Books and Movies of 2014

This is one of my favorite blog entries to write every year. The books I read and movies I watched over the course of the past year.

Books I read, in order from favorite to least favorite:

1. Written in my Own Heart's Blood (8th book in the Outlander series), by Diana Gabaldon
2. The Infinite Sea (2nd book in the 5th Wave trilogy), by Rick Yancey
3. Flight of the Sparrow, by Amy Belding Brown
4. While Beauty Slept, by Elizabeth Blackwell
5. Rose Under Fire, by Elizabeth Wein
6. The Ambassador's Daughter, by Pam Jenoff
7. A Hidden Fire, by Elizabeth Hunter
8. Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn
9. The Best of Me, by Nicholas Sparks
10. A Girl Called Fearless, by Catherine Linka
11. Willow, by Tonya Cherie Hegamin
12. And the Mountains Echoed, by Khaled Hosseini
13. The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman
14. Those Who Save Us, by Jenna Blum
15. An Untamed State, by Roxane Gay
16. Lola and the Boy Next Door (2nd book in the Anna and the French Kiss trilogy), by Stephanie Perkins


I gave book #1 (called MOBY or MOHB by fans) 5 stars at GoodReads. Books 2-4 got 4 stars. Books 5-15 got 3 stars. #16 also got 3 stars, but that was only because GoodReads wouldn't let me give it 2½. After loving Anna and the French Kiss so much, I expected Lola and the Boy Next Door to be much better than it turned out to be. I'm hoping the 3rd book, Isla and the Happily Ever After, will be better than Lola.

Gone Girl would've been higher on the list if it had had a better ending and if the main characters were actually likable. An Untamed State may have also been a spot or two higher if it weren't for the very unlikable (to me) main character.

My first book of 2015 (which I started reading a couple days ago) is We Were Liars, by e. lockhart.

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I saw 36 movies this year that I hadn't seen before. Most of them came out this year or late last year. These are my top ten (based on what I enjoyed most/what entertained me most):

1. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 1
2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
3. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
4. Maleficent
5. X-Men: Days of Future Past
6. The Monuments Men
7. Belle
8. Guardians of the Galaxy
9. 12 Years a Slave
10. Captain Phillips


Honorable Mentions: Divergent and The Hundred-Foot Journey.

These were okay: Ender's Game, Red, Saving Mr. Banks, Labor Day, The Fault in Our Stars, Non-Stop, The Giver.

Meh: The Wolverine, Blue Jasmine, The Descendants, Romeo and Juliet (2013), Gravity, Delivery Man, Philomena, Pompeii, Winter's Tale, Sister Act 2, The Deep Blue Sea, Gone, If I Stay.

Kind of dumb/disliked: Mirror Mirror, Mom's Night Out, Magic in the Moonlight.

Hated: Austenland - very stupid movie. 


The movies I'm looking forward to in 2015 are Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Mockingjay part 2, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Cinderella.

Our Christmas

We had a very nice Christmas. It was just the four of us. My mom came by later that evening.

Here's what we got for Christmas:

Sean got a PS4 (from us and my mom) and some games for the PS3, XBox 360, and the PS4. I also got him an Old Spice Fiji gift pack (body wash, 2 deodorants, body spray). In his stocking there was candy (Kit Kat and Smarties; there aren't many candies he likes), a UNC can cover/cozy/whatever, a green pen that says "Trust in the Lord", a bookmark that says "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; an all these things shall be added unto you.", and an iTunes card ($15).

Kelly got an electric guitar, amp, guitar stand (from my mom), money (from my mom), two bookcases that Charlie built (he wants to build one for Sean, too), a bottle of Tommy Girl perfume (she had asked for it when we were on vacation; she was surprised I remembered), and four books. In her stocking there was candy (Lindt chocolate snowman, Lindt chocolate mini-bears, tootsie rolls, chocolate coins), N.C. State can cover/cozy/thing, a blue pen that says "Trust in the Lord", the same kind of bookmark Sean got, and an N.C. State key chain.

