Give one word answers with no explanation, then tag five bloggers with the "i love your blog award"...

1. Where is you cell phone...desk

2. Where is your significant other... nonexistent
3. Your hair color... blond
4. Your mother... stresses
5. Your father... mourns
6. Your favorite thing... Almond
7. Your dream last night... sad
8. Your dream goal... security
9. Room you're in... mine
10. Your hobby... changes
11. Your fear... hops
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years... happy
13. Where were you last night... home
14. What you're not... rich
15. One of your wish-list items... reunion

16. Where you grew up... utah
17. The last thing you ate... juice
18. What are you wearing... Dolly
19. Your TV... stolen
20. Your pet... adopted
21. Your computer... slow
22. Your mood... melancholy
23. Missing someone... always
24. Your car... new
25. Something you"re not wearing... shoes
26. Favorite store... grocery
27. Your summer... different
28. Love someone... someday
29. Your favorite color... red
30. Last time you laughed... cried
31. Last time you cried... smiling

I am tagging Sabrina, Josh, Lindsay M, Karen, Blockburgers

Me, In 3's

I've been tagged. The task is to list things in 3's, namely:

Joy-joys

1. Snuggling

2. Text messages
3. Grocery shopping

Fears

1. Facial disfigurement
2. Unemployment
3. Bunnies

Goals

1. Stop renting
2. Write a book
3. Laser hair removal

Obsessions

1. Music
2. Making lists

3. Dolly Parton

Surprising facts about me
1. I have O-negative blood (i think)

2. I want to marry a canadian

3. Kangaroo is my favorite zoo animal

I'm tagging Lauren C., Brandon F., and Laura D.

Ocean Park, WA

We have a really beautiful country. The last few years I've tried to experience my 4th's of July in areas other than Salt Lake. I figure if I'm celebrating this great land, I oughta know what's here.
I went to Knoxville in 2004 and enjoyed their firework traditions with Billy, Teresa and Chandler (pre-Brielle). Let me tell you the excitement that comes from cramming hundreds of thousands of rednecks beneath the Sunsphere. They had a lot of live music, dead animals, body odor and a shaved ice stand that made my whole trip worth-while.
I went to Seattle in 2006 and watched fireworks over Puget Sound. It was cool to see all the sailboats anchored out in the water, floating on the fireworks' reflection.
This year, I went back to Washington state but this time I was on the coast. Long Beach Peninsula is 25 miles long, 2 miles wide and very fun!

Welcome to Ocean Park

The Long Beach parade was actually quite impressive. I wish I'd taken pictures of their synchronized grocery cart marching segment. Terry made all of us wear something funky to the parade. I don't know how Max got off so easy. Ayden was wearing a Wonder Woman wig (or something eerily similar) but wasn't happy with it.

Above: Avory, Terry, Ayden, Ryley, Jeni, me, Max.
Below: me trying to get warm...it was like 60 degrees and drizzly.

We did some of our own fireworks before dark. Ayden got scared by one of them and took off running...

He got a little braver with the smoke bombs once he saw Ryley jumping on them.

What happens when you tell five little boys they have to play inside? They turn into five little monkeys...

Ry-guy:

Ayden:

The Hammonds: (thanks for treating me to such a wonderful trip!)

Come to my bosom!

I've been enjoying a lot of concerts lately. So far this year I've seen Tally Hall & OneRepublic with Todd, Alan Jackson with Scott and am due for Sheryl Crow with Jess in August. Dolly will be in Sacramento soon and that one might be too tempting to pass-up but we'll see what the budget allows.

Now, we all know how much I adore Dolly, but I drool for only one country legend: Tim. Yes, Faith's Tim. He has "Faith" tattooed on his arm with a little heart dotting the "i" - so what! Jeni and I scored 8th row (with a price) and it was worth every penny. We passed through four lines of security personnel just to get to our seats and every time we showed them our tickets they would look at us, smile and nod - the only thing missing was the wink. But yeah, we were sumpen special. As soon as Tim took the stage, we did too. We got up close and not-quite-as-personal-as-we'd-hoped for but still touched the man! He would come by and reach down to us earthlings every so often. Jeni's arm is longer than mine and she kept blocking my chance and taking all the love for herself! He would grab her hand, skip over mine and grab the next tall hand. I finally triumphed by jumping and reaching as high as I could and grabbing his wrist, just above his right hand. Joy!

Yes, this is for real:

I didn't even have to zoom to take this picture.

There's that stupid Faith tattoo. I'm not worried about it though because he has enough money to get it laser-removed later.


Hold on, it gets better...


Possibly the best picture I've ever taken:

Princess Quiz

My mom suggested I post a picture of me. Here I am:

You Are Megara!

Charming and witty. You are always the first person to come up with a wisecrack. Sure, you have an attitude, but that's why people love you. You keep them on their toes. Sometimes you can be misleading, but always end up doing the right thing for the people you love.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

The Weepies

...are finally putting out a new album, hideaway, on April 22. Yes!

