Favorites!

There is a bandwagon which has been going on for ages that I am just now jumping onto.
Time for a "favorites" post. Because it's a Monday evening and what else do you do on a Monday evening?
;)

Epic Food Survey Part II

I forgot to write up a Thinking out Loud post this week... Sad day. 

Buuuuut thanks to Amanda's food survey, I don't have to miss out on all the fun! This will be a little 'replacement' in the meantime. Next week I'll be back on my regular schedule for sure.

Maybe. o.O

EPIC FOOD SURVEY

{PART 2}

[part 1 here]

Dairy

I.  Do you prefer white or chocolate milk? 

I'm not much of a milk fan, but I can tolerate it if it's in cocoa form. Chocolate, all the way.

II.  What's your favorite brand of yogurt?

I don't eat yogurt all that often either, but my mom buys the huge containers of low-fat vanilla Yoplait, and if I'm feelin' it, that's what I go for.

III.  Do you think you get enough calcium?

Probably not. Which is bad because I have low tolerance for pain so if my bones decide to break on me, I will probably die shortly after from shock alone. O.O

IV.  Where do you get most of your calcium from?

Cottage cheese.

V.  What's your favorite type of cheese?

Cottage.

VI.  What's your favorite way to eat cheese?

Low-fat, small curd, cottage form.

VII.  What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Vanilla with peanut butter stirred in, and chocolate chip cookie dough.

VIII.  When you make oatmeal, do you make it with milk or water?

Water.

IX.  What kind of milk do you drink?

Vanilla soy, and vanilla almond if I'm lucky enough to find it on sale!

X.  What's your favorite thing to do with cottage cheese?

Eat it; literally, I don't need to put anything in it. Alternatively, I can put it on top of or in anything - my list is long.

Meat

I.  Are you vegetarian or vegan?

In this stage of life, I am neither.

II.  If you aren't vegetarian or vegan, could you ever be?

Absolutely. I wrote up a long post ages ago about veganism and how I support it but I'm not about the animal rights movement. 

[if you decide to follow the link, be forewarned there is one photo near the end that is extremely graphic and cannot be unseen].

III.  What's your favorite type of meat?

I'm not a fan of red meat, and I've eaten enough chicken and turkey to last three lifetimes, but I suppose, depending on its form, if chicken is the only option I will take it.

IV.  What's your favorite type of fish or seafood?

I haven't had a lot of experience with sushi (read: one experience) but the one time I tried it, I was hooked. If it's good, quality sushi, it holds the key to my heart taste pallet. 

Tuna is another good one.

V.  Hamburgers or hotdogs?

Hamburgers. As I said before, I'm not a huge fan, but I cannot eat hotdogs. They make me feel icky. 

VI.  If you have a barbecue [grill] is it propane-powered or charcoal?

I don't have one, but my dad is on his second propane after the charcoal and the first propane stopped working. Funny story: dad doesn't get ties and shoes for Father's Day, he gets tool chests and recliners and grills. We spoil him well. ;)

VII.  What is your least favorite type of meat?

Pig meat; ham, bacon [so sorry, America!], pork, etc. I can't take it. I can't.

VIII.  Is there a type of meat you haven't tried yet but would like to?

I would really like to try lobster, crab, and more exotic meats like alligator and *I'm drawing a blank here*...think of the craziest animal on the planet...platypus! I wonder if anyone's ever tried that. 

IX.  What's the most exotic meat you've ever eaten?

I had calamari at Olive Garden once... 

X.  When you eat meat, is the portion bigger than a deck of cards?

Not usually, no. 

Drinks

I.  What do you put in your coffee?

Jeeze, I put a lot of different things in. Sometimes, if I'm feeling basic, I'll put a little creamer and some sweetener in, but if I'm feeling more "adventurous" I'll put in some cocoa mix, some cappuccino (go figure), or maybe some protein powder. I like to experiment sometimes. Don't knock it til you've tried it.

II.  What do you put in your tea?

If I have to drink tea: lots of sweetener. I used to be obsessed with tea, but now I can hardly stand it, in any form. 

III.  Do you like the taste of water? 

Yes yes yes. Water is my favorite (besides coffee, obviously).

