End of year wrap-up
1. What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before?
Bought alcohol legally.

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions and will you make more for next year?
The only one I made was to spend more time with Ben, which was easier once he moved back home. My resolutions are to lose weight, get some stuff published for my portfolio and go to church more often.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My sister Lorrie gave birth to her second daughter, Hannah Mae on September 28th

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My sister Lorrie’s childhood friend Elizabeth lost her mother in January

5. What countries did you visit?
None.

6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?
Motivation.

7. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
May 21st, when Ben graduated from college.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Finishing a beautiful baby blanket for my new niece (I set my standards low!)

9. What was your biggest failure?
Getting the lowest grade I’ve ever received in college.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Colds and stuff, nothing serious.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My car!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
All the wonderful people I met through Soliya (check it out on soliya.net)

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
My bitchy former roommate, who cheated me out of money.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Car, rent, gas, school, food, yarn, clothes, alcohol.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Hannah Mae! Since Lorrie announced she was pregnant in January we’ve all been trying to guess the sex of the baby. What a wonderful surprise!

16. What song will always remind you of 2005?
All You Need Is Love by The Beatles

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
More mature, more confident, and just plain happier!

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Hanging out with my girlfriends, exercising, enjoying the outdoors.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Being a bum, sitting inside, fighting with Ben, worrying about money.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
At home with family.

21. Did you fall in love in 2005?
Umm… yes with Hannah and stayed in love with my Ben.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
Grey’s Anatomy

23. Do you dislike anyone now that you liked this time last year?
Tom Cruise, seriously what is his deal??

24. What was the best book you read?
It’s a tie: The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck and Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Old country songs I used to love as a kid and the old Michael Jackson stuff (before he got weird).

26. What did you want and get?
I wanted to live in a better house with nice people and I got WAY more than I expected!

27. What did you want and not get?
I wanted an ipod for Christmas…kind of a pipe dream, though.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
ummm… maybe Sin City, but I can't remember any others...

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Got really REALLY drunk with my best girlfriend and a few others for my 21st!!

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not having to live with my old roommate and/or winning the lottery.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?
Same as last year: clean, classic, mostly modest and lots of sweatshirts for school days.

32. What kept you sane?
KNITTING and my wonderful boyfriend.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
umm….

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
The fact that our president is an idiot.

35. Who did you miss?
Jennifer, my best girlfriend and old roommate, who I never get to see as often as I’d like!

36. Who was the best new person you met?
I’ve got two: Austen, who has become my best house buddy and George, my Soliya partner from Egypt.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005.
George taught me that different doesn’t mean wrong.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
There's nothing you can do that can't be done.
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung.
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game
It's easy.
There's nothing you can make that can't be made.
No one you can save that can't be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be in time
It's easy.All you need is love, all you need is love

Five things that 2005 taught me:
1. Acceptance is a bigger issue than I had previously thought.
2. School is harder than I thought.
3. Managing money is harder than I thought.
4. I need my girlfriends for more than just future bridesmaids.
5. Treating others as you would be treated does not guarantee they will treat you the same way.

Five personally significant events of 2005:
1. March 24th, our 1 year anniversary
2. May 9th, my 21st birthday
3. May 21st, Ben’s graduation
4. July 23rd, the day I got my new car!
5. September 28th, Hannah’s arrival

Five things I want to do in 2006:
1. Lose some weight.
2. Balance my checkbook.
3. Graduate!!
4. See more of my friends.
5. Get a “real” job after graduation!

Five things I don't want to do in 2006:
1. Gain weight.
2. Balance my checkbook.
3. Say goodbye to more friends.
4. Play it safe.
5. Have regrets

Night Out with the Girls

Spent last night chatting and knitting with the lovely ladies of the Quad Cities SnB at the Bettendorf Library coffee shop. If you don't already attend their weekly meetings, you should! They had me giggling so much the two hours simply flew by (and so did 34 rows on the sleeve of my Peppermint Sweater). They're meeting again on Monday, Jan 2nd at the new Yarn Shoppe so check it out!

Speaking of sweaters, I recieved my Christmas sweater still in yarn form. It's lovely chunky undyed wool that longs to be dipped in KoolAid, microwaved, and knit into this sweater

So comfy!

Next weekend I'll be testing my KoolAid dyeing skills out and document the process for ya'll.

Holiday Knit pictures as soon as humanly possible!

Soap Box

Warning, no real knitting content:

The bright and delightful Stephanie said something amazing the other day about Christmas which felt like she stole the words right out of my mouth (you have to scroll down a little past the pictures).

Now Christmas is one of my favorite holidays, even though it comes right after finals, I never get all my cards out on time, I never have enough time/money to get the ones I love the things they deserve, and I'm usually stressed to the max the week before. I love the snow and presents and cookies and the music and all the little twinkle lights. It's all tacky and wonderful. And most of all, love going to church at midnight and symbolically* celebrating the birth of my Savior...

BUT...

I do NOT like people who use this celebration as a chance to parade their piety. I DO not like it when Christmas starts the day after Thanksgiving and lasts until New Year's. I do not like all the commercialization and insincerity. I DO NOT like people who think that Christmas is the only holiday that should be celebrated in December.

