25 Things (Long Post)

This is something going around on facebook and I thought it would be fun to post here as well. If you read this, consider yourself tagged. I never make time to reply to these emails, so consider this the reply I should've sent two years ago :-)

Rules:Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you

1. Going to bed early and having a tea date with my husband is how I like to end the day. We have an electric kettle in the room and a "tea drawer" in a dresser.

2. I overuse superlatives.

3. Speaking of which, I was voted “Most Friendly” in high school. I hope people still think of me that way.

4. Most people think that David and I met in France. We met while working at Camp Quinipet on Shelter Island (NY) in 2001. We had a lot of "innocent" fun that summer...sailing, swimming, taking walks on the beach, bike rides. It was a wonderful way to really get to know each other in a short amount of time.

5. David and I were "married" three times. Courthouse, France and U.S. weddings.

6. We celebrate all three.

7. I played the violin for 15 years and miss it very much. I want to start playing again.

8. Some of my favorite places in the world are the marshes on the Great South Bay, the beaches of Corsica, the backyard in Bellport, and the Calanques in Marseille. I’ve been lucky enough to see many beautiful places and could never pick only one.

9. I am a perfume junkie. I have more than 25 scents and I rotate them all, usually depending on the weather or what I will do during the day.

10. I’ve learned that the longer you continue your education, the easier it gets.

11. I think that I will earn a Ph.D. Not anytime soon, but I love being in school and it just makes sense to me.

12. I’ve lived in Lynchburg long enough that “y’all” comes out of my mouth from time to time. It’s shocking!

13. Now that I am a parent, it’s humbling to know how much my parents love me.

14. My kids help me to make good choices just by being alive.

15. My middle school best friend and I set up my Dad and her Mom when we were in high school, and they married 8 months after.

16. Some days I still feel like I am 13.

17. Stinky cheese is delicious.

18. The first time I went to France was through a sister city program when I was fourteen. There were 6 kids from Bellport-no chaperones. (Were my parents NUTS?!) We each stayed with a host family. My host family forgot to pick me up at the airport. Nice. I returned right after my senior year ended (thankfully to a different host family!)

19. I studied abroad in Paris during my junior year of college. After three months in the suburbs with a great group of friends, I moved into the city. In exchange for 18 hours of nanny duty each week, I lived rent-free in a small studio apartment in the 16e above the Moroccan embassy, right across from the Eiffel Tower. My room was directly above their kitchen, and it always smelled amazing. Lucky, lucky girl.

20. The first time I saw the rooftops of Paris, I cried. A lot. I felt like I was home.

21. As a student in France, I had a pass to enter any museum for free. I often visited the Louvre and the Orangerie on my daily walks--just to pee. Public bathrooms are non-existent in Paris and these two were centrally located!

22. I once knew the words to waaayyyyy too many Dutch party songs. Kedeng kedeng!

23. In high school, I stopped playing soccer because I did not enjoy running. I joined the tennis team instead. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize the tennis coach was also the cross country coach.

24. When I’m not feeling so great, my husband gets me to repeat “Life is Good” until I really mean it, and he always gets me to smile.

25. I am in dire need of a Girl’s Night Out. :-)