first place, which doesn't happen for me. 29. What shoe size do you have? 8 except in my running shoes which are 8.5 30. Do you truly hate anyone? Unfortunately yes, but I am working on letting that go because it is so unhealthy. 31. Classic Rock or Rap? Classic rock. I'm not a fan of rap. 32. If you could sleep with one famous person, who would it be? For some reason, I've answered this question many times before and here is my previous list. Anyhow, my current top pick is Jeri Ryan. 33. Favorite Song? I can't say I can limit it to just one. 34. Have you ever sang in front of the mirror? No. 35. What food do you find disgusting? Pickles. 36. Do you sing in the shower? Oh yeah! 37. Did you ever play, "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours"? Not that I recall. (But I like that phrase!) 38. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back? No, I'm not that way. 39. Have you ever stood up for someone you hardly knew? Yes. 40. Have you ever been punched in the face? Yes.

1. Something with a story behind it. Photograph something that has a story behind it. And yes, you might have to actually write a little bit on this one. Good, sad, funny, made-up….does it really matter? It IS the internet. Be creative. The "kids" and I were outside on the deck playing Poker last weekend. Okay, they were playing poker, I was taking pictures. I thought the way they were reflected in the french doors looked awesome. I am horrible at Poker. The rest of my family loves to play cards (mainly Euchre) but I just stink at most card games. Give me a good old board game any day. I do like the card game Mille Bornes, but most people don't know how to play. It isn't played with a regular deck of cards anyhow...so I guess that doesn't count. My son was trying to bluff us. He's fairly good at it. Is that a bad sign? 2. A Random and Odd photo Pick anything. A picture you’ve taken, one that you’ve found on the net. Doesn’t matter. I’m making the rules, so don’t tell me what your usual blogger tells you to do! For this picture, the reader on your blog needs to write a story or caption for your picture, so get something unique. In your reply to this post, write a caption or story (or someting!) about this photo. 3. In keeping with the recurring wedding theme, a photo of something borrowed. The borrowed item here is the cute buggy-style bicycle there on the right. I hopped off to take a photo and B kept on going. Yes, she did come back for me. I had the car keys. Okay, it wasn't exactly borrowed. More like rented...Whatever! They weren't going to give it to me for free. I mean, we are a friendly town and all, but we have our limits. Leave your link and a comment and I'll come and visit you!

Are you more... 01) Pleasantly surprised that I got another AYM out today or disappointed that I left it go for too long? Pleasantly surprised as I am an optimist. 02) An investor looking for quick, big gains or an investor looking for good performance over the long haul? I go for the long haul. 03) Sand trap or water hazard? Water hazard 04) One who prefers that the hot dog wiener be the exact same length as the bun or one who prefers that the hot dog wiener be a little bit longer than the bun? I do not eat hot dogs. 05) A fan of Superman or a fan of Batman? If I had to pick one, Superman. 06) Into working out in a gym or working out in your home? I work out at home or go outside for a hike/jog/walk. 07) An underwater swimmer or an above water swimmer? Above 08) More likely to go and see a play/musical at a theatre or more likely to go and hear an orchestra at a stadium/music hall? I love music, so I will go with the orchestra. 09) Ruthless or spineless? Somewhere down the middle. 10) A person who takes vitamins/supplements every day or a person who relies on getting your vitamins/minerals from your food alone? I take my vitamins.

I think it may be a good thing that this picture came out so pixelated. Sorry, but I'm just too tired to try to fix it. Besides, it is sparing you all the gory details of my take on "dress up" circa the early 70's. It appears we were going the "bag lady" route versus "fairy princess"- I've always been one to go against convention anyhow. Pink with ruffles and a feather boa would have been just too...well...cliche for me, even then!

