Getting to Know Me...101 Tidbits

1) I have been in love twice in my life, or more like two and a half times.
2) I believe in fate, kismet, destiny and that what comes around goes around.
3) I was in the path of a tornado once. It is true what they say: the air gets eerily silent and then all the sudden you hear what sounds like a fast approaching freight train.
4) I both respect and fear Mother Nature.
5) I have numerous journals and lists for every thing. I need to journal every couple days or else I feel out of sorts. When something is bothering me, I write it down and experience immediate relief. I have boxes of journals because I have been writing for as long as I can remember.
6) I think my husband is the smartest, kindest person I know and the best husband and father. I am a better person because of his presence in my life.
7) I am so thankful for my kids…the two brightest shining lights in my life. Every day they make me smile even when I don’t feel like it and I gush with pride every day because of the beautiful people that they are.
8) Both of my kids are old souls. I think I am too.
9) I take notes even when I read for pleasure. I like to jot down quotes that speak to me. One of my favorite quotes is, “Every little action of the common day makes or unmakes character,” by Oscar Wilde.
10) One of my greatest fears is my house catching on fire.
11) I’m also scared of most bugs, especially spiders. I would never last long enough to win Survivor. My husband would.
12) My first car was an orange convertible Beetle with a black top that my Mom had restored. It was named Punkin 2, but it was #1.
13) I love shih tzus and have had two…Marmadutchess Antithesis and Cosmic Charlie. Someday I want another, and maybe a Pug too.
14) Right now I am content with cats and cannot imagine life without our orange tabby brothers.
15) I wear the necklace (a “K”) that my Mom gave me almost every day. It is the last thing she gave me and I absolutely cherish it.
16) I love doing arts and crafts with the kids. I am usually still working away long after they have lost interest and moved on.
17) That being said...I wish I had more artistic ability. I would love to be able to paint a beautiful watercolor, or knit cozy sweaters or make pottery.
18) I would be happy to wear flip flops every day.
19) The Office is the only show that makes me laugh out loud week after week.
20) I am blessed with wonderful family and so many incredible people to call friends. I thank God for them every day.
21) I am not a big Disney fan, but I do believe that children should experience it before the age of 5 or 6 or else, sadly, it’s just not as magical.
22) I love to read, but have not been devoting enough time to it lately. That is going to change.
23) Pink is my favorite color. It makes me happy.  In fact, pink is not just a color, it is a feeling too.  Most of my daughter’s clothes are pink…she has just recently decided that purple is her favorite color, much to my dismay.
24) Weather permitting, I try to get in a hike at our local nature center at least once a week. Clearing my head there is as close as I come to meditating.
25) I pretty much get up at 7:00 every day…weekends included. My cats are faithful alarm clocks. I love an hour of solitude to savor before the rest of the house rises, but I rarely get it because as soon as my daughter hears a peep, she is ready to start her day.
26) I could eat a bowl of fresh steamed spinach for dinner most nights. At first my kids turned their noses up at the fresh greens, but now they refuse to eat the frozen.
27) I have seen U2 in concert twice. Once at Camp Randall in the early 90’s and about a decade later. Both times I was with my brother and both times it was awesome. My husband was there the second time too. When they tour after their new album is released later this year, we will get tickets.
28) I’ve only slept in a frat house once…in my brother’s room.
29) The one time I went to the Oprah show, her guest was Dr. Phil before he had his own show.
30) I don’t know how I ever managed before Tivo. I don’t do commercials…not even on Super Bowl Sunday.
31) I am a neat freak and I love Windex.
32) I always wear lipstick, but I almost never wear the same color. I have tubes stuffed in purses, pockets and drawers. I don't wear much other make up.
33) I L-O-V-E Aveda products. They smell so fresh and clean and make me feel energized.
34) By intuition alone, I knew the sex of both of my kids before they were born.
35) I believe in ghosts. I have never seen one, but I have felt them.
36) I am a terrible dancer because I have no rhythm, but I think I am a good singer after a couple cocktails.
37) The first time I took my driver’s test, I failed because the instructor was badgering me. I think he had it in for me because I was in my neighbor's fancy Mercedes. I borrowed it because I couldn't drive my Mom's stick shift, a Yugo. It reminded me never to judge people by their trappings in life.
38) I prefer silver to Gold. The only gold jewelry that I still wear is my wedding ring.
39) I will be getting my ears pierced for the second time soon. They were pierced when I was young, and I had to have them surgically closed after an earring was accidentally torn from my ear by an inebriated collegiate.
40) I love my 2 tattoos. I will never have 3.
41) I live in my dream house. Even though it still needs some work and will never be perfect, it is home.
42) We moved lot when I was a child. I want my kids to grow up in this one house.
43) I am not impressed by fancy cars or fancy cell phones. I am wowed by nice houses...not big houses.
44) I despise wallpaper.
45) On my days off, I live in yoga pants.
46) I rarely sit down and I don’t really know how to relax. I’m like the Energizer Bunny: going, going, going and then when I stop, I'm gone.  I crash.
47) My parents divorced when I was 4. My first memory is the day my Dad moved out of the house, but it wasn’t traumatic.
48) My Mom, my best friend, died last year when I was 39. She was 60 and too young. That was traumatic.
49) I am a very true and loyal friend, but I’m a Leo through and through. Once hurt, it takes me a long time to heal.  I forgive, but have a hard time forgetting.
50) I must have flannel sheets on my bed in the winter.
