One Wheeler's World

A long time ago, I was part of a group that blogged using daily blogging prompts.  The challenge was issued in this group for everyone to write a 101 list.  I started the list a couple times but never got much past 10 before getting distracted by something.  I’ve always had it in the back of my head that “someday” I was going to sit down and finally write the list.  Someday has finally come.  So, here it is.  101 totally random things about me and my life.

1. I was born November 16, 1979.
2. That makes me a Scorpio.
3. I was named after a candy bar (Caramello) and a queen (Marie Antoinette)
4. I used to hate my name.  I especially hated the story of where it came from…and the fact that my mother insisted on telling that story to everyone who would listen.  Now, I rather like my name.  And I don’t even mind the story, really.
5. My parents were separated when I was born and divorced when I was just a few months old.
6. I have blonde hair.
7. My eyes are blue, mostly, but sometimes take on shades of green.
8. I love my eyes.
9. My nose is much too pointy for my liking.
10. I wear a size 11 shoe!  I consider this the main reason why I’m not like “most” women who love shoes.
11. I’m right-handed.  For whatever reason, I grew up hating this fact.  I always thought it would be rather cool to be left-handed.  I tried to “force” myself to be left-handed, but it just never seemed to work out.
12. I’ve worn glasses since the 5th grade.  I tried contacts briefly a few years ago, but they just didn’t work for me.  I loved not wearing glasses, but I could only put them in when I was finally really awake for the day, or they would drive my eyes crazy.  Since I was never really awake for the day yet when I had to put them in, it didn’t take long for me to go back to just wearing glasses all the time.
13. I spent most of my grown up life believing I was 5’ 10” tall.  When filling out the application for my first passport in 2006, I decided to measure myself, in an attempt to be 100% accurate.  Imagine my surprise when the measurement was 5’ 7.5”!  I measured myself several more times before I would believe it.  And it may have taken a few weeks (and a brief identity crisis) to truly accept this. 
14. I grew up in Minnesota.
15. I’ve moved 25-ish times in my lifetime.  Actually, I think it might be closer to 30.  I can’t get ahold of my mom to help me track back to the years I can’t remember.  At any rate, it’s been a LOT of times.  8 of those times were as an adult.
16. I attended 8 schools between the years of Kindergarten-4th Grade.
17. My hometown (where we eventually settled when I was 9) is a smallish city of about 20,000 people in SE Minnesota.  I feel like it was an ideal place to be raised.  We got to the live the small town life but were still close to the Twin Cities and a couple other larger cities.  I don’t, however, feel it is an ideal place to stick around as an adult.
18. I moved to Reno in 2004.
19. My husband says I’m funny.  I think he’s right.
20. Through most of my childhood, my family told me frequently that I needed to develop a sense of humor.  The truth is they just never GOT my sense of humor. 
21. I have a lot of fun with graphic design.  I just like to play around with stuff on the computer, creating invitations, greeting cards, email signatures, and various other items.
22. I love photography.  Love it!  I dream of a day where I might actually make a living with my camera.
23. I also really love scrapbooking.  I do all my scrapping digitally these days.  It’s a great way to combine my love of photography and graphic design.
24. I don’t have a favorite color.  I really like all vibrant colors.  I love blues and greens of all shades.  I’m also a big fan of light and dark shades of purple, but I don’t care much for purple, purple.
25. My favorite meal is steak (ribeye…YUM!) or prime rib, a baked potato (loaded…no chives, though, please), and a dinner salad (the fattening kind, with lots of cheese, bacon, croutons, dressing…blue cheese and French, preferably, but I can deal with Ranch if need be).
26. Strangely enough, my favorite restaurant has nothing to do with my favorite meal.  I love, love, love the Olive Garden!  Actually, let me think this through.  My favorite restaurant is actually probably a place called the Prime Rib Grill at one of the casinos here in Reno.  And that place is all about my favorite meal.  But I always think of the Olive Garden as my favorite restaurant.  Maybe  because it’s a chain, so I can get it anywhere…?
27. I have a minor obsession with peanut butter.
28. Most days, I choose vanilla over chocolate.
29. I believe in fate.  And I believe that it is what brought my husband, James, into my life.
30. I got married on May 27, 2006 in a little chapel in Boise, with just 8 guests.  (Pictures can be seen HERE.)  I know a lot of people refer to their spouse as the wo/man of his/her dreams, but that’s not the case here.  He’s way better than I ever managed to dream up.  
31. In fact, I love him SO much, that I married him again a little over a year later on June 23, 2007.  We had a renewal as our “big” wedding to celebrate with family and friends (those pictures can be found HERE).   Then we took a kick-ass honeymoon (and of course there are pictures of that too…they can be found HERE).
32. I don’t just like my mother-in-law…I really admire her, too.
33. I became a mother on December 15, 2009 (that day…and that boy…involve so many pictures and stories, there’s an entire blog devoted to him).  It was the most magical day of my life. 
