25 Things

Facebook is afire with these 25 things about you things. I enjoy reading them, even about people I don't really even know. So away we go!

1. I fear there are not 25 interesting things about me.

2. In the 9th grade I pierced the second and third holes in my left ear because my mom wouldn't let me "get them" pierced.

3. I was the fastest girl runner in the fourth grade; and I thought the Presidential Physical Fitness award in elementary school was my time to shine.

4. I was also the only girl in school who could climb the rope to the gym ceiling. I'd bet a million dollars I could still do it.

5. People think I am creative; I do not think of myself as creative.

6. People also think I'm funny; I do not consider myself funny.

7. I was voted senior class clown. The yearbook photo is of me and my male-counterpart climbing a tree.

8. When I laugh really hard I completely fall to pieces - I can't talk, I get weak and tears stream down my face.

9. When I was a little kid I thought cats were girls and dogs were boys. When I learned our cat was a boy I was stunned.

10. I used to have a step-daughter. She was two when we met and seven the last time I saw her. I have a photo of her on my fridge.

11. I'm a big picture person. I don't get too caught up in trifles and I don't get too worked up over trivial things. I've always been like that.

12. I was struck by lightning in my car on 275 when I was 24; I was diagnosed with cancer when I was 27. Not cool god.

13. Cancer was not the worst thing that's ever happened to me. The worst thing that's happened to me was when my brother died. As long as I live I'll never get over it.

14. I've kept a journal since the fourth grade. Entries are rare when things are good.

15. When I grew up I wanted to be Stevie Nicks.

16. I used to hide behind the curtains and under the kitchen table and spy on my parents. Prowling around the house was my favorite activity as a kid.

17. I moved to Virginia when I graduated from Ball State for my first newspaper job. It was a culture shock. Everyone still talked about the Civil War, and I lived at the corner of Stonewall and Jackson Streets.

18. I think I am missing the "Mom" chip.

19. I like the way my boyfriend holds his coffee cup.

20. I have a secret blog.

21. I am not a fierce competitor. (Unless it's Ms. Pac Man.) I am, however, competitive for other people. I think it's because I am happy about rooting for people, and I want my friends to do well.

22. I get very excited about simple things, like balconies, stars, sunshine, and driving with the windows down. At the end of the day, I'm a pretty easy person to make happy.

23. I've had a pen pal since the 6th grade. She is a pediatrician at Brooklyn Hospital in New York and grew up in Florida. I met her 8 years ago and she's awesome. We still write letters to each other - actual letters! - a few times a year. But we are also Facebook friends.

24. The first time I snuck out I was 11. It was so exhilarating I did twirls down the street and danced under the streetlight.

25. I feel like I am exactly where I'm supposed to be.