15 Day Challenge: Day 10 and 11

So....sadly, I have fallen behind again.  Might have something to do with this 32-team National Tournament I am running this week/weekend.  But more on that after the 15 day challenge ends.  I am determined to keep up even if I have to do it two days at a time....

[Day 10]: What is your most embarrassing moment?

Fortunately, I am not too easily or often embarrassed.  I have a great ability to laugh it off and just keep going.  However, in recent years it seems I have a terrible time with falling down.  I slipped on ice in the middle of 5th Avenue, I slid halfway across Times Square with my laundry bag in the middle of a terrible rain storm, and I have even fallen up stairs, but none of these compare to one ill fated fall way back in my early high school days.  My family and I had gone to Cracker Barrel for lunch one perfectly fabulous day.  I could NOT have been happier because that is one of my favorites southern chains.  (PS - Do you know they have one of these in the Albany, NY area?  JACKPOT!!)  Anyway, after finishing the yummy meal and looking around in the store for a bit we began to head to the car.  If I remember correctly, and I'm not sure I'd be able to live it down even if I forgot, I was happily skipping/walking out to the car when I tripped and fell.  Not only did I fall, but in the process I managed to make a huge tear in my overalls (yes, I was wearing overalls and yes, they quite possibly might have been my favorite outfit at the time).  Now if I had just got up and moved on my with ripped overall life, everything would have quickly been forgotten by my family.  Instead, I broke down crying over my ripped overalls. Crying like it was my last day on Earth.  Crying in a way that was totally uncalled for considering the circumstances.  Crying...buckets of tears. You can imagine how this would lead to my very fun loving family having a hay day at my expense....of course, only after they'd asked if I was ok.  If only I had known that would be the style just a few years down the line.

[Day 11]: What's one thing that you would never change about yourself?

I have a few things.  Sorry, I couldn't just narrow it down to one thing.  And I'm considering that a good thing :)

I would never change the fact that I am "nice".  Whatever that exactly means.  I have always been the "nice" girl.  When I was younger, it didn't seem very fun or exciting, but I have a better understanding of it now.  I like being nice.  Besides people always remember how you made them feel, right?   

On a slightly less intense note, I have never put any dyes or color on my hair.  And the color is PERFECT...if I must say so myself :)  I like to say I am a red head, but I'm not your typical red head.  I just have hints of red that are especially visible during the summer months.  In the winter, the color gets a little darker, but still has those natural highlights that I love. While I haven't always loved the texture or style of cut, the color is something that I never wanted to change.  Same goes for my eyes.  They change tint with what I am wearing, but I have always been happy they are mine when I look in the mirror.

Lastly, I would not change my accent.  Moving from Kentucky to New York (and spending a bit of time in London along the way), I have recieved many a comment (notice I didn't say compliment...although those are fairly common, too) on my "southern" accent.  To me, I don't sound THAT southern, but I know I do have an accent.  To New Yorkers, I must sound like I came straight off the farm.  Regardless of the positive and negative comments, my accent is something I am glad to be able to carry around with me.  And I must admit, it helps me out more often than not in the big city :)

Hoping I can get back on track for these last few days!!

Andrea :)

15 Day Challenge: Day 9

[Day 9]: Tell us the best day of your life to date.

To be honest, I don't have a lot of too horribly terrible days.  Most of my days rank about the same - average, but good.  Nothing out of the ordinary special, but nothing rock my world horrible either.  I am kind of ok with that though.  I prefer predictable and routine most of the time.  And fortunately, that is how most of my days seem to play out.  Now, I must admit, when I think of best day of my life stories, I think of the day I got engaged, the day I got married, the day I found out I was pregnant, the day I gave birth to my child, the day I became a grandparent, etc.  While I do believe that in due time all of those days will come and all of them will seem like the best day of my life, none of them have come for me yet so I had to think again.  Perhaps outside the box.  So, for the best day of my life, I would have to go with the day I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.  This was many, many, many days ago....back when I was in high school.  You see, I had made a decision when I was probably a bit too young to really comprehend the real meaning of it.  I just went along with the rest of the crew at a VBS one summer.  When I was younger I never knew the difference, but as I got older I knew there was something missing.  I began to feel those tugs at my heart week after week at church, when we had youth group events, when we went away to camps, etc., but I didn't really know what to do until one fateful night at a service in our fellowship hall (we were in the process of building a new sanctuary).  Our pastor, Bro. Jeff, had recently broken his legs in a car accident and was just getting to the point in his recovery where he could stand and preach again.  It was late summer just as school was beginning for the year.  Bro. Jeff essentially told us how he had come to accept Christ as his Savior and he admitted to us that he made a true decision to become a Christian (for what might have seemed like a second time) beyond his childhood years.  This was my window of opportunity.  No one could question me if they were willing to accept what he was telling us that night.  That is when I made the decision to be real about my Christianity and to accept that Jesus Christ had come while I was still an unworthy sinner and died on the cross to pay the price for me.  His grace would be sufficient for me FOREVER now.  So, while "best" days will come and go over the course of my lifetime, I can say with absolute certainty that this was the best decision that I ever made no matter what good or bad days may come my way.

