*Updated* Personality quizzes galore!

A lot of quizzes have been floating around Facebook lately. There are so many results on my own page that I've promised not to post any more there -- I don't want to annoy/bore people more than I already have. All the same, I cannot resist them, and I find the results pretty fascinating (if not always surprising) each time.

To fulfill my need for lists and recording things for my own sake, and also any curiosity you might have, here are my results:

*Warning: I'm not kidding when I say there are a LOT of these!*

Movie characters:

Which Harry Potter character are you?

I really thought I'd get Ron or Ginny, but Harry's cool, too ;)

Interestingly enough, I took the quiz again and chose "Evil" instead of "Good" and I STILL got Harry Potter. Weird, right?

Which Hunger Games character are you?

I was relieved not to be one of the tributes -- I'm no hero!


Which Leonardo DiCaprio character are you?*

YES! I am not surprised by this one at all. The costumes in that film were gorgeous.

Which Mean Girl are you?

I do see myself as the "normal" (boring?) one a lot of the time ;)

Which Toy Story character are you?

I'm starting to sense a trend with these movie characters... (Let's pretend I don't have more than four boxes of childhood Barbie stuff in storage, k?)

Which Disney Princess are you?

One of my favorites! Hooraaaay!

TV show characters:

Which Glee Character Are You?

We do have a similar taste in clothes :D

Which Golden Girl are you?

Truer than I care to admit!

Which Parks and Recreation character are you?

It was the "how would you treat yo' self?" question that got me. A Batman suit would be awesome!!

Which Saved by the Bell character are you?

I understand why I got this one, but I still don't agree.

Which Once Upon a Time character are you?

I don't object to Belle in general, and the description is pretty accurate, but I am starting to loathe the actress who plays her. 

So, just for fun, I took it again and chose "Evil" instead of "Good":

I'm much more happy with this one!

Results I couldn't replicate:

I haven't been able to reproduce the results on these. Apparently I'm different today than when I first took them:

Which Big Bang Theory character are you?

The first time I took this quiz, I got Raj, but when I tried to open up that link it made me start over. I got Amy the second time, which I think is probably more accurate (especially the last line).

Which Game of Thrones character are you?

"In this quiz, you either win or you die." (That description cracks me up!)

The first time, I got Ned Stark. Noble, family-loving, steady Ned. The second time was kind of drastically different:

This character is so brilliant. I am totally ok with this!

Which Star Wars character are you?

Once upon a time, a guy friend told me that my best friend and I remind him of C3PO and R2-D2 because "Megan worries a lot and Katie's chirpy." So, I wasn't entirely surprised by my result the first time. Today:

I'm happier with her!

Random

Who would play you in a movie?

The first time I took this, I missed the Actor/Actress question, and I got:

 The second time I wanted to be a girl (you know, the leading lady in my own life):

Which Disney Prince is your true love?

Note: I loved this quiz. I felt like the questions weren't leading me in a specific direction and was genuinely surprised by the result!

I think we'd get on well together :D

What's Your Dream Island:

Well, I know now where to take my next vacation!

Oh my gosh. I am kind of embarrassed by the sheer amount of time I have spent on taking (and retaking in a few cases) these quizzes. Or am I just proud of the results? Who knows? I'm hungry now -- gonna find me a PBJ (my current lunch of choice).

Have you tried any of these quizzes?
Were you surprised at any of your results?
Were you surprised by any of mine?

Happy Friday!

*I cannot stop. These quizzes are becoming an obsession.

A lesson from Butch and Woim

While watching The Little Rascals with my nephew, and most of the rest of my family, the G-child taught me a rather interesting little lesson.

We were watching a scene where one of the protagonists stands up to two bullies, Butch and Woim. The G-child said something about how "that's what you're supposed to do with bullies" and I said:

"That's what I did."

G-child and my mom were both surprised and said at about the same time, "You had a bully?"

"Yep."

"When?" I can't believe I hadn't told my mom about this.

When I was in seventh grade, there was a girl in my Gym class named Alexis (Gym class, how cliché is that? As if changing clothes in front of a bunch of other people isn't stressful enough). I still don't know why she hated me. She'd say mean things to me and generally act as though my mere presence bugged her. One day when we were playing softball she threw her mitt and hit at my face. It hurt but I didn't tell the teacher about it, because I knew it would make things worse. But my friends went to the teacher on my behalf and, as I thought, it DID make Alexis mad. She came to me in the locker room the next day with two "big" friends and told me she was going to beat me up.

