Daryl interviews me!

Today I am put under the microscope by another of my fave blogger friends, NYC 'fashionista' Daryl of On the M104.

1. Do you think you have acquired any Oklahoma 'lilt' to your veddy lovely British accent?

No I haven't acquired the accent at all, but I have acquired the lingo of an Okie! I can regularly be heard using: guys, you guys, y'all, ornery, have a good/nice day, yeh, TV (instead of telly)...but I still use car park and loo! The most significant change has been I now use geographical directions i.e south, west etc, instead of left and right.

2. Living in the middle of the West the way you do, what other than your special tea 'tips' do you miss most? Why?

OMG DECENT SHOPPING! Have I told you I live 100 miles from any Mall, and 200 miles from the nearest decent large Mall! This is the woman who lived 10 minutes from one of the major Malls outside London and used to pop in on the way home, it's a big sacrifice for a Gal like me and I hate it!

3. What British aspect do you miss most? Why? What do you do about it?

The history, museums and the architecture equally. Living in England you are surrounded by it daily; the reminders of our ancient history are everywhere, and the beautiful, imposing or just quaint buildings. Even when I was living amongst it all I really appreciated it and never took it for granted. I used to regularly visit National Trust properties or London Museums at the weekend. So I really miss being surrounded by it all.

Now I take every opportunity to visit museums or architecturally interesting places here. I view it as essential recharging of my cultural batteries and just soak it all up. One of my fave places to go so far, has been the Philbrook Museum in Tulsa, an oil baron's mansion built in the rennaissance style with formal gardens and wonderful art. But I have also made a real effort to learn about and appreciate the Native Indian history of our immediate area.

4. Have you ever square danced? If not, would you?

Yep and here's the evidence to prove it. In fact our engagement/my leaving party back in the UK featured a live caller and musical trio playing square/barn dances. I chose it to make the Hubster feel at home and my very 'cool' urban friends loved it and had a blast. After I got here we actually attended one class, neither of us were dancers before, but decided it was not for us. But it's very popular around here and if we happen to attend one socially we will get up and join in, which is what happened when the photo was taken.

5. Your husband is a butcher and you love meat and you met online ...so if you'd been a vegetarian, would it have changed anything?

No because we were just mean't to be together and love is bigger than everything else. But I am not a huge red meat lover, I like it but I prefer chicken and turkey. The Hubster owns a custom meat processing plant, so not a retail butcher as such. Plus I have never and will never visit him when he is doing the slaughtering, if I did then he knows he might well have a vegetarian on his hands! Maybe that is burying my head in the sand, but it's honest and I am not going to debate it here please.

Here's the instructions:

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me." Come on people be brave, this is actually alot of fun and I promise to come up with some cracking questions for you!
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the
questions).
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions and let me know when you have posted it, so I can link it.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview
someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask
them five questions.

Reciprocal Interview

Sherilyn of the Dominee Huisvrouw has posted her interview. She is a young mom and Pastor's wife, who has moved 9 times in almost as many years and is currently in Canada.

Reciprocal Interview

Karen has posted her interview with me. She lives a very different life in Botswana.

Reciprocal Interview

PamOKC now has her interview with me posted. Pam is an Okie Gal married to a Brit' Guy from the same area as myself.

Willow interviews me!

Today I am being interviewed by the lovely Willow of the recently featured 'Blog of Note', Willow Manor.

1. Tell us about meeting The Hubster in person for the first time, after meeting him online.

I wasn't actuallly nervous on the long flight over, the nerves finally hit me as I walked up the concourse and spotted his cowboy hat! By the time I reached him I WAS NERVOUS and he barely got to give me a quick hug, before I was off and running (as he puts it) to fetch my baggage. He says he knew I was nervous as I was talking 19 to the dozen and he almost had to jog to keep up with me! He even says the thought went through his head (briefly) if she doesn't settle down I can always leave as she doesn't know what my truck looks like! Luckily for me he didn't and we went to Braums and had a drink, I calmed down and we actually got to chat. The moment I knew we were going to work in 'real-life' was as he was driving us home. I glanced across and distinctly remember thinking what attractive forearms he had, so I knew the physical attraction was there to go with the mental attraction. I think taking that first journey to meet him, was probably the bravest single thing I have ever done!

2. Being the cosmopolitan Brit, that you are, was it difficult adjusting to living in the Bible Belt?

Oh my goodness yes! Everyone thinks the UK and the USA are so similar, but I came from just outside London to rural Okieland and that's a big change. At times I honestly felt like I had moved to Mars it was so different. But I have always been an openminded person and friendly, so I just threw myself into my new life and went for it. You mention the Bible Belt, well that alone shocked me, just how many churches each smalltown has and how most people attend. I would say it took me about 6 months to feel settled and now this is home, I couldn't imagine ever returning to the UK permanently.

3. Apart from any people, what is your most treasured possession?

This was my paternal grandmothers date calendar and I truly treasure it and have done since I was a very small child. It was always in her hallway and whenever she knew I would be visiting, it was always left so I could be the one to change the date. Even when my brother or cousin were staying, they both knew this was something only Sarah ever got to do. It was something special I shared with my grandmother and it was just ours. When she died I found out she had left it to me and to be honest it would have been the only thing of hers I really desperately wanted. It's like an invisible link I have to her and I would be utterly devastated if I ever lost it. Now it is where I can see it everyday, on a unit in the kitchen that I keep family pictures on. The hubster will never touch it without asking, as he knows how significant it is to me.

4. What is your motto?

Live life to the full

5. Before blogging, what, if any, was your main mode of personal expression?

Endless chatter!

Here's the instructions:

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the
questions).
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions and let me know when you have posted it, so I can link it.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview
someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask
them five questions.