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Leprechaun Event RaT: Read-a-Thon Daily Questions: Day 6
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1. I have 15 siblings.2. I had my dream job when I was 15 and stayed until I was 18 and moved away.
3. I'm oooobbsessed with dog sports. Agility and Obedience especially. I absolutely love them and try to make it out to a few competitions a year.
4. I could read when I was 2 but absolutely fail at math. My husband is a nuclear engineer and was doing college math in gradeschool but still has me proofread his writing. We're waiting to see how our boys turn out lol
5. I don't have a favorite kind of music but when I hear a song I like, I will listen to it a million times on repeat until I'm sick of it. My favorite song right now is STILL "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons which has been out for years and years.
6. My favorite TV show of all time is Supernatural. I've been to a handful of conventions, met the entire cast, and also gained some of my dearest friends through it.
(PS: My profile is locked because I was threatened by an author on here last year and it just seemed like a good idea. But I definitely, definitely accept friend requests. I love growing my friends list and seeing what you all are reading so feel free to add me!)
I'm sorry, I'm clearly into post lunch haze and didn't read right... did you just said 15 siblings?
That must make family reunions go to another level of fun. And cooking. And noise *giggles*
Sonia wrote: "I'm sorry, I'm clearly into post lunch haze and didn't read right... did you just said 15 siblings?
That must make family reunions go to another level of fun. And cooking. And noise *giggles*"
Lol I did! My family tree is very large and confusing. I was adopted so I have a biological family and an adopted family. And then my adopted parents divorced and remarried so I have a step family as well. Biologically, I have 4 siblings. Through adoption, I have 1. And through step I have 10. I refer to all of them as my brother or sister though, no prefix. I'm very lucky :)
Cait wrote: "Sonia wrote: "I'm sorry, I'm clearly into post lunch haze and didn't read right... did you just said 15 siblings?
That must make family reunions go to another level of fun. And cooking. And nois..."
You are indeed. That is so cool :)
6 random FUN facts1. I decided I wanted to work with computers at 12 after watching the movie War Games with Matthew Broderick. I wanted to be able to do THAT. Since I was good at math, it seemed like a done deal
2. I read Harry Potter #1 when I was at my last college year. It became my to go book to pass time. I randomly opened into a page and started reading - most of the times till the end. I probably read the book 30 times or so BEFORE the movie came out.
3. Continuing fact 2, every now and then there is a book I obsess with... I basically want to read of a passage, or just randomly opening at a page and read till last one. OVER AND OVER AGAIN. Till I know the lines by heart. And then I continue doing it. Then one day I stop doing it and move on.
4. My favorite movie used to be the Lion King - my cat is named after that movie and all - now it's a tie. I still love The Lion King but The Mummy and The Mummy Returns are a watch for sure if I caught them when zapping.
5. I was asked to marry in the middle of the street while it was a true downpour and I was soaking wet - Well it wasn't an official request. I used to pass that street once a month to collect my college scholarship and always passed the "street inquiries" guy with a smile saying I was just a student. That day he didn't see us on the way up, only the way down and was his way of saying hello. It would have been fun if I didn't feel so miserable at the time.
6. If I think something is funny, I always laugh till tears come to my eyes. And then try to explain to other people and they barely understand be between the laughing and the tears. It warms everybody's soul :)
Tidbits about me :1 ~ My Husband and I moved to NC with the help of a friend. We had 2 suitcases (total) and a box of electronics that we moved with.
2 ~ I once worked at Epcot, Sea World and Islands of Adventure, all in attractions. If I miss anything about Florida, it's the theme parks.
3 ~ My ex was/is a traveler and took me so many places. I miss traveling (but not him). I've been on 5 cruises, to Vegas 7 times, all up and down the east coast to various theme / amusement parks. My favorite place to go is Vegas, and I would love to take my Husband on a cruise someday.
4 ~ I can easily tell you my favorite books more than I can tell you my favorite amusement park / theme park ride or coaster. When asked, I usually have to split it up, by theme park for rides or type for coasters.
5 ~ I have always loved marine life, especially dolphins. I had wanted to be a Marine Biologist at one point. My love affair really started with dolphins when at an amusement park with a dolphin show, I was picked out of the crowd (I was like 7 at the time) to go up on the stage. I got to feed the dolphins and was pulled around in a boat by them. :)
6 ~ (The condensed version of our lovely "how we met" story.) My Husband (Jesse) and I met our the start of our junior year of High School (though we'd been at the same school 2 years at that time). We instantly became best of friends. He fell in love with me, I didn't feel the same (though I loved Him, I wasn't IN love with Him) and He was barely speaking to me by graduation. Forward 9 years, my ex had walked out almost 2 years prior and I was lonely / looking for friends. I looked Jesse up and sent a letter to Him. He contacted me and we decided to get together to catch up and we've been together ever since. I was looking for friendship and instead had found a Man who had been in love with me for 11 years. How could I not fall right back?!
