Just Another Wacky, Wonderful Wednesday

1. Have you ever been so lost that you were really afraid? YES! I was once lost in Tucson after leaving my friend Candice's house. Trust me, being lost in the desert is scary!
I am a big scaredy cat though, so anytime I am lost and it is dark or desolate I am usually sacred!

2. Have you ever been to an island? Yep. I went to Catalina Island in California in sixth grade for a field trip. We went snorkeling which was so fun! It was a beautiful place.

3. Are you more of a thinker or feeler? Thinker. I am very analytical especially with the big decisions in my life. I think feelings are fickle and untrustworthy! Think about it- when you are mad or hurt about something that happened, do you really want to just go automatically with what you feel like you want to do? You should instead do what you KNOW to be the right thing to do!

4. Do you tend to see issues or situations in life as black and white or shades of gray? Gray. Life is more complex than just two options. If we see the world in black and white we are also more likely to fall into the trap of pride and think our own way it the right way and everyone else is wrong. It makes us closed off to the beautiful discoveries of life.

5. If you were stuck on an island, what book would you hope to have with you (Let's pretend the Bible is already there, so you can't say that.) I am glad the Bible would be there! I guess I would hope to have Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. That is one of those books that I love to re-read every so often.

6. What are you most afraid of? Physically- spiders and scorpions. Even the tiny ones make me shudder! This is my bf and friend. Dave always finds spider stuff to try to scare me, haha. Emotionally, I would have to say losing the people I love or seeing them hurting and not being able to do anything about it.

7. Would you rather lose all of your old memories or never be able to make new ones? Wow! This is a tough one! I would hope to always have both, but I would rather lose all of my old memories. I think there are a lot of us out there who have trouble letting go of the past, including me. I don't want to live in the past. I would rather live for today and look forward to making my life richer and fuller everyday!

8. Pretend I'm looking at a scrapbook page about you. There are three spaces for you to drop in individual pictures. What are those pictures of, and why did you select them? Since I am a scrapbooker (check my stuff out here) this is another hard question! I would have a lot of difficulty choosing only three pictures to represent who I am. I think my three would be a pic of me and my dad at one of my many softball games growing up. That was a huge part of my life growing up and my dad coached my for many years! I would also pick a group family picture, because they are so important to me. I would also pick one of Dave and I because he is the other major piece of my life. The people in my life are what is important to me!

9. If you were re-doing your wedding, what would you do differently? (If you're single, tell me one thing you would do if you were planning a wedding OR huge party.) I have been thinking about my wedding A LOT lately and one thing I would like to have is a candy buffet. I have a major sweet tooth and I think they look so great in all those pretty glass containers. I also would love a chocolate fountain. Yummy!

10. Tell me one thing you know/believe about forgiveness. It is the only way to find inner peace and let go of all the hurt we experience in life.

11. You're waiting in a doctor's office. What is your favorite way to pass that time? Magazines or cell phone games. The doctor's office is the only time I read magazines anymore!

12. If there were a clone of you in a parallel universe what is one way you hope she/he would be the same as you and one way you hope she/he would be better? I hope that she would be just like me but more confident and social. Those are things I wish I could be better about!

Another week of great questions over at 2nd Cup of Coffee! To play along with The Random Dozen, head on over and link up!

I also love Kelsey's question for Wishful Wednesday this week.
'I wish' .... I could go back and spend one day working at a job from my youth, and it would be ______!
I loved all my jobs growing up! I would love to go back and relive all the fun memories at each one. My first was at a smoothie shop when I was 15 and my two BFFs worked there with me! I still LOVE smoothies and memorized a lot of the recipes and make them at home and I still see my two BFFs all the time, so there is not much there to go back and relive that I don't have in my life now! I also loved my job at a movie theatre in town. I got to see free movies, give out free passes, and I loved the people I worked with. I don't keep in touch with any of them so I think that is the one I would love to go back to just for one day!

To play along head on over to The Seattle Smith's:

On an unrelated note, I am super excited to go to Pappadeaux's with Dave for some crawfish tonight! We went a few weeks ago (which was my 1st time eating crawfish) and I am hooked! Yum Yum!! Hope everyone has a great Wednesday!

The Spirit of Charity

"The spirit of charity exists in all of us. Sometimes the brightest sparks come from the smallest fires. There is power in every act of kindness no matter how small."

'I wish' .... I had never-ending funds to donate to ______ charity!

