50 Questions

My youngest sister got engaged a couple weeks ago—yay! As soon as I heard, I thought: I should buy them one of those books that you get for newly dating/engaged/married couples, which ask questions to help the couple get to know each other better. I thought it would be fun for them because it’s something they could do together before their wedding date.

One of the strongest aspects of my personality (and always has been, according to my mom) is that I question everything. I truly believe it’s one of the reasons Jeopardy appeals to me—it’s nothing but questions, haha. So, for this month’s blog I thought I would answer some questions about myself. I Googled questions to ask someone you’ve getting to know, and like it always does, Google provided me with all kinds of options from Vanity Fair to social media posts, but they all seemed trivial, and I live in reality. Recently, I heard Dierks Bentley’s new album. On the album is a song called Something Real, which really resonated with me (link to official audio here: Dierks Bentley – Something Real (Official Audio) – YouTube). 

In the vein of all of this, I thought it would be fun and interesting for me to answer questions about myself—real questions. With real answers. For this reason, I am not going to edit the answers; those answers will be what comes to my mind immediately. This will make the answers more honest and truthful. (BTW: I found the answers on teambuilding.com. I did not use all the questions because some of them don’t apply to me, and I didn’t want an endless list of questions/answers for you to read through.) 

Here we go… 

1. What country would you like to visit most? Iceland. The natural beauty of the country is something I want to see with my own eyes. I just have to plan my trip for the month of June or July because it doesn’t get super warm there. I was supposed to go in the summer of 2020, but we know what happened there. I have other places on my list, but Iceland is definitely #1. 
2. What song would make the best walk up song for you? I have thought about this before. Especially with baseball being such a big part of my life. I would have to say The Chain by Fleetwood Mac. There is an amazing build up in the song that would be perfect to walk up to bat. (Listen here: The Chain (2004 Remaster) – YouTube). 
3. What is the dumbest thing you’ve ever done on a dare? If I am playing truth or dare, I will choose dare every time. I don’t mind telling the truth, but I am afraid of the vulnerability that may arise from an unknown question. Skinny-dipping. I thought I would be okay because it was at night, but I am pretty fair-skinned, and I wasn’t well hidden. 
4. If you had to get a tattoo, what would you get? I am anti-tattoo. As my sister used to say before she got tattoos: “you don’t put a bumper sticker on a Bentley.” Also, I can’t think of anything I would want on my body forever. But, if I were forced to get a tattoo, I would choose to get a shark bite on my shoulder. Once, in an intimate moment, a man nibbled me on the back my shoulder. This was a very vulnerable and intimate moment for me. I love sharks, and as a sign of affection they bite each other. Seems fitting. 
5. What is your nickname? I have lots, so it depends on who I am with. My Grandma Teri always called me her Sunshine. The rest of my family calls me Muldoon—there’s a story, but I don’t remember it. My sister Hannah calls me Morgs because she knows I hate it. My nieces and nephews call me Moe. My friend, Ilya, calls me MorgiMoo.  
6. What is one fact every friend should know about you? I am quirky and weird. I don’t care what other people think of me. If they don’t like me, I don’t need them in my life. I am who I am, and I like me. 
7. If money were no object, what would you do? I would buy and furnish my own Greek island, and then I could invite who I wanted to come visit me when I wanted. 
8. What is one item on your bucket list? I want to go swimming with sharks again—really swimming. Since I didn’t get to see them last time, I want to go again, but actually see them. I would love to pet one, but that’s not allowed. 
9. If you weren’t afraid of failing, what would you do differently? I’d be bolder in my relationships, especially with men I truly care about. 
10. How do you make tough decisions? I am definitely a list maker. I make pro/con lists about every decision I make. Handwriting the lists help me process the choices and the decisions at hand. 
11. What do you want people to say about you when you’re not around? I hope they say I am a good person. I know I am not perfect—I can be considered difficult and feisty, but I try my hardest to be a good person. 
12. What part of your identity do you believe will never change? My quirkiness. 
13. If you could eliminate one word from the English language, what would it be? There are so many….but my least favorite word just may be chunk(y). 
14. What is a smell you associate with your child? Vanilla. It reminds me of cooking with my Grandma Teri when I was younger. 
15. What is something that wound up totally different than you imagined it would be? Life. When I was younger, I thought I would be married at 24, 3 kids, living on a farm somewhere, working as a doctor. Only one of those things as actually happened, and my doctorate is in Policy, and I don’t currently use it. 
16. What kind of baby animal would you love most to be surrounded by? Cows. I love cows. I would love to cuddle small baby cows every day. 
17. If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be? A whale shark. They are amazingly majestic animals. 
18. What is your favorite movie quote to use at random? “Not you. I don’t even know you” from The Princess Diaries. I say it to my brother’s dog a lot. I also jokingly tell my co-workers “you’re fired” (from The Apprentice) all the time. 
19. What artist can you listen to over and over again and never get sick of? Dierks. All day, any day. I have a Spotify playlist devoted to him. What I love most about him is that his music tells a story, and his music doesn’t sound the same. Every album is different. Pop. Rock. Bluegrass. His Bluegrass album Up on the Ridge is my favorite.
    
