Hodgepodge and headaches.

1. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your summer so far? Why?
(1=eh and 10=best summer ever) 

I'll go with a 5, it hasn't necessarily been a bad summer, but it has been a hard one. We PCS'ed again. For the non-military this means Permanent Change of Station, so we have moved to a new state and my husband is doing a new job fir the military. This is our 5th Station in 13 years of marriage, and our 8th house. I enjoy the process of decluttering and redecorating, but not the process of leaving new friends and having to make mew ones. I am an introvert and the idea of finding new people to be friends with is no fun. 

2. July 26th is National Aunts and Uncles Day. Did you have many aunts and uncles growing up? Were you especially close to any one or maybe all of them? Are you an aunt? (or uncle for the men who join here on Wednesdays) Share a favorite memory relating to one of your own aunts or uncles or relating to a niece or nephew who call you Aunt (or Uncle).

I had two sets of Aunts and Uncles on one side of my family and one on the other, so 3 Aunts and 3 uncles total. We were friendly and family like and I love them all, but we were never super close the way I have seen in families that all live close to each other. I am an Aunt, I have 11 nephews and 9 nieces if you count, siblings, step-siblings, in-laws, and friends who should be family. A favorite memory is hard because we live so far away from them all that every single memory is precious, and choosing one makes me feel like I am not choosing another and I don't want anyone to feel forgotten. 

3. What's your favorite food dipped in chocolate? What's your favorite food dipped in cheese?

So many options, so little time. My favorite food dipped in chocolate is probably nuts. I love chocolate covered nuts, or peanut butter, and coconut (which I am counting as a nut for the purpose of this question). I am actually not a huge chocolate fan unless it is really dark chocolate so I need something that isn't too sweet to cut through. 

My favorite food dipped in cheese is bread. I love a good traditional fondue with crusty bread to dip into it. 

4. When were you last astonished by something? Explain.

Astonished? I can't remember the last time I was astonished by something. Taken off guard, yes, surprised, yes. But astonished, nope. I feel like this is one of those words whose meaning has become diluted thanks to all of the the internet clickbait articles. You know the kind I'm talking about "The girl walked into her living room, what happened next will astonish you" and all that happens is that she does a cartwheel or something equally not astonishing. 

5. Surf board, paddle board, ironing board, Pinterest board, score board, clip board, bulletin board...which board have you most recently encountered?

Definitely the Pinterest Board. See question 1. We are in the middle of moving and due to some unfortunate moving truck issues, refurbishing or replacing a lot of our furniture. So Pinterest has been my best friend. 

6. What's your favorite story from scripture? Why that story?

My favorite of all time. Esther. Why, because she was shy, socially outcast, and afraid, even if she was beautiful, and still she accomplished miraculous things. She did these things not by spreading hate or being vindictive, but by following the careful commands God gave her and by being kind even to the people who were trying to hurt her. I think that there is a lot we could learn from Esther. 

7. If you were to travel from the east coast to the west coast in your own country, which five cities would you most want to see?

Charleston, SC - My favorite city in the US, and the place we want to retire when this military adventure is over. 

New Orleans, LA - I've always wanted to visit here. 

San Antonio, TX - I've been here before and will go here again, it's a fun place with things for the whole family, history, fun, etc. 

Flagstaff, AZ - This is a no brainer, this is home. I grew up here, I feel so at peace when I go back. 

Anaheim, CA - Disney, need I say more? 

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

Headaches for me! Headaches for you! Headaches for everyone!!! 

I have noticed that when I have a headache, not a migraine those are their own special category, that I will avoid taking medication for as long as possible. Like it's giving up or admitting defeat for me to take something. Really, I don't get why I do this to myself. Like today for example, I woke up with a headache, it was annoying but not horrible, as the day wore on it kept getting a little worse and a little worse until by early afternoon it was horrible. But all day I had just tried to ignore it. I finally took some Motrin (you know the stuff you get every.single.time you see a military doctor) and 30 minutes later I'm at 100%. I could have been at 100% at 7 this morning, or at 10, but no, I had to prove something to no one and wait until 1.