I Jumped

On the bandwagon that is.

Mandy, over at Harpers Happenings opened up the 10 Things quiz going around to whoever and I can't help but want to join.  All you do is list 10 random things about yourself and then answer ten questions by the person you're following.

Random Things

1. I absolutely love taking quizzes.  Any kind, obviously.

2. Eric was my first and last real boyfriend.  The three weeks in middle school don't really count.

3. I can't stand spiders.

4. I love school.  At least the learning aspect, not so much the homework part.

5. And if I love learning, it only makes sense that I would also have a love for This American Life and Radiolab, two of my favorite NPR shows.  I would choose to listen to NPR all the time if my kids didn't prefer something with a beat.

6. I can sing almost every Disney song, at the least the movies up until Toy Story.  I rocked out to the Lion King soundtrack on the regular during elementary school.

7. If talent existed, my dream would be to perform on broadway.  Preferably musicals.

8. I could eat roasted vegetables for every meal, I love them that much.

9. I loved watching movies long before I married my film-making husband.

10. I have a pretty addictive personality, so I have had to delete twitter and facebook off my phone.  But I can't give up Instagram, I just love it too much.


Mandy's Questions

1. Have you ever met someone famous?
No, and I'm really okay with that.  I've never been one to get starstruck, except maybe when I was 13 and if the heavens opened and I had met Hanson.  Then maybe.

2. What is your happiest childhood memory?
Oh, I don't think I could pinpoint one, but a very happy memory took place at a baseball game.  My cousin and I were best friends, and it was our dream to be twins.  But you see, I was tall and strawberry blonde and she was short and brunette, so this dream coming true was not in our favor.  But at this particular baseball game, while wearing our matching outfits (we had several), someone asked if we were twins.  Ecstatic wasn't even close to how we felt.  There was running and screaming back to our parents and probably some flailing as we recounted what happened.  It was a pretty great day.

3. Favorite album of all time?
Probably the Grease soundtrack.  I could sing every line and constantly was reenacting scenes from the movie.  And if it comes on, you'll catch me singing along and I'll probably have a goofy grin on my face.

4. Are you a salty or sweet lover?
I love both, but if I had to choose, I'd say sweet.

5. What is your favorite guilty pleasure TV show or movie?
The New Girl with Zooey Deschanel.  I get eye-rolls from Eric any time he catches me watching it, followed by, "you really think this is funny?!"

6. Describe your favorite sandwich.
Oh man.  A local restaurant here makes a grilled cheese of feta, goat cheese and cream cheeses with a drizzle of olive oil and cracked pepper.  Yum!

7. What was your first pet?
A black and white rabbit named Carrot.

8. What is your biggest accomplishment thus far in life?
Adopting my two boys, Baxter and Atticus, from the DRC.

9. What is the first blog you started reading?
Under the Sycamore. I read it long before I even discovered the glorious powers of Google Reader.

10. If you had to choose one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Ice cream.  I don't think I'd ever get sick of it.

Bella

I am not sure if you have a dog, or are even a dog person, but despite my dislike of the responsibilities of having both a dog and kids, it is totally outweighed by the love my boys have for ours and her love and patience for them.

Eric and I got Bella, a full bred boxer, 3 months after we got married.  She was such a tiny puppy and we loved her instantly.  She was almost 5 years old when the boys arrived home and we weren't totally sure how she was going to react after being the only "child" in the house for so long.  In preparation for their homecoming, we put out all their toys, walkers, exe-saucers, etc.  We even brought a blanket home from the DRC that was used to wrap them in and put it next to her bed.  We wanted her to get used to the news thing taking over the house and the new smells that were about to arrive.

She has always been a very friendly dog, but she has blown our expectations out of the water.  Not only does she tolerate the boys, we let's them lay on, climb on, and jump on her.  But in return for her tolerance of these things, there are lots of hugs and kisses too.

Baxter will follow her around the house trying to constantly pet her and Atticus will just lay on her like a pillow, sucking his thumb as he rubs her soft fur.  Both of them immediately ask about her as soon as they get up in the morning.  It really couldn't get much more precious.  And the other day, while the boys sat around her, I decided to get out my camera and capture a little bit of their relationship.

Like I said, I don't know if you're a dog person, but it's hard not to love a dog that loves your kids more than anything.  Well, actually, she loves them more than anything...except Eric.  He's her favorite.

Oscar Hair

Yesterday I went into my salon, but not for a haircut.  My good friend and stylist, Kelsey, has a blog about hair, makeup, skincare, etc and she asked if I would be a hair model for the afternoon.  I was all like , "duh."  Because who would say no to having your hair done by an amazing stylist?!

The project was to recreate a few Academy Award hairstyles.  It was so fun and I got to spend a couple hours chatting away with my gal-pal.  If you want to see how they turned out, check out her blog, Tussled.

The Last of the Mohicans

Before Eric, I enjoyed going to movies, but only was familiar with the most popular actors during that time, which unfortunately wasn't Daniel Day-Lewis; who, if you don't know, is an incredible actor.

The Last of the Mohicans is an older film (1992), but I hadn't seen it until now.  The entire story takes place during the French and Indian War, and revolves around three Mohican Indians, a Colonel's daughters and an officer.  It's actually a pretty epic film, with some breathtaking cinematography.



We watched it with some friends, and we had to point out which character Day-Lewis was because you really couldn't tell, that's how awesome he is.  Eric says he's a method actor, which means he literally, and I mean literally, becomes the character, whether he's on set filming or not.  Maybe that why he's such a good actor, and why he's won two Oscars.

Despite the film's epic-ness, it isn't longer than your average movie (which epics generally are).  There's action, adventure and a love story, so it doesn't matter whether your a guy or a girl.  Not saying you all follow the typical gender stereotype when it comes to movies, because I definitely don't.  So, no matter your gender, I hope you see it if you haven't and I hope you like it.

February Photo A Day Round Up

I missed participating in the photo a day challenge for January, but jumped on board once I saw February's list.  I take Instagram photos on my own, but it was fun to have prompts each day and to see how each person interpreted the day's photo differently.