My Life as Annie

1. Why were you given your particular name?

My first name is Deborah. I was told most of my life I was named after Deborah in the bible (judges 4), which isn’t a bad person to be named after… she was in the bible and a judge. But, in the past few years it was revealed I was named Deborah because my dear daddy was watching a movie starring Deborah Kerr. I was called Annie (middle name) all my life, so Deborah doesn’t even really seem like my “name.” But, I like the name Annie and pretty much won’t answer when called anything else. Except maybe mom.

2. What’s your favorite song of the moment?

3. What are you wearing today which is most reflective of who you are?

It’s pretty early and I haven’t actually dressed for the day yet… so it’s hard to say. But I’ll go with what I am wearing. I have on shorts and a t-shirt. So I would say my clothes are comfortable and so am I.

4. Have you ever had a pet that was not a cat or dog? What was it?

Well, there is Pinky. Can’t forget Hank… There are the goats… My favorite animal memory was from childhood. When our family moved to Choctaw we thought we were in the “country.” So it seemed perfectly necessary to buy some farm animals. right. I wanted a horse really bad so my dad bought me one. Her name was Blossom. She would take us for rides, raking us against the back fence. Usually tearing our pants. We thought she was spunky. One morning some months after getting to know Blossom we thought very well our neighbors called to tell us that there were two horses now. Blossom and baby blossom. We had no idea she was with child. No wonder she was so mean. Hello!

5. What type of exercise do you do to keep in shape?

Who says I’m in shape? :)… I think life is my main exercise. I do some walking, some wii-ing, etc. But just the daily running, cleaning, swimming, cleaning, lifting, blah blah blah.

6. What is your favorite movie of all time?

I love the Little Princess movie. Not the Shirley Temple one. I like that one too, but I like the newer one. Alot. But I haven’t watched it in a long time. I like musicals like footloose, grease, and yentl. I like cry movies from the 80’s like Beaches and Steel Magnolias.

7. Do you enjoy gardening, or working with flowers?

I do. Especially when they mind me. And bloom and stuff. When they die I don’t so much.

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1. Where did you meet your spouse?

I met Matt at Camp Rock Creek in Norman, OK on July 4, 1985. I went with my mom for a picnic and my aunt was there to help too. My aunt lived in the same town Matt lived in, about an hour away from me. Anyway, my cousin Mickey came too and brought Matt who had just that day broken up with a girlfriend of about two years.

2. What is your favorite personality trait about him?

He is so honest! He just always tells the truth. It is a good quality!

3. How old were you when you met your spouse?

I was 15 years old! I turned 16 August 9th (the month after we met)… he was 18!

4. How old were you when you got married?

I was 20.

5. What is your favorite way to spend time together? (Easy ladies, this is a Christian blog! LOL!)

Honestly we just like to talk and hang out… His favorite way to spend time together might be a LITTLE different than my way, but it’s close

6. How did your spouse propose to you?

He just asked. He was in college while we were dating, he worked for a horse trainer one Summer between semesters and saved enough money to buy me an engagement ring. I think I made him get on one knee… and he asked my daddy’s permission.

7. Where did you go on your honeymoon?

We didn’t really have much of a “honeymoon.” We had decided to buy a house and we put all our money collectively into getting it ready to move into. We had to have the kitchen remodeled, and new cabinets… We spent the night at a honeymoon suite in a hotel in the city and then went home and started setting up house :). I would love to go on some kind of “honeymoon” for real someday.

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1. If you are a blogger, what got you started? Have you ever made, or do you hope to make, money blogging? I started blogging after Isabelle’s accident. I had been doing pretty regular updates of her condition while we were away and she was in the hospital, when we got home there was less to update about and more names than I could keep up with so I just started blogging updates. It made life simpler. After a bit I started seeing fun memes and other things that didn’t really belong on her blog so I began my own blog. Several of my bloggy friends started doing posts to make money so I started on that blog, but google pr is not very nice and it drops your page rank down when it sees you have the coding for those posts… anyway, I got my own domain several months back and have still been doing the posts for several different sites. I am pretty happy with it, and make at least $500 a month with very little time and effort. The only drawback is that it turns off bloggy friends, but the true friends just look over those ads and keep reading the stuff I keep on top.

2. Are you a collector of anything? I collect all sorts of stuff… shoes, clothes, jewelry… j/j (kinda). I collect believe signs of all kinds and love them! I also have a collection of boyds bears and crosses that hang on the walls in the den.

Here are a few of the believe signs and bears… (since this picture, the shelf has been removed from that room and all the bears and believe signs relocated in the room)

3. Apple juice or orange juice? neither, bleck!

4. What are 3 of your best personality traits? I’m like a good dog… loyal, sweet and optimistic!

5. Name 1 thing you miss about being a kid. The lack of responsibility, oh I was a responsible child don’t get me wrong… but it was much easier being responsible for only myself and the kid stuff. Being a mother, wife, etc. carries a huge amount of responsibility that never lightens and never goes away.

