10 Surprising Things About Me (a bit late)

Last week, several bloggers put together a "10 Surprising Things About Me" list and tagged other blogs to get in on the fun.  Thankfully, Faith and Family Live blogger Danielle Bean took the initiative to tag anyone who had not yet made such a list.  After a week of severe fall allergies, hectic schedule, and a huge amount of pregnancy-induced fatigue, it's a miracle that this list came together!!

1. Green Beans are evil. No matter what delectable sauce or bacon grease is used to enhance the flavor, I will never EVER like green beans. They still make me gag!

2. I can remember obscure dates: wedding anniversaries, birthdays, dates of death, my sacrament dates, and sometimes random events. But when it comes to remembering where my sunglasses or cell phone ended up, all bets are off.

3. Since childhood, I have loved to read voraciously (thanks, Mom). In fact, like my grandpa, I will be so absorbed in a story that someone could talk to me and I never hear them. My husband has discovered this to his chagrin, so if he’s trying to say something, he’ll tell me, “All right, Grandpa K, time to listen!”

4. While we’re on the reading track, my favorite genre is historical fiction. My 2 favorite authors are Cli.ve Cussl.er and Bo.die & Bro.ck Theon.e. These authors have put together books that help me delve further into history. I love it when a book impels me to look up locations and historical events online to provide a better context.

5. My BA was in journalism. After college I did youth ministry, which lead into teaching. Should have been an education major. Hindsight is 20/20. The one talent retained from my degree? Completing a 5-page paper in record time. Remembering random things from the AP stylebook.

6. Take a look at my DVD collection and you will find quite an array of Dis.ney and other kids’ movies. The collection did not transpire in the hopes of having kids someday; I truly enjoy these movies! And I score brownie points when friends bring their kids over to my house. One of my favorite kids’ movies to quote is The Emper.or’s New Gro.ove.

7. I’ve been blessed to see Pope John Paul II in person 3 times (Mass in the L.A. Coliseum, World Youth Day Rome, World Youth Day Toronto), and Pope Benedict once (papal audience). Each time was a thrilling experience. For our honeymoon in Rome, we had Sposa Novelli (newlywed) tickets which gave us a 2nd row seat. When the pope came by, he was very very close.  (I'm the second person dressed in white from the left)

8. Winter is yucky. Love Fall and Spring, albeit the allergies. Love most of summer. But winter is grey, mundane, and cold. This is not just because of my California roots.  Maybe it's because my favorite color is blue.

9. My husband and I met on Catholic.Match.com in 2002. After dating long distance for 2 years, I packed up my blue car and drove across the country to live closer to him. Many people are surprised to learn this idea came from my parents, who also chose to live closer to each other prior to becoming engaged. Obviously, things worked out very well. We truly got to know each other through every day contact instead of visits every couple months.

10. I do not have graceful arms. That’s why Irish dancing works so well for me; the arms stay down at my side except during dances with other people. In other dance forms like ballet and Scottish, my arms never look nice and rounded.

Well, as part of this list effort, I will tag anyone who has not written a top 10 list, including these lovely ladies:

K at Journal of a Nobody
M at H Family Happenings
D.C., Baby!
RyanAnn, who doesn't have a blog but should post something like this on Face.book