Stephany Writes

Categories: Recurring Series

Ten on Tuesday (vol. 4)

1. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I always wanted to be a veterinarian. I loved animals more than people (still do) and thought it would be a perfect career for me. People always asked if I would be sad to put animals to sleep to which I always shrugged at and said, “No.” I even promised my dad that I would become a vet. But then I took Anatomy & Physiology in 11th grade. College level A&P. I failed it my first go-around and it was just plain awful. I hated everything about science and knew I could never do anything in the medical field. So there went that dream!

2. Name 3 of your irrational fears.
I’m afraid of calling people on the phone. (I much prefer text or e-mail…but don’t we all?)
I’m afraid of making small talk, because I am awful at it. Just awful.
I’m afraid of car trouble. It all stems back to my childhood, where we had so many cars break down on us. It’s such a scary feeling for a kid, especially back then when we didn’t have cell phones or On Star.

3. If you had a $200 gift card to any store, what would you want it to be? (Nothing responsible allowed. Can’t be used for groceries or anything)
I would definitely use it at Kohls. Every time I go there, I never have any money to spend. So I would love to go and just shop to my little heart’s content.

4. What is your most (blog-friendly) embarrassing moment?
No doubt about it, eighth grade dance. When our principal announced who was “Mr. PPMS” I whispered loudly to my friend, “He probably cheated on that, too,” right as he was walking by. He turned, flashed a dazzling grin at me, and I was so embarrassed. Luckily, I never saw him after that. (Although, in my defense, there was a rumor going around that he cheated on this.)

5. If you were only allowed to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
Publix subs. I feel bad for anyone who doesn’t live near a Publix because they make the best subs on the face of this planet. Subway is such a pitiful comparison to the care and love Publix sub makers put into their subs. I swear a sub from Publix is twice the size of one from Subway. But you go ahead and get your $5 footlong…although it’s really only worth $2.

6. What was your favorite toy growing up?
For Christmas 1995, my mom and dad bought me a “La Baby.” I remember the year because she became my child that I named Jessica Katelyn. I still have her and she will be 14 this year! Craziness. I even bought her a USF cheerleading outfit to wear. (This is a little embarrassing to admit but I will not admit the age I was when I bought it.) Unfortunately, when my dog, Minnie, was a puppy she spent a morning while I was sleeping chewing off her toes. So she’s a little deformed. And I have a picture!

Check out those toes! Dang. Minnie really got her good!

7. Do you have a “go to” outfit? What is it?
Do sweatpants and an oversized shirt count?

8. Who was the best teacher you ever had?
My fifth-grade teacher, hands down. She was the most cheerful and exciting teacher I have ever had. I was new to the school that year and she made the transition so fun and easy. I like to think I was one of her favorites, as well. She also had one of those chalk holders and the coolest mechanical pencil I had ever seen.

9. If you could buy any car right now (something at least SORT OF within the realm of reality…so, you know, a Rolls Royce may not qualify), what would it be?
I would probably go for a Mazda6. I’m not big into Mercedes and BMW’s. They just scream status but I don’t like the look of many of them. I really love Mazda6’s and think they look so sporty yet sleek. My birthday is on Saturday, in case you needed gift ideas…

10. How do you reckon that Chelsea comes up with 10 of these questions every week? It was hard! What’s your theory on how she’s so creative? Are you going to help her?
Haha, reckon. That’s such a Southern word. And yes, I did help Chelsea out by sending her some questions! You should, too!

Categories: Recurring Series

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 2)


I missed doing this last week, although I planned on it. Friday was a super busy day for me so I never got a chance to even got online, much less write a blog post! So here’s my second installment! If you do one of your own, head over to ConversionDiary.com and submit your link.

One.
On Friday, I went to my brother’s apartment after work. He had the day off and my mom was babysitting my nephew while he did some shopping. My nephew, who is almost 14 months, went through a period of bursting into tears whenever he saw my mom and me. And he would only calm down if we took him in his room to play with him. Separation anxiety at its finest! Well, this Friday, I came into the apartment and put the food I brought on the table. I turned around and my nephew is holding onto my brother’s pants, with this humongous smile on his face. He let go of my brother and just about ran over to me to give me a hug! Then he sat down next to me and clapped! Seriously, best welcome ever! He’s never done that, although he has gotten better about not crying his eyes out when we come over now.

Two.
Mom and I bought a new game called In A Pickle. I didn’t read the instructions correctly, so we went through the entire 300+ deck of cards during our first game. Generally, for a two-player game, you go through 50 or so. Yeah. I realized that once we were mostly done with the game. But the game was a whole lot of fun!

Three.
Mom and I went to the recycling center to get rid of our plastic bottles, soda cans, and some glass last weekend. I love tossing the glass bottles into the bin and hearing the crash. It’s a good stress reliever. Try it sometime!

