Does that make me self-centered?  I totally love answering memes and quizzes and basically getting the opportunity to talk about myself.  Oh well.  I’m always looking for a quick and fun post idea, so many thanks to my friend Allison for posting this over on her blog!  (And I’m late to the party, OF COURSE.  Eh. I’m still totally stealing it, because I want to, plus I am a copycat and a blogging sheep.  So thanks, Allison!)  Here we go!

1. How old do you look?

I am actually a little afraid to answer this.  I don’t think I look my age (which is less than three weeks from 31), but I would be so totally horrified if I underestimated how old other people think I look.  But truly, I’m thinking maybe 28?  29?  Hopefully?

2. Where do you live?

Central Texas, kind of between Houston, Austin and Dallas.  It’s a nice spot, an easy day trip to almost all of those cities.

3. Are you waiting for something?

I don’t feel that way as much as I used to.  I used to ALWAYS feel like I was waiting on the Next Big Thing.  Not that I wasn’t happy, but I think I’ve mellowed a bit with age and am far more willing to go with the flow.

4. What’s one pet peeve of yours that is not common?

Hee, do I ever have a lot of pet peeves.  I’m not sure that any of them are terribly uncommon, but I am exceedingly anal about certain aspects of housekeeping (crumbs on the kitchen counter, vacuuming the carpet).  I’m also very bothered by people who wear overly casual (and often, UGLY) clothes to work in a business casual office.

5. Do you want/have kids?

I do have kids.  A seven-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl.  I always wanted a boy and a girl, in that order, so I guess you could say my family’s just the way I always imagined it.

6. Have you ever thought about converting your religion?

Yeah.  I was raised Southern Baptist, but have serious issues with a lot of the teachings and theology.  My husband is Catholic, and at one point we had discussed my conversion.  However, it turns out that I’m really not very religious.  I believe in God, and consider myself a Christian, but unfortunately that’s about as far as it goes.  It’s something that bothers me about myself, especially in terms of raising my kids.

7. Last shocking news you heard?

A coworker of my husband (who I’ve interacted with socially) recently lost her husband in a car accident.

8. What was the last thing you drank?

I’m drinking a glass of wine right now.

9. Who do you most look like in your family?

Oh, but I am a carbon copy of my mother.  There’s no denying what I’ll look like in 30 years.  Her high school classmates, people I had never previously met, have seen me out in public – by myself – and correctly identified me as being her daughter.

10. If you could have something right now, anything, what would it be?

Limitless cash flow.  And a Porsche.

11. Where does most of your family live?

Texas.

12. Where did you grow up?

South of Houston, Texas, about fifteen minutes from the beach.  Same place as Allison, my husband, Valerie, Carol, and Kristine.

13. Where do you want to go on vacation?

I would love to go to Greece or on a Mediterranean cruise, but my Vacation Wish List is longer than my arm.  I adore traveling.

14. Have you ever had a panic attack?

Yep.  I have a mini-panic attack any time I’m up high and don’t feel secure.  Like when I’m on ski lifts, ferris wheels, and the now-demolished Astroneedle.

15. What can’t you wait for?

I am super-excited about starting graduate school in the fall.  Terrified, but thrilled.

16. Have you ever smoked?

I’ve tried it a few times and lo, it is disgusting.

17. Want someone back in your life?

I had a good friend, a coworker from the credit union I worked at in Colorado.  We lost touch when we moved back to Texas several years ago, and she never seemed interested in maintaining the friendship.  It still makes me sad.

18. What do you order at the bar?

Depends on how I’m feeling.  Usually I order a nice Chardonnay.

19. When was the last time you cried really, really hard?

You know, I don’t remember.  I usually cry at least once a month.  I’ll let you figure out why that might be.

20. Ever licked someone’s cheek?

Yes.  It pisses off my husband.

21. What is your favorite thing to eat with peanut butter?

I like peanut butter on waffles, particularly blueberry ones.  I also like PB on apples and celery.

22. Where were you on July 4th, 2008?

Umm.  Hmmm.  I’m not sure.  At home, probably.  Clearly it was a night to remember.

23. What are your nicknames?

I have a nickname from high school, which is a bastardization of my first name.  But since I blog (semi)anonymously, I don’t really want to reveal that here.  Suffice it to say, it was rampant enough that almost everyone I knew called me that from time to time.

24. If you could go back in time, how far back would you go?

Goodness.  You know, I’ve always thought that I would want to go back in time and make a few changes but I’ve seen enough sci-fi to know that you don’t mess with the timeline, yo.  I would like to go back to our wedding, just as an observer.  I’m told it was a kick-ass party.

25. What is something you are passionate about?

I tend to get my panties in a twist regarding the old stay-at-home vs. working mom debate.  I work full-time and I’m proud of it.  I have a good job that I enjoy (most days) and I want to work outside the home.  In my opinion, not everyone is cut out to be a stay-at-home mom, and my children would NOT benefit from dealing with me all day, every day.  I get very offended at the implication that I’m not taking an active role in raising my children because they’ve both been in daycare full-time (AE since he was 11 months old, and Miss T from 10 weeks).  They’re my kids and the fact that I’m a working mother will never change that.  SO THERE.  (GAH.  See?  Touchy!)