100 things you may or may not know about me

Ok - this is a work in progress. Somehow it posted when I was trying to save it. Now the pressure is on to finish it so check back by the end of the day and I will procrastinate everything else {see # 26} and try and get this done today. I hadn't even run spell check yet! YIKES! {see # 6}

YoHooo! I am done. It was a tough one especially in the 80's. Read it if you will but I make no promise that it won't put you to sleep!

1. When I was in high school my girl friend and I would dip our french fries in ketchup mixed with mustard. I occasionally still like it.
   
2. That same girl friend toughed me how to drive a stick shift using her brothers bronco {without his permission}
3. When I was little {say 10ish} I wanted to be a veterinarian.
4. I never finished collage - never went to a 4 year collage for that matter.
5. I lived with my best girlfriend and her family for my Junior and Senior year of high school.
6. I am the worlds worst speller {this one you probably already know about me} 
7. I hate, hate, hate to be late. It makes me anxious and agitated and generally not a nice person to be around therefore I take precautions to be on time or early.
8. I am a night owl - I LOVE to stay up late and have for as long as I can remember.
9. I met my husband at a Halloween party at his house.
10. We then preceded to date for 6 years before getting married {his choice, not mine} {im not bitter, well not anymore :)}
11. Although I love my husband dearly my girlfriend are a VERY important part of my life - they fill me up.
12. I absolutely HATE to cook - hate it! I truly get absolutely no joy out of it. It is a necessity as my kids and husband must eat and as I am a stay at home mom it is sometimes expected that I cook - and that bugs me too! I have issues.
13. Family is very important to me. Not just my husband and children but my parents, sisters and brothers, niece nephews {you get the picture}
14. I have a very disjointed family {but I love them all the same}
15. My older sister and I are not biologically sisters but we grew up together {since I was 3} and even though our parents are no longer married she is still and always be my big sister. I love her deeply.
16. My Mom lives just down the driveway from me and I am thrilled to have her so close for the kids. For me too.
17. I just figured out that I am grumpy with a "b" around "that" time of the month and even though I am aware of it I seem to have no control over it.
18. When I was a kid I watched scary movies {twilight zone, the shining} and read scary books {the Amityville Horror} and liked them. I can't watch them now. I don't know why but they make me really uncomfortable especially scary things that could be true - really can't watch them.
19. I also have a hard time watching movies that are anxiety producing. If I am at home I pretend that I have to go to the restroom or do something just to get a break from it and come back in when it is hopefully not so intense.
20. I love my camera and LOVE taking photographs.
21. I love to take photographs of other people but don't have enough confidence that they will turn out so it makes me very nervous.
22. quit frankly I really don't know what I am doing {with the photography} and am flying by the seat of my pants.
23. I am addicted to blogging and reading my friends blogs. I read them often and if no one has posted anything new I might resort to reading blogs of people I don't know. 
24. I LOVE a good latte - skinny vanilla when I order from Starbucks, nonfat latte when I order from anywhere else or make it at home and I add a Splinda to it, and I really LOVE an eggnog latte around the holidays even though I really don't like eggnog. Go figure.
25. I used to be a tea drinker, never coffee.
26. When I first moved to Oregon I didn't like coffee, salmon, or beer. I still don't like beer.
27. I am a procrastinator - case in point, I started this post when my friend Holli posted it and then started again when Tara posted hers. Lets see how long it takes me to get it done.
28. I worked for TWA for 13 years as a Flight Attendant, a F/A Instructor, and a photographer/ misc. office person in our In-Flight Audio Visual Department. I also helped 
29. I worked a White House Press Charter when President Bush {the first one} went on a trip to Australia, Korea, and Japan. I was so junior on the flight I worked the section {way in the back of a 747} that had the secret service. No press for me although Wolf Blitzer was in the First Class section. 
30. I have met a few celebrities on my flights - Susan Day and her daughter, The guy who played jaws in the James Bond Film, The Beach Boys, Tom Jones {invited me to go see him on David Letterman but I had a trip to Milan so I could not}, Joe Montana, 
31. I never had to directly deal with a major emergency on my flights - just turbulence and air sickness.
