Getting to Know You

Southland Life published this "Getting to Know You" questionnaire several weeks ago, and since I thought it was fun and I can't think of anything else to blog right now, I'm going to give it a whirl :)

Getting to Know You 2011

1. What time did you get up this morning?

My usual wake-up time of 6:00am on weekdays. Yuck!

2. Pearls or diamonds?

Definitely pearls!!! But diamonds run a close second :)



3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?

Peter and I saw Win Win with friends at the theater about a month ago. I wasn't sure what to expect from the previews, but it was excellent! It was worth the price of the ticket for sure!

4. What is your favorite TV show?

I'm not sure if this qualifies as a TV show since they show different British TV series, but I've loved Masterpiece Theatre / Mystery on PBS since junior high. I rarely miss an episode!

5. What do you usually have for breakfast?

Cereal or yogurt and granola

6. What is your middle name?

Leigh

7. What food do you like the least?

Bananas!!! I hate the mushy texture. Blech!

8. What is your favorite CD at the moment?

Phoenix "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" 

9. What kind of car do you drive?

Toyota Corolla

10. Favorite Sandwich?

BLT (made with tomatoes from my daddy's garden) or Chicken Salad (I can't decide - I love them both!)

11. What characteristic do you despise?

Rudeness

12. Favorite item(s) of clothing?

Jeans, Cardigans, Sundresses

13. If you could go anywhere in the world for vacation, where would you go?

Scotland or Germany/Austria or Greece (or all 3!)

14. What color is your bathroom?

Pink, Blue, and Green

15. What is your favorite brand of clothing?

Milly, Elizabeth McKay, Kate Spade, J. Crew

However, Target is more in my price range :)

16. Where would you retire?

Charleston, SC or Beaufort, SC

17. What was your most recent memorable birthday!

30 - My friends gave me a wonderful tea party for my birthday and I was newly engaged :)

18. Favorite sport to watch?

College Basketball (My entire family are crazy University of Memphis fans! You should hear my mom cheer for the Tigers!)

19. Favorite saying?

Seriously? or Are you kidding me?

20. When is your birthday?

I'm a summer baby :)

21. Are you a morning person or night person?

Neither - I'm a middle of the afternoon person. I shine at 2:00pm :)

22. Are you part of the problem or the solution?

Probably a little of both!

23. Do you have any pets?

No, but I really want a dog (preferably a beagle)!

24. Any new and exciting news you would like to share with us?

We're going to take a trip with my parents toward the end of the summer! I havn't seen them since Christmas so I'm really excited!!!

25. What did you want to be when you were little?

What didn't I want to be when I was little! Princess-ballerina, restauranteur, doctor, journalist, novelist, teacher, baton-twirler, fashion designer, etc., etc., etc. :)

26. How are you today?

Tired from getting up at 6:00am, but other than that, I'm great!

27. What is your favorite candy?

Caramel Twix

28. What is your favorite flower?

Peonies

 

29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?

My husband and I are going to see the Danish Royal Ballet perform soon!

30. What are you listening to right now?

A Fine Frenzy

31. What is your favorite movie?
Anne of Green Gables
Lord of the Rings
The Princess Bride

32. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?

Periwinkle

33. How is the weather right now?

93 DEGREES!  Thank you Maryland heat wave!

34. What is your favorite soft drink?

Cheerwine

35. What is your favorite restaurant?

The Cupboard (Memphis, TN)

Interstate Barbecue (Memphis, TN)
Jestine's Kitchen (Charleston, SC)

36. Natural hair color?

Brown

37. Siblings?

One Sister.

38. Favorite day of the year?

Christmas

39. What was your favorite toy as a child?

Easy-Bake Oven

40. Summer or Winter?

Summer. I like to be outside enjoying the sunshine :)

41. Hugs or Kisses?

Hugs. Unless it's my husband, and then kisses :)

42. Coffee or tea?

I prefer tea, but I drink coffee in the morning for the extra caffeine.

43. Chocolate or Vanilla?

Chocolate, for sure!!!

44. Favorite season?

Spring and Autumn are my favorite seasons. I like moderate temperatures :)

45. Last time you cried?

I can't remember, but I'm sure it was because of a sappy commercial :)

46. What is under your bed?

An under-the-bed plastic storage container for all of my T-shirts and my dumbbells.

