Ever google yourself?

If not, you should try it. I googled dustinandmeleofa and two entries came up, one of which is this. What a hay!?! Why is my blog showing up on a Russian (?) website. I translated the website, and it seems to be a newspaper, or something. It's probably just a blog search engine or something, but it still freaked me out. Really.

Okay. Now on to fun things. I like to do yoga. I am not very good, unless I do the same thing over and over, like my yoga/pilates dvd. This morning, I was doing yoga just as Miaya woke up, so I got her from her room, and she likes to join me and tries to help me by climbing on me and sitting on me, which makes me laugh, so it's great. But today, she decided to copy what the lady on the tv was doing and the result was so excellent.

This is Miaya's downward dog. Awesome. :D

Merry Christmas Everyone.

Merry Christmas!

Miaya decided she wanted to sing a bit, and so here she is singing with Daddy. :)

A webacm

We have a webcam. Dustin got it for me for Christmas! :)

This is from my webcam. hahahahahaaha. So if you see me online, Mamma, or whomever, say hello. And we are hoping to be able to say Merry Christmas to one and all.

Have you ever?

Copy and paste, then highlight the ones you've done.The idea is to highlight the things you have done out of the 200 items on the list to show everyone another side of you. ENJOY!

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone - verbal not physical
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97.Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe.
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn't need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in a historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one (it was putt putt golf :D)
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Ran a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo's David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle --not well haha.
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunch box
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone's life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a camp fire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter's Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik's cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

What would you do?

I think there are people out there over whom we have an influence. Now, if you know you have an influence over someone, do you use that influence for good? Or should you just shape them into whatever you want them to be? I feel that when you know you have some weight with someone, you sometimes need to curb what you say or do around them, if you know it's not good for them. I know everyone has a choice when it comes down to it, but still, be judicious. When someone has put themselves enough out there to trust you by taking you into their confidence, it's doing them a disservice to manipulate them.

What do you guys do? I hadn't really thought of it too much until the last couple of days. My little brother in law, for one reason or another, is suseptible to listening to what I have to say on a variety of subjects. Recently he has been questioning a lot of different things, which I think is great. Find your own answers, you know? And he's been influenced by someone who doesn't believe as he has in the past, and his parents are worried. I know I worry sometimes. But it's not just in one aspect of his life, it's all over. He's becoming a younger version of this other person. This other person is still figuring himself out. He's trying to straighten out his life. I suppose we'll just have to see how things turn out.

Anyway, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is on TV tonight. I haven't ever seen it, but whoever did the makeup for Johnny Depp did a great job, and they should have done the makeup for the vampires on Twilight. Or Sweeney Todd. Those are some pasty pale folks.

See. Edward looks more human than these other three. Maybe not?

A christmas story

Here's a nice little Christmas story for you.

The Truth About Santa Claus
============================

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma.I was just a kid.I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on theday my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus,"she jeered. "Even dummies know that!"My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled toher that day because I knew she would be straight with me.I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truthalways went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one ofher "world-famous" cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous,because Grandma said so. It had to be true.Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites,I told her everything. She was ready for me."No Santa Claus?" She snorted... "Ridiculous! Don't believe it.That rumor Has been going around for years, and it makes me mad,plain mad! Now, put On your coat, and let's go.""Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished mysecond world-famous cinnamon bun."Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one storein town that had a little bit of just about everything. As wewalked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. Thatwas a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "andbuy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you inthe car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with mymother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself.The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling tofinish their Christmas shopping. For a Few moments I juststood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill,wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for.I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my Friends, myneighbors, the kids at school, and the people who went to mychurch.I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of BobbyDecker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and hesat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class.Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he neverwent out to recess during the winter. His mother always wrotea note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all wekids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough; he didn't havea good coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growingexcitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat!I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it.It looked real warm, and he would like that."Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind thecounter asked Kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down."Yes, ma'am," I replied shyly. "It's for Bobby."The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby reallyneeded a Good winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she putthe coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a little tagfell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) inChristmas paper and ribbons and wrote, "To Bobby, From SantaClaus" on it. Grandma said that Santa always insisted onsecrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house,explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially,one of Santa's Helpers. Grandma parked down the street fromBobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in thebushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "Allright, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going."I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw thepresent down on his step, pounded his door and flew back tothe safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waitedbreathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open.Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spentshivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes. Thatnight, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Clauswere just what Grandma said they were: Ridiculous.Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.I still have The Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside:$19.95.

Saturday is a special day

What a fun day. The kids all got to play together. They all got along well, too. :) Cute little punks. And I took a picture of beautiful Melisa. She didn't want me to, but she has lovely eyes. So I took this.

And of course, when they had been outside for a while, Miaya started screaming because she was freezing, and her fingers hurt. The three littlest ones had snow beards from eating the snow. :)