Top Ten

Just for fun, I saw this and thought it looked like a fun one. I'm a sucker for surveys. ha!

1. When you were a senior in high school, what career did you think you’d choose? Did you? Why or why not?
Since I was twelve, I wanted to be a youth minister. When I was 18, I was struggling a lot in my faith, was mad at God for things going on with my family and in my personal life and decided I still wanted to work with kids but would be an English teacher instead. I was working on an English major at UNT before I got suspended for spending more time on MSN talking to a certain Australian than I did in classes. Okay, maybe not that reason specifically, but there is a direct correlation. :) I won't be an english teacher anymore, I've sorted out my problems with my faith and God and am going back to the ministry. I still love reading and writing though. :D

2. What one thing about the “real world” did you find most surprising once you were on your own?
Hmmmm.....I was shocked by the amount we spend on groceries weekly. But I think that's more a Walmart vs. rural Australia sticker shock than a real world thing because I'd done my parents grocery shopping a basquillion times back home and it was always less than $100 if not closer to $60. I used to live off $100 a month in college....::sigh:: This aspect of my new Real World really sucks. I have no idea what a realistic budget is because everything seems so damn expensive. ($2 for an avocado....WTH?)

3. Name 3 things you think your closest friends DON’T like about you?

1. I always have to be right. I don't agree with this, but I can understand why it would seem that way. If I'm wrong, I'll definitely admit it. The thing is, that if I wasn't 100% sure about what I'm saying (i.e. specifically researched it in the past, even if it's something as silly as a song lyric...) I wouldn't have opened my mouth. I definitely wouldn't argue if I wasn't positive that, if they looked it up for themselves, they'd know I'm right. If I don't know something for sure, I just don't say anything. Sorry, I know it's annoying how much random stuff I do know!
2. I'm scatter-brained. I'm always late. I forget to return phone calls/messages/texts/emails. We make a date and I forget that I already had other obligations that day. Just overall annoying crap that all boils down to my inability to stay organized. I've bought a PDA though, and it really is helping.
3. I'm a bad listener. I'm much like a man in that I have trouble just listening to someone's problem. I always want to help or offer advice and get really annoyed/offended when a person has an excuse why every single one of my suggestions won't work. In reality I have good suggestions, it's just that they aren't actually interested in fixing the problem, or hearing my advice for that matter...they just want to complain about it and for me to listen so they can vent. Period. This is REALLY hard for me. This is especially difficult for me when it's the same friend complaining about the same problem every time I see them. I want to help. I want to fix. I want to erase pain. But, I'm really working on this.....I really am. I'm learning to wait for that oh so important, "So what do you think I should do?" rather than just assuming they want to know. I think gaining this skill is going to be crucial in my attempt to make new girl friends here.
   

4. In order to sleep, do you need background noise or absolute quiet? I need absolute quiet to sleep. Honestly, I have so much trouble sleeping if I can hear Chris breathing, let alone anything louder. The birds! Oh my goodness...the birds here are all LOUD and squawky and it killed me for like 6 months before my subconscious was able to ignore it. I slept with earplugs and the brown noise on simplynoise.com before it got better. I don't know what I'll do when I have kids, probably die.

5. Why do you choose to reside in your current city? Yes, you have a choice.
My husband makes better money here than he could anywhere else in the country and the rent is subsidized to $65/wk (down from $800/wk,) so as we're saving for a house and children in the future it makes the most sense to stay where the money is and just pour all of his (and eventually my) excess income into savings. The govt. even has a savings account for first time home buyers/builders with like 12% interest or something. It has a cap at like $75k, but you can't beat that initial boost. So yeah, when we have enough to build a house, we'll look for work elsewhere and get to building.

6. Are you close to your parents?
I have an unusually close relationship with both my parents. I love them dearly. They get me. We're friends. I think they greatest thing they ever did with us girls is, once we were in college, allow us to make our own decisions rather than try to control our lives from home like so many parents do. All of us girls have made mistakes, but never had to be afraid to tell our parents or ask for help when we needed it because they are always there, a constant support. I remember the first time I realized that not everyone has such a great relationship with their parents and not everyone's parents are as wise as mine. I feel so incredibly endlessly blessed to have my parents be as awesome as they are. The endlessly support me, and I them. It's beautiful.

7. What is your favorite fiction book?
"Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card. I have two cats, Ender and Bean and am looking to get a girl cat named Petra next. hehehe It's a nerdy book, but I'm a nerd. Synopsis: "In a future where mankind has barely survived an invasion by the insectoid "buggers", the world's most talented children, including the extraordinary Ender Wiggin, are taken into "Battle School" at a very young age to supply commanders for the expected Third Invasion. The book originated as a science fiction novelette in Analog magazine (1977), and Card later expanded the novel into the Ender's Game series, dealing with the long-term results of the war. "

8. Do you enjoy cooking or is it a chore?
I love cooking, and I think I would spend most of my time doing it if I lived in Melbourne or Sydney where I could actually get my hands on some good quality ingredients. I can rarely find any gourmet level recipes that I would actually have all the ingredients for. I love cooking Mexican food, and it's the only spice group that I speak fluently (i.e. can make up my own recipes from) but you also can't find those ingredients here in m'bah. It's exhausting to the extent that I don't really try anymore. It's just whatever's fast and easy I'm afraid.

9. Be honest. What one thing would (the majority of) your blog readers be shocked to find out about you?
I don't think I could shock my blog readers. I'm an open book to a near disgusting extent. I'd be even more open in person, but I think my grandparents read this blog and there's just some things they don't need to know about. hahaha I'm egotistical to the extent that I like to believe everyone's interested in even the smallest details of my life....or maybe it's because I'm actually interested in the smallest details of their lives and just forget at times that not everyone's quite like me.

10. If you were given your own national holiday, what would you require people to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the Day of You? Would there be a parade? Greeting cards?

• Breakfast: Breakfast burritos with salsa and sour-cream. Lots of fresh coffee and maybe some buttermilk pancakes.
  
• Lunch. Pizza. My fave.
  
• Dinner: CHIPOTLE!!!! Always Chipotle.
• I think there would be fireworks and traditional Melissa Day candies, pink sparkly sour gummy candies shaped like princess crowns. ;)