IV.  Do you drink water every day?

Probably way more than I should. I carry around a 24 oz. water bottle and refill it 3-4 times a day; and that's not counting the sparkling water I drink on occasion!

V.  What's your favorite flavor of diet soda?

The kind I don't drink

VI.  Do you think you drink too much diet soda?

If never is too much, then yeah. 

VII.  Do you prefer to eat or drink your calories?

I dunno, cappuccino is really good...but so is peanut butter so you've kind of caught me in a tough spot here. I like both a lot!

VIII.  Do you drink energy drinks?

Not unless coffee counts. ;)

IX.  What's your favorite smoothie recipe?

I'm not very adventurous with smoothies (partly because my little single-serving blender broke *sad face*), but I like peanut butter, banana, almond milk, and chocolate smoothies a lot. I think that might actually count as a milkshake w/o ice cream, actually.

X.  Do you flavor your water?

Sometimes, if I have flavoring packets on hand. I've tried infusing it but my favorite is the ready-flavored Sparkling Ice bottles. Lemonade is my fave. <3

Treats

I.  How often do you eat something unhealthy?

If by "unhealthy" you mean "gloriously balanced between sweet and somewhat healthy, because food is food and as long as you don't go overboard it's all good" the answer is: every day, sometimes more than once! 

II.  Do you prefer a sweet or salty treat?

Sweet. Unless of course I'm craving something salty; in which case, chocolate does not do.

III.  What's your favorite salty treat?

It honestly depends on what I'm craving. Sometimes pretzels, sometimes peanuts, sometimes popcorn.

IV.  What's your favorite sweet treat?

See above answer.^^

V.  What's your favorite brand of chocolate bar?

I don't usually buy chocolate in bar form, so I'm gonna go with what I know from experience and say Hershey's.

VI.  When was the last time you went out to eat?

Tuesday, but...

VII.  What did you order?

...I didn't order anything because I wasn't feeling 100% so I had a bottle of water and a Larabar I had stashed in my bad for who knows how long.

VIII.  Do you tend to binge on unhealthy foods around your house?

Again with the "unhealthy" wording...

Yes. I do. When I say binge I mean eat without really thinking about it because the food is tasty. I'm getting better though! 

IX.  Chips or popcorn?

Popcorn, always popcorn!

X.  What's your favorite flavor/brand of chips?

I don't hardly ever eat chips, so I really don't have a favorite. I used to love sour cream & onion and barbecue Pringles.

There you have it: the second and final part of the food survey!

Thanks to Amanda for writing it up. Join in if you're feelin' it! :)

~JK

Back Into the Swing of Things + Epic Food Survey Part I

Ahoy! I have returned fer me...er...me booty?

I haven't really returned for anything in particular. Except maybe a 'where have you been, ya slacker?!'

Actually I wasn't expecting any of that. I haven't been gone that long. Have I?

I was MIA for a time (12 days, to be precise) because - in short - I've had a lot going on. 

In a bit more detail: I had summer camp from the 7th to the 12th, and not long after I had a funeral to attend for my great-aunt. In all the hubbub, blogging wasn't the first thing on my list of priorities. 

In addition, I had some schoolwork to catch up on; and my mom had knee surgery so I've been spending a lot of my time planning meals and searching for more exciting lunches and dinners (toasted cheese gets boring real fast). When I haven't been doing school or playing chef for my family, I've been watching Regular Show and Pokemon - both of which are on Netflix. Praaaaaise. 

In other news, Amanda has put together a food survey that I am more than happy to join in on. I think it's about time I got back into the swing of things here...

EPIC FOOD SURVEY

{pt. I}

Grains

I.  Flavor-wise, do you prefer white or whole wheat breads?
Wheat, if it's in loaf form. White, if it's in biscuit form.

II.  What's your favorite type of grain to eat (oatmeal, bread, wraps, etc.)?
Oatmeal; although I ate waaaay too much over the last few years, so I only have it about once a month now. Dry cereal has kind of become my thing nowadays.

III.  What's your favorite sandwich filling?
Peanut butter, banana, cinnamon, and honey. <3 <3 <3

IV.  What's your favorite type of bread?
Banana. No question about it!

V.  How many servings of grain do you consume daily?
Probably way too many. Grains make up most of my diet, along with nut butters and cottage cheese.

