Mixing it up

Both of my parents worked at the National Security Agency and neither can talk about what they did except in very vague and very intriguing ways.
Jenn

Wow, if I were you, I would have a really hard time not pestering my parents about all their secrets.


Well, in finding out interesting things about everyone else, I found out that I have a pretty boring and "normal" life! Here are mine:

I took tap and ballet lessons for 14 years.

I taught myself to read when I was 4 -- My mom loves to tell the story: She asked me what I was doing, I said "I'm reading", to which she replied something like "oh of course you are sweetie", completely disregarding me, and then I started reading to her. She said "You are reading!" and I said "Pay attention, please, Mom". :>

I LOVE to do puzzles too. My grandma used to do them all the time, and give them to me when she was finished.

I do various kinds of artwork, and have sold some of my stuff (paintings, drawings and some pottery).

I went to Ecuador when I was in college, and while we were there some guys from Philadelphia broke into our hotel room, the police came, found drugs on the guys and arrested them. They got ten years in jail. They are still there.

These are fun! I have a pretty boring life too...

- When I was about 10 I had a major crush on Fred Savage and just knew that we would someday get married.

- My husband and I started dating when I was barely 16 and we knew after the first week that we would someday get married (this time I was right!).

- I LOVE LOVE LOVE Mexican food. Unfortunately, North Carolina Mexican food is, well...disgusting...so on my trips back to California I spend the entire time stuffing my face. Before going on trips home, my husband and I spend way too much time strategically planning which restaurants we'll hit.

- I am a chocoholic. I start every morning with a small piece of chocolate. My favorite chocolate is See's candy which is hard to come by here in NC...so I frequently place online orders for the stuff. I even watched a documentary on PBS about See's and how they make all of their candy by hand....well, I've actually watched it about 8 times! Sooooooo goooooood!!!

- I am scared to death about being a mom.

- I am very neurotic and a worrier. After my first ultrasound, I worried that my baby's hands were growing out of it's head since that's how it looked on the picture. My biggest worry right now is how my little kitty cat, who I spoil to no end, will adjust to having a new baby in the house.

- While I was dealing with morning sickness, I ate some shrimp. Let's just say I will never again eat shrimp in my entire life...NEVER EVER EVER! I can't even go by the seafood aisle in the grocery store. And if I see a commercial about the all-you-can-eat shrimp at Red Lobster, I feel like puking.

- I hate "winning" at games and will often times throw the game so someone else wins (weird, I know!)

Well, little known facts- I have plenty of them. It seems like we all do, I really have liked reading these.

I am/was a Junior World Champion in archery. I traveled everywhere to shoot, my dad got me hooked on it as a kid. I won the world title 3 years in a row. Never did anything with it, what a waste.

I love to eat frozen fruit, of any kind.

I really love Harry Potter- I have read and reread the series like 4 times. Book 6 is due out in July- I have a calendar count down already.

I married my highschool sweetheart.

I have been in 49 states and I have a pack of cigarettes from everyone- Idaho if you must know.

My birthday is September 11- my dad died on my birthday in 2000, and then well you know what happened in 2001.

My cousin Ellen is a tsuanmi survivor. She was snorkeling of the coast of KohPhiPhiDon in Thailand when it hit.

My nickname is turtle- long story. My husbands is ducky. We have each others names engraved in our wedding bands.

I personally think nothing is funnier than a well timed fart. u:

If i could do it all over again- I would become a vet or zoo keeper, animals make me itchy though.


Anne

I personally think nothing is funnier than a well timed fart. u:

[SuzySunshine]

I too used to do archery, not near as accomplished as Anne, but it was fun.

I have two sisters - I'm the middle child.

I lived in Colorado for 14 months. Luanne you'll have a GREAT time visiting. Boulder is an awesome town.

I grew up on an 180 acre "farm" though we didn't actually farm any of it.

I raised sheep for 4-H.

I was a cheerleader in high school, my DH still likes to give me a hard time about that. (I still think its a great way to stay in shape).

I also played volleyball, basketball and ran track in high school.

My dream job would be a wedding planner.

Nothing to exciting, but that's me. :coffee

[twinsmom]

These are so fun to read! Wow, what a bunch of talented and interesting people we have on the board! My life is not nearly as fascinating as many of yours...