Plug for Dolly

Dolly's new album, Backwoods Barbie, will finally hit shelves Tuesday 26. I'm so excited! I've already listened to it and it is g-hood! I hope all of you will give it a try. It will be available on iTunes if you want to start light - with just a song or two. She does a fun cover version of Drives Me Crazy which will be familiar to everyone.
A few people have asked me, "Why Dolly?"
I think my love for Dolly stems from the fact that, contrary to her plastic appearance, she is absolutely genuine! I learned this by listening to interviews. She is funny! Better than this? She is NICE! As Dolly says, "I hope people realize there is a brain beneath the hair and a heart beneath the boobs." So true.
This isn't my favorite Johnny Carson interview with Dolly, but it still shows her cute personality. Carson loved Dolly. In fact, after her first time on the show, reviews were so great that she was invited to come back in less than a month's time. Pretty impressive.


Isn't she fabulous? I hope you enjoyed her!
This next interview is a bit longer, but it's recent. It recaps a lot of the things she's accomplished in the years since the Carson days. She's such a good person:

Weirdness

Maats "tagged" me and the name of the game is list six quirky things about yourself. As I am a fan of all things self-promoting (or self-degrading) I happily take part in this exercise.

1. When I was 6, my favorite movie was The Thorn Birds (technically, it’s a miniseries). It's about a Catholic priest who falls in love with a little girl, waits for her to grow up, then renounces his commitment to God in order to “be with her”. I watched this repeatedly. This no doubt raises a couple of questions: A.) Where was Mr. Rogers when all this was going on, and 2.) What sort of parents set up the VCR for their kindergartner to watch this? While this is not a "quirk" per se, I have no doubt it made some sort of lasting impression on me.
   

2. I've adopted a bad habit of getting up and leaving on a moment’s notice. My family has commented on my untimely and tactless exits from various get-togethers. I’ve offended several of them. Perhaps this is why my mother found it necessary to give me a tutorial on how to warn my host/hostess of this departure several minutes before it happens. If you're reading this, consider this your "warning".
   

3. I have what some refer to as an unnatural fascination with Dolly Parton. I will not take the opportunity to defend myself at this time. There will be plenty of time for this in the next couple of weeks as I promote her newest album, Backwoods Barbie, due in stores February 26. *wink, wink*
   

4. I don't wear deodorant. Wait! Before you navigate away from my page, let me explain. I really don't have a malodorous problem - I promise. My mom would have said something about it by now. She's not shy about these things ("Your hair looks like a rat's nest." etc.), so I'm sure she wouldn't mind saying I smell like one, if I did. What about an antiperspirant, you ask? When I work up a sweat playing sports or whatever, usually it's my face that gets hot. I'm not going to lather my face in deodorant, so don't go there.
   

5. I’m unable to sleep if my feet are cold or if I’m wearing socks. It’s a vicious cycle.

6. I deal with my suicidal tendencies by placing an order online through Zappos.com. Waiting for my merchandise to arrive in the mail gives me something to live for - just long enough for the suicidal thoughts to pass. Subsequently, I have a lot of shoes.

I’m kidding, folks! It's called retail therapy.
TAG!: Katie, Marielle and Shannon.

Heaven Forbid I End Up Alone

Can you sum up your entire life story in six words? There's a new book that hit the shelves today called, Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-word Memoirs. It is a compilation of responses people gave to the above question. I am hooked! Responses are so poignant - I had no idea how much you could piece together about a person in so little space. First, watch this:

You were counting the words, weren't you? There are always six. I checked.

Here are some of my favorite, unpublished six-word "memoirs":

• Cared too much, did too little.
• Five minus one, still a family.
• Not what you think - look closer.
• Aloof? No, just a bit deaf.
• I, I, I, I, I, you.
• I look much taller in words.
  
• Traveled the world, found no home.
• Unpredictable despair, frequently interrupted by joy.
• Had little baggage, found traveling companion.
• I want your life, damn it!
• Whipsawed by calamity, yet stubbornly optimistic.
• Not as blonde as I look.

If you haven't figured it out yet, the title to this post was what I came up with for me. But I'm warning you now, you won't be able to stop thinking of new ones. I have a whole list of them now, but I want to hear what YOU (and husbands, and wives, and children) come up with. Please comment.

Teahupoo (Tay-uh-cho-poo)

i hope to go to tahiti someday to watch people surf teahupoo. it's the heaviest, prettiest wave in the world, in my opinion.

other favorite waves:
Pehai also known as "Jaws" - Hawaii (Maui)
Pipeline - Hawaii (Oahu)
Mavericks - California

favorite surfers:
laird hamilton
rob machado
andy irons
kelly slater
mick fanning
joy magelssen - (used to live with her.)

