11 Questions: Part 2

Laura's questions:

1. What are you wearing right. now. 

My Lulu yoga pants that I basically never take off and a new hoodie from Target. 

2. If you found $100 in your pocket what would you buy today?

I'd go to Target! I always end up with way more than I planned when I walk in that place!

3. If your parting gift from the Zoo was an animal of your choice, 

which one would you take home with you?

A spider monkey! 

Yes, please!

4. Would you rather have a perpetual scab on the tip of your nose or perpetual eye goop? 

(choose wisely)

This is seriously the hardest question I've answered so far! I think I may have to go with a nose scab. Eye goop reeeeally grosses me out.

5. What is the greatest lesson you learned from your mother?

Okay now this may be the hardest...there are so many! What have I not learned from my mom! I'm so lucky to have been raised by my mom....we are basically the same person now. One thing that comes to mind is that she is an excellent example of how to treat people. 

6. If you were given a free Super Bowl ad what would you advertise?

An animal rescue with lots of cute pictures of cats and dogs...then hopefully people would go out and adopt a new pet!

7. What is your favorite photograph?

Ahh this is so hard, too! How do I pick just one!? It has to be one from our engagement or wedding pictures, so I'll go with this one. 

8.  If you could change your name, what name would you choose?

I've always loved the name Brooke.

9. What is the most unusual gift you ever received? (or best, or worst)

One year for Christmas, Doug gave me wiper fluid...he thought that was hilarious. I was not as amused :)

10. What one clothing item or accessory do you wish you could pull off?

I'm not that daring with my wardrobe, so I'd probably say hats! 

11. If you had to decide which movie you would teleport into (because that is naturally how this would be possible), 

and live out for the rest of your life, which movie would you choose?

This is a tough one, too! Would you think less of me if I said Sex and the City? haha I think Charlotte and I would be great friends :)

Katie's questions:
{1.} If you could go anywhere tomorrow, where would you go?

Atlanta! I miss my family!

{2.} Why did you start your blog?

I loved reading other blogs, and I needed a hobby during my job search...so The Smitten Mintons was born!

{3.} Who's your favorite Disney Character?

Gus Gus....there is no one cuter.

{4.} What's your biggest pet peeve?

Rude people....I have zero tolerance for it!

{5.} How many pets do you have?

1 cat and 1 dog....although everyone who reads this blog knows about them all too well :)

{6.} What is your favorite feature about yourself?

I like my eyes! I've been blessed with really long eyelashes, I hope they stay this way!

{7.} Favorite color?

Pink! If you couldn't already tell by my subtle design :)

{8.} Would you rather go to the zoo or the aquarium?

Zoo, definitely. Although I LOVE penguins and otters.

{9.} Favorite ice cream flavor?

Mint chocolate chip, the green kind. 

{10.} Your roommate/spouse calls because your house is burning down. They have time to grab 2 things for you. What are they?
Well besides Maisy and Pep, I would say our wedding album and my computer. You can't replace pictures!

{11.} Favorite way to waste time?

Read blogs! :)

Sarah's questions:
1. What is your favorite piece of jewelry that you own?

My engagement ring. I looooove it so much.

2. What was the best thing that happened to you in 2011?

Maisy joined our family! One of the best days of my life!

3. Who are your heroes in your life and why?

My mom! She's my best friend :) And she gives the best advice!

4. If money wasn't an issue, what would you do with your life?

I would try to save as many animals as possible! I'd open up a huge no-kill shelter and get those babies into good homes.

5. What is your favorite Disney Movie?

I don't know if I can pick just one! I really love The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Lion King...all of the classics!

6. What is something you have done that you are really proud of?

I'm proud of the grades I made in high school and college! 

7. What is your best childhood memory?

I really loved our yearly beach trip to Hilton Head. Crabbing was my favorite part!

8. What is your favorite beauty product?

Mascara. These blonde eyelashes NEED it!

