The halls of my high school have been eerily quiet over the past two days.
Friday night, as I studied frantically for my certification exam, I got a text message from a friend about a wreck involving several members of our track team-- students, a team helper, and a parent. The text indicated that there was a possible death and multiple injuries.
Of course, my first thought was that it was surely exaggerated. Maybe there was a wreck, but surely the rumors had already begun to spin and grow.
Soon after, though, I started getting a string of texts from students and friends confirming the rumor-- one student had been killed on impact, one student had broken an arm and sustained a serious neck injury, one student and the parent driving left unscathed, and the team helper/assistant coach broke an arm and a leg.
Immediately, my Twitter feed and Facebook news feed exploded with thoughts and prayers for all those involved. This is the first tragedy to hit our student body in years-- possibly since the loss the senior class had when I was a sophomore in high school.
Prom was Saturday night, and the junior class, along with the seniors, was able to come together and celebrate the life of their classmate. There was a candlelight vigil and a moment of silence during which students wrapped their arms around each other, shed silent tears, and lifted up their hearts and their candles to say goodbye to Kevin.
Over the last two days, the halls have been somber and quiet. A classmate's desk remains empty other than a bouquet of flowers placed by a teacher. A seat at lunch left untouched. An event at track meets painfully filled in by another. And other classmates still in the hospital awaiting surgery.
It's been a very tough time at my high school, but it's been equally touching. The students have pulled together like I've never seen before. Huddled in hallways, crying. Meeting in the auditorium to pray, Bibles in hand. Reaching out to ministers who have graciously stayed on campus in our time of need.
The road ahead is tough for this class, this faculty, and most especially, this family. Kevin leaves behind three brothers and a mother, all of whom will struggle in the months and even years to come to make sense of this loss in their lives.
At the end of the day, it leaves this school counselor humbled and glad to serve a God who is sovereign, who reigns even in tragedy, and who is glorified even in heartache. Please pray for the Yoder family and the students and faculty at GHS.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
April showers.
For me and Alex, April is the month of showers. Mostly for me, but Alex benefits from the shower treasure.
We kicked off shower season with a couples' dinner at our sweet friends', The Reaves'. All of my best friends and their significant others were there, and it was truly a lot of fun, and I think I can say that for everyone. It wasn't just great for me to see all of my friends, but they all got to see each other as well. Kind of like a high school reunion with a few guest stars. The weather was perfect for a night out on the deck, and I looked around at one point and realized that over half of the people there... friends from high school and college and grad school and all walks of life... were either married or engaged. It's a fascinating feeling to realize that we're all entering this next chapter of life together.
This Friday night, I got to celebrate my dad's birthday with him over Mexican food, Hunger Games, and post-movie ice cream. Practically perfect in every way. And if you see my dad anytime soon, please remind him that he's one step closer to that senior discount. He'll be thrilled.
Okay, that wasn't a shower but it was kind of like a party.
Saturday, I took off to Nashville for my bachelorette party with some of the very best friends a girl could ask for. We had cake pops and champagne, sushi at Verago, dancing downtown, late night burgers, and brunch at Germantown Cafe. Can you tell that I judge a good weekend by the food that's consumed?
I've still got two to go to these last two weekends of April. And many a thank you note to write. But Alex and I feel so blessed. So beyond blessed. Not just because of the gifts, but because of the overwhelming shower of love that we've experienced and continue to experience during this time, whether its parties and showers or thank you note writing or premarital counseling or choosing what music to play during the prelude to the ceremony, we are beside ourselves with joy abundant.
We kicked off shower season with a couples' dinner at our sweet friends', The Reaves'. All of my best friends and their significant others were there, and it was truly a lot of fun, and I think I can say that for everyone. It wasn't just great for me to see all of my friends, but they all got to see each other as well. Kind of like a high school reunion with a few guest stars. The weather was perfect for a night out on the deck, and I looked around at one point and realized that over half of the people there... friends from high school and college and grad school and all walks of life... were either married or engaged. It's a fascinating feeling to realize that we're all entering this next chapter of life together.