My Face

i found this picture. such dear memories. i've broken my nose six times and had two surgeries. i've also knocked out my front teeth four times. if you're thinking that perhaps there was an instance when i broke my nose and knocked my teeth out at the same time, you'd be wrong. which means, there have been at least ten times when some sort of object has felt the need to strike me within the same one inch radius of my face.
just thought you'd like to know. and whoever gave me the tootsie rolls, thank you.

1. Were you named after anyone? Erin Rose after my grandma, Rosa Mae.

2. When was the last time you cried? I wish i had an answer for this - but really, i can't remember.

3. Do you like your handwriting? my handwriting changes on a daily basis. some days i'm like, "yeah! i'm on!" and other days it's very average. i've found it mostly depends on the pen.

4. What is your favorite lunch meat? Turkey for sure.

5. Do you have kids? No

6. If you were another person would you be friends with you? I might think i'm sort of a snot. But actualy, i tend to have a lot of bratty girlfriends...so yeah, i'd probably be my best friend.

7. Do you use sarcasm a lot? used to. then i realized it is the lowest form of humor and has completely saturated our society so i have tried to cut back.

8. Do you still have your tonsils? yes, and they are killing me tonight.

9. Would you bungee jump? no! bungee jumping freaks me out more than sky diving.

10. What is your favorite cereal? i gravitate toward the sugar cereals that shred the roof of your mouth: Cap't Crunch Berries, Fruit Loops, Apple Jacks...you know the type.

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? never. i tie my shoes once - right after i buy them - and they stay in those ties until they expire.

12. Do you think you are strong? no

13. What is your favorite ice cream? mint chocolate chip (not the big hard chunks of chocolate though. it has to be the small flaky-like chocolate).

14. What is the first thing you notice about people? Probably their hair

15. Pink or Red? RED

16. What is the least favorite thing about yourself? any hair other than what's on my head.

17. Who do you miss the most? my friend, greg miles.

18. Pearls or Jeans? guess.

19. What was the last thing you ate? marti's meatball sandwich.

20. What are you listening to right now? oh my gosh! CLICK HERE. it will make you cry.

21. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Razzle Dazzle Rose, of course.

22. Favorite smells? people i like.

23. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? Dad

24. Favorite sports to watch? college football

25. Hair color? Highlighted blonde

26. Eye color? GREEN

27. Do you wear contacts? no

28. Favorite food? salt

29. Scary movies or happy endings? happy endings

30. Last movie you watched? Once

31. What color shirt are you wearing? green

32. Summer or Winter? Actually I like spring and fall. But if I had to choose just between summer and winter it would be summer.

33. Hugs or Kisses? yes, please.

34. Favorite dessert? rice krispie treats

35. What book are you reading now? two books: The Alienist and Possible Side Effects.

36. What did you watch on TV last night? nothing

37. What is on your mouse pad? RxAmerica logo

38. Favorite sound? my phone telling me there is a text message

39. Rolling Stones or Beatles? Beatles

40. What is the farthest you've been from home? Scotland

41. Do you have a special talent? so many! i don't even know where to begin. :-)

42. Where were you born? St. Marks Hospital

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Blue

You're blue — the most soothing shade of the spectrum. The color of a clear summer sky or a deep, reflective ocean, blue has traditionally symbolized trust, solitude, and loyalty. Most likely a thoughtful person who values spending some time on your own, you'd rather connect deeply with a few people than have a bunch of slight acquaintances. Luckily, making close friends isn't that hard, since people are naturally attracted to you — they're soothed by your calming presence. Cool and collected, you rarely overreact. Instead, you think things through before coming to a decision. That level-headed, thoughtful approach to life is patently blue — and patently you!

Take this test >

hi. so basically this says i'm anti-social. okee dokee with me. so i'm going to the Oprah Winfrey Show in a week and a half. i was supposed to meet dolly parton - my hero - but there was some sort of scheduling problem and now she won't be there. doh! but i still get to go to the show in chicago and then if they are able to get dolly rescheduled they will call me and give me tickets to that show, too. keeping my fingers crossed!

who is delta goodrem?

guess what this is from:
"yeah, i don't really like talking about my flare..."
i watched this movie today. it's one of my favorites.
while you're thinking about that, please check out andy mckee. he is amazing!

everyone i know is really into blogging. it is for this reason i have chosen not to blog. i think i'm a little scared to compete. i think this whole blogging thing has gotten out of control. like text messaging. but actually i like texting, probably because i hate talking on the phone. see, texting allows me to communicate with someone without giving them my full attention. i can hold multiple conversations at once or sometimes i go all day without texting. it just depends on my mood and if the person i'm thinking about has text messaging capabilities. i know some people "don't get it", but it's really not that complicated. it's like this - it's convenient because sometimes you really don't have anything to say, you're just bored. so you shoot someone a quick ":-)" and it makes everyone happy. who doesn't like to get a ":-)" every once in a while?