How Harry Potter Changed my Life and Other Quirkiness

Are you up for some Old School Blogging! I am! And I wrote this in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep, so it might be extra fun to read!!

Are you young at heart or an old soul? Can I say both? Right off the bat, I'm cheating and not following the rules. Please don't tell on me! I think I'm young at heart because I like to laugh and be silly. I'm pretty good at getting the kids to roll their eyes at me. It is a rare day that goes by without a few belly laughs or practical jokes. I don't take most things too seriously.

Halloween 2014

I'd also consider myself a bit of an old soul because I like the classics. I don't tend to get caught up in trends, instead I opt for tried and true. When it comes to music, fashion, or decorating I'm usually a few years decades behind.

Tell me about a movie/book that has changed your life. So many books to choose from!! This is probably not getting at the heart of the question, but here's what came to mind anyway: I'm a big Harry Potter fan. I have read all the books multiple times and passed that love on to my kids. I'm currently reading them the first book at bedtime and I think I'm just as excited about it as they are. But it is the first read that sticks out for me. Ken and I read the entire series out loud to each other. We got the first book when I was in college shortly after it had come out in paperback. I read a chapter or two and he mentioned that he'd like to read it too. So we started reading aloud to each other.

When we started it was just the two of us with school and work and not many other commitments. As the years went by we had to fit in our reading around new jobs, moves, and kids. It got much harder to do and there were many times that we thought about just reading by ourselves and taking turns. But we kept at it and stayed up way past bedtime, read on road trips, and persevered.

I think it helped strengthen us and was a great way for us to honor our marriage and our time together.

Would you like to reconnect with any friends you’ve lost contact with? I did, not too long ago!
I have another story that won't fit here about a friend I've lost. I think I'm still on the fence about whether I want to re-connecct with her. There's a lot of hurt left over from that relationship. That story to me a long time to finally write and I'll likely share it when the time feels right.

Where was your favorite place to go when you were a little kid? My grandparents' house! The lived a few hours north of us in Texas. They had a huge yard with gardens and gullies and trees and grass and horses next door. And the house had a screened porch area with my grandmother's teaching materials: thin paper that was excellent for coloring on, multi-colored, rectangular crayons, and lots of shelves and cabinets to go through. We played dominoes at the table after dinner and we always had room for butter pecan ice cream because "it melts down into the spaces between everything else in your belly, so it doesn't take up any extra space."

Do you enjoy being with only one or two friends, or with a large group of people? It used to be that I enjoyed larger crowds. Or maybe I just tolerated them better. These days I'd love to have some time with just a friend or two. It would be even more amazing if we could take turns speaking a few sentences at a time without being interrupted by munchkins!

What’s your "quirkiest" habit? I often twist and twirl my tongue in my mouth. You'd probably never notice I was doing it. It starts to annoy me after a while, but I mostly do it without thinking.

What part of the past year sticks out in your mind? I feel like there are so many firsts and milestones happening all the time and that makes it hard to choose. As a family we are moving permanently out of the toddler/pre-school era. For the past 11 years I've had someone who needed more or less constant supervision. Schedules always had to be bent around nap times and meals. It's been a gradual move, and I might not have noticed it if I hadn't tried to answer this question, but my kids are a lot more self-sufficient now. They can do so many things for themselves (or for each other). I won't say I'm not needed anymore, but I will say I'm needed in much different ways.

What do you use more often: your intuition or logical reasoning? Most of my decisions get made based on a gut feeling. Oftentimes I will list out the pros and cons, or try to look at something from all angles, but ultimately I go with what feels right.

Where is your favorite place to go out and eat? I'm not terribly picky when it comes to food. Especially food that I don't have to prepare! When he do get the chance to eat out, we try to pick local places and not chains for the most part. There's a new restaurant downtown called Jimmy Madison's that we've tried a few times and really enjoyed. Brussels sprouts are their specialty and they are delicious. Last time we were there I had a shrimp and spinach salad that I talked about for days: big grilled shrimp, spinach, julienned Granny Smith apples, candied walnuts, hard boiled eggs, and a peach vinaigrette dressing! Yum!!

What was the last song that was stuck in your head? I just listened to this great parody of Uptown Funk! Now both versions are stuck in my head.

What is your ethnic heritage? On my mom's side I am 1/4 Native American. That's the main piece I claim. I think my dad's family has more of a Scots-Irish background, but my brother will probably email me to correct me soon.

Give me the story of your life in six words. Quite an adventure; more to come!

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