Visitors

I am so looking forward to the next few days! We're going to have so many visitors I don't think there will be enough time in the day to visit them all!

My cousin Evie is coming home...with two of her daughters, my favorite twins, and their new baby brother.

My cousin Vicki is home with her son and daughter.

My nephew Cameron is home with his lady and their tiny son.

Michael's big brother is home with his wife and daughter...and their son and his wife will be here in a few days.

My nephew Thomas is home for a visit.

My friend Eileen is here for a couple weeks.

I'm going to meet my cousin Ian for the first time ever!

I'm also going to meet my cousin Marilee for the first time ever!

Michael's sister Colleen is coming...with her son and her daughter (who is bringing her two kids).

Michael's sister Vivian will be here soon.

My best friends sisters are coming home...one tomorrow the other in about 4 days.

And those are just the ones I can think of at the moment. There will be a lot more because there will be 2 potlatches. So that means dance groups, too.

I wish I could count my mom as one of the visitors but I'm starting to wonder if she's ever going to come home again ever. My uncle said some really awful things about her when he was fighting for the house.

But that's not what this is about. This is about all of the fun reunions that are going to happen in the next few days. Even I'm looking forward to all of the get-togethers and I'm not usually a big fan of crowds. hehe I can't wait!

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On an unrelated note (or maybe along the same lines, i.e. reunions)...

I had a dream last night. My phone rang and it was an Unknown Caller. Normally I don't answer the phone if I don't know who's calling. The answering machine came on and I could tell there was a caller on the other end but they weren't talking. Convinced it wasn't a solicitor, I picked up the phone and said hello.

Nobody spoke at first but I heard a little giggle. I said, "Hello?" The second time someone replied.

She said, "Hi, Carrie. It's Millie."

Eight Random Things About Me

1. All right, here are the rules.
2. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.
3. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
4. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
5. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

So I've been tagged...by Connie...to do this meme. Eight random things shouldn't be hard, right? Except that it is. Ha! I'm not sure I can think of 8 things I haven't listed already. Hmmmm....

1. I love to sing in choirs. I was a part of at least one choir each year from 7th grade all the way through my time at college. Two of the college choirs were by audition only and the concert choir (open to all) was bigger than my whole highschool. We were on Good Morning America once when the World Mountain Bike Championships (or something like that) took place in the same town and we performed a patriotic medley. I haven't been in a choir in a few years...but I'm always singing in the car!

2. I have only held 2 jobs my entire life. My first job, in a t-shirt transfer shop, lasted an entire month. I quit when the shop owner started going through the garbage after my shift to see what I had been up to. If she didn't trust me, she shouldn't have left me alone after a single 15 minute training session! I haven't shopped in her store since. I'm kinda stubborn that way. I'm still working my 2nd job. I've been a school district employee since February of 1993.

3. I love to color. I don't care what it is. A children's coloring book, a geometric design, a coloring page from the internet, whatever. With crayons more than markers. The only things I will not color are my own drawings. I have the most fun when coloring with kids. For some reason, they think it's so funny for an adult to sit down and color with them! Some of my fondest childhood memories are of me sitting on the couch with Jerry, a family friend, and coloring. I always wanted my pages to look as nice as his.

4. I am incredibly shy. It's hard for me to form new friendships because its hard for me to approach people I don't know. Once you've gained my trust, though, good luck getting rid of me!

5. I love musicals. Any musical. My mom used to perform in the theater. I'd go to all of her rehearsals and have the entire show memorized before opening night. But I'd still go see it every chance I got. You can't beat live theater, but I'll watch any musical in any format. I drove my dad bonkers watching Annie over and over again on HBO when I was small. It wasn't so much that I watched it...I sang along. heehee

6. I've never broken a bone, but have had over a dozen surgical operations. Most of them before the age of 5.

7. I used to be scared of clowns. When I was really small, my uncle dressed as a hobo for our 4th of July parade. He thought it would be fun to pick me up and carry me but I didn't recognize him with his make-up and got hysterical. I was scared of clowns for years as a result. So much so, that when my mom took me and my sister to Barnum and Bailey's "Greatest Show on Earth" in Seattle, I missed most of the circus acts. The dressing room was below our seats and everytime I saw a clown heading to the dressing room, I put myself to sleep.

8. I have ridden an elephant.

So now comes the part where I'm supposed to tag 8 more people. I don't think I know 8 more bloggers who haven't already posted this or something similar. I'll just skip that part. Unless you read this and decide you want to participate!

Where is the Sun?

We had a very nice holiday despite the weather. It didn't rain all that hard and it wasn't constant so it wasn't as unbearable as we feared it would be.

The parade moved fast because of the weather, but there were a lot of participants. I'd post a small video of the firework display, but since they autoplay and I don't know how to disable that, I won't. I don't think fireworks and In The Garden would be a good mix. haha If you know how to find my Bebo page, you can view it there.

Michael's birthday was on the 3rd. He always tells me not to plan a party but his family always shows up anyway. It's a good thing I had cake to serve. I made spice cake with an apple filling. It was a huge hit and we had maybe about 1/4 of the cake left by the time they all left.

We went to Ketchikan on Friday so I could buy Michael his birthday gift. He needed a new chainsaw and I didn't trust myself to order one over the phone. We had to go so he could look at them and get the one he wanted. We went to a couple of movies while we were over there, too. It made for a very long day but it was nice to get away from home for the night.

He's been out of work for just over a week now. I've enjoyed having him home all day. I never understood how my friends could complain about too much time together. Why get married if you don't want to spend time with your husband? That just never made sense to me. Rick's wife is actually disappointed that he and Michael haven't gone back to California this year.

We had a few hours of mostly sunny skies yesterday but now we are back to rain. We haven't really had a summer this year. I don't remember, but my friend commented today that we shouldn't be seeing fireweed yet...that it usually blooms toward the end of summer. All I know is we haven't had enough sun. I really hope it clears up by the first week of August. We've got all kinds of people coming from out of town for our Founders Day celebrations, dance group anniversaries, and road dedication.

This has just been a rambling post full of nothing that really matters. I guess I should stop. I hope the rest of you had a safe, enjoyable holiday!