Molly of Still Being Molly shared a really fun post last week where she listed 50 random things about her that no one knew or even asks about, and then encouraged her readers to do the same.

I used to LIVE for these questionnaire-type surveys way back in the day when I was in middle and early high school. I would fill them out with answers that I thought made me sound super cool and then forward it to ALL of my friends. I basically answered the same questions over and over and over with enough XoXo’s and ~*~*~’s to make you want to vomit. But it was fun and one of my favorite things about the early internet, and now Molly has basically given me permission to do it again! So here goes 🙂

1. What’s your favorite candle scent?
Anything that smells like clean laundry. I don’t really care for super sweet or food scents so fresh laundry, or just clean in general, is the way to go.

2. What female celebrity do you wish you were related to?
Amy Poehler. She’s my spirit animal.

via GIPHY

3. What male celebrity do you wish was your brother?
Chris Pratt. He seems like he would be a fun and caring brother

4. What’s your favorite thing about marriage? (And if you’re not married, what’s your favorite thing about being single?)
Knowing that no matter what may come our way, Nick and I will face it together. There’s nothing I have to do on my own if I don’t want to, and vice versa. We’re always there for each other and it makes life a little easier.

5. What’s one thing you own that you should probably get rid of, but just can’t?
I have a box of old t-shirts that I never wear, but I don’t want to get rid of them because they’re very meaningful to me. For example, there are some from plays I did in college, sport teams, etc. I’ve thought about finding someone who can make them into a quilt for me, but I just can’t get rid of them.

6. Can you do a split?
Unfortunately, I cannot.

7. How old were you when you learned how to ride a bike?
I’m sure I was like 5 or 6. I don’t remember a lot about riding bikes when I was a kid because I lived in a very rural area so there wasn’t anywhere to ride them.

8. How many oceans have you swam in?
Sadly, only one. The Atlantic ocean.

9. How many countries have you been to?
Only this one.

10. Is anyone in your family in the army?
My grandfather was in the army, my father was in the national guard, and my aunt was in the navy.

11. What was your favorite TV show when you were a child?
I remember loving the TGIF lineup on ABC, which included Family Matters, Boy Meets World, Full House, Step-by-Step, Perfect Strangers, etc. I also loved a claymation series called Bump in the Night that featured a cute little green monster named Mr. Bumpy who lived under the bed of a little boy and ate his socks.

via GIPHY

12. What did you dress up as on Halloween when you were eight?
I think that was the year I dressed up as Princess Jasmine.

13. Have you read any of the Harry Potter, Hunger Games or Twilight series?
Yes, I’ve read all three.

14. Would you rather have an American accent or a British accent?
It would be cool to have a British accent but I don’t hate my American one.

15. Have you ever taken karate lessons?
No 🙁 But my brother did when he was a kid, so that’s cool.

16. Do you know who Kermit the frog is?
Yes. It ain’t easy being green.

17. What’s the first amusement park you’ve been to?
Ghost Town in the Sky, which used to exist in Western NC. And then after that, Carowinds.

18. What language, besides your native language, would you like to be fluent in?
I’m mostly fluent in Spanish but I would like to be even more fluent. Then I would like to learn French or Italian.

19. Do you spell the color as grey or gray?
Gray.

20. Do you know triplets?
Nope, sure don’t.

21. Do you prefer Titanic or The Notebook?
I have fond memories of Titanic, as it was the movie I was watching when I first french kissed a boy! I was 13 years old.

22. Have you ever had Indian food?
It’s some of my favorite food!

23. What’s the name of your favorite restaurant?
Mateos bar de tapas; Nanataco; and Chico’s. But I love food so I’ll eat pretty much anywhere!

via GIPHY

24. Have you ever been to Olive Garden?
Yes. The salad and bread sticks are worth it. Sorry not sorry.

25. What would your parents have named you if you were the opposite gender?
I’m not sure about the boy name, but they almost named me Heather Lynn… how’s that for a southern name?

26. If you have a nickname, what is it?
The friends I met through my last job call me Nikki Nicole. This is because, when I was younger, there were a few times someone would ask what my middle name is and I would tell them Nicole and they thought my name was Nikki Nicole  because they didn’t realize that Nikki is short for Nicole.

27. Who’s your favorite person in the world? 
My son and my husband. It’s a tie.

28. Would you rather live in a rural area or in the suburbs?
I’ve lived in both and I enjoy the suburbs much more than the rural area. There’s more to do, a greater sense of community, and less travel time to most places.

via GIPHY

29. Can you whistle?
Nope! I try so hard but I just can’t get it.

30. Do you sleep with a nightlight?
Yes, actually, I do. Sebastian still sleeps in our room with us and I like to have a little bit of light so I can see him when I get up to nurse in the middle of the night but I don’t want too much light that it wakes us all up completely, making it hard to fall back to sleep.

