A bit more about me

Andrea from Blone Ambitions and Cathy from Cathy Trails recently both gave me blog awards! Super sweet of both of them and I love answering questions (and give you a little more insight about me!).

7 Facts about Me:

1. I am a teacher and darn proud of it!
2. The piano is one of my favorite releases and passions I have, and though I took a summer break, I cannot wait to get back to practicing again!
3. I.love.chocolate! But you probably knew that didn't you?
4. I also love baking and wish that sweets were "free" food, meaning they wouldn't be bad for you at all and I could live on them!
5. I'm kind of disorganized, but trying to get it more and more together!
6. I have a new addiction to sweet potato fries and avocados (sometimes together!)
7. I love country music and will sing it as loud and proud as I can!
8. And sometimes when I listen to country music, I go into a Southern accent. I've never been to the South, we have no relatives there, yet I still think that it would be cool to speak with one. 
9. I think that looking good and feeling good go hand in hand, so I tend to smile a lot :)
10. I love to run, especially with my sister and I'm trying to get back to playing tennis.
11. I sometimes watch trashy reality tv like Bachelor Pad, Love in the Wild, and Real Housewives when it's online (we don't have cable or satellite). I also love cooking shows like Giada, Barefoot Contessa and The Chew! 

Andrea's Questions for me:

one: what was the most recent thing you bought online? Well, this is a tough one since I don't really do much online shopping. But J.Crew was having a sale! so my sisters and I each got the Jackie Pull Over and we got a little monogram for good measure! two: if you could meet one famous individual who would it be? Oh gosh, that's a tough one. Probably Josh Groban. I love playing his tunes on the piano, plus I think he's just hysterical! three: do you prefer snow/cold or beach for a vacation? Again, tough!! I love the beach and my family has such a fun time there, but I love vacationing in snow. There are so many fun things to do, like skating, skiing and drinking endless cups of cocoa. So I'd probably say snow! four: do you have a pet? what kind? what is their name? (sorry I know that is 3!) No, I don't. My family had a cat, Kitty was her name, and we all loved her a lot. Hopefully in the future I'd love a dog or a cat! five: if you could change jobs to anything else, what would you be? I absolutely love teaching, and that is definitely the best choice I could make for myself at the moment, but if I had to change careers my dream job would be a combo of professional knitter and a Broadway pianist. I think it would be so fun to play in shows night after night and hum along to the best tunes there are! six: tap or sparkling water? Sparkling! seven: what was the first car that you owned? Yet to own my own car, but the first car that I shared was a '96 Toyota Avalon. It was a great car! eight: what is your favorite pizza topping or type of pizza? Barbeque Chicken! nine: what kind of camera do you take most of your pictures? (Nikon, iphone, etc) I just have a point and shoot Sony Cybershot. Though I know it's not a DSLR, I think it's pretty good for where I am right now in my life just starting out. And maybe someday I'll splurge for the big guy! (and I don't have an iPhone or a Smart phone. If I did I'd probably be addicted to it! Instagram is so cool!) ten: what is your favorite reality TV show? The Bachelor/The Bachelorette! eleven: where is the farthest from home you have ever traveled? In high school I was so fortunate to travel to Germany and Prague for a choir tour. It was an absolutely gorgeous trip and I had so much fun while I was there. I'd love to go back and revisit some of the beautiful churches and castles we went to and see some new sights that I didn't get to see the first time. But again, that's way in the future!
Cathy's questions for me:

1. Would you rather have super strength or super intelligence?

Probably super intelligence because I would love to help people as much as possible, and you need a lot of intelligence for that, and strength takes a little intelligence too, am I right?

2. What is one possession you cannot live without? 

Oh gosh, that's a tough one. I would probably have to say my watch. I don't know, in my family, everybody wears a watch and it just reminds me that no matter how rushed I feel, I will always have a little more time. 

3. What is the most touching movie you have ever seen? 

I absolutely love The Ultimate Gift, if you've never seen it find it and rent it! I also find The Holiday really touching. and sweet. and perfect. and I want a love story like it!

4. Are you an old soul or a new soul?

Old soul for sure 

5. What is your biggest accomplishment?

Wow, tough question! I would say that I achieved a double major in four years and still managed to have honors afterwards. I also got a job within six months of being out of school, and in this economy, I feel proud to say that I did that!

5. Why did you start blogging? 

I wanted to try something new and try to embrace a little more creativity in my life. I've been blogging about a year and a half now, and still love it! I'm a lot busier now than when I first started, but it is still just as fun to take time and connect with others!

6. Who do you think is the sexiest female or male celebrity alive? 

I'll go for male and say....Ryan Gosling. I mean, really have you looked at him?! Also, is Prince Harry an option?

7. Do you believe true love can last forever? 

Yes, absolutely, no question. 

8. What's a quote that you live by everyday? 

"We can do anything we want if we stick to it long enough." Helen Keller

9. If you could give a person only one piece of advice, what would it be? 

With support of family, faith and friends, you can achieve anything. 

10. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? 

I'm from the Chicago area, and I'm sticking to it. I love Chicago! Though I hear London would be pretty cool too!

11. What is your favorite meal? 

Risotto! with lots of fresh vegetables, especially Ina Garten's recipe. Delicious!

Enough writing? Sorry guys I know I talk a lot, but hopefully now you know a little bit more about lil ol me!