Tag… I’m it!

I am taking a snowy Sunday afternoon to do a few necessary things.  I rearranged my home office so that I could now look out the window and watch the huge white flakes drift to the ground.  Yes, that was a necessity.  And I decided to dive back into blog reading.  You see, in order to be a blogger, you need to be in community and actually read other people’s stuff.  As I looked at my google reader queue, I realized I had 457 unread posts.  That is unreal.  And it was necessary to fix the problem.

A bit of the way into the adventure, I found out that I had been tagged by my friend Jessica and didn’t even realize it!  So, since I’m a few weeks late, I figured I had better remedy the problem:

The Rules

1. When I’m working alone in my office, I always have Pandora going in the background.  I have five stations: quiet stuff (piano and instrumental), favorite rockers (U2, Incubus, etc), power female vocals (Adele, Amy Winehouse, Ingrid Michaelson, etc), soulful stuff (r&b, stuff that makes me want to stand up and sing out), and folksy stuff (guitar, indy, etc).
2. My cat Tiki weighs 23 pounds.  He is a monster.  And he keeps my feet warm at night.
3. I planted 1000 bulbs last fall.  I am praying that I don’t get moved because I would really like to enjoy them for a season or two.
4. The only television show that I feel like I HAVE to watch on a weekly basis is Fringe.  Everything else gets watched when I have days off on my hulu queue (Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, the Office, Bones, Smash)
5. I had a dance party Friday night with my nephews and niece and brother-in-law in the kitchen. We totally rocked out and danced like fools.  My favorite part was that my two year old nephew was the one who came and got me, grabbed me by the hand, and literally dragged me to the kitchen to dance with him.
6. My favorite church season is Advent.  I like the minor keys of the season and the expectation and longing.
7. I made potstickers twice this past week.  And plan to again in a few days.  They are yummy and I finally figured out how to do it without them being too oily and/or burnt.
8. I knit and crochet… and have a HUGE project to do for my mom that needs some attention. I promised her homemade seat cushions for the dining room and only have one done so far.
9. I am not a very neat person.  My office is always cluttered.
10. I was Ms. Czech-Slovak Iowa and competed at the National Ms. Czech-Slovak USA competition in Wilbur, Nebraska.
11. This isn’t so much about me, but my husband is an amazing cook and I am insanely jealous of his natural abilities.

1. Where would you go if you had an all-expenses paid trip somewhere? I have never been to the northeast United States and would love to experience NYC in all its glory.
2. What do you remember about kindergarten? We built an amazing playground when I was in kindergarten at our elementary school.  Everyone got to play a part, from washing the tires that went on the swings to sanding lumber.  It was amazing.
3. Where did you and your spouse go on your first date? Our first date was to the Millenium Dance, in December of 1999. I asked him.
4. It’s 10:30 pm on a weeknight. What are you doing? either on facebook, or in bed playing Mah-jong on my phone.
5. What did your senior prom dress look like? It was cream with lavender embrodiery on the bodice and a lavendar tulle overlay. (p.s. it is fun finding these pictures again!!!)
6. If you could instantly be fluent in one language, what would it be? German.  My answer would always have been Spanish before, but my husband and our friends all know a bit of German and it would be fun to talk with them.  Plus, I think we might go and try to visit Germany sometime soon.
7. What is the proudest moment of your life? My ordination.  It was so much work leading up to that moment and it was amazing to have the support of not only my family, but also my church family and my husband all there that day.  It made me proud to have them all with me.
8. Are there any words people say you pronounce funny? My husband always says I pronounce appreciate strangely.
9. What do people need to know about you to “really” know you? They need to know that I inhabit very different worlds in my life.  While I try to be “myself” everywhere I am, the perceptions of those around me does change how I behave in a given situation.  I suppose in some ways its expected that a pastor is different around family and friends, but those two worlds don’t always cross in my experience and so it sometimes feels like I’m living two different lives.
10. What was your favorite class in college? Metaphysics and Epistemology with John Pauley.  I never thought so hard in my entire life.
11. You’re craving something salty. What do you grab? Ramen noodles.  I love those things.

My 11 questions for these 11 people: @thereverendmom, @drbobcwcc, @jbonewald,  @briansteffen, @expatminister, @pastormelissa, @the_rev_kev, @johnmeunier, @MarthSpong, @kari_koehler, @teriosborn

1. What song describes your day today?
2. What is the last novel you read?
3. What is one goal that you have in your professional work right now?
4. Who was your best friend in middle school?
5. When did you realize what you wanted to be when you grew up?
6. What is your favorite church season/holiday?
7. Do you have a green thumb? If yes, what do you like to tend/plant?
8. Share about your last vacation.
9. If you had to chose another career today, what would it be and why?
10. What is your favorite memory of your grandpa?
11.  What is your favorite recipe?