50 Shades of....ME!

I'm working on getting posts queued up--seriously, when you get off your routine, it does take a little while to get back on track. However, being off of said routines can be liberating things as well. It offers one the opportunity to be carefree, to do things one doesn't always do.

So that means I am going to do this tag I discovered on Alexandra's blog, "Of Trims and Frills and Furbelows". It was a lot of fun to read! I hope you learn something new about me as you read =)

1. Are you young at heart, or an old soul? I'm mostly young at heart. I do love things like old movies and Fran Sinatra, but at the same time, I'm only twenty-two and a half. And yes, sometimes that means I blare my music and whip my hair back and forth =)

2. What Christmas present do you remember the most?
Easy. I got my Samantha doll when I was seven. I was SO excited to get her. She didn't leave my side the entire day.

3. Name one physical feature that you like about yourself, and one you don't like.
I like my eyes--some say they are blue, some say green, some say hazel. I don't have the foggiest idea. I also like my straight hair--it doesn't run in the family and I somehow got the gene.

I dislike my feet and my height (but that has been heavily documented already)

4. What holiday do you most look forward to?
Hmm.....I love Thanksgiving because of all the food that I cook. And Christmas because of what the holiday signifies and the decorating that I can do. Southern Living offers PLENTY of ideas.

5. How is the relationship between you and your parents?
I have a wonderful relationship with both parents. I have been richly blessed with a fantastic mom and dad.

6. You've got the TV on, but you're not really watching. What channel is the TV on?
Ooh....that's a toughy. I'm one of these people who functions well with noise in the background. If I have a project to work on in my room, I usually have something from Netflix on. But if I'm downstairs, in general, my TV is usually tuned to Food Network or a wedding show on TLC.......and by that, you had to have seen my personality =)

7. If you could pick anywhere to live the rest of your life, where would it be?
Hmm...in a big(ish) city. I like a little space between houses...but in a neighborhood. Being near an ocean could be nice. 

8. Have you ever spent a night in the hospital?
Yes. I did when I was eighteen months old (but I don't remember that). And then I stayed at the hospital when I was ten and needed surgery to repair my broken arm.  

9. Do you enjoy being with only one or two friends, or with a large group of people?
I'm good with both. I love being with one or two really close friends, but I also love being in a large group of people as long as they're all really good friends. If I don't know the large group of people, my introverted tendencies really come out.

10. Do you like the type of music your parents listen to? Do your parents like the type of music you listen to?
Um, it depends. My dad, when he listens to music, listens to Oldies--like the Stones, Bee Gees. UGH! Cannot stand that kind of stuff. My mom listens to that as well, but she also does Frank Sinatra and country. I like those. My music tends towards country, some Christian, some soundtracks--and that is all good for them. Put the Maroon 5 or random Lady Gaga song on and not so much ;-)  

11. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I have no idea. I love food too much to limit myself to just one type.

12. Do you believe in a god?
I believe there is only one God, and yes, I believe in and on Him. He is everything to me!

13. What's you're favorite hashtag to track?
I don't track hashtags too much.....but my favorite is probably one that goes along with my interest in spoiling TV shows. =)

14. When you were young, what would you dream you would be when you grew up?
Besides always wanting to be a wife and mom, I wanted to be an actress when I was four...that lasted for a while. There was something about "the stage" that appealed to me. Now, though, I know acting would not have been the path for me. I do think that I always wanted to be a published author, though. But it was fiction and now, it's non-fiction, but hey, a mere technicality. 

15. Do you want to have more friends than you have right now?
If they are the right people. I used to settle when it came to friends, "quantity over quality" you might say. Now, it's different. 

16. Have you ever met someone through the Internet, then met them in real life?
OH YES!!! Seven of my nearest and dearest friends and I have met face to face. I still have several to cross of the list--and I look forward to the day.

17. Tell me about the last book you read.
"Safe Haven," by Nicholas Sparks. I must say, I greatly, greatly enjoyed it. The upcoming movie was on my radar beforehand (Hello, Josh Duhamel!), but now it most definitely is. It's one of Sparks's less depressing of stories or so I felt.

18. Predict what your life will look like a year from now.
I have ideas of where I would like to be.....but seriously, the Lord has taught me to be open about where I will end up. That being said, I would to almost be done with my Bachelor's degree by this point next year. We shall see.

19. Early bird or night owl?
Definitely night owl.  It's wayyy too easy for me to stay up to the wee hours, and wayyy too easy for me to sleep laaaate. ;) Case in point, it's almost midnight as of this writing and I'm not even tired.

