1. What accomplishment are you most proud of?

Graduating with my high school diploma and two-year college degree, all in the same month! I went to a progressive charter high school where I took college classes that counted as high school credit so had my two-year degree at the age of 18! Of course, I should have graduated with my four-year degree in 2008 but let’s just not talk about that, shall we?

2. How much did you weigh when you were born?

Five pounds, even! I was a tiny, little thing!

3. What is your favorite perfume?

I don’t really have one. I don’t wear much perfume. What I like to do is buy my mom perfume for Mother’s Day, her birthday, and Christmas and then use her old perfume when she starts using her new perfume. Yep. That’s how I roll. I’m currently using some sort of Victoria’s Secret PINK perfume and it smells yummy.

4. How many siblings do you have?

Just my brother, who is one of my heroes. He’s 14 months older than me and we fought like cats and dogs growing up. Basically, we were each others best friends and worst enemies. But now we’re pretty close and I look up to him. A lot.

5. How many children would you like to have? (Or how many do you have?)

My golden number right now is four. And I know I’m kidding myself with this because, hello, I enjoy sleep and freedom! And birthing four children? Holy crap. I can barely handle period cramps. How am I going to get through labor? (Although I like to fool myself into thinking doctors will have devised a magical, natural pill that takes any labor pain away!) But I do want to have a few kids. Maybe.

6. What’s the best class you took in college?

Funny as it sounds, Introduction to Education. Although I ended up failing out of teaching, it was such a fun class that taught me so much. I felt that I had finally found my purpose and passion with this class. And, a requirement of the course, was to volunteer for 20 hours in a school so I was able to go back to my old elementary school and volunteer with my most favorite teacher EVAH, which was such a fun experience.

7. What was your favorite game to play when you were a child?

As an outside game, kickball. I loved the team aspect and the easiness of the sport. It was a fun game to play. As a board game, I was most definitely a Clue girl. I still love that game to this day. And now they have so many different types and I want to buy them all!

8. What character on Friends are you most like?

I’m definitely a Chandler. I know, I know. I should be a girl. But I’m not as flighty as Phoebe, as crazy as Monica, or as pretty as Rachel. I’m a Chandler. I’m funny and goofy like he is.

9. Are you a phone person? (ie: Do you like talking on the phone?)

NO! I hate it, hate it, hate it. I’ve never liked talking on the phone. I always get nervous when the phone rings and have an allergic reaction to calling people. (Sweaty palms, beating heart, body heating up.) I just want to text or e-mail everyone.

10. What was the best vacation you ever took?

My trip to Virginia/West Virginia when I was 12. It was my first time seeing snow and going skiing. The trip up there wasn’t too much fun with seven of us crammed in a van with ALL of our luggage. But when we arrived in Virginia, it was snowing. It was my first time ever seeing that in real life so 12-year-old Stephany was amazed. I sucked at skiing but it was still a lot of fun. (I ended up dropping a pole once and then a SKI once on the ride up the mountain.) And after four days in Virginia, we traveled to West Virginia where we went to another ski resort to ski at night. This is also the state where I learned of the circle of life when my grandfather killed a deer.

Another edition of Ten on Tuesday! Also, Chelsea is having another (and final! For now!) giveaway where you could win adorable labels for your mail! I don’t send out much snail mail but these labels are enough to make me want to! Head on over to her giveaway post where she has FIVE ways to win. And she’s picking 3 winners this week!

1. Favorite book(s) when you were a child and why?

I was probably the biggest fan of The Baby-Sitters Club you could ever meet. Funny thing is, I’ve only babysat maybe twice in my entire life. But I loved this series because of the characters. After just reading the first novel, I grew close to Kristy, Claudia, Mary-Anne, Stacey (who was sophisticated. Can I just tell you how much I loved that word when I was eight?), Mallory and Jessie. And then Dawn was introduced and later Abby. I loved these girls and felt like they were my closest friends. A part of me really wants to re-read the series!

2. First “grown-up” book you remember reading (i.e. written for adolescents or with adult themes, such as The Outsiders or Catcher in the Rye).

OK. This is weird to admit. And I’m taking the adult theme a little far, maybe. But when I was in middle school, I was over at my dad’s house one weekend and didn’t have anything to read. So he found a book of my grandma’s to read. Only it was an adult book, as in adult themes. As in, kissing and sex and naked bodies. I devoured that book and probably read it 3 or 4 times in the next few weeks. It definitely wasn’t a book a 13-year-old should be reading and, honestly, I don’t know why my dad ever thought it was a good idea for me to read it!

3. Favorite movie that came from a book (even if you didn’t read the book and just love the movie).

I would have to say The Notebook. I never read the book but loved the movie so, so much that I’m a little scared to read the book. I know books are usually better than the movies but still, this movie was so good! Also, laugh all you want, but The Princess Diaries. Books were AMAZING and the movies were cute as well.

