Answer Me This: Metro and Mars

It's been a few weeks, but once again I'm linking up over at Catholic All Year for her Answer Me This series.

1. How often do you take public transportation?

from our engagement photo session // photo via Emile Frey

 Not very often.  It's funny, because it's always been easy to tell people I live "in D.C." even though that's not true at all- we live out in the suburbs in Virginia.  But my family and friends back home have it in their heads that we live just steps from the White House, or something, so they're always baffled when I tell them that we never go into the District.  If we ever do, though, I will gladly add 30 minutes to the trip in order to take the Metro- I've only ever driven into D.C. once, and I don't intend to repeat the experience.

2. How many cousins do you have?

my cutest cousins // photo via One Photo Gallery

 I have 6 cousins on my mom's side (including these twin cuties you see above) and technically 8 on my dad's side (two are step-cousins, if that's a thing).  That's just first cousins, though.  My dad has a ton of cousins close to my age, and one of my cousins has a daughter, so she's technically a cousin, too.  And then some of my dads cousins have kids, who are also technically my cousins...I have a rather large extended family.  Mr. Geek, however, can count all of his first cousins on one hand.  (That's part of why we had everyone sit wherever they wanted at our wedding- because otherwise the church would have been incredibly lopsided.)

3. Have you ever fired a gun?

December 2008 ... back when I was skinny... // *personal photo*

 Yes!  In high school and college, my sister and I would go with our dad and Papaw to a shooting range with our uncle every Christmas to try our hand at his arsenal.  The trip to the range was available before high school, too, but when I was younger I preferred to hang with the women and do girly things instead of doing what I deemed to be a "boy" activity.  I'm not entirely sure I'm particularly good at it, but I am able to shoot and reload safely, so that's the most important part.  One of my "30 before 30" goals is to buy a handgun and get a concealed carry license- you know, while it's still legal...

4. Do you ride roller coasters?

any excuse to share our Disneymoon photos... // *personal photo*

 (So Mission: Space is technically not a roller coaster, but it is a thrill ride, and I consider that close enough.)

YES.  I love roller coasters!  When I was little, I refused to ride anything that went upside down, but in 5th grade my Girl Scout troop went to Hershey Park and I worked up the courage to ride the Sooper Dooper Looper and it's all been downhill (and uphill, and around corkscrews and upside down) fro there!

5. What's your favorite flower?

White roses, definitely.  Or whatever flower Mr. Geek brings home when he buys me "just because" flowers (which he does all the time!).

6. Are you allergic to anything?

Not as far as I know, thank heavens.  Well, I have the general seasonal allergies that everyone around here has, but of course I can't take any antihistamines right now (because of breastfeeding) so thankfully it's not too miserable.

Blog your answers and link up over at Catholic All Year!

Much love,
The Geeks

Wordless Wednesday: Pink

smiling at her daddy // 9 June 2014

Much love,
The Geeks

Kate vs Betsey

So I know on Tuesday I said that all I want for my birthday this year is the entire ModCloth website, but in real life I'm getting a watch.

I just have to decide which one.

Kate Spade Metro / Betsey Johnson gold chain watch

Which one do you like better?  I think I prefer the Kate Spade, buuuuut it's $100 more expensive than the Betsey Johnson.  Hmm.

Let me know in the comments- which one should I get?

Much love,
The Geeks

Birthday Wishlist

I have a birthday coming up.

At the end of the month, I'm turning twenty-something.  That is, I'll reach the age where you no longer admit exactly how far into your twenties you are- or exactly how close to thirty.

If we absolutely have to mark the occasion, I guess I'd like to make a wish list of sorts.

For my birthday this year, I would like ModCloth.

You know, the website.

I would like the entirety of the ModCloth website for my birthday, please.

Okay fine- if I have to choose, here's what I'd like:

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10

...or, you know, a gift card.  :D

What would you like for your birthday this year?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {53}

Confession: I didn't spend a whole lot of time on the internet this week.  Lately, I've been spending my rare moments of free time traveling through the Seven Kingdoms as I race my way through the A Song of Ice and Fire series.  So yeah, even my most favorite blogs are being neglected lately...oops!

