Get to know other bloggers - Q&A Link Up

Hey there, hi there, ho there! 

In case you missed it, here are the questions for today's "get to know you" link up! You can answer some, none, or all of the questions in vlog or written format - just link them on up and meet some other bloggers, too!

Where do you like to shop?

How do you plan your meals?

Have you ever had a garden?

Do you love getting the mail?

Any fitness app recommendations?

What is the worst book you ever read?

What food would you never ever eat?

How many children do you want?

Name one item on your 'bucket list' or 'life to-do list' that you are eager to accomplish!?

So, without further ado... here is me looking like an idiot (again, only this time with bad hair) and answering your questions!

Link up your Q&A!!

I like talkin' bout you, you, you, you, usually... but occasionally, I wanna talk about...

ME!!!! 

Eh. Who am I kidding? We all know that the only reason people have blogs is so that they can talk about themselves all day erry day. Anyway, I'm gonna keep on keepin' on with this talking about myself thing and answer the questions you guys presented. In vlog form. Because I'm lazy. And because... well, why not?

At the end of the post, there is a list of questions for you guys to answer! You can answer them however you dang well please (vlog or written format). I'll make a link up for... Tuesday (tomorrow) and you guys can link up your awesome answers and meet other bloggers! YAY!! At that time, I will have part 2 of my q&a session up, as well.
Big shout out to Brittany, Mariah, and Kaity for this first set of questions! Thanks for making me think, ladies.

Now here are some questions for YOU! Feel free to answer whichever ones you want, or ALL of them! I'm so excited to get to know my readers better. If you don't want to dedicate a whole post, feel free to answer some of them in the comments.

If you could move anywhere in the world where would you go? (cost and language not a problem)

Where do you like to shop?

How do you plan your meals?

Have you ever had a garden?

Do you love getting the mail?

Any fitness app recommendations?

What is the worst book you ever read?

What food would you never ever eat?

How many children do you want?

Name one item on your 'bucket list' or 'life to-do list' that you are eager to accomplish!?

Whatever whatever... I do what I want.

Happy Thursday!!! 

I'm going to be honest, guys. This is probably the 20th time in the past two days that I've opened this blogger window and had a stare-down. Like, I've been having some serious writer's block! I want to write - I just have no. idea. what to write about. I've started (and deleted) about ten different posts.

I want to write something funny, but nothing funny happens to me. Seriously. I haven't fallen on the ice in front of some super suave fancy person, I haven't dropped my underwear on a crowded bus, and I haven't made a fool out of myself lately. So there's that.

I also have no desire to write out a super serious post because, well, I just don't feel like being deep right now.

That all being said, I feel like it's been a looongggg time since I've done one of those coffee date or Q&A posts. So... here's the dealio - I want you guys to come up with a question to ask me, and I'll answer all the questions I get. It can be about ANYTHING!

Babies, being a Mormon, what I believe, what my favorite food is, where I'd like to travel, how to get your body back post-baby, my favorite place out of all the places I have been, travel tips, how to be the most awkward person ever, how I manage to take such amazing selfies (see example below), etc. etc.

AND THEN... In a few days, I'll take some of my favorite questions that could apply to any and all of you and ask them right back so that you can blog about them. And then next week, we'll have a link up where we can all share our answers and get to know other bloggers and make new friends.

WIWW. Him. Her. Questions.

linking up here

Her: dress: tj maxx sandals: target clutch: thrifted ring: cents of style anklet: whimsical poppysmic

Hi everyone!! 

So Mike was all dressed up yesterday for his interview and decided that he needed to showcase his sexiness on my blog. So there you go - the hunk of burning love below is mine, all mine. I'm especially a fan of picture number 4. He's got the booty fo' sho.

Him: suit: dillards shirt&tie: jc penney 

Anyway. Now that you've seen a his&hers "fashion" post... I want to keep it going with his&hers questions. Just because I think my husband is awesome and you all need to hear from him every once in a while. 

1. What is your favorite Disney Movie?
Her: DON'T MAKE ME CHOOSE!!! I guess if I'm picking my childhood favorite, it's The Little Mermaid. If I have to pick my adult favorite, it's either Wall-e or Tangled.

Him: (grumbles) I hate disney movies. Ummmm Cinderella (smiles sheepishly). No. The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under.

2. What technology do you think you will never adopt?
Her: Pajama jeans. I don't care if that doesn't count as technology - it was the first thing that popped into my head. I will also never adopt the "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up" thing. 

Him: 3D TV. Unless it becomes available without glasses... and doesn't hurt my eyes. 

