Blog Challenge...fail

So...I didn't really do the blog challenge. I mean I tried to do it and I wrote a lot of them but that was just a busy time for me and I found I didn't really care about finishing it so...I just quit.

I have been pretty down lately. I think I finally have realized (or maybe just admitted) why. Earlier this year I felt like things were headed in a really positive direction for me. I was feeling stronger and healthier, I was losing weight, I was in a good place in a lot of personal relationships, etc. I never publicly said or even wrote down anything, but I remember thinking back then that by this fall my life was going to be awesome. I really thought that by now some things were going to be happening for me that...simply put...are NOT.

That is a sad and frankly put humbling realization. I did not continue on that road that seemed to gleam ahead of me. Some of that is due to things beyond my own control, some of it is my own fault. But whatever the cause I am not where I wanted to be by now. So I think I have been sort of wallowing in that for awhile. Maybe I still am (this post so far seems pretty wallowish...lol) but I am ready to make some changes.

Some of the things I cannot change. I wish I could but...they are just not happening right now. So I am consciously trying to change some of the things I can. Some of them probably don't make much sense to a lot of people. For example right now I am bursting to make changes in my home. I am going to rearrange almost everything. I just need the freshness of something "new". A new start, a fresh look to go with it. So that is happening hopefully mostly this weekend. I also re-started using My Fitness Pal. When I track what I eat I always eat better...so obviously I had stopped doing that! :) But I am going to do it again. Going to do my best anyway! I am also trying to be more organized. I have started clipping coupons and shopping to sales and trying to save as much money as possible to pay off all my debts. I want to do more art (in whatever form) and push myself to be creative even when I "feel like" sitting around doing nothing.

Those are my new goals. I am not just thinking them inside my head, I am saying them out loud. I am starting to work on them. I cannot change everything about my life that disappoints me right now, but I can work on the things I can change. So blog challenge...total failure. New challenge...work on me.

Day 22 - Coming Up

July 22: What you are most looking forward to in the remainder of 2013

I am not sure I really have anything in particular to write about for this blog challenge! I am looking forward to my students coming back to school next month. I am looking forward to (fingers crossed) not being quite so broke every month. I am looking forward to a conference I hope to go to in Charleston SC.

But MOST looking forward to? I don't know. I guess my answer is...seeing what comes next!

Day 20 - FOOD

July 20: Your favorite recipe and why you like it

This one is a no brainer for me, although it made me laugh after I thought about it. This is not my favorite recipe in terms of it being my favorite thing to actually EAT. What I love about it, though, is that my nephew absolutely adores it. He likes to give me a hard time about not being much a cook. When he lived with me, however, I started doing much more cooking and was constantly looking for recipes that he might like and that were still simple enough for me to do a good job! This one fit us both perfectly! He asks me to make it whenever he stays with me!

Taco Spaghetti

Day 19 - BLOGS

July 19: 5 favorite blogs and why you like them (note...if you click on the person's name I have the blogs linked but the color doesn't look very different so it can be hard to tell!)

So I have to admit I don't read a lot of blogs. I mean I like reading blogs and sometimes I can get really caught up in it, but I don't have time for that very often so I have specific ones I follow and I pretty much stay away from anything else. So I don't have much to choose from but:

Whil Wheaton's Blog makes me happy! I have always loved Whil Wheaton since Star Trek days. Now he is grown up and such a nerd! It is great. He writes about his family, about what work he is doing now, about conventions he goes to, about his opinions, about the beer he makes (he does this a lot...not my favorite but whatever). I love how down to earth he is. He is what celebrities should be....just a regular guy who is on TV sometimes. He is still in awe of other celebrities. He still appreciates cool things. He still lives a normal life. I love reading his stuff! He makes me want to blog more. Plus he does cool stuff like pose for silly pictures with Captain Jack in response to his wife posing with Nathan Fillion....I mean seriously...I want to be friends with these guys!

One of my FAVORITE authors is Patrick Rothfuss. I discovered he had a blog thanks to Good Reads and now I am addicted. I swear the man can write a sentence about anything and it is great. He is just a great writer. And a great person. He runs a charity to raise money and uses his influence in the literary world to get people to join in. He has an awesome little boy he writes about that you just can't help being totally in love with even though you have never met him. He makes me want to write. He makes me want to write well. And live well. He is just all around pretty awesome. You should check out his books, and his blog!

