Honesty and Questions (with Tags)

Thank you to Mary for giving me this "Honest Scrap Blog Award." The rules of this award are simple...list 10 honest things about yourself and then pass it on to 4 people who have shown their honesty through their blogs.
1. I truly love my job. Most of your know that I am a children's librarian in a public library. Each week I have over 400 children participate in the different programs I do at the library and during the summer that number sometimes triples. I do programming for infants - age 15 and my days are never the same. There are people of every economic level that use my library. I have seen children crawl for the first time and read their first book. I have spoken to young teens about what they hope their future holds. I am thirty years old and have worked at the library is some capacity for 15 years. I started as a volunteer and worked my way up to the Director of Youth Services. A few years after I graduated, my favorite University professor ran into me and asked what I was doing. When I told him I had chosen to stay at the library he said, "what a waste." It devastated me. A year or so later, I  confided this to a lady that brings her children to the library. She took my hand and said, "then he has no idea what you mean to the children of this community." And I knew my decision to stay was the right choice.

2. I have struggled to lose weight after I had my gall bladder removed in 2007. This makes me proud of every single pound I lose. 

3.I worry about my husband dying young. Most of this fear is completely irrational and stems from the fact that my mother's father died when he was 56 and then my Dad died when he was 56. My best friend's husband died in his 40s. Some of the most important men in my life have died too early.

4. I am having a hard time with my Mother dating. In my head, I want her to be happy, but in my heart it hurts to see her with another man.

5. I love to just relax in front of the TV and watch mindless television.   Sometimes I am not even really watching, I am just not thinking about anything else.

6. I love planning a trip almost as much as actually going on the trip. However, I am very flexible with my travel plans. I like to read about everything that is available to do, but I am usually not disappointed if we do none of the things I have researched and follow a completely different itinerary.

7. I work with the public everyday, but I am incredibly shy is social situations. I would much rather be at home with Tommy than at a party. And I hate to mingle. It makes me very uncomfortable. I don't even care for group situations with my family.

8. I worry what my body will look like when I reach my goal weight.  I used to never think about this, but recently I have noticed how my skin is sagging. I read that if you lose slow that your body usually has time to tighten up, but mine has not done this at all. I want to lose weight in order to have a healthy body and to improve my fitness level, but it would also be nice to have a bathing suit body, but I don't think that will ever happen...especially when I look at my thighs!

9.  For that last few years, I haven't looked forward to holidays. I have always LOVED the holidays, but after Dad died...it just became very hard to get into the holiday spirit. This year, I have been so excited about the holidays...but I am worried that I will wake up any day and that excitement will be gone again. I think that is part of the reason I want to get my decorations up early this year.

10.  I am so thankful to this blog community. You guys just don't know how much your sweet comments mean to me. (Or maybe you do...since this is your community too!)

I want to pass this on to Jennifer, Girly Girl, Lori, and Karen!

I was also tagged in a question game by Moving Mertle at Diets and Sweat. These are the questions she asked:

1. What is your favorite mantra/motivational words/quote?
"RUN when you can, WALK when you have to, CRAWL if you must, Just NEVER GIVE UP!"- Dean Karnazes

2. What was your favorite book as a child?  I loved the book, A Panda Cake by Rosalie Seidler! I had the weekly reader version. The first year Tommy and I were together, he found the book on ebay and gave it to me as a Christmas gift. It is one of my favorite gifts.

3. What is your favorite recipe or cook book? This is an easy one. When Tommy and I got married an elderly lady gave me a notebook filled with her families favorite recipes and helpful hints around the kitchen. I treasure this gift.

4. What do you want for Christmas? I would love a Nike+ sports band.

I want to tag Rae, Brittany, Tish, and J with the following questions.

1. What is your favorite Christmas memory?

2. What is your go-to meal?

3. How would you spend a day if you could do anything...from morning to night.

4. How do you plan to motivate yourself to keep up diet and exercise during the holidays?