100 Things About Me

1. I’ve lived on this same island in Southeast Alaska all my life.
2. That is, except for the years I went to college in Colorado.
3. I was 3rd in my high school graduating class. I did that on purpose so I wouldn’t have to make a speech.
4. I have been married for almost 13 years.
5. I only have one biological sibling: an older sister.
6. I have 2 older step-sisters, 2 older step-brothers, 2 younger step-sisters, and one younger step-brother.
7. I was a foster mother to my cousin’s babies for 5 months. It was scary and wonderful at the same time and it was heart-breaking to give them back even though I knew it was the right thing to do.
8. My favorite color is green. As long as it isn’t neon-bright.
9. I love anything with Disney or Coca-Cola.
10. I have a collection of Disney snow globes.
11. My silverware is Disney: Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh
12. My Christmas tree is decorated with Disney characters from the tree top all the way to down to the tree skirt.
13. I collect Christmas bears. I have a set for every year since 1993.
14. My favorite soft drink is Coca-Cola. Any flavor of Coke will do.
15. I don’t smoke and don’t ever intend to start.
16. I own over 1,000 movies counting video tapes and DVD’s.
17. I store them in alphabetical order.
18. I am very quiet outside of my family and small circle of friends.
19. I get along with almost anyone I meet…I’m very tolerant of the rest.
20. I enjoy singing.
21. I’ve played the clarinet since I was 9 years old.
22. I’ve never had a pedicure.
23. I don’t like my feet…to the point where I can count on one hand the number of people who have seen me without socks.
24. Yesterday I painted my toenails for the first time. I still haven’t let my husband see them.
25. I have natural curl in my hair. When I let it dry naturally, it looks as though I have loose ringlets.
26. I used to bite my fingernails. Now they are long and usually painted. I try to cut them short but can’t seem to keep up with it so I’ve learned to deal with long nails.
27. I loved Shrinky-Dinks as a child and still use them occasionally to make key chains and zipper pulls.
28. I have a sticker collection. I use them on envelopes when I write letters and send Christmas cards.
29. I write poetry but rarely share what I’ve written.
30. I am cursed with a good memory. I remember birthdays and phone numbers without meaning to.
31. I taught myself how to swim at a family picnic when I was small. I was racing my sister by clawing at the sand. When I pulled ahead and my mom came running to the shore line to watch, I quit clawing at the sand and found out I could swim on my own.
32. I love country music and oldies from the 50’s through the 70’s.
33. I really enjoy musicals. On stage and on screen.
34. I like to color. Coloring books, geometric designs, my own drawings, anything.
35. I enjoy reading. John Grisham, Perry O’Shaugnessy, and Ann Rule, are some of my favorites.
36. I don’t watch a lot of TV but when I do, I enjoy Law and Order and CSI.
37. I also watch Food Network every now and then.
38. I rarely drink coffee.
39. If I drink tea, it’s iced.
40. I love trying new recipes.
41. My favorite food is seafood. Fish, clams, crabs, cockles, prawns…any kind of seafood.
42. The only food allergy I am aware I have is to gumboots. I only recall eating them once. I loved them but woke up all swollen and not able to breathe properly.
43. I had more than 10 operations before the age of 5. I have strong memories of being in the hospital at age 3 and have described it in great detail to the amazement of my mother.
44. I have never broken a bone.
45. I’m prone to tendonitis in my right wrist.
46. Winter is my favorite season but only when it’s really cold.
47. I love Christmas music and force my husband to listen to it from November 1st to January 2nd.
48. I have a beach-front property I’ve yet to build on.
49. My favorite subject in school was math.
50. While in college, I was a member of 3 different choirs. 2 of them were by audition only.
51. I love listening to waves hitting the shore.
52. My favorite smell is that of my husband’s bread baking in the oven.
53. Other smells I enjoy are fresh-cut grass, rain, and fragrant flowers.
54. My favorite flower is a white rose.
55. I really enjoy word puzzles.
56. I can’t stand having dry skin. I am constantly putting on hand lotion.
57. My hair is already turning gray and I hate that.
58. I only drive here on the island. I’ve never driven anyplace else and I don’t drive in the winter.
59. I’ve been in 4 car accidents; always as a passenger. The worst was on an icy road. We slid off the road and landed upside-down in a small pond.