34. The person who has influenced my life most is my maternal grandmother.  It’s been 12 years since she passed away, and I still miss her more than I ever imagined possible.
35. I have been known to cry at any random Willie Nelson song.  My grandma loved him, and his music always makes me think of her and miss her even more than usual.
36. My most prized possession is a book entitled Love, From Grandma that I received from my grandma as part of my HS graduation gift.  I wrote a little more about it in an old post.
37. I (along with my  husband) became a homeowner on April 10, 2009.
38. I haven’t spoken to my father since 2008.  I don’t expect that will ever change.
39. I have two brothers and two sisters.
40. The only of my siblings that I’m in contact with is my “baby” brother, Joe.
41. I was in pageants for several years as a child.
42. I was on the Speech Team from 7th grade through my senior year.
43. I made a brief appearance on the Swim Team in 7th grade.  I figured it was destined to be, since I loved swimming so much.  Turns out, I HATE having to swim fast.
44. I got my driver’s license on my 16th birthday.
45. I’ve never had a ticket of any kind.
46. I’m learning to actually like football.  And, thanks to the hubster, I’m starting to understand it, too.
47. I never thought I liked baseball.  But when Reno got a AAA team a couple years ago, I discovered that I really enjoy it live.  I still can’t stand it on TV.
48. I had my first kiss when I was 12.  It was a pretty humiliating experience.
49. My first pet was a cat I named Sam, after the lead character in Bewitched.
50. I grew up terrified of dogs, after being attacked by one when I was 5.  Over the past few years, I’ve started warming up to dogs more.  I’m still definitely a “cat person,” but I’m no longer totally opposed to possibly having a dog as a pet someday. 
51. My favorite flower is the calla lily.
52. I collected dolls as a little girl.
53. I was “forced” into a collection of pig knick-knacks.  I was given my first by my best friend for my 14th birthday.  She thought it was funny because I was in a phase where I desired a runt piglet for a pet.  I thought it was super cute.  And it started a little tradition between us.  Then my mom started telling everyone I collected pigs (no, I just liked this little thing between my friend and I), and I started getting them for gifts from my family as well.  It took my years to get people to stop giving me all things pig related.
54. I have never had a cavity.  A real fete considering that I HATE the dentist and often go way, way too long in between cleanings.
55. I had braces for nearly 4 years as a teen.  For some reason I’ve never understood, the orthodontist never bothered me, even with my hatred of dentists.
56. I never had any interest in learning to play an instrument when I was in school.  Now, I really wish that I had.
57. I went to summer camp the year between 4th and 5th grades.  I became a master at archery.  I used to boast about this, but I’ve never been able to prove it, as my mastery apparently ended the moment I left that camp.
58. As a kid and teen, I thought my older cousin, Tiffany, was the coolest person I’d ever met.  I wanted so desperately to be just like her, and some of my favorite memories are when she and her friends let me tag along with them (or, more likely, my aunt Carole MADE her let me tag along).  I still think she’s pretty amazing. 
59. My first job was when I was 13.  I washed dishes at a little diner where my mom was the cook.
60. My favorite after-school job was when I was 14 and worked as an ice cream girl and hostess at another restaurant where my mom worked.  I was an awesome ice cream girl and was most often the person who trained all the new people because I was so good at it.  It is this experience that makes me totally qualified to criticize other people’s sundae-making skills when we go out for ice cream.  My husband hates when I do this.  I think it might be partly to blame for why he seldom seems to be interested in going out for ice cream with me.
61. My favorite subject in school was English.
62. I hated Math, but I managed to still do well in it.
63. I detested Science and Social Studies.  I had to bust my ass to get semi-decent grades in them.
64. PE was pretty much always a humiliating experience. 
65. I got my first C in Junior High.  On a test.  Not a class grade.  And I cried for hours over my disappointment in myself.  I would later get plenty more Cs (and even a couple Ds…GASP!).  I learned to get over it.
66. My favorite movie quote is “a parking spot right in front, that’s a good omen, you know” from Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.  It’s only my favorite because it seriously annoys my husband.  Which is why I say it every time we get a parking spot anywhere close to the front of wherever we are going.
67. I love lots of different kinds of music.  Mostly country, pop, and rock…especially 80s rock (a fact that surprises a lot of people).
68. My favorite season is Fall.  Spring is beautiful, but it seems we rarely get much of a Spring here.  I’ve also learned to like Winter, now that my winters don’t involve negative temperatures and several feet of snow (at least, most years, it doesn’t involve that here).  And Summer?  Well, I’m learning to adapt to the horrific temperatures we get during the Summer, and it’s not so bad anymore.  Basically?  I really like each of the four seasons pretty equally.
69. My favorite holiday is the Fourth of July. 
70. I HATE the smell of pine.  This is the sole reason why we will never have a real Christmas tree.
71. I have a slight addiction to Coke.  From time to time, I come across some of the other uses for Coke (we recently used it to clean erosion off the battery posts in our car!), and I think I really need to stop drinking it.  But who am I kidding?  I love it!