9. What made you start blogging?

(Answered above!)

10. What is your favorite place to visit?

Home! There's nothing like being with family.

11. What is the first scary movie you ever saw?

I despise scary movies and never watch them. But I watched Hannibal at a friend's house in 6th grade, and I had to sleep with my parents for weeks. See why I don't watch them? :)

Why do I always end these posts on an embarrassing note? I almost forgot, now I have to come up with questions and tag new people! 

My questions:

1. What's your favorite TV show?

2. Who would play you in a movie?

3. If you could pay someone to do one service for you for the rest of your life, what would it be?

4. What's your favorite store to shop at?

5. What's your most embarrassing moment? (sorry! :)

6. If you could only have one gadget, what would it be? (iPhone, computer, etc.)

7. What's your dream job?

8. What's the best thing that happened to you in 2011?

9. Who was your first crush?

10. What's your guiltiest pleasure?

11. If you could date one Hollywood hunk, who would it be?

(You may have noticed that some of those were questions that I answered, but they were so good that I had to pass them on! :) 

TAG! You're it!

Amanda at New Adventures

Allison at Nestful of Love

Sherri Lynn at The Life of a Wife

Alex at The Saga of a Twenty-Something

Allison at Life and Times of Justin and Allison

Allison at Moments Like This

Ruth at This GRITS Tale

Amanda C. at Interpreted by Me

Miranda at Aimless Translation

Daniela at D, etc.

Kira at Rain or Shine

Carlie at Life...Full of Stories

These girls always leave the nicest comments...y'all should definitely check their blogs out! And while I was writing this, I was tagged for this by Joey! I think I'm all questioned-out, but y'all should go read her answers! Okay, this long post is over! Congratulations if you made it this far :)

11 Questions: Part 1

There is this little tag game going on in the blog world, and I was lucky enough to be tagged...by 5 wonderful blog friends! I've been trying to figure out how to answer all of these questions, and I think I'll break it up into 2 posts. Thanks to these lovely ladies for tagging me:
Brittany from Blogging Out Loud
Emma from Legally Lovely
Laura from Twirl
Katie from Katie Lately
Sarah from Simply Sarah

The rules are:
List 11 random facts about yourself. Answer the questions provided to you. Come up with different questions, then tag 11 people to do it, too.


So in Part 1, I'll list my random facts and answer 2 sets of questions. Then I'll be back later with the rest!


1. I am not comfortable unless I sit indian-style. In the car, at restaurants, everywhere...probably my weirdest quirk!


2. I hate grape-flavored anything. When I was younger, I told people I was allergic to it just so I'd never have to eat it!


3. I'm watching Alvin and the Chipmunks as I write this...by myself...and I'm not embarrassed by that at all. 


4. Coffee upsets my stomach, but I still drink it every day. I can't stop!


5. I played the piano when I was young and now wish I would have kept with it!


6. To this day, Gilmore Girls is still one of my all-time favorite shows.


7. I had 2 hamsters in college that I named Kitty and Puppy. (It was a sad ending...Puppy killed Kitty)


8. In high school, my best friends and I went dumpster-diving at Wendy's to collect 200 cups that we mailed in for free round-trip flights to New York! Thanks again, AirTran :)


9. In college, my goal was to become a wedding planner. I had an internship and made contacts, then I decided I didn't want to work complete opposite hours as Doug, so I dropped that plan. I still don't regret it! I like my weekends :)


10. I sleep in the Heisman pose. It's really weird but the only way I'm comfortable!

11. I had a really hard time thinking of these, so I asked Doug for help....first thing that came to his mind? That I make baby dinosaur noises. I have to say, it's spot. on.


Okay, now for Brittany's questions!
1. Which Disney princess is most like you?
I'd have to say Cinderella. I would love to be surrounded by singing animals! Plus, Gus Gus is the cutest thing ever.


