A to Z

Yes! Memes will get me writing again! I can do this! Step inside and learn all about my weird neuroses.

Age: 31

Bed size: Queen. William and I just ordered a mattress this weekend with the President's Day sale. We really needed it. I can't wait. It's supposedly George-Clooney approved.

Chore that you hate: I hate getting my car washed!! I have an irrational fear of the car wash, so I never go. This weekend William drove through it for me and I closed my eyes and sweated my way through in the passenger's seat (this was after our mattress-buying or I would have asked him to go alone). GAH! My heart is racing just typing about it. I don't mind the obvious, like laundry or cleaning toilets. I'd rather do those than dishes.I love having a made bed, so I do that, but I hate putting the fitted sheet on if I accidentally put the wrong corner on first—it always makes me go into a cussing tirade even though it's easy to fix.

Dogs: Well, this is as good a place as any to announce that we have two new bundles of fluffy joy in our house; Murray, a 5-year-old Coton de Tulear, and Ernie, a four-month-old shih tzu/bichon mix. Another post to come on this.

Essential start to your day: Coffee. I can do anything if I have coffee.

Favorite color: I love color in general. Pink is probably my favorite; purple close behind. I pick pink first because I love all kinds of pink. I'm very particular about purples (no Easter eggy colors ... but the right purple is maybe my favorite color of all.) Recently I have been loving yellow and orange and chartreuse.

Gold or silver: I am an equal-opportunity metallics lover. Recently I've been wearing much more yellow-gold. (I assume they are not meaning white gold in this question...can you tell what I do for a living? Answer revealed below!)

Height: almost 5'7". I used to feel tall until I married a man that's 6'3".

Instruments you play: I played flute for many years in band (I miss it still)..I can play a few chords on guitar. I wish I'd learned to play piano and trumpet.

Job title: Style editor.

Kids: Someday. For now I just have furbabies.

Live: In my hometown. Never thought that'd happen again!

Mother’s name: Eileen. As in, Come on, Eileen..Oh I swear on my knees...at this moment, you mean evvverrrythiiiing....

Nicknames: my initials, Kitty, Smalls

Overnight hospital stays: None so far (knock on wood).

Pet peeves: Agh, I have so many pet peeves, especially about drivers and grammar/spelling, I can't even begin to say here. I am actively trying to let the little things bother me less, though.

Quote from a movie: I can extensively and frequently quote Annie, Dumb & Dumber, Almost Famous, Love Actually, Reality Bites, Speed, Wayne's World... (Am very sophisticated.)

Right or left handed: Right. As my mom says, my left side is only there to match the right. 

Siblings: One of each, both older. They are two of my bestest friends in the entire universe. I am so lucky.

Tattoos or piercings: Just my ears. Four holes in one, three in the other, although I only wear my first piercings now. I got them on my golden birthday—I was 10—and my mom snuck me to Two Plus Two at the mall to get them done. I got my birthstone for my starter studs. She told me not to tell my dad and just wait for him to notice. I was so happy.

Underwear: I love pretty undies. I do not use the p-word.

Vegetables you hate: Raw onions, because they make me sick. I  hate canned peas. I love most veggies, especially if they are fresh.

What makes you run late: Snooze button, my dogs having accidents, figuring out an outfit to wear, traffic jams. Also, I have terrible time perception. Ask my husband.

X-rays: Teeth, foot when I broke a toe in college, that's about it. X-rays are pretty cool. One medical thing I can look at that doesn't make me want to faint.

Yummy food that you make: I just made homemade Snickers bars this weekend and they are TO DIE FOR. I usually do pretty well if I have a recipe...but I'm not a great freestyle cook. I need a framework.

Zoo animals: Zoos make me sad in general. I hope I can get over this if/when I have children. I do love animals though, as long as they follow my "fur or feathers" rule. Geckos being maybe one exception because they eat bugs and other nasties, plus they never try to touch you or look at you like they're going to eat your face. Also, I think bats are cool, but I think they have some fur? There is a local band called Zoo Animal that I like.

Things I Love

Since my other blogging girls did it....

I love playing and winning trivia games.

I love listening to all kinds of music, but I really, really love rock and roll.