I was a skinny kid and prone to crying when stressed, but for some reason I decided that day to stand up for myself. I said, "I don't want to fight you, but if you want to hit me, go ahead." I didn't want to get hit and I was afraid she would actually do it. Instead, she just made fun of me, repeating in a nasal voice "I don't want to fight you." Then she and her friends walked away. The weirdest part? We were friends after that. Not close friends, but she respected me. She even signed my eighth grade yearbook.

I was pretty lucky -- some bullies might not have backed off so easily. I still don't know why she had been so mean to me. I'm surprised I had the confidence as a skinny, emotional thirteen year-old to tell that girl she could hit me when I really didn't want her to.

After I told him and my mom the details, the G-child was amazed. "You mean it really works?"

"It worked for me."

"Huh."

We finished watching the movie and laughed our heads off when Butch and Woim got their comeuppance.

It's cool when I get to have conversations with him like this. They confirm that he is growing up. He is learning and asking questions about the world around him. We don't have a lot of common interests at the moment, but I love him and he loves me. I don't know if anyone else in my family was bullied, so I'm glad I could be an example for my nephew. I am really proud of him and the person he is.

I saw this article today and thought it had some really great advice. Kids need to know that it isn't ok to be bullied or to be bullies, and they need to know when they have hard times that they'll be supported by the people who love them, no matter what:

What to Do When Someone is Mean to Your Child

Happy Wednesday!

G and me

Pretty, Pretty Princess

I was first introduced to the game Pretty, Pretty Princess about ten years ago when I was asked to play with a six year-old girl, her teenage brother, and her sister's older-teenage boyfriend. I have been longing ever since to play it with my nieces, and I finally had my chance on New Year's Day!

The premise of the game is easy enough: be the first to accumulate a ring, bracelet, necklace, both earrings -- one at a time -- and tiara. The challenge is that there is only one tiara, so it can be "stolen" away if someone else lands on the space. You might also land on a space that requires you to put an item of jewelry back in the box. And heaven forbid you be forced to wear the black ring. You can't win if you have the black ring, so if you get it you hope someone else lands on that space to take it from you before they can win. It's an adorable game.

My four year-old nieces LOVED it! I think it was the first time I'd ever played a board game with them, and it was fascinating to watch their different reactions. Breezy got the tiara first, and was very, very upset when someone else landed on the space and she had to give it up. She was also very averse to having to wear the black ring. She can usually talk her way out of or into anything, so I think it frustrated her that she couldn't circumvent the rules. Fortunately, the game is fast-paced enough that she won the tiara back quickly and someone else (probably me, I got the black ring a lot) took the accursed ring from her. Happily for her, she ended up winning the first round. She then decided to retire, deciding she wanted to go out on a high note.

The first pretty, pretty princess

Zonks took all of her setbacks in stride, even while I continued to figure out the rules, so they changed from time to time (I think I didn't start enforcing the "return" aspect until the second game). I'd be interested to know her thought process: did she not care enough to be upset, or did she figure it would work out in the end, or did she just enjoy being included? I have no idea. She won the second game fair and square and was delighted to continue playing.

The second pretty, pretty princess
(Pink seemed to be the lucky jewelry color for awhile)

The G-child, their older brother, came to watch about halfway through the second game, and then asked if he could play, too. You have no idea how much that tickled me, knowing that I'd learned the game from two teenage boys in the first place. I love that he had fun playing with my mom, his sister, and me, and it cracked me up that he wasn't at all embarrassed to put on the jewelry, though he said the earrings were uncomfortable. He won the third game and looked stunning! Such a good sport, and a darling big brother.

The dashing, fun-loving prince

All in all, the game was a big hit, and my sister-in-law and one of my brothers has asked to join in whenever we play again. I'm glad it went over well! I must remember to bring it along with me this Sunday.

If you decide to try it, let me know what you think. Pretty, Pretty Princess is aces in my book!


(Hey! I just realized this is my 900th post! Crazy! Thanks, for reading, my friends!)

Being single is easy

I suspect the most we can hope for, and it's no small hope, is that we never give up, that we never stop giving ourselves permission to try to love and receive love.
- Elizabeth Strout

You know what's easy? Being single. When you're single, you don't have to ask permission to hang out with your friends, or spend your money the way you want, or audition for a play, and you don't have to consider someone else's schedule for vacations or anything else.

You know what's hard? Being in a relationship, or worse, looking for and trying to be in a relationship. It's hard to put ourselves out there, set ourselves up for rejection, share things -- just about everything -- with another person, and let them push our buttons, and try to avoid pushing theirs, and apologize for being selfish and thoughtless, and be forgiving, and generally work at being in a relationship.

It's so easy to be single. To give up. To say: "My life is fine as it is. I'm lonely sometimes, and yet I am not unhappy."

