Ten Things You Didn't Know about Me

In response to the current Facebook folly of listing a number of things people don't know about you, here is mine. This was way too tempting as I have enjoyed reading everyone else's over the last few days. My ten, in no particular order... 

1. I made my own clothes in high school. Although I didn't make every piece in my wardrobe, my favorites were those I created myself. I would see something I liked and then search for a similar pattern through the Vogue and Simplicity books at the corner dime store. I would duplicate copyrighted designer logos like OP (Ocean Pacific) by carefully embroidering on my finished products.

2. I have wicked intuition and a great bullshit meter. I can spot a crook or a lie a mile away. And adversely, I know the good guys within the first two minutes of a conversation. My gut is rarely wrong. It's the best weapon I have in living a life free of trouble and full of good-hearted people.

3. My interest in accounting was sparked by M&M sales when I was sixteen. The cheerleading squad was selling boxes of M&M's to raise money for new uniforms. I volunteered to head up the effort. I quickly pulled together a detailed business plan based on our desired revenue. Counting the money and keeping the girls on quota to our goal was exhilarating. I took accounting and business classes the next year.

4. My favorite time to run is in the middle of the night. Although I haven't enjoyed this guilty indulgence since a teen, my happiest moments in running were in the quiet of a hot summer night with a bright full moon at my back. I used to go for a two-mile run on weekends after waitressing until midnight. This was my bliss during those carefree, small-town days of past.

5. I love clothes. My particular weaknesses are unique accessories, boots, and dresses. I will always dress up when given the opportunity and can make an awesome outfit with a shoestring budget. As a child, I loved Barbies and paper dolls because I loved to dress them. I would be a great designer for the show "What Not to Wear". Helping people dress stylish and affordably while boosting their confidence and helping them feel comfortable in their own skin....sign me up!

6. I would have been one hell of a housewife. I would have rocked the house with this profession. You could have given me nine kids on a farm and I would have run the house like a high-power CEO. From the cooking to the cleaning to organizing the household to perfection; all while creating a warm sense of home for my family...would have loved this challenge. Ma Walton would have nothing on me. 

7. I don't like to talk on the phone. I dread when my phone rings and would much rather meet with people in person. Talking to Garrett is an exception as we have no choice based on distance. If it wasn't for Garrett, you would rarely see me with a phone to my ear. Now using my phone to stay connected on-line...that's a whole other story. That I am good with!

8. I have been consistently told that I have a lot of dominant male traits. I used to hate to hear this. This comment seemingly contradicted my love for dresses. Kind of like I am not pulling off my feminine side. I have learned to embrace this observation as a compliment. My personality is to take charge and always work to fix things. I hate drama and game-playing. I guess these traits are less common in women. I am also quick to tear up and have feelings that can be squashed like grapes. So the mix in my mind is sweet and salty. I guess I'll accept that with no offense taken.

9. I love public speaking and can give speeches off the cuff to large crowds without a hint of nervousness. I have been asked to deliver the prayer at a wedding reception with two minutes’ notice and five hundred guests and have given the five-minute stewardship sermon at church with no notes and no memorization (forgot my pencil scratch at home). There is nothing more intoxicating to me than hitting a speech out of the park. But if I am put in the outfield of a softball game knowing a ball may be hit to me, my stomach is in knots.

10. I'm a published author. I took a class requirement in my freshman year of college called "Composition and Critical Thinking". I was an accounting major. I wrote a five-paragraph critical essay on the merits of using animal organs in human transplants. It centered around the moral and medical issues of a baboon's heart put in a child. After giving me an A+ on the paper, my professor asked if he could submit it for publication to the textbook used for the class. The next published edition included my essay as an example of writing a five-paragraph critical composition.

Thanks for letting me write my ten. This was fun :)

2013 photo of me when this story was written