100 Things About Jen

I got tagged (thanks Jenny) to do this, and being a sucker for any sort of survey, this is right up my alley. Here are 100 things you always/never wanted to know about me.

1.) I like a challenge. Hence coming up with 100 Things about me. Not easy.
2.) I do not like confrontation.
3.) Unless it is with my husband.
4.) I'm very stubborn - this is the only Aries quality I believe I embody.
5.) Well, that and a bad temper if you push me far enough.
6.) I'm left-handed
7.) I love to write
8.) One of my life long goals is to write a book.
9.) Bad spelling in emails annoys me - that is why spell check exists!
10.) I will read an email/letter 400 times before I send it to make sure I've said exactly what I want to say in the best way possible.
11.) I love to read. Like, insanely love to.
12.) I have questionable taste in music, but I desperately wish I was one of those "hip" music people. But sadly, Bon Jovi is one of my all-time favorites. And boy bands. It's shameful, I know.
13.) My top 3 favorite books are: On the Road, Gone With the Wind and Are You There God? It's Me Margaret. This last one was pivotal in my pre-teen years.
14.) I'm a television junkie
15.) I hate reality shows, unless they are dance competition-based (i.e., So You Think You Can Dance & Dancing with the Stars).
16.) The CW is on my DO NOT WATCH list.
17.) I love to travel
18.) My favorite trip so far is the trip my husband and I took to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons
19.) I am going to Ireland in October!
20.) My favorite color is green.
21.) I love 80's movies and music.
22.) I hate math.
23.) I am an introvert, but I'm getting better.
24.) I love kids, but want to treat them like adults, so I'm often awkward around them.
25.) I wish I was better at entertaining/hosting parties.
26.) I'm not a clean freak, but I'm not a huge slob either. I just feel like there are much better things for me to do when I get home from work and on the weekends than clean the house.
27.) I like to cook, but I hate cleaning up afterwards. That's what my husband is for.
28.) I'm trying to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
29.) I love my family - they all make me laugh - especially my little brother.
30.) I try to move my life along too fast sometimes. I should be better about living in the moment.
31.) I find I'm much more satisfied and less critical of myself the older I get.
32.) I'm terrified of scary movies.
33.) I cannot keep a plant alive to save my life.
34.) I love my church.
35.) I wish I knew the Bible better than I do.
36.) I think my husband is one of the smartest people I know.
37.) He also makes me laugh more than anyone else.
38.) I detest politics and politicians.
39.) My grandmother is one of the bravest women I know.
40.) If I could be a professional dancer, I would. And no, not THAT kind of professional dancer.
41.) I hate talking on the phone - I find it uncomfortable and awkward.
42.) I'm still trying to break the bad habit of biting my nails - it's a stress related thing, so you can always tell how stressed out I am by the length of my nails.
43.) I want to do more volunteer work.
44.) I am a very trusting person.
45.) I love animals, but could never be a vet because I would be entirely too emotional. I can't watch Animal Cops on Animal Planet b/c it makes me cry EVERY SINGLE TIME.
46.) I have an awesome dog name Lily Belle, who is a 3 year old, snorting, precious bulldog.
47.) I want to move back to Nashville one day.
48.) Don't ask me to pick a favorite movie. I can't.
49.) I love going to movies.
50.) I love Auburn University and going to Auburn football games.
51.) I think Aubie is the best mascot, EVER.
52.) I have amazing friends.
53.) I have hypochondriac tendencies.
54.) I hate going to the doctor.
55.) I love my TiVo.
56.) I love playing Dance Dance Revolution and the one time I played Guitar Hero, I was terrible.
57.) Fall is my favorite season, hands down. No competition from any of the other 3.
58.) Christmas is my favorite holiday.
59.) I have been married for 3 1/2 years
60.) Wow - it doesn't seem like it's been that long! Which is good I guess. :)
61.) I often wish I had red hair.
62.) There is a lot of bad in this world. But I also think there is a lot of good, and I try and focus on that when I watch the news.
63.) I don't understand how people can be so cruel sometimes.
64.) I am a romantic.
65.) I sound incredibly stupid and awkward when I cuss, so I rarely do it.
66.) I am sarcastic - sometimes to a fault.
67.) I do not tan - unless I buy it in a bottle. And that's just smelly, so I'm pretty pale year round, unless I have a sunburn.
68.) This used to make me EXTREMELY self-conscious, but I am coming to terms with it now.
69.) I wish I could sing, because I love to.
70.) I tried to learn to play the guitar once, but did not have the patience. I learned Brown-Eyed Girl and it was pretty painful to listen to me play it. Just ask anyone who ever heard it.
71.) I want Lasik surgery.
72.) I don't think I make a great first impression (refer to #23), but once you get to know me, I'm pretty cool.
73.) If I get embarrassed, I am not good at not letting people know. I turn bright red. Which is very noticeable on my aforementioned pale skin.
74.) I have a lot of freckles.
75.) I hate feet. Mine and yours. Don't take it personally.
76.) I love food. I often plan my days around it.
77.) I'm training for the Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk in October, so a lot of my life consists of walking right now.
78.) It's harder than I thought it would be.
79.) I've gotten out of the habit of doing yoga. I miss it.
80.) I am a daddy's girl and I think he hung the moon.
81.) I appreciate my mom more and more every day and think she is one of the smartest, most loving people I know.
82.) I am seven years older than my little brother and we are totally different, but are crazy about each other.
83.) I do not like crowds. They stress me out.
84.) Taking off and landing in airplanes makes my palms sweat. In between, I'm fine.
85.) Being late also makes me sweat.
86.) I have absolutely no sense of direction. Mapquest and I are best friends. And if I had one, I know GPS and I would be too.
87.) I took dance for 12 years growing up.
88.) I wish I had stuck with it.
89.) I have lived in Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia.
90.) I am very loyal - to friends, brands, tv shows, you name it.
91.) I firmly believe that Junior Mints are the best candy ever made.
92.) I want to help this cause.
93.) I hate spiders.
94.) I LOVED Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, and was devastated when I found out he died.
95.) Same goes for Christopher Reeve.
96.) It's hard for me to turn down free Starbucks - which is bad, because I'm offered free Starbucks more than you would think.
97.) I am a very serious person - sometimes too serious. I think my husband balances me out in that respect.
98.) Do not call me during Lost or Heroes. I will not answer the phone. Same went for Felicity, Dawson's Creek, Alias and Veronica Mars.
99.) I love eating hot dogs at Braves games.
100.) I'm very forgetful. If I don't write something down immediately when I think of it, I will forget it.

