25 Things ...

A friend of mine on Facebook, a young lady who lives in Minnesota but attended the church I served in Detroit - this is a remarkable piece of writing ... enjoy it, and enjoy the reflections of your own life.



1.It took me eleven years to finish a bachelor's degree. I changed my major three times, even though I've known that I wanted to be a teacher since I was in 1st grade. My degree is not in education; it's a business and urban planning degree.

2. My life revolves completely around my family, and more specifically, my daughter. Most every thought I have is about her. Even though she is almost a year and a half old, I check on her several times at night to make sure she's still breathing. The thought of anything bad happening to her chills my blood.

3. I've never met my real dad.

4. I waver between materialism and remembering the important things in life. I sometimes have a hard time maintaining perspective.

5. I taught my cat to sit on command. She gained one pound during her training from all the treats it took.

6. I am good at many things. I am not great at any one thing.

7. I am an outgoing introvert. I love people, but I need to be alone.

8. I will eat candy corn or conversation heart candy until I'm sick. I've also been known to make candy corn fangs a time or two.

9. I never tell anyone how much Berkeley sleeps or how late she sleeps in the morning for fear of someone causing me serious bodily harm.

10. I refused to shack up with my husband until we were engaged or married. He convinced me to do a trial run to make sure we were all compatible (Eric, me, and the cat). We agreed that I would live with him for a three-month period. At the end of the trial run, Eric tried to convince me to stay. I insisted I move back to my house (and did!). A month later he proposed.

11. I've never been to Europe. The only place in Mexico I've been is Nogales, which doesn't really count. My dream vacation destinations include Africa, the Greek Isles, Israel, and France. The most exotic trips I've taken include Australia and Costa Rica.

12. I read every single night before bed. My favorite books take place in far away lands, like Afghanistan, India, or Africa. I average about two or three books per month.

13. I really, really want another baby.

14. I grew up with strict TV rules. Today, watching TV is one of my favorite ways to unwind and decompress at the end of the day. I don't allow my daughter to watch TV, except on very rare/special occasions.

15. I played the flute from 5th grade through high school. I picked up trombone in high school (too many flutes, not enough trombones). I still have a flute, and play every now and again. I'm not nearly as good as I used to be.

16. I love karaoke.

17. I hate olives, pickles, and beets.

18. I sometimes feel guilty that I don't do enough creative, "developmentally appropriate" activities with my child.

19. I teared up when Barack Obama was elected and again when he was inaugurated.

20. I live in Minnesota and my mittens don't match my hat, my hat doesn't match my boots, and my boots don't match my coat. I feel like a slob every time I leave the house in the winter (which is about 6 months out of the year).

21. I was always afraid of getting beat up by the burnouts in junior high.

22. I've had a lot of sadness and hard times in my life. Despite that, I am very happy now, and am overwhelmed with how blessed I am.

23. I'm afraid of the dark and have nightmares sometimes.

24. I can't remember the last time I told a lie.

25. I just went to check on Berkeley while she naps. She's still breathing.