Since most of the bloggers I follow have also recently been nominated for this, I"m not going to specifically nominate anyone at the bottom. Instead, I'm going to post my 11 questions for you and hope you'll respond in the comments section. Would love to know a little bit more about my readers, whether you also blog or not!
Here goes:
1. What was the last good book you read?
I read TONS, and have many recommendations if anyone ever needs any. I've been on a YA kick lately -- after the Hunger Games trilogy, I devoured Matched/Crossed (the 3rd book comes out next week), the Uglies series, and most recently Divergent/Insurgent (no idea on when the 3rd comes out). What I love about all these books is that the brave protagonists are all teenage girls! Amazing. Other recent books I've loved: State of Wonder (my pick for this month's book club), Shadow of Night (sequel to Discover of Witches), and the newest Baldacci novel, Panther, was pretty fun. Also, for everyone still TTC, you should read Impatient Woman's Guide to Getting Pregnant, which I have a review on previously.
2. What is the favorite city/country you have ever traveled to?
Tough one, I've been to so many amazing places. LOVE Costa Rica, where we went on our honeymoon this past January (and I had been 10 years previously with my mom & sister). Would go back Israel in a heartbeat -- our trip last summer, when we got engaged, was my 11th trip there, I think. Maybe more? I've had a lot of one-day trips to cities in Europe, on a cruise 5 years ago and again this May, and I'd go back to (in no particular order): Bruge, Paris, Amsterdam, Venice, Greek Isles, Istanbul.
3. If there was one word you could choose out of the dictionary, which one would you choose to best describe yourself?
HARD question! Stubborn, probably. I am stubborn when I want something -- like a scholarship to college, or a good med school or residency spot, or a good job. I'm stubborn when it comes to relationships -- insisting that others give if they are going to take. I was stubborn with TTC! I don't think it's always a bad thing. I'm definitely a Capricorn, but I think I can also be incredible flexible when need be, which is a really positive thing.
4. What’s your biggest pet peeve?
I hate redundancies -- like saying "ATM (automated teller machine) Machine" or "MRN (medical record number) Number" -- totally drives me crazy. I also hate when Mr. W leaves dirty socks by the couch.
5. What was the biggest lesson you learned so far while TTC?
Distraction can be a great thing. If I didn't have TV shows that I love, and a good book always available, and many trips planned, I would have gone crazy. Going to Disneyworld the day after my miscarriage was the best thing we could have done. You have to have other things to focus on or else you won't get through the day.
6. Tell me something quirky about you?
I definitely have OCPD -- "obsessive compulsive personality disorder," which is different than OCD in that your compulsions don't take over your life. For instance, I used to HATE when the shampoo and conditioner bottles weren't even (I finally got over that one when I learned to only wash my thick, curly hair a couple times a week but to condition daily -- so now I buy a bigger conditioner bottle). My day planner in med school was organized with assignments that were color coded for each class. I've definitely gotten better about these quirks over the years, though. :-)
7. Who or what’s been your biggest influence throughout your life?
There are a couple, both dating back to my elementary school days. I had a principal and a teacher who were very influential in my life -- pushing me to my best academically and helping me as I struggled with religious issues. The principal passed away a few years ago, and I think about her quite frequently. The teacher is someone with whom I still have a very close relationship, as well as all her kids. They are like my little siblings.
8. Do you have a bucket list? If so, what’s the most ridiculous thing on it?
My dream in life is to be part of a Flash Mob.
9. What do you do for a living?
I'm a pediatrician. It's gotten hard to give people parenting advice everyday without one of my own.
10. How many kids would you like in total?
Actually a hard question for me right now. If you had asked me this when I was in college, I would have said 6! (Mr. W will still say 6, b/c he has 5 siblings and he thinks it's perfect). But I'll be 33 when Curly arrives, and I have no idea who it'll be TTC again after that. Plus the finances are going to be tough as long as both of us have lots of debt. I imagine at least 3, and I've always said it's better to have an even number so no one has to ride alone on roller coasters, but turns out Mr. W can't handle roller coasters very well (he gets motion sick) so that might be a moot point.
