ABOUT ME...

SIX RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME

{like anyone really cares}

I was tagged by Casey for this game "Six Random Things about Me," Here are the rules: Link to the person who tagged you, mention the rules, tell six quirky, yet boring & unspectacular things about yourself, tag six other bloggers by linking to them, and then go to each person's blog and leave a comment letting them know they've been tagged. [Shonda I copied your rules for this game. I hope you don't mind. Of course, I changed the name to "protect the innocent". Okay, that just sounded silly...oh well. And oh yeah...I don't know how to do the link thing...okay I guess I should add that I am not that bright on some of the blog stuff too!]

1. I don't like to say no. My kids and husband don't buy that. But I like to avoid confrontation. I hate to let people down. No is a very complicated word in my vocabulary. It is all a part of that avoiding confrontation thing. Sunday before last, Bro. Dan said that we should be Peacemakers...okay, I think I am, I avoid confrontation. I try to keep the peace, but after he explained the difference in a peacemaker and peacekeeper, I realize that I am a peacekeeper. I like for it to all just go away. Though I am going to try harder on that one, Dan. It all definitely made sense.



2. I get a little obsessed with the laundry. I wash everything in the washer (all kinds of shoes, hair bows, and all sorts of things one wouldn't think you could).[Nicki, I do dry clean clothes need to be dry cleaned!] Of course, you do some things very delicately in the laundry bags. However, most of those things do not go to the dryer. Some people would do two different loads: darks and lights. I would get about 10 different loads out of that: good clothes light, older clothes light, khaki's and grays, good clothes dark, older clothes dark (the good clothes always in cold water and the older in warm) and then there's the delicate loads of dark clothes and light clothes too. These don't go in the dryer at all. I also like everything folded a certain way and hung up a certain way. I take extreme care to all new clothing. I like things to stay new looking. I take just as much precaution to a shirt that I bought on clearance for $3.00 as to another one (not on sale for $30.00). [Does this apply to you too, Shonda?]



3. I used to be an extremely organized person, but never felt organized enough. My friend, Cheryl, said that was the trait of a organized person. Over the years, I feel like my life has gone to chaos and that I am not organized at all anymore except for particular things like the laundry which is why I think it is so important to me. I guess it really is one of those OCD things. Since there are so many things in my life that feels out of control, laundry is something that I can keep under control.



4. I hate to do a single thing. I multi-task almost everything. [Does this sound familiar, Casey?] I always have 3 or 4 windows open on my computer. If one things seems to be taking to long too open, I go to something else. If I am folding clothes, I watch tv (new type shows in the a.m and CSI'S or Law & Orders in the evening). If I do work in the kitchen, I listen to the radio and I usually do that while also running back and forth to the computer. It kills me to get in the car to drive. So that's a good time to make conversation on the phone with friends that I talk on the phone to on a regular basis like Pam, Cheryl or Mom. If I am not talking, only driving, I feel like it is such a waste of time.



5. My favorite flowers are daisies and daffodils. I think that tells a little about my personality. Roses and other flowers are pretty, but I see them as sophistication. Daisies are so simple and down-to-earth. I think I am too.



6. I always make my bed. It's sort of like the laundry thing. It is one of those things that make me feel like the rest of my life is a little more in control if my bed is made.



7. One of my favorite ice creams is Black Walnut. I rarely buy because I am sure I would be the only one here to eat it, but it reminds me of my childhood. It was (and may still be) my daddy's favorite. From time to time, he would say let's go get ice cream. My mom didn't buy it at the regular grocery store with the other groceries. I guess it was sort of special treat. We would go to this particular convenience store (West Side Grocery) and buy a 1/2 gallon. Just the smell of it takes me back that particular time in my life (time of childhood innocence). These days I get it at convenient stores too...you know where they have about 12 different big tubs of ice cream and you can get it in a cone or bowl. I always get a cone. I usually do this on our way back from shopping trips to Monroe at a convenience store in Rayville. I don't know the name of it, but it is on the right side the road on the way home.



8. I had a great mom as a child. She didn't work though she thought she should so we could have more. I always thought I would because I wanted my kids to have more. When my child was born, I cried everyday for two weeks, after much debate, I gave my two week notice. I also became a stay-at-home mom like my mom. After about year, I worked part-time. I did love the fact that my mom was there when I came home from school. She was such a great listener and loved hearing about our day. I also like be available for my kids and granddaughter even though I do still work by working at home I felt like a stay-at-home mom. It makes me feel like I am here for my kids. I am often distracted so I don't know if they feel like I am really here for them, but I do try.



