For Corinne, who so graciously gave me fodder for procrastination today in the form of eleven questions.

1. when you think of childhood, what comes to mind? 
Grass stains, street lights at dusk, the smell of my mother’s spaghetti sauce when I walk through the door. Silver Hill and the Fine Arts Theater, running laps around Alumni Field and pink paper umbrellas with cherries on their stems at China Ruby. Campfires and the length of America whizzing past my view from the backseat of our van, blueberry picking and canoes on Squam Lake. Costume jewelry from Ames, Elmer’s glue and Popsicle sticks, the Sonshine Patch VBS and Psalty Kids Praise in the old red Renault. Kickball and playing pirates and Pig Latin in the glow of the nightlight with my sister. Disney World, Roller Kingdom, jelly shoes and Champion sweatshirts.

Joy.

My parents did well.

2. what is your current favorite song? I don’t know that I have one. Running through my mind a lot lately has been Restless by Audrey Assad.

3. what are you reading? {online, offline, magazine, book… what strikes your fancy today?}  Just a little blog hopping via The High Calling (thank you Amanda, for sharing the site) between working on (and procrastinating from) editing today.

4. you’re giving the choice of having a maid or a personal chef… which one would you choose? Maid, hands down, no questions asked, without a doubt, a second thought or a moment to take a breath. Where do I sign up?

5. coffee, tea, or both? Coffee, maybe with a shot of espresso, definitely black.

6. what is your secret for a happy life? Leaning not on my own understanding. Also: Naps. Ice Cream. Prayer. (Repeat.)

7. favorite smell? Lilacs. Old books. My mother’s cooking. Diesel engines puffing down narrow European roads.  Newborns.

8. what is something you are looking forward to in the future? Is it too much of a cop-out to say everything? Because I am. Babies, growing to children, growing to adults (yes, I did just skip over the whole teen phase. Anyone know if it’s possible to just gloss over that period yet?) More time with my husband, more time to write, take pictures of adorable people, enjoy this simple life.

9. what is your comfort food? Fresh, warm bread, served with anything: butter, hummus, as a homemade pizza, as a bowl for soup, plain. (Excuse me as I pause for a moment to go and thaw a ball of dough from my freezer. It’s almost dinner time, no?)

10. are you an introvert or extrovert? combination of both? I grew up an E (as in ENFP), but discovered in my twenties when I retook the test that I’m now an I. I think I’m very close to the middle. I need both.

11. where is home? It’s not here, it’s not this house or these walls, it’s not where our shoes are lined up or our coats are hung. It’s certainly not this space that I stress over crumbs on the floor and wiping down the doorknobs and light switches before company comes over. Home is my children running to me after a long day of shooting. It’s the sound of Vinnie’s car rumbling to a stop and his ankle-cracking footsteps to the door, it’s his smile. It’s warm hugs and giggles, it’s in making room for midnight thunderstorm or bad-dream bed-hoppers. It’s the comfort in falling asleep after a day well lived and the joy in waking up and not being alone.

Now, I’m not great at Meme’s or tagging people, and I don’t actually know too many bloggers. And so, I open these, my own 11 completely random and irrelevant questions, to anyone who chooses to answer them.

1. Have you had a struggle that has made you stronger?
2. Who is your favorite author of all time?
3. Assuming all loved ones are safe and sound, what would you last run back for in a house fire?
4. What is your dream job?
5. {If you went to college} Was it worth the expense?
6. If you had to choose a sense (sight, smell, taste, etc) to be stripped of, which would it be?
7. Favorite verse? {Or quotation, if not from the Bible}
8. What advice would you give to your eighteen year old self?
9. Forced at gunpoint to choose a fast food restaurant burger – which would it be? (And this is being asked by a non-burger, non-red meat eater, but I’ll answer it as well, if you’ll play along too.)
10. What is your favorite childhood vacation memory?
11. You hear that? It’s the ice cream truck! You have an overflowing coin purse – what will you order?

Please comment here with your responses, so I know who you are and where to find you.