3. How many pairs of shoes do you have? How many is too many?
Her: Ummmm... a lot? IDK, half of my shoes are still in storage. Is it even possible to have too many shoes? I don't think so.

Him: (counts on his fingers) I think I only have six. For a girl, too many is when the closet is full. For a guy... six. seven. eight. If you have more shoes than days of the week, you're a little metro.

4. Do you believe in life on other planets?
Her: Yes. I mean, look at how many other galaxies and solar systems there are out there - there has got to be life somewhere else in the universe. I find it hard to believe that there wouldn't be. 

Him: Yes.

5. Have you ever been in a car accident?
Her: Hahaha, can I plead the fifth here? I think we all know about this one, but my lips are sealed after that. 

Him: (laughing) Yes (I think we know which one he's talking about), but I've never been the driver.

6. What is something most people do not know about you?
Her: I have a small tattoo on my right shoulder blade. You know, from that one rebellious stage. 

Him: I'm tall. I have every season of Gossip Girl on dvd in my closet. That's obviously not true. Ummm... I don't follow sports like most men, but I enjoy playing them (he's right - I think I follow sports more than he does).

7. What is your favorite book you read as a child?

Her: Black Beauty. I read that book like, 5 times. Ridiculous, I know. OH! And Anne of Green Gables. Loved that one, too. I actually just re-read it for the heck of it. 

Him: I think everyone's answer is the same for that, isn't it? Goosebumps. Oh, wait... not that. I don't know. Actually, those are probably the only books I read when I was younger. Ooh, put The Hunger Games. I'm still a kid, right? On a completely different note, tell your readers that I'm accepting tips for my vlog performance. 

Ridiculous Questions get Ridiculous Answers. A Must Read (that I didn't write).

Happy Tuesday!!! 


Before I get to anything, I just wanted to share something with you all that you must read. Shane wrote this list of The Ten Commandments of Blogging, and I think you should all read it - I found myself nodding the entire time, thinking, yes, YES! HOLY FREAKING CRAP YES!!! Just go read it and you'll know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, remember those ridiculous questions you guys asked? Well here I am in all my sweatpants/messy hair/no makeup glory to answer them via vlog. It's a little long, so if you want to skip parts, I've got the list of questions below it (linked to their amazing askers) with the time where the question is.


From Mariah: 
1. How long did it take you to master the duck lips? (0:44)
2. Why did you go across the big pond? (1:47)
3. What's the first thing you want to change about your new house? (2:20)
4. What time of day do you generally eat cereal? (3:13)


From Elisabeth: 
1. If you could go on one dream vacation, where would it be? Who would it be with? How long would you be there? What would you do? (3:35)
2. Oh, and if you had an unlimited gift card to one restaurant for the rest of your life, what would you choose? (4:15)


From Twiggy: 
1. Have you ever gotten caught, by anyone, doing any sort of physical goodness with your man man? (4:48)


From Kylie: 
1. What would you do for a Klondike bar? (5:50)
2. Do you even like Klondike bars? (6:18)


From Kassi: 
1. What's your favorite thing about being back in America? (6:35)
2. What's your least favorite thing about being back? (7:13)



From Ashleigh, Stephanie, and Cindy:
1. How do you bring sexy back? (7:47)


From Hailey:
1. What are the basics of couponing? (8:38) **Note: I do not claim to be an expert. If you really want more detailed information, I'm sure I could get you in contact with my SIL**

52 Things. Because I'm Not Cool Enough for 99.

Hiiii guys. 

This is what I do when it's 1:00 am and I'm bored out of my mind. 


1. Started your own blog
Hi, I'm Alyx, and you're reading my blog. Duh. 
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band 
If marching band counts, then YES! 
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
BATHED a praying mantis... how many people can say that?! HA! 
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm
Kansas, people. I grew up in Tornado Alley, of course I've watched a lightning storm.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
Graphic design, what up! 
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
Three words - Bad. Mexican. Food.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables/fruits 
I grew tomatoes when I was like, eight. 
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
In Rome. Yeah.... I may or may not have also sunbathed topless, because I am a rebel. 
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset 
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
It really doesn't take much. :)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance 
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
Snorkeling... but I'd love to go scuba diving!! 
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud 
54. Gone to a drive-in theater 
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business

Sort of... if my blog design counts! 
58. Taken a martial arts class
Karate in elementary. I learned virtually nothing. 
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies 
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar 
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
Trick-or-treating... when I was in the eighth grade. Loser, right?! 
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle 
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox 
89. Saved someone’s life
I used to lifeguard and once had 4 rescues in one day. 
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
Some dude from a soap opera. 
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
Got it in my rebellious years... four stars on my right shoulder blade. 
94. Had a baby 
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone 
99. Been stung by a bee 

Seven.