I love tea with honey and half-and-half at night, with a blanket over my legs and a new book to read in my hand.

I love gabbing with my hairstylist.

I love grapefruit and oranges and lemons and limes. The smell, the taste, the everything. I love pineapple.

I love a perfect Honeycrisp apple.

I love cheese: goat cheese, gouda, cheddar, brie, you name it. I loved stealing a wheel of gouda with my Lillie girls. I knew we’d be friends forever that day.

I love dogs.

I love the smell of a dog’s paws.

I love the joyful reunion at the end of each day. They teach us to live in the moment.

I love a good, hard yoga session.

I love that I can now touch the ground, where I used to only be able to go a little past my knees.

I love red hair.

I love the smell of babies’ heads.

I love one-on-one time, or small-group time.

I love the underdog.

I love that the internet allows us to connect with people around the world.

I love traveling.

I love that I can take Xanax to get on a plane.

I love peonies and lilacs and orchids and begonias and hibiscus.

I love that my husband sends me flowers from time to time.

I love the moment when the lights go down and the band walks on the stage.

I love my parents’ cabin on Deer Lake.

I love small-town junk shops.

I love mid-century modern decorating.

I love buying local and independent.

I love glitter and sequins and sparkles and tinsel and bright colors.

I love sleeping late.

I love getting up early and actually feeling awake. (it never happens, though.)

I love elderly people.

I love big sunglasses.

I love postcards.

I love learning.

I love random acts of kindness.

I love when you let someone in in traffic and they wave at you.

I love when someone lets you go ahead of them, or you let someone go ahead of you, at the grocery store because you have less stuff.

I love people who get excited about everything.            

I love when you’re sitting next to strangers at an event and they turn out to be super fun.

I love natural, safe ingredients.

I love soap.

I love ballet flats.

I love massages.

I love being with my family.

I love figuring out a new outfit from clothes I already have.

I love people who go for broke.

I love animals, but not insects, except for butterflies.

I love writing.

I love when good things happen to good people.

I love hot summer sun.

I love Hawaii.

I love magazines.

I love laughing at people’s jokes.

I love line-dried sheets.

I love long conversations.

I love big vocabularies.
I love craft shows and art fairs.

I love hot pink lipstick.

I love the idea of universal healthcare, marriage for all, wage equality, the power of choice, and making sure no one gets left behind.

I love the scent of lavender.

I love picking out gifts.

I love the library.

I love snail mail.

I love coffee-table books and documentaries.

I love neck and shoulder rubs.

I love impromptu dance parties and singing in the car.

 

Q&A

What is your current obsession?
Funny you should ask. I just wrote about this on Monday. See: Monday’s Post, Aptly Titled: Current Obsessions.

What is your weirdest obsession?
Gosh. I don't know. I obsess about a lot of things but it usually passes.

What are you wearing today?
I wore a magenta cashmere hoodie, a cream-colored, ruffly tank top, and skinny gray corduroys. I’ve replaced the cords with yoga pants since arriving home.

What’s for dinner?
My darling husband made pork loin and a yummy pasta salad with tomatoes and spinach. I wish I hadn’t had a stomachache. That would have made it immeasurably more enjoyable, but I still loved it.

What would you eat for your last meal?
Expensive cheese. Pineapple. Homegrown tomatoes.

What’s the last thing you bought?
I bought an apple-and-cheese sandwich and three-pepper chips for lunch.

What are you listening to right now?
William is watching basketball.

What do you think of the person who tagged you?
No one tagged me, but I picked this up from Red Red Whine, who is a new addition to my blogworld.

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
I don’t really want to leave my family, but you can’t pass up a fully furnished and paid for house on the coast of South Maui.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Um. That is far too overwhelming. Maybe somewhere in Hawaii to meditate on how to answer this question?

Which language do you want to learn?
A few. French, Arabic, Mandarin.

What is your favorite colour?
Pink.

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?
I have a bright yellow wool pencil skirt that I’m fond of. My (see above) magenta cashmere hoodie. Citizens of Humanity jeans.

What is your dream job?
Writer.

What’s your favourite magazine?
Bitch. Bust. Vanity Fair. Body + Soul. Real Simple. Elle Décor. ReadyMade. There are a lot.