Lost and Found

Oh my gosh - this is the funniest thing I have seen in a LONG time. Especially if you love Growing Pains like I do, I mean, DID. Watch, NOW!

http://www.thisjustin.com/2007/05/24/the-plot-gets-thicke-on-abcs-lost/

My 5 Favorite Atlanta Restaurants

I got tagged by a fellow blogger to do this, so here goes nothing. By the way, this is my first tag - thanks Jenny! I feel like I'm in the cool crowd of bloggers or something. Anyways, I'm supposed to list my top 5 favorite restaurants in the A-T-L. This is hard, because I love food and I have lots of favorite things to eat at lots of different places. But here is what I've come up with. PS - I have no idea who the man in this picture is, but boy does he look like he's having fun with that ladle.

1.) MF Sushi - don't laugh. It stands for Magic Fingers, though my always amusing husband likes think the MF stands for something else. I think you can guess what. Anyway, I love this restaurant for personal and gastronomic reasons. This is the restaurant my husband and I ate at the night he proposed to me. Awww. And also, the sushi is MF'ing good! We just went back again this past Saturday and again, were not disappointed. If you like sushi (or even if you don't - this is an excellent place to try it for the first time) - there is nothing better, fresher or prettier in Atlanta.

2.) U.S. Cafe - Now on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, this place has AWESOME burgers. Best one I've had in Atlanta. And I get the turkey burger a lot too, which is equally as delicious as the regular burgers. There is also "U.S. Cafe Express" if you're interested in crinkle fries (and I am). It's a little place in a strip mall, but do not be fooled by the appearance. Inside lurk delicious hamburgers!

3.) Pano's and Paul's - this is one swanky, fancy place (surprisingly also located in a strip mall) that you should definitely go to on a special occasion. My husband and I went there on our anniversary and not only did we have a delicious meal, but they also gave us free dessert with "Happy Anniversary" spelled out in chocolate. Sweet! It's fancy traditional American food and the service there is also great without making you feel uncomfortable. Try the creme brulee.

4.) Bob's Kabob's - Awesome name, right? This place used to be off Paces Ferry Road in the Kroger shopping center, but has now moved up to Barrett Parkway, so we don't get up there as much. But it is so delicious and the owner makes me laugh. He serves exactly what the name of the restaurant says - kabobs! Steak kabobs, chicken kabobs, swordfish kabobs - now I sound like Bubba from Forrest Gump. The chicken kabobs with the tzatziki sauce are great!

