Blogging, Favorite Things, Life

12 odd questions

Kari

i’m finally going through all of the posts i started and never finished. the post that inspired this one was first published in august 2024-just to give you an idea of how far back i’m digging.

my friend la got the idea from a blogging friend of hers, who sadly died earlier this year. you can read la’s answers here.

1- if you could delete one month from the year, which month would you choose?

probably february. it’s short, no one i know has a birthday that month, and it gets me one month closer to spring.

2- what’s the silliest feature you’d have in your dream house?

i’m a huge fan of silly- in a dream home, it’s actually a great thing. that being said, i’d pick skylights for the bathrooms. i’m a huge fan of natural light in every room.

3- what’s the worst hair decision you’ve made?

i wouldn’t say it was a decision i made myself-more like what was chosen for me when i was little. the dorothy hamill haircut i got in second grade. my friends called me “pumpkin head” for years- all in good fun, of course.

4- which superpower would you give to everyone in the world?

the ability to truly feel how any decision you make will affect the people around you – even the ones whose lives don’t touch yours directly. a supercharged version of empathy.

5- if one of your parents were president, what would they do?

we agreed that my dad got out just in time-no joke, he would hate what’s going on right now. my mom, on the other hand, would probably bake cookies and show love to all of the families being separated right now. her greatest gift is through service and love, and we could really use more of that right now.

6- what’s the best prank you’ve pulled?

i’ve talked about the wedding bench before in this post, so i won’t go into all the details. the best prank was probably when mike and i went to retrieve the bench from our friend’s yard while they were hosting a backyard party.

Photo by Brett Schaberg on Pexels.com

7- if you worked at an amusement park or landmark for the rest of your life, which would you choose?

probably somewhere on the great lakes in the upper midwest-or door county, wisconsin.

8- what’s one weird thing you learned at school?

that sitting still and not talking for as long as possible was considered a good thing

9- if you could invent something. what would it be?

a cure for cancer. also, a cure for assholery.

10- what’s a pet peeve you’d make illegal?

standing way too close to the person in front of you in line.

11- what funny story is your hometown famous for?

me 😊

12- who is the defining figure of your generation (gen-x)?

i dont think we have one. gen-x grew up independent, skeptical of institutions, and focused on authenticity. if anything, the defining figure is the everyday person quietly shaping the world on their own.

i’d love to hear your answers in the comments.

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66 thoughts on “12 odd questions”

  1. Fun! Loved your answers! Yah. I’m cool with removing February. 😎

    My silly dream-house feature:

    Independently functioning climate ccontrol for every room in the house (heat, air-con, humidity, and HEPA filtration… cause I’m swanky like that).

    Is it just me who wants one room chilly and another toasty hot?

    Comfort Control in every room starts NOW! 😊

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    1. One of my dear friend’s yesterday texted me and reminded me her birthday is in February. GAH -I can’t believe I forgot! So I’m choosing July now. 🤣

      Maddie – I LOVE THIS IDEA. I want this too!

      No, it’s not just you. I want my kitchen cool, but I want my living room warm. I also want my bedroom cool- but only when I’m getting ready for sleep. When I first get in, I’d like it a little warmer. And my bathrooms? Definitely warm. I’m adding this to my dream home list!

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  2. I’d delete March… it always makes winter feel SO SO LONG to still have snow and yuckiness. I dyed my hair auburn in high school– it was so dark and my hair just sucked it right up that we could not get that color fully out until my hair grew out enough to cut. I definitely regret that one.

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    1. Anna dyed her hair brown in middle school and in high school. She said to me a few weeks ago- what was I thinking? I said- you were a teenager! 💜

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  3. I’d eighty-six August. I’m usually over summer by then, and besides, there are no holidays in August, so nothing to miss.

    Greatest prank: I convinced a long-distance coworker to pee in a cup for a non-existent drug test. I feel bad about this now, but younger Mark thought it was a real riot. Still can’t believe I got away with it!

    I learned that teachers really do have favorite students, and if you get on their good side, truly astonishing things can happen.

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  5. I had a Dorothy Hamill cut when I was a kid too and I think I am forever scarred by it. My mother used to tell me my hair was too terrible to grow out, and so she’d cut it super short. I have had lifelong hair issues and I’m sure that’s where they come from. I also had a Toni home perm at one point which was atrocious. In a desperate attempt to change the Toni home perm I had my hair cut like Madonna’s in the Papa Don’t Preach video. This was circa 1986 and I was 11 and it was a terrible decision. It took forever to grow out and it looked just awful. Ever since I have had agency over my hair I have worn it long-ish.

