16 Things About Me

I made my list of things about me to put up Facebook, but decided to blog it instead.
1. I read more than one book at a time and always have a book to start after I finish one
2. Museums are my favorite places
3.Road trips make me happy
4.I clip coupons
5.I love detective shows from the 80's like Magnum PI, Hart to Hart, Simon and Simon, Matt Houston, Scarecrow and Mrs. King and Murder, She Wrote to name a few of my faves
6. My mom and my grandparents are my neighbors and we eat dinner together almost every night
7.I like Tully's better than Starbucks
8.I document my family's life in scrapbooks, blogs, facebook, calendars, journals, etc.
9.I hate driving
10.I love to dance in the privacy of my own home
11.I drink 3-4 cups of tea a day
12.I either think I look really good in pictures of myself or REALLY BAD
13.I love all things Japanese
14.I miss living on a military base
15.I love theme parties
16.I wish I had a spot for my Christmas tree to stay up all year

Happy Inauguration Day

Today was a great day for someone like me who loves a political ceremony and the history that goes with it. I am enthralled by our country's presidential history, Washington DC and first ladies. I was hooked to the TV all day long.

Our family took a great trip to DC a year and a half ago and it gave me a better understanding of executive history. We visited George Washington's Mt. Vernon home, checked out the First Ladies' museum (at the time I wondered what Bill Clinton's addition to the museum would look like), we saw Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln's clothes at the Smithsonian (even the hat Lincoln was wearing the night he was killed) and were enthralled by the Lincoln Memorial. Last year I had a glance at LBJ's history in Texas and I am slowly trying to get through biographies or autobiographies of each president (so far George Washington, FDR, JFK, Abraham Lincoln - Barack Obama is next).

So, while today was a treat for someone who can watch hours of historians discussing everything presidential, I was not cheering like the 2 million Americans in front of the Capitol. I appreciate President Obama's future service to our country and I respect his position although I disagree with many of his political view points. My very unpopular view is that George W. Bush did a big job keeping us safe for 7 years and that a lot more respect is owed him as an outgoing president. I did not vote for him in 2004 because I felt that someone else could better handle what was going on in Iraq, but I certainly feel that he has earned the dignity of Americans not booing at him as he walks on stage at the inauguration. He certainly deserves the respect of our country for helping the new President and his family settle into a difficult role (unlike the Clinton's team who destroyed the working part of the White House before Bush took over).
Anyway, nerd that I am, our family celebrated history tonight with our own Inaugural meal that mirrored a bit of what the Obama's ate today at their first presidential meal. We skipped the seafood stew and traded chicken for duck, but we did enjoy the veggies, long grain rice, sweet potatoes and apple dessert that was prepared for today's celebration. We even threw in some Obama cupcakes we picked up at the store. They didn't survive the car ride home very well, sorry Mr. President, but they were yummy.

Confessions of a Twilight Addict

I am a 30-something Twilighter! I have so enjoyed the story of Edward, the vampire, and Bella, his accident prone love interest. I am in good company since most of the girls I know my age, and older (that's you Mom), have enjoyed this great series of books. The story is so fun and so addictive, I can't stop chatting about it with my other mama twilighters. Check out a pic Jacy took of me getting ready to read the fourth and final book in the series. What will I do when it is over?

When you take your wife's camera card, and then put it back into her camera after you have used it in your camera, she has the right to take any photo she now has on her camera card and put it on her blog.

Who is That Masked Man???

Wylie found a pair of silly glasses that were going into the Goodwill box and claimed them as his own. He has been entertaining himself by sneaking up on us with his "disguise" on.

Happy New Year

Jacy, Kiddos and I had a great New Year's Eve celebrating with some friends from church and Todd's school. Great food and fun people, the perfect way to end one year and start another. The thing I dislike about January 1 is that I am usually exhausted from Christmas and staying up so late. This year I was determined to begin the year on an active and fun note. My plan was to get up as early as we could stand and head to the Seattle Aquarium. It was a great morning of hanging out with the family and it jump started my day and my year.

It might be a new Nelson tradition!

Seattle Fun

Mom and I headed to Seattle with the boys on Monday morning for a day of fun. Our first stop was the Children's Museum where we enjoyed the Potato Head exhibit and the art room. We also enjoyed the Christmas model train, a trip on the Monorail, a carousel ride and another chance to see Papa's star. Jacy and I like to take the boys every year to see the Macy's star which my grandfather wired many years ago as an apprentice electrician for the city of Seattle. The star's electrical components have been redone, but the design is the same as it has been for years. It's a beautiful reminder of my Grandpa's hard working spirit. I love to hear him quietly mention that the main bulb at the time cost as much as a month pay for him and his boss told him that if he broke it he was out of a job.

Highlights from Christmas Morning

Wylie loved the new guitar he asked Santa for. He has been our little rocker ever since.

I love the picture of Jacy and the boys reading a book we had made for Wylie of him and Diego saving a zebra, it was a hit.