1) I was born on December 20, 1982 in Choctaw, Oklahoma.
2) That makes me a Sagittarius. I have no idea what that means.
3) Because I was born so close to Christmas, I was given the middle name "Noelle".
4) My parents took me home and placed me under the tree.
5) In my opinion, I'm the best Christmas present they ever received.
6) When I was two, my family moved to Hampton, Virginia.
7) I was baptized Lutheran and went to Gloria Dei, a Lutheran school, until we moved when I finished first grade.
8) When I was six, my dad retired from the Air Force, and we moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
9) We lived with my dad's parents for a few months. What I learned from that experience is that it is a very, very bad idea to live with your in laws for an extended period of time.
10) I went on to attend Walnut Hills Elementary, Magnolia Woods Elementary, Sherwood Middle School, and Woodlawn High School.
11) I was confirmed in the Methodist church at 13 years old.
12) I really liked high school, even though I wasn't super popular.
13) I enrolled in Army JROTC just so I wouldn't have to take gym class.
14) I ended up really liking it and over the next four years, I worked my way up to become the commander of the unit, drill team, and color guard.
15) When I walk, I often find myself holding my hands in the military regulation cupped position and attempting to stay in step with people walking nearby.
16) I didn't want a high school class ring. Instead, my parents bought me a beautiful birthstone ring. A pear shaped blue topaz and diamonds in a delicate white gold setting. I wear that ring every single day.
17) I met my now husband, Colby, when I was a freshman in college.
18) We began dating when I was a junior, and spent almost four years in a long distance relationship.
19) I graduated from Louisiana State University in 2004 with a B.A. in English Literature and a minor in History.
20) I had a full ride to a state college of my choice as well as a full scholarship from the Air Force. I was never really a "poor college student".
21) I commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force on May 19th, 2004.
22) I was originally supposed to be a navigator, but I ended up turning that assignment down since I had lived in Baton Rouge for 17 years and still got lost trying to find my grandmother's house.
23) I officially began my contractually obligated four years of active duty service on July 19th, 2004 as a personnelist at Little Rock AFB.
24) I started counting down the days until I could separate from the Air Force on July 18th, 2004.
25) I had a chance to take an early out from the Air Force in 2006, and my last day on active duty was February 9th, 2007.
26) Colby proposed to me on the levee of the Mississippi River on March 16th, 2007.
27) I said yes.
28) I moved to Washington state on March 22, 2007, where Colby and I had purchased our first home.
29) I got married on November 24, 2007 and it was the most beautiful day of my life.
30) I have the unfortunate tendency to kill pets. I mourned the loss of a purple Betta named Dumbleydore, and three gerbils--Leila, Melli, and Godiva. When Leila died, I discovered Melli eating her stomach. I assume Melli died, because I brought the cage out into the woods and left it there with the door open.
31) I now have two dogs that I rescued from shelters--Jack (a border collie mix) and Ellie (a terrier mix). I love them more than words can say, and have managed to keep them alive and thriving for almost three years.
32) I love to read. I used to hide under the blankets with a flashlight and a stack of books past bedtime, now I still stay up way too late with a lamp burning and a book in my hand.
33) I'm usually reading at least two books at a time.
34) I keep a book in my purse, because you just never know when you'll need something to read!
35) My favorite books when I was a child were almost all series. Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, Sweet Valley Twins, The Fabulous Five, Babysitter's Club, The Bobbsey Twins, and Betsy, Tacy, and Tib rank among my fondest remembrances.
36) My all time favorite books are far too numerous to list, but a random sampling would include Gone with the Wind, the Emily of New Moon series, Wuthering Heights, Rebecca, the Harry Potter series, Little Women, and Anne of Green Gables.
37) When I was little, I always told people that I was going to be an author when I grew up. I'm still working on that one.
38) I have been published once, in the Winter 2007/2008 Fog City Review. Twice if you count the Woodlawn High School Literary Review printed in my freshman year.
39) When I was in 8th grade I wrote a "next chapter" to Gone with the Wind and entered it in a contest.
40) I won a $50 gift certificate to a Gone with the Wind memorabilia shop.
41) I'm pretty sure I only won because my dad voted for me so many times.
42) I have far too many shoes, although really, I don't believe it's possible to have too many shoes.
43) When I want to feel sexy I wear my black and white giraffe print pumps with a 4 1/2" spike heel. I love those dang shoes!
44) My favorite shoes to wear are ballet flats. So versatile! So adorable!
45) I hate feet. This has severely limited the number of sandals and peep toe shoes in my collection.
46) I didn't discover my love of shoes until I hit my 20s. Prior to that, I almost always wore tennis shoes. It pains me to think back on those days.
47) I love to scrapbook.
48) My favorite thing about scrapbooking is the adorable paper. Stickers are a very, very close second.
49) I am of predominantly French heritage, with a moderate dose of German thrown in for good measure.
50) My maiden name means "warrior" in German.
51) When I was in third grade I lost a regional spelling bee because I misspelled "warrior".
52) I have one younger sister and two older sisters, but we're all spread across the country so we can't see each other nearly enough. I miss them every day.
53) My favorite game to play with my younger sister was Barbie. We invented scandalous, far fetched story lines influenced heavily by my frequent viewings of Days of our Lives with my grandmother.
54) I also really liked to cut my Barbie's hair, although this practice generally ended in disaster.
55) Nowadays I prefer boardgames, but not Monopoly. Friendships have ended over lesser things than a Monopoly disagreement.
56) I particularly enjoy Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit.
57) I love watching old movies and have harbored crushes on Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, and Cary Grant for years.
