Friend Makin' Mondays - They're Back!

Amber over at {ae filkins} is taking on the challenge of hosting Friend Makin' Mondays while Kasey takes a little blogging sabbatical. I think we've all been missing FMMs, so thanks, Amber!

Today's topic is our top 10 favorite things this summer. Being a working Mom, sadly, my schedule doesn't change too much during the summer. But having ChellBell out of school has definitely been a good break for her and our family. Here are some things I will miss now that summer has ended along with some of the fun things we've gotten to do.

1. Late night swimming

2. Snow cones

3. Not having to wake ChellBell in the mornings (no need to bribe her with pop rocks -- she has gotten to sleep in as late as she wanted!)

4. Long days of sunlight

5. Not having to rush through dinner to get homework done

6. No school zones on my way to work in the morning

7. Fun concerts with ChellBell -- Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato

8. Fireworks at Grammy and PawPaw's house

9. Celebrating ChellBell's 8th birthday

10. Our family trip to Sanibel Island -- definitely the highlight of our summer!

Goodbye, summer 2009! It has definitely been fun!

Join in the FMM fun by going here to sign up! What is your Top 10 Summer List?

Surprise Party

I love parties. L-O-V-E parties. I mainly love to throw parties and will pretty much come up with every and any reason or excuse to throw one. Party favors and all.

So I always plan my own birthday parties. Not that I love to celebrate ME, I just love to celebrate and do it in style, with every little detail covered. And because I'm a bit, shall we say, "particular" about things, I do not get surprise parties very often. My poor husband would never take on a surprise party for me. It's not his gifting, and in a way, he knows I would be sad to miss out on all the planning. (Seriously, to this point, I am facing 39 in a few months, but my 40th birthday party plans are already underway...).

But that's not to say I don't love a fun surprise every now and then.

Chris and I headed to Austin this weekend to drop ChellBell off at Becca's house. The girls are going to "away camp" this week, and the buses leave out of Austin on Monday. It was a bitter-sweet weekend for me -- the bitter realization that my girl is old enough to go to camp by herself, and the sweet of the exact same realization.

Saturday morning I pulled myself out of bed, realizing that it was the day I would say "goodbye" to Chell for a week. It felt like I would be saying "goodbye" to a part of me. I began drowning myself in coffee. Breakfast was cooking. And at 8:13 AM, Becca's doorbell rang. Who would be so rude to ring a doorbell that early?

And that's when the surprise party began.

Remember me writing about these two friends, my favorite friends in the whole world? Well, Keri and Becca have started getting to know each other through our blogs (and of course, I am constantly telling them about each other). It just so happened that Keri was going to be in Austin this weekend, so she and Becca schemed a little and made plans for Keri and her boys to come over for breakfast. Did I mention that no one told ME about these plans??? So when we go to see who in God's name would be at the door so early on a Saturday, you can imagine my shock/ confusion/ excitement/ tears/ elation when Keri and her boys are standing there in the doorway, 150 miles from home.

What a great surprise to have my two sweet friends in the same place at the same time! Thanks, girls, for using your devious, scheming minds to put such a huge smile on my face. I hope you 2 can have more moments in the same place at the same time, because you will adore each other!

Keri, me, and Becca

(Why do I have such tall friends? Aren't they sweet --

they are bending down, so I don't look that short...)

The kids (sans Jack) having fun playing!

On to confession time... To pass the time without ChellBell, I decided to "glance" at this Twilight book that everyone has read, blogged about, obsessed about... I've had no interest but thought I would see what the hype was all about. And now I get it. I'm hooked. "Sucked" in. Sped through the first book in no time and went straight to the bookstore and bought the second book.

And now before I rush off to read some more about Jacob, please visit Tanielle over at the Polka Dot Daisy today to enter her Christmas in July give-away. Tanielle is super creative, so there is no telling what she will put together as the big prize. but no doubt it will be muy fabulo-so. (And hopefully it will divert her attention from all of her morning-noon-and-night sickness she has had from being muy pregnanto-so!)

Girls in White Dresses with Blue Satin Sashes...

It has been a L-O-N-G day today. With a capital L, O, N, and G. A computer-not-working, not-enough-hours-in-the-day, one-pack-of-peanut-butter-crackers-for-lunch kind of day. A typical Monday, actually.

