Monday, August 23, 2010

The big 4-9.

Yesterday was my 49th birthday. No, for real. I’m not joking. It really was my 49th. And as humans are wont to do on their 49th birthdays (I only know this because I really am 49 now), I spent some time pondering the meaning of my life and what I thought were my contributions to society for the past 49 years.

In so doing, I realized that I am a woman who wears, or has worn, many hats. I’ve decided what things I like and don’t like, and I’m perfectly okay with it all. And because I’m 49 now (really!), here are 49 of my fun facts. Aren’t you glad I’m not 80?

1. I am a child of God.
2. I am a wife of 26 years. (Did I get that right, honey?) I’ve been married more than half my life, and wouldn’t change that for anything. I have a husband who loves the Lord, works hard and provides well, and gave me the ability to be #3.
3. I am a mom of five incredible, awesome, perfectly fantastic, make-you-so-proud-you-cry children. Every one of them gives me the greatest joy imaginable.
4. I am a daughter. I was actually a daughter before I was anything else, but that’s not at the forefront right now. I see people my age losing their parents left and right, and I’m very thankful my parents are still in good health, in love, and happy in their lives. I am who I am in large part because of them.
5. I am an editor. I work for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, editing marketing material and E-Books. I love what I do and the people I work with. Last week one day I sat down to work and had 67 emails from my co-workers encouraging each other to honor God with our families and our jobs. Who wouldn’t want to work for a company like that? And since today is my 49th birthday, I will have an inbox full of emails wishing me a happy day.
6. I am a listener, and my bed is my kids’ favorite place to talk. I lie down to read at night and at some point, I’m almost always joined by one of them. When I’m on my deathbed, I will enjoy those memories more than just about any others.
7. I am a cook. I didn’t start out so hot, but I learned the basics from my mother and figured out the rest as I went. Pioneer Woman’s recipes are a huge help.
8. I am a maid. Call me weird, but I really do like to clean.
9. I am a washerwoman. Five children = mountains of laundry.
10. I am a dog trainer, and I rely heavily on my great-grandmother’s advice: “You’ve got to know more than a dog to learn him anything.” I read Cesar Milan’s books.
11. I am a vacuumer of dog hair. 70 pounds of dog makes a lot of hair. One time we had a 130-pound dog. At the end of his first year he was banished to the back yard.
12. I am a lover of seafood. I grew up in New Jersey, right on the “shore,” as they call it up there. I’ll eat any fish and any shellfish. Just don’t give me calamari; that’s not either one.
13. I am a sun-lover, and I have the brown spots on my skin to prove it. Someday I’ll have a house on a beach somewhere and won’t care how wrinkled I am.
14. I am a bibliophile (that’s a book-lover, not a pervert).
15. I am a music-lover.
16. I am unsure whether I am supposed to be hyphenating these words, but I will keep on doing it because I don’t feel like looking it up in the Gregg Reference Manual.
17. Although I am #15, I am not a great musician. I took piano lessons for ten years as a kid, and still can’t sight-read an easy hymn.
18. I am not a movie-lover, with a very few exceptions. I loved the Bourne movies, loved Sleepless in Seattle and While You Were Sleeping, and not much else. See #14.
19. I am very easy-going until you give one of my kids a hard time. Then watch out.
20. I can keep a secret better than anyone I know.
21. One of my favorite things is to sing with my three daughters, or hear my oldest son sing. Pure heaven.
22. Ooo, I almost forgot! I am the teacher of all five of my kids, all 12 grades. This is my last year of homeschooling. I’ll be done before I’m 50!
23. Oh! And how could I forget this?? I’m a grandmother! Sticky Bean was born in May of 2009. He’s the light of my life, at least until another grandbaby comes along!
24. I guess that means I’m a mother-in-law too. I hope I’m an okay one. I really try!
25. I am picky about gum. It can’t be peppermint or spearmint. It has to be Orbit wintermint.
26. I can’t stand mushrooms, and I’m not real big on bell peppers either.
27. I hate the biting cold of winter.
28. I used to love summer the best, but now that hot flashes have increased the temperature, I prefer spring and fall.
29. I took a test last week which must be accurate because I found it on the Internet, and it said I am 67% left-brained and 33% right-brained. That means I am an organized, linear thinker. I am not creative or artsy.
30. I wish I were creative and artsy.
31.Being a linear thinker means I’m good with directions. I am my own personal GPS.
32. Last week I picked out the same brown paint my daughter has in her living room 800 miles away without knowing it. Of all the millions of paint colors out there, I picked out the exact same one she did! Isn’t that freaky?
(Okay, this is taking a really long time and the day’s getting shorter, so if I hope to publish this post the day after my actual 49th birthday, I’d better wrap things up quickly. Forgive me. Or maybe thank me.)
33. I love office supplies.
34. Especially Post-it Notes and fine-point pens.
35. I realized a few weeks ago that I know nothing whatsoever about Benedict Arnold, so I bought a book and I am now reading it.
36. I read books about grammar rules for pleasure (anything by Bill Walsh).
37. I love fresh cherries in the summer.
38. I’m a really good speller.
39. I once permed my hair and regretted it for the next two years.
40. I’ve worn glasses since sixth grade, and have never been able to wear contacts.
41. I love bird watching.
42. I am a world-class enabler.
43. I studied German for 7 years of my life and couldn’t ask where the bathroom is if my life depended on it.
44. I am one of the very few women I know who has hot flashes and doesn’t get mad about them.
45. I’ve only gotten one speeding ticket in my life.
46. I’m not a risk-taker, hence #45.
47. I used to love roller coasters, but since our trip to Disney World in 1999, I get motion sick. Too much Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.
48. Turning 40 didn’t bother me at all.
49. I’ll let you know how 50 works out.



Our regularly scheduled drivel will resume tomorrow.


Be thankful ~


Karen

6 comments:

NaomiG said...

Happy Birthday! You made me laugh out loud at #14. I've had people give me such a funny look after I said that word. Ha! Loved this list. :-)

Catherine said...

#31 must run in the family. There is only one town on the face of the earth in which I have been genuinely lost (Red Bank, NJ). Otherwise, I can find my way anywhere.

Happy 49th!

Mouga

Connie said...

Between #8 and #36 I would have to agree with your self-assessment that you are weird! I detest cleaning and would much rather do yard work. As for grammar rules, snooooze! The funny thing is, I react much the same way you do when I see the mistakes people make on signs, in articles etc. I still have my high school english teacher in my head telling me "never, ever, start a sentence with and or but." It may be ok by the grammar rules now but I still think it is wrong!

52knit4 said...

Happy Birthday.......I hope it is wonderful.

Anna said...

Happy birthday! This is a fun idea. You seem to have a rich life at 49. :)

I came here through Diaries of a Happy Sanitarium.

CAC said...

very cute post! happy late birthday!