I can hardly claim to be a huge fan of the State of Nevada.   I don’t even really think of it as “my” state.  Then again, I don’t really consider California “my” state either, even through I grew up and spent 18 years of my life there.  And it’s like, six miles from my house.  Does this mean I have no home?  Hmm.  At any rate, I’m not particularly “married” to Nevada.  It’s just where I happen to live.  And a lot of the time, it gets on my nerves.  BUT, today I need to share what I love about this fair state I live in.

• Four distinct seasons.  Sure, two of those seasons last about a week (Fall and Spring), but they’re all gorgeous in their own way.  All that said, I’m so happy to live somewhere where it snows.  I LOVE SNOW.  There, I said it.
• We’re a short drive away from some of the most beautiful spots in the country.  Lake Tahoe, anyone?  I could be up at the lake within the hour if I wanted to be.  I love the mountains too.  It’s just beautiful up there.
• Right now (and today is the last day of it, if I’m remembering right), I could go to the grocery store and pick up some milk and eggs and cast a vote for the leader of the free world.  Early voting is a SNAP here.  Not only can you vote at some grocery stores, but libraries and other places as well.  In 2004, I met Kile for lunch at the university and we voted there.  I love how easy it is.
• We can also buy booze at our grocery stores, which I’m told isn’t the case in some states.  Why, just last night we bought some champagne and the fixin’s for appletinis.
• If you are the sort that likes to play the slots, you can play those in a grocery store too.  I’m just not that sort of person.  Still, the option is there.  Options are good!
• You can go 70mph on Interstate 80.  Of course, we generally have it a little closer to 80 because there is NOTHING OUT THERE, but lets hear it for being able to book across the state at high speeds!
• Nevada Day.  GOD BLESS NEVADA DAY.  When I first came up here to go to school, I couldn’t believe that Halloween was a state holiday.  How handy was that??  They’ve since changed it a bit so that the “observed” holiday is on the last Friday of the month but this year it’s luckyk enough to actually fall on the actual Nevada Day (in other words: Halloween).  I used to love to tell my friends that we got Halloween off.  So while the rest of the country is working today like it’s any other Friday, Kile and I are sitting around in our jammies, sipping our tea and coffee and playing on our laptops.  Woo hoo!  Three day weekend!

Plus, you know, this gives us extra time to do some much needed grocery shopping and carve pumpkins and whatnot.  I’ll have to post either later today or tomorrow with pictures of the kids going trick or treating.  So tell me this: What are all your kids dressed up as this year?  Any cool costumes?

Nope, you’re not seeing things.  My YNTR list is back this week!  And, bonus for you, it includes two weeks of linky goodness. I still maintain that I may not be doing this list every week.  But I will when I can and when it’s not going to cause me an undue amount of grief to put it together.   And, as it would happen, this week the grief has not been caused.  It’s a mellow Saturday morning around these parts, Liam is watching “Ratatouille” on cable and Kile is snoring in his recliner.  All is right with the world.

This first post is something I could relate to.  Should I go Mac and never come back? from Mandajuice is much like a similar post I wrote not that long ago.  And, just like myself, she finds herself wooed by the seductive iPhone and repelled by a crappy PC.  I’ll be interested to see what she picks, especially since I’m 99.9% sure I’m going to get a MacBook when the time comes.

And in the “Long-Awaited” category, we have Ezra from amalah . com.   I literally felt my heart swell when I saw this sweet picture and the details on the birth.  She is officially the mom of two boys!  I can’t wait to see how the weeks and months ahead are for her and her family.  Congratulations, Storchs!

I can DEFINITELY relate to The Hot Fuss™* and Me from temporarily me.  In fact, I may have thought these very words myself on more than one occasion in the last week or so.  Or the last month or so.  Or the last six months or so.  Sometimes, a bad mood just gets ahold of you and you can’t shake it.  And sometimes, your kid wants to be superglued to your side.  And when the two meet?  Well… that’s when you get a post like this.

