Stylish Blogger

I am so very excited because I got nominated by Melissa for a Stylish Blogger Award! I've never been nominated for any kind of blog award, so this is super fun!! Thanks for thinking of me, Melissa!!

~1~

I am a shopaholic. I just can't help myself! There's nothing like the feel of a new pair of shoes or a cute new outfit for a party. I know that this makes me seem materialistic, but I'd like to think that I'm not. I know the value of a dollar and that I am so very fortunate to have the things that I do. So I just let myself enjoy the little things - even if it's just some fun seasonal napkins from the Dollar Store!

~2~

To completely compound #1 above, I am a pack rat. I hate throwing things out. And I learned it all from my mom!

My mom's parents grew up during the Great Depression and didn't have a lot of money. My Grandma used to tell me that she remembered being a little kid and walking along the railroad tracks looking for coal to take home. And when she and my Grandpa got married, he made $20/week. So they scrimped and saved to make ends meet. This philosophy was obviously passed down to my Mom. She told me that I should save everything because if I threw it out and then needed it, we didn't have the money to replace it.

So I have a terrible habit of not wanting to get rid of anything "in case" I need in "someday." It's a problem really. I have so much "stuff" that I just can't bring myself to get rid of, but now it's out of control. We are thinking that we are going to have to move again in the near future and I know that the Hubster isn't going to want to move my twin bed basketball sheets from the 8th grade. (Because you never know when I might run out of all other regular sheets for a bed that's used 4ish times a year...)

~3~

When I was younger and even now, I completely idolized my Dad. So when he sat down to watch sports on tv, I sat with him. And in turn, he explained the finer points of football, basketball, hockey, golf, and baseball to me. And when I started to play team sports, my dad used to help me dissect the game when we got home. I completely loved it.

This contributes to the fact that I know *way* more about sports than the Hubster. To be fair, he's just not a sports fan in general, but my wealth of knowledge when it comes to sports, I will blow most of my girlfriends and most definitely my husband out of the water.

To be honest, there's nothing like catching a live college basketball game or even better a baseball game.

And yes, most guys I know are shocked that I keep an impeccable score book for a baseball game...

~4~

I drive a manual transmission car. For some reason, my mom's car was manual when we were growing up. So it seemed natural for us to learn how to drive it when we turned 16. And when I was buying Sharky (my 8 year old Focus) buying a manual car was the most affordable option. Now that I'm looking for another car, a manual is just seeming natural to me. Unfortunately, it is just not as available as I had previously though.

~5~

If I was in a place in my life to get a doggie, I would want a whoodle; a wheaten terrier/poodle mix. And if I had a whoodle, I would name her Cindy Lou. So I'd have a puppy named Cindy Lou Whoodle.

~6~

My favorite ice breaker question is "how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?" Clearly I don't use this in serious professional situations, but it's great when you meet people at a party and need a funny ice breaker. It's such a silly, thought provoking question.

I don't know what the answer is...I can't ever wait that long!!! :)

~7~

I am terrified of international foods. I think I get so nervous trying something new that I work my stomach into knots and then I feel sick. I think this started in college when I tried some Indian food and ended up with food poisoning. It was compounded on our honeymoon when we tried some Asian food and the Hubster poured extra spices onto our shared dish and I spent the rest of the night with a horrible stomachache. We concluded it might be the spices that my tummy doesn't like. So I stick to "safe" foods like rice and bread. :) (Which is going to come in handy when we make a trip to India for work in the next year...yikes!)