Q & A

Hi there!  So, last week, I thought it would be fun to throw out an opportunity for a Q&A sesh here on the blog.  Thanks to everyone who submitted questions, and an even bigger thank you for keeping those questions blog-appropriate:)  I considered answering the questions in a vlog, but I really, REALLY hate the way I sound on camera.  Le sigh.  Anywho, let's get started!

Danielle at "The Aspiring Domestic Goddess" - Why do you blog?

Great question!  I started this blog because I really love to write.  As a kid, I always wrote short stories (I even won some creative writing contests!) and I usually kept journals.  Therefore, I thought blogging would be a fun way to document my life AND continue this hobby at the same time.  I guess you could say that I continue to blog because of the inspiring stories I've encountered and the amazing support system and friendships that develop in the process.

Sally, of Twitter fame - "If you weren't a teacher, what would you do for a living?"

Another fantastic question.  Well, I would first try to become a reality star.  I kid you not.  My husband often says on a daily basis that he wishes there were cameras to capture my nonsense.  However, if I wasn't cast for the "Real Housewives of Chicago", I would try to steal Andy Cohen's job.  If that didn't work out, I would honestly just try to intern at Bravo to get my foot in the door so they could all see that I was meant to be best friends with Bethenny Frankel.  Then I could start my own line of malbec.  And if THAT didn't work out, well, then I'd be a social worker:)

Neely at "A Complete Waste of Makeup" - Tell me about living with Mike (my husband) before getting married.

Mike and I dated for 10 months before we decided to move in together.  It was a HUGE decision.  After college, I moved back home and lived with my parents while I paid my way through grad school and began teaching.  So, moving in with Mike also meant moving out of my parents' house AND moving into the big, bad city of Chicago.  It was a triple whammy.  And it was harrrrd at first.  I had to adjust to living on my own, a longer commute to work, AND living with my significant other.   Another reason it was such a difficult adjustment was because a few of my friends did not support my decision.  I won't get into it here, but their reaction was really disappointing.  I think it had more to do with the fact that I was moving to the city and less about moving in with a boy.  Anyway, there were definitely ups and downs, but we learned a lot.  We learned how to communicate and to build a life together while maintaining our independence.  To this day, I still think this is one of our strengths.


We lived together for two and a half years before getting engaged.  I remember feeling SO impatient about it at the time, but when I look back, it all happened the way it was supposed to.  I think we are a much stronger couple now because of the work we put in at the beginning.  


Sorry, Neely, that was really long...

Krysten at "After I Do" - Will you bake something for me?

Umm, ABSOLUTELY.  What would you like???

Megan at "Time After Tea" - How did you and your hubby meet?

We met at a wedding in June of 2004.  We were both in the bridal party.  I went to high school and college with the bride (Hi, Terri!), and he worked with the groom (Hi, Jon!).  I remember spotting Mike at the rehearsal dinner and thinking he was SO CUTE.  The bride had even mentioned a few days before the wedding that one of the groomsmen was single and a really good guy, but I honestly went into the wedding weekend with no expectations of meeting someone.  I was just really excited for the wedding.  Anyway, at the rehearsal dinner, I told an awful joke about Snoop Dogg, and it must have reeled him in:)  We went on our first date a few days after the wedding!

Faiza at "It's Gonna Be a Lovely Day" - What has been your favorite teaching memory so far?  Also, what is your favorite book?

I truly love my job, and I thank my lucky stars everyday that I have such a great teaching situation.  I don't like to talk about it much on the blog, but I will say that my job is full of many memories, good and bad.  I won't sugar-coat it, but teaching is HARD, y'all, and there are days when I want to stab myself in the face with a red pen.  There are days when I cry because being stuck at school until 8pm four nights in a row is the last thing I want to do.  And there are many Sundays that are spent on the couch grading papers for six hours straight.  Yet, the good memories definitely outweigh the bad.  Each year on the first day of school, I tell my new students that when they walk out of the classroom in May, we will have become a family, and it's true.  One of my favorite moments from this year was having blues legend Buddy Guy in to play and speak to my classes.  He was so gracious and kind, and the excitement among the students was contagious.   When NPR covered the story about his visit the next morning, and I heard the soundbytes from my kids on the radio, I cried.  I was SO proud of them and so glad they were able to experience it.


My favorite book.  This is an excellent question.  I feel like this changes all of the time.  Right now, it's "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett.  However, my all-time favorites include:


"On the Road" by Jack Kerouac
"The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger
"Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs" by Chuck Klosterman

Selma at "Crazy Little World of Mine" - Will you bake something for me, too?

You bet, girl.  I hope cupcakes survive the mail:)

Amber at "Brunch With Amber" - What inspires you (besides running and cupcakes)?

Starbucks.  Ha!  Seriously, though, my list is pretty long.  My parents and my husband inspire me daily.  My parents are two of the most unselfish people I know, and if Mike and I can be half the parents that they are someday, I think we will do just fine.  Speaking of Mike, he is such an inspiration to me as well.  Mike is a true Renaissance man.  He can cook (so I don't have to!), play the guitar, build a computer, take beautiful photographs and run a successful business.   He isn't afraid of hard work, and when he wants something, he goes after it.  Underneath his very witty sense of humor is a gentle spirit who puts family first, and it inspires me to do the same.


But yeah.  I wasn't kidding about the Starbucks.

Tiffany at "Figuring Out the Plot" - What motivates you to go running/work-out?

Oh, this one is easy.  Starbucks.  No, seriously.  I always reward myself with coffee after a long run (or a short one, for that matter).  And the fact that I always feel great afterwards.  It's really never been about weight loss, but more about feeling strong and accomplished.   


I'll be honest though.  There are times when the last thing I want to do after a long day of work is go to the gym or go for a run.  Sometimes, I'll reward myself with a small dessert after dinner if I do work-out, but there are other times where my fatigue just outweighs any sort of motivation or reward.  And so I don't work-out.  But then I get mad at myself for giving in, and I hate that feeling.  So I try to remember that feeling the next time I am faced with the decision to either hit the gym or watch Bravo.  But sometimes, Bravo wins:)

Lindsey at "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" - When and how and why did you start running?

When I discovered Starbucks.  HA!  I've always been pretty active/athletic (I played basketball and soccer in high school), but I didn't start running until 2006.  A bunch of my colleagues signed up to run an 8K in March, and they convinced me to join them.  I trained for it, but was SO nervous on the day of the race.  However, once the gun went off, I was hooked!  I don't remember my time, but I do remember loving the adrenaline rush of racing.  I was so excited that a friend convinced me to run a half-marathon that August.  I trained even harder, and I ran the entire 13.1 miles without stopping once.  My time was in the 2:19 range, which I thought was pretty decent for my first half!  2007 and 2008 were bumpy years for me, as I sustained a stress fracture (I cried when my doctor told me I couldn't run the Chicago Marathon) and had a hard time getting back into the swing of things.  But things have been awesome over the past few years, and I really feel like a more "serious" runner these days.

Thanks for all of the questions!

P.S.  This week's Top 5 Thursdays topic is "The Top 5 Women You Admire".  If you want to link up, get a post together for tomorrow!  


P.S. Again.  I participated in a marriage series for Amanda over at "Project Simple Life".  My post is up today if you want to check it out!