100 things you may not know about me

If you know me, you know I am always in the mood for a challenge. Some of my friends have done this on their blogs and, being the competitive person I am, I just knew that I could accomplish this task also. It wasn't a quick thing to do since my time on the computer is limited these days (I started typing this on 4/5/08 and finally finished tonight) but it was actually pretty fun to compile and I think you'll enjoy the end result. So, without further delay...here are 100 things you may not know about me.

1. I bit my nails (into the “quick”) until I married Mark.
2. I always have to fidget with things with my hands – for example if I am near these items, I constantly bend gem clips until the break and incessantly pull pieces of tape and stick them on my fingers until it loses the stick.
3. I hate cherries and raspberries and anything cherry or raspberry flavored.
4. I have never eaten sushi.
5. I initially attended our church (Parkway Baptist) because I liked Mark and I knew he went to church there.
6. Now I am a musician at that church and sing in two different small groups.
7. As a youth I played softball (catcher, third base, first base)
8. And basketball (center) I fouled out of most games I ever played in!
9. I was a cheerleader from 7th grade – 12 th grade.
10. I started taking dance when I was in 1st grade and danced for 12 years. I took jazz, modern, tap, and ballet.
11. I always wanted to, but never could do a back handspring.
12. I started taking piano lessons when I was in 1st grade – I have played for 23 years.
13. Playing the piano has always been more of a hobby (not a chore) and is something I do for relaxation, stress relief, and happiness.
14. I can sing (I am a second alto by definition), but I hate solos and have anxiety attacks before I sing by myself in front of people.
15. I was a Chi O at Auburn.
16. I baked brownies in the basement of my dorm my sophomore year and somehow forgot about them. I set off the fire alarms, the fire trucks came, etc. Fun times!
17. My freshman year at Auburn I lived in a dorm with a serious roach problem. One night, I had a roach in my bed.
18. Now, I hate roaches so much that one night I actually physically kicked Mark to make him get up and kill one.
19. I love to eat raw oysters and have done so since I was about 7 years old.
20. I loved to read as a child, but I somehow lost my love of reading as adult.
21. We had many animals/pets as a kid, including pet squirrels, rabbits, goats, turkeys, horses, cats, dogs, birds, fish, and hamsters.
22. I don’t really like animals all that much now and don’t ever want any pets.
23. I only go to movies once or twice a year - mainly when Mark wants to see the newest Bruce Willis movie.
24. Mark proposed to me in front of the AU chapel.
25. Mark is an amazing husband. Young ladies can’t help but dream what their husbands will be like – and Mark has FAR exceeded my dreams. He was perfectly crafted to be my helpmate.
26. I like many different types of music – specifically country, 60’s and 70’s R&B, contemporary Christian, and oldies.
27. Some of my favorite artists include George Strait, Alabama, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Chris Tomlin, Casting Crowns, and Third Day.
28. It always surprises my students that I also enjoy Usher and Nelly.
29. I absolutely love comedy. Some of my favorite comedians are:
30. Larry the Cable Guy,
31. Chris Rock,
32. and Ron White.
33. I really love watching sports – specifically college football and basketball, as well as major league baseball (Go CUBS!).
34. I have never had glasses or braces.
35. I once wrapped my mid-section in duct tape to make my waist look smaller for a pageant. The bad part is that we forgot to put “pre-wrap” on my skin first so the tape was actually stuck to my skin and made blisters when I removed it. I wouldn’t recommend that to anyone!!
36. I have never watched Beverly Hills 90210...
37. Sex in the City...
38. or Desperate Housewives.
39. Mark and I went to the Pocono mountains for our honeymoon.
40. Mark surprised me with a trip to New York for our 1000 day anniversary.
41. Mark and I took a week long trip to Las Vegas this past summer – and it’s one of our favorite vacations ever!!
42. One of my favorite places on earth is the beach. This is the main place we took vacations as a child.
43. I have gone on two mission trips to the country of Honduras. I worked on construction crews on these trips and among other things, I mixed concrete by hand.
44. I can play the saxophone and actually was a member of AU marching band freshman year. 45. I was the pianist for AU Singers for three years. I actually tried out to sing, but didn’t make it which was a blessing in disguise because playing piano for Singers caused me to focus on that as my “main” talent.
46. I love to watch Law and Order and CSI
47. I love to watch the Food Network - my favorite is Paula Deen.
48. Black is my favorite color. I am a believer that every room and every good design needs something black in it.
49. I have been a member of Weight Watchers for 7 years.
50. I broke my arm the summer in between 3rd and 4th grade while taking art lessons. (We were taking a recess break at the park next door to the school.)
51. I was my county Junior Miss and 2nd runner up to Alabama’s Junior Miss.
52. Being the Junior Miss also made me the “World Championship Domino Tournament Queen”, since the World Championship Domino Tournament is held in my hometown.
53. I competed in the Miss Alabama pageant twice – once as Miss Auburn University, and once as Miss Auburn-Opelika Area.
54. I have a distinct preference for sparkly things.
55. Contrary to the four previous statements, I own and wear Bubba teeth on occasion. And I think it’s hilarious!
56. My first car was a red Toyota Celica – with a stick shift!
57. My second car was a black Mercury cougar – with a stick shift! (I finally decided that I needed an automatic transmission and now I love it!)
58. I backed into two parked cars when I was in high school – in my driveway.
59. I am super paranoid of someone breaking into my house while I am here.
60. I like to bargain shop for clothes and don’t really buy things that aren’t on sale.
61. One of my all time favorite movies is The Nutty Professor.
62. I enjoy seeing Broadway musicals – Wicked is my current favorite (though it is always hard to pick)!
63. I once dreamed of singing/dancing on Broadway
64. I considered the following “careers” before settling on being an educator: marine biologist, public relations, lawyer.
65. I absolutely LOVE Crocs flip flops. I hate the regular Crocs!!
66. I try not to wear t-shirts in public unless I have to. I think they make me look frumpy and gross.
67. I feel much the same way about tennis shoes – they should be for athletic activity only, not to be fashionable.
68. My sister, Rebekah, is 6 years younger than me, and is a nurse at UAB.
69. I once chased her into the yard, threw her to the ground, and threatened her by holding a pair of scissors in her face/to her neck. I did this because she made me angry about something I had made for her that she didn’t like.
70. Obviously, I have quite a temper when I get pushed too far.
71. When I was little, I somehow saw this scary man/hedgehog creature on a TV show and thereafter was terrified this “hedgehog” was going to get me in the dark.
72. As a child, I was terrified of sand crabs on the beach and would chant at them, “Get, get, get, get, get away, get away” as we walked the beach at night.
73. I am good at, as well as enjoy, baking – a trait I get from my mother.
74. However, I have never made a cheesecake and for some reason I cannot make sausage balls that are fit to eat!
75. When I was little I stayed with my Granny and Granddaddy – I never stayed in a daycare or with a babysitter.
76. Granny is one of the most influential people in my life – and one of the reasons I learned to believe in Jesus and want him as my Savior. Her faith was amazing.
77. I wish my Granny were still in good enough health/mind to share her tomato noodle recipe with me – I just can’t make them quite like her.
78. My mom is one of my best friends. I can only pray that I will be worthy of earning the respect that she has earned from her children, husband, colleagues, and friends. Her heart for others is amazing.
79. But, I still consider myself a Daddy’s girl – he’s always been my hero. And he can do ANYTHING.
80. I didn’t really like the color pink – until I had Turner and it looked like a pink bomb went off in my house. Now, it’s not so bad!
81. I didn’t like to drink water until I married Mark – he’s been a good nutritional influence on my life. Now I love water!
82. I love Real Simple magazine.
83. I also love Southern Living magazine.
84. I hate BAMA and all things BAMA.
85. I drank Diet Coke for years, but have sold out to Coke Zero now. It really does taste more like real Coke!
86. I start my day with some type of Coke/soda product – not coffee.
87. Throughout most of my life, my best friends have been guys, not girls.
88. Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year – the lights and decorations, the food, the smells, the music – I’d be happy if it lasted all year!
89. I have a strong liking for animal prints – specifically zebra and leopard.
90. I really am spoiled on using Bath & Body Works soap. I have expanded my “scent preferences” (I like to call them flavors...) thanks to encouragement from Mark, but I much prefer Bath & Body Works hand soap to any other.
91. I have used the perfume Eternity by Calvin Klein since I was in the 9th grade.

