5QF

Phew (wiping my brow in relief), thank goodness it is Thursday night and I survived my crazy week (over 600 miles later) of driving to the big city and beyond three days in a row.  It looks like I may be headed back on Saturday since we had to leave our pickup at the shop for a transmission rebuild, oh yes almost $3,000, but at least it will be back to a great truck again.  And yay, I have a four day weekend since I always take Fridays off and next Monday is Kaibab Paiute Tribal Establishment holiday!!!





1. Did you do anything special for your kids on the last day of school? Or did you parents do anything special for you?

My little man is three and still in a preschool/daycare, so no summer break for him since I don't get summer break. 

I can't really remember anything special or a tradition associated with the last day of school as a kid. 

2. What's your favorite summer tradition with your children?

Definitely going to the pool, there is no better way to beat the heat here in Arizona. 

3. What was your favorite thing to do during the summer as a kid?

I can't think of one favorite thing above all else. I loved summer swim lessons even though we had an indoor pool.  I also loved attending the summer enrichment program that my school district put on in the summer for a fee you could take fun classes like art, drama, reading, science, etc. for a couple of weeks during the summer.  We would go camping and fishing a lot during the summer which was fun.  I also loved helping my Dad in his garden during the summer, and of course eating all the yummy fresh produce.

4. How old were you when you were married? Were you a Bridezilla?

I was 26 when I got married, but my 27th birthday was the following weekend.  I was definitely not a bridezilla, I am very easy going.  

5. What is your favorite girl name? (I'm needing suggestions.)

CONGRATS SANDY!  I am so excited for you even though I know you are proud of your MOB card!  So okay, we have also been working on girl names too, and guess what?  We think we finally agreed on THE ONE! 

Drum roll please.....

Kaitlan Grace

We may tweak the spelling a bit, but we are pretty sure we like it and will either call her Katy or Kate.  It still works in my middle name of "Ann" thus the different spelling.  The other spellings I could see us doing is Kaitlann, Caitlan, or Caitlann, what do you think?

So for you Sandy here is the list we were working from:

Shelby
Megan
Melanie
Miranda
Kendra
Tiffany
Andrea
Hannah
Morgan
Chelsea
Melissa

And even though we of course weren't considering it, Sarah is a great name that is all wonderfully biblical and strong!

5QF

1. Are you a napper?

I am pregnant and work fultime (32 hours a week), so yes, on the weekends I usually love to take a good long nap at least one of the days.  When I am not pregnant I mostly don't nap though.

2. What was your favorite subject in school? Most hated?

Fav was science, I'm not sure I could narrow down which discipline though, for the most part I like them all.

Most hated was Intro to Electrical Engineering.  I failed that beast twice before passing it, barely!  I don't think it was the subject matter though, it was mildly interesting to me, it was because the stupid lazy professor only gave four tests and one final, all multiple choice for the entire grade.  I SUCK at multiple choice tests and he would be really tricky about the answer choices and put the correct answer, then the other choices would be the answer if you dropped a negative sign, or made a logical mistake, so after you solve the problem and come up with an answer that is a choice you feel confident that you got it right and don't recheck your work.  The third time I took it there was a new professor and he gave homework which was 10% of the grade and that helped me squeak through. 

3. Did you have the something old new borrowed and blue at your wedding? What were they?

Old:

My Mom's Dad collected coins and she has a bunch from his collection.  She gave me this old 1897 Indian Head penny and it was the oldest thing I had that I could think of so I carried it in my hand during the ceremony.  The year was kind of significant to me because I graduated from high school in 1997.

New:

My tiara was the only thing I purchased new.  We went to David's Bridal to try on dresses and took along my earrings that I had for a while and the tiara matched perfectly so I bought it.  I ended up getting my dress and veil gently used.  Technially my ring was new as well.

Borrowed:

My oldest brother Kenny died in a car accident when he was 19 and my newphew Joseph was full-term still born, so I borrowed the angel pins from their respective Mothers to add to the ribbon of my bouquet so they would be there with me.

Blue:


Our wedding color was periwinkle blue with pastels as an accept.  I had blue ribbons in my bouquet that my best friend Amanda and I created since we did all the flowers for the wedding ourselves.

4. What one thing are you determined to do this summer

I really need to get on packing up the stuff in our office which is also my sewing/craft room.  It will be our son's new bedroom so the baby can have his current room.  I have to have it done by the end of June as we have friends coming to visit and I want it done by then so after they leave we can transition Austin over there and give him at least a month to adjust before the baby comes.

