Eight Things You Never Knew About Me

Today I was invited to play a game with some fellow writers. I have been "tagged" to write eight characteristics about myself... hmm. I've never been one to talk a lot about myself - other people maybe, but not myself! Anyhow, I'll give it my best shot.

1) I love to paint, not like Monet... I mean I enjoy painting big white walls, or ugly walls. I love the satisfaction it brings; taking something icky and turning it into something pretty. I love going to yard sales or antique shops and finding old furniture. I can strip it down and either re-stain it, or paint it and viola! It becomes a work of art in my living room. My husband thinks I'm weird but I love the smell of it too.

2) I enjoy talking to strangers in hospital waiting rooms. I love to scan the room, and look for the person who looks the most upset and who needs a friend. I've met some of the most precious people this way. Folks are always anxious to talk, but very few are willing to listen.

3) My bathroom is my favorite room in the house. Maybe this is because its the only place that I can truly be alone. I have a large garden tub, and it is my retreat every night after I finish the dishes.

4) I'm a 4th generation Roanoker. Ok, so I live in Boones Mill, maybe I should say the Roanoke Valley! My great grandfather was an attorney in Roanoke in the early 1900s. He also owned 80 acres here in Franklin Co. on the Blackwater River. My husband is also a 4th generation Roanoker. We were high school sweethearts, and dated 7 years before marrying in 1996. Both of our families settled in Virginia in the mid 1600s, and we've been here ever since. Maybe that's why we're both so stubborn, in runs deep in our genes.

5) I unknowingly participated in my first writing contest was when I was 12 years old. I wrote a poem for one of my favorite teachers at Cave Spring, and without my knowledge she submitted it to a contest. One day at school the winners were announced and I won 3rd place. Of course I was shocked since I didn't know I entered! Little did she know how she affected me that day. A good teacher can change lives, and a bad one can mark a kid forever.

6) I thoroughly enjoy being with people, but I go crazy if I don't have alone time. My husband always worries about me if I'm going to go somewhere by myself. A year ago, I begged him to take the children on a weekend camping trip so that I could unwind. He was worried that he did something wrong. Nothing could have been further from the truth! I talked him into going for 3 days while I had a blast painting my son's bedroom, watching Lifetime movies until all hours of the night, and treating myself to a pedicure over at Zees Salon!

7) I absolutely love Jesus Christ. He is more than religion, He is my life. You don't discover who you really are and what you're made of until you've hit rock bottom. I've hit some major boulders in my life in the past 10 years that made me question everything, and I mean everything. It is an unexplainable privilege to talk with the Creator of the universe, and if more people could grasp that, and let go of pious, ritual, and legalistic religion, the world would be a better place.

8) I absolutely love music and I listen to it everywhere. I enjoy all genres except for hip hop, I just can' t get into it. I love a song that moves me to tears. I think one of the greatest songs ever written is, I Hope You Dance, by Lee Ann Womack, and another is I Can Only Imagine, by Mercy Me.

Ok, there is eight. That wasn't as hard as I thought it would be -- That's sort of scary! I must be getting old. Now I've got to paint. I just got back from the new Home Depot store on Rt. 220. Its wonderful! I'm going to try a new metallic paint by Ralph Lauren. If I'm really in a brave mood, I may even try adding some stripes!

Good thing my hubby is out mowing the grass.