What makes your dad happy?
When I laugh at some stuff that he says.

What makes daddy sad?
When I don’t listen to him and I lie to him.

How does your daddy make you laugh?
When he says something, like…kickapowah! Or chicken bubbles.

What did your dad like to do when he was a kid?
Um, draw.

How old is your dad?
25?

How tall is your dad?
89 inches.

What is his favorite thing to watch on TV?
The race!

What does your dad do when you’re not around?
Watch racing.

If your dad ever became famous, what would it be for?
Um, for watching the most races in the most days.

What is your dad really good at?
He’s really good at…making me laugh! Hahaha!

What is your dad not very good at?
Watching ballerinas.

What does your dad do for his job?
Works at the Pentagon.

What is your dad’s favorite food?
Chinese.

What makes you proud of your dad?
He’s really funny.

What makes you happy that he is your dad?
Because he’s really funny and he has a good sense of humor. And he likes to help me with puzzles.

If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be?
A cartoon racer!

What do you and your dad do together?
We eat together, we play together, he takes me to the movies sometimes, and to lunch.

How are you and your dad the same?
We’re a lot the same. We both have blue eyes, and we’re both very funny. I thought of one more thing that’s the same about us: we both like rainbows!

How are you and your dad different?
Well, I don’t really like racing, and he likes it. And I like ballerinas but he doesn’t really like it.

How do you know your daddy loves you?
Because he says it all the time.

What does your dad like most about your mom?
You both laugh at the same things.

Where is your daddy ’s favorite place to go?
The movies.

I interviewed Annalie about Troy last year, and asked the same questions about me last year and last week.

What makes your mom happy?
When I give you a hug and a kiss…like right now!

What makes your mom sad?
When I do something I’m not supposed to, like eat too much candy, or sneak.

How does your mom make you laugh?
By tickling me. Do it!

What did your mom like to do when she was a child?
I think you liked to draw and sketch a lot.

How old is your mom?
75? What? Wasn’t it a close guess?

How tall is your mom?
You are…78 feet? And you weigh, um, 70 pounds.

What is her favorite thing to watch on TV?
Doctor Who.

What does your mom do when you’re not around?
Watch movies that kids can’t watch. And blog and twitter.

If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Hmmm…[grinning]…for being the world’s longest blogger!

What is your mom really good at?
Sketching and being nice.

What is your mom not very good at?
Being able to reach stuff really high up.

What does your mom do for her job?
Dottery. What? You’re gonna be a teacher doing it!

What is your mom’s favorite food?
Chinese. Especially pork-fried rice.

What makes you proud of your mom?
You’re really nice to me most of the time, and you’re really good at loving me.

If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
You’d be a starfish on Spongebob. Not Patrick, just a starfish.

What do you and your mom do together?
Paint, watch Doctor Who, play together, and help each other.

How are you and your mom the same?
We both have blue eyes, the same DNA, and when you were little you had really blond hair like me.

How are you and your mom different?
Well, you have a little bit of long hair, and it’s dark. And I have short hair, and it’s light. I like to draw a lot, and you like to paint.

How do you know your mom loves you?
Because you give me hugs and kisses.

What does your mom like most about your dad?
He’s nice and he can reach things and he takes care of stinkbugs for us.

Where is your mom’s favorite place to go?
That Pottery Place.

I did this same interview last year. For the record, I did indeed like to draw and sketch a lot as a kid; Doctor Who is in fact one of my favorite shows; I am going to teach a class in painting dottery at my local pottery-painting studio at the end of this month; I do love Chinese food but I wouldn’t say pork fried rice is my favorite; and That Pottery Place could certainly be called one of my favorite places. However, I’m not 75 years old nor 78 feet tall, and I weigh considerably more than 70 pounds.

I think this was a Facebook meme originally, but I first saw it at Wannabe Hippie and Zebrabelly.

What makes daddy happy?
Me, and animals, and other stuff.

What makes daddy sad?
Well…when I am sad that makes my Dad sad.

How does your daddy make you laugh?
By tickling me and telling me jokes.

What did your daddy like to do when he was a child?
He liked to play games, I think.

How old is your daddy?
26?

How tall is your daddy?
145 feet.

