And We're Off

We leave tomorrow for Florida. A 4.5 hour plane ride with an almost 2 year old while I can't keep any food down (sometimes not even water). Sounds like fun, eh? But I am looking forward to seeing family, helping out where we can, and getting a break from "the daily grind".

I may be able to post from Florida and will do my best to do so. I read a blog whose author leaves lists of 100 things about her when she goes away for a while. Instead of packing....

100 Things About Me

1. I am the oldest of three girls.
2. There is only a three year difference between me and my youngest sister. God bless my mother!
3. I grew up in a small town near a larger town on the beautiful shore of Lake Michigan.
4. I miss the beach and the water more than anything (living in the desert).
5. I graduated 3rd in my class of about 80 from high school.
6. I graduated with honors (cum laude) from both undergrad and law school.
7. I was the president of my sorority (Alpha Xi Delta) in college. Joining a sorority is one of the best things I did in college. I loved it and still do!
8. I am scared to death of bees (or anything that is black and yellow with a stinger). I will running crying to get away from them at all costs.
9. One of my favorite Bible verses is Proverbs 3:5-6.
10. My undergrad degree is in... theology but I had a music scholarship.
11. I studied both French and Hebrew in college. French was easier.
12. While I really, really, really loved my four years as an undgrad (can you tell?), I am very, very hesitant to encourage my kids to go in to debt for the same experience (as I did).
13. We find out July 15th if we are having a boy or a girl in December.
14. While I'd love for my hubby to get the son he desperately wants, raising a son scares me to death (see number 1).
15. I love having sisters and while we fought INCESSANTLY growing up, my sisters are my best friends today.
16. Going gray young runs on the maternal side of my family and mine have started showing up already.
17. I played the flute in middle/high school because my school only offered band -- no choir or orchestra.
18. My real true love was (and is) singing.
19. My music scholarship (see 10) was for voice.
20. I performed in something like 20 musicals from 6th through 12th grade -- my singing outlet!
21. I haven't performed in a musical since my senior year in high school.
22. I switched to opera in college.
23. There was 14 months between the time I met my husband to the day we got married.
24. That was 4-5 years ago.
25. My favorite book of all time is "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott.
26. Someday, I just know that Jo is going to say yes to Laurie's proposal. I just know it.
27. My daughter Ella is named for the jazz artist Ella Fitzgerald.
28. I met my husband through Yahoo personals.
29. I was in law school and he was working on his doctorate in music at Michigan State.
30. I really miss the jazz department at Michigan State -- we had so much fun with them. It is one big family.
31. One of my favorite meals is chicken schwarma and it is hard to find good schwarma outside of Syria or Lebanon.
32. I have traveled to 10 other countries in the world (11 if you count Canada). That probably seems like a lot to some, but in the circles I run in, that is nothing.
33. I have never been to Central or South America.
34. I have been to Iran.
35. I wish Americans were more adventurous in their travels. We miss out on so much from being afraid!
36. I'm trying to pick a top destination, but I can't.
37. Some of my favorite places in the world: Petra, Jordan; Damascus, Syria; Dublin, Ireland; Istanbul, Turkey.
38. In my 20's I had a goal of visiting all 7 continents by the time I was 30.
39. I didn't make it. I have been to 4 continents.
40. Someday, I am going to travel the world with Stephanie and we shall wear purple hats together!
41. I am a morning person.
42. My hubby gets up at 5 AM for work and that is too early for me!
43. I love coffee but I only drink one cup per day because I am afraid of getting addicted.
44. I haven't had coffee regularly in 4 months because I don't really like it when I am pregnant.
45. I don't drink alcohol (pregnant or not) because I don't like the taste of it.
46. Except pina coladas. I love those!
47. I hate TV (in general) and I don't watch any show regularly.
48. I want my kids to be readers, not TV watchers.
49. I often feel terrible about allowing Ella to watch an hour of Sesame Street in the morning.
50. I just sold or gave away all non-educational DVDs including two Disney Princess DVDs Ella loved. I felt bad.
51. I struggle with step-parenting and am lousy at it. Probably because of the distance and infrequency of visits.
52. I tell Sarah "I'm sorry" more often than anyone else in my life.
53. I may be lousy at the step thing, but I love having Sarah in my life. I can't imagine it without her.
54. I have learned more about myself and grown more as a person due to the "step" situation in my life than due to any other circumstance in my life ever.
55. All of my close friends are from college (I know, you're shocked).
56. I keep in touch with one friend from my hometown/high school.
57. I don't keep in touch with anyone from law school, which is weird.
58. Except Jen, but she doesn't really count because we knew each other before we got there.
59. We now live in Las Vegas, which is still weird for me.
60. We rarely go down to the Strip.
61. I have made many friends here, which I never expected.
62. Before Vegas we lived in Flagstaff, Arizona.
63. It was awful and great at the same time.
64. I love being a mom and I have no desire to go back to the marketplace ever.
65. I am not a procrastinator. Ever.
66. I plan as far ahead as I possibly can.
67. I am rarely late. Blame my dad.
68. Everyone in Vegas is late so I am usually the first one to arrive.
69. If it was the night before something was due and I hadn't completed it yet, I probably would just not do it.
70. I obviously don't work well under pressure.
71. Yet, I am a total messy, I hate housework, and my husband hangs all my clothes up for me.
72. I have no problem keeping my kitchen clean, but my bathroom takes strict discipline (and a lot of bribing) even though it grosses me out when it is dirty.
73. I live in 900 sq feet but I wish I had a house cleaner!
74. I never once wore sweat pants/work out pants/wind pants to school -- EVER!
75. Or a hat.
76. So in some parts of my world I am extremely "Type A", but in others....not so much!
77. I am my father's daughter.
78. But not the messy party -- I am sure he asked himself for years where that trait came from.
79. I am not a pack rat. I err too much on the other side -- I often get rid of or throw out things I later wished I'd kept.
80. I am serious ALL THE TIME. I have a hard time joking around.
81. I frequently told my sisters, as they were goofing around as kids and I was trying to play something, to "Be serious".
82. Thus the clowns at the circus drive me crazy because they aren't serious.
83. But I do love to laugh!
84. My husband and my middle sister make me laugh the most.
85. I often read my sister's blog and am crying I laugh so hard.
86. God knew what He was doing when He made us sisters!
87. I have a deep faith in God and in Jesus.
88. My goal in life is to glorify God in everything I do.
89. I rarely mention my faith on my blog because I also believe in absolute truth.
90. Which means that I want to avoid alienating anyone by having to say "You are wrong".
91. But I love you anyway and we can certainly disagree! I love to disagree!
92. My favorite theologian is Jonathan Edwards. If you haven't read him or heard of him (or his amazing family), you are missing out. I try to model my life as wife and mother after his wife, Sarah.
93. I find it sad and disturbing that our schools do not teach about Edwards (or many other influential people who shaped our nation and happened to be pastors) in history classes.
94. I would love to home school to fill in the gaps in our public education, but I probably won't. I'll still fill in the gaps, though!
95. I have a hard time admitting when I'm wrong, especially to my husband!
96. The last time I bought clothes for myself was in December and it was to replace really old underwear!
97. The last time I bought clothes for my kids was Sunday.
98. If I could afford it, I'd go to the spa every other week for a pedicure.
99. I would love to someday make money taking photos of kids and families.
100. After all that I've written -- do you REALLY think I'd be doing this if I didn't already have us all packed and ready to go tomorrow?!?! :-)