If you had £100 now, what would you spend it on?
Travel money. Winter boots. A class.


Describe your personal style?
I love vintage and very feminine things. But I also love very tailored things. Pencil skirts, ballet flats, cardigans, belts, animal prints (esp. zebra). Jackie O. I’m a long-haired person, not a short-haired person. I love glitter and eyeliner and loads of mascara.

What are you going to do after this?
I have some writing to catch up on—work.

What are your favourite films?
Almost Famous, Annie, High Fidelity, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Love Actually, Lost in Translation, The Graduate, all the John Hughes canon. But my favorite types of movies are documentaries.

What’s your favourite fruit?
Pineapple. But I also love apples (but not red or golden delicious). And raspberries. And mango. I love fruit. I hate bananas, though. Gross.

What inspires you?
People who follow through. People who manage to make lemonade out of lemons. People who take the disparate pieces and put them together. People who speak out about injustice. People inspire me, in short. That is why I like to write stories about them.
Also: spectacular summer and fall days and great writing.

Do you collect anything?
The question is, what don’t I collect. I have no filter, so I collect junk mail and nearly-empty chapsticks and god knows what else.

I don’t know. I guess I don’t have a dedicated collection.

Your favourite books?
A tough call. This list is a mile long. Some to start you off: Island of the Blue Dolphins, Push, We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families, What is the What, Cash, The Kite Runner, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Random Family, The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup, The Orchid Thief, Crime and Punishment, She’s Come Undone, Where the Red Fern Grows, The Color Purple, The Great Gatsby…I could go on and on and on.

What are you currently reading?
The Forever War by Dexter Filkins. Amazing writing and reportage (See again: Current Obsessions post).

By what criteria do you judge a person?
Very interesting question. I don’t know! I have strong feelings about political leanings… I probably judge a lot on that. Sense of humor, apparent kindness, whether they like dogs. . .

What skill would you like to acquire immediately?
Skill or natural talent? Because what I’d love to be able to do is sing. As far as acquired talent, I would like to be good at guitar and piano.

What would you tell yourself 10 years ago? 10 years from now?
10 years ago, I was 18 and starting my freshman year of college. I would tell myself to screw it and take out more loans and study abroad, I would tell myself to get more involved, I would tell myself not to be so damned worried about everything.

10 years from now: I would remind myself that though the 20s were indeed a time of great change and frustration, that there were really awesome parts of my life that I loved and to remember them often. Falling in the for-real love, getting married, living in a loft downtown.

The rules:
1. Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention, add one more question of your own.
2. Let me know you did this!

Favorite Things, Part I

A long time ago, a friend told me to do a blog post about my favorite things. I have been turning the idea over and over ever since (and it was a long time ago). I decided to break it up into parts. Today's is a little more of the personal side. (Please ignore my tell-not-show writing style here, and forgive me. One of these days I'll have more time for a show-not-tell post.) Later, I'll do fun gear. Because everyone likes gear.

One of my favorite things about my relationship with my husband happens when we are watching a scene on TV or a scene unfold in public, and we look at each other, and we just KNOW what the other person is thinking. A small shake of the head, a smile, or a glance, and it's a whole conversation. It makes me light up inside.

One of my favorite things about my family is that we actually love to spend time together. We genuine interest in each other, and we are all kind to each other, and to others out in the world--I'm very lucky that I am surrounded by such generous people--with their time, their love, their enthusiasm, and their support when things get rough. I have a deep sense of admiration for these people.

One of my favorite things about my friends is that I can always, always, always count on them to pick me up. Time and again, my friends say and do things that keep me real, cheer me up, and remind me not to take everything so seriously. And we can always make each other laugh. And god knows, I love laughing. We are so good at entertaining each other.

One of my favorite ways to spend time is reading magazines, especially ones with in-depth features (think Esquire, Rolling Stone (though I don't read that one much these days), Bitch, Bust, Vanity Fair, New York, New Yorker) and home decorating (Elle Decor, the beloved but defunct Domino, ReadyMade, etc.). I love getting lost in other people's lives, ways to see the world, and how people live. One of my favorite parts of traveling is the send-off...getting to the airport and splurging on all the great magazines at the newsstands.

