Totally Random Ramblings on this Tuesday (& Some Interactive Fun for Everyone!)

Since I've overloaded this blog with lots of pictures and tales of our family activities lately, I thought I'd make today a little more "random" and a little bit interactive.

So, here are 10 things (some big, some small, some important, some not so much) going on lately; and then some fun questions for you to join in on.

10. I'm seriously in denial that it's already the last day of June. Which means tomorrow is the first day of July (funny how that works, huh?). It seems like the Summer is going by too quickly...but, thank goodness, we have lots of fun stuff still planned for the rest of the summer months. Namely another trip to the beach in two weeks (this time it's mixed in with Delaney's World Series in Panama City, Florida, but the beach is right there!).

9. I just made an appointment for my first mammogram. (Gretchen, I have stolen your word for it...mammoCRAM). Not looking forward to that!

8. Losing Farrah Fawcett last week made me have such fond memories of elementary school recess. When I was in second grade, me and my best friends, Kelly and Michelle, pretended like we were Charlie's Angels during recess. I loved that show, and it was great being Jill (Farrah's character) and then Kris (Cheryl Ladd's character) soon afterwards. I was blonde, so I was the natural choice for those characters. Good times and great memories!

7. Then the death of Michael Jackson sent me into serious 80s-flashback mode. I listened to every song on the "Thriller" album when it was first out and it is a huge part of my high school pop culture history. (And related to that--I think I've created a monster! I dug out the Thriller CD and decided to re-introduce/introduce the girls to his music. Sydney absolutely LOVES the CD and refuses to listen to anything else in the car. Just yesterday we made it through the entire cd and I turned it to the radio. "Nope, no radio," she said. "I want to listen to Michael Jackson again." (Her favorite song? "Beat It.")

6. One of the girls in my Feature Writing class this past Spring was tragically killed in a car accident last week. Carly was just 22 and just a beautiful girl, and so friendly and respectful. It really hit me hard and saddened me for days. We need to cherish each and every day, don't we?

5. I was so excited to get to spend a day with my wonderful grandmother, who came from Texas to stay with my parents for a while. She arrived while we were at the beach, so I only got to spend a day with her, but just those few hours were wonderful. The last time I saw Grandma Iwas really worried about her; she seemed much more frail and not like her usual self. This time, though, the sparkle was back in her eyes and she had a spring in her step I hadn't seen in a while. She is such an energetic, fashionable, upbeat lady...so I was so glad to see that side of her back in full gear!

4. I have been reading nonstop throughout the Summer and my latest discovery has been the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. These are actually younger young adult books (think on about the Harry Potter reading level) and are so much fun! Percy finds out he is a "half blood"--the child of a mortal mother and a Greek god. Yep, the ancient gods of Greek mythology (and all the monsters that come with them) are still running amok around the world and Percy gets stuck in the middle of all sorts of quests and adventures. There are five books and I'm finishing the third one right now.

3. I went to the local prouduce market yesterday and came home with corn on the cob, snap beans, banana peppers, and watermelon. The best thing, though? Fresh blueberries. I absolutely LOVE blueberries!

2. Seriously: is there any job more difficult than being a parent? I have been dealing with a teenager who so bads want to be an adult and thinks she has so many of the "secrets" of life and love already figured out...all you can do is guide and direct and instruct and try and empathize with what she is feeling (because, believe it or not, I remember what it feels like to be a teenager). If I can raise my girls to be strong and kind and honest and true to themselves--and get out of the house, into college, and into independent lives of their own; LOL--I feel like I have done my job. (Of course, I will be striving for that for the next eighteen years or so, with little Sydney just getting started...so I just might possibly go crazy.) Parenting is not for the timid, that's for sure...although it has so many wonderful rewards mixed in with the challenges!

1. I'm playing Bunko tonight, and am totally looking forward to that. (It's always good when you can get away from everyone--kids, hubby, laundy piles--for the evening and laugh with girlfriends.)

That's a little of what's going on with me right now. Now, how about you tell me (and the rest of us) what's going on with you.

To guide you along the way, here are some questions to answer that are sorta related to my own post today (either in my comments section below, or on your own blog--just remember to tell us that you are putting them on your blog, so we can come visit and comment there too):

1. Now that June is almost over, what are you looking forward to in July?

2. Do you have any specific memories of Farrah Fawcett or Michael Jackson?

3. What's the last book you read?

4. What's your favorite Summer fruit?

5. What is your most important job or role in your life today?

Thanks for stopping by, and I love you all!

Have a wonderful Tuesday!