Q&A Session

I was nominated for this award by Emily over at Love Woke Me Up This Morning. If you haven't ever read her stuff, you should stop by. She has a talent for being honest yet witty in both her writing and her vlogs. She loves coffee, writing, and musicals, and she's a lot of fun! We actually met in college and have stayed connected through blogging -- it's pretty fun. Seriously, go check it out! Thanks for the nomination, Emily!!

So this award comes with some tasks: 

1. Thank the blogger that nominated you and link back to their website. 
2. Post the award’s logo on your blog.
3. Answer the ten questions you have been asked.
4. Nominator ten other bloggers and ask them ten other questions.

I have to skip number 4 because I really don't follow other bloggers besides Emily that still post anything. Le sigh. But I'll have some fun answering these 10 questions today!! 

1) What is one of the most underrated books/series you've ever read?

I love the book Falling Home by Karen White. It's about this woman who moved away from her Southern home at the first opportunity and hasn't looked back in years. She's become this successful business woman who is engaged to be married to a successful business man, and she feels like she has the perfect life. She gets a phone call from her estranged sister saying their dad is dying, and she books it back home. She ends up staying there much longer than planned and begins to question the life she's been leading. She has to come to grips with the fact that what she thought was perfect is lacking in many ways, and she has to decide if she is going to go back to living a lie or if she'll be brave enough to embrace who she really is and what she really wants. I love this story because this woman learns to open herself up to the support of family and friends and finds her life enriched by it when she just wanted to do it all herself, and it's a reminder that it's okay that finding out who you are is a messy process. I also like the fact that there's a romance story line involved, but there are many other dynamics involved as well.

2) What's your favorite holiday story?

I love the Christmas story. Our school does a Christmas program where part of it is having the Christmas story read from Luke while the preschoolers through 2nd graders act it out, and it's so much fun explaining to my kindergarteners that Jesus is just like you and me because he was an actual person who had a Mommy and a Daddy and who grew from a baby to a grown up, but he was different because he was also God and grew up to save the whole entire world from all the yucky stuff like rudeness, death, sickness, and being sad or mad. This tiny baby was born so we could know how much God loves us and treasures each one of us. He wants us to live with Him in heaven so we can be happy and perfect again like He first created us. I think it's powerful to think about how God chose two special people to parent the Savior of the world, and He really kept all of the promises He made throughout the Old Testament in the details surrounding how and where Jesus was born. It is an awesome thing to get to share this story with the kids in such a tangible way because they have fun and ask a lot of great questions, but it's also such a huge and awesome reminder to me to study this story so closely with them. God loves us so much that He really puts a lot of thought even into the details of our lives and keeping His promises. I am unworthy of that love, but I am thankful to have such a loving and gracious God. The sacrifice He made by coming to earth and dying is something that continues to amaze me the more I think about it. 

3) If your pet wrote a story about the holidays, what do you think it would be about? If you don't have a pet, pick your favorite animal.

Danny and Squirt have been through a few Christmases with us already, but this will be Scout's first Christmas! Danny would just write about how excited he is about the chewy bones in his stocking and snuggles on the couches with us on Christmas. Squirt and Scout would tell you about the struggles of the Christmas tree. Squirt just wants to sniff it, drink water from the tree holder, and pee on it. Scout just wants to know how it tastes and smells, and Mommy is okay with the sniffing but for some reason keeps saying that eating it will make him sick. Oh, and he'd tell you his Mommy got really mad when he kept trying to chew on everyone's stockings, and she had to hide them up high in the closet...but they sure are soft and chewy and fun! 

4) Tell me about your favorite classic story/book/movie.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is by far #1 of my Top 3 Christmas Movies. I definitely make a big stink about watching this every year. It's still on DVR right now, and I told Tim that I need to watch it again at least one time before Christmas is over. I think I love this more as an adult than I ever did as a kid, but I love to sit down with hot chocolate and watch it. I just think it's so funny with all the word play in there, like Yukon Cornelius' "This fog is as thick as peanut butter!" or all of the Misfit Toys like the Charlie in the Box. And Rudolph's pouty little kid voice just is adorable. Then at the end this little underdog reindeer whom everyone made fun of comes back to save the day and shows us that being different is special, not bad. Ahh, all the warm and fuzzy feelings! 

5) What are you looking forward to in 2015?

2015 is going to bring changes with it and new adventures. I'm nervous about some of the unknowns right now, but I'm excited to see how God will be at work for us next year. 

6) What's your favorite holiday dessert? (Can you tell I'm in a holiday mood?)

Christmas cookies!! I've been waiting to be on break so I could start baking and decorating sugar cookies and trying out a few other cookie recipes, too! 

7) Which fictional character do you think you are the most like?

I definitely am a mix of Lorelei and Rory on Gilmore Girls. I love my coffee, and I love books. I can be the quirky one with witty one-liners, and I have been known to be annoyingly and endearingly persuasive at times. I get really anxious when it comes to projects and work, and I don't like my agenda to be thrown off. I love to make lists, and I do find it stress-relieving. I enjoy writing, and I love my family and friends dearly. 

8) What is your latest Netflix binge?

As soon as Oct. 1 rolled around and Gilmore Girls was added to Netflix I started watching seasons 5-7. I own seasons 1-4 and have watched them so many times, but I needed to catch up on 5-7 again! Now I'm on to rewatching Glee. 

9) Who are your favorite YouTubers? If you don't watch much YouTube, share bloggers, Tweeters, Instagramers, etc.

I don't routinely watching YouTubers anymore, more just when I'm in the mood for them. I use YouTube mostly for music while I'm working on school stuff at home these days. Most recently I used it for this:

We sang this as a staff during the Christmas program the other night. I wish I'd recorded it because my coworkers are amazing at harmonies. 

10) What's your current background on your laptop/tablet/cell phone?

On my phone I have a picture I took up in Alaska, and my locked screen is Danny and Squirt. My iPad just has a generic grass picture that came with it. :)