5.) Mediterranean Cafe - holy cow, this place is SO GOOD. I just recently found out about it, though I know it's been around for awhile. It's in Midtown, kind of where 10th and Monroe meet. But there are other locations too - one in Decatur too I think. Anyway - get the vegetarian plate - best hummus I've ever had. Also comes with falafel, baba ganouj, tabouli and a little salad. Oh, and the gyro's are also delicious as are the greek potatoes you can get on the side - don't miss those.

There are so many more restaurants in Atlanta that I love, but those will be my top 5 for now. If anyone else would like to post their faves, do it! I love to hear about restaurants in other cities, in case I visit one day.

A Walk to Forget...err Remember.

In October I'll be participating in the Atlanta 3 Day Breast Cancer Walk and so I've been training for the past oh, 3 weeks I would say. So far it's all been roses and sunshine, minus the getting up early every morning, but the roses and sunshine went out the window this Saturday. I don't know if it's because I'm old or my body's getting used to it, I'm walking incorrectly, or d.) all of the above. But, I am currently experiencing what I will call a "belt of pain" that is aptly named because it sits pretty much where a belt would. My abdomen and lower back are not friends of mine right now. This could be due to the fact that I walked 5 miles on Saturday and then went to a wedding where I danced, in HEELS, for about 2 hours. It's like I was asking for muscle pain. But I think it's my body getting used to walking/cross-training everyday, so I'm hoping that eventually this will get better. I've also considered that I might need to do additional stretching or perhaps crunches/back exercises and perhaps that will help. I love crunches about as much as I love the CW though, which if you know me, is not very much (darn you CW for canceling Veronica Mars! A plague on your network!!).

Anyway, I'll be sure to keep you updated on the state of my "belt of pain". I know you are dying to know. So far, Myoflex and Aleve have been my BFF's. Oh, and if you, my faithful readers, know of anyone who would like to donate to my walk in October, consider this a shameless plug for that because I'm including the link to my website below. I'll be walking 60 miles in 3 days, in honor of my grandmother.

http://www.the3day.org/atlanta07/jburns

PS - I particularly enjoyed this picture because of the lightning bolts. I think it really captures the pain this woman must be enduring. And because maybe it will make you think I'm as muscular as she is.

108

So, I started reading a new book this morning at the gym. Eat, Pray, Love - which 22 pages in, is excellent so far. However, the most delightful thing I discovered upon starting the book this morning is that in the first 2 pages, it references the number 108. Now, for all my fellow Lost fans out there, you know why this was exciting to me. Apparently, in India, they use something called a "japa mala" - which is similar to a Catholic rosary, in that it is a strand of beads and with each bead, you recite your mantra. The interesting thing about it is that there are exactly 108 beads on a japa mala. And here is the reason - because they view 108 as a perfect number, divisible by 3, and the numbers in 108 add up to 9, which is three 3's. And, 3 is a very important number in religion, i.e., the Holy Trinity. Anyway, I was just very interested to read about it and to discover a little bit more behind the mythology on "Lost". Yes, I'm a tv dork, but you, my dear readers, already knew that!

Maybe the next thing my book will reveal is who the heck Jacob is.

Crazy for Swayze!

Tonight I am going to see one of my all-time favorite movies - Dirty Dancing. They are re-releasing it for the 20th Anniversary. Side note: it's been 20 years since this movie came out? Yipes. How old am I? Anyway - big plans to go see it tonight with a friend of mine and I'm totally geeking out, I'm so excited. I watched the horribly cheesy Patrick Swayze "She's Like the Wind" video in preparation. My favorite part is that the entire video is done as if you're looking into a puddle. Brilliant, really. If you haven't seen it, do take a look. You won't be disappointed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1tLvbyy7AM

I can't wait to see Baby and Johnny do "The Lift" on the big screen. I hope it's everything I ever dreamed it would be. I also wonder if there will be a steady murmur in the theater of people quoting every single line. I know I will. Maybe it will be interactive like The Rocky Horror Picture Show and people will dance in the aisles at the end like they do in the final scene of the movie. That would be sweet.

Other movies that should be re-released that I didn't get a chance to see at the theater: Adventures in Babysitting, The Goonies, The Princess Bride. When are their 20th anniversaries? Wouldn't it be great if there was a theater that just showed awesome movies like this all the time? Has anyone thought of this? Maybe I should keep my trap shut so no one steals this brilliant idea.

Mr. Clean

The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser might be the coolest thing I've discovered lately. Goodbye scuff marks on my baseboards! Goodbye scuff marks on my tile! Hello to my new favorite cleaning product. Yours for only $2.99 at Walgreens. In a pack of 2. Good things do come in pairs.