Other than that just keep as cool as I can through my third tri.

5. Ice cream or Popsicles?

I love them both.  I would have to say though that I have to be in the right frame of mind for ice cream since it is a more substantial dessert, where a popsicle is just light and refreshing anytime. 

5QF

I am starting a new work schedule this week where I work Monday through Thursday and have Fridays off to stay home with Austin.  This doesn't bode as well for my participation in 5QF, but hopefully I can still work it in on a regular basis.  And hopefully I will have time to catch up with everyone else, if not on Fridays.




1. Do you make your kids finish all the food on their plates?

Austin is not a big eater, so most nights it's a challenge to get him to eat his dinner.  I don't really ever make him "clean the plate," but we do encourage him to eat more because he would eat like a bird if we didn't. 

2. Do you give an allowance?

He's three, so no allowance yet.  Once in a great while he enjoys playing with coins, putting them into a coin sorter or piggy bank, so I will give him the change in my purse and it usually ends up in his piggy bank afterward, but it's not really an allowance.

3. Do you actually park your car in the garage?

We don't have a garage, so nope!

4. What is one food you will NEVER cook?

Liver, yuck!  My Mom used to fry liver and onions and make me eat it.  See my parents' answer to #1 was YES THEY WILL CLEAN THEIR PLATE before they can leave the table. (even so to this day I do not have any eating disorders or weight issues though)  I hated liver and onions.  I know back then it was thought that liver was some miracle iron food, but now we know that it is horribly unhealthy in addition to tasting like poop, so I will never ever, ever eat it again!

5. Do you have anything exciting planned for the summer?

Well yes in fact, I am planning to give birth to this amazing baby girl I have growing in my tummy, and I think that is very exciting on the grand scale of life.  I am due August 12, but would be more than happy if she would make her grand entrance any time after 37 weeks and spare me the Arizona summer heat. 

5QF

TGIF!!!  So I looked at the 5QF sneak peak last night and wasn't really interested in too many of the questions then, but when I read some of the other participants answers today I caved, it's just such a fun meme, and so addictive!

1. If you were free to just hop in the car and drive, where would you go? Or, if you could hop a plane and go anywhere, where?

I pretty much always want to go to Colorado- it's my home, I love it there, I can't think of too many things I dislike about it.  It's anywhere from a 6-10 hour drive depending on what part I am going to, so there you go!

For flying, that is more challenging.  This is about the time of year I went to Hawaii, and it was wonderful there, so maybe I would fly to Hawaii and lay on the beach for a week. 

2. What's your most recently read favorite book?

I haven't read a book in a while, I am a blog and mag reader, but I am currently reading The Book Thief for a book club that I am a part of.  I am about half way through it and it is a good, easy reader.  It's just incredibly sad because it is set in Nazi Germany, and hard to wrap my head around what it would have been like to have lived under those conditions.  It's a captivating story though, and I am enjoying it.

3. What's your favorite Spring Break memory?

Well, I mentioned that I went to Hawaii about this time of year, which happened to be the spring break of my senior year of high school.  My oldest brother took me for my graduation gift and it was a great trip.  I even got to meet country star Tracy Lawrence as he was on his honeymoon and at the same luau that we went to.

In collge I had two notable spring breaks.  One of them I went with an old friend from high school and her boyfriend and his two buddies to South Padre Island, Texas.  It was cool because my brother used to go there for his spring breaks and it was kind of a right of passage for me.  Instead of staying at a resort we borrowed my brothers pop-up camper and stayed at a campground, so it was pretty fun and inexpensive.  The other I went to Las Vegas with one of my BFFs.  It was a crazy trip, but a lot of fun too!

It's too hard to pick my absolute favorite out of those 3.

4. What do you put in your child's Easter basket? Or, for those w/o kids, what was put in your childhood basket?

Here is my Easter post from last year, and here is my post from 2010.  I put in a few toys and a little candy, since Austin was pretty young still.  We will probably do a bit more candy this year and we are talking about a basketball hoop for our backyard (not actually in the basket, LOL)since he is really into basketball right now and playing at the park involves us lifting him up to the height of the basket.  I will probably also do a new Veggie Tales video, some bubbles and a kite.

As a kid my basket was mostly candy and maybe one toy.  My sister is 15 years older than me and she would help fill my basket.  She liked to torment me and put Whoppers in my basket, and the good chocolate in hers so I would have to trade her since I hate malt balls.  I remember one year getting a Trivial Persuit game, but that is the only toy that stands out in my memory.

