1. What was/is your favorite live-action (meaning not animated) kids’ movie?

For some reason, Babe comes to mind. I just looked it up and it came out in 1995, which seems right since I would’ve been around 7 at the time. Now I want to go back and watch this movie! Who didn’t love Babe?!

2. What is a bad habit you have? Are you working on breaking it?

I think my worst habit is talking badly about myself. I do it all the time and I’m trying to make a conscious effort to stop. My mom does this as well and it irritates the heck out of me when she does it. I need it to irritate the heck out of me when I do it as well!

3. Describe your father in 3 words.

Distant, jerkface, gambler.

4. Which character in the Breakfast Club were you most like in the ’80s?

I’ve never seen this movie, actually. I remember renting it once but only getting about an hour or so in, but Molly Ringwald annoys me immensely. I can’t stand her on Secret Life Of the American Teenager and she just rubs me the wrong way. Plus, I was all of two when the ’80s ended, so this question doesn’t really apply to me.

5. Name 5 songs you know ALL the lyrics to.

There are so many, but ones that come to mind:

• Beauty from Pain – Superchick
• Jesus Freak – dc Talk
• His Cheeseburger – VeggieTales
• How He Loves – David Crowder Band
• Hope Now – Addison Road

6. Do you make pancakes from scratch or a box mix?

I don’t make pancakes. I think I’ve made them once in my entire life. They’re just never something I crave or even want to eat, so the only time I do eat them is when I go out to breakfast. My mom makes them a lot, though, and uses a box mix.

7. What was your worst job ever? Why?

Probably my job at Panera Bread in high school. I worked there for 3 months, only for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday. It was a horrible job. The only job I had was cleaning up the dining area/dishes. I was trained to work in the bakery, but never scheduled for it. I was also trained to work the register, but never scheduled for that either. And have you seen a Panera Bread register?! There are so many different buttons to press to get to different menus. They didn’t give me enough time to learn it at all.

Anyway, I had to close the restaurant on Saturday and Sunday nights which entailed sweeping down everything, making sure all the dishes were clean and put away, mopping the place, making sure the coffee pots were rinsed out and ready for the morning, cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming, wiping down the tables, etc. It was such a hard job! I absolutely hated working there.

8. What was your favorite class in high school?

Psychology. I took it when I was a senior and it was college-level, but my teacher was amazing. I swear she was Ms. Frizzle from Magic School Bus come to life. Her hair was crazy, her outfits were hilarious, and she was such a hands-on teacher, even for college. But she made the class so much fun and our final was that we had to come to class and watch Garden State. So tough!

9. Favorite summer guilty pleasure?

The hot weather. Honestly, I love it. A lot of people hate how hot and humid it is here but there’s nothing like the feeling of the sun beating down on your face and shoulders to lift your mood. Plus, after 22 years of living here, I’m used to Florida’s humidity. It doesn’t phase me all that much.

10. Please share your best money-saving tip!

Oh, I’m the worst person to ask. I guess my best tip is to make a budget and stick to it. It’s something I keep telling myself I need to do, but I never get around to it. But making a budget will help you see what your bills are, how much extra you’ll have left over, and start the savings process.

The last time I did a ToT was April 13th. I’ve missed these!

1. If you could trade lives with another blogger for a day, who would it be and why?

There are so many bloggers whose lives seem a lot more interesting than mine. They’ve seen more success than me and have found a way to make money from blogging. (The ultimate goal, right?) If I had to choose anyone, I would probably pick Caitlin from Healthy Tipping Point because not only is she healthy and active and married to a gorgeous husband, but she’s also found a way to give back to the online community, as well as become a published author!

2. Do you prefer receiving handmade or store-bought gifts? Be honest!

I’ll be totally honest and say store-bought gifts. I don’t think I’ve received many handmade gifts and when I have been given them, they haven’t impressed me. I think you can also put a lot of thought and effort into store-bought gifts (sometimes more so than handmade ones). I mean, I’m totally not a fan of receiving bath & body sets because I think that takes zero creativity. Still, I will freely admit: store-bought> handmade.

3. Would you rather camp or stay in a hotel?

I’ve only been camping once and I’ve stayed in about a billion hotels. The one time I did go camping, I had an absolute blast. I was eight or nine and I just remember how relaxing and fun it was. Plus, nothing beats roasting marshmallows over the fire and making a s’more. (Or two. Or three.) Then again, I love sleeping in hotels. It’s a bit more comfortable. In any event, it’s always nice to get away.

4. What’s your favorite comfort food?

Chocolate. Anything with chocolate. It can turn my mood around like that!

5. You’re having a really bad day at work. How do you unwind when you come home?

I’m pretty good at being able to put work problems behind me when I come home. I don’t like thinking about work when I’m not there. If I do have a bad day, all I really need is a vent session with one of my co-workers or my mom and food. Lately, I’ve been doing better at not letting circumstances give way to gorging on food. But it’s still a big comforting factor for me. I’m just doing it in moderation now, which is good.

6. What’s your favorite chore? (Or, the chore you hate the least)

Probably laundry. I really don’t mind doing the laundry, for the most part. Plus, I find that I put my clothes away more quickly when I do the laundry than when my mom does it. When my mom does it and puts my folded clothes in my room, it usually takes me a week to actually sort through them and put them away. I’m really bad about that.