31. Do you eat breakfast every morning?
Yes. Sometimes it’s while I’m getting ready for work, sometimes it’s in the car, and sometimes it’s after I’ve already gotten to work but I eat every morning. The hectic nature in which I eat my breakfast during the week is why I value taking my time during breakfast/brunch on the weekends.

via GIPHY

32. How many times have you been to the hospital?
None up until recently and then twice in the past year. The first time to give birth to Sebastian and the second time to receive treatment for a postpartum heart attack.

33. Have you ever seen Finding Nemo?
Several times. The first time I saw it was at the theater on campus when I was in undergrad.

34. Where do you buy your jeans?
Old Navy, Gap, and sometimes Stitch Fix

35. What’s the last compliment you got?
How adorable my baby is, and how good I look since having him and/or since my heart attack.

36. Do you usually remember your dreams in the morning?
Almost always. Especially the ones with the same themes, which is most often that I’m in a new location (usually a hotel or place of business) and I’m trying to find my room/destination but I just can’t. The elevator never takes me to the correct floor or something else happens so that I never reach my destination

37. Favorite beverage that isn’t water?
Does coconut water count? If not, then I drink a lot of coffee and Pepsi.

38. How many pairs of shoes do you currently own?
Too many! I’ve never counted them but I would estimate I have around 30 pairs. One of my goals this year is to pare down my collection to only the shoes I absolutely love.

via GIPHY

39. How old were you when you found out that Santa wasn’t real?
Probably around 5? My dad says I was always asking questions about how Santa got into our house since we didn’t have a chimney so I probably figured it out pretty early.

40. What is one food that you used to hate but now you love?
Brussels sprouts. Especially when they’re roasted with a little bit of apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and pancetta. Yum!

41. What is a weird lie you’ve told?
Probably that I really like something when I actually don’t. Or maybe I just don’t care about it as much as I made it believe.

42. Heels or flats?
As I get older, I find myself gravitating toward flats… or at the very least, lower heels.

43. Do you have any weird phobias?
Phobias, no. Anxiety, all of them.

44. What is a phrase or word you always say?
“I love it.” Because I’m trying to find the good in everything, I suppose.

45. What is a song that you bast or belt out when you are alone?
Despacito (the original one, not the Justin Beiber version) “Firmo en las paredes de tu laberinto!”

46. What is one of your biggest pet peeves?
Lately it’s how everyone feels they can freely comment on my plans to have more children. They don’t realize how hurtful they’re being when they say, “you should have more kids!” or “when are you having another one?” because they don’t know my situation.

47. Do you sleep with your closet door open or closed?
Closed. I can’t sleep if it’s open.

48. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees?
Bees. I feel like I’d have a much better chance of survival with the bees.

49. Do you have any weird things you do?
I have a lot of weird things that I do.

50. What movie could you watch over and over again and still love?
To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar.

via GIPHY

Moana.

via GIPHY

And it’s not a movie, but I am obsessed with Parks & Recreation; it’s my favorite show in the whole wide world.

via GIPHY

It’s time for another round of Friday Four, a fun survey I’m doing so that my readers can get to know me a little better. This week I’m talking about four TV shows I watch. I don’t want a ton of TV and when I do, it certainly isn’t Game of Thrones or even Scandal. (GoT is too violent and rape-y for me and I somehow missed the train with Scandal, Orange is the New Black, etc.) BUT the four shows I  never miss are as follows:

1. Orphan Black.

According to Wikipedia, Orphan Black “focuses on Sarah Manning, a woman who assumes the identity of one of her clones, Elizabeth Childs, after witnessing Childs’ suicide. The series raises issues about the moral and ethical implications of human cloning and its effect on issues of personal identity.”

The lead actor, Tatiana Maslany, plays the parts of ALL the clones. She’s so talented and mesmerizing that you totally forget that one actress is perfectly capturing all of the little nuances of each character. It’s currently in it’s third season but is available on Amazon Prime if you want to catch up.

2. Criminal Minds.

Again from Wikipedia, this series “follows a team of profilers from the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) based in Quantico, Virginia. The show differs from many procedural dramas by focusing on profiling the criminal, called the unsub or “unknown subject”, rather than the crime itself.”

My undergrad degree is in Psychology and one of my dream jobs back then (I’ve had a ton of them because I have a ton of interests) was to become a forensic psychologist and do what they do. Alas, that dream didn’t pan out so I have to live vicariously through them. Nick and I started watching it from the beginning back in November and finally caught up in the middle of this season, which is it’s 10th season! I hope it never ends.

