Monday Games

My friend Mel tagged me in this game a few days ago and it looks like fun!  I'm in one of those "I need to blog!" moods, but my Monday brain is rarely together enough to write a good post (It seems like I always use that excuse! haha).  So, here we go!

The Rules

1. You must post the rules.

2.  Post 11 fun facts about yourself on the blog post.

3.  Answer the questions the tagger set for you in the post, then create 11 new questions to ask the people you've tagged.

4.  Tag 11 people and link them on your post.

5.  Let them know you've tagged them!

*I'm actually going to skip these last two steps, seeing as I'm new to blogging and don't know 11 bloggers well enough to tag them!

11 Fun Facts About Me

1. I am extremely left handed. It's so bad.  I can't use regular scissors,  I can't write in binders or on chalkboards/white boards, and I can't use cutlery to save my life (whenever I try to use cutlery, I always end up pushing my plate to the right, which can be very annoying to any person sitting to the right of me.)

2.  I'm obsessed with food, but I hate to eat.  And I love to cook for others.

3.  I will get way more worked up from an animal getting hurt of dying in a movie than I will from human. (That scene from Up where Kevin gets bit by Alpha?  It kills me every time.)

4.  I secretly want to die my hair brown, but I never will because I'm afraid I'll hate it and never be able to get my natural color back.

5.  I'm a bit obsessive about my money.  I use Mint to track all of my expenses and accounts and I check it at least 5 or 6 times a day.  The numbers almost never change without my knowing, but I'm terrified that it's all going to just disappear or something. 

6.  Once I start reading a good book, I can't stop.  But I have a lot of trouble finding the motivation to read.  I really need to read more often.  I know that once I start, I'll love it.  I just have a lot of trouble getting started.

7.  I absolutely, positively hate fruit.  The texture, the smell, the taste.  Yuck!

8.  I've been in 7 shows at Baton Rouge Little Theater, played a variety of characters and even won an award for one of my roles.  But without fail, the only show that people remember me for is The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.


9.  I would really love to try photography, but I don't have the right camera.  I would love to buy a DSLR and take a photography class one day.  I'd also love to take a painting class and a pottery class.

10.  I'd also really love to take a blog design class one day (do those exist?)  I'd like to customize my blog and maybe even (eventually) buy a domain name, but I have no clue where to begin!

11.  The words I most commonly misuse when writing are Knew/New and Know/Now.  I know the difference and can use them properly when speaking a sentence, but I use the wrong word all the time when writing.  For example, you know the song Need You Now by Lady Antebellum?  It's in my iTunes as Need You Know.  It's been like that for months and I'm too lazy to change it.

Questions and Answers


1.  What are your biggest pet peeves, not including traffic issues?
People who walk around campus or stand right outside of the entrances to buildings smoking.  It drives me nuts when I'm walking through campus and I get stuck behind a smoker because it all ends up in my face! And there are some building that seem impossible to walk into without hitting a wall of smoke.  Thanks for the cancer, guys.

2.  If you could go on an all expenses paid vacation and take one person, who would you take and where would you go?
Well, I know who I would WANT to take.  *sigh* But as for the where, it's a tie between Disney World and England.  I would probably do Disney World though because it can get so expensive so easily.  If someone else is picking up the tab, Disney world could be really awesome.

3.  If you could do anything you wanted for your next birthday, what would you do? (Money is no object and everything is ok to eat)
I've haven't really been interested in parties or big to-dos for my birthday since early middle school.  But I would love to buy an iPad with the smart cover.  And maybe a shopping spree? :)

4.  What is your favorite play or musical?
Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim.  It's just wonderful.  And it's the show that made me want to try theater.

Mel apparently loves the number 4 so much that she gave me TWO #4s! :P
4.  What are some of your favorite girl names? Favorite boy names?
For a girl, I really love Charlotte Grace. Or Catherine Grace.  And Harper.  And Genevieve.  And Lucy.  And Lola.  And I have a whole list of other names that I love.
For a boy, I love Noah Thomas (but my brother says I'm not allowed to name my son Noah because he thought of it first. I say whoever pops a boy out first gets it :P )
I also like Milo, Finn, Luke and Logan for a boy.

5.  What is the biggest lesson you have learned in life?
It is ok to not be ok.

6.  What is your favorite recipe?
Probably the cabbage rolls my mom makes every year for New Years Day.  I don't have a link for it, sorry!

7.  What is the last book you read? Did you enjoy it?
A Friend Like Henry by Nuala Gardner.  I loved it!  It's about how having a dog really helped a boy with severe autism.

8.  Who is your favorite author or speaker?
I don't really have a favorite author or speaker.  But I've recently started listening to Ted Talks on my iPhone. They're these short (20 minutes max) speeches by all sorts of people on all sorts of topics and they're really interesting.  You can download the Ted Talks app on the iPhone for free.  My favorite so far has been a talk on what babies learn or can learn while they're still in the womb.