5. Do you get a summer haircut?

No, I don't really cycle my hair with the season.  My hair grows fast, so I usually let it grow out pretty long and then when I get tired of it I have it cut short, but it doesn't correspond to a season.  Twice I have donated my hair to Locks of Love and once to Beautiful Lengths.  It was short when I had Austin, but I think I will leave it long for when I have this baby.  Right now it is pretty long and about to the bottom of my shoulder blades. 

5QF

1. Are you looking forward to the time change this weekend?

Heck no, and I don't even change time.  I live in Arizona so we do things right and keep our time the same year round.  But then it's the challenge of figuring out how everyone else changes, and we live on the border with Utah and near to Nevada, and both of them honor DST, so we are always having to consider which time zone we are traveling too.

2. Are you getting the new iPad/would you want a iPad?

No, I am not planning to get a new iPad.  Those things are so skinny and flimsy looking.  My three year old would get ahold of it and it would be demolished in less than 5 minutes.  If I was going to invest $500 I would get a new desktop computer that has the firewire port I need so I could upload video from my video camera.  I didn't know what it took when we bought this laptop, and it does not have the right port, so all of my video of Austin is still captured on the DV tapes.

3. If money was not a problem, what is the one thing you would splurge on?

I would buy a ranch.  It would be nice to know where we will end up when my husband does get a new job, but if I knew that I would buy us a big 200+ acre spread with a big ranch house and barn. 

4. How did you and the Mr. (or Mrs.) meet?

We met in college, although we went to different rival universities.  I was in an ag sorority and he was in an ag fraternity.  One of the girls in my sorority's real life brother was in Dustin's fraternity and he would bring down a group of his friends every so often to go out and eat and then party with his sister's friends since the city we lived in was considerably bigger with more available to do.  We hung out a few times in a mutual group of friends and then one night at a party had a personal conversation and hit it off from there.

5. Summer is right around the corner. Bikini or one-piece?

That is an interesting question considering I am currently almost 18 weeks pregnant.  When I was pregnant before the seasons were opposite, so I barely had a bump during summer, but this summer I will be confused as a whale at the pool.  I currently have a two-piece tankini, and I think it will probably fit over my growing belly, but I might have to get a special maternity suit and if I do I will probably get a one piece.

5QF

 

1. Where is your favorite vacation spot and why?

Hmmm, vacation YES!  That is a hard question, depends on what I am in the mood for.  I guess if I had to pick a favorite I would say Maui, it was so wonderful there.  I would love to go back there now with my husband since when I went before I was a senior in high school.  But then again, I really loved Sanibel Island, Florida and would love to go back there and spend some quality time. 

 

2. What is your biggest guilty pleasure?

My biggest guilty pleasure at the moment is either my cup of coffee in the morning with creme brulee creamer, or that once in a while I treat myself to a soda in the afternoon.  Since I am pregnant I know I need to cool it on caffeine, but it just perks me up and helps me get through the day!

3. What is your favorite fashion trend right now? Or, in the past?

I am just not a fashion person, so I have no idea.  I am enjoying my maternity clothes at the moment, so does that count?  No, well, I really liked when chunky heels were in because I am clumsy, and I think heels are the most uncomfortable shoes ever invented, but at least having a nice big platform under my heel would help me balance and still look good.  I can not stand pointy heeled shoes, nope!

4. What are your spring break plans?

What spring break? My husband and I both work and our son is not old enough for traditional school, so we don't have spring break.  My brothers have talked about possibly getting together for their kids' spring break, so we may see them during that time, but we have no plans.

5. What baby names do you hate?

I dislike names that I associate with gross people from my past.  Like for instance my husband liked the name Clayton, to go by Clay.  But in college I dated this sleeze bag who tried to play me and failed, then proceeded to play some of my friends, gross.  So nope, I hate the name Clay and would never saddle a kid with that name.  I am also not big on out-there crazy made up sounding names, or crazy spelling of names.  I like strong traditional names. 

5QF

It's Friday and I am catching up on blogging.  I actually have three drafts in my blog list, which I never hang on to drafts, so time to publish one of them!

1. What's your favorite way to spend down time (alone or with a significant other)?

I guess my favorite way is to play on Facebook.  Once my son and husband go to bed is when I catch up on what everyone is up to and play a few rounds of my favorite games while I watch the news.

2. Are you the kind of

person that wants things more as soon as you know you can't have it?