VI.  What's your favorite cracker topping?
Hummus. Usually I eat hummus with carrots and broccoli, but it's delicious with crackers as well.

VII.  What's your favorite thing to do with rice?
Put it into a stir-fry. Then eat it. 

VIII.  What brand of bread do you usually buy?
My mom buys grain from an Amish bulk store, grinds it with her Nutrimill beast contraption, and bakes most of our bread. So much better than store-bought.

IX.  What's your favorite type of cereal?
Ack. Can I only choose one?... Mother's Peanut Butter Bumpers. My brothers ate the last of it the last time I bought some!  >.<

X.  What was your favorite type of breakfast cereal as a child?
REESE'S PUFFS. There was a time when Cocoa Pebbles were really high on my favorites list as well.
Ahh, I miss those carefree days sometimes. 

Fruits

I.  Favorite fruit?
Despite the fact that the above photo is of an apple, my favorite fruits are bananas and blueberries. Blueberries are just so dang expensive, I can't buy pounds and pounds of them like I can with bananas...

II.  Least favorite fruit?
Dragon fruit. It has no taste - or at least, the one I tried didn't. It just tasted like water!
They look really cool though...

[source]

III.  Do you drink fruit juice often?
No. I used to on occasion as a kid, but I guess it always gave me 'the runs' so I steer clear of it to this day.

IV.  Do you consider tomatoes a fruit or a vegetable?
Vegetable. They will never be a fruit in my eyes.

V.  Do you think you eat enough fruit daily?
Oh yeah, for sure! I basically live off fruit. And nut butter. And cottage cheese...

VI.  Do you consider fruit more important than vegetables?
No, but I do consider them tastier.

VII.  What's your favorite citrus fruit?
Grapefruit.

VIII.  Do you like pastries with fruit in them?
I'm not a huge fan of pastries in general (they don't fill me up; and even the little ones have so much sugar stuffed into them!) but I used to be a major fan of apple turnovers. Sheesh those are good.

IX.  What's your favorite flavor of jam?
Blueberry; especially when we pick 23194 blueberries and Mom makes the jam herself.

X.  When do you usually eat the most fruit?
When I'm awake. ;)

Veg

I.  When you were a kid, did you like vegetables?
Not hardly. Unless they were canned or cooked to mush; I was very persnickety about them. Funny story: I loved Ranch dressing, and I remember one day I put together a big salad with oodles of Ranch slathered on top. I couldn't eat the lettuce, but I licked off the dressing.
I was a strange one, I admit.

II.  do you think you eat enough vegetables now?
It really depends on the day. Sometimes, no - other times, no question about it. If I have hummus on hand, I definitely eat enough carrots.

III.  What's your favorite raw vegetable?
Have I mentioned carrots yet?

IV.  What's your favorite cooked vegetable?
I really liked steamed-anything. Broccoli, green beans, corn, peas, etc. They're all good - except peppers. 

V.  What's your least favorite raw vegetable? 
Tomatoes (although science calls them a fruit, they are a veggie to me!) 

VI.  What's your least favorite cooked vegetable?
Peppers. I don't like them raw either, unless they're blended into salsa. 

VII.  What's your favorite kind of salad?
The kind with so many toppings you can't taste the greens.
But really, strawberry salad is pretty good, I think. Who knew strawberries + spinach went so well together??

VIII.  Do you buy spaghetti sauce, or do you make your own?
Buy it. It takes far, far too long to make it and it's almost not worth the effort. 

IX.  When you order a sub at Subway, what vegetables do you get on it?
Spinach, lettuce, & pickles. Done.

X.  Do you like vegetables more than fruit?
No. In no way will veg ever surpass fruit in my book.

Nuts

I.  What's your favorite type of nut?
Pureed and plopped into a jar.

Also, I really like oven-roasted almonds. Cashews are pretty good, too.

II.  What's your least favorite type of nut?
I'm not a fan of Brazil nuts. I used to love them, but they taste too buttery to me for some reason.

III.  What's your favorite type of nut butter?
Either Earth Balance Coconut Peanut Spread, or Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams.