Four.
I’m so close to the end of this semester! Although I was excited to begin the semester, I have experienced more stress and exhaustion than ever before. Probably not at the level I was at with my final internship but a close second. I only have 9 assignments to go until I’m finished! I will be so excited to have a break from writing and studying and researching. It’ll be nice to recharge my batteries.

Five.
I really need to find 3 new purses. The one I use for school, when I bring my laptop, is one I’ve had for probably 3 years now. The one I use for school, when I don’t bring my laptop, is one I’ve had for over a year now. And the last one I use, for when I go out, is one I’ve had for about 2 years. So I’ve been searching and have found the two I (tentatively) want:Both are from Kohl’s. I actually found a really cute laptop bag from Target, but I can’t find it on their online store. It’s $30 and I really want it. I’ll be putting all three on my Christmas List. (Yes, I still make those!)

Six.
I’m still not sure what I want to do with my hair. I like it long but like it short. I love feeling cute and sassy with a short hairstyle but also love the feel of my long hair. Because let’s face it: I have beautiful hair. I’ve been told on numerous occasions by complete strangers how beautiful my hair is. It’s my best feature. And yes, I’m a bit conceited when it comes to my hair. I have a hair appointment on Black Friday for a haircut. I’ll be scouring hair magazines and hair websites in the meantime but I’m leaning toward a trim, but haven’t decided whether to grow my bangs out (they’re chin-length now) or cut them. I’m usually not this indecisive when it comes to my hair.

Seven.
I went to work in a horrible mood on Wednesday. And I try but it’s really, really hard to stay in a bad mood when surrounded by bubbly, joyful two-year-olds. Granted, they are not always that way but bright early in the morning, they are bubbly and joyful. Kids just have such a great spirit about them. It’s hard to stay in an awful mood with happy kids!

Categories: Recurring Series

Ten on Tuesday (vol. 3)

If you do this as well, click here to submit your link!

1. What are some of your family traditions?
We have a lot, and none of them big. But I like our traditions and I really don’t want to grow up, leave home, and have to deal with making new ones. (That scares me. A lot.) Anyway, when my brother and I were growing up, we started a tradition of sleeping in the same room and trying to stay up all night. My mom let us open presents at 6am so we tried our hardest to stay awake. We were allowed to get our stockings after midnight, which was always like the precursor to Christmas. My brother moved out in 2006 and now I actually get some sleep on Christmas Eve! As a side note, we only managed to stay awake one Christmas and it was because we stayed over at my uncle’s house and had his plethora of movies to watch during the night. (But I ended up crashing at 8am the next day.)

Anyway, our Thanksgiving tradition is Mom and I waking up at the crack of dawn to participate in the Turkey Trot. This will be our fourth year and we’re trying out the 10K. My mom is running it and I’m trying the walk/run. (I’m not excited about this. Sorry, Mom!) After breakfast at IHOP and a shower, we head over to my grandma’s. The guys and I watch football while my mom and my grandma and my grandfather cook. Dinner is at 3pm but we never eat until 4pm or later. We eat dinner, have lots of laughs, and then my mom usually cleans up the kitchen. The rest of us laze around, watching football.

Christmas is done similarly. My mom and I wake up whenever and open presents. My brother comes over to open presents and give us his gifts. And then in the late afternoon, Mom and I head over to my grandma’s for a repeat of Thanksgiving. We open more gifts, eat a lot of good food. The only problem with Christmas is a.) Christmas season is over and b.) no football!

And this was an extremely long answer. I applaud anyone who read this whole thing. I’ll eat one of my extra-special Christmas cookies for you.

2. Do you know how to change a flat tire?
No, I don’t. I would like to learn, only because I have major anxiety when it comes to having something go wrong with a car. When I was younger, my mom, brother, and I were driving back to our apartment from my grandma’s house when our tire blew out. It was horrible, on a super-busy road and we had to walk home. People kept stopping us to give us a ride but my mom declined every time, showing us not to hitch rides with strangers! She also bribed us with the offer of an ice-cold Coca-Cola when we got home. (Back in the day when Kool-Aid or milk were our only drink options.)

3. Do you subscribe to any magazines? What are your favorites?
The only magazine I subscribe to is Shape and I love this magazine to pieces. It is chock full of healthy living advice, beauty advice, awesome success stories, and great workout ideas. I do enjoy reading Us Weekly because it’s nice to sit back and read some great gossip. It’s a nice relaxer. But that’s about it.

4. What are your top three favorite office supply items? (If you don’t share the love of office supplies with me or if you are male, you may skip this question.)

Well, I do love office supplies so I will participate.

