tag, i'm it!

by blogging buddy, becky tagged me in this fun little questionnaire ...so, since eden's in bed, i'll gladly participate!

in fact, i liked the questions SHE had to answer and the one's she wanted me to answer... so, buckle up!

1. what's your favorite form of exercise?

i enjoy walking WITH someone... and any form of exercise that's not called "exercise"...sorta like pureeing veggies in your spaghetti sauce. deceptive.

2. are you an early bird or night owl?

umm. neither :) it really depends... i can be either if i can secure a spot for a nap. on another note, i don't care what "they" say, you CAN make up for lost sleep. yes.

3. what's the greatest lesson you learned from your parents?

mabye this isn't a "lesson", per se... but i've always been encouraged to think ahead & think outside the box.

4. did you choose the right major in college? if no, what would you change?

yes, i started (as in "before i had my first class at nc state) as a political science major... and rumor had it there was lots of history and reading involved. whew! glad i switched before i started!! :-D

i VERY much enjoyed my classes, classmates, & professors--and the practical knowledge that i can apply to nearly any aspect of my life. personal finance. microeconomics. opportunity costs and diminishing marginal productivity--even marketing! ... really, i apply a lot of this to simple tasks and aspects of my life that you wouldn't likely suspect-- running a household is a lot like a business.

i would love to go into more detail on exactly WHAT goes through my head and how these things relate--but i'm not sure i can adequately explain it and if you even read the entire thing, you'd think i was crazy :) maybe i am.

5. what kind of driver are you? slow & cautious? calm & assertive? aggressive? road rager?

well, the first thing that comes to mind is like a "bat out of hell", but i'm changing my ways since eden came along. definitely assertive & sure of myself and the boundaries of my car. easily frustrated by those around me who are unfamiliar with the laws & posted signs...

FOR EXAMPLE: when pulling into a shopping center and you see the sign that says "incoming traffic doesn't stop", you don't STOP. the target shopping center in kdale is the perfect example... cars run the stop sign because they think the incoming traffic stops (when clearly they didn't have to stop when THEY were the "incoming car" 20 minutes ago.), and the incoming cars STOP. makes my horn toot everytime.

or like driving in the "fast" (far left) lane when everyone to your RIGHT is PASSING YOU. morons.

ahem. [me sluffing my hair & stepping down from my soapbox.]

i am an informed citizen who carefully observes signs & patterns. and according to my dad "just because you're right, you don't want to be dead right"

6. can you feel changes in the weather? stiff joints, crazy hair, changes in your skin?

low humidity does wonders for my hair (who doesn't!?), i get headaches when there are great differences in air pressure, the occasional nosebleed in the winter (dry heat from inside heat), and i feel disgusting in the summer. yesh, that last one is the most important.

7. what's your best & worst memory from high school?

lots of GREAT memories from high school. hard to narrow down just one. and my worst memory? hmm...

8. if you're sad, what's the one thing that can make you happier?

snow. but then again, if its snowing, it must not be summer... and if its not summer, then i'm happy. snow. definitely snow.

9. what's your least favorite food?

cooked fruit. although, in my ripe old age, i'm bending this rule a bit. there are a VERY few exceptions. oh, and tofu. and anything with curry.

10. as a past wedding guest, what's the one thing that annoyed you? how did you change it at your wedding?

being to stiff (and as a result not savoring the moment)... we tried to make it fun & relaxed & enjoyable while maintaining the focus & the biblical importance of the day.

11. what movie can you quote along with the best?

talledega nights, anchorman, annnnd i love you man (<--because of the man i love.)

12. what's your favorite thing about blogging?

hmm... i think of it more as a digital scrapbook. staying in touch with family we don't see everyday and having a way to vent or share things that are funny or fun & exciting and swapping ideas and recipes... i think its fascinating that people like to read it!! :-D thanks--i'm flattered :)

13. if you could live in another decade what would it be and why?

the 90s... i'm a girl who loves her modern conveniences. i think if i went back to the 90s i'd still have all of my "essentials."--car, cell phone, tv... oh, and flare jeans would be "back" instead of boot cut. hmph.... and the economy would be good.

14. where has the best meal of your life been and what was it?

this is tough... i'm a foodie. let's just say i was the only kid in class (10th grade) when asked to write a paper on "if you were on death row, what would your last meal be and why" and i wrote a paper that included ONE BITE of allllll of my favorite things--so many favorite things, in fact, that i would be SICK from eating it... and then used the rest of my paper to explain how it wouldn't really matter if i felt sick because it was my last meal on death row.

