Twenty Questions!

Sunday's a good day for a meme, right? Jamie always had the best meme's on her blog! I love how simple and sweet this one is! Here are 20 questions, I hope you enjoy learning a little more about me and that you can participate too! :)

1. If you have pets, do you see them as merely animals or are they members of your family?

The pets in ALL my family are considered family members... Seriously, this family takes it too far. My parents have two dogs and a cat. I have a dog and a cat. My sister has two dogs and a turtle (yes, the turtle is part of the fam). My aunt is obsessed with rescuing dogs and graciously opens up her home to them. My grandma has two dogs and two cats.
Ok. I'll stop. You get the point. :)

2. If you could have a dream come true, what would it be?

To marry my best friend (whom I do not know yet, lol. That sounds kind of funny) and have a long and happy marriage with lots of kids! :)

3. What would you do with a billion dollars?

I think that would be so overwhelming, I wouldn't know what to do. I would definitely invest some and buy some property. I would build my dream house and my parents dream house. Donate lots to charities and local education. Pay off my student loans (duh) and probably get another degree when I'm done with the one I'm doing now! Ha! I would save a lot of it. No matter how much money I had, I would still work though. Unless I had a lot of kids to keep me busy. ;)

4. What helps to pull you out of a bad mood?

A quick workout (yep, I said quick.) A little retail therapy. A nap. A little me time with a good book and a big cup of coffee!

5. What is your bedtime routine?

Wash my face, brush my teeth, take out my contacts, get in bed with my book, (lately) take a melatonin and settle in before I pass out in 30 minutes. It's like clockwork, which I am loving btw.

6. What activities did you do in high school? If you could go back, would you do the same stuff or something different?

I was involved in as much as I possibly could be. I was a football and basketball cheereader, captain of the soccer team, features editor of the newspaper, secretary of Pep Club, involved in student government and a Scarleteer, which was like a student ambassador. I was busy!

7. What kind of books do you read?

All kinds of books! It really depends on my mood. I like chick lit, YA, historical novels, mystery... whatever strikes me at the time. If it doesn't hold my interest I move on to something else pretty quick.

8. How do you see yourself in 10 years?

I will be 39 (holy moly) and I hope I am married with a couple kids and teaching somewhere in Des Moines.

9. What’s your fear?

Snakes. I hate them.

10. Would you give up all junk food for the rest of your life for the opportunity to see outer space?

Ehhh, I don't think so. Just to see outer space? Maybe if it was to GO to outer space I would say yes. I'm sure that's what they mean, but this is my way of avoiding answering this question. ;)

11. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

Snooze, snooze, snooze. Then I go to the bathroom and then take the dogs out so they can do their business.

12. If you could change one thing about your significant other, what would it be?

I don't have one right now (which I am fine with !) but if I did I hope I wouldn't want to change anything. (Ha. Yeah, right).

13. If you could pick a new name for yourself, what would it be?

If you asked me this question when I was six years old I would have said Samantha. But, now I am quite content with Amber. :)

14. If you had to choose between six months of sun or six months of rain, what would you choose?

This is a no brainer! Six months of sun FOR SURE!

15. If you could only eat one thing for the next 6 months, what would it be?
No matter what it was I would get SO SICK of it after six months!!

16. What is the thing you enjoy about blogging the most?

The friendship and understanding I have found in the blogging community. It really is therapeutic to be able to write and get honest, unbiased feedback!

17. Do you prefer salty or sweet foods?

I prefer salty to sweet, but sweets are so close behind salty... Can't I have them both and mix them? Mmm, so good.

18. What items are in your purse right now?

I always have a huge purse! I have my wallet, sunglasses, school badge, pens, notepad, book, lotion, lipgloss, little makeup bag... This is a meme all by itself!

19. Name three things on your bucket list.

Travel Europe. Take a train ride trip across Canada. Skydive.

20. What do you watch on television that you know you shouldn’t?

I don't think I'm that bad with tv... when it's on I am almost always doing something else at the same time, like blogging, reading blogs or the newspaper. But, I do love me some Bachelor and Big Brother. For sitcoms I love Modern Family, The Middle, How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory. (Ok, so that's kind of a lot).

