Cyber-Tag!

Oh HI THERE!

People in blog-land have been playing Tag, and I'm IT! Sarah tagged me. :-) Here are the rules (it's so fun, and you won't have to get winded or sweaty at all!):

1. The first rule is to post these rules.  (Done!)
2. Post a photo of yourself then write 11 things about you/your life.
3. Answer the questions for you set in the original post.
4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.
5. Go to their blog/twitter to tell them you have tagged them.

11 Things About Me

1. I really like living in the city, but I would love to have a garden that partially or completely sustained my family, as well as bees and chickens. The book Farm City was very inspiring to me.

2. I grew up in a committed Protestant Christian family, but in 2005 I was received into the Roman Catholic Church. I read dozens of books on my journey toward "Rome Sweet Home" (ha), and while the decision to become Catholic was painful and difficult, I have never regretted it for one second.

3. I think the taboo against drinking alone is silly. When I'm having dinner alone because the Guy is working late or traveling, or for whatever reason, I will often pour myself a glass of wine. Dining alone is a time to treat yourself well. For me, that means wine.

4. I like to run and do yoga, and I wish I were more committed to both.

5. After a year of working in very close proximity to a candy bowl, I can tell you with confidence that my favorite candy bar is Twix.

6. I HATE scary movies. Especially the supernatural ones, like with spirits and demons and stuff. They give me nightmares and I will not watch them.

7. I got a sewing machine for my birthday in January and it's still in the box. I wish I had already learned how to use it because I want a specific floral A-line skirt with wide high waist and big bow in the front, and I don't have the patience to shop for it. If I already knew how to sew, I could just whip it up. Motivation!

8. I got a perm when I was a freshman in college. It took three hours and 2.5 bottles of the chemical solution. It never relaxed and about a year later I had to chop all my hair off. That was the shortest it's ever been. My hair has never again been chemically treated.

9. Once I went into a tanning bed for 5 minutes. It was too hot, and I could feel myself getting cancer, and I regretted it the whole time. There was also some disconcerting sound that made me feel absolutely convinced that the thing was going to explode and I was going to die in a burst of flames. Needless to say, I'll never do that again.

10. I absolutely can't stand it when you say you haven't seen a movie or read a book or something, and someone says, "WHAT?! You've never seen/read that?! Oh my gosh, I can't believe that." Really? You've seen and read EVERYTHING? For crying out loud.

11. I like rollercoasters and bubble baths.


Sarah's 11 Questions for Me:

1. What is your favorite movie? Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. Nobody's ever heard of it, and that is a crying shame. I could watch it over and over again.

2. Do you have a favorite saint? I was confirmed as an adult, and I chose St. Monica as my patroness/confirmation name because she was so faithful and fervent in prayer, and because she is the patron saint of mothers, and I feel that motherhood is a huge part of my vocation (even though I'm not a Mama yet!). I feel like "favorite" saints can change at different times of your life, though - and I really loved reading James Martin's book My Life With The Saints.

3. Name one or two things you want to do before you die. I would like to travel to Israel, and I would like to have at least a couple of kids. I would also like to publish a book. (Sorry, that was three.)

 

4. What’s the best meal you’ve ever had? The best one I can think of recently is a dinner at Fore Street in Portland, Maine. The meal began with an absolutely kick-ass Manhattan, and some great fresh crusty bread at the table. I ordered spit-roasted rabbit, which came with a warm lentil-ginger-cranberry sauce. I had never had rabbit before, so the novelty was exciting. I was in heaven. The ambiance of the place was fantastic, too. Exposed brick and rustic wood, and an open kitchen in the middle of the restaurant. Perfectly lit. Romantic.

5. Do you have a favorite store or shop? I love Myopic Books in Chicago, but really any musty-smelling, stacked-to-the-ceiling, used bookstore will do. Oh gosh, I love the Strand in New York, too.

6. If you were going to be on a desert island with only one kind of food and drink, what would it be? Is this like, one single food and one single drink? Or one type of cuisine? I shall answer both. Without regard to nutrition (since you couldn't possibly eat only one food and live), I would want Reuben sandwiches and Manhattans. Cuisine? Italian food.

 

7. Are you a dog person or a cat person? DOG. Cats are too sneaky and you never know if they love you or they're getting ready to bite you. And most of the time it's both.

8. Do you watch any TV shows? ...Yes. Too many. I usually only watch them on Hulu or Netflix, though. I don't stay home on Thursday nights and deny real interactions to watch TV. That said, I watch 30 Rock, The Office, Modern Family, Parks and Rec, Up All Night, Once Upon a Time, Smash, GCB, and (intermittently) Grey's Anatomy. I also watch Friends when I'm doing things around the house. And I wish Pushing Daisies had lasted for 10 seasons, it was so fantastic.

9. What’s your favorite blog post that you’ve written? Only one? I can't decide. It was this one or this one or this one. :-)

 10. Are you on Pinterest? Oh yes. I love it. Particularly for keeping track of recipes I want to try and ideas for diy/kid/decorating projects.

 11. What would you consider your greatest accomplishment? My marriage. We were 17 when we started dating, and we've done a lot of growing up and changing since then. We're closer and more in love now than we ever have been, and I think the daily living of that relationship is my greatest accomplishment.

My 11 Questions for YOU!

1. Would you rather read fiction or nonfiction? Why?

2. What would an ideal day look like?

3. What was your favorite vacation?

4. If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would you live?

5. What is one thing you've always wished you could cook at home, but have been to scared to try?

6. How do you take your coffee?

7. What color Starburst is your favorite?

8. What was your favorite class in college?

9. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? What do you want to be when you grow up now?

10. Do you subscribe to any magazines?

11. What is the one part of your daily routine you can't live without?

Cynthia, Cassie, and Giana... TAG! You're it!