123... A B C

Animal - I went through a horse stage as a child, perhaps fueled by seeing the movie "National Velvet". I read books about horses, dreamed about horses and received horse toys for occasions. When I finally got the chance to ride a real live horse, it scared me to death and the horse kept reaching around trying to bite my foot. I believe the "horse phase" ended shortly after that.

Blog- my current "phase" involves blogs. I currently spend about 15 minutes out of every morning reading 13 blogs. 3 of these people are related to me, the rest are COMPLETE strangers! Yes, I know. This is weird. Although in my defense I feel like I know them now, I've been reading them for so long. The majority of these bloggers are moms like me and write about "mom life" so I enjoy knowing that I'm not the only one in the world dealing with body fluids, temper tantrums and mountains of laundry. Plus, they almost always make me laugh, and some days that's mighty important!

Celebrities- to be honest I don't really get the world's obsession with celebrities. The people who act in movies are the same people who were the "drama geeks" back in high school. They all wore black and acted odd. Now these same people are on the big screen and have become cult gods and goddesses. The celebrity I most don't get is Rene Zellweger.

Danger- when I first got to Ecuador, I seriously thought I would die there. In my most traumatizing first month, we often heard rumors that a big storm was coming and the little town we were in was going to be washed away. Back in the secret corners of my mind, I was secretly hoping this would happen! I figured that if it did, they would most definitely HAVE to send us back to the clean, sparkly, good smelling, not scary, eat what you want, touch what you want, always have electricity and water, USA! (the storm never came and I survived an additional 15 months there)

Earrings - I got my ears pierced when I was 12. The first time I took them out, I got so queasy and weak, that I fainted. I was found laying on the bathroom floor. I got them pierced again my freshman year in college and sported double holes for a few years (SUCH a rebel!). Now I wear nothing.

Fast Food - My favorite - In N Out. I often dreamed about it in Ecuador. Stick is relieved that it can't be found in our current state.

Grisham - I have read every John Grisham book, except maybe the one that just came out. We always listen to them in the car while traveling, and the miles SPEED by.

Hat - I do not look good in hats. I have a huge head and hats are NOT a good thing.

Icecream - Ben n Jerry's "Phish Food" - the.best.ever

Jobs - I have worked as a babysitter, a cashier/salesperson at a sporting goods store, a library shelver (the worst job ever!), a pre-press person at a Printing press,a medical records clerk (2nd worst job ever), a receptionist/secretary, a missionary, a student teacher, a substitute teacher and a MOM.

Kalamazoo - I have been to Kalamazoo.

Leotard - I had a black leotard as a child. I dreamed of being the next Nadia Comaneci. Who knew I would grow to be a WHOPPING 5'11" and dash all my Olympic dreams? ( I also had dreams of being a horse jockey.... see animal above... another dashed dream. It's amazing I turned out at all!)

Marathon - dream I NEVER had: running a marathon. really, lets be realistic.

Novel - I love to read. I go in spurts where I read MADLY and then quit for a month or two. I also read really fast and generally forget the entire book quickly. This is beneficial when we listen to Grisham in the car, since it's never spoiled because I can't remember the ending!

Octopus - I refuse to swim in the Ocean. Which is strange because the beach is my favorite vacation spot. Notice I said "beach" not "ocean". I do NOT want to encounter any ocean life, namely octopus' or sharks. The sand is close enough for me.

Panama - I've been to Panama. Although technically it was only the airport. I remember wondering if the free continental breakfast set out for passengers would give my any kind of bug. I eventually decided it wasn't worth the chance and took NOTHING. (realize, I had just left Ecuador)

Quote - "I believe in Christ as I believe in the sun at noonday. Not because I can see it, but by it I can see everything else." c.s.lewis

R's - I could not say the "R" sound until I was approximately 7 years old. My nasty little neighbor BB loved making me say words like "party" which always sounded like "potty", so he could laugh hysterically.

Sarcasm - I can be dripingly sarcastic, which generally surprises people, so I don't do it often.

Television - I like Oprah. There. I said it. I like Oprah. She entertains me weekly while I fold mountains of laundry. She's funny, articulate and trying to do good in the world. Although that being said, sometimes I don't like her show. I can live without the sex topics, the celebrities, the movie reviews (I decided long ago she can't be trusted for a movie review. I have NEVER heard her say she didn't like a show) I DO like makeovers, house decorating, giving stuff away, how to find a better fitting bra, and other life changing topics. I like the FLUFF.

Unibrow - I once had a boyfriend with a unibrow.

Valentine - Although several boys came and went through the years, only ONCE did I have a VALENTINE on Valentine's Day. And, he's still my Valentine today.

Water - as in FROZEN water. I love those little frozen pebbly balls of ice. I decided our $5 soda at the movies the other night was TOTALLY worth it because of the amazing ice balls.

X-ray - I have never had a broken bone or an x-ray.

Yoko - Is it just me or is Yoko Ono really really weird?

Zits - I have not been a teenager in a LONG time. Why are the zits still here? As a teenager I was mildly tormented with zits but figured that my teenage years would end and so would the zits. Now along with the zits, I have grey hair. It's like some kind of sick joke.

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