Eleven Things

Shannon over at Bungalow960 tagged me to do an Eleven Things post. I gotta say, this got pretty long pretty fast, seeing as I am so chatty. So, sorry about that.


The Rules: 

1. Post these rules.

2. Post a photo of yourself and 11 random things.

3. Answer the questions set for you in the original post.

4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.

5. Go to their blog/twitter and tell them that you've tagged them.

Eleven Things about Me:

kindergarten graduation

1. I hate dust jackets on hardcover books. I throw them away.


2. Whenever I hear the weather report and they start the sentence "cloudy with a chance of," I always fill it in with "meatballs" in my head, even when I realize I am going to do it and try to stop myself. 

3. I have had baby names picked out since I was maybe eleven, and I didn't use ANY of them for my first born. And yet, I love Josephine's name and think it is absolutely perfect for her. Go figure. Will I use one for the second baby? I'll let you know.

4. I'm 99% convinced there is something wrong with my eyes or my brain, because whenever there are those super-fast sequences in movies, like chase scenes or fight scenes, I CANNOT keep up. I seriously am trying to see what is happening and have it all make sense in my brain, but it is too much work and it's all moving so fast I start to feel nauseated. I usually have to give up and look away after a few minutes. It's embarrassing. Now you know my secret shame. 

5. I have been going through this phase where I want ranch dressing on everything. I'm lucky I'm still losing weight at this point in my pregnancy, because I really love my bean and cheese burritos with ranch on them. I'll have to give those up eventually, and I don't know how I'll do it. (P.S. I put ranch on nachos the other day and it blew my mind.)

6. For some reason, one of my greatest fears is being wrongly imprisoned. Can you even imagine? If I were a REAL hardened criminal, it wouldn't be half as bad to be in prison because I would know how to handle myself, but being innocent old me and tossed in for something I didn't do? Sweet Jesus. 

7. I find that whole "your taste buds change every (however many) years" theory kind of hard to believe, but I used to love bananas, and in the past four years, I have TRIED to like them, but I just don't anymore. Is this thing really true?

8. Sometimes I get really guilty about letting Josephine watch TV, but then I'm like, PUH-lease, Sesame Street taught me how crayons are made at a factory. And she's learning about levers with Super Grover 2.0 right now, and *I* never thought of teaching her about levers using chickens and the Great Wall of China, so there you go.

9. Did I ever tell you I had LASIK eye surgery and have now had 20/20 vision for the past five years? It's true. And fabulous. 

10. We are still looking for houses, and it is KILLING ME. We are out looking at houses at least twice a week, every week, with the Bean in tow. How do people do this?

11. Even though I hate cooking and baking more than pretty much anything, everything on my Christmas list was cooking/baking-related and the number one thing I pin on Pinterest is recipes. Does this make me a masochist?

Questions from Shannon:

1. Who inspires you?
Obviously my parents, because MY GOD, I never realized how much they loved me until I had my own kid, and they must love me A LOT. My husband is also a big inspiration because he works so hard.

2. What is your favorite book that you've ever read?

She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb is always the first book that pops into my head when I get this question.


3. Who is your biggest celebrity crush?

I asked Jeremy, and he said it is Robert Downey Jr. I'll take it.

4. If money was no object, what would your dream profession be?

Run the largest animal rescue in the world -- large animals, house pets, you name it. I would have tons of property and I would keep them all happy and healthy and safe for the rest of their lives.

5. Do you have any habits that annoy others?

I get lots of disgusted looks when I crack my neck around strangers. 

6. What's your favorite thing to cook?

See #11 above. I'd have to go with nacho/taco meat because it is simple and nachos are one of my most favorite things ever.

7. Are you a morning or a night person?

SUCH a night person. I get a big burst of energy and inspiration around 9 PM, and I can't remember the last time I fell asleep before midnight.

8. What is the first blog your ever read?

I remember seeing a link on a friend's facebook page to her friend's blog, and I clicked and started reading, and I was like, People do this? I should do this. I started my blog a few days later. That blogger's last name was Parrott -- that I will probably always remember!

9. Do you like road trips or would you prefer to fly?
I REALLY dislike flying. It's not that I'm scared, it's just that there is SO much waiting in line and taxiing the runway and sitting and sitting and WAITING. The last flight I took, we sat next to the airport for an HOUR before they let us go inside, and then we still had to deal with customs and luggage and waiting for the shuttle to take us to our car. NO THANK YOU.

10. Do you prefer salty or sweet things?
Talk about Sophie's choice. I love them both equally and love to combine them whenever possible. Chocolate covered pretzels? Yes please. I dip my fries in frosties when we get them and Jeremy loses his mind, but it is amaze-balls.

11. If you were an animal, what animal would you be?
A large cat. Tiger, lion, something of that nature. 


My Questions
1. What is the best vacation you have ever taken?
2. What foods do you hate?
3. Are you a type A person or a type B person?
4. What was your biggest accomplishment of 2011?
5. What's your favorite dessert?
6. What's your favorite thing on TV right now?
7. What's one thing you wish you did more often?
8. What's one thing you wish you did less often?
9. What's the best gift you ever received?
10. Are you a spender or a saver?
11. What is your most shameful indulgence?


And I'm tagging: Melissa, Maggie, Rebecca, and Sara