earthquake!!

How exciting! Shortly after midnight last night, as Mike and I were enjoying our "new" couch, the whole building shook and rumbled. At first I thought it was a passing truck, but realized that it was much larger than trucks usually are. Next thought was that one of our 3 boilers in the basement blew - but Mike (my hero) checked out the basement and all was good. In my tired stupor and busyness of today I never got to check out if it was an earthquake (having only a vague recollection of the Easter one back in 1984). Thanks to my friend's blog, I have found out that yes indeed, we had an official earthquake!! The epicenter was near Landisville, but even some people in western Chester Co. felt it!

Here's the seismogram (from F&M):

And from the USGS website:

Magnitude: 3.4
Date-Time: Saturday, December 27, 2008 at 05:04:34 UTC
Saturday, December 27, 2008 at 12:04:34 AM at epicenter
Location: 40.114°N, 76.403°W
Depth: 4 km (2.5 miles)
Region: PENNSYLVANIA
Distances:
2 km (2 miles) NNE (26°) from Salunga-Landisville, PA
5 km (3 miles) S (186°) from Manheim, PA
5 km (3 miles) WNW (290°) from East Petersburg, PA
12 km (7 miles) NW (315°) from Lancaster, PA
92 km (57 miles) N (11°) from Baltimore, MD
108 km (67 miles) W (277°) from Philadelphia, PA

Pretty cool, I think!

Until next time...

Merry Christmas!!!

welcome!

I have put this blog address on my Christmas cards, and since a lot of them have been sent out, there is the possibility of new readers! If you are one of them, WELCOME! Feel free to read the old ones and catch up (in your free time of course!) :)


Anyway...
My old "snow" header picture was from the first snow this year. The current picture is of my great-great-aunt Ella playing in the snow. She was the youngest aunt of my grandma (the one who just celebrated her birthday) and grew up on Millport Rd. - right near the "ghetto" Wal-Mart! I think 2nd cousins of mine live on the old family property now, but most of the greenhouses are gone. Ella was so much younger than her siblings, and actually just recently passed away. I really like this picture!

I love old family pictures, and I can spend hours going through them with my grandma. A few weeks ago I was able to take a lot of them and scan them into my computer. Of course, they're not as cool as the originals (especially the old tin-types), but they will do! :) I am sure more of them will pop up from time-to-time.

Until next time. . .

my paper is finished!

Since I now have some free time (until next semester when it really is crazy!), I thought I would share something that I read on a friend's blog. Below you will find a list of 99 activities. If they are in bold, I have done them!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars - if anyone from my old youth group reads this, you remember the time I am thinking of, right? :)
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity - but then, how do you quantify this?
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain - if Peter's Mountain counts! Go YES training! :)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped - are you kidding me?????
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea - I wasn't at sea, but on the boardwalk watching it at sea; does this count?
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch - I've tried crocheting & knitting, but I'm not very good.
15. Adopted a child - not yet, but would like to someday
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France - what's with all of the French things?
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - they are called "mental health days"!
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon - HA! HA! HA! HA!
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community - Hello, I'm from Lancaster County!
36. Taught yourself a new language - well, that is debatable; I've tried Portuguese, Hebrew, Russian, and Japanese. But if you have no reason to use it...
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied - I wish............
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke - oh, the memories at the TraveLodge with the El Serrano crew! :)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling - too claustrophobic to try s.d. - but Mike is PADI certified!
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie - but I have a friend who was!
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business - if you count being supportive of my husband's business...
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving - again, ARE YOU KIDDING ME????
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check - I am ashamed to admit...
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy - Good ol' Duke
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar - does roe on sushi count?
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle - well, probably, as I did ride with my dad and my brother-in-law
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person - I think so, did I, Mom?
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper - it was the Penny Saver, does that count?
85. Read the entire Bible - ALMOST!
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - I didn't actually do the killing, but I did watch, and I did help pluck poultry (when forced; most times I hid)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous - see my post about my favorite concerts!
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one - my maternal grandfather, along with 3 children that I was close to (not my own - see #94)
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake - well, it was dry, so I couldn't swim in it, but I did see it and bring salt back from it!
97. Been involved in a law suit - customers didn't pay, we took them to court, one of the most stressful days of my life! (we didn't win, unfortunately)
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

46, not bad! If I make it to France or Italy I could get a couple more! Of course, I could put on the list:

100. Climbed a pyramid
101. Saw the Natural Bridge (in VA)
102. Been in all of the 48 continental United States
103. Drove cars, rode subways, taxis, autobuses, and microbuses, and walked in Mexico City (as of '08, the 3rd most populous city in the world)
104. Is fluent in a second language
105. Has had breast surgery
106. Attended a national convention for a professional organization
107. Never watched an episode of Survivor
108. Rode a gondola in Xochimilco
109. Ate a coconut, mango, pineapple, banana, and tamarind freshly cut from their respective plants/trees.
110. Been on a plane while it was being de-iced for take-off
111. Been interrogated at customs in a foreign airport
112. Been robbed at knifepoint
113. Got lost driving in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains in the middle of the night
114. Ate food that you did not know
115. Rehabbed a condemned building

I am sure there are more interesting things I could add, but that is all that is coming to mind right now!

