1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. With a bow. My dad was a real santa-nazi (yeah, I said it) about making sure every present has a bow! when I was growing up. I admit it does make the gifts look nicer under the tree. No thanks to his kind of bow... he totally uses (and reuses) those ghetto 200-for-$1 bows that might or might not match the present's paper, and definitely aren't sticky anymore. Love you, Dad.
2. Real tree or Artificial? Real. Duh.
3. When do you put up the tree? Usually right after Thanksgiving, avoiding Mark's work schedule and birthday (which, contrary to what he used to think, is not always on Thanksgiving).
4. When do you take the tree down? When Mark finally convinces me it's time. We try to last until Epiphany if it's not dying by that point.
5. Do you like eggnog? If you don't like eggnog, you are a scrooge. There, I said it. This question shouldn't be do you like it, but how you you like it best? Put some in my starbucks latte, please. :)
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Becky. My first baby. (Yes, even before Nathan. And Bowden.) She and her cousin Ginny has some rockin' awesome days with their rockin' awesome moms in the late 80s. Good times, good times.
7. Hardest person to buy for? my grandpas. seriously, what do they need? or want? no, really -- your help/ideas are appreciated.
8. Easiest person to buy for? mom
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Do I own one? No. But I claim the variety of options in my church's sanctuary windowsills as mine during the advent season. I don't want one in the house since toddler Nathan choking on a wise man would totally kill the Christmas spirit, am I right?
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, usually. I email some people. And I'll post it on this blog for people I don't know in 'real life' (cause don't you know if I don't know you in real life, you're sort of an imaginary person to me, like a tv character? ) who I still want to share good tidings of great joy with.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can't think of anything worse than this right now: I found out this morning that my sister got an (unwrapped) cactus candle from her boyfriend's grandmother. Don't tell me that wasn't regifted. For today at least, nothing will beat the cactus candle.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I can't choose! Elf, Love Actually, and Rudolph are the ones I sort of need to watch every year to feel Christmasy.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? All year, but in earnest on Black Friday.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes. Just last night I gave my sitter a bottle of her favorite wine, which Mark and I don't like at all. A gift that someone else will like is still a great gift, even if it's free or has been re-gifted. (Note to grandmas everywhere: no one likes cactus candles. Do not regift cactus candles.)
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? whatever chocolate comes out of my stocking.
16. Lights on the tree? We have white this year, but when Nathan is old enough to choose, I'm gunning for colored!
17. Favorite Christmas song? Mary Did You Know, Feliz Navidad, and all the verses of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (yes, I have to include the exclamation point). And So This is Christmas. And more. Man do I love Christmas music.
18.Travel at Christmas or stay home? At home for Christmas Eve and morning, but we'll visit with family this weekend.
19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Yes, can't you? (Scrooge.) Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen. Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen. And Rudolph.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star. It's beautiful. Made of (fake) wood branches, with lights.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We'll do one each on Christmas Eve, then the rest tomorrow.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Scrooges who complain about eggnog. Seriously, you're killing my Christmas high.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? The non-theme. Who wants a tree that looks like it goes in a store? I love that all our ornaments mean something, and that we get to relive great memories while we go through them.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Growing up, my family usually did a big breakfast, which was nice. This year we're having lobster ravioli. (Don't be impressed, it came frozen from BJ's.) The only must-have is sparkling grape juice. Goes with anything.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? I know this sounds clichéed, but I just want my family to be healthy and happy. And no more hives. And my new stroller to be put together without any arguing. And the raincoat I ask for every year and never get. And a new toaster that won't beat up my poptarts. Oh! And peace on earth.
I tag anyone reading this, since that's the Christmas spirit! (Thanks to Jill for this idea.)
Showing posts with label quizzes and memes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quizzes and memes. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Four Things Meme
I'm still in a memeing mood, so here's another.
Four jobs I've had in my life:
lifeguard/swim teacher
one of Furman's music department minions
cashier (or whatever else needed doing) at Old Navy
non-profit travel consultant (I arrange mission trips, disaster relief trips, etc.)
Four movies I've watched more than once:
When Harry Met Sally
The Sound of Music
Bring it On (was that once, or four thousand times?)
Tarzan (the Disney version)
Four places I've lived:
the Carolinas (home sweet home!)
