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I am not sure if I ever posted this, but thought I'd share it. This is hubby and my nephew in an orignal song written by my nephew, 'I like pie'
I have to agree -- I also like pie.
Along the way we learned a few things...
* Sometimes the hotel description is correct and actually is that good.
* Geese don't feel as though they need to get out of the way of a vehicle driving on the road where they are walking in the middle.
* Don't pay for the full Colonial Williamburg tour. It is a little lame and you get more from a book than you do from a tour.
* Make reservations to the place you want to eat early.
* Bring a bottle opener with you everywhere you go.
* 10 Years can seem like minutes if you think about when you got married, but decades if you think about what you've done together in those 10 years.
* Plan a lot of time to have breakfast anywhere on Sunday morning.
We had a wonderful trip and I can't wait for the next 10 years.
On Friday I had a gift from the green chile fairy. 15 pounds of fresh, so good, perfect little chiles.
This is the letter my sister sent with the tracking number to let me know it was on the way:
I do love her. Now, I go to eat the chile... mmm... chile...
This tune has been played for commercials, cartoons and any number of random places. EVERYONE seems to know it. I heard it recently at the gym for a class. While I knew the song, I was taken back for a moment about hearing it there. Pleasant surprise, but surprised none the less.
While I was working away, I was reminded where I first learned this tune. My sister, to encourage me while daydreaming and doing some chore or task (like brushing my teeth) would sing it to me to keep me on point. It went something like this:
(Keep in mind the tune, which can be heard here) (Go about minute 3:10)
Brush your teeth, brush your teeth, brush your teeth teeth teeth
Brush your teeth, brush your teeth, brush your teeth teeth teeth
Brush your teeth, brush your teeth, brush your teeth teeth teeth
BRUSH, your teeth teeth teeth.
I wonder if this works on her kids too -- will have to ask her about that.
Do you have any songs or tunes that motivated you to do strange things?
- Mood:
silly
I do think that kids are hysterical creatures and always have the funniest things in the world to say, but not knowing how funny they are, they make them that much funnier.
I wanted to think of the things that I did when I was a kid. Since I was the kid who didn't know it was funny, I don't remember them. All I could think of is that I couldn't say Magazine.... I always said Maz-a-gine. Ricki couldn't say "lasagna" and would instead say "la-la-gna". Funny... amusing... not priceless.
Ah HA! I'll ask my mom. She had no fun stories about me, but remembered one about my sisters middle child. When he was about 5 years old, he came into the room where we stayed and very shyly and quietly asked us where our children were -- why they weren't staying there and visiting also. It was quite a trick to realize how very innocent this question was in his world view. He had the hardest time trying to figure out how his mom and I could possibly by our children. Cute... but not priceless.
My sister! Surely she has some fun stories! Seems she is busy... you know, raising the kids and getting them back to school. (Like that is a good excuse... I have a blog entry to write!)
Ok, I'll buy it.
Instead, I have to leave it to the e-mail that makes its way around the internet... here we go.
KIDS WRITE ABOUT THE SEA
1) This is a picture of an octopus. It has eight testicles.
(Kelly age 6)
2) Oysters' balls are called pearls. (James age 6)
3) If you are surrounded by sea you are an Island. If you don't have sea all round you, you are incontinent. (Wayne age 7)
4) Sharks are ugly and mean, and have big teeth, just like Emily Richardson. She's not my friend no more. (Kylie age 6)
5) A dolphin breaths through an asshole on the top of its head.
(Billy age 8)
6) My uncle goes out in his boat with pots, and comes back with crabs. (Millie age 6)
7) When ships had sails, they used to use the trade winds to cross the ocean. Sometimes, when the wind didn't blow, the sailors would whistle to make the wind come. My brother said they would have been better off eating beans. (William age 7)
8) I like mermaids. They are beautiful, and I like their shiny tails. And how on earth do mermaids get pregnant? Like, really?
(Helen age 6)
9) I'm not going to write about the sea. My baby brother is always screaming and being sick, my Dad keeps shouting at my Mom, and my big sister has just got pregnant, so I can't think what to write.
(Amy age 6)
10) Some fish are dangerous. Jellyfish can sting. Electric eels can give you a shock. They have to live in caves under the sea where I think they have to plug themselves into chargers.
(Christopher age 7)
11) When you go swimming in the sea, it is very cold, and it makes my willy small. (Kevin age 6)
12) Divers have to be safe when they go under the water. Two divers can't go down alone, so they have to go down on each other.