I give you...5 Things in My Vehicle

1. My Jansport sling backpack with extra workout clothes- I never know when I might want to hit the trail after work.
2. My iPod because I forgot to bring it in with me. I am going to go back and get it, so don't think you're going to come and steal it! ;-)
3. My cellphone charger- but of course.
4. An atlas, but I have no idea why because I am horrible at reading a map. I much prefer getting the directions from a website and having them sent to my cellphone. The last time I was forced to read a map, we were lost in Gary, Indiana on the way to Chicago. If you've never been through Gary, count your blessings. If you have, then you know Gary is not a place to be lost in.
5. I always keep an umbrella in my car. Right now it is a horribly-embarrassing-to-carry-freebie umbrella that has the Pacers and Skytrak Weather Network logos on it. In case you didn't know it, the Pacers are our local professional basketball team. And the Skyrak Weather Network is an entire channel we have here, that runs all local weather, all of the time. I'm serious... There is enough demand around here for a weather-fix that an entire channel can be dedicated to such. Don't ask me to explain it, I don't understand Hoosiers and their un-natural fascination with the local meteorological outlook.

Needless to say, I spend much of the time getting rained on due to the fact that the above-described umbrella is the only one available to me when I'm out and about... Guess it is time to put something else in its place.

What does your first name mean? God's Promise What does your middle name mean? Gracious What does your last name mean? The closest I can come with my maiden name is "the son of Niel's twig"- isn't that lovely! It is a Danish name and the vast majority of Danish names are patronymic in origin and end in -sen. In 1904 the Danish Government began to encourage the use of surnames other than the traditional -sen names, and many people then added a place or occupational name to their -sen name by hyphenating the two. Anyhow, the first part of the name (Nielsen) is the second most common surname in Denmark today. I guess there are still lots of -sen's running aroudn there! My married surname means a salt-water river. So what does your name mean when put together? God's Promise Gracious The Son of Niel's Twig Salt-Water River. Hmmm. What would you have been named if you were the opposite gender? I have no idea. I was just fortunate to be spared being named Jennifer. Sorry to all of you Jennifers out there-it is a fine name, but there is a glut of them. Not that Lisa is uncommon. I just know I would hate to be called Jenny! Any other name oddities? My parents named me something short because they don't care for nicknames. But then they turned around 10 years later and named my baby sister Deborah. No one has ever called her Deborah, ever. Although she doesn't really look like a Debbie either. Debbies are perky girls with pony-tails. I will spare you all the horror of posting another picture of my sister. Let's just say she is not perky and she never had a pony-tail unless it was dyed black or something. Do you like your name? My first name, yes. What do you like best about it? Nice and short. What do you like least about it? It's rather common. If you had to change your name (witness protection program, whatever), what would you want it to be? Flannery Rasmussen. But you can call me Flann...

1. What two words can make you angry? Explain: "Deserve" and "Pity" The word deserve peeves me as I see the duality of it. If one feels that one deserves the good things in life that come along, then on the other hand, one must deserve the bad things that occur also. That simply goes against my way of thinking, my core beliefs. Did the people in New Orleans deserve to have their homes destroyed and their lives taken by Katrina; did the people working in the World Trade Center on 9/11 deserve to be obliterated? I could go on and on...But the answer is a resounding no. Pity evokes a sense of pathetic weakness. I much prefer the words benevolence or compassion- they have a much more positive connotation to me. 2. What two words can make you happy? Explain: "Mom" and "Home" Mom is who I am to my wonderful son. I love being his mother and I wouldn't give up a moment of it, even the difficult times (and yes, there have been difficult times, and I'm certain there will be many more- he's 13 after all!) Home is the place where I can just be me. I don't have to put on any of my other "personas" and therefore I am truly relaxed when I'm home. 3. Who are two people that can make you angry? Explain: My ex-husband still (unfortunately) has the ability to irritate the hell out of me, even after being divorced for 9 years. I try to keep my ire under wraps as I don't wish for him to have that much of an influence over me anymore. B can make me very exasperated mainly because she knows me better than anyone else. Therefore, I cannot fool her like I can just about everyone else. Also, she knows just the right buttons to push. All in all, I have a long, slow fuse when it comes to getting angry. But once it blows, it is U-G-L-Y! 4. Who are two people that can make you happy? Explain: My son and B. No explanation necessary there. 5. Who is the one person that influences your life the most and why? I would have to say that it is my son. He does not directly influence me, i.e. tell me what to do (I'm the mom and in charge, after all!) However, most of the major decisions I make in life are also based upon the effect it may have upon him. I think that is a part of being a parent, the balance of taking care of yourself vs. Realizing what an incredible impact you have in the life of another very precious human being.

