Playing tag

I made a new blogging friend last November when I participated in NaBloPoMo.  Jewels from Frazzled and Frumpy is witty and down to earth.  She makes me laugh and makes me think.  She is a phenomenal writer...and I love reading the way she strings words together just as much as the story those words are telling.  I read her blog every day and look forward to when she makes comments on mine.  She tagged me last week and invited me to answer a bunch of questions about myself.  Realistically, because this is an internet version of the popular "Tag...you're IT!" game, after answering all the questions I'm then supposed to tag a few more people to keep the game rolling.  But instead of tagging specific people I think I'm just going to throw the "You're IT!" out there and if you want to pick up the ball and run with it...feel free!  (Yeah..I know, I'm kind of mixing my game references here.  Work with me here, people.)  

1- Do you have a middle name? What is it?
My middle name is Ann....Sarah Ann.  (Although I've also been called Sarah Lou and Sarah D.)  Since I got married I dropped the Ann in favor of my maiden name as my middle name.  And it's a good thing seeing as my brother-in-law also married a Sara Anne.  She kept her middle name rather than her maiden name.  So though the airlines tend to think we've double booked when we travel together and stick us in the same seat....we really are two separate people! 

2-What was your favorite candy as a child?
Swedish Fish.  The taste takes me back to Cabana Club when I was a kid.  They had a snack bar where you could buy penny candy...1 cent per fish.  I would save up my pennies and buy a handful each time I went.  Somehow they taste even better if you have a hint of chlorine on your fingers...

3-Do you have a phobia?
SNAKES!  There's some serious childhood trauma associated with this phobia seeing as my first run-in with a snake just happens to be one of my very first childhood memories.  I was born in Houston, Texas...where it was not uncommon to find snakes in the garage, in the backyard, in the street, etc.  I was 3 years old when I came upon a HUGE snake while playing on the back lawn.  Oh, I'm sure it wasn't all that big but to a 3 year old, it seemed terrifyingly enormous.  I ran for my mom who was talking on the phone to a friend.  She wouldn't come, wouldn't come, wouldn't come.  (Once again...add some 3 year old impatience to the memory).  I was crying, the dog was barking.  Finally my mom came out and, if I remember correctly, dug a hole in the flower bed, picked the wriggling snake up on the shovel...the snake big enough to flop over the sides...and unceremoniously chucked the darn thing in the hole and buried it.  I have been terrified of snakes ever since.  (And now I have the heebie jeebies just recalling that story!!!)

4-Do you wear jewelry?
Earrings every day.  Mostly silver hoops.  I love bracelets and I've been collecting big rings...both of which are hard to find because I have tiny wrists and a size 5 ring finger.  But lately I've been buying up delicate little necklaces with charms that fall into the hollow in my neck.  A turquoise heart, a silver shamrock, an owl, etc.

5-Where was your all-time favorite vacation spot?
Where isn't my favorite vacation spot??  Really...if I'm on vacation, then right here, right now is my favorite spot!  Some especially memorable favorites:  Cancun was heavenly.  We did an all inclusive week there with Bryan's family back when Rebekah was just 3 years old.  New York City last year spoke to my soul.  I know that sounds cheesy....but I don't know any other way to describe it.  I'm always more than happy to spend vacation time in San Francisco and Washington D.C.  Ultimately, though...I'm a cruise girl.  We've been on five (on five different cruise lines, even) and are planning to hopefully do an Alaskan cruise next summer for our 20th wedding anniversary.  

6-Your pizza, you don't have to share, what's on it?
I'm not terribly fond of pizza.  But every now and again when I have a craving...or have a "I can't stand the thought of cooking today" day I go for a vegetarian one. 

7-If you were stranded on a desert island and had one book to read, what would it be?
Well, The Book of Mormon, of course.  Can't think of a better book to read and re-read over and over again.  But if the point of this question is to have me name a favorite novel...then I would have to say "Pride and Prejudice."  But "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" would be a close second.

8-Dream car?  Dream 'reasonable' car?
I'm pretty fond of my big Ford F-150 truck.  But sometimes I dream of a BMW 135i coupe.  In black.  Ahhh.

9-If you could be a character in a movie or book, who would you be?
When I was younger I wanted to be Anne of Green Gables.  I loved her imagination, I loved how grateful she was for her blessings, I loved how she enjoyed details,  I loved how dedicated to education and learning she was, I loved her home on Prince Edward Island, and oh, how I loved Gilbert!!  And although I still think I would enjoy being Anne...as an older grown-up I also rather like the idea of being Kathleen Kelly from "You've Got Mail."  She lives in NYC.  And owned a book shop!  I relate with her quirkiness, her chatty nature, and her penchant for wearing cute little dresses and skirts.  But mostly the fact that she thinks things like this: "Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life - well, valuable, but small - and sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? I don't really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So good night, dear void."   (I won't even mention Elizabeth from "Pride and Prejudice."  Because really...that's just a no brainer.  Who doesn't want to be her, right?)

10-Do you paint your nails? (Fingers or toes)
I rarely paint my fingernails.  All that work for only a day or so before the daily wear and tear of housewifery chips them.  What's the point?  Toenails on the other hand...yes.  Always.  And lucky me, I was recently introduced to the wonderful world of pedicures...
 
11-Is there anything that would make you stop blogging?
Blogging fills a few of my needs.  I'm a historian, so keeping a family history of sorts is a big deal to me.  I've kept journals since I was 10 and started scrapbooking in high school.  Blogging combines the two and is much easier for me to keep up to date on.  Also, I've discovered that I really like writing.  I'm not to the point in my life yet, where I want to try my hand at writing a book.  But blogging gives me that outlet.  So with all of that said, it would take something big and serious to stop me from blogging.  The novelty isn't likely to wear off, I'm not going to decide one day that I'm just bored with it.