Saturday, January 31, 2009

Brandi's Challenge... or Insomnia Sucks

Brandi, my sweet, talented, enormously cool Sister In Law, challenged us to post random facts about ourselves a couple of days ago. 

I want Jesse to do his and I have done it for most of the kids already, so that just leaves me. It's 2 am-why not? LOL

1. I HATE feet. Yes, hate them. They skeeve me out, gross me out and give me the heebie jeebies all in one. The only exception is baby feet, but only for the first 18 months. After that they graduate to the status of BLECH.

2. I spent 7 years of my childhood from 5-12 in Saudia Arabia while my stepfather did contract work... my name was Jenny Baldwin, because they don't recognize step children there. I even have a passport with Jenny Baldwin on it, even though that has never been my legal name. While in their amazing education system for Americans/English I learned arabic, to play the violin, the guitar, preformed in drama clubs and was in the gifted program. This eclectic, varied, challenging and exciting way of learning is what I base our homeschooling on...  I believe our public education system is stale and outdated. It's conformity at it's worst. Dumbing Us Down
by John Gotto is a must read. 

3. I swam competitively from age 5 until high school. Swimming is meditation. I love it, and if I had a lap pool I would do it every day. I hate to swim in the ocean, lakes or rivers though... if I can't see the bottom I don't want to do it. And sometimes if I CAN see the bottom I still don't want to do it, just ask Jesse about snorkeling over the sunken battleship in Aruba! 


4. I won't watch scary movies or movies with sad endings. I read movie spoilers to determine whether or not a movie is worth watching. I even read the first and last chapters of books to see if they are worth the time... why? That brings me to my next random fact...

5. I hate surprises. A Lot. Even good ones. Which drives Jesse and Heather batty because I have some kind of super sonic surprise radar and ruin all surprises. Case in point.... the night before my surprise baby shower for Sylver I dreamt about it. I woke and said today is my baby shower and it's going to be at Aunt Bonnie's house and this is who is going to be there.... HAHAHAHAHA! Jesse and Heath where SO irritated, LOL. 

6. I grew up with no religion. None. In Saudia Arabia they only allow the Muslim religion. Only the Koran is allowed in their country... and they are VERY strict about it. very. When I came back to the states I explored pretty much all religions, Buddism, Wicca, Atheism, and while I found bit and pieces to be intriguing and interesting nothing ever 'stuck'. Kind of like diets. I have been a Christian for 8 years now, thanks in no small part to seeds planted by my husband and my mother in law, and my Grace Filled Heavenly Father. Funny, how Truth not only sticks but grows. God amazes me every. single. day. 

7. I lived a year in the Dahlonega Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains (7th grade), home of the first US Gold Rush. I rode horses bareback through woods and in to rivers, I mucked stalls, I bathed in the aforementioned rivers, I stepped on snakes, saw tornadoes and came to the conclusion that I suck at all that stuff except riding horses. 

8. I can't dance. I don't even think I can. But I love to do it. And watch it. Dancing With The Stars would be the perfect show if it weren't for that surprise ending, LOL.  The kids and I often take dance breaks during the day. My kids have rhythm too! But they don't get it from me... or Jesse. Strange really. (just teasing baby!)

9. I only watch stupid sitcoms-Scrubs, My Name is Earl, George Lopez, and 3rd Rock From the Sun. Titus was one of my all time favorites! I love stand up comedy and occasionally can be suckered in to something else, but if I am going to sit in front of the TV I better be laughing, other wise I might as well surf the net. I actually really like CSI and Without a Trace, but that whole surprise thing makes them almost torturous. 

10. Five is my favorite number. Blue is my favorite color. And Jesse is my favorite husband ;)


11. I don't drink at all anymore. It gives me an almost instant headache. I SO love pina colodas, sangria, cosmos and appletinis... But they hurt too much.  It's probably to do with CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease), but I'm not certain. Just know it hurts :(

12. I have been on a personal quest to be as honest and truthful as I can be ALL of the time for the last couple of years. When I first started paying attention I was amazed at how many small white lies or lies by omission I told to make life easier or to avoid confrontation or hurting someone's feelings. And I thought I was a pretty honest person! I still slip every so often... but I feel it like a dead weight on my heart when I do. I thought truth was a pretty grey area before embarking on this quest. I'm often surprised at how black and white it really is.  My motivation in the beginning was simple.... I wanted to honor my God who shows me Truth every day. In following this path I have grown and learned so much that I might have missed otherwise. It seems so simple, just tell the truth. But once you start to pay attention you realize that it's work to be honest, but it also makes life MUCH simpler. Nothing to remember, feel guilty about or justify. It also make decision making much easier.... if there is dishonesty involved, generally that's the answer I need. 

I think a dozen will do!

Going to Bed Now.... Honest ;)

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