My first thought in response to this question was about material things and I would say no, I'm not really a person who sits around wishing for frivilous things.  My second thought though is about moving closer to family, which I desarately want, but will require us finding a new job for my husband before we can make it happen.  I try to be patient, but the longer time goes on then more and more my heart desires to be closer to family.

3. If you were given $1000 to spend on yourself, what would you buy?

Good question!  I would like to get a new lense or two for my new camera.  I would also buy some things for the house like decorations for my kitchen and dining room, new plates, and a new rocker/glider for the babies room.

4. Do you ever go out to eat by yourself?

I sometimes travel for work and when I do I am often by myself, so yes that is when I go out to eat by myself.

5. What company would you want to do a blog review for?

The sky is the limit on this one right?  I would like to try out a new SUV.  My husband is the car person in our family and he has all the mid-sized SUVs analyzed and has our next one picked out, and I think it's a Honda.  So I would review a Honda in return for a brand new one of my own, LOL!

5QF

It's Friday, head over to Mama M's for some 5QF fun! 

1. What have you done recently that you are proud of?

Well, in the grand scheme of things I had a hand in creating this little peanut who is growing in my tummy, and that is pretty exciting for me.  I am proud to try my best to give this kiddo the best start in life by not smoking or drinking and eating healty including taking my vitamins and drinking gallons of water.  I need to work on more exercise!

For a short term accomplishment, I am pretty proud of how Austin's 3rd birthday cake turned out.  I am a hobby cake decorator and I free handed it.

2. What is your favorite way to work out? Or if you don't workout, what are you wanting to try?

I love pilates, I love how it works all muscles and you really feel it all over.  I need to get a maternity pilates DVD.

3. If you knew you best friend was cheating on spouse would you tell?

I would like to think I would just keep my nose out of it.  I also would think a person wouldn't tell on their best friend, but would if the spouse were cheating on the friend. 

 

4. If you could afford a live-in maid or nanny, would you have one?

Probably not a nanny, but a maid would be awesome!  Heck, I would be happy with an occasional house cleaning service.  I think I will do better with it when I am a SAHM after having our second baby.  When I do go back to work I think it would be nice to have a house cleaning service, but it will depend on where we live.

5. Do you stress out about birthdays (specifically the age) or do you enjoy them?

I don't worry about age, so birthdays definitely don't stress me out.  Every year I seem to be happier and happier, so I enjoy the fact that I am now the person I have worked so hard to be and can enjoy the benefits of my efforts. 

Have a great weekend!

5QF

1. Where do you hide the reeeally good snacks?

In my desk at work.  I don't keep a lot of snacks at home, but there is a Chevron conveinence store across from my office and sometimes I have very little will power.

2. Do u keep your vehicle clean or am I the only one who has things falling out of their van?

I am the Mom of a 3 year old (ok, not officially until Sunday) so no, my vehicle is seldom clean.  I had a tire puncture last summer and when I lifted my back seat to get to the jack there were about a million Cheerios under the seats.

 3. Have you ever been to Vegas?

Yes, several times.  I actually live about three hours from Vegas so I go there often for business and it's our closest major airport so I have flown in and out a bunch of times.  I used to go for pure entertainment when I lived in Colorado and had a lot of fun, but now that it is a routine place to go it has lost its allure.

4. Warm room light blankets or cold room warm snuggly blanket?

Trick question!  See I like a cold room with warm snuggly blankets, and if it's a day where I theoretically did not have to get out of bed that would be awesome.  However, if I must get out of my bed the temp had better be warm or it's not happening.  So my functional preference is warm rooom with light blankets.

5. What is the worst airplane/flying experience you've ever had?

Get comfy, this is going to be a long one!

When I was in high school my eldest big brother took my to Hawaii as my graduation gift.  My Mom and I took a wrong turn while driving to the airport and were running late.  They would not let me check my suitcase that was big enough to hold a weeks worth of clothes, so I had to lug the thing on the plane with me.  I just made it to the gate and they literally shut the door behind me so I barely made it. 

Then they moved us out from the gate and we stopped and we sat.  And we sat, and we sat.  At one point I looked to my right and there was a wall of white smoke coming out of the right wing engine.  Not a sight you want to see!  Eventually the Captain came on and said they were having a hard time getting that engine to fire up since it was cold and the lubricants were too thick.  The wall of smoke was from the heaters they were using to warm the engine.  After a LONG wait they finally got it going and we took off. 

