Liebster Award

Holly at The Morrow was kind enough to pass on a Liebster award to me, so today I'll be answering her questions! I'll be tagging other bloggers at the end with questions of my own. Thank you for the award, Holly!

The rules for the Liebster award:

1. Post 11 Random facts about yourself.

2. Choose 11 deserving bloggers and tag them in your post.

3. Tell them you've tagged them.

4. Answer 11 questions the tagger has asked you and give 11 questions to the people you've tagged.

5. No tag backs.  

11 Random Facts
1. I will be hosting a giveaway this week that you don't want to miss!
2. I love to order cheese ravioli with meat sauce, but think meat ravioli is gross.
3. I am super excited about going to Seattle. You guys don't even know.
4. I never understood why The Catcher in the Rye is considered a classic. I could barely get through the first chapter. It was kind of obnoxious. 
5. Sky's orders and instruction sheets came through for our trip, finally outlining details like what hotel we'll stay at, etc. One of the sheets was numbered, "1." "3." "4."...and I'll always wonder what important detail #2 was supposed to contain. That's Army efficiency for you.
6. If Sky passes his PT next month, there's a very good chance he'll be gone half of 2013, and I can honestly say I'm not afraid or dreading it. I think there would be a lot of room for the whole "absence makes the heart grow fonder" thing.
7. Have I mentioned I am really excited for Seattle?
8. Most of the recipes I've made from Pinterest have been pretty good. But yesterday, I made some berry cake concoction that only required the powdered angel food cake mix (not prepared) and pie filling. YUCK.
9. I secretly (well, not anymore!) watch Army Wives. I think the acting is cringe-worthy, the plots completely predictable (I call out what will happen and I'm right every single time), and the story lines are worse than soap operas sometimes...and yet I must watch it. What if I miss something?!
10. I have always wanted a nickname, but Erika isn't the best for that. I deliberately choose the baby names on Millie's list for ones that were nickname-possible, and obviously, Millie is just about all she ever goes by- calling her Amelia is fairly rare.
11. I am only a few pages into Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist, and I already want to tell everyone to buy it immediately. I've underlined dozens of paragraph so far. It's definitely going on the plane to Seattle with me.

These were Holly's questions for me:

1) What is one of your biggest regrets?
I could say things like taking so long with school or something similar, but if I would have changed my path, I wouldn't have ended up here. And here is where I'm supposed to be.

2) If you could go back to any point in your life and give your younger self some advice from the future you, what age would you go to and what would you say?
I would talk to myself when I was 11 or 12 and experiencing my first real struggle with depression. I remember holding a bottle of aspirin in my hand, sitting against the wall in my room, and thinking, "Maybe if I take the whole bottle, I wouldn't live." I would look at my reflection in the mirror and try to stop those feelings before they kept going in my life, whether that would be counseling, medication, or something else. I would try to learn coping skills early on. Heavy answer, I know, but that's where I would go.

3) Do you believe in aliens? How about ghosts? Why or why not? 
Aliens? No. I don't have any particular reason for believing in them or not- just doesn't seem to logical. Ghosts? Maybe/probably. I think those silly ghost shows with their meters and video cameras are just fluff, but I think they probably exist in some way.

4) What is the single coolest thing you have ever done in your life?
I really haven't done much yet, but giving birth to Millie was an indescribably amazing day.

5) If you could trade lives with someone for one day, who would it be and why?
Maybe someone deep in my family tree- no one in particular, but it would be awesome to see how they lived decades or centuries ago. That, or just about anyone in the 1940s, which is when I feel like I should have been alive.

6) What do you think is the most important thing to know/look for when looking for a significant other? 
I think there has to be trust. Without that, there isn't respect, and without respect, there isn't love.

7) What do you miss most about being a kid?
Goodness- lots of things! Lately, it's been not having the weight of the world on my shoulders. There was always someone to fall back on and take care of me. Adulthood can be tough!

That, and someone making me take naps. If I only could have appreciated that...

8) Most embarrassing moment?
I'm shy and I'm a klutz, so there are thousands. One would be seeing my preschool teacher when I was 10 or 12. I talked to her for a minute, and as I walked away, said, "I love you!" I was mortified.

9) What is your greatest strength?   
Hmm. I think I can be a good giver- of time, of gifts, etc., but sometimes resources prevent me from showing that like I want to show it.

10) Your weakness?
I take things personally- even if they're meant personally, I wish I was better able to let them roll off my back.

11) What is one thing you love about yourself, physical or non-physical? Why?
I could list fifty physical flaws easily, but I like my eyes and my weight. Non-physically, I like that I have a drive to learn- it'll make these upcoming college classes a lot more pleasant!

And now, my questions for the following lovely ladies...
1. Fran from Free Borboleta, because she's my homeboy.
2. Bonnie from Makin' Plans, because I want to encourage her to keep blogging!
3. Meagan from Local at Last, because she really is local at last- she lives in Chambana now!
4. Dani from My Heart is in the Army, My Brain is in Grad School, because she's another local.
5. Gina from Contemplating Beauty, because I think her answers will be thoughtful and beautiful.
6. Michelle from Shell Bell, because her answers will probably make my milk shoot out of my nose.
7. Neidy from Neidy's Infinite Playlist, because she doesn't blog as much as I want her to (although I suppose a new baby and a husband back from deployment would do that to a girl!).
8. Charla from Love, Charla for the very same reason (minus the baby part!).
9. A Girl from A Boy, A Girl, and the Marine Corps because she's on a writing spree!
10. Michelle from A Well-Adjusted Pessimist, because I'm always excited to see blog posts from her.
11. And Ashley from Love.Lulu, because I'm enjoying getting to know her through her blog more.
(P.S. Anyone else who wants to, please join in, too!)

Here are your questions, ladies!

1. If you weren't doing what you are doing now (a particular career, being a homemaker, etc.), what would you want to do?
2. What's the best, no-fail recipe you have (hey- I need all the help I can get!)?
3. Not an original question, but what three things (family and pets not included) would you grab in a fire?
4. What book has made a big impact on your life? You're allowed to name more than one.
5. If someone handed you a front row seat to any concert, who would you want to see?
6. Imagine someone describing you to a stranger- what would they say?
7. What's something you've always wanted but never gotten? (An accomplishment, a possession, a feeling...anything.)
8. What's something you've always wanted and did get?
9. You are magically handed your own birth certificate to type in any name you want. Do you stick with what you have, or change it?
10. What gives you the most comfort? Where is that place? Is anyone there with you?
11. And finally- if you go to England someday, can I stow away in one of your checked bags? (Hint: the answer should be YES.)