Which brings me to one of my favorite things about myself--this one was hard. I think one of my favorite things about myself is my sense of curiosity. I like to learn about other people and their lives, what makes them tick, how they live, how to do new things, or how the world goes 'round. I'm truly curious, and I hope I never lose that sense of wanting to learn, wanting to be surprised, and constantly finding signs that humanity isn't totally cracked.

Meme Time

I have a better post, all ready to go, but the photos are NOT WORKING. Alas, will have to be posted this weekend.

1. The phone rings. Who do you want it to be? A publisher.

2. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart? Always. ALWAYS.

3. In a social setting, are you more of a talker or a listener? Depends on the situation, but I’m a talker.

4. Do you take compliments well? I cherish sincere compliments but sometimes I have a hard time accepting them.

5. Do you play Sudoku? It involves numbers…so no. But I'll tell you this: Sudoku was spelled wrong on the meme, and I just corrected it. So there!

6. If abandoned alone in the wilderness, would you survive? I might. By running to civilization.

7. Did you ever go to camp as a kid? We had a cabin. That WAS my summer camp.

8. What was your favorite game as a kid? I liked Scattergories. And card games.

9. Would you slow dance with someone that you knew was married? At a wedding or something for fun? Sure. If it was intended to be something other than just having fun dancing, then no.

10. Could you date someone with different religious beliefs than you? Yes. If I wasn’t married.

11. Do you like to pursue or be pursued? I give you Shakespeare.
Helena:
"We should be woo'd and were not made to woo."
A Midsummer Night's Dream (II, i, 242)

12. Use three words to describe yourself. Nerdy, giggly, loyal

13. Do any songs make you cry? Oh God yes. Lots of them. The one that immediately comes to mind is the Christian funeral song, “On Eagles’ Wings.” Jesus. I can’t even think about it or I burst into tears. "The Star Spangled Banner" gets me once in a while. There are other songs, connected to experiences and moments.

14. Are you continuing your education? I will if I can ever afford it. I really think there should be a Dr. in my title. Even though it won’t be in medicine.

15. Do you know how to shoot a gun? No. But I bet I’d be a good shot if I practiced.

16. If your house was on fire, what would be the first thing you grabbed? Molly. If she’s a “thing”. Otherwise, probably my photo box and my jewelry box. I don’t have anything expensive, but stuff rich in memories.

17. How often do you read books? I try to read a LOT. Like, a book a week. But I’ve been falling behind . . .

18. Do you think more about the past, present or future? Probably a lot about the future. I should stop doing that so much and focus on here and now.

19. What is your favorite children's book? Whoa. Um. What Do People Do All Day?, any Dr. Seuss, Island of the Blue Dolphins, the Ramona Quimby series... this list could go on forever.

20. What color are your eyes? blue

21. How tall are you? 5'6’’

22. Where is your dream house located? Probably on the beaches of South Maui. But, you know, I really like the one I have now. It's home.

23. Have you ever taken pictures in a photo booth? I absolutely LOVE photobooth photos. We used photobooth photos for our save-the-dates.

24. When was the last time you were at Olive Garden? Um, probably the last time I was there was the time that I accidentally dined and dashed, about six years ago. I wrote the check out, but I must have been distracted, and I didn’t put it in the little holder thing. I found it when I went to write my next check…which was a long time afterward. I called and apologized…and dropped off another check. I couldn't live with the guilt, even though the manager told me it was OK.

25. What is the furthest place you traveled today? Work? Not very far. 12 miles.

26. Do you like mustard? Mmm, yes. And it’s fat-free.

27. Do you prefer to sleep or eat? What? I can’t choose.

28. Do you look like your mom or dad? I look exactly like my mother. I don’t even look related to my dad.

29. How long does it take you in the shower? A long time. Probably 15 minutes. It’s an indulgence.

30. Can you do the splits? Never could, never will.

31. What movie do you want to see right now? Something engaging and good.

32. Do you think The Grudge was scary? I didn’t see the whole thing.

33. Do you own a camera phone? Yes.

34. Was your mom a cheerleader? No

35. What's the last letter of your middle name? N

36. How many hours of sleep do you get a night? I try to get 8. It’s usually more like 7. I need more like 10.

37. Do you like Care Bears? I did when I was a kid. I also recently tried to trick someone into thinking I had a stomach tattoo in Old English font that said Care Bear Stare. It almost worked.

