36 Random Things About Me

My fellow blogger and Karen did this on her blog and then challenged readers to do the same. This will probably take me half the day, but here it goes.

1. I have two brothers, one is four years older than me, and one is 14 years younger than me. Don't know what was going on there in the minds of my parents. They are both jealous of me. LOL.

2. I am a cat person. They are so independent and don't mess around. Dogs are cute and one day we may have one, but cats rule. We have three cats right now. We treat them like our kids.

3. I was on a summer league swim team for about 15 years. I was pretty good if I say so myself. Breaststroke and Backstroke were my thing. Almost had a city record in breaststroke. Almost.

4. I was a cheerleader in 9th and 10th grade. JV basketball. I did it cause it was the "in" thing to do, not because I was passionate about it like others were.

5. I was in Marching Band. Yep, a band nerd. Except our band was rockin and won tons and tons of awards in the day. I was in the drum line the first year playing xylophone, and in the colorguard the my junior and senior year. I WAS passionate about this.

6. I went to three colleges. Radford University where I started as a Psych major (who didn't), then to our local community college, then on to Old Dominion University where I graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Fine Arts with an emphasis in graphic design.

7. I drink too much Coke too. I have a thing for fountain drinks. It is my morning coffee since i don't drink coffee. I have to have it to function. Have too. Ask anyone who has talked to me in the am. They know. I am trying to quit, but it is an addiction worse than smoking. (see karen, you are not alone here!)

8. I hate to exercise. HATE IT. If I liked it I could probably lose a ton of weight. Along with stopping the coke addiction. Maybe i should say "soft drink". Coke addiction doesn't sound so great.

9. I am not a sports fan. I have never watched the super bowl, and don't intend to start at age 36. Don't really even care about the commercials.

10. I am a camera whore. I love taking photos and it is nothing for me to take several hundred on one simple short vacation. I took 350 on our beach trip that didn't last a week.

11. I have glaucoma, at age 36. Scary. I have never ever had eye issues until I got pink eye this past winter that wouldn't go away. When the eye Dr. was trying to cure this issue, he discovered that I had glaucoma. I hadn't been to the eye dr. in 7 years until this happened. Good thing for pink eye I suppose.

12. I had natural, unmedicated, childbirth two times and would do it again in a heartbeat. Yeah, it hurt like hell, but it was so worth it to feel in control and aware. I have never felt closer to God than at the moment my kids were born and I held them for the first time. Truly a miracle.

Harrison Rhys Toler • November 27, 2001 • 9lbs 2 oz 21 inches • length of labor 19 hours

Maia Helene Toler • May 16, 2003 • 7lbs 6oz, 20 inches • length of labor 2 hours

13. Speaking of kids... I long for a third, but the clock is ticking and Chris ain't budging. There is a hole in my heart that can only be filled by this "child". I have learned to live with it.

14. I suck at housekeeping. I long for a tidy, neat, organized and beautifully decorated house, but it is not in me to have this. My decorations consist of tons and tons of toys and clutter. It stresses me out and immobilizes me to do nothing about it. I am jealous of my neighbors house, and I have never seen inside. Only photos on her blog.

15. I Loathe home improvements, which is unfortunate since we live in a house built in the 1920s and it needs TONS and TONS of improvements. We have a bathroom renovation that has been going on for about two years now. TWO YEARS! I have not had a shower in my house for two years!! Our house needs siding, landscaping, heat/cooling updating which was quoted at a grand total of $23,000. It needs a new kitchen floor, cabinets would be nice, appliances, paint, Sheetrock repairs where the electrician made HUGE holes to update the ancient wiring. I do LOVE my house though. Really. I do. Here is a photo.

Home Sweet Home. We moved in in August 2003 three months after Maia was born

16. I despise the welfare system. For most people who receive benefits, all it does is enable laziness. I don't think it rewards those who are truly trying to better themselves. In some cases, sure. But in most of the ones I have seen, not so much.

17. I am very outspoken about certain issues. My mouth got me in trouble more than once in previous jobs. I am not a doormat and will not let people take advantage of or walk on me.

18. I believe in miracles. I have seen to many to not.

19. I hate broccoli. I have tried to love it but just can't seem too, even thought it is one of the best veggies out there for you.

20. I once sold Rainbow Vacuum cleaners with Chris, right after we were married. We earned ours for free and made several thousand dollars as well. Not a bad gig for a while. Got old though, trying to pimp $2000 vacuums on people. All of our family members were nice enough to purchase one. They really are great vacuums though. We have had ours for 10 years and it is still running strong.

21. I have a potty mouth. Yep, its true. I have to contain myself around the kids and it gets hard. I think mine are so immune to my language that they don't notice it. They have only repeated something I have said maybe once or twice.

22. I am a Entertainment News junkie. I don't know a thing about our world or everyday news, but I can tell you who is pregnant in hollywood, who is splitting, the latest on Britney, etc. I love Us Weekly, Star, Life and Style, OK, etc. It's ridiculous. I am especially addicted to the show "Tori and Dean - Home Sweet Hollywood" that comes on Oxygen on Tuesday nights. ADDICTED. SAD.

23. My hair is longer right now than it has been in almost 20 years. The last time I had long hair was when I was 19. I feel more girlie with long hair. It's hot as hell, but I guess that is the price you pay. My son and daughter LOVE it. I guess that makes it all worth it.

24. I am not big into jewelry. I don't even wear a wedding ring most of the time. Mainly because my wedding set is too small since having children and I have been too cheap to get it resized. I do wear a sterling silver band when I go out.

25. I secretly want a nose ring. Just a small one. The only problem is I have bad bad allergies and sinus issues, so I am not sure that a nose ring would mix well with all that.

26. I HATE HATE HATE the smell of cigarettes. I won't go near a bar or any place that there may be smoke. I especially hate getting behind a car where someone is smoking and it gets into my car. Yucky cancer sticks!

27. I wish I had stuck with ballet lessons as a kid. I would love to be able to be graceful and dance like a prima ballerina. I dance like a white girl.

28. I hate politics. Couldn't tell you much about the people running for president other than what my hubby tells me or what I hear on the news.

29. I lust after Matthew McConaughey. What female doesn't.

30. I am a sucker for a good back rub or scratch.

31. I love piano music. I could listen to it all day. I also like a good guitar tune.

32. I have suffered from panic disorder and related depression since I was 19. It is something I have learned to live with and control with and without the aid of med's. I am not ashamed to talk about it at all.

33. I love Target. LOVE LOVE LOVE Target. I have to ban myself from there from time to time or I would be in the poor house.

34. I am a huge fan of chick lit. No sappy romance novels for me. Give me laugh out loud humor anyday over the mushy stuff.

35. This is way harder than I thought it would be. YES, it has taken me the whole day to come up with a measly 36 things about me. I have stopped and started over the course of the day.

36. I would love to be a midwife in my next life. If I weren't so dang tired all the time and had plenty of money, I would go back to school and work toward this. I think it would be the most challenging and rewarding career to bring new life into the world.

There, did it. Kudos to you women who can pump out the 100 random things I have seen on some blogs. Hope you learned something you didn't know about me.