2. What song do you have on repeat right now?
Taylor Swift's Enchanted

3. Who was your first crush?
John Champagne- my 'boyfriend' from 1st through 5th grade! We always went to the sock-hops together :)

4. Where do you see yourself in five years? Be honest.
Hopefully, with a baby in my arms!

5. Would you rather lose your vision or your hearing? Why?
Weird...I was just thinking about this the other day! Losing my vision terrifies me, so I'd definitely choose to keep that. Plus, I know sign language so it'd be a much easier transition.

6. What scares you the most?
Not being able to have kids. Or losing a family member. Eeek.

7. When was the last time you cried?
During the previews before we saw New Year's Eve. I cried in 4 out of 5. Doug made fun of me, but 2 of them were The Vow and War Horse!

8. What three physical attributes do you find most attractive in a guy?
Smile, eyes, and build (they can't be skinnier than me!) haha

9. If you had unlimited money, which store would you visit first?
TARGET! I think that's the only store I would visit, too!

10. What is your guiltiest pleasure?
My favorite TV shows- Pretty Little Liars probably being the favorite!

11. If you could wake up tomorrow with a new talent, which would you choose?
I've always wished I could sing. I would love to have a voice like Martina McBride!

12. If you could have any exotic animal as a pet, which would you choose?
Well, as I recently posted, I've always wanted a pig. But a spider monkey is a close 2nd!


Emma's questions:

1. Are you a Samantha, Charlotte, Miranda, or Carrie?

I've thought about this one before, too :) I would say mostly Charlotte with a little bit of Carrie!

2. If you could go on a date with ONE Hollywood hunk, who would it be?

This one is actually hard! My biggest celebrity crush is John Corbett (Aidan from SATC) but he is about 30 years older than me, so that would be weird. Let's just go with Bradley Cooper :)

3. A plane just landed in front of your house. Where are you going on an impromptu vacay?

Europe! I'm dying to go back!

4. If you were on The Bachelorette, what over-the-top date would you plan?

I prefer pretty simple dates (dinner and a movie is PERFECT!) but I think it would be amazing to go to a movie premiere! 

5. If you could switch bodies with one person for a day, who would it be?

Reese Witherspoon! I love her.

6. What is your favorite book?

I can't decide on just one! Anything by Nicholas Sparks, the Twilight series, Redeeming Love, The Help...I can't decide!

7. What is your absolute dream job?

A stay-at-home mom...that may be lame, but it's what I've always dreamt of!

8. What are three words that you would use to describe yourself at 8am?

Groggy, grumpy, and disheveled. 

9. You're lost in the Amazon for a day. Who do you want with you, and what one item do you have?

Bear Grylls and a huge picnic basket full of food...I get grumpy when I'm hungry :)

10. Would you rather hitch a ride on the space shuttle, or get a brand new car of your choosing?

New car! Although I'm pretty happy with my 8 year old X-terra! 

11. What is your idea of a perfect Friday night?

Pizza, a movie, snuggled up on the couch with Doug and Maisy. Lucky for me, we do this most Fridays :)

12. What is one embarrassing fact about yourself that you would normally never blog about, but now you have to?

You WOULD do this to me, Emma! Going along with Brittany's peeing her in pants theme, I'll share my own. In high school, I was jogging to LA Fitness with 2 friends along a busy road. One of my friends tripped over a cable, flew in the air, and face planted...and I was laughing SO hard that I wasn't able to completely control myself. I think admitting this on here is even more embarrassing than it was!

And I think I'll end this post on that note :) Hopefully, this post was so long that y'all didn't even make it to the end! I'll be back Monday with the rest of the questions! 

12 Days of Christmas Blog Challenge

Aly and Molly are hosting a fun little blog challenge!

It actually started about a week ago, but I couldn't do it because I was out of town for Thanksgiving. But I decided I would just get a late start!

