100 Things About Me

I read a few of these lists so I'm going to try one now...

1. I once spent an entire night awake, worrying that Ben had not come home, when in fact, he was home and asleep in his bed.
2. My hometown is called Beamsville and the sign outside of town says "Beamsville, The Heart of the Fruitbelt."
3. The school I attended was in Fruitland.
4. I have to get up in the night on occasion to pee and I'm not pregnant. Just getting older.
5. I have neat handwriting.
6. I prefer to have a few clothes that I love than many clothes that I hate.
7. I am a good speller. I have only had to memorize the spelling of 2 words in my life. They are "necessary" and "occasionally."
8. My favourite colours are warm earth tones although I own a pale pink suit that I wore for my son's wedding.
9. I have 4 amazing children and one lovely daughter-in-law.
10. There is only 100 percent pure Dutch blood running through my veins.
11. If I want to relax, I listen to classical music. My favourite classical music is from the Baroque period.
12. I have a university degree.
13. I don't usually wear makeup. I go through periods when I wear it all the time and then I stop.
14. I think that Kristen is very beautiful.
15. I am very particular about which pen I use. I hate those cheap ones.
16. A glass of wine with dinner on a Friday night-it doesn't get much better than that.
17. I spent many summers in Beamsville at the Kinsmen swimming pool. We had a "family plan" and I felt very important just walking in and saying "family plan" without having to wait in line to pay.
18. I have a green belt in Taekwondo. I wish I had a black belt. Maybe one day.
19. I hate getting dirt under my fingernails.
20. I have been married for 25 years, 7 months and 27 days. I have known Wes for about 28 years.
21. The first thing Wes ever bought me was an ice cream cone on the May long weekend in 1978.
22. My mother taught me that food had to look good on your plate. That's why I can't have broiled chicken, mashed potatoes and corn on the same plate without adding carrots or green beans.
23. I love soup. Any kind. Except borscht. And don't tell me that your grandmother's borscht is better than any one elses. I hate beets. So I don't like borscht okay?
24. I hate bad grammar and I'm a little concerned that the word "elses" in #23 may need an apostrophe.
25. I prefer the British spelling for words like neighbour, labour and organisation.
26. The name of the first boy I ever liked was Ronald. He was in my grade 2 class.
27. When I was in grade one, a girl in my class was hit by a car and killed after she got off the bus in front of the school. I didn't know her because it was at the beginning of the school year. I have believed all my life that school busses got their flashing red lights and the law that drivers had to stop for them occurred, as a direct result of her death.
28. I have attended the funerals of too many people in my life. The first one was for a 6 year old classmate. (see #27)
29. Two of the most amazing, gifted, wise and fun women I know are my sisters.
30. I do not drink pop. I don't like the fizz.
31. Eric plays the mandolin. That is just the coolest thing ever.
32. One of my earliest memories is when I learned how to drink out of a straw.
33. When I was a kid, there was no such thing as seatbelts. I remember standing on the seat so that I could see. It's amazing we weren't killed in a car accident.
34. I am terribly proud of all of my children and I want to brag about them all the time. I don't though because I think that can be boring for the person to whom I'm bragging.
35. My parents once had a car where you could see the road through a hole in the floor by the back seat.
36. I am a Christian. That doesn't mean I'm homophobic or that I'm ever going to be a "sidewalk counsellor" at an abortion clinic. It means that I follow the teachings of Jesus Christ who was all about love.
37. I have always liked the colour of my hair.
38. One of my favourite bible stories is the one where a bunch of men bring a woman who was caught in adultery to Jesus and asked him what they should do as their laws required that she be put to death. Jesus just said, "Anyone here who has no sin in his life, may throw the first stone at her." They all walked away. Duh. And Jesus told the woman that he did not condemn her.
39. I LOVE watching my kids play volleyball. 3 of them are actually very good. Ben was ranked #4 in the province of Manitoba in his grade 12 year. (Okay, so I'm bragging. So sue me)
40. Tim moves his body just like Ben does when he plays volleyball.
41. I love my husband and I want to live with him until the day one of us dies.
42. I hate clutter but my house can be pretty cluttery. I also hate cleaning up clutter.
43. I only eat the good ice cream. The cheap stuff is just not worth the calories.
44. Unsolicited advice can make me cranky.
45. My parents are the only ones in their families who immigrated to Canada. That means all of my aunts, uncles and cousins live overseas.
46. All 4 of my grandparents are dead. If they were alive they'd all be in their late 90s and early 100s.
47. I love doing the Saturday crossword. I tell people who poopoo this activity that it stimulates my brain and I do it for my intellectual health.
48. I am teaching myself to play the accordion.
49. I think that my favourite instrument has to be the oboe. I never learned how to play it because you have to blow so hard that it feels like air is coming out of your ears. I didn't like that feeling.
50. I pick at my fingers when I'm nervous.
51. I think that k.d. lang has the most amazing voice I have ever heard. Her CD "Hymns of the 49th Parallel" is very cool.
52. I once got a 2nd degree burn from the sun on my back when I was picking strawberries. That part of my back has a lot of freckles on it.
53. I've gone to Walt Disney World a number of times and I love it there.
54. I have only fainted 3 times in my life. Once, after I had surgery on my thumb, once when I was pregnant with Tim, and once after I gave birth to Kristen. It is a very freaky feeling.
55. I got stitches in my foot once because I got a bad cut from a piece of glass. My family often reminds me that if I had been wearing real shoes and not flip flops while I was mowing the lawn, it probably wouldn't have happened.
56. I love it when Kristen giggles. She still does on occasion when she's not being a cool teenager.
