{Ask Away Friday} Questions with @TamaraCamPhoto

Hello December! It’s the month of crazy holiday shopping, pictures with Santa, happiness and joy!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with #AskAwayFriday it’s an amazing way to meet new bloggers, make friends and ask some questions to get to know them better!  10 questions are exchanged and answered on your partners blog, you can get as creative as you want and even get into our purses!

As always, tried and true we have the partners in crime, the ladies who created #AskAwayFriday…the wonderful Penny from The Real Housewife of Caroline County and Amber from Bold Fab Mom!!

The Real Housewife of Caroline County

Our co-hosts for the month of December are here as well!  All new ladies who have been wonderful additions to the #AskAwayFriday week after week!  Show them some love by stopping by their blogs!


The Green Eyed Lady Blog


 

This is my last week co-hosting Ask Away Friday and I’m super thrilled to be pairing up with Tamara from Tamara [like] Camera blog.  I “met” Tamara through the SITS girls, an online blogging community during a Saturday morning twitter party.  I have to admit, she is one of my blog crushes because blog is so inspiring.  It’s like a photo-journal of her life –  the photos are captivating and her writing is so rich with emotion as if she’s giving us a glimpse into her soul.

askawayfridayTamara.jpg

Here are the questions she asked me this week:

1. You get a $1,000 shopping spree (am I naive to assume that’s a lot of money in the fashion world?) and you HAVE to use it on fashion. Where do you go first? Second?
I would go to the Magnificent Mile in Chicago.  I’ve been there dozens of times, but always in a “window shopping” capacity because everything is so expensive.  I would hit up a luxury brand store and buy a ridiculously expensive purse. I would want to spend it on a timeless accessory rather than on clothes because fashion changes so quickly.  Second, I would go to Anthropology – another ridiculously expensive store where I only window shop.

2. Ok, you probably know from twitter and the blogging world that I contributed to a book about meltdowns, or as we like to call them, “adult tantrums.” I did read your embarrassing mom moment from your last #AskAwayFriday post but I’m wondering if you have a great pregnancy/parenting meltdown story to share.

PreggoZavier031811

Jeff took me to Ruth’s Chris, a fancy steakhouse, for Valentine’s Day when I was about 8 months pregnant with Zavier.  I never seem to finish the 12 or 16 oz portions and end up with left-overs.

The next day at work, all I could think about was heating up that left-over steak  and devouring it once I got home.  I pictured myself heating it up with butter on the frying pan and eating it with a pile of rice (I’m Filipino, I eat everything with rice).  I could taste it just thinking about it.  When I got home, I found out that Jeff beat me to it and ate it for lunch.

I was LIVID.  How could he even think of eating food that belonged to a pregnant woman?  What the heck?  It was one thing if it were left over french fries.  But STEAK?  C’mon!  And that I was thinking about it aaaalllll day.   I’m getting mad all over again just thinking about it!  LOL  

So began my adult tantrum: There was screaming.  There were lots of tears.  There were bad words and punches thrown in the air.

I remember getting into my car and driving towards the direction of the steakhouse, while on the phone with Jeff still cursing him out.  I was going to tell the fancy restaurant people what my husband had done and order a new one.  Surely they would empathize with a pregnant woman and cook me up a fresh $50 steak, right?

But somehow, being in the car calmed me down.  I guess being in the car can soothe an adult tantrums as effectively as soothing a baby tantrum.

3. I actually met you on twitter (I remember it well because you were explaining how to pronounce your name and I loved that) and I have connected with you on klout. Name a topic you’d give a +K to Arielle in, and a topic you’d give a +K to Zavier in. And why? (for example, I’d give my daughter a +K in Bedtime Negotiation! and maybe my son a +K in Goofy Behavior).
Arielle would get a +K in the following:
– Princesses
– Never-ending questions
– Singing

Zavier would get a +K in the following:
– Cuddling
– Crib get-aways
– Spidey sense

A&Z Christmas

A&Z on Christmas morning

4. Can you tell me a favorite Christmas memory?
When my sis and I were little, my grandparents drove us around a Chicago neighborhood to view beautiful houses with Christmas lights.  I’ll never forget some of the houses I saw that night – especially one that had a Christmas tree that went right through 2 stories of the house and right up through the roof.  I thought about taking the kids through that area to see the magical Christmas lights, but didn’t have a clue where to find it.  As soon as I googled it, this image came up and it looked just as I remembered from my favorite Christmas memory:

Image from here

5. Do you have any New Year’s resolutions, or big time goals for 2014? I almost framed this as blogging resolutions/goals, but figured I’d ask about life in general too, and you can decide how you want to best answer.
I don’t have any New Year’s resolutions since those tend to be hard to keep; however, I do have intentions that I want to keep in mind throughout 2014.  Some words that come to mind are: CONNECT and UN-BUSYBODY.

