1. Vacations!
2. Swimming
3. Less toys to pick up because the boys are playing outside!
4. Camping
5. Barbecues!
6. Grilling, rather than baking
7. Being able to sit outside and chat with the neighbors.
8. Pool parties
9. Watermelons!
10. Beautiful flowers
11. Sun Tea
12. Lemonade Stands
13. Fairs and/or festivals!

1. Public bathrooms gross me out.
2. I do not use port-a-potties…EVER!
3. I am a bookworm
4. I consider myself an amateur photographer.
5. I have 1 sister, 1 step-sister, and 3 step-brothers. I am the oldest of us all.
6. I do not make friends easily.
7. I am an introvert.
8. I have wanted to be a teacher since I was 3 years old.
9. I am a musician, both instrumental and vocal.
10. I am easily bored.
11. I am not an organized person
12. I LOVE puzzles…crosswords, sudoku, cryptograms, jigsaw…you name it, I love them.
13. I hate ironing.

1. This is the largest rookie class since 1997. Thirteen rookies are entered in the Indianapolis 500, the most since 1997 when the 13-member rookie class included Kenny Brack, Greg Ray and Sam Schmidt. Eight rookies have won the Indianapolis 500, including Helio Castroneves in 2001. Can a rookie take the checkered flag this year?

2. Old rivalries will be renewed at Indianapolis this year. The 92nd Indianapolis 500 will be the first under the unified IndyCar Series banner, meaning teams like Team Penske, Dale Coyne Racing, Andretti Green Racing and Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing will compete against each other in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” for the first time since 1995.

3. This is the second consecutive season that three women (Milka Duno, Sarah Fisher and Danica Patrick) are entered in the Indianapolis 500. (Entered does not mean they have qualified for the race.)

4. The next generation is here. Andrettis, Foyts and Rahals will share the track for the first time since 1992 when Jeff, John, Mario and Michael Andretti, A.J. Foyt and Bobby Rahal were on the track together. That year, Rahal, Foyt and John Andretti all finished in the top 10. This year, Marco Andretti, A.J. Foyt IV, Larry Foyt and Graham Rahal will compete. Marco is the 21-year-old grandson of Mario and son of Michael. A.J. IV, who will turn 24 on Race Day, is the grandson of A.J. Foyt, and Graham is the 19-year-old son of Bobby. The only question is, can these next-generation drivers continue their family’s legacies at Indianapolis? (Graham nearly made the top 11 in qualifying last weekend.)

5. One of my favorite drivers, Tony Kanaan, has qualified in the top five in all six of his Indianapolis 500 starts. Other notable streaks include: Helio Castroneves, four consecutive top-10 starts; Danica Patrick, three consecutive top-10 starts; Marco Andretti and Scott Dixon, two consecutive top-10 starts.

6. Helio Castroneves is the only driver to finish in the top five in all four races this season. Tony Kanaan is the only other driver to finish in the top 10 in all four races.

7. Helio Castroneves and Dan Wheldon are the only drivers to complete all 683 laps in 2008.

8. One of my other favorite drivers, Helio Castroneves will make his 102nd career IndyCar Series start after qualifying fourth. It will also be his 100th consecutive start.

9. Buddy Lazier is the only driver to start every Indianapolis 500 since 1995. Hopefully, he will continue that streak by qualifying this weekend.

10. The points leader is missing a victory. Helio Castroneves leads the IndyCar Series standings from his four top-five finishes. However, he has yet to record a victory in 2008. Can he find his way to Victory Lane at Indianapolis, where he won in 2001 and 2002, and become the ninth driver with three or more victories in the Indianapolis 500? Or, will he continue a streak of points leaders who struggle at Indianapolis (Wheldon 22nd in 2007, Castroneves 25th in 2006)? I must say that his season of “Dancing with the Stars” is the only one I’ve watched completely. I was so glad he won!

11. Four drivers have won the first four IndyCar Series races of 2008, making this year the first time since 2004 that a season has started with four different winners. The top four drivers are separated by only 15 points. The last time five different drivers won the first five races was in 2003 when Scott Dixon opened the season with a victory at Homestead-Miami and went on to win the championship. Team Penske’s Gil de Ferran won the Indianapolis 500 that season (the fourth race).

12. Graham Rahal will become the fifth-youngest starter in Indianapolis 500 history (19 year, 142 days) if he qualifies for the race. A.J. Foyt IV (19 years, 0 days) is the youngest ever starter in the 500 while Marco Andretti (19, 76) is third. Sarah Fisher (19, 237) is currently fifth.

13. Four IndyCar Series champions are scheduled to participate in the Indianapolis 500: Buddy Lazier (2000), Scott Dixon (2003), Tony Kanaan (2004) and Dan Wheldon (2005).

1. I get to play with toys! Maybe more than that, I get to experiment with “boy” toys, like Transformers, Rescue Heroes, etc. I was such a girly girl when it came to toys, for the most part. I played with Barbies (although my sister and I were known for marrying our Barbies with G.I. Joe’s. Ken was wimpy in our book…Barbie was much more likely to fall for Joe than Ken.).

2. I love hearing my boys say “I love you, mom.” It doesn’t matter if it’s before they go to bed, when they wake up, of just for packing their lunch, it never gets old.

3. I love watching them grow into young men. I guess this is more relevant now that the twins turned 7 on Monday, but it really is amazing to watch their transformation from boys to young men. There really is nothing quite like it. My dad tells me it’s like Trace Adkins; new song “You’re gonna miss this.” Yeah, I’m there already.

4. I love it when people tell me how caring and well behaved the boys are. It just makes my heart warm to think that I must be doing something right, after all, ya know?

5. I love to watch them sleep. So peaceful, innocent and serene. I could also throw in that I love watching them sleep because I get a little peace and quiet, but I also love to watch the insanely uncomfortable positions that they sleep in. Someday I’m going to start taking pics of the weird ways in which they sleep. I suppose that could be a Thursday Thirteen in and of itself sometime.

6. I have an excuse to watch cartoons! Yes, I admit that I love watching cartoons. And with digital cable, i get to watch all the “old” cartoon that I grew up on, thanks to Boomerang. Shows like the Smurfs, the Snorks, Top Cat, etc.

7. Motherhood is the most fulling job I’ve ever had, hands down.

8. I love teaching them new things. It’s in my nature…I love to teach. And I’m glad I get to teach them so much.

9. I love hearing them laugh. They have the most jovial, genuine laughter of anyone I’ve ever met. It is never just a chuckle with them, either. It’s always a big, hearty belly laugh that envelopes their whole being. It’s so infectious and I love it.

10. I love listening to these three little boys try to have such grown-up conversations. It’s like the books and shows “Kids say the darndest things.” I wonder sometimes where they come up with their topics of choice. Brian and I sit sometimes and just listen to them talk and try to stifle laughter (stifle so they don’t know we’re listening and stop talking).

11. I love to watch them play with daddy.

12. I love being able to kiss it and make it all better. Boo boos, that is. It seems a mom’s kiss can be a cure all (except, of course, in the case of Ryan, who, if you remember, ran smack into a tree a couple of weeks ago. My kiss couldn’t cure that, though I tried!).

13. I love being constantly surprised by how smart my kids are. I know every parent thinks their kids are smart, so I’m no exception. But I really am amazed at how spongy they are and how much they absorb from every day conversations, etc. I suppose having their fathers memory helps that, too. They are like elephants… you know, they never forget (dh included).