What is his favorite thing to watch on TV?
Golf and football and racing and Madagascar and shuttle launches.

What does your daddy do when you’re not around?
Watch TV and do work.

If your daddy becomes famous, what will it be for?
Because…he…he’s, um…because he’s good at singing songs, and he’s good at…everything!

What is your daddy really good at?
Watching TV and…everything!

What is your daddy not very good at?
He’s not very good at…let’s see…I forget. I know! He’s not very good at making airplanes. At least I think that.

What does your daddy do for his job?
He works on the ship.

What is your daddy ’s favorite food?
Um…savway goon? I don’t know what that is, I just made it up. Daddy likes…hot dogs and hamburgers and everything!

What makes you proud of your daddy?
I don’t know what that means.

What makes you happy that he is your daddy?
It makes me happy when…he buys me candy.

If your daddy were a cartoon character, who would he be?
Jerry (from Tom & Jerry)

What do you and your daddy do together?
We play games and tell stories. Sometimes we move the car and Daddy lets me ride in the front seat but only in the driveway. We go to the store, we wash the van, we do lots of stuff!

How are you and your daddy the same?
We’re alike because we both like cake!

How are you and your daddy different?
We’re different because daddy likes watching football and I like watching Imagination Movers.

How do you know your daddy loves you?
I know he loves me because he gives me hugs and kisses and shoulder rides.

What does your daddy like most about your mommy?
He likes her because she makes the best cakes ever!

Where is your daddy ’s favorite place to go?
In-N-Out.

If you think this sounds familiar, that’s because I asked Annalie the same questions about me last month. I think it’s funny that some of her answers are almost identical. Also, you’d think from this interview that around here we do nothing but sit around and watch TV, which isn’t true. Mostly we sit around and play on our computers. Ha!

2. Being a mom has deepened my friendships with other moms. I know it’s annoying to hear this when you don’t have kids—believe me, I used to be one of those kid-less people rolling her eyes at things like what I’m about to say—but when you become a mom it’s like being admitted into a big club where you can always find like-minded people to commiserate or laugh with, whether they’re your age or ten years younger or fifty years older.

3. I have someone to color and paint and craft with! even before I had kids, I always had a drawer full of craft supplies (64-boxes of crayons, markers in every color of the rainbow, glitter, glue, construction paper) that I’d occasionally pull out to make a birthday card or entertain kids I was babysitting. Now, I have a big tall bookcase full of craft supplies and a kid who likes gluing and painting with me.

4. I love getting to see people I love reflected in Annalie. In particular, I have an entirely new view of my brother as a kid. Ben is only 17 months younger than I am, and when we were kids he lived to push my buttons. He was a happy kid, always laughing and goofing around, which for some reason annoyed me to no end. He and my mom used to get the giggles in church, laughing helplessly the more they tried to stop, while I got embarrassed. (That is how I remember it. My mom says I was not as serious a kid as I seem to think I was.) Now, I see a lot of my brother in Annalie. She loves to be silly, just like Ben did. Looking back now, I can see that he must have been a really fun kid for my mom to have around, and that when he was being silly with me he was mostly just trying to get me to join in the fun.

5. I love knowing that I have the funniest, smartest kid in the world. This is a cliche, of course; every parent knows that her child is the best ever. And it’s totally true for every single kid.

(Are all the other moms gone now? Okay, c’mere and I’ll tell you a secret…all their kids are very sweet and cute and all, but Annalie really IS the funniest and smartest kid ever. Don’t tell them I told you, or their feelings would be hurt!)

I wrote this post because I was tagged by Angella for a meme about motherhood, involving 80 clicks around the world. I’m supposed to tag moms in a wide variety of places, so I’m tagging:

Bonnie of zebrabelly.com – Southern California
Jen of Hey, Mrs. Wilson! – Saskatchewan, Canada
Celia of Mendez Crisis – Canary Islands
Aileen of One Scrappy Gal – Connecticut
Sonja of girl with green card – Southern California, but in Germany on vacation at the moment!

If I didn’t tag you but you want to play along, consider yourself tagged.

What makes mommy happy?
If I do what you say.

