Random Dozen

1. Question: If you physically lock in one age for yourself, which would you choose and why? Hmmm, 25. I was in the best shape ever as an adult. I would love to be in the shape I was then. Plus, who wouldn't want to be 25 again?

2. What is the best dish that you cook or bake (your piece de resistance?) Hmmm, I'm a pretty decent cook, this one's hard. My hubby loves my stuffed cabbage and Beef Bourgignon. The kids enjoy chicken parmigiana, chicken piccata, lemon pasta, chicken and dumplings, Crockpot shredded chicken sandwiches...I think I must be hungry. Anyway, point it, I make a lot of things, some fairly well, but I'm not sure that I have a true "piece de resistance".

3. When you feel blue, what is one strategy you use to help yourself back to normal? I take a look at how much sleep I've been getting. Typically if I'm really blue, it's because I'm sleep deprived. I try to recognize that and tell myself I'll feel better about things in a day or two. Luckily, I do.

4. When was the last time you danced in public? Oh my goodness...five and a half years ago at Jason and Lori's wedding.

5. Do you consider yourself a realist or dreamer? Is this like optimist/pessimist? No, I guess not exactly. That one's easier for me, optimist, for sure. I have a harder edge than I'd like, but I think I fall down closer to the dreamer side of things. Okay, after sleeping on this one, I realized I'm not really a dreamer, but definitely a realist. At first I saw optimist and realist as being mutually exclusive, but then I realized they're not.

6. As a parent, what is one thing that you have done well? My four children. Seriously. I treasure every single one of them. More specifically, my relationship with each of them. It's wonderful to feel close to my 25 year old. To know he's important to me, but that I'm also important to him. I love being so close to my 17 year old. Teenage years? I'll take them. My two who have been there have been fun to be around, respectful, loving, family-oriented. True blessings.

I feel like I'm so lucky that I've gotten to do this parenting thing the way I have. Once upon a time a doctor told me I'd most likely only have one child. When Rebekah came along we recognized her for the second miracle she was, and never really thought we'd be lucky enough to have more children, let alone two more. I'm so blessed, and so privileged that I get to keep doing the more important thing in the world to me. I wouldn't trade my relationships with my children for anything.

7. Which is your favorite character on the Andy Griffith show? This one's really hard. Just not a fan. Sorry.

8. On a scale of 1-10, how much do you know about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.? Probably a 2 or 3. Sad. I wasn't raised in a home that shared the dream. A fact that Mark and I work very hard to correct within our own family.

9. Have you never been mellow? Have you never tried … to find a comfort from in side you? (Sorry, Jorge was singing that song just now, and it just seemed to be perfect timing as I was creating this week’s questions.) REAL question: What is your #1 driving pet peeve? I love that song! I love Olivia Newton John.

Driving Pet Peeve? The one thing that's truly driving me bananas lately is school drop off. When I take J&J to school inevitably there are parents who park right in front of the only spot we're supposed to drop kids off that's connected to a sidewalk. You know, so the kids don't have to walk through snow or ice or mud or muck and get dirty or wet or worse, injured, on their way into school? Well, inevitably there are the parents who pull right up to where the sidewalk meets the road and park. If your child needs/wants you to walk them into school, fine, no problem. Pull up, or better yet, use the parking lot, and don't block the only spot to reasonably drop kids off. Makes me crazy.

10. Which color best represents your mood today? Care to elaborate? Yellow. Peaceful, sunny, happy.

11. If your spouse were an animal, which would he/she be? By choice? A Koala bear. Cute, cuddly, sleeps all day and only wakes up to eat and do other grown up things. :)

12. What activity takes up the bulk of your time on an average day? Um, blogging. Duh. Yes, I'm working on it, baby steps. lol