Germany
the Netherlands
Texas (only as a baby)
Four TV shows I watch:
Smallville
Amazing Race
Ugly Betty
Gilmore Girls
Four places I have been:
Luxembourg
China
South Africa
St Croix
Four places I would like to visit:
Brazil
India
Australia
Canada
Four people who email me regularly:
Mom
Karl
Lois
Sarah O
Four of my favorite foods:
mexican (yes, I know that's not a specific food)
chocolate
sweet tea (is there any other kind?)
red wine
Four things I am looking forward to this year:
Nick's wedding and a family reunion with Mark's Euro-relatives
my first mother's day
seeing my 54-year old mother finish an Ironman triathlon
vacation in New York City!!!
(isn't all this listed to the right already?)
Four people I am tagging to make their own lists:
Ryan
Liz
Merritt
Kelley
(but only if they want to)
Four jobs I've had in my life:
lifeguard/swim teacher
one of Furman's music department minions
cashier (or whatever else needed doing) at Old Navy
non-profit travel consultant (I arrange mission trips, disaster relief trips, etc.)
Four movies I've watched more than once:
When Harry Met Sally
The Sound of Music
Bring it On (was that once, or four thousand times?)
Tarzan (the Disney version)
Four places I've lived:
the Carolinas (home sweet home!)
Germany
the Netherlands
Texas (only as a baby)
Four TV shows I watch:
Smallville
Amazing Race
Ugly Betty
Gilmore Girls
Four places I have been:
Luxembourg
China
South Africa
St Croix
Four places I would like to visit:
Brazil
India
Australia
Canada
Four people who email me regularly:
Mom
Karl
Lois
Sarah O
Four of my favorite foods:
mexican (yes, I know that's not a specific food)
chocolate
sweet tea (is there any other kind?)
red wine
Four things I am looking forward to this year:
Nick's wedding and a family reunion with Mark's Euro-relatives
my first mother's day
seeing my 54-year old mother finish an Ironman triathlon
vacation in New York City!!!
(isn't all this listed to the right already?)
Four people I am tagging to make their own lists:
Ryan
Liz
Merritt
Kelley
(but only if they want to)
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Hubby Meme
No one tagged me to do this, but I saw it and liked the idea (enough to add some of my own questions, too!).... I think Mark deserves some words on the blog, since it's easy to get so focused on the baby, the puppies, work, our extracurricular stuff, and running a house that I lose focus of the fact that I really do have a great husband. Today hopes to be a quick band-aid to that situation... at least some sort of temporary fix.
Where did you meet? One time, at band camp, I met a boy who would eventually be the man who wanted to marry me. Once again, I wish I were kidding. (Well, not really, actually.) You can't make this stuff up.
How long did you date? Um, forever? Let me see, 3 1/2 years before we got engaged, then 2 1/2 before the wedding. So... 6 years. Wow.
How old is he? 27. which is 28 days younger than I am.
Who eats more? Um, me, hala. Have you seen my hips? Mark's figure is way better than mine, and I assure you it doesn't stay that way from pigging out.
Who said “I love you” first? You know, I don't remember who said it first, although I do remember the conversation. I'm pretty sure it was me, though. I mean, I'm "foolishly sentimental," as Dr. Radel would say. Which basically means I'm a sap. Which could be more positively described as emotionally available. Yes, let's go with that.
Who is taller? He is. And I think that's the first question in this meme that's really about him. Maybe the second. Hmmm. This is not exactly going as planned.
Who sings better? Me. But I'm sure Jesus loves Mark's singing even if no one else does, so I always encourage him to make a joyful noise anyway! (He says it's not joyful, but those are his words, not mine.) Although overall, his musical talents trump mine, for sure. His voice box just isn't his best instrument.
Who is smarter? Definitely him. I don't personally know anyone smarter than Mark. But he manages to be hardly geeky at all. His cool factor, especially when you take his IQ, our band dork history, and his and engineering career into account, is actually really impressive.
Whose temper is worse? hands down, me. what was that about being overly emotional? plus he's ridiculously patient. (Painfully patient at times.) I don't know how he does it. I can't think of anyone less likely to fly off the handle, actually... unless there's a bad call at a football game that hurts his Tigers!