On a friend's post I got "tagged" to answer the following questions, so I decided to include them here. (I am running out of ideas!!)

92. 5 Things on my to-do list:
1)iron clothes
2)paint letters for friends at church
3)grade papers
4) clean our bathroom
5)mop the kitchen floor

93. 5 snacks I enjoy:
1)Veggie flavored baked wheat thins
2)100 calorie hostess cakes
3)Fuji apples
4) smarties (and pretty much any other candy)
5)granola bars

94. 5 things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1) Travel - specifically Hawaii, the Bahamas, Australia, Africa, and Europe
2) pay for Turner's education through graduate school
3) purchase 50 acres of land and build our "dream house"
4) give a generous gift to the church and to mission work (specifically in Honduras)
5) provide the means for grandparents to not worry about retirement and the means for them to relocate to Auburn (if they so desire)

95. Bad habits I have:
1) biting and picking at my nails
2) not looking people in the eye when I talk to them
3) procrastination
4) worrying
5) opening my mouth when I shouldn't

96. Places I have lived:
1) 503 Stanley Ave - Andalusia, AL (MY first home)
2) Easley Drive - Andalusia, AL (lots of acreage with a huge garden, horses, and a pool!!)
3) Chi O Mansion - Glenn Avenue Auburn, AL
4) Magnolia Plaza (above Buffalo's in downtown Auburn - corner apartment overlooking Toomer's corner - pretty awesome bachelor pad) - Mark and I lived there for 1 month after we got married until our house was finished...but with one bathroom and a 3x4 closet it just wasn't going to work!! If you ever want to hear a funny story about some bad shrimp and a one bathroom apartment...ask me about this. :)
5)1725 Stone Pointe Drive (OUR first and current home)

97. Jobs I have had:
1) swimming lessons teacher
2) lifeguard
3) florist delivery van driver
4) retail sales
5)teacher

98. What I was doing 10 years ago: let's see...it was April 1998 and I was just finishing my freshman year at Auburn. I was preparing to head home to Andalusia for the summer to lifeguard and take classes at the local junior college.
99. I could spend hours (and lots of money) in Hobby Lobby. It's one of my favorite stores!
100. I can touch my nose with my tongue.