58) I don't have any crushes on current celebrities, but I once dreamed of marrying Prince William.
59) That didn't really work out for me.
60) But I'm okay with that. He hasn't really aged all that well.
61) I really love Alfred Hitchcock movies. My favorites are Vertigo and Rear Window, but I will happily watch any of them.
62) I blame Mr. Hitchcock for my otherwise unexplainable fear of birds.
63) I love to watch really scary movies, but then I always wish that I hadn't when it's time to go to bed.
64) I love watching the Food Network, and enjoy cooking, but rarely do it because I hate washing dishes and Kraft Mac & Cheese is just so easy and delicious.
65) I prefer baking to cooking. Specifically cookies and cupcakes.
66) My favorite kind of cupcake is one with vanilla cake and chocolate frosting. Sprinkles are just an added bonus!
67) I watch far too much television, and almost every night my DVR has to work overtime to record all of my shows.
68) I can't blame this one my parents, as my younger sister and I were only allowed to watch television for an hour each night.
69) Some of my all time favorite television shows are Full House (come on, it's nostalgic!), I Love Lucy, Gilmore Girls, Sex and the City, The Twilight Zone, and The X-Files.
70) I love to travel.
71) I've been to 33 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming.
72) I had to sing the 50 states song to remember all of those. I'm notoriously terrible at geography
73) My international travel has been limited to England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Canada, and Italy. I hope to remedy that situation over the next few years.
74) I think the hardest thing about traveling is packing, and I always put it off until the last minute.
75) This means I usually end up in far away places without underwear, pajamas, or a toothbrush in my suitcase.
76) The saddest part about traveling is unpacking, so my suitcase generally remains open and halfway unpacked on the floor of our bedroom for weeks after I get home from trips. It's not laziness, it's denial.
77) I'm terrified of heights, but not ALL heights. For example, I'm totally fine on a roller coaster or in an airplane, but put me on a platform 5 feet off the ground, and I will freak the hell out.
78) I get inordinately excited when I log into my email and see a bunch of new messages.
79) I get nervous when I look at my phone and see a bunch of missed calls.
80) I really hate talking on the phone.
81) I've flown a Cessna a couple of times. Once I made a crusty old fighter pilot throw up.
82) I really, really love musicals, and the vast majority of my song library is show tunes.
83) The first musicals I remember watching are My Fair Lady and The King and I.
84) When I had to stay home sick from school, I would almost always watch The Sound of Music or Mary Poppins. Apparently Julie Andrews has mystical healing properties.
85) I'm right handed, but I find it easier to snap with my left hand, and when I fold my arms, my left arm is on top.
86) I don't really know how to write in cursive.
87) This is a problem because I memorized how to sign my maiden name, and I still have trouble signing my married name. There are always either too many or not enough loops at the end.
88) I took piano lessons for many years.
89) I know how to play "Chopsticks", "Heart and Soul", and "Mary Had a Little Lamb".
90) I have a tendency to count everything. I count steps, I count signs on the road, I count cars, I count seconds, I count cracks in the sidewalks. But I always lose track when I get above a hundred and it bothers me that I have to start over at one again.
91) Sometimes I think that I really am addicted to chocolate. Like other people are addicted to cigarettes or alcohol or drugs. That scares me.
92) Dove and Cadbury chocolates are my favorites. Flake bars are heaven in a candy wrapper.
93) I am obsessed with online shopping. It's close to an addiction, but not as bad as my chocolate problem.
94) I've only ever owned one car--my 2003 Mazda Tribute, Titania.
95) I bought her new when I finally got my license at the ripe old age of 19 and she's still going strong all of these years later.
96) I have an absolutely worthless immune system. If anyone near me so much as sneezes, I'll probably be sick a couple of days later.
97) I believe in God, but I'm not particularly religious.
98) I am fascinated by religion though, and wish I'd taken a comparative religion class in college.
99) I really, really wish my boobs were bigger.
100) I think my eyes are my best feature.
101) I love lists!
This made me weep.
Posted by: The Incubator | April 01, 2008 at 07:38 PM
awwww....I love your mom!
Posted by: Anonymous G | April 01, 2008 at 11:53 PM
I literally sing cadence in my head if I'm walking towards a crowd of people so I don't fall and embarras myself. This behavior is still with me even though it's been 10 years since I got out the military.
I also read two books at a time, the one in my purse for whenever and the other stays in the bathroom..and I'm embarrased to admit that.
Oh and I got my License too at 19, I had to. I was pregnant with no one to take me to my Drs appointments...even bought a car WITHOUT the license (got the license two weeks after)
Love your list too.
Posted by: Abbie | April 03, 2008 at 11:54 AM
More then half the stuff on your list could be on mine. I'm so glad I just found your blog.
Posted by: Amanda | April 03, 2008 at 06:46 PM
Hey! I tracked over here from Kate's blog and we should be friends, since I, too, love writing, musicals, and chocolate. The fact we've both been to 33 states may just be an eerie coincidence. :)
Posted by: Gretch-a-sketch | April 10, 2008 at 04:16 PM
Hi! I found your blog through my reader, and as I was reading this list, I thought it was written about me! Particular the parts about hating to talk on the phone, obsessively watching the Food Network, and being horrible at geography. I look forward to hanging with you here!
Kaley
Posted by: Kaley | November 20, 2008 at 09:16 AM
I like read very much. The one of my favorite books is "gone with the wind"
see here: http://file.sh/gone+with+the+wind+torrent.html
Posted by: iolla | April 17, 2009 at 10:29 AM