This is a dumb post.

Okay, don't get all excited. It's a list. But a list I found on another blog and thought it would be an easy get-back-in-to-my-blog post. So, I hope it's not completely boring to you. :)

.....Okay, I just finished this and THIS is exactly why I have a hard time blogging. The pictures seem to work differently every time. GRR!!! I WILL figure this out. (I think it would help if I were any one bit consistent about blogging. I wouldn't have to relearn the same things over and over again every time I made a post.)

Here goes...

1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink - Never. I've never even bought myself a drink at a bar.
2. Swam with wild dolphins - Does it count that we were at the beach and there were dolphins about 10 yards away? But I wasn't technically "swimming", so maybe not.

From Beach Camping

3. Climbed a mountain - Uh, yeah. I'm from Utah. We do that kind of thing for fun there.

From August 2004

4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive - No. And honestly, I just don't get the hoopla about cars. As long as it works reliably and it's not rusted out or anything, I'm good.
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid - No, but I saw them from the flight into Cairo every time I went to Somalia in high school.
6. Held a tarantula - Being the daughter of an entomologist, it might not surprise you that we actually had a pet taratula. When I stepped on a bee, that was lost in the red/orange shag carpet, that was supposed to be in the tarantula cage, for his dinner, my mom said no more and we got rid of the tarantula.

From bugs and plants

7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone - Yep. Nuff said.
8. Said “I love you” and meant it. - If I said no here, there would sure cause a scandal amongst the family, wouldn't it?
9. Hugged a tree - Technically no. But our HOA people wanted to get rid of all the trees in our neighborhood and I rallied to stop them.
10. Bungee jumped - Yes. For college graduation, in my cap and gown.
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Seen the Northern Lights - From Prince Rupert, B.C. (on my mission)
15. Gone to a huge sports game - Half-time show at the Fiesta Bowl???
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa - We went, but it was too tippy. They don't let people go in anymore. :( But I would have if they'd let us.
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables - I'm LDS, from a big family... of course.

From in the garden

From in the garden

From in the garden

From in the garden

From in the garden

From in the garden

18. Touched an iceberg - Smithers, B.C., on a visit back to see mission friends.
19. Slept under the stars - Again, from Utah, big family, of course.
20. Changed a baby’s diaper - Five younger siblings, 4 children, and a ton of babysitting as a kid... uh, yeah. And those were probably the LEAST gross poop experiences I've had.
This is how I put her down... cute, cute.

From July

This is how I found her when let me know she was awake.

From July

This is how she was after I took the time to get the camera.

From July

Oh, this doesn't EVEN do it justice. And this was the LEAST gross... the one I took the time to grab the camera. And Samantha. Sheesh. That girl would take her diaper off and spread it EVERY-FREAKING-WHERE. Those were in the pre-digital days, so sorry, no pictures for you. (I'm sure you're heartbroken.)
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon - My mom did.
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity - It was a worthy cause and I knew it was worth the sacrifice.
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope. - Hansen Planetarium.
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment - I don't know if it was the worst, but I did a big gaffaw during Sacrament Meeting once. The person I gaffawed at might read this, so sorry I can't share any more details, sorry.
27. Had a food fight - High school... but it was pretty mild.
28. Bet on a winning horse - I've never bet on any horse, but I did got to the races once... kinda fun.
29. Asked out a stranger - No, but I've been asked out by a stranger, does that count?
30. Had a snowball fight - Sheesh. From Utah, big family... YES! But the funnest was the one in the MTC. Best. Snowball. Fight. Ever!!!
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can - Yes.
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster - One time, when I was a kid, we went to Lagoon, back when passes were like $4.95 or so. We always got there as early as possible, just as the park opened. My older siblings and I got on that roller coaster and rode and rode and rode, probably 20-30 times in a row. We were the only ones there. It was the funnest time I ever had a Lagoon. Now Lagoon is skankville. Sad.
35. Hit a home run - 3rd or 4th grade. I played short stop in the "Great Grapes" team. We wore purple t-shirts that were oh, so cool... cause that was Donny's color. Good times.
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking - The marvel would be if I ever did NOT dance like a fool or if NO ONE looked. I have fun at a dance.
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day - I think that's just silly. But I did know a girl who couldn't seem to lose her accent from her mission for well over a year. (Yeah, right!)
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment - Many times. (But I've had many not-happy-about-my-life times too.)
39. Had two hard drives for your computer - Currently.
40. Visited all 50 states - Almost
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk - When I worked Security at USU.
42. Had amazing friends - And I still do!
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country - No, but I danced with a foreigner in my country. A group from Germany was in Jackson Hole, at a resort place that Bennett and his band were playing a gig. I usually watched, but some guy took a liking to me and we had a marvelous time. He'd swing me around so fast and hard that he'd pick my feet up off the ground. I was laughing. Bennett was laughing. We had a stinking good time!
44. Watched wild whales - Date night a few years ago, for one.

