100 things about me

Apparently when you hit 100 posts, you’re supposed to post 100 things about yourself. I didn’t know this until recently and I’m already at 117 posts – sorry! I found this to be easier than I thought it would be but also very interesting to see what leapt to mind as I wrote them.

So, for what it’s worth, here’s 100 things about me:

1. I was born on November 6^th, 1970 (probably best to start at the beginning, right!)
2. I don’t know how much I weighed off-hand, but I was a fairly small baby.
3. I was my mom’s first child and my dad’s third.
4. My half-sister and half-brother were 20 and 18 when I was born.
5. I have half-nephews almost as old as I am. Their kids are just about the same ages as my kids!
6. I have one younger brother also – he is 2 years and 3 weeks younger than I am.
7. I grew up in the Detroit area – Southfield to be exact.
8. We had a quad-level house which mean that there were 3 staircases and a whole lot of banister sliding going on.
9. I loved growing up in our neighborhood – even though in a suburb, there were woods behind our house and a somewhat ‘country’ feel to our neighborhood.
10. I started kindergarten when I was 4 years old.
11. I have absolutely no memories of kindergarten.
12. I hated elementary school.
13. I was teased constantly because I was younger and smaller than the other kids and I was shy and didn’t fight back – a perfect target.
14. In 1^st grade, I read at a 3^rd grade level.
15. I love to read! I’ve always been ‘the girl with her head in a book’. See #13.
16. I have way too many books – probably close to 1,000. And not nearly enough shelf space.
17. I met my ‘best’ friend in preschool – she lived in a nearby subdivision and we were best friends until she moved away after 9^th grade. I have no idea where she is now. I miss her sometimes still.
18. My other closest friend growing up was someone I also met in preschool and she lived almost directly behind us, on the other side of the woods.
19. We had a route through the woods between our houses and over the fences in the way so that we could get from one house to the other without having to go around the block.
20. I am still in contact with her, but pretty much only by Christmas card.
21. I sucked my thumb when I was little – and not so little.
22. I had braces (no surprise there!) for 2 years to straighten out my teeth.
23. My orthodontist sucked and I’ve been told I should probably have braces again. My brother did get them a few years ago since he’d had the same original orthodontist with about the same result.
24. When I was little, my teachers and parents couldn’t figure whether I was right or left handed since I wrote with either hand. My mom told my teacher to ‘make’ me right-handed since they have it easier in the world, according to her.
25. I think I should’ve been left-handed – I had a horrible time in elementary school with my arm cramping up when I had to write a lot. Nobody put that together with me having once written with my left hand too.
26. I ‘taught’ myself to write left-handed in middle school when I was bored in class. It wasn’t too difficult.
27. I wrote almost completely left-handed in high school and college. Now I write with either. My handwriting is pretty similar with either hand.
28. I always sign my name left-handed.
29. The things that parents show their children how to do (eating, brushing teeth, cutting with scissors, etc.) I do right-handed. My parents are both right-handed.
30. I do many other things left-handed. Like opening doors, throwing a ball, or unlocking things with a key. I carry my purse or talk on the phone with my right hand to keep my left hand free.
31. I can’t bowl very well left-handed. Especially with a ball weighted for right-handed bowlers. This I know from experience.
32. I have dark brown hair – mostly. Well maybe not mostly anymore – early gray runs in my family and I have it. A lot of it.
33. I’ve never seen my mom’s natural hair color – she started dying her hair before I was born (she was 37 when I was born) because she was almost completely gray. It’s now naturally a soft white. I hope mine is as pretty when I finally let it ‘go’.
34. My hair isn’t straight or curly. It’s wavy with just enough curl to always want to curl the wrong way.
35. My eyes are green.
36. I have freckles – everywhere. A lot of them.
37. I’m short – about 5 feet 2.5 inches tall. That .5 inch is very important to remember!
38. I’m not going to talk about my weight. In my heart I will always weigh 110. I only wish I could be back down there in real life.
39. I wasn’t very popular in school. My friends were the other ‘misfits’.
40. I wasn’t terribly athletic, especially being smaller and almost a year younger than most of my classmates.
41. I was always picked last for teams.
42. I did play soccer in high school for 2 years. I quit because I got tired of sitting on the bench all of the time and only being put in for the last 5 minutes of the game.
43. I discovered theatre at the end of my freshman year of high school and was a ‘techie’ during other 3 years, doing lights, sound, set and paint.
44. I loved doing theatre! Just don’t ever ask me to act.
45. I had one boyfriend in high school, for not quite a year. I’ve never been to a high school dance however.
46. I played the violin in 5^th through 7^th grades. I didn’t practice often because I hated carrying it back and forth to school and home. I had wanted to play the flute.
47. I was in the marching band color guard (flags) during my senior year of high school. I loved it and wish I’d started earlier.
48. My mom taught me to play the piano as a child and I also took piano lessons for a few years.
49. I’m not a terribly good piano player – someday if we ever get a piano, I’d like to re-learn how to play.
50. I’d also like to learn how to play the guitar someday.
51. And the drums – I have a very good sense of rhythm.
52. I took several years of dance classes while growing up. I was only ever very good at tap. This is probably related to #51.
53. I also took lessons in ice skating, tennis, soccer, swimming, sewing, baton twirling, chess and a few weeks of karate (I didn’t like karate). Southfield has an awesome Parks and Recreation department.
