Five Question Friday - April 29

My sweet baby boy is turning FIVE this weekend! *sniff*  Tyler bring such joy and silliness to our family...I just don't know what we'd do without him.  I'll try to do a regular blog post with pics from his bowling party last weekend, if I can figure out how to download pics without the USB cord (which has disappeared).  Also, random side note...I'm teaching Sunday School this week on the book "Heaven is For Real".  If you haven't read this book, it's amazing...a very quick read, and it will change the way you think about God and Jesus and heaven.

OK, onto the Five Questions!

1) If you could buy any car, money not an object, what would it be?
That's a really hard question to answer...I mean, when clearly money IS an object in real life, you don't even LOOK at or KNOW about those cars that the ultra-wealthy (and wannabe ultra-wealthy) people drive.  It would definitely be an SUV...I don't see myself going back to a sedan any time before the kids are grown.  Maybe a Lexus?  You know me...I'd have to do some MAJOR research before I could answer a question like this! :-)

2)  What was your worst first date ever?
Okay, this is a funny story, and now it's been so long ago, I'm not even sure I can remember all the ridiculous details.  I do remember thinking at several points "this has GOT to be a bad dream."  I was 17, and the guy was 20, I think?  It was a blind date, and he was a friend of some waitress I worked with at Ruby Tuesday's.  Normally I wouldn't have even considered a date with someone so random, but this was the summer after we graduated high school, and my friend Carrie was dating people left and right that she met while working at Blockbuster, so I decided to give it a try.

 As soon as I opened the front door, my stomach sank.  He was wearing a gold chain (yes, I know, a lot of guys did in the early 90s) and a gold NUGGET earring.  My dad gave him the third degree, and then we went to the Bartlett Malco to see a movie.  We got there kind of early, so we were walking along the (closed) shops in the shopping center, and he said "you know, I could push you off the curb in front of an oncoming car, and no one would even know!"  He thought this was funny.  I did not.  When we got in the movie, I made him buy me a drink, and then proceeded to hold it in the hand closest to him for the ENTIRE movie, so that he couldn't try to hold my hand.  Then, after the movie, his big suggestion for what to do afterwards was go "roll" one of my friends' houses.  I'm thinking "dude, you're twenty years old...seriously?"  He pushed and pushed, but I refused to tell him where any of my friends lived, so then he gets the brilliant idea that we're going to go down to Mud Island because his boss has a boat docked down there.  Now, at this point I'm really getting nervous and uncomfortable about what this total stranger might do to me alone on a boat, but he wasn't taking no for an answer.  Thank GOD there was a security guard blocking the way to the marina...I'm not kidding, I seriously debated about trying to mouth "help me" to him as this loser is trying to talk his way into the marina.  So then we're driving through a deserted area of downtown, and again, "you know, I could just stop the car and push you out in the middle of nowhere...what would you do?"  How did we ever live without cell phones????  At this point, I really wasn't interested in trying to be polite or not hurt his feelings any more...he tried to drag me around The Peabody and did manage to hold my hand (ick) but I made it pretty clear that I wasn't having a good time and didn't really want to continue this.  He took me home, complaining the whole way about how early it was and how much more he wanted to do, and when we pulled in that driveway, I BOLTED from the car and ran in the house so he wouldn't get any ideas about kissing me goodnight.  I seriously think I got down on the floor and "hugged" it, I was so relieved to be home and alive!!!  I plan to share this story with Ashley some day as part of my explanation of why she's not allowed to date until she's 40.

3) How old were you when you fell in love for the first time?
Another weird question.  Falling in "love" can mean such different things at different points in your life.  I certainly THOUGHT I was in love with boys when I was in junior high and high school, but I'd say those were really more like crushes since they were rarely reciprocated (and never with the intensity of feeling that I had!).  I suppose I'd have to say 17, since that marked my first real relationship (beginning of my freshman year of college).  And though my heart was truly broken by him, thank you God, for NOT letting that work out!  Just thinking about him now makes me feel nauseated.

4) When was the last time you reconciled your checkbook?
Well, I ALWAYS keep a running tally in my checkbook so I know how much I have to work with, but I've never really gotten into the whole "online banking" thing.  I reconcile it once a month when the paper statement comes in the mail (old fashioned, I know!).  But that's just my personal checking account...Mallory handles the family account, and he IS the type to check the transactions online every night, so I don't worry a bit about that account!