....i got an a+, in case you're wondering.

but seriously, i have different categories--home, eating out at home (as in NOT on vacation), out of town, out of the country, favorite meal that each (cooking) member of my family (including lee's family) cooks, and even my favorite meal that i've cooked.

...we don't have time for all that.

15. what's your guilty pleasure tv show?

i don't feel guilty about anything i watch on tv... i enjoy every minute of it...

and now, i tag....

megan brady

paige richardson (although i think she JUST posted hers)

amanda penland

jessica killette

ashley brown

renn mcmurray

shannon crocker

andrea compton

YOU!!

can't wait to read y'alls!!

i don't usually share these types of things...

...but, this was just too funny to pass up!

i'm a faithful reader of mckmama... and i wanted to share with you her post from today...

because you, too can learn to control the universe!!

top 10

a friend of mine recently posted her top 10 baby items... and it made me remember how helpful i thought it was reading throught some of them when i was pregnant... so, i thought i'd pass MY top 10 onto YOU! :)

...these are in no particular order... well, they're in order... just the order they popped in my head :)

1. playtex drop-ins. so fantastic for not having to constantly wash bottles! we never had the issues with a gassy/colicky baby, but i hear they're great for that, too!!

2. onesies. you canNOT have enough of these. sure, dresses are cute for little girls, but they're not as functional. onesies stay put (they don't ride up in the back) and its easier to wrap 'em up for naps and get them in and out of carseat... and not to mention diaper changes!

3. pack-n-play with diaper station. brilliant. just brilliant. ESPECIALLY if your baby's nursery is UPSTAIRS.

4. the ceiling fan. okay, so this really isn't a baby item... but it's certainly baby entertainment. eden has been utterly captivated by the fan since about 2 months old.

5. the playmat! e LOVES this thing... there's fun stuff for her to do/look at whether she's on her back or tummy...

6. jumperoo/exersaucer... i'll combine these two since they're very similar... keeps eden very busy and not to mention the muscular & developmental aspects...

7. a good rocking chair. i've always been partial to these... but they are worth their weight in gold at 3am... i can rock eden AND MYSELF to sleep :)

8. the bouncy seat... ahhh, the bouncy seat!! the one we have vibrates and has an attachment that gives her some toys that hang down (sorta like the playmat)... this thing is great with or without the hangy-down thingys... in fact, i love this thing so much, i'm getting sadder by the day as eden is outgrowing it... it almost lays FLAT now when she's in it... making it look like a baby catapult.

9. a headrest mirror. a great invention so you can see your rear-facing baby. however, if she's crying, there's not a whole lot you can do to console her from a mirror---BUT, you know if she's uncomfortable, dropped her toy, etc... :)

10. blankets!! you can't have too many of these either... any shape, form, fashion... swaddling, receiving... fleece, flannel, cotton... we use them for burp cloths, playmats, out-of-place changing mats, mouth wipers, head supporters, and quasi-moby wraps (holding baby on your chest and tucking the sides of the blanket under your arms)... i could probably think of more uses, but i think you get the point!

random unorganized thoughts

frankly, it wasn't the "holiday weekend" that i had in mind... but we made the most of it. we had some plans that fell through... but i was able to go to the grocery store... by myself. (that's a treat!! like my own personal mini-vacay!!)

aunt lisa, uncle steve and caleb kept eden... and they always tell me "when you leave the grocery store, go home and put them away before you come back to get her" ...good idea! but, they just want more time with her.... ahh! a win/win situation for everyone!

eh, back to our weekend... lee spent the better part of it working... but i fell victim to the "memorial day cookout" advertising... i wanted hot dogs for dinner (the real reason for my grocery trip). and i was determined to have a cookout... even if it was just the 4 of us. me. lee. eden. nershi. family time!! :) i made hot dog chili and baked beans and ran out of time for the french fries... so, we made do with chips.

i don't think i've ever WANTED hot dogs for dinner... hot dogs of any kind generally disgust me*. and when i say i wanted hot dogs, i don't mean the beef kind... i wanted either oscar mayer "weiners" (hee hee... snicker snicker) or the carolina packers... you know, the BRIGHT RED ONES.

