personal

My bloggy friend Tanya at Kreative Korner asked me to join her in a little “get to know you” exercise. I decided to take her up on the offer and share my answers with you all. Enjoy!

1. What are you wearing?
Pajamas

2. Ever been in love?
Every single day of my life.

3. Ever had a terrible break-up?
Yes, in the 7 years that Hubs and I dated we had a couple of break-ups, the second one (4 years in) was the worst.

4. How tall are you?
5’5″

5. How much do you weigh?
YIKES…the answer to this depends on the day. Let’s say somewhere in the 130s.

6. Any tattoos?
None.

7. Any piercings?
Two in each ear. Occasionally I punch through my second holes just to make sure they stay pierced, but I only wear earrings in my original ear piercings.

8. OTP (One true pair, favorite fictional couple?)
It’s a toss up between Eleanor & Park and Glenn & Maggie.

9. Favorite Show?
Again a toss up: The Walking Dead, Orange is the New Black, and Parenthood (watching on Netflix, no spoilers, please!)

10. Favorite Bands?
Counting Crows, Mumford & Sons and Avett Brothers

11. Something you miss?
I miss my kids being little, but I love them as tween/teenagers. I miss my parents being married. I miss not needing to color my hair. I miss being able to park in my garage.

12. Favorite Song?
At this very moment it’s Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars. Ask me 3 weeks from now and it will be something different.

13. How old are you?
I just turned 39 last week. (39 is the new 29!)

14. Zodiac sign?
Aquarius

15. Favorite Quality in a Partner?
Admitting when he’s wrong, and accepting my apology when I am.

16. Favorite Quote?
“A flower does not think of competing to the flower next to it. It just blooms.” — Zen Shin
“Good fences make good neighbors.” –Robert Frost

17. Favorite Actor?
Kristen Wiig

18. Favorite Color?
I love gray, aqua, and black and white together (stripes, dots, graphic tee)

19. Loud music or soft?
Soft if it’s background music, loud if it’s booty music in the car with my kids. 😉

20. Where do you go when you are sad?
I usually take a long shower or watch TV in bed.

21. How long does it take you to shower?
Wait?! Did you anticipate my answer to #20? It takes me about 10 minutes, unless I’m home alone or everyone is in bed and then it’s usually until the hot water runs out.

22. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
If I’m just dropping off the kids and returning home, about 5 minutes. If I have to go out, between 30-45 mins.

23. Ever been in a physical fight?
I think I was in 6th or 7th grade. It was a hair pulling fight.

24. Turn on?
A good sense of humor and an active listener.

25. Turn-off?
People who try to call others out or embarrass them. Dishonesty.

26. The reason I started blogging?
Because I love writing, sharing my thoughts and creative process. Because I am painfully introverted at times and it was a good way for others to get to know me. To have digital evidence of my creative and intellectual property.

27. Fears?
Something terrible happening to my kids, husband or other family members. The zombie apocalypse. Aliens.

28. Last thing that made you cry?
An episode of Parenthood.

29. Last time you said you loved someone?
Every time I pass one of my kids in the hallway.

30. Meaning behind the name of your blog (AquaSeventy6)?
I am an Aquarius born in 1976.

31. Last book you read?
Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

32. Book you are currently reading?
None. I actually was planning to look for a new audiobook tonight.

33. Last show you watched?
Just finished binge-watching American Horror Story: Freakshow.

34. Last person you talked to?
My husband.

35. The relationship between you and the person you last texted?
I’m his mother.

36. Favorite food?
So many! I really like a good steak–medium rare.

37. Place you want to visit?
Hawaii

38. Last place you were?
In the living room eating dinner on the couch with Hubs.

39. Do you have a crush?
Katy Perry’s LaDuca booties

40. Last time you kissed someone?
Kids when I picked them up from school. Hubs when he got home from work.

41. Last time you were insulted?
Recently. It wasn’t a direct insult but a series of insulting actions.

42. Favorite flavor of sweet?
I don’t have a sweet tooth, but I do like sweet mixed with salty.

43. What instruments do you play?
Cowbell

44. Favorite piece of jewelry?
My wedding ring, my watch and my Ezra Necklace

45. Last sport you played?
I played a little football and soccer yesterday. (ie: I tossed the football with my son and then kicked a soccer ball with my nephew.) Before that? Hitting a golf ball at Top Golf a month ago.

46. Last song you sang?
Lose Control by Missy Elliot

47. Favorite chat up line?
Any conversation that doesn’t include the word ma’am.

48. Have you ever used it?
No, I call women ma’am all the time. 🙂

49. Last time you hung out with anyone?
Last night watching football with the cousins.

50. Who should answer these questions next?
Hmmm, this is tough because a lot of my bloggy buddies already have their posts pre-planned, but I’ll call out Autumn at Fun Life*Happy Life and see if she’s game!

A bit of calamity is common in my life. It’s a daily occurrence for me to bruise my hip bumping into the corner of the bed or bang my knee on a coffee table. My poor fingers have it the worst. I’ve sewn through one, completely closed a car door on another.

I was having a typical nutty day. I’d just sliced the top of my index finger when I got it caught in a junk drawer, my dogs wouldn’t stop barking at some workmen next door, and I had spent the last 20 minutes spraying Formula 409 on, and trying to sweep out, the hugest and oldest palmetto bug (Florida cockroach) I’d ever seen–which I’d found in said junk drawer–while shrieking like a banshee with each sweep of the broom.

I finally got the demon beast out of my house and realized that I had to leave right at that moment to pick up my kids from school. I’d accomplished NOTHING that I’d set out to do that morning. My plans were thrwarted early on when Hubs left me a letter to send certified mail, a check to deposit, and a reminder that we were all out of something (string cheese? milk? OJ?) so I had to stop at the grocery store, too.

I was frustrated and in pain when I pulled up to my son’s school. The whole way there I was cursing (cussin’) under my breath about how I should just STOP: stop writing, stop creating, stop running my business. STOP. What was the point, anyway? (boo-hoo, woe is me–I know.) I had 5 minutes until the bell rang and I opened my email ready to clean out a day’s worth of SPAM, when I saw this in my inbox:

To: aquaseventy6
From: christiejean17

Hey Yvette! I don’t know if you really remember me. But I used to blog over at Ma Nouvelle Mode for awhile. I dropped out of that blog because my son Bennet was born with a severe heart defect. He had 2 open heart surgeries, one diaphragm surgery and 3 stomach surgeries all before the age of 5 months old. He was 100% gtube fed (through a tube directly to his stomach) for 18 months.

I have been wanting to reach out to you because you have no idea how much your wet bags saved my life during those early months of Bennet’s life. We had to keep syringes for meds and feeds and all sorts of strange things with us at all times. Sometimes these items became pretty messy – I won’t go into detail 🙂 Anyways, i carried two of your chevron wet bags with me at all times! I just wanted you to know how God used your products to bless me during a really really difficult time.

I just started my own blog called A Beautiful Window 🙂 I would love to keep in touch. God bless- Christie

An overwhelming feeling came over me. I was touched beyond words–both happy and proud that something I made with my own two hands helped a person across the country during a difficult time, and selfish and petty for being upset that I couldn’t get to my “business to do list” because I had to tackle my “family to do list”. A list that including picking up my healthy children from school and running errands for the love of my life. What a jerk I am.

Thank you Christie for your email. Thank you for reminding that sometimes our plans change, priorities shift, and that all it takes is a few kind words to put things back into place.

To learn more about Christie, Bennet and their family visit A Beautiful Window.