Charlie got money from my mom and ordered some stuff for his car from "me". :-)

I got money from my mom and an Ancestry.com DNA kit from Charlie.

I went shopping at Stein Mart Saturday night with the money Mom gave me. I bought a black skirt (it's veritcally "striped" with cloth and "snake embossed" leather), a silky black bolero with a feathered collar, and a medium/dark blue button-up sweater with some black embroidery on the front.

One of Kelly's bookcases. The other one looks like this one.

Two of Sean's games.

Sean opening one of his games for the XBox 360.

Kelly's guitar, amp, and stand, and Sean's PS4. Um, the tape on the chair is to keep the cats from scratching it.

My new skirt. I'm short, so it's below my knees.

 My new bolero. Haven't decided yet what I'll wear it with.

My mom is crazy about purple, so we got her two purple sweaters and three pairs of purple, fuzzy house socks (two with white polka dots and one with white stripes) at Macy's.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Day is here! I hope everyone is having a beautiful and joyous day with your loved ones.

Here's a Christmas meme/survey I did about 4 or 5 years ago. Some of the answers are different this year. :-)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Usually wrapping paper. It depends on the shape and size of the gift. Some things are too awkward for wrapping paper.

2. Real tree or Artificial?
Artificial.

 3. When do you put up the tree?
Right after Thanksgiving.

4.When do you take the tree down?
Soon after New Year's.

5. Do you like eggnog?
I've never tried it, but I probably wouldn't like it.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
Anything Barbie.

7. Hardest person to buy for? 
My husband Charlie.

8. Easiest person to buy for?
My son Sean.

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes, a small glass one.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail. Though email is fine too.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Maybe socks.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
There are several I like (White Christmas, Holiday Inn, It's a Wonderful Life, Elf, The Santa Clause, How the Grinch Stole Christmas), but I don't really have a favorite.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Early December. Every year I tell myself that I'm going to start earlier, but I never do.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? 
No.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
The only thing I usually eat at Christmas that I don't eat the rest of the year are candy canes (just a few), so I guess I'd choose that.

16. Lights on the tree? 
Multi-colored. White lights are boring to me. No offense. :-)

17. Favorite Christmas song?
O Holy Night. I also really like It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, All I Want for Christmas is You, O Little Town of Bethlehem, The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting...), Ding Dong Merrily on High, White Christmas, Angels We Have Heard on High, Sweet Little Jesus Boy, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, What Child is This?, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Breath of Heaven, Carol of the Bells, Sleigh Ride, and Winter Wonderland.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Stay home.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Dasher, Dancer, Donner, Blitzen, Prancer, Comet, Cupid, Vixen and Rudolph.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? 
For years it was an angel, but last year I replaced it with a star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
I let my kids open one present each on Christmas Eve and their stockings. They open the rest the next morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Cold weather. Especially if it rains. The crowds don't really bother me. Though it does bother me if people get impatient and rude, but I don't really notice a lot of that.

23. Favorite ornament, theme, or color?
I have a lot of favorite ornaments. I don't really have a theme. All the glass balls on our tree are red. There does seem to be a lot of red on our tree, but red is popular in Christmas ornaments.

24. Favorite for Christmas Dinner?
Some years we do a big dinner, some years we don't. Other years we might do lasagna or Mexican (tacos, enchiladas, refried beans) or something simpler. This year we're having chili. My mom will be working today and wants us to go out as a family for Christmas dinner tomorrow.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
Believe it or not, I want a DNA test from Ancestry.com. It will tell me (or should tell me) where my ancestors came from, going back 1000 years. And it will tell me if any members at Ancestry.com who have also taken the DNA test are related to me.

The other thing I want is for Charlie to go to church with us. Nothing would mean more to me than that.

Anniversary Trip to Asheville

Charlie and I decided to get away for a couple days to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. (Actually, it was his idea.) We left Thursday morning, December 18th, the day after our anniversary, and went to Asheville. We had also gone to Asheville for our honeymoon in 1994 and our 12th anniversary in 2006.

