A dozen things you didn't know about me

I've seen other bloggers make a list like this and I've always wanted to do it. Those personal, quirky, pieces of their puzzle feel like a gift. And really, the little things are what make up a life. So here are a few random pieces that make up my own puzzle.

1. I really love movies. Old classics, romantic, comedy, drama, family, even animated...most anything except when a good story is ruined by too much violence. I can mark periods of my life by the movies that I loved and watched over and over. In childhood, it was Goonies, Annie, and Pollyanna. In high school it was Say Anything and Dirty Dancing. In College it was Reality Bites. We watched it once a week. Not kidding.

C'mon. You know it's so good. I knew all the dialogue between Winona Rider and Ethan Hawke. Some of my favorites since I've been a grown-up are Once, Tristan and Isolde, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Moulin Rouge, Serendipity, The Holiday, and August Rush. A good movie, one that resonates with timeless humanity, is something I really savor.

2. I can’t wait until I can trade in my station wagon for a non-mom mobile. This is my first choice, a 1969 Corvette Stingray. It would look so cute on me, I think. I keep dreaming that that day will come on my fortieth birthday, except that is not too far off.

3. I’m really sensitive to smells, and my sensitivity got worse after having kids. What we used to call “super nose” when I was pregnant just never went away. I have to hold my breath when I wash ketchup off the dishes after dinner. I can’t stand it.

4. I don’t know what color my hair is. I can’t really “see” it, and I don't realize it is any different from everyone else. I've never colored it, and when I look in the mirror, I don't see the color, which is what most people notice about me. So when I see another red head out there in the world, I ask my husband, “Does she have my same color?” so that I have an idea of what mine looks like. Most of the time, he’ll say something like, “No, yours is a little lighter,” and so it doesn’t really help. This sounds strange, I know.

5. I love animals. Each kind speaks something about God to me, and I believe that's part of their purpose. Animals can move me to some great realizations, like when I wrote this post. Sometimes I feel I even learn how to appreciate God through observing them and how He’s made them. His power, His joy, His creativity, His loyalty, His mystery….it’s all on display in the animal kingdom. So yeah, if you come with us to the zoo, I may be teary once or twice and try to hide it from you. Stop giggling.

6. I have a weird anxiety about dropping things. If I’m carrying an arm full of mail and some things start to slide out, I have to tell myself that everything will be okay if I drop some of it. Seriously, I feel like I might freak out when I drop something down the side of the seat in the car, or the crayons roll off the table at the restaurant. I have to take deep breaths. I also feel really stressed when the grocery bags tip over in the trunk and I hear the oranges rolling all around. Think I have issues with chaos??

7. I’m kind of competitive. Not crazy, but I don’t mess around, especially with board games. I like games, and I equally feel bad/like to beat you at them. My favorite is Scrabble. I was super into Pac-Man and Donkey Kong growing up since we had them in the garage. Arcade-sized. It was awesome. And I secretly have this fear that once my kids get big enough and we decide to have a video game system in our home, that I’ll be the one tempted to spend an unhealthy amount of time improving my strategies. That’s kind of embarrassing.

8. I love learning. I wish I could be taking a class on something – anything – all the time. I love school supplies and test-taking and books and scantrons and pencils and Target in September. At one point, I seriously considered how I could get a PHD and become a professor so that I could be in school forever. When one of my kids says, on occasion, that they don’t like school, I have to conceal my wash of panic on the inside while I feverishly try to talk them out of it. Wow. [btw, I think that is the ONLY feeling I do try to talk them out of ]

9. I want to write a book someday. I have no idea what it would be about.

10. I’ve only gotten one traffic ticket, and it was when I was 18, the morning after Grad Night. Not that I haven’t deserved a whole lot more of them.

11. I’m not afraid of public speaking. I competed in speech contests when I was a teen, and it scared me so much that all that fear got used up, I guess.

12. My two biggest goals right now are within the art of homemaking, something I’m not great at. Yet. We are in the process of repainting and redecorating….making our space look like us instead of looking like stuff we’ve just always had around us. And secondly, I am challenging myself to do this. It starts March 9th (covering the 40 days prior to Easter) and will require me to go through my whole house – every drawer and closet and shelf – purging what we don’t need or want. I’m really scared, for some reason, and am feeling plagued by feelings of incompetence, which isn’t my usual deal. But I’m also really hopeful that these two changes will feel like a big breath of much needed fresh air.

So there you have it. Did you learn a couple things about me? I’m a piece of work, but God’s work. He’s always got me, and that means all my strengths get used for good things (when I let them), and all my weaknesses get redeemed (when I let them). All the in between is just my own unique mixture of crazy and lovely.

So I’d LOVE to get to know you better too. Really. If you feel so inclined to make your own list, let me know. (Should I do a linky thing??) ‘Cause I wanna read it!


please visit Amy's blog today and check out others linking up to her {virtual coffee} on Tuesday.