Jules tagged me for this meme that I’ve been pondering all weekend. The first three questions involve the word “favorite,” and I am so very not good at picking my favorite anything. Ask me to pick “5 of my favorites” and I can do that for you. But to narrow it down to one all-time favorite? Attempting that feat could give me a serious headache. So my little disclaimer is that the first 3 memories are “some of my favorites,” treasured memories for sure, but I reserve the right to choose three completely different “favorites” if asked these questions at some point in the future.

Okay, enough of my babbling…

1. Favorite memory of your mother? When I was about 4 or 5 years old, I learned all about Heaven in Sunday School one week. My teacher talked about what it would be like and the fact that Jesus died so our sins could be washed away, and someday we could go to live in Heaven with God forever. That night, I asked my mom some more questions about Heaven and Jesus. She sat on the edge of my bed, telling me all about God’s love, and then explaining to me how I could ask Jesus to come live in my heart. And then she prayed with me… Childhood memories are often few and far between, but this one stands out as a sweet and treasured moment.

2. Favorite memory of your father? My dad loved family vacations. He made sure that we managed to take one every year. Even if money was tight, we’d pack up the car and head out, staying in inexpensive motels along the way. On the first day of every vacation, Dad would always get the car started long before any of the rest of us were ready to go – he was ready to hit the road! And on every vacation, at every hotel, as soon as we were checked in and had lugged the bags into our room…as long as my brother and I were little enough, Dad would pick us up and toss us on to the bed repeatedly…and we would giggle and giggle until we couldn’t breathe anymore. Of course at home, we had a “no jumping on the bed” rule, but on vacation, beds were fair game. I’m sure the American Pediatric Association would not approve of this tossing, but my brother and I couldn’t get enough of it. And it remains one of my favorite memories.

3. Favorite memory of your sibling(s)? My “little” brother (who is now much taller than me) is six years younger than me. Growing up, we fought quite a bit. Different personalities, different interests, different stages… there just wasn’t a whole lot for us to agree on. And of course, he was the typical “annoying little brother” – always doing stuff like touching my side of the back seat of the car. I went off to college when he was 11. My family drove me the 400 miles to school and spent a day or two in the area, making sure I got settled in okay. The day they got ready to leave, I could see that my brother was upset. By the time they got in the car to pull away, he was crying, and mom later told me that he cried most of the 6-hour drive home. It’s a bittersweet memory – I don’t like to think of him feeling as sad as he did… But it was at that moment when I realized that no matter what, we were connected; he was my brother. And that despite all the bickering, teasing, and annoyances, I loved him dearly. And he loved me too. (And…he would probably kill me if he read this and realized that I just told the whole world that he once cried.)

4. What one skill would you like to wake up tomorrow and be able to do (though you’d never learned it)? Probably the ability to write fiction. I love to get lost in a good novel, and would be thrilled if I could provide that same experience for someone else.

5. Which one of your dreams has come true? God has been gracious and blessed me with many answered dreams. One of the biggest ones is that I am married to my best friend. As a young teenager, I remember thinking that the “bad boys” (you know, the ones with motorcycles and ripped jeans – hey, it was the 80′s!) were just way beyond cool. Later, I thought that the basketball star was my destiny. And later still, I decided that nothing less than a “true intellectual” would do for me. But in the end, I received the wonderful blessing of marrying Chad, my very best friend. He’s intellectual (history major, loves to read), one part sports star (soccer was the sport of his choice), and um…one part bad boy? Okay, maybe not, but he’s one tough mountain biker. Most importantly, he’s the perfect fit for me. Love you, Chad!

And now, to keep the meme moving, I would like to tag the following (provided, of course, that they would like to participate – if not, no problem):

Dianne
Jennifer
Master of None
Org Junkie
Tammy (Family Doin’s)