meme of doom (corrected)

 *********Wooo HOOO!  Huge props go out to Jim Rittenhouse who fixed my formatting for the Meme of Doom.  THANK YOU JIM!   That was driving me crazy!**********

Because I am a total sucker, I agreed to do Johnny’s Rolling Meme of Doom. I will go back to the few straggler questions in my next post.

Here are the rules:
1) Read the meme that was dumped assigned to you. Answer the questions.
2) Add TWO new questions to the list. Answer those questions.
3) Forward Dump this onto the next blogger victim (and list their name and link to their blog).
4) This series will conclude when we get 50 questions – so yes, it’s 25 bloggers in the chain.
5) Please make sure that the next victim in the “link” doesn’t have a password protected blog.
[Optional 6] Update the links so people can follow along (this is similar to the method I used in the Why China series).
[Optional 7] When you see an update, down the chain, update your own page with the new questions and answers.
[Optional 8] Copy these micromanaging instructions into the top of your meme post.

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The Chain:Me(1,2) -> Our Journey to China (3,4)-> 3D’s Adoption Journey (5,6)-> Waiting for Pumpkin (7,8)-> Two Kayaks (9,10)-> Watch Our Family Grow (11,12)-> Our Journey to Little Maple and Back (13,14)-> Journey to Jordyn >> AmericanFamily >> our lucky next Meme of Doom Champion is ChicagoMama

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1. What secret/surprising/personal goal (that is realistically achievable within the next 15 years) would you like to fulfill?
I want to run 10 miles in one long run. I actually rather loathe running, but I can do it on my basement treadmill while watching episodes of America’s Next Top Model.

2. Can you list an event in which you made a last minute decision or guess that significantly changed the path of your life?
Deciding to visit Mr. A in China. We only really dated for 2-3 **WEEKS** before he left to teach English in China for 9 months. I can remember the precise location I was walking (crossing Pearl Alley on 15th Ave for those local) when I decided to go. My logic was only that when would I ever have an opportunity to visit China with someone who could provide Chinese translation and a free place to stay? If I hadn’t visited him, I doubt we could have weathered the 9 months apart. We would also certainly not have ended up married.

3. What is one unrealistic goal (but your total secret dream) that you would love to come true, but are pretty sure it won’t ever happen?
Wearing size 10 jeans again. 12s might be within reach with some effort, but 10s seem pretty unrealistic.

4. Who has had the most influence on your life and what did they teach you?
Probably Matt . Through him, I learned that we only get one chance at life. Go for it and live with no regrets.

5. You are on a deserted island. You are stranded with someone from any point in time for 2 months (they are coming to rescue you but are busy right now). Other then family/friends/naval engineers, who is it?
Oh, God. The idea of 2 months with no small children leaves my head spinning in a good way. After seeing plenty of episodes of Survivor, maybe I would take that guy from SurvivorMan ? It would be difficult for me to feed and shelter myself. I think I would want someone else who could do it for me.

6. Name and describe 3 things on your mind lately. Is there any particular reason why you’re thinking about a particular thing?
1) L’s parents in China
2) The Very Big Thing
3) The general exhaustion that full time parenting produces.7. If you could go back to one moment in time and change it, what would the moment be and what would you change it from and to?
This is too big a question.
Maybe stop the plane of JFK Jr. from crashing? I really believed he was one of the shining hopes for the Democratic party’s future. Now my chips are with Obama.

8. What is your biggest pet peeve and is there anything that you can do or do do to stop other people from doing it?
I find people who can’t appreciate snark to be hugely annoying. “Nice” is all well and good, but good snark can be damn funny. I try to do my part to fight this by spreading snark near and far.

9. Who has been the most influential teacher in your life and why did he or she have such an impact on you? Have you sent them a note?
I don抰 think I had a teacher that had a huge impact on my life. I was never one to suck up to teachers or professors.

10. What three things do you regret not learning to do?
1) Learning another language fluently
2) Feel comfortable driving a stick shift car
3) Learning to knit something that is not a rectangle.

11. What is your biggest fear?
That one or both of my children will die before I do.

12. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would stop drinking diet Mt. Dew. It is rotting out my teeth, but I sit here drinking it as we speak.

13. What is the answer to life, the universe, everything?
Carpe Diem.

14. If you knew, beforehand, that the wait for your child from China would take this long and drastic a time frame, would you still go through with it or would you choose another country?
It didn’t take that long for us. But, regardless, I think our options were restricted to either China or Taiwan. If those were not feasible options, I would have gotten myself knocked up again.

15. What is one food that most people like that you do not like at all?
Cake. I loathe cake. Sometimes I will eat it at a party to be a good sport, but I don’t understand why people like it at all.

16. Name one place in the world you would love to spend at least one month visiting? Is there anywhere on earth that is so repulsive to you that there is no amount of money that could convince you to visit it?
I would love to spend a lot of time traveling in India. You could not pay me enough money to make staying on a scientific station on Antarctica seem appealing. Mr. A, by the way, would love to visit Antarctica.