4. Movie that you loved so much that you WISHED there was a book out so that you could find out more about the movie.

Hm…can I say Leap Year? I just saw the movie so it’s fresh in my mind. And I thought it was such an adorable chick flick and can’t stop thinking about it. Man, this is a bad answer. Moving on…

5. Worst book you’ve ever read?

There are so many! Mostly, those corny chick-lit/romance novels that are so cheesy and use stupid words that nobody uses anymore.

6. Book that everyone raves about that you either a) haven’t read and feel slightly dumb for not having read it or b) have tried to read and hated and so feel slightly dumb that everyone is getting something you don’t.

Twilight. The Harry Potter series. And most of Emily Giffin’s books. I only really liked Something Borrowed and Baby Proof. Her other two haven’t really done anything for me. She takes so darn long for the story to get started and my attention span just can’t stay with a book until Chapter 12, when everything really seems to get interesting.

7. If you were forced to choose only 3 books that you could read for the rest of your life, which ones would they be? (Or if you were stranded on a desert island, which 3 books would you want there with you?).

Miss Match by Erynn Mangum for a fun, pleasure read; Authentic Beauty by Leslie Ludy to keep me centered; and The Bible because it’s a pat answer that I should write, right?

8. Name one book that if you could recommend that everyone you know read, what is it?

I don’t know about everyone, but one book I would recommend to any girl to read is Authentic Beauty by Leslie Ludy. It’s such a radical book that transformed the way I thought of God and a relationship with Him. I’ve read it multiple times and I could read it again and again. I love it.

9. What is your “guilty pleasure” reading?

I read a lot of trashy romance novels. You know the type: guy meets girl, guy kisses girl, guy takes girl’s clothes off, guy and girl have sex, guy and girl realize they’re in love with one another, guy and girl get married and live happily ever after. There’s no literature value to it but it helps me escape. Ha!

10. What book (excepting the Bible or other major document of your religion/faith) has changed your outlook on life the most?

Refer to Question #8. I can’t talk enough about this book! It really transformed my life. The main message of the novel is having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, whom she calls our Prince. And the book focuses on how much God loves us, pursues after us, and desperately wants a close, intimate relationship with Him.

Another installment of one of my favorite features: Ten on Tuesday. If you complete these questions on your own blog, head on over to Roots and Rings to link up! Also, since we’re talking about R&R, she’s having another awesome giveaway! This time she’s giving two lucky readers their choice of adorable calendars, be it a wall calendar or a desk calendar! Go here to enter.

1. Are you usually late, early, or right on time?

I’m either super early or super late. I hate being super early and I really hate being super late. I always get extremely tense when I think I’m going to be late somewhere but I’m almost never on time for anything.

2. What is your middle name?

Marie.

3. What are the last 4 digits of your cell phone?

Yeah…I’m not going to answer that.

4. How big is your bed?

It’s a queen and I love it so, so much. It’s my favorite piece of furniture.

5. What are you allergic to?

Once, I took a dose of Nyquil and immediately broke out in hives and got so, so hot. I went to bed, thinking I would meet Jesus during the night but nothing happened. Since then, I’ve been way too scared to take any more Nyquil, or even Dayquil. I don’t know if I’m really allergic to this but I could be, so it kinda counts.

6. What is the first thing you do in the morning?

I turn off my alarm and take the dog out. And if I don’t have an alarm, I still have to take him out. And sometimes he sits on my head and licks my face until I get up and take him out. He’s quite the persistent little dude!

7. What was your favorite TV show growing up?

Growing Pains, even though I only started watching the show once Disney Channel start showing reruns. It was such a great show and I probably saw the entire season 3 or 4 times. My brother was 100% Mike and I was 100% Carol. Best. Show. EVER!

8. Will you, or did you, go to your 10 year high school reunion?

I want to! It’s not for another 6 years so I’m hoping to be a lot more slimmer and successful. The class I graduated was extremely small so we were a close-knit group, since we didn’t have a normal high school experience. I still keep in contact with a lot of them and some of them are oodles and oodles more successful than me already. But I can’t wait and think it’ll be fun!

9. If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it still make a sound?

My dad asked me this question once, when I was taking a psychology class. And I swear I thought of this question by himself. Naive little thing I am! Anyway, according to Merriam-Webster, a sound is “the sensation perceived by the sense of hearing.” So if there’s no one around to hear it, then no, it doesn’t make a sound.

10. What, in your opinion, is the greatest invention? (You know, since sliced bread…)

The Internet, of course! I mean, it fulfills all your needs: entertainment, news, recipes, tutorials, TV shows, movies, etc. There is nothing better than the Internet, I tell ya, nothing!