I love photography. Everyone knows this. I have a few blogs of photographers I follow and a few pages on facebook I have liked and go back to. My favorite, by far, is my friend Brooke Kelly. Her photos are just amazing! I never get tired of seeing them. And I love that she does A LOT of baby pictures and does a first year package so you get to watch these babies (that you don't even know) grow and get bigger all year. It is so much fun! She is super talented and such a cool person too. I truly look up to her. Check her out, you won't be disappointed!

I do try to follow a few work related blogs to keep up with what is going on in the world of librarianship and/or children's literature. My favorite by far is a blog called Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. It is, according to her, a blog about books. Awesome! In particular it is about children's books and she does interviews with various authors and illustrators. I love it!

My friend Karissa has a beautiful personal blog that I would have to choose as my fifth favorite blog. She is a wonderful writer (who is working on her first book) and she writes about her life, her faith, her struggles and her writing. Her words are always inspiring to me!

Day 18 - I love to READ

July 18: Favorite childhood book

This is like asking who my favorite parent is!! No way I can answer!! I love to read SO much, and I always have. So here are a few I remember:

Sneetches and Other Stories - We owned this Dr. Seuss book and we read it and/or had it read to us so many times we could all quote the stories. Truth be told, I still can! :)










Little House on the Prairie - My mom used to read this series to my sister and I all the time. I mean maybe it was only one time through the whole thing, I don't know. Given the state of the books, though (which I now own) I would say they were read and re-read often!

Nancy Drew - these were my first "big books" that I read on my own. I devoured them! My local library had a bookshelf full of them and I read every one!! I still own a few old copies and they are among my most treasured possessions.






Shadow Castle - I think one of my cousins gave this book to my sister and I and that they got it from a yard sale. It was pretty worthless and almost no one has ever heard of it. I LOVE IT!!! It is such a fun book! (and yes, I own a copy of this as well....AND I added it to our library collection though I don't think anyone has ever checked it out).

 That cover is a "new" cover but this illustration inside is exactly like the one I remember. Love :)




A Wrinkle In Time - not only my favorite childhood book, just my favorite book. I love it. I love everything about it. As an adult I think it means even more to me! I own 3 or 4 copies of this book....

Day 17 - Thank you!!

July 17: Best Compliment you've ever received and why it meant so much

Several years ago I was shopping at Target (I think) and I heard this mom say to her daughter, "Oh Susie look at the beautiful red-headed woman! One day you will be just as beautiful as her!"

I turned toward the woman and saw the MOST awkwardly cute red-head girl. She had frizzy hair that was not laying down properly and she was wearing glasses that covered way too much of her face. I smiled and her face just lit up. I said hello and spoke to them for a few moments and then we both went on our way.

I have never forgotten that little girl and her mother, though. I remember being the awkward little girl. I remember HATING this hair I love so much now. I remember adults telling me I was beautiful but no one my own age recognizing it. I was that little girl...she was me.

The idea that someone would look to me to be what they WANTED to grow into was just amazing to me. I don't think I have ever felt any more beautiful than I did in the eyes of that precious little girl!

(This is NOT me...I wasn't this cute)

Day 16 - Dreaming of Work

July 16 (and yes, I am behind again....) - Your dream job

This prompts several responses from me. First off....NO job is my dream job. This is not to say I would never do anything, but it would be AMAZING to not have the responsibility of working. I would love to devote my time to Michael and/or my parents. I would also love to have the time to do charity/volunteer work. I used to volunteer all the time at my church but...my health these days does not leave time for anything beyond work. So...I would enjoy not working.


Having said that, however, I actually really enjoy my job. I love working at a library. I love working on a college campus. I love supervising college workers. It is open many hours, which makes my hours more flexible, which is really good for my health issues. All in all, it is a great job!! I am blessed...and lucky!