11. If you won 50 million (which is the current jackpot amount of the lottery here) what are the first things you’d do with it?
Pay off our debt. Buy a house. Put the rest in savings. And probably not work for a year after Curly arrives.
OKAY -- here are my questions for all my readers. Please feel free to respond to all, some, or none. I'm tempted to answer all of these myself as well, b/c they are super fun. Maybe another post:
1. Do you have a nickname? What is it and where did it come from?
2. What is your secret TV obsession? (we all have one, so out with it)
3. Do you have a favorite color? If so, how do you express it?
4. Where would you go on your dream vacation?
5. If you had a sudden day off, what would you do with it?
6. If you could have ANY animal as a pet (exotic or domestic, even extinct): which one, and why?
7. What's your LEAST favorite holiday, and why?
8. What is the best present you've ever received?
9. What is the worst present you've ever received?
10. What is your earliest memory?
11. Okay, having trouble coming up with an 11th question....how about "what's one thing that your friends IRL don't know about you?"
Thanks for replying to my questions. I enjoy reading a lot too and I like a variety of styles, including YA but a lot of those are new titles to me (loved hunger games though!). I'll have to check them out.
ReplyDeleteThe big distinguishing feature of OCPD is perfectionism. I have certainly dealt with a bit of that in the past too, but I doubt I'd truly meet the diagnostic criteria (I'm a psychologist so I've perused the criteria a time or two). I used to have a thing with lining things up evenly, drove me nuts when I used to do my dad's patient files (both of my parents are doctors). I understand about giving parents advice because I do psycho-educational assessments so I give a ton of recommendations to parents but I have no first hand experience in parenting.
Now to answer your questions:
. Do you have a nickname? What is it and where did it come from? SO many. My name is Ann and I have freckles and red hair. Anne of Green Gables, Little Orphan Annie, Little Annie (I'm also short and was always mega tiny growing up), Annie, Annabelle, Monkey (from DH - he LOVES monkeys), Pooh Bear (when I was a kid, from my parent, they thought Winnie the Pooh Bear was cute) and there have been more.
2. What is your secret TV obsession? (we all have one, so out with it)I watch WAY too much TV. I would say that my "secret" obsessions are ABC family shows like The Lying Game, Switched at Birth, Pretty Little Liars, and Secret Life of the American Teenager
3. Do you have a favorite color? If so, how do you express it? Pink - it was one of my accent wedding colors (brown with pink and orange), lots of cloths in pink, if things are available in multiple colors I usually go for pink. Pink can be soft, feminine, and fiesty. I like all shades.
4. Where would you go on your dream vacation? French Polynesia! I dream of staying in an over the water bungalow in a semi-secluded area.
5. If you had a sudden day off, what would you do with it? hmm, in reality, probably veg on the couch. Or maybe go run errands when it's less busy, do housework, or on an ideal day, spend it at the spa.
6. If you could have ANY animal as a pet (exotic or domestic, even extinct): which one, and why? Lion/puma - I love big cats even though I am allergic to house cats. It could be because I'm a leo. I think they are sleek, powerful, and graceful. Or a chimp/monkey
7. What's your LEAST favorite holiday, and why? Easter. I consider myself atheist most of the time and it holds little meaning to me. I usually still make a special meal just to commemorate the long weekend though.
8. What is the best present you've ever received? My Kindle. I get the most use out of it and I read even more now.
9. What is the worst present you've ever received? A painted rose (that didn't even look like a rose) from my high school boyfriend when they were selling real roses at school and I dropped hints that I'd like one. I knew he had enough money and instead he bought a CD for himself. He mooched off me a lot.
10. What is your earliest memory? I think it's raking leaves at my great aunt's house and standing in the middle of the pile holding my baby cousin (I was 5). I accidentally dropped her but the pile was so high it didn't really mater.
11. Okay, having trouble coming up with an 11th question....how about "what's one thing that your friends IRL don't know about you?" Hmm I am generally an open book so I can't think of anything.