32 Fun Facts About Me on My 32nd Birthday
When I turned 30, I did my 30 before 30 where I read 30 books before my 30th birthday. When I turned 31, I participated in Write31 with 31 Life Lessons I've Learned in 31 Years. In keeping with tradition, this year I present to you 32 fun facts about me. If you've been reading my blog for long (or know me in real life) you'll be familiar with many of these. But I think some will surprise you.
1. I rarely take longer than a day to finish a book. Once I start one, I spend every free moment reading it until it's done . . . even if it's 1:00 am . . .
2. I watch TV with the captions on. I'm coming to accept that I have some minor hearing loss. I don't hear things that other people do - watch alarms beeping, kids crying from their bedrooms, and the quickly spoken words of my favorite TV characters. It's become easier for me just to read it than rely on my ears to hear it.
3. I noticed recently that every night when I get into bed, I lay on my back and push my shirt up just the slightest bit so I can rest my hand on my bare stomach. I have no idea why I do it, but I'm pretty sure I've been doing it for years. And if it's too cold to bare my stomach, I sleep with my hands folded on my chest like a corpse. #oddduck
4. I hate taking the same route twice. It kills me to take the same road 4 times a day on my way to and from the girls' school, but it's such a direct route I can't bear to deviate from it. If I can help it, though, I take different roads to and from wherever I'm going.
5. I've never had a Pumpkin Spice Latte. #whitegirlshame
6. I count when I rock my kids in the rocking chair. It's totally unintentional. I'll just realize at some point that I'm thinking, "19 . . . 20 . . . 21 . . ." which each rock of the chair.
7. When I was little I was terrified that a cougar would get on the roof of our house and climb in through the window to get me. I've since matured to a fear of bears . . .
8. I inherited the diamond in my engagement ring from my grandma. Justin got it from my dad and had it reset. It's not actually that old because it was my grandma's second ring. She took her first rings off in the mall bathroom to wash her hands and left them there! They were gone when she went back for them. So Grandpa bought her a new ring and it was left to me after her death.
9. I hate big cities. Everything about them is claustrophobic to me - from the traffic to the people to the buildings all crammed together. Give me wide open country spaces any day!!
10. When I was younger I wanted to have twin girls and name them Tiffany and Tanya. My taste in names has changed significantly, but my love for alliteration remains the same. :-)
11. My first real job that I got myself without help from family was nannying 18 month old triplets. Grace had William's Syndrome which impeded her ability to swallow, so I fed her through a feeding tube. Other than that, it wasn't a big deal to watch triplets.
12. I started drinking Dr Pepper every day in 6th grade (1996), so it's been 21 years of devotion to that nectar of the gods. (And only one kidney stone so far! ;-) )
13. I've never been drunk - mostly because I don't like the taste of alcohol, but also because I'm aware that I have an obsessive personality (see above) and it could be dangerous for me.
14. I had two imaginary friends as a kid - Panna and Acktchel.
15. I hate elevators. Again with the claustrophobia. I'm terrified of being trapped in one. But I've actually gotten a lot better over the past few years (probably thanks to the lifeline of a cell phone in my purse). I used to avoid them at all costs - even if it meant climbing many flights of stairs (I'm too old and fat for that now!).
16. I've never owned a car with less than 100,000 miles on it.
17. I once cried playing raquetball with Justin because I was so bad at it, I was scared of the ball, and I was embarrassed that I was such a failure.
18. My mom swears that Sesame Street taught me to read by the time I was 4.
19. I hate watching sports, but I like it on as background noise.
20. Similarly, I am dreading being a soccer mom someday. Nothing about it appeals to me. (So far, the girls aren't too interested in sports. We'll see about Levi . . .)
21. When I was in high school, I had two separate, very vivid dreams about having babies. They were both boys. One I named Wyatt and the other I named Jace (in my dream). Sometimes I like to imagine that they were a glimpse of the two babies I miscarried.
22. I love country music, but think it's inappropriate for my kids. So I only listen to it when they're not around.
23. I have horrible bad breath that I'm very self-conscious about, so I'm constantly chewing gum. And I always swallow it. I've probably swallowed two pieces of gum a day for the past 15 years. I think it's safe to say the whole "stuck in your stomach for 7 years" thing is a myth.
