Yeah, well, it's a slow news day

So, Jennifer made up her own meme the other day, and Gwynne and Jim have done it, so I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon as well. (I'd rather jump on the Wells Fargo Wagon, honestly, but the bandwagon will have to do.) So, without further ado, useless information about me!

1. When you meet someone new do you trust them or do they have to earn your trust?
I always want to trust them, but mostly they have to earn it. Not to an extreme, mind you, but I probably err on the side of caution.

2. What do you pay attention to when you meet someone or visit with someone you know?
Always I try first to pay attention to what's actually being said. I've always considered myself a pretty good listener, and I think it's because I make a point to do that. But when I meet someone new I also tend to focus on body language so I can get a feel for how to listen to them.

3. When you were in high school or college what did you want to be when you grew up?
A high school or college teacher. But not just any teacher - I wanted to be *that* teacher, you know, the one you remember who changes your perspectives and helps you be more than you would've been if you'd never studied under that person.

4. If you could have any career now what would it be?
So many things...a writer (who actually gets paid for things), a mother, an entrepeneur...

5. Name a life changing moment that made your life better.
My wedding day.

6. Name a life changing moment that changed your life for the worse.
Probably when my "best friend" told me that I wasn't popular enough and therefore she wasn't going to talk to me anymore. That kinda fed the answer to #1, cause she did this to me multiple times.

7. Are you a homebody or a gypsy? Homebody.

8. What do you collect? Books, mostly.

9. Do you have a recurring dream or nightmare?
Yes.

Oh, did you want to know what it is? It's slightly varied, but it always involves being lost in a school-like building and realizing that I can't speak, I don't know sign language, it's the end of the term, and I haven't attended class - ever and I'm supposed to take the exam.

10. Why did your parents give you the name they did?
Combination of its meaning and family names.

11. What motivates you?
I'm fairly intrinsically motivated. Extrinsic motivation is very short lived and ineffectual for me. If I can't motivate myself, more than likely, I'm not going to be motivated.

12. What scares you?
Other than s-n-a-k-e-s? The thought that I'll live to the end of my days and not have done something worthwhile.

13. What three things do you need most day to day?
Prayer. Prayer and Prayer.

14. What do you think God is like?

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessèd, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish but naught changeth Thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
But of all Thy rich graces this grace, Lord, impart
Take the veil from our faces, the vile from our heart.

All laud we would render; O help us to see
’Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee,
And so let Thy glory, Almighty, impart,
Through Christ in His story, Thy Christ to the heart.
--W. Chalmers Smith

15. What do you read?
Fiction - almost every genre (though I don't do horror/suspense).

16. Name at least one book you’ve read that’s influenced your philosophy.
A Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

17. What thrills you?
The beauty that's all around if you just look.

18. What do you struggle with repeatedly?
Accepting the sovereignty of God.

19. What makes you laugh?
Dry, cynical or sarcastic humor and corny jokes.

20. What makes you cry?
All I can come up with is a flippant answer: onions.

21. What do you want your life to look like in 5 years?
Honestly, I'd be pretty happy if it was exactly the same as today. Though there are many things I desire, I am, for the most part, content, and if I continue to grow closer to God and to Tim, that contentness will remain.

22. What is one thing you'd like to achieve before you die?
I'd like to have something published. It doesn't have to go on to become a NYT best seller or anything, but it'd be nice to see it in the bookstore.

23. What talents do you have?
Hmm. Various musical, creative, and technical ones.

24. Which one is your favorite and why?
Ugh. This is like asking which is your favorite child...I like them all for different reasons and in different circumstances some are more useful than others.

25. What's one thing you don't think other people know about you that you'd like them to know?
That I despise this question. Despise. It.