Thirty Things - Post #1 - Twenty Random Things

I've been wanting to write this post for weeks, but life and schedules and busyness have gotten in the way. I first saw this on Tamara's blog, but I think it originated here.

Why have I been wanting to write it so much?

When I started this blog  a little over 4 years ago, I really had no idea what I was doing. I did not realize how big blogging was about to become. I simply had a funny story about one of my kids that I wanted to share, but it was too long for a Facebook post. I had heard of blogging, so I Googled it. I landed on Blogger and found that, even as tech-challenged as I am/was, I could set it up pretty easily. (If you're interested, this is the post that started it all.)

Back then, I posted sporadically and barely "promoted" anything. I blogged purely for my three girls. I had this vision of all my blog posts being bound into a book that they could read when they grew up and became mothers themselves. Everything I wrote was with that vision in mind. 

Then, about a year ago, I was bitten by the "my blog could make me famous" bug. I dove in head first - posting, promoting, re-designing - anything I could do to get eyes on my blog and get some recognition as a writer. I have gotten some of that recognition and I have also made some wonderful new friends in the blogosphere - a blogging benefit I had never considered, but am very thankful to have stumbled upon. In the midst of all that, though, I forgot my original vision. My writing, while usually about my girls and motherhood, wasn't for them anymore. It was for me.

When I saw this challenge to post 30 things about myself; things I want my girls to know; things they might wonder about if, Heaven forbid, I should leave this world unexpectedly - I knew immediately I wanted to do it. My hope is that it will remind me of why I started blogging in the first place and help me keep that purpose in focus. For a complete list of the thirty topics I will be using, click HERE. (You will also notice a new "30 Things Challenge" tab at the top of the blog. You can click there anytime to see the topics which will be linked to my posts on each one.)

The first topic in the challenge is to list 20 random facts about myself.  Twenty is a lot! Some of these are things my girls already know about me and others are things they may not realize.  They are all the little "quirks" that make me who I am and things I hope they would remember and appreciate knowing about me.

1. My favorite color is purple. Bet you never would have guessed that just by looking at my blog, huh?? :-) I also like green and pink. I'm not a huge fan of pastels or neon shades.

2. I complain about my kids being picky eaters, but, truthfully, I am rather picky myself. I don't like tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, or a slew of other things, most of which are vegetables. I am very hesitant to try anything new that might qualify as "exotic" or "gross." I have never eaten sushi because the idea a raw fish grosses me out. As an adult, I have learned to eat a lot of things that I wouldn't have touched as a kid, but I'm still far from adventurous.

3. I had no morning sickness with my first two pregnancies and only a tiny bit with my third. During my first one, I developed a craving for onions (which I previously disliked). I want them on everything from pizza to sandwiches to salads and I still like them. During my third pregnancy, I developed and aversion to seafood and still have not completely regained my taste for it.

4.  With my first two pregnancies, we chose not to find out the gender early.  We waited until they were born. With the third, we did find out early. I thought it was a boy because my symptoms were different from the first two which were both girls. I was wrong.

5. I cannot roll my tongue. My hubby and all of my girls can. Apparently this is genetic which is pretty cool because my hubby is adopted. He didn't have genetic ties to anyone (that he knew) until we had our girls. Aside from the fact that they look very much like him, this is one trait they most certainly inherited from him.

6. Even though I can't roll my tongue, I can do this with my feet:


7.  Those weird feet wear a size 8 shoe. (I used to be a size 7 or 7 1/2, but my feet grew during my first pregnancy and never went back to their original size.)

8.  In high school, I played sports year-round. I played tennis, basketball, and softball. I wasn't a superstar athlete by any means, but I enjoyed it and I miss it now. It used to make me sad that my girls weren't interested in any team sports, but I realize, now, that they are individuals and they have to find their own path. I am, however, thrilled, that my middle one has started playing soccer and my oldest is interested in softball.

9. My middle name is Elaine which is my mom's name. (It's actually my mom's middle name, too, but if I tell you her first name, she will disown me!)

10. I wouldn't say I have a fear of heights, but they definitely make me nervous and uncomfortable. I am also rather claustrophobic.

11. In college, I majored in Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in Birth-Kindergarten Education. (Sounds fancy, huh?) I taught special needs preschoolers in the public school system before I became a stay at home mom. I was a full time stay at home mom for over 11 years before I recently took a temporary, part-time job. I still love kids, but I have no desire to go back to the public school or teaching.

12.  I wish I was musically talented. I took piano lessons for years, but it never came easily for me. I wish I could play effortlessly and/or sing beautifully. I am always jealous of those who have the talent.

13. I was voted "Most Dependable" in eighth grade and twelfth grade. Boring, yes, but pretty much sums me up!

14. I always wanted to be a mom, but never envisioned myself with three girls. I always thought I would have two boys and one girl. I have no idea where I got that notion.

15.  David and I had a very small wedding in the church where I grew up and we had our reception in the fellowship hall with appetizers - no DJ and no alcohol. Today, I think weddings have gotten completely out of hand and I'm glad we didn't spend tons of money on a big party. I still remember my mom telling me that it didn't matter if everything else went wrong, as long as I was there, David was there, and the preacher was there, we would still be just as married. Then, the preacher was late! My dad literally walked across the street in his tux and knocked on his door to get him. He thought it started an hour later.

Sorry for the poor quality photo of a photo.  I couldn't easily get it out of the album.

16.  I am a grammar nazi. My mother was a high school English teacher, so I grew up learning and speaking with proper grammar (and being corrected when I didn't). Now, I correct my own family and when other people use improper grammar in spoken or written word it really gets under my skin and I have to bite my tongue to keep from correcting them. (that being said, I am a terrible typist and make typos frequently.)

17.  My love of words and grammar is equal to my disdain for math. I am terrible with numbers.

18.  I am also terrible with directions - completely opposite of my husband who seems to have a map and compass engrained into his brain. 

19.  My favorite animal is a giraffe. I think they are awkwardly graceful and they are physically incapable of making vocal sounds due to the length of their necks, which means they are also very peaceful and quiet.

20.  I never drank coffee until after my second child was born and Starbucks became popular. The first coffee I had was a white chocolate mocha and I was hooked. Although, I still take just a bit of coffee with my cream and sugar! 

Do you want to take the 30 things challenge?? Just click here to see the topics and play along as you are able!