On All Fours

Okay, this is it! I can't do any more surveys for awhile, and I'm sure you'll soon be tired of reading them as well (if you're not already).
Last one, I swear!

FoUR jobs I've had. . .

Art Gallery Attendant (my favorite)
Team Photographer/ Activities Advertising (shortest job I've ever had)
Secretary! (yep, that's where I put my 70wpm to good use)
Sports Writer (the pay is crap in journalism)

fOuR websites I visit most often. . .

Gap
USA Today (to get the news obviously, but only if I'm in the mood for bad news)
Amazon (I love looking for new books, I've got a wish list a mile long on Amazon)
Google home page (Searching, constantly searching for more stuff to buy or be inspired by)

foUR things that I don't understand. . .

How you can read in the bathtub and enjoy it. . .??
Global Warming, yes/no?
How any one could live without chocolate!
NASCAR, seriously who has the patience to watch them go in circles for that long?

FouR places I'd like to be. . .

Back in bed, mmmm sleep
Heaven (even better than sleep)
Hogwarts (great idea Anne, totally agree)
On a beach with my Dave

fouR movies I could watch a thousand times. . .

Pride and Prejudice
Princess Bride
Stardust
Harry Potter, any and all

fOUr of the most boring survey questions ever. . .

Hugs or Kisses?
Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?
Really any question that is an either/or question!
Who is most/least likely to respond to this survey?

Could we no longer send these stupid things to all our friends? Come up with something new. In fact, come up with an all new 'On All Fours' and send it to me. I'd love to read yours!

foUr things I'm working on. . .

Keeping my mouth shut
Being more careful at what enters into my home/mind/life
Patience (always patience)
Too many projects to count, for instance. . . learning html, researching backyard landscapes, a canvas for the new bedroom, a piece for the living room too, learning how to install crown molding, a lesson for Sunday, a lot of catch-up scrapbooking, etc. etc. I think that makes the list more than four, oops.

FOur reasons why I've done so many stupid surveys. . .

Easy, basic information is always good to know
Fun questions provide fun answers (we hope)
Now you can all buy perfect gifts for me (cause you know me better, right?)
I'm honest, probably too much so, but I want to find the right birth parents for us all. . . so they'll know who their dealing with by reading these I hope.

~Mindy

Scroll Down!

Don't miss Dave's survey down below! It took him too long to finish it, so it never got to alight on the top of the list, sad. He wanted me to direct traffic there however, so enjoy reading about my hubby.

Dave's Figure 8!

8 things i am passionate about:

1. Mindy
2. Reading
3. The Gospel
4. Cheese
5. Food, yes cheese is in it's own class
6. Scriptures/Prayer
7. Video Games
8. Electronics

8 things i want to do before i die:

1. Vacation in Hawaii with Mindy
2. Try all the types of cheeses
3. Visit England
4. Sky dive
5. Tour the East Coast
6. See the ruins in Mexico and South America
7. Become 100% debt free
8. Master the Piano

8 books i have read recently:

1. Tennis Shoes series, books 1-4
2. Candy Shop Wars
3. Fury and Light (Great and Terrible Series)
4. Harry Potter, books 6 & 7
5. Men of Valor
6. Trust Williams series, books 1-3
7. Fablehaven, book 2
8. Book of Mormon
(yes i read a lot)

8 things i say often:

1. Hey Min!
2. I'm sorry. . .
3. What can I do for you? (repeated over and over and over at work)
4. This is the Pharmacist...
5. I love you
6. Yes Min
7. What??? (I think I'm going deaf)
8. Hey

8 things that attract me to a friend:

1. Sense of humor
2. Easy to talk to
3. Common interests
4. 'What you see is what you get' mentality
5. Fun
6. Enjoys cheese
7. Video games? yes please
8. Good common sense

8 songs i could listen to over and over again:

1. Bohemian Rhapsody, by Queen
2. Better man, by Pearl Jam
3. Don't you (Forget about Me) by Simple Minds
4. Iris by Goo Goo Dolls
5. Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd
6. Change Your Mind by The Killers
7. Whole Wide World by Wreckless Eric
8. Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison
(It's hard to choose just eight because I love music)

8 things i have learned this past year:

1. Mindy really does love me! Exciting news!
2. Investing and saving is really important to start early!
3. Decorating a new house can be a pain & expensive
4. I apparently need to be reading something at all times
5. Rationalizing is not ok
6. Video games can be a workout
7. I'm not embarrassed to walk two small dogs by myself
8. The Scouts were right preparedness is important

8 random things about me:

1. I love cheese!!!!!!
2. I'd rather wear flip-flops than anything else
3. I'm a fan of Pixar films
4. I drink the costco brand of slimfast (it tastes better)
5. I love Mac's but the credit goes to Mindy, she talked me into it at first
6. I would try new types of food everyday
7. I think the "Running for fun" motto is stupid
8. I drove a real sports car recently ($80k 400HP Corvette)...AWESOME!!!

