33 Tidbits for 33 Years

Today I turn the big 33!  Not as hard to accept when you have spent half of the year thinking you were already 33 (in some ways it's like I got younger, turning 33 instead of 34 lol).  Clearly losing my mind already.

You probably know a bit about me from my Mommy years through my blog but maybe not too much from my earlier years.  This year I thought I might blog 33 random things you might not know about me from myback in the day!

1. I am one grateful girl for life saving modern medicine, without which I wouldn't have been able to enjoy these past 3 decades (I've had 7 different surgeries, 5 of which were life saving)

2.  I thrive off of routine and have turned my children into routine thriving junkies (bed times, meal times, etc).  In my Dad's "toast to the bride" at our wedding he told T that if I am ever grouchy there are two solutions, feed me or put me to bed! (True Fact)

3. I taught in the 2nd highest needs school in our city.  It was one of the best and yet most exhausting things ever.  I broke up more fist fights then I care to recall, had a text book thrown at the back of my head while writing on the board, heard enough curse words to last a life time, saw explosive behaviors, held back tears as students begged to stay at school to avoid going home to abuse, fed hungry bellies, got the sweetest heart felt little hugs, laughed, cried and hopefully taught something too.

4.  I work well under pressure (Involve a little peer and it is even better).  I am motivated by registering for a 10km run or a 60km cancer walk or even a friendly challenge to read the BOM.

5.  I always wanted to be a teacher and spent way too many hrs playing school as a kid.  I may have been the only kid with a giant white board on my wall.

6. I pretty much hate all things scary.  I can't watch scary things on TV or I will have instant nightmares.  When I was a kid my brother, sister and I had a very early morning paper route.  I was convinced a witch lived in one of the houses and it almost killed me to walk around her huge shrubs to get close enough to throw her paper the rest of the way to her front door!

7. When I graduated university I took a job teaching and organizing recreational gymnastics. I loved it. The irony is that I am the most uncoordinated person alive and could never do gymnastics myself. Those who can’t do….teach! I turned down a job offer to start coaching again just a few weeks ago.

8. I hate public bathrooms.  I will hold it and then some to avoid them.  Don't even think about pointing me towards an out house!!  What if a monster jumps out of the out house pit and grabs my bare behind?!?!? Needless to say camping isn't high on my list until we reach the RV stage.

9. I always wanted a puppy growing up.  In Gr.7 I had a hard time wanting to go to school (a little anxiety) so my parents bribed me with a dog if I went every single day until spring break.  Much to their dismay I did and my sweet dog lived with them for the next 16 yrs!

10. I was a "Candy Striper" from Gr.7-9 when I lived in BC.  My favorite part was bringing ice water to new moms and feeding meals to sweet/senial old ladies.  I continued to volunteer feeding residents in a seniors home when we moved to ON through high school.  I've seen some of the best bingo playing and watched the best dance moves there ;)  However I can still recall the smell of the pureed meals and feel queasy instantly.

11.  When I was in Gr.1 I was spending the weekend on Salt Spring Island at my friend's house (sans parents) and was air lifted out by helicopter for one of those life saving surgeries mentioned in #1.

12. I am a total home body.  There is really no other place I'd rather be.  Now I just need to figure out how to get a house on the beach to combine 2 of my loves!

 

13. I had a huge crush on Leonardo Dicaprio in high school.  I watched "Romeo and Juliet" so many times that I aced it when we studied it in school.  Prince William may have been my other love at the time too.

14. In high school I worked at my Dad's "Work World" store and then worked at the movie theaters in the concession at night (small town theater with usually 2 shows playing).  I still can't resist the smell of popcorn at the movies and seeing Carhart coveralls still makes me smile/cringe.

15.  One of my most embarassing childhood memories:  While camping, my sister, friend and I were walking back from the showers with our towels and dirty clothes tucked under our arms.  We hear a boy say "Excuse me, is this yours?" We turn around to see him holding a long stick high in the air with my panties hanging off the end of it.  I grabbed them and ran like crazy back to our campsite ;) 

16.  Our family moved across the country when I entered Gr.10.  I had grown up with the same friends and community my whole childhood.  I was invovled in student council, drama, basketball, volleyball, etc.  I had the best group of friends and was so confident and self assured.  When we moved I lost all of my confidence, felt lonely and self conscious.  I pretty much starved myself for several months hoping to change the way I looked.  It got better with time and I made some life long amazing friends but it was a sad year. 

