Odds and Ends about Me!

In honor of Lydia- here are my 25 odds ‘n’ ends!

It was kind of hard to narrow down the list…

1. My mom has a nickname for me (complete with a song and a special rocking hug). She uses it whenever I really, really need my “mommy,” (not just my “mom”).

2. I have a hidden love of musicals and black and white movies. Really classic ones. Think: “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” “The Music Man,” “Sound of Music,” “Mary Poppins,” "Casablanca," all the Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers movies, Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, etc. (And I sing along with them…)

3. I like puppets. Most especially finger puppets, but not the weird creepy ones with huge mouths. Yuck.

4. I lose my keys (and phone) every morning. Literally, every morning. And I run around my condo yelling, “Where are my keys! Where are my keys!”

5. I made my first excel spreadsheet when I was seven (to keep track of my “schedule.”)

6. I love black and white photography, and really vividly colored photography. Bi-polar preferences! ☺

7. I like to color.

8. Planning therapy activities is so much fun! I actually LOVE doing it.

9. I have a friend (perhaps my “best” who I never see any more!) whose name is “Bunny.” And mine is “Wormy.” Clearly she got the better end of THAT deal.

10. I used to have a collection of paper dolls. My mom threw them away when I was 19 because I was “too old and hadn’t played with them in forever.” I cried. She was right.

11. My dad and I have “dates.” We’ve had them since I was six. I’m a daddy’s girl through and through. He can do no wrong in my eyes.

12. I like pickles. And banana peppers. And sometimes, when I have a sodium low, I like to take sips of their juices. It’s amazing.

13. I like crooners: Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, etc. Michael Buble is all right, but he’s kind of a copy cat.

14. I like writing with Sharpies.

15. I miss my roommate from last year- she’s amazing. My “Chin.”

16. Speaking of my old roommage, we used to do our nails and watch “The Real Housewives of Orange County” every Thursday night. Amazing.

17. I color-code all my planners.

18. I like plum. But not purple.

19. I want to paint a wall midnight blue.

20. When I have kids, they’re going to have a wall in their playroom painted with chalkboard paint. And we can write their schedules and goals on it! ;)

21. I met my “beau” in sixth grade. And clearly something good happened between now and then. (We all know what we were like in sixth grade…)

22. And I’m crazy about my amazing man. (That’s not really something “new” to those who know me…) He’s incredible.
23. I love crazy high heels. Literally- CRAZY. I like animal prints, stiletto heels, gold, silver, etc. I just don’t like ones with fake jewels on them. Person preference.

24. My greatest fear is that someone I love is going to die. I have very vivid nightmares, and since I was 9 I’ve waved goodbye to my parents and family members, blowing kisses as they pull out of the driveway, so they know, no matter what happens, that I love them and am praying that they come back.

25. I want a little tiny dog (think Yorkshire Terrier) and a big huge dog (mastiff). They belong in my remodeled, historical home with wood floors and my husband’s amazing library with built-in book shelves and massive fireplace. But they’ll probably have to stay mainly in my granite counter-topped kitchen (with the two ovens). (Shoot, we could have a whole post on my future home…)

On days like these...

On days like these, when I'm exhausted. When I'm starting to feel sick again. When I didn't have time to read my Bible in the morning because I hit the snooze. When I don't understand a single thing that my professors or supervisors say. When I have a paper, homework, and case review to complete after getting home from work at 9. When I don't know how I'm going to get up and do all I need to tomorrow.

When that happens...

The song "How Great is Our God" plays on the radio. I get 8 texts in the morning to keep me smiling. My notes are printed off quickly in the computer lab. I get to talk to my boyfriend on my drive back across town. My mom leaves me a message telling me that she loves me.

And that's when I know...

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.(Zephaniah 3:17)

Multiple Me

Often I doodle in my notes. Bored-Me likes doodling. And then OCD-Me kicks in and gets all mad at Bored-Me for making the notes look messy. Then Rebel-Me derides OCD-Me for being perfectionistic. Clearly, I need to cut down on my personalities.

Grad school is not my life
Grad school is not my life
Grad school is not my life
Grad school is not my life

Pride Goeth....

As a speech pathology graduate student, I am required to complete a variety of clinical rotations in order to fulfill the requirements of my program. These are some of my favorite "classes."

This semester I was placed at Clarian Arnett (yes! The brand new hospital!) where I do feeding, swallowing, and NICU assessments. I've never had any classes in these subjects and was one of four 1st years students placed in this location. (It's kind of like expecting a baby to grocery shop- I am so clueless I don't even know what I'm clueless about.)

Any way, my first day was Tuesday. It went well. I wore a lab coat. I carried a clip board. Some patient likened us speech therapy students to Dr. House's entourage. (In a hospital, if you wear a white coat- you're a doctor. I can deal with that.)

I answered questions correctly. I wore heals for 5 hours without pain. I looked like I knew what was going on. I looked good.

Promptly at 12:50, full of confidence, poise and certainty, I exited the elevator to return to my car. Trying to look brisk and professional, while at the same time cute (and flattering myself that I succeeded in my goal) I started briskly up the curving staircase in the main atrium. There are probably a hundred plus people eating their lunch. A hundred plus people to see my demise.

Halfway up the stairway, my heel slid one direction, my ankle went the opposite. Trying to stabilize myself, I flailed my arms, lab coat waving. It did no good. My knee gave out, my clip board came clattering the the ground, and I fell into a partial crawl position. (Envision caveman posture.) Scrambling, trying to right myself, my foot fell down a step and the other one shot out to the right. (Envision splayed, human kite.) Grappling for my clip board and self-respect, I bashed my knee, grabbed the clipboard, slipped a couple more steps.

Then stood up.

Calmly brushed myself off, and proceeded up the rest of the stairs, convinced that all one hundred plus people sitting below had witnessed my rather loud, hilarious, and humiliating scramble for control on the stairs.

Next time I'm suffering from an inflated ego, I'm not going to climb stairs.

This bruise on my knee is very purple...