Elk! :-)

1. Do you manage your own money or do you have a financial planner who helps in some way? Do those kinds of conversations stress you out? A lot or a little?

A little of both - we have a financial planner that takes care of our retirement and college investments, but for our daily expenses and charity donations, we take care of that.  And yes, I can't stand those types of conversations - I like when they are done, but I don't like having them.  But I'm glad we have them.  Does that make sense?

2. The second week of October is Pet Peeve Week. Off the top of your head, share TWO of your current pet peeves.

People who talk loudly while on their cell phones - especially in public places, like the elevator, coffee house, bathrooms (seriously? Ewww!!)

Children who don't put their things away, even though, while straightening up,  I leave the items on the stairs for them to grab and instead they step over them fifteen times!  I mean, really...

3. What is one thing you'd like to learn right now, this very week if you could?

How to solve our church's budget crisis.

4. How concerned are you about the recent health related news concerning Ebola? How about Enterovirus D68?

Definitely more concerned about Ebola - I mean, did you WATCH the movie "Outbreak" with Dustin Hoffman?  Of course, that is a Hollywood film, and so take it for what it is... but, Ebola is scary stuff.  And the hubris of the CDC saying there was no possible way for it to come to the US, and then when it did, that it would be completely contained... yeah, that hasn't exactly happened...


5. Garfield, Nemo, or Tigger-your favorite orange cartoon character?

Tigger all the way!

6. I'm going to see Gone Girl with my neighborhood book club this week. So often books made into film are disappointing. What's a book turned film you thought was well done, in that the casting was 'like you pictured' when you read the book, and the film plot remained mostly true to the book plot?

Ooh, I can't wait to see what people think about Gone Girl - I liked the book for sure!  I thought they did a good job with Divergent and with the Hunger Games.  And, for the record, they did a HORRIBLE job with the City of Bones... such a good book series, and they absolutely ruined the movie.

7. What is one story your family always tells about you?

Sigh... oh dear... so many to choose from!  I

How about the very first time I (who was, at the time, 9 months pregnant, thankyouverymuch) cooked Thanksgiving dinner in our tiny apartment kitchen and the meal lasted for 5 hours because every course was finished at a different time.

Or when we had first moved out of California (I am a born and bred Los Angeles city girl) and everyone kept talking about seeing herds of elk, and I was so excited to see elk... so we were driving on the freeway and I saw, in the distance,  a large herd of animals and called out excitedly to my husband "ELK!  Honey, ELK!"  And he nearly drove off the road laughing as he informed me that those were not elk, but rather were cattle.


8. Insert your own random thought here.

So, I can totally see myself doing this