Wow Cait, that's crazy. I can't even imagine. I used to think my own sibling thing was nuts. (I'm the youngest and the only.) It's got nothing on you. :D
Sonia ~ Yay! The Mummy. :) Lion King is top three Disney for me (after Beauty and the Beast & Aladdin). But The Mummy / Returns is tops!! :D
6 fun facts about me:1. Though singing is my main instrument of choice, I also have played the piano for years, and I took drum lessons for a while as well. I especially love percussion drumming (drum circles and that sort of thing.)
2. I love to rock climb, fish, camp, hike, go canoeing, and enjoy nature any way I can. Growing up in the country really gave me an appreciation for the outdoors, even if I don’t get to experience it as much now as I’d like to.
3. I can realistically bark like a dog. I get requests for this unorthodox talent all the time.
4. My goal is to go to all 50 states before I die. If I could make it to all 7 continents as well, well maybe not Antarctica because I absolutely hate the cold weather, that would be amazing. I've been to 28 states and 3 continents, so I'm getting there!
5. We had tons of animals growing up. Dogs, cats, chickens, rabbits (lots of rabbits,) rats, guinea pigs, hamsters, turtles, a python (that escaped and was never found,) ducks, and we were really really wanting to get a horse, but that never happened unfortunately. This gave me a deep love for animals of all kinds.
6. Because of my total blindness, I have never actually seen anything in my dreams. Though I did dream that I had sight. That was a very strange experience, and I’m sure it was not the same as actual sight (since I can’t perceive that.) But, it was still amazing all the same. I don’t talk about it much because I can’t even begin to explain it.
Feel free to add me, even if you've hit your quota for the day. :) I love meeting people and what better way than to compare books?
Cait wrote: "Sonia wrote: "I'm sorry, I'm clearly into post lunch haze and didn't read right... did you just said 15 siblings?
That must make family reunions go to another level of fun. And cooking. And nois..."
Definitely lucky. :) It's really neat that your family has pretty much been brought together, and everyone considers everyone else brother and sister.
Not even close to your level, but my mom and dad both remarried after my brother and I were born, and I have 2 half siblings. They are my brother and sister, no question about it.
I do sort of understand family reunions though. Though for me it's more the family Christmases and Thanksgivings. It's a hectic time, but it's during those times when I realize how lucky I am to have lots of parents and family dynamics. I'm sure you feel that even more than I do in a lot of ways, especially with that many siblings.
1. Just like Indiana Jones, I have a horrific fear of snakes. When I was five or six, my family was on a cross-country road trip (stopped in Montana) and I accidentally stepped on a rattlesnake sunning in the yellow grass. I never even saw him. By some miracle, I ended up stepping on his neck and not running away before he was dead. I still don't know what made me stand there. To this day, it was one of the scariest experiences of my life and now I can't even be around a gardener snake without going into cold sweats and feeling nauseous. In biology class in college, my friend would tell me when the pictures of snakes went away. I still can't watch the second Harry Potter movie- you get the idea. It's bad. 2. Also, like Indiana Jones, I have a thing for history. In college I majored in Communication (Emphasis Journalism) but I minored in history and anthropology. I took an archaeology class where I received knife made from a rock and it is still one of my favorite things I have today. It is my dream to visit Egypt, in particular Hatshepsut's Temple, but really all of it.
3. Continuing on in the history vein, I am my generation's family historian- my uncle does it too. I was the one who discovered that my father-in-law's dad never died when he was five, he just moved and started a new family. Fun times, right? Imagine making that call. However, I also was the one who proved that his grandfather on his mother's side was Rappahannock Indian because his picture was included on a cultural study done on them in the late 1800's. So, I guess that makes up for it. :)
4. My mom's sister married my dad's brother, so even though my parents only had me and my brother, I have three other genetic siblings.
5. Amongst my genetic siblings, my name is the only name that starts with a letter not E. My cousins are Emerson, Emily and Everett; my brother is Eric. I am Stephanie. It set me apart all through our childhood. I was the best student (even though the others had just as much potential), I went to college first, blah blah blah. Emerson just started his Masters in some kind of business field, though (which I will never attempt, not in the least because I can't afford it) and Eric just graduated as an Engineer- so they are definitely making strides.
6. I am in the middle of my third revision of the third book in the series that I am writing, none of which has been published yet. I am trying to get the first book published- it has been sent off to yet another one a few weeks ago. I am trying to get published for real, I feel like I have a pretty good shot. Even if I don't then I will finish this series and move onto the next. The writing is in me- I can't not do it.
Rylie wrote: "6 fun facts about me:1. Though singing is my main instrument of choice, I also have played the piano for years, and I took drum lessons for a while as well. I especially love percussion drumming ..."
