Feel free to repost this & let me know if you do so I can read your responses..It's kind of a mash-up of two Q&A meme's I've received lately...
1. What is your all time favorite food? PASTA, hands down. Almost any kind..Well I don't like anything w/seafood, but that's because of the seafood. I love carbonara, alfredo, marinara, vodka sauce, chicken parmagiana, etc. I live for pasta, and I love cooking it.
2. If you went to college, what was your major? If not, what was your favorite topic in high school? Well I went to college 3 different times, finally graduating in 2008. I started Indiana State University in 2001, majoring in secondary education w/an emphasis on government & history. It was not to be. I had a bit of a mental breakdown due to being in almost constant pain due to constant migraine headaches & 3 repeated cases of double lung pneumonian in 2004. Yeah, I was about a semsester away from graduation when I had to quit school. Ugh. My parents were thrilled. Between 2005 & 2006 I went back to school, first for nursing which I quite because I AM A MORON and then for early childhood education, neither of which I got a degree in. Sallie Mae LOVES me. Then, in 2006, I was focused and ready and in January 2008 I graduated w/honors w/an associates degree in medical assisting. Pretty darn proud of myself. It also means that I have the majority of the pre-req's for nursing finished. I just need to go back & get my BSN. Most likely after babies.
3. If you could change one thing about your physical appearance, what would it be? Hmm..this is tough. If I could change one thing about my body, I'd get rid of this freakin infertility. I'd fix my uterus & whatever else is wrong. But if it has to be a physical change, it'd be this beautiful c-section "pouch" that I acquired after having Lulu-Bean. But at the same time, if we have more babies & I have another c-section or 2, then what's the use? Maybe stomach surgery after we're done having babies.
4. Beach or mountains? Again, a tough question. The beach would probably win. I just feel at home there, I love, LOVE water, and the sand, and the sun & just all of it. Part of our 5 year plan is to move south to the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area to raise our babies by the shore. But at the same time, we ADORE the Great Smoky Mountains, and we love the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/ Sevierville area and the people there. We could totally see raising our babies there as well.
5. What is your favorite color? Purple. Bar none. All shades. My bedroom in my parents house was a light shade of violet, all my bedding etc was of a purple pattern. Right now, I have heavily influenced Lulu's room to be BRIGHT colors, but I haven't gone in the purple direction..Hopefully she will love it too and we can do that in a few years. Oh, and Maci has a purple room and she told her mamaw that purple is her favorite color because it's mine too. Love =)
6. How tall are you? Well, after years of being CONVINCED I'm 5'8 and telling everyone as such (I think I was measured in high school) I seem to have shrunk!! The other day at my PCP's office, I only measured 5'6. Ugh. A shortie. Oh, and when I looked at what my "ideal weight" for my height should be, I almost went completely off the deep end. Seems I have about eleventy hundred pounds to loose.
7. If you could go any place in the world (and money is not a factor), where would you choose to go? Well, I'd want to go island hopping. I think the ocean is so gorgeous, and I've only ever seen the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic & Pacific. So I'd want to go to Fiji, Bali, Barbados, St. Maarten, St. Kitts & Nevis, Curacao, Australia etc. Oh, and while in Australia, I totally want to go to the Australia Zoo, the one owned by the family of Steve Irwin, just FYI =)
8. Who is the biggest role model in your life? Can I have two or three? My parents and my husband. My parents because they've taught me how to get through life being a nice person, but not to get run over. Just because you're nice doesn't mean you put up w/constant sh*t. My dad is a retired (but still on the reserves) police officer and has always been a pillar of strength to me. My mom is a retired school teacher, but now runs our church preschool. She has always had a soft spot for teaching & loving all children. She is very educated (a BS & 2 masters degrees) but she can level with anyone. She doesn't act all high & mighty. Also, my parents suffered through 10 years of infertility and over 12 miscarriages before God brought us together through adoption. I am so lucky that my mom & dad got to choose me. And my husband, the love of my life. God brought us together as well. We met in May 2007, were engaged by Sept. 2007 & married in Oct. 2008. It was literally love at first sight for me. He is also a police officer, and my hero. We just fit together. I'm usually being sassy & sarcastic & he is calm & collected. He grounds me & he loves me to no end. And we make pretty smart & beautiful babies..he is a great daddy!!
9. When you die, who do you want to be remembered? As a God fearing, family loving, strong, stubborn woman. I want people to remember how much I loved my family, and how great my kids turned out to be.