32. I served Mike Love from the beach Boys a drink on a flight and he invited the other two Flight Attendants and I to come to their concert. We met them at there hotel {in the lobby} and drove over with them and hung out back stage, then listened to the concert {from anywhere we wanted to} and then road back to the hotel with them and had dinner before we went back to our hotel. They paid there diver to wait for us and drive us back.
33. When I was hired by TWA the Flight Attendants had gone on strike so I was hired as a replacement worker {also know as a scab} sorry if that offends my union friends but it is what it is. It was the best thing I ever did for me.
34. I love people and love to travel {that's kind of a joke, its what everyone says when they interview to be a Flight Attendant}
35. I really do love to travel.
36. My favorite domestic layovers were in the east - Boston, New York, Philadelphia & Washington DC.
37. I pack a suitcase like no body's business. I had good on the job training. Who knew that would come in handy.
38. I was lucky enough to travel Internationally both working and on my own to Italy, France, Spain, Mexico, The Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, Korea, & Japan.
39. I would love the opportunity to travel to some of these places again. 
40. I grew up living in a trailer park on Agua Dulce Canyon Rd in the town of Agua Dulce California.
41. Wow, Tara you were right 100 is a lot! Am I really only on 40????
42. We moved to Las Vegas, Nevada the summer of my Freshman year of HS.
43. I hated almost everything about living there. 
44. As an escape I would walk to the 7-11 and play video games. I got very good at Donkey Kong and Pac Man although I can't get very far now.
45. I started working at McDonald's two months before I was 15. I had to lie and say I was 16 to get hired. I don't know why they believed me because I looked very young. I worked for the same McDonald's the whole time I lived in Las Vegas - all before I had my divers licence.
46. My first car was a 1966 Volkswagen bug with a 6 volt battery that my friends dad converted to a 12 volt.
47. That same car had issues and often would not start. I became an expert at jump starting my car.
48. Same car had an oil leak and I had to fill the oil almost as much as I need to fill the gas tank. Once I didn't check it and drove home. My engine seized up and I ended up spending every last dime of my graduation money on a new engine. I then gave the car to my friends dad when I moved away as payment for all the work he did on it.
49. I moved in with my dad and his wife the Fall after I graduated from High School.
50. My parents were divorced when I was about 6 months old and I had never lived with my dad before that.
51. Living with my Dad was one of the best things I did. He died when he was 51 and it was a great opportunity to get to know him more.
52. My dad's secretary wanted to work 4 days a week so I worked 1 day a week for him while I was a Flight Attendant. I would ride Bart into the city {San Francisco} and meet him at his favorite coffee and pastry place. I would have tea he would have coffee and we would both have his favorite white reason roll. It was a time in my life that I will be forever grateful for. The opportunity to know my dad and have grown up conversations with him. I miss him.
53. My dad was not alive when I got married. I wasn't even engaged when he died although I lied to him when I thought he would die soon and told him that Terry had asked me to marry him. My Dad had had a stroke and could not talk but had made it clear that he was concerned with my future. I had no idea that Terry would actually ask me to marry him, we weren't even close yet. It would be 3 years later before we were married.
54. My Uncle Larry {my dad's brother} flew all the way from up-state New York to walk me down the isle. It meant a lot to me.
55. I have had 4 children but am only raising 3. My first son Matthew died of a heart defect at three months old.
56. I miss Mathew everyday more than I can put words to.
57. I like a good bargain and am excited to share with people when I get one.
58. I think Summer is my favorite season but I like the Fall for the color of the light when taking photos.
59. I don't mind the winter {too much} but spring in Oregon {if it is really rainy} can get me down. I am used to Spring in California where you can where Easter clothes with no sleeves and sandals. It always makes me laugh when they sell them here in Oregon.
60. Tulips are my very favorite flower - any color
61. I got married in July and asked the florist if I could have tulips. I was kind of joking but a little serious. He said he wouldn't make any promises but her delivered! I had purple tulips in my bouquet.
62. I love to read and when I really get into a book I let everything else go {cooking, cleaning, kids running wild - get the picture}