Who does the laundry? It used to always be me. But now that I hardly get dressed anymore (score 1: working from home), he usually gets sick of it before I do, and at least starts it.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? from which angle? he's on my right if we're on our backs, in the bed. And by on my right, I mean hunched over in the corner fighting for space between my large hips and our two canine children. Man, he's a saint.
Who pays the bills? Mark, thank goodness. He does such an awesome job of keeping track of all our accounts and investments and bills.
Who cooks dinner? Usually me, although Mark is a pro at whipping out a great meal. If you have 10 hours, that is. He needs just the right spatula, don't you know. And that can take a while to find.
Who drives when you are together? Him. I don't love his driving, and he doesn't love mine, but somehow this is one of those disagreements where he gets his way. To be fair, I think my driving is less tolerable to him than vice versa. Also, we have a really great agreement about the temperature and radio choices while travelling in the car. When he drives, I control the music and temp. And when I drive, I also control the music and temp. Let me tell you, this works perfectly.
Who is more stubborn? that's a tough one. when Mark really wants his way, he will get his way. but he's usually willing to compromise. still, I'm going to have to say Mark.
Who kissed whom first? He kissed me. Without any hesitation. Just went for it.
Who is the first to admit to being wrong? Probably him, but only since I'm more likely to call him out sooner. I'm happy to admit when I'm wrong, too... it does happen a lot, living with a genius husband and all.
Whose parents do you see the most? Mine, although I'm not sure why.
Who proposed? He did. With breakfast in bed.
What's his best physical attribute? Legs. mmm, definitely legs. God bless his childhood of tennis. Is it wrong to post a picture? I think probably.
Who has more friends? I'm certainly more social than Mark, and probably have more aquaintances and relationships outside the family. But we both have great sets of true friends as well.
What are you most proud of him for? Right now, I'd have to say for finishing up his masters degree while juggling a new baby. But that's just today - I'm sure tomorrow will be something else!
Who has more siblings? Me - 1 sister, 1 brother, 2 stepbrothers. (Mark has 1 brother, 1 stepbrother and 1 stepsister.)
Who wears the pants in the family? Him. Hard to believe, I'm sure. I am, after all, pretty much the bossiest person I know. And while Mark definitely lets me have my way on the everyday decisions, make no mistake: it's him letting me have my way. When it comes to the major life moves, he has the final say-so, but I completely trust him to make decisions in the best interest of our family. So it works.
Ok, Merritt, Mary & Kelley - let's hear about your hubbies!
Where did you meet? One time, at band camp, I met a boy who would eventually be the man who wanted to marry me. Once again, I wish I were kidding. (Well, not really, actually.) You can't make this stuff up.How long did you date? Um, forever? Let me see, 3 1/2 years before we got engaged, then 2 1/2 before the wedding. So... 6 years. Wow.
How old is he? 27. which is 28 days younger than I am.
Who eats more? Um, me, hala. Have you seen my hips? Mark's figure is way better than mine, and I assure you it doesn't stay that way from pigging out.
Who said “I love you” first? You know, I don't remember who said it first, although I do remember the conversation. I'm pretty sure it was me, though. I mean, I'm "foolishly sentimental," as Dr. Radel would say. Which basically means I'm a sap. Which could be more positively described as emotionally available. Yes, let's go with that.
Who is taller? He is. And I think that's the first question in this meme that's really about him. Maybe the second. Hmmm. This is not exactly going as planned.
Who sings better? Me. But I'm sure Jesus loves Mark's singing even if no one else does, so I always encourage him to make a joyful noise anyway! (He says it's not joyful, but those are his words, not mine.) Although overall, his musical talents trump mine, for sure. His voice box just isn't his best instrument.
Who is smarter? Definitely him. I don't personally know anyone smarter than Mark. But he manages to be hardly geeky at all. His cool factor, especially when you take his IQ, our band dork history, and his and engineering career into account, is actually really impressive.
Whose temper is worse? hands down, me. what was that about being overly emotional? plus he's ridiculously patient. (Painfully patient at times.) I don't know how he does it. I can't think of anyone less likely to fly off the handle, actually... unless there's a bad call at a football game that hurts his Tigers!
