Eleven-11-{eleven}

the lovely alita, from alita jewels treasures, tagged me on this, and I thought it might be fun to play along.

The Rules:
1. Post these rules.
2. Post a photo of yourself and 11 random facts about you.
3. Answer the questions given to you in the tagger’s post.
4. Create 11 new questions and tag new people to answer them.
5. Go to their blog/twitter and let them know they have been tagged.

 1. love when i can start my day with a cup of hot tea and hugs... minus an alarm clock.
 2. being a homeschool mom is one of the best decisions ever made for our family.  no regrets.  even on rough days. {repeat last line to self} ;)
 3. as a kid, i once lived in a trailer.  down a dirt road. 
 4. hubs says i seem more relaxed since leaving the institutional church.  i have to agree with him.
 5. did you know that i am a former pastor's wife {with my current husband}? *giggle*
 6. i had trouble finding a picture of myself without my lil' chickadees.  this pic was taken at the rodeo - a year ago.
 7. i miss running. the elliptical is the life for me now. crazy joints.  need to get back to the gym.  note 2 self: exercising in one's head does not count.
 8. juicing veggies is my new healthy passion.
 9. clutter and rude people drain my energy.
10. italian food is my favorite.  my hips can't handle the carbs though. *sigh*
11. love yummy smells, especially in the form of essential oils.

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alita's questions:

1. At what time in your life did you find yourself on an emotional roller coaster?

definitely after we resigned from institutional church ministry.   our entire lives were tied up in church.  activities, friends, job titles, hobbies.  everything.  it took a few years to recover.

2. When was the last time you tried something new?

with motherhood, i'm finding a new challenge almost daily.  day-lee.  other than motherhood, it has to be our adventures in alaska.  i'll always hold those close to my heart.

3.  What does your joy look like today?

constant. always there. no matter what. happiness is another subject altogether. i'm choosing to have that today. ;) 

4.  Do you see to believe or believe to see? Give an explanation, too. 

good question.  would i be avoiding the question altogether if i simply said, yes?? ;)  see to believe... i suppose life has left enough tire marks on me that sometimes i believe you need to see actions in a person before you can believe their words.  believe to see... in god.  but then again, we see his workmanship all around us, too. ;)

5. What is the single most religious experience or moment of pure faith, you have ever had?

pure faith?  after struggling with infertility, taking 4 pregnancy tests still took a good dose of faith. 

6. What is the difference (in your opinion) between being in love and falling in love?

call me an old, married lady... but, i believe falling in love can best be described as "puppy love" or infatuation.  hollywood movies have done a great job of blurring the lines of what real love is.  being in love is choosing to love someone... even on bad hair days.

7. When you close your eyes what do you see?

a cool day at the beach, enjoying the sounds of the ocean. <-mommy's happy place.  it's always much better in my head.  you know... my kitchen produces gourmet meals, the house looks like a magazine kind of picture. a girl can dream, right?

8. What is your earliest childhood memory? Which one stands out as a teen? and now?

childhood: walking to school and being offered a ride. <-scary.

teen: sweet 16 surprise party my mom planned at home.

now: snuggling with my girls.  running my fingers through their hair. <-moments to bottle up.

9. What are your top five favorite things to do with other people?

just chill at home. conversation over hot tea... we could go white water rafting?  just saying... anything but shopping.  that i like to do on my own. ;) 

10. What do you owe yourself?

a relaxing vacay?  or simply a lil' non-mama time.  it's been a rough motherhood week.  

11. If your life had a soundtrack which songs would be included? 

i'm sorry.  i can't hear anything except the sound of music playing in the background. our current obsession. 

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my questions:

 1:: what was the biggest surprise in becoming a mother that you've experienced, so far?

 2:: how are your navigational skills? ever gotten completely lost?

 3:: what's your favorite quick meal to prepare?

 4:: do you organize the paperwork in your home efficiently or do you feel as if it's taking over?

 5:: has your perspective of god changed over the years? if so, what was the defining moment?

 6:: do you get energized from being around people or from alone time?

 7:: if you had an entire day to yourself, what would you do with it?

 8:: have you ever cried because you were so happy?

 9:: are you a reader?  if so, what's your favorite book?

10:: what top 5 attributes would you consider high on the must-have list in a friendship?

11:: what's your favorite thing about yourself?

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i tag: lisa @ the army chap's wife 

       jessica @ teachable moments 

       karen @ homeschool girls 

       theresa @ red oak lane 

       brenda @ the family revised

       rach @ in his hands  

if i didn't get to your site to tag you, please feel free to play along!  let me know if you do - i'd love to read your answers.