1. What obligation do you believe you have to your country? 

Well for one, to continue being a good, upstanding citizen, even when it seems so many are not. I also believe I owe it to everyone to create good people out of my children.

2. October 12 is National Farmers Day? Do you know any farmers? What do they farm/grow/raise? Are there any farm stands where you live? Do you shop there? 

As far as I know I don’t. I mean, I know people who have dabbled in stuff like owning chickens or goats. I know a few beekeepers. We visit a local blueberry farm. We have a farmer’s market on Saturdays up near this one shopping center and though I have gone there before, it is not a habit. I would like to but I just forget.

3. What’s a skill you think everyone should have? Tell us why? 

I feel like this question is a trap. I mean, who am I to say that EVERYONE should do anything? However, if pushed to answer, I sort of feel like everyone should possess common sense, if we can call that a skill. If we want to go more light-hearted I wish everyone could drive! I mean, good lord, the number of bad drivers I encounter on a daily basis is insane.

4. Favorite thing you’ve purchased this year?

Hmm, the sauna probably. I can’t think of any other purchases that have changed my life as much. Also, I don’t shop all that much. But this thing has helped me to relax and sleep better.

5. What’s your favorite place to visit in the fall? 

The pumpkin patch. My kids are getting older and busier so it’s not the same but we do still make time and I just love going and picking out our pumpkins and taking family photos.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I know this is not the busiest we have been but sometimes it feels like it. I know I complain a lot about my 5 day a week schedule but I shouldn’t; it’s a job and I am thankful for it. But after having two years of a schedule where I was home two, if not three days each week, this semester has been a beat-down. I’m to the point where I’m counting down to December 10th, the last day of the TCC fall term. And luckily, the powers that be saw fit to pity me and gave me THE best Spring schedule: Tuesday/ Thursday, 9:30 and 11. I’m outta there by 12:15! I would LOVE for them to throw a third online sections my way but hey, I’ll drop to two sections if it means I have more time here at home. To clarify, I wanted more time at home to clean and work on my other three online jobs but then COVID happened and we still have people hiding out. I’m definitely not hiding.

Today, I am in the middle of a 48 hour fast. On Tuesday, I ate good, full-fat keto foods from 1-3 pm (bone broth then cottage cheese, then a little bit later, a salad with mixed greens and spinach, guacamole, avocado salsa, sour cream, chicken, and jalapenos, then I finished with a hard-boiled egg and handful of macadamia nuts). I normally go to a hibachi place for lunch but I’ll just drink my LMNT electrolytes and then tomorrow, when I get back from class around 1, I will probably have the same large keto salad. I have done a 72 hour fast before and that was just a wee bit difficult so this is at least more manageable. While I am already used to only eating once a day, I do not regularly skip entire days. But this will help boost metabolism and possibly kickstart any plateauing that was happening.

On Friday, Ash and I celebrate our 16 year anniversary. We were going to go to Asheville, NC last year but even as things reopened, we didn’t want to go and be hampered by Covid protocols so we didn’t do much of anything. So this year, we have planned a weekend in Destin in mid-November then after Dakota’s 3k on Friday afternoon, we will probably go to dinner. I was so excited that I was planning to get him some kind of gift and a nice card and we hadn’t really talked about it so I was thinking he’d forget and I’d be #1 wife but then last night, as we’re going to bed, he says, “I bought you a present…” and I thought, dang, he DID remember. Guess it’s better than straight forgetting!