100 Things About Me

*whew* Took me a few days to do this!

1. I never officially dated until college, unless you count the guy I dated in 7th grade for 1 hour.

2. I worked 11 summers at the Ocean City, Jersey beach as a manager of a small hotel.

3. I'd sell everything to move and live at the beach. In a heartbeat.

4. I married my best friend.

5. I honestly thought I was too weird and uptight to be "marryable". I'm surprised every anniversary that I was given such a wonderful and strange man.

6. My husband brews beer for fun. It's quite good.

7. I like to run.

8. I also enjoy biking.

9. I can't water ski very well; weak upper body strength.

10. I grew up in Maryland and hoped to live there forever.

11. Now I live in Chicago. I hope to con my husband into living near my family again. (Sh.)

12. I did some design work for Acco Brands. They own the Swing*line brand. In the the movie "Office Space", the red Swing*line stapler was something the movie created. As a result of the cult following of the movie, Swing*line had to start manufacturing a red stapler. Ah, the power of marketing.

13. I really like branding. As in marketing branding.

14. I respond to color like a moth responds to light. It's a magnetic force that I can't control.

15. I absolutely plan on asking God one day about Adam and Eve and whether they had belly buttons.

16. I'm a silly person who tries to be ladylike but sometimes can't help herself.

17. At heart I'm a bit of a cynic but I'm trying to hang out with positive, real people who will rub off on me.

18. For the first month of my marriage to Dan, almost everything he said to me was borrowed lines from the S*impsons. It was really weird.

19. I love how newborn babies have a round back and tuck their legs under their chest. I also love when they snuggle in the crook of my neck and sleep.

20. I'd rather have a handful of good friends than be shallow friends with lots of people.

21. I went to private, public and home school growing up. Ask me anything.

22. I was the valedictorian and homecoming queen my senior year. Remember, I was homeschooled.

23. I've been to Jamaica and Russia (er, FORMER Soviet Union) and Italy. I liked Italy best.

24. I wish I had more guy friends growing up; I was always scared of guys and dating.

25. I wish my husband had more guy friends growing up; he had lots of dates with women. He can't even remember them all.

26. Our goal for Morgan is to have guy friends one day, too.

27. My primary prayer for Morgan when she was newborn was that she would be a compassionate girl. I actually prayed that she wouldn't be mean; she was only a week old.

28. If I ever have another baby, I will cry for joy so hard that Niagara Falls will look like a puddle.

29. I have many regrets in life, but I have never regretted a good hug, a good book or saying something encouraging to someone.

30. I love when women put aside their differences and encourage each other in all things good.

31. I'm a foodie. In a bad way.

32. I used to be a vegetarian.

33. I love watching Fras*ier.

34. My mother is one of the most giving and compassionate people I know.

35. My father is one of the hardest working realtors I have ever met.

36. Any negative clichés about in-laws are a mystery to me.

37. My sister-in-law is 6 months older than my husband. (Try to figure that one out.)

38. My husband was born 2 months prematurely.

39. I'm glad my husband is 6'6". I once dated a guy much shorter and found myself slouching a lot.

40. I don't understand people who think the world just formed accidentally. If that's the case, why won't my house design itself?

41. I don't have "best friends", except for Dan. I have people who I would like to call best friends but I feel that once someone is labeled "best friend" that other people feel like they aren't allowed to be close friends with that person. I just avoid the conundrum altogether.

42. Fertility trouble has been the most difficult trial I have ever been in in my entire life.

43. If you have friends with fertility trouble (and you don't have fertility trouble), never give them advice or tell them negative statistics. Your only job is to hope for them.

44. I have 4 siblings. All of them are wicked cool.

45. My daughter had a pet goldfish for one month. I hope to never again have another pet in this home.

46. I think junior high is the most difficult period of life for anyone. I think Congress should lock up all junior high aged persons until their hormones and emotions settle. Just a thought.

47. My favorite part of weddings is the cake. I judge a wedding entirely by this pastry.

48. My favorite book is probably "Rich Part of Life".

49. When it comes to music, I'm pretty noncommittal. I like a lot of different stuff.

50. I'm proud to say that I brainwashed Morgan into thinking opera is cool. :)

51. I believe in redemption. I try not to give up hope on anyone or any circumstance.

52. I don't like when I gossip. I feel gross afterward.

53. I'm not so much of window shopper as a "destination" shopper. Get in. Buy. Get out. My husband should love me twice as much for this.

54. I don't need to be a millionaire to see that money doesn't buy happiness.

55. My mother and grandmother taught me to sew growing up. I hope to teach Morgan one day as well. It's a good skill to have.

