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Tell us a little bit about the best birthday you've ever had.
My sweet friend, Diana, invited my Colorado peeps to attend a pop-in type party so that no one would feel obligated to stay for several hours. She made and sent out the most gorgeous invitations. Some of my friends were going to out of town that weekend, so we celebrated separately. Others showed up, brought lovely gifts, ate, laughed, and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company
No, it wasn't extravagant, but it didn't need to be. People who came genuinely wanted to be there and made me feel loved and special without my being an arrogant attention whore.
Even if I never have another birthday party, and that's fine. The memories of this one will bring me joy for a lifetime.
In what way(s) have you changed in the last five years?
What ways haven't I changed in the past five years? On August 13, 2017, I left my hometown of Jacksonville, Alabama. I loaded up my 1996 Honda Accord (The Silver Bullet, aka "Auntie Mobile, v. 2.0") and headed west to the Denver, Colorado area. It looked like the Clampets heading for "Beverly." Five years later and I've upgraded to the "Auntie Mobile, v. 3.0 (RIP v. 2.0), upgraded my education by earning a 2nd Master's degree, upgraded my career by adding "Adjunct Professor" to my job titles at Colorado Christian University, and am still working on upgrading my health and finances. #OnlyGod With all that, I'd say I've changed greatly. However, I'm still a southern girl at heart...and always will be.
What's your favorite thing about the street on which you live?
Even with the amount of traffic on our area, my street is pretty quiet. Along with out apartment complex, the houses and business buildings on our street have pretty landscaping. There are seasonal flowers, pine trees, and the ubiquitous Blue Spruce trees to enjoy. One of the things I'm learning about Colorado is what WILL grow here, rather than what won't. For example, most, if not all, annuals that grow in Alabama will also flourish here--the spring planting season is just later. Some perennial bulbs, such as day lilies and gladiolus, bloom during the warmer months. In the place of the azaleas are "Knock Out" roses. Instead of wisteria, we have lavender. Don't get me started on snowball bushes and hydrangeas.
The Hodgepodge lands on National Beer Day...are you a beer drinker? What's a recipe you make that lists beer as one of the ingredients? If not beer, how about yeast?
As a recovered alcoholic, I don't partake anymore. Before that, I'd drink a couple of cans of Budweiser with my brother-in-law, Bernard, before moving on to the heavy stuff. My only other use for beer was to set traps to keep slugs out of my tomato plants.
Yeast? Yes. I enjoy baking with yeast. I'm still learning (and relearning) some of my baking skills because of being at a higher altitude. I've successfully made whole wheat pizza dough, so that's saying something.
As I grow older I would like to be a woman (or man, if there are any men in the HP today) who __________________________.
(Speaking of guys in the hodgepodge, what happened to our friend over at Life SPR?)
I'd like to be woman who leaves a true legacy. I always bristle when I hear people act as if parents and grandparents are the only ones who can leave a true lasting legacy. Everyone, regardless of marital or parental status, should leave a positive legacy. When I die, I want to be remembered as someone who loved well, gave generously, and served God with reckless abandon. I go into more detail about this here.
An explanation of the title of this post:
I know it's been a hot minute since I've posted a hodgepodge (or anything else). It's taken me a year to get into the groove of maintaining both my teaching schedule and my full-time job without feeling like I'm chained to the computer 24/7. With that, and some upcoming time off, I hope to post to both of my blogs on a more consistent basis.