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    1. Oh no- I’m so sorry. I remember my junior year, my mom took me to get a haircut, and it ended up so short. I hated it. I can still remember going through the drive through afterward as consolation because I was so depressed about it. Sigh.

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  7. October. It’s a difficult month for me.

    I’d have either a dispensing pop machine, one that has all the bonus flavours in addition to the entry level sodas, or a soft serve ice cream machine that offered vanilla, chocolate, or twist. I’d also hire staff for the daily cleaning lol

    Did any of us love the Dorothy Hamill cut that was forced on so many, young, Gen-X girls? I have cowlicks, for goodness sakes.

    When I was in university, some friends and I removed the screws holding the stall walls of the bathrooms on the boys floor. They fell down not to long after we were back on our floor.

    If you could get a move on with the assholery cure, that’d be great.

    I love a survey post.

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    1. I’m sorry. I don’t love October either. 😘

      These are such good answers! Now I want this in my dream home too.

      What was wrong with our mothers?? I feel like we are owed compensation. I’ll look into it. 😘🤣

      Now THIS is a good prank!

      I will do my best.

      I love it too. 💜

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  8. These are so fun to read and do. I especially loved your last answer. And #11 :)

    Here are mine:

    1. January is the most depressing month of the year for me. Cold and grey!
    2. Automatic blinds would be amazing to have.
    3. I used to use Sun In on my hair to give it highlights. When I was around 40, I ended up with a weird streak in front and of course, we had a family photo scheduled, so I have to forever see my skunk tail look in that photo.
    4. Empathy without a doubt!
    5. Well, my Dad could not be president because of this, but he would never vote for anyone over 65. Didn’t matter if it was a mayor, senator, or president. So, he’d make a law restricting age to run for any political office. I can’t say I disagree with that.
    6. Long story (I did a post on it years ago) but when I was in high school, my friends and I invented something we called, ‘Bolting.’ It involved writing notes on Bolt paper towels and putting them in mailboxes of guys we had crushes on. We were never discovered.
    7. Any national park out west.
    8. More stupid than weird: my old lady 2nd grade teacher gave me C’s in cursive writing because I did not SLANT my handwriting. My Dad thought it was stupid, too!
    9. Selfish answer, but I’d invent something you could ingest that would dissolve kidney stones because they are a nightmare for many people, myself included.
    10. Walking or riding bikes on the roads (I know, I’d get a lot of hate for that)
    11. This is hilarious, but it was always a story that the hamburger was invented by the Menches brothers of Akron, Ohio.
    12. I’m Generation Jones (1954-1965) and Steve Jobs would be my pick.

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    1. 1- I get that completely. But Ellie’s birthday is in January, so that has definitely helped brighten it up for me.

      2- Ooh- I like that idea!

      3- OMG- I could see this happening to me!

      4- Right??

      5- Your dad sounded like a smart man to me.

      6- I love this idea! Do you have a link to that post?

      7- After seeing your pictures, I can see why.

      8- Ugh- why were our teachers like this. I had teachers like this too.

      9- That’s not selfish at all.

      10- I AGREE

      11- Is it true? I’m too lazy to look it up.

      12- Gen Jones?? I’ve never heard of this!

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      1. I’ll repost the Bolting post soon as I have almost all new followers since then. The hamburger thing is complicated, but it dates back to 1885 and the Menches Brothers. Someone coined the term Gen Jones a few years ago because people my age were tired of being lumped with Boomers! 🤣

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  9. Love your answer about the defining person of your generation!

    Let’s see. I had a terrible perm when I was in third grade. Just awful. One of the boys in my class laughed and laughed right in my face the first day I showed up with curly hair. Ugh.

    Silly feature in my dream home… hmm. Maybe heated floors? That doesn’t seem silly enough. Oooh, I know — a cat camera in every room!

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    1. Thank you! I had to think really hard about that one. I just knew I didn’t want to pick a celebrity- then it sent me down a rabbit spiral of thinking, which is never good. 🤣

      Oh no! I’m so sorry. I understand being laughed at for hair- pumpkin head here.

      Heated floors! I want those in my dream home too. And a pet camera, too! I love your answers!

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  10. Your answers are great, Kari! Your hometown is famous for a story about you? I wanna know what that is? I especially love your answers to 9 & 10. Yes, please cure Cancer and assholery! And please don’t stand so close in line!