This Friday night, I got to celebrate my dad's birthday with him over Mexican food, Hunger Games, and post-movie ice cream. Practically perfect in every way. And if you see my dad anytime soon, please remind him that he's one step closer to that senior discount. He'll be thrilled.
Okay, that wasn't a shower but it was kind of like a party.
Saturday, I took off to Nashville for my bachelorette party with some of the very best friends a girl could ask for. We had cake pops and champagne, sushi at Verago, dancing downtown, late night burgers, and brunch at Germantown Cafe. Can you tell that I judge a good weekend by the food that's consumed?
I've still got two to go to these last two weekends of April. And many a thank you note to write. But Alex and I feel so blessed. So beyond blessed. Not just because of the gifts, but because of the overwhelming shower of love that we've experienced and continue to experience during this time, whether its parties and showers or thank you note writing or premarital counseling or choosing what music to play during the prelude to the ceremony, we are beside ourselves with joy abundant.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Lindsey lately.
I cannot believe it's April. I repeat: I cannot believe it's April.
April is my last month as a grad student.
April is my last month as an intern.
April is my last month as a bachelorette.
My last full month of living with my parents. My last full month of not being a bonafide grown-up.
To me, there's a difference in an adult and a grown-up. I'm a working 24-year-old with at least one degree, so I'm an adult. But I live in my parents' basement on their tab, so I'm not really a grown-up.
So yeah, April's kind of a big deal. And I really don't have a free moment in the entire month.
In order to complete my 600 hours of internship and 100 hours of supervision, I have to work every minute of 7:00-5:30 every day this month. I have to attend class for two hours a week and throw in a couple of assignments after hours.
This weekend: Secret Church on Friday night (SO excited!), family Easter on Saturday morning, and our first party Saturday night. And of course Sunday is Easter-- my favorite holiday of the year. He is Risen!
My wedding dress is supposed to be coming in next week. My daddy's birthday is next Friday.
And the second weekend of April is my bachelorette party in Nashville. I am so ready for a night out on the town with my absolute favorite girls.
The third week of April, I'll be working overtime studying for my certification exam. That's right: on April 21, I will take the final and most important exam of my grad school career. If I don't pass the NCE, it's pretty much all for nothing... at least for a year, when I could take it again. But no certification means no job, so let's keep our fingers crossed for the first go-round.
The next day, I have a shower with the wonderful women of Alex's home church in Tuscumbia. So that's definitely the bright spot of that weekend.
And the last weekend of April concludes my party calendar with a ladies' brunch at a dear friend's.
So there are a lot of emotions tied up in the month of April: excitement, stress, exhaustion, joy, anticipation, and so on. Hopefully I'll make it through with a Master's and a Mrs. by the end of May.
April is my last month as a grad student.
April is my last month as an intern.
April is my last month as a bachelorette.
My last full month of living with my parents. My last full month of not being a bonafide grown-up.
To me, there's a difference in an adult and a grown-up. I'm a working 24-year-old with at least one degree, so I'm an adult. But I live in my parents' basement on their tab, so I'm not really a grown-up.
So yeah, April's kind of a big deal. And I really don't have a free moment in the entire month.
In order to complete my 600 hours of internship and 100 hours of supervision, I have to work every minute of 7:00-5:30 every day this month. I have to attend class for two hours a week and throw in a couple of assignments after hours.
This weekend: Secret Church on Friday night (SO excited!), family Easter on Saturday morning, and our first party Saturday night. And of course Sunday is Easter-- my favorite holiday of the year. He is Risen!
My wedding dress is supposed to be coming in next week. My daddy's birthday is next Friday.
And the second weekend of April is my bachelorette party in Nashville. I am so ready for a night out on the town with my absolute favorite girls.
The third week of April, I'll be working overtime studying for my certification exam. That's right: on April 21, I will take the final and most important exam of my grad school career. If I don't pass the NCE, it's pretty much all for nothing... at least for a year, when I could take it again. But no certification means no job, so let's keep our fingers crossed for the first go-round.
The next day, I have a shower with the wonderful women of Alex's home church in Tuscumbia. So that's definitely the bright spot of that weekend.
And the last weekend of April concludes my party calendar with a ladies' brunch at a dear friend's.