*except for kannon's hot dogs. those things were amazing. maybe that's why i don't eat hot dogs anymore... because i can't get them from kannons. hmph.

but, of the two choices i gave myself, they only had the oscar mayer ones... and they didn't disappoint.

i've just about come to the conclusion that i'll eat most anything if it comes off of the grill. eh, almost.

tonite, i cooked corn on the cob, veggies (snow peas, sugar snap peas, zucchini, squash, mushrooms), and shrimp!! yum!!

lee says i've become the new "grill sergeant" ...i just need my hunky husband to fire it up for me!

eden and i missed church (again) this week... i was just exhausted...i napped when she did, and i woke up and had no clue what time it was or even where i was at. and sometimes i feel overwhelmed about taking eden somewhere by myself. its nice to have an extra set of hands to dig through the diaper bag, or get the door for you, etc... and this little girl is getting heavy in that carseat... carrying that thing around has to be the most un-natural, uncomfortable position. EVER. and sometimes, getting out the stroller isn't the best thing to do either... maybe i'll have some serious biceps in a few months. maybe. our pastor joked about making millions and millions of dollars if he could invent a lightweight, easy to carry carseat. eh, good luck with that one, matt! :)

tomorrow i have a "reservation" for the NEW spicy chicken sandwich at chick-fil-a... and i've been looking forward to this since CHRISTMAS... when the manager/owner at our local cfa told me about the new menu item...

BUT! my amazing husband surprised me with one tonite!!! he's amazing. so amazing, in fact, that i split it with him. he was sweet enough to get it for me... so, i should be sweet enough to share it, right?

eden is growing like a weed... and seems to be doing something different and learning something new every. day. i love watching her grow! in fact, i love watching things grow... except, most plants that i buy to watch them grow... well, i end up watching them die. i've only successfully "grown" nershi... and now i hope to keep watching eden grow. just another reminder of our heavenly father and his grace and mercy on us every day. ...and i can't stop looking at her pictures of her in those sweet little overalls. gosh. and i keep asking myself "is she really MY baby?!"

eden's birth announcements were supposed to be here today... but i suppose the holiday slowed the mail up a bit... oh well. i waited almost 3 months to make them, what's another few days? i did them more as a keepsake (and because i had a gift card from shutterfly.com)... i think its safe to say, i've already "announced her birth" ha.

speaking of which... 3 months old today?! are you serious?! wow. and also on this day eight years ago, i went on my first date with lee!! and it rained buckets and buckets today just like it did on our first date!

...i distinctly remember the rain on that first date... why, you ask? because "this new guy" i was going on a date with had a car who's windshield wipers DIDN'T WORK. great. i already had the jitters about going out with him... "is he the same great guy that i remembered from january?" "will he even like me?" "he's going off to college, what does he want with a girl who is still in high school 3 hours away" "why are we going to a dance recital for our first date...oh well, its a pretty good drive to get there...we can talk on the way there and back" ...well well well... whaddya know... eight years later and we still sorta like each other!

...ha! i'm kidding! i love him more than ever!!! :-D

wipeout is back on!! along with some other summer television... we've been recording lots of stuff because it seems when we sit down to watch something this time of year/night there's nothing on that we want to watch. i may never understand why someone would subject themselves to such embarrassment on national television by appearing on wipeout... but honestly, its entertaining. very entertaining.

OH! and oh. my. goodness!! we get the game show network now... possibly my most favorite channel. EVER. i could watch it all day!! hahaha... i'm such a doofus. so, i'd like to give a shout-out to time warner cable... and thank them for not making me upgrade my cable package to get just a few more channels that i wanted. eh, i think you should pick the channels you want anyway instead of a package... and even pro-rate it for how much you watch... like your power bill... any-hoo, that's neither here nor there!

i really wish i could win the "mega millions" lottery jackpot tonite. oh well... i probably need to buy a ticket in order to do so. every time i see those silly ping pong balls pop up in their little windows, i wish i could jot 'em down and run (in the car, duh!) as fast as i could to the nearest gas station and buy a ticket with the winning numbers i'd just seen on tv. maybe if i was fast enough, do you think it would work?

ok, i'm done rambling now... i've cleared my head... eden's asleep... lee's running... i'm off to bed. goodnite!

you're still reading?! wow, you're such a faithful reader... 2 points for you!!