Blogger Spotlight... Alyssa Siler

I thought it might be fun to highlight some of my fellow bloggers.  They each have different reasons for entering the blog world, and their posts are often funny, witty, thought provoking, inspiring and informative.  I hope that you might be able to find something interesting for yourself in my favorite blogs!

Let me introduce my friend, Alyssa Siler.  Her blog, http://notesfromthecastle.blogspot.com/, is a joy.  Check it out!

Question #1:  How do you take your coffee?
Bleh. I don't take it at all.  My husband, on the other hand, needs about three cups in the morning just to be human.

Question #2:  How long have you been blogging? 
For a couple of years.  I took last year off from my personal blog to keep up the Mrs. Oklahoma blog after I won that title.  I just passed on the crown in January and started back with my blog recently.

Question #3:  When you first began blogging, what did you hope to accomplish with your blog?  How, if any, have your blog goals shifted as you've become more experienced?
I originally thought it would be a family scrapbook of sorts.  I figured it would be the perfect place to document things going on with Hayden, funny things she said, pictures, etc.  I still do talk about my family but I have found that it has become a great outlet for me to....well, to be me!  I have always dreamed of writing a beauty column and I have kind of started to do that with certain posts focusing on products I love.  I'll also share craft and decorating tutorials that I have found.  Some days are just completely random thoughts.  I hope that it has become a blog with personality that people enjoy keeping up with.

Question #4:  Red wine, white wine, or depends on the occasion, meal, etc.?
 Let me put it this way:  If it isn't so fruity and frou-frou that you can't taste the alcohol, I don't want any part of it.  I'm just not really a drinker. Try as I might to like wine and champagne, I just don't.  My husband thinks it totally unromantic. Lol   Now give me a frozen strawberry whatever or any after-dinner drink with "Oreo" in the title and we're talking!

Question #5:  Ultimate vacation spot?  Is this somewhere you've been, or hope to visit someday?
BER-MU-DA.  We went there eight years ago for our honeymoon and I've been dreaming of going back ever since.

Question #6:  Cheez-its or Cheese Nips?
There's cheese involved in both so neither can be that bad.  I'll say Cheez-its.

Question #7:  Describe the perfect date night with your hubby.
If we are being fancy (a rarity), dinner at Signature Grill.  If it's low-key, then dinner at a more casual place and a romantic comedy movie at AMC.  He's really good about seeing rom-coms with me while I completely refuse to see any man-ish movies.  It works out great!

Question #8:  If you could invite one celebrity, past or present, to dinner, who would you invite and why?
Read question #9 first so this answer makes more sense.  She's only considered a celebrity in the cystic fibrosis community but, Beth Sufian.  She is a lawyer who, while battling CF herself, fights tirelessly for the rights of others with the disease.  Her work is all done pro bono and she has helped so many fight their insurance companies to get access to meds and equipment that are vital to their health. I met her briefly at a CFF conference in D.C. but I find her inspiring and fascinating and I'd love to talk with her in depth.

Question #9:  What is your favorite charitable organization?
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  Our daughter Hayden, who will be five in July, was diagnosed with CF at birth.  It is an ugly disease with a current life-expectancy of 37.5.  It causes the lungs, and other areas of the body, to fill up with a thick, sticky mucus.  This causes lung infections and inflammation and a loss of lung function.  The medical research has come leaps and bounds in recent years and it is projected that, by the year 2020, the science books will need to be re-written where CF is concerned.  The science isn't possible without donations, however.  Ryan and I are so proud to be a part of the only foundation putting 90 cents of every dollar donated straight to medical research.  They WILL discover the drug that will save Hayden's life.  I am so confident of that.  For more info on Hayden and CF you can watch this video I put together by following this link:  http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=c89fe0db215424f80618fe&skin_id=701&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Question #10:  Name three things that you are passionate about in life.
Being a part of making CF stand for "cure found", leading worship at my church, and spending way more time and money than necessary at Hobby Lobby.

Question #11:  If you could spend the day by yourself, with no phone, email, carpool, errands, etc., how would you spend your day?
Do I have to??? Please don't take my laptop and IPhone away!

Question #12:  What advice would you give to someone that has just begun blogging?
Don't put too much pressure on yourself to become a blog-writing machine.  I did that in the beginning and became so caught up in creating a new post everyday that I was ignoring other things I needed to be doing.  What?? My family wants dinner again tonight???? That sort of thing.

Question #13:  What is one of your favorite family traditions?
My father passed away last year, so our tradition of an annual father/daughter pumpkin carving we had when I was growing up is near and dear to my heart.  He actually carved a pumpkin with Hayden the last year before he became ill and I will always treasure those pictures.  I want to start that tradition with Ryan and Hayden this year.

Question #14:  Name three baby items that you thought you had to have pre-kids, but now that you've had kids, realize you didn't really need.  Name three baby must-haves. 
Things I didn't actually need: a wipie warmer, the Diaper Genie, and a separate cradle outside the bedroom.  Things we would not have made it without: the swing, the swaddlers, and our car to drive around at night to put her to sleep!

Question #15:  What is your favorite drink from Sonic?
LemonBerry Sprite!! It's a mixture of strawberry lemonade and Sprite.  It's so refreshing and caffeine-free which is good for me right now while I'm preggo!