24. I don't exercise. Ever. I'm always surprised to hear that's a thing people do daily and work into their schedules.
25. I'm a great aunt! My nephew Tristan and his girlfriend, Brandy, had their first baby a couple days ago.
26. For the past few years, I've noticed that I don't cry anymore. Even though I'm an emotional wreck most of the time, I never actually shed tears. Everyone else was crying at the hospital when Baby Nova was born, but I stood there grinning and dry eyed. I think I'm just well medicated . . .
27. I have a terrible case of Millenial Smartphone Syndrome wherein I have to be entertained every second of every day. If I'm not actively doing something (cleaning, cooking, reading), I'm either scrolling through facebook or playing Spades on my phone. Sometimes I do it even while I'm doing other things. I usually play Spades while watching Wheel of Fortune because it moves too slowly to really capture my attention. And I've noticed that I'm restless even while I'm driving, because driving itself isn't entertaining enough for me. I've got problems.
28. 75% of my wardrobe is either from thrift stores or has been handed down to me by friends. I can't bear to spend more than $5 on a shirt. The other 25% is jeans, underwear, shoes, and gifts.
29. I was recently asked to be a surrogate for an old family friend. I said no because I couldn't imagine carrying a baby for 9 months and then handing it off . . .
30. I have no sense of direction. I routinely ask Justin, "Shouldn't we have turned the other way?" and he's always right. I even get confused walking out of stores in the mall. Thank goodness for cell phones and GPS.
31. When I die, I don't want Justin to remarry. None of this "I just want him to be happy" crap. I want him to mourn me forever. And I never want my kids to have a replacement mom. But . . . if Justin dies, I fully intend to remarry. Not because I'm itching to replace him, but because I'm not raising these kids and supporting us all by myself! Lol. #doublestandard
32. My Meyer's Briggs type is ISFJ
I don't think I'm nearly as sensitive, considerate, and kind as it claims, but I've taken this test many times from many different sources and always end up with the same result. And there are definitely traits of it that I identify with strongly:
1. I rarely take longer than a day to finish a book. Once I start one, I spend every free moment reading it until it's done . . . even if it's 1:00 am . . .
2. I watch TV with the captions on. I'm coming to accept that I have some minor hearing loss. I don't hear things that other people do - watch alarms beeping, kids crying from their bedrooms, and the quickly spoken words of my favorite TV characters. It's become easier for me just to read it than rely on my ears to hear it.
3. I noticed recently that every night when I get into bed, I lay on my back and push my shirt up just the slightest bit so I can rest my hand on my bare stomach. I have no idea why I do it, but I'm pretty sure I've been doing it for years. And if it's too cold to bare my stomach, I sleep with my hands folded on my chest like a corpse. #oddduck
4. I hate taking the same route twice. It kills me to take the same road 4 times a day on my way to and from the girls' school, but it's such a direct route I can't bear to deviate from it. If I can help it, though, I take different roads to and from wherever I'm going.
5. I've never had a Pumpkin Spice Latte. #whitegirlshame
6. I count when I rock my kids in the rocking chair. It's totally unintentional. I'll just realize at some point that I'm thinking, "19 . . . 20 . . . 21 . . ." which each rock of the chair.
7. When I was little I was terrified that a cougar would get on the roof of our house and climb in through the window to get me. I've since matured to a fear of bears . . .
8. I inherited the diamond in my engagement ring from my grandma. Justin got it from my dad and had it reset. It's not actually that old because it was my grandma's second ring. She took her first rings off in the mall bathroom to wash her hands and left them there! They were gone when she went back for them. So Grandpa bought her a new ring and it was left to me after her death.
9. I hate big cities. Everything about them is claustrophobic to me - from the traffic to the people to the buildings all crammed together. Give me wide open country spaces any day!!
10. When I was younger I wanted to have twin girls and name them Tiffany and Tanya. My taste in names has changed significantly, but my love for alliteration remains the same. :-)
11. My first real job that I got myself without help from family was nannying 18 month old triplets. Grace had William's Syndrome which impeded her ability to swallow, so I fed her through a feeding tube. Other than that, it wasn't a big deal to watch triplets.
