Answer Me This, Vol. 11 - What's In a Name?

Welcome to Answer Me This! The Q&A style linkup hosted by Kendra over at Catholic All Year which is super fun and easier than coming up with my own content. It's also known as the internet's favorite virtual cocktail party! (in my opinion, at least)

1. How did you get your name?

My parents gave it to me as a birthday present! There was apparently some arguing (and apparently everybody was sure I was going to be a girl, as no names were picked in the event of my being a boy) because my dad wanted to name me Bridget. He claims he just really liked the name (and still does), but it's quite mysterious all the same. I've been told I'd make a good Bridget. 

Mom had a friend or acquaintance who named her daughter Whitney and apparently she fell in love with it. It comes from Anglo-Saxon and was originally a surname, then a boy's name, until it evolved into a girl's name. In the Anglo-Saxon in means "from the white island," which is kind of cool. The modern use has it listed to mean "light," which is the meaning my mom chose.

As for my nickname, I've always been fascinated by willow trees, and find them enchanting and sad and interesting. "Sad is happy for deep people," as Sally Sparrow says. I've got people who call me Willow ironically, people who call me Willow because they have no idea what my real name is, and others who call me Willow because they know that sometimes that's just what I prefer. There are even those who call me Will for short, which I think is kinda cute.

The funny thing is, Willow was my grandfather's nickname, because his buddies used to call him Will-o and it kept evolving into Weelo.

2.  Do you have a set time for prayer in your day?

 I used to be really good at saying Compline or at least saying a rosary while lying awake in bed. I've fallen out of the practice but because I just finished reading The Little Oratory, I'm all motivated to get back at it. (Review coming soonish!)

3. Did your mom work or stay home (or both)?

 Both. Mom stayed home with me while Dad went to work, but she ran a daycare out of our house until I was 12. It was kind of fun having 7 other kids underfoot all the time, but after 12 years she was burnt out and switched careers to massage therapy of all things. Our home was a kid's dreamland, though, and so much fun to grow up in.

4. Do you vote?

In major elections. I'm so, so dissatisfied with the current political system and the bipartisan set up is a big turnoff for me. I also really dislike the political extremism of far left and far right and feel like it isn't effectively representative of our population, but people have become used to it so they don't stand up to it anymore and those candidates who are more moderate are always ousted because they honestly don't stand a chance.

I'd like to be more politically active and conscious but it's so disheartening and things like that just make me sad.

5. What's your favorite drink?

Alcoholic: Tie between a Dirty Shirley (we call it a Judy Garland), whiskey and Coke, or a Midori Collins (it's basically a drinkable, boozy Jolly Rancher). I also love mint juleps.

from Yummly

Non-alcoholic: Dr. Pepper, Shirley Temples, or a virgin mint julep. Also, Dr. Pepper!

6. How are your photography skills?

 Really bad. Really really really bad.

So that's it for this round of Answer Me This! If you have a blog, answer the questions and link up with us over at Kendra's in this post. Don't have a blog but still want to play? That's okay because this whole thing is made up and the posts don't matter - leave your answers in the comments either at Kendra's post or right here! I'd love to hear from you.



love,
Willow



*Author's Note: The "Answer me This" logo image belongs to Kendra Tierney over at Catholic All Year. The other image(s) in this post are not my property and I have given credit as best I can where possible. Thank you for not suing.*