However, of the things I did read on the internet this week, these are the coolest:

Shayla at Northern Exposure shares her thoughts on breastfeeding in public.  "If you saw a baby drinking a bottle in public, would you be offended? So how is a breast different? Why should my child be fed in a bathroom, or a car, or at home? Why should we be covered with a blanket?"

A Pinch of Pixie Dust shared some adorable baby books from classic literature!

Geek in Heels shared some hilarious images of Grumpy Cat in Disney movies.

What happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Wordless Wednesday: Uncanny

In this picture, she looks EXACTLY like me // *personal photo*

Much love,
The Geeks

Answer Me This: Spicy Food

Once again, I'm linking up over at Catholic All Year for her Answer Me This series!

1. Do you have a land line?

Nope!  I haven't had a land line since I moved out of my parents' house.  And when my parents realized that the only people who called their land line were telemarketers, they got rid of theirs, too!  (That's one of the only 21st Century things they've ever done.)

2. What's your least favorite food?

I don't like spicy food of any kind.  My delicate tummy just can't handle it!

3. What's on your summer reading list?

I really want to finish the A Song of Ice and Fire series (or, you know, as much of the series as is currently published) this summer...hopefully that's not too ambitious?  I'm almost done with book 2, and June has just begun, so I may actually be able to finish by September!

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

I'm not so sure people ask me for advice, necessarily, but people are constantly asking me parenting questions.  It tends to be childless people asking me these questions though- people who will likely be childless for quite a while, too.  It's more like an endless, one-sided game of trivial pursuit, where I'm quizzed on everything from from breastfeeding to bedtime routines.  I don't know if anyone will ever model their potential future parenting styles on what I've shared with them, but they keep asking, and I keep answering.

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

Well, based on what the recovery was like, I guess giving birth is the most physically demanding thing I've ever done.  Is that sad?  Millions of women give birth every day, and it's the most physically difficult thing I've ever done?  Does that make me a wimp?  Probably.

6. How do you feel about massages?

So, I really like the way my feet feel after Mr. Geek rubs them, but I don't particularly like receiving a foot massage.  I feel awkward and kind of guilty because he's touching my nasty feet!  And as far as shoulder and back massages are concerned...they end up hurting more than helping.  Not really a fan.

Blog your answers and link up over at Catholic All Year!

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {52}

Sooooo glad it's Friday.  True story: Tuesday night, I thought it was Thursday night.  Only it wasn't.

Another true story: I fell asleep during a meeting yesterday.  It wasn't an important meeting.  I only fell asleep for a minute.  Nobody noticed.  I didn't even snore.

You know what didn't fall asleep this week?  The internet.

Haley is a genius // via Carrots for Michaelmas

Bakerella shared a recipe for Salted Caramel Hazelnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies.  (Say that 5 times fast!)

A Pinch of Pixie Dust shared a review of the tea service at The Grand Floridian's Garden View Tea Room.  Reminds me of the Ritz Carlton's tea service only better (because it's Disney-er)!

What awesome things happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Wordless Wednesday: New

One day old // *personal photo*

Much love,
The Geeks

Answer Me This: Of Slacking and Smartphones

Yeah, so, remember that one time when I told you that having a full-time job (being a mom), another full-time job (one that I get paid for), AND blogging 5 days a week is just a bit too much for my plate right now?  And I told you I'd cut it back to just 3 days a week because that would be more manageable?

And then I dropped off the face of the planet AGAIN almost immediately after telling you I wouldn't?

OOPS.  My bad.

I could make excuses, but I won't.  Basically, my dreams of turning this into a "monetized", serious, all-the-time (but not full-time) blog have been shattered recently.  But I won't let that bother me too bad.  From now on, I'll try my hardest to post 3 days a week, and I hope that those of you who are still interested in what I have to say will drop by on those 3 days and take a peek.  And if I don't show up on those days...try not to hate me for it, and I won't write long-winded apologies.  I'll just pick back up at the next available opportunity.

Like now.  With what's becoming my favorite link-up party.