I fully respect your musical abilities, I can almost sing- like karaoke sing when there's a bunch of drunk people around and that's about it. My father-in-law gave us a keyboard a few years ago and now that my girls are six and eight, I was thinking this summer would be the year that we get serious about trying to play it. Is there a particular music book that you would recommend for people just learning (I'm going to try too!).
Cait wrote: "1. I have 15 siblings.2. I had my dream job when I was 15 and stayed until I was 18 and moved away.
3. I'm oooobbsessed with dog sports. Agility and Obedience especially. I absolutely love them an..."
You were threatened by an author!? Holy smokes! That's horrible. I am sorry you had to go through that. Yikes, I don't blame you for locking your profile. Safety first. When I was in high school I considered going to the police about the guy who followed me home from the bus and then just happened to show up wherever I was. Super creepy. He asked me out once and then didn't stop following me once I said no. Restraining order for sure, but I can't think of a way you would do that over the internet. Scary stuff. Hope everything turned out alright for you.
Karsyn wrote: "Tidbits about me :1 ~ My Husband and I moved to NC with the help of a friend. We had 2 suitcases (total) and a box of electronics that we moved with.
2 ~ I once worked at Epcot, Sea World and ..."
I love your story about you and your husband! My husband and I went to the same high school, I did track with his brother and his mom judged my events but I didn't meet him until I was in college through a mutual friend. We've been together ever since. Funny how life works out, eh? :)
Stephanie (R-A) wrote: "Rylie wrote: "6 fun facts about me:1. Though singing is my main instrument of choice, I also have played the piano for years, and I took drum lessons for a while as well. I especially love percus..."
To be honest, though I'd like to be, I'm probably not the right person to ask. I learn through braille music, and it's a beast of a code to learn, so not a lot of people want to translate their books in to it.
So, I didn't really learn from a book. I started playing by ear when I was 7 or 8, around the same age as your girls, with a lady from my grandmother's church. We'd learn a couple of songs and then sit in her kitchen and drink hot chocolate.
Lessons really began in the fifth grade, when I could take piano at school. I mastered the braille music code in fourth grade, and when I started taking piano, my teacher would play a few songs for me, I'd pick one out I'd like to learn, she'd type it all out in to braille for me, and then I'd read the code and memorize the songs that way, a few measures at a time. That's how I learned everything up through senior year.
So, I have absolutely no idea what books are out there for children to start learning. My piano lessons were quite unorthodox, same with all of the students in piano at the school I attended.
I wish I could be of more help. :( It's super cool though that you all want to start learning to play.
Rylie wrote: "Stephanie (R-A) wrote: "Rylie wrote: "6 fun facts about me:1. Though singing is my main instrument of choice, I also have played the piano for years, and I took drum lessons for a while as well. ..."
That's okay. The way you learned sounds pretty cool. I taught myself how to play Penny Lane in sixth grade and then stopped. I have wanted to learn to play the piano (properly) ever since I can remember. When I was little I was convinced it would help me stop falling down the stairs every day because piano players always seemed to graceful, but they didn't offer lessons in school where I went. So I opted for no instrument at all. My dad is a snare drummer and I think he was disappointed I didn't choose something. Now, as an adult, of course I regret it, but you're never to old to learn, so I have decided to try to learn with my girls instead. :)
@Rylie,That's exactly it. My family is super unique and I love that chance or happenstance had us all end up together. Growing up, I was an only child. I didn't meet my biological siblings until later and at that point had no step siblings. I used to wish so hard for a brother or sister so I wouldn't be lonely. Now I've got more than I know what to do with most of the time lol
@Stephanie,
Yes, ugh, and it was a total nightmare. I left a one star review on his book, which was worded quite nicely I might add, simply saying I didn't enjoy it. He demanded that I take the review down. When I didn't, he lost his mind and went completely off on me. The receipts are still floating around the internet as the whole thing went completely viral. Neil Gaiman and Maureen Johnson were tweeting about it, etc, the whole thing was ridiculous. I was genuinely afraid of the guy but luckily nothing ever came of it. I'm so sorry that you went through that, I can't imagine how scary it is to have that happen in person :(
Cait wrote: "@Rylie,That's exactly it. My family is super unique and I love that chance or happenstance had us all end up together. Growing up, I was an only child. I didn't meet my biological siblings until ..."
So what you are telling me is that you're famous? :) Just kidding (and probably in poor taste, my apologies but Neil Gaiman involved with anything you are involved in makes you famous in my mind). It's really awful. I am so sorry you had to go through that.
I was just looking at a thread in the Goodreads Author room the other day that debated how important reviews were to book sales- it seems that this guy came down on the side that they were vital. A lot of successful authors seemed to not think so much.
I review books all the time and I have handed out several 2 stars, always with a polite reason as to why. It is ridiculous to me that he would try to suppress your opinion. It's the internet. I am glad you found a way to handle it. I am now very curious as to what the book and author was, but if you don't want to tell me, I totally understand.
