100 Things About Me

My blogging friend Lynnette recently did a post which revealed 100 things about herself, and I thought it looked like fun.  One hundred things sounds like a lot, but let's see what (hopefully interesting) things I can come up with!...

1. I was born in Norton, Kansas, on March 23, 1983.
2. When my mom was 10 weeks pregnant with me, she had severe bleeding and was told by the doctors she was miscarrying.  She and my dad cried out to the Lord, and here I am today!
3. I grew up just outside of Hendley, Nebraska, a small town with a grain elevator, a post office, and 40 people!
4. As a small child, I seemed to have a sense when something bad was going to happen.  Just before the liftoff of the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986, I told my mom something was wrong and asked her to turn on the TV.  Moments later she watched as the space shuttle disintegrated.
5. The girls in my grade school class used to fight over who was going to play with me at recess.
6. I asked Jesus to come into my heart somewhere around the age of eight while attending Camp JOY in Alma, Nebraska.
7. I once held the title of Wilsonville Rodeo Queen.
   
8. The only time I ever got sent to the hall in grade school was when I cried because a classmate wrongly accused me of killing the class hamster.  I still don't know why I got in trouble for that....
9. When I was going into 7th grade, my school consolidated with two other schools, increasing the number of students in my (graduating) class to 35.
10. The maddest I ever made my parents was when my junior high friends and I changed the greeting on our answering machine.
11. The worst trick I ever played on my parents was when I came home from the mall with a fake nose ring.  My mom's first words were, "Get that thing out of your nose before your dad sees it!"  And when my dad saw it, he was so angry I could hardly convince him it was fake.  Needless to say, I never came home with any real body piercings!
12. My favorite subject in high school was Math, followed closely by English.
13. In high school I was involved in volleyball, basketball, softball, cheerleading, band, choir, Mock Trial, drama, and Speech.
14. My Mock Trial team placed 3rd in the state competition one year.
15. I made the state competition in Speech (serious prose) one year and performed well.  The following year didn't go so well--I remember one meet when I totally blanked out and stood silent in front of a room full of people as I desperately searched my memory for my next line.  I never did come up with it.  How embarrassing!
16. My first car was a red 1991 Ford Escort.  My sister and I put almost 50 miles on it a day just driving back and forth to school.
17. My first job was waitressing at Pizza Hut in Norton, Kansas.
18. I went on a three-week mission trip to India the summer before my senior year of high school, and it was there I was finally baptized.
19. I was valedictorian of my graduating high school class.
20. I attended Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, where I studied Accounting.
21. I was a Northwestern College football and basketball cheerleader and eventually became a co-student coach for the squad.
22. I finished my freshman year of college with a 4.0 GPA, and so did my roommate.  I guess we were a good pair!
23. I met my husband at college in August 2002.  We started dating in December 2002, got engaged 15 months later in March 2004, and married another 15 months later in June 2005.
24. I was diagnosed with a focal point dystonia commonly called Writer's Cramp after gradually losing my ability to write right-handed.  I have since taught myself to write left-handed.
25. My dream was to attend Law school after obtaining my B.A. in Accounting.  And my other dream was to get married and have children.  The latter trumped the former, and I quit college with a 3.91 GPA and only three semesters left to go.
26. After quitting college, I moved in with my future mother- and father-in-law whom I barely knew (and whose son had not yet proposed to me!) and lived there for a year.  Lots of people thought I was crazy, but I knew in my heart that Travis and I would be married.  (Disclaimer:  Travis and I did not live together--he was still away at college.)
27. Many people think I look more like Travis' twin sister than I do my own sister.
28. Right out of college, the Lord provided me with a great job at Farmers State Bank in Marion, Iowa, where I worked as a teller for eight months before being hired as a Personal Banker and eventually becoming a trainer for the department.  I LOVED my job.
29. I sang on my church's worship team for a time.
30. I walked down the aisle to Selah's "You Raise Me Up."
31. I whispered my wedding vows to my husband because I couldn't speak through my tears of joy.
32. I kissed my husband for the first time at the altar.
33. Travis and my first home was a 600 square foot duplex in Center Point, Iowa.
34. I got pregnant about 7-10 days after our wedding--before we had even taken our honeymoon!
35. Upon suspecting I was pregnant, I went to a city park during my lunch break from work and took a test in the primitive bathroom there.  What an ugly place to receive such beautiful news!
36. I carried my first baby to 40 weeks 6 days.
37. After a short six-hour medication-free labor, one round of pushing, and another hour of labor, my first baby was born by cesarean section due to his "failure to descend."
38. When Abel was three weeks old, I came down with mastitis and a uterine infection at the same time.  The hardest thing about it was that despite how awful I felt, I still had a baby to care for.  Welcome to motherhood! :-)
39. I officially became a stay-at-home mom at the end of my 12-week maternity leave when I left a job I loved for a job I love even more!
40. I found out I was pregnant with our second child when Abel was 7 1/2 months old.
41. Despite the short amount of time in between deliveries, I had a successful VBAC with Amariah.  It was a far more beautiful experience than cesarean was.
42. Before even leaving the hospital after Amariah's birth, I told my husband I was ready to do it again!  I think he thought I was crazy. :-)
43. I love breastfeeding!
44. Travis and I lost our third child to miscarriage on July 14, 2008.
45. Three months after my miscarriage, I found out I was pregnant again.  When we told Abel, his response was, "Two babies?"  A month later, we found out he was right!
46. Our twin girls are due June 19, 2009!
47. Growing up I always thought it would be terrible to have twins.  But about the time I met my husband, God changed my heart.  Praise God for preparing me for what He knew was to come so that I might accept it as a blessing!
48. I am deeply desiring another VBAC despite the odds and trusting that God's purpose will prevail!
49. These babies will be our third and fourth children (plus one in Heaven!), and in no way do I desire for them to be the last.  I truly believe God at His Word when He says that children are a blessing from the Lord!  (See Psalm 127:3-5.)
    