I lived in Guatemala for 1 1/2 years as a missionary for my church, and learned an anctient (sp?) myan dialect (although, the only thing that I can really remember now is to ask if I could come into your house and ask "if your heart is happy"...)

I did cheerleading for one year in high school (and still get grief from my hubby and close friends)

I also did volleyball and basketball through high school, and wish I would have taken volleyball a little farther... (just one of my many "should have's" in life!)

I set up my hubby with one of my friends just before she left for a summer internship, got put under strict orders from her to make sure he didn't date anyone else through the summer... then started dating him three weeks before she got back... and married him three months later (the whole story is quite the soap opera...)

I LOVE traveling, and have been known to jump into a car and head to California from Utah just to see the sunrise on the beach with some friends, or make a quick trip to New York from Detroit to surprise some family members for a couple of days.

That's about it for now...

Jen B.

•I am addicted to childrens litterature. I would venture to say that I love it more than "grown up books".
I love Harry Potter, and the Shoe books. I have major plans to read A Series of Unfortunate Events.

•I am an artist. I went to school for Graphic Design.

•My husband and I dated for 5 weeks before becoming engaged. And were engaged for 3 long months before we were married.

•I love old movies, big band music and vintage clothing from the 1940's. I can ocasionally be found wearing 60 year old dresses and shoes.

•At night after my daughter goes to bed I play on the internet. candystand.com is my favorite game site. And am a frequent visitor to homestarrunner.com. stupid humor.

•When I laugh really hard sometimes I snort or weeze like an old man.

•I have never lived outside of PA. I haven't visited any farther west than OH or MO.

This was the best post ever!!!!

One more thing, I am absolutely in love with IKEA. I will drive an hour to go there and spend like five hours wandering through the store.

And am a frequent visitor to homestarrunner.com. stupid humor.

DH and his friends love this site too. When they all get together they tell the jokes back and forth to each other. Its either pretty funny or pretty sad, depending on who you are.

[fluffhead]

I am/was a Junior World Champion in archery.....Never did anything with it, what a waste.

Uhhh, if you did something with it, you'd probably be in prison, no?

These replies are cracking me up! Well, here are a few oddities about me...
I lived in the Philippines until I was 9. I went through some culture shock and vividly remember my first trip to McDonalds in San Francisco. I will always consider the PI my true home.
I was an exchange student in Denmark in 1990 and secretly wish I had stayed there to live for good.
I married a foreigner (surprise!) from Turkey.
I still have my 2 bottom baby teeth! I was born without permanent teeth under them. I have a cap over them so that it looks more natural. I used to get a lot of attention about this in high school before the orthodontist put the cap over them. Everyone wanted to see my teeny, tiny baby teeth! I guess when they really fall out, I will have no choice but to become a real grown-up!
I too, love Harry Potter and have read all the books and seen all the movies. I found out via an online site that I would be in the house of Slytherin!
I also labeled people I used to work with: Moaning Mertle, Voldemort, Malfoy and Wormtail so that me and other Potter fans could openly talk about their dirty deeds (which they had many!)
I love to read and have at least one book, if not two, that I am sifting through
I love different languages, cultures and food especially mediterranean, indian and asian
When I die I wish that I could be simply tossed over a boat into the ocean as a return for all the fish I have eaten and for my love of the sea. ( I know many of you are gasping right now!!)

[Rapunzel]

I cannot stand most vegetables and avoid eating them if I can.

I had perfectly clear skin throughout my life until I started having children - now I regularly get very painful zits (more like small cysts really).

I love to sew and made my sister's wedding dress (silk, satin, and lace). We couldn't find the right pattern so I also had to design the dress.
I began playing the violin when I was 10 years old.

I didn't learn to ride a bike until I was about 14! (Reason: my parents couldn't afford one until then).

I have the awful habit of cracking my knuckles. My grandmother always insisted it would make my knuckles too big and, at least in my mind, she was right!

I was diagnosed with asthma as an adult a few years ago after I contracted pneumonia in my left lung.

I spent my summers during my teens as a Red Cross swim instructor.

I took two years of French in high school and can only ask someone if they want to sleep with me or call them "my little cabbage". I made A's in those classes btw....

