Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Hodgepodge: Books, Bread, and Being a Redhead


This Hodgepodge was right in my wheelhouse. Took me zero time to complete. To join in, answer the questions yourself and link up at Joyce's blog!

1. Besides Thanksgiving, something you're looking forward to on your November calendar?

Girls weekend with two college buddies! We're meeting at Deep Creek Lake in Maryland...one friend has a place there.

We don't see each other often, but when we do, it's like we were never apart. No one makes me laugh like they do, or knows me better. We've been through everything from our first fraternity party, to our first jobs, to weddings, to dealing with babies and now teenagers.

It's hard to believe that our kids are almost the same age we were when we met! And two of them are applying to the college we went to! Boy, would Parents' Weekend be fun....

2. If I gave you a thank you card right now who would you send it to and why?

Dear Son,
Thank you.
Thank you for putting up with all of my college application nagging. Thank you for working so hard on your essays, which I know were not easy for you to write.
Thank you for being the kind of son any parent would be proud ofhonest, trustworthy, a loyal friend, and a hard worker, whether you're in class or on the field/court/track.
Thank you for making me laugh every day.
I'll miss you next yearso muchbut I can't wait to see you take the next step in your life! And to see you grow into the man you are fast becoming.
Love you always,
Mom

3. Of the breads listed, which one's your favorite...bagel, cinnamon, sourdough, garlic, banana, biscuit, pita, Naan, or plain old fashioned white bread?

I don't eat gluten now, so all of these sound delicious. I guess that I miss sourdough the most...although I love biscuits, too.

4. What's something you have in abundance? Is that a good thing?

I'm trying to think of something we have more of than other people...maybe books? We have lots of books. And it's really, really hard to let go of them. I'm good at decluttering other things, but books? I just can't.

5. November 5th is National Love Your Red Hair Day. Are there any redheads in your family? Who's your favorite redhead?

Ha! Easy one. Many, many redheads on both sides of my family...I actually wrote about this once.

And here's my favorite redhead:



Kidding! My favorite redhead is my little sister:

Hard to tell here, but yes, the hair is red.
And, please, don't call us gingers.

6. The travel website Busbud recently calculated the most Instagrammed spot in every state. Go here to see what made the list where you live. Are you happy with your state's #1? If not what do you think should be the most photographed spot in your state? Have you snapped a photo there? If you live outside the USA answer as it relates to your state, city or province.

Wow, I never would have thought that the Pittsburgh Zoo would have been the most Instagrammed place in my state! I've never been there, and I lived in Pittsburgh for two years!

Maybe I'm showing my eastern Pennsylvania bias, but I would have chosen this spot (which I'm sure I've never photographed, since I'm really, really bad at remembering to take pictures):



7. I'm going to try to have something related to gratitude in this spot each week during the month of November. Here's this week's question

What's something you've learned about yourself this year that you're grateful for?

I learned that I can run! I've always been horrible at it, and hated it. I did gymnastics and played softball as a kid, so running was not something I had to do often. I always struggled with the mile run in gym class (and came up with the most creative of excuses for why I couldn't participate).

Last January I resolved to walk 10,000 steps every day (thank you, Fitbit!), and then one day last spring I decided to try jogging a bit of my walk. Now I'm comfortably running 2 miles at a time (and I was up to 3 before I sprained my ankle last summer). I know this doesn't sound like much. But to me it's huge.

I'm so grateful that I've been able to achieve something I never, ever thought I could do. And so grateful to be healthy enough to even try.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Good times at our house. The chimney had a leak, so we had all the stucco pulled off. It's clear now that the plywood underneath is completely rotted. The whole length of the chimney needs to be rebuilt.

I can think of so many other, more satisfying ways we could have spent the money this will cost.

7 comments:

  1. Yeah, if I'd thought of Prince Harry, I might have put him down too. :-)) YOUR red hair is gorgeous! and isn't it great to have friends where you can pick up where you left off, as though no time has passed. I have a few of those also. It's a wonderful thing, isn't it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi,
    I love that you posted Prince Harry. xx oo
    I agree, friends that you can just pick up where you left off, are they very best. I have some too. Laugh!! Oh yes, Laugh and laugh.
    I love the letter to your son.
    Great job on running...it is a blessing to be healthy.
    Have a great week,
    Carla

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ugh to the chimney repair. One of those neccessary things, that you don't really get the visual enjoyment to go with the money spent. I grew up outside of Phila. and was really surprised not to see The Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, or Valley Forge on the list. And if it's going to be a zoo it should be the Phila zoo. Just sayin' Enjoy your college friend weekend! We have one this month too (couples) and that's one of my favorite things in the world.

    ReplyDelete
  4. We have great taste in redheads! So sorry about your chimney. Try to enjoy the rest of your week.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The London instagram list was a bit random too. Like your choice of redhead! Sorry about the chimney - sounds a real pain.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm surprised at zoos too being one of the most instagrammed places. The zoo was also the top pic for my Oklahoma and I haven't been to that zoo either!

    ReplyDelete