YO!!! I wore a boring ole outfit today, so no what I wore (I'm sure you are all just devastated). Instead, I'm linking up with Gentri for 7 questions!  

my ridiculous picture. 

1. What is your favorite color TO WEAR?

Gosh, I'm so lame... black is actually my favorite color to wear, but if black doesn't count, I'm going to say red - it looks good on me, but I don't have much of it.

2. You are given the choice between visiting every country and landing on the moon. Which would you choose?
Every country, no question. The moon would be lonely.
3. What's your favorite animal and why?
Hmmmm. I guess my favorite animal would have to be... dogs. They're so loveable! 
4. You are forced to do one of the following, which would you choose? Sky dive, scuba dive, or this:


The rope swing, hands down. 
5. You are given the chance to go back in time. Which era would you visit?
Ummm. That's a really hard question. My first thought was the 1800s, but then I thought about Christ's time, but then I thought about how BADLY I would do without all my modern conveniences and realized that that's why I'm here now. 
6. If you had the power to remove one thing (ie: flies, mosquitos, junk food) from the earth for good- what would it be?
Mosquitos. I HATE mosquitos. 
7. What is one thing you've learned from Pinterest that made you think "GENIUS"!
Putting a rubber band around your apple to keep it from turning brown!! 

Your Questions Answered! [Part 2]

Howdy! 

If you missed Round 1 of the question answering, you can see it... here. 

I'm hoping to answer the rest of the questions in this post. Here goes nothin'! 

1. Christie from Ma Nouvelle Mode: What is your favorite book of all time (or books if you're like me and have a hard time choosing)? 

A: Hmmm. I think Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand is my all-time favorite book. I'm normally not too into that type of book, but I have read it 3 times now, and it just keeps getting better. 

via

On the totally opposite side of the spectrum, give me anything Nicholas Sparks and I'm a happy girl. Ya know, I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to books - I just love to read! 

2. Kylie from Love Always: Out of all the places you've been in the world, which is your favorite and why? 

A: I sort of touched on this yesterday, but I mostly answered in terms of places other than the US. I'd have to say my favorite place I've been is Husker Stadium on Game Day. Wow. I'm lame. It's hard to get. If you're interested... you can read an essay I wrote on the atmosphere here. But... if you haven't lived it, you can't knock it down. 

Close seconds are: the bridge over the railroad tracks near my hometown where you can feel the trains pass beneath you, Disneyland, and Rothenburg ob der Tauber. 

3. Kassi from Truly Lovely: If you had to choose TODAY, what would you eat for your last meal?

A: Hmmm. Well, I would probably make it a steak dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy, mac'n'cheese, some tacos, salad with real ranch dressing, apples with JIF peanut butter, and some Vanilla Coke 0. Sound gross? Oh, well. You're not the one filling your belly with all that deliciousness!! 

4. Kym from Bitty and Bunny: What things do you miss from America that you can't get in Germany? 

A: Oh my goodness. Where do I begin? Pants that are long enough, for one... but normal people don't have that problem, so... moving on. Ranch dressing, anything Mexican, normal pizza (not this thin crust crap that you can't eat with your hands without getting weird looks) mac'n'cheese, JIF peanut butter, skittles, starburst, real potato chips, cheetos, taco bell, in'n'out, papa johns, real beef that doesn't taste like crap. Basically anything that makes you fat... I miss. 

via

Oh, ICE. And free water in restaurants. And free refills. And cups that a normal human (as opposed to a midget) would drink from. 

Oh, and I miss my normal shampoo. I can't for the life of me find a decent shampoo that isn't 15 EUR a bottle. They also don't sell normal athletic socks here because they're freaks. There's probably more,  but right now I'm drawing a blank. 

5. B. from The Opposite of that: If you won the lottery today, what is the first thing you would do? 

A: Pay off my student loans. Then pay for Mike's schooling. Then start a college fund for future babies with $10,000 in each. Then... buy a house. Then put the rest in savings. Okay, not gonna lie... I might buy a really cool tv and a whole new wardrobe somewhere in there. 

via

6. B. again: What would you name the autobiography of your life? 

A: The Adventures of Abnormally Tall Alyx - How I Avoided Getting People Things from the Top Shelf and Other Stories. 