We arrived in Asheville shortly before 2 PM and checked into our hotel - Hotel Indigo Asheville Downtown. We had hoped for a room on a higher floor, but the 5th floor was fine. Our room was nice, the shower was quite big, and the king bed was comfortable, as were the pillows. I mention the pillows because we always have to go to the local Wal-Mart of whatever town we're in to buy pillows as most hotels don't have comfortable pillows. Of course, we usually stay at a Comfort Suites, so that may be why. lol

Our only complaint about our room is that there was no refrigerator or microwave. Those things are usually pretty standard in hotels nowadays. Strange that they didn't have either.

 
After checking in and taking pictures, we left to get some lunch. We hadn't eaten yet and were starving. We went to the Moose Cafe. Charlie had meatloaf (I assume he liked it) and I had fried chicken, which was kind of dry. I wasn't crazy about the mashed potatoes and gravy or the macaroni and cheese either. The biscuit was good though.

We went to Wal-Mart after eating to pick up some snacks and bottled water for our room and then went to the mall. I got something at Dillard's and we got something for Kelly at Barnes and Noble. I also tried to find myself a new red coat and tried on a few, but nothing worked for me. :-/ I'm short and the stores had very little for petites. Some had none. *sigh*

We also went by a guitar store across from the mall because Kelly wants an electric guitar for Christmas and looked at their guitars. We didn't buy anything though.

For supper that night, we had pizza at Marco's. We had gone there when we'd gone to Asheville as a family in November 2008 and loved it, but apparently there's more than one Marco's Pizza in Asheville and we ended up going to the wrong one. We ordered individual pizzas. Charlie liked his, but mine was just okay and actually made me sick later. :-/

We went back to the hotel after eating and when I opened the suitcase to get my t-shirt and sweats to change into, I saw that I had forgotten them. I had to have a t-shirt to sleep in and sweats to wear in the room to keep warm, so we had to leave the hotel room and go to Target. That's the first time that's happened to me (forget clothes) and I had to laugh at myself. But I got a cute t-shirt, so. :-)

The next day (after taking medicine the night before and  that morning), we went to Moose Cafe for breakfast (where I took more medicine), but I couldn't eat all of mine (French toast, potatoes, bacon) because I started feeling bad again. We were going to go to Biltmore Estate after eating, but I told Charlie, "Actually, I just want to go back to the hotel."

When we got back to the hotel, I took about 30-45 minute nap and woke up feeling quite a bit better. So we left the hotel and went to Biltmore Estate. I started feeling nauseated again on the way, but it was tolerable enough for me to still go to Biltmore and enjoy our time there.

Biltmore Estate is so gorgeous! This was our fourth time going there and I think I loved it even more this time. Every room has one or more Christmas trees in it, as well as garland and kissing balls and wreaths and poinsettias. Each new room we entered got me more and more into the Christmas spirit. I told Charlie that I just wanted to hug every Christmas tree there and would hug the whole place if I could, I loved it so much. (What? That's not weird, is it?) And the grounds are so beautiful, too. You can't take pictures inside (which totally stinks, but I guess they have their reasons), but I took a lot of pictures of the outside of the house and the gardens. Almost 200, but I'll only post a few here.

Library Terrace

Taken from the Shrub Garden.

Purple Beautyberry in the Shrub Garden.

House and Italian Garden.

Taken from the bridge over the Bass Pond.

About to pass the gate on the way out. The lights were on by this time.

 

 After leaving Biltmore, which I was in no hurry to do (I wish we'd stayed another 30 minutes to an hour so we could see the Christmas lights on the trees outside), we went to Vinnie's Neighborhood Italian for supper. We had never heard of it before, but when Charlie asked me what I wanted and I told him I didn't know, he Googled Asheville restaurants and Vinnie's was on the list. I was like, "Let's try this place called Vinnie's" and he was fine with that, so that's where we went.

