102 things about me

1. I decided to do 102 things rather than 101 because I like to be different.

2. I celebrated my 2st annual 29th birthday in September of 2008.

3. My husband is 8 years older than I but at times seems 8 years younger. He’s quite spunky. I love him for it!

3. Hubby and I celebrated 5 years of wonderful marriage in October of ’08.

4. I have a Bombay cat named Zeke. He’s pretty much the coolest cat ever.

5. Hubby and I bought a foreclosure, lived in it while we fixed it up and then flipped it. We really didn’t make any money. It was fun though.

6. I can lay tile. See #5.

7. I installed and rewired the fixtures in the house. See #5 and don’t try this at home.

8. I love to read. A book a day is hard on the wallet so I joined our local library.

9. We have lived without cable TV since November of 2006 when we sold our house.

10. The entire year and a half that we lived in our house we had free cable. I plugged it in and there it was. Like 100 channels.

11. We don’t even have rabbit ears for the local channels. It’s kinda sad, really…and yet, we don’t really care.

12. I’m whitening my teeth as I’m typing this. I like white teeth.

13. I cheat at having white teeth. When posting pictures online if my teeth are not white enough I whiten them using Photoshop. Technology is good.

14. I am quite artistic/creative. I am a photographer and previously I was an interior designer. 

15. If I could I would drink margaritas on the rocks all day long. Better than water. Extra salt, please.

16. I love wine…red, white, pink (or blush if your sophisticated)…you name it. However, I will not drink wine that tastes like tree bark. Who really likes that anyway?

17. Music moves me. Really, when I hear it my body just wants to dance.

18. I’m secretly wondering if I skipped from #18 to #58 would anyone notice? This may take a while.

19. I have a small lisp. And by the way, who decided to name a lisp a lisp? That’s kinda cruel…

20. I come from an amazing family. My parents have been married 39 years as of June of 2008. My parents are the best.

21. I grew up as a PK (preacher’s kid) though not always full time. My father also owned a construction business which is why construction comes so easy for me. It’s been in my blood for many generations. See #5 and following.

22. We want to have a large family. We plan on having biological children as well as adopting. UPDATE: we’re expecting our first in January 2009; a son, Parker James Nixon.

23. I have pretty feet. And they don’t smell.

24. When I was a kid I would say the exact same thing to my family EVERY night before I went to bed. Usually said in this rushed way, “Goodnightloveyoulikeyouseeyouinthemorninghaveagoodnightandgoodnight.”

25. I think I was a bit OCD as a child…not only did I ‘have’ to say my goodnight speech but I would go through and kiss all my stuffed animals on my bed. If I thought I kissed one longer than the other, thereby showing preferential treatment, I would start all over and kiss them again.

26. Kraft blue box mac and cheese has always been a staple in my life. Ol’ faithful is what I should call it…

27. I love traveling. Favorite places thus far? The south of France (Nice, Antibes, Cannes) and Aruba. Next week we’re going to Great Exuma in the Bahamas…should be amazing. UPDATE: It was. 😀

28. I don’t do seafood. Have you ever seen the stuff that washes ashore from the ocean? Gross.

29. I love old movies…anything Doris Day, Rock Hudson, Audrey Hepburn, Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr…classics!

30. I have the world’s cutest nieces. Hands down.

31. Babies and children are attracted to me. When I’m in a store or somewhere else in public, babies always watch me and smile and the like. It makes me feel good.

32. I want to be a rockstar mom. Not as in I play for AC/DC rockstar but as in I’ve got it all under control. For this very reason I will probably be the most chaotic mother around.

33. Once, when I was a kid, I was almost kidnapped. Seriously. I’ll tell you the story if you ask.

34. I suffer from AGHD (adult growth hormone deficiency). I do shots everyday. This experience has had a big impact on who I am as a person.

35. I have the most vivid dreams. Every morning I’ll remember the previous night’s dreams…sometimes if I wake up and I am liking my dream I’ll go back to sleep and it will continue.

36. I have had 2 dreams come true. Really. I kid you not. (this was NOT deja vu)

37. I love antique jewelry, especially rings. My wedding/engagement ring dates somewhere between 1900-1930. It’s gorgeous, darling.

38. I surprised my husband during our wedding with a song I had written for him. I played the piano and a friend sang it. Yes, I’m quite the romantic.