Here are the topics:

Day 1: Christmas/Holiday traditions

Day 2: Black Friday/General Shopping Tips and Tricks

Day 3: Most meaningful gift/best gift you've received

Day 4: Tips/Tricks to a Budget Friendly holiday season

Day 5: Favorite Holiday Movie/TV Show Special

Day 6: Gift ideas (what do YOU want? We all have family/friends reading our blogs...so let them know!)

Day 7: Holiday Craft/DIY (If you don't make anything, what do you WISH you could make?)

Day 8: Least favorite thing about the Holidays

Day 9: Favorite Holiday recipe

Day 10: Favorite Christmas Songs/Caroles

Day 11: New Year Resolutions

Day 12: Show us your decorations (indoor/outdoor)

Day 13: Favorite Cookie Recipe

Day 14: Oprah's Favorite Things: What item(s) would you want if you were in the audience?

If you love Christmas, then join in the fun!

Day 1: Christmas Traditions

I love Christmas mornings at my parents' house. We would wake up and look through the gifts that Santa brought. Then we read scripture of Jesus' birth, sing happy birthday to Jesus, and blow out the candles on whatever we were having for breakfast. Then we would open the rest of our gifts and stockings. I just think that is a lovely tradition that I definitely want to carry on with my own family. I think it is so important to remind everyone (especially kids) that Jesus is the reason for the season, not Santa, or gifts, or food.

My family also loves games. All of us are very competitive (except for my mom- she is the peacekeeper) so we always play a few board games whenever we are together.

When I think of Christmas Eve, I think of watching The Christmas Story marathon until I can fall asleep. And I watch Elf every year...it never gets old!

Doug's family also has some wonderful traditions that I have enjoyed for the past 2 years. They have a White Elephant gift exchange, which I LOVE, and his Aunt Ginger plans lots of games for all of the kids to play. I thrive on competition, and I usually have a hard time letting kids win (whoops!) Some of these games include guessing how many M&Ms are in the huge jar (winner gets the M&Ms!), Christmas trivia, Christmas charades, pass the gift, and my favorite from last year, one-handed gift-wrapping! (Doug's cousin, Avery, and I were the champs of this one! :)

This year is very special because it is our first Christmas as husband and wife! I am so excited to carry on these traditions and to create our own. Since I will be heavily drugged on Christmas, we are going to pick a day before then and pretend that it is our Christmas morning.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 3

Your Spouse

I changed it to 'Your Spouse' because when I am married to the man I love, why would I want to talk about any other guys!? (Warning: It may get mushy) Doug is my husband, and he is awesome. I think we compliment each other pretty well...where I am inpatient, he is patient. When I am spontaneous, he is rational. When he is messy, I am organized. If it wasn't for him, I would probably have multiple cats and dogs by now (which I don't necessarily think is a bad thing...) If it wasn't for me, he would probably eat pizza all day, every day. He can always make me laugh, and I love knowing that we will always have fun together.

We also have a great meeting story. I had always wondered how I would meet my future husband, and God definitely exceeded my highest expectations with our story. I am a TERRIBLE storyteller, so I am going to use Doug's version of the story instead (from our wedding website!)

It was spring break, and I was headed to Destin with my buddy, Austin, not having a clue as to what would be in store for me on this trip. After a long drive down, and some rain the first night, Austin and I headed to the beach the afternoon of March 9, 2008. We saw a group of girls over to the left, and decided to sit close enough to keep an eye on them, but also far enough away to not seem creepy. I spotted the blonde girl right away, and focused my attention on her. Shortly after, I officially called "dibs" on the blonde girl. Not 10 minutes after that, what do you know, she comes walking our way. I tell Austin to play it cool and let me do the talking. Here was my chance. She came up and was as cute as could be, and politely asked if we wouldn't mind watching their stuff if they went for a walk on the beach. I told her not to worry and to enjoy the walk, and knew I had to come up with something good for when they came back.

