i've been tagged!

so my friend jennifer tagged me and so here you go . . .

here are the rules as i understand them:

the rules are:

1. include a link to the person who tagged you.

2. mention the rules.

3. tell six unspectacular quirks of yours.

4. tag six bloggers by linking.

5. leave a comment for each blogger.

1. i do not eat cooked fruit. never have. what is cooked fruit? any fruit that has been baked or warmed for consumption. examples are apple pie, fig newtons, pop tarts, etc. why you ask? because i don't like the way it taste. period. fresh fruit?? love it. could eat it all day. 

2. i am scared to death of birds. yes, birds. i believe this is linked to two experiences. one, as a child, i visited the memphis zoo frequently. at that time, for some crazy reason, they allowed peacocks to roam freely throughout the zoo. seriously. they terrified me. they made these crazy noises and showed their feathers and absolutely scared me to death. two, fast forward several years, as i drive to my boyfriend josh's house, windows down, listening to my cd player, turning off of poplar and onto kilbirnie, a bird flies into my window. SERIOUSLY. it gets stuck. SERIOUSLY. feathers and blood flying. i am freaking out. SERIOUSLY. until finally, it makes it's way back out one of my windows and OUT of my car. SERIOUSLY. and you ask why??

3. i don't wear makeup, but have to comb my eyelashes and eyebrows. i do it every morning, after showering, whenever i am headed out and bother to look in the mirror, etc. if i forget, i can feel them sticking together and it just makes me crazy! i also apply dct lip balm every night before i go to bed. i have been doing it since i got braces in the seventh grade. i can't live without it!

4.  my food cannot touch. this "quirk" has existed as long as i can remember. my grandparents used to buy me compartmentalized styrofoam plates so liquids would stay where they should and not touch unsuspecting solids. as an adult, i am not as extreme. i don't have to have divided dishes, but i still do not like my foods to intermingle. my dad says it all goes to the same place. yes, true, but i feel like it should go single file.

5. i have "rules" to naming my children. when josh and i found out we were expecting our first, i was suddenly paralyzed by the enormity that goes with naming a child. a name goes with you for life. life. my given name is mary elizabeth. i have always been called "maribeth". in my generation, the school paperwork deemed that a "nickname", so every document read "mary" and every first week or month of school i was called "mary". who?? don't get me wrong, i love my name. but i love my name because of the story that came with it. my grandmother's name was elizabeth. she was a teacher and loved the name "maribeth" combined from "mary elizabeth". she told my mother it would be the perfect name for a little girl named for her grandmothers, mary & elizabeth. at this time, my mother was young, but the story remained with her. fast forward, she and my father are dating and talking about marrying and she says "well, if only your mother's name was 'mary'." my paternal grandmother went by "bonnita". my father said,"uhh, debby, my mother's name is mary, 'mary bonnita'." and there you go, my name was decided long before i was ever conceived, and i love that it has a family history. 

so, this all being said, my name also came with its issues. i go by a combined form of my name. my brother goes by his middle name. and both of us have had major name issues because of it. people call you the wrong name, you have to sign your legal name, you can only have 3 names total on your driver's license or social security card, etc. so, i wanted my children to go by their first name. we wanted them to have a biblical name, but i feel it should also be a legacy of God's favor. no one names their child adolf, so why would you name them jezebel or lot's wife. we wanted them to have family names as well. so, we came up with the following: it must be a name that allows them to go by their first name, it cannot be shortened to a nickname that would be commonly used, the middle name is biblical with a legacy of God's favor and a family name. then we write the name out in full, first, monogram and initials and look at it, try to tear it apart and determine issues before we write it on a legal document. so far, we feel we have achieved our goal, but this one has been much more difficult. 

generation gap: my father says a name should look good on a diploma, i say a name should look good on a christmas card because it will appear on those more frequently. 

plus, when you name your daughter carter, you cannot name your son john or another daughter ann. it just doesn't look good on a christmas card.

make fun. but, deep down you are thinking, that all makes sense. but apparently, it's a quirk!

6. i write everything in all lowercase. everything. especially names. i have even convinced most of my friends that children's names look cuter when written in all lowercase. especially when embroidered on their clothing. josh says it is ironic since i teach four year olds and since i am one half of the "grammar police." at least that is the name he has given us as we cannot stand common misuses of the english language. we even see this trend being passed down to our daughter. sorry, ms. carla and ms. jennifer!

okay, tag you are it:

jennifer

rachel

kress

joanna

laura

kelly