5QF: In Living Color

Be sure to check out Mama M at My Little Life, hostess of 5 Question Friday.

1. Did you have a favorite blanket or toy as a kid? If so, do you still have it?

Snowball the white kitty was my most loved stuffed animal for years. I vaguely remember the day I got her. Dad was carrying me in a gift shop of sorts (maybe in a hospital?) and I picked her up. In my mind she was already mine, but since I have no memory and there are no pictures of her prior to this my adult brain tells me that was probably not the case. I still have her, though she's currently residing in a garbage bag in my garage until I can find a home for her and Short Ears and Floppy Ears.

2. Do you dream in color?

 

Yes, in vivid color. And I remember my dreams in great detail, which the boy thinks is strange.

3. How tall are you? Do you wish you were shorter or taller?

I am 5' 3". I wish my 5'3" was stretched out a little more - I have a short waist and short legs - but I've grown quite fond of my stature other than that.

4. If you could have anyone's (celeb or other) voice as the guide on your GPS, who would it be?

Morgan Freeman, hands down. I could listen to his voice all day.

5. Do you return your shopping cart to the corral or leave it wherever in the parking lot?

I put it back cause it irritates me when people don't.

Thankful for Places

Dear Phillip's Lake,

Thank you for being a memory keeper and a place of retreat. I am just as at home on your shores or floating on your water as in my parents home.


All the best,
Nike

Dear Puerto Vallarta,


Thank you for being an awesome (surprise) honeymoon location. I remember your sandy beaches, lukewarm water, and killer monsoons with great fondness. We often sip on the alamendra o café tequila and recount the story of its making - three guys and a donkey - with affection. 

Until we meet again.

Besitos,
Nike

 Dear Hug Point,


We found you by accident and you quickly became our favorite day trip getaway. We never check the tide, so it's always a surprise - will there be pelicans? Will we be able to get to the tidepools? It's sunny here, will it still be sunny when we get there? Every trip is an adventure and we treasure every moment and memory made.


Thank you,
Nike

New Project

I came across a blog idea helper sort of thing last week. It was called "30 Days of ME." That seems a little excessive, but I am thinking 30 weeks would be doable and allow for other, possibly more interesting, topics to chime in.

Now, a little glimpse of my weekend...

Phillip's Lake as seen from the boat

5QF: TP and Parties

Be sure to check out Mama M at My Little Life, hostess of 5 Question Friday.

1. What were your school colors?

High School was purple and gold - The pride and power that we hold exists in the heart of the purple and gold. I can almost sing the mascot song... but I won't.

2. What's the best compliment you ever received?

"You're smart. You're funny. And, dangit, people like you." I'm not sure that's the best, but it is the one that popped into my head first cause it always makes me laugh.

3. Do you buy cheap or expensive toilet paper?

I think it's middle of the road. I will not tolerate one ply nonsense. It may be cheaper, but it gets used up way faster. I recently realized we buy toilet paper about once a year - mind you, there's only two of us - cause we buy the 24 pack of Charmin Ultra Soft Super Roll. I've received a lot of compliments on my toilet paper, come to think of it...

4. Have you ever had a surprise party thrown for you? Or have you had one for someone else?

The only "surprise party" I had thrown for me I didn't show up to. I was having my own birthday party with all my friends at my house (I lived with my dad) when my mother called and asked why I wasn't at her house. Because I wasn't supposed to be. 

I've never been part of a surprise birthday part for someone else that I can remember. We had one for Dad when he came back from Drill in Louisiana. Grandma told us it was going to be a surprise and my sweet six year old sister was talking to him on the phone and said, "We're going to have a birthday party for you, but don't tell, it's a surprise."  I'm not sure who she thought the surprise was for.

5. What is one material possession that you "can't live without"?

Wow... "can't live without" is pretty strong. Most people are saying their cell phone, but I kinda dig being disconnected from people now and then. I could say my car, but I went several years without a car and it didn't kill me. It was inconvenient, but I lived. Now I think it's a toss up between the dishwasher and the washing machine... I'm going to go with dishwasher. I love that I can load it, run it when it's full and I don't really have to put the clean dishes away if I don't want because they're already organized and out of sight. With the washing machine once the clothes are dried I have another mess on my hands. Dishwasher, final answer.

Thank You Notes II

This week has been full of ups and downs and unexpected surprises - good and bad. I can usually say that about a month, or a season, or a year. It's kinda rare to have so many events and feelings in the span of five days, but I guess that just keeps life interesting. Without further ado, the thank you notes for this week...

Dear Girl Cousin,

Thank you for running 4.5 miles with me when you hadn't run a mile in over a year and were wearing your Vibrams for the first time. Despite the heat, elevation, and lack of refreshment, you stayed with me - even pushed me - for more than half the course. You rock.

Dear Balcony,

Thank you for being a place of retreat. The breeze blows in and carries on it the scent of summer and pine, unidentifiable sweetness and BBQ smoke. I have an unobstructed view of the trees and all the critters living in them and suddenly I feel all is right in the world. Until a kitty blocks the view, but thanks for being a place for them to chill as well. 

