Question #24

Describe a place you like to go to be alone.

I love to go to the library. I know. I'm a total nerd. The library is the very best place to go & catch up on all my entertainment magazines. I can read them all & I don't have to buy a subscription. And while I am there, I can check me out a new book. Nothing beats the quiet too. It is so serene. Kobe & I go there about once or twice a week after school & we have a lot of fun. But my favorite time to go to the library is mid morning. Nobody is there. I am like one of the only people there. I also love to get on the computer & check out all of the book club lists. I always get books off of these & they are books I never would have chosen on my own. It just gives me a different outlook.

Another place that I like to go alone (sometimes) is the temple. Riley & I usually go together, but sometimes it is just nice to go alone. I like to get Kobe ready for school & go to the 9:15 session when Riley is working. It just gives me some time to think & ponder (I know, kind of a cheesy word!). I think everyone should try it at least once. It is really relaxing.

Question #23

Do you remember the first movie you ever saw & who starred in it?

I remember the first movie I ever went & saw in the theatre. It is soooo weird though. My Mom took me to the movie with her when I was only four. I totally remember the whole thing. She said I sat there & watched the whole thing. The movie is "Yentl". Ever heard of it?? Didn't think so! It was in the theatres in like 1984. It is a total grown-up movie. It is not bad or anything, just sorta boring for a kid. No bright lights, quirky characters, or silly music. The movie starred Barbra Streisand. She was the main character. She was a Jewish girl or disguised herself as a boy to enter religious training. Women were not treated the same & were not given the opportunity to go for more schooling. She wanted all of that so she went undercover. I really don't remember how it ended or anything. I should rent it & see what I think of the movie as an adult. Who knows?? I might still like it. (Or I could really really hate it!!)

Happy Birthday!

I just wanted to tell Little Riley Happy Birthday!! I hope you have the funnest day. We can't wait til we see you again. We are going to take him to "Diary of a Wimpy Kid". It will be totally fun. We love you so very much!! Kobe says:

Happy Birthday to you

you live in a zoo,

You look like a monkey,

& you smell like one too!!

Question #22

Describe getting a Christmas tree as a child. When did you put it up & decorate?

We used to always go get a real tree at Allied. They had a section outside during the winter with real Christmas trees. It was by the barber shop (Some of you Murrayites might remember). We would search & search 'til we found just the right tree. My parents loved to find really big beautiful trees. My Mom likes flocked trees. So we would find the tree, then they would flock the tree right in front of us. I loved to watch them do it. I loved the smell of being in the tent with all the real trees. We would buy the tree the first part of December. We would set up the flocked tree in our living room. My Mom has lots of really old, very pretty ornaments. There was a lot of beads on it. We also had a tree in our downstairs. The one downstairs was a big artificial tree. We would put all the little ornaments that were homemade & cute. We always had such a fun time putting up the trees. I have kept a lot of these traditions with my own family. I like to put up multiple trees. I think Kobe has a fun time doing it too. We have different themes on the trees. All of our trees are artificial. I like to decorate the fake tree's better. Much easier. The sagging branches on the real trees bothers me. I do love the smells from the real trees, but I guess that's what the sprays & candles are for. I don't think they are quite as good, but they come pretty close. I hope that as Kobe grows up he will have sweet memories of his childhood as I do. I want him to look back & remember our traditions. Hopefully he will continue some of them with his own family one day.

Question #21

Did you have a favorite tv program as a child? Tell about it.

Oh boy. Did I ever. I totally remember all the shows I loved to watch. Some of those shows I have talked to others about & no one remembers them. They were so fun & silly. Looking at some of the pictures of them makes me laugh. They really look so dorky.

The Polka Dot Door

This show was about a door that you would look through & learn new things, like how crayons are made & stuff. I remember it always had two people hosting & different puppets around. But the puppets would never really talk.

Today's Special

This show took place in a department store. Jodi was the store manager. There was a mannequin named Jeff that would come to life when you said "Hocus Pocus Alamagocus". The security officer was a puppet named Sam. And there was a puppet named Muffy. I remember she would always ride her scooter around.

He-Man Master of the Universe

He-Man was da bomb. It's funny because Kobe had now seen a new He-Man. I have rented the original He-Man at the library. I watched it with him & I thought it was so funny. The theme song is so cheesy!! Kobe liked it though. She-Ra was pretty cool too.

Zubilee Zoo

My sister & I used to watch this show every Saturday. It was about animals (that looked like humans). I remember I loved the kangaroo. I think her name was Wazzut or something. (She is the pink one in front)

Rainbo Brite

I thought she was the cutest. I totally loved her style. I remember she used to ride a flying unicorn. I can't remember her little puffy friends name. Let me know if you remember.

