HP90....Exercising the Brain

It's over the hump day!  That means it's time to link up with Joyce and the gang for....

1. Aloha! On August 21, 1959 Hawaii officially became a US state. Have you ever been? Upon arrival would you prefer an orchid or a hibiscus to tuck behind your ear?

~ No, I've never been....unless you count watching the Brady Bunch's vacation episodes countless times or having never missed an episode of Magnum P.I.  Well, I guess I'd like a hibiscus since I like them better, but how come I'm not getting a lei?  I thought everyone got a lei?

2. Since we're talking tropical...what's your favorite food or beverage made with pineapple?

~ I absolutely LOVE pineapple....even my body spray has pineapple undertones in it....but I don't have a favorite food or beverage.  Hawaiian Sunsets are pretty good....pineapple juice, cranberry juice, and coconut rum.

3. Do you believe in soul mates? Explain.

~ Yes and no.  I do believe that God has someone out there for everyone (unless His plan for you is otherwise) and that the wise person waits for that person to show up.  That said, I think we can also have successful relationships with anyone of our own choosing......if (and that's a big if) we commit to them and make the choice to make it work.  The idea that love just happens and is easy is wrong.  A successful relationship takes commitment to the other person, a choice to always want the best for them, and working to make that happen.  In other words....it's HARD!  The "love at first sight" thing is not love.  It's emotion and lust.

4. Share a memory about the house you grew up in.

~ We moved around so much....  I guess I could tell you about the last house, the one my mom still lives in.  Let me start by saying I don't believe in ghosts....at least not as the wandering souls of the dearly departed.  I do, however, believe there are things we can't explain.  So, under the  unexplainable category is my mom's house.  I had a bedroom on the second floor.  In that room I had a rocking chair that had belonged to my great-grandmother.  There were many nights I slept with the covers pulled up over my head afraid to peek out because that chair was rocking.  I did NOT want to know who or what was rocking it.  In that same house I would catch a glimpse of someone/something in the hallway and often feel like something was there....to the point I was afraid to look in a mirror when I was home alone because I was sure something would be behind me and again, I didn't what to know what.  I never told my parents about any of it because they'd have poo-poo'ed it.  I never told my kids because I didn't want to scare them.  And yet, since those days my mom has admitted that there used to be nights when she would hear the radio clear as day (my grandmother slept with the radio on and Mom never heard it until after she died) and my kids were both afraid to go in the house after dark if they were alone.  They said it was "creepy."  My daughter still won't go there alone at night and I admit that while I will, it still makes me nervous.  If I have to watch things for Mom when she's away I make sure to do it before dark.

5. Are you comfortable with silence?

~ Yep.  As an only child of rather quiet people who often lived in remote areas...I am really comfortable with quiet.

6. You spot a giant spider on your bedroom wall...what's your next move? (all spiders are giant, right?)

~ That kind of depends.  I'm not really afraid of spiders, though the idea of getting bit by a brown recluse scares the bejeebers out of me.  Tim's not around a lot so I have to kill my own spiders and all of Megan's spiders, because she is afraid of them.  The only ones I won't kill myself are the truly big ones with bodies that are more than an inch long....and there's a reason for that.  When we lived in Florida I found a big black and yellow spider on the wall of our family room.  The body on that thing was a good 2 inches long and it was really thick.  The legs added another 2 inches or so on the sides.  It was a truly big spider and killing it was going to be beyond gross, so I called Tim.  He rolled up a magazine and gave it a whack.  There was this crunch as the body split.....and then about a gazillion tiny baby spiders came running out!  Ewww!  Ick!  Ugh!  Gag!  The whole thing landed on an area rug.  We just rolled it up and drug it out the door.  Fortunately, if we have spiders that big in Pennsylvania they haven't turned up in my house yet.

7. My idea of fun does NOT include ______________.

~ Snakes, sharks, tools, jumping from or out of anything with only a parachute or giant rubber band to keep me from certain death, opera, doing the polka, egg plant, playing Monopoly, watching pee-wee sports, or looking at tractors and other heavy equipment.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

~ In keeping with the train of thought my answers seem to be on today, let me share with you the most horrible cake I can possibly imagine.  If you were to serve it to me, it would be my last because I would have a heart attack and die on the spot.

That is just wrong.  So very, very wrong.  Why would you even do that????  And for those of you who don't understand my horror....how about I cut you a big slice of this cake?  Hmmm...doesn't that look yummy???

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**We're leaving for a few days of vacation tomorrow and getting back just in time for the start of school on Monday.  Things will be a little crazy those first few days so if you don't see me around, don't worry....I'll be back at some point next week.  Love you all.  Enjoy the weekend!**