What makes mommy sad?
If I don’t answer you, if I don’t love you, if I don’t listen to you, if I grow up and move away forever.

How does your mommy make you laugh?
By tickling me! Tickle me, please!

What did your mommy like to do when she was a child?
Play Simon Says! [?]

How old is your mommy?
25

How tall is your mommy?
[Measures me with her hand as I sit on the floor] This tall when you’re sitting down. I can’t know how tall you are unless you stand up.

What is her favorite thing to watch on TV?
Star Wars.

What does your mommy do when you’re not around?
Paint a mug and a bowl and a plate.

If your mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?
Because, uh…um…uhhhhhh…because you like a lot of people?

What is your mommy really good at?
Crocheting!

What is your mommy not very good at?
Hm, you’re not very good at…hmm…I don’t wanna say you’re not very good at making a cake, that would hurt your feelings. And besides, I think you’re the best cake-maker I ever saw! Welllll…I guess…some people are better at knitting than you are. But that’s okay, Mom.

What does your mommy do for her job?
You protect me.

What is your mommy ’s favorite food?
Chinese food.

What makes you proud of your mommy?
What makes me proud of you is that you love me a whole lot!

If your mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
You would be Jerry. And I would be Tom!

What do you and your mommy do together?
Sometimes we make cake and cookies and muffins and frost them together.

How are you and your mommy the same?
We both like watching TV a lot.

How are you and your mommy different?
We’re different because you like to do boring things and I like to do fun things. Can I pretend I’m a doggie and say woof to the questions? No? Okay.

How do you know your mommy loves you?
Because you help me when I need you.

What does your mommy like most about your daddy?
I think you like him because he’s nice and tall, and he can reach some things you can’t!

Where is your mommy ’s favorite place to go?
Paint ‘N Pottery.

I think this was a Facebook meme originally, but I first saw it at Wannabe Hippie and Zebrabelly.

An interview meme was started a while back by The Immoral Matriarch. I’m not a follower of her site, but I do read Margalit, and as a participant in the round-robin interviewing she was offering to send questions to folks who wanted to be interviewed. I was the first one waving my hand frantically and shouting, “Oh, pick me! Me!”

Not only do I love answering those silly emails full of questions about what color my socks are and what kind of salad dressing I like, I love Margalit’s blog. She has been blogging since before most bloggers had even heard of the internet. She has teenage twins that she clearly loves madly and is driven mad by, in equal parts. She is passionate in her opinions and political beliefs and support of the Boston Red Sox. She blogs about all those things and a million more topics. (Read her interview answers! I think they give a good idea of what kind of blogger Margalit is.)

Even when I don’t agree with her I love reading because she’s so freaking interesting. I have the feeling that if I knew Margalit in person I would love hanging out in her kitchen drinking tea, baking bread, arguing about politics, giving her kids a hard time, and laughing a lot.

Below are the questions Margalit emailed me, along with my answers.

1. You’ve had to live the life of a Navy wife for a long time. What is the hardest thing to deal with besides his deployments?

I’ve started typing an answer to this question three times only to delete and ponder a while longer! I think honestly, the hardest thing for me personally is having people I wish I could see more often strewn all over the world. I actually love getting to move around and try living in lots of different places, and I love getting to meet new people (even though at first that is difficult for me sometimes). But the fact that all my favorite people and places are scattered all over makes them difficult to even think about visiting.

Also, I hate having to find a new church to join each time we move. For some reason that is always an exhausing process for us.

I have this place in my head that I call my Perfect Village. That is where I will invite all my loved ones to come live with me someday, along with the best doctors, hairstylists, veterinarians, coffee shops, libraries, parks, etc. that I’ve patronized. If only it could really happen.

2. I know you’re intrigued by homeschooling. Do you plan to homeschool Annalie or are you going to try school first? If you homeschool, what are your plans?

Ooh, good question. Annalie is technically preschool-age right now and is not enrolled in any preschool. So I guess you could say we’re already homeschooling. (Though I have to add that I firmly believe that preschool is not necessary for everyone. Since I don’t work outside the home, I only have one child, we see friends and family with other kids for Annalie to play with all the time, and we travel so much, it would have been a waste of money for our family. And before anyone gets upset and thinks I’m looking down on them for putting their kids in preschool, I’m really not! It’s a godsend for some families and kids, I know! My mom was a preschool teacher for years! I went to preschool and loved it!)