This is such a great question! I really do wish I had more to give to all the great charities out there! But since I don't have all the money in the world, I have decided I need to start volunteering my time more often! I am applying to work with Arizonans For Children, which is a wonderful organization that works with foster children to provide them with tutors, mentors, and give them some measure of stability in their lives. I would like to start tutoring a child, but I may have to wait until fall to start. This is a subject that is very near and dear to my heart. My mom is a social worker and I have known from a fairly young age that there are kids out there who don't have a mom and dad who can take care of them. Most of us can take for granted growing up in a home with one or both of our parents, with enough food and a safe place to sleep at night. A lot of foster children get bounced around and don't have anything stable in their lives. Mentors and tutors at AZs for Children stay with the same child no matter where the child is moved.

I was happy to see this question this week because there is still time to vote for your own favorite project at Pepsi Refresh. Pepsi is donating millions of dollars to the winning projects, so head over there and have your voice be heard! (I voted for the Big House Project, but there are so many wonderful projects being proposed!)

Now onto another fun round of questions with The Random Dozen:

1. How do you feel about "Gladiator" sandals, also called "Roman" or "Jesus" sandals? A fashion yea or nay? I used to hate them, but now I own two pairs. I think they can be cute, but some of them are crazy over the top!

2. What is your favorite pizza? The buffalo chicken pizza at No Anchovies in Tucson. I have not lived there in two years but I still crave it!

3. There are plans in the works to sell roughly 1,000 items from Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas. This means you could buy Picard's chair for your family room. If not a Star Trek item, what prop, background, set, etc. from what TV or movie would you buy if you could?
This is easy! I love the Wizard Of Oz, and have since I was a little girl! My first dog's name was Toto and I always had some Dorothy and Glinda the Good Witch dress up stuff! I even dressed up as Dorothy for Halloween... So my item of choice would have to be the Ruby Slippers! I got to see them in person at the Smithsonian in Washington DC and they really are beautiful! 4. Name a local food or restaurant that your area is famous for. This is an easy one too! I always get excited when I see an AZ restaurant on Food Network or another food show. The most famous one here is probably Pizzeria Bianco. It was on Oprah's show about the best foods in the country and it has been on countless other "best of" lists. Sadly, I have never been there, but it is on my list of To Do's!

5. What is your current favorite snack? This is something my friend's mom showed me and I love it! It is white cheddar popcorn, cheddar cheese popcorn, and butter popcorn all mixed together. It is simple but delicious!

6. Hypothetical: You are required to be a reality show contestant. Which show would you choose based on your probability of success? (You cannot choose "none.") A. Dancing with the Stars B. Biggest Loser C. Survivor
I love watching both Dancing With The Stars and Survivor, so it would be a tough call between the two of them! DWTS has the awesome costumes and I would love to learn how to dance like that, but I would probably end up being the first one voted off due to my lack of rhythm! I would have to say Survivor because I would actually have a shot at winning. Look at how many girls "flew under the radar" to win. That could totally be me... plus I would love to meet Probst! 7. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being uninhabitable and 10 being cleanliness that meets the standards of OCD, how clean is your vehicle's interior? 8, if you are not counting the trunk at the moment!

8. It doesn't feel like Spring until _________. The flowers start to bloom. Desert flowers are so beautiful to me!

9. Something that made you laugh really hard recently is ____. I normally hate commercials, but that car one with the Sock Monkey and other toys living it up at night is awesome! I love when the monkey gets a tattoo stitched on and when he is riding the mechanical bull!

10. Tell me about a goal you're working toward. As I mentioned above, I would love to become a tutor/mentor to a foster child through the Arizonans for Children program.

11. Share a thought-provoking or inspiring quote this week. This is one of my favorites:

May today there be peace within you.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received and pass on the love that been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let his presence settle into your bones and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, and bask in the sun. It is there for each and every one of you.

12. Name one thing that you do as a parent that you absolutely know will make your kids happy. I am not a mom yet, but I do know that what kids want more than anything else is your time. I hope I can be the kind of mom that is always there for my kids.

Feel The Burn!

This week there are some great questions over at the Random Dozen and I am happy to play along:

1. Define a great relationship. I think the best possible answer is always found in the Bible:
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails. {1 Corinthians 13}
We are certainly not perfect, but I think we are pretty lucky to have a love like ours. At the end of the day, you just want to be with someone who makes you laugh. ( :

2. Why is it called a "drive-through" if you have to stop? (Real question: What was the last food/drink you purchased at a drive-through?) I am actually not a huge drive through fan! The last thing I purchased was the Grilled Deli Trio at Jack In The Box. It was pretty tasty!

3. As I type this, the Butler Bulldogs are getting ready to play in the NCAA championship game. Every Hoosier is hysterical about this except me. So in honor of the Bulldogs ... what is your favorite breed of dog? (I tried.) I think I can easily say Silky Terrier(which is what my dog is and are VERY similar to Yorkshire Terriers, so I just call him that). I also love Papillons (which means butterfly in French) and think that might be my next breed of dog, although my boyfriend loves the King Charles Spaniels.
4. If you had to move to a state besides the one you currently live in, where would you move? I think it would be either California or Maine, but I love the Grand Canyon state for right now.

5. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be? I would not change a thing. I just wish it didn't go by so fast!

6. Who's the funniest person you know? My dad! I swear it is not just my bias! Some people are just quick witted and he definitely is one of those people!

7. Did you get enough sleep last night? I am lucky that I almost always get enough sleep.

8. What's the first thing you thought about this morning? 15 more mins, haha

9. Grilled or Fried? --HONESTLY, I would have to say fried! Believe me, I wish I preferred the healthy version!!

10. Are you afraid of the dark? Yes... As I posted before, my bedroom light is on a sixty min timer because I fall asleep with the light on so often! LOL

11.When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? Electrical engineer... I was a daddy's girl! ( :

12. If you had one word to describe yourself , what would you choose? BLESSED


To play along head on over to 2nd Cup of Coffee and link up!

I am also linking up at The Seattle Smiths for Wishful Wednesday this week.
I wish' .... I had the willpower to
stay on one particular diet,
and it would be ______!

For me, diet is the hardest part! I love to work out and be active, but asking me to give up all the delicious food I love is a whole different story! I have been super bad about both diet and exercise so this is the perfect opportunity for me to check out everyone's diet picks and maybe try one out myself! I think out of everything I have seen out there, the thing that I would like to start using is the GLYCEMIC INDEX. I learned about nutrition in school and this idea is both healthy and effective for weight control. According to Web MD, "The "glycemic index diet," "GI diet," and "low glycemic diet" are more than diet books. They refer to a system of ranking carbohydrate foods according to how much a certain amount of each food raises a person's blood sugar levels". They also point out, "The glycemic index is the basis for many popular diet plans, such as SouthBeach, The Zone, Sugar Busters, Glucose Revolution, and Ending the Food Fight."

I am excited to see what everyone else recommends and maybe I will start getting serious about my diet and exercise before summer comes! I went on a walk today with my BFF and our friend's dog Rouge, so that's a start! I have also thought about trying to do this One Hundred Pushups. I will keep you posted on that! To check out everyone's answers and link up your own suggestions head on over to the Seattle Smiths:

~Katie

Easter's Almost Here

I am finally getting to play along with The Random Dozen over at 2nd Cup of Coffee! This week it is an Easter themed questionnaire:

1. How do you feel about the marshmallow Easter Peeps? I feel pretty good about them! They are cute and tasty!
2. Chickens are notoriously nervous creatures. When you are nervous, what is the best way to calm down? Deep breaths
3. People say, "April showers bring May flowers." Do you enjoy Spring rains? I live in AZ so any rain here is a good thing!
4. When I was randomly flipping through TV channels this week, I saw a show in which tattoo parlor employees received tattoos of a co-worker's face on their bodies. I can't imagine having a portrait of a colleague tattooed on me. But if someone forced you to receive a portrait tattoo (face only) of anyone, who would it be? Why? Does a dog count? If so then I would get one of my dog Ty. I think portrait tattoos usually turn out not looking very good!
5. Would you rather have a tattoo (any kind) or a nose ring? Tattoo! A small bird or flower on my hip would be cool.
6. Do you have any special plans for Easter? Ham dinner with my grandparents.
7. Cadbury Eggs or Reese Eggs? Mmmm- both are delicious! If I had to choose only one it would have to be Reese's Eggs. PB and chocolate is one of the best things on earth in my opinion!
8. What was the last thing/person you took a picture of? I took a picture of my dog on my phone not too long ago. He is always doing something cute!
9. What book are you reading now, or what was the last one? Emma by Jane Austen. I saw the Masterpiece Classic on PBS and it inspired me to go back and read the classic.
10. What do you think is the most difficult task when it comes to Spring cleaning? Getting rid of stuff... I am such a hoarder!
11. How many pairs of flip-flops do you own? Too many to mention! Probably has something to do with the whole hoarder thing!
12. Which color makes you happiest? PINK or GREEN or BLUE

To play along or check out everyone's answers check out 2nd Cup of Coffee:



I am also playing along with Wishful Wednesdays, which is also an Easter themed question...
'I wish' .... I could re-live one Easter memory from my childhood, and it would be the Easter that ______!

I loved Easter as a child and if I could go back and re-live it I would love to go back and do all the fun kid stuff of Easter...painting eggs, hunting for plastic treat-filled eggs in the back yard, and the best part of all, Easter baskets from the Easter bunny. My mom (aka the Easter Bunny) went all out on our baskets as kids and it honestly felt like a mini Christmas! I guess I will have to wait until I have my own kids to relive that magic again!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Easter holiday!
~Katie