So there are a lot of emotions tied up in the month of April: excitement, stress, exhaustion, joy, anticipation, and so on. Hopefully I'll make it through with a Master's and a Mrs. by the end of May.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Listing Lindsey
I love a good list. So I just sat down and made my list for spring break. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to have a full week off to catch up on life.
Tomorrow... I'm picking up a few extra invitations from the printers.
... going to do a little pre-beach shopping at Wal-Mart (I seriously have to mentally prepare for Wal-Mart)
... dropping stuff off at the consignment shop (because today my winter-to-spring wardrobe transition was on my list... and I came up with several consignment worthy goods)
... mailing my wedding invitations!
... getting my nails done with my matron of honor and one of my lovely bridesmaids, Rachel and Erica
... having lunch and shopping with Rachel to prepare for Thursday*
... going to the bank for a little deposit-- I had no idea how inconvenient the bank was until I started working 7:30 am to 5:30 pm. So this is big and much-needed.
... going to class. Unfortunately, it's MY spring break, but UA's spring break has come and gone. So class goes on.
*Thursday, we're going to the beach, and I am SO ready. My mom, aunt, Rachel, and I try to make a yearly pilgrimage to the shore, and it seems we usually go on the brink of a major life event, like when Rachel had just about 6 weeks to go in her first pregnancy. We were on baby watch the WHOLE time, but we had a great time. This time, my wedding is just a few weeks away. So it's only right that we make our yearly trip, and this time Miss Mallory is making her Beach Girls debut! There will be blogs and pictures to come, don't you worry.
Tomorrow... I'm picking up a few extra invitations from the printers.
... going to do a little pre-beach shopping at Wal-Mart (I seriously have to mentally prepare for Wal-Mart)
... dropping stuff off at the consignment shop (because today my winter-to-spring wardrobe transition was on my list... and I came up with several consignment worthy goods)
... mailing my wedding invitations!
... getting my nails done with my matron of honor and one of my lovely bridesmaids, Rachel and Erica
... having lunch and shopping with Rachel to prepare for Thursday*
... going to the bank for a little deposit-- I had no idea how inconvenient the bank was until I started working 7:30 am to 5:30 pm. So this is big and much-needed.
... going to class. Unfortunately, it's MY spring break, but UA's spring break has come and gone. So class goes on.
*Thursday, we're going to the beach, and I am SO ready. My mom, aunt, Rachel, and I try to make a yearly pilgrimage to the shore, and it seems we usually go on the brink of a major life event, like when Rachel had just about 6 weeks to go in her first pregnancy. We were on baby watch the WHOLE time, but we had a great time. This time, my wedding is just a few weeks away. So it's only right that we make our yearly trip, and this time Miss Mallory is making her Beach Girls debut! There will be blogs and pictures to come, don't you worry.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
story time.
As I finish up the last months of my internship, I'm aware that my career will start in full-force any day now. People often ask me, as a counselor, would I rather be in a high school, middle school, or elementary school. Truth be told, there's something to love about each level. When I started the program, my heart was for high schoolers: career planning, scholarship advising, break-up therapy, etc. Small children scared me: they're sticky and they say really strange things, like interrupting your lesson on bullying for breaking news: "I lost my front tooth last night." I was unsure of that I had the patience to work with the wee ones and segue their stories of lost teeth and t-ball victories into meaningful guidance lessons. The further I get into it, though, the more I adore working with children. There is never, ever a dull moment with any child from Kindergarten to fifth grade, and the best part: they are always, ALWAYS delighted to see you. Unlike at the high school where a visit from the counselor is often greeted with a collective moan and looks that scream, "What now??"
The younger the child, the more they love school and learning. Any day of the week, I can walk into a first grade classroom and the kids are tripping over themselves trying to tell me how good they did on their AR test or how fast they can add a worksheet of figures. Not only do they love reading at this age, they especially love being read to. So my forte as a counselor has quickly become reading books. This is a slow, tedious process: read a page, show the illustration in an arc that ensures that all children can see the action. The basic formula for a guidance level at this age is book, short discussion, art activity. The summation of this formula is that I love, love, love what I do.