Andrea :)

15 Day Challenge: Weekend Wrap-up Edition...Day 6, 7, 8

I have been busy hanging out with Christopher this weekend so I am a bit behind on the 15 Day Challenge.  Forgive me for playing catch up, but I was very happy to be able to spend the extra time with him.  Here's the weekend wrap-up....

[Day 6]: What's something you've always wanted to do but haven't? Why not?

I have a whole list of things I want to do, but haven't listed here.  I have marked some of them as done (yay!!), but still have several to go.  Most of them involve travel or attending events.  I tend to do most things that interest me, but there are some items I would really like to cross off sooner than later.  Another thing I thought would be fun to do that isn't on my bucket list is ride a hot air balloon.  My brother and sister-in-law did that in Australia about a year ago and it sounded like a lot of fun.  Check out the bucket list to see some more things that I would like to do, but haven't been able to make the time to do yet.

[Day 7]: Recommend a book for us to read. Why is it important/special to you?

I used to read SOOOO much more than I do now, but I would like to get back in the habit of reading for pleasure on a regular basis so I am very interested to hear your suggestions.  One of the books that I read recently that really stuck with me was The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  I absolutely loved the way it was written in sections through different character's point of view.  The story was also very intriguing and moving.  The movie (which I saw after reading the book) stuck very close to the book, but I still recommend the book.  Even though it wasn't based on a true story, it was based on some very sad, but true historical facts about southern life in the 1960s.  I have always been interested in both history and psychology...this book has lots of both.  If there is anyone that hasn't already read it, I highly recommend it.

[Day 8]: Describe the good, the bad, and the ugly about yourself.

The Good

- I have a great sense of humor and love to laugh.  Love it!

- I am loyal. Particularly, I will defend my family, Christopher, and my truest, bluest friends (there are only a handful of these in my life) to the death. TO. THE. DEATH.  Just try me.

- I have a wide range of interests from sports to theater, country life to city living, cupcake connoisseur to running races.  About the only thing I don't find interesting on some level is fashion.

The Bad

- I have a horrible sense of time and direction.  I always find myself running late (which I hate) and getting lost (which I think I hate more).

- I often put too much trust in people that always let me down or use me.  Time after time after time.  I have gotten better with this one over time, but I still seem to attract people that like to take advantage.  Let's just say I don't have as many serial offenders anymore.  That's progress.

- When I feel hurt/get upset/am disrespected, I tend to hold it in and let it build up.  I am working to rectify this as I know it is not a positive thing for me.

The Ugly

- I don't do confrontation well. I get defensive or dismissive.  I just don't handle it well.

- Once I lose trust and respect in a person, it is gone.  There aren't any second chances.  It takes a lot to get me to that point, but once I'm there...I don't come back for more.

- Lie to me or yell at me and I am through.  These are my two deal breakers in life.  The truth will set you free and is always best.  I simply do not respond to yelling.  Even when I played sports and even when my parents (on a very, very rare occasion) did it.  I prefer to be spoken to in a normal tone regarding whatever has made someone angry, upset, etc.

Hoping to keep up with the day-by-day posts for the rest of this challenge.  I have enjoyed the prompts and reading what everyone else linking up had to say.  Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Andrea :)

15 Day Challenge: Day 5

[Day 5]: If you could have dinner with any five people, who would they be?

