Friday Notes + Fun Facts

Thank goodness it's Friday, and we've officially made it through the week!  I'm even celebrating by breaking out of my black purse rut and gettin' a little craaaazy.

This week was nice because it didn't involve any airports.  I did spend 2 nights in Asheville, NC, but I got to travel with a co-worker (a rarity).  Having a dining partner is just way too much fun when you're used to grabbing meals solo.  My favorite meal was at Bouchon, where we had bottomless bowls of mussels.  Dessert afterwards at French Broad Chocolate Lounge was absolutely necessary.  This was my second trip there, and you can read about my first visit in this post.

Returned to the hotel with a big ol' slice of this cake.

And finally, thanks to some sweet bloggers, Ashley at Places To Go, Things To Buy and Natasha at Hello! Happiness for inviting me to participate in a fun little tagged post!  Let's face it, the brain is kinda fried at the end of the week, so this is right up my alley.


Here's how it goes:

* You must post the rules

* Post 11 Fun Facts about yourself 

* Answer the 11 questions that the tagger posted for you & then create 11 questions to ask the people you've tagged

* Tag 11 people and link them in your post

* Let them know you tagged them

My 11 Fun Facts:


1. My birthday is New Years Day, and I was the first baby born in the year 1982 in our county.  My parents got lots of fun goodies like free diapers and dry cleaning, and our picture was in the paper.


2. In high school, I was the President of the National Art Honors Society, but I'm not really that great at most forms of art.  I'd much rather do something crafty than something that is truly "artistic."


3. I wear my watch on the incorrect wrist ... I am right-handed, and it is on my right hand.  This is because when I got my first ever "adult" watch -- gold-tone with a stretchy metal band -- I was so in love with it and I decided it made sense to wear it on the hand that I wrote with so I could look at it lovingly while I wrote.


4.  I have opened a hotel room door to find Former President Jimmy Carter standing in front of me ... true story.  A fun post for another day.


5.  I have a tendency to be a procrastinator, but I will always get things done.  And you probably won't ever see me sweat it.


6.  I was a Spanish major in college with a concentration in Latin American Studies.  I love everything that has to do with Latin America and I am still moderately fluent.  Junior year of college, I studied abroad in Costa Rica where I learned how to surf and was able to perfect my salsa dancing moves.


7.  My name is April, but people who mistake my name always call me Rachel.


8.  I never sleep with my rings or watch on, but when I am traveling, I always sleep with my wedding band on.  That way, if there's a fire and I have to run out, I'll at least have my band on.  (My husband would probably say - Honey please grab the engagement ring before you flee the burning room too.)


9.  I'm always up for an adventure, and I'm slightly obsessed with celebrities.  Combine these two traits, and what do you get?  My girlfriend Kerry and I have partied with Tiger Woods and Derek Jeter in DJ's penthouse suite at Trump Towers.  I swear it.  And I also swear that neither one of us did anything remotely sketchy ... we were good Southern girls.  But Kerry told me recently she hasn't had a single margarita since that night -- and that was in 2006.


10.  When I was younger, I was bitten by a dog on the back of my calves as I was running away from it.  Since then, I was always really nervous around dogs, especially large ones.  When I met Ian and found out he had a husky, I thought -- this probably will never work.  Three years later, and I'm completely smitten with our large and loving furbaby.  He's changed the whole way I think about dogs.


11.  I believe in the power of treating yourself on Friday mornings on the way into work.  My fave treats?  An iced chai tea with soy milk from Starbucks or the pomegranate smoothie from Smoothie King. 


Now, because you made it through all of the fun facts, here is a little something for your time:

Yours truly. 
What?  Moisturizing is important.

Here are the questions Natasha posted:

1. What is your profession?  In a broad sense, I work in corporate wellness.  I have several clients that I work with to implement all sorts of health and wellness initiatives -- onsite health screenings, flu shot clinics, weight loss challenges, pedometer challenges, working with people with chronic conditions, et cetera.  When I travel, it's mostly to go oversee screening clinics or flu shot clinics that are happening onsite with our clients.

2. How would you describe your style?  I love to wear anything that's feminine, pretty, and fun.  Bright colors lure me in as do prints.  I don't often spend a whole lot of money on clothes -- and I keep my clothes for a long time.  Places like TJ Maxx and F21 are great for me because I can spruce up my wardrobe rather frequently with fun, trendy pieces.

3. What one make-up product can you not live without?  Right now, as you know, I'm obsessed with L'Oreal Extra-Volume Collagen.  Another fave is Presciptives liquid concealer, which is no longer made.  For that reason, my last tube is now liquid gold to me.

4. If you could be besties with one celebrity, who would it be?  Natasha summed it up perfectly by saying Reese Witherspoon.  What a cutie.  I'd also love some QT with Kristen Bell.

5. What is your dream vacation?  I've never been to Europe, and Ian knows that it's a priority before we start thinking about adding to our little family. 

6. What magazines do you subscribe to?  Due to a heartfelt plea from my husband (I literally had STACKS of magazines in my old apartment when I lived alone), I've really taken a lot of steps to cut down on my subscriptions.  Right now I only subscribe to Real Simple, which I love.  Decor, makeup, fashion, organization tips, and dang good recipes -- it has it all.  But a year ago, I was also getting In Style, Shape, Brides, Glamour, and Bazaar.  Wow, that's kinda crazy to admit.  I also have a stack of old Domino magazines in a magazine basket in our guestroom that I'll never part with!

7. If you could have a special talent {that you don't currently have}, what would it be?  I would love, love, love to be able to sing well.  And I would also love to be able to play the piano well.  I took piano lessons from a next-door neighbor when I was younger.  My parents arranged the lessons on a barter system ... hour-long piano sessions for a large bag of dog food.  Not lying.  Dad is in pharmaceutical sales on the veterinarian side, so he had easy access to free dog food.  Now: imagine young, awkward April marching across the lawn with a large bag of dog food on her way to get piano lessons.  True story.

8. What is your favorite breakfast food?  I eat pretty healthy during the weeks -- Greek yogurt or a sliced up apple or pear.  I'll have hot mint tea or iced green tea.  Weekends, I love my husband's breakfast sandwiches me makes us and some nice coffee with good flavored cream.

9. If you could do anything, what is your dream job?  I've always wanted to be a cashier at a grocery store.  Quick, easy conversations with people, and you get to see what they're buying and try to guess at what they will be making with those ingredients.  I'm dead serious.

10. What is your guilty pleasure?  I love the Housewives series, much to Ian's chagrin.  I also consider a guilty pleasure to be taking a shower at night and washing my face AND brushing my teeth right there in the hot shower. 

11. What is the best piece of advice you've ever received, and who gave it to you?  It's difficult to choose just one piece of advice, but I love this quote that I stumbled upon once while going through a hard break-up: "Sometimes you have to be willing to give up what you have in order to get what is waiting for you."  It's always been a favorite of mine to share with friends.


*****


I'm slightly breaking the rules here, but let's make it a free-for-all!  If you'd like to play along, I'd love to see your responses.  If you write a post iwth your fun facts and answer the questions above, please leave the link to your post as a comment here!