Dear Abb[ie]

You see what I did there? Anyway....

All of these questions come from Abbie. (And if anyone reads my blog who I DIDN'T meet while living in Wymount, then I apologize if, in any way, you are feeling ostracized). But, truth is... the BYU 148th Ward was probably the closest I'll ever get to having been part of a group of people who were nearly destined to become like the City of Enoch - not even by righteousness, so much as just plain awesomeness.

What is your all time favorite thing you've put in your mouth?

This is a hard question for me, because I am a big-time craver. And my cravings can't even be blamed on seasons or hormones. I just, randomly, NEED sugar or salt or carbs or spicy or.... you get the point. So, a lot of times I find comfort in just satiating that craving - it's an awful thing; I really do have an emotional connection to food. "Yikes" is written all over that.

I DO remember having an experience once when I took a bite of something and it was a gazillion times more heavenly than I had anticipated. When I taught at Lehi High School, at the end of the year, some of my students gave me gift cards to some local restaurants. Although P.F.Changs is not new, it was new-ish to Utah Valley, and we had been given a gift card for $50.

JACKPOT!

I LOVE when I have the financial freedom to actually order something OTHER than water with my dinner. AND an appetizer. AND a dessert. We were full. SO very full. But when asked if we wanted dessert, the excitement of being able to actually afford it, for once, overpowered the logic of stopping for the sake of our gastro-intestinal systems.

We ordered the "Great Wall of Chocolate."


Now, I must preface. I like chocolate. I like cake. But I am not really a fan of the combination. If I'm going to eat chocolate, I prefer it in a chewy candy form. And if I'm going to eat cake, I prefer the lighter flavors of vanilla, or even strawberry or lemon. Chocolate cake as a combination makes me feel like I need to drink a cow.

We ordered it anyway, because we could. And of course, we ordered it a la' mode (in place of the aforementioned cow).

When they brought it over, it was GINORMOUS. David and I were already full. We mentioned to the waiter that we'd probably need a box.

And then we took a bite.

I don't need to tell you too much about the experience other than that we didn't end up needing a take-home box, but that we did end up in severe pain for the majority of the night.

We haven't had it often since because the thing is 2000+ calories. No lie. And I fear a heart attack with each bite. But the layer of mini chocolate chips coating one side with the tangy raspberry sauce on the plate is just.... YUM!

The only other food experience I remember even comparing was when I was in NYC for BYU 's Senior Showcase, and I ordered a piece of marble cheesecake from some itty-bitty Italian dive near where we were performing. For one piece, it cost me $7, which seemed RIDICULOUS! Until I took a bite...

I wish I knew the name of that place.

Do you shower every day (because I don't)? How often do you shower? And what time do you shower, on average, during the day?

No. Nope. Uh-uh. I wish. I wish I had the luxury of showering every day. And I suppose I could squeeze it in by waking earlier (no thank you); or by always doing it during the girls' naps (too much to do); or in the evening once they've gone to bed (don't care enough).

I would say I shower 5 days out of 7. I have a really sensitive nose, and I don't know that I could live with myself if I showered less than that. I mean, I can smell ANYTHING. The only day I consistently shower, however, is Sunday morning. I always set my alarm 20 minutes earlier on Sundays so that I can get my shower in before anyone else needs it. (P.S. a lot of this is affected by the fact that my wonderful husband - whom I love dearly, mind you - is a hot water HOG! He showers SO long. And he's not showering the whole time. He's just STANDING there, soaking all the warm water up like some sort of selfish sponge).

My average shower schedule goes something like this:

M W F - I drop Malia off at pre-school and go on a social, often brisk, walk with CC in a stroller with a friend of mine who's daughter attends the same pre-school. I usually get home from that walk at about 10 AM. I'll plop CC in front of "Little Einsteins" or "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," which will usually buy me about 20 minutes, and then run up for an incredibly short and efficient shower.

T Th - If we're having a slow morning and I'm not running the laundry or the dishwasher, I'll throw a shower in at around 10 or 10:30. I'd do it sooner, except, as mentioned before, I need hot water to rejuvenate itself after a certain "someone" depleted it.

Sat - I usually get breakfast for the girls and then once David wakes up and drags his tired self down for breakfast, I usually ask him to keep CC from breaking anything so I can shower before he does. This is usually at around 9 AM. I take Malia to her dance class and I usually grocery shop/run pre-Sabbath Day errands on this day, so I try to make sure I shower on Saturdays.

If I skip a day, it's usually Tuesday or Thursday because I didn't make myself stinky from a morning walk, and I have no necessary prior engagements. We usually do Disneyland on those days, and since I'm outdoors, I figure my stink is more likely to go unnoticed.

What's your favorite book?

I suppose I could go with the default and say "the scriptures," but then I'd be kissing up or showing off or whatever.

It is impossible to single out favorites, though, because it fluctuates and changes. And at one time in my life I was an avid reader (from about 2nd-8th grade, I snuck a flashlight so I could read way past my bedtime).

In the 5th grade, I loved "A Wrinkle in Time."

In junior high, it was "Little Women."


In high school, I went on an LDS fiction binge with Jack Weyland and Gerald Lund - i.e. "Charly" & "The Work and the Glory" series.

In college? I never had time to read - not for leisure, anyway. So I guess this was my favorite book:

Then, I started having babies, and all I had time to read were sleep books. "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" is still my #1 choice.

Two years ago, I fell in LOVE with C.S. Lewis's "Mere Christianity."

And last year, I fell victim, unashamedly, to the "Twilight" series.

So I can't say I have a favorite. But I will admit something that many of you might gasp at. I just bought a Kindle last week in order to urge me to get back into my past life's habit of reading more often. I am 30 years old, and for the first time in my LIFE, am reading "Pride & Prejudice."

So it's my new favorite. :)

If you could have lunch with one celebrity, who would it be? Living, not dead. Ok, add a dead one, too.

This one's easy.

A tie between Harry Connick, Jr. and Jo, the Supernanny.


Dead?

I'll have to think on that.


How old were you when you had your first kiss?

16.
I promise.


What are you making for dinner tonight? Do you cook or is Dave the chef?

Boo. We're nearing the end of the week when I'm out of food and ideas, so my answer to this will be less impressive than it could be.

We're having spaghetti, fruit salad, & zuchinni & yellow squash. And I will be making it. I always make dinner. Dave gets home at about 5:30, just as I'm in the midst of it, and we eat at 6 PM. Like clockwork.

Ok, wait. I take it back. On Tuesdays I have piano students, so Dave is the chef (TRANSLATION: pizza night).