From Whale Watching

45. Stolen a sign - Are you kidding? I would never steal. :)
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road trip - So many, there's no WAY I could count them. I like me a road trip. The water was REALLY, REALLY cold.

From Utah Vacation

48. Gone rock climbing - Rapelling too. My shirt got tangled in the rope half way down a 75' cliff. My date had to shimmy down the rope to untangle my shirt for me. A bit scary, but loads of fun.
49. Midnight walk on the beach - Not midnight, but very, very late. Very romantic. :)
50. Gone sky diving - No interest. I have kids.
51. Visited Ireland - That's random. No.
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love - Heck yes! I fall hard. Sure glad that part of my life is over.
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them - I'm one of that crazy people that will strike up a conversation if you're looking at me.
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow - No, but I've milked a goat lots of times and I think that ought to count, cause it's gross.
56. Alphabetized your CDs - Yes, I'm anal about stuff like that.
57. Pretended to be a superhero - While spinning around with arms open wide... WONDER WOMAN!!!!!! and Super-twin powers... ACTIVATE!!!
58. Sang karaoke - Yes and didn't like it.
59. Lounged around in bed all day - Pretty much after every baby... I get the baby blues pretty hard for that first couple of months.
60. Played touch football - The only kind of football I've ever played.
61. Gone scuba diving - Cozumel, Mexico on our honeymoon. SO cool... but I got super cold and had to go up a little early.
62. Kissed in the rain - It wasn't near as special as it sounds like it might be... at least for me.
63. Played in the mud - I always think of making mudpies at my friend Samantha's house. I was somewhere between 3 & 5 and we were COVERED.
64. Played in the rain - I love the rain. And so do my kids.
65. Gone to a drive-in theater - On a date with a guy I didn't know all that well. He set us up, lounging in the back of his parents station wagon of sort sort. He put his arm under my neck and left it there all night. I was too shy to tell him how uncomfortable it was, so I suffered. I had a crink in my neck for several days afterward. That got me over the shyness of saying something.
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business - I was the neighborhood entepreneur. I'd buy a bag of M&M's and figuring other kids couldn't buy a whole bag, I'd open the bag and sell them individually. I made good money!
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken - Can I count the times when I was seriously smitten, but they guy didn't know it... so he never broke my heart?
69. Toured ancient sites - Chichen Itza (Is that how that's spelled?) We took a plane ride over and back, with no air conditioning. I was so hot, I was near freaking out. It was all I could do to concentrate on NOT jumping out of that plane... but then I'd have gotten the one for sky diving... so maybe I should have!
70. Taken a martial arts class - No interest.
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight - No interest.
72. Gotten married - Once, and I still am.
73. Been in a movie - No, but I was on the Dr. Phil show once. We got audience tickets and got placed on the front row. Then they called us back to come again.
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced - No plans to there!
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch - How about 5 bazillion times! When I was a kid, we'd ALWAYS burn the last batch of cookies, so we refer to burnt cookies as "Karren Cookies." I still forget about stuff in the oven.
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice - Watched several. The water was looking pretty gross and it was rather smelly. It just didn't hold the same alure once we were there.
80. Gotten a tattoo - I have 3. One is a little spot on my right knee where I got stabbed by a pencil that was in my mom's pocket when I climbed on her lap to give her a hug. OUCH!!! I was 6. The next is a little spot by my left eye where I stabbed myself with a pencil in the 2nd grade. The third is a little spot on my right plam where I stabbed myself with a pencil in 9th grade. I am happy to report that I have since learned to stop stabbing myself with pencils. :)
81. Rafted the Snake River - FUN!!!
82. Been on television news program as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason - If you get flowers, there's a reason... somebody likes you.
84. Performed on stage - California Center for the Performing Arts with the family singing a Christmas song... 5 of the last 6 years.

From Christmas show at CCAE 2005

These two gals are really tall... so I look like a midget.