(Becky age 8)
13) On holidays my Mom went water skiing. She fell off when she was going very fast. She says she won't do it again because water fired right up her fat ass. (Jule age 7)
Today, I am thankful that hubby was born. He is now just as old as me.. hee hee. But I love him and hope he had a GRAND birthday.
over the weekend, we celebrated w/ HP (who I was thankful for her birth on Friday)... the party was the six of us... as usual. And as usual, it was great.
I am also very thankful for my friends.
My sister -- I love her. But because she is my sister, I have to laugh at her.
Apparently in 2001, she purchased a program that makes greeting cards. She has since become quite dependent on this thing. Apparently there are pictures she likes on this disk.
Since it is a 6 year old disk, it was getting scratched. Still, she kept using it -- even though sometimes it took some coaxing to get stuff off of it most of the time. Even though she is well aware that there were other programs that did the same thing (they may not have the same pictures... she says)
Apparently during an outing with the kids, the disk "jumped out of the disk drive" where it lived and landed on the floor, only to be rolled over by the chair -- breaking the disk.
My sister, the super tech-savvy girl, made her husband ask the tech guy at work if it could be fixed. Apparently husband did ask, and teh tech guy assured him that a broken disk could not be read again.
So... she asks me. I am the most tech savvy member of the family, but that isn't saying much. I heard once that teh FBI or CIA could get information off of disks that had been shredded. I suggested that she might want to take the reminisce of the disk to her local office to see if they could help. I am sure that they could help if she explains her fondness for image 132 of the girls birthday cake. (she didn't think this was funny)
So then she finds some poor soul on ebay who had this program. It came -- but wasn't the same thing she thought it was. When they contacted the guy back to see if he had what they were looking for (I am certain he is telling the same story somewhere in middle america), he agreed to send the other disk that he had -- in hopes it was what they were looking for. I am anxious to find out if she gets what she wants -- or if she will have to get (shutter) the 2007 version.
When we go to Disney in May (aka, awesome vacation '07), we are going to eat at a restaurant where Goofy is the "main character".
Yes, that's right folks... my guilty pleasure is eating dinner with Goofy, and I get to do it... YAY!
Here is how the story goes: Every 'Hoo down in 'Hooville Liked College a lot.
But the Grinch,
Who lived just above C-ville,
Did not.
Just to the west of Grounds, a house sits on Lewis Mountain overlooking the University. Its conspicuous presence has caused rumors and legends to develop over the years. One of the most widespread myths claims that Massachusetts resident Theodor Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss was an an Albemarle County resident who lived in the house or that it is the home of the Grinch who stole Christmas in Geisel's famous tale. Although many University myths surround the house, it plays a significant role in the Charlottesville community.
Known locally as the Lewis Mountain house or Kearny's House, after its first owner Brig. Gen. John Watts Kearny, the construction was completed in 1909 by local architect Eugene Bradbury. According to Architecture Prof. Richard Wilson, Around this time, Bradbury also built several University buildings, such as St. Paul's Church on the Corner, the Women's Center by the railroad tracks and a few others off Rugby Road, including what is now the Alpha Delta Pi sorority house, built in 1915.
Bradbury used local granite and hand-cut stone from the mountain to construct the mountain house. The landscaping was designed by Warren H. Manning, a famous landscaping architect from Boston. He also planned out the two-and-half-mile driveway that twists its way up the mountain, according to a 1974 article in The Cavalier Daily by Robert Husbands.
Throughout the house's lifespan, no owner ever attended or was affiliated with the University. The first owner, Kearny, lived in the house from its construction in 1909 until his death July 29, 1933. Educated in Europe, trained at West Point and a graduate of Columbia Law School, Kearny served in the Kentucky legislature as well as the National Guard in New Jersey, according to Husbands's article. His lineage furthered his prestige. Gen. Philip Kearny, his father, was a Civil War hero with personal ties to Gen. Robert E. Lee, despite Lee's devotion to the Confederacy and Kearny's to the Union. Philip Kearny was also the first American to receive the cross of the Legion of Honor from France. His grandfather, Gen. Stephen Watts Kearny, was a famous general who conquered parts of New Mexico and California, according to Husbands's article.
After Kearny's death, the house was purchased for approximately $50,000 by a monastic order named the Society of the Precious Blood. During their residency, the monks built a vineyard on the property. The house served as not only an oasis and retreat from the temptations of society but a "training ground for priests" as well, the article said.
In 1950, the house was purchased by J. Deering Danielson, an international lawyer. His stay lasted less than a year before Danielson sold the house to Thomas Campbell, a New York lawyer and South Carolina native, according to a University Journal article by Andrea Dickens. Campbell attended Yale in the early 1920s, where he briefly held the world record in track for the half mile. He later attended Columbia Law School, the same graduate choice as previous owner, Kearny, according to Husbands's article.