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  11. Oh boy..i kind of forgot about and moved on from Alan’s untimely death at 56 😔 but it did bother me for quite a few months.
    1. I think I’d choose Feb as well I.lost both my Grandmother and my Mom a week apart in Feb 2002.
    2. I liked to have chairs that look like giant hands.
    3. When I shaved the temple area of my head in the early and thought I looked cool, I looked mental 🫣
    4. The power to change the negative into.positive
    5. If my Mom was president, I think her cabinet would be made up.of women from.all walks of life. My Dad well idk he was quite an emotional.asshole at times
    6. I’m not proud of this but when AOL DM’S were a thing I pretended to ne a woman and I catfished a few super horny guys and left them begging for more sexting.
    7. I worked at Dorney Park for 6 non- consecutive years, I’m good.
    8. In High School they sold Cham Sandwiches which were hot spam & cheese 🤢
    9. I’m.with you on a cure for cancer. That disease wiped out quite a few people on my Mom’s side.
    10. Online Trolling
    11. Not super funny but 3 guys in the 80’s spent a few months living on a billboard just to win a new car
    12. Do we have any ? I swear I only ever hear about boomers.

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    1. I thought he’d died last year, and it shocked me when I realized it was this year. 2025 has felt so painfully long.

      1- Oh Matt, I’m so sorry. That is so incredibly difficult.

      2- That is a cool idea.

      3- LOL. I like the idea in theory.

      4- I like this

      5- Your mom sounded really cool.

      6- 😶

      7- LOL

      8- I would actually like that.

      9- It’s awful

      10- I agree

      11- Wow- that’s pretty interesting! They won?

      12- Right?

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      1. 1 guy won..a local filmmaker actually made a film about it called Billboard (2019) I was mistaken it the prize was a mobile home this happenef in 1982.

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  12. Loved reading your answers to these questions!

    If I could erase any month, it would be Sept. That’s the month my oldest son died (in 2009).

    Silliest feature in a dream house? That’s a good one. How about a comfy swinging chair hanging from the living room ceiling?

    The pet peeve of someone standing too close to you in line…yes! Give me my personal space!

    What’s this about your hometown being famous because of you?!

    xoxo

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    1. I wish I could erase September for you, my friend.

      I love the idea of a swinging chair!

      I don’t understand how people don’t get personal space.

      I didn’t have an answer for that one, so I improvised. 🤣

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  13. “i’d pick skylights for the bathrooms. i’m a huge fan of natural light in every room.”

    Meeeeeeeeeeeee too, Kari! And that’s the one of major things I like about my apartment. I live in a small studio, however, it has four huge windows that get natural (indirect) sunlight all day.

    I would delete July if I could because it’s usually the hottest month of the summer. In fact, I would delete ALL of summer if I could LOL!

    “the dorothy hamill haircut”

    Being someone who used to cut hair for a living, I SO remember that haircut. It was so popular back then.

    “10- what’s a pet peeve you’d make illegal?

    standing way too close to the person in front of you in line.” —-

    A-MEN! I totally agree with you! I’m big on giving other people “space” because I need my own personal space.

    FUN and FABULOUS post, my friend! Hope you’re enjoying a super great start to your week!

    X

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    1. I knew I would get a big yes from you on natural light. 💜

      I’m with you on all of summer. I can’t believe I didn’t choose July.

      I am big on personal space.

      I hope you have a great week, my friend. 😘💜

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  14. Wait- are skylights silly? I literally just went through the world’s longest remodel to get a window in my bathroom- so natural light in all rooms of the house seems reasonable to me!

    Also had the Dorthy Hamil and also scarred by it.

    Gosh. So many months to choose from to wipe off the planet… but no. None of them. They all deserve to exist, as painful as some are. But I wouldn’t mind kicking May, August, and December in their stupid shins.

    If I could invent anything it would be a cure for cluster headaches. Or a zester that f-ing works. One of the two.

    And I’d totally work at Gettysburg and be the person at the base of the observation tower telling everyone it’s worth it, when it’s really not and also so, so much more of a climb than you think it’s gonna be.

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    1. My point was nothing is silly. Skylights are magical- I’m envious.

      Why did so many parents do this to their children?

      I almost chose August too, but it’s my mom and husband’s birthday month.

      Why didn’t I think of migraines??

      Oh wow, that really is a cool place to work. I like your answer.

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  15. If you got rid of February, I would forever be 57..lol. OK..more ideas for MY blog! I love these question and answer posts! Funny about the natural light..in our new home there is a cool window right above my vanity. The first day I sat down to do my makeup, I was shocked! The light gave me a new perspective on my face..lol. I, literally, changed how I put my makeup on. So, thumbs up, for the natural light I never knew I needed!

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    1. OH NO! I guess July it is…🤣

      I have several other question posts sitting in my drafts. This will be the year the questions finally get answered!