Then the Captain came back on and said "ok folks, I have some good news for some of you, if you are going to (somewhere in Mexico, I cant remember where) or (another city in Hawaii) you will be able to make your connection in LAX.  However if you are connecting to Maui unfortunately we will not make that connection, but you will be able to take a flight tomorrow."  Oh crap, here I am only 18 and I am going to be stuck in LA alone for a night because my brother was flying in to LAX from Phoenix and then we were taking the flight to Maui together, and they wouldn't allow him to bump his flight so he would have to go without me.  I was just scared and sick!

A little later the Captain came back on and said there had been a correction when they realized that there were over 70 of us making that Maui connection and because it would be harder to re-book us they made the decision to hold the Maui plane in LAX, and they were going to change our gate so that we would be right across the portal from that planes gate.  He asked that when we landed everyone who was not on the Maui flight stay seated to let those of us trying to make the connection bust a move. 

Remember at this point that I had to drag my big honkin' bag with me and do the flight of the bumble bee run through a busy LAX concourse.  When we got to the Maui plane almost everyone was scowling and looking totally perturbed as we rushed on the plane.  Of course my brother was ecstatic to see me and told me that he was the first at the counter to complain when they announced we wouldn't be making it for the connection. 

The rest of the trip was fabulous and a fond memory!

5QF

1. What's the oldest piece of clothing in your closet?

Hmmm, I guess I would have to go with a sweater that I crocheted in high school for 4-H.  I never wear it and keep it for sentimental reasons.  I was just thinking about it when Linda at Craftaholics Anonymous posted a tutorial about making a sweater pillow.  In my guest room closet I have about 4 western shirts that I sewed in high school that I never wear now, but also hold sentimental value because I made them and wore them during that phase of my life.

2. How many random blog readers have you met?

I'm not sure what classifies as "met", like in real life face-to-face?  If so only one of my readers, Brandi, who I met and became friends with a long time ago back in college before I became a blogger.  I have a few blog readers on Facebook, some of them I became acquainted with through the WebMD parenting and pregnancy boards.   I haven't met them in person, but in some cases I feel like I know them better than my real life face-to-face friends.

One of my nieces and a cousin have checked in on my blog a time or two as well and I of course have seen them face-to-face.  Come to think of it, I think my sisters have checked in a time or two, although they have never left a comment.

I guess you never really know who all visits your blog if they don't leave comments, so who knows if there is anyone else that I have met.

3. Do you let your kids stay up till midnight on New Years Eve? (Or, if you don't have kiddos yet, did you get to stay up until midnight as a child?)

Austin is only two, so no he hasn't stayed up until midnight on New Years Eve.  Last year we put him to bed at regular time and then we played board games and had a fun evening just the two of us at home.  We are going to my brothers house who has three older kids this year, so I don't know if Austin will feel compelled to stay up with them, or most likely I think he will get tired and want to go to sleep, maybe just a little later than usual.  

4. What are the gas prices where you live?

$3.20

5. What is one resolution that you know you should do but are too afraid to try?

I'm not a big resolution person.  I figure I always know what I should strive to be doing to make myself a better person and don't need one day on the calendar to inspire me.  I can't really think of anything at the moment that I am afraid to try, I am a pretty daring person and not afraid to challenge myself.

5QF

Oh Friday how I love you!  I am ready for a fun date night tonight as we drop Austin off at a friends house and attend my employee Christmas party, here I come prime rib!  Tomorrow morning after I pick up my bountiful basket we are heading to the big city to finish our Christmas shopping and catch Puss in Boots.  Then that evening we will go to the local Christmas festival and parade of lights.

If you are in the holiday spirit head over to My Little Life for some Christmas 5QF fun:

1. What is your favorite Christmas cookie?

I love a lot of cookies, but there is nothing like a beautifully decorated sugar cookie.  Since I love them so much each year I host a cookie baking party where we bake and decorate beautiful works of edible art while visiting and munching on yummy appetizers and sipping hot cider.  My party will be on Sunday, December 18th and I can hardly wait!

2. What's your favorite holiday movie & why?

Hands down my favorite is "A Christmas Story" LOVE IT!  Especially now that I have an adorable round-faced, blued eyed, sweetheart of my own.  

Of course I don't feel that guns should be given as a Christmas gift, which I know my father-in-law already has plans to load Austin up with a small arsenal of his own, but I hope that we can encourage those gifts to be held to a month later as birthday gifts.

