U, V, W, X, Y, and Z

U is for Utah - the state where I grew up. When I was thinking about this post, I was almost going to write " the state where I was born," but then I realized that was not true. I was born in Oregon, but my family moved (back) to Utah when I was three months old. I love Utah for so many reasons - it really is such a beautiful state. I spent my childhood summers at lakes, in mountains, and at national parks and I never left the state. I love that Utah has four seasons. When we lived in California, I missed the winter most of all. I loved it when it would snow when we came home for the holidays. I went to and graduated from the University of Utah. All of my family (minus one cousin) lives in Utah. I'm glad I grew up in such a great state and have reason to go visit frequently!

This is Ryan and his sister shoveling snow on the day after Christmas 2003. I got to watch and take pictures because I was 5 months pregnant.

V is for varicose veins. I have some serious varicose veins. My legs look like the legs of a 75 year old woman. And I have my two boys and a rock repelling injury (this is a long story - e-mail me if you want more details) to thank for this. I will spare you pictures as they really are quite gross. Other people probably wish that I took more care to cover them up, but I don't. I like to wear skirts, but not pantyhose and I refuse to wear long pants during the summer So, if you know me in person, you have probably seen my yucky legs. I know I can get them fixed and I probably will once we are certain we are done having babies, though I'm not certain my legs will survive another pregnancy.

W is for Wee Wonderfuls. If I recall correctly, Wee Wonderfuls was the first craft blog I ever read. I don't remember how I found it. This was a little more than six months ago and I had been reading the blogs of a few of my friends and then suddenly I was reading craft blogs. I started here and then I would click on links to people in the comments to find other craft blogs. And before I knew it, I was using Bloglines and had subscribed to over 100 blogs. Yikes! So, we have Wee Wonderfuls to thank for my little obsession, me starting a craft blog (and an Etsy store too since I'm sure I wouldn't have run into Etsy without this start), and for helping me to meet all of you! I think it was great that I stumbled upon it!

X is for X-ray. I had several x-rays when I was a girl. When I was 8, I woke up one morning and I could not move. My back was killing me! I laid on a board on the floor for two straight days because this was the most comfortable position. When we went to the doctor, we found out that I had scoliosis. It was never so bad that I needed a brace, but I did have to go to get an x-ray every six months for the first little bit and then every year until I hit puberty to keep an eye on it and make sure my little curve wasn't getting any worse. And I am still crooked. When I am standing up straight and tall, one of my shoulders is lower than the other - nothing you would notice unless you were looking for it.

Y is for Yikes! Have you noticed that I use this word a lot?

Z is for Zoo. We love going to the zoo. Did you know that most zoos have a family pass that you can buy that will get you into your zoo and many other zoos around the country for a free or reduced price? We used our zoo pass this past weekend to visit the zoo in a city about an hour away from us (for free!). We were impressed by the variety and the general look of the zoo - it was pretty up to date in terms of the animal enclosures and such, especially for a relatively small city. And does every zoo have one of these lion drinking fountains? I've seen them at so many!
And there you have it, me from A to Z. It's been a fun little blog project. Thanks to Bella Dia for the idea. You can check her blog for links to more folks who are participating. And before the summer is gone, I think I'm going to take a little blogging break. I have some things at home that I need to do and a large wholesale order of purses, so I'll see you in a week or so! Enjoy!