On a side note, does anyone have any idea how to change my primary email account to log into blogspot? I haven't used the email that's associated with this blog in a ridiculously long time.
Well, rather than getting into a personal blog about what's different and how, I thought I'd start off with something fun. A friend, Rakhi, tagged me in one of these fun lil' "answer 11 questions" blog. I thought it'd be a good introduction back into the swing of things while my little peanut is napping. So - here we go!
1) What is your greatest gift?
This is a no brainer to me. My family. Hands down. I find myself thanking God for my husband and my daughter throughout the course of the entire day. His ability to make me laugh and his overwhelming support and love on a 24/7 basis, and her ability to melt my heart and transform my whole perspective on life within the blink of an eye...it's truly overwhelming. Plus, just to add to the "gift" factor, we were told over a year ago that we probably wouldn't be able to have kids when I was diagnosed with PCOS. What a wonderful shock when we found out we were pregnant!!
2) What makes you joyful?
Oh there are so, so many good answers to this question. True joy for me, though, comes from honest to goodness laughter. I'm talking hand on the belly, tears in the eyes laughter. I have a few friends that have a direct line to my funny bone, and a few trusted TV shows that I can usually turn to...but honestly, the awkward moments in life are the ones that just bring so much unexpected laughter into my everyday meanderings.
Example: Yesterday, hubby, baby and I were sitting patiently in our car, waiting for our pizza at the best local joint to finish cookin'. Out of nowhere, a woman in her mid-to-late 50's (and thoroughly spaced out, might I add) came up to the driver's side of the car and proceeded to try to open it and get in. We didn't want to make her feel like an idiot, but, well, it was our car, and we had been sitting in it for quite some time. So we chose the path of awkward silence while we stared at her, hoping that the moment would pass quickly if we stood absolutely still (because, apparently, women in their mid-to-late 50's are like T-Rexes, and their vision is based on movement). She finally noticed us, and continued to stare into the car with this look of pure, utter confusion on her face, as if to say "This is supposed to be my car, and it's not, and you're in it, and I don't know why." After a few more moments of what can only be described as "tension," she finally wandered off and got into her vehicle (at least I hope it was her vehicle). Good point to add in: her vehicle was a grey SUV. We drive a black Ford Focus. Just sayin'.
3) What is one blog you faithfully read?
Um, well, I don't really faithfully read any blogs. There are a few blogs that friends write that I'll read through when I think of it, and pinterest has me hooked on various cooking blogs...but that's truly about it. I lead a non-exciting blog life.
4) What is your favorite book and why?
Throw me on a desert island with enough prep time to grab food, water, a journal, and only one book, and without hesitation, I will grab my beaten up copy of To Kill A Mockingbird. I have read this book more times than I can count, and the reason that I love the book more than any other is because as I grow and change in a variety of ways, so, too, does my perspective on the characters of the book. It was incredible to me how I related to each character more or less depending on what stage of life I was in...Scout, Jem, Atticus, even obnoxious Dill to a certain extent.
When baby girl is old enough for her first honest to goodness chapter book with some meat to it, I will give her a copy of To Kill A Mockingbird, and I can only hope that she'll love it as much as I have throughout the years.
5) If you had to play a fictional character in a movie, who would it be and why?
- Her ability to swallow her pride (after a while) and recognize when she's wrong. She still allows herself a decent amount of time for standing her ground in stubborn, sassy fashion.
- Her simplicity. She's a farm girl that still has a sense of style that I really like.
- Her ability to speak her mind to her family and boyfriend without reservation.
- Last, but certainly not least, she is a BAD ASS. Takin' out zombies and standing her own personal ground with the living - that's what I'm talkin' about!!
6) If you had to eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I love Mexican food, particularly nachos with either ground beef, pulled chicken, or pulled pork. And lots of cheese. With extra jalapenos. And sour cream. Oh my gosh, I'm so hungry.
7) If you could hire help for one thing in your life, what would it be?
Cleaning out my car. And I'm not talking about just picking up my trash. I want White Lightning (my beloved white Ford Focus) detailed on a bi-weekly basis. And I want an air freshener that smells like someone just cracked a bag of gummy bears.
8) How are you Christ's hands and feet in the world today?
I actively seek to be open-minded and compassionate to each individual that I meet. I choose to listen and comfort even those who I strongly disagree with. This doesn't just apply to strangers. There's a very short list of people that I truly don't care for, but even when it comes to those "select" few, I pray for patience and acknowledge their feelings and opinions. It may not seem like the biggest way to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to the Earth, but I feel like it's the first step that we could all take to try and make life a bit more peaceful and humane.
9) What is your biggest pet peeve?
Funny enough, my mom and I were just talking about this today. Currently, my biggest pet peeve is people who I refer to as "one-uppers." I dealt with one-uppers a lot when I was pregnant. I didn't have the worst pregnancy on the planet, but I certainly didn't have the easiest pregnancy, either. And my delivery was so. freaking. awful. Now, women in general always ask how you're feeling when you're pregnant or immediately after your delivery - it's a beautiful community of compassion and commiseration. However, it's littered with women who always have to say how they were better/worse off than you.
"How are you feeling, Pam?"
"Not too bad. The sciatica thing is for the birds, but I'm getting through it."
"You have no idea what it's like to have a rough pregnancy. Why, when I was pregnant...etc etc"
"You're getting close to the big day, Pam! Are you ready for it?"
"Oh my gosh, yes. I'm so uncomfortable."
"You know, you should just be happy that you're pregnant. When I was trying to get pregnant...etc etc"
So, in conclusion, people who ask you how you're doing, and you give them either a positive or negative response, and they immediately turn the subject to how they are SOOOO much more positive or negative than you - those people drive me absolutely batshit crazy.
Oh, and people who text while driving. Effing hate that.
10) What is your greatest fear?
After losing my Papa last September, I've discovered that the loss of my closest loved ones is something that absolutely terrifies me. Specifically - every time there's talk of another potential deployment for my hubby, my heart drops into the pit of my stomach. Take every material possession that I own. My house, my car, my clothes, even my beloved copy of To Kill A Mockingbird that I mentioned earlier...none of that would phase me as much as the loss of another loved one in my life, particularly the loss of my husband.
11) When you are having a bad day, what is one thing that is sure to turn it around?
Any level of sweetness from the hubby is always wonderful, and I've quickly discovered that my baby girl's smiles will melt away any and all frustration and anxiety that I've been feeling during recent sleepless nights and crying spells. That's an obvious answer, though. The least obvious answers would be: a super hot bubble bath with a glass of wine and a good book, a nice long car ride with a hot beverage of some kind, a rum & coke while watching South Park reruns, or playing board games with friends.