50. I enjoy being with my children.
51. I am a perfectionist and therefore prefer to do things myself.
52. I am really bad about getting lost in my thoughts and not hearing what's going on around me.
53. I LOVE to write... and to blog!
54. I am a very practical spender--every dollar I spend is definitely premeditated.
55. I always wipe the water spots off my faucets.
56. I love being outside on warm sunny days.
57. I never drink milk... but I've been craving chocolate milk throughout my current pregnancy.
58. I used to drink a lot of Mountain Dew, but I broke the caffeine habit before getting married in preparation for being pregnant.
59. I have a reputation for spending a long time brushing my teeth.
60. I used to say I would never go anywhere without wearing at least eye makeup.  Now I am rarely seen wearing any makeup at all.
61. I have a (large) bowl of chocolate ice cream almost every day.
62. When I'm pregnant I get the overwhelming urge to chew ice.
63. I think USANA's vitamins are the best on the market.
64. Ever since I got married, I shave my legs (almost) every day.
65. Francine Rivers' Mark of the Lion Series are the best fiction books I have ever read.
66. Now that I'm a mom, a quick trip to the salon for a haircut feels like a day of pampering at the spa. :-)
67. Needles freak me out (which adds to my motivation for a medication-free childbirth!).
68. I love taking long, hot showers and try not to take them for granted.  What a blessing to have warm, clean, running water!
69. When I talk to my mom on the phone, our conversations usually last about an hour.  (And I think I usually do most of the talking....) :-)
70. The kids' nap time is an essential part of my day.
71. I thoroughly rinse my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.
72. I despise mushrooms.  Ironically, we painted our living room a color called Portabello.
73. It would be hard for me to live without Internet access and a cell phone.
74. I don't understand the text messaging craze.  I think I'll stick to e-mail for now! :-)
75. The book of 1 John has played a huge role in my growth as a Christian and even in my relationships with others.  I guess it can be difficult for a perfectionist to admit she's wrong, but the Lord is patiently teaching me!
76. I have never broken a bone or had surgery (other than my c-section).
77. I love not having a TV in my living room.
78. I used the money from my high school graduation for a down payment on a 1998 Ford Escort ZX2.  It is now the car my husband drives to work.
79. New shoes are one of my favorite things to buy but one of my least favorite things to shop for.
80. I often find myself singing really silly songs to my children and would probably be quite embarrassed if anyone ever caught me!
81. I am good at being neat and following a system of organization but not so good at creating a system of organization.
82. I am addicted to having something on my lips, usually Vaseline.
83. The first thing I do in the mornings is open up the window blinds and let the sun shine in!
84. Scrapbooking is not my thing.
85. I enjoy doing laundry and ironing.
86. I think my husband is the best smell in the world. :-)
87. I am utterly amazed by God's design for pregnancy and childbirth.
88. I had never eaten a fresh pear until about three months ago.  I can't believe I was missing out on something so delicious all this time!
89. When I sleep I like to pull the covers all the way up to my chin.
90. Something about being pregnant causes me to snore.  Even though I can't help it, it embarrasses me and makes me feel a bit unladylike. :-)
91. My favorite food is corn on the cob with butter and salt.  Lucky for me, my father-in-law grows it!
92. I never paint my fingernails.
93. I am planning to homeschool our children--at least in the early years.  The only thing I dread about it is anything involving arts and crafts.  (I don't like messes, and I am quite lacking in creativity.)  Perhaps I will have to enroll them in an art class somewhere....
94. I like to dress up whenever I get the chance since most of my days are spent in "mom clothes."
95. Texas Roadhouse and Olive Garden are two of my favorite restaurants.
96. Every time my husband and I are going to be separated overnight--which rarely happens, thankfully--I cry when we say goodbye.
97. At this stage in our lives, Travis and I don't get out for many dates.  I'm okay with that for now, but I hope that someday we can go to the theater and maybe even see a show on Broadway!
98. I don't really know anything about hockey, but I think it's the most exciting sporting game I've ever attended.
99. I feel honored that God has called me to be a wife and mother.
100. I will never tell anyone how long it just took me to come up with 100 things about myself!