As for my situation, I don't think he would have hurt me, which is why no restraining order was filed. I did notice that he used to target girls who he thought would have so little self-esteem that they would give in. I was one of several girls in the beginning and when I continued to say no, but still be polite in class that's when he dropped the others and focused on me entirely. I never said yes and I always had someone with me- my brother, parents, friends, whatever. I stopped even being polite after a few months of his new obsession.
When I started working at Orange Julius at the mall, one of his friends worked there and told him my schedule, so he was ALWAYS in the food court when I worked. So, when the manager wasn't there to back me up, she scheduled someone else who would take care of it if it became a problem (we worked together a lot and he was always looking out for me while I worked there).
I probably should have gone to the police about it but I just couldn't see him as violent- just creepy and I wasn't sure that would be enough. My friend had to get a restraining order against a guy and it was such a hassle for her I couldn't see doing it. When I got married and had my first baby he ran into to me on my own with my four month old daughter and literally tried to take her- that was scary and I did send the mall police after him that time. He never got caught though, not to my knowledge. If he was, I was never contacted.
He tried to friend me on Facebook a few years back too. I am pretty sure he is friends with some of my friends from high school too, so it is always in the back of my mind. No fun. Hopefully, after 15 or 16 years though, he has moved on to other things.
1. I kicked a wall in my sleep when I was 17 and my toenail ripped off. Now, I have a rhino toe that grows up in layers. I've had the toenail removed several times but it's never going to be normal.2. I grew up the only "English" family in an Amish town. (English is what they call anybody that is not Amish). My father's best friend was Amish but unfortunately his friend passed a couple months ago. My dad also tried to set me up with an Amish boy when I was in high school (I think jokingly?)... going home is entertaining.
3. My parents are still together after 40 years of marriage.
4. Right now I work at a pizza joint while I go to school. It's actually super fun, and I love working there.
5. When my boyfriend and I got out of the Marine Corps (he was stationed in NC, I was stationed in SC), we picked a random place on the map to move together and that's where we are now.
6. I can not ride a bike. I never learned how and now I'm too scared I'd break a bone learning at my age.
Karsyn wrote: "Tidbits about me :1 ~ My Husband and I moved to NC with the help of a friend. We had 2 suitcases (total) and a box of electronics that we moved with.
2 ~ I once worked at Epcot, Sea World and ..."
Karsyn, dolphins are my favorite animal. It's so cool you got to touch and feed the dolphins. That's on my bucket list of things to do before I get too old to partake in bucket list things.
Rylie wrote: "4. My goal is to go to all 50 states before I die. If I could make it to all 7 continents as well, well maybe not Antarctica because I absolutely hate the cold weather, that would be amazing. I've been to 28 states and 3 continents, so I'm getting there! ..."My husband has actually been to all 7 continents, and he just loves to rub it in my face.
Six random FUN facts about me that I haven't shared yet? That's a tall order, but I'll give it a shot...1. When I was a child (under 5), I had a "Grandma." She was my father's mother and Swedish, though she was born in the U.S. . . . and she didn't/doesn't speak Swedish. When I was five, this "Grandma" decided she wanted to be called "Mormor" (which means "mother's mother," and, mind you, her daughter didn't even have kids yet!). I remember going up to her door that Christmas of 1979 and saying "Hi Grandma!" with joy, only to be rudely shot down and told she didn't want to be called that any more. It was a rather scarring experience and I'm afraid I never felt the same about that "Grandma." She's still alive (94 or 96, I think) and sadly, we're not close.
2. I got straight As from 7th through 12th grade and was the valedictorian of my high school class, all so I could go to the college of my choice and escape California. I was successful in my escape. ;-)
3. Though I was born and raised in California (southern California), I like to think and tell people that I'm from Washington state (Seattle!). And since I've now lived more of my life in Washington than in California (19.5 vs. 18.5 years), I think it's okay and true. ;-) The only thing about me that is still "Californian" is my driving. When you learn to drive by driving on southern California's freeways, that's an experience that never ever leaves you. Sadly, this means that I'm rather nervous whenever I have to parallel park: southern California is full of parking lots and parking spaces. I don't think I ever had to parallel park until I moved to Washington two and a half years after getting my license.
