I’ve been a little AWOL here on the blog, but I’m taking my summer plans seriously and it’s already been so good for me.

Today I turn 41. FORTY-ONE. That’s crazy, y’all. I’m not complaining; it’s just crazy. I still have to think every time someone asks how old I am. It seems like I just turned 30. But those rapidly-multiplying silver hairs say differently. 😉

Easy Bake. circa 1979-ish

41 things about me {randomly ordered}:

1- When I was born my parents lived in a nearly-condemned house where my dad shot rats through holes in the walls, and the toilet water froze in the winter.

2- They began the restoration process of that home, continued by subsequent owners, and it is now on the historic registry of homes.

3- I’m [allegedly] distantly related to Robert E Lee.

4- My parents helped the campaign to bring “The General” back to its rightful home in our town.

5- The town made national news for legally requiring all residents to own a gun.

6- My dad taught me to shoot a .22 rifle when I was 2 years old.

7- Although he never taught me to change my own oil, brakes, and so on, I could probably do most of it just from watching so many times during the years I worked at his mechanic shop.

8- In middle school, I broke my arm playing a game called Danish Rounders, which is similar to kick ball. I’ve also sprained an ankle and split my knee open in the same game but on different days. {I’m not very sports-inclined!}

9- I bought my first home at age 20. In that same town that required gun ownership.

10- I am completely creeped out by bugs; one time I sprayed half a can of Raid in a kitchen cabinet full off glassware when I saw a roach in there, then went to my mom’s house and declared I was selling my house and everything in it.

11- I was in a commercial for the NBA, with the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy swing band. {I was swing-dancing, not playing basketball. In case you wondered.}

12- Ken was is the same commercial, long before we were married to each other.

13- I was a ring girl in a charity boxing match.

14- Mohammed Ali was the celebrity guest at that event, so I got to meet him.

15- When my best friend tried to teach me to ride her Spree scooter at age 15, I crashed it into the side of her house after plowing through the flower bed.

16- Years later, I earned my motorcycle license and bought myself a motorcycle.

This wasn’t that motorcycle, but I rocked my Big Wheel.

17- A wicked case of mono my senior year of high school caused me to develop every weird complication imaginable and miss six weeks of school. I’m thankful to the administrators who worked to bypass the typical policy of giving me a withdrawal-fail grade in classes I had to drop.

18- Despite that craziness, I still graduated that year with a 3.2 GPA in advanced and gifted classes, plus 5 hours of college credits.

19- I was so guarded in speaking about personal things in high school, my psychology teacher allowed the student assigned to write my case history to clean his gutters instead. {That teacher probably broke a whole bunch of rules but he was the BEST teacher I had in all my years of school. Probably because he was willing to break rules if it benefited his students.}

20- When I was in high school, we had a small farm with two senior citizen horses and a couple of goats.

21- I’m fascinated by wolves. At one point in life, I wanted to be a wildlife photographer. But then I thought about pottying in the woods and dealing all the bugs, so that dream was short-lived.

22- I was super-shy as a kid. Example: in 7th grade, I hyperventilated when I had to give an oral report in class.

23- Just a few years later, I won my high school beauty pageant. I even survived the Q-and-A portion, which is terrifying because there’s no way to prepare!

24- As an adult, I’ve performed in community theater, playing Miss Stacey in Anne of Green Gables, and Truvy in Steel Magnolias. A far cry from playing a silent monkey (the only role I’d agree to) in The Jungle Book during elementary school.

**Lesson in #22-24: shy kids probably won’t stay that way, but don’t push!**

25- I’ve moved thirteen times, lived in eleven homes, and owned four of them. The funny part about this (to me, anyway) is most have been just a few miles apart.

26- Catching tadpoles and crawdads, playing in the creek, digging up worms and going fishing, keeping turtles and frogs for pets as long as my mom would let me: these were my favorite summer activities as a kid.

27- When I was 17, I decided I’d like to quilt. So I bought a how-to book at Walmart, bought a quilting stand from an old man who started out making them for his wife, and I made myself a quilt. I’ve only made a few small quilts since then but would like to take up the hobby again someday.

28- I despise roller coasters. I’ve only been on one, ever; I always knew I’d hate them but a friend told me I couldn’t hate them if I’d never tried. So I proved my point and never see reason to ride one again. I don’t even like to swing because it makes my stomach feel funny.

29- I can’t not make my bed. I do it every morning, almost first thing. (Sometimes a shower and potty break have to come first.)

30- I’m currently studying the Cherokee language. It’s hard but fascinating.

31- When I was a baby, I was “tongue-tied” so I had to have the frenulum clipped.

32- I had to look up the word frenulum.

33- I hold my pencil so oddly that nearly everyone who sees me write comments on it. Teachers had a fit about it in school. But it works, and my hand gets tired more quickly if I hold it the “normal” way.

34- One of my teen-years relationships started when I saw a cute guy drive by in a parking lot and left a note on his car with my number.
{Do NOT try this at home, girls.}

35- I’m NOT a seasoned air traveler. I’ve only been on a plane ten times (five round trips), but one was all the way to Africa so I get serious bonus points for that. {Plus, I got an elephant while I was there.}

36- During my 20’s, I was on a country-western line dancing team.

37- My first car was a Volvo. It had been repossessed so my dad got it cheap. I helped fix it up and despite it’s quirks, I loved that thing.

38- I’ve lived in Georgia all my life and I love it, but secretly fantasize about moving to a sleepy little beach town (if such a thing still exists).

39- I don’t like getting gifts. I don’t like surprises. Too much pressure to be excited. {Exception: plants. I’m always happy to get a plant, and no one expects too much excitement.}

40- But Ken doesn’t care about gifts either, so it’s all good. For Christmas and anniversaries we usually opt to do something together or buy something we both want or need.

41- I bought myself a bicycle for my birthday!

Thanks for humoring my little post. I believe in celebrating life rather than complaining about getting older, and this seemed like a fun little way to do it.

P.S. ~ How many of these did you already know?

Jamie

Wife, mom, J-ma. Introvert who enjoys good books, sunshine, and authentic conversation. Often seen with a steaming mug of tea in hand – unless it’s lost yet again in the microwave. Read more »