7. B. again: What's the hardest thing you've ever done?

A: You mean besides forcing myself to eat carrots so Husband will let me have ice cream for dessert? Ummm. I guess that would probably be pulling a complete 180 and turning my life around. You can read about that here. 

8. B. again (overachiever. ha!): What's your first memory of being really excited? 

A: Hmmm. This one is kind of a toughy. I think I was maybe 4 or 5 - we were living in Germany at the time. My grandparents had come to visit, and I was able to convince my grandpa to take me to the bakery with him. I was so excited that it was just going to be the two of us, and even more excited when he let me order all by myself and helped me say, "Danke" to the lady at the counter. Almost 20 years later, I still get excited about German bakeries. 

via

9. Sarah from Shorelines and Sunshine and Sara from Sara in le Petit Village: What are you going to do after you leave Germany in July? Where do you think you will go? 

A: Well, we're going to move to Buffalo, NY so that Mike can retake a semester of school there, then it will be off to *hopefully* Utah so that both of us can attend UofU. Who knows where life will send us, though? 

Phew! Finished. Props if you stuck with me through that whole post. Hope you all learned a little bit more about me in the process! 

Your Questions Answered! [Part 1]

Yo! 


It's your lucky day!!! You get to learn a little bit more about the girl behind the blog. 

I decided to do a little Q&A session, and I got some really good questions. I thought I'd go ahead and answer them in today's post. 
1. Alex from Ifs, Ands, & Butts: What are your favorite coding tricks you can share with us? A: Okay, so my favorite coding trick is probably how to do a navbar like mine at the top. Husband taught me how to make it look shaded whenever you hover over a certain part. Unfortunately, the code for that is really, really long, and I don't quite understand why you put every single part of it in there - I just know how to do it. I was explaining this to Mike the other night, and he had the bright idea that my blog shouldn't be about HTML/java/CSS tutorials, no siree. His should. So... he started a blog. And he's going to be sharing a new little snippet or tutorial each day. I've told him he'll need to do that one coming up soon, so look out for it! He's really thorough in the way he goes through things, though, so be prepared for that one to be LONG. No, seriously - it'll be longer than the line at walmart on Black Friday. 
2. Erin from eef etc.: What made you want to start blogging?A: Ummmm. Hmmm. Well.... I started a blog a few years ago when I came to Germany to do an internship, but didn't stick with it and only wrote a few entries. I decided to take another go at it when I found out I got the Fulbright and we moved out here. I didn't really know there was a blogging community when I started, and intended to just write boring stuff for my family to read, but then other people started reading, and all of a sudden, I had 40 random followers, and no idea where they came from or why they cared about what I was writing. I started blogging to keep in touch with family, but I love that it's morphed into this place where I have friendships and stuff. 
3. Erin from eef etc.: What is your favorite place that you've traveled? A: Oh, man. If we're talking Europe, hands down it is Prague. It is by far the most beautiful city I have ever laid eyes on, and I loved it. 

I am, however, more of a beaches and sunshine girl, so Dominican Republic could probably tie it if we're talking worldwide travel. 

4. Courtney from From Here to Eternity: What made you decide to go to Europe? A: Well... I hadn't applied to grad school and still wasn't really sure what I wanted to study. About a week before the deadline, a professor told me about the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Germany. I love Europe and I love Germany, so I decided to apply. I wrote some essays, got some recommendations, turned in the app seconds before the deadline, and voila. I was notified in January that I was a finalist, then notified in March that I had been awarded the grant. Husband and I moved out here in August, and will stay until July. 

5. Anna from The Days When I'm Not a Nurse: What's the secret to life? A: Bahahahaha! I am totally as wise as a buddhist monk, so good job asking me this. I mean, really. My answer to this question will change your life. Forever. In a really big way (can you tell I'm stalling, trying to think of an answer?). I guess all I can think of is... do what makes you happy. Don't compare your situation to other people's (gosh I suck at that one), and don't do something just because you feel obligated to do it. Love without limits, don't be afraid of failure or disappointment, and treat other people the way you want to be treated. Exercise regularly, but don't be too much of a health freak. Make new friends, meet new people. Try one new thing a month (or more often if you're a daredevil). And my personal success tips: eat lots of chinese and italian food, stay away from mustard and pickles, only eat carrots when your husband forces you to, keep a large supply of JIF peanut butter and macaroni and cheese around, invest in a cat with opposable thumbs, and wear sweats as often as possible.
So.... I'll leave it at that for now, and answer the rest of the questions in another post! 
And... if you have any more questions, you can still send them my way!!