20.  What book changed your life? I am a reader. I love reading suggestions other people have said changed their lives—doing so broadens my perspective and my reading list. My life-changing book is Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. It’s an excellent observation of humanness. I re-read it every few years because I get something new from it every time I read it. I suggest everyone read the novel. 
21. What activity do you waste the most time on? Sports. Usually while I watch sports, I try to write or do other things, but I spend too much time and energy on sports. I wish I didn’t care about sports, and I have tried not to, but something always pulls me back in. 
22. If you could donate $1 million to any charity, which one would you choose? Operation Smile. When I was a child, they performed surgery to repair my cleft nose for free on several occasions. I would like to repay them for their charity. They do amazing work repairing children’s clefts around the world. (To find out more information about the organization, go here: Operation Smile 
23. What is a hobby you would like to try? Surfing. I lived at the beach, and I never tried. I wish I would have. Or golf. I feel golf is a skill which could help people in many aspects of their lives. Business. Relaxation. Friendships. 
24. What is your favorite weather? Hot and humid. All day every day. The hotter the better. Though, I do enjoy a good rain storm. 
25. What is your go-to karaoke song? I don’t sing in public. I love singing, but I don’t like people watching me. But when no one is listening, I love singing. Whitney’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody always puts me in a good mood. If I do sing in public, it’s Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey. The trick is to choose a song people will sing along with, so they can’t actually hear you sing. Hahaha. 
26. What is your favorite way to show love to others? I am not a super affectionate person, and I don’t say I love you, unless I really mean it. So, if I love you and appreciate you, or if I am thinking of you, I will send you a song. Music is definitely my love language. 
27. How would you rank your love languages? For me, there are more than just the 5. As for the 5 the book is about, this is how I would rank them: 1) quality time; 2) words of affirmation (these two are probably a tie); 3) service; 4) gift giving; and 5) physical touch. 
28. What is the most outrageous outfit you’ve ever worn in public? I love color. I went through a phase where I bought leggings for every holiday—and I wear them. My dad won’t go in public with me when I wear them. I have sports leggings, too. I don’t care what other people think, so I will wear them. 
29. What is the most terrible movie you literally enjoy? American Outlaws. I first saw it as college Freshman, and it’s bad, but it makes me smile, and it makes me laugh. I don’t watch it for the history. I watch it for the historical humor. 
30. What is your favorite cheesy pick up line? I love a good cheese. And I love a good pick up line, so a combination? I have heard a few cheesy pick up lines. My favorite: “I lost my number. Can I have yours? ” 
31. What tv character are you most like? A little bit of Leslie Knopp, a little bit more of Ron Swanson. (Parks and Rec)
32. What is your dream job you’d actually never do? I would love to be a backup singer for a day. I think it would be fun to sway to the music and just input my vocals every now and again. 
33. Do you believe in horoscopes? No. But I think they are super fun to read. I like to read them just to see what they have. I am a Sagittarius, but I don’t think I have a lot of the qualities of one.  
34. What is the most beautiful place you’ve ever visited? Oia on Santorini, Greece. The sunset is amazing—the most beautiful I have ever seen. I would love to share the experience with someone I truly love someday. 
35. What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten? I am a pretty adventurous eater. I don’t do certain textures, and the foods I won’t eat are ones most people enjoy mac and cheese, ketchup, mustard, oysters, and pudding. When I was living in Europe, I tried foods I never had before. My first meal in Greece was grilled octopus. But, the weirdest thing for me was having to take off the suction cups and have my food looking at me. The weirdest food was from Czechia because the flavoring wasn’t my favorite. I ate a lot of foreign fast food when I was there. 