IV.  Are you good with portion control when it comes to nuts or nut-butters?
Not with nut butters. Ooooooh no.

V.  What's your favorite recipe that involves nuts or nut butters?
Banana bread, topped with peanut butter. :D

VI.  Have you ever tried pea-butter or soynut butter?
Pea-butter sounds horrendous, and soynut butter sounds pretty good, but I can't say I ever have tried it.

VII.  When was the last time you ate nuts?
This morning, whilst licking the spatula I used to transfer homemade peanut butter from the food processor to the peanut butter jar.

VIII.  Is anybody close to you allergic to nuts?
If they are, I am unaware.

IX.  What's your favorite way to use nut butters? 
Top it on something, or eat it straight from the jar. 

X.  Do you think nuts are worth the calories?
Heck yes! Forever and always! Unless you have an allergy, in which case; no, don't risk your life.

~JK

Would You Rather...

I "stole" this idea from Alison, who uploaded a vlog about it. 

As I'm more comfortable with blogging than vlogging, I decided I would write up a post about it instead of a video. Enjoy :)

Would you rather...

• Speak another language or get a higher degree? I'm just a little girl stuck in high school; even if I was in college, I think I would still choose to speak another language. 
• Have a beautiful singing voice or be a fantastic dancer? Be a fantastic dancer. I try to be both, but if I could only choose one, dancing is a much bigger passion of mine. 
• Be a CEO of a huge company or run your own small business? I'm all about small businesses! I love the little shops in small towns that are run by two or three locals who love what they do and appreciate each other. (I would probably own a bakery)
• Fly like a bird or teleport? I have always wanted the ability to fly (weightless like Peter Pan, not flappy flap like a bird), but I think I could get places a lot faster by teleportation... If a TARDIS is involved, count me in. 
• Eat only sweet food or only salty food for the rest of your life? I have a huge sweet tooth, but I will admit, there are many times when all I want is something salty. I think, after a while, I could get used to never having sweet foods (whaaaat?). It would take much effort, many tears, and a buttload of frustration but I could manage. Maybe.
• Do yoga or lift weights? I'm not a fan of yoga, to be honest. Long story short, my beliefs don't really tie into yoga-ing. I don't mind at all when other people do it, but I'm not comfortable with it personally. While I do love stretching, I'd have to cop out on the om's and such. Thing is, I don't really like lifting weights either. Urgh. 

  

  [source]

• Be a SUPER fast runner be SUPER strong? SUPER fast runner. I could finally pursue my long-lost dream of distance running!
• Have 8 kids or no kids? No kids. Nope. No hesitation there; I couldn't handle eight. I can't handle my three younger siblings, let alone EIGHT of my own. O.o
• Have a small, older home with character or design a big brand new home? Have a smaller home with character, like my grandparents' house. I love big houses with endless staircases and secret passageways that were long ago forgotten; but in the long run, character > colossal.
• Watch the Today Show or Good Morning America? Neither. I can't even choose. News shows make me sick (theoretically) and I can't handle them.
• Watch only sports or watch only BRAVO? Is it bad I had to look up BRAVO to see what it was about?... I would rather watch sports than a gossip show. Nuff said.
• Cook a romantic dinner at home or go to the nicest restaurant in town? I would be cooking a "romantic dinner" for myself (#singleladyprobs) but either way, I would rather cook at home. Nothing beats a good peanut stir-fry. ;)
• Drink beer or wine? If I had the choice (#underageprobs) I would go with wine. Beer scares me...
• Eat cookies or eat cake? Do I even need to answer this one? 

