A Little Bit About Me

(Photo by my five-year-old son!)

Here are 20 random facts about yours truly!  :o)

1. I truly dislike being the center of attention, and am always so much happier to be on the sidelines. I do not like being in charge of large groups, or talking to large groups. I do far better with one-on-one conversations rather than group settings. I enjoy my privacy and like my own company.

2. I cannot imagine life without a kitty... although it is more than likely that my current kitty will forever be my Only Cat. We have had her for almost nine years, but my husband developed an allergy to her only recently. We still have Kitty because I love her, and because my husband loves me. We have found many ways to help manage my husband's allergy, but one of them is that Kitty can't sleep in our room anymore. I will be absolutely crushed when she passes away, and I can't stand thinking about it. I've told her she needs to live for another good 30+ years......

3. I am unable to sleep a) with my hair touching my face or neck b) without my specific pillows (which do travel with me) and c) without my stupid mouth guard. I am a nighttime jaw-clencher! :o(

4. I prefer to eat hot foods HOT. As in almost to the point of scalding. If it's supposed to be hot, it just tastes soooo much better *H*O*T*!

5. I have had multiple random ~strangers~ ask me if I've had plastic surgery on my nose. I have not. What does this mean? That my nose is exceptionally desirable, or that I look like the victim of a botched nose job??

6. My husband is an amazing and incredible man. (See #2!) We met at work, and spent every waking hour together until we were married... after which we spent every waking and sleeping hour together until my first child was born and I quit my job. It was a very difficult transition to go from being with him 24/7, to being apart for 8 hours a day. I still love it when he comes home on his lunch breaks -- and wish we could still be together all day, every day!

7. Despite #6, I also value and appreciate alone time! Hubs has "book club" (read: video game night) once a week, when I shut myself into my sewing room with Netflix and sew into the wee hours of the morning. I love and look forward to these consecutive hours of uninterrupted-by-kiddos sewing!

8. "I'm afraid I'm just not very good at... confrontations!" (movie quote!) Really, though -- My philosophy for life is "Live and Let Live." Or perhaps more descriptive: "Leave Me Alone." HA!

9. My husband and I had a discussion about movies, and how to describe what my favorite style of movies is. He is very observant, and came up with a fantastic description that I just couldn't put my finger on by myself... I like comedies, but not ones where they are blatantly TRYING to be funny. No slapstick; no bodily function jokes. Those are a dime a dozen. But maybe not necessarily intellectual comedies, either. Hmmmm.... How to describe? I love movies where everyone is being extremely serious...ly funny! Okay, a short list of examples: Napoleon Dynamite, The 'Burbs, Mystery Men, Joe Versus the Volcano, Three Amigos, Doctor Horrible, The Hudsucker Proxy, UHF, Amelie, Strictly Ballroom, and so on. So... What exactly IS that movie category?? And, can anyone give me suggestions for other good ones? :oD

10. I have three brothers and two sisters. My brothers all live out of state, and rather far away... but my sisters both live within two hours of me. My brothers are some of the most HI-LARIOUS people I know. Example: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z2aZtoeEuw But they also used to drive my sister and I ~i~n~s~a~n~e~ with their incessant gooning allllllll night long in their bedroom next to ours.

11. My mom and dad still live at the home I grew up in. My husband's parents still live in the home he grew up in. When we built our home we built it with the intent to live here FOREVER. :o)

12. I don't drink alcohol. Never have. Never will.

13. I detest wearing socks, but if I must wear them they neither match each other nor what I am wearing.

14. I tend to collect things obsessively... but only small things. (No, my house does not look like an episode of Hoarders.) It seems to be cyclical, though -- often corresponding with seasons. I tend to have Seasonal Affective Disorder, and a touch of OCD. I have random collections such as: matchbox-size cars from the movie Cars, tiny stuffed animals (Only Hearts Pets and Whimzy Pets), LPS Blythes of course, etc. It's always toys. :o)

15. Speaking of OCD... I cannot touch raw meat. I hate to smell like cooked/cooking food. I detest all restaurants that serve fajitas -- the ones they bring out still sizzling on a little pan -- because there is no hope of NOT smelling like it when you leave. There are a great many restaurants that have been blacklisted by me for that reason. My "smell like food" abhorrence makes cooking at home a little difficult, but I have ways of managing. :o)

16. I hate swimming. HATE IT. That is one of the reasons all my kids are taking swimming lessons... I don't want THEM to hate it.

17. I also detest seafood of every kind. I am a landlubber. I guess that comes from living nowhere near open waters. (And I don't think lakes count!)

18. We have eleven aspen trees planted in a little grove around the end of our house where our bedroom and bathroom are. I love opening the blinds and watching the leaves in the wind... and especially love opening the windows at night to listen to the breeze rustle through the leaves. I can't wait until the trees are just a little bit bigger so I can hang a big ol' hammock out there -- same as my grandpa used to have!

19. I loooove garden tomatoes, and we plant three tomato plants every year -- one cherry, one early fruit-bearing, and one later fruit-bearing. But I am the only one in the family who eats them!! :oD

20. I hate feet. Mine, yours, anybody's. Keep 'em away from me!!