And only 4 things can cure my typical Monday: A hug from my ChellBell, a kiss from my hubby, a glass of champagne, and a happy post for Friend Makin' Monday! Well, the first three happened as soon as I walked in the door today (Chris was prepared with both a kiss AND a drink-- isn't he sweet?!), so only one thing is needed -- a FMM post!

Since Kasey is gallivanting all over the country, Mamarazzi over at Dandelion Wishes is hosting this week and has asked us to list 5 - 10 of our Favorite Things. Isn't that a fun way to start the week? These are a few of my Favorite Things...

Photography

Although I love to capture life around me on my camera, there are a few photographers whose work takes my breath away. Amy at Images of Grace has definitely found her gift and was kind enough to capture ChellBell in a beautiful way that I could never recreate!

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes

I'm a sucker for any cute shoe, but I am an evangelist for Tory Burch, because they are comfy AND cute! (And they come in ChellBell's size too!)

Watermelon

I pretty much eat watermelon every day during the summer. YUM!

Fondant cakes

Izze

This may even be passing up Vitamin Water as my favorite drink...

iPhone

So I'm probably the last person on the planet to get one,

but now I have one, and I'm crazy about it!

Paper

I know I always go on and on about Erin Condren,

but - WOW - I love her invitations and stationery!

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for the announcement of the 200th post Give-Away! (And QUICK! enter now if you haven't already!)

Friend Makin' Mondays - BFFs

I always look forward to posting about the weekly topic for Friend Makin' Monday. Kelli over at Outside My Kitchen Window is hosting FMM this week while Kasey is launching her 35-day/12-state vacation with her sweet family. Kelli has chosen one of my favorite topics this week -- BFFs!

As life becomes more demanding with work and family, it is more difficult to maintain those BFF relationships like we did when we were younger with fewer obligations. But I have to admit that if I have been blessed at all in life, it has been with absolutely amazing girlfriends who would walk through fire for me without question, and for whom I would do the same. Too bad I can't introduce you to all of them! But let me tell you about 2 girls who are incredibly special to me:

Keri over at Keri Doing Life is my oldest BFF. Not that she's old, I've just know her longer than any of my other friends. Go back to this post to get to know more about Keri, and definitely visit her blog -- she's an amazing writer! I don't remember life without Keri. Who knew when we met as children that we would grow up to have a friendship as strong as the one our parents formed so many years ago! After moving a lot through the years, Keri and I ended up going to the same college and then lived together for a few years after graduation. Now we both have families of our own, and I learn so much from her about how to be a great Mom and friend. Being with Keri is like being at home, it's just comfortable, like you can prop your feet up and stay a while. She is so honest about who she is on both good and bad days. She has an inspiring desire to follow God's heart and live a life that is pleasing to Him. She has a great sense of humor and doesn't take anything, including herself, so seriously. It is a complete gift to have her as a friend!

My other BFF is Becca over at The Texas Darlings. Becca and Matt bought the house next door to us over 7 years ago, and we quickly became great friends. Here is one of my all-time favorite posts about Becca. We will always laugh at the fact that Chris and I moved just 10 houses down when we needed more space, because we couldn't stand the thought of being a car-ride away from the Darlings! Unfortunately, that came to an end when they moved to Austin last year -- one of the saddest days for us. Becca and I have lived so much life together -- the big things and the insignificant things -- that she has actually graduated from BFF and is now "family." If you've read her blog at all, you know that Becca is an outstanding Mom, always coming up with the coolest activities and ideas for her kiddos. She lives life deliberately, thinking ahead and never overlooking an occasion to celebrate something or someone. She is a steadfast friend, and life is definitely better with Becca Darling in it!

Can't wait to hear about your BFF -- go over to Kelli's blog and sign up. And don't forget to watch Pop Rocks this week for my 200th post and Give-Away!

Friend Makin' Mondays -- Summer is Here!

It's Friend Makin' Monday hosted by sweet Kasey over at All That is Good.  Today we're sharing 10 things we love about Summer.  

Summer officially started in our house today.  I'm off with ChellBell today, and our Nanny starts tomorrow.  Being a working Mom presents its challenges for truly enjoying summer, because, for the most part, life goes on as normal.  Thankfully, by having a Summer Nanny, ChellBell gets to sleep late, go to the pool every day and have a fun, lazy summer.  And even though I will get up every morning and go to the office, I still LOVE summer, and here are my Top 10 reasons why:

1.  Grilling kabobs and corn on the cob and then eating outside (we like to climb up on the trampoline and eat our family dinner there together).

