Apparently in the land of genealogy blogs, there's a game of tag going on. Juliana Smith of Ancestry.com got me (and then Kimberly Powell at about.com got me too). Part of the game is to tell 5 things about yourself that most people probably don't know. Most of mine are pretty mundane, but here goes....
10%
In my high school graduating class, I was related to very nearly 10% of my graduating class, including myself (but I doubt it they know it). I was also related to one of my fourth grade teachers (probably doesn't know), my Jr. High math teacher (knows), my high school accounting teacher (double cousins-knows), my pre-school Sunday School teacher, my kindergarten Sunday School teacher and my 3rd grade Sunday School teacher (double cousins--she knows)...and they were all different people.
Lost
Over the past 4 years, I have lost pretty much 70 pounds by walking the dog, eliminating soda and many sweets. No money spent on a gym or any fad diet.
Manure
Spring Breaks for me during college were not spent on the beach. That was the week the the barns always needed to be cleaned out at home. Most times my 70something grandmother would be right out there with us...and Grandma and I would sometimes get kinda silly when Dad was out on the pasture running the spreader. We always made certain not to be laughing when he came back in the barn.
Flying
I never was in an airplane until my early thirties. The first time the noises made me nervous, but I realized if the "regular" flyers were not screaming or praying that all was probably ok. Now I fly on a regular basis and avoid driving if the distance is over 400 miles.
Constructions
I was the Illinois state champion in the oral competition at the 1986 Illinois state math meet. The topic was geometric constructions (give me a straight edge and a compass...). I can't remember the questions, but I do remember being EXTREMELY NERVOUS. The other kids were from large Chicago area surburban high schools and were headed off to places like MIT. Then there was me: the farm kid from the rural school where everyone had been going to school together since kindergarden. So goes the war--I can remember that while I was reviewing a simple things at the last minute to "relax," they were bragging about one thing or another......