Now, having said THAT I have always thought that being a photographer must be the most amazing job ever!! I love taking pictures...I love dealing with people when taking pictures...I love editing pictures! I pretty much just love it! I admit I have no idea if I would love it this much if I had to do it all the time, but it is the dream... :)

Day 15 - Best Day Ever

July 15: Best thing to happen this year

I wouldn't say any day this year has been the best day ever...but I just started thinking about those cute jokes about dogs and how even the smallest thing makes every day the BEST day ever!! Sometimes I wish we were more like dogs in that way. Good things happen all the time, but it seems as people we let the less good things dictate how we feel way too often.

I would have to say, in terms of this year the BEST thing that has happened so far was probably my parents 40th Wedding Anniversary/Vow Renewal. This is something I have wanted to do for them for a long time. My sister and talked about it at least 5 years ago, possibly more!

This was an important thing for so many reasons. First 40 years these days....that is a BIG deal. I am so grateful to have a family that has stuck together and parents that I can look to for proof that real love does, in fact, exist and forever is, in fact, possible. Wow! Congrats on that mom and dad!!

It was also important because it was a celebration of both of their lives! Most people who know me know that my mom...she has been sick. Not just sick, she has stage 4 colon cancer! Basically, you don't come back from that. Mom has!! She just had another scan and....cancer free. Nothing showing  up, no sign of the ugliness that had us living on borrowed time. This celebration was not just of their love but of their strength through this cancer. And not just the cancer. My dad is not very healthy either. He doesn't have a particular diagnosis like my mom, but sometimes that can be even scarier. What is going to happen next...no one really knows.

But you know what? They are both still here! They are both still in love! They are both awesome. So yeah...I would say celebrating that is pretty much the best thing in a long time!

Day 14...Collections

July 14: What do you collect and why?

I have never been much of a collector. I am not really sure why. I am TOTALLY a pack rat and I keep tons of stuff, but not particularly one kind of stuff.

The one exception, I guess, would be BOOKS.

I definitely collect them. But they are not like most collectible items. They are not for being set out to look pretty. They are not for the sake of having a collection. They are for READING. I am hard on my books. I read them in the tub, I bend their spines back to make them easier to see, I lay them around the car and the house even though that could be dangerous for their lasting beauty. I believe books are to be used not admired. I love seeing a worn out book...it has been treasured. All of my books are treasured!

Day 13 - What's In a Name

July 13: what is the meaning of your blog name

Well this one is pretty easy. It is my name. Karla Jean.

Karla is after my Grandfather Carl Wardlow. I LOVE that I am named for him. One of the oat amazing people ever to live! Also my name is spelled with a K as that is the German way to spell both Karl and Karla. I also LOVE that there is a German element to my name.

Jean is my middle name and my Mom's middle name. I LOVE being named after her too as she is another amazing person. She was named that after her Aunt Jean who died of cancer at a fairly young age. Obviously I never knew aunt Jean but I think it is cool to be part of honoring someone in this way.

So basically....my name is freaking cool. As such I felt no need to co e up with any other name for my blog. My parents did good :) 

Day 12: Proud Moments

July 12: Moment you are most proud of

This one is very hard. When I read it a million different moments with Michael ran through my head. Watching a child grow and do "first" things is such an amazing privilege and so many moments he has had have made me incredibly proud.

If I concentrate more on myself I think the first thing that comes to mind is my education. I am very proud of all of my degrees and of keeping good grades and learning new things. When I was in school I participated in (because I had to for class) a research symposium. I spoke about ministry to girls and the need we have for it. Nearly everyone on campus got mad at me for that presentation. I won though! The judge in my room told me he didn't like what I said at all, but that I had done the best job of researching and supporting my cause. I am  proud of that to this day. I am proud of what I said, and that I had the courage to say it. I still believe it to be very true.

 I began reading and my journey toward nerdom very  young...

 Very close, or possibly even more than that, I am proud of ministries I have been involved with. Helping people, in any form, to me is the basic mandate of a good life. I am proud of every attempt I have made in that direction.

I am proud of every time I have ever performed anything. I love preforming, but it also terrifies me. Every time I have sung a solo at church, been in a play, auditioned for a play, sang in a choir etc. are all times I am proud of.
 
