I'm not gonna lie, my mom and I watched an episode of "Married At First Sight" once, and before we knew it we were hooked. We both record it and watch it at the same time now. I don't know what it is about that show, but I'm hooked!
2. Tell me about your dream home.
I love having a decent-sized yard with space for our garden, to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful weather, and of course for our 3 crazy dogs to run around and play. That's a MUST! I also like having a room specifically for an office/computer/craft space. My dream house also must have room for guests! Someday I would love, love, LOVE to have a front porch to put a swing or comfy chairs on so we could just sit outside there and watch cars go by. But my biggest dream house requirement? It has to be comfy. My dream is for people to walk into our home and feel comfortable because it's decorated in a functionally-cute kind of way, and they can feel that it's filled with love here. You know those homes where you walk in and instantly feel at home? That's my ultimate dream more than any physical feature we could add or buy.
3. What's the best book you've read so far this year?
I have to say that the best non-fiction I've read is Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend. It has some great Biblical information to ponder and to use to motivate some healthy balance in life, and it's helped me make some changes for the better in my life. Fiction-wise I'd have to say that I really like Sue Grafton's "O" is for Outlaw. I've been tearing my way through the series over the past few years, but that one's been my favorite. I love the voice Grafton has given to the main character, Kinsey Millhone. She's very feisty, sarcastic, and factually blunt. She's one of my most favorite fictional characters ever.
4. If you could run away and live in another country for a year, where would you go? Even name the exact city if you know!
I think it'd be fun to go to Europe for a year! I'd love to travel around to some of the places with literary significance, like to see the Little Mermaid statue in honor of Hans Christian Anderson, the Globe Theatre, and all kinds of places like that. I also would love to see Poland just once in my life, and I'd love to travel to Germany to see the city where my husband was born. There are just way too many fun places to see to stay living in just one country there...and probably too many to see in just a year. Maybe we'd have to make it two! ;)
5. I'm hungry. If I'm coming over to your place for lunch, what are we going to have?
When it comes to lunch, I'm pretty simple. I'd probably have a bunch of things for making sandwiches, some fresh fruit and vegetables to munch on with lunch, yogurt, and some cookies for dessert. We'd put our lunch on paper plates and enjoy the awesome weather by eating outside. Don't worry-- I'd put the dogs in the house so those rascals didn't try to steal any of your lunch. And if you aren't a sandwich eater, I'd offer to take you out to eat! :)
6. Tell me about, or show me, your favorite photo you've taken so far this year and why it's your favorite.
First of all, this is my first successful panorama on a cell phone ever. That victory in and of itself is one reason why I love this picture. This was a night sandwiched between the end of all things school-related and our anniversary, and we were just relaxing while Tim was grilling. There were storms coming, but they were north and south of us at the time. It was the first Sunday in a really long time without the stress of finishing up lesson plans and knowing I had to get up early the next morning. I got to play with the dogs and hang out with my hubby stress-free and just soak up the first taste of summer.
7. What was your favorite part of summer when you were a kid?
I loved how late the sun would be up! That was awesome! I was constantly outside as a kid, and that meant I could play longer. When I got older, summer was bonfire season with my friends. It was always worth it to smell like smoke because we would talk, burn things (intentionally and unintentionally...), and hang out. I miss having late nights around the fire like that.
8. If you could live inside of a movie, which one would it be?
Obviously anything Disney! The music, the artwork, the characters...yesyesyes please!
9. What vacation do you wish you could repeat?
Alaska. I've been blessed to go twice and both times were truly different experiences but awesome in their own ways...and the scenery is absolutely stunning. The first time was for the wedding of two dear friends, and a bunch of us crazy college kids spent time with our friends' families and got to do some awesome things, see amazing places, and just enjoy being together. The second time was on a cruise with my husband's side of the family, and we got to spend so much time together. I cherished that so much! We also go to get out and do some great things, and we got some wonderful pictures while we were up there. (Tim's are way better than mine, though!)
10. We complain about blogging a lot - what do you still LOVE about?
I love getting to share things that are going on in our little corner of the world -- and sometimes just things in my own head -- with my family and friends that read this blog. I know there are a few others that stumble on this now and then, but I really love sharing this stuff. I've come to realize my family happens to be my biggest blog fans, too, and I really love that. My family's absolutely amazing.
11. And I'm stealing from Angie because this question was just so good- what has been your favorite moment this year so far?
I would say that it's been a collection of moments over the past few weeks, not just one. We never want anything bad to happen to anyone we love -- but the fact is that sometimes it happens. In all the ups and downs of everything lately, there has been more proof in the past few weeks that there are ALWAYS things to be thankful for than I think I've ever noticed in my life. It's been the moments of "I love you" passing between family members, the hugs, the long heart-to-heart conversations, the tears we've shed together, the text messages and phone calls offering support, the endless patience of my husband dealing with my extremes of emotions and loving me through them, the overwhelming joy that comes with the victories, and celebrating the strength and determination of my dad. It's the moments that add up to what carries you through the tough stuff and makes you marvel at how power the love we give to other people truly can be. It's those moments where love truly trumps everything else that have been my favorite. (Even though that's more than one!)
Alright, that was a lot of fun! Thanks again, Emily! I'd write up questions and nominate bloggers, but let's be real, guys...Emily's already done it, and I don't know many other bloggers! I'll gracefully bow out of that part this time. If anyone else is up for the challenge, though, feel free to share your answers to the questions above! :)