After much deliberation, I have decided who I would invite for dinner.  It is a very interesting group.  First, would be Denzel Washington (see #23).  I have met him before, but it was brief.  And I am convinced we would be friends if we spent an entire dinner together.  Plus, I made friends with his son once upon a time so we already have that in common - true story!  Next, I would invite my mom's mom and my dad's dad since I never met either of them.  I have heard lots of stories about both so I know it would be interesting to meet them.  The fourth person would be the President just because I have always thought it would be awesome to meet one.  It's not on my bucket list, but it is something that I have always wanted to do.  Last, but certainly not least, would be Jesus.  There are just so many questions I would love to ask.  So many! 

Be sure to link up with Sar to jump on the 15 Day Challenge wagon.  You still have 10 whole days to participate in the fun!!

Andrea :)

15 Day Challenge: Day 3 and 4

Happy 4th of July!!!  

yummy and healthy dessert I made to celebrate!

Yay for being American!!  And the countdown to my birthday has officially begun :)  I missed out on posting yesterday so I am doubling up on Day 3 and 4 today.

[Day 3]: Tell us about an article of clothing you're attached to.

To be honest, I had a lot of trouble thinking of a single piece of clothing.  There are lots of different items that through the years I have kept, but mostly just because I'm not that great at cleaning out my closet.  However, the pieces I have the most trouble parting with are those that have logos of events I worked or races I ran.  Even though it is very rare that I wear those shirts/polos outside of the event or race day, I have a closet stacked full of them.  I've gotten to the point with work where I purposely ask for sizes that don't fit so I can give them away rather than keep them.  Even though it is quite rare that I wear these items, they have so much sentimental value that I just can't throw them out.

[Day 4]: What's your favorite childhood memory?

I have many wonderful childhood memories, but what I remember most is how excited I was EVERY year for Thanksgiving to roll around.  Thanksgiving meant everyone came to our house when I was a kid.  I loved that.  It was always so exciting to get up on that Wednesday morning to wait for all of the out-of-town guests to begin arriving for their stay at our house.  I had bunk beds so I always got a roommate.  We had about 7-8 extra people at our house for the Thanksgiving break.  And we had SOOOOOO much fun.  We stayed up late playing board games and cards and just talking.  We had Rook tournaments with trophies for the winners and dreaded Earthcake (long story, but let's just say you did NOT want to have to eat it) for the losers.  We played Psychiatrist and the Broom Game (which we still use to initiate new people into our family - Chris got his dose the first time he came back to KY with me).  We had great food and great fun. One year my cousin Kenneth and I even came up with the 9lb 5oz club that you could only be in if you weighed at least that much when you were born....and yes, we both did....and yes, I think we only made it up in order to exclude my annoying (at the time) brother, but you better believe we never forgot it.  I think these memories are the reason why I have always preferred Thanksgiving to Christmas.  Now that I live so far from home, I have been going back for Christmas each year and missing all those fun Thanksgivings, but hopefully I can make it back this year because I sure hate to miss those memorable, yet awkward family photos that ALWAYS get taken as families depart the party on turkey day...especially since this was one they took without me recently...haha....    

poor quality picture, but totally classic...

Enjoy your holiday!!  Don't forget to join the fun by linking up with Sar.

Andrea :)

15 Day Challenge: Day 2

Since work is taking over my life right now, let me just get right to it before it becomes Day 3 :)

[Day 2]: Write a [few] six word memoir[s]

Try your best, it never fails

Growing up, my mom used to always tell us to just try our best.  After all, that is all she asked.  We would laugh and mock her little saying back then (sorry, Mom!), but as I have grown up, I have discovered the truth and wisdom in it.

Ask, and it shall be given

Recently, I have learned that it is in fact impossible for others to know what you are thinking and magically make it happen, appear, become reality, etc.  Sometimes, and quite honestly more often than not, you simply have to ask.  And even though God does know our thoughts, I believe it is as equally important that we ask him as well.  He revels in that community with us. *However, I have not quite mastered this one yet - can we say, um, work in progress? :)

 Many the miles, worthwhile in end

So, there is this Sara Bareilles song that always comes on my Adele (LOVE her) Pandora station called "Many the Miles" and it always reminds me of Chris and the many miles that separate us right now.  However, we know that we won't always be so far apart and that is how I am sure it will be worthwhile in the end.  Just hoping and praying that end is sooner than later.

This was fun!  Hope you enjoyed reading :)  And link up with Sar...it's not too late!!