4. I fell so in love with Washington (Seattle!) on my first trip, in August of 1989 - when we went up there to visit relatives who had moved there a year or three previously - that I decided on the spot that "someday, somehow, I WILL live here" (I was 14; it was the summer before my freshman year of high school). It took me over eight years, but four years later I was in college on the eastern side of that state (and a WA resident!), and in January 1998 my dream came true. I lived in Seattle for 15 years and loved every minute of it. I miss it terribly. :'(
5. My Russian professors in college were a Swedish woman and a Chinese man. So when I went to Russia for my study abroad, I could read and write, but speaking and understanding the spoken word were beyond me. In July of 1995, I did a five-week course - for students at my university - in Vladivostok, in the Russian Far East, that was supposed to help "hone our Russian language skills." Sadly, our Russian language skills were sorely lacking; so because the Russian students who were assigned to help us had stronger English than our Russian, we mostly spoke English. When I arrived in Irkutsk (Siberia) for my year abroad, I still couldn't speak very well and still struggled to understand when someone spoke to me. My first three months were rough, to put it mildly (that's another story), but somehow around about in January I was conversationally fluent. I have no idea how it happened, but I can remember that by the end of January I was conversing almost like a native (I say almost because I always had trouble with the "soft L" sound, lol). I had friends that only spoke Russian. I was mistaken for a pre-Baltic (Latvian/Estonian/Lithuanian) girl by a Russian asking for directions once. That was one of the highlights of my life. And it's to my everlasting dismay that I'll never be mistaken for a true Russian, as I don't have the right bone structure. (Though of course, nowadays, I can't speak Russian hardly at all. It's a skill you lose without practice and I haven't had an opportunity to practice it in 16 years.)
6. I've been to 48 of the 50 U.S. States, all but for North Dakota and Hawaii. Most of them were visited when I was kid. My family once took a two-week trip around the country, 10,000 miles. :-) I don't have too many memories of that trip, but the ones I do have are treasured. I remember teaching Dad to blow bubbles with his gum during a hail storm in New Mexico; watching the rain out of our hotel window in Washington, D.C.; swimming in a leech-infested lake in Maine. I remember huge family reunions whenever we'd visit Oklahoma, where my mother was born and raised. My mother had her parents and their siblings, and her stepfather and his siblings. She had roughly 100 (plus or minus 25, lol) cousins. So family reunions in Oklahoma were always great fun. I remember that my mother lost her accent and sounded like she was from California; and my father - born and raised and lived all his life to that point IN California - would pick up the Oklahoma accent within two days. (I adopted the Oklahoman "y'all," but that was it, lol.)
So that's six things about me that you might not know. I don't know how fun they are, but I enjoyed sharing them. ;-)
Stephanie (R-A) wrote: " In biology class in college, my friend would tell me when the pictures of snakes went away. I still can't watch the second Harry Potter movie- you get the idea. It's bad. ..."I can't watch the second Harry Potter movie without "supervision," either, but because of the spiders. *shiver, shudder* I actually love snakes, so I don't have a problem with them. And I might not have a problem with the spiders if it weren't for the fact that Ron is afraid of them, too. So I can't just close my eyes for those scenes, because I can still hear Ron's reactions and they trigger my own fears. So I need someone to watch with me who can either fast-forward and tell me when it's safe to again open my eyes, or tell me when I can open my eyes and take my fingers out of my ears. ;-)
1. I'm the only person I know that was named after a Greek Nymph. :)2. I'm a crazy gamer dork. I love MMO, RPG, and strategy games. I raided really hardcore for several years in EQ1 and EQ2 and was in some of the best guilds in the world. My most recent MMO was Elder Scrolls Online and I adored PvP with my little pink wood elf.
3. I raised a raccoon named Ragu The Raccoon growing up. He was my best bud and went with me everywhere. He even joined me at work when I worked midnights at a gas station after I turned 18 and he used to hide behind the counter and helped me stock (sorta).
4. I don't have a highschool diploma because of a clerical error. They won't give it to me now without getting a GED. I've talked my way into two colleges and take courses for fun. I have over 200 credits now in all sorts of fields, but I've never bothered trying to organize them and apply for any degrees.
5. I have a Mazda Miata with a vanity license plate AHURA. It's a Zoroastrian mythology pun...no one ever gets it. :(
6. I own a house with my brother. He lives on the 2nd floor, we rent out the third, I live on the 1st floor, and my fiance lives in the basement with his girlfriend who keeps house and cooks for us. It's a very strange house.
1. I didn't start going by my nickname (Jex) until college, but I've actually had it since I first started playing video games. As a kid I had two last names so 4 initials (JLBD). As video games only allowed three letters on the high score board, I just shortened my name to Jes. One day I decided Jes wasn't cool enough so I added the X becoming Jex. I started going by the name when I started going to LANs and playing a lot of online gaming where most people just went by their handle instead of their name. Now I go by it everywhere just about. 2. I've gone to almost every state, but have never really travelled internationally. I have been to Canada back before you needed a passport to cross the border. I finally got my passport this year and hope to put it good use!
3. In high school I was the white nerdy kid on the hip hop squad. People always made fun of me when I told them I was on the team, but they stopped when they saw me dance.
4. I'm planning a wedding in Hawaii but I've never been to Hawaii. So excited to finally make it to an island!
5. For awhile I had a book blog called Everything and Nothing (originally it wasn't just books, hence the name) and absolutely loved it! I started it after being so involved in Goodreads and this group specifically (wow I've been in this group for almost 6 years now....crazy). I had to stop blogging as I had taken on too many projects at once and just didn't have time to read and review things. I would love to start it up again some day when I have more time to commit to it. The good news is that when I stopped blogging I was brought on as a moderator for this group and had fun creating challenges for awhile so it took the sting out of giving it up.
