10 Honest Things

So, my cousin Eric's wife, Kristen, tagged me to share with all of you ten honest things about myself and then tag 4 friends.  I've already decided to tag 4 friends who need to be prodded to update their blogs more often, but you'll find out if it's you at the end of this.  Here goes...

1. I hate making phone calls.  I pretty much only ever feel truly comfortable calling Brandon, my mom, and my sister.  I'm not sure why that is, but I always get an uneasy feeling when I call people, and I've even been known to write out a script for myself before calling.  Face to face or email is just better for me.

2. I've always loved cooking, but two years ago I really began to despise it.  I've only regained my love for cooking and baking in the last 6-8 months.  I am trying to create a master list of our favorite recipes of so many common, easy dishes.  For example, I will try out many different stir-fry or chili or casserole recipes before I allow it to go on our "Best Ever" list.

3. If I hadn't majored in horticulture, I think I would have majored in history, with the goal of becoming a researcher for historic preservation or museums or something along those lines.

4. Whenever I have a houseplant, I have to name it.  Previously used names include: Frank, Telulah, Esmeralda, and Maggie.  I've had lots of other ones, but I can't really recall their names now.  We don't currently have any houseplants (our spider plant didn't survive the move to the new house because a certain little toddler was playing with it…sorry, Sarah), but I decided that I want to buy a few in the near future.

5. I like doing the dishes and vacuuming and mopping, but I hate taking out the garbage, unloading the dishwasher, and folding laundry.  So, my clothes and the kids' clothes are never folded, and if Brandon wants his clothes folded, he has to do it himself.  I do, however, fold the towels because I like how organized they look when folded in a certain way.

6. I often tell my husband which famous people I find attractive, which he initially thought was bizarre, but he has now 'fessed up to which ones he finds attractive, too.  Some of "my guys" are or have been Jeremy Northam, Lance Armstrong, Simon Baker, Tony Blair (probably my strangest former "crush," but there's just something about that accent…), Richard Armitage (watch North and South…you'll agree), Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Josh Groban, and Bill Pullman (I love him every time I watch While You Were Sleeping).

7. The only states I've never been to (I think) are Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and North Dakota.  I'm actually not sure about VT, NH, or ME, so they may be on the list, too, but it's my goal to visit all of them.  I'd also like to explore outside of the USA, but it'll be a while before that happens.

8. For someone who loves plants and landscaping as much as I do, I actually hate temperatures above 85 (humid or not), I dislike being around insects, and I get seasonal allergies bad enough that I can't wear contacts anymore.

9. My aerobic exercise of choice in Tae Bo (or kick boxing style exercising in general).  I would love to get a punching bag for the basement, but it'll be a while before we do that.  I would do this any day over jogging.  I've tried getting into running many times, but I just get soooooooo bored!  Kudos to those of you who do enjoy it!

10. I've become an NPR junkie.  I probably listen to NPR more than I listen to music when I'm driving.  When I'm at home, it's a different story.  At home I have music on all the time because it keeps me going (or calms me down, if needed).

Now, I tag my mom, Amanda, Kim, and Kerrie!  Also, I would prefer it if you wouldn't judge my poor punctuation and grammar skills in this post too harshly (I like using parentheses a lot)!