Ask Me Anything Answers - Part One!

You know, when I posted my Ask Me Anything post, I honestly thought I'd be hearing a lot of crickets. So imagine my surprise when the questions came pouring in! Y'all commented and emailed and facebooked me and I am just so excited.

Thanks for being so interested in MOI!

Since there were quite a few questions, I'll have to stagger my answers a bit. Hope that's ok with you.

And so I'll begin with Keely from MannLand5.

1.Have you ever been to the U.S and if so where have you been?

Yes ma’am! I’ve been to quite a few states, actually. New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina (greenest grass I’ve ever seen!), South Carolina, Georgia, Florida (can you guess where we went? DISNEY BABY!). I’ve also been to Maryland, Washington DC (hello Mr. President!) Rhode Island, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.

2.How did your man propose?

Ian and I knew about four months after we started dating that we would get married, so it wasn’t a matter of if, it was when. I was anxious to get engaged and get things rolling but Ian said we need to wait a year because we needed to really know each other at least that long before making that commitment. I told him that if he didn’t know by the end of the first year he’d never know and I’d move on. (wasn’t I charming?)

I dropped hints about what kind of engagement ring I’d like so he could just get right on to the proposal. He said I’d never see it coming, but when you know you’re going to get married, how can you NOT know it’s coming?

Our first anniversary came and went and I didn’t move on. Good thing I didn’t, because 8 days later he popped the question! Ian put a lot of thought, effort and love into his proposal and I couldn’t possibly do it justice here, so I will give you the shortened version with the hopes that Ian will “guest post” here one day and tell you the whole story.

After spending a beautiful day together, visiting various places, he sent me up to my bedroom with a note to read in private. On my nightstand was a beautiful vase of flowers and the end of the note said to pick the flower that stood out. When I pulled it out... there was my ring. Ian was in the doorway and came in, got on one knee and asked me to marry him.

Awwww!

I'm a lousy story-teller, so you'll have to wait for Ian's version ;-)

3.Where is the prettiest place in Canada to visit?

I’ve lived in Ontario my entire life, and while I’ve seen a number of US states, the only other province I’ve ever seen is British Columbia and “pretty” doesn’t even touch this place. Breathtaking is a better description. Ian and I went there about 12 years ago to attend a friend’s wedding in Vancouver and I fell in love with it. The mountain views are just...breath taking. I’d love to go back someday.

In Ontario, I would say Alqonquin, without a doubt. Kincardine is a close second. I’d like to travel to Quebec and Alberta someday.

4.What is it about Walmart that you like?

Just reading this question gives me a little thrill. But I must correct you here, Keely. I don’t like Walmart. I LOVE Walmart. Up until recently – and by recently I mean in the last year or two – Canadian Walmarts and American Walmarts were two entirely different animals.

I am not kidding when I tell you that visiting a Walmart ranks near the top of my To-Do List whenever I am in the States. Not only can you shop for books and clothes and household stuff, but now you can buy your groceries in there and eat McDonalds in there. And – this kills me – you can buy beer there. HA! I don’t know if this is standard American Walmart stuff, but I’ve been to many of them that sell beer. Come to think of it, you can buy beer in any grocery store in the US, right? We have to go to the beer store – shockingly enough, it’s called The Beer Store because we’re creative like that – to buy our beer. And we are carded, although it’s been many, many, many years since anyone has asked to see my ID.

Jerks.

But NOW our formerly-the-world's-crappiest Walmart looks just like yours. (Well, except for the beer part) When I go inside, I feel like I’m in the US and I am happy. I can browse and buy socks and pillows and antifreeze and DVDs and groceries all in one spot. Now we just have to get some of the cool foods and packaging that you guys have and it will be perfect.

Thanks for your questions, Keely!

Next up... Pineapple Princess from The Love Shack .

1. When did you first begin blogging and why?

I think I started this blog towards the end of 2006 at the urging of a friend. I liked that I had an outlet for what was going on in my life and it felt somewhat anonymous because no one really knew about it. Then I went through a frustrating work situation and was venting quite a bit and not always being very nice. I am grateful that Ian brought this to my attention and as a result I deleted almost all of it and started fresh. I really enjoy blogging and it's fun to read my older entries and remember fun stuff.

2. If you could travel anywhere in the world regardless of budget, where would you go? With kids or without?

I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I often dream of this happening to me!

I'd love to go to Jamaica for two weeks, with the children of course. Sorry Ian. I can't help it! I think I have the best children in the world and I genuinely enjoy their company. I'm not a person who wants or needs a break from them. I enjoy them. They are growing up so fast and God willing, there will be many years to come that Ian and I will vacation alone. I don't want to miss a minute with them.

Eventually I would like to take a carribean holiday - anywhere - with Ian alone. We enjoyed our honeymoon so much and we travel well together and enjoy the same things and the same pace.

Thanks, Pineapple Princess!

That's it for now, but I'll post some more answers soon. I need to clean my house so that Ian doesn't think I've been blogging all day. ;-)