Mindy's Figure 8!

This next getting-to-know-you (makes you want to break out in song doesn't it?) is compliments of Anne. Enjoy!

8 things i am passionate about:

1. Dave
2. Art
3. My dogs
4. Adoption
5. The Gospel
6. Photography
7. My family
8. Desserts!

8 things i want to do before i die:

1. Finish my coloring book and have it published
2. Have my own art show
3. Train my dogs to be perfectly obedient
4. Visit Greece and Italy
5. Actually feel like I'm finished decorating my house
6. Be perfect in something
7. Speak another language fluently
8. Be able to read Dave's mind

8 books i have read recently:

1. The Open Adoption Experience, by two people that I'm too lazy to look up right now
2. Candy Shop Wars, by Brandon Mull
3. Harry Potter 7, by J.K. Rowling
4. Fablehaven 2, by Brandon Mull
5. Harry Potter 6, by J.K. Rowling
6. Where Angels Fall, by Chris Stewart
7. Wolves, by Emily Gravett (funny/dark kid's book)
8. The Color of Me, by Leo Lionni (newest kid's book in my collection)

8 things i say often:

1. Do you need to go out?
2. Get out of the dirt!
3. Thank you, that's enough (dogs barking)
4. DAVE!
5. No, we don't have any kids
6. Yep, he's working today
7. No (a good general purpose answer)
8. I love you too!

8 things that attract me to a friend:

1. Absolutely their sense of humor
2. Ability to be REAL honest
3. Have opinions
4. And yet be open-minded
5. Fun and silly
6. Not worried about appearances
7. Can talk about nothing, seriously
8. Be passionate about something, anything

8 songs i could listen to over and over again:

1. Whole Wide World, by Wreckless Eric
2. Always be my Baby, by Mariah Carey (I confess I loved this song when I was a teenager)
3. The Way I am, by Ingrid Michaelson
4. Here Comes the Sun, by the Beatles
5. Son's Gonna Rise, by Citizen Cope
6. Stepsister's Lament, from Cinderella (that one's for you Kirst)
7. Bonnie Taylor Shakedown, by Hellogoodbye
8. Be Yourself, by Audioslave

8 things i have learned this past year:

1. Strength is given when asked for
2. I have totally adapted to our searing summer heat (I didn't think this would be possible)
3. Dave is my rock, and I am glad to be his
4. I don't mind living in Utah (another impossibility)
5. Not fitting in is exactly where I want to be
6. I love my calling working with the Young Women (shocking I know)
7. I could make room in my life for someone else
8. I am happy to be who I am and I have no excuses for it!

8 random things about me:

1. I don't paint my finger nails, it looks weird
2. I was practically bald until I was at least 2 years old
3. I never change my earrings, they are what they are
4. My back is constantly popping out (since I was a teenager), but I hadn't been to a chiropractor until this last month and it was heaven!
5. My toenails are always painted, it looks weird otherwise
6. I've never seen 'Titanic'
7. I gave my dogs middle names
8. Hardly anyone has seen me without makeup, and it used to be the same for having my hair done, but I've given up with that one.

8 other people I think should do the 8
I don't know many other bloggers, so this is for you lay people out there who would love to fill this out via email. . .

1. Mom
2. Dad
3. Tiff
4. Kari
5. Kirsten
6. Janae
7. And of course Dave, I'll be sure he does
8. I'd actually love to hear from anyone, so fill in your name here _____________.

Thanks Anne, this was fun.

Tomorrow. . . arrr!

So if you weren't aware, tomorrow, September 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Thats right, a true pirate talking holiday. Kari, your pirate joke will finally be funny!

Smartly then, me land lubbers, enjoy yer holiday!

Basic Information

Dave. . .

