Blogger to Blogger

I've been a faithful fan of Girl From Florida's blog for-EVER people. I seriously think this girl is the coolest. If you like the type of blog where you get to read someone's thoughts, see their cute daughter and drool over some great food spreads THIS IS THE PLACE FOR YOU!





GFF asked:What is one of the most romantic things Ear Doctor does for you? (I'm talking those little day-to-day things, like always making you fresh coffee in the morning or making sure the oil in your car is always changed)

Katie answered: Well, we don't drink coffee and I am the one who enforces the oil changes at our house...but the ear doctor does a lot of other things for me to show he cares. Whenever I'm feeling horrible he always jumps up from whatever he's doing and he gets me the Tylenol and a glass of water. I haven't done this for myself in the past 2 years.

He also brings me cookies and/or chips home if a sales rep brings free food in for the audiologists. He understand my love for Nacho cheese Doritos. He makes the bed when I'm feeling too tired or rushed to do it. I hate a messy bed and he really couldn't care less if we made it or not, so I know he does it for me. He locks the door with me inside when he leaves for work early and I'm still in the house all alone. He wants to make sure no one could get in and hurt me.


GFF asked: Do you have an item from your childhood that is still near and dear to you? Tell me about it!

Katie answered: Actually, yes I do. It's a music box with a little yellow chick that has a magnet in the bottom. A matching magnet in the base forces the little chick to dance around in circles. You can see from the wear pattern that it's taken quite a few loops. I used to sit on my mom's lap as a little girl and we'd watch this little duck make the rounds.



She gave this to me about a year ago and I love it so much I can't even begin to describe what it means to me.


GFF asked: You know this was coming... when will you be adding to your family? Besides the pup, of course! (C'mon, you said no one ever asks, so I had to!!) :)

Katie answered: Well, since you asked, I'll tell you where my mind is at on this one. I'm really quite scared to be a mom. The responsibility, the sacrifice, the daily grind. It is pretty daunting. And there's really no going back once you make the choice. When I was thinking of getting married I was similarly nervous. I had to wait and wait and wait until I felt at peace with the decision. Then the ear doctor made me wait LONGER and I just wanted to do it already. I want to get to the same point with starting a family...and I know I'll get there sooner rather than later. I'd rather have more moments of excitement than dread from the very beginning of it, you know?

Also, I believe that we need to be financially secure to start a family. I don't mean that we need to have a big beautiful house with 2 luxury cars and all that. I'm talking I want to be able to keep a roof over our heads and food in our bellies. In addition, the ear doctor has Type 1 diabetes, so excellent health insurance is a MUST in our lives. Right now the ear doctor is finishing his PhD and as a result my job is our sole source of income. If I were to have a baby our income would be cut so drastically that meeting those two vital needs would be a challenge...and I just don't think that is the right thing for us.

I know a lot of people who attend the same church as me (LDS/Mormon) might frown on this. We've been advised from the leadership of our church not to put off starting a family for financial reasons. But we've also been strongly warned to stay out of debt and to always be financially responsible and in dependant. For us, it seems that the second council is guiding our decisions at the moment.


And turning the tables...


Katie asked: What are you most excited for in your upcoming move to Guam?

GFF answered: The food, of course! I can't wait to experience another culture in depth and learn about their way of living... especially the food! I get very, very content in my comfort zone, so I tend to stick with the same day-to-day routines (including meals). When we moved to the keys, I was instantly thrown head first into a wonderful world of fresh seafood and tropical fruit (and had to leave my family's butter-dripping-Southern style meals behind!). We eat fresh fish 3-4 times a week (H catches it!) and there are more coconuts, mangoes and papayas than I know what to do with around here. I hope to find more unique tropical fruits in Guam and try some of their local specialties (red rice, Chamorran coconut chicken, etc).


Katie asked:Do you still own the infamous butterfly shirt? The one that attracted your husband so well?

GFF answered: That shirt is long gone... thankfully! My post-baby body will never, ever again sport half shirts shaped like butterflies. Maybe I will wear a shirt with butterflies on it. Like a fitted T-shirt that covers stretch marks! And my comfy sports bra...


Katie asked: People say blogging is narcissistic. How do you respond?

GFF answered: Of course it is, but within reason. We all need our outlets to let off our steam, and blogging is the perfect choice. I think that you don't need therapy if you have good girlfriends... or a blog. I blog for myself- as a record of my life- and I like to have my memories recorded somewhere accessible.

But I also LOVE reading other's personal lives, thoughts, and feelings... especially if it's ALL about them! One of the main things that turns me away from a blog (besides being a boring political blog, or a nazi terrorist or something!) is a blog that is all, "What's your favorite food today? and what do you think about that, readers?" I don't read blogs to answer other people's questions, I read to learn about people out there in the world and see life through their eyes. I may be in sunny KW celebrating Easter with my husband and daughter, but I also get to experience Easter with a girl in chilly Utah with her huge Mormon family, and a girl in Georgia who's pregnant from IVF, and a Southern American in London with her romantic husband. I love that! I like to read a blog that reads like a journal or diary entry. Bonus if it includes food pictures! I've learned so much about other cultures and religions through blogging, and truly feel that I've made friends via the blog world.

In that way, it's not narcissistic at all.







Your turn. How do you respond to one of our questions?