2.  Pedicures and open-toe shoes.

3.  Float-In Movies at the neighborhood swimming pool

4.  Snow Cones after dinner - there is a place called Buck's not too far from us -- it is a whole restaurant just for snow cones -- amazing!

5.  Our family trip to the beach

6.  Lots of sleepovers for ChellBell and her friends

7.  No school zones on my way to work, which means I can push the snooze button one more time.

8.  Watermelon - I can't get enough!

9.  Celebrating July 4th

10. ChellBell's birthday

Oh, I am getting excited about summer now!  Thanks Kasey!  If you want to join in the fun, go here to learn how.

Happy Monday (and Happy Summer)!

Friend Makin' Monday

Hi friends, Happy Monday!  I've been away for a while, unfortunately not resting blissfully -- just trying to keep up with work and life!  But it's Monday, and I'm so excited that Kasey over at All That is Good is hosting another week of Friend Makin' Monday.  Want to join in the fun?  Go here to get started.

Kasey is definitely superwoman, always giving us great ideas and tips for keeping healthy, keeping our homes in order, and taking care of our families.  And today she wants to hear what helpful hints we have to share.

I'm definitely excited to hear what helpful tips and hints you all have, because I pretty much fall flat in this department.  We are the kind of family that just "wings" it.  Seriously, no helpful hints about doing laundry -- we're just glad when it gets done and put away.  Our sweet friend Norma makes sure that our house stays clean, and we are doing good to get a home-cooked meal on the table during the week.

The one thing that I feel like I've actually done well is teaching ChellBell how to read at an early age.  My friends laugh at me because when ChellBell was little, I would always point to my mouth when I taught her new words.  That would draw her attention to my mouth, so she would watch the words, not just hear them.  Then she would copy how I said my words by making her mouth do what mine did.  I still do this with all my kids in Sunday School, and there is a whole generation of preschoolers who point to their mouths when saying words like "miracle" and "obey"!

Reading can be really difficult for kids, and phonetics can only get them so far.  So I made up silly songs like "i-g-h-t says ite" and "eeng, eeng is i-n-g" and stories about the silent E at the end of the word making the vowel long.  And remember all those little rhymes we learned in school about "when two vowels go a-walkin' the first one does the talkin', and the other one stays quiet" -- those things work!

The only other little thing I taught ChellBell when she was little that seemed to stick was "Patience is waiting with a smile."  That has helped us out in lots of different situations!

Hopefully you all will have lots of words of wisdom for making every-day life a little easier -- I'd love to hear them!  

Have a happy Monday!

Friend Makin' Monday -- random questions

Hooray for Mondays and for Making Friends!  And double hooray for Friend Makin' Mondays!  Kasey from All That is Good is asking some fun and random questions, so we can really get to know each other.  If you want to join in the fun, go here.

You wouldn't be caught dead where?  A strip club

Do you have any hidden talents? I can say the 50 states in alphabetical order

Name two things you consider yourself to be very good at: Singing and "making things pretty"

Name two things you consider yourself to be very bad at: Golf and staying organized

Have you ever won a trophy? Yes, for cheerleading

Name one thing not many people know about you: I love to decorate cakes but do not like frosting

Name your earliest memory: playing dolls with my sister.

What was your favorite musical group in jr. high? Culture Club and Duran Duran

What was something the worst roommate you ever had did? Fortunately, I never had a bad roommate!

When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up? Either a doctor or a sonic waitress

What was your worst dating experience? A guy in college asked if he could cook dinner for me at his apartment.  He made spaghetti noodles and then pulled an open jar of spaghetti sauce out of the fridge and put it on the table for us to pour on the noodles.  He had also made a salad but got lettuce and cabbage confused.  Then he told me during the course of the night that he was addicted to porn. Um, not a good night. 

If you were about to die what would your last meal be? Probably a burger and fries and a glass of champagne.

Who is the most important person in you life? My husband (today is our 13th anniversary!)

If your house was on fire what 3 things would you grab on your way out? My family and the dogs and our computer -- all of my pics are on the hard drive and need to be moved to an external drive!

Friend Makin' Monday -- taking us back a few years...

Today for Friend Makin' Monday, we are getting in our Time Capsules and going back to our childhood to reminisce about the toys we played with as children.  Amber at {aefilkins} is our host this week, and what a fun topic she came up with!  If you want to join in, go here and check out the details!

We watched very little TV as children but played a lot with these:

Twister (and to be honest, I'm still pretty darn good at this game!)