Oh, my goodness! It was sooo good! (And they had really friendly service.) I still wasn't feeling 100% (maybe about 70%) and wanted to be careful about what I ate, so I ordered something simple - penne marinara. (Which wasn't on their menu, but of course they have penne pasta and marinara sauce.) As soon as I took that first bite I was in Italian food heaven. So delicious! I wanted to just wolf it down, but I tried to control myself. lol Charlie had the chicken parmesan and loved it.

If you're ever in Asheville, North Carolina, and are in the mood for Italian food, I highly recommend Vinnie's!


We then went to the mall again (had to walk off that pasta) and tried to find something for my mom for Christmas, but didn't see anything I thought she'd like.

The next morning, Saturday, the 20th, we checked out of the hotel, went by a small music store near Vinnie's to look at guitars (saw one Kelly may have liked, but decided to just let her choose because she's so picky), ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel, and then headed home. I was pretty tired (the overcast skies didn't help) and though I tried to fight it, I fell asleep on the way home before we got to Statesville and woke up when we were in Kernersville.

Despite not feeling well for nearly the entire day on Friday and having a couple less-than-satisfying meals on Thursday, we had a great time in Asheville. I'm ready to go back again. Especially to see Biltmore. We'd like to go to Biltmore again in the spring when their gardens are in bloom as we've never been in the spring, but we've said that before and have yet to go.

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Saturday evening, after getting home from Asheville, we took Kelly to Guitar Center here in Greensboro (Sean was with us also) so that she could pick out an electric guitar. She chose a black and blue one. We also got her an amp. When we got home (after eating supper at Red Robin and getting Christmas gifts for my mom at Macy's - got great deals!), I told Kelly to put the guitar and amp under the tree. :-)

On Monday, I finished Christmas shopping (just had to get one more thing for Sean and get some more stocking stuffers for the kids) and when I got home, Charlie, the kids, and I went to the theater to see The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. There were a couple things that I wish they'd kept like the book (SPOILER!!- the deaths of Thorin, Fili, and Kili.) and a couple things I wish they'd left out or done differently, but other than that I liked it. I think it's better than the first two Hobbit movies.

Yesterday was all about finishing unpacking, doing laundry, and cooking supper (chili). Today I'll probably do some more laundry, wrap presents, and let the kids open one present and their stockings. Tomorrow, of course, is Christmas Day. It'll be just me, Charlie, and the kids. My mom will be working (she works in a hospital as a CNA) and is also working today.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

20 Years!

 
Twenty years ago today I married my husband, my one and only, the love of my life - Charlie. It doesn't seem like it's been 20 years. I don't feel old enough to be celebrating 20 years of marriage lol, but I am. It's gone by so fast. It seems like it's just been a blink and suddenly 20 years have gone by.

It hasn't all been sunshine and roses, but here we are 20 years later, still together. I look forward to 20+ years more of marriage with my husband. I love him more than words can say.

Of the songs sung at our wedding, this is my favorite:

"I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine."

Christmas Survey

Eggnog or hot chocolate:
Hot chocolate. I've never tried eggnog and don't plan to.

Colored lights on the house/tree or white?
Colored. White lights are boring to me.

Do you hang mistletoe?
No.

When do you put your decorations up?
Sometime after Thanksgiving.

What is your favorite holiday dish?
Stuffing and mashed potatoes and gravy.

Favorite Christmas memory as a child?
I remember how much I loved just sitting and looking at the pretty, colorful lights on the tree and wondering what my parents got me. I knew there were a couple Barbies - the shapes of the boxes gave that away. But I would wonder just which ones and what else my parents had gotten me.

One particular Christmas does stand out more than the others. I was 8 years old and we were living in Tulsa, OK. We had moved there from tiny Boiling Spring Lakes, NC, when I was about 7. I was very homesick and sad that we couldn't go home for Christmas. But times were hard and we couldn't afford it. Dad was going to aeronautical school at night to become an airplane mechanic. I don't know what his job was at the time.