39. I majored in Public Relations in College. My minor was Art and Design. I wish I had majored in my minor and minored in something else. My PR classes were horrible; I hated them and swore up and down I wouldn’t use them. I haven’t. Mr. Warner made me cry frequently. Also, JBU’s PR was just a slightly altered version of a Journalism degree. NOT what I wanted but I wasn’t going to loose any credit hours by switching!

40. Along the lines of #39…I’ve always wanted to be a stay-at-home mother. I went to college because that’s ‘what you do’.

41. I’m a night owl.

42. I love to cook and bake. If I’m cooking I like to make up my own recipes as I go but when I bake I follow the rules.

43. I am the youngest of 3. My brother is 3 years older than me and my sister is 3 years older than him. It’s a nice age difference.

44. The only man I’ve ever said ‘I love you’ to (in a romantic sense of course) is my husband.

45. I love dishes. I have too many sets right now and yet…not enough.

46. I waited till marriage. Well worth it, I might add.

47. I have an extremely acute nose. If it’s there…I can smell it.

48. I am passionate about photography. I have done many jobs and have even had a photo of mine blown up and put on a billboard. I’m quite proud of that. UPDATE: Finally started my own business. Red House Photography. I’m LOVING it!

49. I worked at Sky Ranch for 2 summers (’99, ‘00) during college. One of the greatest experiences of my life. I could still be working there and be happy. I love camp.

50. I am a Christian, saved as a very young child. I remember the experience so vividly and I remember even crying. I knew my life had changed.

51. When I was in elementary school my friend Stacy and I went to Wal-Mart to see the animals. (This was when they still sold cats and dogs and such.) We felt so bad for the puppies because they were all put together in this little cage that we bought dog treats and gave them to them. We then proceeded to go back to Stacy’s house and write a letter to Sam (Walton, of course) letting him know of the sad condition of these puppies and offering our services.

52. I’m from Northwest Arkansas. Note #51. Born, raised and educated in Siloam Springs. After graduating JBU in 2001 I moved to the Dallas area where I’ve been since. UPDATE: Moved back to Siloam in June of ’08. It’s good to be back!

53. Although I despise bugs I love the great outdoors. I was raised going camping, fishing, hiking, canoeing etc.

54. The first time I ate pancakes was on a camping trip as a kid. I had peanut butter on them. Now I eat the majority of them with strawberry jam but always save one for the peanut butter.

55. I have one tattoo. It’s of a flower on my low back. It was my 19th birthday present to myself.

56. I had a belly button ring for a while in college but it never wanted to fully heal so I got rid of it.

57. One of my worst fears is drowning. I truly believe this was a nurtured response. When I was in junior high and our youth group would go swimming I remember several times of being dunked and held under until I almost passed out. And yes…I remember the people who did it. I know it was all in fun but I think it is a VERY cruel thing to do.

58. I’ve always loved acting. I starred in all three of our high school plays.

59. For some reason my hands have smelled like maple syrup all day long. See my blog for further details. UPDATE: Apparently many people have had the same reaction as what I described in my blog. This has been the most visited post on my entire blog (people find it by googling ‘maple syrup smell on hands’ and similar searches.

60. I love antiquing and going to flea markets. Canton’s first Mondays are some of the best…along with some of the roadside stores on the way there.

61. I nannied for about 5 years after college. I really didn’t know what I wanted to do. Part of it was fabulous…part of it not.

62. I always say that I will someday write a book about people who should NOT have children. This came after working for the last family.

63. I believe that time and love are the MOST important things you can give a child…not fancy houses, vacations and gifts to make up for the fact that the parent is never home. I better stop now or I’ll be on my soapbox in an instant.

64. My husband and I have often talked about doing missionary work sometime in the future. What greater way to live your life?

65. When I attended GA (Girls in Action) in elementary school at our church, I prayed so hard that God would NOT make me a missionary. I think He may be laughing…

66. I love to study the Bible. I love the wisdom, the knowedge and the history of it all.

67. I am the best shot in the west…or south. Actually, I am a REALLY good shot. I love guns. Go NRA!

68. We attend Allen Bible Church in Allen, Texas and love it. I work with the youth. I’m cool like ‘dat. UPDATE: Now that we’re back in Siloam we can be found at Sager Creek Community Church.

69. When we first bought “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” we watched it every night for about a week. I still love that movie.

70. “Nacho Libre” was not funny the first time but if you watch it about 3 times or more…it just gets stinkin’ hilarious! Hubby and I quote some part of the movie to each other on a daily basis.

71. One of my all-time favorite TV shows is 90210. My girlfriends in college and I even played the parts. I was Kelly of course.

