Hodgepodgeaphobia

That would be fear of not answering this week's questions.

Welcome to your weekly Wednesday happy! Answer the questions on your own blog, then hop back here to add your link to the party (hodgepodge posts only please!). Don't forget to say hi to the blogger who linked before you...or all the party goers if you've got some time today.

Here we go-

1. Under what circumstances do you do your best thinking?

Probably in the early morning when the day is new and the house is quiet. It's my favorite time of day and I use those hours to think, pray, journal, plan my day and sometimes my life. Oh, and it's also when I drink coffee. Coffee helps tremendously with the thinking.

2. Are you a risk taker? What's one big risk you've taken?

Not in an adrenaline junkie sort of way, but sure I've taken some risks. Getting married might be considered risky.  I think 'for better or worse' implies some risk is involved. Having children, which for me has meant living with a heart forever open and vulnerable to big hurts and great joys. 

Then of course there's moving across the pond with teenagers. Except we were very sure God had opened that door, so is walking through it an actual risk? Or is it just doing what you're told and maybe quaking a little on the inside?

3. Some of the most common phobias according to the Institute for Mental Health are-spiders (arachnaphobia), snakes (ophidiophobia ), heights (acrophobia), fear of spaces from which escape is difficult (agoraphobia), fear of thunder and lightning (astrophobia), fear of dogs (cynophobia), injections (trypanophobia), social situations, flying (pteromerhanophobia), and fear of germs and dirt (mysophobia). True phobias affect only 10% of adults, but of those listed which would you rate as your greatest fear?

I'm surprised claustrophobia (fear of small spaces) isn't on there, because that would be my number one answer to a phobia question. Agoraphobics can be very fearful in large spaces too, so therein lies the difference. 

If I have to choose from the phobias listed I guess maybe snakes? For one thing I like saying the word ophidiophobia-ha!  I don't mind looking at a snake in an aquarium, but I am not a fan of running across one anywhere else. Hubs likes snakes so any dealings with them are his department. 

4. Are you settled or do you feel you need to move somewhere new?

We definitely feel the need to move somewhere. That's the plan anyway. People don't actually retire in the land of 'worst property taxes in the US of A' do they? Anyway, the south calls our name, and our plan is to get back there one day in the not too distant future. 

5. What is something you find annoying when dining in a restaurant?

People who allow their little ones to run around the restaurant while you're trying to eat. Unless you're in a fast food restaurant, which I wouldn't be, so yeah...littles running around while you're trying to have a nice meal. 

6. Daffodil yellow, sunset orange, spring green, or sky blue...your favorite color this time of year?

I'm slightly obsessed with a clear blue sky any time of year, but especially after a too- long, too-gray winter. Course an orangey orange sunset is pretty hard to resist too. My answer is the colors of the sky...the blues, the oranges, the pinks, and lilacs too.  

7. If you were going to take a holiday all by yourself, where would you go?

Maybe Paris. 
Likely London. 
Probably both. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

One thing I especially love about Charleston are all the beautiful big old trees, especially the magnolias. In case that sentence feels more random than normal (even for me), I was in Charleston last weekend (and wrote about it here).  

There was another plant blooming and growing along many of the fences, something called Confederate Jasmine, and it was gorgeous. The hedges were so full of tiny little blooms my camera struggled to focus-

Or maybe it was the photographer, but whatever...the jasmine had a soft sweet scent that was so delicate and lovely. 

I bet it doesn't grow in The Garden State where it's almost the end of May and we still have our heat on. Ridunkulous! I've been singing this song all week, and I think it fits here today. If you love the south, live in the south, or long to be south, these lyrics make you feel all warm and cozy.