As I think about my potential career as an elementary school counselor, I can't help but wonder what the students think my role is. At the K-2 level, they rarely grasp the idea of individual therapy, response to intervention, test coordinating, classroom guidance, etc.
I'm reminded of a story about my dad that our preacher has related to me on more than one occasion.
As a teacher, Dad had to put in 25 years before he could retire. Many teachers will long surpass the 25-year minimum; Dad seemed to always see his 25 years more like a jail sentence. Maybe he had more spring in his step on Day 1, but at least by year 20 the days ticked by like years at a time. So for the last three years of his career, Dad rewarded himself for good behavior and took on a role as PE aide for our 3rd-5th grade school. Basically, for three years, he played kickball for a living. But it wasn't all fun and games; there was, of course, some real work involved, like monitoring the hallways and lunch room and doing other duties assigned to the three men on faculty.
Here's another thing about my dad: somewhere along the way, he's become enormously handy. Not just in a change-the-lightbulbs kind of way, but in a Tim the Tool Man kind of way. So just after his glorious retirement, he started doing odd jobs for people around our town, including our preacher.
One day Brother Joel got off the phone with my dad after discussing a project, and told his wife that Dad would be over Monday morning. His son, Carson, who had played kickball alongside my dad at the elementary school, found it odd that Dad would take a day off from the little league to work on a project for Joel. When he asked his Dad why Mr. Tim wouldn't be at school on Monday, Joel explained to Carson that Dad had retired after his 25 years of working.
In all seriousness, Carson chewed on this for a moment and then asked, "So Mr. Tim has been a hall monitor for TWENTY-FIVE YEARS?!"
I think about that story sometimes, as I walk through the halls and high-five second graders or as I color with Kindergarteners or read to first graders. What do they think I'm doing here? And I can just hear them, one day, saying, "You mean to tell me that Miss Lindsey has been coloring for TWENTY FIVE YEARS?!"
And you know... that's not really a bad gig.
The younger the child, the more they love school and learning. Any day of the week, I can walk into a first grade classroom and the kids are tripping over themselves trying to tell me how good they did on their AR test or how fast they can add a worksheet of figures. Not only do they love reading at this age, they especially love being read to. So my forte as a counselor has quickly become reading books. This is a slow, tedious process: read a page, show the illustration in an arc that ensures that all children can see the action. The basic formula for a guidance level at this age is book, short discussion, art activity. The summation of this formula is that I love, love, love what I do.
As I think about my potential career as an elementary school counselor, I can't help but wonder what the students think my role is. At the K-2 level, they rarely grasp the idea of individual therapy, response to intervention, test coordinating, classroom guidance, etc.
I'm reminded of a story about my dad that our preacher has related to me on more than one occasion.
As a teacher, Dad had to put in 25 years before he could retire. Many teachers will long surpass the 25-year minimum; Dad seemed to always see his 25 years more like a jail sentence. Maybe he had more spring in his step on Day 1, but at least by year 20 the days ticked by like years at a time. So for the last three years of his career, Dad rewarded himself for good behavior and took on a role as PE aide for our 3rd-5th grade school. Basically, for three years, he played kickball for a living. But it wasn't all fun and games; there was, of course, some real work involved, like monitoring the hallways and lunch room and doing other duties assigned to the three men on faculty.
Here's another thing about my dad: somewhere along the way, he's become enormously handy. Not just in a change-the-lightbulbs kind of way, but in a Tim the Tool Man kind of way. So just after his glorious retirement, he started doing odd jobs for people around our town, including our preacher.
One day Brother Joel got off the phone with my dad after discussing a project, and told his wife that Dad would be over Monday morning. His son, Carson, who had played kickball alongside my dad at the elementary school, found it odd that Dad would take a day off from the little league to work on a project for Joel. When he asked his Dad why Mr. Tim wouldn't be at school on Monday, Joel explained to Carson that Dad had retired after his 25 years of working.
In all seriousness, Carson chewed on this for a moment and then asked, "So Mr. Tim has been a hall monitor for TWENTY-FIVE YEARS?!"
I think about that story sometimes, as I walk through the halls and high-five second graders or as I color with Kindergarteners or read to first graders. What do they think I'm doing here? And I can just hear them, one day, saying, "You mean to tell me that Miss Lindsey has been coloring for TWENTY FIVE YEARS?!"
