friday takeout

When you were growing up, what game or activity did you absolutely dread playing, and why?

I'm going to preface this by saying that I am the least athletic human being to ever have been born. I was always the smallest kid in my class and was probably a head shorter and 20 pounds smaller than the next smallest kid. Because I was a glutton for punishment, I would still always agree to play Red Rover. This essentially became my being the human pinball bouncing off of the arms of my classmates and onto my behind. I am fairly certain I cracked a few ribs.

When you retire, and assuming you have enough money to do so, what is one cause you would give to because you are passionate about its mission and purpose?

When I retire I would like to open a geriatric feline farm. I am going to go to all the local humane societies and adopt every cat over the age of 9 and make sure they live their best lives ever in kitty retirement. I will be the most extra "crazy cat lady" that has ever lived. My husband hates cats, so I am going to make sure I have a hefty life insurance policy on him and do this during my “widow years.”

What is the age in your life that stands out as the most memorable, and why?

My mid-20s were pretty much a hot mess, but I'm not sure I'd be who I am today without having gone through what I did. When I was 25, I decided to get myself out of a pretty bad marriage. My kids were just 1, 2, and 3 at the time and even though I knew it would be tough, I went back to school full-time while going through my divorce. I am not really sure “memorable” is the right word for it, as I have literally blacked out so many of those memories. I often have other people tell me stories of things I said and did during that time and how strong I was. I literally have no memory of it. What I do remember is the people along the way. My cheerleaders who helped get me through it, and also the people who were not so nice. What I learned in that time is that every word, every action, every person has the opportunity to help someone up or push someone down. I decided that it wasn't enough to just make it through; I had to help other people make it through, too. You really never understand how much a little flicker of light in the darkness means, until you've spent time in the dark.

What is your favorite movie of all time? (in a particular genre, if it’s easier to answer. e.g., comedy, drama, horror, sci fi.)

OK, so this is incredibly hard. I spent my high school years working in a movie theater and writing a movie review in the high school newspaper, so I have seen a LOT of movies and have so many favorites it is ridiculous. The one movie I have watched more than any other movie is Forrest Gump. I watched that movie so many times as a kid that I could "perform" most of the movie from memory: "They said it was a million dollar wound, but the Army must keep that money 'cause I still haven't seen a nickel of that million dollars." Just pray that you never end up trapped somewhere with me or you may get one of these performances.

Is there a book you’ve read that you love so much you’ve read it twice, or even multiple times?

I have read the entire Harry Potter series more times than I can count. I vividly remember reading through the final book the first time and being so overwhelmed with emotion that I would never again experience anything like that ever again. I am a little dramatic, but Fred Weasly really was my soulmate. If I ever get a chance to talk to JK (Rowling) we are going to have some words about that one.