Thank you for coming back for Round Two of Questions. You can read the first round here.

Royals

First, can I just say how happy it made me to have a whole category of questions for my Royals? If you have been here much at all, you know that I do love that baseball.

(Janelle) How about these ROYALS?!?!? I am so excited about this year. They have gotten off to a great start, however they definitely have a target on their back. I really enjoyed this article yesterday after we saw yet another one of our players get hit at bat. I have always enjoyed watching the Royals play, and finally our way of playing is getting noticed. These are just guys living out their dream of being all stars and having fun while doing it. I feel like that is how every major sports star should be. You can’t knock the Royals for doing it, even though everyone now thinks we are hotheads. We’ll still be in Kauffman having a ball.

(Kevin) Favorite Royals player of all-time? I am going to be that person that says George Brett. My brother and I used to idolize over him, and we coveted our GB baseball cards. My dad also did the Fantasy Camp last year. This is basically where normal people can go play with big leaguers for a week. It’s like you are a baseball star. They play real games, get to be in the dugouts and locker rooms, get jerseys, the whole shabang. Your team coaches are all famous Royals players. My dad was on George’s team for the week. From my dad’s real life interactions and everything that I have read about him, he seems to be a down to earth guy with the Royals’ best interest at heart. And it is hard not to love him when you see his reaction to plays and genuine passion for our boys in blue. So I feel connected to him in some way. Also my George is kind of sort of named after him. (Just kidding, but only sort of.)

(Kevin) Favorite current Royals player? I would have to say Mike Moustakas. Time and time again he has made some amazing plays. He also seems like a great down to earth individual and great team player. I love a lot of people on the roster right now though. It’s hard not to love Cain, Hosmer, Gordon, and Salvy.

Leisure

(Leslie) If you could travel anywhere where would it be? I want to go to Africa. I really want to do a safari. Like bad.

(Leslie) If you could only watch one movie for the rest of your life what would it be? Singing in the Rain. A little bit of romance, a little bit of comedy, and a lot of singing and dancing. Yes please.

(Melissa) When are you visiting Iowa? I will actually be in Iowa in August! I am so excited to come up for a wedding and see a whole lot of people while we are there! Tom and I talk all the time about how we miss Iowa. CAN.NOT.WAIT. I miss these ladies!

(Ellen) Who are you rooting for to win DWTS this season? Ahh I was rooting for Derek and Nastia, because well I am obsessed with Derek. I am still rooting for Nastia even though Derek seems to be out for the rest of the competition due to some stupid klutziness on his part. For the ultimate mirror ball trophy, I really want Allison and Riker to win. They are so sharp, and I love Allison’s choreography paired with Riker’s personality. They are a fantastic match!

(Annette) What are your favorite documentaries you would recommended? Anything Ken Burns is good. He does a lot of different subjects and does a mini docu-series. I also loved Vietnam in HD and WWII in HD. On a lighter note, I enjoyed the Science of Dogs.

(Ellen) Favorite TED Talk? You know, I don’t think I can honestly say that I have one. It has been awhile since I have watched one, and those that I have watched have not been so profound to leave a lasting effect. Do people have ones to recommend?

Crafts

(Leslie) What has been your favorite craft project? My favorite craft project (besides crocheting) would have to be these yellow pieces of art. Tom hates them, but I win the decorating argument, and I love them. I made them while Tom was in Basic, and was one of the projects that sparked a conversation about crafting my way through his deployment and the birth of this blog. Here are the instructions since I did this prior to being a blogger.

(Melissa) What is your recommendation for a first time crochet project (something easy but still makes you feel like you accomplished something)? I would say a scarf or a baby blanket are great starters. These are both small scale projects and can be done simply. A scarf is probably what I would start with just so you can get the rhythm down. I think people start with too small of needles and trying to do too intricate of stitches. Then they make the stitches too tight or vary in the tight and loose so it looks more holey in some areas. You want to start with a big fat needle and the basic single stitch. Once you have that down, then you can move on to more complicated things. My first attempt at crocheting was atrocious as are most people who begin, so in all honesty you probably don’t want to bank on that first project being anything special. It really is something you have to practice on so you can get a feel of how the yarn moves with the weaving so you are consistent with each stitch, which is not as easy at it sounds. I am planning on doing a post sometime this summer on how to start crocheting and some of my favorite Youtube tutorials.

(Robin) When did you start crocheting, and what inspired you to do this? I started crocheting when I was seven years old. My dad taught me. I just did straight lines up until undergrad when I started making blankets for my fraternity auction every year. I though it was time for a change, and ever since then I try to learn a new stitch or at least do a different pattern on every project I start. Pinterest and Youtube also helped with showing me all kinds of different techniques that I was too scared to try for almost 15 years. It is probably my favorite crafty thing to do. I can pick it up whenever. I can travel with crochet in the car. I have taken it to the movie theater with me. It is one of those things that helps me relax but I also feel like I am accomplishing something in my downtime. (Which as an Achiever this is very important.)

(Robin) Have you ever considered knitting? I have tried knitting. I learned how to do it in college, but I lost the skill after a few years. I honestly found it confusing and with having done crocheting for so many years, I just reverted back to that technique. Crochet only has one needle so it was easier in my book.

Random

(Amanda) What Disney princess are you most like? Hands down Belle. However, a recent Facebook quiz/mind-reader said that I was more like Pocahontas. I am pretty partial to Belle though because of the love for books.

(Amanda) What is your favorite food? Healthy answer is fruit of any variety, unhealthy answer is mac and cheese of any variety.

(Amanda) What is your favorite flower? Daisies, but I also LOVE poppies. I do not like roses.

(Katie) Is there a meaning behind your blog title? Yes there is! I wrote a whole post on it here. The gist of it though to quote myself: I want to always be looking for positives and be ever thankful. No matter how gray or blah it may be with the storm, there is always a yellow umbrella. (I like this better than the silver lining garb.) So I want to always be finding my yellow in this world. I did go with “my” instead of “the” because it is my journey which may seem narcissistic, but I think at times we do need to focus on ourselves. What I may find positive may not be the same experience for someone else. I can only control my attitude so this is just to help me focus along the way to be a more positive light.

(Katie) What is your biggest pet peeve? Having a meeting start late, or other participants of a meeting not showing up. I hate going to the doctor for the sole reason that I always end up waiting. I think it is stupid to have a set meeting time and have me put in the effort to schedule this time when you can’t even keep it. And most of the time it’s not just a 15 minute wait. Just stupid. I might as well take off the whole day for the doctor. I also get really frustrated at work when people make an appointment with me and do not show without any notice. There was one week when every day I was only meeting 1 out of the 6 appointments I had in a day. I was peeved to say the least. I hate it because I feel like I can’t get any quality work done because I am always waiting on someone else’s time. I just think the whole thing is disrespectful to waste my time when an appointment is made and it can’t be kept.

(Elizabeth) What is your “tell” when you’re sad or upset? I bite my lip. Its a reflex to try to not cry. I also become more quiet and a little sulky. This wasn’t your question, but when I am concentrating really hard, I stick my tongue out. I do this a lot when I am exercising hard. It sounds silly, but I am pretty sure this is hereditary. My brother does this and so did my great grandfather.

(Elizabeth) What is one thing you’d like to go back and tell teenage Stephanie? Not to worry so much. Things will work out. I have always been a pretty anxious person, so I wish I could tell myself to relax a little bit and not be so uptight. I need to tell 29 year old Stephanie this some days. Also that hamsters are a very bad idea as a pet.

So there you have it. Thanks for playing along and giving me some great questions.

Here’s to the weekend!