I have been thinking about joining the Ask Away Friday link up for awhile now, but was never brave enough to find a partner and participate. However, I decided to go for it and partner up with none other than Tamara from Tamara Like Camera, who is one of my best blogging friends. I don’t remember how or when we ‘met’ each other, but I imagine it was through our mutual blogging friends. We have a ton in common though, such as the fact that we went to the same university and lived in the same area, we both like the Who, we are both fans of the show Lost, and we both love to blog about our kids.
Is she beautiful, or what?
In case you don’t know how Ask Away Friday works, you choose your own partner and you each ask each other 10 questions. You post your answers on your blog and your partner posts her answers on her blog. So you’ll have to visit Tamara to find out what I asked her and how she answered! And here are the questions she asked me and my answers to them!
1. So we are both from New Jersey, of course! And we both don’t live there anymore… Other than the people you may have had to leave behind, what do you miss the most about New Jersey?
Honestly, I don’t miss New Jersey all that much. Compared to Kansas, it is overly crowded and the people are rude! One thing I miss is the variety of kosher restaurants. We have very few options for dining out here, and New Jersey has a ton! I’ll be in NJ very soon and I can’t wait to eat at my brother-in-law’s pizza place!
I don’t really miss the beach, though I have some nice memories of taking the kids there!
2. I know you spent time in Israel when you were younger. Can you share a photo and/or story from that trip?
I was in Israel for 6 weeks when I was 16, 3 weeks when I was 18, and then for 7 months when I was 20. I imagine you are most interested in the time I was there for the longest! Dave and I both studied abroad at Hebrew University for most of the time I was there. After that was over, I extended my stay over the summer and participated in a different program, while Dave returned to NJ. I sublet an apartment and it was like I actually lived in Israel for a little while. It was a good experience, but I also learned the realities of being in a foreign country and I was happy to return to America afterwards.
This is Dave and I on the campus of Hebrew U. I wish I knew how to get my hair to look like that again!
3. What’s your favorite thing to write about? Or what has been your favorite blog post?
My favorite thing to blog about is our family adventures. However, my favorite blog posts are more often the ones that are more thought out pieces of writing, such as Why I Can’t Hear Your Birth Story, On Best Friends, and One Guilty Pleasure.
4. How did you find yourself as a blogger? Was it surprising, or was it a goal of yours?
Blogging came naturally to me. Since I was about 8 years old, I wrote in a paper journal every day and continued doing so until I was about 18. I started journaling online soon after that. I had a blog prior to this one and I wrote on livejournal for awhile. When I started this blog, I took a hiatus soon after, and finally when I started reading other blogs I got back into mine and it’s been going steady every since!
5. What’s something on your food bucket list? Blogging bucket list? Parenting bucket list? Life dreams bucket list?
I can’t think of anything on my food bucket list! I don’t think I have a particular food I have been dreaming of trying. For blogging, I would love to be one of the bloggers who gets 100,000 hits a month, but I don’t imagine that will ever happen! My parenting goal is ultimately to to see my children have children and to one day be a great-grandmother. On my ultimate bucket list is to witness someone giving birth. I have never been a part of a non-surgical birth and I really want to see one. I also just recently decided that I would like to go up on a hot air balloon one day.
6. What is something about you that you don’t think translates well in your writing?
I tend to be socially awkward. I don’t feel like I have a lot of friends. I can express myself in writing better than I can express myself in words.
7. What would be your absolute dream trip to take with your family?
I am so lucky because we have already done the Disney World thing, and even the Disney Cruise thing! A year ago I would have told you my dream trip would be a Disney Cruise, but we went on one in January! I would really like to one day go back to Hawaii, where Dave and I went on our honeymoon, and to bring the kids with us. I think they’re too young to appreciate Hawaii right now, so this might be a dream for when they are teenagers.
![Dscn7478[6]](https://lh3.ggpht.com/-IIKM4gVQJi8/U-OUvm2Nh7I/AAAAAAAA9zU/mLMy1iuMuDo/s1600-h/Dscn7478%25255B6%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "Dscn7478[6]")
On the cruise!
8. What qualities of yours do you see in your three (beautiful) kids?
I think they all have a sense of humor that is similar to mine. Gabbie has a way of getting easily frustrated with things that reminds me of myself. She also seems to have the same issues with falling asleep at night – it takes us both time, rather than being asleep as soon as we lie down. We both enjoy crafty activities, as well as reading. Zachary can be stubborn, and that’s probably a trait that I share with him. I’m honestly not sure what traits Simon got from me. He is a much cuter, happier, and funnier person than I am overall!
9. I was watching the movie “About Time” about time travel, and the father in it said he used his time travel powers to go back and read every book he could. For some reason, this made me think of you because you love to read. If you had time travel skills and could give yourself extra time, what would you do with that time?
I think I should see that movie because I tend to love most things that have to do with time travel! If I had extra time, I’d probably waste it. I’m not that great with making the most of my time! But while wasting time, I’d either be reading or watching more TV.
10. What’s the best meal you’ve ever had? What food do you never want to eat again?
I can’t remember a specific meal that I’d call the best ever! I do love the salads from my brother-in-law’s pizza place, which is what I plan to eat as soon as possible in New Jersey! As for never eating again…I have strong aversions to eggplant and mushrooms and try to avoid them whenever possible!
So, that is the end of this Ask Away Friday – let me know what you think! And have a great weekend!
