A Little Game of Tag

My niece tagged me in this questionnaire and I figured I'd give it a go! I have to list 11 random facts about myself followed by the answers to 11 questions she asked. Then I'll tag 11 other bloggers with all new questions in attempt to keep the sharing momentum going.
(my goal is for at least 1 out of 11 to continue!)

here we go...

random facts about the little lady:
1. I can make an astonishingly accurate pig impersonation.
(My chicken isn't too shabby either.)
2. I never went to kindergarten.
3. I played Pachelbel's Canon in D for my last piano recital in 8th grade. I'd love to learn it again.
4. I don't know how to ride a bike.
5. One of my proudest moments was calling my dad from boarding school to tell him, through tears, that I was valedictorian.
6. I'm not sure what's worse, my cooking skills or my memory.
7. My "birthmark" is a large knot on my head.
8. I've been wearing a retainer for nearly thirteen years and am told it will just pop off at some point. yay?
9.  My parents tried to have me for five years with the help of fertility drugs. Doctors concluded it was time to give up and they reluctantly decided to stop all efforts. Little did they know my mom was already pregnant. :)
10. I am a Christian.
11. I became an aunt at the age of 8 (to the wonderful little lady who tagged me!) in an Army base hospital in San Antonio, Texas. I now have a total of 2 nieces and 8 nephews.

questions:
1. What did you have for breakfast this morning?
Cheerios + banana + coffee.

2. Would you rather stay up late or wake up early?
I'm a night owl, for sure. Maybe it's some sort of bizarre feeling of rebellion, but I'll often find myself sprawled out on the floor with a craft project in the wee hours of the morning and have to literally tell myself to go to bed. I'd rather be a morning person, but I just don't see it happening.

3. If you had to suddenly leave your house and only take three items with you, what would they be?
In an emergency? Well, if I can finish the process of saving all of my pictures digitally, I'd either grab my computer or external hard drive. I'd also take a piece of sentimental jewelry - something like the necklace my dad gave me made with a rare $20 gold coin from 1888 that his grandmother left him when he was 18. Oh, and I'd take a framed letter from my brother. I have two of his letters hanging in my apartment (they're works of art, really) so now that I have this imaginary notion in my head that I have to pick just one, I'll be staring at them for days to try & pick my favorite. Thanks, questionnaire. ;)

4. What was your favorite thing to do as a child?
Draw. If a grown-up gave me a sketchpad or a coloring book, I was distracted for days. I was also unreasonably infatuated with the miniature lands of Polly Pockets. Oh, and I really loved my Puppy Surprise and Kitty Surprise stuffed animals that had baby puppies and kitties wedged inside their velcro-fastened bellies. If you know what I'm talking about, I like you.

5. How do you see your life in five years?
Crikey, I'll be 31. If you asked me this question 5 years ago, I'd blurt out exactly what I'd be doing 5, 10, and 20 years from then with obnoxious certainty. But I've learned I have very limited foresight and have given up trying to predict anything.  If I think back to my world turning upside down before moving to NYC, I realize I can't even remember making the decision TO move. It's like things just happened; I acted instead of reacted. I have an inkling that in 5 years many things will be different. To answer the question, though, I see a big ol' blank page. But what do I hope? I hope I still have all the people I love. And I'd really like to have a pet - or at least a coffee table - by then.

6. Where is your favorite place in the world?
Camp Alleghany in the mountains of West Virginia near where I grew up. I spent 9 summers there, 8 as a camper and 1 as a counselor. It's a magical place that will always hold a lot of significance in my upbringing. I was the youngest camper my first year at only seven years old -- too little to even reach the shower handle. I was raised in West Virginia, but I grew up at Camp Alleghany.

7. Would you rather be spontaneous or do you like to have a plan?
I like to just fly by the seat of my pants and go with the flow!

Aaaand if you believed that, you don't know me at all. I wish I was that fun of a person to just do whatever and be all spontaneous, but I'm someone who makes plans to make plans. To-do lists and itineraries and color-coding excite me. If there is a planning disorder, I have it. I also get anxious if plans change or materialize last-minute, a character trait I'm trying to work on.

8.Who do you admire the most?
My mother. Folks, the woman is a saint. I have never met anyone who does more for people, expects less in return, and somehow juggles so much with such grace. She is my biggest idol and my greatest blessing.

9. What is your all-time favorite song that you would never get tired of listening to?
Joy by George Winston. There are no words in the song, but I can't help but see the faces of my entire family. It fills my eyes with teary nostalgia. It sounds like home.

10. Chocolate or vanilla?
chocolate, duh.

11. If you were a superhero, what would your power be?
To end hunger? To create world peace? To have a wing-operated bicycle? Yeah, I like the last one.


11 fabulous bloggers & their questions:
A Cup of Jo
All Things Fabulous
Atlantic-Pacific
Big City Beddie
Distrikmode
Made by Girl
Minnie Lane
One of Five *only if you want to do it again! ;)
Rockstar Diaries
Sequins and Stripes
The Doctor's Closet

1. What are you most afraid of?
2. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
3. Who makes you laugh the most?
4. What location is at the top of your dream travel list?
5. What's the one beauty product you can't live without?
6. Describe your ideal Friday night.
7. Who is your style icon?
8. True or False: soulmates exist.
9. What's the hardest thing you've ever done?
10. What was the most exciting gift you've ever given?
11. What's your favorite quote?

thank ya, thank ya!

until next time,

g