1. I am 32 years old.
2. I am wife to a wonderful man, and mom to two awesomely awesome kids.
3. I struggle with being a working mom.
4. I will probably quit my job in the nearish-future.
5. I’ve been saying that for three years.
6. I’ve lived in Lawrence, KS since 2000.
7. The people in my town are still pissed about Quantrill’s Raid. This is problematic, since I am from Missouri.
8. More specifically, I am from St. Louis.
9. If you’re from St. Louis, the answer to your next question is “Hazelwood Central.” If you’re from STL, you’ve just made that sucking through your teeth sound at what you think this conveys about me.
10. But actually, I grew up in pretty great neighborhoods and had a decent childhood.
11. Until my parents separated, when I was 17.
12. My parents divorced when I was 21.
13. I don’t remember much about those four years other than it being weird and sucky.
14. But I don’t remember much about my past– period.
15. This would be cool if I was a secret agent. Alas, I am not a secret agent.
16. I have a good relationship with both of my parents.
17. I think my mom hung the moon, and she is probably my best friend.
18. We didn’t speak to each other much for almost three years.
19. I don’t know that I will ever really know why.
20. But we finally got our shit together in 1998 and I’m really glad we did.
21. We weren’t speaking when my sister got married.
22. So my sister didn’t invite me to her wedding. (Actually, she invited me and then disinvited me. Ouch.)
23. The only thing that has ever made me cry more than missing my sister’s wedding day was losing my grandfather when I was ten.
24. My sister’s divorced now (that’s not really about me, but I never really liked him and so now I am not sad about missing her wedding to him.)
25. My sister was my maid of honor.
26. She’s one of my other best friends.
27. I am ten and a half months older than my sister. Everyone thought we were twins.
28. My brother was a groomsman. He’s seven years younger than me.
29. He’s a kick ass graphic designer (that’s not really about me, either, but maybe it will inspire him to help me design some coolness for my blog?)
30. I went to Truman State University, and majored in Theatre.
31. When I started there, it was called Northeast Missouri State. They changed the name before I graduated. It pissed me off at the time, but I’m kind of glad now.
32. I did my master’s degree at Oregon State University.
33. I was a Beaver. A Beaver Believer. I had Beaver Fever.
34. That never gets less funny.
35. I’d like to weigh less.
36. But I really love ice cream.
37. My favorite flavor is: ice cream.
38. Actually, I prefer vanilla-based ice creams.
39. Most of the time, I could take or leave chocolate.
40. I don’t really care for cake, but I’ll eat it if it’s socially necessary.
41. Yes, I am an American. An American who does not crave cake or chocolate.
42. I hate pickles. I mean, like I almost vomited the last time I accidentally bit into one on my burger. I hate them.
43. I don’t like coffee. I want to—it smells so good, but it tastes like ass.
44. I feel that same way about beer.
45. I always wanted to be that girl that swigs beer while she plays pool in a bar.
46. But instead I’ll drink vodka and kick your ass at cards.
47. My dad raised three card sharks, but I think I’m the best of my siblings.
48. My dad and I have had our issues in the past, but I decided to move on and I don’t regret it.
49. Being full of rage all the time was a heck of a lot harder than it is to forgive him now.
50. I can consistently beat my father at cribbage, casino, and gin. He beats me most of the time at hearts, spades, and poker.
51. My husband and I play cards, too.
52. Lately he’s been beating me, and that is not okay with me. I’m a tish competitive.
53. I hope that my kids love to play games as much as I do.
54. I also hope they love to read as much as I do.
55. I once stayed awake for over 48 hours to read a novel. I think now it would have been a good idea to take a nap, since there’s no way it should have taken that long.
56. I will read just about anything, but haven’t read much of anything since becoming a mom. I go through spurts of reading. I am not spurting right now.
57. I love to sew.
58. I was a costumer in college.
59. This pretty much killed my love of sewing.
60. I still try to take on projects here and there, but I am terrible at finishing projects.
61. I have been crocheting an afghan for my mom for 14 months. I only have about two feet of it finished.
62. I’m actually terrible at finishing things in general.
63. I have excellent ideas.
64. But I procrastinate and get distracted when the task is about 90% completed.
65. I am terrible at remembering birthdays and such.
66. I also suck at sending Thank You cards.
67. So, if I owe you one, and you’re reading this: Thanks.
68. I have a couple of close friends—but a many close acquaintances.
69. I try to be a good friend. I am incredibly loyal, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for a friend.
70. I just don’t open up that easily. And I find most people’s petty games to be tiresome.
71. People who care a lot about me remembering their birthdays and getting Thank You cards are not good friend material for me.
72. I’m one of the most open and honest people you will ever meet. I try not to be rude with it. But sometimes I accidentally am.
73. I met my husband when he interviewed me for a job at a University (I got the job.)
74. When I got to campus, I kind of stalked him.
75. I just knew he was the man for me, and since I’m so open and honest, I kept telling him so. I was brutally rebuffed for 3 months.
76. Then I gave up, because he was being a butthead and I was trying to preserve my pride. And because I accidentally made out with my trigonometry professor from college and thought I might date him.
77. But then I took him out dancing, and got him drunk while I had my nice-ass jeans on. The rest is history.
78. We got married in 2002. It was one of the five happiest days of my life.
79. The other four (in no particular order) are: the day my son was born, the day my daughter was born, the day I graduated college, and today.
80. Depending on what day you’re reading this, that may or may not be true. But it sounded upbeat, didn’t it?
81. I danced for 17 years.
82. I danced professionally for the St. Louis Football Cardinals (I am totally showing my age here, but it was the Junior line not the adult one), and the St. Louis Steamers.
83. My favorite was actually ballet. But I am not shaped like a ballet dancer.
84. I have big boobs. I’m not trying to be crude, it’s just the truth. (See #76.)
85. I can’t believe you’re still reading this. Give yourself a pat on the back!
86. I love working with college students.
87. I am passionate about leadership development, and student activities, but I left that area of higher ed because I was working 60+ hours a week.
88. My “new” job is really boring. (See #5.) But I am home every night and weekend.
89. My eyesight was fine until I was about 18. Then it went downhill very rapidly.
90. I would love to have Lasik to fix my vision. But I don’t have a spare kidney to sell.
91. It’s really the only vanity surgery I would like to have, even though I recognize that there are tons of things I could improve about my body.
92. Unless, like my grandma, I have to start tucking my boobs into my pants, and then we’ll be talking breast reduction for sure.
93. I don’t have any pets. (I don’t know why boobs made me think of that. Weird association, for sure.)
94. I used to have an extremely evil cat named Buddha who was anything but Buddhist. He liked to attack my face while I slept. He attacked everyone. I had to carry a spray bottle everywhere I went.
95. Even though the vet told me to, I tried everything to not have to put him down (kitty downers, getting him a playmate, special food), but one day he looked at Noise like lunch and the next day he was dead. I have never been sorry.
96. I love quotes. One of my favorites is “We must become the change we want to see.” – Gandhi
97. I’m freaky good at remembering the lyrics to songs. I applied to be on the Singing Bee. But since I don’t live in LA, I was rejected.
98. I’m mostly happy most of the time.
99. But I’m a worrier and I over-think things. So sometimes that gets the better of me.
100. I am extremely fortunate to have the life I have. I know this. Most of the time.