Can you share anything interesting that is not on these lists?

useless knowledge #4

I just can't help myself!!!!! (Especially because this one is so relevant for this time of year!)

Your nose makes nearly a cupful of snot every day through the mucous membranes in the nose. When you inhale air, it contains lots of tiny particles like dust, dirt, germs, and pollen. If these particles made it to the lungs, the lungs could get damaged, and it would be difficult to breathe. Snot works by trapping these particles.

Yeah, I think mine makes a least 1.5 cups!!!

christmas tag - courtesy of krista

As I am the biggest procrastinator in the world, I thought I would answer these questions instead of working on my paper that is due on Wednesday!!!! :)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Totally love gift bags! I hate wrapping presents, so most times, my family is lucky if it is even in a gift bag! :)

2. Real tree or Artificial?
Real tree for now. Every year I say we should get an artificial, simply so that I can put it up when I want to (instead of waiting until the husband can help me get one), but I have yet been able to justify the money required to get a real-looking one (and yes, I am picky about which tree I would get!)

3. When do you put up the tree?
Growing up, it was right after Thanksgiving. Now, whenever I can get Mike to help me get one! Most times we are picking from the last of the bunch, which always makes our trees interesting! :)

4. When do you take the tree down?
When I realize that there are more needles on the floor than on the tree! LOL!

5. Do you like eggnog?
Yuck! Give me a nice cup of hot chocolate instead!

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
Hmm...we always knew when we were opening a special present because mom would get out the camera to capture our faces. I can't recall a favorite at the moment - oh wait, the year I finally got a camera was a good one. Well, I was in high school, so does that count??

7. Hardest person to buy for?
My husband and dad (for the exact same reasons!)

8. Easiest person to buy for?
Myself - oh, that doesn't count, does it? :) Nobody is easy. Shopping wouldn't be so difficult if it was easy! (it was easier when the siblings were younger, but now, forget it!)

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes, my sister and I both wanted the Willow Tree set, and mom was quite excited to surprise us both with them one Christmas not so long ago.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail, typically. This year I am sending my first all-photo card. It completely depends on what is going on at the time. Last year I made the cards, which took WAY too much time and I will never do again! One year it was e-mail, simply because we were swamped with the work on the building and I had no free time/money.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Well, this wasn't the worst gift (because I still use them), but I was EXTREMELY disappointed to get luggage one year when I was REALLY hoping for something else! So, yeah, I guess I was disappointed in the "practicality" of it all. But, hey, 15 years later they are still in great shape and I have used them a lot!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
It's a Wonderful Life tops them all!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
I can't start too early or I end up telling and/or giving the present "just because." So, it all depends. Sometimes not until a few days before the exchange (hence another reason why I think it is a waste of time to wrap a present!).

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
I don't think so - but I have definitely taken some to Goodwill not long after, or put into the prize box at school! :)

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Christmas cookies!!!!!

16. Lights on the tree?
YES! Lots of white ones. (to steal Krista's answer). I hate colored lights.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
How do I pick one? "Mary Did You Know?", "Carol of the Bells", and "O Come O Come Emmanuel" are among my favorites. (again, stealing Krista's answer!) I would add, "What Child is This?" and "Cantique de Noel."

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Travel, unfortunately.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Maybe. Doesn't matter too much to me.

20. Angel , star, or other tree topper?
Star. Right now it is a nice plastic one from IKEA. We had an angel growing up; for some reason I like the star better.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Growing up, it was always Christmas Eve. Mike and I don't really give each other gifts, and we've spent Christmas Eve/Day with my family the last 4 years. Most times it is still Christmas Eve, but it really depends on when everybody can get to my parents' house. Now we also go to a friend's house afterwards to find a pickle! (Courtney gave me my own pickle ornament so that I can do the same thing at my house some day!) I'm sure it will all change when there are little Gibsons running around the house! :)

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Dry skin; crowded stores; idiotic drivers; grumpy shoppers

23. Favorite ornament, theme or color?
The last number of years my tree has been white lights, and red & gold ornaments (mainly balls). Again, I'm sure when there are children, the handmade ornaments will take over, but I will still be able to use the balls because they are plastic! (again, IKEA!)

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Not picky. As long as it is good! :)

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
Hmm...want? or need? I'm going with want: a 120GB iPod. (Mine is only 15GB and I am rapidly reaching the end of it's capabilities! It's not all songs - we have a lot of sermons on there, too!) I did already get the Wii Fit as an early present. Nothing else in particular.

Ha! I just realized there are 25 questions. How cute. Okay, I should go back to work...

way too funny!

I got this e-mail from Courtney last night, telling me about her Thanksgiving Day festivities: "I even convinced the family to do a family picture. Of course Ashley [her sister] wasn't smiling in the one everyone else was so I had to crop her in. Doesn't it look good (can you even tell i cropped her in)?"

Here is the picture. Classic.



The funniest is Trey with his aunt's head, of course! :)

Love you, Ashley!!!!! (There could be retribution, but it is a chance I am willing to take in order for the masses to see this masterpiece!)