20. Where do you live? Be as general or specific as you want.
In Idaho

21. What was the longest car ride you've ever taken?
My family has moved across the country twice. (Long story. Not the time for it). So yeah, those are some pretty long car rides!! Great way to see parks of the country--like going up in the Gateway Arch and narrowly avoiding a tornado in Texas--but at the same time, they aren't my favorite thing in the world.

22. What is your ethnic heritage?
Let's see--I'm one quarter Italian (although I do not look like it) and then I have German, Welsh, Irish, English......

23. Do you want to live until you're 100?
Probably not. Unless I am in the prime of health

24. Do you practice what you preach?
Not as often as I should. :) But I do try. "Honesty is the Best Policy" 

25. Have you ever laughed uncontrollably when it was socially inappropriate?
Oh, soooo many times. I don't want to tell you about the last time =)

26. Do you often skip breakfast?
Yep. Unless I go out to breakfast. But here's the weird thing--I make breakfast for dinner quite frequently and I eat it then. I guess my aversion is eating so soon after getting up

27. Would you want to know the exact date and time you were going to die?
Definitely not. 

28. Describe your neighborhood.
Typical neighborhood. Including the occasional noisy neighbors and cats that roam free.    

29. Name a TV series you didn't enjoy until after it ended.
Easy--Three Rivers. I didn't know that show even had existed until recently. But mostly I watch shows as they air. Old ones do not count ;-)       

30. Have you ever bought a product from an informercial?
    Um....no.

31. What is one thing you could never forgive?
Hard to say.....I hope that I can learn to forgive as Christ has forgiven me

32. What part of the past year sticks out in your mind?  
Seeing friends, lessons learned, being asked to be a bridesmaid in a wedding, the Olympics....

33. What is your favorite sport?
FOOTBALL!!!!!!!

34. What has been troubling you lately?
How politics can be one of the most annoying things in the world. I love them. And I hate them. All at the same time.

35. Who was your first crush?
Easy to remember. His name was Jonathan and I could have sworn that I would have married him someday. But yeah, that didn't happen. I was such a hopeless romantic at six years old. And I still am. Trust me. And those friends who know me super well know that to be true.       

36. Where is your favorite place to go out and eat?
I love going out to eat. There are some local restaurants that I love and franchises that I love as well.

37. Give me an unpopular opinion you have.
Um.............that could be personal. And I don't want to cause debates in the ranks. But I believe a girl can still want marriage and a family and go to college/have a little career at the same time. I know. I know. It's an unpopular opinion in some circles but you asked!

38. Describe a person that inspires you.
My mom. Ronald Reagan. Kate Middleton. Etc.   

39. If you could earn minimum wage doing what you love, would you? 
I have been blessed that I enjoy my currently place of employment and earn a great wage too. God is good.

40. Describe the last time you were very angry at someone.
Why? What good would that do?

41. Where would you prefer to live? A city? The suburbs? The countryside? The mountains?
I'm just happy to have a nice house and live pretty close to civilization. :) I need people around. 

42. Where is "home" for you?
Not to be cliche, but wherever my family is. :)

43. Where do you and your friends go to hang out?
Most of my friends are online so I don't really have local friends to "hang out" with...but when I do something with others, it's bowling or a movie or some other such things.

44. Have you ever been bullied? Have you ever bullied anyone else?
 Yes I have. And it's not fun. Being bullied I mean.

45. Is it possible for guys and girls to be just friends?
 YES. I used to think it meant that by being friends with guys, I would get too emotionally attached and I would be impure towards my future husband. Yeah, I have changed from that way of thinking. You still have to be careful, but before I did have a group of friends (guys included) who my brother and I went bowling with and play games with.....it was wonderful

46. What are the 6 songs you listen to the most?
This is tough because I listen to so much all the time! However, some I'll turn to often...
-You Are, by Colton Dixon. It's a current fave
-Anything Carrie Underwood sings
-Defying Gravity from "Wicked!" Gosh I love that song
-Casting Crowns and Chris Tomlin music
-Glee's rendition of songs. Don't judge.

47. If you could meet anyone on earth, who would it be?
Tough one! Tim Tebow. Prince William and Kate Middleton. Those are the big ones.

48. What is your favorite blog currently?
There's no way I could choose just one. 

49. What's the farthest you've ever been from home?
Pittsburgh to see DEAR DEAR friends!

50. What's the one thing you're afraid of?  
Losing people close to me. And heights. And airplanes. And elevators =D