My "411"

I'm copying this from my friend Justine and her blog (I think it is actually from another blog but...I am lazy...)

. How long have you been blogging? And what got you started on blogging? Has your blog changed?

I started blogging the summer after my college graduation, as my friends were moving away to their new lives and I was staying behind to continue with grad school. I wanted people to have a way to keep up with me, and...well, I was bored and wasn't used to not having roommates to talk to. I would say my blog has become less personal in ways; when I was job searching this spring I did some googling on myself and found some links to blog posts that I didn't feel represented me well. So, I've tried to be less personal, or maybe I should say reactionary.

2. Did you go to college? If so where, and what did you study?

Yes; UNC, and I studied English lit. Mainly because I love reading and talking about reading. (which I still do).

3. Where have you traveled?

England, Canada, France, and the US (it's my goal before I die to make it to all 50 states--so far 11 down!)

4. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you 

would buy?

Furniture/decorations for the house. And then pay off Brian's loan.

5. What are your 3 biggest pet peeves?

1.) Being late/people who are late.

2.) People who scream at their children in public (or ever).

3.) Reality TV. In specific, the recent rash of TV shows that present all Southerners as uneducated, racist rednecks.

6. What is your favorite movie?

Probably The Holiday (the Kate Winslett version, not the Katharine Hepburn version). Also Julie & Julia.

7. What is your drink of choice; wine, beer, or liquor. Or Water, Soda, Tea?

Alcohol: Moscato (white wine)

Non-alcoholic: Water or hot tea (English Breakfast, Darjeeling, Assam, or Peppermint)

8. What is something you enjoy to do when you have me time?

 

Read or  watch girly tv shows that Brian doesn't like

9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be?

Does Amazon count?

Otherwise I'm very tempted to say Barnes & Noble. But I'll be more temperate and say Target.

10. Share with us an embarrassing moment of your past? Or present.

Oh, so many. I am a klutz so that makes things interesting. But, today at lunch (for my first day of work my coworkers took me to the Tobacco District) I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich which had shredded lettuce on the top of the bun. So I flip the top half of the bun onto the sandwich and lettuces goes EVERYWHERE. Me, my new coworker, the floor. Yeah.

11. What day would you love to relive again?

 I'm honestly not sure. It would NOT be my wedding day, since I was incredibly stressed out about all the family tensions going on at the time (and perpetually). One of the days our our honeymoon would be nice--although I would prefer, instead of reliving it, just be able to recreate it, as Brian and I are so much more comfortable/cohesive/cooperative with one another now then we were then.

12. If your life was turned into a movie... what actor would play you?

Mae Whitman. I think she kind of looks like me, plus I like that's she's quirky, doesn't show up in Hollywood news, and can definitely play up the angst (useful for my high school/college years).

13. What are the jobs you had in high school/college/the early years?

Too many to list. In high school I taught kindergarten dance classes; in college I worked in a group home and doing direct care for teenagers with disabilities; in grad school I did more direct care, for Jewish Family Services, and for the state; then I worked in career counseling in at Ave Maria and now in Student Affairs at Duke Law.

14. Show us a picture from high school or college.

So..no. haha. Both because I don't want such pictures to be out there, but also because I try not to post "people" pictures on this blog. So, here is a picture of a giant rubber stamp statue that I saw in Cleveland when I went to visit Brian's family senior year. Just, you know...because.

15. If you could travel anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go?

  Brian and I are really hoping to go to Malta at some point, as his grandmother's family is from there and he really identifies with their culture.

16. Show us the most current picture of you or you, or your family, or anything of meaning to you. 

Beaufort Grocery is where we went for our anniversary dinner this year. I'm proud that we had the courage to get married, given that both our parents are divorced, and I also think we've grown immeasurably in our marriage the past 2+ years.

17. Where do you see your life 5 years from now?

I would love to have bought a house; I hope we have at least one child. Other than that, I hope we both have jobs we like, and enough money to pay the bills, live comfortably, and put some in savings. I would love to still be in NC, but we'll see where God takes us.

Catering escapades

There have been several times in my life when I have been very, very glad that I can cook. This past weekend, as co-hostess of a bridal shower, was one of those times. I made the cake and 4 trays of hors d'oeurves and paid a fraction of what I would have had to pay for a bakery cake/actual caterer. And, I like to think, they were just as good.

Bacon and Swiss mini quiches

Sausage and cheddar balls

Chicken salad cups

Chocolate-covered strawberries

Strawberry cake with almond frosting, to match the invitations

I'm no expert at any of this; other than the cake, which I did a test run of a few weeks ago, I'd never made any of this food before. I'm clearly not a master decorator, either; I'm hoping to be able to take a cake-decorating class at some point. But, I'm pretty proud of them. I know that being able to cook isn't universal, so I like being able to do something that not everyone can. Several people have tried to convince me to open a catering business and/or bakery, and though I have no plans to do that anytime soon, who knows what the future holds if I need a more flexible schedule.