Bossy Sister Interview: Cousin Kory

The Bossy Girls are lucky to have each other as sisters. But our luck doesn't end there. We also have a wonderful extended family. One of our favorites is our cousin Kory. She is smart, accomplished, beautiful, loyal, funny, clever and has a brain the size of Texas. One of my favorite things about Kory is that she has opinions, well founded and carefully thought out opinions, that she will share without hesitation. Sometimes that can be tedious in a person, but her ability to laugh at herself, even while she critiques a politician, a social movement, or a cultural quirk makes you feel lucky to be around her. I always feel smarter after reading her blog: My Soapbox.

Brent feels so so so lucky to have married Kory.

A few more things that make Kory fun to know:

• She is very good at finding the right glasses for your face.
• She refuses to let her blog be a "mommy" blog (and is quick to tell you that there is nothing wrong with mommy blogs) even though she is consumed by her new baby.
• If you need to fight the power, you want her on your side.
• She is a surf loving California girl who married a gun toting mountain man.
• She was a big time forensic nerd (still kinda that way) in high school.
• She once was mugged while on a mission in South America and all she had to give the muggers was her scriptures (classic missionary story!) so my Grandma sent Kory her personal scriptures. I am still jealous.
• She has a beautiful smile and eyes that sparkle when she is happy.
  

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You were single for almost 30 years (Right?). What advice do you have for those of us who want to set up our single friends? We just want them to be happy. But we are afraid to offend, or we aren’t afraid to offend, but either way we offend. Advise us.

The key to setting up single people is to remember is that they aren't single because they can't get married, they're single because they've chosen not to get married. The most offensive thing you can do to someone that's single is offer to set them up with someone else simply because the other person happens to be single too. Like they're going to jump at the opportunity to date just anybody, because they're that pathetic. If you want to set two friends up tell them why you want to set them up with each other- talk about personality, looks, career and most importantly why you think they'd like each other.

If you want to take it a step further you can do the 'sneaky' set up. Throw a small dinner party inviting a number of single people including the two you'd like to meet- don't pair anyone off just have a nice social gathering and see if they hit it off. I wanted my best friend (Amy) to meet my neighbor (Kyle) so I had a dinner party. I invited my neighbor enticing him to come under the pretense that I was setting him up, but

I told him I was setting him up with Jina. That way when he met Amy there were no expectations, no weirdness and they hit it off. I also had the foresight to NOT invite his roommate that was a total flirt and I knew would monopolize Amy and she wouldn't even get to know Kyle. Now Amy and Kyle have 2 kids.

You and your handsome husband just had a beautiful baby. It’s not like you got married at 20 and had your first kid at 21. You’ve had lots of time to consider and plan for this child. After all that careful preparation what was the thing that most surprised you?

The intense instantaneous love for something you've spent no more than 5 minutes with.

You blog about brainy, smart stuff. You have opinions that require thinking and analysis. Many women complain about losing their ability to focus and think big thoughts once they had a child. But you seem unfazed by this. It is a natural gift or do you work at being brainy?

Ah, I see I've done a good job of deceiving you all. News is my addiction, and my mother taught me at a very young age to question authority, so I rarely hear anything political with out questioning it. Then when I start seeing the flaws in what leaders or society is doing I get angry and I need to vent- hence my blog. Hmm...I don't think I answered your question: yes and yes. Yes it comes naturally but yes it takes a lot of time too.

It seems that many women keep their opinions to themselves. You don’t seem at all afraid to state what you think. Do you think more women should be assertive in their opinions? Why?

There are two kinds of people that share their opinions, those that think they are always right and those that aren't afraid to be wrong. Almost all men fall into one of those two categories. It's women that take disagreements far too personally. Ever noticed how two men can have an argument and then 2 seconds later be friends? It's that same trait that allows them to express their opinions with out fear. Women need to get over taking disagreements personally- and not be afraid to be wrong.

Where can we get information on politics? The media is so mixed up and I don’t really know who to trust. And sometimes I am not sure how I feel about politics. Please tell us what we can do to get informed.

Television: I love Lou Dobbs & Glenn Beck (but I can only watch Glenn for about 15 minutes at a time)

Internet: Drudge report, CNN.com, Foxnews.com.

Radio: NPR.

Magazines: Forbes, Business Week, Time, and the Economist.

I try to get information from both sides of the political table so I can form an opinion. I actually hate Time magazine- but I don't believe in just receiving information from those that agree with me.

With all the studying and analysis we will need to do, to be smart like you, we may not have time to fix dinner. What is your favorite quick fix meal?

Um, I don't cook. We eat a lot of cereal. I can't recall ever making a meal that took longer than 20 minutes to throw together.

Brent, Kory, and their little bundle of joy.

Finally, what if your sweet daughter grows up to be a cheerleading bling girl?

LOL! My roommates which were former cheerleaders, having suffered through much mocking, would be delighted. I'd let her join cheerleading on certain conditions:
1. She'd have to get straight A's in school.
2. She'd have to play a sport.
3. She'd have to learn a musical instrument.
4. She'd have to shoot a deer each year with her dad.

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Kory thanks for the great interview! The Bossy girls love you!