Relay of Friendship

One of my new favorite bloggers tagged me in a Relay of Friendship. This is my first time being tagged in the blogger world and it made my day. There's a good possibility that I squealed and/or clapped when I read I had been tagged. Before I divulge some personal details about myself I want to say how much I adore Courtney from Vintch. Vintch is a new blog but it has quickly become one of my must-reads. Courtney has a penchant for vintage things so she shortened the word for the title of her blog. And she sells vintage items on Etsy. I'm a fan of this bright pink shirt dress and this adorable black & brown plaid tunic.

Even though I've never met this girl, I can tell she is beautiful inside and out. I love her outlook on life. She puts a positive spin on everything and seems to be quite optimistic. And she's a wonderful writer. She sucks me in with her detailed descriptions and calming voice. Whenever I'm feeling a little out of sorts or stressed out, I turn to Vintch and cross my fingers she's posted something because I know it will lift my spirits. I strongly advise you take a trip to her blog and get to know her, she's a real sweetheart and I know she's going to explode in the blogosphere. Hugs & love Courtney! And thanks for tagging me!!!

Up next in the Relay of Friendship, I'm tagging some of my favorite bloggers:

1. Amber from Amber's Notebook

2. Dating from Dating is My Hobby

3. City Dreams from City Dreams, Suburban Schemes

4. Janet from Janet and the Pink Crayon

if you've been tagged, just answer the following questions in your own post and pass the Relay of Friendship baton to a few more friends. I'm looking forward to getting to know you ladies better.

On to the goods....

1. What did you first want to be when you grew up?

When I was little I wanted to be a teacher. I would make work sheets and use leftover supplies from my mom's classroom (she was a teacher at the time). I would line up my stuffed animals and dolls and give them tests. I have no doubt it was entertaining to watch as an adult, as this little kid made lesson plans and posters. I really wanted to help people and through my little kid eyes, teachers were the epitome of helpers.

2. Favorite childhood game?

UNO! As soon as I was able to understand the rules of Uno, I was hooked. Maybe it was my parent's way of teaching me numbers and colors, but whatever it was I loved it and I always wanted to play.

3. Most favorite birthday?

Birthdays...Let me back track. My birthdays have been peppered with drama and little disappointments. Don't get me wrong, I loved every one but my b-day is in August, which isn't an easy birthday month as a kid. Early on I realized that most of my friends were on vacation with their families during my summer birthday. Even though I would send out 30 invitations, I would be lucky if 10 people showed up. Then in high school, I found my birthday to be a little tough because I wanted to merge several sets of friends...it didn't always end well. There were friends who were jealous of other friends and just plain didn't want to be friendly with each other.

SO! My favorite birthday was when I turned 22 or 23. I was out of college and instead of hitting the bars, I had a small dinner with just my family and Hubby, who I was dating at the time. My brother was in town from college and we went to a small Italian restaurant near by. We leisurely ate and just enjoyed each other's company. It was relaxing and enjoyable and best of all it was drama-free. I loved not having lots of people around to attend to. I found it easier to just sit back and relax with the people who know me best.

I think we had ice cream cake - my favorite.

4. Something you've always wanted to do and haven't done yet?

I've always wanted to write and illustrate a children's book. I don't really know why but I think it would be fun to make up a story with a happy ending and a simple life lesson. And then to illustrate it just how I picture it in my head. Now that I think about it, I could write my own story and then have Shutterfly make the book. Hmm that could be a good gift to my hypothetical future children.

5. What was your first love?

Ahh first love. I have two. In middle school I started to play the oboe, with a little nudging from my mama. I kept with it and because the oboe is kind of a difficult instrument that meant not many people were pursuing it. So as a freshman in high school I placed in the top band, which set in motion the next 4 years of my life. I love music. It expresses the sentiments I can't find words for. Playing with a band teaches a lot of valuable lessons. I loved learning the instrument and becoming a master of it. It took discipline and practice but it was worth it to hear the band sing as one voice. It was a wonderful way to turn off my brain and be a part of a musical family.

My second love was photography. Not this new-fangled digital photography. No, my first photo love was 35mm black & white film, a film camera, and a dark room. I could spend hours in my high school's dark room. It was the only thing I was happy to stay after school for. There are so many components to developing film. Learning how to take film out of a camera in a black bag so you don't expose and lose all your shots. You have to learn about the chemicals for developing the film and making contact sheets. Then comes the fun part of using the projectors and creating photographs. I miss all of it terribly. But it did plant a seed of love for photography that has just continued to grow. Now I have a DSLR, a Canon 7D, which is one of my favorite things. One day I want to make a living with photography, whether it's marketing, event photography, whatever. I love the creativity associated with it. It makes my soul happy.

7. First musical idol?

pic from here

I think it was Cher. In elementary school I remember Cher and Sony's famous, I Got You Babe song. I remember I wanted Cher's beautiful flowing locks, so I grew my hair and it was so long that I had to hold it up before little me sat on the potty. I never had her album or poster or any of that. But Cher is the earliest musical infatuation I can think of.

8. Favorite gift?
Excluding life milestones like my college diploma and engagement ring, my favorite gift is from earlier this year when Husband and I gifted to ourselves a Canon 7D. We decided we wanted to document our life more adequately. After extensive research we decided a Canon DSLR met all our needs. Plus, if we wanted to kick off a photography business, the 7D was a great camera to have. It has provided endless hours of fun and exploring. I view the world as a series of photographs and see things slightly different than I used to. What I love about this camera is that there is SO much to learn and master. We won't out grow this camera in a few years. On the contrary, I think we will be able to pass this camera on to our kids one day.

9. If a theme song played for you everywhere you went, what would it be?
This is a tough question. My first thought is anything from The Holiday soundtrack. Or anything with "only the good notes."

This is a clip of Arthur's theme song from the movie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8C1XUW3u20

10. Favorite city to visit?

This is an easy one, Charlottesville, Virginia! Our good friend moved to Charlottesville earlier this year and when Husband and I went to visit, I fell head over heels in love with the area. It's beautiful. Being able to see the mountains and beautiful blue sky, calmed me. And it isn't overly populated like Northern VA. You can actually read about my love for Charlottesville here, here, and here. I would move there in a heart beat. I feel such peace when I'm visiting there. When I'm in Cville, I feel more connected with nature, the people seem friendlier and I feel like life moves just a little slower there.