7. What got you interested in blogging?

I’ve really always had some type of blog. I started off at Diaryland, then went to Xanga, then back to Diaryland. I tried LiveJournal for a while but didn’t like it. When I started college, I started a Blogger blog to document my teaching experiences. Then I went over to WordPress to do a more personal blog. After having some success with that, I went back to Blogger and I’ve been here ever since. I’ve always liked documenting my life, even the silly things I wrote when I was fifteen. It wasn’t until probably a year ago that I realized how big this blogging community is and really started getting involved in that aspect.

8. Are you currently reading a book? What is it?

I’m reading two books currently. I’m reading Perfecting Kate by Tamara Leigh, which is about a girl who begins to change what she looks like to please people. I’m just getting into it but it’s really interesting! I’m also reading When God Writes Your Love Story by my two favorites, Eric and Leslie Ludy. This book is amazing. I can’t wait to do a review of it when I’m done. It’s not changing my view on love, but it’s making me see that my way of going about finding love is not weird.

9. Do you have a favorite artist?

As in art? No. I’m not that into art. Honestly, I see art at Target and think it’s spectacular. Obviously, I have a very un-critical eye for art.

10. Have you ever met someone famous?

I’ve met some local celebrities, like our news anchors. Oh, and on Saturday, I met one of our local jazz singers at a festival I attended.

1. What book, movie or song has made you want to travel to a particular place? (e.g. I went to Prince Edward Island because I was such a Anne of Green Gables fan)

I find it so easy to transport myself to the places in books and movies. So there are so many places I’ve wanted to visit because of how they’re portrayed in these mediums. My top three are: New York City, London, and Italy.

2. Aside from your significant other, who would you want to take with you on a dream trip?

My mom, of course. I’ve never been on a vacation without her and I just have so much fun with her! We’re so alike and we like to do a lot of the same things. We do have our different interests but there’s just something special about traveling with your mom. You can’t get homesick, for one thing. And for another, you build amazing memories that will last for a lifetime. And also, my mom is just plain awesome and I love being around her.

3. Where would said dream trip be to?

It would definitely be New York City. I’m hoping and praying we’ll be able to take this trip in December for my graduation gift but I know how expensive it is so it’s going to take some big prayers. I’ve never been to such a big city and it would be neat to see how I like it. I’m such a fan of the small town that I think I would get irritated easily.

4. If you were hosting guests or providing tips, what three things would you show visitors to your hometown? (Be it where you live now or where you grew up.)

First of all, your first meal would be a Publix sub. Yes, it sounds a little odd but if you’ve never had a Publix sub, you’re seriously missing out. They are so good.

Secondly, we would take a trip down to Clearwater Beach because hello, you cannot go to my town without spending at least one afternoon at the beach. I may not be a big fan of the beach, but I do like taking a trip or two to the beach every now and then.

And lastly, we’ll do some shopping at International Mall because it’s an amazing mall with every shop you could ever imagine. I don’t go there enough, mainly because it’s an expensive mall and the only places I can shop I can find in other malls closer to me. But it’s still fun to look!

5. If you had a long weekend ahead of you, where you head – beach, city or country/mountains?

It would have to be the beach. We don’t have mountains in Florida and going to the city just doesn’t appeal to me. I have to be in the mood for the beach and right now? I’m so in the mood! Once my finals are over, I’ll have about a week before summer classes start so I’m taking advantage of that time to soak in the sun! We have miles and miles and miles of beaches where I live and it’s only about a 20 minute ride to get to them.

6. Do you have a passport? If so, did you get it for a particular trip or just to have, in case?

No, I don’t have a passport. I’ve never ventured farther west than Tennessee, farther east than West Virginia, farther north than Ohio, or farther south than Florida. I want travel more, but it’s expensive!

7. Are there any travel souvenirs you collect? If not, is there something else you collect?

Since I don’t travel, no. I’m trying to start collecting money, but it’s not going so well.

8. If you could name a paint colour, what colour would it be and what would you call it?

I think I would choose a very bright shade of green and call it Stephany Green. And that, my friends, is how creative I am. My kids will probably be named John and Mary.

9. If you were heading away for a weekend city break solo, where would you go? (Forget about practicality here and flight times, assume you can get to any city in the world for the weekend.)

Ooh, I have to go alone? I would probably travel to Boston and visit a very special friend of mine. And she would probably corrupt me. But it would still be worth it.

10. Is there a song or a smell or something that you strongly associate with a particular holiday/place/time, such that it always takes you back?

There are so many songs that take me back to memories:

• Anna Nalick’s CD “Wreck of the Day”: The summer after I graduated from high school and was working at a movie theater. I listened to her CD constantly that summer.
• Wow Hits 2000: Sixth grade when I had terrible insomnia. I really hate listening to any songs on that CD because I get such an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach, remembering that time. I hated sixth grade.
• “London Bridge” by Fergie: My first year at college, where I lived in the dorms. I downloaded this song as my ringtone to wake me up and just remember that pretty awful time of my life.
• Francesca Battistelli’s CD “My Paper Heart”: Summer 2008, where I worked as an office assistant at a print shop and traveled up to Tampa two days a week for class. I listened to this CD constantly every day. For once, that was a good time and just brings back lovely memories.
• Ashlee Simpson’s “Autobiography” CD: My junior year of high school when I had just began at the collegiate program. This is probably the best memory I can think of. I loved those last two years of high school and loved my high school. It was such a great experience for me!

Visit Roots & Rings to link up if you completed this on your blog, or if you want to read more answers!