You Asked...I'll Answer

I really didn't know if anyone was going to ask any questions on my blog, but apparently this is a pretty popular trend in blogging! Some of you (Tina Z...) were smart-aleks about it and I plan to answer each of your questions -- So there!.

Q. Good friend, sorority sister and mommy-of-two, Tara, asked, Where exactly did you learn the words to the Aardvark song and what are they?

A. I learned the words of the Aardvark song from college best friend, Heather Moore. It was a camp song that she sang when she was a counselor. The words go like this: "Aardvarks are my friends, Aardvarks are my friends, Aardvarks are my friends..."

For those of you who don't know this lovely little ditty, it's just those same four words over and over again, sang to the tune of "Yankee Doodle." If you sing it correctly (some words and syllables will be broken up strangely), you'll end it in perfect timing with the music. If I have counted correctly, you actually say, "Aardvarks are my friends," 11 times.

When you're done with verse one, you yell, "FASTER!" and move onto verse two which is -- you guessed it -- the same as verse one...only faster.

Q. High school buddy, Christi asked, "Do you believe in ghosts?"

A. We don't have enough time for the answer I'd like to give, so I'll try to keep it as short as possible.

I most definitely, 100% believe in ghosts. I don't know why they hang around or why they're not in Heaven with God. I don't know if they are "stuck" here or if they have unfinished business or what. I wish I had the answers to those questions, but those are truly two of the biggest mysteries I'd like to have solved.

Everyone has special talents -- artistic, athletic, creative, etc. God gives us those talents and abilities to use for His glory. I truly believe that one of my abilities is to see ghosts (yes...I see dead people). I see them daily, in my house, around my house, etc. They don't scare me and they don't bother me, though they do perplex me. Why are they here? What can I do to help them? Devin sees them, too, but the girls don't seem to have picked up on their presence.

I'm also haunted. Not my house, not my car...me. I have had the same ghosts following me around my entire life. I can tell the new ones (they come and go) from the old ones (of whom I've been aware since I was about three). Sometimes I go months without seeing them and other times they won't leave me alone. Last week, in particular, I think they were playing games with me. I just couldn't get rid of them.

My sister is the same way. She, too, is haunted and when I'm at her house, I see her ghosts.

So there. Now you all think I'm a lunatic.

Angie, from whom I got this idea, asked a series of questions:
Q. Did you really think my question/answer thing was dumb at first? j/k

A. Hah! And you thought I wouldn't answer! I didn't think it was a dumb idea. I just didn't "get it" at first. Now I'm totally into it!

Q. Do you prefer dark or light chocolate?

A. Milk chocolate, any day of the week, any time of the day, under any circumstance.

Q. If you could meet one momo mom, who would it be? (totally just kidding here)

A. Hah! Another one you thought I wouldn't answer! I'd love to meet Angie! Of course, I'd like to meet all of my Mo/Mo friends -- just to share the experience with another person would be amazing.

Q. Do you ever read gossip magazines?

A. Nope -- don't really like magazines.

Q. Who is your favorite author?

A. I don't have a particular author, rather a type of book that lends itself to some pretty big names. Murder mysteries are always a hit with me, so people like James Patterson top my list. I also like true crime, so Ann Rule ranks up there, too. My favorite book is, "To Kill a Mockingbird," so Harper Lee (a Chi Omega!) is a definite favorite by default.

Q. If you could have been named something else (first name), what would the name be?

A. My parents almost named me Ivy. I've always loved that name and secretly wished it were mine.

Q. What traits do you admire most in others?

A. Honesty. Humor. Faith (in something -- you don't have to believe in my God...just believe in something). Hardworking.

Q. Annie asked me, "Are you still obsessed with Robert "what's his name" from The Cure???"

A. Obsessed...no. I've definitely grown out of that stage in life (you know -- the stage I was in when I was 13!). But I do still really like The Cure and listen to their music often. I even have my kids listening to it! I think they are talented guys and their work still speaks to me after all these years.

Robert Smith, the lead singer of The Cure, known for his wild hair and white makeup, is still good looking to me. Obviously, my tastes have changed a little and marrying a guy who looks like he just crawled out of a grave isn't high on my priority list like it was back then. But the core of who he is still a handsome man in my eyes.

All the way from New Zealand, Mo/Mo mom, Jocasta asked three questions:

Q. Where would you go on holiday if you could go anywhere in the world?

A. Italy, particularly Tuscany, Venice, Rome and The Vatican. I will go there some day before I die!

Q. What song is guaranteed to lift your mood?

A. "All Just to Get To You," by Joe Ely. It was Todd and my first dance at our wedding and it reminds me of a life that was simpler and easier, but also how far Todd and I have come together and how I could never have this life without him.

Q. If you could choose 1 thing to be the best at what would it be?

A. Being a mommy. I think I'm a pretty good mom -- we take fun trips to parks and zoos and even places like Disney World. We dance and sing and talk and do all of the normal stuff. But I wish I were one of those moms who does art projects with her kids and orders cocoons so they can watch them hatch into butterflies and who teaches them to read when they are three... You know those mommies. I've always wished I could be the mom who does stuff like that.

Casey asked me a few questions as well:

Q. What was your first car and what sone reminds you of driving it?

A. That's a tough one, since I had a lot of cars at varying stages of my learning to drive. I learned to drive on my mom's 1968 Willys Jeep which didn't have a radio. The first car that was mine after I got my license was a 1982 Datsun 280 ZX. I didn't drive it much, as my dad didn't trust it. So instead, I drove his Toyota Cressida while he drove my sports car. Wait a second...

Anyway, the car I drove the most was the Cressida, so I think anything by REM would be what reminds me most of that car. The album, "Automatic for the People," takes me back to cruising around my hometown of Kingwood, being as cool as cool can be. Or so I thought...

Q. Favorite ice cream

A. It depends. Usually something chocolately, with a crunch to it. But every once in awhile, I have to get a Daquiri Ice from Baskin Robbins. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water!

Q. What was the last GOOD movie you saw that you would recommend to others?

A. Wanna hear the saddest thing you've ever heard? I don't recall the last movie I saw (aside from reruns on TBS). Give me a month or two and I'll come back to this question.

I suck.

And finally, my friend and favorite smart-alek, Tina, asked, "Do these pants make my butt look big?"

A. Yes.

So there you have it! This was fun -- at least for me! If you have more question (I have a distinct feeling I'll be fielding a few about the ghosts), let 'em rip! I'm up for (just about) anything!