60. I used to belong to a group of Indian dancers as a kid.
61. We won 1st place in a competition in Fairbanks when I was 14.
62. I’ve been to Canada many times but never to any other country.
63. I’ve seen more of Washington and California than I have of my own state.
64. Ever since my brother-in-law died of a massive heart attack, I live in constant fear of losing my husband.
65. I’m allergic to cats. I think it may be psychological, but the sneezing and itchy/watery eyes feel plenty real to me!
66. The first concert I ever went to was Hall and Oates. Corey Hart opened for them.
67. I think birds are beautiful but I’m afraid of them. We had a pet bird that chased me down the hall. Ever since then it feels like “every” bird is out to get me.
68. I’m not afraid of spiders or snakes. I’ve held more than my share of each.
69. I enjoy baking but usually only do it at Christmas time.
70. I don’t mind being alone at home but don’t enjoy going out into public alone.
71. I love watching people. I can spend hours at a mall or an airport just watching people walk by.
72. I started baby-sitting at the age of 7.
73. I didn’t have my first “real” job until after I left college. My dad wouldn’t allow it. He wanted me to enjoy being a kid.
74. I love bananas but if I eat one by itself, I get a stomach ache. I usually get my banana fix by having banana cream pie, banana pudding, or a banana split.
75. I like to do nice things for people without them knowing who did it. My favorite is to put a treat on someone’s desk when they’re not looking.
76. My favorite candy bars are Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and Mounds.
77. I almost always have gum in my mouth but rarely chew it. I just like the minty flavor.
78. I, along with my best friend, once peeked into a window…and got caught. It was m y6th grade teacher. He gave a lecture in class the next day but never said a word to my mother.
79. My best friend used to be mistaken for my twin while we were growing up. People still confuse us from time to time. I’ve never figured out how they could think we look alike.
80. My favorite ice cream is chocolate. Any kind of chocolate…double chocolate, chocolate fudge, chocolate chip…whatever.
81. I have a collection markers and crayons. I like to use them to draw and color with my nieces and nephews or anytime I baby-sit.
82. I like to sing Karaoke with my mom. We’ve even sang at Karaoke Night at the American Legion Post where she works.
83. I enjoy taking photos and wish I was better at it.
84. Throughout my life I’ve noticed that most of my really close friends are older than me.
85. I am 12 years younger than my husband. That adds to my fear of ending up alone.
86. The day we got married, I forgot to bring his ring to the church. I had to send my cousin to get it. I found out later that Michael also forgot mine.
87. I sometimes find myself feeling jealous of my sister-in-law because I feel I could be a better mother to her children than her. I feel bad about feeling guilty.
88. I won $5.00 once in a poster contest. Denise says I stole her idea. I disagree.
89. I don’t like having my picture taken and often hide myself when I see a camera in the room.
90. I’ve been told I am a very good listener.
91. I’ve also been told I am very compassionate and patient.
92. I don’t like talking about myself and making this list has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
93. I love 7-Eleven Slurpees. I have to have at least one whenever I travel. My favorite was Grape but I’ve only found it once. Cherry Coke is usually my first choice.
94. I have all 4 of my wisdom teeth. I didn’t even feel them grow in.
95. I suffered terrible “stomach aches” for over a year before it got to the point where I couldn’t eat. I finally went to the doctor and they sent me to the hospital. I had gall stones. They were small, like grains of sand, but my gall bladder was more than half full of them.
96. I inherited my mother’s high tolerance for pain. That’s not always such a good thing as evidenced by #95.
97. I have a hard time saying no when somebody asks for help. Even when I know I have plenty of my own things to do, I still take other people’s things on. I get so upset with myself when I get bogged down but STILL I can’t say no.
98. I know of only 1 occasion where I walked in my sleep. I was dreaming of snow. When I woke up, I was standing on the back of a couch looking out the window…at the first snowfall of the year. This happened when I was about 11. I was at my Yaya’s house.
99. I enjoy meeting new people. Most of the time it’s through the computer. Weblogs, online game sites, chat, etc. I’ve talked to a few on the phone and exchanged letters and gifts.
100. I used to be afraid of clowns and any costume where I couldn’t see the person’s face. So much so that when my mom took me to The Greatest Show on Earth, I fell asleep every time I saw a clown. I was in high school before I was comfortable watching a parade or answering the door on Halloween. It all started when my uncle, dressed as a hobo clown, thought it would be a good idea to pick me up and carry me through the parade route. I didn’t know who he was and screamed and cried until he gave me back to my mom.