Who does the laundry? It used to always be me. But now that I hardly get dressed anymore (score 1: working from home), he usually gets sick of it before I do, and at least starts it.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? from which angle? he's on my right if we're on our backs, in the bed. And by on my right, I mean hunched over in the corner fighting for space between my large hips and our two canine children. Man, he's a saint.
Who pays the bills? Mark, thank goodness. He does such an awesome job of keeping track of all our accounts and investments and bills.
Who cooks dinner? Usually me, although Mark is a pro at whipping out a great meal. If you have 10 hours, that is. He needs just the right spatula, don't you know. And that can take a while to find.
Who drives when you are together? Him. I don't love his driving, and he doesn't love mine, but somehow this is one of those disagreements where he gets his way. To be fair, I think my driving is less tolerable to him than vice versa. Also, we have a really great agreement about the temperature and radio choices while travelling in the car. When he drives, I control the music and temp. And when I drive, I also control the music and temp. Let me tell you, this works perfectly.
Who is more stubborn? that's a tough one. when Mark really wants his way, he will get his way. but he's usually willing to compromise. still, I'm going to have to say Mark.
Who kissed whom first? He kissed me. Without any hesitation. Just went for it.
Who is the first to admit to being wrong? Probably him, but only since I'm more likely to call him out sooner. I'm happy to admit when I'm wrong, too... it does happen a lot, living with a genius husband and all.
Whose parents do you see the most? Mine, although I'm not sure why.
Who proposed? He did. With breakfast in bed.
What's his best physical attribute? Legs. mmm, definitely legs. God bless his childhood of tennis. Is it wrong to post a picture? I think probably.
Who has more friends? I'm certainly more social than Mark, and probably have more aquaintances and relationships outside the family. But we both have great sets of true friends as well.
What are you most proud of him for? Right now, I'd have to say for finishing up his masters degree while juggling a new baby. But that's just today - I'm sure tomorrow will be something else!
Who has more siblings? Me - 1 sister, 1 brother, 2 stepbrothers. (Mark has 1 brother, 1 stepbrother and 1 stepsister.)Who wears the pants in the family? Him. Hard to believe, I'm sure. I am, after all, pretty much the bossiest person I know. And while Mark definitely lets me have my way on the everyday decisions, make no mistake: it's him letting me have my way. When it comes to the major life moves, he has the final say-so, but I completely trust him to make decisions in the best interest of our family. So it works.
Ok, Merritt, Mary & Kelley - let's hear about your hubbies!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
I've Been Tagged
Here are the rules for this meme:
List seven habits/quirks/facts about yourself. Tag seven people to do the same. Do not tag the person who tagged you or say that you tag “whoever wants to do it.”
I am stoked to have an excuse to make a list that I can blame on someone else (thanks, Mary!) instead of my own neuroses.
I don't know that there are 7 quirky things about me that you don't already know (or that are truly quirky, which sort of implies cute... and as Mark will testify, there's a fine line between cute and annoying!)... I am sort of a sharer, so probably none of this will be a surprise to some of you. But here goes:
1.) Even though I am type-A in many (many many) ways, I have no problem living out of my laundry basket. Truth be told, if Mark weren't around, I might never get the laundry put away. I own very few things that shouldn't get wrinkled (and by "shouldn't," I obviously mean "blip on my radar of caring"), so I'm happy just putting clothes straight from the dryer into an empty basket, and grabbing from there.
2.) I adore chocolate and red wine. Especially together.
3.) I do not measure when I cook. I learned from Rachael Ray; I think she can do almost nothing wrong, and she doesn't measure. So I don't either. Contrary to popular belief, you can even bake without measuring, so long as the recipe doesn't include flour... for other things, it seems you can just work on it until it's the consistency you want.... and then hope you adjust the baking time to match. :)
4.) I have a really hard time getting to sleep without having my back scratched. Apparently I never learned to self soothe.
5.) I have a compulsion about tearing pages and paragraphs from magazines. If I come across a review of a book I want to read, a product I want to try, a website I want to look at, a vacation op to try to sell Mark on, or an article I want to share with a friend, I rip it out. As a result, there are torn magazine pages in every tray on my desk, every compartment in my car, ever pouch in my purse, the pockets of most of my jackets and pants, and completely covering my nightstand. To an outsider it probably looks like John Nash: The Bad Years, but really I am not psychotic.