Anyway, on Christmas Eve, Mom and Dad went Christmas shopping for me and my brother. Dad had just gotten paid that day. Mom and Dad brought us to my dad's Uncle John and Aunt Mary Sue's house to stay with them while they went shopping. I remember loving their house - a '60s or '70s ranch house that was warm and nicely decorated. They had a fire going in the fireplace in the den. I remember sitting on their leather (?) couch (possibly a sectional) watching The Nutcracker ballet on TV. Uncle John's kids (in their 20s at the time, I believe) were there too. It was a happy atmosphere.

I also loved Christmas when I was a teenager. We lived in Virginia ('85-'88) and Ohio ('88-'90) for most of my teen years (minus 7 months in TX; we moved back to NC from there when I was 18) and the only time we got to see our family was for a couple weeks during the summer and then Thanksgiving and Christmas. I loved so much being surrounded by all my grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins and pretty lights, Christmas trees, delicious food, gifts and Christmas music. We'd go back and forth from my mom's side to my dad's side of the family. Pretty much everyone lived in the Fayetteville area (except for a couple aunts who were in Germany with their army husbands for a couple years and then the one aunt who ended up in northern TN after they came home from Germany) and so there were a lot of relatives around with everyone laughing and talking over and around each other. Great times.

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I don't remember ever believing in Santa.

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
No, but I let my kids open one each and their stockings.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
Colorful lights, red glass balls, various ornaments we've collected over the years - a few homemade from when I was a little girl, a couple my maternal Grandma made, one or two my brother made when he was little, Hallmark Keepsake ornaments we started collecting from the time Charlie and I got married, ornaments my mom gave me that she used to put on the tree when my brother and I were growing up, etc. The tree is topped with a star.

Snow? Love it or dread it?
I love it around Christmastime. (Which doesn't happen often. It actually snowed on Christmas day a few years ago. Couldn't hardly believe it.) After Christmas, I'm ready for warm weather and sunshine.

Do you remember your favorite gift?
When I was a kid, I loved anything Barbie.

What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Chocolate cream pie and Christmas cookies (red and green sugar cookies, M & M cookies).

What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Letting my kids open a gift each on Christmas Eve and driving around looking at Christmas lights.

Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum?
Yum.

Favorite Christmas movie?
White Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life, The Holiday, Elf, The Santa Clause.

Saddest Christmas song?
That one about the shoes. For somebody's mom, I think. I can't listen to that one. I Miss You Most at Christmastime is sad, too.

What is your favorite Christmas song?
O Holy Night (Mariah Carey's version is my favorite), It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, Ding Dong Merrily on High, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, The Christmas Song (by Nat King Cole), White Christmas, Carol of the Bells, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, What Child is This?, Angels We Have Heard on High, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.

This and That

I did a little Christmas shopping Monday evening. I got most of Sean's gifts (just one more to buy), a few stocking stuffers, and a gift for Kelly. I hope to finish next time I go Christmas shopping. Some more gifts for Kelly, more stocking stuffers, and something for my mom.

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Sean had an orthodontist appointment yesterday. They removed the wires he's had for the past month or two and put on new, stronger wires. These will be his final wires. He should have his braces removed in March or April. He can't wait to get them off. He's really looking forward to eating popcorn again.

After leaving the orthodontist, the kids and I went to Red Robin for lunch. Then we came back home so I could wrap an ornament I got for a friend for an ornament exchange our group of friends does every year. I put the wrapped ornament in a padded envelope and then went to the post office to mail it.