Campbell lived in the house with his wife, Julia, and two sons, Everett and Courtenay and, despite rumors, had no relation to the Campbell's Soup Company. While living there, he added his own personal touches, even installing a telescope in order to watch baseball games on Lambeth field. He also imported Italian mantels to decorate the house's interior. Campbell designated part of the mountainside as a park, according to Husbands's article.
After Mr. Campbell's death in 1971, Mrs. Campbell retained ownership of the house. In the years following her husband's death, she did not grant public interviews, saying the house was privately owned and a no trespassing zone.
"Students use the road to the summit as a running trail, and area high school students enjoy the area as a favorite 'parking' place," Leeny Kelly wrote in a 1979 article for The Declaration.
According to fourth-year College student and University Guide John Moran, tour groups often assume the house is Monticello, but Jefferson did not build Monticello overlooking the University. The Lewis Mountain house "was put on the hill to dominate, not to be a Monticello replica by any means," Wilson said. "Although it has Jeffersonian ideals and architectural details, it was certainly not any attempt to be a Jeffersonian replica."
Moran said each U-Guide puts their own personal touches into a tour, but he sticks with the story of Dr. Seuss. According to Moran, Geisel applied but was not accepted to the University, and he built the house overlooking 'Hooville. In turn, Moran said this inspired his book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Another U-Guide fable is that a Virginia Tech alumni built the house in order to look down on the University.
Wilson mentioned another common misconception about the house.
"It's believed that a University student, kicked out for an honor offense, returned successful and rich to build this house overlooking the University," Wilson said.
The quiet nature of the owners and residents of such a visible landmark allow Lewis Mountain to be surrounded by a rich air of mystery. While its history is available to those who wish to discover it, the house's presence stretches the community's imagination and lets students believe in a Grinch whose heart was once two sizes too small.
-- Becca Garrison contributed to this article.
Articles care of the Albemarle County Historical Society: Kelly, Leeny. "No, This isn't Monticello." The Declaration. Vol. 7 no. 13. 9/27/79: Dickens, Andrea. "Legend shrounds Who-ville house." University Journal 9/9/91: Husbands, Robert. "Fictitious legends, rich history surround mysterious hill house." The Cavalier Daily. 4/19/74.
As you may recall, I grew up in a pretty small city in New Mexico -- but the town hubby is from is a much smaller place. The Grandparents moved to this city and all the parents grew up there and stayed most of their lives. Then the grand kids started to spread out more. Hubby and I were talking and he pointed out that may be one of the reasons we haven't been good about keeping in touch with them. It still isn't a "good excuse", but it is the one we have. I guess distance does make you forget sometimes... Just takes a little more effort.
While there, the series of events were pretty basic. We got into town in the afternoon, chatted w/ one aunt, one uncle and several cousins for a while. Then we went to Granny's rosary. After the rosary, we went to have coffee, then went to one of hte three bars in town. We woke up the next morning, went to breakfast, then the funeral, then coffee/lunch and left town. Pretty basic, you might say. But while there, I remembered much more clearly where we came from. We remembered that while we are doing well financially now, we were not before. I haven't "forgotten", but I remembered that it isn't money that makes you happy... it is everything except money actually. I don't want to give the impression that we are unhappy now... don't get me wrong. But we do make a lot more wishes for material things than we ever did before. It is almost as though we expect the rest to fall in place, as long as we have the new stuff. Pretty stupid eh?
Regarding the memories, it was pretty amazing to see all hubby's cousins. We hadn't seen them in close to 10 years. I was sad to have not seen them in that long, but at the same time, so very happy to see them now. Although they are hubby's cousins, I feel like a part of the family too. Maybe earned, maybe not... but it is there. I remember what everyone was like then though. One of the cousins is firmly printed in my head as 8 years old. That "8 year old" is now much older, has a wife and a kiddo! Other cousins also had gotten married, had kids and some (although no spouse/kid) were doing so great. I was very happy to see that while we were all kids doing stupid things, everything worked out for the best. While talking to a few of the cousins at the bar, the stories came out... we reminiced a lot about memories of when they were all very young (before I knew them) some stories about when I did know them and it was so much fun. I almost felt bad about having a good time, because of the reason we were there. I am guessing that Granny would not only be OK with it, but would have come out to play while we were there. When I mentioned earlier that there is too much to write for one entry, this is where a lot of that comes in.
Anyway, we now have contact info for everyone and I plan on keeping in touch (for realsies though). I hope to continue the memories, especially for future generations.
By the way, the reason for the title is because of Uncle B... he has always been overly fond of tractors and there are many stories about that. but that is a story for another post.
- update-
we are going to NM tomorrow and will be back on Thurs. I will write when I get back, but will likely miss a few days.