3. Broad City.

Described as “an odd-couple comedy about two best friends navigating their 20s in New York City. Abbi and Ilana are broke and flawed, and they don’t shy away from the sticky situations NYC throws at them — they dive right into the muck. No matter how bad it gets, these broads are always down with whatever hits them.”

They make me laugh so much and taught me that I have FOMO – fear of missing out. The second season just ended but you can watch full episodes on Comedy Central.

YAS KWEENS!

4. Little Women: LA and the spinoff, Little Women: Terra’s Little Family.

IMDB describes this reality series that “follows close-knit friends with big hearts and big personalities, who have a physical trait in common: They are little people. The ladies travel around Los Angeles while dealing with relationships, parenting and careers. As with any friends, they express feelings — from laughing, to crying, to fighting — but lend emotional support to one another. While dealing with everyday challenges, they are out to prove that — just as people say about age — “height” is just a number and being short doesn’t keep them from having normal lives.”

Terra, one of the ladies, has a spin off about her experiences with pregnancy and her first months home with the new baby.

I love all of these women and watching them navigate this things called life.

Honorable mentions:

Parks and Recreation. This is my favorite show of all shows that ever were. Only a show featuring Shakira would bump Parks & Rec out of my #1 spot. Amy Poehler is my #2 favorite celebrity, after Shakira of course, and I would watch anything she does. It’s just a bonus that Parks & Rec is so good. (OMG, speaking of which, can someone make that happen, please? A reality show featuring Shakira? It would be heaven for me!) I’m so glad that they play reruns on both Esquire network and FX because we always end up there, watching it!

You’re The Worst. “Centers on two toxic, self-destructive people who fall in love and attempt a relationship.” – IMDB. There’s something about this show that I CANNOT get enough of. There isn’t a single character that I don’t like, even though I should.

Masters of Sex. Based on the biography of the real sex researchers, Dr. William Masters and Virginia Johnson, this show offers a fascinating look into how we know as much as we do today about the human sexual response. It plays on Showtime and is on it’s third season, which will begin this summer. My passion is sexual health education so it should come as no surprise that I would love a show dedicated to the pioneers. Also, I have an embarrassing crush on Michael Sheen.

It’s time for another round of Friday Four, a fun survey I’m doing so that my readers can get to know me a little better. This week I’m talking about four of my favorite foods. This one will be a little more difficult than my last four, simply because I LOVE food so paring it down to just four won’t be easy.

1. Sushi. Hands down, this is my favorite food on the face of the planet.  I’ll eat any type of sushi, sashimi, nigiri, etc. It’s one of those foods that makes me feel better if I’ve had a bad day or if I’m feeling a little down. It’s also great for a celebration dinner. It’s even where I requested we eat for my bachelorette party! Nick gets annoyed that I love sushi so much because I always want to eat it when we go out, but it’s just one of those things he loves about me. We have some amazing sushi spots here in Durham.

Sushi rolls from my favorite sushi spot: Shiki Sushi in Durham.

2. Cheese. If I were superwoman, cheese would probably be my kryptonite. I don’t know what it is about cheese, but I love it so much. I put it on everything that requires cheese. Frozen pizza from the supermaket? Add a little extra cheese before popping it in the oven. Lasagna? Extra layer of cheese, please! Tacos? Cheese. Burgers? Cheese. Sandwiches? You better believe there will be cheese.

3. Pizza. Oh how I wish pizza were more healthy for us all. It’s delicious – especially when covered in cheese! – and I would eat it every other day (you know, the days I’m not eathing sushi) if there were more health benefits to it. I’m a simply gal and really love a simple pepperoni pizza, or pepperoni and mushroom, but I’ll eat just about any kind of pizza. Again, we have some amazing pizza places here in Durham so going out for pizza is easy and fun and delicious.

Spicy Philly Pizza from Mattie B’s Public House in Durham. Delicious shaved beef with pepers and onions, jalapenos, and aioli.

4. Berries. I feel I have to include something healthy and I love berries, which are healthy so there you go. I love all kinds but my top three are blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. I also love cherries, but they’re not really a berry, are they?

Honorable mentions: coffee, most fruits and vegetables, ice cream, potatoes, vanilla, tacos (or any kind of Mexican food), tapas, and wine.

After being MIA for a few weeks, it’s time for another round of Friday Four, a fun survey I’m doing so that my readers can get to know me a little better. This week I’m talking about four things I don’t eat. This was a really difficult question because I love food and I love eating so I had to really think about things I don’t eat. I wish I could say that I don’t eat fast food or processed junk or sodas, but I am only human and I make a lot of bad food choices. I do try to eat lots of veggies, lean meat (although I do love some red meat) and I do *try* to cut out the junk as much as possible. That being said, here are the four things you’ll never (or very rarely) find me eating.