47. What is your favorite smell?

Honeysuckle, Gardenia, Lilac

48. What are you afraid of losing?

Wallet or car keys

49. Salty or sweet?

Sweet (but I also really dig the salty/sweet combo - i.e. chocolate-covered pretzels)

50. How many keys are on your key ring?

Five

51. Favorite day of the week?

Saturday

52. Favorite book?
This is a crazy question to ask a librarian (!!!), but if I have to answer, I'll say:
Anne of Green Gables
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Lord of the Rings series
Narnia series

(all images via Google)

Weekend Recap

Argh ... life has been so busy lately that I'm yet again doing my weekend recaps on Wed.! I'm going to try to get back in the blogging groove this week :)

Friday was a day off of work for me, and I spent it, for the most part, cleaning. Sounds awful, but I actually enjoy cleaning somewhat :) It gives me a feeling of accomplishment to see my shiny sink or polished table or vacuumed floor. The only household chores that I really dislike are taking out the garbage (which my husband now does - thank goodness!), washing dishes (which Peter also does - hooray for sweet husbands!), and ironing. On Friday night, my friend, RAM, cut my hair (she's a professional hair stylist so no worries!), and we had a great time catching up. It had been way too long since we had chatted! I meant to take before and after pictures of my new style, but I was in too much of a hurry to meet her and forgot. I love my shorter hair, though; I was really ready to get my hair cut before summer came. I can't stand hair on my neck in hot weather!

On Saturday we hiked Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park with a group of friends. We had a perfect day for hiking - sunny and warm but not sweltering! Old Rag is pretty challenging (there's a steep trail to the top and a difficult rock scramble) so we were fairly exhausted by the end, but we had a ton of fun :)

Our friend, JW, is a little too fearless when it comes to cliffs :)

What was I saying about JW being fearless?

KJB, AJH, and Peter taking a well-deserved rest at the summit of Old Rag.

I look like I could really use a nap (and a shower) in this picture!

On Sunday, we went to church and then relaxed the rest of the day. I made Asian Glazed Drumsticks  from Gina's Skinny Recipes  for dinner.

Have y'all tried Gina's Skinny Recipes yet? I've heard raves about her recipes from other bloggers, and this was my first recipe to try. Peter really liked it, but I thought it was just OK. Maybe I did something wrong because my sauce was much darker that what is shown in the picture?! I'm planning on trying several more of her recipes in the next few weeks :)

7 Harry Potter Books by July 15?

(image via Google)

So I've had it in my mind for at least a year now that I would re-read all 7 Harry Potter books by the time that the last movie came out. Good goal, but the problem is that I didn't keep track of when the last movie was coming out. Which led to my total shock last week while watching TV when I saw a preview for HP7 Part 2 that announced it would be in movie theaters on July 15. Gasp! I love me some Harry Potter but that's a lot of reading to do in a month and fifteen days!!! I think I'm up for the challenge, though :) I have a reading plan and the motivation that I will not go to the movie until I've finished all of the books!

I was a little late to hop aboard the Harry Potter train (I think that I read the first book in 2005), but I've thoroughly enjoyed reading each book and have liked the movies (even though they're definitely not as good as the books!) It kind of makes me sad that this movie will truly be the last installment of Harry Potter (Sigh), but it has been a good ride. And who knows? Maybe J.K. Rowling has something else up her sleeve for the future :)

Anyone else excited about the last movie? Or planning on re-reading any of the books?

Memorial Day 2011

Peter and I were out of town visiting his parents this weekend so this post is a little belated, but I really wanted to say a huge "Thank You" to all of our brave men and women in the armed forces - those serving currently and those who have served in the past. I'm SO thankful to live in the United States and enjoy all of the freedoms that come with being an American, and I'm also SO thankful for our troops who sacrifice so much to ensure those freedoms. My grandfather was a Marine and served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, and I'm extremely proud of him and other relatives and friends who have served in the military. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Peter and I went to the Andrews Air Force Base Air Show with friends a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted to share some pictures that I took there since they tie in with Memorial Day. Seeing our military in action was thrilling, and I certainly felt proud to be an American that day :)

Soldiers enjoying watching the air stunts from a primo spot :)

A Blue Angel up close and personal.

The Thunderbirds. AMAZING! If you ever get a chance to see them in action, take advantage of it!

This is the work of a group called the "Skytypers." Pretty neat, huh? The messages were made with puffs of smoke and lasted about 5 minutes.

A bit hard to see, but those are very talented parachutists! They were flipping around and doing zig-zags and other crazy stuff. I totally thought that they were going to crash into each other and/or the ground, but they came out (of course) unscathed :)

My husband is an aerospace engineer specializing in helicopters so this picture was obligatory :) I think this is a Black Hawk. Or maybe a Chinook? I'm obviously not an expert in distinguishing helicopters yet! 

Peter on a Navy Seal boat. The different special ops forces had displays of their equipment, uniforms, weapons, etc. set up in a hangar, and let me tell you, our special ops forces are impressive!!!

Maryland Hunt Cup

Peter and I went to our first steeplechase race, the Maryland Hunt Cup, on April 30. It was a gorgeous day - perfect for picnicking and watching horses jump over fences :)

I had no idea that steeplechase racing was so difficult! Of the 10 horses that competed, only three completed the course without falling or losing their riders. Good grief!

