A friend from school did this and I want to see Emily and Amy's responses!!

1.Name a TV show series in which you have seen every episode at least twice:M*A*S*H

2. Name a show you can‘t miss:Grey's

3.Name an actor who would make you more inclined to watch a show: ??

4.Name an actor who would make you less likely to watch a show: Alec Baldwin

5.Name a show you can and do quote from:Everybody Loves Raymond

6.Name a show you like that no one else enjoys:The Contender

7.Name a TV show which you've been known to sing the theme song:Growing Pains

8.Name a show you would recommend everyone to watch: The Andy Griffith Show

9.Name a TV series you own:Don't Own DVD's really

10.Name an actor who launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops in television:Rev Run from Run's House (not really acting, but so good)

11.What is your favorite episode of your favorite series? Goodbye, Farewell, Amen- This is M*A*S*H's final episode. It's 2 hours long and hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time.

12.Name a show you keep meaning to watch but you just haven’t gotten around to yet:Heroes

13.Ever quit watching a show because it was so bad?Dancing with the Stars

14.Name a show that‘s made you cry multiple times:Extreme Home Makeover- I cry at the beginning when they introduce the family, in the middle when the famly gets the video messages and of course when they all come home. What a genius show!

15.What do you eat when you watch TV? anything in sight

16.How often do you watch TV? WAY too much

17.What's the last TV show you watched?I watched the Real World last night- embarrassing I know

18.What's your favorite/preferred genre of TV? Drama. I want to feel like I know the characters

19.What was the first TV show you were obsessed with? Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman

20.What TV show do you wish you never watched? Man vs. Wild, but my husband loves it

21.What is the weirdest show you enjoyed?The Contender

22.What TV show scared you the most? Anything with suspense. I can't take it! Now that I have DVR I skip any kind of cliffhanger moment or reality show reveal

23.What is the funniest TV show you have ever watched?The Office- no doubt. It is honestly painful

Thanksgiving was a wonderful time to just get away. I think the best part was the weather! So many times when we go down to Glen Rose, we are wearing t-shirts! I loved the snow flurries and constant roaring fire! We had a total of 25 people at the Thanksgiving lunch I think! It was a blast!

We also spent some time (by some time I mean HOURS) looking at old slides from my mom's childhood. I loved looking at the clothes and cars. What a simpler time that was! My grandmother made their birthday cakes and clothes and they were as happy as they could be. Nothing was about image. During the never ending slide show, I realized that I think my daughter has the least hair of any child in my family's history. Those of you that know me know that this is a source of constant grief for me! My Aunt Suzanne did, however, deal with the mullet that had come to live on her precious white head! Thank God!

One of my teenage cousins brought his Nintendo Wii with him out to the camp. We plugged it into the TV in the game room to give the kids something to do. Little did we know that it would be the adults who enjoyed it most! I don't mean 20 something adults. I mean over the hill adults. One night all of the young people went outside for a walk and we came back and my 82 year old grandmother and all of her over 50 children were bowling! I have never laughed so hard in my life!

My favorite new tradition is the Granbury lights parade. They have a really quaint square and they do a Christmas Carol sing along by candlelight and then they did a lights parade. It was such a special time! I do believe my aunts and cousins are the only ones that know 3 part harmony to every song. Chris loved us all singing at the top of our lungs in public! We were all bundled up and and freezing, but it was definitely a night we'll all remember.

In honor of my camping trip this weekend, I am writing my 5 camping essentials~

1. Apple Cider- I love cooking it in a metal pot right on the fire! Why do I always come home from a camping trip with a burned tongue?
2. Pig Tails- I used to be a regular pig tail wearer in college, but now I only get to unveil them out in the wild. It really works when you are not going to be showering (NOT one of my favorite camping things!) or if you want to stick a hat on.
3. Camp Food- I am determined not to have something to do with food in every week's post, but I have to include it this week. I love smores, hamburgers and anything cooked on a stick. My favorite camp food is breakfast. There is just something about eggs and bacon cooked outside!
4. Camp Clothes- There is never a better time to bust out your fleeces and scarves. It is also acceptable to wear a bandanna, which I believe is otherwise always off limits.
5. The Campfire- There are so many amazing memories for me that have happened around a campfire. Everything is funnier when it is said by a fire. It makes for such a great ambiance to have the shadows and warmth and crackle. I DON'T love that the smell permeates everything for 5 square miles!

Oreo Turkeys

Emily suggested I devote a blog entry to the Oreo turkeys, so here goes...

