Thursday, October 11, 2007

I Have Been Tagged

Oh, yes! My first tag, thank you, Amanda! I have really noticed an increase of comments lately, too! I am starting to feel as if I am a "real" blogger!



Eight Random Facts About Me



1. I am scared of spiders, actually terrified. Three years ago, I was moving things from a storage unit to our garage, and a nest of eggs got into my car - and hatched. One morning, I got into the car and started driving. It was early and dark and I through my jacket was just itchy. Then, at a stop light, the glow of the red light revealed that my "itchies" were actually due to the swarm of baby spiders crawling ALL over me. I almost had a heart attack. I managed to drive the car to the nearest parking lot and then had to call over 20 exterminators before I found one that knew how to handle car infestations. It was probably the most disgusting thing that has ever happened to me.



2. I have a little brother who was born when I was 14. He is now a freshman in high school. We are very close. He was my world when he was a little baby. I used to rush home every day after school and play with him. Our relationship has changed a lot since then, especially now that we live three hours apart. But it has been so much fun being part of his life.



3. I LOVE to eat. It is my favorite activity. I also like to cook, although the clean up part isn't my strong suit. I like all sorts of foods, especially ethnic cuisine.



4. I would love to be a published author someday. I say published, because I have actually written several novels. I just don't know what to do with them. I think it has to do with the fear of being rejected. This is the only public forum that I have ever shared my writing in. And even this is nonfiction. I think that by keeping my novels private, I feel as if I can't get hurt if someone doesn't like them.



5. My favorite vacation spot is Cancun, Mexico. My husband and I went there on our honeymoon and have been fortunate enough to go back three times since. We are creatures of habit and usually stay at the same resort. It almost feels like our second home!



6. My husband and I are foster parents for Rescue Pup, a nonprofit dog rescue society near where we live. Our second furbaby was one of our foster pups and we have had him since he was three weeks old. Our other two furry kids are also rescues - our first dog was from our local shelter and our cat "found" us. We have fostered over fifty animals through Rescue Pup and it is a very rewarding feelings helping abused and negleted animals get the good homes that they deserve.



7. I helped to raise almost $200,000 through the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. I had never even heard of RFL, but a good friend of mine worked for ACS and needed a chair (i.e., the person in charge) last minute. She begged me and I did it as a favor to her, but she really did me the favor. I had to learn as I went, but we were able to raise more than double the money that was their previous record. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. If you have never been to a Relay, I highly suggest going to one.



8. My infertility goal (beyond having a baby, of course) is to increase the awareness of miscarriage and the lack of education around it. The silence around miscarriage makes our grief harder to bear. I would like to put together a letter for parents who have just found out that their baby died and a packet of information on where to get more information and self-care. I am in the process of putting the packet together and soon want to start going to local offices in my area and seeing how they are received. I eventually want to start a website and see if I can get people in other areas to do the same. That is my someday dream, that my angels did not die in vain and that I can help others get through the darkest hours of pregnancy loss.



Coming up with eight random facts was harder for me than I would have thought. Although I think that I am a pretty interesting, it turns out that I am kind of boring and normal on paper. Oh, well!

You know, it just hit me that now I get to tag people! Okay, Polka Dot and Tracy, you're IT!

9 comments:

JJ said...

I love learning so many unique things about all my blog friends--I am TOTALLY with you on your #1--the exact same thing happened to me--except the hatching happened in my bedroom, and the mama spider (HUGE) crawled over my face in the middle of the night on her way to the hatching babies in my lamp...uggg, I still shiver thinking about it!

AwkwardMoments said...

oh what an awesome post. It's so fun getting to know people this way

In Search of Morning Sickness said...

#1 and #8 are AWESOME... Firstly, I thought it was ME who had a bad spider-in-car story... All I could imagine after reading yours was pulling over and ripping my shirt off!!! UGH - I HATE spiders! You are super-woman!

#8 I think it so touching. It shows that you not only experience deep sorrow/loss, but you want to help others have support and love through their sorrows. I think that would be great. I agree, miscarriage (and infertility) are SO overlooked and under-discussed and it just adds to the shame we feel when going through them.

Searching said...

OMG- I would absolutely die w/the spider thing! I can't believe you were able to keep your cool and not get in a wreck! Eek!!

I, too, have a sib 14y younger!! She was born 9y post-vasectomy so God really wanted us to have her. (Also have another sis and bro). She is my light and joy and I spent all my time with her, too. I woke up with her in the middle of the night when she was a baby, was her only sitter till I went to college, took her on dates with me, really took her everywhere with me. Isn't is awesome to have a close relationship despite the age gap?

(Although the fact that my family is so very fertile and I'm, well, not, is difficult for me).

Let me know what you come up with for the m/c info. We get alot of mommas in the NICU who have been pregnant multiple times but don't have multiple (or any) babies. I always want to say something but don't know what. Right now they are flipping out over their preemie usually fighting for their life and might not be the best time to talk about m/c. But I usually develop a good relationship with the families quickly and I do think there are some that would be receptive to me mentioning m/c when the time is appropriate. (I hate it, but we have to list it as an abortion and don't always know how many are elective vs spontaneous. I really think it should be abortion and m/c, but not like anyone listens to me!). I really would love to see what you come up with! I think that's a pretty awesome idea.

Prairie Girl said...

Ick your spider story made me shiver from head to toe. Ick ick ick! I hate spiders too! They get every where and a person doesn't even know it.

I want to wish you all the best on your quest for Education on Miscarriage. I think what you're doing is fantastic and so needed! Good luck, I hope you can educate more people in this world, it is needed! :D

Mrs. Piggy said...

ooooh i will test read your novels :))))
i love to read.
I can tell you would be a good writer, i love your blog. love love love it!

Mrs. Piggy said...

oh yeah the spider thing...eek! what about mice? when i was driving to work a few months ago i saw a baby mouse on my windshield (from the garage) i drove the whole way with it on (it was on the outside) but oh my GOD, i was so scared, swearing and sweating up a storm.

Anonymous said...

If I had hatched baby spiders in my car, I would have to get a new one. I don't think an exterminator could ever get me to set foot inside of it again. Yuck. I hate spiders.

Missy said...

Just reading about your spider incident gives me the shivers. I don't know if I would've been able to have remained as calm as you did though. Thanks for sharing all that information. What a great game!