      I’m so envious of your bathroom window! I never thought about how natural light would make me look at my face! Maybe I can convince Mike to install a sky light. I wonder how much that would be….

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  16. Yes to skylights in the bathroom! Last winter we had to replace our roof, which was so expensive and it looks just the same as the old one, so no endorphins in that project. But: given how much the whole thing cost, it felt like almost nothing to add a light tunnel in our bathroom that had no windows. (It once did, but a previous owner’s addition turned an exterior wall into an interior one.) Such a game changer! So worth the money! It is right over the tub/shower, and I love it every day. Also, I had a Dorothy Hamill haircut in 6th grade. I was a skater, and my coach kept scolding me about my long hair getting in my way. I also have regrets. My mother insists to this day that it was cute. It was not cute when I went into junior high the following year, no matter what she still says. I suspect you are much like your mom, and hey-I will totally sign on to your go fund me for that assholery invention you’ve got going. In a heartbeat. (Then we won’t need your mom to bake all those cookies.) Gen X forever.

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    1. A light tunnel! That sounds magical! I want a light tunnel!!

      My mom also loved my Dorothy Hamill hair. I think she might’ve even had a similar cut.

      I wonder what goes into finding a cure for assholery? I’d still like the cookies, though- all that assholery research makes a girl hungry.

      GenXFOREVER.

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  19. Your comment on Gen X is so true. We are truly an independent generation. I often observe the younger generation and am so glad I grew up when I did. I’m not saying we are better, but I can’t imagine growing up in this day and age. Too much social media, it seems to complicate stuff. Yet, I can’t live without my iPhone. I’m glad I straddle both worlds.

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    1. I’m glad I grew up when I did too. I see how my girls grew up with social media, and although they both handled it with grace, it hasn’t always been easy. But you’re right about straddling both worlds- it’s pretty cool to see, isn’t it?

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  20. This is such a fun list. I loved your answer to what you learned in school and I can’t add anything to that one that would improve it.

    Best prank: when I told Coach that my sister’s dog died because he forgot to take it out while they were gone for the day. He slid down the wall – I think I told him the dog’s bladder burst or something. No animals were harmed in this comment – the dog did not die. Coach survived, barely. This was before we had kids, so shortly after we were married. Bah ha ha.

    Silliest feature in a dream house – an indoor basketball court, naturally.

    Worst hair decision ever – getting a perm A. At Main Street (now Kohls) B. When my hair was too short for a perm (did I think getting a perm would make my hair look long? They used tiny perm rods and I looked like a grandma).

    My hometown if famous for a basketball player suing our high school. Oh, wait – that was us. hee hee

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    2. OMG- I can’t believe you told him that! That’ll teach him. 🤣🤣

      That’s actually a really cool idea for a dream home.

      When I first worked at Kohl’s in 1989, there was still a hair salon inside from Main Street! Your memory reminded me of this. Wow. Perms were the WORST.

      LOL

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    1. I’d delete March. It’s too long, the weather is terrible, and it stands in the way of Springtime.
    2. . Everything possible built in: appliances, vacuum on every floor, everything streamlined and hidden by cabinetry and doors. I love a zen, uncluttered space that’s easy to clean.
    3. I once told my former stylist to just do what she thought would look good and provide layers for volume. I thought I’d die. I went back for two recuts. I had to face a room full of highschool students! I thought I’d never be over it.
    4. True compassion.
    5. My late father would be big on social safety nets, unions, and diplomacy. He’d also be a strong advocate for veterans, being one himself.

    7. Gettysburg or The Mary Lincoln House in Ky

    8. That flirting with the teacher’s aide in Geometry could get me a C even though I never passed a test or quiz.

    9. A way to make maga cult members come to their senses.

    10. The rampant misuse of apostrophes, especially when used to make plurals.

    11. My actual hometown isn’t famous for anything funny that I’m aware of, but Cleveland is famous for its burning river.

    12. I’m not GenX–too old, I’m afraid.

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    1. 1- I feel you on March, but my oldest daughter’s birthday is in March, so it stays for me. But it definitely stand in the way of spring!

      2- Built-in vacuums on every floor! Why didn’t I think of that? I also love a zen, uncluttered space.

      3- Oh no…growing out a bad haircut is the worst.

      4- 100 percent

      5- Our dad’s sound a lot alike.

      7- Those both sound like really great places to work.

      8- Eesh.

      9- Oh, friend, 100 percent.

      10- Grammar police! I love it.

      11- I do remember hearing about the river burning in Cleveland.

      12- Never too old. 💜

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  23. I love your answers.