 

17. I feel way more in control of my life when my kitchen is clean and tidy, counters clear and sink empty.  Ideally my entire house would be that way, but with 3 kids a clean kitchen is more realistic!

18.  I don't really like cake.  Send a banana cream pie or ice cream cake my way and I'm a happy girl.  Or better yet maybe just skip the sweets and bring on the chips.

19. I had horrible buck teeth and an over bite.  I have had braces 3 different times.  As a teenager for 3 yrs, at 20 yrs old for 6 mths on my bottom teeth and then Invisalign braces just a couple yrs ago (I still wear them at night and will forever more).  I love the results!

20.  As a child I felt obligated to share everything with my siblings because of my name. 

21. I am a middle child however I never got the chance to suffer from "middle child" syndrome with my brother born just 12 mths and 20 days after me (my mom went into the hospital in labor with my bro on my birthday and stayed there on bed rest until he was born Feb.1). We were pretty much two peas in a pod growing up.  I have a sister 4 1/2 yrs older then me; it was a big age difference during childhood but we are best friends now.

22. I attended to University of Utah for a year and then a semester at Snow College (there was a boy, an engagement and some heart break invovled in that story).  When I first started school I started with a major in "Sociology" until I took my first sociology class and realized I had made a mistake and hated it.....ha.

23. I love to craft and be creative however I almost always copy ideas opposed to coming up with things on my own (Thank you Pinterest).  No matter, crafting makes me a happy girl. 

24. I know miracles still happen today.  I watched my Dad come back from a death sentence when I was 20 yrs old. 

 

 

25.  I may have had to persue my sweet husband for a while when we first started dating.  Good thing he has proven to have been more then worth the effort and the wait.  I hit the jackpot with this guy.

26.  I was born with hip dysplasia on my left hip.  I wore a brace, had surgery and was stuck in one nasty cast for way too long.  Thank you Mom and Dad for not abandoning me and all that stink ;)

27. Growing up I had a huge fear of needles.  Like "want to pass out at the thought of " kind of fear.  In Gr.6 I faked sick to stay home and miss one of the rounds of Hep B shots.  I spent the next several weeks living in fear of not knowing when I would be called out to get it.  Everytime an adult walked in the classroom my heart would start racing.  The unknown was way more then punishment for faking sick!  I have been "blessed" with about a thousand opportunities to get over my fears of needles thanks to the past decade of baby making and baby birthing.  Zero fear now.

28.  Growing up in BC I expected to complete Gr.12 and Graduate.  When I moved to ON in Gr.10 I was shocked to find out that they had Gr.13 (OAC).  I can assure you there was no way in heck that I was planning to spend an extra year in school.  I buckled down, fast tracked, took no spares, and completed it in 12 yrs and even did it as an Ontario Scholar (must have been smart back then before having kids zapped my brains)!

29. When I graduated university I took the gymnastics job because teaching is a hard field to crack into.  Once I did get in I started as a substitute teacher which is very inconsistant.  I lucked out and a family friend was a lawyer and offered me a job as one of his legal assistants, I could work anytime I didn't have teaching work and I did so for several yrs up until a few days before AL was born.  He would record dictations and I would type out his letters, create docs etc.  It got to the point that I knew what word he was going to say before he said it!  I can hear his voice clearly in my mind today.  If you ever need to file a divorce or create a Will, I'm your girl..........jk (kind of).

30.  It took several years and some fertility treatments to get pregnant with our first.  Several months later after her birth I found out I was pregnant with our 2nd (while I was on the pill).  I'm pretty sure the Lord had a sense of humor when he gave us an abundance of what we had prayed for so many times!

31.  I haven't been anywhere tropical in my life.  Granted I do still feel spoiled after growing up on the west coast.  I plan to make sure this statement is no longer a fact about me before I hit 40.  This girl has a few hard earned vacations to take!

 32. I can wiggle my ears.  I'm pretty sure that is thanks to some extra large ears I inherited from my Grandad ;)

33. I have been blessed with 33 of the best, most sweetest years full of love, joy, family, opportunities for growth and support. I am one lucky lady. If the next 33 years are just as wonderful I am set.