Some days I am just proud that I don't give up. I don't let pain or sickness, or anything else for that matter, defeat me. Some days it seems like I have I know, but I always get back up and keep on living. Keep on doing my best for myself and for others. That is probably, in truth, the thing that makes me the most proud - and sometimes the thing that is the hardest to continue!

Day 11: Bucket List

July11: Top five bucket list items

I have never actually had a "bucket list" as such. I think because it has always seemed to me sort of a what would you do if you were dying type activity, which I just never bought into. I think we should live...to the absolute fullest we can. Not because we might die before we have a chance, but because there is so much to live for and do. Regardless of this, however, it is easy to list five things I have always wanted to do.

1. Go scuba diving. I LOVE water animals and just water in general. I have always wanted to learn to do this!

2. Sky Diving. Sadly this is something I will never be able to do because of my back problems and dizziness issues. So...possibly learning to fly a plane is a substitute.

3. Go on a cruise. I have never done this but am already making plans to accomplish this goal. The idea of being out on the water and having no stress about where to go sounds amazing!

4. Write a book. I have written about this before. I am not, at this point, motivated enough to make it a real priority so it may never happen. But it is a dream I have always had and I hope to see it happen someday.

5. Get my PhD. There was a time when this was not even a question for me. My plan was to be done with it no later than age 35. This year I turned 36. Obviously I have not achieved it. My life has changed so drastically since then that I am no longer sure if this will be part of my future. I have not given up on it completely though.

Day 10: Money, Money, Money, Money....

July 10: What you'd do if you won the lottery

WHOOOOO HOOOO

That is what I would do first. But my answer kind of depends on how big of a lottery I won. I am going to assume I won the biggest one ever b/c I mean...if you are going to win one, why not that one? :)

First....pay off all my bills/debts
Second....pay off all my parents bills/debts
Third....depending on the amount establish particular amounts to give to family members/friends
Fourth....quit my job and travel. A LOT. All over the world. This part might take awhile.
Fifth....start a charity.

So...this is actually one of the things I like to daydream about when I have insomnia sometimes so I have given it quite a bit of thought. I would start a charity to help feed children. But this charity would be based on music. I would use music/musicians to raise the money. I think it would be amazing to do huge benefit concerts on a regular basis that would particularly raise money for this purpose. Maybe not a totally new idea but I don't know of anyone that does it on a regular basis. There are so many talented people with so much to offer. I think it is feasible. I would love to try!!

Also I would give money to the church, to education, to other charities etc.

I would probably own a home in at least a few different places...but not just to be excessive, because I think I would need to be moving around to keep working on my charity venture.

I would TOTALLY own my own airplane.

I would NOT start wearing designer clothing or jewelry except on special occasions. I would chose particular indulgences (see picture above) but particularly not become an indulgent person. I would try to give my money to things that are more important.

I would also enjoy it!



So....P.S. my friend Amanda has been doing this blog challenge as well. Check out her responses and her blog HERE

Day 8: Childhood

July 8: Your favorite childhood memory

Wow. I have a lot of great childhood memories. This weekend I filled out a guest survey for my parents 40th anniversary party and it asked for my favorite memory with them as well. I chose then, and now, all of the traveling we did during my childhood.

I love to travel! It is one of my great joys in life. Seeing someplace new, or even going back to a place to discover new things is such an amazing adventure. It makes me so sad for people when I hear they have never been out of the state in which they were born. Oh my!! The world is so big and so full of wonderful things! I am blessed my parents showed me that from an early age.

I remember driving across country (whichever one we happened to live in). I remember sleeping in the car on the side of the road. I remember nights in hotel rooms when we were supposed to be sleeping but would all just get the giggles and stay awake laughing together. I remember experiencing incredible things like looking at the jewels of queens and princesses in Europe or walking through amazing forests in my own town (wherever that happened to be at the time!).

My life is so much fuller and richer because of all of things and places I have gone. I am so grateful for that history and hope I can continue to add to it!

Day 7: Around the World

July 7: Where have you lived and what was the best and worst part of each place

Umm....are you kidding me? I have been trying to make these posts short and sweet so I could catch up to the challenge. But this....well I am an Army Brat so...I will do my best to remember all the places I lived!!

