25 Random Things About Me

1. I was born on Leap Year, so I celebrate my birthday on February 28th most years. I hated being a "Leap Year Baby" when I was little, but as I get older, I like it--especially when I can tell people I'm only 10 in real birthdays.

2. I love Diet Coke. If it's a Diet Coke from McDonald's then I love it even more. I don't know why they're so good. I have friends that theorize that it's the bigger straw or that there's more sugar in the mix that makes it taste so good. Personally, I think they put crack in it.

3. I had a cataract in one eye in my early 30s. I had it removed and had lens replacement about 4 years ago. I call that eye my "bionic eye". (Yes, I feel 84 when I tell people that.)

4. The smell of cooking cauliflower makes me want to hork.

5. When we were dating, I thought Patrick was left-handed because his handwriting was so bad. (My apologies to all you lefties with good penmanship.) My son, James, appears to be following his father's lead. You would never know that he's almost in 5th grade and quite smart, because his handwriting looks like that of a hyper chimp.

6. Many years ago, I tried to cook steaks in the drawer of the oven because I thought it was the broiler. I couldn't figure out why they weren't cooking and insisted that the oven was broken. Growing up, our stove was gas and the broiler was located in the bottom drawer, so I assumed that this was where all broilers were--even on our electric stove. It took several minutes of argument with my husband to convince me that I was wrong.

7. I like to cook, and most people like my cooking. Although after reading #6 I could see where you might doubt that.

8. I love taking pictures but I have a hard time showing them to people.

9. I don't think where you go to church is as important as your relationship with Jesus.

10. I had my tonsils out over spring break when I was 19. While other people were going to the beach, I was in agony eating Popsicles. It was the worst vacation ever.

11. I have a guitar and can't play. I want to take lessons, but haven't made it a priority.

12. I taught special ed. for almost 10 years before staying home with my children. I don't ever want to teach special education classes again.

13. However, I LOVE to teach. Ask me to speak in front of a room of adults though, and I will stumble all over my words and sound like the village idiot. But if you put me in front of those adults' 3rd graders, I'm a rock star!

14. I would love to travel more.

15. I love Christmas, but I can't wait to get the decorations down and put away. If they're up much past December 27th, I get anxious. Weird, I know.

16. "Desire" by U2, is my "crank it to 11" song. If I can't hear that, put on The Talking Heads' "Burning Down the House" and I'm good.

17. Wayne Newton totally squicks me out. EEEWWWW!!!

18. Ditto with Tom Jones.

19. I've never seen the Pacific Ocean.

20. I love cucumber sandwiches. I am passing this adoration along to my son Sean. When I told him we were growing cucumbers in the garden his eyes lit up and he said in the voice of Homer Simpson "MMMMM cucumber saaanndwiches...."

21. I hate the words moist, ointment, wad, and belch. (Yes, my children can get very inventive with their sentences just so they can watch me cringe.)

22. I love the words snarky, pedestrian, conundrum, and prodigious. (Again, I am weird.)

23. The game Candyland makes me want to gouge out my own eyeballs with a rusty fork. Ditto for Chutes and Ladders.

24. I am terrified of crashing my car into a body of water and not being able to get my kids out. So much so that I asked for and received a multipurpose tool to cut seat belts/break glass. ("Merry Christmas kids! Now mommy can save your lives and perpetuate her paranoia!! Two gifts in one!!)

25. Growing up, our telephone number was 824-2569. We were pranked often and told our number spells 82I-BLOW. It does.

Yes, I totally stole this from my Facebook. Sorry for those of you that have read it. I did make some additions, so it's got a few things that differ from what I posted ages ago on FB. Which leads me to...

26. I am a complete hack as a writer! (Hey, you try to write something everyday and see how long it is before you realize you're the most boring person on the planet. Ahem.)

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