    I really want to delete August—it’s so effing hot! Sorry to anyone with an August birthday, we’re just gonna move you to September, which is alrready pretty popular.

    I don’t think our town is famous for anything.

    I’m with you on people invading my personal space: GO TO JAIL.

    How about a washer/dryer inside your master bedroom closet? (spoiler, dreams can come true!)

    Also, I loath a bathroom without some natural lighting!

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    1. I really wanted to delete August too-but Mike and my mom both have birthdays then. I agree with moving them to September. I’ll report back.

      Oh, I love the idea of a washer and dryer inside a master bedroom closet.

      I wish we had natural lighting in our bathrooms. I hate dark bathrooms.

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  25. I think I answered these on Alan’s site at the time, but I wouldn’t be surprised if my answers have changed! :D

    1- January because of the focus on New Year resolutions. I’m not a fan of the whole new year new you thing.

    2- I don’t know about silly, but I’d love a reading room which you access via a secret opening bookcase.

    3- Letting my Mum take me to a hairdresser in Nigeria who cut my hair with a razor. I ended up with the frizziest mess.

    4- empathy

    5- My Dad would work hard to reimpose high standards and looking after those who can’t take care of themselves, but would undeniably struggle to contain his devilish humour.

    6- Sadly I’m not a prankster.

    7- I’d probably choose a historical building, maybe a grand manor house. I’d especially like to be in charge of decorating it for Christmas!

    8- That saying what you truly think when a teacher or someone in authority asks you a question isn’t always a good idea.

    9- Can I have two? A cure for cancer and for dementia.

    10- My pet peeve is poor grammar, so it’s overly harsh to make it illegal.

    11- I don’t really have a home town, we’ve moved around too much over the years and never put down roots in one place.

    12- For me it was Gandhi, but that’s because I was born & brought up in India.

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    1. I love the idea of our answers changing over time. It’d fun to revisit these posts in a few years and see how we’ve grown.

      1- I’m not a fan of resolutions either, Deb!

      2- I love your idea-that’s brilliant.

      3- OMG NO!

      4- Yes. 💜

      5- Oh my gosh, your dad sounds like mine.

      6- I’m not either, but my oldest is. A big one. I love it.

      7- That sounds magical! My mom also loves to decorate for Christmas.

      8- I agree.

      9- YES.

      10- I agree.

      11- I don’t really have one either, Deb. We moved around a bit too.

      12- He’s a good one. 💜

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  27. It’s been a beyond busy couple weeks and no end in sight – (work related) so I’m going to jump in –

    1. August – the hottest and muggiest month of the year
    2. A discreet closet on both floors holding rechargeable, lightweight, and highly efficient vacuums so I never has to deal with cords or schlepping again. (But I would love skylights everywhere!)
    3. Not my decision either – my Mom kept cutting my hair short when I was little and I hated it.
    4. That people would be able to read others’ feelings much, much better so we’d have a kinder, more understanding world.
    5. Good question. My Dad would have made sure that everyone was OK.
    6. I can’t recall ever playing a prank! I never much liked people playing tricks on one another – too often, people seemed to get hurt somehow.
    7. Maybe Disney, but it’s what I’d want to BE that matters – I would love to be in one of those characters costumes and bring joy to kids.
    8. The reason that women are more intuitive than men is because their corpus callosum is much wider and allows for a more rapid exchange of information between the 2 hemispheres of the brain
    9. No idea. I’m creative, but not the big invention type.
    10. People leaning on their horns before the driver ahead even has time to get their foot from the brake to the gas. (Yes, I lived in NYC.)
    11. I’m sure it’s absolutely nothing!!
    12. Martin Luther King, Jr; Dolly Parton, JFK – so many more than I could even name.

    That was fun, Kari. And I just put Tater Tots on my shopping list. Haha.

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    1. I absolutely love when my friends answer along.

      1- honestly, August is also my least favorite (back to school, hot and humid) too, but my husband and my mom have their birthdays in August, so I didn’t feel great saying it. Solidarity, sis!

      2- vacuums with no cords! YES.

      3- I’m convinced mom’s hated combing out tangled hair. We must’ve been feral children. 🤣

      4- YESSS. You and I are so alike.

      5- Aww, your dad sounds a lot like mine.

      6- I never liked pranks either.

      7- I would love that too! Imagine being hugged constantly all day.

      8- Now THAT is a wonderful thing to learn at school.

      9- Same.

      10- OMG that happened here last night while we were at an intersection (not to us, but another car). Like, chill.

      11- Same again 🤣

      12- Oh yes. Those are really good ones.

      I absolutely love that you have tater tots on your list! Enjoy! 😘

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