Answer Me This . . . In Which I Don't (But Now I Do)

. . . answer anything.

Here are this week's questions! I'm, um, running late again. I just have a husband who keeps surprising me with date nights on nights I plan to blog. I KNOW, it's terrible.

I'm going to throw this up for anyone who wants to link up tonight, and I'll be back in a few with my answers and the tags and the questions for next week. So, do check back.

Updated! Now with all relevant information present and accounted for.

1. Do you have a smart phone?

I . . . do not. I am home almost all the time. So, I really don't NEED a smart phone. My slightly contrary self takes a bit of pride in being the only person in Los Angeles without an iPhone. I just checked, the last other person without an iPhone just got one. So, I'm the only one.

I have this:


Don't let all those little app-y looking things fool you. It just makes phone calls. And I can text on it. And it HAS a camera, but it's really not worth bothering with.

Anyway. That's why I'm not on Instagram.

But it's PURPLE!



2. Which is your favorite meal of the day?

Breakfast. Breakfast. Breakfast.


All the yummiest stuff is for breakfast.

Oatmeal. English muffins. Bananas. Yogurt. Granola. Tea. Cranberry juice.

Hmm. That actually seems like a pretty lame list of stuff to get excited about.



But seriously, oatmeal is my favorite.

3. Shower or bath?

In 1799, Elizabeth Drinker had her first ever shower. She wrote in her diary: "I found the shock much greater than expected . . . . not having been wett all over at once, for 28 years past."

That's how I feel every time I take a shower. I find them just terribly unpleasant. The parts of me that aren't in the water are always cold. And I just don't like the spraying sensation.


A bath is just lovely. And I think that Mrs. Drinker would agree, just more natural.

4. Think of a person you love. How many days have you been in love with that person? (Don't worry, this site will do the math for you. And, hey, now you can order this card!)

I'm not good with dates. And I'm not the type of gal who keeps track of the anniversaries of things like first dates and what not. So I don't know the exact date I fell in love with my husband. I knew I was going to marry him the first time I saw him, which would have been in September.

But I can say with utmost certainty that I was in love with him when he took me to the Marine Corps Ball.


Obviously. The uniform. The flowers. I mean c'mon.

So that would have been on or about November 10th (the Marine Corps Birthday, of course) 2000. And that makes 4952 days. Lovely.

We've done quite a lot with those days. Here's to thousands more.

5. What's the best church you've ever been inside?

This question is a plant, of course. Since I'm in the middle of recapping our recent trip to France and seeing all the lovely churches.

In case you missed any of them:

FRANCE RECAP #1 IN WHICH WE GO TO CANADA, NOT FRANCE

#3: IN WHICH WE GO TO LISIEUX, NOT THE ZOO, MUCH TO FRANKIE'S DISAPPOINTMENT

We've also visited extraordinarily historic and beautiful churches in Italy, Spain, and Portugal. And I visited the Holy Land with my parents, and saw amazing churches there. But this trip to France really solidified in me a slight preference for the more modern 19th and early 20th century mosaic basilicas over the carved stone and marble cathedrals of earlier centuries.

I love them all. But those are the ones that really sing to me.

Also, I'm kind of a fruit fly and tend to live in the now. So, even though I have seen really, really beautiful churches all over the world, I'm just going to pick my four favorite churches from France.


I'd have to say #4 The Rosary Basilica at Lourdes,


#3 The Chapel of the Miraculous Medal in Paris,


#2 The Basilica of St. Therese in Lisieux,


and my favorite all time: Sacre Coeur in Paris.

Tied for my not-favorite are the L.A. Cathedral with it's purposeful lack of right angles (why? WHY!) and all churches that look like spaceships.

6. Happy Feast of the Visitation (on Saturday)! Has anyone ever come to help YOU?

And happy Feast of the Ascension on Sunday for all us chumps who didn't get to have it on Thursday. Better late than never!

Yes, people have come to help me. And I have needed it.

My parents and my in-laws have always been really generous with their time. It was really all the six of us could do to try to look after baby Jack those first few weeks after he was born. And I've always been able to count on my parents for two weeks of in my house help after every single baby. What a sanity-saver that has been.

My third was born three days late in wintery Chicago, after my parents had come from San Diego to stay with us a week or so early, just to be sure they were there. About four days after the birth, my dad announced they'd probably be heading back home. And I burst into tears at the breakfast table. My mom assured me they would stay two weeks.

I wrote here about some of the other great stuff people have done for me (including the one time I really did enjoy a shower).

And I'll never forget the family friend who, when she found out that Jim had been diagnosed with cancer, just called up and said that she'd rearranged her work schedule and planned to come over on Wednesday afternoons. She came every week, and the kids love her so much that now, seven years later she still usually comes once a month!

In case you're not on Facebook, here are some graphics I made to celebrate recent feasts!



I hope your Feast of St. Joan of Arc and the Visitation were lovely!

And one I didn't make. Just 'cause.


Happy Sunday!


For next week I'm tagging:

Lauren from WaldenMommy. Post to check out: Respecting all stages of life.

and

Ashley from The Wannabe Catholic. Post to check out: Family Size: Large Marges and Tiny Tims

Next week's questions for them and for your are . . .

1. Do you have a land line?

2. What is your least favorite food?

3. What's on your summer reading list?

4. Is there something that people consistently ask for your advice on? What is it?

5. What's the most physically demanding thing you've ever done?

6. How do you feel about massages?

Next week's installment will go live at 10pm Pacific Saturday night, and will be open until 10pm Wednesday night.

So, please, answer this week's questions for yourself in the comments. If you have a blog, answer the questions there, link back to this post, and link your blog post up below. Thanks for playing along.