Ask Me (Almost) Anything: Part 3

I’ve answered quite a few Ask Me (Almost) Anything questions on the blog. Here is Part 1 in the series, Part 2, a catch-all post for random questions, including my answer to: Would you rather be an elephant, a ferret, an orangutan or an octopus? The animal question was from Kyria…who recently asked Nicole about poop; she has a special knack for unusual questions. (I chose octopus.)

I few weeks ago I posted a Google form where you can ask me questions; if you’re interested here is a link to the form.

Today I’m going to start working through the questions that have been submitted; I’ve opted to organize the post by person, not topic.

Engie (The Time for Change):

• What’s the book you recommend to the most people?

This question stumped me. I watched the cursor blink for a few minutes and puzzled over how to answer. And then I finally figured out why it was so hard! My recommendations tend to be very specific, based on the person and the request (are they looking for a thriller, self-help about a particular topic)…

So my answer? Give me a specific category, and I’ll make a recommendation 🙂

• What’s an item on your to-do list that you’ve been ignoring? (Mine: taking clothes to a donation site.)

Videoing the contents of our house for insurance purposes. I keep saying I want to do this and know it would take me less than an hour. Yet, I have been dragging my feet on this for years. Why? It remains a mystery.

• What was the last meal you ate that was divine?

I’m fortunate enough to eat a lot of great food. But if forced to choose a single meal, it would be a pasta dish I had in Florence, Italy. My husband and I stopped at a tiny restaurant on a back street that was filled with locals. I had no idea what to order and was hemming and hawing and the host jammed his finger against the menu to the duck confit pasta and said – Get this. And then I hemmed and hawed some more and he insisted, once again, that I should get “this”. So I got “this” and “this” was perhaps the most incredibly delicious meal of my life.

It doesn’t look that memorable, but it was knock-my-socks-off divine.

Allison (Bibliomama):

• I would love to know if you designed your own blog website or if someone else did – it’s so beautiful and gives me blog envy every time I visit.

First, thanks for such a sweet compliment! I’m so glad you like the aesthetic.

I purchased a template from a company called Sparrow and Snow. I had them help me tailor some aspects of the site to my needs/wants, and then I did quite a bit of design on it myself…with mixed results. I also hired Amanda Hawkins for an hour (she’s done work for SHU and Kelsey) and would highly recommend her to anyone.

In total, I think I’ve spent about $350 on the site layout and function, which seems like a reasonable investment for a hobby that brings me so much joy!

I designed my own logo in Canva! (If anyone happens to be interested you can see all the logos that didn’t make the cut.)

And here’s a post that I wrote with more behind-the-scenes info on hosting, etc.

mbmom11:

• What’s one thing about parenting you would change if you could go back when your kids were little?
  

Gosh. That’s a tough one. If you’d asked me a few years ago, I might have been tempted to say Everything! I would have lambasted old me for always feeling so tired, for getting frustrated by the perpetual runny noses, for raising my voice when I lost my cool. But I can’t change the past and I’m coming to realize that I did the best I could; praise the good Lord, I have two incredibly spunky, and loving kids!

If forced to answer the question, I might say I would rock them to sleep more. Holding a sleeping baby, tracing their face, stroking their hands, inhaling that new-baby smell – those days don’t keep! And while that phase of life was utterly exhausting and I don’t miss it a single iota, I wouldn’t say no to an afternoon spent rocking them as tiny sleeping babies again. (Love You Forever by Robert Munch, anyone?)

Kate (melted smoosh):

• Do you and your family have nicknames for each other? If so, what’s the backstory behind the nickname?

We do call our kids all sorts of silly names (Hector is a common name we use when calling Indy), but I wouldn’t say there is any one nickname that we use all the time for either kiddo. Our daughter gets called Belle quite regularly – hence her blog nickname – and we shorten her legal name in a variety of ways.

John and I call each other “Baby”. When did that start? I’m not sure!

Growing up my brother often called me Bozo and, occasionally, he still does.

