CAUTION...extreme wordiness ahead...

I got this idea from a good friend (thanks, Carrie!), and I know it seems kind of weird, but I absolutely loved finding pictures that represented certain aspects of me. It's fun to externalize the way I view myself. Each picture represents the answer to a particular question.

For those who really love me, who want to get to know me better, or who are extremely bored, here are the questions and my answers:

Q: What is your first name?
A: Sonja. Apparently the name of the girl in the picture is Sonja and she is standing in a street in Istanbul. I want to live on that street!

Q: What is your favorite food?
A: Chocolate. This is also the answer to another question later. Yes, I like chocolate. And, while this particular picture does NOT look delicious, it made me laugh, and I think my sense of humor is a fun part of me.

Q: What high school did you go to?
A: W.R. Myers high school. While I did actually find pictures of the current girls' basketball team (which I used to play on), I liked this picture more of the surrounding countryside. This is where I grew up. The plains of southern Alberta.

Q: What's your favorite color?
A: Purple, yellow, green, brown. I know that's more than one color, but I love them all. It just depends on my mood. There was a quote from Henry David Thoreau accompanying this picture which said, "The heart is forever inexperienced." I thought that was interesting. And this picture makes me feel cozy, adventurous, romantic, and mysterious all at once.

Q: Who is your celebrity crush?
A: I honestly could not think of someone on whom I'm crushing right now, so I decided to pick a representative of some certain requirements, which are: a male celebrity who is actually talented and not just good looking and someone who does not necessarily seek the limelight or choose roles based on blockbuster potential. I loved Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge. I guess if you consider that he was in the new Star Wars movies, my last requirement might not fit. I guess I just don't tend to think of him as an actor who seeks out those types of roles. And now I've spent way too much time on this subject...Kirk's going to start getting jealous...:)

Q: What is your favorite drink?
A: Water. As soon as I saw this picture I thought, "I have to go THERE!" Turns out it's in Switzerland...good thing I'm brushing up on my German...

Q: What is your dream vacation?
A: There is no one destination I want to go more than all others, because I want to go EVERYWHERE. But, I'd probably start somewhere in Europe, so that's what I searched. This picture came up and suits me because I'm sometimes oblivious to how goofy I am, and I love dogs:) Besides, my previous picture was of Switzerland, so I've got the travel pic down.

Q: What is your favorite dessert?
A: Again, no ONE dessert pops to mind, but I tend to go for anything with chocolate in it. This was my second favorite picture from searching chocolate (after the chocolate toilet one.) There's a capriciousness about this picture that I envy.

Q: What would you like to be when you grow up?
A: Adventurous or brave. I've spent my entire life playing it safe, and being conservative about EVERYTHING. I'd like to learn how to fear the unknown less, and to try new things more. It seems like everything on my list of things I'd like to accomplish in my life is going to take more courage and/or impetuousness than I've ever shown in my life up to this point. Someday, soon, I hope, I'd like to get started on that list.

Q: What do you love most in your life?
A: My relationships. I'm not sure why this picture came up when searching for "relationships," but I love it. I love its simplicity, its contrasting colors, the size of the windows in relation to each other and all the symbolic implications of that, as well as the fact that one is barred and the other is not. This is a picture whose symbolism I could discuss for a while.

(By the way, Erilyn just got out of the tub a minute ago and I told her to go get a diaper and some jammies. Instead, I just found her going potty--poop, actually--on the toilet. Maybe...if I procrastinate long enough, she'll just potty train herself...it's looking more and more like a possibility!)

Q: What is one word that describes you?
A: This is a trick question. At first, I was trying to think of the ONE word that describes me COMPLETELY, which I found to be an impossible task. So, instead, I chose ONE word that describes a PART of me. Soft. This picture came up because the photographer noted that the lighting was soft, but I picked this picture because I want to go visit that village! Those kinds of villages, built up a hill like that, are so intriguing to me. Can you imagine? You would wake up to a fresh ocean breeze on your face, crawl out from under your blanket, and go to your open, flower-framed window, to see what the rest of the village is up to. I'm completely charmed by this scenario, and this picture.

The last picture is free choice, so I searched "horses," which are an integral part of my past, and, I hope, future. I love everything about this picture. There is something in the horse's eyes that draws me in and I want to jump on her back and see where she'll take me. I love the setting, the lighting, the grace, the beauty, and the freedom and liberation that a running horse always reminds me of. The air feels crisp, or rather, looks crisp, and fresh from a recent rain. I want to be IN this picture. I love it!

To make your own mosaic, type your answers to the above questions into the "search" box of flickr.com, pick a picture from the first page, copy the URL and paste it into the mosaic maker's individual URL spots. When you're finished, push the "create" button, save your mosaic to your desktop, then add it into your post using the "add image" button.

Hope you have as much fun as I did!