Friday Fun - March 20th

Back to the old routine! Here's some fun get-to-know-you questions - feel free to use them!

1. What is your ancestry or ethnic background? Contrary to popular belief, it does not involve Chinese, Native American, Hawaiian, or any of those other exciting ethnicities! I am Irish, German, and Norwegian (possibly some French as well... I'm a mutt).

2. Who is the best cook in your family? Ooooo... I think we have all come into our own in different ways! Mom has always been good at family dinners and comfort food. Dad is great on the grill - and likes experimenting with "gourmet" stuff. I've become pretty decent at yummy healthy food. And while I haven't had too much of my sisters' cooking - what I have had has been great!

3. What family member do you take after the most? My mom. We're thinkers and feelers. Good listeners. Nurturers. Peace-makers. We try to make our houses into homes. (Procrastinators...) Family comes first. We may seem quiet - but we can be forces to be reckoned with!

4. Who is the funniest person in your family? Oh, that depends on the day. Mom makes me giggle - usually without trying. Dad totally cracks me up when we are playing games. Kayla's quick wit throws us all for a loop! Emily's fun way of telling stories (especially the NJ accents) alway makes me laugh. Her husband, Karlin, is hilarious. And my husband makes everyone laugh with his honest assessment of any situation! I'm usually not that funny - I just laugh at (I mean, "with") everyone else!

5. What family tradition would you love to continue and pass on? Christmases. Summer cook-outs. Saying "I love you" before hanging up the phone. Christmas cookies. Reading and talking about books. Having dogs - and treating them like members of the family. So many things... Oh! And making random turkey centerpeices for Thanksgiving! 6. What is something memorable that you experienced that your children will probably never experience? A carefree childhood. Playing in the backyard, and running and riding bikes through the neighborhood. Not coming home til almost dark. Neighborhood games of hopscotch and kick ball. Being creative when playing "house," "barbies," and any other role-playing games. Imagination in general. Kids are so scheduled today, and so encouraged to be literal... I think they're missing out.

7. What things did you love doing with your family? Dinners. Holidays. Vacations. Going to State Parks and hiking around. Going to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Saturday mornings. Church.

8. Who is the "talker" of your family, and who is the "listener"? Ha ha ha. That's easy. Dad, Emily, and Kayla are the talkers. Mom and I are the listeners. Totally.

9. How often did you hear your parents say they loved you while you were young? Everyday. Usually before bed. Now, whenever we hang up the phone (or in random text messages from Dad).

10. When you were young, were you told you could be or do anything you wanted? Yep. It was always assumed, we would do our best in school, go to college, and live a good life as responsible adults. Originally, I wanted to live in the jungles of Rwanda, studying gorillas - and my parents encouraged me to continue learning about gorillas! Then, I wanted to go into the field of natural resources - and while I would never make good money in that, they continued to support me. And somehow, I ended up in youth ministry - and they've been nothing but supportive. As long as we're happy - I think they're happy.

Things I'm thankful for today:

1. My family.
2. Feeling a little better.
3. Mike came home early from work.
4. Catching up on missed TV shows.
5. A clean house.
6. Laundry is done.
7. Excited to see church friends tomorrow.
8. Starting a new book.
9. Kelsey's going to prom!
10. Kayla's going to State for speech!