3. Is there a gift that you bought for your kids that you wish you hadn't after they opened it?

 Austin is only two, so no not really yet.  I guess along those lines there are a few toys I have purchased that ended up being duds, so along those lines there are a few, but I can't think of a specific example at the moment.

4. What is the messiest room in your house right at this moment?

Our office, it's my sewing/craft room and a catch all for paperwork and stuff.  I need to go through and clean it up and especially go and organize the closet that is about to explode.

5. What is the furthest you have driven for the holidays?

 We live FAR from our families, so we put on the miles.  Its about 1,360 miles from our house to Dustin's parents house.  I remember the first Christmas we made that trip we could only take off a week.  We were so exhausted that we vowed to only do that trip again if we could take two weeks to do it.  

We just went back there for Thanksgiving and did it in a week and a half and it was tight, but manageable.  I pray that we are able to find a new job and move closer in 2012!


Also, for Christmas now we have decided to stay home and start our own family traditions, so no more crazy trips in the dead of winter for us!

5QF

I know my post from yesterday was pretty heavy, so I'm participating in 5QF for some lighthearted fun today.  Head over to Mama M.'s to play along.

1. What is your favorite Christmas decoration in your house?

That for some reason is a tough one, I suppose it would be the tree since it is full of sentimental ornaments, and we go cut down a tree from the forest where my husband works.  On the other hand I also really enjoy my Christmas cards as I hang them from a ribbon and enjoy the photos and sentiment that they bring.  I hope in this E world that Christmas cards don't go by the wayside.

2. Do you finish your Christmas shopping early or are you a last minute type?

I used to be a Christmas Eve at the mall type of girl, but since I moved to 20 miles past the middle of nowhere, that doesn't work.  I usually have my shopping done by at least two weeks out to allow time for mailing/delivery.  We are planning our big final ho-rah shopping trip for December 10, but I do already have a lot done now from online and black Friday. 

3. When do you turn on your heat?

This seems like a strange question as it's usually a response to when it gets cold, which can vary.  Usually it's some time in October, but we can fluctuate between heat and AC depending on how the weather behaves.

4. Do you ever wish your blog was private?

Hmmm, another strange one.  If I wanted my blog to be private what would be the point?  At that point it's a journal, so no, I blog to blog.  Honestly though I suppose sometimes there are things I would like to write about that skip since I don't want to offend anyone, and you never know who reads your blog.

5. Do you put your deodorant on before of after you put on your shirt?

My routine is exit the shower, dry off, DO, contacts, brush teeth, then into bedroom to get dressed.  DO before shirt, check!

5QF

It's Friday, eleven, eleven, eleven!

Have some fun and head over to Mama M.'s to play along:

1. What's the last thing you spent too much money on?

A tank of gas!!!  Probably enough said, but I miss the days of my youth when gas was less than a dollar a gallon!!!

2. What celeb chef would you want to make you dinner?

I'm not big on the celebrity cooking shows, so I don't really know many to chose from.  I did watch an episode of Dr. Oz the other day when I was home sick and he had Paula Deen on there and she seemed like a lady who could cook, so there you go, some nice deep fried southern food!

3. Where do you hide things when visitors pop over or do you let them see the real deal?

Depends on what the item is, toys get shoved in the end tables or toy box, that is probably the first thing to get stashed.  The other day we were supposed to have a showing of our house and I shoved the dish drying rack, which ends up being a catch all for a collection of random kitchen items that have no where else better to go, from the counter to under the sink with all of the miscellaneous things in it.  Office clutter goes in the desk drawers.  I think that is pretty much it, those are my main clutter zones.

4. Who is your oldest living family member?

Well, on my Mom's side she is pretty much the oldest as most of her family has passed now.  I guess it depends on how distant the relative is because she does have an Aunt, my Great-Aunt Bernie who just had a birthday this week and she turned 88.  

On my Dad's side, my Dad's older brother, my Uncle John is the oldest living member.  I can't exactly remember how old, but he is in his late 80's.  My Dad was one of eleven kids and sadly only three are left. 

5. What is your favorite DQ treat and/or Sonic drink combo (ie: cherry vanilla dr. pepper)?

I don't really do Sonic, one has never been close or convenient, so I don't have a flavor there.  I once in a blue moon go to DQ and if I want an ice cream treat I go with either a cookies n cream, or a chocolate chip cookie dough blizzard.   If I am thirsty I go with a cherry slush, or whatever they are calling them these days since they seem to change the name every time I go there.