I will respect any way anyone else choses to mark this holiday, but you MAY NOT expect me to do the same. We live in a plural society. The best way to fight for freedom is to accept and respect other ideas. NO ONE is totally right, but just because your neighbor is different from you does not mean he is wrong. There is a lot of grey area in which we can all live in peace.

Stephanie recieved some hate mail about her comments (see the next post), but really I'm not suprised. There will always be the fundamentalists who believe that violence is the only way to get their way. She's right, you are not entitled to your opinion if that opinion is a hate crime.

And yeah, I'm okay with being accused to being intolerant of bigots and racists, too. You go, girl.


*No, I don't believe that December 25th is literally when Jesus was born. Sorry.

Manic Monday

Here I am, finals week. Where did the semester go?

Just a quick pic of the Manly Scarf for my friend who is graduating:

yes yes, it is manly.

Must get back to writing papers, studying and generally having a blast (NOT!) More on my x-mas projects on Wednesdy (aka: when all this school crap is over!).

That's what ya get

for being the only knitter in the family. My projects are starting to become overwhelming. I've decided to scratch the tote from my list and make mom a pretty scarf instead. The tote can wait until her birthday in Feburary.

So along with that addition, I've decided to make my "I've-Got-Everything" friend a manly scarf for his graduation next week. Here's the yarn:

Manly, no?

I'm working hard to finish up a scarf and earmuff for myself because baby, it's COLD outside!

We're supposed to get 3-5 more inches today.

But here's proof that I've acutally been doing my homework:

And that's not the half of it...

Finals count: 1 test, 1 paper done; 2 tests, 2 papers to go!

Wish me luck!

 

KAL update

PICTURES! Here's what I've been doing for the Holiday Knit-Along:


A ribbed scarf in Cascade Wool for my friend Jennifer (I hope she's not reading this!) Needs blocking.


A drop-stitch scarf for my sister Lorrie, new to the list as of five minutes ago. I made this for myself, but Lorrie liked it so much I decided to give it to her (does that count?) Anyway, I'll make another for myself and let her have this one. Also needs blocking



This is not on my Holiday knitting list, but it's the bag I made for my mom's friend Jan. It turned out ALOT smaller than I imagined, but it's cute and felty and I know she'll love it. Still wants a button, however.


Did you see that in the corner of the last shot? This is what I'm supposed to be working on, my papers for finals week. I'm up to my elbows in this stuff....

TEN random things you might not know about me.
1. I have a small family, and almost every member lives in Iowa.
2. I learned to knit two years ago this January. I still have yet to finish a sweater.
3. My favorite books of all time are the Laura Ingalls Wilder series.
4. I re-read books a lot. Especially the ones I grew up reading.
5. I prefer Pepsi over Coke and here-abouts we call it “pop”.
6. I’ve attended 3 colleges, but one doesn’t count because I was still in high school.
7. I fainted the last time I had to get a shot at the doctor's office.
8. I LOVE GARTH BROOKS. Can’t wait until he comes back to us.
9. I have a weird obsession with office supplies.
10. I waited until I was 16 to get my ears pierced. And I did it so I could wear earrings to my boyfriend’s prom.

NINE places I’ve visited
1. Virginia Beach, VA
2. Disneyland (only time in a plane)
3. Washington D.C.
4. Galveston Island, TX
5. Chicago, IL
6. Door County, WI
7. St. Paul, MN
8. Rocky Mt. Natl Park
9. Yellowstone Natl Park

EIGHT ways to win my heart
1. Read and enjoy books.
2. Begin your sentences with capitol letters and end them with a punctuation mark.
3. Give me hugs for no reason.
4. Read the newspaper and know what’s going on in the world.
5. Fight with me, but let me win the argument.
6. Greet dogs with a “puppy” voice and talk to them like they can respond.
7. Fly me out of the country. I don’t care where.
8. Know how to “sickle” (scratching + tickling) .

SEVEN things I want to do before I die
1. Travel to Europe.
2. Write a book.
3. Watch the Chicago Cubs win the World Series (not just on TV, like, I wanna BE there).
4. Have a library in my house, not just bookshelves, a whole room of books.
5. Have a baby and watch it grow.
6. Fly a plane.
7. Marry my best friend.

SIX things I’m afraid of
1. Needles and blood and anything that has to do with doctor’s offices.
2. Swimming in dark, open water (aka: the ocean or big lakes).
3. Disappointing my parents.
4. Passing semi-trucks on the highway.
5. Walking alone in the dark. Even inside.
6. Choking on my food.

FIVE things I don't like
1. People who don’t know why they believe what they believe or “can’t explain it”.
2. Cotton balls.
3. Cheap BIC pens.
4. Bad grammar.
5. Red meat.

FOUR ways to turn me off
1. Interrupt me or say something rude and inappropriate.
2. Subscribe to small-minded stereotypes.
3. Be stubborn or try to control me.
4. Use the word “ain’t”.

THREE Things I do everyday
1. Daydream.
2. Sing.
3. Brush my teeth twice and floss (okay, not every SINGLE day, but almost).

TWO things that make me happy
1. Laughing.
2. Being with people I love.

ONE thing on my mind right now
1. The fact that I didn't floss yet today.