Wait, what was the question? Oh, right—homeschooling! We’re about 90% sure that Annalie will be homeschooled in the fall. I am a little overwhelmed with the volume of information on the internet about homeschooling, and have mainly relied on talking to my homeschooling friends to gather information. It’s really a great time to homeschool, as there are so many great programs and curricula and support systems available to homeschoolers.

Why don’t I want to enroll Annalie in school? Partly because we travel a lot. I know I could cut back, and I probably will anyway if we’re homeschooling, but I have always been the type of person who prefers to go her own way, at her own pace. Annalie is like that too. Also, do you know how much of the day is taken up with waiting and standing in line in a typical school day? Learning to do those things is definitely necessary, but I can teach Annalie how to do them at the post office or the grocery store, where I can also teach her reading and math by having her read the ZIP code on my package and enter it on the Automated Postal Center’s keypad, or help me compare prices and figure out which cereal is cheaper.

I dunno, I just feel like homeschooling is the right choice for my child and our family right now. After a year, maybe I’ll decide enrolling Annalie in public school is the right choice, or maybe the church school down the street. One of the things being in the Navy has taught me is that planning anything too far in advance is a recipe for disappointment.

3. You travel a lot to visit friends and family. If money were no object, where would you choose to visit that isn’t a friend or family vacation?

The first two places that came to mind are both places that are far away and would cost a lot of money—Australia and England—but they also happen to be places where I have a friend or two! I’m hopeless. Oh, wait, I know! I’d love to visit Russia, specifically Moscow and St. Petersburg. I studied Russian in high school and college, but I don’t know a single person who lives there.

4. You know how to do every craft in the world. Which is your favorite and why? And how did you learn how to do so many things?

Now, that’s a gross exaggeration. I don’t knit, I don’t scrapbook, I don’t sculpt, just to name a few. (Uh…actually, I have learned how to knit and I’ve made cards with scrapbooking materials before and took a pottery class in high school…they’re just not things I’ve kept up with.) Okay, I will admit I’ve rarely met a craft I didn’t like. I am willing to try just about anything that involves paper, glue, yarn, paint, glitter, and using my imagination and hands. As anyone who’s read my blog for more than a week probably knows, I love to paint pottery and crochet. I guess those are probably my favorites. I also love to make friendship bracelets and fold origami and design digital photo cards and make magnets and create collages. I am trying to think of a craft I’ve done and didn’t enjoy and am drawing a blank. But you know, all you really have to do is hand me a box of crayons and a pad of paper and I’m a happy camper. I just like being creative, even if the end product is goofy-looking.

5. You’re a baker with real talent. Where did you learn how to bake things like wedding cakes and have you taken any classes to improve your skills?

Thanks! My brother and I used to make cookies and cakes with my mom when we were little. Somewhere along the line I must have said, “Mom, can I do this by myself?” I don’t really remember anyone teaching me. I know I was making birthday cakes for my family by the time I was 10 or 11. I just read the recipe and did what it said. I was 13, I think, the first time I made homemade bread entirely on my own. I don’t remember my mom ever making homemade yeast bread. I was reading the Little House on the Prairie books for the dozenth time and as usual, they inspired me to cook something. (Books do that to me a lot. Reading Heidi makes me want to toast cheese, however one does that. I’ve always wondered.) That time it happened to be homemade white bread. One loaf was slightly burned and one was doughy in the middle, but I remember my dad telling me how great it was.

As for the wedding cake, I just did some research on homemade wedding cakes online, browsed at the bookstore till I found a book I liked, and went for it. Also, I had my mom, Troy, and my cousin Tressa supporting and helping me.

I’ve never taken any cooking or baking classes. I am not opposed to doing so, I’ve just never done it. I don’t really watch cooking shows either. I do own a lot of cookbooks, though. Going back to the previous question, I sort of see cooking as another venue for being creative, and I just like doing it.

Maybe that is the secret: I enjoy baking, and I do it a LOT. Practice makes perfect.

