I Think These Are Fun (And It Takes My Mind Off the Pain)

To explain the title, all I can say is my foot REALLY REALLY hurts. I've had a blessing, I've got hot rice-filled socks on them, providing nice heat therapy, and my wife is taking care of me. I plan on seeing a doctor early in the new year.

So to pass the time at work, I stole Kirst's posted survey because, though some find them annoying, a) I'm not e-mailing it to you, and b) I like talking about myself. So there. (P.S.- Kirsti, did you make this one up?)

If my house were burning down and I could only retrieve one object, I'd save my___? My wife. Or my journal. Or my mission photos. I'd retrieve a box with all that stuff and some other stuff. It didn't say anything about objects inside objects.

If I were a superhero, the superpower I'd most want is_____? Invisibility. Or invulnerability. Invisulnerability.

The song that best describes my life is______? "Give Me Something for the Pain" by Bon Jovi

My favorite beverage is_____? Sprite, water, and milk. Shaken, not stirred.

My favorite candle scent is____? I like the melony ones, or the cookie/cupcake ones. Most of them. Some are downrightg unpleasant. Cracker Barrel has good ones.

My favorite restaurant is_____? Sit-down: Flatbranch (favorite dish: their pizzas, Reuben, or Chokes and Cheese spread). No contest. Fast-food: McDonald's (favorite combo: either the #2- two cheesburger- or #10-chicken nuggets). Sandwich shop: Grinders (favorite Grinder- either Turkey Reuben- thanks, Emily- or the Cordon Bleu...Chicken salad is delightful as well), though I love me some Jimmy Johns too. Mexican: Chipotle (love the Burrito Bowl). Italian: Mac Grill (I love it all). Chinese: China Star (by Hy-Vee). Breakfast joint: Cracker Barrel (gotta love their biscuits). Dessert: While I love Blizzards from the Queen, I can't EVER top some Ben and Jerry's.

If I had to wear the same color shirt every day, it would be_____? Red. Or dark blue.

My favorite hymn is_____? "Redeemer of Israel", "The Spirit of God", and "Abide with Me"

If I were given one million dollars and 24 hours in which to spend it I would buy____? A house in Columbia, a new car or truck, some shoes for my wife, and medical means to heal my ailing body. In that order.

If I had to eat the same thing for dinner every day for the rest of my life, it would be_____? Cheeseburger. Or pizza. I really probably could eat that forever. Or Ben and Jerry's.

The one movie that I wouldn't mind watching over and over again is_____? The Lord of the Rings. All of them.

The strangest place I've ever been to is_____? Either a Pentecostal church service or a nasty Russian hospital bathroom where the ceiling is painted yellow, until you find out it's not paint but tar and nasty stains from where the patients smoke and it hasn't been cleaned in years. Oh, just remembered, there was an apartment in Russia where the lady was the worst pack-rat I'd ever seen- her house was filled almost to the ceiling with junk and trash and garbage. There was a tiny path to the toilet, but the bath looked like it hadn't been used in a very long time. Something like 50 big trash bags wasn't enough to make a dent. ::Shudder::

The place I'd most like to visit is_______? Place I've never been, outside the U.S.- Either Europe (England, Germany, Greece, and Italy, particularly); Never been, inside the U.S.- New England; Been there, outside the U.S.- Russia and Estonia; Been there, in the U.S.- New York City

The two adjectives that best describe me are____ and________? Loud and jolly.

The person I spend the most time on the phone with is______? My wife. Then Jeff.

The last person I talked on the phone with is______? My wife. Then Dad.

This morning I ate_____ for breakfast. Reheated pancakes. Yum!

On a scale of one to ten, with one being a neat freak and ten being a total slob, I'm a_____? Though this is one of those weird backwards scales, where 1 is the best and 10 isn't, I'd rate myself about a four or weak three. I don't like messes, and I always get around to cleaning them eventually, but I'm not so picky about how things are arranged or folded or hung up.

The store I buy most of my clothes from is______? Wal-Mart has been replaced by Kohl's, thanks to my bargain-magnet wife.

The one thing for which I'd most like to be remembered after I die is_____? Not sucking at life. Being a good, loving husband and father. Being a faithful follower of Christ. Always giving my best.

The best Christmas present I ever got was______? So many I can't choose.

The general authority who I most enjoy hearing speak is_____? Monson is always great, but I'm really really starting to like President Eyring and Elders Holland and Bednar more and more. And Elder Kikuchi, because I like his accent.

My favorite perfume is_____? The prefumes my wife wears. And the Victoria's Secret lotions. Mmm, they smell good.

On average, I'm about_____ minutes late for church on Sundays. Zero. My wife is very punctual.

The last book I read is______? Finished: The Last Battle, by C.S. Lewis. Reading now: The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkein

My favorite television show is______? 24. Then Lost. Then The Simpsons. Then The Office.

My favorite Sesame Street character is_____? I never watched Sesame Street, but I love the Cookie Monster, because he loves cookies and so do I.

If my life were made into a movie, I'd want______ to play me. John Cusack, because he's one of my favorite actors, or Christian Bale, because he's so diverse and brilliant, or Johnny Depp, because he'd make me so much more interesting. I wouldn't argue if he decided to use the Jack Sparrow accent for my biopic.

My greatest fear is______? Failure to be a good husband or father. And something happening to me, leaving Tamara behind, or something happening to her.

If I could choose a new name for myself, it would be_____? Even though most Steve's are nerds in one way or another, I really like my name. I wouldn't change it, because I'm extremely proud of the man for whom I was named. But if I had to choose, I'd say Maurice or Milton or Niles. Something off the wall.

When I was five, I wanted to be a(n)______ when I grew up. I can't remember that far back, really, but I do remember the following phases: superhero, astronaut, archaeologist (thanks to Indiana Jones), scientist (true story that will cause me embarassment in the future, no doubt: I once made up a superhero whose power was that he knew everything about every kind of science. His name was something like "Ologonomienceography Man").

If I was given an extra $10 at Wal-Mart, I would______? Buy some cereal or ice cream or cookies or something. Or instant oatmeal to take to work. It all depends on if my wife is watching. Or I'd sift through the $5 movie bins.

My favorite day of the week is____? I'm going to replace "day" with "24-hour period", which would be from about 8:30 a.m. on Friday to 8:30 a.m. on Saturday- I don't have to work at all, I get to take a huge daytime nap, spend the entire evening with my wife without having to worry about bed time, and enjoy Hardee's breakfast in the morning.

My favorite temple is_____? I'll always have a special place in my heart for St. Louis, since that will always be "my" temple, but seeign as I got married in the exquisitely beautiful Nauvoo temple, that one's the winner.

My dream job is____? Color commentator/play-by-play announcer for the St. Louis Cardinals.

My favorite animated Disney movie is_____? Too many to choose from: love all teh Pixars, love Mulan, love The Great Mouse Detective

The last movie I was in a theater is_____? Pretty sure it was The Bourne Ultimatum on my honeymoon.

Long entry, I know, but it was a lot of fun. Thank you, Kirsti.