Everything Barbie, especially the town house

You sunk my battleship!

My pink bike with a big banana seat

And, my personal favorite, roller skates -- could NOT get enough time on these!

Thanks to the Swine Flu scare, ChellBell's school is out all week, and I am "working from home" today (very little emphasis on the word Work), and ChellBell just came in to remind me that it is the 4th of the month, and asked where her monthly post is...  So, I'm off to work on a 2nd post for the day.  Hope you're all having a great Monday!

Friend Makin' Monday - The 5 Senses

For me, Mondays are synonymous with 8:30 AM staff meetings, 7 PM piano lessons, and (my favorite thing) Friend Makin' Monday, created by Kasey over at All That is Good.  If you want to join in the excitement, go here to see all the how-to's and rules.

Today we're talking about the 5 Senses.  For each one, Kasey has asked us to list 4 things we like and 1 thing we dislike.  That seems like a daunting task, but I'll give it a whirl...

Taste

1.  Candy Corn and Peanuts mixed together.  My friend Becca got me hooked on these.  I am probably the only girl looking for candy corn at the Walmart in April.  

2.  Peach Bellinis

3.  Avocado (And if you live in Dallas, you MUST have a deep-fried Avocado from Hectors on Henderson's -- it is a little bit of Heaven)

4.  Watermelon.  I think I could live on this one food alone.

Dislike: any creamy, dairy-based food like cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, whipped cream...  I know that's a lot of different things, but they all fall into the YUCK category for me!

Smell

1.  Roses

2.  Freshly Cut Grass

3.  Garlic cooking in my kitchen

4.  Freshly brewed Hazelnut coffee

Dislike:  Spoiled Milk.  Disgusting!

Sight

1.  A colorful and well-accessorized room.  There is nothing so inspirational to me than seeing a beautiful room with lots of color.

2.  Pictures of ChellBell -- she takes my breath away sometimes!

3.  The ocean

4.  Shoes.  Of all shapes, sizes, prices, and colors.  And honestly, my favorite sight would be those shoes getting put into a Nordstrom bag preparing to come home with me.

Dislike:  Spiders of any type.  Even writing that word gives me the absolute creeps.  

Touch

1.  Soft baby blankets

2.  Kissing Chris

3.  Playing piano

4.  Walking barefoot on sand

Dislike: Wooden spoons.  For some reason, I can't cook with any wooden utensils because I can't stand how they feel in my hands.  Strange, I know...

Sound

1.  ChellBell's giggles

2.  Christopher singing

3.  Jazz

4.  Church Bells

Dislike:  The alarm clock in the morning.

There it is, in a nutshell.  Sadly, I have about 15 more foods to add to my Taste list -- that one could be a blog post in and of itself!

What are your likes/dislikes?

Friend Makin' Monday, of course!

Andrea over at My Chihuahua Bites! is hosting Friend Makin' Monday this week.  (Thanks Andrea!).  If you'd like to join in on the fun and meet some fantastic friends, go here and get started!

Today's FMM topic is:  Your 5 celebrity crushes...

Since my current exposure to movies and celebs is limited to Hannah Montana, The Jonas Brothers, and Madagascar 2, it's hard to come up with a respectable list of celebrity crushes.  But over the years, I've had a few:

1.  Donny Osmond (look at that outfit -- how can you NOT crush on that!)

2.  Scott Baio (Joanie wasn't the only one who loved Chachi!)

3.  Tom Cruise (the before-he-got-all-weird Tom Cruise)

4.  Val Kilmer (The Saint. *sigh*)

5.Matt Damon  (So cute!)

But my biggest crush of all? The love of my life -- Chris!

Friend Makin' Monday -- Good Advice

My friend Kasey at All That is Good gets us all looking forward to Mondays with Friend Makin' Mondays, a super-fun way to make good Bloggy friends. 

Today is one of my favorite FMM topics: What is the best advice someone has ever given you?

For me, the answer is easy.

I have to preface this by saying that --and I'm sure many of you can relate -- my Mother is full of all kinds of Mom-isms.  Pieces of advice that she, as a Mom, feels obligated to give.  Like her advice when I went to college.  As she was moving me into my dorm, she told me the 2 things I should never do:

1. Never play with a Ouija Board and 

2. Never (ahem) with a boy before getting married.  

(Don't most parents just tell their kids to study hard when they're heading off to college???)  

Anyway, one of her Mom-isms has turned out to be the simplest and most profound bit of advice that I have lived by:

"Don't marry someone you can live with; Marry someone you can't live without."