Ingredients

Oreos (the ones with orange cream look best)

Chocolate icing

Candy Corn

Whoppers

Red Hots

Using a knife, seperate the two side of the oreo, leaving the cream on one side. Put chocolate icing on the side without the cream and put the candy corn on it like feathers. Put a large dab of icing on the edge and put the whopper in it. Then put a small dab of icing on the whopper and attach the red hot as the waddle. Prop up the oreo you've been working on against the one with the cream so it stands up. You're done!

I took a few weeks off, but I am back with my 5 favorite things about Thanksgiving

1. Glen Rose- My family spends every Thanksgiving in a cabin in Glen Rose. It is a small cute town, but the best thing about it is that is might as well be 100 miles from home. Don't get me wrong, it has flat screen TVs and plush bedding, but it feels like we are in another world. I have always gone down early with my dad. It used to just be the two of us that went and got everything set up a day or so before everyone got there, but now Chris and Mom come too. It is my favorite time.
2. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade- We watch it every year as we are starting to get lunch going. It is definitely a tradition.
3. The Decorations- I love the feeling of putting out my pumpkins and fall decorations. It starts the best time of year. I feel like I need to put on a fire and wear a sweater. I really enjoy watching the fall colors come out in nature as well (or look at pictures of it happening in other parts of the country since it just goes from hot and green to warm and brown over night around here)
4. The Food- how could I not mention this?? A few Dean family traditions include- Oreo turkeys, mandarin orange salad, homemade macaroni and cheese, Aunt Suzanne's rolls, popcorn cake, Allison's cranberry salad, and of course green bean casserole.
5. The Start of the Christmas Season- Growing up, I was STRICTLY forbidden to start listening to Christmas music or watching Christmas movies until Thanksgiving was over. It really is the "Most Wonderful Time of the Year..." (more songs to come next week on my Fave 5) A good movie to start with on Thanksgiving night is Miracle on 34th Street because it begins at Thanksgiving (more to come on movies in 2 weeks)

Dad's Race

I have always been very proud of my dad. For those of you who know him, this will come as no surprise. He has that amazing balance that so many Christians strive for. He is absolutely adamant about what he believes, but he doesn't feel the need to preach (ironic, I know...). He is passionate, but not aggressive. He makes anyone feel comfortable.

The most recent event in my dad's life has been the Marine Corp Marathon. He ran in memory of his father, BJ Dean, and my mom's father, RL Cranford, both of whom were veterans. He ran his first marathon last February without any problems at all. As he was training for this one, he began to have some pain in his leg. It turned out to be a stress fracture. He went to see a number of doctors and they all advised him to take it easy for the 6 weeks before the race. He was forced to continue his training by riding the stationary bike (for 3 hours!) and treading water. He was determined to continue on with the race. As anyone who runs knows, the last few weeks are critical. He was up to 18 miles in his training before he had to quit running. He didn't really know how he would make it.

We told a few people, so that they would pray. He really didn't tell many people about his injury. Were it me, I would have been telling my sob story to everyone, just in case I failed. I would want everyone to know I had a good excuse. This is not his way. His quiet faith and confidence were all he needed.

Well, race time came and he did an amazing job. One of his sweet friends, Chad Brantley, jumped out of the crowd at about mile 21 and ran the rest with him. What an amazing surprise! Allison and I did the last bit with him. I could tell he was having to use everything he had at that point. This weird cheerleader thing came out in me! I wanted to say or do anything to help him. I have never been prouder of him than I was when he ran across that finish line. He ran the entire way and miraculously had no pain. Thank you Lord.

"This is why they think Texans are stupid..."

I cannot tell you how many times I said this comment while we were in D.C.! It was really a comedy of errors!
The trip there was quite and ordeal. I think Emily described it best, so I have included an insert from her blog...


We left Friday on The Company Plane and got into Baltimore around 7 PM. We caught a crazy shuttle to the Greenbelt Metro station, bought our tickets and got on our way to Arlington, VA. Once we were on the green line, two men behind us were arguing with conversation laced with profanity. Nice. They started inching closer and closer to one another, and we were certain they were going to fight. This is fantastic for two girls alone on the subway. We were slightly scared so at the next stop we jumped up and sprinted to the next car. With all our luggage. Sprinting.So once we finally got to the Rosslyn station, nearly 3 hours after our flight landed, we got to the escalator to take us to street level. It was the tallest, steepest, most frightening escalator I've ever been on, and I was sure it was Jacob's ladder taking us to heaven. It was that tall and the picture I have does not do it justice.


Here are some pictures of our crazy weekend.