Dear Aunt,

It's funny to think as a child I thought you hated me. Somehow in the interim you have become my best friend and mother figure. Thank you for shining light into my life and then directing me onto the path I need to take from 2,000+ miles away. I treasure our two hour phone calls and all the missed messages in between. I'm so looking forward to seeing you soon!

Dear L,

What a blessing to have the same best friend 14 years down the road. Holy crap! 14?! Wasn't it just 11? Weren't we just 11? I'm so thankful to have you to grow old with. I so appreciate I can tell you anything and you'll hear it with compassion and understanding. There are few people who can say, "You are a freak, but I love you anyway" and mean it. I value your insight and the way you challenge me to be better everyday. You are a friend that gets better with time and I am so grateful to have you with me to navigate the ins and out of growing up. Meep.  

 

5 Question Friday: What's in Your Collection?

Mama M over at My Little Life hosts 5QF so go visit her and join in the fun!

1. Do you collect anything?

I'm weeding out my collections - cat figurines (I heard that snicker), vases, and rocks. I am a book hoarder and am building a tea cup collection so I can host proper tea parties.

2. Name 3 celebrities that you find good looking.

I am drawing a blank here... Sandra Bullock, Luke Wilson, and... David Conrad.

3. Do you have any scars? If so, what's the story behind it (them?)?

 On my toes from learning to walk (at least that's what I've been told). I have four chicken pox scars on my arms. There is a tiny one on my wrist bone where my sister stabbed me with a pencil. My most recent one is on my left index finger from cooking dinner for the boy (something I rarely do, mind you) and when I cut the zucchini it slipped, the knife slipped, and I sliced a good flap on my finger. Fortunately my nurse friend was right there - and finished cooking for me. 

4. What is a food that you like to eat, but others might think it's gross or weird?

I really like ketchup on my mac and cheese. Quite a few people in my family eat it, but my husband is horrified by it. I also really like raw oysters. Or, really, any kind of oysters.

5. Have you ever seen a tornado in real life?

I have not seen one, but I was sent to the basement of my ONU dorm because of tornado warnings. 

Thank You Notes

Miss Jordan over at Southern Hospitality inspired me to write some thank you notes. Something I fail at in real life. I don't fail at being thankful, just actually writing the note in my head on paper and sending it. So here goes...

Dear Husband,

Thank you for supporting me even when you don't understand the reasons behind my thoughts or actions. Thank you for letting me cry when I need to cry, holding me when I need held, and always making me laugh - which really is the best medicine of all. I love you.

Dear H,

Thanks for calling me on my BS and helping me make the hard decisions.  Thank you for holding me accountable when I fall back into my holding pattern.  Thank you for listening and revealing the "hidden to self" areas of my life. I'm so thankful to have you on my journey.

Dear Monday Night Posse,

Thank you for loving me despite my recent crazy and lack of explanation thereof. Thank you for being available to listen should I choose to share and showing grace when I let you down.  A girl couldn't ask for a better support system. 

I could go on and on, but maybe we'll save those for next Thursday.  

 

5 Question Friday

Today's 5 questions brought to by love of the heat, sun, and "is it really summer now?" Mama M over at My Little Life hosts 5QF so go visit her and join in the fun!

1. What is one food you could eat everyday?

 Sushi. I really could, but the DH won't support my habit.

2. Are you working in the career you thought you would be when you were 18?

No, not in the least. I thought I would be a political (wtf?) journalist in Washington, DC by now. My first year of college I realized I didn't like journalism as much as I thought I did, my second year I realized politics make me angry and the media is not a beast I want to be part of. Ironically, I'm working towards the career the career analyzer things always told me I should do.

3. What is something that you wish you would have done when you were younger and you didn't?

I wish I had applied myself to sports more. I was a homebody bookworm and now I aspire to be a runner but am kinda bad at it.

4. What color are your kitchen walls?

White, because I rent. I think I will be painting them this winter (shhh) cause they're a bit depressing.

5. Do you remember what your very first favorite song was?

"Kokomo" by the Beach Boys or "Don't Worry Be Happy" I have clear memories of my dad playing those for me when I was three and I always listed both of those as my favorites, so I think they must have become favorites at or around the same time.

Secret to Success

I'm clearing out my work e-mails and came across this old "Monday Morning" e-mail. I send Monday e-mails to my team every week to get the week started and keep important deadlines/events top of mind. This particular e-mail was unusually chatty - covering a range of activities including the poor quality of riding at last year's Buckaroo in Baker. Before I list the week's events I give an inspiring quote. Here was last year's July 20 inspiring message... 

I found a William Faulkner quote that echoed a conversation my sister, Jason and I had with Dad and his coworker yesterday. The coworker had asked which one of us was the perfect child (it was me) and Dad insisted that we were all perfect, we just all did things completely different from one another (obviously he didn’t want to hurt Jill’s feelings and Bobby wasn’t there to defend himself). Basically, the conversation became one of the secret to succeeding in life is to identify the weakest link and be better than “that guy.” William Faulkner puts it a little more elegantly:  

Don’t bother to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself. 

William Faulkner either didn’t have siblings or was the perfect child and knew it. ;-)