She's got a little bit of something - god, it's better than nothing.

Create a top 10 list for your ideal mate/husband/wife.
OKAY. Ten traits. Fun stuff, this was, but incredibly difficult. It's hard to narrow down to ten things - so I decided to be pretty specific about some stuff, instead of being very broad.

The first of this is a Christian. I've done the "dating outside my religion" thing and... Yeah, I didn't really care for that. I'd go as far as to say that this is a definite requirement. I can't share a household with someone who doesn't believe in the same things I do - my faith encompasses me. Next, I have a love for dancing (not ballet, more like ballroom and country-western) and it would be great if my husband shared that love, so we could pursue that together. Also, I'd like for them to be able to appreciate childish things, if they don't enjoy them. I still watch cartoons, probably always will, I love video games, I own shirts with Pikachu on them, and I have an undying love for Batman comics. Even if they don't like the same things I do, they should be able to at least be good natured about me loving them. Sort of similar is the willingness to get excited about something. When I learn that there's some movie coming out that is based off something I love (ie. Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland), I will... Fangirl. That's really the best word for it, and it's so degrading. ;.; So, yeah, they don't have to be a fangirl (fanboy?), but they do need to be able to get excited with me, or at least put up with me being excited.

I enjoy doing spontaneous things when I get the chance. I can remember my best friend and I spinning around and around in the middle of my mom's bank, just because we could. I love to do things very spur-of-the-moment, and I don't want to be with someone who would pull away from anything like that. Similarly, I want to travel to all sorts of places, and I'd like to be with someone who I could turn to and say "Let's go to Charleston this weekend!" and they respond with "Let's make it happen!", or at the very least give an excellent reason why it couldn't take place. But, also, I'd hope that they had a strong sense of home, because even if I travel all over the world, I want a place to come back to. Also, I've always seen a husband as the protector, so a willingness to defend would be pretty awesome as well.

The last two are pretty simple. First, that they wouldn't mind clinginess, or would even be clingy themselves. I'm a pretty possessive person. Second would be that they'd enjoy socializing. I have lots of friends and I like being around people. (:

What do you know now that you didn't know then?
I know this is a loaded question, but I automatically knew when my "then" was. I've mentioned already that my dad died half a year ago - well, that was my then. Before that. I've changed rather dramatically, becoming a stronger, more confident person. It's been a long process, admittedly. I still mess up, I still make mistakes. But I'm learning and changing. Despite becoming a tougher individual, though, I think that ignorance was bliss, in some ways. It's hard to be the carefree, happy individual I was so long ago. I'm still content with my life, but it's hard to just be happy. There are always worries pressing on my mind, stresses that I have to deal with, and things I have to fight. Sigh. Which is why spontaniety is really important to me, because I tend to get stuck in a rut and need some sort of crazy action to get out of it.

What minor character(s) in your life have had a pivotal role?
Alright. I had someone influence my life and I can't even remember his name. Great, huh? During my freshman year of high school, I was wearing my JROTC uniform out in public, going to eat at Scoggins. My family and I were enjoying dinner when a gentleman at the table next to us struck up a conversation with me. He was curious if I was in the military. I explained that I wasn't, but we had a long talk about the respect that we do have for people in the armed forces. He also told me that he was a preacher, and introduced his wife to me. They finished first, and left before us. When we asked for the bill, we discovered that he had paid for our entire meal, which was at least twenty dollars. Maybe that wasn't a lot of money for him, but that random, and totally unwarranted, act of kindness just blew me away. I thought it was amazing. He didn't know us, but he paid for a meal for us. I was struck by his generosity, and I think a lot of my own mannerisms have adjusted thanks to his actions that day.