Q&A Day (Part One)

Today is Q&A day.  Thanks so much for all of your questions.  It means so much to me that you took the time to write your comments and ask me questions.  In fact, I got so many questions from you guys that this post was becoming way too long.  When I scrolled through the page, even I was overwhelmed by how much information was stuffed into one post.  So I separated Q&A day into two days.

Tomorrow's post will also be part two.  I answered every question I received, so if you asked me something before yesterday, then your answer should be in one of the two Q&A sessions.

1.) What kind of roommate do you hope you get/don't get in college?  Or are you going to have your own dorm?
- Well, I'll have my own room.  I am an insomniac, so I have a lot of sleeping issues.  I've tried to share a room with someone in the last year and it just didn't work out.  However, I WILL be having suitemates, who will share the kitchen/living room area with me.  There will be four of us sharing this area in total, so I will still have to learn to live with other girls.
I'm hoping that these girls will be Christians, but since I'll be going to a secular university, I don't have any guarantees.  My family and I have been praying for God to place the right girls in my dorm, so I trust that everything will turn out okay.  My biggest issues would be someone who steals (obviously), someone who brings in a boyfriend at inappropriate times (like to sleep over), or a major partier.

2.) At what age do you want to get married?
- I don't have a specific age.  I don't want to feel like, "Oh no, I'm twenty-three.  I need to get married by the end of this year!"  I want to be older than I am now when I get married.  It'd be nice to graduate college first, but I won't limit myself.  If it's a God-thing, I'll get married before then.  It all depends on when I fall in love. :)

3.) Do you want any kids?
- At this point, I can't see myself being a mom.  However, it will ultimately depend on what God wants for my life, so I don't want to give an absolute no.  But if I do have kids, I would like it to be later on in life.

4.) What's your favorite movie and why?
- I love The Truman Show.  It seems like a very strange movie to be my favorite, but for some reason, the idea of a man being documented for his entire life and everyone around him being actors fascinates me.  I've probably watched that movie fifteen times.

5.) Do you have any things you are always describing people as? Ex: you're such a beast, but in an endearing way. :)
- Haha, this question made me laugh. :)  I don't think I've ever been asked this before.  Well, I couldn't think of anything at first, but then I remembered.  My best friend Ali and I have this thing where we call each other "nerd" and "weirdo" when we first see each other and when we're saying goodbye.  It's very friendly, like, "Hey, nerd."  "Hey, weirdo."  But that's something we've done for probably two or three years.

6.) How are you comfortable sharing so much about yourself online?
- Hmm, it depends on what you mean.  I try to avoid sharing too many tangible details about myself, like where I live and pictures of my house and etc.  When it comes to details and information, I try to limit myself to what you might see on an author bio, since I'd love to be an author one day.  It'll often state: "First and Last Name has these family members, lives in this state, and went to this university.  Here are some hobbies."  I probably wouldn't even share the name of my university if it wasn't one of the biggest universities in the United States.  My parents and grandparents also all read my blog.  If they were ever to become uncomfortable with the level of personal information I was sharing about myself online, they'd let me know and I would most definitely take it down.  Oh, another security measure I take: when I go out of town, I almost always share the traveling journal on my blog AFTER I already get back so that I won't let the entire world know that my house is currently empty. :)
If you're talking about how I can bring myself to share personal thoughts and feelings about myself online (which is the version that most people ask), I suppose it's because I used to be such a secretive person.  There were so many doubts and secrets and sins that I was hiding in my life that I finally became sick of it.  I want to be a city on a hill, willing to share my flaws and my struggles and my triumphs through Christ because I believe that we can learn from each other's trials and victories.
Also, I can vent my emotions much more easily through my writings than I can through vocalizing my words.  That's just how my mind work.  So while it may take my friends and family quite a while to get me to spill what I'm feeling, I might easily be able to sit down and write everything out.  And I'll admit: sharing emotions online isn't as scary as going out and giving a speech to a thousand people because I can't SEE you.  All I see is a screen.

Occasionally I will struggle with whether or not I want a certain issue to be shared with everyone, but if it's particularly difficult, then I'll pray about it and wait.  There's no need to make impulsive decisions on a blog.  In many ways, I see this blog as a ministry.  I've been able to have many beautiful conversations with some of my readers.  I believe that God has been able to use some of my words to inspire and encourage others.  And I hope He'll continue to do that.

