r

r is for...

...rest. i guess i've been taking a bit of a rest from this challenge. i haven't felt very witty or bright lately. but i'm back now. a little sunshine today might just get me back on track.

...raspberry. my best berry. by. far. fresh from the vine (or box), in pie, on top of cereal, in scones, in jam. raspberries. yum.

...real. a trait i admire in others and myself. i think i've always tried to be true to myself. hasn't always made things work out the way i want, but i've always been able to feel that i've been real. be real people. don't try to be more than you are.

...ride. i've loved to ride my bike for forever. since i was a kid and kept my foot on a bike with a banana seat at a police auction until my parents bought it for me to my adult mountain bike. i love the feeling of pedaling along with no cares. as a kid, my bike took me all kinds of places - the pool, school, around the neighborhood, to 7-11...today it gets me out and about and roaming.

...roam. yes i love to roam. i love to get in my car and just drive and end up somewhere. i love to take trips and wander - you just never know what you'll find off the beaten path. i don't get much opportunity to roam these days, but i day dream about it a lot.

q

q is for...

...quiet. i love peace and quiet. i love getting up early and listening only to the birds chirping. i love being a loud place and being quiet and taking it all in.

...queen. that's what she calls me...she is the princess and i am the queen. better that than the dragon!

p

p is for...

...pickles. the sweet crunch of a pickle. zesty and spicy. as kids we always used to make "picklefaces"when we were little. don't ask me why, but everyone thought it was cute.

...pockets. i love any clothing with pockets. dresses, pants, shorts, skirts. places to put your hands. i love finding mislaid things in coat pockets. why the other day i found a $20 bill that i must have stashed last year in my coat pocket.

...purple. one of the worst colors on the planet. yes. and i had to live through four years of purple since both my sorority and college colors included purple.

...pie. strawberry, raspberry, chocolate pecan. delicious.

...parent. a tough but loveable job.

o

o is for...

...opera. my first and only have been at the santa fe opera. if you haven't been, you must. one of life's wonderful experiences. the people watching, the scenery, the venue. perfect. even if you don't understand opera. just like in pretty woman "you either love it or hate it". the santa fe opera will make you love it.

...orange. one of my other favorite colors. and fruits, for that matter. i remember as a kid spring breaks in florida and the smell of the orange blossoms. i always wished i could take that back home with me.

...oreos. my most utter favorite cookie from the pre-packaged, processed food section. i love to dip them in milk, mix them with icecream and make pies out of them. i don't eat them much these days, but a good oreo and a glass of wine always makes bad day better.

...opinions. some say i am very opinionated. i guess they're a tad right. i have opinions on pretty much everything nd will tell anyone who will listen.

obama. little republican me has been swayed to this camp this year. the excitement, the energy, the ideas has m hooked.

outside. i love being outside. at the beach , in the mountains, just in the backyard doing a little gardening. something about being in the outdoors brings me a sense of peace.

n

n is for...

...nothing. i've got nothing. nothing i can think of for the letter n. surely there is something. nasty, nobody, nice, no. but really. i can't come up with anything for n. nice is just too easy. maybe i'll come back to this letter someday.

m

m is for...

...moderation. something i'm not good at. especially when it comes to cake, cookies or shopping.

...mobile. i'm all about mobile these days. phones computers music videos. has to be ready when and where i'm ready. sounds cliche and like i'm trying too hard, but it's true. i was lost today because i was without my computer, my ipod and my phone went dead.

...mundane. pretty much sums up my day. i worked the little known april 1 election. yes i was by far the youngest worker. yes it was beyond painful. 13 hours, 34 voters, only 1 thing on the ballot - 1 unopposed candidate, 1 million (yes, million) taxpayers dollars at work to put this election on.

...michelle. one of my best friends from college. we go way back. we've been through lots of things and had lots of fun. she's witty and funny and energetic...wish i could bottle some of that today!

...the littles. the sweeties in my life. little goofy ones with big hugs and sloppy kisses that make us laugh and sometimes cry! little ones with big plans.

l

l is for...

...limes. real limes. fake limes. lime green. limes in margaritas. limes in corona. lime sorbet. a bowl of limes on the table instead of flowers. lime green paint on the wall. lime green bells of ireland.

...late. i'm always late. late to everything. and if i'm not late i'm way early. but that rarely happens.

...light. i love day light savings time. i love it when it stays light longer. that the kids can play outside longer. that it's not dark by 6:00. that we can be outside in the light until 8 or 9.

...lipstick. my little one loves lipstick as much as i do. shiny pink lipfusion is our current favorite.

k

k is for...

...kids. i adore my sweet sweet little ones.

...king. that's what madeline calls alex. "i will be the princess and you can be my king." i guess it fits.

...kfc. yes. kfc. i am still sick and when i am sick i want kfc mashed potatoes. not chicken. nothing else. just kfc mashed potatoes. don't ask why. it's just one of those things that only sounds good when you're sick.

...kansas. the place i've spent most of my life. not a bad place. just not a very interesting place.

...king tut. i was fascinated by king tut when i was a kid. made me want to be an archaeologist. clearly my path didn't take me that way, but it inspired me to learn and explore.

j

j is for...

