10 Things

The other night when I was babysitting Cody & Kyle, we watched the movie “Because of Winn-Dixie”. The movie is actually based on the book of the same name by Kate DiCamillo. (Yes, the book is better, as always) I fondly remember this book from the Sequoyah reading list from the 4th grade. It was one of my favorites; my mom even purchased the book for me, and I intend to share this book with my nephews when they are old enough. There is a part of the movie where the main character, India Opal, wants to know about her mom, who left Opal & her father when she was little. She wanted to know 10 facts about her mom. This made me think about what I would want others to know about me if they wanted to know a few facts that really, truly summed me up. Not like “She was tall; She was intelligent; She talked a lot” Nothing of that sort. Things that one would only know by digging a little deeper than just the superficial.




*Note* The following list is not all-encompassing, nor is it in order of any significance, just facts as they come into my mind, and it may tend to ramble...Enjoy!



1. I lack the ability to be concise. Any time I tell a story, I am one of those people that include as many details as possible. I feel that the details are what make a story important. I fear I am also a “rambler” as may be evident in some (read: most/all) of my blog posts. I can easily talk on the phone for a couple of hours and not think anything of it. A short visit with friends/relatives usually turns into a pleasant afternoon/evening chatting the day away.



2. I love all genres of music. It depends on the day as to what my favorite song is. I do have one song that is my absolute favorite (“Drops of Jupiter”-Train), but I can turn on the radio and hear a song and drop everything I’m doing just to turn it up so I can sing along with the chorus & any verses I know. (Yes, I sing quite unashamedly, and I don’t care what others might say… “He who sings, prays twice”-St. Augustine) I listen to almost anything, with the exception of most heavy metal..It just doesn’t suit me as well.



3. I am a very loving person by nature. Anything bad that happens to someone I remotely care about tears me up. Anything good that happens brightens my world. When I love someone, anyone, I love them deeply, irrevocably, without any second thought. Anyone who is an important part of my life, anyone who has helped me to become who I am today, anyone who is just there for me, whether it be in person or in spirit; those are the people I love the most.



4. I have a VERY strong fear of birds. I’m not really sure why, but that’s just the way it is. They unnerve me to no end. I absolutely despise birds, especially chickens. (I have no problems eating chicken, though..Ha-ha J) One day, maybe, I’ll try to conquer my fear, but we’ll just have to see about that. Actually, I’m not much of an animal person, in general. I’ll visit the zoo, and that’s enough for me. On the contrary, I do like dogs, cats, cattle, fish, earthworms, ladybugs, fireflies, butterflies, and frogs.



5. I don’t like being looked down upon, especially by people who are only a little bit older than me. I also don’t like being underestimated, stereotyped, or lied to. I dislike it when people try to make themselves feel better by putting others down. It’s unhealthy, and just plain rude, and I don’t like it at all.



6. I am a Catholic. I have very strong convictions of my faith. I believe what I believe, and there isn’t much that can change that fact. However, I don’t feel the necessity to shove my beliefs down anyone’s throat at any given moment just because I don’t agree with their decisions. If I am asked about my beliefs, I will unabashedly tell you what I think, but only when I’m asked. I feel very strongly about my beliefs, but I also respect the fact that others feel the same as I do about their beliefs, and in that spirit, I will refrain from making a point of argument about the fact. I will stand up for my faith, but I won’t do so out of spite, or just to make a scene.



7. I have extreme OCD. I am a big fan of organization and order. I once watched an episode of Monk, and I felt as if the title character (Adrian Monk played by Tony Shaloub) was one of my kind. It bothers me to no end to see things off-kilter, out of place, etc. At my church there is a rug behind the altar. It is nearly invisible to anyone sitting in the congregation, but, as an altar server, I see it every single time I am serving. Somehow, it always manages to be a bit off-kilter with the altar. One side is about an inch away, and the other side is about two inches away. It seems horrible to say this, but when it is like this, I often spend the majority of Mass mentally straightening the rug. Also, I am the person who alerts others when their necklace clasp happens to make its way down by the pendant. Yes, I am the person who fixes shirtsleeves that happen to be slightly folded at the edges. I also pick stray hairs off of others. I hate doing that, as I feel like I am invading people’s personal bubble, but for my personal sanity, I usually do so anyway. Although most of the time, I do tell said person of the “issue”.



8. I take pleasure in the little things. I love the irony that lies in everyday life. Random things can make my day, for example, things my nephews say out of the innocence of their little hearts; turning on the radio to hear a favorite song; watching the stars in the nighttime sky; hearing a pun that makes me laugh; reading a good book; watching fireworks; and I could go on and on…



9. I’ll admit that I am a bit of a nerd. I am not ashamed of this whatsoever. I am in Quiz Bowl, which I thoroughly enjoy. I can answer most questions of random trivia in about 10 seconds (how convenient for QB, I know) I love Math, and I AM able to work some tricky math problems in the allotted time J As a 6-year-old, I fondly recall naming states & capitals on a bus ride home, as per everyone’s request. I try to know a little bit about everything that I possibly can. I truly love learning new things. Up until about a year or so ago, I used to try to hide my intelligence. I would deny it, and I held back more than what I truly should have. I wouldn’t say I regret any of this, but I do wish I had given myself more of a chance than what I did. I am also in band. But I don’t feel that being in band makes someone a nerd. Besides, at Pioneer, our band is awesome, and hopefully *fingers crossed*, in a few months, I can say that I am an All-Stater!



10. My family means everything to me. Yes, of course, there are times that I may be a bit irritated with them, but at the end of the day, I would be lost without them. I truly love my parents, and every last little thing that they have done for me. Every sacrifice, every little thing that they have given up just so my sisters and I would have good lives, means more than anything. My sisters are definitely my best friends out of everyone in the entire world. Nothing against my friends, but blood is thicker than water. I am very confident in the fact that my sisters know just about everything there is to know about me…they probably know things about me that I don’t even know about me! (Ha-ha) If I am having a bad day, they are literally the two people I can call up at night and cry to them, and they can always make me feel better, if nothing else, they can make me laugh, which is always a good thing. Anyone who is rude to my family is rude to me. They are all at the heart of nearly everything I do.