I've noticed that I haven't done much "real" writing in here lately. It isn't that I haven't had anything going on to write about, actually I've been really busy and haven't taken the time to write. It is much easier to be mindless sometimes and do a meme or something of the like. I can't believe June is almost over! I am afraid that summer is going to fly by and before I know it, my son will be back in school. I'm one of those odd parents that actually like it when my child is off on summer break! My son is doing a zookeeper camp this week. Thus far, he says that the zoo smells bad and he can cross a career with wild animals off his list! We did some heavy-duty landscaping this weekend. I carried about a ton (literally) of rock and pavers, so my body is killing me today. I'll post some photos of our work-in-progress soon. We made a huge planting area around our 4 big apple trees, laid down a path with edging bricks and pea gravel and put in a small patio area to put the settee and firepit on. Needless to say, Saturday was a busy day. I was too sore to work very hard on Sunday. Instead, we hit the bookstore (I can't resist checking out a new one) and when we were leaving, we were hit by a downpour. Guess I should have checked the weather forecast, because I didn't even have an umbrella with me as I wasn't in my own car. I volunteered to run out into the parking lot to get the car and in the process I was soaked to the bone. My clothes were completely drenched and unfortunately, I was wearing white pants! Oops! White pants are very see-through when wet. At that point, I was too dripping wet and cold to care much. Besides, I was getting hungry... Don't mess with me when I'm hungry! I was having a craving for Yat's. I was hoping for the etouffee without crawfish, as I can't eat it because I'm allergic. No such luck. I did have an excellent plate of red beans and rice. Mmm... I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. In the process of tilling my flower bed on Saturday, I trashed my last pair of running shoes with about 4 inches of mud caked onto them. Therefore, I had to run out to buy a new pair of Mizuno's (not that I was too torn up about it!) And of course, what do you do when you get a new pair of running shoes, but go for a run? The dog and I hit the trail this afternoon, getting me home with enough time to spare to mow the lawn before the rain hit (again!)

This is a picture taken of me as a toddler (in the early 1970's) at my family's lake cottage. We spent many a summer weekend there when I was growing up. My grandfather bought it as a young man by saving money he earned on the side from a paper route. I think that is just amazing!

I look a bit cranky here in this picture, but I am guessing that it was very hot and I wanted to get in the water! The expression on my face reminds me of the photo I used of my son for my Saturday Photo Hunt.

I wish that my family still had the old cottage. I would have loved to have been able to take my son there. Unfortunately, my grandparents passed away many years ago and the cottage was sold. However, I am blessed with a few special photos and many precious memories.

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It's Called a Break-Up Because It's Broken In the following questions, "break-up" can refer to either the end of a romantic relationship, or of a close friendship. 1. After a hard break-up, do you tend to hold on to photos and other things that remind you of the past relationship, or do you destroy all mementos as a sort of coping experience? I lean toward dumping the mementos. 2. After a horrible break-up, wherein you feel someone's done you wrong, do you tend to let it slide and move on, or search out some revenge? Any stories you'd care to share? I don't seek out revenge, but I wouldn't say I let it slide. I may forgive but I don't forget. No stories to share- I don't kiss and tell. 3. Have you ever broken up with someone, only to wind up dating them again, or becoming friends with them again? Did this happen because one of you or something about the relationship changed? Or were you not meant to break-up in the first place? Ugh, yes I have dated someone after breaking up with them. Bad idea! Nothing changed, I was just being plain stupid. 4. Do you take the time to learn from your mistakes in different relationships and friendships after they end, or do you move on as fast as possible? I move on, but it takes some time for the learning part to take place. 5. In your opinion, is trying to stay friends with a former romantic partner after a break-up a good idea or a bad idea? It is a bad idea, or at least for me it is. I have never been friends with an ex.

