Big Answers

Ethan asked: "Favorite album/book/movie/TV show (all of them, not either or)."

My favorite album is The American Graffiti Soundtrack. I bet that came as a surprise, didn't it? I've come to the conclusion that it's one album that I'm always in the mood for, and it always makes me so happy and nostalgic. My favorite book...whoo boy. I read a lot of books. I love a lot of books. But I think my all-time favorite is To Kill A Mockingbird. It's just a timeless classic. My favorite movie should not surprise Ethan in the slightest since I watched it probably 100 times in the year we lived down the hall from each other...it's still Moulin Rouge. The cinematography as absolutely gorgeous, and I do love the music. And Ewan McGreggor. My favorite TV show is Bones, hence the cat named Bones.

Ethan also asked: "If you were a fish, what kind of fish would you be and why?"

I'd be the Humuhumunukunukuapuaʻa because I'd like to live in Hawaii, and it would also be pretty rad to have blue teeth.

Ethan was REALLY curious, and decided that he also wanted to know: "Under what circumstances, if any, is violence, on a personal and/or national level, justified?"

On a personal level, I'd be pretty unlikely to use violence against another unless the circumstances fit the capacity to use lethal force under the concealed carry statutes--in other words, my life or the life of another would pretty much have to be under immediate attack, and I'd have to be unable to flee.

As far as on the national level, I'm a big fan of James Madison's quote, "War should only be declared by the authority of the people, whose toils and treasures are to support its burdens, instead of the government which is to reap its fruits."

Emily asked, "What's the one big, gigantic thing that you worry most about in life?"

Most of my worries track back to death--what if I end up alone? How would I be able to cope? What would I do for money? What if I get cancer and die? Overall, my fears and worry about death are pretty silly given my religious beliefs, but I can't stop thinking about it ALL. THE. TIME.

Emily also asked, "Favorite holiday?"

Well, it's actually Christmas Eve. Not Christmas Day, but Christmas Eve, when my whole family gets dressed up to the nines and goes out to this nice dinner at a fancy restaurant. We've done it for the past 10 years, and it's just so nice to have everyone sitting around one big table eating, laughing, and talking. Plus, it always seems like the air is charged with hope and anticipation.

She also wanted to know, "When was the last time that you looked at a day and said "That was the perfect day". What did that day consist of?"

The last perfect day I can remember was not this past Saturday, but the Saturday before. The day didn't really consist of much...we pretty much just laid around in bed all day reading, snuggling, and smooching. When we finally had to get up and run some errands, J could tell that the heat was getting to me, so we made a detour to the mall and split and Orange Julius and a soft pretzel. We headed back home, put on a movie, and snuggled up on the couch, where we both fell asleep. It was just so nice not to really have anything we HAD to do, and I just remember it felt like one of those days where everything just clicked.

And "Are you still thinking Boy for Baby La Buena Vida?"

Oh goodness...I guess I've always though Boy for Baby Buena, but I haven't had many dreams or feelings either way lately. I will say that after my most recent doctor's appointment, my mom officially cast her vote as "boy" based on the heart rate. More about that later!

Leslie asked, "How many pairs of shoes do you own (including flip flops!)?"

Oh gosh. I have a bad reputation for having too many shoes, but really I don't think that I actually have THAT many. The problem was that I never threw out my shoes, even when they were broken or worn out. I finally did most of that when we moved in. I keep meaning to do an official inventory of my shoes, and Leslie gave me the reason to do it! To be honest, I haven't organized them since February, when the cat knocked over my shoe tower. Leslie gave me a reason to actually do it!



I have 31 pairs of shoes. Plus a pair of steel-toed boots in the garage, and probably 3 other pairs of flip flops that I couldn't find at the moment. So that brings me right around 35, including flip flops and slippers. I would estimate that of those, probably 8-10 pairs really should be tossed out and replaced at the end of the season. I wear the heck out of my shoes, and I buy cheap shoes--I think there's only one pair in there over $30--because I like to shake things up each season. Plus, I bought one pair of expensive black boots, and they've traumatized me. They are by far the worst pair of shoes I own. The Target brand was way better, even if they only last for a season or two.

I had no idea how many pairs of red/pink shoes I owned until I saw this picture though!

She also wanted to know "I'm sure you want a healthy baby, but do you have a sex preference? And does Justin want the same?"

I would like to have a boy first (I ALWAYS wanted an older brother growing up). I think J would like to have a girl first. But really, it's just a slight preference for both of us, and I think we'll both be happy either way. Though I must admit, I will probably feel a little out of my league with a girl...just because I am so not a pink and purple girl, and I honestly think all the pink and purple gifts and girlie girl stuff and such would overwhelm me a little bit.

Leslie asked, "What is your favorite thing to do where you live? "

Wakeboard, or White Water Rafting. The lakes and rivers here are so gorgeous, and we're really fortunate that we're so close to them all. I was a big fat grump this past weekend when J got to wakeboard and kept talking about how wonderful it was. Seriously, I think we'd both rather buy a boat than another larger house.

And, "You get 2 plane tickets (for you and J) to ANYWHERE in the world. Where are you going and why?"

Tahiti. Hawaii. Cabo. The Bahamas. I don't care where we would go, so long as we went somewhere with an ocean that's at least 70 degrees and a beach. I always joke that Oregon does NOT have beaches. We have the cold, rainy coast, but no beach in sight! Swimming in the ocean is one of my favorite things in the world, and I cannot WAIT to do it again! Are y'all picking up on the fact that I'm kind of a water baby?

Lyr asked, "What about blogging do you love? What made you start blogging? What is your goal when you blog? Do you network, if so how?!"

I actually had a blog through DeadJournal through high school and college that two or three people read. I ended up stopping that because I think I got paranoid about having so much of my life out there on my blog. Plus, I wasn't proud of some of the things that I said about family members and friends on the blog. I exported it all in Word to keep as a "journal", though I'm not sure I'd even remember the password. I started blogging again this past year just because it seemed like an interesting way to keep in touch with friends and keep everyone updated.

I continue to blog because it's a great outlet for me...often, once I put my thoughts down on "paper", I'm finally able to let go of them. I've always been someone that rambles, and the blog is a good place for me to do that. My goal when I blog is basically, to be real and honest. I hope that there are others out there who read my blog, and say to themselves, "I feel exactly the same way." And I hope that knowing someone out there feels the same helps them to feel part of a community. Part of a whole.

I don't really network anywhere...although I am a member of BlogHer. To be honest, I would LOVE IT if someday I were able to make a little side money from blogging. I haven't really made any money from BlogHer yet, and that's fine because blogging is theraputic for me. Still, who wouldn't love to get paid for doing something they enjoy anyway?