Anyway, I thought I would check in on my blog peeps and found I'd been tagged by Unlikely Wife. In all my years of blogging, this is the first time I have been tagged, ever.
So here are her questions for me:
1. How long was your engagement period?
We got engaged on the day after Christmas, and got married the following July, so about 6.5 mo.I knew Senior Jefe was going to ask me to marry him the day we met face to face for the first time, so for me the engagement dinner was mostly a formality. That said, I wasn't sure what I was going to say until he proposed. He had a geode turned into a ring box for me. I knew he loved me when he took the time to find a way to incorporate the thing I am most passionate about into his proposal. He flew us out to UT to be with both our families for the event. I had flown to Norfolk right after finals week to take care of him after eye surgery and so I hadn't slept in days and in all my pictures I am so tired I look stoned. He was so nervous he forgot to ask me and instead told me I would marry him, which our friends and family called him on.
That weekend, Salt Lake City had had a giant snow storm (like 14" in the valley, which is really unusual), and he had initially arranged for us to take a horse drawn carriage ride around the city. It was freezing, but it was so beautiful with the fresh, unplowed snow and the Christmas lights. My mom had to try to ruin the whole thing by refusing to go the dinner before hand, and him having to cajole her into it and then whining about the whole thing after. That was the only downer and it foreshadowed how she would behave about my wedding.
2. What is something you love about yourself?
Unfortunately the trait I find most important and definitive of me as a person is my independent streak. I don't ever want to be defined by anything other than the choices I make and the accomplishments I achieve. I know this is in part a reaction to the way my family behaves and how much I felt like my life was drifting on the whims of fate growing up because my mother never strived to provide security and stability. It's why I am so insistent on carving out my own mark on the world.
It's also the trait I hate the most about myself, because I believe my life would be so much easier if I could simply go with the flow and let life unfold, rather than constantly fight against the current.
3. What is something we'd be surprised to know about your musical taste?
While I love almost all music, what I listen to is completely dependent on my mood. I listen to angry girl power music when I am angry; classical music when I need to focus and opera when I want to sing my lungs out.
4. What magazine geared toward women do you hate? Which one do you love?
I don't really read women's magazines. I review books for Amazon and read science magazines.
5. How do you handle someone preaching at you- whether it's religion or a "great new product"?
Depends. I tend to be more patient with sales people because everyone has to make a buck, but the religious wing-nuts get on my nerves. The last time the bible thumpers came to the door on a Saturday morning I told them I worshipped Satan, slammed the door in their face and went back to bed.
6. How do you handle depression?
I see a therapist. I was on anti-depressants briefly, but I am apparently one of the rare individuals who have central nervous system reactions to anti-depressents, which we found out the hard way (temporary loss of muscle coordination, which was terrifying). I also practice the Chen form of Tai Chi, which I find remarkably helpful. It is the traditional form, and I picked it up at Duke when I went to school there.
7. How do you feel about kids?
Depends on whose they are and how long I have to be around them. Now if we are talking about whether I want kids, I would say it depends.
8. Post lines from a favorite poem or song that has helped you.
It's a little dark, but it reminds me why people often miss when the people around them are hurting and why I should be mindful that even when things look okay on the outside, they may not be. So, here is "We wear the mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar:
WE wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.
Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.
We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!
And now questions for others:
1. What is the most difficult challenge you have overcome as a military spouse?
2. Who has been the most influential person in your adult life?
3. What are the most important qualities to have in a friend?
4. Name one area in which you are a triumph/expert.
5. What is your all-time favorite commercial? If possible, post a youtube link.
So I am tagging:
Anchored Away
Bette
Sepsi
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