Age: 29
Number of Siblings: Five, one brother and four sisters (all older)
Education: Doctor of Pharmacy degree
Occupation: Pharmacist
Years Married: Seven
Favorite Color: Blue
Super Power I'd want: Flying
Favorite Dessert: Texas Sheet Cake
Favorite Beverage: Horchata or Milk
What I wanted to be when I grew up: Doctor or Dentist
Number of bones broken: Two
Favorite hobby: Video Games, Nintendo Wii
Number of sports teams I've been on: Soccer, Baseball, Basketball, Tennis, Ultimate Frisbee
Musical Instruments played: Two, Trombone and Piano
Number of Cities I've lived in: Too many to remember, I could guess though. . . uhh, 15
Farthest traveled: Europe or Argentina
Place I'd like to visit: Hawaii with Mindy
Favorite Childhood toy: Transformers
The Best TV show: Lost
Favorite thing Mindy cooks: Lasagna
Movie seen the most: Young Frankenstein or Monster's Inc. it's too close to call
Book read the most: Harry Potter
Favorite Super Hero: Superman
Pet Peeve: Rude people
Favorite Smell: Roast
Most common nickname: Dave
Name Change: I don't mind my name
Not so well known talent: Peace-maker
Most anticipated Holiday: Christmas
Biggest award won: Huge bowling trophy in Scouts, but I was also Valedictorian which was a big deal
Talent I wish I had: To be able to play the piano really well
Thing I would never do: Waste good food
Thing I would do, but haven't: Go on a cruise
Favorite subject in School: Math and Science
Hated subject in School: English
Favorite Star Wars character: Obi-won
Most hated food: Meat that is too fatty
Favorite Food: Right now it is cheese, I love trying new kinds
Worst injury I've had: Fractured tailbone, hurt badly, and very embarrassing carrying around a donut to sit on
Favorite thing about Mindy: Her eyes
Least impressive 'talent': I can make my ear snap, it irritates Mindy
One thing I would change about me: Eye sight, no more glasses!
Last book I read: Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites, book 4
Favorite time of the year: Spring
Favorite piece of art Mindy's made: The Red Dog
Favorite Cartoon as a child: Thundercats
Number of languages spoken: Two, English of course and Spanish
How much I love my wife for providing the questions on this post for me: Immeasurably!

Basic Information

Mindy. . .

Age: 28
Number of Siblings: Three, one brother and two sisters (all younger)
Favorite Sibling: Ha ha, just kidding
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Occupation: Stay at home Artist
Years married: Seven
Number of broken bones: Zero
What I wanted to be when I grew up: Lawyer/Judge
Favorite Food: Lemon Cream Cake
Favorite Beverage: Lemonade
Place I'd like to visit: Greece
Farthest traveled from here: Hawaii
Number of cities lived in: Five
Movie seen the most: Princess Bride, hundreds of times
Book read the most: Harry Potter, two to four times depending on the book
Most Anticipated Holiday: Halloween
Biggest award won: That would be a trophy from a Debate tournament
Pet Peeve: Ignorance
Favorite TV show: Lost, and Project Runway. . . it's a tie
Favorite off the air TV show: Another tie. . . Gilmore Girls and Friends
Most Impressive scar/injury: Tore up my shin in a four-wheeling incident, ouch, it hurts to think about
Phobia: Birds, that movie really changed them for me
Most Hated Food: Fish!
Not so well known talent: I can argue either side of an issue pretty convincingly
Least Impressive 'talent': I can pop pretty much any bone in my body
Favorite hobby: Doing anything artsy, lately that means designing on the computer
Last book I read: Candy Shoppe Wars, and am currently reading a book about Open Adoption
Favorite Book: Fire of the Covenant
Favorite Pet: Right now it is Mocha, Nilla is in trouble for laying in the dirt
Least favorite subject in school: Science, blah, so boring
Best subject in school: English and Art of course
Favorite Color: Orange and Red
Color you won't find in my house: Yellow
Favorite day of the week: Any day that Dave has off of work
Favorite Smell: Vanilla!
Most common nickname: Mindy Lou, or Mindy Lou Sue
Favorite thing about Dave: His hands, I love them; personality-wise it would be his ability to make me laugh
Thing I wish I could do: Keep plants alive
Thing I am too scared to do: Scuba dive
Thing I would do, but haven't yet: Sky dive
Super power I would choose to have: Mind control
Musical instruments played: Three, but does the recorder count
One thing I'd change about me: My hair
Favorite Super Hero: The X-men
Name change: I would want a name with more letters and possibly an X or a Z
Pets I've owned in my life: Fish, Turtle, Bird, Cat, Dog
Number of Languages spoken: One and a half, my sign language needs brushing up
Amount of time spent on this post: Too much, but thanks for reading it!

Correction!

So, some information has come to my attention about my previous post. . . I was mistaken. I admit it and that isn't so easy for me.

I forgot to mention that we do have super SPOOKY friends here in Utah, and they would like to be recognized as such. To the Shermans, it was a blatant oversight and I apologize. You definitely don't fit into the category of apathetic when it comes to the most wonderful time of the year, Halloween!

To everyone else though, my previous post remains in effect.

Halloween!

My favorite time of year! This picture is from last year's celebration. Dr. Frankenstein and her rather handsome monster... in black and white no less.

I know that I still have a month, but I can't stop myself from buying Halloween stuff already. I just love all the spookiness. I've already found trinkets for our little trick-or-treaters, a new tombstone for the front yard, more potion bottles to fill, and new ideas for their ingredients. As for the costumes, well that idea was hatched last year and we'll see it come to fruition in my favorite month of the year, October. Until then I'm busy putting it together. I'm sure Kirsten will be the only one who will fully appreciate the preparation that goes into our Halloween celebrations! She's the only one I know of who shares my love of this particular holiday, and unfortunately lives too far away to celebrate it with us.