  

  [source]

• Have only brothers or have only sisters? Only brothers. I can barely handle one sister, but two brothers I can tolerate. Bring it on.
• Go to Africa or Asia? Both. Africa for these guys:

  

  [source: News.com]

Asia for these:

[source: Wikipedia]

• Eat sweet potato fries or regular fries? Sweet potato fries are ah-ma-zing. Don't get me wrong, I really like regular fries, but there is a soft spot in my heart belly for sweet potatoes.
• Own an SUV or a sports car? Pfft, SUV all the way! I couldn't drive a sports car fast enough to make it worthwhile.
• Have a personal chef or a personal trainer? Just one? Okay... personal trainer. I can cook for myself, but when it comes to working out, I need that extra oomph. 
• Sleep for 9 hours every night but no coffee, or sleep for 6 hours a night and have coffee? Coffee. Always coffee.
• Read a book or watch a movie? Books are my loves. Movies are great too, but with books, you can create your own visual idea of the characters and the setting; in a movie, the visualizations are all before your eyes and you don't get the chance to "create" it yourself.
• Live on the east coast or west coast? West. Cali shouldn't be too unbearable.
• Have your toenails painted or your fingernails painted? Fingernails. I can't stand feet in general, let alone other people touching mine. I have what is the opposite of a fetish. xP
• Go to the beach or the mountains? This is a really popular question; my answer is the same as always: the mountains. I've never actually been to the mountains, however, so I don't have a clear comparison. Judging by what I've heard from others who have experienced such awesomeness, I would choose the mountains over the beach any day.

That is all. Thank you *bows*

:)

~JK

10 Day You Challenge ~ Day 10

For the final day of the challenge...

...here  is one picture of myself:

Thanks for sticking around for the whole of this challenge! I had fun writing it. Now I need another one...

~JK

10 Day You Challenge ~ Day 9

We are nearing the final day; time to share two of my favorite songs:

1.  God is Bigger than the Boogie Man 
A VeggieTales classic that, to this day, keeps me (a 15 year old) calm whatever the situation may be.
Hey, don't even lie; adults get scared too. VeggieTales is not for limited for little children.

Current favorite:
2.  Of the Night - Bastille
I switch back and forth from favorites in a matter of days. I will literally listen to a song on repeat until I can't stand it any longer, then listen to it even more.
#logic

~JK

10 Day You Challenge ~ Day 7

Ah, it looks as if day seven is upon us. Time to share one four of my favorites: books! :D

1.  The Children of Hurin by J. R. R. Tolkein
I love love love this book. I can't get over it. I have read it twice over, and I need to read it again to re-enlighten myself. Tolkien was and is the greatest novelist whose works I've read. This book is one of those that one can read over and over and still uncover something new every time.

2. The Lost Years of Merlin by T. A. Barron 
I held high expectations for this series, because a friend raved about it to me. This first book was incredible. I couldn't put it down, and I held further expectations for the rest of the series, but after the second one, I wasn't personally as interested any longer. I skimmed through most of the fifth one; I read half of it, skipped to the ending, and moved to the next book. I'm almost finished with the final trilogy (The Great Tree of Avalon) but I no longer hold my expectations high.

3.  In the After by Demitria Lunetta
If this book ends up being made into a movie, I have the main characters casted already. Just sayin.
I adored this book like no other. I'm itching to read the sequel because this book ends in a cliffhanger.
I.can't.stand.cliffhangers.

4.  The Bible
a.k.a. the only non-fiction book I have ever loved. Technically, the Bible is composed of many different books - in which case, Romans is my favorite book, and Esther is my favorite story.


This may be against the rules of this challenge, but I have to make an honorable mention.
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott is the only book I have ever cried after reading. I legitimately had to leave the room and sit on the floor, weeping, because the ending just left me so heartbroken.
I don't recommend this book if you're sensitive to things like sexual abuse and extreme psychological distress. It's a short read - I finished it over the course of three hours - but even in such a short number of words, it did not fail to leave me scarred. It's an incredible eye-opener, because the things that happened to the protagonist have happened (and are still happening) to real people in the real world, and that sickens me.
I will most certainly be reading more from this author.

~JK

10 Day You Challenge ~ Day 8

Agh! Once again, I let the day's hubub get to me and I didn't post on time. (I missed this weeks Spill it, Sunday too. :'(   I need to set up a blogging schedule!)  On the bright side, you get two days' worth of Challenge posts in one. 