1. Do you have a smart phone?

Yes, yes I do.  Mr. Geek has finally stopped mocking me about it, but I used to rant about how no one could possibly ever need a smart phone, why would you waste all your money on such a gimmick, I'd never buy one, blah blah blah... But that's probably because that ranting happened back when the iPhone was the cool kid on the block (because it was the ONLY kid on the block) and I was rightfully skeptical of all things Apple (and still am).  A few months after I started my big-kid job after college, when my parents' contract ended, I went to the Sprint store and bought the HTC Evo 4G while my parents and sisters all 'upgraded' to the next available flip phone (or Blackberry in my dad's case).  And then maybe a year ago (I think?  I can't remember any more) I traded it in for the Samsung Galaxy S4.  Mr. Geek had a first generation iPhone because his dad bought it (which I still mock him for) and then I bought him the Samsung Galaxy S2 for a birthday present and he just recently upgraded to the S5 which is a mind-blowing phone, I must say.  Neither one of us is necessarily a Google fanboy, we just hate Apple.  I really like the look of Windows Phone, but Sprint doesn't carry them.  (One day we'll probably succumb to the siren song of Verizon and its incredible coverage, but we're Sprint people because of the principle- the principle of unlimited data.)

I think it's important to note that I never owned a smart phone until I could purchase one myself and pay for the plan.  If "dumb phones" still exist when Chief is in high school, that's what we'll buy her- because I do see the utility in a teenager having a phone once she starts driving, but I don't see the point in said teenager having a $600 phone.

2. What is your favorite meal of the day?

It's funny, because I think breakfast food is my favorite genre (just go with it) of food, but I rarely ever get to eat proper breakfast food for breakfast.  During the week, my breakfast is a granola bar (or a protein bar) in the car on the drive in to work and then second breakfast is a cup of microwave oatmeal (because I'm still a breastfeeding mother and breastfeeding mothers, much like pregnant mothers, are hobbits).  But my favorite actual meal of the day is definitely dinner.  Dinner is when I get to go all-out with my fancy recipe experiments (though nowadays it's generally only on weekends) and dinner is the only meal we eat as a family.  Dinner is when Chief gets to taste new foods (banana, avocado, and egg yolk so far- the only one she doesn't like is banana).  And sometimes we eat breakfast for dinner, which is like the best of both worlds, so, yeah.

3. Shower or bath?

Shower, because it's faster.  I just don't have time to sit around and soak.  The only time I've ever preferred a bath is when I need to shave my legs, but now that I use those razors with the built-in soap instead of needing smelly pink shave cream, it's faster to do that standing up, too.  And since the master bathroom in this house only has a (tiny) shower, it's basically the only option- I'm not hanging out in the guest bathroom every night, especially if we have actual guests.

4. Think of a person you love.  How many days have you been in love with that person?

I'm writing this on Sunday (and it's posting on Sunday, so I can add it to the link-up) but it's technically Monday's post, so as of Monday 2 June 2014, I've been in love with Mr. Geek for 2199 days.  (Sunday 25 May 2008 was when I first told him I loved him...I think.  It's kind of fuzzy.)  I'm not one to remember things like the exact day we "became official" or whatever, but Memorial Day weekend 2008 was when I realized I was in love with him, and I'm pretty sure I vocalized it that Sunday.

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

*personal photo*

 I've been to Mass in the Vatican so...yeah, that wins.  Hands down.

6. Has anyone ever come to help you?

All the time!  My parents are about the most loving, helpful people I know.  They came to visit last summer, just after we signed the lease on this house, to help us finish unpacking our stuff and get everything all pretty.  My mom came back in October to throw the baby shower and buy all the last-minute things we needed before Chief arrived.  Then she came again the week before Chief got here to stay for an entire month, helping with last-minute baby prep, labor and delivery, and Chief's first month in our little house.  Then she came to visit again in January, just before I went back to work, to give Mr. Geek and I some date nights, help us practice leaving Chief with someone, and help me get ready to go back to work.  Of course, Mr. Geek's parents have been immensely helpful, too- his mom stayed with us the whole month of November as well, and she came to visit a few months ago and helped us clean this house that is too often neglected.  And his dad constantly showers us with gifts and has also come to visit to help with Chief.  Basically, when you have a baby, everybody wants to show you how much they love you.

Head over to Catholic All Year and share your answers to these questions!!

Much love,
The Geeks