1. Miracle Whip. Ew. Just ew. I don’t know what it is about Miracle Whip but I think it’s disgusting so I don’t eat it. I almost feel sorry for Nick, though, because he ate it all the time when we started dating but since we’ve lived together/got married we don’t keep it in the house. There have been a few times that he bought a small bottle to keep for himself but I never eat it. I’m a Duke’s Mayonnaise kind of girl.

2. Cool Whip. I’m noticing a pattern with me and whipped foods. I don’t like cool whip at all because it’s a weird consistency and is way too sweet. I have, on occassion, enjoyed some homemade Chantilley cream on my desserts, because it was thicker and tasted better. There’s something about being homemade that makes everything better.

3. Liver. When I was growing up, occasionally my mom would saute up some livers for dinner because my dad really likes them, particularly liver and onions. It was the grossest thing ever as a kid, and those nights were always PB&J for dinner for my brother and me. I haven’t had the courage to try it again as an adult, so I just don’t eat it. However, I will eat livermush (it’s a western NC thing, apparently) which I think is delicious. I’m a little quicky like that.

4. Swordfish. This is more of something I’ve never eaten, and probably because I’ve always heard about the high mercury content, which is bad for you. I eat all of the other fishes, though, so maybe I just think this is a weird one to eat! I have no desire to try it, and I usually desire to try everything.

I do love going to the local farmers’ market though. It’s one of my favorite weekend activities!

And I do love taking foodie road trips! Agh, I just love food!

It’s time for this week’s Friday Four, a fun survey I’m doing so that my readers can get to know me a little better. This week I’m talking about four places I have been.  Nick and I love traveling and seeing new places, and I try to write about it as often as I can. Two of our favorite traditions are 1) to take daycations, or small vacations that we can do in one day and 2) when we take long road trips, we research restaurants en route that have been featured on Food Network, Travel Channel, Cooking Channel, etc. and make sure to stop at them on our way. If you’re a new reader (or a regular that missed some of these earlier posts) please check out the following pages on my blog!

I just wrote about our Mini Vacation to Savannah, GA so I won’t include that one here, but be sure to read about it if you haven’t already.

1. Middletown, RI.

My first flight ever was for a daycation to Rhode Island to eat at Flo’s Clam Shack. This is the trip that started it all and you should read all about it and even watch my videos here. It all began because my job was sending me to a conference in Denver, CO, and I had never flown before; I’d never even set foot in an airport – hard to believe, I know! I was so scared about taking a 3-hour flight for the first time all by myself, and Nick suggested we take a short flight together before the conference so I would have some experience. He found some really cheap tickets to Rhode Island and off we went. It was a fun and exhausting experience but one I’ll never forget.

This blog post was when I first started blogging so please excuse the different sized photos and weird pull quotes; I was still trying to figure it all out.

2. Atlanta, GA.

I’ve actually been to Atlanta several times but most recently was almost two years in August 2013, right after I started graduate school. We wanted to take a daycation before I got so busy with school and we couldn’t do anything for a while. We went to The Little Tart Bakeshop for breakfast, then explored the Historic Oakland Cemetery, followed by chocolate at Cocoa Atlanta Chocolate Shop, and finally lunch at Bone Garden Cantina. Read all about it here.

3. Illinois.

Nick is originally from Illinois and still has a lot of family that lives there. We’ve taken several road trips to visit for various birthday celebrations, weddings, etc. I documented most of the last trip we took to Illinois and the different places we stopped along the way. The first was the Parkette Drive In restaurant in Lexington, KY, and then we stopped again in Champaign, IL to eat at Fat Sandwich Company, where they put everything but the kitchen sink in their sandwiches and they’re so good! Read all about it here.

4. Puerto Rico.

Nick and I went to Puerto Rico for our honeymoon in May of 2012 and I fell in love with the ‘isla de encanto’ or island of enchantment. For the past three years, I’ve been working on a page about it but I barely have enough time to get outfit photos up so it’s been really difficult to finish that post. I’ll make that my goal for this summer! Anyway, we did so many fun and amazing things like take a walking food tour, swam in the ocean in a spot that only locals knew about and then ate at a delicious road side food stand, we explored a beautiful cave, climbed a waterfall and zip-lined back down, played in the bioluminescent bay, and explored the city. I loved every single thing about Puerto Rico and I cannot wait to go back.

*All photos by me.

Where all have you been? What is/was your favorite place to visit?