From Christmas show at CCAE 2005

From CCPA Chrismas show 2007

85. Been to Las Vegas - I do NOT like Vegas. Blech! Did I ever tell you about the time I got locked in the bathroom with a hoochy-girl in a Las Vegas gas station? Ask me.
86. Recorded music - Yes, and I never like it.
87. Eaten shark - Not that memorable.
88. Kissed on the first date - Not on my actual first date, but I don't think that is what's meant here. Bennett is actually one of the few that I didn't kiss on the first date. I waited a long time to kiss... I had to make up for lost time. :)
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house - Not by myself, but we've bought, bought, sold, built, sold, sold, and bought again since being married.
91. Been in a combat zone - Somalia. But not during an official war.
92. Buried one/both of your parents - Not yet, but we were wondering a couple of months ago after Dad's emergency gall bladder removal. Scary.
93. Been on a cruise ship - Eastern Caribbean, Western Caribbean, and the Inside Passage is technically a cruise ship, but we used it for a ferry.
94. Spoken more than one language fluently - My brother makes up for me in this category. He speaks English and a bazillion different dialects of Spanish. Natives have thought he was native. I gave him all my linguistic genes.
95. Performed in Rocky Horror - Never seen it.
96. Raised children/currently raising child - Look over there -------------> (and up a bit). Aren't they beautiful??? :)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour - Hmm, do I know anyoe who does that?
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country - No, but we went on an exotic horseback riding tour in a foreign country, so I think that counts. (And if you don't, hang it in your ear.)
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over - I've wished I could several times though.
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking - I care about a lot of things, but this would NOT be one of them.
103. Had plastic surgery - I like my body just fine.
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived - 1986. Fell asleep at the wheel, ran into 4 horse trailers, 3 truck shells, and a mailbox. Walked away with a bruise on my knee from hitting the handle to roll the window up.
105. Wrote articles for a large publication - Is blogger considered a "large publication" cause I think it's pretty large.
106. Lost 100 pounds - Total? Yes, about 30 pounds per baby... 4 times. But seriously, I'm glad I've never had to.
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane - But not alone. The real pilot had his hands on the wheel too.
109. Touched a stingray - Excursion on one of the cruises.
110. Broken someone’s heart - Yes. Sorry.
111. Helped an animal give birth - I didn't really help, cause what can you do but sit there and watch it happen. But Bennett thinks he "helped" me give birth, so if he helped... I helped.
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone - I think I broke my toe waterskiing. The waves at Bear Lake were white capping and I was skiing along. My ski went under the white cap, it tore the boot right off my foot (the other one followed.) I walked 2 steps on water and my toe hurt for about a year.
114. Gone on an African photo safari - One of the coolest things I've done.
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears - I don't even have my ears pierced.
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol - My dad used to take us shooting when I was a kid. I loved it and was actually was pretty good... for a girl.
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild - People in northern B.C. are a little earthy... and they share. :)
118. Ridden a horse - We had two when I was little, Cocoa, and Bootsie. We got Cocoa for Christmas. My parents put a black plastic garbage bag of horse pies under the tree. All we could say was "Where is it!!!" We then walked down the road to the neighbors where he was and rode and rode and rode. Poor Cocoa.
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet - No, but my roommate in college did. Can I have 1/2 point?
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon - Bennett did last year with the Young Men from church.
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours - Every time I'm pregnant and a couple of times when I've been sick.
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states - I'm been to too many states.
124. Visited all 7 continents - No, but I've been to Africa, and I think that's a little unusual.
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi - Blech!!!
128. Had your picture in the newspaper - The first time because we were moving (woo-hoo) I was 5, holding my most prized possession, a profile picture that my kindergarten teacher made of me. Don't Roger and I look thrilled. This must have been some serious big-town news.

From Lori's childhood

129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about - Bennett says I can be very convincing. I say he's just a wimp. :)
130. Gone back to school - I go back every day... to pick up my kids.
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach - Definitely. We had pet cockroaches too.
And here's Esther holding a cockroach. We're really not afraid of bugs at our house... thanks to Grandpa Jay.

From USU bug lab

133. Eaten fried green tomatoes - Meh, no big deal.
134. Read The Iliad - I've started it a couple of times...
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read - Yes. I didn't read much in school. I wasn't really allowed to... per my dad. Long story. It's amazing I'm fairly educated.
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - Plenty of fish, and rabbits, lots of them. We raised rabbits for food as a kid. At one point we had 72.
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language When I was in Somalia for the summer, I was on a work crew with a Somali who was deaf and dumb... not that it mattered to me, cause I didn't speak Somali anyway. He grunted, I grunted back and we communicated pretty effectively. We never knew his name, so we called him (lovingly) "Grunt".
139. Been elected to public office - Only at Girls' State. I'm not much into politics. I'll leave that to my sister Lynette.
140. Written your own computer language - I'm not THAT geeky. Sheesh.
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream - Yes, and I lives some of my nightmares too.
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care - Aunt Boots. But I didn't really have to do it. Bennett did.
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair - Only old people dye their hair. I have highlights. :)
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head - I had a haircut in high school that the gal had to shave the back of my neck. That's pretty short... for a girl. (And no, I was not butch.)
149. Caused a car accident - Uh, yeah... more than one... of my own car. I don't think I've ever caused someone else to crash though, where I wasn't involved.
150. Saved someone’s life - Not like in a big fancy story kind of a way. But golly, I feed my kids every day and they'd die if I didn't, right?

And now that I'm finished... that wasn't easy and I don't know if it was worth it. However, I'm not going to have wasted all that time, so I'm posting. So there!