6. What is the one thing that absolutely drives you bonkers?

More than one thing drives me bonkers, but the first that leaps to mind is reality television. I know millions of people disagree with me, so I don’t go on about it very often. I don’t believe there’s anything inherently evil about reality shows, I just can’t stand them. Even the mainstream, relatively innocuous ones (Supernanny, American Idol, Survivor) often make me want to throw the TV out the window.

7. Did you ever graduate from Univ of Nebraska, and if not, do you think you would ever like to go back to school someday?

Nope, I didn’t graduate. I left in the middle of my junior year to marry Troy and move to San Diego. The following fall I transferred to San Diego State University as a child development major. I attended classes there for three semesters and then dropped out before the parking situation gave me an ulcer. (Yes, I said the parking situation. It’s a long, boring story.) Suffice it to say that it never occurred to me to quit school till, during one of the many weepy conversations I had with my mom during that time, she gently pointed out to me that the world wasn’t going to stop spinning if I didn’t get my degree in five years, or even if I never got my degree at all. I was stunned, but she was right. I dropped out the next day and immediately felt lighter and happier, even though I had always been an excellent student and it was a big part of my identity. I’m convinced it was the right decision at the time.

I do hope to go back to school eventually. When I do, I think I’ll probably get a degree in English. If I decide to go on to grad school I’d like to get a Master of Library and Information Science. But I’m in no hurry.

Thanks for interviewing me, Margalit! Now, would any of you like to play along? If so, leave a comment below and I’ll email you at least five questions. (I reserve the right to limit the number of participants, depending on how many people want to be interviewed!) You’ll have to update your blog with the answers to the questions, linking back to the original post and also to my post, including this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

The fabulous Isabel of Alpha+Mom read that Brenda and I took the kids to paint pottery last weekend and graciously asked if she could feature that idea and some of my photos in a column on their site. Of course I said yes: Visit a Pottery Studio and Paint Dottery.

Remember the Pay It Forward blog meme that I did back in 2007? It only took me TEN MONTHS to actually send the gifts out. I’m going to do it again, thanks to Jummy, and this time I hope to send the gifts out in a much more timely manner.

How it works:

1. Be one of the first 3 people with a blog (or Flickr or Twitter or Facebook account) to leave a comment on this post, and I will send you a handmade gift within 365 days!
2. You then need to post the Pay It Forward challenge on your own blog and make a gift also for your first 3 commenters and so on it goes.

I am willing to ship my gifts anywhere in the world, so everyone is eligible to participate regardless of what country you are blogging from! Just please make sure you leave a valid e-mail address so I can contact you for shipping information. The gift can be in any price range you like and you have 365 days to post it.

So, are you in? Leave a comment!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis No, but I have held a tarantula!
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise A day-long family cruise on one of Troy’s ships counts, yes?
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors I’m Lithuanian/German/English/Irish/Scottish/Native American, and I’ve been to England, Scotland, and Oklahoma.
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (in general)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia No…but I speak some Russian.
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous I was in an elevator once with the guy who played the dad on “Charles in Charge” but I don’t think that counts.
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake I’ve swum in two of the Great Lakes, Superior and Michigan
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day Many, many, many times.

Any questions? Feel free to ask in the comments, and I’ll respond in the comments.

Smelling the rain outside.

Listening to the ceiling fans and the football game Troy is watching on TV.

Drinking nothing at the moment, which is unusual. I almost always have some kind of drink at hand.

Reading The Other Side of the Story by Marian Keyes. Re-reading it, actually. I read it before when it first came out, right after Annalie was born.

Loving that I live just five minutes away from a pottery-painting studio now, instead of 45 minutes away.

Dreading the day when Annalie says things like, “You’re a mean mommy, and I don’t like you anymore!” and really truly means them.

Eagerly anticipating our upcoming trip to Texas: seeing Sarah and Kristen and Bekah, the Sanders family, Troy’s mom and stepdad and assorted relatives, Angie & Chris, and maybe even Jamie.

Worrying about my cousins whose dad just died.

Wishing I didn’t live so far away from so many people I love. Also wishing for a sugar-and-cinnamon BeaverTail.

Praying as often as I can, though probably not as often as I should.