Films - another favorite category of mine! And once again, the difficulty of choosing a small amount has arisen... hmm. How about we count trilogies and related films as one, eh?  ;)

1.  The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
Granted, the third Hobbit film hasn't been released, so I can't vouch for it just yet. I'd have to admit, I was a little disappointed with how the storyline went so far off what Tolkien originally wrote. Don't get me wrong, I love the actors and the writers and Peter Jackson and everyone involved - their delivery had no flaws whatsoever - but come on, Legolas wasn't supposed to be there, Tauriel wasn't supposed to exist, there should be no romance between Fili and anyone else, just... No. Nope. Sometimes there are lines you should not cross.
I commend Mr. Jackson (and Andy Serkis) for his phenomenal work as director; but the whole Fili-Tauriel and Legolas-Tauriel thing just isn't working for me and I can't get over it.

2.  The Chronicles of Narnia.
I have seen these films many times over. I can't remember exactly how young I was when I first saw "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." Young enough to be occasionally confused, but old enough to enjoy.
I've probably seen it two dozen times, and I still find things I've overlooked every time I watch it over again. (I may have had a thing for Peter way back when...then Caspian when he came around).

3.  War Horse.
I sat here for the longest time trying to pick just one more favorite. I should really calm down on the movie-watching. There are far too many on my mental list of favorites to simply pick three.
I think my love of War Horse really speaks for itself; even if you're not a fan of historical storylines and European men (really, though, who isn't a fan of that last one?), this movie will draw you in. I didn't cry but I was on the verge during multiple circumstances. If you're prone to producing eye-waterfalls when watching movies, this is one you're gonna need a whole box of Kleenexes for.

Someday I'll have to write out a list of my favorite films because listing three (correction: nine) isn't going to cut it.
'Til next time.

~JK

10 Day You Challenge ~ Day 6

I came to the realization (much too late, obviously) that I have been doing this entire challenge backwards.
See, a normal person would look at the picture below, upon which the name of the numbered days are highlighted, and say "okay, on day one, I post one picture of myself; on day two, I post two songs..." but me? What do I do? I look at the picture and say, "ah, I get it, it's a countdown!"
Maybe I've been doing it right and it is a countdown. Hmm. I'll probably never know. Either way, day six, here I come!

Gosh, just five foods?...this is gonna be over way too quickly. How about we change 'five foods' into 'five combinations'?

1.  Various cereals and vanilla soymilk

For the longest time, I have been having at least two different cereals in one bowl. I can't remember when the last time was that I ate just one kind of cereal at one time...
Call me crazy, but it's the way of life. I am a cereal person and shall be forevermore.

2.  Cottage cheese, sliced banana, and cinnamon

[I'm well aware these are apple slices...]

A classic fave of mine. I've been obsessing over cottage cheese for a good while now, pairing it with different fruits, and bananas seem to be the winner for this combo. I've been told that apple butter is pretty good with it as well, but I haven't had the chance to try that one just yet.

3.  Rice cakes and coconut peanut butter

I cannot get over how incredible this coconut peanut butter is(!!!!). I was skeptical about it at first because Mom's good at finding weird things at the scratch & dent store; but I kid you not, as weird as it sounds(/looks), it. is. so. delicious.

4.  Ry Krisp crackers and homemade hummus
I found the crakers at (you guessed it) the scratch & dent store. I heard Amanda talking about them in one post and when I saw a box on the shelves, I decided to give it a go. Same as the rice cakes; I had never tried those before, either!
Personally, I don't like them very well plain, but they are perfect with some homemade hummus.

5.  Chai tea and cocoa powder

You know me; I loooooooove me some hot beverage in the early morning hours. I ran out of chocolate protein powder, so I've been subbing it with Carnation Breakfast Essentials chocolate powder, or hot cocoa mix. Either one does the job just fine.

That is all for today. Return tomorrow for day seven, if you so desire. If not, you suck.
I'm kidding, I'm kidding. But seriously. I'll love you forever and a day! <3 <3 <3  ;)

~JK

10 Day You Challenge ~ Day 5

Today's part of the challenge is to state six places...I'm not sure if that means six places I've been or six places I would like to go; I'm assuming the latter.

1.  New Zealand/Australia - I'm counting these as one.

[source]

[source]

I want to see New Zealand because of the filming that took place there for LotR and The Hobbit. The landscape is gorgeous and you've gotta admit, their accents are pretty cool.
Australia is high on my list because the accents are awesome there too I had a pen pal from Australia whom I haven't heard from in ages and I feel really guilty for it because I haven't been writing to her either. I figure traveling to Australia and meeting up with her could somehow make up for the years of silence between us. Also, I really really really want to see a kangaroo.

