100 Things

1. I wish I could open a bakery ala Magnolia in NYC. I think this town needs good cupcakes!
2. I love taking road trips.
3. I would love to be on Amazing Race. Except that my husband and I would fight the entire time.
4. My new year's resolutions never change: pay off debt, lose weight, exercise more. I can remember one year that I actually accomplished all three resolutions.
5. I love to cook and bake. I am not a fan of Rachel Ray but watching her show has taught me to not be afraid of guesstimating ingredients. She's good for something, I guess.
6. In June 2006 we bought a 1962 California Contemporary home. As soon as I saw the listing I knew it was going to be our house.
7. Hearing loss runs in my family; oddly, I had to "warn" my future husband that we could have kids with this problem.
8. Of the many, many times I have joined WW, I was successful once. I lost 10+ pounds. I wish I could do it again.
9. My first "real" job involved driving a rather large truck.
10. I wish I was a better photographer.
11. When I took my current job I was warned that the travel aspect was not glamorous. However, it has been pretty fun and only occasionally annoying.
12. I hate talking on the phone.
13. I have always wanted a horse. I still hope that one day I will have my own.
14. When I went to camp as a kid my mom had to bribe me to try waterskiing by witholding my horseback riding lessons.
15. I only recently realized that I have a fear of water. That was my problem with waterskiing- being dumped off the boat into a large body of water and left alone.
16. I also don't like to snorkel.
17. But I have done it several times- in Mexico and Thailand.
18. As a kid I took dance lessons for 10 years. In retrospect I cannot believe that my parents invested so much time and money in it.
19. I am happy to say that I am off antidepressants for the first time in several years. I wish I could go back and tell myself 6 years ago that things were going to turn out better than I had ever dreamed.
20. I'd like to move to the mountains someday.
21. My ideal vacation is going abroad.
22. My ideal vacation does not include a beach.
23. I am currently employed at my "dream job." It is almost as dreamy as I had envisioned it.
24. I can be determined to a fault. Except about losing weight. I'm not quite sure why that is.
25. I've always wanted a lot of kids. Unfortunately as I get older this becomes less of a possibility.
26. I am addicted to Diet Coke.
27. We are starting to try to have a baby. This scares me more than I ever thought possible.
28. I recently got one of the worst haircuts of my life.
29. I love working from home.
30. In the past couple of years I have learned how to garden. I love that I share this hobby with my mom.
31. My mom is a Master Gardener.
32. My mom knows something about everything. She is one of the most impressive people I have ever known.
33. I have two of the best dogs- a rat terrier and a chocolate lab.
34. The lab has many nicknames: Chuck D, Diagonal Dan, Mona.
35. The rat terrier has nicknames too: Itch, the Puppy, Nibbles.
36. I think the most inspired idea ever was the Reeses Big Cup.
37. I am proud to be a Chicagoan. It is one of the best cities in the world.
38. My husband says I have a South Side accent. Every time he says that I tell him he has no idea what a South Sider sounds like.
39. We registered for a set of dishes from an artists gallery for our wedding. I love that we have a set of dishes that nobody else does.
40. I was known as a giant crybaby as a child.
41. I cry when I get angry or frustrated. This is a quality that makes me nuts but it's not something I can control. I have tried!
42. I believe everything happens for a reason but I am still not clear as to why I ended up where I did for grad school. The debt accrued from that decision frustrates me to no end.
43. My weight stops me from doing so many things I would like to do, particularly socially. I am not proud of this.
44. I have a lot of jewelry but never remember to wear it.
45. I look good in lipstick but never remember to put it on.
46. I do not like beer or coffee. I was told for years that I would get used to them but never did.
47. I studied abroad during my junior year in England.
48. I hope that we will have renovated our kitchen by year's end.
49. We just bought a treadmill. My goal is to walk on it 5x/week.
50. As a child I used to say that when I grew up I wanted to be a writer and adopt an 8 year old. I was probably 8 at the time.
