Tagged (Andrew's answers)

As most of you know, my family is scattered all over the U.S. So although we still love to chat over the phone, we tend to typically update our other family members afar through these blog sites. It's a great way to share pictures, videos, stories and store memories. Well, as you probably noticed (via-Amanda's last post), my family has been playing this "blog tag" game. Yes, I'll give it to you... at first glance, an online game of cyber tag is a little on the nerdy side. However, Amanda and I have enjoyed reading people's responses as the game as progressed. And now, I have been tagged. So here goes...

4 Random Things About Me:

1. My dream is to one day restore & sail a vintage sailboat
2. A lifelong goal of mine is to one day be a published author
3. I wrote out a checklist of 100 things that I wanted to do within my lifetime, well before the movie "Bucket List" ever came out.
4. I have a beta fish that sits on the corner of my office desk that is named Oscar de la Santos. He received this name after an extra slow work day when I decided to try to poke him with me finger. He moved like a Spanish Matador, hence the name Oscar de la Santos. It sounded fitting.

4 Occupations I'd love to do if talent/money were irrelevant:

1. A mayor in a small, Southern town somewhere on the coast.

(the type of mayor that you only see on the news whenever a huge hurricane is barreling down on the coast... I could be the face of reassurance. That's a scary thought, I know.)

(above: surely I could do better than this guy...)

2. A high school/college basketball, soccer or football coach.
3. A New York Times best-selling author
4. A kicker for the New Orleans Saints (very few hard hits, decent-to-high chances of survival)

4 Guilty Pleasures

1. thick, juicy burgers (the-messier, the better)
2. Sunday afternoon Football, wings & naps
3. Creating different marinates, sauces and rubs
4. Reese's blizzards from Dairy Queen

4 Things I'm Drawn to Buy Even When I Don't Need Them:

1. Movies (my dream is to eventually have my own "Man Cave" with a Blockbuster supply of DVDs)
2. Books
3. Fishing & nautical equipment/gear
4. Electronics & gadgits

3 Challenges I Face on a Daily/Weekly Basis:

1. finding good, quality time to spend with Amanda doing things that she likes
2. finding times for naps
3. not giving my time & energy to the negative people & attitudes that cross my paths on a daily basis

4 Books That Inspired Me or That I Have Simply Enjoyed This Year:

1. "On Call in Hell: A Doctor's Iraq War Story" by CDR. Richard Jadick
(This one is about a doctor who was on call in Fallujah during 2004 when the U.S. took over the terrorist stronghold city. I decided to read this book last week, because with our elections coming up, I figured that reminding myself of the sacrifices made by our men and women who have served, would strengthen my appreciation for my right to vote. This book was beyond powerful.)
2. "I Am America (and So Can You!)" by Stephen Colbert (I wouldn't label this one insightful, but it is hilarious)

(above is a picture of my favorite comedian, Stephen Colbert)

3. "Three Weeks with My Brother" by Nicholas Sparks (A memoir which focuses on the special bound that is found between brothers)
4. "The Bulldozer and the Big Tent: Blind Republicans, Lame Democrats and the Recover of American Ideals" by Todd Gitlin (accurate, right-down-the-middle assessment of the history of recent politics in America)