25 Random Facts about Me...Miss Ann Marie Potter

So the other night I woke up from a totally-out-of-it-dreaming-of-the-sun-sleep to the nagging feeling I needed to do something. I tossed and turned for 2 hours thinking "No all the lights are shut off...and do I have clean underwear for tomorrow" you know the basic stuff. But the nagging feeling just wouldn't subside and therefore decided to get out of bed and check the house for the lights, check, check the drawers for underwear check, and yet it still remained, the nagging feeling! Finally it dawned on me I had not completed my FaceBook 25 Random Facts about me. So I promptly sat down at my new (but old to Jim) laptop and wrote out my 25 random facts. Well, you know me miss. techy-techy, I did it wrong and I don't think anybody read it, so I am going to post it on our blog...because nobody will read it here.

1. I am a realist. I absolutely hate the half-full, half-empty question because I have always thought it depends on whether or not you are filling it up, half-full or drinking it half-empty…why doesn’t anybody else think this way?
2. I have always wondered what my family would have been like if my oldest brother Alan hadn’t had died.
3. Since the time I was 12 I wanted a Burberry scarf and 4 years ago Jim bought me one for Christmas as a surprise.
4. I have a total and absolute fetish for skirts. I finally figured this out when I was buying a skirt for the summer when it was 15 degrees outside. (just last week)
5. My high school councilor told me, in not so many words, I wasn’t smart enough to go to college so when I graduated with a 4 year degree with honors I wanted to send him a copy of my degree with the words FU on it
6. The last New Year’s resolution I made (1996) was to wear miss-matched socks for the entire year…it lasted a day.
7. I can never remember my oldest and dearest friend’s, Tammi Ringger, birthday…October 16th or November 13th…the 16th? GRRR
8. I was told by Lou Diamond Phillips (look him up on IMDB) that I was funny.
9. I want to own my own gourmet kitchen shop and call it JANES Concoctions. It will be modeled after the gourmet kitchen shop I worked at for 4 years during high school while being a barrista.
10. I am currently training for a half marathon; which makes me laugh because when I first started to run I could run for 2 minutes straight now I am up to 67 minutes straight.
11. I have a very clear and distinct memory of sitting in elementary school, listening to Chris Miller talk about his family in Nebraska and thinking to myself “Nebraska, now that is one place I never want to live.”
12. It drives me crazy when people ask me if I wished I had had a girl…NO!!! I love my boys and I am glad that I have 3 boys…I am totally a 3 boy mom.
13. I hate to drive slow…it drives me crazy! And that is why one day I will drive a Porsche Panamera (the new 4-door).
14. At one time in my life I wanted to be a professional pickle taster.
15. I want a home in Whitefish MT so my family and I can go skiing during the winter and boating during the summer.
16.My goal for my family is to visit each state (18 so far) and to visit every continent (1 so far).
17.I love to say hell and damn.
18.I have always been a die hard Republican but in the last few years have decided that I am A-political. Look at the man not the party!
19.I never want to move to back to Utah …
20. Literally the minute I layed eyes on Jim, I knew I was going to marry him.
21. One of my most favorite things in this world is cotton candy ice-cream from Cold Stone or Maggie Moos with gummy bears.
22. I have started a children’s story and a book…yet to be completed however I have decided that my ‘pen name’ will be AJ Jones.
23. One of my most favorite things to look at is all three boys in white shirts, sleeping with Jim in his white shirt laying in our bed with our white sheets…I love it!
24. I had a turtle name Maynerd that committed suicide…long story!
25. After many hours of deep and concentrated thought I have come to the realization that I am completely and utterly shallow...and I am okay with it.

"I Love Saturday's, they are a good day"

I love Saturday's. I love the feeling of a day with nothing planned and doing whatever comes our way. I love that it is the first day of the week that Jim and I can sleep in...while the boys can finally play the Wii. I love doing chores in the morning and then enjoying a nice clean house for the rest of the afternoon while I read. I bring this all up because today I had the opportunity to take three really handsome boys that I know quite well to the zoo. While there Elijah turned to me and said and I quote "I love Saturdays they are a good day." I hope you find that true...I do!

The boys being goofy
Even though they fight, they can still have loving moments...I think right after this these two started to fight, but whatever
Noah helping his little bro up the rocks

A Ralph Lauren In The Making?

Elijah's T-shirt
Noah's shirt...I guess it is a death thing? Should I be worried?
Project T-shirt
Noah working hard on his "death" shirt
Spencer showing off his shirt that I, his mother, made him...on the back he wrote his name a couple of times...it was cute.

For the last few days Elijah has asked me, more than a few times, if we could make shirts. I was a little bit confused when he first asked because first of all I don't sew and second of all I don't sew. But when he expounded upon his idea of 'making a shirt' he said he wanted to just draw on one. Okay easy enough. So we headed to Wal-Mart, bought some colored Sharpi's (okay the knock off Sharpi's at $3) and a package of Hanes T-shirts for boys for $5. So 8 dollars, 3 boys drawing and about 10 permanent pen marks on my table later, this is what we got.

Spenace The Menace Strikes Again

Just in case you were wondering if Spencer really is a menace, well let me give you this little tid-bit to nah on for a while...We had some friends over last night for a little Wii party, however Spencer really got into the Wii part and turned it into a WEE party. He peed (yes urinated) all over our friends little girl coat. Let me repeat that last statement so it can sink into your mind...Spencer PEED all over Zoey's coat.

And that is how I can know for sure that I have failed society...by bringing up a boy who thinks that this is funny. I just figured his jouvee experience will help straighten him out.

By the way, the coat was sitting right next to the door to the BATHROOM!

