7 random things about me

Great, I've been tagged! My pal Karen decided to pass on this challenging task to me. I thought it would be easy enough, but it's surprisingly tough to think of something not everyone knows already! Here's the deal - you have to state 7 random things about yourself. I don't have many readers of my blog here, so it's hard for me to think of something you might not be aware of about me! Well, here goes...


1. I've been regularly watching a soap opera, Days of Our Lives, EVERY DAY, for around 15 years! Even on holidays or times away from home, I still record it & watch it later... in spite of the fact I keep saying I'm going to quit (especially when another dumb storyline happens)!


2. I like to freeze my Ding Dongs (of which I call King Dons). "In fact, when they were first introduced, they were actually called King Dons in some parts of the country (and Big Wheels in some regions)." They're just so yummy like that! (My Mom does the same thing!)


3. I enjoy getting blood drawn. I like watching the needle as it punctures my skin, and I especially enjoy the experience if it's completely pain-free! You know, the times when you can watch the needle go in and not even feel it? That blows me away! Perhaps it's got something to do with my fascination with vampires?!? LOL Okay, I just re-read that, and it sounds a bit weird! Maybe it's because I've been through enough physically painful procedures in my life. And maybe it's for the fact that I'm almost literally scared to death of being in the dentist's office. I like that there's one necessary medical procedure that doesn't bother me at all!

By the way, I've done a few pheresis donations years ago, and I used to try "racing" to see how quickly I could donate my blood (pumping my hand when the nurses weren't looking)! I know, what a goof!


4. There are 3 times in my life so far that I've almost died: 1) when I was an infant I almost died from SIDS - my Mom heard me, saw I was purple, and my parents rushed me to the hospital. 2) when I was 16 I had such a serious case of mono that kept me in the hospital for 7 days & 13 hours (funny how I remember that number) and there was a point where my throat was swelling & closing up that my Mom thought I might die (of course, she didn't tell me that until many years later). 3) the circumstances surrounding Kirsten's birth put me in jeopardy for my life (my pre-eclampsia was turning into HELLP syndrome & my organs were in the early stages of shutting down). I guess God's wanting me to stay around for something, huh?

Oh, and there was another one that was pretty serious, but it wasn't a "near death experience" as close as the others. I was in a bus accident when I was a teen, and most of us on board walked away with barely a scratch. Of course, the situation really should've been much worse. The paramedics and other locals told us they were expecting fatalities for certain, and were amazed that there were barely any injuries. Definitely a time of angels at work. That could be another blog in itself someday!


5. I was so unfocused my first semester of college that I ended it with a GPA of only .89! The first year I ended with 1.89. I was living in the dorms & just having fun, as you can see! Good use of the financial aid there, Ruth!


6. I have a serious addiction to Hallmark Christmas ornaments. I could literally decorate an entire tree with ornaments made by Hallmark alone! Thankfully, earlier this year my sister-in-law Jenn helped me deal a bit with this obsession. She was helping me "cleanse & purge" out a lot of unnecessary things, and with her help I was able to eliminate one storage tub of ornaments. (Not all were Hallmark ones, but many of them were.) I mean, am I ever really going to decorate an entire tree with them? I have so many other meaningful ornaments that I like putting up, too. I'm learning to keep the specific collections going that we have (regular & mini Snoopy and a Star Wars series), but not to start new ones. I also get one a year for Kirsten, but no more than that. She'll have a nice collection when she's old enough to move out (sounds weird putting that in words! LOL), but not an over-abundance from years of her Mommy's addiction!


7. What in the world is another random thing about myself I can share that isn't well known already?!? Um, my favorite Christmas movie is "White Christmas"... is that good enough? That started from a childhood tradition. On Christmas Eve my brother Steve & I would stay up & watch it every year. Our whole family enjoyed it - my Mom's cousin was even one of the dancers in the movie (cousin Betty)! And I still make a point to watch it at least once every holiday season... if not with another family member (like Steve or Val or my cousin Becky), then by myself. Matt's even endured the torture (he HATES musicals), but it's hard to enjoy something with someone who really wishes they were elsewhere! LOL

There, I made it! Now I get to pass the curse along and tag 7 other people! Let's see if Matt, Rebecca, Andi, Doug, Shelley, and Andrea take on the challenge! I know that's only six, but that's about it for non-MySpace bloggers I know that might actually do this! LOL