Okay, that second one is not even a word, but I basically want to simplify my schedule and manage my time better.

6. What big challenge have you taken on recently?
Oh boy.  I rarely talk about work on my blog, but this one was probably one of the biggest challenges in my professional career.  I was the Project Manager for all things digital for the Nicki Minaj and Adam Levine launch in 500 Kmart stores.  This included a celebrity mobile app, where all signs in the store are activated with augmented reality – you can actually take your picture with Nicki and Adam in the store by making them virtually appear through your phone.  There were also kiosks and digital signs that went into the 6 flagship stores.  It was a lot of work to implement in 5 months, but I was able to make it happen.  Nobody knows about it because we haven’t really advertised it yet.  But now you know – go to your local Kmart store (find stores here), download the Shop Your Way app, and get your photo with Nicki or Adam!

Adam Nicki

7. What’s the worst movie you have ever seen, and who did you see it with? (I have a few of these..)
The worst movie I’ve ever seen was  a foreign horror flick called Dumpling.  Jeff and I wanted to watch a scary movie around Halloween and this was not scary at all, it was just very disturbing.  I can’t even talk about it because it is taboo and just so disgusting.  I wish I could un-see that movie because I haven’t been able to eat dumplings ever since.

8. Where’s your very favorite place to go when you want to be alone, and why?
My newly designed momcave!  My husband has a history of getting me over-the-top Christmas gifts.  This year, he surprised me with a mini make-over for my momcave that he designed, bought, assembled, and installed it just in time for Christmas.  I could spend hours in here writing, creating, and catching up on my favorite blogs.

Screen shot 2013-12-26 at 8.37.55 PM

9. How many countries have you visited?
This many [holding up 1 hand proudly]!  Mexico, England, Jamaica, Aruba, and the Cayman Islands.  I really hope to visit the Philippines soon.  Here’s a pic of Jeff and me on our honeymoon in Aruba:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

10. What was/is the happiest era of your life so far?
NOW.  Everything that I could ever ask for has come true – having a loving husband with 2 beautiful healthy kids, a home, and pup named Coconut.  I love the soundtrack of my home with sounds of my kids laughter and the piddle paddle of their footsteps through the house.  I feel good in my 30s, like I’m comfortable in my own skin and happy with my career so far.

Thanks so much for swapping questions with me, Tamara!  You can check out her answers to my questions here.  If you played along this week, don’t forget to link-up:
[inlinkz_linkup id=354527]

xoxo // gracielle.

Comments

  1. I seriously forgot that it’s already Friday and so I miss this week’s edition! Ahaha. I LOVE LOVE your momcave!! I’d love to have that too! But I’m still thinking on how to maximize our spaces in our house (which is not really ours), hehehe! How nice of your husband to redesign your momcave. Wow, I even love the term! 😀 Hope you can visit the Philippines, where in the country do you live by the way? 🙂
    Rea recently posted…A New Domain and A Bonsai Christmas Tree 🙂My Profile

  2. I LOVE your new mom-cave. Especially jealous of the file cabinets. Your husband sounds like a tremendously talented gifter. Lucky girl, you!
    Shana Norris recently posted…Twitterature :: December 2013My Profile

  3. Ohhh man I felt your pain in that pregnancy story!!! LOL!!

    Very good answers…I love reading your blog! I love the mom cave, I need one of those when we move to a bigger house! I said I wanted space for an office so it can be a mom cave/office!!

    • Thanks, Carissa! My momcave used to be the most uninspiring room of the house. Now that my husband gave me a head start, I’m totally looking forward to decorating the whole room!