And you know... that's not really a bad gig.
the best is yet to come.
This morning, because I'm my mother's daughter, the first thing I did when I woke up was turn on The Bible Network. Now, that sounds crazy because, if you're like me, you associate TBN with that purple-haired woman. You may not know that on Sunday mornings at 8:30 Jeremiah David's sermon is televised; he's not only Scripturally-sound, but his hair is also a very natural shade of grey.
As many preachers do, Dr. Jeremiah likes to provide a laughable anecdote at some point during his sermon, and today the side story hit especially close to home.
One day and older woman came to her preacher to discuss her funeral. Being close to death, she knew there were certain details to plan out. One thing especially: at her funeral, she wanted a fork placed in her hand within her coffin for all to see. The preacher, of course, had to know why.
"As you know, the potluck dinners at church are some of my favorite fellowship times at church. And I always love when the ladies come out of the kitchen towards the end and say, 'Hold onto your forks; the best is yet to come.' At that point, of course, the dessert comes out. And at my funeral, I want all to know that I've held onto my fork because the best is certainly yet to come."
Now y'all know how I love dessert. Oftentimes, I pick what I want for dinner based on what I want for dessert, not IF I want dessert. I've been known to have cookies for breakfast, and I follow nearly every meal with something sweet-- including my cookie breakfast. I got that much from my daddy. And that is why I couldn't help but smile as I put my make-up on listening to Dr. Jeremiah's story of a woman preparing for an eternity of her just desserts, because, like this woman, I have to believe that surely the best is yet to come... and as ready as I am to hurry through my Sunday lunch and get to my Sunday dessert, I'm ever ready for my heavenly home: truly, the best is yet to come.
As many preachers do, Dr. Jeremiah likes to provide a laughable anecdote at some point during his sermon, and today the side story hit especially close to home.
One day and older woman came to her preacher to discuss her funeral. Being close to death, she knew there were certain details to plan out. One thing especially: at her funeral, she wanted a fork placed in her hand within her coffin for all to see. The preacher, of course, had to know why.
"As you know, the potluck dinners at church are some of my favorite fellowship times at church. And I always love when the ladies come out of the kitchen towards the end and say, 'Hold onto your forks; the best is yet to come.' At that point, of course, the dessert comes out. And at my funeral, I want all to know that I've held onto my fork because the best is certainly yet to come."
Now y'all know how I love dessert. Oftentimes, I pick what I want for dinner based on what I want for dessert, not IF I want dessert. I've been known to have cookies for breakfast, and I follow nearly every meal with something sweet-- including my cookie breakfast. I got that much from my daddy. And that is why I couldn't help but smile as I put my make-up on listening to Dr. Jeremiah's story of a woman preparing for an eternity of her just desserts, because, like this woman, I have to believe that surely the best is yet to come... and as ready as I am to hurry through my Sunday lunch and get to my Sunday dessert, I'm ever ready for my heavenly home: truly, the best is yet to come.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
everyone was doing it...
1. What is your favorite time of year? Fall: Auburn football. Scarves. My birthday. Windows down, John Mayer loud. Sweatpants. Changing leaves on country roads.
2. What makes you laugh? My family. My fiance. My kids at school. And crazy people.
3. What was the last movie you saw at the cinema? It's sad that I'm having to think so hard about this... I know that it was an afternoon show because it's cheaper that way... And I was worried that I might miss the previews... Oh my gosh. I really can't remember.
4. What's the one thing you couldn't live without? iPhone. I hate to admit it, but anyone in my life would call me out if I said anything else. But I could stop anytime I wanted to...
5. If you had extra time to do one thing, what would you do? Sleep. All I want in this world is to sleep. No wedding planing, no grad school, no internship, no studying for life-changing tests... just unadulterated, stress-free sleep.
7. If you could go on holiday anywhere tomorrow where would you go? Right now, the only place I want to be is on a beach listening to the crashing waves drown out the world... But in the interest of being more exciting, I would love to visit Lauren's parents in Australia.
8. What inspires you? The kids I work with. Corny, I know. But counseling is a calling, and it's something I grow more passionate about daily... I can promise you it's not the paycheck that's calling my name.
9. What's your guilty pleasure? Reality television. It's trash, and I love it. I'm not even going to try to defend myself. Sookie Stackhouse novels... any book with a magical world, really: Percy Jackson series, Harry Potter, etc. And cream cheese. Good gracious, I could eat an entire block.
10. What's the best advice or wisdom that has been passed down to you? Maybe it's just the field that I'm in, but I've had lots of conversations with lots of very wise people about the importance of making someone feel like their story is important to you, like you're hanging on their every word. Maybe I just saw that in the life of my friend Daniel Helton, but it's something I think about a lot. You should see the way a child lights up when they feel like you care about their story, whether it's about learning to ride a bicycle or what they had for breakfast. Everyone wants to feel important. Taken seriously. Loved.
11. What's your current obsession? Draw Something. The most trivial, mindless Pictionary app on iPhone. I just discovered it this week, and I'm, like, mad if people don't play me back immediately.
12. What is your favorite place you have visited? Stockholm. I love it.
13. If you could name only one favorite band who would it be? Oh, please don't make me do this. Music takes me places. In one mood, I can be a bad's biggest fan. The next day, not care at all. Nickel Creek. Taylor Swift. John Mayer. Avett Brothers. Beach Boys. Elvis. The Beatles. And oh my gosh, show tunes.
14. What's sitting on your nightstand right now? A coffee table book about Audrey Hepburn, a picture of my daddy and me, a picture of Chasley and me, a lamp, nail polish, a couple of candles from the power outage this weekend, a pen, and a ponytail holder.
15. Name one tv show you love and one you can't stand. LOVE Once Upon a Time. CAN'T STAND Jersey Shore. I know I love reality television, but I've seriously never been able to watch a full episode of Jersey Shore. When the Snooki jokes get started, this girl can't even relate.
16. What's the most adventuresome thing you've done on your own? I spent a semester in Italy. I didn't exactly go alone, but I didn't know anyone on the trip either. And in a foreign country, that can feel a lot like alone.
17. If you had the chance to rename yourself what name would you choose and why? Reagan. It was my almost-name, and anyone I've told that to immediately responds with, "Oh my gosh, you look like a Reagan!" You can believe there's a Reagan Ruggles in my future somewhere.
18. What is your dream job? To play Galinda the Good Witch. To own a gift shoppe. To be a florist. Lots of things that don't require a billion years of schooling. In all seriousness, I'd like to be a principal someday... and play Galinda in Wicked and maybe have a gift shoppe too... :)
19. What's your favorite workout? I love a good 5-mile run on the elliptical. When it comes to weights, I stick with Tony and p90x or Jillian and the 30-Day Shred.
20. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? This really has a lot to do with if I could speak any language in the world. If language wasn't a barrier, I really fell in love with the sea-village feel of Chile. And we've already talked about my love for Stockholm, Sweden. Really, I want to be where my family is... or at least close enough for a weekend visit. Charleston, Savannah, Nashville. Somewhere round-about here.
21. What do you picture yourself doing 20 years from now? In 20 years, I'll be 44, which seems close and forever away all at the same time. By then, Reagan Ruggles will have entered the world in one gender or another, and maybe a couple more will follow. Maybe I'll be a principal or a counselor, or maybe I'll be doing the mom-thing. I could really get into being a wife and mommy, I think... and that's a far cry from who I was last year... so who knows what I'll say in 20 years. Maybe I'll be Galinda the Middle-Aged Good Witch in some community theater version of Wicked. 20 years is about the amount of time it'll take for me to work up the courage to walk out on stage. So that sounds about right.
2. What makes you laugh? My family. My fiance. My kids at school. And crazy people.
3. What was the last movie you saw at the cinema? It's sad that I'm having to think so hard about this... I know that it was an afternoon show because it's cheaper that way... And I was worried that I might miss the previews... Oh my gosh. I really can't remember.
4. What's the one thing you couldn't live without? iPhone. I hate to admit it, but anyone in my life would call me out if I said anything else. But I could stop anytime I wanted to...