The kids waited in the car while I went into the post office. When I came out and was walking back to my car, I heard someone say, "Merry Christmas, young lady." I turned to see who it was and who they were speaking to and saw an older lady (60s or 70s) sitting in the passenger seat of a parked mini-van looking at me and smiling. I said, "Thank you. Merry Christmas!" and then turned and continued walking. Then she said, "God bless you" and I said, "Thank you" again. Such a nice moment. :-)

Next, we went to Wal-Mart to get Guardians of the Galaxy on Blu-Ray and then came home. I was so sleepy because I'd only gotten about 5½ hours sleep the night before (long story) and all I wanted to do when I got home was take a nap. But that would've meant either a late supper (I know I wouldn't have slept less than 2 hours) or no supper at all. As desperate as I was for sleep, I couldn't let my family go without a real supper. So, I ignored my body's cry for sleep and cooked a delicious meal for my family - tacos, enchiladas, and refried beans.

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Anniversary

The kids and I had a pretty good Thanksgiving, despite the fact that Charlie and my mom couldn't be with us. We normally have Thanksgiving at our house, but my mom had to work (as she does every year) and my brother had Thanksgiving with his wife's family. So we (okay, I) decided that we would spend the holiday with some of my dad's family. Charlie was going to go with us too, but the crane he was going to fix the day before didn't show up until the morning of Thanksgiving. So, he had to stay behind and work. :-/

The kids and I made the 2 hour journey to my cousin Christian's house in Dunn and spent the day with him, his wife Kim, and their daughter Emma; Kim's dad; Christian's sister/my cousin Jessica and her husband Scott and their four kids, Elijah, Sarah, Daniellah, and Rebekah; Scott's parents from Virginia; and Christian and Jessica's parents/my aunt Robin (my dad's youngest sister) and uncle Mike. Whew! I think that's everybody. :-) Christian and Jessica's youngest brother/my cousin Michael and his fiancee Robin were supposed to come also (I suppose they did eventually), but when they still weren't there by 5:00, the kids and I left.

Anyway, Sean and Kelly had a lot of fun playing outside with Elijah and Sarah. Elijah and Sarah were really happy when they found out we were coming as my kids would be the only ones there their age. So, it worked out pretty great for the kids. :-)

I had a nice time talking with my family. I had last seen them in May, at our family reunion. It had been about 20 years since I had Thanksgiving with them and I was really happy I did that this year.

As I mentioned earlier, it was around 5:00 when we left. Which was later than I had planned on leaving. I tend to get sleepy behind the wheel, especially after dark. This time was no exception. It was a real struggle to stay awake. I tried to get my kids to talk to me about anything, but they fell asleep. So I listened to one of my loudest, peppiest, happiest, jamming-est CDs I have - Victory by Tye Tribbet and GA. Listening to that, singing along, and "dancing" really helped me stay awake. :-)

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And now Christmastime is here. I got my tree decorated earlier than I have in past years. It helped that I bought a shorter (6½ feet instead of 7½) pre-lit tree to replace the one I had last year and previous years. I also put up some of my other Christmas decorations and even put lights on the bushes outside. :-)

I've only bought one gift so far (for Sean), but I hope to get some more shopping done this week. It'd be great if I could get it all done this week. We shall see.

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Charlie and I will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary on the 17th. We're going to Asheville (where we spent our honeymoon) the 18th through the 20th and staying in a hotel downtown. We've requested a higher floor, if it's available. I'd love to have a room with a nice view. I'm hoping it'll snow a little bit while we're there. And, of course, we're going to go to Biltmore Estate while we're there. This'll be the fourth time we've been. All four times when the place is decorated for Christmas. It's so beautiful. I can't wait to see it again. :-)

More Pictures at the Park

Charlie, the kids, and I went back to the park last Tuesday, November 11th. We walked part of the very long trail that goes all the way around the park and I took some more pictures. Here are some of them.

Introversion

I "like" the Introverts are Awesome page on Facebook. They're always sharing great articles. Sometimes I share those same articles as well with my friends. This is one of those articles and one that I made comments about on my news feed.

10 Ways Introverts Interact Differently with the World

And this is what I had to say about it:

"They get distracted easily, but rarely feel bored.