Essentially, Don't Settle.  And with every boy I've dated, I've always asked myself, "Can I live without him?"  And when Chris came along, and the answer was "NO," I knew that he was the one I would marry.  That whole "don't settle" advice has helped me with so many other things -- like to accept or decline a job offer, or whether or not I should make a large purchase...  If I find myself thinking, "I could MAKE this work" OR "I could LEARN to live with it" instead of "I can't live without it!", then I know I'm settling, and it's not best for me.

Leave it to Mom.  She always knows best.

And I'm so glad!

What's the best advice you've gotten?  Go here and join in the fun!

Friend Makin' Monday - What's buggin' you?

Kasey over at All That is Good has this great tradition of kicking off the week with Friend Makin' Monday, and I'm always excited to see what topic she has chosen.  This week we get to vent a little bit... We're listing 5 things that, as Kasey says, "get us fuzzed up" -- essentially things that make us mad.

You know you want to get a few things off your chest, so pop over here to get started!

My natural tendency is to not let a lot of things bother me, but here are 5 things that really get my goat...

1.  When people will not let me merge onto the highway or into their lane, as if letting one more car in front of them will make them hours late to wherever they are going.

2.  When people have the chance to fix a problem, but they don't because they'd rather live with all of the drama that comes with having a problem.

3.  When people at the office throw their trash in my trash can (I seriously have a rule about this in my office -- everyone has their own trash can and should use it!  Anything that does not originate in my office does not go in my trash can.  This rule was created after someone put their banana peel in my trash can... Uggghh)

4.  When people don't RSVP -- even worse, they don't RSVP and they show up anyway.

5.  When people talk in the movie theater while I'm trying to watch the film.

Ahhh, that felt good to get off my chest.  Now tell me -- What bugs you???

Friend Makin' Mondays...

Mondays are becoming my favorite blog day of the week, thanks to Kasey over at All That is Good.  She's bringing together some really cool friends every week (thanks Kasey!).  Go here to learn more about FMM -- I'd love for you to join us!

This week we are sharing the 10 things we can't live without.  Wow, to narrow it down to 10 is tough, but here I go...

1. The Keurig Gourmet Coffee System.  My friend Becca introduced me to the Keurig, and I rushed out and bought one for my kitchen.  And I love it so much I bought a second one for my office.  It hands down makes the best coffee, one cup at a time.

2.  Polished Nail Salon -- if you're in the Dallas area, you MUST go to this fantastic and affordable nail salon.  It has the greatest hot pink and orange pedicure chairs, and everyone is so nice (Theresa and Samantha take good care of me and ChellBell).  The best part is that you choose a new bottle of polish at the time of service, and you get to take it home for touch-ups... How great is that??!!

3.  The Chi Flat Iron for my very big, out-of-control, curly hair.

4.  The eyelash curler.  I was not blessed in my bra size or in the length of my eyelashes.  So I curl my eyelashes every morning.  I'm waiting for a similar contraption for my breasts. :-)

5.  Fast Food (since we're being honest here...)  I love hamburgers and french fries, and when I can get them fast, that's even better!  Don't judge me -- you know there's nothing better than a square hamburger patty followed by fries dipped in a chocolate frosty.  mmmm, I'm getting hungry...

6.  Cell Phone.  Seriously can not imagine life without it.

7.  Google.  Remember the days when we had to go to the Public Library and look up stuff in the encyclopedias?  We couldn't imagine life with an infinite amount of knowledge at our fingertips, with no card catalog or microfiche...

8.  The back-up camera on my car.  Have you ever had something and thought "well, that's kind of dumb.  I'll never use it."  Yeah, um, kind of like me and this back-up camera on my car that I am now addicted to and could not back out of my garage or parallel park without.

9.  My camera.  It goes everywhere with me, so I don't miss a minute of life.  I even take it to the office, so I can snap my teammates when we close a deal, or when something funny happens.

10.  Home Decorating Magazines.  I'm crazy about them and can't get through the line at Target, Walmart, the grocery store, you name it, without picking one up, totally mesmerized by the pictures and inspiring ideas!

What can you NOT live without?

Friend Makin' Monday (on Sunday)

A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues." 

-Marcus Tullius Cicero

It's time for Friend Makin' Monday (I'm getting a head start!), and Kasey over at All That is Good is encouraging us to be THANKFUL today!  What a fantastic way to start off the week!  I hope you will join us -- get started by visiting Kasey here!

