I’m not usually one to do memes and it seemed like for a while, everyone was tagging everyone else. That said, Jess tagged me for the following questions and since I don’t have anything else going on (actually, I have too much, which is why it’s easier to do this), I’ll give it a shot.
Some of the questions are timely for Mother’s Day and the bumpy road to get there. Feel free to post these same questions on your blog or share any of your answers in the comments. I’d love to hear your stories!
1. If you could do anything different in your life…what would it be?
This is a good question and I honestly can’t think of anything. Of course, life is not perfect but in terms of the elements we can control in your life, we’re doing pretty everything the way we want.
Except for sleeping. That could always be better.
2. What has been the hardest part of growing older for you?
My body falling apart. I used to feel like I was invincible and could trail run for hours. These days with my rickety knee, I’m lucky to make it a mile.
That, and eating all this bran totally sucks. Oh wait, I’m still a few years away from that.
3. At what age/stage in life do you think it is inappropriate to flaunt what you got?
When you’re 85. Droopiness never was sexiness.
4. When you are wrong.. and you know it… do you just move on and forget about it.. or do you apologize and try to make amends..?
I usually will just suck it up and apologize. When it comes to Jamie, I’m generally in the wrong and eventually end up admitting it.
Except for when it comes to excessive time he spends with The Great Pumpkin. In those instances, I am always right.
5. What’s your favorite ice cream? Why?
My absolute favorite ice cream is chi chi coconut from My Favorite Ice Cream Shoppe in Calgary. That place is an institution and our summer evenings were spent there. They have an old-fashioned piano in the lobby and if you play for the crowd, you can get a free scoop. Even though I trained for eight years at the Royal Conservatory of Music, I never worked up the nerve to do it.
Evidently, I don’t value free ice cream enough.
Jamie, on the other hand, does not play the piano and would have done it in an instant. He has to have ice cream every day and it is the one thing that makes him come unglued if we run out. He claims his daily consumption is the reason he is able to keep his svelte figure.
I don’t like him, either.
6. Did you always know you would be where you are today in your life?
Nope, I never had a clear vision of where I wanted to end up. I knew I eventually wanted to get married but couldn’t even fathom having kids. I was always so career-oriented and never wanted be a SAHM. Now, it’s so much better than what I didn’t imagine.
7. How did you meet your spouse? Was it love at first sight?
I didn’t meet Jamie for a few months after we initially made contact. Like all good things in my life, I have the Internet to thank because we met on-line. And maybe, just maybe, we got engaged before we even met. So, in that instance it was love at first sight because, welp, I’d already committed to marrying the guy. (Read the sordid details here).
8. What would be your advice for a newlywed couple?
The best premarital advise we received was from Jamie’s fun-loving Aunt Kathy. For years, she had to remind her husband of every major milestone in their lives. One anniversary, she decided to not mention it and see if he remembered. Of course, he didn’t.
That brought out the flood gates and her anger was unleashed. Until she listened to a radio show that addressed this topic and posed the question: “Why do we test our significant others? Instead of having them prove their love, why can we just not tell them what we want and help them be successful?” This latter point has been the mantra of our marriage and the key in our communication efforts as we ensure both of our needs are met.
Another piece of advice: make sure there is full disclosure before marriage. The Great Pumpkin did not come with a disclosure statement.
9. What would be your advice for a first-time mom?
Just chill out and don’t second-guess your instincts. Everything is so overwhelming and you want to do everything just right. Don’t kill yourself in an effort to be the perfect mother. Oh, the stories that I could–and have–told on this blog.
10. Where do you see yourself in five years?
I’ll be 85 years old and inappropriately flaunting what I’ve got.
I'm a Canadian-born mom of two, former Denver Post columnist, family travel writer, editor of MileHighMamas.com and 9News contributor. Expert on all things Utah, Denver, family and travel. Lover of laughter and life. Happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin. 