No one in my family calls me Liz, but a few other (very random!) people do which always strikes me as rather odd since I have never – a single time in my life – told someone I go by Liz.

• What’s a book (or books) that you could re-read a million times and never grow tired of them?

I do really love the first few books of the Anne of Green Gables series. For YA books, I’d have to go with The Boxcar Children and The Trolly Car Family. But I would still get tired of those books. I like to reread, but not indefinitely.

I guess the one book I can/do read over and over is the Bible. I get something new out of it every time, so it feels fresh and insightful.

Stephany (Stephany Writes):

• What is the most fun thing about being a parent and what’s the hardest thing?

I LOVED this question. How insightful.

Most fun? Watching them grow and learn and develop. Adventuring with them, laughing with them, building core memories together. I love observing them from a distance when they’re deliriously happy – say, watching Indy after he scores points in a basketball game (he always looks over to make sure we’ve seen his success), or overhearing Belle shriek with laughter while hanging out with a friend. Sometimes I’m overwhelmed by how amazing it feels to be part of their world, and how far we’ve come from those sleepless newborn days.

The hardest thing? Not being able to control…anything! Whether it’s their sleep schedule as newborns or the bully in their class who teases them. It’s hard to accept that I can’t control their decisions, can’t always keep them protected physically and emotionally. It’s tough to realize I can’t control their stubbornness or emotional outbursts. It’s hard to worry about them driving cars and walking home after dark and making big life decisions without the foresight of an adult. It’s tough to move from the role of coach to cheerleader…

• Do you have a favorite Bible verse or passage?

I loved this question, too!

I feel like one of the clearest signs of God’s presence in my life is how at two very acute moments, a particular passage has felt divinely put in my path.

#1. When I was expecting Indy there was concern that he would be born with a number of physical challenges. It was an emotional rollercoaster and I was literally shaking the day of my scheduled C-section. The night before surgery (unsurprisingly, I couldn’t sleep), I came across a passage in Philippians 4: 5-7.

⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

It’s a famous Scripture passage that can start to feel like an over-used cliche well-meaning folks toss toward people in difficult circumstances instead of acknowledging their pain and suffering.

Well…I did not feel peace. At all.

A nurse from our church ended up being part of the medical team which felt like such a gift from God (she was literally set to retire, had NEVER EVER worked in L&D and “happened” to be assigned to that floor the day I “happened” to be having surgery). But I was still so scared. Shaking in terror.

Eventually I was on the operating table waiting for the procedure to start and was repeating the verses from Philippians over and over. In particular, the words “the Lord is near.” And suddenly, in a single instant, I felt a total, supernatural calm. The Lord WAS near. My body stopped shaking and I felt complete peace that physically radiated through my body. It is unlike anything I’ve experienced before or since.

#2. This past summer I was slogging through the book of Isaiah. I wanted to quit reading it. At the same time, I was trying to heal from some pretty difficult challenges that had overshadowed my life for the last three years. At one point, we had to make an unexpected decision. I didn’t feel any peace, didn’t know the right way forward; we had to step out in faith, trusting that God would provide direction.

We made a choice and the next day we received news which removed any doubt from our minds on how to move forward. The relief was incredible. That same morning I read the following verses in Isaiah 30:

²⁰ Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. ²¹ Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

After living with so much confusion and fear for THREE years, in that instant, we got a new level of clarity. In other words, a voice seemingly told us: “This is the way.” What a gift.

A few days later, I read the following verses in Isaiah 43:1-4 which again felt like it perfectly encapsulated so much about recent years.

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. ² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you…⁴ Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.

I have both of these Isaiah passages marked with book flags and return to read them every week or two. It’s hard to put into words how much they have come to mean to me!

• Do you know your enneagram number? If so, what is it?
  

According to the book I am a 6 (The Loyalist) with a 5 wing!

This was so much fun! I’ll do another post answering more questions, so if you have any, go here!

Your turn:

• Do you know your Enneagram?
• If you’re a parent, what’s the hardest and most fun part of the job?
• Last “divine” meal?