54. I spent a lot of time playing or reading in my room when I was a kid and teenager.
55. I’ve never had a curfew or been grounded. I’ve never smoked or tried drugs. I never drank. I was a parent’s dream teenager!
56. Sometimes I wish I’d been more sociable when I was a kid – it might make it easier to meet people and make friends now.
57. I am VERY self conscious and care way too much what other people think of me. I always want to fit in even though I feel like I never can.
58. I graduated from high school at 17. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.
59. I went to Eastern Michigan University right after high school. I lasted one month in the dorms and one semester at the school.
60. My parents split up on my 18^th birthday – during my first semester of college. See #59.
61. I moved home and went to community college.
62. I spent the summer of 1989 living with my half-brother and his wife in Minnesota.
63. I learned to fly planes that summer and got my private pilot’s license.
64. I haven’t flown since. But I’d like to someday.
65. I got homesick and moved home after 5 months in Minnesota.
66. I went to Western Michigan University for 4 years. I never lived in a dorm there.
67. I had 5 different roommates while at WMU. Two of them are still my closest friends today. We met through church.
68. I discovered church while at college. I really liked it.
69. I’d never been to church before – my dad’s family is Jewish and I was raised as half and half, which made me feel like I was never ‘all’ of either.
70. I value my Jewish heritage and tried out some synagogues during college. It just didn’t feel right though.
71. I chose to be a Methodist because that was the denomination of the church I went to in college and that’s what feels right. I was baptized a few years ago and now belong to a UMC church along with my girls. Although I think that somewhere in my heart, I’ll always still be half and half if that makes sense.
72. All 3 of my girls have Hebrew names. The first one wasn’t on purpose but the second two were. I feel like it’s a way to recognize their ties to Judaism.
73. I had my second boyfriend during college. We dated for 2 years.
74. During the 2^nd year that we dated, I had a secret crush on one of his roommates. We became good friends for a while. I’m still in touch somewhat with the roommate. I have no idea where the ex-boyfriend is.
75. I worked at Montgomery Ward and then Target during college. I also babysat.
76. I changed my major from Public History to Geography the year before I graduated. I could’ve had a double major if I’d taken one extra class and done another internship. I wanted to graduate though.
77. I chose Geography because I took a non-history elective called “Introduction to City Planning” in the Geography department. I loved the class.
78. I specialized in “Urban and Regional Planning” within the Geography department.
79. I bought my first computer (an IBM PS/1) on my credit card during my last year of school. It was the best (and worst) purchase I ever made.
80. I graduated from college at age 23 in 1994. I still had no idea what I really wanted to do with my life.
81. I worked as a temp after graduation and got hired permanently into my second temping job as an Administrative Assistant.
82. I learned that I’m very good with computers while at that job. I learned a ton about Word, Excel, and Lotus Notes.
83. I had my 3^rd and 4^th boyfriends during the year or two after I graduated. I met both of them over the internet. The 4^th one was the subject of this post.
84. I lived in the same apartment for 4 years while in college. During the next 10 years, I lived in 9 different apartments and 2 houses in 6 different cities, all in Michigan.
85. I moved 3 times just in 1997.
86. I stayed at the same employer from 1997 through 2003, but lived in 4 different apartments and 1 house during that time. I also got married and had 2 kids during those years.
87. I got engaged 3 months after meeting Ron. We were married a year and a half later.
88. I’ve been married for 7 years.
89. I’ve been pregnant 4 times. The first was a miscarriage and then I had my 3 baby girls.
90. I’m not sure if I want a 4^th child – but I don’t necessarily feel ready to be done or that Becca was my last baby.
91. I’ve been in 3 weddings – once as a flower girl for my cousin, then twice as a bridesmaid for two of my friends.
92. In college, my hair was almost waist-length for years before I cut it into a short bob. Now I change my hairstyle every year or two. I go back and forth between short and longer hair, but never as long as it used to be. It wasn’t healthy that long.
93. I don’t drink alcohol. I’ve never had more than a sip or two. It’s a conscious decision because alcoholism runs in my family (including my mom) and I don’t trust myself.
94. I also feel that people should be able to have a good time without needing to drink all the time. None of our friends drink (either at all or very much) either.
95. I feel uncomfortable around people who do drink – not because I’m judging them, but because I feel like they’re judging me. And I don’t feel like I fit in.
96. I have a very hard time meeting new people. I envy people who can talk easily to anyone.
    (These last few are harder than the first 95 or so!)
97. I’ve felt conflicted ever since Abby was born. I want to be home with her (and her sisters). I so wish I could be. I even tried to find an alternate way to earn an income so that I could stay home. But a small part of me enjoys my job too. And I’m good at it, which makes me feel good. I don’t always feel like I’m that good as a parent.
98. There are a lot of things I’d like to do that I either am too tired for or can’t afford. I feel like I’m always too tired and barely getting through the day more and more of the time.
99. I’ve been on anti-depressants off and on since Abby was born. Which is something else that runs in my family. And makes me very worried about my girls as they get older.
100. I love my kids more than anything else in this world. And my husband. I don’t tell him so often enough though. I do tell my kids, all the time.

Phew, done! :)