1. My two favorite jobs in college were: waitressing at Yesterday’s and being the morning news assistant at WNUA-FM. Waitressing meant a free meal after my shift (PK, KY and IJ also benefitted from this as I would eat at the salad bar and bring home my entree!), and the morning news shift meant sharing in the amazing muffin basket the bakery downstairs sent us every morning.
2. I love meat. When Peter and I go out to eat, he orders the salad and I order the full slab or a piece of cow, cooked medium. When the food comes out they give me the salad. Why?!
3. When I am hungry I get crabby, which is why when waitstaff offer me the salad my husband ordered, I want to lower their tip.
4. I got to ride on a parade float in my hometown’s “Rose Parade”.
5. No, I was not the Roselle “Rose Queen”. Nor was I on her court. I won an essay contest. I can’t remember what the essay was about. I think I was in junior high.
6. In 2007 I got my chance to be a queen and took the stage in a tiara and sash. So what if I bought the tiara. It was a blast, and I look good in sparkles!
7. My favorite hot beverage is a double-shot latte with 2% pulled at home, and poured in my apple green mug from my stint as a queen.
8. My mug almost matches the color of my office walls, which really is the reason I use the mug.
9. After I gave birth to my first child I almost bled to death.
10. As a result of #9, I had emergency surgery during which I overheard my husband chatting with my anesthesiologist. They were talking about fishing.
11. Despite #10, I still love my husband.
12. After I gave birth to my second child in JUNE, my mother and mother-in-law tried to stop me from drinking a cold beverage because they seemed to think the cold juice would make all my teeth fall out. I grabbed that huge pitcher of juice and ice and slurped it down like there was no tomorrow.
13. Despite #12, I still have all of my teeth.
14. I have all of my teeth even though I don’t floss every day. Yes, Peter knows.
15. My shirts are organized by color and sleeve-length.
16. On a regular basis I must ignore the urge to organize my husband’s closet in the same way.
17. I wooed my husband by baking him chocolate chip cheesecakes and watching movies he picked. We both were probably 10 pounds heavier by the time we walked down the aisle…5 1/2 months and several chocolate chip cheesecakes after we first met.
18. Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve baked a chocolate chip cheesecake since we got married. We’re both thinner. That’s almost 16 years without baking a chocolate chip cheesecake.
19. Someday I would like to go back to school. My sister thinks I should get a counseling degree, but then I would want to charge her for our daily therapy sessions.
20. I really never thought of myself as being a “strong woman” until 2006.
21. I really never thought of myself as a “loving” person until 1993, 1995, 1999 and 2001. Clearly, I am a work in progress who needs reminders about loving.
22. I once did a spot on impression of Wile E. Coyote running into a mountain. It was on our honeymoon. I was not paying attention to my surroundings and walked full-stride into a steel-encased concrete column on the cruise ship. I remember hearing Peter say, “Honey, watch out for the” followed by a loud “boooinnnnng” as I rammed into the column, forehead-first.
23. As a result of #22, I had the biggest bruise near my brow that “flowed” onto my eyelid. If you look at our honeymoon pictures I am wearing lots of eyeshadow.
24. I once vowed I would run a marathon before turning 30.
25. I have never been very good with numbers.