51) It is very rare for me to want to see a movie more than once.
52) I played soccer in high school.
53) My hair is stick straight. Until recently, I wanted curly hair. After the birth of my son, my hair went from dirty blond to brown.
54) I have a widow’s peak.
55) My husband and I got engaged in Puerto Vallarta. He gave me a ring he bought at the market because he knew better than to pick it out on his own. Even though it wasn’t a typical “engagement” ring and it didn’t fit on my “ring” finger, I still felt like every one knew we were engaged.
56) I lived in my sorority house for a year. I was anxious to get into an apartment. It was hard, hormonal work living with 30 girls. I'm not sure what I'll say if my daughter tells me she wants to live in a sorority house.
57) I sleep with a fan blowing on me 365 days of the year. Luckily my husband likes the fan year round too.
58) I have always wanted to play the piano and the guitar. I own a guitar that I don’t know how to play and I hope to own a piano one day soon. I still strive to learn how to play both.
59) I have perfect vision and straight teeth although I have never worn braces and once I botched an eye exam so I could get glasses because I thought they were cool.
60) I take tons of pictures, but I’m rarely in any because a) the photographer cannot be the subject and b) I am awfully critical of photos of myself.
61) My younger brother is a very important part of my life and one of my best friends. He may be younger, but I totally look up to him. You would too.
62) I like to bake and I’m pretty good at it. I usually give away my baked goodies because although I have a chocolate tooth, I don’t have a sweet tooth unless you are talking scones.
63) The ocean scares me even though I am a good swimmer. There are sharks in the ocean you know. A dangerous shorebreaker almost did me in when I was in Hawaii. The lifeguard was set to come in and rescue me, and I was most concerned with saving my bathing suit.
64) I am deathly afraid of heights, which is why I am shocked that I went on the ride on the top of the Stratosphere in Vegas. I did crawl to the elevator after in was over in tears.
65) I can usually tell if someone likes me within moments of meeting them and I also can get a sense of whether or not I want to get to know him/her better after a quick first impression. It is a feeling I get…a vibe. Even so…I always try to be friendly and cordial to every one regardless thanks to the golden rule.
66) Every week my husband and I steal away for coffee talk while our kids are in Sunday school. I look forward to it all week and not just because I like the coffee.
67) My perfect vacation is a week at the lake with my family. Swimming, sunning, boating, baseball, Monopoly marathons, cook offs, singing…it just doesn’t get any better than that!
68) I am mostly a homebody, but I do hope to see Ireland, Spain and Italy some day. Not all during the same trip.
69) Tab rules! It’s the only soda I truly enjoy and the can is pink!
70) I am absolutely disgusted with Hollywood.
71) I love to cook and come from a family of great cooks who make entertaining at home more appealing than going out to restaurants.
72) I wear more brown than black and lots of pink.
73) Christmas, Thanksgiving and Halloween are my favorite holidays, but I like all holidays. Just give me a reason to celebrate.
74) Traditions are very important to me.
75) I despise being late and rushing to be on time.
76) I will always have a real Christmas tree.  Or two!
77) I thrive on organization and schedules. My life these days does not allow for much spontaneity.
78) I will take a weekend in Door County any day over a weekend in Chicago. It is much more my speed…chill.
79) I am the family historian.
80) The gloaming is my favorite time of the day especially in the summer.
81) Tuesdays and Saturdays are my favorite days of the week.
82) I love cloudy days.
83) I used to be a runner, but I gave it up for group cardio a few years ago. I am sick of the gym now and I’ve started running again. Spring and fall are my favorite times of year to be a runner.
84) My husband and I used to run together and when I was a kid I ran with my brother and my Dad.
85) I am very grouchy if I go more than a day without exercise. I need me my endorphins.
86) I am a reality t.v. junkie.
87) My house is decorated in earth tones and we really live in the whole house. No room is off limits to my kids or my cats.
88) We have a huge back yard that is home to our own baseball diamond in the summer. Usually there are 3, 4, 5 boys playing in our yard and sometimes even when we aren’t home. We have yet to lose a window.
89) My dream is to put in a pool when the kids are too big to think our yard is the size of a park.
90) My favorite season is fall, but I love them all…winter included. I definitely believe that if it’s going to be cold, it may as well snow.
91) I love shopping on the Internet for anything and everything.
92) I believe that if one of something is good, two or three is even better.
93) Contemporary Christian music speaks to me. My kids love it too. We don't care who sees us singing. When I’m in the car, I’m either listening to that or to talk radio. Most days I boycott the news and the newspaper, but I don’t believe that ignorance is bliss.
94) My Mom was present at the birth of my children and it was such an amazing moment to share. We included my mother-in-law for the birth of my daughter and she was speechless despite the fact that she had four children of her own and was a nurse for most of her life. It is such a privilege to be a part of someone’s birth.
95) It is also an incredible honor to be present at someone’s death. I have watched two loved ones take their last breaths and it brought me incredible peace.
96) I am not scared to die, only to leave the ones I love behind…especially my kids.
97) My family still watches and enjoys American Idol. We even have our own rock band and we love to play Wii Rock Band. I am best on the drums.
98) My eyes change color depending on my mood and what I am wearing. They usually are green, but can also be gray, hazel or blue. There is a New Order song that I thought was written just for me when I was in high school.
99) Except for my four years away at college, I have always lived within a mile of the local river. Today I am just a block away from the water. Rivers and roads lead people on…water inspires me.
100) I almost always finish what I start.
101) I pray every day.