Moment of Truth

What type of pets do you have?

We have two dogs - Rizzo and Wilbur. They are big, goofy pitbulls, with a combined weight of 200+lbs.

We also have three birds - Paco, Consuela, and Hedwig. They're parakeets, and they have no interest in humans. They only like each other; we're just the big stupid creatures who feed them and change their paper and water. Sissy named Paco and Consuela. I had a hand in naming Hedwig.

And we have a fish tank, that to the best of my knowledge has a little striped fish, a gourami, and two shrimps living in it. They are the aquatic animals who will live forever, as I've been waiting for their demise for years now so we can get rid of the gigantic tank.

What is your favorite color?

I love all the colors. Seriously, I really do like them all. Purple is probably my favorite, seconded by pink. Lime green, orange, and blue are up there, also.

What is your favorite food?

I feel as though my answer to this question changes every hour, depending on what sort of day I've had, and how hungry I am when the question is asked. I'm a big fan of comfort foods - pasta, soups, mashed potatoes - things that warm you from the inside out.

Where do you want to retire?

By the sea. With palm trees. Or palm-ish trees. And then, once a year around Christmas, I want to vacation in a snowy cabin with my family. A roaring fire, cozy sweaters and leggings, fuzzy socks....and then return to the land of flipflops and year round tans.

What is the kindest thing anyone has done for you?

I've been blessed to have wonderfully kind people around me for my whole life. If I had to choose my most memorable random act of kindness, though, I'd have to say it was a hundred years ago, at least.

When I was 16, my best friends and I were in a terrible car crash. It left me petrified to get behind the wheel, and I rebelled against getting my license for a very, very long time. I finally caved when I was 18, when my father (who was sick of driving me places) bribed me with a VW Jetta custom painted sparkly pink. Fast forward several weeks, and I was hit from behind by a gigantic Oldsmobile. My little pink Jetta was totaled, and I was stuck inside. Given my past, and the fact that I was 18, I was hysterical in my little mashed up car. A random stranger who witnessed the accident came over to the drivers door, put his hand inside my broken window, and held my hand tightly until EMS arrived. He kept rubbing my hand and telling me it was okay, that I would be okay, and help was coming. Even though it was a small town, no one knew who he was, and I still say prayers for him, sometimes. I couldn't pick him out of a line-up if I tried, I just remember his red windbreaker, and his kindness.

What would you do with a million dollars?

I'd buy your loooooooooooove.

Bonus points to those BlogFans who get that reference.

Seriously, though...a million bucks. Do we mean million pre-tax, or a million under the table? It's my blog, so I'm going to say that it's not taxed. I would pay off my house ($334,000). I would pay off our student loans ($27,500). I would pay off cars, credit cards, and other miscellaneous floating debts ($36,000). I would put a large sum of money for each of my kids [and some for the third baby I dream of having] in the hands of a responsible investor ($300,000). I would give fifty thousand to each of our siblings ($150,000). I would pay off our parents homes and debts, which, thankfully, isn't much 'cause we're cutting it down to the wire, methinks ($150,000). That leaves me with like $2500, if my calculations are correct. With that, I'd take the kids someplace fun for the week - like Sesame Place

You have a 10 minute speech to give at a high school, what is it about?

Acceptance. In all forms. Acceptance of yourself. Acceptance of others. Acceptance of differences.