  4. Scarlet has the same Sofia dress! The meltdown story is CRACKING me up. What was he thinking?? And the tree through the roof is so awesome!
    The Dumpling movie? I won’t even Google it..not going to do it. Tempted, but no.
    Thanks so much for swapping with me, Gracielle! You were such a good sport with my strange questions. Love this.
    Tamara recently posted…Do I Want a Third Baby?My Profile

  5. I absolutely LOVE your Mommy meltdown! I have had those and i wasn’t even Preggers! I am a food junkie and I take MY food VERY seriously and everyone in my house KNOWS Not To Eat My Leftovers! LMBO But When They do I go NUTS! So Funny…
    I also love your MOMCave! It looks amazing! You Hubby is the best for that! Great gift!
    Tiffany recently posted…#AskAwayFriday W/Anne from Annie’s Blog of LoveMy Profile

  6. I love the Christmas tree house. How cool that must have been to see as a child. Heck, I’m an adult and I’m still pretty impressed, LOL!!! I loved your answer about +K for your kids. You have a really cool job and I think your newly designed mom cave is so cute! So nice to meet you!
    Tia recently posted…Ask Away Friday w/ Carissa from Green Eyed Lady BlogMy Profile

  7. LOL at your adult tantrum. Throwing a tantrum sure isn’t limited to kids! And you have a great job, Gracielle. I can imagine the pressure you were under, but you pulled it off. Kudos to you!
    Alison recently posted…Ask Away Friday with Miss Dre @ So She WritesMy Profile

  8. I have never bought anything on the Magnificent Mile, and that’s exactly where I would go! I’m in the Chicago area, too. My husband and I went to Ruth’s Chris one time, and the steak was FABULOUS!

    Visiting from Tamara’s blog!
    Ginny Marie recently posted…A Very Merry Waterpark-y ChristmasMy Profile

  9. That tree is WOWZA, I can only imagine how incredible it looks in real life. I am also feeling a desire to go and strip my Mom cave and give it a good overhaul, what a thoughtful, useful and flat out amazing gift.
    Karen Main recently posted…Why absolutely nothing is wrong with a messy, ugly cryMy Profile

  10. There are absolutely no KMart stores around me but now I feel the need to drive 100 miles to find one. That is absolutely amazing and I would be putting a sign in my yard saying “I did this” if I were you.

    LOL about cars soothing adult tantrums.

    Another question just cuz I’m curious…why are there two desks in your pretty momcave?
    Carla recently posted…Coffee Sugar Exfoliating Body Scrub from Zoe Natural CreationsMy Profile

  11. I always love these Ask-Away Friday posts!! Your story about the steak made me laugh – especially the fact that it made you mad again writing about it!!! And, I love your mom cave!!!
    I hope you get to visit the Philippines sometime – I was actually born there (on an Air Force base) and would like to go sometime, too!
    Kim recently posted…Standing Makes Me Happy!My Profile

  12. I think it’s cool that you will be able to take a picture with Adam Levine and Nikki. I’ve also gotten mad at my husband for eating my leftovers. He now knows to ask before eating my leftovers.
    Sonya recently posted…Kanye West Yeezus Album for Free on Google PlayMy Profile

  13. Tamara is definitely one of my faves. She’s my buddy 🙂 Very nice that you got to swap with her. Your kids look so cute. Your +K topics for them were so cute. I can’t believe that picture of that tree! So cool that you were able to google it and find it. I would love to see how they did it stays through the roof like that. 🙂
    Brittnei recently posted…Letters to My First Born: 19 MonthsMy Profile

  14. That tree through the house is awesome! I had to call my husband in to look at it! haha!
    You’re momcave is unbelievable! I love it!! Those polka dots are great and looks like the perfect place to be inspired!
    Beth at Structure in an Unstructured Life recently posted…Comment on Ask Away Friday with Jodi! by Stacey GannettMy Profile

    • Those polka dots are actually magnets! I need to start decorating and organizing this space, but I definitely feel more inspired already. Happy New Year!

  15. i came on by from tamara’s blog. will be following on bloglovin.
    Catherine Gacad recently posted…Pregnancy Question #1: Epidural vs Drug-FreeMy Profile

Trackbacks

  1. […] which I take very seriously, and I became a loyal reader after that. Make sure you check out her blog to see her answers to my […]

Speak Your Mind

*

CommentLuv badge

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.