2.  South Africa

[source]

My friend Kennedi has stressed to me that she wants to visit South Africa someday. The more she talks about it, the more I want to go too!
I would love to explore new countries and cultures, and I think South Africa would be a great place full of various backgrounds.

3.  Hawaii

[source]

Typical dream vacation; I know, I know! But just look at it.

[source]

[source]

I haven't ever done so much as travel to Florida - the closest I've been to a large body of water is when I went to see Lake Michigan, and even then, all we did was drive along the road and peer through the trees when we could.
I think Hawaii would offer great opportunity to get a nice tan...

4.  Mexico

[source]

A group from my church recently embarked on a missions trip to Mexico, and now I'm incredibly interested in going when another opportunity rolls around.
Plus, from what I've heard, authentic Mexican food cannot be beat.

5.  Ireland

[source]

My cousin went to Ireland for a school trip last year; she came back and gave all good feedback. I'm more than happy to see it for myself.
Just look at the sheeeeeeeep!

[source]

6.  Everywhere else in the world. No really, I want to see everything and travel everywhere.
But to be fair, I'll pick just one, for now...

[source]

Canada has been associated with the U.S. for as far back as I can recall, and farther then. We share likenesses and not-so-likenesses, but Canada is probably the closest in culture as the U.S. than any other country.
If I'm getting my facts so over the top inaccurate, please excuse me. I hate geometry and I never was good in history. All things logical, historical, and scientifical are not at all my forte.
(yes, I do understand 'scientifical' is not a word.)

That is all for day five. Thank you for reading, come back tomorrow, and all that jazz.  ;)

~JK

10 Day You Challenge ~ Day 4

'Tis the fourth day of the 10 Day You Challenge, on which I shall share my seven wants.

1.  A Macbook laptop

[source]

2.  A smartphone...

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...because I am the only person in my friend group left with a crappy flip phone.

3. A job.

[source: Tumblr]

Really, what I want is money, but I would like to work somewhere like Dairy Queen where they supply an abundance of ice cream. I've heard employees get free food. Free ice cream is best. <3

4.  Mugs - I have a collection of mugs started, so if you happen to find a cool-looking mug, please send it to me and I will repay you with a batch of cookies of your choice flavor.

5.  Spring/summer clothes. I am - in fact - a girl, and I do - in fact - enjoy new clothing. I hate shopping; it stresses me out for reasons unbeknownst to me. But if and when I get lucky, new clothes are worth the stress that goes into finding and trying them on, and losing money over.

6.  To be healthy and get in shape. Not just because summer is approaching, but because my life is ending (I'm not depressed, I'm just speaking the honest truth) and I want to be the best version of myself I can in however much time I have left on this earth.

7.  A driver's license. I enjoy driving (not as much as riding) and the only reason I want to be 16 is so that I can take my permit test and get started on my hours.
Ahh, to be a legal driver...

~JK

10 Day You Challenge ~ Day 3

Day three of this challenge brings me to confess eight fears... here we go:

1.  Possibly my deepest fear is rejection/abandonment. While I believe that one is never truly alone - thanks to our great Savior - I still cringe at the thought of never again having friends or close family or anyone to hug. Imagine the rest of my lifetime without hugs. That is the equivalent of leaving a child without his little safety blanket, like Linus from Peanuts.

[source]

2.  Pain - I have low tolerance for pain, and watching graphic movies and television shows doesn't exactly help (I'm talking World War Z and I Shouldn't Be Alive).

Believe it or not, I don't have a huge fear of needles. I've been through so many medical injections in my lifetime that I'm almost numb to the whole concept. I can't watch them do it though; I had blood drawn once and that was the scariest thing of my life, watching my own blood flow into those little vials. *gag*

3.  This is a weird (and gross) one: I'm afraid of being constipated. I've had experiences in the past that I hope never ever to experience again. I won't go into detail.

4.  Performing - I get such bad stage fright before I perform anything that in the last few minutes before I walk onstage, I'm convinced that I'll either black out, throw up, or quit, all of which I have yet to do. I really don't understand why it still stresses me out.