...jinxed. exactly how i feel today. i jinxed myself. said just the other day how i hadn't been sick all winter and what happens on the first day of spring? i wake up with the flu. jinxed people. jinxed.

...julie. not only my name, but my best friend's name, too. hence the name twoyulies. she is bright and witty. and listens to me. we've been friends since college and we'll be friends forever. we've been through good and bad together. ups and downs. fun and no fun. land and sea. she's a part of the family.

...jeanne. smart, sassy jeanne. my austin friend who loves the good things and a day at the spa as much as i do. she's savy and silly and independent and successful and a great mom. i love that she owns her own business has interests and thinks big. she does cool things like surf camp and has grea ideas. she lives in a cool place and best of all she's a great listener.

...jamie. sweet silly jamie. jamie who always sees the good through the clouds. jamie who

loves to shop like I do, jamie who endured the utter ridiculousness and ignorance of gd with me, jamie who my kids adore, jamie who always has a smile and witty word, jamie who's crazy fun life inspires me to be young.

...jam. on toast, as cake filling raspberry, peach, blueberry. summer mornings. bread and jam for francis one of my most favorite kid's books.

...java. oh how i love the stuff. i've been trying to cut back, but i love nothing more than a good cup of java in my hand in the a.m.

...jealous. oh i can get pretty good and green with envy. people who are living my life with lots of wide open spaces, beautiful scenery and creative minds. i am blessed with what i have, but somedays i do get a little green.

...just. just because. i seem to say that alot these days to my four year old.

i

i is for...

...icecream. neapolitan is my current favorite. But a vanilla dipped cone from dairy queen is always perfect.

...indecisive. probably the best word to describe me.

...imagination. people with imaginations amaze me. i get alot of energy from mine.

...installation. yeah! new countertops installed yesterday! our semi-remodel of our kitchen is coming together.

h

h is for...

...hello kitty. such a happy little creature. have you seen the hello kitty vw bug cruising around town? perfect.











...hyacinths - mine are starting to poke their little faces through the frozen ground. I hope the
snow that's predicted for Easter morning
doesn't get to them.

...hair. i just chopped nine inches off of mine for pantene beautiful lengths. it was time.

...house. i loved to play house as a kid. now that i'm sort of all grown up, and play house for real, the game is different. somedays it's more fun than others.

...holiday. i love holidays. all the planning and preparing. the wonder and excitement. it's especially fun to watch holidays unfold through my little's eyes.

...health. something i'm working on improving this year.

g

g is for...

...girl. my little one, is the girliest girl i know. all about pink, princesses and perfect (her new favorite word).

...glee. pure unadulterated fun silly full of laughs glee. like running into the ocean on a chilly december day.

...greece. somewhere i've always wanted to visit. specifically santorini. someday.

...good. i try to be good. think good thoughts, do good deeds, be good to myself and others. sometimes it's harder than others, but i try.

...gossip. yes a guilty pleasure. celebrity gossip and all the craziness that goes along with it.

...gap trash. sounds crazy. but I love to get floor displays and marketing material that is destined for the trash. you never know what cool stuff you'll come across.

...gummy bears. i've loved little squishy bears since i was little.

f

f is for...

...flip flops. my all time favorite shoes. can't wait to be able to break them out of the closet again. I especially am in love with eliza b. flips. most certainly the best ones. 8 pairs and counting.

...frosting flowers. enough said.

...family. i am blessed with a great family. super duper littles, max and mads, supportive parents and a terrific husband that puts up with my scatter-brainedness.

...french fries. one of the five food groups, right?

...flowers. i adore all kinds of flowers - peonies, tulips, hyacinths, delphinum, gerbera daisies. unexpected flower deliveries from someone is always a treat, but buying a fresh cut garden bunch at the farmer's market is also lovely.

...farmer's market. i love going to the farmer's market in the summer and loading up on fresh veggies and flowers.

...fir trees. yes. fir trees. my favorite for xmas trees. nothing smells better than a fresh christmas tree.

e

e is for...

...egads. it's snowing. AGAIN.

...early. i'm never early to anything. i mean anything. but i do love early morning when everyone is still asleep and the house is still quiet.

...eggs and easter. we're decorating easter eggs today. guess we'll be eating egg salad all week.

...ebay. i have a love/hate relationship with ebay. i love that i can find anything and everything i'm looking for, and that i can turn around and sell the craziest things. i hate the bureaucracy, the slow-canned response answers and the fees. but i still sell and buy like crazy.

d

d is for...

...delightful. one of my most favorite words.

...dog. ours is a shihtzu named twinkle. she's the snuggliest little one. this am i awoke with her asleep on my pillow next to me.

...diorama. i loved building these in grade school.

...delphinium. love love love these flowers.

...delaware. an odd place to visit. but somewhere i've grown to love vacationing at each summer at the shore.

...duh. one of my best words as a kid.

...doughnut. a good indulgence on a sunday morning. we found the best doughnuts this summer at a little place called the fractured prune (cool name, huh?). they make the doughnuts fresh for you and then you get to chose what toppings you want on them. hot gooey and crispy and all served in a frisbee!