7.) What was LASIK surgery like? I'm thinking about getting laser surgery for my eyes... but a bit hesitant...
- It was TOTALLY worth it.  I'm serious.  It didn't hurt.  I didn't have any problems with the surgery.  I could see almost perfectly after about two days and even the first day, I could see enough to watch TV and DESTROY one of my best friends on the Wii.  And now I never have to mess with contacts or glasses again... or at least not for a very, very long time.  I'm terrified of the eye doctor.  It's one of my worst fears.  But it was all worth it because now I can see. :)  And it honestly wasn't a big deal at all.  Here's my journal from that day, in case you're interested.

8.) What are your views on modesty, and what are the limits?
- This is tough because I have trouble saying, "Such and such is immodest and such and such is modest."  I think certain things are definitely immodest, like showing a lot of cleavage or wearing a skin-tight dress, but other things depend on the person and the siuation, like wearing leggings.  Leggings can either be modest or immodest, depending on how you wear them.
A big deal for me is why you're wearing an outfit.  My dad once told me that a guy could consider nearly anything to be tempting, depending on how a girl wears it.  If your intent is to impress guys and look sexy, then you could be immodest, but if your heart is in the right place, it will show in the way you dress and even in the way you walk.

I don't believe in wearing bikinis around guys.  I equate them as about the same as wearing a bra and underwear.  I don't believe in showing excess skin (like short shorts and skirts, belly shirts, and even most spaghetti strap shirts).  I don't like too tight or see-through clothes either.  But like I said before, I don't have specific guidelines.  It depends on the outfit and on the way you're wearing it.

9.) If you could play any sport, what would it be?
- I'm not a very athletic person.  I never have been.  I do wish I had more of a love for working out than I do.  The sport I'd probably want to play is track or cross country.  I wish I loved to run.  People who run a lot are usually very healthy and fit.  It'd be nice to love doing that.  Biking would be another sport I wish I could enjoy.

10.) Who are your favorite bands/singers?
- Elvis Presley, Colbie Caillat, Group 1 Crew, B. Reith, Britt Nicole, Lecrae, Tedashii, Shane & Shane...  Those are a few of my favorites.  Check them all out!

11.) What is your preferred method of death?  How would you like to die?
- This... disturbed me a little.  Honestly, back when I was depressed and suicidal, I thought about death all the time.  I remember walking through a room and looking for things that could end my life.  Nowadays, I don't really think about it much at all.  I know of ways that I definitely wouldn't want to die, like by burning to death or through suffocation.  But how I'd like to die... I don't know.  Something hopefully painless.  I wouldn't mind dying for Christ.

12.) What would you name the autobiography of your life?
- What a great question!  I've never thought about that before.  I'm about to start reading "A Stolen Life" by Jaycee Lee Dugard, which should be a very captivating memoir.  I'm not even sure what I'd write about in my own autobiography.  I haven't done anything amazing yet.  I can't answer this question yet.  I might write a blog post about it later, but I truly cannot think of a good title.  Good question though.  Very interesting.

13.) What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
- My greatest weakness would be my fear.  I tend to be a very hesitant and fearful person.  It's why I'm shy, it's why I'm not as adventurous as I probably should be, and it's what holds me back a lot in life.  I don't like to drive, I don't sleep much, and I'm still afraid to talk to people I don't know well.
My greatest strengths would be my loyalty and my writing.  It takes a lot to lose my friendship.  I stand up for those I love through everything.

14.) What is your favorite childhood injury?
- My FAVORITE childhood injury?  Well... I don't think I have a favorite!  I'm not a big fan of getting hurt.  One of my most memorable childhood injuries was being bitten by a spider.  We think it was a brown recluse.  It was very painful and the bite got pretty bad at one point.  It was on the front of my left leg.  I still have a scar there.  People always ask me how I have a little hole in my leg.
That's probably why I am so scared of spiders.  They terrify me.  The spider can be the size of a flea and if I see one, I usually scream and/or run out of the room.  Spiders scare me to death.

15.) If you were a crayon, what color would you be, and why?
- I think I would like to be cerulean, because that was always my favorite crayon color as a kid.  It's probably my favorite shade of blue, which is one of my favorite colors.  I also like the name.  Cerulean.  Ceruuuuulean.

If not cerulean, I'd like to be the color black.  I know that sounds so strange, but I really do love the color black.  My room colors are black and white, both at home and in my future dorm room.  I think I just love how black and white contrast with each other, how they look next to each other.  It's funny because I don't tend to see things in black and white like most of my friends do.  I most issues in many shades of gray.