16 Random Things About Me

1. I was born in Fresno, aka the Raisin Capital of the World and setting of an awesome 1986 miniseries starring Carol Burnett.

2. I was 16 years old before I took my first plane flight, to NYC 87 (that's Nazarene Youth Congress to you), in Washington D.C.

3. On my second trip to D.C., I got sort of lost in that I was separated from the rest of my group at the Smithsonian and had no idea where to find them or how to get back to the hotel. Fortunately I found a cabbie who was all too happy to take me where I needed to go, so it wasn't too traumatizing.

4. I once had lunch at the Warner Bros. Commissary while surreptitiously watching George Clooney at a nearby table.

5. In the 5th grade, I was the second place spelling bee champ (so, first loser) for the entire county.

6. I'm capable of functioning on not much sleep over a period of many months and coping with it pretty decently most days.

7. My first time out of the country was a mission trip to Brazil the summer after my freshman year of college. This despite going to school in San Diego, where we were less than an hour away from Mexico. And while there, I got violently ill with chills, an ear infection, congestion in my lungs and a few other things for which I needed to take antibiotics and some kind of liquid for a week after returning, including the first few days where I was a counselor at a junior high camp. And because I was ill, I missed out on the one day our group went to Rio de Janeiro. AND my camera broke after I'd taken something like 3 photos on that trip, so I have no pictures to show for it, which really blows.

8. I don't like to be around constantly pessimistic people. It irritates me when someone can't find anything to be happy about. How about the fact that you're breathing and not six feet under?

9. I recently tried a new hair color, going for the "Light Reddish Brown." Which my hair apparently thought meant "totally grab onto the brown and add just the tiniest bit of reddishness in." So I'm trying to decide if I want to stay this shade or risk "Strawberry Blond" next time and see if I get the color I was actually trying to get, or if it ends up all brassy and loud.

10. I wish that I was more comfortable talking with people about my faith in Jesus. I don't know if it's lack of knowledge (which would be sad considering how long I've been a Christian), lack of courage, fear of failure/rejection, or what.

11. There are so many places I'd like to see in the world that I'm not sure how I'd ever have the time and money to see them all, but I'm hoping to give it a good go: Australia, Italy, England, Spain, Kenya, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Egypt, New Zealand, Greece, Hungary, France, Japan, Thailand and much more of the U.S., for starters.

12. I'm trying to be more patient with my 4-year-old daughter and calmer when my 8-month-old son cries, but I often fail. I need to work harder in both areas. I don't want to be an uptight, frustrated, upset mother, and I certainly don't want to set that kind of example for the two of them. I'd love to learn how to just "zen out" instead of reacting to the triggers that seem to get to me.

13. Sometimes I make a small batch of cookie dough sans eggs just so I can eat it raw and indulge my sweet tooth.

14. Before I had kids, I was much more concerned and self-conscious about my privacy and modesty than I am now.

15. I would secretly (well, not so much now) love to be a well-known singer or author.

16. I was surprised by how much I love being a mom to a boy. I always knew I'd love being a mom to a girl.