-Fort Hood, TX - I was born here. That was good. I don't remember the bad at this point.

-Darmstadt Germany - we moved here when I was only a few months old and stayed for 4 years. Though I don't really remember this time I would say the best part was probably that my Grandparents were also stationed in Germany at this time and so we lived closer to them than any other time in my life. Oh and also my little brother was born here! The worst part? I don't know...probably how cold it is there!

-Lampasas TX - this time in Texas I do remember a bit better than when I was born, though I was still quite young. The two things I remember (and thus we will count them as "bests") are that all three of us (my brother, sister and I) shared a huge bedroom. When I got older I am sure that would have been a worst but I remember it being a lot of fun at that point in life. Also there was someone in our neighborhood with a trampoline and I remember having so much fun on it! I do not remember a worst from this time period...I am sure my sister or parents could fill you in

(at some point - I think around here we lived for awhile in Georgia while my Dad was in some sort of training or something of that sort. I don't remember much other than taking a towel with me to Kindergarten for nap time. It wasn't much cushion so I guess that would be a worst....)

-Heilbronn and Stuttgart Germany - I am so glad we had another stint in Germany so I could remember living there! There are so many amazing things I remember about this time in my life. Probably I would say BEST was all the traveling and the places we saw. I loved going to Berchtesgaden for our Nazarene assemblies, it was my favorite! Also there were castles and museums and volksmarches and a trip to Sweden and...all kinds of amazing memories. Probably the worst thing about this home was that during this time I became aware of the Nazi/Jew history in Germany. I really struggled with the idea that people I lived around and went to Church with etc. had been alive during that time and had "allowed" such a thing to happen. It was very hard for me not to be angry at all of the German friends we had made.

Copperas Cove Texas - so as you can tell we went back and forth from TX to Germany a lot. I am not sure I have the places where we lived each time exactly right. But I do know at this point we lived close but not on the base in TX. The best part of this time in my life was my church. We went to church in Belton TX (we did when I was younger too but I don't really remember). I was involved in Bible Quizzing and my best friend was at church, I had so much fun! The worst part, for me, was coming to grips with racism for the first time that I remembered. One of my best friends at school was a black girl, which meant nothing to me. But there were people who had issues with it and I remember watching her struggle and being so sad about it. In Germany on the military base there was such diversity that we never even thought about things like that. Or maybe I just was too young to notice. But it was sad for me to see how people could treat others unkindly just because they were different.

Fayetteville North Carolina - This was one of my favorite places I ever lived! We were here during my Jr. High years and though most people list those as terrible times, I LOVED it! I had an awesome youth group at church, I had a group of cool girlfriends at school. I had a crush on boys at church and school (not that they liked me but it was still fun). It was a great time in my life. I would say the best parts of this time were youth events. We went to camp every summer which are some of my favorite memories, and we were involved in district things as well. The worst part of this time is that I began to have low self esteem. I had so many beautiful friends and people were starting to date and "like" one another and I began to be very self conscious. I was a nerdy girl with bad hair and glasses. No one ever liked me and I was very jealous of many of my friends at this time.

Nashville TN - so then my family moved to Nashville. I was SOO mad. I wanted to go to college in Nashville and I felt like they were taking that away from me. Also they were taking me away from my best friends and my favorite place we had ever lived. I remember crying every day that I did not want to go to school. I am sure that was the worst. Just getting over moving. It was not a fast thing! The best thing, however, was when I finally did. In high school I auditioned for a play, got a lead role and that lead to a place in the schools highest choir. This led to more friends than I had ever had. I enjoyed my Sr. year of high school more than I ever enjoyed school anywhere. My best friends had always mainly been from church, but this group of people I just adored. My self confidence finally began to rise at this point and I started to realize I had talents to offer and things I was good at. It was a nice change.

Trevecca Nazarene University - Okay so this is still Nashville but a major change for me. I moved out of my parents home and into college dorms. College dorms would probably qualify as the worst part of this time! :) The best part of this time was, once again, my church. I got heavily involved in the youth department at a Nazarene church and had some of the most meaningful times of my life!

