Me, From A to Z

My friend Katie posted this questionnaire on her blog, and I thought it was a lot of fun to learn some new things about her.  I hope you enjoy reading mine just as much!  (And if you know what letter R is supposed to be, leave me a comment and I'll add it.)

A. Age: 32 (for 7 more weeks, anyway).  I LOVE being in my early thirties, and I'd be really happy to sit here for several more years.  Jim and I were married at 22, and it was so hard to find other young, settled couples in their twenties at that time.  It was a lonely time of transition.  In my late twenties I had to adjust to motherhood, and that was another enormous change.  Here in my early thirties I feel like I'm finally comfortable, settled, and in the zone.  I love this stage of my life!

B. Bed size:  King.  I don't love touching anyone when I'm sleeping.  :-)

C. Chore you dislike:  Ironing.  I would rather rewash something and dry it again just to pull it right out and hang it than have to iron it.

D. Dogs:  Annie, our nearly decade-old, blind, diabetic, medicated, ever-sleeping sweetheart.

E. Essential start to your day: coffee and a shower.  I can survive if the shower has to wait, but I can't do without a cup of coffee.

F. Favorite color: That's an impossible question.  Pink, aqua, teal, purple, red, chocolate brown, blue, sage green... Okay, yeah.  Impossible question.

G. Gold or silver: yes.  :-)  Usually silver for anything classic and gold for costume stuff, but I love playful silver too.

H. Height: 5'7" (?)

I. Instruments you play(ed): flute and piccolo... Music was a huge part of my school years.  I won a concerto competition when I was 18, I was the drum major for our marching band for three years, and I was first chair of our concert band for three years.  Oh, and I met Jim through marching band.  I hope our kids love music and learn to play instruments too.  (I can't imagine that they won't... They have music coursing through their veins.)

J. Job title: Mommy

K. Kids: Brennan, 5; Cora, 18 months

L. Live for ______: God.

M. Most embarrassing moment: After I graduated from high school and went off to work as a counselor at summer camp, my 11th grade English teacher offered to take me, Jim, and his best friend out for lunch at a new restaurant.  (She had recently retired and wanted to stay connected to her students.)  When we got there, we had to wait for a table and they handed us a new, crazy device I had never seen: one of the buzzers used in a restaurant paging system.  (This was the summer of '96, and I lived in a small town.)  When it went off, I asked to hold it and see what it was like.  In front of my sweet, uber-conservative retired teacher, my boyfriend, and his best friend I made the dumbest word blunder ever.  I meant to say, "Oh... It vibrates just like a buzzer!"  But instead I inverted that statement.  (You can figure it out...)  I was mortified.  And Jim's friend Mike just said, "So that's what they teach you at that Christian camp."

Ugh.

N. Nicknames: Lissa

O. Overnight hospital stays: I had my tonsils and adenoids removed as a young child and I delivered both of my children via c-section.

P. Pet peeves: I hate it when people are disingenuous, unreliable, or flaky.  I also hate a cluttered, messy house (but have to live with one often, given my stage of life), and it drives me totally crazy when I strip my bed to wash my sheets and get too busy to remake it so I am forced to put on sheets right before I go to sleep.

Q. Quote from a movie: I couldn't come up with one if I tried.  We aren't big movie watchers.

S. Siblings: One younger sister, Jenny.

T. Time you wake up: Between 5:30 and 5:45 on weekdays, and 7:00 on weekends.  I used to wake up every day when Brennan would come into my room to get me, but this year I have been convicted about waking up before my children to have some "me time."   I do not love getting up early, but I am a better mom when I can take care of myself before I take care of my kids.  I take a shower, read my email, make coffee, and do my Bible reading, and when Brennan comes downstairs at 7:00 AM, I am ready to meet his needs and face my day.  On the days when I sleep in, I feel it all day long.  I may be more rested, but I am still somehow more grumpy and "off."

U. University attended: Grove City College, a small Christian, liberal arts college in Western Pennsylvania.

V. Vegetables: I like most vegetables, but I am funny about how they're prepared.  I usually like them either raw or cooked, but not always both ways.  For example, I like raw spinach and hate it cooked (unless it's in a dip and the flavored is masked).  I love cooked broccoli and don't love it raw.  I like steamed or boiled corn but don't like it grilled.  You get the idea.

W. What makes you run late: Dashing back into the house to retrieve sippy cups, snacks, extra diapers, or to run the dog out one last time.

X. X-rays you’ve had: Besides the annual x-rays for my teeth (I'm an every-six-months-to-the-dentist kind of girl), I can remember having x-rays for two broken feet, a sprained knee, and pleurisy (while I was pregnant, no less).  I was a figure skater for nine years, and I had all kinds of accidents, so I'm sure I've had other x-rays that I just can't remember.

Y. Yummy food you make: It depends on who you ask.  Jim would probably say baked spaghetti, my mom and mother-in-law would sweetly tell you that everything I make is good, and Brennan would probably say he likes any kind of chicken or dessert that I prepare.  Cora thinks I toast up a mean frozen waffle.  :-)

Z. Zoo animal favorites: I love monkeys and underwater turtles.  But I don't love the zoo.  We have a membership and go a lot, but I go for my kids.

P.S. Feel free to “steal” this post and make it your own.  Just make sure to leave a comment so I can come read yours!