6. I've never broken a bone or been stung by a bee. I don't know how I've managed to make it 30 years without doing either of these, but I did.
Okay! Here goes - Let's hear it for random!!1) I do not drive. I technically can - even standard. I only took the road test one time, but it was an epic fail. My husband likes the control and doesn't like for anyone else to drive. If he could fly a plane, he'd take over, too!
2) I am deathly afraid of all reptiles -- even geckos. I realize that this is an irrational fear, but I have it nonetheless. Thank goodness there are no snakes in Hawaii. I sometimes worry that I'll die of fright if a reptile ever touches me.
3) I LOVE all things Disney!! We used to travel to Disneyland at least once a year, but have curtailed that. We haven't been since 2012 :(. Our family ritual is to ride Peter Pan first -- no matter what else we go on to do that day.
4) I once had over 200 penpals. I know it sounds crazy, but it was such fun. They were all ladies from all over the world. I had to cut back because of rising postage costs, but still keep in touch with some of them. I still write or call my very first penpal, Marie. We are the same age and have been writing since we were just 12 years old.
5) I love the color pink. If I could get away with it, I'd have a pink house with Hello Kitty accessories. Well maybe I'd switch it up with Pooh Bear sometimes... I used to dress myself in pink almost exclusively. Thankfully, I've gotten over that now.
6) My secret dream is to write the great American novel -- or barring that, a great children's book that will stand the test of time. I have a great fear of rejection AND I'm really lazy, too.
Jex wrote: "6. I've never broken a bone or been stung by a bee. I don't know how I've managed to make it 30 years without doing either of these, but I did."I've never broken a bone, either. (*knock on wood*) I can't remember if I've been stung by a bee or not. If I was, it would have been back when I was a kid. As I'm now 41, you could say it's been 30 years without me doing either of those things, too. :-)
I've also never been ticketed or at fault in a car accident, though I've been in three (once with my father driving, and twice as an adult when other people ran into me). I'm very proud of my driving record. :-)
6 random things...1. I collect vampires, bats, and cookbooks
2. I am related to the screenwriter Dalton Trumbo
3. I have big feet and wear a size 11 women's shoe
4. I still sleep with the teddy bear I was given as a baby. It has been well loved :-)
5. I have been a Girl Scout since I was 6 years old and have a lifetime membership.
6. Because of my Girl Scout background, I traveled to Savannah, GA my freshman year of high school and loved it so much that I ended up going to art school there and graduated with a BFA in photography.
@Jen That's awesome! I can't say I haven't had a ticket. Unfortunately I went to college in Oregon and got 3 tickets in 3 years because they drive sooooooo slow there! Until last year I had never gotten in a car accident that was my fault. Last year I was driving down an extremely narrow drive way and my tire hit the fence funny....car tried to climb the fence....tire well didn't like it....I've never hit another car though!
Random fun facts..... (Random for sure, don't know about fun!!)1) My initials are the same as my dad's, and they spell ARM
2) I can't swim, but have had swimming lessons 5 times - and swam the length of the pool each time (so, I'm told.....); I'm sure my fear of water has something to do with this.
3) I have a black belt in Taekwondo.
4) I was on a cruise during the week of 9/11/2001, specifically in Mexico on that day so I knew nothing of the events of the day until late that evening when returning to the ship. And it was quite the event getting home at the end of the week.
5) I have no children but I refer to my nieces and nephews (2 of each) as my "grandkids".
6) I have no sense of "right" or "left" - I literally have to think about them to know the correct direction. I am a riot in a game or anything where you are told which direction to move!!
@Amy "the book-bat" - The Girl Scout thing is awesome! I was in Girl Scouts from 1st-8th grade and then quit to join Job's Daughters instead because my mom made me choose. I always kind of wished I had stuck out the girl scouts longer, but then again I wouldn't pass up my Jobie time for anything either.
Let's see what I can come up with.....1) A couple years ago I took off 6 months from work and traveled around the world. In a 12 month period, I actually went to 6 continents.
2) I've always wanted to go to Antarctica, but that is the one I missed.
3) I am named after my grandparents -- Joseph (grandfather's first name) and Eilene (Grandmother's middle name). This was before the Dolly Parton song came out.
4) I LOVED Garfield when I was growing up and had tons of stuffed Garfields (my mom things you should collect things). In college, a couple guys broke into our dorm room, stole the Garfields and hung them from the ceiling of the dining hall. I even named my cat Nermal (the kitten in Garfield).
5) My husband and I got together after we almost died in a scuba diving incident. We were in a scuba park in Mexico and surfaced right in the path of a boat that was there illegally and going too fast. We were both fine, but scared. Previous to that, we had just been friends for 8 years.
