Shannan you're one tough act to follow but here goes...
Who is your style icon?
I really don't keep up with People magazine or current trends but there is a special place in my heart for Audrey Hepburn. I had a calender of hers for a couple years in a row and every picture was stunning! Plus I'm partial to the fact that she always wanted to be a ballerina and you can see it in the way she carried herself. She had a quiet sense of grace that led to her timeless style, I mean really do you think I look this good pulling cookies out of the oven?
I can't talk about fashion without talking about my Granny. Not that I would wear everything in her closet, but at 85 this woman has earned the right to wear whatever she damn well pleases. Does it matter that it may be covered in sequins, pearls, applique, lace, trim, bids, rhinestones, gems, baubles and bangles, may be studded, patched, sewn, stitched, buttoned, or all of the above? on a trip to New York she found a huge pink and black bag with SASSY embroidered on it and carried it around loud and proud. With her - the bigger and louder the bag the better! She has more Christmas sweaters than I have shoes and she has invaded every closet in her house except the pantry. Boy has she earned it!
What is your favorite socialite lit book?
I feel like a failure - I don't have one! So again we resort to my Granny who taught me everything I need to know. Most importantly - a homemade chocolate sheetcake can fix anything. Birthdays, celebrations, graduations, babies, illness, death, or a rumbling tummy this woman has made more sheetcakes than the entire state combined. Other things she's taught me -it's never too late to call, a simple card can make someones day, you can never been in too many social clubs, and we love our men but they better not tell us what to do! (Point in case and think of me what you will - one time Brian actually told me I could not have a pair of coach flip-flops! One word - daddy. trust me we will find a way to get what we want.)
What is your favorite party theme?
Wow no question here - Texas!
What is your go-to Halloween costume?
One year I had the guts to wear my spandex dance pants in public and paired it with a hot pink jacket from one of my dance costumes and went as Sandy. Sadly Brian does not make a very good Travolta, not enough hair.
What is the one extravagance you can't live without?
I have two. Afternoon naps. Whether its five minutes or 3 hours I love the feeling of curling up with a favorite blanket and knowing all the problems of the world can wait till you wake up. And a hot water heater. My dream house consists of a circulating hot water heater, I don't care about much else. You don't realize how spoiled you are until you have to live without one. We're lucky Chase hasn't been cooked honestly.
Who is a living person you admire?
I love my Paula! Every 2 months I start to get this excited flutter in my stomach waiting for her magazine to arrive. Brian normally gets a phone call of me screaming "SHE CAME TODAY!" and I spend the next hour gobbling up every page. But seriously this woman built herself an empire from nothing based on the power of food. From a cooking show to books to magazines to dishes to resturants to furniture to specialty cruises, this woman has done it all. One of my favorite things about her is that in a recent month she decided to let readers follow her daily beauty routine. Lets just say it didn't start out that pretty but she said hey, it takes a lot of people to make me look this good and I'm not ashamed. Bravo Paula. From donating Thanksgiving hams to helping out charities all over Georgia she will never forget where she came from.
What is your greatest fear?
Being a mom. How am I supposed to raise this wonderfully balanced, selfless, faithful little servant of God when my faults are so apparent? I'm flabbergasted when I think about God picking us to raise this little one when I have the potential to really screw this kid up.
What is the trait you deplore in yourself?
Perfectionism which leads to indecision. If I have the option of making the wrong choice or not making a choice at all, I'll take the cowards way out. For example - I have this deep internal struggle everytime I watch Gone With the Wind. To live like Scarlett or to live like Melanie. There's no inbetween, it would be an injustice to both. To have the audacity of Scarlett and be so selfish definitely has its downfalls but what a woman! And sweet Melanie - to live so selfishly and simply is extremely admirable, everyone wishes they had a friend like Melanie. I feel I fall in the middle, selfish like Scarlett but superficially I try to be like Melanie.
What talent would you most like to have?
I wish I had dancers feet. I would have loved to have been a better dancer and progressed farther.
What is your greatest acheivement?
Supporting my country as a military spouse. I thank God almost everyday for sending Brian my way to sweep me off into this lifestyle. I love the people, the traveling, the Air Force song, uniforms, the ceremonies, all of it. But I love my Brian the most :)
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