7 Random Facts About Me

So here is a post that is 3 weeks overdue. Christy tagged me and I procrastinated as usual:

1. I am a big time animal lover! I remember my first cat Lacey who endured many dress up adventures and party functions. I was 6 years old when Santa Claus dropped off Lacey. Ever since I have probably never been cat-less.
My parents always insisted that I completely take care of my cats (my 2 brothers were on dog assignment) from cleaning out the litterbox to the occasional cat-astrophic bath. (pardon the pun)
Every year when the weather would turn cold it was that time again. Time to start my begging process to break down my parents so that my cat could once more be allowed indoors. This usually resulted in their ultimatum for me to give it a bath. Which I gleefully endured so I could feel a warm motor on my feet at bedtime. Just to know my kitty was warm and toasty and not possibly freezing made me sleep easier.
Later on I campaigned for our dogs also to enjoy the indoor life. The first dog inside thanks to my efforts was Jetsam. And she knew she had lucked up. Her indoor behavior was impeccable.
Now Hank our golden boy has the ultimate life. Indoors all day, excursions to the yard to do "business". His bed is the entire loveseat. His "Grandma" made him a custom couch cover complete with his name embroidered on it. It compliments my den curtains just right.
He goes for spa days occasionally where he gets his nails done.
He gets yogurt powder sprinkled on his food regularly so that his digestive system stays on track.
Little Dee our man cat is not suffering either. He is the bed hog in this house. He can make it seem like there is another grown man in the bed, not just a 20 pound cat. Even if we wanted him off the bed, that is a battle we're certain to lose. Every morning when Will leaves for work, Dee is allowed down into the basement, not that I have an option of whether to leave the door open or not. If I ignore him, he'll just sit and bellar at the door and bang on the knob for ages. His bowl is always full. Cause if you let it get empty then he'll chew on things around the house and make headaches for you. (One time to riot against starvation, he went behind the fridge and chewed thru the icemaker tube so that there was water everywhere). As you can see he is the boss.

2. I was born in Utah. That is no biggie to some, but where I grew up in AL, that made me an oddity. Others at my school or church were born there in that very town ...and so were their parents! And their grandparents!!! Fascinating!
My parents moved to Tooele, Utah for only about 1 year. I was lucky enough to make my entrance at that time. Tooele is tiny and perhaps only known for its alluring chemical weapons incinerator. (Yes, there's lots of people on a waiting list to go live in Tooele ha ha)
I am not alone in my weirdness: one of my brothers, Bill, was born in CA.
My other brother, Darin--- he at least was born in the South--TN. He is the lucky one.

3. I am a preacher's kid. My dad has been preaching my whole life. This is not something that ever bothered me really. Sometimes preachers beget more preachers. This is like when doctors beget doctors or........ for some reason the Dale Earnhardt family popped into my head. But neither of my 2 brothers decided to preach. Also I did not marry a preacher.
I remember my momma asking me once if I thought I might like to one day marry a preacher. Don't remember my exact response (it depends on which day she asked me. Did she wake me from a Sunday nap and drag me to the nursing home singing? I probably said- No I don't want to marry a preacher!) Anyway I didn't. I married an engineer.
But I am very glad to have been part of a preacher's family. I learned social skills that lots of kids miss out on. I learned very very often that "we don't always get to do what we want to do" and also I learned on a different level than others that "people are watching you, so be a Christian example."
I ate many a meal at some old lady's house with a smile on my face that I would have rather thrown out in the yard to the dog.
I helped my parents clean the church building on Saturdays for what seemed like eons.
I went to countless funerals or weddings or just the homes of people I did not know.
When others went on vacation, they also were on vacation from church if you know what I mean. But not us. We hit up any random C of C on the way to our destination if it was worship time. Even Wednesday night classtime. And of course a church had been scoped out for visiting wherever we were headed to.
It sounds pitiful to some, but me and my brothers are all better for it.
Lots of lessons that my parents taught me were just in our simple way of life as the preacher's family.

4. I married my high school sweetheart. It was a close call, cause we had our first official date in March before graduating in May 1997. But its on a technicality.
In high school, Will was shy and I was a class clown I guess. We didn't hang out probably ever for 4 years. (That is odd when your graduating class only has 50 people.) Then one day..... after 3 different people had suggested that we date, I suddenly thought "hey--that Will.... he IS a hottie." Do you know what? The other girls at school started to think the same thing. I started to overhear them say "Girl, I saw Will Christopher in the gym with no shirt on and I had to stop and stare" or "Do you know who I think is looking good? Will Christopher!" I had to say hands off ladies. This is my prey. I had to seal a deal quick on getting him as my prom date. You bet your bottom dollar I called that boy up like it was Sadie Hawkins. From that point on I made sure to have sharp nails in case of a cat fight.

5. I have lived in "the North". All be it only for 20 months, but coming back to the South, I am and will forevermore be dubbed a YANKEE. Whatever. Yankees are not all that bad. Some of them I could take or leave, but guess what? Some Southerners could use a good butt whoopin themselves. I have an endless supply of stories about our time in Pennsylvania. We wouldn't trade that experience for the world. But I don't know if we'll ever move back (I think Will was pretty excited to kiss his snow shovel goodbye.)

6. I have no thyroid. I had surgery when I was 4 years old to remove a "wanna-be thyroid blob of tissue". Therefore I daily enjoy a dose of "artificial energy" called synthroid. That is short for synthetic thyroid. There's alot more to your thyroid than energy--- but without one, your energy level is probably the first difference that you'll notice. Doctors do not like to believe me when I say that I was born with no thyroid. They say I could not have lasted until age 4 with no "go-juice" like apparently I did. Momma did always say that I was a good napper.

7. I am super slob. Seriously I just can't help myself. I see people with the clean gene and I am baffled. What is that like to live like that? What is that like to WANT to clean something? To be DRIVEN to clean it??? Even to enjoy it?
Sadly I have brought my husband down with me. He used to have impeccable cleaning/organizing habits. Now he is perhaps worse than me. I am not sure when it happened or if it was a slow painful process. I take full responsibility.

Well I enjoyed writing about myself---I hope I am not a bore.