10. Do you have a favorite quote? Can I have more then one of these as well? Here goes.
"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crises. The great point is to bring them the real facts." -Abraham Lincoln-
"I believe in the sun even when it isn't shining. I believe in love even when I am alone. I believe in God even when He is silent." -Anonymous-
"For this child I have prayed and the Lord has granted me what I asked for." 1 Samuel 1:27
11. If you could change anything...I'd make fertility treatments COVERED completely by insurance. It is INSANE how expensive fertility treatments are. It stunts so many people. In my SIL case, they have spent over $4000 because nothing was covered by their health insurance, and she still isn't pregnant. In our case, if we have to move on from medicated cycles, to injectibles, we'll have one shot MAYBE two in a year becuase they are $1200 a pop. Most medical procedures become less expensive as time moves on & new ways are found. Not fertility treatments. It's crazy, and insurance companies need to realize that people want babies so bad, money shouldn't keep them from their dreams.
12. What do you want to be when you grow up? Hmm..well it used to be an OB/GYN. But since I'm almost (gasp) 30, that's too much school & too much money. So I will definitely be going back to school to get my BSN & hopefully my MSN..I think if we haven't conceived w/in the next year, I'll be taking some tim off TTC & going back to school. We shall see..
13. Do you have a favorite season? Which one & why? If you been reading me for some time, you know my favorite season is Autumn. The crisp fall air, pumpkin patches, chaging leaves, apple orchards, Halloween, Thanksgiving, the build up to the "big" holidays, warm sweaters, babies in little hats & gloves, football, the World Series, hayrides, bonfires, our anniversary, my birthday etc. I absolutely love the fall, I love the Indian summers, and the first frost & the first time we turn on the furnace. Our house is decked out to the 9's during Autumn & the Christmas holidays.
14. What is your fondest memory (childhood, teenage-hood, adulthood)? Well, my fondest childhood memory is all the vacations we took. My parents made sure that I got to visit a lot of places (I've been to 45 states) and they instilled how important spending time together was. We hope to do the same for our kids. The teen years were tough, I'm sure they were that way for everyone. I went to a private school & it had a LOT of cliques. It was hard for me because I was popular w/everyone. If the "pretty girls" didn't want me to be friends w/the "nerds" I wouldn't do it because I wasn't that kind of person. So, during our Sr. Banquet (yep, no prom) I was voted "Most Likely To Run The World" by all of my peers. It was pretty mind-blowing and humbling that people thought that much of me. And adulthood, I would have to say our wedding, moreso getting to marry the love of my life..and of course, being pregnant & giving birth to our sweet girl.
15. Name one thing you absolutely love about your sweetheart. I love how he "gets" me. He knows exactly how to make me laugh, and he knows when to let me cry. There are times when we don't even have to talk & he knows what I need. He truly is my soul mate, as cheesy as that may sound. Now, we have our fair share of arguments, but truth be told, that's mainly because I'm so damn stubborn, and he lets me be that way to point, and then he puts me in my place, and I need that. He is the most amazing man I've ever met.
16. Tell me one thing in the past week you did that you are proud of. I kept my cool at work. It's been damn near impossible to be fake & nice & act like nothing happened, but I am taking the high road. I'm nice, but I don't really venture any further in coversation other then "hi" or "bye" unless it concerns work & I have to converse. It's really about self preservation at this point.
17. Tell me one thing you love about your body. I don't know. This is a hard one. My body & I still aren't really on friendly terms after 7 miscarriages & going into labor 5 weeks early. At the same time, it's pretty amazing what the body does to protect the growing baby. Probably the thing I love most about my body is my eyes. They are blue-gree w/gold flecks. And they change color. It's the coolest thing. They turn almost green when I am really excited, gray-blue when I'm sick, and almost a cerulean blue when I'm angry. My husband says they are the most beautiful eyes he has ever seen..Oh & Elaina's? Are almost exactly the same =)
18. Looking back on this journey, what is one thing that infertility has taught you? There are so many things I have learned, it's hard to narrow it down. It will break you, and it will strengthen you. It will change your relationship with God. When you finally do see that positive pregnancy test, that first ultrasound, the 3D ultrasound, & the first time you hear your baby's cry, you realize it was all worth it.
Okay, this literally took me 3 days to finish, lol. We've been busy & Miss Lulu has started WALKING!!! So she is everywhere all the time. Please let me know if you re-post. Also, we have had INSANE storms all day. They've been kind of cool & a little scary..Hope all is well w/all of you.