I'm so thankful for...

1.  An unshakable faith in God, and the comfort that it brings knowing that He is in charge of my life

2.  A husband with a great sense of humor, who always puts me ahead of himself

3.  A spirited, opinionated daughter who keeps me on my toes and on my knees in prayer

4.  Fantastic friends who keep me laughing and loving life

5.  My family (Mom, Dad, and Big Sis) and all the memories we have made together over the years

6.  A secure job with a fun and hard-working team

7.  The ability to find anything on Google

8.  The shoe department at Nordstrom., because some days it is the perfect pick-me-up!  

9.  Weekends with great open-the-sunroof kind of weather

10.French Fries (seriously, I love them enough to put them on my Thankful list!)

What are YOU thankful for today?

I heart Mondays

Hello Monday!  Today is a great day for a couple of reasons...  

Reason 1 - It's Spring Break, and I get to hang out with my favorite 7 year old for a couple of days!

Reason 2 - Kasey over All That is Good is back (hooray!) and that means Friend Makin' Monday is back!  Today we're answering some fun questions about ourselves and getting to know each other! Head on over here to get started -- it's so much fun!

What is your blogger name?
Pop Rocks for Breakfast

When is your birthday?
November 27

How long have you been blogging?
Since Sept 13, 2007

Who tagged you?
Kasey at All That Is Good

Tell me your five most favorite body parts.
Seriously?
Yikes!  I've never thought about this. I guess eyes, hair, feet, hands, mouth (since these parts don't accumulate cellulite!)

What do you wish most for your birthday?
A party with lots of friends, great cocktails, and really good party favors

What color are you nails right now?
french manicure

Have you had any depressing thoughts lately?
nope, not one

What’s your plan for the next month?
Work a lot, play a lot, throw a baby shower for Becca, re-carpet the upstairs, and take Easter pictures

At what age did you have your first crush?
I was in the 1st grade and had a huge crush on a senior in my school (private school -- we had all grades).  He knew I had a crush on him and sang a song to me at our school talent show.  (sigh)

Have you attended any school reunions?
Since I graduated HS in Japan, we don't have a lot of organized class reunions.  We did have one for 10 years, which was fun.  We've all connected on Facebook and are trying to get together this summer.

Have you ever passed gas in public and pretended like you didn’t smell anything?
Absolutely.  Or maybe I blamed it on someone else...

Are you a clean freak?
I have not been gifted in this area but am thankful for my friend Norma, who comes every Friday and makes my house sparkling clean!  :-)

What era do you wish you were born in?
This is the perfect one for me!

Are you a vegetarian?
No way, Jose.

How many pillows do you sleep with at night?
One.  It's a fantastic down pillow. 

Are you a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper?
Very heavy sleeper.  I actually don't get much sleep, so when I'm out, I'm completely out.  The house, seriously, could burn down around me, and I would sleep through it.  When Chris travels out of town, and I'm responsible for everything, I do not let myself go to sleep, because I'm afraid the house alarm would go off, or something would happen, and I would sleep through it.

Do you secretly wear granny panties when your man is not around?
No way!  I don't own any -- can't stand big panties!

What is your ultimate dream job?
Owning a totally chic paper store with great letterpress cards and unique invitations

What does your husband do that annoys you the most?
He is really, really cheap.

What is your dream car?
A red convertible

Do you wake up easily in the morning?
No, no, no -- I am not a morning person!

Do you like hairy men?
Only if we're talking about the hair on their head

How about a man with a goatee?
I prefer clean-shaven

Which would you prefer: a two-hour spa massage, a two-hour Thai massage, or a two-hour foot massage?
What's a Thai Massage?  Would I get to go to Thailand??  I'd probably take the spa massage.

Have you ever wished you had a different name? If so, what name?
My parents gave me a horrid first (legal) name that I have never gone by.  It's awful, and I begged them my whole life to change it.  I would change it now if I could.  Actually, I would just delete it.

What is the most extreme sport you have ever done?
White water rafting on vacation -- does that count? (Guessing that cheerleading really doesn't count?!)

Do you prefer traveling in Europe or Asia?
Since we lived in Asia during high school, it would be fun to try out Europe

What is your favorite food?
Burgers and fries

What is your most embarrassing moment while out on a date?

Although I have had my fair share of embarrassing moments, I fortunately can't remember any of them that happened during a date (maybe it's just denial???)