Kansas City MO - So I moved to Kansas City to go to Seminary. The worst part of this was....almost everything! I hated it there!! Sorry but it is true. I did not like my classes at the school. I did not care for the city. I did get a job as a youth pastor. That was awesome except it was an hour away (each way), it was VERY part time and the church basically saw me as a babysitter rather than a minister. The best of this time would just be relationships I had at the time. My roommate was a girl from college but one that I had never been super close to. We got very close very fast and I consider her one of my best friends. We made great roommates. Another friend from college lived nearby and she and I became VERY close during this time and remain very close even now. Those friendships and the kids at my church that I fell in love with made a very short and otherwise miserable time in my life bearable!

Nashville TN - So...I came back to Nashville after only about 8 months in Kansas City. I lived in many different places since then culminating in the home I now own in Old Hickory TN. I love Nashville for so many reasons. The best thing about this place is probably the arts. I love how musical and artistic this city is! The worst thing is probably how southern and conservative it is. Sometimes being in the Bible Belt Buckle drives me crazy!! But I continue to stay here for so many reasons! My family is close. My nephew is here and I could not bear to be far from him. The friendships I have developed are so deep and meaningful I cannot image being without them. This is my home. I have no trouble imagining it might be where I stay from now on!

Day 6...I Feel Pretty

July 6: You best physical feature

No question...it is my hair! I have bright red hair. I love it! Well the color anyway. To be honest it is annoying in other ways b/c it is that stupid not straight or curly but rather just wavy kind of hair. And it does whatever it wants to most of the time but...regardless I love it. It is my one great beauty. Even when I get down about my appearance as I did this past weekend, I can still look at pictures and say yeah I might be overweight and not photogenic etc. etc...but dangit I have the best hair! :)

Day 5...Worst Habits

Blog challenge today: my worst habits

Eating. I have such unhealthy eating habits. I eat emotionally. I eat unhealthily and I eat a lot!

Spending. I am SO bad with money. I have a budget...but never can stick to it. I have no savings, too much to do today!

Taking things personally.

Never saying no.

July 4...Say it with a Song

Day four is to name a song that reminds you of a particular time or place. What song doesn't??...Okay if I have to choose one I will still stretch the rules a bit and say any song from the Abba Super Trouper album.

My parents had the record. When I was younger my sister and I would put it on and pull out the hairbrush (our microphone of course) and just sing and dance On and On and On (yeah probably no one got it but that is one of the songs).

July 3...My Deepest Fear

Right now my deepest fear may be that I will never catch up on this blog challenge!! :)
I was out of town most of last week so I have several days to catch up. I thought it was great to discover, therefore, that the first one is such a light/easy topic to write on:

What is your deepest fear?

Yikes! I think this has changed over the years and held many different forms. Once it was that I would be alone, that I would lose my mother, that I would go bankrupt, etc.

Truly though my biggest fear is not for myself - it is for Michael. And it is not one tangible thing, it is just that his life not be amazing. His happiness and health and prosperous life means more to me than anything I ever wanted or feared for myself.

If I were to make it more personal it would still be that I would somehow fail him or not be what he needs me to be.

Well...wasn't that a cheery way to start the morning?! Ha.

 Fears are good though. They keep us working and motivated. Though I fear those things, I also work hard to make sure they never come to pass.

July 2...20 Random Facts About Me

So...day 2 of the blog (which is actually my first day but...this is my 3rd blog today!) is 20 random facts about you. So...here goes

1. I work in a library even though I have 2 degrees in theology. I studied to be a youth minister in college, then while working on my master's degree decided I instead wanted to teach theology at a college level. I began to work on my PhD in theology in order to do so but...life just never worked out that way. In the meantime I had been working at the library of my University (Trevecca Nazarene University) and one day it hit me...I loved my job. So I got another master's degree, this time in Library Science, and now I am a librarian. I do love it. I feel guilty sometimes for abandoning my earlier goals and for not pursuing it, but in truth this is the job that fits my life. I have no regrets.