"If you're looking to destroy an introverted person's attention span, just put them in a situation where they feel overstimulated. Due to increased sensitivity to their surroundings, introverts struggle with feeling distracted and sometimes overwhelmed in large crowds and open office spaces.

"However, when they are in peace and quiet, they have no issue tending to a favorite hobby or delving into a new book for hours."

This happens to me at church. Any little movement in my periphery or any sound, loud or not, will cause me to turn my head and see what's going on and who's making that noise (usually a baby or small child) and why. It's largely involuntary for me. I just automatically turn and look. It takes great effort for me to keep facing forward and the whole time my mind is focused on the movement or sound ("Why can't they be quiet or take their child out of the sanctuary?!") and not on what the pastor is saying. So I miss some stuff, which is very annoying.

 As for the rest of the list. Yes, I tend to withdraw from crowds. (The only place I like it crowded and loud is church.) I don't enjoy small talk. I have no interest in being "on stage" or being the center of attention (serious blushing when that happens) or being any sort of leader.

I'm easily distracted (as mentioned above) and I'm rarely bored. Others may find things like reading or being online (FB) or working on one thing for hours at a time (as I do with my family tree) boring, but I love it.

Yes, I try to be on the periphery, such as to one side of a room near an exit or the aisle seat at church, as much as possible when surrounded by people. Quick and easy exits are ideal for me so that when I've had enough, I can leave without too many hindrances.

I'm definitely a thinker. I don't like to make quick decisions (it's nearly impossible for me) or speak too soon.

I screen my calls, for sure. If I don't know who's calling (and sometimes even when I do know), I don't answer the phone. If it's a doctor or the orthodontist or dentist or a place of business, I don't answer the phone unless it's a really important expected call. Such as test results.

True that when I've had enough of a group or activity, I pretty much shut down. And if I can't get away as quickly as I need to, I get really frustrated. Kind of like a claustrophobic feeling. Like if I don't get away now  I'm going to die or explode or something. It's a very strong feeling of needing to escape "right now!" I do this at parties. That is, when I go to parties. Which is hardly ever, as I don't like them. I went to a baby shower a few weeks ago and left the house to be outside a few times just to escape the crowd and the noise. I had  to! lol


What I said above at Facebook is really just part of what it's like for me as an introvert. And, I'm sure, other introverts as well. Friends and family are of great value to me/introverts, but time alone is of equal value. I can quickly get tired of even my favorite people. lol 

You've heard the line, "It's not you, it's me". It's the same with introverts. It's not the company necessarily (though it certainly is if the company is loud and/or talkative) so much as it's just our need as introverts to be alone and "recharge the batteries" as it were. People drain us of our energy and the louder they are or the greater their number, the quicker and more desperately we need time alone.

Extraverts feel energized by being with other people. The more the merrier for them. They love parties and dinners with large groups of people and other social gatherings. Introverts, on the other hand, feel energized by being alone and then we can handle some time spent with other people. (Preferably only one or two people at a time.) However, it takes more time to recharge (time alone) than it does to be drained of energy. After a day of being around other people (whether it be a social gathering or just out and about shopping and running errands), I need 2-3 days of being home to "recover".

Anyway, I could say much more about the subject, but I'll stop here. :-)

Pictures at the Park

I took the kids to the park today to get some Fall pictures of them and the park. It had rained most of the day and was still mostly cloudy, so the lighting wasn't that great. There was also some photographer error in some of the shots. *sigh* I used the wrong settings for some. Don't know where my head was at.

Anyway, here are some of the pictures I took.

Sean (17) and Kelly (14).

We hadn't been to the park in a year so. Hard to believe considering how much we love it there. They've made some changes since we were last there. They built a new dock on the main lake and there are sidewalks and speed bumps now.

I'd like to go back sometime next week when it's sunny. Hopefully it'll dry out by the time we go back. It was pretty muddy out there today. We'd like to walk the trails next time, too. It's been too long since we've done that. I love how natural the trails are. I love that the trails are so wooded that you feel like you're in the middle of nowhere.