6) I've completed an Olympic distance triathlon -- won't do that again ;-), but I still love to ride my bike --- which is purple -- my favorite color.
Amy "the book-bat" wrote: "6 random things...4. I still sleep with the teddy bear I was given as a baby. It has been well loved :-)..."
How neat! I still sleep with my childhood "teddy bear," too, but I can remember getting him for Christmas. I was probably six or seven (maybe older). My "teddy bear" is a Care Bear: Bedtime Bear. I so love my Bedtime. He went to Russia and to Prague with me when I studied abroad. I'm rarely without him at night. :-)
Angie wrote: "Random fun facts..... (Random for sure, don't know about fun!!)5) I have no children but I refer to my nieces and nephews (2 of each) as my "grandkids". ..."
I don't have any children, either, but my dog (he's a puppy; 3 in May) is my son. :-)
Six fun facts? I'll see what I can come up with...1) One of my birthmarks is white hair, just like Rogue from X-Men (one of my many nicknames. It runs on my mother's side of the family. Everyone either has a stripe of white hair in the front, "white knees" (it looks like big white scars, but it's just discoloration in the skin), the white bellybutton (like knees, but less skin), or some combination of the three. My mom and I have the white hair and knees, my brother has just the knees, and my grandma has the belly button. It's crazy how it hits every generation in one way or another.
2) I had my dream job for three years with Boys Town, working with at-risk teenagers. The home I worked in was teenage boys only between the ages of 11-18. I really loved working with the boys, but if you don't rejuvenate yourself regularly and don't get the support you need from management, it's extremely difficult. I still think of them as my kids though, even though I'm not there anymore.
3) When I was younger, about 12 or so, my younger brother (he would've been about 9) and I came up with a roller blade routine to "Another One Bites The Dust" by Queen. We would skate around the basement making up these silly moves. Just a random memory I have with my brother.
4) I was a member of the cheerleading squad in high school. Now, if you knew all the different things I'm interested in, you would know that I don't necessarily have the "cheerleader" background. I'm into Tim Burton, love heavy rock/metal music, hung out with the geeky/nerdy kids (because I am one), etc. So, spring semester of sophomore year, I heard about the tryouts and thought it would be a challenge to try because throwing people in the air didn't exactly sound easy. My "friends" at the time told me that there was no way I would make the squad and if I did, I would quit in the first month. That just made me even more determined to try and I made the squad. I was a base, so I threw the girls in the air and made sure they didn't hit the floor. I went from being a member none of the cheerleaders wanted, to being considered a sister at the end of senior year and receiving an overall cheer award. It is one of the best experiences of my high school years, by far.
5) As I mentioned in yesterday's questions, I'm living in California, but grew up in Iowa, where all of my family is still. Whenever I go home, about 2-3 times a year, I think of all these different things I'd like to see again and people to visit with, but most of the time, I just spend time with my parents. It's probably the most peaceful and relaxing enjoyment I have when I travel home, just being with them. My mom will either read one of her books or sit next to me and talk about the wedding and my dad will watch TV or work on one of his Sudoku puzzles (it's hard to find any that challenge him anymore - hard ones are easy for him and very hard ones are like medium to him). If you have teenagers that are tough right now, just be supportive and be there for them. They'll come around soon enough :)
That was a couple of long ones. Let's see if I can make this one shorter...
6) I hate the texture of bananas and avocados. It's just too mushy for me and I can't stand it. Cali natives look at me weird when I tell them I don't like avocados. They think I'm from a different planet :P
JoLene wrote: "Let's see what I can come up with.....1) A couple years ago I took off 6 months from work and traveled around the world. In a 12 month period, I actually went to 6 continents...."
How very cool! I've only been to the northern hemisphere continents (N. America, Europe and Asia). The furthest south I've been was to Mexico, or maybe Jamaica (geography is not my strong suit, lol). In Eurasia, the furthest south I've been was to Uzbekistan. I would love to visit South America (especially Tierra del Fuego in Chile), Africa (especially Egypt), and Australia. And I definitely want to go to Antarctica, too. I love the cold so it seems like it'd be my kind of place. ;-)
Samantha wrote: "Six fun facts? I'll see what I can come up with...1) One of my birthmarks is white hair ..."
That is so cool. My mother's family has an intermittent gene that turns your hair pure and solid white in your later 30s, but sadly, neither she nor I inherited it. She's likely just going gray (she colors her hair, though, so I haven't see what color it is naturally since she got her first strands of gray), while I seem to be taking after her maternal grandmother, who was salt-and-peppery right up until the day she died, when she was 90 or 95 or so.