6.) I met my husband at band camp. He likes to feed people the party line, which is "we met in high school," which isn't untrue.... we were in high school, and even in the bus parking lot at the high school... but the whole truth is we were definitely at band camp.
7.) Mark says I always have to be reading something. I never noticed it before he pointed it out, but it's true. When I have down time, I can't stand to just be. For lack of any better bathroom reading, I have pored over the toxic shock syndrome warning packet that comes in tampon boxes. I'm pretty sure I have that thing memorized. I have also been known to read manufacturer's labels inside clothing and backpacks, promotional material on the sides of bread bags, etc. Several years ago I learned never to go anywhere without a book or magazine. Traffic jams can occur at any time.
I'm not sure I have 7 friends in blogging world, so tagging them is going to encompass pretty much everyone I know who has a blog. But there are definitely people out there whom I'd like to have some rarely-shared or little-known info about. So I'm tagging Merritt, the other Erin G, Katie (even though I know it's a long shot), Ashley (whose answers can be posted here as a guest blog), and Kelley. And because the world needs more posting from daddies, Jonathan and Mark too.
Auf die plaetze... fertig... los!!
List seven habits/quirks/facts about yourself. Tag seven people to do the same. Do not tag the person who tagged you or say that you tag “whoever wants to do it.”
I am stoked to have an excuse to make a list that I can blame on someone else (thanks, Mary!) instead of my own neuroses.
I don't know that there are 7 quirky things about me that you don't already know (or that are truly quirky, which sort of implies cute... and as Mark will testify, there's a fine line between cute and annoying!)... I am sort of a sharer, so probably none of this will be a surprise to some of you. But here goes:
1.) Even though I am type-A in many (many many) ways, I have no problem living out of my laundry basket. Truth be told, if Mark weren't around, I might never get the laundry put away. I own very few things that shouldn't get wrinkled (and by "shouldn't," I obviously mean "blip on my radar of caring"), so I'm happy just putting clothes straight from the dryer into an empty basket, and grabbing from there.
2.) I adore chocolate and red wine. Especially together.
3.) I do not measure when I cook. I learned from Rachael Ray; I think she can do almost nothing wrong, and she doesn't measure. So I don't either. Contrary to popular belief, you can even bake without measuring, so long as the recipe doesn't include flour... for other things, it seems you can just work on it until it's the consistency you want.... and then hope you adjust the baking time to match. :)
4.) I have a really hard time getting to sleep without having my back scratched. Apparently I never learned to self soothe.
5.) I have a compulsion about tearing pages and paragraphs from magazines. If I come across a review of a book I want to read, a product I want to try, a website I want to look at, a vacation op to try to sell Mark on, or an article I want to share with a friend, I rip it out. As a result, there are torn magazine pages in every tray on my desk, every compartment in my car, ever pouch in my purse, the pockets of most of my jackets and pants, and completely covering my nightstand. To an outsider it probably looks like John Nash: The Bad Years, but really I am not psychotic.
6.) I met my husband at band camp. He likes to feed people the party line, which is "we met in high school," which isn't untrue.... we were in high school, and even in the bus parking lot at the high school... but the whole truth is we were definitely at band camp.
7.) Mark says I always have to be reading something. I never noticed it before he pointed it out, but it's true. When I have down time, I can't stand to just be. For lack of any better bathroom reading, I have pored over the toxic shock syndrome warning packet that comes in tampon boxes. I'm pretty sure I have that thing memorized. I have also been known to read manufacturer's labels inside clothing and backpacks, promotional material on the sides of bread bags, etc. Several years ago I learned never to go anywhere without a book or magazine. Traffic jams can occur at any time.
I'm not sure I have 7 friends in blogging world, so tagging them is going to encompass pretty much everyone I know who has a blog. But there are definitely people out there whom I'd like to have some rarely-shared or little-known info about. So I'm tagging Merritt, the other Erin G, Katie (even though I know it's a long shot), Ashley (whose answers can be posted here as a guest blog), and Kelley. And because the world needs more posting from daddies, Jonathan and Mark too.
Auf die plaetze... fertig... los!!
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