57. I love the way children are drawn to Eric. He's 6' 3" and still they're not afraid of him. I think that they sense that he loves to play with them. He'll make a great dad some day.
58. Sometimes, when I'm with the right company, I swear.
59. Sometimes, when I'm alone, I swear. It usually only happens when the computer's acting up.
60. I watch very little TV. The commercials drive me crazy.
61. I remember the first time that I was walking with Ben when I felt that he could protect me. At that time he was well over 6 feet tall and stronger than me. Before then, I always felt that I had to protect him.
62. I always thought that I was a fat teenager when in reality, I wasn't.
63. I lost an arm wrestle to Ben when he was 12. He says that he was 9. I'd like to think that I am right.
64. One of the reasons I decided to marry Wes was because he owned a Volkswagen Beetle that was a very strange bright blue colour. No man driving that kind of car can take himself too seriously, especially when he's scraping the frost on the INSIDE windshield in the winter.
65. I thought Wes was such a gentleman when we started dating because he always opened my car door for me. I had already fallen in love with him when I discovered that he opened my door first because his was broken. Sigh.
66. I prefer round dining tables to square or rectangular. Conversation flows much better around a round table.
67. I have never played a video game to completion. I have tried but I have been unsuccessful. While I believe it is important to keep up with technology, I think that this will be one thing that I will not master or even attempt ever again, in my lifetime.
68. The most bored I have ever been was in my Contemporary Music class at Brock University on Thursdays from 5-6 p.m. Every class. It was brutal.
69. I am grateful to the 3 people in my life who recognized my musical "ear" and encouraged it. Margaret Swytink, Mrs. Wilson, my piano teacher and Mr. Beardy my high school band teacher.
70. I'm a good driver and I seldom speed.
71. I have a grand piano at home and I just love it. One day, when we move into a smaller house, we will still need a big living room for the piano. I am not giving it up.
72. I believe that pianos should be located in the living area of a house. Music is meant to be shared and if the piano is stuck in some room in the basement, it cannot be enjoyed by everyone.
73. I belong to the best church community in the world. If I could not attend GNF, I would have to start my own church and model it after GNF.
74. One day I hope to be a grandmother. I hope it will happen within the next 5 years but don't tell Ben and Carolyn that.
75. I drink one cup of coffee a day on average. On weekends I might drink more. Otherwise, water is my preferred beverage. I HATE beer but I do enjoy a cooler now and then in the summer. And wine. I love red wine. I am glad that I'm not an alcoholic.
76. I am not an animal lover, I am an animal tolerator.
77. I wish I could remember the names of flowers like my sisters can. I just love walking in a garden with them because they know so much about the plants and flowers. When I walk in a garden with them, I am reminded of our mother's sister, Mies who can also name almost every flower she sees.
78. I love Monday night jammin' with the family.
79. Every time Micah sits on my lap, I think it might be the last time. He's growing up.
80. I once stood in line for 2 hours on opening night in a movie theatre so I could watch Star Wars. The things we do for our kids.
81. I have never intentionally pulled an all-nighter.
82. Tim reminds me of an exuberant puppy. He's got big hands and feet and doesn't know his own strength. He also makes me laugh.
83. I HATE the mall. Every time I go there, I feel fat, ugly and stupid. I know in my mind that is not true but it is not easy convincing your heart otherwise.
84. I am a member of a 12 Step group and I love the other messed up, compulsive people who come. They're real.
85. I just love fresh tomatoes and mayonnaise on toast with a sprinkling of salt and freshly ground pepper.
86. I value integrity in people and in myself.
87. When the kids were young, I would love to stay up late at night when everyone was asleep and the house was quiet. I don't have to do that anymore because this house is usually pretty quiet.
88. I must confess that I own a hair straightener. The first time I used it, Kristen looked at me and said in an accusatory way, "You straightened your hair!" Her accusation was legitimate because I had been giving her a hard time for straightening HER hair.
89. In the winter, I try to go to bed at least 10 minutes after Wes. Nothing feels better than sliding into bed, chilled to the bone, and then cuddling with someone who is very warm and who loves you. He is very willing to do this.
90. I listen to CBC Radio One in the car most of the time. I do not enjoy CBC from 12:00 - 2:00 but I really enjoy the afternoon show "Round Up." When Bill Richardson left, I didn't think they could get another host to do the show justice but I just love Tetsuro Shigematsu. When I first realized that I really liked him, I decided to memorize his name because you have to know the names of your friends. I know, it sounds pathetic but I consider Tetsuro to be a friend even though we've never met.
91. I love the way it feels when you pull a dandelion out of the garden and get the whole root.
92. While I dislike dandelions in my garden, I love the way they look when they cover a field.
93. I have never tasted dandelion wine.
94. I have personally had at least 15 flat tires in my life. I don't think many people can beat that. I have only had to change one myself. Thank goodness for husbands, sons and CAA.
95. I enjoy vacuuming but only when you can hear the junk going up the hose.
96. I like my lattes made with skim milk and extra hot.
97. My sister taught me how to order a latte.
98. I love singing harmony around the campfire.
99. It drives me crazy when someone is playing a guitar or other instrument and uses the wrong chord. I'm not talking about making a mistake. Mistakes happen. But when they can't quite figure out the right chord and play something else, I want to take that guitar and smash it over their head.
100. I am not a violent person. I just have occasional violent thoughts.

There! One hundred things about me. That was actually a fun exercise and it only took me 2 days.