100 things about ME!

In honor of writing my 100th blog entry, here is a list of 100 things about me (in no particular order). I know you'll find it informative! =)

1. I turned 30 in May.
2. I am 4 months and 1 day older than my husband. He reminds me of this often!
3. I have 3 children (1 boy and 2 girls).
4. I finished my bachelor's degree in 3 years in order to get married sooner.
5. Nathan and I have been married 9 years.
6. Nathan and I have known each other for 25 years.
7. We met on the first day of kindergarten in 1985.
8. I wasn't allowed to date until I turned 16.
9. Nathan was my first date 6 months after I turned 16.
10. I was a cheerleader in jr. high and high school.
11. My cheerleading squad won the National Championship in 1994.
12. I cheered for soccer and basketball.
13. I went on a missions trip to Albania in 1993 with my cheerleading squad and a USA basketball team.
14. On that missions trip, I got to swim in the Adriatic Sea. It was so blue and clear you could see to the bottom.
15. Nathan proposed to me on Christmas Day 1996.
16. I took piano lessons for 8 years. Sadly, I don't play as often or as well as I'd like.
17. I have 3 sisters and 1 brother.
18. My oldest sister and her husband are police officers.
19. I married a police officer.
20. My parents have been married for 33 years (this Friday!).
21. My in-laws have been married for 33 years (this past August).
22. Nathan and I hope to be married for at least 33 years (or even better, over 60 like Mema & Granddaddy!).
23. Our wedding color was periwinkle, not lavendar...yes, there is a difference!
24. My best friend, Emily, was my maid of honor.
25. Emily and I have known each other for 30 years (remember, I'm only 30!).
26. Emily is still one of my best friends, even though she lives 1 1/2 hrs. away (thank God for e-mail and blogging so we can keep in touch!).
27. My youngest sister, Katie, was a bridesmaid at our wedding.
28. Katie is my BFF.
29. Should anything happen to Nathan and I, Katie gets our kids.
30. Katie is wonderful with the kids...and much more patient than I am!
31. I taught kindergarten for 1 year and 2nd grade for 3 years.
32. My favorite unit to teach was the Chick unit. We hatched chicks in 2nd grade and journaled every day about what was happening inside the egg.
33. I am homeschooling our oldest in kindergarten.
34. I am fascinated by the Amish.
35. Nathan and I honeymooned in Amish country.
36. I used to work at our church as the assistant to the children's minister.
37. My family has gone to our church since it started in 1986.
38. In college I wrote a short story (for an education class) that had two characters named Jacob and Ellie (who came over on the Mayflower).
39. I must really like those names because I have a son named Jacob and a daughter named Gabrielle (Ellie).
40. Jacob is named after my grandpa and great-grandpa (both Jacob) and Nathan's granddaddy, Clarence.
41. Gabrielle (Ellie) is named after my great-aunt Eleanor (Ellie). She was lots of fun growing up and had the best purses for my sister and I to play with.
42. Emmaline is a name I saw on a tombstone in a cemetery. Thankfully, I had a great-great-grandma named Emma Caroline, so I usually tell people Emmy is named after her.
43. I love Jackie Chan movies!
44. I used to sing solos at church all the time growing up.
45. Emily and I used to sing duets at church a lot too.
46. I worked at Fazoli's for 3 years while I was in college.
47. I was an Associate Trainer at Fazoli's.
48. I got to train Emily when she worked at Fazoli's one summer.
49. I still like to eat at Fazoli's.
50. Oh yeah, Katie worked at Fazoli's with me...we had a blast!
51. Nathan said we would never own a minivan.
52. I drive a minivan...a must with 3 kids!
53. The sunflower is my favorite flower.
54. Nathan gave me a sunflower corsage as a joke for our junior prom.
55. I had sunflowers in my bouquet when we got married.
56. I love mowing the grass.
57. I love having flowers in our yard, but hate pulling weeds.
58. Every year in the fall, my family rents a cabin at Cowan Lake.
59. Every summer, growing up, we would camp at Cowan Lake.
60. I can't wait to go to Cowan Lake next month.
61. I love to cook!
62. I don't like regular birthday cake unless I'm pregnant.
63. I always have banana split cake for my birthday, unless I'm pregnant (it contains raw eggs).
64. I wear contacts.
65. I would like to have LASIK so I don't need contacts.
66. I have been pregnant or breastfeeding for the past 5 1/2 years!
67. I love to read mysteries by Mary Higgins Clark.
68. I got the idea for calling Gabrielle "Ellie" from the MHC book, "Daddy's Little Girl".
69. Fall is my favorite time of year.
70. My favorite outfit is jeans and a t-shirt from Old Navy.
71. I love to scrapbook.
72. I am really behind in my scrapbooking.
73. I am giving up all-out scrapbooking in order to maintain my sanity. I'll still do birthdays, vacations, and the kids' professional pics. All other pics. will go into an album or be filed in a photobox.
74. Friends is my favorite tv show.
75. I've had a penpal since 1987. We were assigned each other from the Sandi Patti Friendship Company.
76. I've never met my penpal...Lisa lives in Oregon.
77. Lisa has a twin sister, Andrea, whom I started writing when her penpal ditched her.
78. I've never met Andrea either!
79. I have Facebook and Myspace accounts.
80. I don't have time to be on either website.
81. My first pet was a fish named Frog.
82. Nathan and I got a dog the day I graduated from college (6-6-98).
83. Our dog was not very nice to other people.
84. We got rid of our dog in 2004 when he bit Jacob on the face.
85. We now have a dog named Paige.
86. Paige is great with everyone!
87. We also have a snake named Linus, whom Nathan found at work in 2003.
88. Linus lives in an aquarium in our basement and I have yet to touch him.
89. I have a weakness for chocolate and peanutbutter. I love anything Reese's and homemade buckeyes.
90. I had gestational diabetes with my last pregnancy.
91. Thankfully, it was diet-controlled and I didn't have to stick to the diet too carefully.
92. My favorite plane is the SR-71.
93. I used to want to be a fighter pilot.
94. I love spending time with my family.
95. I have no living grandparents. Nathan's side makes up for it because he has 4 living grandparents.
96. I taught 2nd grade in the classroom next to where Nathan and I met in kindergarten.
97. "Gone with the Wind" is my favorite movie.
98. I used to collect pig stuff (ironically, I married one...I mean that in the "cop" sense, not the "messy" sense, but I guess that applies too!).
99. My mom is my hero.
100. I hope I am a hero for my kids as they get older.

Wow, when I started the list, I wasn't sure I could come up with 100 things. Now I could keep going and going...don't worry, I won't!