5.  Heights - flying is the exception. I enjoy flying. But I saw my friend break his arm after jumping off a swing and I am still petrified to this day. 

6.  Fast driving - my dad likes to make fun of me with this one... he's a crazy driver and when I'm unfortunate enough to be in the passenger seat when he's driving - especially when the roads are icy - he makes sure to go hard on the gas and fast on the wheel swerving. 

Mind you, he has never been in a major accident. He doesn't drive like a maniac on the highway, over hills, or on busy roads; as contradictory as it sounds, he's smart about his crazy driving. 

7.  Public restrooms - it's not the thought of how unsanitary everything is, it's the thought of another person listening to me relieving myself. 

[source]

True story: I thought I had to pee while in a restaurant, so I went to the restroom at the same time as another woman. I was all prepared to pee but nothing happened (this is a regular occurrence for me, please tell me I'm not the only one). So I sat there while the other woman did her thing, and I waited until she left before I was able to pee. I had to mentally recite to myself  "we're never going to see each other again; she won't remember this encounter, don't even worry about it" because I don't think many people go into a public restroom and just sit there for two minutes waiting for something to happen. You just don't do that. 

8.  The future. I'm both excited and anxious about what my future will hold, because I have such high hopes. I've learned over the course of many years that you can't have such high expectations for everything; once you do, all of your hopes come crashing down on top of you in a heap of disappointment. Therefore, I am terrified that my future will be less than what I anticipate and I'll end up more disappointed in myself than I ever have been. 

Also, I'm afraid I'll end up being a 900-pound lug who does nothing with her life and has virtually no hope anymore. Maybe then I'll have my television debut...?

~JK

10 Day You Challenge ~ Day 2

'Tis day two of the 10 Day You challenge!

Day two ~ nine loves

1.  Jesus Christ - I strive to make my Lord and Savior the center of my life; I don't live the ideal Christian life, but I would much rather be here now than to be lost for eternity. God is constantly at work in my life, and I thank him for his never ending forgiveness and grace. Without a doubt, it takes a lot of patience to deal with this girl.

2.  My family - I love my parents, my siblings, and my church family (friends included). I have been immensely blessed to have so many great people in my life and I couldn't ask for a better group of people to call my family.

3.  Sweets - I have a huge sweet tooth. Seriously. I could live off sweet tea, cappuccino, and all kinds of pastries and cakes.
I don't recommend that, of course...

4.  Music - I love alternative music, orchestral music, Celtic music, dance music, and certain contemporary Christian songs. In all honesty, I'm not a music junkie like a lot of people who I know, but I do appreciate the effort and persistence that musicians go into making their magic.

5.  Cooking & baking - both are a stress-reliever for me. I love seeing different ingredients and textures come together to make something incredible (more or less, depending). It gives me a great sense of worth when I make something that other people can enjoy; and what better way to win someone over than to make food? ;)

6.  Photography - there is such beauty in the ability to capture incredible moments in the blink of an eye, and save them for centuries to come. Photography is art, and art is a way of expressing oneself. All of the arts fascinate me; photography is just one of my favorites.

7.  Books - without books, I would probably be in a more stable form of mind because I wouldn't be constantly stressing over the unfortunate events regarding fictional characters...then again, I would be so much less creative and imaginative than I am. Books have helped me learn how to think on my own and to create things of my own, and to escape reality when a temporary escape is necessary.

8.  Travel - the farthest from home I've ever been is 14 hours away at my cousin's house in Mississippi. I love traveling (if I can get past the homesickness), and I long to see the world before my time is up.

9.  The great outdoors - I love being outside. The only time I will refuse to go out is if it's blistering cold (like this last winter. Bleck!) The scent of the fresh air, the sound of the breeze in the trees and the birds chatting amongst one another; everything is very calming.
Sometimes the birds get on my nerves, and the breeze is too cold for comfort, but for the most part I'm happy with being outside.
Funny story: I opted out of wearing sunblock and laid out for an hour. My back and stomach and part of my thigh are all a nice shade of reddish pink. If you share the same pale complexion as I, please wear sunblock and spare yourself the pain.

~JK