56. I don't know how to knit. I'm afraid to learn b/c I might become addicted.

57. If I ever need to lose weight, I will exercise more. I have a hard time cutting yummies out of my diet.

58. My husband and I were told by our nurse that we were about to give birth to a boy, 1 hour prior to delivering our daughter. We fought over boy name spellings during that hour.

59. I love Chili*s Southwestern Eggrolls. So do my thighs. :)

60. My fertility doctor has white hair pulled up in a bun. When I first met her, I thought she might offer me warm cookies from the oven. Also, she has 10 children of her own.

61. My favorite part about being a mother is how I have to let life happen more often and go with the flow. I'm really controlling otherwise.

62. If I won a boat load of money, I think I'd pay off the mortgages of all my friends and go on a vacation with them.

63. I love homemade gifts.

64. My husband made a rather horrified face when he saw me coming down the aisle on our wedding day. I accidentally wore non-waterproof mascara and had black streaks coming down my face. It was hard to concentrate on the vows when I saw black globs on my veil.

65. When my parents went through a separation, reading Philip Yancey's What's So Amazing About Grace changed my life forever.

66. I hate fear. I do everything in my power to let it know its not welcome.

67. I discover new things about Christ and the Christian faith all the time.

68. I'm not too experienced with growing veggies, but I can grow a mean potted herb garden.

69. I used to catch crabs with my Dad on the Chesapeake Bay. Then I would grow sad as I heard them slowly die in the boiling crock.

70. My husband and I grew up ingrained with the fear of credit card debt. We hope to ingrain the same fear in Morgan.

71. My favorite car is one that works. I also like ones that haul.

72. I try not to e*bay or Crai*gslist too much. I tend to get addicted.

73. I'm addicted to this Licorice Tea.

74. I dislike waste. Like rotted food. Or unused, lonely objects.

75. I'm not sure, but I think I'm a fighter. One of my friends told me that I'm not a "force to be reckoned with". She meant it well and I took it well. But I respect people with patience and grace more than fight.

76. I have a mentor in life who is very gracious, intelligent and kind. I specifically chose her because she doesn't get uptight about things that I get uptight about.

77. I think its important to dress well for life. The human body is a beautiful piece of art.

78. I love how my husband worked at Toys *R Us and an Italian restaurant during college in order to pay his bills. He's not too proud to work at unpopular places.

79. When Dan and I were first dating, he made sure I knew that he planned on moving to Chicago b/c he had his heart set on going to Kellogg. Dan worked full time and went to school part time. Oh, and we had a new baby and owned a fixer-upper house during those 3 years and 9 months. He's amazing. I'm lucky. We were tired.

80. We specifically bought a house last year that did not need to be gutted. (See #79.)

81. I love Death by Chocolate Cake made at the Trellis restaurant in Williamsburg, VA. It takes three days to make. I've only had it once and find it unforgettable.

82. When my daughter was born, I didn't bond well with her. I wondered if I cared for her.

One day, I took my newborn for a stroller walk. A dog came running after me gnashing its teeth. In a split second, I decided to throw my body over Morgan and offer the dog my left leg. :) The dog's chain stopped it from coming closer, but after that I knew that I would protect her.

83. I love Auntie Anne*s fresh lemonade. You should, too.

84. I love to say the phrase "It makes you cry for your momma" when something tastes really good. I'm not sure where I heard it, but it's mine now. :)

85. I cry at baptisms and want to cry when I see older couples holding hands taking a walk together.

86. I was named after Emily Dickinson.

87. I've worked in graphics for about a decade. I wouldn't mind branching out into new avenues of design.

88. I feel immensely domestic and happy when I make homemade soup for my family.

89. And cake. (See #88.)

90. I met my husband in college, but we didn't date until 2 years AFTER college when he moved to Maryland. I had a big crush on him.

91. I have a lot of black in my wardrobe. It's the vice of being an art major. For this reason, every time I buy something new, I try to make sure it's a more vivid color.

92. I don't understand atheists. I think they need love. I do, however, respect them.

93. I'd love to have met Francis Schaeffer.

94. Sometimes I think renting rather than owning a home sounds kind of nice.

95. I've lived in Michigan, New Jersey, Maryland and Illinois.

96. In my experience, creating (art, design, etc.) is a delicate balance of working hard and stepping back to contemplate. Whenever I start feeling uptight about a design, I've learned to stop, step back and reevaluate. Usually the answer is not far away but needs a little time for revision.

97. I love fruit salad with the works!

98. I love Whipped Cream.

99. I have a saying about my husband: "He's not perfect, but he's perfect for me." I think he's great.

100. I am 8.5 weeks pregnant.

Addendum to #6: Dan fell in love with brewing when his friend Jason introduced him to his brew back in September. When we spent more time talking about brew than playing cards, I knew we had a new hobby on our hands. Thanks, Jason.