6. What is usually your first thought when you wake up? My todo list starts running through my mind, thankful prayer to God for another day, and then I hit the ground… running!

7. Regarding material possessions: the more the merrier or less is best? Oh who am I kidding… the more the merrier :)… Seriously after purging Emelia’s room I’m moving over to the camp of “less is more.”

To participate in know & tell friday… visit heather and reese at kicking it in crazyville!

This KATF is a celebration of all things summer! Are you enjoying it? Is the weather global-warming-hot where you are? If you’re a parent with school age kids, are you enjoying having the kids home? We will delve into these and other exciting topics, RIGHT NOW…

• Which is your favorite season? Why?  I love Fall & Spring.  WhY?  The weather is mild, the leaves are either turning beautiful yellows and oranges (fall) or finally turning green again (spring).  I think I love something about every season though… Summer is great, hot, but great… and Winter includes Christmas which is awesome!
• Are you a bikini or one piece gal? Do the same rules apply to your daughter, if you have one?  I’m a one piece or tankini girl.  I’m not very strict about the girls suits, they do all their swimming at home.  I think two pieces are easier for bathroom trips.
• What is your favorite summer getaway? Beach? Lake? Mall? Indoor ice skating? Why? I’ll take one of each.  Any getaway is fun.  My favorite would probably be the mall or ice skating because they are air conditioned!  I heart ice skating.
• You’re on a sandy beach, looking out at a perfectly blue ocean. The weather is perfect. What’s on the table next to you? What book are you reading? Who is sitting next to you? What are you drinking?  I’m finally reading the book “twilight” that everyone I know has read and loved and it’s been sitting on my nightstand since it arrived via amazon.com.  I’d be having a nice cold coke!
• Do you tan? If so, are you an all-natural tanner or do you go to a salon?  I do tan.  I usually stay out of the sun and stay pretty pale, but I get brown when I am in the sun.  Which this year with all the work I’ve been having to do maintaining the pool that won’t go clear… I’m getting a tan.  I don’t go to tanning beds.  I don’t ever want to do anything to help nature age me.
• What is your favorite summer clothing?  Easy capris or long shorts with a sleeveless or short sleeved top.  I like to wear strapless tops when it’s cool enough for a jean jacket but don’t like to wear them without something over them.  I also like to wear knee length skirts and lots and lots of sandals and flip flops in the summer.
• You’re suddenly able to transport yourself to any summer in your past. What year would you choose to be in?  The Summer before Izzy’s near drowning. 2003.  I would have a fence and several security features installed on the pool when it was being installed.  I would have the foresight to treat it with much much more caution.

Visit Heather & Reese to play along!

1. Are you a procrastinator or do you get things done? Both. I either put them off til the last possible minute and then get them done unusually fast, or sometimes I follow lists to get things done.

2. What is the worst thing you have ever eaten? Years ago I went to lunch with a friend from work to a little hole in the wall bbq place in the city. It was pretty ghetto and I have an issue about eating meat on bones. I don’t. They only had ribs and we took them back to the office (with the canned beverage they sold and piece of wonder bread in a baggie) and it was like skin on these bones. Gross. I guess technically I didn’t eat it, but ick!

3. What is your favorite movie, and why? I like Beaches. Probably because it’s a cry movie.

4. What one physical feature would you want to change about yourself? Just one? Hmmm… If my legs were shorter it would be easier to find jeans that are long enough… Or… I’d have my arms really skinny

5. Would you rather travel the world, or travel through space? world. definitely the world. I have no interest in space, space movies, space television, astronomy… the only thing I enjoy is seeing stars once in a while.

6. Favorite cell phone feature: camera or texting? texting. I almost never use the camera, but I text a lot. It’s the best way to communicate with the kids when they are away and even some friends. I heart texting.

7. Sports car or SUV? SUV. With all the kids it would be miserable to have us all in a “sports car.” When we went from minivan to suburban it was like taking a breath of fresh air. Everyone could have their space! Now with gas a million dollars a gallon it’s not practical, but for now it is what it is…

visit good friends Heather & Reese @ Kicking it in Crazyville to play along.

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• Who would you rather be for a day: your best friend or your worst enemy?
  Wow… I am stumped trying to think about who could be my “worst enemy”… other than the devil himself I don’t know. So, I would have to choose the friend rather than the enemy.
  
• Could you work with your best friend? Sure!
• Do you think it would be a blast or a nightmare to blog with a friend? You mean share a blog with a friend? Hmmm… I think it could be fun, definitely not a “nightmare.”
• Could you share an email account with any of your friends? Probably not. I have a lot of sub categories and save emails for future reference. It would be more about control of incoming email than privacy issues. Having said that, Matt is my husband but also a friend and we share our main home email address with no problems. But, I check the email and let him know if he needs to read something… giving me control :).
• You have a day to take a friend out and have fun. Describe the day. It would start with a pastry and drink at Panera… lots of shopping at Penn Sq. Mall, lunch at Cheesecake Factory, maybe a movie to digest… and then more shopping!
• Could you switch lives with a good friend? What would you find to be better/easier/nicer than your own life, and what would be really difficult for you? Yes, I think my friends have good, interesting lives… I think the kids and hubs that come with the switch would be the biggest challenge. It would be fun to see what goes in in the day to day life of my friends.