Going gaga for Gaga!

Want to know where the best people watching in the Midwest is?

It's not the state fair... Or the mall... Or downtown in your city... Or a small town...

It's at a Lady Gaga concert in the middle of cornfields and farms...

Ok, so it's Omaha, and there are few fields to feast your eyes upon in the city, but there are lots on the way there!

Yesterday three of my best friends and I headed to our neighbor to the west, good ol' Nebraska, to see one of my FAVORITE artists, Lady Gaga!

Two years ago we saw her open up for New Kids On The Block, and nobody had barely heard of her. Her single, Just Dance had just come out and we thought she was a little weird (uh, duh) but that her songs were catchy. Since then I have downloaded anything that has come out by her and loved just about everything.

Each time I see her speak or being interviewed I have fallen a little more in love with her. Everything she advocates for is stuff I totally get and am completely on the same page with. I have written a little about gay rights on this blog, but not too much... Obviously, she's a huge supporter of the LGBT community, but she also hugely supports any type of individuality.

In between songs she would talk to the crowd, and at one point someone threw a Barbie on stage at her. She picked it up, and goes, "I hate her! I hate her butt, I hate her boobs, I hate her hair... This is what I think of Barbie!" Then she snaps the doll in two.

Then somebody threw a stuffed bear, or some sort of stuffed animal on stage and she picked that up too and started ripping all the stuffing out. She claimed that she hated it, because all of that stuffing was FAKE.

This all may have been staged and set up for the show, but it was impactful! I loved it.
Seriously, I had to stop myself from crying, my eyes were welling up. I did not expect it to be so powerful for me.

What also caught me by surprise was how much she PERFORMED. I knew she was a true performer, but she sang each and every song, no lip syncing. She also played the piano, it wasn't pre-recorded... you can totally tell when they do that. I WANTED to hear the mistakes, I want to see the LIVE music. That's what I paid the money for! Then she acknowledged the fact that she wasn't some "blonde bitch that pretended to be an artist and could sing"... hmm, whomever could she be talking about?

(btw my friends and I saw Britney two years ago and her concert was horrible. I doubt she even know what city she was in. I will always love Britney, but some artists are just not cut out for live performances.)

This concert was hands down, the best concert I have ever been to. I have never jumped, danced and completely let go of myself as much as I did at this concert. Perhaps it was the sort of mosh pit that was general admission on the floor that we immersed ourselves in, I don't know, but it was a ton of fun. Plus, I got in a GREAT workout. My legs are screaming in pain today - they got worked hard! Jumping for two hours will do that, I suppose! :)

Here are a few pictures of some of the new friends we made at the concert... Excuse the poor picture quality! All I had was my phone and I could not fix the glare on the eyes!
I'm grateful for artists like Gaga that support and encourage individuality. This world needs more people like her.

I'm aaaliiiiiiiive!

Haha... just poking a little fun... that's probably not funny...

Date went well, it lasted almost three hours! That's one heckuva long happy hour date! We talked about a lot, I drank three beers, he had three vodkas on the rocks (?). We went to "his" bar that he goes to all the time and he knew pretty much everyone there. In fact, one girl that's there all the time too sat with us for about an hour!

I really didn't mind though, I had a good time chatting. I don't know if he is the one for me. He's very "city" and I'm just not sure if I want that. The thought of someone with some good old fashioned down home values is really appealing to me. We'll see. I would definitely go out with him again to see, I'm not ruling him out! :)

It's St. Patty's Day!!! What are your plans?! As you're reading this I am probably getting ready to head to Omaha, NE for what is going to be a craaaazy concert. I just know it...

Details tomorrow!

Handwriting meme

About a month ago I noticed a really cute meme that Kara did on her blog and I added it to my growing list of "Meme's I want to do"... The list is mental, so there's not saying how big it really is. Haha!