Full House

I loved you Uncle Jesse. I even used to have a poster of him on my wall. He was a major hunk. I never missed an episode. Remember TGIF? I loved all of those shows. Step by Step & Family Matters. They were great too!

Quantum Leap

I liked this show when I was in junior high. Sam was the main character. He would travel through time & become someone else who needed him. It was kind of a confusing story line, but I loved it. I actually saw an episode on tv the other day. It was kind of a show before its time. They tried to do a lot of special effects. It thought it was fun & entertaining.

These are just some of the shows I used to watch. If you have any others faves let me know! I would love to know what they are. It was a lot of fun going back through time. What a memory trip!

Queation #20

What do you fantasize about doing or being?

There are so many things that I would love to do. When I was younger there were so many different careers that I wanted to do. I didn't want to pick just one. At one time I really wanted to be a marine biologist & work at Sea World (gotta admit, kinda glad I didn't pursue that one!) I thought it would be so fun to live & work by the ocean. It's weird to me that I wanted to do that because I am so wimpy when it comes to touching anything under water like. Yuck. It's just so slimy. Then I wanted to be a lawyer. I am so not smart enough. And I think that I am too honest. When I was in high school I wanted to be a "designer to the stars". I wanted to live in Hollywood & decorate their giant mansions. But the #1 thing that I have fantasized about being has always been to be an entertainment reporter. That would totally be my dream. I am an entertainment junkie. Guiliana-I want your job. I think it would be so fun to ask celebrities all kinds of questions. I read all the mags & watch all the shows. You would have the funnest job & make major $$$. Ahhhh, how would it be??

Question #19

How did you feel about school?

School. I even hated to say the word. I really did not like going. I loved going & hanging with friends & the social part. I just hated sitting there in class learning stuff that I really did not care at all about. I totally wish I could go back & take my studies more seriously. I never did homework & I still got pretty good grades. My GPA was like 3.7 or 3.8 & I think if I would have tried harder I could have done a lot better. School really was fun, I don't know why I didn't want to be there all the time. I wish I could go back & tell myself to just enjoy the moment. Soak it all up & learn as much as you can. I remember I would always call my Mom & tell her to come & get me. Luckily for sports I had to be there or I wouldn't play. That saved me from a lot (more anyways!) of unexcused absenses. I wish I would have decided what I wanted to do for a career before I graduated. That way you don't have to waste a lot of time in college jumping from degree to degree. I want to try & push Kobe to figure it out ahead of time. President Hinckley once said "You have an obligation to make the most of your life. Plan now for all the education you can get, & then work to bring to pass a fulfillment of that plan. . . I am not suggesting that all of you should become professional men. What I am suggesting is this: whatever you choose to do, train for it. Qualify yourselves. Take advantage of the experience & learning of those who have gone before you in whatever field you choose. Education is a shortcut to proficiency. It makes it possible to leapfrog over the mistakes of the past." So far so good with Kobe. He is loving going to school every day. Hopefully he won't turn into me & start hating it!! Maybe one day, I'll go back & get my teaching degree. I would love to be a first grade teacher. It sounds like so much fun.

"Seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith." (D&C 88:118)

PARTY TIME

Happy Happy Birthday my sweet boy! Today Kobe is 7 years old. Where oh where did the time go??? Kobe-We love you so much. You make our lives so much better! Have a super fun day! Yesterday we had a Star Wars themed friend b-day party. He had a total blast. Today he is choosing to go eat at Italian Village. It is his fave restaurant. Bring on da benders!!

Question #18

What can frighten you the most? Why?

Let's face it. I am a big chicken. There are so many things that scare me. I would say the one thing that bothers me the most is ghosts. I am totally freaked out & afraid that I will see one. I always think I see stuff out of the corner of my eye. Scary movies & tv shows really get to me. But for some reason I still watch them. Weird. There is this one show that shows about real hauntings. The scariest one that I watched was about young boy who got possessed. I seriously have anxiety from watching it, but it is so interesting. When I was a kid I would sleep over at my cousins all the time & we watched tons of scary movies. The one that scared me the most (& it still freaks me out to this day) is The Exorcist. I totally hated that movie. I made my sister hold my hand the whole might. Everyone just laughed at me. We all thought it was so funny. I just hate thinking about demons & ghosts. When I was young, the weather really bothered me. I hated rain storms. I was always afraid our house was going to flood. I am also really afraid of someone breaking into my home & harming me & my family. When Riley is gone at night, I always have Kobe sleep in my bedroom. I always think that I hear stuff. I know that I am just scaring myself, but I just can't help it. Hopefully one day I will grow out of all this stuff!!