Friday Night

So I am sitting in bed with my new (okay Jim's old but new to my ownership) laptop, Noah sound asleep beside me, and Jim on the big (okay really big) computer ordering a butter dish. Have we reached the pinnacle of our Friday Nights? Were did our Friday Night Adventures go and when did the cease?

I guess to answer this question and the other un-answerable questions that roam freely in my head, is that we are in our 30's, parents to 3 boys, and students. Oh well, we still enjoyed a pizza dinner at the Pizza Hut, watched Star Wars the Clone Wars and rounded off the night by watching an episode of How It's Made...wow, we really are losers. We usually throw in a batch of Carmel popcorn into the mix, you know, just to shake things up. If you would like to join us in this Friday Night revolution of eating gross pizza and watching shows that make you feel young and nerdy, here you go:

2 batches of air popped popcorn (set aside in a big mixing bowl)

Mix together on stove until melted:
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of dark Karol syrup

Mix together and have yourself a rockin Friday Night Adventure.

I Have Always Wondered IF....

Moving across the country poses many questions... some questions best left unasked. However, I have always wondered if we were meant to be in Nebraska and when I saw this sign off to the side of the road in Nebraska, well lets just say the wondering stopped!

I Just Can't Take It Any More

Okay this picture was taken right before finals...as you can tell I am smiling because Jim is almost done. Jim is going cross-eyed looking brain-fried because he is almost done. Last night Elijah looked at this picture and started laughing so hard he couldn't breath. Of course we all started laughing with him but what made it worse was when he said "I just can't take that picture anymore" in between gasps for air. Again, not sure if you will find the humor in it but Elijah certainly did.

One Crazy Night

Introducing the dynamic-fighting-Potter-trio...they'll knock your pants off! (or in this case, shirts)

Good golly-gee willickers, my boys are so crazy. Last night Elijah started laughing his head off when Spencer pulled up his jammy bottoms like a boxer (I would say nerd but I hate to stereo-type). Elijah started to laugh even harder when he got into the action. Noah didn't want to miss out on the fun so he quickly jumped in and pulled up his pants. Within about 30 seconds, we were all laughing and I had to take some pictures of this "laughing attack of the pants" so I could share with you all how crazy these three boys can be. I am not sure if you will find the humor in it as we all did but hopefully it can bring a little smile to your face.

Santa Comes Early in the Mid-West

Driving with the wii steering wheels...and concentrating so hard

"Why yes, I am a jedi master here to play the complete saga."

Three little pots driving three little carts.

Noah said to me after receiving the Wii..."See mom, Santa could get a Wii but you couldn't...he must be real."

For those of you who don't know, Santa truly comes early in the Mid-West...not sure why, but he does...he even came early to the Potter's household in the ghetto. Maybe that's it, he doesn't want to get shot or mugged. Anyway with Santa coming early, the boys were sent on another scavenger hunt only to find a Wii at the end of Santa's three hidden, but strategically placed clues. Even Jim got into the action. By the way if you do live in the Mid-West and Santa DIDN'T come early, no worries, I really think it is the ghetto thing!

A Few of My Favorite Pics...

I thought this was so tender...I just love Elijah's face hugging his Nana

The Potter boy's are back in town...now which one is the oldest again?

Spencer attacking his favorite Uncle Dave.

Spencer in a rare form, not sticking out his tongue or attacking anyone, it must be his love of his Aunt "Shewwey".

The niece's being all cute and stuff.

For some reason I thought I was being quite the camera-woman this Holiday Season. Getting into people's faces, telling them to act natural and saying "no, not that pose again" but then I quickly realize I have no clue as what my camera can even do! It is surprising to me, even, that I have figured out how to turn the contraption on. But in my quest to learn more about the camera, that I think could turn into a car and save the world all at the same time, I took a few pictures that I loved from the Holidays...but again, I will let you be the judge.

The Many Face of Marianne and Ann

It always starts out so innocent...

Then you must do the sucking in of lips...unfortunately for me, I look like a fish...a fish out of water!

The surprised look...more surprised that we look that goofy!

Yup...we lost it!

On New Year's Ever, Marianne and I started having a little too much fun with the camera. As you can tell from the pictures it started out good, but then quickly went to hysterical laughing. I am not sure why we even started laughing, we just did. We were both laughing so hard that we both got stomach cramps which made us laugh even harder. Maybe we were laughing because we were tired and exhausted (the time change really screwed us up) or maybe it was because we realized we both have double chins (no thanks to the hoards of junk food we both digested over the holidays) or maybe it was because we just miss hanging out...I'll let you be the judge!

Christmas 08

The NE and the GA boys

Christmas morning in UT

Noah freaking out because of the Wii olympics game he got.

Christmas Eve dinner...Spencer always the loving face!

The Grande Tushki clan.

From here (Omaha) to there (Salt Lake) and back again...we are still trying to figure out where the last two weeks went. From skiing the slopes of Brighton to eating sushi at Ginza, we had a great time. We are already missing our family and friends in Utah, yes Georgia Potter's we miss you too...as well as my family, scattered amongst the country. There is so much to write about so I thought I would give you a quick overview of 'some of our favorite things'

1. Playing Grande Tushki... please just don't ask, just accept it as a Potter thing.

2. Eating our weight in cottage cheese, onions and pepper dip.

3. The boys snowboarding for the first time at Brighton.

4. Seeing all our friends day after day...I didn't realize how many friends we actually had!

5. Buying the Toureg with Lisa...I love spending her money.

6. Playing the wii into the wee-hours.

7. Spencer calling Alli 'girl-friend'...I still don't think he knows her real name.

8. Being the first to sleep in Potter's new rooms.

So after what seems like a million miles traveled, we are finally home and have put Christmas 08 to a rest. The luggage is all put away, the wii is set up permanently and the red-van is finally parked, but the memories will live long...