While browsing blogs earlier, I came across this over at The Happy Wonderer and decided to give it a try. It was entertaining to say the least….on to the activity.

1. MY ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car),
Regal Windstar

2.MY GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie),
Brownie Chunk Snickerdoodle (seriously?)

3. MY “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name),
N-Hum

4.MY DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal),
Blue Horse

5. MY SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born),
None Houston

6. MY STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first),
Hum-Ni

7. MY SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink),
The Purple Iced Tea

8. MY NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers),
Richard Sidney

9. MY WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ),
Gayle Paul

10. MY TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter),
Cobb Columbia

11. MY SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower).
Christmas Daisy

12. MY CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
Banana Bootie

13. MY HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree),
Yogurt Cherrywood

14. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”),
The Scrapbooking Changing Leaves Tour

Feel free to copy and do your own.

Ok, that was fun! And also a bit weird!

This was hard, because I scrapbook original layouts, I write original writing pieces (though I don’t photograph them), my children each draw or create original pieces, and I love to cook original meals. So, what to use as a picture? I chose a picture of my five kids because each one is truly an original.

If you play, please leave me a comment letting me know you did it, so I can come and visit you too!

1. I think _____.
2. I desire _____.
3. What if _____.
4. The best thing about _____.
5. When will _____.
6. The best thing that happened to me so far this week _____.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____!

Here are my answers:

1. I think I better start getting ready for Christmas because it is coming up rapidly.
2. I desire a bath with some Epsom Salts to relieve some of this lovely pain from riding yesterday.
3. What if we forgot to get something for Vanessa’s birthday today (we didn’t).
4. The best thing about having a big family is that there is never time to be bored.
5. When will my muscles stop hurting? Tomorrow? Sunday?
6. The best thing that happened to me so far this week was watching my daughter get to ride a new horse.
7. And as for this weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to celebrating Vanessa’s birthday with the family, tomorrow my plans include having a small party for her, and Sunday, I want to just relax and rest.

Appetizer
How are you today?
Uhm, I wish an answer like “great” would roll off my tongue. But I’m not exactly “great” in that I am in plenty of pain today from my experience yesterday. 

Soup
Name 3 television shows you watch on a regular basis.
Law and Order: SVU, House and Gray’s Anatomy

Salad
What’s the scariest weather situation you’ve experienced?
A tiny tornado above my house in Texas in 2000. Thankfully nothing happened.

Main Course
If you could wake up tomorrow morning in another country, where would you want to be?
Well, as of today it would be Australia, but it will change again soon. I think I would just like to travel.

Dessert
What do you usually wear to sleep?
I am in love with silk pajamas so there’s the answer.

Thirteen Reasons I Perhaps Should Have Thought This Through
(Horseback Riding That Is)

I know I said it was supposed to be the 13 Images from my teenage years, but I will do that next week. Since I forgot to post this morning, I’m getting on it now and now all I can think about is how old 34 apparently is, due to my morning trek with horseback riding. So….onto the main deal.

1. It certainly takes away from my writing and scrapbooking time. Does that matter much? No. And maybe it will give me more to write and/or scrapbook about.
2. My body is not as young as it used to be. Apparently, when I thought 30 was old when I was a little kid, I had no idea how ancient 34 is!
3. I might not be able to move for like three days. I mean, I might be wobbly now, but my trainer says that wobbly means more pain. Oh, I can hardly wait.
4. While it might feel great to walk and trot around on my horse friend Gyllian, he actually might like to keep some of his mane, so perhaps two point should wait until later.
5. When J, my trainer, tells me to keep my eyes up and not to look down at anything, perhaps I should listen to her because my fear of heights might not be strong on Gyllian but it’s still a long way down.
6. When J tells me to take my feet out of my stirrups and allow my legs to hang on the side, I should not think she has lost her mind, and I should do it, because it relaxes the muscles and actually felt heavenly!
7. When J tells me to put my feet BACK in my stirrups without looking at them, perhaps she should remember that my looking forward and feeling my way around down there, might accidentally cause me to kick or nudge Gyllian just a bit too much and we might end up going a little faster than I want to go.
8. When picking Gyllian’s hooves out, I can remember that Gyllian is gentle but his leg is heavy as hell, and when tacking Gyllian up, I must watch both front (for chomping teeth) and back (for leg kicking at me). That alone might just kill me before I get on the horse again.
9. The giggles and laughter I heard on the sidelines by my 9 year old rider and my other two (age 8 and 11), reminds me that I am not as young as I used to be.
10. Going around in circles on a course over and over again, is relaxing and really fun. Until Gyllian and I get too close to Annie and her ears go back and I have to get the heck out of there as fast as I can on a horse I’ve never ridden before!
11. I thought my horseback riding was going to be a diversion from mommyhood for a couple of hours each week, until J handed me the vacuum cleaner and told me to get to work. (I was vacuuming the horse!)
12. Gyllian might be the most expensive horse in the barn (out of like 5o horses) and she might have once been a famous champion and won like a million horse shows, but now she is retired and just as humble as I am, only she’s much smarter when it comes to what I’m supposed to be doing.
13. This might have all been a nutty decision, but at the end of the day, when I put my hand out with a peppermint candy on it, and Gyllian (a tempermental old soul) not only takes it but then licks my hand afterwards, I know I made the right decision!