38. What do you buy at the movies? If I buy something, it’s usually an Icee.

39. Do you know how to play poker? Kind of, but I have the WORST poker face. I don’t play.

40. Do you wear your seatbelt? Always.

41. What do you wear to sleep? It depends on my mood.

42. Anything big ever happen in your hometown? We have the worlds’ smallest park! HELL YEAH! Top that!

43. How many meals do you eat a day? 2.5-3, usually.

44. Is your tongue pierced? No.

45. Do you like funny or serious people better? Funny people. But seriosity is important. And yes, I made that word up.

46. Ever been to L.A.? No, but someday I will have met the Cali girls!!!

47. Did you eat a cookie today? Yes! Although I find I crave them less and less. My sweet tooth is apparently going away.

48. Do you use cuss words in other languages? Does dummkoff count? I think that’s German for dumbass. (actually, dumbhead, now that I look it up). And I never really use that. It was just the only swear word in another language I could think of.

49. Do you steal or pay for your music downloads? Pay to play, baby, pay to play. Unless it’s Pandora, which isn’t a download.

50. Do you hate chocolate? I’m not psycho, so no.

51. What do you and your parents fight about the most? With my dad? Politics. With my mom? I don’t really fight with her.

52. Are you a gullible person? I don’t think so. Years of my older brother making up stories has made me more critical.

53. Do you need a boyfriend/girlfriend to be happy? I’m married… but I didn’t find him until I felt good about myself.

54. If you could have any job (assuming you have the skills) what would it be? Feature writer for national magazines, with a book deal, of course.

55. Are you easy to get along with? I think so….

56. What is your favorite time of day? Seeing William after a long day; when I climb into bed, Mo jumps in, and we snuggle and read for a while.

Recommitting to the Intention

Lying on the floor on a rubber mat, breathing deeply, and emptying out the contents of my brain. Reverse thinking. No doing, besides breathing and letting go.

Then, suddenly, I sweep my arms over my head and stretch from the tips of my fingers to the tops of my toes. Arch up and bridge out, raising and lowering my arms and spine as I breathe in and out and find my zone.

Heart beating a little faster, standing now, sweeping arms up overhead, now bending in half, suddenly pushing a leg back to a lunge, palms pushing against the floor, now the dreaded plank, and we freeze, holding ourselves up, the beginning of a pushup. Now, lower, and halfway up into Cobra, then Up Dog, now curling toes under, pushing sitting bones up, blood rushing as I hang my head and hold it, breathing, waiting for the next gentle suggestion.

Shaking it out, pushing into Crescent, arms overhead, pivoting, Warrior one, two, three, my thighs are burning, but as I hinge forward that my back lays flatter (though not yet as flat as I'd like), and I am touching the floor with certainty, not grazing with fingertips, not hovering six inches above the floor. Boat pose, leaning back but not relaxing now, no, shaking, a thin sheen developing over my whole body.

Hip flexors, calves, lower back, relaxing the shoulders down, rolling the neck, tipping the head back, spine crackling.

Every Tuesday night, my yoga instructor asks us to commit to our intention. It can be a simple one. No lofty goals needed in an hour of yoga, a nice reminder to someone like me, someone as flexible as a two-by-four.

I commit. I commit. I commit to each pose because I want to be healthier, more flexible; my stomach likes it, I can tell. I commit to letting go of the day, of the six days leading up to this hour. I forget it. I indulge, and I work at it.

I will likely never be able to sing or play piano, despite my deep wishes, or paint a beautiful portrait, or change the world, or win a Pulitzer or Booker prize. But for one hour, I can commit to breathing. Just breathing.

I need to commit to writing. I relax into it, but at the same time, if I'm serious, I have to work at it, invent synapses, create bridges, reach out through my whole body, exercise vocabulary, strengthen my mental reserve, push myself to the limit. I have to commit. Instead of my fingers finding the floor, they find the keys, and hopefully, eventually, they are skyward, and I am saying, even if I'm shaking, finally. I'm where I want to be.