5) If you were going to fashion a "Wanted" ad for a best friend, how would you word it?
I don't even know where to begin!  Maybe I'm just thinking too deeply today about these questions, but I don't think any one person can meet all the needs of another person.  I have several close friends, all of whom meet the qualifications for that role in completely different ways!  I guess if I had to list some characteristics...honest, kind, empathetic, able to overlook my "know-it-all" tendencies, persistent in maintaining the relationship (because sometimes that's not my strong suit), talkative (because I am NOT good at being the more talkative one in a relationship!), and a rejector of drama (I am too old to still be acting like I'm in junior high, and so is everyone else!).

Hope everyone has a beautiful, dry weekend!

Five Question Friday -- April 22

No time for chit-chat...let's get right to it! :-)

1. What is your favorite Easter tradition?  Hmm, I'm not really sure I have one.  I mean, I try to make sure the kids get to go to at least one Easter egg hunt (though Ashley is missing out this year...Tyler had one at school, but we haven't been able to make any church ones due to birthday parties every Saturday this month!).  I know you'll think I'm a horrible mom, but I've never dyed eggs with my kids.  Just like I've never made cutout cookies with them.  I suck as a mom when it comes to stuff like that...I just hate cleaning up after messy projects!  I guess my new favorite tradition is the "Journey to the Cross" that Emmanuel does on Good Friday...a very powerful experience.  Last year was the first time we went, but it was so good I'm going by myself tomorrow night (Mallory has to work and kids will be with their dad).



2. Are you a "shower" or a "long, hot bath" kind of person?  Shower!!! My tub is never clean enough for me to want to fill it with water and actually lay in it, and the water always gets cold too quick...plus, I don't know if you've noticed, but bathtubs are HARD and UNCOMFORTABLE!  I've never really understood the long hot bath people.

3. Can you parallel park and if so when is the last time you did it? Yes, but it needs to be a fairly decent sized space.  Honestly, I can't remember the last time I had to do it.

4. What is your favorite Easter candy?  Reese's peanut butter eggs (the PERFECT ratio of peanut butter to chocolate) and Cadbury Cream Eggs.  I wil probably splurge on my "healthy eating" plan and eat one of each this weekend, because it will be another year before I'll be able to get them!
5. Easter: do you go all out with the Easter Bunny or focus on the religious part of the holiday?  A little bit of both!  Kind of like Christmas and Santa, I guess.

Have a happy and blessed Easter weekend!

Happy anniversary to us!

So here's a few pics for you to enjoy, taken three years ago today!  As you may know, our wedding was originally scheduled for the 19th, but the entire week leading up to the wedding was one crazy misfortune after another...ending with me having an awful stomach virus starting around 6am on the 19th that lasted 24 hours.  So I managed to drag myself out of bed and get us married real quick the morning of the 20th before Justin's plane was due to head back home.  Thank goodness the whole thing was very casual from the get-go, and postponing for 24 hours was totally do-able! 

Five Question Friday -- April 15

Would you believe I've been so busy this morning I forgot it was Friday?  And more specifically, Five Question Friday?  I love Fridays for that reason (and many others), so here you go!

1) What is your favorite sign of Spring?
Well, lots of things, but if I had to pick a favorite, I'd have to say seeing the dogwood trees bloom.  Our next door neighbor has a beautiful one, and it made me sad yesterday to see that most of the blooms have disappeared this week.  I still remember going to VBS with a friend when I was very young (probably pre-school) and having a lesson about the spiritual significance of the dogwood blossoms (they look something like a cross and have a little dab of red at the tip of each leaf, as representation of the crucifixion). 

2) What was your best birthday ever?
Ooh, tough one.   Fifteen was awesome because my BFF Heather threw me a surprise party, and I was TOTALLY surprised.  Turning 15 was a bummer, because I skipped a grade and was a year younger than all my friends.  They were all turning 16 and getting their driver's licenses and I still had a whole year to go.  But Heather knew how bummed I was, so she worked it all out with my parents...my dad took me out to dinner, and when we got home, all my friends were hiding quietly in our living room.  I think I almost started to skip the living room and go back to my room, and maybe my mom told me there was a present waiting for me in there or something.

Twenty-one was also an awesome birthday...again, I was a year younger than everyone, so it was like waiting on pins and needles to FINALLY turn 21.  And on my official 21st birthday, Three (local band made up of friends that I spent every weekend listening to) just happened to be opening for Letters to Cleo (national one hit wonder...what WAS that song called?) at Newby's, so it was like a big awesome birthday party for me.

