Tuesday, April 3, 2012

All About Me: 11 More Fun Facts

Just as I was ready to kick off a productive weekend that included a nice break for a little spring wine tasting, an allergy attack/possible head cold came along with a quite different set of plans. So, instead of getting ahead in my classwork and heading out to the country to enjoy a few sips of wine and views of lovely spring blooms, I spent the majority of my weekend nestled on the couch eating spicy Thai soup, watching West Wing DVDs and catching up on the latest issues of SELF.

During the time I did manage to sit at the computer and actually get some work done, I had the chance to complete another fun Q&A round, this one sent to me by Diana at The World Around Her. Check out my answers below, and have a great (hopefully allergy-free) Tuesday! 

If you could meet anyone in the world, living or dead, who would that person be?

Abigail Adams has always inspired me with her wisdom and ability to think and see beyond the societal restrictions of the time in which she lived. I’ve loved reading various biographies about Abigail over the years, and while visiting the Adams National Historical Park in Quincy last summer, I also heard another story about her that I truly enjoyed.

You may have at some point heard about the tradition of hanging a horseshoe above the front door in order to capture the luck of visitors who enter your home. Abigail, however – realizing that her family had been fortunate to achieve considerable successes in life – wished to instead share her luck and good will with others. So, instead of the traditionally hung horseshoe, Abigail actually hung hers upside down, so that her good luck might rain down upon visitors and enrich their lives for the better. 

Why did you start blogging?

I first started blogging while planning my wedding back in 2009, thinking that it might be a fun way to connect with other brides and start to rekindle my passion for writing creatively after a couple years of dormancy while working for Congress. Since then, blogging has helped change my life in so many amazing ways, leading to wonderful friendships, great career opportunities and a renewed sense of direction. Every day, I’m so grateful that I took the plunge!

My wedding was just the beginning of my journey as a blogger. Image Source: Alex Neumann Photography 
If you became extremely rich by winning the lottery, would you help people from your past that popped up again?

Still no mega-millions for us as of last Friday, but if I won the lottery, I would first help those in need who have been there for me throughout my entire life, including my own parents. I would also use the money to help support causes I strongly believe in, such as reforming our healthcare system and ending women's rights abuses. 

From when we are little girls until we are grown women, we dream of future baby names. What are some that you've thought of?

My tastes have evolved over time, but for girls, several names I like right now are Rory, Quinn and Leia. For boys, there honestly aren’t a whole lot of names I truly love, though I do like William as a classic choice, along with Logan and Corey.

On that note, would you be upset if a friend took your future kid's name that you really loved and wanted to use it if she had a baby first?

I never thought about it before, but yes, I guess that would be a bummer!

I love this idea! Image Source: thedailybuzz.com.au
Do you have any tattoos, or would you like to get any? If so, what are they?

I don’t have any tattoos and don’t plan to get any in the future, both because I am a wimp when it comes to any type of pain and because I also don’t like the idea of having something permanent drawn on my skin. I have seen some really awesome designs, though, and think they are great for those who choose to get them. I always feel sad when I see brides pressured to cover their tattoos during their weddings, since their tattoos are a part of who they are! 

Are you obsessed with or do you like to follow the life and career of any celebrities?

I try not to become too celeb-obsessed, because I know it’s all trivial at the end of the day, but I do love to follow celebrity wedding news, in addition to anything involving William, Kate and the rest of the royals. Anne Hathaway is another favorite star I like to follow, along with members of the Glee cast. My guilty pleasure each spring is also American Idol, and I definitely love to follow “behind-the-scenes” news about the show and its contestants.

Do you collect anything, i.e. dolls, collectables, animal objects, etc.?

At my parents’ home in California, I have a beautiful three-story dollhouse filled with the miniature furniture and accessories that I collected throughout my childhood. Once Stephen and I hopefully move back out West someday, I’d love to reorganize and refurbish the collection.