As my yoga instructor reminds us each week: If you could call it perfection, what would it look like, feel like, be like? In this moment, call it perfection, and know that it is enough.

Come On, Get Happy

Because we're all feeling a little down, or at least feeling the effects of what's going on (plus some seasonal affective disorder for those of us in northern climes), I thought I'd post a list of songs that make me unbelievably happy, no matter what. Sometimes you just need some dance-around-the-living-room tunes.

Disclaimer: These aren't necessarily posted in the way that I would put them on a mix CD, just a random list. And there are some guilty pleasures on here. You know you have some too.

Disclaimer 2: I'm missing some songs, inevitably, and I lost this post once already, so I'm probably missing even more.

Superstition, Stevie Wonder
What I Like About You, The Romantics
Supernatural Superserious, R.E.M.
Anything You Want, Roy Orbison
Anything by the Traveling Wilburys
You Wreck Me, Tom Petty
Everlong, Foo Fighters
Shake Shake, The Subways
Raspberry Beret, Prince
Billie Jean, Michael Jackson
Da Funk, Daft Punk
I Want You Back or ABC, Jackson 5
Ignition, R. Kelly (I know)
Hey Ya!, Outkast
Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
Seether, Veruca Salt
Oxford Comma, Vampire Weekend
Fat Bottomed Girls, Queen
Mysterious Ways, U2
Crater Lake, Liz Phair
Interstate Love Song, Stone Temple Pilots
Spiderwebs, No Doubt
Son of a Preacher Man, Dusty Springfield
The Way We Get By, Spoon
I Like It, I Love It, Tim McGraw
The Twist, Chubby Checker
Find the River, R.E.M.
Rave On, Buddy Holly
Freedom 90, George Michael
My Favourite Game, The Cardigans
Sweet Child O Mine, Guns 'n' Roses
Today, Smashing Pumpkins
Cecilia, Simon & Garfunkel
Sedated, The Ramones
Disturbia, Rihanna
SexyBack, Justin Timberlake
Since U Been Gone, Kelly Clarkson
Mach 5, The Presidents of the United States of America
To Be With You, Mr. Big
Pump It Up, Elvis Costello
Green Onions, Booker T & the M.G.s
Rising Sign, Mike Doughty
Like a Prayer, Madonna
Jealousy, Liz Phair
Jackson, Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash
99 Problems, Jay-Z
Sunshine of your Love, Cream
Maneater, Hall & Oates
If I Run, Semisonic
Suspicious Minds, Elvis
Electrolite, R.E.M.
Pretty much anything by the Pixies

Funny how a lot of my thinky favorite songs don't make it on here...just the ones that make me want to dance, mostly, or make me feel like the world's OK.

Your turn: What are your faves?

A to Z on my last night of being 27.

A. Attached or single? Attached.

B. Best friend? I keep all my friends near and dear. But my longest-running, closest friends are my family members, my BFF since first grade, and William.I'm not really into hierarchy though. It seems mean.

C. Cake or pie? Coconut cream pie. Otherwise, cake. Red velvet's my favorite.

D. Day of choice? Saturday. I'd pick Sunday if Monday didn't come after it.

E. Essential item? Mascara.

F. Favorite color? Pink or purple. Black for clothing.

G. Gummy bears or worms? Bears, especially the Haribo ones in the gold bag.

H. Hometown? The dub!

I. Favorite indulgence? Massage.

J. January or July? July

K. Kids? I think so, someday.

L. Life isn't complete without? Love (not just the married kind), books, music, tasty food, and a dog.

M. Marriage date? May 27, 2008.

N. Number of brothers and sisters? One sister, one brother. I'm lucky 'cos mine are super awesometastic. And I get one of each.

O. Oranges or apples? MMM. Both. I love fruit. Besides bananas.

P. Phobias? Bugs, especially centipedes. Snakes. Failure.

Q. Quotes? "This too shall pass."

Well-behaved women rarely make history. —Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

R. Reasons to smile? vacations, surprises, kindness, shopping, sunshine, puppies, cute shoes, good friends, fresh-squeezed lemonade, smell of books, old photos, baby laughs

S. Season of choice? Spring. All the blooms, hope, warmth.

T. Tag 5 people. I don't want to make anyone do this...but if you do, let me know you did!

U. Unknown fact about me?
I'm an open book, it's hard to come up with these types of things. Maybe some of you don't know that I've won three spelling bees.

