Who I am. . .

Hey folks! It's maybe been a little longer since my last blog than it should have been - heaven knows I've had plenty o' time over the holiday to write down some thoughts and/or inspirations that have struck me since my last rant about Christmas music. . . but I just haven't. The holiday has been relatively quiet and there hasn't been a whole ton to write about so I've kept my peace - except that I CAN now tell you that I got a new waffle maker for Christmas and that makes me pretty excited!!!

Even though the holiday has been relatively calm, these last couple months have been doosies for me. Since October, I've been through the gauntlet and, at times, have been left feeling like the gauntlet did in fact, win. It's been a total experiment in faith for me and trials of (what I consider to be) epoch proportions. . . ok, nothing THAT dramatic. But it's been a tough go at it for me - big decisions, large changes, all the goodies. I think I can safely say that I've come out the other end of this mess smelling a little more like roses than I went into it - one can only hope anyway or what's the point!?!

Anyway - on to the point. The one thing that really made a difference over the last couple of months for me was taking the time to figure out who I am and what it is that I really, really want in life. Yes, a sports car would be nice but it's not (as I figured out) necessarily at the top of my list. I think that the only true way to make the most correct decisions for yourself is to know what it is that makes you tick. So that's what I've done.

In similar fashion to so many bloggers before me, I've made a random list of some random things about me - things that are really important and some things that well, may not seem to be to the untrained eye (how silly is that) but do show a little bit about who I am. Hold on to your seats - it's going to be a bumpy and potentially awkward ride!

1. I live in a ridiculously small house. It's drafty. It's old. But it's mine and I love it. It's one of the biggest things I've ever done and I'm proud that I bought it.
2. I love to write and hope that one day, I have enough to say about something that I can publish a book.
3. I don't like the winter and the thought of scraping ice off my windows makes me sad.
4. My parents are proud of everything that I do and that helps me make good decisions.
5. I don't like hot cinnamon. At all. It makes my mouth burn and why would someone do that to themselves?
6. I sing and dance (limited, of course) in my car. If a song is THAT good, I just can't help myself.
7. I hate driving home from work.
8. I know that prayer works. I love when I can have less faith in that because I KNOW that it's real.
9. I love my family more than anything and they make that pretty easy to do.
10. My favorite color is red.
11. I like to work. I may complain about it (a lot) but it makes me feel fulfilled.
12. I am a total hugger. It's genetic (thanks mom) so I can't help it. I hug everyone - a lot. And, just so you are aware, there is such a thing as a bad hugger.
13. I have the funniest friends on the planet, no contest. They would out-whit anyone. We can have a contest.
14. In reference to the point above, I'm mildly competitive. . . haha. But nobody makes me more competitive than my brother which is weird because nobody supports my victories more than him either!
15. I am a total daddy's girl. He'll do anything for me but I try not to abuse that fact. . . too often.
16. I don't do fantasy very well. . . . maybe because I think reality is exciting enough??
17. I'm a sucker for flowers. I hate that I'm a sucker for anything. But I am a sucker for that.
18. I was THAT kid in high school - the one who did the group projects and the extra credit. Again, the competitive drive rears its ugly head! Most of that continued over into college.
19. I grew up playing sports - soccer, basketball, softball, karate. I grew up changing uniforms in the back of the car. I'd like to think that I'm ok at all of them, but a superstar at none. My love for sports continues into the now!
20. I love to laugh more than anything on the planet. It makes me feel so great.
21. I have loved a lot of people in my life but I don't think I've even been "in love" per se.
22. I play the piano - poorly - and I wish that I was better at it.
23. My mom loves me more than anyone. She always says that and after all of these years, I think she's right.
24. I like my hair and I hope I never loose it!
25. I'm stronger than I think and I really believe that most people are.
26. The biggest misconception of me is that I'm intimidating and completely independent. While I am pretty independent in some ways, I love being taken care of. It feels great.
27. I'm a total worrier. I worry about a lot of unnecessary things. Again, I think it's genetic? haha.
28. I am a Broadway junkie. I love musicals most.
29. I have been a radio DJ and done play-by-play sports broadcasting on the air. I loved it.
30. I like to read - mostly church books which may be nerdy but I don't really care. It's what I do.
31. I have a great life - one that most people would classify as "easy". While they are probably right, I've worked hard to make it that way.
32. I believe that people make their own "luck".
33. I've had to fire someone before and it was one of the hardest things I've done.
34. I don't believe in quitting at anything. . . except smoking and everyone should do that!!! :)
35. There are people in life that can understand you 100% of the time. I've met only a couple.

Ok, I think that ought to do it for now. 35 is a pretty good list, right? A lot of this list contains pretty random things about me but they all play a part in who I am and what I do. Just because I wrote this down does not give permission for me to be mocked relentlessly!!!