25 Things about me

On Facebook, I was tagged by a few people to create a “25 Random Things About Me” list, so I thought I might as well do it on here…

1. I’m not good at creative writing… but tell me to write a research paper and I can crank it out no problem (so I’m going to organize this chronologically.)

2. My first memory is of being in Florida when I was around 5, and getting a little white bunny stuffed-animal for Easter.  Our family and my cousin’s family went to Siesta Key almost every Easter until I was about 9.  I really loved those trips and look forward to taking similar trips with our girls.

3. I have a few scars… a slight scar on my cheek from when my grandma’s dog Blue scratched me when I was little (I don’t remember it)… another scar on my nose where I fell off the bed and ripped open my left nostril when I was really little (don’t remember that either)… a big one on my shin from crashing my bike into thorny bushes at the bottom of a hill… and a few from getting moles removed.

4. I don’t have any tattoos or piercings (nope, not even my ears!)

5. I remember looking forward to the day when I’d be able to get glasses and braces… the glasses came in 5th grade, the braces in 7th… and then I realized that excitement was DUMB!!

6. I didn’t get chicken pox until the last week of 7th grade… and had to miss out on all the end-of-year fun stuff at school. Total bummer.

7. I did theater throughout jr. high and high school, and a bit in college as well.  The most exciting role I had was “Michael” in Peter Pan when I was a freshman – and yes, I got to fly!! It was great.  But the show I have always wanted to be in is “Into the Woods” – awesome show. Favorite of all time.

8. I’ve been in 3 car accidents in my life… first one was 1 week after I got my license, second one was in college, and third was about 4 years ago.

9. I was a lifeguard during the summer after my frosh/soph/jr years of college.  I really enjoyed teaching swim lessons to little kids!

10. I was in a female acapella octet for two years in college – “the girls next door” – it was great the first year and not so much the second.

11. While I was in Europe with a group of friends after we graduated from college, my camera/cash/watch/etc. was all stolen from the train car we were all sleeping in on the way to Munich.  Not a good day.  When we got there, Sky and I went to an information booth (I think) and asked where we could find a pawn shop – we figured if someone got off the train and unloaded it right away, maybe we could find it.  The guy we kept asking looked really confused and once we finally got him to understand, he said “oh!! I thought you were saying porn shop!” (Which would certainly be a strange thing to be asking directions to, considering that we were lugging our backpacks and I was crying….)

12. I have lots of college degrees, but I don’t directly use any of them in my career now.  (Bachelor’s in Psychology and English, Masters in Human Development, Masters of Social Work) But that’s okay because I use them every day as a mom!

13. I took piano lessons from 1st grade through 12th grade… and I hardly ever play now. I can also play flute (if I try really hard to remember how.)

14. I’m not allergic to anything, but I really don’t like coconut (mainly the texture) and lima beans (but who does??)

15. I really really REALLY want to be a good mom and raise my girls to love Jesus and love people. And sometimes I worry that I won’t do it right.

16. I did not get along with my younger brother and sister when I was growing up (I thought they were annoying, and I was really mean to them) and I totally regret it.  I am so so thankful that we all get along now and have a good relationship – and it makes me sad that my actions prevented us from being closer sooner.

17. It honestly breaks my heart that there are people in my life who don’t love Jesus, and I get so frustrated with myself because I don’t know how to share that most important thing with them in a way that they can hear it and understand how much God wants to have a relationship with them.  It makes me cry when I think about this too much.

18. My dad is a retired math teacher… so around the campfire during summer break vacations we’d do math problems… I took all advanced math classes through calculus and breezed through statistics in college… and yet I have real trouble doing simple math (+ – x / ) in my head.

19. I am not at all athletic. I am klutzy.

20. I do not like politics, because nobody is willing to be truly genuine and honest.  I get so tired of all the canned speeches and trite phrases that I just don’t listen to any of it.

21. Sky and I met on January 20, 1996 and started dating a week later, and the first time we talked about getting married was that March.  He is my best friend and the best partner in life.  I can’t imagine life without him.

22. I had a stroke last year on July 22. It was a little scary and a lot weird. But I’m totally fine and, other than the aspirin I take every morning now, I could almost forget it happened. Thank you God!!

23. Sometimes (often) I have a hard time believing that I’m 31 and have two kids and am a… *gulp*… grown-up.  I still feel like I just graduated from college.  But one time I asked my dad (who is 69) when I’d start feeling my age, and he said that he still feels 18… so I guess I’m not alone.

24. I really don’t like roller coasters that give you that funny feeling in your stomach. I can handle upside-down, spinning-around ones, but the Eagle at Great America just plain hurts.

25. We’re done having kids… partly because of the stroke, but mainly because I’m scared that we’d end up with a busy, loud, strong-willed little boy that I would have no idea how to handle!!