36 Things

Y'all, today I am 36!! How can that be? I thought it'd be fun to share 36 things about me...some may be repeats/things you already know, but 36 is a big number so this was a big job...here goes!

 

 

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1) I love making lists. I could make a list all day long. Now will I ever do anything on the list? Maybe. Maybe not.

 

2) I've bitten or picked at my nails practically from the womb. I have tried every way imaginable to stop, and I just can't.

 

3) I've been to a psychic (many years ago). I think it's pretty fun. And I think some people probably do have that gift.

 

4) When I was a little girl my absolute favorite thing in the world was to ride my bike. I'd jump on my bike and spend hours riding around my neighborhood.

 

5) Probably the best concert I've ever attended was seeing Bob Dylan...he played at a local concert hall, and it was a small venue. I was pretty close to the front, and to see him in such a personal setting was really neat.

 

6) Past basic algebra, my brain just does not compute math. I have no idea how anyone understands trigonometry or calculus.

 

7) I'm really not that good at grammar. I have a degree in English, so I understand that I probably need to work on this.

 

8) I've been to the top of the World Trade Center. The weight of that gives me chills.

 

9) I love candy. Give me candy over chocolate any day.

 

10) I had my gallbladder removed when I was 20. I was home one weekend from college and was running errands. I had the worst abdominal pain and drove home as quickly as I could. I couldn't reach my parents on their phones, and I truly thought I was dying! It was the worst pain I've ever experienced (yes, worse than labor). Not knowing what to do, I called 9-1-1 (I seriously thought I was about to die!). They arrived, and my parents did soon after. We went to the hospital, and I had my gallbladder removed the next morning!

 

11) I'm terrible at Chemistry. Prerequisites for nursing school include Chem I and Chem II, and you have to make at least a C in both. I'd already been accepted to nursing school and had to have some major tutoring to get out of Chem II alive (and with a C)...thankfully, I did, and I don't think I've used chemistry one day as a nurse.

 

12) A year after I became a nurse I was chosen as my hospital's Nurse Rookie of the Year. It was a huge honor, and it's something I truly treasure.

 

13) I'm an ISFJ. If you've ever taken the Myers-Briggs personality test you'll know what this is. If you haven't taken it, you should!

 

14) If Rob and I had had a son, we probably would've named him Robert (after Rob and my Dad). Ben was also at the top of my boy name list.

 

15) I'm an introvert and a homebody. If I'm not careful I'll turn into a hermit. Ha...

 

16) I had the opportunity to pursue competitive swimming as a child, and I really wish I'd followed through on that. Going to swim practice and swim meets are some of my favorite childhood memories.

 

17) You couldn't pay me to eat escargot. I'm sure I'm missing out, and I know it's mind over matter, but no...

 

18) My biggest fear has got to be public speaking. I also have a hard time talking in a small group of my peers. I just get nervous, and my heart beats fast, and my hands get clammy. Ugh. If you don't have a problem with public speaking, consider yourself lucky!

 

19) Referring to the above, I had to take speech as a prerequisite for nursing school. I honestly considered not going to nursing school for this reason. When it came time to give a speech instructing the class on how to do something, I didn't know what to do...I was practicing yoga at the time, so I thought I'd do that...mainly because I could demonstrate poses rather than talking so much. Why I thought it'd be a good idea to do a downward facing dog pose in front of my speech class and my speech teacher is something I'll never know.

 

20) I'm the middle of three girls. I have an older sister, Chris, and a younger sister, Emily. They're pretty awesome, and I love having sisters.

 

21) 36 is a bittersweet age for me. My mom died when she was 36, and to think about the fact that she was very sick at the age I am now is very hard to comprehend and take in. I hope and pray that my life and my health are two things I don't take for granted, for myself and for her memory.

 

22) I love my birthday. Probably my favorite day of the year. What can I say, I like to celebrate.

 

23) I have a weakness for candles. I have one burning every day.

 

24) I had a really hard time deciding what I wanted to do "when I grew up." I thought long and hard about going to law school, but the public speaking part threw me for a loop.

 

25) I was in journalism grad school during the time my university was celebrating the 40th anniversary of James Meredith's arrival as the first black student at Ole Miss. One of my professors (a nationally-known reporter) had a contact at The New York Times and asked if I wanted to help a reporter there gather some research on Meredith and the anniversary. Y'all, I turned it down. To this day I regret that.

 

26) Speaking of regrets, when people say they don't have any regrets because their regrets led them to where they are today...I call bologna. You've got to have at least one regret...something you'd do differently. Come on!

 

27) I went through kind of a hippie phase in my late teens/early 20s...I had 4 earrings in my left ear and 3 in my right ear...wow, I was living on the edge, huh?

 

28) If I had the chance to redo my wedding, I'd do it differently! I'd still have the church wedding (because I love a church wedding...the hymns, the liturgy, etc.), but I'd skip the reception. I'd choose to have a fun, more casual party after our honeymoon. I just wasn't a fan of all eyes on me, and honestly Rob wasn't either. Plus my dress wasn't comfortable.

 

29) I read so much as a child and preteen. Like anything I could get my hands on...I so hope my girls have that passion for reading. My love for it is still very much alive, I just don't feel like I have/make the time for it as much as I'd like to anymore.

 

30) I'd love to own a small store...now I couldn't and wouldn't want to run the business side of things, but I'd love to go to market and choose pretty things that I thought others would adore too.

 

31) I'd also love to work in interior design. Making a house a home is something I really enjoy.

 

32) I always wanted 4 (or maybe 5) children! Even after Lily was born, that was still my hope. Rob wasn't on board with 4 or 5 and thought 2 or 3 was more like our number. After Hadley was born, I quickly realized that, yep, 2 was our number. Parents of 3 or more children...how.do.you.do.it.?!?!

 

33) I collect coffee table books. I have an absurd number. Most are related to decorating.

 

34) I've always loved fashion and have enjoyed picking out clothes and putting outfits together. I couldn't have cared less what I looked like, or what I wore, however, when I was pregnant. I just didn't want to spend the money on things that I knew I could only wear for a short time!

 

35) I get overwhelmed easily. I really wish I could change this about myself (and maybe I can). When I get overwhelmed I kind of shut down.

 

36) I feel like this one should be kind of poignant or some big reveal. I think a lot about getting older...truth is, it's a weird feeling to be closer to 40 than to 30. I know the bigger the number gets, the harder it is for many to swallow. But I don't mind the bigger number. I'm thankful for it, for another birthday, for the wisdom and confidence that comes with being a year older. That's not to say that I wouldn't want my 21-year-old skin or body (right!?!), but I'm here. I'm healthy. I have so much love around me, and I'm thankful. I'm so thankful.

 

And one to grow on...

 

37) From reading over this list I realize that I use the word "love" a lot. Like a lot a lot. There are worse words to overuse, though, am I right? :)

 

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Cheers, friends. I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.