Here are the questions I had to answer:

1. What’s your name/your Blogger name?
2. What’s your blog’s name/URL?
3. Write “the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog”
4. Favorite quote?
5. Your favorite song?
6. Your favorite band/singers?
7. Anything else you want to say?
8. Tag 3-5 other people

And my answers...



My scanner didn't scan it in very well, then I distorted it quite a bit by stretching and dragging it but that's my completely random handwriting. I would describe it as inconsistent and bipolar, it's straight up and down, sideways, cursive, print... My handwriting is so random.

I forgot to attribute the quote. It's from Ghandi, it's been one of my favorites for a long time.

So, there's my random meme. It was fun and you should do it too! :)

Later today I am going on a happy hour date with a guy from Match. It's my first time meeting him and I haven't told my friends, so I'm telling you guys. Usually my friends and I tell each other - or someone - when we meet someone from the internet. I'm not telling them because, honestly, I'm sick of analyzing guys with my girlfriends. I do that just fine on my own!

He's choosing the place, and if I don't think it's a busy enough place I will suggest something else. I think it's safe though, wish I knew his last name, but his first name is Adam. If you guys don't hear from me tomorrow morning, send a search party. :)

St. Patty's Day tomorrow!!! What are you guys doing? Any big plans?! Green beer, anyone?

Ten on Tuesday

This week I am linking up with Chelsea at Roots and Rings for her weekly Ten on Tuesday! Let me know if you participate too so I can check it out! :)

1. What is your cleaning style like? Umm, my cleaning style? I don't know... I guess I am pretty clean. I clean a little bit everyday. I hate having dishes in the sink and a floor that needs vacuumed. Vacuuming is my favorite chore! (Sick, I know.) I live with my sister and she is my complete opposite when it's comes to general tidiness... Sometimes how cluttery she is drives me crazy.

2. What is your favorite thing to add to an outfit to take it from casual to classy? Probably a scarf. Or a fun ring. Or really pretty earrings. Oh, the possibilities!

3. Do you like stormy weather? Yes, I love it! No tornadoes though. Or any other natural disasters...

4. What is your favorite cold treat on a hot day? I'm sure this is supposed to be food related, but... my favorite treat is a dip in a cool pool or lake! Perfect when you're sweating and hot!

5. What is your favorite warm treat on a cold day? A warm treat on a cold day.... a big cup of coffee!

6. Who is your favorite animated character? Gotta go with Ariel from The Little Mermaid. Or Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Both were favorites of mine growing up!

7. What do you keep your jewelry in? I have an extremely full armoire that needs to be upgraded...

8. Do any of the rooms in your house have a theme? My bathroom is done in an ocean/seashell theme and my bedroom is done in a fashion theme with old fashioned magazine covers blown up and framed.

9. Do you watch any interior design TV shows – if so, what is your favorite? Not regularly... but I LOVE House Hunters! Once I start watching I cannot stop. I must know what house they choose.

10. When was the last time you did something risk-taking? Probably when I went on my last date from Match.com... mwhaha, j/k. (kind of). That or when I rode the ripcord at an amusement park over the summer. So scary! But, it was fun!

Can't wait to read everyone else's answers!

In My Mailbox (2)

Hello, everyone! I was sitting here thinking and thinking about something compelling to blog about and couldn't think of much... then I realized that I have put off doing a vlog for quite some time. Since I have bought a ridiculous amount of books in the past month, I figured this was a perfect opportunity to post an In My Mailbox vlog. :)

I'm sorry the books are backwards... I am sure there is a way to fix that. In fact, I am positive there is way, but I am not tech savvy nor do I have the patience to search for how to do it right now. You don't mind, right?!



So, there you have it!

Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Skipping a Beat by Sarah Pekkanen
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Reading Jackie by William Kuhn

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

City girl? Country girl? In between girl?

I have always considered myself a city girl. The name of my blog is supposed to be humorous because I don't live amongst cornfields, when I tell someone that I live in Iowa they immediately think, "Corn!" "Farms!" or "Potatoes!" (which is Idaho, btw. Not Iowa).