As for a party, well we didn't do one last year and so I feel I should this year, but I am drained/tapped incapable of planning or preparing any more than I have already... plus I don't think it would go off as well down here as it did with my Halloween loving friends in other states. Oh well, maybe someday we can convert these people around here to love the holiday as much as I do. It worked with Dave, so the future looks hopeful.

About Dave...

I'm Dave, I like long walks on the beach... just kidding we don't have any beaches around here. I really enjoy spending time with Mindy, and the dogs. Mindy means the world to me. We enjoy reading together and also have a lot of fun playing our Nintendo Wii together and with friends.

Those who know me will agree, that good food has always been a passion of mine, although as of late I've been trying to control my passion to some degree. I love a variety of foods, and trying new foods, but my favorite is Mexican/Italian/Chinese/Japanese/Pot Roast and Mashed Potatoes. . . mmm, okay I can't choose a favorite.

I love seeing good movies, here again my tastes are eclectic. The last couple movies we saw in the theater I liked; Transformers and Stardust. I'm very impressed by Pixar movies, they look amazing, and in that same vein so does Lord of the Rings. Although if I had to choose between a good book or a good movie 9 times out of 10 the book would win, with few exceptions. Music is also an important part of my life. I haven't played an instrument since college, but I still love listening to it. . . classical, punk, some opera, alternative, jazz, rock, big band, eighties, etc... I guess with the exception of country/western (ugh -headache waiting to happen) and most rap.

I enjoy sports, which I find myself wanting to play more of as of late. . . namely; basketball, tennis, raquetball, ultimate frisbee, and of course golf. I would golf every week if I could. I guess I've listed a fair amount of my likes, so here are a couple of my dislikes... I don't like mean/rude people, getting up early (even though I do it most of the time), serious confrontation, overcooked food, heavy traffic, or an annoyed wife which invariably causes me some discomfort. I'm sure there's more but why dwell on the negative. Well I suppose that's all I have at the moment but I'm sure more will come to mind with the careful and kind prodding of my beautiful wife. Until then...

Question/Survey

What do our friends and family think about us adopting? Please leave us your comments!

Our Photo Collage

Status Update

Well we're done. . . with our paperwork that is! It is all turned in and now we just have to wait for the final approval. It may be awhile though, because they are really backed up with paperwork right now.

We had our homestudy visit this week. It was painless. We just had to show that we have a safe house and have the means to baby-proof everything, and I mean everything. Once we get the final approval they will okay our page on ldsfamilyservices.org and we will be up and running. We'll have to make copies of our letter and photo collage for the offices in the rest of the state and then we are offically available for placement.

Meanwhile we'll be doing our education credits. We're reading two really good books and we have monthly meetings that fulfill those credits. Fun stuff. This is a lot of work.

About Mindy

Who am I . . . I AM a dog-lover, sun worshipper (which is why I live under the perpetual blue skies of Southern Utah), night person (don't call before 9am, mmm sleep), anticipating a trip to CHINA, collector of Children's books, movie enthusiast, NBA basketball follower (love to see the Lakers lose, sorry Dave), alternative music fan, someone who 'organizes' as a hobby (come on, it's fun), happily-ever-after married, pretty convinced that I'm usually RIGHT (just ask Dave), excited to adopt , A MAC person, mostly retired freelance designer, all-around ART aficionado (my passion), someone who does NOT cook (but I can,??), full-time cleaner (dust is the enemy), procrastinator (when it comes to decorating my house), enemy to nature (born with a black thumb), someone who doesn't mind watching tennis, clutter-a-phobic, book worm (when I'm so inclined), prolific online shopper, lover of the English Language, COnTrOl freak (I know it is an illusion), unaware ?? of natural hair color (too many choices to be limited by nature), reliant upon God, experienced dog walker, player of ultimate frisbee (even though it breaks my finger nails), type -A- personality, ADDICTED to desserts (my specialty), less than stellar driver (with a perfectly clean record!), big MOUTH, continually arguing the other side, partially PSYCHIC, and someone who apparently loves lists. . . (in short) type of person.
My life is GOOD.

The process

I've got to say creating this blog was exhausting, but hopefully well worth the effort. We'll see how well I can keep it up. I decided to publish something on the internet for the purpose of our adoption process. . . you know, getting the news out there, advertising ourselves, and all that. Plus, maybe this will also provide a way for our friends and family to get the latest news without begging us for details. For now, this is the beginning. . . who knows if this might lead to a full-fledged website, we'll see. As for the blog, consider this the end of the first entry. I know no real information was shared, but I need to recoop. . . too much time in front of this screen.