After a short walk, here she came again. This time she came to sincerely thank us for watching their stuff. I told her it was no problem and the only issue I had was to fight off a band of ninjas that came up over the sand dunes, but that after seeing them off, all of Julie and her friends' precious belongings were fine. She told me I was her hero and batted her big blue eyes just to prove again how cute she really was. It didn't take long for us to get talking and find out we both went to UGA, as well as attended rival high schools and lived about 20 minutes apart in Marietta. Some would say this was meant to be.

Julie then informed me that she and her friends would be going back to the pool area and told us we were invited to come along. Playing it cool again, I told her that we might see them down there but were going to stay put for now. I waited about ten minutes and told Austin we were following them. So we met them at the hot tubs, and continued getting to know each other. We were informed of the girls' plan to go over to Club Overboard that night, and quickly managed to snag an invite. But before that, Austin and I had to get these girls out on the par 3 chip and putt golf course. We started out as a large group, and it became clear. Doug and Julie knew what they were doing. No one else did. So we ditched everyone else and finally got to hang out by ourselves for the first time. I played surprisingly good, impressing Julie with several lucky birdies and we started to build a connection that would prove to be very special indeed.

Later that night, Austin and I went to the club with the girls. When we got there everyone stood around awkwardly for a while, but something happened and before I knew it Julie and I were happily dancing the night away. Julie and I continued getting to know each other better and better over the course of the week by throwing the football and sharing grapes and cookies.

I absolutely knew she was the one for me once wiffleball happened. Tip: wiffleball is a great spring break game for meeting people. I conjured up a bat and ball from Wal-mart and we got a game going on a cloudy day. I made sure "Slugger", as she referred to herself this day, was on my team. After striking out Austin numerous times with a wicked curve ball and belting out home runs from both sides of the plate (making sure to be very impressive), the most incredible and spectacular thing happened. Julie smashed a line drive so hard that my wiffle ball broke in half. While this absolutely ruined the game, it did win my heart.

The final day at the beach I knew I had to make sure something happened. I had to make sure this would continue on when we got back to school. I invited Julie to go golfing again, this time just the two of us. After playing nowhere near as well this time, we finally arrived at the "boat hole" that runs parallel to a pier that juts out onto the canal towards Destin Harbor. After completing this difficult hole, I had us put the clubs down and enjoy each other's company. It was sunset and being on that pier overlooking the water was a perfect place to be. After thinking way too much about it and letting myself get very nervous, I finally went in for the first kiss. It was an absolutely perfect beginning to the incredible relationship I share with her, and sealed the perfect ending to the best possible spring break I could ever imagine.

Yesterday marks 5 months of marriage...here's to a wonderful husband (and kitty-daddy!) :)

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 2 & Fajita Recipe

Meaning Behind Your Blog Name

Well, this post may not be so interesting. Mine is pretty easy to figure out. Our last name is Minton. And we are "smitten" with each other, hence the recent marriage. There ya go! 

Since that was pretty short and sweet, I will spice up the post with a recipe! Katie B. recently posted a wonderful fajita recipe, so I decided to try it out. We LOVED it! 

Crock Pot Fajitas:

- 2 packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts (or tenderloins, which cook faster)
- Can of chicken broth
- Large jar of salsa
- Packet of fajita seasoning
- Sliced/Chopped onions and peppers

Mix all of the above ingredients in the crock pot and cook for several hours. We just had chicken breasts, so I cut them up into smaller strips and it cooked for about 5 hours.

**You can spoon out the chicken and vegetables, for the fajitas. Or, you can eat it with the broth as a soup! I had it as a soup the next day and it was just as delicious!

Why am I just starting to use my crock pot? It is the most glorious thing to just mix up a bunch of stuff, and 5 hours later, dinner is ready! So, I need more crock pot recipes that a picky eater (Doug) would like! If you have any you want to share, please leave a comment below!