The nursery inside my childhood dollhouse, which could definitely use some fresh carpeting & a nice spring cleaning! 
How many states have you been to? Do you have a favorite other than the one you live in?

My favorite state is definitely California, where I grew up and lived for 22 years. I’ve also been to Hawaii, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Florida, Virginia, DC, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Illinois and West Virginia. I may be leaving a couple out and am also not counting those states in which I've only been at an airport while on a connecting flight.

When you were little, what was your dream career. Has that come true or changed?

My original childhood dream was to become a teacher, since I always loved going to school and learning. I guess I technically carried this out, in a way, by working as a Spanish tutor during high school.

Do you have any secret talents or quirks that you don't tell a lot of people about?

One of my biggest quirks is that I am a complete neat-freak who is constantly organizing and arranging things around the house. Messiness drives me crazy and keeps me from relaxing, which really worries me about how I’m going to handle having kids someday! 

17 comments:

  1. I love reading about you and I'm so glad you're better!
    I didn't know that about Abigail Adams' horseshoe; that is really cool.

    I love the name Leia, by the way and I totally won't steal it ;o)

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  2. It great to read so much about you, I think you are a super cool person and hopefully one day we get to meet in person, perhaps here in the Caribbean over some pina coladas in front of the sea?

    Have a great day :)

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  3. Great post - your childhood dollhouse is amazing! My dad built an awesome dollhouse for me that my mom is hanging onto in case we ever have kids. I am also a huge Glee fan, though I haven't had the chance to watch too often this season.

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  4. I always wanted a dollhouse like that growing up. If I ever have a daughter that will be my excuse to finally get one :)

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  5. I have a dollhouse at my parents too. Cullen loves to play with it whenever we visit!

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  6. LOL, the question about the kid's name reminds me of a Friends episode that was recently on.

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  7. Posts like this are so fun! I love learning new things about my favourite bloggers :)

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  8. I would love to fly you in Heather to help me reorganize my closet! The dollhouse you had as a child is really nice!!! I had one that we bought when I was a kid in Taiwan! But It didn't have as many details as you have.

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  9. I just love learning more about my bloggie friends :)

    XOXO,
    Jamie
    http://ilookgoodtoday.com
    Twitter: ilookgoodtoday1

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  10. Wow I love your answers. You really took the time to think about them and answer them well. What an interest fact about Mrs. Adams...love that about the horseshoe!

    I always loved the name Quinn for a girl too, but thats because I read this book about a Princess named Quinn when I was in high school! Love the name Logan too! And I wont steal them! ;)

    How adorable is your childhood dollhouse, thank you for sharing that with us! xoxo

    Neat freak isnt such a bad quirk to have! ;)

    So who is your favorite on Idol so far? I was so sad to see Erika leave. But I love, love Phil Phillips!!! Jessica has an amazing voice and Skylar is just so cool and fun! Elise did amazing with the Zepplin song!

    Can you believe that Scotty hit 1 million...that was great to see and he sounded really great, matured a lot.

    Thanks for posting and answering! xoxo

    You're really a wonderful person and I hope to meet and have lunch some day.

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  11. cute baby names!

    you've been to so many states. i have only been to 5 and need to see more of this beautiful country.

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  12. To answer your question, I used Legal Zoom. It was like $70 and the website prompts you with the questions you need to answer, then they send you everything typed out to sign (I'm still waiting to get mine). Pretty easy.

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  13. As usual great getting to know you more. Hope you feel better! I can't stand the pollen around here and how it impacts allergies!!

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  14. Love these Q&A style posts. We get to learn so much more! :-)

    Jayme & Mendi @ Her Late Night Cravings

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  15. great answers!

    i tagged you in a post!
    http://www.somethinginfinitelyinteresting.com/2012/04/11-things.html

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  16. Very nice getting to know you better! I LOVE CA too and would LOVE to live in San Diego someday in the near future!

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