First off, I’d start with a pen. My current favorite is the Pilt EasyTouch Retractable Ballpoint Pen in clear. It writes so well and smoothly. I love it.

Post-Its! Of course! Who doesn’t love Post-Its? I don’t use them as much as I did but I love the Post-It Flags, for marking my spot in a book. I’m not big on bookmarks or dog-earing so these Post-Its work great! (And I, too, love when I finish a dispenser and have a new color to look forward to!)

Page protectors. I use them for school, mainly to hold my syllabi for classes. My eighth-grade English teacher was a big fan of these and totally turned me onto this amazing office supply. I always make sure I have them in stock for any necessary emergency.

5. Are you a good public speaker?
No, I’m awful. I make a lot of awkward pauses, say “um” a lot, and get the shakes. I quickly get a dry throat and I hate every aspect of it. I lose my train of thought, as well. I think this is a major reason why I failed at teaching.

6. How do you feel about acronyms?
Acronyms? I have no feeling about them whatsoever. Kind of like asking how I feel about Sweden.

7. What’s the most creative things you’ve ever done? (Bloggers, feel free to include pictures!)
Oh man. This is going to be hard. I’m not a creative person at all. I just write well. I have no answer for this. I’m just too boring.

8. I’d rather jam a pen in my eye than…
…read about vampires or witchcraft. I don’t get the buzz about Harry Potter or Twilight. I tried getting into Harry Potter but I honestly couldn’t stand the books. They annoyed me. I haven’t “tried” Twilight yet but have no urge to go out and buy the book. None at all.

9. What company has the best advertising?
I love Microsoft’s response to the Mac ads. I hate the Mac ads. And they are so stereotypical, it’s just wrong. I love, love, love Coor’s Light ads, with the press conferences. They are my absolute favorite!

10. When is your birthday?
My birthday is on the 28th of this month. Am I excited? You betcha! It falls the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Mom and I are still deciding whether to venture up to Orlando for the weekend or not. But I love my birthday and celebrate it all month long. I’m also have 3 birthday celebrations, ha! One with my brother and nephew, one with my family on Thanksgiving, and a third with just my mom and me. I. Can’t. Wait!

Categories: Recurring Series

Ten on Tuesday (vol. 2)


Oh, my new favorite! Chelsea has a Mr. Linky going on at Roots & Rings so head on over there if you do this as well!

1. What gift are you most proud of giving?
My mom has always gone all out for my brother and me for Christmas. Even when we struggled for money, she always seemed to deliver and give us the best Christmas experience every year. And she barely ever got anything. My dad never got her much (if anything) for Christmas. (Or her birthday or their anniversary…) So one year, when I was in middle school, I made her a “If I Had a Million Dollars…” book where I cut out pictures of houses, cars, pets, etc. Things I would buy her if I had some money. A little silly but sweet. That’s me in a nutshell.

2. What’s the best gift you ever received?
I can’t really say what the best was but one of my favorites was tickets to see some kind of gymnastics meet. It was Christmas 1996, after the girls’ had taken gold at the Olympics and I was obsessed with them. I bought all their biography books and was convinced that I would become a world-famous gymnast by the time I was fourteen. (I was nine at the time.) I had never been to a sporting event in my life so it was so much fun. I couldn’t believe I was in the same building as Bela Karolyi and Dominique Moceanu!

3. In honor of my husband: What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?
I’ve never broken a bone, gotten stitches, or even sprained my ankle. I did have my tonsils removed when I was four. But other than that, probably the worst injury was when I hurt my back while watching a movie in 10th grade. Yep, you heard me right. I was lying on my bed one afternoon, watching a movie, and when I got up after the movie was over, my lower back hurt so much. I don’t know what I did and never went to the doctor about it. I even had to compete in a cheerleading competition with it! (And my pain tolerance is about a -5.) So, I still don’t even know what was wrong but it hasn’t come back!

4. They say everyone gets 15 minutes of fame. Who’s 15 minutes has gone on far too long? (The Gosselins are not acceptable answers, be more creative.)
Kourtney Kardashian! Ever since she got pregnant, it seems like she’s being featured in a new magazine every month! First there was the announcement, then there was her featured with Kendra Wilkinson, and now I think she’s on a new magazine! How many feature stories can they write on her? (And she also comes off as extremely immature in her interviews.) I think I liked her a lot better before she got pregnant.

5. You have 20 minutes and $1000. What do you buy?
Well, obviously, I’m at Kohl’s. And I would get some “professional” clothes since I have barely any that fit me. Actually, I have probably 20+ items in my closet that could be deemed “professional clothes” but sit in my “Hopefully Someday” section of my closet. I bought them when I was 120ish pounds and student teaching and I can’t wait to wear them again!