Bonus Non-Friend Related Question:

• Are there any of these products you might be willing to eat? Nope. I’m super squeemish about food and there’s nothing there anywhere normal… except those f-cup cookies I might try a cookie that could possibly promote growth in certain areas … nah! just kidding (sort of)…

visit good friends Heather & Reese @ Kicking it in Crazyville to play along.

1. What achievement are you most proud of? Probably staying married through tough times.  It will be 19 years June 17…. and raising really great kids.

2. Do you like your spouse’s/significant other’s name? His name is Matt.  It’s short & sweet.  Our last name is long and has to be spelled often… my maiden name was easier.

3. What is the most unique name you’ve ever heard a person have? An old friend from high school named her kids dallis and dax.  Pretty unique…

4. Which would you rather be: divinely beautiful, dazzlingly clever, or angelically good? (From Anne of Green Gables!)  I think being good is a choice so I would choose the beautiful one… you can’t choose how you look.

5. What is it about your wardrobe that is your trademark, uniquely you?  My wardrobe is not very unique.  I guess the most unique thing about it would be the amount of ultra tall clothes in my wardrobe. That and dresses I can wear as tunics because of my height.

6. Which is worse: no tv or no music? Probably no tv.  I like the background noise even if it is the news sometimes.  Although mornings like this are perfect for no tv! 

7. You’re stranded on a deserted island and you can have with you: 1 friend or family member, 1 item from your kitchen and 1 public figure (politician/actor/author). Who/what would you choose? 

I would have Matt because he is strong, would do the work to get shelter and food and would take care of me.  I’d have to have a case of coke to drink because I hate water!  and Tom Hanks so he could make cute friends out of soccer balls and keep us entertained.  

Visit Heather & Reese to play along!

1. What one item in the kitchen best describes you and your personality? the microwave… i get things done fast!

2. What’s your favorite concert you’ve ever attended?  point of grace.

3. If Jesus was standing in front of you, in the flesh, what one question would you ask him? I don’t know that I could articulate a real question.  I would probably ask Him to heal Iz.

4. What super-power would you most like to have, and why?  I’d love to twitch my nose and have the entire house spotless!

5. If you had $5 million to spend in 5 days, but couldn’t spend any of it on yourself or your family, what would you do with it?  Right now I’d probably head over to help those thousands affected by the earthquake.

6. What is your favorite kind of ice cream?  chocolate.

7. Do you hit snooze when the alarm goes off, or do you get up right away?  I don’t use an alarm. I wake up when Matt turns the shower on every morning.  I pretty much jump up and start running!

Visit Heather & Reese to play along!

It’s that time a week again! Know and Tell Friday. Here are the questions!
1. Pepsi or coke? I grew up with pepsi, and have converted to coke.
2. Barefoot or shoes? barefoot!
3. If you watch American Idol – who do you want to win? I guess the younger David?
4. If money was not an option and you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? I would go everywhere! I love traveling and would love to meet my bloggy friends who happen to be scattered all over this big world.
5. Is your desk messy or clean? clean.
6. When it’s sunny, all I want to do is……. put on my sunglasses.
7. What is your favorite word and why? believe. Because of Izzy.

Visit Heather & Reese to play along!

Question 1. In what way are you like your mom?

Matt says I have a look that reminds me of her.  I don’t think it’s a compliment though… I think we have a lot in common and nothing in common.  Both.  We don’t really agree on clothes… we both do like to cook.  She likes the windows all open with lots of light, I like it dark and cool.  She is quiet and sits in the back, I am outspoken (although my voice is very soft) and sit in the front… but we both have a desire to do good things.  Neither of us drink coffee… She irons her sheets, I wash mine, that’s almost the same?

Question 2. What is your earliest, or favorite, memory of your mom?

I remember sitting beside her and loving her smell.  She used to wear l’air de temps (sp?)… doesn’t now because of allergies, but she always smelled so good.

Question 3. What are the qualities you admire in your mom?

Her generosity not just with things, but with her self and her time.  Her honesty.  Her integrity and general “goodness.”

Question 4. Do you stay in touch with your mom?

Yes.  She comes every afternoon to help with Izzy’s therapy…and lives one block away from me!

Question 5. Are you the kind of mom you want to be?

I try not to think about it.  I am here for them and try to listen and advise.  I love them.  I am sure there is room for improvement though.
Question 6. What is your favorite thing about being a mom?

I loved being pregnant, nursing, holding the sweet babies… and then watching them grow and mature.  Seeing them be kind and achieve things…

Question 7. Would you ever approach a mom you didn’t know with unsolicited advice concerning her mothering skills?

Who me?  Nah, not unsolicited.  When asked I am always quick to put my two cents in…

Heather & Reese are filling in for the Know & Tell Fridays… you should play too!