12. I started drinking Dr Pepper every day in 6th grade (1996), so it's been 21 years of devotion to that nectar of the gods. (And only one kidney stone so far! ;-) )
13. I've never been drunk - mostly because I don't like the taste of alcohol, but also because I'm aware that I have an obsessive personality (see above) and it could be dangerous for me.
14. I had two imaginary friends as a kid - Panna and Acktchel.
15. I hate elevators. Again with the claustrophobia. I'm terrified of being trapped in one. But I've actually gotten a lot better over the past few years (probably thanks to the lifeline of a cell phone in my purse). I used to avoid them at all costs - even if it meant climbing many flights of stairs (I'm too old and fat for that now!).
16. I've never owned a car with less than 100,000 miles on it.
17. I once cried playing raquetball with Justin because I was so bad at it, I was scared of the ball, and I was embarrassed that I was such a failure.
18. My mom swears that Sesame Street taught me to read by the time I was 4.
19. I hate watching sports, but I like it on as background noise.
20. Similarly, I am dreading being a soccer mom someday. Nothing about it appeals to me. (So far, the girls aren't too interested in sports. We'll see about Levi . . .)
21. When I was in high school, I had two separate, very vivid dreams about having babies. They were both boys. One I named Wyatt and the other I named Jace (in my dream). Sometimes I like to imagine that they were a glimpse of the two babies I miscarried.
22. I love country music, but think it's inappropriate for my kids. So I only listen to it when they're not around.
23. I have horrible bad breath that I'm very self-conscious about, so I'm constantly chewing gum. And I always swallow it. I've probably swallowed two pieces of gum a day for the past 15 years. I think it's safe to say the whole "stuck in your stomach for 7 years" thing is a myth.
24. I don't exercise. Ever. I'm always surprised to hear that's a thing people do daily and work into their schedules.
25. I'm a great aunt! My nephew Tristan and his girlfriend, Brandy, had their first baby a couple days ago.
26. For the past few years, I've noticed that I don't cry anymore. Even though I'm an emotional wreck most of the time, I never actually shed tears. Everyone else was crying at the hospital when Baby Nova was born, but I stood there grinning and dry eyed. I think I'm just well medicated . . .
27. I have a terrible case of Millenial Smartphone Syndrome wherein I have to be entertained every second of every day. If I'm not actively doing something (cleaning, cooking, reading), I'm either scrolling through facebook or playing Spades on my phone. Sometimes I do it even while I'm doing other things. I usually play Spades while watching Wheel of Fortune because it moves too slowly to really capture my attention. And I've noticed that I'm restless even while I'm driving, because driving itself isn't entertaining enough for me. I've got problems.
28. 75% of my wardrobe is either from thrift stores or has been handed down to me by friends. I can't bear to spend more than $5 on a shirt. The other 25% is jeans, underwear, shoes, and gifts.
29. I was recently asked to be a surrogate for an old family friend. I said no because I couldn't imagine carrying a baby for 9 months and then handing it off . . .
30. I have no sense of direction. I routinely ask Justin, "Shouldn't we have turned the other way?" and he's always right. I even get confused walking out of stores in the mall. Thank goodness for cell phones and GPS.
31. When I die, I don't want Justin to remarry. None of this "I just want him to be happy" crap. I want him to mourn me forever. And I never want my kids to have a replacement mom. But . . . if Justin dies, I fully intend to remarry. Not because I'm itching to replace him, but because I'm not raising these kids and supporting us all by myself! Lol. #doublestandard
32. My Meyer's Briggs type is ISFJ
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| Case in point. :-) |
My Cece plays with her belly button when she goes to sleep. So I guess you're not alone. :P
ReplyDeleteI count stuff unintentionally too! I was making a breakfast casserole last night and I had the ten eggs I needed set aside in a carton, but I STILL counted in my head as I cracked them.
I totally believe that you were reading by 4. And that you just picked it up from a show. Reader for life!
I have Millenial Smartphone Syndrome too. I hate it. I'm seriously considering quitting facebook because it feels like a drug.
Yeah thrift stores!!
Yeah having no sense of direction!! :P
I'm an ISFJ too. Surprised? ;)
I loved this! So fun to learn some new things about you!
Haha - yes! CeCe and I are belly rubbing twins! I've had the same thoughts about facebook being a drug. I hate that I'm addicted, but love it too much to quit. ISFJs unite!
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