6. Tell me three blogs that I need to read.
Sure thing: Samantha, Amy, and Ashley!

7. Would you rather go without pizza or ice cream for the rest of your life?
Definitely ice cream. It’s really not something I ever crave or gorge on when it’s in the house. (Now, put a bag of Hershey kisses or a pan of brownies in my house and I can’t control anything I do.) I crave pizza at least once a week and I’m salivating right now. Sometimes, I crave good pizza (like Pizza Hut) and sometimes crap (like frozen pizza). But a lifetime without pizza? That’s just wrong.

8. Would you rather go to a beach or a snowy mountain?
A snowy mountain, of course! I’ve spent my entire life surrounded by beaches and really, they’re not very exciting. I’m not a big fan of the beach and go maybe two or three times a year, even though I like 20 minutes from the beach. I’ve been to the mountains once, when I was twelve. I loved it and fell in love with skiing. (As much as a twelve-year-old snow bunny can!) I’d love to spend a Christmas in the mountains and actually experience a white Christmas, instead of the 80-degree crap I have to put up with here.

9. Are you a night owl or a morning person?
Neither. I wouldn’t consider myself a night owl by far. Around 10 p.m., I start winding down and getting tired. I’m not a big fan of staying up late. I like to go to sleep at a decent hour. (Yes, I’m a 70-year-old.) But I also don’t like waking up early. My alarm goes off at 5 a.m. every day during the week. And I feel like my Saturday is wasted if I wake up before 10 a.m. I just like to sleep! I would say I’m more of an afternoon person.

10. What word do you always misspell?
Turquoise! I love the color and it’s one of my favorites but I can never seem to spell it right. I’m trying to teach myself.

Categories: Recurring Series

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 1)


Stealing yet another idea from Roots and Rings (does this count as blog stalking? I’ve never stalked before and it’s a little exciting). Seven Quick Takes Friday, hosted by ConversionDiary.com. I love the idea so I decided to do my own.

One.
I’m not a fan of baseball. At all. I hate the “sport”, in fact. It’s a boring game that cannot even begin to measure up to football. And another reason I hate it? It interrupts TV programming. Wondering why you’re seeing repeats of your favorite shows? Blame the World Series. Wondering why this Sunday night was not “Football Night?” Blame the World Series. And the Yankees won, I’m told. Whoop-de-freaking-doo.

Two.
On Sunday night, around 8 p.m., my phone decided to stop working. I didn’t drop it in water or slam it on the ground in anger. It has been dropped, multiple times. Just four months old and I wasn’t a very good caretaker to this beauty. So, on Monday, I skipped my afternoon class to go to the Sprint store. I was told my phone was dead. And they ordered me a new one. I lasted almost 72 hours without a cell phone. Honestly, I didn’t think it was possible but I was successful. It felt weird, being cut off from the world.

Three.
It’s pretty obvious that I’m part of a shallow journalism class. And I’m also shallow so I don’t care much. About 75% of us want to work at magazines and want nothing to do with reporting. We are not newsy people. And it became obvious to my Beginning Reporting professor how shallow we were when she asked if any of us had voted in Tuesday’s mayoral election. Only two people raised their hand. The oldest guy in our class (he has to be pushing seventy!) and a grad student who just became a citizen a month ago. And we knew next to nothing about the two candidates.

Four.
We had a total of zero trick-or-treaters for Halloween. ZERO! We bought two bags of candy, filled up a big bowl, and even lighted our Jack-O-Lantern. Nada, zip, zilch. We do live in an apartment, so most kids go to “safe” neighborhoods. Whatever. We didn’t even get a teenager dressed as a baby!

Five.
I was offered an internship! I don’t know any details about it but it involves the lady I keep in close contact with at Mahaffey Theater. Fingers are crossed that it’s paid (but I’m doubtful). In any event, it’ll be an awesome opportunity and look great on my resume! I’ve been worrying about finding internships because while I wanted to intern at a magazine this summer, I can’t because of summer classes. (I will graduate in December 2010!) I’m really happy about this, though! I meet with her on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the internship and other projects. Yay!

Six.
I had a test on Thursday that I studied a total of 15 minutes for. I think I did OK since it was mainly short answer and I just smoke those types of tests. I’m a good BS-er. And am I the only one who hates getting to class before a test and see everyone with bunches of flashcards, quizzing each other? I furiously try to listen in and catch some last-minute facts. And it always makes me even more nervous about the test. I hate that.

Seven.
What was up with 30 Rock yesterday? I mean, it was good but did anyone else notice the weird product placement? “…like the Winter Olympics, this February on NBC.” And then the same thing happened when Jack did a television meeting through Cisco. I’ve never noticed it so blatantly before. Has anyone else noticed this?