9. Which bloggie friends do you hope to meet in real life?
I've never communicated with her, but I would love to meet Katie from Marriage Confessions.  I love her blog and her kids are ADORABLE.

10.  What is your nervous habit?
Biting my nails.  I've discovered that really the only way to stop me from biting my nails is to keep them manicured, which starts to get a little pricey after a while.
I also subconsciously clench my jaw a lot and grind my teeth at night.  I have to sleep with a mouth guard in at night or else I'll destroy my teeth.


11.  What do you hope will happen (that could happen) in 2012?
.....No comment.

11 Questions for You!


1.  Besides wallet, keys, or phone, what is the one item that you absolutely cannot leave the house without?
2.  You're at the grocery story and are allowed to get one treat for yourself.  What is it?
3.  If money or stability wasn't an issue, what career would you like to have?
4.  Are you an early bird or a night owl?
5.  You have a chance to go to dinner with any celebrity/famous person, alive or dead.  Who is it and what restaurant do you go to?
6.  What is your favorite thing about your appearance? And what is your favorite thing about yourself as a whole?
7.  What is your absolute least favorite food?
8.  What is your favorite birthday memory from your childhood?
9.  What is your favorite font?
10. What do you do to wind down at the end of a long day?
11.  What is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

Since I didn't tag anyone in the post, I'm inviting all of my reader to play this game!  I really would love to know your answers and 11 random things!  If you have a blog, do this on your blog and post a link to it in the comments for this post!  Or if you don't have a blog, just answer the questions or write your facts (or BOTH!) in the comments!  I love comments :D

Moxy Monday

I stole this from my friend Melissa at Little Mrs. Married.  Just a few little fill-in-the-blanks to distract me from that fact that it's Monday.

1. My favorite thing about this week was unexpectedly getting to babysit my friends' two month old.  Any one who knows me knows that I absolutely love babies (so much that I'm even making them my career) and it served as a wonderful distraction.  Plus, I don't know of anything that can make you feel better about yourself than being able to make a baby go from crying to smiling at you :)

2. Colder weather makes me want to put on warm pajamas, drink a cup of hot tea, and crawl into bed to watch a movie with someone I love.  I don't get to do that this year....

3. Three things that make me terribly happy as of late are 

1) The Big Bang Theory:  I got the fourth season for my birthday and have been watching it with my parents.  We're almost done with the season, though, which makes me terribly sad.  (Well, that was counterproductive) 

2) Blogging: I've had a lot of emotions lately and, while I have some incredibly wonderful friends, I'm sure they get sick of me texting them "I'm sad" everyday.  This blog has been a really good place for me to just lay (almost) everything out on the table for everyone to see.  I'm not hiding emotions or pretending they don't exist.  And when I do have a bad day and feel like I couldn't possibly feel any worse or fall any lower, I start to write it all out in a blog post and, even if I don't post the blog, I usually feel so much better just writing everything out.  If even that doesn't make me feel better, I know it's time to go home and cry on my mommy and daddy's shoulder. 

3) The Ben Folds Pandora Station: I've been listening to it a ton at work and home lately.  It doesn't necessarily play music that makes me feel happier.  It's mainly music I'm unfamiliar with. Not incredibly upbeat or loud or percussion heavy.  No expectations.  No catchy choruses.  It just makes me feel better. I keep a sticky on my desktop of all of my favorite songs to download later.

4. If i could only wear one shoe for the rest of my life, I would choose Toms.  So comfy.  But if I could only wear one shoe, wouldn't my other foot get cold?  Can I wear socks?  And what about glass on the ground?  Oh my goodness, this "one shoe" thing is starting to sound like a very bad situation.

5. My personality type is ISFJ–Introverted Sensing Feeling Judging (Want to understand me? Click on that link and read up–me to a tee).  Also known as "The Nurturer," which is so totally me.  In relationships, ISFJs are generally giving and loving people, who place the needs of others above their own (I don't know why so many people view that as a negative personality trait). This is based off of the Meyers-Briggs Test.  I took it through my university, but if you Google it, you can find several cost free versions of it.

6. I have a serious problem resisting candy.  Especially Swedish Fish. And chocolate.  And every other kind of candy.  I have such a sweet tooth that it's a miracle I've never had any cavities.  I always keep a box of Mike and Ikes in my car for when my blood sugar is low, but I have trouble avoiding them when my blood sugar's fine.  

7. My favorite color to wear is white. It's just so clean and simple and versatile.  The tops in my closet are hung by color and the white section is definitely the biggest.  I especially love a simple white top or tee with a cute cardigan, skinny jeans and sandals(or flats or Toms).  Such an easy outfit that's always super cute. 

And now, a little Keyboard Cat to lessen the Monday blues: