I'm it!

I've been tagged!  Thankfully it is more fun to be "it" in blogging than in real tag, which involves physical effort.  First, I must admit that I am going to break the rules.  Rebekah Eddy (who tagged me for this post) says the rules include tagging 11 more bloggers.  Well, I am pathetic.  I don't know many people who blog; therefore, I tag no one.  But here we are:

1. What inspires you most in your writing and/or blogging?
This is a good question!  Blogging is a fairly typical practice, and everyone must have a unique reason for doing so.  The thing that probably inspires me the most in blogging is photography.  In my pre-blog days, I wanted to do more photography, but I felt like there was no point.  I could go out and take a bunch of pictures, but then they would just sit in files, never to be seen.  So I needed something to motivate me in photography, most of all.  (Though lately I haven't taken the time to get out for new photos!  Aggghhh!)
Secondly, I want to use blogging to help me become a better writer.  With a blog to keep up, I am pressured to keep writing something rather regularly.  And I have hopes that this will help me become a more interesting writer one of these days!
Thirdly, writing in general (including blogging) helps me think.  By putting thoughts into words, I can better process what exactly I'm feeling and why.  Or why I think the way I do about something.  It helps me have reasons instead of just blank statements that I haven't really thought through.
Was that a waaaay too long answer?  Well, it was more involved than even I expected.

2. What's your biggest pet peeve?
Funny...I think I have way to many.  :)  But the biggest one that I simply cannot get over, no matter what, is a condition called "misophonia": mouth/eating/drinking sounds.  This bothers me to no end.  Sometimes I have to leave the room.  I have put much effort into overcoming this, but there seems to be no cure.  I am able to control myself from making outward expressions most of the time, but I do anxiously think of a way of escape.  It's like an allergy to sounds.

3. Who has the biggest impact on your life?
Noooo!  I hate questions like this.  There are so many inspiring people, whether from Biblical times, the past, or the present.  (well, I suppose Biblical characters fit into the past as well...)  There are so many people who have inspired me with a unique perspective.  But I will go with the three closest to me: my dad, my mom, and my brother, Jeremiah.
My dad showed me what it was like to sincerely desire God and to love Him with passion.  He always reminded me to keep running after God, even when life got really hard.  I also saw him live out 2 Corinthians 4:16.  While his outward man was perishing, his inward man was being renewed in the Lord.
My mom is constantly demonstrating to me how to love being in God's presence through prayer and how to love people by giving my own desires away.
Jeremiah taught me that God was serious about giving up everything....and that surrendering our whole lives to God and His plan would be completely worth it.  Yes, sometimes it hurts, but it will never stop being worth it.

4. What's the earliest memory you have?
My earliest memory is when my grandma Small died.  I was 3, and several family members had gathered at my grandparents' house.  My older sister, cousin, and I were sent to the basement to play while everyone else said their goodbyes.  I think they had a train table down there...

5. Unicorns or Pegasus?
I'd definitely go for a unicorn!  A horse with a built-in sword?  YES.  "You know what the issue is with this world?  Everyone wants some magical solution for their problems, and everyone refuses to believe in magic."  Rainbows, magic, unicorns.  Somehow they all fit together.

6. Hamburgers or hot dogs?
Hamburgers.  Mayonnaise.  Lettuce.  There are 3 wonderful things you can't really have on a hot dog.  Well, except the mayonnaise.

7. Do you think eagles, falcons or hawks are the coolest?
I'm going for the eagle.  There is something about an eagle that grabs attention, especially a bald eagle.  They are very awe-inspiring.

8. Scotland or Ireland?
Both?  Can that be an option?  I haven't been to either place, so I can't really know.  But I would love to visit either one.  As far as I know, they both have lovely scenery and green, rolling hills, which is a perfect recipe to calm satisfaction.  Yeah, I'm going for both.  Who's buying the ticket?  ;)

9. Dragons or griffins?
Dragons!  I'll give griffins credit in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe where they fly over the enemy dropping rocks.  (Those are griffins, right?)  Oh, and they are super cool when they turn into fire and separate the armies.  But I'm still sticking on the dragon's side.  Dragons can come in so many shapes, sizes, colors, and designs.  They are cool, though I can imagine encountering one would be frightening.

10. Sushi or oatmeal?
This is almost a hard choice!  Neither of them are worth eating.  But I'm going to say that oatmeal would definitely be easier to get down.  Sushi--raw seafood--just sounds unbearably awful.

11. Are you a morning bird or a night owl?
Although I experience early mornings more often than late nights (well, maybe they're pretty equal), I am definitely a night owl.  My motto is "staying up to finish something is always easier than waking up earlier to accomplish things."  In an early morning, all I think about is wanting to be sleeping again.  Late at night, I can handle the thought of continuing to stay up.

Thanks, Rebekah!  I enjoy your tags!  :)