9. I was a pageant mom. I bet that's one some of you have never heard about me. It's hard for me to believe now. I think I also have an addictive personality (something I think runs in my family). I never felt that pretty as a child (not that I really am...that's a whole other story). But I think I felt pretty when Cari did well. But as I got into it, it just got deeper and deeper. I wished I had the money back and sometimes I wished I had never taken that road, but I as I look back I learned many things in life through it. Pageants are really much more about competition just like any scoring type sport (like gymnastics). It is based on preparing, practicing, and competition. Cari was (and still is ) a beautiful child, but God even then, kept us humble. She never won, won, won. She might win, then get 1st runner up and then not even place. Often those people who did win, win became undesirable people. I thank God for helping me keep my head on straight. But the biggest thing I got out of pageants was my photography. I discovered photography. My very earliest days as a professional photographer was photographing headshots and sometimes portfolio images for Cari and other pageant kids. I also met some really great people and some of the them became my best friends. Most of them, too eventually burned out too because of what it really is. It is all a little superficial just as most people think, but it is a whole lot more to it than people realize and everyone isn't crazy...though it does begin to drive you crazy at some point. (lol) One day I will have to scan some of my photogenic photos from those days. I am still very proud of the images I created along with hair and make-up done by friend and with beautiful subjects to begin with. My philosophy on this is...naturally beautiful, but hair, make-up and great lighting means gorgeous!



10. I am an overdoer! What does that mean? I over do everything. I think that's why I feel like I am going nuts these days. From business to my love for my granddaughter. I don't know how to do just a little or to give the short version or condense a story. For example, look at this! This is suppose to 6 unspectacular things about me. I am well over six. I could go on and on about this one too, but I think you get the point.


11. I got First Place at the Literary Rally in 1983. Guess what it was in! You would never guess so I will tell. Home Economics...I wanted to be a Home Economics teacher, but even then that was a class that was beginning to fade away. I remember the year I took Home Ec. IV that all new high school students were taking Home Economics differently...like maybe a semester Child Care, Nutrition, Home Furnishing and Fashion, etc. I changed my mind being a Home Ec. teacher because I feared the job market. But instead...


12. I started a major in a two-year Daycare Management program at ULM (which was Northeast at the time). I dropped out within the time to get your 3/4th of your refund because I just didn't know what I wanted to do. Later in life while my 2nd child was an infant I did have a Home Daycare for a few years. Funny, uh?


13. I THINK MY ADDICTION IS MY OWN COMPUTER. I can't get any work done because of the computer, but I can't work without my computer. Boy, doesn't that sound like a contradiction. I will elaborate. I know you must be interested to hear the rest of this one too. I can't do work that's not on the computer because my mind has a chance to think about other things. Like when I am making my bed or folding clothes (meticulously, I might add...lol), I start thinking about other things I need to do. Like buy something for the house or for Natalie, so I need to run to the computer to shop online. Or when I think about a new disease or just anything, that I need to research. With the Internet, we literally have the world at our finger tips. I look up everything from party planning (recently: the wedding, Fiesta birthday and 16th birthday party--that's coming up this year) to shopping and selling on ebay from hairbows to college books (I bought Cameron's biology book through ebay last year). Ebay is so cool and so addictive. While I am working on the computer, I shop, organize, advertise and even blog! Blogging is addictive too! If you haven't figure that one out yet!

So, as you can see #10 applied here too. It did ask for six unspectacular things...I guess that's okay since I have 3 blogs now. There I go again about the overdoing thing. I don't know that many people to tag. I am not good at doing the links, but the only person I know with a blog who has not been tagged would be my Brittany: http://www.natalieintigerland.blogspot.com/ and maybe Nicki though I think she has already. I think I remember reading hers a while back, but I didn't realize that was it. I think she is an overdoer too. I think she did one for each member of her family. Maybe I will do that too later. But Nicki, if that wasn't what that was, your tagged too. Everyone else has already been tagged or they are people that I don't really know. Yes, I admit it. There are a few blogs that I watch that I don't even really know the people...come on, admit it...you do too!

So if you made this far, I am stopping. It took me most of the morning off and on to do this. I have much to do today. I am feeling better today. I will make another short post about that later.

~~ja~~