1. Do you own a digital camera? Absolutely! 2. What is your camera of choice? I'm pretty pleased with my Canon Digital Rebel XT SLR 3. If you're a digital camera fan, do you print your own photos, or do you send them in to be printed? If you send them in, do you have a favorite place? I don't care to print my own. I mostly have them printed off my Flickr account, but I've used Snapfish in the past. 4. How many pictures do you take a month? Easily hundreds. 5. How many of those pictures actually get printed? Only a handful- I am way behind. 6. Are you planning on purchasing a new camera in the near future? No, but I'd be thrilled to get a new lens. 7. CHALLENGE: Go check out Favorite Five Photos and Foto Pherrets and choose just ONE photo to share. You can see my choice here

Questions for Week Number Twenty-Two: Of all the people you know, which couple most fully completes and complements each other? I'd have to say my older sister and her husband. They've been married for over 15 years and still have so much fun together. They take care of one another and still take the time to do the little things. Needless to say, I think my brother-in-law is one terrific guy! What branch of the armed services would you prefer to join? (you have to pick one) If I had to pick one, it would be the Air Force. It has been my personal experience (I was married to a Marine) that the Air Force takes the best care of their people and they have the nicest facilities, i.e. housing, PX, commissary, etc.

My Sevens Thanks to Julia for this enjoyable meme. Seven Things to Do Before I Die: 1. Visit Denmark 2. Parasail 3. Run a half-marathon 4. Print the hundreds of digital photos I have on my computer 5. Swim with dolphins 6. Storm-chase a tornado 7. Have a photo of mine in an exhibition. Seven Things I Can Do: 1. Drive a stick shift 2. Speak French (albeit rusty!) 3. Boogie-board 4. Bake bread from scratch 5. A somersault on our trampoline 6. Drink loads of coffee! 7. Type Seven Things I Cannot Do: 1. Play Euchre 2. Speak Danish 3. Repair computers 4. Play the piano 5. Read Maps 6. Read Latin 7. A swan-dive off the diving board Seven Things That Attracted Me to My Significant Other: 1. Sense of humor 2. Kindness 3. Smile 4. Joie de vivre 5. A cute little Southern twang that still comes out once in a while :-) 6. A beautiful singing voice 7. A giving spirit Seven Books I Love: 1. East of Eden by John Steinbeck 2. A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana by Haven Kimmel 3. Running with Scissors: A Memoir -- by Augusten Burroughs 4. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 5. Middlesex: A Novel by Jeffrey Eugenides 6. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe by Fannie Flagg 7. The Color Purple by Alice Walker Seven Movies I'd Watch Over and Over: 1. Out of Africa 2. Fried Green Tomatoes 3. When Harry Met Sally 4. Steel Magnolias 5. Chocolat 6. The Color Purple 7. Breakfast at Tiffany's

Are You Normal? Your Normalcy Quotient is: 41 out of 100. Your quiz results make you a Marvelous MaverickGiddy-up partner. You're a maverick and don't know what the definition of normal is. That's a-okay because you're now part of a fascinating group of desperadoes. Wherever you ride, it's sure to be off the beaten path because it's way more fun to find the path least traveled. Take this free personality test by Clicking Here>>