I was THRILLED to find a gray hair when I turned 30, but I celebrated that birthday with my parents and when I showed it to my mother, she plucked it out! I've never forgiven for it. lol ;-)
Jen wrote: "Stephanie (R-A) wrote: " In biology class in college, my friend would tell me when the pictures of snakes went away. I still can't watch the second Harry Potter movie- you get the idea. It's bad. ...."My best friend from high school/sister-in-law (I knew her first! :) ) is deathly afraid of spiders. She almost passed out one time when it got too close to her. She had her old house bug bombed before they moved in and wouldn't enter for days after it was done. She didn't want to see any of the evidence. Phobias are hard, but we cope.
Also, North Dakota isn't terribly exciting. If you miss that state, you won't be missing out on much. My family took a cross-country road trip when I was 5 or 6 and I knocked out a good 2/3 of the nation, but 48 is impressive.
@ Amy and JenI also still have my childhood stuffed animal, Purple Raccoon. As you might expect, he is purple and a raccoon. I got him in first grade for my birthday and refuse to get rid of him. He sleeps in my bed with me and everything which my mom is convinced is weird since I have a husband. So does everyone else, actually... :)
Stephanie (R-A) wrote: "He sleeps in my bed with me and everything which my mom is convinced is weird since I have a husband. So does everyone else, actually... :) "If your husband doesn't mind, I say "more power to you!" :-)
And if your husband does mind, I'm guessing he wouldn't be your husband. lol ;-)
@Jen - I Love carebears! I still have my baby blanket is pristine condition. My grandma made it and it has all the care bear cousins stitched on to it. I also have the 25th anniversary silver bear still boxed up and a 3 foot bedtime bear just because. I used to have a ton more but I've gotten rid of some over the years. @Samantha - I totally understand the avocado thing. I feel like everything these days has avocado and I just can't stand the stuff. People constantly tell me to "just try it again, you'll like it" but I never ever do.
Jex wrote: "@Jen - I Love carebears! I still have my baby blanket is pristine condition. My grandma made it and it has all the care bear cousins stitched on to it. I also have the 25th anniversary silver bear ..."Wow! A 3-foot-tall Bedtime Bear? I want one! But is he blue? Or green? My Bedtime Bear is one of the originals, so he's a sort of greenish color. My parents bought me a new one a few (like 10 or more, lol) years ago, but he's blue. So the "new" one is in storage while my original - now at least 30 years old - still sleeps with me. :-)
Your baby blankie sounds fantastic! Do you have any pictures of it that you could share? I had a "puppy blankie" when I was a baby/child, but sadly I lost track of it when I left for college. My Bedtime Bear is my must-have comfort object; the puppy blankie, not so much. (Though I do wish my mother would go through all of her storage boxes to find it for me.)
And a 25th anniversary silver bear? What's that? I might covet one of those, too. lol ;-)
Jex wrote: "@Amy "the book-bat" - The Girl Scout thing is awesome! I was in Girl Scouts from 1st-8th grade and then quit to join Job's Daughters instead because my mom made me choose. I always kind of wished I..."I was also in Job's Daughters when I was younger!! I've actually not ever met too many others who were in it so it's really nice to hear from another Jobie!!! =)
Both of my daughters are in Girl Scouts, and I am also a member because I'm co Troop Leader. We all have so much fun with the activities and trips.
Six random facts, even though I'm a bit late:1. I love butterflies, and collect all kinds of things that have butterflies on them...just because.
2. I like playing Xbox... I play COD (Call of Duty) and Assassin's Creed...but will play just about any video game.
3. I was in gymnastics until I was 13 and can still do a roundoff back handspring at 35 years old.
4. I'm co-leader of my daughter's Girl Scout troop, and we have been the top cookie seller in the troop for 4 years running.
5. I love geocaching - mainly because it gives me a goal to get me out walking/hiking, which is great exercise...for some reason having that goal really helps to keep me motivated...without it I am lazy when it comes to exercising. (Something I need to work on)
6. I still sleep with a quilt that my great grandmother made and gave me when I was 6 years old. She passed away when I was about 9, and I never saw her more than once a year, but I love that quilt, and it always makes me think of her.
Jen wrote: "Jex wrote: "@Jen - I Love carebears! I still have my baby blanket is pristine condition. My grandma made it and it has all the care bear cousins stitched on to it. I also have the 25th anniversary ..."I'll try to grab some pictures when I'm at home tonight. Unfortunately my bedtime bear is a "new" version. I used to have a ton of original carebears, but I got tired of moving them so I donated them to a friends kid and now they adore them as much as I did.
Joanne wrote: "Jex wrote: "@Amy "the book-bat" - The Girl Scout thing is awesome! I was in Girl Scouts from 1st-8th grade and then quit to join Job's Daughters instead because my mom made me choose. I always kind..."That's awesome! I didn't expect anyone to know what Job's Daughters was when I mentioned it.
Joanne wrote: "Six random facts, even though I'm a bit late:"I was in gymnastics in jr high as well! I focused on the bars which came naturally to me, but I wasn't so great at the rest of the stuff :-P
Congrats on the cookie sales! That's pretty impressive.
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