Comment with the title of a book you’d like me to read. I will read the first 13 and do a blog post on each book. If I have read it already, I’ll re-read it just for you. Go!

1. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
3. The Ezekiel Option by Joel Rosenberg
4. A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel
5. life on the refrigerator door: Notes between a Mother and Daughter by Alice Kuipers
6. House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
7. A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers
8. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (all of them)
9. (see above)
10. (see above)
11. (see above)
12. (see above)
13. (see above)

Thirteen Thoughts on Next Week’s American Idol Finale

1. If David Cook hadn’t made it to the finale, I would have never watched again. I’ve never been a devout follower, but something about this season was close to my heart (something I don’t feel comfortable sharing publicly, but feel free to ask. I’ll email you).

2. I really can’t stand David A. (not even gonna bother to try with that one).

3. I’m trying to think of another song that Cook could sing to make me enjoy his music even more, but the guy has honestly covered so many of my favorites already…I feel like I’d be asking too much. Hmm, maybe “Looks Like We Made It” (Barry Manilow) or…”Elizabeth” (Frank Sinatra). But that would be too much.

4. I get to watch it with Kevin. Yay Though I’m a little disappointed that the one year I get passionate about it, he’s kinda “eh.” Not complaining. At least he puts up with me dying and coming back to life all during the first line of David Cook singing “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.” Quite a task, I assure you.

5. It’s a Tuesday night. I’m really glad something has come along to ease the pain of the loss I experienced whenever Gilmore Girls ended.

6. Completely unrelated, but I should have my As Time Goes By DVDs by then. And I’m actually more excited about that.

7. Hoping David A. sings something else hilarious (you know, like that lovely Dan Fogelberg number this week). I’m crossing my fingers for either “Arthur’s Theme” by Christopher Cross or “Break My Stride” by Matthew Wilder. That would be some serious comedy, folks.

8. Hoping Kellie Pickler doesn’t show up.

9. And Kelly Clarkson right along with her. You girls can just stay home and watch, okay?

10. I would like to see both Jennifer Hudson and Melinda Doolittle.

11. Kristy Lee Cook and Skunkhair…can do without both of them.

12. Maybe Jason Castro won’t be high?

13. I don’t know how we could pull this off, but maybe David C. could accidentally kick David A. in the face? Hmm. Need to think about the logistics of that one a little more.

Join the feast!

Appetizer
What was your favorite cartoon when you were a child? I really liked Chip and Dale’s Rescue Rangers, Tale Spin, Duck Tales…all those Disney afternoon ones. They came on our local Fox station, but I’m pretty sure it was marketed as a Disney afternoon thing. And at some point during the afternoon Double Dare would come on. Slimy. I loved it. On Sunday mornings we would get up at the crack of dawn to watch The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. “Pooh Bear, Winnie the Pooh Bear”…I’d watch that if it were on today. There is something very soothing about Pooh, kinda like Mister Rogers.

Soup
Pretend you are about to get a new pet. Which animal would you pick, and what would you name it? How about I tell you about the pet I just got 2 months ago, because she is exactly what I would pick. She is a Scoodle. Three-quarters Scottish Terrier and one-quarter Poodle. This makes for a very quick, cunning animal. She can read minds. Her name is Clarabel Dolores, because once again I felt the need to save a future daughter some ridicule. It’ll be bad enough when I spit on my thumb and wipe grape jelly from her face.

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy getting all dressed up for a special occasion? Assuming that I start getting ready in time, and I’m not hopping out of the shower 20 minutes before I’m supposed to leave (like usual), then TEN because I love putting on makeup. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Like wearing pretty dresses, but not the awful underthings. Gah. I need to take a picture of the thing I wore under my dress for Heather’s rehearsal dinner. Medieval torture doesn’t hold a candle to this.

Main Course
What kind of music do you listen to while you drive? Things that I can turn up really loud and get kinda lost in. When I’m driving home, I have some specific music I like to listen to, because going home is something very, very special to me. The rest of the time I usually listen to some mix CD that I’ve made. This morning I made a new one with a variety of sounds: David Cook, Leona Lewis, Celine Dion, Allison Crowe, Little Texas, and Janet Jackson. Told ya. I’m eclectic.

Dessert
When was the last time you bought a clock? And in which room did you put it? I just recently bought an alarm clock. And then I bought another because I couldn’t trust the first one. You need to be able to trust your alarm clocks. It’s in my room, on my nightstand.

Thirteen of My Favorite Dance Moments
Counting down…

13.

12.

11.

10.

9.

8.

7.

6.

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

Appetizer
Name something you would categorize as weird. Pronouncing syrup like seer-up. Showering with a pet. Eating one’s weight in kippered beef steak. Clay Aiken and people who like him.

Soup
What color was the last piece of food you ate? Umm…brownish.

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy being alone? 9. I am a solitary person. Being alone helps me to re-energize.