(¯`'•.¸(¯`'•.¸A Lizzie Quizzie!¸.•'´¯)¸.• 1. Have you ever played Ghost in the Graveyard? In a graveyard? I've certainly played, but never in a graveyard. I loved playing those games as a kid. Do kids even play these games anymore? I don't think so...that's really too bad. 2. Do you know your family background/geneology? Yes, I know it very well on both sides of my family. 3. Ever visited a real farm? Hello! I grew up in Indiana! We had field trips to farms! LOL 4. Have you ever been to a family reunion? When was the last time? Yes, most certainly. My mother's family has one every single year. The Kennedy-Duckworth Family reunion- what a name! (and no, that isn't my last name, my maiden name or even my mother's maiden name- go figure!) 5. When was the last time, if ever, you went fishing? Do you bait your own hook? I can't recall exactly when it was, but I am sure I fished with my son sometime last summer. No way do I bait my own hook. 6. Have you ever held a garage sale? How much did you make? I've never had a garage sale. I just donate all my old junk. 7. How well do you get along with your inlaws (if you are married)? Are you close to any of your exs' families? I got along well enough with the "outlaws" (aka my ex-inlaws) but it helped that we always lived far, far apart. 8. Circles or drops? (think spinning rides or rollercoasters) Drops, circles make me dizzy! 9. Do you mind being photographed? Yes, actually I do. That is why I am usually the one with the camera in my hand. 10. How well do you get along with your neighbors? My neighbors are all sweet and look out for me.

I found a wonderful new meme site, Miss Elainie, where "Every Day's a Monday" 1. The silence was so deafening that I… began speaking to fill the void. 2. The best piece of advice that anyone has ever given to me was… read to your children. 3. My very first car I ever owned was a… Suzuki Samuri 4. If I could plant but one fruit tree it would be a… cherry tree as I already have a peach and an apple tree. 5. My mechanical ability is limited to… hanging pictures on the wall (I'm not very graced in the mechanical area!)

Feed Me, Seymour What is the strongest craving you get? I get the urge to eat bread, I love it. I could never, ever go on one of those low-carb diets. Of all your favorite foods, which one would you find the most difficult to give up completely for the rest of your life? Chocolate in all of its many forms- dark chocolate bar, cafe mocha, brownies....

Beginning with the top 10 websites as listed by Web100.com, list the websites from that list that you visit most often. If there aren't seven sites in their top 10 that you feel you visit enough to list, continue on to their next set of 10, and on, until you either fill 7 slots or run out of their rankings.

1. Amazon.com
2. Internet Movie Database
3. NPR
4. Encyclopedia Britannica
5. Dictionary.com
6. Netflix
7. Consumer Reports

I'll be happy to take that in either cash or personal check with proper identification.

Review of A "Textbook-Good" Visit "I just saw . It must have taken a decade to complete the page. Well, I expected the creator to create something superior. The code is standards-compliant. What a splendid page! (...) The page contains 278 links, a stable amount. Admirable. If only my own company would have an awesome page like that. The URL has 36 characters. Not too long, or too small. Also good: put up a link to this page. Wow! The color scheme is fresh. Seeing A "Textbook-Good" Visit, I'm simply in awe. There are 109,794 characters in the file, which is a swell length for Mozilla. Magic." -- Jamie Hay, Best Links let page booster review your blog or web-page now Thanks to Cat at Sweet Memes for the link to this!

1. Newspaper :: Sunday
2. Crucify :: Cross
3. Sausage :: Brat
4. Handy :: Man
5. Cloak :: And Dagger
6. Drunk :: Hangover
7. Fuel :: Fossil
8. Caress :: Hand
9. Itch :: Scratch
10. Vehicle :: Motor

You Are Beer!

You don't need to get totally wasted when you hit the bars. More of a social drinker, you just like to have fun with your friends. And as long as the beer keeps flowing, you're a happy camper. But don't mix things up: "Beer Before Liquor, Never Been Sicker!"

I do not like beer. Yuck!

Your Body Image is 4% Unhealthy, 96% Healthy

You have a great body image. You know that no one looks perfect, and you're happy the way you are. Also, you don't judge other people on their looks... and it helps them feel better about their own bodies!

You Are 61% Indie

You're a very indie person, and admit it, you look down a little on people who strive to be normal. You'll indulge in a little mainstream pop culture every now and then. But for you, anything not indie is a guilty pleasure!

I would have never guessed that I would score this high. I do my own thing, but not in your "typical" indie way. Does that make me an indie indie?

Your Summer Ride is a Beetle Convertible

Fun, funky, and a little bit euro. You love your summers to be full of style and sun!