Answer Me This, Vol. 7

Sunday Funday with Kendra!

1. How often do you take public transportation? At home? Never. I've never lived in a place that is public transportation-y. Phoenix? No. Wichita? Definitely no. But when I'm traveling, I love it. I love navigating the system, experiencing the nitty gritty (often very gritty) of life in that place. Plus, it encourages me to walk walk walk and really see a place. My favorite tourist activity is just walking. And while we're on the subject, the best walk of all is from the Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame along the Seine in Paris. You can include the Champs Elysees at the beginning if you must. :)

2. How many cousins do you have? I have 3 first cousins. Each of my parents had one sister. My dad's sister never married or had kids. My mom's sister has 3 kids. She married an only child, so my 3 cousins have 2 first cousins. Plus, none of us is the same age. As a result, we're, in many ways, more like siblings than cousins. We're up to 12 kids between us, so our kids have decidedly more "cousins." And this conversation officially makes me sad, because we now live so far away from them. :-(

3. Have you ever fired a gun? Not unless a water gun counts. And I've only ever used the most basic of those.

4. Do you ride roller coasters? Yes, but it's been awhile. I've always particularly loved rickety old wooden coasters. Admittedly, I haven't ridden one of those since before I had kids. Pregnancy and baby-toting have a way of messing with the ol' back that might not leave it as amenable to wooden coasters as my teenage self would like to remember.

5. What's your favorite flower? That's like picking a favorite child. I love most flowers. I have a soft spot for bulbs, but I also love lilies. And I adore roses (but not red ones, necessarily), but they just wilt so quickly. I could go on and on, really.

Wedding flowers. Loved them. Still do.

6. Are you allergic to anything? The better question is probably what am I not allergic to. I am most definitely very, very allergic to eggs. I've never experienced anaphylaxis, but there is some indication from asthmatic symptoms at times that it is possible. My allergist in high school refused to give me a flu shot because of it, so that is enough for me to skip the flu shot every year. I also skin-tested positive for like 50 of 80 items on my most recent scratch test (about 5 years ago now) for environmental allergens. I refuse to do skin testing for food allergies because of the very high rate of false positives, but probably have some sensitivities that don't affect my life too much. I have super sensitive skin. I am careful with products (choosing fragrance free when I can, for example) and am very, very diligent with my antihistamines, which do a good job of helping keep the worst at bay. I have (well-controlled, thankfully) asthma, shockingly enough. I also use a nasal spray (helps with my lifetime of postnasal drip) and maintenance inhaler (for the asthma). Ha! I'm sure you're sorry you asked.

Happy Sunday!