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 1

Day 1: introduce, picture, 15 interesting facts

Hello! I am Julie, and I am 22 years old. I graduated from the University of Georgia in May and married the love of my life 2 weeks later. My husband, Doug, and I live in Covington, Georgia with our sweet cat Mr. Pepper (who I am quite honestly obsessed with....a fact you already know if you have ever read my blog). I am also obsessed with animals in general, and I have recently become a volunteer for a local animal rescue. I also love TV, Nicholas Sparks books, Jesus, chocolate, cheese dip, and my family (in no particular order!) I am semi-new to the blog world, and I quickly became addicted to writing and reading others' blogs.

15 Interesting Facts

1. I majored in Sociology (a fact that I am always embarassed to say when asked). My whole life, I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. It wasn't until the end of my junior year in college that I realized I didn't want to teach anymore. Sociology was the quickest switch where I could still graduate on time. So that's why I have a major that can't get me a job!

2. I love milk. I drink many glasses a day, and I usually can't eat a dessert without it.

3. I don't really know how to cook. I mean, if I have a recipe in front of me, I can usually do okay, but I don't quite have that knack for it yet. I'm working on it though!

4. I am scared of the shower. During my junior year of college, I was stepping into the shower when I saw the biggest spider ever sitting in the tub. It was hairy and huge (probably the size of a golf ball), and it absolutely scared me to death. I have always been very very afraid of bugs, but this one just put me over the edge. Ever since then, I thoroughly check the shower before I get in.

5. I love to travel. I have been to Europe twice, and I am dying to go back again.

6. I am so excited to have kids. While it is several years away, I think about it a lot and get so excited about clothes, nursery themes, and baby names (which Doug and I always have fun discussing.)

7. I am so excited to start my photography "journey."

8. I have a messed up nose. The best word to describe it would be "hypersensitive," as just about anything will make me sneeze (about 30 times in a row!) No, it's not allergies. I had surgery last December to fix a deviated septum, but it didn't fix the problem. So I have an appointment in a few weeks with a different doctor...hopefully he can fix me!

9. I am a TV addict. My fall line-up is amazing, and I have even roped Doug in on a few shows!

10. My family is extremely important to me. I have lived in Marietta my entire life (except for college..but I was only an hour away) and I am very nervous about the possibility of an out-of-state move in our future.

11. I think I'm developing a bit of OCD. I have always had "OCD tendencies" but it has reached a whole new level. I can't rest until I know the apartment is basically spotless. I guess it is a good and a bad thing....especially for poor Doug!

12. My blog addiction was recently furthered by the Stats application. You can track how many hits each post gets, what countries they come from (so fun to get hits from China, Russia, etc.), and how they got to the blog. I loved it. And then it broke. It's been down for 2 weeks, and it's driving me CRAZY!

13. I love decorating. I could spend days in Hobby Lobby and Homegoods.

14. I am a Twihard. Don't judge if you haven't read them.

15. Friends will forever be my favorite show. I own all 10 seasons and have watched from beginning to end many times.

30 Day Blog Challenge

I have seen several people doing this lately, so I decided to join in on the fun! If you blog, you should consider doing it, too!

Day 1-Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts

Day 2-Meaning behind your blog name

Day 3-Your first love (I'm changing this to "Your spouse")

Day 4-Your parents

Day 5-Your siblings

Day 6-A picture of something that makes you happy

Day 7-Favorite movies

Day 8-A place you've traveled to

Day 9-A picture of your friends

Day 10-Something you're afraid of

Day 11-Favorite tv shows

Day 12-What you believe

Day 13-Goals

Day 14-A picture you love

Day 15-Bible verse

Day 16-Dream house

Day 17-Something you're looking forward to

Day 18-Something you regret

Day 19-Something you miss

Day 20-Nicknames

Day 21-Picture of yourself

Day 22-Favorite city

Day 23-Favorite vacation

Day 24-Something you've learned

Day 25-Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs

Day 26-Picture of your family

Day 27-Pets

Day 28-Something that stresses you out

Day 29-3 Wishes

Day 30-a picture

 
Day 1 coming tomorrow!