Jen’s Neighborhood

What's the longest you've ever waited in line?

I would have to say over an hour at Dis'eyland, I guess it's the only way to get on the rides. I like the good old days when the Navy or school would rent out the park for the night and the crowds would be much less and the riding experience was easier to attain. Haven't had that opportunity for many Many years. Actually haven't been to the park for about 15 years, may hit it next year with the grandchild though.

If you could only drink one beverage for the rest of your life (not including water), which one would you choose?

I'll make a healthy choice here and say juice. Fruit juice would be healthful and something I could work around for the rest of my life. I'm already in love with the V8 fusion juices, and I can get a vegetable in that way too. It's a great way for little ones to get their daily requirement of veggies without even knowing they are doing it. They are a little strong but I mix them with a little seltzer water and it's like giving her soda. She loves her 'bubble juice'.

We recently went to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival and it was wonderful. Dare I say, even better than the SoCal Faire that I fell in love with so many years ago. This is a permanent site and that makes it so much more of an event. It helps the community to really get behind the event also. We booked a hotel through their internet site and got tickets free. The only drawback was the lack of decent shows. We stopped at 2 early in the day and both were a little disappointing, so we stopped trying. There are many more things for the kids to do such as interactive plays; rides; petting area; camel, elephant and horse rides - lots to see and do. And the shopping....lots and lots of shopping. You could really spend 2 days exploring all the nooks and crannys of this fair and probably not see it all. It was a little disappointing to see so few of the guests dressed up but the midwest IS a little more conservative :D. If you ever have the opportunity to check this one out DO IT!

What's your favorite room in your house? Why?

MY CRAFT ROOM ! or corner or where ever I can stick all the stuff. I love crafting, if I have a vice it is this.It's my haven. I can't stay out of the fabric stores, craft stores, craft fairs (stealing ideas) or classes on crafts. I have beads from the 70's when it all began to 50 year old fabric I inherited from my mother. It never goes bad, it always comes in handy when you need something to create and it's entertaining for the kids (and me). It's how I stay sane. I don't know how people get through life without something they do on the side, something only for them. I enjoy : calligraphy, painting, ceramics, crochet, knitting, macrame, beading, sewing, quilting, stained glass, tole painting, origami, scrapbooking, photography, stamping, .........you name the craft, I've probably tried it at one point or another. I highly recommend for everyone to find at least one thing to do that's crafty. You'll need something to do when you retire.

Have you ever burned yourself?

What a weird question?? Do they mean literally --well, hell yes! I've burned myself cooking lots of times, burned myself tanning (or pretending I'm tanning because I NEVER tan, I guess it's the Irish side of me) I burn and peel, burn and peel, etc. and stay the same color basically. I gave up on that years ago. I think the worst sunburn I ever got was when we were in Hawaii. We had saved snorkeling at Hanama Bay for the last day we were on Oahu. We started at about 9 a.m. and were so consumed by the beauty of the fish and the gentle washing of water on our backs we didn't realize that the sunscreen we had put on was washing off. We left at about noon and by that afternoon we knew we were in trouble. We just kept getting brighter red by the minute. When we left the next day for Maui we were in extreme pain on the airplane, and didn't move once we were out of our clothes and laying on the bed with aloe in place. So we lost a day or two of sightseeing on Maui, but we survived. Again, I peeled, no tan.

Or, do they mean when you've done something that leaves you vulnerable to others. That I have done also. I have said things that I wished I could take back immediately. But then there's no going back. Once it's out of your mouth it's done. Then you have to do damage control. I remember once I cussed at work because of frustration and my boss at the hospital caught me in the act. She asked what I would do if a patient had heard me, quickly I replied that I would apologize. She smiled, so I guess that was appropriate damage control. That was minor but there have been many many burns over my long life.

If you mean in the Ashton Kutcher sort of way, I don't think so - at least not that I can immediately recall.

What is your most treasured memory and why?
Submitted by Savannah.

This is a hard one. There are so many of them, births, marriages, simple times like camping with friends, marathon canasta games, family vacations, trips to exotic destinations, and simple tender moments that can't be erased from my memory. I can't pick just one! And don't make me. They are all important for very different reasons. I wish there was a safe place to put them all, like a pensive (for real) so that if anything happens to me they would live on in another form to be shared with generations to come. I wish I could have a look at all those memories that dies with my parents, the things that we never talked about. Memories and stories of good times from their childhoods and their earlly married years. Times I wasn't a part of but would still like to 'share'. Maybe in the future there will be a way for us to preserve these memories in a way other than through pictures, scrapbooks or film. Pictures don't tell the whole story. And my photos of the places I've been are usually all about the architecture, the scenery, but very few of the people I go with. Photos don't do justice to the events that took place unless you've taken audio as well, it doesn't capture the 'life of the party' or the sweetness of the moment. I have never owned a video camera but that's the way to capture some of those moments I guess. It's just that when the camera comes into the picture there is a change in the mood, or the way people react. Our minds eye is the best recorder of these treasured memories!

If money didn't matter, what job would you most like to have?
Submitted by Rainbird.

Money or not - I'd want to work in a florist shop. I absolutely love the smell when I'm in one, and to work with flowers all day would be fun. I'll have to work on that idea - hmmm.

They say that you should never meet your heroes, who are your heroes and, given the opportunity, would you ever meet them?
Submitted by Beautifully Broken.

My heroes are from the far distant past. They are women who made an impact in their time. Cleopatra, Elanor of Aquitaine, Catherine the Great, etc, They were very strong and powerful women and given the chance to back in time and be a "fly on the wall" would be very interesting.

You have four unexpected guests showing up for dinner in less than an hour, you haven't been to the store in days, and you want to impress them with a delicious meal. What do you serve them?

There is always something asian you can make with odds and ends in the fridge or ??? I usually have lots of stuff in the pantry but it's not exotic. It may not be a 'dinner party' but if they wanted gourmet they should have let me know they were coming.

What challenges in life have you conquered and emerged from a better person?
Sponsored by Nature Made.

As I was growing up we moved A LOT. My father was in the Navy and we moved every few years. I once counted the schools I had attended and there were 13 all together. My family moved 13 times as well. So it was a gypsies life to be sure. You had to learn how to make friends easily and fit in quickly. Besides the travel savvy I have picked up along the way and the ability to pack up a house like the pros, I have had a chance to see the world and the people in it. It gives you a certain wisdom that most people don't have. It gives you people skills that many never develop. Don't get me wrong it had a lot of draw-backs too but on the whole it prepared me for life in a different way than most. After marriage (to another Navy brat) we continued to move our little family around too but not quite as much. We knew too well the consequences of moving school age children around too many times and took that to heart. Our children did move but I don't think they suffered too much for it. (At least I hope not.) Even the little bit we did move gave them a sense of adventure and a wanderlust that has taken them out of their childhood neighborhood. Neither of them lives in that small community any longer. I don't think they'll ever be afraid to move if necessary for a job or just because the grass is greener. I was always puzzled by stories of people who couldn't venture out away from their birthplace if only to take a look at the world outside of their 'cocoon'.