Grateful for my mom.

Sharing the couch with Troy.

I got this list from Karen. Feel free to copy.

. Ten Things I Wish I Could Say to Ten Different People Right Now:

1. I know you did the best you could. I wish I could have known you better.
2. You had an enormous positive effect on my life. Thank you!
3. You must have been a really sad, damaged kid to treat me the way you did. I hope you’ve found a way to be happy.
4. What we did was childish and cruel and I have felt bad about it ever since. I’m sorry.
5. I lost all respect for you when you gave me a grade I had not earned, even though it was in my favor.
6. You shouldn’t have pushed me to do something you knew I didn’t want to do.
7. Oh, grow up already.
8. Do you have any idea why we don’t talk anymore?
9. I just don’t understand what’s going on in your head and I am really worried about you.
10. For the first time since we met, you seem calm and ready to face a challenge. I am so glad.

Nine Things About Myself:

1. I’m pretty lazy when it comes to housework.
2. I’m not lazy at all when it comes to cooking elaborate dishes.
3. I like painting my toenails but colored polish on my fingernails bugs me.
4. I like jewelry but try not to buy much because I rarely wear it.
5. I’m an introvert with extraverted tendencies. If you were just meeting me you’d probably never guess the introvert part.
6. I’ve always wanted to learn to play guitar. I still plan to someday.
7. I’ve always been fascinated by drums, but have no desire to learn to play myself.
8. I am relieved but not really surprised that Annalie prefers movies like Madagascar and Surf’s Up and isn’t really interested in the Barbie movies. I never had much interest in Barbies as a kid either.
9. When I first saw Spongebob Squarepants I thought it was incredibly stupid and annoying. Now, I…kinda think it’s funny.

Eight Ways To Win My Heart:

1. Write to me—postcards, letters, emails, notes on a dry-erase board, whatever.
2. Laugh with me.
3. Don’t take things personally.
4. Be persistent. If I turn down an invitation it’s probably because I am a homebody and don’t want to leave the house that day. Please keep inviting me.
5. Don’t take much notice of what’s cool and uncool. Just like what you like because it appeals to you, whether or not anyone else agrees.
6. Disagree with me. I love a good discussion.
7. Be kind to others, regardless of their age or language or job…especially when they aren’t in the room to defend themselves.
8. Be a coffee drinker. I know, this one is shallow, but I can’t help it. I love it when someone is willing to sit and drink coffee with me while we chat.

Seven Things That Cross My Mind a Lot:

1. I really miss them.
2. My kid cracks me up!
3. Just one more minute.
4. Thank you, God.
5. Ooh, that sounds yummy. I wonder if I have all the ingredients?
6. I could do that, but…I don’t feel like leaving the house.
7. Where the heck did I leave my coffee?

Six Things I Do Before I Fall Asleep:

1. Check on Annalie.
2. Make sure the cats have food and water.
3. Make sure the doors are locked. (Though I only do this one if Troy isn’t home.)
4. Clean up the kitchen.
5. Brush my teeth.
6. Read.

Five People Who Mean a Lot:
Only five? Really? It goes without saying that this list is not all-inclusive, right?

1. Troy
2. Annalie
3. A. Erin
4. Heat
5. Brenda

Four Things You’re Wearing Right Now:

1. red t-shirt with a big sparkly ‘N’ (for Nebraska)
2. black cropped chinos
3. the usual underthings
4. the ring Troy gave me for our 10th anniversary

Three Songs That You Listen to Often (Currently):

1. “Something Crazy” by Steven Curtis Chapman
2. “Crazy ABC’s” by Barenaked Ladies (hmm, I sense a theme developing…)
3. “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here” by she&him

Two Things You Want to Do Before You Die:

1. Visit Australia
2. Learn to play guitar

One Confession:

1. We’ve lived in this house for almost two months and there are still unpacked boxes in the living room, the library, our bedroom, the hall closet, the guest room, and the garage. Those last two are especially bad, with probably half of the available space filled with boxes. Anyone want to come help us unpack?

(There was originally something here about skipping school in 11th grade because I couldn’t think of anything better. Then the obvious confession smacked me in the face so I changed it.)