3) What is your favorite dessert?
I just don't think I can narrow it down to one.  I LOVE desserts of all kinds...love fresh-baked cookies and brownies, love cake, love cobbler, love cheesecake...there aren't many desserts I don't like, unless they involve coconut or meringue.

4) What is the best excuse you've ever used to get out of a ticket?
I know this will shock you all...but being the goody-two-shoes, law-abiding citizen that I am, I've only gotten one speeding ticket in my life.  Now I will say, I encouraged Ashley (who was in the back seat and probably about 4) to pipe up and tell the officer that her grandpa was a police officer in hopes that he might take pity on me, but she was too shy to say a word, so I didn't bother to make excuses.  I'm a terrible liar anyway.

5) Do you wake up before your alarm, with your alarm, or after hitting snooze several times?
SNOOZE!  I cannot imagine the pain of having to get up the first time it goes off...I despise getting out of bed, and I purposely set my alarm clock 30 mins before I have to be up so that I can hit the snooze 3 times.  And yes, I fall back into a deep sleep in between the first couple, but usually by the last time I'm approaching a groggy wakefulness.  I know, all the sleep experts say that it's much better to get up on the first alarm and that going back to sleep actually makes you more tired, but I don't buy it.

Happy April 15th to all my CPA friends!!  Have a wonderful work-free weekend!!

Five stinking pounds

So I've been on my "healthy eating" routine for about 4 weeks now, and I've lost five pounds.  I suppose I'm a little jaded due to being a Biggest Loser fan, but those people drop that much (and more) in a week.  Yes, I know they are exercising 6-8 hours a day, and I can barely drag myself around the block most days, and yes, I know they have nutritionists and healthy food at their disposal...blah blah blah...but still...five pounds is all I've managed to lose?  After four weeks of recording the nutritional value of every thing that has gone in my mouth?  After giving up milk chocolate for dark?  After completely ignoring the candy basket at work for an entire month?

This is where it gets hard.  It's always at this point that I want to give up, that it doesn't feel worth it, that I'm tired of feeling "deprived" and want to go buy a couple of Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs and devour them.  But I haven't given up hope yet.  I have to admit, I really haven't had to go HUNGRY on my eating plan.  I've been satisfied, I still eat things I enjoy (no baked fish and steamed broccoli for me).  I eat 3 dark chocolate with almond Hershey Nuggets after lunch each day, which I look forward to and feel satisfied with.  I don't go to bed with a growling, empty stomach.  And I still lost weight.  So maybe if I can stick with it, and throw in a little exercise, maybe I can keep this up until this is my new "normal".  And then it won't feel like a diet, per se, but just a sensible way of eating.  Here's hoping...

Five Question Friday - April 8

Hola friends!  It's supposed to be a gorgeous weekend...I can't wait!  I'm sorry for all my fellow CPAs out there who will be working ALL DAY LONG both days this weekend...hopefully next weekend it will all be behind you and you can enjoy the weather then. :-(

And now, the questions:

1) If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
How am I supposed to limit it to just one thing??   Seriously, we all have a self-improvement to-do list, but I'm not sure I can prioritize it to the point that one thing stands out as the most important.  I guess I would say that I'd wish I wasn't such a people-pleaser sometimes and stop being so worried about what everyone else thinks of me.  I think that it has waned as I've gotten older, but I'm still way too concerned about being perceived as bitchy, or annoying, or lazy, or whatever, and I let that drive a lot of my behavior.

2) Write about a time you got lost.
Honestly, nothing comes to mind.  Back in the day before Mapquest, I always had an atlas and a city map in my car.  And now, I almost always print out directions if I'm going somewhere new.  I'm sure I've been lost before...I can think of a few times when I took a wrong turn...but I realized it pretty quickly and turned around.  I'm sure I'll think of the perfect story as soon as I post this and get back to work!

3) Camping or five-star hotel?
If you know me at all, this question will strike you as comical.  I cannot even fathom why someone would want to go camping.

4) Have you donated blood?
No.  I've thought about it...does that count?  All my life, I've been terrified of needles.  It's actually gotten a little better after growing up and birthing a couple of babies, but I still can't quite bring myself to do it.  Now, if a friend or family member needed it, I think I could definitely handle it.  But who puts themselves through such a yucky experience voluntarily?  Alas, people more concerned about community welfare than I.  Sorry Memphis!

5) Do you have a budget, or do you "fly by" most months?
Budget, definitely.  Mallory and I get "allowances" each month, to spend as we wish, but everything else is pretty well budgeted for.  I'm really not sure how you could run a household with two adults any other way!