72. I used to smoke.  I quit during the summer of 2006.  I am now one of “those”  ex-smokers.  I am absolutely repulsed by the smell of cigarette smoke.
73. I’ve never touched any other drugs.  Kind of a miracle, I suppose, when you consider that all of my friends in HS and young adult years used them on a regular basis.
74. If I’m having a bad day, I listen to songs or watch movies that I know will make me cry.  It kind of helps to just get it out.
75. My celebrity boyfriend is Bret Michaels.  And Kenny Chesney.  Oh!  And Simon Baker.
76. I can spend hours “just looking” in most stores.  I have been known to go into Wal-Mart to buy deodorant and walk out $300 poorer, with no deodorant.  This is the main reason why my husband detests shopping with me.
77. I used to be a control freak.  Okay, I pretty much still am.  But I AM working on it.
78. I have been known to search out the “Contact Us” link of commercial web sites to inform them of typos on their web site.  And to then stalk said web site to see if they actually correct it.  And to decide to not give that company my business if they can’t at least have the decency to fix their errors.
79. I have a tendency to listen to the same song over and over.  And over. 
80. I actually enjoy having my picture taken.  And I have zero tolerance for people who act like big ol’ babies about having to smile for a millisecond to have there’s taken.
81. I have geographic tongue.  This was discovered when my mom took me to the doctor after I lost a “chunk” of my tongue on an ice cream cone and bled uncontrollably.  The doctor said I would out grow it.  I didn’t.  Sometimes, it hurts really badly, mostly if I’ve been eating too many acidic foods.  Sometimes, it makes my tongue look really strange.  It grosses my husband out when it gets all patchy looking.  During those times, I make sure to stick my tongue out at him as often as possible.
82. I don’t understand the obsession that so many women seem to have with purses.  And it bewilders me to no end that anyone would pay hundreds of dollars for one.
83. Punctuality is really important to me.  And I get highly annoyed when people are late. 
84. Bad table manners (especially smacking!) is my biggest pet peeve.
85. I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).  This and some other factors led to my son being conceived via intrauterine insemination (IUI).
86. I skipped class once in the 9th grade.  I got caught and quickly learned that there were, in fact, some things that would make my mother actually stick to a punishment.  I was grounded for over a month.  I never skipped class again after that.
87. I’ve never had chicken pox.  When I was little, my mom went on a mission to have me get them and get it over with.  I was subjected to every friend and relative who broke out with them, often times spending the night with them, one time even taking a bath with one, but I never got them.  I always thought this was an especially cool trait that I got from my grandfather, who also has never had them.  It took years (seriously, late teens) before it dawned on me that couldn’t be the case, since he’s not my biological grandfather.
88. That same grandfather (married to the grandmother I mentioned who influenced me most in life) was the main male role model in my life.  I learned what and who a man should really be from him.  And it’s okay that I’ve never had much of a father, because I had him.
89. Papa (my term of endearment for the above-mentioned grandfather) is the one who came up with my name.
90. Before I was married, my initials were AAA.  I had a friend who used to think it was hysterical to call me up asking for a tow.  I never found it funny.  In fact, it was pretty annoying. 
91. I’m not still friends with any of the people that I was friends with in school.  Sometimes, I miss the connection I had with some of those girls.  The shared history. 
92. I’m allergic to fish and seafood.  Thankfully, my husband doesn’t much care for it either.  I say thankfully because the smell of fish repulses me.  And watching anyone eat shell fish repulses me even more.
93. I will argue to the death over any silly topic, if I know for certain that I am right.  And once I’ve proven it, I will gloat.  Obnoxiously.
94. My favorite dessert is cheesecake.
95. I was an only child in my “everyday life” until I was 9.  My dad had other children, but I rarely saw him or them, so it didn’t really factor into my childhood much.  I still possess some of the traits of only children.
96. My “baby” brother is my hero.  He joined the Army straight out of HS and has been to Iraq twice. 
97. I love playing pool and darts and bowling.  I also happen to be HORRIBLE at all three.
98. The “little” thing that I miss most about living in Minnesota is bonfires.  During one trip to visit in 2008, I requested an evening hanging out by a bonfire with friends.  I got my request, but the night ended up being really lame.  Which made me miss bonfires even more.
99. Some of my closest friends are people I met online and have never actually had the opportunity to meet in person.
100. The smell of coffee makes me hungry, but I can’t stand the taste of it.  Or tea, for that matter.
101. I have one tattoo.  I got it on my 17th birthday as a gift from my mom.  I don’t necessarily regret getting it, but I would never do it again if given the opportunity.

Yay!  I did it!  That was a LOT harder than I thought it was going to be!  The really anal-retentive part of me wants to now go back and reorganize the list so that it has some kind of flow to it.  But I’m fighting against that urge.  I think there’s something fun about the randomness.  It’s in order based on when I thought of each item.  And that’s the way it’s staying.

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