Coming Next Week …. 13 Images From My Teenage Years

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Oh wow. I had no idea how bad it was going to be this morning. Horseback riding was a blast, but the pain - muscles I was certain didn’t exist in my body were used, and boy they are screaming now.

I must be super out of shape, because I have been wobbly since I stepped off Gyllian’s back.

My daughter giggled at me the whole time I was riding. Slightly jealous because I had my reins and she had to earn hers. I guess being 34, out of shape and a mom of five entitled me to my reins. Trust me, I earned them.

I suck at two point. Anyone who rides or ever rode, knows how many muscles you had no idea existed, you have to use in a two point. Yeah. Well, my muscles were just not happy about it. I did it, but not well. I preferred walking around in circles on Gyllian’s back and he did too, because it meant I wasn’t tearing his mane out. LOL

It was fun and I hope it doesn’t take forever for Thursday to arrive again. My daughter is still out at the stable and we have to go get her in a little bit. She’ll be even MORE jealous when she sees the the totally cool jodhpurs I got! hehehe. They aren’t as thick as hers and they are more comfy than work out pants (a closet staple of mine). I did get some cool paddock boots that look almost exactly like hers, only bigger. Fun, fun. I’ll post pics when one of my kids actually can handle the camera and not worry that mama’s gonna fall off.

Piece of advice:

Don’t wait until the last minute to get stuff together for a new hobby. You might realize you don’t have the proper items.

I have to go shopping after lessons today so I can actually own boots and pants for riding. Today I’m winging it. My own jeans that flair a bit at the bottom which is a huge no no in riding, Brielle and I’s trainers’ boots that are about a size too big, and a borrowed helmet. LOL  Won’t this be fun!

I’m excited and nervous all at the same time, but I am looking forward to the diversion from everyday normal life

Tomorrow is a big day for me.

I haven’t mentioned it before, because I wanted to make sure it was set in stone first. Tomorrow is my first horseback riding lesson. Yup. I am following my daughter Brielle in her love of horses. Actually, they started a mom’s lesson group, and I get to ride with one other gal. Sounds nice and cozy to me!

I haven’t been on a horse in YEARS! Like a really long time. I have missed it, but I never had formal training, so it was about hanging out at a friends ranch and riding her horses. Yes, well tomorrow I will be learning things like “heels down” and “posting trot”. I think I might have gone insane, but I am so excited I can hardly wait. Oh, and good news, Brielle will help me tack up because I might actually need it!

The best part is that I get to ride the trainer’s horse. Her name is Ali and she is gorgeous and sweet and I cannot wait.

Oh, the other best part is that my three younger girls are on cycle break so they get to see mom ride and make a fool of herself. They are equally as excited.

Wednesday Mind Hump

Today is Tool Day on the Mind Hump. Tools are all around us, so tell us your favorite or most used . . .

1. Kitchen tool: Coffee Pot or Crock Pot
2. Computer/internet tool: Easily Google.
3. Relaxation tool: Coffee and Blogs
4. Organizational tool: Books. I own dozens dealing with organization.
5. “Tool” tool (things you’d buy at a hardware store).: Phillips Head Screw Driver - I reach for it the most!

The Rules:

The rules are, there are no rules!!! All you need to do is copy and paste the above questions into your blog and add your responses. After you’ve finished, visit Blogdrive Insanity and leave a comment so we’ll know you’ve humped. Be sure your hump is linked back to http://bdinsanity.blogdrive.com so others can hump too.

Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. If one of the questions doesn’t inspire you then simply “pass” it. Just use your imagination!