51. I am a terrible writer, unfortunately.
52. A couple of years ago I had the worst job of my life. Life is too short to be miserable at work.
53. I was raised a Christian Scientist. I was the only kid in Sunday School who wanted to be a doctor.
54. I love to read. Lately I spend less time reading books and more time reading blogs.
55. That has to change.
56. People always used to tell me that when it came to guys I was too picky. After dating a guy that was just "okay" I realized I have every right to be picky when it comes to a boyfriend.
57. The worst commercial on TV is the one about toenail fungus. It never fails to give me shivers.
58. I can watch any sort of surgery with the exception of anything involving bones or teeth.
59. I cannot remember a time when my toenails have not been polished.
60. I think that if you are going to wear sandals you have to have pretty feet.
61. At different points in my childhood I aspired to be: an interior decorator, a writer, a doctor, a physical therapist and a teacher.
62. I am none of those.
63. I chose my major based on the fact that it didn't require much math.
64. I love grocery stores and when I go to a foreign country I can spend hours wandering around in them.
65. We had two honeymoons: the Redwood Forest in California and Thailand.
66. Thailand was more amazing than I could have imagined.
67. I am going to try to take a weekly yoga class this year.
68. I took a cooking class in Thailand. They took us to a Thai market which was one of the coolest things I've ever seen.
69. I talked my husband (then-boyfriend) into having his tonsils removed because he snored so much. Tonsillectomies are supposedly one of the most painful surgeries for adults to have but I'm so glad he did it!
70. I wish I looked good with long hair. I think my bobbed hair makes me look like a soccer mom.
71. I managed an antique store in college.
72. I'd love to be on What Not To Wear. Or at least have a personal shopper.
73. I am five years older than my husband. It is eye opening to realize that I was learning how to drive when he was still afraid of girls.
74. I have a sister, a brother, a half sister, three step sisters and a step brother. My husband jokes that every couple of months he learns of a new sibling that he didn't know about.
75. I was once hit in the head by a fish.
76. I don't know my real dad very well since my parents divorced when I was very young. Suffice it to say, we have had a pretty rough relationship and don't really talk.
77. My favorite Ben and Jerry's flavor is Chubby Hubby.
78. I recently read "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." I have since resolved to read more classics because they were so good.
79. I was once pooped on by a pigeon.
80. I had one of the worst weeks ever in November 2006: my mom and my best friend were diagnosed with Lymphoma.
81. Ultimately they were both misdiagnosed.
82. I recently learned the correct use of "lie" vs "lay." I have been using the wrong tense all of my life, apparently.
83. I am not grossed out by much. I cannot stand snakes though.
84. You would love my chili!
85. I think Heidi Klum is incredibly pretty.
86. There's nothing better than a good snow or rain storm.
87. I lost my uncle to cancer in April 2006. I will always associate him with peanut butter cookies. I still can't believe he is gone.
88. On Christmas day my family always eats ham, beans, coleslaw, "Christmas buns" and christmas cookies.
89. My great grandmother was the baker for a lumber camp and the Christmas bun recipe is hers.
90. I moved to Denver three years ago. It was a huge gamble that paid off in a big way.
91. I ran a half marathon 4 years ago.
92. I have no desire to ever run a full marathon but I would do another half.
93. My favorite place in the world is northern Michigan- Mackinac Island and the Leelanau Peninsula are incredible.
94. I learned how to ski three years ago. I'm not that bad at it.
95. I have always wished I knew how to speak Spanish.
96. I took German in high school. Bad move. Also? Useless.
97. One of my most prized posessions is a crazy quilt from the late 1800s. My great-grandma purchased it at an antique store in the 1940s or 50s. I love to think of all those ladies working on their squares and trying to out-stitch each other.
98. Little Miss Sunshine is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen.
99. I fall asleep during movies. Per my husband, I am no longer allowed to pick a movie since I never watch them.
100. I won $350 at a slot machine in Las Vegas on one of my first tries.