Main Course
Fill in the blank: I will _________ vote for ___________ in _______. I will probably vote for myself in 2020. It’s the year I’m eligible

Dessert
Describe your sleeping habits. My sleep cycles are very short. I want to say maybe 5 hours. My body doesn’t get tired until VERY late. Lately I have been getting to bed earlier in the evening since I get for work at 5 am.

HEADS! This week’s theme is direction. And this is my first week!

I believe this thing used to be a reindeer or a moose. But it lost its antlers in the wind.

Appetizer
Name a color you find soothing. The ocean on a cloudy day.

Soup
Using 20 or less words, describe your first driving experience. Drove trailer loaded with hay into ditch. Turned trailer over. Distracted by cell phone my brother would not answer.

Salad
What material is your favorite item of clothing made out of? The old “frog pants” (RIP). And they were just some super super soft cotton blend.

Main Course
Who is a great singer or musician who, if they were to come to your town for a concert, you would spend the night outside waiting for tickets to see? I don’t think I would do that for anyone. Maybe John Mayer or Michael Buble, but I don’t even know about that. Now, the two of them together? Oh yeah. And maybe Westlife. Yeah, probably so.

Dessert
What is the most frequent letter of the alphabet in your whole name (first, middle, maiden, last, etc.)? Elizabeth Michelle Johnson = E (I think. I am bad at counting.)

The Chef is taking a break this week, so I got my questions from Stone Girl.

Appetizer
What is your favorite vacation spot in the United States? A lot of people are going to think this is sad, but I love Branson, MO. I just do. I like being around older folks, things going at a slower pace, and Silver Dollar City. People let you in during the heavy traffic and are just all around nicer than what you’ll find most places. For beauty, I really like the Rockies and the countryside of Virginia.

Soup
If someone else (friend, co-worker, family) brings up a religious or political topic, how likely are you to join the conversation, on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = not likely, 10=very likely). If there is going to be a disagreement, 2. If I know pretty much where the person stands and it’s not too far from where I am, 10. I’ll talk politics (with my limited knowledge) all day with someone who isn’t going to turn it into a shouting match, e.g. Rosie O’Donnell.

Salad
What song do you listen to when you feel very sad? I’m not sad very often anymore. However, when I was in high school and bummed out about a boy or some kinda junk like that, I’d listen to Nina Gordon sing “The End of the World” over and over. How’s that for depressing? Let me think, I did have some sad times in college…okay, I just checked my last.fm charts for the spring of 2005 (aka, the semester that Liz could have flunked out of school - but didn’t - because she was always bawling over the last stupid thing some jerkface said or did. We’re talking, wearing a bathrobe, sad music on, sitting on my bed with a box of Kleenex. It was NOT pretty.) and it’s pretty telling. Let’s just go ahead and make a soundtrack for the most depressing point in my life (albeit a very dumb reason to be depressed. Scumbag.).

Break Me - Jewel
Main Title from The Notebook
This Years Love - David Gray
Tear In Your Hand - Tori Amos
I’ll Be Seeing You - Billie Holiday
Somewhere Only We Know - Keane
Mark’s Song - eastmountainsouth
Mr. Lonely - Bobby Vinton
The Hard Way - Keith Urban
If I Could Turn Back Time - Cher
Rain - Patty Griffin
Lost In Love - Air Supply
Stupid - Sarah McLachlan

Main Course
Someone you really admire is coming over for a home-cooked dinner. What do you serve him/her? Hmm. I can’t think of anything that I am super impressive at cooking (Kevin and my friends like it, that’s good enough for me), but to give them a little taste of something that I enjoy, I’d make my mom’s Chicken Cheese Spaghetti. Oh, I love it.

Dessert
If the only form of transportation left in the world is by animal (horse, mule, camel, etc), where would you live? I move back down to Pernell, OK and live the way my great-grandparents did. Get myself a little house, plant a garden, grow flowers, and get a few cats for the barn.

Because I took spring break off.

I have been tagged on a number of blogs to list quite a few different things. Today I am getting to what Cricket, Destini and Lynn tagged me to do…list 7 interesting things about myself.

1. I have hitch hiker’s thumbs. You know, the kind that bend back really far. I think they’re hereditary.

2. I have only seen The Wizard of Oz one time. It was this past Christmas at Kevin’s parents’ house. Hopefully that’ll be the only time. Maybe it’s magical when you’re little, but I was not impressed.

3. I am an early bird, but only if the temperature outside my bed is close to the one inside. It is very hard for me to get up in the mornings if I’m stepping out into a cold room. My body just won’t do it. Since I try to save energy and not run heating or air at night, this becomes a problem.

4. I’ve lost 12 lbs. recently, which is pretty awesome.

5. I think I know the words to nearly every song by Trisha Yearwood. I love her. And man, she has good hair.

6. I have very manageable hair. And lots of it. I’m kind of a hairdressers dream…or worst nightmare.

7. I have a family that rivals the one in My Big, Fat Greek Wedding. Ask Kevin. They think he’s quiet, but really, he’s just normal.