V. Vegetable? spring sugar snap peas, asparagus, broccoli, red peppers, kohlrabi, corn on the cob, butternut squash, cilantro (is that a veggie?), homegrown tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, carrots...I like vegetables a lot.

W. Worst habit? Picking at and biting the dry, dry skin around my nails.procrastinating.

X. X-ray or ultrasound? Yucko either way. But an ultrasound might mean a baby! So that's super cool.

Y. Your favorite foods? Mom's spaghetti. Pineapple. Cheese. Greek yogurt. Farmer's Market veggies. Pot roast. Fresh homegrown tomatoes. Haralson apples. Bacon. Ice cream. Anything from a Thai restaurant, pretty much. I love food. Life is too short to not enjoy it.

Z. Zodiac sign? Sagittarius, and it suits me well.

Home

I have been doing a lot of contemplating lately about what makes a home, home.
I grew up just a few miles from where I live now, and St. Paul and its metro area will always be home for me, no matter where I may go. (Probably nowhere permanently because I'm such a fraidy-cat).

This weekend, I went to one of my homes. I took a road trip with my husband and brother-in-law, four and a half hours north, to a cabin that resides quietly near at the Canadian border. It's near a few towns you've never heard of. The mosquitoes take steroids. A local bar names the geographic location as "where the pavement ends and the north begins." I can't make this stuff up.

The nights become so pitch black you can see the swirls and whorls of the Milky Way, actual milky, sparkly spindles that wind through the sky. Everything smells like pine and clean water and gravel road. When I was young, we got one radio station. It was old country, interspersed with Achy Breaky Heart, and promptly at 9 p.m., you lost reception. It didn't matter if it was mid-song. We got one tv station. Usually it showed Sesame Street in the afternoons. I read a lot of books.

It was there I learned to fish, and I learned the difference between rock bass, sunfish, walleye, crappies, northerns, and perch. I saw a rainbow end in my front yard. I saw an eagle teach her babies to fly. A snake slithered over my foot in the outhouse—indoor plumbing is a fairly new addition to our outpost. I can be fully immersed in 70-degree water in less than a minute and after some initial screaming, enjoy it.

I have convinced wild ducks to eat out of my hand. Come to think of it, I saw ducks immediately after birth, pushed out of their duck house to find the lake. I had a bear amble by the living room window. I have seen fawns frolic with their mom. I've danced in a bar to the live tunes of Johnny Cash's former guitarist. I learned to drive a three wheeler.

I've learned about respecting the environment and seen the effects of what happens when you don't. I've become protective of that environment.

I've learned a lot of life lessons and I've gotten to know my parents and my siblings in ways I don't think I would have, had we always stayed in the city. We play games together at the cabin. We watch less TV and fish together. We tell stories from a long time ago. Those are treasured bits of my family history.

I have eaten a lot of appetizers, enjoyed a lot of cocktail hours, swam in a lot of cold water, and screamed at bugs and other slithery and slimy critters. I've itched a lot of bites. I've listened to wicked raindrops cascade onto a tin roof, and done nothing else because we're out of power.

I've spent a lot of time in awe, in total wonder, at how something so beautiful has become a part of me. Trees like old friends. The massive unpredictability of weather that makes a good day feel like winning the lottery.

Just yesterday, I woke up, threw on some day clothes, brushed my teeth, and headed out on the boat with my dad and brother-in-law and husband. We fished for three-ish hours, carrying in quite a few sunnies. My dad filleted them immediately afterward. We donned our suits and our brave faces and waded into the water. We floated on noodles and bobbed with waves and rinsed off. My sister and niece sat in the lounge chairs, shiny from sunscreen, and giggled at my screaming at the cold water. But, I promise, it really is refreshing once you get in.

We ate tacos for dinner and packed sunny filets in our cooler. We packed up reluctantly, bid everyone farewell. As the dust kicked up under our wheels, I thought about how I felt like I was driving away from home to go home. Behind this urban-girl veneer is a country girl.