So, when I visit somewhere like the twin cities, Minneapolis/St. Paul I am extremely humbled by the fact that I am closer to "country girl" than "city girl." There are stoplights on the entrances to the freeway and cars and intersecting interstates/highways/freeways (what's the difference?!) everywhere. It is overwhelming and completely out of control for me. Each time I visit, although I have visited several times before, I have no clue where I am going. I am forced to message my friends, "Should I be passing Eagan?" "Where is 4-94?" "Am I supposed to be going WEST?!" All the while cars are zooming by me at ridiculous speeds. Minneapolis, your drivers are out of control. (And so is Kansas City - Missouri AND Kansas sides. Omaha, NE and Chicago, IL)

(Don't mind my self taken portrait in the car....)

Friday morning I headed up to the cities to meet up with two very special bloggers and see one of my favorite authors, Jodi Picoult, speak about her new book, Sing You Home. This trip very quickly became more about meeting friends, than about seeing an author speak about a book. I met my very first blogging buddy, Lesli, at this very same event three ago, and we have made this somewhat of a tradition! We eat at the same Perkins each year and usually do some shopping too. Lesli couldn't make it to the book reading, but I didn't have to attend alone! I finally got to meet Lisa, from Lisa's Yarns!! I have only met one other blogger before in person, so I was extremely nervous but so excited! All day I kept telling myself that it would feel just like an old friend and that it was no big deal. I was right!

The two years before when I went to this event I made the three hour drive back home the same day. This year at the last minute I decided to get a hotel room. This year's event was at the same time as last years, and in 2010 I didn't make it home until after 1am. That drive was rough and I was really dreading doing that again. Lesli made me realize that that was silly to drive and I should just get a room. So, from my iPhone I got on Priceline and successfully bid $50 on a 3 1/2 star hotel and got it! I had never used Priceline before, but I will definitely do it again.

I stayed at the Le Bourget Aero Suites in Bloomington, MN and was really impressed with how nice it was!

(The best appliance in my room... Second to the bed for being my favorite item in the room)

Funny story, I specified "Mall of America and Minneapolis airport" (they're across the street from each other) when I chose a location for my hotel so when we finished our lunch we hopped in Lesli's VW Bug and headed to MOA to get checked in. Once we got to the area we planned on just driving around and looking for the Le Bourget Aero Suites. When we didn't see it I punched the address into my phone to get directions and was shocked to see where the hotel was.... It was around the corner from the Perkins we were eating at, 5 miles down 4-94 where we just came from. Oops.

In rush hour 5pm traffic we turned around and headed back to where we had just come from. Silly girls. We thought we'd be like men and not need directions! Ha... Ha...

We (well I) got checked into the room and inspected my digs for the night (which were pretty fantastic if you ask me) then Lesli and I had to part ways and I headed to Edina High School to meet up with Lisa!

I was really early, so I settled in and got lost once again in Ree Drummond's pioneer world, in her book, Black Heels to Tractor Wheels. Thirty minutes later Lisa showed up and we were ready to head into the auditorium and wait for Jodi Picoult.

Sometimes it's so shocking to me that anyone is even paying attention, so when Lisa asked thoughtful questions about what was going on with me I was sort of floored. Doesn't she make the most thoughtful comments on your blog? She's the exact same way in real life! She easily makes you feel special and like you're an old friend picking up where they last left off. I really hope I didn't talk her ear off, but I'm 99.9% sure I did!

I went up to Minneapolis to see an author speak but the highlight of my day really turned into spending time with good friends. I enjoyed meeting Lisa so much, and I love how close Lesli and I have become. All of my friendships found online through blogging have become so important to me and I am so grateful for such a wonderful community of women (and some men!). I just cannot gush enough, you all know how I like to gush. ;)

(My view on the way home. Can you see the windmills?)

I had such a great time with both ladies and only regret not getting pictures of us together! I really need to get better at taking more pictures. I always remember later when I am by myself and am forced to take shameless pictures of myself or of coffee makers that make me swoon...

Have you met up with very many bloggers in real life? What was your experience like? Are you a city girl, country girl or in between girl like me?