36. What is something someone you were interested in knowing about your dating habits? I enjoy flirting—the wittier the better. If you can make me smile while we are flirtatious, you’ve got in. I also really enjoy being sung to, especially if the song has been thought out and chosen well. 
37. Do you listen to your head or heart more? I would like to say I balance my head and heart thoughts, but I have to admit I am more logical than emotional. I am learning to listen to and follow my gut more than I currently do. 
38. What’s something you wish could happen in life that never would? I wish we could break out in song like musicals. I think it would be interesting to know how everyone was feeling. Like an episode of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. Not every moment of every day but the important moments of life. (If you’ve never seen the show, you should check it out.) 
39. Do you actually believe in soulmates? Yes and no. No, in the sense that I don’t believe there is only one person in this world meant for me. The idea of that just leaves too much in question and too much up-in-the-air. I do believe we are more compatible with some people than others. I believe there are people in our lives we are drawn to, who are meant to be in our lives. We touch each other. We have felt we have known them in another life because we have. Those are the people we hold on to. They are “our” people—even if distance or time separates us, we will forever be connected. 
40. What celebrity would you rate a perfect 10? Jensen Ackles. I have loved him since I was a pre-teen. He has gotten better with age. He’s hot. He can sing. He can act. He’s funny. He’s everything I would want in my dream man. He’s perfect. WEll, maybe not perfect—he’d be perfect if he could fly a plane. But I am a sucker for a man with pretty ice, a nice smile, a great singing voice, oh, and he plays the guitar, too. Wait for it, and he’s a cowboy….hmm, yes, please. 
41. What is the sexiest thing to you? When I feel intimate, I love being kissed on the back of the neck. Softly. Gently. It’s a real turn on for me. 
42. What was the last show you binge watched? 30 Rock. I am trying to catch up on shows I never finished. Truthfully, I enjoyed 30 Rock when it was on the air, but watching it all back to back gets to be a little too much for me. So, I take breaks and will go back to it every now and again. 
43. If you could be on any reality tv show, which one would you want to be on? The Amazing Race. I would love to travel around the world and learn more about the cultures of other countries by doing activities in those countries traditional to their culture. Even if I got kicked off, it would be an experience. 
44. What sound do you hate” The sound of people clipping their toenails. Going to the nail salon is torture! Hahah 
45. Beach or mountain? I am a beach person. I love the sounds of the waves and the relaxation the beach provides. The beach, however, doesn’t return the favor—I have never gone to the beach and not gotten sunburnt. I wouldn’t mind a good mountain trip, though. 
46. What celebrity do you get told you look like? Kirsten Dunst. I have seen pictures, and I can see the resemblance. I have also heard Leslie Mann, which I don’t see. 
47. How competitive are you? Not really at all. I generally am not good at sports/ physical games, though I like to pretend I am. I am, however, good at games like cornhole and darts, which don’t require a lot of physicality. I come from a pretty competitive family, and have many friends that are competitive, but I just want to participate in activities to have fun. If I am at all competitive, it’s with myself. 
48. Who is your favorite superhero? Batman. I don’t really consider him a superhero because he uses his intelligence to solve problems (and I know he has a lot of money, too), but he has no super powers. I grew up watching the 1960s Batman, and who doesn’t love Adam West? *BAM* 
49. What is your most used emoji? The laughing face, specially the ROFL laughing face. My messaging app recently changed that emoji, and I was disappointed.  I love how emojis express how I feel when I am texting someone. 
50. What is your favorite snack food? Old Dutch Dill Pickle Chips. They can only be found in the Midwest. Whenever people visit there, they always bring me back some. Utz’s Grillo Dill Pickle Chips are pretty close. What can I say? I love dill pickles! 

So, there you have it. 50 things you may/may not have known about me. Honestly. Nothing hidden. If you want to know more, ask. I am a pretty open book. I am always happy to have people interested in who I really am as a person—quirks and all—because as I said before: that’s not changing!