26 Things You May Not Know About Me

I have a new friend. Her name is Sharon. She lives in Georgia and we've only seen each other in real life once. But that doesn't matter. I feel like we've known each other forever.

Sharon's daughter JingJing and Collins were in the same orphanage in China and we found each other through a Yahoo group for adopting parents from Putian City. We just kind of connected right away. There's always a connection between adoptive parents in general. It's like soldiers that have been through war. It doesn't matter if you fought in the same war or not. War is war, and if you been there, few words need to be spoken to understand what another soldier has been through. But, with some people, there's just more. I don't know how to explain it, but as Christians I think that connection is God's Spirit within us. Anyway, Sharon and I are total opposites really, but there is this weird comfort between us like we've known each other forever.

Jennings, Collins and I drove to Atlanta yesterday to meet Sharon, JingJing and her sister Ella Kate for the first time. It was really a disaster of a day (not with Sharon or the girls!) that I will write about soon, but driving home I saw a falling star and it start this crazy rabbit trail of thoughts. It reminded me of a story from when I was 6 which led to thinking that there is so much about my life that Sharon doesn't know. It's not "game changing" kind of stuff. It doesn't change who I am today, but there are 32 years worth of events that she missed. So, I decided that I would give everyone a look into the first 32 years of my life. Some are funny; some aren't. But, in no particular order, here are 26 Things You May Not Know About Me....

1. The story that I thought of was that when I was 6 or so my best friend Jennifer Unger and I were in the backseat of my mom's car. She asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up. I went first and said that I was going to be an astronomer. I loved the stars and was in awe of space. Jennifer went next and told mom that she really just wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer.
2. When I was 5 I fell down a flight of stairs to our concrete basement floor and cracked my skull open. Aren't you glad I didn't die?!
3. I graduated Summa Cum Laude in Industrial Engineering from Tennessee. Apparently, the fractured skull made me smarter.
4. I love to pick my toe nails.
5. My first car was a 1991 Plymoth Sundance...NEON blue. In college we named it "The Bird" because amazingly it "flew" me and my friend Gotch to visit our friend Claire in New York City. Yep, The Bird was on Broadway.
6. I believed in Santa Claus until I was in 5th grade.
7. My freshman and sophomore year of high school I carried my Bible to school everyday.
8. If I could be anything in the world, I would be a world traveling food critic. I love to travel and I never miss a meal.
9. I hate knees and feet.
10. I was Christened in the Episcopal church, sprinkled in the Methodist church, dunked in the Baptist church and now I go to a Presbyterian church. I think I'm covered.
11. My first job out of college was working at Chick-fil-A's home office as a wait for it, wait for it....computer programmer?????
12. I was a Vol Hostess for the Tennessee men's basketball team.
13. My favorite color is Kelly Green
14. My parent's divorced when I was three.
15. My dad lives in Truckee, CA right outside of Lake Tahoe. I have a half brother Will who is in college and a half sister Jillian who is in high school.
16. I thought I may want to go into politics, so my senior year at Tennessee I took a semester off and did an internship with the Tennessee legislature. I realized pretty quickly I didn't have the energy to be a politician. I can't smile and small talk for that long.
17. I sucked my thumb until Kindergarten. Now, my left thumb is significantly shorter than my right. Coincidence???
18. Fish makes me throw up. Literally.
19. I strongly dislike country music.
20. I really like rap music...censored versions only though.
21. I love fast cars. Someday, probably in Heaven...if we get to drive, I would love to have a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet. Charcoal gray.
22. My motto for 2010 was "All in." Haven't decided on 2011 yet.
23. Contrary to what most people think, I was never a cheerleader.
24. Technically, I'm an only child.
25. The best concert I've ever been to was Coldplay in Birmingham last March. Can never be recreated. Close second was U2 in Oklahoma City with the Black Eyed Peas.
26. Jerod and I met when we were paired up together in a wedding. He was a groomsman and I was a bridesmaid. Awwww, how sweet.