The Active Mum nominated me {Thank you, Aanika!} in this fun blog game: Leibster.  I’m always up for a few fun and embarrassing facts to leak out and I love this idea of getting to know other bloggers.  So this, my friends, is your lucky day. :)

1./  I freeze leftover homemade icing.  And I get it out and eat it when I’m craving something sweet or had a bad day.

2./  I love people.  Learning about them and what makes them tick.  Sociology was one of my favorite courses in college.

3./ My ears are asymmetrical and different sizes.  It’s ok…you can laugh. :)

4./ I’ve always secretly wanted to be an actress.  I used to act out scenes of movies with my sister all the time and me and my brothers would make short films.  I use that term loosely.  My sister and I even went so far as to begin religiously acting out a Little House on the Prairie scene every night before we would go to bed.  It was the scene where Laura is biting off a hang nail and Mary asks her what she is doing.  We perfected that scene to the very toe.  And pretended to blow out our lamp like they blew out their kerosene lamps.  {Do you remember that, Mandy?}  But seriously, I can remember wanting to do drama in high school and never had the opportunity.  I think I might be waaay past the age limit to start acting, but I’ll probably give it a shot one day.  Just for fun. :)

5./ When I’m in the check-out lane of a grocery store, I look at what I have on the conveyor belt and try to deduce what it says about me to the cashier.  Waaay over-thinker over here.

6./ I am the second oldest of 14 children, all my biological siblings.

7./ I always save every last bit of a meal at a restaurant in a to-go box. Steven used to get so embarrassed, but I think he’s getting over it. :)

8./ I took piano lessons for 10 years.  I was classically trained.  I competed.  I performed in recitals.  And after Laura’s inspiring interview, I’ve been getting out my books more frequently and discovering how far gone I am.  I still like to play through Josh Groban, popular movie songs, Charlotte Church, and Jim Brickman.  I owe my parents big time for this tremendous gift.

9./ I want to adopt a baby from Asia.

10./ I feel happiest when I’m having a deep and meaningful conversation with someone I love and trust.  Trust is hugely important to me.

11./ I want to live in a big city {San Francisco or L.A.} and I want to live overseas, with our children in an immersion school for at least a year.

1.  Why did you begin blogging? To write.  I discovered I had a lot to say, and blogging became this sort of safety net for my ideas and a place to discover myself.

2.  Do you have more than one blog?  No.  I’ve thought about splitting into 2 blogs, but I love offering diversity and I hope my readers appreciate that.  I like the freedom to encompass a variety of things on here and not limit myself to just photography, or just journaling, or just our family.

3.  What is your favourite thing to snack on?  Recently, I’ve discovered sweet potato chips from Aldi and I can’t get enough of them!  With salsa, with diet coke, with guacamole, with hummus.  They’re just so good.  In fact, I packed up my 3 schooners and drove across town the other day just so I could satisfy my craving.  If that’s not commitment, I don’t know what is. :)

4.  What is your favourite type of exercise?  Probably tennis or water skiing.  I did both sporadically growing up and I really loved it.

5.  Tic Tacs:  Do you chew them?  Absolutely.  Who can wait?

6.  If you could describe yourself in only 3 words what would they be? Stubborn. Creative. Passionate.

7.  Is there a single person that has influenced your life in a big way (family or celebrity)?  Nicole Kidman.  I know it sounds silly.  I’ve never met her.  And I don’t really know her.  But since I was 20, I got into this habit of watching interviews of famous people I found inspiring and wanted to learn from.  And Nicole became this woman I identified with.   Her perspective is like a breath of fresh air for me.  I get it.  I’ve learned from her.  I’ve come to understand myself better because of her.  And I really wish I could meet her one day.  An autobiography would be great too. :)

8.  How many hours sleep a night do you average?  Is it enough?  I would say 7 – 8 hrs.  I always say 7 is my minimum.  Anything less and I crash or need unhealthy sustainable measures in my life…and I don’t think that’s worth it.

9.  What are your 3 main goals for 2013?  To become financially free.  To be a teacher for my children.  To pursue editorial photography and design.

10.  What is your biggest vice?  Too high expectations.  I’m too hard on others.  I’m too hard on myself.

11.  What is your favourite book and why?  Mmmm…that’s a tough one.  I don’t know if I can say I have a favorite book.  The Bible is most important to me.  And I eat up biographies!

Ok. Now I’m tagging 11 bloggers at the bottom and here are the rules:

1./ Putting Down Roots

2./ Learning to See

3./ They Never Turned Back

4./ 1 Slice of Apple Pie

5./ Pencilled Daydream

6./ Crooked Places

7./ Brown Sugar Toast

8./ 4 Girls and A Daddy

9./ In the World Of the Webers

10./ Tales of Me and the Husband

11./ Our Blessed Road

1./  If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

2./  What’s been your most embarrassing moment to date?

3./  What is your creative outlet?

4./  What did you eat for breakfast this morning?

5./  What makes a good friend?

6./  What has been the most important day of your life?

7./  Do you prefer to love or prefer to be loved?

8./ Fear aside, what is the one thing you wish you were brave enough to do?

9./ Who inspires you?

10./ Do you feel most invigorated when you spend time with other people or being by yourself?

11./ Please finish this sentence…I wish I had known…

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