My parents inherited an old set of encyclopedias from a relative when I was a kid and I proceeded to read them all - cover to cover! To this day I think it is fun to just pick a book from an encyclopedia, open it up, and start reading!

That's all the details I can think of at the moment.

Jennifer

[Phoebe]

I am the oldest of two children.

My mom told me growing up that I was conceived the first time she ever had sex at age 18. I found out a few years ago she exaggerated. You can imagine what torture she drilled into my head about sex while handing my brother condoms at age 15.

If I could I would love to choose a career as a professional student.

I was a gymnast for 9 years growing up and now I am almost 5'10.

I wanted to learn to play the flute in 6th grade band, but my teacher told me my lips weren't big enough and to try the clarinet. I never joined the band.

I have been an avid ER watcher since day one.

If I had one free day, I would probably spend it sleeping in and watch soaps all day.

I am attempting my first half-marathon this May.

My husband is stocky with dark hair. I always dated tall blondes until I met him.

I love to play boggle.

[Vanquisher]

I love reading these, and so I hope I'm not too late to add a few of my own.

I was an accomplished ballroom dancer in high school, and took 4th in the National Championship for Waltz, Tango and Quickstep. Though I always loved to cha-cha and samba more, I was tall and very thin and not built for it.

I love to cook, but hate to clean, and I am a messy cook.

I don't really like animals. I am allergic to cats and was attacked by a dog as a child. I'm always secretly wondering what people think about me because of this. I hate going to peoples houses that have dogs. I am still afraid of them (even small ones). I tell people my son is allergic to dogs (true!) so that they are never around when we are.

I was abused as a child, but finally have a good relationship with my parents.

I am highly emotional.

I gained 100 pounds in one year after taking fertility medication and my subsequent pregnancy. I haven't lost any of it. See loves to cook and hates to exercise.

I had hyperemisis gravidarum with both pregnancies. Zofran is my favorite medication, and I wouldn't get pregnant again if someone paid me a billion dollars and a crooked doctor kept me in a coma the whole time.

I hate the snow, and I don't care if I ever see it again. I'm glad I moved somewhere where it rarely snows.

My husband and I were best friends in high school, got married at 19, and decided to have a child soon thereafter because I have severe endometirosis. I hope to have a hysterectomy soon.

I am from Utah, and not only am I not mormon, but I am atheist. I was raised non-denominational Christian. I celebrate Christian holidays in a commercial sense (no Santa either though) and my mother doesn't know that I (and my family) do not believe in a higher power. I still love Christmas.

I like to watch Charmed and reality TV.

[PrincessFiona]

These are fabulous. I've avoided posting because I feel like I'm sort of an ..open book here...what don't I share about myself (Remind me to put 'get boundaries' on my New Years resolution list!)

So...I'll try and surprise y'all...though I have the feeling it will fall flat.

~ I went to a german elementary school in Wertheim, Germany for the 3rd grade...this is where I learned to speak fluent german.

~I grew up in a military family (military brat) and moved more times than I can count....however, the important facts are that I went to two junior highs and 3 high schools and was usually the one people loved to make fun of...I never was able to fit in. (read: Kris has tons of issues)

~I took ballet from the ages of 10 to 17 and loved it...but now I'm so overweight I'd tear something if I tried any kind of a dance move.

~I took private voice lessons for 5 years and I love singing...but I only sing in the shower or with my daughter. I took years of piano lessons but the only thing I can do is sort of fake it through "I dreamed a dream" from LesMiserables.....this is my absolute favorite song in the entire world....

~If I had my way, I'd be a perpetual student. I hate the idea of settling on one single career because there are so many fascinating things out there. Right now I teach bio labs at the U and german to kids one morning a week...and I'm starting an adult class this Thursday. I'm toying with the idea of opening up my own business. I see a shop where moms and dads could bring their little ones during the day to play in a little play area with a ball pit and with toys like sand/water tables, dress up clothes, dolls houses, do art projects etc while the parents have a cup of coffe and socialize with each other. The 'shop' would also have school rooms in the back for teaching preschool, elementary school and adult german classes and I would sell german books/vidoes/food snacks. I'd have a german Saturday school program as well as summer camps. In the future I would imagine other people might come in and teach other languages? I"m not sure what my 'dream' will be next week though...stay tuned!