And I know you’re probably sick of me talking about it already, but Her New Hobby from Confessions of a Pioneer Woman made me cackle a little bit because The Power of the iPhone can grip ANYBODY, even housewives who live out in the country. And the text messages from her daughter were just too darned funny. I think someone likes “Napoleon Dynamite”!

On the flip side, we have My Grandpa: October 5, 1921- October 14, 2008 from Joy Unexpected. This was a touching and sad post about her grandfather who passed away this last week. It’s been a long time since all of my grandparents passed, but I could keenly feel her loss through her words. I hope she finds peace, now that her grandfather has found his. My sympathies to her and her family.

Being a Reno citizen as well, I can appreciate Fall Where? from EmilyPie. I love her summation of the season here in our town, and how schizophrenic they often tend to be. However, I do disagree with her assessment of summer and the need for air conditioning (I am sure I would perish without it). I love winter, always have, always will. But yes. Fall is like a week long around here. I could do with some more fall, to be honest.

This post gets filed under the “ZOMG” category. ZOMG! Twilight Soundtrack Playlist Just Released! from MamaPop shares with us the fantabulous news of the new “Twilight” movie soundtrack. Can you believe I already have some of these songs on my iTunes? BEFORE this list was released? Oh, I’m a hardcore fan, ya’ll. And you can bet I’ll have the rest of these songs when the soundtrack is released. I cannot WAIT to hear the one recorded by Robert Pattinson.

Enough is Enough from Queen of Spain Blog is a post about the turn in tone the political race has taken lately. And I wish I could say in the intervening days since she first posted this that the voices of hate have toned down but I really don’t think they have. I think they may have gotten worse. But I definitely share her feelings and hope that people settle the heck down. And lets find some decency in all of this, please? Aren’t we better than this? Please tell me that we are.

Lastly, we have My Husband is Not My Keeper, also from temporarily me. This spoke to me because I have often had these very same feelings. Being a stay at home mom, and not having any of my own income, I often feel like my voice is dimmed somewhat. I think that’s pretty common. And it’s as much my fault as any one else’s. But all the time, this is an impassioned, important post. You should all read it.

So there we go.  Another week’s list in the hopper.  This should be enough to keep you out of trouble this weekend.  As for me, we have a baby costume to find and a pumpkin to pick out (nope, we don’t have that yet either).  Should be fun!  Happy Weekend, ya’ll.

In an effort to spread love, peace and happiness rather than festering annoyance, I’m changing the tune here and am doing a post wherein I list the things that are making me smile these days.  Believe it or not, there are a few!

• Reading “Eclipse“, but not too quickly because I can’t get “Breaking Dawn” before the middle of next week and I don’t want to be without EDWAAARRRD!
• Teething or not, Evie in all her six-month-old glory is freaking adorable.  She’s so sweet and watching her little personality emerge little by little is one of the true miracles of life.
• Liam’s delight in just about everything that he comes across.  Pesky though he may be, the twinkle in his eyes never fails to charm me.
• My iPhone.  Yes, I still love it.  How did I ever exist without it?  At the same time, I can’t believe it can really do all the things it can really do.  It’s the single coolest thing I’ve ever had.
• Rockstar energy drink, preferably in the “Punched” or “Juiced” varieties.   I wish I had some right now, even.  That stuff is seriously addictive.
• “Fringe” and “True Blood”.  These two new shows are just awesome.  They fill the void that “Lost” leaves during the fall season.
• Rachel Maddow, whiz kid of MSNBC.  I love her new show.  She cracks me up and makes crazy sense all at the same time.
• Facebook’s evil crack game, “Make Me a Celebrity” (it’s part of the Mesmo TV application).  OMG, ya’ll.  I need more entourage if I want to win more Faceoffs.
• That it is now officially Fall.  I vastly prefer Fall to Summer, but I just wish it would get cooler quicker.  I’m so tired of the sun.

See?  I’m not all doom and gloom after all.  So what’s making you smile today?