The horse that I was rooting for, Volle Nolle #8, came in 3rd! The horse that Peter was rooting for did not finish the race :)

We had a really fun time, and I'm sure that we'll be attending other steeplechase races in the future!

Also, just a heads up, Rue La La is having a Vineyard Vines sale this Sun. / May 15 starting at 11:00AM EST. If you need an invitation to Rue La La (totally free and no commitment), you can click here. I can't wait!!!

(images via Google)

Book Beginnings and Bookends: The House on First Street: Week 1 Questions

1. Have you visited New Orleans before? Do you think a visit to the city is necessary to connect to this book?
I've visited New Orleans twice, and while I don't think that a visit to the city is necessary to connect to this book (or enjoy it), I think it would definitely help. New Orleans is a unique place, and lots of the stories and references that Julia includes can only be fully appreciated if you have experienced NOLA firsthand. Some of the bizarre things that she mentions might seem a bit unbelievable unless you have been there and know that New Orleans is the capitol of bizarre things :)
2. What are your thoughts on Julia's writing style? Do you like the way she tells stories?
She has a good sense of humor. Some of her writing is a little bit too tongue in cheek, but for the most part it's fun and witty. She also describes things very colorfully with great adjectives :) She does name drop a lot which gets tedious; I don't know the people whom she mentions but I get the feeling that she assumes that I would know them and be impressed that she's friends with them.
3. To me Julia took a laid back approach to the evacuation warnings and even devastation. What was your reaction to her approach? How do you think you would have handled a flood of such proportions?
I was a little shocked that she would plan a dinner party the night before Katrina hit! That said, however, she mentioned that when you live in a place that is always getting dire warnings of impending disaster that you kind of become immune to them and tend to think that your city is going to be spared one more time. That seems to be what she was thinking. I'm a worrier so I probably would have evacuated far before Julia did, but I also rather admire her laid back approach. She managed to come out OK without much stress!
4. Julia instantly was solicited by her editors to do pieces on the disaster. Do you think she gave an accurate portrayal?
I've learned a lot more about Katrina and its consequences for NOLA residents in this book than I knew before, but Julia might be a bit biased in her portrayal. She definitely loves New Orleans, and I don't know if she gives the city, state, and federal leaders a fair judgment for their decisions in the crisis or not.

Weekend Recap

Friday was a day off of work for me that unfortunately started out with a doctor's appointment (Ugh!) but then improved as the day progressed :) After the doctor, I was excited to go to Target and peruse the new Calypso St. Barth collection, but I was unimpressed with the offerings. Tie-dye and beading/sequins just aren't my style, and the Calypso collection was heavy on that look. Oh well! The rest of my shopping trip was successful, and I returned home to tackle some much-needed chores around the apartment before heading out to join Peter for a nice, long walk around a neighboring town. We picked up a milkshake for him and a smoothie for me for some sustenance on our trek :) We came home, and I tried the Spicy Chicken Shawarma recipe from Cooking Light that Virginia Belle had recommended a couple of weeks ago. Super yummy, and a perfect Friday night dinner!

(image from Cooking Light)

Saturday morning we made blueberry pancakes for breakfast, and then I headed out for a little shopping. My Junior League chapter was selling a "shop around" card that gave buyers discounts at many area retailers. It's a great idea and raises lots of money for literacy-related programs in the DC-area. I bought a new Murfee scarf at the local Lilly Pulitzer shop and a new pair of platinum Jack Rogers to get ready for summer :)

(image from Jack Rogers)

Later in the afternoon, we headed over to our friend KLW's house for her Derby party. I forgot to bring my camera so no pictures, but I promise that we had a great time! KLW makes a mean mint julep :) The Derby is always the most exciting two minutes in horse racing, but this year was especially exciting with Animal Kingdom coming from way behind to win it. I think that he was in 15th or 16th place at one point in the race! When we returned home, Peter and I munched on leftover Black Bottom Cupcakes (my food contribution to the party) and watched the movie Metropolitan.

(image from IMDB)

We were really liking it until the last 20 minutes or so when everything seemed to fall apart and not make much sense. I definitely enjoyed the preppy fashions from the 90's, though :)

Sunday was church and then a fun bike ride on the Capital Crescent Trail which connects Georgetown in DC to Silver Spring, MD. Peter and I had not biked this trail before, and it was a great find! We didn't have time to bike the entire trail yesterday, but we're going to try to take a Saturday in June to do the whole thing. It was a gorgeous day in DC yesterday, and there were many people out and about enjoying the weather and celebrating Mothers Day. I missed being with my mom and taking her out to lunch for Mother's Day, but it was great to talk to her on the phone later in the day. My beloved maternal grandmother passed away last July so this was our first Mothers Day without her which made it a little sad. I'm very thankful that I was able to spend so many Mothers Days with her during my life, though :)