63. My book club and the ladies in it are very important to me. I have been in it for 10 years and have only missed 2 meetings.
64. I love to go to movies and I especially hate to be late to movies and miss the previews. I have been know to fib to my husband about the start time just to get there at the time I want to arrive.
65. I have a need to be at the airport minimally 1 hour before - Ok, who am I kidding 1 1/2 hours before.
66. I am too sensitive at times {a lot like my daughter Sarah but in a grown up version}
67. I am very opinionated.
68. I try to make my husband see things from my point of view usually without seeing them from his.
69. I wish I had graduated from collage, however I have come to a place in my life that I no longer think it makes me less of a person and I don't let anyone make me feel small because of it any longer.
70. I am proud of who I am and what I have done with my life.
71. I would like to accomplish more though.
72. I learned to snow ski when I was 11. My dad took me to Tahoe once when I was visiting him for Christmas. I didn't ski again until I was in High School but I really started skiing when I met Terry. 
73. I am a fare weathered skier. I don't like it to be too cold or snowing too much. 
74. I have lived in California {Southern & Northern}, Missouri, New Jersey {kind of}, and Oregon.
75. I lived in a hotel room with at least 10 other Flight Attendants when we got bumped from our domicile in Missouri and had to fly out of New York on reserve {on call}. We had to be close to the airports and had to be available everyday except the two 5-day spreads of days off we had. We were hoping it was temporary so we didn't want to really move there. It was interesting to say the least. 
76. I know how to put chains on a car. I have put them on my van 3 times. I even showed two men how to do it.
77. I am one of six kids but I am the only child from my Mom & Dad.
78. I have two sisters and three brothers. 
79. I am currently addicted to Guitar Hero World Tour. I love the drums. The first time I played my arm hurt and I got a blister on my finger. I started playing the other day and Ian joined me. I out lasted him. He gave up and quit. I finally quit because dinner had to be made and Ian wanted some time on the Wii. I thought about playing after everyone went to bed but then I thought I might wake them up.
80. I would love to know how to play the drums for real.
81. I am currently taking piano lessons {which I love}. I started after we lost Matthew and then stopped and started and stopped again between having kids. I'm not very good but I love to play. 
82. I learned to play a very easy version of Angles on High for the holidays. I love that song. I am also learning the Rainbow Connection {Kermit the frog sings it}
83. The Rainbow Connection has a very special place in my heart {along with Baby Mine & Return to Pooh Conner}. When Matthew was in the hospital we played them for him and even though I played them for my other children too I can't help but think of him when I hear them. 
84. I sometimes cry when I hear these songs. I cried {although I hid it} when my piano teacher played the Rainbow Connection when she was first teaching it to me. It caught me by surprise.
85. I love sending and receiving Christmas Cards. I especially love to receive them.
86. I wish I understood the principals of photography better. They elude me quite frankly.
87. My favorite kind of movie is romantic comedy. I loved When Harry met Sally.
88. My favorite kind of book is historical fiction and some of my all time favorite books are The Power of One, The Other Bolyen Girl, & Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress.
89. My favorite color is Blue. Any shade of blue but especially denim blue. It has been my favorite color since I was little.
90. My favorite number is 4. I don't know why but it has been since I was little too. If I have to pick a number for anything it will differently have a 4 in it.
91. I love my children more than words can say however they occasionally drive me the edge and then push me over.
92. I love them anyway.
93. I am grateful for my faith and how it helped me through the darkest time in my life.
94. I love the school that my kids go to and the community that comes along with it.
    
95. I am addicted to a few reality shows - Survivor, The Amazing Race, & American Idol.
96. My favorite vacation spot would be anywhere warm with sand and a place to relax.
97. I love my MacBook and I love the Apple store. A favorite place of mine to visit.
98. I used to drink diet coke but haven't had more than a sip or two for almost a year.
99. I might need reading glasses very soon, and it bums me out in a major way.
100. I love my husband. He is a great guy and I am lucky that he is a part of my life.