Andrea :)

15 Day Challenge: Day 1

Since I am pretty new to this whole blogging thing, I decided to participate in my first link-up.  I found Sar at Life of Love via my friend Ashley (Cooper) Kinney's blog a couple of months ago.  I was excited when Sar announced she was hosting the 15 Day Challenge.  So here I go...

Day 1: List 15 fun facts about yourself.

1) I never missed a day of school from K-12.  My brother and I did get chicken pox once, but it was over Christmas break so we didn't have to miss school.  I guess I got a few lucky breaks here and there, but I'm pretty proud of the accomplishment.

2) I have collected penguins since I was born.  My dad chose an animal for each of us (I have two brothers - Jordan: elephants and McKinley: whales) to collect when we were born.  I have accummulated quite a large collection of all different types of penguins since then.  To this day, I keep a Shirt Tales (remember them?) stuffed penguin my Aunt Mary Ruth made me on my bed along with the cutest little stuffed penguin that Christopher brought back from England as a gift for me when we first started dating.

3) Speaking of Christopher, we have been in a long distance relationship for 2+ years now.  Not sure if that is such a FUN fact, especially when we have to go weeks without seeing one another at times, but it is a fact of life for me...at least for now.

4) I became an aunt for the first time a couple of months ago.  I don't believe a more precious baby ever existed.  Brinley is absolutely perfect.  And I get to see her again in just a little over a week!

5) My family and I have traveled together (by car with the exception of our final two trips) to all 50 states.  We started our official "See All 50 States" mission with a trip to Texas in 1994 when McKinley was just 4 years old.  We made our last trips to Hawaii and Alaska in 2010.  We had a blast on all of our trips together even if it wasn't always easy to get them scheduled once Jordan and I were in college and later working.  So very glad and grateful (thanks Mom and Dad!!) for these experiences.  I truly believe they helped shape me into the person I am today.  My top three states (in no particular order and obviously excluding my home state of Kentucky) were Hawaii, Vermont, and California.  My top three cites were San Francisco, Idaho Falls, and San Antonio.

6) I moved from a very small town in Kentucky to New York City in 2007 without a job and knowing only 3 people who lived here.  Not something I would really recommend, but in the end everything worked out for the best.  I still can't believe it's been 5 years (tomorrow to be exact) that I moved here.

7) I am one NYRR race away from qualifying for the 2013 NYC Marathon.  It will be a real challenge, but I am excited to conquer it.

8) My fingernails are always painted.  Always!

9) I studied abroad in London as a part of my master's program.  I highly recommend it to anyone that has the opportunity.  It was a life changing experience for me.

10) I no longer have any living grandparents, but I had the most wonderful relationship with my Mamaw.  She passed away at the beginning of my sophomore year in college.  She was a true inspiration to me. I still miss her very much.  I wish she had been able to watch McKinley grow up (and lose that baby fat she was always so worried about), meet Christopher, and welcome little Brinley into the world, but I know that she is watching over all of us from Heaven.  She was such a special lady to so many people, especially all of our family.

11) I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Georgetown College.  I only made two B's in my college career.  Both in my senior year - Statistics with Dr. Wolfe and English Literature with Dr. Brady.  In retrospect, it really didn't make a difference in the grand scheme of my life, but it sure did make me mad then.

12) I was in a sorority (Phi Mu - Delta Eta Chapter) in college, but a lot of people didn't realize it because I was so involved with my position as manager of the Tiger Football team. However, I am glad that I was able to enjoy both aspects of college - Greek Life and College Athletics.  Made me well-rounded :)

13) I want to attend the Oscars.  If anyone knows of a way to do so outside of being nominated for an award, please let me know.  Always loved the Oscars and would just love to have the experience of being in that auditorium for the big event just once.

14) I almost always sleep on a flight.  I usually am out before we take off and wake up just as the airline attendant is announcing the local time.  Some of my best sleep is on planes.

15) I have two favorite holidays - Groundhog's Day and Fourth of July.  Strange, huh?  I got my license on 2-2-2000 so I adopted Groundhog's Day as a favorite at that point.  I have always loved fireworks so the Fourth of July is an obvious one.  Plus it means my birthday is only 20 days away...and I LOVE BIRTHDAYS...especially mine! :)

Hope you enjoyed reading my fun facts!  You should participate in Sar's link up as well!

Andrea :)