5. If you had extra time to do one thing, what would you do? Sleep. All I want in this world is to sleep. No wedding planing, no grad school, no internship, no studying for life-changing tests... just unadulterated, stress-free sleep.
7. If you could go on holiday anywhere tomorrow where would you go? Right now, the only place I want to be is on a beach listening to the crashing waves drown out the world... But in the interest of being more exciting, I would love to visit Lauren's parents in Australia.
8. What inspires you? The kids I work with. Corny, I know. But counseling is a calling, and it's something I grow more passionate about daily... I can promise you it's not the paycheck that's calling my name.
9. What's your guilty pleasure? Reality television. It's trash, and I love it. I'm not even going to try to defend myself. Sookie Stackhouse novels... any book with a magical world, really: Percy Jackson series, Harry Potter, etc. And cream cheese. Good gracious, I could eat an entire block.
10. What's the best advice or wisdom that has been passed down to you? Maybe it's just the field that I'm in, but I've had lots of conversations with lots of very wise people about the importance of making someone feel like their story is important to you, like you're hanging on their every word. Maybe I just saw that in the life of my friend Daniel Helton, but it's something I think about a lot. You should see the way a child lights up when they feel like you care about their story, whether it's about learning to ride a bicycle or what they had for breakfast. Everyone wants to feel important. Taken seriously. Loved.
11. What's your current obsession? Draw Something. The most trivial, mindless Pictionary app on iPhone. I just discovered it this week, and I'm, like, mad if people don't play me back immediately.
12. What is your favorite place you have visited? Stockholm. I love it.
13. If you could name only one favorite band who would it be? Oh, please don't make me do this. Music takes me places. In one mood, I can be a bad's biggest fan. The next day, not care at all. Nickel Creek. Taylor Swift. John Mayer. Avett Brothers. Beach Boys. Elvis. The Beatles. And oh my gosh, show tunes.
14. What's sitting on your nightstand right now? A coffee table book about Audrey Hepburn, a picture of my daddy and me, a picture of Chasley and me, a lamp, nail polish, a couple of candles from the power outage this weekend, a pen, and a ponytail holder.
15. Name one tv show you love and one you can't stand. LOVE Once Upon a Time. CAN'T STAND Jersey Shore. I know I love reality television, but I've seriously never been able to watch a full episode of Jersey Shore. When the Snooki jokes get started, this girl can't even relate.
16. What's the most adventuresome thing you've done on your own? I spent a semester in Italy. I didn't exactly go alone, but I didn't know anyone on the trip either. And in a foreign country, that can feel a lot like alone.
17. If you had the chance to rename yourself what name would you choose and why? Reagan. It was my almost-name, and anyone I've told that to immediately responds with, "Oh my gosh, you look like a Reagan!" You can believe there's a Reagan Ruggles in my future somewhere.
18. What is your dream job? To play Galinda the Good Witch. To own a gift shoppe. To be a florist. Lots of things that don't require a billion years of schooling. In all seriousness, I'd like to be a principal someday... and play Galinda in Wicked and maybe have a gift shoppe too... :)
19. What's your favorite workout? I love a good 5-mile run on the elliptical. When it comes to weights, I stick with Tony and p90x or Jillian and the 30-Day Shred.
20. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? This really has a lot to do with if I could speak any language in the world. If language wasn't a barrier, I really fell in love with the sea-village feel of Chile. And we've already talked about my love for Stockholm, Sweden. Really, I want to be where my family is... or at least close enough for a weekend visit. Charleston, Savannah, Nashville. Somewhere round-about here.
21. What do you picture yourself doing 20 years from now? In 20 years, I'll be 44, which seems close and forever away all at the same time. By then, Reagan Ruggles will have entered the world in one gender or another, and maybe a couple more will follow. Maybe I'll be a principal or a counselor, or maybe I'll be doing the mom-thing. I could really get into being a wife and mommy, I think... and that's a far cry from who I was last year... so who knows what I'll say in 20 years. Maybe I'll be Galinda the Middle-Aged Good Witch in some community theater version of Wicked. 20 years is about the amount of time it'll take for me to work up the courage to walk out on stage. So that sounds about right.
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