25 Random Things About Me

A few of my friends have written 25 random things about themselves and posted the list on facebook. They asked me to write some things, too, and I figured I would share mine with you!

1. I want to be a ballerina. …but really.
2. I kill houseplants. I want so desperately to nourish them and help them reach their full potential… but they just die.
3. I want to be able to play the piano. I was given a beautiful piano last Christmas and have attempted to make music with it, but I eagerly await the day when the tune produced by my fingers is actually tolerable for the human ear.
4. I’m a grandma at heart. I love to sew, quilt, crochet, knit, cross-stitch, scrapbook, and play scrabble.
5. I’m obsessed with Settlers of Catan. It is the most ingenious game ever created- it’s brilliant!
6. I love racquetball and would play it everyday if time permitted.
   
7. Excel spreadsheets give me a thrill! I smile out of delight any time I get to open one! (Yes… I am a nerd)
8. A constant longing in my heart is to dance! I’ve started swing dancing this year and have enjoyed it a great deal, but my heart always leaps for joy anytime a waltz starts to play!
9. Another constant longing in my heart is for pizza! I could eat it every day! Mmm!
10. I pole vaulted in high school. I learned via the internet…I wasn’t too good- but I loved every minute of it!
11. I prefer listening to radio theaters or books on CDs over listening to music. This makes me feel more productive.
12. Baking is therapeutic to me.
13. I love simplicity.
14. Languages fascinate me, and I fully intend to be bilingual by age 25.
15. One of my favorite things that I did in undergrad was play Assassins! It was ever-so-much fun! But… I died.
16. I loved traveling in Europe, and I look forward to returning to that enchanting continent soon.
17. I am Anne of Green Gables.
18. My 10^th birthday party is one of my fondest memories! My friends and I dressed up in fancy dresses and wore antique hats as we drank tea (or chocolate milk) out of my mom’s china. The average age of my invited guests was about 60 years.
19. I like grammar. (But I never try to be grammatically correct when I journal or blog)
20. I don’t prefer to share information about myself unless someone asks a specific question. I enjoy answering questions.
21. I love water! I think it is so very delicious!
22. Iced tea came out my nose when I was in elementary school- I haven’t cared for it since.
23. I eat soup every day- I like it a lot!
    
24. Most chick-flicks annoy me, but I do have exceptions.
25. I love the outdoors! I love climbing trees, taking walks, hiking, biking, camping, canoing, and kayaking.

A Catch-Breath

This semester has already been far more pleasant than the last (thank You, God), but that doesn't mean that it's been easy. I have a roommate, a place to live, and a great job! But I also have new classes, hundreds of pages to read, papers to write, projects to complete, tests to study for, and therapy sessions to prepare for (I know... I shouldn't end a phrase in a preposition- oh well). I'm truly exhausted, and yet so thankful to not have the hiccups this semester!

In the midst of my exhaustion, I had a great weekend with my mom, sister, grandma, aunts (and uncle), cousins, and friends! We played "Paper" all weekend, which means that we went to specialty paper stores and made artsy-crafty things while drinking coffee, laughing excessively, and enjoying the company of the people we love so dearly. This weekend was a "catch-breath", and I'm so thankful for it! Perhaps I can endure the rest of graduate school with "catch-breaths" like this one!



In case you're interested- A catch-breath is a tiny breath in the middle of a phrase or sentence which provides you with enough air to complete the thought without taking a full breath of air. This is a compensatory strategy speech-language pathologists teach to aid their clients who are unable to use their air more efficiently when they speak (often because of neurological or physical damage).