2. I once met Joan Jett's band (not her) on an airplane. I befriended them and later that night picked them up from their hotel and took them out with me to downtown Nashville. We had a great time and the next day I was on her guest list at her show. I got to say, I am on the guest list...Whose? Oh, Joan Jett's.

3. I sleep with a fan on. Always. I hate if I can hear anything else but the fan. Often even when I travel I take a small one with me.

4. I am addicted to television. I kid you not. I watch SO many different shows. When a new season starts I always watch at least the premier of like 10 new shows before I decide what is good enough to continue. I think Netflix is the best thing EVER. Except for the DVR. It is actually the best.

5. I was born on the same day as David Tennant. Not the same year, though. If you don't know who David Tennant is, I doubt we are that close of friends. Ha! Just kidding. Seriously if you don't know, look it up and please watch Doctor Who, because it will make me happy.

6. I have almost no sense of direction. When I was a kid my mom let me walk to a grocery store that was apparently pretty close by. They found me wandering around hours later, still hadn't found it. That is still pretty much the way it still is.

7. My first official job was as a car emissions tester. We had to wear blue coveralls and work in the freezing cold. It was a horrible job, but I kind of liked it.

8. I am a bit of a conspiracy theorist. Well...no, that is not right. I don't come up with them or investigate them or anything. I just believe they are true. Well, that is not even totally right. I believe they COULD be true. That is what I say about X-Files. If we found out the entire show was based on for real things...wouldn't be surprised at all. And Google...oh Google is going to take over the whole world.

9. I take SO many pictures of myself. I know it is ridiculous. It is NOT vanity. I do not think I am either beautiful or photogenic. I just love doing it. I think the fact that I can hold up my phone and take a picture of myself and edit it and send it to facebook just fascinates me. I mean...wow! Sorry for all the selfies...it probably won't stop anytime soon.

10. I want to write a book. Really, really badly. I have started SO many stories but I never finish any of them. There is one though that has been just rattling around in my head for literally decades now. I feel ready to work on it. I started it the other day. I still am not exactly sure what is going to happen, though, because it has been in my head for so long I have done many different things with the basic story and I don't know which to stick with.

11. I love Pinterest. I have always loved googling images of random things. Houses and furniture were probably my favorite. Now there is a place where people do this AND I can save the things I like? Holy moly someone created this for me! I am a pinterest hoarder. I have thousands of pins. I love being re-pinned. I use some of the ideas I pin. I get inspiration from others. It is like crack. Sometimes I just can't stop!

12. If you have red-hair, I like you.

13. If a book has a red-headed character, chances are VERY good they are my favorite character. Oh did I mention I am JUST as addicted to reading as I am to television. Yep, I am!

14. I still have the Donald Duck sheets I slept on when I was a kid. I refuse to get rid of them though they are very worn.

15. I buy baby clothes. A lot. I do not have a baby. I adore baby clothes though. Whenever my friends have kids I kind of go crazy and buy a lot of baby clothes. In fact I have been known to buy baby clothes and just put them back b/c I know someone will eventually have a baby that will need it.

16. School supplies make me happy. I LOVE walking through the store at back to school time. I have to force myself not to buy more empty spirals and pencils. I have a lot of them already.

17. I am not an extremely talented person when it comes to creativity, but I have realized it is something I both need and crave. If I go too long without editing pictures or painting or making something...I get cranky and depressed. I just have a need to let out my creativity...then I feel better. I also choose to believe I am getting better at my efforts. Probably not but, that is okay.

18. I am really good at literature/English type things. I decided 2 weeks before the English AP test that I wanted to take it even though I did not take the class. I got the highest possible score. It just comes naturally to me. (the opposite is true of math/science type things). Despite this, I am HORRIBLE at spelling and grammar. Spellcheck is one of my great loves.

19. I sing in the car. End of story. If I am in the car, chances are I am singing. Even if we are talking - I am at least humming when it is your turn to talk. I am still listening but...I just need to sing when I am in the car.

20. I wanted to be an airline stewardess at one point. Sometimes I wish I had done it. I love traveling. I think airplanes are amazing and I get restless if too long passes before I fly somewhere.

Okay...well hopefully that is random enough for you! :) You now know 20 totally insignificant things about me. Kudos to you for reading this long!