72. I think high heels are extremely sexy. I like to walk around in them at home with little else on.

73. I used to do this when I lived with Megan in college on Benton street. I was not too modest around my girlfriends.

74. I once took a train from Little Rock to LA with a couple of girlfriends. It was spring break our freshman year in college and we thought it would be fun. It wasn’t.

75. The other day someone asked me if I was so-and-so’s mother. So-and-so is 20. Seriously? Ouch.

76. I’m 30 (or 29 again) and I get carded all the time. Yes, I am telling you this because of #75.

77. The number 3 is my favorite number.

78. For some unknown reason I have always viewed certain numbers in the masculine/feminine sense. For instance, in my mind 3 and 4 are females. The numbers 2 and 5 are male. I think it’s a genius thing, you probably wouldn’t understand.

79. At night when I am lying in bed my mind starts doing some heavy work. For instance I went through a phase where I would go through the entire alphabet and try to find a consonant letter that could never stand directly next to another consonant in any given English word. I kid you not. Again…another genius thing…

80. I am a gamer. Board games, card games whatever. I love ‘em!

81. I would love to list some of my favorite music but really there is just too much. It almost makes me ache to try and narrow it down. I will tell you that Matchbox Twenty’s first album is my all-time favorite CD. I really love music.

82. I was a cheerleader throughout jr. high and high school. I still have nightmares about it…drama, drama, drama!

83. I frequently dream that I’m not going to graduate college because I forgot about a class and skipped it all semester long.

84. I used to dye my hair red. Every shade of red you can imagine has probably graced my head. This was in high school mainly. My sister went to cosmetology school so we changed my hair all the time. We’d do my eyebrows to so it was completely natural looking. Once I ran into a friend after high school…his nickname for me had always been ‘Red’…he was quite surprised when I didn’t actually have red hair.

85. I used to work out constantly. I loved it. Then after suffering from AGHD (see #34) I couldn’t for years and years. It’s been rather humbling to not be in my best shape. I hate it. I’m just now getting to where I can work out again but ugh…it’s hard.

86. I am a huge peanut M&M gal. Give ‘em to me baby! (Notice how this follows #85. Hmmm…I think of working out and then immediately think of candy. Not a good sign.)

87. I have a horrible short-term memory.

88. I believe that the best way to teach the Bible is book by book, verse by verse. I’m not a big fan of series. I want to go through an entire book at a time. That gives you the full context.

89. One thing my dad has always said to me is “Be wise.” Whether I was just leaving for a day of school, going on a date, or moving away to Texas…Be wise…I will say the same thing to my children. I think it is the shortest way to say so many things.

90. My next car will be a Toyota Sequoia, God willing. I absolutely love them.

91. I am one stubborn woman.

92. In case you’re wondering…I AM always right, too.

93. I am planning on learning Spanish before and during my pregnancies. We want to teach our children at a very early age since it is the easiest time for them to learn. My husband understands it quite well and speaks it moderately. UPDATE: This was just another good intention. In other words…it didn’t happen.

94. I took French in high school. I used what I remembered (très peu) for about 1 week in France. What a waste!

94. All those math classes that I took in high school…algebra II and trigonometry…WHY??? They said I’d use them but I don’t.

95. My dining table is a piece I got at a flea market and stripped down and re-stained in the summer of 2001. The top has ’stripes’ alternating from a light stain to a dark stain. I thought it would make the piece unique. It is and I love it. I have seen manufactured furniture stained this way in the past couple of years.

96. I was voted “Most Accident Prone” of my high school senior class. It had never been a category before! What does that tell you? 😛

97. When I was still a kid and went to the Mildred B. Cooper Chapel in Bella Vista (it’s a glass chapel) for the first time I knew I wanted to be married there. I was.

98. There’s a waterfall off of a hiking trail in Bella Vista that I had always wanted my portrait taken at (I was thinking senior pics). After my wedding our photographer called and asked me if I would be interested in posing for him at this waterfall for bridal portrait. It was MY place! I got my portrait taken for free too, though hiking to the waterfall in my wedding gown was a bit of a challenge…

99. I don’t really tan. I burn. I’ve always hoped that my freckles would just run together and then I’d look really dark.

100. Hubby and I are interested in having a lake house. We’re constantly looking and checking prices.

101. I really like politics and talk radio. I’ve been on the Sean Hannity show before. He’s one of my favorites.

102. My life motto goes something like this: Being a hero to someone, changing the world somehow and living my life as a dreamer without becoming cynical. All for the glory of God.