And yet, sometimes it's hard to do everything alone. I am strong, but it would be nice if someone else would be strong for me one in a while. I am independent, but it would be nice not to have to make all of the decisions ALL of the time. To have someone around to take care of me when I'm sick, and to rely on me to take care of them when they are, too. Someone to plan vacations with, or just want me around on days where all we're doing is watching football (in his case) or reading (in mine).

So, I guess I can't give up. I just have to believe that all of this frustration and heartache will one day be worth it. Marriage won't solve my problems (I hear it doubles and triples them). It would just be nice to have someone to share them with; someone who gets it 'cause he's in it with me.

I keep trying, but it's hard.

Any comments about how it's totally worth when you find the right person would be much appreciated!

Little girls Let it Go

I'm sure a lot of you have seen this video of two year-olds singing Frozen's "Let It Go." If not, watch it now:

I laughed. I cried. I hope they continue to sing with this passion for the rest of their lives.

I love little girls. This video makes me wonder if I was ever this unconcerned with being perfect, just living in the moment and feeling free and happy. I hope so.

Happy Friday!

Making rather merry in December

Oh, December. You were so good to me! Due to some rewiring at the office, I worked from home for an entire week (not usually my favorite way to work, but I'm proud of the fact that I showered and got dressed every morning regardless of whether I saw anybody). I also relished at 12-day vacation from work wherein I mostly read The Wise Man's Fear (an excellent fantasy novel), watched various movies and a lot of Doctor Who and Sherlock episodes, ate delicious food, and slept as much as possible. I also taught my last Relief Society lesson (in this ward, at least).

Carrie moved to Las Vegas and a bunch of us threw her a surprise good-bye party. I'm very proud of the fact that I didn't ruin the surprise, especially since it was my job to get her there and let everyone know we were there so they could hide (seriously, how did we function before cell phones?). She was definitely surprised, and we all had a blast. I miss her. I'm glad she's going to visit from time to time!

Carrie is in the middle, holding everyone's arms/hands.
Yes, most of us girls are wearing tiaras. Yes, three of them are mine :D

Phil was a wonderful Phil Davis in CenterPoint's White Christmas

His dancing was gorgeous, as one would expect from someone who has competed in ballroom competitions!

Kate was a sweet, strong, loving Mrs. Cratchit in HCT's A Christmas Carol.

No wonder they keep inviting her back year after year!

The office Christmas party was at Tucanos this year. YUMMMM!

This chocolate cake was as big as my face, so of course it was photo-worthy.

Ginger Dudes from Les Madeleines 

(I put the bobby pin there to show you how tiny they were!)

Kristen and I had a fun time shopping and supporting our friends at The Dickens' Christmas Festival. We started off speaking with British accents... and then forgot about them. Oh well, next year, ok Kristen?

I also had the pleasure of hearing her and our friend Stephen sing Christmas carols at This is the Place a few weeks later, but sadly none of my photos turned out.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Dickens
He was taking a break from writing The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Can't wait to find out how it ends ;)

Lovely Andrea. I didn't get to see her perform, but her direction for Scrooge was wonderful!

One of several crazy snow storms. I feel pretty lucky I only had to drive in one.

(I have new tires now, so hopefully future snow driving won't be as frustrating or scary.)

Larissa's annual A Christmas Story pajama party is always a highlight!

Wendy invited me to see A Christmas Carol with her, and I jumped at the chance to see her again

BTW, this is what I look like with straight hair :)
Look as much as you like, 'cause I don't know when I'll do it again...

Fun socks and cute boots are two of my favorite things during winter

(the other is warm scarves)

Liz's Black-Tie birthday party

The birthday girl

So fun to see Maddie and Connor there. It was like a tiny Little Women reunion!

I lit a fire in my fireplace for the first time since I have lived there.

It never did blaze. It burned so slowly that the coals were still smoldering the next morning.

I discovered this during a post-Christmas visit

Cookies, M&Ms, and a cheese plate for a girls' night/sleepover 

Trust me: the cranberry cheeseball was delicious. We tried it on celery and it was amazing!

Possibly my last Butterbeer of the season. It's been really fun seeing the barristas's reactions when I ordered it.
I might swing by Starbucks on Saturday to see if they still have enough toffee nut syrup for one more...

 I made myself go to the mid-singles dance at Rice-Eccles Stadium for New Year's Eve.

I even went to an after-party and met some new people. Are you proud?

Katie and Kirsten made sure I didn't feel lonely!

 

We had the best view of the fireworks :)

Happy New Year!

Ring out the old and on with the new. January is likely to be a somewhat quiet month, since I'm saving money and rehearsals may or may not keep me busy. That's okay. I wouldn't mind some time curled up with a book and another attempt at a fire on the next snowy day!