Fall Break Blogging

I’m deep in the throes of fall break. I didn’t adequately prepare for my kids to be out of school for five days. I also didn’t know until the day before fall break started that they don’t have school on Monday. 

We made it through Day One. And it was long. As I write this, it’s only 8:57 pm, and I can’t believe it’s still today. How is it still this day? I swear today had an extra 12 hours in it somewhere. 

Anyway, I’ll step aside from the whining. I’m pretending to watch a Halloween show with my kids right now, so here’s a little writing prompt from my Pinterest board to keep me company:

1. What would you do if you won the lottery?

I would spend half and save half. Assuming it’s a really good pay out, my spending half would go toward my dream house, a really great vacation, and a charitable donation of some sort. The rest would hopefully set me up to live out my days comfortably and responsibly. I don’t want to turn around and find myself broke after winning the lottery.

2. Who was your childhood hero?

Doc Brown and Robin Hood.

3. What was your biggest fear as a child?

Gangs. Particularly drive-by shootings. There was a drive-by shooting not far from my house when I was a child. I lived on a busy street, and I was terrified to be out in my front yard because I 100% believed I was going to be shot someday. I would even sometimes crawl on the floor inside my house to be below the window level in case of a shooting. I came to terms with the fact that I would never live to age 12. When I walked to school, I had to go through an alleyway that would sometimes get graffitied. If there was any graffiti in the alleyway, I would walk all the way around to avoid it - which made my walk almost a mile longer. I used to carry a stick to school for protection,  and when I got to the fence line of the campus, I would tuck it in a bush and pick up again after school and carry it back home. Any time a car drove past me on my way to school, I would try to hide behind a tree. I would always take inventory of how many kids were ahead of me on the street so I would know who was most likely to get shot first. I was utterly paranoid, and I never talked to anyone about it. I just silently suffered and resigned myself to an early, violent death. 

4. What is your biggest fear now?

Personality altering injuries or one of my children dying by suicide. Finding a body this summer really put that fear deep in my soul. 

5. What is your favorite memory of dating?

I’ve never really thought about this before. My favorite memory is probably when I knew for certain that marrying Scotty was the right thing to do. After Scotty’s mission, I was really worried that we would marry out of convenience, and that neither of us would have the courage to declare it wasn’t right if it wasn’t. I started to consider other options, such as serving a mission myself (which I was still three years away from, as girls had to be 21 at the time). Over time, I received confirmation that I should marry Scotty, and I remember experiencing that feeling of “knowing” while we were on a date at his family cabin. We were sitting by the pond in the dark, and I had a very strong impression that it was right.

6. If you could time travel, what year would you travel to and why?

I think I’d go back to the early 2000’s. Those were good times.

7. Whose marriage do you admire and why?

Honestly, no one’s. Behind closed doors, we all have some kind of dysfunction, so I don’t look at any one’s marriage and assume I really know what it’s like. I think a lot of couples are great, but I don’t know what’s going on when no one’s looking!

8. If you had a boat, what would you name it?

I have zero desire to own a boat, therefore I refuse to waste brain power on this hypothetical. 

9. What is one thing you’d like to accomplish in the next year?

Get our truck paid off. For some reason, I feel like we’ve been paying on our truck for twenty years when it’s really only been three. I also feel like the amount we owe never goes down. 

10. What is one new hobby you would like to try?

Writing a novel.

11. What is your ideal meal for a last supper?

A perfectly cooked medium steak, grilled pineapple, and mashed potatoes and gravy. And I’ll die just fine without a vegetable, thankyouverymuch.

(I heard about a book once that documents what a bunch of death row inmates chose for their last meals). 

12. If you had a super power what would it be?

Perfect recall or teleportation.

13. How do you feel when you’re asked to speak in public?

It depends a little on the topic and the audience. At first I feel great. I’m honored to be asked! Then about 24 hours before I speak, I have a complete meltdown and vulnerability attack. Then when I’m actually speaking, I’m usually okay, but I sweat a lot, do a lot of nervous laughing, and speak too fast. Afterward I spend 24 hours picking my speech apart and thinking about everything I wish I would have done differently. Then I eventually come to a place of peace. When I speak, I prepare as best as possible, and I really give it a lot of attention and care, so in the end, it’s my best effort, and that’s all I can do.

(A few years back, I had to write and present a family life education workshop for my practicum for school. Then I did an internship where I had to beta test an FLE workshop, so I was speaking pretty regularly for a while. I’m a little out of practice now). 

14. What’s your favorite room in your house?

The living room. It’s the only room I can keep clean(ish).

15. What’s the last sport you played?

Ping pong.

16. What is your favorite piece of clothing?

I love me a big, comfy hoodie. When it suits the weather, of course. I run hot, so I don’t get a lot of hoodie wearing opportunities. 

17. Do you have any regrets?

Yes. I regret not learning to play the piano and not participating in choir in high school. I think I had musical potential that didn’t get nurtured. 

18. Have you ever been scuba diving?

Nope. I’m claustrophobic, I hate being in water, and I have an irrational fear of sea creatures. I don’t have a single ounce of scuba diving FOMO. 

19. Have you ever done drugs?

No. 

20. Can you name all 50 states?

Nope. I maintained the list long enough to pass US geography, and I haven’t had any reason to know all 50 states since. I never learned a song. If I had, I’m sure I’d still be singing it. Instead, I sing all the presidents of the United States, but the song runs out Clinton.